Daily Current Affairs: September 18, 2025

1. PM Narendra Modi’s Visit to Bihar (Sept 15)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Purnea, Bihar, to launch multi-sectoral development projects valued at over ₹40,000 crore, targeted at transforming infrastructure in the Seemanchal region.

Core Projects & Highlights

• Aviation: Inaugurated the Interim Terminal Building at the New Civil Enclave of Purnea Airport and flagged off its first commercial flight, integrating northeast Bihar into the national aviation grid.
• Railways:
  • Inaugurated the Araria-Galgalia (Thakurganj) Rail Line (₹4,140 crore) to streamline movement across North Bihar and North Bengal.
  • Laid the foundation stone for the Bikramshila-Katareah Rail Line (₹2,170 crore), establishing a direct rail link across the Ganga River.
• Water Infrastructure: Laid the foundation stone for Phase 1 of the Kosi-Mechi Intra-State River Link Project (over ₹2,680 crore) to drive flood mitigation and irrigation across northeastern Bihar.

Bihar Quick Facts:

• Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar
• Governor: Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar (Note: Standardized correction from source)
• Tiger Reserve: Valmiki Tiger Reserve

2. Policy Frameworks, Digital Governance, & Skilling

NITI Aayog's Dual Tech Initiatives Launched

At the Road to India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Ashwini Vaishnaw unveiled two critical strategic pillars:

1. AI for Viksit Bharat Roadmap: A blueprint focused on accelerating multi-industry AI adoption and incorporating Generative AI into R&D frameworks.
2. Frontier Tech Repository: A database highlighting governance use cases. Under the Frontier 50 Initiative, NITI Aayog will support 50 Aspirational Districts/Blocks in deploying these technologies. It also introduces the Frontier Tech Impact Awards for States.

3rd Anniversary of the National Logistics Policy (NLP)

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) commemorated three years of the NLP (launched September 17, 2022), tracking key integration milestones with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.

• Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP): Enabled API integration across more than 30 digital systems, facilitating over 160 crore digital transactions.
• Logistics Data Bank (LDB): Successfully tracked over 75 million EXIM containers across 101 Inland Container Depots (ICDs).
• State Adoption: 27 States/UTs have formulated State Logistics Policies (SLPs); 19 states have officially granted industry status to the logistics sector.

QCI & Ministry of Jal Shakti Host National Quality Conclave

Organized under the theme “Viksit Gram se Viksit Bharat” in New Delhi, the Sarpanch Samvaad National Quality Conclave launched the 100-Day Good Governance Challenge (Sept 17 – Dec 25, 2025) focusing on village-level cleanliness (Swachhata), safety (Suraksha), and e-governance.

• Digital Growth: The Sarpanch Samvaad Mobile App has onboarded over 60,000 Sarpanchs, targeting 1 lakh by December 2025 and 2.5 lakh by 2026.

Global Skilling: GOI & ILO Sign Occupational Reference MoU

In Geneva, Switzerland, India’s Permanent Representative Arindam Bagchi and ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo signed an MoU to develop the International Reference Classification of Occupations. Backed by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, this initiative aligns Indian skill benchmarks with global standards to simplify cross-border labor mobility.

3. Clean Energy, Deep-Sea Mining, & Defense

1st Annual Green Hydrogen R&D Conference

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) inaugurated the maiden annual conference in New Delhi, anchoring progress under the ₹19,744 crore National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM).

• ₹100 Crore Startup Fund: Launched a Call for Proposals managed in two parts (Part A for biomass/tech pilot projects capped at ₹25 crore/project; Part B for DPIIT-recognized startups capped at ₹5 crore/project).
• Infrastructure: Reinforces the development of dedicated Hydrogen Hubs at Kandla (Gujarat), Paradip (Odisha), and Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu). Notably, India's first port-based Green Hydrogen Pilot Project is underway at V.O. Chidambaranar Port, TN.

India Secures Historic Deep-Sea Mining License in the Indian Ocean

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) signed a landmark 15-year exploration contract with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in New Delhi.

