1. Which Union Minister presided over the 13th BRICS Education Ministers' Meeting, where the Bhubaneswar Declaration was adopted during India's 2026 BRICS Chairship?
Answer: E. Pralhad Joshi chaired the meeting in Bhubaneswar and urged a people-centric, humanity-first approach. The agenda drew on NEP 2020 themes such as foundational literacy and digital transformation.
2. On what dates will New Delhi host the 18th BRICS Summit?
Answer: C. As BRICS Chair for 2026, India will hold the 18th Summit in the capital on 12 and 13 September 2026.
3. The NCDC (Amendment) Bill, 2026 rewrites the corporation's mandate, which earlier spoke of planning programmes 'through co-operative societies'. What is the new wording?
Answer: A. The new mandate is phrased as being for co-operative development, which lets NCDC lend directly even to non-cooperative bodies that support the sector. NCDC now works under the Ministry of Cooperation.
4. NASA asked ISRO to take part in its Moon Base programme at the 9th India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting. Where was that meeting held?
Answer: B. The 9th CSJWG met in Bengaluru on 5-6 August 2026, and the Moon Base invitation followed India's membership of the Artemis Accords. The base is planned near the lunar south pole.
5. The Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel 'Shruti' (Yard 3037) for the Indian Navy was launched at which shipyard?
Answer: D. Shruti, an indigenously designed NGOPV of the Shachi class, came out of GRSE in Kolkata. It is meant for surveillance, anti-piracy, offshore asset protection and disaster relief.
6. Dr. Jitendra Singh dedicated 'Prakriti Gyan Dham', billed as India's first eco-educational walkable classroom, at Banthra in Lucknow. Which institution developed it?
Answer: E. CSIR-NBRI built it at its Maharishi Parashar Bioresource Centre. It includes the PAaVan Path trail, a heritage garden, a Bamboosteum with 43 bamboo species, and the Vibhav and Bhairav conservation enclaves.
7. Which section of the RBI Act, 1934 gives the Reserve Bank exclusive authority to issue banknotes, with Section 25 requiring Central Government approval of their design, form and material?
Answer: A. Section 22 grants the RBI sole note-issuing power, while Section 25 makes the look and material of notes subject to Central Government approval. The polymer-note trial of Rs 10 and Rs 20 notes goes through that route.
8. Fitch has affirmed India's sovereign rating at BBB- with a stable outlook. Which agency rates India one step higher, at BBB?
Answer: C. S&P rates India BBB with a stable outlook, one notch above Fitch's BBB-. Moody's has Baa3, which matches Fitch's lowest investment grade.
9. NABARD's National Climate Stack Innovation Challenge, run with the Gates Foundation and Dalberg Advisors, promotes which platform as digital public infrastructure for rural climate resilience?
Answer: B. The challenge builds on DiCRA to produce near-term climate hazard forecasts and decision-ready tools. The third-place VARSAPRADAYA entry runs its hazard scoring engine on DiCRA.
10. India gave five peacocks, one of them a rare white male, to the UN Office at Geneva, reviving a custom that began in which year?
Answer: A. Arindam Bagchi handed the birds to UNOG Director-General Tatiana Valovaya. The tradition goes back to 1981, when India first presented a breeding pair to Geneva.
11. Prof. Deepak Dhar is the first Indian physicist to win the 2026 Dirac Medal. Which institution awards it?
Answer: D. ICTP gave the 2026 Dirac Medal to Dhar for his work on statistical mechanics and complex systems. Bernard Derrida, Marc Mezard and Haim Sompolinsky shared the honour with him.
12. The Sangeet Natak Akademi's top honour, the Akademi Ratna Fellowship, can be held by at most how many living eminent persons at a time?
Answer: E. Fellowships are capped at 40 living persons. The President will present these along with the Akademi Puraskar awards for 2024 and 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan.
13. PM Modi opened the 'Param Pragya' AI-enabled supercomputing facility on the Sonipat campus of which institute, at its 57th convocation?
Answer: B. Param Pragya was inaugurated at IIT Delhi's Sonipat campus during the institute's 57th convocation to boost research in AI, data science and advanced computing.
