Axis Bank launches Sparsh Week in Uttar Pradesh.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Axis Bank launched Sparsh Week 2026 in Lucknow on September 8 to support Uttar Pradesh’s infrastructure, entrepreneurship and digital adoption.

Key Highlights:
1.  The bank operates in all 75 Uttar Pradesh districts.
2.  By June 2026 it had 572 branches and 1,251 ATMs and cash recyclers in the state.
3.  More than 9,200 people work for the bank in Uttar Pradesh.
4.  It plans nearly 50 additional distribution locations by March 2027.
5.  The initiative provides targeted financial solutions and customer engagement for state growth.

Additional Information:
1.  Axis Bank began as UTI Bank in 1993 and is headquartered in Mumbai.
2.  Amitabh Chaudhry is MD and CEO; it is India’s third-largest private bank by assets and uses the tagline Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi.

Bihar and AIM Foundation plan food-processing park.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Bihar Industries Department and AIM Global Foundation signed an agreement at AIM Congress in Dubai on September 8, 2026 to establish a food-processing park.

Key Highlights:
1.  The integrated agri-food cluster will supply Gulf food chains and attract UAE and Gulf investors.
2.  Secretary Kundan Kumar and AIM President Dawood Al Shezawi signed it before Industries Minister Shreyasi Singh.
3.  It precedes the Rising Bihar 2026 investment summit.
4.  The project will use Bihar’s agricultural strengths for structured international investment.
5.  Bihar leads India in makhana and litchi production and promotes textile, leather and food processing.

Additional Information:
1.  AIM Global Foundation is headquartered in Dubai.
2.  It organises the Annual Investment Meeting Congress for foreign investment and sustainable growth.

Cochin Shipyard and Drydocks World form 50:50 repair venture.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Cochin Shipyard and DP World company Drydocks World signed a 50:50 joint venture in New Delhi on September 11, 2026 to operate and expand Kochi’s International Ship Repair Facility.

Key Highlights:
1.  The agreement was signed alongside BRICS Summit 2026 in the presence of the Ports and Shipping Minister.
2.  It covers repair, engineering, fabrication and major conversion of regional and global ships.
3.  It is India’s first public-private partnership of its kind in ship repair.
4.  The facility lies on international routes and has a modern ship-lift and docking system.
5.  It supports Maritime India 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.

Additional Information:
1.  Cochin Shipyard, India’s largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility, was established in 1972 in Kochi under the Ports Ministry.
2.  Drydocks World is a Dubai-based maritime-services subsidiary of DP World.

Uttarakhand’s first OPU-IVF Badri calf born.

Dated: 15 September 2026

A healthy Badri female calf was born on September 11, 2026 through ovum pick-up and in-vitro fertilisation followed by embryo transfer.

Key Highlights:
1.  NDRI Karnal and G. B. Pant University Pantnagar collaborated.
2.  Egg cells from elite Badri cows were fertilised with superior Badri bull semen.
3.  The embryo was carried by a Sahiwal recipient cow.
4.  The project began in 2023 under M. S. Chauhan and was funded by Uttarakhand Biotechnology Council, Haldi.
5.  It supports conservation and genetic improvement of Himalayan Badri cattle.

Additional Information:
1.  NDRI began in Bengaluru in 1923, moved to Karnal in 1955 and became a deemed university in 1989.
2.  G. B. Pant University, India’s first agricultural university, was established at Pantnagar in 1960.

Akasa and BPCL operate flight with 1% sustainable fuel.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Akasa Air and BPCL operated a Mumbai-Goa commercial flight using a 1% Sustainable Aviation Fuel blend on September 8, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The flight connected Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport with Manohar International Airport.
2.  BPCL supplied a blend of 1% sustainable fuel with conventional aviation turbine fuel.
3.  It supports India’s 5% blending target for 2030 and IATA’s net-zero target for 2050.
4.  The Boeing 737 MAX used LEAP-1B engines and SkyBreathe fuel management, cutting fuel use and emissions by about 20% versus older aircraft.
5.  Sustainable fuel can be made from used cooking oil, farm waste and municipal waste and may cut lifecycle carbon dioxide by up to 80%.

