Current Affairs Today, August 6, 2026

🗞️ Why in News August 6, 2026 was dominated by legislative and regulatory business. The Lok Sabha cleared a composite taxation Bill without discussion, the Reserve Bank rewrote the rules on how loans may be recovered, and the Department of Space placed Gaganyaan’s human-rating progress on the parliamentary record. Abroad, Hiroshima marked eighty-one years since the atomic bombing while four of Europe’s largest rivers fell to record lows.

Lok Sabha Passes the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026

🗞️ Why in News The Lok Sabha passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 on August 6, 2026 by voice vote, without discussion, amid Opposition sloganeering. The Bill had been introduced on August 4, 2026.

Key Provisions

The Bill amends three statutes simultaneously: the Income-tax Act, 2025, the Finance Act, 2026, and the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

• Foreign Institutional Investors and the Bank for International Settlements are exempted from income tax on interest and capital gains from government securities, with effect from April 1, 2026.
• The exemption for foreign companies supplying capital goods to Indian electronics manufacturers is extended from 2030-31 to 2040-41.
• Income from the sale of rough diamonds in a notified special zone is exempted for foreign mining companies, sightholders, brokers and auction entities, from October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2041.
• Restrictive conditions on investment funds are removed, including the 25-member minimum, the 10 per cent single-investor cap, the Rs 100 crore corpus floor and the 25 per cent single-entity investment limit.
• The surcharge on specified special purpose vehicles opting for the new regime rises from 10 per cent to 25 per cent.

The Provision That Matters Most

The amendment to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 gives the Central Government statutory backing to modify the zero-MDR framework for UPI and RuPay debit card transactions, and to decide which electronic payment modes remain free. Section 10A of that Act, inserted in 2019, is the zero-MDR provision. This connects directly to the proposal on merchant discount rate for large merchants covered in the August 3 edition.

The Procedural Question

The Bill was passed by voice vote without discussion amid Opposition protest, and was reported to be one of several cleared the same way during the session. Its stated primary purpose was to replace the Income-tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 under Article 123(2)(a), which makes the absence of debate more consequential, since an Ordinance-replacing Bill is the moment Parliament ratifies or refuses executive law-making done in its absence. The examinable point is not the content of the Bill but the process: a statute reshaping the economics of a payments system used by hundreds of millions passed without debate or committee scrutiny.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026:

• Introduced in Lok Sabha: August 4, 2026; passed: August 6, 2026, by voice vote without discussion
• Stated primary purpose: to replace the Income-tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 under Article 123(2)(a)
• Amends three Acts: Income-tax Act 2025, Finance Act 2026, Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007
• FII and Bank for International Settlements exemption effective April 1, 2026
• SPV surcharge raised from 10 per cent to 25 per cent
• Zero-MDR provision: Section 10A, Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, inserted 2019

RBI Issues Nine Circulars Creating a Single Loan Recovery Framework

🗞️ Why in News The Reserve Bank of India issued nine circulars on August 6, 2026, one for each class of regulated entity, establishing a uniform loan recovery and recovery-agent regime. All nine take effect from January 1, 2027.

Key Provisions

The lead instrument is the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks - Responsible Business Conduct) Fourth Amendment Directions, 2026, which applies to commercial banks. Small Finance Banks, Regional Rural Banks, Local Area Banks, Urban and Rural Cooperative Banks, NBFCs, Housing Finance Companies and All India Financial Institutions are covered by the eight parallel circulars issued the same day. Payments Banks are outside the framework entirely, because they are not permitted to lend.

• Every bank must frame a board-approved recovery policy covering recovery triggers, escalation, engagement with distressed borrowers, due diligence on recovery agencies, and compensation payable to borrowers for losses from non-compliant recovery.
• Recovery agents must hold a valid certificate from the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (IIBF) or an approved equivalent, undergo background verification, display identity cards, and confine visits to 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Abusive language, threats, excessive calls, public humiliation, social-media disclosure and intimidation of relatives or colleagues are barred. Recovery targets must not incentivise harsh tactics.
• Borrowers must be notified one day before the first agent visit.

