PIB Current Affairs 31 July 2026

EconomyLowquizQuiz

Government's Inter-Ministerial Group Coordinates Response to Maritime Trade Disruptions

•An Inter-Ministerial Group under the Department of Commerce — spanning MEA, MoPSW, Petroleum, RBI, CBIC, DPIIT, APEDA and CONCOR among others — monitors how disruptions like those at the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea affect India's maritime trade and coordinates relief measures.
•Steps taken include extending EPCG/Advance Authorisation export-obligation deadlines to 31 August 2026, a 100% ground-rent/demurrage waiver at major ports, extended export credit (270 to 450 days) and ECLGS 5.0 for MSME liquidity.
•The Cabinet also approved a sovereign guarantee of about US$1.5 billion for a domestic maritime insurance pool to cut freight and insurance costs for exporters.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

CCRUM's 21 Clinical Institutes Reach 47 Lakh People; NSSO Finds 94.8% Rural Ayush Awareness

•CCRUM, the autonomous Unani research body under the Ministry of Ayush, operates 21 clinical institutes/units/centres nationwide, benefiting about 47 lakh people over the last five years through outreach.
•NSSO's 79th Round survey (July 2022-June 2023) found Ayush awareness at 94.8% in rural India and 96% in urban India, with 46.3% rural and 52.9% urban residents using Ayush treatment within the past year.
•NCISM has issued six new regulations since 2022 to standardise Unani undergraduate/postgraduate education, curricula and assessment nationally.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

CCRAS Details Tribal and Ethno-Botanical Research Programmes for Traditional Medicine

•CCRAS validates traditional and tribal medicine through two flagship programmes — the Tribal Health Care Research Programme (started 1982, active in 14 states) and the Medico Ethno-Botanical Survey (started 1969, documenting medicinal plants).
•A May 2023 MoA between the Ministry of Ayush and ICMR promotes joint Integrative Health Research; a completed Ayush-ICMR study tested an Ayurvedic anaemia treatment against standard iron-folic-acid therapy.
•CGHS beneficiaries can choose either Allopathic or Ayush treatment based on clinical need, reflecting the government's broader integrative-medicine push.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

IRDAI Mandate Drives Wider Insurance Coverage for Ayush Treatments

•IRDAI's Master Circular on Health Insurance Business (29 May 2024) mandates insurers to offer products covering all systems of medicine, including Ayush, at par with other treatments.
•The Ministry of Ayush revised its Benchmark Rates for Insurance Coverage of Ayush Treatments in 2026 and signed an MoU with the General Insurance Council — via AIIA, New Delhi — at Ayush Chintan Shivir 2026 (16 April 2026) to enable common empanelment of all government Ayush hospitals.
•A dedicated Project Management Unit for Ayush Health Insurance has been set up at AIIA, New Delhi, to support hospital empanelment and grievance redressal.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Ayush Quality Mark Implementation Entrusted to AYUSHEXCIL

•The Ayush Quality Mark, launched 19 December 2025 at the 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, is a unified quality-assurance framework covering Ayush products, hospitals, day-care centres, wellness centres, testing labs and Medical Value Travel Facilitators.
•Implementation has been entrusted to AYUSHEXCIL, the DGFT-notified Ayush Export Promotion Council under the Ministry of Commerce, supported by the Ministry of Ayush.
•The AOGUSY scheme (₹122 crore over five years, approved 2021) backs quality infrastructure — 34 State and 118 approved private Drug Testing Laboratories now test Ayush drug quality nationally.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Ministry of Ayush Details Multi-Pronged Ayurveda-Modern Medicine Integration

•The Ministry of Ayush has established an Ayush Vertical under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), jointly with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, as the institutional mechanism for integrating Ayush into public health programmes, medical education and hospitals.
•Integrated Ayush Departments now operate at Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi; NCISM's new MBBS internship module gives interns structured exposure to Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha.
•The Ministry funds nine national institutions — including AIIMS, IIT Delhi, IISc Bengaluru, NIMHANS and Tata Memorial Centre — as Centres of Excellence for Ayurveda-modern medicine research under the Ayurswasthya Yojana.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

