20 august 2026 current affairs | 20 august current Affairs | current affairs today

20 august 2026 current affairs | 20 august current Affairs | current affairs today |

Get the latest Current Affairs 2026, Daily Current Affairs, Current Affairs Today, National and International News, Government Schemes, Appointments, Awards, Economy, Sports, Science & Technology, Important Days and One-Liners Current Affairs for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, Defence and other competitive exams.

Key Points:

• – Scheme: Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Domestic PNG Connections.
• – Effective from: 1 September 2026.
• – Objective: Expand domestic PNG connectivity and promote clean cooking fuel.
• – Target: City Gas Distribution (CGD) companies.
• – India currently has 1.74 crore domestic PNG connections.
• – Eligible CGD entities will receive an additional allocation of 200 Standard Cubic Metres (SCM) of lower-priced domestically produced APM gas for every incremental billed domestic PNG connection.
• – The incentive will be applicable above the threshold fixed for each Geographical Area (GA).
• – Implementation will take place in two tranches over six months.

Key Points:

• – Ministry: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• – Scheme: Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS).
• – New projects approved: 31.
• – Investment/value: ₹7,877 crore.
• – Total sanctioned projects: 106.
• – Products covered overall: 30.
• – States covered overall: 15.
• – Approval event was held in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and MoS Jitin Prasada.
• The latest projects cover 20 target-segment products.
  – These include:
  – 3 sub-assemblies
  – 10 bare components
  – 6 supply-chain products
  – 1 capital good
• – New projects will be spread across 10 states:
  – Goa
  – Gujarat
  – Haryana
  – Himachal Pradesh
  – Karnataka
  – Maharashtra
  – Tamil Nadu
  – Telangana
  – Uttar Pradesh
  – Uttarakhand
• – Estimated production value: ₹82,243 crore.
• – Expected direct employment: 9,588 jobs.

Key Points:

• – Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI).
• – July 2026 total exports: USD 80.14 billion.
• – July 2025 exports: USD 70.72 billion.
• – Export growth: 13.31% YoY.
• – July 2026 total imports: USD 95.16 billion.
• – July 2025 imports: USD 82.16 billion.
• – Import growth: 15.83%.
• – Trade deficit: USD 15.03 billion in July 2026.
• – July 2025 trade deficit: USD 11.43 billion.

Merchandise Trade:

• – Merchandise exports increased 19.63%.
• – July 2026 merchandise exports: USD 44.24 billion.
• – July 2025: USD 36.98 billion.
• – July 2026 merchandise exports surpassed the previous July record of USD 38.34 billion in July 2022.
• – Merchandise imports rose 17.52% to USD 76.22 billion from USD 64.86 billion.

Services Trade:

• – Services exports: USD 35.89 billion.
• – July 2025 services exports: USD 33.74 billion.
• – Services imports: USD 18.94 billion.
• – July 2025 services imports: USD 17.30 billion.

Major Export Growth:

• – Iron ore: 78.35%
• – Petroleum products: 67.64%, reaching USD 6.92 billion.
• – Electronic goods: 57.40%, reaching USD 5.92 billion.
• – Meat, dairy and poultry products: 40.84%
• – Cashew: 25.11%
• – Marine products: 17.83%.

Key Points:

• – Report: PLFS Monthly Bulletin – July 2026.
• – Released by: National Statistics Office (NSO), MoSPI.
• – July 2026 is the 16th bulletin in the series covering April 2025–July 2026.
• – Unemployment Rate (UR): 5.1%.
• – June 2026 UR: 5.5%.
• – The indicators are based on the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach.
• – Rural UR: 4.5%.
• – Urban UR: 6.7%.
• – LFPR: 55.4% in July 2026, up from 54.4% in June.
• – WPR: 52.5% in July 2026, up from 51.4% in June.
• – Key indicators covered:
• – Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)
• – Worker Population Ratio (WPR)
• – Unemployment Rate (UR).

Key Points:

• – Ministry: Ministry of Defence (MoD).
  – Department: Department of Defence Production (DDP).
  – 6th PIL: 405 items.
  – DPSU items: 389.
  – Indian Coast Guard items: 16.
  – Estimated business potential: ₹3,070 crore.
  – Objective: Boost indigenous manufacturing and reduce imports.
• Categories include:
  – Line replaceable units
  – Sub-systems
  – Sub-assemblies
  – Spares
  – Components
  – Raw materials.
•  Platforms/systems covered include:
  – Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH)
  – Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)
  – Su-30MKI
  – Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)
  – T-72
  – T-90
  – BMP-II
  – Missile systems
  – Defence electronics.
• DPSUs/organisations represented include:
  – Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL)
  – Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)
  – Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
  – BEML Limited
  – Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE)
  – Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL)
  – Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL)
  – Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
  – Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI)
  – Munitions India Limited (MIL)
  – Indian Coast Guard.
• Detailed list is available on the SRIJAN Portal.

