Current Affairs 07 August 2025

India Nominates Sarnath for UNESCO World Heritage Status 2025.

• India submitted a dossier for Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath to UNESCO for the 2025–26 nomination cycle.
• Sarnath, located near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, is where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon – the Dhammachakkappavattana Sutta.
• Marks the beginning of the Buddhist Sangha (monastic community).

Pariksha Pe Charcha Sets Guinness Record with 3.53 Cr Registrations.

• Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) 2025 set a Guinness World Record for the most people registered on a citizen engagement platform in one month.
• Over 3.53 crore registrations were made via the MyGov platform.
• PPC is an annual event where PM Narendra Modi interacts with students, teachers, and parents ahead of board exams.
• Launched in 2018, the event has grown in scale and participation each year.

Army, IIT Madras Launch "Agnishodh" to Boost Defence Innovation.

• Indian Army and IIT Madras have set up Agnishodh, the Indian Army Research Cell (IARC).
• Located on the IIT Madras campus, part of the Army’s Five Pillars of Transformation strategy.
• Agnishodh focuses on Modernisation and Technology Infusion, one of the five pillars.
• It aims to convert lab innovations into deployable defence tech through collaboration with IIT Madras Research Park and AMTDC.

South Africa Tags Rhino Horns with Radioisotopes to Stop Poaching.

• The Rhisotope Project was launched by the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, to combat rhino poaching.
• Supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
• Radioactive isotopes were injected into rhino horns of five rhinos in Waterberg Biosphere Reserve.
• The radiation can be traced, and typically causes changes in the substance it falls upon.

Indian Nutrition-TB Study Shapes WHO’s Global TB Policy.

• A landmark Indian study on TB and nutrition has shaped WHO global policy.
• The study was led by ICMR and conducted in Jharkhand.
• It provided first-ever evidence that nutritional support reduces TB cases and deaths.
• Based on this, WHO updated its global TB guidance.
• Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s most infectious disease.