Current Affairs for Week 36 of 2026

The week’s news that matters for BSSC CGL and other State and Central exams, in short. Every item names who, what and the number you are likely to be asked for.

1. Bihar and Jharkhand sign a Sone river water-sharing agreement

   Bihar
   The two States signed a memorandum of understanding on sharing Sone river water in Delhi on 31 August, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil and both Chief Ministers. Of the 7.75 million-acre feet allocated to undivided Bihar, Bihar gets 5.75 MAF and Jharkhand 2 MAF.

   River Water Sharing Jharkhand

   Source: The Hindu (Patna edition)

2. Bihar Cabinet approves ₹9,169 crore for urban local bodies

   Bihar
   The Bihar Cabinet on 2 September cleared ₹9,169 crore for all urban local bodies in the State for five years, from 2026-27 to 2030-31, under the Sixteenth Finance Commission award. Urban Development Minister Nitish Mishra said about 90% of the money is distributed on population and 10% on a performance criterion.

   Finance Commission Urban Local Bodies

   Source: The Hindu (Patna edition)

3. Bihar makes prior State consent mandatory for CBI action against its employees

   Bihar
   A Bihar Home Department notification of 3 September requires prior State permission before the Central Bureau of Investigation initiates any investigation, search, interrogation or arrest against a public servant serving under the State government. The same order widens the agency’s ambit over Central employees, Central PSUs and private persons.

   Central Bureau of Investigation Patna

   Source: The Hindu (Patna edition)

4. Supreme Court uses Article 142 to quash FIRs against student protesters

   National
   A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on 1 September invoked Article 142 to close all FIRs over the July protests linked to the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The court also directed the Centre to frame a pan-India policy to compensate the families of students who died by suicide after the leak.

   Supreme Court NEET

   Source: The Hindu

5. Bar Council of India cannot punish law students, rules the Supreme Court

   National
   The Supreme Court held on 3 September that the Bar Council of India and its chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra have no jurisdiction to discipline or penalise law students, and that only the universities where they are enrolled may act. The ruling came over the BCI’s action against NALSAR students who had protested a convocation invitation.

   Supreme Court Judiciary

   Source: The Hindu

6. SIR third phase: over 6 crore names deleted from the draft rolls

   National
   More than six crore names have been removed in the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, covering 16 States and three Union Territories. Draft rolls for the 17 States and UTs published so far show the electorate falling 15.7%, from 35.50 crore at the 2024 Lok Sabha election to 29.93 crore.

   Electoral Rolls Election Commission

   Source: The Hindu

7. Census 2027 advanced in four poll-bound States, deferred in Manipur

   National
   The Union government on 5 September advanced the Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027 in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa to 16 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, ahead of the nationwide enumeration set for February 2027. The Census in Manipur was formally deferred “till further declaration”.

   Census 2027

   Source: The Hindu

8. Permanent High Court Bench for Ladakh comes into effect

   National
   The regulation creating a permanent Bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in Ladakh, promulgated by the President on 27 August, came into force on 5 September. Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena called it a historic step that will cut the long travel now needed for litigants from the Union Territory’s remote areas.

   Judiciary Ladakh

   Source: The Hindu

9. NIA court convicts ten Maoists in the Jheeram Valley massacre case

   National
   A special NIA court in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, convicted ten Maoists on 5 September for the 2013 Jheeram Valley attack in Sukma, one of the deadliest Maoist strikes in the country. Twenty-seven people, including senior Congress leaders of the State, were killed when their convoy was ambushed while returning from a rally.

   Maoist Violence National Investigation Agency

   Source: The Hindu

10. Centre tells Supreme Court it will spend ₹24,000 crore on police modernisation

    Government Schemes
    The Centre informed the Supreme Court on 3 September that a Police Modernisation Mission will spend ₹24,000 crore over the next five years to strengthen the internal security capabilities of State police forces and the Central Armed Police Forces through greater use of technology. The submission came in a suo motu proceeding begun in 2025.

    Supreme Court

    Source: The Hindu

11. Supreme Court seeks the Centre's response on totalisers in EVM counting

    National
    Hearing a petition by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay on 1 September, the court asked the Centre to respond on using totalisers — machines that aggregate votes from several EVM control units without revealing booth-wise trends — as a fall-back option. The Election Commission opposed the move, citing the absence of any legal framework.

    Election Commission Supreme Court

    Source: The Hindu

12. CBI searches 89 locations in 20 States over 'digital arrest' frauds

    National
    The Central Bureau of Investigation carried out searches at 89 locations across 20 States on 4 September in three cases of ‘digital arrest’ cyber fraud, in which callers posing as police or investigating officers confine victims on video calls and extort money.

    Central Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crime

    Source: The Hindu

13. Tamil Nadu Assembly resolves to make Tamil the main language of the Madras High Court

    National
    The Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted a resolution on 3 September seeking recognition of Tamil as the principal language of the Madras High Court. Under Article 348 of the Constitution, the use of a regional language in a High Court requires the previous consent of the President.

    Official Language Judiciary

    Source: The Hindu

14. Himalayan States asked to monitor glacial lakes after the Nepal disaster

    Environment
    Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan chaired a review meeting with Himalayan States and Union Territories on 3 September on preparedness for Glacial Lake Outburst Floods and snow avalanches. He called for continuous surveillance of vulnerable glacial lakes and avalanche-prone regions and stronger early warning systems.

    Glacial Lakes Disaster Management

    Source: The Hindu

15. India rejects the Permanent Court of Arbitration's Indus Waters Treaty award

    International
    After the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague said on 31 August that the Indus Waters Treaty remains “fully in force”, the Ministry of External Affairs rejected the award, saying the arbitral body was constituted by the World Bank in patent breach of the treaty and that its very establishment was a grave violation.

    Indus Waters Treaty

    Source: The Hindu

16. India's GDP grows 7.8% in the first quarter of 2026-27

    Economy & Banking
    Gross Domestic Product grew 7.8% in April-June 2026, faster than the 6.9% of a year earlier but slower than the 8.6% of January-March 2026. Manufacturing grew 9.2%, a three-quarter high, services 10% and construction 7.7%, while mining contracted 2.4% on a high base.

    Gross Domestic Product

    Source: The Hindu

17. GST collections cross ₹1.99 lakh crore in August

    Economy & Banking
    Gross Goods and Services Tax revenue stood at ₹1,99,853 crore in August 2026, a growth of 14.8% over a year earlier, according to data released on 1 September. Revenue from imports grew 29% while domestic transactions grew in single digits; net collections rose a slower 8.3% because of higher refunds.

    GST

    Source: The Hindu

18. Current account deficit widens to $4.2 billion in Q1 FY27

    Economy & Banking
    India’s current account deficit widened to $4.2 billion, or 0.5% of GDP, in April-June 2026, against $3.4 billion, or 0.4% of GDP, in the same quarter of the previous year, according to preliminary data released by the Reserve Bank of India on 1 September.

    Reserve Bank of India Current Account Deficit

    Source: The Hindu

19. Second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission notified

    Government Schemes
    The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified ISM 2.0 on 31 August with an outlay of ₹1.28 lakh crore, covering a broad range of incentives for electronics manufacturing. The scheme’s category ‘pillars’ are fungible, so the share of investment each attracts is not fixed in advance.

    Semiconductors Make in India

    Source: The Hindu

20. RBI's swap window mobilises over $136 billion

    Economy & Banking
    Foreign exchange inflows under the Reserve Bank of India’s swap facility crossed $136 billion, data released in the first week of September showed. Of the $1,36,377 million raised, $1,27,226 million came through FCNR(B) deposits, $5,260 million through overseas foreign currency borrowings and $3,891 million via external commercial borrowings.

