A consolidated roundup of the news that matters for UPSC and State PCS preparation on August 1, 2026. The Union Cabinet’s July 31 sitting dominates the domestic file with four major scheme approvals, while the monthly GST release and a new Saudi-led maritime coalition anchor the economy and international-relations sections. Items that carry a dedicated deep-dive article in today’s edition are summarised here in brief; the remaining items are covered in full.
July GST Collections Reach Rs 2.11 Lakh Crore
🗞️ Why in News Gross GST revenue for July 2026 stood at Rs 2,11,205 crore, up 15.4 per cent year-on-year, with import-linked collections growing nearly three times faster than domestic ones.
Key Data
- Gross Rs 2,11,205 crore (+15.4 per cent); domestic Rs 1,44,695 crore (+10.1 per cent); imports Rs 66,511 crore (+28.8 per cent).
- Refunds Rs 29,968 crore; net Rs 1,81,237 crore (+15.8 per cent).
- Cumulative April-July FY27 gross: Rs 8,42,905 crore (+10.1 per cent).
A full deep-dive on what the domestic-import split actually means follows later in today’s edition.
UPSC Angle
GS3, fiscal federalism and reading economic data critically. See the full article for detail.
Cabinet Approves Samudra Manthan Offshore Exploration Scheme
🗞️ Why in News The Union Cabinet approved Samudra Manthan, a National Offshore Exploration Scheme, on July 31, 2026, with an outlay of Rs 84,084 crore up to FY 2030-31.
Key Data
- Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- Target: reserve accretion of over 600 MMTOE (million metric tonnes of oil equivalent).
- Bundles seismic data acquisition, deepwater drilling support, shared infrastructure, digital monitoring, indigenous manufacturing and skilling.
A full deep-dive on the scheme and India’s 88 per cent crude import dependence follows later in today’s edition.
UPSC Angle
GS3, energy security and the transition tension. See the full article for detail.
Cabinet Clears PM Surya Sarovar Yojana for Floating Solar
🗞️ Why in News The Cabinet approved India’s first dedicated floating solar scheme on July 31, 2026, targeting 5,000 MW with a mandatory storage requirement attached to every project.
Key Data
- Outlay Rs 5,070 crore; capacity 5,000 MW floating solar photovoltaic.
- Minimum 2-hour storage per project, 10,000 MWh aggregate.
- Central financial assistance Rs 1 crore per MW post-commissioning; up to Rs 50 lakh for feasibility studies.
A full deep-dive on floating solar and the storage mandate follows later in today’s edition.
UPSC Angle
GS3, renewable energy and grid firmness. See the full article for detail.
Saudi-Led Red Sea Maritime Alliance Formed Without India
🗞️ Why in News Saudi Arabia announced a permanent 14-nation maritime defence coalition for the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and Gulf of Aden on July 30-31, 2026. Pakistan and Bangladesh joined; India did not.
Key Data
- Members: Bahrain, Bangladesh, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Türkiye, Yemen.
- Saudi Arabia is the founding state, leader and permanent HQ host; declared purely defensive.
- India maintains autonomous deployments instead: Gulf of Aden anti-piracy patrols since 2008, Operation Sankalp, and the IFC-IOR at Gurugram.
A full deep-dive on India’s absence and the strategic-autonomy trade-off follows later in today’s edition.
UPSC Angle
GS2, maritime security and India’s coalition policy. See the full article for detail.
Supreme Court Declines a Blanket Pellet-Gun Ban
🗞️ Why in News The Supreme Court on July 30, 2026 declined a blanket ban on pellet guns for crowd control, instead issuing notice to the Centre and the Rapid Action Force, directing preservation of ammunition logs and seeking the Delhi Police standard operating procedure.
Key Data
- Court’s reasoning: forces may use them in exceptional circumstances, as bullets are permitted in extreme cases.
- Pellet guns are typically 12-bore pump-action shotguns, cartridges dispersing several hundred metal pellets (reported at around 450 to 600).
- Bench: CJI Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana.
- Trigger: the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, 20 July 2026, over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak; the Court also opened scrutiny of the Delhi RAF firing.
A full deep-dive on proportionality and the “less-lethal” category problem follows later in today’s edition.
UPSC Angle
GS2, Article 19(1)(b), proportionality and police reform. See the full article for detail.
IMD Forecasts a Below-Normal August
🗞️ Why in News The India Meteorological Department’s monthly outlook, issued July 31, 2026, projects August rainfall below 94 per cent of the Long Period Average, with the whole second half of the monsoon below normal.
Key Data
- IMD’s “below normal” category is 90-96 per cent of LPA.
