Monthly current affairs for July 2026

The government has increased the procurement price of onions for the Price Stabilisation Buffer by 13%, raising it from ₹1,875 per quintal to ₹2,125 per quintal, effective from July 4, 2026.

According to the Second Advance Estimates of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare for 2025-26, the production of onions is estimated at 307.37 lakh metric tonnes (LMT).

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Union Minister Rajnath Singh, has accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for various acquisition proposals for the defence forces, estimated at ₹52,000 crore.

For the Indian Army, the DAC approved the procurement of the 'AKASH TARANG' Anti-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Electronic Warfare System, Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) Systems, Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) Weapon System, Very Short Range Air Defence System (V-SHORADS), Active Protection System for Tanks, and a Jet-Based Kamikaze Drone System.

For the Indian Navy, the council granted approval for the procurement of Multi Influence Ground Mines (MIGM), Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial Systems (NSUAS), and the establishment of a Land Based Testing Facility (LBTF) for Electric Propulsion Systems. For the Indian Air Force (IAF), approval was accorded for the procurement of Fixed-Wing Based High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (FW-HAPS).

Indian Naval Ships (INS) Udaygiri, INS Shakti, and INS Kavaratti have concluded their port call at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore.

The deployment of these Eastern Fleet ships was led by Rear Admiral Alok Anand, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF).

George Russell, a British national racing for Mercedes, has won the Formula One (F1) Austrian Grand Prix 2026.

The Indian Biogas Association (IBA) has signed an MoU with the Army Welfare Placement Organization (AWPO) and Reveille Energy LLP to facilitate skill development in the biogas sector. The initiative aims to create employment opportunities for 50,000 Ex-Servicemen across India.

The inaugural India–Mali Forum for the Promotion of Exports was held in Bamako, Mali, under the theme 'Reinforcing Trade and Strategic Partnerships.'

It is to be noted that bilateral trade between India and Mali surpassed $326.6 million in FY26, marking a 55% year-on-year growth compared to the previous fiscal period.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released a series of publications tracking India's development milestones under the National Indicator Framework (NIF).

Multidimensional poverty in India declined to 14.96% in 2019–21 from 24.85% in 2015–16, while population coverage under structured social protection systems surged to 65.3% in 2026, from 22% in 2019.

Institutional deliveries overseen by skilled staff have grown to 91.3% from 81.4%. The Gross Enrolment Ratio for higher secondary schools has reached 58.40%, and school internet connectivity has increased to 84.2%.

India has achieved 100% household electrification under the 'Saubhagya' scheme. Total internet subscriptions rose to 969.10 million in 2025 from 302.36 million in 2015, with national 4G population coverage reaching 99.51%.

The number of functional waste recycling plants expanded to 3,236 in 2025–26 from 829 in 2019–20. Globally protected Ramsar sites now constitute 8.66% of India's total wetland landscape, an increase from 4.15% in 2016.

The Tamil Nadu government has appointed Mylswamy Annadurai, a former ISRO scientist, as the Chairman of the Curriculum Design Committee (CDC) for School Education for a 3-year tenure.

The National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K) has signed an MoU with Massey University, New Zealand to enhance academic and research collaboration in the domains of food technology, food processing, innovation, and higher education.

PM Narendra Modi has dedicated the first greenfield integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex of India to the nation at Pachpadra in Balotra, Rajasthan.

Additionally, the PM laid the foundation stone for Phase 2 of the Jaipur Metro Rail Project, which entails an investment of more than ₹13,000 crore.

PayGlocal, an Indian cross-border payments platform, has integrated Google Pay Card Payments into its International Payment Gateway.

This integration enables Indian merchants to access a customer base of over 1 billion users across more than 90 countries through a single integration.

PM Narendra Modi visited Seychelles at the invitation of President Dr. Patrick Herminie and held a bilateral meeting in Victoria, Mahe. He attended the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the National Day of Seychelles as the Guest of Honour, marking 50 years of independence of the nation.

During the visit, PM Modi was conferred with the honorary "Guardian of the Blue Horizon" title, the highest distinction of Seychelles. Both countries signed 9 MoUs to strengthen bilateral relations. India extended a Line of Credit (LoC) of ₹1,250 crore for development projects and handed over a Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) named 'LESPWAR'.

SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd has signed an MoU with the IIT Bombay to establish the 'Bharat AI & Cyber Innovation Hub for Insurance'. This joint research and innovation centre aims to develop indigenous deep-technology defence systems for the insurance sector.

Seven Indian schools have been shortlisted by the UK-based T4 Education for the 'World's Best School Prizes 2026'.

This marks the highest number of schools from any single country to be shortlisted in a year since the inception of the awards in 2022.

Teejan Bai, a legendary Pandavani folk singer, passed away at the age of 70. She was one of the first women to perform Pandavani in the Kapalik style.

She was a recipient of the Padma Shri in 1988, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, Padma Bhushan in 2003, Fukuoka Prize in 2018, and Padma Vibhushan in 2019.

Ben Stokes, the England Test captain, has announced retirement from all formats of international cricket during the third Rothesay Test match against New Zealand. He concluded his international career with 7,273 Test runs and 252 wickets.

He is the second cricketer in history, after Jacques Kallis of South Africa, to achieve the 'Test double' of 7,000 runs and 250 wickets.

The National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, has designated the Borjuli wetland in the Sonitpur district of Assam as a 'Biodiversity Heritage Site'. This initiative aims to conserve India's wild rice genetic resources, specifically the ancestral species Oryza rufipogon.

The conservation is being carried out under the project 'In-situ Conservation and Management of Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon) of Assam', which has been operational since 2022. The project is executed by scientists from the ICAR–National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), New Delhi.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has completed the construction of a 180-foot triple-double reinforced Bailey bridge in Kurung Kumey, Arunachal Pradesh.

Situated along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) corridor, this bridge restores vital connectivity along the Hapoli–Sarli–Huri road network. The project was executed under 'Project Arunank' by the 756 Task Force and Team 85 Road Construction Company (RCC).

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a reform to improve the quality of rice distributed under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes.

Under the new policy, the permissible limit for broken grains in raw rice has been reduced to 10% from 25%, and for parboiled rice, it has been limited to 5% from 16%. The procurement of this improved-quality rice will be implemented across all states in a phased manner by the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2027–28.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has named French meteorologist Dr. Florence Rabier as the recipient of the 71st International Meteorological Organization (IMO) Prize.

The award, often called the "Nobel Prize of meteorology", carries a cash prize of 10,000 Swiss Francs (CHF).