Official releases, distilled into exam-ready intelligence.

Dr. Padma Gurmet, Director of the National Institute of Sowa‑Rigpa, Leh, was awarded the UT Ladakh State Award 2025 for his contribution to the preservation, promotion and development of the Sowa‑Rigpa system of medicine. The award was presented by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena during a ceremony that honoured 36 individuals for the period 2022‑2025. The Lieutenant Governor emphasized that such awards recognise dedication and aim to inspire the younger generation to contribute to the welfare and development of the Union Territory.

On 13 August 2026, President Droupadi Murmu presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards for the years 2024 and 2025 in New Delhi. In her speech she highlighted the diversity of India’s musical, dance and folk‑theatre traditions, the vital role of the Guru‑Shishya system, and the threat of extinction faced by many folk art forms. She announced that the Akademi is organising the ‘Kala‑Diksha’ programme to document and revive such endangered arts and stressed that the Akademi serves as an important centre of India’s soft‑power, projecting cultural energy abroad.

The Department of Space, through IN‑SPACe, has announced a Public‑Private Partnership framework for Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellations. Under the scheme, private firms, start‑ups and academic institutions can design, build, own and operate EO satellites, including ultra‑high‑resolution optical, multispectral, hyperspectral and SAR satellites, using Indian launch vehicles and domestic ground infrastructure. The government has introduced financial incentives such as the Antariksh Venture Capital Fund (₹1,000 cr), Technology Adoption Fund (₹500 cr), Seed Fund Scheme (up to ₹1 cr), and a ₹500 cr outlay for common technical facilities. IN‑SPACe has approved a 12‑satellite constellation with Allied Orbits Private Limited, estimating an investment of over ₹1,200 cr, to be operational by 2029. The PPP model aims to boost disaster management, agriculture, climate monitoring, urban planning, border surveillance and the broader space economy.

The Department of Space outlined the 2026 space‑based applications under the Space Vision 2047. For agriculture, ISRO provided satellite‑derived crop‑sown and harvest‑area maps, yield estimates for rice, wheat and other crops, and supported the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Disaster management used near‑real‑time flood, landslide, cyclone and forest‑fire monitoring uploaded to BHUVAN and NDEM, and a search‑and‑rescue tool was installed at the Indian Navy’s NODPAC. Climate monitoring employed EOS‑06 and INSAT‑3DS data for ocean‑colour, wind and cloud products via the NICES portal, and an extreme‑weather nowcasting tool for IMD/MoES. Satellite data also aided MGNREGA, PMKSY, PMAY‑HFA, PMGSY, RKVY, UIDAI and other flagship programmes, while open‑access policies and capacity‑building initiatives expanded the use of Earth‑observation data across research, industry and public institutions.

World Elephant Day, observed on 12 August, underscores India’s role in Asian elephant conservation. The country hosts nearly 60 % of the global wild Asian elephant population, with the Synchronous All‑India Population Estimation of Elephants (SAIEE) 2021‑25 reporting 22,446 wild elephants. Conservation is driven by Project Elephant (MoEFCC), which supports 33 Elephant Reserves, 150 corridors, AI‑enabled monitoring, DNA‑based censuses, and railway mitigation structures that have cut train‑hit elephant deaths from 26 in 2013 to 12 in 2024. Additional measures include the 2023 Management Effectiveness Evaluation framework, Regional Action Plans, the Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules 2024, and ex‑gratia assistance for human‑elephant conflict under centrally‑sponsored schemes.

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying reports that under the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) it provides 50% grant assistance for milk procurement, chilling and quality‑assurance infrastructure and 75% central grant for modern milk procurement, processing, value‑addition and cold‑chain facilities, with 70% central grant for quality‑assurance in hilly areas and the North‑Eastern Region. The Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) offers a 3% interest subvention for modern dairy processing and cold‑chain projects. By June 2026, 36,611 new dairy cooperative societies were formed, 34,557 were strengthened, 168 lakh LLPD of chilling capacity and 76,748 testing devices were added, and projects totalling 418 LLPD of processing capacity were approved. Milk production rose from 209.96 Mt in 2020‑21 to 247.87 Mt in 2024‑25, raising per‑capita availability from 427 g to 485 g per day.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, speaking at the inaugural Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav, urged Indian businesses and citizens to adopt fair trading practices, promote recycling, reuse and a circular economy, and to take ‘Make in India’ products to global markets. He highlighted that nine free‑trade agreements have opened new market opportunities and that India’s economy, currently about $4 trillion, aims for a $30 trillion size by 2047. Exports reportedly reached $863 trillion last year (merchandise $442 trillion, services $421 trillion), a 73 % rise over six years, with a target of $1 trillion this year. He cited initiatives such as Digital India, Startup India and Stand‑Up India as drivers of growth and called for digitisation, good manufacturing practices and sustainability.

The Ministry of Electronics & IT reported that as of 31 July 2026, the UMANG app hosts about 2,575 services (880 Central, 1,695 State) and DigiLocker offers 5,437 document types/services (661 Central, 4,776 State). UMANG has over 11.66 crore registered users with roughly 798 crore transactions in the past three years, while DigiLocker records more than 72.43 crore users and 72.86 crore document‑access transactions. The network of Common Service Centres reached 4,07,122 functional units by 30 June 2026, with 70,069 run by women entrepreneurs. Both platforms are integrated with Digital Public Infrastructure components such as Aadhaar, eSign and API Setu, and are supported by digital‑literacy drives like PMGDISHA.

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying reports that digital platforms are being used to strengthen livestock and fisheries sectors. Under the ‘Pashu Aadhaar’ system, 39.23 crore livestock have been registered on the Bharat Pashudhan portal. The National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP) has registered 35.85 lakh fishers, fish farmers, vendors and other stakeholders. The government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah‑Yojana (PM‑MKSSY) under PMMSY, allocating ₹6,000 crore for 2023‑27, to improve institutional credit (up to ₹5,000 per beneficiary) and provide a one‑time insurance incentive of up to ₹25,000 per hectare (or ₹1 lakh per farmer for intensive systems), with extra benefits for SC/ST and women. Applications are processed online, though KCC applications remain outside these digital ecosystems.

The Ministry of Electronics & IT reports that India’s data centre capacity has risen from 375 MW in 2020 to about 1,575 MW, yet it remains under 1 % of the nation’s installed power capacity. The Central Electricity Authority projects data‑centre power demand to reach roughly 17 GW by 2031‑32. To support this growth, the government is advancing energy‑efficiency and clean‑energy measures, including Green Energy Open Access Rules, Green Energy Corridor Scheme, GTAM, National Green Hydrogen Mission, Solar PV and Offshore Wind schemes, and the SHANTI Act for nuclear power. BIS has issued standards on PUE, CUE, CER and WUE, while the Bureau of Energy Efficiency has notified ECBC 2017 and ECSBC 2024 for buildings. Advanced cooling technologies such as direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling and immersion cooling are being adopted to curb water use.

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.