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Daily Current Affairs
15 August, 2026
1. BNHS, with the Indian Army, has sterilised 2,950+ free-ranging dogs in Ladakh since 2022 to protect the Black-necked Crane. The Black-necked Crane is unique among the world’s 15 crane species because it is:
A. The only flightless crane
B. The only exclusively ALPINE species
C. The smallest crane
D. The only nocturnal crane
E. The only migratory crane
View Answer
Explanation: The Black-necked Crane — the only exclusively alpine species among 15 crane species — is the State Bird of the UT of Ladakh, IUCN Near Threatened, ranging across India, China, Bhutan and Nepal. Local names: Thrung Thrung Karmo (Dzongkha), Cha Tung-Tung (Ladakhi). Dog predation on its chicks prompted the BNHS-Army sterilisation drive.
2. India’s fertiliser subsidy keeps rising even though only about what share of applied nutrients is actually absorbed by crops?
A. 20%
B. 40%
C. 60%
D. 75%
E. 90%
View Answer
Explanation: Only ~40% of applied nutrients get absorbed; the unused portion causes groundwater contamination, air pollution, nutrient wastage and a heavier subsidy burden — underscoring the need to raise Nutrient-Use Efficiency (NUE).
3. PM Vishwakarma 2.0 is likely to launch on 17 September — Vishwakarma Jayanti. The original scheme (2023, Central Sector, MSME Ministry) covers how many identified traditional trades?
A. 12
B. 15
C. 18
D. 21
E. 25
View Answer
Explanation: PM Vishwakarma (launched 2023; Central Sector; MSME nodal) covers 18 traditional trades for artisans above 18 years — offering collateral-free credit, skill training, modern tools, digital-transaction incentives and market linkage. Phase 2.0 sharpens credit access and market linkages, launching 17 September (Vishwakarma Jayanti, also the PM’s birthday).
4. PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (February 2024, MNRE) targets 1 crore households by March 2027 and offers households up to how many units of free electricity per month?
A. 100 units
B. 200 units
C. 300 units
D. 400 units
E. 500 units
View Answer
Explanation: The rooftop solar scheme (Central Sector; National Programme Implementation Agency at national level, State Implementation Agencies at state level) provides up to 300 free units/month via rooftop generation. States like UP, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar are now topping up aid for households that can’t afford installation — to cut their own power-subsidy revenue losses.
5. In his Independence Day 2026 address, the PM outlined “Shakti Ki Saptadhara” — seven streams of national strength. Which of the following is NOT one of the seven?
A. Manufacturing
B. Gati Shakti & Connectivity
C. Green & Blue Economy
D. Space Militarisation
E. Soft Power
View Answer
Explanation: The seven streams: (1) Manufacturing (global supply-chain hub, domestic components), (2) Farming & Food Processing (millets/spices as global brands), (3) Technology & Innovation (data centres, robotics, 6G, building on UPI-DPI), (4) Gati Shakti & Connectivity (multimodal, logistics cost), (5) Raksha Shakti (Aatmanirbhar defence, drones, global supplier), (6) Green & Blue Economy (green hydrogen, renewables, storage, fisheries, ocean tech), (7) Soft Power (Yoga, films, gaming, tourism) — interconnected pillars towards Aatmanirbharta and Viksit Bharat.
6. PMJDY completed 12 years, crossing 58 crore accounts with deposits of about â‚ą3 lakh crore. On what date was PMJDY formally LAUNCHED (after the 15 August 2014 Red Fort announcement)?
A. 15 August 2014
B. 28 August 2014
C. 2 October 2014
D. 1 September 2014
E. 26 January 2015
View Answer
Explanation: PMJDY — a National Mission for Financial Inclusion (Finance Ministry nodal; DFS implementing) — was announced from the Red Fort on 15 August 2014 and launched on 28 August 2014. Features: BSBDA zero-balance accounts, free RuPay card with accident cover, overdraft up to â‚ą10,000, DBT, insurance and mobile banking. It is the first layer of the JAM trinity and India’s digital public infrastructure.
7. RBI closed its FCNR(B) swap window one month early after banks mobilised how much under the scheme (launched 8 June 2026)?
A. $32.5 billion
B. $42.8 billion
C. $52.3 billion
D. $62.1 billion
E. $25.6 billion
View Answer
Explanation: Banks raised $52.3 billion by 13 August, prompting early closure (31 August) — barely a week after Governor Malhotra said there was no withdrawal proposal. FCNR(B) = Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) term deposits held in foreign currency by NRIs, with principal AND interest paid in the same currency (no rupee conversion risk). The swap: bank sells NRI dollars to RBI for rupees, reversing at maturity at the SAME rate — RBI bears the full hedging cost, letting banks offer attractive NRI rates without currency risk.