Additional Information:
1.  BPCL is a Mumbai-based Maharatna under the Petroleum Ministry, founded in 1952 as Burmah Shell Refineries.
2.  Akasa began commercial flights in August 2022 and stopped ceremonial water-cannon salutes to conserve water.

India and US begin 22nd Exercise Yudh Abhyas.

Dated: 15 September 2026

The Indian and United States armies began the 22nd bilateral Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026 in India, scheduled to conclude on September 28.

Key Highlights:
1.  The US deployed Arctic-trained 11th Airborne Division troops and its 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force.
2.  MLIDS advanced counter-drone equipment was deployed to India for the first time.
3.  Training includes command-post and field exercises integrating rockets, precision fire and control systems.
4.  The 2026 edition works within the Operation Pathways strategic framework.
5.  It focuses on high-altitude tactics, digital fire-control integration and interoperability.

Additional Information:
1.  Yudh Abhyas is the largest continuing India-US military training programme.
2.  The PDF states it began in 2002 and is hosted alternately by both countries.

Qualcomm and Amazon partner on custom AWS AI chips.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Qualcomm and Amazon announced a multi-generation partnership on September 8, 2026 to develop custom artificial-intelligence chips for AWS data centres.

Key Highlights:
1.  Multiple chip generations will focus on large-scale inference.
2.  Optical connectivity will reach 1.6T using Qualcomm serial and signal-processing technology.
3.  Qualcomm will use Amazon Bedrock for electronic-design workloads.
4.  AWS infrastructure aims to shorten chip-design cycles.
5.  Qualcomm is shifting mobile-processing expertise to large artificial-intelligence infrastructure.

Additional Information:
1.  Qualcomm was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in San Diego.
2.  Amazon Web Services launched in 2006 and is headquartered in Seattle.

India to host World Circular Economy Forum 2026.

Dated: 15 September 2026

India will host World Circular Economy Forum 2026 in Gandhinagar from September 15 to 18, the first edition held in South Asia.

Key Highlights:
1.  The Environment Ministry and CPCB are organising it with Finland’s Sitra and government.
2.  The theme is Circular Economy: Transition for People and Prosperity.
3.  More than 2,000 participants from over 65 countries and 125 exhibitors are expected.
4.  The programme has 4 plenaries, 16 parallel sessions on artificial intelligence, energy and finance, and 80 accelerator sessions.
5.  The 10-Year Framework Board will meet on September 15; India currently co-chairs it.

Additional Information:
1.  The 10-Year Framework accelerates sustainable consumption and production.
2.  WCEF promotes reuse, refurbishment, recycling, circular finance and private investment.

Tamil scholar Solomon Pappaiah passes away.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Padma Shri awardee and Tamil scholar Solomon Pappaiah died in Madurai on September 11, 2026 at age 90.

Key Highlights:
1.  He was a celebrated orator and moderator of the Tamil debate programme Pattimandram.
2.  Tamil Nadu accorded full state honours at his final rites on September 12.
3.  He received Padma Shri for literature, education and public discourse.
4.  He modernised traditional Tamil oratory and contributed extensively to literature.
5.  His televised debates helped popularise the modern Pattimandram format.

Additional Information:
1.  Padma Shri, instituted in 1954, is India’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
2.  Madurai, on the Vaigai River, is Tamil Nadu’s Cultural Capital and is associated with historic Tamil Sangams.

Pluxee India receives RBI payment-aggregator licence.

Dated: 15 September 2026

RBI authorised Pluxee India to operate as an online and physical point-of-sale Payment Aggregator.

