Current Affairs 20 August 2026

EconomyHighquizQuiz

Retail Sugar Price Climbs to Rs 55.70 a Kg; Centre Rejects Ethanol Link

•Retail sugar prices in India rose from Rs 48.18 per kg on 20 July 2026 to Rs 55.70 per kg on 20 August 2026, according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
•The Ministry set out five reasons for the rise - lower domestic production, weather damage to the cane crop, festive-season demand, tighter global supplies, and speculation and hoarding - and expressly rejected the argument that diversion of sugarcane to ethanol was responsible.
•Sugar output for the season is now estimated at about 30.6 million tonnes against an initial estimate of 34.3 million tonnes, the shortfall being attributed to Red Rot and Top Borer disease and to waterlogging from excess rainfall.

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InternationalHighquizQuiz

Tanker With 16 Indians Hijacked in Gulf of Aden as Somali Piracy Resurges

•On 20 August 2026 the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a tanker transiting westwards in the Gulf of Aden had been boarded by six armed persons about 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen, and was being redirected towards Somalia.
•The vessel, reported as the Seamull and also listed as Sibu 1, is a tanker of about 32,238 DWT and 25 years of age, sailing under an Eritrean flag that has been reported as false; it has been under United States sanctions since December 2025 over the carriage of Iranian petroleum.
•It carried 20 crew, of whom 16 were Indian nationals, along with one Syrian, one Sudanese and one Iraqi; Indian authorities reported the Indian crew members safe.

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Agreements & MoUsHighquizQuiz

India and Mauritius Sign Five-Year Fuel Pact; IOC to Meet Entire Import Need

•On 20 August 2026, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam in Port Louis, where a government-to-government MoU on oil and gas cooperation was exchanged and a long-term fuel supply agreement was concluded.
•The five-year sales and purchase agreement is between Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and the State Trading Corporation (STC) of Mauritius, under which IOCL will supply the island's entire import requirement of motor spirit (petrol), high speed diesel and aviation turbine fuel.
•It is the first long-term supply agreement concluded by an Indian public sector oil marketing company outside South Asia in recent years.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

Ukraine Says Russia Received North Korea's KN-30 Ballistic Missiles for First Time

•Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) said on 20 August 2026 that Russia had received North Korea's KN-30 ballistic missiles for the first time.
•KN-30 is the Western designation for the North Korean Hwasong-11C, also called Hwasong-11Da, an enlarged member of the Hwasong-11 short-range ballistic missile family.
•The missile is 10.1-10.2 metres long and 1.26 metres in diameter, solid-fuelled and launched from a mobile ground launcher.

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Ranks & ReportsHighquizQuiz

NITI Aayog Report Finds 8.7 Crore Young Indians Outside Work, Study or Training

•NITI Aayog's report 'Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047' estimates that 8.7 crore Indians aged 15 to 29 are neither in education, employment nor training - the NEET group.
•That is about 11 per cent of the 15-29 age group; roughly 88 per cent of NEET youth are engaged in domestic work and caregiving.
•The report finds that only 8.25 per cent of graduates work in roles that match their qualifications, pointing to a weak link between formal education and employability.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

WHO Sends 70,000 Ervebo Doses to DR Congo Amid Fastest Ebola Outbreak on Record

•The World Health Organization and its partners announced on 20 August 2026 that the Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine.
•Of these, 50,000 doses go to front-line and health workers on WHO expert advice, while 20,000 are reserved for a Phase 3 trial testing whether the vaccine works against the Bundibugyo virus driving the outbreak.
•The outbreak, declared in mid-May 2026 and now spread across six provinces of eastern Congo, had recorded 5,208 confirmed cases and 2,476 deaths, and is spreading about three times faster than the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Centre Tells Supreme Court UGC Equity Regulations 2026 Are Under Reconsideration

•The Centre told the Supreme Court on 20 August 2026 that the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 are under reconsideration.
•The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana gave the UGC four weeks to file a comprehensive counter affidavit, with two weeks after that for rejoinders.
•The Regulations were notified on 13 January 2026 to replace the 2012 equity regulations, and were stayed by the Supreme Court on 29 January 2026.

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Chhattisgarh Signs Two PM GatiShakti MoUs for Geospatial and Logistics Data

•Chhattisgarh signed two Memorandums of Understanding at Raipur on 20 August 2026 - one with BISAG-N and one with National Logistics Data Services Ltd - to deepen its use of geospatial technology and logistics analytics under PM GatiShakti.
•The MoUs were signed at the PM GatiShakti and LEADS 2025 Dissemination Workshop, jointly organised by the state's Department of Commerce and Industries and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
•Chhattisgarh has integrated more than 35 state departments onto the PM GatiShakti platform and mapped 41 mandatory data layers plus more than 600 additional layers.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

ISRO Readies GISAT-1A (EOS-05) for September Launch on GSLV-F17

•ISRO is preparing to launch GISAT-1A, designated EOS-05, aboard the GSLV-F17 rocket in September 2026.
•Unlike conventional remote sensing satellites in low Earth orbit, GISAT-1A will operate from geostationary orbit at about 36,000 km, keeping the Indian landmass continuously in view.
•It can image the entire Indian mainland every 30 minutes at 42 metre resolution and revisit designated high-priority areas every 5 minutes.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Chhattisgarh Becomes First Inland State to Export Value-Added Tilapia Products

•Chhattisgarh became the first inland state in India to begin exporting value-added Tilapia products, with 382 tonnes shipped to the United States.
•A review meeting on the notified Tilapia cluster was held in Raipur on 20 August 2026, chaired by Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary of the Department of Fisheries.
•The state has reported an investment of nearly Rs 900 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, with fish production reaching about 10 lakh tonnes.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

Invasive Mealybug Drosicha turkistanica Hits Kashmir Poplar and Willow Plantations

•Drosicha turkistanica, an invasive sap-sucking insect, has been identified in poplar and willow plantations at Hanjipora in Pulwama district and in parts of South Kashmir including Kulgam and Anantnag.
•The specimen was scientifically identified by the ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru, from field samples collected at the Mountain Research Centre for Field Crops, Khudwani.
•The insect belongs to the order Hemiptera and the family Monophlebidae, whose members feed on plant sap through piercing and sucking mouthparts.

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Polity & GovernanceHighquizQuiz

Nine-Judge Bench Refines the 1978 'Triple Test' for Defining Industry

•A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court delivered judgment on 20 August 2026 on the meaning of 'industry' under Section 2(j) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
•By a 5:4 majority the Bench held that the classic 'triple test' laid down in Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board v. A. Rajappa (1978) requires further refinement.
•By a separate 6:3 majority the Bench held that the reference seeking reconsideration of the 1978 judgment was validly made and maintainable.

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Polity & GovernanceHighquizQuiz

Supreme Court Sets Up Five-Member Panel to Probe Police Excesses in Student Protests

•The Supreme Court uploaded an order on 20 August 2026 constituting a five-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) to conduct an independent fact-finding probe into alleged police excesses during student protests.
•The order was passed on 18 August 2026 by a three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana.
•The committee is chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy and includes two former High Court judges, a former CBI Director and a retired Director General of Police.

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ObituariesMediumquizQuiz

Sajjan Kumar, 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Convict and Ex-Congress MP, Dies at 80

•Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar died on 20 August 2026 at the age of 80, while serving a life sentence for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
•He was brought from Tihar Jail to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi and declared brought dead on arrival; hospital authorities did not immediately state the cause of death.
•The Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment on 17 December 2018 for the killing of five Sikhs and the burning of a gurdwara at Raj Nagar in Delhi Cantonment.

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Agreements & MoUsMediumquizQuiz

PhonePe Signs MoU with MeitY to Feed PulsePro Data into PM GatiShakti

•PhonePe signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on 20 August 2026.
•The MoU integrates PulsePro, PhonePe's enterprise data intelligence platform, into the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan portal.
•The integration is coordinated with BISAG-N, which runs the PM GatiShakti portal.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Amit Shah Chairs 31st Southern Zonal Council Meeting in Tamil Nadu

•The 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting was held at Kovalam near Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu on 20 August 2026.
•It was chaired by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, who is ex-officio Chairman of the Zonal Councils.
•Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay hosted, with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala also attending.

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BusinessMediumquizQuiz

Reliance Proposes India's First Integrated Underground Coal Gasification Complex

•Reliance Industries has proposed about Rs 2.73 lakh crore of investment over 30 years for India's first integrated Underground Coal Gasification complex.
•The project is planned in Eluru district, Andhra Pradesh, using the Chintalapudi and Recherla coal blocks.
•The two blocks hold an estimated 3,130.61 million tonnes of coal at depths beyond 600 metres, too deep for conventional mining.

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Agreements & MoUsHighquizQuiz

India and Japan Sign Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security

•India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation in New Delhi on 20 August 2026.
•It was signed during talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi.
•The arrangement frames cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Indian Researchers Develop RK-251, a Tumour-Activated Cancer Prodrug

•Indian researchers have developed RK-251, a smart cancer drug that stays inactive in healthy tissue and switches on inside tumour cells.
•It was developed jointly by Dr Asis Bala of the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati, and Dr K.P. Bhabak of IIT Guwahati.
•RK-251 is a prodrug triggered by reactive oxygen species, which are present at higher levels inside many cancer cells.

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BusinessMediumquizQuiz

Glenmark Gets USFDA Approval for Generic Fluticasone Nasal Spray

•Glenmark Pharmaceuticals received US FDA approval for Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray USP, 0.05 mg (50 mcg) per spray, announced on 20 August 2026.
•The product is a generic version of Flonase Nasal Spray, the reference listed drug marketed in the United States by Haleon US Holdings LLC.
•It will be distributed in the US market by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

BHU Secures Six ICMR Research Grants Worth About Rs 15 Crore

•Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, secured approval for six biomedical research grants from the Indian Council of Medical Research on 20 August 2026.
•The grants total about Rs 15 crore and are led mainly by the university's Institute of Medical Sciences.
•The projects cover early detection of gallbladder cancer, antimicrobial resistance, post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis diagnostics, paediatric septic shock and precision oncology for renal cell carcinoma.

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Important DaysMediumquizQuiz

Sadbhavana Diwas 2026 Marks Rajiv Gandhi's 82nd Birth Anniversary

•Sadbhavana Diwas, or Harmony Day, is observed on 20 August, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, born on 20 August 1944.
•Citizens take the Sadbhavana pledge to work for the emotional oneness of all Indians regardless of caste, religion, region or language.
•Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister on 31 October 1984 at the age of 40, the youngest person to hold the office in India.

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Important DaysMediumquizQuiz

Indian Akshay Urja Day 2026 Observed on 20 August

•Indian Akshay Urja Day is observed every year on 20 August to build public awareness of renewable energy; 'Akshay Urja' means inexhaustible energy.
•It was instituted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in 2004 and is also called Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas, the date being Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary.
•India's installed renewable energy capacity stood at 288.58 GW as on 30 June 2026, against 76.38 GW in 2014.

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SportsMediumquizQuiz

Mohun Bagan Beat NorthEast United on Penalties to Reach Durand Cup Final

•Mohun Bagan Super Giant beat defending champions NorthEast United FC 4-3 on penalties, after a goalless draw through extra time, in the second semi-final of the 135th Durand Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong on 20 August 2026.
•Goalkeeper Vishal Kaith saved from Robin Yadav and Parthib Gogoi in the shootout, while Rahul Bheke, Subhasish Bose, Liston Colaco and Jamie Maclaren converted for the Mariners before a crowd of 11,365.
•East Bengal FC had earlier reached the final by beating Sporting Club Delhi 5-3 on penalties, also after a goalless draw, setting up a Kolkata Derby final on 23 August 2026 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

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Important DaysMediumquizQuiz

World Mosquito Day 2026 Observed on 20 August

•World Mosquito Day is observed every year on 20 August to raise awareness of mosquito-borne diseases and the measures that control them.
•The date marks Sir Ronald Ross's discovery in 1897, while serving in India, that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit the malaria parasite.
•Ross received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1902 and was the first Briton to win the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

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Polity & GovernanceHighquizQuiz

Union Cabinet Approves High Court Bench for Ladakh

•The Union Cabinet on 20 August 2026 approved the establishment of a bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
•The decision was announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who said it would spare litigants in Ladakh long journeys to reach the High Court.
•The High Court presently functions from Srinagar and Jammu; the Ladakh bench will be its third location.

