August 17, 2026
34 articles published on this date
India Leases Two More MQ-9B Sea Guardian Drones for the Navy
India signed a Rs 1,943-crore lease agreement with US firm General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for two additional MQ-9B Sea Guardian remotely piloted...
E20 Ethanol-Blended Petrol: Mileage, Compatibility and Labelling Concerns
India's rapid rollout of E20 (petrol blended with 20% ethanol) has raised concerns among vehicle owners over reduced mileage, mechanical wear, fuel...
Ken-Betwa River Link: Adivasi Resistance Over Displacement and Compensation
Villagers in Chhatarpur and Panna districts of Madhya Pradesh's Bundelkhand region are resisting displacement caused by the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project...
Multi-State Operation Dismantles ISI-Backed Terror Network Ahead of Independence Day
Security agencies conducted a coordinated multi-state operation on 12 August 2026 against a Pakistan-based, ISI-backed network described as the 'Shahzad...
253 Held Across 14 States in Multi-Agency Crackdown on ISI-Backed Terror Network
Security agencies conducted a coordinated crackdown across 14 states, detaining 253 individuals linked to a Pakistan-based, ISI-backed terror network ahead...
CAG Audit Flags Major Shortfalls in the Green India Mission
A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the Green India Mission (GIM), covering implementation across 16 states and Union Territories for the...
IT Ministry Clears ₹7,877 Crore in New Projects Under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) approved 31 new projects worth ₹7,877 crore in investment under the Electronics Component...
India Leases Two More MQ-9B Sea Guardian Drones for Naval Surveillance
The Ministry of Defence signed a lease and operational contract worth approximately ₹1,943 crore for two additional MQ-9B Sea Guardian remotely piloted...
India's Overseas Critical Minerals Push Hits Delays: The Lithium Case Study
A parliamentary panel on Coal, Mines and Steel flagged delays in production from five lithium brine blocks India acquired in Argentina, along with limited...
Supreme Court: Curbing Black Money in Elections is ECI's Responsibility
The Supreme Court held that unaccounted cash used to influence voters 'strikes at the root of free and fair elections' and that a voter's choice is not free...
Supreme Court Bars States from Blocking Elephant Corridors, Orders Nationwide Survey
The Supreme Court held that no state can block or obstruct traditional elephant migration routes (corridors), even citing crop damage or threats to persons...
India's Unemployment Rate Eases to a Four-Month Low: Reading the PLFS Data
Official monthly labour data showed the unemployment rate (for persons aged 15 and above) fell to 5.1% in July, down from 5.5% in June — a four-month low....
India Seeks WTO Consultations Over US Safeguard Tariff-Rate Quota on Quartz Surfaces
India has requested formal WTO consultations with the United States over a new tariff-rate quota (TRQ) on imports of quartz surface products (engineered...
Cauvery Water Dispute: Supreme Court Reviews Compliance with CWMA Directions
The Supreme Court heard a plea seeking implementation of the Cauvery Water Management Authority's (CWMA) direction on water release from Karnataka to Tamil...
Government Directs Ministries to Fast-Track Filling of SC/ST Backlog Reserved Vacancies
Central ministries and departments have been directed to constitute Expert/Reservation Committees to identify and clear backlog reserved vacancies for...
Tamirabharani River Declared a 'Legal Person': India's Rights of Nature Jurisprudence Revisited
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, in Sivanupandian v. District Collector, recognised the Tamirabharani (also referred to by its ancient name...
US Welcomes Trilateral Saudi Arabia-Turkiye-Pakistan Defence Pact as West Asia's Security Architecture Shifts
The US President described the newly signed Saudi Arabia-Turkiye-Pakistan defence agreement — under which an armed attack on any one signatory is to be...
UNCCD COP17 Opens in Ulaanbaatar: From Land Pledges to Implementation and a Global Drought Framework
The 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) opened in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (August 17-28, 2026) under the...
Criminal Cases Against Lawmakers: Supreme Court Data and the Special Courts Framework
A report placed before the Supreme Court in an ongoing public interest litigation on the criminalisation of politics recorded that 251 of 543 Lok Sabha...
Security Agencies Dismantle ISI-Backed Shahzad Bhatti Terror Network Ahead of Independence Day
Security agencies conducted a coordinated, multi-state operation dismantling the Pakistan-based, ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) ahead of...
Kerala Renamed 'Keralam': Article 3 and the Procedure for Altering a State's Name
The President gave assent to the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which changes the official name of the State of Kerala to 'Keralam' The Lok Sabha...
Australian Court Rejects India's Basmati Word-Mark Appeal: GI vs Trademark Distinction
The Federal Court of Australia has dismissed an appeal by India's Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) seeking...
Supreme Court Examines Compensation Cap Under the SHANTI Act's Nuclear Liability Regime
The Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to provisions of the SHANTI Act that cap compensation payable in the event of a nuclear accident, and has asked the...
UPI's Transaction Value Nears 70% of Currency in Circulation
Monthly UPI transaction value has grown to roughly 70% of the total currency in circulation (CIC) in the economy, reflecting a sharp rise in digital payment...
India's Installed Clean Energy Capacity Overtakes Fossil Fuels
Capacity data compiled by energy think tanks put India's installed clean energy capacity at 331.7 GW, against 302.0 GW of installed fossil-fuel-based...
BRICS Senior Officers Discuss Circular Economy, Disaster Resilience and Carbon Markets in New Delhi
Senior officers from BRICS member countries met at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, under the Environment Working Group and the Contact Group on Climate Change...
Gaza Road Map Talks: Disarmament, Withdrawal and the Board of Peace Framework
A senior US negotiator held a rare direct meeting with the Hamas chief in Egypt to discuss implementation of the Gaza road map, ahead of a separate meeting...
US Presses Allies to Choose Between Rival AI Blocs: Pax Silica vs WAICO
A draft letter prepared by the U.S. State Department is set to be sent to the 35 signatories of the 'AI Opportunity Statement,' a joint statement on...
Mecca Joint Defence Agreement: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan's Collective Defence Pact
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a trilateral pact under which an armed attack on any one signatory is to be...
Maharashtra's Earthquake Swarm: Why the Deccan Plateau Keeps Shaking
Maharashtra has recorded a cluster of small earthquakes over roughly a fortnight in late July–August 2026, concentrated around Nashik, with additional...
NITI Aayog Flags Telecom and Network Equipment (TANE) Sector as a Manufacturing Opportunity
A NITI Aayog report titled 'Key Sectors to Position India as a Global Manufacturing Hub' identified the Telecom and Network Equipment (TANE) sector as...
CAG Performance Audit Flags ₹103.77 Crore Revenue Loss in BMRCL's Nagasandra Land Deal
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in its Performance Audit of the implementation of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Namma Metro (Bangalore Metro Rail...
Kaziranga's Eco-Sensitive Zone: Why the Buffer Width Is Contested
Assam's Chief Minister indicated during a visit to Bokakhat (August 8) that the state will move to fix the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Kaziranga...
India Q1 FY27 GDP Growth Forecast: Reading the National Accounts Framework
A poll of economists projects India's GDP growth for the April–June quarter of FY27 (Q1 FY27) at around 7.3%, supported by resilient consumption, exports...