Current Affairs 14 August 2026

State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Ladakh Channels 90 Million Litres of Glacier Water Daily to Irrigate 1,000 Acres

•Ladakh's Irrigation and Flood Control Department on 14 August 2026 diverted glacial meltwater from the Stok village nallah in Leh into the existing Igoo-Phey irrigation canal.
•About 90 million litres a day that previously ran off unused into the Indus is now being used for irrigation - roughly 80 million litres into the Igoo-Phey Canal and about 10 million litres towards Chuchot.
•The diversion added about 26 cusecs to the canal: 19 cusecs towards Igoo upstream and 7 cusecs towards Phey downstream.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

Army Sets Up AASHVAST Lab to Scan Drones for Hidden Software Threats

•The Indian Army inaugurated AASHVAST, a software analysis and validation laboratory, at the Directorate General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering headquarters in Delhi Cantonment on 14 August 2026.
•AASHVAST stands for Assessment and Analysis of Electronic Systems Hardware for Vulnerabilities and Security Threats, and examines military drones and other defence electronics for backdoors, embedded credentials, hidden remote-access tools and unauthorised components.
•The lab is fully air-gapped and read-only, so nothing can be written to the hardware under test, and it checks whether a system accepts only manufacturer-approved software updates.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

CosmoCube: Suitcase-Sized Lunar Satellite to Listen for Signals from the Cosmic Dark Ages

•An international team led by the University of Cambridge set out the CosmoCube mission in a paper published in Nature Astronomy on 14 August 2026.
•CosmoCube is a proposed suitcase-sized satellite that would orbit the Moon and listen for the 21-centimetre hydrogen signal from the cosmic Dark Ages, more than 13.5 billion years ago.
•It would use the Moon's far side as a natural shield against radio interference from Earth, getting about 40 minutes of quiet observing in every two-hour orbit.

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Awards & HonoursLowquizQuiz

POWERGRID Wins PMIS Partner Company Award for Innovation in Exit Pathways

•POWERGRID received the PMIS Recognition of Partner Company Award in the Innovation in Exit Pathways category on 14 August 2026.
•The Ministry of Corporate Affairs held the ceremony at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
•POWERGRID offered 6,265 internships across Pilot Rounds 1 and 2 of the Prime Minister Internship Scheme between December 2024 and December 2025.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

Persian Gulf Oil Spill Reaches Iran's Hara Mangrove Biosphere Reserve at Qeshm

•Satellite imagery has shown oil from a spill off the southern coast of Iran's Qeshm Island reaching the Hara mangrove forests, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Persian Gulf.
•Oily residues were first observed on the evening of 2 August 2026 along about a kilometre of beach near Shib Deraz and Soza, before spreading to the mangroves near Naqasheh village.
•The European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellite captured imagery of the affected waters on 10 August 2026; Iran claimed extensive pollution damage as the slicks spread.

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SportsLowquizQuiz

Three Indians in Guinness record skydive with national flags over Libya

•Guinness World Records verified on 14 August 2026 a record for the most skydivers jumping simultaneously with national flags from a single aircraft.
•The jump took place over Benghazi, Libya, on 7 August 2026, with 65 skydivers of 38 nationalities exiting one military Ilyushin Il-76TD at 13,000 feet.
•Three UAE-based Indians took part - Jamsheer Thanalot from Kerala, Abhishek Rawat from Uttar Pradesh and Isha Raj from Bihar - each unfurling the Tricolour.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

India and Nepal set three-year target to map cross-border land occupation

•India and Nepal agreed to complete the mapping of cross-border land occupation within three years, at the 13th meeting of the Survey Officials' Committee held in Lucknow from 12 to 14 August 2026.
•Unmanned aerial vehicles will be used to photograph the affected stretches, and the images will be analysed jointly by both sides.
•Fieldwork is expected to begin after the 2026 monsoon, in September or October.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

Army Orders 840 Loitering Munitions Worth Rs 1,577 Crore from Tata and NIBE

•The Ministry of Defence signed two contracts worth about Rs 1,577 crore on 14 August 2026 with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd and NIBE Pvt Ltd.
•The order covers 84 loiter munition systems, 840 loitering munitions and associated accessories for the Indian Army.
•Under the contract-splitting provision, 64% of the order goes to Tata Advanced Systems and 36% to NIBE.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Government Scraps 12-Minute Hourly Advertisement Cap for Television Channels

