Current Affairs 22 September 2026: 20 Exam Facts for SSC, Railway, Banking and BPSC

President Droupadi Murmu hands out the 72nd National Film Awards today at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, the first time the ceremony has left New Delhi. That single line can turn up as a one-mark question in SSC CGL, RRB NTPC and BPSC alike.

This digest covers news from the last 24 hours (21 to 22 September 2026), plus a few Bihar and Jharkhand decisions from the past week that you still need for BPSC, BSSC and JSSC. Every fact carries an exam tag, so you know where it is likely to show up. Read the 20 facts once, then take today's 15-question practice quiz on ExamAtlas without looking back at this page.

National

1. The 72nd National Film Awards, for films certified in 2024, are being conferred by President Droupadi Murmu on 22 September 2026 at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Gujarat, the first ceremony held outside New Delhi. Exam tag: All exams
2. Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan addressed the centenary conference of the UPASI Tea Research Foundation (set up in 1926) at Coonoor, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu on 21 September and asked the industry to build Indian tea brands for global markets. Exam tag: SSC, BPSC

One exam angle you should not miss: Ekta Nagar is also home to the Statue of Unity on the Narmada. Examiners love linking a new event to an old landmark, so revise both together.

Appointments and key posts this week

Person	Post / Role
N. Chandrasekaran	Reappointed Chairman, Tata Sons, for a fresh 5-year term (board vote on 17 September; Tata Trusts dispute the vote)
Justice (Retd) Gautam Chaudhary	Named by Jharkhand High Court to supervise the CID probe into JPSC/JSSC recruitments
Sanjeev Jha and Arvind Kumar II	Judges of the two additional special NIA courts in Ranchi (order of 21 September)

International

3. The India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, signed in New Delhi on 27 April 2026, will enter into force on 20 October 2026 and gives 100% of Indian exports duty-free access to New Zealand. Exam tag: Banking, SSC
4. Russia's ruling United Russia party won over 58% of the vote and more than three-fourths of the 450-seat State Duma in three-day elections that ended on 20 September. Exam tag: SSC, Railway
5. Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, brother of Dubai Ruler and UAE Vice-President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, died on 21 September at 76; Dubai declared 10 days of mourning and PM Narendra Modi sent condolences. Exam tag: All exams

For the FTA, remember three numbers: signed 27 April, in force 20 October, 100% tariff lines duty-free for Indian goods. Bilateral trade touched about USD 1.3 billion in 2024-25, so the base is small and the growth claim is the story.

Economy & Banking

6. The Index of Eight (now nine) Core Industries grew 4.8% in August 2026, down from a revised 5% in July, in the new series with base year 2022-23 that adds iron ore to the basket. Exam tag: Banking, SSC
7. Retail inflation (CPI) rose to 4.82% in August 2026 from 4.45% in July, with food inflation near 5.95% (verify). Exam tag: Banking

Core sector (August 2026)	Growth
Electricity (weight 30.9%, highest)	11.6% (27-month high)
Iron ore	5.5% (from 29.5% in July)
Coal	-3.8%
Overall index	4.8%
April-August 2026 cumulative	4.3% (2.4% a year ago)

Here is the trap. Older guidebooks say refinery products carry the biggest weight in the core index. In the new 2022-23 series, electricity leads with 30.9%. If your notes are from 2024, correct them today.

Sports

8. At the Asian Games 2026 (Aichi-Nagoya, Japan), debutant Himanshu Dhillon won silver in the men's 10m air rifle with 252.4, China's Sheng Lihao took gold (254.2) and Rudrankksh Patil won bronze. Exam tag: All exams
9. Rudrankksh Patil, Himanshu Dhillon and 18-year-old Parth Mane won silver in the men's 10m air rifle team event with 1,890.1, behind China (1,899.0). Exam tag: SSC, Railway
10. Suchika Tariyal won bronze in the women's traditional 60 kg category, India's first-ever Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts (MMA). Exam tag: All exams

Event (Asian Games 2026)	Indian winner / Result
Women's 10m air rifle	Elavenil Valarivan - Silver
Women's 10m air rifle team	Sonam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan, Vidarsa K. Vinod - Silver
Men's 10m air rifle	Himanshu Dhillon - Silver; Rudrankksh Patil - Bronze
Men's 10m air rifle team	Rudrankksh, Himanshu, Parth Mane - Silver
Women's MMA (traditional 60 kg)	Suchika Tariyal - Bronze (first MMA medal)

Quick background: the Games run from 19 September to 4 October 2026. India sent 496 athletes across 36 sports, and Manu Bhaker and Pawan Sehrawat carried the flag. By the end of Day 2 (21 September), India had six medals and was still waiting for its first gold.

