Current Affairs 4 August 2026

EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

Greenland's Petermann Glacier Sheds 76.4 sq km Ice Island, Its Largest Loss Since 2012

•Petermann Glacier in north-west Greenland calved a 76.4 sq km ice island at 20:00 UTC on 4 August 2026.
•The slab is up to 150 metres thick and roughly the size of Manhattan Island.
•It is the glacier's largest loss of floating ice since 2012 and the largest Arctic calving event since 2020.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

NASA Buys Voyager 2 Another Year of Science with a Power-Saving Manoeuvre

•NASA announced on 4 August 2026 that engineers had executed a power-saving procedure nicknamed the 'Big Bang' on Voyager 2.
•Certain powered devices were switched off simultaneously and replaced with lower-power alternatives while keeping the spacecraft warm enough to work.
•The saving keeps Voyager 2's three remaining science instruments running for at least an extra year; without it, another instrument would have had to be shut down before the end of 2026.

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InternationalLowquizQuiz

DGMA's 'Seafarer-First' Framework Restricts Indian Crew on Strait of Hormuz Voyages

•The Directorate General of Maritime Administration, a subordinate office of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has instituted a graded 'Seafarer-First' framework in response to the security situation in Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters.
•The latest circular, issued on 15 July 2026, advises ship owners, managers and recruitment companies to avoid deploying Indian seafarers on voyages passing through the Strait of Hormuz until further orders.
•A real-time reporting, tracking and monitoring mechanism is operational, supported by a 24-hour Control Room, the DG Communication Centre and a Situation Report issued every 24 hours recording vessel-wise positions and the number of Indian seafarers on board.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Drones Cut TB Diagnosis Time From 15 Days to 5 in ICMR i-DRONE Study

•An ICMR study under its i-DRONE initiative found that drone-assisted transport of tuberculosis sputum samples cut the median diagnosis turnaround time from 15 days to 5 days.
•Mean out-of-pocket expenditure for patients fell from about Rs 9,451 to Rs 91, a reduction of more than 99 per cent.
•The study was conducted in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana in collaboration with AIIMS Bibinagar and the National TB Elimination Programme.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

AB PM-JAY Crosses 12.69 Crore Admissions Worth Rs 1.92 Lakh Crore

•As on 30 June 2026, Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana had authorised 12.69 crore hospital admissions amounting to Rs 1.92 lakh crore through a network of 37,413 public and private hospitals.
•The scheme provides Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 12 crore economically vulnerable families, the bottom 40 per cent of India's population.
•It was expanded in March 2024 to about 37 lakh families of ASHAs, Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers, and again in October 2024 to 6 crore senior citizens aged 70 and above across 4.5 crore families, irrespective of socio-economic status.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

12,500 Ayush Centres Upgraded as Ayushman Arogya Mandir; Ayurveda Day Fixed to 23 September

•Under the National Ayush Mission, 12,500 existing Ayush dispensaries and sub health centres have been upgraded and operationalised as Ayushman Arogya Mandir (Ayush), formerly called Ayush Health and Wellness Centres.
•Rs 6,40,699.24 lakh — about Rs 6,407 crore — has been released to States and UTs under the Mission between 2014-15 and 2025-26, with Uttar Pradesh receiving the largest share.
•Rajasthan has the largest number of functional Ayushman Arogya Mandir (Ayush) at 2,019, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 800 and Himachal Pradesh at 761.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

MSP Fixed for 22 Mandated Crops on CACP Advice; Procurement Runs Through PM-AASHA

•The Government fixes Minimum Support Prices every year for 22 mandated agricultural crops on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, after considering the views of State Governments and concerned Central Ministries.
•The Union Budget for 2018-19 announced the principle of setting MSP at least one and a half times the cost of production, applied from 2018-19 with a minimum margin of 50 per cent over the all-India weighted average cost of production.
•Cereals and coarse cereals are procured through the Food Corporation of India and designated State agencies; pulses, oilseeds and copra come under the Price Support Scheme within PM-AASHA, with NAFED and NCCF as the central nodal agencies.

