The 'Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan' launched in August 2026 is run under which Ministry?
Explanation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan on 2 August 2026 through video conferencing. It is run by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports through its flagship youth platform MY Bharat (Mera Yuva Bharat), headed by Dr Mansukh Mandaviya. The launch began a 100-week Jan Bhagidari campaign. Exam angle: the separate Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) of 2020 falls under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Q2
The Sankalp Abhiyan launched on 2 August 2026 marks the start of a Jan Bhagidari campaign of how many weeks?
Explanation
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2 August 2026, the campaign marks the start of a 100-week nationwide Jan Bhagidari drive against substance abuse. Activities run every Sunday and include sports events, walkathons, meditation sessions, cultural programmes, nukkad nataks and art contests. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports runs it through MY Bharat, with over 125 partner spiritual organisations. The goal is Viksit Bharat 2047.
Q3
'Samudra Manthan' National Offshore Exploration Scheme (July 2026) is a Central Sector Scheme of which Ministry?
Explanation
The Union Cabinet approved Samudra Manthan, the National Offshore Exploration Scheme, on 31 July 2026. It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas with an outlay of Rs 84,084 crore, running up to 31 March 2031. It follows the Prime Minister's Independence Day 2025 Red Fort vision of a modern Samudra Manthan. Targets: reserve accretion above 600 MMTOE and output rising from 62 to 80 MMTOE. Exam angle: Deep Ocean Mission is under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Q4
Under the Samudra Manthan scheme approved in July 2026, how many deepwater exploration wells are to be drilled?
Explanation
Of the four components of Samudra Manthan, the largest is exploration acceleration: Rs 43,200 crore for drilling 60 deepwater exploration wells. The Government will bear up to 50 percent of eligible drilling cost or Rs 675 crore per well, whichever is lower. The other components are seismic data acquisition at Rs 28,534 crore, common offshore infrastructure hubs at Rs 10,000 crore and manufacturing and services zones at Rs 2,000 crore. Key basins: Krishna-Godavari, Cauvery, Mahanadi, Andaman.
Q5
Air Marshal Tejpal Singh took over as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff on 1 August 2026, succeeding whom?
Explanation
According to the Ministry of Defence, Air Marshal Tejpal Singh, AVSM, VM, assumed the appointment of Deputy Chief of the Air Staff on 1 August 2026 and laid a wreath at the National War Memorial. He succeeded Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, SYSM, AVSM, VM, who superannuated on 31 July after 39 years of service. Commissioned into the fighter stream on 16 June 1990, he has over 3,500 flying hours. Exam angle: the same day, Vice Admiral A N Pramod became Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.
Q6
Which company built all five vessels of the Diving Support Craft Project, including DSC A24 launched on 1 August 2026?
Explanation
DSC A24, the fifth and final vessel of the Indian Navy's Diving Support Craft Project, was launched on 1 August 2026 at M/s Titagarh Rail Systems Limited, Kolkata. Mrs Kamal Singh launched the craft in the presence of Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh, Chief of Personnel. The vessel has a catamaran hull form, displaces roughly 300 to 400 tonnes and is built to the Naval Rules and Regulations of the Indian Register of Shipping. Exam angle: it is a Make in India milestone for private shipbuilding.
Q7
Which state received the largest share of the Rs 1,09,019 crore advance tax devolution released on 1 August 2026?
Explanation
The Ministry of Finance released Rs 1,09,019 crore as an additional advance instalment of tax devolution to states on 1 August 2026, over and above the normal monthly devolution due on 10 August. The aim is to accelerate state capital and developmental spending. Among the 28 states, Uttar Pradesh got the most at Rs 19,208 crore, followed by Bihar Rs 10,845 crore, Madhya Pradesh Rs 8,010 crore, West Bengal Rs 7,866 crore and Maharashtra Rs 7,022 crore. Sikkim received the least at Rs 365 crore.
Q8
Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja has been appointed to which post with effect from 31 August 2026?
Explanation
The Ministry of Defence has appointed Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja, SM, VSM and Bar, as Director General Armed Forces Medical Services with effect from the afternoon of 31 August 2026. He takes over on the retirement of Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin. An AFMC Pune alumnus commissioned in December 1986, he holds a DM in Gastroenterology from AIIMS Delhi. As Director General Medical Services (Air) he strengthened medical preparedness for the Gaganyaan mission and operationalised the BHISHM Cube.
Q9
In 2026, Varsha Ashok Aglawe became the first woman Director General of which organisation?
Explanation
Varsha Ashok Aglawe took charge as the 54th Director General of the Geological Survey of India, becoming the first woman to head it in its 176-year history. She succeeded Asit Saha, who was Director General from 27 July 2024 to 31 July 2026. She joined GSI in 1992 after the Indian Bureau of Mines and previously headed its Eastern Region at Kolkata as Additional Director General. An expert in palaeontology and palynology, she works on Late Cretaceous-Palaeocene sediments. GSI was set up in 1851.
Q10
What is the name of the Maldives' instant payment system that was linked with India's UPI in July 2026?
Explanation
The Maldives Monetary Authority announced on 30 July 2026 the integration of Favara, the Maldives Instant Payment System, with India's UPI. Users in the Maldives can now make real-time person-to-person transfers to UPI-enabled bank accounts in India, initiated in Maldivian Rufiyaa and credited in Indian Rupees. It began with Bank of Maldives and Maldives Islamic Bank. The corridor was built by the MMA, the Reserve Bank of India and NPCI International Payments Limited under a July 2025 agreement.