NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. President Murmu Inaugurates Jagadguru Kripalu University in Odisha: President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated Jagadguru Kripalu University in Cuttack district, Odisha, marking the establishment of a new higher education institution in the state. The university is situated at Banara in Damapada tehsil, near Cuttack, and aims to strengthen educational opportunities in the region.
2. GVMC, Moscoaw Government Sign MoC to Boost Smart Mobility and Urban Development in Visakhapatnam: Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and the Government of Moscow signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to enhance urban development and smart mobility initiatives in Visakhapatnam. The agreement was signed during the 5th International Transport Summit in Moscow by GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg and Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow, in the presence of Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat. The partnership will focus on Integrated Urban Transport Planning, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), AI-based traffic management, digital ticketing, autonomous transport technologies, and sustainable infrastructure, supporting Visakhapatnam’s vision of becoming a technology-driven global city.
3. 3 August – Cloves Syndrome Awareness Day: Cloves Syndrome Awareness Day is observed annually on 3 August to raise awareness about CLOVES Syndrome, a rare congenital overgrowth disorder caused by mutations in the PIK3CA gene. The day aims to promote early diagnosis, research, improved treatment options, and support for individuals and families affected by the disorder. CLOVES stands for Congenital Lipomatous Overgrowth, Vascular Malformations, Epidermal Nevi, and Skeletal/Spinal Abnormalities, describing the key features of the syndrome.
4. 3 August – National Watermelon Day: National Watermelon Day is observed annually on 3 August to celebrate the watermelon, one of the world’s most popular and refreshing summer fruits. The day promotes the nutritional and health benefits of watermelon, which is rich in water, vitamins A and C, antioxidants, and lycopene, helping support hydration and overall health.
5. Indian Statistical Institute Bill Introduced in Lok Sabha: The Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 3 August 2026. The Bill seeks to repeal and replace the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959, and to convert the Indian Statistical Institute into a statutory body corporate. The Indian Statistical Institute, or ISI, is headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal. It functions at present as a registered society under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961. The proposed law provides a statutory framework for the institution’s governance, administration, and academic functions. The Bill expands the definition of Statistical Sciences for the purposes of the institution. The definition includes theoretical statistics, applied statistics, mathematics, economics, data science, computer science, cryptology, and other quantitative sciences. This wider definition covers disciplines used in statistical research, computation, and quantitative analysis.
6. Ministry Launches ‘As Seen on Netflix’ on Incredible India Portal: The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism launched the ‘As Seen on Netflix’ section on the Incredible India portal on 5 August 2026. The feature was developed with Netflix India to connect films and series with real locations, cultural traditions, and travel experiences in India. The Ministry of Tourism signed a non-commercial Memorandum of Understanding with Netflix Entertainment Services India. A Memorandum of Understanding is a formal agreement used by institutions to define cooperation without creating a commercial contract. The partnership aims to promote Indian tourism destinations through cinematic storytelling. The initiative is Netflix’s first collaboration with a tourism body in South Asia. Similar tourism-linked initiatives have been associated with France, Indonesia, and Korea. The partnership seeks to place Indian travel destinations within original content on the Netflix platform.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Esri India and BEL Sign MoU to Boost Defence Capabilities with GIS and GeoAI: Esri India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Navratna CPSE Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to collaborate on defence projects involving Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Location Intelligence, and GeoAI. The partnership builds on the successful execution of earlier projects for the Indian Armed Forces and aims to strengthen the use of advanced geospatial technologies in defence. According to Esri India Managing Director Agendra Kumar, geospatial intelligence has become a strategic capability that enables defence forces to analyse, plan, and respond with greater speed, accuracy, and precision.
2. Pacific Island Nation Nauru Officially Renamed as the Republic of Naoero: The Pacific Island nation of Nauru has officially changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, aligning with the spelling and pronunciation in its national language. As part of the change, the country’s international code will change from NRU to NRO, and its citizens will now be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. Naoero is the world’s third-smallest country by population (around 12,000 people), after Tuvalu and Vatican City, and gained independence from Australia in 1968.
3. Willie Walsh Assumes Charge as CEO of IndiGo: Willie Walsh has officially assumed charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IndiGo, India’s largest airline. Walsh replaced Pieter Elbers, who resigned from the CEO position on 10 March 2026.
4. Pawan Hans signs MoU with Noemi Aerospace on electric seaplanes: Pawan Hans Limited signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Norway-based Noemi Aerospace on 5 August 2026 in New Delhi to explore electric seaplane technology and other sustainable aviation solutions. The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha. The MoU covers technical knowledge sharing, workshops, feasibility studies, skill development, and capacity building. Pawan Hans Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Kumar Nagdawne and Noemi Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Eric François Lithun signed the agreement.
5. China Harvests First Rice Crop Grown in Space: Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station harvested the first batch of rice grown in orbit on 5 August 2026. The harvest formed part of the Shenzhou-23 mission, which launched on 24 May 2026, and the rice samples were collected for further scientific study. The experiment aims to achieve the first continuous cultivation of two generations of rice in orbit. It is designed to complete two consecutive life cycles and to study how prolonged microgravity affects genetic stability, plant development, and seed reproduction. Two types of japonica rice seeds are used in the experiment. One set consists of ordinary seeds that have never been to space, and the other set consists of “space lineage” seeds descended from rice grown aboard Tiangong in 2022 and bred on Earth for three generations.
6. Massachusetts Declares August 15 as India Day: Massachusetts declared August 15, 2026, as India Day across the state, and Boston issued a similar proclamation for the same date. The observance coincides with the 79th anniversary of India’s independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Governor Maura Healey issued the Massachusetts proclamation on August 1, 2026. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also declared August 15 as India Day in the city in 2026. The Indian diaspora in the United States comprises over five million people of Indian origin. Indian-Americans have a presence in medicine, science, technology, education, business, and public service. The 2026 proclamation in Boston welcomed the opening of the new Indian Consulate in Boston. It also referred to the visit of INS Sudarshini at the SAILBOSTON-250 event.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Massachusetts Declares August 15 as India Day: Massachusetts declared August 15, 2026, as India Day across the state, and Boston issued a similar proclamation for the same date. The observance coincides with the 79th anniversary of India’s independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The Indian diaspora in the United States comprises over five million people of Indian origin. Indian-Americans have a presence in medicine, science, technology, education, business, and public service.
SPORTS
1. Harshita Jakhar Becomes First Indian Woman to Feature at Tour de France Femmes: Harshita Jakhar of Rajasthan became the first Indian woman cyclist to feature at the prestigious Tour de France Femmes, creating a historic milestone for Indian cycling. She participated in the ceremonial start of Stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes at Aigle, Switzerland, marking India’s first-ever women’s representation at the event.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Ministry of Ayush and IndiaAI Sign MoU to Promote AI-Driven Innovation in Traditional Medicine: The Ministry of Ayush and IndiaAI (MeitY) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven innovation in the Ayush sector. Under the partnership, the Ministry of Ayush will integrate with the AIKosh platform to share eligible health research datasets, AI models, metadata, toolkits, and use cases, fostering AI-based research and collaboration. The MoU will provide the Ayush sector with access to GPU-based high-performance computing infrastructure through the IndiaAI initiative, supporting advanced AI research and healthcare applications in traditional medicine.
2. Department of Posts Releases Commemorative Stamp Honouring Satish Gujral’s Birth Centenary: The Department of Posts released a commemorative postage stamp on 3 August 2026 to mark the birth centenary of Satish Gujral, which was unveiled by Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia at Bikaner House, New Delhi. Satish Gujral (1925–2020) was a renowned Indian painter, sculptor, muralist, and architect, regarded as one of the leading figures of modern Indian art. The stamp features Satish Gujral’s 2010 acrylic self-portrait, one of only four self-portraits created by him, with the design prepared by Anuj Kumar based on a proposal by his daughter Raseel Gujral Ansal.
