Daily Current Affairs- 7th August 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 7th August 2026

Who Is Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth? IAF’s First Woman Fighter Pilot to Become a ‘Top Gun’

In the News: Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has become the first woman fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force to successfully complete the elite Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) Course. The course is conducted at the IAF’s Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) and prepares experienced fighter pilots to lead complex air-combat missions.

Key Points:

• Historic FCL Qualification: Bhawana Kanth became the first Indian woman fighter pilot to complete the Fighter Combat Leader Course, popularly associated with the “Top Gun” designation. The programme trains fighter pilots in advanced aerial combat tactics, mission leadership and operational planning.
• First Batch of Women Fighter Pilots: Kanth was commissioned into the IAF fighter stream in 2016 along with Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh. They formed the first group of women inducted into the fighter stream after the Government opened it to women on an experimental basis.
• Earlier Combat Milestone: In 2019, Kanth became the first woman fighter pilot in the IAF qualified to undertake combat missions by day. She completed the operational syllabus on the MiG-21 Bison after having flown her first solo MiG-21 sortie in 2018.
• Recognition: Bhawana Kanth, Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh were jointly honoured with the Nari Shakti Puraskar for pioneering women’s entry into fighter aviation. The award is India’s national recognition for outstanding contributions towards women’s empowerment.

UPI Charges Bill 2026 Passed By Lok Sabha: What Does It Mean for UPI Users?

In the News: The Lok Sabha has passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which includes changes to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. The amendment creates a legal framework under which the government may permit banks and payment service providers to levy charges on specified electronic payment systems, potentially including UPI. It does not itself impose an immediate UPI charge.

Key Points:

• Actual Bill: The measure widely described in headlines as the “UPI Charges Bill” is part of the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. It amends provisions governing India’s payment and settlement ecosystem rather than creating a standalone UPI law.
• Parent Legislation: The relevant parent law is the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, which provides the statutory framework for regulation and supervision of payment systems in India. The Reserve Bank of India plays the central regulatory role under this framework.
• No Immediate User Fee: Passage of the amendment does not mean every UPI transfer becomes chargeable immediately. It provides enabling authority for charges to be permitted, while the actual structure and implementation would depend upon subsequent notification or regulation.
• MDR in Focus: The development has renewed attention on Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), the fee associated with processing digital payments that is generally borne by merchants. The existing zero-MDR regime has played an important role in encouraging widespread UPI acceptance.
• UPI Institutional Background: UPI is operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and functions within the broader regulatory oversight of the RBI. It enables instant bank-to-bank digital payments through interoperable payment applications.

India Maps 27 Arunachal Pradesh Locations Officially

In the News: The Government of India has assigned standardised official names to 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh through an updated Survey of India map. The locations include mountain passes and a high-altitude lake, with the exercise aimed at removing cartographic ambiguity in the border region.

Key Points:

• Survey of India: The updated nomenclature has been incorporated into maps produced by the Survey of India, India’s national mapping agency. Standardised geographical naming is important for administration, defence mapping, navigation and official territorial records.
• Border Context: Arunachal Pradesh lies along the eastern sector of the India-China boundary. China refers to the State as “Zangnan” or “South Tibet”, a territorial claim that India has consistently rejected while maintaining that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.
• China’s Renaming Exercises: China has issued several batches of so-called standardised names for places in Arunachal Pradesh since 2017. India has repeatedly rejected these unilateral renaming exercises.
• McMahon Line: Much of the eastern sector boundary dispute relates historically to the McMahon Line, drawn during the Simla Convention of 1914. India treats it as the boundary in the eastern sector, while China disputes its validity.

Lok Sabha Passes MSME Amendment Bill

In the News: The Lok Sabha has passed the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The legislation principally seeks to strengthen mechanisms dealing with delayed payments to MSMEs and facilitate faster recovery and dispute resolution.