The Digital Lending Provision

A financed mobile handset cannot be remotely restricted until 30 days past due, and full restrictions only after 60 days past due. Incoming calls, SMS, emergency SOS and work or employment related activities can never be blocked. Wrongful restriction attracts compensation of Rs 250 per hour, capped at the loan amount.

This is the first Indian regulatory recognition that remote disabling of a financed device is itself a coercive recovery practice.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

RBI Recovery Framework 2026:

• Nine circulars issued August 6, 2026; effective January 1, 2027
• Lead instrument: RBI (Commercial Banks - Responsible Business Conduct) Fourth Amendment Directions, 2026
• Agent visiting hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Device restriction: not before 30 days past due; full restriction only after 60 days past due
• Compensation for wrongful digital restriction: Rs 250 per hour, capped at loan amount
• Certifying body: Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (IIBF)

RBI to Resume On-Tap Licensing of Urban Cooperative Banks

🗞️ Why in News Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced on August 5, 2026, as a developmental and regulatory measure alongside the August monetary policy statement, that the Reserve Bank will resume on-tap licensing of Urban Cooperative Banks after a freeze in place since 2004. The RBI released draft guidelines for public comment the same day.

Where It Stands

The RBI announced resumption and released the Draft Guidelines for “on tap” Licensing of Urban Co-operative Banks on the same day, August 5, 2026, inviting public comments until September 5, 2026. The draft follows feedback on the RBI’s Discussion Paper on UCB licensing published on January 13, 2026. Nothing has been licensed yet and the draft is not final Directions.

Background

Fresh UCB licensing has been suspended since 2004, after the Madhavpura Mercantile Cooperative Bank collapse of 2001 and a wave of governance failures. During the liberalised window of May 1993 to June 2001 the RBI issued 823 licences, of which nearly one-third became financially unsound within a short period. India has roughly 1,457 UCBs, and sector gross NPAs were reported at Rs 21,769 crore in FY26, described as a six-year low.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Urban Cooperative Banks:

• Licensing suspended since 2004; liberalised window was May 1993 to June 2001
• 823 licences issued in that window; nearly one-third became financially unsound
• RBI Discussion Paper on UCB licensing: January 13, 2026; draft on-tap licensing guidelines released August 5, 2026, comments to September 5, 2026
• Roughly 1,457 UCBs in India; FY26 gross NPAs Rs 21,769 crore, a six-year low
• Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020 brought UCBs under RBI supervision
• NUCFDC (National Urban Co-operative Finance and Development Corporation) established 2024

Commerce Ministry Operationalises Inventory-Based E-Commerce Exports

🗞️ Why in News The Directorate General of Foreign Trade issued Public Notice No. 25/2026-27 and the companion Notification No. 27/2026-27, both dated August 5, 2026, operationalising an inventory-based framework for cross-border e-commerce exports under the Foreign Trade Policy 2023.

How It Works

An Exporter-on-Record (EOR) is an entity holding a valid Importer Exporter Code (IEC) and GSTIN, registered with the DGFT under this framework. The EOR receives confirmed overseas orders, procures goods from Indian manufacturers designated as Sellers-on-Record (SORs), classifies them as export inventory, and completes customs clearance, shipping and regulatory documentation.

Seller-attributable export rebates, meaning Duty Drawback, RoDTEP and RoSCTL, are apportioned to the sellers in proportion to their FOB value, which keeps the incentive with the actual manufacturer rather than the intermediary. The refund of taxes under the CGST Act is expressly an Exporter-on-Record entitlement and is not apportioned. Speculative stocking is prohibited: exports must correspond to confirmed overseas orders.

