PIB Current Affairs 12 August 2026

NationalLowquizQuiz

Kavach 4.0 Cleared for 660 Route km in NER; RailOne Crosses 4.76 Crore Downloads

•Indian Railways has approved Kavach Version 4.0 on 660 route km of the Izzatnagar Division of North Eastern Railway at an estimated Rs 295 crore.
•Kavach is India's indigenous Automatic Train Protection system, designed to prevent Signal Passed at Danger incidents and train collisions.
•The RailOne app, launched on 1 July 2025, has reached 4.76 crore downloads and averages 10 lakh ticket bookings a day.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

Vibrant Villages Programme-II: Rs 6,839 Crore for 1,954 Villages Along India's Non-Northern Borders

•Vibrant Villages Programme-II was approved on 2 April 2025 as a Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs 6,839 crore till FY 2028-29.
•It covers 1,954 villages in 334 blocks along International Land Borders other than the northern border, across 17 States and UTs.
•VVP-I, approved on 15 February 2023 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, covers villages in 46 blocks along the northern border in five States and UTs.

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NationalLowquizQuiz

Census 2027: Houselisting Done in 31 States, Snow-Bound Areas to Be Enumerated from September 2026

•The first phase of Census 2027, the Houselisting and Housing Census, has been completed in 31 States and UTs, with the rest scheduled by September 2026.
•Population enumeration in Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand runs from 1 to 30 September 2026.
•A revisional round follows from 1 to 5 October 2026, with self-enumeration available from 17 to 31 August 2026.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

BRICS Finance Meeting in Jaipur: New Development Bank Seminar on Mobilising Private Capital

•Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered the keynote at a seminar on the New Development Bank's role in mobilising private capital, held in Jaipur on 12 August 2026.
•The seminar was on the sidelines of the BRICS Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors meeting in Jaipur.
•Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank, delivered a special address.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

UGC Issues 16 Letters of Intent to Foreign Universities; Indian IITs Expand to Zanzibar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai

•UGC has issued 16 Letters of Intent to Foreign Higher Educational Institutions from Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.
•Six LoIs went to Karnataka, six to Maharashtra, three to Delhi NCR and one to Tamil Nadu.
•University of Southampton has established a campus in Gurugram and University of New South Wales in Bengaluru.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Skill India Update: PM-SETU's Rs 60,000 Crore ITI Upgrade and 600+ New-Age PMKVY 4.0 Courses

•Skill India Mission delivers training through PMKVY, Jan Shikshan Sansthan, the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme and the Craftsman Training Scheme via ITIs.
•PM-SETU, a Rs 60,000 crore Centrally Sponsored Scheme, will upgrade 1,000 Government ITIs in a hub-and-spoke model of 200 hubs and 800 spokes.
•PMKVY 4.0 has introduced over 600 new-age courses, training more than 5.44 lakh candidates in these sectors as on 30 June 2026.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

WCD's Three Verticals: 991 One Stop Centres, 4,172 Anganwadi-cum-Creches and the POCSO Support Person System

•The Ministry of Women and Child Development runs three Centrally Sponsored verticals: Mission Shakti, Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, and Mission Vatsalya.
•Mission Shakti has two sub-verticals — Sambal for safety and security, and Samarthya for empowerment.
•991 One Stop Centres are operational and have assisted over 15.20 lakh women since 1 April 2015; Women Helpline 181 has assisted over 1.04 crore women.

