Current Affairs - September 18, 2025 Current Affairs

India’s overall unemployment rate in August 2025 stood at 5.1%, reflecting an improvement in both urban and rural employment conditions. Male unemployment dropped to 5.0%, reaching a five month low, while rural unemployment fell significantly from 5.1% in May to 4.3% in August. A notable highlight was the rise in female labour force participation, which climbed from 32% in June to 33.7% in August. These numbers suggest that the economy was stabilizing with more job opportunities emerging across regions, marking a positive trend in employment and workforce engagement during that period.

World Bamboo Day 2025 will be observed on September 18 to raise awareness about bamboo’s ecological, cultural, and economic importance. First celebrated in 2009 during the 8th World Bamboo Congress in Bangkok, the day is coordinated by the World Bamboo Organization. The 2025 theme, “Next Generation Bamboo: Solution, Innovation, and Design”, highlights bamboo’s potential in climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods, and modern design. India, one of the largest bamboo producers, plays a key role through initiatives like the National Bamboo Mission, which promotes bamboo cultivation, processing, and innovation. Bamboo’s versatility makes it a critical resource for rural economies and environmental sustainability.

The 2025 Duleep Trophy was won by Central Zone, who defeated South Zone by 6 wickets in the final. This victory marked Central Zone’s first Duleep Trophy title since the 2014-15 season, breaking a long gap and re-establishing their presence in domestic cricket. The team was captained by Rajat Patidar, who added this triumph to his successful run as an IPL player for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Yash Rathod’s remarkable knock of 194 runs earned him the Player of the Match award, playing a decisive role in Central Zone’s championship victory.

India signed a landmark agreement with Mauritius to set up a satellite tracking and communication station near Diego Garcia, located in the Chagos Archipelago. This initiative strengthens India’s strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean Region, an area of immense geopolitical significance due to its proximity to critical sea lanes. The station will enable India to monitor satellites and receive data more effectively, bolstering both scientific and defence related capabilities. Partnering with Mauritius, a close maritime ally, further deepens bilateral ties and highlights the growing cooperation between the two nations in space and regional security matters.

India has achieved the 38th position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This marks a significant improvement from its 48th rank in 2020, showcasing India’s growing focus on research, knowledge outputs, and innovation driven growth. India also holds the top spot among lower middle income economies and in the Central and Southern Asia region. The GII evaluates 139 countries across more than 80 indicators spanning seven pillars, including infrastructure, human capital, institutions, and knowledge outputs. India’s rise demonstrates the success of its innovation ecosystem and its ability to leverage technology for economic development.

Bihar, under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, expanded the Chief Minister’s Nishchay Self Help Allowance Scheme to support unemployed graduates from Arts, Science, and Commerce streams. The scheme targets young individuals between the ages of 20 and 25 who are actively searching for jobs and are not enrolled in further studies. Beneficiaries will receive a monthly allowance of ₹1,000 for up to two years, providing crucial financial support during their job seeking phase. This initiative reflects Bihar’s commitment to empowering its youth and reducing the financial hardships faced by unemployed graduates in the state.

The MANTHAN 2025 national conference was inaugurated in New Delhi by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Organised by the Directorate General of Defence Estates, the two day conference focused on the theme Strategic Roadmap to Aatmanirbhar Bharat @2047. The event highlighted the Defence Estates Department’s role in managing defence land and emphasised the importance of long term planning for strengthening India’s self reliance in the defence sector. Hosting the conference in the national capital provided a platform for policy makers, defence officials, and experts to collaborate on strategies that align with the country’s vision for 2047.

International Equal Pay Day is observed annually on September 18 to highlight the global issue of the gender pay gap and the need for equal pay for equal work. Despite advances in gender equality, women worldwide still earn about 20% less than men, with structural and cultural factors such as occupational segregation, unpaid care work, and stereotypes contributing to this disparity. The observance, backed by the United Nations, ILO, and UN Women, is linked to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). It emphasises that closing the pay gap strengthens economic resilience, productivity, and social justice.

The State Bank of India (SBI) sold a 13.18% stake in Yes Bank to Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) for ₹8,889 crore, marking one of the largest cross border deals in India’s banking sector. This transaction highlights growing global investor confidence in India’s financial reforms and the strengthening of strategic banking ties between India and Japan. The sale, which involved 413.44 crore equity shares, was completed after approvals from the RBI, CCI, and SBI’s board. Importantly, SBI retains a minority stake in Yes Bank, while SMBC now has clearance to raise its stake further, up to 24.99%.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the PM Mitra Park in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, as part of the government’s initiative to establish seven integrated textile parks across India. This park is envisioned as a self contained ecosystem that brings together spinning, weaving, processing, designing, and garment production in one location. It also aims to revive the cultural legacy of Maheshwari sarees, inspired by the vision of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar. By linking heritage with modern industry, the park is expected to empower artisans, create employment for rural youth, support farmers with fair cotton pricing, and strengthen India’s global textile competitiveness.

The book Demography, Representation, Delimitation: The North–South Divide in India is authored by Ravi K Mishra. It examines the critical debates around delimitation, focusing on the redrawing of Lok Sabha constituency boundaries and its implications for representation in India. Mishra highlights the demographic divide between the northern and southern states, countering the idea that southern states deliberately controlled population growth. Instead, he argues that they simply moved earlier through the demographic transition. His work provides an in-depth analysis of representation, fairness, and the challenges of balancing political power across regions.