Daily Current Affairs & GK Compendium — 22 August 2026
Judiciary and Ecology: Supreme Court establishes a uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills as land rising 100 meters above local ground level to enforce uniform environmental protections.
Curated For:
Executive Briefing
High-level takeaways from today's compendium (PIB, The Hindu, Indian Express)
Judiciary and Ecology: Supreme Court establishes a uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills as land rising 100 meters above local ground level to enforce uniform environmental protections.
Judicial Infrastructure: Union Cabinet approves the establishment of a permanent bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Banking and Regulatory Appointments: ISRO Chairman S. Somanath and industrialist Anand Mahindra appointed as non-official directors on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Financial Safety Nets: RBI approves the transition from a flat-rate to a risk-based deposit insurance premium model under DICGC starting FY 2026-27.
Social Security: EPFO opens the Employees' Enrolment Campaign (EEC) 2026 to bring left-out workers under statutory EPF, pension, and insurance coverage.
Urban Infrastructure: Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) sign a $230 Million loan agreement to modernize Chennai's water supply and sanitation infrastructure.
Maritime Security: Central Government approves the creation of the dedicated Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) for comprehensive risk assessment across Indian ports.
Objective One-Liners
Rapid-fire factual bullets tailored for SSC, Banking, Railways & State PSC Prelims
Height Criterion Adopted by Supreme Court for Aravalli Hills: 100 meters above surrounding local ground level.
New Permanent Bench of J&K High Court Approved for: Union Territory of Ladakh (Leh and Kargil).
Eminent Figures Nominated to RBI Central Board: ISRO Chairman S. Somanath and industrialist Anand Mahindra.
Effective Date for RBI Risk-Based Deposit Insurance Premiums: FY 2026-27.
Loan Amount Signed between India and ADB for Chennai Water Project: $230 Million.
Regulatory Body Establishing the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS): Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Statutory Limit of Deposit Insurance per Depositor under DICGC: ₹5 Lakh.
Closing Date for EPFO Employees' Enrolment Campaign (EEC) 2026: 31 October 2026.
2-Minute Daily Revision Challenge
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Polity, Constitution and Judiciary
Topic APolity, Constitution and Judiciary
Supreme Court Standardizes Definition of Aravalli Hills
The Supreme Court of India adopted a standardized definition classifying the Aravalli Hills as any land feature with an elevation of 100 meters or more above the surrounding local ground level.
Key Facts & Dimensions
Legal and Ecological Impact:
Resolves decades of conflicting definitions used across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat that allowed unregulated mining and real estate encroachment in the Aravalli range.
Extends strict protective zoning and mandatory environmental clearances to continuous ridge lines, preventing deforestation and controlling desertification toward the National Capital Region (NCR).
Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance
UPSC GS-I (Geomorphology), GS-II (Judicial Interventions), and GS-III (Conservation and Ecology).
Topic BPolity, Constitution and Judiciary
Permanent Bench of High Court Approved for Union Territory of Ladakh
The Union Cabinet approved setting up a permanent bench of the common High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Key Facts & Dimensions
Key Details:
Ladakh will become the third permanent seat of the High Court, operating alongside principal benches in Srinagar and Jammu.
Significantly enhances affordable access to justice for citizens in Leh and Kargil, eliminating the need to travel long distances for judicial hearings.
Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance
UPSC GS-II (Structure and Functioning of the Judiciary) and State PSCs.
Economy, Banking, Finance and Infrastructure
Topic AEconomy, Banking, Finance and Infrastructure
RBI Approves Risk-Based Deposit Insurance Premiums under DICGC
The Reserve Bank of India approved the introduction of a risk-based premium framework for the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), effective from FY 2026-27.
Key Facts & Dimensions
Mechanism:
Replaces the traditional flat-rate premium charged uniformly across all commercial and cooperative banks.
Banks with higher capital adequacy, lower net non-performing assets (NPAs), and superior governance will pay lower insurance premiums, incentivizing prudent risk management while safeguarding depositor funds up to ₹5 lakh.
Topic BEconomy, Banking, Finance and Infrastructure
India and Asian Development Bank Sign $230 Million Chennai Water Loan
The Ministry of Finance and ADB signed a $230 million loan agreement to build climate-resilient water supply, wastewater management, and drainage systems in Chennai.
Key Facts & Dimensions
Development Objectives: Focuses on strengthening municipal infrastructure against extreme weather events, sea-level intrusion, and urban flooding under the Tamil Nadu Urban Flagship Investment Program.
Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance
Banking (International Financial Institutions) and UPSC GS-III (Infrastructure and Urbanization).