NCAHP Update: 57 Allied Health Categories, 29 States With Councils, 1L New AHPs Planned

•The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), set up under the NCAHP Act, 2021, has finalised 18 competency-based curricula and run live online enrolment portals since October 2024 for workforce mapping across 57 recognised allied-health categories.
•29 States/UTs have constituted their own State Allied and Healthcare Councils under the Act.
•Budget 2026 announced 100,000 additional Allied Healthcare Professionals over the next five years, with ₹1,000 crore allocated this year for the scheme.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

PMSMA Update: MMR Falls to 87 Per Lakh, Institutional Deliveries Rise to 90.6%

•Since PMSMA's 2016 launch, over 7.91 crore pregnant women have received free antenatal care and 1.24 crore high-risk pregnancies have been identified under the scheme.
•India's Maternal Mortality Ratio has fallen 43 points, from 130 (SRS 2014-16) to 87 per lakh live births (SRS 2022-24), moving closer to the SDG target of below 70 by 2030.
•Antenatal-care indicators have also improved sharply between NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-6 (2023-24): first-trimester registration rose from 58.6% to 76.2%, and institutional deliveries from 78.9% to 90.6%.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

NHM's Free Drugs and Free Diagnostics Initiatives: Facility-Wise Coverage Detailed

•Under NHM's Free Drugs Service Initiative (FDSI), the Centre funds essential medicines at five facility tiers — from 113 drugs at Sub Health Centres up to 381 at District Hospitals.
•The Free Diagnostics Service Initiative similarly provides free pathological/radiological tests, from 14 at Sub Centres to 134 at District Hospitals, to cut patients' out-of-pocket expenditure.
•A same-day Department of Pharmaceuticals reply detailed monitoring of FDSI via the DVDMS platform and confirmed PMBJP's target of 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras by March 2027.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

FSSAI Details Food Testing Infrastructure: 259 NABL Labs, 305 Mobile Vans

•FSSAI has notified 259 NABL-accredited laboratories for food sample analysis and 24 Referral Food Laboratories for appeal samples.
•Under the SoFTeL scheme, 47 State Food Testing Laboratories have been structurally upgraded and 34 specialised microbiology laboratories set up; 305 mobile 'Food Safety on Wheels' vans are deployed across 35 States/UTs.
•Field-level tools — the 'Magic Box' kit, the DART book (44 household-level tests) and 88 approved RAFT kits — extend testing capability down to households and remote areas.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

Rs 1,000 Crore Grant for Bulk Drug Park at Haroli, Himachal Pradesh

•The Centre has sanctioned a ₹1,000 crore grant-in-aid for Common Infrastructure Facilities (CIF) at the Bulk Drug Park being developed at Haroli, Una district, Himachal Pradesh, under the Scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks.
•As of 30 June 2026, Himachal Pradesh had utilised ₹116 crore of the Central grant; the park's total project cost is ₹1,923 crore, with expected direct employment of 15,000-20,000 and investment of ₹8,000-10,000 crore.
•The scheme's tenure has been extended up to FY2026-27 owing to delays, chiefly the environmental clearance, which was granted only on 25 September 2025.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

Seven NIPERs Declared Institutions of National Importance Under 1998 Act

•There are currently seven National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs), all declared Institutions of National Importance under the NIPER Act, 1998.
•The first NIPER was set up at Mohali (Punjab) in 1998; six more were established at Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Raebareli after the Act's 2007 amendment.
•Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel gave this information in a Lok Sabha written reply on 31 July 2026.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

DPCO 2013 Amended: NPPA Eases Prior Price Approval, Caps Overcharging Liability

•The Department of Pharmaceuticals notified amendments to the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 via S.O. 3516(E) dated 30 June 2026.
•Manufacturer liability for overcharging is now capped to the actual quantity of stock overcharged, instead of the entire consignment.
•Existing manufacturers can now adopt an NPPA-fixed retail price for a new formulation within 12 months, without seeking separate prior approval, by intimating NPPA on Form-1A.