- Attributed to moderate El Nino conditions, expected to strengthen; the Indian Ocean Dipole is neutral now, with some international centres expecting it to turn positive only in September.
- August is the kharif grain-filling stage and the peak reservoir-recharge month.
A full deep-dive on the transmission chain from rainfall to food inflation follows later in today’s edition.
UPSC Angle
GS1/GS3, monsoon variability and agriculture. See the full article for detail.
IN-SPACe Issues India’s First Space-Object Re-Entry Guidelines
🗞️ Why in News IN-SPACe published India’s first authorisation framework for planned atmospheric re-entry of space objects, requiring prior permission, insurance where prescribed, and a demonstrated casualty-risk threshold.
Key Data
- Casualty risk must be below 1 in 10,000; third-party liability insurance where prescribed by IN-SPACe at authorisation; operators accept absolute no-fault liability.
- Applies whether re-entry occurs inside or outside Indian territory; foreign entities must apply through an Indian-incorporated company.
- Operationalises India’s obligations under the Outer Space Treaty, 1967 and the Liability Convention, 1972.
A full deep-dive on anticipatory regulation and India’s space architecture follows later in today’s edition.
UPSC Angle
GS3, space technology and regulation. See the full article for detail.
Cabinet Extends PM-KISAN to 2030-31
🗞️ Why in News The Union Cabinet on July 31, 2026 approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi from 2026-27 through 2030-31, with a financial outlay of Rs 3.15 lakh crore.
Key Data
- Outlay Rs 3.15 lakh crore for the five-year period 2026-27 to 2030-31; delivered through Direct Benefit Transfer.
- PM-KISAN remains the world’s largest direct income-support programme for farmers.
- Eligibility is landholding-linked, which is why tenant farmers and landless agricultural labourers fall outside its coverage, a long-standing design critique.
UPSC Angle
GS2/GS3, welfare schemes, agricultural income support versus input subsidies and MSP procurement.
Cabinet Approves Revamped Khelo India and Sports Federation Support
🗞️ Why in News The Cabinet approved a combined Rs 36,441 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31 covering the revamped Khelo India Scheme and enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations.
Key Data
- Total Rs 36,441 crore; Khelo India component Rs 29,054 crore.
- Explicitly framed against India hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games and bidding for the 2036 Olympics.
- Sits alongside the National Sports Governance Act framework addressing federation accountability.
UPSC Angle
GS2, sports governance; whether India’s sports deficit is primarily financial or institutional.
Army Launches Indigenous Extreme Weather Grade Diesel
🗞️ Why in News Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth launched indigenously developed Xtreme Weather Grade (XWG) Diesel on July 31, 2026, developed jointly by the Indian Army and oil marketing companies.
Key Data
- Remains fluid down to minus 42°C, addressing the waxing and fuel-filter clogging that immobilises vehicles at high altitude.
- Meets BS-VI standards and IS 1460:2025 specifications.
- Works across the existing Army fleet without engine modification or re-homologation; civilian applications flagged for high-altitude and severe-winter regions.
UPSC Angle
GS3, defence indigenisation; logistics rather than platforms as the constraint on high-altitude deployment.
ZSI Completes India’s First Comprehensive Lepidoptera Catalogue
🗞️ Why in News The Zoological Survey of India announced on July 30, 2026 the completion of India’s first comprehensive catalogue of butterflies and moths, after a 12-year effort.
Key Data
- 13,703 species across 3,705 genera, 240 subfamilies, 102 families and 31 superfamilies.
- Published as the concluding volume of a 22-volume series in the journal Zootaxa.
- ZSI functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; headquartered in Kolkata, founded 1916.
UPSC Angle
GS3, biodiversity; baseline taxonomy as the precondition for conservation and for detecting climate-driven trends.
Maldives Links Favara Payment System to India’s UPI
🗞️ Why in News The Maldives Monetary Authority announced on July 30, 2026 that the Maldives Instant Payment System, Favara, is now integrated with India’s UPI for real-time cross-border transfers.
Key Data
- Transfers initiated in Maldivian Rufiyaa, credited in Indian Rupees; Phase 1 covers customers of Bank of Maldives and Maldives Islamic Bank.
- Permitted categories initially: family-maintenance and gift remittances; QR-based merchant payments planned later.
- Follows a July 2025 agreement between NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and the MMA.
UPSC Angle
GS2/GS3, Digital Public Infrastructure as foreign policy; India-Maldives relations and remittance-cost reduction.
