🗞️ Why in News August 8, 2026 marked 84 years since the launch of the Quit India Movement. Abroad, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed a mutual-defence pact in Mecca, and in Bhopal the 11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting concluded with the Bhopal Declaration. India named 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh in response to China’s renaming exercises, and the MHA restricted renewable energy projects near the border.
Quit India Movement: The 84th Anniversary
🗞️ Why in News August 8, 2026 marked 84 years since the All India Congress Committee adopted the Quit India resolution at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay, on August 8, 1942, with Mahatma Gandhi’s call to “Do or Die.”
Background
The resolution followed the failure of the Cripps Mission earlier in 1942 and demanded immediate British withdrawal from India. Gandhi and the senior Congress leadership were arrested within hours, on August 9, 1942, under what the British termed Operation Zero Hour, and the movement continued as a largely leaderless, underground mass uprising.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Quit India Movement:
- Resolution adopted August 8, 1942, Bombay AICC session, at Gowalia Tank Maidan (renamed August Kranti Maidan)
- Slogan: “Do or Die” (Karo ya Maro)
- Gandhi and senior leaders arrested August 9, 1942
- Preceded by the failure of the Cripps Mission, 1942
- In Bihar, Jayaprakash Narayan led underground student mobilisation after senior leaders’ arrest; on August 11, 1942, police firing on students marching to hoist the tricolour at the Patna Secretariat killed seven, commemorated at Patna’s Shaheed Smarak
Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan Sign the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement
🗞️ Why in News Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, 2026, at Al-Safa Palace, Mecca, committing the three states to treat an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all.
Key Details
The agreement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, following what the three governments styled the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence. It commits to strengthening collective deterrence and enhancing defence cooperation among the three states.
Context
The agreement follows nearly a year of negotiations and comes against the backdrop of repeated strikes on Saudi Arabia by Iran and Iran-aligned groups since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, 2026.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Mecca Joint Defence Agreement:
- Signed August 7, 2026, at Al-Safa Palace, Mecca
- Signatories: Mohammed bin Salman (Saudi Arabia), Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkiye), Shehbaz Sharif (Pakistan)
- Core clause: an armed attack on one signatory is regarded as an attack on all
- Context: US-Israel strikes on Iran began February 28, 2026; Saudi Arabia had faced repeated attacks from Iran and Iran-aligned groups since
11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting Adopts the Bhopal Declaration
🗞️ Why in News The 11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting concluded in Bhopal on August 8, 2026, at the Kushabhau Thakre Convention Centre (Minto Hall), with the adoption of the Bhopal Declaration, under India’s BRICS Chairship.
Key Outcomes
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat led the meeting, drawing 14 countries, 10 BRICS members and 4 partner countries, across 55 delegates. The Bhopal Declaration covers cooperation on creative industries, UNESCO multinational nominations and restitution of cultural property, protection of Traditional Knowledge Systems, museum and archive digitisation, and creator-rights protection against unauthorised AI use of copyrighted works. India separately announced a pilot Voluntary Artist Registry for BRICS artists.
This concludes the BRICS culture track that began with the 3rd Culture Working Group Meeting (August 5-6) and the BRICS Cultural Festival (August 6-7), both already covered in this month’s coverage.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Bhopal Declaration:
- Adopted August 8, 2026, at the Kushabhau Thakre Convention Centre, Bhopal
- 14 countries: 10 BRICS members plus 4 partner countries; 55 delegates
- Led by Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
- Covers creator-rights protection against unauthorised AI use, cultural property restitution, Traditional Knowledge Systems
- India announced a pilot Voluntary Artist Registry
India Names 27 Places in Arunachal Pradesh on Official Maps
🗞️ Why in News The Ministry of Home Affairs, in consultation with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, identified 27 places and features with standard names on official Survey of India maps, a direct response to China’s repeated “standardised naming” exercises in the region.
Key Details
The 27 named features comprise 21 land areas, 4 mountain passes (Dzo La, Riza La, Pukur La, Thag La), 1 lake and 1 monument. China has issued lists renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls “Zangnan”, on four prior occasions: 6 places in 2017, 15 in 2021, 11 in 2023, and 30 in 2024.
India’s Position
Arunachal Pradesh is, and has always been, an integral and inalienable part of India. China’s renaming exercises confer no legitimacy and are rejected.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Arunachal Pradesh Place-Naming:
- 27 features named: 21 land areas, 4 passes (Dzo La, Riza La, Pukur La, Thag La), 1 lake, 1 monument
- Issued by the MHA, in consultation with the Arunachal Pradesh government; hosted on Survey of India maps
- China’s prior renaming lists: 6 (2017), 15 (2021), 11 (2023), 30 (2024)
- China’s term for the region: “Zangnan” (South Tibet)
MHA Bars New Renewable Energy Projects Near International Borders
🗞️ Why in News The Ministry of Home Affairs issued national security guidelines barring new solar, wind and hybrid renewable energy projects within 1 km of the Line of Control, the Line of Actual Control and the International Border.
Key Provisions
- Within 1 km: total ban on new projects.
- 1 to 50 km: MHA security clearance required.