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Summits & ConferencesMediumquizQuiz

India's BRICS Chairship: Education Ministers Meet in Bhubaneswar, Statisticians in Lucknow

•Under India's BRICS chairship 2026, the Ministry of Education is hosting the 13th BRICS Education Ministers' Meeting and the 3rd Senior Officials' Meeting in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from 5 to 7 August 2026.
•India's chairship theme is 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', reflecting the approach articulated by the Prime Minister at the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
•The two-day meeting of Heads of BRICS National Statistical Offices concluded at Lucknow on 4 August 2026 under the theme 'Quality Statistics as a Driver of Change', with more than 350 participants.

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BusinessMediumquizQuiz

Bharat Taxi, India's First Cooperative Ride-Hailing Platform, Registers 8.27 Lakh Drivers

•Bharat Taxi, described as the country's first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform, is operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, a multi-state cooperative society registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
•As on 28 July 2026, 8.27 lakh Sarathis — drivers — had been registered on the platform, with Delhi-NCR accounting for 2.61 lakh.
•Eight national cooperative institutions support the platform: NCDC, IFFCO, AMUL (GCMMF), KRIBHCO, NAFED, NABARD, NDDB and NCEL.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Five States Cut Chemical Fertilizer Use Under PM-PRANAM in 2025-26

•Under PM-PRANAM, five States and Union Territories — Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Goa, Manipur and Mizoram — cut chemical fertilizer consumption by a cumulative 0.18 lakh metric tonnes in 2025-26 against their previous three-year average.
•PM-PRANAM was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 28 June 2023 for 2023-24 to 2025-26, and offers States an incentive equal to 50 per cent of the fertilizer subsidy saved.
•The Government has stated that incentives under the scheme have not yet been disbursed.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Vadhavan Port to Add 298 MMTPA Capacity; Rs 25,000 Crore Maritime Development Fund Set Up

•Vadhavan Port in Palghar district, approved by the Union Cabinet on 19 June 2024 at an estimated Rs 76,220 crore, is being developed as an all-weather greenfield deep-draft major port and is expected to create 298 million metric tonnes per annum of cargo capacity.
•The Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme has been approved with an outlay of Rs 24,736 crore to offset the cost disadvantage of Indian shipyards, with guidelines issued on 26 December 2025.
•A Maritime Development Fund of Rs 25,000 crore has been established, comprising a Rs 20,000 crore Maritime Investment Fund with 49 per cent Government participation and a Rs 5,000 crore Interest Incentivization Fund.

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Ranks & ReportsMediumquizQuiz

Panchayat Advancement Index 2.0 Covers 2.59 Lakh Gram Panchayats Across 33 States

•The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has renamed the Panchayat Development Index (PDI) as the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI), a composite framework measuring the incremental performance of Gram Panchayats on the localisation of Sustainable Development Goals.
•A total of 2.59 lakh Gram Panchayats and equivalent bodies across 33 States and Union Territories have been onboarded for PAI 2.0 covering FY 2023-24.
•Not a single Gram Panchayat in any State or Union Territory secured the top A+ grade in PAI 2.0; Tripura recorded the largest number of A-grade Panchayats at 943.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

KAPAS KANTI Cotton Mission Approved at Rs 5,659 Crore for Five Years

•The Mission for Cotton Productivity, called KAPAS KANTI, was approved on 5 May 2026 with an outlay of Rs 5,659.22 crore for five years, from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
•It runs through four components implemented by DARE (Rs 555.05 crore), the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Rs 3,804.17 crore), the Cotton Corporation of India (Rs 1,000 crore) and the National Jute Board (Rs 300 crore).
•Component-I(B) initially covers 140 potential districts across 14 major cotton-growing States, and Component-II provides for 50 cotton testing laboratories in PPP mode.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

SVAMITVA: Drone Survey Done in 3.30 Lakh Villages, 3.24 Crore Property Cards Prepared

•Drone survey under the SVAMITVA Scheme has been completed in 3.30 lakh villages, against 3.38 lakh notified villages targeted within the scheme period.
•About 3.24 crore property cards have been prepared covering 1.97 lakh villages, of which roughly 2.72 crore have been distributed to owners.
•Uttar Pradesh leads with over 1.20 crore property cards prepared, followed by Madhya Pradesh (68.19 lakh) and Maharashtra (39.70 lakh).

