Current affairs, 26 August 2026: three new directors join the RBI board, and DRDO opens all conventional missiles to private industry

26 August 2026 brings three exam-ready stories from three different beats: a banking update as the RBI’s central board gains three new directors, a defence milestone as DRDO opens its entire conventional-missile portfolio to private industry, and a sports and schemes headline in the new Khelo India outlay. Names, dates and numbers below.

Three new directors join the RBI’s central board

The Central Government has appointed Janmejaya Kumar Sinha, Syed Akbaruddin and Annie George Mathew as part-time, non-official Directors on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), for four years with effect from 24 August 2026. The appointments were approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 22 August 2026 on a proposal of the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, under Section 8(1)(c) of the RBI Act, 1934. Reserve Bank of India

Who they are: Janmejaya Kumar Sinha is chairman of BCG India; Syed Akbaruddin is a former diplomat who served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2016-2020); and Annie George Mathew, an Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer, is a former Special Secretary (Expenditure) and a member of the Sixteenth Finance Commission. The Hindu BusinessLine

They follow the 20 August 2026 appointment of former ISRO chairman S. Somanath and the reappointment of industrialist Anand Mahindra, also as part-time non-official directors for four years. The Economic Times

Exam-ready basics on the RBI: established on 1 April 1935 under the RBI Act, 1934, headquartered in Mumbai, and headed by Governor Sanjay Malhotra. Non-official directors on the central board are nominated by the government under Section 8(1)(c) of the Act.

DRDO’s conventional missiles opened to private industry

Defence Minister (Raksha Mantri) Rajnath Singh on 25 August 2026 approved the transfer of technology (ToT) for all conventional missile systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to the Indian defence industry for production within the country. The Ministry of Defence called it an important step for wider industry participation and for Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence, with eligible companies — including MSMEs — able to manufacture subject to qualification, certification and regulatory norms. CNBC-TV18

Crucially, the decision covers conventional systems only — air-defence and surface-to-surface missiles — and excludes strategic, nuclear-capable missiles such as the Agni series. Systems such as the Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile and the Pralay surface-to-surface missile are seen as early candidates for private production. Business Standard

Why it matters for an exam: the reliable one-mark facts are the date (25 August 2026), the minister (Rajnath Singh), the agency (DRDO, under the Ministry of Defence), the scope (all conventional missiles, with strategic ones excluded), and the theme (Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence).

New Khelo India Scheme (2026-31): ₹36,441 crore

The Centre has provisioned ₹36,441 crore for the New Khelo India Scheme (2026-31) — nearly eight times the previous scheme and, per the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the largest investment in Indian sport since Independence. Reiterating the figure at a press conference on 25 August 2026, SAI said the scheme should benefit about ten times more athletes and strengthen the pathway from grassroots talent identification to international competition, in line with the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision. The Tribune

For revision: Khelo India is run by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports through the Sports Authority of India; the headline number is the ₹36,441 crore outlay for 2026-31.

What to write in your notebook

Three lines:

1. RBI central board: JK Sinha (chairman, BCG India), Syed Akbaruddin (ex-UN Permanent Representative) and Annie George Mathew (ex-Special Secretary, Expenditure) appointed part-time non-official directors for four years w.e.f. 24 August 2026 (ACC nod 22 August); follows the 20 August entry of S. Somanath and reappointment of Anand Mahindra. RBI — est. 1935, HQ Mumbai, Governor Sanjay Malhotra.
2. DRDO ToT: Rajnath Singh cleared transfer of all conventional DRDO missile technology to Indian industry on 25 August 2026; strategic/nuclear missiles (Agni series) are excluded; a boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence, with Astra and Pralay among early candidates.
3. New Khelo India Scheme (2026-31): ₹36,441 crore — about eight times the previous outlay and the largest sports investment since Independence; run by SAI under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, aligned with Viksit Bharat@2047.