Current affairs September 28 – October 4, 2026 for CUET

By 28 September 2026 more than one crore FASTag Annual Passes had been issued since the pass was launched on 15 August 2025, the Road Transport Ministry said. For a one-time fee of ₹3,075 the pass is valid for one year or 200 toll-plaza crossings, at about 1,150 fee plazas on National Highways and National Expressways. It is for non-commercial vehicles with a valid FASTag, and is bought through the Rajmargyatra app.

The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) grew 8.0 per cent in August 2026 over a year earlier, up from 6.7 per cent in July, by the quick estimate released on 28 September. Manufacturing grew 9.0 per cent and electricity 12.3 per cent, while mining and quarrying shrank 5.6 per cent. Manufacturing has now grown 8 per cent or more for three months running; motor vehicles, electrical equipment and other transport equipment contributed most. On its new base year, 2022-23, the index stood at 123.3.

The second edition of the ASEAN–India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2026) began at Subic Bay in the Philippines on 28 September 2026, with the Indian Navy's INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish and the maritime forces of ASEAN member states. Its theme is 'Anchored in Trust, United at Sea'. A harbour phase of professional and social exchanges leads into a sea phase of coordinated exercises. The Navy says the exercise furthers India's Act East Policy and its MAHASAGAR vision — Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.

India stressed the conservation of whales and other cetaceans at the 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC-70), held in Hobart, Australia, from 28 September to 2 October 2026. The meeting coincides with the 80th anniversary of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, signed in Washington, D.C., on 2 December 1946, under which the IWC was set up; the Commission has 89 member governments.

Neeru Dhanda won the women's trap gold at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on 29 September 2026, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap shooting. The Prime Minister called it a historic moment, praising her accuracy and composure, and said it would encourage more young people to take up shooting.

India finished 10th at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, held in Shanghai, China, from 23 to 26 September 2026, with six silver medals and 20 Medals for Excellence. It sent its largest-ever contingent, 70 competitors in 63 skills; the competition as a whole drew more than 1,400 young competitors from about 68 countries and regions, in 64 skills. Students of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) won two of India's silver medals.

India set out its justice reforms at the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in Abu Dhabi, the Law Ministry said on 30 September 2026. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal spoke about the three new criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — and about India's response to cyber-crime through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). The Congress's theme links crime prevention and the rule of law to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in the digital age.

On 30 September 2026 Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav launched the guidelines for National Coastal Mission 2.0, a Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of ₹767 crore, to run until 2030-31 across nine coastal States and four Union Territories. It aims to make the coasts more resilient and to unlock the blue economy, through vulnerability assessments, ecosystem restoration, pollution management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable tourism and spatial planning.

On 30 September 2026 the Union Cabinet approved Phase III of the Green Energy Corridor (GEC-III), to strengthen transmission within States so that up to 135 GW of renewable power can be carried across States and Union Territories. It also provides for 50 GWh of battery energy storage, to deal with intermittency, congestion and demand after sunset. The scheme is to be in place by 2032-33 at a total outlay of ₹1,86,405 crore, with central financial support of ₹54,082 crore; the Government says it will help reach 900 GW of installed non-fossil capacity by 2035.

On 30 September 2026 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs raised the Minimum Support Prices of all mandated rabi crops for the 2027-28 marketing season. The largest increase was for safflower, ₹675 a quintal, followed by rapeseed and mustard, ₹413, and lentil (masur), ₹390. Wheat rose by ₹25, to ₹2,610 a quintal; at an expected 106 per cent over its cost of production, it has the widest margin of the six crops. The prices follow the rule, announced in the 2018-19 Budget, of at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production.

The G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting opened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 1 October 2026, under the United States G20 Presidency. At the session on food and trade, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said food must never be used as an instrument of pressure against any country, and that the Global South is among the hardest hit by the food, fuel and fertiliser crises that conflicts cause. He noted that more than 800 million people in India receive foodgrains free of cost.

The Union Public Service Commission completed a hundred years on 1 October 2026. Its history begins on 1 October 1926, when India's first Public Service Commission was constituted, as the Lee Commission of 1924 had recommended, under rules framed under the Government of India Act, 1919. Its first Chairman was Sir Ross Barker, and it sat at Metcalfe House, Delhi; its powers were limited, and its Chairman and Members were appointed by the Secretary of State in London.

The Constitution made it an independent constitutional body. The articles on the Union and State Public Service Commissions, moved in the Constituent Assembly by Dr B.R. Ambedkar on 22 August 1949, became Part XIV (Articles 315–323).

India's men's quadrant team won bronze in sepaktakraw at the Asian Games on 2 October 2026 — India's first-ever medal in the men's quadrant event. The Prime Minister hoped it would give the sport further momentum in the country.

Ankita Bhakat, Kumkum Anil Mohod and Kirti won India's first-ever gold medal in the women's recurve team event at the Asian Games on 2 October 2026, in a closely fought final. The Prime Minister said the landmark win would inspire young archers across the country.

