NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Chhattisgarh Signs Two PM GatiShakti Pacts: Chhattisgarh signed two Memorandums of Understanding with the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics and National Logistics Data Services Ltd on 20 August 2026 in Raipur. The agreements relate to geospatial technology, logistics analytics, and the PM GatiShakti framework for infrastructure planning. PM GatiShakti is a national master plan for multi-modal connectivity launched by the Government of India in 2021. The platform uses Geographic Information System-based data layers for coordinated planning across sectors such as roads, railways, ports, airports, and utilities. Chhattisgarh has integrated more than 35 state departments into the PM GatiShakti platform. The state has also mapped 41 mandatory data layers and more than 600 additional data layers for GIS-based planning. BISAG-N is a central government institution based in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and it works in geospatial applications, remote sensing, and digital mapping. National Logistics Data Services Ltd is associated with logistics data integration and digital analytics for supply-chain planning.
2. Sonowal Inaugurates ₹427.80 Crore Projects at Paradip Port: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated seven infrastructure projects worth ₹427.80 crore at Paradip Port Authority in Paradip, Odisha, on 21 August 2026. The projects included capital dredging, a bridge, a vessel traffic management system, and mechanisation agreements linked to port capacity and cargo handling. The ₹24.89 crore Atharbanki Second New Bridge is a 500-metre, three-lane bridge built for traffic movement involving about 3,000 transport trucks daily. An Advanced Vessel Traffic Management and Information System was also inaugurated in collaboration with IIT Madras’ National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts. Three mechanisation concession agreements worth ₹1,580.36 crore were signed to reduce vessel turnaround time at the port. The agreements covered a 5 MTPA South Quay project, an 8 MTPA Multipurpose Berth project, and a 10 MTPA Captive CQ-III project.
3. Important ICAR Institutes and Their Functions: ICAR is India’s apex body for coordinating agricultural research and education. Its institutes work across crops, soil, livestock, fisheries, and genetic resource conservation to support innovation and scientific farming. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous organization under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Established on 16 July 1929 as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, it has its headquarters in New Delhi. The Union Minister of Agriculture serves as its ex-officio President. It coordinates, guides, and manages agricultural research and education across India. ICAR manages four main deemed universities. These institutions lead academic education, postgraduate training, and foundational research in their respective fields.
4. Karnataka Bans Analogue Paneer for One Year: Karnataka’s Food Safety Division has prohibited the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of analogue paneer sold as “paneer” across the state for one year, from 17 August 2026 to 17 August 2027. The order was issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and applies to non-dairy products marketed under a dairy name. Analogue paneer is a food product that resembles dairy paneer but uses vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non-dairy ingredients in place of milk fat or milk solids, either wholly or partly. The state definition covers products that imitate paneer in appearance, texture or use, but do not meet the composition of milk-based paneer.
5. Uttar Pradesh, Yamanashi Announce ₹600-Crore MSME Fund: Uttar Pradesh and Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture signed multiple Memoranda of Understanding on 21 August 2026 at the UP-Japan Investment Meet 2026 in Lucknow. The event was held at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan and included a ₹600-crore fund for Yamanashi-based Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises investing in Uttar Pradesh. Four MoUs were exchanged between Uttar Pradesh and Japanese entities for technical training, skills development, tourism, and Japanese Global Capability Centres in Noida and Greater Noida. One MoU was signed between Invest UP and the Technical Training & Research Centre in Kanpur for workforce development and placement linkages.
6. National Campaign on Entrepreneurship-II Launched for Rural Women: The Ministry of Rural Development launched the second phase of the National Campaign on Entrepreneurship-II on 21 August 2026 under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission. The three-month campaign runs from 21 August to 21 November 2026 and coincides with World Entrepreneurs Day. The campaign focuses on rural women entrepreneurship in farm and non-farm sectors. It is linked with the government’s target of creating 6 crore Lakhpati Didis, a term used for women associated with annual household incomes of at least ₹1 lakh through livelihood activities. The campaign sets a target of training 5 lakh Self-Help Group women in entrepreneurship and livelihood skills. It also aims to formalise 50,000 rural enterprises and orient 50,000 community cadres for enterprise promotion.
7. MHA Transfers CAA Application Processing to District Collectors: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has transferred the processing of pending citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, to District Collectors in eight States and Union Territories. The change applies to applications under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act, 1955, and replaces the earlier central committee-based mechanism. The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, inserted Section 6B into the Citizenship Act, 1955. Section 6B provides a legal route for citizenship to eligible persons covered under the Act, subject to prescribed conditions and verification. The Citizenship Act, 1955, is the principal law governing acquisition and termination of Indian citizenship. It covers citizenship by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation, and incorporation of territory.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. 57th International Film Festival of India Steering Committee Meets: The first Steering Committee meeting for the 57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held on 21 August 2026 at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi. The 57th edition of IFFI is scheduled from 20 to 28 November 2026 in Goa. The International Film Festival of India is one of India’s major film festivals and is held annually. Goa has hosted IFFI for several editions, and the festival is associated with screenings, industry interactions, and international participation. The meeting discussed festival preparations, masterclasses, mentorship programmes, and opportunities for young students and emerging filmmakers. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has linked the festival with India’s creative industries and the “Orange Economy”, a term used for the cultural and creative sector.
2. BRICS Tourism Ministers Adopt Jaipur Declaration: BRICS Tourism Ministers adopted the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Communiqué 2026, also called the Jaipur Declaration, by consensus in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on 21 August 2026. The ministerial meeting was held under India’s 2026 Chairship of BRICS and was chaired by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism. The BRICS Tourism Track in 2026 was guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. Representatives from nine BRICS member states participated in the meeting, including Brazil, Iran, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The Jaipur Declaration set out four priority areas for cooperation among BRICS members. These priorities were AI and Tourism, Sustainability and Responsible Tourism, Tourism Skilling and Capacity Building, and Tourism Exchanges and Seamless Travel Facilitation.
3. PNGRB Authorises 1,800 km LPG Pipeline Network: The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), India’s downstream oil and gas regulator, authorised 1,800 km of new liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) pipelines on 21 August 2026. The project has an estimated capital investment of ₹7,000 crore and has been assigned to GAIL (India) Limited as the authorised entity. The PNGRB was established under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006, to regulate refining, processing, storage, transportation, distribution, marketing, and sale of petroleum, petroleum products, and natural gas. The Board also authorises common-carrier and contract-carrier pipelines under the regulatory framework for petroleum and natural gas infrastructure.
4. Turkey Seeks Interpol Red Notice for Netanyahu: Turkey has formally requested Interpol to issue a Red Notice for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and another Israeli citizen, Afek Moskovitch. The request followed domestic arrest warrants issued by the Istanbul 11th High Criminal Court on 14 July 2026 in a case linked to allegations of genocide and other offences. The Turkish Ministry of Justice asked the Ministry of the Interior to coordinate with Interpol, and legal documents were also forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Turkish officials stated that the case forms part of an ongoing domestic prosecution against 35 defendants connected to the armed interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters in May 2026.
5. DoT Caps Mobile Connections at Nine per Subscriber: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of India has directed telecom service providers to stop issuing new mobile connections to individuals who already hold the prescribed limit of nine SIM cards in their name. The new system comes into effect from 24 August 2026 and uses the Digital Intelligence Platform for subscriber screening. The limit of nine mobile connections applies across most of India. Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and the North-Eastern states have a lower ceiling of six mobile connections per subscriber. The limit applies to SIM cards registered in the name of one individual across different operators and telecom circles. Applicants for a new mobile number must declare all existing connections on the Customer Application Form, commonly called the CAF.
6. Important Environmental Technologies in Industries: ndustrial growth needs cleaner technologies to control pollution, reuse water, manage waste, and cut emissions. The main industrial environmental systems used for this purpose are listed below. ESPs remove fine dust particles from flowing gases using electrical energy. Dirty gas passes through electrodes, which give the particles a negative charge. The charged particles then stick to positively charged collector plates. Periodic rapping knocks the dust into hoppers for disposal. Scrubbers remove both particulate matter and acid gases from industrial exhaust streams. Wet scrubbers spray a liquid, usually water mixed with chemical reagents, into the gas flow. The liquid traps the pollutants. Dry scrubbers inject dry reactants into the exhaust to neutralize acids.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Cochin Shipyard Delivers ASW Craft Mangrol to Navy: Cochin Shipyard Limited delivered Mangrol, the third of eight indigenously designed and built Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts, to the Indian Navy in Kochi on 21 August 2026. The vessel was built to Det Norske Veritas classification rules and is designed for low-intensity maritime operations and search and rescue duties. Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, or ASW SWC, is a class of naval vessel used in coastal and shallow-water operations. These ships are designed for anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, and mine-laying tasks in littoral waters. Mangrol is a 78-metre vessel powered by a Diesel Engine-Waterjet Propulsion system. It carries shallow-water sonars, lightweight torpedoes, indigenous ASW rockets, and mine-laying equipment for underwater threat response.
