Daily notes mapped to syllabus topics, with “Asked before” PYQs and original practice MCQs.
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.
UPSC angle: Prelims: SACU members.
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.
UPSC angle: Prelims: CPI base year; FIT band.
12 Aug 2026
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.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Census phases.
12 Aug 2026
The Sixteenth Finance Commission has recommended grants of ₹4,35,236 crore for rural local bodies in all 28 States for 2026-31, the Panchayati Raj Ministry told Rajya Sabha on 12 August 2026. Basic and performance grants are in the ratio 80:20. Half the basic grant is tied to sanitation and water; the rest is untied.
UPSC angle: Prelims: FC grant structure.
12 Aug 2026
Production of Kalanamak rice in Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh, rose more than five times between 2018 and 2025, the Agriculture Ministry told Lok Sabha on 11 August 2026. Its price rose from ₹40 a kg in 2018 to ₹150 a kg in 2026, and growers rose from 2915 to 23000. Two new dwarf varieties yield 4.5 tonnes a hectare.
UPSC angle: Prelims: GI rice varieties.
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.
UPSC angle: Prelims: NDMF.
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.
UPSC angle: Prelims: grey vs green hydrogen.
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.
UPSC angle: Prelims: MSMED Act.
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.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Hong Kong Convention.
11 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.
UPSC angle: Prelims: ships in news.
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