Weekly Current Affairs (23 July – 2 August 2026): Complete Roundup for Bank & Govt Exams

This roundup covers the major national and international developments between 23 July and 2 August 2026 — from Sarnath's UNESCO recognition to India's Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow. Sections are organised by theme for efficient revision ahead of IBPS, SSC, RRB, and State PSC exams.

National Affairs & Government Schemes

Operation Jal Rahat — The Indian Army, working with the Assam government and Assam Rifles, launched flood rescue and relief operations after severe floods affected over 57,000 people across seven districts, with Charaideo, Sivasagar and Jorhat among the worst-hit. The Indian Air Force has been kept on standby for aerial assistance if required.

NHAI's Digital Local Pass & Margmitra Help Center — The National Highways Authority of India introduced two new services on the Rajmarg Yatra mobile application: a Digital Local Pass for residents within a 20 km radius of any toll plaza, enabling monthly unlimited travel passes via DigiLocker and GPS-based verification, and Margmitra, a single-window digital customer support system offering grievance redressal in 22 Indian languages via text or voice.

Gems of India Challenge — The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting launched the pilot phase of this nationwide initiative to identify and promote grassroots digital creators, inviting 1–3 minute videos on the government's WAVES OTT platform from 1–31 August 2026. The pilot covers Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Goa, and Ladakh, offering district-level awards of ₹50,000, state-level awards of ₹2 lakh, and a national-level award of ₹5 lakh.

Prahalad Joshi Gets Additional Education Charge — Following Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as Union Education Minister amid NEET-related protests, Prahalad Joshi was handed additional charge of the Ministry of Education on 26 July 2026. Joshi currently also holds the Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy portfolios.

India's Debt-to-GDP Ratio — India's debt-to-GDP ratio moderated to 58.2% (provisional) in FY26, down from 58.5% in FY25. Total central government debt crossed ₹200 lakh crore as of 31 March 2026, projected to rise further in FY27.

Debt Servicing Ratio — The ratio of interest payments to revenue receipts declined from 41.6% in FY21 to 37.6% in FY26.

Union Budget Capital Expenditure — The government earmarked ₹17.15 lakh crore for effective capital expenditure in the FY27 budget, marginally exceeding the fiscal deficit of ₹16.96 lakh crore. Cumulative capital expenditure across FY21–FY25 totalled ₹44.03 lakh crore, against a ₹50 lakh crore target.

PFRDA On-Tap Registration — The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority reopened a continuous ("on-tap") registration window for Pension Fund Managers under the National Pension System; the last such window was in 2022.

DISHA 2.0 — The Union Government approved DISHA 2.0 (Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice), a Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of ₹255 crore for FY26–FY31, comprising Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu (pro bono legal services, active in 23 High Courts), Legal Literacy and Awareness programs, and Vidhi Sanjeevani.

Nathu La Pass Reopens for Border Trade — The India-China border trade route through Nathu La Pass, located in East Sikkim, connecting Sikkim to Tibet along the ancient Silk Route, has been reopened. The pass was opened in 2006 but remained closed since 2020 due to COVID-19 and the Doklam standoff.

Environmental Performance Index 2026 — India ranked 176th out of 177 countries — second-last overall and last among Asian countries after Laos. Estonia topped the index, followed by Luxembourg and the UK. The index has been published jointly by Yale University and Columbia University since 2006; India held the same 176th rank in the 2024 edition (out of 180 countries then).

Rajasthan — First State with Rare Earth Exploration License — Rajasthan became India's first state to grant an exploration license for Rare Earth Elements, covering a 207 sq km area in the Nawa-Devgarh-Shergarh block spanning Balotra and Jodhpur districts, where indications of elements like Lanthanum and Terbium were found. The Rajasthan Department of Mines and Geology awarded the license to Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited. The license permits exploration and drilling only, not mining. India has 17 recognised rare earth elements, used in electronics, IC chips, semiconductors, and space technology.

India's First Telecom Manufacturing Zone — Gwalior, MP — The Department of Telecommunications and the Madhya Pradesh government signed an agreement to establish India's first dedicated Telecom Manufacturing Zone at Gwalior on a plug-and-play industrial model. The Centre approved ₹493 crore for Phase 1, with an expected investment of ₹12,000–15,000 crore and 5,000 jobs.

