Current affairs — 3 July 2026

Prelims pointers

• RAD-BAARG is described as a bow-and-arrow-shaped radio galaxy about 1.8 million light years wide and roughly 2 billion light years from Earth.
• RAD in RAD-BAARG stands for RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory, based at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai; BAARG stands for Bow And Arrow Radio Galaxy.
• The RAD-BAARG paper was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on June 22 and led by Ananda Hota of the University of Mumbai.
• Kpc means kiloparsec, a unit equal to 1,000 parsecs or about 3,260 light-years, according to the article.
• RAD-BAARG was found using LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey images; the team hopes the Square Kilometre Array Observatory will improve understanding of radio galaxies.

Prelims pointers

• The Madras High Court directed two MEA and MHA joint secretaries to jointly pay ₹50,000 within four weeks.
• Zahir Hussain was convicted by a Sri Lankan court on May 18, 2015 for possession of 720 grams of heroin.
• The prisoner-transfer matter arose under a 2010 bilateral treaty between India and Sri Lanka on transfer of sentenced persons.
• The MHA accepted the repatriation request by an order dated July 29, 2016.
• Article 8(2) of the treaty was discussed as requiring prior consent of Sri Lanka before adapting an incompatible sentence.

Prelims pointers

• India’s June GST collections rose 13.9% year-on-year to ₹1.95 lakh crore.
• Import IGST surged 34.6% compared with June 2025, while domestic GST collections grew 6.5%.
• The government hiked gold import duty from 6% to 15% on May 13.
• India’s eight core industries expanded by about 2.8% in Q1 FY27, compared with around 6% in the corresponding period last year.
• The GST taxpayer base expanded from about 66 lakh taxpayers in 2017 to over 1.65 crore, according to the article.

Prelims pointers

• India launched a nationwide cervical cancer campaign on February 28, 2026, providing free HPV vaccination to 1.15 crore girls aged 14-15 years.
• The article says India bears a quarter of the global cervical cancer burden, with over 1.2 lakh new cases and 80,000 deaths annually.
• Nearly 95% of cervical cancer cases are caused by high-risk HPV strains, according to the article.
• Mandsaur used RBSK, SAMAGRA MP and Ladli Laxmi Yojana data to create hyper-localised target lists for eligible girls.
• Mandsaur achieved 100% of its vaccination target in less than 40 days through 493 sessions at 12 permanent and 27 temporary sites.

Prelims pointers

• VB-G Ram G expands to Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar Ajeevika Mission Grameen in the article.
• The scheme came into force on July 2, 2026, with nationwide launch from Mukkavaripalli in Tirupati district.
• The launch was marked by laying the foundation stone for a farm pond, signalling priority to farmers’ welfare.
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan said 74,212 houses in Andhra Pradesh were aimed under PMAY and 146 rural roads were sanctioned.
• The Union Minister offered to procure 2.16 lakh metric tonnes of Totapuri mangoes through the market intervention scheme.

Prelims pointers

• WHO declared the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak over on July 2, 2026 after the final exposed contact completed quarantine and tested negative.
• The outbreak had 12 confirmed cases, one probable case and three deaths, with no further cases reported since May 25.
• The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius left Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and docked in Rotterdam harbour on May 18.
• More than 650 contacts were identified and followed up by health authorities in 33 countries and territories.
• The Andes species behind the Hondius outbreak is described as the only hantavirus strain known to jump from human to human.

Prelims pointers

• The Maharashtra Assembly unanimously passed the Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill on Thursday, July 2, 2026.
• The Bill recognises women engaged in agriculture and allied activities such as fisheries, livestock rearing, poultry farming and forest-produce collection.
• A Woman Farmer Certificate is proposed as an official identity document for access to schemes, subsidies, institutional finance and market support.
• The certificates will be issued by Gram Sabhas or urban local bodies, with an appeal mechanism for rejected applications.
• The Bill provides a three-tier framework: a Women Farmers’ Empowerment Council, State Monitoring Committees and Women Farmers’ Empowerment Cells.

