Weekly Current Affairs: 28 September to 4 October 2026

Weekly current affairs for 28 September to 4 October 2026 are here, and this was a week packed with exam-friendly news. India finished the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) with 85 medals, Shubman Gill smashed the fastest double century in One Day International (ODI) history, the Cabinet cleared the PM-DHARA scheme, and a new Chairperson took charge at the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Every point below has been checked against government releases, news agencies and major national newspapers, and each one comes with a Static GK box so you can revise the background facts too. If you are preparing for SSC, UPSSSC PET, State PCS, Railway or Banking exams, read this post once, attempt the MCQs, and then revise using the table at the end.

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Click here to read previous week’s Current Affairs (21 Sept – 27 Sept)

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Click here to read Monthly Current Affairs of January 2026

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Weekly Current Affairs 2026: Sports and Asian Games

1. India Finish Fourth at Asian Games 2026 with 85 Medals

India wrapped up the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with 85 medals: 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. That placed India fourth on the table, behind China, Japan and South Korea. Uzbekistan also ended with 21 golds, but India took fourth place because of a better silver count. It is India’s second-best Asian Games haul, after the Hangzhou edition. Athletics brought the most medals (24), though only one of them was gold. The Games ran from 19 September to 4 October 2026, and nine of India’s medals, five of them gold, came on the final day alone.

Static GK

• The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi in 1951, so the 2026 edition also marked the 75th anniversary of that historic event.
• The Games are governed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), which has its headquarters in Kuwait City.
• Japan has now hosted the Asian Games three times: Tokyo (1958), Hiroshima (1994) and Aichi-Nagoya (2026).
• India’s best-ever Asian Games performance came at Hangzhou (2022 edition, held in 2023), with 28 gold medals.
• Medal tables follow the International Olympic Committee (IOC) convention: ranking is decided by gold medals first, then silver, then bronze.

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2. Neeru Dhanda Wins India’s First Individual Gold at Asian Games 2026

Haryana shooter Neeru Dhanda won the women’s individual trap gold on 29 September, giving India its first individual gold of these Games. It is also the first time an Indian woman has won an individual medal in trap at the Asian Games. She topped qualification with 118, a Games record, and then shot 28 in the final, reported as an Asian record. Earlier the same day she had won team silver in women’s trap with Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer. Dhanda is 26 and comes from Jind in Haryana. Earlier in 2026 she had become the first Indian woman to win an individual International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup gold in trap, at Lonato in Italy.

Static GK

• Trap is a clay-target shotgun discipline; the other main shotgun events are skeet and double trap.
• ISSF stands for International Shooting Sport Federation, the world governing body of shooting sports, headquartered in Munich, Germany.
• India’s last individual trap gold at the Asian Games before this was won by Randhir Singh in the men’s event at Bangkok in 1978.
• Dhanda was inspired by her cousin Lakshay Sheoran, who won men’s trap silver at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
• Haryana has produced many of India’s top shooters and wrestlers, and Jind is one of its best-known sporting districts.

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3. India’s Women’s Compound Archery Team Beat China for Gold, Equalling the World Record

On 30 September, the Indian trio of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep beat China 238-234 in the women’s compound team final at Okazaki. The score of 238 equalled the world record. India had edged past South Korea 234-233 in the semi-final to reach the gold-medal match. This was India’s seventh gold of the Games and its first in archery at Aichi-Nagoya. For Jyothi it was a fourth Asian Games gold, while Chikitha and Prithika won their first Asiad golds on debut. The team also defended the title won at Hangzhou in 2023.

Static GK

• In a compound team match, each team shoots at a perfect maximum of 240 points, so a 238 is only two points short of perfection.
• A compound bow uses cams and pulleys, while a recurve bow has limbs that curve away from the archer.
• World Archery, the international federation, has its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• At the 2023 Asian Games, Jyothi Surekha Vennam became the first Indian archer to win three golds (individual, team and mixed team) in one edition.
• The archery events were held at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park, away from the main Nagoya venues.

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4. Gold in Cricket, Hockey and Kabaddi: India’s Team Sports Shine

India’s team sports delivered at Aichi-Nagoya, with gold medals in both the men’s and women’s sections of cricket, hockey and kabaddi. In the men’s cricket final, India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to retain the title, after the women’s team had already won gold against Sri Lanka. The men’s hockey team beat Malaysia 5-1 in the final, India’s fifth Asian Games hockey gold and the first time the men have won back-to-back titles. That win also secured a direct quota for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. In the men’s kabaddi final, India defeated Iran 40-34 to hold on to the gold medal.

