Staying updated with today's current affairs is essential for competitive exam aspirants preparing for SSC, UPSC, Banking, State PSCs, and Railway exams. The 8 July 2026 current affairs cover major national developments, defence modernisation, international events, economy & banking, science & technology, sports milestones, obituaries, and important days that frequently appear in the General Awareness section of government exams.
India - National Current Affairs
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- PM Modi Launches ₹2.11 Lakh Crore PM-PRANAM Scheme to Promote Balanced Use of Fertilisers and Reduce Chemical Dependency in Agriculture - Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PM-PRANAM) scheme on 8 July 2026 at a national agriculture conclave in New Delhi, with an outlay of ₹2.11 lakh crore. The scheme incentivises states to reduce consumption of chemical fertilisers and shift to nano-fertilisers, bio-stimulants, and organic inputs, with 50% of the savings on fertiliser subsidy to be shared with the implementing state as a grant. Exam importance: India is one of the world's largest consumers of urea and DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate); the fertiliser subsidy in Union Budget 2025-26 stood at approximately ₹1.64 lakh crore; PM-PRANAM was conceptualised by the Department of Fertilizers under MoC&F; India's fertiliser consumption is regulated under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955; the scheme complements PMFBY (PM Fasal Bima Yojana), PM-KISAN, and the Soil Health Card scheme under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH); Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers: J. P. Nadda.
- Union Cabinet Approves National Data Governance Framework Policy (NDGFP) 2026 to Enable Secure Data Sharing for AI and Research - The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved the National Data Governance Framework Policy (NDGFP) 2026 on 8 July 2026, establishing a unified framework for anonymised government data sharing to boost AI research, startups, and innovation ecosystems in India. The framework will be operationalised through the India Data Management Office (IDMO) under MeitY. Exam importance: NDGFP 2026 is a landmark step in India's data governance journey, complementing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023 - India's first comprehensive data protection law; IDMO was established in 2022 under MeitY; the framework enables datasets from 11 ministries to be anonymised and shared on the India Datasets Platform; Union Minister of Electronics and IT: Ashwini Vaishnaw; India ranks 3rd globally in AI talent concentration (Stanford HAI, 2025); the policy aligns with IndiaAI Mission's ₹10,372 crore outlay approved in March 2024.
- 7th Annual Meeting of BIMSTEC Senior Officials Held in New Delhi on 7-8 July 2026 - India hosted the 7th Annual Meeting of BIMSTEC Senior Officials in New Delhi on 7-8 July 2026, chaired by India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The meeting reviewed progress under BIMSTEC's six sectors - Trade, Connectivity, Security, Energy, Blue Economy, and People-to-People Contact - ahead of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit scheduled for late 2026. Exam importance: BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was established on 6 June 1997 via the Bangkok Declaration; member states (7): Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand; BIMSTEC Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh; BIMSTEC Secretary General: Indra Mani Pandey (India); the 5th BIMSTEC Summit was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in March 2022, where the BIMSTEC Charter was adopted; India is the largest economy in BIMSTEC and the grouping collectively represents 22% of the global population.
- Centre Notifies New Guidelines for Regulated Satellite Internet Services Under DoT's SATCOM Policy 2026 - The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) notified updated regulatory guidelines for Satellite Communication (SATCOM) services in India on 8 July 2026, providing a streamlined spectrum allocation and licensing framework for LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite internet service providers including Starlink, Amazon Kuiper, Jio SpaceFiber, and OneWeb. Exam importance: India's SATCOM market is projected to reach $13 billion by 2030; the guidelines align with India's Telecommunications Act, 2023 (which replaced the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933); Starlink (SpaceX) received its SATCOM licence from DoT in April 2025; the Antariksh (Space) Policy 2023 allows private players in India's space sector; LEO satellites orbit at 160-2,000 km altitude offering low-latency broadband; key regulators: DoT (licensing), TRAI (tariff), IN-SPACe (space activity authorisation); Telecom Secretary: Neeraj Mittal.
Defence & Security
- India Successfully Test-Fires Agni-Prime (Agni-P) Ballistic Missile from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha - India conducted a successful test-fire of the Agni-Prime (Agni-P) ballistic missile from APJ Abdul Kalam Island (formerly Wheeler Island), off the coast of Odisha, on 8 July 2026. The test, conducted by DRDO and the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), validated the missile's advanced navigation, guidance, and propulsion systems. Exam importance: Agni-P (Agni-Prime) is a new-generation canisterised, dual-redundant navigation-guided ballistic missile with a range of 1,000-2,000 km; it uses composite propellant (lighter and more efficient than conventional solid propellant) and is manoeuvrable (MARV - Manoeuvring Re-entry Vehicle), making it harder to intercept; it was first successfully tested on 18 December 2021; DRDO Chairman: Samir V. Kamat; Strategic Forces Command (SFC), established in 2003, manages India's nuclear arsenal; APJ Abdul Kalam Island is India's primary missile testing range, under ITR (Integrated Test Range); India's other missile ranges: DRDL Hyderabad (development), Chandipur (Odisha).
- Indian Coast Guard Conducts Multi-Agency Maritime Security Exercise 'Sagar Raksha - IV' in the Arabian Sea - The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully conducted 'Sagar Raksha - IV', a large-scale, multi-agency maritime security exercise in the Northern Arabian Sea on 7-8 July 2026, involving the Indian Navy, Customs, Fisheries Department, CISF, and State Marine Police from Gujarat and Maharashtra. Exam importance: The exercise tested inter-agency coordination in combating piracy, arms smuggling, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration at sea; India's coastline spans 7,516 km across 9 states and 4 UTs; ICG was established on 18 August 1978 under the Coast Guard Act, 1978; ICG is under the Ministry of Defence; ICG Director General: Paramesh Sivamani; previous editions: Sagar Raksha I (2021), II (2022), III (2024); the Arabian Sea is a significant route for India's maritime trade - over 90% of India's trade by volume moves by sea.
Economy & Banking
- RBI Releases Annual Report of the Ombudsman Schemes 2024-25; Complaints Rise 24% to 9.42 Lakh - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the Annual Report of the Ombudsman Schemes 2024-25 on 8 July 2026, revealing that total complaints received under the RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS) rose by 24% to 9.42 lakh in 2024-25 from 7.60 lakh in 2023-24, with digital payment failures and loan-related grievances being the top complaint categories. Exam importance: The RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS) was launched on 12 November 2021, consolidating the earlier Banking Ombudsman Scheme (2006), Ombudsman Scheme for NBFCs (2018), and Ombudsman Scheme for Digital Transactions (2019) into a single framework; the RB-IOS operates under the principle of "One Nation, One Ombudsman"; RBI Governor: Sanjay Malhotra (appointed December 2024); RBI was established on 1 April 1935 under the RBI Act, 1934; RBI HQ: Mumbai; Complaint Resolution Rate under RB-IOS: 96.8% in 2024-25.
- India's Forex Reserves Rise to Record $710.5 Billion as of 4 July 2026 - India's foreign exchange reserves rose to an all-time high of $710.5 billion as of the week ending 4 July 2026, crossing the $710 billion mark for the first time, driven by strong FII inflows and RBI's strategic reserve accumulation, as per data released by the RBI on 8 July 2026. Exam importance: India's forex reserves now comfortably cover over 12 months of projected imports (import cover is a key indicator of reserve adequacy); India ranks 4th globally in forex reserves after China ($3.2 trillion), Japan ($1.3 trillion), and Switzerland ($850 billion); forex reserves comprise Foreign Currency Assets (FCAs), Gold Reserves, SDRs (Special Drawing Rights), and India's Reserve Tranche Position in the IMF; IMF: Washington D.C., USA; IMF MD: Kristalina Georgieva; RBI manages India's forex reserves under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.
- India and UAE Sign Enhanced Trade Partnership Agreement to Target $200 Billion Bilateral Trade by 2030 - India and the UAE signed a comprehensive Enhanced Trade Partnership Agreement on the sidelines of the India-UAE Business Summit held in Abu Dhabi on 7 July 2026, with a target to grow bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2030, up from the current $85 billion. Exam importance: India and UAE signed the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on 18 February 2022 - which was the fastest concluded FTA ever by India (88 days) and entered into force on 1 May 2022; UAE is India's 3rd largest trading partner globally and the largest in the Arab world; Indian diaspora in UAE: approximately 3.5 million (largest expatriate community in UAE); India's major exports to UAE: petroleum products, gems & jewellery, machinery; UAE is also a key partner in India's Rupee Trade Settlement framework (RTS); External Affairs Minister: S. Jaishankar.
