Daily Current Affairs 30 August 2026: 20 Exam Facts and 15 MCQs
Daily Current Affairs 30 August 2026: 20 Exam Facts and 15 MCQs
India's foreign exchange reserves closed the week ended 21 August 2026 at a record $729.3 billion. One number, and it can decide a banking awareness question, an SSC GK question and a BPSC economy question in the same season.
This digest covers the last 24 hours, 29 to 30 August 2026. Twenty facts, each with an exam tag, a dedicated Bihar and Jharkhand block, four quick-revision tables, and 15 objective questions at the end. Read the tag first, then decide whether the fact goes into your notebook today or next week.
National
1. PM Jan Dhan Yojana completed 12 years. Launched on 28 August 2014, PMJDY now has 59.09 crore accounts with total deposits of ₹3.17 lakh crore, and women hold 55.7% of them (32.92 crore accounts). The nodal body is the Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance.
Exam tag: Banking, SSC, BPSC, All exams
2. PM SVANidhi's restructured phase finished one year. The Cabinet approved the restructuring on 27 August 2025 and extended the scheme to 31 March 2030. In year one the scheme disbursed ₹6,294 crore across 21.86 lakh loans, added 10.56 lakh new beneficiaries, and issued RuPay credit cards with limits up to ₹30,000. Street vendors are the target group and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs runs it.
Exam tag: Banking, SSC, BPSC, BSSC
3. India's first dedicated Quantum and AI University campus is coming up at Amaravati. NIELIT will build it on 8.5 acres in Andhra Pradesh with ₹730.70 crore of MeitY grant-in-aid over five years. Construction is targeted for completion by December 2026, with academic operations from January 2027. Courses will cover quantum computing, AI, VLSI and semiconductor fabrication.
Exam tag: SSC, Railway, All exams
4. A PIB backgrounder put India's nuclear capacity on record. India operates 24 nuclear power reactors with 8.78 GW of installed capacity, and nine more units totalling 7.5 GW are under construction. The stated target is 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. Revise the three-stage programme (PHWR, then FBR, then thorium based AHWR) along with this.
Exam tag: SSC, Railway, BPSC, All exams
5. Sanchar Saathi crossed 75,000 recovered phones. The Ministry of Communications portal, used to block and trace lost or stolen handsets, reported more than 75,000 devices recovered. Small fact, but portals and their parent ministries are standard one-mark questions.
Exam tag: SSC, Railway, Banking
Two more national items worth a line each: the Banas Bio-CNG plant at Vinchhivadi in Banaskantha district of Gujarat processes 100 metric tonnes of cattle dung a day, taking the Banas Dairy network to four plants and 340 MTPD. And Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma launched the CM-IMPACT Read and Rise Meghalaya Programme in Shillong, aiming for every child to read and write confidently by age 7.
International
6. PM Modi began a Central Asia tour covering Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. He held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent on trade, digital connectivity, defence and energy, and visited the Shastri Memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Tashkent State University.
Exam tag: All exams, BPSC, SSC
7. The 26th SCO Council of Heads of State Summit is being held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz President is Sadyr Zhaparov. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was founded in 2001 and this year marks its 25th anniversary; India became a full member in 2017. India's stated pitch at the summit is "Security, Connectivity and Opportunity", with terrorism, separatism and extremism on the agenda.
Exam tag: All exams, BPSC, JSSC
8. Meta agreed to a $17 billion settlement with 47 US states over child safety and addictive design. The terms include a 2-hour daily cap for under-18 users on Facebook and Instagram, a midnight to 6 am block, muting during school hours, usage prompts every 15 minutes, a non-algorithmic feed option and hidden like counts by default.
Exam tag: SSC, Banking, All exams
Also noted: India and Kuwait held their inaugural Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting, and Yuko Keicho of Japan was named World Bank Vice President and Auditor General, reporting directly to President Ajay Banga. She was earlier Auditor General at the Asian Development Bank.
Economy and Banking
9. Forex reserves hit a record $729.3 billion for the week ended 21 August 2026. That is a single-week jump of $12.4 billion. Composition: foreign currency assets $591.3 billion (about 81%), gold $114.2 billion (about 16%) and SDRs $18.8 billion. The cover is roughly 11 months of imports and India stands 4th globally on reserves.
Exam tag: Banking, SSC, BPSC, All exams
10. RBI relaxed the FCNR(B) swap window. Banks can now access the facility daily for transactions above $100 million, replacing the earlier weekly window. The related inflow data shows $72.85 billion attracted, of which FCNR(B) deposits contributed $65.40 billion.
Exam tag: Banking (IBPS, SBI, RBI)
11. IIP grew 6.7% in July 2026. The Index of Industrial Production number comes from MoSPI. Remember the base year 2011-12 and the three sectors (mining, manufacturing, electricity) with manufacturing carrying the largest weight.
Exam tag: Banking, SSC, BPSC
12. NABARD and NaBFID signed an MoU in Mumbai. It was signed by NABARD Chairman Shaji Krishnan V and NaBFID Managing Director Rajkiran Rai G, covering rural infrastructure, cold chains, irrigation, warehousing and biogas projects.
