Andhra Pradesh announced a roadmap to attract ?9.3 lakh crore investment through the Visakhapatnam Economic Region project, with Bay City identified as its anchor project.

Key Highlights:
•   The Visakhapatnam Economic Region project has a total investment target of ?9.3 lakh crore.
•   The state government is expected to contribute between ?3.5 lakh crore and ?4 lakh crore.
•   The private sector investment target under the project is ?5.3 lakh crore.
•   Bay City will serve as the key anchor project for development of the economic region.
•   The region extends from Mulapeta Port to the Akhanda Godavari project at Rajahmundry.
•   The project prioritises AI data centres, hydrogen, clean technology and renewable energy.
•   Port-based industries and tourism are also priority sectors under the development plan.

Additional Information:
•   Andhra Pradesh has India's second-longest coastline, measuring 974 kilometres.
•   Visakhapatnam Port is the only major port in Andhra Pradesh.
•   Visakhapatnam is the headquarters of the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command.

Indian Rice Exporters Federation will host Bharat International Rice Conference 2026 in New Delhi from 23 to 25 October 2026 to strengthen international business opportunities in the rice sector.

Key Highlights:
•   The conference is expected to host more than 30,000 delegates from over 120 countries.
•   Registrations had reached 19,193, including 2,135 international buyers.
•   The event will introduce a coordinated global crop survey and rice price projections based on global demand and supply.
•   The conference will provide app-enabled B2B meetings and business-oriented knowledge sessions.
•   Curated experience zones will showcase evolution and innovation in India's rice sector.
•   The event has facilitated trade commitments estimated at ?33,453 crore.
•   The related trade volume was 8.63 million tonnes and involved 10,854 participants from over 90 countries.

Additional Information:
•   IREF is the apex body representing rice exporters in India.
•   India is the largest rice exporter and the second-largest rice producer in the world.
•   Kharif season from June to October is India's main rice-growing season.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid tribute to former Lok Sabha Speaker Dr G. S. Dhillon at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan on his birth anniversary.

Key Highlights:
•   Gurdial Singh Dhillon was elected to the Fourth Lok Sabha from the Taran Taran constituency in 1967.
•   He was unanimously elected Speaker of the Fourth Lok Sabha on 8 August 1969.
•   He was re-elected Speaker of the Fifth Lok Sabha on 22 March 1971.
•   He served as Speaker of Lok Sabha until 1 December 1975.
•   He worked as a journalist and was chief editor of the Urdu daily Sher-e-Bharat.
•   His portrait, painted by Samir Das, is displayed in the Outer Lobby of Samvidhan Sadan.

Additional Information:
•   The portrait of G. S. Dhillon was unveiled by President Pranab Mukherjee on 10 February 2014.
•   Samvidhan Sadan is the official name of India's Old Parliament House.
•   Utpal Kumar Singh is the current Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha.

India observed the 12th National Handloom Day on 7 August 2026 to honour weavers and commemorate the Swadeshi Movement launched in 1905.

Key Highlights:
•   India has 35.22 lakh weavers and allied workers, including 25.46 lakh women who account for more than 72 percent of the total workforce.
•   Nearly 90 percent of India's 28.20 lakh looms are located in rural areas, highlighting the sector's importance for rural employment.
•   Weaver MUDRA Scheme offers loans at 6 percent interest with government interest subvention of up to 7 percent.
•   The National Handloom Development Programme and Raw Material Supply Scheme received allocations of ?205 crore and ?200 crore respectively for 2026-27.
•   Small Cluster Development Programme provides up to ?2 crore per cluster, and 357 clusters had been sanctioned by June 2026.
•   Sant Kabir Handloom Award carries ?3.5 lakh, a mounted gold coin and a tamrapatra, while National Handloom Award carries ?2 lakh and a tamrapatra.
•   India's handloom exports were valued at ?1,330.96 crore during 2025-26, with UAE, USA, France, UK and Spain among leading destinations.

Additional Information:
•   National Handloom Day was first celebrated in Chennai in 2015.
•   Handloom Mark was launched in 2006 to identify authentic handwoven products.
•   India Handloom Brand was launched on 7 August 2015 for high-quality handloom products.

Union Cabinet approved GOBARdhan National Circular Bioenergy Scheme with a total outlay of ?23,731 crore to strengthen the Compressed Biogas value chain.

Key Highlights:
•   The scheme will be implemented for ten years from FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36 under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
•   Mandatory CBG blending in CNG for transport and domestic PNG will rise from 3 percent in FY 2026-27 to 4 percent in FY 2027-28 and 5 percent from FY 2028-29 onwards.
•   CBG producers will receive an administered price of ?2,110 per MMBTU with a minimum ten-year horizon to ensure revenue certainty.
•   Eligible greenfield CBG projects can receive capital assistance of up to ?2 crore per tonne per day of installed capacity.
•   The scheme supports pipeline links between CBG plants, trunk pipelines and City Gas Distribution networks.
•   A dedicated credit guarantee mechanism will share lending risk for MSME projects and first-time developers.
•   CBG Ecosystem Challenge Fund will support district resource mapping, technology adoption and organic manure value addition.

