Official releases, distilled into exam-ready intelligence.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh reports that about 2.16 lakh aquaculture farmers operate on roughly 5.79 lakh acres of freshwater and brackish‑water farms. Farmers are confronting falling market prices and rising fish‑feed costs. To mitigate these issues, feed manufacturers have agreed to cut shrimp‑feed prices by ₹4 per kg, and registered farmers receive electricity at a subsidised tariff of ₹1.50 per unit. The Union Government has rationalised customs duties on 16 key aquaculture inputs (reducing rates to 0‑5 %) in the 2024‑25 and 2025‑26 budgets, and in September 2025 lowered GST on over 20 fisheries‑related products from 12‑18 % to 5 %. These steps aim to lower production costs, improve farmer profitability, and boost the sector’s competitiveness.

The fisheries sector, described as one of the fastest‑growing agri‑allied sectors, contributed about 7.43 % to Agricultural GVA and 1.09 % to total GVA in 2023‑24. Constitutionally, fisheries fall under State jurisdiction (Entry 21, List‑II) while fishing beyond territorial waters is a Union subject (Entry 57, List‑I). The Department of Fisheries is implementing schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, Fisheries & Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah‑Yojana. From FY 2018‑19, the Kisan Credit Card facility has been extended to fishers and fish farmers. Under PM‑MKSSY, a one‑time incentive of 40 % of the aquaculture insurance premium is provided (up to ₹25,000 per hectare or ₹1 lakh per farmer for 4 ha), with an extra 10 % for SC/ST and women beneficiaries.

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah‑Yojana (PM‑MKSSY) as a central‑sector sub‑scheme under PMMSY for FY 2023‑24 to FY 2026‑27 with an estimated outlay of Rs 6,000 crore. The scheme aims to formalise the unorganised fisheries sector, enhance access to institutional finance, strengthen cooperatives, and provide one‑time incentives for aquaculture insurance (40 % of premium, capped at ₹25,000 per hectare or ₹1 lakh per farmer). It also offers performance‑grant incentives (up to 25‑35 % of investment) for micro‑enterprises and village‑level organisations, promotes climate‑resilient practices, and seeks to generate 1.70 lakh jobs across all states and UTs.

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying has launched a free digital Access Pass for fishing in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ, 12‑200 nautical miles). Issued via the ReALCRaft portal under the Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ Rules, 2025, the pass is mandatory for mechanised vessels over 24 m but exempts traditional non‑motorised crafts. To date, 9,650 passes have been issued across coastal states and UTs. The Union Budget 2026‑27 declared fish caught in the EEZ duty‑free and treated landings at foreign ports as exports, with related amendments to the Customs Act. The pass is linked to MPEDA, EIC and satellite‑based safety systems, and is supported by the Ministry of Cooperation and NCDC under PMMSY and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund.

The Directorate of Health Research – Health Technology Assessment India (DHR‑HTAIn) carried out a health‑technology‑assessment based economic evaluation of four molecular TB diagnostic platforms—GeneXpert MTB, Truenat MTB, Pathodetect MTB and Quantiplus MTB—under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). Using a health‑system perspective and facility‑level micro‑costing at a reference volume of 50 samples per day, the study found cost per test of ₹1,387.45 (GeneXpert), ₹834.30 (Truenat), ₹723.21 (Pathodetect) and ₹244.85 (Quantiplus). Revised procurement prices quoted to NTEP are ₹692, ₹588, ₹465 and ₹340 respectively, with Quantiplus costing nearly double its earlier price and lacking rifampicin‑resistance detection, necessitating additional testing costs. The findings aim to guide cost‑effective procurement and scale‑up of molecular TB diagnostics.

On Hariyali Amavasya, more than 50,000 saplings were planted across 31 states under a nationwide campaign led by Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan in partnership with the Vriksh Mitra Parivar and supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative. The drive, held at the PBG Ground in Delhi, involved ministers, MPs, officials, farmers, youth and citizens, and was replicated in villages, towns and institutions nationwide. The Minister urged every citizen to plant at least one tree each year, encouraged panchayats and urban bodies to earmark plantation sites, and linked environmental sustainability to agriculture, water availability, soil health and farmer welfare, also calling for greater adoption of Mission LiFE, energy conservation and reduced plastic use.

The 8th BRICS Working Group Meeting on Ocean and Polar Science and Technology (OPST) is being held in Goa from 12‑14 August 2026 under India’s BRICS Presidency 2026. Hosted by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (MoES), the meeting was inaugurated by Dr. M. Rajeevan and featured a keynote on India’s Blue Economy Initiatives. Delegates from Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and India are discussing bilateral, trilateral and multilateral cooperation, joint research, capacity building, scientific exchanges and shared use of research infrastructure. The OPST Working Group, set up in 2018, aims to promote scientific cooperation and knowledge exchange among BRICS members.