Exam tag: Banking, SSC
Appointments in the news (Person and Post)
Sports
13. R Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour. He beat Fabiano Caruana of the USA 15-13 in the Finals at the Saint Louis Chess Club, held 22 to 27 August 2026. Wesley So finished third by beating Vincent Keymer 18-12. The winner's cheque was $200,000 and Praggnanandhaa also gets a guaranteed spot in next year's Tour.
Exam tag: All exams, SSC, Railway
14. The 6th World Nomad Games open in Kyrgyzstan. The Games run from 31 August to 6 September 2026, with the opening in Bishkek and events around Cholpon-Ata in the Issyk-Kul region. PM Modi is attending the opening ceremony. Kok boru, er enish, eagle hunting, alysh and toguz korgool are among roughly 37 traditional disciplines.
Exam tag: All exams, SSC
Sports table (Event and Winner)
Awards
15. Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan released "Sankalp Se Siddhi Ka Modi Yug". The book is written by Rajya Sabha MP Ghanshyam Tiwari, published by Rupa Publications, and was released at Uprashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Books and authors questions almost always ask the author first, then the releaser.
Exam tag: SSC, Railway, BPSC, All exams
16. India ranked 76th in the Chandler Good Government Index 2026. The index covers 133 governments across seven governance pillars, and India is South Asia's top performer. India's score improved for a second straight year after three years of decline, though it is still below its 2021 level.
Exam tag: All exams, BPSC, Banking
Index table (Index, India's Rank, Topper)
Science and Defence
17. The Indian Navy took delivery of "Samarthak", its first indigenous Multi-Purpose Vessel, on 28 August 2026. Built by Larsen and Toubro at the Kattupalli shipyard near Chennai, it displaces about 3,750 tonnes with more than 75% indigenous content. Roles include DRDO weapon and sensor trials, gunnery and anti-submarine warfare training, launching UAVs, USVs and UUVs, fleet logistics, HADR and pollution control.
Exam tag: SSC, Railway, Defence, All exams
18. CSIR-IHBT reported a new species of the sunflower family from Tawang. Named Doronicum sanctum (leopard's bane genus), it was found at around 4,000 metres in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh and published in a Springer Nature journal. This is the first record of the genus Doronicum in Northeast India. CSIR-IHBT is headquartered at Palampur.
Exam tag: SSC, Railway, All exams
Two supporting items: the Department of Telecommunications and C-DOT set up a five-year end-to-end optical network testbed as a shared national facility for optical communications and quantum security. And the Ministry of Defence issued a Standard Operating Procedure aimed at the ₹50,000 crore defence export target, while the Department of Pharmaceuticals announced a second call under the ₹5,000 crore PRIP scheme.
Bihar and Jharkhand Special
19. Bihar will modernise 31 BSRTC bus depots on a PPP model. The plan follows Gujarat's GSRTC Bus Port model. Each terminal is to get EV charging stations, modern workshops, bus parking, inspection pits, sewage and effluent treatment plants, drainage and backup power. Roughly 3,000 to 5,000 shops across the 31 terminals will generate recurring revenue for BSRTC. Patna gets the largest terminal and Muzaffarpur becomes the North Bihar transit hub.
Exam tag: BPSC, BSSC, Bihar Police, BTET
Also from Bihar: Patna Mind Fest 2026 wrapped up in the capital with five contests across Open, College and School categories, drawing quizzers from across the country. Expect a one-liner on it in Bihar GK sections.
20. The Jharkhand Cabinet, chaired by CM Hemant Soren, cleared a large welfare and infrastructure package on 25 August 2026. Take these figures as a block, because JSSC and JPSC love exact allocations:
- 100 additional Mukhyamantri Utkrisht Vidyalayas under the Adarsh Vidyalaya Yojana at ₹721.43 crore, on top of the existing 80 CM Excellence Schools.
- Free sanitary napkins for girls in Classes 6 to 12 in government schools, up to 10 oxo-biodegradable napkins a month, budget ₹124.37 crore.
- 9,006 CCTV cameras across 606 police stations at ₹90 crore.
- MGM Medical College, Jamshedpur: ₹393.91 crore. Shaheed Nirmal Mahato Medical College, Dhanbad: ₹495.02 crore.
- Topchanchi Lake beautification in Dhanbad on PPP: ₹184.29 crore.
- Jharkhand Rural Bridge Maintenance Policy 2025 approved; lightning and heatwave removed from the state-specific disaster list after national inclusion.
Exam tag: JSSC, JPSC, JTET, Jharkhand Police
Important Days
A quick note on how to use this section. Important Days questions are almost free marks in SSC and Railway, but only if you revise the date plus one associated name. "30 August" alone will not save you when the paper asks who the day honours.
Today's 15 Objective Questions
Q1. India's foreign exchange reserves touched a record level for the week ended 21 August 2026. What was the figure?
