Current Affairs July 2026 for UPSC: VB-G RAM G Replaces MGNREGA, Semicon 2.0, Vikram-1, Sarnath World Heritage Site and the Anti-Paper-Leak Law

July 2026 at a Glance

🎯 July 2026: 1 to 31 July. July replaced MGNREGA with a new rural employment law, passed a tougher paper-leak law, cleared two big Cabinet packages, signed a uranium arrangement with Australia, saw a private Indian rocket reach orbit and added Sarnath to the World Heritage List. Facts marked 'official' come from the Cabinet's Khelo India release; the rest are named secondary sources.

July at a glance

Rural Employment: VB-G RAM G Replaces MGNREGA

The biggest policy change of the month was in rural employment.

Polity and economy: VB-G RAM G replaces MGNREGA

• The VB-G RAM G Act came into force across rural India on 1 July 2026, replacing MGNREGA.

• Days of work: the guarantee rises from 100 to 125 days per rural household, with a 60-day pause during peak sowing and harvesting seasons.

• Cost sharing: 60:40 for most States (Centre:State), with the Union paying 90 per cent in the North-Eastern and Himalayan States and Union Territories with a legislature, and the whole cost in Union Territories without one. Under MGNREGA the Union paid the entire wage bill. At least three States (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand) objected.

• Money and wages: the Centre's allocation for 2026-27 is Rs 95,692.31 crore; the national average daily wage rises from Rs 298.8 to Rs 327.4.

• Static: MGNREGA was enacted in 2005; the right to work is a Directive Principle (Article 41), not a Fundamental Right; employment and unemployment fall in Entry 23 of the Concurrent List.

Governance and Security: Paper Leaks, a Resignation and UAPA

Governance in July was driven by the NEET-UG fallout and a fresh designation of terrorists.

Governance and security: paper leaks, a resignation and UAPA designations

• Anti-paper-leak law (29-30 July). Parliament passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026: the Lok Sabha on 29 July and the Rajya Sabha on 30 July by voice vote amid an Opposition walkout. It provides jail terms of five to ten years, trials to be completed within three months of the charge sheet, time-bound investigation, a special task force and daily hearings. The parent law is the 2024 Act of the same name.

• Education Minister (25 July). Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister on 25 July 2026 after weeks of protests over the paper leak. The President accepted the resignation on the Prime Minister's advice and gave Pralhad Joshi, Cabinet Minister, charge of the Ministry of Education in addition to his existing portfolio. Static: Ministers are appointed by the President on the Prime Minister's advice (Article 75(1)) and hold office during the President's pleasure.

• UAPA designations (4 July). The Home Ministry designated 23 Pakistan-based individuals linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (13, Lahore-based) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (ten, Bahawalpur-based) as terrorists, taking the total number of designated individuals to 80. The designation is under Section 35 of the Act, which adds names to the Fourth Schedule. Static: the 2019 amendment allowed individuals, and not only organisations, to be designated.

Economy: the Cabinet Packages of 15 and 31 July

Two Cabinet meetings produced the month's scheme numbers.

Economy: the Cabinet packages of 15 and 31 July

• 15 July. Cabinet approved seven decisions with a combined outlay of Rs 2,19,353 crore: Semicon 2.0 with an outlay of Rs 1,27,500 crore; the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) with an outlay of Rs 62,500 crore for five years, with incentives of 2.25 to 5 per cent on eligible sales plus up to 1.5 per cent for domestic component sourcing and 3 per cent for design and R&D; the National Investment Policy for Urea 2026 (NIPU-2026), a policy with no allocation that encourages new gas-based urea plants; and Varanasi corridors and two rail projects (secondary).

• 31 July (official). Cabinet approved the expanded Khelo India Scheme with a combined outlay of Rs 36,441 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31: Rs 29,054 crore for the Khelo India Scheme and Rs 7,387 crore for Assistance to National Sports Federations, nearly eight times the previous allocation. It includes Khelo India Feeder Schools, Centres of Excellence, SAI Training Centres and accredited academies.

• Static: sport is a State subject (Entry 33, List II); the Centre supports it through schemes; Khelo India was launched in 2017-18.

International Relations: Australia and the US Tariff Switch

July's international items were a uranium arrangement and a tariff replacement.

International relations: Australia and the US

• India-Australia (9 July, Melbourne). The two countries signed an administrative arrangement under the 2015 civil nuclear cooperation agreement clearing the way for Australian uranium to be exported to India for peaceful purposes under IAEA safeguards. They also unveiled a joint declaration on defence and security with a roadmap on cyber, critical technologies and supply chains, and agreed to speed up the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and an investment protection pact. Static: India is not a signatory to the NPT; Australia exports uranium only to countries with safeguards agreements; the Quad includes both.

• US tariffs (24 July). The US 10 per cent global surcharge under Section 122 expired on 24 July 2026 (150 days from 24 February) and was replaced by duties under Section 301, based on a forced-labour investigation covering 60 economies. India's rate was reported at 10 per cent against 12.5 per cent for some competitors, after India banned imports of goods made with forced labour; India challenged the investigation (secondary). The India-US trade agreement is still unsigned.

Science and Culture: Vikram-1 and Sarnath

July also had a space first and a heritage listing.

