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Explore Reports & Indices Current Affairs from 13 to 25 August 2026 covering major national and international reports, rankings, government surveys, PLFS employment data, UDISE+ education statistics, NITI Aayog reports, Core Industries Index, trade data, labour indicators, economic surveys and other important indices. Useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railways, Defence, State PSC and other competitive exams.
The UDISE+ 2025–26 report was a major education-data report in the current-affairs cycle during this period. It provides a comprehensive assessment of school education across India, covering enrolment, teachers, schools, infrastructure and other indicators.
Report: UDISE+ 2025–26
Full form: Unified District Information System for Education Plus
Sector: School Education
Coverage: Schools, students, teachers and infrastructure
According to the UDISE+ 2025–26 data, India's school education system comprised approximately 14.67 lakh schools.
Schools covered: 14.67 lakh
The report recorded approximately 24.72 crore students across India's school education system.
Students: 24.72 crore
The enormous student base makes UDISE+ one of the most important administrative datasets for education planning and policy formulation.
UDISE+ 2025–26 reported approximately 1.03 crore teachers working across the country's schools.
Teachers: 1.03 crore
Schools: 14.67 lakh
Students: 24.72 crore
UDISE+ provides data required by policymakers to assess enrolment, teacher availability, school infrastructure, retention and other aspects of school education.
The database is therefore an important tool for monitoring India's progress in education and identifying areas requiring intervention.
At an event on 18 August 2026, Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan emphasised the crucial role of accurate and reliable data in governance and national development.
Reliable statistics support evidence-based policymaking and enable governments to measure the impact of development programmes.
NITI Aayog listed a major August 2026 report titled “Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047.”
The report comes under NITI Aayog's Skill Development, Labour & Employment work and examines how India's skilling ecosystem can be strengthened for the country's long-term development ambitions.
Report: Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047
Released by: NITI Aayog
Year: 2026
Sector: Skill Development, Labour & Employment
The report connects India's skill-development strategy with the national goal of becoming a developed economy by 2047.
Its broad focus is on creating a workforce capable of meeting emerging industry, technology and employment requirements.
Another important NITI Aayog report listed for August 2026 is “Key Sectors to Position India as a Global Manufacturing Hub.”
Report: Key Sectors to Position India as a Global Manufacturing Hub
Released by: NITI Aayog
Division: Industry & Foreign Investment
Year: 2026
The report examines sectors that can strengthen India's position in global manufacturing.
Its relevance extends to policies involving industrial development, foreign investment, supply chains, manufacturing competitiveness and India's ambition to increase its role in global production networks.
On 20 August 2026, the Government released the provisional Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) for July 2026.
The index tracks production in eight strategically important infrastructure industries.
Index: Index of Eight Core Industries
Reference month: July 2026
Released: 20 August 2026
The eight industries covered by the Index of Core Industries are:
Coal
Crude Oil
Natural Gas
Refinery Products
Fertilisers
Steel
Cement
Electricity.
These industries have a major influence on India's overall industrial performance.
The eight core industries collectively account for a substantial portion of the weight assigned to items included in India's Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
Consequently, the Core Industries Index is closely watched as an early indicator of industrial activity.
The HSBC Flash India Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) was released on 21 August 2026.
PMI data provide a high-frequency indication of business conditions and private-sector economic activity.
Index: HSBC Flash India PMI
Release date: 21 August 2026
Indicator type: Business activity
The Purchasing Managers' Index is based on surveys of private-sector companies and is used to assess changes in areas such as output, new orders, employment and business activity.
Generally:
Above 50: Expansion
Below 50: Contraction
50: No change.
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for India increased in July 2026, according to an update released on 24 August 2026.
Index: Leading Economic Index
Country: India
Reference month: July 2026
Release: 24 August 2026
The Leading Economic Index is designed to provide an early indication of significant turning points in the business cycle and the likely direction of economic activity in the near term.
This distinguishes it from indicators that mainly describe economic conditions that have already occurred.
Alongside the LEI, the Conference Board maintains a Coincident Economic Index (CEI).
While the LEI is forward-looking, the CEI provides an indication of the current state of economic activity.
LEI: Forward-looking
CEI: Current economic conditions
The World Bank released its August 2026 commodity-price data, providing updated information on international commodity markets.
Publisher: World Bank
Dataset: Commodity Prices
Edition: August 2026
The World Bank's commodity-price database tracks international prices across major commodity categories.
Such data are important for countries like India because movements in energy, metals, agricultural commodities and fertilisers can affect inflation, imports, fiscal conditions and economic growth.
The World Bank's monthly commodity-price dataset is commonly known as the “Pink Sheet.”
