Vice-President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan’ by hoisting the National Flag at Flag Point, Sri Vijaya Puram, on the occasion of August Kranti Diwas, commemorating the Quit India Movement of 1942.
The Vice-President recalled that Mahatma Gandhi’s clarion call of “Do or Die” on August 8, 1942, awakened millions of Indians and gave a decisive impetus to the freedom struggle.
He also highlighted the unique place of the islands in the history of the Tricolour, recalling that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose hoisted the Indian National Flag here on December 30, 1943, marking a landmark moment in India’s freedom struggle.
Highlighting the significance of Har Ghar Tiranga, Shri Radhakrishnan said the campaign, initiated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has evolved into a nationwide people’s movement.
The Indian Navy–US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Exercise 2026 is scheduled to be conducted at Southern Naval Command, Kochi, from 10 to 14 Aug 2026. The bilateral exercise aims to enhance interoperability and strengthen professional cooperation between the specialist diving and EOD teams of the two navies.
The five-day exercise will comprise Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs), cross-training, equipment demonstrations and scenario-based practical exercises.
The Indian Navy and US Navy have been conducting joint Salvage and EOD exercises since 2005. The forthcoming engagement marks the eighth edition of this specialised bilateral training exercise and underscores the enduring commitment of the two navies towards enhancing interoperability, sharing operational expertise and strengthening cooperation.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) has achieved another significant milestone with the sanction of over 1.25 crore houses under PMAY-U and PMAY-U 2.0, of which more than 1 crore houses have been completed and delivered to beneficiaries across the country.
Building on this milestone, the Government continues to accelerate the implementation of PMAY-U 2.0 to expand access to affordable housing for eligible urban families.
In a major milestone for the nation's clean energy transition and climate action targets, India has crossed 300 GW of non-fossil fuel-based installed electricity generation capacity as on 31st July, 2026; over 60% of the 500 GW capacity targeted to be achieved by 2030.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitated first-ever commercial sea shipment of 18 Metric Tonnes of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana was exported from the BIADA Industrial Area, Bihta, Bihar, to Australia.
he consignment, sourced from Makhana growers of Darbhanga district, is expected to strengthen the international presence of Bihar's flagship GI product while creating enhanced income opportunities for farmers through export-led market access.
The export consignment was flagged off by the Agriculture Minister, Government of Bihar Shri Vijay Kumar Sinha.
The initiative has enabled farmers to realise nearly 18 per cent higher returns than prevailing market rates, highlighting the benefits of export-oriented value chains and direct market linkages.
The export is expected to strengthen the international presence of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana, create sustainable export opportunities for Bihar's Makhana sector and contribute to higher farmer incomes.
Bihar accounts for nearly 85 per cent of India's Makhana production.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has announced a series of strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with key industry leaders and ecosystem enablers—Cashfree Payments, Darwin Dynamics, Vultr India, Cars24, and the Council for Startup India (CSI).
In a major boost for Indian students aspiring to study abroad, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has partnered with the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI) to launch 'AAERI Verify'.
Integrated directly with DigiLocker, this digital platform will enable secure, paperless, and consent-based verification of academic, identity, and financial documents for students applying to Australian universities.
The platform was officially unveiled during the AAERI Annual Convention in New Delhi on August 7, 2026.
Launched by AAERI in collaboration with NeGD, AAERI Verify is a source-verified authentication platform designed to streamline student credential checks for Australian higher education institutions.
By integrating DigiLocker with the AAERI Verify platform, students can securely share authentic, issuer-verified digital documents directly from trusted sources, reducing dependence on physical documents and manual verification processes.
India took a major step towards digitising maritime governance with the launch of E-Samudra, a comprehensive digital platform that integrates services for seafarers, shipping companies, ports and other maritime stakeholders, while announcing a series of reforms to strengthen seafarer welfare, security and service delivery.
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the platform during a national stakeholder interaction on “Seafarer Security, Safety and Welfare and Inauguration of E-Samudra”, held in Mumbai and organised by the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) under the Ministry.
Alongside E-Samudra, DGMA showcased a series of initiatives aimed at modernising maritime administration and improving seafarer welfare. These included the recently launched e-NAVIK 24×7 grievance redressal system, the upcoming Seafarer Tracking Dashboard, the Digital Seafarers Employment Agreement (d-SEA) and enhanced welfare measures,
under the Seafarers Welfare Fund Society (SWFS).
India's active seafarer workforce has grown from about 1.03 lakh in 2013 to more than 3.23 lakh in 2025, underscoring the need to strengthen digital service delivery, regulation and welfare for the country's rapidly expanding maritime workforce.
The Government has approved the National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of increasing the area and productivity of oil palm and thereby enhancing domestic production of edible oils and reducing dependence on imports.
The Mission was launched in 2021-22 with a financial outlay of Rs. 11,040 crore, including a Government of India share of Rs. 8,844 crore, and a target of bringing 6.5 lakh hectares under oil palm cultivation during 2021-22 to 2025-26.
The Mission is being implemented in 15 States, (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Tripura).
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was passed by the Lok Sabha on 7th August, 2026, subsequent to its passing by the Rajya Sabha on 3rd August, 2026. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act (MSMED Act) was notified in 2006 and has completed 20 years of its enactment.
Over the years, the MSME landscape has witnessed rapid changes due to technological advancements, emergence of IT enabled systems and changing legal landscape, which required that the MSMED Act be amended to facilitate growth of MSMEs. The number of MSMEs registered on Udyam have increased from 1.65 crore as on 01.04.2023 to 9.16 crore now.
India and Sri Lanka reviewed bilateral cooperation in the power sector at a meeting in New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, while the Sri Lankan delegation was led by Shri Anura Karunathilake, Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation and Minister of Energy of Sri Lanka.
The Ministers reviewed the progress of ongoing bilateral initiatives, including the proposed India–Sri Lanka HVDC interconnection and the Sampur Solar Power Project. They also discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation in cross-border electricity trade, renewable energy, transmission infrastructure, and capacity building,
with a view to enhancing energy security and supporting the clean energy transition in the region. The Indian side also shared its experience in transmission system development through the Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) framework as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
By resolution of 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the day of the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
The upcoming International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples will put a spotlight on this through its theme, Honouring Indigenous Midwives: Safeguarding Life and Well-being.
Indigenous knowledge systems have sustained the well-being of Indigenous Peoples for generations.
