Daily Brief

The Delimitation Bill, 2026, along with the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, was introduced in Lok Sabha on 16 April 2026, proposing to raise Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 (815 from states, 35 from Union Territories), with delimitation based on the first Census after 2026.

Mobile internet was suspended in Central Delhi during the 'Chalo Sansad' protest, invoked under Section 20(2)(b) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, which caps such suspension orders at a maximum of 15 days.

India's 2027 Census is proceeding in phases: the House Listing & Housing Census phase runs from 1 April to September 2026, followed by Population Enumeration in February 2027, with a reference date of 1 March 2027.

India's CPI retail inflation rose to 4.38% in June 2026, an 18-month high, driven by a fuel & power sub-index of 27.41% amid crude oil trading above $110 per barrel.

Credit growth across India's scheduled banks reached 17.44% year-on-year as of end-May 2026, outpacing deposit growth of 12.14% by 530 basis points; RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said banks retain sufficient capital to sustain lending.

Federal Bank received an inaugural BBB- investment-grade rating from S&P Global Ratings on 10 July 2026.

Nobel laureates and AI scientists signed the Rome Declaration for an Unarmed and Disarming Peace at Rome's Capitoline Hill, calling for meaningful human control over AI in nuclear decision-making.

Quad Foreign Ministers from India, the US, Japan and Australia met in Manila on 22 July 2026, reaffirming their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and ASEAN centrality.

The UN's SOFI 2026 report found that 2.69 billion people (32.7% globally) cannot afford a healthy diet, with Africa's hunger population (309 million, 20%) now surpassing Asia's (292 million).

The Bharat 6G Alliance expanded to 90 member organisations as of 15 July 2026, working on spectrum roadmaps and terahertz testbeds under the Department of Telecommunications.

IASST Guwahati scientists showed that adding just 0.1% borophene to castor oil cuts friction by about 42%, developing a high-performance eco-friendly lubricant additive.

India's drug regulator (DCGI) granted market authorisation to the dengue vaccine QDENGA (TAK-003) on 20 July 2026.

INS Malvan, the second indigenously-built Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft with over 80% indigenous content, was commissioned at Karwar on 22 July 2026.

India and Indonesia signed a BrahMos missile deal and an Astra air-to-air missile supply arrangement between Bharat Dynamics and Indonesia's Republic Corps during PM Modi's July 2026 Indonesia visit.

India and Australia issued a Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation during PM Modi's meeting with PM Albanese in Melbourne.

India's installed renewable energy capacity crossed 288.58 GW by 30 June 2026 after adding 30.6 GW in H1 2026 (up 25% year-on-year); solar alone contributes 162 GW, ranking India third globally in installed solar capacity.

India's ongoing sixth tiger census cycle, covering all 58 tiger reserves, shows early estimates of a 10-15% population rise, though most of the gains are outside core reserve areas.

The State of India's Environment 2026 report found that invasive Lantana camara now covers nearly 50% of India's forest and scrubland, reducing native prey and altering tiger behaviour.

The Commonwealth Games 2026 opened in Glasgow on 23 July 2026 with the first-ever indoor opening ceremony in CWG history, welcoming 74 nations and territories; India's contingent was led by flag bearer Mirabai Chanu and baton bearer Lovlina Borgohain.

India's athletics contingent, headlined by Neeraj Chopra, competes at Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow from 27 July to 1 August, with the men's javelin throw final scheduled for 1 August.

England announced it will host Australia in the first-ever mixed disability Ashes cricket series, in T20I format, in 2027.

IAS officer Anurag Jain (1989-batch, Madhya Pradesh cadre) was appointed CEO of NITI Aayog for a two-year term on 22 July 2026.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved a major bureaucratic reshuffle on 23 July 2026, naming 13 IAS/IDAS officers as Secretaries to the Government of India and upgrading four more officers to Secretary rank.

Sanjeev Jain was appointed India's new Ambassador to North Korea on 7 July 2026.

The Centre launched the ₹175.45-crore 'Mission Golden Spice' (2025-2030) to scale up Meghalaya's GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric, aiming to nearly triple cultivation area to 7,000 hectares and benefit 17,500 farmers, 99% of them women.

Maharashtra's cabinet approved the Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026 on 2 July 2026, creating a 'women farmer certificate' to help landless women farmers access institutional credit, subsidies and agricultural extension services.

The government told the Lok Sabha on 21 July 2026 that women constituted 59.8% of India's agricultural workforce in 2025, as it highlighted schemes supporting women farmers' access to credit and training.

Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang presented a ₹19,215-crore (gross) FY2026-27 budget in the state assembly, targeting over 13% annual economic growth under the 'Viksit Sikkim @2047' vision.

Rajouri's centuries-old Bhairav Yatra was added to the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of India on 15 July 2026 — only the second entry after Ladakh's Buddhist chanting.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and West Bengal's tourism minister jointly pitched Bengal's cultural heritage for tourism-led growth at the Maitri Cultural Economy Samiti summit in Kolkata on 17 July 2026.