Daily Current Affairs — August 13, 2026

A beat forester from Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary in Udupi district, Karnataka, scientifically described a new species of freshwater crab named Ghatiana Karnataka. This discovery highlights the rich decapod crustacean diversity of the Western Ghats.

Ghatiana Karnataka features a distinctive dark purple body with light pink claws. Unlike many other Ghatiana species that hide during dry seasons, this species is active year-round. It inhabits areas near perennial streams in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, sheltering in moist tree cavities during dry months and laterite rocks during monsoons.

This marks the 15th species of the Ghatiana genus discovered in the Western Ghats, with 8 of these species endemic to Karnataka. Ghatiana is a primary freshwater crab genus adapted to arboreal and terrestrial microhabitats in tropical montane forests.

Geopolitical and military activity escalated around the Kuril Islands, a chain of 56 volcanic islands extending 1,300 km from the southern tip of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula to Hokkaido, Japan.

The Kuril Islands separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. The four southernmost islands—Iturup (Etorofu), Kunashir (Kunashiri), Shikotan, and the Habomai islets—are known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils.

Soviet forces occupied the southern islands at the end of WWII in 1945. The territorial dispute prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal World War II peace treaty. Japan claims sovereignty under the 1855 Treaty of Shimoda, while Russia cites the 1945 Yalta Agreement and the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty.

Distinguished Indian theoretical physicist Professor Deepak Dhar was awarded the 2026 Dirac Medal by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) for his groundbreaking contributions to statistical physics and non-equilibrium dynamics.

Prof. Dhar is globally renowned for solving the Abelian Sandpile Model of self-organized criticality (SOC). The model mathematically explains how complex natural systems—such as earthquakes, forest fires, and financial markets—spontaneously organize into critical states prone to sudden cascades.

Emeritus Professor at IISER Pune, Prof. Dhar previously became the first Indian scientist to win the Boltzmann Medal in 2022. The ICTP Dirac Medal (named after Paul Dirac) is awarded annually to theoretical physicists making foundational discoveries.

Electoral shifts, party splits, and debate surrounding the proposed “One Nation, One Election” framework rekindled intense discussions on the constitutional role and future relevance of regional political parties in India's federal structure.

Under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, a political party is recognized as a State (Regional) Party if it secures at least 6% of valid votes in Assembly elections along with 2 Assembly seats, OR wins 3% of total Assembly seats (minimum 3 seats), OR wins 1 Lok Sabha seat for every 25 seats allocated to the state.

Regional parties articulate state-specific sub-national identities, protect linguistic rights, and ensure democratic decentralization. However, they face structural headwinds including leadership centralization, financial disparities in electoral funding, and anti-defection challenges under the Tenth Schedule.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways launched the operational guidelines for the Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme to establish India as a global manufacturing hub for ISO shipping containers.

India currently imports over 90% of its shipping containers, primarily from China. Global supply chain disruptions and container shortages increase freight costs for Indian exporters. The scheme offers financial incentives and capital support to domestic manufacturers to bridge this gap.

Aligned with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Sagarmala Project, the initiative promotes container clusters in coastal economic zones such as Bhavnagar (Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), and JNPA (Maharashtra).

Wildlife biologists reported successful breeding pairs of the Black-Necked Crane (*Grus nigricollis*) in the high-altitude wetlands of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary in Ladakh, following joint habitat management efforts.

The Black-Necked Crane is the only alpine crane species in the world that breeds exclusively in high-altitude wetlands of the Tibetan Plateau and Ladakh (Tso Kar, Tso Moriri, Pangong Tso). It is revered by local Buddhist communities and serves as the official State Bird of the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Threatened by free-ranging feral dogs near tourist campsites, wetland degradation, and climate change, the bird is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, and Appendix I of CITES.

High monsoon runoff in the Kaveri basin prompted large water releases into the Kollidam River (the northern distributary of the Kaveri), activating flood warning networks across Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts.

The Kaveri River splits into two branches at Upper Anicut (Mukkombu) near the island of Srirangam. The northern branch is named Kollidam (Coleroon), while the southern branch retains the name Kaveri. Kollidam flows 160 km east through Tamil Nadu before emptying into the Bay of Bengal near Devakottai.

Kollidam acts as the principal flood discharge channel for the Kaveri delta. Downstream lies the historic Grand Anicut (Kallanai) built by Chola King Karikala in the 2nd Century CE, one of the oldest water-regulation structures in the world.

The Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling clarifying the scope and timeline of police remand under Section 187 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, resolving conflicts regarding police custody during the investigation period.

Under Section 167 of the repealed CrPC 1973, 15-day police custody was strictly restricted to the first 15 days of arrest. In contrast, Section 187(3) of BNSS 2023 allows police custody of up to 15 days to be sought in parts across the entire initial 40 or 60 days of the total 60/90-day detention period.

The Apex Court clarified that while BNSS grants flexibility to seek police custody in phases, the total police custody duration cannot exceed 15 days in aggregate, and magistrates must record detailed written reasons ensuring compliance with constitutional rights under Article 22(2).

The Central Government approved the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) proposal to conduct field trials of polymer (plastic) banknotes in select Indian cities to assess their durability in tropical climatic conditions.

Unlike traditional currency printed on 100% cotton-paper substrate, polymer banknotes are made from biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP). Polymer notes last 2.5 to 4 times longer than paper notes, are water-resistant, dirt-resistant, and incorporate advanced see-through optical security features.

Field trials for ₹10 polymer notes are designated across 5 geographically diverse cities: Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Shimla, and Bhubaneswar. Though initial printing costs are higher, longer lifecycle significantly reduces long-term currency printing and soilage costs.

The Supreme Court of India directed all State Governments and Union Territories to declare Cancer as a 'Notifiable Disease' under their respective State Public Health Acts.

When a disease is declared 'notifiable', all clinical establishments (public and private hospitals, diagnostic labs, path labs) are legally mandated to report every diagnosed case to government health authorities. This creates a real-time epidemiological database for disease tracking.

Mandatory notification will enhance the coverage of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP), enabling targeted resource allocation, early screening initiatives, and affordable oncology care under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, expanded the Sanchar Mitra Scheme across engineering and science colleges to engage student volunteers in promoting telecom awareness and digital safety.

Under the scheme, selected student volunteers (termed Sanchar Mitras) conduct community outreach workshops educating citizens on detecting fraudulent SIM cards, reporting stolen mobile handsets via CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register), and utilizing the Sanchar Saathi Portal.

The initiative supports government campaigns against spam calls, cyber-phishing, and unauthorized mobile connections issued in citizens' names, fostering secure digital adoption in rural and semi-urban areas.

India and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) agreed to resume formal negotiations for a comprehensive Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) to boost bilateral trade and investment.

Established in 1910, SACU is the world's oldest existing customs union. It comprises 5 Southern African member states: South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). SACU maintains a common external tariff and shares custom revenues among member states.

A PTA with SACU will provide tariff concessions for Indian exports of pharmaceuticals, automobiles, engineering goods, and textiles, while securing India's access to critical minerals (diamonds, platinum, gold, cobalt) from Southern Africa.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released performance evaluations of the SAMRIDH (Startup Accelerator of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development & Growth) scheme, noting successful scaling of tech startups.

SAMRIDH supports selected software tech accelerators across India to provide startups with seed capital up to ₹40 Lakhs, matching venture investment on a 1:1 basis, along with 6-month customized mentorship, product validation, and market access support.

The scheme is executed through the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), acting as a national coordinator for technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

Bilateral trade discussions and diplomatic engagements focused attention on Liberia, a strategic nation along the West African Atlantic coastline.

Located on the Pepper Coast (Grain Coast) of West Africa, Liberia is bordered by Sierra Leone to the northwest, Guinea to the north, Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Its capital and largest city is Monrovia (named after US President James Monroe).

Liberia's terrain transitions from coastal mangrove swamps to rolling plateaus and inland mountain ranges (highest peak: Mount Wuteve at 1,440m). Key rivers include the Cavalla River (forming the border with Ivory Coast) and the St. Paul River. Founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society for freed African-American slaves, it is Africa's oldest republic (independent 1847).

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) reported a sharp increase in dispute resolutions processed through the online portal of Grievance Appellate Committees (GAC).

Established under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (amended in 2022), GACs are statutory appellate bodies set up by the Central Government. They allow social media users to appeal against content moderation decisions or inaction by platform Grievance Officers.

Each GAC consists of a Chairperson and two independent members appointed by the Government. The GAC operates as a digital-first tribunal, required to resolve appeals within 30 calendar days. Orders passed by GAC are legally binding on social media intermediaries like Meta, X, and Google.