PIB Current Affairs 26 August 2026

NationalLowquizQuiz

IICT and Netflix announce scholarships for 100 students across six AVGC-XR programmes

•The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai and Netflix announced scholarships for 100 students, covering up to 80% of the cost of six professional programmes.
•The six programmes are two one-year diplomas (Interactive Comics & Sequential Arts; Visual Effects Mastery) and four six-month certificates (Virtual Art Department Content Creation; Media Tech Workflow; Art of Character Animation; E-Sports & Gaming Management), open to students and working professionals across India.
•The scholarships flow from the Netflix India Storytelling Initiative launched after the Prime Minister met Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos on 5 August 2026; Netflix also gave curriculum inputs for the Visual Effects Mastery and Media Tech Workflow courses.

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DefenceLowquizQuiz

INS Sudarshini Departs Lisbon on the Lokayan 26 Transoceanic Expedition

•The Indian Navy's sail training ship INS Sudarshini concluded a three-day port call at Lisbon, Portugal on 25 August 2026, as part of her ongoing Lokayan 26 transoceanic expedition.
•Her Commanding Officer called on Rear Admiral Miguel Bessa Pacheco, Commandant of the Portuguese Naval Academy, and Rear Admiral Joao Paulo Silva Pereira, Deputy Fleet Commander of the Portuguese Navy; Indian sea trainees visited the Escola Naval and exchanged perspectives on seamanship and tall-ship sail training with their Portuguese counterparts.
•The visit, which also covered the Portuguese port of Ponta Delgada in the Azores, included a deck reception for senior Portuguese military officials, the diplomatic corps and the Indian diaspora.

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Science & TechLowquizQuiz

ICAT Issues First Compliance Certificate for a 15-Metre Multi-Axle Sleeper Bus

•The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), Manesar, has issued its first compliance certificate for a 15-metre multi-axle sleeper bus under AIS-119 and AIS-153, in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules.
•The certificate went to Synaty Automotive Pvt. Ltd. and was handed over by ICAT Director Saurabh Dalela to the company's Managing Director Naresh Kumar Yadav; the configuration is among the longest permissible in the passenger transport category.
•The bus is built for long-distance travel with 42 berths in the fully sleeper variant and 21 berths plus 42 seats in the hybrid variant, tested against requirements for structural strength, fire and emergency safety, passenger movement and comfort.

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Banking & FinanceLowquizQuiz

SIDBI Holds Conclave With All 28 RRB Chiefs to Expand MSME Co-Lending

•SIDBI held a conclave of the heads of all 28 Regional Rural Banks in New Delhi on 25 August 2026 to expand the SIDBI-RRB MSME co-lending arrangement, chaired by Sanjay Lohiya, Secretary, Department of Financial Services.
•The design pairs SIDBI's understanding of MSME credit with the branch reach of RRBs in smaller towns and villages, with rule-engine-based underwriting intended to protect asset quality while RRBs diversify their loan portfolios.
•SIDBI's Co-Lending Origination Platform offers an end-to-end digital, paperless journey with in-principle sanction in a short turnaround and disbursement directly into borrower accounts; after a pilot at three RRBs, the programme is to be expanded.

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EnvironmentLowquizQuiz

CAQM Seals 16 Units in Loni, Ghaziabad Under Operation Clean Air

•The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) ran a Special Intensive Inspection Drive at Loni, Ghaziabad on 25 August 2026 under Operation Clean Air, targeting industrial units operating outside environmental regulatory mechanisms.
•Seven flying squads, along with Magistrates, Police and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board officials, inspected 28 industrial premises - and found all 28 non-compliant with applicable environmental norms.
•Sixteen units or premises were sealed by UPPCB with the district administration and flying squads; six show cause notices were served, and notices were pasted on six further premises, including units found locked or vacated.

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DefenceLowquizQuiz

Indian and Vietnam Coast Guards Hold 7th High-Level Meeting in Chennai

•The 7th High-Level Meeting between the Indian Coast Guard and the Vietnam Coast Guard was held in Chennai on 25 August 2026, under the framework of the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding on Coast Guard Cooperation.
•It was co-chaired by Director General Paramesh Sivamani of the Indian Coast Guard and Major General Luong Dinh Hung, Vice Commandant of the Vietnam Coast Guard, and covered maritime search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, marine pollution response and capacity building.
•The bilateral coast guard exercise SAHYOG-HOPTAC was scheduled at sea on 27 August 2026 to strengthen interoperability and operational coordination.

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InternationalLowquizQuiz

India-Japan Startup Roundtable in Tokyo Proposes Deep-Tech Capital Corridor

•Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal addressed the India-Japan Startup Roundtable in Tokyo, describing India as the world's third-largest startup ecosystem with nearly 250,000 startups established over the last decade.
•He proposed a four-pillar framework for the next phase of cooperation: a Japan-India Deep-Tech Capital Corridor, a Two-Way Innovation Bridge linking universities and laboratories, Manufacturing and Technology Integration, and Joint Startup Pitching Platforms.
•The Minister flagged the Government's proposed second Fund of Funds of around US$1 billion focused on deep-tech enterprises and invited greater participation from Japanese investors; around 40 leading Japanese companies took part.

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History & CultureLowquizQuiz

Rajnath Singh Opens Redeveloped Goa Liberation Memorial at Patradevi

•Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the redeveloped Hutatma Smruti Smarak at Patradevi in Goa on 26 August 2026, in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Union MoS Shripad Y. Naik.
•The memorial marks the site where, on 15 August 1955, satyagrahis carrying Indian flags entered Goa through Patradevi and were met with Portuguese machine-gun fire; several were killed there.
•The Government of Goa redeveloped the memorial through the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation at a cost of approximately ₹9.50 crore, adding a redesigned central monument, sculptural installations, information hubs and murals.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

India Puts NDRF on Alert as Nepal Flash Flood Threatens Gandak Downstream

•The Central Government is monitoring a flash flood in Nepal; Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with the Chief Ministers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and local administrations, rescue teams and the NDRF were placed on high alert in border areas likely to be affected.
•As per a Central Water Commission advisory, a sudden rise in the Trishuli river at Furke Khola in Nepal — about 160 km from the Indian border and near the Nepal-China border — was attributed to a suspected flash flood or glacial lake outburst flood, with the impact expected to travel downstream into India's Gandak river.
•Bihar and Uttar Pradesh carried out evacuations and support for communities near the India-Nepal border and were advised to maintain close monitoring.

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Agreements & MoUsMediumquizQuiz

India and Seychelles Plan Fisheries MoU; Fish Output at 19.7 Million Tonnes

•The Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying hosted a high-level bilateral meeting with a Seychelles delegation on 25 August 2026.
•The Seychelles side was led by Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Blue Economy Wallace Cosgrow; the Indian side by Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries.
•India told the meeting that national fish production has reached 19.7 million tonnes and seafood exports are valued at USD 8.46 billion.

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Agreements & MoUsMediumquizQuiz

India and Morocco Agree to Double Trade, Explore Preferential Trade Pact

•Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Electronics & Information Technology Jitin Prasada visited Morocco from 24 to 25 August 2026 and co-chaired the 7th Session of the India-Morocco Joint Commission with Omar Hejira, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade.
•Bilateral trade reached around USD 4 billion in 2025, and the two sides agreed to work towards doubling it over the next five years.
•An India-Morocco Joint Working Group will be set up to examine tariff and non-tariff barriers and to study the feasibility of a preferential trade agreement.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Centre Releases Onion Buffer; Retail Sale at ₹35/kg, First Kanda Express Runs

•The Government has begun a calibrated and targeted release of onions from the Price Stabilisation Fund buffer to moderate seasonal price pressure through the festive and wedding season.
•Onions will be sold at ₹35 per kg through NCCF (9 outlets, 40 mobile vans), NAFED (13 outlets, 50 mobile vans), about 100 Kendriya Bhandar outlets and Safal outlets.
•The first Kanda Express of the year has left Nashik for Delhi NCR; road transport is simultaneously moving stock to Chennai, Kolkata, Ernakulam, Guwahati, Varanasi, Lucknow, Patna, Chandigarh, Jammu and Amritsar.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

