Top 20 UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | August 3 to 9, 2026

— It is also a poignant reminder of the historic call to encourage indigenous products during the Swadeshi movement. It was on August 7, 1905 that a formal proclamation was made at the Calcutta Town Hall to protest against the partition of Bengal by boycotting foreign goods and promoting Indian-made products.

— As a reaction against British policy to divide and rule, handlooms became a potent symbol of resistance to British authority. By promoting Indian crafts and empowering local craftsmen, it focused on reviving Indian culture and traditions and encouraging the use of Indian languages, arts, and crafts.

International Affairs

• Mecca Joint Defence Agreement

— Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on August 7 signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, creating a new trilateral security framework under which an armed attack on one country will be treated as an attack on all three.

— The pact comes amid escalating tensions in West Asia and raises fresh questions about the region’s evolving security architecture.

— The agreement was signed in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

From left, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose after signing a trilateral defence agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP PHOTO)

— The agreement’s central provision states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against them all, making it the first trilateral mutual-defence arrangement among the three Sunni Muslim-majority nations. According to a joint statement cited by the Associated Press, the pact is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression.

— The clause resembles the principle of collective defence used by military alliances such as NATO, although the Mecca agreement does not spell out automatic military obligations.

• UN Secretary-General Election

— Recently, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held its first “straw poll” for choosing the next Secretary-General of the UN (UNSG), whose five-year term would start on January 1, 2027.

— The UNSC consists of 15 members: five permanent members (known as P5) — China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US — and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly. Of the current 10 non-permanent members, those with terms ending in 2026 are Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia, while those with terms ending in 2027 are Bahrain, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia, and Liberia.

— Straw polls is a UNSC process which doesn’t disclose the name of the voting member-state. The slips carry the name of the candidate and UNSC members note “encourage”, “discourage”, or leave them blank.

— The appointment of the UNSG is governed by Article 97 of the UN Charter that states that “the Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council”. The primacy of the UNSC in this process is clear: it forwards just one name to the General Assembly for endorsement.

Government Policies and Schemes

• Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund

— An investigation by The Indian Express has found that 15 of 22 private companies that received soft loans from a new public deep-tech fund have investment ties to seven members of the selection committee.

— The Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore, was created by the government last year to provide collateral-free, low-cost, long-term loans to private sector companies engaged in advanced research and innovation in priority deep-tech sectors like artificial intelligence, quantum technology, space science, defence, robotics, clean energy, semiconductors and digital healthcare.

— The fund is housed under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), a recently established statutory body under the Ministry of Science and Technology to promote research and innovation, especially in the university system, and strengthen industry-academia collaborations. A Special Purpose Fund (SPF) has been created under ANRF, which is the custodian of money allocated for the RDI Fund.

— The disbursal, in the form of loans, from the RDI Fund happens through organisations designated as Second-Level Fund Managers (SLFMs), which are also responsible for selecting the Eligible Technology Entities (ETEs) for funding.

• ‘GOBARdhan’ Scheme

— Focused on boosting compressed biogas (CBG) production in the country, the Union Cabinet on August 6 approved ‘GOBARdhan’, the National Circular Bioenergy Scheme, with an outlay of Rs 23,731 crore for implementation between 2026-27 and 2035-36, or 10 years.

— The scheme aims to increase domestic CBG production by nearly 10-fold and mobilise large-scale private investment in this segment through assured offtake by city gas operators, stable administered pricing, capital subsidies, credit support and pipeline infrastructure.

— CBG is an eco-friendly and purified form of biogas that is compressed to high pressures for use as a vehicle and industrial fuel. It has properties and energy content very similar to compressed natural gas (CNG), which means it can be blended with CNG or be used as a replacement fuel in automotive, industrial, and commercial sectors.

— Unorganised feedstock supply chains, high initial capital expenditure, inadequate local distribution infrastructure and weak offtake have been among the major challenges and roadblocks in the CBG segment, and the scheme aims to overcome them.

Polity

• First Information Report (FIR)

— The Supreme Court on August 3 said that the states remain free to close or withdraw FIRs registered against students during the protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party, as long as they follow the procedure prescribed by law.

— A FIR is the first written record of an offence that is received by the police. Its registration sets a criminal investigation in motion under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). There is no legal provision for a government to cancel or revoke that record using an executive order.

• Parliament Brief: Key Bills to know

 Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026

— The Rajya Sabha on August 5 passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38, including the Chief Justice of India.

— The Bill, which Lok Sabha cleared on August 3, was passed as a money Bill, a route it had also taken in 2019 when the Supre­me Court strength was raised to 34. In 2018, a key dissenting opinion in a Supreme Court ruling had described this route as a “fraud on the Constitution.”

