The International Day of Peace is observed annually on September 21 to strengthen the ideals of peace, commit to non-violence, and observe a global ceasefire.
Under the theme Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day, this year’s International Day of Peace honours the 'everyday architects of peace'—people driving local action,
laying the groundwork for stability, and building a lasting peace from the ground up. The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.
World Bamboo Day, celebrated on September 18 all over the world, is an initiative created in 2009 by the World Bamboo Organization (WBO) to raise awareness about the incredible benefits of bamboo. This day emphasizes bamboo’s role as a sustainable resource with significant environmental, economic, and social impact.
The official global theme “Bamboo Beyond Borders”.
Established By: The World Bamboo Organization (WBO) in 2009 at the 8th World Bamboo Congress in Bangkok.
Core Purpose: To raise global awareness about bamboo's sustainability, rapid growth rate, ecological benefits as a carbon sink, and economic value for local communities and green industries.
Karam festival, a vibrant celebration of Jharkhand’s rich tribal culture, nature and the bond between brothers and sisters, is being observed across the state today with traditional fervour and enthusiasm. Special cultural and state-level programmes are being organised across Jharkhand to mark the auspicious occasion.
Karam festival, one of the most significant celebrations of Jharkhand’s folk culture and nature worship, is being celebrated across the state with great enthusiasm. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar attended the program on the eve of Karam festival organised in Bero, Ranchi, as the chief guest and extended greetings to the people of the state.
India has joined other G20 nations in adopting four consensus outcomes covering household energy access, infrastructure approvals, water reuse and secure critical-mineral supply chains. At a three-day meeting in Houston, Texas, hosted by the White House National Energy Dominance Council, the departments of Energy and the Interior,
and the Environmental Protection Agency.
For homes, they backed scalable options like using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to quickly replace traditional biomass, which helps developing countries switch to cleaner cooking fuels. They also called for faster and more predictable government permitting processes for energy infrastructure projects.
The 18th edition of the India - Mongolia Joint Military Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT, an annual platoon-level exercise conducted alternately in India and Mongolia, commenced today at the Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. The exercise is scheduled from 21 September to 03 October 2026.
The last edition of the exercise was conducted at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in May–June 2025. The Indian Army and the Mongolian Armed Forces are represented by 45 personnel each.
The exercise aims to enhance the joint military capability of both sides to undertake Counter-Insurgency Operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under the United Nations
The training curriculum will include Cordon and Search Operations, Room Intervention Drills, Special Heliborne Operations, Cyber Security Training and employment of drones and counter-drone systems, among other activities. These drills will provide troops of both Armies an opportunity to train together in realistic operational scenarios.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, inaugurated the Global Conservation Conference of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) at Jaipur. Dignitaries present during the inauguration ceremony included Additional Director General (Wildlife), MoEFCC, Shri Ramesh Pandey;
Head of Forest Force and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Government of Rajasthan, Shri Arijit Banerjee; Chief Conservation Officer at WWF-International, Shri Daudi Samba; and, CEO of WWF-India.
India won three medals in shooting at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
In the men’s 10-meter air rifle individual event, Himanshu Dhillon won the silver medal, while Rudrankksh Patil secured the bronze. India also bagged a silver medal in the men’s team event of the same competition.
Elavenil Valarivan won the silver medal in the women’s individual 10-metre air rifle event. India also bagged a silver medal in the women’s team event of the same competition. With this, India has won a total of five medals in Shooting so far, including four silver and one bronze.
Suchika Tariyal has become the first athlete from the country to win a medal in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Suchika secured the bronze medal in the 60 kg category. In the medal tally, India is currently in 12th place with a total of six medals, including four silver and two bronze.
Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Smt. Anupriya Patel, today launched the 7th Edition of the National Formulary of India (NFI), the Guidance Document for Hospitals in India for Safety Monitoring and Reporting of Medical Device-Related Adverse Events,
and the ADR-PvPI 2.0 Mobile App for iOS users at the 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week programme organised by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The 7th Edition of the NFI has also been made available digitally through NFI Online.
The National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar is set to become the first NIT in the country to have a dedicated campus-based observatory equipped with a 14-inch aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. The telescope provides aberration-free, flat-field images for astrophotography and planetary observation.
The NIT-Srinagar Observatory for Astronomy and Astrophysics (NSOAA) will be inaugurated, marking a milestone in science education and research. The centrepiece of the observatory is a 14-inch Celestron C14 EdgeHD Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, equipped with a computerised equatorial mount and supported by specialised astronomical imaging equipment.
The deluge of funds mobilised through foreign currency non-resident (bank), or FCNR(B), deposits in the fortnight ended August 31 pushed deposit growth to 17.8 per cent, its highest level since 2011, and narrowed the credit-deposit growth gap to 130 basis points (bps) from over 550 bps earlier.