Key Highlights:
1.  The licence covers online and physical payment-aggregator operations.
2.  It complements Pluxee’s prepaid-payment licence held since 2009 and widened for general use in 2020.
3.  The company can directly onboard merchants for collections, settlements and refunds.
4.  Its RuPay-based network reaches more than 5 million merchants.
5.  The authorisation expands regulated merchant-payment services across digital and store channels.

Additional Information:
1.  Pluxee began India operations in 1997, introduced an electronic Meal Card in 2016 and Multi-Benefit Pass in 2019.
2.  RBI began on April 1, 1935 in Mumbai and regulates aggregators under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

India launches first independent Photonics Association.

Dated: 15 September 2026

India launched its first independent industry body, India Photonics Association, in New Delhi on September 9, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  India Semiconductor Mission CTO Sarin Sundar attended the launch.
2.  It will connect members, expand business and build world-class products.
3.  India’s photonics market was USD 78.4 billion in 2025 and may reach USD 155 billion by 2034; silicon photonics grows at 29% CAGR.
4.  The field supports BharatNet and ISRO optical inter-satellite links.
5.  Photonics concerns generation, detection and control of light for data centres, satellites and surgery.

Additional Information:
1.  India Semiconductor Mission works under MeitY through Digital India Corporation.
2.  BharatNet began as National Optical Fibre Network in 2011 and was renamed in 2015.

PM Matsya Sampada Yojana completes 6 years.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana completed 6 years of implementation on September 10, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The 2020-25 outlay was Rs.20,750 crore; Budget 2026-27 allocated a record Rs.2,500 crore and approvals reached Rs.21,394.88 crore by August 11, 2026.
2.  Fish output rose from 141.64 lakh tonnes in 2019-20 to 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024-25; exports increased from Rs.46,663 crore to Rs.73,890 crore by 2025-26.
3.  It created 58 lakh jobs; 12 aquaparks worth Rs.7,713.80 crore, 28 harbours, 25 landing centres, 23 dredging projects, 12,081 recirculatory systems and 4,205 biofloc units were supported.
4.  One hundred climate-resilient villages receive Rs.200 lakh each; 2,195 producer organisations worth Rs.544.86 crore were approved.
5.  The National Fisheries Digital Platform had 37.01 lakh registrations by September 8, 2026; PM-MKSSY has a Rs.6,000 crore outlay.

Additional Information:
1.  PMMSY began in May 2020 under Atmanirbhar Bharat and is run by the Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Ministry.
2.  It closes fisheries value-chain gaps, strengthens the Blue Economy and supports SDG 14.

CHAYANKAN project launched for AI tea monitoring.

Dated: 15 September 2026

NIT Rourkela, NRSC-ISRO and Tea Board signed an agreement on August 27, 2026 for the 3-year CHAYANKAN tea-monitoring project begun in April.

Key Highlights:
1.  CHAYANKAN means Comprehensive AI-based Geospatial Data Analytics for Tea Plantation Monitoring.
2.  It combines satellite and drone remote sensing with machine learning for yield and pest forecasting.
3.  The agreement was signed at NRSC’s eastern regional centre in Kolkata.
4.  Signatories included Sushil Srivastav, S. Soundararajan and Arati Paul.
5.  It supports scientific management of tea estates through geospatial analysis.

Additional Information:
1.  Tea Board is a 1953 Act body under the Commerce Ministry in Kolkata; NRSC is ISRO’s Hyderabad remote-sensing centre.
2.  NIT Rourkela, an Institute of National Importance in Odisha, began in 1961.

P. P. Chaudhary receives Sansad Ratna for fourth time.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Pali Lok Sabha member P. P. Chaudhary received the 16th Sansad Ratna Award in New Delhi on September 9, 2026 for the fourth time.

Key Highlights:
1.  His earlier awards came in 2014, 2015 and 2025.
2.  He recorded 99% attendance against an 85% national average, asked 269 questions and joined 47 debates in the 18th Lok Sabha.
3.  He introduced 6 private-member bills, stated as 15 times the national average.
4.  He won in the Overall Toppers in the Total Tally category for public-interest and accountability work.
5.  His 2016-19 service as Union Minister was excluded from assessment.

