Daily Current Affairs Quiz 27th July 2026 for Banking & Competitive Exams |

Daily Current Affairs: 27 July, 2026

Q1. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi officially assumed charge as the Union Minister of Education on 26 July 2026. Whom did he succeed following their resignation from the Union Cabinet?

(a) Piyush Goyal

(b) Dharmendra Pradhan

(d) Kiren Rijiju

(e) Giriraj Singh

Answer: b

Solution:

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi took charge as the Union Minister of Education on 26 July 2026.
He was appointed as the new Education Minister following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
Pralhad Joshi officially assumed charge of the Ministry of Education at Kartavya Bhavan.
In addition to the Ministry of Education, Pralhad Joshi continues to hold charge of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
He also holds charge of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Q2. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the new state-of-the-art office complex of the Income Tax Department named ‘Aayakar Sindhu’ in July 2026. In which major business district is this facility located?

(a) Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai

(b) Nariman Point, Mumbai

(d) Nanakramguda, Hyderabad

(e) GIFT City, Gandhinagar

Answer: b

Solution:

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the new Income Tax Department office complex, ‘Aayakar Sindhu’, on 26 July 2026.
The new office complex is located at Nariman Point in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Aayakar Sindhu will serve as a key office complex of the Income Tax Department in Mumbai.

Q3. The “Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath” was inscribed as India’s 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2026. Where was the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee held, where this historic decision was taken?

(a) Paris, France

(b) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

(d) Kyoto, Japan

(e) New Delhi, India

Answer: c

Solution:

The Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The decision was taken during the 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Busan, Republic of Korea (South Korea).
Sarnath was India’s official nomination for the 2025–26 cycle.
With this inscription, Sarnath became India’s 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site.
India now ranks 6th globally and 2nd in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of the number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath

Sarnath is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
The inscribed serial property comprises two component parts — Chaukhandi Stupa and the Archaeological Remains of Sarnath.
The Archaeological Remains include the Dhamekh Stupa, Dharmrajika Stupa, Mulagandhakuti Vihara, Ashokan Pillar, and other structures.
Sarnath was historically known in Buddhist traditions as Rishipatana, Ishipatana, and Mrigadava.
Sarnath is the place where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon in the 6th century BCE.
Buddha’s first sermon is known as Dharmachakra Pravartana, or the “Turning of the Wheel of the Law.”
This event marked the inception of the Buddhist Sangha and the establishment of the principles of the Noble Eightfold Path.
Buddha identified Sarnath as one of the four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
Sarnath developed over centuries through royal, monastic, and lay patronage, resulting in the construction of numerous stupas, temples, and viharas.

Sarnath and UNESCO

Sarnath was included in India’s Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1998.
India’s nomination proposal was submitted for consideration of the World Heritage Committee in January 2025.
The nomination underwent an approximately 18-month evaluation process, including technical meetings and an ICOMOS mission to review the site.
Following Sarnath’s inscription, three of the four most significant Buddhist pilgrimage sites are UNESCO World Heritage properties — Lumbini in Nepal, Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, and Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh.
Other important Buddhist World Heritage Sites include Sanchi, Nalanda and Ajanta in India, Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, Paharpur in Bangladesh, and Taxila and Takht-i-Bahi in Pakistan.

Q4. The DISHA 2.0 (Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice) Scheme has been approved as a Central Sector Scheme. What is the approved financial allocation and implementation period for the scheme?

(a) ₹255 crore for 2026–2031

(b) ₹180 crore for 2024–2028

(d) ₹500 crore for 2026–2031

(e) ₹150 crore for 2023–2027

Answer: a

Solution:

Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA) 2.0 is a Central Sector Scheme aimed at improving access to legal services across India.
The scheme has an approved financial outlay of ₹255 crore for the period 2026–31.
DISHA 2.0 will be implemented pan-India, including Andhra Pradesh.
The scheme aims to leverage technology to develop and expand the outreach of citizen-friendly platforms for legal services.