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DefenceLowquizQuiz

COAS Launches Indigenous Xtreme Weather Grade (XWG) Diesel for -42°C Operations

•Chief of the Army Staff Gen Dhiraj Seth launched indigenously developed Xtreme Weather Grade (XWG) Diesel in New Delhi, jointly developed by the Indian Army and Oil Marketing Companies.
•XWG Diesel remains effective down to -42°C, is BS-VI compliant and meets IS 1460:2025 specifications, and needs no engine modification in existing Army vehicles.
•The fuel was developed within a year and also has civilian applications in high-altitude and severe-winter regions.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0: Six Services, Poshan Tracker and Nutri-Gardens Explained

•Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 delivers six services — Supplementary Nutrition, pre-school non-formal education, nutrition & health education, immunisation, health check-ups and referral services — through Anganwadi Centres.
•Two lakh AWCs in government buildings have been sanctioned as upgraded 'Saksham Anganwadis' in the 15th Finance Commission cycle, including 23,697 in Uttar Pradesh (206 in Ghaziabad district).
•The Poshan Tracker app, onboarded by every State and UT, gives real-time monitoring of attendance, growth measurement and ration delivery at every Anganwadi Centre.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

101 Crore Indians Now Under Social Security Net, ILO-Recognised: Labour Minister

•India's social protection systems now cover about 101 crore people — over 68% of the population — Labour Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said at the 4th Global Industrial Relations Summit in New Delhi.
•The figure was earlier highlighted by the ILO at the BRICS Labour Ministers' Meeting in Hyderabad.
•Employment generated per percentage point of GDP growth has risen from 0.008% twelve years ago to 1.11% today, the Minister said.

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Banking & FinanceMediumquizQuiz

Favara-UPI Corridor Goes Live: India's Newest Cross-Border UPI Linkage, With Maldives

•The Favara-UPI cross-border payment corridor went live between the Maldives and India on 30 July 2026, letting Maldivians send real-time payments to UPI-linked Indian bank accounts.
•Two Maldivian banks — Bank of Maldives Plc and Maldives Islamic Bank Plc — are live in the initial phase, transacting through their mobile banking apps.
•The corridor converts Maldivian Rufiyaa to Indian Rupees instantly; permitted uses are family-maintenance and gift remittances.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

DISHA 2.0: Centre's New Central Sector Scheme for Legal Aid Access (2026-31)

•The Centre has notified DISHA 2.0 — Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice — a Central Sector Scheme running 2026-31, covering all of India including every district of Gujarat.
•The scheme bundles four components: Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu, a Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme, and the VIDHI-Sanjeevani monitoring dashboard.
•Progress will be tracked through VIDHI-Sanjeevani's centralised dashboard alongside review meetings, field visits and regional workshops run by a dedicated Programme Management Unit.

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Polity & GovernanceLowquizQuiz

MSCS Amendment Act 2023: Ombudsman, stricter audits shield cooperative depositors

•In a Lok Sabha written reply, the Law Ministry detailed depositor/member-protection measures introduced via the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) (Amendment) Act & Rules, 2023, including a Cooperative Ombudsman and mandatory Information Officers
•The amendment strengthened audit norms (concurrent audit, uniform accounting standards, Parliament-tabled audit reports for Apex societies) and governance safeguards, including conflict-of-interest restrictions on directors
•Complaints alleging fraud, cheating or criminal breach of trust are referred to State Police, the Economic Offences Wing or the CBI; recovery of dues is handled by a Liquidator under the MSCS Act, 2002