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Banking & FinanceMediumquizQuiz

Financial Inclusion Snapshot: FI Index at 70, 58.66 Crore PMSBY Enrolments, UPI at 2,365 Crore Monthly Transactions

•The RBI's Financial Inclusion Index rose from 43.4 in March 2017 to 70.0 in March 2026.
•India has over 1.81 lakh bank branches and 17.36 lakh Business Correspondents, with 99.92% of villages having a banking outlet within 5 km.
•Cumulative Direct Benefit Transfer stands at Rs 52,89,019 crore across 320 schemes and 56 ministries as on 10 August 2026.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

PM-RAHAT: 22,481 Road Accident Victims Covered in Under Six Months of Nationwide Rollout

•PM-RAHAT, the Road Accident Victims' Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment scheme, was launched nationwide on 13 February 2026 under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
•It provides treatment cover of up to Rs 1.5 lakh per victim, capped at seven days from the date of the accident, on any category of road.
•As on 31 July 2026, 22,481 victims across 34 States and UTs had been covered, with 18,149 cases approved.

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Banking & FinanceMediumquizQuiz

CBDC-Based Food Subsidy: Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli to Get Programmable Digital Rupee Transfers

•CBDC-based Direct Benefit Transfer under PMGKAY will be launched in Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli on 14 August 2026.
•They become the first Union Territories to deliver food subsidy to all eligible PMGKAY beneficiaries as programmable Digital Rupee tokens in CBDC wallets.
•The rollout builds on earlier pilot implementations in Puducherry and Gujarat and marks complete saturation of eligible beneficiaries in the two UTs.

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Agreements & MoUsMediumquizQuiz

India and SACU Sign Terms of Reference for a Preferential Trade Agreement Covering Eight Chapters

•India and the Southern African Customs Union signed the Terms of Reference for negotiations towards a Preferential Trade Agreement at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi.
•This is India's first Terms of Reference signing with the African region.
•The proposed PTA will cover eight chapters, including trade in goods, rules of origin, customs procedures, trade remedies, SPS measures, technical barriers to trade and dispute settlement.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

I4C Saves Rs 11,158 Crore from Cyber Fraud; Suspect Registry Blocks Rs 25,698 Crore in Transactions

•The Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System has saved more than Rs 11,158 crore across over 32.80 lakh complaints up to 30 June 2026.
•I4C's Suspect Registry, run with banks and financial institutions, has helped decline transactions worth Rs 25,698 crore.
•The Samanvaya platform and its Pratibimb module have contributed to the arrest of more than 29,837 accused.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

PRAHAAR: India's First National Counter Terrorism Policy Rests on Seven Pillars

•The Ministry of Home Affairs unveiled PRAHAAR as India's first comprehensive National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy on 23 February 2026.
•It is built on seven pillars covering prevention, response, internal capacity, rule of law, conditions conducive to terrorism, international alignment, and recovery and resilience.
•The framework formalises real-time intelligence sharing through the Multi Agency Centre and a coordinated chain of command with forces such as the National Security Guard.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Deep Ocean Mission: Seabed Mining System Trials at 5,270 m in the Central Indian Ocean Basin

•NIOT Chennai has developed a seabed mining system whose mobility and system-powering trials were completed at a depth of 5,270 metres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin.
•The site is allocated to India by the International Seabed Authority; nodule collection and crushing components are being developed under ISA guidelines.
•India holds ISA exploration contracts for both polymetallic nodules and polymetallic sulphides in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Retail Inflation at 4.45% in July 2026 on the New 2024=100 CPI Series; Food Inflation 5.52%

•All-India CPI inflation for July 2026 was 4.45% provisional, with rural at 4.84% and urban at 3.96%.
•Consumer Food Price Index inflation was 5.52%, higher than headline inflation, with rural food inflation at 5.79%.
•Silver jewellery recorded the steepest price rise at 109.84%, followed by ginger at 83.62% and garlic at 35.36%.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Sixteenth Finance Commission Recommends Rs 4.35 Lakh Crore in Grants for Rural Local Bodies

•The Sixteenth Finance Commission has recommended Rs 4,35,236 crore in grants to Panchayati Raj Institutions and Rural Local Bodies in all 28 States for the 2026-31 award period.
•Grants are split 80:20 between Basic and Performance Grants; half the Basic Grant is tied to sanitation, solid waste management and water management.
•Untied grants may be used for local needs under the 29 subjects of the Eleventh Schedule.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

