Current affairs — 20 September 2026

Prelims pointers

• The Act allows a 100% tariff 30 days after enactment on goods from a qualifying country that continues importing Russian oil or gas.
• One trigger covers a country among the five largest Russian crude-oil or natural-gas importers by volume during the preceding 12 months.
• Russia accounted for more than 51% of India's crude oil imports in July 2026, according to the data cited in the article.
• A tariff imposed under the Act would be additional to other duties, including tariffs under Sections 301 and 232 of U.S. trade laws.
• The U.S. President may waive the tariff after giving Congress a written national-interest certification and a report explaining its basis.

Prelims pointers

• On September 14, 2026, U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said ‘space control’ weapons were deployed in Earth orbit.
• The U.S. Space Force framework recognises three counter-space categories: orbital, electromagnetic and cyberspace operations.
• The Outer Space Treaty entered into force in 1967 and bans nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit.
• The Outer Space Treaty does not categorically prohibit conventional weapons from being placed in orbit.
• Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty requires parties to act with due regard for the interests of other treaty parties.

Prelims pointers

• Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement requires their naval ships and submarines to maintain three nautical miles of separation in international waters.
• INS Kolkata is the lead ship of the Indian Navy's Project 15A Kolkata-class guided missile destroyers and was commissioned in August 2014.
• PNS Hunain is an OPV 2600-based offshore patrol vessel built by Damen Shipyards in Romania and commissioned in July 2024.
• India said INS Kolkata suffered no major damage and remained at sea, while the damaged PNS Hunain returned to harbour.
• In June 2011, PNS Babur came close to INS Godavari during anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, causing minor damage.

Prelims pointers

• On September 14, 2026, U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink disclosed that U.S. “space control” weapons had been deployed in Earth orbit.
• Kinetic counter-space action physically damages an object, while non-kinetic methods can jam or spoof communications or interfere with sensors using directed energy.
• The U.S. Space Force war-fighting framework recognises three kinds of counter-space operations: orbital, electromagnetic and cyberspace.
• The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bars nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit but does not prohibit conventional weapons in orbit.
• Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty requires due regard for other parties’ interests; Article 35 of the UN Charter offers a route to raise threats to international peace and security.

Prelims pointers

• Biometric Aadhaar Authentication becomes mandatory from October 1 for households seeking subsidised domestic LPG refills.
• Consumers unwilling or unable to complete BAA may receive only 5 kg or 10 kg cylinders, subject to availability, at market prices without subsidy.
• As of September 19, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, equal to 89.9%, had completed authentication.
• The implicit subsidy in September 2026 was around ₹210 per 14.2 kg cylinder, compared with ₹721 in June 2026.
• Public-sector oil marketing companies' accumulated under-recoveries on domestic LPG exceeded ₹62,000 crore on August 31, 2026.

Prelims pointers

• Nearly 130 heads of state were due to gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
• The 15-member UN Security Council could hold high-level meetings on Ukraine, artificial intelligence and West Asia.
• The United States paid $725 million towards the regular UN budget but still owed the organisation more than one billion dollars.
• The UN created an artificial-intelligence advisory body in 2023 with members from technology companies, governments and academia.
• The Security Council had been unable to act to end the Ukraine war because permanent member Russia holds a veto.

Prelims pointers

• South Korea’s military said North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off its east coast on September 20, 2026.
• South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectile was fired into the East Sea, also called the Sea of Japan.
• Japan’s Prime Minister’s office called it a suspected ballistic missile; Japan’s Defence Ministry later said it had already fallen.
• Eight days earlier, North Korea had fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles in what it later called a joint firepower drill.
• North Korea rejected an IAEA General Conference resolution demanding that it halt its nuclear activities.

Prelims pointers

• Ten lions were found dead on September 18, 2026 in the Ndutu area of Tanzania’s UNESCO-listed Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
• Preliminary findings suggested that the lions ingested poison, while an expert investigation continued into the cause and responsibility.
• Clashes linked to tensions between authorities and the local nomadic community have occurred since an eviction programme began in 2022.
• Ngorongoro’s human population was reported to have risen from about 8,000 in 1959 to more than 100,000.
• Since June, at least 20 elephants had died from suspected pesticide poisoning in Kenya’s Amboseli ecosystem near Tanzania.

