13 current affairs MCQs for 07 August 2026, framed UPSC-style from the day's reporting, each verified against its source and explained. Click a question to reveal the answer, or take the quiz interactively.
Answer: (a) Jaipur
The 10th BRICS Industry Ministers' Meeting was held in Jaipur on August 6, 2026, under India's BRICS presidency, with the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Collaboration and Sustainable Development'. Ministers advanced cooperation frameworks on MSMEs, photovoltaics and startups, and Jaipur also hosted the 16th BRICS Trade Ministers' Meeting the next day.
Answer: (a) ₹20,193 crore
The Union Cabinet approved ₹20,193 crore in September 2024 to fund Gaganyaan through its uncrewed and crewed missions and lay groundwork for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station. The Human-Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3), crew module propulsion, and crew escape systems have all completed development and testing, with the first uncrewed mission carrying the Vyommitra humanoid targeted for late 2026.
Answer: (a) Strategic Forces Command
The Strategic Forces Command, which manages India's nuclear-capable missile arsenal, carried out the user trial of Agni-4 on August 6, 2026, with all operational and technical parameters validated. DRDO develops and certifies such missiles, but user trials of missiles already inducted into service are conducted by the Strategic Forces Command.
Answer: (a) 5.25%
The MPC unanimously kept the repo rate at 5.25%, citing global uncertainties including Middle East geopolitical tensions even as it revised FY27 GDP growth upward to 6.7% and lowered the inflation forecast to 5.0%. The repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends short-term funds to commercial banks and is its key tool for managing inflation and growth.
Answer: (a) 2047
The Bill extends the tax-holiday window for data centres to 2047 and allows them to operate on a leased rather than owned basis, replacing earlier rigid conditions such as a mandatory 750 MW capacity threshold. It also eases contract-manufacturing tax rules for electronics makers, aiming to draw long-term global investment into India's digital infrastructure.
Answer: (a) Progress
IndiaAI Mission, approved by the government in March 2024 under MeitY, is built around People, Planet and Progress to foster inclusive innovation and responsible, indigenous AI capability. Its AICoSH platform gives students and researchers open access to datasets, AI models and toolkits to build public-interest applications.
Answer: (a) Ghaziabad and Meerut
The 82.15-km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor, built by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), is India's first Regional Rapid Transit System and integrates with the Meerut Metro. Two more Phase-I corridors — Delhi-Gurugram-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat — are planned under the same RRTS network.
Answer: (a) About 82%
As of July 2026, roughly 82% of India's rural households (about 15.89 crore of 19.36 crore) had tap water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission (Har Ghar Jal), launched in August 2019. Water quality is monitored against BIS:10500 standards, with mandated rapid-response protocols for chemical or bacterial contamination.
Answer: (a) Mission 500
The committee, chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen, urged the government to implement 'Mission 500' — the India-US target of $500 billion in bilateral trade — with a clear timeline, alongside a dedicated mechanism to resolve trade frictions before they escalate into tariffs. It also called for tariff relief on engineering goods, auto components and chemicals, and export-support schemes for MSMEs.
Answer: (a) United States
The ministry called the reports 'baseless and factually incorrect', stating that ethanol for India's fuel-blending programme is sourced entirely from domestic producers and that no exemptions or commitments on US ethanol imports are under negotiation. India's ethanol blending target is set independently as domestic policy, not tied to bilateral trade talks.
Answer: (a) Kabini
The Kabini reservoir in HD Kote taluk received heavy inflows after over 250-290 mm of rain fell in 24 hours around Agumbe and Sringeri, with the Netravati river crossing the danger mark near Uppinangady. Districts including Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and Kodagu also saw landslides on hill roads such as the Madikeri-Mangaluru highway.
Answer: (a) ASDDO
The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision lets Karnataka voters verify online whether they have been flagged under the ASDDO category, with corrections possible through Booth Level Officer verification before the draft roll is published. SIR is a periodic, ground-level re-verification of electoral rolls distinct from the routine annual summary revision.
Answer: (a) August 9
KEA extended both the UG-NEET roll-number linking deadline and the Kannada language test for Horanadu/Gadinadu Kannadiga candidates (needed for reserved-category medical counselling) to give candidates who applied after July 30 more time amid technical disruptions. The authority also advised candidates to consider walk-in options to speed up document verification.