Additional Information:
1.  Prime Point Foundation instituted the award using attendance, questions and legislative contribution; awards paused during 2020-22.
2.  Chaudhary chairs the Joint Parliamentary Committee on One Nation, One Election and represents Pali.

SEBI proposes new derivative expiry settlement method.

Dated: 15 September 2026

SEBI proposed on September 13, 2026 a revised method for expiry-day settlement prices of index and single-stock derivatives.

Key Highlights:
1.  Blended VWAP would value actual trades from the last 30 minutes of continuous trading and 10-minute closing auction.
2.  The alternative retains existing VWAP using only the final 30 continuous-trading minutes.
3.  The review follows the August 3 closing-auction launch and addresses intense index-option and IEP-linked derivative activity.
4.  SEBI proposes ending Indicative Index Value display while retaining Indicative Equilibrium Price for individual securities.
5.  Existing VWAP may continue at least 1 year before blended adoption based on auction liquidity; feedback is due October 3.

Additional Information:
1.  SEBI became statutory under the 1992 Act and is headquartered in Mumbai.
2.  Derivatives derive value from assets; VWAP averages traded price using both volume and price.

SEBI proposes cyber framework for MII subsidiaries.

Dated: 15 September 2026

SEBI proposed on September 11, 2026 to extend its information-technology and cybersecurity framework to subsidiaries of stock exchanges, depositories and clearing corporations.

Key Highlights:
1.  A subsidiary is covered if it supports the parent’s market domain, handles its sensitive data or shares critical technology resources.
2.  Covered entities must conduct system audits, follow technology governance and meet cybersecurity and incident-reporting rules.
3.  An MII may seek exemption for a subsidiary that only shares infrastructure.
4.  The Standing Committee on Technology will review exemptions and the MII board must explain compensatory controls.
5.  The proposal aims to protect interconnected market infrastructure from subsidiary-level cyber risk.

Additional Information:
1.  SEBI began as a non-statutory body on April 12, 1988, gained statutory status through the 1992 Act and is headquartered in Mumbai.
2.  MIIs enable trading, clearing and settlement; examples include NSE, BSE and CDSL, while SCOT advises SEBI on technology.

ONGC hosts MC Ignite accelerator at IIT Bombay.

Dated: 15 September 2026

ONGC hosted the Mumbai City Connect of MC Ignite energy accelerator at IIT Bombay on September 8, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  MC Foundation, IIT Bombay and SINE signed a tripartite agreement linking industry, academia and start-ups.
2.  The programme will support up to 30 early-stage energy start-ups.
3.  Each may receive Rs.50 lakh convertible funding and Rs.1.5 crore milestone support, totalling Rs.2 crore.
4.  Areas include artificial-intelligence subsurface work, drilling, hydrogen, mobility, bioenergy, digital assets and refinery improvement.
5.  Applications closed September 15 after Pune City Connect on September 3.

Additional Information:
1.  ONGC is a 1956 New Delhi-based Maharatna under the Petroleum Ministry.
2.  SINE is IIT Bombay’s technology incubator for entrepreneurship and research validation.

India and Russia target USD 100 billion trade by 2030.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told the India-Russia Business Dialogue on September 10, 2026 that bilateral trade should reach USD 100 billion by 2030.

Key Highlights:
1.  The target requires adding USD 40 billion to the existing USD 60 billion trade base.
2.  Both countries also set a USD 50 billion two-way investment goal.
3.  A new Bilateral Investment Treaty is being expedited and local-currency settlement will reduce payment difficulties.
4.  The priority-project mechanism monitors 40 projects in manufacturing, energy, mining and railways.
5.  Pharmaceuticals, textiles, engineering goods, chemicals and automobiles are priority non-energy exports.

