Daily Current Affairs - 25-09-2026

Personalities, Awards and Events

Tamil Nadu Tourism Showcased at Japan Tourism Expo 2026

Tamil Nadu’s tourist destinations were showcased at the Japan Tourism Expo 2026 held in Japan. The event was attended by Indian Ambassador Nagma Mohd Malik, Additional Secretary and Director General of the Union Ministry of Tourism M. Kannan Pillai, Principal Secretary of Tamil Nadu Tourism, Culture and Endowments Department S. Suvarna, and Rajasthan Tourism Department Secretary Sachi Tyagi. The Tamil Nadu Tourism Department showcased the state’s tourist destinations from September 27 to 30, 2026 through a dedicated pavilion highlighting Tamil Nadu’s heritage, culture and natural resources. The pavilion promoted heritage sites, ancient temples, traditional arts, food products, spiritual tourism and coastal and marine tourism for international tourism.

Tamil Nadu News

‘Payanam’ Rehabilitation Scheme Launched at Puzhal Central Prison

A comprehensive de-addiction and rehabilitation scheme named ‘Payanam’ (Journey) was launched as a pilot project at Puzhal Central Prison-2, Chennai, on September 24, 2026, for persons involved in drug-related offences. The scheme aims to support de-addiction, behavioural modification, rehabilitation and social reintegration through counselling, psychological support, treatment, life-skills development and rehabilitation assistance. The initiative is aligned with the Tamil Nadu Government’s ‘Drug-Free Tamil Nadu’ objective, and its implementation and outcomes will be continuously monitored and evaluated for further improvement. The scheme was launched by Sandeep Rai Rathore, Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, and Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services. Palani, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Chennai Range, and Krishnakumar, Superintendent, Puzhal Central Prison-2, along with prison department officials, staff and participating inmates, attended the event.

Kanchipuram Leads Tamil Nadu in Overall Exports; Krishnagiri Ranks Second

According to export statistics released by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the first six months of 2026 (January–July), Kanchipuram ranked first, Krishnagiri second and Chennai third in Tamil Nadu’s overall exports. Tamil Nadu recorded exports worth ₹1,41,959 crore, including vehicles, electronics and other goods, during the period. Kanchipuram exported ₹62,233 crore worth of electronics, mobile phones and automobile engineering products, accounting for 43.84% of the State’s exports, while Krishnagiri exported ₹18,514 crore worth of electronics, mobile phones, two-wheelers, four-wheelers, granite and other products, accounting for 13.04%. Chennai recorded exports of ₹16,962 crore (11.95%), Tiruppur recorded ₹10,122 crore (7.13%) mainly through readymade garments, and Coimbatore recorded ₹8,720 crore (6.14%). The next positions were Tiruvallur, Vellore, Erode, Thoothukudi and Karur, respectively. In 2024–25, Krishnagiri had ranked 6th, whereas in the first six months of 2026 it moved to 2nd place in Tamil Nadu’s district-wise exports.

Tamil Nadu Seeks Increase in Haj Quota

On September 24, 2026, a delegation led by Tamil Nadu Minority Welfare Minister S.M. Nazar met Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum seeking an increase in the Haj pilgrimage quota for Tamil Nadu. The delegation included Tamil Nadu Wakf Board Chairman K. Nawas Kani and Tamil Nadu Haj Committee Chairman M. Aaya Mariam, along with Minority Welfare Department Secretary V.K. Srinivasan and Minority Welfare Department Director M. Aaya Mariam. The memorandum sought continued implementation of minority welfare, education and economic development schemes through the State Government and financial support for the Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities. It was also reported that 374 Wakf institutions in Tamil Nadu had not received adequate funds during the previous four years. Details of 6,000 Wakf institutions and their assets were registered on the WAMSI/Mint portal, with 4,680 institutions fully registered and 1,438 institutions pending registration; a 90-day extension was sought for completing the registration. Tamil Nadu had received more than 13,000 Haj applications, exceeding its allotted quota, leading to the request for an increase in the State’s Haj travel quota.

National News

Supreme Court Reserves Order on OBC Creamy Layer Policy

The Supreme Court reserved its order on the Union Government’s plea seeking prospective implementation of its March 11, 2026 judgment concerning the determination of OBC non-creamy layer status under the 1993 Office Memorandum, including the exclusion of parental salary income and agricultural income from the income/wealth test. The Bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan heard the Centre’s application, which sought two years to establish equivalence of posts and formulate a uniform mechanism for determining OBC creamy layer status after consultation with stakeholders. The case is Union of India v. Rohith Nathan, and the Centre invoked Article 142 of the Constitution in seeking prospective application of the judgment. The Centre stated that retrospective implementation could affect recruitment, service allocation, cadre allocation, seniority, admissions and OBC reservation administration, including processes involving railways, banks, postal services and paramilitary services.

Supreme Court Examines Legal Issues on ‘Vande Mataram’

Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, was first published in 1875 and later included in the novel Anandamath (1882). In 1937, the Congress Working Committee decided that the first two stanzas would be sung at national gatherings. On January 24, 1950, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly, stated that Vande Mataram should be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana, which was adopted as the National Anthem. In 2026, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026 amended Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, extending its penal protection to the National Song, Vande Mataram; the amended provision covers intentionally preventing the singing of the National Anthem or National Song or causing disturbance to an assembly engaged in such singing. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued directions in January and July 2026 concerning the complete six-stanza version of Vande Mataram at specified official, ceremonial and cultural occasions. Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna challenged the 2026 amendment and the MHA directions before the Supreme Court. In September 2026, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana examined the legal consequences of refusing to sing Vande Mataram on grounds of conscience or religion and referred to the Bijoe Emmanuel v. State of Kerala (1986) judgment, which protected the right of students to respectfully refrain from singing the National Anthem on grounds of conscience.

Sports News

₹50 Lakh Cash Incentive for Tamil Nadu Asian Games Silver Medallists

Tamil Nadu athletes Vithya Ramraj and Vishal T.K., who were members of the Indian athletics mixed relay team that won the silver medal at the Asian Games, were announced a cash incentive of ₹50 lakh each by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on September 24, 2026. The two athletes were part of the four-member Indian mixed relay team that secured the silver medal in the mixed relay athletics event at the Asian Games.

India Wins Silver in 4×400m Mixed Relay at Asian Games

At the 20th Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the Indian team comprising Poovamma Raju, Vishal Thennarasu, Vithya Ramraj, and T.S. Manu won the silver medal in the 4×400m mixed relay with a timing of 3:14.46 seconds. Bahrain won the gold medal with 3:12.87 seconds, while Vietnam won the bronze medal with 3:14.54 seconds. India had also won the silver medal in the 4×400m mixed relay at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Vishal Thennarasu and Vithya Ramraj of Tamil Nadu were members of the Indian silver medal-winning team.

Roshibina Devi Wins Silver Medal in Wushu at Asian Games

At the 20th Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Naorem Roshibina Devi of India won the silver medal in the women’s 60 kg Wushu category after losing 0–2 to China’s Wu Xiaowei in the final. This was Roshibina Devi’s third Asian Games medal, following a bronze medal in the 2018 Asian Games and a silver medal in the previous Asian Games. She was included in the Indian squad as a replacement for Divyanshi Chhabra, who suffered an injury before the Asian Games; Roshibina Devi had earlier lost to Divyanshi in the selection trial held in Srinagar in June.

States’ News

Microsoft Opens New Data Centre in Telangana

Microsoft has established a new data centre at Sanjeevanelly in Sangareddy district, Telangana, which was inaugurated by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu on September 24, 2026. Telangana has set a target to attract ₹2.87 lakh crore (US$30 billion) in data-centre investments by 2029. Rajiv Kumar, Microsoft India President, attended the inauguration, and Microsoft has been investing in and supporting Telangana for over 20 years.