Current Affairs Quiz - July 2026

Notes:
Astronomers using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) have discovered a new millisecond pulsar. The discovery is part of the ongoing Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) survey. The MWA is a low-frequency radio telescope located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO), Western Australia. It is also a key precursor site for the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. The telescope is a collaboration of 20 research institutions across five countries: Australia, Canada, China, Japan, and the United States. It is led by Curtin University, Australia.

Notes:
Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost active volcano, has a permanent active lava lake. It is the only known volcano that releases tiny crystals of pure gold into the atmosphere. Mount Erebus is the world’s southernmost active volcano. It is a stratovolcano located on Ross Island in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. It is an intraplate volcano belonging to the McMurdo Volcanic Group in the West Antarctic Rift System. It is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica, after Mount Sidley. Mount Erebus and Deception Island are the only two active volcanoes in Antarctica.

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The National Study Report on “Low Participation in Gram Sabha across States and Union Territories” was released by NITI Aayog. The report was prepared by National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR) for the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. It examines the reasons for low participation in Gram Sabha meetings and suggests reforms to strengthen grassroots democracy. Vulnerable groups like women, youth, SC/ST, elderly, and migrants are underrepresented in participation. A trust and transparency deficit exists due to weak accountability, political interference, and poor grievance redressal. Key recommendations include a National Gram Sabha Awareness and Mobilisation Mission.

Notes:
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has recently completed a nationwide database consolidation under the CITES project. The Centralised IT-Enabled System (CITES) is a major digital modernization initiative of EPFO. It replaces a decentralised, fragmented legacy system with a centralised national database and automated processing system. The project is managed by EPFO under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. It has been developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). CITES aims to allow any EPFO office in India to process any member’s request, removing dependency on regional offices.

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Gujarat has ranked 1st in India (2025) in the “States with Most Improvement” category under the TB-Free India Campaign due to a significant reduction in TB cases and deaths. Compared to 2015, the state achieved a 34% decline in new TB cases and a 37% decline in TB mortality rate. In 2024, Gujarat recorded 186 TB cases per 1 lakh population, placing it among the lowest TB-burden states in India. Between January–May 2026, Gujarat identified 57,334 TB patients, achieving 98.3% of its target, with 91% patients recovering quickly.

Notes:
The 35th Annual Mango Festival 2026 was inaugurated in New Delhi.The three-day festival was launched by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on July 3, 2026. The three-day festival is organised by the Delhi Tourism Department. It showcases more than 400 varieties of mangoes from across India. The Delhi Government aims to develop Delhi as a leading tourism and cultural destination through such events.

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INS Trikand recently thwarted a piracy attempt in the Gulf of Aden by forcing pirates to flee from a bulk carrier. It is a frontline guided missile frigate of the Indian Navy. It is the third and final ship of the second batch of Talwar-class frigates. It was built at the Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia. It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2013. It is part of the Western Fleet under the Western Naval Command, headquartered in Mumbai.

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The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) presented the 2026 Leadership Award to Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises. The award was given at the IX Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., USA, themed “America At 250”. USISPF is a non-profit organisation (NPO) focused on strengthening India–USA strategic partnerships. The award recognises leaders who promote strategic, commercial, and innovation-driven collaboration between India and the USA. It particularly highlights contributions in technology, business expansion, and bilateral trade facilitation.

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Scientists at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi discovered a new deep-sea fish species named Cyttopsis indica. It was found in the Arabian Sea off southern Kerala. It belongs to the genus Cyttopsis, commonly known as dories. It has been given the common name Indian Dory. It survives deep-sea pressure by storing high levels of waxy compounds, making it unsuitable for direct human consumption.

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The Uttar Pradesh Government is implementing the Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana to support traditional artisans. The scheme provides 6-day free skill training, a ₹10,000 toolkit grant, and collateral-free concessional loans up to ₹10 lakh. It benefits artisans engaged in trades such as tailoring, carpentry, pottery, and other traditional occupations. The scheme aims to enhance skills, improve livelihoods, and promote self-employment in both rural and urban areas.