Awards

11. Kannada actor Anant Nag (Padma Bhushan 2025) receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024, announced on 16 September and presented at today's ceremony. Exam tag: All exams
12. Article 370 is the Best Feature Film of the 72nd National Film Awards; Yami Gautam is Best Actress, while Mammootty (Bramayugam) and Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion) share Best Actor. Exam tag: SSC, Railway, BPSC

A Jharkhand-flavoured point here: Ravi Raj Murmu's Angen won Best Debut Film of a Director (Non-Feature), the first Santhali film to win in the Non-Feature section. JSSC and JPSC setters pick up exactly this kind of tribal-language first.

Science & Defence

13. India-US Army exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026 is running from 15 to 28 September at Auli (Uttarakhand) and the Mahajan Field Firing Range (Rajasthan), with about 600 troops per side from India's 14th Infantry Division and the US 11th Airborne Division. Exam tag: All exams
14. A group of 188 scientists has issued a "Call to Action" warning that a possible super El Nino in the Pacific could trigger mass coral die-offs from November onward (verify). Exam tag: SSC, BPSC

Indigenous dogs made news in the same exercise: two Rampur Hounds (a sighthound breed from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh) are working alongside a Belgian Malinois and a Labrador. Pair it with the Mudhol Hound of Karnataka in your notes. There was no ISRO launch or RBI policy action in the last 24 hours, so do not waste time hunting for one.

Bihar-Jharkhand Special

15. Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary, at the Gram Sansad Bihar Chapter in Patna on 21 September, set 2037 as the target for a developed Bihar, the year that marks 125 years since Bihar was carved out as a separate province in 1912. Exam tag: BPSC, BSSC
16. The Bihar government launched the Seva Sankalp and Kayakalp Abhiyan with a Kayakalp Portal on 18 September; repair work across nine departments must finish by 30 November 2026 and new construction by 31 March 2027. Exam tag: BPSC, BSSC
17. The Bihar Cabinet (15 September) cleared Rs 2,520 crore for the Vishnupad Temple Corridor in Gaya on the Kashi Vishwanath model, Rs 996.05 crore for the Son-Falgu river link and Rs 1,000 crore from the Contingency Fund for flood control. Exam tag: BPSC, BSSC, TET
18. Jharkhand High Court (Justice Deepak Roshan) kept its stay on the state's order cancelling the JSSC CGL, JPSC 11th-13th, CDPO and FSO recruitments; the next hearing is on 7 October 2026. Exam tag: JSSC

Two more lines for Ranchi-based readers. The Judicial Commissioner of Ranchi on 21 September ordered two additional special NIA courts in the city, with state-wide jurisdiction. And if you are a Bihar teacher aspirant, the BPSC TRE 4.0 form for 32,388 posts closes on 30 September (verify on bpsc.bihar.gov.in before you pay the fee).

My honest take: the Vishnupad corridor and the 2037 target are the two items most likely to become BPSC 72nd Prelims questions. The HC stay is more useful for JSSC candidates tracking their own results than as a GK question.

Important Days

19. 21 September was the International Day of Peace, first created by the UN General Assembly in 1981; the 2026 theme is "Invest in Peace - For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day". Exam tag: All exams
20. The 11th Ayurveda Day will be observed on 23 September 2026 with the national event in Nagpur, under the theme "Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow"; the day has had the fixed date of 23 September since 2025. Exam tag: SSC, Railway, TET

Day	Theme / Note
International Day of Peace (21 Sep)	Invest in Peace - For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day
World Alzheimer's Day (21 Sep)	The Earlier You Know, The More You Can Do: A Dementia Diagnosis Matters
World Rhino Day (22 Sep)	Awareness day for all five rhino species; Kaziranga (Assam) holds the largest one-horned rhino population
Ayurveda Day (23 Sep)	Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow (11th edition, Nagpur)

No fresh international index or ranking with an India rank came out in the last 24 hours, so there is no index table today. When one drops, you will see it here with India's rank and the topper.

One caveat before you close this page. Three items are marked (verify) because I could not match them to an official release this morning: the CPI figure, the El Nino warning and the TRE 4.0 last date. Check them on MoSPI and BPSC before you quote them in an interview. Tomorrow, keep an eye on India's first gold at Nagoya and on the Jharkhand Cabinet meeting planned for 25 September.

Aaj ka full CA quiz: ExamAtlas.com