UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 30-07-2026

One Liners 30-07-2026

Polity & Governance

Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS)

The IACS celebrated its historic 150th foundation anniversary on July 29, 2026, marking 150 years.

• It is India's one of the oldest national scientific research institution.
• Founded in – 1876.
• Founded by – Dr. Mahendralal Sircar.
• Location –Kolkata.
• Sir C.V. Raman discovered the Raman Effect here on February 28, 1928, winning India's first Nobel Prize in Science in 1930.

YUVIKA 2026 programme

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) conducted the 6th edition of its Young Scientist Programme (YUVIKA 2026) recently.

• It is a two-week residential programme successfully trained 456 Class 9 students across nine ISRO centres to build basic knowledge in space science and STEM fields.
• Selection weightage – 50% based on Class 8 marks, 15% for rural/remote school backgrounds, plus points for online quizzes, science fairs, Olympiads, sports, and NCC/Scouts/Guides.
• Core Activities
  • Experiential Learning
  • Live Interactions
  • Included daily yoga, sports, meditation, and local cultural/science sightseeing tours.

INSPIRE Programme

• It is a flagship scheme by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• Designed to – Attract young talent to science, build a national research base, and foster creative thinking without conducting competitive exams.
• Components
  • INSPIRE Award (MANAK) – Targets children aged 10 to 15 (classes 6 to 12) to source original science ideas, providing ₹10,000 to selected students for prototype development.
  • Scholarship for Higher Education – Offers financial support and mentorship to top 1% students at the Class 10/12 board level.
  • INSPIRE fellowship – Provides financial aid for outstanding students carrying out doctoral (PhD) research in basic and applied sciences.
  • Faculty fellowship – Supports early-career researchers aged 27 to 32 with assured tenure and research grants.

Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme

• Initiative by –Ministry of Panchayati Raj
• Objectives – To shift Gram and Block Panchayats from grant-dependent models to fiscal autonomy via sustainable Own Sources of Revenue (OSR).
• Technical & Financial Support – Provided by NABARD and HUDCO.
• Focus – To develop 350 total projects across a 4-year timeline—50 projects in Year 1 and 100 projects annually across Years 2, 3, and 4.
• Implemented under – Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)
• Eligibility criteria
  • Gram Panchayats must have a minimum annual OSR of ₹50 lakh and at least 3 years of remaining tenure.
  • Block Panchayats requires a minimum annual OSR of ₹1 crore, reduced to ₹20 lakh for special category states, with at least 3 years remaining tenure.

Task Force on Examination Reforms

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the constitution of a High-Powered Task Force on Examination Reforms recently.

• It is led by Nandan Nilekani (co-founder of Infosys and former UIDAI chairman).
• Objective – To overhaul the public examination ecosystem, making national-level tests conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) leak-proof, transparent, and technology-driven.
• Focus areas –
  • Technology Integration to monitor the complete exam lifecycle.
  • Tamper-Proof Logistics for secure question paper transmission systems.
  • Redesigning NTA operations and administrative processes to guarantee transparency and restore public trust.
  • Establishing fast-track courts specifically designated to prosecute examination fraud.

Economy

Polymer (plastic) Banknotes

The government has approved the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) proposal to introduce polymer banknotes in the denominations of 10 and 20 rupees recently.

• Material - Made from a thin, flexible plastic substrate (like biaxially oriented polypropylene) instead of traditional cotton-based paper.
• The life span of polymer banknotes is higher than that of paper banknotes.
• The impact on digital payments could be ascertained only after regular issuance of these notes.
• Existing paper banknotes will not be withdrawn or replaced; both variants will circulate together during the initial phase.
• Click on the polymer banknotes to know more.

Science

Kimi K3 AI Model

• Kimi K3 is the world's largest open-weight AI system and the first model in the 3-trillion-parameter class to be made openly available.
• Developed by – China-based startup Moonshot AI.
• The model features 2.8 trillion total parameters (with 104 billion parameters activated per token via its Mixture-of-Experts architecture) and a 1-million-token context window.
• Capabilities –
  • It excels at intensive software development tasks with zero human oversight.
  • It automates complex workflows like generating full research papers embedded with interactive data dashboards and programmatic motion designs.
  • In blind developer testing, it frequently outperforms major proprietary systems in front-end coding.

Miscellaneous

International Day of Friendship

• Observed Annually on – July 30.
• Observed by – United Nations each year.
• Objective – To promote peace, bridge cultures, and build trust through human connection.
• First proposed in - 1958 by Dr. Ramón Artemio Bracho in Paraguay through the World Friendship Crusade.
• It was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011.
• Core significance –
  • Global Peace
  • Youth Engagement
  • Human Solidarity

Fields Medal 2026

• It is the highest honor a mathematician can receive, often described as the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics."
• It recognizes outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and the promise of future achievement.
• Founder – Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields.
• Frequency – Awarded every four years
• Age Limit – Winners must be under 40 years old on January 1 of the year the medal is awarded.
• Prize – solid gold medal and a cash prize of 15,000 Canadian dollars.
• It was first given out in 1936 at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in Oslo, Norway.
• It has been awarded every four years without fail since 1950.

Global Tiger Day

• It is an annual event observed on July 29 to raise worldwide awareness about tiger conservation, protect natural habitats, and address threats like poaching
• Establishment – Created at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia in July 29, 2010.
  • Summit launched the Tx2 Initiative, a global commitment by 13 tiger-range countries to double wild tiger numbers.
• Tigers act as apex predators that maintain balance within forest ecosystems.
• Key threats – Tigers face pressure from habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal wildlife trade.
• India houses nearly 70% to 75% of the global wild tiger population, leading major conservation initiatives like Project Tiger.