Modi Holds First Call With New UK Prime Minister; India-UK CETA In Force
🗞️ Why in News Prime Minister Modi held his first telephone conversation on July 31, 2026 with Andy Burnham, who became UK Prime Minister on July 20, 2026, succeeding Keir Starmer.
Key Data
- Both sides welcomed the entry into force of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
- Agreed to deepen cooperation on technology, defence, clean energy and education under India-UK Vision 2035.
- Per the British readout, they also discussed West Asia and working toward de-escalation and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
UPSC Angle
GS2, India-UK relations; continuity of partnership across a change of government in a P5 state.
Mass Migrant Crossing into Spain’s Ceuta Leaves 67 Dead
🗞️ Why in News Roughly 60,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta within 24 hours on July 30-31, 2026; 67 died. Spain began installing a floating sea barrier on August 1.
Key Data
- Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish autonomous cities on the North African coast; Ceuta lies across the Strait of Gibraltar from mainland Spain, the Strait being about 14 km at its narrowest.
- Spain began installing a roughly 500-metre floating containment barrier at the Tarajal breakwater on August 1.
- Spain’s Prime Minister described the crossing as a violation of Spanish territorial sovereignty.
UPSC Angle
GS1/GS2, migration governance; migration used as coercive statecraft, non-refoulement, and EU border externalisation.
Ladakh Declares 23 Sites as Protected Monuments
🗞️ Why in News The Ladakh administration approved a notification on July 30, 2026 declaring 23 heritage sites across the union territory as protected monuments.
Key Data
- Sites span Leh, Sham, Nubra, Zanskar and Kargil, including petroglyph sites, ancient rock carvings, caves, gompas, forts and palaces.
- Protection granted under the Jammu and Kashmir Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, enabling conservation and encroachment prevention.
UPSC Angle
GS1, art and culture; heritage protection versus tourism and infrastructure pressure in a fragile cold desert.
Former Army Chief General V.N. Sharma Dies at 96
🗞️ Why in News General Vishwa Nath Sharma, the 14th Chief of the Army Staff, died in New Delhi on July 31, 2026, aged 96. Last rites with full military honours were held on August 1.
Key Data
- Served as COAS from 1 June 1988 to 30 June 1990; commissioned into the 16th Light Cavalry in June 1950.
- The first officer commissioned after Independence to become Army Chief; as Eastern Army Commander he handled the 1987 Sumdorong Chu standoff with China.
- His elder brother, Major Somnath Sharma, was independent India’s first Param Vir Chakra awardee (posthumous, Badgam, November 1947).
UPSC Angle
GS1/GS3, persons in news; Sumdorong Chu as the template for India’s later Doklam and eastern Ladakh responses.
World Breastfeeding Week Opens
🗞️ Why in News World Breastfeeding Week, observed August 1-7, opened with a WHO call for countries to strengthen breastfeeding support and health systems.
Key Data
- Coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) with WHO and UNICEF; the dates commemorate the 1990 Innocenti Declaration.
- India’s related framework: the MAA (Mothers’ Absolute Affection) programme, POSHAN Abhiyaan, and the Infant Milk Substitutes (IMS) Act, 1992.
- August 1 is also World Lung Cancer Day (since 2012) and World Wide Web Day.
UPSC Angle
GS2, health and nutrition policy; the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.
Indian Railways Moves a Live Donor Heart by Train
🗞️ Why in News A live donor heart was transported by train from Surat to Ahmedabad in a first for Indian Railways, then moved by dedicated Green Corridor to a cardiology institute for transplant.
Key Data
- Carried on the Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express; Green Corridor from Ahmedabad station to the U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre.
- Coordinated by Western Railway, RPF, Gujarat Police and medical teams.
- India’s organ donation rate remains among the world’s lowest despite the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 and NOTTO’s coordination role.
UPSC Angle
GS2, health governance; green corridors solve logistics, but donor consent and brain-death certification remain the binding constraints.
IRDAI Notifies Policyholders’ Protection Fund and Perpetual Licensing
🗞️ Why in News The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India approved regulations operationalising a Policyholders’ Education and Protection Fund and replaced periodic intermediary licence renewal with perpetual registration.
Key Data
- The Policyholders’ Education and Protection Fund (PEPF) rests on Section 16A of the IRDA Act, 1999; funds insurance literacy, grievance redressal and tracing of unclaimed amounts.
- Intermediary registration becomes perpetual under an annual fee regime, replacing periodic renewal.
- Mandates tagging of the authorised salesperson to every proposal, policy and certificate, targeting mis-selling accountability.
UPSC Angle
GS3, financial-sector regulation; conduct regulation alongside capital liberalisation.
Source: Current Affairs Today, August 1, 2026 — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
