NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Punjab Launches ‘Young Entrepreneurs’ Scheme to Teach
Business Skills in Govt Schools from 2026: Starting
from the 2026–27 academic year, the Punjab government will introduce
business and marketing skill education for Class 11 and 12 students in
government schools under the ‘Punjab Young Entrepreneurs’ scheme.At
the Business Blasters Expo 2025 in Rupnagar, Education Minister Harjot Singh
Bains highlighted the government’s aim to turn students into job creators,
providing financial and technical assistance to support their ventures.Ten
student-led ventures pitched their ideas in a Shark Tank-style showcase and
secured funding, while another 30 teams exhibited and sold products at Expo
stalls. ₹17 lakh has been invested to set up innovation labs for product
development, possibly in collaboration with IITs.Former Delhi Deputy CM Manish
Sisodia said students will now be required to present a business idea to pass
school, emphasizing practical learning, earning while studying, and building
real-world entrepreneurial skills before graduation.
2. Punjab Becomes First State to Offer
₹10 Lakh Universal Cashless Health Insurance Under ‘Mukh Mantri Sarbat Sehat
Bima Yojana: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has launched
a universal health insurance scheme under the Mukh Mantri Sarbat Sehat
Bima Yojana, offering cashless treatment of up to ₹10 lakh per
annum to all 65 lakh families in the state at government and empanelled
private hospitals.The scheme expands on existing coverage by providing an
additional ₹5 lakh top-up, raising the insurance limit from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh
for families already enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Punjab’s
state scheme.A total of ₹778 crore has been allocated in the Punjab Budget
2025–26 to implement this initiative, which is set to become operational from
October 2, making Punjab the first state in India to offer such comprehensive cashless
health coverage.
3. Kalaa Setu Challenge: India is rapidly
advancing its digital governance by integrating AI technologies to improve
communication in multiple Indian
languages. The Kalaa Setu challenge,
launched in 2025 by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting via the
WaveX Startup Accelerator, invites startups to develop scalable AI tools for
multimedia content creation from text. This initiative aims to overcome
linguistic barriers and enhance public outreach through real-time, multilingual
audio, video, and graphic content generation. Kalaa Setu focuses on creating
AI-driven solutions that convert text into multimedia content. It supports
three core areas – text-to-video, text-to-graphics, and text-to-audio
generation. These technologies enable automated production of videos,
infographics, and voice content that are customised for various regional
languages and cultural contexts. The challenge encourages startups to build
tools that can scale to meet the diverse communication needs of India’s vast
population.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. ISA to Host 7th Asia-Pacific Regional Meet in Colombo:
The 7th Regional Committee Meeting for Asia and the
Pacific, hosted by the International Solar Alliance (ISA), will
be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 15–17 July 2025, under the theme
‘Advancing Solar Cooperation Across a Region of Diversity and Opportunity’.The
meeting will bring together governments, universities, think tanks, private
sector leaders, and international partners to advance solar deployment, promote
regional solar interconnections, and explore technologies like Green Hydrogen,
storage, and E-Mobility.Key agenda items include operationalizing the SIDS
solar platform, signing Country Partnership Frameworks, launching new STAR
Centres for capacity building, and aligning regional solar priorities with ISA’s
four-pillar strategic vision, including blended finance, technology roadmap,
and policy innovation.The RCM aims to strengthen ISA’s leadership in the
Asia-Pacific solar transition, build on the ISA-ADB Green Hydrogen project, and
explore cross-border solar trade frameworks, ensuring inclusive and resilient
growth especially for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island
Developing States (SIDS).
2. Trinidad & Tobago 8th country to have UPI: India will assist Trinidad and Tobago in developing a digital
payment system similar to Unified Payments Interface (UPI), as part of PM
Narendra Modi’s recent visit during his five-nation tour.UPI is currently
operational in several countries including UAE, Singapore, France, Bhutan,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius, allowing Indian users to make payments abroad
by scanning QR codes and paying in INR while merchants receive local
currency.To use UPI internationally, users must have a UPI-enabled app, an
Indian bank account linked to UPI, and international roaming activated for
OTPs. Apps like BHIM offer a “UPI Global” feature for secure overseas
transactions.Cross-border UPI transactions may involve minimal conversion fees,
often lower than debit/credit card charges, and NPCI has signaled further
expansion into Europe and the Caribbean, making Indian digital wallets
increasingly borderless.
3. Bulgaria to Adopt Euro as 21st Member
of Eurozone from January 1, 2026: Bulgaria is
set to become the 21st member of the Eurozone on January 1, 2026, after
receiving the final approval from EU finance ministers, marking a major
economic milestone nearly 19 years after joining the European Union.The
official exchange rate has been fixed at 1.95583 Bulgarian lev per euro, as
part of the legal framework adopted by EU ministers to facilitate Bulgaria’s
transition from its current currency (the lev) to the euro.Bulgaria’s entry
follows Croatia, which became the 20th member in 2023, continuing the expansion
of the euro area that began with 12 countries in 2002 and gradually included
others like Slovenia (2007), Slovakia (2009), and Lithuania (2015).The euro has
been strengthening against the U.S. dollar recently, partly due to global shifts
in economic confidence and trade tensions driven by former U.S. President
Donald Trump’s protectionist policies.
4. 10 July – Global Energy Independence
Day: Global Energy Independence Day is observed every year on 10
July to promote awareness and action toward achieving energy self-reliance
and reducing global dependency on non-renewable and imported energy sources.It
encourages the use of clean, renewable, and sustainable energy solutions such
as solar, wind, hydro, and bioenergy.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Indian Navy Inducts First Indigenous
Diving Support Vessel ‘Nistar’ Built by Hindustan Shipyard: ‘Nistar’, the first indigenously designed and built Diving Support
Vessel, was delivered to the Indian Navy by Hindustan Shipyard Limited at
Visakhapatnam, marking a major step in India’s self-reliance in naval
capabilities.Designed as per Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) standards, the
118-meter-long vessel weighing nearly 10,000 tons is equipped for deep-sea
saturation diving up to 300 meters and side diving operations up to 75
meters.The vessel serves as a ‘Mother Ship’ for the Deep Submergence Rescue
Vessel (DSRV) and can carry out submarine rescue missions, with advanced
systems like Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) capable of operations up to 1000
meters.With nearly 75% indigenous content, ‘Nistar’ aligns with the Government
of India’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives, showcasing
India’s growing defence manufacturing capabilities.
2. DRDO Successfully Conducts User
Trials of ERASR from INS Kavaratti: The Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted
the final user trial of the indigenously developed Extended Range
Anti-Submarine Rocket (ERASR) from the Indian Naval Ship (INS)
Kavaratti.The DRDO conducted the first test of the ERASR on April 3, 2023, from
the Navy’s guided missile destroyer, INS Chennai.The ERASR will replace the
existing Soviet-era RBU-6000 Smerch-2 system currently deployed on Indian naval
ships with a range of up to 5 km.The ERASR rocket system has been indigenously
designed and developed by two DRDO labs based in Pune. The Armament Research
and Development Establishment, as well as the High Energy Materials Research
Laboratory and the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory.The launcher and
the rocket have been manufactured by the Hyderabad-based public sector company,
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), and the private sector company Solar Defence and
Aerospace Limited, based in Nagpur.
3. Indian Air Force Jaguar Jet Crashes: The Indian Air Force
(IAF) recently witnessed the crash of a SEPECAT Jaguar jet in Rajasthan’s Churu
district. Both pilots aboard were killed. This incident marks the third Jaguar
crash in India this year, denoting ongoing challenges with the vintage
fighter-bomber. Despite these setbacks, the IAF plans to keep the Jaguar in
service until around 2040. The Jaguar is a product of a unique British-French
collaboration from the 1960s. Developed by SEPECAT, a joint venture between
Britain’s British Aircraft Corporation and France’s Breguet, it was initially
designed as a jet trainer. It evolved into a supersonic tactical support
aircraft capable of nuclear strike roles. The jet first flew in 1968 and was
inducted into the IAF in 1979.
SPORTS
1. India Wins 588 Medals at World Police
and Fire Games 2025: Team India secured a total of 588
medals, including 280 gold medals, at the 21st edition of the World Police and
Fire Games 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.India ranked third overall,
behind the USA with 1,354 medals (569 gold, 433 silver, and 352 bronze) and
Brazil with 743 medals (266 gold, 246 silver, and 231 bronze).The 2029 edition
of the tournament will be hosted by India in Ahmedabad.The World Police and
Fire Games is an Olympic-style competition for athletes representing law
enforcement, firefighters, and officers from corrections, probation, border
protection, immigration, and customs offices globally.The event, held
biennially, features over 60 sports. It is governed by the California Police
Athletic Federation (CPAF), the Host City, and the WPFG Board of Directors. The
inaugural edition of the competition took place in 1985 in San Jose,
California.
