Daily Current Affairs Quiz 15, 16 & 17 August 2026: 15 Important GK MCQs for UPSC, SSC, Banking & Railways Exams

Question 1

Which major cultural milestone was highlighted during India's 80th Independence Day celebrations on 15 August 2026?

Accepted Answer

150 years of Vande Mataram - India celebrated its 80th Independence Day on 15 August 2026 , with the national ceremony led from the Red Fort in New Delhi. A major focus was 150 years of Vande Mataram , along with the contribution of Yuva Shakti towards Viksit Bharat by 2047. • Around 5,000 special guests participated • The ceremony included a 21-Gun Salute • Mi-17 helicopters took part in the aerial display Static GK link: Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and appeared in his novel Anandamath . India became independent on 15 August 1947 .

Question 2

How many Police, Fire Service, Home Guard and Civil Defence, and Correctional Services personnel received Gallantry and Service Medals for Independence Day 2026?

Accepted Answer

1,057 - The Ministry of Home Affairs announced Gallantry and Service Medals for 1,057 personnel on the occasion of Independence Day 2026. • Medal for Gallantry → 301 personnel • President's Medal for Distinguished Service → 92 personnel • Medal for Meritorious Service → 664 personnel • Of the gallantry recipients, 272 were Police personnel and 29 were Fire Service personnel Static GK link: The Ministry of Home Affairs is headquartered in New Delhi and is the Union ministry principally responsible for internal security, Centre-State relations, border management and related domestic-security matters.

Question 3

India and Nepal signed MoUs for eight High Impact Community Development Projects in August 2026. What was their approximate combined value?

Accepted Answer

NPR 803 million - India and Nepal signed MoUs for eight High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) with an estimated combined value of about NPR 803 million . • The projects cover 7 districts across four provinces • Priority areas include health, education, agriculture and digital infrastructure • Digitalisation of the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences is among the identified initiatives Static GK link: Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal. Nepal's currency is the Nepalese Rupee , commonly abbreviated as NPR. India and Nepal share an open land border and maintain extensive economic, cultural and people-to-people links.

Question 4

The Punatsangchhu-III Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan is being developed under a BOOT model. What does BOOT stand for?

Accepted Answer

Build-Own-Operate-Transfer - BOOT stands for Build-Own-Operate-Transfer . The model was specified for the 920 MW Punatsangchhu-III Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan, to be jointly developed by Druk Green Power Corporation and JSW Neo Energy . • DGPC stake → 51% • JSW Neo Energy stake → 49% • Initial JSW investment → BTN 245 million • It is JSW Neo Energy's first power-generation venture outside India Static GK link: Bhutan's capital is Thimphu , while its currency is the Ngultrum . Hydropower has long been a major pillar of India-Bhutan economic cooperation.

Question 5

SEBI's proposed Credit Risk-o-Meter for debt securities would classify credit risk into how many levels?

Accepted Answer

Six - The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed a colour-coded Credit Risk-o-Meter with six risk levels for debt securities. The proposal is intended to make credit risk easier for investors to interpret and to allow faster comparison between instruments. • Conventional ratings such as AAA, AA and BBB would be mapped to visual risk bands • The scale ranges from the lowest credit-risk category to high or very high default risk • The framework was proposed through a consultation process Static GK link: SEBI was constituted as a non-statutory body in 1988 and became a statutory regulator under the SEBI Act, 1992 . Its head office is in Mumbai.

Question 6

Bank of America agreed to acquire up to what maximum stake in Jio Credit, subject to regulatory and statutory approvals?

Accepted Answer

49.9% - Bank of America entered into an agreement to acquire up to 49.9% in Jio Credit , the lending arm of Jio Financial Services, subject to the required approvals. • Initial equity acquisition → approximately 26.5% • Overall transaction value → about Rs 18,268 crore • The remaining proposed holding is to be obtained through exercise of warrants • Regulatory and statutory clearances remain necessary Static GK link: Jio Financial Services emerged as a separate listed financial-services entity following its demerger from Reliance Industries in 2023 . Lending businesses in India operate within a wider regulatory framework overseen by the Reserve Bank of India.

Question 7

What is the approved outlay for the Samudra Manthan National Offshore Exploration Scheme?

Accepted Answer

Rs 84,084 crore - The Union Cabinet approved Samudra Manthan - National Offshore Exploration Scheme with an outlay of Rs 84,084 crore . The programme seeks to accelerate exploration of India's offshore oil and natural-gas resources. • Implementation horizon → up to FY 2030-31 • Activities include modern seismic surveys and deepwater exploration drilling • The programme also supports offshore infrastructure and domestic manufacturing capability • Greater domestic production could reduce hydrocarbon import dependence Static GK link: Samudra Manthan is a Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. In a Central Sector Scheme, expenditure is financed by the Union government.

Question 8

Which four sectors did NITI Aayog identify as high-potential sectors in its report on positioning India as a global manufacturing hub?

