Current affairs — 21 September 2026

Prelims pointers

• Tamil Nadu reported 56,863 dengue cases in 2023, 46,971 in 2024 and 25,585 in 2025.
• The 2026 count was 17,049 cases and nine deaths through September 19, rather than a full-year total.
• Reported dengue cases fell by 17% between 2023 and 2024, followed by a 46% decline in 2025.
• Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection transmitted by the Aedes mosquito and can sometimes cause severe disease.
• Persistent abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, bleeding and extreme weakness were listed as warning signs needing prompt attention.

Prelims pointers

• NdFeB magnets combine high magnetic strength with a high power-to-weight ratio and are important to energy transition and advanced manufacturing.
• India’s critical-mineral strategy includes the National Critical Mineral Mission, overseas acquisitions, geological exploration and PLI schemes.
• China imposed tight export controls on rare-earth magnets and materials in April 2025, exposing value-chain vulnerabilities.
• The Annual Survey of Industries estimates India’s domestic permanent-magnet market at around ₹750 crore, below import values reported in trade statistics.
• The proposed Integrated Techno-Economic Mapping framework would combine engineering and economic information across the magnet value chain.

Prelims pointers

• Researchers named the new Bolivian tiger cat Leopardus tilcayo, retaining the name Tilcayo used by local communities.
• The cat inhabits Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forest, measures about 46 centimetres and weighs around 1.4 kilograms.
• DNA from 38 cats, including eight museum specimens, indicated that tiger cats comprise five genetically distinct species.
• Genetic analysis suggests the Tilcayo lineage separated from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago.
• The IUCN Red List currently treats tiger cats as two vulnerable species whose populations are declining.

Prelims pointers

• The checklist records 3,261 species, 26 subspecies and 28 varieties belonging to 1,139 genera and 190 families in Agasthyamalai.
• Fabaceae is the reserve’s most species-rich family with 349 taxa, followed by Rubiaceae with 194, Poaceae with 193 and Orchidaceae with 168.
• Researchers recorded 1,018 taxa, or 31.2%, as endemic to India, including 245 steno-endemic taxa restricted to specialised habitats.
• Agasthyamalai’s flora share 347 taxa with Sri Lanka, while 102 taxa display affinity with tropical American flora.
• The biosphere reserve spans Keralam and Tamil Nadu at the southern extremity of the Western Ghats.

Prelims pointers

• India-China bilateral trade reached $167.6 billion in 2025 and had become increasingly asymmetric.
• India’s imports from China rose about 71%, from $87.5 billion in 2021 to $149.5 billion in 2025, while exports stayed broadly stagnant.
• Nearly 70% of India’s imports from China are intermediate goods, while another 22% are capital goods.
• The top five import categories from China rose from a combined $19 billion in 2021 to $34.6 billion in 2025.
• Imported mobile-phone parts and components increased from 3.3% of the import basket in 2022 to 10.1% in 2025.

Prelims pointers

• The fifth round of India-Canada CEPA negotiations is scheduled to begin on October 5, 2026.
• The fourth negotiating round concluded in New Delhi on September 18, and both countries aim to finish negotiations by the end of 2026.
• Two-way India-Canada trade reached $30.4 billion in 2025, against a target of $70 billion by 2030.
• India’s main goods exports to Canada include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronics and chemicals.
• India’s key imports from Canada include pulses, pearls and semi-precious stones, coal, fertilisers, paper and crude petroleum.

Prelims pointers

• Ireland’s Data Protection Commission fined Alphabet’s Google search engine €403 million, equivalent to $463 million in the report.
• The DPC opened its inquiry in 2020 after complaints from several European consumer-rights organisations.
• The inquiry concerned Google’s processing of location data in connection with certain services and products.
• The regulator said users might not know their location data could influence advertising or be used to infer their interests.
• The €403 million penalty was the fourth-largest fine imposed by the Irish data-protection watchdog.

Prelims pointers

• The International Criminal Court is based in The Hague and has 125 member states.
• The United States, Russia, China and India are among the major powers identified in the report as non-members of the ICC.
• The United States had already sanctioned more than a dozen current and former ICC staff, including half of its sitting judges.
• The ICC moved from Microsoft products to a German software provider and changed insurance and financial providers without a U.S. footprint.
• The EU blocking statute may stop European companies from complying with U.S. measures, but its protection of the ICC itself is uncertain.

