Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 29 July 2026, Daily Roundup

Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 29 July 2026, Daily Roundup

Current Affairs – 29 July 2026

National Current Affairs

1. Parliament Passes Anti-Paper Leak Amendment Bill: Parliament cleared the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, strengthening the 2024 Act against examination malpractices.

Key Provisions:

• Imprisonment of up to 10 years.
• Fine up to ₹50 lakh.
• Targets organised paper-leak syndicates and examination mafias.
• Strengthens transparency and integrity in public recruitment.

2. Vande Mataram Protection Bill Passed: The Rajya Sabha passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, extending legal protection to Vande Mataram.

3. GDP Estimation Reform: The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) announced that the Producer Price Index (PPI) will replace the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) as the deflator for GDP estimation. Improves accuracy in measuring real GDP growth and inflation-adjusted national income.

5. Other Important National Updates

• India will use indigenously developed semiconductors in future space launch vehicles after the success of Skyroot’s Vikram-1 mission.
• Indian Railways approved a ₹163-crore electric traction upgrade for the Parbhani–Mudkhed section.
• PUCC 3.0 draft proposes a revised validity period for Pollution Under Control Certificates of BS-VI private vehicles.

International Current Affairs

1. India Raises Strait of Hormuz Concerns: At the UN Security Council, India expressed concern over attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

2. India–China Relations: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying in Beijing to review bilateral relations and discuss expanding cooperation in trade, economy and people-to-people exchanges.

3. India–Nepal Rail Connectivity: India’s first direct commercial container freight train reached Nepal under the revised India–Nepal Rail Transit Protocol, enabling direct container movement from Kolkata Port to Biratnagar.

4. Major World Developments

• A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto, Japan, causing widespread damage and injuries.
• Fresh evacuations continued due to wildfires in France.
• Anti-government protests disrupted operations at Libya’s Mellitah Oil & Gas Complex.
• Saudi Arabia intercepted drones launched by Iran-backed militias.
• China completed testing of advanced superconducting magnets for fusion-energy research.

Defence Updates

1. India’s First Department of Military Medicine: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated India’s first Department of Military Medicine at Command Hospital (Central Command), Lucknow.

2. Coast Guard Reforms: The Defence Minister announced two reforms for the Indian Coast Guard:

• Gender-neutral induction and service conditions.
• Simplified ex-gratia support for families of personnel missing at sea.

3. Anti-Naxal Success: Security forces arrested top Maoist leader Misir Besra (₹1 crore bounty) during a joint CoBRA–CRPF–Jharkhand Police operation.

Science & Technology

1. Ministry of Earth Sciences – 20th Foundation Day: The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) celebrated its 20th Foundation Day.

Major Initiative:

• NCMRWF launched the WINGS mobile application for high-resolution weather forecasting and thunderstorm nowcasting.

2. Integrated Genomic Solutions Centre: AstraZeneca India announced an Integrated Genomic Solutions Centre at Amaravati, supporting precision oncology through genomic research and advanced cancer diagnostics.

3. AI for Climate-Smart Agriculture: Kerala began deploying ANNAM.AI smart weather stations for hyper-local weather forecasting and precision agriculture under its 100-day action plan.

Sports Updates

Commonwealth Games 2026 (Glasgow)

• Sharmila Dhankar won Gold in the Women’s F57 Shot Put, ending India’s 20-year wait for a para-athletics medal at the Commonwealth Games.
• Valluri Ajaya Babu won Silver in Men’s 79 kg Weightlifting.
• Sarvesh Anil Kushare secured Silver in the Men’s High Jump with a clearance of 2.25 m.
• Srihari Nataraj qualified for the 100 m Backstroke semifinals.
• Para swimmers RVVBK Budigina and Ali Imam qualified for the 50 m Freestyle S13 final.
• India stood 8th in the medal tally with 10 medals (2 Gold, 5 Silver, 3 Bronze).

Other Sports

• Sonam Uttam Maskar and Himanshu Dhillon won Bronze in the 10 m Air Rifle Mixed Team event at the ISSF World Cup, Hangzhou.
• The 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship 2026 commenced in New Delhi.

Important Observances – 29 July

International Tiger Day (World Tiger Day): Observed annually on 29 July to promote tiger conservation, protection of habitats and anti-poaching efforts.

Miscellaneous One-Liners Current Affairs

• Maharashtra became the first state eligible for the second instalment of RKVY after crossing 75% fund utilisation.
• Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary established India’s first AI-powered Bird Monitoring Centre.
• Delhi Cabinet approved the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana, providing ₹2,500 per month to eligible women.
• Operation Navajeevan-II: 16 Maoist cadres surrendered in Jharkhand.
• Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, SAMARTH Panchayat Portal and Model Own Source of Revenue (OSR) Rules to strengthen Panchayat finances.
• Gujarat received GI Tags for Unjha Cumin (Jeera) and Unjha Fennel (Saunf).