Rajasthan Current Affairs – September 2026

At a glance

the top events

The most important events of this page, and how many news items each topic holds.

Top events

1. In its own (suo motu) hearing on river pollution, the Supreme Court put an interim stay on all construction and development work within 100 metres of the Jojri river banks; the bench was Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta.
2. The Jojri is a seasonal river that starts at Pandalu village in Nagaur, flows through the middle of Jodhpur city and joins the Luni near Balotra; it is the only tributary that meets the Luni from its right bank.
3. The NHRC took suo motu notice of a report from Banswara that a woman was beaten and humiliated by her husband and relatives, and asked the Chief Secretary and the Banswara SP for a full report within two weeks.
4. Sumer Singh Bhati, a traditional camel herder of Jaisalmer, won the global Rangeland Awards 2026 for protecting the sacred grasslands of the Thar desert.
5. Degrai Mata Oran in Jaisalmer is a sacred grassland of about 10,000 hectares in the heart of the Thar, protected by villagers themselves; it shelters the endangered Great Indian Bustard (Godawan) and the Asiatic caracal.
6. "Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati" were added to the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites; India's Permanent Delegation had submitted the serial nomination on 1 June 2026.
7. The Indian Air Force held the first flight test of the indigenous long-range glide bomb Pragatak-243 at Pokhran from a Su-30MKI; it can strike from 144 to 180 km when released from about 12 km height, and was developed by Nagpur start-up Kraft Dynamics with BEL.
8. The NSTFDC and HPCL signed an agreement to build smart classrooms and computer labs in 29 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in 11 Rajasthan districts at a cost of ₹16.01 crore, to be completed within six months.
9. 7 Sept — Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal took oath as the 44th Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on 7 September 2026.
10. 30 Sept — The RIICO online auction of 12 plots (about 391 acres) ended on 30 September 2026. A total of 128 bidders applied and RIICO earned Rs 569 crore. Malan ki Tus (Udaipur) tourism plots drew the most bids, 68.

News by topic

Government & States

14 one-liners

Economy & Banking

1 one-liners

Science, Defence & Environment

11 one-liners

Sports, Days & Culture

10 one-liners

Awards, Appointments & Books

2 one-liners

Government & States

14 one-liners

Policy · laws · schemes · states.

National

• In its own (suo motu) hearing on river pollution, the Supreme Court put an interim stay on all construction and development work within 100 metres of the Jojri river banks; the bench was Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta.
• The Jojri stay will last until the flood line and the ecological buffer zone of the river are scientifically marked out.
• Chief Secretary V. Srinivas held a meeting of the Integrated Coordination Group in Jaipur to review the condition of sewage treatment plants and the drainage system for the Jojri.
• The state ordered a dedicated online grievance portal for complaints about the Jojri river.
• Where the flood line is already fixed, polluting industrial units are banned within 500 metres on both sides of it.
• A Supreme Court Collegium (the Chief Justice of India and four senior-most judges) recommends Chief Justices; a High Court Collegium has that High Court's Chief Justice and two senior-most judges.
• The NHRC took suo motu notice of a report from Banswara that a woman was beaten and humiliated by her husband and relatives, and asked the Chief Secretary and the Banswara SP for a full report within two weeks.
• The NHRC was set up under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 on 12 October 1993; its chairperson and members serve three years or until age 70, whichever is earlier.
• The Indian Air Force held the first flight test of the indigenous long-range glide bomb Pragatak-243 at Pokhran from a Su-30MKI; it can strike from 144 to 180 km when released from about 12 km height, and was developed by Nagpur start-up Kraft Dynamics with BEL.
• The Army's Konark Corps held the combined-arms exercise Rudra Raptors in the Jaisalmer desert, practising coordination between Apache helicopters in the air and tank fleets on the ground.
• 9 Sept — In Veer Guardian-2026 India flew the Tejas (LCA), Su-30MKI and Rafale, and Japan's Air Self-Defense Force flew the F-2A; the aim is better coordination, joint operations and a free, open, rules-based Indo-Pacific.
• 14 Sept — The IAF's first Dronethon-2026 was held on 14-16 September 2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, with 20+ defence firms, start-ups and PSUs showing unmanned (UAS) and counter-drone (CUAS) systems and an air traffic management system.
• 25 Sept — The BJP won the mayor posts of Jaipur Greater, Jodhpur and Kota on 25 September 2026. Sunil Kothari beat Sunita Mawar 89-60 in Jaipur, Prasannachand Mehta won in Jodhpur and Anusuiya Goswami won in Kota.
• 26 Sept — The Indian Air Force began Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 at Air Force Station Jodhpur. It is the second edition of this multinational air exercise and it runs till 12 October, with about 32 countries attending as observers.

Economy & Banking

1 one-liners

RBI · markets · trade · reports.

Economy & Banking

• 30 Sept — The RIICO online auction of 12 plots (about 391 acres) ended on 30 September 2026. A total of 128 bidders applied and RIICO earned Rs 569 crore. Malan ki Tus (Udaipur) tourism plots drew the most bids, 68.

Science, Defence & Environment

11 one-liners

Space · tech · forces · ecology.

Science & Technology

• The long-range one-way attack drone KAL, made by the Noida firm IG Defence, was flight-tested at the Pokhran Field Firing Range. Its reported range is up to 1,000 km and endurance 7-8 hours.
• DRDO signed its first high-value deep-tech agreement under its Technology Development Fund with Zero mK India, a start-up from Alwar, to build a 20 mK dilution refrigerator for quantum technology.
• To protect children's privacy and dignity, the Education Department banned entry of outsiders, photography, videography and interviews in government schools without permission, citing Article 21 and the "in loco parentis" principle.
• The NSTFDC and HPCL signed an agreement to build smart classrooms and computer labs in 29 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in 11 Rajasthan districts at a cost of ₹16.01 crore, to be completed within six months.
• The 11 districts are Alwar, Banswara, Baran, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Karauli, Pratapgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Sirohi, Tonk and Udaipur.
• Each EMRS will get 4 smart classrooms with 86-inch interactive panels, a fully networked computer lab and 10 tablets for competitive exam preparation, benefiting over 10,000 Scheduled Tribe students every year with equal participation of girls.
• 26 Sept — Researchers at IIT Jodhpur are documenting the Bhil language and the traditional knowledge of Bhil communities of the Osian region, such as methods of building houses and saving water in the Thar Desert.

Environment & Ecology

• The Jojri is a seasonal river that starts at Pandalu village in Nagaur, flows through the middle of Jodhpur city and joins the Luni near Balotra; it is the only tributary that meets the Luni from its right bank.
• The Supreme Court had earlier also taken up the pollution of the Jojri, Bandi and Luni rivers.
• Degrai Mata Oran in Jaisalmer is a sacred grassland of about 10,000 hectares in the heart of the Thar, protected by villagers themselves; it shelters the endangered Great Indian Bustard (Godawan) and the Asiatic caracal.
• Bhati organised communities of about 20 villages to protect the grasslands and help natural regrowth, which brought back native grasses such as sewan and dhaman, important fodder for livestock.

Sports, Days & Culture

10 one-liners

Results · important days · heritage.

Sports

• Jaipur's Anantjeet Singh Naruka won two bronze medals in skeet shooting (men's team and mixed team) at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Important Days

• Before this, Justice Agrawal served in the Chhattisgarh High Court as a judge and earlier as Advocate General; he became an additional judge in September 2013 and a permanent judge in March 2016.
• Bhati led an 85-day, roughly 700 km "Oran Bachao Padyatra" from the Tanot Mata Temple in Jaisalmer to Jaipur.

Art, Culture & Tourism

• An oran is a sacred grove or pasture protected by the community; Degrai Mata Oran can be remembered as the Thar's community-protected grassland.
• "Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati" were added to the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites; India's Permanent Delegation had submitted the serial nomination on 1 June 2026.
• A place on the Tentative List is only the first step toward World Heritage listing; it does not give World Heritage status by itself.
• The 14 historic towns, spread over Jhunjhunu, Churu and Sikar districts, are Alsisar, Bissau, Chirawa, Churu, Dundlod, Fatehpur, Jhunjhunu, Khetri, Laxmangarh, Mandawa, Mahansar, Nawalgarh, Ramgarh and Sikar.
• The Shekhawati nomination is proposed under UNESCO criteria (iii), (iv) and (v): an exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition, an outstanding example of a building or settlement type, and a traditional human settlement in harmony with its environment.
• Shekhawati is famous for painted havelis whose wall paintings show myths, religious themes, daily life, plants, animals and even modern technology such as the railway.
• From the 18th to the 20th century, rich Marwari merchant communities built grand havelis, temples, chhatris and public buildings in Shekhawati, along with forts, bazaars, wells, ponds and stepwells.

Awards, Appointments & Books

2 one-liners

Honours · new posts · books · obituaries.

Awards & Honours

Appointments

Quick quiz

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Practice questions on this period. Tap an option to check your answer.

Fill in the blank: one-liner flashcards

In its own (suo motu) hearing on river pollution, the _____ put an interim stay on all construction and development work within 100 metres of the Jojri river banks; the bench was Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta.

Supreme Court

The _____ is a seasonal river that starts at Pandalu village in Nagaur, flows through the middle of Jodhpur city and joins the Luni near Balotra; it is the only tributary that meets the Luni from its right bank.

