Daily Current Affairs Quiz 18th September, 2026 for Banking & Competitive Exams |

Daily Current Affairs: 18 September 2026

Q1. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, virtually inaugurated India’s 51st state-of-the-art Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) to strengthen regional forecasting and disaster early warning capabilities. At which of the following locations was this facility commissioned?

(a) Gopalpur, Odisha

(b) Sambalpur, Odisha

(d) Raipur, Chhattisgarh

(e) Paradip, Odisha

Answer: b

Solution:

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, virtually inaugurated India’s 51st Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Sambalpur, Odisha.
The inauguration was held in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi.
The new radar will strengthen weather observation, forecasting and early-warning capabilities across Western Odisha and adjoining regions.
With the commissioning of the Sambalpur radar, Odisha now has three Doppler Weather Radars at Sambalpur, Gopalpur and Paradip.
The radar will provide improved meteorological inputs for Southern Jharkhand, Northern Chhattisgarh, parts of North Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

Q2. Where was the 3rd BIMSTEC Conference on Traditional Medicine Knowledge, Genetic Resources, and Intellectual Property Rights held in September 2026?

(a) New Delhi

(b) Dhaka

(d) Bangkok

(e) Colombo

Answer: c

Solution:

The 3rd BIMSTEC Conference on Traditional Medicine Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Intellectual Property Rights commenced in Goa and concludes on 17 September 2026.
The conference is organised by the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, with the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa serving as the nodal institute.
The two-day conference is being held alongside the 2nd Meeting of the BIMSTEC Nodal Group on Traditional Medicine Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Intellectual Property Rights.
Experts, officials and representatives from BIMSTEC member countries are participating in the conference.

BIMSTEC

BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and connects South Asia and Southeast Asia through the Bay of Bengal.
BIMSTEC was established on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration by Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand and was initially known as BIST-EC.
Myanmar joined in December 1997, after which the grouping was renamed BIMST-EC.
Nepal and Bhutan joined in 2004, expanding the grouping to its present seven-member configuration.
At the First BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok on 31 July 2004, the organisation adopted its present name.
Member States: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The BIMSTEC Charter entered into force in 2024, strengthening the organisation’s institutional framework and granting it legal personality.
The BIMSTEC Secretariat is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The 6th BIMSTEC Summit, held in Bangkok in 2025, adopted the Bangkok Vision 2030 and advanced cooperation in areas including maritime transport, trade, digital connectivity and security

Q3. Under which provision of the parent legislation does the Central Government derive its authority to reconstitute the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)?

(a) Cinematograph Act, 1952

(b) Press Council Act, 1978

(d) Dramatic Performances Act, 1876

(e) Prasar Bharati Act, 1990

Answer: a

Solution:

The Government of India has reconstituted the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with immediate effect.
The reconstituted Board will have a tenure of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The reconstitution has been made under Section 3(1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, read with Rule 3 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024.
The reconstituted CBFC comprises 18 members.
Prominent members include Vinod Anupam, Manoj Joshi, Hansraj Hans, Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Ricky Kej, Suniel Shetty, Roopali Ganguly and Priyadarshan.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced the reconstitution.

Q4. On the recommendation of the Selection Committee, the Government of India announced that the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2024 will be conferred upon which veteran actor at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony?

(a) Rajinikanth

(b) Mithun Chakraborty

(d) Kamal Haasan

(e) Mohanlal

Answer: c

Solution:

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024 will be conferred upon veteran actor Anant Nag for his outstanding and invaluable contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
The award was announced on the recommendation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee.
The award will be presented at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony on 22 September 2026 at Kevadia, Gujarat.
Anant Nag has had a cinematic career spanning over five decades and has acted in more than 300 films across Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil and Marathi cinema.
He made his acting debut with the Kannada film Sankalp and his Hindi film debut with Ankur. His notable works include Malgudi Days.
He has received five Filmfare Awards and five Karnataka State Best Actor Awards, besides the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award and Karnataka State Lifetime Achievement Award.
He served as a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Council (1988–1994) and Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly (1994–1999), and also served as Minister of State for Bangalore City Development.
He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2025 and received an Honorary Doctorate from Bangalore University (North).
In 2023, he completed 50 years in cinema, marking the Golden Jubilee of his career.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award – Key Facts

Instituted: 1969
First Recipient: Devika Rani
Named after: Dadasaheb Phalke, director of India’s first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913).
Significance: India’s highest award in the field of cinema.
Awarded for: Outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
Components: Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, shawl and ₹10 lakh cash prize.

Q5. According to the four-year status review titled “Four Years of Cheetahs in India” (September 2022 – September 2026), what is the total population of cheetahs in India?

(a) 32

(b) 42

(d) 52

(e) 60

Answer: d

Solution:

India’s cheetah population has increased to 52 four years after the reintroduction programme began.
Cheetahs were brought to India from Namibia, South Africa and Botswana.
The programme represents the world’s first intercontinental translocation of large wild carnivores.
According to the status review “Four Years of Cheetahs in India”, 32 cubs have been born in India since the reintroduction programme began.
Of the 52 cheetahs, 49 are currently in Kuno National Park and 3 in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary.
The review covers the period from 17 September 2022 to 17 September 2026.
Of the 12 South African cheetahs introduced on 18 February 2023, 8 have survived, along with 10 India-born offspring.
Thus, the South African-origin population and its progeny total 18, with 15 in Kuno National Park and 3 in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary

Q6. The agricultural festival of ‘Nuakhai’, which was recently greeted by the Prime Minister in September 2026, is primarily celebrated in which state?

