Current Affairs – July 21, 2026

{GS1 – MIH} Mangal Pandey (19 July 1827 – 8 April 1857)

• Context (AIR): Prime Minister paid tribute to Mangal Pandey on his birth anniversary.

• Mangal Pandey was a soldier in the 34^th Bengal Native Infantry of the British East India Company’s army. He is widely regarded as one of the earliest heroes of India’s 1^st War of Independence (Revolt of 1857).

Role in the Revolt of 1857

• Barrackpore Uprising: On 29 March 1857, at Barrackpore, Mangal Pandey attacked British officers Lieutenant Baugh and Sergeant-Major James Hewson at Barrackpore in protest against British rule.
  • His actions were linked to the controversy over the newly introduced 1853 Enfield rifle, whose cartridges were believed to be greased with cow and pig fat. Soldiers had to bite open the cartridges before loading them, offending the religious beliefs of both Hindu and Muslim sepoys.
• Inspired Revolt of 1857: Although the uprising at Barrackpore was quickly suppressed, it became a powerful symbol of resistance and inspired the wider Revolt of 1857.
• Execution: Mangal Pandey was executed by hanging by the British East India Company after being court-martialled for attacking British officers during the Barrackpore uprising.

{GS2 – Polity} National Commission for Minorities

• Context (TH): Harjit Singh Grewal was appointed as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) for a full term of three years.

• National Commission for Minorities (NCM) is a statutory body under the NCM Act, 1992, operating under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
• 1978 resolution of Ministry of Home Affairs established Minorities Commission as a non-statutory precursor.
• Exclusion: Linguistic minorities are not notified under the Act and are instead overseen by a constitutional Special Officer under Article 350B.
• Composition: The Commission comprises a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and five Members nominated by the Central Government for a 3-year term. Of the seven members, five, including the Chairperson, must belong to notified minority communities.
• Advisory Role: It evaluates the socio-economic development of minorities and recommends measures to the Central and State governments for implementing constitutional safeguards.
• Civil Powers: The Commission exercises the powers of a civil court to summon witnesses and request public records during investigations of complaints related to minority rights violations.
• Accountability: NCM submits an annual report to the Centre, which lays it before both Houses of Parliament, accompanied by a memorandum explaining any rejected recommendations.

{GS3 – Agri} WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies **

• Context (PIB): India became the 123^rd WTO member to deposit its Instrument of Acceptance to the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS).

• Adopted at the 12^th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in 2022 and in force since September 2025, it is the WTO’s first multilateral agreement with an environmental sustainability objective.

Key Provisions of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies

• Prohibited Subsidies: The agreement bans governments from subsidising: (1) vessels engaged in Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing; (2) operations on the unregulated high seas; or (3) the harvesting of overfished stocks unless the funding actively rebuilds the population.
• Scope: Wild marine capture fishing and at-sea operations such as refuelling and processing. Aquaculture and inland fishing are fully exempt.
• Transition Window: Developing nations and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) receive a 2-year exemption for activities in their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
• Fish Fund: A WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism provides grants and capacity-building support to help poorer nations implement the rules and manage fisheries.
• Notification: Signatories must notify the WTO of their fish stock levels, existing subsidy programmes, and national management measures.

Significance of the Agreement for India

• Catch Security: Curbs on IUU fishing and high-seas overfishing increase near-shore marine catches for India’s 9 million fisher families.
• Trade Credibility: Ratification strengthens India’s standing as a responsible seafood exporter and shields $8.46 billion in annual seafood exports from unilateral green trade sanctions.
• Export Safeguard: Exclusion of aquaculture insulates India’s $5.62 billion frozen shrimp industry (accounting for 66.5% of seafood export earnings) from subsidy-discipline obligations.
• Compliance Edge: India’s minimal $15 average annual support per fisher family bypasses the compliance burdens faced by heavily subsidised industrial fishing nations.
• Transition Buffer: The 2-year developing-country exemption within the EEZ provides India with a penalty-free period to upgrade domestic fisheries monitoring frameworks.
• Funding Shift: Technical grants from the WTO Fish Fund shift the cost of upgrading fisheries management infrastructure from domestic budgets to global funding.

