Daily Current Affairs — 30 July 2026: NISAR Satellite Launch, Paper-Leak Bill Passed, CWG Medal Tally & Assam Flood Toll

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 was passed by the Lok Sabha via voice vote on Day 8 of the Monsoon Session (29 July 2026), after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi spoke during the debate; the Bill empowers states to set up fast-track courts for exam-fraud offences.

The Supreme Court on 29 July 2026 observed that the Rs 8-lakh annual income ceiling for EWS quota eligibility appears "prima facie reasonable," while hearing petitions challenging the criterion.

The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), under the Ministry of AYUSH, opened online applications in July 2026 for various posts spanning 180 vacancies.

The Sensex closed at 77,654.60 (up 888.68 points, 1.16%) and the Nifty 50 at 24,250.20 (up 264.85 points) on 29 July 2026 — the market's best single-day gain in weeks, led by an IT-stocks rally.

RBI's next bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee review is scheduled for 3-5 August 2026; the repo rate has held at 5.25% since the 61st MPC meeting in June 2026.

RBI's July 2026 Bulletin noted that FDI inflows in April-May 2026 ran higher year-on-year while Foreign Portfolio Investment turned positive in June and stayed positive through July, aided by the operational India-UK CETA.

India's social protection coverage crossed 100 crore beneficiaries (68.4% of the population) in 2026, up from 25 crore (19%) in 2015 — a milestone recognised by ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo at the 12th BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting in Hyderabad.

The Employees' Provident Fund Scheme 2026, Employees' Pension Scheme 2026 and Employees' Deposit-Linked Insurance Scheme 2026, notified by the Labour Ministry, came into force on 1 July 2026.

The National Health Mission unit in Janjgir-Champa, Chhattisgarh opened a July 2026 recruitment drive for 66 vacancies across Staff Nurse, Lab Technician, CHO and ANM posts.

The Bihar Cabinet approved Rs 23,698 crore for its Fourth Agriculture Roadmap and Rs 9,748 crore under the PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana for irrigation infrastructure on 29 July 2026, among 24 total agenda items cleared, including a new Bihar Sports Policy 2026.

Karnataka's Examination Authority (KEA) extended the last date for its Village Accountant (VAO) Recruitment 2026, which covers 572 posts.

Gujarat's Panch Mahotsav 2026 — a heritage festival of history, spirituality, art, music and cuisine — is being held at the UNESCO World Heritage Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park in July 2026.

Nominations for the Padma Awards' next cycle remain open until 31 July 2026, inviting recommendations across fields including art, science, public affairs and civil service.

The RBI approved former Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar's appointment as HDFC Bank's part-time Chairman for a three-year term effective 15 July 2026, filling the vacancy left by Atanu Chakraborty.

India's Spiritual Leaders Awards 2026, held at The Tivoli, Delhi on 29 July, honoured leaders and practitioners across spirituality, holistic wellness and community service.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 28-29 July 2026 for the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting preparing for the September summit, with a possible sideline meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held bilateral talks with senior leaders from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh and Myanmar in late July 2026 ahead of the BIMSTEC Security Summit, focused on defence and security cooperation.

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, in his 61st Independence Day address, called for reviving SAARC and offered Maldives as mediator; Bangladesh also voiced support for reviving the regional grouping.

NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), a joint earth-observation satellite mission, launched aboard a GSLV Mk II rocket from Sriharikota on 30 July 2026.

The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram held its 14th Convocation on 30 July 2026.

The Centre's Semicon 2.0 programme (Rs 1.27-lakh-crore outlay) is set to move from one-time grants toward milestone-based equity co-investment alongside venture capital firms for semiconductor startups, per July 2026 reports.

DRDO conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of the indigenous Pralay tactical ballistic missile on 28-29 July 2026 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha, validating its maximum and minimum range with precision.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled a policy for gender-neutral induction and career progression of officers in the Indian Coast Guard, reported in late July 2026.

DRDO highlighted seven indigenous defence technologies, in a report dated 29 July 2026, that it says place India among the world's advanced military powers.

Assam's flood death toll rose to 78 as of 30 July 2026 across 7 districts — Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Biswanath and Kamrup Metro — with over 3 lakh people affected; the state announced Rs 4-lakh ex gratia (no post-mortem required) plus Rs 5 lakh from the CM's Relief Fund for victims' families.

Maharashtra hosted the International Tiger Conference at IIM Nagpur on 29 July 2026 (International Tiger Day), releasing the "Nagpur Tiger Declaration 2026" policy roadmap for tiger conservation.

The IMD forecast heavy rain and thunderstorms for 30 July 2026 across Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar with wind gusts up to 60 kmph, prompting a waterlogging and traffic alert in the capital region.

Neeraj Chopra began his men's javelin CWG title-defence bid in the qualifying round on 30 July 2026 in Glasgow, alongside compatriots Yash Vir Singh and Rohit Yadav, while shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor competed in the final.

India's CWG 2026 medal tally reached 15 (3 gold, 9 silver, 3 bronze) after Day 6 (29 July), with Dilip Gavit winning gold and Mohammed Basil Morssinganakath silver in a 1-2 finish in men's T47 100m para-athletics, and Murali Sreeshankar taking silver in long jump.

Bihar approved its Sports Policy 2026 on 29 July 2026, including a "Win a Medal, Get a Job" provision offering government jobs to medal-winning athletes.