Current Affairs One-liners — Last 6 months

Tue, 18 Aug 2026

• The Culture Ministry closed Har Ghar Tiranga 2026 with a Tiranga Concert by singer B Praak at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 18 August 2026, dedicated to 150 years of Vande Mataram.
• Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on 18 August 2026 virtually inaugurated the gauge-converted Kailaras-Sabalgarh-Birpur rail section in Madhya Pradesh and extended the Gwalior-Kailaras train to Birpur.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• India hosted the Eighth BRICS Youth Energy Summit virtually on 17 August 2026 under its BRICS Chairship, with more than 100 participants.
• 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.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 17 August 2026 chaired the 3rd meeting of the Apex Monitoring Authority of the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) in New Delhi.

Sun, 16 Aug 2026

• Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth left on 16 August 2026 for an official visit to Nepal from 17 to 19 August, during which the President of Nepal is to confer on him the Honorary Rank of General of the Nepali Army.
• The Indian women's hockey team drew 2-2 with Olympic silver medallists China in its FIH Women's Hockey World Cup 2026 Pool D opener at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands, on 16 August 2026.
• The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence said on 16 August 2026 it had dismantled a network that imported South-East Asian areca nuts as Bangladeshi-origin to claim SAFTA duty exemption, causing a revenue loss of over ₹2,500 crore.
• US envoy Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas leaders in Egypt on 16 August 2026 to push the US-backed 15-point road map for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which Israel had rejected the previous week.
• Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on 16 August 2026 inaugurated and laid foundation stones for Rajasthan Government projects worth ₹6,453 crore across 17 districts from Alwar.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his memorial Sadaiv Atal on 16 August 2026, his death anniversary, while Amit Shah unveiled a 21-foot statue of Vajpayee in Chittorgarh.
• West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on 16 August 2026 launched Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY in the State, along with a State health insurance scheme for families not covered by it.
• The Indian Navy's sail training ship INS Sudarshini concluded its port call at Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Portugal, on 16 August 2026 as part of Lokayan 2026.

Sat, 15 Aug 2026

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation from the Red Fort on India's 80th Independence Day on 15 August 2026, announced AI skilling for one crore youth in a year, a 100 GW nuclear power target by 2047 and a new goal of 6 crore Lakhpati Didis.
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, in his first Independence Day address at Fort St. George on 15 August 2026, announced a ₹755.83 crore gold-ring gift scheme for newborns in State-run hospitals from 15 September.
• Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Independence Day 2026 that the six-attempt limit for the Odisha Civil Services exam is removed and free textbooks will now cover Classes IX and X.
• On 15 August 2026 the Suryapath Tiranga global relay, part of the fifth Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, carried the Tricolour across 54 Indian missions and posts from Fiji to San Francisco.
• The 80th Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort on 15 August 2026, coordinated by the Indian Army, featured a 21-gun salute from indigenous 105 mm Light Field Guns, an IAF Mi-17 petal shower and about 5,000 special guests including Olympiad medallists and PM Vishwakarma artisans.
• Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, in his first Independence Day speech on 15 August 2026, announced AI education in schools from Class 6 and said the State is working on India's first government-owned AI university in Bengaluru.