Daily Current Affairs and GK Updates (24th September, 2026) |

National News

Lonely Planet Names Gujarat and Darjeeling Railway for 2027

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2027 selected Gujarat and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) among its 50 recommended destinations and travel experiences.
The list includes 25 destinations and 25 experiences across six global regions.
Gujarat was recognised for its Rann of Kachchh, wildlife, coastal landscapes, heritage, crafts and culture, including Gir’s Asiatic lions.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, popularly known as the Toy Train, offers a scenic journey through hills and tea plantations.
The railway has been operational since 1881 and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 as part of the Mountain Railways of India.
Key Fact: The UNESCO Mountain Railways property later expanded to include the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and Kalka-Shimla Railway.

President Murmu Inaugurates Global Spiritual Palace in Vadodara

President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Global Spiritual Palace Retreat Centre of Brahma Kumaris in Vadodara, Gujarat, on September 24, 2026.
She launched the Spiritual Awakening for World Renewal project during the event.
The President also virtually launched the Youth for Viksit Bharat: Awakening Inner Strength for Nation Building campaign.
The initiatives focus on spiritual development, youth participation and nation building.
Murmu highlighted values such as honesty, responsibility, compassion, coexistence and patriotism.
Key Fact: The programme emphasised India’s spiritual traditions of yoga, meditation and non-violence, along with the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

MY Bharat Crosses 3 Crore Registered Youth in Three Years

Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) crossed 3 crore registered youth in September 2026, less than three years after its launch.
The platform was launched on October 31, 2023, under the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
Registrations increased from over 2 crore in October 2025 to more than 2.46 crore in August 2026.
MY Bharat connects youth with experiential learning, volunteering, leadership, civic engagement, quizzes and youth-led initiatives.
By August 2026, more than 1.22 lakh youth had enrolled in nearly 25,000 Experiential Learning Programmes.
Key Fact: The Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2027 national event is scheduled in New Delhi from January 10–12, 2027.

State News

Bharat Taxi Expands Cooperative Ride-Hailing Across Uttar Pradesh

Bharat Taxi was launched in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Kanpur and Prayagraj on September 23, 2026.
The cooperative ride-hailing service follows the principle “Driver is the Owner” and is operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited (STCL).
It charges zero commission, directly credits driver earnings and gives drivers ownership and participation in decision-making.
Around 40,000 Saarthis (drivers) have registered across the five Uttar Pradesh cities.
Since its national launch in February 2026, more than 10 lakh Saarthis have joined, with around 20,000 daily rides and 40 lakh passengers.
Key Fact: More than ₹100 crore has been credited directly to Bharat Taxi drivers.

Punjab Government Raises Dearness Allowance Rate From 42% To 50%

The Punjab government increased the Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees from 42% to 50%.
The revised DA is effective from September 1, 2026, representing an 8-percentage-point increase.
Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners and family pensioners was also raised from 42% to 50%.
The Punjab Finance Department issued the notification on September 23, 2026.
The decision followed discussions between employee representatives and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on service-related demands.
Key Fact: The increase is 8 percentage points, not an 8% increase over the existing DA rate.

Delhi Launches PM Surya Ghar Portal With ₹1.56 Lakh Subsidy

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched the “Delhi PM Surya Ghar” registration portal on September 21, 2026.
The portal operates under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and allows residents to register for rooftop solar systems, check subsidies and authorised vendors, and file complaints.
The Centre provides up to ₹78,000, while the Delhi government provides a matching ₹78,000.
The maximum combined subsidy is therefore ₹1.56 lakh for systems up to 3 kW.
The scheme targets around 2.30 lakh families, with zero upfront payment for eligible domestic consumers using up to 400 units monthly.
Key Fact: PM Surya Ghar was launched nationally on February 13, 2024, with a ₹75,021-crore outlay targeting one crore households.

