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12 Aug, 2026
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Discover the important persons in news from 6 to 12 August 2026. This weekly current affairs roundup covers prominent personalities associated with major appointments, achievements, awards, records, public initiatives and significant national and international developments. It is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railways, Defence, State PSC and other competitive examinations.
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth became the first woman fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force to complete the elite Fighter Combat Leader course in August 2026.
The Fighter Combat Leader course is conducted at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. It is considered one of the Indian Air Force’s most demanding combat-training programmes.
The approximately 20-week course trains experienced fighter pilots in:
Completion of the course earned Bhawana Kanth the distinction of becoming India’s first female “Top Gun” combat pilot.
She was one of the first three women inducted into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in 2016, along with Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh. Before joining the Air Force, she worked as a software engineer at Tata Consultancy Services.
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Captain Shivani Sehrawat became the first woman officer to be appointed as an Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of the Army Staff.
An Aide-de-Camp, commonly abbreviated as ADC, is a military officer who provides professional, administrative and ceremonial assistance to a senior military commander or constitutional authority.
Her selection represents a major milestone for women officers in the Indian Army and reflects their growing participation in important military staff and leadership responsibilities.
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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid floral tributes to former Lok Sabha Speaker Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon on his birth anniversary on 6 August 2026.
The commemorative programme was held in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan at Parliament House in New Delhi.
Gurdial Singh Dhillon was born on 6 August 1915 in Amritsar. He was a freedom fighter, parliamentarian and journalist who participated in the Indian freedom struggle and the Kisan Movement.
He served twice as Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He was also President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and later served as India’s High Commissioner to Canada.
Dhillon was associated with journalism as Chief Editor of the Urdu newspaper “Sher-e-Bharat” and Managing Director of National Sikh Newspapers Limited.
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India observed the 119th martyrdom day of revolutionary freedom fighter Khudiram Bose on 11 August 2026.
Khudiram Bose was born on 3 December 1889 in present-day West Bengal. He joined the freedom struggle at a young age and participated in revolutionary activities against British rule.
In 1908, Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki attempted to assassinate British magistrate Douglas Kingsford in Muzaffarpur. They threw a bomb at a carriage they believed was carrying Kingsford, but two British women travelling in it were killed.
Khudiram Bose was arrested, tried and sentenced to death. He was executed at Muzaffarpur Central Jail on 11 August 1908 at the age of 18.
He became one of the youngest martyrs of India’s revolutionary freedom movement.
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Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came into the news after announcing from New Delhi that she intended to return to Bangladesh in December 2026.
Hasina had been living in India after leaving Bangladesh following the student-led political uprising of 2024. In an audio address, she rejected the judicial verdicts delivered against her and described the proceedings as politically motivated.
The Bangladesh government strongly objected to her media interaction from Indian territory and reiterated its demand for her extradition. India stated that it had neither organised nor endorsed the interaction.
The development further strained relations between India and Bangladesh.
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Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 August 2026 and described the meeting as detailed and enriching.
The meeting attracted attention because it was Chadha’s first widely reported personal interaction and social-media post with the Prime Minister after his political realignment earlier in 2026.
Chadha said that he was grateful for the Prime Minister’s time, insights and guidance. The interaction generated discussion about his expanding role in national politics.
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Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur came into the news after confirming that India was reviewing its model Bilateral Investment Treaty.
The review seeks to make India more attractive to foreign investors while ensuring that the government retains sufficient regulatory authority.
One provision being examined requires foreign investors to exhaust Indian legal remedies for five years before approaching international arbitration. Businesses have argued that this requirement delays dispute resolution.
The revised framework is expected to influence India’s future investment agreements and foreign-investment environment.
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Indian astrophysicist Annapurni Subramaniam remained in the news after receiving the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026 in Italy.
She was honoured for her contributions to space research in developing countries. She serves as Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru.
Her research primarily covers:
The COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal is presented by the Committee on Space Research in cooperation with the Indian Space Research Organisation. It recognises outstanding contributions to space research in developing countries.
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Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan remained in the news for leading several programmes connected with the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.
On 9 August 2026, he launched the Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He also visited the Cellular Jail in Port Blair and paid tribute to the freedom fighters imprisoned there during British rule.
On 12 August, he flagged off a special Har Ghar Tiranga Bike Rally involving Members of Parliament and other public representatives at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
The rally travelled from Bharat Mandapam to Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium and commemorated 150 years of Vande Mataram.
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Former President Ram Nath Kovind remained in the news after the release of his autobiography, “Triumph of the Indian Republic: My Life, My Struggles.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the book at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on 12 August 2026.
The autobiography records Kovind’s childhood, personal struggles, legal career, public service and journey to the office of President. It also presents his observations about Indian democracy and society.
Ram Nath Kovind served as the 14th President of India from 25 July 2017 to 25 July 2022. Before becoming President, he served as the Governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017.
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Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat remained in the news after launching the nationwide Har Ghar Tiranga 2026 campaign in New Delhi on 6 August.
The campaign is being observed throughout India from 9 to 17 August 2026. It marks five years of Har Ghar Tiranga as a people’s movement and commemorates 150 years of Vande Mataram.
Shekhawat also announced SURYAPATH TIRANGA, an initiative intended to connect Indian missions and overseas communities through programmes associated with the National Flag.
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Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh remained in the news after dedicating Prakriti Gyan Dham to the nation in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Prakriti Gyan Dham is described as a first-of-its-kind eco-educational hub. It was developed at the Maharishi Parashar Bioresource Centre by the CSIR–National Botanical Research Institute.
The centre combines:
The programme also included the transfer of plant-based technologies and the release of a documentary on India’s heritage gardens.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained in the news after inaugurating Param Pragya, an artificial intelligence-enabled high-performance supercomputing facility.
The facility was inaugurated during the 57th convocation of IIT Delhi and is located at the institute’s Sonipat campus in Haryana.
Param Pragya is intended to strengthen research in:
During the convocation, the Prime Minister also presented major academic honours, including the President’s Gold Medal and the Director’s Gold Medal.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah remained in the news after flagging off the Har Ghar Tiranga Yatra in Puducherry.
The yatra began from the Murugaa Theatre Signal and promoted the Tricolour as a symbol of India’s unity, sovereignty and national identity.
During his visit, Amit Shah also presented the President’s Colour to the Puducherry Police at the Police Training School grounds in Gorimedu.
The President’s Colour is one of the highest honours awarded to a military, paramilitary or police organisation in recognition of distinguished service.
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