DAILY GK 28-30 SEP 2026
1.
WHO-UNICEF REPORT
·
The World Health Organisation (WHO)
and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) jointly released a report titled “Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools 2015-25”.
·
The report revealed that India has
50 million i.e. nearly 1/5th of the world’s 244
million children who do not
have access to sanitation services (as of 2025), the highest for any country in the world.
·
The report is part of the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for
Water, Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), tracking
the progress as well as challenges faced by countries in drinking water,
sanitation and hygiene.
·
India is closely followed by countries like: Nigeria (34 million); Ethiopia (26
million); the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11 million); and Indonesia
(8 million), where children have no
sanitation service at their schools.
·
The report showed that 362 million
children worldwide still had no hygiene service at their school in 2025.
·
Of the total children with no hygiene service at their schools, 20
million were from India.
2.
FAO AWARD
·
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
of the United Nations (UN) has selected Z T Lalrithangi,
popularly known as Pi Mari-i, a 35-year-old teacher-turned-farmer from Sangau village,
Lawngtlai district, Mizoram, for the ‘FAO 100 Women Heroes in
Agrifood Systems and Rural Development’.
·
The recognition was conferred under the International Year of
Women Farmers 2026 for her contribution through strawberry
cultivation, making her the first Mizo person to receive this international
honour.
·
Lalrithangi was selected among 100 women
globally from more than 600 nominations across 131 countries, including 2 women
from India, under the FAO initiative.
·
FAO
headquarter Rome, Italy.
3.
JHARKHAND’S ‘MANDAR’ GETS GI
TAG
·
The traditional folk musical instrument
“Mandar” of Jharkhand was granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the
Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai, recognising its distinct
geographical and cultural identity.
·
Mandar
is an integral part of Jharkhand’s tribal and folk culture,
especially associated with the Oraon tribe, and is widely used in music, dance,
festivals and community life in the Chotanagpur region.
·
The instrument is traditionally made using
locally sourced red clay, animal skin and
indigenous techniques, which give it a unique sound and identity.
4.
46TH CHESS OLYMPIAD 2026
·
The International Chess Federation (FIDE)
organised the 46th Chess Olympiad, an international team chess
event, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
·
India secured silver in the Open
section and bronze in the Women’s section,
while retaining the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy for the best combined performance for the third
consecutive time.
·
Uzbekistan won gold, and Germany
won bronze in the Open category, while China
secured gold, and Kazakhstan secured
silver in the Women’s category.
5.
WORLD SKILLS SHANGHAI 2026
·
India secured the 10th position at
the 48th WorldSkills Competition held in Shanghai, China, winning 6 Silver Medals and 20 Medals for Excellence, improving
from its 13th position at WorldSkills Lyon 2024.
·
China, the host country, topped the overall
medal.
·
India
secured 10th rank globally, with its largest-ever contingent of 70
competitors across 63 skills, including debut in 11 new and emerging skill
categories.
·
The 49th
WorldSkills Competition will be held in Aichi, Japan.
·
WorldSkills is a global vocational skills competition held biennially, established in 1950,
and is governed by WorldSkills
International (WSI), headquartered
in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
6.
YOUNGEST WOMAN GRANDMASTER
·
Indian-origin British chess prodigy Bodhana
Sivanandan became the youngest Woman Grandmaster (WGM)
in history at age 11,
securing her third and final WGM norm while representing England
at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
·
She became the youngest player to represent England internationally at
age 9 and youngest female to defeat a GM.
·
99th GM: V.S. Rathanvel, from
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (TN), became India’s 99th GM by
crossing the 2500 Elo rating at the 3rd Guwahati Smart City International Open
2026, Guwahati, Assam in July 2026.
7.
MULTINATIONAL AIR EXERCISE
‘TARANG SHAKTI 2026’
·
The Indian Air Force (IAF) commenced
the 2nd edition of multinational air exercise ‘Tarang
Shakti 2026’ at Air Force Station (AFS) Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
·
Eight
Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) – Australia, Bangladesh,
France, Germany, Greece, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and United
States of America (USA) – are
participating with air assets, while
32 countries are attending as observers.
8.
EXERCISE VARUNA
·
Indian Navy (IN) warship Indian Naval Ship(INS)
Trishul arrived at Toulon, France to participate
in the 24th edition of the bilateral maritime exercise VARUNA with the French Navy.
·
VARUNA is a bilateral maritime exercise
conducted between the IN and the French Navy.
·
The bilateral naval exercise began in 1993 and was
named VARUNA in 2001.
