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Daily DigestArchive
Current Affairs — Saturday, 22 August 2026
36 items
Tamil Nadu
- TN Government orders gold rings from Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers
— The state has placed orders for 1,28,499 one-gram gold rings to be supplied over four months beginning June, under CM Vijay's welfare scheme for women. (Govt. scheme; PSC/TNPSC GS angle) - TN to extend Free Breakfast Scheme to middle school students
— The CM Vijay government plans to scale up the existing free breakfast programme beyond primary schools to cover middle school students. (Social welfare scheme; TNPSC Paper II) - TN Government to form State Advisory Board on crimes against women and children
— Law Minister announced the board's formation to advise on prevention strategies and policy. (Women & child protection; TNPSC Paper II) - CM Vijay's Rule 110 announcements draw public attention
— Key welfare announcements made under Rule 110 include liquor shop closures, free electricity, and the gold ring scheme, raising questions on fiscal sustainability. (Legislative procedure; state budget angle) - VAIKO urges CM Vijay to reject PM SHRI three-language scheme
— MDMK chief Vaiko called on the CM to oppose the Centre's PM SHRI scheme, citing Hindi imposition concerns. (Language policy; centre-state relations) - IOB Assistant Branch Manager arrested for ₹3.09-crore gold loan fraud in Chennai
— The Indian Overseas Bank official allegedly siphoned funds through manipulated gold loan accounts. (Banking fraud; vigilance)
India — National
- Supreme Court reduces law practice requirement to 1 year for judicial service
— Candidates with one year's practice will undergo one year of training at a State Judicial Academy and a final year of clerkship before joining the judiciary. (Judiciary; GS Paper 2) - Supreme Court lauds scrapped MGNREGA as a 'good, effective scheme'
— A three-judge bench hearing a petition on delayed MGNREGA wages praised the scheme while a petition sought to elevate the right to work to a fundamental right under the Constitution. (Fundamental Rights; Art. 21; GS Paper 2) - 48 school teachers to be honoured by President on Teachers' Day (September 5)
— Selected through a three-stage district-state-national process by the Department of School Education and Literacy. (National Teachers' Award; Ministry of Education) - Cochin Shipyard delivers INS Mangrol to Indian Navy
— The vessel, named after the coastal town of Mangrol in Gujarat, was built and handed over by Cochin Shipyard Limited. (Defence; shipbuilding; GS Paper 3) - Rahul Gandhi stages dharna after Delhi police refused to register FIR on pellet gun use
— A 19-year-old, Sahil Lochab, lost his eyesight after being hit by pellets at a protest; police subsequently registered the FIR. (Civil liberties; policing) - Punjab bandh over release of Sikh prisoners evokes mixed response
— Shops and commercial establishments partially shut in rural Punjab amid demands for the release of long-detained Sikh prisoners. (Internal security; GS Paper 3) - NCSC to launch grievance registration line for sanitation workers
— The National Commission for Safai Karmacharis is also pushing the Labour Ministry to raise minimum wages of sanitation workers to skilled/semi-skilled levels. (Labour welfare; Scheduled Castes)
Economy & Finance
- Core sector growth slows to 5.4% in July 2026
— The Index of Core Industries (8 key sectors) data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed July's growth was the second fastest in seven months. (Macroeconomics; GS Paper 3) - PNGRB authorises ~1,800 km of LPG pipeline infrastructure with ₹7,000 crore investment
— The new pipelines will expand India's LPG pipeline network by approximately 24%. (Energy infrastructure; PNGRB; GS Paper 3) - PFRDA chief flags India's retirement income replacement rate at 35–40% vs. global 60%
— PFRDA Chairman Ramann said the authority targets enrolling 30 crore people under NPS and APY over the next four to five years. (Pension; NPS; APY; GS Paper 3) - India approves FDI worth ₹4,896 crore across 29 projects; allows up to 10% Chinese stake
— From March 2026, India eased FDI rules to permit investments from companies where up to 10% stake is held by entities from land-bordering countries. (FDI policy; GS Paper 3) - SEBI fines Copthall Mauritius Investment and Mansi Share & Stock Broking ₹3.7 crore
— The two firms were penalised for allegedly manipulating the newly introduced Closing Auction Session (CAS) in Indian markets. (Capital markets; SEBI; GS Paper 3) - Central government capex surges 66% in June; subsidy bill also rises
— The sharp jump in capital expenditure signals fiscal push, though the rising subsidy burden poses risks to the fiscal deficit target for 2026-27. (Public finance; GS Paper 3)
Science & Technology
