Current Affairs 15 August 2026

InternationalLowquizQuiz

Illinois Senate Declares August 15 as National India Hub Day in Schaumburg

•The Illinois State Senate declared August 15 as National India Hub Day through a proclamation presented on 15 August 2026 at the National India Hub in Schaumburg, Illinois.
•The proclamation was presented by Illinois State Senator Ram Villivalam along with six other state legislators.
•The event coincided with India's 80th Independence Day and was held during INDIA FEST 2026.

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InternationalLowquizQuiz

Kanlaon Volcano Sends Up 200-Metre Ash Plumes as Alert Level 2 Continues

•Kanlaon Volcano in the Philippines produced ash emissions on 15 August 2026 that sent greyish plumes about 200 metres above the summit crater before drifting north.
•PHIVOLCS, the country's volcanology agency, kept the volcano at Alert Level 2, denoting moderate unrest with further ash emissions or short-lived explosions possible.
•Kanlaon is an active stratovolcano on Negros Island, the highest peak in the Visayas region at about 2,465 metres, and lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

Three Alleged Poachers Killed in Firing at Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary

•Three alleged poachers were shot dead in an exchange of fire with forest personnel in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, in the early hours of 15 August 2026.
•The forest department says a patrol party was fired upon first and that a country-made gun and deer meat were seized; a forest staffer was injured and a fourth man escaped.
•Families and villagers have disputed that account and alleged a staged encounter, an FIR has been filed against forest staff and a judicial probe has been demanded.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

VIHAAN: India's Indigenous Broadband Networking Chip Clears First-Pass Silicon

•Chennai-based fabless startup Aheesa Digital Innovations achieved first-pass silicon success for VIHAAN, an indigenous broadband networking System-on-Chip, announced by MeitY on 15 August 2026.
•VIHAAN is built on the open RISC-V architecture and runs on C-DAC's indigenous 64-bit VEGA processor core, and is designed for fibre-to-the-home routers and optical network terminals.
•The chip was developed with support from the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme under the Semicon India Programme; production tape-out is targeted for 2027.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

SpaceX launches two Falcon 9 rockets 38 minutes apart, a company record

•SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets from opposite coasts of the United States on 15 August 2026, about 38 minutes apart - its shortest ever interval between two orbital missions.
•The first lifted off at 9:12 pm EDT from Cape Canaveral with eight Globalstar satellites; the second at 9:50 pm EDT from Vandenberg with the classified USSF-366 payload for the US Space Force.
•The previous record was 65 minutes, set on 31 August 2024 during back-to-back Starlink missions.

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Science & TechLowquizQuiz

NIELIT launches CYBER KUSHTI 2026, a national cybersecurity and AI hackathon

•NIELIT, an autonomous society under MeitY, launched CYBER KUSHTI 2026 on 15 August 2026 - a national hackathon on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
•It is open to Indian students and independent researchers aged 16 and above, in teams of three, with free registration from 15 August to 10 September 2026.
•The three rounds are named Akhada (online, 15 September), Dangal (online, 24 September) and Kesari (in person, 9 October at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi).

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SportsMediumquizQuiz

Nationwide sports talent hunt for children aged 5-15 announced from Red Fort

•In his 80th Independence Day address from the Red Fort on 15 August 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide talent hunt to identify sporting talent among children aged 5 to 15.
•The search is to cover villages, small towns, cities and schools, and is tied to India's ambition of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.
•The Prime Minister noted that the Olympics span about 40 disciplines and roughly 325 to 350 medal events, in many of which India has no athletes at all.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

20 blackbucks rewilded in Gujarat's Banni grasslands on Independence Day

•Twenty blackbucks - five males and fifteen females - were released into the Banni grasslands of Kutch, Gujarat, on 15 August 2026, India's 80th Independence Day.
•The animals came from the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC), also known as Vantara, in Jamnagar, with the Gujarat Forest Department leading the release.
•The translocation required approvals from the Chief Wildlife Warden of Gujarat and the Central Zoo Authority, and followed veterinary screening, quarantine and disease surveillance.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

