Govt Initiatives Current Affairs September 2026

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved higher minimum support prices for all six mandated Rabi crops of marketing season 2027-28, with returns over the cost of production ranging from 50% to 106%. Safflower got the steepest rise — up Rs 675 to Rs 7,215 a quintal — followed by rapeseed and mustard (up Rs 413 to Rs 6,613) and lentil or masur (up Rs 390 to Rs 7,390). Wheat, the largest Rabi crop, rose only Rs 25 to Rs 2,610 while barley gained Rs 136 to Rs 2,286. MSP is fixed on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) launched the Livestock Insurance Portal in New Delhi on 28 September 2026. Developed by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), it brings policy issuance, claim processing, tracking, monitoring and reporting onto a single digital interface for animals covered by the Livestock Insurance Scheme. The portal is available in 13 languages — Hindi, English and 11 regional languages. Livestock Insurance is an activity under the Sub-Mission on Research & Development, Livestock Insurance, Extension and Innovation of the National Livestock Mission, with beneficiaries paying 15% of the premium and government support covering the rest.

The Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2026 campaign began across India on 17 September 2026 and runs for one month until 17 October 2026, on the theme "Swachhata Mein Sahbhag; Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat." It is organised jointly by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Department of Urban Development under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The campaign rests on five pillars, including Swachh Paathshala for youth engagement and SafaiMitra Suraksha Evam Samman Shivir for sanitation workers. A nationwide shramdaan, "Ek Din, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath," is scheduled for 1 October 2026.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of the Ministry of Rural Development released the Operational Guidelines for the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) 3.0 on 10 September 2026 at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. Now a Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs 565.50 crore for 2026-31, it will build an integrated GIS-based land stack. Its components include Bhu-Aadhaar or ULPIN, a 14-digit unique identifier for every land parcel; upgrading 75 high-footfall Sub-Registrar Offices into Registration Seva Kendras modelled on Passport Seva Kendras; modernising the Revenue Court Case Management System; and scaling the NAKSHA urban survey pilot that issues Urban Property Cards.

The 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah will be launched on 9 September 2026 at the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, by Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi, with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also attending. The month-long national nutrition campaign runs through September under the Poshan Abhiyaan framework, with the 2026 theme 'Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Jimmedari'. Its five focus areas are dietary diversity and adequate protein, fresh and diverse hot cooked meals, community ownership, nutrition and early childhood development, and the tenth year of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana. Programme support comes from Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.

Chhattisgarh secured the first position nationally in the third phase of Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB 3.0), the community-driven water conservation programme run under the Ministry of Jal Shakti's Catch the Rain campaign. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai presented the state model at a national summit in New Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The state completed 77,719 of 79,775 registered structures, improving on second-place finishes in JSJB 1.0 and 2.0. Five districts — Surajpur, Mahasamund, Balod, Balodabazar-Bhatapara and Kabirdham — entered India's top ten, while Koriya district's '5 Per Cent Model' earmarks five per cent of farmland for recharge works. India targets 2 crore new structures by 31 May 2027.

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) completed eight years on 23 September 2026 with over 60 crore beneficiaries, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 September 2018 from Ranchi, Jharkhand, it is the world's largest government-funded health assurance scheme, giving Rs 5 lakh per family a year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation. As a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, funding is 60:40 with states, 90:10 for North-Eastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir, and 100% central for UTs without a legislature. Coverage widened after West Bengal joined as the 36th State/UT in June 2026.

India launched the Biovigilance Programme of India (BvPI) in New Delhi on 21 September 2026, announced during the 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week. Biovigilance is a safety-monitoring system for adverse reactions linked to biological products; in India the programme covers medicines and biological materials used in organ and tissue transplantation. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) will lead monitoring of transplant-related adverse events. BvPI completes a three-pillar safety architecture alongside the existing Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (drugs) and Materiovigilance Programme (medical devices). On the same day, the 7th edition of the National Formulary of India and its digital version were released at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

India introduced its first national minimum standards for mortuary and post-mortem infrastructure on 30 August 2026, finalised by the National Council for Clinical Establishments (NCCE) under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in line with the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010. The standards replace fragmented state-level medico-legal practices with a single national framework applying to hospitals in states and UTs that have adopted the Act. They mandate ground-floor placement, ending basement morgues, cold storage at 4-8 degrees Celsius with unique body identification, separation of medico-legal cases, and an autopsy block of about 4,000 sq ft including a 2,000 sq ft operating area.