Prelims pointers

• India and New Zealand signed a Free Trade Agreement on Monday, April 27, 2026, according to the report.
• The Prime Ministers of both countries hailed the agreement as a historic step in bilateral ties.
• The FTA was signed in New Delhi by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand counterpart Todd McClay.
• New Zealand will remove all tariffs on all goods imported from India under the reported agreement.
• India will remove or reduce tariffs on 95% of current imports from New Zealand under the FTA.

Prelims pointers

• Space oncology studies how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect cancer progression and treatment.
• India is estimated to diagnose 1.87 million new cancer cases in 2026, according to the article.
• Microgravity experiments show effects on cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, gene expression and spheroid formation.
• ISS studies have covered cancer models including breast, lung, thyroid, prostate, melanoma and glioblastoma.
• Rebecsinib became the first space-tested cancer drug to enter clinical trials after receiving FDA Investigational New Drug status.

Prelims pointers

• Z25 was a captive-bred female White-rumped vulture from the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre in Pinjore, Haryana.
• It was one of five White-rumped vultures radio-tagged at Tadoba on December 22, 2025.
• The five radio-tagged vultures were released at Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve on December 30.
• Z25 flew out of Tadoba-Andhari and eventually reached Kalaburagi city in Karnataka.
• The vulture died after being electrocuted at a power transmission line in the Nilgiris in Mudumalai.

Prelims pointers

• Vikram-1’s first test flight, Mission Aagaman, has a launch window from July 12 to August 4, 2026.
• Vikram-1 is described as India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket for small satellites.
• The vehicle is designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kg to Low Earth Orbit.
• The rocket is fully stacked at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota for the planned test flight.
• The main objective is to gather data on propulsion, stage separation, guidance, navigation, control and performance.

Prelims pointers

• ISRO’s only launch in the first half of 2026 was the January PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission, which ended in failure.
• The PSLV-C62 mission failed to complete its intended trajectory after an anomaly near the end of the third stage.
• A national-level expert committee reviewed the PSLV anomaly and submitted its report, according to Jitendra Singh.
• India hosted the BRICS Heads of Space Agencies 2026 meeting in Bengaluru with space agencies from member countries.
• ISRO demonstrated a successful hot test of the Semi-Cryogenic Engine Power Head Test Article at 175-tonne thrust.

Prelims pointers

• The HSBC India Services PMI Business Activity Index fell to 57.4 in June 2026 from 59.8 in May.
• The June reading remained above the neutral 50 mark, meaning services activity was still expanding.
• The services sector recorded its slowest upturn since January 2025, according to the PMI report.
• New export orders rose at their fastest pace in three months, including demand from Australia, Germany and Singapore.
• India’s Composite PMI Output Index declined to 57.1 in June from 59.3 in May.

Prelims pointers

• Min Aung Hlaing landed in Laos on Friday, July 3, 2026, for a state visit, according to officials.
• The visit was his first state visit to an ASEAN country since claiming the post of civilian leader.
• He commanded the 2021 military coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.
• He became Civilian President in April after elections that excluded Suu Kyi’s party and jailed dissidents.
• His office said he would meet Laos’ President Thongloun Sisoulith and Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone.

Prelims pointers

• NATO leaders are scheduled to gather in Ankara on Tuesday July 7 and Wednesday July 8, 2026.
• Secretary General Mark Rutte said the summit would focus on converting extra spending into combat-ready capabilities.
• NATO leaders are expected to vow continued funding for weapons for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion.
• At The Hague, NATO leaders agreed to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence items by 2035.
• They also agreed to invest a further 1.5% of GDP on broader defence-related investments such as cybersecurity.

Prelims pointers

• Jared Novelly is the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue and Samoa.
• He said critical minerals, particularly in the Cook Islands, were either 1A or 1B among his priorities.
• Cook Islands waters contain polymetallic nodules sought for batteries and other technologies.
• The Cook Islands government has allowed exploration of seabed minerals but not commercial extraction.
• In February, the Cook Islands and the U.S. signed a non-binding framework on critical minerals research and supply-chain security.

