Monthly current affairs for September 2026

Tata Elxsi, the design and technology services division of the Tata Group, has entered into a strategic partnership with Bengaluru-based Sarla Aviation to develop an air taxi. The vehicle is designed to have a capacity to transport 6 passengers and 1 pilot.

The NASA has successfully launched the “Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope” onboard the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The project was developed at a cost of $4.3 billion.

The telescope is destined for the Lagrange Point 2 (L2) and has a primary lifespan of 5 years. It is to be noted that the telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, the first Chief of Astronomy of the NASA and the “Mother of Hubble”, making it the first NASA telescope named after a woman.

The Andhra Pradesh government have signed a Government-to-Government (G2G) MoU with the UK government to strengthen cooperation in urban development, infrastructure, and advanced technology.

The partnership facilitates infrastructure planning and implementation across the state capital Amaravati and 123 municipalities, specifically targeting sectors like roads, drainage systems, water supply, and waste management.

Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja has been appointed as the 47th Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS).

Air Marshal Vivek Hande, a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM), has taken over as the Director General Medical Services (Air) (DGMS (Air)) on permanent secondment to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Peyman Kargar has been appointed as the CEO and Director of TVS Motor Company, effective from January 27, 2027. He succeeds KN Radhakrishnan (KNR).

Shakti Sharma becomes the first woman officer from a non-medical branch in the Indian Defence Forces to attain the rank of Air Vice Marshal (AVM). Upon her promotion, she has taken charge as the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Education) (ACAS (Edn)) at the Air Headquarters.

Yuko Keicho, a Japanese national, has been appointed as the Vice President and Auditor General of the World Bank Group (WBG). She succeeds Amy Doherty.

Union Minister of State Dr Jitin Prasada has co-chaired the 7th India-Morocco Joint Commission meeting during a visit to Morocco. He also participated in the Morocco-India Joint Business Forum to enhance commercial engagement between the two nations.

It was highlighted that the bilateral trade between the countries exceeded $4 billion in 2025, with a target to double it in the next 5 years. A Joint Working Group (JWG) will be established to explore the feasibility of a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) signed an MoU with the National Office of Food Safety (ONSSA) of Morocco to bolster cooperation in food safety. Both countries also signed a Cultural Exchange Programme for 2026-2030. It is to be noted that the 8th session of the JCM will be held in New Delhi in 2027.

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (MoCAF&PD), has notified the “Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026”.

The rules mandate Indian Standard Time (IST) as the sole and compulsory time reference for all legal, administrative, commercial, and official purposes in India. The regulations will come into effect 180 days after their publication in the Official Gazette.

The National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX) has launched “RAINCHNNAI”, a rainfall-based weather derivatives contract in Chennai to help market participants hedge risks associated with the Northeast (NE) monsoon.

The contract uses a cash-settled futures model to track rainfall deviations in Chennai between September and December. It is to be noted that the NE monsoon, also known as the retreating monsoon, contributes nearly 70% of the annual rainfall in Chennai.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the trial Index of Services Production (ISP) of India, which provides a monthly measure of short-term activity in the formal services sector for the first time.

The ISP covers 19 sub-sectors and uses 2024-25 as the base year for its calculations. It is to be noted that Real Estate has emerged as the fastest-growing services sub-sector, recording a Year-on-Year growth of 24.7%.

Kissht, a RBI registered Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC), has launched a brand campaign titled “Loans Without Any Hiccups” featuring former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) has launched two new non-linked, non-participating insurance plans named ‘LIC Bima Platinum’ (Plan 770) and ‘LIC Jeevan Raksha’ (Plan 894) on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of LIC in Mumbai.

It is to be noted that the ‘LIC Bima Platinum’ requires a minimum Basic Sum Assured (BSA) of ₹3 lakh with no upper limit. The ‘LIC Jeevan Raksha’ provides a BSA ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹24 lakh.

The SEBI has granted a Category-I merchant banking licence to Zerodha Corporate Advisors, a subsidiary of Zerodha, to enter the investment banking sector focusing on capital market services.

As per the new regulations by SEBI, Category-I merchant bankers are authorised to manage main-board public issues and perform underwriting activities. It is to be noted that the minimum net worth requirement for Category-I is increased to ₹50 crore from ₹5 crore, and the underwriting capacity for these entities is capped at 20 times their liquid net worth.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has signed an MoU with the Drone Federation of India (DFI) in New Delhi to strengthen the security of critical infrastructure against emerging aerial threats.

India have signed a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) with Germany on the “Conservation and Wise Use of Wetlands of International Importance” during the 4th Indo-German Environment Forum (IGEF) held in New Delhi.

The forum was conducted under the theme “Together for More Resilience” to strengthen bilateral cooperation regarding environmental protection and climate resilience. It is to be noted that the IGEF was established in 2008 to facilitate environmental dialogue and partnership between the two nations.

OIL Green Energy Ltd (OGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil India Limited (OIL), has signed MoUs with four municipalities in Haryana to develop integrated Compressed Biogas (CBG) and Waste-to-Energy projects. The initiative aims to expand the low-carbon energy portfolio of the organization.

According to the 13th and 14th editions of the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released by the Department of Higher Education (DoHE) under the Ministry of Education (MoE) for the academic years 2022-23 and 2023-24. The number of universities increased by 69.6% from 760 to 1.28 thousand.

During this ten-year period, the number of colleges grew by 25.3% to 48.2 thousand, and standalone institutions increased by approximately 24% to 15.2 thousand. Total student enrollment in higher education rose by 31.5% from 3.42 crore to 4.50 crore between 2014-15 and 2023-24.

Female enrollment witnessed a growth of 42.2% over the decade, rising from 1.57 crore to 2.24 crore. It is to be noted that this resulted in a Gender Parity Index (GPI) of 1.08 for the academic year 2023-24.

Russia has successfully test-launched the mobile, solid-fuel RS-24 Yars Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The missile features mobile launch capabilities and has an operational strike range exceeding 10,000 km.

It is integrated with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs) to facilitate the deployment of multiple warheads.

The DRDO has successfully tested the indigenous high-altitude Military Combat Parachute System (MCPS) at the Nyoma-Mudh Drop Zone in Leh, Ladakh. The test involved safe jumps from an altitude of 22,000 feet above sea level at a temperature of -15°C to validate special operations capabilities.

The MCPS was designed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Uttar Pradesh, while the integrated life-support systems were developed by the Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL) in Bengaluru.