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

VB-G RAM G Rolled Out Nationwide From 1 July 2026 With 125-Day Job Guarantee

•The Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, known as VB-G RAM G, has been implemented in rural areas across the entire country with effect from 1 July 2026.
•It provides a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work, against 100 days under MGNREGA.
•Permissible works are specified in Schedule I of the Act under four heads: water-related works, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure, and special works to mitigate extreme weather events.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

PM Surya Ghar Crosses 50 Lakh Rooftop Solar Installations; 14.8 GW Commissioned

•PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has crossed 50.06 lakh households with rooftop solar installations, against 7.94 lakh installations recorded over the previous ten years.
•Cumulative commissioned capacity under the scheme stands at 14.8 GW, and Rs 28,024 crore has been released as subsidy directly to beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer.
•Nearly 19 lakh households now receive zero electricity bills, and more than 12 lakh households earned Rs 421 crore in FY 2024-25 by selling surplus power to the grid.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

India Crosses 800 GI Products; Uttar Pradesh Leads With 81 Registrations

•A PIB Backgrounder reviews India's Geographical Indication ecosystem: the country now has over 800 registered GI products, of which 607 have been granted since 2014.
•Registration and protection run under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, administered by the GI Registry at Chennai, which has all-India jurisdiction.
•Uttar Pradesh leads with 81 GI-tagged products as of December 2025, followed by Tamil Nadu with 76 and Maharashtra with 55.

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ObituariesLowquizQuiz

Veteran Actor Pradeep Rawat, Known for Ghajini and Mahabharat, Dies at 74

•Veteran actor Pradeep Rawat died on 4 August 2026 in Mumbai at the age of 74, after a battle with blood cancer.
•He had been treated for blood cancer for about five years; the disease relapsed a few months before his death.
•Born in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, he began his screen career playing Ashwatthama in B.R. Chopra's television epic Mahabharat, which ran from 1988 to 1990.

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ObituariesLowquizQuiz

Former Governor and Educationist D.Y. Patil Dies at 90 in Kolhapur

•Dnyandeo Yashwantrao Patil, widely known as D.Y. Patil, died on 4 August 2026 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, at the age of 90.
•He served as Governor of Tripura from November 2009 to March 2013 and as Governor of Bihar from March 2013 to November 2014, also holding additional charge of West Bengal.
•He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991 for social work.

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Kerala Unveils AI-Led Governance Overhaul with New Coordination and Re-engineering Cells

•Kerala launched an AI-led governance overhaul on 4 August 2026, covering administration, public service delivery, land acquisition and integrated planning.
•A Co-ordination and Programme Management Division has been set up in the Office of the Chief Secretary to monitor time-bound implementation of priority projects.
•A Business Policy and Process Re-engineering Cell will use AI tools to revise the Secretariat Office Manual and simplify government procedures.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

India Releases First Indigenous African Swine Fever Vaccine Developed by ICAR

•India's first indigenous vaccine against African Swine Fever, developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, was released on 4 August 2026.
•It was dedicated to the nation by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
•The vaccine is a live attenuated product built on the MA-104 cell line, developed by ICAR-NIHSAD from an Indian field isolate of the ASF virus with specific gene deletions.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Lok Sabha Passes Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2026 to Regularise Excess Spending

•The Lok Sabha passed the Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2026 by voice vote on 4 August 2026.
•The Bill authorises withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund of India to cover excess expenditure incurred during the financial year that ended on 31 March 2023.
•It was passed amid repeated disruptions, with the House adjourned for the day soon afterwards.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Alpine Plant Saxifraga candelabrum Confirmed Carnivorous, Vindicating Darwin After 150 Years