NABARD and PSA Office Launch RSVC-AMRIT Rural Technology Platform

•The RSVC-AMRIT digital platform was launched on 15 August 2026, the 80th Independence Day, by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood.
•It was developed by NABARD in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) and serves as the digital backbone of the RuTAGe Smart Village Centre (RSVC) ecosystem.
•The platform is designed to support the full RSVC lifecycle — technology discovery, validation, deployment tracking, collaboration, monitoring and knowledge management.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

Suryapath Tiranga Relay Spans 54 Indian Missions in 19 Hours

•The 'Suryapath Tiranga' global relay concluded on 15 August 2026, linking 54 Indian diplomatic missions and posts across 54 countries in a single sequence of flag hoistings.
•The relay ran for more than 19 hours from east to west, following the path of the rising sun, and was organised under the Har Ghar Tiranga 2026 campaign for India's 80th Independence Day.
•It began at 1:30 a.m. IST at India House in Suva, Fiji, where the Indian High Commissioner hoisted the flag, and ended around 8:30 p.m. IST at the Consulate General of India in San Francisco.

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InternationalHighquizQuiz

Iran and Oman Agree on Strait of Hormuz Shipping Route Map

•Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei announced on 15 August 2026 that Iran and Oman had agreed on a shipping route map for the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of technical negotiations.
•The talks followed a memorandum of understanding on safe navigation signed on 18 June 2026, and involved Iran's foreign, defence, security and environment authorities along with Omani representatives.
•Tehran described the arrangement as an independent bilateral understanding between the two coastal states that does not alter either country's sovereignty over the waterway.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

BCI Withdraws Circular Freezing Enrolment of NALSAR's 2026 Law Graduates

•The Bar Council of India issued a circular directing State Bar Councils not to enrol any 2026 law graduate of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, as an advocate 'until further orders'.
•The circular followed a campaign by some students opposing the participation of Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant in the university's convocation.
•The order was withdrawn within hours the same day, after BCI members concluded that the vast majority of the graduating batch had no part in the campaign.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

BNHS Sterilises 2,950 Free-Ranging Dogs to Protect Ladakh's Black-necked Cranes

•The Bombay Natural History Society has sterilised over 2,950 free-ranging dogs in Ladakh since 2022 to curb predation on the Black-necked Crane, whose chicks and nests were being attacked in alpine wetlands.
•The work was carried out with the Indian Army, the Animal Husbandry Department and the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment.
•The Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) is the State Bird of Ladakh and the only one of the world's 15 crane species that breeds exclusively at high altitude.

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Banking & FinanceMediumquizQuiz

Jan Dhan Yojana at 12: 58.63 Crore Accounts and ₹3.08 Lakh Crore in Deposits

•The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana completed 12 years since it was announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15 August 2014; the scheme itself was launched on 28 August 2014.
•Over 58.63 crore accounts have been opened, holding cumulative deposits of more than ₹3,08,333 crore — an average of about ₹5,200 per account.
•Women hold 32.68 crore accounts, or 55.74% of the total, and 45.62 crore accounts (77.80%) are in rural and semi-urban areas.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

CBDT Notifies Foreign Asset Disclosure Window for Small Taxpayers

•The Central Board of Direct Taxes notified the Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers-Disclosure Scheme, 2026 on 15 August 2026, framed under Chapter IV of the Finance Act, 2026.
•The online voluntary disclosure window runs from 16 August 2026 to 31 December 2026.
•Category 1 covers undisclosed foreign assets or income up to ₹1 crore, taxed at 30% with a 30% penalty — an effective levy of 60%.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

PM Announces ₹85,000 Crore for Samudra Manthan Offshore Exploration Scheme

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an allocation of ₹85,000 crore for Samudra Manthan in the 80th Independence Day address from the Red Fort on 15 August 2026.
•Samudra Manthan is the National Offshore Exploration Scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, approved by the Union Cabinet on 31 July 2026 as a Central Sector Scheme running up to FY 2030-31 with an outlay of ₹84,084 crore.
•The Union Government will bear up to 50% of the cost of drilling deepwater exploration wells, sharing the exploration risk that has kept private capital away.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

