Current Affairs 22 August 2026

Summits & ConferencesMediumquizQuiz

BRICS Adopts Chennai Declaration on Science and Innovation Cooperation

•The 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Meeting, held in Chennai under India's BRICS chairship, unanimously adopted the Chennai Declaration, also called the Chennai Consensus.
•The adoption was announced at the closing session by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, who chaired the meeting.
•The Declaration puts a 'people-centred and humanity-first' approach at the core of BRICS science cooperation, linking it to sustainable development, social inclusiveness and quality of life.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

Nevada Declares Emergency as Human-Caused Hawk Fire Sweeps Peavine Peak Near Reno

•The Hawk Fire ignited on Peavine Peak in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, just northwest of Reno in Washoe County, Nevada, on 22 August 2026, with crews responding shortly before 11:25 am local time.
•Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency for Washoe County the same day, directing all state agencies to work through the Nevada Emergency Operations Center and mobilising the Nevada National Guard.
•Officials confirmed the fire was human-caused, though the exact ignition source remained under investigation.

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Polity & GovernanceHighquizQuiz

Centre Forms Committee to Draft Permanent Political Solution for Gorkha Hills

•Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a tripartite stakeholder meeting at Sukna near Siliguri on 22 August 2026 with the West Bengal government and hill parties on a permanent political solution for the Gorkha issue.
•The Centre constituted a committee headed by Pankaj Kumar Singh — former Director General of the Border Security Force, former Deputy National Security Adviser and the Centre's interlocutor on the issue since October 2025 — to work out the modalities and draft an agreement.
•The committee is to hold political dialogue across the hills, the Terai and the Dooars and submit its proposal to the Union Home Ministry.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

Egypt and China Launch Eagles of Civilisation 2026 Joint Air Exercise

•Egypt and China launched the joint air exercise 'Eagles of Civilisation 2026' on 22 August 2026 at air bases across Egypt.
•It is the second joint air exercise between the two air forces and the first to which China deployed the J-16 fighter, having sent J-10 aircraft to the 2025 edition.
•Chinese aircraft flew more than 6,000 kilometres to reach Egypt, and the training pitted the J-16 against Egypt's French-built Dassault Rafale.

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AppointmentsMediumquizQuiz

Government Names Three Non-Official Directors to RBI Central Board

•On 22 August 2026 the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared the appointment of Syed Akbaruddin, Annie George Mathew and Janmejaya Kumar Sinha as part-time, non-official directors on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India for a four-year term.
•The appointments were made under Section 8(1)(c) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 - the clause covering the ten directors nominated by the Central Government.
•The additions took the active strength of the RBI's Central Board from 11 members to 14.

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SportsMediumquizQuiz

Mansi Lather Takes Silver as India Finish Second at U20 Wrestling Worlds

•India's women wrestlers added one silver and two bronze medals on 22 August 2026 at the U20 World Wrestling Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia.
•Mansi Lather lost the 68kg final 1-2 to Chenling Song of China; Tanvi Gundesh Magdum beat Canada's Agnia Krakovska 10-4 for 57kg bronze and Komal beat Hungary's Eda Balazs 5-2 for 59kg bronze.
•These came on top of Kajal Dhochak's 76kg gold and the silvers won by Tanu Sharma (72kg) and Savita (62kg), taking India's women's haul to six medals.

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Andhra Pradesh Clears Rs 31,387-Crore, 512 MW Green AI Data Centre at Visakhapatnam

•The Andhra Pradesh government on 22 August 2026 approved a 512 MW green integrated AI data centre in Visakhapatnam district, to be built by AM AI Factory (Vizag) Pvt Ltd.
•The project carries an investment of more than Rs 31,387 crore and is expected to create employment for about 1,000 people.
•It will come up at Amanam village in Bheemunipatnam mandal and is to be completed in two years and four months.

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

UP Allows 180-Day Maternity Leave Twice, Drops Two-Year Gap Condition

•The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet, acting by circulation on 22 August 2026, allowed female state government employees to take 180 days of maternity leave twice during their service.
•The earlier condition of a minimum two-year gap between the first and second maternity leave has been removed.
•The decision amends Rule 153(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Financial Handbook, Volume II, Parts 2 to 4, and extends the same 180-day benefit to adoptive mothers.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

NADCP Crosses 147 Crore FMD Vaccine Doses as Outbreaks Fall to 40

•The National Animal Disease Control Programme has administered 147.16 crore Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine doses, benefiting 8.04 crore farmers since its launch in 2019.
•Reported FMD outbreaks have fallen from 132 in 2019 to 40 in 2025, and Brucellosis outbreaks from 22 to 15 over the same period.
•Non-structural protein antibody prevalence, the surveillance marker for circulating FMD virus, has dropped from 20.8 per cent in 2019 to 8.1 per cent in 2025, and no Serotype Asia-1 outbreak has been reported in three years.