8. L&T secured a â‚ą10,000-15,000 crore order to build a large AI computing facility at its Chennai data-centre campus for “Together AI”, deploying 10,000 GPUs of which type?
A. NVIDIA H100
B. NVIDIA B300
C. AMD MI300
D. NVIDIA A100
E. Google TPU v6
View Answer
Explanation: The L&T-Together AI facility in Chennai will deploy 10,000 NVIDIA B300 GPUs for AI training, inference and model fine-tuning.
9. NCLT launched e-Inspection and e-Certified Copy services under which programme?
A. Digital India 2.0
B. e-Courts 2.0
C. NCLT-NextGen
D. Nyaya Setu
E. e-Tribunal Mission
View Answer
Explanation: The services — digital case-record inspection and certified copies via the NCLT e-Filing portal — come under e-Courts 2.0, reducing physical visits and improving transparency. NCLT was established on 1 June 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013.
10. The White House report “The Great Transshipment Scam” placed India in which tier of “China’s Shadow Transshipment Network”, and on what basis?
A. Tier 2 — closely integrated with China
B. Tier 3 — weak customs enforcement
C. Tier 1 — risk “embedded” within massive legitimate trade flows
D. Tier 1 — weak customs enforcement
E. India was not named in the report
View Answer
Explanation: The White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy named 40+ jurisdictions. Tier 1: India, Mexico, Canada, EU — trade with the US so large that suspect flows can hide inside legitimate ones (NOT weak enforcement). Tier 2: Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand — “closely integrated” with China. Tier 3: Cambodia, Panama, UAE — “weak customs enforcement”. Illegal transshipment = routing goods via a third country with minor processing, relabelling, repackaging or re-invoicing. The India corridor named: Pune-Gujarat-Chennai (pumps and compressors, affecting Cincinnati-Dayton-Columbus).
11. Per the WIPO report, India ranks FIFTH globally in Generative AI patent filings. Which country tops the list with over 70% of global GenAI patents (2024-25)?
A. United States
B. China
C. Japan
D. South Korea
E. Germany
View Answer
Explanation: Rankings (2024-25 share): China 70%+, US 10% (92% CAGR), Japan 6.5% (230% CAGR), South Korea 3.7%, India 5th at 2% (64% CAGR). India published 929 GenAI patents in 2024-25 — nearly 70% of the 1,350 it published over the whole 2014-23 decade. Germany (6th), UK (8th), Canada and Switzerland are closing in, so India’s fifth place is not secure. WIPO is a UN specialised agency.
12. BHEL signed a strategic collaboration for PEM electrolyser manufacturing in India with “Hystar AS” — a company from which country?
A. Germany
B. Norway
C. Denmark
D. Netherlands
E. Sweden
View Answer
Explanation: The BHEL-Hystar (Norway) tie-up covers PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolysers — BHEL will now offer both PEM and alkaline solutions, supporting the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Separately, the Andaman & Nicobar Administration invited proposals for a private-led Green AI/Data Centre, with Campbell Bay (Great Nicobar) a potential site.
13. On the 80th Independence Day (15 August 2026), PM Modi delivered his 13th consecutive Red Fort speech — becoming only the SECOND PM to do so after:
A. Indira Gandhi
B. Jawaharlal Nehru
C. Manmohan Singh
D. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
E. Rajiv Gandhi
View Answer
Explanation: Modi became the 2nd PM after Nehru with 13 consecutive Independence Day speeches. The celebrations highlighted 150 years of Vande Mataram and the theme “Yuva Shakti – Leading the Journey to Viksit Bharat@2047”.
14. IN-SPACe approved India’s first fully commercial Earth Observation satellite constellation (PPP model) led by which company?
A. Dhruva Space
B. PixxelSpace India
C. Agnikul Cosmos
D. SatSure Analytics
E. Skyroot Aerospace
View Answer
Explanation: The PixxelSpace-led consortium (with Dhruva Space, PierSight Space and SatSure Analytics) will build a 12-satellite constellation using panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral and SAR technologies — investment ₹1,200+ crore, operational by 2029.
15. How many personnel received the Shaurya Chakra in the 2026 Independence Day honours?
A. 15
B. 17
C. 19
D. 21
E. 23
View Answer
Explanation: 19 Shaurya Chakras: 11 Army, 1 Navy, 1 Air Force, and 6 Police/Central Armed Forces personnel. Lance Naik Narender Sindhu of 9 Rashtriya Rifles received the award posthumously.
