Current Affairs 29 September 2026

India’s First LNG-Powered Train

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah flagged off India’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-powered train from Sabarmati Railway Station in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The introduction of LNG-powered railway technology is intended to reduce dependence on conventional diesel fuel and support cleaner railway operations. LNG is natural gas, primarily methane, cooled to about −162°C to turn it into a liquid for easier storage and transport.

According to the figures presented during the programme, Indian Railways’ diesel consumption declined from 293 crore litres in 2015–16 to 108 crore litres in 2024–25. The government reported that 99.6% of the railway network had been electrified.

‘Spandan One’ Tele-ECG Network

The Haryana government has introduced a tele-ECG network called ‘Spandan One’ to improve early diagnosis and treatment of cardiac emergencies, particularly in rural areas. The initiative was launched through a public-private partnership (PPP) with Sunfox Technologies on 29 May 2026.

Under the initiative, portable tele-electrocardiogram (ECG) devices connected to smartphones have been deployed at nearly 600 government health facilities, including Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), sub-divisional hospitals and district hospitals. The devices can be operated by frontline healthcare workers, with clinician-reviewed ECG results available in under three minutes.

The system aims to reduce delays in treating heart attacks. After detecting a cardiac emergency, patients can receive initial treatment, including the prescribed loading dose, at the local health facility before being referred to a district or tertiary hospital equipped for procedures such as angiography and angioplasty.

Centre Notifies Four Ports as ‘Mega Ports’

The Central Government has notified Deendayal (Kandla), Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva), Paradip and Mundra as Mega Ports under Section 73 of the Indian Ports Act, 2025. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways issued the notification on 25 September 2026, and it came into force on its publication in the Official Gazette.

Of the four, Deendayal Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Paradip Port are Major Ports, while Mundra Port is a port other than a Major Port.

Andhra Pradesh SSAAT won SKOCH Gold Award

The Society for Social Audit Accountability and Transparency of Andhra Pradesh (SSAAT) has become the first State Social Audit Organisation in India to receive the SKOCH Gold Award. The award recognises Andhra Pradesh’s efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability and public participation in the implementation of government programmes.

Palle Panduga 3.0

The Andhra Pradesh government launched the third phase of its rural development programme, Palle Panduga 3.0, on 29 September 2026. Development works worth an estimated ₹11,085 crore will be undertaken across villages, focusing on rural roads, livestock infrastructure, horticulture, drainage and public facilities.

A major component is rural road development. The government plans to construct 6,000 km of Cement Concrete (CC) roads at a cost of ₹2,700 crore and 9,500 km of Bituminous (BT) roads at ₹7,550 crore. It will also construct 22,000 mini Gokulams (cattle sheds) for dairy farmers at a cost of ₹300 crore.

Another ₹225 crore has been earmarked for horticultural plantations covering 50,000 acres. The programme also proposes 1,000 km of ‘magic drains’ at a cost of ₹110 crore. Bus shelters, Gram Panchayat buildings and Rachabanda platforms will be developed with an allocation of ₹200 crore.

Of the total estimated expenditure of ₹11,085 crore, the Central Government’s share will be ₹5,391 crore, while the Andhra Pradesh government will contribute ₹5,694 crore.

Dissent Within Election Commission

Two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, have reportedly raised objections over electoral roll management and decision-making within the Election Commission of India (ECI). Their concerns included centralised control of electoral rolls, access to the ERONet system and changes made to voter-registration procedures.

The episode also highlights an important provision governing decision-making within the Election Commission. Under Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, ECI business should, as far as possible, be conducted unanimously. When the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners differ, the matter is decided according to the opinion of the majority.

This means that the Chief Election Commissioner does not have a special veto in such decisions; each member’s position contributes to the majority determination.

Definition of a Second

India will make Indian Standard Time (IST) the country’s legally recognised time reference for legal, administrative, commercial and official purposes under the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026. The Rules, notified on 27 August 2026, will come into force in the last week of February 2027. Banks, telecom networks, data centres and other entities will have to ensure that their systems are traceable to an authorised Indian time source.

IST is generated and maintained by the CSIR–National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi. NPL uses five caesium atomic clocks and three hydrogen masers to maintain its time scale. The resulting Indian time reference is aligned with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and IST is UTC + 5 hours 30 minutes.

The scientific basis of atomic time comes from the remarkable stability of atoms. Since 1967, the second has been defined using the caesium atom: one second corresponds to 9,192,631,770 cycles of radiation associated with a particular transition between two energy states of the caesium atom. Atomic clocks therefore provide much greater stability than astronomical timekeeping based solely on Earth’s rotation.

