05th August, 2026

1. Department of Posts Releases Commemorative Postage Stamp to Mark the Birth Centenary of Padma Vibhushan Satish Gujral
2. Indian Air Force Conducts Exercise ROTOR CLAP-III in Rajasthan to Enhance Counter-Drone Combat Capability
3. BEL and Esri India Sign MoU to Develop GIS and GeoAI Solutions for the Defence Sector
4. Pacific Island Nation Nauru Officially Renamed as the Republic of Naoero
5. HDFC Bank Launches ‘Max for Seniors’ and ‘Max for Her’ Savings Accounts
6. ASSOCHAM Signs MoUs with Business France and IACCIA to Boost Global Trade Cooperation
7. A. S. Rajeev Assumes Charge as Acting Central Vigilance Commissioner
8. Prashant Agrawal’s Book “Bringing the Cheetah Back to India” Released
9. National Bone and Joint Day 2026 – August 4
10. Visakhapatnam and Moscow Sign Memorandum of Cooperation for Smart Urban Transport
11. 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting Begins in Bhubaneswar, Odisha
12. Minister of State Pabitra Margherita Participates in Guyana’s 60th Independence Anniversary Celebrations
13. BRICS Culture Working Group Meeting Begins in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
14. India Expands Its Energy Import Basket from 27 to 41 Source Countries
15. Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs Says AI and Robotics Will Enhance Testing Infrastructure, Accuracy, and Traceability
16. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar Meets Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to India, Azamat Yeskarayev, in New Delhi
17. Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya Felicitates India’s World Junior Squash Championship 2026 Medallists
18. BWF World Championships 2026 to be Held in New Delhi in August
19. LIC Launches Offer for Sale (OFS) for Retail and Institutional Investors
20. Indian Astrophysicist Annapurni Subramaniam Wins the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026
21. Commonwealth Games 2026 Medal Tally

National News

Department of Posts Releases Satish Gujral Commemorative Stamp

• What: Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia released a commemorative postage stamp issued by the Department of Posts (DoP) in New Delhi to mark the birth centenary of renowned artist Satish Gujral.
• Tell me more:
  • Satish Gujral, a celebrated modern artist, was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1999 for his outstanding contributions to art.
  • The stamp features Gujral holding a paintbrush against a purple and blue background inspired by his distinctive artistic style.
  • He studied at the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, created the acclaimed Partition series, and also designed the 1996 commemorative stamp marking the 125th anniversary of VSNL.

India Marks 60 Years of Diplomatic Relations with Guyana

• What: Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita participated in the official celebrations marking Guyana’s 60th Independence Anniversary and 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Guyana.
• Tell me more:
  • India reaffirmed its commitment to a trusted, future-oriented partnership with Guyana, while expanding cooperation in energy, healthcare, digital innovation, capacity building, and sustainable development for the mutual benefit of both countries.

Government Outlines Measures to Ensure Energy Security

• What: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that India maintained uninterrupted fuel supplies, full household Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) availability, and adequate stocks without dry-outs during global energy volatility.
• Tell me more:
  • India expanded its energy import sources from 27 to 41 countries to diversify supply and lower regional dependency.
  • Annual savings include 4.5 crore barrels of petrol through 20% ethanol blending and 180 crore litres of diesel via railway electrification.

Government Integrates AI and Robotics in Sample Testing

• What: Department of Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare announced plans to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics into product testing infrastructure during the 15th Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) MASSMERIZE conference in New Delhi.
• Tell me more:
  • The Ministry adopted technology to reduce testing costs while improving accuracy and traceability, and introduced improvement notices under the Legal Metrology Act to allow businesses to rectify minor violations.
  • The department plans to simplify product standards framed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) by World Standards Day on October 14.

India and Kazakhstan Reaffirm Democratic Cooperation

• What: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who also serves as Chairman of the Council of Member States of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), met Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to India Azamat Yeskarayev in New Delhi.
• Tell me more:
  • Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to democratic cooperation by strengthening collaboration in election management and the training of election officials, in line with the vision of IICDEM 2026.
  • International IDEA is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to promoting and strengthening democracy worldwide.
  • India assumed the Chairship of the Council of Member States of International IDEA in December 2025, with Gyanesh Kumar representing the country.

State News

Bhubaneswar Hosts 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting

• What: The Ministry of Education commenced the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting and the 3rd BRICS Senior Officials’ Meeting in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• Tell me more:
  • Union Education Minister Prahlad Joshi is representing India at the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting.
  • The meetings also aim to strengthen collaborative research, innovation, and start-up ecosystems across member nations.

Bhopal Hosts 3rd BRICS Cultural Meetings

• What: The Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Government, is hosting the third BRICS Culture Working Group (CWG) meeting and the BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting in Bhopal under India’s BRICS Presidency.
• Tell me more:
  • India proposed creating a shared digital platform for artists and heritage and promoting joint UNESCO nominations.
  • Union Culture Secretary Vivek Agrawal inaugurated three exhibitions—Gyan Bharatam, Project Mausam, and Project Brihattar Bharat—highlighting India’s manuscript, maritime, and civilisational heritage.

International News

Nauru Officially Renamed Republic of Naoero

• What: The Pacific island nation of Nauru officially changed its name to the Republic of Naoero to reflect its indigenous language, identity, and cultural heritage.
• Tell me more:
  • The country’s international code changed from NRU to NRO, and its citizens are now known as dei-Naoero.
  • The United Nations (UN) and several countries updated official records to reflect the new name, as the nation continues pursuing overseas investment to address climate change and rising sea levels.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • President – David Adeang
  • Naoero is one of the world’s smallest countries by both area and population, with about 12,000 residents.

Banking and Economy

HDFC Bank Launches Two Specialised Savings Account Variants

• What: Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Bank launched two specialised savings account variants, Max for Seniors and Max for Her, offering bundled insurance, health, and lifestyle benefits for specific customer groups.
• Tell me more:
  • The initiatives aim to expand financial inclusion by offering tailored banking, insurance, security, and convenience benefits to senior citizens and women, encouraging greater savings and financial participation.

Government Launches LIC Offer for Sale

• What: The Central Government launched an Offer for Sale (OFS) of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) shares for retail investors, offering a 2.5% equity stake with an additional 4% green shoe option at a floor price of ₹382 per share.
• Tell me more:
  • As of 30 June 2026, the Government held a 96.5% stake in LIC, which reported a Value of New Business (VNB) margin of 21.2% and a solvency ratio of 2.35x.
  • The ₹31,410-crore OFS, with 10% reserved for retail investors, offers a ₹10 per share discount to retail investors and employees and was oversubscribed over three times by non-retail investors.

Defence News

IAF Concludes Exercise ROTOR CLAP III

• What: The Indian Air Force (IAF) concluded the week-long Exercise ROTOR CLAP III at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, to enhance Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (Counter-UAS) capabilities.
• Tell me more:
  • The exercise enhanced IAF helicopter combat readiness through simulated operations, mission coordination, and rapid response against drone and unmanned aerial threats.

Awards

Annapurni Subramaniam Wins COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal

• What: Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) Director Annapurni Subramaniam received the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026 at the 46th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Florence, Italy, for her outstanding contributions to space research.
• Tell me more:
  • She became the first Indian woman scientist and the fourth Indian to receive the prestigious award.
  • The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) jointly confer the biennial medal on scientists from developing countries.
  • Instituted in 1990, the medal honours Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of India’s space programme.
  • Annapurni Subramaniam served as the calibration scientist for the Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) aboard AstroSat, India’s first space-based observatory, launched in 2015.

