Daily digests (5-8 items/day).
The first phase of Census 2027, Houselisting and Housing Census, is complete in 31 States and UTs, MHA told Rajya Sabha on 12 August 2026. Population Enumeration in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand runs from 1 to 30 September 2026, with online self-enumeration from 17 to 31 August.
12 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 12 August 2026 India and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) signed the Terms of Reference for negotiating a Preferential Trade Agreement. It is India's first such ToR with the African region. Talks will cover eight chapters, from trade in goods and rules of origin to trade remedies and dispute settlement. SACU is the world's oldest customs union.
12 Aug 2026
On 12 August 2026 the National Commission for Scheduled Castes submitted its Annual Report for 2024-25 to President Droupadi Murmu. The report reviews how constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Castes are working and recommends steps for the Union and States. The President asked the Commission to suggest ways to strengthen existing mechanisms.
12 Aug 2026
The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, passed by Parliament in August 2026, creates a judiciary-led National Tribunals Commission to select members of 16 tribunals and oversee them. It repeals the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, parts of which the Supreme Court struck down in Madras Bar Association v. Union of India. Members get a five-year term.
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
The Centre has approved the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme in two phases under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund, MHA told Lok Sabha on 11 August 2026. Phase I covers seven metros at ₹3075.65 crore. Phase II covers 11 cities, including Lucknow and Kanpur, at ₹2444.42 crore. States implement the projects.
11 Aug 2026