Additional Information:
•   GOBARdhan converts cattle dung, farm residue and municipal waste into clean energy resources.
•   The scheme supports the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation initiative.
•   SATAT was launched in 2018 and targets establishment of 5,000 CBG plants in India.

Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav chaired the 27th Governing Body Meeting of Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences in New Delhi on 6 August 2026. The meeting launched CCRAS-PARAMPARA, National Research Recognitions Portal and Ayur-dict application to strengthen Ayurveda research, innovation and knowledge access.

Key Highlights:
•   A Research Laboratory and Animal House Building was inaugurated at CCRAS-RARI Pune.
•   A Guest House and Residential Building was launched at CCRAS-RARI Ranikhet.
•   Bhoomi Poojan was performed for a new 50-bedded hospital at CCRAS-RARI Nagpur.
•   CCRAS-PARAMPARA will document and scientifically validate Local Health Traditions, ethnomedical practices and traditional veterinary knowledge.
•   National Research Recognitions Portal includes CCRAS PRAKASA, CCRAS NAVONMESA and CCRAS PRABODH 3MT components.
•   The portal recognises excellence in postgraduate Ayurveda research, innovation and science communication.
•   Ayur-dict was launched as CCRAS's first Android application integrating multiple Ayurveda dictionaries.

Additional Information:
•   CCRAS is an autonomous body working under the Ministry of Ayush.
•   CCRAS is the apex organisation for research in Ayurveda and Sowa-Rigpa.
•   The Ministry of Ayush was established on 9 November 2014 and is headquartered in New Delhi.

IIT Bombay Associate Professor Karthikeyan Lanka was selected for NASI Young Scientist Platinum Jubilee Award 2026 in Earth Sciences category on 8 August 2026. He was recognised for research in ecohydrology, satellite remote sensing and land-atmosphere interactions.

Key Highlights:
•   Karthikeyan Lanka uses NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive mission data to estimate soil moisture.
•   His research studies the impact of soil moisture on the Indian monsoon.
•   He developed India's first operational subseasonal agricultural drought forecasting system.
•   The system was developed with Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre under Agriculture Ministry.
•   The system provides weekly forecasts at 9-kilometre spatial resolution.
•   The system provides forecasts with lead time of up to four weeks.
•   Ankit Agarwal, Akshay Singh and Shubham Sahay were also NASI award recipients for 2026.

Additional Information:
•   IIT Bombay was established in 1958 with assistance from UNESCO and the Soviet Union.
•   NASI was founded in 1930 by Professor Meghnad Saha and is India's oldest science academy.
•   Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre was established in New Delhi in 2012.

Boleng in Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh will host Asian Rafting Championships 2026 from 5 to 9 October 2026. The five-day event aims to strengthen Arunachal Pradesh's position as a destination for white-water sports and adventure tourism.

Key Highlights:
•   The Asian Rafting Championships will be organised in Boleng, Siang district.
•   The championship will be held from 5 to 9 October 2026.
•   The five-day competition will take place on Simang River.
•   Simang River is a major tributary of the Siang River.
•   The event will bring top paddlers from across Asia to Arunachal Pradesh.
•   The championship will promote white-water sports and adventure tourism in the state.

Additional Information:
•   The Siang River is known as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet.
•   The river is known as Dihang or Siang in Arunachal Pradesh before entering Assam.
•   Arunachal Pradesh became a full state on 20 February 1987 and its capital is Itanagar.

Global investment firm KKR entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent stake in Medicover India for about USD 1.5 billion. The deal will strengthen KKR's healthcare presence in India after its previous investments in hospital businesses.

Key Highlights:
•   The transaction value is estimated between ?13,000 crore and ?14,000 crore.
•   Existing shareholders will sell their complete 100 percent stake in Medicover India.
•   Around ?3,000 crore to ?4,000 crore has been set aside as primary capital for growth and debt repayment.
•   Medicover India operates under Sahrudaya HealthCare Private Limited.
•   The company manages 26 hospitals with more than 6,000 beds.
•   Its hospital network is spread across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
•   Kotak Mahindra and Rothschild acted as financial advisors for the transaction.

Additional Information:
•   Medicover AB is a Swedish healthcare entity established in 1995 and headquartered in Stockholm.
•   Medicover entered India in 2017 through acquisition of a controlling stake in MaxCure hospital chain.
•   KKR was established in 1976 and is headquartered in New York, United States.