Top 20 UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | July 27 to August 2, 2026

Report

(FYI: The data provided in these reports can be used to substantiate your Mains answer and create a broad understanding of the topic.)

• Environmental Performance Index 2026

— Recently, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2026 was released. The EPI is a biennial index that is a scorecard that ranks countries on their environmental performance.

— The EPI is a data-driven global benchmark developed by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions, Yale University with support from the McCall MacBain Foundation.

— Evaluating 177 nations across 47 specific metrics, the 2026 EPI assesses 12 key issue categories across three policy objectives.

Indicators of Environmental Performance Index. (Source: EPI report 2026)

— By aggregating indicators spanning air and water quality, biodiversity, sustainable forestry, and greenhouse gas reduction, the index provides policymakers with an objective scorecard to track sustainability progress, identify ecological vulnerabilities, and refine environmental policy.

— In the 2026 Environmental Performance Index, five European countries ranked in the top five. Estonia claimed the No. 1 spot with an overall score of 74.79. Following behind, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, and Finland were positioned at No. 2, 3, and 4, respectively, while the Netherlands secured No. 5. Laos ranked the lowest with a score of 21.78.

— India ranked second from the bottom, taking the 176th position out of 177 evaluated countries. India’s overall EPI score came out to 22.46, compared to a regional average of 31.81. Additionally, tree cover loss in key biodiversity areas recorded a score of -3.92.

— Interestingly, scores in the EPI 2026 are highly correlated with country wealth (r = 0.69), but within any level of income, some countries outperform their peers while others underachieve.

To read more on EPI 2026 and other climate-related reports click here.

 

Art & Culture

• New sites in UNESCO World Heritage List

— World War II’s D-Day landing beaches in northern France and the iconic Mount Olympus in Greece were among the sites added to the World Heritage List on July 26 at a UN committee meeting in South Korea reviewing dozens of nominations.

— The UNESCO committee also inscribed the ancient Japanese capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara and South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape, host to one of the world’s largest land mammal migrations and the country’s first addition to the World Heritage List.

— The French designation covers the five Normandy landing beaches — Omaha, Utah, Sword, Gold and Juno — where more than 150,000 Allied troops came ashore on June 6, 1944, along with the Pointe du Hoc assault site, all central to the campaign to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II.

— At their meeting in Busan, members of the UNESCO committee also decided to place Sebastia and five castles in Lebanon’s Mount Amel area on both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger after reviewing the nominations on an emergency basis.

 

Polity

• Extension of PM-KISAN

— The Centre on July 31 approved continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme for the next five years. A decision of this effect was taken during the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

— According to an official statement issued after the Cabinet meeting, the PM-KISAN will continue for the next five years from 2026-27 to 2030-31. “A total financial outlay of Rs.3.15 lakh crore has been approved for the Scheme during this period,” it said.

— PM-KISAN is a Central sector scheme that was launched on February 24, 2019.  It aims to provide financial assistance to the farmers with 100% funding from the Government of India. A total of Rs 6,000 is given to each farmer annually, in three installments of Rupees 2,000 each.

— The installment periods are April to July, August to November and December to March. This scheme aims to supplement the financial needs of farmers by helping them in obtaining inputs related to agriculture and allied activities for ensuring proper crop health and high yield.

— The operational guidelines define a landholder farmer’s family as a family comprising “husband, wife and minor children” who owns cultivable land as per land records of the concerned State/UT. As per the PM-Kisan scheme’s operational guidelines, only one member (husband, wife and minor children) can avail of PM-Kisan.

• Task force on exam reforms led by Nandan Nilekani

— The government has formed a high-powered task force to look into next-generation reforms for the country’s education sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Instagram Sunday. 

