Current affairs — 6 August 2026

Prelims pointers

• Digital India, launched in July 2015, combines digital infrastructure, online government services and citizen empowerment.
• By June 2026, about 2.21 lakh Gram Panchayats had been made service-ready under BharatNet.
• Aadhaar-linked DBT had transferred over Rs 52 lakh crore through 318 schemes administered by 56 ministries.
• UPI served over 55.49 crore individuals and 6.5 crore merchants through a network of 731 banks.
• In May 2026, 5.01 lakh CSCs were functional nationally, including 3.91 lakh at Gram Panchayat level.

Prelims pointers

• Library is a State subject under the Seventh Schedule, and public libraries are controlled by State or Union Territory authorities.
• Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation is an autonomous organisation under the Union Ministry of Culture.
• RRRLF operates matching and non-matching schemes for buildings, reading materials, furniture, equipment and ICT services.
• The NML model-library component supports one State Central Library and one District Library in each State or Union Territory.
• The National Archives of India has digitised about 19.7 crore pages, while Abhilekh Patal hosts around 74.7 lakh reference files.

Prelims pointers

• The National Council of Science Museums is the nodal agency for SPoCS and is autonomous under the Ministry of Culture.
• SPoCS supports Science Cities, Science Centres, Innovation Hubs and Digital Planetariums across different regions.
• Science Centres under the scheme run educational activities, exhibitions, demonstrations, innovation programmes and outreach.
• By 31 March 2026, SPoCS Science Centres had recorded 1,68,55,110 visitors, including students.
• For 2025-26, SPoCS had an approved allocation of Rs 11,767.75 lakh and released Rs 11,757.75 lakh.

Prelims pointers

• NMMSS is a Central Sector scheme designed to reduce secondary-stage dropout among economically weaker meritorious students.
• The scheme awards one lakh fresh scholarships each year to eligible students studying in Class IX.
• Scholarships may be renewed through Classes X to XII, subject to the scheme's prescribed conditions.
• Applications for 2026-27 close on 31 August 2026 and are submitted through the National Scholarship Portal.
• Institute-level verification closes on 15 September 2026 and district-level verification on 30 September 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The 13th BRICS Education Ministers' Meeting was scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar under India's 2026 chairship.
• India hosted the third BRICS Senior Education Officials Meeting in Bhubaneswar on 5 August 2026.
• The Education Track covered ECCE, TVET, research, qualification recognition and academic leadership.
• Officials reviewed and refined the proposed BRICS Education Ministers' Declaration before ministerial consideration.
• Traditional and indigenous knowledge systems featured through proposed BRICS guiding principles.

Prelims pointers

• The IndiaAI Mission operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and was approved in March 2024.
• AIKosh is India's unified data platform for datasets, AI models, toolkits, benchmarks and application-development resources.
• More than 250 Chitkara University students joined expert sessions, demonstrations and hands-on AIKosh activities.
• AIKosh MCP and SDK support discovery of datasets and models using natural language for developers and non-developers.
• AIKosh was reported to host more than 14,000 datasets, 300 AI models and 30 toolkits.

Prelims pointers

• The Commerce Committee's 200th Report on ‘Evaluation of India–US Trade Relations’ was presented to both Houses on 6 August 2026.
• Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen headed the Committee, which held four meetings spanning seven hours and fifty minutes.
• The Committee recommended early conclusion of the proposed bilateral trade agreement while adequately protecting India's interests.
• India's services exports to the United States were USD 51.20 billion, while services imports were USD 47.32 billion.
• Total India-US services trade rose from USD 40.53 billion in 2014 to USD 98.52 billion in 2024.

Prelims pointers

• GOBARdhan has a total outlay of ₹23,731 crore and will run from FY 2026-27 through FY 2035-36.
• The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will administer the unified national compressed-biogas scheme.
• The CBG Obligation is 3% in FY 2026-27, 4% in FY 2027-28 and 5% from FY 2028-29 for specified CNG and PNG segments.
• The scheme sets an administered CBG price of ₹2,110 per MMBTU with a minimum ten-year horizon.
• Eligible greenfield projects can receive capital assistance up to ₹2 crore per tonne per day of installed CBG capacity.

Prelims pointers

• The Territorial Army is presented as a citizen-soldier force whose members combine civilian pursuits with military duties.
• It creates surge capacity for the defence forces through a reserve of trained soldiers available for immediate deployment.
• The source reports approximately 44,400 Territorial Army personnel organised into 59 diverse units.
• Its personnel provided relief, rescue and medical aid during Kerala floods, the Odisha cyclone and floods in Assam.
• Territorial Army Ecological Task Forces have planted about 10 crore saplings, with an 80-85 per cent survival rate.

Prelims pointers

• The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and Kaladan project are flagship connectivity projects under the Act East Policy.
• Kaladan's waterway component was inaugurated in May 2023; its road component runs 109 km from Paletwa to Zorinpui.
• The Tamu-Kalewa road was handed to Myanmar in 2009, and the stated Kalewa-Yargi section was handed over in October 2025.
• The task-force report on the North East Economic Corridor was presented at the NEC's 73rd Plenary in June 2026.
• The May 2025 Rising Northeast Investors Summit and roadshows drew reported investment interests of Rs 4.48 lakh crore.

Prelims pointers

• Prataprao Jadhav chaired the 27th Governing Body meeting of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences in New Delhi.
• CCRAS-PARAMPARA will document, evaluate and scientifically validate local health traditions, ethnomedicine and traditional veterinary knowledge.
• The National Research Recognitions portal comprises CCRAS PRAKASA, CCRAS NAVONMESA and CCRAS PRABODH 3MT.
• Ayur-dict is CCRAS's first Android application and combines multiple Ayurveda dictionaries in one searchable platform.
• The meeting included the bhoomi poojan for a new 50-bed Ayurveda hospital at the Regional Ayurveda Research Institute in Nagpur.

Prelims pointers

• HLVM3 completed development and ground testing of all propulsion stages and structures for the Gaganyaan programme.
• All five types of Crew Escape System motors were developed and successfully static-tested, with associated structures qualified.
• The first uncrewed experimental mission carrying the half-humanoid Vyommitra is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026.
• Bharatiya Antariksh Station is planned for operation by 2035 with five modules, beginning with the approved BAS-01 module.
• The Union Cabinet allocated ₹20,193 crore in September 2024 for eight missions under the Human Spaceflight Programme.

Prelims pointers

• LVM3-M6 placed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird Block-2 communications satellite into a 520-km circular Low Earth Orbit.
• At 6,100 kg, BlueBird Block-2 was the heaviest payload launched by LVM3 from Indian soil.
• A second spaceport is being developed at Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu, to augment launch infrastructure.
• Indian space standards are being developed with the Bureau of Indian Standards for standardisation and quality assurance.
• IN-SPACe measures include a ₹1,000 crore venture-capital fund and a ₹500 crore Technology Adoption Fund.

Prelims pointers

• A ₹1,000 crore venture-capital fund has been established to support space startups.
• The ₹500 crore Technology Adoption Fund supports development, demonstration and commercialisation of indigenous space technologies.
• Non-government entities can access ISRO facilities through a discounted pricing policy.
• The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module provides opportunities to validate space technologies.
• Satellite Bus as a Service seeks to build indigenous satellite-platform capability and accelerate satellite development.

Prelims pointers

• Twelve operational communication satellites have coverage over Jammu and Kashmir for telecom and broadband capacity.
• SILAAS maps landslides using satellites and is intended to generate village-wise landslide alerts across the Union Territory.
• The National Hydrology Project produced a glacial-lake inventory and GLOF hazard and risk maps for Mundiksar lake in the Indus basin.
• Under UWaIS, an AMRUT 2.0 project, waterbodies were mapped for Anantnag, Jammu and Srinagar.
• The high-throughput communication satellite GSAT-N2 was added in 2024 to enhance broadband connectivity, including in Jammu and Kashmir.

Prelims pointers

• Fourteen rounds of commercial coal-mine auctions had been completed, while the fifteenth round was under process.
• Captive and commercial mines contributed around 20% of India's coal production in the previous financial year.
• India achieved one billion tonnes of coal production in each of the preceding two financial years, according to the Coal Secretary.
• The operationalisation timeline for fully explored coal blocks was reduced from 51 months to 40 months.
• For partially explored coal blocks, the operationalisation timeline declined from 66 months to 52 months.