    Reserve Bank of India Foreign Exchange

    Source: The Hindu

21. NSE receives SEBI's clearance for a ₹30,000-crore IPO

    Economy & Banking
    The Securities and Exchange Board of India issued a letter of observation on the National Stock Exchange’s draft red herring prospectus, clearing the way for a ₹30,000-crore initial public offering. It would be the second-largest IPO in India after the proposed Jio Platforms issue. NSE had filed its DRHP on 17 June.

    SEBI National Stock Exchange

    Source: The Hindu

22. Japan Credit Rating Agency upgrades India to 'A-'

    Economy & Banking
    The Japan Credit Rating Agency raised India’s sovereign credit rating by one notch from ‘BBB+’ to ‘A-’ on 2 September, citing India’s relatively high growth, the government’s growth-oriented policies and the improved strength of the financial system. The Finance Ministry welcomed the upgrade.

    Credit Rating

    Source: The Hindu

23. Commercial LPG and jet fuel prices raised from 1 September

    Economy & Banking
    Oil marketing companies raised the price of the commercial LPG cylinder by ₹10 and aviation turbine fuel by ₹6.28 a litre from 1 September, reversing two months of cuts. Domestic LPG consumption fell about 16% in August, with new connections still on hold because of the West Asia conflict.

    LPG West Asia

    Source: The Hindu

24. IRDAI begins consultation on a Public Insurance Registry

    Economy & Banking
    The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India began a consultation on 1 September on setting up a Public Insurance Registry, a proposed common repository of insurance data for the industry.

    IRDAI

    Source: The Hindu

25. Foreign portfolio investors put $3.1 billion into Indian equities in August

    Economy & Banking
    Foreign portfolio investors bought a net $3.1 billion of Indian shares in August 2026, the highest monthly inflow in nearly two years and the second straight month of buying after a long spell of outflows.

    Foreign Portfolio Investment

    Source: The Indian Express

26. Tata Group announces a ₹70,000-crore AI data centre in Hyderabad

    Economy & Banking
    Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced on 5 September a ₹70,000-crore investment by the Tata Group, TCS and its subsidiary HyperVault to build a one-gigawatt artificial intelligence data centre in Hyderabad, described as the country’s largest. It is to create about 7,000 direct jobs, with completion sought before June 2028.

    Data Centres Telangana

    Source: The Hindu

27. INS Nipun commissioned into the Indian Navy

    Defence
    Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan commissioned INS Nipun at Mumbai on 31 August. Built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, it is the second Diving Support Vessel of the Nistar class and joins the Western Naval Command, carrying the Navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel and saturation diving capability.

    Indian Navy Make in India

    Source: The Indian Express

28. Tata Advanced Systems signs a pact to co-produce Javelin missiles in India

    Defence
    Tata Advanced Systems Limited and the Javelin Joint Venture — a partnership of the U.S. firms Raytheon and Lockheed Martin — signed a memorandum of understanding on 31 August to explore co-production of the Javelin All Up Round missile in India. It follows the Army’s Letter of Offer and Acceptance for the Javelin anti-tank guided missile system.

    Defence Procurement Make in India

    Source: The Hindu

29. Rajnath Singh releases 'Raksha', a ten-year defence diplomacy framework

    Defence
    The Defence Minister released the strategic framework on 3 September. It sets out India’s road map for defence diplomacy and global defence partnerships over the next ten years, resting on deeper bilateral and multilateral ties, joint military exercises, indigenous defence exports under Make in India, and maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.

    Defence Diplomacy Make in India

    Source: The Hindu

30. India and Belgium sign three defence agreements

    International
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in New Delhi on 3 September, and the two sides signed three government-level defence agreements and announced a fast trade mechanism. Belgium assured India it has no defence ties with Pakistan.

    India-Belgium Relations Defence Procurement

    Source: The Hindu

31. Aero India 2027 to be held at Yelahanka from 8 February

    Defence
    The sixteenth edition of Aero India, Asia’s largest air show, will be held at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru from 8 to 12 February 2027. It is organised by the Department of Defence Production under the Ministry of Defence; exhibitor registrations opened on 3 September 2026.

