National Affairs
VB‑G RAM G Rolled Out From Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, alongside Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, kicked off the “Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)” or VB‑G RAM G scheme nationally from Mukkavaripalli village in Tirupati district. The event also saw participation from Union Ministers of State Dr. Chandrashekhar Pemmasani and Kamlesh Paswan, along with several MPs and MLAs, and the programme promises 125 days of guaranteed rural employment. Beyond AP, the scheme has simultaneously gone live in states like Bihar and Manipur, with a total five‑year budget of Rs 7.5 lakh crore, an annual outlay near Rs 1.51 lakh crore, and the Centre picking up over Rs 95,692.31 crore while states cover the remaining 40 percent share.theprint+3
A Decade of PMKSY’s Irrigation Push
July 1, 2026 marked ten years since the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana began transforming Indian farming through better water management, having originally been cleared by the CCEA under PM Modi’s leadership on the same date in 2015 with a Rs 50,000 crore budget for five years. The scheme got a five-year extension in December 2021 worth Rs 93,068.56 crore and runs through four pillars — Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, Har Khet Ko Pani, Watershed Development Component, and Per Drop More Crop. By August 2025, PMKSY had reached more than 27 million farmers, expanded or restored irrigation across 24.61 million hectares, and brought 110.92 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation, while sprinkler adoption since 2016 has lifted yields 25-30 percent and cut water, power, labour and fertiliser use in half, adding Rs 60,000-70,000 per hectare in farmer profits.nextias
Assam’s Borjuli Gets Biodiversity Heritage Recognition
The National Biodiversity Authority has formally notified Borjuli in Assam’s Sonitpur district as a Biodiversity Heritage Site, bringing the state’s total BHS count to three, alongside Majuli and Hajong Tortoise Lake. The site, originally designated by Assam’s government in 2022, gains statutory protection under Section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, tied to the NRAA-funded wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) conservation project run by ICAR-NBPGR with the Assam State Biodiversity Board.
India’s First Satellite-Guided Helicopter Landing System
The Civil Aviation Ministry cleared the country’s inaugural Private Point-in-Space Instrument Approach Procedure for helicopters at Undavalli Heliport near Amaravati, developed by the Airports Authority of India and cleared by the DGCA in line with ICAO norms. Relying on satellite-based navigation through GNSS and India’s own GAGAN system, it lets helicopters land safely without ground radar or ILS support, particularly useful for hilly terrain, poor visibility, medical evacuations, disaster response, and pilgrimage or offshore operations.
Rs 14,115 Crore Highway Push for Delhi and UP
PM Modi’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs greenlit two highway projects worth a combined Rs 14,114.81 crore under the Gati Shakti master plan — a Rs 6,969.67 crore six-lane tunnel in Delhi and a Rs 7,145.14 crore greenfield corridor in UP. The Delhi project involves a 3.14 km twin-tube tunnel under the Southern Ridge linking Dwarka Expressway to Vasant Kunj, built by NHAI on a Hybrid Annuity Mode basis, while the UP corridor is a 117.7 km four-lane greenfield stretch between Kanpur and Kabrai under a Build-Operate-Transfer toll arrangement, forming part of the Bhopal-Kanpur Economic Corridor.
Homegrown Tactical Aerostat Unveiled by IIT Delhi and DRDO
IIT Delhi teamed up with DRDO and an Indian startup to build the country’s first indigenous tactical aerostat — a balloon-based surveillance platform covering up to 20 km and carrying electro-optical cameras, infrared sensors, and communication relays. Compared with drones, it offers longer endurance and heavier payload capacity, with applications extending from border security to disaster relief and civilian connectivity, marking a step toward reduced import dependence in India’s defence sector. DRDO, founded in 1958 and based in New Delhi, remains the country’s top defence research body.
Banking and Finance
ADB Backs Karnataka’s School Upgrade Plan
The Asian Development Bank sanctioned a USD 182.89 million loan (in Japanese Yen terms) to help Karnataka build 500 integrated school clusters benefiting over a million students from pre-primary through secondary levels, under its results-based financing model aligned with NEP 2020. The programme also draws a USD 10 million grant and USD 25 million guarantee from the International Finance Facility for Education, aiming to strengthen schooling in underserved regions and improve pathways into jobs and higher study.
Razorpay and NBBL Launch Banking Connect
Razorpay teamed up with NPCI Bharat BillPay Limited to introduce Banking Connect, a mobile-first NetBanking platform launched in Mumbai that merges multi-bank access into a single integration layer, replacing fragmented bank-specific systems. It supports QR-based and intent-driven payments with unified settlement, reconciliation and refund handling, and currently counts SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Federal Bank, AU Small Finance Bank and YES Bank among its partner banks.