—The Bill seeks to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, to increase the strength of the court by four. Currently, the Act provides for a maximum of 33 judges of the Supreme Court, excluding the Chief Justice of India. The amendment increases that to 37 judges, excluding the CJI.

— In May, the Union Cabinet had cleared the Bill to increase the sanctioned strength of the top court, but soon thereafter the government brought an ordinance. After the ordinance, five judges were appointed to the apex court based on the upgraded sanctioned strength. After the ordinance was issued, the sanctioned strength of the apex court went up to 38 from 34, including the Chief Justice of India.

— The last time the strength of the court was increased was in 2019, when an amendment raised it from 30 to 33, excluding the CJI. Originally, the Act had provided for a maximum of 10 judges, excluding the CJI, which was increased to 13 in 1960 and then 17 in 1977. The strength was further increased in 1986, 2008 and 2019.

Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026

— The Rajya Sabha passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, by a voice vote on August 4 afternoon. The Lok Sabha had cleared the Bill last week.

— The Bill, which has stricter provisions for delayed registrations, was introduced by MoS Home Nityanand Rai. The Bill seeks to amend provisions of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, to tighten the existing norms, mandating an order from a Judicial Magistrate (First Class) for birth and death registrations made over two years after the event.

— Under the existing law, registrations delayed by more than one year require an order from a district magistrate, sub-divisional magistrate, or an authorised executive magistrate, and the provision will continue to apply for delays of up to two years under the amended law.

Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026

— On August 5, the Lok Sabha passed the Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026 by voice vote without debate amid Opposition din.

— The Bill repeals and replaces the Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891, providing for certified copies of bank records to be used as evidence in legal proceedings without requiring production of the original records.

— It lays down that an authentic digital record of a banker’s book will be legally enforceable as evidence, thus bringing the legal requirements in sync with the present realities of the banking system, explains PRS Legislative Research in its analysis of the Bill.

Economy

• Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy

— The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on August 5 kept its key policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent, opting for caution as volatile crude oil prices, geopolitical tensions in West Asia and an uncertain global outlook cloud the inflation trajectory.

— While the central bank maintained the neutral policy stance and marginally raised its growth forecast for FY27 to 6.7 per cent from 6.6 per cent, it lowered its inflation projection to 5 per cent from 5.1 per cent, signalling confidence that price pressures will moderate over the course of the year despite near-term risks.

— The decision, taken unanimously by the six-member MPC chaired by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, means borrowing and deposit rates are expected to remain stable for now.

• RBI set to launch ‘Plastic’ Notes

— The RBI plans to launch polymer banknotes at the beginning of next financial year (FY28), and people will initially get hold of lower denomination “plastic” notes, that of Rs 10 and Rs 20.

— “Polymer notes have two purposes. One, it enhances the durability. This is relevant especially for the lower denominated notes with higher velocity. These notes have been in circulation for more than 30 years in various countries, and one finds that the life is much more, around 2-4 times the life of the paper currency,” Malhotra said at the central bank’s post monetary policy press conference.

— “The second purpose is to expand our capacity as the needs of the economy increase,” he said.

— The new notes will be checked for durability and adaptability to Indian conditions before the RBI clears it for circulation.

To read more on polymer banknotes (Plastic notes) click here.

• Securities Lending and Borrowing scheme

— The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is planning to revamp the Securities Lending and Borrowing scheme (SLB), launch Setu portal and a pilot project on the tokenisation of corporate bonds using distributed ledger technology.

— SLB scheme is a regulated mechanism that allows investors to lend their shares to other market participants for a fee, with the borrower obligated to return equivalent shares at the end of the agreed period. It plays an important role in enabling short selling, improving market liquidity, and supporting efficient price discovery.

— Setu is an online portal for SEBI-regulated intermediaries to register, file applications, pay fees and complete regulatory compliance tasks.

— Tokenisation of corporate bonds is the process of representing ownership or rights in a corporate bond as digital tokens on a blockchain. Each token can represent all or part of a bond, allowing it to be issued, traded and managed electronically.

Environment

• India’s 101st Ramsar Site

— Recently, Glaw Lake became Arunachal Pradesh’s first Ramsar site, and with it, India’s Ramsar sites tally reached 101. Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, on August 3, announced the designation of Glaw Lake as India’s 101st Ramsar Site.

— Located within the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, Glaw Lake is a pristine freshwater lake in the Eastern Himalayas and a biodiversity hotspot.

— The lake is fed by perennial mountain streams and is surrounded by lush vegetation, supporting rich floral diversity. The wetland has over 150 tree species and 49 orchid species recorded within the site and its catchment.

