Monthly current affairs for August 2026

Donald Nelson, a former basketball player and coach from USA who won 5 National Basketball Association (NBA) championships, passed away at the age of 86.

Zhu Rongji, former Premier of China who was known for spearheading major economic reforms and restructuring state-owned industries, passed away at the age of 97.

The Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has signed an agreement with the Chhattisgarh government, Chhattisgarh State BharatNet Infrastructure Ltd (CSBIL), BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd), and Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society (CHiPS) to implement the 'Amended BharatNet Program' in Chhattisgarh.

A financial support of Rs 3,942 crore has been approved for the rollout of the program in the state.

According to a report by India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast of India for FY27 is upgraded to 6.8%, from the 6.7% estimated in May 2026.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation is projected at 8.5% in FY27 from 0.4% in FY26. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation is estimated to average 4.9% in FY27, with retail inflation expected to peak at 5.9% in Q3FY27 before moderating to 5% in Q4FY27.

PMS Bazaar, an alternative investments platform, has partnered with NSDL Database Management Ltd (NDML) to facilitate the SEBI Accredited Investor certification process for eligible investors and entities.

Bengaluru-based Razorpay, a payments technology company, has launched an AI model named “Vulcan” to improve payment success rates and detect fraudulent activities. The model has been trained on a dataset of 4 billion transactions to identify patterns and mitigate risks.

JSW Neo Energy Ltd (JSWNEL), a subsidiary of JSW Energy, has signed an agreement with the Druk Green Power Corporation Ltd (DGPC) of Bhutan to jointly develop the 920 Megawatt (MW) Punatsangchhu-III Hydroelectric Project.

The project is located on the Punatsangchhu River in the Wangdue Phodrang District of Bhutan.

The development will be executed through a Joint Venture (JV) company on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis.

Under the agreement, DGPC will hold a 51% stake in the JV, while JSWNEL will hold the remaining 49% stake.

The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) under the Ministry of AYUSH has renewed its MoU with the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) to strengthen the scientific standardisation of medicinal plants under the ‘One Herb, One Standard’ initiative.

The MoU, originally signed in 2022, has been extended for 3 years to establish uniform quality standards for medicinal plants.

The NITI Aayog has released the third report under its Services Thematic series, titled “India’s Services Sector: Insights on Regulatory Regime in Professional Services”.

According to the report, professional services account for 25% (nearly one-fourth) of the total services exports of India. The report proposes a four-pronged strategy to enhance the sector, which includes harnessing emerging trends, elevating professional services in the wider value chain, adopting global best practices, and promoting continuous professional development.

Kawa UAV Pvt Ltd (Hoverit) has successfully conducted the maiden flight of the first indigenous jet-powered loitering munition of India, named ‘Divyastra Mk3’. The test flight was carried out at the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

The munition was developed with an indigenous jet engine by DG Propulsion, achieving this milestone within 1 year of the initiation of the programme.

The 3rd edition of the bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) named Exercise Udara Shakti has commenced at the Subang Air Base in Selangor, Malaysia.

The exercise aims to enhance interoperability, operational coordination, and defence cooperation between the IAF and RMAF.

The Indian Navy has launched 'Shruti' (Yard 3037), which is the second of four Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs) being constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd in Kolkata.

It is to be noted that the Ministry of Defence signed a contract valued at ₹9,781 crore for the NGOPV project, under which four vessels are assigned to be built by GRSE.

The Gujarat government has approved an allocation of ₹20 crore for the FY27 to establish four Centres of Excellence (CoEs) to expand natural farming practices across the state.

The CoEs will be set up in the districts of Navsari, Morbi, Bhavnagar, and Chhota Udepur.

The West Bengal government has launched the Ayushman Bharat - PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) along with the 'Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana' to expand healthcare coverage.

It is to be noted that AB-PMJAY is a centrally sponsored health assurance scheme launched in 2018 under the Ayushman Bharat (AB) initiative. The scheme provides a health cover of up to ₹5 lakh per family per annum for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to eligible families.

Quit India Movement Day

Day – August 08 and 09

Commemorating – Launch of Quit India Movement in 1942 during India’s independence struggle

World Biofuel Day

Day – August 10

Observed since – 2015

Commemorating – First run of diesel engine (invented by Rudolf Diesel) with peanut oil as fuel

Union Minister Amit Shah has inaugurated the new premises of the National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation (NUCFDC) at Sharada Sadan in Fort, Mumbai, during the 'Sahkar Nav-Kranti' programme.

During the event, he released the book 'Operational Risk Management: A Practical Guide to Urban Co-operative Banks', authored by former RBI Deputy General Manager (DGM) GP Mistry.

Additionally, NUCFDC has launched 'Bank in a Box', an integrated technology platform designed to provide Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) with access to multiple banking and technology services. An MoU was also exchanged between NUCFDC and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU).

The BRICS Youth Council Meeting and BRICS Youth Summit 2026 were held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The events were organised by the Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The Ministry of Tourism also hosted the second BRICS 2026 Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting in Jaipur, Rajasthan, chaired by Bhuvnesh Kumar, the Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism.

The 2nd Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting between India and Malaysia on cooperation in the field of Public Administration and Governance Reforms was held in New Delhi.

During the JWG meeting, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation in public administration, governance reforms, capacity building, and the exchange of best practices.

Hyderabad-based Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI) has become the first company in India to secure the 'Independent and International Metallic Material Laboratory (S400)' approval from GE Aerospace, an American aerospace corporation.

The S400 certification authorizes the company to perform a comprehensive range of chemical, mechanical, and metallurgical testing on high-performance metallic materials and aerospace alloys.