Prelims pointers

• Australia’s ban covers children younger than 16 holding accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
• The amendments aimed to increase the eSafety Commissioner’s powers to enforce the child social media ban.
• The proposed changes would allow the commissioner to demand documents, not only information, from platforms.
• The bill would double the maximum fine to 99 million Australian dollars for non-compliant platforms.
• The Liberal Party and Australian Greens referred the draft legislation to an eight-week Senate inquiry.

Prelims pointers

• The Large Hadron Collider is a 27-kilometre circular accelerator located beneath the Franco-Swiss border at CERN.
• The LHC is entering its third Long Shutdown in July 2026, with collisions expected to resume in June 2030.
• The shutdown is a four-year overhaul estimated at roughly $1.5 billion to convert the machine into the High-Luminosity LHC.
• The High-Luminosity LHC is expected to increase collision rates about five times and lifetime collisions about tenfold.
• The LHC began first collisions in 2009 and its major achievement was the 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson.

Prelims pointers

• China said country-to-country cooperation should not target any third party or harm another nation’s interests.
• India and Japan discussed critical minerals cooperation to boost resilience in supply chains.
• The two sides unveiled initiatives including an economic partnership framework and a defence pact for co-development.
• Their joint statement expressed serious concern about the East China Sea and South China Sea situations.
• China accounts for about 70% of global rare earth mining and nearly 90% of rare earth processing, the report said.

Prelims pointers

• China’s Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress came into force on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
• The law aims to forge a shared national identity and strengthen Mandarin’s status as the official language.
• Overseas campaigners warned that the law will degrade rights of minorities such as Tibetans and Uyghurs.
• Critics pointed to a clause stating people can be held liable for violating the law even outside China.
• UN rights chief Volker Turk called for the law to be repealed, according to the report.

Prelims pointers

• Karnataka sought expansion of PDPS coverage for Totapuri mangoes from 1.30 lakh to 5.20 lakh metric tonnes.
• More than 12,000 farmers registered under the scheme since 26 June 2026, according to the department letter.
• The entire Government of India-approved quantity was exhausted within four days of commencement of registration.
• Kolar district's horticulture official said around 12,700 farmers had registered under the support price scheme.
• Growers cited seasonal glut, subdued market demand and market prices falling significantly below recovery levels.

Prelims pointers

• ALIFA-NAPM submitted an urgent appeal to the Election Commission of India on the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.
• The alliance claimed the first two SIR phases across 13 States and Union Territories showed an 8.9% drop in voters.
• Its demands include accepting transgender IDs or gazette notifications and establishing self-determination of gender.
• The alliance sought more time for vulnerable and rural communities to gather geographically distant documents.
• The third SIR phase is being conducted in 16 States and three Union Territories, covering 36.73 crore electors.

Prelims pointers

• MeitY is summoning Meta over a report about CSAM advertisements on Instagram in India.
• IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed MeitY officials to summon Meta on the Instagram ads matter.
• Meta said it has zero tolerance for CSAM and uses advanced AI to proactively detect violating content.
• The BBC report noted that over two dozen advertisements promoting CSAM were shown during a test phase.
• IT Secretary S. Krishnan said WhatsApp would be asked to explain its username feature in writing by 4 July 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The review was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
• The government is monitoring below-normal rainfall and potential drought conditions in parts of India due to El Niño.
• The Agriculture Ministry and related ministries were directed to coordinate with States on crop advisories for farmers.
• Officials were told to monitor water reservoirs and focus on low-water crops such as fodder, millets and pulses.
• An Inter-Ministerial Central Team was directed to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for damage assessment after heavy rain, floods and landslides.

Prelims pointers

• DAKSH stands for Development of Aspiration, Knowledge, Succession and Harmony.
• The third DAKSH batch is a year-long leadership programme for senior CPSE executives.
• The programme is organised by the Capacity Building Commission and SCOPE in collaboration with ISB.
• The release says earlier DAKSH participants have already moved to Board-level positions.
• The Capacity Building Commission is integrating themes such as AI, emerging technologies and institutional adaptability.