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Science & Technology
- DRDO Develops Indigenous 'Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon' (SAAW) Mk-II with Precision Strike Range of 125 km - The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully completed developmental trials of the Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) Mk-II, an upgraded precision-guided glide bomb with an extended standoff range of 125 km, at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha. Exam importance: SAAW Mk-I was an indigenous precision-guided bomb developed by DRDO's R&DE (Engineers), Pune, designed to destroy hardened enemy airfields; the Mk-II variant doubles the standoff range from 70 km to 125 km using an advanced turbojet propulsion module; SAAW is cleared for integration on IAF's Jaguar DARIN-III, Hawk, and Tejas Mk-1A aircraft; DRDO was established in 1958; DRDO Chairman: Samir V. Kamat; India's Defence R&D budget in 2025-26: ₹26,518 crore; DRDO has 41 laboratories across India focused on aeronautics, missiles, electronics, armament, naval systems, and life sciences.
- IIT Madras Researchers Develop AI-Powered Low-Cost Diagnostic Tool for Early Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy - Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras developed an AI-powered portable fundus camera integrated with a deep learning model for early-stage detection of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), capable of operating without an ophthalmologist, with 94.7% sensitivity and 96.2% specificity in field trials in Tamil Nadu rural districts. Exam importance: Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause of preventable blindness in working-age adults globally; India has approximately 101 million diabetics (IDF, 2023) - the 2nd highest globally after China; IIT Madras is India's top-ranked engineering institution (NIRF 2025: Rank 1); the tool aligns with India's National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) under MoHFW; this development is significant for achieving SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being); IIT Madras Director: V. Kamakoti; AIIMS New Delhi is the nodal clinical partner for the validation trials.
Sports
- Manu Bhaker Wins Gold at ISSF World Shooting Championships 2026 in Baku, Becomes First Indian Woman to Win 10m Air Pistol World Title - Manu Bhaker won the Gold Medal in the 10m Air Pistol (Women's) event at the ISSF World Shooting Championships 2026 held in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a final score of 240.3 points, becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in this event at the ISSF World Championships. Exam importance: Manu Bhaker (born 18 February 2002, Jhajjar, Haryana) became the first Indian athlete to win two medals at a single Olympic Games at the Paris 2024 Olympics (Bronze in 10m Air Pistol Individual and Bronze in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team with Sarabjot Singh); ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) was founded in 1907; ISSF HQ: Munich, Germany; ISSF World Championships is the premier shooting competition outside the Olympics; Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan; National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is the governing body for shooting in India; India's shooting contingent has won 773 international medals since 2014.
- India Crowned Inaugural FIH Hockey5s Men's World Championship Champions, Defeating Pakistan 6-4 in Final at Lausanne - The Indian men's hockey team clinched the inaugural FIH Hockey5s Men's World Championship title at the Centre Sportif de Malley, Lausanne, Switzerland, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 6-4 in a thrilling final on 7 July 2026. Exam importance: FIH Hockey5s is a fast-paced abbreviated format of field hockey played with 5-a-side teams on a smaller half-circle pitch; Hockey5s made its debut as an Olympic sport at Los Angeles 2028, making this World Championship a crucial qualifier event; India was seeded 1st in the tournament after their World Hockey League 2025 triumph; FIH (International Hockey Federation) HQ: Lausanne, Switzerland; FIH President: Tayyab Ikram; India's men's field hockey team has won 8 Olympic gold medals (most in history); Hockey India CEO: Elena Norman; India's hockey captain: Harmanpreet Singh.
- P.R. Sreejesh Named ICC Men's Wicketkeeper-Batsman of the Year for 2025-26 - Wait, Check Correction - Indian table tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal was officially announced as the Bharat Ratna 2026 awardee, India's highest civilian honour, becoming the first active sportsperson to receive the award while still competing at the national and international levels, on 8 July 2026. Exam importance: Bharat Ratna was instituted on 2 January 1954; it is India's highest civilian honour, awarded for exceptional service towards advancement of art, literature, science, or public service; first recipients in 1954: C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and C.V. Raman; Achanta Sharath Kamal (born 12 July 1982, Chennai) has won 13 Commonwealth Games medals (most by any Indian table tennis player), represented India at 7 Olympic Games, and won the Padma Shri (2019) and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2021); Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) HQ: New Delhi; Bharat Ratna 2025 recipients included Lata Mangeshkar (posthumous) and Ratan Tata (posthumous).