    Aero India

    Source: The Hindu

32. ISRO launches the EOS-05 imaging satellite on GSLV-F17

    Science & Technology
    ISRO placed the 2,367-kg EOS-05 in a sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit on 4 September, about 18 minutes after lift-off at 2.55 a.m. from Sriharikota. It is India’s first imaging satellite designed to observe the earth from geosynchronous orbit, about 36,000 km up, and replaces the EOS-03 lost in 2021. GSLV was on its 19th flight.

    ISRO

    Source: The Hindu

33. Indian team maps the venom of a colonial spider and finds anti-cancer leads

    Science & Technology
    Researchers produced the first comprehensive molecular and functional profile of the venom gland of Stegodyphus sarasinorum, a colonial spider found across the Indian subcontinent. Published in Scientific Reports, the study identified bioactive compounds with anti-cancer potential that could serve as leads for drug discovery.

    Medical Research Biodiversity

    Source: The Hindu

34. UNEP sets out an 'overshoot, peak and decline' pathway for the 1.5°C limit

    Environment
    The UN Environment Programme, in a report released in Nairobi on 2 September, for the first time charted a detailed pathway for a world that temporarily overshoots the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees Celsius goal. It warned of faster sea-level rise, coral reef collapse and food production declines of up to 14% by 2050 without adaptation.

    Climate Change United Nations

    Source: The Hindu

35. WMO says the current El Nino could be the strongest ever recorded

    Environment
    The World Meteorological Organisation said on 3 September that El Nino is set to intensify into 2027 and could be the strongest on record. Its forecasts show a near 100% likelihood that the phenomenon will persist through February 2027, fuelled by exceptionally warm Pacific Ocean temperatures — the first time the agency has stated such certainty.

    World Meteorological Organisation Climate Change

    Source: The Hindu

36. Pichavaram mangroves valued at ₹2,485 crore

    Environment
    A study estimated the total economic value of the Pichavaram mangrove ecosystem in Tamil Nadu at ₹2,485.38 crore, or ₹1.83 crore a hectare, counting its ecological, economic and social benefits. Pichavaram is among India’s most significant coastal wetland ecosystems.

    Wetlands Biodiversity

    Source: The Hindu

37. SCO summit at Bishkek issues a declaration on terrorism and the Gulf

    International
    The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit concluded in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, on 1 September. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the grouping must dismantle the terror ecosystem. The Bishkek Declaration called for an inclusive government in Afghanistan and voiced deep concern over the war in the Persian Gulf region.

    Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

    Source: The Hindu

38. Nepal flood toll crosses 1,250; two workers rescued after ten days

    International
    The death toll from the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli flash floods rose past 1,000 on 1 September and to 1,252 by 3 September. Two hydropower workers were pulled alive from a debris-buried tunnel on 4 September. India’s External Affairs Ministry said 275 Indians were still missing and 169 had been rescued.

    Nepal Floods Disaster Management

    Source: The Hindu

39. U.S. and Iran exchange strikes across the Strait of Hormuz

    International
    The United States struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz on 31 August, saying the aim was to stop Tehran mining the shipping lane. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan and the UAE, and later on 3 September attacked American bases again despite warnings from President Trump.

    West Asia Strait of Hormuz

    Source: The Hindu

40. UN General Assembly endorses the Equal Earth map projection

    International
    The General Assembly on 4 September adopted a resolution encouraging governments and institutions to replace the traditional Mercator projection with the Equal Earth projection, which represents Africa and other equatorial regions at their true relative size. India voted in favour.

    United Nations

    Source: The Hindu

41. Putin orders a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv

    International
    The Russian President ordered a 72-hour halt to attacks on the Ukrainian capital on 5 September, as U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow. The move came four and a half years into the war and after days of escalating aerial attacks by both sides.

