NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Ahmedabad sets world record by planting 3.61 lakh saplings in one hour: Ahmedabad set a Guinness World Record on 12 July 2026 by planting 3.61 lakh, or 361,000, saplings in one hour at Bhadaj in Gujarat. The plantation drive was organised by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and used the Miyawaki method across an area of about 76,000 square metres. The Miyawaki method is a dense plantation technique developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. It is used for creating native, multi-layered forests in small urban spaces and for increasing plant density in limited land areas. The earlier record was held by Assam, which planted 331,929 trees in one hour on 15 September 2023. The Ahmedabad initiative is linked to a larger afforestation plan for planting 1.25 crore trees in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency and 50 lakh trees in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation area.
2. MY Bharat Launches District-Level Competitions for Nasha Mukt Yuva: The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports launched the next phase of the nationwide Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat campaign through Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) on 13 July 2026. The campaign includes district-level competitions in five creative categories and follows a three-tier structure from district to state and then to a national finale. The campaign is organised in three stages: district-level competitions, state-level selection rounds, and a national finale. Registrations for the district-level competitions opened on 13 July 2026 on the MY Bharat portal, and the district competitions are scheduled from 24 to 27 July 2026.
3. Assam Launches Statewide Drug Disposal Campaign: Assam launched a statewide drug disposal campaign on 12 July 2026 at the 14th Assam Police Battalion ground in Daulasal, Nalbari district. The campaign involved the destruction of seized narcotics and psychotropic substances valued at ₹472.51 crore, along with the inauguration of Assam’s first narcotics incinerator at Daulasal. The disposal exercise used crushing and controlled burning as the main methods for destroying contraband. A road roller was used to crush the seized substances before incineration, and the process was scheduled to continue for 10 days. Assam Police registered more than 3,300 cases under the NDPS Act over the last five years. During the same period, drugs worth over ₹3,227 crore were seized in the state.
4. Central Vista Area to Be Renamed Kartavya Bhawan Area: The Central Vista redevelopment area in New Delhi is being referred to as the Kartavya Bhawan Complex or Kartavya Bhawan Area from 12 July 2026. The renamed precinct covers the government buildings, Kartavya Marg, and future structures within the Central Vista zone. Central Vista is the central administrative axis of India in New Delhi. It includes major government buildings and ceremonial spaces between Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate. The redevelopment plan includes the Common Central Secretariat, which is designed to house several Union ministries in one administrative cluster.
5. Jaisalmer Railway Station Gets Heritage Makeover Under Amrit Bharat Scheme: Jaisalmer Railway Station in Rajasthan has been redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, with the project completed in July 2026 at an estimated cost of around Rs 140 crore. The station combines local architectural elements such as yellow sandstone and traditional Rajasthani designs with modern passenger facilities. The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is an Indian Railways station redevelopment programme for phased modernisation of railway stations across the country. The scheme includes station building upgrades, improved circulation areas, better passenger amenities, and integration of accessibility features. The redeveloped station uses yellow sandstone elements associated with Jaisalmer’s built heritage. It also includes traditional Rajasthani design motifs, modern lighting, clear signboards, and a digital passenger information system.
6. NABARD Launches Gramodyam for Rural Entrepreneurship: NABARD launched Gramodyam on 13 July 2026 on its 45th Foundation Day. Gramodyam is an entrepreneurship development programme for rural youth, and it is designed to support the creation of sustainable businesses in rural India. Gramodyam is a three-year pilot programme with a target of about 4,000 rural entrepreneurs. It uses a digital-first hybrid delivery model across all States and Union Territories of India. The programme is a collaborative initiative of NABARD and the National Skill Development Corporation under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The Institute for Industrial Development is responsible for execution of the programme. Participants in Gramodyam receive psychometric assessments, counselling, entrepreneurship development training, industry-specific skill programmes, mentoring, and assistance in setting up enterprises. These components are part of the programme’s structured support system for rural enterprise creation.
7. Government Schools Improve Internet Access Across India: Government schools in India increased internet connectivity from 46.2% in 2023-24 to 63.1% in 2025-26, while the gap with aided and private schools narrowed from 28 percentage points to 16 percentage points. The UDISE+ report for 2025-26 also recorded internet facilities in 67.4% of all schools in India, compared with 53.9% in 2023-24. Government schools are institutions run by the Union Government, State Governments, or local bodies, and they form a major part of the school education system in India. UDISE+ is the Unified District Information System for Education Plus, a national database used for school-level statistics on infrastructure, enrolment, and facilities. Goa recorded 100% internet coverage in schools, while Andhra Pradesh recorded 99.2% coverage. Internet connectivity in schools is a key infrastructure indicator in UDISE+ because it is linked with access to digital learning resources, online assessments, and administrative systems.
8. Ladakh Creates 17 New Tehsils: Ladakh approved 17 new tehsils on 12 July 2026, taking the total number of tehsils in the Union Territory from 15 to 32. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena approved the reorganisation of tehsils and revenue villages in Ladakh. A tehsil is a sub-district revenue and administrative unit used in India for land records, revenue collection, and local administration. Tehsils function below the district level and are headed by a Tehsildar in the revenue administration system. Under the revised framework, Leh district will have 5 tehsils, Kargil 7, Changthang 4, Nubra 6, Zanskar 4, Sham 5, and Drass 1 tehsil. The restructuring was based on recommendations of a Union Territory-level committee and aligns every revenue village with a single tehsil and every tehsil with a single district.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. ICAI Inaugurates Global Orbit Summit 2026 in New Delhi: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) inaugurated the first edition of the ICAI Global Orbit Summit 2026 in New Delhi on 11 July 2026. The summit series is linked to Global Capability Centres (GCCs), which are also called captive centres or global in-house centres in corporate and professional usage. Global Capability Centres are offshore units set up by multinational companies to provide services such as finance, information technology, research and development, analytics, human resources, and customer support. India has more than 2,100 GCCs, which employ nearly 2.36 million professionals and generate close to USD 100 billion in annual revenue.
2. EC Adds SIR Declaration for New Voter Registration: The Election Commission of India has added a declaration on the online Form 6 for new voter registration. The applicant must state whether their name, or the name of a parent or grandparent, appeared in the last Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Form 6 is the statutory application used for inclusion of a name in the electoral roll under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The online version on the ECINET portal now places the new declaration between Parts J and K. The declaration asks the applicant to choose one of three factual positions. The applicant may state that their own name was in the last Special Intensive Revision, that a parent’s or grandparent’s name was in it, or that none of these names was listed.
3. Rhino Population in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve Rises to 53: The rhino population in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh has risen to 53 after the fourth rhino census conducted between 25 June and 27 June 2026. The census counted 17 adult males, 25 adult females, and 11 calves older than one year. The Indian rhinoceros, also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros, is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Its main Indian stronghold is Kaziranga National Park in Assam, and smaller populations exist in protected areas such as Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is a protected area in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh and forms part of the Dudhwa landscape near the India-Nepal border. The rhino reintroduction programme in Dudhwa began in 1984-85 with seven founder rhinos brought from Assam and Nepal.
4. BIS Introduces India’s First Mangrove Restoration Standards: BIS Introduces India’s First Mangrove Restoration Standard: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is preparing India’s first Indian Standard for the restoration of mangrove ecosystems. The draft standard, titled Restoration of Mangrove Ecosystem — Guidelines, was made public in March 2026 and received hundreds of inputs from stakeholders. BIS is India’s national standards body under the BIS Act, 2016. It develops Indian Standards through technical committees, draft publication, stakeholder consultation, and final notification. The committee EED 06: WG 02 was formed in 2023 to prepare a unified standard operating procedure for mangrove restoration. A stakeholder meeting was held on 11 June 2026 in Jharkhali, where local communities gave suggestions on plantation methods and restoration practices. BIS agreed to include the use of cloth or biodegradable bags instead of polythene packets for planting.
5. China’s Brahmaputra Dam Faces Fault Line Risk: China’s mega hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet has been linked to the active Paizhen Fault, which lies directly beneath the dam site in Medog County. The project is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo downstream hydropower station and the Medog Hydropower Station, and construction formally began in July 2025. The Paizhen Fault has remained active since the Pleistocene, which is the geological epoch commonly called the Ice Age. The fault continues to show seismic activity, and the study linked this activity to risks for the dam foundation, roads, bridges, tunnels, and other associated infrastructure. Geologists stated that prolonged fault movement has fractured and weakened local rock formations. The same geological conditions increase the possibility of landslides, collapses, and damage under regional seismic action and long-term water immersion.
6. Soumya Swaminathan inducted as Fellow of the Royal Society: Soumya Swaminathan was formally inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London on 10 July 2026. She was elected to the fellowship in May 2026. The Royal Society is a scientific academy in the United Kingdom and was founded in 1660. The Fellowship of the Royal Society uses the post-nominal letters FRS. The society elects scientists, engineers, and technologists for contributions to knowledge in natural science, mathematics, and applied science. The Royal Society has a 365-year history in 2026. Swaminathan is known for research in paediatric tuberculosis, clinical translational medicine training in India, vaccine development, and immunisation policy. She served as Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization and worked on global public health responses, including the COVID-19 pandemic. She is the Chairperson of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation since February 2023 and serves as Principal Advisor to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Ex-Servicemen Outreach Event Held in Kohima: Military Station Zakhama conducted an Ex-Servicemen Outreach Programme on 9 July 2026 in Kohima district, Nagaland. The programme covered welfare issues of ex-servicemen, war widows, and dependents, and included sessions on the SPARSH pension system and veteran-related welfare measures. Ex-servicemen are former personnel of the Indian Armed Forces who receive pension, medical, and welfare support through institutional mechanisms such as the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare and State Rajya Sainik Boards. The SPARSH system is a digital pension disbursement platform used for defence pension administration in India.