Components of DISHA 2.0

Tele-Law: Reaching the Unreached provides free pre-litigation legal advice to all.
Tele-Law connects citizens with panel lawyers through a mobile application, Toll-Free Number 14454, and video/tele-conferencing facilities available through Common Service Centres (CSCs) and Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) at the panchayat level.
Nyaya Sahayaks, who serve as community-based legal facilitators, have been engaged in Aspirational Blocks to strengthen service delivery.
Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) Programme facilitates voluntary legal assistance by advocates to marginalized and disadvantaged sections covered under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.
Pro-Bono panels have been constituted in 23 High Courts across India to strengthen institutional coordination.
Pro-Bono Clubs are functional in law schools and colleges across India to encourage a culture of community-led pro bono legal services among law students.
Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme (LLLAP) focuses on building partnerships with institutions and stakeholder Ministries/Departments to enhance legal awareness and empower grassroots workers.
LLLAP uses workshops, webinars, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials, and collaboration with Prasar Bharati and other stakeholders to spread legal awareness.
VIDHI-Sanjeevani, or Vision for Integrated Delivery of Harmonized Legal Initiatives-Sanjeevani, is a key component of DISHA 2.0 designed to strengthen monitoring of the scheme.
VIDHI-Sanjeevani envisages the development and operationalisation of a Centralized Integrated Dashboard that will integrate real-time data from multiple sources.
The dashboard will facilitate monitoring of programme performance, service delivery, and implementation progress.
VIDHI-Sanjeevani is envisaged to reach 50 lakh beneficiaries over five years from 2026 to 2031, with no state-specific targets.

Nyaya Setu AI Chatbot

The Generative AI-powered multilingual and multi-modal Nyaya Setu chatbot was launched on 29 March 2026.
Nyaya Setu helps people understand legal processes, rights, and next steps through simple voice and text interactions.
It supports 22 Indian languages through a voice-first interface.
The chatbot uses a Hybrid Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture.
This architecture grounds responses in statutory legal texts, helping reduce the risk of AI hallucination.
VIDHI-Sanjeevani envisages integration with the Nyaya Setu AI Chatbot to provide technology-enabled service support and improve user interaction.

Q5. In July 2026, who became the first Indian squash player in history to win a World Junior Championship title after defeating Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem in the girls’ singles final?

(a) Joshna Chinappa

(b) Dipika Pallikal

(d) Sunayna Kuruvilla

(e) Tanvi Khanna

Answer: c

Solution:

18-year-old Indian squash player Anahat Singh created history by winning the girls’ singles title at the World Squash Junior Championships 2026.
The top-seeded Anahat Singh defeated second seed Ruqayya Salem of Egypt in straight games in the final.
Anahat won the final 11-3, 11-7, 11-9, completing a 3-0 victory to clinch the gold medal.
With this achievement, Anahat became the first Indian squash player to win a junior world title.
Her victory also ended Egypt’s 16-year dominance of the girls’ junior world title.
Anahat completed her historic title run without dropping a single game.
The World Squash Junior Championships 2026 were held at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada.
Anahat is currently ranked World No. 20 on the senior Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour.
Her achievement assumes added significance as squash will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Q6. The Indian Sub-Junior Men’s team defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1 in the gold medal match of the FIH Youth Asian Championship in July 2026. Which fast-paced format of hockey was this tournament played in?

(a) Field Hockey (11-a-side)

(b) Hockey5s

(d) Ice Hockey

(e) Roller Hockey

Answer: b

Solution:

The Indian sub-junior men’s hockey team won the gold medal at the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship.
India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 3–1 in the gold medal match.
Romit Pal, captain Ketan Kushwaha, and Shahrukh Ali scored the three goals for India in the final.
The victory crowned India as the Asian champions in the FIH Youth Hockey5s competition