Daily Current Affairs · 22 August 2026
UPSC Prelims Current Affairs: 22 August 2026
The Cabinet approves a Ladakh High Court bench, Bangladesh swears in its new President, and India hosts a BRICS science ministerial in Chennai.
Union Cabinet approves a High Court Bench for Ladakh
The Union Cabinet approved setting up a bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir in Ladakh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on 20 August 2026. Shah said the bench would significantly enhance access to justice for citizens in remote areas of Ladakh by reducing the time needed to avail themselves of the legal services they are entitled to, and reiterated the government's commitment to the all round development of Ladakh and to ensuring constitutional safeguards. Ladakh has functioned as a Union Territory without its own legislature since 2019.
Aadhaar app crosses 5 crore downloads
The Aadhaar mobile app crossed five crore downloads, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said on 20 August 2026, as UIDAI expands the app's role as a digital interface between residents and Aadhaar services. Through the app, Aadhaar holders can update their mobile number, address and email, lock or unlock their biometrics, and download an e-Aadhaar without visiting an enrolment centre; more than 60 lakh mobile number updates, 15 lakh address updates and 23 lakh email updates have been carried out through the app. UIDAI has also onboarded more than 200 entities as Offline Verification Seeking Entities, letting them verify identity through QR codes and digital documents without a live connection to UIDAI's database.
India hosts the 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial in Chennai
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh delivered the inaugural address at the 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Meeting in Chennai on 21 August 2026. He said India has chosen 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' as the theme of its BRICS Presidency in 2026, and invited BRICS partners to deepen cooperation in frontier research, innovation financing, talent mobility and research infrastructure sharing. He pointed to India's National Quantum Mission, National Supercomputing Mission, BioE3 Policy and National Geospatial Policy as examples of the country's own innovation push.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir sworn in as Bangladesh's President
Veteran Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was sworn in as Bangladesh's 23rd President on 21 August 2026, a day after Parliament elected him in the country's first contested presidential poll in 35 years. Jatiya Sangsad Acting Speaker Kayser Kamal administered the oath at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and other senior leaders in attendance. Alamgir, 78, a longtime BNP secretary general, defeated rival Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, the Jamaat-e-Islami-led opposition alliance's nominee, by 255 votes to 88. Under Bangladesh's constitution the president is largely a ceremonial head of state, entrusted with appointing the prime minister and chief justice on the advice of the government.
US envoy Sergio Gor completes a J&K and Ladakh visit
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor completed a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, which the US Embassy described on 21 August 2026 as reflecting the growing US-India partnership through meaningful dialogue and cultural engagement. In Srinagar, Gor met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to discuss bilateral ties, before travelling to Leh, where he visited the Thiksey Monastery. Gor also serves as the United States' special envoy to South and Central Asia.
NGT flags delay in Gorakhpur effluent plant meant to protect the Ganga
The National Green Tribunal was told on 19 August 2026 that a common effluent treatment plant meant to stop untreated industrial effluent from Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority's units reaching the river Ami, a tributary of the Ganga, remains delayed because Uttar Pradesh has not forwarded the revised detailed project report to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). NMCG's report to the tribunal said it is pursuing the state government and implementing agencies for expeditious processing of the report. The proposed plant, to be built in phases with an initial capacity of 2 million litres a day, would treat effluent discharged through the Saraya drain near Gorakhpur's Adilapur village.
India's core sector growth eases to 5.4% in July as index is rebased
India's core infrastructure industries grew 5.4 per cent year on year in July 2026, easing from 6 per cent in June but well above the 3.2 per cent recorded in July 2025, provisional data released on 20 August 2026 showed. Growth was led by coal, refinery products, cement, electricity and iron ore, while output of crude oil, natural gas and fertiliser declined during the month. From June the index has been rebased to 2022-23 from 2011-12, and iron ore was added, taking the count of core sectors to nine. Cumulative growth for April to July 2026-27 stood at 4.3 per cent, against 1.5 per cent in the same period last year.