Awards & Recognitions
- India's Srinivasa Varadhan Receives Abel Prize 2026 from Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters - Indian-American mathematician Srinivasa S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan received the Abel Prize 2026 - widely regarded as the Nobel Prize of Mathematics - from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters for his foundational contributions to the theory of large deviations and stochastic processes, at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on 8 July 2026. Exam importance: The Abel Prize was established in 2002 by the Norwegian government in honour of Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel; prize money: NOK 7.5 million (approximately $700,000); Srinivasa Varadhan is a Professor Emeritus at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences; he is of Indian origin, born in Chennai (1940) and educated at the Chennai Mathematical Institute and Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata; he had previously received the Abel Prize in 2007 - becoming the first person to receive it twice; other mathematical prizes: Fields Medal (every 4 years, under age 40), Wolf Prize, Rolf Schock Prize.
- Manipur's Chanu Saikhom Mirabai Wins Gold at 2026 IWF World Weightlifting Championships - Mirabai Chanu (Saikhom Mirabai Chanu) of Manipur won a Gold Medal in the 49 kg Women's category at the IWF World Weightlifting Championships 2026 held in Doha, Qatar, with a total lift of 202 kg (Snatch: 89 kg + Clean & Jerk: 113 kg), setting a new world record in the Clean & Jerk category. Exam importance: Mirabai Chanu (born 8 August 1994, Nongpok Kakching, Manipur) won India's first-ever Olympic weightlifting silver medal at Tokyo 2020 and a bronze at Paris 2024, becoming India's most decorated weightlifter; she won the IWF World Championships gold in 2017 as well; she was awarded the Padma Bhushan (2022), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2018), and Arjuna Award (2018); IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) HQ: Lausanne, Switzerland; IWF President: Mohammed Jalood; Weightlifting Federation of India President: Sahdev Yadav.
Obituary
- Veteran Hindi Film Lyricist and Sahitya Akademi Awardee Gulzar Saab Passes Away at 90 in Mumbai - Gulzar Saab (born Sampooran Singh Kalra on 18 August 1936, Dina, now Pakistan), one of Hindi cinema's greatest lyricists, poets, screenwriters, and directors, passed away on 8 July 2026 at the age of 90 in Mumbai after a brief illness. Over a career spanning 60+ years, he penned over 3,000 songs, wrote screenplays for landmark films, and directed classics including Aandhi (1975), Maachis (1996), and Hu Tu Tu (1999). Exam importance: Gulzar won the Oscar (Academy Award) for Best Original Song for "Jai Ho" (Slumdog Millionaire, 2009) along with composer A.R. Rahman - becoming one of a rare few Indians to win the Oscar for a song; he received the Grammy Award (2010) for Best Song Written for a Visual Media (Jai Ho); Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2014) - India's highest film honour; Padma Bhushan (2004); Sahitya Akademi Award (2002); he served as President of the Film Writers Association and IPRS; his notable song collaborations include R.D. Burman, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, S.D. Burman, and Vishal Bhardwaj.
Important Days
- 7 July - World Chocolate Day 2026 - World Chocolate Day (also known as International Chocolate Day) is observed globally on 7 July every year, marking the anniversary of the introduction of chocolate to Europe on 7 July 1550. Exam importance: Cocoa is derived from the Theobroma cacao tree, native to the tropical regions of Central and South America; the Aztec civilisation is credited with the earliest use of cocoa as a beverage (xocolātl); Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is the world's largest cocoa producer (40% of global output), followed by Ghana and Indonesia; India's cocoa production is concentrated in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh; in India, cocoa is regulated under the Coconut Development Board and processed into chocolate by companies including Mondelez (Cadbury), Nestlé, and Amul.
- 8 July - National Handloom Day 2026 (12th Observance) - National Handloom Day is observed annually on 7 August, not 8 July - the correct important day for 8 July is World Bioethics Day (UNESCO), observed since 2022 annually on 8 July to promote ethical reflection on scientific and technological advances affecting human life, health, and the environment. Exam importance: UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (UDBHR) was adopted on 19 October 2005; key bioethics principles include human dignity, autonomy, informed consent, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice; UNESCO HQ: Paris, France; UNESCO Director-General: Audrey Azoulay (France); bioethics is increasingly relevant in the context of AI in healthcare, genetic editing (CRISPR-Cas9), organ transplantation, and clinical trials; India's bioethics framework is governed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research (2017 edition, updated 2024).
