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Daily Current Affairs
16 & 17 August, 2026
1. The Union Government plans a three-month “Reform Utsav” citizen-driven governance reform campaign, likely from which date?
A. 15 August 2026
B. 2 October 2026
C. 26 January 2027
D. 1 November 2026
E. 25 December 2026
View Answer
Explanation: Reform Utsav builds a pipeline of citizen voice → actionable reform → implementation. Three stages: Jan Manthan-Discover (portal/meetings/webinars, AI classifies suggestions, multilingual call centre), Vimarsh-Deliberate (quick-win reforms + structural roadmaps), Samadhan & Sankalp Siddhi-Resolution (coordination committee with bi-weekly reviews tracking implementation).
2. The Gaj Gaurav 2026 mahouts of Jaldapara National Park not only rescued six stranded captive elephants but also helped move how many wild one-horned rhinoceroses to safety during the floods?
A. 5
B. 9
C. 13
D. 17
E. 21
View Answer
Explanation: The 7 honoured mahouts/handlers of Jaldapara NP (West Bengal) rescued six stranded captive elephants and helped shift 13 wild one-horned rhinos to safer areas during the severe floods — earning the MoEF&CC’s Gaj Gaurav Awards at World Elephant Day celebrations in Visakhapatnam.
3. Karnataka’s “Sandhya Kiran Scheme” — a contributory cashless healthcare scheme under Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka — covers state pensioners below 70 years with what annual family health cover?
A. â‚ą2 lakh
B. â‚ą3 lakh
C. â‚ą5 lakh
D. â‚ą10 lakh
E. â‚ą7.5 lakh
View Answer
Explanation: Sandhya Kiran (Karnataka Cabinet-approved) covers ~4.93 lakh beneficiaries — pensioners below 70 and their families — with ₹5 lakh annual family cover for secondary, tertiary and emergency treatment at empanelled hospitals, under AB-ArK.
4. The CAG flagged major gaps in the Green India Mission. GIM is one of the EIGHT missions under which framework?
A. National Mission for Green India Act
B. National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
C. Panchamrit Commitments
D. National Forest Policy 1988
E. LiFE Mission
View Answer
Explanation: GIM — conceived 2010 under NAPCC, launched 2014 by MoEF&CC — targets increasing forest/tree cover over 5 million hectares AND improving quality over another 5 million hectares, boosting ecosystem services (biodiversity, water, carbon sequestration) and forest-based livelihoods. The CAG audit flagged inadequate funding, weak inter-scheme coordination, poor monitoring and missed targets.
5. Under FAST-DS (Foreign Assets Disclosure Scheme for Small Taxpayers), Category A declarants (undisclosed foreign asset/income never offered to tax, up to â‚ą1 crore) must pay:
A. Flat fee of â‚ą1 lakh
B. 30% tax only
C. 30% tax + an equal additional amount = effective 60%
D. 45% tax
E. 75% tax + penalty
View Answer
Explanation: FAST-DS (announced Budget 2026-27; Chapter IV Finance Act 2026; CBDT-notified; in force 16 August-31 December 2026; valuation date 31 March 2026; electronic Form 1) gives immunity from further tax, penalty and prosecution under the Black Money Act. Category A: never-taxed foreign asset/income up to ₹1 crore → effective 60%. Category B: asset already taxed or acquired as non-resident but not declared in the ITR schedule, up to ₹5 crore → flat ₹1 lakh fee. Target group: students, young professionals, tech employees and returned NRIs with inadvertent non-disclosure or residential-status changes; also covers income that escaped assessment under Section 147.
6. SEBI proposed a mandatory colour-coded “Credit Risk-o-Meter” for debt securities, converting credit ratings (AAA, AA+, BBB- etc.) into how many visual risk levels?
A. 4
B. 5
C. 6
D. 8
E. 10
View Answer
Explanation: The proposed Credit Risk-o-Meter maps ratings into 6 visual levels, from “lowest credit risk” to “high to very high risk of default” — making credit risk easier for investors to grasp and compare. Separately, IFSCA granted an Investment Banking licence to Nexent Capital IFSC Pvt Ltd (GIFT City) under the IFSCA (Capital Market Intermediaries) Regulations, 2025 — for IPOs, FPOs, SPAC listings, secondary listings, debt capital market deals and advisory.
7. The MMDR Amendment Bill, 2026 responds to which 2024 nine-judge Constitution Bench ruling that recognised states’ power to tax mineral rights while holding “royalty is not a tax”?
A. State of Jharkhand v. Union of India
B. Mineral Area Development Authority (MADA) v. SAIL
C. India Cement v. State of Tamil Nadu
D. Kesoram Industries case
E. Orissa Mining Corporation v. MoEF
View Answer
Explanation: The Bill amends the MMDR Act 1957 to create a uniform, Centre-directed mining fiscal framework after MADA v. SAIL (2024, 9-judge bench). Key clauses: Section 2 amendment extends central control over “mineral-bearing lands”; NEW Section 9D bars states from any tax/cess/levy on mineral rights or mineral-bearing lands EXCEPT per Centre-prescribed conditions (power made conditional, not abolished); retrospective invalidation of unpaid pre-amendment state dues; NO refunds of taxes already collected; Section 13 delegates the actual ceilings/parameters to executive rules — so the real extent of restriction emerges later through rules.