Ladakh Declares 23 Heritage Sites Protected Monuments — The Ladakh administration, under Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, declared 23 heritage sites — including petroglyphs, ancient caves, rock inscriptions, Buddhist monasteries, forts and palaces — as Protected Monuments under the Jammu & Kashmir Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1920.

Defence

Project Kusha — DRDO successfully conducted the maiden flight test of its indigenous Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile, Kusha, from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha — India's first indigenous air and missile defence program, targeted for a Multi-Layered National Air Defence Shield by 2035.

INS Malvan — The Indian Navy inducted INS Malvan as the second Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft of the Mahe class, built by Cochin Shipyard Limited and based at Karwar, Karnataka, with 80% indigenous content.

Indigenous Expendable Turbojet Engine — DRDO's Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) designed India's first indigenous expendable turbojet engine in the 350 kg thrust class, manufactured by Hyderabad-based Azad Engineering.

Samudra Parikrama — INSV Triveni — India's first-ever tri-services, all-women global circumnavigation expedition, led by Anuja Varudkar and Squadron Leader Shraddha, has crossed the equator twice and rounded three great capes since departing Mumbai in September 2025, covering over 25,500 nautical miles without using the Panama or Suez canals.

Kargil Vijay Diwas (26 July) — India observed the 27th Kargil Vijay Diwas, commemorating victory in the 1999 Kargil War against Pakistan through Operation Vijay (with the Indian Air Force's Operation Safed Sagar in support). PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had announced the operation's success on 14 July 1999, with final victory achieved on 26 July 1999.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee AI Holo Box — On Kargil Vijay Diwas, an AI Holo Box featuring former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was inaugurated at the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya (Prime Ministers' Museum), New Delhi — a digital 3D avatar technology allowing visitors to ask questions about his life, political journey and contributions.

India's First Department of Military Medicine — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated India's first dedicated Department of Military Medicine at Command Hospital, Central Command, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, under the Directorate General of Medical Services (Indian Army), focused on academic study, research, and operational medical preparedness for the armed forces.

Banking, Finance & Economy

Electronics Manufacturing in Tamil Nadu — The central government approved two new Electronics Manufacturing Clusters in Tamil Nadu — at Manalur and Pillaipakkam — with a combined investment of ₹1,000 crore. India's electronics production has grown from ₹1.9 lakh crore in 2014–15 to ₹13.1 lakh crore in FY26, with exports rising from ₹38,000 crore to ₹4.24 lakh crore; 99.2% of mobile phones sold domestically are now manufactured in India.

Bhavya Rasayan Scheme — The Union Cabinet approved this scheme with an outlay of ₹330 crore to establish three dedicated chemical parks by FY31, starting FY26, with ₹1,000 crore central assistance per park and a minimum ₹500 crore state government investment required per park.

NABARD–MAHAPREIT MoU — NABARD signed an MoU with Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology (MAHAPREIT) to finance and promote green, climate-resilient infrastructure in rural India, with a special focus on Maharashtra.

Mutual Fund Industry Growth — Carnelian Asset Management and Advisors received SEBI approval to launch its mutual fund business. India's mutual fund industry now has 20 crore folios, 10 crore active SIP accounts, and assets under management exceeding ₹82 lakh crore.

BNP Paribas–India First Life Insurance — BNP Paribas signed a definitive agreement to acquire approximately 26% stake in India First Life Insurance Company. Bank of Baroda remains the majority stakeholder (~65%), with Union Bank of India holding around 9%.

Punjab & Sind Bank IFSC Banking Unit — IFSCA granted Punjab & Sind Bank a licence to establish an IFSC Banking Unit at GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Electronic Gold Receipts — The National Stock Exchange of India launched Electronic Gold Receipts to formalise the gold market through a transparent, regulated trading platform, backed by physical gold stored in SEBI-accredited vaults.

Glomo & Visa Principal Membership — Glomo, a Hyderabad-based fintech operating from GIFT IFSC, became India's first non-bank acquirer to receive Visa Principal Membership status.

Koldam Hydro Power Project — NTPC's Koldam Hydro Power Project on the Sutlej River, Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, generated 3,512 million units of electricity in FY26 — its highest generation since commissioning in 2015. The project, with an installed capacity of 800 MW, was built at a cost of ₹4,527 crore, with its foundation stone laid in 2000.

RBI Polymer Banknote Trials — The government approved an RBI proposal to conduct field trials of 1 billion polymer banknotes each in ₹10 and ₹20 denominations, under Section 25 of the RBI Act, 1934. Australia was the first country to issue polymer banknotes, in 1988.

