The Registration of Births and Deaths Amendment Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 29 July 2026 to tighten the procedure for delayed registration of births and deaths. The Bill was tabled by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai after receiving Union Cabinet approval on 20 July 2026.
Proposed Change in Delayed Registration:
•   The Bill proposes amendments to Section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.
•   The Act had earlier been amended in 2023.
•   For registration delayed by more than one year but not exceeding two years, approval can continue to be granted by a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or Executive Magistrate.
•   For registration delayed beyond two years, an order from a First-Class Judicial Magistrate will be mandatory.
Significance:
•   The proposed framework shifts approval authority for very delayed registrations from the executive to the judiciary.
•   It seeks to make verification more stringent in cases where birth or death registration is sought after a prolonged delay.
•   The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 governs compulsory registration of births and deaths in India.

The Department of Expenditure issued a directive on 27 July 2026 to regulate the use of official vehicles and prevent misuse of government resources. The instruction reinforces the principle that an eligible officer should be assigned only one official staff car, even when holding additional responsibilities in multiple organisations.
Official Vehicle Allocation:
•   An officer entitled to a staff car cannot be allotted more than one official vehicle.
•   The restriction remains applicable even if the officer holds additional charge in another ministry, department or public-sector undertaking.
•   Officers are not permitted to use vehicles of PSUs or autonomous bodies, except during official tours.
Resource Management Measures:
•   Departments must keep unutilised official vehicles in safe custody to ensure efficient use of government assets.
•   The circular reiterates the personal-travel norms issued in September 2022 for entitled officers.
•   Personal use of an official vehicle is limited to 500 km per month.
•   For this personal-use facility, the officer must pay a fixed monthly charge of Rs. 3,000.
Administrative Context:
•   The Department of Expenditure functions under the Ministry of Finance and oversees public-expenditure management.

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan released five commemorative publications at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 28 July 2026 to mark four years of President Droupadi Murmu in office. The books document institutional initiatives and public-facing changes associated with the Presidency during this period.
Commemorative Publications:
•   The five books are Rashtrapati Bhavan: Rashtra Ka Bhavan, Seva aur Samvedana, Samaveshi Sahbhagita, Bharatiyata Ka Utsav and Ama Rastrapati Ama Gourav.
•   Ama Rastrapati Ama Gourav was published in the Odia language.
•   The Publications Division under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting published these books.
Institutional Initiatives Highlighted:
•   The historic Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan were renamed Amrit Udyan.
•   Rashtrapati Niketan and Rashtrapati Tapovan in Dehradun were opened for public access.
•   The bust of Sir Edwin Lutyens was replaced by the bust of Bharat Ratna C. Rajagopalachari.
President Murmu:
•   Droupadi Murmu took oath as India's 15th President on 25 July 2022.
•   She is the first person from a tribal community and the second woman to hold the office of President of India.

The Rajasthan Forest Department released tiger census figures on 28 July 2026, reporting that the state's tiger population rose to 149 in 2026 from 135 in 2025. The data indicate growth in both adult and cub populations across the state's tiger landscapes.
Population Snapshot:
•   Rajasthan recorded a total of 149 tigers in 2026.
•   The population includes 96 adult tigers, while the remaining 53 are cubs.
•   During the year, 54 tigresses gave birth to 53 cubs.
Reserve-wise Distribution:
•   Ranthambore Tiger Reserve has the largest population, with 72 tigers—50 adults and 22 cubs.
•   Sariska Tiger Reserve has 56 tigers and recorded the highest number of births, with 28 cubs.
•   Other tiger habitats in Rajasthan include Mukundara Hills, Ramgarh Vishdhari and Dholpur-Karauli.
Conservation Concern:
•   Ranthambore has an estimated carrying capacity of only 40–50 tigers, but currently supports 72.
•   High density is contributing to tiger dispersal towards the Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary.
•   Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, located in Bundi district, was notified as India's 52nd Tiger Reserve in 2022.

Why in the News:
On 29 July 2026, the Kerala Cabinet approved the Special Asset Management Platform for Administration Tracking and Harmonisation, known as the SAMPATH Portal. The approval is part of the state's wider push towards technology-based governance and administrative reforms.

Key Highlights:
•   The portal will digitally track government assets such as land, buildings, roads, dams, bridges, vehicles and machinery.
•   It will maintain an integrated asset register for 591 government institutions.
•   The Cabinet also cleared PlanSpace 2.0 for recording capital projects of various departments.
•   Nearly 1,900 projects will be mapped through GIS technology and geotagging.
•   The platform will include project location, executing agency and source of funds.
•   An empowered committee of departmental secretaries will examine obsolete laws to make public services easier and reduce physical visits to offices.
•   The Cabinet approved an additional 90 acres of land for DRDO's BrahMos Aerospace project.
•   The state will also hold discussions with trade unions on Labour Code implementation within the state-government domain.