Why This Carve-Out Exists

Indian FDI rules bar inventory-based e-commerce for foreign-funded entities in the domestic market. This framework creates an export-only lane where that prohibition does not apply.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Cross-Border E-Commerce Export Framework:

• Instruments: DGFT Public Notice No. 25/2026-27 (amending the Handbook of Procedures 2023) and Notification No. 27/2026-27 (incorporating the framework into FTP 2023), both dated August 5, 2026; the FDI carve-out is made by DPIIT Press Note No. 3 (2026 Series)
• Enabling policy: Foreign Trade Policy 2023
• EOR must hold valid IEC and GSTIN and be DGFT-registered
• Seller-attributable rebates (Duty Drawback, RoDTEP, RoSCTL) apportioned to Sellers-on-Record in proportion to FOB value; the CGST refund is an Exporter-on-Record entitlement and is not apportioned
• Speculative inventory prohibited; FDI in inventory-based B2C e-commerce for the domestic market remains prohibited

Single All-India Licence for Container Train Operators

🗞️ Why in News The Ministry of Railways approved amendments to the Model Concession Agreement for Container Train Operators on August 5, 2026, replacing the four-category, route-wise permission structure that has governed private container haulage since the sector opened in 2006.

Key Provisions

• A single non-refundable registration fee of Rs 25 crore now permits operation over the entire Indian Railways network.
• Permission may be extended for a further 20 years after expiry, subject to satisfactory performance.
• Existing Category I operators may continue under their present category until their concession period ends and pay no fee on renewal or migration. Category II, III and IV operators may likewise continue until their concession periods expire.

The stated objectives are lower logistics cost, reduced emissions and road congestion, and a larger rail share of container movement, with MSMEs identified as the main intended beneficiary.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Container Train Operator Licensing:

• Single non-refundable registration fee: Rs 25 crore for all-India operation
• Replaces a four-category route-wise structure in place since 2006
• Extension available for a further 20 years post-expiry
• Instrument amended: Model Concession Agreement, Ministry of Railways
• Policy context: National Logistics Policy 2022, PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, Dedicated Freight Corridors

Gaganyaan Clears Human-Rating Milestones

🗞️ Why in News Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State in the Department of Space, informed the Rajya Sabha on August 6, 2026 that the Human Rated LVM3 (HLVM3) has completed development and ground testing of all propulsion stages and structures.

Milestones Reported

• Propulsion systems of both the Crew Module and the Service Module developed, tested and qualified.
• Crew Escape System and the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) developed and tested.
• Integrated Air Drop Test-01 and Test-02, using a simulated Crew Module, validated the deceleration and parachute system.
• Ground communication network finalised, IDRSS-1 feeder stations and terrestrial links established, recovery assets identified and the crew recovery plan worked out.

The Roadmap

The first uncrewed experimental mission (G1), carrying the half-humanoid Vyommitra, is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026. Two further uncrewed missions in the configuration of the first crewed flight are targeted by 2027, before the maiden human orbital mission. The Bharatiya Antariksh Station is planned to be operationalised by 2035, with ISRO collaborating with the European Space Agency, the Australian Space Agency, France’s CNES and Russia’s Roscosmos.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Gaganyaan:

• Human-rated launch vehicle designation: HLVM3 (distinct from LVM3)
• First uncrewed mission (G1) with Vyommitra: targeted Q4 2026; two more uncrewed missions by 2027
• IDRSS: Indian Data Relay Satellite System, gives continuous ground contact during orbit
• Bharatiya Antariksh Station: targeted 2035. India’s crewed lunar mission target of 2040 is standing national policy announced in October 2023, not part of this reply
• International partners: ESA, Australian Space Agency, CNES (France), Roscosmos (Russia)

ICAR Announces India’s First Indigenous African Swine Fever Vaccine

🗞️ Why in News The Indian Council of Agricultural Research announced on August 4, 2026 the technical details of India’s first indigenous African Swine Fever vaccine, developed at ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal.

The Breakthrough

Scientists created a novel attenuated African Swine Fever Virus Genotype II strain with specific gene deletions, derived from an Indian field isolate, and cultured it in the MA-104 cell line. ASF virus replicates naturally in primary porcine macrophages, which must be freshly harvested and cannot be scaled or standardised, so a candidate must first be adapted to a cell line. Those that succeeded internationally did so on patented proprietary platforms, Vietnam’s licensed vaccines among them. MA-104 is commercially available, which removes that platform dependency and supports large-scale, low-cost manufacture.

