Daily Current Affairs 7 August 2026: Important GK Updates for UPSC, SSC, Banking & Railways Exams
This article covers the complete Daily Current Affairs of 7 August 2026, including RBI keeping the repo rate unchanged at 5.25%, NITI Aayog's Reimagining Care report, India's first fully annotated T2T reference genome for pigeonpea, the Supreme Court's revised third-party motor insurance rules, Chhattisgarh's Rs 500-crore AI Mission and major state policy developments. It includes exam-ready one-liners, quick-fact cards and FAQs for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railways, Insurance, Defence and State PSC exams.
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Introduction to Current Affairs 7 August 2026
The Current Affairs of 7 August 2026 are dominated by important developments in monetary policy, governance, science, social policy and state administration. Major exam-focused stories include the RBI Monetary Policy Committee decision, NITI Aayog's caregiving roadmap, India's first fully annotated pigeonpea T2T genome, revised motor-insurance requirements and Chhattisgarh's ambitious Artificial Intelligence Mission.
For competitive examinations, these updates are useful for both direct factual questions and concept-based General Awareness. Aspirants can regularly follow the daily current affairs section to revise important names, institutions, schemes, reports, policy rates, appointments, awards, science developments and important days in an exam-oriented format.
National Current Affairs
Supreme Court Revises Third-Party Insurance Cover for New Vehicles
Why in News: In August 2026, the Supreme Court of India, through a Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, extended the mandatory third-party insurance period for newly purchased vehicles by one year to strengthen compliance with the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Quick Facts
- New cars: mandatory third-party insurance cover of 4 years.
- New two-wheelers: mandatory third-party cover of 6 years.
- Legal basis: Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
- Insurance regulator: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
- IRDAI is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Key Highlights
- The Court directed IRDAI to implement the revised insurance periods.
- A proposed four-layer insurance framework would combine mandatory third-party protection with optional add-ons.
- IRDAI and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways were asked to explore a "No Insurance, No Fuel" pilot.
- Third-party insurance covers legal liability arising from injury, death or property damage caused to another party.
- The decision is aimed at improving compliance among vehicle owners and reducing the number of uninsured vehicles.
Chhattisgarh Cabinet Approves Rs 500-Crore Artificial Intelligence Mission
Why in News: On 5 August 2026, the Chhattisgarh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai approved a Rs 500-crore Artificial Intelligence Mission aligned with the IndiaAI Mission to expand AI infrastructure, skills, startups and digital governance across the state.
Quick Facts
- Total proposed outlay: Rs 500 crore.
- Target: establish 100 AI Data Labs.
- Target: create 5 Centres of Excellence over five years.
- Training target: 6 lakh students and 1.5 lakh government employees.
- Chhattisgarh was formed on 1 November 2000; capital: Raipur.
Key Highlights
- The mission seeks to support more than 300 AI startups.
- More than 50 AI-enabled public services are proposed for government service delivery.
- Priority areas include education, skills, startups and digital governance.
- The Cabinet also approved concessional land for BEML Limited for a heavy earth-moving equipment manufacturing facility.
- The initiative seeks to create a state-level AI ecosystem while complementing India's national AI programme.
Government Schemes
National Circular Bioenergy Scheme Gets Rs 23,731-Crore Outlay
Why in News: The Union Cabinet approved the National Circular Bioenergy Scheme under the GOBARdhan initiative with an outlay of Rs 23,731 crore for 10 years, focusing on waste-to-wealth, cleaner energy production and improved management of biodegradable waste.
Quick Facts
- Total outlay: Rs 23,731 crore.
- Implementation period: 10 years.
- Umbrella initiative: GOBARdhan.
- Primary outputs include biogas and compressed biogas.
- Feedstock can include cattle dung, agricultural residue, municipal organic waste and other biodegradable material.
Key Highlights
- The programme promotes the concept of waste-to-wealth by converting organic waste into usable energy.
- It supports India's transition towards a circular economy and improved waste management.
- Expanded bioenergy production can reduce pollution and dependence on conventional fuels.
- The initiative is expected to generate opportunities in rural waste collection, processing and bioenergy production.
- It also connects waste management with India's renewable-energy and climate objectives.
Reports & Indices
NITI Aayog Releases 'Reimagining Care' Report for Viksit Bharat@2047
Why in News: On 5 August 2026, NITI Aayog released the report "Reimagining Care: Strategies for Empowering Caregivers in Viksit Bharat@2047", outlining a roadmap to professionalise India's caregiving ecosystem through policy reforms, workforce development, institutional support and social-security measures.
