Current Affairs 21 July 2026

History & CultureLowquizQuiz

Union Home Minister Pays Tribute to Revolutionary Batukeshwar Dutt on Death Anniversary

•Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid tribute to revolutionary freedom fighter Batukeshwar Dutt on his 61st death anniversary, 20 July 2026.
•Dutt, along with Bhagat Singh, threw non-lethal bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929 to protest repressive colonial bills, raising the slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad'.
•Sentenced to life imprisonment (transportation to the Andaman Cellular Jail), he later joined the Quit India Movement (1942) and died on 20 July 1965; he was cremated at Hussainiwala, Punjab, alongside Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.

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Polity & GovernanceHighquizQuiz

Police Crackdown on Delhi 'Cockroach' Protest March Revives Right-to-Protest Debate

•On 20 July 2026, Delhi Police used batons and tear gas to disperse a march by the youth-led 'Cockroach Janta Party' as thousands attempted to march toward Parliament demanding the education minister's resignation.
•Reports put the number of injured at around 180 (about 60 protesters and 118 security/police personnel); the movement's founder said street marches would pause though the protest would continue.
•The episode has revived debate on India's constitutional right to protest, which is recognised but not absolute — balanced under Article 19 against public order and security.

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Awards & HonoursMediumquizQuiz

Santhali Film 'Angen' Wins First-Ever National Film Award for the Language

•'Angen' (Invisible), a 12-minute-10-second Santhali short film, became the first Santhali-language film to win a National Film Award, at the 72nd National Film Awards.
•Director Ravi Raj Murmu, a 34-year-old FTII Pune graduate from Jaduguda, East Singhbhum (Jharkhand), won Best Debut Film of a Director in the Non-Feature Category.
•The film is a folklore-based allegory about rural-to-urban migration and its effect on indigenous language and identity, developed with students of Karim City College, Jamshedpur.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

The ePlane Company Unveils e200X, India's First Full-Scale eVTOL Aircraft Prototype

•The ePlane Company, an IIT Madras-incubated startup, unveiled the e200X (PT-01), India's first full-scale prototype of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, at its Chennai facility.
•The 2-tonne, carbon-fibre aircraft measures 8m x 11m, uses six vertical lift rotors and four forward propellers with Distributed Electric Propulsion, and runs on an 800V EV powertrain with the NVIDIA IGX Thor compute platform.
•It is designed to carry 1 pilot plus 200 kg payload (up to 2 passengers or a trauma patient with a paramedic) over a 110 km range, with air ambulance service planned as the first commercial use case.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

PIB Feature 'White Gold' Highlights India's Cotton Sector Transformation

•PIB published a feature, 'White Gold: India's Cotton Story — From Seed to Shirt', highlighting India's cotton sector and recent government initiatives to boost productivity, quality and global competitiveness.
•India is the only country cultivating all four recognised cotton species, ranks first in cultivated area and second in production/consumption, and supports nearly 6 million cotton farmers and 40-50 million textile-chain jobs.
•Key initiatives include MSP procurement, the Mission for Cotton Productivity, the Kapas Kisan App, and Kasturi Cotton Bharat for traceability and quality branding.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

Canada Outlines Strategic Framework to Expand Defence Ties with India

•Canadian High Commissioner to India Chris Cooter outlined a strategic framework to expand defence, aerospace and critical-minerals cooperation with India, building on Canadian PM Mark Carney's February 2026 state visit.
•Canada holds reserves of 31 critical minerals — including 5% of world tungsten reserves and the 10th-largest rare earth reserves — and signed a Critical Minerals Cooperation MoU with India in March 2026.
•Canada has surpassed 2% of GDP on defence spending in 2026 and aims for 5% by 2035, alongside a $500 million aerospace/drone R&D push.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Recurring Political Defections Revive Debate on Anti-Defection Law's Effectiveness

•Recurring defections among legislators from parties including Shiv Sena (UBT) and Trinamool Congress have revived debate on the effectiveness of India's anti-defection law.
•Defection is governed by the Tenth Schedule (inserted via the 52nd Constitutional Amendment, 1985), with disqualification criteria under Articles 102(2) and 191(2).
•The 91st Amendment (2003) abolished the one-third split exception; a merger now needs at least two-thirds of a legislature party's members to avoid disqualification.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Government Preparing Policy for Ethanol ATMs as Cooking Fuel Alternative