Publisher: World Bank
Popular name: Pink Sheet
Frequency: Monthly commodity-price data
This is a useful fact for competitive examinations.
A consolidated assessment of India's major international rankings published in August highlighted India's performance across innovation, human development, gender equality, governance, peace and digital capabilities.
These rankings are useful for comparing India's development performance with other countries.
India stood at 38th position in the Global Innovation Index 2025.
Index: Global Innovation Index
India's rank: 38th
Publisher: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) publishes the Global Innovation Index.
The index evaluates innovation ecosystems using indicators related to institutions, human capital, infrastructure, business sophistication, knowledge, technology and creative outputs.
Headquarters of WIPO: Geneva, Switzerland
India ranked 99th in the SDG Index 2025, according to consolidated reports-and-indices data.
Index: SDG Index
India's rank: 99th
Top country: Finland
Publisher: UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Finland occupied the top position in the SDG ranking referenced in the report.
The index measures countries' progress towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Top-ranked country: Finland
India: 99th
India ranked third globally in the Global AI Vibrancy Index 2025.
Index: Global AI Vibrancy Index
India's rank: 3rd
Publisher: Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (Stanford HAI)
Top country: United States
The Global AI Vibrancy Index evaluates countries on factors related to artificial-intelligence research, talent, investment, innovation and ecosystem development.
India's third-place position reflects its growing significance in the global artificial-intelligence ecosystem.
India was ranked third in Asia in the Asia Power Index 2025.
Index: Asia Power Index
India's rank: 3rd
Publisher: Lowy Institute
Top-ranked power: United States
The Asia Power Index evaluates countries using several dimensions of power and influence, including economic capability, military capability, diplomatic influence and cultural influence.
It is published by the Lowy Institute, an international-policy think tank based in Australia.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Monthly Bulletin for July 2026 on 17 August 2026.
The PLFS, conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO), provides key information on employment, unemployment and labour-force participation in India.
Report: Periodic Labour Force Survey Monthly Bulletin
Reference month: July 2026
Released by: NSO, MoSPI
Release date: 17 August 2026
According to the July PLFS bulletin, India's overall Unemployment Rate (UR) for persons aged 15 years and above declined to 5.1%.
It had stood at 5.5% in June 2026.
July 2026: 5.1%
June 2026: 5.5%
The unemployment rate in rural India declined from 5.0% in June to 4.5% in July 2026.
Urban unemployment remained broadly stable at 6.7%, compared with 6.6% in June.
Rural UR: 4.5%
Urban UR: 6.7%
The overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above increased from 54.4% in June to 55.4% in July 2026.
LFPR: 55.4%
LFPR measures the proportion of the population that is either working or actively seeking work.
Rural labour-force participation increased by 1.4 percentage points over the previous month to reach 58.0% in July 2026.
Rural LFPR: 58.0%
The improvement in rural participation was an important contributor to the overall rise in India's labour-force participation.
Female labour-force participation for persons aged 15 years and above increased significantly to 34.4% in July 2026.
This represented an increase of 1.7 percentage points over June 2026.
Female LFPR: 34.4%
India's overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) increased to 52.5% in July 2026.
According to MoSPI, this was the first increase in the overall WPR since February 2026.
WPR: 52.5%
The rural Worker Population Ratio rose to 55.4% in July 2026, an increase of 1.6 percentage points over June.
The improvement in LFPR, WPR and unemployment together indicated stronger labour-market conditions during July.
The monthly PLFS bulletin estimates key labour-market indicators using the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach.
The principal indicators are:
LFPR: Labour Force Participation Rate
WPR: Worker Population Ratio
UR: Unemployment Rate.
On 20 August 2026, the Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences released the National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ.
It was released during CMLRE's Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Report: National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ
Released by: CMLRE
Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences
Date: 20 August 2026
The report brings together nearly four decades of oceanographic research and three decades of systematic surveys across India's approximately 2.37 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone.
EEZ covered: 2.37 million sq km
The report provides a scientific roadmap for sustainable development of India's Blue Economy, balancing utilisation of marine resources with biodiversity conservation.
It also supports India's Vision 2047 and its commitment to SDG 14 – Life Below Water.
A major focus is the mesopelagic or twilight zone, extending approximately 200 to 1,000 metres below the ocean surface.
Resources studied include lanternfishes, deep-sea shrimps and cephalopods.
Depth: 200–1,000 metres
Common name: Twilight Zone
The report highlights important marine-resource and biodiversity areas, including:
Kollam Bank
Angria Bank
Off-Mangalore deep-sea slope
Terrace off Trivandrum
Lakshadweep Islands
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The assessment integrates conventional field observations with modern technologies such as:
Environmental DNA (eDNA)
Fisheries acoustics
Satellite observations
Artificial Intelligence
Autonomous observing platforms
Advanced ecosystem modelling.
