Weekly Current Affairs

Economy. On the 20th Statistics Day (29 June 2026), MoSPI released the SDG-NIF Progress Report 2026; the National Indicator Framework 2026 tracks all 17 SDGs through 277 indicators, showing social protection coverage rising from 22% (2016) to 65.3% (2026), the maternal mortality ratio falling from 122 to 87 per 1,00,000 live births, and unemployment declining from 6.1% to 3.1%. The Tourism Ministry and NITI Aayog released 'Unlocking Growth in Tourism & Hospitality', aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047. The boards of PFC and REC approved merging REC into PFC under the Companies Act, 2013, creating a lender with a combined loan book above Rs 11 lakh crore (88 PFC shares per 100 REC shares). Adani Enterprises and the UAE's IHC signed an MoU on 2 July for a 50:50 joint venture to build a $11.5 billion (Rs 1.08 lakh crore) integrated aluminium project in Odisha. The Delhi High Court declared the National Stock Exchange a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act. The government raised the onion procurement price 13% to Rs 2,125 per quintal, flagged the National SC-ST Hub for entrepreneurs, and said 15 fertiliser ships had safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz.

Governance. The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 came into force on 1 July, giving rural households a statutory right to 125 days of work with a minimum daily wage of at least 300 rupees; the Centre released an interim Rs 95,692.31 crore and launched the scheme at Tirupati. Operational guidelines renamed Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and expanded its 6x6x6 strategy into a 7x7x7 framework with a T4 (Test, Treat, Talk, Track) approach. NITI Aayog released the 'Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global', built on three pillars - Availability, Acceptability and Awareness. A NIRD&PR national study on low Gram Sabha participation covered about 7,800 respondents across 26 States/UTs. UIDAI enabled free email updates through the Aadhaar app, the NCW's 14490 helpline was highlighted, and LokOS was projected as a digital backbone for rural livelihoods.

Polity. Home Minister Amit Shah launched the FCRA 2.0 portal and the e-OCI card, benefiting over 50 lakh OCI cardholders. Air Marshal Jasbir Singh Mann took over as AOC-in-C, Southern Air Command, succeeding Air Marshal Manish Khanna.

International. PM Modi and Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi signed a defence co-development pact and advanced cooperation on artificial intelligence and semiconductor supply chains. Modi also held a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on West Asia. The India-Israel Bilateral Investment Agreement came into force. The Ministry of Women and Child Development held the third preparatory meeting of the BRICS Women Track ahead of the Kochi meetings (6-9 July), and India announced it would host the BRICS anti-drug agencies meeting in Guwahati.

Environment. A Project Cheetah report found goats and cattle made up 50% of kills by free-ranging cheetahs in Kuno, with chital at 42%; the population has grown to 53. India and the EU deepened sustainable ship-recycling cooperation, with India holding a 35.4% global share and three yards now eligible under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation. ACME signed green ammonia and green methanol offtake deals with Japanese firms under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. The Centre reviewed El Nino-linked below-normal rainfall and highlighted ethanol blending.

Science and technology. The PSA Office launched the TRL Compass platform and signed an MoU with DSCI, adapting the nine-level Technology Readiness Level scale for India. The CG Semi OSAT facility was inaugurated at Sanand, and ICMR won Gold at the National e-Governance Awards 2026.

Rajasthan. PM Modi dedicated the Rs 79,000 crore Pachpadra greenfield refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in Balotra to the nation, after CM Bhajanlal Sharma reviewed the arrangements. Villagers of Karauli, Dholpur and Bharatpur intensified an agitation against a proposed tiger reserve expansion, announcing a Mahapanchayat on 13 July. Bhashini showcased multilingual AI at NCEG 2026 and launched a Rajasthan Language Model Training Hackathon, while the Law Ministry held its Reforms Utsav and Chintan Shivir at Mount Abu.