International News

US House Passes Sunshine Protection Act to End Clock Changes

The US House of Representatives passed H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act, on July 14, 2026.
The bill passed by a 308–117 vote and proposes permanent Daylight Saving Time (DST).
It seeks to end the practice of changing clocks twice every year.
The bill was introduced by Representative Vern Buchanan on January 3, 2025.
It was received by the Senate on July 15 and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Key Fact: Arizona and Hawaii continue to observe standard time year-round, while 19 states have dormant laws supporting year-round DST.

India Extends Anti-Dumping Duty on Chinese Decor Paper Imports

India extended the anti-dumping duty on decor paper imports from China until March 26, 2027.
The extension followed a recommendation from the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR).
The duty was originally imposed in December 2021, with rates ranging from USD 110 to USD 542 per tonne.
DGTR initiated a sunset review in June 2026 before recommending continuation of the duty.
Decor paper is used in furniture surfacing, flooring, interior design and decorative manufacturing.
Key Fact: The current proceeding is identified as AD/SSR/010/2026.

Economy News

Government Links Capital Support to PSU Insurer Performance

The government is monitoring the financial performance of three stressed public-sector general insurers before deciding on equity infusion.
Their combined FY26 losses increased 58.3% year-on-year to ₹29,070.57 crore.
New India Assurance reported the highest loss at ₹8,801.9 crore, while United India Insurance recorded the sharpest increase of 113%.
The insurers are expected to use proceeds from selling 14.96 million NSE shares at ₹1,785 each to strengthen solvency.
Icra estimates that the three insurers may require around ₹39,000 crore by March 2027 to meet regulatory solvency requirements.
Key Fact: The Department of Financial Services (DFS) will conduct quarterly monitoring using a standardised KPI framework.

India’s Agricultural Growth Accelerates Through Technology Diversification

India’s average agricultural growth has risen to around 4.5% since 2015, compared with about 3% during earlier periods.
The study identifies three phases: Green Revolution-led cereal intensification (1967–1995), demand-driven diversification (1996–2014) and sustainability-led diversification since 2015.
Technology helped annual yield growth during 2015–2024 reach 2.1% for rice, 2.0% for wheat and 3.4% for maize.
Horticulture, dairy, fisheries and poultry have also expanded during the diversification phase.
Fertiliser subsidies, subsidised groundwater electricity and MSP procurement encouraged rice-wheat cultivation.
Key Fact: The study appeared in the Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences and highlighted resource pressures and limited diversification into millets, pulses and oilseeds.

ADB Raises India’s FY27 Growth Forecast to Seven Percent

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) raised India’s FY2026-27 GDP growth forecast from 6.6% to 7% in its September 2026 outlook.
The revision followed stronger-than-expected Q1 growth of 7.8%.
ADB cited resilient investment and consumption, manufacturing and services growth, infrastructure spending and supportive fiscal and monetary policies.
The FY2027-28 growth forecast was lowered from 7.3% to 7.1%, partly due to a stronger FY2026-27 base.
The FY2026-27 inflation forecast was reduced from 5.2% to 5%, while FY2027-28 remained at 4%.
Key Fact: India’s foreign-exchange reserves stood at USD 740.8 billion, while the fiscal deficit was projected at 4.3% of GDP.

Business News

Maruti Suzuki Commissions First Green Hydrogen Plant in Manesar

Maruti Suzuki India Limited commissioned its first green hydrogen electrolyser plant at its Manesar, Haryana, facility on September 24, 2026.
The pilot plant has a capacity of 300 kW and uses surplus solar power for hydrogen production through electrolysis.
The hydrogen is blended with natural gas and used as process fuel in manufacturing operations.
The project supports the company’s clean-energy strategy involving solar power, biogas and battery storage.
Maruti Suzuki plans to evaluate the technology before expanding green hydrogen applications across facilities in Haryana and Gujarat.
Key Fact: India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission has a ₹19,744-crore outlay and targets 5 MMT annual green hydrogen production by 2030.

