CURRENT AFFAIRS 20-21 July, 2026

CURRENT AFFAIRS 20-21 July, 2026

1. BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF MANGAL PANDEY –

• The Prime Minister paid homage to the great revolutionary and freedom fighter Mangal Pandey on his birth anniversary on 19th July, recalling his courageous life and stating that his saga of patriotism and valour continues to inspire every generation of the nation.

Mangal Pandey

• Early Life: He was born on 19th July, 1827, in the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh.
• He joined the 34th Bengal Native Infantry of the East India Company’s army at the age of 22.
• Mutiny: He refused to use the newly introduced Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket, as sepoys believed its cartridges were greased with beef and pork fat, which offended Hindu and Muslim religious sentiments.
• On 29th March, 1857, he mutinied and fired at his Senior Sergeant Major.
• Impact of His Actions: The movement of protest and rebellion came to be known as the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, also known as the First War of Independence.
• Soldiers of the 7th Awadh Regiment revolted but were suppressed, while discontent spread to Ambala, Lucknow, and Meerut.
• On 10th May, 1857, Meerut sepoys rebelled, marched to Delhi, and declared Bahadur Shah Zafar II as Shah-en-shah-i-Hindustan, giving the 1857 revolt a symbolic national leadership.

2. INDEX OF CORE INDUSTRIES WITH BASE YEAR 2022-23 –

• The Office of Economic Adviser (OEA), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, released the first provisional Index of Core Industries (ICI) under a new series with the base year 2022-23.
• The 2022–23 base year series replaces the 2011–12 series and is applied retrospectively from April 2023, with the back series released for historical comparison.

What is the Index of Core Industries (ICI)?

• About: The ICI is a vital macroeconomic indicator that measures the combined and individual production performance of India’s foundational industrial sectors on a monthly basis.
• The provisional ICI for a reference month will normally be released on the 20th of the following month, or on the next working day.
• Connection to IIP: Core industries serve as the structural backbone for all other industrial activities. The combined weight of these core industries in the broader Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is now 32.88% (under the new 2022-23 base), updated from the previous 40.27% under the 2011-12 series.

3. COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026: INDIA’S 120-MEMBER CONTINGENT –

• The 23rd edition of Commonwealth Games is slated to take place in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to August 2, 2026. The 11-day festival will witness sportspersons from 74 Commonwealth countries competing in 10 sporting events, including six events for para athletes.
• India has announced the selection of 120 member delegation for the Commonwealth Games from 13 sports. Top athletes like Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, Srihari Nataraj and Murali Sreeshankar are expected to carry the medal hope of Indian team.

Commonwealth Games 2026 Sports List

• The Games will feature the,
• 3×3 Basketball
• 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball
• Artistic Gymnastics
• Athletics
• Para Athletics
• Bowls
• Para Bowls
• Boxing
• Judo
• Netball
• Swimming
• Para Swimming
• Track Cycling
• Para Track Cycling
• Weightlifting
• Para Powerlifting

Commonwealth Games Overview 2026

• Competition: Commonwealth Games 2026
• Edition: 23rd edition
• Dates: July 23 to August 2, 2026
• Host city: Glasgow, Scotland
• Countries participating: 74
• Duration: 11 days
• Games facility: 10
• Number of gold medals: 215
• Medals for India: 120 players
• Opening ceremony: July 23
• Closing ceremony: August 2

4. DELHI GOVERNMENT APPROVES PARIVARTAN SCHEME TO REPLACE OLD COMMERCIAL VEHICLES WITH BS-VI AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES –

• The Delhi Government has given approval for the rollout of the Parivartan Scheme, which is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). This scheme has been formulated to replace the old BS-IV commercial vehicles as well as older vehicles with BS-VI vehicles or electric vehicles thereby reducing the emissions from vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India. In a meeting by the Delhi Cabinet, presided by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the scheme has been approved and the measures like tax exemption, waiver on registration fee, interest subsidy and discount by manufacturers have been proposed.

What Is the Parivartan Scheme?

• Parivartan refers to the Programme for Accelerated Renewal and Incentivization of Vehicle Assets for the Purpose of making transportation air pollution and other emissions.

The scheme was developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways with the goal of to,

• Replace aging commercial vehicles with cleaner options.
• Decrease air pollution caused by transportation.
• Encourage the use of BS-VI and electric commercial vehicles.
• Modernize commercial vehicles in India.
• Foster sustainable transportation and decrease emissions.

