National Affairs

World Food India 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 4th edition of World Food India 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, running from September 25 to 28, 2025. The event aims to project India as the “Food Hub of the World.”

• Theme: "Processing for Prosperity"
• Partner Countries: New Zealand and Saudi Arabia.
• Focus Countries: Japan, UAE, Vietnam, and Russia.
• Focus States: Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Odisha.
• Major MoUs Signed:
  • Tata Consumer Products Limited (TCPL): Committed ₹2,000 crores over the next 5 years in the food processing sector.
  • Godrej Agrovet: Signed a non-binding MoU to invest ₹960 crores for new manufacturing, processing, and research facilities.

‘Swachh Shehar Jodi’ (SSJ) Initiative

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (MoHUA) launched the Swachh Shehar Jodi mentorship framework under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) in Sonipat, Haryana.

• Concept: Pairs 72 top-performing "mentor" cities (selected from the Super Swachh League rankings of Swachh Survekshan 2022–2024) with 200 low-performing "mentee" cities to share best practices in waste management and sanitation.

PRAYAS - Integrated Neuro Rehabilitation Centre

The Ministry of AYUSH launched India's first integrated Neuro Rehabilitation Centre at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in Goa.

• Occasion: 10th Ayurveda Day, inaugurated by Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav.
• Focus: Children with neurological and developmental conditions. It uniquely combines Ayurveda, Physiotherapy, Yoga, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and modern Pediatrics under one roof.

Banking & Finance

• RBI Eases Perpetual Debt & Small Business Loan Rules: The Reserve Bank of India raised the limits on foreign-currency or rupee-denominated Perpetual Debt Instruments (PDIs) issued overseas. Banks can now include these in their Additional Tier 1 (AT1) capital up to a maximum of 1.5% of their Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs). These directions come into effect on October 1, 2025.
• Bank of Baroda & IIFL Finance Co-Lending Pact: Signed an agreement to provide affordable gold loans for agriculture and allied activities, targeting unbanked populations in semi-urban and rural areas.
• Tata AIG & Equitas Small Finance Bank Bancassurance: Partnered to distribute non-life insurance products (motor, health, travel, personal accident) across Equitas' urban and rural networks.
• Axis Bank & Freecharge Gold-Backed Credit Line on UPI: Launched India's first gold-backed credit line on UPI following NPCI guidelines. It functions digitally as an overdraft facility where interest is charged only on the exact amount utilized.
• PhonePe & Mastercard 'Tap & Pay': Launched a contactless payment feature within the PhonePe app for Mastercard holders. Utilizing device-based tokenization, users can tap their NFC-enabled Android smartphones at physical PoS terminals.

Economy & Business

ADB Asian Development Outlook (September 2025)

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) released its latest economic outlook report:

• India GDP Forecast: Unchanged at 6.5% for FY2025–26, but the FY2026–27 estimate has been cut to 6.5% (down from 6.7%).
• Growth Triggers: India’s Q1 FY26 growth stood robust at 7.6% due to strong domestic public spending, but future growth faces headwind pressures from potential US tariffs impacting 60% of merchandise exports.
• Inflation Outlook: Expected to drop to 3.1% in FY26 due to falling food prices, before normalizing to 4.2% in FY27.

Tata Steel Decarbonisation Project (Netherlands)

Tata Steel signed a non-binding Joint Letter of Intent (JLoI) with the Netherlands government and the Province of North Holland to transition its Tata Steel Nederland (TSN) IJmuiden site into low-carbon operations.

• Funding: Up to €2 billion from the Dutch Government and €300 million from the EU Innovation Fund.
• Environmental Impact: Phase 1 will replace traditional blast furnaces with a Direct Reduction Plant (DRP) and Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), reducing carbon emissions by 5.4 million tonnes annually.

Appointments & Resignations

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by PM Modi, approved two major public sector banking heads for a 3-year term based on FSIB recommendations:

• Asheesh Pandey: Appointed MD & CEO of Union Bank of India (UBI). He transitions from his role as Executive Director at the Bank of Maharashtra and succeeds A. Manimekalai.
• Kalyan Kumar: Appointed MD & CEO of Central Bank of India (CBI). He previously served as Chief General Manager (HR) at UBI and succeeds the retired Matam Venkata Rao.

Sports: World Para Archery Championships 2025

The 15th World Para Archery Championships wrapped up in Gwangju, South Korea (September 22–28, 2025). India finished 2nd overall in the world standings with 5 medals.

Indian Medal Highlights:

• Sheetal Devi (3 Medals): Scripted history by becoming the first woman without arms to win a world championship gold in the Women’s Compound Individual category. She also grabbed Team Silver (with Sarita Adhana) and Mixed Team Bronze.
• Toman Kumar (2 Medals): Clinched Gold in Men's Compound Individual by defeating teammate Rakesh Kumar, and won Mixed Team Bronze alongside Sheetal Devi.
• Rakesh Kumar: Secured Silver in Men's Compound Individual.

Important Days & Observances

World Rabies Day — September 28, 2025

• Edition: 19th annual observance (commemorating the death anniversary of vaccine pioneer Louis Pasteur).
• Theme: "Act Now: You, Me, Communities"
• History: Established in 2007 by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) and the WHO.

World Rivers Day — September 28, 2025

• Timing: Observed globally on the 4th Sunday of September (2025 marks its 20th anniversary).
• Origin: Proposed to the UN in 2005 by Canadian river conservationist Mark Angelo.
• Indian Event Note: The NCC unit of Puthenkavu Metropolitan Higher Secondary School in Kerala organized a major cleanup drive of the Pampa River under the Puneet Sagar Abhiyan.

World Heart Day — September 29, 2025

• Edition: 25th Anniversary of the day.
• Theme: "Don't Miss A Beat"
• SEAHEARTS Initiative Update: Marks the 2-year milestone of this South-East Asia initiative targeting protocol-based management for 100 million people with hypertension/diabetes by 2025, alongside trans-fat elimination.

International Translation Day — September 30, 2025

• Theme: "Celebrating Translation, Peace and Trust"
• Significance: Celebrated on the feast day of St. Jerome, the historic Bible translator. Officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017.