DBS Bank — World's Best Corporate Bank — The Development Bank of Singapore became the first Southeast Asian bank to be named World's Best Corporate Bank at the 2026 Global Bank Awards by Global Finance, having topped this category since 2005.

Appointments

  • Anurag Jain (Madhya Pradesh cadre) appointed CEO of NITI Aayog for a two-year term
  • Ashok Kumar Lahiri appointed Vice-Chairperson of NITI Aayog, succeeding Suman Bery
  • Satyapal Kumar appointed Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit under the Ministry of Finance
  • Keshav Chandra assumed charge as Secretary, Ministry of Mines, succeeding Piyush Goyal, who has become Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission
  • Prahalad Joshi given additional charge of the Ministry of Education, succeeding Dharmendra Pradhan
  • Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and founding chairman of UIDAI, appointed Chairman of a six-member High-Powered Task Force set up to reform the National Testing Agency's examination system following paper-leak concerns with exams like NET. NTA, established in 2017 under the Ministry of Education, is currently headed by Abhishek Singh.

International Affairs

France's Social Media Ban — France became the first EU country to ban social media access for children below 15, effective 1 September 2026 for new accounts and January 2027 for existing accounts.

BRICS Health Ministers Meeting — India hosted the 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting in Chandigarh, themed "Building Resilience through Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."

Bangladesh President Resigns — Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned as President of Bangladesh, two years before completing his term; Parliament Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed has taken over as acting President.

BRICS Summit 2026 — Bangladesh PM Invited as Special Guest — India has invited Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman as chief guest for the BRICS Summit 2026, to be held in New Delhi from 17–19 September 2026, aimed at strengthening India-Bangladesh relations and regional cooperation.

Venezuela Exits ICC — Venezuela formally notified the UN of its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, citing Article 127 of the Rome Statute (adopted 1998, in force since 2002, headquartered in The Hague).

India–Romania Relations — During President Droupadi Murmu's state visit to Romania, the two countries signed three agreements covering Science & Technology, Education, and Sports, marking 70 years of diplomatic relations. Murmu also unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the Museum of the City of Skopje during her North Macedonia visit and was conferred an honorary "Doctor Honoris Causa" by Bucharest University of Economic Studies.

China's Gravity-1 Y4 Rocket — China launched the Gravity-1 Y4 commercial rocket, placing nine satellites into orbit from the East China Sea, developed by Orienspace.

BIMCO/ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026 — India is the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers, with approximately 312,000 Indian maritime professionals comprising 12.16% of the global workforce. The Philippines ranks first.

Sports

23rd Commonwealth Games, Glasgow — 74 nations participated over 10 days. India sent a 125-member contingent, with Mirabai Chanu as flag bearer and Lovlina Borgohain as ceremonial baton bearer, aiming to surpass its 61-medal tally from Birmingham 2022.

Mirabai Chanu — India's First Gold — Won gold in Women's 48 kg weightlifting with a 190 kg total lift (85 kg snatch, 105 kg clean & jerk) — her third consecutive Commonwealth gold, after 2018 and 2022.

Other Weightlifting Medals — Rishikanta (silver, Men's 60 kg, 264 kg total), Raja Muthu Pandey (silver, Men's 65 kg, 286 kg total), Gyaneshwari Devi of Chhattisgarh (silver, Women's 53 kg, personal-best 199 kg total).

Jhandu Kumar — Won bronze in Men's Heavyweight Para Powerlifting, opening India's medal account at the Games.

Sharmila Dhankhar — India's First Para Athletics CWG Gold — The Haryana-based para-athlete won India's first-ever Commonwealth Games Para Athletics gold medal, in Women's Shot Put F57 with an 8.81m throw — ending a 20-year wait since Ranjeet Kumar Jaisalan's bronze in discus throw at the 2006 Melbourne Games. Dhankhar had placed fourth in the same event at the 2022 Birmingham Games.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi's Records — At 15 years and 118 days, became the youngest player to score a T20 International half-century (against Zimbabwe in Harare, in 18 balls), breaking Gibraltar's Louis Bruce's record. He had earlier become the youngest player to debut in international cricket at 15 years and 99 days, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's record of 16 years and 236 days.

