Energy · Households: Piped Gas Incentive Starts on 1 September
The Centre has approved an Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Domestic PNG Connections, effective from 1 September. India has 1.74 crore domestic piped-gas connections today. The scheme runs in two tranches over six months and pays city gas distributors in gas, not cash — 200 standard cubic metres per additional billed connection.
Education · Examinations: Four Checks Before a Question Paper Ships
The National Testing Agency has replaced 600 experts on its examination panels and is inducting 20 to 25 officials over the next two to three weeks. The Ministry of Education says a four-tier question-paper checking system will be introduced and NTA offices will move to new premises with CISF security. The detail that matters to a candidate is the four tiers.
Banking · Rural Credit: RRB Loan Book Grows 10.3 Per Cent
Regional Rural Banks ended 2025-26 with gross loans outstanding above ₹5.78 lakh crore, against nearly ₹5.24 lakh crore a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said. Agriculture and allied activities account for ₹3.78 lakh crore — 77 per cent of the RRBs’ priority-sector lending. Credit to MSMEs stands at about ₹67,000 crore.
Trade · Singapore: Four Ministers, One Roundtable, Seventy Firms
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal left for Singapore for the fourth India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, joining Nirmala Sitharaman, S. Jaishankar and Ashwini Vaishnaw. He travels with a business delegation of about 70 senior representatives across technology, AI, manufacturing, infrastructure, financial services, healthcare, agriculture, logistics and maritime.
Weather · Monsoon: Very Heavy Rain Forecast for Three States
The India Meteorological Department has forecast very heavy rainfall at isolated places over East and West Uttar Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand. A depression over Jharkhand and adjoining northern Gangetic West Bengal is driving the system, with fairly widespread to widespread rain over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on 19 August.
Multilateral · Environment :BRICS Environment Ministers Meet in Delhi
At the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav argued that environmental action must remain people-centric, sustainable and responsive to the realities of developing countries. It is the second BRICS ministerial track India has hosted this week, alongside the ICT meetings at Pune.
Telecom · States : BharatNet Contract Signed for Chhattisgarh
Digital Bharat Nidhi, under the Department of Telecommunications, signed an implementation agreement for the Amended BharatNet Programme in Chhattisgarh with the state government, CSBIL, BSNL and CHiPS. The five-party structure is the tell: village broadband is now being delivered through a state-owned special purpose vehicle rather than a single central contractor.
Sport · Cricket: India Need Six Wickets at Galle
India closed the fourth day of the first Test at Galle with Sri Lanka on 84 for 4 in their second innings, chasing 288. India made 462 and 193; Sri Lanka replied with 284. The second Test begins at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on 23 August.
Sport · Hockey and Badminton : India Meet Pakistan in Hockey World Cup
India play Pakistan in a Pool D match of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup today. At the BWF World Championships, Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda both advanced to the second round of the men’s and women’s singles respectively on 18 August.
Agriculture · Research: ICAR’s 97th Annual Meeting Sets a Roadmap
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research held its 97th Annual General Meeting on 18 August, charting what the Council describes as a roadmap for transformative agriculture. ICAR’s institute network, including the National Research Centre for Makhana at Darbhanga, is the delivery arm for most crop-specific central schemes.
Rural Housing · Rajasthan : 2.89 Lakh Houses Handed Over in One State
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan delivered 2.89 lakh completed pucca houses worth ₹3,473 crore to Rajasthan under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin on 17 August. That is roughly ₹1.2 lakh of assistance per house — the unit economics the scheme’s national arithmetic rests on.
Governance · Elections : Election Commission Publishes a Fact Sheet
The Election Commission has issued a fact sheet setting out how India’s electoral system works and what safeguards apply to voters. It records that elections to the offices of President and Vice-President, to the Lok Sabha and to State Legislative Assemblies and Councils are conducted by an independent constitutional authority.
