Daily Current Affairs Question-Answer (Q&A) 19 August 2026 (Special for Competitive Exams)
Daily Current Affairs: 19 August 2026
"Hello friends, and welcome to The Tar Education by Target All Rounder (TAR).
In today’s highly competitive era, staying up to date with current affairs is crucial for clearing any competitive examination. Our goal is to ensure that current affairs never become a hurdle in your preparation, but rather your strongest scoring subject.
To save you time and provide you with the most authentic information, we meticulously collect daily news from top national and international sources, including PIB, The Hindu, AIR News, Indian Express, leading Hindi dailies, and major news channels. We provide Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Current Affairs along with additional static facts. This content is highly beneficial for exams like UPSC, SSC, Bank, Railway, Defense, Insurance, and all state-level exams.
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We hope our effort proves to be a milestone in your success journey. Best wishes to all of you! Let's dive into today's current affairs:
Q1. Which day is observed annually on 19 August to honour the sacrifices and services of humanitarian and health workers?
Answer: World Humanitarian Day
Extra Facts:
- The day pays tribute to humanitarian and health workers who serve communities in need during conflicts and crises, often putting their duty of care above their own safety.
- World Humanitarian Day was officially designated by the UN General Assembly in 2008 to commemorate the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad (Iraq).
- About the United Nations:
- HQ: New York, USA
- Head/Chief (Secretary-General): António Guterres
- Established: October 24, 1945
Q2. Who has recently been re-elected for a second 5-year term as the President of Zambia?
Answer: Hakainde Hichilema
Extra Facts:
- About Zambia (At a glance):
- Capital: Lusaka
- Currency: Zambian Kwacha (ZMW)
- Prime Minister: None (Note: Zambia is a presidential republic, hence it does not have a Prime Minister; the President is the head of state and government).
- President: Hakainde Hichilema
Q3. The Indian Army contingent has departed for which country to participate in the 15th edition of the joint military exercise 'MAITREE-XV 2026'?
Answer: Thailand
Extra Facts:
- This bilateral military exercise is being held in Thailand and will conclude by the end of August (August 31).
- The exercise aims to strengthen joint combat skills, counter-terrorism operations, and interoperability between the two armies.
- About the Indian Army:
- It is the second-largest standing army in the world, operating under the motto "Service Before Self" (Seva Paramo Dharma) with the President of India as its supreme commander.
- Headquarters: New Delhi, India
- Chief: General Dhiraj Seth (31st Chief of the Army Staff)
- Established: January 26, 1950 (tracing roots back to the British Indian Army formed in 1895, and reorganized post-independence).
- Army Day: January 15 (celebrated annually to commemorate Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa taking over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief in 1949).
Q4. Which two new portals have been launched by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to streamline cybersecurity incident reporting from market intermediaries?
Answer: Incident Reporting Portal and Cyber Suraksha Portal
Extra Facts:
- The Incident Reporting Portal will help market intermediaries with the prompt reporting of any cyber incidents.
- The Cyber Suraksha Portal will act as a central platform for security policies, vulnerability warnings, and cyber knowledge.
- About SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India):
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Chief: Tuhin Kanta Pandey (Chairman)
- Established: April 12, 1988 (acquired statutory status in 1992).
Q5. Which country's postal department recently launched a postal remittance service connecting to India through 'PosTransfer' powered by UPI?
Answer: Qatar
Extra Facts:
- The service became operational through Qatar Post outlets from August 15, 2026.
- It enables customers living in Qatar to transfer money directly into UPI-enabled Indian bank accounts.
- About Qatar (At a glance):
- Capital: Doha
- Currency: Qatari Riyal
- Prime Minister: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani
- President: None (Qatar is an absolute monarchy led by the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani).
Q6. Who has become only the fourth cricketer in Test history to achieve the historic 'double' of 4,000 runs and 350 wickets?
Answer: Ravindra Jadeja
Extra Facts:
- He reached the 350-wicket milestone by dismissing Keshara Nuwantha against Sri Lanka in Galle.
