Official releases, distilled into exam-ready intelligence.

Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, released a commemorative postage stamp issued by the Department of Posts in memory of Sant Malukdas Ji during a Sant Samagam. The release highlights the saint's messages of devotion, knowledge, compassion, and public welfare. The event also noted the broader government effort to link cultural heritage with modern development and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan released the book titled “A Century of Service – The RSS in 100 Acts of Seva,” authored by former Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, at Uprashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. During the event, the Vice President highlighted the book's documentation of the RSS's social service, contributions to nation-building, character-building, and disaster support. Union Minister of State Dr. L. Murugan and Puducherry Home Minister Shri A. Namassivayam were present at the release.

The Western Air Command (WAC) of the Indian Air Force conducted a seminar for Station Master Warrant Officers (MWOs) on September 14, 2026, at HQ WAC. Presided over by Air Marshal George Thomas, the event served as a platform for Station MWOs to share best practices, exchange ideas, and discuss improvements in working environments. The seminar focused on strengthening welfare initiatives for Air Warriors and their families, with an emphasis on the role of Station MWOs in promoting effective communication, professionalism, and a welfare-oriented approach within Air Force Stations.

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, extended greetings to the people on the occasion of Samvatsari. In his message, the Prime Minister emphasized that Samvatsari serves as a reminder of the importance of forgiveness and compassion in strengthening human bonds. He encouraged the embrace of humility and stated that kindness and goodwill should guide individual actions, concluding with the traditional salutation 'Michhami Dukkadam'.

NTPC Limited’s Western Region-I Headquarters in Mumbai is hosting the regional round of the 'NTPC Electron Quiz 2026–27' on 17 September 2026. The competition is open to teams of two students currently enrolled in Engineering or Management programs. The quiz, themed around business and management, is a student engagement initiative organized by NTPC since 2004 to foster intellectual growth and competitive spirit. The event features both written and multimedia rounds, with the top two teams from the Mumbai regional round qualifying for the national level. Participation is free, and the event offers cash prizes for winners at both regional and national stages, along with travel and boarding support for participants.

The Prime Minister shared a Sanskrit Subhashitam—a traditional aphorism—emphasizing themes of social harmony, mutual understanding, and the absence of hatred. The verse translates to a call for cultivating a shared mind and heart, urging individuals to cherish one another with the same tenderness that a cow exhibits toward her newborn calf. The message was disseminated via the Prime Minister's official social media handle.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi extended greetings on the occasion of Engineers' Day, observed on September 15. The Prime Minister acknowledged the contributions of engineers in innovation and problem-solving to facilitate a better future. Additionally, the Prime Minister paid tribute to Sir M. Visvesvaraya, citing his engineering contributions and vision for nation-building as an enduring inspiration for the engineering community.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry of India, Piyush Goyal, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Mario Lubetkin, acting in the exercise of the Pro Tempore Presidency of MERCOSUR, announced the launch of negotiations to expand the Preferential Trade Agreement between India and MERCOSUR. Both sides agreed to broaden the existing agreement to cover areas of mutual interest to deepen economic relations and generate greater opportunities for their private sectors. Currently, India and MERCOSUR are finalizing the Terms of Reference that will define the scope and structure of the expanded agreement.

India's digital economy expansion has driven significant growth in data centre infrastructure, which supports e-governance, banking, and emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence. Installed data-centre power capacity increased from approximately 375 MW in 2020 to 1.57 GW as of August 2026, and is projected to reach nearly 8 GW by 2030, with electricity demand potentially hitting 17 GW by 2031-32 according to the Central Electricity Authority. The Government has supported this ecosystem through measures such as including data centres in the Harmonized List of Infrastructure in the Union Budget 2022-23 and introducing a tax holiday for eligible foreign cloud service providers until 2047 in the Union Budget 2026-27. Additional linked ecosystem initiatives include the Semicon India Programme (Semicon 2.0), IndiaAI Mission, Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), and PLI Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware.

The Ministry of Coal highlights the transformation of coal block allocation in India following the Supreme Court's cancellation of 204 coal blocks in 2014 and the launch of commercial coal mine auctions on June 18, 2020. The transparent online bidding process features no end-use restrictions, 100% FDI through the automatic route, and low upfront payments. To date, 147 coal mines have been auctioned across nine states, involving 44 new companies and legacy public sector undertakings. The system generates revenue through competitive revenue sharing, statutory royalties, District Mineral Foundation (DMF) contributions, and National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) contributions, while boosting domestic production and contributing to energy self-reliance.

