Daily Current Affairs · 17 August 2026
UPSC Prelims Current Affairs: 17 August 2026
Parliament clears the Mines Bill and a bill renaming Kerala, forex reserves cross 707 billion dollars, and the PM sets a 2047 nuclear power target.
Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill clears Parliament
Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, with the Lok Sabha clearing it on 12 August and the Rajya Sabha on 13 August. It amends the parent 1957 Act, letting holders of existing mining leases add critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite without extra fees, and removes the 50 per cent ceiling on sales from captive mines. The National Mineral Exploration Trust's scope is widened to also fund mine development, not just exploration.
India hosts the BRICS ICT Track in Pune
The Department of Telecommunications is hosting the BRICS Information and Communication Technologies Track in Pune from 17 to 21 August 2026, under India's 2026 BRICS chairship. Themed "Innovate, Cooperate and Transform for a Resilient Future," it includes the 7th BRICS ICT Working Group Meeting, the Digital BRICS Forum and Expo on 20 August, and the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers' Meeting on 21 August.
Three new cascade frog species described in Northeast India
Researchers led by Professor S.D. Biju of the University of Delhi described three new cascade frog species of the genus Amolops after more than 15 years of fieldwork: Amolops ammachi from Tripura's Jampui Hills, named after Kerala social worker Padmini Varkey, Amolops sendenyo from Nagaland, and Amolops bella from West Bengal. Cascade frogs are typically found around rocky waterfalls and fast flowing forest streams.
New deep sea shark species found off Kerala coast
Scientists at the Zoological Survey of India described Apristurus drona, a new deepwater catshark found at the Kollam slope off Kerala's coast at depths of 400 to 650 metres, as part of the Deep Ocean Mission under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It was distinguished by more than five per cent genetic divergence from its closest relative, well above the usual threshold used to classify a new species.
India's forex reserves cross USD 707 billion, RBI data shows
Reserve Bank of India data showed the country's foreign exchange reserves jumped by USD 14.14 billion in the week ended 7 August 2026 to touch USD 707 billion, the sharpest weekly gain since January 2026. Foreign currency assets, the largest component, rose to USD 574.6 billion, while gold reserves climbed to USD 108.7 billion. Reserves remain below the record USD 728.5 billion touched in February 2026.
Parliament passes bill to rename Kerala as Keralam
Both Houses of Parliament have passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which amends the First Schedule of the Constitution to replace Kerala with Keralam. The Lok Sabha cleared the bill on 11 August and the Rajya Sabha followed a day later, but the change takes legal effect only after presidential assent and a subsequent notification. The bill responds to a resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 2024 seeking a name that more closely reflects the state's Malayalam linguistic identity.
PM sets target of 100 GW nuclear power capacity by 2047
In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort on 15 August, the Prime Minister set a target of 100 GW of nuclear power generation capacity by 2047, with five new reactors to begin construction within this decade. He linked the target to the rising energy needs of semiconductor fabrication, artificial intelligence and data centres, and referred to progress in mastering fast breeder reactor technology as part of India's push for self-reliance in nuclear fuel.
PM highlights semiconductor self-reliance push
In the same Independence Day address, the Prime Minister said three semiconductor fabrication plants in India had already been initiated, with another five to eight plants expected to come up over the next seven to eight years. He described this as a step towards reducing India's dependence on imported chips for electronics, telecommunications and defence applications, building on the incentives offered under the India Semiconductor Mission.