Welcome to your ultimate resource for National and International Current Affairs. Below is a highly structured, scannable breakdown of the key policy shifts, infrastructural developments, and critical appointments from mid-September 2025, optimized for competitive exams and general knowledge. Daily Current Affairs: September 16, 2025

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s North-East Development Blitz

On September 13, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a high-impact five-state tour (covering Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar). The first leg focused heavily on major infrastructural overhauls in Mizoram and Manipur.

Mizoram: ₹9,000 Crore Infrastructure Infusion

The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects spanning rail, road, green energy, and sports.

• Bairabi-Sairang New Rail Line: Inaugurated a 51.38 km-long line built at a cost of ₹8,070 crore.
  • Engineering highlights: Includes 45 tunnels, 55 major bridges, 87 minor bridges, and 4 new stations (Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang, and Sairang).
• Train Connectivity: Flagged off 3 crucial new express trains connecting the region:
  1. Sairang–Delhi Rajdhani Express
  2. Sairang–Guwahati Express
  3. Sairang–Kolkata Express
• Roadways & Urban Connect: Opened the 45 km-long Aizawl Bypass Road (worth over ₹500 crore) funded via the PM-DevINE (Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region) scheme.
• Bridges & Sports: Laid foundation stones for the Chhimtuipui River Bridge (Lawngtlai-Siaha Road) and the Khelo India Multipurpose Indoor Hall at Tuikual for grassroots sports development.

Manipur: ₹8,500 Crore Connectivity & Social Development

PM Modi rolled out dual-zone developments centering on Imphal and Churachandpur.

• Imphal Developments (₹1,200+ Crore): Opened the new Civil Secretariat (₹538 cr), Manipur Police HQ (₹101 cr), and an IT Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Mantripukhri (₹114 cr).
• Empowerment & Culture: Dedicated "Ima" (Mothers) markets across 4 districts (Tengnoupal, Noney, Pallel, Moirang) to boost local women entrepreneurs, alongside the Leishang Hiden Cultural & Heritage Park.
• Churachandpur Hub (₹7,300+ Crore): Launched the Manipur Urban Roads, Drainage and Asset Management Improvement Project (₹3,647 cr), 5 major National Highway projects (₹2,500 cr), and the Manipur Infotech Development (MIND) Project (₹550 cr).

2. Cultural & Defense Policy Frameworks

Gyan Bharatam International Conference & Mission Launched

Organized by the Ministry of Culture from September 11–13, 2025, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, this conference marked a massive step toward protecting India’s archival wealth.

Core Theme: "Reclaiming India’s Knowledge Legacy through Manuscript Heritage"

• Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM): First introduced in the Union Budget 2025–26, this flagship scheme has been allocated ₹60 crore for FY 2025–26, scaling up as a Central Sector Scheme through 2031 with a total budget of ₹482.85 crore.
• Digital Integrations: PM Modi unveiled the Gyan Portal, a unified access platform for national manuscripts, alongside Gyan-Setu, an AI Innovation Challenge designed to decipher ancient scripts.
• The Delhi Declaration: A resolution adopted at closure to legally acquire, safeguard, and repatriate original manuscripts or digital copies held abroad.

Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025 Approved

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved DPM 2025, effectively replacing the outdated 2009 framework. The manual focuses heavily on maximizing ease of business for startups, MSMEs, and domestic private defense players under Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

3. Banking, Finance, and Rural MoUs

NABARD’s Centralised Digital Credit Infrastructure (CDCI)

Following the Government's ‘One State – One RRB’ structural rationalization policy (which compressed the number of Regional Rural Banks from 43 down to 28), NABARD is rolling out the CDCI Platform.

• Objective: Automate end-to-end credit processing to allow RRBs to dynamically compete with agile tech-driven NBFCs and Microfinance Institutions.
• Assessment Layer: Integrates the unified platform directly with digital state land records, CIBIL, and verification systems for hyper-fast risk modeling.

RBI Penalizes PhonePe

The Reserve Bank of India imposed a ₹21 lakh monetary penalty on PhonePe Limited for structural non-compliance with Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) regulations.

• The Violation: A statutory audit revealed that PhonePe's end-of-day balances in its escrow account dipped below the cumulative value of outstanding PPIs and active merchant dues, failing to report the shortfall immediately to the central bank.

NIFT Patna Partners with ABFRL for 'Jeevika'

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Patna signed a strategic MoU with Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited (ABFRL), backed by Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh.

• The Blueprint: Over 1 million rural self-help group women in Bihar (Jeevika Didis) will receive high-end industrial training in garment manufacturing, machine operations, and quality control at NIFT Patna to directly feed workforce requirements at ABFRL’s upcoming manufacturing plant in Begusarai, Bihar.

4. Crucial Bilateral Appointments & International Horizons

Sushila Karki Sworn In as Nepal’s Interim PM

In a historic shift driven by GenZ-led anti-corruption protests that forced the exit of KP Sharma Oli, Sushila Karki was sworn in as Nepal's Interim Prime Minister by President Ramchandra Paudel at the Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu.

• Historical Milestone: She is the first-ever woman Prime Minister of Nepal, having also served as its first female Chief Justice (2016–2017).
• Transitional Roadmap: The transitional administration has dissolved the house and announced fresh general elections scheduled for March 5, 2026.

L Satya Srinivas Named Executive Director of ADB

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the placement of L Satya Srinivas (1991-batch IRS officer) as India’s Executive Director to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Metro Manila, Philippines, succeeding Vikas Sheel.

• Key Domain: Srinivas has previously steered high-profile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the UK and EFTA. He will represent a constituency comprising India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

Indian Navy Commissions INS Aravali

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi presided over the commissioning of a premium land-bound naval facility, INS Aravali, in Gurugram, Haryana.

• Strategic Intent: Under the motto ‘सामुद्रिकसुरक्षायाः सहयोगं’ (Maritime Security through Collaboration), the base will actively anchor and power the operations of the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) and the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC–IOR), aligning with India's overarching MAHASAGAR vision.

5. Science, Space, and Sports Quick-Look

• Space Domain (NSIL & Astroscale Japan): NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) signed a commercial launch agreement with Astroscale Japan to launch its ISSA-J1 (In-situ Space Situational Awareness-Japan 1) satellite in Spring 2027 aboard India's workhorse PSLV rocket from Sriharikota. The mission aims to track and characterize dead space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
• Naval Assets (ASW-SWC 'Androth' Delivered): Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, delivered "Androth", the 2nd of 8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts to the Indian Navy. Powered by diesel engine waterjets, it is engineered for shallow-water high-maneuverability submarine hunting.
• World Boxing Championships 2025 (Liverpool): India finished an impressive 3rd overall in the inaugural IOC-sanctioned World Boxing Championship medal tally with 4 medals. Minakshi Hooda (48kg) and Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) secured spectacular Gold medals. Kazakhstan topped the overall charts.
• Obituary (D.D. Lapang): Five-time Chief Minister of Meghalaya and veteran political leader Donwa Dethwelson Lapang passed away at the age of 93 in Shillong. He was celebrated as the architect behind the creation of the Ri-Bhoi district in 1992.
• Important Days (Hindi Diwas): Observed nationwide on September 14, marking the 76th anniversary of the Constituent Assembly's historic 1949 decision to adopt Hindi in the Devanagari script as an official language of the Union.