•Scientists have shown that the alpine plant Saxifraga candelabrum is genuinely carnivorous, confirming a hypothesis Charles Darwin advanced in 1875.
•The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications on 4 August 2026.
•The plant grows above about 2,500 metres in the Hengduan Mountains, which link the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

ICAR Develops India's First Telomere-to-Telomere Reference Genome of Pigeonpea

•ICAR has developed India's first fully annotated telomere-to-telomere (T2T) reference genome of pigeonpea, using the variety 'Asha'.
•The assembly contains 752.65 million base pairs across 92 contigs, covering all 11 chromosomes with all 11 centromeres and 22 telomeres.
•Annotation identified 36,557 genes producing 48,008 mRNAs, with transcriptome mapping recording more than 99.9 per cent read alignment.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

India Brought Back 274 Fugitives From 36 Countries Between 2019 and 2026

•The Ministry of Home Affairs has reported that 274 fugitive criminals were brought back to India from 36 countries between 2019 and 2026 (up to July).
•The largest categories are murder, robbery and violent crime (62), sexual offences including POCSO cases (53) and organised crime or gangsters (42).
•Red Corner Notices issued rose from 40 in 2022 to 182 so far in 2026, with 401 issued over the past three years.

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State NewsHighquizQuiz

Uttar Pradesh Tables Rs 59,019 Crore Supplementary Budget for 2026-27

•Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tabled a supplementary budget of Rs 59,019.54 crore for 2026-27 in the state Assembly on 4 August 2026.
•Capital expenditure accounts for more than Rs 41,620 crore of the total and revenue expenditure for more than Rs 17,388 crore.
•The industrial development department received the largest share at more than Rs 22,000 crore, followed by agriculture at over Rs 15,300 crore and energy at over Rs 7,000 crore.

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Polity & GovernanceHighquizQuiz

Supreme Court Issues Nationwide Directions to Curb Digital Arrest Scams

•The Supreme Court issued a detailed set of nationwide directions on 4 August 2026 to strengthen action against digital arrest scams, in suo motu proceedings titled In Re: Victims of Digital Arrest Related to Forged Documents.
•The Reserve Bank of India was directed to prepare and circulate, within four weeks, a Standard Operating Procedure for banks on mule accounts and accounts linked to cyber-enabled fraud.
•States and Union Territories must operationalise the Grievance Redressal Module and the Money Restoration Module framed under the Ministry of Home Affairs SOP of 2 January 2026, and notify State Cyber Crime Coordination Centres within four weeks.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

IIT Patna Develops Hybrid Magneto-Rheometer to Advance Smart Fluid Technology

•Scientists at IIT Patna have developed a hybrid magneto-rheometer to advance research on magnetorheological (MR) fluids.
•The instrument generates a constant, high-strength magnetic field across an MR fluid sample while drawing comparatively low electrical current.
•It measures rheological behaviour — flow and deformation — and tribological behaviour — friction and wear — simultaneously, under compression and shear.

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History & CultureMediumquizQuiz

Karivalamvanthanallur Excavation Reveals Sangam-Era Settlement in Tenkasi District

•Excavation at Karivalamvanthanallur in Tamil Nadu's Tenkasi district has uncovered evidence of ancient settlement, craft production, iron technology and trade.
•The site lies at Malayadipatti on the banks of the Vaippar river and is being excavated by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology.
•Finds include microlithic tools, hematite and iron implements, and a large Sangam-era brick structure measuring about 8.7 by 4.2 metres with descending steps.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Study Finds Every Rupee Under KCC Interest Subvention Adds Rs 2.30 to Farm Value

•A third-party assessment by the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, found that every rupee invested under the KCC-Modified Interest Subvention Scheme adds Rs 2.30 to net value addition in agriculture and allied sectors.
•MISS is a Central Sector Scheme launched in 2006-07 to provide short-term credit to farmers at an affordable rate through the Kisan Credit Card.
•Farmers get short-term loans up to Rs 3 lakh at a subsidised interest rate of 7%, with 1.5% interest subvention paid to lending institutions.

