Current affairs compilation: August 2026
Pick a date on the calendar to read that day's current affairs. Full month list below for revision.
Monday, 31 August 2026
6 items- UPI goes live in Uzbekistan through UZQRGS3 · Digital payments
- Q1 2026-27 GDP grows 7.8% (real), 10.3% nominalGS3 · National income
- Modi–Putin meet at SCO Bishkek; 27th India–Russia IGC outcomes welcomedGS2 · India–Russia
- INS Nipun, second Nistar-class diving support vessel, commissionedGS3 · Defence
- C-DOT unveils 14 indigenous quantum-security products (QKD, PQC)GS3 · S&T, cyber security
- Backgrounder: National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical SystemsGS3 · Emerging tech
Full August list
1 August
- ₹1,09,019 crore advance tax devolution released to States
- Backgrounder: India “effectively free” of Left Wing Extremism
- Backgrounder: PM Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana for first-time jobs
- First India–Rwanda Joint Trade Committee: minerals, health, digital
- Third barrier-free MLFF toll plaza goes live on Delhi–Jaipur NH-48
2 August
- Backgrounder: India’s solar growth after PM Surya Sarovar
- Coal output up 7.51% in July 2026; dispatch up 17.34%
- Fresh survey finds no manual scavengers; 89,915 sewer workers validated under NAMASTE
- NBA releases ₹8.22 crore ABS for rice varieties used by a seed company
- PM launches “Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan”
3 August
- 99.92% of inhabited villages now have a banking outlet
- Glaw Lake becomes Arunachal’s first Ramsar site; India’s tally reaches 101
- Green Credit Programme: incentives for tree planting and land restoration
- Gyan Bharatam Mission for manuscript survey and digitisation
- Railway freight up 9% in July 2026 to 141 MT
4 August
- Backgrounder: GI tags as global brands
- ICAR pigeonpea genome becomes global T2T reference
- ICAR’s indigenous African Swine Fever vaccine dedicated to the nation
- PM Surya Ghar crosses 50 lakh rooftop solar homes; 14.8 GW installed
- Push for nano urea and nano DAP to improve nutrient-use efficiency
- Six coal blocks auctioned in 15th commercial round
5 August
- INCOIS AI model: El Niño likely to persist till Feb 2027
- NJORT deployed as Chandipura virus outbreak probed in Gujarat, Rajasthan
- PFBR Kalpakkam attained first criticality on 6 April 2026
- Seven years since abrogation of Article 370
- SVAMITVA: drone mapping for rural property rights
6 August
- Agni-4 test-fired from Chandipur
- Cabinet approves ₹23,731-crore GOBARdhan national CBG scheme
- Coal production 69.75 MT in July 2026; supply adequate
- Delhi–Ghaziabad–Meerut Namo Bharat RRTS fully operational
- Govt denies ethanol import commitment to the US
- Govt outlines regulatory steps against AI deepfakes
7 August
- ABHA Scan and Register crosses 25 crore OPD registrations
- GeM turns 10: cumulative GMV over ₹20 lakh crore
- India and Bhutan review power and trans-border river cooperation
- National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm implementation
- Rail freight loading rises to 1,670 MT in 2025-26 with full DFC operations
- MEA Parliament replies (6-7 Aug 2026): Arctic, UNSC seat
8 August
- Backgrounder: GeM transforming public procurement
- E-Samudra single-window portal for seafarers launched
- Govt: no charges for UPI users; PSS Act amendment enables future MDR
- OMC tests reject claims of high chloride and moisture in E20 petrol
- PM and US Vice President Vance review strategic partnership
9 August
- Backgrounder: CPGRAMS grievance redressal
- India crosses 300 GW non-fossil power capacity
- India–US Navy explosive ordnance disposal exercise at Kochi
- NBA disburses ₹3.79 crore ABS to 33 States/UTs
- PMAY-Urban: 1.25 crore houses sanctioned, 1 crore delivered
10 August
- 11 more e-Visa entry ports notified; total now 88
- Asiatic lions rise to 891 in 2025 from 523 in 2015
