Daily Current Affairs and GK Updates (28th September, 2026) |

National News

Sādhana Shrinkhla 2026 Workshop Strengthens Civil Service Capacity

The Southern Regional Workshop of Sādhana Shrinkhla 2026 will be held in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, on 29–30 September 2026.
The workshop will be conducted under Mission Karmayogi, the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building.
The Capacity Building Commission (CBC) is organising the workshop to strengthen government training institutions as competency-driven institutions.
Officials and training institutions from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry are expected to participate.
Discussions will focus on institutional governance, training quality, faculty development, technology adoption and best-practice sharing.
Key Fact: Sādhana stands for Strengthening Adaptive Development and Humane Aptitude for National Advancement.

Livestock Insurance Portal to Digitise Insurance Services Nationwide

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying will launch the Livestock Insurance Portal in New Delhi on 28 September 2026.
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, is scheduled to inaugurate the portal.
The portal will provide a single digital interface for policy issuance, claim processing, tracking, monitoring and reporting.
It will be available in Hindi, English and 11 regional languages to improve accessibility for livestock farmers.
The scheme operates under the National Livestock Mission and protects farmers against financial losses caused by insured animal deaths.
Key Fact: Beneficiaries pay 15% of the premium, while the government supports the remaining 85%.

Kandla E-Methanol Project Supports India’s Green Shipping Transition

India is developing a 150-tonne-per-day e-methanol production facility at Kandla, Gujarat.
The ₹2,300-crore project is being developed through collaboration between Deendayal Port Authority and Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd.
The project will be implemented in two phases, starting with 50 TPD and adding another 100 TPD.
E-methanol uses green hydrogen, captured carbon dioxide and renewable electricity and can serve as an alternative marine fuel.
Kandla will integrate production, storage, transportation and bunkering infrastructure for the project.
Key Fact: The planned production capacity is 150 TPD of e-methanol.

India’s First LNG-Powered Train Introduces Cleaner Rail Operations

India’s first LNG-powered train was flagged off from Sabarmati Railway Station in Ahmedabad on 27 September 2026.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah flagged off the LNG-powered train.
The train uses a dual-fuel LNG-diesel system, allowing LNG to replace up to around 40% of diesel consumption.
Two Driving Power Cars, each producing 1,400 HP, were converted after more than 2,000 km of field trials.
Each Driving Power Car has an LNG tank capacity of approximately 2,200 litres.
Key Fact: LNG can replace up to around 40% of diesel consumption.

International News

India Co-Hosts OneSCD Global Partnership at UNGA 81

India co-hosted the launch of OneSCD on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on 23 September 2026.
OneSCD stands for A Global Partnership to Advance Equity and Transform Sickle Cell Care.
The partnership brings together governments, UN agencies, health organisations, civil society and people with lived experience.
Participating stakeholders include India, Nigeria, Jamaica, Uganda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, WHO, UNICEF and Africa CDC.
Its priorities include newborn screening, essential medicines, safe blood supplies, patient registries and sustainable financing.
Key Fact: WHO estimated 7.74 million people were living with sickle cell disease globally in 2021.

Awards News

Cool Leaders Award 2026 Recognises Sustainable Cooling Leadership

The inaugural Cool Leaders Award 2026 was announced during the Global Cooling Pledge Assembly in Singapore from 15–18 September 2026.
The award was launched by the UNEP-led Cool Coalition to recognise contributions to sustainable cooling.
Singapore was recognised for heat resilience and passive cooling initiatives.
The UAE was recognised for district cooling and advancing cooling in climate and development policy.
Dong Mingzhu, Chairwoman of Gree Electric Appliances, was honoured for ultra-efficient, low-carbon cooling technologies.
Key Fact: The Global Cooling Pledge targets a 68% reduction in cooling emissions by 2050.

India Achieves Historic Top-10 Finish at WorldSkills Shanghai

India finished 10th at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, achieving its first top-10 position at the international skills competition.
The competition was held in Shanghai, China, from 23–26 September 2026.
India fielded its largest-ever contingent of 70 competitors across 63 skills.
The country won six silver medals in Bakery, Dental Prosthetics, Digital Interactive Media Design, Industrial Design Technology, Logistics and Freight Forwarding, and Retail Sales.
India also earned 20 Medals for Excellence, while Smriti Nambiar was named Best of Nation competitor.
Key Fact: India improved from 13th place at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 to 10th at Shanghai 2026.

Lalit Kala Akademi Announces 20 Awards at National Art Exhibition

The Lalit Kala Akademi announced 20 awards at the 65th National Exhibition of Art.
The 2026 exhibition received 6,175 artworks from 2,495 artists representing 27 States and Union Territories.
A First-Tier Jury selected 270 artworks for display at the exhibition.
A Second-Tier Jury selected 20 award-winning artworks across different artistic mediums.
The works included painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking using materials such as terracotta, ceramic, teak wood, marble and copper.
Key Fact: The Lalit Kala Akademi was established in 1954 as India’s National Academy of Art.

