Daily Current Affairs - 2026-09-26

September 26, 2026 brings a packed current affairs digest for UPSC, SSC, Banking and Railway aspirants — from India's stellar show at the Asian Games and a crucial Supreme Court ruling on police accountability, to record FDI inflows, a new UPI fee structure, and important scheme and policy updates. Here's everything you need to know.

India Wins Six Medals on Day 6 of Asian Games 2026

On 25 September 2026, India enjoyed one of its best days at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, bagging six medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze) to push its overall tally to 23. Shooters Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet won gold in the mixed team 10m air pistol event with an Asian Games record score of 484.6. Gulveer Singh claimed silver in the men's 10,000m, while Seema Kumari's bronze in the women's 10,000m ended a 16-year Indian medal drought in that event. Exam relevance: Asian Games medal tallies, record scores, and athlete names are frequently asked in sports current affairs sections across SSC, Railway and Banking exams.

Supreme Court: No Prior Sanction Needed to Register FIR Against Police Officials

In Anumandala Rajesh Reddy v. State of Karnataka, the Supreme Court bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta held that sanction under Section 197 CrPC is not required at the stage of registering an FIR or starting an investigation against public servants, even for acts allegedly done in official duty. An order under Section 156(3) CrPC directing FIR registration is a pre-cognizance step, so absence of sanction cannot bar registration or investigation; sanction becomes relevant only later, if prosecution is sought. Exam relevance: This is an important polity/judiciary update on CrPC provisions and police accountability, useful for UPSC Prelims/Mains and judiciary-oriented exams.

India Issues NOTAM for Missile Test Over Bay of Bengal

India issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) declaring a nearly 600 km danger zone in the Bay of Bengal for a missile trial on 25-26 September 2026, restricting civilian aircraft and maritime traffic. The Ministry of Defence has not officially named the missile system, with speculation ranging from the Pralay tactical ballistic missile to a Prithvi-series or extended-range BrahMos variant. Exam relevance: Missile systems, DRDO tests and defence terminology like NOTAM are recurring topics in Defence and Science & Technology sections.

India Records Highest-Ever Annual FDI Inflow of $94.53 Billion in FY26

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that India's FDI inflows hit a record $94.53 billion in FY2025-26, taking cumulative FDI since FY2014-15 to $843 billion — a 169% rise over the preceding 12-year period. The announcement coincided with 12 years of the Make in India initiative. Exam relevance: FDI statistics and milestones are important for Economy sections in UPSC, Banking and SSC exams.

Government Sets 0.4% MDR on Large UPI Merchant Payments from October 15

• From 15 October 2026, person-to-merchant UPI transactions above ₹2,000 will attract a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 0.4%, capped at ₹300 per transaction.
• Small merchants, person-to-person transfers, and payments up to ₹2,000 remain free of charge.
• This is the first MDR on bank-account-based UPI transactions since UPI became free for merchants in 2020; UPI app providers cannot levy extra platform fees.

Exam relevance: Digital payment policy changes like MDR are important for Banking and Economy-focused exams.

India Climbs to 31st in WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

India rose nine places to rank 31st among 110 economies in the WEF's Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, up from 39th in 2024, with its score improving to 4.42 out of 7 (a 4.3% rise). Japan topped the list, followed by the United States, Spain, Australia, and France. Exam relevance: Global index rankings involving India are a staple of Static GK and Economy/Geography sections.

Indian Scientists Roxy Mathew Koll and Neelima Satyam Win AGU 2026 Honours

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) selected two Indian scientists for its 2026 honours: Roxy Mathew Koll of IITM Pune received the Pavel S. Molchanov Climate Communications Prize, while Neelima Satyam of IIT Indore received the Devendra Lal Memorial Medal for work on disaster resilience. Both awards will be presented at the AGU Annual Meeting in December 2026. Exam relevance: Awards and honours to Indian scientists are frequently tested in Science & Awards current affairs sections.

DDU-GKY 2.0 Launched to Strengthen Rural Skilling and Job Placement

Marking the 12th anniversary of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), the Ministry of Rural Development launched DDU-GKY 2.0, shifting focus from training numbers to lasting employment outcomes. The scheme offers placement-linked training for rural youth aged 15-35 with mandatory inclusion norms of 50% SC/ST, 33% women, and 5% persons with disabilities. The 2026-27 budget allocation is ₹750 crore, with the first phase covering 14 states/UTs targeting about 34,920 rural youth. Exam relevance: Government scheme details, eligibility norms and budget figures are key for Government Schemes sections in UPSC and SSC exams.

Make in India Completes 12 Years, Expands Under 2.0 Framework

India's flagship manufacturing initiative, Make in India, completed 12 years, now expanded into Make in India 2.0 covering 27 sectors, backed by record Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) investments of ₹2.40 lakh crore. This milestone was announced alongside the record FDI inflow figures for FY2025-26. Exam relevance: Make in India milestones and PLI scheme data are important for Economy and Government Schemes sections.

Opposition Plans Fresh Motion to Remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Opposition parties are preparing a fresh parliamentary motion seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, amid allegations linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and reported internal dissent among Election Commissioners. Removing a CEC requires a special-majority motion in both Houses on constitutional grounds similar to a Supreme Court judge's removal; an earlier April 2026 attempt was rejected by the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Lok Sabha Speaker. Exam relevance: Constitutional provisions on Election Commission removal are a key Polity topic for UPSC and SSC exams.

FSSAI Proposes Barring 'Paneer' Label for Non-Dairy Analogue Products

FSSAI has proposed draft amendments to prohibit dairy-analogue products made from non-milk ingredients from being labelled or marketed as 'Paneer'. The draft Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2026, notified on 22 September, aims to prevent consumer confusion between genuine dairy paneer and imitation products; the proposal is open for public objections for 60 days. Exam relevance: FSSAI regulations and food labelling norms are relevant for Science & Technology and Governance sections.

That wraps up today's current affairs roundup — revise these points regularly to stay exam-ready for UPSC, SSC, Banking and Railway exams.