•The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 14 August 2026 removed the cap limiting television channels to 12 minutes of advertising per hour.
•The ceiling sat in the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, and had been enforced since 2006; it allowed 10 minutes of commercial advertising and 2 minutes of self-promotion.
•The government cited the growth of television from 62 channels in 2006 to more than 900 in 2026, and the absence of any equivalent limit on digital platforms.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Social Justice Ministry reviews NAMASTE, SEED and PM-AJAY with scheme beneficiaries

•Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar reviewed the NAMASTE, SEED and PM-AJAY schemes and held an interaction session with their beneficiaries at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.
•Under NAMASTE, the measures listed were profiling of sewer and septic tank workers, provision of Personal Protective Equipment kits, health insurance, safety training and Emergency Sanitation Response Units, with the scheme extended to cover waste pickers and integrate them into formal solid waste management.
•The SEED scheme for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic communities was described as going beyond financial assistance to sustainable livelihoods, skill development and self-reliance, with special emphasis on women from DNT communities.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Government removes the 12-minute-per-hour television advertisement cap in force since 2006

•The Government has decided to remove the 12-minute-per-hour advertisement duration cap for television channels, introduced in 2006 under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.
•The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cites structural change in the sector: there were 62 television channels in 2006 against more than 900 now, and cable television has moved from analog with limited carriage capacity to fully digital platforms — cable, DTH, HITS and IPTV — carrying 300 to 500 channels or more.
•The stated reasons are adequate competition within the television industry and between television and digital media, where no advertisement cap applies, creating what the Ministry calls a non-level playing field.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

MMDR Amendment Bill 2026 passed; Centre says 90% of mining revenue stays with States

•The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was passed by both Houses of Parliament on 13 August 2026, amending the MMDR Act, 1957 with the stated aim of bringing long-term stability to the major minerals sector.
•The Ministry of Mines states the amendment will not take away any State right over land and minerals, will not remove any tax on minerals collected by States, and will not affect States' power to regulate and tax minor minerals.
•About 90% of total taxes and statutory payments in mining accrues to the States and the Ministry says this arrangement will continue; from FY 2015-16 to FY 2025-26 over ₹5 lakh crore accrued to major mining States against ₹82,000 crore to the Centre.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

Fifth National Council for Senior Citizens meeting reviews AVYAY; JEEVAN and SHATAYU launched

•The fifth meeting of the National Council for Senior Citizens was chaired by Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.
•The Council reviewed the implementation of Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY), deliberated on the extension of health insurance under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY to senior citizens irrespective of financial background, and considered a proposal to include geriatric caregiver services in the Central Government Health Scheme rate card.
•The Minister launched the e-book 'SNEHA — Stories of Nurturing, Engagement, Happiness and Active Ageing', covering the Department's work from October 2024 to June 2026, and the Council noted two digital initiatives: the JEEVAN app and the SHATAYU platform.

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DefenceLowquizQuiz

MoD signs ₹1,577 crore contracts for Loiter Munition Systems for the Indian Army

•The Ministry of Defence signed contracts with TATA Advanced Systems Limited and NIBE Private Limited for Loiter Munition Systems, along with munitions and accessories, at an approximate cost of ₹1,577 crore for the Indian Army.
•The contracts were signed in New Delhi on 14 August 2026 in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
•The systems are being procured under the Buy (Indian) category through the Fast Track Procedure, and are intended to enhance the capability of the Army's Artillery Regiments.

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Awards & HonoursMediumquizQuiz

President approves 78 gallantry awards and 89 Mention-in-Despatches for Independence Day 2026

•President Droupadi Murmu approved 78 gallantry awards, including 13 posthumous, to personnel of the Defence Forces and Central Armed Police Forces on the eve of Independence Day 2026.
•The breakdown is 9 Kirti Chakras (7 posthumous), 1 Bar to Shaurya Chakra, 19 Shaurya Chakras (1 posthumous), 5 Bars to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 36 Sena Medals (Gallantry) with 5 posthumous, 3 Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and 5 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).
•A further 89 Mention-in-Despatches were approved — 75 for the Indian Army, 4 for the Navy and 10 for the Air Force — spanning operations including Rakshak, Hifazat, Orchid, Meghdoot, Snow Leopard, Talash and Chakravyuh.

