Current affairs — 10 July 2026

Prelims pointers

• The amendment concerns high ethyl-alcohol medicinal formulations regulated under the Drugs Rules, 1945.
• Formulations with more than 12% v/v ethyl alcohol in quantities exceeding 30 mL lose the Schedule K exemption.
• Products removed from the Schedule K exemption must obtain licences under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
• The amended rule shifts covered products to Schedule H1, requiring prescription sale and stricter record-keeping.
• The release cited tinctures of cardamom, ginger and other aromatic preparations, some with 80-90% v/v ethyl alcohol.

Prelims pointers

• All operating CPSEs must route settlement of MSME invoices through TReDS platforms authorised by the RBI.
• The TReDS mandate notification was issued on 30 June 2026 and fulfils a Union Budget 2026-27 commitment.
• CPSEs must disclose MSME invoices routed through TReDS and obtain a statutory auditor's certificate on compliance.
• TReDS is an RBI-regulated electronic platform operational since 2017 for discounting MSME trade receivables.
• Five TReDS platforms are operational: RXIL, M1xchange, Invoicemart, C2treds and DTX.

Prelims pointers

• India's ethanol blending pilot began in 2001, was formally announced in 2004, and E5 was rolled out across several States by 2006.
• The National Policy on Biofuels was launched in May 2018 to build the ecosystem for ethanol production at scale.
• NITI Aayog published a comprehensive roadmap on ethanol blending in June 2021 after stakeholder consultations.
• Blending rose from about 8.1% in ESY 2020-21 to 20% in ESY 2025-26 up to June 2026, as per the PIB Q&A.
• Since ESY 2014-15, EBP is stated to have saved over Rs 1.97 lakh crore in forex and reduced around 952 lakh metric tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Prelims pointers

• The Delhi initiative cited in the release proposes plantation of over 70 lakh indigenous and climate-resilient trees.
• The plan also includes development of more than 70 water bodies and notification of nearly 6,000 hectares as forest area.
• Invasive species proposed for replacement include Vilayati Kikar and Babool.
• Indigenous species named in the release include Peepal, Banyan, Neem, Arjun and Jamun.
• The Ayush Minister suggested dedicating at least 20 per cent of plantation in eight forests to medicinal plants or creating two Aushadhi Vans.

Prelims pointers

• The 3rd Mission Steering Group meeting of ABDM was chaired by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on 10 July 2026.
• ABDM has created over 93.95 crore ABHA numbers and linked 105 crore health records, according to the PIB release.
• National digital health registries under ABDM include 5.33 lakh registered health facilities and 9.85 lakh healthcare professionals.
• ABDM has enabled 2.72 lakh healthcare facilities to adopt ABDM-enabled software and generated around 24 crore Scan & Register tokens.
• The meeting noted ABDM integration with Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, CGHS, ESIC and Nikshay, besides Model Districts and Model Facilities.

Prelims pointers

• BoPS is being established as a statutory body under Section 13 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025.
• The Bureau of Port Security will be headed by a Director General and function under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• BoPS will perform regulatory and inspection functions for security of ships and port facilities, including cyber security focus.
• The Home Minister directed that only CISF-trained private security personnel from licensed agencies should be deployed for port security.
• CISF was directed to conduct trial runs at major ports including Visakhapatnam Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Mundra Port.

Prelims pointers

• Balod district created 2,84,917 water conservation and recharge structures between June 2025 and May 2026 under JSJB 2.0.
• The Tawera Nala rejuvenation in Bhathagaon (R), Gundardehi block, covered a 14.3 km nala.
• Over 6,250 structures were built for Tawera Nala, including check dams, trenches, magic pits, soak pits and injection wells.
• The Tawera Nala work is expected to conserve 6.5 crore litres of additional rainwater and improve groundwater by 5-10 feet.
• Under JSJB 1.0, Balod created over 1.06 lakh structures and ranked third nationally and first in the Eastern Zone under #CatchTheRain.

Prelims pointers

• The speech was at the valedictory session of the 21st Round of Phase-IV MCTP for IAS officers at LBSNAA, Mussoorie.
• The four-week programme ran from 15 June to 10 July and included 51 IAS officers with over 14 years of experience.
• Mission Karmayogi was described as shifting civil-service capacity building from rule-based administration to role-based governance.
• The iGOTKarmayogi platform was cited as institutionalising continuous learning across government.
• Dr Jitendra Singh cited DBT as preventing leakages and generating savings exceeding Rs 3.4 lakh crore.

Prelims pointers

• The bids were opened by the Nominated Authority under the Ministry of Coal.
• The 15th round was held with the second attempt of the 13th and 14th tranches.
• Bids were received for 8 coal blocks against 23 blocks on offer.
• A total of 21 bids and 16 participating companies were reported, including 4 first-time bidders.
• Technically qualified bidders will be shortlisted for electronic auction on the MSTC portal.

Prelims pointers

• The Chintan Shivir was organised by the Department of Commerce at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
• Partner councils named were MEDEPC, ESC and TEPC.
• The roadmap discussed an objective of USD 150 billion in electronics exports by 2030.
• The release says global value chains account for nearly 90 per cent of global electronics trade.
• Policy discussion areas included HS Code harmonisation, Customs coordination, semiconductor and components ecosystems, and MSME integration.