Topic CEconomy, Banking, Finance and Infrastructure
SEBI Proposes Standardized Advertisement Code for Online Bond Platforms
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed an Advertisement Code for Online Bond Platform Providers (OBPPs).
Key Facts & Dimensions
Investor Protection Measures: Prohibits misleading claims regarding yields, mandates clear risk factor disclosures for unrated/sub-investment grade debt, and standardizes yield calculations to protect retail bond investors.
Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance
SEBI Grade A, RBI Grade B, and Financial Sector awareness.
Appointments, Governance and Social Security
Topic AAppointments, Governance and Social Security
ISRO Chairman S. Somanath and Anand Mahindra Appointed to RBI Central Board
The Central Government appointed ISRO Chairman S. Somanath and Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra as part-time non-official directors on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India.
Key Facts & Dimensions
Statutory Framework: Appointments made under Section 8(1)(c) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, which allows the Centre to nominate eminent figures from diverse economic and scientific sectors.
Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance
SSC CGL, Banking General Awareness, and UPSC GS-II.
Topic BAppointments, Governance and Social Security
EPFO Employees' Enrolment Campaign (EEC) 2026
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) launched a special compliance window under the Employees' Enrolment Campaign, 2026, open until 31 October 2026.
Key Facts & Dimensions
Objective: Encourages voluntary compliance among employers by providing a structured framework to register previously uncovered eligible employees who worked between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2026.
Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance
UPSC GS-II (Social Security and Welfare Schemes) and EPFO Enforcement Officer Exam.
National Security and Blue Economy
Topic ANational Security and Blue Economy
Government Approves Creation of Bureau of Port Security (BoPS)
The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways approved the establishment of the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) as an apex regulatory authority.
Key Facts & Dimensions
Mandate: Enforces the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, conducts unified threat assessments across all 12 major ports and 200+ non-major ports, and fortifies critical maritime infrastructure against cyber and physical sabotage.
Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance
UPSC GS-III (Internal Security, Maritime Infrastructure) and Defence Exams.
Topic BNational Security and Blue Economy
National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources
Department of Fisheries released the comprehensive assessment report on oceanic fishery reserves within India's 2.02 million sq. km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Key Facts & Dimensions
Significance: Lays the operational roadmap for sustainable tuna longlining, deep-sea exploration, and AI-driven acoustic mapping under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Vision 2047.
Exam Takeaway & GS Relevance
UPSC GS-III (Blue Economy, Agriculture and Allied Sectors).
Static GK Foundations
Essential background concepts and core static knowledge tied to today's news
Focus #1
High Court Benches and Territorial Jurisdiction
•Constitutional Backing:
•Article 214: Mandates a High Court for each State.
•Article 231: Empowers Parliament by law to establish a common High Court for two or more States, or for two or more States and a Union Territory (e.g., Bombay High Court for Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu; J&K and Ladakh High Court).
•Creation of Benches: Benches are established under specific State Reorganisation Acts or High Court Acts by presidential notification in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court and the Governor/LG.
Focus #2
Structure of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Central Board
•Statutory Basis: Section 8 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
•Composition:
•Official Directors: Governor and not more than 4 Deputy Governors appointed by the Central Government.
•Non-Official Directors: 4 directors nominated by the Central Government (one each from the four Local Boards in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and New Delhi), 10 directors nominated by the Centre representing various economic fields, and 2 government officials (typically from the Ministry of Finance).
Focus #3
Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC)
•Statutory Framework: Established under the DICGC Act, 1961 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India.
•Coverage Scope: Insures all commercial banks (including public, private, foreign, small finance, and payment banks) and cooperative banks.
•Deposit Limit: Insures up to ₹5,00,000 (Rupees Five Lakh) per depositor per insured bank across principal and interest components in the same capacity and right.
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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
Consider the following statements:
1. The Parliament may by law establish a common High Court for two or more States and a Union Territory.
2. An order establishing a permanent bench of a High Court requires the approval of the President of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Q2PYQ • UPSC Civil Services Prelims
In India, which one of the following is responsible for maintaining price stability by controlling inflation and regulating the banking sector?
Q3Daily MCQ • STANDARD
With reference to the recent Supreme Court ruling on the demarcation of the Aravalli Hills, consider the following statements:
1. The Supreme Court adopted a uniform elevation threshold of 100 meters above local ground level to define an Aravalli hill.
2. The Aravalli mountain range spans across Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Q4Daily MCQ • STANDARD
Consider the following statements regarding the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC):
1. It is a statutory body functioning as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India.
2. It covers all commercial banks, small finance banks, and urban cooperative banks in India.
3. The current maximum deposit insurance limit is ₹10 lakh per depositor per bank.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Q5Daily MCQ • STANDARD
The newly approved Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) has been constituted under the administrative oversight of which Union Ministry?