The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) have renewed a three‑year Memorandum of Understanding to implement the “One Herb, One Standard” initiative. The MoU, signed in the presence of Union Minister Shri Prataprao Jadhav, aims to develop uniform, scientifically robust quality standards for single‑plant drugs used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Sowa‑Rigpa, Unani and Homoeopathy. Building on an earlier 2022 MoU that produced 50 monographs, the renewed partnership will expand harmonised standards, address stakeholder confusion, improve international acceptance, and facilitate ease of doing business for manufacturers and exporters while safeguarding India’s biodiversity.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Dr. Jitendra Singh outlined the Government’s roadmap to build a self‑reliant, globally competitive nuclear energy ecosystem. The Nuclear Energy Mission, announced in the Union Budget 2025‑26, targets 100 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2047, with a two‑pronged approach of large indigenous 700 MWe PHWRs and advanced reactors, and the deployment of at least five indigenous Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) by 2033. The SHANTI Act, 2025, seeks to broaden public‑private participation in nuclear manufacturing and R&D while granting statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. Ongoing work on the three‑stage programme aims to harness thorium resources, with BARC developing BSMR‑200, SMR‑55 and a 5 MWth HTGCR for hydrogen production, and IGCAR advancing fast‑breeder reactors. Domestic industry is already supplying critical components such as low‑alloy steel forgings, and the ecosystem is being expanded to include isotope production for medical use.

The 393rd report of the Department‑related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, chaired by Shri Sanjay Kumar Jha, was presented on 12 August 2026. Titled “From Manuscript to Mission: Preserving, Mapping and Sustaining India’s Cultural Heritage in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”, the report proposes a series of measures – from expanding digitisation standards and creating a citizen‑driven ‘Akshar Mitra’ platform, to releasing open‑access manuscript data, building an open index of persons/places/works, extracting astronomical and weather observations, and integrating cultural layers into the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan. It also recommends a guardianship framework for at‑risk manuscripts and collaboration with the Ministry of AYUSH for pharmacopoeial linkages.

The Ministry of Cooperation has rolled out a suite of digital initiatives to modernise the cooperative sector under the ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’ vision. A centrally‑sponsored Computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) project, now funded at ₹2,925.39 crore, has onboarded 63,686 PACS onto an ERP‑based national software, recording over 51.58 crore digital transactions by 15 July 2026. The ePACS platform offers 22 ERP modules, Aadhaar‑linked services, cloud‑based storage, maker‑checker controls and multilingual support in 20 languages. Parallelly, the National Cooperative Database (NCD) now lists about 8.6 lakh cooperatives across 30 sectors, with a upgraded NCD 3.0 portal and GeoTag mobile app launched 6 July 2026. Additional reforms include computerisation of Registrar offices, a Cooperative Ranking Framework, and RBI‑approved relaxations for urban and rural cooperative banks, all aimed at enhancing transparency, governance and service delivery.

The Ministry of Education clarified that recruitment for faculty in Central Higher Education Institutions (CHEIs), including Central Universities, is autonomous and governed by each institution’s Acts, with vacancies filled by their respective Boards or Executive Committees. State university vacancies are managed by state governments and are not centrally recorded. The Ministry highlighted continuous vacancy creation due to retirements, promotions, and expansion, and noted measures such as year‑round advertisements, search‑cum‑selection procedures, and the UGC’s CU‑CHAYAN portal to enhance transparency. Mission‑mode recruitment drives were undertaken in 2021, 2022 and 2025, resulting in 32,114 posts (18,757 faculty) filled up to 23 May 2026.

The Ministry of Education, responding to a Rajya Sabha question, clarified that under the Samagra Shiksha and PM SHRI schemes, recruitment of Special Educators is a State/UT responsibility, with deployment at block or cluster level in an itinerant mode. The Department has notified a Pupil‑Teacher Ratio of one Special Educator per 10 CwSN at primary level and one per 15 CwSN at upper‑primary level (Notification S.O. 4586(E), 21‑09‑2022). According to UDISE+ 2025‑26, 1.17 lakh schools have a dedicated Special Educator, with a total enrolment of 2.21 million CwSN across India. State‑wise data on enrolment and schools with Special Educators is provided in the annexure. Capacity‑building measures include NISHTHA‑based online modules, handbooks by NCERT/CBSE, and two dedicated credits on Inclusive Education in the ITEP programme.