The vaccine had earlier been dedicated to the nation at the 98th ICAR Foundation Day on July 16, 2026. Market availability is expected roughly six months out, after auction of the technology, patenting and commercial manufacture.

Why It Matters

ASF has no cure and mortality in infected pigs approaches 100 per cent. Outbreaks in India have been most severe in the North-Eastern states, where pig rearing is a primary livelihood. ASF is not zoonotic: it does not infect humans. It must be distinguished from Classical Swine Fever, a different virus for which India already had an indigenous vaccine.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

African Swine Fever Vaccine:

• Developed at ICAR-NIHSAD, Bhopal; platform: MA-104 cell line
• Live attenuated ASFV Genotype II with gene deletions from an Indian field isolate
• Dedicated to the nation at the 98th ICAR Foundation Day, July 16, 2026
• ASF has no cure; mortality approaches 100 per cent; ASF is NOT zoonotic
• ASF is a notifiable disease under the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
• ASF first entered India in 2020, through the North-East

Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission Named WHO-SEARN Centre of Excellence

🗞️ Why in News The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission was recognised as the WHO-SEARN Regional Centre of Excellence in Pharmacovigilance and as the Technical Centre in Quality, at the 10th Anniversary Meeting of the WHO South-East Asia Regulatory Network held in Kathmandu, Nepal on August 4 and 5, 2026.

Background

The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, headquartered at Ghaziabad. It runs the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI), which operates more than 400 Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Centres. The Indian delegation presented the Indian Pharmacopoeia, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Reference Substances (IPRS) and Impurity Reference Standards (IMPRS).

India supplies roughly 20 per cent of the world’s generic medicines by volume, which gives regional recognition of Indian standard-setting trade as well as health consequences.

The Distinction Students Confuse

IPC sets standards (under MoHFW). CDSCO, headed by the Drugs Controller General of India, is the national regulator. NPPA controls prices. Pharmacovigilance monitors adverse effects of medicines; materiovigilance is the equivalent for medical devices.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

IPC and WHO-SEARN:

• Recognition conferred at SEARN 10th Anniversary Meeting, Kathmandu, Nepal, August 4 to 5, 2026
• Two designations: Regional Centre of Excellence in Pharmacovigilance, and Technical Centre in Quality
• IPC: autonomous body under MoHFW, headquartered at Ghaziabad
• PvPI operates over 400 ADR Monitoring Centres
• India supplies roughly 20 per cent of global generic medicines
• SEARN created 2016 by the then eleven members; the WHO South-East Asia Region now has ten member states, Indonesia having moved to the Western Pacific Region from 23 May 2025

Heatwaves and Lightning Added to the List of Notified Calamities

🗞️ Why in News Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on August 4, 2026 that heatwaves and lightning have been added to the list of notified calamities under the operational guidelines of the State Disaster Response Fund and the National Disaster Response Fund.

The Change

The list moves from 12 to 14. It now reads: cyclone, drought, earthquake, flood, tsunami, avalanche, cloudburst, landslide, hailstorm, fire, frost and cold wave, pest attack, heatwave and lightning.

The change follows a recommendation of the Sixteenth Finance Commission, whose report was submitted on November 17, 2025, citing rising frequency, intensity and mortality linked to climate change. Previously states could spend only up to 10 per cent of their annual SDRF allocation on heatwave relief, under the local-disaster flexibility window. Notification makes heatwave and lightning relief a first-charge category.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Notified Calamities, SDRF and NDRF:

• List expanded from 12 to 14 with heatwave and lightning
• Follows Sixteenth Finance Commission report submitted November 17, 2025; award period 2026-31
• SDRF and NDRF constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005
• Centre’s SDRF share: 75 per cent for general states, 90 per cent for North-Eastern and Himalayan states
• Previously only up to 10 per cent of annual SDRF could go to heatwave relief
• Distinguish “notified calamity” (eligible as of right) from “local disaster” (state discretion within 10 per cent)

Meghalaya Launches Mission Clouded Leopard

🗞️ Why in News The Government of Meghalaya launched Mission Clouded Leopard on August 4, 2026, timed to International Clouded Leopard Day, as a state flagship programme for its state animal. This operationalises at state level the national Clouded Leopard Conservation Action Plan covered in the August 4 edition.