Prelims pointers

• The DoT–TSDSI MoU was signed during the 9th TSDSI Technical Deep Dive 2026 to advance India’s telecom standardisation role and Bharat 6G Mission objectives.
• The MoU was signed under the Technology Development and Investment Promotion Scheme to support global standards participation and indigenous telecom innovation.
• Eligible DPIIT-recognized startups and MSMEs with annual turnover up to ₹10 crore can receive up to 98% support for TSDSI membership fees.
• Travel assistance for startups and MSMEs can cover up to 80% of eligible expenditure, subject to a ceiling of ₹5 lakh per person per international meeting.
• The TDIP Scheme has a total outlay of ₹203 crore for 2026–31 and covers next-generation telecommunications technologies including 5G Advanced and 6G.

Prelims pointers

• DBN under DoT signed the Gujarat ABP addendum with the Government of Gujarat, GFGNL and BSNL at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi.
• The Union Cabinet approved the Amended BharatNet Programme on 4 August 2023 to upgrade, consolidate and expand the BharatNet network.
• In Gujarat, ABP covers 14,287 Gram Panchayats, including 14,264 existing Phase I and Phase II Gram Panchayats and 23 newly created Gram Panchayats.
• The Gujarat rollout includes demand-based connectivity for 3,895 villages and aims to facilitate more than five lakh rural home fibre connections.
• Digital Bharat Nidhi is the erstwhile USOF; under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, the Universal Service Obligation Fund became DBN.

Prelims pointers

• The Department of Posts and TRAI signed an MoU in New Delhi for a nationwide app-based survey of mobile network performance.
• The survey will assess Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and BSNL across over 5.68 lakh villages in India.
• More than 1.40 lakh rural Branch Post Offices will be leveraged, with Gramin Dak Sevaks collecting data during routine delivery operations.
• TRAI developed the Android-based mobile application and will provide technical support, training and centralised monitoring under the MoU.
• The one-year partnership is designed to identify connectivity gaps and support evidence-based decisions for rural digital connectivity.

Prelims pointers

• TRAI has mandated 1600xx series numbers for service and transaction calls by regulated BFSI entities to existing customers.
• The BFSI regulators named for 1600xx use are RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA; government entities may also use it for G2C communication.
• Under TCCCPR, tagging, blocking or filtering calls originating from 1600 series numbers is not permitted.
• TRAI has mandated 140xx series numbers for promotional calls by entities of any sector registered with Telecom Service Providers.
• Customers can allow or block promotional calls from 140 series numbers by registering sectoral preferences on the DND registry, including through TRAI DND App.

Prelims pointers

• Mahendragiri (F38) is the sixth Project 17A indigenous stealth frigate and is to join the Eastern Fleet at Visakhapatnam on 11 July 2026.
• The warship was designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.
• Mahendragiri incorporates advanced stealth features, enhanced survivability, reduced radar signature and a high degree of automation.
• The ship has over 75 per cent indigenous content and its construction involved Indian industries including MSMEs.
• It is equipped for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine operations, besides maritime security, SAR, HADR and sustained IOR deployments.

Prelims pointers

• The 7th Governing Body meeting of National CAMPA was held at CASFOS, Coimbatore, chaired by Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupendra Yadav.
• Digital APO has been operationalised for FY 2026–27 with online workflow, proposal creation, verification, approval and dashboards for fund and plantation monitoring.
• The GIS Lab for National Authority CAMPA will use satellite imagery, GIS platforms and field verification to monitor CAMPA-supported activities.
• MISHTI has released ₹88.40 crore across six States/UTs; a three-year extension till 2029 with additional ₹500 crore raises outlay to ₹600 crore.
• Aastha Van Sanrakshan Yojana was approved with an initial corpus of ₹3,000 crore over 2026–27 to 2030–31 for nearly 15,000 sacred groves.

Prelims pointers

• The Centre of Excellence on Human–Wildlife Conflict was inaugurated at Coimbatore by Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav.
• The Centre was announced by the Prime Minister during the 7th Meeting of the National Board for Wildlife.
• It will serve as a national hub for research, innovation, policy support, capacity building and dissemination of best practices.
• The Minister sought strategies for conflicts involving tigers outside tiger reserves, leopards and elephants, with area-specific and species-specific measures.
• The National Human–Wildlife Conflict Portal was launched for data management, knowledge sharing and decision support for conflict mitigation.

Prelims pointers

• FIU-IND’s case was Runner-up at the Best Egmont Case Award 2026 during the Egmont Group Plenary in Baku, Azerbaijan.
• BECA recognizes operational cases showing excellence in financial intelligence, international cooperation and combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
• The case originated from intelligence shared by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre regarding a large-scale cyber fraud.
• FIU-IND identified approximately ₹868 crore in cyber fraud proceeds, more than 5,000 mule bank accounts and cryptocurrency transactions across jurisdictions.
• Based on FIU-IND’s report, ED conducted searches at 13 locations and filed two prosecution complaints under the PMLA, 2002.