Awards News

Mizoram Farmer Pi Mari-i Honoured Among FAO’s 100 Women Heroes

Pi Mari-i Lalrithangi, a former teacher turned farmer from Sangau in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district, was selected among the FAO 100 Women Heroes.
The recognition comes under the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 for contributions to agrifood systems and rural development.
She started strawberry cultivation in 2024 with around 1,000 plants and expanded to over 10,000 plants across two hectares.
She also cultivates avocado and banana and earned more than ₹10 lakh from strawberry farming in 2025.
Lalrithangi learned farming techniques through online resources and fellow farmers and also produces strawberry wine.
Key Fact: She is one of two Indian women selected for the honour, with the award ceremony scheduled in Rome from October 12–16, 2026.

Shantanu Moitra to Receive National Lata Mangeshkar Award 2026

Music composer Shantanu Moitra will receive the National Lata Mangeshkar Award 2026 from the Madhya Pradesh Government.
The award recognises his contribution to music direction and will be presented in Indore on September 28, 2026.
The two-day celebration will take place at the Lata Mangeshkar Auditorium on September 27–28.
The programme will feature the musical evening “Amar Lata Hamari Lata…” and a performance by singing duo Sachet-Parampara.
The award includes a tax-free cash prize of ₹5 lakh and a citation.
Key Fact: Born in Lucknow in 1968, Moitra composed music for films including Parineeta, 3 Idiots, Piku and 12th Fail.

Schemes News

Delhi Approves DURGA Scheme for Women and Transgender E-Autos

The Delhi Cabinet approved the DURGA scheme on September 23, 2026, under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
DURGA stands for Driving Upliftment and Rozgar for Women/Transgender Green E-Auto.
The first phase will allocate 1,300 pink electric autos, including 1,170 for women and 130 for transgender persons.
Beneficiaries generally need to be Delhi residents aged 20–40 years, with requirements including voter ID, LMV licence and PSV badge.
Women applicants must have family income of up to ₹5 lakh for FY2025–26, along with additional ownership and family criteria.
Key Fact: DMRC has provided EV charging space at parking lots of 70 metro stations, while vehicles will have a three-year lock-in period.

Science & Technology News

NASA Advances $1.2 Billion PRIMA Telescope for Cosmic Origins

NASA advanced the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) to Phase B, beginning preliminary design and technology development.
PRIMA will be a far-infrared space telescope bridging observations between infrared facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope and radio telescopes.
Its objectives include studying planet formation, galaxy growth, central black holes, cosmic dust and heavy elements.
The mission will carry a 1.8-metre telescope and target launch in 2033 for a five-year mission.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will manage the mission with international partners from seven countries.
Key Fact: PRIMA is NASA’s first mission under the Probe Explorers class, with a project cost cap of $1.2 billion, excluding launch expenses.

ISRO Advances Space Tracking with Radar Centre in Assam

ISRO is establishing an Advanced Radar Research Centre at Chandrapur, Assam, under Project NETRA.
The foundation stone was laid on September 21, 2026, in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan.
The centre will strengthen India’s Space Situational Awareness (SSA) by tracking satellites, space debris and other orbital objects.
Its phased-array radar is reportedly capable of detecting objects as small as 10 cm from up to 2,000 km.
The first radar, designed for cloud research, is expected by February 2027.
Key Fact: Project NETRA supports collision-avoidance alerts, orbit determination and re-entry monitoring, with the SSA Control Centre in Bengaluru serving as the central hub since 2020.

UK Launches First Dedicated Squadron for Space Defence

The United Kingdom launched No. III Space Effects Squadron, the Royal Air Force’s first dedicated military unit focused on space defence.
The squadron will protect critical satellites supporting military operations, navigation, missile warning and civilian infrastructure.
It will develop capabilities to disrupt, degrade or deny hostile space activities.
The unit will work alongside No. I Space Operations Squadron and No. II Space Warning Squadron.
UK officials highlighted threats such as satellite jamming and close approaches by foreign spacecraft.
Key Fact: The UK is investing £880 million over four years in space-based ISR and Space Control capabilities.