Who Is Eligible?

• Eligible beneficiaries include the owners of,
• Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) that are BS-IV or older
• Medium Goods Vehicles (MGVs) that are BS-IV or older
• Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) that are BS-IV or older
• Commercial buses that are BS-IV or older

5. ANDY BURNHAM BECOMES UK’S NEW PRIME MINISTER AFTER MEETING KING CHARLES III –

• Andy Burnham has become the new Prime Minister of United Kingdom after being sworn in by King Charles III on 20th July 2026. Burnham succeeds the Keir Starmer, who resigned from the post under pressure from the politicians within the Labour Party. After served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham had been elected into his new position after invited by the King to form a government, it is the procedure followed in the UK.

Andy Burnham is Becoming the New Prime Minister

• Andy Burnham officially secured the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after the King Charles III’s decision to appoint him to the position due to the resignation of Keir Starmer.
• Under the constitution of the United Kingdom, the monarch appoints a politician to be the Prime Minister when it becomes apparent that the new Prime Minister can gain the confidence of the House of Commons members, and after Burnham’s meeting with King Charles III in Buckingham Palace, he formally started working, delivering his first speech on the steps of the 10 Downing Street.
• It also marks Burnham’s becoming British Prime Minister number 7 in the last 10 years, which indicates the turbulent political history of the country.

Why Did Keir Starmer Step Down?

• Keir Starmer has decided to resign from his position after countless months of political dilemmas and increasing discontent from the labour party.
• Despite having led the labour party to attain the greatest parliamentary majority in the general elections of 2024, the government faced backlash for the slow progress regarding reforms and its economic standing.

MCQ QUIZ

Q1.  India’s first immersive language museum, ‘Museum of Word’ (Shabdalok), has been established in which city ?

1. a) Mumbai
2. b) Hyderabad
3. c) Chennai
4. d) Kolkata

Q2.  The world’s largest curd manufacturing plant is being developed in which state ?

1. a) Gujarat
2. b) Andhra Pradesh
3. c) West Bengal
4. d) Uttar Pradesh

Q3.  India’s first and deepest geothermal wells were commissioned in which state/UT ?

1. a) Himachal Pradesh
2. b) Ladakh
3. c) Uttarakhand
4. d) Lakshadweep

Q4.  Consider the following statements regarding the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC):

1. It comprises two distinct corridors: the East Corridor connecting India to the Arabian Gulf, and the Northern Corridor connecting the Gulf to Europe.
2. It includes a ship-to-rail transit network alongside electricity cables, a high-speed data line, and a clean hydrogen pipeline.
3. The project was officially launched under the aegis of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) during the G20 New Delhi Summit.

         Which of the statements given above are correct ?

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 1 and 3 only
3. c) 2 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2, and 3

Explanation-

• Statement 1 is correct: IMEC consists of the East Corridor (connecting India to the Arabian Gulf) and the Northern Corridor (connecting the Gulf to Europe).
• Statement 2 is correct: It is a multimodal ship-to-rail network that includes co-located infrastructure for electricity cables, high-speed data, and a clean hydrogen pipeline.
• Statement 3 is correct: It was officially launched at the G20 New Delhi Summit (2023) under the G7-led Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) initiative.

Q5.  Consider the following statements regarding the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) global expansion:

1. Indias UPI has been integrated with Singapores PayNow network to enable real-time, low-cost cross-border person-to-person (P2P) fund transfers.
2. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) International Payments Limited (NIPL) is the entity tasked with deploying UPI architecture outside India.
3. France became the first European country to accept UPI payments, starting at the Eiffel Tower.

         Which of the statements given above are correct ?

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 2 and 3 only
3. c) 1 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2, and 3

Explanation-

• Statement 1 is correct: The real-time linking of India’s UPI and Singapore’s PayNow allows users in both countries to make instant, low-cost cross-border fund transfers directly from their mobile apps.
• Statement 2 is correct: NIPL (NPCI International Payments Limited) is the dedicated international subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India, specifically tasked with exporting UPI and RuPay architectures globally.
• Statement 3 is correct: France led the European adoption of UPI, officially launching the system at the Eiffel Tower to allow Indian tourists to buy tickets digitally using merchant QR codes.

Answer Key