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InternationalHighquizQuiz

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Elected 23rd President of Bangladesh

•Veteran Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected the 23rd President of Bangladesh on 20 August 2026 in a vote of Members of Parliament held inside the Jatiya Sangsad.
•He polled 255 votes against 88 for Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmad of the Liberal Democratic Party; 343 of the 349 eligible MPs cast valid votes and the result was announced by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.
•It was Bangladesh's first contested presidential election in 35 years - since 1991 the head of state had generally been chosen by consensus.

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SportsLowquizQuiz

SAI Governing Body approves National Coach Accreditation Board, pushes 2036 Olympic talent hunt

•Chairing the 63rd Governing Body Meeting of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya called for an accelerated talent identification roadmap to build India's athlete pool for the 2036 Olympics, taking forward the Prime Minister's Red Fort announcement of a nationwide sports talent hunt.
•The Governing Body approved the establishment of a National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB), a component of the revamped Khelo India Scheme, to give coach accreditation and development a structured framework; it also approved an amendment to the recruitment rules for the post of Assistant Coach (Pay Level-6) on deputation in SAI.
•The Minister set out a two-stage talent identification model, first identifying athletes performing well at state and district levels and then mapping their potential, covering schools, districts and colleges to build a national talent repository, supported by a public-private partnership model and corporate CSR participation to expand academy capacity.

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Polity & GovernanceLowquizQuiz

Global Digital Capacity Building Alliance completes six months, engagement across 10 countries

•The Global Digital Capacity Building Alliance (GDCBA), an initiative of the Capacity Building Commission (CBC), completed six months on 20 August 2026; it was launched on 20 February 2026 at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
•In six months the Alliance has extended engagement across 10 countries including Brazil, Sri Lanka and Mauritius, with over 250 public officials participating, and has drawn institutional partners such as the Gates Foundation, the World Bank, NCGG, RIS, UNICEF, the Commonwealth, ADBI, ORF, Apolitical and Nalanda University.
•GDCBA is built on the experience of Mission Karmayogi and has four goals: strengthening institutional capability, supporting evidence-informed capacity-building decisions, building a global community of practice for governance, and creating a repository of implementation knowledge. An annual Summit and a State of Capacity Building Report are planned.

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Science & TechLowquizQuiz

NCPOR hosts 8th BRICS Ocean and Polar Science working group meeting in Goa

•The Ministry of Earth Sciences held the 8th Meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Ocean and Polar Science and Technology (OPST) at Goa from 12 to 14 August 2026, hosted by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) during India's BRICS Presidency.
•Delegations from Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates agreed on collaborative work in coastal resilience, a joint polar ocean biodiversity study, milestones for the 5th International Polar Year and capacity building for young researchers.
•India will use its Presidency year to finalise the Working Group's roadmap and a short-term action plan; the meeting was chaired by NCPOR Director Dr Thamban Meloth and its concluding session was addressed virtually by MoES Secretary Dr T. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala.

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NationalLowquizQuiz

238 AC EMU rakes for Mumbai suburban railway to be built by ICF, RCF, MCF

•The Ministry of Railways has prioritised manufacture of 238 air-conditioned EMU rakes for the Mumbai suburban network through its three coach production units, to match rolling stock availability with infrastructure being commissioned under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).
•The indicative production programme splits the order as 120 rakes at Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, 71 at Rail Coach Factory (RCF) Kapurthala and 47 at Modern Coach Factory (MCF) Raebareli; the Railway Board cleared procurement on existing, proven RDSO/ICF specifications to speed up manufacture.
•Supply is planned to begin in 2027 and the full sanctioned quantity is to be completed by 2030, closing the gap between commissioned infrastructure and rolling stock induction.

