Karnataka & Group C Current Affairs – August 1st, 2026

Important Days

1. Shaheed Udham Singh Martyrdom Day 

• Observed Date: July 31
• Observing Organisation: Government of India (State Governments of Punjab and Haryana)
• Objective: To commemorate the revolutionary leader for his supreme sacrifice in the freedom struggle, avenging the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre by assassinating Michael O’Dwyer in London, and symbolizing secular unity through the identity “Ram Mohammad Singh Azad”.

2. World Lung Cancer Day 

• Observed Date: August 1
• Observing Organisation: Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) and global health organizations
• Objective: To raise global awareness about the burden of lung cancer, promote early detection through Low-Dose Computed Tomography (LDCT) screening, encourage prevention, and advocate for equitable access to timely diagnosis and life-saving treatments worldwide.
• Theme: “Together through lung cancer”

3. World Wide Web Day 

• Observed Date: August 1
• Observing Organisation: Global Tech Community / World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) 
• Objective: To honour the invention of the World Wide Web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee (1989) and highlight the web’s transformative role in revolutionizing global communication, democratization of information, and digital innovation.
• Theme: “Empowering the Future: Building an Inclusive, Safe, and Open Web”

Reports & Rankings

1. Market Distortions Performance Index Report

Released By: Competere Foundation (in collaboration with CTIL, IIFT).

Key Observations:

• Major Rank Jump: India climbed 25 positions to rank 57th globally in structural and pro-competitive reforms (up from 82nd in 2010).
• Assessment Pillars: Evaluates nations across three core pillars: protection of property rights, domestic competition, and international competition.
• Primary Drivers: The improvement is attributed to key structural reforms, primarily the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Performance Metric:

2. Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2026

Released By: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy (YCELP) and Columbia University (CIESIN).

Salient Features & Key Observations:

• Global Leaders: Estonia secured the 1st rank globally with a score of 74.79, with European nations occupying the top five positions.
• India’s Standing: India ranked 176th out of 177 countries with a score of 22.46, placing it second from the absolute bottom, ahead only of Laos.
• Sectoral Performance (India): India performed poorly in critical areas like Environmental Health, Air Quality, and Biodiversity, but showed comparative progress in Climate Change Mitigation and Waste Management.
• Assessment Framework: The biennial index evaluates nations using 47 indicators across 12 environmental issue categories to track progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.

Performance Metric: