NATIONAL NEWS
Prime Minister’s Major Development Push
PM Modi’s Dual State Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a significant visit to Bihar and West Bengal, inaugurating and laying foundation stones for development projects worth over Rs 12,000 crore
Bihar Projects: Over Rs 7,200 crore worth of projects across railways, roads, IT, fisheries, and rural development sectors inaugurated in Motihari
West Bengal Initiatives: More than Rs 5,000 crore worth of projects dedicated to the nation in Durgapur, including natural gas pipeline and petroleum infrastructure
Railway Connectivity: Four Amrit Bharat Express trains flagged off connecting Patna, Motihari, Darbhanga, and Malda Town to major northern cities
Administrative Excellence and Appointments
NFRA Leadership: Nitin Gupta appointed as National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) Chairperson along with Smita Jhingran and P. Daniel as Full-Time Members
NTPC Extension: Gurdeep Singh’s tenure extended as Chairman and Managing Director of NTPC Limited until July 2026
Manipur Administration: Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel appointed as Chief Secretary of Manipur, effective from July 16, 2025
Good Governance Conference: Two-day National Conference on “Good Governance Practices” inaugurated in Bhubaneswar by Dr. Jitendra Singh
Urban Development and Cleanliness
Swachh Survekshan 2024-25: Indore retains the title of India’s cleanest city for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai
Ranking Categories: Noida led the 3-10 lakh population category in the annual cleanliness survey
Digital Identity Management
Aadhaar Database Cleanup: UIDAI deactivated 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals using death records from 24 states and union territories
Verification Process: Deactivation process ongoing for non-Civil Registration System regions with data validation
Religious Tourism and Safety
Amarnath Yatra: Pilgrimage suspended due to heavy rainfall warnings and landslide incidents on the Baltal route
Safety Measures: One woman died and three others injured in a landslide, prompting authorities to halt the yatra temporarily
Power Sector Development
Bihar Electricity: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced free electricity up to 125 units for 1.67 crore families starting August 1, 2025
Solar Initiative: Solar panels to be installed on rooftops with full funding for extremely poor households under Kutir Jyoti Scheme
Judicial Developments
Supreme Court Case: Justice Yashwant Varma of Delhi High Court challenges impeachment recommendation in Supreme Court, alleging conspiracy
Background: Controversy arose from cash recovery incident at his official residence in March 2025
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
US-India Trade Relations
Trade Deal Progress: President Trump announced that the US and India are close to finalizing a significant trade agreement
Market Access: Deal expected to provide greater market access for American goods in India
Bilateral Cooperation: High-level negotiations ongoing between both nations
Global Trade and Tariffs
Thailand’s Proposal: Thailand offers to scrap tariffs on 90% of US goods (around 10,000 products) to avoid potential trade penalties
Trump’s Tariff Policy: Global economy faces pressure from US tariff threats, with growth projections revised downward
Reciprocal Tariffs: Multiple countries face delayed tariff implementations scheduled for August 1, 2025
Health and Political Developments
Trump’s Health: US President diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, described as benign condition common in individuals over 70
Medical Disclosure: White House confirms diagnosis following minor leg swelling observation
Global Economic Indicators
Japan Inflation: Core consumer price inflation eased to 3.3% in June from 3.7% in May, meeting economists’ forecasts
China Power Crisis: Record-breaking heatwave pushes China’s power demand to new highs, straining electricity grid
Economic Outlook: Global growth concerns rise due to trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainties
International Incidents
Iraq Tragedy: At least 61 people killed in massive fire at shopping mall in al-Kut city, with investigation ongoing
Natural Disasters: Chile experiences 5.7 magnitude earthquake at 49 km depth
Pakistan Floods: Death toll reaches 163 with 63 casualties in a single day
Diplomatic Relations
UK-Germany Treaty: Comprehensive agreement signed strengthening defense cooperation, trade relations, and migration enforcement
Canada-Mercosur: Canada explores trade pact with South American bloc to reduce US reliance
Israel-Palestine: Israeli strike on Gaza church sparks international condemnation and regret
BANKING AND FINANCE
RBI Policy and Operations
VRRR Auction: Reserve Bank of India to conduct 7-day Variable Rate Reverse Repo auction for Rs 2 lakh crore on July 18, 2025
Agricultural Loans: RBI issues revised rules clarifying that loans against voluntary gold and silver pledges up to collateral-free limits don’t violate guidelines
Monetary Policy: Recent repo rate cuts and neutral stance maintained to support economic growth
Banking Sector Developments
Yes Bank Acquisition: SMBC Bank applies to acquire additional 4.9% stake in Yes Bank, building on existing 20% shareholding
International Banking: Taiwan’s CTBC Bank proposes setting up International Banking Unit at GIFT City
Fee Waivers: Public sector banks waive minimum balance charges to retain customers amid falling interest rates
Financial Inclusion and Digital Banking
UPI Enhancement: NIPL adds 13 banks to UPI-PayNow linkage to boost India-Singapore remittances
