Daily Current Affairs

In July 2026, NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) released the ‘Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global’ in New Delhi, prepared in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The report aims to develop Ayurveda into a globally recognised, evidence-based healthcare system by 2047, aligned with the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.

• Launched by: Dr. Ashok Kumar Lahiri, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; in the presence of Prof. (Dr.) M. Srinivas (Member, NITI Aayog) and Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha (Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH).
• Prepared with: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
• Significance: Aims to transform Ayurveda into a globally recognised, evidence-based healthcare system; aligns with Viksit Bharat@2047.

In July 2026, General Dhiraj Seth assumed charge as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army and unveiled the ‘VIJAY’ roadmap aimed at building a technology-driven, future-ready force.

• General Dhiraj Seth is the 31st COAS of the Indian Army.
• VIJAY stands for: Vigilance; Innovation and Transformation; Jointness and Integration; Aatmanirbharta; Yodha first.
• Implementation: Developed under COAS direction; implemented across all operational commands; aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047.

In July 2026, Air India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) in Mumbai, Maharashtra, to explore collaboration in the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) sector, aiming to strengthen India’s position as a global aviation MRO hub.

• Signed by: Campbell Wilson (CEO & MD, Air India) and Chin Yau Seng (CEO, SIAEC).
• Objective: Develop a world-class MRO ecosystem in India, including a potential Joint Venture (JV).
• Past Collaborations: 12-year Inventory Technical Management (ITM) contract for Airbus A320 fleet (21 Feb 2024); SIAEC as base maintenance partner for Air India’s Bengaluru facility (11 May 2024).
• About SIAEC: Part of Singapore Airlines Group; holds 25.1% stake in Air India.

Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan, made a 3-day official visit to India (1–3 July 2026) for the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi.

• Japan-India Joint Economic Forum: Hosted by JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation); Maruti Suzuki’s 4th vehicle manufacturing facility inaugurated at Kharkhoda, Haryana.
• Defence Milestone: India’s first-ever defence co-development project — UNICORN (Unified Complex Radio Antenna) system for the Indian Navy.
• MoUs: 129 MoUs worth Rs 1 lakh crore signed between Indian and Japanese companies.

In July 2026, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN) released the 11th Edition of the Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2026. India secured its highest-ever rank of 94th among 167 countries with a score of 68.3/100, improving from 99th in 2025.

• India’s Progress: Improved 18 ranks since 2015 (from 112th to 94th); one of the fastest-improving large economies.
• Still lags: Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
• Challenges: Faces challenges in 13 of 17 SDGs; Zero Hunger (SDG 2) is the biggest concern; only 33.3% of SDG targets expected to be achieved by 2030.
• Positives: Progress in SDG 7 (electricity access) and SDG 9 (digital connectivity).

In July 2026, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) — a UN-backed agency — launched the AI for Good Global Commission with 44 founding members in Geneva, Switzerland, to strengthen global AI governance, inclusion, and innovation frameworks.

• Other Notable Members: Jensen Huang (Founder & CEO, NVIDIA); Brad Smith (Vice Chair & President, Microsoft); Andy Jassy (CEO, Amazon); Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (DG, WTO).
• Objective: Ensure AI is used as a force for global good; strengthen trust, expand access, promote equitable digital inclusion, address inequalities from digital divide.
• About ITU: UN-backed specialised agency for information and communication technologies; HQ: Geneva, Switzerland.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a USD 230 million (approx. Rs 1,920 crore) loan to modernise and expand water supply and sanitation infrastructure in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

• Alignment: AMRUT 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and Urban Challenge Fund.
• Ring-main System: Chennai becomes the first Indian city to implement this model across its entire urban water network; ensures continuous water supply through a circular distribution loop.
• Contract Model: Performance-based contracts.

In July 2026, Paytm Europe Payments S.A. (European arm of One97 Communications / Paytm) secured a Payment Institution (PI) licence from Luxembourg’s financial regulator CSSF (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier), effective from 2 July 2026.

• Scope: Regulated payment services across the European Economic Area (EEA) — payment transactions, credit transfers, standing orders, payment-acquiring services.
• Capital Infusion: PCTL (Paytm Cloud Technologies Limited) invested additional EUR 9 million in Paytm Europe Payments S.A.
• About Paytm: Founded 2010; HQ Noida, UP; digital payments and fintech under One97 Communications; founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
• CSSF: Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier — Luxembourg’s financial regulator.