Additional Information:
1.  A Bilateral Investment Treaty protects investments and provides dispute-resolution rules.
2.  The Commerce Ministry leads trade negotiations and foreign-investment policy from New Delhi; BRICS encourages local-currency trade.

Rishikesh-Karnaprayag project achieves 41st tunnel breakthrough.

Dated: 15 September 2026

The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project achieved its 41st tunnel breakthrough on September 11, 2026 by completing 10.847 km Escape Tunnel-1.

Key Highlights:
1.  RVNL is building the Rs.37,000 crore project under the Railway Ministry.
2.  The escape tunnel is the project’s second longest and crossed difficult Main Boundary Thrust and mylonite zones.
3.  Overall progress reached 78%; excavation was 97% complete with 5 breakthroughs remaining.
4.  The 125 km route has 16 main tunnels totalling 104 km and 12 escape tunnels totalling 98 km across 5 Uttarakhand districts.
5.  Completion is targeted for December 2029 to improve Char Dham and border connectivity.

Additional Information:
1.  RVNL was established in 2003 in New Delhi under the Railway Ministry.
2.  The line was sanctioned in Budget 2010-11 and connects Rishikesh, Devprayag and Karnaprayag.

ICICI Prudential Life launches Partner Stack 2.0.

Dated: 15 September 2026

ICICI Prudential Life launched its upgraded digital platform ICICI Life Partner Stack 2.0 on September 11, 2026 for advisers and distribution partners.

Key Highlights:
1.  Its eQuote application recommends products through artificial intelligence and LIVA gives features and personalised quotations.
2.  Links with Aadhaar, CKYC, GSTN and EPFO can prefill up to 70% of proposal forms.
3.  About 99% of applications are received digitally and 54% of savings policies were issued the same day in Q1 FY2027.
4.  It reported a 99.3% claim-settlement ratio and 1-day average for non-investigated individual death claims in Q1 FY2027.
5.  The board proposed renaming the company ICICI Life Insurance Limited, subject to approvals.

Additional Information:
1.  The insurer began in FY2001 and was India’s first insurance company listed on both NSE and BSE.
2.  Headquartered in Mumbai, it supports paperless buying and premium payment through WhatsApp and ASBA.

Southern Railway completes 100% broad-gauge electrification.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Southern Railway achieved complete electrification of its 5,068 km broad-gauge network on September 11, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The final milestone followed electrification of the 71 km Pattukkottai-Karaikkudi section.
2.  All 5,068 route kilometres now use electric traction, improving locomotive use and train speed.
3.  The change reduces fossil-fuel dependence and supports cleaner, energy-efficient railway operations.
4.  Final safety and technical inspection of the concluding section was completed on September 9, 2026.
5.  The achievement covers the entire broad-gauge network of the Southern Railway zone.

Additional Information:
1.  Electric traction began in Madras on May 11, 1931; 25 kV AC service on Madras Beach-Tambaram began in 1968.
2.  India’s first electric train ran in 1925 from Bombay Victoria Terminus to Kurla Harbour on 1,500-volt DC.

Chitkara University and Chandigarh Angels create startup pathway.

Dated: 15 September 2026

Chitkara Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship signed an agreement with Chandigarh Angels Network on September 11, 2026 to create investment pathways for student-led start-ups.

Key Highlights:
1.  Student and alumni founders will receive structured mentoring and investor access to become investment-ready.
2.  Quarterly pitch sessions will focus particularly on deep-technology and artificial-intelligence ventures.
3.  The network has more than 70 investors, a 46-company portfolio and over 7 successful exits.
4.  Founders will receive investor feedback, market views and possible early-stage funding.
5.  The partnership covers engineering, business, healthcare, pharmacy, design and architecture.

Additional Information:
1.  Chitkara University is UGC-recognised, NAAC-accredited and operates in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
2.  Chandigarh Angels Network is an angel collective specialising in seed and early-stage funding.