Daily Current Affairs - 26-09-2026

National News

Make in India Scheme: 12 Years of Implementation

The Make in India initiative was launched on 25 September 2014 with the objective of promoting manufacturing, design and innovation in India. The initiative focuses on investment facilitation, innovation and infrastructure development and was expanded in 2019. It currently covers 15 manufacturing sectors and 12 service sectors. Major sectors associated with the initiative include semiconductors, space, railway engine and coach manufacturing, shipbuilding, metro rail, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, solar energy and mobile phone manufacturing.

MSME Policy Scheme to be Released in Six Months

The Tamil Nadu MSME Department will release a new policy scheme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within six months, according to Pradeep Yadav, Secretary, MSME Department. A conference on MSME Growth was held in Chennai on 25 September 2026. The MSME sector contributes more than 30% of Tamil Nadu’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). The Tamil Nadu Government has set a target of achieving a $1.5 trillion economy by 2036 and has introduced a Single Window Clearance System to facilitate approvals for industries. ASSOCHAM President N. Srinivasan and Co-Chairman Sakthivel Ramasamy participated in the conference.

UPI Transaction Charges and Payment Systems Amendment Bill, 2026

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman clarified that the proposed Payment and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, does not propose imposing a charge on customers or merchants for UPI (Unified Payments Interface) or other digital payment transactions. UPI transactions below ₹2,000 do not attract a charge, while transactions above ₹2,000 may attract a service charge of about 0.4%, which is not mandatory. The proposed law would give the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) powers to regulate transaction charges and related banking matters.

International Training Programme at National Defence College

Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan participated in a two-week international training programme held at the National Defence College, New Delhi, with representatives from 28 countries taking part. The programme focused on contemporary challenges related to technology, cyberspace, artificial intelligence (AI), energy security and climate change, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in addressing global security challenges.

Personalities, Awards and Events

Four Indian Scientists Selected for 2026 AGU Awards

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has selected four Indian and Indian-origin scientists for its 2026 awards. Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and Neelima Satyam, a professor at IIT Indore, have been selected for the Devendra Lal Memorial Medal. Roxy Mathew Koll has previously received the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar and will receive US$25,000 along with the Devendra Lal Memorial Medal for his research on Indian Ocean warming, monsoon changes, coastal heatwaves, cyclones and extreme rainfall and their impacts on South Asia. Abdul Khader, an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Maryland, has been selected for the Science for Solutions Award, while Faisal Hossain, a Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle, has been selected for the Ambassador Award; Hossain is an alumnus of Banaras Hindu University.

Sarah Peluse Wins 2026 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize

Sarah Peluse, Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Stanford University, has been awarded the 2026 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize for her contributions to Analytic Number Theory, Additive Combinatorics, Combinatorial Geometry and Group Theory. Professor Kannan Soundararajan, who was a co-recipient of the first SASTRA Ramanujan Prize in 2005, is also Peluse’s doctoral research advisor at Stanford University, marking the first instance in the award’s history of the same doctoral advisor and student receiving the prize with a 20-year gap. The prize carries a US$10,000 cash award and a citation and will be presented at the SASTRA campus on 22 December 2026, the birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan. Of the 21 previous recipients, 7 have subsequently received the Fields Medal. The international prize committee is headed by Professor Alladi Krishnaswami of the University of Florida.

International News

Iran Proposes Plan to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Iran has proposed a new plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within one week if the United States withdraws its naval blockade and lifts economic sanctions on crude oil sales, with a proposal to resume nuclear deal negotiations. The plan was presented by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a consultative meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani also held an official meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian after mediating indirect talks between the two countries at the UN.

Sports News

India Wins Gold and Silver in Asian Games Shooting

The 20th Asian Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. On Day 7, India’s Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet won the gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event with 484.6 points, securing India’s first shooting gold medal of the Games. In the Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team event, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Chain Singh and Niraj Kumar won the silver medal with 1,762 points, while China won gold with 1,766 points and Korea won bronze with 1,751 points. In the individual qualification round, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar scored 589 points and Niraj Kumar scored 588 points, advancing to the final.

Science and Technology News

Green India Mission: CAG Findings on Forest Improvement

The Green India Mission (GIM) was launched in February 2014 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and is one of its eight missions, implemented under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The mission aims to protect, restore and improve forests, strengthen forest-dependent communities, address climate change through adaptation, increase India’s forest cover to 33%, and enhance carbon sink capacity from 250 crore tonnes to 300 crore tonnes by 2030, along with improving biodiversity, water resources and wildlife habitats. According to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), against the target of improving forest quality over 14 lakh hectares, only about 1 lakh hectares had been covered, while the mission achieved only 4% of its target for increasing forest cover. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) is associated with funding afforestation activities. The India State of Forest Report 2023 recorded 1,445 sq. km as forest area in the cited assessment, of which 156 sq. km was identified as actual forest and 1,289 sq. km as plantation/tree-crop area. The CAG findings also reported ₹10,600 crore in central funds pending utilisation and stated that ₹1,146.14 crore, or 47.88%, had been utilised in the tenth year of the mission.

Environment News

Madras Tree Shrew: Habitat and Ecological Significance

The Madras tree shrew (Anathana ellioti) is a rare mammal belonging to the order Scandentia and is found in parts of South Asia; in India, another notable species is the Nicobar tree shrew (Tupaia nicobarica). In Tamil Nadu, the Madras tree shrew is associated with the Eastern Ghats, particularly the Shevaroy Hills (Yercaud) and Kolli Hills. Its body length generally ranges from 11–23 cm, and it has a long snout, sharp claws, large eyes and well-developed sensory whiskers. Tree shrews are omnivores, feeding on insects, small invertebrates, fruits and seeds, and sometimes small animals, and they contribute to insect population control and seed dispersal in forest ecosystems. Their activity varies among species, with most being diurnal and some being nocturnal, and they communicate through different calls. Some species exhibit an unusual maternal-care pattern known as absentee care, in which mothers visit their young at intervals rather than remaining continuously with them. Earlier considered to have close evolutionary relationships with groups such as bats and primates, anatomical, cranial and molecular studies established tree shrews as a distinct evolutionary lineage under Scandentia, making them significant for studies of mammalian evolution and taxonomy. Threats to tree shrews include habitat loss, forest fires, land-use changes, human activities and climate change, while the Madras tree shrew is classified as Least Concern under its current conservation status.