State Staff Selection Current Affairs One-liners — Last 12 months

Thu, 20 Aug 2026

• The Union Cabinet on 20 August 2026 approved a bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to sit in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
• 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.
• Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 20 August 2026 announced approval of 11,18,937 pucca houses for Bihar under PMAY-G with an allocation of ₹13,427 crore.
• 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.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, on 20 August 2026, urging southern states to settle pending water disputes through dialogue.
• Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal unveiled the Delhi Master Plan 2047 (MPD-2047) on 20 August 2026, envisaging about 40 lakh new affordable housing units.
• 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.

Wed, 19 Aug 2026

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 19 August 2026 approved four-laning of the 82.578-km Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa section of NH-22 in Bihar at ₹3,590.73 crore on Hybrid Annuity Mode.
• Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on 19 August 2026 flagged off the scaled-up transshipment cargo operations at Delhi's IGI Airport, adding four domestic origins and two new international destinations.
• Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu on 19 August 2026 flagged off 200 electric buses, taking the city's e-bus fleet past 5,000, and launched 56 women-only bus services.
• Researchers from IASST and IIT Guwahati have developed RK-251, a 'smart' cancer drug designed to activate mainly inside cancer cells, the Science Ministry said on 19 August 2026.
• World Humanitarian Day was observed on 19 August 2026 with the OCHA-led campaign theme 'Families of Fallen Humanitarians'.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 19 August 2026 approved four railway multitracking projects worth about ₹9,450 crore, adding about 410 km across West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
• 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.

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.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 18 August 2026 flagged off the NCC's all-India girls' high-altitude trek 'Aparajita - Parang La 2026', in which 28 girl cadets will cover 250 km in 30 days.
• The Commission for Air Quality Management, at its 29th full meeting on 18 August 2026, approved Direction No. 102 for phased restrictions on registering diesel, petrol and CNG light goods vehicles in Delhi-NCR from 2027.
• 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 12th BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on 18 August 2026 adopted a Joint Ministerial Statement by consensus and launched four knowledge compendiums.
• 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.
• Digital Bharat Nidhi signed an agreement on 18 August 2026 to roll out the Amended BharatNet Program in Chhattisgarh under the state-led model, with ₹3,942 crore of support covering 11,682 gram panchayats.
• 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.

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.
• Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 17 August 2026 delivered 2.89 lakh pucca houses worth ₹3,473 crore to Rajasthan under PMAY-G at a state-level event in Baran.