Weekly Current Affairs: August 10–16, 2026 — 80th Independence Day and the Saptdhara Framework, Free Online Coaching Announced from the Red Fort, Kerala Renamed Keralam, Forex Reserves Cross $707 Billion, 78 Gallantry Awards & Europe’s First Total Solar Eclipse Since 1999

India celebrated its 80th Independence Day on 15 August 2026.

India became independent on 15 August 1947. The Prime Minister hoists the National Flag at the Red Fort on Independence Day; on Republic Day the President unfurls the flag at Kartavya Path. Hoisting means raising the flag from the bottom, unfurling means opening an already-raised flag.

The Prime Minister announced a target of 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047.

India’s three-stage nuclear programme, conceived by Homi Jehangir Bhabha, moves from Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors using natural uranium, to Fast Breeder Reactors, to thorium-based reactors. The Department of Atomic Energy reports directly to the Prime Minister. India has among the world’s largest thorium reserves, concentrated in the monazite sands of Kerala and Odisha.

President Murmu addressed the nation on 14 August, Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Divas.

Partition Horrors Remembrance Day was announced in 2021 and is observed on 14 August. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, integrated more than 550 princely states. His birth anniversary, 31 October, is observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

Parliament passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 renaming Kerala as Keralam.

Article 3 lets Parliament alter the name, area or boundary of a state. The Bill needs the President’s prior recommendation and must be referred to the State Legislature for its views, which are not binding on Parliament. Such a change is made by a simple majority and is not treated as a constitutional amendment under Article 368.

The 2026 Monsoon Session of Parliament was adjourned sine die on 13 August.

Under Article 85, six months cannot elapse between the last sitting of one session and the first sitting of the next. Adjournment sine die is done by the presiding officer, prorogation by the President, and dissolution applies only to the Lok Sabha. A Bill pending in the Lok Sabha lapses on dissolution.

Retail inflation rose to 4.45 per cent in July 2026.

CPI is compiled by the National Statistics Office. Under the flexible inflation targeting framework introduced in 2016, the RBI must keep CPI inflation at 4 per cent within a band of plus or minus 2 per cent. Failure for three consecutive quarters requires the RBI to submit a report to the Central Government.

Wholesale price inflation stood at 9.78 per cent in July 2026.

WPI is released by the Office of the Economic Adviser under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. Its three major groups are Primary Articles, Fuel and Power, and Manufactured Products. WPI excludes services, while CPI includes them.

India’s foreign exchange reserves crossed USD 707 billion.

Reserves are held in four components — foreign currency assets, gold, SDRs and the IMF reserve position — and are managed by the RBI under FEMA, 1999, which replaced FERA, 1973. Import cover, the number of months of imports reserves can finance, is a standard adequacy measure.

The RBI closed its FCNR(B) swap window early after USD 52.3 billion in inflows.

FCNR(B) deposits are held in permitted foreign currencies, so exchange-rate risk sits with the bank rather than the depositor. NRE accounts are freely repatriable rupee accounts; NRO accounts hold income earned in India with repatriation limits. A similar FCNR(B) swap window was used in 2013 during the taper tantrum.

The CBDT opened the FAST-DS foreign asset disclosure window on 16 August 2026.

The CBDT functions under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, and was constituted under the Central Boards of Revenue Act, 1963. Direct taxes include income tax and corporation tax; indirect taxes include GST and customs duty. The Black Money Act was enacted in 2015.

Reliance and Rolls-Royce announced a partnership for the AMCA combat engine.

The AMCA is developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency under DRDO, established in 1958 and headquartered in New Delhi. Tejas is built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Bengaluru. The indigenous Kaveri engine was developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment.

India and the United States held their eighth bilateral EOD exercise at Kochi.

Southern Naval Command at Kochi is the Indian Navy’s training command; Western Naval Command is at Mumbai and Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam. Malabar, which began in 1992 as an India-United States exercise, now includes Japan and Australia.

The President approved 78 gallantry awards on the eve of Independence Day 2026.

Wartime gallantry awards in descending order are Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra. Peacetime awards are Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra. All were instituted in 1950. Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi honoured 115 artists at Vigyan Bhawan.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi covers music, dance and drama; the Lalit Kala Akademi covers fine arts; and the Sahitya Akademi covers literature. All three function under the Ministry of Culture. The Akademi Ratna is the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s highest honour.

A total solar eclipse crossed mainland Europe on 12 August 2026.

A solar eclipse occurs at new moon and a lunar eclipse at full moon. An annular eclipse produces a ring of fire when the Moon is near apogee and appears too small to cover the Sun. The maximum duration of totality for a solar eclipse is about seven and a half minutes.

India beat Wales 3-1 in the opening match of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026.

India won the Hockey World Cup once, in 1975 at Kuala Lumpur, beating Pakistan 2-1. India has won eight Olympic gold medals in hockey. The FIH was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Lausanne. National Sports Day is observed on 29 August, the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand.