Current affairs relevant to GS3.
On 24 August 2026 the Office of the Economic Adviser, DPIIT, released provisional Service Producer Price Indices for Q1 of 2026-27, base year 2022-23. They cover seven services. The air passenger index jumped to 126.4, up 31.94 per cent year on year, while the banking service price index fell 3.35 per cent.
24 Aug 2026
A PIB Backgrounder of 23 August 2026 explains regenerative agriculture: farming that rebuilds soil health and biodiversity instead of only maintaining them. India promotes it through natural farming, micro-irrigation, agroforestry, integrated farming and soil testing. Natural farming clusters cover 8.80 lakh hectares, and 25.89 crore Soil Health Cards have been generated since inception.
23 Aug 2026
On 22 August 2026 the Union Home Minister reviewed the security of the Siliguri Corridor with central and West Bengal officials and agencies. He reviewed infrastructure projects critical to security, and discussed illegal immigration, demographic change and border issues. He asked all agencies to apply a quadrangular approach to border security and keep the corridor free of encroachments.
23 Aug 2026
The Indian Navy's sail training ship INS Sudarshini arrived at Lisbon, Portugal, on 22 August 2026 as part of its Lokayan 26 transoceanic expedition. The three-masted barque sailed in through the Tagus River. Lisbon was the ship's 15th port visit in seven months, with exchanges with the Portuguese Navy and the Indian diaspora.
23 Aug 2026
On 23 August 2026 the Prime Minister met CEOs of Indian space startups and said the government must stay consistent in its decisions so that private players can take risks. The startups spoke of a private orbital launch, new engines, debris removal and space pharma. India's space startups have grown from one in 2014 to over 400 in 2026.
23 Aug 2026
On 21 August 2026 Cochin Shipyard Limited delivered Mangrol, the third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft it has built, to the Indian Navy. The ship has over 80 per cent indigenous content. It is built for underwater surveillance, anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, low-intensity maritime operations and mine warfare.
22 Aug 2026
On 22 August 2026 the National Biodiversity Authority released ₹2.82 crore under the Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanism. Of this, ₹2.80 crore went to 27 State Biodiversity Boards and 3 UT Biodiversity Councils, and ₹2.01 lakh to ICAR-IIHR, Karnataka. The money came from companies using Indian genetic resources in vegetable hybrids and microbial strains.
22 Aug 2026
The EPFO has urged employers to use the Employees' Enrolment Campaign 2026, notified from 29 June 2026. It is a one-time chance to enrol eligible employees who stayed outside EPF coverage between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2026. The campaign is open until 31 October 2026 and waives the employee's share where it was not deducted.
22 Aug 2026
A PIB Backgrounder of 22 August 2026 reviews the National Animal Disease Control Programme, launched in September 2019 to control Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis. It has given 147.16 crore FMD vaccine doses, benefiting 8.04 crore farmers. Reported FMD outbreaks fell from 132 in 2019 to 40 in 2025, and Brucellosis outbreaks from 22 to 15.
22 Aug 2026
By 20 August 2026, 29 FDI investments worth ₹4,895.65 crore had been reported under India's revised framework for investors with small, non-controlling ownership from land-bordering countries. Since Press Note 2 of 2026, notified on 1 May 2026, such investors with up to 10 per cent LBC ownership can use the automatic route instead of seeking prior government approval.
21 Aug 2026