3. Giriraj Singh Inaugurates Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology at IIT Delhi: Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology (CoE-HT) at IIT Delhi to modernise India’s handloom sector through technology, innovation, and research. The Centre aims to integrate India’s traditional weaving heritage with advanced technologies, promoting digital innovation, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and improved market access for handloom weavers. CoE-HT will serve as a hub for research, skill development, and collaboration among academia, industry, government, startups, designers, and weavers to strengthen the handloom ecosystem.
4. Pacific Typhoon Threatens Indian Monsoon: Pacific typhoons and warming in the equatorial Pacific are linked with changes in the Indian southwest monsoon through shifts in atmospheric circulation, rainfall distribution, and cyclone activity over the Bay of Bengal and the North Indian Ocean. In August 2026, Super Typhoon Dolphin was tracked in the Pacific Ocean near Japan, while forecasters monitored its indirect effect on monsoon rainfall over India. Typhoons in the western Pacific can influence the Indian monsoon by altering the monsoon trough, suppressing Bay of Bengal systems, and changing moisture transport over the Indian subcontinent. In July 2026, a strong weather system over the western Pacific was associated with a weak phase of the southwest monsoon and subdued rainfall over central, western, and peninsular India.
5. Chhattisgarh Cabinet Approves ₹500 Crore AI Mission: The Chhattisgarh Cabinet approved the Chhattisgarh State Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission on 5 August 2026 with an outlay of ₹500 crore. The mission will run for five years and is linked to governance, skill development, technology adoption, and digital economy expansion in the state. The AI Mission is a state-level policy initiative for the use of artificial intelligence in public administration and digital services. It is aligned with the Government of India’s IndiaAI Mission, which is the national framework for AI development and adoption. The approval was given in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at Mantralaya Mahanadi Bhawan in Nava Raipur. The mission includes the creation of 100 AI data labs and five Centres of Excellence within Chhattisgarh.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. RBI MPC Keeps Repo Rate Unchanged at 5.25%, Retains Neutral Stance: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) voted unanimously to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 5.25%, after a detailed assessment of the evolving macroeconomic and financial developments and the outlook. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate remains at 5%, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate remain at 5.50%. The MPC also decided to continue with the neutral stance.
2. Government Notifies Rules for Cross-Border E-Commerce Exports: The Government of India operationalised rules for inventory-based cross-border e-commerce exports on 5 August 2026 through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The framework was notified under Notification No. 27/2026-27 and Public Notice No. 25/2026-27 and is part of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023. The framework permits e-commerce companies with foreign investment to undertake export-only inventory operations through a registered Exporter-on-Record (EOR). An EOR can procure goods from Sellers-on-Record (SORs) only against confirmed export orders, and the rules prohibit speculative inventory build-up. The model applies to cross-border e-commerce exports, which are exports of goods sold through digital platforms and shipped directly to overseas buyers. The arrangement is limited to export activity and does not permit domestic retail inventory operations under this framework.
3. RBI to Resume Issuing Fresh Licences for Urban Cooperative Banks: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced on 5 August 2026 that it will resume issuing fresh licences for Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) after a pause of more than two decades. The decision was announced during the August Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting and is linked to draft guidelines for on-tap licensing of UCBs. The RBI released draft guidelines for on-tap licensing after a discussion paper dated 13 January 2026. Credit cooperative societies applying for a licence must have at least 10 years of operation, minimum deposits of ₹10,000 crore, and a net worth of at least ₹300 crore as of 31 March of the previous financial year. Applicants must maintain a Capital to Risk-weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) of at least 12% and a Net Non-Performing Assets (NPA) ratio below 3%. The RBI will initially give priority to multi-state cooperative societies with operations across several states.
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