Current affairs for UPSC
Daily notes mapped to syllabus topics, with “Asked before” PYQs and original practice MCQs.
GS2 · Bilateral relationsOn 11 July 2026 in Auckland the Prime Ministers of India and New Zealand announced an India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership and endorsed a Roadmap to 2030. The roadmap has six pillars covering diplomacy, defence, trade, people-to-people links, education and science, and regional cooperation. Bilateral trade in goods and services is to aim for NZ$7 billion (₹35,000 crore) by 2030.
UPSC angle: Prelims: partnerships.
11 Jul 2026GS3 · Air pollutionCAQM's Flying Squads inspected 17 urban road stretches spanning about 46.87 km in Noida and Greater Noida on 10 July 2026. Nine stretches had end-to-end paving; eight did not. Unpaved pathways and missing central verges were also flagged. Authorities were told to finish redevelopment under CAQM's Standard Framework.
UPSC angle: Prelims: PM sources.
11 Jul 2026GS3 · IPRCSIR and IP Australia signed an agreement giving Australia's patent office access to India's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library during the 3rd India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne on 9 July 2026. TKDL, set up in 2001, holds over 5.2 lakh formulations from Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Yoga. Eighteen patent offices now have access under NDAs.
UPSC angle: Prelims: TKDL.
10 Jul 2026GS3 · MSMEsOn 10 July 2026 the Ministry of MSME highlighted a 30 June 2026 notification that makes TReDS the mandatory settlement route for all CPSE purchases from MSMEs. CPSEs must disclose TReDS routing and get a statutory auditor certificate of registration and compliance. The step fulfils a Union Budget 2026-27 commitment.
UPSC angle: Prelims: TReDS.
10 Jul 2026GS3 · Shipping, financeThe Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has exempted IFSC units in GIFT City, Gandhinagar, from the licensing requirement under Section 11 of the Coastal Shipping Act, 2025. Eligible units need not take a Director General of Shipping licence to charter foreign vessels for EXIM and international trade. Cabotage and coastal-trade safeguards stay unchanged.
UPSC angle: Prelims: IFSC.
10 Jul 2026GS3 · EnergyA PIB backgrounder of 10 July 2026 answers FAQs on the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme. Blending rose from about 8.1 percent in ethanol supply year 2020-21 to 20 percent in 2025-26 (November to June). The note stresses a two-decade policy path, manufacturer consultation, and service data showing no wave of E20-related damage.
UPSC angle: Prelims: EBP.
10 Jul 2026GS3 · Railway safetyIndian Railways has approved Kavach Version 4.0 on 680 route kilometres of the Rewari-Delhi and Shakurbasti-Bathinda sections, including feeder branch lines, on Delhi Division, Northern Railway. The project costs ₹206 crore. Kavach is India's indigenous Automatic Train Protection system against SPAD and collisions.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Kavach.
10 Jul 2026GS2 · India–AustraliaPrime Minister Modi visited Australia from 8 to 10 July 2026 for the Third India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne. The leaders reaffirmed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They announced a Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation, a Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap, and finalised uranium export administrative arrangements under IAEA safeguards.
UPSC angle: Mains: India–Australia ties.
9 Jul 2026GS3 · EnvironmentThe National Mission for Clean Ganga is piloting Nature-based Solutions alongside STPs. Two constructed-wetland projects at Shastri Park Drain and Kailash Nagar Drain will treat about 10 MLD discharging into the Yamuna. Six training programmes (Aug 2025 to Mar 2026) reached more than 100 officials.
UPSC angle: Prelims: NbS.
9 Jul 2026GS3 · IndustryDPIIT amended two footwear Quality Control Orders on 12 June 2026. Legacy stock may now be cleared until 31 July 2027 instead of 31 July 2026. Manufacturers may import up to 4,500 pairs of footwear a year for research and development, marked NOT FOR SALE and later disposed as scrap.
UPSC angle: Prelims: QCOs.
9 Jul 2026 
