Current Affairs One-Liner: 21st July 2026

 National: 

• The Delhi government approved the Parivartan Scheme to replace old commercial vehicles with BS-VI-compliant or electric vehicles. Eligible vehicle owners may receive tax relief, registration benefits and loan support after scrapping their old vehicles. The scheme aims to reduce air pollution while helping taxi drivers, transporters and small commercial operators shift to cleaner vehicles without facing excessive financial burden.

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs approved six urban-development projects worth ₹2,719.80 crore for Ahmedabad. The projects will improve sewerage, wastewater management, mobility and public infrastructure. They are being implemented under the Urban Challenge Fund, which encourages cities to combine central assistance with municipal bonds, loans and public-private partnerships. The objective is to improve liveability and support sustainable urban growth.
• DGCA is developing a digital platform for reporting aviation incidents through the eGCA portal. Airlines, pilots, airports and maintenance organisations will be able to report technical failures, runway incidents and other safety-related events online. The platform aims to standardise reporting, speed up investigations and help DGCA identify recurring safety risks. The platform is under development and has not yet been formally launched.
• Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang presented a ₹19,215 crore budget for 2026-27. The budget focuses on roads, healthcare, education, tourism, agriculture and social welfare. Special attention has been given to restoring infrastructure damaged by natural disasters and improving services in remote areas. The objective is to support economic growth while improving connectivity, public services and employment opportunities.

Banking: 

• A CKYC number is a unique 14-digit identification number issued after a customer’s KYC details are registered with the Central KYC Records Registry. It allows customers to reuse verified KYC information while opening bank accounts, buying insurance or investing in mutual funds. The system reduces repeated documentation and strengthens compliance with anti-money-laundering rules. CKYC records are managed by CERSAI.
• RBI’s Financial Inclusion Index increased to 70 in March 2026 from 67 in March 2025. The index measures access, usage and quality of banking, insurance, investment, pension and postal financial services. RBI also issued final prudential rules for Specified Non-Financial Assets acquired by lenders from borrowers. The rules aim to ensure proper valuation, income recognition and timely disposal of such assets.

Economy:

• India’s Index of Core Industries grew 5% in June 2026 under the revised 2022-23 base-year series. The updated index now includes nine industries, with iron ore added to coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity. Growth was supported by higher output in iron ore, electricity and cement. The index indicates the performance of sectors important for infrastructure and industrial production.
• NITI Aayog released a 10-year roadmap to expand India’s bioeconomy to USD 691 billion by 2035. It proposes six BioMissions and a ₹50,000 crore financing mechanism. Priority areas include biotechnology, vaccines, biofuels, sustainable materials, agriculture and industrial biomanufacturing. The roadmap aims to commercialise scientific research, support startups, create skilled employment and reduce dependence on imported biological technologies.
• India and Sri Lanka introduced the Principal Purpose Test in their tax treaty. Treaty benefits can now be denied if a transaction is mainly structured to avoid taxes. The rule aims to prevent treaty shopping and artificial investment arrangements while protecting genuine business transactions. It follows international standards developed under the OECD and G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting framework.

Govt. Scheme: 

• Uttar Pradesh launched Kaushal Setu and Kaushal Sarathi portals for skill development. Kaushal Setu connects training institutions, employers and government departments, while Kaushal Sarathi helps students find courses, register and track applications. The portals aim to reduce paperwork, improve transparency and align skill-training programmes with industry and employment requirements.

Appointments: 

• The Ministry of Railways appointed Rahul Himalian as Chairman and Managing Director of IRCTC. He succeeded Sanjay Kumar Jain. IRCTC manages railway ticketing, catering, tourism services and packaged drinking water. As CMD, Himalian will oversee the company’s digital services, passenger facilities, tourism activities and commercial strategy.
• Indian-origin politician Kanishka Narayan was appointed the United Kingdom’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence. He will oversee AI adoption, innovation, regulation, safety and government coordination. The dedicated portfolio was created because artificial intelligence increasingly affects public services, employment, national security, data protection and economic competitiveness.

Awards & Honours: 

• American filmmaker James Gray will receive the Honorary Career Leopard, or Pardo d’Onore, at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. The award recognises his contribution to cinema through films such as The Immigrant, Ad Astra and Armageddon Time. It honours his complete filmmaking career rather than a single film released during the year.
• Article 370 was named Best Feature Film at the 72nd National Film Awards for films certified in 2024. Yami Gautam received the Best Actress award, while Kartik Aaryan and Mammootty shared the Best Actor honour. Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Director for Amaran. The National Film Awards are presented by the Government of India to recognise excellence across Indian cinema.

