Official releases, distilled into exam-ready intelligence.

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has launched ‘VISHWAS, 2026’, a one‑time, six‑month scheme (effective 29 June 2026) to amicably settle disputes concerning damages or penalties under Section 14B of the EPF Act, 1952 and Section 128 of the Code on Social Security, 2020. The scheme offers reduced interest rates – 0.25 % per month for defaults up to two months, 0.50 % for two‑to‑four months, and 1.00 % for defaults beyond four months – provided employers have fully paid the statutory interest and commit not to appeal further. It covers four categories of cases, excludes fraud‑related or fully recovered cases, and operates through a fully digital application process via the EPFO Employer Portal with dedicated VISHWAS cells for implementation.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal met senior leaders of Finnish firms Nokia, VTT, KONE and Kemppi, discussing cooperation in next‑generation telecom (5G/6G), digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, clean and sustainable technologies, smart urban infrastructure, and welding/industrial machinery. The dialogues emphasized research partnerships, technology transfer, localisation of production, and investment opportunities in India’s growing manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, including EV‑charging infrastructure. The engagements built on the India‑Finland Business Forum and aim to deepen bilateral ties in technology, innovation and sustainable manufacturing.

The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare is organising the 2nd National Workshop on Pension Litigation on 18 July 2026 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh will address the plenary session, which will be attended by nodal officers, panel counsels of all ministries, legal experts and senior officials. The workshop aims to identify recurring issues that trigger pension‑related litigation—such as differing interpretations of rules, delays in benefit disbursement, family‑pension sanctions and variations among pensioners—and to develop consensus for better coordination and reduced litigation. The event follows the 1st workshop held on 2 July 2025, which saw participation of over 300 officers and lawyers.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development, through the National Commission for Women, inaugurated a two‑day National Awareness Programme on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Union Minister Smt. Annpurna Devi, as Chief Guest, underscored the need for safe, dignified workplaces to boost women’s workforce participation and inclusive development. The programme featured technical sessions on POSH Act provisions, and the Minister released a booklet detailing inquiry procedures for Internal and Local Committees, aiming to ensure fair, transparent, and time‑bound investigations. She also highlighted the SHe‑Box portal’s role in enhancing transparency and timely grievance redressal.

The Government of India has notified the commencement of the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022 and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Act, 2025. The Acts provide a statutory framework for preventing doping, safeguarding athletes’ rights, and ensuring integrity of sport in line with the World Anti‑Doping Code and India’s obligations under the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport. They strengthen institutional independence, procedural safeguards, and dispute‑resolution mechanisms, and cover testing, results management, education, intelligence and investigations across all sports. The amendment further enhances governance autonomy and aligns the framework with evolving international best practices, reflecting the government’s commitment to a transparent, fair and athlete‑centric anti‑doping ecosystem.

Probationers of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17 July 2026. The President highlighted that IFS officers are custodians of India’s natural heritage and their work is crucial for tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. She urged them to integrate ecological protection with the aspirations of forest‑dependent communities, emphasizing stakeholder participation, indigenous knowledge and sustainable livelihoods. The speech also stressed the role of technology in forest monitoring, fire prevention and restoration, and linked ecological security to the national vision of ‘Viksit Bharat by 2047’. The two batches in training comprise 111 officers (2024) and 131 officers (2025), including two Bhutanese trainees in each batch.

On 15 July 2026, CSIR‑NIScPR, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (IIT Delhi), IIT Jammu and Government Degree College, Kargil organised a one‑day meet titled “Science, Technology, and Innovation Need Identification for Sustainable Development of Kargil”. Over 100 participants—including scientists, policymakers, farmers and students—discussed region‑specific STI needs. The event identified priority areas such as sustainable agriculture, protected cultivation, medicinal and aromatic plants, food‑processing, renewable energy, water management, climate‑resilient farming, rural entrepreneurship, eco‑tourism and skill development. Recommendations will feed into a roadmap for collaborative interventions involving CS IR laboratories, academic institutions, government agencies and financial bodies to enhance livelihoods in the remote Kargil region.