• Wild buffaloes

— With the wild buffalo population plummeting over the last few decades, the Chhattisgarh Forest Department is planning to translocate wild buffaloes from Assam and keep them in enclosures at the Pamed Wildlife Sanctuary, the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, and the Indravati Tiger Reserve (ITR). Wild buffalo is the state animal of Chhattisgarh, and officials hope the translocation will help boost their population naturally.

— India is home to more than 90% of the global wild water buffalo population (3,500-3,700 individuals), with most found in Assam (3,000-3,500) and smaller populations in Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra’s Kolamarka forests.

— In India, the wild buffalo enjoys the highest protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The 2016 IUCN Red List for threatened species — a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity — places it in the “endangered” category.

To read more on wild buffalo click here.

• Landslides in Kerala

— Two years after the devastating Wayanad landslides, exceptionally heavy rain triggered fresh landslides, mudslides and flooding across parts of Kerala on August 1, killing at least six people and leaving several others feared missing.

— Landslides are natural disasters that occur mainly in mountainous terrains with conducive soil, rock, geology and slope conditions. A sudden movement of rock, boulders, earth or debris down a slope is called a landslide.

— While they are fairly common, landslides are extremely hazardous and pose a threat to human and animal lives, damaging property, roads and bridges, disrupting communication lines and snapping power lines.

— Most landslides in India are rain-induced events. Other natural causes include earthquakes, snow-melting and undercutting of slopes due to flooding. They may also be caused by anthropogenic activities such as excavation, cutting of hills and trees, excessive infrastructure development, and overgrazing by cattle.

— Kerala’s landslide risk is largely concentrated along the Western Ghats. The region’s steep slopes, geology and changing land use make it inherently susceptible to landslides.

Health

• Cyclosporiasis outbreak 

— Two people have died in Michigan in the first reported US fatalities linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak associated with iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants, state health officials said on August 3.

— Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite, usually contracted through contaminated food or water.

— Severe diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal cramps, fatigue, loss of appetite and dehydration are the symptoms of Cyclosporiasis.

— Most infections are not fatal, but severe dehydration and complications can become life-threatening, especially for older adults or people with underlying medical conditions.

• Ebola outbreak 

— Ebola has killed more than 1,700 people in eastern Congo in what has become the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease, according to data — spreading faster than health officials can track and with patient zero still unidentified.

— It was not clear when the outbreak will reach its peak, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said on August 2 during his second visit to the town of Bunia, located near the epicenter of the outbreak in Ituri province.

— The outbreak, declared on May 15, has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.

— Ebola is a virus that can spread quickly and can be fatal in up to 90% of cases. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding and can start to occur between two and 21 days from infection, according to WHO.

— The virus is most often spread by close contact with bodily fluids of people exhibiting symptoms and with contaminated objects such as sheets.

Sports

• Commonwealth Games

— The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games concluded in Glasgow, Scotland, on August 2, 2026. The multi-sport event featured 215 medal events across ten sports, with the hosting baton officially passed to Ahmedabad (Amdavad), India, for the 2030 Games.

By the time the curtains came down in Glasgow on Sunday, India’s campaign had become one of its most memorable in recent CWG history. (AP Photo)

— India finished at fourth in the medal tally overall with 39 medals, including 13 gold, 17 silver, and nine bronze. Australia tops the medal standings with an overall 171 medals.

India’s medal splits at CWG 2026 in Glasgow.

— Notably, the Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event that brings together athletes from across the Commonwealth of Nations, a political association comprising the majority of former territories of the British Empire. First held as the British Empire Games in 1930, the event has evolved through several name changes, reflecting the changing geopolitical landscape and gradual decolonisation of the Empire.

— India made its debut at the second Commonwealth Games in 1934. It has since competed in all the except four editions of the Commonwealth Games. India did not participate in these four editions of the Commonwealth Games: 1930 (Hamilton), 1950 (Auckland), 1962 (Perth), and 1986 (Edinburgh).

— India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games at Delhi, and will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad.

— After the 2026 Commonwealth Games, India’s all-time Commonwealth Games medal tally now stands at 602 medals (215 gold, 207 silver, 180 bronze), placing them fourth in the all-time rankings behind Australia, England, and Canada.

— India’s most successful edition remains the 2010 Delhi Games, where the country recorded its best-ever performance with 101 medals (38 gold, 27 silver, 36 bronze) and finished second behind Australia.

• Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2026 Winner

— Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 2026 title on August 7, 2026, finishing 1.5 points ahead of runner-up Javokhir Sindarov with a dominant 23.5/36 score.

Praggnanandhaa celebrates with the trophy. (Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2026)

— The title not only filled Praggnanandhaa’s pocket with $50,000 (approx. ₹47.5 lakh) but also earned him 13 Grand Chess Tour points for finishing as the sole leader. The haul thrust him into second place on the GCT leaderboard, just half a point behind Fabiano Caruana. With that, he is now primed to qualify for the tour finals for the second consecutive year.