Static GK

• Kabaddi has been part of the Asian Games since 1990 (Beijing), and India won the men’s gold at every edition from 1990 to 2014.
• Cricket made its Asian Games debut in 2010 at Guangzhou, China.
• The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, United States, and will also feature cricket for the first time since 1900.
• Hockey is India’s most successful Olympic team sport, with eight Olympic gold medals in the men’s section.
• Indian hockey is governed by Hockey India, while cricket is run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

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5. Shubman Gill Hits the Fastest Double Century in ODI History

India’s captain Shubman Gill smashed an unbeaten 223 off 133 balls against the West Indies in the second One Day International (ODI) at Guwahati on 30 September. He reached 200 in just 117 balls, breaking Ishan Kishan’s record of 126 balls, set against Bangladesh in 2022. West Indies had posted 405 for 7, their highest ODI total, and India chased it down with eight wickets in hand and 39 balls to spare. Gill and Rohit Sharma, who scored 101, shared an opening stand of 255. India completed the second-highest successful chase in ODI history and took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Static GK

• Sachin Tendulkar scored the first ODI double century (200 not out) against South Africa at Gwalior in 2010.
• Rohit Sharma holds the record for the highest ODI score, 264 against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in 2014, and has three ODI double centuries.
• Gill is now the second batter after Rohit Sharma with multiple ODI double centuries; his first was against New Zealand at Hyderabad in January 2023.
• The highest successful run chase in men’s ODIs remains South Africa’s 438 against Australia at Johannesburg in 2006.
• The match was played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Assam.

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6. Virat Kohli Becomes the Fastest to 15,000 ODI Runs

Virat Kohli became only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to cross 15,000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs), and the fastest to the landmark, in fewer innings than Tendulkar needed. The milestone came during the first ODI against the West Indies at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on 27 September. Kohli finished unbeaten on 139 off 88 balls, his 55th ODI hundred, extending his own record for the most centuries in the format. Shubman Gill added 110, and India chased down 296 with eight wickets in hand. Kohli also went past Tendulkar’s 6,976 runs to become the leading ODI run-scorer in home conditions.

Static GK

• Sachin Tendulkar is the all-time highest ODI run-scorer with 18,426 runs from 463 matches.
• Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka (14,243 runs) is third on the list, followed by Ricky Ponting of Australia (13,704 runs).
• Kohli made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in August 2008.
• Kohli was the fastest to 10,000 ODI runs (2018) and to 13,000 ODI runs (2023).
• Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield International Stadium is in Kerala and is also known as the Sports Hub.

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7. Sree Charani Sets an All-Time High in ICC Women’s T20I Bowling Rankings

India’s left-arm spinner Sree Charani reached 817 rating points in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20 International (T20I) bowling rankings, the highest rating ever recorded by a woman bowler in the format. She passed the previous record of 806, held by Australia’s Megan Schutt since November 2018. Charani, already the world number one, took 12 wickets at the Women’s Asia Cup, where India won a record eighth title, and then starred in the Asian Games gold-medal campaign. Her figures of two for 13 in the Asian Games final against Sri Lanka pushed her rating to its peak.

Static GK

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and was founded in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference.
• Before Charani, the highest rating ever by an Indian across batting and bowling in women’s T20Is was Mithali Raj’s 780 batting points in 2011.
• India won the Women’s Asia Cup for a record eighth time, beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final at Dubai.
• Deepti Sharma, the leading wicket-taker of the Asia Cup with 14 wickets, sits second in the bowling rankings.
• The Women’s Asia Cup is organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

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Weekly Current Affairs 2026: Chess Highlights

8. Timur Turlov Elected as the Eighth President of FIDE

Kazakhstan Chess Federation chief Timur Turlov was elected the eighth President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) on 26 September at the FIDE General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. He won the second round of voting by 110 votes to 85 against Germany’s Wadim Rosenstein, after finishing first but one vote short of a majority in round one. Turlov, aged 38, becomes the first Kazakh to lead FIDE and will serve a four-year term to 2030. He succeeds Arkady Dvorkovich, who held the post from 2018 to 2026. Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who ran on Turlov’s ticket, was elected Deputy President.

