25 September 2026 | English | FREE Current Affairs PDF

Today’s Highlight: Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings have both raised India’s FY27 GDP growth forecast, to 6.9% and 7.0% respectively, while also expecting a 25 basis point RBI rate hike. Banking aspirants should note these figures along with the inflation outlook, as growth forecasts are a regular exam topic.

News in One Liner – 25 September 2026

PIB News

Vice-President Opens 9th India International Water Week 2026

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the 9th India International Water Week (IIWW) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The five-day event (September 22–26) is organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti under the theme “Climate Resilient Water Management”. It focuses on groundwater recharge, irrigation efficiency and the Water-Energy-Food nexus.

PM Modi Launches Project Rhino on World Rhino Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced “Project Rhino” on World Rhino Day (September 22) to give Central financial and technical support to rhino range states. The scheme covers habitat management, anti-poaching, genetic research and population tracking. Assam hosts nearly 80% of the world’s greater one-horned rhinos.

PM Hails Indian Women’s Cricket Team for Asian Games Gold

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian Women’s Cricket Team for winning the Gold Medal in the T20 cricket event at the Asian Games. The win gave India its opening Gold of the tournament. The PM praised the team’s discipline and said the result will inspire young women athletes.

Challenge Mode Portal Launched Under Modified UDAN Scheme

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu launched the Challenge Mode portal for selecting aerodromes under the next phase of UDAN. States and UTs can now competitively nominate unserved airstrips and helipads for Central support. The Minister also released the Scheme Document for UDAN Route Bidding.

TRAI Mandates Affordable Voice and SMS-Only Recharge Plans

TRAI issued the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026. Telecom companies must now offer cheaper Voice and SMS-only vouchers with validities of 30 days or less, plus plans that renew on the same date every month. The move helps feature-phone users, senior citizens and low-income consumers avoid forced data bundling.

Amit Shah Sets 2029 Target to End Drug Trade in India

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the 3rd National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Heads in New Delhi. The government unveiled Roadmap 2029 to dismantle drug trafficking networks by December 31, 2029, moving from a seizure-centric approach to network elimination. Under an awareness drive, Nashamukt Mitras will visit 10 lakh educational institutions.

India Hosts 7th OPEC-India Energy Dialogue in New Delhi

The 7th High-Level Meeting of the OPEC-India Energy Dialogue was held in New Delhi, co-chaired by Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais. The talks covered oil market stability, price volatility and investments in petroleum infrastructure. The 8th meeting will be held in Vienna, Austria.

NHAI and SSNNL Sign MoU for Fast-Track Approvals in Gujarat

NHAI signed an MoU with Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) in Gandhinagar to speed up approvals for highway, canal and pipeline crossings in Gujarat. Both agencies will mutually waive processing fees and charges for such crossings. The pact also sets rules for early data sharing and maintenance of crossing structures.

Industry News

GST 2.0 Completes One Year With Simplified Two-Slab Structure

India’s next-generation GST (GST 2.0) completed its first year of implementation. It moved the country to a simplified primary two-tier structure of 5% and 18%, with a higher levy on select luxury and sin goods. The reform also brought automated returns and faster Input Tax Credit refunds, easing compliance for MSMEs.

India’s Flash PMI Hits Three-Month High in September

The HSBC India Flash Composite Output Index rose to a three-month high in September 2026, led by strong growth in both manufacturing and services. The Flash Manufacturing PMI climbed to a seven-month high of 55.7, up from 52.8 in August. New orders grew at the fastest pace in months, pushing firms to hire more.

Fitch Raises India’s FY27 GDP Growth Forecast to 6.9%

Fitch Ratings raised India’s FY27 real GDP growth forecast to 6.9% from 6.4%, citing stronger-than-expected momentum. It expects fixed investment to grow over 10% and non-food credit by 19%. Fitch also warned that rising inflation may lead the RBI to hike the policy rate by 25 basis points.

S&P Global Lifts India’s FY27 Growth Projection to 7%

S&P Global Ratings raised India’s FY27 real GDP growth forecast to 7.0% from 6.6%. It credited a strong 7.8% quarterly GDP print, industrial activity, public capital spending and exports. S&P expects inflation to average 5.1% in FY27 and a 25 basis point RBI rate hike.