Prelims pointers

• The U.S. legislation authorises tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian oil and gas; it does not automatically activate a 100% tariff on Indian goods.
• About 55% of India’s exports to the U.S. faced an additional 10% Section 301 duty from July 2026, while the remaining 45% were outside its scope.
• The U.S. received 20.8% of India’s merchandise exports in 2025, compared with 17.6% for the European Union and 8.6% for the UAE.
• Electrical machinery formed 28% of India’s exports to the U.S. in 2025, up from 2.6% in 2005, making it the largest category in the basket.
• Since 2021, India has concluded or announced nine trade agreements covering 38 countries, but the data do not yet show a shift away from the U.S. market.

Prelims pointers

• The ratified India-New Zealand FTA is scheduled to enter into force on October 20, 2026.
• New Zealand will remove import levies on all Indian goods, while 95% of current New Zealand exports to India get tariff elimination or sharp reduction.
• India excluded sensitive products including dairy, onions, almonds, chickpeas, peas, artificial honey and sugar from concessions.
• The agreement aims to double bilateral trade to ₹35,000 crore within four to five years; trade stood at USD 1.3 billion in 2024-25.
• New Zealand committed USD 20 billion in foreign direct investment into India as part of the agreement.

Prelims pointers

• Gaurav was a ten-year-old Namibian cheetah that died at Kuno National Park on September 21, 2026.
• He was rescued from the wild on September 12 after appearing weak and dull, with muscle wasting and severe dehydration found on examination.
• He was shifted to Palpur and kept in a Quarantine Boma after immediate systemic and supportive treatment.
• Kuno National Park then had 51 cheetahs, including 36 Indian-born cheetahs, with 16 of the 51 ranging freely in the wild.
• Four cheetahs were at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, bringing India's reported total cheetah population to 55.

Prelims pointers

• G. Kishan Reddy said critical-mineral recycling concerns were being addressed through a whole-of-government approach.
• Inter-ministerial discussions included ministries dealing with electronics, finance, commerce and environment, among others.
• The Mines Ministry noted recyclers’ demand to scrap the mandatory Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate, or PSIC.
• The Minister sought e-waste collection in all major cities through collaboration with relevant ministries.
• Reddy said the government was committed to bringing the best available critical-mineral recycling technology from anywhere globally.

Prelims pointers

• NCB organised the two-day third National Conference of ANTF heads for 22 September 2026 in New Delhi.
• The conference was expected to include ANTF heads from 36 States and Union Territories.
• Its theme was 'United Resolve, Shared Responsibility' and it focused on the Vision Document for 2026-2029.
• The Vision Document has four pillars covering enforcement, synthetic drugs, demand and harm reduction, and coordination.
• Eight technical sessions included illicit cultivation, alternate cropping, and darknet and crypto investigation.

Prelims pointers

• The seventh National Formulary of India was launched at the sixth National Pharmacovigilance Week programme.
• IPC will lead Biovigilance Programme monitoring of adverse events related to products used in organ and tissue transplantation.
• PvPI collects and analyses adverse drug reactions, while MvPI monitors adverse events associated with medical devices.
• Around 1,150 adverse-drug-reaction reporting centres operate in hospitals and medical colleges across India.
• NFI 2026 has 34 chapters, 20 appendices and 653 drugs, including 42 fixed-dose combinations and 30 immunologicals.

Prelims pointers

• The WWF Global Conservation Conference in Jaipur was addressed by representatives from more than 100 countries.
• The Minister said India's protected areas rose from around 750 to more than 1,000 over the last decade.
• Over the same period, tiger reserves increased from 47 to 58 and elephant reserves from 30 to 33.
• The number of Ramsar sites was reported to have increased from 24 to 101 during the last decade.
• The Minister linked Great Indian Bustard breeding in Rajasthan and community protection of Oran sacred groves with conservation outcomes.

