Prelims Current Affairs includes Saudi Arabia Launches Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition (Mmdc) , Southern African Customs Union (Sacu), Independence Day 2026: Pm Modi Unveils ‘Sapta Dhara’ Vision, Suryapath Tiranga Completes Global Tricolour Relay, One Herb, One Standard (Ohos) Initiative, Petermann Glacier, Parliament Passes Bill To Rename Kerala As Keralam & Gaj Gaurav Awards 2026

INTERNATIONAL

1. SAUDI ARABIA LAUNCHES MULTINATIONAL MARITIME DEFENCE COALITION (MMDC)

Current Context: Saudi Arabia has launched the Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition (MMDC) to strengthen maritime security and protect commercial shipping and energy routes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden.

ABOUT MMDC

• The coalition is intended to coordinate maritime defence, joint operations, intelligence and protection of international shipping.
• The major trigger is the increasing threat to commercial shipping and energy supplies in the Red Sea region.
• Houthi forces in Yemen have carried out attacks against shipping in and around the Red Sea.
• These attacks threaten the freedom of navigation and international trade.
• Headquarters: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Founding Members (14):Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, Comoros
• First Commander:Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Al-Shehri (Saudi Arabia) – appointed 6 August 2026
• Deputy Commander:Pakistan (first term)
• Operational Phase:Began 14 August 2026

Key Strategic Locations:

• Bab al-Mandeb Strait:Connects Red Sea with Gulf of Aden (critical chokepoint)
• Red Sea:Trade route between Europe, Asia, and Middle East through Suez Canal

ECONOMY

2. SOUTHERN AFRICAN CUSTOMS UNION (SACU)

Current Context: India and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) signed Terms of Reference (ToR) to begin negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).

• The proposed agreement aims to improve market access, reduce tariffs and deepen India’s trade and economic engagement with Southern Africa.

ABOUT PTA

• It is a trade arrangement under which countries provide lower import tariffs or other preferential market access to selected products from partner countries.
• In simple words, Country A charges a lower customs duty on certain goods coming from Country B than it normally charges other countries.
• The preference may be partial, meaning tariffs are reduced but not necessarily eliminated completely.

ABOUT SACU (Southern African Customs Union)

• SACU is the world’s oldest functioning customs union.
• Established: 1910
• Headquarters: Windhoek, Namibia
• It consists of five countries:
  • Botswana
  • Eswatini
  • Lesotho
  • Namibia
  • South Africa

POLITY

3. INDEPENDENCE DAY 2026: PM MODI UNVEILS ‘SAPTA DHARA’ VISION

Current Context: On 15 August 2026, India’s 80th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled “Shakti Ki Saptadhara” (Seven Streams of Strength) during his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, New Delhi.

ABOUT SAPTA DHARA

• PM Modi compared the idea with the ancient concept of Sapta Sindhu (Seven Rivers) and called for a new “stream” of national development.
• The seven streams represent areas where India needs to build strength, self-reliance and global competitiveness.
• The vision is particularly focused on the next 5-7 years, while contributing to the broader goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Seven Streams:

1. Manufacturing
2. Agriculture
3. Technology
4. Gati Shakti
5. Defence
6. Green Economy
7. Soft Power

ART & CULTURE

4. SURYAPATH TIRANGA COMPLETES GLOBAL TRICOLOUR RELAY

Current Context: The Suryapath Tiranga global relay concluded on 15 August 2026, with the Indian Tricolour being carried across 54 Indian diplomatic missions in 54 countries as part of India’s 80th Independence Day celebrations.

ABOUT SURYAPATH TIRANGA

• Suryapath Tiranga was conceived as an international relay of the Indian National Flag (Tricolour).
• The initiative connected Indian diplomatic missions abroad with India’s Independence Day celebrations.
• The initiative aimed to showcase India’s national identity, unity and global presence.

