Current Affairs 17 September 2026

India and MERCOSUR Sign Protocol to Enable Paperless Trade.

Agreement: India and MERCOSUR signed the 1st Additional Protocol to the PTA on 14 September 2026.
E-Certificates: Electronic Certificates of Origin (CoO) will have the same legal validity as paper certificates.
Trade Facilitation: Updates rules of origin to reduce costs and processing time for exporters and importers.
Adoption: Proposed in November 2025 and formally adopted in April 2026.
Implementation: Comes into force after completion of internal procedures and mutual notification.
Issuance: Authorized officials/entities must issue and sign CoOs as per domestic laws.

VIMARSH 2026: DRDO launched initiatives to boost MSME and start-up participation in defence.
SAMAR 2.0: DRDO and QCI launched a framework to assess and benchmark defence enterprises.
Technology Transfer: 9 LAToTs handed over to 13 manufacturing partners.
Software Access: Framework introduced for sharing DRDO software source codes with licensed industries.
Strategic MoUs: MoUs exchanged with SIDM and Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB).

Subsidy: Maharashtra approved ₹738.51 crore interest subsidy for cooperative sugar mills.
Purpose: To clear FRP dues of farmers for the 2025–26 crushing season.
Eligibility: Loans sanctioned and disbursed by 31 October 2026.
Interest Support: Government will bear interest up to 10% per annum or the actual bank rate, whichever is lower.
Repayment: Loan repayment period of 7 years from 1 October 2026.
Coverage: 102 cooperative sugar mills are covered under the scheme.

Target Achieved: PM Vishwakarma reached its 30 lakh beneficiary registration target in three years.
Budget: ₹13,000 crore allocated for FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28.
Credit Support: Collateral-free loans up to ₹3 lakh at 5% concessional interest.
Skill Training: Basic and advanced training with a ₹500 daily stipend.
Toolkit Incentive: Financial support of up to ₹15,000 for modern toolkits.
Progress: Over 24.37 lakh artisans completed basic training; 6.19 lakh beneficiaries received loans worth about ₹5,316 crore.
Market Access: E-commerce partnerships, Udyam Assist, and OSOP help artisans access wider markets.

MoU: NSTFDC and HPCL signed an agreement to set up computer labs and smart classrooms in Rajasthan’s EMRS.
Coverage: 29 EMRS schools across 11 districts.
Budget: ₹16.01 crore under CSR funding.
Facilities: 4 smart classrooms and 10 tablets per school, plus networked computer labs with internet.
Beneficiaries: Over 10,000 ST students (Classes VI–XII) annually.
Timeline: Project to be completed within 6 months.
Alignment: Supports NEP 2020 and the 2026–27 CSR focus on innovative livelihood enhancement.