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

e-Courts Phase III: NIC's AI tool LegRAA aids judges; 1.25 crore cases e-filed

•In a Lok Sabha written reply, the Law Ministry stated that 1.25 crore cases had been e-filed nationwide as of 30.06.2026 under the e-Courts Mission Mode Project, with e-Filing Rules live in 25 High Courts and their District Courts
•NIC's AI Division and the Centre of Excellence for eCourts (CoEE) have built the Legal Research Analysis Assistant (LegRAA) to help judges with legal research and document analysis, and Digital Courts 2.1 for AI-enabled case management with voice-to-text transcription — both in pilot testing
•Rs.53.57 crore has been earmarked under e-Courts Phase III's Future Technological Advancements component for adopting AI in courts

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Govt: Ethanol blending saved Rs 30/litre in 2026 oil surge, doesn't hurt food security

•The government clarified that the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme uses only surplus or damaged foodgrain certified after every food-security obligation — PDS, NFSA, welfare schemes and buffer stocks — is met, never grain meant for the poor
•FCI rice is one of six approved feedstocks priced under a common government formula (Rs.57.97-Rs.71.86/litre in ESY 2025-26); its share of ethanol output rose from just 0.02% in ESY 2023-24 to 24.64% in ESY 2025-26 only because certified surplus became available
•The EBP Programme has saved over Rs.1.97 lakh crore in forex, substituted over 316 lakh MT of crude imports, cut over 950 lakh MT of CO2, and paid over Rs.1.66 lakh crore to farmers and distillers; without 20% blending, petrol was projected to cost around Rs.125/litre versus the actual Rs.94.77/litre during the 2026 crude price surge

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BusinessLowquizQuiz

APEDA sends first-ever air shipment of Karnataka mangoes to Maldives

•APEDA facilitated India's first-ever air shipment of Karnataka's Neelam and Totapuri mangoes to the Maldives, flagged off on 30 July 2026
•The 1-tonne consignment was sourced from a Kolar-district Farmer Producer Company and exported by a woman entrepreneur, earning farmers over 50% higher returns than conventional market channels
•APEDA, under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, continues to work with state governments, exporters and FPOs/FPCs to expand India's horticultural export basket

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

Cabinet approves revamped Khelo India Scheme and enhanced ANSF, Rs 36,441 crore

•The Union Cabinet approved a revamped Khelo India Scheme and enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) with a combined outlay of Rs.36,441 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31 — nearly eight times the previous Khelo India outlay
•New elements include the Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIAs) category expanding the athlete pool nearly ten-fold, Khelo India Feeder Schools, Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas and a National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB)
•The scheme is aligned with Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 and targets the 2030 Commonwealth Games and India's Olympic/Paralympic hosting ambitions

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Cabinet extends PM-KISAN to 2030-31 with Rs 3.15 lakh crore outlay

•The Union Cabinet approved continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme from 2026-27 to 2030-31 with a total financial outlay of Rs.3.15 lakh crore
•Eligible landholding farmer families receive Rs.6,000/year in three equal instalments via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT); over Rs.4.47 lakh crore has been transferred through 23 instalments so far
•An independent DMEO (NITI Aayog) evaluation found over 92% of beneficiaries used the assistance for agricultural investment and about 85% reported improved agricultural income and reduced dependence on informal credit

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AppointmentsLowquizQuiz

Varsha Ashok Aglawe Becomes First Woman Director General of Geological Survey of India

•Smt. Varsha Ashok Aglawe has become the 54th Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the first woman to head the 176-year-old institution, succeeding Shri Asit Saha.
•A GSI veteran since 1992 with prior service at the Indian Bureau of Mines, she is a palaeontology/palynology expert who identified the Salbardi-Ghorpend area as a new Central Indian dinosaur nesting site and established a Palynology Laboratory at GSI's Lucknow office.
•She has flagged critical mineral exploration, offshore mineral exploration, and deep-seated/concealed deposit exploration as priorities aligned with the Government's mineral-security agenda.

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AppointmentsLowquizQuiz

Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja Appointed Next DGAFMS

•Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja, currently Director General Medical Services (Air), has been appointed the next Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS), succeeding Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin on her retirement on 31 August 2026.
•An AFMC Pune alumnus commissioned in December 1986, he holds an MD in Medicine (1997) and a DM in Gastroenterology from AIIMS New Delhi (2005), and has held key posts including Commandant of AFMC Pune.
•As DG Medical Services (Air), he strengthened medical preparedness for the Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight Mission and operationalised the BHISHM Cube for rapid medical response.