OBJECTIVES

• Celebrate India’s Independence Day beyond India’s geographical boundaries.
• Connect the Indian diaspora with the national celebrations.
• Duration:19 hours
• Under:Har Ghar Tiranga 2026 campaign
• Started:Suva, Fiji (1:30 AM IST)
• Ended:San Francisco, USA (8:30 PM IST)

Key Stops:

• New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Maldives
• Pretoria (12:30 PM IST), Riga (12:45 PM IST), Reykjavik (3:00 PM IST), London
• Ministries:Ministry of Culture and Ministry of External Affairs

HEALTH

5. ONE HERB, ONE STANDARD (OHOS) INITIATIVE

Current Context: The Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare have renewed their inter-ministerial partnership for the One Herb, One Standard (OHOS) initiative for another three years.

ABOUT OHOS

• The collaboration is between the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC).
• Aim:Establish unified quality standards for medicinal plants used across different systems of medicine
• At present, the same medicinal herb may have different standards, specifications and testing methods under different pharmacopoeias.
• This will improve the quality, safety, consistency and regulatory acceptability of herbal medicines.

Key Features:

• Harmonized quality standards for identical medicinal plants
• Phase-wise monograph development (50 single-herb monographs in first phase)
• Applied to: Ayurveda, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, Unani, Homoeopathy
• Alignment with global benchmarks

ENVIRONMENT

6. PETERMANN GLACIER

Current Context: Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland reportedly calved a 76.4 km² ice island.

ABOUT PETERMANN GLACIER

• The event is significant because Petermann is one of Greenland’s major marine-terminating outlet glaciers and has experienced major calving events in the past.
• It flows from the Greenland Ice Sheet towards the Petermann Fjord and Nares Strait.
• It is a tidewater/marine-terminating glacier, meaning that the glacier reaches the ocean.
• The glacier drains a significant portion of the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet and is therefore important for monitoring Greenland’s ice loss.

WHAT IS CALVING?

• Calving = Breaking of ice from the front of a glacier or floating ice shelf.
• Calving is a natural glacial process and does not by itself prove that climate change caused a particular event.
• However, persistent or unusually frequent calving, especially when accompanied by ice-shelf thinning, can indicate changes in glacier stability.

Significance:

• If completely collapses, sea level would rise by ~30 cm
• Major contributor to global sea-level rise

POLITY 

7. PARLIAMENT PASSES BILL TO RENAME KERALA AS KERALAM

Current Context: Parliament passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, officially changing the name of the state from Kerala to Keralam.

ABOUT THE NAME CHANGE

• The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on 11 August 2026, followed by the Rajya Sabha on 12 August 2026.
• The Bill changes the name in the First Schedule of the Constitution and makes consequential amendments to other constitutional provisions.
• The change seeks to make the official constitutional name correspond with the state’s name in Malayalam – “Keralam”.
• Kerala was formed as a linguistic state on 1 November 1956, bringing together Malayalam-speaking regions.
• Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution on 24 June 2024 requesting the name change.
• The Union Cabinet approved the proposal on 24 February 2026.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROCEDURE FOR RENAMING A STATE

The power to change the name of a state comes from Article 3 of the Constitution.

Article 3 empowers Parliament to:

• Form a new State
• Increase the area of a State
• Diminish the area of a State
• Alter the boundaries of a State
• Alter the name of a State
• Article 4:Bill passed by simple majority in both Houses

ENVIRONMENT

8. GAJ GAURAV AWARDS 2026

Current Context: Union Minister of State for Environment conferred Gaj Gaurav Awards 2026 during World Elephant Day celebrations at Visakhapatnam.

ABOUT THE AWARD

• The Gaj Gaurav Award was introduced in 2022 as part of India’s efforts to recognise people working for elephant conservation.
• The initiative coincided with the 30th anniversary of Project Elephant, which was launched in 1992.

2026 Award Winners:

• Jaldapara National Park (West Bengal) – 7 Mahouts
• Recognized for flood rescue operations during severe Torsha and Malangi river floods

Awardees:

1. Bikash Kharia
2. Rajiv (Rajib) Oraon
3. Ajibul Haque
4. Ajit Gabur
5. Mumtaz (Mamtaj) Alam
6. Amasur (Amashu) Kheriya
7. Dilip Munda

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