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Banking & FinanceHighquizQuiz

CBDC-based food subsidy transfer launched under PMGKAY in Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli

•The Government launched Central Bank Digital Currency-based Direct Benefit Transfer under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in the Union Territories of Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli on 14 August 2026.
•Food subsidy is credited as programmable Digital Rupee tokens into a beneficiary's CBDC wallet instead of a conventional bank account, and can then be spent only at empanelled merchants on foodgrains — smartphone users paying by QR code and feature-phone users through an OTP-based mechanism.
•The two UTs become the first in the country to operationalise food subsidy transfers to all eligible PMGKAY beneficiaries in CBDC form; earlier pilots ran in Gujarat from 15 February 2026 and Puducherry from 26 February 2026.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

Government states ₹590.74 crore of ₹629.87 crore paid to Ken-Betwa displaced families

•Responding to media reports of protests in Madhya Pradesh alleging uncompensated displacement of tribal families, the Ministry of Jal Shakti stated that most eligible families have received full compensation and rehabilitation benefits and that only procedural formalities remain in a few cases.
•The Ken-Betwa Link Project is described as India's first major river-linking initiative under the National Perspective Plan, transferring surplus water from the Ken to the Betwa to serve the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
•Project benefits stated: irrigation for 10.62 lakh hectares, drinking water for nearly 62 lakh people and 103 MW of hydropower; of an estimated cost of ₹44,604.99 crore, ₹12,445.85 crore had been spent up to July 2026.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Jal Jeevan Mission at seven years: rural tap coverage rises from 16.72% to 82.24%

•Jal Jeevan Mission completes seven years on 15 August 2026; rural households with tap water have risen from 3.23 crore (16.72%) at launch to more than 15.91 crore (82.24%), an addition of over 12.68 crore connections.
•A total of 188 districts, 1,090 blocks, 1.01 lakh Gram Panchayats and 2.04 lakh villages have been certified 'Har Ghar Jal'; 9.34 lakh schools (90.86%) and 9.73 lakh Anganwadi centres (86.21%) have tap water connections.
•The Union Government has extended the Mission till December 2028, with JJM 2.0 shifting the focus from building infrastructure to service delivery, source sustainability, community ownership and long-term functionality.

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Ranks & ReportsLowquizQuiz

NITI Aayog releases third Services Thematic Series report on professional services

•NITI Aayog released 'India's Services Sector: Insights on Regulatory Regime in Professional Services' — the third report under its Services Thematic Series — on 10 August 2026.
•It was launched by Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri at the High-Powered 'Education to Employment and Enterprise' Standing Committee, in the presence of CEO Nidhi Chhibber and MoSPI Secretary Dr Saurabh Garg.
•The report benchmarks India's regulatory framework for professional services — a sub-sector accounting for nearly a quarter of India's total services exports — against select foreign jurisdictions, and proposes a four-pronged strategy.

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DefenceLowquizQuiz

INS Sudarshini reaches Azores after 19-day Atlantic crossing on Lokayan 2026

•The Indian Navy's sail training ship INS Sudarshini entered Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Portugal, on 13 August 2026 as part of the ongoing Lokayan 2026 voyage.
•The arrival completed a 19-day transoceanic passage across the Atlantic Ocean from Boston in the United States — the ship's second Atlantic crossing — after covering over 15,000 nautical miles on the deployment so far.
•The Commanding Officer called on Comodoro Luís Nicholson Lavrador, Commander of the Azores Maritime Zone, with the port call covering professional interactions, operational replenishment and cultural exchanges.

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EconomyLowquizQuiz

Logistics Data Bank crosses 10 crore EXIM containers tracked since 2016

•The Logistics Data Bank (LDB) has tracked 10 crore export-import containers since its launch in 2016, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced.
•LDB covers 100% of India's EXIM container movement using RFID-based tracking across 19 ports and 32 container terminals, with a network extending to 103 Inland Container Depots, 439 Container Freight Stations, 89 manufacturing SEZs, 5,569 railway stations, 269 toll plazas and three Integrated Check Posts.
•It is operated by NICDC Logistics Data Services Limited, a joint venture established on 30 December 2015 between the Government of India — through the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust — and Japan's NEC Corporation.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Cyber security incidents reach 29.44 lakh in 2025; 237 audit organisations empanelled

•Replying in the Lok Sabha on 12 August 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and IT reported that cyber security incidents tracked by CERT-In rose from 15,92,917 in 2023 to 20,41,360 in 2024 and 29,44,248 in 2025 — an increase of about 85% over two years.
•CERT-In is the national agency for responding to cyber security incidents, designated under Section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
•All Central Government websites and applications are audited for cyber security before hosting and on a regular basis afterwards; CERT-In has empanelled 237 information security auditing organisations to carry out this work, including vulnerability assessment and penetration testing.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