Static GK

• FIDE stands for Fédération Internationale des Échecs (International Chess Federation); it was founded on 20 July 1924 in Paris.
• FIDE’s headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its motto is “Gens una sumus” (We are one family).
• The first official Chess Olympiad was held in London in 1927.
• Viswanathan Anand became India’s first Grandmaster in 1988 and was the first chess player to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
• The Russian and Rwandan chess federations were suspended and could not vote in this election.

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9. India Win Silver and Bronze at the 46th Chess Olympiad and Retain the Gaprindashvili Trophy

The 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand ended on 27 September with India finishing second in the Open section and third in the Women’s section. Uzbekistan won Open gold on home soil, while India and Germany both ended on 18 points, and India took silver on the tie-break. In the Women’s section China won gold, Kazakhstan took silver and India secured bronze after a 2-2 draw with Georgia. Together, the two medals earned India the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy, awarded for the best combined performance across both sections, for the third straight edition. Savitha Shri won an individual gold medal on her board.

Static GK

• The Open section trophy is the Hamilton-Russell Cup, and the Women’s section trophy is the Vera Menchik Cup.
• The Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy was created by FIDE in 1997 and honours the Georgian chess legend of that name.
• India hosted the 2022 Chess Olympiad at Chennai (Mahabalipuram) and won double gold at Budapest in 2024.
• The 2026 Olympiad was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 15 to 27 September, with 11 rounds in both sections.
• Uzbekistan won the Open title for the second time, after its first win at Chennai in 2022.

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10. Bodhana Sivanandan Becomes the Youngest Woman Grandmaster at 11

Eleven-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, a British player of Indian origin, became the youngest player in history to fulfil the requirements for the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title. She secured her third and final norm while playing on top board for England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, scoring 8 out of 11. The record had been held by Kateryna Lagno, who earned the title at 12. Bodhana also picked up another International Master (IM) norm in the same event. In August 2025 she had become the youngest female player to beat a Grandmaster, and in 2026 she became Britain’s youngest women’s champion.

Static GK

• The Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title is awarded for three title norms plus a minimum rating, and is a women-only title below the open Grandmaster (GM) title.
• Hou Yifan of China remains the youngest woman to earn the open GM title, which she achieved at the age of 12.
• Bodhana’s father moved from India to the United Kingdom in 2007, and she represents England.
• The International Master (IM) title is an open title available to both men and women.
• Viswanathan Anand was India’s first Grandmaster, in 1988, and Koneru Humpy was a Grandmaster at 15, among the youngest of her time.

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Weekly Current Affairs 2026: Reports, Rankings and Appointments

11. India Rise to 31st Place in the WEF Travel and Tourism Development Index 2026

India climbed to 31st among 110 economies in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2026, published on 25 September. Japan topped the list, followed by the United States and Spain, while Mali ranked last at 110th. India scored 4.42 out of 7, and reports describe an improvement of nine places. India’s strengths are price competitiveness, cultural resources and natural attractions, while workforce skills, environmental sustainability and tourism infrastructure were flagged as areas to improve. The index was prepared with the Zurich Insurance Group and ranks 110 economies, down from 119 in the previous edition.

Static GK

• The TTDI evolved from the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), published every two years from 2007 to 2019, and was relaunched in its current form in 2022.
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and was founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab.
• The TTDI measures the conditions that enable sustainable tourism development, not the number of tourists or the money they spend.
• The top five economies are Japan, the United States, Spain, Australia and France.
• World Tourism Day is observed every year on 27 September, and the 2026 theme was “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”, with El Salvador as host country.

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12. Mandeep K. Bhandari Appointed the New Chairperson of CBSE

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed Mandeep K. Bhandari as the Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on 25 September. Bhandari is a 2001-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre and was serving as Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. The post was temporarily upgraded to the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary. He replaces Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, who held additional charge. The appointment makes him the third head of the board in under four months, following the On-Screen Marking (OSM) row over Class 12 evaluation.

Static GK

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) was first set up in 1929 and was reorganised on 1 July 1962.
• Its headquarters are in New Delhi, and its motto is “Asato Ma Sadgamaya” (Lead me from untruth to truth).
• CBSE functions under the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
• The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is an All India Service created under Article 312 of the Constitution.
• The AGMUT cadre brings together Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and the Union Territories under one cadre.

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13. India Finish 10th at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, a First Top-10 Place

India ranked 10th at the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China, which ended on 27 September. The team won six silver medals and 20 Medals for Excellence, up from 13th place at Lyon in 2024. India fielded its largest-ever contingent of 70 competitors across 63 skills and debuted in 11 new and emerging skill categories. The silver medals came in Bakery, Dental Prosthetics, Digital Interactive Media Design, Industrial Design Technology, Logistics and Freight Forwarding, and Retail Sales. Smriti Nambiar, the Bakery silver medallist, was named Best of Nation for India.

