Monthly current affairs for July 2026

Biswanath Sinha has assumed charge as the Chief Secretary of Kerala, succeeding Dr. A Jayathilak. His tenure is scheduled to extend until September 2028.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has signed an MoU with the IIT Madras, IIT Pravartak, SWAYAM Plus, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) to launch the Corporate Mitra Scheme.

The primary objective of the scheme is to create a pool of trained Corporate Mitras to provide support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

According to the Geographical Indications (GI) Registry, the total number of GI tags registered in India stands at 822. Between April 2025 and March 2026, 125 GIs were registered across the country, with eastern states recording a significant number of these registrations.

During this period, Madhya Pradesh recorded 26 registrations, followed by West Bengal with 24. Uttar Pradesh holds the highest cumulative number of GI registrations at 79, followed by Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

International Day of Women in Diplomacy

Day – June 24

Theme 2026 – "Diplomacy for All"

Observed since – 2023

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has granted the final (R3) Certificate of Registration (CoR) to Prudential HCL Health Insurance Ltd. It is a joint venture (JV) between the Prudential Group of the UK (70% stake) and the HCL Group of India (30% stake). With this, the company becomes the 8th standalone health insurer in India.

It is to be noted that regulatory guidelines mandate a minimum paid-up equity capital of ₹100 crore for an Indian insurance company or a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) registered under the LLP Act, 2008.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has announced two initiatives to strengthen the Indian film industry: the constitution of a High-level Study Group and the development of Model State Cinema Regulations. This was finalized during a review meeting chaired by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Prasoon Joshi, the Chairman of Prasar Bharati, has been appointed as the chairperson of the High-level Study Group. The group is required to submit its report within 3 months.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) organized the 29th edition of the National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2026 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The event was held under the theme "Viksit Bharat 2047: AI-Enabled, Data-Driven and Secure Digital Governance".

Union Minister Jitendra Singh conferred 17 awards across 7 categories, comprising 10 Gold, 6 Silver, and 1 Jury award. The NAeG provides a cash prize of ₹10 lakh for Gold award winners and ₹5 lakh for Silver award winners.

Notable Gold award winners include the ICMR-MINDS project for AI-enabled mental and substance use disorder screening, the Panchayat Advancement Index for utilizing data analytics for rural planning, and the Kadepur Gram Panchayat in Maharashtra for implementing a paperless, blockchain-based e-office.

Other recognized initiatives include e-Aarogya Dhamni, e-Jagriti (Ministry of Consumer Affairs), Agri Stack (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare), AI Clinical Support in eSanjeevani Telemedicine, the Mahakumbh 2025 Digital Initiative, the District Court Case Management System (DCMS) by the High Court of Kerala, and the Blood Bag Traceability Portal.

The Jury Award was presented to the Survey of India for its project titled "Real-Time Precise Positioning Services through CORS Network".

The PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), launched in 2015, has completed 10 years of advancing irrigation-led agricultural transformation in India. The scheme comprises 4 main components: Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP), Watershed Development Component (WDC), and Per Drop More Crop (PDMC).

As of August 2025, the PMKSY has benefited over 27 million farmers and created or restored irrigation potential across 24.61 million hectares (ha), supported by a budgetary allocation of ₹64,407 crore. Since the inception of the PDMC component, 110.92 lakh ha of land have been brought under micro-irrigation.

Passport Seva Divas

Day – June 24

Observed by – Ministry of External Affairs

Observed since – 2013

Commemorating – The enactment of the Passports Act, 1967

Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) celebrated its 119th Foundation Day in New Delhi. During the event, the bank unveiled several digital banking initiatives, including the 'Navjyoti' mobile application and the 'PSB Bharat Connect' account. Additionally, the bank launched a revised Vision and Mission statement.

Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas (Constitution Murder Day)

Day – June 25

Observed since – 2024

Commemorating – The declaration of the Emergency in India in 1975

Union Minister JP Nadda has chaired the 16th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. During the conference, he launched the 'SUMAN Roadmap 2030', a strategic framework aiming to reduce the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to below 70 per 1 lakh live births by 2030.

He also launched the SSBSK, a unified programme integrating Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care for Young Child (HBYC) to provide home-based care for children from birth to 5 years.

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has presented the 2026 Leadership Award to Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises Ltd.

The Yonex US Open 2026 badminton tournament was held at California State University, USA.

Su Li-yang of Chinese Taipei won the men's singles title by defeating Kidambi Srikanth of India. Line Christophersen of Denmark claimed the women's singles crown.

The central government has identified 25 Tiger Reserves (TRs) across the country for priority recovery through science-led interventions. This decision is based on two reports released by Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, which focus on a roadmap for active tiger management and findings from the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.

It is to be noted that while the tiger population of India is growing at an annual rate of 6%, 25 of the 58 TRs in the country have been identified as potential recipient sites for priority recovery.

Jaime Abelardo, supported by the 'Defenders of the Homeland' alliance, has won the presidential runoff election in Colombia. He will serve as the President for the 2026-2030 term, succeeding Gustavo Petro.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched an AI-enabled Rural Internal Audit portal.

The digital platform aims to enhance financial oversight, audit efficiency, and governance across various programmes under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).

Amazon, a US-based multinational technology company, has announced an investment of $48 billion in India for the period between 2026 and 2030.

The investment aims to strengthen the e-commerce, AI, cloud computing, and logistics businesses of the company in India.

Union Minister Amit Shah has chaired the 10th Apex-Level Meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

During the event, he virtually inaugurated newly constructed Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal offices in Jammu and Guwahati (Assam) to strengthen enforcement capabilities in these strategic regions.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI), under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), has approved two major acquisition proposals.

Germany-based DWS Group has received approval to acquire a 40% stake in Nippon Life India Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) Management Limited (NIAIF) for approximately ₹733 crore.

An Aditya Birla Group-led consortium has acquired a 100% stake in Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RCSPL), the owner of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise, from United Spirits Ltd (USL) in an all-cash deal worth ₹16,660 crore. Following the acquisition, Aryaman Vikram Birla, Director at the Aditya Birla Group, has been appointed as the Chairman of the RCB franchise.