National News

Single-window system for appointing State DGPs

• The Union government has notified a single-window system for appointing Directors-General of Police or the heads of the police force of the States.
• This System comprises a detailed check list and standard easy-to-use formats for the States to send proposals, facilitating smooth and expeditious empanelment by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

EPFO’s 20th RGDE

• The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Academy of Social Security (PDUNASS), under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Ministry of Labour & Employment, hosted the 20th edition of its monthly thought leadership series Re-imagining Governance: Discourse for Excellence (RGDE).

Bharat CISO’s Conclave

• National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) in collaboration with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) organised Bharat CISO’s Conclave and Bharat Cybersecurity Startup Exhibition, integral components of the Bharat National Cybersecurity Exercise (Bharat NCX) 2025 in New Delhi.

 STATE SPECIAL NEWS

Bihar: Increase In Honorarium For ASHA & Mamta Workers

• Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced an increase in the honorarium and incentives for ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) and Mamta workers who are working for health services, immunization and the safety of newborns and mothers.

Bihar

 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US Fed keeps interest rates unchanged

• The US Federal Reserve has left its key short-term interest rate unchanged (4.3 per cent) for the fifth time this year, brushing off repeated calls from President Donald Trump for a cut.

US Federal Reserve

Australia bans Youtube

• Australia has added Alphabet-owned YouTube to its list of banned social media platforms for children under 16, expanding a law aimed at shielding teens from harmful online content.

Australia

Italy summons Russian envoy

• Italy on summoned Russia’s Ambassador after Moscow included Italian President Sergio Mattarella in ‘Russophobe’ list of Western officials whom it accuses of using “the language of hatred” against Russia.

Russia and Italy

ECONOMY & BANKING

New GDP series

• As per Saurabh Garg, Secretary of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), updated series of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Index of Industrial Production (IIP), and Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be released on February 27, 2026.
• MoSPI is also planning to start the Annual Survey of Service Sector Enterprises (ASSSE), which would measure the formal services sector along the lines of the Annual Survey of Industries.

SIDBI survey

• According to the third edition of the “MSME Outlook Survey” released by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), majority of the Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs ) in the manufacturing and service sectors have seen an improvement in capacity utilisation in the first quarter of 2025-2026 compared with the previous quarter.

SIDBI

Income Tax Bill 2025

• The Income Tax Department has ruled out any change in tax rates under the Income Tax Bill 2025.
• This bill aims to replace the current Income Tax Act, 1961, with the main goal of making tax laws simpler, more modern, and technology-friendly.

New banking laws

• The Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025, aimed at improving governance standards in the banking sector and ensuring enhanced protection for depositors and investors, will come into effect from August 1.

Major Highlights

US imposes 25% tariff on Indian goods

• US President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods, effective August 1st "plus an unspecified penalty" for buying Russian oil and weapons.

IEPFA Launched “Saksham Niveshak”

• The Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA), has launched a 100-day campaign titled “Saksham Niveshak”, running from 28th July to 6th November 2025 aimed at empowering shareholders by creating awareness about unclaimed dividends held by companies and guiding them through the process of updating their KYC and nomination details to reclaim their rightful dividend.

IEPFA

Supply and Use Tables of 2020-21 and 2021-22

• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the ‘Supply and Use Tables of 2020-21 and 2021-22’.
• Supply and Use Tables (SUTs) represent a detailed snapshot of all economic activities taking place in the economy. They are powerful analytical tools that present the structure of an economy as well as interlinkages among the various economic actors.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Ranger Day

• Every year World Ranger Day is observed on July 31st to recognise the dedication of rangers who protect natural and cultural treasures.

PERSON IN NEWS

Shaheed Udham Singh

• Tributes were paid to Shaheed Udham Singh on his martyrdom day.
• Shaheed Udham Singh assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in London, in revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919).

ART & CULTURE

Sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha

• Sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Gautam Buddha returned to India from Hong Kong after 127 years.
• The relics were discovered in 1898 in Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh by British civil engineer William Claxton Peppé during the excavation of an ancient Buddhist stupa.

ENVIRONMENT + SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

World joins Mission LiFE!

• At the Ramsar 15th Conference of Parties held at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, India introduced a Resolution on ‘Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles for the Wise Use of Wetlands’ known as Life, was formally adopted by 72 Ramsar Contracting Parties, Six International Organisation Partners, and other observers.

NISAR placed in precise orbit

• The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite was successfully launched on from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and placed into its designated sun-synchronous orbit.
• The launch vehicle used was ISRO's GSLV-F16 rocket, marking the first time a GSLV has placed a satellite into this type of orbit.

Typhoon Co-May

• Typhoon Co-May made landfall in China’s Zhejiang Province this morning, becoming the eighth typhoon of the year to hit the country.

Typhoon

COP30

• The United Nations’ climate bureau held an urgent meeting over concerns that sky-high accommodation prices for this year’s COP30 climate summit in Brazil could price poorer countries out of the negotiations.

 DEFENCE NEWS

13th India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC)

• 13th India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting held in New Delhi, which was Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and UAE’s Under Secretary of Defense Lieutenant General Ibrahim Nasser Alawi.

MoU Between ICG and UAE’s NCG

• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the United Arab Emirates National Guard Command signed an agreement on Maritime Security and Safety Cooperation in New Delhi.

Indigenous Hovercraft Construction

• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has kicked off construction of its first indigenously built Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV) with the Girder Laying and Commencement of Erection ceremony at Chowgule & Company Pvt. Ltd. in Goa.

 SPORTS

Wrestler Hardeep wins gold

• Wrestler Hardeep wins World under-17 gold won gold in the Greco Roman 110kg event in the World under-17 wrestling championships in Athens, Greece.

Cycling Federation signs MoU with Manav Rachna

• Cycling Federation of India (CFI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (MRIIRS) to design an educational and career pathway for cyclists.

Leon Marchand smashes 200m medley world record

• France’s Leon Marchand smashed the 200m individual medley World record in Singapore, clocking 1min 52.69sec.