•The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is preparing a policy to introduce ethanol as a mainstream cooking fuel via dispensing kiosks ('Ethanol ATMs') at fuel retail outlets, targeted for around September 2026.
•India's ethanol production capacity has crossed 20 billion litres annually and is projected to reach 24 billion litres by March 2027, with the policy aimed at using surplus output to reduce LPG import dependence.
•The first phase may target commercial kitchens, restaurants and street food vendors before wider rollout; ethanol is envisioned as a supplementary fuel, not a full LPG replacement.

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InternationalHighquizQuiz

China Conducts Live-Fire Naval Drill Inside Japan-Claimed EEZ Near Okinotorishima

•China conducted a live-fire naval exercise on 20 July 2026 about 180 km southwest of Okinotorishima, inside an area Japan claims as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
•Japan's Ministry of Defence detected Chinese destroyers (including a Luyang III-class/Type 052D vessel) and a Russian frigate in the area, and said this was the first publicly announced case of a foreign navy's live-fire drill inside Japan-claimed EEZ waters.
•Japan lodged a diplomatic protest on 21 July 2026; China maintains Okinotorishima is a 'rock', not an island, and disputes that it can generate an EEZ under UNCLOS Article 121.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Earth's Second-Oldest Orbicular Rock Dated to 2.56 Billion Years in Madhya Pradesh

•The Pichhore orbicular granite near Kutawali village, Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh, has been dated to about 2.56 billion years old — the world's second-oldest known orbicular rock, after a formation in Western Australia.
•Scientists used Uranium-Lead (U-Pb) zircon dating; some inherited zircon crystals in the sample were as old as 3.5 billion years.
•The rock lies within the Bundelkhand Craton, one of India's oldest stable geological blocks, and the study was published in the journal Geosystems and Geoenvironment by researchers from BHU, IIT Kanpur, IISER Berhampur, University of Campinas (Brazil) and JAIST (Japan).

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BusinessMediumquizQuiz

Amul Lays Foundation for World's Largest Curd Plant in West Bengal

•Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the Amul Bengal Dairy project — featuring the world's largest curd manufacturing unit — at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, New Town, Kolkata, on 20 July 2026.
•The Rs 700 crore integrated plant at Howrah Food Park, Sankrail, will process 30 lakh litres of milk daily and produce 1,000 metric tonnes of curd and cultured products per day.
•It will also make paneer, ghee, sweets, flavoured milk and ice cream, and is expected to benefit over 1.25 lakh dairy farmers in West Bengal.

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Banking & FinanceMediumquizQuiz

NPCI Develops Offline UPI Tap-to-Pay Using NFC for Up to Rs 2,000

•The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is developing an offline UPI tap-to-pay feature using Near-Field Communication (NFC) for merchant point-of-sale terminals, reported around 21 July 2026.
•The proposed feature would work without internet on either the customer's phone or the merchant terminal, with a proposed cap of Rs 2,000 per transaction, pending certification of PoS devices during 2026.
•It builds on UPI Lite X (launched September 2023 for phone-to-phone offline payments) and complements the existing USSD-based *99# service (Rs 5,000 limit).

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History & CultureMediumquizQuiz

India's First Immersive Language Museum 'Shabdalok' Opens in Kolkata

•Shabdalok (Museum of Word), India's first immersive language museum, was inaugurated on 19 July 2026 at Belvedere House inside the National Library campus in Kolkata by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
•It functions under the Union Ministry of Culture and presents nearly 380 languages, including the 121 languages recorded in the 2011 Census, across nine galleries.
•The museum uses AI, AR, VR, holograms and touchscreens for an immersive visitor experience, with free entry until 15 August 2026.

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Sikkim Presents Rs 19,215 Crore Budget for 2026-27

•Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang presented a Rs 19,215 crore state budget for 2026-27 in the Legislative Assembly on 20 July 2026.
•Net expenditure after recoveries stands at Rs 18,455 crore, with Rs 11,733 crore for revenue expenditure and Rs 5,896 crore for capital expenditure.
•Health provisions include statewide HPV screening for about 1.5 lakh women and a new Renal Transplant Programme at STNM Hospital.

