Current Affairs - August 15, 2026 Current Affairs

Goa hosted the 8th meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Oceanic and Polar Science and Technology on August 12, 2026, under India’s BRICS Presidency. The meeting was organised by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research in South Goa, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Delegations from eight BRICS member countries participated, including India, Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, and the UAE. The BRICS OPST Working Group was established in 2018 to promote scientific cooperation among member states. India had previously hosted its 3rd meeting in 2020.

Chandigarh and Dadra Nagar Haveli became the first Union Territories to implement CBDC-based food subsidy transfers under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. The initiative uses programmable Digital Rupee tokens to transfer food subsidies directly into beneficiaries’ CBDC wallets instead of traditional bank accounts. Beneficiaries can use these tokens to purchase foodgrains from empanelled merchants through real-time digital payments. The rollout aims to reduce leakages, diversion, and cash-handling issues in subsidy delivery. It follows earlier pilot implementations in Puducherry and Gujarat and represents a major step toward fully digital welfare delivery.

IICT, or the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, signed a technology transfer agreement with Viridis Biopharma for an IND-ready phytopharmaceutical aimed at treating diabetic foot ulcers. The treatment was developed from Gymnema sylvestre and focuses on wound management. The project was developed by the Department of Applied Biology under the CSIR Phytopharmaceutical Mission Phase-III. It has completed pre-clinical development, botanical standardisation, and GLP-compliant safety studies and is now moving toward clinical trials and commercial development. Regulatory submissions are planned for India’s CDSCO and the US FDA.

NITI Aayog partnered with the Digital India BHASHINI Division through a Statement of Intent to advance multilingual, voice-first AI solutions for inclusive governance. The collaboration, titled BHASHINI for Seva/Sanchalan, aims to integrate AI-powered language technologies across NITI Aayog’s digital platforms. Key initiatives include BHASHINI Sahayogi for linguistic data collection and BHASHINI Pravakta for expanding awareness and adoption of AI tools. The ecosystem supports 36 Indian text languages, 23 Indian voice languages, and 35 international languages. Governance tools such as NITI TARA and SMRITI further support data-driven decision-making and multilingual meeting documentation.

New Delhi hosted IIHT SUTRA 2026, the first national conclave of the Indian Institutes of Handloom Technology. The event was inaugurated by Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on August 14, 2026, at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre. Organised under the theme “IIHTs: Weaving the Future of the Indian Handloom Sector – Educate. Innovate. Transform,” the conclave aimed to strengthen IIHTs as centres of excellence in technical education, research, and technological innovation. Several strategic MoUs were also signed with organisations including Grasim Industries, Northern India Textile Research Association, and IIM Sambalpur.

IBM partnered with CHRIST (Deemed to be University) to establish the IBM Innovation Centre for Artificial Intelligence. The centre aims to promote AI-driven education, research, and innovation by providing students, faculty members, researchers, and PhD scholars access to enterprise technologies and real-world use cases. Its specialised research areas include Generative AI, Agentic AI, Large Language Models, Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Intelligent Automation, and Responsible AI. The initiative also provides access to IBM technologies such as watsonx.ai, watsonx Orchestrate, and IBM Bob for developing and scaling enterprise AI applications.

Ram Nath Kovind authored the autobiography titled 'Triumph of the Indian Republic: My Life, My Struggles', which was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 12, 2026. The book documents Kovind’s life journey, personal struggles, and contributions to India, while highlighting the country’s democratic values and institutions. Ram Nath Kovind served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022. Before becoming President, he served as the Governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017. He was also the second Dalit President of India, after K.R. Narayanan.

Karnataka prohibited the sale, distribution, and manufacture of tobacco and nicotine products across the state for a period of one year from August 10, 2026. The ban specifically covers gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine, and also prohibits their manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale. The Department of Food Safety and Drugs Administration is responsible for enforcing the notification. The measure aims to protect public health and promote an addiction-free state. Karnataka was formed as Mysore State in 1956 and was renamed Karnataka in 1973, with Bengaluru as its capital.

Archana Varma assumed charge as the Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. She is a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Assam cadre and had served as the Mission Director of the National Water Mission since September 2022. During her tenure, she worked to expand the mission’s scope beyond the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain programme. She has also served as Additional Secretary in the Central Vigilance Commission and handled vigilance matters related to the Government of NCT of Delhi.

SBI Research projected India’s real GDP growth at 8% for the April-June quarter (Q1 FY27), exceeding the Reserve Bank of India’s projection of 7%. The forecast was based on a Nowcasting Model using 54 high-frequency indicators covering agriculture, industry, and services. Economic activity showed broad improvement, with 86% of 50 leading indicators recording growth. IIP growth accelerated to 7.3% in June, while services exports and airport cargo traffic also recorded strong growth. The report highlighted robust industrial activity, credit growth, and government capital expenditure as key factors supporting the growth outlook.