- Global Engagement Scheme frames India’s cultural diplomacy
- PLFS Q1 2026-27: LFPR 54.6%, urban male LFPR 75.3%
- River interlinking: 30 links identified; only Ken–Betwa in implementation
- Unusual ozone-rich layer found over the North Bay of Bengal
11 August
- GRSE launches Next Generation OPV “Shruti”
- India is world’s top ship recycler (35.4% share in 2025)
- MSMED (Amendment) Bill, 2026 passed
- SIGHT tenders push green hydrogen use in refineries
- Urban Flood Risk Management Programme: Phase II in 11 cities incl. Lucknow and Kanpur
- Kalanamak rice output in Siddharthnagar up over five times (2018–2025)
12 August
- 16th Finance Commission recommends ₹4.35 lakh crore for rural local bodies
- Census 2027: houselisting done in 31 States/UTs; snow-bound enumeration in September
- CPI inflation 4.45% in July 2026 (new base 2024)
- India and SACU sign ToR for Preferential Trade Agreement talks
- NCSC submits Annual Report 2024–25 to the President
- Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 creates a National Tribunals Commission
13 August
- 5.63 lakh villages have liquid waste management under SBM-G Phase II
- ISRO on LEO mega-constellations and the Debris Free Space Mission
- Monsoon Session ends: 19 sittings, 12 Bills passed by both Houses
- NBA releases ₹15.52 crore ABS proceeds from mustard genetic resources
- NITI report on key sectors for a global manufacturing hub
- Seat reservation for Limboo and Tamang STs in Sikkim is sub judice
- MEA Parliament replies (13 Aug 2026): IORA chair
14 August
- ₹1,577-crore loiter munition contracts for the Army
- 12-minute TV ad cap removed
- CBDC-based DBT under PMGKAY launched in Chandigarh and DNH
- MMDR Amendment Bill, 2026 passed by Parliament
- NITI report on regulation of professional services
- WPI inflation 9.78% in July 2026
15 August
- DLI-backed startup achieves first-pass silicon with VIHAAN broadband chip
- I-Day: AI skilling of 1 crore youth, 100 GW nuclear by 2047, 6 crore Lakhpati Didis
- NABARD’s RSVC-AMRIT platform for rural innovation launched
- National framework to strengthen ITDAs/ITDPs released
- PM: social security coverage rose from 25 crore to 100 crore in a decade
16 August
- DRI busts ₹2,500-crore SAFTA misuse in areca nut imports
- India hosts 12th BRICS Environment Ministers Meeting (18 Aug)
- Make diabetes prevention a national priority, says minister
- NIELIT launches CYBER KUSHTI 2026 hackathon
17 August
- CIC launches AppCoMS 2.0 portal for RTI appeals and complaints
- India releases first guide to grasslands and open natural ecosystems at COP17
- India–Thailand Army exercise MAITREE-XV (18–31 Aug)
- Kharif sowing: rice area 379 lakh ha, behind last year (as on 14 Aug)
- MoD leases two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones for Navy for 30 months
- PLFS July 2026: LFPR rises to 55.4%
18 August
- ₹3,942 crore for amended BharatNet in Chhattisgarh
- 6th Positive Indigenisation List of 405 defence items notified
- Backgrounder: India is world’s top coconut producer
- Digital FASTag Local Pass extended to 121 toll plazas
- RRB loans up 10.3% to ₹5.78 lakh crore; PSL achievement 91.7%
- UIDAI completes 2 crore mandatory biometric updates for schoolchildren
19 August
- Backgrounder: makhana, from wetland crop to superfood
- Cabinet clears ₹3,590.73-crore 4-laning of Muzaffarpur–Sitamarhi–Sonbarsa NH-22
- CAQM approves phased shift to cleaner light goods vehicles in NCR
- DRI seizes 54 ivory artefacts, busts trafficking syndicate
- India to host 5th Coast Guard Global Summit in February 2027
- MMDR Amendment Act FAQs: 14 kinds of State mining revenue
20 August
- Backgrounder: PM Janjatiya Vikas Mission and the minor forest produce economy
- CMLRE releases national report on deep-sea fishery resources of India’s EEZ
- Core industries grow 5.4% in July 2026 (base 2022-23)
