Daily Current Affairs July 29, 2026

Current Affairs and GK updates 29/07/2026

Here is the Daily current affairs and GK updates of the day for UPSC,SSC,IBPS,RRB,NTPC and other competitive exams preparations.This updates particularly focus on news updates from 29th July 2026.

National

• Ministry of Panchayati Raj Launches Atmanirbhar Panchayat Initiatives:The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) launched the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, unveiled the SAMARTH Panchayat Portal, and released the Model Own Source of Revenue (OSR) Rules in New Delhi.The initiative aims to enhance the financial autonomy, digital governance, and local revenue mobilisation capacity of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in line with Viksit Bharat@2047.
• Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) 20th Foundation Day:MoES commemorated its 20th Foundation Day with the launch of new ocean and weather science initiatives.
• DAANVEER Initiative Launched for Gram Panchayats:The Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched the DAANVEER initiative on 29 July 2026 to strengthen digital infrastructure in Gram Panchayats.The initiative allows citizens and organisations to voluntarily contribute computers to eligible Gram Panchayats through the Meri Panchayat app. It has been developed in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and DigiHaat.
• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued a fresh draft notification proposing around 56,825.7 sq km of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).The notification is important for biodiversity conservation and regulation of environmentally damaging activities in the Western Ghats.
• Kavach Version 4.0 successfully commissioned to enhance passengers’ safety:Kavach Version 4.0 has been successfully commissioned on two thousand 569 Route Kilometres covering the high density Delhi- Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes as on 20th of this month.
• Machilipatnam, the seventh of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC), being built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for the Indian Navy, was launched today. The Ministry of Defence said that Machilipatnam is equipped for Underwater Surveillance, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations, and Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), along with Mine Warfare capability. It added that the ship will further bolster coastal defence and enhance maritime domain awareness.

International

• India has emerged as the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers, contributing 311,936 maritime professionals to the global shipping industry. According to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026, India now accounts for 12.16 per cent of the global seafaring workforce, ranking behind only the Philippines and ahead of China, the Russian Federation and Indonesia.

Economy and banking

• The Reserve Bank of India has said that the operations of Paytm Payments Bank Limited will be wound up and has appointed former Chief General Manager of SBI, Girikumar Nair, as the Official Liquidator. The central bank said the decision follows the orders of the Delhi High Court allowing the winding-up of the bank as per the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and the Companies Act, 2013.The RBI had announced the cancellation of the banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank, citing serious regulatory violations and concerns over the manner in which the bank’s affairs were conducted.
• India Revises CPI Base Year to 2024.The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) revised India's Consumer Price Index (CPI) series, changing the base year from 2012=100 to 2024=100.
• The revised series incorporates changes in household consumption patterns and expands price collection.
• The new CPI basket contains 358 items, compared with 299 items under the previous series. Price collection has also been expanded to online markets to capture changing consumption patterns. 

Appointments

• Ngulkham Jathom Gangte Appointed India's Next Ambassador to Mexico:The Ministry of External Affairs announced Ngulkham Jathom Gangte as India's next Ambassador to Mexico.

Sports and culture

• India's Strong Performance at Commonwealth Games 2026:The Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 continued on 29 July, with Indian athletes competing in several disciplines.Recent Indian medal winners included:
• Sharmila Dhankar – Gold, Women's F57 Shot Put
• Sarvesh Kushare – Silver, Men's High Jump
• Gulveer Singh – Silver, Men's 10,000m
• Gyaneshwari Yadav – Silver, Weightlifting
• Valluri Ajaya Babu – Silver, Weightlifting
• Bindyarani Devi – Bronze, Weightlifting

Awards and recognition

• Fields Medal 2026 Awarded:The Fields Medal 2026 was awarded to four mathematicians:
• Hong Wang
• Yu Deng
• John Pardon
• Jacob Tsimerman
• The Fields Medal is one of the most prestigious international awards in mathematics and is often described as the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics", although it is not officially a Nobel Prize.

Days Observed

• July 29: International Tiger Day (Global Tiger Day) — Celebrated annually to raise awareness about tiger conservation; first established in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia.
• Theme / Focus: Landscape-based conservation, habitat corridors, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation.
• July 29: 20th Foundation Day of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• July 29:Guru Purnima, also known as Vyasa Purnima, is being celebrated today. The festival is dedicated to spiritual and academic teachers. On the occasion, people remember and express their gratitude to their Gurus, who guide and shape their lives with their wisdom and blessings. Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon on this occasion after attaining enlightenment. Lord Buddha travelled to Sarnath from Bodhgaya and delivered his sermon on the full moon day. Thus, followers of Buddha worship him on this day.

Static GK for exam preparations

• Tiger Conservation in India (Project Tiger & NTCA):Project Tiger: Launched on April 1, 1973, from Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand.
• National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA): Statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, established in 2005 following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended in 2006).
• Global Status: India is home to approximately 75% of the world's wild tiger population.
• Tx2 Goal: Adopted at the 2010 St. Petersburg Tiger Summit, targeting to double wild tiger numbers by 2022 (India achieved this target well ahead of the deadline).
• Producer Price Index (PPI) vs. Wholesale Price Index (WPI):WPI: Measures average changes in prices of goods at the wholesale level (first point of commercial transaction); excludes services.
• PPI: Measures the average change in the sale prices received by domestic producers for their output of goods and services; eliminates the distorting effect of trade margins and indirect taxes.
• Western Ghats Conservation Committees:
• Madhav Gadgil Committee (2011): Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP); recommended designating the entire Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) divided into three graded zones (ESZ-1, ESZ-2, ESZ-3).
• K. Kasturirangan Committee (2013): High-Level Working Group (HLWG); recommended demarcating ~37% of the total Western Ghats area as ecologically sensitive.

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