Daily Current Affairs 31 August 2026

The 3rd Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) Healthcare Summit 2026, themed “Advancing AI in Healthcare”, was held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The summit, addressed by Union Minister of State (MoS) Anupriya Patel, focused on transitioning India from the “Pharmacy of the World” to the “Laboratory of the World”.

During the event, the ‘India Pharma Archives’, a digital initiative by the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) in collaboration with the IIMA Archives, was launched.

Additionally, a book documenting the development journey of the COVID-19 vaccine of India was released.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan has inaugurated ‘MALHAR 2026’ in New Delhi, a youth-centric and monsoon-themed celebration of Indian classical music.

The cultural programme was organised by Antar Hriday Connect to showcase the classical music traditions of India.

It is to be noted that the celebration is centered around the ‘Malhar Raga’, a classical music tradition associated with the monsoon season (Varsha Ritu) and linked to the legendary 16th-century court musician Tansen.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh government, has organised the PM-SETU Industry Conclave in Lucknow.

The conclave was attended by Union Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced the ‘IT Resilience Index’ (ITRI) Framework for Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs) to evaluate the robustness and operational resilience of their critical Information Technology (IT) systems.

The ITRI will assess the technology systems of MIIs using nine parameters.

Within the framework, availability and security are assigned the highest weightage of 20% each.

Integrity, governance, reliability and monitoring, business continuity, and modularity and flexibility each carry a 10% weightage, while scalability is allocated 5%.

The Early Warning System (EWS) and Real Time Monitoring of Service Delivery must be operationalised by February 2027, with the inaugural ITRI computation covering the half-year ending March 2027.

The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has completed 10 years of operations.

In FY26, the share of UPI in the digital payments of India is recorded at 84%, the annual transaction volume of UPI reached 24,162 crore transactions, with the total transaction value estimated at ₹314 lakh crore.

VinFast India has signed an MoU with Federal Bank to provide customized inventory financing solutions for the Authorised Dealer (AD) network of the company.

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) has partnered with Netflix to launch a scholarship initiative targeting 100 students and working professionals across India.

The initiative will provide up to 80% financial support for six professional programmes within the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) ecosystem.

The Chhattisgarh government has signed MoUs with the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N), and the National Logistics Data Services Limited (NLDSL) to enhance the utilization of geospatial technology and integrated logistics data under the PM GatiShakti framework.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India has partnered with Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) to launch the next phase of their 7-year partnership to strengthen an inclusive circular economy for plastics in India.

The initiative aims to support 50,000 “Safai Mitras” (waste workers) and enhance waste management systems across 50 cities and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) by 2028.

The US Navy has unveiled a next-generation Long Range Air-to-Air Missile (LRAAM) named ‘Air Intercept Missile (AIM)-424 Malice’.

Developed by Raytheon (a subsidiary of RTX Corporation), the missile possesses an operational strike range exceeding 250 nautical miles (463 km).

The Indian Pharmacopeia Commission (IPC), operating under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), has introduced 7 Indian Pharmacopoeia Nitrosamine Impurities Reference Standards to enhance the precise detection and quantification of carcinogenic impurities in pharmaceutical products.

The 7 newly introduced reference standards comprise N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-Nitrosoethylisopropylamine (NEIPA), N-Nitrosodibutylamine (NDBA), N-Nitrosomethylphenylamine (NMPA), N-Nitrosodiisopropylamine (NDIPA), and N-Nitroso-N-methyl-4-aminobutyric acid (NMBA).

The reference standards were officially launched during an interactive meeting titled “IP 2026: Perspectives, Suggestions, & Way Forward” organized by the IPC in Kolkata, West Bengal.

It is to be noted that nitrosamines are classified as highly potent genotoxic and carcinogenic compounds, which are substances capable of causing cancer or genetic mutations.

The Odisha government has launched the ‘Bidesh Sikhyabruti’ scholarship scheme to provide financial assistance of up to ₹25 lakh per year to meritorious Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students pursuing higher education abroad.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh has laid the foundation stone for road projects worth ₹1,503 crore under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency.

The project comprises 110 roads under PMGSY-Phase IV (Batch 1) covering a total distance of 598.455 km.

The initiative aims to strengthen rural connectivity across the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda-Kishtwar region.

The Publications Division under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has won seven awards for excellence in book production at the 46th edition of the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) Awards 2026.

The accolades secured by the division comprise four Second Prizes and three Third Prizes across various categories.

The 30th edition of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships (2026) was hosted at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand won the bronze medal in the women’s doubles category, marking the first medal for India in this segment since 2011.

Alex Lanier became the first French player to win the men’s singles title, while An Se-young of South Korea secured her second women’s singles title.

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has launched a biographical novel on the renowned poet Mahakavi Kalidasa, titled “Kaho Kalidasa!” at an event in New Delhi.

The novel is authored by Yugul Joshi and published by Manjul Publishing House.

King Harald V of Norway passed away at the age of 89, leading to the immediate succession of his son as King Haakon VIII.

Following the succession, Princess Ingrid Alexandra has become the official heir to the throne of Norway.

Sadbhavana Divas (Harmony Day)

Day - August 20

Observed since - 1992

Commemorating - the birth anniversary of former PM Rajiv Gandhi (82nd)

World Mosquito Day

Day - August 20

Commemorating - The discovery by Sir Ronald Ross in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.

World Photography Day

Day - August 19

Theme 2026 - “HOME”

Commemorating - The invention of the daguerreotype process, the first practical photographic process developed by Louis Daguerre in 1837.