Daily Current Affairs Quiz — UPSC, RPSC, SSC & Banking

Explanation

The 26th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State is being held in Bishkek, capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, from 30 August to 1 September 2026 at the Ala-Archa State Residence. Kyrgyzstan holds the 2025-26 chairmanship and President Sadyr Japarov chairs the summit, themed on 25 years of the SCO. The plenary falls on 1 September. Exam angle: the SCO was founded in 2001, is headquartered in Beijing, India became a full member in 2017, and the 25th summit was held at Tianjin, China, in 2025.

Explanation

UPI was developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella body for retail payment systems set up in 2009 and working under the regulatory oversight of the RBI. The pilot was launched on 11 April 2016 in Mumbai by the then RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan with 21 member banks; banks made their UPI apps publicly available on 25 August 2016, the date on which the platform completed 10 years in 2026. The BHIM app followed in December 2016.

Explanation

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) held the 2nd edition of joint exercise Sahyog HOP TAC off Chennai in the Bay of Bengal on 27 August 2026. Vietnam Coast Guard ship CSB 8002 and a six-member delegation took part. The 7th ICG-VCG High-Level Meeting was held at Chennai just before it, under the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding on Coast Guard Cooperation. Exam angle: the first edition was also held off Chennai, in October 2018, with ship CSB 8001.

Explanation

The inaugural event of the 3rd National Space Day was held at Ahmedabad on 23 August 2026, hosted by the Space Applications Centre (SAC), whose Director Dr Ch V N Rao delivered the welcome address. ISRO said Ahmedabad was chosen for SAC's presence and its growing start-up ecosystem. The theme was Towards Viksit Bharat. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was chief guest and ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan presided. The day marks Chandrayaan-3's 2023 lunar landing.

Explanation

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev conferred the Order of Oliy Darajali Do'stlik on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace in Tashkent on 30 August 2026. It is Uzbekistan's supreme state award for foreign leaders; Do'stlik means friendship in Uzbek. Modi dedicated it to the enduring bond between the two countries. Exam angle: this is the 36th international honour conferred on Modi, received during his state visit of 29-30 August 2026.

Explanation

During PM Modi's state visit to Uzbekistan on 29-30 August 2026, the two sides set a target of USD 5 billion in annual bilateral trade by 2030, up from the current level of over USD 1 billion. Ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and 11 MoUs, agreements and understandings were exchanged. Modi also announced that a long-term arrangement would be established for the supply of uranium to India.

Explanation

A Letter of Intent was exchanged between India's Ministry of External Affairs and the Cultural Heritage Agency of Uzbekistan for the conservation and restoration of Fayaz Tepa and Kara Tepa. These ancient Buddhist sites lie in the Termez region of southern Uzbekistan and reflect the shared Buddhist heritage of the two countries. A Cultural Exchange Programme for 2026-30 and an MoU on archival cooperation were also signed. Exam angle: outcomes of Modi's Tashkent visit of 29-30 August 2026.

Explanation

Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, Jaipur performed Rajasthan's first successful paediatric liver transplant in the government sector, giving a new life to a 14-year-old boy. A joint team of the liver transplant surgery and anaesthesia departments carried out the procedure, and the patient is stable after surgery. The team was led by Dr Dinesh Bharti, head of HPB surgery. Exam angle: Rajasthan's first heart transplant in a government hospital was also done at SMS, in January 2020.

Explanation

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah announced new District Central Cooperative Banks for four Rajasthan districts - Pratapgarh, Phalodi, Balotra and Didwana-Kuchaman - at an event in Alwar. The Rajasthan State Cooperative Bank, the Apex Bank, had surveyed the 12 districts lacking an independent central cooperative bank, and these four were selected. Exam angle: Pratapgarh district was created in 2008, while Phalodi, Balotra and Didwana-Kuchaman were created in 2023.