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Polity & GovernanceLowquizQuiz

NHRC Takes Suo Motu Cognizance of 5 Malaria Deaths in 13 Days in Kanker, Chhattisgarh

•NHRC took suo motu cognizance of media reports that 5 people, including an 11-year-old boy, died of malaria within 13 days in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh, and issued notice to the state's Chief Secretary for a report within two weeks.
•The boy tested negative for malaria at a private lab, was later confirmed positive after his condition worsened, and died before receiving the confirmed report — raising concerns about diagnostic delay.
•Following the incident, Chhattisgarh's State Health Department launched a door-to-door malaria screening and awareness campaign in the affected areas.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

Cabinet Approves Revised Captive Policy for Waterfront Access at Major Ports

•The Cabinet approved a revised Captive Policy — replacing the 2016 policy — letting existing Port Dependent Industries expand via new berths/jetties/terminals/SBMs and extend concession agreements up to 30 years without a fresh tender, at the higher of market rate or indexed existing revenue.
•Capacity expansion will use competitive bidding with a Right of First Refusal (RoFR) for existing concessionaires, restricted to PDIs handling the same cargo profile; any new berth's concession stays co-terminus with the existing facility's maximum permissible period.
•For the first time, eligible government entities (Central/State departments, statutory bodies, CPSUs/SPSUs) can get waterfront access without competitive bidding, at the notified floor price — with no financial implication for the Government.

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InternationalLowquizQuiz

PM Modi Speaks with New UK PM Andy Burnham, Reaffirms India-UK Vision 2035

•PM Modi received a congratulatory call from new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on his taking office, with both leaders agreeing to deepen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
•They committed to strengthening cooperation on technology, defence, security, clean energy and education under the India-UK Vision 2035 framework, and welcomed the recent entry into force of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
•The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues and agreed to remain in touch.

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EnvironmentLowquizQuiz

CAQM Extends Delhi-NCR Industrial PM Emission Standard Deadline to 1 October 2026

•CAQM amended its Statutory Direction No. 98, pushing the compliance deadline for revised PM emission standards (50 mg/Nm³) for Delhi-NCR industries to 1 October 2026.
•Direction No. 98, notified 20 February 2026, was based on CPCB and IIT Kanpur technical studies; the extension followed industry representations citing APCD procurement/installation delays and limited laboratory capacity for compliance verification.
•All other provisions of Direction No. 98 remain unchanged; the amendment is meant solely to give industries more time to install and retrofit Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs).

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

NAMASTE Scheme: 2.71 Lakh PPE Kits Distributed, 1.81 Lakh Sanitation Workers Insured

•Since NAMASTE's 2023 launch, 2.71 lakh PPE kits have been distributed and 1.81 lakh sanitation workers/waste pickers covered under health insurance; 1,023 workers received capital assistance for mechanised equipment and 20,293 completed safety/skill training.
•Between 1 January 2021 and 30 June 2026, 332 sanitation workers died during hazardous sewer/septic-tank cleaning; full compensation was paid in 268 cases and partial compensation in 18.
•Of 58,098 manual scavengers identified in 2013 and 2018 surveys, all received one-time cash assistance, while 27,926 completed skill training and 2,803 received capital subsidy for self-employment.

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EnvironmentLowquizQuiz

Vizianagaram's 8,973 Water-Conservation Works Model Groundwater Revival Under Catch the Rain

•Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, completed 8,973 water-conservation works — rejuvenating 6,424 minor irrigation tanks and 2,549 feeder channels — under the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari: Catch the Rain campaign, generating 1.28 crore person-days of employment.
•Restoration removed about 109.9 lakh cubic metres of silt and 82.48 lakh square metres of vegetation, and restored over 2,090 km of feeder channels, projected to add 0.70 TMC storage and 0.60 TMC groundwater recharge.
•The district specifically prioritised 193 groundwater-deficit villages and rejuvenated 94 cascade tank systems to restore natural hydrological connectivity.

