NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Pralhad Joshi Takes Charge as Education Minister: Pralhad Joshi was appointed Union Education Minister on 25 July 2026 after the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan from the Union Council of Ministers. He took charge of the Ministry of Education at Kartavya Bhavan on 26 July 2026 and continued to hold the portfolios of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy. The Ministry of Education is a Union ministry under the Government of India and is responsible for school education, higher education, literacy, and related policy matters. The ministry functions through departments such as the Department of School Education and Literacy and the Department of Higher Education. Pralhad Joshi is a five-time Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament from the Dharwad constituency in Karnataka. He served as Union Minister for Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs from 2019 to 2024.
2. Dharmendra Pradhan Resigns as Union Education Minister Amid Massive Student Protests: Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister on 25 July 2026 amid nationwide student protests linked to alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. The resignation followed protests over the alleged paper leak in NEET-UG 2026 and demands for action on examination-related misconduct. The Union Council of Ministers is the executive body that assists the Prime Minister under Article 74 of the Constitution of India. It includes Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State, and Ministers of State with independent charge. NEET-UG stands for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate courses. It is a national-level entrance examination for admission to undergraduate medical and allied health courses in India.
3. SEBI Proposes Overhaul of Portfolio Management Services Norms: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) released a consultation paper on 23 July 2026 for a comprehensive review of the SEBI (Portfolio Managers) Regulations, 2020. The proposal covers Portfolio Management Services (PMS), mutual fund schemes, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Specialised Investment Funds (SIFs), and investment limits for portfolio managers. SEBI has proposed a dedicated mutual fund-only PMS framework. Under this category, portfolio managers may manage client funds only through direct plans of mutual fund schemes, including ETFs and SIFs. The minimum client investment requirement for this category is proposed to fall from ₹50 lakh to ₹25 lakh, and the minimum net worth for applicants is proposed to fall from ₹5 crore to ₹2 crore. The consultation paper also proposes wider investment flexibility for portfolio managers.
4. 20% Local Content Rule for Private FM Radio: India has 386 operational private FM radio channels as of 24 July 2026. The Private FM Radio Policy requires each broadcaster to ensure that at least 20% of daily broadcast content is in the local language of the city. Private FM radio services in India operate under licences issued by the Union government. FM stands for frequency modulation, and private FM broadcasting is used for local entertainment, news-based programming, and community-oriented content. The 20% local content rule applies to daily broadcasts on private FM channels. The policy links local language programming with regional culture, traditions, folklore, and folk music. The rule also supports community engagement through city-specific content.
5. Rajasthan State Water Plan 2047 Launched: Rajasthan launched the Rajasthan State Water Plan 2047 on 24 July 2026 with a long-term framework for river-linking projects, groundwater conservation, and public participation. The state also listed major drinking water and irrigation works, including the Ramjal Setu Link Project, the Yamuna Water Agreement, and urban water supply projects under AMRUT 2.0. Rajasthan is a north-western Indian state with a large arid and semi-arid region, and water management in the state depends on canal systems, groundwater recharge, and rainwater harvesting. The Indira Gandhi Canal Project is one of the major irrigation and drinking water systems in the state, and it supplies water to districts in western Rajasthan.
6. Weaves of India Festival Showcases Handloom Heritage: The Weaves of India Festival is being held from 24 July to 7 August 2026 in New Delhi. The festival is organised by the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, at the Central Cottage Industries Emporium on Janpath. The festival displays 116 heritage weaves from different regions of India. The showcased textiles include Banarasi, Jamdani, Kanchipuram Silk, and Sambalpuri Ikat, which are among the best-known handloom traditions in the country. Handloom refers to cloth woven on a loom operated by hand, without the use of power-driven machinery. India has one of the largest handloom sectors in the world, and the sector is linked to rural employment, traditional skills, and regional textile identities.
7. Two Lakh Anganwadi Centres Approved for Saksham Upgradation: The Ministry of Women and Child Development has approved the upgradation of two lakh Anganwadi Centres across India into Saksham Anganwadis for improved nutrition and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) activities. The upgradation is part of Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, which combines Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan, and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls. Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is a centrally sponsored scheme for nutrition support, ECCE, and service delivery through Anganwadi Centres. The scheme covers children under six years of age, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls aged 14-18 years in Aspirational Districts and the North-Eastern region.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India Becomes the World’s Second Most Electrified Major Railway Network with 99.6% Broad Gauge Electrification: India has electrified 99.6% of its broad gauge railway network, making it the second most electrified major railway system in the world after Switzerland (100%). The remaining routes are currently under electrification. Railway electrification has accelerated significantly since 2014, with 48,072 route km electrified between 2014–2026, compared to 21,801 route km electrified over nearly six decades before 2014. India now surpasses several major railway networks in electrification, including China (82%), Spain (67%), Japan (64%), France (60%), and the United Kingdom (39%). Railway electrification has promoted sustainable transport, as rail emits only 11.5 grams of CO₂ per tonne-km, nearly 89% lower than road transport (101 grams). Diesel consumption has also declined from 293 crore litres (2015–16) to 108 crore litres (2024–25). Indian Railways is expanding renewable energy use, with 1,161 MW of solar power and 103 MW of wind power commissioned by June 2026, taking the total renewable energy capacity to over 1,260 MW.
2. Sarnath Gets UNESCO World Heritage Tag: Sarnath, an ancient Buddhist site in Uttar Pradesh, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 25 July 2026 during the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. The inscription makes Sarnath India’s 45th World Heritage Site and Uttar Pradesh’s fourth World Heritage Site. The UNESCO World Heritage List includes cultural, natural, and mixed properties of outstanding universal value. UNESCO adopted the World Heritage Convention in 1972, and the World Heritage Committee examines nominations for inscription each year. India has multiple sites on the list across categories such as monuments, archaeological sites, and natural landscapes.
3. Google Fined €890 Million Under EU Antitrust Rules: The European Commission fined Google €890 million on 23 July 2026 for breaches of European Union online competition rules. The penalty was imposed under the European Union’s 2022 Digital Markets Act, which regulates large digital platforms designated as gatekeepers. The fine was divided into two parts. Google was fined €460 million for self-preferencing its own services in search results, and €430 million for anti-steering restrictions in Google Play. Self-preferencing refers to the practice of giving a platform’s own products or services better placement than rival offerings. Anti-steering restrictions limit app developers from directing users to cheaper payment or purchase options outside the platform’s own store.
4. India Gets Lower US Tariff Rate Under Section 301: The United States imposed new Section 301 tariffs on 60 countries on 24 July 2026 under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974. India was placed in the lower 10% additional tariff bracket instead of the initially proposed 12.5% rate, and the tariffs took effect on 25 July 2026. India’s lower tariff rate followed a policy change in June 2026, when the Directorate General of Foreign Trade amended the Foreign Trade Policy to prohibit imports of goods manufactured using forced labour. India is among 17 economies in the 10% bracket, along with Canada, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Mexico. China, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea face the higher 12.5% tariff rate. The United States linked the action to investigations on whether trading partners were preventing the import of goods made using forced labour.
5. India Launches First Domestic Natural Gas Futures: India’s first domestic benchmark-based natural gas futures contract will launch on 27 July 2026 on the National Stock Exchange. The contract has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India and will trade under the ticker symbol NATGASIND. Natural gas futures are exchange-traded derivative contracts that derive value from an underlying natural gas price benchmark. The new NSE contract is linked to the Indian Gas Exchange’s Gujarat (Dahej) hub price and is quoted in Indian Rupees per mmBtu, a standard unit used for gas pricing. The contract is cash-settled, which means no physical delivery of natural gas takes place at expiry. The trading unit is 250 mmBtu, and NSE Clearing will handle clearing, settlement, daily mark-to-market adjustments, and initial margin collection.
6. Wildfires Force Mass Evacuations in France and Spain: Wildfires in southwestern France and central Spain led to large-scale evacuations on 24 July 2026. More than 80,000 people left affected areas in both countries, and France and Spain sought assistance from the European Union. A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire that spreads through vegetation such as forests, grasslands, and scrubland. In France, authorities ordered the evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula in the Gironde prefecture, where the fire burned more than 12,500 hectares of forest. Cap Ferret lies on the Atlantic coast in south-western France, and evacuations were carried out village by village. More than 44,000 people were moved out in two days, including holidaymakers staying in the area.
7. Indian scientists develop low-cost zinc-air battery technology: Indian researchers have developed multiple zinc-air battery technologies in 2024 and 2025, including low-cost electrolytes, catalysts, and mechanically rechargeable systems. Zinc-air batteries use zinc as the anode and oxygen from air as the cathode reactant, and they are studied as alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for stationary storage and electric vehicles. A team led by Dr. S. Devaraj at SASTRA Deemed University developed a nanofluid electrolyte for rechargeable zinc-air batteries with support from the Department of Science and Technology. The electrolyte uses silica and zinc oxide nanoparticles and remained stable for more than three months in laboratory conditions. The same team developed a copper-doped manganese dioxide catalyst and converted discarded household water-filter carbon and surgical face masks into carbon materials for battery use.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Bhargavastra Counter-Drone System: Bhargavastra uses a dual-layer kill mechanism. The first layer uses unguided micro-rockets with a lethal radius of 20 metres, and the second layer uses precision-guided micro-missiles with an interception range of up to 2.5 kilometres. The system can detect larger UAVs up to 10 kilometres and smaller drones up to 6 kilometres. It integrates radar, Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensors, and passive radio-frequency detectors for target acquisition. During the demonstration, the sensors detected and tracked a drone swarm, and the C4I suite generated a real-time air picture and assigned targets to the launcher. Actual rocket firing was not carried out at the facility because of safety reasons. SDAL stated that internal trials for Bhargavastra would be completed within two to three months from 24 July 2026. The system is described by its developers as one of the first fully integrated, vehicle-mounted, multi-layer counter-swarm drone systems with dedicated swarm-neutralisation capability.
SPORTS
1. The Oval to Host ICC World Test Championship Final 2027: The Oval, London, has been confirmed as the venue for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2027, which will be held from 9–13 June 2027. It will be the second time The Oval hosts the WTC Final after 2023. The ICC has designated England as the host of the 2027, 2029, and 2031 WTC Finals, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) responsible for selecting the venue for each final. In the current 2025–27 WTC cycle, Australia leads the standings with 87.50% points percentage, followed by South Africa (75%) and New Zealand (72.22%), while India is placed fifth with 48.15%.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Indian Railways pilots AI-based linen stain detection: Indian Railways launched an AI-based stain detection pilot project on 24 July 2026 at mechanised laundries to inspect washed linen. The pilot is being implemented in the Pune Division of Central Railway and the Jaipur and Jodhpur divisions of North Western Railway. Mechanised laundries are railway facilities that wash and process linen used in passenger services. Indian Railways also uses Whito-Meters to assess linen whiteness and CCTV cameras to monitor laundry operations across mechanised laundries. The system uses automated camera technology, computer vision, and machine learning algorithms to detect stains on washed linen. It is designed to work with existing cleanliness checks in mechanised laundries.
2. SpaceX Starship Deploys 20 Starlink Satellites: SpaceX launched Starship from Starbase, Texas, on 24 July 2026 for Flight 13, its 13th test mission. The upper stage deployed 20 upgraded Starlink V3 satellites into suborbital space, and the mission included an in-space Raptor engine relight test. Starship is a fully reusable launch system developed by SpaceX for orbital missions, lunar missions, and deep-space transport. The system has two stages, namely the Starship upper stage and the Super Heavy booster, which provides the initial lift-off thrust. Starlink is SpaceX’s satellite internet constellation, and the V3 satellites are the next-generation version designed for higher bandwidth and faster internet speeds. Six of the deployed satellites carried cameras to transmit live views of Starship back to Earth during the test flight.
3. India Orders GitHub to Remove Bitchat App: The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs ordered GitHub to remove the Bluetooth-based chat application Bitchat on 23 July 2026. The order was made public on 24 July 2026 by Jack Dorsey, the developer of Bitchat and former Chief Executive Officer of Twitter. The directive invoked Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021. The order asked GitHub to disable access to three Bitchat repositories, including the Android version, within hours. Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, deals with intermediary liability in India. Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021, relates to due diligence obligations for intermediaries and content-related compliance.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Centre Approves Two Electronics Manufacturing Clusters in Tamil Nadu Worth ₹1,012 Cr: The Centre has approved two Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) in Tamil Nadu with a combined investment of over ₹1,012 crore to strengthen the state’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem and promote self-reliance. The Manallur EMC will be developed over 474.3 acres at a cost of ₹587.47 crore, while the Pillapaikkam EMC will cover 379.3 acres with an investment of ₹424.55 crore. India’s electronics manufacturing has grown significantly, with production increasing from ₹1.9 lakh crore (2014-15) to ₹13.11 lakh crore (2025-26) and exports rising from ₹38,000 crore to ₹4.24 lakh crore, supported by PLI schemes, liberalised FDI, tax reforms, and labour reforms. India now manufactures 99.2% of the mobile phones sold domestically, with mobile phone production reaching ₹6.27 lakh crore and exports ₹2.59 lakh crore. The sector provides employment to around 25 lakh people, while Tamil Nadu has emerged as a major electronics manufacturing hub.
2. Union Cabinet Approves ₹3,030 Crore BHAVYA Rasayan Scheme for Three Chemical Parks: The Union Cabinet approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana Rasayan (BHAVYA Rasayan) scheme with an outlay of ₹3,030 crore to establish three dedicated chemical parks across India during FY 2026–27 to FY 2030–31. Under the scheme, ₹3,000 crore has been allocated for common infrastructure development within the chemical parks, while ₹30 crore has been earmarked for administrative expenses. The Centre will provide up to ₹1,000 crore assistance for each park. The chemical parks will be selected through a challenge-based process and developed by state governments. Each park must have at least 2,000 acres (8 sq. km.) of contiguous, encumbrance-free land, with the respective state contributing a minimum of ₹500 crore. The parks will adopt a plug-and-play industrial model and include facilities such as Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs), Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs), water supply systems, and logistics infrastructure to promote sustainable chemical manufacturing.
3. NABARD and MAHAPREIT Sign MoU to Promote Green and Climate-Resilient Rural Infrastructure: NABARD and Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology (MAHAPREIT) signed an MoU to finance and promote green, climate-resilient, and sustainable infrastructure in rural India, with a special focus on Maharashtra. The partnership aims to identify, develop, structure, and finance sustainable projects that enhance rural prosperity, climate resilience, village infrastructure, and strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
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