Components and Findings

The mission covers habitat protection and restoration, scientific research and long-term monitoring, anti-poaching protection, landscape connectivity, training of frontline forest staff, community participation, public awareness, and cross-border collaboration with other North-Eastern states.

An ongoing assessment in the Balpakram landscape has individually identified 21 clouded leopards, and will be extended to other habitats to produce the state’s first comprehensive population estimate.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Clouded Leopard:

• Scientific name Neofelis nebulosa; distinct from Neofelis diardi (Sunda clouded leopard)
• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable; Schedule I, Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
• State animal of Meghalaya; Mizoram’s state animal is the red serow, which is a common confusion
• Smallest of the big cats; longest canine teeth relative to skull size of any living felid
• 21 individuals identified in the Balpakram landscape assessment
• Balpakram National Park: South Garo Hills, Meghalaya; Nokrek is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
• Covered under the Species Recovery Programme of the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) scheme

NITI Aayog Releases “Reimagining Care”

🗞️ Why in News NITI Aayog released “Reimagining Care: Strategies for Empowering Caregivers in Viksit Bharat@2047” on August 5, 2026, proposing to recognise caregiving as a skilled, dignified and regulated profession rather than as unpaid family obligation.

Recommendations and Data

Headline recommendations are a National Policy on Caregiving and a National Caregiver Council (NCC) to regulate, standardise and professionalise caregiving services, alongside skill certification, workforce welfare, social security coverage and institutional support.

The report also positions India as a potential exporter of trained caregivers to ageing economies facing labour shortages.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Caregiving and Ageing:

• Report: “Reimagining Care: Strategies for Empowering Caregivers in Viksit Bharat@2047”, NITI Aayog, August 5, 2026
• Key recommendation: National Caregiver Council plus a National Policy on Caregiving
• Elderly projected at 347 million (20.8 per cent) by 2050
• Related instruments: Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007; Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY); Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana; SAGE initiative; National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE)

Hiroshima Marks the 81st Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing

🗞️ Why in News The Peace Memorial Ceremony was held at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on August 6, 2026, marking eighty-one years since the United States dropped the uranium gun-type bomb “Little Boy” from the B-29 bomber Enola Gay at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945.

The Ceremony

Representatives of a record 121 countries and regions, plus the European Union delegation, attended, with roughly 50,000 people at the park. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui spoke, and a minute’s silence was observed as the peace bell rang at 8:15 a.m. The names of 4,393 victims whose deaths were confirmed over the past year were added to the cenotaph, bringing the registered total to 353,639. Surviving hibakusha have fallen to 91,105, against a peak of roughly 372,000 certificate holders in the early 1980s.

India’s Position

India is not a signatory to the NPT or the CTBT, maintains a declared No First Use doctrine with credible minimum deterrence, and has consistently called for universal, non-discriminatory, verifiable nuclear disarmament, most notably through the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan of 1988.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Hiroshima and Disarmament:

• Bomb “Little Boy”, uranium gun-type, dropped 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945, from the Enola Gay
• Nagasaki bombed August 9, 1945, with the plutonium implosion bomb “Fat Man”
• 2026 ceremony: a record 121 countries and regions plus the EU delegation; 4,393 names added; cenotaph total 353,639; hibakusha 91,105, against a peak of roughly 372,000 certificate holders in the early 1980s
• NPT 1968 (in force 1970); CTBT 1996 (not in force); TPNW adopted 2017, in force January 22, 2021
• Nihon Hidankyo, the hibakusha organisation, won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize
• India: not a signatory to NPT or CTBT; No First Use; Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan, 1988

Europe’s Major Rivers Fall to Record Lows

🗞️ Why in News Severe drought and successive heatwaves pushed the Danube to record-low levels through Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, with emergency government action reported on August 3, 2026 and Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery acquired between August 1 and 3, 2026.

