UPSC current affairs — 22 August 2026

The 8 exam-relevant stories for 22 August 2026.

  1. Supreme Court lauds MGNREGA as an effective scheme amid plea for right to work (Governance)
    A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court lauded the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as a highly effective welfare scheme while hearing a petition seeking to elevate the right to work to a fundamental right.
  2. Supreme Court trims law practice requirement to one year for judicial service (Polity)
    The Supreme Court has reduced the mandatory law practice requirement to one year for entering judicial services, which will be followed by intensive training and clerkship.
  3. India eases FDI rules to allow up to 10% stake from land-border sharing nations (Economy)
    The Indian government has eased Foreign Direct Investment rules to allow investments from companies with up to 10% ownership by entities from land-border sharing nations, like China, via the automatic route.
  4. Sustainability of India's E20 ethanol blending push faces scrutiny (Environment)
    The central government's E20 ethanol blending programme faces scrutiny over its long-term sustainability, vehicle compatibility, and impact on food security despite saving substantial foreign exchange.
  5. How Gaganyaan’s thermal protection system will survive atmospheric re-entry (S&T)
    The Indian Space Research Organisation's Gaganyaan mission utilizes an advanced ablative heat shield thermal protection system to survive extreme temperatures during atmospheric re-entry.
  6. PFRDA highlights low retirement-income replacement rate in India (Economy)
    The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) highlighted that India's retirement-income replacement rate stands at 35-40% compared to the global average of 60%, emphasizing the need for greater pension coverage.
  7. Weak monsoon along Cauvery basin revives inter-state water sharing concerns (Polity)
    A weak monsoon along the Cauvery basin has revived the inter-state water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, threatening standing crops in both states.
  8. Uttar Pradesh and Japan’s Yamanashi sign MoUs to boost MSMEs (IR)
    In a boost to sub-national diplomacy, Uttar Pradesh and Japan's Yamanashi prefecture signed four MoUs, establishing a ₹600-crore fund to support MSMEs.

All stories for 22 August 2026 · ← 21 August 2026 · 23 August 2026 →