Daily Brief

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launched a digital Local Pass facility on its RajmargYatra mobile app in July 2026, letting residents near toll plazas obtain discounted local passes online instead of visiting the toll booth.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the National Investment Policy for Urea-2026 (NIPU-2026) on 16 July 2026 to attract fresh investment in domestic urea manufacturing and cut import dependence.

The Centre released the draft Telecommunication Rules, 2026, covering television, radio and related broadcasting services under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, inviting public comments until 27 July 2026.

The Union government extended the term of RBI Deputy Governor Swaminathan Janakiraman by two years effective 26 June 2026; he is the senior-most Deputy Governor overseeing banking supervision and consumer protection.

RBI approved the appointment of Mahesh Muralidhar Pai as Managing Director & CEO of South Indian Bank for a three-year term effective 1 October 2026, subject to shareholder approval.

India posted a current account surplus of $4.7 billion in April 2026 despite a wider merchandise trade deficit, as the RBI raised its FY2025-26 GDP growth forecast to 7.6%.

Indo MIM opened its ₹3,811 crore IPO on the BSE and NSE from 23 to 27 July 2026, among a cluster of mainboard IPOs expected to raise around ₹15,000 crore this month.

Ayushman Bharat — Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) officially rolled out in West Bengal from July 2026, extending the national health cover scheme to a state that had stayed outside it for years.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana crossed 10.58 crore LPG connections provided to eligible beneficiaries as of 1 July 2026.

The Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) has benefited over 47.5 lakh people across 16,759 villages, according to government figures reported in July 2026.

Nominations for the next Padma Awards cycle are open, with the deadline set for 31 July 2026.

Srinivasa Kumar Tummala was appointed Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, on 7 July 2026.

The Centre appointed new chiefs of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) on 7 July 2026.

TCS acquired 200 acres in Vizag and 88 acres in Pune for AI infrastructure, alongside planned data-centre capacity deals with OpenAI (100 MW) and AMD (200 MW).

PM Modi inaugurated conservation work on Indonesia's Prambanan Hindu temple in July 2026, under an India-Indonesia agreement for the conservation and restoration of the world-famous temple.

India became the 123rd member to ratify the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 20 July 2026, which bans subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to help protect global marine fish stocks.

The 16th India-Japan Annual Summit was held from 1-3 July 2026 during Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi's first visit to India since taking office, reinforcing the Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

India assumed the Vice-Presidency of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), expanding its role in international financial governance, even as it chairs BRICS in 2026.

The ePlane Company, an IIT Madras-incubated startup, unveiled India's first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft prototype on 21 July 2026, a step toward urban air mobility in India.

A Technology Advisory Group meeting on 10 July 2026 proposed a Communication Technology Task Force to coordinate India's telecom R&D on 6G, AI-native networks and indigenous semiconductors.

The BHASHINI platform added advanced open-source AI models, including Sarvam models, to strengthen India's capability in building population-scale artificial intelligence systems.

The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, cleared capital acquisition proposals worth about ₹52,000 crore ($5.47 billion) on 3 July 2026, including the Akash Tarang anti-drone electronic warfare system.

The Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, held a two-day workshop 'Naval Stealth — Beyond 2030' on 20-21 July 2026 and handed over LM2500 Gas Turbine Infrared Suppression System technology to BHEL.

Paras Semiconductors Private Limited, a subsidiary of Paras Defence and Space Technologies, signed an MoU with the MP State Electronics Development Corporation on 22 July 2026 to strengthen semiconductor manufacturing in Madhya Pradesh.

The Union Budget 2026-27 allocated ₹3,759 crore to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, a 7% rise over the previous year's revised estimate, including ₹405 crore for wildlife habitat development.

About 50 spotted deer were translocated from Sasan Gir Wildlife Division to Mandvi Forest Range in Surat district, Gujarat, in phases during 2026, to strengthen the carnivore prey base.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya unveiled Peacko, the official mascot for the 2026 BWF World Championships, inspired by the Indian peafowl; New Delhi hosts the tournament from 17-23 August 2026.

The Commonwealth Games 2026 are being held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August 2026; the Athletics Federation of India named a 32-member squad including Neeraj Chopra provisionally.

The Indian Women's Hockey team won the FIH Nations Cup 2026, earning promotion to the FIH Pro League.

India's first immersive language museum, Shabdalok (Museum of Words), was inaugurated on 19 July 2026 at the National Library campus in Kolkata, showcasing the diversity of Indian languages and scripts.