Current affairs — 30 July 2026

Prelims pointers

• The Bharatiya Antariksh Station is planned as a five-module indigenous space station targeted for 2035.
• The Union Cabinet approved development and launch of BAS-01 by 2028 under the revised Gaganyaan Programme in October 2024.
• The BAS-01 Baseline Design Review and system engineering are complete, and 31 baseline design documents have been released.
• The precursor missions TV-D1, IADT-01 and IADT-02 have been accomplished; G1 is the first uncrewed mission in advanced stages.
• Indigenous development has been approved for flight suits, viewports, crew seats and docking technology.

Prelims pointers

• Tata Memorial Centre is under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic Energy.
• TMC added ACTREC at Kharghar in 2002 to integrate cancer research, education and patient care.
• The 300-bed Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in New Chandigarh was commissioned on 24 August 2022.
• The Visakhapatnam centre was commissioned on 11 May 2023 with 210 beds.
• The Muzaffarpur centre was commissioned on 30 April 2025 with 107 beds.

Prelims pointers

• Twenty nuclear power reactors are under implementation, split into ten under construction and ten in pre-project activities.
• Kudankulam Units 3&4 and 5&6 together comprise four reactors of 1,000 MW each.
• Peak construction employment is estimated at around 8,000 people for each project.
• AERB continuously monitors and reviews nuclear-plant safety through its regulatory framework.
• BARC and Tata Memorial Centre jointly developed 90Y-BhabhaSphere for radio-embolisation of inoperable liver tumours.

Prelims pointers

• India presently has 24 nuclear power reactors in commercial operation.
• The 24 commercially operating nuclear reactors have a combined capacity of 8,780 MW.
• The PLF comparison covers the financial years 2019-20 through 2023-24.
• Major-refurbishment periods were excluded from the average PLF of nuclear power plants.
• KAPS-4 commenced commercial operation in March 2024 and was excepted from the period-wide comparison.

Prelims pointers

• The Nuclear Energy Mission roadmap targets 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047.
• Present nuclear capacity of 8.78 GW is expected to reach about 22 GW by 2031-32.
• NPCIL is envisaged to add 32 GW beyond 2032 and reach about 54 GW by 2047.
• The Government targets operationalisation of at least five indigenous small modular reactors by 2033.
• BARC is developing 220 MWe and 55 MWe small modular reactor designs and a gas-cooled reactor up to 5 MWth.

Prelims pointers

• APEDA facilitated the first sea shipment of flavoured makhana from Darbhanga to Canada on 29 July 2026.
• The seven-metric-tonne consignment was packed in two containers and dispatched through Mundra Port.
• Nutrivin Agro Private Limited processed and packaged the makhana to international quality and food-safety standards.
• The release states that Bihar accounts for the largest share of India's makhana production.
• Associated farmers realised over 50% higher returns through value addition and improved international market access.

Prelims pointers

• The proposed Telecom Manufacturing Zone in Gwalior is designed as a 350-acre plug-and-play industrial cluster.
• The proposed SPV will have 51% Madhya Pradesh equity and 49% Department of Telecommunications equity.
• The Central Government allocated ₹493 crore to fully support Phase-I core infrastructure.
• Madhya Pradesh offered about 170 acres free of cost, valued in the release at approximately ₹596 crore.
• The project is expected to generate about 14,000 direct skilled jobs, including roughly 3,500 in Phase I.

Prelims pointers

• C-DOT signed the tripartite agreement with IISc Bengaluru and the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development.
• The Centre of Excellence was established at FSID, IISc Bengaluru for indigenous advanced communication research.
• Its research scope includes wireless communications, quantum technologies, cybersecurity and AI-driven communication systems.
• The emerging research areas include 5G Advanced and 6G, very large-scale MIMO and integrated sensing and communication.
• The IISc Bengaluru collaboration brings C-DOT's total number of Centres of Excellence to five.

Prelims pointers

• India's BRICS Presidency hosted Culture Working Group meetings on 29–30 April and 5–6 June 2026.
• The meetings discussed copyright and the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence in the creative economy.
• Cultural Heritage Protection and Return of Cultural Property was identified as a priority area.
• BRICS members discussed coordinated efforts to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property.
• Recommendations from the second Culture Working Group meeting at Varanasi were shared with BRICS member states.

Prelims pointers

• The National Mission on Libraries has a component called Setting up of NML Model Libraries.
• Assistance was sanctioned for one State Central Library and one District Library in each State or Union Territory.
• The Ministry of Culture separately identified six libraries for assistance under the component.
• For 2025–26, the revised budget allocation was Rs 3,507 lakh and actual expenditure was Rs 3,244.08 lakh.
• Libraries are a state subject under the Seventh Schedule, and public libraries are controlled by State or UT authorities.