Prelims pointers

• INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish arrived at Subic Bay in the Philippines on 20 September 2026.
• The ships are participating in an ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Joint Cooperation Activity.
• ADMM-Plus activities bring together ASEAN maritime forces and forces from eight Plus countries.
• MAHASAGAR expands to Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
• The deployment follows the establishment of the India-Philippines Strategic Partnership in August 2025.

Prelims pointers

• The first Sowa-Rigpa Working Group meeting was held on September 18 at PCIM&H in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
• The meeting was chaired by Dr. Kousthubha Upadhyaya, Director of the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy.
• Four Sowa-Rigpa experts participated, including Dr. Padma Gurmet, Director of the National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa, Leh.
• The group will develop formularies, pharmacopoeias and other statutory and non-statutory documents through a step-wise action plan.
• PCIM&H is a Ministry of Ayush subordinate office and the Central Drug Testing-cum-Appellate Laboratory for Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy.

Prelims pointers

• The Defence Ministry signed a ₹586 crore contract with Accurate Industrial Controls Private Limited.
• The procurement covers Auxiliary Power Units for the Indian Army’s T-72 and T-90 tanks.
• An APU supplies alternative electrical power to fire-control, firing and gun-stabilisation systems and other ancillaries.
• The Ministry identified the APUs as indigenously developed critical subsystems for armoured platforms.
• The procurement demonstrates industry-led research and development under the Make-II mechanism.

Prelims pointers

• The proposed Telecom Manufacturing Zone in Gwalior is described as Asia’s first such zone and a 170-acre plug-and-play cluster.
• The cluster is planned for mobile devices, optical fibre, telecom equipment, research and next-generation 5G and 6G technologies.
• The Central Government will provide 100% funding support of ₹493 crore for Phase-I under the recently signed MoU.
• The project SPV has 51% equity from the Madhya Pradesh government and 49% from the Department of Telecommunications.
• Investor roundtables in New Delhi and Mumbai produced ₹5,500 crore in commitments with potential for nearly 18,000 jobs.

Prelims pointers

• The India–New Zealand FTA was signed on April 27, 2026 and is scheduled to enter into force on October 20, 2026.
• All tariff lines covering India’s exports to New Zealand become duty-free from the agreement’s entry into force.
• India excluded sensitive products including dairy, most animal meat, sugar and edible oils from tariff concessions.
• New Zealand apples, kiwifruit and Manuka honey receive calibrated access through tariff-rate quotas, minimum import prices and seasonal windows.
• Mobility provisions include 5,000 Temporary Employment Entry visas for skilled Indians and 1,000 Working Holiday visas each year.

Prelims pointers

• The eighteenth Nomadic Elephant exercise is being held at the Foreign Training Node in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.
• The annual platoon-level exercise is conducted alternately in India and Mongolia.
• The 2026 edition runs from 21 September to 3 October, while the previous edition was held in Ulaanbaatar in May-June 2025.
• The Indian Army and Mongolian Armed Forces are represented by 45 personnel each.
• Training covers counter-insurgency in semi-urban and mountainous terrain, including drones, cyber security and heliborne operations.

Prelims pointers

• A Chhattisgarh Point of Sale agent illegally activated 25 SIMs with citizens’ identity documents without their knowledge or consent.
• DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform was used to examine the 25 connections before suspicious numbers were re-verified.
• Fraudulent SIM issuance and IMEI tampering are punishable under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
• The cited maximum penalties are imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to ₹50 lakh.
• Sanchar Saathi lets citizens review numbers issued in their names and check a handset’s brand, model and manufacturer details.

Prelims pointers

• The Ministry of Mines organised the seminar with the Materials Recycling Association of India in New Delhi.
• The government launched a Concept Paper outlining a strategic framework for critical-mineral recycling in India.
• E-waste, industrial waste and other end-of-life materials were identified as secondary sources of critical minerals.
• Technical sessions covered lithium-ion battery metal recovery, black mass and non-ferrous-metals recycling.
• The Ministry linked e-waste awareness and formal channelisation with Special Campaign 6.0 and Swachhata Hi Seva.