    Russia-Ukraine War

    Source: The Hindu

42. Ramon Magsaysay Awards 2026 announced

    Awards & Honours
    Three winners were named on 31 August: Singaporean lawyer and diplomat Tommy Koh, 88, who presided over the conference that adopted the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982; Myanmar democracy activist Bo Kyi, 61, who co-founded the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners; and Runa Khan, 67, founder of Friendship Bangladesh.

    Ramon Magsaysay Award

    Source: The Hindu

43. President confers National Teachers' Awards on 82 educators

    Awards & Honours
    President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards in New Delhi on Teachers’ Day, 5 September. The 82 awardees comprise 48 school teachers, 21 faculty members in higher education and 13 trainers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The President called education the most effective means of realising equality of opportunity.

    Teachers' Day School Education

    Source: The Hindu

44. Air Vice-Marshal Jitendra Mishra named first CEO of the Ram Temple Trust

    Appointments
    The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust appointed the retired Air Vice-Marshal, who served 31 years in the Indian Air Force, as its first chief executive officer on 2 September. Mahesh Bhagchandka, Madan Mohan Pandey and Nirmala Yadav were named trustees. The appointments follow allegations of theft of donations at the temple.

    Ayodhya

    Source: The Hindu

45. V.V.S. Laxman to coach India's men's cricket team at the Asian Games

    Appointments
    The BCCI named Laxman coach for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, assisted by Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh. Laxman had guided India to the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

    Cricket Asian Games

    Source: The Hindu

46. Gloria Steinem dies at 92

    Persons in News
    The American writer, journalist and feminist died at her home in New York on 2 September. An icon of the second-wave feminist movement, she co-founded Ms. magazine in 1972 and reframed abortion as “reproductive freedom”. She visited India from the age of 22 and had just completed a memoir.

    Obituaries

    Source: The Hindu

47. Climate scientist Krishna AchutaRao dies at 62

    Persons in News
    The professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT Delhi, died on 4 September. His work established the degree to which observed climatic change can be attributed to human activity, and demonstrated a detectable human influence on temperature changes across Indian sub-regions.

    Obituaries Climate Change

    Source: The Hindu

48. Nagarmal Bajoria, who contested nearly 300 elections, dies at 97

    Persons in News
    The Bhagalpur businessman, known for contesting close to 300 elections across the country, died at a Patna hospital on 3 September. He had campaigned against former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Rajiv Gandhi in Amethi.

    Bihar Politics Patna

    Source: The Hindu (Patna edition)

49. Lionel Messi retires from international football

    Sports
    The Argentina captain announced on 31 August that he had played his last international match, ending a 21-year career in which he lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He bows out with the second-highest goal tally in men’s international football.

    Football

    Source: The Hindu

50. Smriti Mandhana becomes the highest run-scorer in women's internationals

    Sports
    The opener made 124 off 64 balls against Hong Kong in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup at Dubai on 3 September, passing Mithali Raj’s aggregate. The innings, her 18th international hundred, also took her past Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt for the most centuries in women’s cricket. India made 193 for five.

    Cricket Asia Cup

    Source: The Hindu

51. India bowl Pakistan out for their lowest T20I total

    Sports
    India won by seven wickets in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup at Dubai on 5 September after dismissing Pakistan for 55 in 18.1 overs, their lowest total in the format. Shree Charani took three for seven and Prema Rawat three for nine; India chased the target inside nine overs for a third straight group win.

    Cricket Asia Cup

    Source: The Hindu

52. Djokovic suffers his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2006

    Sports
    Mariano Navone beat Novak Djokovic at the US Open on 31 August, handing the Serb his earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament in twenty years. Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka advanced comfortably in the same week, while Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils played farewell matches in New York.

    Tennis

    Source: The Hindu

53. Bengal leg-spinner Rohit Yadav banned two years for age fraud

    Sports
    The Cricket Association of Bengal barred the leg-spinner for two years on 4 September after age verification showed he had misrepresented his date of birth. The association said it remains committed to proper age verification in age-group cricket.

    Cricket

    Source: The Hindu