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NationalLowquizQuiz

Indian Railways Transports India's First Live Donor Heart by Train via Vande Bharat Express

•Indian Railways transported India's first live donor heart by train, carried aboard Train No. 20901 Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express from Surat to Ahmedabad for transplantation at the U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre.
•A dedicated Green Corridor from Ahmedabad Railway Station Platform 1 to the hospital was set up jointly by the Railway Protection Force and Gujarat Police to ensure uninterrupted, time-critical movement.
•The mission demonstrated Vande Bharat's speed and reliability for time-sensitive organ transplantation, expanding Indian Railways' role in emergency healthcare logistics.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

PMAY-G Progress: 3.11 Crore Houses Completed of 4.18 Crore Cumulative Target

•Under PMAY-G, 33.54 lakh houses were sanctioned and 35.54 lakh completed in 2025-26 (up to June 2026); cumulatively, of a 4.18 crore target, 3.92 crore houses are sanctioned and 3.11 crore completed, leaving 1.06 crore pending.
•Beneficiaries get ₹1.20 lakh (plain areas) or ₹1.30 lakh (NE states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, J&K, Ladakh) in unit assistance, plus ₹12,000 for toilets via SBM-G convergence and wage-employment days via MGNREGS/VB-G RAM G convergence.
•Phase-2 of PMAY-G, targeting 2 crore additional houses, runs till March 2029; nationally 3.10 crore houses now have toilets, 2.45 crore water connections, 3.08 crore electricity connections, 2.91 crore LPG connections, and 1.35 crore beneficiary households are linked to SHGs.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

PMGSY Progress: 1.85 Lakh Roads and 10,833 Bridges Constructed Since Inception

•Since inception, 1,85,651 roads (7,96,940.94 km) and 10,833 bridges have been constructed under PMGSY out of 1,98,011 roads and 12,576 bridges sanctioned — spread across the PMGSY-I, II, III, IV, RCPLWEA and PM-JANMAN verticals.
•PM-JANMAN's road-connectivity component (target: 8,000 km including bridges by March 2028) has released ₹1,218 crore against a ₹4,708 crore allocation, connecting Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups' habitations.
•The Vibrant Villages Programme-I has sanctioned 113 roads (1,085 km) and 35 bridges for 137 border habitations, of which 10 roads (248 km) are complete, backed by ₹996.72 crore released so far.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

VB-G RAM G Act in Force: 125-Day Rural Employment Guarantee Replaces MGNREGA's 100 Days

•The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 came into force from 1 July 2026, replacing MGNREGA's 100-day guarantee with a statutory 125-day guaranteed wage-employment framework, alongside unemployment allowance and wage-delay compensation rights.
•For FY2026-27, the Centre has provided ₹95,692.31 crore — the largest-ever Budget Estimate allocation for rural employment — with total programme outlay (including state share) expected to exceed ₹1.51 lakh crore.
•All States/UTs have notified the scheme; ₹25,844.97 crore has been issued as first-instalment mother sanctions, with no dues pending to any State/UT as of the release date.

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EnvironmentLowquizQuiz

NBA Releases Over Rs 24 Lakh in Biodiversity Benefit-Sharing to Farmers and Institutions

•NBA released over ₹24 lakh in Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) payments to a Murrah buffalo farm in Haryana, three national research institutions, and State Biodiversity Boards across 11 states — for commercial use of biological resources they conserved.
•Payments covered Murrah buffalo breeding stock, hundreds of crop varieties (rice, mustard, chilli and others), 627 pearl millet and 55 maize varieties, and fish cell cultures/cotton varieties used in research.
•With this release, NBA's cumulative ABS disbursement has reached about ₹153 crore since the mechanism began, under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

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History & CultureLowquizQuiz

National Digitization Drive Workshop Reviews Gyan Bharatam Mission's Manuscript Preservation Progress