The Press Information Bureau release discusses the global and domestic expansion of Ayurveda and the broader Ayush sector ahead of the 11th Ayurveda Day on September 23, 2026, themed “Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow”. It notes significant economic growth in the Ayush market from USD 2.85 billion in 2014 to USD 43.4 billion in 2023, and highlights findings from the first All-India Survey on Ayush. The release details recent strategic policy developments, including NITI Aayog's “Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global” released in July 2026, the introduction of the Ayush Visa, India's partnership with WHO via the Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar, and the inclusion of traditional medicine modules in ICD-11.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the fifth edition of SEMICON India 2026 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, held from September 17–19, 2026. Organised jointly by the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and SEMI, the event carries the theme 'Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem.' It will host over 600 exhibitors, 300 international companies from more than 40 countries, six country pavilions, and twelve state pavilions. The event showcases India's growing capabilities across the semiconductor value chain, supported by the Semicon India Programme, the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme, and Semicon 2.0 initiatives.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) data for August, 2026, based on the 2024=100 base year. Retail inflation at the All-India level stood at a provisional 4.82% for August, 2026, with rural and urban inflation recorded at 5.23% and 4.31% respectively. The year-on-year food inflation based on the CFPI was provisionally registered at 5.95% combined (6.13% in rural and 5.64% in urban areas). Data collection involved real-time price monitoring across 1,407 urban markets and 1,465 villages with a 100% response rate.

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has implemented targeted interventions through scholarships, residential infrastructure, and digital reforms to support educational access for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), and Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs). Central assistance amounting to Rs 4,893.03 crore was released under the Pre-Matric Scholarships Scheme between FY 2014–15 and FY 2025–26, benefiting approximately 299.66 lakh students. Additionally, Rs 46,581.54 crore was released under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC students during the same period, reaching 612.98 lakh beneficiaries. Digital reforms such as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Aadhaar-based authentication, de-duplication mechanisms, e-KYC, and integration with platforms like DigiLocker, AISHE, UDISE, and PFMS have been introduced to enhance transparency and improve last-mile delivery.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, inaugurated the first Indian Air Force Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer. The three-day event is designed to engage directly with the Indian unmanned systems industry, assessing emerging technologies under realistic operational conditions. It brings together over 20 leading defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs, and innovators to demonstrate capabilities across surveillance, autonomous operations, swarm technologies, electronic warfare, and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems. During the event, the VCAS released the ‘IAF UAS Roadmap’ to guide industry and research efforts. Additionally, the IAF demonstrated its indigenously developed multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management system, 'Vayu UTtaM,' to detect and track UAS and mitigate rogue drones.

Kerala’s EcoSense initiative, implemented under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 through a collaboration between the Local Self Government Department and the General Education Department, aims to empower students as champions of waste management. The programme targets 50,000 students across Grama Panchayats, Municipalities, and Corporations, awarding selected students from specific classes a scholarship of ₹1,500 and a certificate. For the current year, 45,880 students across 986 Local Self Government Institutions received the scholarship, backed by participation from around five lakh students in nearly 9,000 schools. The initiative focuses on practical activities including source-level segregation, composting, visiting Material Collection Facilities and Resource Recovery Facilities, and organizing Green Assemblies.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized over 362 metric tonnes of Pakistan-origin dry dates under 'Operation Deep Manifest' by intercepting 13 containers at CFS Ambad, Nashik. The consignment was imported by a Mumbai-based firm and routed through Jebel Ali Port, UAE, with a declared country of origin as the UAE to circumvent India's complete prohibition on imports originating in or exported from Pakistan. Preliminary investigations showed the goods originated from Karachi Port, Pakistan, and were transshipped via UAE entities operated by Pakistani nationals. The import ban was imposed following the Pahalgam terror attack by the Government of India via a DGFT notification effective from May 2, 2025.

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry released the provisional estimates of the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), Output Producer Price Index (PPI), and trial Input Producer Price Index (IPPI) with the base year 2022-23 for August 2026. The All India WPI inflation stood at 9.92 per cent on a year-on-year basis for August 2026, compared to 9.78 per cent in July 2026. The All Commodities index for August 2026 was 110.8. The year-on-year inflation rates for Primary Articles, Fuel and Power, and Manufactured Products were reported at 7.76 per cent, 22.93 per cent, and 8.37 per cent respectively. Additionally, the All India Output PPI for All Commodities stood at 110.8, and the trial Input PPI for the Manufacturing Sector stood at 104.2 for August 2026.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment reported that the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) has reached over 34.54 crore citizens, including 13.70 crore youth and 10.64 crore women. To strengthen community participation, more than 1.67 lakh Nasha Mukti Mitras have joined, and over 31.40 lakh awareness and outreach activities have been conducted. Additionally, more than 755 new de-addiction facilities have been established in the last two years under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR). The Ministry also launched the NMBA 2.0 Mobile Application to help citizens locate treatment services and aims to mobilize over 10 crore citizens for a National Mass Pledge against drug abuse.

Researchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, have discovered an unusual wave-like heat transport regime in a copper chalcogenide material, thallium copper selenide (TlCu5Se3). The material's complex three-dimensional cloverleaf knot-like crystal framework restricts copper atom motion, generating strong lattice anharmonicity while maintaining structural stability. This confined dynamic disorder leads to wave-like phonon transport and ultralow lattice thermal conductivity, resulting in a high thermoelectric figure of merit (zT of 1.7). The finding offers a potential mechanism for converting industrial waste heat into electricity across sectors like power plants, cement industries, steel plants, automobiles, data centres, and battery thermal management.