14. NeGD and AAERI launched 'AAERI Verify', a DigiLocker-linked tool that speeds up document checks for Indian students applying to universities in which country?
Answer: C. AAERI is the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India. The tool brings verification for Australia-bound students down from days to a couple of minutes.
15. The CCRAS-BIS MoU on AYUSH quality standards was the BIS's how-manyth agreement of this kind, and its first with an AYUSH body?
Answer: B. It was the 100th MoU signed by BIS and the first with an AYUSH organisation, aimed at globally accepted standards and conformity assessment for traditional medicine.
16. In its 101st Survey of Professional Forecasters, the RBI projected India's real GDP growth for FY27 at:
Answer: A. Forecasters now see FY27 real growth at 6.6%, up from 6.5% in the previous round. They put FY28 at 7.0% and the first quarter of FY27 at 6.8%.
17. IndusInd Bank brought out a lifetime-free Platinum RuPay credit card, which can be linked to UPI, in partnership with which dining platform?
Answer: E. The EazyDiner IndusInd Bank Platinum RuPay Credit Card carries no joining or annual fee and offers rewards on dining and entertainment.
18. The ACC extended by a year, until 13 August 2027, the tenure of which Director of the Enforcement Directorate?
Answer: C. Rahul Navin, a 1993-batch IRS officer who has been in the ED since 2019, received a one-year extension as Director.
19. Astrobase Space Technologies revealed 'EVEREST', billed as India's first private 800 kN rocket engine. What propellants and cycle does it use?
Answer: D. EVEREST burns liquid oxygen and methane in a full-flow staged combustion cycle for reusable medium-lift rockets. Full-scale hot-fire tests are planned in 2026.
20. Manipur's Ariha Pangambam won India's first senior women's individual gold at the 2026 Asian Aerobic Gymnastics Championships with 19.100 points. Where were they held?
Answer: E. Her score of 19.100 secured a historic title for India, ahead of Thailand's Chanyapit Manee in silver and Japan's Mahiro Kishibe in bronze.
21. World Biofuel Day on 10 August recalls the 1893 demonstration of an engine fuelled by peanut oil, carried out by whom?
Answer: D. The day honours Rudolf Diesel's 1893 peanut-oil engine demonstration, and the Petroleum Ministry has marked it since 2015.
22. Under the revised PM E-DRIVE Scheme (outlay Rs 11,900 crore), e-two-wheeler subsidy is set at Rs 2,500 per kWh. What is the ceiling per vehicle?
Answer: C. The Ministry of Heavy Industries limited the e-2W incentive to Rs 2,500 per kWh and no more than Rs 5,000 per vehicle for April 2025 to March 2028.
23. To mark ten years of GeM, a nationwide five-digit helpdesk number was introduced. Which one?
Answer: B. Piyush Goyal launched the 14550 helpdesk at the Government e-Marketplace's tenth anniversary, along with a commemorative My Stamp.
24. According to the Quarterly PLFS Bulletin for April-June 2026, the unemployment rate among persons aged 15 and above climbed to:
Answer: A. The NSO bulletin shows joblessness among the 15-plus age group at 5.4%, with an overall labour force participation rate of 54.6%.
25. Under what name will the MSME Ministry-DPIIT MoU link Geographical Indication producers to ONDC and GeM?
Answer: E. The 'Bharat GI' initiative aims to speed up commercialisation and market access for GI goods through ONDC and GeM, helping artisans and weavers.
26. Which port became the first in India to receive ISO 50001:2018 Energy Management System certification, and is also a Scope-2 Emission-Free Port with 93.89% renewable electricity in FY26?
Answer: A. V.O.C. Port at Thoothukudi is the first Indian port with the ISO 50001:2018 certificate, and renewables met 93.89% of its power needs in FY26.
27. World Steelpan Day, observed on 11 August, celebrates the national instrument of which country?
Answer: D. The UN General Assembly adopted the day in 2023 through Resolution A/RES/77/316, recognising the steelpan of Trinidad and Tobago and its contribution to culture and sustainable development.