— Members of task force constituted for NTA examination reforms:

• Technology Expert Nandan Nilekani

• Former ISRO Chairman S Somnath

• Former IB Director Tapan Deka

• IIT Chennai Director V Kamakoti

• Former Education Secretary Anita Karwal

• Logistics Expert Amrit Lal Meena

 

• Parliament Brief: Key Bills to know

Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026

— The Rajya Sabha on July 29 passed a Bill that criminalises intentional disruption or prevention of the singing of the national song, Vande Mataram, thereby according it legal sanctity at par with the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.

— The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeks to amend a 1971 law by the same name, which makes insults towards the national anthem, national flag and the Constitution a criminal offence.

— The Bill states that intentionally preventing the singing of the national song or causing disturbance to any assembly engaged in its singing will be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or fine, or both.

Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill

— The Centre tabled the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha to strengthen the anti-paper leak law — The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 — and increase the punishment for those involved in paper leaks.

— The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, seeks to further strengthen the provisions of the 2024 Act by providing for fast-tracked investigation, speedy trial through Special Fast Track Courts, appointment of Special Public Prosecutors, time-bound disposal of appeals and more stringent penal provisions to effectively deter unfair means and organised malpractices in public examinations.

— The Bill proposes to enhance the punishment for persons resorting to unfair means by increasing the term of imprisonment to not less than five years, extendable up to 10 years, as against the existing provision of imprisonment for a term of not less than three years, extendable up to five years. The maximum fine is also proposed to be enhanced from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh, the PIB note said.

 

International Cooperation

• Indus Waters Treaty

— Pakistan has been increasingly targeting India in recent weeks over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which New Delhi had placed in “abeyance” after the Pahalgam terror attack last April.

— Notably, on April 23, 2025, the Cabinet Committee on Security had said: “The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”

— India and Pakistan signed the Indus Water Treaty on September 19, 1960 to ensure the distribution of waters of the Indus and its tributaries. It was signed in Karachi by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then Pakistan President Ayub Khan. 

— The treaty has 12 Articles and 8 Annexures (from A to H). As per the provisions of the treaty, India got exclusive rights over all the water of “Eastern Rivers”— Sutlej, Beas and Ravi — amounting to around 33 million acre-feet (MAF), or approximately 20% of the total water of the Indus river system.

— Pakistan got control over the three “Western Rivers”— Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – receiving around 135 MAF, or 80% of the total water.

The Indus Basin

— However, India can use the water of western rivers for specified domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural purposes. India has also the right to generate hydroelectricity through run-of-the-river (RoR) projects, subject to specific criteria for design and operation.

— Article IX of the treaty contains the dispute resolution mechanism. It is a three-tier process: First, disputes are addressed through the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC), comprising representatives from both countries; then through the World Bank-appointed Neutral Expert, and as a last resort, through the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

— Indus River system: A river, along with its tributaries, is called a river system. The Indus River system comprises six rivers: Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. The Indus and Sutlej are antecedent rivers, meaning they existed even before the formation of the Himalayas and cut deep gorges after originating in the Tibet region. The other four rivers – Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Beas – originate in India.   

— The Indus Basin extends across four countries, namely China, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In India, the basin spans the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir as well as Chandigarh and the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. 

To read more about the Indus River system click here. 

• India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks

— Twelve new projects worth Rs 332 crore were approved while a Line of Credit agreement worth Rs 4,000 crore was signed between Bhutan and the Export-Import Bank of India for energy projects, as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Thimphu to review the progress of development projects supported by Delhi, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

— The fifth India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks, co-chaired by Misri and his Bhutanese counterpart Dasho Pema Lektup Dorji focused on the implementation of projects under Bhutan’s 13th Five-Year Plan, as per the Indian Embassy in Bhutan.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri with his Majesty the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. (Source: ANI)

— The two sides discussed all aspects of bilateral cooperation including development partnership, energy, trade and investment, connectivity, people-to-people ties, as well as other regional issues of mutual importance, the MEA said in a statement on Friday.

— The two foreign secretaries also virtually inaugurated the Thimphu Ecological Park and the Olakha Park, developed under the Green Infrastructure and Open Spaces in Thimphu, funded by India as part of bilateral economic development.