Issues with the Agreement

• Flawed Metrics: The Overcapacity and Overfishing (OCOF) approach relies on flat national caps rather than the per-capita intensity of a nation’s fisheries support.
• Burden Disparity: Ignoring Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) forces low-subsidy developing nations to bear the conservation costs arising from historical industrial overfishing.
• Blind Spots: Uniform subsidy-reduction schedules ignore domestic variables such as Exclusive Economic Zone size, coastline length, and the absolute population of traditional fishers.
• Welfare Misclassification: Uniform sustainability testing risks conflating India’s minimal $15 annual per-fisher family livelihood support with capacity-enhancing industrial subsidies that drive marine depletion.
• Demonstration Burden: The mandate to statistically prove stock sustainability forces developing states lacking data capacity to forfeit exemptions that advanced nations secure with ease.

Read More> Fisheries Sector in India

{GS3 – IE} Revised Index of Core Industries (ICI)

• Context (PIB): Office of Economic Adviser (OEA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, released the revised Index of Core Industries (ICI), with 2022-23 as the base year.

• The new ICI grew 5% year-on-year in June 2026, its highest in five months, with a quarterly growth of 3.6% in April-June 2026, up from 1% in the corresponding period of the previous year.
• Growth Drivers: Iron ore output (43.9%) anchored growth, alongside electricity and cement.
• Sectoral Decline: Natural Gas (-7.4%), Refinery Products (-4.7%), Crude Oil (-4.2%), Fertilisers (-3.3%) saw negative YoY growth.

Key features of New ICI

• Basket Expansion: Adds iron ore and assigns it a 4.905% weight, expanding the core industry basket from eight to nine industries.
• IIP Alignment: Uses gross instead of net production data for the Steel index, and reduces the combined weight of nine core industries to 32.88% to align with the Index of Industrial Production.
• Sectoral Weights: Electricity has the highest weight (30.932%), followed by refinery products (22.572%).
• Metric Refinement: Only raw coal is retained, excluding by-products such as Coal Middlings and Washed Coal to prevent double-counting.
• Linking Factor: It is the ratio of the old and new series’ monthly geometric means, in line with the IIP 2022-23 methodology.

{GS3 – Infra} Long-Duration Energy Storage **

• Context (TH): Rising renewable energy capacity and increasing electricity demand, have highlighted the importance of LDES for ensuring grid reliability and supporting India’s clean energy transition.

• LDES refers to energy storage technologies capable of storing electricity for more than 8 hours, extending from days to weeks or even seasons.
• By storing energy when renewable generation is abundant and supplying it during periods of peak demand or low generation, it can provide the reliability and flexibility to support a renewable-heavy grid.
• Several LDES technologies are available today, each at different stages of development and commercial readiness, including Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES), compressed-air energy storage (CAES), thermal storage, hydrogen-based storage, and flow batteries.

Need for LDES

• Rising Electricity Demand: Ex. India recorded its highest-ever peak electricity demand of 270.8 GW in May 2026, nearly 90 GW higher than in 2019.
• Grid Reliability: LDES ensures continuous power supply during prolonged renewable energy shortages caused by heatwaves, cloudy weather or weak wind conditions.
• Energy Security: Reduces dependence on fossil fuel-based peaking power plants and imported fuels.
• Climate Commitments: Supports India’s target of 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and Net Zero emissions by 2070.

