Current Affairs 26 August 2026

India Launches Its 1st Non-GMO Popcorn Maize Hybrid Seed.

India’s first non-GMO, high-expansion popcorn maize hybrid seed was launched.
Vice-President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan launched it at Musunuru, Andhra Pradesh.
The hybrid was developed by Gourmet Popcornica.
It involves over 17,500 farmers across 8 states.
The project covers around 40,000 acres.
It aims to reduce dependence on imported hybrid technology.
Maize processing, quality control, and cold storage are part of the project.
The initiative supports Aatmanirbhar Bharat and aims to strengthen the popcorn maize sector.

AIIA, New Delhi launched the Garbhini Mitra course for 2026–27.
It is a six-month offline skill-development programme.
The course focuses on Ayurvedic maternal care and wellness.
Training covers antenatal, postnatal and pre-conceptional care.
Students will learn newborn massage, pregnancy-safe yoga and labour support.
It also includes basic life support, infection control and biomedical waste management.
Eligibility: 10+2 pass and minimum 18 years of age.
Intake: Limited to 20 students per batch.
Graduates can work as Antenatal Wellness Guides, Garbhini Mitras and Maternal Health Support Workers.

UPI completed 10 years since its launch in August 2016.
It has become the world’s largest real-time payment system by transaction volume.
Annual transactions grew from 1.78 crore (FY17) to over 24,162 crore (FY26).
UPI accounted for 49% of global real-time payment volumes in 2025.
It is operational in 11 countries, including UAE, France, Singapore and Nepal.
Live banks on UPI increased from 21 to 741 by July 2026.
UPI accounts for 84% of India’s digital payment transactions.
Monthly transactions hit a record 2,366 crore in July 2026.
P2M payments form 63% of transaction volume, while P2P payments account for 71% of transaction value.

India restored 21.76 million hectares of land during 2011–2020.
The achievement was announced by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia.
Restoration activities generated around 1.22 billion person-days of employment.
India has set a target to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
The Second Progress Report on the Bonn Challenge was released for 2011–2020.
Key initiatives include Green India Mission, Nagar Van Yojana and CAMPA.
The next assessment for 2021–2025 is being carried out by ICFRE with IUCN collaboration.

India and Japan aim to strengthen investment ties in semiconductors and AI.
India seeks to attract 10 trillion yen in Japanese private investment over the next 10 years.
Key focus areas include semiconductors, AI, green hydrogen, data centres and digital infrastructure.
MUFG, Mizuho and Morgan Stanley are among the major financial institutions expanding their presence in India.
GIFT City will be promoted as a key gateway for international investment.
Both sides aim to improve ease of capital flows and profit repatriation.
The partnership supports India’s goal of becoming a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047.