WPI inflation at 9.78% in July 2026; fuel and power group up 20.05%

•All-India Wholesale Price Index inflation was 9.78% year-on-year in July 2026, marginally below June 2026's 9.87%; the All Commodities index stood at 110.0 against 110.2 in June.
•Among major groups, Fuel and Power inflation was 20.05%, Primary Articles 8.52% and Manufactured Products 8.29% — against 27.41%, 7.0% and 7.48% respectively in June, so the headline eased only because fuel cooled sharply while both other groups rose.
•The WPI Food Index, which carries a weight of 24.99%, recorded 6.65% inflation in July 2026 against 6.14% in June.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

STP unit exports touch ₹7.73 lakh crore in FY 2025-26; EHTP units rise to 79

•Replying in the Lok Sabha on 12 August 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and IT reported that exports by units registered under the Software Technology Park (STP) Scheme reached an estimated ₹7,73,898.97 crore in FY 2025-26, up from ₹6,88,194.11 crore the previous year.
•The number of STP units rose to 2,125 in FY 2025-26 from 2,042 in FY 2024-25, while investment reported by these units fell to an estimated ₹7,362.86 crore from ₹8,870.78 crore.
•A parallel reply reported that Electronics Hardware Technology Park (EHTP) units grew to 79, with exports of an estimated ₹11,102 crore in FY 2025-26 — slightly below FY 2024-25's ₹11,443 crore.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

34 lakh registered on FutureSkills PRIME; 254 chip designs taped out under C2S

•Replying in the Lok Sabha on 12 August 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and IT said more than 34 lakh candidates have registered on the FutureSkills PRIME portal, 23 lakh-plus have been enrolled or trained and over 13 lakh have been certified — 41% of them women and over 86% from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
•FutureSkills PRIME is run by MeitY jointly with NASSCOM; its portal hosts more than 500 industry-aligned courses, and 22 C-DAC and NIELIT centres act as Lead and Co-Lead Resource Centres for ten emerging technologies.
•A separate reply the same day reported that the Chips to Start-ups (C2S) programme has trained over 68,000 students against a target of 85,000, given 332 academic institutions access to advanced EDA tools, and enabled 254 chip designs to be taped out.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

Manufacturing at 16-17% of GDP; Semicon 2.0 gets ₹1,27,500 crore outlay

•A PIB Backgrounder issued for the 80th Independence Day puts manufacturing at about 16-17% of GDP with over 27 million workers, and manufacturing GVA growing at a CAGR of 10.88% between 2022-23 and 2025-26 at constant prices on the revised 2022-23 base.
•Semicon India Programme 2.0 was approved in July 2026 with an outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore, building on Semicon 1.0's ₹76,000 crore approved in December 2021; twelve units with investments above ₹1.64 lakh crore have been approved and Micron, Kaynes and CG Semi are already in commercial production.
•Electronics production rose 15.8% to ₹13.11 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, 99.2% of mobile phones used in India are made domestically, and smartphones became India's top individual exported commodity in FY 2025-26, surpassing petroleum and gems and jewellery.

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DefenceHighquizQuiz

Defence production hits ₹1.78 lakh crore, exports ₹38,424 crore in FY 2025-26

•A PIB Backgrounder issued for the 80th Independence Day places India's defence production at a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, with Defence PSUs and other public entities supplying about 76% and the private sector 24%.
•Defence exports rose from ₹686 crore in FY 2013-14 to ₹38,424 crore in FY 2025-26 — a 56-fold rise reaching more than 80 countries; DPSUs contributed ₹21,071 crore (54.84%) and private firms ₹17,353 crore (45.16%).
•The stated targets are ₹3 lakh crore of annual defence production and ₹50,000 crore of exports by 2029.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

PIB Backgrounder on Space: 440 Start-ups, $9 Billion Space Economy, Gaganyaan Crewed Flight by 2027

•A PIB Backgrounder issued for the 80th Independence Day sets out India's space-sector reforms, mission record and forward programme in one document.
•Registered space start-ups have risen from 1 in 2014 to around 440 by August 2026, and the space economy is valued at USD 9 billion with a projection of USD 40-45 billion over the next decade.
•Private investment rose from USD 100.5 million in 2021-22 to USD 618.5 million by 31 March 2026; IN-SPACe had granted 113 authorisations to 52 non-government entities by mid-2026.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

PIB Backgrounder on Women's Schemes: PMMVY Pays Rs 20,571 Crore, KGBV Enrolment at 7.58 Lakh

•A PIB Backgrounder titled 'Sashakt Nari, Sashakt Bharat', issued for the 80th Independence Day, consolidates the coverage figures of every major women-focused scheme across health, education, skills, finance and safety.
•Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana reports 5.13 crore beneficiaries enrolled and Rs 20,571 crore paid as on 31 July 2026; Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan has examined over 7.50 crore pregnant women.
•National Family Health Survey comparisons show institutional births rising from 78.9 per cent in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 90.6 per cent in NFHS-6 (2023-24).

