Current Affairs 12 August 2026

RCF Kapurthala to Roll Out First Coach Rake for Bangladesh Railway

The Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, is set to roll out the first rake of customised Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) broad-gauge passenger coaches for Bangladesh Railway on August 12, 2026. The coaches are being manufactured as part of Bangladesh Railway’s 2024 order, placed through RITES, for the supply of 200 broad-gauge passenger coaches in seven variants. RCF had earlier supplied 120 LHB broad-gauge coaches to Bangladesh Railway.

India Gifts Five Peacocks to the United Nations Office at Geneva

India donated five Indian peacocks (Pavo cristatus) to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) on August 7, 2026, reviving a decades-old tradition of gifting the country’s national bird to the UN’s European headquarters. The birds were formally handed over by India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Arindam Bagchi, to UNOG Director-General Tatiana Valovaya.

Kalanamak Rice Cultivation

Cultivation and productivity of Kalanamak rice, a traditional aromatic rice of eastern Uttar Pradesh, have increased significantly in recent years, improving farmers’ incomes. In Siddharthnagar district, production increased more than fivefold between 2018 and 2025, while the number of farmers cultivating Kalanamak rose from 2,915 in 2018 to about 23,000 in 2024. Siddharthnagar is a major production centre for Kalanamak and the crop is promoted there under Uttar Pradesh’s One District One Product (ODOP) initiative.

National Waterways

The Government has identified 19 additional National Waterways (NWs) for development over the next five years, predominantly for cruise tourism and passenger ferry operations. The initiative follows the Union Budget 2026–27 announcement to expand operations on India’s inland waterways.

India currently has 111 National Waterways, declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016. Of these, 32 National Waterways are operational for cargo and passenger movement. The network of 111 NWs extends for about 20,187 km across 23 States and four Union Territories.

During 2026–27, the government plans to operationalise six waterways identified in the latest programme: NW-49 on the Jhelum River, NW-26 on the Chenab River and NW-84 on the Ravi River in Jammu and Kashmir; NW-51 on the Kabini River and NW-90 on the Sharavati River in Karnataka; and NW-88 on the Sal River in Goa.

National Waterways in Andhra Pradesh

According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, three National Waterways pass through or are located in Andhra Pradesh:

Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP)

The Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) has expanded to all 36 States and Union Territories, covering 751 districts, including 44 linked districts. As of June 30, 2026, the programme operated through 1,856 haemodialysis centres equipped with 13,535 haemodialysis machines.

PMNDP was announced in the Union Budget 2016–17 and rolled out on April 7, 2016 under the National Health Mission (NHM). It was introduced to make dialysis services more accessible and affordable, particularly for poor patients suffering from End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

The programme does not have a single fixed, one-time national scheme outlay. Financial support is provided through the National Health Mission on the basis of proposals submitted by States and UTs in their annual Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) after assessing gaps in dialysis facilities.

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2024–2025

The President of India conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for 2024 and 2025 at a special investiture ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on August 13, 2026. Altogether, seven Akademi Fellows and 108 Akademi Award recipients were selected for the two years.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) is the Akademi’s highest honour and carries a purse of ₹3 lakh. The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award carries ₹1 lakh, along with a Tamrapatra and Angavastram. The awards recognise sustained excellence in music, dance, theatre, folk and tribal arts, puppetry, and other performing arts.

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardees from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna)

• Pasumarthi Rattaiah Sarma (Kuchipudi) — Andhra Pradesh

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards – 2024

• Komanduri Seshadri (Carnatic Instrumental, Violin) — Telangana
• Rajeswari Sainath (Bharatanatyam) — Telangana
• Kumara Surya Narayana (Kuchipudi) — Andhra Pradesh
• Gummadi Gopala Krishna Rao (Theatre, Acting) — Andhra Pradesh
• Dursheti Ramaiah (Folk Music) — Telangana
• Voleti Rangamani (Overall Contribution in Dance) — Andhra Pradesh

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards – 2025

• Pantula Rama (Carnatic Vocal) — Andhra Pradesh
• D. Srinivas (Carnatic, Veena) — Telangana
• P. Nagajyothi and Seetha Nagajyothi (Kuchipudi) — Andhra Pradesh cultural association / New Delhi-based
• Sindhe Chithambara Rao (Shadow Puppetry) — Andhra Pradesh (Dharmavaram)

‘Triumph of the Indian Republic’ Book

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the autobiography of former President Ram Nath Kovind, titled Triumph of the Indian Republic: My Life, My Struggles, on August 12, 2026, at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Ram Nath Kovind served as the 14th President of India from July 25, 2017 to July 25, 2022. He is from Paraunkh village, Uttar Pradesh.

e-FIR

Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 allows information relating to a cognizable offence to be given to the officer in charge of a police station either orally or through electronic communication, irrespective of the area where the offence was committed. This gives statutory recognition to the principle underlying Zero FIR, under which information about a cognizable offence can be registered without territorial jurisdiction becoming an initial barrier.

When information is given orally, the police officer must reduce it to writing, read it over to the informant and obtain the informant’s signature. When information is furnished electronically, it is taken on record after it is signed by the informant within three days. Thus, electronic reporting is permitted, but the prescribed authentication requirement must subsequently be completed.

Q1. Who is India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva?
A. Ruchira Kamboj
B. Arindam Bagchi
C. Harish Parvathaneni
D. Syed Akbaruddin

Q2. ‘Triumph of the Indian Republic: My Life, My Struggles’ is the autobiography of which former President of India?
A. Pranab Mukherjee
B. Ram Nath Kovind
C. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
D. K.R. Narayanan

Q3. Kalanamak rice, which has recently witnessed a major increase in cultivation and farmer income, is primarily associated with which State?
A. Bihar
B. Uttar Pradesh
C. Odisha
D. West Bengal

Q4. Which Kuchipudi exponent from Andhra Pradesh was selected for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) for 2024–2025?
A. Gummadi Gopala Krishna Rao
B. Pasumarthi Rattaiah Sarma
C. Sindhe Chithambara Rao
D. Kumara Surya Narayana

Q5. The Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP), launched to improve access to affordable dialysis services, is implemented under which programme?
A. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
B. National Health Mission
C. Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana
D. National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly

Q6. Under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, information about a cognizable offence furnished through electronic communication must be signed by the informant within how many days?
A. One day
B. Three days
C. Seven days
D. Fourteen days

Q7. Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, is manufacturing 200 LHB broad-gauge passenger coaches for the railway system of which country?
A. Nepal
B. Bangladesh
C. Sri Lanka
D. Bhutan

Q8. How many National Waterways are currently declared in India under the National Waterways Act, 2016?
A. 101
B. 111
C. 119
D. 130