HPSC HCS Current Affairs One-liners — Last 12 months

Fri, 21 Aug 2026

• MeitY notified the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) with an outlay of ₹62,500 crore on 21 August 2026 to scale up production, raise domestic value addition and back Indian-owned phone brands.
• The Commerce Ministry said on 21 August 2026 that 29 FDI investments worth ₹4,895.65 crore have been reported under the revised framework for investors with small, non-controlling ownership from land-bordering countries.
• Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and UK Permanent Under Secretary for Defence Jeremy Pocklington co-chaired the 25th India–UK Defence Consultative Group meeting in New Delhi on 21 August 2026.
• The Centre on 21 August 2026 set out steps to cool sugar prices, which rose from ₹48.18 to ₹55.70 a kg in a month, including dealer stock limits and duty-free import of 10 LMT of raw sugar.
• The Competition Commission of India on 21 August 2026 imposed monetary and non-monetary sanctions on the Agro Input Dealers Association and Agro Input Welfare Association for cartelisation.

Thu, 20 Aug 2026

• Rajnath Singh and Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi met in New Delhi on 20 August 2026 and signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation.
• India and Mauritius exchanged an oil and gas MoU and a five-year IOCL-STC fuel supply agreement on 20 August 2026 during Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's visit.
• The Index of Core Industries (base 2022-23) grew 5.4% year-on-year in July 2026, slightly below June's 6.0%, the Commerce Ministry said on 20 August 2026.
• The Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE) released the National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ on 20 August 2026, marking its silver jubilee.
• Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal called on Singapore PM Lawrence Wong and took part in the 4th India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable in Singapore on 20 August 2026.
• The Aadhaar App crossed 5 crore (50 million) downloads, MeitY said on 20 August 2026, with over 60 lakh mobile number updates done through it.
• The newly reconstituted National Commission for Minorities held its first meeting of 2026 on 20 August under Chairman Harjit Singh Grewal.

Wed, 19 Aug 2026

• World Humanitarian Day was observed on 19 August 2026 with the OCHA-led campaign theme 'Families of Fallen Humanitarians'.
• The RBI on 19 August 2026 published minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee's 62nd meeting (3-5 August), which unanimously kept the repo rate at 5.25% with a neutral stance.
• The Indian Coast Guard said on 19 August 2026 that India will host the 5th Coast Guard Global Summit in New Delhi in February 2027, coinciding with the force's golden jubilee.

Tue, 18 Aug 2026

• The Sports Ministry on 18 August 2026 announced the National Sports Awards 2025, naming 17 Arjuna awardees and five Dronacharya awardees on the recommendation of a committee chaired by Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra.
• Zambia's Electoral Commission on 18 August 2026 declared Hakainde Hichilema re-elected President for a second five-year term with about 60% of the vote.
• The Centre on 18 August 2026 approved an Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Domestic PNG Connections, effective 1 September 2026, giving city gas firms extra low-priced APM gas for each new billed household connection.
• The Department of Defence Production notified the sixth Positive Indigenisation List of 405 strategically important items worth an estimated ₹3,070 crore on 18 August 2026.
• Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh concluded a two-day visit to Armenia on 18 August 2026, during which the two defence ministries signed an MoU on joint collaboration, innovation and research.
• India and Malaysia held the 2nd Joint Working Group meeting on cooperation in public administration and governance reforms on 18 August 2026.
• NHAI on 18 August 2026 extended the online FASTag Local Pass facility to 121 toll plazas, letting eligible commuters buy monthly passes through the Rajmargyatra app.

Mon, 17 Aug 2026

• The Ministry of Defence on 17 August 2026 signed a contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian HALE remotely piloted aircraft systems for the Indian Navy for 30 months.
• The Centre on 17 August 2026 notified the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, which bars States from levying fresh taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands except within conditions set by the Centre.
• The PLFS monthly bulletin for July 2026, released on 17 August 2026, showed the labour force participation rate for persons aged 15+ rising to 55.4% from 54.4% in June.
• The Supreme Court on 17 August 2026 directed all States to constitute dedicated State-level SITs to investigate suspected fraudulent motor accident insurance claims.
• 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.
• An Indian Army contingent left on 17 August 2026 for Thailand for the 15th edition of the India–Thailand joint military exercise MAITREE, to be held from 18 to 31 August 2026 in Surat Thani.
• The Ministry of Electronics and IT on 17 August 2026 approved 31 more proposals under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), taking total approvals to 106 projects worth ₹69,548 crore.
• India hosted the Eighth BRICS Youth Energy Summit virtually on 17 August 2026 under its BRICS Chairship, with more than 100 participants.