Welcome to the Ujiyari Rajasthan Current Affairs notes for 18 August 2026, prepared for RAS and other State PCS aspirants. CM Bhajanlal Sharma inaugurated development projects worth roughly Rs 3,500 crore in Jaipur, spanning healthcare, urban sanitation and sewerage works, and flagged off 71 PM e-buses for seven cities. Bharatpur’s para-shooter Rudransh Khandelwal was named an Arjuna Award recipient in the National Sports Awards 2025, and a Rs 116 crore solar EPC contract for a 200 MW Bikaner project was disclosed. Each item below carries a Prelims fact table and a Mains angle, followed by four practice MCQs.

1. CM Bhajanlal Sharma Inaugurates Rs 3,500 Crore Projects, Flags Off 71 PM e-Buses

Why in News: CM Bhajanlal Sharma inaugurated or laid the foundation for development projects worth approximately Rs 3,500 crore at HCM RIPA, Jaipur, on 18 August 2026.

What happened: Projects span healthcare (a 128-slice CT scan and 1.5 Tesla MRI at RUHS, an Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at SMS Hospital, a new IPD tower at Zanana Hospital Chandpole), urban sanitation (506 urban toilets, including 395 pink toilets, over Rs 109 crore), waste management (76 projects, over Rs 625 crore), and AMRUT 2.0 sewerage works in Jaipur (over Rs 465 crore). The CM also flagged off 71 PM e-buses for seven cities, and Rs 154 crore was disbursed via DBT to 1.32 lakh labourers.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: AMRUT 2.0 is a Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs Centrally Sponsored Scheme; “pink toilets” are women-only facilities under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban; 71 PM e-buses flagged off.
  • Mains: Discuss state-Centre scheme convergence (AMRUT, PM e-Bus Sewa) as a model for urban infrastructure financing.

2. Bharatpur’s Para-Shooter Rudransh Khandelwal Wins Arjuna Award

Why in News: The Centre announced the National Sports Awards 2025 on 18 August 2026, including 17 Arjuna Awards; Rudransh Khandelwal, a 19-year-old para-shooter from Bharatpur, Rajasthan, was named a recipient.

What happened: Khandelwal, who lost a leg in a childhood accident, has set multiple para-shooting world records in the SH1 pistol category, becoming one of the youngest para-shooters honoured with the award.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: Arjuna Award, instituted 1961, administered by Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports; Khandelwal’s category: SH1 pistol para-shooting.
  • Mains: Discuss disability and sport as a GS1/Essay theme, and examine Rajasthan’s para-athlete support infrastructure.

3. 200 MW Bikaner Solar EPC Contract Disclosed

Why in News: Advait Greenergy Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Advait Energy Transitions, secured a roughly Rs 116 crore EPC contract for a 200 MW Solar Ground-Mounted HSAT project in Bikaner, formally disclosed to BSE/NSE on 18 August 2026.

What happened: The contract had been awarded on 17 August by KPI Green Energy.

Rajasthan Relevance:

  • Prelims: Rajasthan ranks 1st in India in installed solar capacity (~22,860 MW+), with over 325 clear sunny days annually.
  • Mains: Discuss why Rajasthan leads India’s solar buildout, citing land availability, solar irradiance, and state solar policy.

Practice MCQs

1. CM Bhajanlal Sharma’s development projects inaugurated at HCM RIPA, Jaipur on 18 August 2026 totalled approximately how much?

a) Rs 3,500 crore b) Rs 2,500 crore c) Rs 1,500 crore d) Rs 5,000 crore

Answer: a Explanation: CM Bhajanlal Sharma inaugurated or laid the foundation for development projects worth approximately Rs 3,500 crore at HCM RIPA, Jaipur, spanning healthcare, urban sanitation, waste management and AMRUT 2.0 sewerage works, and flagged off 71 PM e-buses for seven cities.

2. Rudransh Khandelwal, the Bharatpur para-shooter named an Arjuna Award recipient on 18 August 2026, competes in which category?

a) SH1 rifle b) SH1 pistol c) SH2 pistol d) Archery

Answer: b Explanation: 19-year-old Rudransh Khandelwal from Bharatpur, who lost a leg in a childhood accident, has set multiple world records in the SH1 pistol para-shooting category, becoming one of the youngest para-shooters honoured with the Arjuna Award in the National Sports Awards 2025.

3. The 200 MW solar EPC contract disclosed on 18 August 2026 is for a project located in which Rajasthan district?

a) Jodhpur b) Jaisalmer c) Barmer d) Bikaner

Answer: d Explanation: Advait Greenergy Pvt Ltd secured a roughly Rs 116 crore EPC contract for a 200 MW Solar Ground-Mounted HSAT project in Bikaner, awarded by KPI Green Energy on 17 August and formally disclosed to BSE/NSE on 18 August 2026.

4. Rajasthan’s development projects inaugurated on 18 August 2026 included how many urban toilets, of which 395 were “pink toilets”?

a) 250 b) 395 c) 506 d) 650

Answer: c Explanation: The Rs 3,500 crore project package included 506 urban toilets, of which 395 were “pink toilets” (women-only facilities under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban), funded at over Rs 109 crore.