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Polity & GovernanceLowquizQuiz

Reconstituted National Commission for Minorities holds first meeting of 2026

•The newly re-constituted National Commission for Minorities held its first meeting of 2026 under the chairmanship of Shri Harjit Singh Grewal.
•It was attended by Vice Chairperson Ms. S. Munawari Begum and Members Shri Berjis Desai and Shri Glenn E Souza Ticlo, with Secretary Shri Suchindra Misra and Joint Secretary Dr. Atya Nand also present.
•The Commission reviewed matters relating to the welfare and interests of minority communities, with the Chairperson emphasising its mandate to work for the development of minorities and to monitor the working of safeguards protecting their interests.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

SC Post-Matric Scholarship spending rises to Rs 6,208 crore; NFSC fellowship support highlighted

•Actual expenditure under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Post-Matric Scholarships for Scheduled Castes rose from Rs 5,475.42 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 5,581.52 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 6,208.08 crore in 2025-26, against Revised Budget Estimates of Rs 5,400 crore, Rs 5,500 crore and Rs 6,000 crore.
•Since Direct Benefit Transfer was introduced in 2021-22, the Central share is disbursed directly into beneficiaries' Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts; release of the Central share is contingent on the State or UT releasing its share and uploading finally verified beneficiary data on the National Scholarship Portal.
•A companion release illustrated the National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students through a scholar from Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, who received fellowship support with House Rent Allowance from July 2017 and has now completed his research.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Aadhaar App crosses 5 crore downloads; UIDAI onboards over 200 offline verification entities

•The Aadhaar App has crossed 50 million (5 crore) downloads, with more than 60 lakh mobile number updates, over 15 lakh address updates and more than 23 lakh email updates carried out through it.
•The app is built around the principle of 'Show, Share and Verify', giving Aadhaar number holders control over how their Aadhaar information is used.
•UIDAI has onboarded more than 200 entities as Offline Verification Seeking Entities (OVSEs) since the rollout in January, enabling consent-based, paperless verification.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Chhattisgarh tilapia cluster reviewed as India develops 34 fisheries clusters for exports

•Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, chaired an interactive meeting at Raipur on 20 August 2026 to review the Tilapia Cluster notified in Chhattisgarh under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, with over 1,300 farmers and value-chain stakeholders participating in hybrid mode.
•Chhattisgarh has become the first inland state to begin exporting value-added tilapia products, having shipped 382 tonnes to the United States.
•The Government is developing 34 fisheries production and processing clusters as export growth engines, supported end-to-end across production, processing, value addition and market linkages.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Centre approves 11.19 lakh PMAY-G houses for Bihar; state to adopt PM Fasal Bima Yojana

•Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced approval of 11,18,937 pucca houses for Bihar with an allocation of Rs 13,427 crore, at the state-level Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana programme in Patna.
•Cumulatively, 24,30,327 houses have been approved for Bihar over two years with expenditure of Rs 29,164 crore; the sanction letter was handed to Chief Minister Shri Samrat Choudhary.
•The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana will now be implemented in Bihar - a reversal for a state that had opted out of the central crop insurance scheme and run its own crop-loss assistance scheme instead.

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Summits & ConferencesMediumquizQuiz

India hosts 12th BRICS Communications Ministers Meeting under its 2026 Chairship

•India will host the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers Meeting on 21 August 2026 under its BRICS Chairship, chaired by Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Communications.
•The meeting sits under India's overarching Chairship theme, 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', and the ICT Track theme, 'Innovate, Cooperate and Transform (ICT) for a Resilient Future'.
•Agenda items include emerging technologies, Digital Public Infrastructure, future networks, cybersecurity, capacity building and inclusive digital connectivity, with an explicit focus on the wider Global South.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

MMDR Amendment Act 2026 notified, restricting State levies on mineral rights

•Steel Authority of India Limited welcomed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, notified by the Central Government on 17 August 2026.
•SAIL described the amendment as providing greater clarity and uniformity in mineral taxation and levies and as addressing pending retrospective levies, giving the mining industry fiscal predictability.
•The amendment restricts States from imposing tax, cess or other levies on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands except as the Central Government may prescribe, and invalidates unpaid or unrecovered levies accrued before it takes effect, while amounts already paid are not refunded.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Union Cabinet clears a sitting bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in Ladakh

•The Union Cabinet decided to enable a bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir to sit in Ladakh, a decision welcomed by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on 20 August 2026.
•The stated purpose is to improve access to justice for citizens in remote areas of Ladakh by cutting the time needed to reach the courts, with the Government reiterating its commitment to Ladakh's development and to constitutional safeguards.
•Ladakh has had no High Court of its own since 2019: under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir became the common High Court for both the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