World First: This grants India the world’s first-ever exploration license for Polymetallic Sulphide Nodules (PMS) along the Carlsberg Ridge in the north-west Indian Ocean (covering a 10,000 $km^2$ zone). These deep-sea reserves are highly rich in manganese, cobalt, nickel, and copper.

Military: Exercise Jaal Shakti

The Indian Army's 1st Armoured Division (based out of Patiala, Punjab, under the Western Command) executed Exercise Jaal Shakti. The drill validated tactical water-obstacle crossing, rapid bridge reinforcement, and amphibious maneuvering capabilities utilizing mobile assault bridges, UAVs, and advanced battlefield sensors.

4. Global Indices, Corporate, & Trade Agreements

WIPO Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025

The World Intellectual Property Organization released its 18th edition, “Innovation at a Crossroads”.

• India's Ranking: India climbed to the 38th position globally (up from 39th in 2024) with an overall score of 38.1. India continues to rank 1st among Lower Middle-Income economies and Central/Southern Asian regions.
• Global Leaders: Switzerland secured the 1st position for the 15th consecutive year, followed by Sweden (2nd) and the USA (3rd). China entered the Top 10 for the first time, ranking 10th.
• Indian Innovation Clusters: Four cities made the World’s Top 100 Innovation Clusters: Bengaluru (21st), Delhi (26th), Mumbai (46th), and Chennai (84th).

WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies Takes Effect

The multilateral trade agreement formally entered into force on September 15, 2025, after securing ratifications from Brazil, Kenya, Tonga, and Vietnam. This fulfilled the mandatory threshold of 2/3rd of the World Trade Organization membership (112 out of 166 members).

• Mandate: It targets a reduction in the estimated $22 billion in global fishing subsidies that drive Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. Major economies like the US, China, and the EU have ratified it; India and Indonesia have not yet signed.

Corporate Mergers & Approvals (CCI)

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) cleared three major commercial consolidations:

• Glass Reinforcement Business: Approved Triumph Composites and Quartz Fibre's acquisition of Owens-Corning (India) Limited.
• Infrastructure: Cleared PNC Infratech Limited’s proposal to acquire a 95% to 100% equity stake in Jaiprakash Associates Limited (JAL).
• Paints Sector: Approved JSW Paints' acquisition of up to a 75% stake in Akzo Nobel India Limited (ANIL) for ₹8,986 crore.
• Fintech Launch: CRED and IndusInd Bank rolled out a co-branded RuPay Credit Card tailored for high-credit-score users, offering 5% rewards on online commercial transactions and 1% on offline UPI/CRED scan payments.

5. Media, Culture, & Important Days

Doordarshan Marks 66th Foundation Day

India’s public service broadcaster celebrated 66 years (founded September 15, 1959) with the cultural event “Shabdanjali: DD@66” in New Delhi. Operating 35 channels, DD is undergoing modern modernization via the ₹2,539.61 crore BIND Scheme (2021–26) alongside its automated PB-SHABD news dissemination service across 15 languages.

Commemorative Days Summary (Sept 16)

• International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2025: Marking its 31st observance under the theme “From Science to Global Action.” India’s MoEFCC highlighted its cooling action initiatives, noting a 67.5% reduction in the production/use of controlled Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
• International Day of Science, Technology, and Innovation for the South 2025: The 2nd annual UN observance highlighted Global South R&D disparities (where high-income countries capture 77% of global R&D investments, compared to 0.3% in low-income zones).
• International Day for Interventional Cardiology 2025: The 3rd annual UN-observed day focused on cardiovascular disease (CVD) public awareness and coronary clinical breakthroughs.

6. Obituary: Robert Redford (89)

Hollywood icon, actor, and director Robert Redford passed away at the age of 89 in Utah, USA.

• Legacy: Acclaimed for historic films like The Way We Were, All the President's Men, and The Sting.
• Accolades: Won the Best Director Academy Award (1980) for Ordinary People, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award (1994), and founded the Sundance Institute, which established the premier global showcase for independent cinema.