Daily Current Affairs – 12-08-2026

Science and Technology News

NASA Invites ISRO to Moon Base Programme

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has invited ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) to join its Moon Base programme. The invitation was extended at the 9th India-U.S. Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG) meeting held in Bengaluru. The programme aims to establish a human outpost near the South Pole of the Moon. The cooperation builds on the Artemis Accords signed by the two countries. The meeting also discussed expansion of civil and commercial space cooperation, future science and human spaceflight technology collaboration, and cooperation under the U.S.-India Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology Initiative. The discussions followed the February 2025 Joint Leaders’ Statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump. The two countries also reviewed cooperation following the successful launch of the joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission and reaffirmed support for United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) guidelines on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.

AI Cameras at Level Crossings

Indian Railways has decided to deploy AI-powered surveillance cameras at all non-interlocked level crossing gates to improve railway safety and prevent accidents. The solar-powered CCTV cameras will provide live video feeds to the Station Master of the nearest railway station and the engineering control room, enabling real-time monitoring. The system will generate alerts if a gate remains open or is not closed within the required time. The Railway Board ordered the installation of CCTV cameras at non-interlocked level crossings following an accident in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, on July 8, 2025, in which a train collided with a school van, killing three schoolchildren and injuring two others.

Economy News

Polymer Banknotes Approved for Field Trials

The Government of India has approved the introduction of one billion polymer banknotes each of ₹10 and ₹20 denominations for field trials. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), based on the recommendation of its Central Board, submitted the proposal under Section 25 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. After successful field trials, polymer banknotes of these denominations are proposed for regular issuance along with paper substrate-based banknotes. The procurement process is currently at the initial stage, and the exact date and expenditure for their introduction have not yet been fixed. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman provided this information in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Environment News

Zanskar Glaciers Slow Down

A new study published in The Cryosphere examined glacier flow in 12 glaciers of the Zanskar Himalaya, Ladakh, from 1992 to 2023 using satellite data. The study found that the glaciers slowed by an average of 2.4 metres per year per decade. The rate of glacier surface thinning increased from about 0.22 metres per year during 2000–2005 to 0.57 metres per year during 2015–2020. Glacier thinning reduces the driving force of ice movement, causing glaciers to flow more slowly. The study highlights the importance of glacier changes for the Indus Basin, where glacier melt contributes significantly to river flow during the dry summer months. Increased melting may temporarily raise runoff, a phenomenon known as Peak Water, but meltwater contribution is expected to decline after substantial loss of stored glacier ice. The study also noted that glacier responses vary according to factors such as glacier geometry, debris cover and terminus conditions. Tirthankar Ghosh, a doctoral student at IIT Bombay and co-author of the study, was associated with the research.

Forest Department Examines Lar Gibbon Ownership

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is examining the ownership and legal status of Lar Gibbons (Hylobates lar) in the State. The species is listed under Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Import of Lar Gibbons requires CITES permission, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) documents and approval of the State Chief Wildlife Warden. According to records, Laikhuram Singh of Manipur registered eight Lar Gibbons (four males and four females) through the PARIVESH 1 platform in 2020, with Malaysia recorded as their country of origin. Under the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, three Lar Gibbons (one male and two females) were subsequently transferred from Singh in Manipur to S.K. Keshavanathan in Perundurai, Erode, for adoption. The Erode District Forest Department found one male and one female Lar Gibbon at the premises, while the status of the third animal was under verification. The transfer of the animals to C.K. Ranganathan of Injambakkam was also under examination, as the transfer certificate had not yet been approved. Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra and Chennai Wildlife Warden Yogesh Kulal were among the officials associated with the examination.

Ganga Flood Plain Construction Rules Relaxed

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti amended the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016 through a gazette notification issued on August 10, 2026. The amendment removed the earlier provision declaring the Ganga flood plain as a “construction-free zone” and introduced a three-tier classification based on flood frequency. The active flood plain covers areas along the river channel that are submerged at least once in five years, the regulatory zone covers areas affected by moderate floods once in 5–25 years, and the warning zone covers areas affected by severe floods once in 25–100 years. Construction beyond the five-year flood line in the regulatory and warning zones is permitted subject to official clearances, while strict construction restrictions remain applicable to the active flood plain, with limited exceptions for temporary arrangements.

Aravalli Panel and Mining-Affected Villages

The Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyaan (AVJA), a coalition of environmentalists and activists, raised concerns regarding the Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Committee (HPC) on the Aravallis and its consultations with mining-affected communities. The Aravalli mountain range extends across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, covering 64 districts according to the source. The AVJA sought an extension of the August 31 deadline for submission of the HPC’s report to the Supreme Court and called for consultations with rural communities in the affected districts. The group also raised concerns about the public hearings conducted by the HPC in urban centres and sought greater participation of affected villages. Neelam Ahluwalia, co-founder of AVJA, was among those associated with the demand.

Personalities, Awards and Events

Deepak Dhar Receives Dirac Medal

Theoretical physicist Deepak Dhar was awarded the Dirac Medal for his contributions to statistical physics. He shared the award with Bernard Derrida, Marc Mézard and Haim Sompolinsky. The award is presented annually by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy, in recognition of significant contributions to theoretical physics, on the birth anniversary of British physicist Paul A.M. Dirac. Deepak Dhar is the second Indian to receive the Dirac Medal after Ashoke Sen, who received it in 2012. Dhar is known for his work on the Abelian Sandpile Model, which is associated with the concept of self-organized criticality and is used in the study of phenomena such as earthquakes, forest fires, neural activity and financial market fluctuations. Dhar was born in 1951 in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and studied at Allahabad University.

