Daily briefing
Current Affairs — 22 August 2026
The day's source-attributed current affairs for UPSC, organized for fast revision.
Articles from 22 August 2026
- Centre notifies key scheme to manufacture mobile phones (MPMS)The Union Cabinet-approved Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) has been notified to incentivise domestic smartphone assembly and domestic component sourcing.Read analysis →
- SC lauds scrapped MGNREGA as a ‘good, effective scheme’Supreme Court remarks in a case on delayed wages and the transition from MGNREGA to the VB-GRAM G Act (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)).Read analysis →
- Saving faces: Use of facial recognition equipment at protest sites is worrisomeDelhi Police systems reportedly used facial recognition and other surveillance tools at protests involving the Cockroach Janta Party, raising privacy and legal-safeguard concerns.Read analysis →
- Saving faces: India must regulate facial recognition for protestsDelhi Police denies excessive force during Cockroach Janta Party protests while concerns persist over facial-recognition biometric surveillance and unclear legal safeguards.Read analysis →
- Maritime cooperation through the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA)The Quad-aligned Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), including IPMSC 2026, is pushed to make near-real-time maritime data sharing effective for unimpeded trade.Read analysis →
- Ensuring equity amid India’s educational progressUDISE+ 2025–26 shows access and input improvements in school education, but educational equity remains uneven across regions and student groups.Read analysis →
- Government notifies Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) with ₹62,500 crore outlayMeitY has notified the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) for 5 years with a ₹62,500 crore outlay.Read analysis →
- Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA): MSP price-support framework for farmersPM-AASHA consolidates multiple MSP-linked price support mechanisms under a unified framework and links them with procurement, market intervention, and digital/e-infrastructure reforms.Read analysis →
- ‘Retirement-income replacement 35–40% vs. 60% globally’PFRDA Chairman S. Ramann said India’s retirement-income replacement rate is about 35–40% and pushed coverage expansion via NPS and APY.Read analysis →
- Noise annoys: enforce high-decibel noise rules uniformly and proactivelyPatna High Court directed stronger, statewide regulation of high-decibel noise after finding weak enforcement of noise pollution controls in Patna and nearby districts.Read analysis →
- Iran vows ‘devastating’ response as U.S. threatens tough economic sanctionsIran threatened “crushing and punishing retaliation” after the United States promised new, very tough economic sanctions on Iran with details expected on Monday.Read analysis →
- Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting on Civil Aviation held in Mysuru; discussed Next Phase of UDAN, FTO reforms, and IGRUA transformationParliamentary Consultative Committee met in Mysuru and discussed the Next Phase of UDAN, Flying Training Organisation reforms, and transformation of IGRUA.Read analysis →
- Government enhances SC and OBC scholarship delivery via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment uses Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) linked to Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts to strengthen SC and OBC scholarship delivery through Pre-Matric and Post-Matric schemes.Read analysis →
- Two vessels with 22 Indians on board hijacked by piratesArmed pirates hijacked two commercial vessels in Yemen and Somalia carrying 22 Indian nationals; Indian crew members were reported safe in the latest updates.Read analysis →
- Unimpeded trade needs IPMDA as the answerQuad members are advancing the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), with a planned 2026 Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC).Read analysis →
- Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP): status, components, benefits and R&R frameworkPIB backgrounder details the Ken–Betwa Link Project (KBLP) components, cost, status, and the Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) framework for affected families.Read analysis →
- U.S. and South Korea end annual military drill six days earlyThe United States and South Korea finished the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drill six days ahead of the initially scheduled dates, ending it on Friday.Read analysis →
- PNGRB authorises 1,800 km LPG pipelines at ₹7,000 cr (INBRIEF)PNGRB has authorised about 1,800 km of LPG pipeline projects across six states with an estimated capital investment of ₹7,000 crore.Read analysis →
- Govt received 29 FDI projects worth ₹4,895.65 crore post nod to firms with 10% China stakeThe Ministry of Commerce and Industry reports 29 FDI projects worth ₹4,895.65 crore received under a revised automatic-route rule for firms with up to 10% Chinese ownership.Read analysis →
- IRDAI places branch curbs on life insurers Pramerica and EdelweissIRDAI ordered Edelweiss Life Insurance and Pramerica Life Insurance to stop opening new places of business for six months for breach of Expense of Management (EoM) limits for 2024–25.Read analysis →
- New tariff formula cuts air passenger fee at Bengaluru by 33%AERA’s Bengaluru airport tariff order cut Kempegowda International Airport’s departure UDF from ₹550 to ₹300 from 1 September 2026, set an arrival UDF at ₹125, and introduced a disembarking fee for the first time.Read analysis →
- Cong. slams ‘ecological folly’ in Great Nicobar islandA Congress leader alleged administrative irregularities and continuing legal controversy around a proposed data centre project in Great Nicobar Island.Read analysis →
- NGT seeks Centre’s response on change in floodplain rulesNGT issued notice to the Union government over a Jal Shakti Ministry amendment affecting Ganga floodplain definitions and no-construction zoning.Read analysis →
- Centre refuses grace marks to students in CBSE OSM rowThe Union government told the Supreme Court that it cannot award grace marks to Class 12 students after CBSE On-Screen Marking issues in the 2026 exam process.Read analysis →
- A very serious issue: Rajnath SinghDefence Minister Rajnath Singh attacked the Congress’s stance on Vande Mataram, invoking the 1937 Congress Working Committee resolution and Parliament’s binding authority.Read analysis →
- No change in Tamil Nadu’s stand on delimitation, says MinisterTamil Nadu’s Minister Aadhav Arjuna says Tamil Nadu’s position on Lok Sabha delimitation remains unchanged, including a demand to freeze seats at 543.Read analysis →
- Rahul Gandhi’s politics on the streets signals a new Opposition playbookRahul Gandhi led a surprise protest at the Parliament Street police station, demanding an FIR on pellet injuries suffered by Sahil Lochab, after months without such public action.Read analysis →
- ₹4,895-cr. FDI projects come in under new frameworkIndia received 29 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth ₹4,895.65 crore under a revised framework allowing firms with up to 10% Chinese ownership to invest via the automatic route.Read analysis →
- Trade unions sound the alarm over Supreme Court judgment on the definition of industryTrade unions criticised a nine-judge Supreme Court ruling on whether the 1978 “industry” definition applies to the Industrial Relations Code.Read analysis →
- SC trims law practice requirement to 1 year for judicial serviceSupreme Court reduced the Bar practice requirement for judicial service entry from three years to one year while retaining State judicial academy training plus clerkship.Read analysis →