The National Steering Committee (NSC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship approved a Rs 320 crore Strategic Investment Plan for the Kurukshetra ITI Cluster in Haryana under PM-SETU — Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs. Built on PM-SETU's hub-and-spoke model, the cluster integrates seven government ITIs into a single skilling ecosystem. Jindal Naveen Avsar Limited is the anchor industry partner, working with the Haryana government on practical training, apprenticeships and placements; it also anchors the Barbil ITI Cluster in Odisha (Rs 240 crore). Cumulative PM-SETU investment now stands at Rs 2,491 crore across 10 ITI clusters.

On 19 September 2026 Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed more than 51,000 appointment letters to newly recruited youth at the 20th Rozgar Mela, held simultaneously at 45 locations across India through video conferencing. The recruits will join Union ministries and departments including Revenue, Railways, Home Affairs, Health and Family Welfare, Financial Services and Defence, in administrative, technical and support roles. With this edition the cumulative number of appointment letters issued under the initiative reached about 12.75 lakh. Union Minister Giriraj Singh was chief guest at the Patna event in Bihar. The government linked the drive to the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana for private-sector job creation.

NIELIT, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), launched a collaboration with Saylor University of the United States to integrate Saylor's self-paced digital learning resources into the NIELIT Digital University (NDU) platform, giving Indian learners access to global courses alongside domestic ones. MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan inaugurated the partnership in New Delhi. At the same event NIELIT signed memoranda of understanding with eight partner organisations from industry, academia and trade associations - among them CII, NASSCOM, the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India and Pearson India - to widen industry-aligned skilling, certification, faculty development and internships on the NDU platform.

UIDAI held Aadhaar Samvaad in Kolkata on 29 September 2026, marking the 17th Aadhaar Day, with more than 600 stakeholders attending. Union Minister of State Jitin Prasada unveiled the revamped UIDAI website, and CEO Saurabh Vijay said residents remain central to UIDAI's work. Five initiatives were launched: Face Authentication for ePDS, built with the Department of Food and Public Distribution and NIC; SWIK Portal 2.0 for non-government entities seeking authentication approval; the Sub-AUA/Sub-KUA (LITE) framework for low-volume users; a new Token Management System for UIDAI offices; and the revamped website, now in 13 languages with 23 planned.

Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), under the Department of Telecommunications, signed an agreement with the Government of Jharkhand to implement the Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP) under the state-led model, with Centre-approved support of Rs 1,684 crore. Signed at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi along with BSNL, Jharkhand Communication Network Limited and the newly created special purpose vehicle Jharkhand Digital Infrastructure Corporation Limited (JDICL), it covers 4,395 gram panchayats - upgrading 4,387 from linear to ring topology and adding 8 new ones - plus on-demand connectivity for about 26,777 villages. It follows the Rs 3,942 crore state-led BharatNet agreement DBN signed with Chhattisgarh in August 2026.

The Union Cabinet on 30 September 2026 approved Green Energy Corridor Phase-III (GEC-III) with a total outlay of Rs 1,86,405 crore, announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Of this, Rs 1,36,378 crore goes to Intra-State Transmission Systems and Rs 50,000 crore to 50 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems, with Central Financial Assistance of Rs 54,082 crore. The scheme will evacuate up to 135 GW of renewable power by FY 2032-33 through 51,126 circuit km of lines and 2,28,903 MVA of transformation capacity. Greenfield projects use Tariff Based Competitive Bidding on the BOOM model, with State Transmission Utilities implementing and funds allocated in challenge mode.

The foundation stone for India's first port-based e-methanol production facility was laid at Kandla in Gujarat, a project carrying an investment of about Rs 2,300 crore. E-methanol is a low-carbon e-fuel made by combining green hydrogen produced from renewable electricity with captured or recycled carbon dioxide, and is being promoted as a drop-in marine fuel as global shipping moves to cut emissions. Siting it at a port links green hydrogen output directly to bunkering demand, reinforcing the same maritime-infrastructure push that saw Deendayal Port at Kandla and Paradip both designated Mega Ports under the Indian Ports Act, 2025.

NITI Aayog launched the Platform for Aggregating Clean Transport (PACT) along with a complementary Zero-Emission Truck (ZET) marketplace at the 5th e-FAST India Summit in New Delhi. e-FAST stands for Electric-Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport. PACT aggregates freight demand from shippers, logistics service providers and other stakeholders and converts that demand into deployment opportunities along identified freight corridors, tackling the chicken-and-egg problem of e-truck adoption. The ZET marketplace is an interactive business-engagement platform linking e-truck manufacturers, logistics providers, charge point operators, financiers and technology firms. The move complements India's net-zero-by-2070 target and the wider clean-mobility push under FAME and PM E-DRIVE.

Government e-Marketplace (GeM), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Textiles Committee, under the Ministry of Textiles, signed an MoU to push recycled and upcycled textile products through government procurement. It was signed by GeM Additional CEO Ajit B. Chavan and Textiles Committee Secretary Kartikay Dhanda during the Committee's 62nd Foundation Day in Mumbai. The aim is a 'Waste-to-Value-to-Market' ecosystem: the Committee will certify producers and provide standardisation and capacity building, while GeM handles category creation, onboarding and market linkages through a hub-and-spoke model supporting women, MSMEs, artisans and recyclers.

The Ministry of Steel announced the creation of the Steel Industry Safety Council (SISC), an apex body to tighten safety standards and accident prevention across India's steel sector. It is chaired by Sandeep Poundrik, Secretary, Ministry of Steel, with members from the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), PESO, the NDMA, steel company CEOs and technical institutions. A parallel Steel Industry Safety Directorate (SISD) will provide technical support, run audits and investigate incidents. The move matters because India is the world's second-largest crude steel producer, and the National Steel Policy 2017 targets 300 million tonnes of capacity by 2030-31 — expansion that raises the stakes on plant safety.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) launched the next phase of the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme by signing 22 Memoranda of Understanding with States and Union Territories at The Ashok, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Union Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu inaugurated the event alongside MoS Murlidhar Mohol, Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and AAI Chairman Vipin Kumar. MoCA also launched a Challenge Mode Portal for Aerodrome Development, letting States nominate airstrips and helipads for upgradation, and released the scheme document for the next round of UDAN route bidding, under which airlines will competitively bid for identified regional routes to boost connectivity, tourism, trade and employment.

The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways launched the One Tag system on 11 September 2026 at the Global Fintech Fest 2026 in Mumbai. Working much like mobile number portability, it lets FASTag users switch the backend issuing bank digitally through NHAI's Rajmarg Yatra mobile app, without removing or replacing the windshield sticker; earlier, users had to close the old account and buy a fresh tag. About 13 crore FASTags have been issued and digital collection now covers over 98% of national highway user fees. NHAI is targeting under 10 seconds average waiting time at toll plazas and is developing AI-driven barrier-free tolling.

On 9 September 2026 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved eight multitracking projects of the Ministry of Railways worth Rs 20,804 crore, covering 31 districts across nine states. Five projects costing Rs 10,021 crore span 17 districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, improving connectivity for 2,121 villages and about 52 lakh people. The other three, worth Rs 10,783 crore, cover 14 districts in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and add roughly 656 km to the network. The clearances came in the same week the WDFC was completed.

DPIIT's National Single Window System had onboarded more than 5.69 lakh business entities by 21 September 2026, five years after launching as a one-stop portal for business approvals. NSWS lets investors identify, apply for and track business approvals through a single interface. It was launched on 22 September 2021 and is implemented by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The platform now handles more than 3.06 lakh applications and facilitates over 2.26 lakh approvals a year. It advances Ease of Doing Business by cutting paperwork, repeated submissions, compliance burden and approval time.

On 17 September 2026 the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Scheme completed three years of implementation, crossing 30 lakh registrations. The Ministry of MSME marked the anniversary at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium in Kolkata, West Bengal. The scheme gives end-to-end support to traditional artisans across 18 identified trades — skill training with a Rs 500 per day stipend, a Rs 15,000 toolkit incentive via e-voucher, and collateral-free Enterprise Development Loans of up to Rs 3 lakh in two tranches at a concessional 5% interest rate, supported by an 8% Government of India interest subvention. It is implemented jointly by MoMSME, MSDE and the Department of Financial Services.