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History & CultureHighquizQuiz

PIB Backgrounder Maps India's Heritage Push: 3,686 ASI Monuments, 45 UNESCO Sites

•A PIB Backgrounder issued for the 80th Independence Day consolidates the Government's heritage conservation record across archaeology, tourism circuits, museums, manuscripts and film preservation.
•The Archaeological Survey of India safeguards 3,686 centrally protected monuments through about 38 Circles, with Rs 374 crore allocated for conservation and maintenance in FY 2024-25.
•Tourism-side schemes report cumulative numbers: Swadesh Darshan 76 projects worth Rs 5,290.33 crore, Swadesh Darshan 2.0 53 projects worth Rs 2,208.31 crore, and PRASHAD 54 projects worth Rs 1,726.74 crore.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

100 PM Vishwakarma Artisans Invited as Special Guests for Independence Day

•The Government has invited 100 PM Vishwakarma beneficiaries from the Delhi-NCR region as 'Special Guests' for the 80th Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort.
•The artisans, who include women engaged in traditional trades, will attend with their spouses or companions and be presented souvenirs.
•They interacted with officials of the Ministry of MSME on 14 August 2026 at the Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi.

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Science & TechLowquizQuiz

Inaugural India-Israel Hackathon on Restorative Healthcare Concludes

•The first India-Israel Hackathon concluded on 14 August 2026 with the theme 'Restorative Healthcare'.
•It brought together 1,300 young innovators from both countries in mixed cross-country teams working on 14 problem statements.
•Thapar University was the nodal academic partner in India; the event was organised with members of the Indian Jewish community in Israel.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

Railway Board Approves Seven New Amrit Bharat Express Trains

•The Railway Board has approved seven new Amrit Bharat Express trains for long-distance inter-state routes.
•The services link Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat and other states, mostly on a weekly pattern.
•The Gorakhpur-Delhi special was regularised as a weekly Amrit Bharat Express on 10 August 2026, and the Gorakhpur-Bandra Terminus service was approved on 13 August 2026.

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NationalHighquizQuiz

Centre Notifies 40 Census 2027 Questions; Caste Enumerated After 1931

•The Union Government notified 40 questions on 14 August 2026 for the Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027.
•Question 10 is an open-ended entry for 'Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste' - the first comprehensive enumeration of all castes in independent India.
•The schedule seeks identification details including Aadhaar, voter ID, driving licence and passport numbers, along with digital literacy, bank accounts and place of Covid-19 vaccination.

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Karnataka Clears SAMASTA Rollout to Digitise Community Health Records

•Karnataka has approved the phased rollout of SAMASTA, an integrated community digital health platform that replaces paper-based record-keeping by frontline health workers.
•The platform cuts the ASHA diary from 485 manual data elements to 134 digital data points, projected to reduce field data-entry workload by about 75%.
•SAMASTA is aligned with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and integrates family IDs, Aadhaar-based verification and ABHA IDs.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

Drug Syndicate Accused Virender Singh Basoya Extradited from UAE to India

•Virender Singh Basoya, wanted in a major cocaine and mephedrone trafficking case, was extradited from the United Arab Emirates to India on 14 August 2026.
•He was flown in on Air India flight 4310 from Dubai and taken into custody on arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi.
•The extradition followed coordinated action by the Narcotics Control Bureau, an Interpol Red Notice and diplomatic engagement with the UAE.

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Important DaysMediumquizQuiz

India Observes Partition Horrors Remembrance Day on 14 August 2026

•India observed Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, or Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas, on 14 August 2026.
•The observance was announced by the Government of India in 2021 and first marked on 14 August 2021, making 2026 the sixth observance.
•It commemorates those killed, displaced or dispossessed during the Partition of British India in 1947.

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Awards & HonoursMediumquizQuiz

1,057 Police and Fire Personnel Get Gallantry, Service Medals for Independence Day 2026

•The Ministry of Home Affairs announced 1,057 Gallantry and Service Medals on 14 August 2026, the eve of the 80th Independence Day.
•The list has 301 Medals for Gallantry, 92 President's Medals for Distinguished Service and 664 Medals for Meritorious Service.
•Of the 301 Gallantry Medals, 197 went to personnel in Left Wing Extremism-affected areas, 51 to Jammu and Kashmir and 12 to the North-East.

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