WEEK 4: August 24 – 31, 2026
Current Affairs & GK for Competitive Exam Aspirants
Covers: UPSC | SSC CGL | IBPS PO | RRB NTPC | State PSC | CTET | NDA | CDS
August 2026 — Important Days (Week 4: August 24–31)
- August 26 — Women’s Equality Day
- August 29 — National Sports Day (birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand)
- August 29 — International Day against Nuclear Tests
- August 30 — National Small Industry Day
- August 30 — International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
| Exam Tip: National Sports Day honours Major Dhyan Chand, born on August 29, 1905. India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna, was renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021. The International Day against Nuclear Tests was declared by the UN General Assembly in 2009, on a proposal by Kazakhstan. |
WEEK 4: August 24–31, 2026
The final week of August 2026 saw UPI complete ten years, a major push to transfer DRDO missile technologies to Indian industry, in-principle approval for private operation of 11 airports, a sobering NITI Aayog report on youth not in education or employment, and the Prime Minister’s Central Asia visit ahead of the SCO Summit. Here are the ten most important GK topics for the week.
- UPI Completes 10 Years as India’s Digital Payments Backbone [Economy / Banking Awareness]
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) completed ten years in August 2026. Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI has grown into the backbone of India’s digital payments ecosystem and one of the world’s largest real-time payment systems, and has been extended to several countries through NPCI International.
| Exam Tip: UPI was launched by NPCI in April 2016 (pilot inaugurated by then RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan) and opened to the public in August 2016. NPCI was set up in 2008 by RBI and IBA. A near-certain Banking Awareness question in IBPS, SBI and RBI exams. |
- Defence Ministry Approves Transfer of DRDO Missile Technologies to Indian Industry [Defence / Economy]
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the transfer of technology (ToT) of all conventional missile systems developed by DRDO to Indian defence manufacturers. The move is aimed at scaling up indigenous production, deepening private-sector participation and advancing Aatmanirbharta in defence.
| Exam Tip: DRDO was formed in 1958 and is headquartered in New Delhi. Its Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP, 1983) produced Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Akash and Nag. Useful for CDS, NDA and UPSC GS-III. |
- PPPAC Clears Private Operation of 11 Airports in Five Bundles [Economy / Infrastructure]
The Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee granted in-principle approval for private operation of 11 airports across five bundles, including Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Tirupati. The total estimated investment is Rs 8,622 crore, with a concession period of 50 years.
| Exam Tip: The PPPAC is chaired by the Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (Ministry of Finance). Airports are operated and leased through the Airports Authority of India (AAI), constituted in 1995. Relevant for Economy and Infrastructure sections of SSC and banking exams. |
- NITI Aayog: 87 Million Indian Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training [Economy / Social Issues]
NITI Aayog released the report ‘Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047’, estimating that about 87 million young people aged 15–29 are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The estimates draw on data from the 78th round of the National Sample Survey.
| Exam Tip: NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission on January 1, 2015; the Prime Minister is its ex-officio Chairperson. Do not confuse ‘NEET’ (a youth-engagement indicator) with the NEET-UG medical entrance exam. A useful statistic for UPSC Mains and essay. |
- Ministry of Rural Development Launches Mission Samriddh Gaon [Governance / Rural Development]
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched Mission Samriddh Gaon to develop poverty-free, employment-rich villages. Initial implementation will be in Budni block (Sehore district) and Khategaon block (Dewas district) of Madhya Pradesh, with the models to be replicated nationwide.
| Exam Tip: The same Ministry also launched the National Campaign on Entrepreneurship-II under DAY-NRLM (August 21 – November 21, 2026) to train 5 lakh SHG women. DAY-NRLM was launched in 2011 as Aajeevika. Useful for State PSC and UPSC GS-II schemes. |
- India and US Sign Agreement for Javelin Anti-Tank Missile System [Defence / International]
India signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) with the United States on August 28, 2026, for procurement of the Javelin anti-tank guided missile system through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route, marking a significant step in India–US defence cooperation.
