India’s Oil Imports (August 2026): Russia, the United States and the UAE together accounted for 66.8% of India’s oil imports by volume and 67.8% of the import bill + Total Imports – 191.2 lakh tonnes, down 10.3% month-on-month but up 3.4% year-on-year + Russia’s Share – Declined from 51% in July to 44.3% in August; imports fell 23% month-on-month but rose 22.5% year-on-year + U.S. Oil Price – Average $810.6 per tonne, compared with India’s overall average of $640 per tonne + UAE Imports – 33 lakh tonnes (17.4% share), accounting for 16.9% of the import bill

India’s Coir Exports: Exports of coir and coir products reached ₹6,614.40 crore (approximately $694 million) in FY 2025–26, according to the Ministry of MSME + Export Growth – Increased by 305.70% from ₹1,630.33 crore in FY 2014–15 + Global Position – India is the world’s largest coir producer and exporter, accounting for about two-thirds of global production + Industry Scale – Estimated turnover of ₹16,000 crore and contributes nearly 1% to India’s GDP + Top Export Markets – China (26.79%), the United States (16.45%), the Netherlands (10%), Spain and the United Kingdom + Major Products – Coir pith, fibre, yarn and tufted mats; coir pith contributes the largest share of export value

Global Handwashing Day 2026: Observed annually on October 15 to promote handwashing with soap and clean water as a simple, affordable, lifesaving habit + Theme 2026 – “Be a Handwashing Hero!” + Established – 2008 by the Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP) + Core Purpose – Prevent respiratory and diarrhoeal infections through proper hand hygiene + Disease Prevention – Handwashing reduces diarrhoeal disease risk by around 40–50% and acute respiratory infections by 20–25% + Recommended Technique – Wet hands with clean running water, apply soap, scrub for 20 seconds, rinse and dry with a clean towel or air dry