01 October 2026 | English | FREE Current Affairs PDF

Today’s Highlight: From October 1, 2026, the RBI’s revised FEMA rules give exporters 15 months to realise export proceeds, or up to 18 months when trade is settled in Indian Rupees. Banking aspirants should note these timelines and the wider powers given to Authorised Dealer banks, as RBI trade rules are a common exam topic.

News in One Liner – 01 October 2026

PIB News

TRAI: Telephone Subscribers Reach 1,360.70 Million in August 2026

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released subscription data for August 2026, showing total telephone subscribers at 1,360.70 million with a net addition of 6.42 million. Overall teledensity reached 95.07%, with urban teledensity at 155.00% and rural teledensity at 61.12%. Total broadband subscribers rose to 1,101.21 million.

Kolkata to Host India Energy Week 2027

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced Kolkata as the host city for India Energy Week 2027. The event will be held under the theme ‘Unlocking Innovation, Securing Energy’. India Energy Week is the flagship energy conference organised under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Piyush Goyal Visits US for G20 Trade Ministers Meeting in Milwaukee

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is on an official visit to the United States from September 29 to October 5, 2026. He is attending the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. India will push for a rules-based multilateral trading system centred on the WTO and hold talks to advance a Bilateral Trade Agreement with the US.

Steel Ministry Announces Apex Safety Council for Steel Sector

The Ministry of Steel announced the Steel Industry Safety Council as the apex body to strengthen safety standards across public and private steel plants. A Steel Industry Safety Directorate has been set up as its executive technical arm for safety audits and risk assessments. The aim is to reduce industrial accidents and promote a safety-first culture.

Industry News

Russia Stays India’s Top Crude Oil Supplier in September

Russia remained India’s largest crude oil supplier in September, shipping 1.742 million barrels per day. India’s total crude imports rose 13% to 5.251 million barrels per day between September 1 and 27. Iraq and Saudi Arabia followed Russia, while steady Russian supplies offset disruptions on the Persian Gulf route.

Rs 1 Trillion Rayalaseema Horticulture Hub to Launch in Andhra Pradesh

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is to inaugurate the Rs 1 trillion Rayalaseema Horticulture Hub project in Andhra Pradesh. It covers 201 clusters across 10 districts and runs in three phases from August 2026 to July 2029. The project aims to expand horticulture to 1.44 million hectares, double output and benefit 9.6 lakh farmers.

NMDC Commissions 2 MTPA Pellet Plant at Nagarnar, Chhattisgarh

State-owned NMDC Limited commissioned its 2 million tonnes per annum pellet plant at Nagarnar in Bastar district, Chhattisgarh. It is part of a Rs 5,427 crore integrated project that includes an iron ore processing plant at Bacheli and a 15 MTPA slurry pipeline. The plant uses Straight Grate Induration technology to make high-grade pellets for steelmaking.

Financial News

RBI’s Revised FEMA Trade Rules Take Effect from October 1

The RBI notified the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, effective October 1, 2026. Export realisation time is extended to 15 months, and up to 18 months for trade settled in Indian Rupees. Authorised Dealer banks get wider powers and must update the EDPMS and IDPMS portals within five working days.

World News

India and Jordan Target $5 Billion Bilateral Trade by 2030

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Jordan’s Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan held talks in New Delhi. The two countries set a bilateral trade target of 5 billion US dollars by 2030. Talks focused on long-term supplies of rock phosphate, potash and other fertiliser inputs for India.

US Waives Tariffs on Specialty Drugs from India and 19 Other Nations

The United States exempted India and 19 other countries from tariffs on specialty drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. The zero-tariff category covers medicines for rare diseases, cell and gene therapies and other specialty products. The relief comes ahead of a proposed 100% tariff on foreign patented drug imports.

Awards & Honors

Divya Deshmukh Named Best Female Player at 2026 FIDE Excellence Awards

Indian International Master Divya Deshmukh was named Best Female Player at the inaugural 2026 FIDE Excellence Awards. The award was presented at the closing ceremony of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov won the Best Male Player award.

Tejaswin Shankar Wins Decathlon Bronze at Asian Games

Tejaswin Shankar won bronze in the Men’s Decathlon at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with 7,934 points across ten events. It is his second straight Asian Games medal after winning silver at Hangzhou 2023. He also holds the national high jump record of 2.29 metres.

11-Year-Old Bodhana Sivanandan Becomes Youngest Woman Grandmaster

Eleven-year-old Indian-origin chess player Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest Woman Grandmaster in history. Playing on Board 1 for England, she completed her final WGM norm at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. She scored 8 points from 11 rounds and also earned her second International Master norm.

Appointments and Resignation

Ram Bachan Rai Takes Charge as Chairman of Bihar Legislative Council

Senior Janata Dal (United) leader and litterateur Ram Bachan Rai assumed charge as the Chairman of the Bihar Legislative Council in Patna. He earlier served as the Deputy Chairperson of the Council. Article 182 of the Constitution provides for a Chairman and Deputy Chairman of a State Legislative Council.

Science & Technology

SpaceX Starship Reaches Earth Orbit for the First Time

SpaceX placed its Starship megarocket into Earth orbit for the first time on its 14th test flight from Starbase, Texas. The upper stage reached a circular orbit about 275 km above Earth at around 28,000 km per hour. It then began deploying next-generation Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

Sports News

India Win Three Athletics Silvers; Vithya Breaks 400m Hurdles Record

Yashvir Singh (javelin), Gulveer Singh (1500m) and Murali Sreeshankar (long jump) won silver medals at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Vithya Ramraj broke PT Usha’s national record in the women’s 400m hurdles with 54.75 seconds to win bronze.

Neeru Dhanda Wins India’s First Women’s Trap Individual Gold at Asian Games

Neeru Dhanda became the first Indian to win an individual gold in Women’s Trap at the Asian Games, scoring 28 in the final. She also set a Games qualification record of 118. The Indian women’s trap team of Neeru, Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer won silver with 328 points.

Indian Women Win 4x400m Relay Gold at Asian Games

The Indian team of Kiran, Poovamma Machettira, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj won gold in the Women’s 4x400m Relay at the Asian Games with a time of 3:29.69. Bahrain took silver and China bronze. It is India’s sixth gold in this event in the last seven Asian Games, and India ended the athletics campaign with 24 medals.

Important Days

International Day for Universal Access to Information Observed on September 28

The UN observed the International Day for Universal Access to Information on September 28, 2026. The 2026 theme was ‘Upholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: The role of access to Information in addressing Information Disorder’. UNESCO, headquartered in Paris, is the lead agency for the day.

Seventh International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Observed

The FAO and UNEP observed the seventh International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on September 29, 2026. This year’s focus was on cutting food loss and waste to lower methane emissions and protect natural resources. The day is linked to SDG Target 12.3, which aims to halve per capita food waste by 2030.