EEZ Access Pass: 9,650 Issued as India Opens Deep-Sea Fishing to Traditional Fishers

•The Access Pass is a free digital pass issued through the ReALCRaft portal allowing fishing in India's Exclusive Economic Zone beyond 12 nautical miles.
•It is issued under the Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone Rules, 2025, notified on 4 November 2025.
•A total of 9,650 Access Passes have been issued as on 5 August 2026, led by Karnataka with 2,563 and Gujarat with 2,524.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

Tribal Development Update: PM-JUGA Covers 63,843 Villages, 54 Lakh Forest Rights Claims Filed

•PM-JUGA, also called Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, was launched on 2 October 2024 and covers 63,843 villages in 549 districts across 30 States and UTs.
•It runs 25 interventions through 17 line ministries and targets more than 5 crore tribal beneficiaries over five years.
•PM JANMAN targets 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group communities in 18 States and one UT through 11 interventions by nine ministries.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

Cooperative Sector Goes Digital: 63,686 PACS on ERP, NCD Portal 3.0 and Bharat Taxi's 8.48 Lakh Drivers

•The Ministry of Cooperation told the Rajya Sabha that 63,686 PACS are onboarded on the ERP-based national software and 54,707 have been declared e-PACS.
•The PACS computerisation outlay has been raised from Rs 2,516 crore to Rs 2,925.39 crore.
•The National Cooperative Database now covers about 8.6 lakh cooperatives from 30 sectors with roughly 32 crore members; NCD Portal 3.0 was launched on 6 July 2026.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

India's Deep-Tech Mission Map: Rs 1 Lakh Crore RDI Fund, Quantum Mission Hubs and 25 Innovation Hubs

•The Ministry of Science and Technology tabled the outlays of India's six major emerging-technology missions in the Lok Sabha, led by the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund.
•The National Quantum Mission has four Thematic Hubs operational with 14 Technical Groups, 17 Project Teams and support to 17 quantum startups.
•NM-ICPS has established 25 Technology Innovation Hubs, four of which were upgraded to Technology Translation Research Parks in 2025-26.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

Mission Mausam: 50 Doppler Radars, AI Forecasting and a 2026 Monsoon Running 12% Below Normal

•Under Mission Mausam, IMD's observational network now has 50 Doppler Weather Radars, 1,008 Automatic Weather Stations and 6,885 rain gauge stations.
•IMD forecast the 2026 southwest monsoon at 92% of the Long Period Average in April and revised it to 90%; cumulative rainfall was 12% below normal as on 2 August 2026.
•Weak El Nino conditions formed over the equatorial Pacific in June 2026 and strengthened to moderate, suppressing monsoon circulation.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

Space Vision 2047: First Private Earth Observation Constellation Cleared, 440 Space Startups Registered

•The Department of Space set out the Space Vision 2047 roadmap in the Lok Sabha, covering Earth observation, satellite communication and NavIC navigation.
•IN-SPACe has signed India's first fully commercial Earth Observation constellation agreement under a PPP model with the Allied Orbits Private Limited consortium, led by PixxelSpace India.
•The 12-satellite constellation, with more than Rs 1,200 crore of consortium investment, is to be operational by 2029, built and launched entirely in India.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

Nuclear Roadmap: 100 GWe by 2047, Five Indigenous SMRs by 2033 and the SHANTI Act Framework

•The Department of Atomic Energy told the Lok Sabha that India is targeting 100 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2047 under the Nuclear Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget 2025-26.
•At least five indigenous Small Modular Reactors are to be developed and operationalised by 2033, including the 220 MWe BSMR-200 and the 55 MWe SMR-55.
•The SHANTI Act, 2025 opens the nuclear sector to wider public and private participation and gives statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.