National News

Enhanced Relief for SC/ST Victims

An expert task force headed by the Secretary of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has recommended amendments to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules. The recommendations include increasing relief and rehabilitation amounts in line with inflation, establishing Special Relief and Rehabilitation Cells in States and Union Territories, and providing counselling to victims, their dependents and accused persons. It has also recommended expediting FIR and chargesheet procedures and ensuring that they are forwarded to the concerned authorities within 24 hours. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has separately recommended measures to protect the livelihoods of ST communities involved in land-related legal disputes. At present, the relief amount ranges from ₹85,000 to ₹8.25 lakh, depending on the nature of the offence, and these amounts were last fixed in 2016

Vande Mataram Bill Becomes Law

President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, making it a law. The law criminalises the intentional disruption or prevention of the singing of the National Song Vande Mataram and provides it with the same legal protection as the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on 30 July 2026, and the Rajya Sabha passed it on 29 July 2026. Thus, Vande Mataram has been granted the same legal status and protection as the National Anthem under the amended law.

DDU-GKY: Employment and Placement Gaps

The Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is a rural skill development programme aimed at providing employment opportunities to rural youth. As of March 2026, 18.38 lakh rural youth had been trained under the scheme, of whom 11.94 lakh had been placed in jobs, including 576 overseas placements. The scheme covers 37 sectors and 816 trades; women account for 9.65 lakh of those trained and 6.03 lakh of those placed. The Standing Committee on Rural Development, headed by Lok Sabha MP Saptagiri Ulaka, recommended stronger placement tracking, district-level placement cells, post-placement support, skill upgradation and employment retention monitoring. It also recommended that the performance of Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) be assessed based on sustained employment and retention rather than initial placements alone.

States’ News

Kerala Renaming and Co-operative Bills Passed

The Lok Sabha passed two Bills without debate amid disruptions: the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which seeks to rename the State of Kerala as Keralam, and the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The Bills were moved by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, respectively. Om Birla was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Both Bills were passed by voice vote.

Tamil Nadu News

Drug-Free Tamil Nadu Initiative

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay administered a State-level pledge for a Drug-Free Tamil Nadu at Presidency College, Chennai, with 2,000 students from 73 educational institutions participating. The Home, Prohibition and Excise Department organised the campaign. The Chief Minister launched the Drug and Tobacco-Free Campus initiative, under which new students will receive awareness on drug abuse risks, NDPS Act penalties, institutional disciplinary measures and counselling facilities. Anti-Drug Clubs will conduct annual pledges and awareness activities, with Peer Ambassadors supporting early identification of behavioural changes. Police Nodal Officers will coordinate with educational institutions on drug-trafficking complaints, and students will be encouraged to report drug abuse through the Drug-Free TN Mobile App. The destruction of one lakh kg of seized narcotic substances and banned tobacco products at Chengalpattu, Thanjavur, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli was witnessed through video-conferencing. The Chief Minister’s Police Medal–2026 was presented to 15 police officers and personnel for their contribution to combating drug production and illegal trafficking. Awards were also given to the three best Anti-Drug Clubs and three best volunteer groups.

Madras HC Seeks Removal of Caste Names

The Madras High Court has initiated steps to address the continued use of caste appellations in the names of streets and roads in Tamil Nadu. A 1978 Government Order (G.O.) directed local bodies to identify and rename streets and roads carrying caste names, and the Madras High Court issued similar directions in 2018. Justice N. Ramesh, in his first order after becoming a High Court judge, directed the Registry to register a suo motu case on the issue and place it before Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari. The case arose after the name of a caste-based street in Sendhamangalam, Namakkal district, appeared in an FIR. The Court also noted that the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department had recently been renamed the Social Justice Department by the Tamil Nadu Government to avoid caste references. Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy had also recently directed the removal of caste appellations from the names of schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu and Delimitation Issue

On 6 August 2026, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay announced a meeting of Members of Parliament in Chennai to discuss the proposed Delimitation Bill and its possible impact on Tamil Nadu. The meeting was held on 8 August 2026 and was attended by 19 MPs belonging to the TVK’s alliance parties. The meeting adopted a resolution demanding that the number of Lok Sabha seats remain frozen at 543 and that the existing representation of States be retained. The DMK, AIADMK, PMK and DMDK did not participate in the meeting. The delimitation debate includes proposals concerning the continuation of the constitutional freeze on parliamentary seats based on the 1971 Census, an increase in Lok Sabha seats, and a State-wise allocation of seats. P. Chidambaram, former Union Minister, was among those associated with discussions on the issue.

Miscellaneous News

Cauvery Water Release

Karnataka urged the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to reconsider the daily water release based on the hydrological conditions of the basin. The four reservoirs in Karnataka’s Cauvery basin received 77.746 TMC ft of cumulative inflows during the water year, about 47% below the 30-year average. Karnataka stated that 86,942 cusecs had already reached Biligundlu, against the CWMA-prescribed quantity of 52,500 cusecs, and sought a release of 9,000–10,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu, the lower riparian State, sought 1.5 TMC ft of water per day and cited a 36% rainfall deficit in its Cauvery basin area, compared with 9% in the KRS upstream area and 19% in the Kabini basin. The CWMA decided that Karnataka could release 1 TMC ft per day to Tamil Nadu, considering the reservoir storage and expected inflows. CWMA Chairperson Haldar also sought the views of the riparian States for developing a suitable formula for sharing water during distress conditions.