28 August 2026Current Affairs & GK Compendium — August 2026

Daily Current Affairs & GK Compendium — 28 August 2026

Financial Inclusion: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completes 12 years of operations on 28 August 2026, surpassing 53 crore bank accounts with cumulative deposits exceeding Rs 2.3 lakh crore.

Curated For:

Executive Briefing

High-level takeaways from today's compendium (PIB, The Hindu, Indian Express)

Financial Inclusion: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completes 12 years of operations on 28 August 2026, surpassing 53 crore bank accounts with cumulative deposits exceeding Rs 2.3 lakh crore.
Defence Indigenization: Indian Navy receives delivery of INS Samarthak (Yard 78001), India's first indigenously designed and built Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV), constructed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) at Kattupalli Shipyard with >75% indigenous content.
Public Health: Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issues an alert and containment protocol for Chandipura Vesiculovirus (CHPV) following pediatric acute encephalitis cases in western India.
Sports: East Bengal wins the 135th edition of the Durand Cup in Kolkata, clinching their record-extending 17th tournament title.
Energy Infrastructure: GAIL (India) Limited announces a Rs 9,500-crore capital outlay to construct three major cross-country LPG pipelines.

Objective One-Liners

Rapid-fire factual bullets tailored for SSC, Banking, Railways & State PSC Prelims

Milestone Completed by PM Jan Dhan Yojana on 28 August 2026: 12 Years (Launched 28 August 2014).

Inbuilt Accidental Insurance Cover with PMJDY RuPay Card: Rs 2 Lakh.

Overdraft Limit Available under PMJDY Accounts: Rs 10,000.

First Indigenous Multi-Purpose Vessel Delivered to Indian Navy: INS Samarthak.

Shipyard that Built INS Samarthak: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Kattupalli Shipyard, Tamil Nadu.

Primary Vector Transmitting Chandipura Virus: Sandfly (Phlebotomus species).

Winner of 135th Durand Cup Football Tournament: East Bengal (17th Title).

Oldest Football Tournament in Asia: Durand Cup (Instituted in 1888).

2-Minute Daily Revision Challenge

🎯 Test Your Recall

Check how much you remember from today's briefing with our high-yield 5 Practice MCQs & PYQs.

Economy, Banking and Financial Inclusion

Topic AEconomy, Banking and Financial Inclusion

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) Marks 12th Anniversary

Launched on 28 August 2014 under the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, PMJDY completed 12 years as the world's largest financial inclusion initiative.

Key Facts & Dimensions

Universal Banking Access: Over 53 crore beneficiaries enrolled with zero-balance Basic Savings Bank Deposit (BSBD) accounts; women constitute ~55% of account holders, and ~67% are situated in rural and semi-urban areas.
Social Safety Pillars: Bundles a free RuPay debit card with an inbuilt Rs 2 lakh accidental insurance cover and an overdraft (OD) facility of up to Rs 10,000 for eligible account holders without collateral.
Foundation for Direct Benefit Transfers: Serves as the core banking pillar of the JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) Trinity, eliminating intermediary leakages across hundreds of welfare schemes.

Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance

UPSC GS-III (Inclusive Growth, Banking, Financial Inclusion, DBT) and Banking Exams (IBPS/SBI PO/RBI Grade B).

Topic BEconomy, Banking and Financial Inclusion

GAIL Unveils Rs 9,500-Crore LPG Pipeline Network

GAIL approved an investment of Rs 9,500 crore for three dedicated LPG pipeline projects spanning central and northern demand clusters.

Key Facts & Dimensions

Expands national pipeline infrastructure to replace road transit of LPG, improving delivery safety and curbing logistical carbon emissions.
Directly supports PM Ujjwala Yojana clean fuel distribution networks.

Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance

UPSC GS-III (Energy Infrastructure, Clean Cooking Fuels).

Science, Technology, Defense and Shipbuilding

Topic AScience, Technology, Defense and Shipbuilding

Indian Navy Inducts First Indigenous Multi-Purpose Vessel 'INS Samarthak'

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) delivered INS Samarthak (Yard 78001) to the Indian Navy from its Kattupalli Shipyard near Chennai.

Key Facts & Dimensions

Built with over 75% indigenous content under the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat frameworks.
Engineered as a multi-mission platform capable of torpedo recovery, maritime surveillance, target towing, electronic warfare trial support, and rapid-response Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).

Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance

UPSC GS-III (Indigenization of Technology, Defence Acquisition) and Defence Exams (CDS/NDA/AFCAT).

Public Health, Epidemiology and Disease Control

Topic APublic Health, Epidemiology and Disease Control

Chandipura Vesiculovirus Outbreak in Western India

Public health agencies intensified epidemiological surveillance following outbreaks of Chandipura virus (CHPV) causing Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in children under 15 years.

Key Facts & Dimensions

Member of the Rhabdoviridae family (genus Vesiculovirus).
Primarily transmitted by the bite of the female sandfly (Phlebotomus species) and certain mosquitoes.
Characterized by sudden high fever, vomiting, convulsions, and rapid neurological deterioration with a high case fatality rate. Management relies on early symptomatic intensive care.

Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance

UPSC GS-III (Science and Technology: Public Health, Emerging Pathogens, Vector-Borne Diseases).

Sports and Games

Topic ASports and Games

East Bengal Secures 17th Durand Cup Championship (135th Edition)

East Bengal FC claimed the 135th Durand Cup title at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

Key Facts & Dimensions

The Durand Cup is the oldest football tournament in Asia and third oldest in the world, founded in 1888 in Shimla by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand.
Jointly organized by the Indian Armed Forces and the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS).

Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance

SSC CGL, Railways, and General Awareness sections of Banking exams.

Static GK Foundations

Essential background concepts and core static knowledge tied to today's news

Focus #1

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) Architecture and Pillars

•Launch Date & Ministry: 28 August 2014; Ministry of Finance (Department of Financial Services).
•Core Pillars: Universal banking access (within 5 km), zero-balance BSBD accounts, overdraft facility up to Rs 10,000, credit guarantee fund, RuPay accident insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh, and convergence with Atal Pension Yojana.

Focus #2

Comparative Vector-Borne Encephalitic Pathogens

•Chandipura Virus (CHPV): Vector: Sandfly (Phlebotomus); Family: Rhabdoviridae; Manifestation: Rapid-onset AES in children.
•Japanese Encephalitis (JE): Vector: Mosquito (Culex tritaeniorhynchus); Family: Flaviviridae; Natural Reservoir: Water birds and pigs; Prevention: SA-14-14-2 vaccine.
•Nipah Virus (NiV): Host: Fruit bats (Pteropus); Family: Paramyxoviridae; Transmission: Zoonotic via bat-contaminated date palm sap or human contact.

Focus #3

History of the Durand Cup Football Tournament

•Genesis: Instituted in 1888 at Shimla by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand.
•Trophy Architecture: Three rolling trophies awarded—The Durand Cup, the President's Cup, and the Shimla Trophy.

2-Minute Daily Revision Challenge

🎯 Test Your Recall

Check how much you remember from today's briefing with our high-yield 5 Practice MCQs & PYQs.

🎯 Daily Practice Flow

Daily Current Affairs MCQs & PYQs

5 High-Yield Questions • Instant Color Feedback & In-Depth Explanations

Progress

0 of 5 Answered

Q1PYQ • UPSC Civil Services Prelims

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana has been launched for: (a) Providing housing loans to poor people at cheaper interest rates (b) Promoting women's Self-Help Groups in backward areas (c) Promoting financial inclusion in the country (d) Providing financial help to marginalized communities

Q2PYQ • UPSC Civil Services Prelims

Consider the following statements regarding viral diseases in India: 1. Japanese Encephalitis is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Culex mosquitoes. 2. Chandipura virus infection is primarily transmitted through the bite of sandflies. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3Daily MCQ • STANDARD

Consider the following statements regarding the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): 1. It was launched in August 2014 by the Ministry of Finance. 2. It offers an overdraft facility of up to Rs 10,000 to eligible account holders. 3. The RuPay debit card issued under PMJDY provides an accidental insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh for accounts opened after 28 August 2018. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Q4Daily MCQ • STANDARD

With reference to the newly delivered Multi-Purpose Vessel 'INS Samarthak', consider the following statements: 1. It is the first indigenously designed and built Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) of the Indian Navy. 2. It was constructed by Larsen & Toubro at the Kattupalli Shipyard with over 75% indigenous content. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q5Daily MCQ • STANDARD

With reference to the Durand Cup, consider the following statements: 1. It is the oldest football tournament in Asia, founded in 1888 in Shimla. 2. The tournament is organized jointly by the Indian Armed Forces and the Durand Football Tournament Society. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?