Monthly current affairs for September 2026

According to the report “Economic Outlook Asia-Pacific Q4 2026: Exports, Domestic Demand Will Shore Up Growth” released by S&P Global Ratings, the GDP growth of India for FY27 is revised upwards to 7% from 6.6%.

The growth for FY28, FY29, and FY30 is projected at 7.2%, 7%, and 6.8% respectively.

RNFI Money Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of RNFI Services Ltd, has received regulatory approval from the RBI to facilitate cross-border trade remittances.

TBX (formerly TransBnk) has launched Business-to-Business (B2B) bill payments on its TrustHub platform through Bharat Connect for Business, a service of the NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL).

It is to be noted that NBBL is a subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

The Indo-Russia Innopraktika Tech Hub (IRITH) has signed 4 strategic agreements during the “INNOPROM India 2026” International Industrial Trade Fair held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Under the agreements, a CoE for AI and cybersecurity will be established at Gorky Tech. To facilitate cross-border investment, an agreement was signed with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Additionally, the Russian company NexTouch will set up a joint venture in India, and SberMedAI will collaborate on the implementation of AI and IT applications in the healthcare sector.

Tata Steel has extended the Joint Letter of Intent (JLoI) with the Netherlands government and the Province of North Holland for the “Green Steel Project” until March 1, 2027.

The extension aims to facilitate continued discussions regarding the decarbonization of the industrial operations of the steelmaker in the Netherlands.

Union Minister Dr S Jaishankar visited Bhutan at the invitation of the Foreign Minister of Bhutan DN Dhungyel to review bilateral cooperation. During the visit, he held high-level meetings with the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and PM Tshering Tobgay.

He launched 5 developmental initiatives in the fields of healthcare, connectivity, agriculture, clean mobility, and energy. Both nations reviewed the progress of the Punatsangchhu-I (1,200 MW) and Punatsangchhu-II (1,020 MW) Hydroelectric Projects under the ‘Joint Vision on Energy Partnership’ (March 2024).

India has extended a concessional Line of Credit (LoC) worth ₹4,000 crore to Bhutan for projects in the energy sector to enhance infrastructure and hydropower development.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has laid the foundation stone for the first port-based e-methanol production facility in India at the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in Kandla, Gujarat.

The project is being developed as a Joint Venture between the DPA and the Assam-based Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd (APCL) with a total investment of ₹2,300 crore. The facility is designed to produce 150 tonnes of e-methanol per day to support maritime decarbonisation and establish India as a global green energy exporter.

The Delhi Cabinet, chaired by CM Rekha Gupta, has approved the “Driving Upliftment and Rozgar for Women/Transgender Green E-Auto” (DURGA) scheme to provide dignified self-employment for women and transgender persons.

The USA-based Starbucks Coffee Company has signed an MoU with the Tamil Nadu government to establish its first Global Capability Centre (GCC) in India. The proposed facility will be located in Chennai.

Dinesh Pant has been appointed as the Whole-Time Member (Actuary) of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) for a period of 5 years.

He took voluntary retirement from the post of MD of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to join the IRDAI.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of three cricket franchises, Rajasthan Royals (India), Paarl Royals (South Africa), and Barbados Royals (Barbados), by the UK-based Westview Cricket Ltd and Poonawalla Sports and Fitness Pvt Ltd, owned by Adar Cyrus Poonawalla.

India is set to host the 11th edition of the “Asian Senior Wushu Championships” for the first time in 2028. The decision was ratified during the Wushu Federation of Asia (WFA) Congress held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Bhupender Singh Bajwa, representing the Wushu Association of India (WAI), has been nominated as a member of the Executive Committee of the WFA. It is to be noted that Wushu is a traditional Chinese martial art and combat sport.

The central government has dissolved the Digital Communications Commission (DCC), which served as the apex inter-departmental decision-making body under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of the Ministry of Communications.

It is to be noted that the body was originally established as the Telecom Commission in 1989 and later renamed the DCC in 2018, functioning for nearly 37 years before being dissolved.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has issued the ‘Standard on Sustainability Assurance (SSA) 5000, General Requirements & Framework for Sustainability Assurance Engagements’.

The SSA 5000 provides a principle-based framework covering climate, labour practices, and biodiversity, aligned with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000. The standard will become applicable from April 1, 2027.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has mandated Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification for smartphone screen protectors under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021, effective from April 1, 2027.

With this, smartphone screen protectors become the 66th product category under the compulsory registration framework and must conform to the Indian Standard (IS) 19348:2025 before being manufactured, imported, or sold in India. A transition period is granted until March 31, 2027, for manufacturers and importers to meet the prescribed standard.

Union Minister CR Patil has launched “Swachh Seva Aankalan (SSA)”, an annual digital self-assessment framework for monitoring rural sanitation service delivery under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen 2.0 (SBM(G) 2.0). The initiative was developed by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS).

The name of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd has been officially changed to ICICI Life Insurance Limited, effective from September 22, 2026. The change follows approval from the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Central Processing Centre, Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).

RBI has issued directions to alter the valuation norms for units of Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) held by All-India Financial Institutions (AIFIs).

The revised valuation directions came into effect immediately. It is to be noted that the India REIT market hits $17.7 billion, overtakes Hong Kong to become Asia’s 4th largest.

The Ministry of Tourism has partnered with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to develop the ‘National Digital Tourism Stack’.

Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat launched the project at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi to mark World Tourism Day on September 27. The initiative aims to bring 23,000 tourism experiences and homestays on board to make them discoverable, trustable, and bookable by the end of 2028, with the support of the International Centre for DPI Innovation and Advancement (ICDIA).

According to the “State of Global Water Resources 2025” report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2025 marked the 4th consecutive year in which every major glaciated region recorded a net loss in ice mass, with global glacier loss estimated at 408 plus or minus 132 gigatonnes.

The report further states that mountain glaciers have lost about 6.2% of their total ice mass between 2000 and 2025.