Static GK

• WorldSkills Competition is held every two years and is often described as the “Olympics of skills”.
• India has been a member of WorldSkills International since 2007.
• India’s participation is coordinated by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
• The Skill India Mission was launched on 15 July 2015 (World Youth Skills Day).
• More than 1,400 competitors from nearly 70 countries and regions took part in Shanghai.

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14. Fatima Zahra El Mansouri Becomes Morocco’s First Woman Prime Minister

King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Zahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first woman Prime Minister on 29 September, after her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the most seats in the parliamentary election held on 23 September. She is a 50-year-old lawyer who served as Housing and Urban Planning Minister and as Mayor of Marrakech. She has been asked to form a coalition government. Under Morocco’s constitution, the king must choose the head of government from the party that wins the most seats. She is also the second woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world, after Najla Bouden of Tunisia in 2021.

Static GK

• Morocco is a North African country; its capital is Rabat and its currency is the Moroccan dirham.
• Its largest city is Casablanca, and the Atlas Mountains run across the country.
• Morocco is a constitutional monarchy, and the king keeps wide powers over defence and foreign policy.
• Morocco will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
• Morocco lies along the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow waterway that separates it from Spain.

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Weekly Current Affairs 2026: Economy, Energy and Infrastructure

15. Cabinet Approves the ₹1.86 Lakh Crore PM-DHARA Scheme

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the PM-DHARA scheme (PM-Developing Harmonized and Accelerated Renewable-energy Access) on 30 September, with a total outlay of ₹1,86,405 crore. Of this, ₹1,36,378 crore is for intra-state transmission systems under Green Energy Corridor Phase-III (GEC-III), and ₹50,000 crore is for 50 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The scheme aims to evacuate up to 135 GW of renewable energy, with central financial support of ₹54,082 crore. State Transmission Utilities will implement it, and the target date is FY 2032-33. Private developers will take part through tariff-based competitive bidding.

Static GK

• GW (gigawatt) measures power capacity at a moment, while GWh (gigawatt-hour) measures how much energy a battery can store.
• BOOM stands for Build-Own-Operate-Maintain, the model under which private transmission developers will work.
• TBCB stands for Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding, which is how transmission projects are awarded.
• The Cabinet note links the scheme to the goal of 900 GW of non-fossil installed capacity by 2035.
• India’s separate target is 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, announced at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021.

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16. Foundation Stone Laid for India’s First Port-Based e-Methanol Plant at Kandla

The foundation stone for India’s first port-based e-methanol production plant was laid on 26 September at Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), Kandla, in Gujarat. The plant will have a capacity of 150 tonnes per day and an investment of about ₹2,300 crore. It is a joint initiative of DPA and Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited (APCL) of Namrup, Assam. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the stone. It will use renewable power, water and biogenic carbon dioxide to make green marine fuel, and is expected to create over 3,500 jobs.

Static GK

• Kandla Port, renamed Deendayal Port in 2017, is located on the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat and was developed after Partition when Karachi went to Pakistan.
• E-methanol is made by combining green hydrogen with captured carbon dioxide, and it can replace conventional marine fuel.
• The National Green Hydrogen Mission was launched in January 2023 to make India a global hub for green hydrogen.
• Deendayal Port is also being developed as a Green Hydrogen Hub.
• The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is led by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

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17. India’s First LNG-Diesel Dual-Fuel Train Flagged Off from Sabarmati

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel flagged off India’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-powered train from Sabarmati railway station, Ahmedabad, on 27 September. The train is a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) with two 1,400 horsepower Driving Power Cars converted to run on both diesel and LNG. It can replace up to 40 per cent of diesel with LNG, cutting fuel cost and emissions. Each power car carries an LNG tank of about 2,200 litres, and the converted cars completed over 2,000 km of trials. The first commercial run was set for Sabarmati to Mahesana, with the regular route to be decided later.

Static GK

• LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) is natural gas, mainly methane, cooled to about minus 162 degrees Celsius so that it turns into a liquid.
• DEMU stands for Diesel Electric Multiple Unit, a self-propelled train that does not need a separate locomotive.
• Indian Railways aims to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030.
• Kavach is India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, and it was introduced on the Sabarmati-Kalol section during the same programme.
• Sabarmati is in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and its station is being redeveloped as a major transport hub.