2. Magnus Carlsen Wins Super United
Rapid & Blitz Title in Zagreb: World
No. 1 Magnus Carlsen clinched the Super United Rapid and Blitz Chess
tournament title in Zagreb with a round to spare, finishing with an
impressive 22.5 points—2.5 points ahead of second-place Wesley So.Indian
Grandmaster D. Gukesh delivered a strong performance to finish third with 19.5
points, narrowly edging past France’s Alireza Firouzja and Poland’s Duda
Jan-Krzysztof, proving his critics wrong.
From
the total prize pool of USD 175,000, Carlsen secured USD 40,000, while Wesley
So and Gukesh earned USD 30,000 and USD 25,000 respectively for their second
and third place finishes.
3. Mexico Beats USA 2-1 to Win Record
10th CONCACAF Gold Cup Title in Thrilling Final: Mexico defeated the United States 2-1 in a thrilling final at NRG
Stadium, Houston, to secure their 10th CONCACAF Gold Cup title, coming from
behind after Chris Richards opened the scoring for the U.S. in just the 4th
minute.With this win, Mexico successfully defends their Gold Cup title and
extends their record to 10 championships, also having previously won the
CONCACAF Nations Championship (the Gold Cup’s predecessor) three times.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Centre to Set Up New Akashvani Kendra
in Ujjain Under BIND Scheme: The Government of
India has announced the establishment of a new Akashvani Kendra in
Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, aimed at enhancing regional broadcasting and timely
public communication.The initiative will be implemented under the Broadcasting
Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme, which provides financial
support to Prasar Bharati for upgrading infrastructure and content creation.The
Kendra will also focus on preserving Madhya Pradesh’s cultural heritage,
promoting regional identity, and strengthening the connection between the
government and the people through effective media outreach.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Uttarakhand Geothermal Energy Policy 2025: The Uttarakhand
government approved the Geothermal Energy Policy 2025 to boost exploration and
development of geothermal resources. This policy aims to promote clean energy,
reduce carbon
emissions, and enhance energy
security. It targets power generation, heating, cooling, water purification,
and community development using geothermal sites across the state. The policy
encourages scientific and technical research on geothermal energy. It supports
sustainable and economically viable projects. The Energy Department will
implement the policy in coordination with Uttarakhand Renewable Energy
Development Agency (UREDA) and Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL).
Projects will be allotted for up to 30 years through competitive bidding or
other methods. Both public and private entities can participate.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Kasaragod Bags Kerala Fisheries
Excellence Award 2025 for Outstanding Aquaculture Initiatives: Kasaragod district won the Kerala Fisheries Department’s
Excellence Award 2025 for outstanding performance under the Popular
Fish Farming Project, recognizing its grassroots-level implementation of
fisheries schemes.Two individual farmers from Kasaragod also received
recognition: Ravi P.P. from Padanna secured second place for Best Backwater
Fish Seed Production, while Sea Pearl Aquafarm from Kumbala won third place for
Best Innovative Fish Farming.The awards are part of Kerala’s annual State
Farmer Awards, which aim to honour exemplary contributions in aquaculture and
promote innovation in the fisheries sector across the state.This accolade adds
to Kasaragod’s list of recognitions, including the Matsya Karshaka Award for
Best District, the Best BMC award in the 2023 State Biodiversity Awards, and
becoming the first district to declare an official tree, flower, and bird for
biodiversity awareness.
2. PM Modi Receives Namibia’s Highest Civilian Honour ‘Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis’: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with Namibia’s highest civilian award, ‘The Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis’, during his one-day state visit, becoming the first Indian leader to receive this honour.The award was presented by Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, symbolising a deepening of diplomatic and cultural ties between India and Namibia.Established in 1995, the award is named after the unique Namibian desert plant Welwitschia Mirabilis, which represents resilience and longevity; this marks Modi’s 27th international honour, and his fourth during the ongoing five-nation tour.
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