1. National Handloom Day 2026: Why August 7 Is Observed
- National Handloom Day is observed every year on August 7.
- The Government declared the day in 2015.
- It commemorates the Swadeshi Movement of 1905.
- New Delhi hosted the twelfth edition in 2026.
Daily Current Affairs: 9 & 10 August 2026
Current affairs of 9 & 10 August 2026: Vulture Soft Release in Kaziranga: Assam World-First; Indian Navy–US Navy EOD Exercise 2026: 8th Edition at Kochi; E-Samudra Portal: Faceless Digital Platform for Shipping, and 18 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.
In this issue: 21 topics
National Affairs
- National Handloom Day 2026: Why August 7 Is Observed
- Quit India Movement Day: August 8 and Its 1942 Call
- World Indigenous Peoples Day 2026: Date and Theme
Government Schemes
- E-Samudra Portal: Faceless Digital Platform for Shipping
- Nurses Registration and Tracking System: INC-NIC Portal Explained
Banking & Finance
- RBI Delays Loan Recovery Agent Norms to 1 January 2027
- SBI Life and J&K Bank Corporate Agency Tie-up, Aug 2026
- Standard Chartered gets IFSCA nod for GIFT City wealth services
- Indian Bank MSME Outreach: Rs 500 Crore Loans Sanctioned
Economy
International Affairs
Agriculture & Rural
Science & Technology
Environment & Ecology
- Vulture Soft Release in Kaziranga: Assam World-First
- Amboseli National Park: Kenya Elephant Deaths and Park Facts
Defence & Security
- Indian Navy–US Navy EOD Exercise 2026: 8th Edition at Kochi
- Bhawana Kanth: First Woman to Finish IAF Fighter Combat Leader Course
- Agni-4 Missile Test: 4,000 km Range, Chandipur Launch
Reports & Indexes
Awards & Persons
National Affairs
2. Quit India Movement Day: August 8 and Its 1942 Call
- Quit India Movement Day, also called August Kranti Diwas, falls on August 8.
- It commemorates the start of the Quit India Movement in 1942.
- Mahatma Gandhi gave the "Do or Die" call; Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan.
3. World Indigenous Peoples Day 2026: Date and Theme
- The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed every year on 9 August.
- The UN proclaimed the day in 1994.
- The first observance took place in 1995.
- The 2026 theme is 'Honouring Indigenous Midwives'.
Government Schemes
4. E-Samudra Portal: Faceless Digital Platform for Shipping
- The Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister launched E-Samudra, an integrated digital portal for maritime administration.
- The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) implements it.
- It includes d-SEA digital employment agreements and the 24x7 e-NAVIK grievance service.
5. Nurses Registration and Tracking System: INC-NIC Portal Explained
- NRTS is an online platform from the Indian Nursing Council, developed together with the National Informatics Centre.
- It maintains a real-time nationwide list of nurses and offers registration, renewal and reciprocal registration online.
- Incomplete rollout causes NOC delays, credential-verification delays and duplicated State processes.
Banking & Finance
6. RBI Delays Loan Recovery Agent Norms to 1 January 2027
- In August 2026 the RBI shifted the start of its revised framework on loan recovery and recovery agents to 1 January 2027.
- The earlier start date was 1 October 2026.
- Existing agents not covered earlier get a transition window to be certified by IIBF or a partner institute.
- Some bank staff, regular instalment collectors and assisting law firms are exempt.
7. SBI Life and J&K Bank Corporate Agency Tie-up, Aug 2026
- SBI Life Insurance Company signed a corporate agency partnership with Jammu & Kashmir Bank in August 2026.
- Protection, savings, retirement and child plans will be sold through J&K Bank's branch network.
- The tie-up supports insurance penetration and financial inclusion under the Insurance for All by 2047 vision.
8. Standard Chartered gets IFSCA nod for GIFT City wealth services
- IFSCA approved Standard Chartered Bank in August 2026 for wealth management services via its GIFT City branch.
- Scope covers retail wealth management, capital-market products and other financial solutions.
- The approval strengthens GIFT IFSC as an international financial hub.
9. Indian Bank MSME Outreach: Rs 500 Crore Loans Sanctioned
- Indian Bank approved nearly Rs 500 crore of MSME loans for 128 beneficiaries in August 2026.
- Credit proposals worth about Rs 1,250 crore were also mobilised.
- A Unified MSME Portal was launched for digital lending.
- The portal draws on PAN, GST and Udyam Registration data.
Economy
10. Self Help Groups: Savings-First Lessons for Rural Finance
- An opinion piece calls the SHG movement the most significant rural financial innovation in many decades.
- SHGs are voluntary community groups of usually 10-20 members pooling savings and giving small loans.
- The model started with savings rather than credit and placed poor rural women at the centre.
- Heavy reliance on subsidised credit, grants and outside funds can weaken the savings-led design.
International Affairs
11. Nagasaki Day 2026: 81st Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing
- Nagasaki Day falls every year on August 9.
- It recalls the 1945 nuclear attack on the Japanese city of Nagasaki in the Second World War.
- A US B-29 named Bockscar released Fat Man, a plutonium bomb.
Agriculture & Rural
12. PM-KISAN Extended to 2030-31: Tenant Farmer Gap
- The Union Cabinet extended PM-KISAN for five years, 2026-27 to 2030-31; it reaches about 9.5 crore farmers.
- PM-KISAN pays Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments of Rs 2,000 by direct benefit transfer.
- It began on 24 February 2019 at Gorakhpur, effective 1 December 2018, as a fully Central-funded scheme.
- Tenant and landless cultivators get nothing because eligibility depends on names in land records.
Science & Technology
13. LASPL-Massivit MoU: India’s First Large-Format 3D Printing Facility
- Lohia Aerospace Systems Private Limited (LASPL) and Israel-based Massivit signed an MoU in August 2026.
- The plan is India's first commercial large-format additive manufacturing facility, at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
- Investment is USD 8-10 million over one to two years.
Environment & Ecology
14. Vulture Soft Release in Kaziranga: Assam World-First
- Ten captive-bred vultures, five of each species, were released with the Soft Release method in Biswanath Wildlife Division, Kaziranga.
- Both Slender-billed and White-rumped Vultures are Critically Endangered.
- White-rumped Vulture numbers fell by over 99% within two decades because of veterinary drug toxicity.
- India banned veterinary diclofenac in 2006; meloxicam is the approved safe alternative.
15. Amboseli National Park: Kenya Elephant Deaths and Park Facts
- 15-16 African elephants died within a month in the Amboseli ecosystem of Kenya.
- The Kenya Wildlife Service began an inquiry after early tests found cyanide poisoning, probably from farm agrochemicals.
- Amboseli was gazetted as a national park in 1974 and became a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1991.
Defence & Security
16. Indian Navy–US Navy EOD Exercise 2026: 8th Edition at Kochi
- The eighth round of the bilateral naval EOD exercise is scheduled at Southern Naval Command, Kochi, Kerala.
- It is a bilateral drill on underwater salvage, bomb disposal and neutralising explosive ordnance.
- It belongs to the SALVEX series that both navies began in 2005.
17. Bhawana Kanth: First Woman to Finish IAF Fighter Combat Leader Course
- Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has completed the Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course at TACDE, Gwalior, the first Indian Air Force woman fighter pilot to do so.
- This makes her the first woman to graduate from the IAF's Top Gun school.
- The FCL course lasts 20 weeks.
18. Agni-4 Missile Test: 4,000 km Range, Chandipur Launch
- India flight-tested the Agni-4 Medium-Range Ballistic Missile from Chandipur, Odisha in August 2026.
- The Strategic Forces Command conducted the test together with DRDO.
- Agni-4 is a two-stage, solid-fuel missile.
- Its range is about 4,000 km and it can carry up to 1,000 kg.
Reports & Indexes
19. Kroll Celebrity Brand Valuation 2025: Shah Rukh Khan Leads
- Kroll released the 11th edition of its Celebrity Brand Valuation report (2025) in August 2026.
- Shah Rukh Khan ranked first with a brand value of USD 177.9 million.
- Ranveer Singh was second at USD 162.9 million; Virat Kohli third at USD 158.4 million.
- The top 25 celebrities together were worth about USD 2 billion.
Awards & Persons
20. Praggnanandhaa Wins Maiden Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz
- R Praggnanandhaa took his first Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz crown in the USA.
- The event was played from 31 July to 7 August 2026.
- He ended on 23.5 points after winning the rapid section and staying ahead in blitz.
- Tour context: fourth stop of the 11th Grand Chess Tour.
21. John Turner Retires from Cricket at 25 Due to Injury
- England fast bowler John Turner retired from professional cricket in August 2026 at age 25.
- Persistent injuries, led by a long-running back stress fracture, cut short a career of five years.
- He played 2 ODIs and 2 T20Is for England.
- His Hampshire record: 97 wickets from 51 domestic games.
Test yourself
21 questions from the news of 9 & 10 August 2026, with answers and explanations.
Start the quiz