Environment & Ecology Current Affairs One-liners — Last 6 months

Tue, 18 Aug 2026

• The 12th BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on 18 August 2026 adopted a Joint Ministerial Statement by consensus and launched four knowledge compendiums.

Mon, 17 Aug 2026

• India on 17 August 2026 launched its first-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) of India at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
• A pre-dawn fire at a hotel in the temple town of Tarapith in West Bengal's Birbhum district on 17 August 2026 killed nine people, five of them from one Meghalaya family.
• A stampede at the Ashok Dham temple in Lakhisarai, Bihar, on 17 August 2026, the third Monday of Shravan, killed at least seven women devotees.

Sat, 15 Aug 2026

• Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on 15 August 2026 virtually commissioned the 10 MW Hovukhu Solar Power Plant in Niuland district during the State's 80th Independence Day celebration.

Fri, 31 Jul 2026

• On 31 July 2026 the Assam Cabinet approved the Assam Compressed Biogas (CBG) Policy 2026 and the final notification of two proposed reserve forests in Goalpara district as reserve forests.

Thu, 30 Jul 2026

• On 30 July 2026 Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil chaired a meeting with Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi to facilitate an amicable settlement of the Mahanadi water dispute.

Wed, 29 Jul 2026

• MNRE informed on 29 July 2026 that 12 transport pilot projects have been awarded under the National Green Hydrogen Mission to deploy 70 hydrogen-powered vehicles and 16 refuelling stations across 21 routes.
• At the NTCA's Global Tiger Day event in New Delhi on 29 July 2026, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav highlighted India's 3,682 tigers and 58 tiger reserves and launched the NTCA eco-tourism webpage.

Tue, 28 Jul 2026

• On 28 July 2026 the Haryana Cabinet chaired by CM Nayab Singh Saini approved a 100% motor vehicle tax exemption on new electric two-, three- and four-wheelers costing up to Rs 30 lakh, and 50% for costlier EVs.

Mon, 27 Jul 2026

• The Meghalaya Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, approved the Meghalaya Electric Vehicle Policy 2026 on 27 July 2026, offering EV buyers an incentive of ₹25,000 and a full waiver of registration fees.

Sun, 26 Jul 2026

• The Jal Shakti Ministry on 26 July 2026 highlighted Mission Jal Raksha of Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh, which has created over 60,000 water-conservation and recharge structures in 662 villages and raised groundwater levels by about 2.04 m on average.

Sat, 25 Jul 2026

• The Indian Coast Guard said on 25 July 2026 it had rescued 170 stranded persons through 11 rescue operations since midnight of 22 July in flood-hit areas of Daman, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and South Gujarat.

Fri, 24 Jul 2026

• Under India's BRICS Chairship 2026, the NDMA hosted the 3rd BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New Delhi on 24 July 2026, chaired by MoS Home Nityanand Rai, which unanimously adopted the BRICS Joint Statement on DRR.
• Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on 24 July 2026 reviewed Haryana's measures to improve Delhi-NCR air quality with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, stressing strict enforcement before the onset of winter.
• The Department of Telecommunications on 24 July 2026 activated Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) in disaster-affected districts of Nagaland, Gujarat and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, with Longleng becoming the second district in Nagaland after Mon to get ICR.

Wed, 22 Jul 2026

• The Ministry of Coal released 'AAROH – Annual Report on Mine Closure', India's first comprehensive documentation of scientific mine closure and repurposing practices, in New Delhi on 22 July 2026, and signed an implementation agreement with Germany's GIZ on 'to-be closed mines'.
• The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) announced on 22 July 2026 that it has released ₹6.67 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism to 11 cotton-growing States for biodiversity conservation and livelihood support.
• India's installed wind power capacity reached 57,443 MW as on 30 June 2026, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy told Parliament on 22 July 2026, with India ranked 4th globally in wind installations per the GWEC Report 2026.
• Indian Railways has electrified about 99.6% of its broad gauge network, second only to Switzerland in railway electrification as per the UIC's June 2025 report, the Railways Ministry said on 22 July 2026.

Tue, 21 Jul 2026

• India's installed renewable energy capacity rose from 76.38 GW in 2014 to 288.58 GW as on 30 June 2026, the government told the Rajya Sabha on 21 July 2026.
• Researchers from MACS Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, described five new species of the lichen-forming fungal genus Allographa from the Western Ghats (announced 21 July 2026).
• On 21 July 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over deaths in the collapse of an under-construction tunnel in Namchi, Sikkim, and announced ex-gratia from the PMNRF.

Sun, 19 Jul 2026

• Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary inaugurated the 68.80-km Belwa–Minapur Link Channel in Sheohar on 19 July 2026, Bihar's first river-linking project, linking the Bagmati with the Burhi Gandak.
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the new headquarters building of the Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (UPSDMA) in Lucknow on 19 July 2026.

Sat, 18 Jul 2026

• MNRE said on 18 July 2026 that there is no change in ALMM List-II policy for solar PV cells, but net-metering and open-access RE projects can commission without ALMM List-II cells till 31 December 2026.
• PM Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in a fireworks factory mishap in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on 18 July 2026 and announced PMNRF ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh per deceased and ₹50,000 per injured.

Fri, 17 Jul 2026

• The 12th meeting of the National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS), chaired by the Central Water Commission Chairman, was held in New Delhi on 17 July 2026.

Thu, 16 Jul 2026

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs approved guidelines for the ₹9,585-crore PARIVARTAN Scheme on 16 July 2026 to replace old, polluting trucks and buses in the National Capital Region with BS-VI or electric vehicles.

Tue, 14 Jul 2026

• Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced eight more structural reforms under 'Reform Express' on 14 July 2026, taking the total to 17 against a target of 52 reforms in 52 weeks.