Account Activity: World Bank report flags 35% inactive bank accounts in India, partly attributed to Jan Dhan Yojana accounts
Digital Payments: Continued expansion of digital payment infrastructure across the country
Insurance and Regulatory Updates
IRDAI Recommendations: Panel suggests ban on mergers between insurers and non-insurers to maintain sector integrity
Regulatory Compliance: Enhanced supervision and governance measures for financial institutions
SPORTS NEWS
Chess Excellence
Praggnanandhaa’s Victory: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeats World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas
Historic Achievement: Completes clean sweep across Classical, Rapid, Blitz, and Freestyle formats against Carlsen
Match Details: Won in 39 moves using white pieces, sharing top spot with 4.5 points
Cricket Developments
Women’s Cricket: Deepti Sharma’s unbeaten 62 guides India to four-wicket victory over England in opening Women’s ODI
T20 World Cup: Italy qualifies for 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after defeating Netherlands in Europe Region Final
Match Performance: India chased 259 with 10 balls remaining, marking strong start to World Cup preparations
International Sports
FIFA Concerns: World football body lacks wildfire smoke protocols for 2026 World Cup matches in Canada, Mexico, and United States
Environmental Challenges: Toronto’s recent poor air quality highlights growing concerns about match conditions
Preparatory Measures: Need for comprehensive contingency plans for environmental disruptions
ECONOMY AND STOCK MARKET
Market Performance
Sensex Movement: BSE Sensex closed 0.45% lower at 82,259.24 points on July 17, 2025
Nifty Performance: NSE Nifty 50 ended 0.4% down at 25,111.45 points with resistance at 25,200 level
GIFT Nifty: Futures trading higher at 25,199, indicating positive opening for July 18
Corporate Earnings
Wipro Results: IT major reports 11% rise in net profit to Rs 3,330.4 crore in Q1 FY26
LTIMindtree Performance: Revenue of Rs 9,840.6 crore, up 0.7% Q-o-Q and 7.6% Y-o-Y
Banking Results: Major banks including Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank set to announce quarterly results
Investment Flows
FPI Activity: Foreign portfolio investors net sellers worth Rs 3,694 crore
DII Support: Domestic institutional investors net buyers worth Rs 2,820 crore for ninth consecutive session
Market Sentiment: Cautious optimism amid global uncertainties and earnings season
Commodity Markets
Gold Prices: Steady near $3,340 per ounce, set for moderate weekly loss
Fuel Prices: Petrol and diesel prices remain unchanged across major cities
Interest Rates: Continued monitoring of Federal Reserve policy decisions
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES
Agriculture and Rural Development
PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana: Cabinet approves scheme with Rs 24,000 crore annual outlay for six years (2025-26 to 2031-32)
Farmer Coverage: Scheme to help 1.7 crore farmers across 100 districts with low productivity
Rural Prosperity Programme: Comprehensive multi-sectoral initiative to address agricultural underemployment
Social Welfare Programs
Saksham Anganwadi: Poshan 2.0 Programme launched for 8 crore children, 1 crore lactating mothers, and 20 lakh adolescent girls
Entrepreneurship Support: New scheme for 5 lakh women, SC/ST first-time entrepreneurs with loans up to Rs 2 crore
Cost Enhancement: Improved norms for nutritional support programs
Housing and Infrastructure
SWAMIH Fund 2: Rs 15,000 crore fund established to complete 1 lakh housing units for middle-class families
Affordable Housing: Blend of government, banking, and private sector funding for housing projects
Urban Development: Focus on completing stressed housing projects by 2025
Transportation and Connectivity
Modified UDAN: Enhanced regional connectivity scheme targeting 120 new destinations and 4 crore passengers
Airport Development: Support for smaller airports and helipads in hilly and northeastern regions
Infrastructure Investment: Continued focus on improving transportation networks
COMPETITIVE EXAM FOCUS POINTS
Key Appointments to Remember
Nitin Gupta – NFRA Chairperson
Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel – Manipur Chief Secretary
Gurdeep Singh – NTPC CMD (extended tenure)
Important Schemes and Initiatives
PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana – Rs 24,000 crore
SWAMIH Fund 2 – Rs 15,000 crore
Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0
Economic Data Points
Sensex: 82,259.24 (-0.45%)
Nifty 50: 25,111.45 (-0.4%)
RBI VRRR Auction: Rs 2 lakh crore
Gold: $3,340 per ounce
International Relations
US-India trade deal near completion
Thailand tariff removal proposal
Japan inflation at 3.3%
China power demand surge
Static GK Updates
Indore – Cleanest city (8th consecutive year)
UIDAI – 1.17 crore Aadhaar deactivations
Bihar – Free electricity up to 125 units
Amarnath Yatra suspension
SUMMARY FOR QUICK REVISION
National: PM Modi’s Rs 12,000 crore projects in Bihar-Bengal, Indore cleanest city, UIDAI cleanup, key appointments
International: US-India trade progress, Trump’s health update, global tariff tensions, Japan inflation data
Banking: RBI VRRR auction, agricultural loan rules, bank fee waivers, digital payment expansion
Sports: Praggnanandhaa beats Carlsen, India women’s cricket victory, FIFA World Cup concerns
Economy: Mixed market performance, corporate earnings, FPI outflows, stable commodity prices
Schemes: Agriculture and rural development focus, housing initiatives, transportation connectivity
This comprehensive update covers all major developments relevant for competitive examinations, providing factual information in a structured format for effective preparation.
