Current affairs relevant to GS3.
On 14 August 2026 the Centre launched Central Bank Digital Currency-based Direct Benefit Transfer under PMGKAY in Chandigarh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The food subsidy now goes into each beneficiary's Digital Rupee wallet as purpose-bound tokens, usable only for foodgrains at empanelled shops. It follows pilots in Gujarat and Puducherry in February 2026.
14 Aug 2026
Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 on 13 August 2026. It amends the MMDR Act, 1957 to bring stability to the major minerals sector. The Mines Ministry says States keep their rights on land, minerals and minor minerals, and will still get about 90 per cent of mining revenue.
14 Aug 2026
Replying in Rajya Sabha on 13 August 2026, the government said ISRO is acting on the debris risk from large Low Earth Orbit satellite-internet constellations. Its Debris Free Space Mission, end-of-life disposal rules and Active Debris Removal aim to limit new debris. ISRO has been a member of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee since 1996.
13 Aug 2026
The National Biodiversity Authority released ₹15.52 crore in Access and Benefit Sharing proceeds from Pioneer Overseas Corporation, which developed ten mustard hybrids from India's biological resources. As no single source community could be traced, the money goes to 26 State Biodiversity Boards and 3 UT Councils in proportion to mustard area.
13 Aug 2026
NITI Aayog released "Key Sectors to Position India as a Global Manufacturing Hub" on 13 August 2026. The first edition studies four sectors: chemicals, textiles, telecom and networking equipment, and solar photovoltaic manufacturing. It uses a four-phase method from shortlisting to recommendations. Reports on eight more sectors will follow.
13 Aug 2026
Retail inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (base 2024=100) was 4.45 per cent in July 2026, up from 4.38 per cent in June, MoSPI said on 12 August 2026. Rural inflation was 4.84 per cent and urban 3.96 per cent. Food inflation rose to 5.52 per cent. Silver jewellery, ginger and garlic saw the sharpest price rises.
12 Aug 2026
On 11 August 2026 the Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel Shruti (Yard 3037) was launched at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. NGOPVs are being built at GSL, Goa and GRSE. These indigenously designed ships will handle maritime surveillance, search and rescue, protection of offshore assets, HADR and anti-piracy missions.
11 Aug 2026
India became the world's leading ship recycling nation in 2025, a PIB Backgrounder said on 11 August 2026, citing UNCTAD. Its share rose from 30.1 per cent in 2024 to 35.4 per cent, and volume from 1.86 to 2.99 million gross tonnes. The Alang-Sosiya cluster in Gujarat handles about 98 per cent of India's ship recycling.
11 Aug 2026
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, passed by Parliament in August 2026, updates the MSMED Act, 2006. It makes registration free and voluntary on a national platform, requires CPSEs to settle MSME invoices through TReDS, fixes time limits for payment disputes and replaces some criminal penalties with warnings and graded fines.
11 Aug 2026
Under the SIGHT Mode 2B scheme of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, 30 kilo tonnes per annum of green hydrogen capacity has been awarded for four refineries, MNRE told Rajya Sabha on 11 August 2026. IOCL Panipat and Numaligarh get 10 KTPA each; BPCL Bina and HPCL Vizag get 5 KTPA each, on a build-own-operate basis.
11 Aug 2026