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History & CultureLowquizQuiz

India Post Releases Commemorative Stamp on Satish Gujral's Birth Centenary

•The Department of Posts released a commemorative postage stamp on 3 August 2026 marking the birth centenary of artist, sculptor and architect Satish Gujral.
•It was unveiled at Bikaner House, New Delhi, by Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia.
•The stamp carries a 2010 acrylic-on-canvas self-portrait showing Gujral seated with a paintbrush, one of only four self-portraits he created.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Supreme Court Clarifies Limits of the Clean Slate Doctrine Under the IBC

•A recent Supreme Court judgment in the Ujaas Energy matter has clarified the reach of the Clean Slate Doctrine under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
•The Court held that the doctrine extinguishes claims, but not necessarily every legal consequence flowing from the facts underlying those claims.
•The doctrine rests on Section 31 of the IBC, under which an approved resolution plan binds all stakeholders.

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History & CultureMediumquizQuiz

Odisha Seeks UNESCO Intangible Heritage Tag for Puri's Jagannath Rath Yatra

•Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has urged the Centre to back the nomination of Puri's Shree Jagannath Rath Yatra for UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
•The request was made in a letter dated 1 August 2026 to Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
•The proposal has been prepared by the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration and submitted with all prescribed supporting documents.

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Polity & GovernanceHighquizQuiz

Rajya Sabha Passes MSME Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 to Tackle Delayed Payments

•The Rajya Sabha passed the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 on 3 August 2026; it had been introduced in the House on 28 July 2026.
•The Bill amends the MSMED Act, 2006 to speed up payments to MSMEs, simplify dispute resolution and decriminalise compliance failures.
•Central Public Sector Enterprises must settle all MSME procurement invoices through the Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS).

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

India and Uzbekistan Target 3 Billion Dollars in Bilateral Trade Within Three Years

•India and Uzbekistan have set a target of roughly doubling bilateral trade to about USD 3 billion within three years.
•The target was discussed at the India-Uzbekistan Business Forum held in New Delhi on 3 August 2026.
•Both sides also discussed exploring a Free Trade Agreement and removing non-tariff barriers.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

IIT Hyderabad Launches ANUGYAN, India's First Industry-Academia Nuclear Orientation Programme

•IIT Hyderabad and Crimson Energy Experts launched ANUGYAN, the Nuclear Technology Orientation Programme, on 3 August 2026.
•It is described as India's first industry-academia course for engineers and professionals in the civil nuclear energy sector.
•The three-month fully residential programme is conducted at the IIT Hyderabad campus with joint certification from both partners.

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BusinessMediumquizQuiz

Tata's Agratas Develops Indigenous LFP Battery Cell Technology for Sanand Plant

•Agratas, the battery arm of the Tata Group, is developing proprietary lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell technology for its Sanand plant in Gujarat.
•The company is setting up a pilot production line for domestically designed LFP cells and a research facility in Bengaluru for battery chemistry development.
•The Sanand facility is planned with an initial annual capacity of 20 GWh and is expected to begin NMC cell production by early 2027.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

Chandipura Virus Outbreak in Gujarat Claims 22 Children During Monsoon Season

•Twenty-two children have died in Gujarat during the current monsoon season in an outbreak of Chandipura virus.
•Of 184 suspected cases, 35 children tested positive, with 11 sample results pending as of 3-4 August 2026.
•All confirmed patients are below 15 years of age; six children who tested positive have recovered and been discharged.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Centre Launches e-Pratyaropan Platform to Digitise Organ Donation and Transplantation

•The e-Pratyaropan digital platform was unveiled at the 16th Indian Organ Donation Day event in New Delhi by Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel.
•It is a unified national platform connecting hospitals, transplant surgeons, donors, waiting-list recipients and regulatory bodies.
•The platform builds a unified national waiting list, enables transparent allocation and supports nationwide donor matching and post-transplant outcome tracking.