- Data-sharing policy under Sujalam Bharat DPI for drinking water
- India–Japan defence ministers meet in New Delhi
- MMDR Amendment Act, 2026 notified on 17 August
21 August
- 29 FDI proposals (₹4,896 crore) under revised land-border framework
- ₹62,500-crore Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme notified
- ADB $230 million loan for climate-resilient Chennai water and sewerage
- Backgrounder: PM-AASHA for MSP price support
- BRICS tourism ministers adopt Jaipur Declaration
- Ken–Betwa Link Project FAQs: water for Bundelkhand
22 August
- BRICS STI ministers adopt Chennai Declaration
- EPFO’s one-time Employees’ Enrolment Campaign 2026
- FDCs of chlorpheniramine + phenylephrine restricted for children under 4
- NADCP: 147 crore FMD vaccine doses administered
- Navy receives Mangrol, third CSL-built ASW shallow water craft
- NBA releases ₹2.82 crore ABS to 27 SBBs, 3 UTBCs and ICAR-IIHR
23 August
- Backgrounder: regenerative agriculture for soil health
- Home Minister reviews Siliguri Corridor security and infrastructure
- INS Sudarshini reaches Lisbon on Lokayan 26 expedition
- PM meets space startup CEOs on policy consistency
24 August
- Draft amendments to Medical Devices Rules to ease compliance
- India–Cambodia trade up 36% to $406.78 million
- India restored 21.76 million ha in 2011–2020, UNCCD COP17 told
- India’s first non-GMO high-expansion popcorn maize hybrid launched
- Service Producer Price Indices released for Q1 2026-27 (base 2022-23)
25 August
- 100 new Indian ships planned to cut $75 billion freight bill
- DRDO to transfer all conventional missile technologies to Indian industry
- e-Shram at 5 years: 31.89 crore unorganised workers registered
- RRBs post record ₹10,176 crore profit in FY26
- UNCCD COP17: India urges shift from drought response to drought resilience
- UPI completes 10 years
26 August
- At UNCCD COP17, India calls for community-led rangeland restoration
- Backgrounder: sugar industry and the 2026 price rise
- India offers flood relief to Nepal; PM speaks to Nepal PM
- India–Seychelles high-level meeting on fisheries and blue economy
- CAQM seals 16 units in Loni, Ghaziabad under Operation Clean Air
27 August
- Buffer onions sold at ₹35/kg in Delhi-NCR; “Kanda Express” moves stocks
- Navy receives Samarthak, first indigenous multi-purpose vessel
- PM Jan Dhan Yojana at 12: 59.09 crore accounts, ₹3.17 lakh crore deposits
- PM SVANidhi restructured: lending extended to 2030, 1.15 crore vendors targeted
28 August
- Backgrounder: nuclear energy safety and the SHANTI Act, 2025
- Ex-mill sugar prices fall ~20% after supply measures
- First India–Kuwait Joint Defence Committee meets in New Delhi
- IIP grows 6.7% in July 2026; manufacturing 7.3%
- Sanchar Saathi recovers record 75,000 lost phones in a month
- Second call under ₹5,000-crore PRIP scheme for pharma-medtech R&D
29 August
- 4th India–Argentina JTC: lithium, energy, pharma market access
- CBG procurement price fixed at ₹2,110/MMBtu under GOBARdhan
- Per Drop More Crop: 115 lakh ha under micro-irrigation
- PMFBY at 10 years: 92 crore applications insured, ₹2.06 lakh crore claims
30 August
- Backgrounder: a decade of higher education growth (AISHE, NEP 2020)
- iFMS fertiliser tracking linked with Meri Fasal Mera Byora
- India–Uzbekistan joint statement during PM’s state visit
- “Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031” plan for ornamental fisheries
- NBA disburses ₹5.68 crore ABS funds for okra, cucumber, watermelon
31 August
- Backgrounder: National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems
- C-DOT unveils 14 indigenous quantum-security products (QKD, PQC)
- INS Nipun, second Nistar-class diving support vessel, commissioned
- Modi–Putin meet at SCO Bishkek; 27th India–Russia IGC outcomes welcomed
- Q1 2026-27 GDP grows 7.8% (real), 10.3% nominal
- UPI goes live in Uzbekistan through UZQR