Prelims pointers

• The Sixteenth Finance Commission recommended ₹4,35,236 crore for Rural Local Bodies for 2026-27 to 2030-31.
• The recommended devolution is nearly 84% higher than the comparable Fifteenth Finance Commission allocation.
• Basic Grants total ₹3,48,188 crore, divided equally into tied and untied grants.
• Performance Grants total ₹87,048 crore, shared between Rural Local Body Performance Grants and State Performance Grants.
• India has 2,62,738 Panchayati Raj Institutions, including 2,55,308 Gram Panchayats.

Prelims pointers

• The National SC-ST Hub Scheme is aimed at empowering entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• The scheme addresses barriers including access to markets, finance, technology, capacity and institutional networks.
• The Business Accelerator Programme provides structured mentorship, industry insights and targeted business interventions.
• M/s Safety & Security Engineering secured tenders worth ₹8.48 lakh from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.
• Sawalaram Enterprises secured a ₹5.10 lakh tender from SAIL for the supply of hydraulic cylinders.

Prelims pointers

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Indonesia from 6-8 July 2026 at the invitation of President Prabowo Subianto.
• The Indonesia leg will be his first bilateral visit since India-Indonesia ties became a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018.
• In Indonesia, the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the Prambanan Temple complex at Yogyakarta, a UNESCO world heritage site.
• The Australia leg in Melbourne from 8-10 July includes bilateral talks, a call on Governor General Sam Mostyn and a CEOs Forum.
• PIB says the Auckland visit from 10-11 July will be the first state visit of an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in four decades.

Prelims pointers

• The Munger banyan is estimated to be around 700 years old and is identified as Ficus benghalensis.
• The research was led by Dr. Trina Bose from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow.
• The team extracted alpha-cellulose from wood samples near the pith of a secondary trunk and an ancient branch.
• Radiocarbon dating used Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, followed by IntCal20 calibration and OxCal software.
• The research was published in Quaternary Research and provides a method for accurately dating heritage trees.

Prelims pointers

• The 7th National Water Awards were launched on the Rashtriya Puraskar portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The last date for submitting applications for the 7th National Water Awards is 28 August 2026.
• Eligible entities include States, districts, urban local bodies, dam-owning agencies and industries.
• Winners receive a trophy with a citation, and names are announced before an award distribution ceremony.
• The first edition of the National Water Awards was introduced in 2018, and six editions have been organised.

Prelims pointers

• Pashujanya Yudh Abhyas was the third national-level mock drill under the National One Health Mission.
• The five-day exercise was held at Khari village, Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh, from 29 June to 3 July 2026.
• The drill simulated an Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak in animals with potential spillover to humans and wildlife.
• The response chain tested surveillance, reporting, field epidemiology, sample transport, laboratory diagnosis, containment and communication.
• Participating institutions included DAHD, ICAR, NCDC, ICMR, NIHSAD Bhopal, AIIMS Bhopal, MoEFCC and Madhya Pradesh departments.

Prelims pointers

• The DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity for acquisition proposals worth about ₹52,000 crore on 3 July 2026.
• Army approvals include AKASH TARANG, MPATGM systems, MRSAM, V-SHORADS, Active Protection System and Jet-Based Kamikaze Drones.
• AKASH TARANG is described as an Anti-UAV Electronic Warfare System to protect Army formations.
• Navy approvals include Multi Influence Ground Mine, Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial System and a Land Based Testing Facility.
• The Air Force approval includes Fixed-Wing High Altitude Pseudo Satellite for ISR, telecommunication and remote sensing.

Prelims pointers

• The ICAR expert committee was constituted after Andhra Pradesh Totapuri mango growers reported a sustained fall in prices and income stress.
• Dr. T. Damodaran, Director of ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow, will chair the committee.
• The committee was instructed to visit major Totapuri mango-growing regions of Andhra Pradesh within the next ten days.
• Its mandate covers cultivation, processing, marketing, domestic trade, exports, production costs and demand-supply dynamics.
• The report is expected to recommend price stabilisation, value addition, export capacity and coordination among FPOs, processors and exporters.