Prelims pointers

• Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana provides financial assistance to eligible cultural organisations and individual artists.
• Six KSVY components invited applications for grant year 2026–27.
• The Cultural Function and Production Grant Scheme had a submission deadline of 7 July 2026.
• Senior and junior artist fellowships and scholarships for young artists had deadlines of 31 July 2026.
• Repertory Grant applications are submitted through a dedicated paperless online portal.

Prelims pointers

• Hindustan Shipyard Limited delivered Nipun to the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam on 30 July 2026.
• Nipun is the second Diving Support Vessel and follows Indian Register of Shipping classification rules.
• The ship can undertake deep-sea saturation diving as well as rescue operations at sea.
• Its Remotely Operated Vehicles support diver monitoring and salvage operations.
• Nipun has nearly 75 per cent indigenous content and can serve as mother ship for a Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel.

Prelims pointers

• The Union Cabinet approved the Central Sector Scheme Mission Mausam in 2024.
• CWC issues short-range flood forecasts with lead times of up to 24 hours to concerned State governments.
• CWC maintains 32 flood-forecast stations in Assam across the Brahmaputra and Barak systems.
• IMD uses six physical numerical weather-prediction models and three artificial-intelligence-based models.
• Eight of CWC's 12 AI/ML-based level-forecast station models are in Assam's Brahmaputra basin.

Prelims pointers

• WMO and IMD do not officially define a category called Super El Nino.
• El Nino events are operationally classified as weak, moderate, strong or very strong.
• The classification is based on sea-surface-temperature anomalies over the equatorial central Pacific Ocean.
• El Nino conditions were weak in June 2026 and intensified to moderate levels in July 2026.
• IMD issues daily impact-based forecasts and risk-based warnings valid for the next seven days.

Prelims pointers

• ASI's Underwater Archaeology Wing is working at Dwarka, Bet Dwarka, Mahabalipuram and Karaikal.
• The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology has a government licence for underwater work at Poompuhar.
• The Marine Archaeology Centre of the National Institute of Oceanography is licensed for Bet Dwarka, Chhari and Gangata Bet.
• ASI's Underwater Archaeology Wing received Rs 66,50,000 for 2026–27 and had spent Rs 25,63,894.
• Vijay Durg and Janjira in Maharashtra are among five places identified for underwater work up to 2030.

Prelims pointers

• The meeting was the fourth special Cabinet Committee on Security meeting concerning the West Asia conflict.
• LPG procurement sources had been diversified, and stocks and supplies of major petroleum products were described as adequate.
• Adequate crude oil enabled CPSE refineries to operate above 100% utilisation and continue petroleum-product output.
• The Prime Minister directed uninterrupted fertilizer supply after Rabi-season requirements and alternate sources were discussed.
• A mechanism was sought to give seafarers and their families timely information, emergency assistance and counselling.

Prelims pointers

• India reached the landmark of 100 launches from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
• Chandrayaan-3 made India the first country to achieve a soft landing near the lunar south pole.
• Aditya-L1 made India the third country to place a solar observatory at the Sun-Earth L1 point.
• SPADEX made India the fourth country to demonstrate autonomous docking and undocking in space.
• Government reforms opened private participation through IN-SPACe and NSIL, supporting commercialization and technology transfers.

Prelims pointers

• BARC produces radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals that BRIT supplies to nuclear-medicine centres across India.
• The Radiation Medicine Research Centre in Kolkata has been operational since January 2024.
• DAE developed 177Lu-PSMA-617 for prostate-cancer therapy and supplies it through BRIT.
• DAE has developed 72 improved crop varieties using radiation-induced mutagenesis with cross-breeding.
• Forty-two food-irradiation facilities have been commissioned in India across government and private sectors.

Prelims pointers

• The reconstituted NABMGR held its first meeting on 29 July 2026 at ICAR-NBPGR in New Delhi.
• NABMGR was first constituted by the ICAR President in 2011 under the chairmanship of Dr R.S. Paroda.
• The Board coordinates policy across plant, animal, fish, microbial and insect genetic resources.
• Six ICAR National Bureaux presented achievements for 2021-2026 and roadmaps for 2026-2031.
• The Board suggested completing the National Safety Genebank for ICAR's centenary celebrations in 2028-29.

Prelims pointers

• The Competere Foundation report places India 57th, up 25 positions from 82nd, for the 2010-2023 period.
• The report assesses performance through its Market Distortions Performance Index.
• Its three pillars are property-rights protection, domestic competition and international competition.
• The report highlights GST, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, regulatory improvements and modernised trade facilitation.
• CTIL at IIFT organised the launch discussion with the Competere Foundation at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.