Official releases, distilled into exam-ready intelligence.

The Press Information Bureau backgrounder highlights the role of Rural Self‑Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana‑National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY‑NRLM). RSETIs provide free, short‑term residential training to unemployed rural individuals aged 18‑50, linking the Ministry of Rural Development, State/UT governments and sponsor banks. As of March 2026, 632 RSETIs operate in 33 states/UTs covering 619 districts with support from 25 sponsor banks. Out of a target of 60.81 lakh trainees, 99.7 % (60.63 lakh) have been trained, of whom 43.89 lakh have secured sustainable livelihoods and 22.52 lakh have accessed bank finance. Individual success stories—such as Vishnu Bai (tailoring), Umesh Shivaji Ingle (noodle enterprise) and Sanjay Malagi (photography‑based firm)—illustrate how training translates into micro‑enterprise creation and employment generation in rural India.

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry announced a suite of measures to diversify India’s export markets. It is expanding the network of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Comprehensive Economic Partnership/Cooperation Agreements (CEPAs/CECAs) with countries such as the UAE, Australia, the UK, New Zealand and others, and is negotiating additional FTAs with the EU, USA, and several other nations. The Export Promotion Mission (EPM), launched in 2025 with a ₹25,060 crore outlay for FY 2025‑31, operates through two sub‑schemes – NIRYAT PROTHSAHAN (trade finance) and NIRYAT DISHA (quality, branding, logistics). Pilot E‑Commerce Export Hub, District Export Hub (DEH) initiative, and recent customs notifications simplify courier‑mode exports and reverse logistics, while the RoDTEP scheme refunds duties on exported products. These steps aim to boost market access, reduce non‑tariff barriers, and enhance competitiveness of MSMEs and other exporters.

The Ministry of Coal will launch ‘AAROH – Annual Report on Mine Closure’ on 22 July 2026, highlighting that 42 coal mines have been scientifically closed since independence. The release will feature frameworks such as RECLAIM, L.I.V.E.S., and the SUVIKALP decision‑support tool, and showcase innovations by Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries, including the inauguration of Coal NEER Plants for safe drinking water. The Ministry will also sign an Implementation Agreement with Germany’s GIZ to enhance technical cooperation on mine‑closure practices, and MoUs among BCCL, JRDA, Hindalco and Rajdhani Universal Fabrics for vocational training under the Revised Jharia Master Plan.

The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under the Digital India Corporation, organised the ‘BHASHINI Rajyam: State Engagement Workshop’ in Panaji on 21 July 2026. The workshop, attended by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, IT Minister Shri Rohan A. Khaunte and senior officials, aimed to advance multilingual AI for governance, with a special focus on the Konkani language. Participants were shown AI‑driven tools such as BHASHINI App Mitra, BHASHINI Mitra and BHASHINI Pravakta that provide translation, speech‑recognition and text‑to‑speech services. The event highlighted the need to expand language datasets, strengthen regional language ecosystems and integrate AI solutions across government services, tourism, health, education and banking to make digital public services more inclusive and citizen‑centric.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reports that under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non‑Communicable Diseases (NP‑NCD) 770 District NCD Clinics, 524 Day‑Care Cancer Centres, 233 Cardiac Care Units and 6,410 Community Health Centre NCD Clinics have been established. Through 1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs), primary healthcare is being strengthened at Sub‑Health Centres and Primary Health Centres. The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri‑Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM‑JAY) has been expanded to cover 6 crore senior citizens (age 70 +), belonging to 4.5 crore families, irrespective of socio‑economic status. The PM‑Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM‑ABHIM) was launched with an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore to enhance health system capacity. Additional NHM initiatives include Janani Suraksha Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, Anemia Mukt Bharat and other maternal‑child health programmes.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reports that full immunisation coverage has stayed above 90% for four consecutive years, recording 94.7% (2022‑23), 93.7% (2023‑24), 98.3% (2024‑25) and 97.9% (2025‑26). A nationwide HPV vaccination drive was launched on 28 February 2026 targeting about 1.2 crore girls aged 14 across all states and UTs, with free doses at government health facilities and extensive IEC outreach. To bolster pandemic preparedness, the Union launched the Pradhan Mantri‑Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, strengthened the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, and ICMR set up a network of over 160 Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories. Additional measures include an integrated training module for primary‑care teams (April 2026) and the deployment of oxygen cylinders, concentrators, PSA plants and medical gas pipelines to states and UTs.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reports that under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non‑Communicable Diseases (NP‑NCD) 770 District NCD Clinics, 524 Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) and 6,410 NCD clinics at Community Health Centres have been established nationwide. The Ayushman Bharat‑Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB‑PMJAY) provides cash‑less coverage for 1,961 procedures across 27 specialties, including oncology. Population‑based screening for oral, breast and cervical cancers is being conducted for persons aged 30 years and above. Under the Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer Facilities Scheme, 19 State Cancer Institutes and 20 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres have been approved. Tata Memorial Centre has set up six new hospitals, and cancer treatment facilities have been extended to all 22 new AIIMS, as well as to the National Cancer Institute, Jhajjar and the second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), under its Medical Innovations Patent Mitra programme, licensed three home‑grown biomedical technologies to Indian manufacturers. The anti‑HPV therapeutic candidate SHetA2, developed jointly by ICMR‑NICPR and the University of Oklahoma, was transferred to Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Two next‑generation enteric vaccine platforms—one a Salmonella typhi outer‑membrane protein fusion construct and the other a recombinant vaccine against Salmonella typhi/paratyphi and Shigella—were transferred to Biological E Ltd. The transfers aim to move publicly funded research into affordable treatments for cervical cancer and major enteric infections, bolstering India’s biomedical innovation ecosystem and self‑reliance in healthcare.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways reported that cargo movement on National Waterways rose from 18 MMT in 2013‑14 to 218 MMT in 2025‑26, driven by infrastructure upgrades (e.g., construction of jetties, floating terminals and navigation locks) and policy measures such as the Jalvahak Scheme, tonnage‑tax extension and the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations 2025. Comparative freight rates show IWT costing Rs 1.06 Rs/TKm versus Rs 1.36 for rail and Rs 2.50 for road, while greenhouse‑gas emissions are lower (0.0006 vs 0.0031 vs 0.0006 kg CO₂/TKm). Digital platforms like Maritime Single Window (MSW) Sagar Setu and the CAR‑D portal aim to enhance multimodal logistics visibility and efficiency.

