Current affairs
News for UPSC, SSC and defence exams, with the reason it matters.
July 2026
Cabinet approves Samudra Manthan, an ₹84,084 crore national offshore oil and gas exploration scheme
- The Union Cabinet approved Samudra Manthan on 31 July 2026.
- It is a Central Sector Scheme with ₹84,084 crore up to 2030-31.
- About ₹43,200 crore goes to drilling 60 deepwater wells.
Why it matters
[Economy] India imports most of the crude oil it uses. Its offshore basins are still largely unexplored. The scheme is run by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Cabinet extends PM-KISAN till 2030-31 with an outlay of about ₹3.15 lakh crore
- The Cabinet approved PM-KISAN for five more years, from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
- The total outlay is ₹3,15,614 crore.
- Eligible farmer families get ₹6,000 a year in three equal instalments.
Why it matters
[Policy] PM-KISAN began in February 2019. It is a Central Sector Scheme, so the Centre pays the full cost. The money goes straight to bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer.
Parliament passes Public Examinations Amendment Bill, 2026 with tougher penalties for exam cheating
- The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on 30 July 2026, a day after the Lok Sabha.
- Jail for using unfair means rises to 5–10 years, with fines up to ₹50 lakh.
- Organised exam crime now gets at least 7 years and a minimum ₹10 crore fine.
Why it matters
[Polity] The Bill amends the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. That Act covers exams by UPSC, SSC, railway boards, IBPS and the NTA. Service providers caught cheating can now be barred for eight years.
MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 introduced in Rajya Sabha to tackle delayed payments
- The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 28 July 2026.
- It amends the MSME Development Act, 2006.
- Central public sector firms must settle MSME invoices through the TReDS platform.
Why it matters
[Economy] Late payment by big buyers is a major problem for small firms. TReDS lets an MSME sell its unpaid invoices to banks and get cash quickly. The Bill later passed both Houses in August 2026.
Supreme Court seeks Centre’s reply on plea challenging the ‘merger’ exception in the anti-defection law
- The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre on 28 July 2026.
- The plea was filed by Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal.
- It challenges how Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule is read.
Why it matters
[Polity] The Tenth Schedule was added by the 52nd Amendment in 1985. The 91st Amendment in 2003 removed the 'split' exception. The 'merger' exception still remains.
Cabinet approves ₹3,030 crore BHAVYA Rasayan scheme to build three chemical parks
- The Union Cabinet approved the scheme on 24 July 2026.
- BHAVYA stands for Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana.
- Its outlay is ₹3,030 crore, from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
Why it matters
[Economy] The parks will offer ready shared facilities, like effluent treatment plants and pipelines. Firms can set up quickly without building these themselves. This should cut costs and pollution in the chemical sector.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly passes Uniform Civil Code Bill, the fourth state to do so
- The Madhya Pradesh Assembly passed the UCC Bill on 21 July 2026 by voice vote.
- It is the fourth state after Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam.
- It bans polygamy and makes registration of marriages compulsory.
Why it matters
[Polity] Article 44, a Directive Principle, asks the State to try to secure a uniform civil code. A state can make such a law because marriage and succession are in the Concurrent List. The Bill still needs the Governor's assent.
Monsoon Session opens; Bill introduced to raise Supreme Court judges’ strength from 34 to 38
- Parliament's Monsoon Session began on 20 July 2026.
- Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill that day.
- It raises the number of judges, other than the CJI, from 33 to 37.
Why it matters
[Polity] Article 124 lets Parliament fix the number of Supreme Court judges by law. That number is set in the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. An ordinance lapses six weeks after Parliament reassembles unless replaced by a law.
Skyroot’s Vikram-1 becomes India’s first privately built rocket to reach orbit
- Skyroot Aerospace launched Vikram-1 on 18 July 2026 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
- The mission was named 'Aagaman'. The rocket placed its payloads in a 450 km low-Earth orbit.
- It carried Skyroot's own SCOPE satellite and customer payloads from Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve and DCubed.
Why it matters
[Science] Skyroot, based in Hyderabad, was founded in 2018 by two former ISRO engineers. The 2020 space reforms opened rocket launches to private firms. Its suborbital Vikram-S flew in November 2022.
PM Modi flags off India’s first hydrogen-powered train on Jind–Sonipat route in Haryana
- PM Narendra Modi flagged off the train at Jind railway station, Haryana, on 17 July 2026.
- It runs on the 89 km Jind–Gohana–Sonipat section of Northern Railway.
- The train has two power cars and eight passenger cars. It can carry about 2,600 passengers.
Why it matters
[Science] A hydrogen fuel cell makes electricity from hydrogen and oxygen. Its only exhaust is water vapour. Such trains suit routes that have no overhead electric lines.
ONGC completes two deep geothermal wells at Puga, Ladakh, for India’s first geothermal power project
- ONGC Energy Centre completed two geothermal wells, GT-02 and GT-03, at Puga Valley in Ladakh.
- Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena unveiled a plaque at the site on 17 July 2026.
- The wells will feed a planned 1 MW pilot plant. It is meant to be India's first demonstration-scale geothermal power project.
Why it matters
[Environment] Geothermal energy uses heat from inside the Earth. Unlike solar and wind, it can give power all day and night. Puga sits high in the Himalayas, near the meeting zone of two tectonic plates.
National Anti-Doping Act, 2022 and its 2025 Amendment come into force after four years
- The Sports Ministry brought the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022 into force from 15 July 2026.
- The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Act, 2025 came into force the next day, 16 July 2026.
- The Act makes NADA a statutory body. NADA handles testing, investigations and anti-doping education.
Why it matters
[Polity] Parliament passed the Act in August 2022. The World Anti-Doping Agency objected that it gave government too much control. India amended the law in 2025 before switching it on.
Cabinet approves Semicon 2.0 with ₹1,27,500 crore outlay for chip design and manufacturing
- The Union Cabinet approved Semicon 2.0 on 15 July 2026. Its outlay is ₹1,27,500 crore.
- It covers six areas: chip design, equipment and materials, fabs, assembly and packaging, R&D, and workforce training.
- Under Semicon 1.0, 12 manufacturing units were approved, with ₹1.64 lakh crore of investment.
Why it matters
[Economy] Semicon 1.0 was the India Semiconductor Mission, launched in 2021 with ₹76,000 crore. Semicon 2.0 moves beyond building plants to equipment, materials and design.
Cabinet approves ₹62,500 crore Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme to succeed PLI
- The Union Cabinet approved the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) on 15 July 2026.
- It has an outlay of ₹62,500 crore. It runs for five years, from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
- Firms get 2.25% to 5% incentive on eligible sales. Extra incentives reward local components and Indian brands.
Why it matters
[Economy] PLI mainly helped phone assembly in India. MPMS shifts the focus to making components and doing design and research at home. This raises domestic value addition.
INS Mahendragiri, sixth Project 17A stealth frigate, commissioned at Visakhapatnam
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned INS Mahendragiri at Visakhapatnam on 11 July 2026.
- It is the sixth Project 17A stealth frigate and joins the Eastern Fleet.
- Over 75% of its content is indigenous.
Why it matters
[Science and Technology] Project 17A frigates follow the Shivalik class (Project 17). The ships are named after Indian hill ranges.
Third India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne: uranium supply, A$500 million AustralianSuper investment
- PM Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese held the third India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne.
- The visit opened the way for Australian uranium supply to India.
- AustralianSuper announced a A$500 million investment in India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
Why it matters
[International Relations] Australia holds the world's largest uranium reserves. India needs uranium to reach 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047.
Four Narmada states settle decades-old displacement and compensation dispute
- Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra reached an agreement on pending Narmada Project issues on 7 July 2026.
- The deal settles a decades-old dispute over people displaced from flood-affected areas and land compensation.
- It was reached in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, with the four Chief Ministers.
Why it matters
[Geography] The Narmada Project centres on the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat. Displacement of families was the core issue raised by the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
IIM Bangalore to open its first overseas campus in Indonesia; PM Modi gets Bintang Adipurna
- During PM Modi's visit to Indonesia, IIM Bangalore announced its first overseas campus.
- It will be set up in the Singhasari Special Economic Zone in East Java.
- The campus is meant to serve students across the ASEAN region.
Why it matters
[International Relations] Indonesia is India's maritime neighbour and a key ASEAN partner under the Act East Policy.
16th India-Japan Annual Summit: first defence co-development pact and 1,000 biogas plants
- PM Modi and Japan's PM Sanae Takaichi held the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit in New Delhi on 2 July 2026.
- It was Takaichi's first official visit to India.
- The two sides signed their first defence co-development project agreement.
Why it matters
[International Relations] India and Japan hold an annual summit, alternating between the two capitals. Their ties are a 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership'.
VB-G RAM G Act comes into force, replacing MGNREGA with a 125-day work guarantee
- The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, or VB-G RAM G, came into force on 1 July 2026.
- It replaces MGNREGA, the rural job law of 2005.
- Rural families now have a legal right to 125 days of paid work a year, up from 100.
Why it matters
[Indian Economy] This is the biggest change to India's rural job guarantee since 2005. Exams will test the new name, the 125-day limit and the law it replaced.
EPFO notifies 8.25% interest on EPF deposits for 2025-26
- The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) notified an 8.25% interest rate on EPF deposits for 2025-26.
- The rate was approved by the Ministry of Labour and Employment under the EPF Scheme, 1952.
- EPFO told its regional and zonal offices to credit the interest to members' accounts.
Why it matters
[Indian Economy] The EPF rate is set by EPFO's Central Board of Trustees and needs the Finance Ministry's nod before the Labour Ministry notifies it. The rate is a common banking and SSC question.