The Election Commission of India held its first All India Media Conference 2026 on 17 July, convening more than 380 media professionals from across the States and Union Territories. The event, themed “Connecting stakeholders, strengthening democracy: Role of media in elections,” featured Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar addressing participants, underscoring that elections are conducted per the Constitution, Electoral Laws and ECI instructions, and are audited by stakeholders. He highlighted that the Electoral Rolls cover nearly 95 crore citizens and that over 12 lakh Booth Level Officers and 15 lakh Booth Level Agents act as concurrent auditors. The conference aimed to enhance understanding of electoral transparency, demonstrated roll preparation, polling and counting processes, and included a Q&A session with the CEC.

The Ministry of Rural Development, via the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana‑National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY‑NRLM), concluded its participation at Bharat Tex 2026, where its pavilion showcased Lakhpati Didis – women entrepreneurs from Self‑Help Groups (SHGs). The exhibit featured handloom and handcrafted items such as Pattachitra, Pen Kalamkari, Phulkari, Eri silk and Pashmina, and highlighted the Saras Shakti Collection, a premium gifting initiative aimed at linking women‑led SHGs to institutional markets. DAY‑NRLM reports mobilising over 10 crore rural women into SHGs, with 3 crore Lakhpati Didis already reached and a target of 6 crore. The event facilitated interactions with buyers, exporters and industry representatives, promoting market access for rural women entrepreneurs.

The Office of Economic Adviser, DPIIT, will release a revised Index of Core Industries (ICI) series with base year 2022‑23 on 20 July 2026. The new series replaces the 2011‑12 base, includes a provisional ICI for June 2026 and a back‑series covering April 2023‑May 2026 (38 months), and expands the basket from eight to nine core industries by adding iron ore. Weights are derived from the IIP 2022‑23 weights and redistributed to total 100. The Steel Index now uses gross production data, and the Coal basket retains only raw coal to avoid double counting.

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment reports that under the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM‑AJAY), the Adarsh Gram component has reached 47,316 villages, benefitting 47,59,399 citizens. A total of 46,782 development works have been completed and 24,133 Village Development Plans prepared. Sixteen thousand seven‑hundred fifty‑nine villages have been declared Adarsh Grams, reflecting infrastructure and service improvements in Scheduled‑Caste‑majority areas. For FY 2026‑27, the Centre has allocated ₹22.50 crore for three hostel projects (including two for girls) to accommodate 750 SC students. The scheme is monitored through a digital portal and mobile app to ensure transparency.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in a series of posts on X, shared glimpses of the inauguration and laying of foundation stones for development projects in Chandigarh that cover healthcare, education and road infrastructure. He highlighted the city’s enthusiasm for improved medical facilities and infrastructure, praised recent sanitation drives, and reiterated the government’s focus on preventive healthcare. The Prime Minister also noted that the enhanced health services have positioned India as an emerging medical‑tourism destination.

Bharat Tex 2026, the third edition of India’s flagship textile expo, was held from 14‑17 July at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The event spanned the entire textile value chain—fibre, yarn, fabric, apparel, home and technical textiles, handlooms and handicrafts—covering 1.6 million sq ft and showcasing over 20,000 products. It attracted more than 6,000 buyers from over 130 countries and over 1.3 lakh trade visitors. Participants included manufacturers, handloom cooperatives, traditional artists and technology ventures, with notable showcases such as live block‑printing demonstrations, Tikuli enamel art, tribal‑woven fashion, a handloom cooperative from Kanpur and a textile‑waste recycling system by ReFiber. The platform emphasized livelihood creation, heritage promotion and circular‑economy initiatives.

