1. Social & Environmental Reports (MoSPI Releases)

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released two major publications during the 29th Conference of Central and State Statistical Organizations (CoCSSO) held in Chandigarh.

A. ‘Children in India 2025’ (4th Edition)

This report provides vital demographics and statistical insights into child welfare and health trends in India:

• Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): India has registered a sharp decline in IMR, dropping from 44 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2011 to 25 in 2023.
  • Gender breakdown (2023): Male IMR stands at 26; Female IMR stands at 25.
• Birth Rate: According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) data, the national birth rate dipped from 19.1 (in 2022) to 18.4 per 1,000 population (in 2023).
• Adoption Trends: Legal child adoptions have seen a steady rise, growing from 3,927 in 2017-18 to 4,515 in 2024-25.

B. ‘Environmental Accounting on Forest – 2025’ (8th Edition)

This marks MoSPI's first-ever dedicated accounting report focused strictly on forest physical assets:

• Forest Cover Growth: India's total forest cover expanded by 17,444.61 sq. km, reaching a total of 7.15 lakh sq. km (accounting for 21.76% of India's total geographical area) between 2010-11 and 2021-22.
• Top Performing States: The highest physical asset growth in forest cover was recorded in Kerala (+4,137 sq. km), followed by Karnataka (+3,122 sq. km) and Tamil Nadu (+2,606 sq. km).
• Recorded Forest Area (RFA): Total RFA edged up slightly from 23.48% to 23.59%, driven by state-level increases in Uttarakhand (+6.3%), Odisha (+1.97%), and Jharkhand (+1.9%).

2. Infrastructure & Telecom Breakthroughs

PM Modi Unveils ₹60,000 Crore Projects in Jharsuguda, Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a massive array of multi-sectoral projects in Odisha covering education, rail connectivity, and skill development:

• Railways: Dedicated the key doubling lines of Koraput–Baiguda and Manabur–Koraput–Gorapur. Additionally, he flagged off the 1,700 km Amrit Bharat Express connecting Brahmapur (Odisha) and Udhna (Gujarat).
• IIT Expansion: Laid foundation stones worth ₹11,000 crores for infrastructure expansion across 8 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs): Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, Dharwad, Jodhpur, Patna, and Indore.
• Education & Skills: Launched the central MERITE Scheme (Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education) alongside Phase II of the Odisha Skill Development Project, establishing World Skill Centres in Sambalpur and Berhampur.

BSNL’s Swadeshi 4G Network Rollout

On BSNL's Silver Jubilee (25th Anniversary), PM Modi officially inaugurated BSNL's completely indigenous 'Swadeshi' 4G network in Jharsuguda, Odisha.

Global Milestone: With this homegrown stack, India enters an exclusive elite club of nations (alongside Sweden, Denmark, South Korea, and China) that build their own telecom core equipment.

                    ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
                    │      INDIA'S INDIGENOUS 4G STACK       │
                    └───────────────────┬────────────────────┘
                                        │
           ┌────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┐
           ▼                            ▼                            ▼
     Radio Network                 Core Network               System Integrator
    (RAN Equipment)             (Software & Cloud)          (Deployment & Setup)
     Tejas Network                    C-DoT                          TCS

• Infrastructure Scale: The project commissioned over 97,500 local 4G towers constructed at a cost of ~₹37,000 crore.
• 100% Saturation Goal: The mission-mode network links 29,000 to 30,000 previously uncovered villages into high-speed connectivity.

3. Environment & Heritage Global Recognitions

Himachal's Cold Desert Gets UNESCO Status

During the 37th session of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in Paris, India’s Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve (CDBR) in Himachal Pradesh was officially inducted into the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).

• Spanning 7,770 sq. km across the Lahaul-Spiti district, it becomes India's 13th Biosphere Reserve to get this prestigious global tag.

Two New Ramsar Sites Added

India added two freshwater wetlands from Bihar to the list of Wetlands of International Importance:

1. Gokul Jalashay (448 hectares) – Buxar district.
2. Udaipur Jheel (319 hectares) – West Champaran district.

Asia Leader: With these additions, India's total count stands at 93 Ramsar sites (covering 13,60,719 hectares). India now ranks 1st in Asia and 3rd globally for the total number of protected Ramsar wetlands, trailing only the UK (176) and Mexico (144).

4. Key Executive & Sports Appointments

Shirish Chandra Murmu Appointed RBI Deputy Governor

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Shirish Chandra Murmu as the new Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a 3-year term starting October 9, 2025.

• He succeeds M. Rajeshwar Rao, whose extended term concludes on October 8, 2025.
• Murmu, an executive insider who joined the RBI in 1991, will oversee banking regulation, financial markets, and monetary policy.

Mithun Manhas Elected 37th BCCI President

Former Delhi cricket captain Mithun Manhas was unanimously elected as the 37th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at its 94th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai.

• He succeeds Roger Binny, who stepped down in August 2025.
• Manhas is the third consecutive domestic/international cricketer to head the BCCI following Sourav Ganguly and Roger Binny.

5. Sports Highlights: Twin International Titles for India

India Lifts the 17th Men's Cricket Asia Cup 2025

India secured a record-extending 9th Asia Cup Title by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in a high-octane final at the Dubai International Stadium, UAE.

India Wins 2025 SAFF U-17 Football Championship

The Indian Under-17 Men's Football Team clinched their 7th SAFF U-17 title in Colombo, Sri Lanka, defeating Bangladesh in a thrilling penalty shootout.

• Match Score: Tied 2-2 in regulation time; India dominated the penalty shootout 4-1 at the Racecourse International Stadium.
• Head Coach: Bibiano Fernandes won his 5th career SAFF title as India's chief tactician. India also bagged the tournament's Fair Play Award.

6. Science, Culture & Defense Briefs

• IAF & IIT Ropar Partnership: The Maintenance Command of the Indian Air Force signed an MoU with IIT Ropar (Punjab) to co-develop indigenous technology solutions, advanced research prototypes, and feasibility frameworks to sustain complex weapon installations under Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• Indigenous SODAR System: On the 84th Foundation Day of CSIR, an indigenously built SODAR (Sound Detection and Ranging) system facility—designed by CSIR-AMPRI, Bhopal—was unveiled at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Delhi to enhance climate and environmental monitoring.
• New Eel Species Discovered: Researchers discovered a new species of finless snake eel off the Colachel coast in Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu. Named Apterichtus kanniyakumari, it increases the total number of cataloged eel species found along Indian coasts to 16.
• Unmesha Literature Festival: The 3rd edition of the Unmesha: International Literature Festival was held at the Samrat Ashok Convention Centre in Patna, Bihar. Organized by the Sahitya Akademi and the Ministry of Culture, it drew over 550 writers representing 100+ languages from 16 countries.

7. Important Days & Global Themes

International Deaf Day — September 28, 2025

• Details: Celebrated globally on the last Sunday of September. It concluded the International Week of Deaf People (Sept 22-28).
• Key Symbol: The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) highlighted the official Deaf Flag (designed by artist Arnaud Balard), featuring a layout of yellow (for life) and blue (for community and the planet).

International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) — September 28

• 2025 Theme: "Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age"
• Host City: The main international commemorative event was hosted in Manila, Philippines by UNESCO.

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) — September 29

• Details: Jointly organized by the FAO and UNEP to fulfill UN SDG Target 12.3 (halving per capita food waste globally by 2030).
• The Indian Scenario: Statistics highlight that Indian households collectively generate a massive 78.2 million tonnes of food waste annually, averaging around 55 kg per person each year.

8. State News: Nagaland Natural Fibre Pact

A 5-year multi-institutional MoU (running up to 2030-31) was signed in Kohima between the National Jute Board (NJB), Jute Corporation of India (JCI), ICAR-CRIJAF, and the Nagaland Agriculture Department. The project will cover 8 districts (including Peren, Dimapur, and Wokha) to commercially expand clean jute cultivation and establish advanced alternative natural fibre processing facilities for local farmers.