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History & CultureMediumquizQuiz

ASI Says Structure Behind Golconda Fort Is a Chamber, Not a Tunnel

•The Archaeological Survey of India said the structure unearthed behind Golconda Fort in Hyderabad is a small rectangular granite chamber, not the secret tunnel that early reports described.
•Preliminary inspection put the chamber at roughly 1.2 m by 1.8 m with a depth of 2.2 m, built of granite with rough stone masonry forming an internal wall-like face.
•A few red-coloured potsherds recovered at the spot appear to belong to the medieval period; the chamber's original purpose cannot be fixed without detailed investigation.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

China Sets Chang'e-7 Launch for Lunar South Pole Water-Ice Hunt

•China has scheduled its Chang'e-7 lunar mission for launch on 24 August 2026 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan, aboard a Long March 5 Y14 rocket.
•The China National Space Administration describes the spacecraft as a four-in-one system - an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a hopping probe.
•The lander is to touch down near the edge of Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole and search for signs of water ice; the hopping probe will jump into permanently shadowed craters to analyse water molecules.

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SportsMediumquizQuiz

Treesa-Gayatri Win Women's Doubles Bronze at BWF World Championships 2026

•Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand finished with the women's doubles bronze at the BWF World Championships 2026 after losing the semifinal on 22 August 2026 to China's defending champions Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, 21-18, 13-21, 8-21, in 71 minutes.
•The unseeded Indian pair had sealed the medal a day earlier by beating China's fourth seeds Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian in the quarterfinal, in 69 minutes.
•They are only the second Indian women's doubles pair to win a World Championships medal, after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa's bronze in 2011.

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NationalLowquizQuiz

BJP Finalises Nationwide Roadmap for Modi@25 Seva Sankalp Mahotsav

•The Bharatiya Janata Party held a meeting in New Delhi on 22 August 2026 to finalise the nationwide roadmap for its 'Modi@25' programmes.
•It was attended by BJP national president Nitin Nabin, national organisation general secretary B.L. Santhosh, programme in-charge Vinod Tawde, and state unit presidents, organisation general secretaries and state in-charges.
•The campaign, named 'Seva Sankalp Mahotsav', is to begin on 7 September 2026 and run for about 15 days, ahead of Narendra Modi completing 25 years as a head of government on 7 October 2026.

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Amit Shah Reviews West Bengal's Four Anti-Extortion Helplines in Siliguri

•Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the working of West Bengal's four toll-free complaint helplines at a meeting in Siliguri on 22 August 2026 with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and senior officials, and assured swift action on complaints received.
•The four numbers are 155334 for extortion, 155335 for syndicate activities, 155337 for illegal road and toll tax collection, and 155339 for illegal liquor.
•The helplines were launched by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on 28 July 2026 at the state police headquarters; they operate daily from 10 am to 8 pm and every call is automatically recorded for follow-up.

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Important DaysMediumquizQuiz

Madras Day 2026 Marks 387 Years Since Founding of Madras

•Madras Day is observed every year on 22 August; the 2026 edition marks the 387th year since the founding of Madras in 1639 and is the 23rd observance since the day was started in 2004.
•On 22 August 1639 the English East India Company, through Francis Day and Andrew Cogan, obtained a strip of the Coromandel coast at Madraspatnam from Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, a Nayaka chief under the Vijayanagara Empire.
•The settlement grew around Fort St George, the first English fortress built in India, completed on 23 April 1644 - St George's Day - and split into the European White Town and the Indian Black Town.

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Awards & HonoursMediumquizQuiz

National Teachers Awards 2026: 48 School Teachers Selected for 5 September Honour

•The Ministry of Education has named 48 school teachers as recipients of the National Teachers Awards 2026.
•President Droupadi Murmu will confer the awards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 5 September 2026, which is Teachers' Day.
•The 48 awardees come from 27 States, 7 Union Territories and 6 organisations run by the Central Government, and include 26 men and 22 women.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

IAF concludes Exercise Pitch Black in Australia and Udara Shakti in Malaysia

•The Indian Air Force announced on 22 August 2026 that it had concluded participation in two international flight engagements - Exercise Pitch Black 2026 in Australia and Exercise Udara Shakti 2026 in Malaysia - in a single back-to-back deployment.
•At Pitch Black 2026, hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force, the IAF deployed its frontline Rafale aircraft and flew Large Force Employment (LFE) missions alongside air forces from over 20 participating nations.
•The contingent then deployed directly to Subang, Malaysia, for Exercise Udara Shakti 2026, flying combat sorties with and against the Royal Malaysian Air Force's Su-30MKM and F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.

