Current Affairs & Key Concepts Review - August 2026

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key legal rulings, economic policies, international relations, defense technologies, ancient inscriptions, and environmental updates from current affairs.

Section 498A IPC / Section 85 BNS

Statutory penal provision criminalizing cruelty inflicted on a woman by her husband or his relatives, carrying a punishment of up to 3 years imprisonment and a fine.

Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Bill, 2026

Legislation seeking to replace the ISI Act, 1959, converting the Indian Statistical Institute from a society into a statutory body corporate while retaining its status as an Institution of National Importance.

National Tribunals Commission (NTC)

Independent statutory body constituted under the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2026 to select tribunal members, review performance, oversee complaints, and maintain the National Tribunals Data Grid.

Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL)

FSSAI-proposed red hexagonal warning label system on packaged foods high in salt, added sugar, or added fat, based on ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024.

Stare Decisis

A Latin legal principle meaning 'to stand by things decided', requiring courts to adhere to established judicial precedents, particularly those of higher or larger Benches.

Shetty Commission Report (1996)

Report led by Justice K.J. Shetty recommending the abolition of the 3-year Bar practice requirement for judicial service, citing modern clinical training and internships in law curricula.

Michał Kalecki’s Principle of Increasing Risk

Economic principle stating that as a firm expands investment using external debt relative to equity, the associated borrowing risks and costs increase, creating a disadvantage for smaller firms.

GOBARdhan National Circular Bioenergy Scheme

Central scheme with an outlay of ₹23,731 crore (FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36) under MoPNG aimed at expanding Compressed Biogas (CBG) production and creating a circular bioeconomy.

NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)

Demographic classification encompassing individuals aged 15–29 who are outside the labor force and not enrolled in formal education, employment, or technical training.

Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026

Legislation introducing Section 9D to restrict State Governments from imposing independent taxes, cesses, or levies on mineral rights or mineral-bearing lands outside Central conditions.

Mecca Joint Defence Agreement

Trilateral security agreement signed between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan establishing a collective-deterrence framework modeled on Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Petermann Glacier

Major glacier in northwest Greenland connecting the Greenland Ice Sheet to the Arctic Ocean, located east of Nares Strait between Greenland and Ellesmere Island.

Sohgaura Copper Plate Inscription

Earliest known Indian copper-plate inscription (3rd century BCE, Mauryan period) in Gorakhpur, UP, written in Brahmi script and Prakrit language, recording state granaries for famine relief.

Besnagar Pillar Inscription

2nd century BCE Brahmi and Prakrit inscription in Vidisha, MP, erected by Greek ambassador Heliodorus, recording him as a devotee of Vasudeva (Bhagavata Vaishnavism).

Aihole Inscription

634 CE Southern Brahmi and Sanskrit inscription in Karnataka authored by Ravikirti, detailing the Chalukya lineage and Pulakeshin II’s victory over Harshavardhana along the Narmada.

Kashi Declaration

Declaration adopted on July 20, 2025, in Varanasi, establishing a 5-year roadmap for a youth-led, drug-free India by integrating spiritual, educational, and technological efforts.

National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS)

Scheme under the Ministry of Education providing ₹12,000 annually to eligible Class IX–XII students with parental income ≤ ₹3.5 lakh to prevent dropouts after Class VIII.

Doxxing

The unauthorized publication or online circulation of an individual's personal information (e.g., phone number, address, workplace) to harass, intimidate, or silence them.

PAIMANA

Project Assessment, Infrastructure Monitoring and Analytics for Nation-Building, an online monitoring system launched by MoSPI in 2025 for Central infrastructure projects costing ₹150 crore or more.

Essential Religious Practices (ERP) Test

Judicial doctrine originating from the 1954 Shirur Mutt case, establishing that Article 25 protects beliefs and rituals core to a religion whose removal would alter its character.

Surrogate Advertising

The practice of promoting a banned or restricted product (e.g., tobacco, alcohol) indirectly by advertising a permitted product under the same brand name, logo, or packaging.

Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) System

NALSA-backed institutional model providing full-time dedicated public defense attorneys for indigent accused across remand, bail, trial, and appeal stages in criminal cases.

Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme (CMAS)

Proposed Union Government scheme with a ₹10,000 crore outlay over 5 years aimed at scaling domestic shipping container production capacity to ~7.5 lakh TEUs.

IT Resilience Index (ITRI)

SEBI-introduced quantitative scorecard with 9 weighted parameters designed to measure the operational and technological system health of Market Infrastructure Institutions.

e-Shram Portal

Aadhaar-seeded digital database launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, assigning a 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN) to unorganised workers.

Samudra Manthan Scheme

National Offshore Exploration Scheme approved with an outlay of ₹84,084 crore under MoPNG to explore deepwater and ultra-deepwater hydrocarbon potential.

Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)

A transaction processing and settlement fee paid by merchants to acquiring banks and payment service providers for handling digital card and UPI transactions.

Ceuta

Spanish autonomous city located on the northern coast of Africa along the Strait of Gibraltar, forming one of the EU's two land borders with the African continent.

Positive Indigenisation List (PIL)

Ministry of Defence catalog specifying military platforms, sub-systems, and components that are barred from import and must be sourced from domestic manufacturers.

Agni-4 Missile

Indigenously developed, two-stage solid-propellant surface-to-surface intermediate-range ballistic missile with a strike range up to 4,000 kilometres.

S-PVC Resin

Suspension Polyvinyl Chloride resin, a chlorine-intensive polymer manufactured from vinyl chloride monomer used in irrigation, plumbing, electrical conduits, and construction.

Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs)

Naturally occurring landscapes characterized by sparse or low tree cover—such as grasslands, savannas, deserts, ravines, and scrublands—that harbour specialized endemic biodiversity.

Magnetorheological (MR) Fluid

A smart carrier fluid containing suspended magnetic micro-particles whose apparent viscosity increases rapidly in a magnetic field, behaving like a viscoelastic solid.

Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) Rocket Engine

Advanced rocket engine cycle in which both fuel-rich and oxidizer-rich pre-burner gases power separate turbopumps before completely combusting in the main chamber.

Glueballs

Hypothetical composite particles in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) composed entirely of bound gluons carrying color charge without valence quarks.

Nitrosamines

Chemical compounds formed when secondary/tertiary amines react with nitrites under heat or acidic conditions, recognized as potent environmental and dietary carcinogens.

Dirac Medal

Annual award established in 1985 by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, recognizing significant contributions to theoretical physics.

Sarnath

Ancient Buddhist site in Varanasi, UP, where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon (Dharmachakra Pravartana); added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2026.

Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das

Odia freedom fighter, reformer, and founder of 'The Samaj' newspaper (1919) and Satyabadi Van Vidyalaya, popularly known as 'Utkalmani' (jewel of Odisha).

Pingali Venkayya

Indian freedom fighter, linguist, and military veteran who designed the initial draft of the Indian National Flag presented to Mahatma Gandhi in 1921.