Prelims pointers

• India’s exports to China, South Africa, Brazil and Russia rose 34%, from $14.9 billion in April-August 2025-26 to $19.9 billion in April-August 2026-27.
• The four markets’ share of India’s total exports increased from 8.1% to 9.2% between the two April-August periods.
• Exports to China grew 39% to $9.6 billion, while South Africa recorded the fastest growth rate at 58%.
• Exports to Brazil and Russia grew 13% and 11%, respectively, during April-August 2026-27.
• India’s exports grew 43% to $3.43 billion for Japan, about 30% to $3.92 billion for Italy, and 22% to $3.21 billion for South Korea.

Prelims pointers

• Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Iran’s seven conditions were fulfilled.
• Mohsen Rezaei said Qatar conveyed Iran’s seven conditions to Washington and Tehran was awaiting the U.S. President’s response.
• The listed conditions included ending the war on all fronts, releasing frozen Iranian funds and ending the naval blockade.
• Qatar and Pakistan had sought to restart Iran-U.S. talks since a memorandum of understanding expired in August.
• The conflict began after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran in late February.

Prelims pointers

• Rajasthan contains about 560 km of the roughly 800-km Aravalli range and 16 of its 22 wildlife sanctuaries.
• From 2020 to 2023, Aravalli districts recorded 15,772 of Rajasthan’s 28,166 illegal-mining cases, or 56%.
• Aravalli districts accounted for 2,070 of 2,671 illegal-mining FIRs in Rajasthan between 2020 and 2023, nearly 77.5%.
• A 2024 technical committee proposed defining an Aravalli hill by a minimum 4.57-degree slope and a minimum 30-metre height.
• The Environment Ministry proposed a 100-metre-above-local-relief threshold and grouping hills located within 500 metres of one another.

Prelims pointers

• Nepal estimated $1.8 billion in direct flood damage, $900 million in losses and $4.7–5 billion in reconstruction needs over three to five years.
• After Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, India provided about $250 million in grant assistance and $750 million through a Line of Credit.
• A December 2025 agreement provided that subsequent Indian Line-of-Credit assistance to Nepal would be denominated in Indian rupees.
• India assured Nepal 650 megawatts of additional energy after the floods badly damaged 20% of Nepal’s energy capacity.
• The reactivated bilateral mechanism on overflight rights for Bhairahawa and Pokhara airports was expected to include defence officials.

Prelims pointers

• Nepal Police said the August 26 flash-flood death toll had reached 1,451 by September 20, 2026.
• The floods originated near the Nepal-Tibet border and moved downstream through the Bhotekoshi River.
• Floodwaters swept away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaged hydropower projects in northern and central Nepal.
• Authorities had rescued 13,784 flood-affected people, while around 6,000 people remained missing.
• Only around 110 bodies had been identified and given to families; nearly 1,300 were temporarily buried after DNA sampling.

Prelims pointers

• Russia's electoral chief reported more than 1,000 waves of DDoS attacks against election infrastructure over recent days.
• Ella Pamfilova, chair of the Central Election Commission, did not identify who was responsible for the attacks.
• Pamfilova said the attacks appeared coordinated, professional and conducted with artificial-intelligence tools.
• A distributed denial-of-service attack overwhelms a system with internet traffic so that it cannot function normally.
• Voting was under way for all 450 seats in Russia's lower house, the State Duma.

Prelims pointers

• IAF chief A.P. Singh and JASDF chief Takehiro Morita flew a 20–25 minute Tejas formation sortie at Jodhpur on September 20, 2026.
• Singh flew solo and led the formation, while Morita flew in a Tejas trainer with an IAF pilot who commands a Tejas unit.
• Veer Guardian is the second bilateral IAF-JASDF exercise; Shinyuu Maitri, the first bilateral air exercise involving them, was held in India in 2018.
• Veer Guardian 2026 runs from September 9 to 22 with Indian Tejas, Su-30MKI and Rafale aircraft and Japanese F-2A aircraft.
• The exercise marks the first time JASDF fighter aircraft have operated from Indian soil as part of a bilateral exercise.

Prelims pointers

• The proposed Gwalior Telecom Manufacturing Zone carries approximately ₹5,500 crore of investment and is expected to create over 18,000 direct jobs.
• About 170 acres—90-plus acres in SADA and 70-plus acres in the IT Park—have been identified for the proposed first phase.
• The Department of Telecommunications and Madhya Pradesh government signed the TMZ MoU in July 2026; Delhi and Mumbai roadshows followed in August.
• Twenty-four companies initiated the application process for units, while the industrial ecosystem is planned to comprise 24–25 manufacturing units.
• The Department of Telecommunications proposed an approximately ₹500-crore Common Testing Lab package for the telecom-manufacturing zone.

