Daily Current Affairs – 31 July 2026

Introduction

The CareerUdaya Daily Current Affairs – 31 July 2026 edition gives APSC, ADRE, Assam Police, Assam TET, SSC, Banking and Railway aspirants a compact revision set from verified developments available by 31 July. The strongest examination hooks are the Union Cabinet’s continuation of PM-KISAN, approval of Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) for floating solar with storage, the expanded Khelo India package with higher support for National Sports Federations, the updated Assam flood situation with a State Level Bankers’ Committee loan-moratorium decision, the VB-G RAM JI Act, 2025 rural-employment framework, the judiciary-facing AI tools LegRAA and Digital Courts 2.1, the IndiaAI–Ayush MoU, Indian Railways’ first live-heart transport on Vande Bharat, and India’s improved global ranking on structural pro-competitive reforms. Attempt the linked Daily Current Affairs Quiz – 31 July 2026 after revising the notes.

Agriculture & Cabinet — PM-KISAN Continued to 2030–31

On 31 July 2026, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme for 2026–27 to 2030–31 with a total financial outlay of ₹3.15 lakh crore. PM-KISAN was launched in February 2019. Eligible landholding farmer families receive ₹6,000 per year in three equal instalments through Direct Benefit Transfer to bank accounts, supported by Aadhaar authentication and digital verification.

Official release highlights include more than ₹4.47 lakh crore transferred across 23 instalments, with the 23rd instalment covering over 9.49 crore farmers and releasing more than ₹18,984 crore. About one in four beneficiaries is a woman farmer, and women farmers have received more than ₹1.06 lakh crore. NITI Aayog’s DMEO evaluation found that over 92% of surveyed beneficiaries used the support for agricultural activities or investment. For exams, retain the continuation period, outlay, annual benefit, DBT design and the distinction between a scheme continuation decision and a new cash-transfer scheme.

Energy & Climate — Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana

The Cabinet also approved Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) for floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) projects integrated with energy storage systems (ESS). The total outlay is ₹5,070 crore. The scheme targets 5,000 MW of floating solar capacity with storage of at least two hours, equal to 10,000 MWh. Projects will be approved during FY 2026–27 to FY 2030–31, with financial assistance disbursed up to FY 2032–33.

Central Financial Assistance is ₹1 crore per MW after successful commissioning, plus up to ₹50 lakh per project for feasibility studies such as bathymetry, hydrography and environmental assessments. The National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) has estimated about 102.18 GW of floating-solar potential on reservoirs and other suitable inland water bodies. Present floating-solar capacity is about 700 MW. The scheme aims to reduce land-use competition, strengthen grid reliability through storage, cut about 10 million tonnes of CO₂ annually and support domestic manufacturing across the floating-solar value chain.

Sports — Expanded Khelo India and NSF Support

The Cabinet approved the expanded Khelo India scheme and enhanced assistance for National Sports Federations (NSFs) with a combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore for 2026–27 to 2030–31. The approved outlay is about eight times that of the previous Khelo India scheme. The package is aligned with the Khelo Bharat Policy 2025 and the National Education Policy 2020, and is designed as a pathway from school and village playgrounds to Olympic and Paralympic readiness, including preparation linked to India’s longer-term hosting ambitions such as the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Key institutional pieces include National Centres of Excellence (NCOE), Khelo India Centres of Excellence (KICOE), SAI Training Centres (STC), Khelo India Accredited Academies (KIAA), Khelo India Centres (KIC) and Youth Sports Companies of the Armed Forces (YSC). Two school-side initiatives — Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) and Khelo India Uttkrisht Vidyalayas (KIUV) — aim to integrate sports with mainstream education. A major reform is the Emerging Khelo India Athlete (E-KIA) category, intended to expand the structured athlete-development ecosystem by about ten times. The pathway also links grassroots competition to Khelo India and then to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). A National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB) is proposed to standardise coaching standards.

Assam & Disaster Management — Flood Toll and Loan Moratorium

PTI-based reporting available on 31 July 2026 said Assam’s flood death toll rose to 80, with two more fatalities reported from Sivasagar. Eight districts remained affected: Golaghat, Sivasagar, Biswanath, Charaideo, Kamrup (Metropolitan), Jorhat, Dhemaji and Nagaon. About 2.12 lakh people were affected across 21 revenue circles and 437 villages. Charaideo was the worst-hit with nearly 80,000 people affected, followed by Sivasagar (71,000) and Jorhat (40,000). The administration was running 112 relief camps and distribution centres in four districts for 75,583 people, while crop submergence stood at 17,198.09 hectares.

The examination-relevant policy action is the relief scheme decided at a special meeting of the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) attended by representatives of the RBI, NABARD, SBI and other commercial banks. A six-month moratorium was offered on repayment of all types of loans for flood-affected people in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat. Loan tenure can also be extended from one year up to seven years, depending on the type of debt. The State also sought a central support package from the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) and recognition of the Upper Assam floods as an atypical high-intensity, rapid-onset event. For APSC/ADRE, revise the updated toll, districts, SLBC moratorium districts and the banking-relief design.

Rural Employment — VB-G RAM JI Act, 2025

In a Rajya Sabha reply dated 31 July 2026, the Ministry of Rural Development reiterated that the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM JI) Act, 2025 came into force on 1 July 2026. The Act raises guaranteed wage employment for rural households willing to do unskilled manual work from 100 days to 125 days in a financial year. It also strengthens statutory rights through unemployment allowance if work is not provided in time and compensation for delayed wage payments.

Fund-sharing is 90:10 for North-Eastern States, Himalayan States and specified UTs (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir), and 60:40 for other States/UTs with legislatures. For FY 2026–27, the central share is ₹95,692.31 crore, described as the highest Budget Estimate-stage allocation for rural employment so far; total programme outlay including the State share is expected to exceed ₹1.51 lakh crore. Wages are paid through DBT-SPARSH. The Act stresses water-related works, core rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure and works that mitigate adverse weather events, with Gram Panchayats retaining a central implementation role. For Assam aspirants, the 90:10 North-East fund-sharing ratio is a high-yield revision point.

Judiciary & Technology — LegRAA and Digital Courts 2.1

On 31 July 2026, the Ministry of Law and Justice informed the Lok Sabha that under eCourts Mission Mode Project Phase-III, ₹53.57 crore has been earmarked under the Future Technological Advancements component for emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence. The eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India reported that the AI-based tool Legal Research Analysis Assistant (LegRAA) has been developed by the Artificial Intelligence Division of NIC and the Centre of Excellence for eCourts (CoEE), NIC, to assist judges in legal research and document analysis.

A second tool, Digital Courts 2.1, developed by CoEE NIC, Pune, is an integrated digital case-management platform with AI-enabled features such as voice-to-text transcription and translation for dictation of orders and judgments. Both tools are in the pilot testing phase. Deployment and future use of AI solutions are governed by the Rules of Business and policies of the Supreme Court and respective High Courts. For exams, pair LegRAA with judicial research assistance, Digital Courts 2.1 with case management, and remember that these tools assist judges rather than replace judicial decision-making.

Science & Traditional Medicine — IndiaAI–Ayush MoU

On 31 July 2026, IndiaAI under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Ayush to accelerate responsible AI adoption in traditional healthcare. The partnership aims to enrich AIKosh, India’s sovereign AI repository, with eligible anonymised Ayush health-research artefacts such as datasets, metadata, AI models, toolkits and use cases. Eligible Ayush stakeholders will also be able to access AI computing infrastructure through the IndiaAI compute ecosystem.

The MoU was signed by IndiaAI Mission COO and MeitY Joint Secretary Sudeep Srivastava and Ayush Joint Secretary and CVO Dr Kavita Jain. It is initially valid for two years, renewable by mutual consent, and involves no financial commitment for either side. Exam value lies in the institution pairing — IndiaAI/AIKosh with Ayush — and the policy idea of integrating traditional-medicine research with responsible AI infrastructure rather than treating AI as only a modern-allopathy tool.

