Daily Current Affairs

Daily digests (5-8 items/day).

GS3 · Banking, digital payments

UPI stays free for P2P and 96% of merchant payments; MDR only above ₹2,000

The Government clarified on 15 September 2026 that under the new UPI framework all person-to-person payments stay free, and so do merchant payments up to ₹2,000. A merchant discount rate (MDR) of 0.4 per cent applies only to merchant payments above ₹2,000, capped at ₹300. About 96 per cent of merchant transactions will not be affected.

15 Sep 2026
GS2/GS3 · India–US, defence

Yudh Abhyas 2026: 22nd India–US Army exercise opens at Auli and Mahajan

The 22nd edition of Yudh Abhyas, the joint exercise of the Indian and US Armies, opened on 15 September 2026 at the Auli Foreign Training Node in Uttarakhand. It runs at the same time at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. About 600 personnel from each side are training for operations in mountainous and semi-mountainous terrain.

15 Sep 2026
GS3 · Infrastructure, urbanisation

Varuna Elevated Corridor: ₹10,998-crore, 43.2-km road project for Varanasi

The Varuna Elevated Corridor, approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2026, is a ₹10,998-crore, 43.218-km road along the Varuna river in Varanasi. It will link NH-31 with the Varanasi Ring Road. NHAI will build it, with a cable-stayed bridge. Travel time from NH-31 to Kashi Railway Station should fall from about 40 to 20 minutes.

15 Sep 2026
GS3 · Inflation

WPI inflation 9.92% and CPI inflation 4.82% in August 2026

On 14 September 2026 the Government released price data for August 2026. Wholesale (WPI) inflation was 9.92 per cent, with fuel and power up 22.93 per cent. Retail (CPI) inflation, on the new base year 2024, was 4.82 per cent, and food inflation 5.95 per cent. Rural retail inflation (5.23 per cent) was higher than urban (4.31 per cent).

14 Sep 2026
GS2 · International relations, trade

India and MERCOSUR launch talks to expand their Preferential Trade Agreement

On 14 September 2026 India's Commerce Minister and Uruguay's Foreign Minister, speaking for MERCOSUR's Pro Tempore Presidency, announced the launch of negotiations to expand the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement. Both sides want to cover more areas of mutual interest. They are now finalising the Terms of Reference that will set the scope and structure of the expanded agreement.

14 Sep 2026
GS2 · India–Nepal

India approves up to 654 MW power export to flood-hit Nepal

India's Ministry of Power has approved export of up to 654 MW of electricity to the Nepal Electricity Authority, 18 hours a day, from 13 September to 31 December 2026. Up to 600 MW will flow through the Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar line and up to 54 MW through Tanakpur-Mahendranagar. Floods had damaged Nepal's hydropower plants and cut its generation.

14 Sep 2026
GS3 · Digital infrastructure

PIB backgrounder: data centres get infrastructure status and incentives

A PIB backgrounder of 14 September 2026 explains India's data centre push. Installed capacity grew from about 375 MW in 2020 to 1.57 GW by August 2026 and may reach nearly 8 GW by 2030. Data centres have had infrastructure status since Budget 2022-23, and Budget 2026-27 gave eligible foreign cloud firms a tax holiday until 2047.

14 Sep 2026
GS2 · International groupings

At BRICS, PM calls for Global South to move from “rule-taker to rule-shaper”

On 12 September 2026 the Prime Minister chaired the BRICS session on "Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism" at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. He said the Global South must move from being a rule-taker to a rule-shaper, called for greater representation in bodies like the UN Security Council, and proposed a Seafarers Emergency Support Network.

13 Sep 2026
GS3 · Agriculture

CAZRI moth bean varieties survive 35-day dry spell in El Niño kharif

The ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur, reported on 13 September 2026 that its four new moth bean varieties, CAZRI Moth-4, 5, 6 and 7, withstood a dry spell of about 35 days in the El Niño kharif season of 2026. They stayed green and set pods. Moth bean covers nearly 10 lakh hectares in western Rajasthan.

13 Sep 2026
GS2/GS3 · Health, biotechnology

India–CEPI partnership enters new phase; India is largest vaccine producer by volume

On 13 September 2026, at a reception for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) Board and Investors Council in New Delhi, the Science Minister said India is the world's largest vaccine producer by volume. India, a CEPI founding member, makes nearly 60 per cent of global vaccine production. The DBT-BIRAC-CEPI strategy was renewed in September 2025 for five years.

13 Sep 2026