New Begonia Species ‘Begonia rajvikramanii’ Discovered

Researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram, have discovered a new plant species, Begonia rajvikramanii, from the Western Ghats in Kollam district, Kerala.

UN Adopts Declaration on Sea-Level Rise

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Political Declaration on Sea-Level Rise on 24 September 2026 at a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York. The declaration aims to strengthen international cooperation against the growing threats from sea-level rise, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and low-lying coastal regions.

The urgency is increasing because global mean sea-level rise has accelerated. According to the UN, the rate increased from about 2.1 mm per year during 1993–2002 to 4.7 mm per year during 2015–2024. Around 900 million people currently live in low-lying coastal zones.

Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is conducting Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, a multinational air exercise, at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from 26 September to 12 October 2026. The theme of the exercise is “Power in Partnership”, highlighting international defence cooperation, joint training and interoperability among participating air forces.

Seven Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) are participating in the exercise: Australia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Sarvesh Kushare Wins Silver Medal in Men’s High Jump

Indian athlete Sarvesh Kushare won a historic silver medal in the Men’s High Jump at the 2026 Asian Games, held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on 27 September 2026. He secured the silver medal with a jump of 2.25 metres, ending India’s 56-year wait for a medal in this event.

India Secures 10th Position at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026

India secured 10th position at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, held in Shanghai, China, from 22 to 27 September 2026, winning six silver medals and 20 Medals for Excellence. Smriti Nambiar (Silver medal in bakery skill category) was also recognised as India’s Best of the Nation.

Q1. Sarvesh Kushare, who recently won a historic silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games, is associated with which of the following events?
A. Men’s Long Jump
B. Men’s Triple Jump
C. Men’s High Jump
D. Men’s Pole Vault

Q2. What is the theme of the multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, conducted by the Indian Air Force?
A. Strength Through Unity
B. Power in Partnership
C. Wings of Cooperation
D. Together for Air Superiority

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026:
1. Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 was conducted at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
2. Seven Friendly Foreign Countries participated in the exercise.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

Q4. India’s first LNG-powered train was recently flagged off from which of the following railway stations?
A. Vadodara Railway Station, Gujarat
B. Sabarmati Railway Station, Gujarat
C. Gandhinagar Capital Railway Station, Gujarat
D. Surat Railway Station, Gujarat

Q5. What position did India secure at the 48th WorldSkills Competition held in Shanghai, China, in 2026?
A. 8th
B. 10th
C. 12th
D. 13th

Q6. Consider the following statements regarding decision-making in the Election Commission of India (ECI):
1. As far as possible, the business of the Election Commission is to be transacted unanimously.
2. In case of a difference of opinion among the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, the matter is decided according to the opinion of the majority.
3. The Chief Election Commissioner has a special veto in case of disagreement among the members of the Commission.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. The ‘Spandan One’ tele-ECG network, recently in the news for improving access to cardiac care in rural areas, was launched by which State government?
A. Haryana
B. Punjab
C. Rajasthan
D. Uttar Pradesh

Q8. Which of the following ports were notified as Mega Ports by the Central Government under the Indian Ports Act, 2025?
A. Deendayal, Jawaharlal Nehru, Paradip and Mundra
B. Deendayal, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Chennai
C. Jawaharlal Nehru, Cochin, Paradip and Kamarajar
D. Mundra, Visakhapatnam, Chennai and New Mangalore

Q9. Which of the following organisations recently won the SKOCH Gold Award?
A. Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP)
B. Society for Social Audit Accountability and Transparency of Andhra Pradesh (SSAAT)
C. Andhra Pradesh State Development Planning Society (APSDPS)
D. Andhra Pradesh Centre for Financial Systems and Services (APCFSS)

Q10. With reference to atomic timekeeping, one second is defined based on 9,192,631,770 cycles of radiation associated with which element?
A. Rubidium
B. Caesium
C. Hydrogen
D. Strontium

Q11. The newly discovered species ‘Begonia rajvikramanii’ was identified from which of the following regions?
A. Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh
B. Western Ghats of Kerala
C. Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu
D. Khasi Hills of Meghalaya

Q12. How many member countries are currently part of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)?
A. 29
B. 35
C. 39
D. 43

Q13. According to the United Nations, the rate of global mean sea-level rise increased from about 2.1 mm per year during 1993–2002 to approximately how much during 2015–2024?
A. 3.2 mm per year
B. 3.8 mm per year
C. 4.7 mm per year
D. 6.1 mm per year