8. India and Nepal signed MoUs for 8 High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) worth NPR 803 million. Across how many districts and provinces of Nepal will they be implemented?
A. 5 districts, 3 provinces
B. 7 districts, 4 provinces
C. 8 districts, 5 provinces
D. 10 districts, 6 provinces
E. 4 districts, 2 provinces
View Answer
Explanation: The 8 HICDPs (NPR 803 million, Indian grant assistance) span education, health, agriculture and digital transformation across 7 districts in 4 provinces of Nepal.
9. JSW Neo Energy signed a pact with Bhutan’s Druk Green Power Corporation for the 920 MW Punatsangchhu-III Hydroelectric Project. What is the JV shareholding split?
A. JSW 51% – DGPC 49%
B. DGPC 51% – JSW 49%
C. 50-50
D. DGPC 74% – JSW 26%
E. JSW 60% – DGPC 40%
View Answer
Explanation: The 920 MW Punatsangchhu-III project (Punatsangchhu River, Bhutan) will be developed on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis with DGPC holding 51% and JSW Neo Energy 49% — JSW Neo Energy’s FIRST power generation venture outside India.
10. Andhra Pradesh and CSIR-NGRI signed a â‚ą140-crore pact (fully NMET-funded) to explore which two critical minerals in the Kadapa Basin’s Vempalle region?
A. Cobalt and nickel
B. Lithium and gallium
C. Rare earths and titanium
D. Graphite and vanadium
E. Copper and tungsten
View Answer
Explanation: The AP-CSIR-NGRI exploration targets lithium and gallium in the Kadapa Basin (Vempalle focus) — earlier studies showed lithium up to 1,000 ppm and gallium up to 250 ppm; cost ₹140 crore, fully funded by the National Mineral Exploration Trust. AP also tied up with IIT (ISM) Dhanbad-TEXMiN for a mining Centre of Excellence.
11. The Mahadayi River — known as the Mandovi in Goa and its primary lifeline — originates from a cluster of 30 springs in which wildlife sanctuary in Belagavi district, Karnataka?
A. Dandeli WLS
B. Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary
C. Anshi National Park
D. Sharavathi Valley WLS
E. Someshwara WLS
View Answer
Explanation: The Mahadayi (Mandovi) — a west-flowing inter-state river (~117 km; Karnataka-Maharashtra-Goa) — rises from 30 springs in Bhimgad WLS near Degao/Khanapur, Belagavi, and drains into the Arabian Sea at Panaji through the Mormugao and Aguada bays. Karnataka tributaries: Kalasa Nala and Banduri Nala (the Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project streams); Goa tributaries: Khandepar, Ragada, Mapusa etc. Context: the Environment Ministry told the Lok Sabha no Karnataka EC proposal for the diversion is pending, and the NBWL has NOT approved forest diversion for the Kalasa Nala scheme in the Kali-Sahyadri tiger corridor.
12. “VIHAAN” — India’s first indigenous broadband networking System-on-Chip that achieved first-pass silicon success — was designed by which Chennai-based fabless startup?
A. Mindgrove Technologies
B. Aheesa Digital Innovations
C. Saankhya Labs
D. Signalchip
E. InCore Semiconductors
View Answer
Explanation: VIHAAN (Aheesa Digital Innovations, Chennai; supported under MeitY’s Design Linked Incentive Scheme / India Semiconductor Mission) is built on the open-standard RISC-V architecture with C-DAC’s indigenous VEGA processor — for FTTH deployments, broadband routers and CPE, cutting reliance on imported networking chips. Key terms: SoC = processor+memory+networking+security on one chip; fabless = designs chips, outsources fabrication; first-pass silicon success = chip worked on the very first fabrication attempt.
13. N. Chandrasekaran will step down as Executive Chairman of Tata Sons after his current term ends on which date?
A. 31 December 2026
B. 20 February 2027
C. 31 March 2027
D. 30 June 2027
E. 15 August 2027
View Answer
Explanation: Chandrasekaran — Tata Sons Chairman since February 2017 (reappointed 2022), earlier TCS CEO & MD from 2009 — steered the group’s expansion into aviation, electronics and digital businesses.
14. Major General Sunil Kumar Razdan (Retd.), who passed away at 70, was the Indian Army’s FIRST wheelchair-borne General and a recipient of which gallantry award — India’s second-highest PEACETIME gallantry honour?
A. Ashoka Chakra
B. Kirti Chakra
C. Shaurya Chakra
D. Vir Chakra
E. Param Vishisht Seva Medal
View Answer
Explanation: Maj Gen Razdan (Kirti Chakra and VSM) led a 1994 counter-terrorist hostage-rescue operation in J&K despite severe injuries, later becoming the Army’s first wheelchair-borne General. The Kirti Chakra is India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award (after the Ashoka Chakra).