| Exam Tip: The Javelin is a man-portable, ‘fire-and-forget’ anti-tank guided missile. Remember the FMS route (government-to-government) and link with India’s own ATGMs — Nag, Helina and MPATGM. Likely in CDS and UPSC IR. |
PM Modi’s Uzbekistan Visit: Ties Upgraded to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership [International Relations]
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Uzbekistan (August 29–30), India and Uzbekistan upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, concluded a long-term uranium supply arrangement and set a bilateral trade target of US$5 billion by 2030. The PM then travelled to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for the 26th SCO Summit.
| Exam Tip: Uzbekistan’s capital is Tashkent — site of the 1966 Tashkent Declaration between India and Pakistan, and of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). Currency: Uzbek som. A classic Static GK crossover. |
- Indian Coast Guard Hosts 2nd India–Vietnam Exercise ‘Sahyog HOP TAC’ [Defence / International]
The Indian Coast Guard hosted the second edition of the India–Vietnam joint exercise ‘Sahyog HOP TAC’ in Chennai on August 27, 2026, with Vietnam Coast Guard ship CSB 8002 participating. It coincided with the 7th ICG–VCG high-level meeting.
| Exam Tip: The Indian Coast Guard was established in 1977 (formally under the Coast Guard Act, 1978) and functions under the Ministry of Defence. Maintain a table of bilateral exercises and partner countries for CDS and SSC. |
- Sports Ministry to Set Up National Coach Accreditation Board [Sports / Governance]
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced plans to set up a National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB) to standardise the quality of coaching in India, as recommended by a task force led by badminton coach Pullela Gopichand. The announcement was made at the 63rd Governing Body meeting of the Sports Authority of India.
| Exam Tip: The Sports Authority of India was set up in 1984. Pullela Gopichand won the All England Open in 2001 and received the Dronacharya Award in 2009. Connect with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. |
- Revamped Dak Sewa and Dak MITRA Apps Launched to Modernise Postal Services [Governance / Communications]
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia launched the revamped Dak Sewa App and the Dak MITRA (Mobile Interface for Transactions and Rural Assistance) App on August 26, 2026, to modernise postal services, and inaugurated 14 renovated post office buildings across 10 states.
| Exam Tip: India Post functions under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications. The PIN code system was introduced on August 15, 1972; India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) was launched in September 2018. World Post Day is October 9 and National Postal Day is October 10. |
Quick Revision — MCQ Practice
Q1. How many items are included in the 6th Positive Indigenisation List released by the Defence Ministry?
Ans: 405 strategically important defence items
Q2. Which High Court bench declared the Tamirabharani river a ‘legal person’?
Ans: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court
Q3. Which 1978 judgment’s definition of ‘industry’ will not apply under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020?
Ans: Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board v. A. Rajappa
Q4. Which consortium will build India’s first fully commercial Earth Observation constellation?
Ans: The Allied Orbits consortium led by PixxelSpace (12 satellites, operational by 2029)
Q5. Which shipyard delivered ‘Mangrol’, the third ASW Shallow Water Craft?
Ans: Cochin Shipyard Limited (August 21, 2026)
Q6. Under which Act is the National Testing Agency registered?
Ans: The Societies Registration Act, 1860
Q7. How many airports received in-principle approval for private operation from the PPPAC?
Ans: 11 airports in five bundles, with a 50-year concession period
Q8. According to NITI Aayog, how many Indian youth aged 15–29 are not in education, employment or training?
Ans: About 87 million
Q9. Through which route will India procure the Javelin anti-tank missile from the US?
Ans: The US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route
Q10. To what level were India–Uzbekistan ties upgraded during the PM’s August 2026 visit?
Ans: Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with a US$5 billion trade target by 2030
Note: All content is curated for educational purposes from publicly available reports. Aspirants are advised to cross-verify facts with PIB, official ministry releases, and standard reference books before the examination.