SPORTS
1. Indian Team Wins Five Golds at International Physics Olympiad: India won five gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026 held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, from 5 to 12 July 2026. The Indian team finished joint World No. 1 with China, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan in a competition that included 381 students from 87 countries. The International Physics Olympiad is an annual global competition for secondary school students in physics. It is one of the five International Science Olympiads and includes theoretical and experimental examinations. The five Indian gold medallists were Kanishk Jain of Pune, Riddhesh Anant Bendale of Indore, Rishit Garg of Delhi, Shresth Suraiya of Mumbai, and Svarit Joshi of Ahmedabad in Gujarat. This was only the second time after 2018 that all five members of the Indian team won gold medals at the IPhO.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Drone-Based TB Sample Testing Cuts Diagnosis Cost in Telangana: Drone-based transport of sputum samples for tuberculosis testing has been studied in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana. The study was conducted by AIIMS Bibinagar and linked to the Indian Council of Medical Research’s i-DRONE programme. It measured patient expenditure, diagnostic turnaround time, and reporting delays in remote villages connected to district health facilities. Tuberculosis diagnosis in India often depends on sputum sample collection at Primary Health Centres and testing at higher-level laboratories. In the Telangana study, drones carried sputum samples from peripheral health facilities to testing centres under the National TB Elimination Programme. The system used a central command centre at AIIMS Bibinagar to coordinate movement across 11 Primary Health Centres, 60 subcentres, and four TB Units.
2. India Declares One-Day National Mourning for Former Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani: India declared one-day national mourning on 13 July 2026 for Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the former Emir of Qatar and the Father Amir of the State of Qatar. The National Flag was flown at half-mast on all buildings where it is regularly displayed, and no official entertainment was held in India on the day of mourning. National mourning in India is declared by the Union Government on occasions of death of prominent national or foreign dignitaries. During such mourning, the National Flag is flown at half-mast under the Flag Code of India and official entertainment is suspended for the notified period. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013. He abdicated voluntarily in favour of his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in 2013.
3. ONGC Drills Second Geothermal Well in Ladakh: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) completed drilling its second geothermal well, Puga-OEC-GT#03, in Puga Valley in Ladakh around July 2026. The well was drilled by the ONGC Energy Centre to a depth of 1,000 metres at an altitude of more than 14,000 feet. Puga Valley in Ladakh is one of India’s known geothermal fields. Geothermometric studies in the valley have indicated subsurface temperatures above 240 degrees Celsius, a level suitable for geothermal power generation. The field is associated with hot springs and geothermal manifestations in the Himalayan region. Geothermal energy is heat derived from the Earth’s interior and is used for electricity generation and direct heating. Geothermal power plants use steam or hot water from underground reservoirs, and the resource is classified as a renewable energy source.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Centre Launches Amnesty Scheme for PF Trusts: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation launched the Amnesty Scheme, 2026 on 29 June 2026 under the Ministry of Labour & Employment. The scheme gives exempted Provident Fund trusts a one-time six-month window to regularise their status under the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. Provident Fund trusts are employer-managed funds that operate under the EPF framework for employee retirement savings. Section 17 of the EPF Act, 1952 provides for exemption from the statutory provident fund arrangement when an establishment meets prescribed conditions. The scheme covers establishments whose PF trusts are recognised under the Income Tax Act, 1961 but do not have a formal exemption notification from the Central Government or a State Government. It also applies to cases where trust recognition and exemption status require alignment under the revised compliance framework.
2. FSSAI Issues Nine Notices to Swiggy Instamart: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued nine notices to Swiggy Instamart on 11 July 2026 over consumer complaints linked to food safety and labelling issues. The complaints mentioned expired, spoiled, contaminated and unsafe food products sold through the quick-commerce platform. The complaints cited expired whey protein, rotten Akshayakalpa Organic Eggs with a foul smell, contaminated infant formula, spoiled milk products and damaged packaged food items. FSSAI also flagged alleged misleading licensing information, including NOICE Eggs being marketed under a brand category not covered by the existing licence.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Sahitya Akademi Award-Winning Writer Poomani Dies: Renowned Tamil writer Poomani, also known as Pulithurai Manickavasagam, died on 12 July 2026 at the age of 79 due to age-related health issues. He was a novelist and short-story writer from Tamil Nadu, and his works focused on rural life, marginalised communities, and social realities in Tamil literature. Poomani received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014 for his novel Agnyaadi. The Sahitya Akademi Award is one of India’s major literary honours and is given annually by the Sahitya Akademi, the national academy of letters. His novel Vekkai was adapted into the 2019 film Asuran, which starred Dhanush. The adaptation brought one of his well-known literary works into mainstream Indian cinema.
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