President Droupadi Murmu made the first ever Indian presidential visit to North Macedonia on 20‑21 July 2026, meeting President Gordana Siljanovska‑Davkova and holding delegation‑level talks. The President highlighted economic cooperation as a key pillar, citing sectors such as IT/ITES, agriculture, food processing, pharmaceuticals, textiles, bio‑tech, tourism, hospitality and film‑making, and announced a decision to double ITEC training slots, including AI courses. Cultural and people‑to‑people ties were underscored, and North Macedonia’s intent to join the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster‑Resilient Infrastructure and Global Biofuels Alliance was welcomed. A bilateral MoU on healthcare was renewed, and a bust of Mahatma Gandhi will be unveiled.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, under the Sagarmala scheme, is advancing a five‑pillar strategy – Port Modernisation, Port Connectivity, Port‑Led Industrialisation, Coastal Community Development and Coastal Shipping & Inland Water Transport – with financial assistance to states, major ports and other agencies. Digital initiatives such as the One Nation One Port Process, Maritime Single Window (Sagar Setu), e‑Samudra, e‑Pariksha and Jalyan & Navic aim to standardise documentation, cut manual steps and speed cargo handling. The government has enacted eight maritime laws (including the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 and Coastal Shipping Act, 2025) and approved a Rs 69,725 crore package to boost shipbuilding capacity, financing, skilling and reforms. It also pursues bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region under Vision MAHASAGAR, focusing on trade, capacity building, and maritime security.

The Sagarmala programme, a central sector scheme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, aims to promote port‑led development. The Ministry provides financial assistance for projects under five pillars – port modernisation, connectivity, port‑led industrialisation, coastal community development and coastal shipping & inland water transport. State‑wise data show 79 projects completed (₹5,374.5 cr) and 54 projects under implementation (₹4,538.2 cr). Budgetary allocation and utilisation from 2022‑23 to 2025‑26 total ₹1,699 cr allocated and ₹1,534 cr utilised. Port capacity has risen to 1,728.4 mt for major ports and 1,090.53 mt for non‑major ports, with average turnaround time improving to 47.25 hrs at major ports. The Ministry, in coordination with Railways and Road Transport, has identified 294 rail‑road connectivity projects, of which 84 are completed. Green initiatives such as ‘HaritSagar’ guidelines, the Green Tug Transition Programme and renewable‑energy adoption are also highlighted.