In July 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a combined monetary penalty of Rs 66.7 lakh on Bank of Baroda (BoB) and General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) Housing Finance for non-compliance with regulatory directions.

• CKYCR: Central KYC Records Registry — managed by CERSAI (Central Registry of Securitisation Asset Reconstruction and Security Interest of India) on behalf of Government of India (GoI).

In June 2026, Keiko Fujimori, leader of the conservative Popular Force party, won the Peru Presidential Election 2026 in a runoff. She is scheduled to assume office on 28 July 2026, succeeding interim President José María Balcázar — becoming Peru’s 10th President in a decade.

• Profile: Daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori; led Popular Force party since 2010; contested presidential elections 4 times (2011, 2016, 2021, 2026).
• Political Career: First Lady of Peru (1994–2000); Member of Congress for Lima (2006–2011).
• Inauguration: Scheduled 28 July 2026.

In July 2026, Rear Admiral (Retd.) C. Raghuram (Chandrasekhar Raghuram) took charge as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, succeeding Captain Ganti Venkateswarlu.

• About Raghuram: Commissioned into the Indian Navy on 10 November 1989; over 35 years of experience; awarded Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2017.
• About HSL: Established 1941; Miniratna Category-I CPSE; under Ministry of Defence (MoD); HQ: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

In July 2026, Nita Ambani (Founder & Chairperson, Reliance Foundation) was conferred the AAPI Humanitarian Award and the Key to the City of Tampa, Florida, USA, at the 44th Annual Convention & Scientific Assembly of AAPI, Tampa, Florida.

• AAPI: American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin; the AAPI Humanitarian Award is its highest honour, recognising exceptional contributions to public welfare and humanitarian service.
• Key to the City of Tampa: Presented by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor; symbolic civic honour for extraordinary impact on humanity and society.
• Convention: 44th Annual Convention & Scientific Assembly of AAPI, Tampa, Florida, USA.

In July 2026, AgniKul Cosmos Private Limited (India’s private space startup) and ICEYE (Finland-based Earth observation company) signed an MoU to co-develop, launch, and operate an end-to-end SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) Earth-observation ecosystem from India. Signed at the ‘Bharat Innovates Summit’, Nice, France (30 June–1 July 2026).

• SAR Technology: Uses radar instead of optical cameras; captures high-resolution images regardless of cloud cover or time of day — unlike conventional optical satellites.
• Applications: Disaster management, border surveillance, environmental monitoring, defence.
• About AgniKul Cosmos: Indian private aerospace manufacturer & commercial launch-service provider; established 2017; based at IIT Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• About ICEYE: Finland-based Earth observation company specialising in SAR satellite data.

In July 2026, ICAR-CMFRI (Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute) discovered a new deep-sea fish species named ‘Cyttopsis indica’ (Indian Dory) from the Arabian Sea off the Kerala Coast. The finding was published in the Indian Journal of Fisheries.

• Key Finding: DNA technology confirmed that Cyttopsis indica has completely distinct structures unique to the Indian Ocean — it was previously misidentified as the Atlantic species Cyttopsis rosea.
• About ICAR-CMFRI: Responsible for marine fisheries research in India; premier institute for marine biodiversity documentation.

In July 2026, Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) and International Resources Holdings (IRH) — an IHC (International Holding Company) group entity — signed an MoU with the Government of Odisha in Bhubaneswar to develop a USD 11.5 billion (Rs 1.08 lakh crore) integrated greenfield aluminium project.

• Structure: 50:50 JV between AEL (Adani Enterprises Limited) and IRH; IRH is Abu Dhabi-based via 2PointZero under the IHC.
• Significance: Odisha’s largest FDI; India’s biggest FDI in the metallurgy sector.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN) released the 11th Edition of the Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2026, ranking 167 countries on their progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

• India’s rank trajectory: 112th (2015) → 99th (2025) → 94th (2026) — improved 18 ranks over 11 years.
• SDG Challenges: India still faces challenges in 13 of 17 SDGs; Zero Hunger (SDG 2) is the biggest concern; only 33.3% of India’s SDG targets expected to be met by 2030.
• Positives: Strong progress in SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy — electricity access) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure — digital connectivity).
• Peers: India still lags behind Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka in the region.