The 12th meeting of the National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) was held on 17 July 2026 in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the Central Water Commission. Representatives from ten central ministries, seven states, dam safety experts and heads of State Dam Safety Organisations discussed implementation of the Dam Safety Act, 2021. The Committee agreed to draft new regulations on dam surveillance and security, amend inspection check‑list regulations, incorporate dam‑safety chapters in DPR guidelines, and develop technical guidelines for hazard classification, risk assessment, emergency action plans and operation‑maintenance manuals. It also proposed capacity‑building collaborations with institutions such as IIT Roorkee, IISc Bengaluru, NITs and IIT Guwahati, and urged states to complete comprehensive dam safety evaluations, emergency action plans and risk assessments by December 2026.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that on 15 July 2026 a worker died and another was seriously injured after inhaling toxic gases while cleaning a sewage‑treatment‑plant tank in Gangwa village, Hisar district, Haryana. The NHRC issued notices to the Haryana Chief Secretary and the Hisar Superintendent of Police, demanding a detailed report within two weeks on the investigation status, the injured worker’s health and any compensation paid to the next‑of‑kin of the deceased and to the injured worker. The report alleges negligence by the contractor and plant management, raising human‑rights concerns.

On 17 July 2026, a high‑level delegation of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, led by Secretary Shri Chanchal Kumar, met Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai to review preparations for the second edition of the World Audio‑Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) scheduled for 2027. The Chief Minister recalled that the inaugural WAVES 2025, held at the Jio World Convention Centre from 1‑4 May 2025, was a “resounding success” and cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to elevate the event as a global platform for films, music, gaming, animation and storytelling. Senior officials from both the centre and the state, including the Chief Secretary and BMC Commissioner, discussed coordination to ensure an even larger success for WAVES 2027.

On 17 July 2026, the Delhi Regional Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) organised an awareness session on the SAMADHAN Portal 2.0 for trade‑union representatives at Shramev Jayate Bhawan, New Delhi. The session, inaugurated by Deputy Chief Labour Commissioners P. S. Karmase and S. K. Sahu, showcased the portal’s features such as online filing of industrial disputes, claim submission under the Labour Codes and real‑time status tracking. Over 30 delegates from unions including INTUC, AITUC, HMS, BMS, CITU and AICCTU participated, expressed satisfaction with its user‑friendly, transparent interface and welcomed further outreach initiatives.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the recruitment results for June 2026, listing 21 separate recruitment cases across various ministries and departments. For each case, the PDF details the post, advertisement reference, and names (with roll numbers) of candidates recommended for appointment. The document also notes vacancies where no suitable candidate was found, including posts reserved for persons with benchmark disability, OBC, EWS, and ST categories. Candidates have been informed individually by post. The release reflects UPSC’s role in finalising recruitment, the implementation of reservation policy, and the transparency of the selection process across ministries such as Home Affairs, Defence, Health, and Railways.

The Goa Science Centre, in partnership with the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (Goa Regional Council), will observe Moon Landing Day on 20 July 2026 (10:00‑12:15 hrs). The programme includes a science lecture on Apollo 11 by Dr Reshma Raut Dessai (Goa University), a screening of the documentary *All That Matters* about Padma Shri Prof Rohini Madhusudan Godbole, and an interactive session with producer Ms Mamta Singh. A new ‘Human Gyro’ exhibit—originally designed for astronaut training—will be inaugurated, offering visitors a simulation of space‑flight disorientation. The event aims to promote scientific awareness among students, teachers and the public.

On 17 July 2026, Vice‑President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan released the book “RSS @ 100: A Century of Service, Unity & Sacrifice” at Uttarashtrapati Bhavan. The book, authored by Shri Shyam Jaju and Shri Anupam Trivedi, chronicles the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) centenary, highlighting its ideals of service, unity and sacrifice, its role in cultural continuity, and its influence on leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event was attended by Union Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and other dignitaries. The Vice‑President emphasized the RSS’s contribution to character‑building, leadership development, and nation‑building.