NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||20-08-2026

 

NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||20-08-2026

THURSDAY| VOL—IV/2026/AUGUST

OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION.

A HINDU SANATANI can never be a traitor;

A Two Footed Cockroach can never be a patriot.

INDIA: (GOI, SWARAJYA, VISHWAMITRA, HINDU POST, INDIA TODAY).

Sadbhavana Diwas is observed today on 20 August to mark former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary.

The Union Cabinet  approved five projects, including four railway projects and one highway project. Ashwini Vaishnaw said the projects worth Rs 13,041 crore.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) has started a new service of the Joint Parcel Product – Rapid Cargo Service (JPP-RCS) on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). 

In Ladakh, Indian Army organised the ‘Adab Aur Saqafat – Literary Festival 2026’ in Kargil to celebrate the rich literary heritage, cultural traditions and artistic spirit of Ladakh under the theme “Celebrating the Culture of Ladakh Highland” at GDC Kargil.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the Southern Zonal Council (SZC) meeting tomorrow in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu. The council comprises the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, and the Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.

The Ministry of Science and Technology informed about a new smart drug that can replace traditional chemotherapy. The drug named RK-251 is designed to target cancerous cells without damaging healthy cells.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) issued the draft Registration of Medical Practitioners and Licence to Practice Medicine (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on 11 August 2026. The draft proposes a centrally generated Unique Identification (UID) number for registered medical practitioners in India through the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB).

Maharashtra declared snakebite a notifiable disease on 18 August 2026 under the state public health framework. The order makes reporting mandatory for government hospitals, private hospitals, medical colleges, and healthcare practitioners for every suspected, probable, or confirmed case and death.

BENGAL FILES:

Major Administrative Reforms & Core Milestones100-Day Governance Report Card: The state administration launched a 41-page public report titled "West Bengal Government's Resolution and 100 Days of Success". The administration is aggressively distributing this to four crore voters to capture citizen feedback on policy changes.

Annapurna Yojana Cash Transfers: The government's flagship welfare program began direct cash payouts into beneficiaries' bank accounts. Due to massive volume, the layout was adjusted with an expected budget surge up to ₹48,000 crore. Over 1.45 crore women have already been approved.

Industrial Policy Reversal: The state administration is actively moving to repeal the previous Mamata Banerjee-era law (Revocation of West Bengal Incentive Schemes and Obligations Act).

Minister for Commerce and Industry Tapas Roy announced a new framework to restore state-backed fiscal incentives using a designated ₹5,000 crore budget to restore investor confidence.

Official 20% DA Hike Notification: The West Bengal Finance Department officially issued a state circular confirming a 20 percentage point increase in Dearness Allowance for permanent staff, pensioners, and teaching personnel, setting the total DA rate to 38% effective from October 1.

Municipal Ward Delimitation: The West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed critical amendment bills allowing the administrative division of civic wards. Kolkata Municipal Corporation's wards will jump from 144 to 209, and Howrah's from 50 to 68 to balance localized public infrastructure management.

State Bureaucracy Shuffles: The Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department executed wide-scale administrative tracking by clearing promotions for senior administrative personnel to Level-22 scales and restructuring 28 West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) executive officer postings.

West Bengal hosted its first Kaushal Mahotsav on 18 August 2026 at Balurghat Stadium in Dakshin Dinajpur district.

At least nine people were killed and six injured in a major early-morning fire at a building housing multiple small budget hotels on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata.

Swelling rivers like the Keleghai and Subarnarekha impacted all 13 gram panchayats in Sabang (West Midnapore). Increased water discharges from upstream reservoirs raised concerns of further flooding in downstream districts including Howrah, Hooghly, and East Burdwan. THIS IS THE RESULT OF NOT IMPLEMENTING LOWER DVC PLAN.

WORLD: (REUTER, AP, AFP, BLOOMBERG, CNN, WP)

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor described the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as an important part of India and said the governments at the Centre and in the region have taken significant steps to improve security.

 Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has dismissed as false the claim that China has entered 60 kilometres into Arunachal Pradesh. In a social media post, Mr Rijiju said photos and videos from Bangladesh were being used to falsely portray Chinese entry into Arunachal Pradesh.

 Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu has said that government aims to triple the country’s air cargo volume by 2030. The current air cargo volume of country is around 3.5 million metric tonnes.

As part of India’s BRICS Presidency 2026, the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is hosting the BRICS Youth Council Meeting and the BRICS Youth Summit in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.  The two-day event highlights ‘Yuva Shakti’ as a central force for innovation and sustainable development.

The Ministry of External Affairs has emphasised that the ongoing Uttar Pradesh–Japan Business Summit, scheduled until 23 August, will help both nations leverage direct state-to-prefecture engagements to drive investment, manufacturing and technology transfer at the ground level.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned Britain over its military support for Ukraine, saying Moscow considered British missile forces direct involvement in strikes against Russian territory as participation in the war. His remarks came after British-made drones were reportedly used in long-range attacks against targets inside Russia for the first time.

China has achieved a historic milestone in its reusable rocket program with the successful launch and recovery of the Zhuque-3 Y2. The rocket lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China on 19 August 2026 at 7:35 a.m.

Pakistan is expanding its defence engagement beyond its immediate neighbourhood through a new security agreement with Somalia.

Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar  said that the government would seek a review of the Supreme Court’s order directing the transfer of former Prime Minister Imran Khan to a hospital for a comprehensive medical examination.

GULF  WAR

US President Donald Trump launched an unprecedented “crushing economic operation” against Iran over its failure to reach a deal, warning third-party nations of severe financial consequences if they provide Tehran a lifeline.

UAE announced the suspension of all trade and financial ties with Iran. However,  trade  between the two sides had almost entirely stopped throughout the war.

Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi warned Gulf states against assisting the US military, saying doing so would be “tantamount to participation” in US attacks.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf travelled to Baghdad, seeking to strengthen a “new order in the region.”

 An Iranian lawmaker said a Strait of Hormuz plan being discussed with Oman would place the waterway under the control of Iran’s armed forces.

Britain and Germany condemned an Israeli tender for new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister met Hamas political chief in Doha to discuss Gaza.

BALOCH NEWS:

Major Balochistan Developments:

The Independence Ultimatum: Prominent Baloch leader Mir Yar Baloch declared the presence of the Pakistani Army as an illegal invasion violating Balochistan's sovereign border laws. The ultimatum demands that non-Baloch personnel surrender all heavy weaponry, warplanes, and military installations to local forces and leave the territory.

Massive Surge in Guerrilla Strikes: The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) released data claiming its forces neutralized 26 Pakistani security personnel and wounded dozens more in 22 synchronized operations executed across strategic corridors like Surab, Chagai, and Quetta.

Surab Airstrikes & Appeals to the US: Global Baloch advocacy groups, including the Baloch American Congress, sent an urgent appeal to US President Donald Trump. They requested immediate intervention and a full investigation into alleged Pakistani Air Force airstrikes in the Surab district that reportedly resulted in more than 30 civilian casualties.

Human Rights Crisis Report: The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) published its latest comprehensive document, detailing a staggering 79% annual spike in state-sponsored enforced disappearances. The report registered 1,482 unresolved abductions and 598 civilian killings primarily carried out by the Frontier Corps (FC).

Infrastructure Sabotage: Secondary rebel factions, including the Baloch Republican Guards (BRG), claimed responsibility for targeting the state's economic network by successfully detonating explosives under twin 220kV high-voltage power transmission grids in Naseerabad.

LAW, CRIME & PUNISHMENT:

The Department of Telecommunications has directed telecom operators to deny new mobile connections to subscribers who already have nine SIM cards registered in their name.   

Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Fund Conflict of Interest policy was protected by stringent safeguards to ensure protection of Taxpayers’ Money as well as private capital.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has foiled an attempt to illegally export around 56 kilograms of methamphetamine from India to Saudi Arabia and arrested two persons in connection with the case.

In Jharkhand, the 26-day-long student agitation over irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations has been called off following the state government’s decision to cancel several recruitment exams and order investigations into the issue.

A court in West Bengal’s Nadia district has ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra for failing to appear before it in an alleged hate speech case. The Krishnanagar court also directed that a report on the execution of the warrant be submitted by the 28th of August.

Tamil Nadu announced 365 days of maternity leave for women state government employees for a third child. The policy applies to women government employees in the Tamil Nadu state service and gives the same leave period as the first two deliveries.

MISHAPS: -

In Maharashtra, two elderly women were killed and 31 passengers injured when a State Transport bus collided with a truck near Bodhe Phata on the Malegaon-Chalisgaon road in Nashik district.

ENVIRONMENTAL: -

Flood situation in northern Odisha remains a major concern, with the Subarnarekha River rising rapidly in Balasore and heading towards a major flood threat.

WEATHER:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for very heavy rainfall over Chhattisgarh, Eastern Madhya Pradesh and Western Uttar Pradesh.

GAMES & SPORTS:

India stormed into the second round of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 5-3 in an intense Pool D encounter at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.

Historic 600th Test Victory: India clinical completed a 165-run win over Sri Lanka in Galle on Day 5 of the opening Test to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

PV Sindhu powered into the pre-quarterfinals after defeating Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang in straight games (21-16, 21-17).

Mixed Field Day: Ayush Shetty recorded an easy victory to move ahead, and the star duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty received a walkover win. However, Lakshya Sen suffered a major upset and was knocked out by an unseeded American opponent.

 Boxer Narender Berwal Selected for Prestigious Arjuna Award.

 DAS KAPITAL:

DALAL STREET:

The Indian stock market extended its losing streak as the benchmark NSE Nifty 50 fell for a seventh consecutive session, closing down 0.32% at 24,078.30, while the BSE Sensex dropped 0.42% to settle at 76,909.68.

Investor sentiment remained heavily weighed down by a sharp surge in global Brent crude oil prices approaching $92 per barrel due to escalating tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

 Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) outflows exceeded $25 billion so far this year.

BULLIONS:

24K Pure Gold (999 Purity): ₹1,54,218/- to ₹158,390/- per 10 grams.

Silver (999 Purity): ₹2,37,840/- to ₹2,39,614/- per 1 kilogram

CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES:

USD to INR: ₹95.50 – ₹95.74/- EUR to INR: ₹111.03 – ₹111.66/-  

GBP to INR: ₹129.77 – ₹130.18/-  JPY to INR: ₹0.599 – ₹0.601/-

China Yuan ¥* : ₹ 13.26/-

 

 

THE END.