(a) Assam

(b) Odisha

(d) Punjab

(e) Tamil Nadu

Answer: b

Solution:

Nuakhai is an important agricultural festival celebrated mainly in Western Odisha and adjoining areas of Simdega in Jharkhand.
The word “Nua” means new, while “Khai” means food.
The festival marks the welcoming and consumption of the new rice of the season.
It is observed on the fifth day of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada (Bhaadra), generally falling in August–September.
Nuakhai is associated with nine colours, and consequently, nine sets of rituals are performed before the main celebration.
People offer the newly harvested crop, known as Nabanha, to their respective presiding deities.
After the offering, people prepare and enjoy various delicacies made from the newly harvested crop.
Nuakhai Juhar is an important ritual of the festival.
In September 2026, the Prime Minister of India extended greetings to the people on the occasion of Nuakhai.

Q7. Over 2,500 smallholder farmers in Punjab and Haryana recently received digital payments for adopting regenerative agriculture practices like Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and crop residue management. Under which farmer carbon programme, launched in 2019 by Grow Indigo and ICAR, were these payments released?

(a) Project Harit Krishi

(b) Aadi

(d) Bhoomi

(e) Carbon Krishi

Answer: b

Solution:

India’s agricultural carbon market has moved from the policy level to the farm level, with more than 2,500 smallholder farmers in Punjab and Haryana set to receive digital payments for adopting regenerative farming practices.
The first payments were released at a programme held at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.
The payments are part of ‘Aadi’, a Grow Indigo farmer carbon programme launched in 2019 with technical guidance from ICAR.
Between 2019 and 2022, farmers under the programme adopted practices such as Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), reduced tillage and crop residue management.
The resulting greenhouse-gas reductions and increases in soil carbon were measured and independently verified before carbon credits were issued.
The programme covers more than 2 million acres and over 100,000 farmers across seven states.
Agricultural carbon credits under the programme have been issued using the Verra VM0042 methodology.
ICAR institutions provided scientific and field expertise in greenhouse-gas accounting, crop-simulation modelling, soil-sampling protocols, device validation, field-team training, satellite and remote-sensing approaches.
ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, contributed to these processes.
Grow Indigo is also working with ICAR–Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), Zone 1, to promote regenerative agriculture.

Q8. Chennai-born computer scientist Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan has been named the 2026 recipient of which prestigious honor by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), becoming the first Indian American to receive it?

(a) Charles Stark Draper Prize

(b) Arthur M. Bueche Award

(d) Bernard M. Gordon Prize

(e) Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize

Answer: b

Solution:

Sethuraman Panchanathan, a Chennai-born computer scientist and former Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), has been named the 2026 recipient of the Arthur M. Bueche Award.
The award is conferred by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).
He is the first Indian American to receive the Arthur M. Bueche Award.
In 2025, the Government of India honoured Panchanathan with the Padma Shri for his contributions to science and engineering.
The official citation recognised his contributions to research, innovation, education and technology aimed at improving quality of life.

Q9. What is India’s rank among 145 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2026 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF)?

(a) 125th

(b) 127th

(d) 135th

(e) 140th

Answer: c

Solution:

India retained the 131st rank in the Global Gender Gap Index 2026, released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on 16 September 2026.
The index covers 145 countries, with only 14 countries ranked below India.
Iceland, Finland and Norway retained the top three positions, respectively. Iceland recorded the highest gender parity at 93% for the 17th consecutive year.
Globally, the gender gap stood at 69.2% closed in 2026, up from 68.8% in 2025 among the comparable economies.
No economy achieved full gender parity in 2026, and at the current pace, global gender parity is estimated to be 120 years away.
Among the four dimensions, Educational Attainment (96.9%) and Health and Survival (96.2%) were closest to parity, while Economic Participation and Opportunity (61.7%) and Political Empowerment (22.1%) showed the widest gaps.
Europe ranked first among regions with 75.7% of its gender gap closed, followed by Northern America (75.2%) and Latin America & the Caribbean (74.5%).
Southern Asia ranked 7th, with 64.5% of its overall gender gap closed and an estimated 149 years to reach full parity at the current pace.

Q10. Who among the following Nobel laureates has been appointed as the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics at the World Bank Group?

(a) Abhijit Banerjee

(b) Esther Duflo

(d) Paul Romer

(e) Amartya Sen

Nobel laureate Michael Kremer has been appointed Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics of the World Bank Group.
The appointment was announced by World Bank Group President Ajay Banga.
Michael Kremer is a renowned development economist and Nobel laureate.
As Chief Economist, he will lead the World Bank Group’s research, data and analytical agenda.
His appoinment brings one of the world’s leading development economists into a key role in shaping the institution’s development economics and evidence-based policy work.