Official releases, distilled into exam-ready intelligence.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), a Digital Public Infrastructure that integrates training, assessment, certification, employment and entrepreneurship services across schemes such as PMKVY 4.0, National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) and Skilling for AI Readiness (SOAR). As of 22 July 2026, SIDH registers 35,17,023 learners under PMKVY 4.0, 52,98,397 under NAPS, 10,19,992 under JSS and 4,96,426 under SOAR, with 78,647 trainers and 13,633 training centres. The platform is interoperable with National Career Service, eShram, DigiLocker and BHASHINI and is supported by multilingual outreach, community mobilisation and District Skill Committees to reach rural and aspirational districts.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) marked its 20th Foundation Day on 27 July 2026 at Prithvi Bhawan, New Delhi, highlighting two decades of contributions to earth systems science. Secretary Dr N. Kalaiselvi underscored MoES’s role as a data, service, and technology provider. The event featured senior scientists and the launch of multiple initiatives: 13 IMD Centres of Excellence, an upgraded Area Cyclone Warning Centre, a MoU for the Weather‑Driven Animal Disease Risk Forecasting Unit, the IMD NOVA thunderstorm nowcast platform, the WINGS mobile app and radar mosaic from NCMRWF, expanded open‑data portals, new seismological bulletins, taxonomic manuals from CMLRE, the AI‑enabled Sagar Prahari citizen‑science app, the SAHAV 2.0 marine‑spatial‑planning platform, NIOT’s ballast‑water treatment facility and mariculture cages, deep‑sea‑mining outreach, and the Ocean Olympiad 2026 competition.

The Ministry of Education, guided by NEP 2020, created the National Assessment Centre PARAKH on 8 Feb 2023 to set assessment norms and monitor school education through large‑scale surveys. The PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, conducted in Dec 2024, covered 21.15 lakh students, 2.70 lakh teachers and school leaders from over 74,000 schools across 781 districts, assessing competencies at Grades 3, 6 and 9. The survey reported significant improvement over NAS 21 scores in foundational literacy and numeracy, attributing gains to the NIPUN Bharat Mission. Data on teacher training, pedagogy, infrastructure and digital access were also collected to enable evidence‑based interventions. Reports are available on the PARAKH dashboard.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, co‑founders of Skyroot Aerospace, on 27 July 2026. During the interaction, the Prime Minister highlighted the success of the Vikram‑1 launch vehicle, noting it featured prominently in their discussion. He praised the founders’ energy, ambition and positivity, describing them as reflective of the vibrant private space ecosystem, and extended best wishes to the entire Skyroot team. The meeting was shared by the Prime Minister on X, underscoring governmental encouragement of indigenous private space initiatives.

The National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP), launched in 2018, adopts a health‑systems approach to meet India’s 2030 hepatitis‑combat goal. It integrates with existing schemes such as the Universal Immunisation Programme, National AIDS Control Programme, and National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme to provide free screening, diagnostics and treatment for hepatitis B and C, and to ensure universal birth‑dose vaccination and hepatitis B immunoglobulin for newborns of infected mothers. The programme uses a paper‑less NVHCP‑MIS portal for patient management and reports seroprevalence data from the 2021 HIV sentinel surveillance (0.85% for hepatitis B and 0.29% for hepatitis C). A toll‑free number (1800‑11‑6666) offers information and service‑site details nationwide.

A three‑month (400‑hour) Yoga Wellness Instructor Certificate Course was launched at the National Institute of Sowa‑Rigpa (NISR), Leh, in partnership with the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY). The inauguration was performed by Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena, with Dr Tashi Thinlas (Director, Department of AYUSH, UT Ladakh) as Guest of Honour and Dr Padma Gurmet (Director, NISR) presiding. The course, the first of its kind in Ladakh, follows MDNIY guidelines and aims to integrate yoga with modern and traditional medicine, creating yoga therapists for the Union Territory’s health sector.

The Ministry of Education’s press release outlines the nutritional standards under the PM POSHAN Scheme for government and aided schools. Primary‑class children must receive 450 kcal and 12 g protein per day, while upper‑primary children must receive 700 kcal and 20 g protein. Corresponding food‑grain, pulse, vegetable, oil and salt allocations are specified (100 g + 20 g + 50 g + 5 g for primary; 150 g + 30 g + 75 g + 7.5 g for upper‑primary). States/UTs implement the scheme, may customize menus with locally grown items, and receive a 5 % flexi component of the recurring budget for School Nutrition Gardens. NITI AAYOG’s 2025‑26 evaluation, cited by the Minister of State for Education, found a positive impact on child nutrition and learning outcomes.

The Union Agriculture Minister chaired a virtual review of Maharashtra’s Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) implementation. Maharashtra received a first installment of ₹335 crore and has utilised about ₹260 crore, surpassing the 75 percent utilisation benchmark, making it the first state eligible for the second installment of ₹335 crore. The Minister praised the state’s generation of Farmer IDs and the rapid transfer of approximately ₹14,000 crore in flood relief to farmers’ bank accounts within five days. He urged faster spending on Digital Agriculture, NHM, Seeds, Oilseeds and Agro‑forestry, and highlighted the need for accurate disclosures under PMFBY and Kisan Credit Card schemes.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs aimed at creating community infrastructure in Minority Concentration Areas across sectors such as health, skill development, education, women‑centric projects, drinking water, sanitation, sports, renewable energy and other community infrastructure. The scheme is demand‑driven; no state‑wise allocation is made and funds are released based on eligible project proposals. Budget Estimates, Revised Estimates and actual expenditures for the last five financial years (2021‑22 to 2025‑26) are detailed, with total outlays ranging from ₹1,266.36 crore to ₹1,563.87 crore. Independent third‑party studies by IIPA and NITI Aayog have assessed implementation and impact, reporting no instances of poor‑quality work and mandating third‑party quality assurance for all projects. Annexure‑I lists state‑wise fund releases, while Annexure‑II records 859,972 units completed across 31 states and UTs.

The Ministry of Education released details on the construction of permanent Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (NV) buildings, specifically hostels/dormitories, across various states. Construction proceeds in three phases (A, B, and B‑balance) and depends on land identification, lease formalities, agency drawings, fund availability and approvals. Annexure data show that in 2023‑24, 1,248 hostel beds were built in Uttar Pradesh, while 2024‑25 saw 384 beds and 2025‑26 recorded 72 beds in the state. Similar constructions were reported for other states, indicating a continuous expansion of NV infrastructure over the last three years.

The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under the Digital India Corporation of the Ministry of Electronics & IT, conducted a Multilingual AI Workshop for officials of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretariat. The workshop demonstrated AI‑powered language tools—including Automatic Speech Recognition, Neural Machine Translation, Text‑to‑Speech, Optical Character Recognition, and transliteration—and discussed their integration into legislative workflows to improve multilingual access to documents, enable voice‑first interactions, and enhance citizen‑centric governance. Senior officials, including the CEO of DIBD and the Secretary of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, emphasized that AI should augment human expertise, promote transparency, and remove language barriers while preserving the integrity of official records.

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) undertook a study on the Jain community’s contribution to education and organized three national seminars in 2026 covering Buddhism, the Jain community’s role in the economy and education, and the Parsis’ cultural and socio‑economic pathways. It also convened the Conference of State Minorities Commissions on 19 May 2026 in New Delhi to discuss institutional strengthening, grievance redressal and welfare delivery for minority communities. The activities were highlighted in a written reply by Union Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in the Rajya Sabha.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs reports that it is implementing schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS), Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) and low‑interest loans through the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC) to improve the socio‑economic condition of minority groups, including Sikhs. Harjit Singh Grewal of the Sikh community has been appointed Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM). The NCM has conducted a study on ‘Outreach to the Sikh community’ to identify gaps and suggest improvements. It also regularly organises Sarv Dharm Samvad inter‑faith dialogues and advises states/UTs to institutionalise such meetings to promote social harmony. This information was provided by Union Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation released a trial Index of Services Production (ISP) on 14 July 2026, covering 19 sub‑sectors of the formal economy using monthly outward‑supply data from GST and other administrative sources. The trial ISP is intended to gather feedback from stakeholders, academicians and researchers, employing appropriate deflators and validation against secondary data. The ISP pertains to the formal sector, while the Annual Survey of Incorporated Service Sector Enterprises (ASISSE) covers incorporated services and the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) measures the unincorporated sector, publishing quarterly and annual results. The information was presented by Minister of State (Independent Charge) Rao Inderjit Singh in the Rajya Sabha.