MoSPI released the Quarterly Bulletin of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (QBUSE) on 21 August 2026.
The bulletin covers the survey period April–June 2026 and provides important data on India's unincorporated non-agricultural economy.
Report: QBUSE
Period: April–June 2026
Released: 21 August 2026
Publisher: MoSPI
According to QBUSE, the estimated number of establishments in the unincorporated non-agricultural sector reached 8.67 crore.
This represented 9.2% year-on-year growth compared with April–June 2025.
Establishments: 8.67 crore
YoY growth: 9.2%
Employment in India's unincorporated non-agricultural sector reached approximately 13.70 crore during April–June 2026.
The Other Services sector emerged as an important driver, recording employment growth of more than 21%.
Women accounted for more than 30% of total employment in the unincorporated non-agricultural sector.
This was one of the notable findings of the April–June 2026 QBUSE.
Digital adoption continued to expand rapidly in the unincorporated sector.
Approximately 80% of establishments reported using cashless modes of transaction.
Cashless adoption: About 80%
The proportion of registered enterprises increased to 42.5% during April–June 2026.
This was more than 7 percentage points higher than the corresponding quarter of 2025, indicating greater formalisation.
Enterprise registration: 42.5%
The QBUSE showed that urban areas recorded employment growth of more than 12% year-on-year, compared with approximately 0.70% growth in rural areas.
This demonstrated a significant urban-rural difference in employment growth within the unincorporated sector.
The provisional Index of Core Industries for July 2026, released on 20 August, recorded 5.4% year-on-year growth.
Growth had stood at 6.0% in June 2026 after final revision.
July growth: 5.4%
June growth: 6.0%
Cumulative core-sector growth during April–July 2026 stood at 4.3%, compared with approximately 1.5% during the corresponding period of the previous year.
Under the revised core-industries series, iron ore output increased 29.5% year-on-year in July 2026.
Other major increases included:
Cement: 13.1%
Electricity: 9.0%
Coal: 7.6%
Steel: 2.9%
Refinery products: 2.7%.
Trade data released on 13 August 2026 showed India's merchandise exports reaching $44.24 billion in July 2026, compared with $36.98 billion in July 2025.
This represented growth of approximately 19.6%.
Merchandise exports: $44.24 billion
India's merchandise imports increased to $76.22 billion in July 2026, compared with $64.86 billion a year earlier.
Merchandise imports: $76.22 billion
With imports rising faster in absolute terms, India's merchandise trade deficit widened to approximately $31.98 billion, its highest level in six months.
Trade deficit: $31.98 billion
India's combined merchandise and services exports for July 2026 were estimated at $80.14 billion, representing 13.31% year-on-year growth.
Combined imports were estimated at $95.16 billion, up 15.83%.
Total exports: $80.14 billion
Total imports: $95.16 billion
Engineering-goods exports increased from $10.40 billion in July 2025 to $12.24 billion in July 2026, representing growth of 17.71%.
Exports of organic and inorganic chemicals also increased by 14.39% to $2.80 billion.
PLFS July 2026 released: 17 August 2026
India's unemployment rate: 5.1%
Rural unemployment rate: 4.5%
Urban unemployment rate: 6.7%
Overall LFPR: 55.4%
Rural LFPR: 58.0%
Female LFPR: 34.4%
Worker Population Ratio: 52.5%
Deep-Sea Fishery Report released: 20 August 2026
Released by: CMLRE, Ministry of Earth Sciences
India's EEZ covered: 2.37 million sq km
Research base: Nearly four decades
Systematic surveys: Three decades
Mesopelagic/Twilight Zone: 200–1,000 metres
Related SDG: SDG 14 – Life Below Water
QBUSE released: 21 August 2026
Survey period: April–June 2026
Unincorporated establishments: 8.67 crore
Year-on-year growth: 9.2%
Employment: 13.70 crore
Women's workforce share: More than 30%
Cashless adoption: About 80%
Registered enterprises: 42.5%
Core Industries growth – July 2026: 5.4%
April–July growth: 4.3%
Strongest-growing component: Iron ore – 29.5%
Cement growth: 13.1%
Electricity growth: 9.0%
July merchandise exports: $44.24 billion
July merchandise imports: $76.22 billion
Merchandise trade deficit: $31.98 billion
Total exports including services: $80.14 billion
Total imports including services: $95.16 billion
UDISE+ full form: Unified District Information System for Education Plus
NITI Aayog report: Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047
NITI Aayog manufacturing report: Key Sectors to Position India as a Global Manufacturing Hub
