Current Affairs Quiz 12th August 2026 Quiz

Exp. 12 August – International Youth Day

International Youth Day is observed every year on 12 August to highlight the challenges and opportunities faced by young people worldwide.

Theme 2026 – Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.

The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999, following a recommendation by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth.

Exp. Shivraj Singh Chouhan Releases ₹21 Crore+ Scholarships for Agriculture Students via NSP-DBT

Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released scholarship and fellowship funds for agriculture students through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) in New Delhi.

Under the initiative, more than 6,000 students received over ₹21 crore directly through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.

Agriculture students will now receive their scholarships every month directly through DBT, ensuring timely, transparent and hassle-free financial assistance.

Exp. Assam Records World’s First-Ever Release of Captive-Bred Slender-Billed Vultures

Assam has recorded the world’s first-ever release of captive-bred slender-billed vultures, with five birds bred at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) conservation facility released into the wild.

The five slender-billed vultures, along with five captive-bred white-rumped vultures, were released at the Jatayu Soft Release Centre in Biswanath Division of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

India’s Gyps vulture population has declined by around 99% over the last two decades, mainly due to veterinary drugs; although several drugs have been banned, pesticide poisoning continues to threaten vultures in Assam.

Exp. PM Modi Inaugurates ‘Param Pragya’ AI Supercomputing Facility at IIT Delhi’s 57th Convocation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 57th Convocation Ceremony of IIT Delhi as the chief guest and presented prestigious awards to meritorious graduating students.

PM Modi inaugurated ‘Param Pragya’, an AI-powered supercomputing facility, at the Sonipat campus of IIT Delhi, aimed at strengthening advanced computing and AI capabilities.

He conferred prestigious honours including the President’s Gold Medal, Director’s Gold Medal, Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal, and Perfect Ten Gold Medals on outstanding students.

Exp. India Wins 5 Honours at 23rd International Linguistics Olympiad 2026 in Romania

India won 1 gold, 3 bronze medals and 1 Honourable Mention at the 23rd International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) 2026, held in Bucharest, Romania.

Shrilakshmi Venkatraman won the individual gold medal with a score of 70.0, while Aarav Anil Rao, Nishanth Shankar Lakshmanan and Advay Misra secured bronze medals.

With this performance, India’s cumulative IOL tally since its first participation in 2009 reached 37 individual medals — 6 gold, 9 silver and 22 bronze.

Exp. Andras Baka Elected Hungary’s Next President Amid Fidesz Boycott

Hungary’s Parliament elected former Supreme Court chief Andras Baka as the country’s next President, a largely ceremonial position.

Baka secured the support of lawmakers from the governing centre-right Tisza party, while opposition Fidesz lawmakers boycotted the vote.

Exp. Lebanon Parliament Abolishes Death Penalty, Replaces It With Life Imprisonment

Lebanon’s Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, making Lebanon the first country in the Arab world and the Middle East to formally eliminate capital punishment.

The law replaces death sentences with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour. A majority of the 128-member Parliament backed the measure, while the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc opposed it.

Venezuela was the first country in the world to permanently abolish the death penalty for all crimes.

Exp. Government Sanctions Additional ₹1,000 Crore Under PM E-DRIVE to Boost Electric Two-Wheelers

The Central Government has sanctioned an additional ₹1,000 crore for electric two-wheelers (e2Ws) under the PM E-DRIVE scheme to continue incentives for the segment.

The additional funding will extend e2W incentives until March 2028, after the earlier deadline of 31 July 2026 was due to expire.

India’s current electric two-wheeler penetration is around 7.6%, with the government aiming to increase it to 9–10% to support mass mobility and last-mile transportation.

Under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, originally notified in September 2024 with a total outlay of ₹10,900 crore, each approved e2W is eligible for an incentive of up to ₹5,000.

Exp. MSME Ministry and DPIIT Sign MoU to Boost Global Market Access for India’s GI Products

The Ministry of MSME and DPIIT have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate the commercialisation and global market access of India’s Geographical Indication (GI) products.

The partnership will focus on quality standardisation, wider market access and digital enablement, with GI collectives and authorised users being onboarded onto platforms such as ONDC and Government e-Marketplace (GeM) under the Bharat GI banner.

The initiative will support artisans, weavers and producer collectives through capacity building and better market opportunities, strengthening the One District One Product (ODOP) ecosystem and advancing Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local.

Exp. Meta Launches ‘Muse Glimmer’, a New Open-Weight AI Model for Agentic Tasks

eta has launched Muse Glimmer, a new open-weight AI model designed primarily for agentic AI tasks, enabling AI systems to perform multi-step tasks with limited human intervention.

Muse Glimmer is relatively smaller than leading frontier AI models and can run directly on a Mac or PC using a single GPU, making it more accessible for local AI deployment.

Exp.  Indian Navy’s Second Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel ‘Shruti’ Launched by GRSE in Kolkata

The Indian Navy’s second Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (NGOPV), named INS Shruti (Yard 3037), was launched on 11 August 2026 by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The 11-ship NGOPV programme was contracted by the Ministry of Defence on 30 March 2023 at a cost of ₹9,781 crore, with 7 ships assigned to Goa Shipyard Limited and 4 to GRSE.

GRSE’s NGOPVs are 113 metres long, have a 3,000-tonne displacement, a maximum speed of 23 knots, and an endurance of 8,500 nautical miles at 14 knots.

GRSE had earlier launched the first NGOPV, Sanghmitra (Yard 3039), on 20 May 2026 and plans to launch the remaining two contracted NGOPVs by the end of FY 2026–27.

Exp. NASA Invites ISRO to Join Moon Base Programme as India-US Space Cooperation Deepens

NASA has invited ISRO to join its Moon Base programme, marking a significant expansion of India-US cooperation in lunar exploration under the Artemis Accords.

During the 9th India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG) meeting held in Bengaluru, both sides agreed to advance cooperation on open scientific data sharing under the Artemis Accords.

Exp. PM Modi to Release Former President Ram Nath Kovind’s Autobiography ‘Triumph of the Indian Republic’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to release the autobiography of former President Ram Nath Kovind, titled “Triumph of the Indian Republic: My Life, My Struggles.”

The book will chronicle Ram Nath Kovind’s life, struggles and journey in public service, offering insights into his experiences and contributions to India.  

Exp. 10 August – World Biofuel Day

World Biofuel Day is observed annually on 10 August to highlight the importance of biofuels as an alternative source of energy.

The day aims to promote the use of renewable and sustainable fuels and reduce dependence on conventional fossil fuels.