Current Affairs – July 16, 2026

{GS1 – A&C} Jagannath Rath Yatra

• Context (AIR): The annual Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra festival has commenced in Puri, Odisha.

• The Jagannath Rath Yatra is a grand annual chariot festival celebrated in Puri, Odisha, and is one of the most important Hindu festivals in India.
• It commemorates the ceremonial journey of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra, and sister Goddess Subhadra from the 12^th century Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple, traditionally regarded as the abode of Lord Jagannath’s maternal aunt
• The three chariots are:
  1. Nandighosha: Chariot of Lord Jagannath.
  2. Taladhwaja: Chariot of Lord Balabhadra.
  3. Darpadalana (Devadalana): Chariot of Goddess Subhadra.
• A unique ritual called Chhera Pahara is performed before the procession, where the Gajapati King of Puri ceremonially sweeps the chariots with a golden broom, symbolizing humility and equality before God.
• The deities remain at the Gundicha Temple for nine days. They then return to the Shree Jagannath Temple on the 10th day during the Bahuda Yatra, also known as the Return Car Festival.

{GS2 – IR} India-Australia Civil Nuclear Cooperation **

• Context (PIB): Third India–Australia Annual Summit saw finalisation of Administrative Arrangement under the India–Australia Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.

Background

• India and Australia’s civil nuclear partnership is anchored in Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, signed in 2014 enforced in 2015.
• It enables long-term exports of Australian uranium to India for peaceful purposes under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards along with establishing procedure for implementation.
• Under Australian policy, uranium is exported only to countries covered by civil nuclear cooperation agreement.
  • Australia possesses largest uranium resources, accounting for more than one-third of global total.
• Australia also reaffirmed its support for India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Significance for India

• Energy Security: Ensures long-term supply of fuel providing dependable baseload generation, available at all hours, which lends stability to the grid.
• Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Net-Zero: India has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 and has progressively raised its climate targets. Nuclear power is a low-carbon source adding firm capacity to non-fossil energy mix.
• Complements Existing Arrangements: Including Nuclear Energy Mission and Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act.

Read More> India’s Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme

{GS2 – MeitY} Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) *

• Context (PIB): Union Cabinet approved Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) with a budgetary outlay of Rs 62,500 crore.

• The tenure of earlier Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing (PLI-LSEM) ended on 31st March 2026.

Salient Features of the Scheme

• Aim: Further scale up production, deepen domestic value addition, strengthen supply chain resilience, enhance global competitiveness.
  • It also aims at building Indian brands to achieve technological sovereignty, capture large economic value and create Indian patents in design and R&D.
• Tenure: 5 Years from FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31.
• Incentives Offered:
  • Incentive support on eligible sales for manufacturing of mobile phones in India at differentiated rates ranging from 2.25% to 5%.
  • Additional incentive of up to 1.5% linked to domestic sourcing of key components/ sub-assemblies.
  • For building Indian brands, additional incentive @3% on Eligible Sales for product design and R&D.
• Benefits: Cumulative mobile phone production is expected to reach approximately Rs 39,00,000 crore with increase in exports; generate around 60,000 direct jobs.

{GS2 – Polity} SC Mulls 24×7 Emergency Access

• Context (TH): The SC of India is examining a SOP to facilitate urgent hearings beyond regular court hours in cases involving an imminent threat to life and personal liberty under Article 21.

Significance

• Protection of FRs: : Ensures immediate judicial protection of Articles 21, reinforces the effectiveness of Article 32 & Article 226, preventing irreversible harm in cases of unlawful detention, arrest, or eviction.
• Timely & Accessible Justice: Provides round-the-clock access to courts during emergencies, holidays, and non-working hours, making constitutional remedies more effective.
• Strengthens Rule of Law: Enhances judicial responsiveness, executive accountability, and public confidence by enabling prompt intervention against arbitrary state action.

Challenges

• Operational Constraints: Ensuring 24×7 availability of judges, court staff, digital infrastructure, and cybersecurity across all High Courts would require substantial resources and uniform institutional capacity.
• Uniform Implementation: High Courts across different States have varying infrastructure and capacities, making uniform implementation of a nationwide emergency protocol challenging.
• Risk of Misuse: Frivolous petitions, uneven implementation across States, and increased judicial workload could undermine the effectiveness of the emergency mechanism.

Way Forward

• Clear Eligibility Criteria: Well-defined guidelines should identify what constitutes a life-and-liberty emergency, thereby preventing misuse and ensuring consistency.
• Dedicated Emergency Benches: Courts should establish duty judges or emergency benches on a rotational basis to hear urgent life-and-liberty matters without disrupting regular judicial work.
• Digital Infrastructure: Strengthening e-filing, virtual courts, and secure digital communication systems would enable faster access to justice, especially during non-working hours.
• Periodic Review: The functioning of the protocol should be periodically monitored and reviewed to address operational challenges and incorporate best practices based on experience.

{GS3 – Agri} National Investment Policy for Urea-2026

• Context (PIB): Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the National Investment Policy for Urea-2026 to create 10 million tonnes of additional domestic urea production capacity.