·
Bilateral maritime exercise between the IN
and the French Navy involving harbour
and sea phase activities.
9.
INDIA-KAZAKHSTAN MILITARY
EXERCISE ‘KAZIND’
·
The 9th edition of
India-Kazakhstan Joint Military Exercise ‘KAZIND-2026’
commenced in Oskemen, Kazakhstan, with the participation of
the armed forces of India and Kazakhstan.
·
The 60-member Indian contingent, led
primarily by a GARHWAL RIFLES battalion, includes personnel
from other arms, services and the Indian Air Force (IAF).
10.
2ND ASEAN-INDIA MARITIME
EXERCISE
·
The 2nd edition of the
ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2026) commenced at Subic Bay, Zambales Province, Philippines, under
the theme “Anchored in Trust, United at
Sea”.
·
The 1st edition of
ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME) was held in Singapore in
2023.
·
The exercise is conducted in two
phases – Harbour Phase and Sea Phase.
11.
WORLD RHINO DAY 2026-
SEPTEMBER 22
·
World Rhino Day is
observed globally every year on 22 September each year to
raise awareness about rhinos and the need to conserve them.
·
World Rhino Day began as a Worldwide Fund for
Nature (WWF) South Africa initiative in 2010. Conservationists
Lisa Jane Campbell of Zimbabwe and Rhishja Cota-Larson
of the United States helped develop it into an international observance.
·
World Rhino Day was first celebrated internationally on 22 September 2011.
12.
WORLD ROSE DAY 2026 –
SEPTEMBER 22
·
World Rose Day(WRD) or Day
for the Welfare of Cancer Patients is observed annually across the world on September
22 to honor cancer patients,
survivors, and caregivers, symbolizing hope and compassion while raising
awareness of their needs.
·
World Rose Day is observed in memory of
Melinda Rose, a 12-year-old
Canadian girl diagnosed with a rare blood cancer.
·
In India, estimated cancer cases rose from 14.97 lakh in 2023 to a projected
15.70 lakh in 2025, led by Uttar
Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal(WB).
13.
NATIONAL AYURVEDA DAY 2026 –
SEPTEMBER 23
·
National Ayurveda Day is
observed annually across India on 23 September to promote
awareness about the significance of Ayurveda in the prevention and treatment of
various health conditions.
·
2026 Theme: “Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow”.
·
In 2016, the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and
Homeopathy) declared Dhanvantari Jayanti as National Ayurveda Day to
promote its integration into mainstream healthcare.
·
The first National Ayurveda Day was celebrated on
28 October 2016.
·
Earlier
observed on Dhanteras with a variable lunar date, the Government of India (GoI) fixed 23
September as the permanent date in May 2025, aligning with the autumnal
equinox.
14.
WORLD CAR-FREE DAY 2026-
SEPTEMBER 22
·
World Car-Free Day is
observed globally on 22 September each year to encourage
people to avoid using cars for a day.
·
The idea of reducing car use began during the 1973 oil crisis and gained
momentum after the 1994 “Accessible Cities” conference in Toledo,
Spain.
·
It was first
adopted by Reykjavik (Iceland), La Rochelle (France), and Bath
(United Kingdom, UK) , leading to the formation of the World Car Free
Days Consortium in 1995.
·
The
first national-level car-free campaign was launched in Britain in
1997 by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA).
·
In 1999, Europe hosted the first international Car-Free Day
as a pilot project for the European Union’s “In Town Without My Car”
campaign.
·
September 22 was chosen to
coincide with the European Union (EU)-sponsored European Mobility Week.’
15.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SIGN
LANGUAGES 2026 – SEPTEMBER 23
·
The United Nations (UN)’s
International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is observed every year on 23
September to promote and safeguard the linguistic identity
and cultural diversity of deaf people and all sign language users worldwide.
·
2026 Theme: “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights”.
·
First observed on 23 September 2018 as part
of the International Week of the Deaf, first celebrated in 1958.
16.
NATIONAL SERVICE SCHEME DAY
2026 – SEPTEMBER 24
·
National Service Scheme
(NSS) Day is observed annually on 24 September
across India to commemorate the establishment of the National Service Scheme
(NSS), a youth development programme under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports (MYAS).
·
The concept of the National Service Scheme (NSS) was first proposed by Major General
Jagannath Rao Bhonsle as a programme to involve students in community
service and nation-building activities.
·
The NSS was formally launched on 24 September 1969 by Dr. Vijayendra Kasturi Ranga
Varadaraja Rao, then Union Minister of Education, in 37 universities across
India.
·
The year 1969
marked the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi, who was born in 1869.
