September 22, 2026
37 articles published on this date
Project mBridge Loses Saudi Arabia: Inside the Multi-CBDC Cross-Border Payment Platform
Saudi Arabia's central bank has withdrawn from Project mBridge, a multi-central-bank-digital-currency (CBDC) cross-border payment platform; the exit...
Maharashtra's Women Farmers Empowerment Bill: Recognition Without Land Rights
The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed the Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, becoming the first Indian state to grant women legal recognition as...
UDAN's Next Phase: Aviation Ministry Signs 21 Agreements With States and UTs
The Civil Aviation Ministry signed 21 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with states and Union Territories under the next phase of the UDAN (Ude Desh ka...
Fourth Coal Mine Near Bandhavgarh-Achanakmar Tiger Corridor Cleared Since July
The Union environment ministry's Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) recommended clearance for an underground coal mining project in Umaria district, Madhya...
Article 371-Type Special Provisions and the Proposal for Ladakh
In the wake of a 2025 incident during protests over Ladakh's constitutional status and demands for greater self-governance, in which several people died in...
Supreme Court: Conscientious Objectors Cannot Be Compelled to Sing Vande Mataram
Hearing a petition challenging the mandate to sing all six stanzas of Vande Mataram, the Supreme Court observed that courts cannot dictate what the national...
Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026: India's Second Multinational Air Exercise, Jodhpur
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will host the second edition of Exercise Tarang Shakti at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from 26 September to 12 October...
India-Bhutan Transboundary Rhino Conservation at Manas
On World Rhino Day (22 September), attention turned to the recovery of the greater one-horned rhino population in Manas Tiger Reserve, Assam, which had been...
Groundwater Over-Exploitation in Punjab and the Economics of Free Power
A recent assessment highlighted that groundwater extraction in Punjab has crossed unsustainable levels, driven largely by free electricity for agricultural...
India-US Trade Deal Timeline Tied to Section 301 Probes on Rival Exporters
Officials indicated that a full India-US trade agreement is unlikely to be concluded until the United States first completes Section 301 investigations and...
No Prior Sanction Needed Under BNSS to Prosecute Public Servants for Disproportionate Assets
The Madras High Court dismissed a discharge petition filed by a former Tamil Nadu minister and his family members in a long-running disproportionate-assets...
Jaishankar's UN High-Level Week Engagements and India's UNSC Campaign
The External Affairs Minister held a series of bilateral and multilateral engagements during the 81st UN General Assembly's High-Level Week (22-29 September...
Supreme Court Flags Mechanical Notices in Delhi's Special Intensive Revision
During hearing of petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi, the Supreme Court observed that notices were being...
UPI Merchant Discount Rate Returns for Large Transactions from 15 October 2026
From 15 October 2026, a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 0.4% applies to person-to-merchant (P2M) UPI transactions above ₹2,000, capped at ₹300 per...
LCA Tejas Mk-1A Induction Nears as Engine Supply Bottleneck Eases
The Indian Air Force's Vice Chief of Air Staff stated that engines have now been installed on the LCA Tejas Mk-1A aircraft and thorough testing is underway...
Karnataka to Conduct Ground-Level Verification of Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Area Notification
The Karnataka government announced it will conduct a village and survey-number-level physical verification of areas covered by the Kasturirangan report...
India's Total Fertility Rate Falls to 1.9: Below Replacement Level for a Fifth Straight Year
India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has been recorded at 1.9 per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report, below the replacement level of 2.1...
India-Chile Trade Pact Nears Conclusion, With Copper Supply Chains at the Centre
Negotiations between India and Chile to deepen their bilateral trade agreement have entered their final stage, with both sides targeting conclusion by the...
Centre Signs UDAN MoUs with 21 States for Next Phase of Regional Air Connectivity
The Ministry of Civil Aviation signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with 21 states and union territories for the next phase of the Regional Connectivity...
China's Rare Earth Dominance Shapes the Trump-Xi Summit Agenda
A summit between the US and Chinese heads of state is set for late September 2026 in Washington, with rare earth supply, artificial intelligence, and trade...
Guterres's Final UNGA Address Calls for Security Council Reform and Greater African Representation
The UN Secretary-General delivered his final address to the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), as his second five-year term concludes in...
Supreme Court Flags "Mechanically Issued" Delhi SIR Notices, Seeks Clarity on Voter Safeguards
Hearing a challenge to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Delhi's electoral rolls, the Supreme Court observed that many 'logical discrepancy' notices...
Planetary Health Check 2026: Seven of Nine Planetary Boundaries Now Breached
The Planetary Health Check 2026 assessment finds that seven of the nine planetary boundaries have been transgressed from their safe operating limits, with...
Paddy Procurement Target Held Steady for KMS 2026-27 Despite Lower Acreage
The Centre has retained its paddy procurement target at 71.95 million tonnes for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2026-27, unchanged from earlier...
Karnataka Assembly Rejects Kasturirangan Report on Western Ghats ESA, Seeks Ground Survey
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution rejecting the Kasturirangan Committee report on Western Ghats conservation 'in its...
UDAN's Next Phase: 19 States Sign On to Convert 100 Unused Airstrips Into Operational Airports
Nineteen state governments signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Ministry of Civil Aviation to launch the next phase of the UDAN regional...
Industrial Effluent Contaminates Groundwater in 25 Villages Near SIPCOT Perundurai, Tamil Nadu
Groundwater in 25 villages around the SIPCOT (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu) Industrial Growth Centre at Perundurai, in Tamil Nadu's...
Supreme Court: State Can Prescribe the National Song, But Cannot Penalise Conscientious Objectors
The Supreme Court observed that while the state may prescribe the National Song for official occasions, it cannot subject conscientious objectors to penal...
UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme Extended for a Second Decade: Viability Gap Funding and Fleet Expansion Targets
The government plans to complete signing of state-level Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for the next phase of the UDAN regional connectivity scheme within...
NAMASTE Scheme: Mechanising Sanitation Work and Protecting Sewer and Septic Tank Cleaners
The National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme was highlighted for strengthening safety, dignity, and livelihood support for...
Karnataka Governor Seeks Reconsideration of State Order Truncating Vande Mataram
The Karnataka Governor wrote to the state government asking it to reconsider a Government Order dated 8 September 2026 that limits the singing of the...
The Science of Gaganyaan's Parachute-Based Deceleration System
ISRO has been conducting a series of qualification tests for the Gaganyaan Crew Module's parachute-based deceleration system ahead of India's first crewed...
ISRO-ESA Cooperation Agreement Extended to 2032, Broadened to Human Spaceflight
ISRO and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed an exchange of letters in Paris on September 10, 2026, extending their bilateral Cooperative Agreement by...
India-New Zealand FTA: Reading the Tariff Line Coverage, Sensitive List, and Visa Provisions
New Zealand has committed to eliminate customs duties on 100% of its tariff lines, covering all of India's current exports to the country, from the FTA's...
Visegrad Four Backs India's Permanent UN Security Council Bid in First V4+India Meeting
Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Czechia — collectively the Visegrad Group (V4) — held their first-ever ministerial-level meeting with India in a new...
India-Chile CEPA Talks Advance: Upgrading a Preferential Pact for Critical Minerals
India and Chile are negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to upgrade their existing Preferential Trade Agreement into a fuller...
Jaishankar Calls for "Reformed Multilateralism" at Inaugural UNGA Summit
The External Affairs Minister addressed the inaugural 'Partners for Multilateralism' (P4M) Summit held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN...