24 September 2026 | English | FREE Current Affairs PDF

Today’s Highlight: The Finance Ministry has urged Public Sector Bank and Regional Rural Bank employees to call off their strike planned for September 28 to 30, which falls on the half-yearly closing. Banking aspirants should note the pending 5-day work week demand and the role of the Department of Financial Services.

News in One Liner – 24 September 2026

PIB News

₹320 Crore Approved Under PM-SETU for Kurukshetra ITI Cluster

The National Steering Committee under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship approved ₹320 crore for the Kurukshetra ITI cluster in Haryana under the PM-SETU scheme. The project uses a Hub-and-Spoke model, with Government ITI Kurukshetra as the Hub and six nearby ITIs as Spokes, and Jindal Naveen Avsar Limited as the industry partner. PM-SETU has a national outlay of ₹60,000 crore to upgrade 1,000 government ITIs.

Industry News

India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement to Enter into Force on October 20

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced that the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement will enter into force on October 20, 2026. The deal lowers tariffs, widens market access for farm and industrial goods, and improves services mobility. It also protects sensitive Indian farm sectors while boosting exports of textiles, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods and IT services.

NHAI Issues Standard Guidelines for High-Speed Access-Controlled Corridors

The National Highways Authority of India issued standardised design guidelines for all upcoming 4/6-lane high-speed access-controlled national highways. Corridors with up to 15,000 vehicles need a 60-metre right-of-way, while those with 15,000 to 40,000 vehicles need 70 metres. A 1-metre-high continuous boundary wall is mandatory to stop encroachment and stray animal entry.

ONGC Strikes Gas in Mahanadi Offshore, First Find Under Samudra Manthan

ONGC struck natural gas at the deepwater well MN-DW18-1-H-D in the Mahanadi Offshore basin, at a depth of 1,441 to 1,452 metres. It is the first discovery under the government’s ₹84,000 crore Samudra Manthan offshore exploration drive. The well lies about 43 km off the coast of Konark, Odisha.

Financial News

Finance Ministry Urges PSB and RRB Staff to Call Off Proposed Strike

The Ministry of Finance appealed to employees of Public Sector Banks and Regional Rural Banks to drop their three-day nationwide strike planned from September 28 to 30, 2026. The government said the Performance Linked Incentives issue has been kept in abeyance, while the demand for a 5-day banking week is under examination. The strike would coincide with the half-yearly closing on September 30.

DFS Directs Public Sector Banks to Ensure Cash Availability Before Strike

The Department of Financial Services reviewed strike plans with PSB chiefs, RRBs, the Indian Banks’ Association and NABARD. Banks were told to keep ATMs, cash deposit-cum-withdrawal machines and Business Correspondent outlets fully stocked with cash. All 12 Public Sector Banks issued advisories asking customers to finish essential branch work before September 28.

National & State News

Over 8.53 Lakh Senior Citizens Benefited Under Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana

More than 8.53 lakh senior citizens received over 46 lakh free assistive devices under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana between FY 2017–18 and FY 2025–26. The scheme is implemented by ALIMCO and is part of the umbrella Atal Vayo Abhyudaya Yojana. The Elderline helpline (14567) handled over 29 lakh calls between FY 2021–22 and FY 2025–26.

Environmental Clearance Validity for Ports and Harbours Doubled to 20 Years

The Environment Ministry amended the EIA Notification, 2006 to raise the initial validity of Environmental Clearances for port and harbour projects from 10 years to 20 years. Two further 5-year extensions are allowed in deserving cases after review by Expert Appraisal Committees. The change was made at the request of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

Rajya Sabha Polls for 11 UP and Uttarakhand Seats on October 16

The Election Commission of India announced elections to 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh and 1 from Uttarakhand on October 16, along with a by-election for 1 seat in West Bengal. Most of these seats fall vacant as terms end on November 25. The West Bengal seat became vacant after the resignation of MP Rukmini Malik.