Accepted Answer

Chemicals, textiles, telecom and networking equipment, and solar PV - NITI Aayog identified four high-potential sectors: chemicals, textiles, telecom and networking equipment, and solar PV , in its report Key Sectors to Position India as a Global Manufacturing Hub . • Total sectors assessed → 12 • The methodology covered shortlisting, assessment, global benchmarking and recommendations • The report focuses on domestic value addition, export capability and global competitiveness Static GK link - NITI Aayog: It was established on 1 January 2015 , replacing the Planning Commission . The Prime Minister is its ex-officio Chairperson. NITI Aayog is an executive-policy think tank rather than a constitutional or statutory body.

Question 9

What is the correct expansion of IN-SPACe, the agency involved in India's commercial Earth Observation satellite constellation initiative?

Accepted Answer

Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre - IN-SPACe expands to Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre . It approved an agreement concerning India's first indigenous fully commercial Earth Observation satellite constellation under a PPP model . • Planned constellation → 12 satellites • Investment → over Rs 1,200 crore • Expected operationalisation → 2029 • Consortium led by PixxelSpace India , with Dhruva Space, PierSight Space and SatSure Analytics Static GK link: IN-SPACe was created following the 2020 space-sector reforms. It functions as an autonomous, single-window nodal agency under the Department of Space to promote and authorise private-sector space activities.

Question 10

SraVaani, released by researchers associated with IISc, can recognise speech across how many Indian languages and dialects?

Accepted Answer

65 - SraVaani is an open-source voice-AI model capable of recognising speech across 65 Indian languages and dialects . It was developed by researchers associated with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) , SPIRE Lab and ARTPARK, with support from Google. • Coverage includes 20 scheduled languages and 45 regional languages or dialects • Transcription is supported across 10 scripts • The model includes automatic language identification • Reported Garo word error rate → 9.5% Static GK link: The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution currently recognises 22 languages . It originally contained 14 languages when the Constitution commenced.

Question 11

The large AI-computing facility planned by L&T-linked; entities in Chennai is expected to deploy how many NVIDIA B300 GPUs?

Accepted Answer

10,000 - Larsen & Toubro , through LTN Compute and Vyoma.AI, secured an order for an AI-computing facility in Chennai that is planned to deploy 10,000 NVIDIA B300 GPUs for US-based Together AI . • Estimated order value → Rs 10,000-15,000 crore • Location → Chennai, Tamil Nadu • The infrastructure will support AI training, inference and model fine-tuning • It is described as India's largest single-cluster NVIDIA B300 AI deployment Static GK link: GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit . GPUs are widely used in modern AI because their highly parallel architecture can accelerate large-scale matrix and tensor computations.

Question 12

Where were the national World Elephant Day 2026 celebrations associated with the Gaj Gaurav Awards held?

Accepted Answer

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh - The national programme connected with World Elephant Day 2026 and the Gaj Gaurav Awards 2026 was held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh . The awards recognised notable elephant-conservation and wildlife-rescue efforts. • India hosts nearly 60% of the world's wild Asian elephant population • The country has 33 Elephant Reserves • Around 150 elephant corridors have been scientifically identified • Project Elephant's steering committee also reviewed human-elephant conflict studies Static GK link: World Elephant Day is observed annually on 12 August . India's Project Elephant was launched in 1992 to support elephant conservation, habitat protection and management of human-elephant conflict.

Question 13

Parichha Dam, recognised as a World Heritage Irrigation Structure, stands on the Betwa River. The Betwa is a tributary of which river?

Accepted Answer

Yamuna - The Betwa River is a tributary of the Yamuna River . The historic Parichha Dam on the Betwa in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, was recognised by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage as a World Heritage Irrigation Structure . • Operational since → 1886 • Approximate length → 1,174 metres • It forms the headworks of the Betwa Canal System • The structure remains functional after roughly 140 years Static GK link: The Betwa rises in Madhya Pradesh and flows through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh before joining the Yamuna. The ICID was established in 1950 and is headquartered in New Delhi.

Question 14

Under India's Nuclear Energy Mission, what nuclear-power capacity is targeted for 2047?

Accepted Answer

100 GW - India's Nuclear Energy Mission envisages increasing nuclear-power capacity to 100 GW by 2047 , making nuclear energy a larger component of the country's long-term energy-security and low-carbon strategy. • The mission includes development of indigenous Small Modular Reactors • Target → at least five indigenous SMRs by 2033 • Mission allocation for SMR design, development and deployment → Rs 20,000 crore • India's net-zero target year → 2070 Static GK link: NPCIL stands for Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited. It is a public-sector enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy and is a principal operator of India's commercial nuclear power reactors.

Question 15

Which organisation is associated with the design and development of India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme?

Accepted Answer

Aeronautical Development Agency - The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is associated with the design and development of India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme. The August 2026 current-affairs development concerned a collaboration between Reliance Industries and Rolls-Royce focused on combat-aircraft engine development and manufacturing capability linked with AMCA. • Focus → indigenous aerospace propulsion capability • The proposal includes development of an aerospace gas-turbine manufacturing ecosystem in India • The initiative supports broader defence indigenisation Static GK link: ADA operates under India's defence research ecosystem and has pursued major indigenous combat-aircraft programmes. AMCA stands for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft and is being developed as an indigenous stealth combat-aircraft programme.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 15, 16 & 17 August 2026: 15 Important GK MCQs for UPSC, SSC, Banking & Railways Exams

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