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Polity & GovernanceHighquizQuiz

Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 Creates Judiciary-Led National Tribunals Commission for 16 Tribunals

•Parliament passed the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 in August 2026, repealing the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021.
•The Bill sets up a National Tribunals Commission (NTC) with a judicial majority to select members and oversee the working of 16 tribunals.
•It follows the Supreme Court's Madras Bar Association ruling, which struck down provisions of the 2021 Act and directed the creation of an independent commission.

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EnvironmentHighquizQuiz

World Elephant Day 2026: India Counts 22,446 Wild Elephants Across 33 Reserves and 150 Corridors

•World Elephant Day is observed on 12 August; India holds nearly 60% of the world's wild Asian elephants.
•The DNA-based Synchronous All India Population Estimation of Elephants (SAIEE) 2021-25 puts India's wild elephant population at 22,446.
•India protects elephants through 33 Elephant Reserves covering 80,777 sq km across 14 States and 150 validated corridors.

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Current Affairs Pulse

PIB Current Affairs — 12 August 2026

Kavach 4.0 Cleared for 660 Route km in NER; RailOne Crosses 4.76 Crore Downloads

Vibrant Villages Programme-II: Rs 6,839 Crore for 1,954 Villages Along India's Non-Northern Borders

Census 2027: Houselisting Done in 31 States, Snow-Bound Areas to Be Enumerated from September 2026

BRICS Finance Meeting in Jaipur: New Development Bank Seminar on Mobilising Private Capital

UGC Issues 16 Letters of Intent to Foreign Universities; Indian IITs Expand to Zanzibar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Skill India Update: PM-SETU's Rs 60,000 Crore ITI Upgrade and 600+ New-Age PMKVY 4.0 Courses

WCD's Three Verticals: 991 One Stop Centres, 4,172 Anganwadi-cum-Creches and the POCSO Support Person System

Financial Inclusion Snapshot: FI Index at 70, 58.66 Crore PMSBY Enrolments, UPI at 2,365 Crore Monthly Transactions

PM-RAHAT: 22,481 Road Accident Victims Covered in Under Six Months of Nationwide Rollout

CBDC-Based Food Subsidy: Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli to Get Programmable Digital Rupee Transfers

India and SACU Sign Terms of Reference for a Preferential Trade Agreement Covering Eight Chapters

I4C Saves Rs 11,158 Crore from Cyber Fraud; Suspect Registry Blocks Rs 25,698 Crore in Transactions

PRAHAAR: India's First National Counter Terrorism Policy Rests on Seven Pillars

Deep Ocean Mission: Seabed Mining System Trials at 5,270 m in the Central Indian Ocean Basin

Retail Inflation at 4.45% in July 2026 on the New 2024=100 CPI Series; Food Inflation 5.52%

Sixteenth Finance Commission Recommends Rs 4.35 Lakh Crore in Grants for Rural Local Bodies

EEZ Access Pass: 9,650 Issued as India Opens Deep-Sea Fishing to Traditional Fishers

Tribal Development Update: PM-JUGA Covers 63,843 Villages, 54 Lakh Forest Rights Claims Filed

Cooperative Sector Goes Digital: 63,686 PACS on ERP, NCD Portal 3.0 and Bharat Taxi's 8.48 Lakh Drivers

India's Deep-Tech Mission Map: Rs 1 Lakh Crore RDI Fund, Quantum Mission Hubs and 25 Innovation Hubs

Mission Mausam: 50 Doppler Radars, AI Forecasting and a 2026 Monsoon Running 12% Below Normal

Space Vision 2047: First Private Earth Observation Constellation Cleared, 440 Space Startups Registered

Nuclear Roadmap: 100 GWe by 2047, Five Indigenous SMRs by 2033 and the SHANTI Act Framework

Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 Creates Judiciary-Led National Tribunals Commission for 16 Tribunals

World Elephant Day 2026: India Counts 22,446 Wild Elephants Across 33 Reserves and 150 Corridors