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Daily Current Affairs: 16 & 17 August 2026

Current affairs of 16 & 17 August 2026: Reform Utsav: three-month citizen reform campaign; Sandhya Kiran Scheme: Karnataka Health Cover for Pensioners; Green India Mission: Targets, CAG Findings and Revised 2021-2030 Plan, and 12 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (15 questions)August 2026

In this issue: 15 topics

National Affairs

Reform Utsav: three-month citizen reform campaign
MMDR Amendment Bill 2026: Limits on State Mineral Taxes
N. Chandrasekaran to Leave Tata Sons Chairman Post in 2027
Vaishya Tekri, Ujjain: Mauryan Stupa May Be Re-excavated

Government Schemes

Sandhya Kiran Scheme: Karnataka Health Cover for Pensioners

Banking & Finance

SEBI Credit Risk-o-Meter Proposal for Debt Securities
IFSCA Licenses Nexent Capital for Investment Banking in GIFT City

Economy

FAST-DS Scheme: Disclose Foreign Assets at 60% Tax Till 31 December 2026
Punatsangchhu-III 920 MW Project: JSW Neo Energy and DGPC Pact
Andhra Pradesh and CSIR-NGRI Sign Lithium Exploration Pact

International Affairs

India-Nepal MoUs: 8 High Impact Community Development Projects

Science & Technology

VIHAAN: India’s First Home-Designed Broadband Networking SoC

Environment & Ecology

Green India Mission: Targets, CAG Findings and Revised 2021-2030 Plan
Mahadayi (Mandovi) River: Origin, Course, Tributaries

Defence & Security

Maj Gen Sunil Kumar Razdan, Kirti Chakra Awardee, Dies at 70

National Affairs

Polity & Governance

1. Reform Utsav: three-month citizen reform campaign

Reform Utsav is a three-month campaign, likely from 2 October 2026, converting public suggestions into reforms.
Its stages: Jan Manthan, Vimarsh, then Samadhan with Sankalp Siddhi.
AI will sort ideas.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Polity & Governance

2. MMDR Amendment Bill 2026: Limits on State Mineral Taxes

The MMDR Amendment Bill, 2026 would bar states from taxing mineral rights or lands except on conditions set by the Centre.
It responds to the 2024 nine-judge ruling in MADA v. SAIL, which held royalty is not a tax.
Past unpaid state levies would be invalid, and collected sums would not be refunded.
Section 13 lets the Centre fix ceilings through executive rules.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

3. N. Chandrasekaran to Leave Tata Sons Chairman Post in 2027

Natarajan Chandrasekaran will leave as Executive Chairman of Tata Sons once his term finishes on 20 February 2027.
He took charge as Chairman in February 2017 and was reappointed in 2022.
Earlier he was CEO and MD of TCS, from 2009.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

History, Art & Culture

4. Vaishya Tekri, Ujjain: Mauryan Stupa May Be Re-excavated

Vaishya Tekri is an archaeological mound in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, believed to be a Mauryan-era Buddhist stupa.
The 1938-39 dig estimated about 350 feet in diameter and at least 100 feet in height, against 54 feet for Sanchi's Great Stupa.
Coins found suggest a 3rd century BCE date.
Archaeologists say it cannot be called bigger than Sanchi until modern excavation confirms its size.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

Government Schemes

5. Sandhya Kiran Scheme: Karnataka Health Cover for Pensioners

Karnataka's cabinet approved Sandhya Kiran, a contributory cashless health scheme for pensioners below 70 and their families.
It gives Rs 5 lakh annual health cover per family under Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka.
About 4.93 lakh beneficiaries will be covered.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

6. SEBI Credit Risk-o-Meter Proposal for Debt Securities

SEBI floated a compulsory colour-based Credit Risk-o-Meter covering debt instruments.
It aims to help investors understand and compare credit risk more easily.
Letter ratings (for example AAA, AA+, BBB-) would be grouped into six visual risk bands.
The bands start at the lowest credit risk and end at a high-to-very-high chance of default.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

7. IFSCA Licenses Nexent Capital for Investment Banking in GIFT City

Nexent Capital IFSC Pvt. Ltd. received an Investment Banking licence from IFSCA.
Its base will be GIFT City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Permitted work covers public issues, SPAC and secondary listings, debt market deals and advisory.
Registration came under the IFSCA (Capital Market Intermediaries) Regulations, 2025.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

8. FAST-DS Scheme: Disclose Foreign Assets at 60% Tax Till 31 December 2026

FAST-DS, announced in Budget 2026-27 and notified by CBDT, runs from 16 August to 31 December 2026.
Category A covers assets up to Rs 1 crore at an effective 60 per cent tax.
Category B covers assets up to Rs 5 crore with a flat Rs 1 lakh fee.
Declarants gain immunity under the Black Money Act, 2015.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

9. Punatsangchhu-III 920 MW Project: JSW Neo Energy and DGPC Pact

JSW Neo Energy signed a pact with Bhutan's Druk Green Power Corporation for the 920 MW Punatsangchhu-III Hydroelectric Project.
The joint venture stakes are DGPC 51% and JSW Neo Energy 49%.
It follows the BOOT model and is JSW Neo Energy's first power venture outside India.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

10. Andhra Pradesh and CSIR-NGRI Sign Lithium Exploration Pact

Andhra Pradesh and CSIR-NGRI signed an agreement to explore lithium and gallium in the Kadapa Basin.
Exploration will concentrate on the Vempalle region.
Earlier studies showed lithium up to 1,000 ppm and gallium up to 250 ppm.
The ₹140 crore project is fully funded by the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET).
A separate pact with IIT (ISM) Dhanbad-TEXMiN will create a Centre of Excellence for mining.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

International Relations

11. India-Nepal MoUs: 8 High Impact Community Development Projects

Eight High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) in Nepal were covered by MoUs signed between the two countries.
Their combined estimated cost is NPR 803 million, funded as an Indian grant.
They will be carried out in seven districts across four Nepali provinces.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

Government Schemes

12. VIHAAN: India’s First Home-Designed Broadband Networking SoC

Chennai fabless startup Aheesa Digital Innovations achieved first-pass silicon success with VIHAAN, India's first home-designed broadband networking SoC.
VIHAAN runs on open-standard RISC-V with C-DAC's indigenous VEGA processor.
MeitY's Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme supported the effort.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

Government Schemes

13. Green India Mission: Targets, CAG Findings and Revised 2021-2030 Plan

Green India Mission, an NAPCC mission under MoEFCC, was conceived in 2010 and launched in 2014.
Goal: widen forest and tree cover by 5 million hectares and upgrade quality on 5 million more, 10 million hectares in total.
CAG flagged weak funding, poor coordination, patchy monitoring and missed targets.
A revised 2021-2030 document released in 2025 is tied to the Paris sink goal of 2.5-3 billion tonnes CO2e.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

14. Mahadayi (Mandovi) River: Origin, Course, Tributaries

The Environment Ministry told Lok Sabha that Karnataka has no pending application for green clearance of the Mahadayi diversion.
NBWL has not cleared forest diversion for the Kalasa Nala project inside the Kali-Sahyadri tiger corridor.
Mahadayi rises from 30 springs in Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary and flows about 117 km to the Arabian Sea.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

Defence & Security

15. Maj Gen Sunil Kumar Razdan, Kirti Chakra Awardee, Dies at 70

Major General Sunil Kumar Razdan (Retd.) died on 13 August 2026, aged 70.
He held both the Kirti Chakra and the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).
He was the Indian Army's first General to use a wheelchair.
He led a hostage rescue during a 1994 anti-terror operation in Jammu & Kashmir despite serious wounds.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Test yourself

15 questions from the news of 16 & 17 August 2026, with answers and explanations.