Prelims pointers

• The Department of Justice held the DISHA 2.0 regional workshop at IIULER Goa on 21 September 2026.
• DISHA 2.0 components highlighted included Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu, legal literacy and awareness, and VIDHI-Sanjeevani.
• Nyaya Prabodh includes the 'Know Your Rights in 90 Seconds' campaign and a slogan competition.
• Slogan entries were invited through the Department of Justice website until 31 December 2026.
• The source describes the Nyaya Setu AI chatbot as a tool for access to legal information and assistance.

Prelims pointers

• Nal Jal Mitra offers 510-hour Short-Term Training and a 120-hour Recognition of Prior Learning pathway.
• The programme trains village technicians for operation, preventive maintenance and first-level rural water-system repairs.
• More than 13 lakh personnel may be needed for rural water-system operation and maintenance in coming years.
• Sujalam Shakti uses an NSQF Level-2 qualification in basic water-quality testing and disinfection.
• The first Sujalam Shakti phase aims to train approximately 1.35-1.70 lakh women through convergent rural networks.

Prelims pointers

• The Index of Core Industries recorded provisional year-on-year growth of 4.8% in August 2026 on a 2022–23 base year.
• Cement grew 12.5% and electricity 11.6% in August, the two highest positive sectoral rates reported.
• Coal, natural gas, crude oil and fertilizers recorded negative year-on-year growth in August 2026.
• Cumulative ICI growth for April–August 2026 was 4.3%, compared with 2.4% in the corresponding previous-year period.
• July’s final overall index was revised from 121.2 to 120.8 and its growth rate from 5.4% to 5.0%.

Prelims pointers

• Administrative approval covered six reservoirs costing ₹832.50 lakh, with a central share of ₹499.50 lakh.
• West Bengal reported fish production of 25.43 lakh metric tonnes in 2025-26 and was described as the second-largest producing State.
• The State's fisheries exports were put at about ₹5,000 crore, with potential estimated at ₹15,000-20,000 crore.
• India's fish production was reported to have risen from 95.7 lakh tonnes in 2014 to 197.75 lakh tonnes.
• The review highlighted PMMSY, the National Fisheries Digital Platform and PM-MKSSY as flagship fisheries initiatives.

Prelims pointers

• RBI's final market-risk capital Directions for commercial banks take effect on April 1, 2027.
• Draft guidelines issued on February 17, 2023 proposed the Simplified Standardised Approach under revised Basel III.
• The final Directions refer to the Held for Trading sub-classification in RBI's Investment Directions to identify the trading book.
• Specific-risk tables for interest-rate risk were revised to align with Basel Committee on Banking Supervision guidelines.
• The Directions add treatment for positions hedged through total return swaps permitted under RBI's Credit Derivatives Directions, 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The coupon on Government of India Floating Rate Bond 2033 is 6.87% per annum for the stated half-year.
• The applicable half-year begins on September 22, 2026 and ends on March 21, 2027.
• FRB 2033 uses a base rate derived from the average Weighted Average Yield of recent Treasury Bill auctions.
• The reference set comprises the last three auctions, measured from the September 22, 2026 rate-fixing day.
• The reference instruments are 182-day Treasury Bills, and a fixed spread of 1.22% is added to the base rate.

Prelims pointers

• The Maldives approved a $20 billion investment by the Abu Dhabi-based company Eagle Hills.
• The project will cover 500 hectares in Ras Male and include a marina, homes and hotels on reclaimed land.
• The government said the project could create more than 54,000 direct and indirect jobs over its lifetime.
• An earlier $8.8 billion investment-zone agreement with another UAE company had yet to begin.
• The Maldives comprises 1,192 small coral islands, and rising sea levels could inundate the country.

Prelims pointers

• RBI introduced the special USD-INR forex swap facility on June 8, 2026 for FCNR(B), ECB and OFCB inflows.
• The facility closed for FCNR(B) deposits on August 31, 2026 but remains open for ECBs and OFCBs through December 31, 2026.
• Authorised Dealer Banks reported total inflows of USD 143,596 million through September 18, 2026.
• FCNR(B) deposits contributed USD 132,980 million, covering deposits mobilised through August 31, 2026.
• Reported OFCB and ECB inflows were USD 5,320 million and USD 5,296 million respectively.