UPSC current affairs — 18 August 2026

The 8 exam-relevant stories for 18 August 2026.

  1. Supreme Court bars States from blocking elephant corridors, orders national survey (Environment)
    The Supreme Court directed the Union government to conduct a national survey to clear obstructions from traditional elephant corridors and prohibited the use of fireballs and spikes to deter wildlife.
  2. Supreme Court declares curbing black money in elections a constitutional duty of ECI (Polity)
    The Supreme Court ruled that free voter choice is vitiated by illicit money and undue gratification, affirming the Election Commission of India's responsibility to purge black money from polls.
  3. Indian Navy to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones for maritime surveillance (Security)
    The Indian Navy has finalized a ₹1,943-crore lease for two high-altitude long-endurance MQ-9B Sea Guardian remotely piloted aircraft to boost maritime domain awareness over a 30-month period.
  4. Centre to constitute high-level committee on 'Banking for Viksit Bharat' (Economy)
    Following the Union Budget announcement, the government is set to notify a high-level panel to review the banking sector architecture and align financial intermediation with India's long-term growth targets.
  5. CAG audit flags implementation gaps in the Green India Mission (Environment)
    A performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General highlighted that the National Mission for a Green India is focusing disproportionately on sapling counts rather than comprehensive ecological forest restoration.
  6. Controversy over proposed reduction in Kaziranga's Eco-Sensitive Zone buffer width (Environment)
    A proposal to demarcate a 1-km Eco-Sensitive Zone around Kaziranga National Park instead of the statutory default 10-km buffer has sparked debate over ecological conservation versus local development.
  7. Seismologists analyse recurrence of earthquake swarms in Maharashtra (Geography)
    Experts explained the geological mechanisms driving a sequence of localized, low-magnitude tremors known as an earthquake swarm without a distinct mainshock across parts of Maharashtra.
  8. MHA directs States to modernize prison facilities to satisfy international extradition norms (Governance)
    The Ministry of Home Affairs instructed States to ensure timely processing of extradition dossiers and upgrade detention conditions to comply with global human rights standards required in foreign courts.

All stories for 18 August 2026 · ← 17 August 2026 · 19 August 2026 →