Jojri

The _____ took suo motu notice of a report from Banswara that a woman was beaten and humiliated by her husband and relatives, and asked the Chief Secretary and the Banswara SP for a full report within two weeks.

NHRC

_____, a traditional camel herder of Jaisalmer, won the global Rangeland Awards 2026 for protecting the sacred grasslands of the Thar desert.

Sumer Singh Bhati

_____ in Jaisalmer is a sacred grassland of about 10,000 hectares in the heart of the Thar, protected by villagers themselves; it shelters the endangered Great Indian Bustard (Godawan) and the Asiatic caracal.

Degrai Mata Oran

"_____" were added to the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites; India's Permanent Delegation had submitted the serial nomination on 1 June 2026.

Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati

The Indian Air Force held the first flight test of the indigenous long-range glide bomb _____ at Pokhran from a Su-30MKI; it can strike from 144 to 180 km when released from about 12 km height, and was developed by Nagpur start-up Kraft Dynamics with BEL.

Pragatak-243

The _____ and HPCL signed an agreement to build smart classrooms and computer labs in 29 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in 11 Rajasthan districts at a cost of ₹16.01 crore, to be completed within six months.

NSTFDC

_____ took oath as the 44th Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on 7 September 2026.

Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal

The IAF's first _____ was held on 14-16 September 2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, with 20+ defence firms, start-ups and PSUs showing unmanned (UAS) and counter-drone (CUAS) systems and an air traffic management system.

Dronethon-2026

MCQs

1. Who was elected mayor of Jaipur Greater in September 2026?

   1. Soumya Gurjar
   2. Sunita Mawar
   3. Prasannachand Mehta
   4. Sunil Kothari
   Show answer

   Answer: Sunil Kothari — BJP's Sunil Kothari defeated Congress candidate Sunita Mawar 89-60 on 25 September 2026.

2. How much revenue did RIICO earn from the online plot auction that ended on 30 September 2026?

   1. Rs 269 crore
   2. Rs 369 crore
   3. Rs 469 crore
   4. Rs 569 crore
   Show answer

   Answer: Rs 569 crore — RIICO earned Rs 569 crore from 12 plots and 128 bidders.

3. Anantjeet Singh Naruka of Jaipur won two bronze medals at the 2026 Asian Games in which sport?

   1. Archery
   2. Boxing
   3. Skeet shooting
   4. Wrestling
   Show answer

   Answer: Skeet shooting — He won bronze in the men's team and mixed team skeet events.

4. From which village in Nagaur district does the Jojri river start?

   1. Kuchaman
   2. Parbatsar
   3. Merta
   4. Pandalu
   Show answer

   Answer: Pandalu — The Jojri starts at Pandalu, then flows through Jodhpur.

5. Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal became which number Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court?

   1. 40th
   2. 42nd
   3. 44th
   4. 45th
   Show answer

   Answer: 44th — He took oath on 7 September 2026.

6. Who won the Rangeland Awards 2026 for protecting Thar grasslands?

   1. Rajendra Singh
   2. Sumer Singh Bhati
   3. Anupam Mishra
   4. Shyam Sunder Jyani
   Show answer

   Answer: Sumer Singh Bhati — He is a camel herder from Jaisalmer.

7. How many days did the Oran Bachao Padyatra last?

   1. 45 days
   2. 85 days
   3. 60 days
   4. 100 days
   Show answer

   Answer: 85 days — It ran about 700 km from Tanot Mata Temple to Jaipur.

8. How many historic towns of Shekhawati are in the UNESCO Tentative List nomination?

   1. 9
   2. 12
   3. 14
   4. 20
   Show answer

   Answer: 14 — They lie in Jhunjhunu, Churu and Sikar districts.

9. Which two organisations signed the agreement for EMRS smart classrooms in Rajasthan?

   1. NSTFDC and ONGC
   2. TRIFED and HPCL
   3. NITI Aayog and BPCL
   4. NSTFDC and HPCL
   Show answer

   Answer: NSTFDC and HPCL — The project costs ₹16.01 crore for 29 schools.

10. The multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 was hosted at which Indian air base?

    1. Gwalior
    2. Pune
    3. Jodhpur
    4. Jamnagar
    Show answer

    Answer: Jodhpur — The IAF held the second edition at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from 26 September to 12 October 2026.

11. Where was the multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 held in Rajasthan?

    1. Jaisalmer
    2. Bikaner
    3. Jodhpur
    4. Nal
    Show answer

    Answer: Jodhpur — The second edition was hosted at Air Force Station Jodhpur from 26 September to 12 October 2026.

12. The Jojri river joins which river near Balotra?

    1. Luni
    2. Banas
    3. Chambal
    4. Mahi
    Show answer

    Answer: Luni — It is the Luni's only right-bank tributary.