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Banking & FinanceHighquizQuiz

RBI's Concessional Forex Swap Facility Draws Over $20.7 Billion in Inflows

•The RBI's concessional forex swap facility, operational since 8 June 2026, had attracted over $20.7 billion (about Rs 2 lakh crore) in inflows by 17 July 2026.
•FCNR(B) deposits contributed the largest share ($17.406 billion), followed by Overseas Foreign Currency Borrowings ($1.97 billion) and External Commercial Borrowings ($1.342 billion).
•The RBI absorbs a hedging cost of 280-300 basis points per annum on FCNR(B) deposits, letting banks offer USD deposit rates of 5.5-7.1% versus the earlier 2-4%.

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Polity & GovernanceLowquizQuiz

DGCA Rolls Out Digital Aviation Incident Reporting Platform on eGCA Portal

•The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced a digital aviation incident reporting platform, integrated with the eGCA portal, for electronic submission and faster processing of mandatory occurrence reports.
•The platform is meant to work alongside DGCA's existing oversight tools — regulatory audits, night surveillance, ramp inspections and spot checks.
•DGCA regulates aircraft operations, airworthiness, flight crew licensing and safety standards under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

India Approves First Utility-Scale 100 MWh Vanadium Flow Battery at Khavda

•NTPC Renewable Energy Limited awarded the contract for India's first utility-scale 100 MWh Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) energy storage system, to be built at Khavda Solar Park, Gujarat.
•Bondada Engineering secured the EPC package; Delectrik Systems is the technology partner, with deployment scheduled for 2027 and 10 years of O&M.
•It is India's first non-lithium, utility-scale battery storage system that is 100% domestically designed, engineered and manufactured.

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Summits & ConferencesMediumquizQuiz

IIT Tirupati Hosts 5th BRICS Working Group Meeting on Geospatial Technologies

•IIT Tirupati's Yerpedu campus hosted the 5th BRICS Working Group Meeting on Geospatial Technologies and its Applications from 20 to 22 July 2026.
•The three-day hybrid event was organised under the Department of Science and Technology and drew delegates from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the UAE.
•Themes included geospatial infrastructure, climate resilience, PNT technologies, AI-based geospatial analytics and data interoperability.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

Paninian India Unveils Yantur Turbofan Engine for Indigenous Cruise Missile Platform

•Paninian India Pvt Ltd unveiled the Yantur 4.5 kN turbofan engine programme in New Delhi, 20 July 2026
•Believed to be India's first privately developed turbofan engine in its class
•Designed to power Svayatt L1, a long-range autonomous cruise missile platform

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Agreements & MoUsMediumquizQuiz

India Notifies India-Sri Lanka DTAA Protocol With Principal Purpose Test

•India notified the Protocol amending the India-Sri Lanka DTAA on 16 July 2026
•It introduces the Principal Purpose Test (PPT), an anti-abuse rule for treaty benefits
•Original treaty: 2013; amending Protocol signed December 2024, in force since 19 June 2026

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SportsLowquizQuiz

Rohith Krishna Wins Gold, Raja Rithvik Silver at Menuires Chess Open 2026

•GM S. Rohith Krishna (Tamil Nadu) won gold; GM Raja Rithvik (Telangana) won silver at the Menuires Chess Open, France
•1st Open International d'Échecs des Menuires, 11–18 July 2026, French Alps; 86 players, 9 rounds
•Both scored 7/9 unbeaten; Rohith Krishna took gold on a tie-break of 43 over Rithvik's 41.5

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

President Murmu Makes First-Ever Indian Presidential Visit to Moldova

•President Droupadi Murmu visited Moldova on 20 July 2026 — the first-ever Indian presidential visit there
•Part of a three-nation tour: Moldova, North Macedonia and Romania, 19–25 July 2026
•India and Moldova established diplomatic relations in 1992

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

NHAI Launches Digital Local Pass and MargMitra Help Centre on RajmargYatra App

•NHAI launched Digital Local Pass and MargMitra Help Centre on the RajmargYatra app on 20 July 2026
•Digital Local Pass gives residents within 20km of a toll plaza a fully online monthly toll pass
•First rolled out at Mundka–Bakkarwala Toll Plaza (UER-II) in Delhi

