Current affairs — 16 July 2026

Prelims pointers

• Rajnath Singh addressed the BRO Strategic Infrastructure Conclave in New Delhi on 16 July 2026.
• The release quotes him saying ports, airfields, roads and tunnels will continue to be indispensable in future warfare.
• BRO achievements cited in the release include Atal Tunnel, Umling La Pass and Sela Tunnel.
• The Raksha Mantri linked border-village development with the Vibrant Village Programme, describing last villages as the country's first villages.
• At the event, he launched two digital platforms for Project Management and Recruitment and released Path Pradarshak, Oonchi Sadken and Path Vikas.

Prelims pointers

• Malvan is the second Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft to be commissioned by the Indian Navy.
• The commissioning of Malvan is scheduled for 22 July 2026, according to the PIB release.
• The ceremony will be presided over by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh in the presence of Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan.
• Malvan was built at Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi, and has over 80 percent indigenous content.
• The release links Malvan to Aatmanirbhar Bharat in modern naval shipbuilding and to shallow-water operations requiring agility, precision and endurance.

Prelims pointers

• ICAR Foundation Day is celebrated annually on 16 July and commemorates the Council's establishment in 1928.
• ICAR developed 386 improved varieties across 44 crops during the past year, with 94% described as climate-resilient.
• The same release states that 29 of the improved varieties developed by ICAR were biofortified.
• Dr. M. L. Jat said agricultural research contributed an estimated Rs 55,000 crore to additional economic value during the year.
• At the event, 72 MoUs were signed with 51 industry partners to accelerate commercialization and last-mile delivery.

Prelims pointers

• Modified UDAN was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 July 2026 from Jodhpur Airport.
• The release states that India had 65 airports in 2001, 74 by 2014, and added 90 airports in the last 12 years.
• Modified UDAN keeps RCS airfare caps on 50% seats and removes the maximum seat cap for larger aircraft above 80 seats.
• VGF support under Modified UDAN is five years, with Year 3 at 75%, Year 4 at 50% and Year 5 at 25% of awarded VGF.
• The scheme proposes about Rs 12,159 crore for 100 airports over 10 years and Rs 3,661 crore for 200 modern helipads.

Prelims pointers

• ICAR and Agrinnovate India Limited jointly organized the CSR Conclave 2026 at NASC Complex, New Delhi.
• The conclave's focus areas included climate-proofing, soil health, agriculture for health, agricultural skilling and women in agriculture.
• Around 150 representatives from 75 industries participated, with 570 online participants and more than 1,600 YouTube viewers.
• Four regional ICAR CSR and Technology Portfolio roadshows were held at Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata before the conclave.
• Organizations expressing commitment included AICL, SBI Foundation, UCO Bank, ICICI Foundation, Biovet, FICCI, INFAH, Pidilite and Yes Bank.

Prelims pointers

• Piyush Goyal led an Indian delegation of senior business leaders and government officials to Finland to strengthen trade, investment and industry cooperation.
• India-Finland relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership in Digitalisation and Sustainability during President Alexander Stubb's State Visit to India in March 2026.
• The release says the visit followed the conclusion of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement on 27 January 2026.
• Two MoUs were signed: CII with Business Finland, and CII with the Confederation of Finnish Industries.
• Sector interactions covered digital and frontier technologies, space, clean energy, bioeconomy, circular economy, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.

Prelims pointers

• PARIVARTAN expands to Programme for Accelerated Renewal and Incentivization of Vehicle Assets for Reducing Transport Air Pollution and Network Emissions.
• The scheme targets replacement of older, highly polluting trucks and buses in the National Capital Region with BS-VI compliant or electric vehicles.
• PARIVARTAN has a total outlay of ₹9,585 crore, including central government budgetary support of ₹5,041 crore.
• The Union Cabinet approved the scheme on 3 June 2026, and MoHUA has now approved detailed operational guidelines.
• MoRTH will implement the scheme, which will be funded through the National Capital Region Planning Board.

Prelims pointers

• The Ministry of Power circulated the Draft Corporate Average Fuel Economy 2027 Norms, also called CAFE-III, for stakeholder consultation.
• The proposed CAFE-III norms apply to M1 category passenger vehicles manufactured or imported for sale in India.
• The draft norms are proposed for the period from 2027-28 to 2031-32.
• The last date for public and stakeholder suggestions on the draft CAFE-III norms is 6 August 2026.
• The draft norms are to be uploaded on the websites of the Ministry of Power and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

Prelims pointers

• India's first Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trainset is a 10-coach passenger train with a capacity of around 2,600 passengers.
• The train will initially operate on the 89 km Jind-Sonipat section of Northern Railway with an operational speed of 75 kmph.
• Hydrogen and oxygen combine inside Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells to generate electricity, with water vapour and heat as direct by-products.
• The train has two Hydrogen Driving Power Cars and eight Trailer Coaches; each power car produces 1,200 kW or 1600 hp.
• The Jind hydrogen refuelling facility compresses hydrogen to 500 bar, dispenses it at 350 bar and stores nearly 3,000 kg of hydrogen.

