Daily Current Affairs- 2nd August 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 2nd August 2026

MNS chief Raj Thackeray alleges ₹18 crore annual donation “theft” at Siddhivinayak Temple

In the News: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray alleged that approximately ₹18 crore in donations was being siphoned off annually from Mumbai’s Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple. The allegation was based on a letter reportedly written by eight trustees concerning theft from temple donation boxes.

Key Points:

• Basis of the Allegation: Thackeray claimed that the temple’s weekly donation collections increased from below ₹50 lakh to nearly ₹1.5 crore after the alleged theft was detected. He maintained that this difference indicated that around ₹18 crore had earlier been diverted every year.
• Trust’s Response: Temple Trust Chairman Sada Sarvankar stated that nine employees had been arrested and cases had been registered wherever required. He also said that the temple’s annual income had increased from ₹114 crore to ₹182 crore due to measures taken by the trust.
• Government-Controlled Trust: The Siddhivinayak Temple is administered by a government-controlled statutory trust. Its functioning is governed by the Shree Siddhi Vinayak Ganpati Temple Trust (Prabhadevi) Act, 1980, enacted by the Maharashtra Legislature.
• Purpose of the 1980 Act: The legislation reconstituted the temple trust and provided for its management by a committee under government supervision. It also permits the trust to utilise surplus resources for facilities for devotees and wider public welfare activities.

PM Modi Launches ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’

In the News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide “Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan” on August 2, 2026. He emphasised that achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047 requires a physically healthy, mentally strong and drug-free young population.

Key Points:

• 100-Week Campaign: The initiative has been designed as a 100-week Jan Bhagidari movement against substance abuse. Activities involving sports, fitness, meditation, art, culture and public awareness will be organised every Sunday during the campaign period.
• Nationwide Participation: More than one crore young people joined the launch through over 28,000 locations and took the Nasha Mukti Pledge. Participants included students, National Service Scheme members, MY Bharat volunteers, NGOs and spiritual organisations.
• Role of MY Bharat: The campaign is being promoted through Mera Yuva Bharat, an autonomous body under the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. MY Bharat was launched on October 31, 2023, to promote youth-led development and nation-building.
• Kashi Declaration: The national initiative developed from an earlier pilot effort in Varanasi and is supported by more than 125 spiritual organisations and NGOs under the Kashi Declaration. The declaration advocates a multi-sectoral approach involving families, educational institutions, civil society and rehabilitation services.

Tejaswin Shankar Creates History with India’s First-Ever Commonwealth Games Decathlon Medal

In the News: Indian athlete Tejaswin Shankar won the bronze medal in the men’s decathlon at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. With this performance, he became the first Indian athlete to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the decathlon.

Key Points:

• Final Result: Tejaswin accumulated 7,976 points to finish third. Grenada’s Lindon Victor won the gold medal, while Canada’s Damian Warner secured silver in the combined athletics event.
• Decathlon Format: The decathlon consists of ten track-and-field disciplines contested over two days. These include the 100 metres, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 metres, 110-metre hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 metres.
• Second Commonwealth Medal: This was Tejaswin’s second Commonwealth Games medal. He had earlier won bronze in the men’s high jump at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.
• Overcoming Injury: The achievement came despite a flare-up of a long-standing knee injury that had prevented him from recording a valid jump in the high jump final. He later received medical clearance and competed through pain in the ten-event decathlon.
• Key Performance: Tejaswin recorded a personal best of 7.82 metres in the decathlon long jump. He protected his bronze-medal position in the concluding 1,500-metre race, finishing ahead of England’s Sammy Ball in the overall points standings.

Veteran Nepalese mountaineer Purja dies in avalanche on Broad Peak in PoK

In the News: Renowned Nepal-born British mountaineer Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja died after an avalanche struck his expedition on Broad Peak in the Karakoram range. The avalanche hit the 10-member international expedition while it was climbing the 8,047-metre mountain in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan.

Key Points:

• Project Possible: Purja gained global recognition in 2019 after climbing all 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres in 189 days, or approximately six months and six days. He completed the challenge under his “Project Possible 14/7” initiative.
• Military Background: Before becoming a professional mountaineer, Purja served in the Brigade of Gurkhas in the British Army. He later joined the Special Boat Service, the special forces unit of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy.
• Historic Winter Ascent: Purja was part of the Nepalese team that completed the first successful winter ascent of K2 in January 2021. K2, the world’s second-highest peak, had been the last of the fourteen eight-thousanders to remain unclimbed during winter.
• Documentary Recognition: His record-setting 2019 expedition was featured in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. The documentary brought international attention to the achievements and contributions of Nepalese high-altitude climbers.
• About Broad Peak: Broad Peak is approximately 8,047 metres high and is the world’s twelfth-highest mountain. It lies in the Karakoram range near K2 and is exposed to avalanches, falling ice, extreme altitude and rapidly changing weather conditions.