• Objective: Encourage setting up gas-based urea manufacturing units to achieve self-sufficiency.
• Key Features: 1. Separates fixed costs from variable costs for subsidy calculation 2. Guarantees 12-16% Return on Equity (RoE) to urea manufacturers 3. Converts fixed costs into INR after 4 years at prevailing exchange rates to mitigate forex risk.

Read More> India’s Dependence on West Asia for Urea | Nano Urea

{GS3 – Infra} Green Shipbuilding Cluster *

• Context (PIB): Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) accorded in-principle approval to Greenfield shipbuilding cluster in Porbandar, Gujarat and ship repair facility at Vadinar, Gulf of Kutch.

• Projects have been granted approval under Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS).

About the Projects

• Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster: It will be developed through National Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries Park–Gujarat (NSHIP-Gujarat), Special Purpose Vehicle promoted by MoPSW and Gujarat Maritime Board.
  • Project is designed to build large commercial vessels with annual production capacity of 1.2 to 1.5 million gross tonnage (GT).
• Ship Repair Facility: Jointly developed by Cochin Shipyard Ltd. (CSL) and Deendayal Port Authority (DPA). Its approval under SbDS provides for 25% financial assistance on eligible capital infrastructure.
  • Project would leverage Vadinar’s natural deep draft, strategic location along major international shipping routes and proximity to ports like Mundra and Deendayal Port.
  • Once operational, it will enable domestic repair of vessels measuring up to 300 metres in length.

Read More> India’s Shipbuilding Sector

{GS3 – S&T} Semicon 2.0 *

• Context (PIB): Union Cabinet approved Semicon 2.0 (India Semiconductor Mission 2.0) with a ₹1,27,500 crore outlay to develop India’s semiconductor ecosystem.

• The scheme shifts from ISM’s capacity creation to domestic value addition, indigenous intellectual property (IP), and long-term technological self-reliance.
• It introduces a tiered fiscal support on a pari-passu basis, offering 40% of total Capex for CMOS-based Silicon Fabs, 35% for other fabs (Compound, Discrete, Display) and Advanced Packaging, and 25% for conventional packaging (ATMP/OSAT).
• Six Strategic Pillars:
  1. Design: Supporting start-ups and MSMEs in developing indigenous chip and system designs for strategic and commercial uses to place India as a key semiconductor chip design IP country.
  2. Machines & Materials: Providing financial incentives for domestic production and research in semiconductor machinery, precision components, specialised materials, chemicals, and industrial gases.
  3. Fabrication: Attracting more manufacturers to set up silicon, compound semiconductor, and display fabs, with the first commercial fab to be commissioned by 2028.
  4. ATMP/OSAT: Expanding Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP) and Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) units to establish India as a global alternative.
  5. R&D: Funding research beyond mature nodes (28nm–110nm) towards sub-10-nanometre nodes and emerging technologies.
  6. Talent Development: Expanding university training with Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools and deepening clean room, fab construction and other ecosystem training.

{Prelims – Agri} 49^th Session of Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)

• Context (NOA): Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) held its 49^th session in Geneva, Switzerland, to adopt international food-safety standards.

• CAC49 adopted 7 Codex standards developed or co-developed under India’s leadership, covering dried coriander seeds and fresh curry leaves. It approved India’s proposal to develop a Codex Standard for cashew kernels.
• India was elected Co-Chair of the Electronic Working Group on New Food Sources and Production Systems. Standards for vanilla and large cardamom, developed under India’s co-chairmanship, were also adopted.
• Revised guidelines were adopted to control Campylobacter and Salmonella in chicken meat, and Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods.
• General Standard for Labelling of Prepackaged Foods was revised for multi-pack formats. New guidelines on precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) were also adopted.

About Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)

• CAC (HQ: Rome) is an intergovernmental body established jointly by FAO and WHO in 1963 to develop food standards that protect consumer health and ensure fair trade practices.
• Membership: 189 members (188 countries plus the EU). India joined in 1964 (not a founding member). Open to all member nations and associate members of FAO and WHO.
• Codex Alimentarius: Collection of internationally recognised voluntary standards, guidelines, and codes of practice. World Trade Organisation (WTO) recognises Codex texts as the benchmark reference under the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS).
• Types of Codex Standards:
  1. General Standards: Apply across all food types, covering food hygiene, contaminants, nutrition, labelling, and pesticide residues.
  2. Commodity Standards: Reference specific items or food groups, such as dairy, frozen foods, or fresh fruit, to establish quality and safety baselines.
  3. Regional Standards: Developed by regional committees to accommodate dietary and trading requirements specific to certain regions of the world.
• CAC meets annually, alternating between Geneva and Rome, and works in the six official UN languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Read More> Codex Alimentarius Commission

{Prelims – IR} 12^th BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meeting

• Context (PIB): India hosted the 12^th BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meeting in Hyderabad under its 2026 BRICS Chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability“.

• The meeting adopted the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Declaration to promote decent work, broaden social protection systems, and support inclusive, resilient economic growth.
• BRICS CONNECT, a collaborative, tech-driven platform, was launched by India to modernise, align, and strengthen labour frameworks (South-South cooperation) across member states.
• India showcased the e-Shram and National Career Service (NCS) portals as DPI models delivering employment services and social protection to the unorganised sector.

Read More> BRICS

{Prelims – IS} Dark Web *

• Context (TH): A ransomware group allegedly leaked sensitive files related to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) on the dark web, highlighting the growing cyber threat to critical infrastructure.

• The KKNPP is India’s largest nuclear power station, located in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. It is developed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Russia’s Rosatom.

About the Dark Web

• The Dark Web is a hidden part of the internet that is not indexed by conventional search engines and requires special software such as the Tor (The Onion Router) browser to access.
• It provides anonymity to users and hosts, making it difficult to trace identities and activities.
• While it has legitimate uses (e.g., protecting privacy under repressive regimes), it is also widely used for cybercrime, including sale of stolen data, ransomware operations, illegal marketplaces, & hacking tools.

{Prelims – IS} Second Digital Threat Report 2025-26

• Context (NOA): Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released the 2nd edition of the Digital Threat Report 2025-26 for the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) and digital payments sector.

• 6 of 7 forward-looking cyber threat predictions in the 2024-25 edition were fully realised within a year. The gap between a threat’s emergence and its operational exploitation collapsed from years to weeks or months.
• Low-resource attackers are outpacing defensive and regulatory adaptation by using AI to launch sophisticated attacks at machine speed. Attacks are shifting from crashing network infrastructure to social engineering, credential theft, supply-chain compromise, and cloud exploitation.
• The report introduces a four-layer “Anatomy of Cyber Failure” spanning design, enforcement, signal, and response gaps, demonstrating how compounding weaknesses enable major breaches.
• An 18-month roadmap urges financial institutions to move from periodic security checks to continuous cyber resilience built on stronger architectures.

{Prelims – S&T} Indian Algorithm Achieved Quantum Advantage over Classical Supercomputers

• Context (TH): Researchers at BITS Pilani Goa designed a quantum algorithm that achieved a ‘verified useful quantum advantage’ (solving real-world problems) over classical supercomputers.

• The algorithm completed a physics simulation of quark-gluon interactions in 20 seconds on an IBM Quantum processor, whereas a classical computer would need nearly two hours.
• This marks the first time an Indian laboratory’s claim has been listed as active (credible contender) on the global Quantum Advantage Tracker (QAT).
  • QAT is an open-source, platform-agnostic community framework that benchmarks promising quantum-advantage candidates against leading classical methods.

Read More> Quantum Computing

{Prelims – Sci} Spin Hall Nano-Oscillators (SHNOs)

• Context (BS): Scientists from IIT Bhubaneswar, the University of Gothenburg, and Tohoku University built the largest network of up to 105,000 mutually synchronised Spin Hall nano-oscillators (SHNOs).

• SHNOs are nanoscale spintronic devices that convert a direct current into microwave-frequency signals, using a bilayer of a heavy metal and a ferromagnet.
  1. In the heavy-metal layer, the spin Hall effect splits the passing current into spin-up and spin-down electrons, pushing them to opposite edges and creating a transverse spin current.
  2. This spin current enters the neighbouring ferromagnet, where a spin-orbit torque produces continuous magnetisation precession (steady spinning motion), emitted as a microwave signal.
• These devices exploit the intrinsic magnetic property of electrons (“spin”) rather than their charge alone to drive fast, energy-efficient magnetisation dynamics.
• Large networks of synchronised SHNOs mimic human brain cells to solve complex problems using a fraction of the energy of traditional digital microprocessors.
• Ultra-large arrays could serve as physical platforms for Ising machines (used for complex optimisation) and for reservoir computing for time-dependent AI workloads.

{Prelims – Misc} One-Liner

• S&T – Soyuz MS-29 (HT): A Russian spaceflight launched aboard Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Kazakhstan, carrying three crew members (two Russian cosmonauts and Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon) to the International Space Station (ISS). The crew joined Expeditions 74 and 75 for an eight-month mission to research microgravity biology, AI, and materials science for future Moon and Mars missions. Soyuz is a non-reusable spacecraft with three modules: Orbital Module, Descent Module (re-entry capsule), and Service Module (or Instrument-Service Module).
  • The ISS is a modular microgravity laboratory orbiting in the LEO (~400 km), managed by NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA for research and deep-space technology testing.
• Envi – Begonia quadricornualata (RM): A new rhizomatous flowering herb discovered near the Itanagar WLS in Papum Pare district, Arunachal Pradesh. Its four-horned ovary develops into four fleshy wings as the fruit matures. The fruit is densely covered in reddish-brown woolly hairs. While related species produce dense flower clusters, the female plant bears a single white-to-pink flower at a time.
• A&C – Kutchi New Year (DDN): Kutchi New Year (Ashadhi Beej) marks the beginning of the Kutchi calendar and is celebrated on the second day (Beej) of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashadha.
  • It coincides with the onset of the monsoon and is considered an auspicious festival, especially for the agrarian communities of Kutch, Gujarat.