CMLRE releases first national report on deep-sea fishery resources of India's EEZ

•The Ministry of Earth Sciences released the National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ, marking the Silver Jubilee of the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) at Kochi.
•The report compiles nearly four decades of oceanographic research and three decades of systematic surveys across India's 2.37 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone, drawing on more than 400 cruises since the early 1990s under the Marine Living Resources Programme aboard FORV Sagar Sampada.
•It assesses the mesopelagic 'twilight zone' between 200 and 1,000 metres — lanternfishes, deep-sea shrimps and cephalopods whose nightly vertical migration drives the ocean's biological carbon pump — and identifies substantial but underexploited deep-sea demersal stocks beyond 200 metres.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Jal Shakti issues data sharing policy for Sujalam Bharat rural water DPI

•The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, issued the Policy on Data Sharing, Interoperability and Stakeholder Access under the Sujalam Bharat Digital Public Infrastructure on 20 August 2026.
•The policy sets a secure, federated and interoperable framework for sharing rural drinking water data among the Department, States and Union Territories, Gram Panchayats, government organisations and authorised sectoral stakeholders.
•It relies on common identifiers, standardised metadata, interoperable registries and secure digital services, and adopts a tiered, purpose-limited data-access framework with safeguards for privacy, personal data protection and cybersecurity.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Index of Core Industries grows 5.4% in July 2026; iron ore up 29.5%

•The Index of Core Industries grew 5.4% year-on-year in July 2026 on the provisional estimate, down from the 6.0% recorded in the final index for June 2026.
•Six of the nine core sectors grew: iron ore 29.5%, cement 13.1%, electricity 9%, coal 7.6%, steel 2.9% and refinery products 2.7%. Natural gas, crude oil and fertilizers contracted.
•Cumulative growth for April-July 2026 was 4.3% on the provisional estimate, against 1.5% in the corresponding period of the previous year.

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NationalHighquizQuiz

Delhi Master Plan 2047 unveiled with 40 lakh new affordable homes and TOD focus

•Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Manohar Lal unveiled the Delhi Master Plan 2047 (MPD-2047) on 20 August 2026, in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
•The plan envisages around 40 lakh new affordable housing units, including about 18 lakh along metro corridors in Transit-Oriented Development zones and about 7 lakh from relaxed redevelopment norms.
•The Land Pooling Policy is commissioned for nearly 200 sq km of planned urban expansion creating around 12 lakh new homes and a 600 km road network, with DDA building 30-metre and wider roads upfront.

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Polity & GovernanceHighquizQuiz

31st Southern Zonal Council at Mahabalipuram takes up water sharing and asset division

•Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah chaired the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu on 20 August 2026.
•The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, the Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, the Lieutenant Governors of Puducherry and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Administrator of Lakshadweep.
•The Home Minister said 70 Zonal Council meetings have been held since 2014 and 1,445 of 1,869 issues — about 80% — have been resolved, against an average of two and a half meetings a year in 2004-2014 and six a year now.

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DefenceHighquizQuiz

India and Japan sign Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation

•Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and Japan's Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi held the Japan-India Defence Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on 20 August 2026 and signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation between the two defence ministries.
•The Memorandum frames cooperation between the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian Navy, including information sharing on Maritime Domain Awareness, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
•The two sides agreed to explore joint development in naval shipbuilding and design, to use India's production capacity under Make in India, and to conclude a ship repair arrangement providing reciprocal repair facilities.

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PMJVM: 4,172 Van Dhan Kendras sanctioned, 12.48 lakh tribal gatherers linked

•A PIB Backgrounder issued on 20 August 2026 sets out how the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) is restructuring the minor forest produce trade, on which India's 10.4 crore Scheduled Tribes depend for 20-40% of their annual income.
•Under PMJVM, 4,172 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras have been sanctioned and 2,911 are functional, reporting sales of about Rs 168 crore as on 31 July 2026; 12.48 lakh tribal members are linked to them.
•Minimum Support Price has been notified for 87 minor forest produce items; since 2013-14 State agencies have procured 2,67,954 metric tonnes of MFP worth Rs 693.98 crore.

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