• Arctic council

— The Parliamentary committee on External Affairs in its report has recommended that India should appoint a Polar Ambassador and urged the government to seek “full-fledged membership” of the Arctic council so that India can engage in its activities more effectively.

— India is currently one of the 13 observer countries of the Arctic Council, which comprises of 8 nations that have landmass in the region. The observer countries do not have decision making powers. They also can’t make financial contributions or undertake research in the arctic directly.

— The Arctic Council was formally established in 1996 through the Ottawa Declaration.

Economy

• CBDT guidance note on crypto-asset reporting 

— The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has come out with a 198-page guidance note on crypto-asset reporting obligations in a move that will help in global sharing of information on crypto transactions from next year.

— The guidance note has been released in line with the crypto asset reporting framework (CARF) outlined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) putting greater onus on crypto exchanges for providing transactional information about crypto assets.

— The CARF defines “Crypto-Assets” as “a digital representation of value that relies on a cryptographically secured distributed ledger or a similar technology to validate and secure transactions”, which includes cryptocurrencies, as well as cryptography- based tokens.

• Updated Index of Industrial Production

— The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the recently updated Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data. It showed that the IIP grew by 7.3% year-on-year (YoY) in June 2026.

— The spike in June was the highest in 23 months, or almost two years. Moreover, it was not an isolated jump; the increase in June was the third consecutive month of accelerating YoY growth. This spike comes at a time when most observers suggest that India’s growth in the current year will slow down.

Main sectors, their relative weights, and their growth rates in IIP of June.

— The IIP maps changes in the volume of production in Indian industries. It chooses a basket of industrial products — ranging from the manufacturing sector to mining to energy — to create an index by allocating different weights to each sector and then tracks their production every month.  Finally, the index value is compared to where it stood the previous year to understand the economy’s industrial health.

 

Science and Technology

• Quantum Computing in Cancer Vaccine Development

— Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) have taken an early step by using a photonic quantum computer to improve how an AI model designs peptides, which help the immune system recognise diseased or infected cells.

— A quantum computer differs from a normal or classical computer mainly in the way it is built and operates. While the latter uses bits (basic unit of classical information) that are either 0 or 1, a quantum computer uses qubits (fundamental unit of quantum information) that can be both at the same time. A photonic quantum computer uses individual light particles, or photons, as qubits to encode and process information.

— Peptides are short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. In immunology, they matter because cells display peptides on their surface, allowing your immune system to inspect them and decide what is healthy and what is foreign. Many vaccines work by showing the immune system the right peptide and training it to respond. 

• White phosphorus

— South Korean authorities ordered civilians to evacuate on Tuesday after a suspected white phosphorus leak at a U.S. military base near the capital, Seoul.

— Officials in the city of Pyeongtaek urged nearby residents to move to a safe location and avoid skin exposure after the leak at the Osan Air Base was detected at around 5 p.m. The alert was lifted several hours later following the completion of decontamination work, according to text messages sent out by the city.

— White phosphorus is a controversial chemical substance used in incendiary munitions and smoke shells. When ignited, it burns at extremely high temperatures and can set buildings ablaze and burn human flesh to the bone.

• NavIC

— For the first time since positioning data from one of its satellites was lost in March, the government has accepted in the parliament that the seven-satellite navigation constellation (NavIC) can no longer independently aid people in navigation.

— The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) earlier this year informed that IRNSS-1F satellite, which was launched in March 2016, completed its designed mission life of 10 years and the on-board atomic clock stopped functioning.

— Presently the NavIC constellation has three satellites for providing PNT (Positioning, Navigation, Timing) services — IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1I and NVS-01. To provide basic positioning service, minimum four operational satellites are required in orbit. Hence, the NavIC constellation cannot provide standalone positioning service, however timing service is functional.

— The armed forces continue to use NavIC signals as part of the multi-constellation GNSS — Global Navigation Satellite System that uses data from US’ GPS, EU’s Galileo, and Russia’s Glonass among others to navigate.