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Ranks & ReportsHighquizQuiz

India Records 20,138 Organ Transplants in 2025, Tamil Nadu Leads Deceased Donation

•India performed 20,138 organ transplants in 2025, the first time the annual total crossed 20,000, according to NOTTO.
•The figure compares with 18,911 in 2024 and 4,990 in 2013, a fourfold rise over twelve years.
•India now ranks third in the world in total organ transplants after the United States and China, and first in living donor transplants.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

Russia's S8000 Banderol Air-Launched Cruise Missile Enters Serial Production

•Russia's S8000 Banderol is a lightweight air-launched cruise missile first officially acknowledged in a state media report on 12 July 2026.
•By 29 July 2026 it had completed testing and entered serial production.
•It was first associated with launch from the Orion, also called Inokhodets, unmanned aerial vehicle, and later from Mi-28 attack helicopters and suspected ground-based launchers.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

Boeing 737 MAX 7 Receives FAA Certification After Nearly a Decade

•The Boeing 737 MAX 7, also called the 737-7, received an amended type certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration on 3 August 2026.
•It is the smallest and longest-range variant of the 737 MAX family and is now cleared for commercial service.
•The certification followed a process lasting nearly a decade, with a test programme that began in 2018 and exceeded 1,000 hours of flight and ground testing.

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Agreements & MoUsMediumquizQuiz

BEL Signs MoU with Esri India for Defence Geospatial and GeoAI Solutions

•Bharat Electronics Limited and Esri India signed a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi on 3 August 2026.
•The MoU covers Geographic Information System, Location Intelligence and GeoAI solutions for the defence sector.
•Areas of joint work include geospatial capabilities, defence electronics, systems integration and training support.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

Vice Admiral Manish Chadha Takes Over as Director General Naval Operations

•Vice Admiral Manish Chadha, AVSM, VSM, assumed charge as Director General Naval Operations on 3 August 2026.
•The DGNO handles operational planning, maritime security missions and deployment of naval assets.
•A Communication and Electronic Warfare specialist, he was commissioned on 1 July 1991 from the 78th course of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.

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AppointmentsMediumquizQuiz

RBI Appoints Monisha Chakraborty as Executive Director with Effect from 3 August

•The Reserve Bank of India appointed Monisha Chakraborty as Executive Director with effect from 3 August 2026.
•She will oversee the Foreign Exchange Department and the Financial Markets Regulation Department.
•She was previously Chief General Manager-in-Charge of the Department of Supervision.

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Awards & HonoursMediumquizQuiz

Annapurni Subramaniam Wins COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026, First Indian Woman to Do So

•Astrophysicist Annapurni Subramaniam has been awarded the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal for 2026.
•She is the first Indian woman scientist to receive the medal, the fourth Indian overall, and only the third woman globally.
•She is Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru — the first woman to head the institute — and her work covers stellar populations, star clusters and galaxy evolution.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

Kerala to Remove Illegally Geotagged Forest Locations from Online Maps

•The Kerala Forest Department has decided to identify and remove illegally geotagged locations inside the state's forests from online mapping platforms.
•The department cites risks to human life, disturbance to wildlife and damage to ecologically fragile zones.
•Trekking routes used by forest staff inside protected areas, including parts of Silent Valley, had appeared on online maps.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

Centre Proposes Draft Rules to Recognise Two-Wheeled Ambulances

•The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed draft rules creating a legal category for two-wheeled ambulances.
•Such vehicles are not currently recognised as a separate category under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
•The draft adopts AIS-209 (Part 1):2026 for life support two-wheeled road ambulances, including requirements for emergency top lights.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Draft Rules Propose Mandatory Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication in New Vehicles from 2028

•The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a draft notification proposing mandatory Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication systems in new vehicles.
•The proposal covers vehicle categories L, M and N and is linked to the AIS-230 standard under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
•From 1 October 2027, vehicles in these categories that are manufactured with V2V systems must comply with AIS-230.