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Science & TechLowquizQuiz

CSIR-NIScPR marks 75 years of Hindi science magazine Vigyan Pragati

•CSIR-NIScPR held a Platinum Jubilee Ceremony on 22 August 2026 marking 75 years of Vigyan Pragati, the Hindi popular-science magazine it publishes, which was launched in 1952.
•The ceremony released the August 2026 special issue of the magazine along with the CSIR-NIScPR publications 'Manav Swasthya Aur Nirogi Jeevan' and 'Romanchak Vigyan Kathayen' and the institute's bilingual information booklets; results of the 'Vigyan Pragati @75' science story and science cartoon competitions were announced.
•An inaugural workshop on 21 August 2026 drew more than 50 school students from Delhi for science poetry, cartooning and the science quiz 'Jigyasa'; the main event carried a panel discussion on '75 Years of Vigyan Pragati: Legacy, Discourse and Future' and dialogue sessions on cartoons in science and on artificial intelligence in science writing.

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Summits & ConferencesLowquizQuiz

BRICS Youth Ministers' Meeting concludes at Visakhapatnam with Joint Statement

•The BRICS Youth Ministers' Meeting, organised by the Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, concluded at Visakhapatnam on Saturday, 22 August 2026, presided over by Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya with MoS Raksha Nikhil Khadse and Secretary (Youth Affairs) Sunil Paliwal.
•The meeting adopted a Joint Statement covering education, training and skills; youth entrepreneurship; science, technology and innovation; social and cultural participation, social work and volunteering; poverty, hunger and inequality; health and sports; youth, environment and sustainability; interfaith youth dialogue; youth exchange; and youth inclusion.
•It capped the BRICS youth engagements under India's 2026 chairship, following the BRICS Youth Summit and BRICS Youth Council Meeting held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on 19-20 August 2026; delegates joined an 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' plantation drive and visited the Thotlakonda Buddhist monastery, and Mandaviya held bilateral meetings with his South African and UAE counterparts.

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Summits & ConferencesMediumquizQuiz

BRICS adopts Chennai Declaration on science and innovation under India's chairship

•The 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Meeting, chaired by India, adopted the 'Chennai Declaration' unanimously; the announcement was made in the closing session by Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences.
•Also called the Chennai Consensus, the document places a 'people-centred and humanity-first' approach at the heart of BRICS STI cooperation, with emphasis on sustainable development, resilient and high-quality growth, social inclusiveness and the use of innovation to improve quality of life.
•It records progress towards operationalising the BRICS Global Research Advanced Infrastructure Network (BRICS GRAIN) and welcomes the Action Plan and Terms of Reference of the Task Force on research infrastructures and mega-science projects.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Siliguri talks: panel on hill areas solution; Amit Shah reviews corridor security

•Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting at Siliguri on 22 August 2026 with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and representatives of the state's hill areas, where demands for a distinct identity, a Permanent Political Solution and recognition under the Constitution were taken up.
•It was decided to constitute a committee under Pankaj Kumar Singh - former Deputy National Security Advisor and the Centre's serving interlocutor for Darjeeling, Dooars and Terai - to finalise the modalities of the agreement to be drafted towards a permanent political solution 'under the umbrella of the Constitution of India'.
•Those present included GJM leader Bimal Gurung, GNLF leader Mann Ghising, MPs Raju Bista and Harshvardhan Singla, Hills Minister Bishal Lama and MLAs Bharat Chettri, Sonam Lama and Noman Rai.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

'Mission Zero' workshop targets ending sanitation-work fatalities through mechanisation

•A National Workshop on 'Mission Zero: Ending Fatalities in Sanitation Work' was held at the State Convention Centre, Lokseva Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, attended by Odisha Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi.
•Shri Sudhansh Pant, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, said achieving zero fatalities in sanitation work is a core national priority and called for a whole-of-government approach to safe, systematic and dignified sanitation services.
•The NAMASTE and GARIMA schemes were highlighted as the instruments for promoting mechanisation and ensuring occupational safety, health, education and livelihood opportunities for sanitation workers and their dependents.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

NBA releases Rs 2.82 crore of access and benefit-sharing funds to biodiversity boards

•The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed Rs 2.82 crore under the Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) mechanism arising from the commercial use of India's biological resources.
•Of this, Rs 2.80 crore went to 27 State Biodiversity Boards and 3 Union Territory Biodiversity Councils, and Rs 2.01 lakh to the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Karnataka.
•The larger sum came from Rs 2.94 crore paid by M/s Advanta Enterprises Ltd (formerly M/s UPL Limited) for the use of genetic resources behind eight cauliflower hybrids, five hot pepper hybrids, five okra hybrids and six tomato hybrids.

