Current affairs
News for UPSC, SSC and defence exams, with the reason it matters.
July 2026
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.
Railways unveils eight more freight reforms under ‘Reform Express’, taking the total to 17
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced eight new reforms on 14 July 2026. The total under 'Reform Express' is now 17.
- The plan is 52 reforms in 52 weeks.
- Fly ash will move in containers instead of open wagons. This cuts dust pollution.
Why it matters
[Economy] Rail freight is cheaper and cleaner than road freight. Railways wants to win back cargo lost to trucks. Simpler tariffs and more private participation are meant to lower logistics costs.
India wins five gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad in Colombia
- Five Indian students won gold at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2026.
- It was held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, from 4 to 12 July.
- India finished joint first among 87 countries.
Why it matters
[Science and Technology] HBCSE in Mumbai trains and selects India's teams for science Olympiads.
Playback singer S. Janaki, ‘Nightingale of South India’, dies at 88
- Playback singer S. Janaki died in Mysuru on 11 July 2026, aged 88.
- She recorded about 48,000 songs in 17 languages over six decades.
- She won four National Film Awards and 33 State Film Awards.
Why it matters
[Culture] Janaki sang mostly in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam films. She was widely called the Nightingale of South India. Her career is a common source of Art and Culture questions.
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.
Clean energy meets over half of India’s power demand again, on 6 July 2026
- Clean sources met over 50% of India's electricity demand on 6 July 2026, said Minister Pralhad Joshi.
- CEEW says this happened at 11:46 am, when demand stood at 221.5 GW.
- It is the second straight year that India has crossed this mark.
Why it matters
[Environment] Clean energy here means solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power. India reached 50% non-fossil installed capacity in 2025, five years ahead of its 2030 target. Daytime solar now pushes the share above half at peak hours.
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.
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.
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.
India chairs UNCTAD expert group on consumer protection; UN product-safety principles launched
- India chaired the 9th session of UNCTAD's Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy.
- Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare presided over the three-day session in Geneva from 6 July 2026.
- The session launched the UN Principles for Consumer Product Safety, adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2025.
Why it matters
[Global] This expert group is the main UN platform for consumer-law cooperation. India's chairing reflects its own reforms, such as the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the e-Jagriti portal.
India joins first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva
- MoS External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh led India at the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva.
- The Dialogue was set up under UN General Assembly Resolution 79/325.
- It follows the Global Digital Compact, adopted with the Pact for the Future in September 2024.
Why it matters
[Global] This is the first universal UN forum on governing AI. Every member state has a seat. A scientific panel feeds it evidence. India hosted the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February 2026.
Pandavani legend Teejan Bai dies at 70 in Raipur
- Pandavani singer Teejan Bai died on 5 July 2026 at AIIMS Raipur, aged 70.
- Pandavani is a folk art of Chhattisgarh that sings and acts out stories of the Mahabharata.
- She chose the standing 'Kapalik' style, which women rarely performed then.
Why it matters
[Culture] Pandavani is told by one lead singer with a tambura, backed by a small group. There are two styles: Vedamati, sung seated, and Kapalik, performed standing. Teejan Bai took this art to stages across the world.
India-Israel Bilateral Investment Agreement comes into force
- The India-Israel Bilateral Investment Agreement came into force on 4 July 2026.
- It was signed in New Delhi on 8 September 2025 by Nirmala Sitharaman and Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
- It protects investors against expropriation and offers dispute settlement through arbitration.
Why it matters
[Economy] Bilateral investment pacts give foreign investors legal certainty. India ended many older treaties after 2016 and now signs new ones on its 2015 Model BIT lines. Israel joins recent partners such as the UAE and Uzbekistan.
India’s defence exports cross a record ₹38,000 crore, a 57-fold rise since 2013-14
- Rajnath Singh said India's defence exports reached a record of over ₹38,000 crore.
- Exports were only ₹686 crore in 2013-14, so this is an almost 57-fold rise.
- Annual defence production touched an all-time high of over ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26.
Why it matters
[Economy] Defence exports show that buyers abroad trust Indian-made weapons. The government's target is ₹50,000 crore of exports by 2029. Production nearly tripled from the 2014-15 level.
DAC clears ₹52,000 crore of purchases, including Akash Tarang anti-drone system for the Army
- The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Rajnath Singh, approved capital purchases worth ₹52,000 crore on 3 July 2026.
- The Army gets Akash Tarang, an anti-drone electronic warfare system, plus a jet-based kamikaze drone system.
- The Navy gets multi-influence ground mines and shipborne unmanned aerial systems.
Why it matters
[Policy] The DAC is the top body for defence buying decisions. Its approval, called Acceptance of Necessity, is the first step of a purchase. Much of this list targets drones, both to stop them and to use them.
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'.
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.
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.