(A) $712.6 billion (B) $725.7 billion (C) $729.3 billion (D) $736.1 billion
Answer: (C) Reserves rose $12.4 billion in one week to $729.3 billion, with foreign currency assets at $591.3 billion.
Q2. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana completed how many years in August 2026, and how many accounts does it have?
(A) 10 years, 55.09 crore (B) 11 years, 57.09 crore (C) 12 years, 59.09 crore (D) 12 years, 61.09 crore
Answer: (C) PMJDY was launched on 28 August 2014 and now has 59.09 crore accounts with ₹3.17 lakh crore in deposits.
Q3. The 26th SCO Council of Heads of State Summit is being hosted in which city?
(A) Samarkand (B) Astana (C) Tashkent (D) Bishkek
Answer: (D) Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan. Samarkand and Tashkent are in Uzbekistan, Astana in Kazakhstan.
Q4. Who became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour?
(A) D Gukesh (B) R Praggnanandhaa (C) Arjun Erigaisi (D) Vidit Gujrathi
Answer: (B) Praggnanandhaa beat Fabiano Caruana 15-13 in the St. Louis Finals and took the $200,000 first prize.
Q5. "Samarthak", the Indian Navy's first indigenous Multi-Purpose Vessel, was built by which shipyard?
(A) Cochin Shipyard, Kochi (B) Mazagon Dock, Mumbai (C) L&T Kattupalli, Tamil Nadu (D) GRSE, Kolkata
Answer: (C) Larsen and Toubro delivered it from Kattupalli on 28 August 2026 with over 75% indigenous content.
Q6. The newly reported species Doronicum sanctum was discovered in which state?
(A) Sikkim (B) Uttarakhand (C) Himachal Pradesh (D) Arunachal Pradesh
Answer: (D) CSIR-IHBT found it at about 4,000 metres in Tawang district, the first Doronicum record from Northeast India.
Q7. India's first dedicated Quantum and AI University campus is being built at which location?
(A) Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh (B) Hyderabad, Telangana (C) Bengaluru, Karnataka (D) Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Answer: (A) NIELIT is building it on 8.5 acres at Amaravati with ₹730.70 crore of MeitY funding.
Q8. India's Index of Industrial Production grew at what rate in July 2026?
(A) 4.9% (B) 5.8% (C) 6.7% (D) 7.4%
Answer: (C) MoSPI reported 6.7% IIP growth for July 2026. The IIP base year is 2011-12.
Q9. National Small Industry Day is observed in India on which date?
(A) 27 August (B) 29 August (C) 30 August (D) 1 September
Answer: (C) It marks the small scale industries policy package announced on 30 August 2000, under the Ministry of MSME.
Q10. The Jharkhand Cabinet approved how many CCTV cameras across how many police stations?
(A) 6,006 cameras, 506 stations (B) 9,006 cameras, 606 stations (C) 9,600 cameras, 660 stations (D) 10,006 cameras, 706 stations
Answer: (B) 9,006 cameras across 606 police stations at a cost of ₹90 crore.
Q11. Bihar plans to modernise how many BSRTC bus depots under the PPP bus port plan?
(A) 21 (B) 27 (C) 31 (D) 38
Answer: (C) All 31 depots, modelled on Gujarat's GSRTC Bus Port design, with Patna getting the largest terminal.
Q12. Till which date has the restructured PM SVANidhi scheme been extended?
(A) 31 March 2028 (B) 31 December 2028 (C) 31 March 2030 (D) 31 March 2032
Answer: (C) The Cabinet extended it to 31 March 2030 when it approved the restructuring on 27 August 2025.
Q13. Which former ISRO Chairman was appointed a part-time non-official Director on the RBI Central Board?
(A) K. Sivan (B) A. S. Kiran Kumar (C) S. Somanath (D) V. Narayanan
Answer: (C) S. Somanath was among five directors appointed for four-year terms effective 24 August 2026.
Q14. Who was appointed Vice President and Auditor General of the World Bank?
(A) Yuko Keicho (B) Indermit Gill (C) Anna Bjerde (D) Ajay Banga
Answer: (A) Yuko Keicho of Japan, previously Auditor General at the Asian Development Bank, reports directly to President Ajay Banga.
Q15. What is India's rank in the Chandler Good Government Index 2026?
(A) 66th (B) 72nd (C) 76th (D) 82nd
Answer: (C) India ranked 76th out of 133 governments and was South Asia's top performer, improving for a second straight year.
One Honest Caveat Before You Memorise This
Two items here are softer than the rest, and you should know which. The Chandler Good Government Index release named India's rank but did not name the global topper, so that cell in the table stays blank instead of carrying a guess. And "Samarthak" has been delivered to the Navy, not commissioned. If a paper asks about "INS Samarthak", the prefix is premature as of today. Check the official note before you write it that way in a mains answer.
One more habit worth building. Facts like the Jharkhand Cabinet allocations look boring in August and become one-mark gold in a JSSC paper six months later, because nobody revises them twice. Write the six Jharkhand figures on a single index card today. That takes four minutes and saves you a question.
Aaj ka full CA quiz: ExamAtlas.com