The Oval to Host WTC Final 2027 — Confirmed as venue for the ICC World Test Championship Final 2027 (9–13 June 2027), its second time hosting after 2023. England will host the WTC finals in 2027, 2029 and 2031. Current WTC standings: Australia (87.5%), South Africa (75%), New Zealand (72.2%), India fifth (48.15%).

Viswanathan Anand — Interim FIDE President — Took charge as interim President of FIDE after incumbent Arkady Dvorkovich faced EU sanctions.

VS Rathnavel — India's 99th Grandmaster — From Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, crossed the 2500 Elo rating mark at the Guwahati Smart City International Open 2026.

Anahat Singh — First Indian World Junior Squash Champion — The Delhi-based player became the first Indian to win a World Squash Junior Championship title in any category, defeating Egypt's Rukaiya Salem 3-0 in the Women's Singles final at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, losing only two games across six matches. Aged 18, she is currently ranked World No. 20 on the senior PSA tour, was the youngest Indian to represent the country at a Commonwealth Games (Birmingham 2022, aged 14), and had won bronze at the 2025 edition of this championship in Cairo, Egypt.

ISSF World Cup 2026 (China) — India finished third in the medal tally with four medals (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze), behind China (18 medals) and the USA (4 medals, ranked above India on gold count). Esha Singh (Haryana) won gold in Women's 25m Pistol — her second gold of the 2026 season after an earlier win in Germany, where she also set a world record of 43 hits in the same event. Manu Bhaker won a bronze.

Durand Cup 2026 — The 135th edition of Asia's oldest football tournament (and world's third-oldest, established 1888 in Shimla) began on 25 July 2026, running until 23 August, with 24 teams across six groups. The 2025 (134th) edition was won by NorthEast United FC, with Diamond Harbour FC as runners-up.

U Mumba TT Wins UTT Season 7 — Defeated Goa Challengers 4-2 in the final.

Ajinkya Rahane Retires — The Indian batsman announced retirement from all formats of international cricket.

Awards, Recognition & Research

Sarnath Added to UNESCO World Heritage List — UNESCO inscribed the Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh (located roughly 8–10 km northeast of Varanasi), on the World Heritage List during the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea — India's 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site and Uttar Pradesh's fourth (after the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri). Sarnath is where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon, and its Ashoka Pillar (Lion Capital) features on India's National Emblem. India's 43rd site was Moidams, Assam, and its 44th (in 2025) was the Maratha Military Landscape — 12 forts, 11 in Maharashtra and one (Gingee Fort) in Tamil Nadu. India now has 37 cultural, 7 natural, and 1 mixed UNESCO site (Kanchenjunga National Park, Sikkim), ranking sixth globally and second in Asia-Pacific for the number of World Heritage Sites, with 69 properties on its Tentative List.

Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport — Inaugurated by PM Modi on 1 August 2026 in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, at a cost of ₹4,727 crore. Named after freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju (born 1897), who led the Rampa Rebellion (Manyam Rebellion, 1922–1924) mobilising tribal communities of the Eastern Ghats against British rule and is known as the "Hero of the Jungle"; a commemorative stamp was issued in his honour in 1986.

GSI's First Lepidoptera Checklist — The Geological Survey of India (Zoological Survey of India) released a 22-volume "Comprehensive Catalogue of Lepidoptera," prepared over 12 years, recording 13,703 species of butterflies and moths in India — around one-sixth of the world's total Lepidoptera species.

Maharashtra State Film Award 2025 — Actress Rani Mukerji has been selected for the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award by the Maharashtra government's Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. Mukerji recently won the Best Actress award at the 71st National Film Awards for "Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway" (2023). The Maharashtra State Film Awards were instituted in 1963.

International Tiger Day (29 July) — First observed in 2010, with the 2026 theme "Securing the Future of Tigers with Indigenous People and Local Communities at the Heart." As per the 2022 tiger census, India holds approximately 85% of the world's tiger population, with 3,682 tigers — Madhya Pradesh has the highest count (785), followed by Karnataka (563) and Uttarakhand (560).

Important Days

  • World Hepatitis Day — 28 July, theme 2026: "Hepatitis: Let's Break It Down." Commemorates Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the Hepatitis B virus and its vaccine, and received the 1976 Nobel Prize in Medicine; WHO designated 28 July as World Hepatitis Day in 2010.
  • Kargil Vijay Diwas — 26 July
  • International Tiger Day — 29 July
  • World Breastfeeding Week — 1–7 August, observed since 1992; theme 2026: "Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen the Workforce"

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