- Gaganyaan's thermal protection system explained
— Gaganyaan uses an ablative heat shield as its thermal protection system to withstand extreme temperatures during atmospheric re-entry. (ISRO; space technology; GS Paper 3) - India calls for stronger global tech collaboration at BRICS Science & Technology meet
— MoS Science & Technology Jitendra Singh announced India's BRICS Presidency theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." (BRICS; S&T diplomacy) - South Asians underrepresented in global health genomic databases
— Experts warn that AI-powered genomic tools trained on non-South Asian data may give inaccurate health risk predictions for Indian populations. (Health policy; AI; GS Paper 3) - IISERs face leadership credibility crisis
— Concerns raised over non-scientist chairpersons heading Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, affecting institutional vision. (Higher education; science policy)
Environment
- Weak monsoon causes dry spell along Cauvery; Karnataka faces pressure on water release
— A poor monsoon has left farmers on both sides of the Cauvery river struggling, reviving the perennial inter-state water-sharing tension between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. (Cauvery water dispute; inter-state river; GS Paper 1 & 2) - Nagaland signs deal for its first private-sector solar plant
— The 20 MW solar project at Tizit will reduce the state's dependence on energy imports. (Renewable energy; Northeast India development)
Sports
- Neeraj Chopra finishes second at Lausanne Diamond League with 88.05 m throw
— His best throw in the second round placed him second in the nine-athlete field; his season best remains 88.16 m from the Paris Diamond League in June 2026. (Athletics; javelin; Indian achievement) - India Women's Hockey team loses to Netherlands at Women's Hockey World Cup
— Goals from Jansen and Matla (penalty corners) took the defending champion Netherlands into the semifinals; India's loss came despite a draw between Australia and China helping India's position. (Hockey World Cup; GS Sports) - FIFA fines Argentina and bans officials over 2026 World Cup final incident
— FIFA's Disciplinary Committee fined Paredes $90,000 for sparking a post-match brawl after Spain's 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey. (FIFA; 2026 World Cup) - TNPL: Shahrukh Khan's unbeaten 59 off 18 balls steers Kovai Kings to win
— Trichy Grand Cholas became the first team to qualify for the TNPL 2026 playoffs. (TNPL; Tamil Nadu cricket)
Appointments & Awards
- Justice M. Fathima Beevi — first woman judge of Supreme Court of India — conferred Padma Bhushan
— The award recognised her historic appointment to the Supreme Court and her distinguished judicial career. (Padma Awards; judiciary; first woman SC judge) - Padma Vibhushan conferred on Justice K.T. Thomas
— The former Supreme Court judge, known for landmark judgments including the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, received the nation's second-highest civilian honour. (Padma Awards; judiciary) - Padma award to Justice J.S. Khehar
— The former Chief Justice of India, known for judgments that often contradicted government positions, was conferred a Padma award. (CJI; Padma Awards) - Justice Manikumar appointed as new Chairman of State Human Rights Commission (SHRC)
— The appointment strengthens human rights redressal at the state level. (SHRC; human rights institutions)
International
- India and UK review defence industrial cooperation
— Both sides assessed progress in joint defence manufacturing and technology transfer under the bilateral India-UK defence partnership. (India-UK; defence diplomacy; GS Paper 2) - US Ambassador Sergio Gor visits J&K and Ladakh; Pakistan summons US diplomat in protest
— India's MEA called Pakistan's move a sign of frustration, describing Gor's visit as highlighting the growing US-India partnership; MEA also termed dismantling of temporary structures near Pakistan Mission in India a "proportionate action." (India-US; J&K; diplomacy; GS Paper 2) - TikTok reaches $400 million settlement with US Justice Department over children's privacy
— The settlement addresses allegations that TikTok violated children's online privacy laws; the US Associate AG stressed companies' legal obligations regarding minors' data. (Data privacy; tech regulation; GS Paper 2)
- Quick Revision:
- 🔹 INS Mangrol delivered by Cochin Shipyard to the Indian Navy — named after coastal town of Mangrol, Gujarat
- 🔹 Supreme Court reduced minimum law practice for judicial service entry to 1 year (plus 1 year academy training + 1 year clerkship)
- 🔹 Justice M. Fathima Beevi (first woman SC judge) awarded Padma Bhushan; Justice K.T. Thomas awarded Padma Vibhushan; TN government ordered 1,28,499 one-gram gold rings from Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers for its women's scheme