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DefenceLowquizQuiz

Navy receives 'Mangrol', third anti-submarine shallow water craft from Cochin Shipyard

•'Mangrol', the third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi, was delivered to the Indian Navy on 21 August 2026.
•The craft has over 80 per cent indigenous content and is equipped for underwater surveillance, anti-submarine warfare in coastal waters, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) and mine warfare; it is propelled by waterjets and carries torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets, and advanced radars and sonars.
•The name comes from Mangrol, a coastal town and minor port in Junagadh district of Gujarat and a prominent harbour for the marine fishing industry, and revives the name of an earlier Indian Naval minesweeper, INS Mangrol, which served until 2004.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

EPFO's Employees' Enrolment Campaign 2026 open until 31 October for uncovered workers

•The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation has urged establishments to use the Employees' Enrolment Campaign, 2026 (EEC 2026), notified with effect from 29 June 2026.
•The campaign is a one-time opportunity to enrol employees who remained outside EPF coverage during the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2026, and it closes on 31 October 2026.
•Eligible employees must be alive and continuing in employment with the establishment on the date of declaration.

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Agreements & MoUsMediumquizQuiz

India-Mauritius sign oil and gas MoU; IOCL to supply all Mauritian fuel imports

•Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Singh Puri visited Mauritius from 20 to 21 August 2026 and called on Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam on 20 August.
•India and Mauritius exchanged a Government-to-Government MoU for cooperation in the oil and gas sector, covering petroleum products supply, training and capacity building for Mauritian officials, and biofuels cooperation.
•Alongside it, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and the State Trading Corporation (STC) of Mauritius signed a five-year Sales and Purchase agreement under which IOCL will supply Mauritius's entire import requirement of Motor Spirit, High Speed Diesel and Aviation Turbine Fuel.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

Rural Development panel clears four DAY-NRLM incubators for women-led enterprises

•The Empowered Committee of the Ministry of Rural Development, chaired by Secretary (Rural Development) Shri Rohit Kansal, cleared proposals under the Non-Farm Livelihoods component of DAY-NRLM to scale up women-led rural enterprises.
•Four new Incubator proposals were considered - from Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, with IIT Patna, IIM Jammu, IIM Lucknow and IIT Gandhinagar respectively as the proposed incubator partners, together supporting more than 600 high-potential rural enterprises.
•The Committee also considered expansion of the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) in West Bengal and Goa, all of it directed at the national goal of 6 crore Lakhpati Didis.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

Centre restricts all Chlorpheniramine-Phenylephrine FDCs for children below four

•The Government has restricted the manufacture, sale and distribution of all Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) containing Chlorpheniramine Maleate and Phenylephrine Hydrochloride, requiring a warning that these medicines shall not be used in children below four years of age.
•The notification was issued under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and takes effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
•It follows the recommendations of an Expert Committee and the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), which noted risks to children under four and the availability of safer alternatives.

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History & CultureLowquizQuiz

57th IFFI to be held in Goa from 20 to 28 November 2026

•The first Steering Committee meeting for the 57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held on 21 August 2026 at Kartavya Bhawan-2, New Delhi, chaired by Dr L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting.
•The 57th IFFI is scheduled to be held in Goa from 20 to 28 November 2026.
•Ashutosh Gowariker is the Festival Director; Prakash Magdum, Managing Director of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), presented the preparations to the Committee.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

NADCP: 147.16 crore FMD doses given, outbreaks down from 132 to 40

•A PIB Backgrounder dated 22 August 2026 reviewed the National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP), launched in September 2019 to control and eradicate Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis through nationwide vaccination and surveillance.
•Cumulative FMD vaccination under the programme has reached 147.16 crore doses benefiting 8.04 crore farmers; reported FMD outbreaks fell from 132 in 2019 to 40 in 2025 and Brucellosis outbreaks from 22 to 15 over the same period.
•NADCP targets 100% FMD vaccination of all susceptible livestock twice a year, and a single lifetime Brucellosis vaccination for female bovine calves aged 4-8 months.

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