Indian Astronomers Identify Rapidly Shrinking Double-White-Dwarf Binary System

Indian-led astronomers studied eRASSU J060839.5–704014 (eRASSU J0608), an ultracompact double-white-dwarf binary system.
The system has an exceptionally short orbital period of 374.15013 seconds, or 6.24 minutes.
The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on August 10, 2026.
eROSITA initially detected the system as a supersoft X-ray source, while NICER, Einstein Probe and XMM-Newton provided observations over 3.5 years.
Researchers measured orbital decay of approximately 4.7 × 10⁻¹¹ seconds per second, supporting gravitational-wave-driven evolution.
Key Fact: The system’s estimated chirp mass is 0.43 solar masses and it lies in the foreground of the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Sports News

India Wins Three Medals on Asian Games 2026 Day Five

India won three medals on Day 5 of the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, taking its overall tally to 15.
The tally stood at 1 gold, 6 silver and 8 bronze medals.
Naorem Roshibina Devi won silver in women’s 60kg Sanda wushu after losing 0–2 to China’s Zhang Xiaoyu.
Satnam Singh and Salman Khan won bronze in men’s double sculls rowing with a time of 6:13.25.
Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Anantjeet Singh Naruka added bronze in mixed team skeet.
Key Fact: Satnam Singh and Salman Khan secured India’s first Asian Games medal in men’s double sculls.

India Defeats England 2.5-1.5 in Chess Olympiad Round Seven

India defeated England 2.5–1.5 in Round 7 of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
D Gukesh defeated Daniel Howard Fernandez, while R Praggnanandhaa beat Nikita Vitiugov.
Arjun Erigaisi drew with Michael Adams, while Nihal Sarin lost to Luke McShane.
India recorded 6 match points after seven rounds in the tournament.
In the women’s section, India defeated Germany 3.5–0.5, with Savitha Shri B, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh winning.
Key Fact: The tournament is being held from September 16–27, 2026, with 11 rounds under a team Swiss-system format.

Important Days News

Bhikaji Cama’s 165th Birth Anniversary Highlights Revolutionary Legacy

Bhikaji Cama, popularly known as Madam Cama, was born on September 24, 1861, in Bombay.
On August 22, 1907, she unfurled a tricolour flag at the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart, Germany.
The flag featured green, saffron and red bands, eight lotuses, “Vande Mataram,” and sun and crescent symbols.
Cama worked with nationalists including Dadabhai Naoroji, Savarkar and Shyamji Krishnavarma.
She moved to Paris in 1909, supported revolutionary publications and helped establish the Paris Indian Society.
Key Fact: Bhikaji Cama is associated with the first Indian national flag displayed on foreign soil.

World Maritime Day 2026 Highlights Maritime Rules Implementation

World Maritime Day is observed on September 24, 2026, under the theme “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence.”
The theme was selected by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and covers the two-year period 2026–27.
The focus is on implementing international maritime conventions, standards and regulations effectively.
Key priorities include technical assistance, training, capacity building, enforcement, innovation and skills development.
International shipping carries more than 80% of global trade, highlighting its role in global supply chains.
Key Fact: The IMO is the UN specialised agency for international shipping, and the 2026 theme is linked to SDGs 9, 13, 14 and 17.

Obituaries News

Soorya Krishnamoorthy, Cultural Icon and Former ISRO Scientist, Dies

Renowned theatre director, cultural organiser and former ISRO scientist Soorya Krishnamoorthy died in Thiruvananthapuram on September 23, 2026, aged 78.
Born Nataraja Krishnamoorthy, he joined ISRO as a scientist-engineer in 1972 before taking voluntary retirement to pursue cultural activities.
He founded the Soorya Stage and Film Society in Thiruvananthapuram in 1977, which organised the long-running Soorya Festival.
He served as chairman of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi and headed the Kerala State Film Development Corporation for three terms.
His honours included the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship and Kerala Prabha (2023).
Key Fact: Krishnamoorthy received the National Award for Stage Craft and Direction in 1996.