13 current affairs MCQs for 13 August 2026, framed UPSC-style from the day's reporting, each verified against its source and explained. Click a question to reveal the answer, or take the quiz interactively.
Answer: (b) Hub and Spoke model
Under the app, 752 village libraries across the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency were connected using a 'Hub and Spoke' model, linking four major central libraries holding 2.8 lakh books to smaller village-level libraries, with books rotated every fortnight via MPLADS-funded vans.
Answer: (c) Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Building on earlier pilots in Puducherry and Gujarat, Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli became the first Union Territories where PM-GKAY beneficiaries receive food subsidies as programmable Digital Rupee tokens redeemable at listed merchants, aiming to reduce leakage and enhance transparency.
Answer: (d) International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Ankit Kumar Pal (Delhi), Manish Kumar Mandal (Bengaluru) and Susmita Sai (Guwahati) were selected for the ITU programme's third cohort based on their work in digital inclusion, ICT education and community-level technology projects, representing India in global discussions on inclusive digital development.
Answer: (a) Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)
Alongside launching e-Inspection and e-Certified Copy services to widen access to judicial records, the NCLT under Chairman Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal adopted data-driven bench monitoring and workload redistribution, contributing to its best quarterly resolution performance since the IBC came into force.
Answer: (b) Three (Research Chair, Senior Fellow, Young Research Fellow)
With a budget of Rs. 200 crore for 2026-27 and 7 host institutions identified, the scheme — aligned with NEP 2020 — has drawn over 3,600 fellowship applications, aiming to make India a global hub for research and innovation by engaging diaspora researchers and scientists.
Answer: (b) Article 338
Led by Chairman Kishore Makwana, the Commission's report reviews the implementation of constitutional safeguards and welfare measures for Scheduled Castes; the President directed the Commission to strengthen and streamline institutional mechanisms for more effective delivery of these safeguards.
Answer: (a) Ministry of Jal Shakti
Verma, from the Assam cadre, previously served as Mission Director of the National Water Mission after joining the Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2022, and had earlier held postings in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and as Additional Secretary at the Central Vigilance Commission.
Answer: (d) Karnataka
The 16 institutions came from Australia, Italy, the UK and the USA, with Karnataka and Maharashtra hosting 6 each, Delhi NCR 3, and Tamil Nadu 1; among institutions to have already begun operations are the University of New South Wales in Bengaluru and the University of Southampton in Gurugram.
Answer: (b) ~85%
UPI processed over 24,161 crore transactions annually and accounts for about 85% of India's digital payments; other DPI platforms cited include DigiLocker (72+ crore users), UMANG (expanded from 166 to 2,585 services since 2017) and Aadhaar (145+ crore biometric IDs), with India's digital economy now contributing 12-14% of GDP.
Answer: (c) 248 million tonnes
The review also highlighted that agricultural and allied sector Gross Value Added rose from Rs. 20.94 lakh crore (2014-15) to an estimated Rs. 52.08 lakh crore (2025-26), and that PM-KISAN has transferred over Rs. 4.47 lakh crore to farmers across 23 installments.
Answer: (a) University of New South Wales
UNSW Sydney secured UGC approval in June 2026 for its first international campus, choosing Bengaluru for its status as a global technology hub; the campus is located in North Bengaluru's Embassy Manyata Business Park, home to over 60 multinational and Fortune 500 companies.
Answer: (b) 2,403
The Bengaluru circle accounts for the largest share with 802 posts, followed by Ballari (631) and Shimoga (386); candidates need a minimum SSLC qualification, and selection this cycle is based on the SSLC merit list followed by physical standard, endurance and efficiency tests, with no written exam.
Answer: (a) KWIN City
The park at KWIN City (Knowledge, Wellbeing and Innovation City) will house chip manufacturing, packaging and testing facilities, building on about Rs. 23,000 crore in approved semiconductor and electronics investments in Karnataka over the past two years and expected to create over 3,500 high-skilled engineering jobs.