Prelims pointers

• National Highways Infra Trust is an InvIT sponsored by NHAI and was registered with SEBI in October 2020.
• NHIT manages National Highway assets with a combined length of 2,653 km.
• In the first phase, General Management Consultants will manage operations and maintenance of 908 km of NHIT highway assets.
• NHIT is supported by National Highways InvIT Project Managers Private Limited, a wholly owned NHAI subsidiary and the Project Manager.
• GMCs will carry out daily, weekly and monthly assessments using visual inspections and modern equipment-based evaluation techniques.

Prelims pointers

• The White Rabbit Technology-based Indian Standard Time Distribution Demonstration Network was inaugurated at RRSL, Jakkur, Bengaluru.
• The initiative is implemented under the vision of One Nation, One Time to establish a uniform, highly precise and secure time standard across India.
• The release says the system reduces dependence on foreign time sources like GPS and supports sovereignty of India's digital infrastructure.
• The Legal Metrology Division of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is the nodal agency for the project.
• The project involves collaboration among NPL, ISRO, BSNL and SEBI and operates in compliance with global Coordinated Universal Time protocols.

Prelims pointers

• The two-day meeting of BRICS Heads of National Standards Bodies was inaugurated in Bengaluru under India's BRICS Chairship and hosted by BIS.
• A common understanding was reached on a draft MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Standardization among BRICS National Standards Bodies.
• The MoU was linked to quality infrastructure, consumer protection, reduced technical barriers to trade and engagement with ISO and IEC.
• India's BRICS Chairship theme in the release is Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
• The release says BRICS represents approximately 49.5% of global population, 40% of global GDP and 26% of global trade.

Prelims pointers

• Operation Southern Readiness 26-2 will be hosted by the Indian Navy at Southern Naval Command, Kochi, from 20 to 23 July 2026.
• The engagement is being conducted with the Combined Maritime Forces under Indian Navy-led Combined Task Force 154, CMF's dedicated Training Task Force.
• The Combined Maritime Forces partnership mentioned in the release comprises more than 40 nations working on maritime security cooperation.
• The training programme will combine classroom instruction, simulator-based training and practical exposure for CMF partner-nation personnel.
• Training modules include Maritime Law, Maritime Domain Awareness, Counter-Narcotics, Force Protection, Asymmetric Threats and maritime Uncrewed Systems.

Prelims pointers

• The ICMR i-DRONE TB sample transport study was conducted in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana with AIIMS Bibinagar and the District TB Office.
• The programme-based study operated under the National TB Elimination Programme and enrolled 840 participants.
• The drone-enabled model collected sputum samples at nearby PHCs and sub-centres and transported them to designated TB diagnostic laboratories or TB Units.
• Median turnaround time for TB diagnosis decreased from 15 days to 5 days after introduction of drone-based sample transport.
• Mean out-of-pocket expenditure for seeking TB diagnosis reduced from approximately ₹9,451 to around ₹91 in the drone-enabled phase.

Prelims pointers

• ICAR's 98th Foundation Day was held at Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium, NASC Complex, New Delhi, on 16 July 2026.
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a goal to develop at least 100 Climate Smart Villages before ICAR completes its 100th year.
• The roadmap seeks to ensure that ICAR technologies, innovations and modern agricultural solutions reach at least 100 million farmers.
• Mission ICAR-100 proposes that Krishi Vigyan Kendras become innovation hubs, climate advisory centres, startup support centres and demonstration centres.
• The Foundation Day saw the release of 43 crop varieties, 17 technologies or products and 14 publications, plus more than 70 MoUs and licensing agreements.

Prelims pointers

• NRAA organized the workshop as a knowledge partner of the Department of Land Resources.
• The workshop was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan, under the World Bank assisted REWARD programme.
• REWARD is expanded in the release as Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through innovative Development.
• NRAA CEO Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar called for National Technical Guidelines on satellite and drone surveys in watershed work.
• The standardized methodologies discussed at the workshop are intended as input to WDC-PMKSY 3.0.

Prelims pointers

• CAC49 was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 6 to 10 July 2026 and adopted Codex standards for large cardamom, coriander and vanilla.
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established jointly by FAO and WHO to develop science-based food safety and quality standards.
• India hosts the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs, one of five Codex commodity committees, with the Spices Board as Secretariat.
• The standards for large cardamom, coriander and vanilla were finalised at the Eighth Session of CCSCH in Guwahati in October 2025.
• India was accepted as Co-Chair of a new Electronic Working Group on risk analysis for new food products, with the European Union as Chair.

Prelims pointers

• The guidebook Going Global: A Practical Guide for Indian MSMEs was launched by CTIL, IIFT, in collaboration with CII in New Delhi.
• The guidebook covers export opportunities, market access requirements, trade intelligence tools, international standards, sustainability requirements and export readiness.
• MSME challenges identified in the release include limited market information, inadequate knowledge of overseas buyers, certification difficulties and price competitiveness.
• The panel discussion examined preferential Rules of Origin and cooperation mechanisms under India's Free Trade Agreements for MSME exports.
• CTIL's Trade Remedies Advisory Cell was presented as supporting domestic industry on trade remedy laws, unfair trade practices and import surges.