Awards

• Vikram Sarabhai Medal

— Astrophysicist Annapurni Subramaniam has been awarded the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal – 2026. The coveted medal was presented on August 3 during the ongoing 46th COSPAR Scientific Assembly underway at Florence, Italy.

— This international medal is awarded to scientists from developing countries for their outstanding contributions to the field of space research. It is awarded jointly by Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), an international body affiliated to the International Science Council and United Nations (through UN-COPUS) , and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

— The medal was constituted in 1990 in the honour of Vikram Sarabhai — the founder of India’s space programme and ISRO.

Professor Annapurni Subramaniam is the director of Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, and holds the additional charge as director of the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS). (Express Photo)

— Subramaniam is the only fourth Indian to receive this medal, in addition to being the first Indian woman scientist and only the third female recipients of this honour. Among the other Indian recipients of this medal include ISRO scientist and director of ISRO’s Physical Research Laboratory, Anil Bharadwaj (2024), Physicist Gurbax Singh Lakhina (2014) and eminent space scientist and former ISRO chairman, UR Rao, (1996).

— In 2024, Subramaniam was bestowed with Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar – Vigyan Shri in the Space Science and Technology category.

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.)

• TV Somanathan and Govind Mohan

— Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan will serve in their roles for one more year. The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet approved the extension of their tenures on Wednesday.

— In 2024, Somanathan took over as Cabinet Secretary following Rajiv Gauba’s superannuation. Gauba had been Cabinet Secretary since 2019 and completed an unprecedented five-year term. Somanathan was appointed Cabinet Secretary on August 10 for a two-year term. He will now serve one more year beyond August 30, 2026.

Home Secretary Govind Mohan (left) and Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan (Credit: Ministry of Home Affairs website, Wikimedia Commons)

— Govind Mohan, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Sikkim cadre, was named the Union Home Secretary in August 2024. He took over from Ajay Kumar Bhalla on completion of his tenure on August 22, 2024.

— Mohan will now serve as Home Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs up to “August 22, 2027 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, in relaxation of the provisions of FR 56 (d) and Rule 16 (1A) of the All lndia Services (Death-Cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958,” said the order issued by the Ministry of Personnel.

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.)

• Ceuta and Melilla 

— The Spanish territory of Ceuta, located on the North African coast, witnessed a surge of more than 50,000 migrants in just a few days late last month. The city has a total population of around 84,000. As of August 3, the vast majority of the migrants from neighbouring Morocco have been escorted back, with Spanish authorities executing over 48,000 returns within 48 hours.

— Ceuta and Melilla are Spain-controlled autonomous cities on the coast of North Africa and constitute the EU’s only land borders with Africa. Both are exclaves, or parts of a nation cut off from the mainland by another country. 

Map of Ceuta and Perejil Island, in Spain (Wikimedia Commons)

— Historically, Morocco has claimed the two as occupied African land while Spain has retained control of Ceuta since 1580 and Melilla since 1497. In 1978, the two exclaves were enshrined within the Spanish constitution as integral parts of the kingdom’s territory. The dispute has been a flashpoint in Spanish-Moroccan relations. 

Terms making Buzz

• Doxxing

— Women who recently participated in protests at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar are finding themselves at the centre of an online backlash. Social media accounts have shared videos and photographs of a number of such women at the protests, and made public their personal details such as phone numbers and home addresses. This has resulted in several instances of harassment, including rape and death threats.

— The act of publicly revealing private personal information to intimidate or shame someone is known as doxxing. Despite its severe real-world consequences, doxxing is not explicitly defined or penalised as a criminal offence under Indian law. Legal experts point out that victims have to navigate a patchwork of existing statutes under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act to find recourse.

Test Your Knowledge

(1) Consider the following statements with reference to the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund:

1. It aims to provide collateral-free, low-cost, long-term loans to private sector companies engaged in advanced research and innovation.

2. The fund is housed under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), a statutory body under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

(2) Consider the following statements:

1. These towns constitute Europe’s only land frontier with Africa and share a border with Morocco.

2. These are located strategically near the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.

3. These places have been the site of repeated attempts by migrants to enter Europe.

The above-mentioned statements refer to:

(a) Gibraltar and Tangier

(b) Algeciras and Ceuta

(c) Melilla and Gibraltar

(d) Ceuta and Melilla

(3) Consider the following statements with respect to National Circular Bioenergy Scheme:

1. The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

2. The scheme will be implemented between 2026-27 and 2031-32.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

For your suggestions and feedback, write to Roshni.yadav@indianexpress.com

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for July 2026. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