The twelve major ports in India are owned by the Government of India; eleven are governed by the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, while Kamarajar Port is a wholly‑owned subsidiary of Chennai Port Authority. No major port has been privatised and land and core assets remain with the respective port authorities. Over the last ten years, several berths and terminals have been developed under the PPP model through transparent competitive bidding, as listed in Annexure‑A. Revenue of the major ports has risen from ₹17,671.49 crore in FY 2021‑22 to a provisional ₹26,582.77 crore in FY 2025‑26. The Government has standardised the Model Concession Agreement to ensure competition and public‑interest protection while promoting the landlord‑port model for private participation.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways released the ‘Maritime India Vision 2030’ outlining progress and targets for ports, inland waterways, cruise tourism, shipbuilding, ship recycling and coastal shipping. By 2025‑26, port capacity rose to 2,818 MTPA (target 3,500 MTPA by 2030) and cargo throughput to 1,668 Mt (target 2,200 Mt). PPP‑handled cargo at major ports increased to 66% (target 85%). Inland waterways grew to 32 operational routes with 218 Mt throughput (target 200 Mt). Cruise calls rose to 224 (target 1,000) and renewable‑energy share at major ports reached 28% (target 60%). The government approved a ₹69,725 crore shipbuilding package and introduced digital reforms such as Maritime Single Window and QR‑based immigration for cruise ships.

Operation Southern Readiness 26-2, a four‑day multinational maritime security training, began on 20 July 2026 at the Southern Naval Command, Kochi. The exercise, hosted by the Indian Navy‑led Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154) in partnership with the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), involved 254 participants from 26 countries, 74 facilitators, four international organisations and subject‑matter experts. It was the first time the operation was conducted in India. The opening ceremony featured remarks by Cmde Milind M Mokashi (Commander CTF 154), Cmde Dan Thomas (Deputy Commander, CMF) and RAdm Deepak Singhal (Chief Staff Officer – Training, Southern Naval Command). Sessions covered ship management, navigation, UNODC‑presented maritime security threats, and hands‑on simulator training, underscoring capacity‑building and interoperability among partner nations.

The Union Minister for Communications and Development of North‑Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, together with Meghalaya’s Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, launched “Mission Golden Spice – Integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain Enhancement Project”, a ₹175.45 crore, five‑year (2025‑2030) initiative. Anchored by MDoNER and the North Eastern Council, the mission aligns schemes of Agriculture, Food Processing, Commerce, APEDA, Spices Board, ICAR, MeitY, NABARD and others to create an integrated organic turmeric processing and curcumin extraction ecosystem. It seeks to address post‑harvest losses, cold‑chain gaps, processing capacity, branding and GI monetisation, aiming to raise farmer remuneration from ₹30‑40 kg⁻¹ to about ₹80 kg⁻¹ and expand cultivated area from ~2,500 ha to ~7,500 ha.

The Land Port Management System (VINIMAY) has been operationalised at ten Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) across six states – Tripura (Agartala, Srimantapur), Assam (Darranga, Sutarkandi), Uttar Pradesh (Rupaidiha), Bihar (Raxaul, Jogbani), West Bengal (Petrapole), Meghalaya (Dawki) and Punjab (Attari). The system is digitally linked with the Unified Logistics Platform (ULIP), ICEGATE, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the GST system, aiming to manage operations at existing and future ICPs. The development was highlighted by Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Nityanand Rai in a written Lok Sabha reply.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare outlined multiple measures to strengthen India’s seed sector. Through the National Agricultural Research and Education System (NARES), 3,236 field crop varieties were released between 2014‑2025, of which 2,996 are climate‑resilient (including 587 extreme‑climate‑tolerant types). The PPV&FR Authority expedited registration of 10,802 varieties, with 5,689 registered in 2023‑26. Institutional capacity includes 229 Seed Hubs, 384 Breeder Seed Production Centres, and 178 Seed Testing Laboratories. The SATHI portal enables digital traceability of seed production and distribution. International trade has been simplified via DGFT digital platforms, and 1,317 licensing agreements were executed with private firms, promoting PPPs in seed multiplication and distribution.

India’s 8th WTO Trade Policy Review (TPR) was held in Geneva on 21‑23 July 2026, led by Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agarwal. The Secretary highlighted an average annual growth of nearly 8 percent and record exports of USD 863.1 billion in 2025‑26, reaffirming India’s commitment to a transparent, rules‑based, inclusive multilateral trading system. The review underscored reforms such as GST, digital customs, logistics modernisation, Digital Public Infrastructure, AI‑driven initiatives, and the Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme, as well as India’s acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Sixty‑five WTO members participated, noting India’s trade‑facilitation achievements and seeking clarifications on various policy measures.

On 21 July 2026, President Droupadi Murmu delivered the inaugural address at the India‑North Macedonia Business Forum in Skopje, marking the first visit by an Indian President to North Macedonia. She highlighted that bilateral trade, though growing, is only a fraction of its potential and urged a shift from trade to a genuine economic partnership. The President identified priority sectors for investment – digital innovation and AI, pharmaceuticals, agro‑processing, and green‑energy – and invited North Macedonia to join initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster‑Resilient Infrastructure and the World Audio‑Visual and Entertainment Summit. She called for chambers, investment agencies and businesses to forge linkages, promote technology transfer, joint ventures and long‑term value creation.