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18. Four Ports Notified as India’s First “Mega Ports”

On 25 September, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways notified four ports as mega ports under Section 73 of the Indian Ports Act, 2025: Deendayal (Kandla) in Gujarat, Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva) in Maharashtra, Paradip in Odisha and Mundra in Gujarat. The first three are major ports under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021. Mundra is run by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and is not a major port, so it was notified under a different sub-section. Paradip is the only mega port on the east coast. Reports say the status is valid for five years and subject to periodic review.

Static GK

• The Indian Ports Act, 2025 replaced the colonial-era Indian Ports Act, 1908.
• The Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 replaced the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963, and turned port trusts into Port Authority Boards.
• Mundra is the largest privately owned port in India.
• Paradip handled a record 156.45 million tonnes of cargo in 2025-26.
• Becoming a mega port does not change a port’s legal status as a “major” port or a “port other than major”.

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19. Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 2026 Comes into Force from 1 October

The Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 2026 came into force on 1 October 2026, replacing the 135-year-old Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891. The President gave assent on 13 August 2026, and the Finance Ministry’s notification of 10 September fixed the start date. The new law is technology-neutral and recognises banking records kept in physical, electronic, digital, virtual and cloud-based forms, including those at backup and disaster recovery sites. It allows simplified certification using manual, digital or electronic signatures. It requires a court to record a “special cause” in writing before summoning bank officials or compelling production of original books, and it lets the Centre extend the law to other financial entities.

Static GK

• The 1891 Act was enacted in the colonial era, when banking records were entirely paper-based.
• India’s electronic evidence rules now sit in the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023, which replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, from 1 July 2024.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established on 1 April 1935 and has its headquarters in Mumbai.
• The Centre can extend the Act by notification to other financial entities such as Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
• Post Office Savings Banks remain covered by the Act, along with commercial banks.

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20. Apple Pay Launches in India with Axis Bank as First Partner

Apple Pay launched in India on 30 September 2026, with Axis Bank as its first banking partner. At launch it works only with eligible Axis Bank credit cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks, on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. RuPay cards, debit cards and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) are not supported yet, and other banks are expected to follow. Cards can be added through the Wallet app or the Axis Bank app. Apple Pay reached India about twelve years after its US launch. The Reserve Bank of India’s rules, in force since 1 April 2026, accept device-based biometrics such as Face ID as an authentication factor.

Static GK

• Apple was founded on 1 April 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.
• Axis Bank was founded in 1993 as UTI Bank, renamed Axis Bank in 2007, and is headquartered in Mumbai; Amitabh Chaudhry is its MD and CEO.
• Apple Pay uses Near Field Communication (NFC) and tokenisation, so the real card number is not shared with the merchant.
• RuPay is India’s domestic card network, run by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• Axis Bank is the fourth-largest credit card issuer in India by cards outstanding.

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Weekly Current Affairs 2026: Polity, Heritage and Culture

21. UPSC Completes 100 Years: Centenary Celebrations at Bharat Mandapam

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) completed 100 years on 1 October 2026, marking a century since the first Public Service Commission was set up in 1926. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the culminating event at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, and released a commemorative coin, a commemorative stamp and a book titled “100 Landmark Judgements: Shaping the Policies of UPSC and Public Service Commissions in India”. The two-day programme, “Shatabdi Samaroh: Manthan”, began on 30 September. It wrapped up a year-long celebration that started on 1 October 2025, and discussions covered future-ready civil services and innovation in public administration.

Static GK

• The Lee Commission (1924) recommended a Public Service Commission, and the Federal Public Service Commission was set up in 1926.
• It became the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) when the Constitution came into force in 1950.
• Article 315 provides for Public Service Commissions for the Union and the States, and Article 320 lists their functions.
• Members of UPSC are appointed by the President, and the Chairman’s term is six years or until the age of 65, whichever is earlier.
• UPSC’s headquarters, Dholpur House, is in New Delhi.

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22. Five New Sites Added to India’s UNESCO Tentative List, Taking the Total to 78

India added five properties to its Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage, taking the total to 78. Four are in Madhya Pradesh: the Bagh Cave Paintings (Dhar), the Group of Temples of the Chambal Valley (Morena), the Udaigiri Caves (Vidisha) and Ginnorgarh Fort. The fifth is “Sites of Satyagraha”, a serial transnational proposal with South Africa. It includes Pietermaritzburg Station and Phoenix Settlement in South Africa, and seven Indian sites such as Sabarmati Ashram, Sevagram Ashram, Mani Bhavan and Aga Khan Palace. Remember that a Tentative List entry is not a World Heritage Site; it only allows a future nomination.

