MeitY Notifies Rs 62,500 Cr MPMS Scheme to Boost Handset Production in India
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), notified the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) with a budgetary outlay of Rs 62,500 crore (Cr) aimed at scaling up handset production in India.
DoT under India’s BRICS Chairship Hosted BRICS ICT Track in Pune, Maharashtra
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications, organised the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) ICT Track (Information and Communication Technologies Track) in Pune, Maharashtra from August 17 to 21 2026, under the theme “Innovate, Cooperate and Transform (ICT) for a Resilient Future”.
DRDO’s NSTL Signs Two LAToT to Boost Indigenous Defence Manufacturing
Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP), signed two Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology (LAToT) to strengthen indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities.
Union MoS Anupriya Patel Addresses IIMA Healthcare Summit 2026 on Advancing AI in Healthcare
Union Minister of State (MoS), Anupriya Patel, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers (MoCF) addressed the 3rd Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad (IIMA) Healthcare Summit 2026 on “Advancing AI in Healthcare” at Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
IA’s Territorial Army Launches Terrier Cyber Quest 2026 National-Level Hackathon
Territorial Army, in collaboration with CyberPeace, launched Terrier Cyber Quest 2026 (TCQ 3.0), a national-level hackathon to develop innovative solutions for defence, cybersecurity, and information-domain challenges.
About Terrier Cyber Quest 2026:
Objective: TCQ 3.0 promotes indigenous solutions in Artificial Intelligence
(AI), cybersecurity, threat mitigation, and digital awareness through participation from academia, industry, government organisations, research institutions, and the Armed Forces.
Tracks: The hackathon includes Bug Hunting, AI Kavach, and Creators Challenge tracks, focusing on vulnerability detection, AI-based defence solutions, and awareness against digital threats.
NBSS&LUP Develops India’s First Soil Texture Map for Precision Agriculture
National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), a premier institute under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), announced the India’s first Soil Texture Map
during the 50th Foundation Day in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
- The map, released in July 2026, provides hectare-level soil information to support crop planning, irrigation management, and land-use decisions
NSDC Launches Nationwide Cloud & AI Skilling Initiative with AWS
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), and Cultus Education launched a nationwide ‘Cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Skilling Initiative’ in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Five African Countries End Polio Type 2 Outbreaks: WHO
World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa confirmed the closure of poliovirus type 2 outbreaks in Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Republic of the Congo, and Uganda after Independent Outbreak Response Assessment (OBRA) conducted between January and June 2026.
VinFast India Sign MoU with Federal Bank to Strengthen Dealer Financing Ecosystem
VinFast India, the Indian subsidiary of Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer Vingroup JSC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Bank Limited, a leading private sector bank in India, to provide customized inventory financing solutions for its Authorised Dealer (AD) network.
PNB & Indian Army Sign MoU to Offer ‘PNB LUXURA Metal’ & ‘PNB Parakram’ Credit Cards for Army Personnel
Punjab National Bank (PNB), India’s 2nd largest Public Sector Bank(PSB), signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army (IA) to offer two credit cards ‘PNB LUXURA Metal Credit Card’ and ‘PNB Parakram Credit Card’, designed for IA officers and Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and other ranks personnel, respectively.
Odia Poet Ashutosh Parida Selected for 47th Sarala Puraskar for ‘Bishwas De Pruthwi
Renowned Odia poet, essayist, and former scientist, Ashutosh Parida was selected for the 47th Sarala Puraskar for his poetry collection ‘Bishwas De Pruthwi(2024)’. The award will be presented at a ceremony scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on October 25, 2026.
- The 2026 Ila-Bansidhar Panda Kala Samman, recognising lifetime excellence in the arts, was awarded to Odissi maestro Guru Durga Charan Ranbir and sculptor Damodar Behera.
Government Appoints Three Part-Time Non-Official Directors to RBI Central Board
Government of India (GoI) appointed Annie George Mathew, Janmejaya Kumar Sinha, and Syed Akbaruddin as part-time, non-official directors on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a 4-year term.
- The appointments were approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 22 August 2026 based on the proposal of the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance (MoF) under Section 8(1)(c) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934.
Sophie Adenot Becomes First French Woman to Walk in Space
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot, from France, carried out a mission to repair a communications system on the International Space Station (ISS), becoming the 1st French woman to walk in space.
- Also, she became the 2nd European woman to walk in space after Samantha Cristoforetti, from Italy (in 2022).
2026 BWF World Championships: France’s Alex Lanier & South Korea’s An Se-young Win Men’s & Women’s Singles Champions
The 30th edition of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships(2026), was held from 17 to 23 August 2026 at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi, Delhi, where Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand won the bronze medal in women’s doubles, securing India’s first medal in the category since 2011.
- Alex Lanier of France became the first French player to win a world singles title by defeating Kodai Naraoka of Japan 21–11, 21–11, while An Se-young of South Korea won her second women’s singles world title by defeating Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21–17, 21–14.
Indian Chess Grandmaster Pranesh M Wins Kanizsa Open 2026 in Hungary
19-year-old Indian Grandmaster (GM) Pranesh M from Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu (TN), won the Kanizsa Open 2026 Group A title in Nagykanizsa, Hungary, after defeating Germany’s Vadim Petrovskiy in the ninth and final round. He finished the tournament with 7 points from 9 rounds.
- Pranesh finished jointly on 7/9 with Or Bronstein of Israel, Andrei Volokitin of Ukraine and Karthik Venkataraman of India, but secured the title on a superior tiebreak.
- The tournament was held from 15 to 23 August 2026 at Kanizsa Aréna, Nagykanizsa, in a 9-round Swiss-system format.
East Bengal FC Clinched 135th Durand Cup 2026 Football Title by Defeating Mohun Bagan Super Giant
East Bengal Football Club (FC) won the 135th Durand Cup 2026 football tournament by defeating arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant 4–1 in the final at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata, West Bengal (WB), with Edmund Lalrindika scoring a first-half hat-trick.
- The victory marked their first title since 2004, ending a 22-year wait and equalling the all-time record of 17 titles in Asia’s oldest football competition.
National Space Day 2026 – August 23
National Space Day (NSpD) is observed across India on 23 August to commemorate the historic success of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Chandrayaan-3 mission and the successful deployment of the Pragyan Rover.
- 2026 Theme: “Towards Viksit Bharat: Innovating, Collaborating and Aspiring to Global Space Leadership”.
Maharashtra Govt Signs MoU with Germany’s Hesse for Investment, Innovation & Skills
Government of Maharashtra and the German State of Hesse signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in areas including investment, industry, innovation, employment and skill development.