Current Affairs Questions with Answers

On July 29, 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the implementation of a new policy for gender-neutral recruitment and career progression in the Indian Coast Guard, ensuring equal opportunities for female and male officers. Additionally, a new system has been introduced to promptly provide ex-gratia payments, compensation, and other benefits to the families of personnel who go missing at sea while on duty.

State Bank of India (SBI) will become the first Indian bank to issue Basel-III compliant AT-1 perpetual bonds in the year 2026, through which it will raise ₹5,000 crore. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to strengthen the bank's capital adequacy, risk management, and financial stability, alongside raising ₹60,000 crore in capital during the 2026-27 financial year.

Axis Finance Limited (AFL), a subsidiary of Axis Bank, has launched an AI and data-driven digital credit decision platform named 'Axis Finance Drishti', which will make the approval process for retail and MSME loans faster, more accurate, and automated. This platform will foster digital banking and fintech innovation through advanced analytics, real-time decision-making systems, and data-driven risk management.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has initiated the liquidation process for Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL) following permission from the Delhi High Court, due to regulatory violations. The bank's winding-up will take place under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and the Companies Act, 2013, and eligible depositors will receive their funds back in accordance with the rules.

The Fields Medal 2026, considered the highest international honor in mathematics, was awarded to Hong Wang, Yu Deng, John Pardon, and Jacob Tsimerman. This award is presented every four years by the International Mathematical Union (IMU) to outstanding mathematicians under the age of 40.

International Friendship Day is celebrated every year on 30 July, the purpose of which is to promote friendship, peace, tolerance and cooperation between countries, cultures and communities. It was announced by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) through Proposal 65/275 on 27 April 2011 and also reinforces the objectives of SDG-16 and SDG-17.

India's Sharmila Dhankar created history by winning gold medal and Shilpa Shyla won bronze medal in the women's F57 shot put event in the 2026 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland. This is India's first Commonwealth Games gold medal in para athletics and the first time India has won two medals in a single para athletics event.

India's Sarvesh Anil Kushare won the silver medal in the men's high jump event with a jump of 2.25 meters in the Commonwealth Games 2026 held in Glasgow, Scotland, while Romain Beckford of Jamaica won the gold medal. Sarvesh is the Indian national record holder and holds the Indian national record with a jump of 2.31 metres; This is India's best performance so far in the men's high jump event at the Commonwealth Games.

India's Ajay Babu won the silver medal in the men's 79 kg weightlifting event by lifting 330 kg, while Malaysia's Ari Hidayat Muhammad won the gold medal with 331 kg at the 2026 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland. Ajay Babu, a resident of Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, is the gold medalist of the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships and his silver medal takes India's total to six medals in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games 2026.

The Gujarat government launched the e-Zero FIR system on July 27, 2026, for cases involving cyber-financial fraud; this allows complaints registered via the 1930 National Cyber ​​Crime Helpline to be automatically forwarded to the relevant police station, enabling an immediate investigation. This system has been developed in collaboration with the Indian Cyber ​​Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs to handle the prevention of, coordination regarding, and technical support for cybercrimes.

India's Gyaneshwari Yadav won the silver medal in the women's 53 kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland, while Nigeria's Onome Omolola won the gold medal. Gyaneshwari, an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) with the Chhattisgarh Police, has also previously won a medal—setting a national record—at the 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships; the Commonwealth Games are organized every four years by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

The Government of India has permitted the RBI to issue 100 crore polymer banknotes each in the ₹10 and ₹20 denominations for trial purposes to assess their durability, security, and utility. The government has clarified that polymer notes will not replace paper currency; Australia was the first country to adopt polymer banknotes in 1988, and today they are in circulation in approximately 60 countries.

Esha Singh won the gold medal and Manu Bhaker won the bronze medal in the women's 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Cup 2026 held in Hangzhou, China, securing a double-medal haul for India. With this gold medal, Esha Singh directly qualified for the ISSF World Cup Final scheduled for December 2026 in Rome (Italy); notably, the ISSF is headquartered in Munich (Germany) and was established on July 17, 1907.

International Tiger Day is observed annually on July 29; it was initiated in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia with the aim of global tiger conservation. India launched 'Project Tiger' in 1973, and currently, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) oversees its conservation efforts; India is home to approximately 75% of the world's wild tigers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the formation of a high-level task force on examination security, to be chaired by Nandan Nilekani, with the aim of making competitive and recruitment examinations more secure, transparent, and reliable. The task force will recommend reforms to prevent paper leaks and examination fraud through technological measures such as AI-based monitoring, biometric verification, encrypted digital question papers, and cybersecurity.

Odisha's Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has initiated the process of securing trademark protection for sacred names and symbols to safeguard the religious and cultural identity of the Puri Jagannath Temple. Approval has been granted for five major trademark applications—including Jagannath Dham, Sri Kshetra, Mahaprasad, Nilachakra, and Koili Vaikuntha—thereby enabling legal action against their commercial misuse.

As part of preparations for the 2027 Haridwar Kumbh Mela, the Uttarakhand Forest Department, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has launched a radio-collaring project for wild elephants to enable real-time monitoring of their movements. The initiative aims to mitigate human-elephant conflict, ensure the safety of pilgrims, and promote scientific management for elephant conservation.

Bhargavastra is India's indigenous Counter-Drone Weapon System, which was demonstrated to the Indian Army on July 24, 2026, under the Make-II project. It is an advanced multi-layered air defense system capable of detecting and neutralizing drones and UAVs using radar, EO/IR sensors, C4I technology, and soft-kill as well as hard-kill capabilities.

India's Anahat Singh made history by becoming the first Indian player to win the girls' singles title at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championships. She defeated Egypt's Ruqayya Salem 3-0 in the final, ending Egypt's 13-year dominance and becoming the first non-Egyptian World Junior Champion since 2010.

The Majhi Kanya Bhagyashree Yojana is a welfare and financial security scheme for girls implemented by the Maharashtra government since August 1, 2017, with the aim of encouraging the birth of girl children, improving the sex ratio, and ensuring financial security. Under this scheme, eligible families receive benefits such as a term deposit of ₹50,000 for one daughter (or ₹25,000 per daughter for two daughters), along with loan facilities and accidental insurance, subject to specific eligibility criteria.