Additional Information:
•   BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPOM, established in 1998.
•   DRDO was established in 1958 and serves as India's principal defence research and development organisation.

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Why in the News:
The Union Agriculture Ministry notified anhydrous ammonia as a fertiliser on 23 July 2026. The approval, issued for a period of three years, allows its use in agriculture under the existing fertiliser-control framework.

Key Highlights:
•   India will become the fourth country to use ammonia directly in farming, after the United States, Canada and Australia.
•   Anhydrous ammonia contains at least 82 percent nitrogen by weight.
•   In comparison, conventional urea contains 46 percent nitrogen.
•   The fertiliser has been permitted under Clause 20A of the Fertiliser (Inorganic, Organic or Mixed) Control Order, 1985.
•   Field trials were carried out at 13 ICAR institutions.
•   Pilot testing was accelerated during the Rabi 2025-26 season to support early manufacturing.
•   A green-ammonia plant with a capacity of 1,200 tonnes per day is estimated to need an investment of Rs. 13,000 crore to Rs. 15,000 crore.

Additional Information:
•   The Indian Council of Agricultural Research was established in 1929 and is headquartered in New Delhi.
•   The Fertiliser Control Order is issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

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Why in the News:
The Delhi Cabinet approved the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana on 28 July 2026. The scheme provides monthly financial support to eligible women residing in Delhi, with a part of the amount reserved as long-term savings.

Key Highlights:
•   Each eligible beneficiary will receive Rs. 2,500 per month.
•   Of this amount, Rs. 1,000 can be withdrawn and spent immediately.
•   The remaining Rs. 1,500 will be compulsorily placed in a recurring-deposit account.
•   The recurring-deposit portion has a lock-in period of three years.
•   After three years, the accumulated money along with interest will be credited to the beneficiary.
•   Women aged 21 to 60 years are eligible under the scheme.
•   Only one woman from a household can receive the benefit; when more than one woman qualifies, the eldest eligible woman will be selected.
•   The annual household income must be below Rs. 2.5 lakh, and the applicant must have lived in Delhi for at least 10 years.
•   Government employees, income-tax payers, pensioners, four-wheeler owners and women with family members having criminal records are excluded.

Additional Information:
•   Delhi functions under the special provisions of Article 239AA of the Constitution.
•   A recurring deposit allows regular deposits and earns interest over the chosen tenure.

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Why in the News:
The Government of India approved the Reserve Bank of India's proposal on 28 July 2026 to conduct field trials of polymer currency notes. The trials will cover one billion notes each of Rs. 10 and Rs. 20 denominations.

Key Highlights:
•   The trials will be conducted by Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited, or BRBNMPL, a wholly owned RBI subsidiary.
•   Polymer notes are printed on a non-fibrous and non-porous substrate.
•   Existing Indian notes use paper made from 100 percent cotton fibres, including comber and linter fibres.
•   Polymer currency can last two to six times longer than conventional paper notes.
•   The material can reduce global-warming potential by 32 percent and lower primary-energy demand by 30 percent compared with paper substrate.
•   Currency in circulation stood at Rs. 41.23 lakh crore by March 2026.
•   The Rs. 500 denomination represented 86 percent of the total value of currency in circulation.
•   More than 60 countries use polymer notes, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Vietnam and Thailand.

Additional Information:
•   Australia was the first country to issue polymer banknotes in 1988.
•   India first proposed polymer trials for Rs. 10 notes in 2012 across five cities.
•   Polymer notes can be recycled into pellets for plastic products.

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Why in the News:
The BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026, released on 29 July 2026, placed India as the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers. India accounts for 12.2 percent of the global seafaring workforce.

Key Highlights:
•   The Philippines continues to be the largest global supplier of seafarers, followed by India.
•   India's share in the global maritime workforce has doubled over the last five years.
•   India supplies more than 1.4 lakh officers, equal to 13.4 percent of the worldwide officer workforce.
•   About 1.7 lakh ratings from India work on merchant vessels, representing 11.29 percent of global ratings.
•   The BIMCO-ICS report is published once every five years and evaluates the demand and supply of maritime manpower.

Additional Information:
•   BIMCO stands for Baltic and International Maritime Council; it was established in 1905 and is headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark.
•   The International Maritime Organization is a UN specialised agency for shipping regulation and is headquartered in London.
•   India observes National Maritime Day on 5 April to commemorate the maiden voyage of SS Loyalty in 1919.