Challenges Associated with LDES

• High Capital Costs: Most LDES technologies require substantial upfront investment, making large-scale deployment financially challenging.
• Site-Specific Constraints: Technologies such as PHES require suitable topography and water availability, while CAES depends on underground geological formations like salt caverns or depleted gas fields.
• Technology Maturity: Several promising LDES technologies, including hydrogen storage, thermal storage, and iron-air batteries, are still under development or at the demonstration stage.
• Policy and Regulatory Gaps: Existing policies, including the National Electricity Plan do not adequately recognise or provide dedicated deployment pathways for LDES.
• Lack of Grid Integration Framework: Limited operational guidelines and technical expertise for integrating multi-day storage systems into grid operations.
• Limited Domestic Manufacturing: Dependence on imported components and the absence of a robust domestic manufacturing ecosystem increase project costs and supply-chain vulnerabilities.

Way Forward

• Integrate LDES into National Energy Policy: Explicitly incorporate LDES in the National Framework for Promoting Energy Storage Systems and future National Electricity Plans.
• Technology-Neutral Incentives: Provide Viability Gap Funding (VGF), capital subsidies, tax incentives, and production-linked support for all LDES technologies based on performance.
• Develop Long-Term Revenue Mechanisms: Introduce capacity markets, long-term procurement contracts, and tariff frameworks to improve investment certainty for LDES projects.
• Accelerate Project Clearances: Fast-track environmental approvals, land acquisition, transmission connectivity, and regulatory clearances for storage infrastructure.
• Promote Indigenous Innovation: Strengthen R&D, pilot projects, and domestic manufacturing of advanced storage technologies under initiatives such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• Enhance Grid Preparedness: Build the capacity of Load Dispatch Centres (LDCs) and utilities through training, operational protocols, and digital tools for efficient multi-day and seasonal storage management.

{Prelims – A&C} Karivalamvanthanallur, Tamil Nadu

• Context (IE): Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology is excavating the Karivalamvanthanallur site on the banks of the Vaippar River in Tenkasi district.

• Excavations revealed continuous occupation from the Microlithic period directly into the Iron and Early Historic ages, bypassing the Neolithic and Chalcolithic phases.
• Key Findings: A 2,500-year-old square brick stepwell, Red-slipped burial urn painted with peacock motifs, perforated bowls and black-and-red pottery.
• Significance: The recovery of high-tin bronze makes Karivalamvanthanallur only the sixth site in Tamil Nadu to confirm this early historic alloy. Copper coins and graffiti-inscribed pottery indicate the settlement operated along ancient routes linking Madurai to the west coast.

{Prelims – A&C} Taj Mahal

• Context (TH): The Taj Mahal was recently in the news after the Allahabad HC issued notices to the centre and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on a petition challenging an Agra court’s refusal to permit a survey of the monument.

• The Taj Mahal is a 17^th Century white marble mausoleum located on the right bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
• It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal with construction starting in 1632 AD and completed in 1648 AD.
• Ustad-Ahmad Lahori was the main architect of the Taj Mahal. It is regarded as the finest example of Mughal architecture, combining Persian, Islamic, and Indian architectural styles.
• The monument is built primarily of Makrana white marble (Rajasthan) and is renowned for its pietra dura inlay work using semi-precious stones.
• The Taj Mahal was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for its outstanding universal value. It was also included among the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 through a global public poll.

Read More> Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ)

{Prelims – IE} Futures and Options

• Context (TH): Recent trading losses in Futures and Options segment has caught many investors in debt spiral.

About Futures and Options (F&O)

• F&O contracts are derivatives that allow investors to buy, sell, or lock in price of an underlying asset like stock, index, or commodity at a future date without actually owning it.
• Futures Contracts: Futures allow traders to lock in a future price for a commodity, effectively insulating them from price fluctuations.
• Options Contracts: Options provide the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a commodity at a specific price.
  • Example: An airline might purchase call options on jet fuel. If fuel prices rise, the airline can exercise the option, but if prices fall, it can let the option expire.
  • Types: Call Option (Confers right to buy a stock at the strike price before the agreement expires) and Put Option (Gives the holder the right to sell a stock at a specific price).
• Regulation: Traded in the stock exchange market, and are regulated by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) under Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.

{Prelims – Infra} Ultrafast Organic Anodes

• Context (PIB): Researchers developed a new porous organic material (covalent organic framework) that enables lithium ion to move much more easily.

• This battery is able to reach 80% charge in just over one minute while maintaining excellent performance over many charging and discharging cycles, making future rechargeable batteries much durable.
• The researchers also found that same material can store sodium ions, with possibility for development of affordable sodium-ion batteries.

Read More> Battery Energy Storage Systems

{Prelims – Social Sector} Dyslipidemia

• Context (IE): 87.3% of Indian adults have at least one abnormal lipid level, making dyslipidemia.

• Dyslipidemia is a medical condition characterized by abnormal levels of lipids (fats) in the blood.
• It occurs when there is an imbalance in one or more blood lipids, including High Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) (bad cholesterol); Low High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) (good cholesterol); & High triglycerides etc.
• Dyslipidemia usually has no symptoms and is often detected through a lipid profile blood test.
• Untreated dyslipidemia can lead to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in arteries), coronary artery disease, heart attack (myocardial infarction), and stroke etc.

{Prelims – PIN World} Falkland Islands *

• Context (IE): The Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) was in the news after Argentina’s players displayed a “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” banner during the 2026 FIFA World Cup celebrations, reviving the sovereignty dispute with the UK.

• Location: The Falkland Islands (known as Islas Malvinas in Argentina) are a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean, around 500 km east of Argentina.
• Capital: Stanley. The islands comprise East Falkland, West Falkland, and about 700 smaller islands. The Falkland Sound separates East and West Falkland.
• Climate: The islands feature a cool, sub-Antarctic, and very windy climate.

Dispute Over the Falkland Islands

{Prelims – PIN World} Estonia

• Context (PIB): The India–Estonia Business Forum took place in Tallinn, Estonia, strengthening bilateral cooperation in digital technology, cybersecurity, and trade.

• Estonia, in Northeastern Europe, is the northernmost of the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). Capital, Tallinn, is a Baltic port city with a UNESCO-listed Historic Centre (Old Town).
• Borders: Bounded by the Gulf of Finland in the north and the Baltic Sea in the west, it shares land borders with Russia (east) and Latvia (south) and maritime borders with both Finland and Sweden.

• Physical Features: Flat, glaciated landscape with over 50% forest cover and more than 2,000 islands, the largest being Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. Its highest point is Suur Munamägi.
• After its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia joined both NATO and the EU in 2004.
• It’s recognised globally for pioneering DPI with services like internet voting and the e-Residency program.

{Prelims – Misc} One Liners

• Polity – Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill (TH): The Union government introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. The Bill seeks to replace an ordinance promulgated by the President to increase the strength of judges in the top court from 34 to 38, including the Chief Justice of India. Read More> Increase in Supreme Court Judge Strength
• Social Sector – Qdenga Vaccine (PIB): Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved Qdenga as India’s first dengue vaccine. It is a live-attenuated, tetravalent vaccine by Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceuticals targeting all four dengue virus serotypes. It is for individuals aged 4 to 60, requiring two doses 3 months apart, with no pre-vaccination screening needed.
  • Dengue is a vector-borne disease (VBD) caused by the dengue virus (Genus Flavivirus) transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. India accounts for nearly one-third of global dengue infections.
• Envi – Two New Spider Species (PIB): Zoological Survey of India documented Simonia lawbah from Meghalaya’s subterranean Krem Lawbah Cave and Hamataliwa papikonda from Papikonda NP in Andhra Pradesh.
  • Simonia lawbah, a microscopic ‘ray spider’ that hunts using cone-shaped webs, is India’s first record of Simonia. Hamataliwa papikonda is a small (< 5 mm) yellow-bodied lynx spider that ambushes canopy prey without webs, using specialised hexagonal eyes and spiny legs.