— While end-user applications were developed for utilising NavIC signals in aviation, shipping, railways, and even in everyday cell phones, all of these devices carry a GNSS receiver, meaning they can continue to get positioning data from other constellations.

— Notably, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) — also referred to with the operational name of Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) — was planned to be a seven-satellite system to provide positioning data over the Indian subcontinent and 1500 km around it.

 

Health

• Chandipura Virus

— The recent deaths of two children from Rajasthan and multiple laboratory-confirmed cases of Chandipura virus (CHPV) in Gujarat have prompted state health authorities to enhance surveillance. The outbreak has renewed focus on a rare little-known virus that particularly affects children and is dreaded for its high mortality rate.

— CHPV is a virus of the Rhabdoviridae family, which also includes other members such as the lyssavirus that causes rabies. Several species of sandflies, like Phlebotomine sandflies and Phlebotomus papatasi, and some mosquito species, such as Aedes aegypti (which is also the vector for dengue), are considered vectors of CHPV.

— The virus resides in the salivary glands of these insects and can be transmitted to humans or other vertebrates, like domestic animals, through bites. The infection caused by the virus can then reach the central nervous system, which can lead to encephalitis — inflammation of the active tissues of the brain.

— The CHPV infection was first isolated in 1965 while investigating a dengue/chikungunya outbreak in Maharashtra. The virus gets its name from the geographical site where it was first detected (Chandipura in Northern Maharashtra).

 

Environment

• Centre declares Western Ghats as eco-sensitive area

— The Centre has issued a seventh iteration of a draft notification declaring 56,825.7 square kilometre of Western Ghats, the biodiversity hotspot spread across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as an ecologically sensitive area (ESA).

— Sixth iteration lapsed due to a continuing deadlock between the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the states concerned over demarcation of ESA areas.

— The Eco-sensitive zones as proposed across these states are spread over 449 sq km in Gujarat, 17,340 sq km in Maharashtra, 1,461 sq km in Goa, 20,668 sq km in Karnataka, 6,914 sq km in Tamil Nadu, and 9,993.7 sq km in Kerala.

— While Gujarat and Goa have largely agreed upon an area to be finalised as ESA, Maharashtra’s fresh revised proposal is under appraisal. Karnataka continues to oppose the draft notification, while the Centre is still resolving sticking points and information discrepancies with Kerala and Tamil Nadu, respectively.

— The Centre has also given a year’s tenure extension  in June to an expert committee headed by Sanjay Kumar, ex-Director General of Forest, MoEFCC formed in April 2022.

— The Western Ghats, also known as the Shayadari hills,  is a 1,500 km long near-continuous mountain chain running from South Gujarat to Kerala, and is one of the world’s eight “hottest biodiversity hotspots”, harbouring unique plants and wildlife. 

The Western Ghats are home to diverse ecosystems and threatened species. (File Photo)

— The Western Ghats hold immense ecological and biodiversity value. Ecologically, the Western Ghats serve as a crucial climatic regulator for peninsular India. Acting as a barrier to the South-West monsoon, the range ensures high supporting lush forests and numerous rivers that sustain millions of people. 

— The forests in the Western Ghats are home to nearly 2,000 species of plants, 84 fish species, 87 amphibian species, 89 reptile species, several bird species, and 12 mammals found only in this region. 

 

Sports 

• India’s 1st CWG men’s 10,000m silver

— Long distance runner Gulveer Singh on July 28 made history by becoming the first Indian man to win a medal in the 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games.

Gulveer Singh, of India, crosses the finish line to win the silver medal in the men’s 10,000 meters final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

— The national record holder clocked  27:49.8 in the event to win silver at the Scotstoun Stadium in in Glasgow. Gulveer finished second behind Australian Ky Robinson, who won the gold with 27:48.93s, while David Mullarkey of Isle of Men won the bronze medal.