Railways & Health Logistics — First Live-Heart Transport

Indian Railways reported on 31 July 2026 that it successfully completed its first live-heart transport using a Vande Bharat Express. The organ was carried from Surat to Ahmedabad on train 20901 Mumbai Central–Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express for transplant at the U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, Ahmedabad. Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Gujarat Police created a green corridor from Ahmedabad railway station Platform 1 to the hospital.

The episode is examination-relevant because it shows the use of high-speed passenger rail reliability for time-critical organ logistics, not merely a passenger-service milestone. Candidates should retain the first-time nature of the live-heart rail transport, the Vande Bharat role, the Surat–Ahmedabad corridor and multi-agency coordination among Indian Railways, RPF, State police and medical teams.

Economy & Reforms — Global Ranking on Market Distortions

According to a Competere Foundation report amplified through official and PTI channels on 30–31 July 2026, India improved from 82nd in 2010 to 57th in 2023 on the Market Distortions Performance Index, a rise of 25 places. The report, titled India’s Next Growth Frontier: Reducing Anti-Competitive Market Distortions to Build on India’s 2010–2023 Reform Progress, links the climb to structural and pro-competitive reforms that reduced market distortions and strengthened the competitive environment.

For competitive exams, treat the ranking as a reforms-performance indicator rather than a general competitiveness league table identical to every other global index. Useful revision anchors are the exact ranks, the 25-place improvement, the 2010–2023 reform window and the idea that reducing anti-competitive market distortions supports investment and competition. Do not confuse this private foundation index with official MoSPI statistical series.

Revision Notes

Revise these anchors from 31 July: PM-KISAN — Cabinet continuation for 2026–27 to 2030–31, outlay ₹3.15 lakh crore, ₹6,000/year in three instalments. PM-SSY — floating solar + storage, outlay ₹5,070 crore, 5,000 MW / 10,000 MWh, CFA ₹1 crore/MW, NISE potential 102.18 GW. Khelo India — combined outlay ₹36,441 crore, about 8× previous scale, E-KIA, KIFS/KIUV, NCAB, NSF support. Assam floods — toll 80, 2.12 lakh affected in eight districts, SLBC six-month loan moratorium in four Upper Assam districts, tenure extension up to seven years. VB-G RAM JI Act, 2025 — in force 1 July 2026, 125 days, NE fund-share 90:10, central BE ₹95,692.31 crore. LegRAA and Digital Courts 2.1 — NIC/CoEE tools under eCourts Phase-III; pilot phase; ₹53.57 crore earmarked for future tech. IndiaAI–Ayush MoU — AIKosh enrichment; two-year MoU. Live-heart rail transport — first on Vande Bharat, Surat–Ahmedabad. Competere ranking — 82nd to 57th, 25 places, 2010–2023 reforms. Use the Daily Current Affairs Quiz – 31 July 2026 to test these facts.

Exam Snapshot Table

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the Cabinet decide on PM-KISAN on 31 July 2026?

The Union Cabinet approved continuation of PM-KISAN from 2026–27 to 2030–31 with a total outlay of ₹3.15 lakh crore. Eligible farmer families continue to receive ₹6,000 a year in three equal DBT instalments.

What is Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana?

PM-SSY is a Cabinet-approved scheme for floating solar photovoltaic projects with energy storage. It targets 5,000 MW of floating solar with 10,000 MWh of storage under an outlay of ₹5,070 crore.

What is the key Assam-specific banking relief announced for flood-affected people?

The State Level Bankers’ Committee decided on a six-month loan-repayment moratorium for flood-affected people in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat, with possible tenure extension up to seven years.

What changed under the VB-G RAM JI Act, 2025?

The Act, in force from 1 July 2026, raises guaranteed rural wage employment from 100 to 125 days in a financial year and provides a statutory framework for unemployment allowance and delayed-wage compensation.

Is there a quiz based on this edition?

Yes. The Daily Current Affairs Quiz – 31 July 2026 has 10 exam-focused MCQs with explanations.