Current affairs — 21 September 2026

On 20 September 2026 the India Meteorological Department (IMD) placed the eastern seaboard on notice. Its bulletin of 1300 hrs IST recorded a low pressure area over the eastcentral Bay of Bengal and the adjoining north Andaman Sea, and forecast that it would concentrate into a depression on 21 September, deepen into a deep depression on 22 September, and reach the northwest Bay of Bengal near the north Andhra Pradesh–south Odisha coasts around the morning of 23 September.

At 15:18 on 19 September 2026, initial fuel loading began at Unit 8 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan — a 700 MWe indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) cleared the step after safety evaluations, system integrity audits and site readiness reviews, and NPCIL called it a milestone that “strengthens the standardisation” of the 700 MWe design for fleet deployment.

Two of India's principal export support schemes — the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) for apparel and made-ups, and the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) for everything else — both expire on 30 September 2026. On 20 September 2026 it was reported that the government is weighing an extension, with the Department of Expenditure in the Ministry of Finance holding the final say on both the period and the allocation.

On 20 September 2026, a Supreme Court bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Manmohan, in M/s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd v Suryakand D Lad and connected appeals, reported as 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 961, held that a principal employer cannot be held liable to pay gratuity to workers engaged through a contractor where no employer–employee relationship exists between them.

On 18 September 2026 the Karnataka Cabinet declared Tulu an additional official language for administrative purposes in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. About ₹82 lakh a year has been allocated for translation, training and related work, and the district administrations will carry out the implementation. The decision follows a committee that examined the demand in 2023 and decades of campaigning by Tulu organisations.

A Business Standard investigation published on 20 September 2026 documented what the Aravalli mining debate usually leaves out: the people who breathe it. In Sikar and Kotputli-Behror districts of Rajasthan, silica dust from mining and stone crushing is driving silicosis, an incurable lung disease. Residents of Syalodra village report more than 50 deaths; a 2023 health survey in Jodhpura-Mohanpura found 478 of 928 residents suffering breathing problems, tuberculosis and skin disease linked to mining blasts.

The Reserve Bank of India released its annual Survey on Computer Software and Information Technology Enabled Services Exports for 2025-26 on 18 September 2026, reported on 20 September 2026. India's software services exports rose 8.2% to US$221.4 billion in FY2025-26.

On 20 September 2026 the Ministry of Coal, through PIB, set out how Coal India Limited (CIL) is moving from coal extraction towards a “diversified, technology-driven portfolio” built on five platforms: coal gasification and coal-to-chemicals; thermal power; renewable energy and storage; critical minerals and advanced materials; and diversified minerals, including iron ore.

From 1 October 2026, Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) will open a new regime for global family offices, investment funds and fund managers, administered by the Gelephu Financial Services Office (GFSO). Reported on 20 September 2026, the framework offers lifetime tax exemptions for approved funds, exemptions of up to 15 years for family offices, and a fast “no-objection” route for managers already regulated in recognised jurisdictions — among them India.

The 20th Asian Games opened in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan, and run from 19 September to 4 October 2026 — the first Asian Games in Japan for 32 years. India's first medals came on 20 September 2026: a silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event for Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod, and an individual silver for Elavenil Valarivan. The Prime Minister congratulated the shooters the same day.