Science and culture: Vikram-1 and Sarnath

• Vikram-1 (18 July). Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 reached orbit on its maiden flight, Mission Aagaman, lifting off from Sriharikota and placing payloads in a 450 km circular low Earth orbit at 60 degrees inclination. It is a four-stage vehicle and India's first privately built rocket to reach orbit; Skyroot plans a second test before commercial flights (secondary). Static: IN-SPACe authorises and promotes private space activity; Skyroot's earlier Vikram-S flew suborbitally in November 2022.

• Sarnath (25 July). The Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 25 July 2026 at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, as India's 45th World Heritage property, under criteria (iii) and (vi). India's 45 properties comprise 37 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed. Static: the Maratha Military Landscapes were inscribed at the 47th session in Paris; Sarnath is where the Buddha gave his first sermon, and the Ashokan pillar's lion capital is India's national emblem.

Further Reading

• PIB press releases, ministry websites and annual reports, the Gazette of India, MEA and UN documents and the official sources named in each note — the primary sources behind every fact above.

How UPSC Could Ask This Next

Here is how UPSC could turn July into questions.

How UPSC could ask this next

• Rural employment: the number of days, the cost-sharing pattern, the Directive Principle behind it and what changes from MGNREGA.

• Law: the section under which individuals are designated terrorists, the schedule, and the penalties in the examinations law.

• Heritage: the count of Indian sites, cultural against natural, the criteria, the session and venue, the earlier Buddhist sites.

• Space and industry: what makes Vikram-1 different, and the incentive structure of the mobile phone scheme.

• IR: why uranium exports need safeguards, and the legal basis of the US tariff replacement.

Test Yourself: Practice Questions

Sixteen practice questions on July 2026, each tied to a verified fact.

Practice Questions

Q1. The VB-G RAM G Act, in force from 1 July 2026, guarantees how many days of work per rural household?

• (a) 120

• (b) 150

• (c) 100

• (d) 125

Q2. Under the VB-G RAM G Act, the Centre-State cost-sharing ratio for most States is

• (a) 75:25

• (b) 50:50

• (c) 60:40

• (d) 100:0

Q3. The right to work is mentioned in the Constitution under

• (a) Article 41 (Directive Principles)

• (b) Article 51A

• (c) Article 19(1)(g)

• (d) Article 21 (Fundamental Rights)

Q4. Under the 2026 Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, those involved in paper leaks face jail terms of

• (a) one to three years

• (b) ten to twenty years

• (c) life imprisonment only

• (d) five to ten years

Q5. Who was given charge of the Ministry of Education after Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation on 25 July 2026?

• (a) Ashwini Vaishnaw

• (b) Piyush Goyal

• (c) Pralhad Joshi

• (d) Jitendra Singh

Q6. Individuals are designated as terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act under

• (a) Section 43D

• (b) Section 35 (Fourth Schedule)

• (c) Section 3

• (d) Section 15

Q7. The outlay of Semicon 2.0 approved by the Cabinet on 15 July 2026 is

• (a) Rs 62,500 crore

• (b) Rs 36,441 crore

• (c) Rs 1,27,500 crore

• (d) Rs 28,840 crore

Q8. The Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme approved in July 2026 has an outlay of

• (a) Rs 1,27,500 crore for ten years

• (b) Rs 2,19,353 crore

• (c) Rs 10,000 crore for three years

• (d) Rs 62,500 crore for five years

Q9. The expanded Khelo India Scheme approved on 31 July 2026 covers the period

• (a) 2024-25 to 2028-29

• (b) 2026-27 to 2030-31

• (c) 2026-27 to 2035-36

• (d) 2025-26 to 2027-28

Q10. The India-Australia uranium arrangement of July 2026 was signed in

• (a) New Delhi

• (b) Sydney

• (c) Melbourne

• (d) Canberra

Q11. Australian uranium is supplied to India subject to

• (a) Wassenaar Arrangement rules

• (b) NPT membership

• (c) IAEA safeguards

• (d) the Missile Technology Control Regime

Q12. The US temporary global tariff under Section 122 expired on

• (a) 1 August 2026

• (b) 31 March 2026

• (c) 24 July 2026

• (d) 20 February 2026

Q13. Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket reached orbit on its maiden flight called

• (a) Mission Prarambh

• (b) Mission Udaan

• (c) Mission Vyom

• (d) Mission Aagaman

Q14. The Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee held in

• (a) Paris, France

• (b) New Delhi, India

• (c) Busan, Republic of Korea

• (d) Bahrain

Q15. India's 45 World Heritage properties comprise

• (a) 34 cultural, 7 natural and 4 mixed

• (b) 40 cultural, 3 natural and 2 mixed

• (c) 30 cultural, 10 natural and 5 mixed

• (d) 37 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed

Q16. Which agency authorises and promotes private-sector space activities in India?

• (a) IN-SPACe

• (b) ISRO's Mission Control

• (c) DRDO

• (d) NSIL

Mains Practice Questions

Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly — they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover.

• Compare the VB-G RAM G Act with MGNREGA on entitlement, financing and federal balance, and assess the objections raised by States.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of criminal penalties and time-bound trials in preventing paper leaks in public examinations.

• Examine the significance of India-Australia uranium cooperation for India's energy security and non-proliferation standing.

• Discuss the role of private players in India's space sector in the light of the Vikram-1 mission.