- He had already accumulated 4,108 Test runs in 90 matches.
- He joined Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, and Daniel Vettori in this elite all-rounders’ club.
- About BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India):
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra (Wankhede Stadium).
- President: Roger Binny.
- Secretary: Devajit Saikia.
- Vice-President: Rajeev Shukla.
- Established: December 1928.
Q7. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 59.20 lakh on which private bank for non-compliance with directions on deposit rates and securitisation of standard assets?
Answer: IndusInd Bank
Extra Facts:
- The RBI took this action by exercising its powers under the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
- About RBI:
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Governor: Sanjay Malhotra
- Established: April 1, 1935
- About IndusInd Bank: Established in 1994, Headquarters in Mumbai.
Q8. The Chief Minister of which state recently announced that India’s first government-driven Artificial Intelligence (AI) University will be set up in the state?
Answer: Karnataka
Extra Facts:
- Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar made this announcement to strengthen the state's technological infrastructure and innovation ecosystem.
- About Karnataka (At a glance):
- Capital: Bengaluru
- Chief Minister: D. K. Shivakumar (Assumed office on June 3, 2026)
- Governor: Thaawarchand Gehlot
Q9. The Payment and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill, 2026, recently passed by the Lok Sabha, authorizes the government to do what?
Answer: To permit banks and other service providers to levy charges on payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and other notified electronic payment modes.
Extra Facts:
- This amendment was introduced with the aim of keeping the digital payment ecosystem and technological infrastructure financially sustainable.
- About Lok Sabha:
- The lower house or first house of Parliament (Article 81 of the Constitution).
- Speaker: Om Birla.
- Maximum members: 550 (previously 552, Anglo-Indian seats abolished).
- About Rajya Sabha:
- The upper house or permanent house of Parliament (Article 80 of the Constitution).
- Ex-officio Chairman: Vice President of India (C. P. Radhakrishnan).
- Deputy Chairman: Harivansh Narayan Singh.
- Maximum members: 250 (12 nominated by the President).
Q10. Who is set to take over as the non-executive chairperson of Airtel Payments Bank from October 1, 2026, succeeding Sunil Bharti Mittal?
Answer: Shabnam Sinha
Extra Facts:
- Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder of Bharti Enterprises, was appointed non-executive chairman of Airtel Payments Bank in April 2016 and will step down on September 30.
- Airtel Payments Bank currently serves more than 121 million (12.1 crore) monthly active users and nearly 30 million (3 crore) bank account customers through the Airtel Thanks App and a network of over 500,000 banking points.
- The network reaches three out of four villages across India.
- About Airtel Payments Bank:
- India's first payments bank (launched in 2017).
- Headquarters: New Delhi.
- MD & CEO: Anubrata Biswas.
Q11. Who conferred the 'National Anubhav Awards 2026' to 15 selected retired government employees in New Delhi?
Answer: Dr. Jitendra Singh (Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions)
Extra Facts:
- The awardees have contributed to nation-building and have been part of various significant government projects like Passport Seva Kendra, repealing old rules and formulating new ones, and technological adaptation in administration and accounting.
- The 'Anubhav' portal was launched by the Central Government in 2015 to preserve the experiences of retiring employees as a national asset.
Q12. The Chief Minister of which state formally launched the Central Government’s flagship 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme and the state's 'Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana'?
Answer: West Bengal
Extra Facts:
- Citizens who are not covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme will be eligible for health coverage under the state government's Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana.
- About West Bengal (At a glance):
- Capital: Kolkata
- Chief Minister: Subhendu Adhikari
- Governor: C. V. Ananda Bose
Q13. Raja Sen, who recently passed away at the age of 71, was a three-time National Award-winning eminent filmmaker in which regional cinema?
Answer: Bengali Cinema
Extra Facts:
- Raja Sen is known for directing acclaimed films like 'Damu' (1996), 'Atmajaa' (1999), and 'Debipaksha'.
- He was honoured with the prestigious 'National Film Award' three times for his outstanding artistic contributions to Indian cinema.
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