The Department of Atomic Energy marked World Head and Neck Cancer Day (27 July 2026) with a workshop on oral and head‑and‑neck cancer screening and basic clinical management, organised by the Division of Implementation Science and Behavioural Research, Centre for Cancer Epidemiology, in partnership with Maharashtra’s Public Health Department. Held at ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, the event trained over 100 medical officers, clinicians, dentists and public‑health professionals from Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai on evidence‑based screening, early detection and multidisciplinary care, aligning with the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non‑Communicable Diseases. The workshop highlighted India’s burden of >3.16 lakh new cases and 1.41 lakh deaths annually, underscoring the need for preventive and early‑diagnostic interventions.

The One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) Scheme, launched in January 2025, offers access to over 13,000 journals from 32 publishers to eligible higher‑education and research institutions. As of July 2026, 7,073 HEIs and 426 R&D institutions across India have been covered, including 305 HEIs and 5 R&D institutions in Andhra Pradesh (total 310). In Andhra Pradesh, around 3.11 lakh students and 6,974 faculty members have accessed journals, while 68 institutions (242 onboarded, 68 pending) await onboarding. The Ministry of Education, via INFLIBNET, conducts lectures, webinars and FAQs to promote awareness, especially in tier‑2/3 cities and institutions with limited digital access.

The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) reported that under the Scheme to Promote Registration of Employers/Employees (SPREE 2025) from July 2025 to January 2026, 1,38,718 new employers and 1,12,72,772 employees were added to ESI coverage. ESIC has undertaken initiatives to strengthen its healthcare infrastructure, including increasing bed capacity, procuring advanced medical equipment, setting up ICU/HDU facilities, operationalising new hospitals and dispensaries, empaneling private and super‑specialty hospitals, upgrading digital platforms for OPD appointments, introducing Aadhaar‑based authentication and online cash‑benefit claims, and collaborating with AB‑PMJAY for secondary and tertiary care where ESIC facilities are insufficient. New or upgraded hospitals have been operationalised at Ompora (J&K), Doddaballapur (Karnataka), Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu), Surat (Gujarat), Sanath Nagar (Telangana), Beltola (Assam) and Rajamahendravaram (Andhra Pradesh).

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Mumbai Branch Office held a hybrid Manak Manthan on 24 July 2026 to seek stakeholder input on two draft Indian Standards – ‘Plastic Containers for Microwave Use – Specification’ and ‘Plastic Feeding & Drinking Containers, Accessories & Cutleries for Infants – Specification’. The technical session was led by Scientist‑E/Director Shri Mahendar Singh Jakhar, who explained the quality, safety and performance provisions. Representatives from manufacturing firms, industry bodies, testing labs and other stakeholders participated both offline and online, offering observations and recommendations. The event aimed to incorporate stakeholder feedback into the standardisation process, reinforcing BIS’s objective of developing robust, relevant Indian Standards through participatory consultation.

The Ministry of Coal has notified the “Coal Exchange Rules, 2026” under Section 18(B)(3) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, as amended in 2025. Through Gazette Notification G.S.R. 442 (E) dated 4 June 2026 and notification S.O. 5730 (E) dated 10 December 2025, the Coal Controller Organization (CCO) is appointed as the authority to register and regulate Coal Exchanges. Any entity, including captive and commercial miners, may trade on these exchanges, with price discovery conducted via a fair, neutral, competitive mechanism approved by the CCO and adjusted for coal quality. Market oversight and surveillance mechanisms are mandated to prevent manipulation, and public‑sector coal companies can also participate. The details were provided by Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The Ministry of Education disclosed that the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, a centrally‑sponsored programme aimed at strengthening more than 14,500 schools, has so far selected 13,092 schools across States and Union Territories, including KVS, NVS and NCERT institutions. A written reply by Minister of State for Education, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, in Lok Sabha provided a state‑wise annexure listing the number of schools and teachers appointed for non‑Hindi native languages – Sanskrit, Urdu and regional languages – totalling 6,102 Sanskrit, 1,994 Urdu and 9,152 regional‑language teachers nationwide. The data reflects the scheme’s focus on multilingual education and its implementation status as of July 2026.