What Was Observed

Sentinel-2 imagery showed exceptionally low water on four of Europe’s largest rivers simultaneously: the Loire near Saumur (France), the Po near Cremona (Italy), the Rhine near Boppard (Germany), and the Danube near Paks (Hungary). Sandbars, rocks and Second World War shipwrecks were exposed.

The consequences were operational. Barge and ferry traffic was disrupted, energy and water shortages hit Budapest and its surroundings, and reactors cooled by the Danube came under threat. Hungary faced what would have been the first shutdown in the Paks plant’s 44-year operating history, averted when levels rose slightly, while Romania’s Cernavoda faced a threatened and controlled shutdown. Romanian military personnel used explosives on a rock outcrop in the riverbed at the Bala Canal to redirect cooling water.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

The Danube:

• Length roughly 2,850 to 2,860 km; Europe’s second-longest river after the Volga
• Rises in Germany’s Black Forest at the confluence of the Breg and Brigach; drains into the Black Sea
• Danube Delta: roughly 4,300 sq km, a UNESCO World Heritage site
• Passes through or borders 10 countries; four capitals lie on it: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade
• Key dams: Iron Gate I and II (Serbia-Romania), Gabcikovo (Slovakia)
• Copernicus is the EU Earth observation programme; Sentinel-2 is its optical imaging mission

Dr M.S. Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection 2026

🗞️ Why in News P. Pechiyammal of Ramanathapuram district and Govindhammal of Villupuram district received the Dr M.S. Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection 2026 at a ceremony in Chennai on August 5, 2026.

The Work Recognised

Pechiyammal was recognised for community-led conservation of the Gulf of Mannar through ghost gear recovery, meaning retrieval of abandoned and derelict fishing nets, and marine waste management, while building livelihoods for coastal women. Govindhammal was recognised for sustainable agriculture, restoring natural resources, strengthening Farmer Producer Organisations and climate-resilient farming.

The award is presented by the Rotary Club of Madras East (RI District 3234) with CavinKare Private Limited, with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation as the associated institution. It deliberately recognises grassroots individuals and community champions rather than institutional scientists.

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

M.S. Swaminathan and the Gulf of Mannar:

• Dr M.S. Swaminathan (1925 to 2023): father of India’s Green Revolution; first World Food Prize laureate, 1987; founded MSSRF in 1988; chaired the National Commission on Farmers (2004 to 2006); Bharat Ratna posthumously in 2024
• National Commission on Farmers recommended MSP at 50 per cent above the weighted average cost of production
• Gulf of Mannar: India’s first Marine Biosphere Reserve, notified 1989; its 21 islands lie between Rameswaram and Thoothukudi, while the Biosphere Reserve extends from Rameswaram to Kanyakumari; Marine National Park declared 1986; critical dugong habitat
• “Ghost gear”: abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear, a major source of marine plastic and entanglement mortality

In Brief

Jammu and Kashmir declared fully literate under ULLAS. Announced August 4, 2026 by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Of 1,80,317 identified non-literates, 1,78,680 were certified, a 99.09 per cent success rate. J&K becomes the 10th State or UT to reach full literacy under ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society), the Ministry of Education’s adult literacy scheme for those aged 15 and above. The others are Ladakh, Mizoram, Goa, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.

Karnataka launches the Composite Digital Crop Survey. Announced August 6, 2026. Integrates satellite imagery, artificial intelligence and drones with the existing Digital Crop Survey, piloted in five hoblis representing all geographical divisions of the state. Accuracy in crop-area estimation drives PMFBY insurance payouts, MSP planning and disaster relief assessment.

Satish Gujral birth centenary commemorative stamp. A Rs 5 stamp was released on August 3, 2026 at Bikaner House, New Delhi by Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, featuring Gujral’s 2010 self-portrait, one of only four he painted. Gujral (1925 to 2020) was a Padma Vibhushan awardee, painter, muralist, sculptor and architect, whose works include the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi.