Appointments News

Vivek Kele Elected President of CFSAI at 20th AGM

Vivek R. Kele, founder and director of ICTPL, has been elected President of the Container Freight Stations Association of India.
The election took place during CFSAI’s 20th Annual General Meeting in Mumbai on 24 September 2026.
Kele succeeds Suresh Kumar R as president of the association.
He operates Globicon CFS at Nhava Sheva and will lead engagement with industry and regulatory stakeholders.
CFSAI has 48 member container freight stations located mainly at JNPA, Mundra, Hazira and Pipavav.
Key Fact: CFSAI members handled around 4.5 million TEUs of export-import containers during 2025–26.

Defense News

KAZIND-2026 Begins in Kazakhstan for Joint Counter-Terrorism Training

The ninth India–Kazakhstan Joint Military Exercise KAZIND-2026 began in Oskemen, Kazakhstan, on 28 September 2026.
The exercise will continue until 11 October and focuses on joint counter-terrorism capabilities.
India has deployed a 60-member contingent mainly from a battalion of the Garhwal Rifles.
Kazakhstan is participating with a contingent of similar strength, primarily from its Land Forces.
Training includes raids, cordon-and-search operations, heliborne operations, UAV integration and counter-UAS operations.
Key Fact: KAZIND-2026 is the ninth edition of the India–Kazakhstan joint military exercise.

Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 Begins with Seven Foreign Air Forces

Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 began its operational phase at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan, on 26 September.
The multilateral exercise will continue until 12 October 2026 under the theme “Power in Partnership.”
The Indian Air Force is participating with air forces from Australia, the United States, UAE, France, Germany, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Platforms involved include F-35 Lightning II, Rafale, F-16, A400M, MRTT, C-130, C-130J and KC-30A.
The US F-35 is participating with the IAF for the first time in Tarang Shakti.
Key Fact: Tarang Shakti 2026 features air forces from seven foreign countries.

Indian Navy Concludes ADMM-Plus Maritime Security Activity

INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish participated in the 23rd ADMM-Plus maritime security activity at Subic Bay, Philippines.
The activity was hosted by the Philippine Navy and co-chaired by Japan from 21–25 September 2026.
The harbour phase included subject matter exchanges, operational synchronisation, tabletop exercises, sports and cultural programmes.
The sea phase covered search and rescue, hydrographic surveys, casualty evacuation and deck landing qualification.
ADMM-Plus provides a platform for defence cooperation between ASEAN members and eight Plus countries.
Key Fact: ADMM-Plus comprises 10 ASEAN member states and eight Plus countries.

Scheme News

Tamil Nadu Launches Thaaimaman Thanga Mothiram Scheme for Newborns

The Thaaimaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam was launched in Madurai on 28 September 2026 for eligible newborns.
The scheme provides a one-gram, 22-carat gold ring to eligible babies born in government hospitals across Tamil Nadu.
The benefit covers babies born on or after 22 June 2026, subject to specified eligibility conditions.
The mother must be a permanent Tamil Nadu resident and registered under PICME with the required RCH ID.
Each gold ring carries a unique serial number and is supplied in tamper-proof packaging.
Key Fact: The programme has an annual allocation of ₹755.83 crore and targets around 4.41 lakh rings.

Science & Technology News

TakeMe2Space Plans India’s First Orbital Data Centre Mission

Hyderabad-based space-tech startup TakeMe2Space plans to launch India’s first networked orbital data centre mission in 2028.
The mission will deploy two 100-kg MOI constellation satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission.
The satellites will process Earth-observation data directly in orbit rather than transmitting all raw imagery to ground stations.
Each satellite will carry 10 Nvidia Thor GPUs, 100 TB storage, a 1-metre multispectral imager and about 1.5 kW power generation capacity.
Optical inter-satellite links will enable the satellites to share computing workloads and support onboard AI analytics.
Key Fact: Each satellite is planned to carry 10 Nvidia Thor GPUs and 100 TB storage.

Sports News

India Wins Three Medals on Day 10 at Asian Games 2026

India won one silver and two bronze medals on 28 September at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Esha Singh won silver in women’s 25m pistol after losing a 4-3 shoot-off to China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan.
Pincky Balhara secured bronze in women’s 78kg kurash, while Vithya Ramraj won bronze in women’s 400m hurdles.
Vithya Ramraj clocked a personal-best 54.75 seconds and assured medals were also secured in boxing.
Lovlina Borgohain and Kapil Pokhariya reached the semifinals in their respective boxing categories.
Key Fact: India’s tally reached 40 medals—4 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze by 4:26 PM IST.

Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh Secure Squash Silver Medals

Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh won silver medals in women’s and men’s singles squash at the Asian Games 2026.
Both Indians lost their finals in straight games to Malaysian defending champions on 27 September.
Sivasangari Subramaniam defeated Anahat 11-4, 11-4, 11-7, while Ng Eain Yow beat Abhay 11-9, 11-5, 11-5.
Anahat, aged 18, became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games singles squash silver.
Abhay became the second Indian man to win singles silver after Saurav Ghosal.
Key Fact: Anahat Singh became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games singles squash silver.

