Current Affairs — 22 July 2026

1. India Joins the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies

Core Context: The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva in 2022 and is the first multilateral WTO agreement built entirely around an environmental sustainability goal. It seeks to discipline harmful subsidies that fuel overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and fishing of already overfished stocks. The agreement entered into force on 15 September 2025 after being ratified by two-thirds of WTO members.

Latest Developments:

• On 20 July 2026, India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance, becoming the 123rd WTO member to join the agreement.
• Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal formally handed over the instrument to the WTO Director-General.
• The government clarified that aquaculture and inland fisheries remain outside the agreement's scope, keeping India's shrimp export sector unaffected.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was adopted at MC12 (Geneva, 2022) and entered into force in September 2025.
• It is the first WTO agreement with environmental sustainability, rather than trade liberalisation alone, as its core objective.
• It disciplines subsidies linked to IUU fishing, overfished stocks, and unregulated high-seas fishing.
• Developing countries, including India, get special and differential treatment with carve-outs for traditional and subsistence fishing.
• The WTO is headquartered in Geneva; its Director-General is Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

2. Supreme Court: Religious Conversion and Loss of Scheduled Caste Status

Core Context: The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 originally recognised Scheduled Caste status only for Hindus; subsequent amendments extended it to Sikhs (1956) and Buddhists (1990). Persons who convert to religions outside this list, such as Christianity or Islam, fall outside the ambit of the Order regardless of their caste origin.

Latest Developments:

• The Supreme Court reaffirmed that conversion to Christianity results in immediate and complete loss of Scheduled Caste status.
• The Court held that Clause 3 of the 1950 Order creates an absolute prohibition, so no statutory benefit or reservation can be claimed once a person ceases to belong to an eligible religion.
• The judgment clarified that 'professing' a religion means its public practice, not merely a private or nominal belief.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 originally covered only Hindus; Sikhs were added in 1956 and Buddhists in 1990.
• Christians and Muslims remain outside the Order's ambit regardless of caste origin.
• The Ranganath Misra Commission had earlier recommended religion-neutral SC status, a recommendation not yet accepted by the government.
• Related constitutional provisions: Articles 341 (specification of Scheduled Castes), 330 and 332 (reservation of seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies).

3. Karnataka High Court Caps Default Imprisonment in Cheque-Bounce Cases

Core Context: Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 criminalises the dishonour of a cheque due to insufficient funds, prescribing imprisonment up to two years, a fine, or both. Courts often add a default term of imprisonment if the fine is not paid, and the length of this default term had been inconsistently applied across cases.

Latest Developments:

• The Karnataka High Court, in a ruling by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, held that a person cannot be jailed for more than six months in default of paying a fine in a Section 138 case.
• The Court based this on the statutory ceiling under Section 65 of the Indian Penal Code, now Section 8(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which limits default imprisonment to one-fourth of the maximum substantive sentence for the offence.
• The judgment emphasised that default imprisonment is coercive in nature, meant to compel payment, and must never become disproportionately punitive.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, Section 138 deals with dishonour of a cheque for insufficiency of funds.
• The Indian Penal Code, 1860 has been replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, effective 1 July 2024.
• Section 65 IPC / Section 8(3) BNS caps default imprisonment at one-fourth of the maximum imprisonment prescribed for an offence.
• Cheque-bounce proceedings are compoundable and are meant to secure compensation rather than function as a debt-recovery tool through incarceration.

4. RBI Moves Towards Polymer Banknotes

Core Context: Currency notes in India are printed by Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the RBI, with presses at Mysuru and Salboni. Several countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, have already switched to polymer notes for their durability and enhanced security features.