Important Days

National Bone and Joint Day 2026 – August 4

Sports

Sports Minister Felicitates World Junior Squash Championship Medallists

• What: Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated India’s World Junior Squash Championship 2026 medallists, including gold medallist Anahat Singh and the bronze medal-winning Indian men’s junior team.
• Tell me more:
  • Anahat Singh, 18, became the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championships women’s singles title by defeating Ruqayya Salem of Egypt 3-0 in Canada.
  • The triumph marked her second World Championships medal after winning bronze in Cairo last year.
  • Aryaveer Dewan, Yusha Nafees, and Gurveer Singh comprised the Indian men’s junior team that secured the bronze medal at the tournament.
  • The Sports Minister encouraged the athletes to focus on upcoming major milestones, including the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Japan and the Olympic Games 2028 in Los Angeles, where squash will make its Olympic debut.

BWF World Championships 2026 to be Held in New Delhi in August

• Indian badminton players secured top seedings across multiple categories for the upcoming BWF World Badminton Championships scheduled to take place at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi from August 17 to 23.

Commonwealth Games 2026 Medal Tally

Commonwealth Games 2026: India’s medal table by sport

India’s medallists from CWG 2026

Star Performers of India:

• Mirabai Chanu (Gold): Mirabai Chanu won her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal, becoming only the second Indian to win three successive gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.
• Asmita Dey (Gold): Asmita Dey became India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medallist in judo.
• Gulveer Singh (Silver and Bronze): Gulveer Singh became the first Indian track and field athlete to win two individual medals at a single Commonwealth Games, winning silver in the men’s 10,000m and bronze in the men’s 5,000m.
• Tejaswin Shankar (Bronze): Tejaswin Shankar became India’s first Commonwealth Games decathlon medallist.
• Neeraj Chopra (Silver): Neeraj Chopra won the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw on his return to the Commonwealth Games after missing the Birmingham 2022 edition due to injury.
• Ankur Bhattacharjee (Gold) and Yashaswini Ghorpade (Gold): Both of them won individual gold medals in the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in men’s and women’s singles respectively.

Memorandum of Understanding

BEL Signs MoU with Esri India for Defence

• What: Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Esri India to develop Geographic Information System (GIS), Location Intelligence, and GeoAI solutions for the defence sector.
• Tell me more:
  • The partnership combines BEL and Esri India expertise to develop indigenous GeoAI defence solutions, provide Indo ArcGIS training, and enhance situational awareness and operational coordination.

ASSOCHAM Signs MoU with IACCIA to Boost International Trade

• What: The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) signed two MoUs with Business France and the India & Arab Countries Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (IACCIA) in New Delhi to strengthen trade and investment across India, France, and the Arab region.
• Tell me more:
  • The agreement with IACCIA aims to strengthen bilateral trade, investment partnerships, technology transfers, and long-term commercial cooperation between India and the Arab world.

GVMC and Moscow Sign Urban Infrastructure Cooperation Agreement

• What: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and the Government of Moscow signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) during the 5th International Transport Summit in Moscow.
• Tell me more:
  • The agreement will develop Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), digital transport infrastructure, and AI while promoting technology transfer, expert exchange, vertical transport solutions, and electronics manufacturing in the Visakhapatnam Economic Region (VER).

Appointments

AS Rajeev Takes Charge as Acting CVC

• What: Vigilance Commissioner A.S. Rajeev assumed charge as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) following the completion of the tenure of Praveen Kumar Srivastava.
• Tell me more:
  • The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued a notification under the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003, authorising Rajeev’s appointment with effect from August 3, 2026.

Miscellaneous

Book Chronicling India’s Project Cheetah Translocation Released

• What: Prashant Agrawal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), authored a book titled “Bringing the Cheetah Back to India: How Diplomacy Made Conservation’s Big Mission Possible”, published by Hachette India.
• Tell me more:
  • India had officially declared the cheetah extinct in 1952 due to hunting, loss of habitat, and prey decline.
  • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) reported a total of 53 cheetahs in May 2026, including 33 born in India.
  • The translocation effort involved releasing eight cheetahs from Namibia into the Kuno National Park in Madhy Pradesh on September 17, 2022.

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