India Secures Silver Medal at Chess Olympiad 2026

India won silver at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after drawing 2-2 with Hungary in the final round.
D Gukesh lost to Gleb Dudin, while Arjun Erigaisi defeated Peter Leko.
R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin drew against Richard Rapport and Benjamin Gledura respectively.
India finished with 18 match points and 28.5 game points, tying Germany but securing second place through the TB2 tiebreak.
Uzbekistan won gold with 20 match points, while Germany claimed bronze.
Key Fact: India finished with 18 match points and 28.5 game points.

Esha Singh Wins Women’s 25m Pistol Silver at Asian Games

Esha Singh won silver in the women’s 25m pistol individual event at the Asian Games in Nagoya on 28 September.
She qualified eighth for the final after scoring 580 points with 22 inner tens.
Esha and China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan both finished the regulation final on 38 points.
Xiao won the decisive shoot-off 4-3, while North Korea’s Kim Hyon Suk secured bronze.
India’s 25m pistol team of Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat finished fifth with 1727-56x.
Key Fact: Esha Singh’s final score before the shoot-off was 38 points.

Ancy Sojan Wins Second Consecutive Asian Games Long Jump Silver

Ancy Sojan Edappilly won silver in the women’s long jump with a best effort of 6.53m.
China’s Yingying Huang won gold with 6.55m, while Mengyi Tan secured bronze with 6.46m.
The medal marked Ancy’s second consecutive Asian Games silver after her runner-up finish at Hangzhou 2023.
India’s Shaili Singh finished fourth with a best jump of 6.42m.
Earlier in 2026, Ancy set an Indian national record of 6.88m at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.
Key Fact: Ancy Sojan’s national record stands at 6.88m.

Sarvesh Kushare Wins Men’s High Jump Silver at Asian Games

Sarvesh Kushare won silver in the men’s high jump at the Asian Games 2026 on 27 September.
He cleared 2.25m, matching Chinese Taipei’s Fu Chao-Hsuan, who won gold through the countback rule.
South Korea’s Sanghyeok Woo won bronze with a clearance of 2.22m.
Kushare cleared 2.10m, 2.14m, 2.18m, 2.22m and 2.25m before failing at 2.28m.
He had earlier set an Indian national record of 2.31m at the 65th Indian Championships in Bhubaneswar in June 2026.
Key Fact: Sarvesh Kushare’s national record is 2.31m.

Virat Kohli Becomes Second Batter to Reach 15,000 ODI Runs

Virat Kohli became the second batter in men’s ODI history to reach 15,000 runs against West Indies on 27 September 2026.
He reached the landmark in his 303rd ODI innings with a boundary off Alzarri Joseph.
Kohli became the fastest batter to reach 15,000 ODI runs, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s previous mark of 377 innings.
Tendulkar remains the highest ODI run-scorer with 18,426 runs.
Kohli also scored his 55th ODI century, while Shubman Gill also reached three figures in the match.
Key Fact: Kohli reached 15,000 ODI runs in 303 innings.

Harita Bhadra Wins Women’s 200m Bronze at Asian Games 2026

Harita Bhadra won bronze in the women’s 200m final at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya.
She clocked 23.20 seconds, finishing 0.01 seconds ahead of Japan’s Abigeirufuka Ido.
Singapore’s Shanti Pereira won gold in 22.78 seconds, while China’s Chen Yujie claimed silver in 22.93 seconds.
The medal marked Harita’s first Asian Games podium on her continental debut.
India’s Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland finished sixth in the final.
Key Fact: Harita Bhadra’s bronze-winning time was 23.20 seconds.

Important Days News

World Tourism Day 2026 Highlights AI’s Role in Tourism Transformation

World Tourism Day is observed annually on 27 September, with the 2026 global celebration hosted by El Salvador.
The 2026 theme is “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.”
The day commemorates the adoption of the Statutes of the World Tourism Organization in 1970 and was first observed in 1980.
Tourism contributed 5.22% to India’s GDP in 2023–24 and supported 8.46 crore jobs.
Digital initiatives including the Incredible India Digital Platform, e-Visa and NIDHI+ are using technology to improve tourism services.
Key Fact: World Tourism Day is observed every year on 27 September.

Bhagat Singh Birth Anniversary 2026 Highlights Revolutionary Legacy

Bhagat Singh’s 119th birth anniversary was observed on 28 September 2026.
He was born on 28 September 1907 in Banga, Punjab Province, and became a prominent revolutionary in India’s freedom struggle.
Bhagat Singh was associated with the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and advocated socialism, equality, secularism and social justice.
His major activities included the 1928 killing of British police officer John Saunders and the 1929 Central Legislative Assembly bombing with Batukeshwar Dutt.
He participated in a hunger strike during imprisonment and was executed alongside Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru.
Key Fact: Bhagat Singh was executed on 23 March 1931 at the age of 23.