Key Points:

• – Expedition: Aparajita – Parang La 2026.
  – Flagged off by: Rajnath Singh.
  – Date: 18 August 2026.
  – Organised under: NCC.
  – Location of flag-off: New Delhi.
  – Distance: 250 km.
  – Duration: More than 30 days.
  – Highest pass: Parang La Pass – 5,578 metres / 18,300 feet.
  – Route connects:
  – Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh
  – Changthang region, Ladakh.
  – Route includes:
  – Kibber
  – Dumla
  – Thaltak
  – Bongrojen
  – Parang La Pass
  – Dak Karzong
  – Norbu Sumdo
  – Kiangdom
  – Korzok.
  – Terrain includes deserts, glaciers, snowfields and river valleys.
  – Team: 28 NCC girl cadets.
  – Average age: 19 years.
  – Youngest participant: 16.5 years.
  – Expedition is led by three women officers from the three services.
  – Supported by officers, medical staff and instructors.
  – Promotes Nari Shakti and the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.

Key Points:

• – Implementing framework: Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP).
  – DBN: Digital Bharat Nidhi.
  – Formerly known as: Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
  – GoI approved ₹3,942 crore for ABP implementation in Chhattisgarh.
• – Partners:
  – Chhattisgarh State BharatNet Infrastructure Limited (CSBIL)
  – Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)
  – Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society (CHiPS).
• – Objective:
  – Upgrade existing BharatNet network.
  – Expand broadband connectivity.
  – Provide future-ready connectivity to Gram Panchayats and villages.
  – Promote digital inclusion in rural and remote areas.
  – Coverage: 11,682 Gram Panchayats.
• – Includes:
  – 4,048 Phase-I GPs
  – 5,964 Phase-II GPs
  – 1,670 newly created GPs.
• – DBN was established under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003.
• – It was renamed DBN under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
• – Came into effect on 31 August 2024.

Key Points:

• – Exercise: MAITREE-XV.
  – Edition: 15th.
  – Participants:
  – Indian Army
  – Royal Thai Army.
  – Venue: Vibhavadi Rangsit Camp, Surat Thani, Thailand.
  – Dates: 18–31 August 2026.
  – Personnel: 85 soldiers from each side.
  – Indian contingent: Mainly personnel from 9 Gorkha Rifles.
  – Thai contingent: 3rd Battalion, 25th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division.
  – Objectives:
  – Military cooperation
  – Interoperability
  – Mutual understanding
  – Operational readiness.
  – Validation exercise included:
  – Temporary Operating Base establishment
  – Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance grid
  – Village isolation
  – Heliborne operations
  – Raids
  – Hostage rescue operations.
  – A 48-hour exercise was conducted as part of the validation activities.

Key Points:

• – Partnership: J&K Bank + HDFC Life.
  – Agreement: Corporate Agency Agreement.
  – Customers will gain access to HDFC Life insurance products covering:
  – Protection
  – Savings
  – Investments
  – Retirement planning.
  – Partnership aligns with IRDAI’s vision of “Insurance for All by 2047.”
  – HDFC Life was established in 2000.
  – It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  – HDFC Bank Limited is its holding company and sole promoter.
  – Products include:
  – Protection
  – Savings
  – Investment
  – Pension
  – Annuity
  – Health insurance solutions.

Key Points:

• – Product: Razorpay Vulcan.
  – Company: Razorpay.
  – Claim: India’s first AI-powered payments foundation model.
  – Technology developed using:
  – NVIDIA
  – Amazon Web Services (AWS).
  – Trained on nearly:
  – 3 trillion data points
  – 4 billion payments across Razorpay’s network.
  – Designed to address:
  – Payment failures
  – Fraud
  – Transaction routing
  – Checkout-related friction
  – Risk decisions.
  – Payment success rates improved by up to 10%.
  – International card fraud detection/prevention improved by 8 times.
  – Identified 5 times more fraudulent or disputed transactions.
  – India’s digital e-commerce market is projected to reach USD 350 billion by 2030.
  – Razorpay was founded in 2014 by Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar.
  – Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Key Points:

• – Agency: ICRA Limited.
  – Estimate announced: 18 August 2026.
  – Q1 FY27 GDP growth estimate: 7%.
  – Q4 FY26 GDP growth: 7.8%.
  – Reason for moderation: Slower services-sector expansion.
• Sector-wise Q1 FY27 Estimates:
• – Industrial sector: 7.7%
  – Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 4%
  – Services: 7.9%
  – Services GVA growth expected at 7.9%, down from 9.9% in the previous quarter.
• FY27 Outlook:
• – ICRA retained full-year FY27 GDP growth forecast at 6.7%.
  – FY26 GDP growth: 7.7%.
  – Crude oil assumption: USD 80–85 per barrel.
  – Nominal GDP growth expected around 13% in FY27, compared with 8.9% in FY26, due to higher inflation.
  – ICRA was established in 1991.
  – Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana.
  – Chairman: Palamadai Sundararajan Jayakumar.