• First-ever Indian decathlete to win a medal at the Commonwealth Game

— Indian decathlete Tejaswin Shankar became the first-ever Indian decathlete to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games on July 31.

Tejaswin Shankar (AP Photo)

— He also became the first Indian to win two medals in athletics at CWG after winning a bronze medal in the men’s high jump at the Birmingham edition in 2022.

 

Awards

• Fields Medal winners

— The Fields Medal is the highest prize in mathematics, considered equivalent to the Nobel, only tougher. It is awarded only once in four years, and only mathematicians below 40 years of age are eligible.

— This is the first time that any Chinese national has won the medal. There have been a couple of Chinese-origin mathematicians, including the widely-recognised Terrence Tao, who have won this in the past.

— The two Chinese winners this time, Yu Deng and Hong Wang, have also been teaching at American universities where most of their prize-winning work has also happened. But they continue to be Chinese nationals, and are products of Chinese universities. 

Yu Deng (left) and Hong Wang (right) were two of the four Fields Medal recipients in 2026 (Credit: International Mathematical Union)

— Wang has become only the third woman, after Iran’s Maryam Mirzakhani and Ukrainian Maryna Viazovska, to win the Fields Medal. 

— The other two winners this year are John Pardon, a US national, and Jacob Tsimerman, a Soviet-born Canadian. Unlike the Nobel Prize, which can be shared by at most three people, the Fields Medal recognises at least two, and up to four people, in every four-year cycle. 

John Pardon (left) and Jacob Tsimerman. (Credit: International Mathematical Union)

— Notably, two Indian-origin Indians have so far won the Fields Medal, Manjul Bhargava in 2014 and Akshay Venkatesh in 2018.

 

Persons in News

(Just FYI: Noting historical personalities’ anniversaries aids UPSC prep. UPSC often includes such personalities in questions, so revisiting their lives refreshes your static syllabus.)

• Nirmal Purja

— Nirmal Purja, also known as Nimsdai, the world‑famous mountaineer who set a world record seven years ago by successfully climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres within just six months, has died along with nine fellow climbers after an avalanche swept them at least 1,000 metres down during their ascent of Broad Peak in PoK.

— The avalanche swept the group on July 30 from somewhere between Camp Three and Camp Two of the 8,051‑metre mountain, the 12th highest in the world. The death of the group led by Purja, who had earlier served in the British Gorkha, was officially announced on August 1.

Nirmal Purja at the summit of Mount Everest. (Photo: Instagram/@nimsdai)

Places in News

(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)

• South China Sea 

— China on Saturday issued management measures for the Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve in the disputed South China Sea, a move likely to further escalate its maritime row with the Philippines, which has counterclaims over the shoal.

— The South China Sea is situated just south of the Chinese mainland and is bordered by the countries of Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The countries have bickered over territorial control in the sea for centuries, but in recent years tensions have soared to new heights.

— The South China Sea is one of the most strategically critical maritime areas. The aggressive behaviour of China in advancing its claims over the South China Sea has created territorial disputes. Multiple countries have claimed waters in the South China Sea, including Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and China.

 

Test Your Knowledge

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

(1) With reference to the Indus river system, of the following four rivers, three of them pour into one of them which joins the Indus directly. Among the following, which one is such a river that joins the Indus directly? (UPSC CSE 2021)

(a) Chenab

(b) Jhelum

(c) Ravi

(d) Sutlej

(2) ‘Gadgil Committee Report’ and ‘Kasturirangan Committee Report’, sometimes seen in the news, are related to (UPSC CSE 2016)

(a) constitutional reforms

(b) Ganga Action Plan

(c) linking of rivers

(d) protection of Western Ghats

(3) Consider the following statements:

1. Vande Mataram was adopted as India’s National Song by the Constituent Assembly in 1950.

2. The song was ardhamagadhi Prakrit by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Which of the statements mentioned above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) None of the above

Prelims Answer Key

1. (d)   2. (d)  3. (a)

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