September 18, 2026
41 articles published on this date
Inter-State Council Rules Amended: UT Lieutenant Governors to Attend Meetings Under President's Rule
The President amended the Inter-State Council Order to allow the lieutenant governors of Puducherry, Jammu and Kashmir, and Delhi to attend Council meetings...
HAL Hands Over Tejas Trainers, HTT-40 and Dhruv NG Helicopters: A Defence Aerospace Indigenisation Milestone
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over two Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Final Operational Clearance (FOC) twin-seater trainers and three...
US Russia-Iran Sanctions Act: Presidential Tariff Power and India's Exposure
A new US statute, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, was signed into law on 18 September 2026, after clearing the Senate in...
'Red Entry' Clause Proposed in Land Revenue Records to Deter Stubble Burning in Delhi-NCR
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued draft rules proposing a 'red entry' in the land revenue records of farmers whose fields are...
Telangana High Court Overturns Speaker's Order in MLA Disqualification Case: Judicial Review of the Tenth Schedule
The Telangana High Court set aside the Assembly Speaker's order dismissing a disqualification petition against an MLA who had been elected on one party's...
Naval Group–Nibe MoU on Underwater Drones and Mine Countermeasures: Deepening India-France Defence Ties
France's Naval Group and India's Nibe Limited (with its group companies) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on naval technologies The...
ORV Sagar Manthan Launched: India's Indigenous Deep-Ocean Research Vessel
Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) launched the Ocean Research Vessel (ORV) Sagar Manthan at its Rishi Bankim Shipyard in Kolkata The...
Saudi Arabia's Strategic Squeeze: Houthi Control of Bab-el-Mandeb and the Limits of Alliance Guarantees
Houthi forces have advanced along Yemen's Red Sea coastline, capturing the port of Mokha and gaining control of the Yemeni side of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait...
FCRA Amendment Bill 2026 Under JPC Scrutiny: Designated Authority and Asset-Vesting Provisions
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 held its first meeting The Ministry of Home...
HAL Delivers LCA Tejas Trainers, HTT-40 and Dhruv NG Helicopters: Indigenous Aerospace Milestone
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over two LCA Tejas Final Operational Clearance (FOC) twin-seater trainers and three HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft...
UPI's Zero-MDR Era Ends: 0.4% Merchant Charge from October 15 and the Digital Payments Regulatory Framework
From 15 October 2026, a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 0.4% will apply to person-to-merchant (P2M) UPI transactions above ₹2,000 The charge is to be paid...
Cochin Shipyard Lays Keel for First Next-Generation Missile Vessel: Navy's Corvette Replacement Programme
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) laid the keel of the first Next Generation Missile Vessel (NGMV) for the Indian Navy at its Kochi facility Steel cutting for...
ECI Freezes AITC Name and Symbol Amid Rival Faction Dispute
The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued an interim order freezing the name 'All India Trinamool Congress' (AITC) and its reserved 'Flowers & Grass'...
Monsoon Deficit and El Nino Risk Trigger Rabi Contingency Planning
The agriculture ministry is intensifying coordination with state governments ahead of the rabi (winter-crop) sowing season, which begins in October, in...
Permission Granted to Fell Over 1.56 Lakh Sal Trees in Madhya Pradesh to Contain Borer Outbreak
The central government has approved the felling of sal (Shorea robusta) trees infested by the sal heartwood borer insect in the Amarkantak region of Madhya...
Bangladesh's Review of Bilateral Agreements with India: Legal and Institutional Context
Bangladesh's current administration is reported to be reviewing around 101 bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding signed with India, most...
Draft Cabinet Note Proposes Rupee Payments for SEZ Services
The Commerce Department circulated a draft Cabinet note for inter-ministerial consultation proposing to amend the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) framework to...
Cochin Shipyard Lays Keel for Navy's Next Generation Missile Vessels
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) held the keel-laying ceremony for the first of six Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) being built for the Indian Navy...
Semiconductor Supply Chains: Foreign Secretary Flags Risks of Single-Source Dependence
India's Foreign Secretary told an industry gathering at SEMICON India 2026 that no single country can build a semiconductor chip alone, describing the chip...
India's Track Record on US-Driven Oil Import Cuts: Iran, Venezuela, Russia
A review of India's crude oil import data shows a recurring pattern: when US sanctions or tariff pressure targeted a particular oil-exporting country...
Rabi Foodgrain Production Target Set at 177.72 Million Tonnes: MSP and Crop-Planning Framework
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has fixed a foodgrain production target of 177.72 million tonnes for the 2026-27 rabi (winter) cropping...
India's First Approved Dengue Vaccine Qdenga Set for 2027 Launch
Qdenga (TAK-003), developed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, has become the first dengue vaccine to receive marketing authorisation in India, granted by...
US Sanctions Bill on Russian Oil: India's Energy Pricing Dilemma
A new US legislative measure authorising steep secondary tariffs on countries importing Russian oil has moved toward enactment, creating fresh uncertainty...
EU Waste Shipment Rules to Restrict India's Metal Scrap Imports From 2027
The European Commission proposed rules under which India, as a non-OECD country, would be barred from importing the EU's metal scrap — including aluminium...
UN Water Report Flags Persistent Groundwater Decline in India
The World Meteorological Organization's State of Global Water Resources report (its latest edition, covering data through 2025) identified India...
WTO Chief: "Status Quo Is Not an Option" as Reform Talks Continue
The Director-General of the World Trade Organization stated that the 'status quo is not an option' for the multilateral trading body, in remarks addressing...
India-Canada CEPA: Fourth Round of Talks Targets a Deal by End-2026
India and Canada held the fourth round of negotiations for a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in New Delhi, following an earlier...
Denmark's Greensand Project: EU's First Full-Scale Offshore CO2 Storage
Denmark inaugurated the Greensand project at the Port of Esbjerg on 18 September 2026, described as the European Union's first full-scale offshore carbon...
Dams and the Ecology of a Blocked River
A recent explainer piece traced what physically and ecologically happens when a river is dammed, aimed at building basic conceptual clarity on hydroelectric...
Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple: Dravidian Architecture and Its 2026 Consecration
The Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, was consecrated (Maha Kumbhabhishekam) on 17 September 2026, after a gap of 17 years since the...
Tata Sons Listing: RBI's Upper-Layer NBFC Rule and the Shapoorji Pallonji Stake
The Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group, which holds a little over 18% stake in Tata Sons, publicly welcomed a decision by the Reserve Bank of India regarding...
Project Cheetah at Four Years: Population Reaches 52, Focus Shifts to Meta-Population
Project Cheetah, India's cheetah reintroduction programme, completed four years since the first release of translocated cheetahs into Kuno National Park....
South China Sea: Chinese Coast Guard Vessel Damages Philippine Government Ship
A China Coast Guard vessel struck a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship, the BRP Datu Magat Salamat, on 18 September 2026 while...
India-SACU Trade Pact: Reviving Africa Ties Through India's BRICS Chairship
India and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) signed Terms of Reference in New Delhi on 12 August 2026 to formally begin negotiations on a...
India's EV Sector Moves from Subsidy-Led Adoption to a Self-Sustaining Market Test
India's electric vehicle industry is entering a phase where demand-side subsidies under the PM E-DRIVE scheme are being wound down, with the Centre pressing...
Greyhounds at a Crossroads: Anti-Maoist Force Recalibrates as Insurgency Recedes
The Greyhounds, Telangana's elite counter-insurgency police force, is undergoing a review of its operational strength and future role as Maoist...
China Coast Guard Vessel Rams Philippine Ship: South China Sea Dispute Resurfaces
A China Coast Guard vessel made close-range manoeuvres against a Philippine government fisheries vessel, the BRP Datu Magat Salamat, off Palawan on 18...
EPFO Wage Ceiling Raised from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000: What Changes
The Union Cabinet approved raising the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) statutory wage ceiling from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 per month, effective 17...
Union Cabinet Clears Third and Fourth Rail Lines Linking Rajahmundry and Visakhapatnam
The Union Cabinet approved construction of third and fourth railway lines between Nidadavolu (near Rajahmundry) and Duvvada (near Visakhapatnam) in Andhra...
Himalayan Glaciers Approach Tipping Point: GLOF Risk and Black Carbon Under Scrutiny
A report titled 'Prosperous and Resilient Himalayas' finds Himalayan glaciers are losing mass 65% faster than a decade ago, with up to 80% of current...
CBDT Drops Arrest and Detention as a Prescribed Mode of Income-Tax Recovery
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) amended Rule 225 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026, removing arrest and detention of a defaulting taxpayer as a...