Prelims pointers

• The National Film Awards were instituted in 1954 as the State Awards for Films, and the first edition honoured films of 1953.
• The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted in 1969 and was first presented to Devika Rani.
• The Directorate of Film Festivals began administering the awards in 1973 and merged into NFDC in 2022, making NFDC the implementing body.
• Feature-film selection uses five regional panels for shortlisting and a central panel for the final decision.
• Eligible films must be CBFC-certified during the award year and have English subtitles; a feature film must exceed 72 minutes.

Prelims pointers

• DAY-NRLM has mobilised more than 10 crore rural households into around 92 lakh Self-Help Groups across India.
• More than 9 lakh Community Resource Persons work at the grassroots, including nearly 4.08 lakh livelihood CRPs.
• As of June 2026, the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme had supported 4.32 lakh enterprises.
• Over 5.33 lakh Village Water and Sanitation Committees or Pani Samitis were operational under Jal Jeevan Mission, with at least 50% women members.
• PMAY-G aims to construct 4.95 crore houses by March 2029, with Awaas Mitras supporting beneficiaries through completion.

Prelims pointers

• Rashtriya Sankalp Samaroh was held on 20 September 2026 under the 100 Weeks Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan.
• More than four lakh youth and citizens participated across more than 1,000 locations in India.
• The programme covered 460 MY Bharat districts and 240 locations operated by MY Bharat partner organisations.
• More than 300 locations were organised by spiritual organisations, industry associations and university associations.
• The initial activity cycle has three themes: ‘My Health, My Pride’, ‘Fit Youth, Addiction-Free Youth’ and ‘Life Skills Month’.

Prelims pointers

• India’s silk production was reported to have risen from 26,000 metric tonnes in 2014 to 42,000 metric tonnes.
• The national silk-production target is 60,000 metric tonnes by 2030–31, with a stated aim of attaining the top global rank by 2028–29.
• Karnataka was identified as the leading State in India’s total silk production.
• The production strategy includes high-yielding silkworm hybrids and the use of AI, GIS and machine learning for quality inspection and capacity enhancement.
• The Foundation Day programme included MoU exchanges and distribution of appointment letters to 28 scientists.

Prelims pointers

• CAT was established in 1985 under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, for government-service matters.
• An Original Application before CAT carries a ₹50 filing fee; several other listed applications and petitions carry no fee.
• Through 30 June 2026, CAT had disposed of 9,32,723 of 10,01,177 cases nationwide, an approximate 93.16% disposal rate.
• The Jammu and Srinagar Benches disposed of 18,392 transferred cases and 13,952 fresh cases from the two reported categories.
• The Jammu Bench has two Judicial Members and two Administrative Members, and around 8% of its cases went to the High Court in appeal.

Prelims pointers

• DISHA expands to Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in the PIB release.
• The DISHA 2.0 regional workshop was scheduled for 21 September 2026 at IIULER's University Auditorium in Goa.
• Nyaya Prabodh's “Know Your Rights in 90 Seconds” campaign uses short reels to promote legal and constitutional-rights awareness.
• The workshop planned live interactions with Tele-Law beneficiaries, panel lawyers, Village Level Entrepreneurs and Nyaya Sahayaks.
• Goa law schools associated with the Nyaya Bandhu Pro Bono Legal Services Programme were included in the workshop.

Prelims pointers

• The ninth India International Water Week was scheduled for 22–26 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
• The event's theme was “Climate Resilient Water Management,” with the Netherlands and Germany as Partner Countries.
• Fourteen States were to participate as Partner States, and six Central Ministries and Departments were invited as partners.
• The programme listed ten major forums and seven sub-themes spanning governance, technology, risk, finance and sustainability.
• The second International WASH Conference was scheduled for 22–24 September under the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Prelims pointers

• West Bengal recorded fish production of 25.43 lakh tonnes in 2025–26, according to the PIB release.
• The release linked ₹617 crore of scheme investment with production technology, post-harvest infrastructure, processing and capacity building.
• More than 30 lakh fishers were reported to receive livelihood opportunities from West Bengal's fisheries ecosystem.
• The Union government had notified 34 fisheries production and processing clusters, including a dry-fish cluster in Purba Mednipur.
• The review was to include the handover of administrative approval for Integrated Reservoir Development in West Bengal.