•The Ministry of Culture held a National Digitization Drive Workshop in New Delhi under the Gyan Bharatam Mission, with over 200 representatives from States/UTs, manuscript-holding Centres and technology partners; over 1.2 crore manuscripts have been reported nationally so far.
•Gyan Bharatam is a Central Sector Scheme (2024-31) with a ₹482.85 crore outlay, restructuring the earlier National Mission for Manuscripts to build an AI-enabled National Digital Manuscript Ecosystem.
•The workshop reviewed digitization targets, standardised imaging/metadata practices and showcased leading states and institutions, including Rajasthan, BORI Pune, and Jamia Hamdard.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

20,149 Jan Aushadhi Kendras Operational Nationwide, PACS Partnership Expands Rural Reach

•20,149 Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) are operational nationwide as of 30 June 2026 under PMBJP, including 690 in Madhya Pradesh (7 in Khandwa) and 43 in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
•FY2025-26 sales reached ₹2,252.19 crore, saving citizens an estimated ₹9,000 crore compared to branded-drug prices; district-wise sales data is not maintained by PMBI.
•A new partnership has opened 846 JAKs through Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Societies (PACS), with over 4,250 PACS given initial approval, extending the scheme's reach into rural cooperative networks.

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Science & TechLowquizQuiz

IndiaAI and Ministry of Ayush Sign MoU to Integrate Traditional Medicine Data into AIKosh

•IndiaAI (MeitY) and the Ministry of Ayush signed an MoU to integrate eligible AYUSH health research artefacts into AIKosh, India's sovereign AI repository, and give Ayush stakeholders access to IndiaAI's compute infrastructure.
•The MoU is valid for an initial two years with automatic-renewal provision and involves no financial commitment from either party; it was signed by IndiaAI Mission COO Sudeep Srivastava and Ayush Joint Secretary Dr Kavita Jain.
•The collaboration will support AI-driven work on Ayush research, medicinal plants, drug administration and capacity building, building on Ayush Grid's Emerging Technologies component.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

Cabinet's PM-SSY: ₹5,070 Crore Push for Floating Solar with Storage

•Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY), a ₹5,070 crore scheme to build 5,000 MW of Floating Solar PV with co-located Energy Storage Systems (minimum 2-hour/10,000 MWh storage).
•Central Financial Assistance: ₹1 crore per MW after commissioning, plus up to ₹50 lakh per project for feasibility studies such as bathymetry and hydrography.
•Projects will be sanctioned FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31, with disbursement continuing to FY 2032-33, based on NISE's estimate of ~102.18 GWp of floating solar potential nationwide.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

PIB Explainer: How India Is Building a Globally Competitive Tourism Economy

•India recorded 2.9 billion domestic tourist visits in 2024 and 2.02 crore International Tourist Arrivals in 2025, with tourism contributing ₹15.73 lakh crore (5.22% of GDP) in FY 2023-24.
•Swadesh Darshan (76 projects, ₹5,295.24 crore, 75 completed) and Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (53 projects, ₹2,207.08 crore) are building destination-centric tourism infrastructure across 14 thematic circuits.
•The e-Tourist Visa now covers nationals of 175 countries through 33 airports, 19 seaports and 4 land ports; the NIDHI+ platform digitises registration of tourism service providers.

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PIB Explainer: How India's Anti-Paper-Leak Law Gets Tougher in 2026

•Government has introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, sharply raising penalties under the 2024 Act.
•Individual-offender jail terms rise from 3-5 years to 5-10 years, and fines from up to ₹10 lakh to up to ₹50 lakh; organised-syndicate fines rise to at least ₹10 crore.
•Every State/UT must now designate a Court of Session as a Special Fast Track Court, bound to a 3-month trial after chargesheet.