India Urges Community-Led Rangeland Restoration at UNCCD CoP17 in Mongolia

•Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav addressed the Ministerial Dialogue on 'Restoration of Rangelands and the Well-being of Pastoralist Communities' at the 17th Conference of Parties (CoP17) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
•India argued that restoration must be rooted in science, secure tenure and community stewardship, with pastoralists treated as custodians rather than beneficiaries.
•The Minister cited India's roughly 25,000 community-protected sacred groves covering about 0.6 million hectares, including Rajasthan's Orans, which secure pastoral land rights and conserve habitat of the Great Indian Bustard.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

PMFME Bazaar Showcases Micro Food Enterprises From 25 States and UTs

•The Ministry of Food Processing Industries hosted the PMFME Bazaar at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 24-25 August 2026, bringing together exhibitors from 25 States and Union Territories.
•The event gave micro food enterprises, Self Help Groups, Farmer Producer Organisations, cooperatives and individual entrepreneurs a platform to display products, meet buyers and open new markets.
•The PMFME Scheme — Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises — was launched on 29 June 2020 and offers financial, technical and business support to set up or upgrade micro food units.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

Sugar Prices Jump 15.6% in a Month; Centre Caps Dealer Stocks

•Retail sugar prices rose from ₹48.18 per kg on 20 July 2026 to ₹55.70 per kg on 20 August 2026 — about 15.6% in a month — against a long-run rise of only about 3% a year between August 2024 and July 2026.
•Sugar production in the current season is now expected at around 306 lakh metric tonnes against an initial estimate of about 343 LMT, hit by Red Rot and Top Borer disease and by waterlogging from excess rainfall.
•The Centre has imposed a 400-tonne stock limit on sugar dealers from 1 August to 30 November 2026, capped bulk consumers at 15 days of consumption from 1 September 2026, and allowed duty-free import of 10 lakh MT of raw sugar.

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History & CultureHighquizQuiz

Sarnath Becomes India's 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site

•The Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 25 July 2026 at the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in Busan, South Korea.
•It is India's 45th World Heritage property, taking the country's tally to 37 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed site — sixth in the world and second in the Asia-Pacific region.
•The inscribed property has two components: the Chaukhandi Stupa, and the Archaeological Remains of Sarnath, which include the Dhamek Stupa, Dharmarajika Stupa, Mulagandhakuti Vihara and the Ashokan Pillar.

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Current Affairs Pulse

PIB Current Affairs — 26 August 2026

IICT and Netflix announce scholarships for 100 students across six AVGC-XR programmes

INS Sudarshini Departs Lisbon on the Lokayan 26 Transoceanic Expedition

ICAT Issues First Compliance Certificate for a 15-Metre Multi-Axle Sleeper Bus

SIDBI Holds Conclave With All 28 RRB Chiefs to Expand MSME Co-Lending

CAQM Seals 16 Units in Loni, Ghaziabad Under Operation Clean Air

Indian and Vietnam Coast Guards Hold 7th High-Level Meeting in Chennai

India-Japan Startup Roundtable in Tokyo Proposes Deep-Tech Capital Corridor

Rajnath Singh Opens Redeveloped Goa Liberation Memorial at Patradevi

India Puts NDRF on Alert as Nepal Flash Flood Threatens Gandak Downstream

India and Seychelles Plan Fisheries MoU; Fish Output at 19.7 Million Tonnes

India and Morocco Agree to Double Trade, Explore Preferential Trade Pact

Centre Releases Onion Buffer; Retail Sale at ₹35/kg, First Kanda Express Runs

India Urges Community-Led Rangeland Restoration at UNCCD CoP17 in Mongolia

PMFME Bazaar Showcases Micro Food Enterprises From 25 States and UTs

Sugar Prices Jump 15.6% in a Month; Centre Caps Dealer Stocks

Sarnath Becomes India's 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site