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Why in the News:
Axis Finance Limited launched Axis Finance Drishti on 27 July 2026. The configurable digital platform has been introduced to automate credit-decision processes for retail and MSME lending.

Key Highlights:
•   Drishti is built on an in-house Business Rules Engine that connects underwriting workflows with data-based insights.
•   Its first rollout covers Personal Loans, Business Loans and Loan Against Property.
•   The initial phase also includes Disha home loans.
•   The platform supports Straight-Through Processing and real-time credit decisions.
•   Alternative data and statistical scorecards are used for automated, policy-driven assessments.
•   ABC Scorecards have been introduced to improve objectivity in credit assessment.
•   An AI-supported quality-monitoring framework will be used in debt collections to promote transparency.

Additional Information:
•   Axis Finance Limited was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
•   It is a non-deposit-taking NBFC regulated by the RBI and operates as a subsidiary of Axis Bank.

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Why in the News:
OmniCard, operated by Eroute Technologies, launched India's first Flexi Benefits Basket on UPI on 27 July 2026. It gives employees a controlled digital wallet for tax-efficient spending across different benefit categories.

Key Highlights:
•   Employees can allocate and spend benefits for meals, fuel, telecom, books and gadgets through UPI scan-and-pay.
•   The service can be used at more than 60 million UPI-accepting merchants.
•   It provides physical and virtual cards along with digital KYC support.
•   The product operates under the Income-tax Rules, 2026, effective from 1 April 2026 and notified by CBDT.
•   The tax-free meal allowance was raised from Rs. 50 to Rs. 200 per meal, up to Rs. 1,05,600 annually.
•   Telecom benefits can be claimed up to Rs. 36,000 annually, while books and periodicals benefits can go up to Rs. 50,000 annually.
•   An employee may receive total potential tax-free benefits exceeding Rs. 2,00,000.
•   OmniCard issues the product under its RBI Prepaid Payment Instrument licence using merchant-category controls.
•   The benefits system can be embedded into HRMS, payroll platforms and banks through APIs.

Additional Information:
•   OmniCard is operated by Eroute Technologies Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
•   The company's MD, CEO and Co-founder is Abhishek Saxena.

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Why in the News:
Edelweiss Mutual Fund announced the Edelweiss Nifty REITs Realty Index Fund, India's first passive fund focused on Real Estate Investment Trusts. The new fund offer will remain open from 5 August to 19 August 2026.

Key Highlights:
•   The fund will seek to replicate the returns of the Nifty REITs Realty Total Return Index.
•   Its intended portfolio allocation is around 60 percent in Indian REITs and around 40 percent in realty stocks.
•   Infrastructure Investment Trusts, or InvITs, are excluded from the scheme.
•   This exclusion is because SEBI treats REITs as equity instruments, while InvITs are classified as hybrid instruments.
•   The fund will have a 15 percent cap to prevent excessive concentration in any one security.
•   The minimum subscription amount is Rs. 100.
•   Bharat Lahoti and Manasi Jalgaonkar are the fund managers.

Additional Information:
•   SEBI became a statutory body on 12 April 1992 and is headquartered in Mumbai.
•   A REIT owns, operates or finances income-generating real estate and allows investors to earn income without directly owning property.
•   India's first listed REIT was Embassy Office Parks REIT in 2019.

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Why in the News:
NASA unveiled the PRAXIS mission concept on 28 July 2026. The AI-enabled proposal aims to carry out the first direct collection and examination of particles from Saturn's rings.

Key Highlights:
•   PRAXIS stands for Planetary Rings Autonomous Exploration with In-situ Sampling.
•   The mission is designed to collect and analyse ring particles ranging from millimetres to centimetres in size.
•   It could help identify whether Saturn's rings originated from broken moons, captured comets or material from the early Solar System.
•   AI-based autonomous navigation will help the spacecraft choose targets and avoid collisions without continuous instructions from Earth.
•   A long, flexible robotic boom will be used for touch-and-go sampling.
•   The concept uses bio-inspired robotics and methods adapted from sport casting to capture floating particles.
•   PRAXIS currently has NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Phase I support.
•   It is in the feasibility-study phase and has no confirmed launch date.
•   Unlike Cassini, which observed Saturn, PRAXIS is proposed to analyse physical ring material in situ.

Additional Information:
•   NASA was established on 29 July 1958 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
•   Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in the Solar System.
•   The Cassini-Huygens mission orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017 and landed the Huygens probe on Titan in 2005.

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