Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 18 August 2026, Daily Roundup

Current Affairs – 18 August 2026

National Affairs

1. Government Approves 31 More Applications under ECMS: The government approved 31 additional applications under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS).

• The approved projects involve projected investment of ₹7,877 crore.
• Expected production: ₹82,000 crore worth of electronic components.
• Expected employment generation: 9,500+ jobs.
• Exam Focus: Electronics manufacturing, import substitution, semiconductor ecosystem and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

2. High-Powered Committee on Banking Sector: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government will constitute a high-powered committee on banking to support the goal of Viksit Bharat.

3. Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in Delhi: The Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi concluded.

4. Bihar: CEC Interacts with Booth Level Officers: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar interacted with around 500 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at Nalanda University, Rajgir.

5. National Anubhav Awards 2026: MoS Personnel Dr Jitendra Singh presented the National Anubhav Awards 2026 to 15 awardees. Recognised contributions included Passport Seva, administrative reforms, rule rationalisation and technology adoption.

6. Skill India–PM SETU for Traditional Industries: Special initiatives under Skill India Programme–PM SETU will promote Bengal’s traditional industries, including handloom and Dokra craft

7. Supreme Court on SIR in Sikkim: The Supreme Court declined to interfere with the Election Commission’s decision to use 2002 as the base year for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Sikkim.

8. Stricter Bail Conditions for Foreign Nationals in NDPS Cases: The Supreme Court ordered stricter bail safeguards for foreign nationals accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, citing concerns over fake sureties.

9. Jharkhand Cancels JSSC-CGL Examination: Following a 24-day protest, the Jharkhand government cancelled the 2024 JSSC-CGL examination and competitive examinations conducted by TDPL.

International Current Affairs

1. Qatar–India UPI Remittance Service: A Qatar–India remittance service based on PosTransfer powered by UPI became operational. Customers in Qatar can send money directly to UPI-enabled Indian bank accounts through Qatar Post outlets.

2. India’s People-Centric BRICS Approach: India reiterated a people-centric and humanity-first approach during its BRICS Chairship 2026.

3. 12th BRICS Environment Ministers Meeting: India will host the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers Meeting in New Delhi.

4. Teesta Barrage Project Assessment Committee: India constituted a 12-member high-powered committee to assess restoration and management of the Teesta Barrage Project in West Bengal. It will examine water availability, utilisation, future demand and infrastructure status.

Global Geopolitical Developments

1. Strait of Hormuz Tensions: Iran stated that it had reached an agreement with Oman on a framework for managing ship transit through the Strait of Hormuz. The US continued to demand unrestricted reopening of the strategic waterway.

2. Indonesia Earthquake: A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the Flores region of Indonesia. It followed a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in eastern Indonesia.

• Focus: Ring of Fire, subduction zones and disaster management.

3. Russia–Ukraine War: Russia and Ukraine exchanged missiles and drones. Ukraine launched hundreds of drones in one of its largest aerial attacks on Russia, with casualties reported.

Defence Update

1. Army Chief Receives Honorary Rank of General of Nepali Army: Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by Nepal President Ram Chandra Paudel.

2. India–Thailand Exercise MAITREE-XV: Indian Army contingent departed for Thailand for the 15th India–Thailand Joint Military Exercise MAITREE-XV (2026).The exercise runs from 18–31 August.

3. MQ-9B Sea Guardian for Indian Navy: Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth about ₹1,943 crore with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. Covers leasing two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance RPAS for the Indian Navy for 30 months.

4. Indian Peacekeepers Receive UN Medals: More than 200 Indian peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in South Sudan received UN medals for distinguished service.

 Science & Technology

1. Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme: ECMS approvals are strengthening India’s domestic electronics-component ecosystem through investment, production and employment generation.

2. AI-Based Cybersecurity Cooperation: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met Check Point Software CEO Nadav Zafrir to discuss R&D expansion and AI-driven cybersecurity for India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

Sports Update

1. India–Sri Lanka Test

• Sri Lanka were bowled out for 284 in their first innings at Galle.
• India secured a 178-run first-innings lead.
• Ravindra Jadeja became only the fourth player in Test history to achieve 4,000 runs and 350 wickets.

2. BWF World Championships

• P. V. Sindhu and Ayush Shetty advanced to the second round.
• India’s Treesa Jolly–Gayatri Gopichand and M. R. Arjun–Hariharan Amsakarunan doubles pairs also progressed.

3. Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Trophy: The championship began in Dehradun, inaugurated by Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. 272 athletes from 14 Asian countries, including 130 Indians, are participating.

Important Observance / Important Days

1. Madan Lal Dhingra Martyrdom Day

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid tribute to revolutionary freedom fighter Madan Lal Dhingra on his martyrdom day.
• Focus: Indian revolutionary movement and overseas revolutionary activities.

Miscellaneous One-Liners Current Affairs

• Political Appointments: BJP President Nitin Nabin announced the new National Office Bearers, including 13 National Vice Presidents such as Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Ram Madhav and Baijayant Panda.
• Biography: A Hindi biography of former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, written by former Rajya Sabha MP Y. Lakshmi Prasad, was released in New Delhi.
• Kharif Agriculture: Kharif coverage crossed 1,000 lakh hectares.
• Odisha Floods: Six northern Odisha districts remained affected; 126 villages were marooned, around 8 lakh people were affected and nearly 42,000 hectares of cropland were damaged.