Current affairs relevant to GS3.
India's coal production rose 7.51 per cent to 69.75 million tonnes in July 2026, against 64.88 MT a year earlier, the Coal Ministry said on 2 August 2026. Dispatch grew faster, by 17.34 per cent to 86.33 MT. Coal India produced 50.35 MT. Cumulative output in FY 2026-27 up to July stood at 302.24 MT.
2 Aug 2026
The National Biodiversity Authority released ₹8.22 crore on 2 August 2026, one of the largest single benefit-sharing payouts for rice. The money came from Pioneer Overseas Corporation, a seed company that used Indian rice varieties to develop hybrids. ₹2.47 crore went to research institutions and ₹5.75 crore to 33 State and UT biodiversity bodies.
2 Aug 2026
The Union Government released an additional tax devolution instalment of ₹1,09,019 crore to the States on 1 August 2026, the Finance Ministry said. It comes on top of the normal monthly devolution due on 10 August. The aim is to help States speed up capital and development spending. Uttar Pradesh got the largest share, ₹19,208 crore.
1 Aug 2026
India became effectively free of Left Wing Extremism on 31 March 2026, with no district still LWE-affected, a PIB backgrounder said on 1 August 2026. Affected districts fell from 126 in 2014 to zero. Incidents dropped from 870 in 2014 to 33 in 2026. It credits security operations, roads and towers, surrender policy and tribal welfare.
1 Aug 2026
The PM Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana completed one year on 1 August 2026, a PIB backgrounder said. It pays first-time employees and employers who create new formal jobs, through an EPFO-linked system. The outlay is ₹99,446 crore for 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2027. Over 72 lakh first-time employees have joined, nearly 30 per cent of them women.
1 Aug 2026
NHAI rolled out Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling at the Shahjahanpur toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur section of NH-48 in Rajasthan, the Road Transport Ministry said on 1 August 2026. It is the third barrier-free plaza after Daulatpura and Manoharpura. Travel from Manesar to Jaipur is now fully barrier-free. Vehicles pay without stopping.
1 Aug 2026
The Union Cabinet approved continuing PM-KISAN from 2026-27 to 2030-31 with an outlay of ₹3.15 lakh crore on 31 July 2026. Launched in February 2019, the scheme pays eligible landholding farmer families ₹6,000 a year in three equal instalments by DBT. Over ₹4.47 lakh crore has been paid so far through 23 instalments.
31 Jul 2026
The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) on 31 July 2026, with an outlay of ₹5,070 crore. It backs 5,000 MW of floating solar projects on reservoirs and ponds, each with storage of at least two hours, or 10,000 MWh. Projects get ₹1 crore per MW after commissioning. Floating solar today is only about 700 MW.
31 Jul 2026
The Union Cabinet approved Samudra Manthan, the National Offshore Exploration Scheme, on 31 July 2026. It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Petroleum Ministry with an outlay of ₹84,084 crore up to FY 2030-31. It pays for seismic surveys, 60 deepwater wells, shared offshore infrastructure and a manufacturing zone. The aim: add over 600 MMTOE of reserves.
31 Jul 2026
The Petroleum Ministry defended the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme on 31 July 2026. It said that when the Indian crude basket hit about US$135 a barrel, unblended petrol would have cost about ₹125 a litre in Delhi. Consumers paid ₹94.77 instead. It also said only surplus or damaged grain goes to ethanol, after food security needs.
31 Jul 2026