- 1 to 20 km of the International Border specifically: an additional Ministry of Defence No Objection Certificate required.
- Developers barred from employing personnel from Pakistan, Bangladesh or China without prior Central government approval.
- Mandatory anti-drone systems, via the CISF, in sensitive zones.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Border Renewable Energy Restrictions:
- 1 km: total ban on new projects
- 1 to 50 km: MHA security clearance required
- 1 to 20 km of the IB: additional MoD NOC required
- Personnel from Pakistan, Bangladesh, China barred without Central approval
- Anti-drone systems mandated via CISF in sensitive zones
Param Pragya: AI Supercomputer Inaugurated at IIT Delhi
🗞️ Why in News Prime Minister Modi inaugurated “Param Pragya”, an AI-powered high-performance supercomputing facility, at IIT Delhi’s Sonipat campus, while addressing the institute’s 57th Convocation.
Details
Modi conferred degrees on over 3,000 graduating students, including 587 PhD scholars, and awarded the President’s Gold Medal, Director’s Gold Medal, Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal and Perfect Ten Gold Medals to top performers. Param Pragya joins the PARAM supercomputer lineage developed under the National Supercomputing Mission.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Param Pragya:
- Inaugurated at IIT Delhi’s Sonipat campus, at the 57th Convocation
- Over 3,000 graduating students, including 587 PhD scholars
- Part of the PARAM lineage under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), run by C-DAC
IIT Guwahati Unveils “E-Eye” Water Toxicant Sensor
🗞️ Why in News IIT Guwahati researchers developed “E-Eye”, a portable, low-cost optical sensor for instant detection of toxicants in water, food, soil and biological samples, with findings published in the IEEE Sensors Journal.
Details
E-Eye uses colorimetric optical sensing to detect arsenic, lead, iron, chromium, fluoride and E. coli. It was tested on over 2,700 samples with consistent accuracy, at a device cost of roughly Rs 3,500 and a per-sample testing cost of about Rs 2.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
E-Eye Sensor:
- Developer: IIT Guwahati; published in the IEEE Sensors Journal
- Detects: arsenic, lead, iron, chromium, fluoride, E. coli
- Tested on 2,700+ samples; cost ~Rs 3,500 per device, ~Rs 2 per sample
- Relevant to decentralised water-quality monitoring under the Jal Jeevan Mission
Standard Chartered Gets IFSCA Approval for Wealth Management from GIFT City
🗞️ Why in News Standard Chartered received in-principle approval from the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) on August 6, 2026, to distribute capital market and wealth management products from GIFT City’s IFSC.
Details
The bank, the first foreign lender to operate in GIFT City since 2020, currently serves over 600 corporate and institutional clients there, and plans to roll out its “Signature CIO Funds” and other retail wealth products.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Standard Chartered, GIFT City:
- IFSCA in-principle approval: August 6, 2026
- First foreign bank in GIFT City, since 2020; serves 600+ corporate and institutional clients
- GIFT City: Gandhinagar, Gujarat; regulated by IFSCA, under the IFSCA Act, 2019
Bengaluru Police Launch “Operation Mukta” Against Illegal Immigrants
🗞️ Why in News Bengaluru City Police launched “Operation Mukta” on August 8, 2026, deploying over 500 personnel across 30-plus locations in the Whitefield police division to verify identity documents at migrant worker sites.
Details
Around 40 individuals were detained for verification in Whitefield alone, and 4 Bangladeshi nationals’ identities were confirmed, with deportation coordination handed to the FRRO.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
Operation Mukta:
- Launched August 8, 2026, Bengaluru, Whitefield police division
- 500+ personnel, 30+ locations
- 40 detained for verification; 4 Bangladeshi nationals identified for deportation via the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office)
In Brief
HAL Airport, Bengaluru operationalises India’s first satellite-guided helicopter approach. The RNP CAT H (Required Navigation Performance, Category H) approach, developed by the Airports Authority of India and approved by the DGCA, cuts approach time from 12 minutes to 4 minutes at an airport handling roughly 50 helicopter movements daily.
Indian Railways’ single all-India licence for Container Train Operators takes effect. Announced August 5, 2026 and already covered in this month’s Facts Corner and quiz material: a single non-refundable Rs 25 crore fee replaces the earlier four-category, route-wise licensing structure, with permission extendable by 20 years.
Draft National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026 draws criticism. The Department of Food and Public Distribution’s draft would replace the flat 35 kg per Antyodaya household monthly grain entitlement with 7 kg per person, capped at 35 kg, a change critics say would cut real entitlements for smaller poor households. Public comments were invited on the draft; discussed further in an accompanying editorial.
UPSC Relevance
GS Paper 1: The national movement, the Quit India Movement, and its regional dimensions.
GS Paper 2: India’s border security and territorial integrity; India-China boundary issues; India’s BRICS chairship; comparative government and West Asian alliance politics; internal security and immigration enforcement.
GS Paper 3: Indigenisation of technology, AI and high-performance computing; science and technology applications in water-quality monitoring; financial sector regulation and IFSC development; border-area infrastructure security.
Sources: PIB, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, PRS Legislative Research
Source: Current Affairs Today, August 8, 2026 — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
