Daily Current Affairs - 06-09-2026

Important Days

Demand to Declare V.O.C.’s Birthday as Lawyers’ Day

V.O. Chidambaranar (V.O.C.), popularly known as Kappalottiya Tamilan, was commemorated on his 155th birth anniversary. On the occasion, his great-granddaughter U. Selvi, who serves as the Kovilpatti District Educational Officer, submitted a request to the Tamil Nadu Government to declare the birthday of V.O. Chidambaranar as Lawyers’ Day. She also sought the construction of a grand Manimandapam (memorial) for V.O.C. at his birthplace, Ottapidaram, and requested the enactment of a law to take strict action against those who disparage freedom fighters. V.O. Chidambaranar, a prominent freedom fighter and lawyer, is widely remembered by the title Kappalottiya Tamilan.

International News

India Supports UN Resolution on New World Map

India voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling for the preparation of a more accurate new world map by addressing distortions in the existing map. The resolution was proposed by Togo in the 193-member UN General Assembly, with 164 countries, including India and Pakistan, voting in favour. The United States voted against the resolution, while Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine did not participate in the voting. The resolution highlighted the limitations of the Mercator Projection, developed by geographer Gerardus Mercator in the 16th century primarily for sea navigation, which is widely used in education, media, digital platforms and official records. The projection distorts the relative sizes of regions, making areas near the equator, including Africa, Latin America and South Asia, appear smaller than their actual geographical area. India supported the proposal for an equal-area world map that more accurately represents the true surface area of continents and regions. Raghoo Puri, First Secretary of India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, represented India's position on the resolution.

China’s Mega Dam on Yarlung Zangbo River

China is constructing a mega hydropower project on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River (Brahmaputra) in Tibet, near the Great Bend where the river turns towards India. The project is included in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan under the renewable energy sector. The proposed project will have an installed capacity of 60 GW and is expected to generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, about three times the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam. The project involves an investment of 1.2 trillion Yuan (approximately ₹14 lakh crore) and includes the construction of five power stations. A state-owned entity, China Yajiang Group, has been established to oversee the project. The design includes a reservoir, reportedly near Mainling, and a 40-km-long tunnel to divert water to five powerhouses of 12 GW capacity each. In July 2025, Chinese Premier Li Qiang officially announced the commencement of construction, while Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing visited the Nyingchi region of Tibet in April. India has raised concerns regarding the downstream impact, water storage and ecological consequences of the project, as well as the lack of regular hydrological data sharing through the Expert-Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers.

26th SCO Summit Held in Bishkek

The 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from August 31 to September 1, 2026, with the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of member states. The SCO was established on June 15, 2001, by the Shanghai Five—China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; India and Pakistan became members in 2017. The Bishkek Declaration addressed terrorism, separatism and extremism, supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, and called for an inclusive government in Afghanistan. The summit also supported the right of member states to develop atomic energy for peaceful purposes and emphasised a just settlement of the Palestine issue. The SCO has 29 charter bodies and more than 40 working mechanisms covering various fields, and it does not have a collective defence mechanism. At the summit, India emphasised a coordinated approach to combating terrorism, peace and stability in Afghanistan, and greater connectivity among SCO member states while respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity. With the conclusion of the summit, Pakistan assumed the SCO chairmanship, and the next SCO Summit is scheduled to be held in Pakistan. India has used the SCO as a multilateral platform since joining the organisation in 2017, including for diplomatic engagement with China and other major member states.

BRICS Explores Cross-Border Payment Systems and CBDC Linkages

The 18th BRICS Summit, with India as the Chair, is scheduled to be held in New Delhi in September 2026, with cross-border payment mechanisms among the key areas of financial cooperation. Representatives of BRICS finance ministries and central banks met in Jaipur on August 12–13, 2026 to discuss financial cooperation, payment systems and the wider use of national currencies in trade settlements. SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), based in Belgium, is used by more than 11,000 institutions in over 200 countries for interbank financial messaging. Alternative payment mechanisms under discussion include linking national payment systems, such as India’s UPI and Singapore’s PayNow, and Project Nexus, developed by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and involving six central banks including the Reserve Bank of India, which is expected to become operational in 2027. BRICS discussions also include the use of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) for cross-border and wholesale settlements. The mBridge project, developed by the BIS with the central banks of China, Thailand, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, is a major CBDC-based cross-border payment initiative. The 2024 Kazan BRICS Declaration agreed to study BRICS Clear, while India has proposed linking CBDCs for trade and tourism payments to reduce transaction costs and accelerate settlement.

National News

World-Class Education for Viksit Bharat

President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Awards on Teachers at a function held in New Delhi on September 5, observed as Teachers’ Day. She highlighted education as an important means of ensuring the constitutional ideal of equality of opportunity and noted the significant reduction in the primary school dropout rate. The President emphasized the importance of school education, character building during childhood, and providing support to students from economically disadvantaged families, first-generation learners and children with special needs. She identified academic excellence, skill development and entrepreneurship as important for national development and stated that India aims to become the skill capital of the world and a knowledge superpower. She stated that a world-class education system is essential for achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat (Developed India).

Supreme Court Seeks Centre’s View on Introducing Totaliser Machines for EVM Vote Counting

The Supreme Court on September 1 asked the Central Government to examine the possibility of introducing Totaliser machines for counting votes recorded in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to maintain the secrecy of booth-wise voting patterns. A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana heard the matter, which originated from a 2014 Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Yogesh Gupta and Imran Khan. A Totaliser enables votes from about 14 polling booths to be counted together instead of revealing booth-wise results. The system was developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru, and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad. It functions as an interface connected to the Control Units of 14 EVMs and provides the consolidated votes received by each candidate without revealing individual booth-wise voting patterns. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has supported the introduction of Totalisers and first proposed the measure to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in 2008. The Central Government opposed the proposal in 2017, while the matter was again considered by the Supreme Court in 2018. The Supreme Court has now sought the Central Government’s position on the introduction of the Totaliser system and asked the Election Commission to submit its proposal to the government.

Personalities, Awards and Events

National Teachers’ Awards 2026

On the occasion of Teachers’ Day on September 5, 2026, President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Teachers’ Awards to 82 teachers and educators at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The awardees included 48 teachers from the Department of School Education, 21 professors from the Department of Higher Education, and 13 trainers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Five awardees were from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry: M. Thangaraj of Puliyampatti Panchayat Union Primary School, Tenkasi district; J. Amudha, Headmistress of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Madurai; Dr. R. Kannan, Physics Professor at Sakthi Polytechnic College, Erode; Dr. Sasikala, Head of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department at PSG Polytechnic College, Coimbatore; and S. Ganesan of Srinivasan Government High School, Mettupalayam, Puducherry. The awardees were recognised for their contributions to innovative teaching, inclusive education, research, skill development and the application of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education.

Second Suru Summer Festival in Ladakh

The second Suru Summer Festival was organised by the Ladakh Administration to promote Kargil as a sustainable, cultural and adventure tourism destination and generate livelihood and employment opportunities for local communities. The Suru Valley, located about 90 km from Kargil and 290 km from Srinagar, is situated in the Himalayan region and is predominantly inhabited by the Purgi people of Tibetan descent. The valley reflects a blend of Islamic and Buddhist traditions, with its upper regions closely associated with the Buddhist heritage of Zanskar. The festival featured adventure activities such as cycle rallies, paragliding, river rafting and rock climbing. The Department of Tourism and Culture, local entrepreneurs, social media influencers and other stakeholders participated in promoting the region's traditional culture, cuisine, attire and language. The Suru Valley has also been featured in National Geographic's tourism listings, and the administration plans to expand the festival to other parts of the district, including Drass and Zanskar.

Tamil Nadu News

Rameswaram–Mandapam Passenger Boat Service Feasibility Study

The Tamil Nadu Maritime Board has undertaken preliminary feasibility studies to introduce a domestic passenger boat service between Agni Theertham Beach in Rameswaram and Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district, through the Pamban Sea Canal. The inspection was led by Captain Menaksha, Rameswaram Port Officer of the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board, along with members of an advisory committee from Chennai. The study examined factors such as sea depth, navigation route, travel distance and clearance height required for boats to pass beneath the new Pamban vertical lift railway bridge. Based on the results of the feasibility assessment, the Government of Tamil Nadu will initiate further work for establishing the passenger boat transport service between Agni Theertham and Mandapam.

Enhanced Assistance for Welfare Board Members

The Tamil Nadu Government has issued a Government Order enhancing financial assistance and educational scholarships provided through the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Board, Narikoravas Welfare Board and Puthirai Vannan Welfare Board functioning under the Department of Social Justice. For members of the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Board, accident death assistance has been increased from ₹1.25 lakh to ₹5 lakh, while natural death assistance has been increased from ₹20,000 to ₹30,000. For members of the Narikoravas Welfare Board, accident death assistance has been increased from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh, and natural death assistance from ₹20,000 to ₹30,000. Members of the Puthirai Vannan Welfare Board will receive ₹5 lakh in case of accidental death, while assistance for natural death has been increased from ₹20,000 to ₹30,000. The Government Order also provides for an increase in educational scholarships for members of all three welfare boards.

Dr. Radhakrishnan Awards Presented to 396 Teachers

On the occasion of Teachers’ Day on September 5, the Tamil Nadu School Education Department organised an award ceremony at the Anna Centenary Library Auditorium, Kotturpuram, Chennai. School Education Minister Rajmohan presented the Dr. Radhakrishnan Award to 396 teachers for their achievements in areas including student enrolment, innovative teaching and environmental development. The event was presided over by School Education Secretary P. Senthilkumar. Other officials present included Director N. Latha, Elementary Education Director S.S. Naresh, Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation Chairman Dindigul I. Leoni, and Teacher Recruitment Board Member Secretary V.C. Rameswara Murugan. The Minister also highlighted the TN-Arivu (TN-Knowledge) initiative, a new subject proposed to be introduced across Tamil Nadu through the Tamil language. Separately, Teachers’ Day was commemorated at the residence of former President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan in Mylapore, Chennai, where Ministers Rajmohan and S. Rajeshkumar paid tribute.

Restoration of Veera Vasantharayar Mandapam Completed

The Veera Vasantharayar Mandapam at the Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai, which was severely damaged in a fire on February 2, 2018, was reconstructed and formally inaugurated on August 30, 2026. Located near the Eastern Tower (Kizhakku Gopuram), the mandapam was originally built in 1611 CE by Muthu Veerappa Nayak, brother of King Thirumalai Nayak. The mandapam also houses a Nandi sculpture belonging to the Early Pandya period. The restoration project, initially estimated at ₹18.10 crore, was later revised to ₹38.30 crore. Granite stones for the reconstruction were sourced from Pattam village in Rasipuram taluk, Namakkal district. The sculpting work was undertaken by Sthapathi V.P. Velmurugan of Tiruppur at Koodal Sengulam village near Madurai Airport. Of the total 136 pillars, 79 pillars were newly carved, with each monolithic pillar measuring 29 feet in height.