Current Affairs

Daily and monthly current affairs mapped to syllabus topics and related PYQs.

GS3 · Nuclear energy

PFBR Kalpakkam attained first criticality on 6 April 2026

The indigenously designed Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, attained first criticality on 6 April 2026, the DAE told Lok Sabha on 5 August. It is the forerunner of the second stage of Dr Homi J. Bhabha's three-stage nuclear programme. Using MOX fuel and a U-238 blanket, it breeds Pu-239 and makes more fuel than it uses.

5 Aug 2026
GS2 · Polity, J&K

Seven years since abrogation of Article 370

On 5 August 2026 the Prime Minister marked seven years since Articles 370 and 35(A) ceased to operate in 2019, calling 5 August 2019 a defining milestone. He said the full application of the Constitution has empowered women and marginalised communities in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The change rested on two Presidential Orders, C.O. 272 and C.O. 273.

5 Aug 2026
GS2 · Rural governance

SVAMITVA: drone mapping for rural property rights

SVAMITVA gives property owners in rural inhabited (abadi) areas a Record of Rights, the Panchayati Raj Minister told Rajya Sabha on 5 August 2026. Drone surveys with CORS technology create high-accuracy maps. Drone survey is complete in 3.30 lakh villages, and 11,147 loans worth ₹1,713 crore have been given against SVAMITVA property cards.

5 Aug 2026
GS3 · Animal husbandry, biotech

ICAR’s indigenous African Swine Fever vaccine dedicated to the nation

India's first indigenous vaccine against African Swine Fever, developed by ICAR-NIHSAD, Bhopal, was dedicated to the nation at the ICAR Foundation Day on 4 August 2026. It is a live attenuated vaccine made in the widely available MA-104 cell line. ASF has caused heavy pig deaths since it was first detected in India in 2020.

4 Aug 2026
GS3 · Renewable energy

PM Surya Ghar crosses 50 lakh rooftop solar homes; 14.8 GW installed

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has crossed 50.06 lakh households with rooftop solar, MNRE said on 4 August 2026, in just over two years since launch. That compares with 7.94 lakh installations in the previous ten years. 14.8 GW is commissioned, nearly 19 lakh homes get zero bills, and ₹28,024 crore of subsidy has been paid by DBT.

4 Aug 2026
GS3 · Agriculture inputs

Push for nano urea and nano DAP to improve nutrient-use efficiency

The Centre is promoting nano fertilisers such as Nano Urea and Nano DAP to raise nutrient-use efficiency and self-reliance, the Fertilizers Ministry told Rajya Sabha on 4 August 2026. They are sold through Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras and sprayed on leaves, including with Kisan Drones. Several States give subsidies; Gujarat pays 50 per cent of the cost.

4 Aug 2026
GS3 · Mining

Six coal blocks auctioned in 15th commercial round

The Coal Ministry auctioned six coal blocks in the 15th round and the second attempt of the 13th round of commercial auctions, it said on 4 August 2026. Forward auctions ran on 3 and 4 August. The blocks hold about 1,503.93 million tonnes of geological reserves, with peak rated capacity of 11.62 MTPA. Since 2020, 147 blocks have been auctioned.

4 Aug 2026
GS3 · IPR

Backgrounder: GI tags as global brands

A PIB backgrounder of 4 August 2026 explains how Geographical Indication (GI) tags protect traditional products and lift producers' incomes. India has over 800 registered GI products, with 607 granted since 2014. Uttar Pradesh leads with 81 GIs (December 2025). Darjeeling Tea was India's first GI. The target is 10,000 GI registrations by 2030.

4 Aug 2026
GS3 · Biotechnology

ICAR pigeonpea genome becomes global T2T reference

ICAR has produced India's first fully annotated telomere-to-telomere (T2T) reference genome, for pigeonpea (arhar or tur) variety 'Asha', the Agriculture Ministry said on 4 August 2026. It has been approved as the global reference genome of the crop. The sequence covers 752.65 million base pairs across all 11 chromosomes, with 36,557 genes identified.

4 Aug 2026
GS3 · Financial inclusion

99.92% of inhabited villages now have a banking outlet

India has near-universal banking coverage: 99.92 per cent of inhabited villages, or 6,00,868 of 6,01,328, have a banking outlet within 5 km, the Finance Ministry told Lok Sabha on 3 August 2026. The network has 1.81 lakh branches, 17.36 lakh Business Correspondents and 1.65 lakh IPPB centres. Jan Dhan accounts number 58.77 crore.

3 Aug 2026