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Karnataka Inducts 19 Ministers, Cabinet Strength Rises to 33 Under CM Shivakumar

•Karnataka expanded its Council of Ministers on 3 August 2026, with 19 legislators sworn in at Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru.
•Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office; it is the first expansion since the government took office in June 2026.
•The cabinet strength rose to 33 including Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, one short of the permitted maximum of 34.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

India Launches Clouded Leopard Conservation Action Plan on International Clouded Leopard Day

•India launched a Clouded Leopard Conservation Action Plan, marked on International Clouded Leopard Day, observed on 4 August 2026.
•The plan was released during the 91st meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life at Coimbatore in July 2026.
•It was prepared under a Government of India-GEF-UNDP initiative, with the Wildlife Institute of India producing the technical report covering the caracal, fishing cat and clouded leopard.

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EnvironmentHighquizQuiz

Glaw Lake Becomes India's 101st Ramsar Site and Arunachal Pradesh's First

•Glaw Lake, also spelt Glow Lake, in Arunachal Pradesh has been designated India's 101st Ramsar Site.
•Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the designation on 3 August 2026; it is the state's first Ramsar Site.
•The lake lies in Lohit district near Wakro, inside the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, at about 1,168 metres elevation and covering roughly 8 sq km.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

India's Power Capacity Projected to Reach 874 GW by 2031-32

•The Ministry of Power told the Rajya Sabha that India's installed generation capacity is projected to reach 874 GW by 2031-32.
•As on 30 June 2026 installed capacity stood at 5,48,858 MW, of which non-fossil sources accounted for 54.18%.
•The non-fossil share is already above India's Nationally Determined Contribution target of 50% by 2030.

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L&T Wins Ultra-Mega Offshore Order Worth Over Rs 15,000 Crore from ADNOC

•L&T Energy Hydrocarbon Offshore secured an ultra-mega order from ADNOC Offshore on 4 August 2026.
•The contract is valued at over Rs 15,000 crore, roughly USD 1.75 billion, for offshore facilities in West Asia.
•The scope covers engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) of new offshore facilities plus upgrades to existing ones.

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Banking & FinanceMediumquizQuiz

India Reaches 99.92% Village Banking Coverage Within a 5 km Radius

•The Ministry of Finance stated on 3 August 2026 that 99.92% of India's inhabited villages now have a banking outlet within a 5 km radius.
•Of 6,01,328 inhabited villages, 6,00,868 are covered by a bank branch, a Business Correspondent or an India Post Payments Bank centre.
•Coverage is tracked through the Jan Dhan Darshak app, on which banks upload outlet data.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026 Introduced to Draw Global Capital

•Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on 4 August 2026.
•For offshore funds, the qualifying conditions for an Eligible Investment Fund are cut from 13 to five, so that fund management from India does not create a business connection here.
•Tax exemption for foreign companies supplying machinery and tooling to Indian electronics contract manufacturers is extended by 10 years, taking the total incentive period to 15 years up to FY 2040-41.

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Banking & FinanceHighquizQuiz

Bill in Lok Sabha Clears the Way for MDR on UPI and RuPay Payments

•The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha on 4 August 2026, proposes to amend Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
•Section 10A currently imposes a blanket bar on any charge for prescribed electronic payment modes, which is what made UPI and RuPay debit card transactions zero-MDR from January 2020.
•The amendment replaces the blanket bar with a framework under which the Central Government notifies which payment modes stay exempt from MDR.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

Government Opens LIC Offer for Sale of Up to 6.5% Stake at Floor Price of Rs 382

•The Government of India opened an Offer for Sale (OFS) in Life Insurance Corporation of India on 4 August 2026 for non-retail investors, with retail bidding on 5 August.
•The OFS covers a base 2.5% stake with a green shoe option of a further 4%, taking the maximum sale to 6.5% of LIC's equity.
•The floor price was fixed at Rs 382 per share, roughly 10% below LIC's 3 August closing price, and the stock fell sharply when bidding opened.

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