Quick Facts
- Report released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairperson Ashok Kumar Lahiri.
- NITI Aayog Member: Dr. R. Balasubramaniam.
- Chief Executive Officer: Nidhi Chhibber.
- NITI Aayog was established on 1 January 2015.
- The Prime Minister serves as its ex-officio Chairperson.
Key Highlights
- The report recommends a National Policy on Caregiving.
- It proposes establishing a National Caregiver Council for standards, training, accreditation and certification.
- A National Caregiver Registry is proposed to improve professional recognition and workforce organisation.
- The roadmap covers support for professional and family caregivers, including those serving elderly persons and persons with disabilities.
- It aims to develop caregiving as a skilled employment sector and position India in the global care economy.
Economy & Banking
RBI Keeps Repo Rate Unchanged at 5.25% in Third Bi-Monthly Policy
Why in News: The Reserve Bank of India Monetary Policy Committee, which met from 3-5 August 2026 under Governor Sanjay Malhotra, unanimously retained the policy repo rate at 5.25% and maintained a neutral monetary-policy stance.
Quick Facts
- Policy repo rate: 5.25%.
- Standing Deposit Facility rate: 5.00%.
- Marginal Standing Facility rate: 5.50%.
- Bank Rate: 5.50%.
- RBI was established on 1 April 1935 and is headquartered in Mumbai.
Key Highlights
- The Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to keep the policy repo rate unchanged.
- RBI retained a neutral stance, allowing flexibility in responding to inflation and growth conditions.
- The FY 2026-27 GDP growth projection was revised upward to 6.7% from 6.6%.
- CPI inflation for FY27 was projected at 5.0%.
- RBI also released draft guidelines relating to on-tap licensing of Urban Co-operative Banks.
Science & Technology
ICAR Develops India's First Fully Annotated T2T Genome of Pigeonpea
Why in News: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research released India's first fully annotated telomere-to-telomere reference genome of pigeonpea, developed by the ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology using the 'Asha' variety of Arhar or Tur.
Quick Facts
- Genome assembly: NIPBCcT2T4.
- Genome size: 752.65 million base pairs.
- Structure: 11 chromosomes, 11 centromeres and 22 telomeres.
- Genes identified: 36,557, producing 48,008 mRNAs.
- Developed by ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi.
Key Highlights
- The completed assembly provides a continuous genetic reference from one telomere to the other.
- ICAR-NIPB had earlier published a draft pigeonpea genome in 2011 and an improved version in 2017.
- The reference genome was deposited in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database.
- The resource can support crop improvement, genomic breeding and identification of useful traits.
- It supports India's Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, which targets 35 million tonnes of pulse production by 2030-31.
National Current Affairs
Tamil Nadu Presents FY 2026-27 Budget with Major Education and Welfare Outlays
Why in News: Tamil Nadu Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson presented the state's FY 2026-27 Budget in August 2026, with major allocations for education, healthcare, energy, welfare, transport and sports infrastructure, alongside a long-term target of building a USD 1.5-trillion state economy.
Quick Facts
- Education allocation: Rs 52,920 crore.
- Health allocation: Rs 23,357 crore.
- Energy allocation: Rs 15,828 crore.
- Social welfare allocation: Rs 9,818 crore.
- Fiscal deficit estimated at 3% of GSDP.
Key Highlights
- The Budget earmarked Rs 44,527 crore for school education and Rs 8,393 crore for higher education.
- It proposed 10 Olympic Centres of Excellence with an allocation of Rs 50 crore.
- The free-electricity limit was raised to 200 units bi-monthly with a related allocation of Rs 1,545 crore.
- The government proposed 1,000 AC electric buses for Chennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation.
- More than Rs 1,300 crore was allocated to two gold-assistance welfare schemes.
Current Affairs One-Liners
Quick Revision
- RBI repo rate → 5.25% → MPC retained a neutral stance in its August 2026 meeting.
- FY27 GDP forecast → 6.7% → revised upward by the Reserve Bank of India.
- Reimagining Care report → NITI Aayog → recommends a National Policy on Caregiving and National Caregiver Council.
- Pigeonpea T2T genome → ICAR-NIPB → India's first fully annotated T2T reference genome uses Asha variety.
- New-car third-party insurance → 4 years → Supreme Court extended mandatory coverage by one year.
- New two-wheeler third-party insurance → 6 years → revised mandatory cover under Supreme Court directions.