Supreme Court: No Written Grounds of Arrest Violates Article 22(1)

The Supreme Court ruled that failing to give an accused written grounds of arrest, in a language they understand, violates Article 22(1) of the Constitution. The Bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S. Chandurkar ordered departmental action against officers who fail to do so. Police cannot re-arrest a person released for such a violation without a magistrate’s approval.

Central Employee Unions Push for Guaranteed Pension Before 8th Pay Commission

Central government employee unions stepped up demands for guaranteed pension terms ahead of the 8th Central Pay Commission. They want a minimum pension of 50% of the last drawn basic pay, linked to Dearness Relief. The debate compares the Old Pension Scheme, the National Pension System and the Unified Pension Scheme.

World News

India and Canada Fast-Track CEPA Talks; Next Round on October 5

India and Canada agreed to speed up negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced. After the fourth round of ministerial talks in Mumbai, both sides called the next 90 days a critical window. The fifth round begins on October 5 and will focus on farm market access, services, industrial goods and investment.

Visegrád Group Backs India’s Permanent Seat on UN Security Council

The four Visegrád Group (V4) nations – Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic – jointly supported India’s bid for a permanent seat on an expanded UN Security Council. The backing came at the first V4–India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. Talks also covered trade, supply chains, defence and the India–EU Free Trade Agreement.

AI Industry Leaders Brief UN Security Council on Frontier AI Risks

The UN Security Council held a high-level session on AI governance under France’s presidency. Briefers included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio. They discussed biosecurity, autonomous weapons, cybersecurity and the risk of losing control over advanced AI models.

Defence News

India–Mongolia Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT Begins in Pithoragarh

The 18th edition of the India–Mongolia joint military exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT began at the Foreign Training Node in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, and runs from September 21 to October 3, 2026. Each side has 45 personnel. The exercise focuses on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in semi-urban and mountain terrain under a UN mandate.

INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish Reach Philippines for ADMM-Plus Activity

Indian Navy ships INS Sahyadri, a guided-missile frigate, and INS Kulish, a missile corvette, arrived at Subic Bay, Philippines, on September 20, 2026. They will take part in the ADMM-Plus Joint Cooperation Activity with ASEAN navies and the eight Plus partner navies. The deployment supports India’s Act East Policy and the MAHASAGAR maritime vision.

Science & Technology

G. Kishan Reddy Calls for Critical Mineral Recovery from E-Waste

Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy called for stronger recycling infrastructure to recover critical minerals from e-waste, end-of-life products and spent lithium-ion batteries. Officials stressed black mass processing, research and public participation to build a circular economy. The effort supports the National Critical Minerals Mission to cut import dependence.

ISRO and European Space Agency Extend Cooperation Agreement Till 2032

ISRO and the European Space Agency extended their Cooperative Agreement through an exchange of letters, taking it up to January 8, 2032. The agreement was first signed in January 2002, making it a 30-year partnership. ESA will keep providing tracking and command support for Indian missions, including Gaganyaan.

India’s Semiconductor Market to Touch $200 Billion by 2035: EY-IESA

A joint EY and IESA report, Semicon India 2.0, projects India’s semiconductor market to grow from $64 billion in 2026 to $200 billion by 2035. Under the India Semiconductor Mission 1.0, with an outlay of ₹76,000 crore, 12 projects worth about ₹1.64 lakh crore have been approved. India has nearly 20% of the world’s chip design engineers.

Delhi Airport Climbs 11 Places to 28th in OAG Megahubs Index 2026

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport rose from 39th to 28th globally in OAG’s Megahubs Index 2026, leading Indian airports in international connectivity. It ranked 9th in Asia-Pacific and 9th among the world’s low-cost megahubs. Istanbul Airport was named the world’s most connected international megahub.

AIF Commitments Rise 24% to ₹17.53 Trillion: SEBI Data

SEBI data shows that total commitments raised by Alternative Investment Funds rose 24% year-on-year to ₹17.53 trillion as of June 2026. Category II AIFs, which include private equity, debt and real estate funds, held the largest share. Funds actually raised crossed ₹5.2 trillion, with ₹4.8 trillion invested.