MoUs: 

• CGPDTM signed an MoU with CSIR-NIScPR to join the National Knowledge Resource Consortium. The agreement will provide patent examiners and researchers access to scientific journals, technical databases and intellectual-property information. It aims to improve patent searches, examination quality and research while reducing the cost of separate database subscriptions.
• Andhra Pradesh signed an MoU with UN-Habitat to promote sustainable and climate-resilient urban development. Cooperation will cover urban planning, affordable housing, municipal finance, digital governance and basic services. The partnership aims to improve the capacity of urban local bodies and help cities manage rapid growth, flooding, heatwaves, transport and housing challenges.

Science & Technology: 

• Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena commissioned two geothermal wells at Puga Valley in Ladakh. The exploratory wells will assess underground heat for electricity generation and direct heating. The project aims to provide reliable clean energy to remote Himalayan regions. It is currently a demonstration initiative and not yet a fully operational commercial geothermal power plant.
• NIELIT will establish semiconductor-skilling Centres of Excellence in Ahmedabad and Guwahati. The centres will provide training in chip design, semiconductor manufacturing, packaging, testing and embedded systems. They aim to address the shortage of skilled workers required for India’s expanding semiconductor industry and support the India Semiconductor Mission
• Researchers discovered a new damselfly species, Lestes paloti, in Kerala’s Western Ghats. It was named after Zoological Survey of India scientist Muhamed Jafer Palot. The discovery is important because it is the first newly described Indian Lestes species since 1987. Damselflies are useful indicators of wetland and ecosystem health
• IIT Tirupati hosted the fifth BRICS Working Group meeting on Geospatial Technologies and Applications. Experts discussed satellite data, remote sensing and geographic information systems for agriculture, disaster management, climate monitoring and urban planning. The meeting aimed to improve research cooperation, data sharing and capacity building among BRICS countries
• IIT Kanpur will establish a Centre of Excellence for Green Hydrogen under the Uttar Pradesh Green Hydrogen Policy. The centre will conduct research on hydrogen production, storage, transport, testing and industrial applications. It aims to reduce technology costs, support startups, train skilled workers and contribute to India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission.
• India’s first 100 MWh vanadium redox flow-battery project will be developed at the Khavda Renewable Energy Park in Gujarat. The system will store surplus renewable electricity and release it when demand rises. Flow batteries offer long operational life, lower fire risk and limited capacity degradation, making them suitable for long-duration energy storage.

Defence: 

• Indian aerospace startup Paninian India announced the Yantur turbofan-engine programme for drones and cruise-missile-class platforms. The engine is being developed to reduce India’s dependence on imported propulsion systems. It will still require ground testing, endurance trials and flight validation before becoming operational. The programme supports private-sector participation and self-reliance in defence technology.

Sports: 

• Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya unveiled Peacko as the official mascot of the BWF World Championships 2026. The mascot is inspired by India’s national bird, the peacock. The championship will be held in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, 2026. Peacko will be used for tournament branding, promotion and fan engagement.
• Indian Grandmaster Rohith Krishna won gold while Raja Rithvik secured silver at a chess tournament in Les Menuires, France. Both players scored seven points from nine rounds and remained unbeaten. Rohith finished first through the applicable tie-break system. The result highlights India’s growing strength and depth in international chess.

Important Days: 

• World Chess Day was observed on July 20, 2026. The date marks the establishment of the International Chess Federation in 1924. The United Nations officially recognised the observance in 2019. The day promotes chess as a tool for education, concentration, problem-solving, inclusion and international cooperation.

Questions: 

Q1.The Delhi government’s Parivartan Scheme aims to replace old commercial vehicles with:

a) Diesel-only vehicles

b) BS-VI-compliant or electric vehicles

c) Imported vehicles

d) CNG vehicles only

Answer: b) The scheme supports the replacement of old commercial vehicles with cleaner BS-VI or electric vehicles to reduce air pollution.

Q2. DGCA’s proposed aviation-incident reporting platform will operate through:

a) DigiLocker

b) eGCA portal

c) UMANG portal

d) BharatKosh

Answer: b) Airlines, pilots, airports and maintenance organisations will report safety incidents digitally through the eGCA portal.