2. DRDO Signs Two Technology Transfer Agreements: The Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Visakhapatnam, signed two Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology (LAToT) on 21 August 2026. The agreements cover the Submarine Fired Decoy (SFD) and the fabrication, installation, and commissioning of the LM2500 Gas Turbine for industrial use in India. A Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology is a formal arrangement under which a research organisation transfers a developed technology to an industrial partner for production, fabrication, or commissioning. DRDO uses such agreements to move defence technologies from laboratory development to manufacturing by Indian firms.
SPORTS
1. Treesa-Gayatri Secure Medal at BWF World Championships: Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand reached the women’s doubles semifinals at the BWF World Championships 2026 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on 21 August 2026. The unseeded Indian pair defeated China’s fourth-seeded duo Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian in 69 minutes to secure a World Championships medal for India. The BWF World Championships is an annual badminton tournament organised by the Badminton World Federation. Women’s doubles is one of the five events in the championships, along with men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles. India’s women’s doubles medal at the event is rare in the country’s badminton record. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand became only the second Indian women’s doubles pair to win a World Championships medal after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won bronze in 2011.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. China’s Chang’e-7 Mission Targets Moon’s South Pole: China has scheduled the Chang’e-7 lunar mission for launch on 24 August 2026 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan aboard a Long March 5 Y14 rocket. The China National Space Administration has described the spacecraft as a four-in-one system with an orbiter, lander, rover and hopping probe for exploration of the lunar south pole. The Chang’e-7 spacecraft uses a four-in-one configuration that combines four separate elements in one mission architecture. The orbiter will operate around the Moon, while the lander will attempt a touchdown near the edge of Shackleton Crater. The rover will move on the lunar surface, and the hopping probe will enter difficult terrain for direct sampling. The mission will carry six scientific payloads supplied by six different countries and one international organisation. The spacecraft will use the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, launched in March 2024, to maintain communications between Earth and the lunar surface.
2. Sophie Adenot Becomes First French Woman to Walk in Space: European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot became the first French woman and the second European woman to perform a spacewalk on 18 August 2026. She carried out U.S. Spacewalk 97 outside the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Anil Menon during a 6-hour and 23-minute extravehicular activity. The main task of the spacewalk was to replace a failed Space-to-Ground antenna, or SGANT, on the ISS Z1 truss. The SGANT provides a communication link for high-speed data transfer between the International Space Station and Mission Control in Houston. Stuck bolts and electrical cables delayed the installation of the replacement antenna. Mission Control instructed the astronauts to secure the failed unit with a long-duration tie-down before ending the spacewalk.
3. Major Oil and Gas Pipelines in India: Pipelines are the backbone of India’s oil and gas transport system, moving crude oil, petroleum products, LPG, and natural gas efficiently across long distances. They support energy security, reduce logistics costs, and connect ports, refineries, and consuming regions. Connects the marine terminal at Salaya on the Gujarat coast to the refinery at Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. It supplies crude oil to refineries in Koyali and Mathura. On August 21, 2026, PNGRB authorized about 1,800 km of new LPG common-carrier pipelines, taking India’s common-carrier LPG network to about 9,500 km.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Centre Notifies ₹62,500 Crore Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified the ₹62,500 crore Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme on 21 August 2026. The scheme will run for five years from FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31 and will replace the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing. The scheme has two target segments. Target Segment 1 covers global and large-scale mobile manufacturers and offers base incentives of 2.25% to 5% if the company meets a minimum FY 2025-26 turnover of ₹10,000 crore. Target Segment 2 covers domestic brands and offers a flat 5% incentive, along with an additional 3% incentive for domestic design and research and development, subject to a lower turnover threshold of ₹1,000 crore.
2. NBSS&LUP Develops India’s First Soil Texture Map: The National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), headquartered in Nagpur and functioning under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has developed India’s first soil texture map. The map provides digitised soil classification data at the hectare level across the country and was released on 16 July 2026. The map is designed to help farmers identify suitable crops for specific plots of land. It also provides village-level data for agricultural planning, crop suitability mapping, and allocation of resources by government agencies. Soil texture refers to the relative proportion of sand, silt, and clay in a soil sample. It is a basic physical property used in soil classification, land-use planning, irrigation design, and crop suitability assessment.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. National Teachers Awards 2026 for 48 Teachers: The National Teachers Awards 2026 will be conferred on 48 school teachers by President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 5 September 2026. The date coincides with National Teachers’ Day in India, which is observed every year on 5 September. National Teachers’ Day in India marks the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was born on 5 September 1888 and served as the second President of India. The day is observed to recognise the role of teachers in school education and academic institutions. The 48 awardees include 26 male teachers and 22 female teachers from 27 States, 7 Union Territories, and 6 Central Government organisations. The selection process for the National Teachers Awards 2026 used three stages at the district, state, and national levels.
No comments:
Post a Comment