The Ministry of Education, referencing NEP 2020, has pursued a Digital University platform to broaden learner‑centric, technology‑enabled education. In October 2025, NIELIT (MeitY) launched the NIELIT Digital University (NDU) Platform, which now serves learners in over 750 districts, has recorded more than 2.70 lakh registrations and offers over 100 skill‑based courses in areas such as AI, cybersecurity and Industry 4.0. The associated Alumni‑cum‑Placement Portal has attracted over 35,000 learners and 190 recruiters. Under the National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT), the SWAYAM Plus platform provides over 500 employability‑focused courses curated with 80+ industry partners across 15 sectors, enrolling more than 6 lakh learners. The information was supplied by Minister of State for Education Dr Sukanta Majumdar in a Rajya Sabha reply.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) facilitated the selection of three Sanchar Mitra volunteers – Ankit Kumar Pal (Delhi), Manish Kumar Mandal (Bengaluru) and Susmita Sain (Guwahati) – as Generation Connect Youth Envoys (GCYE) for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the 2026‑2030 period. The appointment, announced on International Youth Day 2026, recognises their contributions under the Sanchar Mitra scheme, which engages youth in telecom‑related awareness, digital safety and inclusion activities. The GCYE programme offers young participants a platform to contribute to national, regional and global ICT, digital transformation and inclusive development discussions, aligning with DoT’s goal of empowering youth in the digital future.

The Government of India will launch a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)‑based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) in the Union Territories of Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli on 14 August 2026. The rollout, announced by the Ministry of Company Affairs, will transfer food‑subsidy benefits directly into beneficiaries’ CBDC wallets as programmable Digital Rupee tokens, replacing conventional bank transfers. The scheme aims to provide a transparent, end‑to‑end traceable payment mechanism, reduce leakages and cash handling, promote financial inclusion, and serve as a proof‑of‑concept for wider adoption across other states and UTs.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) launched e‑Inspection and e‑Certified Copy Services, inaugurated by President Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal via video‑conference. The services aim to give advocates, litigants and other stakeholders quicker, convenient access to judicial records and certified copies as part of the Tribunal’s broader digital transformation, which includes a revamped website and the e‑Courts 2.0 initiative. The Tribunal also highlighted data‑driven case‑management measures that have reduced pendency, leading to the approval of 78 resolution plans in April‑June 2026—the highest first‑quarter performance since the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code’s enactment—covering roughly ₹5,517.66 crore. Detailed guidelines for case registration and listing have been issued in consultation with the Bar.

On World Elephant Day 2026, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav reaffirmed India’s commitment to elephant conservation, citing that the country has 33 Elephant Reserves across 14 States and 150 scientifically validated elephant corridors. He highlighted advanced population monitoring and stronger measures to mitigate human‑elephant conflict, stating that securing elephants secures forests, biodiversity and ecological heritage. Union MoS Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh noted that nearly 60 % of the world’s wild Asian elephants reside in India, underscoring their role as ecosystem engineers and symbols of ecological heritage.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) reports that the FAME India Scheme Phase‑II (2019‑2024) with a budget of ₹11,500 crore has supported the sale of about 16.72 lakh electric vehicles (e‑2Ws, e‑3Ws, e‑4Ws) and deployment of 5,299 e‑buses as of 31 July 2026, alongside allocation of ₹912.50 crore for 9,583 public charging stations (EV PCS). The PM E‑DRIVE scheme (₹10,900 crore) targets 28.30 lakh EVs and has earmarked ₹4,391 crore for 14,028 e‑buses and ₹2,000 crore for nationwide EV PCS. Additional incentives include a reduced GST of 5% on EVs and chargers, green licence plates, and road‑tax waivers. By 7 August 2026, 67,657 EV chargers (including 1,139 battery‑swapping stations) were installed across states and UTs.

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), through Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, has developed 72 improved crop varieties using radiation‑induced mutagenesis and cross‑breeding. These varieties – including 17 groundnut, 10 rice, 9 each mungbean and mustard, and others – have been released for commercial cultivation in partnership with ICAR and State Agricultural Universities, offering traits such as higher yield, early maturity and climate‑resilience (drought, heat, salinity tolerance). DAE promotes adoption via large‑scale seed production, collaborations with state seed corporations, KVKs, FPOs and NGOs, and outreach programmes. It also transfers radiation‑based food preservation technologies to private entrepreneurs and supports food‑irradiation units under the PMKSY scheme, with three facilities operational in Uttar Pradesh.