Reliance and Rolls-Royce Announce Intent to Build AMCA Combat Engine

•Reliance Industries and Rolls-Royce announced on 14 August 2026 a strategic intent to partner on the design, development and manufacture of a sovereign indigenous combat engine for India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme.
•The two firms will explore setting up a dedicated Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex in India covering design, development, manufacturing, testing, production and through-life support.
•It is a private commercial understanding, not a Government of India engine contract; no financial terms, transaction value or investment size was disclosed.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

Oman-Saudi 'Secure Green Land Corridor' Bypasses the Strait of Hormuz

•Oman and Saudi Arabia launched the Secure Green Land Corridor in August 2026, a direct land freight route across the Rub' al Khali or Empty Quarter.
•It links Sohar Port on Oman's Gulf of Oman coast with the inland SPARK dry port in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.
•The route was activated through a partnership between Oman's Arkan Logistics and Saudi Arabia's SPARK Logistics, following a bilateral logistics agreement in early August 2026.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

Saudi-Led Maritime Defence Coalition for Red Sea Enters Operational Phase

•The Saudi-led Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition (MMDC) began transitioning to its operational phase on 14 August 2026.
•The coalition was founded by a joint declaration signed at Riyadh on 30 July 2026 by fourteen countries, after a summit attended by representatives of 43 nations and the European Union.
•It is permanently headquartered in Riyadh, which hosts the Joint Operations Coordination Center, the Joint Maritime Operations Center and the General Secretariat.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Windfall Tax on Petrol Exports Cut to Nil; Diesel and ATF Duties Lowered

•A Ministry of Finance notification of 15 August 2026 cut the windfall gains tax on exports of petrol to nil, from ₹3.5 per litre.
•The Special Additional Excise Duty on diesel exports was reduced to ₹24 per litre from ₹25.5, and on aviation turbine fuel to ₹19.5 per litre from ₹22.
•The cut partly reversed a sharp increase notified on 3 August 2026; domestic excise duties on petrol and diesel were left unchanged.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

White House Report Places India in Tier 1 of China Transhipment Network

•The White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy released a report titled 'The Great Transshipment Scam' on 13 August 2026, naming more than 40 countries as part of a 'shadow transhipment network' for Chinese goods.
•India was placed in Tier 1, labelled 'Diversified Scale Leaders', alongside Canada, the European Union, Israel, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan.
•The report singled out India's Pune-Gujarat-Chennai industrial belt as a route for China-linked pumps and compressors entering the US market.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

PM Announces Modern Civil Defence Volunteer Force for New-Age Threats

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 'massive, modern' Civil Defence volunteer force in his 80th Independence Day address from the Red Fort on 15 August 2026.
•He argued that a Civil Defence system designed for conventional war is inadequate when attacks can target refineries, banks and data centres inside the country.
•The proposed force will be trained in modern systems and familiarised with advanced emergency protocols.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

Draft SHANTI Act Rules Open Nuclear Power to Private and Foreign Players

•The Department of Atomic Energy issued draft rules under the SHANTI Act, 2025 on 14 August 2026, setting out how private and foreign players may enter nuclear power.
•The SHANTI Act repealed the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, ending roughly six decades of exclusive state control.
•A single composite licence will cover construction, ownership, operation and decommissioning, and cannot be split; foreign-designed reactors must be certified in their country of origin.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

Magnitude 7.7 Quake Off Flores Island Triggers Indonesian Tsunami Warning

•A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Flores Island in eastern Indonesia at 5:58 am local time on 15 August 2026.
•The United States Geological Survey placed the focus at a depth of 10 km, about 68 km north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara.
•Indonesia's BMKG issued a tsunami warning for East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara and lifted it the same morning.

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NationalHighquizQuiz

PM Unveils 'Saptadhara' Seven-Stream Roadmap in 80th Independence Day Address

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the Red Fort on 15 August 2026, India's 80th Independence Day.
•The centrepiece of the roughly 75-minute address was 'Saptadhara' — seven streams of national strength meant to drive India to Viksit Bharat by 2047.
•The seven streams are manufacturing, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, Gati Shakti, defence, the green and blue economy, and soft power.