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

India's 8th WTO Trade Policy Review Commences in Geneva

•India's 8th Trade Policy Review (TPR) commenced at the WTO in Geneva on 21 July 2026 (concluding sessions on 23 July), covering the review period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2025.
•Led by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal, India highlighted ~8% average annual GDP growth during the review period and record exports of USD 863.1 billion in 2025-26.
•India received 1,094 written questions from 44 WTO Members, with 68 Members making interventions; the WTO's TPR Body praised India's DPI, financial inclusion reforms, and its acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

Trump Announces Phased Tariff Plan of Up to 200% on Imported Generic Drugs

•US President Donald Trump announced on 21 July 2026 a phased tariff plan on imported generic medicines, rising from 0% (from 1 August 2026, for two years) to 100% and eventually 200% by August 2029, using Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, 1962.
•Branded/patented medicines already faced a separate 100% tariff; this new plan specifically targets generic drugs, which had previously faced no tariff.
•India, whose pharma exports to the US were worth USD 9.7 billion in FY 2024-25 (~38% of India's total USD 25.8 billion global pharma exports), is significantly exposed given a February 2026 India-US trade understanding on pharmaceuticals.

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Science & TechHighquizQuiz

DCGI Approves QDENGA (TAK-003), India's First Dengue Vaccine

•India's Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) granted market authorisation to Takeda Biopharmaceuticals' QDENGA (TAK-003) on 21 July 2026, making it the first dengue vaccine approved in India.
•QDENGA is a live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine protecting against all four dengue serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4), approved for ages 4-60, given as two doses three months apart, with no pre-vaccination screening required.
•Since its 2022 launch, QDENGA has been approved in 43 countries with over 32 million doses distributed globally; India accounts for nearly one-third of the world's dengue burden.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Delhi Approves Parivartan Scheme to Replace Old Commercial Vehicles with BS-VI, Electric Variants

•Delhi Cabinet, led by CM Rekha Gupta, approved rollout of the Centre's Parivartan scheme
•Targets replacement of BS-IV-or-older commercial vehicles (LGVs, MGVs, HGVs, buses) with BS-VI or electric variants
•Benefits include up to 100% motor vehicle tax exemption for 10 years, registration fee waiver, 5% interest subsidy

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

Index of Core Industries Grows 5% in June 2026 Under New 2022-23 Base Year Series

•ICI grew 5% YoY in June 2026, up from 3.2% in May 2026
•New base year 2022-23 replaces 2011-12; core industries expanded from 8 to 9 with Iron Ore added
•Electricity is now the largest-weighted sector at 30.93%, up from 19.85%

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State NewsMediumquizQuiz

Mukhyamantri Swasth Bastar Abhiyan Cuts Maternal, Infant Mortality in Sukma

•Mukhyamantri Swasth Bastar Abhiyan, launched by CM Vishnu Deo Sai on 14 April 2026 in Sukma, is showing results
•Institutional deliveries in Sukma rose to 98.6%, up from about 96–97%
•Maternal deaths fell from 11 in the previous year to single digits

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SportsMediumquizQuiz

India Names 120-Member Contingent for Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow

•India named a 120-member contingent for the 23rd Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, 23 July–2 August 2026
•74 Commonwealth nations compete across 10 sports, including 6 para events
•Mirabai Chanu (flag) and Lovlina Borgohain (baton) lead India at the opening ceremony

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AppointmentsMediumquizQuiz

Kanishka Narayan Becomes UK's First Minister for Artificial Intelligence

•Kanishka Narayan appointed UK's first Minister for Artificial Intelligence on 20 July 2026
•First AI-focused post to sit in the UK Cabinet, under new PM Andy Burnham
•The reshuffle scrapped the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

IIT Kanpur to Set Up ECOGEN Centre of Excellence for Green Hydrogen

•IIT Kanpur announced ECOGEN, a Centre of Excellence for Green Hydrogen, on 20 July 2026
•Sanctioned by UPNEDA under the Uttar Pradesh Green Hydrogen Policy 2024
•Prof. Prabodh Bajpai of IIT Kanpur's Sustainable Energy Engineering Dept. is Principal Investigator

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