Key Points:

• Parent Law: The Bill amends the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006. The parent legislation provides the legal framework for promotion, development and competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises.
• Delayed Payments: A central objective of the amendment is faster adjudication of payment disputes involving MSME suppliers. Delayed payment is a major liquidity concern because capital remains blocked after goods or services have already been supplied.
• Facilitation Councils: The existing MSMED framework provides for Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Councils (MSEFCs) to deal with delayed-payment disputes. The amendment seeks to strengthen this dispute-resolution architecture.
• Recovery of Awards: The amendment seeks stronger mechanisms for enforcement of arbitral awards and settlement agreements. This is intended to prevent prolonged disputes from depriving MSMEs of urgently required working capital.
• TReDS Linkage: Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) is an RBI-regulated electronic platform that facilitates financing of MSME trade receivables. It helps MSMEs convert unpaid invoices into working capital more quickly.

How Bombay High Court picked apart trial court’s acquittal of Tarun Tejpal

In the News: The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court overturned the 2021 acquittal of former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 sexual assault case. The High Court found serious errors in the trial court’s assessment of evidence and reversed the acquittal.

Key Points:

• Reversal of Acquittal: Tejpal had been acquitted by a Sessions Court in Goa in 2021. The Goa government challenged that judgment before the Bombay High Court, which reassessed the evidentiary findings of the trial court.
• No ‘Perfect Victim’ Standard: The High Court criticised reliance on stereotypical expectations about how a survivor of sexual violence should behave. Credibility cannot be rejected simply because a survivor’s conduct does not conform to an assumed behavioural pattern.
• Apology Emails: Tejpal’s apology emails became an important evidentiary issue in the appeal. The High Court considered them along with the survivor’s testimony and other surrounding evidence.
• Survivor’s Testimony: The High Court treated the complainant’s testimony as significant and criticised the manner in which the trial court had evaluated her conduct and credibility.
• Appellate Principle: An appellate court may interfere with an acquittal where the lower court’s conclusions are legally unsustainable, perverse or based on serious misappreciation of evidence.

Gaganyaan Mission Achieves Major Milestones, First Uncrewed Flight Targeted for Q4 2026

In the News: ISRO has completed several important qualification tests for systems associated with India’s Gaganyaan human-spaceflight programme. Recent achievements include tests of Crew Module systems, separation arrangements and parachute-related systems, while preparations continue for the first uncrewed mission.

Key Points:

• Mission Objective: Gaganyaan is India’s programme to demonstrate indigenous capability to conduct a human spaceflight mission. The eventual crewed mission is intended to place Indian astronauts in Low Earth Orbit and return them safely to Earth.
• Crew Module Tests: ISRO has qualified important elements of the Crew Module Uprighting System, Crew Module-Service Module separation arrangement and other structural systems needed during re-entry and recovery.
• Parachute System: Gaganyaan’s Crew Module deceleration system uses multiple parachutes of different types, including Drogue, Pilot and Main parachutes. These systems are critical for ensuring a safe descent and landing.
• Joint Effort: Important parachute tests involve collaboration among ISRO, DRDO, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army. Such tests validate crew-safety systems under demanding operational conditions.
• First Uncrewed Mission: The G1 mission is intended to demonstrate the spacecraft and mission systems before astronauts are flown. The first uncrewed flight has been targeted for Q4 2026, subject to completion of qualification and safety reviews.

India Successfully Test-Fires Agni-4 Ballistic Missile from Odisha

In the News: India successfully test-fired the Agni-4 ballistic missile from the Integrated Test Range in Odisha. The launch validated operational and technical parameters and was conducted under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC).

Key Points:

• Missile Category: Agni-4 is an indigenously developed surface-to-surface ballistic missile belonging to India’s Agni family. It forms an important component of India’s strategic deterrence capability.
• Range: The missile has a reported strike range of around 4,000 km. It occupies an important position within the Agni series between shorter-range missiles and longer-range variants.
• Test Facility: Agni missile trials are conducted from the Integrated Test Range in Odisha, an important Indian facility used for developmental and operational missile tests.
• Strategic Forces Command: The Strategic Forces Command is responsible for managing India’s strategic nuclear forces. It functions within the institutional structure of India’s Nuclear Command Authority.
• Agni Programme: The Agni series originated under India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) associated with DRDO. The family includes multiple ballistic missiles providing different strategic ranges.