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History & CultureHighquizQuiz

Vande Mataram Sung From Red Fort for First Time as National Song Turns 150

•Vande Mataram was rendered from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the first time during India's 80th Independence Day celebrations on 15 August 2026.
•The rendition marked the 150th year of the national song, which Bankim Chandra Chatterjee first published in his journal Bangadarshan in 1875.
•A year-long nationwide commemoration approved by the Union Cabinet runs from 7 November 2025 to 7 November 2026.

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History & CultureLowquizQuiz

Sri Aurobindo Remembered on His Birth Anniversary, 15 August

•The Prime Minister paid tribute to Sri Aurobindo on his birth anniversary, which falls on 15 August, describing him as a philosopher, nationalist, poet and thinker who gave his life to India's freedom and to the wider quest for human progress.
•Sri Aurobindo was born on 15 August 1872 in Calcutta and died on 5 December 1950 at Pondicherry — the coincidence of his birthday with India's Independence Day is why the tribute is issued each 15 August.
•He belongs to two distinct phases of Indian history that examiners test separately: the Extremist leadership of the Swadeshi years, 1905-1910, and the philosophy of Integral Yoga developed at Pondicherry thereafter.

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Important DaysLowquizQuiz

Partition Horrors Remembrance Day 2026 Observed in Delhi, Amritsar and Kolkata

•The Ministry of Culture observed Partition Horrors Remembrance Day on 14 August 2026 with commemorative programmes in Delhi, Amritsar and Kolkata, alongside observances across States and Union Territories.
•The main Delhi observance was held at Central Park, Connaught Place, with a Partition Horrors Exhibition of archival material, photographs, maps and personal narratives, a documentary screening, the release of a poetry compilation and a Silent March; the exhibition material was also made available for display at railway stations and other public spaces.
•Amritsar's programme was held at Guru Nanak Dev University with the Union Minister of Culture and Tourism as chief guest, while Kolkata hosted a two-day programme on 13-14 August 2026 at the Newtown Convention Centre in collaboration with the Government of West Bengal, and IGNCA regional centres held programmes in Jammu & Kashmir, Bengaluru and Ranchi.

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Science & TechLowquizQuiz

Principal Scientific Adviser Launches NABARD's RSVC-AMRIT Rural Technology Platform

•Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood launched the RSVC-AMRIT platform, developed by NABARD with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA).
•AMRIT is the digital backbone of the RuTAG Smart Village Centre (RSVC) ecosystem, supporting the full lifecycle from technology discovery and validation to deployment tracking, collaboration, monitoring and knowledge management.
•NABARD, whose Chairman Dr. Shaji Krishnan V. attended the launch, currently supports 8 RSVCs and intends AMRIT to grow into a national repository of rural innovations, technologies and best practices.

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Summits & ConferencesMediumquizQuiz

India Hosts BRICS ICT Track in Pune, 17-21 August 2026, Under Its 2026 Chairship

•The Department of Telecommunications will organise the BRICS ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) Track in Pune from 17 to 21 August 2026 as part of India's BRICS Chairship for 2026.
•The Track's theme is 'Innovate, Cooperate and Transform (ICT) for a Resilient Future', and it carries three events over five days.
•The 7th Meeting of the BRICS Working Group for Cooperation in ICTs runs 17-19 August 2026; the Digital BRICS Forum and Expo is on 20 August 2026; the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers Meeting is on 21 August 2026.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Tribal Affairs Ministry Releases National Framework to Strengthen ITDAs and ITDPs

•Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and NITI Aayog Member Dr. R. Balasubramaniam jointly released two publications of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs — the National Framework for Strengthening of ITDAs and ITDPs, and the Operational Guidelines for Strengthening of ITDAs and ITDPs.
•The Framework supplies the assessment methodology and strategic direction; the Operational Guidelines convert it into measures on institutional restructuring, convergence, evidence-based planning, digital governance, outcome-based monitoring and capacity building.
•The exercise was begun in April 2026 through a standardised assessment of Project Officers, State Tribal Welfare Departments and Tribal Research Institutes, and produced an Evidence-Weighted ITDA Diagnostic Scoring Framework rating institutions on 15 parameters across five institutional domains.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