Prelims pointers

• IICA, Manesar conducted the session for the eighth cohort of its Post Graduate Insolvency Programme under the ‘Meet the Legend’ programme.
• The discussion centred on the interface between the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
• Section 32A of the IBC was highlighted as a precisely drafted provision whose harmonised implementation still faces challenges.
• The three stages of money laundering identified in the session were placement, layering and integration.
• PMLA Sections 3, 4, 5, 8, 44 and 45 were discussed along with judicial precedents and their practical implications.

Prelims pointers

• CIL’s four coal-to-chemicals initiatives represent approximately ₹69,346 crore and target urea, ammonium nitrate and synthetic natural gas.
• The Kasta West underground coal-gasification pilot completed Phase I on May 31, 2025; Phase II began on June 20, 2025 and is due in 2026.
• CIL and DVC propose a 50:50 joint venture for a 2×800 MW ultra-supercritical brownfield expansion at Chandrapura, Jharkhand.
• CIL’s storage initiatives include 187.5 MW/750 MWh at Choutuppal in Telangana and 80 MW/320 MWh across four Odisha locations.
• CIL’s 2026 R&D Policy prioritises Technology Readiness Level 4 and above, with NaCCER functioning as the independent nodal agency and central hub.

Prelims pointers

• The National Green Tribunal organised the International Conference on ‘The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics’ in New Delhi.
• President Droupadi Murmu linked climate change with biodiversity loss, water stress, land degradation, food security, health and livelihoods.
• The President called for adaptation frameworks that involve governments, legal experts and climate-affected communities.
• Sustainable afforestation was described as restoring healthy, self-sustaining ecosystems rather than merely planting trees.
• Mission LiFE was cited as demonstrating ecological restoration through public participation and community ownership.

Prelims pointers

• Rural sanitation coverage was 39% when SBM began in 2014; more than 10.28 crore toilets were built across 36 States and Union Territories during 2014–19.
• SBM-Gramin Phase II focuses on sustaining ODF status and strengthening solid and liquid waste-management systems.
• Aspiring ODF Plus villages manage either solid or liquid waste; Rising villages manage both; Model villages also show visual cleanliness and ODF Plus messaging.
• As of 17 September 2026, India reported 5.69 lakh ODF Plus villages, of which 5.25 lakh had achieved Model status.
• GOBARdhan converts cattle dung, crop residue and organic waste into biogas, compressed biogas and organic manure or bio-slurry.

Prelims pointers

• SLINEX-26 was the thirteenth edition of the Sri Lanka–India bilateral maritime exercise and ran at Visakhapatnam from September 17 to 21, 2026.
• The exercise followed two sequential components: a Harbour Phase and a Sea Phase.
• INS Kavaratti is an indigenous anti-submarine-warfare corvette, while INS Jyoti is a fleet tanker; both represented the Indian Navy.
• SLNS Sindurala represented the Sri Lanka Navy in SLINEX-26, and the Harbour Phase was held under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command.
• SLINEX was conceptualised in 2005 and is intended to foster maritime cooperation, interoperability and mutual understanding between the two navies.

Prelims pointers

• The study will give Ervebo to 20,000 frontline health personnel in Ituri and North-Kivu over a period of up to one year.
• The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, for which the report says there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
• Ervebo was developed for the Zaire strain; the study is testing whether it offers cross-protection against Bundibugyo.
• Congolese authorities reported 7,541 confirmed cases and 3,639 deaths, equivalent to a 48.3% fatality rate.
• WHO said 70,000 Ervebo doses developed by Merck and produced in Germany were to be sent to the DRC.

Prelims pointers

• Taiwanese Labour Minister Hung Sun-han travelled to Nanjing for an APEC ministerial meeting on September 20, 2026.
• It was the first such China visit by a senior Taiwanese official since President Lai Ching-te took office two years earlier.
• APEC represents 21 member economies and is one of the few international bodies in which Taiwan has full membership.
• China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan’s APEC participation would be handled under the “one-China principle.”
• The year’s APEC ministerial meetings were due to culminate at the Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen in November.

Prelims pointers

• India’s first Foreign Contribution Regulation Act was passed in 1976; the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 described in the article had not yet been enacted.
• The proposed Bill would vest foreign contributions and related assets in a designated authority when an FCRA certificate is cancelled, surrendered or automatically lapses.
• Under the proposal, restored registration would return assets and unused foreign contribution; otherwise permanent vesting and transfer of proceeds to the Consolidated Fund could follow.
• Home Ministry data cited for September 2026 record 22,496 NGO registration cancellations since 2015 and about 14,466 active registered associations.
• Listed-company CSR spending was ₹22,563 crore in FY25, up 17.5%, following the Companies Act, 2013 requirement for companies above a specified size.