India's women's hockey team won the gold medal at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on 2 October 2026, their first Asian Games title in more than four decades. The Prime Minister credited outstanding skill and teamwork, and hoped the win would add to hockey's popularity across the country.

On 2 October 2026, at the start of Wildlife Week, a tigress was released in Buxa Tiger Reserve in North Bengal, beginning a phased Tiger Reintroduction Programme to restore a self-sustaining tiger population there. The tigress, T138, was brought from Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar. Buxa, declared a Tiger Reserve in 1983, had long been without a stable resident tiger population after habitat loss and a fall in prey. Since 2018 more than 800 chital have been released and about 380 hectares of grassland restored to prepare for the tiger's return.

An Indian parliamentary delegation led by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh left on 3 October 2026 for the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), held in Arusha, Tanzania, from 5 to 9 October. The Assembly's theme was 'Enhancing good governance and empowering communities through inclusivity, trust and opportunities for all'. Harivansh was to take part in the Governing Council, the General Debate and the hearing of candidates for the post of IPU President.

The fifth Kautilya Economic Conclave was held in New Delhi from 3 to 5 October 2026 on the theme 'Resilience in an Age of Flux', with more than 180 policymakers, economists and experts, over 80 of them from about 30 countries. The conclave is run by the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), founded by V.K.R.V. Rao in 1952, with the Finance Ministry. It began in 2022; earlier themes were 'Redefining the Future' (2022), 'Navigating a World on Fire' (2023), 'The Indian Era' (2024) and 'Seeking Prosperity in Turbulent Times' (2025).

QNu Labs, with the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) and IIT Gandhinagar, has demonstrated India's first free-space Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) link, over 5.56 km, the Electronics and IT Ministry said on 3 October 2026. In a field trial on the night of 27–28 September, the link between BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar kept the quantum bit error rate below 5 per cent and produced secure keys at 230–260 bits a second, which were used to encrypt and decrypt test messages. Free-space means the signal crossed open air rather than optical fibre — a step towards satellite-based quantum communication.

On 3 October 2026 the Ministry of Education approved five Centres of Excellence for studies in Classical Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit, to support research, preservation, digitisation and wider reading of their literature. They will be at Tezpur University (Assamese), Visva-Bharati University (Bengali), Deccan College, Pune (Marathi), the Central University of Odisha (Pali) and the Central University of Gujarat (Prakrit).

Aman Sehrawat won India's first-ever Asian Games gold in men's 57 kg freestyle wrestling, on 3 October 2026. He had won bronze at the previous Asian Games, and the Prime Minister praised his tenacity in going from bronze to the top of the podium.

Pranavi Sharath Urs won India's first-ever gold in women's individual golf at the Asian Games, on 3 October 2026. The Prime Minister called it a sporting moment to remember and hoped the win would draw more young Indians to the game.

Kumkum Anil Mohod became the first Indian woman to win the recurve individual gold at the Asian Games, on 3 October 2026, settling the final in a shoot-off. A day earlier she had been part of the team that won India's first women's recurve team gold.

India's men's cricket team retained its Asian Games gold medal on 3 October 2026. The Prime Minister called it a joyous occasion for the nation and wished the players well.

India's men's hockey team retained the Asian Games gold on 3 October 2026 with a commanding win in the final. It was their first back-to-back Asian Games title and their fifth gold overall. With the women's team having won the day before, India won both hockey golds at the same Asian Games for the first time.

The 20th Asian Games closed at Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on 4 October 2026, after 16 days, 43 sports and 469 events. India's 501-athlete contingent, across 36 disciplines and with more than 300 athletes making their Asian Games debut, finished with 85 medals: 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze.

Archery led India's golds with five, shooting and boxing gave three each, and cricket, hockey and kabaddi two each, the men's and women's teams both winning. Wrestling added two golds, and athletics and golf one each. Athletics won the most medals of any sport, 24, though only one was gold. Japan was hosting the Games for the third time, after Tokyo (1958) and Hiroshima (1994).

On 4 October 2026 Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the first instalment for 3 lakh houses in Andhra Pradesh, worth ₹3,600 crore, under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin 2.0, at Burripalem in Guntur district. He also laid the foundation stone of the country's first pilot housing project using 3D concrete printing: 177 houses, at a cost of ₹14 crore. The State's allocation had been raised from 76,000 houses to 3 lakh at the Chief Minister's request.

On 4 October 2026 Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released two captive-bred male Great Indian Bustards into the wild at Sam, in the Desert National Park near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The release marks the programme's move from building a conservation-breeding population of the critically endangered bird to returning it to the wild. The breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra hold 97 birds, 57 of them bred in captivity, and 11 have been earmarked for release. The Bustard Recovery Programme is run by the Environment Ministry, the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India.