Key Points:

• – Ministry: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS).
  – Awards announced: National Sports Awards 2025.
  – Arjuna Award:
  – 17 regular awardees.
  – 1 Lifetime awardee.
  – Dronacharya Award:
  – 3 Regular.
  – 2 Lifetime.
  – Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar: 1 recipient.
  – No athlete received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
  – Similar absence of a Khel Ratna awardee had occurred in 2008 and 2014 since the award’s institution in 1991.
  – Selection committee was chaired by former Supreme Court judge Arun Kumar Mishra.
  – The selection followed a re-evaluation process intended to ensure merit-based selection.
• Notable Arjuna Awardees:
• – Tejaswin Shankar – Athletics.
  – Divya Deshmukh – Chess.
  – Treesa Jolly – Badminton.
  – Gayatri Gopichand – Badminton.
• Arjuna Award – Lifetime:
• – I Arumainayagam, former footballer and 1962 Asian Games gold medallist.
• Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar:
• – Army Paralympic Node, Pune, Maharashtra.
  – Recognised for sports development and support to para-athletes.
• Dronacharya Award – Regular:
• – Parveer Singh – Athletics.
  – Chhote Lal Yadav – Boxing.
  – Neha Nandkumar Chavan – Shooting.
• Dronacharya Award – Lifetime:
• – Dharmendra Singh Yadav – Boxing.
  – Virender Kumar – Wrestling.

Key Points:

• – Structure: Parichha Weir.
  – Location: Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
  – Age: Around 140 years.
  – Recognising body: International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID).
  – Recognition: World Heritage Irrigation Structure (WHIS).
  – It serves as the headworks of the Betwa Canal System.
  – Located across the Betwa River.
  – Formal WHIS Award 2026 presentation:
  – October 2026
  – Marseille, France
  – 26th ICID International Congress
  – 77th International Executive Council Meeting.
• Engineering Features:
• – Rubble-stone masonry structure.
  – Length: 1,174 metres.
  – Height above riverbed: 16.8 metres.
  – Contains 318 steel falling shutters.
  – Reservoir capacity increased from 1,700 million cubic feet to 2,400 million cubic feet.
• Irrigation Importance:
• – Betwa Canal System extends approximately 2,654 km.
  – Irrigates around 4,28,360 hectares.
  – Benefits five districts across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
• Other Indian structures selected for WHIS Award 2026:
• – Ashti Medium Project – Maharashtra.
  – Chhapawara Dam – Rajasthan.
  – Pechiparai Dam – Tamil Nadu.

Key Points:

• – Name: William F. Rasmussen.
  – Age at death: 93 years.
  – Place of death: Seattle, Washington, USA.
  – Born: 15 October 1932.
  – Birthplace: Chicago, USA.
  – Co-founder of ESPN.
  – Launched ESPN with his son Scott Rasmussen on 7 September 1979 in Bristol, Connecticut.
  – Left active involvement with ESPN in 1980.
  – Recognised as a pioneer of sports media and television.
  – Honours included:
  – Connecticut Sports Museum and Hall of Fame – 1997
  – Rutgers University Wall of Fame – 2002
  – DePauw University Media Wall of Fame – 2012
  – Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame – 2025.
  – USA Today named him the “Father of Sports Television” in 1994.
  – Featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Forty for the Ages” in 1994.
  – Named among The Sports 100.
  – Books associated with his work include:
  – Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN
  – ESPN: One Giant Leap for Fankind (2023).
  – He also collaborated on the Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN documentary and book project in 2026.

Key Points:

• – Date: 19 August.
  – Day: World Photography Day / World Photo Day.
  – It commemorates the invention of the daguerreotype process.
  – Daguerreotype was the first practical photographic process.
  – Developed by Louis Daguerre in 1837.
  – 2026 Theme: “HOME”.
  – Theme encourages people to share photographs representing their personal meaning of home.
  – It highlights the stories and emotions connected with photographs.
  – Photography is the art and science of capturing light using cameras, smartphones, drones and other devices.
  – The word “Photography” means “drawing with light.”
  – The term was coined by British scientist Sir John Herschel in 1839.

Key Points:

• – Date: 20 August.
  – Day: Sadbhavana Diwas / Harmony Day.
  – Objective:
  – Promote peace.
  – Encourage unity.
  – Strengthen communal harmony.
  – Promote goodwill among different communities.
  – It marks the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
  – 2026: 82nd birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.
  – Sadbhavana Diwas was first observed on 20 August 1992.
  – It was observed in memory of Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1991.
  – Meaning of Sadbhavana: Goodwill and bonafide