The Ministry of Education, with the Ministry of External Affairs, organised the Bharat Innovates Exposition on 11-12 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, alongside the 18th BRICS Summit under India's chairship. 37 Indian deep-tech startups, spanning artificial intelligence, solar technology and allied fields, presented home-grown innovations to BRICS investors and business leaders through structured B2B matchmaking. The 37 were shortlisted from the 120 ventures that took part in the first Bharat Innovates exposition at Nice, France. Bharat Innovates is the Education Ministry's national programme to act as a global accelerator for innovations from India's higher-education ecosystem.

The Ministry of Coal, with Coal India Limited (CIL), launched a Comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Framework for Indian coal companies in New Delhi in September 2026 - the first sector-specific CSR framework since the Companies Act, 2013 made CSR spending mandatory. Prepared by the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, it aims to make CSR activities transparent, measurable and outcome-oriented, with targeted benefits for communities in coal-mining regions. The event also marked milestones under the coal sector's flagship child-health initiatives Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY) and Nanha Sa Dil.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh launched BIO-NIVESH in New Delhi in September 2026, a strategic platform connecting biotechnology startups with investors to raise private capital for innovations ready for scale-up and commercialisation. Unlike a conventional pitching event, it is designed as a two-way engagement mechanism — helping startups understand investor expectations while giving investors insight into biotechnology's scientific, regulatory and development pathways. The inaugural edition brought together 20 high-potential biotechnology and deep-tech startups and around 50 investors, selected on innovation, development stage, market potential, scalability and regulatory readiness, linking science, capital, industry and markets.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) introduced automated issuance of Free Sale and Commerce Certificates (FSC) through Trade Notice No. 24/2026-2027. The facility applies to exporters seeking certificates under Paragraph 2.34 of the Handbook of Procedures for products outside the scope of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940. Eligible online applications meeting all system parameters now receive certificates generated automatically, replacing routine manual examination and approval by Regional Authorities. Applications failing the automated checks, or needing extra verification, still go to the concerned Regional Authority. A post-approval review mechanism under risk-management parameters covers selected auto-approved cases, extending DGFT's paperless trade-facilitation push.

The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) completed six years on 10 September 2026, a milestone in modernising India's fisheries sector. Launched in 2020 with an outlay of Rs 20,050 crore, it was originally a five-year scheme (FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25) and was later extended through FY 2025-26, taking total implementation to six years. It is implemented by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, as an umbrella scheme combining Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored components. Budget Estimates for 2026-27 allocate a record Rs 2,500 crore, underpinning India's standing as the world's second-largest fish producer.

On 1 September 2026, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment signed an MoU in New Delhi with the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission to roll out the nationwide 'Creating Intergenerational Bonding' initiative connecting children, parents and grandparents. The Ramakrishna Mission is the implementing partner, and the scalable model will be piloted in 200 schools through co-learning games, a bilingual resource platform and teacher certification. Signed in the presence of Union Minister Virendra Kumar, the programme complements existing senior-citizen schemes such as Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) and the Elderline national helpline.

TRAI notified the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on 22 September 2026, requiring telecom operators to offer more voice- and SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) for subscribers who do not need bundled data. Operators must match every validity period of 30 days or less offered for bundled STVs with a voice/SMS-only option, provide at least one STV renewable on the same date each month, and price these with a largely proportional reduction over bundled plans. The draft was issued on 7 April 2026, drew 1,132 stakeholder responses, and an Open House Discussion followed on 15 June 2026. It corrects the 2024 Twelfth Amendment.

MoSPI signed an MoU with the Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (TIET), Patiala on 31 August 2026 to develop a predictive and analytical framework for monthly consumption expenditure. It will use Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) data to estimate Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) at national and state levels, feeding poverty estimation and economic planning. It was signed by TIET Vice-Chancellor Prof. Padmakumar Nair and MoSPI Additional DG R. Rajesh, an early application of AI in India's official statistics. It follows the same ministry's Q1 FY27 GDP release and its shift to the revised 2022-23 national accounts series.