According to the RBI’s latest data, credit growth in the banking system stood at 19.1 per cent in the fortnight ended August 31, when the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) concessional swap window for FCNR(B) closed.
A new checklist of flowering plants in South India’s Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve (ABR) compiled by the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) in Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam, seeks to reaffirm the global significance of the Western Ghats as a biodiversity hotspot and the need for focused,
region-specific strategies for protecting it.
The JNTBGRI research team documented 3,261 species, 26 sub-species and 28 varieties belonging to 1,139 genera and 190 families in the ABR. Among other things, they recorded a “high level” of endemism and biogeographic affinity with Sri Lankan and even tropical American flora.
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand that was ratified and comes into effect on October 20 aims to double bilateral trade to Rs.35,000 crore in the “next four to five years”.
The entry into force of the India-New Zealand FTA will translate this goal into concrete economic outcomes.
The FTA is set to erase import-levies on all Indian goods being exported to New Zealand, while 95% of New Zealand’s exports to India will either be allowed tariff-free or at “sharply” reduced levies, according to New Zealand’s foreign trade office.
The Delhi government will redevelop the Town Hall in Chandni Chowk as a Global Heritage Centre with a museum and facilities for cultural and tourism activities. An MoU in this regard was signed between the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC)at the Delhi Secretariat.
According to the MoU, ownership of the historic complex will remain with the MCD.
DTTDC has been entrusted with conducting surveys, carrying out a structural assessment of the building and preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project.
The option of developing the project through public investment or the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model will be decided.
According to the MoU, ownership of the historic complex will remain with the MCD.
Spread over12,180 square metres, the project will cover the Town Hall, Press Building and Park in the Chandni Chowk and Shahjahanabad
areas.
Jayanti Prasad, a Whole-Time Member, has been given the additional charge of Chairperson. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is a key institution in implementing the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) that provides for a time-bound and market-linked resolution of stressed assets.
Prasad has taken charge as Chairperson with effect from September 13, in addition to his existing duties.
The additional charge will be "till the completion of his tenure in IBBI on 20th November, 2026 or till the joining of a new incumbent to the post or until further orders, whichever is the earliest. Ravi Mital retired as IBBI Chairperson.
The exercise will also feature Indian platforms including Sukhoi-30s, Mirage-2000s and Tejas fighters, along with transport aircraft, helicopters and AWACS. The US Air Force is expected to deploy its F-35 fifth-generation fighter aircraft during Tarang Shakti,
IAF’s largest multilateral air combat exercise to be held in Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12. This is the first time the F-35 stealth fighter is taking part in an exercise in the country, the officials said. To be sure, the aircraft took part in the Aero India show in Bengaluru in 2025 and 2023.Nine global air forces, including those of France,
, Germany, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, have confirmed their participation in the exercise, while 30 countries will take part as observers. Other aircraft taking part in the air drills include F-16s, F-18s, Rafales and A400 military transport aircraft.
President Droupadi Murmu has amended the Inter-State Council Order, 1990, to provide for the participation of Governors and Lieutenant Governors in meetings of the Inter-State Council when specified constitutional or statutory provisions are in force in their respective States or Union Territories.
The Ministry of Home Affairs notified the Inter-State Council (Amendment) Order, 2026 on September 9. The amendment was made by the President under the powers conferred by Article 263 of the Constitution and came into force with immediate effect.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 0.4% on Person-to-Merchant (P2M) UPI transactions above Rs.2,000, effective October 15, 2026.Under the revised framework, high-value purchases of Rs.75,000 and above will attract a capped MDR of Rs.300 per transaction.
UPI transactions of up to Rs.2,000 and all Person-to-Person transactions will continue to remain free.
For select merchant categories, including railways, telecom, insurance and fuel, a flat MDR of Rs.5 per transaction will apply to payments above Rs.2,000. Capital market transactions, including payments for mutual funds, securities and stockbrokers,
will attract an MDR of 0.02%, capped at Rs.300.
The framework was finalised by the UPI and Services Steering Committee and introduces a revenue-sharing mechanism for the 40-basis-point MDR. Issuer banks will receive 40%, merchant acquirers 30%,
UPI apps 20% and their bank partners 10%.Small merchants receiving up to Rs.1 lakh per month through UPI QR directly into their accounts will continue to be exempt from MDR. NPCI said transactions up to Rs.2,000 account for more than 95% of total UPI P2M transaction volume, meaning the majority of everyday transactions will remain unaffected.
The move marks the end of the zero-MDR regime for UPI merchant transactions introduced in January 2020. NPCI said operating UPI—including payment infrastructure, server bandwidth, fraud prevention and technical support—
costs around Rs.20,000 crore annually, and argued that a threshold-based commercial model would provide more reliable funding for continued technology investments.
