Daily Current Affairs 15 July 2026

A 28-km long plastic-lined artificial reservoir has been developed in the Thar Desert near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to provide a consistent, year-round drinking water supply.

Recognized as one of Asia's largest artificial desert reservoirs, it has a storage capacity of 1.41 billion liters and a depth of 13 meters. The reservoir captures rainwater and surplus monsoon water, which is channeled from the Indira Gandhi Canal via a 1-km escape channel.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Drone Federation India (DFI), has launched the second edition of the 'National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research' (NIDAR 2.0, 2026-27) at Electronics Niketan, New Delhi, in a hybrid mode.

The challenge is conducted under the 'SwaYaan' initiative, which was approved by MeitY in 2022 with a total financial outlay of ₹89.87 crore over a five-year period.

Union Minister Amit Shah has launched various initiatives during the 5th Foundation Day Ceremony of the Ministry of Cooperation held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

The event was organised in alignment with the vision of PM Narendra Modi of "Sahakar Se Samriddhi" (Prosperity through Cooperation).

He also announced that the centre plans to establish a Cooperative Life Insurance Company to expand the cooperative sector.

Regarding infrastructure, 135 godowns were transferred, 85 were inaugurated, and the foundation stone was laid for 47 grain-storage godowns.

The Geographical Indication Registry (GIR) has granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to Sirsa Kinnow, making it the first fruit from Haryana to receive this recognition.

The certification has been awarded to the Kharisureran Farmer Producer Company Ltd, based in the Sirsa district of Haryana.

According to the 'World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update - July 2026' report titled 'Global Economy in Crosscurrents of War and Technology' released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India's GDP growth is revised to 6.4% for FY27 from the 6.5%.

For FY28, the report has revised India's growth projection to 6.7% from the earlier estimate of 6.5%. The report also noted that India's GDP recorded a growth of 7.7% during FY26.

The World Bank has approved a financing package of $890 million for India's rooftop solar programme.

This financing is intended to support the implementation of the “PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana”, which aims to install rooftop solar systems in 10 million rural and urban households across India. Additionally, the World Bank will facilitate the mobilization of $4.2 billion in private financing through commercial loans to support households in installing these systems.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has mandated that all Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) must route the settlement of invoices related to procurement from MSMEs through the Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS).

The TReDS mechanism has been progressively expanded, starting with mandatory onboarding for CPSEs and companies with a turnover above ₹500 crore in 2018. The threshold was lowered to ₹250 crore in 2024, and mandatory TReDS settlement will be implemented from June 30, 2026.

According to the Ministry of MSME, invoice financing through the TReDS platform has grown from ₹40,000 crore in FY22 to ₹3.47 trillion in FY26. It is to be noted that the TReDS is an electronic platform regulated by the RBI that facilitates the financing and discounting of trade receivables of MSMEs by multiple financiers.

The State Bank of India (SBI) has divested a 1.42% equity stake in its asset management subsidiary, SBI Funds Management Ltd (SBIFM), for ₹1,655 crore.

The stake was sold to 30 institutional investors through a pre-Initial Public Offering (IPO) placement.

TPG Inc. has signed agreements to acquire a 100% stake in Aseem Infrastructure Finance Ltd (AIFL) from the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and other shareholders.

The acquisition is being executed through TPG Rise Climate, the climate investing platform of TPG. The transaction is undertaken in partnership with the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) and ICICI Bank Ltd. Upon completion, ICICI Bank will hold an equity stake of up to 5% in AIFL.

Bisleri International Pvt Ltd has signed a Letter of Association (LoA) with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) (Kerala and Mahe) to promote plastic waste management.

The partnership is facilitated through the flagship initiative of Bisleri, 'Bottles for Change' (BFC), and aims to support environmental sustainability in coastal regions.

Australia is replacing its traditional paper arrival card system with a new digital declaration system.

The new "Travel Declaration" system allows eligible international travellers to submit Customs and biosecurity information online before arrival. This digital transition aims to reduce paperwork and expedite entry procedures for travellers.

PM Narendra Modi has visited Indonesia at the invitation of President Prabowo Subianto to strengthen bilateral ties and strategic cooperation between the two nations.

He became the first Indian PM to address the Indonesian Parliament in Jakarta, where he unveiled the 'Ganga-Mahakam Vision' to foster a long-term strategic partnership. During the visit, he was conferred with the 'Bintang Adipurna of the Republic of Indonesia,' the highest civilian honour of the country.

PM Modi visited the Prambanan Temple and inaugurated its restoration project, which is proposed to be led by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). India has agreed to establish a branch campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore in Jakarta. The visit resulted in 20 key outcomes, including the signing of 14 MoUs and agreements.

INS Sudarshini, an indigenous three-masted sail training barque of the Indian Navy (IN), has represented India at the 'Sail4th 250' and the 'United States International Naval Review 250' celebrations held in New York Harbour.

The festival was organised to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States.

The 8th Defence Policy Dialogue between India and Japan was held in Tokyo, Japan. The Indian delegation was led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Both countries reviewed the progress in bilateral defence cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a penalty of ₹126.87 crore on HP India and a combined fine of ₹1.22 crore on 5 of its resellers for operating a cartel in the sale and supply of personal system products like laptops, desktops, and accessories.

Jannik Sinner of Italy won the men's singles title of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships by defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany.

Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic won the women's singles title after defeating Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in the final.

In the doubles categories, the pair of Guo Hanyu (China) and Kristina Mladenovic (France) won the women's doubles title. Harri Heliovaara (Finland) and Henry Patten (UK) successfully defended their men's doubles title. Marcelo Arevalo (El Salvador) and Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) emerged victorious in the mixed doubles event.