1. ‘Samudra Manthan’ – National Offshore Exploration Scheme
Syllabus: GS Paper 3 (Economy – Energy Security, Infrastructure, Hydrocarbon Exploration)
The Union Cabinet has approved the “Samudra Manthan” scheme with a massive outlay of ₹84,084 crore to boost offshore oil and gas exploration.
- Key Components:The scheme addresses the high-risk, capital-intensive nature of deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration.It provides a risk-sharing financial support system, subsidizing up to 50% of drilling costs (capped at ₹675 crore per well) to co-finance 60 deepwater exploration wells.
- Offshore Infrastructure:It establishes shared offshore infrastructure hubs to enable the faster commercialization of new discoveries.Over 99% of previous “No-Go” zones have been removed, opening over 1 million square kilometers of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for exploration.
- Significance:De-risking offshore drilling across the KG, Cauvery, and Andaman basins is a massive step toward India’s import substitution and long-term energy self-reliance.
Offshore drilling rig representing deepwater exploration. Source: bomboman / Getty Images
2. First India–Rwanda Joint Trade Committee (JTC) Session
Syllabus: GS Paper 2 (International Relations – India & Africa, South-South Cooperation)
India and Rwanda held the first session of their Joint Trade Committee, reinforcing India’s broader Africa outreach strategy.
- Pharmaceuticals & Health:India currently supplies 24.5% of Rwanda’s medicine imports.The session pushed for formal recognition of the Indian Pharmacopoeia and the expansion of traditional medicine (Ayush) in the region.
- Critical Minerals (3Ts):A major focus was securing the supply chain for Rwanda’s rich reserves of Tin, Tungsten, and Tantalum (the “3Ts”).
- Investment & Capacity Building:India remains Rwanda’s second-largest foreign direct investor.India committed to extending its ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) program and supporting Rwanda’s Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) framework under the Skill India Mission.
3. Launch of ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva’ Campaign
Syllabus: GS Paper 2 (Social Justice – Issues related to Health, Human Resources)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a nationwide drugs-free youth campaign, defining a drug-free population as the foundational pillar for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India).
- Context:The initiative emphasizes the necessity of sustained community participation and localized action to combat systemic drug abuse among students and young professionals.
- UPSC Perspective: This links directly to the mandate of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the operational efficiency of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in curbing narco-terrorism and illicit trafficking networks.
4. Expansion of the Khelo India Scheme
Syllabus: GS Paper 2 (Governance – Government Policies for Development in Various Sectors)
The Union Cabinet approved a heavily expanded Khelo India Scheme alongside an enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) scheme for the 2026–31 period, committing a total outlay of ₹36,441 crore.
- New Frameworks:The overhaul introduces Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) for early talent identification and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas (KIUV) to deeply integrate competitive sports into the primary education ecosystem.
- Emerging Athletes:A new category—Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIAs)—has been created to expand the structured talent development pipeline by nearly ten times.
5. 48th Session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee
Syllabus: GS Paper 1 (Art & Culture – Global Heritage)
The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) concluded in Busan, South Korea, adding 25 new sites (19 cultural, 5 natural, 1 mixed), taking the global total to 1,273 sites across 173 countries.
- Historic Firsts:Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, and South Sudan witnessed their first-ever World Heritage inscriptions.
- Danger List Updates:Six sites were added to the ‘World Heritage in Danger’ list, while the Historic Centre of Vienna (Austria) was successfully removed due to improved conservation metrics.
- Busan Declaration:The session adopted the Busan Declaration, officially introducing “Collaboration” as the sixth ‘C’ in the strategic objectives of the heritage framework (joining Conservation, Credibility, Capacity-building, Communication, and Communities).
6. PM-KISAN Scheme Extended for Next Five Years
Syllabus: GS Paper 3 (Agriculture – Direct/Indirect Farm Subsidies)
The Cabinet approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme for another five years.
- Since its inception, the government has directly transferred over ₹4.47 lakh crore to farmers’ bank accounts across 23 installments.
- The extension reaffirms the government’s commitment to baseline income support for marginal farmers, shielding them from pre-sowing liquidity crunches.
7. Resurgence of the Cauvery Water Dispute
Syllabus: GS Paper 2 (Polity – Inter-State Water Disputes)
The historic Cauvery River water-sharing friction flared up again, with farmers and Kannada organizations in Karnataka proposing a massive bandh on August 13 against the release of water to Tamil Nadu.
- Administrative Response:Karnataka’s Chief Minister urged the withdrawal of the bandh, citing that the state is carefully assessing the ground situation and evaluating a petition filed by the DMK in the Supreme Court.Tamil Nadu’s leadership has postponed diplomatic visits to Bengaluru as a result.
- UPSC Context: Aspirants must revise Article 262 of the Constitution (Adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-state rivers) and the history of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).
8. Misuse of the National Security Act (NSA) Alleged in Assam
Syllabus: GS Paper 2 (Polity – Fundamental Rights, Preventive Detention Laws)
A heated political and constitutional debate emerged after the Assam government detained land rights activist Pranab Doley under the draconian National Security Act (NSA) immediately after he was granted standard bail by a court.
- The opposition criticized the move as an instrument to suppress democratic dissent and circumvent judicial bail orders.
- UPSC Context: The interplay between Article 22 (Protection against arrest and detention) and the strict provisions of the NSA (which allows preventive detention for up to 12 months without formal charges) remains a critical Mains theme.
9. IndiaAI Mission and Ministry of AYUSH Pact
Syllabus: GS Paper 3 (Science & Technology – IT, AI in Healthcare)
The Ministry of AYUSH signed an MoU with the IndiaAI Mission (under MeitY) to revolutionize traditional medicine using Artificial Intelligence.
- AIKosh Integration:AYUSH will onboard onto AIKosh, contributing anonymized health research datasets, metadata, and specialized traditional medicine models.
- Goal:This resource sharing aims to support startups, academic institutions, and researchers in building AI-driven diagnostic and therapeutic innovations within the Ayush sector.
10. India’s Floating Solar Potential Assessed at 102 GWp
Syllabus: GS Paper 3 (Environment – Renewable Energy)
Floating solar panels on a reservoir. Source: Joao Manita / Getty Images
A newly released assessment by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) estimates India’s floating solar potential at an impressive 102.18 Gigawatt Peak (GWp) across the country’s reservoirs and inland water bodies.
- Current State:India’s current floating solar capacity is currently around 700 MW.
- Financial Push:To bridge this gap, the government scheme offers Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of ₹1 crore per MW post-commissioning, alongside grants up to ₹50 lakh for feasibility studies involving hydrography and bathymetry (depth measurement).
🔥 Prelims Specific Facts (2nd August 2026)
- World FinTech Day:Observed on August 1st to commemorate the death anniversary of Cosimo de’ Medici (1464), an Italian politician widely regarded as the father of modern banking.
- WWW Anniversary:Sir Tim Berners-Lee launched the world’s first website (info.cern.ch) on August 6, 1991, after inventing the World Wide Web at CERN in 1989.
- Nirmal Purja:The legendary Nepalese-British mountaineer was found dead after being swept by an avalanche on Broad Peak, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan region.
- Siddhivinayak Temple Controversy:MNS party leadership alleged a financial scam regarding ₹18 crore in annual donations at Mumbai’s famous Siddhivinayak Temple.