Latest Developments:

• BRBNMPL invited a global Expression of Interest on 17 July 2026 for the supply of opacified polymer substrate sheets for Indian banknotes.
• Bids are to be submitted by 18 August 2026; the tender does not yet specify denominations or a rollout timeline.
• RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra confirmed the proposal is still at a preliminary evaluation stage, weighing both benefits and practical challenges.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• BRBNMPL is the RBI's currency-printing subsidiary, with presses at Mysuru (Karnataka) and Salboni (West Bengal).
• Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL), under the Finance Ministry, separately prints currency (Nashik, Dewas) and mints coins.
• Polymer notes typically last four to five times longer than paper notes and are more resistant to moisture and counterfeiting.
• Section 22 of the RBI Act, 1934 gives the Reserve Bank the sole right to issue banknotes in India.

5. EPFO 3.0: A Technology-Driven Social Security Overhaul

Core Context: The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation administers provident fund, pension, and insurance benefits for organised-sector workers under the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. The Code on Social Security, 2020 had, for the first time, formally recognised gig and platform workers as a distinct category eligible for social security.

Latest Developments:

• EPFO announced its EPFO 3.0 roadmap, aiming to transform itself from a formal-sector provident fund manager into a universal social security platform.
• The reform will integrate gig and platform workers by capturing a 1-2 percent contribution from aggregator turnover through automated split-payment systems.
• It proposes a Core Banking Solution-based IT backbone, UPI and WhatsApp-based member services, and a reduction of withdrawal categories from 13 to just 3.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• EPFO functions under the Ministry of Labour and Employment and is governed by the EPF and MP Act, 1952, the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995, and the Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme, 1976.
• The Code on Social Security, 2020 consolidated nine labour laws and introduced provisions for gig, platform, and unorganised workers.
• The e-Shram portal is the national database created for registering unorganised workers.
• EPFO 3.0's simplified withdrawal categories: essential needs (illness, education, marriage), housing needs, and special circumstances.

6. India Approves Its First Dengue Vaccine: Qdenga

Core Context: Dengue is caused by four serotypes of the dengue virus and is transmitted by the day-biting Aedes aegypti mosquito. India carries one of the world's highest dengue burdens, and until now, no dengue vaccine had been licensed for use in the country.

Latest Developments:

• The Drugs Controller General of India granted market authorisation to Takeda's Qdenga (TAK-003), a live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine protecting against all four dengue serotypes.
• The vaccine is approved for people aged four to sixty years, given in two doses three months apart, and does not require prior dengue-infection screening.
• Clinical data show about 80 percent efficacy against confirmed dengue and over 90 percent efficacy against dengue-related hospitalisation.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• Dengue's vector is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which bites during the day, unlike malaria's Anopheles vector.
• The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), functioning under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), is India's apex drug and vaccine licensing authority.
• Qdenga had already been authorised in over 40 countries before receiving Indian approval.
• India's nodal programme for vector-borne diseases is the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).

7. Keel Laid for India's First Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel

Core Context: The Indian Coast Guard is responsible for maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and marine environment protection within India's Exclusive Economic Zone. Indigenous naval shipbuilding is a key pillar of the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision and the 'Buy (Indian-IDDM)' category of defence procurement.

Latest Developments:

• The keel for Yard 16401, the first of six Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs), was laid at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
• The 117-metre vessels will have a range of 5,000 nautical miles, a top speed of 23 knots, and capacity for 11 officers and 110 crew.
• They will feature AI-based predictive maintenance, remotely piloted drones, an Integrated Bridge System, and an Integrated Platform Management System.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited is a Navratna defence public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, based in Mumbai.
• 'Buy (Indian-IDDM)' stands for Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured — the highest-priority category under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), 2020.
• India's Exclusive Economic Zone extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline, as per UNCLOS.
• The Indian Coast Guard was established in 1978 under the Coast Guard Act, 1978 and functions under the Ministry of Defence.

8. Shabdalok: India's First Immersive Language Museum

Core Context: The National Library in Kolkata, India's largest public library, functions under the Ministry of Culture and is partly housed within the historic Belvedere Estate, which once served as the residence of the Governor-General before Kolkata ceased to be the capital in 1911.

