Current affairs relevant to GS3.
On 19 August 2026 the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence busted a wildlife trafficking syndicate in Lucknow and seized 54 carved ivory artefacts. Four people were arrested and handed over, with the items, to the UP Forest Department. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 bans trade in elephant ivory, in line with India's obligations under CITES.
19 Aug 2026
India will host the fifth Coast Guard Global Summit in New Delhi in February 2027, coinciding with the Swarnim Jayanti of the Indian Coast Guard. On 19 August 2026 the Coast Guard hosted a Working Level Meeting in hybrid mode to prepare. The summit is presented as an expression of India's MAHASAGAR vision for a cooperative maritime order.
19 Aug 2026
A PIB Backgrounder of 19 August 2026 answers questions on the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026. States levy about 14 kinds of taxes and charges on mining, and some tax mineral-bearing land at up to 20 per cent. The Centre says States will keep about 90 per cent of mining revenue, and minor minerals stay fully with the States.
19 Aug 2026
On 18 August 2026 the Department of Defence Production notified the sixth Positive Indigenisation List of 405 strategically important items, with business potential of ₹3,070 crore. It has 389 items of Defence PSUs and 16 of the Indian Coast Guard. Once these are developed in India, they will be bought only from Indian industry.
18 Aug 2026
A PIB Backgrounder of 18 August 2026 says India ranks first in global coconut production, with 31.24 per cent of the world total. Coconut product exports rose 62 per cent to ₹7,038.35 crore in 2025-26. Copra MSP for 2026 is ₹12,027 per quintal for milling copra, and Budget 2026-27 announced a Coconut Promotion Scheme.
18 Aug 2026
On 18 August 2026 NHAI extended the online FASTag Local Pass to 121 toll plazas. Residents within 20 km of an eligible plaza can buy a monthly pass on the Rajmargyatra app, without visiting the plaza or submitting papers. The facility began in July 2026 at the Mundka-Bakkarwala plaza on UER-II in Delhi.
18 Aug 2026
Gross loans of Regional Rural Banks rose 10.3 per cent to ₹5.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, the Finance Ministry said on 18 August 2026. Average priority sector lending reached 91.7 per cent of adjusted net bank credit, against a target of 75 per cent. Agriculture was 77 per cent of priority lending; weaker sections got ₹3.49 lakh crore.
18 Aug 2026
On 17 August 2026 India launched its first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems of India at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It maps grasslands, savannas, deserts, ravines and scrublands, their wildlife and the communities that depend on them, and links their restoration to India's land degradation neutrality goals.
17 Aug 2026
The 15th edition of the India-Thailand joint military exercise MAITREE is being held from 18 to 31 August 2026 at Vibhavadi Rangsit Camp, Surat Thani, Thailand. Each side has 85 personnel; India is represented mainly by 9 Gorkha Rifles. The focus is counter-insurgency and counter-terror operations in jungle and semi-urban terrain.
17 Aug 2026
As on 14 August 2026, kharif crops covered 1016.57 lakh hectares, against 1037.52 lakh hectares a year earlier, the Agriculture Ministry said. Rice area was 379.07 lakh hectares, down 14.37 lakh hectares. Pulses, coarse cereals, oilseeds and cotton were slightly behind. Uttar Pradesh reported more area under pulses and oilseeds.
17 Aug 2026