UPSC Relevance

GS Paper 1: World history and the Second World War (Hiroshima); world geography and major rivers of Europe (Danube); population and ageing (caregiving report); role of women in conservation and unpaid care work.

GS Paper 2: Parliament and the legislative process, passage of Bills without discussion, delegated powers to the executive (Taxation Bill); regulatory governance and consumer protection (RBI recovery framework); cooperative federalism and dual regulation (UCBs); Finance Commission and centre-state fiscal transfers (notified calamities); health governance and India’s role in multilateral bodies (IPC and WHO-SEARN); social justice and welfare of vulnerable sections (caregiving); international relations and disarmament architecture (Hiroshima).

GS Paper 3: Taxation and mobilisation of resources; banking sector reform and financial inclusion; external sector and MSME exports; infrastructure, transport and PPP models (container trains); science and technology, space and indigenisation (Gaganyaan); biotechnology and biosecurity (ASF vaccine); disaster management (notified calamities); conservation and biodiversity (clouded leopard); climate change impacts and energy security (European rivers).

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Legislation and Regulation:

• Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026: introduced August 4, passed Lok Sabha August 6, 2026; replaces the Income-tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 under Article 123(2)(a); amends Income-tax Act 2025, Finance Act 2026, Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007
• Zero-MDR provision: Section 10A, Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
• RBI recovery framework: nine circulars, August 6, 2026, effective January 1, 2027; agent hours 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; device restriction thresholds 30 and 60 days past due; Rs 250 per hour compensation
• UCB licensing: frozen since 2004; Discussion Paper January 13, 2026; draft guidelines released August 5, 2026 with comments to September 5, 2026; roughly 1,457 UCBs; FY26 gross NPAs Rs 21,769 crore
• DGFT Public Notice No. 25/2026-27 and Notification No. 27/2026-27, both August 5, 2026: Exporter-on-Record and Seller-on-Record model under Foreign Trade Policy 2023; FDI carve-out via DPIIT Press Note No. 3 (2026 Series)
• Container Train Operators: single Rs 25 crore all-India registration fee, 20-year extension right

Science, Space and Health:

• Gaganyaan: HLVM3 human-rated vehicle; G1 uncrewed mission with Vyommitra targeted Q4 2026; Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035
• ASF vaccine: ICAR-NIHSAD Bhopal; MA-104 cell line; ASFV Genotype II; ASF is not zoonotic; mortality near 100 per cent
• Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission: WHO-SEARN Regional Centre of Excellence in Pharmacovigilance; under MoHFW; PvPI with 400+ ADR Monitoring Centres

Environment and Disaster:

• Notified calamities: 12 to 14, adding heatwave and lightning; Sixteenth Finance Commission report submitted November 17, 2025
• SDRF and NDRF under the Disaster Management Act, 2005; Centre’s share 75 per cent general, 90 per cent NE and Himalayan states
• Clouded leopard: Neofelis nebulosa; IUCN Vulnerable; WPA Schedule I; state animal of Meghalaya (not Mizoram, whose state animal is the red serow); 21 identified at Balpakram
• Danube: roughly 2,850 to 2,860 km; second-longest in Europe; 10 countries; four capitals; Black Forest to Black Sea

International and Awards:

• Hiroshima: 81st anniversary; “Little Boy”; Enola Gay; 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945; hibakusha 91,105; cenotaph total 353,639
• NPT 1968, CTBT 1996, TPNW in force January 22, 2021; Nihon Hidankyo, Nobel Peace Prize 2024
• India: not a signatory to NPT or CTBT; No First Use; Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan 1988
• Dr M.S. Swaminathan Award 2026: P. Pechiyammal (Ramanathapuram) and Govindhammal (Villupuram)
• ULLAS: J&K is the 10th fully literate State or UT; 99.09 per cent certification rate

Sources: PIB, PRS Legislative Research, The Hindu, Indian Express, Reserve Bank of India, DGFT, NITI Aayog

Source: Current Affairs Today, August 6, 2026 — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs