World Cleanup Day is observed annually on September 20 to unite millions of volunteers, governments, and organizations across more than 190 countries to tackle the global solid waste crisis.
This year's global observance focuses on food waste, one of the largest and most preventable waste streams affecting cities and communities worldwide.
Under the official theme “From Clean Plates to Clean Cities”, World Cleanup Day 2026 connects the choices we make around our plates with the systems that shape our neighborhoods and cities.
According to the UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024, approximately 1.05 billion metric tons of food were wasted at household,
food-service and retail levels in 2022 — about 19 percent of the food available to consumers.
UNEP and UN-Habitat reporting for the 2026 International Day of Zero Waste highlights countries that have significantly reduced food waste and underscores the importance of investment, measurement, policy and collaboration in progress toward 2030.
The global observance of World Cleanup Day 2026 takes place on 20 September in Shaoxing,
International Equal Pay Day is observed annually on September 18 to highlight the persistent global gender pay gap and promote equal pay for work of equal value.
Across all regions, women are paid less than men, with the gender pay gap estimated at around 20 per cent globally.
As a Fundamental Convention, the ILO’s Equal Remuneration Convention (C100) directly addresses the principle of equal pay for men and women for work of equal value. International Labour Standards emphasize the crucial role of workers' and employers' organizations in achieving this goal through social dialogue, with freedom of association and
collective bargaining at its core.The Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) is led by the ILO, UN Women, and OECD. The Coalition’s goal is to achieve equal pay for women and men everywhere.
Fintech company BharatPe has appointed Yugal Tiwari as its Chief Product and Marketing Officer (CPMO), bringing extensive experience across product management, payments, fintech, consumer technology and growth. Tiwari joins BharatPe from Paytm, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President II, Product.
During his tenure at Paytm, he held multiple product leadership roles spanning UPI payments, consumer banking, customer onboarding, rewards, loyalty and growth.
State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a digital Savings Account to Salary Account journey in collaboration with fintech company ScoreMe Solutions Pvt. Ltd., enabling eligible existing savings account holders to switch to salary accounts without visiting a branch.
The new digital journey was launched at Global FinTech Fest 2026 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai and is aimed at simplifying a process that has traditionally involved branch visits, paperwork and manual intervention.
The initiative allows eligible customers to initiate the transition digitally while continuing to operate within SBI’s existing salary account eligibility criteria and product terms. Under the new process, customers can choose to move from a savings account to a salary account through a digital journey.
SBI clarified that the transition is customer-initiated, and no savings account will be automatically converted into a salary account. Existing eligibility requirements and salary account terms will continue to apply
The initiative is designed to strengthen customer convenience while helping SBI deepen relationships with its existing savings account base
Salary accounts can provide banks with recurring payroll deposits and increased customer engagement across payments, spending and other financial services.
Founding Date: July 1, 1955 (descending from the Bank of Calcutta founded in 1806 via the Imperial Bank of India)
Chairman : Shri Challa Sreenivasulu Setty
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Vice-President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan today inaugurated the 38th Pune Festival at Shri Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch, Pune. He also highlighted the deep historical and cultural bonds between Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, noting that Tamil literary works have been preserved at the Saraswathi Mahal Library in Thanjavur because of Maratha leaders .
Students from around 20 countries participated in Traditional Ganesh Worship programme , describing it as a beautiful manifestation of the spirit of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”
He credited the Pune Festival with contributing significantly to Pune’s emergence as a “City of Festivals” and appreciated the vision of its founder, late Shri Suresh Kalmadi.
The Vice-President also presented the Founder Suresh Kalmadi Pune Festival Lifetime Achievement Award to veteran actor Shri Mohan Joshi, recognising his distinguished contribution to Indian cinema and the performing arts.
He credited the Pune Festival with contributing significantly to Pune’s emergence as a “City of Festivals”
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while addressing the concluding session of the Regional Agriculture Conference for Southern States in Hyderabad, directed states to complete their agricultural targets and commitments within the stipulated timelines.
The objective is to strengthen direct engagement between agricultural research and farming communities. He also recalled the commitment made during the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan that whenever states finalise dates for their agricultural outreach programmes, scientists from the Government of India and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) would accompany them.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will launch the state government’s one-gram gold ring scheme for newborns , with 1.28 lakh rings procured for the first phase of the programme. The rings will be distributed to babies born in government hospitals across the state, according to the Tamil Nadu government.
The scheme, called the Thaimaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam, was one of the promises made by Vijay ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. It envisages providing a one-gram, 22-carat gold ring to babies born in state-run hospitals.
As many as 1.28 lakh one-gram gold rings have been procured for the first instalment,
with the government preparing to distribute them from September 28.
According to the state government, every ring will carry a unique serial number and be packed in tamper-proof packaging. Beneficiaries must be permanent residents of Tamil Nadu to qualify for the scheme.According to the state government, every ring will carry a unique serial number and
be packed in tamper-proof packaging. Beneficiaries must be permanent residents of Tamil Nadu to qualify for the scheme.
The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation has procured the rings through jewellery retailers Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers. The two companies have been assigned the supply in a 70:30 ratio.
The government has made an annual budgetary provision of INR 755.83 crore for the scheme.
The allocation will cover the supply of around 4.41 lakh one-gram, 22-carat gold rings over a full year. The proposal was named the ‘Thaimaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam’, referring to the traditional role of a maternal uncle in gifting a gold ring to a newborn.
Marathi film Gondhal has been chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars 2027, the Film Federation of India.Written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, the film is set in rural Maharashtra and plays out over a night of a traditional ritual centred around a newly-wed couple.
Gondhal had its world premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in 2025 in the Indian Panorama segment. Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the festival.
The 99th Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2027.
Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film to be submitted for the Oscars.
Fulfilling a long-pending demand of the people of coastal Karnataka, the government in its Mangaluru Cabinet meeting on September 18, 2026 decided to accord the additional official language status to Tulu language, widely spoken in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
The status would be applicable for administrative matters in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts while the respective district administrations would be the implementing agencies. The government would release Rs.82 lakh annually for translation, training and language usage purposes.
Suchika Tariyal signed off with a bronze medal in the women’s traditional 60kg mixed martial arts event after losing 0-2 to Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo in the extra round of their semifinal at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. Her bronze is India’s first medal in mixed martial arts, which made its debut at the ongoing Asian Games.
India’s shooters added three more medals winning silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team event before Himanshu Dhillon and former world champion Rudrankksh Patil secured silver and bronze, respectively, in the individual final. Dhillon scored 252.4 points to finish behind China’s Lihao Sheng (254.2), while Rudrankksh took bronze with 230.9.
The 13th edition of the Sri Lanka-India bilateral maritime exercise, SLINEX-26, is being conducted at Visakhapatnam from 17 to 21 Sep 26. The exercise commenced with the Harbour Phase, which will be followed by the Sea Phase.
INS Kavaratti, an indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette, and INS Jyoti, the Fleet Tanker,
will participate from the Indian Navy, while SLNS Sindurala represents the Sri Lanka Navy.
Conceptualised in 2005, SLINEX has evolved into an important forum for fostering maritime cooperation, interoperability and mutual understanding between the two Navies.
Commenced with an opening ceremony and reception onboard INS Kavaratti for the visiting crew of SLNS Sindurala.
Aligned with India’s vision of MAHASAGAR, SLINEX-26 reinforces India’s commitment to a secure, stable and inclusive maritime environment and further consolidates the enduring maritime partnership between India and Sri Lanka.
External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation for the High Level Week at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, USA. The External Affairs Minister is scheduled to address the High-Level Session of the 81st UNGA on the 26th of this month.
Dr Jaishankar’s visit to New York comes as world leaders prepare to gather at the UN headquarters for the annual high-level General Debate, scheduled from September 22 to 28.
Union Law and Justice Ministry will organise a workshop under the DISHA (Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice) 2.0 Scheme , at the University Auditorium of the India International University of Legal Education & Research, South Goa.
Akashvani correspondent reports that the workshop will focus on strengthening access to justice through technology-enabled legal services, legal awareness and pro bono legal assistance. Best reels created under the “Nyaya Prabodh: Awakening to Justice – Know Your Rights in 90 Seconds” campaign will be showcased on this occasion.
A Slogan Competition under Nyaya Prabodh will also be launched during the programme. Another session will focus on the Nyaya Bandhu Pro Bono Legal Services Programme. Through initiatives such as Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu, Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programmes,
and VIDHI-Sanjeevani, the Department of Justice is working towards making legal services more accessible, understandable and affordable to citizens in remote and underserved areas.
The current Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice in India is Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal.
In a historic first, Angh, directed by Naga filmmaker Theja Rio, has won the Platform Prize 2026 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Angh was one of 12 films selected for this year’s platform programme, the TIFF’s only competitive section. Beginning with the 2026 prize,
winning the TIFF Platform Prize gives a non-English-language film a direct pathway to eligibility for consideration for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Announcing the award, Jury President Pablo Trapero praised Angh for its refreshing perspective, strength of filmmaking and deeply resonant portrait of a world.
The Platform Prize carries a cash award of 20,000 Canadian dollars and a trophy.
The Indian Navy’s guided-missile frigate INS Trishul made a port call at Alexandria, Egypt from 14th to 17th of this month as part of her deployment. The ship was accorded a warm welcome with the Egyptian Naval Ship Al Qadeer escorting it on arrival at Alexandria Harbour.The Commanding Officer and
crew of INS Trishul paid homage to the Bravehearts of the two World Wars at the Chatby War Memorial. The War Memorial contains 12 burials and bears the names of 19 Indian soldiers who died in ships sunk in the Eastern Mediterranean.The Ambassador of India to Egypt, Suresh Reddy, visited INS Trishul and interacted with the ship’s crew.
The Indian men’s chess team secured an emphatic 3-1 victory over Holland, while the Indian women’s team suffered a shocking defeat to Poland in the fifth round of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The Indian men extended their perfect run to five consecutive match wins,
placing them at the top of the leaderboards alongside Uzbekistan and Germany.
R Praggnanandhaa bounced back from a string of draws to score a brilliant victory over an in-form Anish Giri. Arjun Erigaisi fought hard to secure a draw against Jorden Van Foreest.
Nihal Sarin comfortably held a draw against veteran Loek Van Wely. D Gukesh continued his sublime form by defeating Erwin l’Ami, picking up his fourth individual win in five games.
A critical loss by R Vaishali proved costly, as the rest of the squad couldn’t make up the deficit, resulting in a narrow 1.5-2.5 defeat.
India retained the 131st rank on the Global Gender Gap Index 2026 released by the World Economic Forum , with Iceland, Finland and Norway maintaining their top three slots respectively.
Only 14 countries ranked below than India on the index of 145 countries. These include Papua New Guinea, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco,
Mali, Algeria and Congo.
Chad was the lowest-ranked country in the index, with Iran and Pakistan joining it in the bottom three.
Nearly every economy tracked since 2006 by the index has advanced gender parity, but noted that full parity is still 120 years away.
Sethuraman Panchanathan, the Chennai-born computer scientist and former director of the US National Science Foundation, has been named the 2026 recipient of the National Academy of Engineering’s Arthur M. Bueche Award. He is the first Indian American to receive the honour, according to Arizona State University,
where Panchanathan is a University Professor of Technology and Innovation.
The award recognizes contributions to US science and technology policy, technological development and relationships between industry, government and universities. Panchanathan will receive the award at the NAE annual meeting in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2026.
He served as the 15th director of the National Science Foundation from June 2020 to April 2025. The NSF says he was nominated by the US president in 2019 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on June 18, 2020.
India has 19 institutions in the QS Global MBA Rankings 2027, but IIM Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Calcutta fell as global peers gained on ROI and alumni outcomes.
The number of Indian business schools featuring in the QS Global MBA Rankings 2027 has more than trebled since 2020,
but the country’s three leading Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) slipped in the 2027 edition as global peers gained ground on measures including return on investment (RoI), entrepreneurship, and alumni outcomes.
