Current Affairs Quiz - August 2026

Notes:
The book ‘Kaho Kalidasa!’, authored by Yugul Joshi, was launched at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi. The book explores the life and works of the classical Sanskrit poet Kalidasa, including themes of love, separation, nature, responsibility and his portrayal of women. The event was organised by the Kala Nidhi Division of IGNCA at the Samvet Auditorium.

Notes:
R Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) title. He defeated Fabiano Caruana of the USA by 15–13 in the grand finale at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Praggnanandhaa staged a remarkable comeback after trailing Caruana by six points at the start of the final day. The victory earned him a USD 200,000 prize and a place in the 2027 Grand Chess Tour. Earlier in 2026, Praggnanandhaa also became the first Indian to win the Norway Chess title, including two victories over Magnus Carlsen.

Notes:
Italy has formally requested €8 billion in low-cost loans under the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence funding programme. The request is lower than Italy’s earlier allocation of up to €14.9 billion under the facility. SAFE, created in 2025, provides up to €150 billion in long-term, low-interest loans backed by joint EU borrowing. The programme aims to help EU member states strengthen defence capabilities, improve military readiness and meet NATO defence targets.

Notes:
Gujarat has launched India’s first State-level Sports Genomics Programme to make athlete identification, training and high-performance development more scientific and evidence-based. The programme is being implemented by the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) under the Department of Science and Technology. It combines genomics, sports science, physiology and nutrition to create detailed scientific profiles of athletes. The programme aims to study genetic variations associated with power, endurance, exercise response, recovery and injury susceptibility.

Notes:
Delhi recorded the highest own revenue as a share of total revenue receipts, at 93.2%, among States/UTs with comparable data for FY 2024–25 Budget Estimates. Haryana (80.4%), Telangana (78.4%), Karnataka (77.3%) and Tamil Nadu (75.5%) followed Delhi in the top five. At the bottom were Manipur (10.0%), Nagaland (12.5%), Arunachal Pradesh (12.8%), Tripura (16.6%) and Mizoram (19.6%). Own revenue comprises a state’s own tax revenue and own non-tax revenue, including fees, royalties, dividends and user charges. A higher own-revenue share indicates greater revenue self-reliance, as it means less dependence on the Union government’s tax devolution and grants. The data is based on the RBI’s 2025 Handbook of Statistics on Indian States and FY 2024–25 Budget Estimates.

Notes:
The World Bank Group appointed Yuko Keicho as Vice President and Auditor General in August 2026. She will report to World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and functionally to the Audit Committee. Her key responsibility is to lead the internal audit team, supporting good governance, accountability and risk management. Yuko Keicho is Japanese and has over 30 years of experience in internal audit, risk management and development finance. Before joining the World Bank Group in this role, she served as Auditor General at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Notes:
The Integrated Fertilizer Management System (iFMS) has entered a new phase with several digital initiatives aimed at improving transparency, fertilizer availability and data-driven monitoring. iFMS is developed and technically supported by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the Department of Fertilizers. The system connects major stages of the fertilizer supply chain, including production, imports, movement, stocks, retail sales and subsidy processing. iFMS covers more than 14 crore Aadhaar-linked fertilizer buyers, over 2.5 lakh retailers and around 7 crore metric tonnes of annual fertilizer sales transactions. It also supports administration of nearly ₹2 lakh crore in fertilizer subsidies annually.

Notes:
The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), in collaboration with The Serenity Trust and the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, provided essential field gear and equipment to frontline staff of Kamlang Tiger Reserve. Kamlang Tiger Reserve is located in the southeastern part of Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh. It is part of the Eastern Himalayan Biodiversity Hot Spot. The reserve is named after the Kamlang River, which flows into the Brahmaputra River. It is bordered by Namdapha National Park in the south, Lang River in the north, Lati River in the west, and Tawe River in the east.

Notes:
Indian table tennis player Ankur Bhattacharjee won his maiden WTT men’s singles title at the WTT Feeder Olomouc tournament in Czechia. In the singles final, Ankur defeated Slovenia’s Deni Kozul, the third seed, 3–1. Ankur also won the men’s doubles title with fellow Indian Akash Pal. The Indian pair defeated Hungary’s Csaba Andras Szantosi and Poland’s Alan Kulczycki Zalewski 3–1 in the doubles final. Ankur had previously been a finalist at the Europe Youth Smash in Sweden in 2025.

Notes:
The 6th World Nomad Games officially opened on 31 August 2026 at the new Bishkek Arena in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The Games are being held from 31 August to 6 September 2026. Around 3,000 athletes from 112 countries are participating in the event. Athletes are competing across 43 traditional sporting disciplines. Major traditional sports include Kok-boru, belt wrestling, horseback archery and falconry. The Games aim to showcase the traditional sports, culture and heritage of nomadic communities.