Daily Current Affairs Question-Answer (Q&A) 20th August 2026 (Special for Competitive Exams)
Daily Current Affairs: 20 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.
To get the most out of this series, make sure you:
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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. India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has raised India's real GDP growth forecast for FY27 from 6.7% to what percentage?
Answer: 6.8%
Extra Facts:
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI): Projected at 6.7% (upgraded from 6.6% in August 2026).
- India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra): Revised to 6.8% (upgraded in August 2026).
- Economic Survey / Official Peg: Estimated between 6.8% and 7.2%.
- World Bank: Pegged at 6.6%.
- International Monetary Fund (IMF): Projected around 6.4% to 6.5%.
- Deloitte: Projected in the range of 6.5% to 6.8%.
Q2. Which senior IFS officer has recently been appointed as India's next Ambassador to Switzerland?
Answer: Soumendu Bagchi
Extra Facts:
- Soumendu Bagchi is a 1993-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer.
- He is currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Iraq.
- About Switzerland (At a glance):
- Capital: Bern (Federal city)
- Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
- Prime Minister: None (Switzerland does not have a Prime Minister; governance is collectively managed by the Federal Council).
- President: Guy Parmelin
Q3. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has recently completed how many Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBU) for schoolchildren?
Answer: Over 2 crore
Extra Facts:
- The nationwide mission-mode campaign was launched in September 2025.
- About UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India):
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Chief: Shri Saurabh Vijay
- Established: January 28, 2009 (as an attached office) / July 12, 2016 (as a statutory authority under the Aadhaar Act, 2016).
Q4. Who has been appointed by the Ministry of External Affairs as India's next Ambassador to Iraq?
Answer: Ajay A Kumar
Extra Facts:
- Ajay A Kumar is a 2001-batch Indian Foreign Service officer.
- He was serving as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.
- About Iraq (At a glance):
- Capital: Baghdad
- Currency: Iraqi Dinar (IQD)
- Prime Minister: Ali al-Zaidi
- President: Nizar Amedi
Q5. What new system has the National Testing Agency (NTA) recently introduced to prevent errors in question paper checking?
Answer: Four-Tier Question Paper Checking System
Extra Facts:
- The system will detect factual, grammatical, translation, and formatting errors before finalisation.
- NTA has removed 600 experts from its panels and begun onboarding new specialists.
- Examination security will be strengthened through CISF protection, air-gapped systems, and secluded workrooms.
- About NTA (National Testing Agency):
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- Chief (Director General): Abhishek Singh, IAS
- Established: November 2017 (Approved by the Union Cabinet)
Q6. Which state government has extended maternity leave to 365 days for women government employees having a third child?
Answer: Tamil Nadu
Extra Facts:
- Previously, employees with two or more surviving children were entitled to only 12 weeks of maternity leave.
- The announcement was made by Human Resources Management Minister D Sarathkumar.
- About Tamil Nadu (At a glance):
- Capital: Chennai
- Chief Minister: C. Joseph Vijay (Thalapathy Vijay)
- Governor: Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Q7. Which state has recently declared snakebite a 'Notifiable Disease', making its reporting mandatory?
Answer: Maharashtra
Extra Facts:
- Hospitals, medical colleges, and healthcare professionals must now mandatorily report suspected and confirmed cases and deaths.
- The decision followed a tragic incident in Gadchiroli, where three tribal schoolgirls died after a snakebite.
- Serious and fatal cases must be reported immediately to district health authorities.
- About Maharashtra (At a glance):
- Capital: Mumbai (Summer/Main) and Nagpur (Winter)
- Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis
- Governor: Jishnu Dev Varma
Q8. Who has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's youngest male Chartered Accountant (CA)?
Answer: Lakshmanan Meyyappan
Extra Facts:
- Lakshmanan Meyyappan earned this Guinness World Record at the age of 16 years and 141 days.
- He achieved the record in Dubai after completing the ACCA qualification in about one year.
- He currently also works as a Senior Research Analyst at Century Financial in Dubai.
Q9. Which Chinese private space company successfully recovered the first-stage booster of the 'Zhuque-3 Y2' rocket on August 19, 2026?
Answer: LandSpace
Extra Facts:
- About China (At a glance):
- Capital: Beijing
- Currency: Renminbi / Yuan
- Prime Minister: Li Qiang (Note: In China's political system, the functional equivalent of a Prime Minister is the Premier of the State Council).
- President: Xi Jinping
Q10. Which international seaport has recently commenced full-fledged export-import (EXIM) operations, transforming it from a transshipment hub into a major trade gateway?
Answer: Vizhinjam International Seaport
Extra Facts:
- The development transforms Vizhinjam from a transshipment hub into a major gateway for Indian trade.
- Its location around 10 nautical miles from major international shipping routes gives it huge strategic importance.
Q11. Where will the fifth edition of 'Semicon India 2026' be held from September 17–19, 2026, with the theme “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem”?
Answer: Yashobhoomi, Dwarka, New Delhi
Extra Facts:
- The event is jointly organised by SEMI and the India Semiconductor Mission.
Q12. The Central Government has recently approved ₹3,942 crore for the expansion of 'BharatNet' in which state?
Answer: Chhattisgarh
Extra Facts:
- An agreement was signed on August 18, 2026, involving DBN, DoT, CSBIL, BSNL, and CHiPS.
- The project will cover 11,682 Gram Panchayats across the state.
- About BharatNet: BharatNet is India's flagship national rural broadband project. It aims to provide high-speed internet infrastructure to all Gram Panchayats and rural households. With a major ₹1.39 lakh crore revamped financial outlay, it has reached roughly 97% (about 2.15 lakh out of 2.22+ lakh targeted village panchayats).
Q13. When was 'World Photography Day 2026' celebrated with the theme "Home", focusing on personal spaces and cultural roots?
Answer: August 19
Extra Facts:
- World Photography Day is observed annually on August 19.
- The date marks August 19, 1839, when France made the Daguerreotype process available as a free gift to the world.
Q14. Who has recently become the fastest batter in the world to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket, breaking Adam Gilchrist’s record?
Answer: Rishabh Pant
Extra Facts:
- Rishabh Pant became the fourth player overall to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket.
- He reached the landmark in only his 89th innings, becoming the fastest to do so.
- Pant surpassed Adam Gilchrist’s previous record of 130 innings.
- He joined Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, and Gilchrist in the 100-six club. Pant is also the first Indian batter to reach 100 Test sixes.
- About BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India):
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Secretary: Devajit Saikia
- Vice-President: Rajeev Shukla
- Established: December 1928
Q15. Which day is observed annually on August 20 to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi?
Answer: Sadbhavana Diwas
Extra Facts:
- The day promotes national harmony, peace, unity, and communal goodwill.
- Rajiv Gandhi became India’s sixth Prime Minister in 1984 at the age of 40.
Q16. The Union Cabinet recently cleared rail and highway projects worth how many crores to increase infrastructure capacity across five states (West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar)?
Answer: ₹13,041 crore
Extra Facts:
- These projects aim to increase infrastructure capacity in these five states.
- About Indian Railways:
- Railway Minister: Ashwini Vaishnaw
- Ministers of State for Railways: V. Somanna and Ravneet Singh Bittu
- Chairman and CEO of Railway Board: Satish Kumar
Q17. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off which 'All India Girls High Altitude Long Trek' of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in New Delhi?
Answer: Aparajita – Parang La 2026
Extra Facts:
- The trek will traverse the 250-kilometre-long Parang La Pass.
- It connects the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh with the Changthang region of Ladakh.
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