Financial News

RBI Releases Supervisory Data Quality Index for June 2026

The RBI published the Supervisory Data Quality Index (sDQI) for Scheduled Commercial Banks for June 2026. The index checks the quality of banks’ regulatory filings on four parameters: Accuracy, Timeliness, Completeness and Consistency. It helps the RBI spot reporting problems early and strengthen supervision.

IRDAI Eases Dividend Repatriation for Foreign-Owned Insurance Intermediaries

IRDAI relaxed dividend repatriation rules for foreign-owned insurance intermediaries such as brokers, web aggregators and corporate agents. Those meeting capital, solvency and compliance criteria can now send dividends abroad without prior IRDAI approval. The move reduces delays and makes India’s insurance distribution sector more attractive to foreign investors.

National & State News

21 States and UTs Sign MoUs for Next Phase of UDAN

As many as 21 States and UTs signed MoUs with the Ministry of Civil Aviation for the Challenge Mode phase of the modified UDAN scheme. They will provide free land, utilities, security, firefighting cover and reduced VAT on ATF. The plan aims to connect 120 new regional destinations and add over 4 crore passengers over the next decade.

Environmental Clearance Validity for Ports Extended Up to 30 Years

The Environment Ministry extended the initial validity of Environmental Clearances for port, harbour and dredging projects from 10 years to 20 years. Two further 5-year extensions are allowed, taking the maximum validity to 30 years. The change addresses long project timelines and follows a request from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

Railways Notifies Unified Pension Scheme Rules for NPS Employees

The Ministry of Railways notified Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) rules for employees covered under NPS. Staff with 25 years of service get an assured pension of 50% of their average basic pay of the last 12 months, and a minimum pension of ₹10,000 a month is assured after 10 years. Family pension is set at 60% of the employee’s pension.

World News

Jaishankar Attends First V4+India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the first-ever V4+India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The Visegrad Group (V4) includes Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The ministers agreed to hold annual meetings and set up a V4-India Business Forum.

Appointments and Resignation

M. Asad Alam Siam Named Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India

Bangladesh has named senior diplomat M. Asad Alam Siam as its new High Commissioner to India, succeeding Mustafizur Rahman. Siam earlier served as Bangladesh’s Inspector General of Missions and Ambassador to Austria. The appointment comes as both nations work on trade, transit, river-water sharing and border issues.

Defence News

IAF to Host Multinational Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 in Jodhpur

The Indian Air Force will host the 2nd edition of the multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 at Air Force Station Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12. Countries including the US, France, Germany, UAE and Australia are taking part, with over 30 nations as observers. The drill covers air defence, aerial refuelling and electronic warfare.

Ranking and Reports

WEF Survey Puts India at Top of Global Growth Outlook

The World Economic Forum’s September 2026 Chief Economists’ Outlook placed India at the top of global growth expectations. 98% of chief economists expect moderate or stronger growth in India, with 74% forecasting strong or very strong growth. India and Southeast Asia are the only two regions where real household incomes are expected to rise.

M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026: Renuka Jagtiani Tops New Entrants

The M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026 lists 1,810 individuals with wealth above ₹1,000 crore. Landmark Group’s Renuka Jagtiani is the top new entrant with ₹70,500 crore, ranking 36th overall. India’s dollar billionaires rose by 27 to 391, and 70% of the list are self-made.

Sports News

Smriti Mandhana First Woman to Cross 11,000 International Runs

Smriti Mandhana became the first woman cricketer in history to pass 11,000 international runs across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. She reached the milestone during the Asian Games gold-medal match against Sri Lanka in Aichi-Nagoya. She had earlier overtaken Mithali Raj’s record of 10,868 runs to become India’s top international run-scorer.

Mirabai Chanu Wins Silver in 49kg Weightlifting at Asian Games

Mirabai Chanu won silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, with a total lift of 198kg (88kg snatch and 111kg clean & jerk). North Korea’s Ri Song Gum took gold with 215kg. It is India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari’s bronze in 1998.

Jay Meena Wins India’s First-Ever Asian Games Soft Tennis Medal

Jay Meena from Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, won bronze in men’s singles soft tennis at the Asian Games, India’s first medal in the sport. He lost 2–4 to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka in the semifinal. Soft tennis has been part of the Asian Games medal programme since 1994.

Important Days

International Day of Sign Languages Observed on September 23

The International Day of Sign Languages was observed on September 23 to protect the linguistic identity of deaf people. The date marks the founding of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) on September 23, 1951. The day stresses recognising national sign languages as equal to spoken languages.