Static GK

• A site must be on the Tentative List before India can submit a formal nomination dossier for World Heritage status.
• The Udaigiri Caves were carved mainly under Gupta patronage between the late 4th and early 5th centuries.
• The Bagh Caves have nine rock-cut Buddhist caves from roughly the 4th to 6th centuries CE, and Cave 4 is famous as Rang Mahal.
• Ginnorgarh Fort was the main fortified capital of the Raj Gond rulers and lies in the Ratapani region of Madhya Pradesh.
• The World Heritage Convention was adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

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23. Mandar of Jharkhand Receives a Geographical Indication (GI) Tag

The traditional folk instrument Mandar of Jharkhand received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the GI Registry in Chennai, in news reported on 28-29 September. The application was filed on 24 September 2021 by the Raidih Mandar Producer Company from Jarjatta village in Gumla district, and it is registered as a handicraft. Mandar is a double-headed percussion instrument, with a cylindrical body made of locally sourced red clay and leather-covered openings. A paste called Kiran is applied on the smaller opening, and it is used in tribal and folk music, festivals and dances. Jharkhand’s earlier GI products include Sohrai-Khovar painting and Koderma’s Kesariya Kalakand.

Static GK

• GI products are protected in India under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, which came into force in 2003.
• Darjeeling Tea was the first product to get a GI tag in India (2004-05).
• A GI registration is valid for 10 years and can be renewed.
• The GI Registry is based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Globally, GI protection falls under the World Trade Organization’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.

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Weekly Current Affairs 2026: Defence and Security

24. KAZIND-2026: India-Kazakhstan Joint Military Exercise Begins in Oskemen

The ninth edition of the India-Kazakhstan joint military exercise KAZIND began on 28 September at Oskemen, Kazakhstan, and runs until 11 October 2026. A 60-member Indian contingent, drawn mainly from a battalion of the Garhwal Rifles along with personnel from other arms and the Indian Air Force, is taking part, and Kazakhstan has fielded a contingent of similar size. The focus is counter-terrorism in semi-urban and mountainous terrain, with joint planning, air mobility and the use of drones and counter-drone systems. Troops will train in raids, search-and-destroy missions and heliborne operations, ending with a validation exercise.

Static GK

• The exercise began in 2016 as “Exercise Prabal Dostyk” and was renamed KAZIND after the second edition.
• It was later upgraded to a bi-service exercise by adding an Air Force component.
• Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country, and its capital is Astana and currency is the tenge.
• The Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre is at Lansdowne, Uttarakhand.
• The exercise is conducted under a United Nations mandate for counter-terrorism in a sub-conventional environment.

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25. Second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2026) Held at Subic Bay, Philippines

The second edition of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2026) began on 28 September at Subic Bay, Philippines, and ran until 2 October under the theme “Anchored in Trust, United at Sea”. The Indian Navy and the Philippine Navy co-hosted it, with INS Sahyadri (stealth frigate) and INS Kulish (missile corvette) representing India alongside ships from ASEAN member states. The programme had a harbour phase, with expert exchanges on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, followed by sea drills off Zambales such as boarding operations and medical evacuation. The first edition was held in 2023, and 2026 is the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation.

Static GK

• ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; it was formed on 8 August 1967 through the Bangkok Declaration, and its secretariat is in Jakarta.
• The first AIME was held in Singapore and the South China Sea in 2023.
• The Philippines holds the ASEAN chair in 2026.
• MAHASAGAR stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, India’s maritime vision.
• The exercise supports India’s Act East Policy.