Prelims pointers

• CCRAS is described in the release as the apex research body under the Ministry of Ayush.
• The 5th CCRAS Executive Committee meeting was chaired by Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha.
• The Research Methodology textbook under Ayurved Prabodhini Granthamala was authored by 50 research scientists and faculty members.
• CCRAS PRAYATNA 2026-27 aims to promote scientific writing and publication skills among Ayurveda postgraduate and Ph.D. scholars.
• The CCRAS Digital Ecosystem Dashboard was launched to improve accessibility, transparency, public outreach and dissemination of resources.

Prelims pointers

• The Prime Minister will dedicate, inaugurate and lay foundation stones for development projects worth about ₹1.06 lakh crore in Balotra.
• The Modified UDAN scheme has an allocation of ₹28,840 crore over 10 years and includes development of 100 aerodromes and 200 helipads.
• The Pachpadra refinery-cum-petrochemical complex is a 9 MMTPA greenfield project with 2.4 MMTPA petrochemical capacity.
• Jaipur Metro Phase 2 has a cost of over ₹13,000 crore and will develop a 41-km north-south corridor through 36 stations.
• The CG Semi OSAT facility at Sanand has investment above ₹7,500 crore and planned annual capacity up to 5 billion semiconductor chips.

Prelims pointers

• The ECI conference brought together media and social media nodal officers, DPROs and senior public relations officers from 16 States/UTs.
• Over 260 Media and Communication Officers participated in the second one-day conference organised by the Election Commission of India.
• CEC Gyanesh Kumar said Commission actions are based on the Constitution, electoral laws and written instructions issued transparently.
• Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi warned about AI, deepfakes, synthetic content and mischievous content used to erode trust.
• The conference included practical sessions on press notes, social media amplification, misinformation and Electoral Literacy Clubs.

Prelims pointers

• The inaugural India-Mali Forum for Promotion of Exports was held in Bamako under the theme 'Reinforcing Trade and Strategic Partnerships'.
• India-Mali bilateral trade surpassed US$326.61 million in FY 2025-26, registering 55% growth over the previous financial year.
• Mali's principal exports to India include raw cotton, finished leather, cashew, lead, gum arabic and sesame.
• India's major exports to Mali include pharmaceuticals, cotton fabrics, two- and three-wheelers, and bicycles.
• Mali announced a dedicated investment forum to be held on 3-4 December 2026 with bankable projects for international investors.

Prelims pointers

• India concluded FY 2025-26 with highest-ever exports of USD 863 billion, including about USD 442 billion merchandise exports.
• The 90-Day Drive under Districts as Export Hubs will cover 120 priority districts across 27 States and Union Territories.
• The Export Promotion Mission has an outlay above ₹25,000 crore and is jointly implemented by Commerce, MSME and Finance ministries.
• The Mission has two pillars: NIRYAT PROTSAHAN for trade finance and NIRYAT DISHA for market access.
• The Minister set a USD 1 trillion export target, comprising about USD 530 billion merchandise and USD 470 billion services exports.

Prelims pointers

• UIDAI has allowed residents to add or update their email ID in Aadhaar directly through the Aadhaar App.
• The email update service is free via the Aadhaar App only and is effective from 1 July 2026 for six months.
• More than 250,000 people updated their email address within two days of the service becoming available on the app.
• Linking email with Aadhaar helps residents receive real-time notifications when an Aadhaar authentication request is executed.
• The new Aadhaar App also enables mobile number and address updates directly from smartphones.

Prelims pointers

• Sudan’s conflict erupted in April 2023 between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
• El-Obeid is the capital of North Kordofan and sits on a route linking RSF-held Darfur to army-controlled eastern regions.
• The city has about half a million people and hosts nearly 100,000 refugees displaced by Sudan’s civil war.
• UN rights chief Volker Turk said civilians in El-Obeid had faced siege-like conditions for 18 months.
• Britain, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway presented a draft resolution calling for an immediate and complete ceasefire.