Latest Developments:

• The Union Home Minister inaugurated the first phase of Shabdalok, or the Museum of Word, on 19 July 2026, developed at a cost of about Rs 41 crore.
• The museum features nine immersive galleries showcasing nearly 380 Indian languages through digital displays, holograms, and interactive installations.
• It highlights the 121 languages recorded as mother tongues in the 2011 Census, alongside a broader appeal to preserve India's linguistic heritage.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• Census 2011 recorded 121 languages (from among 19,569 raw mother-tongue responses, rationalised into 1,369 mother tongues).
• The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution currently lists 22 scheduled languages.
• The National Library, Kolkata traces its origins to the Calcutta Public Library (1836) and the later Imperial Library.
• Belvedere Estate is a heritage site historically linked to colonial-era Bengal administration.

9. Tunnel Gas Leak Tragedy at Sikkim's Teesta Stage VI Project

Core Context: The Teesta Stage VI Hydroelectric Project, developed by NHPC Limited, lies in the young, seismically active, and geologically fragile terrain of South Sikkim, where tunnelling frequently encounters unstable rock strata and trapped gas pockets.

Latest Developments:

• A landslide on 20 July 2026 blocked the entrance of an under-construction tunnel near Samardung and triggered a gas leak, suspected to be methane released from disturbed rock strata.
• Several workers were killed and others remained trapped, with high gas concentration hampering rescue operations for over 24 hours.
• The Sikkim government announced ex gratia compensation for the families of the deceased and for the injured.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• NHPC Limited is a Mini-Ratna central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Power and India's largest hydropower developer.
• Sikkim lies within Seismic Zone IV, part of the geologically young and fragile Eastern Himalayan belt.
• The incident highlights recurring concerns flagged by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) regarding tunnelling safety in Himalayan terrain.
• Static link: distinguish between landslides, subsidence, and rock-burst as distinct hill-construction hazards.

10. Catch the Rain 2026: Nationwide Water Conservation Push

Core Context: Catch the Rain is a flagship campaign of the National Water Mission, run by the Department of Water Resources under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, aimed at encouraging decentralised, community-driven rainwater harvesting ahead of and during the monsoon season, active every year since 2021.

Latest Developments:

• Following the Prime Minister's appeal during the 135th episode of Mann Ki Baat on 28 June 2026, a focused nationwide edition of the campaign ran from 4 July to 4 August 2026.
• The 2026 push integrates with the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari initiative, launched on 1 June 2026, which builds rainwater harvesting structures through public-private participation.
• Activities under the campaign include rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, restoration of traditional water bodies, and plantation drives.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• The National Water Mission is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti was created in 2019 by merging the Ministry of Water Resources with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• Related schemes: Atal Bhujal Yojana (community groundwater management) and Jal Jeevan Mission (piped drinking water to households).
• Mann Ki Baat is the Prime Minister's monthly radio address, running since October 2014.

11. Nifty500 Ahimsa Index: A New Ethical Investing Benchmark

Core Context: NSE Indices Limited, a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange, periodically launches thematic and ESG-aligned indices to guide values-based investing among Indian market participants.

Latest Developments:

• On 10 July 2026, NSE Indices launched the Nifty500 Ahimsa Index, developed with the Ahimsagain Foundation.
• The index screens Nifty 500 companies into Green, Orange, and Red categories based on non-violence towards animals, including exclusion of firms linked to alcohol, tobacco, weapons, and gambling.
• Only Green-category companies are included; the index had 326 constituents as of 30 June 2026, with a base date of 1 April 2016 and base value of 1000.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:

• NSE Indices Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange, which also publishes the Nifty 50, Nifty 500, and Nifty Next 50 indices.
• The index reflects the growing prominence of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) themes in Indian markets.
• SEBI's Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework is a related and frequently tested concept.
• Free-float market capitalisation is the standard weighting methodology used across NSE and BSE indices.