Prudential HCL Becomes India’s 8th Standalone Health Insurer
IRDAI issued the final R3 registration certificate to Prudential HCL Health Insurance Limited during its 136th board meeting on June 29, 2026, making it India’s eighth standalone health insurer and the third such licence granted in 2026. The path to registration runs through three stages — R1 for promoter vetting, R2 for operational readiness, and R3 as the final approval — requiring at least Rs 100 crore in paid-up capital and a five-year business plan. The venture is a joint effort between UK-based Prudential Group, holding 70 percent, and India’s HCL Group with 30 percent, first announced in March 2025.
Awards and Recognitions
MECON Elevated to Miniratna Category-I
The Ministry of Steel upgraded MECON Limited, a Schedule ‘A’ central enterprise, to Miniratna Category-I status after it met net worth and profitability benchmarks set by the Department of Public Enterprises. MECON posted a net worth of Rs 535.42 crore as of March 2026 and consistent pre-tax profits over three years — Rs 77.62 crore in FY24, Rs 32.08 crore in FY25, and Rs 104.53 crore in FY26 — earning its board greater autonomy over investment and modernisation decisions.
West Bengal Adds 23 GI Tags, Climbs to Third Nationally
West Bengal picked up 23 new Geographical Indication tags, pushing its tally to 59 and placing it third among Indian states behind Uttar Pradesh’s 83 and Tamil Nadu’s 76, as announced by state minister Kalyan Chakraborty. The fresh additions span sweets like jalbhora sandesh and monohara, crafts such as Santiniketan batik, Krishnanagar clay dolls and Balagarh boats, plus items like Banglar nolen gur and sitalpati from Cooch Behar, all aimed at safeguarding origin-linked heritage and boosting artisan incomes.
Sunil Bharti Mittal Honoured by USISPF
The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum handed its 2026 Leadership Award to Bharti Enterprises founder Sunil Bharti Mittal at its Washington summit themed “America At 250,” recognising his role in reshaping India’s telecom landscape and deepening India-US business ties. Fairfax Financial’s V. Prem Watsa and RTX Corporation’s Christopher T. Calio also received honours at the same event for their contributions to bilateral economic links.
Appointments and Resignations
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Takes Over as IAF Vice Chief
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit stepped into the role of the Indian Air Force’s 51st Vice Chief of Air Staff on July 1, 2026, succeeding Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, who retired after nearly forty years of service. Dixit previously headed the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff role during Operation Sindoor and has commanded a Mirage-2000 squadron along with the Central Air Command. His decorations include the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2026), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2023), Vayu Sena Medal (2006), and Vishisht Seva Medal (2011).newsonair.gov+4
Bijay Kumar Mohanty Takes Additional Charge at IREDA
Bijay Kumar Mohanty, who serves as Director (Finance) and CFO of IREDA, has taken on the additional responsibility of Chairman and Managing Director for a three-month term effective July 1, 2026, filling the gap left by Pradip Kumar Das’s retirement. With over 27 years in the power and renewable energy space, including stints at REC Limited and GRIDCO, Mohanty brings expertise in project financing and treasury management to the Navratna PSU under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Acquisitions and Mergers
BPCL Takes Full Ownership of Brazilian Oil Venture
Bharat Petroleum Corporation, via its overseas unit BPRL Ventures BV, bought out the remaining 34.6 percent stake held by Videocon Energy Brazil in IBV Brazil Petroleo for Rs 2,312 crore, lifting its total holding from 65.40 percent to full ownership. The purchase went through as part of VOVL Limited’s insolvency resolution process, with government clearance and pending final registration in Brazil, and is expected to eventually add around 1 million tonnes of oil equivalent annually once the BM-Seal-11 concession starts producing.
Important Days
International Plastic Bag Free Day — July 3
Observed worldwide each July 3, this day spotlights the environmental toll of single-use plastic bags and encourages reusable alternatives. It traces back to the Rezero initiative in Catalonia in 2008, later spreading across the EU by 2009 and joining the global Break Free From Plastic coalition of over 1,500 organisations by 2016, alongside the EU’s 2015 Plastic Bags Directive that targeted lightweight carrier bag use.
State News
Gujarat Launches Twin Health Campaigns
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel unveiled the Namo Swachhta Abhiyan and Amrutpan Abhiyan during National Doctors’ Day celebrations in Gandhinagar. The week-long cleanliness drive, running July 1-7 across nearly 11,935 government health facilities, focuses on clearing out old furniture and outdated equipment, while the parallel Amrutpan Abhiyan targets maternal and child nutrition through awareness efforts statewide.