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PIB Current Affairs — 31 July 2026

Government's Inter-Ministerial Group Coordinates Response to Maritime Trade Disruptions

CCRUM's 21 Clinical Institutes Reach 47 Lakh People; NSSO Finds 94.8% Rural Ayush Awareness

CCRAS Details Tribal and Ethno-Botanical Research Programmes for Traditional Medicine

IRDAI Mandate Drives Wider Insurance Coverage for Ayush Treatments

Ayush Quality Mark Implementation Entrusted to AYUSHEXCIL

Ministry of Ayush Details Multi-Pronged Ayurveda-Modern Medicine Integration

NCAHP Update: 57 Allied Health Categories, 29 States With Councils, 1L New AHPs Planned

PMSMA Update: MMR Falls to 87 Per Lakh, Institutional Deliveries Rise to 90.6%

NHM's Free Drugs and Free Diagnostics Initiatives: Facility-Wise Coverage Detailed

FSSAI Details Food Testing Infrastructure: 259 NABL Labs, 305 Mobile Vans

Rs 1,000 Crore Grant for Bulk Drug Park at Haroli, Himachal Pradesh

Seven NIPERs Declared Institutions of National Importance Under 1998 Act

DPCO 2013 Amended: NPPA Eases Prior Price Approval, Caps Overcharging Liability

COAS Launches Indigenous Xtreme Weather Grade (XWG) Diesel for -42°C Operations

Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0: Six Services, Poshan Tracker and Nutri-Gardens Explained

101 Crore Indians Now Under Social Security Net, ILO-Recognised: Labour Minister

Favara-UPI Corridor Goes Live: India's Newest Cross-Border UPI Linkage, With Maldives

DISHA 2.0: Centre's New Central Sector Scheme for Legal Aid Access (2026-31)

MSCS Amendment Act 2023: Ombudsman, stricter audits shield cooperative depositors

e-Courts Phase III: NIC's AI tool LegRAA aids judges; 1.25 crore cases e-filed

Govt: Ethanol blending saved Rs 30/litre in 2026 oil surge, doesn't hurt food security

APEDA sends first-ever air shipment of Karnataka mangoes to Maldives

Cabinet approves revamped Khelo India Scheme and enhanced ANSF, Rs 36,441 crore

Cabinet extends PM-KISAN to 2030-31 with Rs 3.15 lakh crore outlay

Varsha Ashok Aglawe Becomes First Woman Director General of Geological Survey of India

Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja Appointed Next DGAFMS

NHRC Takes Suo Motu Cognizance of 5 Malaria Deaths in 13 Days in Kanker, Chhattisgarh

Cabinet Approves Revised Captive Policy for Waterfront Access at Major Ports

PM Modi Speaks with New UK PM Andy Burnham, Reaffirms India-UK Vision 2035

CAQM Extends Delhi-NCR Industrial PM Emission Standard Deadline to 1 October 2026

NAMASTE Scheme: 2.71 Lakh PPE Kits Distributed, 1.81 Lakh Sanitation Workers Insured

Vizianagaram's 8,973 Water-Conservation Works Model Groundwater Revival Under Catch the Rain

Indian Railways Transports India's First Live Donor Heart by Train via Vande Bharat Express

PMAY-G Progress: 3.11 Crore Houses Completed of 4.18 Crore Cumulative Target

PMGSY Progress: 1.85 Lakh Roads and 10,833 Bridges Constructed Since Inception

VB-G RAM G Act in Force: 125-Day Rural Employment Guarantee Replaces MGNREGA's 100 Days

NBA Releases Over Rs 24 Lakh in Biodiversity Benefit-Sharing to Farmers and Institutions

National Digitization Drive Workshop Reviews Gyan Bharatam Mission's Manuscript Preservation Progress

20,149 Jan Aushadhi Kendras Operational Nationwide, PACS Partnership Expands Rural Reach

IndiaAI and Ministry of Ayush Sign MoU to Integrate Traditional Medicine Data into AIKosh

Cabinet's PM-SSY: ₹5,070 Crore Push for Floating Solar with Storage

PIB Explainer: How India Is Building a Globally Competitive Tourism Economy

PIB Explainer: How India's Anti-Paper-Leak Law Gets Tougher in 2026