Prelims pointers

• The tenth BRICS Industry Ministers' Meeting was held in Jaipur under India's BRICS Chairship in 2026.
• PartNIR stands for the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution and served as the ministerial cooperation mechanism.
• The SME Working Group finalised a Framework for Cooperation to strengthen MSME ecosystems across BRICS members.
• The Photovoltaic Industry Working Group adopted Terms of Reference and an Action Plan for structured sectoral cooperation.
• India proposed a BRICS Incubator Network and a BRICS Startup Innovation Fund to support innovation-led growth.

Prelims pointers

• India hosted the twentieth UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee session on intangible cultural heritage at the Red Fort from December 8-13, 2025.
• The session was India's first as host under the UNESCO 2003 Convention and marked twenty years since India's ratification.
• Deepavali became the sixteenth intangible cultural heritage element from India inscribed on UNESCO's lists.
• India submitted Chhath Mahaparva as a multinational nomination, with Mauritius expressing interest in joining the dossier.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi is the nodal agency for UNESCO ICH nominations and maintains a national inventory of 54 elements.

Prelims pointers

• The Archaeological Survey of India has 3,688 centrally protected monuments and sites under its care and maintenance.
• ASI undertakes conservation according to the National Conservation Policy and regularly assesses monument conditions.
• Visitor facilities may include pathways, signage, drinking water, toilets, benches, notice boards and site museums.
• Lesser-known destinations are promoted through the Incredible India Digital portal and Dekho Apna Desh engagements.
• For 2025-26, the all-India allocation was Rs 376.88 crore and reported expenditure was Rs 376.67 crore.

Prelims pointers

• The approved Guwahati-Tezpur corridor is 135.871 km long, four-laned, access-controlled and aligned with NH-15 in Assam.
• The project will be developed in BOT-Toll mode under NH(O) at a total capital cost of ₹8,970.20 crore.
• A 4.9-km Emergency Landing Facility in the Tezpur bypass was finalised in coordination with the Indian Air Force.
• Five major bypasses covering 58.7 km will serve Baihata Chariali, Sipajhar, Kharupetia, Dekiajuli and Tezpur stretches.
• The design includes 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 46 underpasses, 19 flyovers and one elephant underpass.

Prelims pointers

• The directions were issued under Section 30A of the National Housing Bank Act, 1987.
• The Housing Finance Companies Third Amendment Directions take effect on 1 January 2027.
• The amendment replaces sub-section A.15 and paragraph 170 in Chapter X of the 2025 HFC Directions.
• The replacement provision is titled A.15A on recovery of loan dues and engagement of recovery agents.
• New paragraph 170A requires HFC compliance with paragraphs 100A to 100AB of the 2025 NBFC conduct directions.

Prelims pointers

• The NBFC amendment directions come into effect on 1 January 2027.
• They were issued under Sections 45JA, 45L and 45M of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• A recovery agency excludes an NBFC’s own employees and operates through an outsourcing arrangement.
• The required recovery policy must include graded actions, conduct rules and a framework for financial-distress cases.
• The policy must provide compensation for borrower or guarantor loss from recovery action inconsistent with the directions.

Prelims pointers

• The RCB amendment directions come into effect on 1 January 2027.
• They were issued under Sections 21, 35A and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• A Business Correspondent doing recovery work for an RCB is treated as a recovery agency.
• The required RCB policy must include graded recovery actions and a framework for financial-distress cases.
• The policy must include compensation for borrower or guarantor loss caused by recovery action inconsistent with the directions.

Prelims pointers

• RBI issued the UCB amendment under Sections 21, 35A and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• The Fourth Amendment Directions for Urban Co-operative Banks take effect on January 1, 2027.
• A Business Correspondent conducting recovery activities for a UCB is treated as a recovery agency under the Directions.
• A UCB policy must provide compensation for borrower or guarantor loss caused by recovery action inconsistent with the Directions.
• UCBs must verify recovery agents’ antecedents before engagement and periodically thereafter under their recovery policy.

Prelims pointers

• The Directions were issued on August 6, 2026 under Section 45L of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• The AIFI recovery-conduct amendments are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.
• A recovery agency is an outsourced entity or individual assisting recovery of defaulted dues, including possession of security.
• An AIFI recovery policy must include escalation, conduct, borrower-death cases, financial distress and available resolution options.
• Recovery-agent antecedents must be verified before engagement and subsequently at a periodicity defined in the AIFI policy.