DLI-Backed Startup Achieves First-Pass Silicon With 'VIHAAN' Broadband Chip on VEGA Processor

•Aheesa Digital Innovations, a Chennai-headquartered fabless startup supported under the Design Linked Incentive Scheme, has achieved first-pass silicon success with 'VIHAAN', a networking System-on-Chip built for fibre broadband using the indigenous VEGA microprocessor.
•VIHAAN was taped out on Republic Day and reached first-pass silicon on Independence Day this year; production tape-out is targeted for 2027.
•The company raised about ₹40 crore earlier this year from the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation through the Tamil Nadu Emerging Sector Seed Fund, alongside private investors.

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History & CultureMediumquizQuiz

Har Ghar Tiranga 2026 Records 8.24 Crore Selfies as Suryapath Relay Spans 54 Missions

•The fifth edition of Har Ghar Tiranga ran from 9 to 17 August 2026 under the Ministry of Culture, with 150 years of Vande Mataram as its organising theme.
•More than 8.24 crore Tiranga selfies were uploaded to the campaign portal; this year's selfie download also carries the lyrics and tune of Vande Mataram.
•A new global element, Suryapath Tiranga, saw the National Flag hoisted in sequence at 54 Indian Missions and Posts following the path of the rising sun — from Suva in Fiji at 1:30 AM IST to San Francisco at 8:30 PM IST, spanning more than 19 hours.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

'Raksha Shakti': PM Calls for Global Defence Supplier Role, Flags Surviving Naxal Mindset

•'Raksha Shakti' — defence power — is the fifth of the seven 'Sapt Dhara' streams set out in the 80th Independence Day address, and was framed around one claim: there is no alternative to self-reliance in defence.
•India was urged to move from being a market to being a global supplier of next-generation defence technology, with drones and counter-drone systems and leadership in hypersonics named as priorities, alongside cybersecurity.
•The Prime Minister said work on Mission Sudarshan Chakra is progressing rapidly, and described a changed nature of warfare in which refineries, banks, data centres and factories can be targets rather than only the border.

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SportsMediumquizQuiz

Nationwide Talent Hunt for Children Aged 5-15 Announced as India Eyes 2036 Olympics

•From the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, the Prime Minister announced a nationwide sporting talent hunt covering children aged 5 to 15 in villages, cities and schools, with specialised training for those identified.
•The rationale given was blunt: the Olympic programme spans roughly 40 sports and 325-350 events, and India does not participate or qualify in nearly two-thirds of them.
•India is positioning itself as a strong contender to host the 2036 Olympic Games, having already been confirmed as host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Independence Day Announcements: AI Skilling for 1 Crore Youth, 100 GW Nuclear by 2047

•The 80th Independence Day address carried seven concrete announcements with numbers attached, spanning artificial intelligence, education, sports, civil defence, semiconductors, nuclear energy and women's economic empowerment.
•One crore youth are to be trained in AI skills over the next one year, and a free online coaching network for competitive examinations is to be built on India's Digital Public Infrastructure.
•India will pursue 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047 and aims to commission five new nuclear reactors within this decade, following the fast breeder milestone reached this year.

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NationalHighquizQuiz

PM's 80th Independence Day Address Sets 'Sapt Dhara' Roadmap for Viksit Bharat 2047

•Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, the Prime Minister set out a seven-part framework called 'Sapt Dhara' — seven streams of strength meant to drive India towards a developed nation by 2047.
•The seven streams are manufacturing power, agriculture and food production, technology and innovation, Gati Shakti connectivity, defence power, the green and blue economy, and India's soft power.
•The address carried a 12-year performance ledger: defence production up nearly 4 times, electronics manufacturing 7 times, railway coach production 21 times, mobile phone production 35 times and digital transactions about 100 times.

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