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MCQ Test: Weekly Current Affairs, 28 September to 4 October 2026

1. How many medals did India win at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya?
(a) 75 (b) 85 (c) 95 (d) 107
Answer: (b) 85

2. Which shooter won India’s first individual gold medal at the Asian Games 2026?
(a) Manu Bhaker (b) Esha Singh (c) Neeru Dhanda (d) Aashima Ahlawat
Answer: (c) Neeru Dhanda

3. Which country did India’s women’s compound archery team beat in the Asian Games 2026 gold-medal match?
(a) South Korea (b) China (c) Japan (d) Thailand
Answer: (b) China

4. India’s men’s hockey team beat which country in the Asian Games 2026 final?
(a) Pakistan (b) South Korea (c) Malaysia (d) Japan
Answer: (c) Malaysia

5. Shubman Gill reached his double century in how many balls, a new ODI record?
(a) 126 (b) 117 (c) 133 (d) 150
Answer: (b) 117

6. Whose record did Shubman Gill break for the fastest ODI double century?
(a) Rohit Sharma (b) Virender Sehwag (c) Ishan Kishan (d) Glenn Maxwell
Answer: (c) Ishan Kishan

7. Who became the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to score 15,000 ODI runs?
(a) Ricky Ponting (b) Virat Kohli (c) Rohit Sharma (d) Kumar Sangakkara
Answer: (b) Virat Kohli

8. Sree Charani reached which all-time record rating in the ICC Women’s T20I bowling rankings?
(a) 806 (b) 780 (c) 817 (d) 850
Answer: (c) 817

9. Who was elected the eighth President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE)?
(a) Arkady Dvorkovich (b) Timur Turlov (c) Viswanathan Anand (d) Wadim Rosenstein
Answer: (b) Timur Turlov

10. Where was the 46th Chess Olympiad held?
(a) Budapest (b) Chennai (c) Samarkand (d) Tashkent
Answer: (c) Samarkand

11. Which medals did India’s Open and Women’s teams win at the 46th Chess Olympiad?
(a) Gold and silver (b) Silver and bronze (c) Bronze and bronze (d) Gold and bronze
Answer: (b) Silver (Open) and bronze (Women)

12. Who became the youngest player to fulfil the Woman Grandmaster requirements, at 11 years of age?
(a) Divya Deshmukh (b) Savitha Shri (c) Bodhana Sivanandan (d) Koneru Humpy
Answer: (c) Bodhana Sivanandan

13. What was India’s rank in the WEF Travel and Tourism Development Index 2026?
(a) 39th (b) 35th (c) 31st (d) 25th
Answer: (c) 31st

14. Who was appointed the new Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)?
(a) Lokhande Prashant Sitaram (b) Rahul Singh (c) Mandeep K. Bhandari (d) Varun Bhardwaj
Answer: (c) Mandeep K. Bhandari

15. At which WorldSkills Competition did India finish 10th for the first time in the top 10?
(a) Lyon (b) Kazan (c) Shanghai (d) London
Answer: (c) Shanghai

16. Who became Morocco’s first woman Prime Minister?
(a) Najla Bouden (b) Fatima Zahra El Mansouri (c) Nezha Bidouane (d) Aziz Akhannouch
Answer: (b) Fatima Zahra El Mansouri

17. What is the total project outlay of the PM-DHARA scheme?
(a) ₹54,082 crore (b) ₹50,000 crore (c) ₹1,36,378 crore (d) ₹1,86,405 crore
Answer: (d) ₹1,86,405 crore

18. India’s first port-based e-methanol plant is being developed at which port?
(a) Mundra (b) Paradip (c) Deendayal (Kandla) (d) Jawaharlal Nehru Port
Answer: (c) Deendayal (Kandla)

19. From which railway station was India’s first LNG-diesel dual-fuel train flagged off?
(a) Gandhinagar (b) Sabarmati (c) Surat (d) Vadodara
Answer: (b) Sabarmati

20. Which of these was NOT notified as a mega port on 25 September 2026?
(a) Paradip (b) Mundra (c) Deendayal (Kandla) (d) Visakhapatnam
Answer: (d) Visakhapatnam

21. The Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 2026 replaced an Act of which year?
(a) 1872 (b) 1891 (c) 1949 (d) 1961
Answer: (b) 1891

22. Apple Pay launched in India with which bank as its first partner?
(a) HDFC Bank (b) ICICI Bank (c) State Bank of India (d) Axis Bank
Answer: (d) Axis Bank

23. In which year was the first Public Service Commission established, which UPSC marked as its centenary in 2026?
(a) 1919 (b) 1926 (c) 1935 (d) 1950
Answer: (b) 1926

24. How many sites are now on India’s UNESCO Tentative List after the five new additions?
(a) 73 (b) 75 (c) 78 (d) 82
Answer: (c) 78

25. The folk instrument Mandar, which received a GI tag, is associated with which state?
(a) Odisha (b) Jharkhand (c) Chhattisgarh (d) Bihar
Answer: (b) Jharkhand