- Chhattisgarh AI Mission → Rs 500 crore → targets 100 AI Data Labs, five CoEs and over 300 startups.
- National Circular Bioenergy Scheme → Rs 23,731 crore → ten-year programme linked to the GOBARdhan initiative.
- Tamil Nadu education allocation → Rs 52,920 crore → announced in the FY 2026-27 state Budget.
- BRICS Payment Task Force → 6th meeting → focused on cross-border payments, interoperability and local-currency settlements.
- Pawan Hans-Noemi Aerospace MoU → electric seaplanes → explores sustainable aviation, technical cooperation, skills and feasibility studies.
- Bajaj General Insurance-Swiss Re → commercial insurance partnership → aims to support Indian businesses operating across international markets.
- COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026 → Annapurni Subramaniam → first Indian woman scientist to receive the honour.
- COSPAR honour milestone → Annapurni Subramaniam became the 4th Indian recipient and third woman globally.
- SEBI Executive Director → Prasanta Mahapatra → took charge on 6 August 2026.
- Air India CEO and MD → Tewolde Gebremariam → former Ethiopian Airlines Group chief executive.
- Air India-Azerbaijan Airlines → codeshare partnership → covers daily Delhi-Baku and Mumbai-Baku services.
- Cabinet Secretary extension → T. V. Somanathan → received a one-year service extension beyond 30 August 2026.
- Union Home Secretary → Govind Mohan → extension approved until 22 August 2027.
- International postings → Rahul Jain, Baldeo Purushartha and Satyajit Mohanty → assigned roles linked to IMF, ADB and ICAO respectively.
- Massachusetts India Day → 15 August 2026 → proclaimed by Massachusetts and Boston authorities.
- Hiroshima Day 2026 → 6 August → marked the 81st anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing.
- National Javelin Day → 7 August → commemorates Neeraj Chopra's Tokyo Olympic javelin gold.
- Lalit Kala Akademi → 72nd Foundation Day → celebrations held at Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi.
- 'As Seen on Netflix' → Incredible India portal → Culture and Tourism Ministries partnered with Netflix India to promote cultural tourism.
- Jupiter Wagons-Lucchini RS → railwheel manufacturing → partnership includes wheels, axles and wheelsets with Italian investment participation.
- Telangana emergency system → Dial 112 → unified police, fire, ambulance, disaster and safety services.
- Alaboi Ron Smriti Divas → 357th observance → Assam commemorated Ahom warriors killed in the 1669 Battle of Alaboi.
- Cross-border e-commerce exports → inventory-based framework → operationalised under Foreign Trade Policy 2023 for organised export fulfilment.
- Operation Trishul → 274 fugitives from 36 countries → returned to India between 2019 and August 2026.
- New seahorse species → Hippocampus amandavincentae → identified by a KUFOS-led research team in the Indian Ocean.
- Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission → WHO SEARN Regional Centre of Excellence → recognised for pharmacovigilance and pharmaceutical quality.
- Gujarat analogue dairy ban → paneer, cheese and butter substitutes → unauthorised products prohibited under food-safety enforcement.
- Bihar medical education → 16 medical and dental colleges → Cabinet approved operation under PPP mode.
- New Flying Training Organisations → 11 FTOs at 7 AAI airports → expected to add 750 pilot-training seats annually.
- GlobalPay RBI licence → Authorised Dealer Category II → permits expanded regulated foreign-exchange and cross-border payment services.
- Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple → Permanent Pictorial Cancellation → India Post highlighted the Kerala temple's cultural and philatelic significance.
- AI Centres of Excellence → agriculture, sustainable cities, healthcare and education → designed to strengthen AI research and innovation.
- World Wide Web → Tim Berners-Lee → proposed WWW in 1989 and developed foundational web technologies including HTML, HTTP and URLs.
- PV Sindhu → BWF World Ranking No. 9 → Indian badminton star returned to the global Top 10.
- Asian Rafting Championship 2026 → Arunachal Pradesh → selected to host the continental rafting competition.
- BWF World Championships 2026 → New Delhi → India will host the global badminton championship.
- Former Governor D. Y. Patil → died aged 90 → had served as Governor of Tripura, Bihar and briefly West Bengal.
- Justice M. S. Liberhan → died aged 87 → chaired the commission that investigated the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the RBI repo rate after the August 2026 Monetary Policy Committee meeting?
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Why is ICAR's pigeonpea T2T genome important?
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Why is National Javelin Day observed on 7 August in India?
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