Current affairs — 17 September 2026

On 16 September 2026, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved raising the mandatory EPFO wage ceiling from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 per month for the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) and Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) Scheme. The Cabinet expects over 51 lakh additional employees in the ₹15,000–25,000 wage band to come under compulsory EPFO coverage.

On 16 September 2026, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the US Federal Reserve raised the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 3.75–4.00% — its first increase since July 2023 — by a unanimous 12–0 vote. Chair Kevin Warsh said inflation is too high and has been for too long.

On 16 September 2026, Advocate Anjan Datta filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court (Anjan Datta v. Union of India, Diary No. 57387/2026) challenging the Centre's notification and framework that impose a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 0.4% on UPI person-to-merchant (P2M) payments above ₹2,000. The charges are due to take effect on 15 October 2026; the Union of India, RBI, NPCI and the UPI and Services Steering Committee are respondents.

On 16 September 2026, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar began an official visit to Bhutan, holding talks with Bhutan's Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel at Wangduechhoeling Palace, Bumthang. The two ministers laid the foundation stone of the Lunana Hydropower Project (Gasa) and inaugurated India-assisted health and connectivity projects; a Royal Audience with King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and a call on Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay were also on the itinerary.

On 16 September 2026, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories that have adopted the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, permitting stem cell therapy as routine clinical care only for indications on the Ministry's approved list and restricting its use in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to duly approved clinical trials. The advisory implements the Supreme Court judgment of 30 January 2026 in Yash Charitable Trust & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.

On 16 September 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a Semiconductor Roundtable with chief executives of about 20 global and Indian semiconductor firms and bodies at Seva Teerth, New Delhi. It came on the eve of SEMICON India 2026 (17–19 September 2026, Yashobhoomi, Dwarka), which the Prime Minister inaugurates on 17 September under the theme “Transform Tomorrow: Silicon to Systems – Building the Ecosystem”.

On 16 September 2026, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) held India's 32nd World Ozone Day celebration in Mumbai, where Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh launched India's Net Zero Portal and the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) Dashboard. The global theme set by the UNEP Ozone Secretariat is “Global action for a cooler planet”, marking 10 years of the Kigali Amendment. The same day, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its Ozone and UV Bulletin No. 4.

On 16 September 2026, Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh (Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions) launched the dedicated web portal for Special Campaign 6.0 in New Delhi, opening the campaign's preparatory phase. Coordinated by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), the sixth edition focuses on collection, segregation and disposal of e-waste alongside cleanliness, pendency reduction and record management across 84 Ministries/Departments.

On 16 September 2026, the NIA Special Court at Jagdalpur (Bastar, Chhattisgarh) sentenced all 10 convicted CPI (Maoist) cadres to death in the Jhiram Ghati (Jheeram Valley) attack case of 25 May 2013, in which Maoists ambushed the Congress 'Parivartan Yatra' convoy and killed much of the State Congress leadership. The court had convicted them on 5 September 2026, more than 13 years after the attack.

On 16 September 2026, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2024, on the recommendation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him, citing his mark on Indian cinema, 'particularly Kannada cinema'.