26. The ninth edition of KAZIND-2026 is being held in which country?
(a) Uzbekistan (b) Kyrgyzstan (c) Kazakhstan (d) India
Answer: (c) Kazakhstan

27. Where was the second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2026) held?
(a) Singapore (b) Subic Bay, Philippines (c) Jakarta, Indonesia (d) Visakhapatnam, India
Answer: (b) Subic Bay, Philippines

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Quick Revision Table

No.	Topic	Key Facts to Remember
1	Asian Games 2026 medal tally	India 4th; 85 medals (21 gold, 27 silver, 37 bronze); Aichi-Nagoya, Japan; 19 September to 4 October
2	Neeru Dhanda	Women’s trap individual gold; Haryana; qualification 118; final score 28; first Indian woman with individual trap medal
3	Women’s compound archery	Beat China 238-234; equalled world record; Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi, Prithika Pradeep
4	Team sport golds	Men’s cricket beat Pakistan by 19 runs; men’s hockey beat Malaysia 5-1; men’s kabaddi beat Iran 40-34
5	Shubman Gill	223 not out off 133 balls; 200 in 117 balls; broke Ishan Kishan’s 126-ball record; Guwahati, 30 September
6	Virat Kohli	15,000 ODI runs; fastest; second after Tendulkar; 139 not out; 55th ODI hundred; Thiruvananthapuram, 27 September
7	Sree Charani	817 rating points; previous record 806 by Megan Schutt (2018); Women’s Asia Cup eighth title
8	FIDE President	Timur Turlov (Kazakhstan); eighth President; 110-85 vote; term to 2030; Anand elected Deputy President
9	46th Chess Olympiad	Samarkand, Uzbekistan; India Open silver, Women’s bronze; Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy retained
10	Bodhana Sivanandan	Youngest Woman Grandmaster requirement fulfilled at 11; plays for England; previous record Kateryna Lagno
11	Travel and Tourism Development Index 2026	India 31st of 110; score 4.42; Japan first, United States second, Spain third; Mali last
12	CBSE Chairperson	Mandeep K. Bhandari; 2001-batch AGMUT IAS officer; replaced Lokhande Prashant Sitaram
13	WorldSkills Shanghai 2026	India 10th; 6 silver and 20 Medals for Excellence; 70 competitors; 48th edition
14	Morocco	Fatima Zahra El Mansouri; first woman Prime Minister; Authenticity and Modernity Party; capital Rabat
15	PM-DHARA scheme	Outlay ₹1,86,405 crore; 135 GW renewable energy evacuation; 50 GWh battery storage; central support ₹54,082 crore; FY 2032-33
16	Kandla e-methanol plant	First port-based e-methanol plant; 150 tonnes per day; about ₹2,300 crore; Deendayal Port with Assam Petro-Chemicals
17	LNG-diesel train	First of its kind; Sabarmati, Gujarat; two 1,400 horsepower power cars; up to 40 per cent diesel replaced
18	Mega ports	Deendayal (Kandla), Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Paradip, Mundra; Indian Ports Act, 2025, Section 73; notified 25 September
19	Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 2026	In force 1 October 2026; replaced 1891 Act; assent 13 August; technology-neutral records
20	Apple Pay India	Launched 30 September; Axis Bank credit cards on Visa and Mastercard only; no RuPay or Unified Payments Interface at launch
21	UPSC centenary	1 October 1926 to 2026; Bharat Mandapam event “Manthan”; coin, stamp and book released
22	UNESCO Tentative List	78 sites; five additions: Bagh Caves, Chambal Valley Temples, Udaigiri Caves, Ginnorgarh Fort, Sites of Satyagraha
23	Mandar GI tag	Jharkhand; double-headed red-clay percussion instrument; application filed 24 September 2021; Gumla district
24	KAZIND-2026	Ninth edition; Oskemen, Kazakhstan; 28 September to 11 October; 60-member Indian contingent
25	AIME-2026	Second edition; Subic Bay, Philippines; theme “Anchored in Trust, United at Sea”; INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish

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Download the PDF and Get Ready for Next Week

That is a wrap on this week’s current affairs. If you want a quick revision copy, download the PDF version of this post from the Rozgar Official Telegram channel (@rozgarofficial) and keep it handy for your last-minute revision. Next week, we will track the closing days of KAZIND-2026, which ends on 11 October, and the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which comes into force on 20 October, along with all the other news that matters for your exams. Keep practising, and see you in the next edition.

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