One Liner Current Affairs
- Supreme Court flagged state inaction on bonded labour rescue; asked for district-wise status.
- Centre to tighten tap water rollout under Jal Jeevan Mission with stricter deadlines.
- Delhi plans AI cameras and smart signals to decongest main city routes.
- Odisha and Bihar flood-hit areas to get NDRF teams for fresh rescue ops.
- Central audit shows gaps in states’ urban flood plans.
- Enemy Property Act enforcement widened — old land claims under scrutiny.
- The Digital India mission is to link land records for faster e-governance.
- The Supreme Court flagged abuse of free speech online, urged self-regulation, or the State may step in.
- Kaushal Kishor judgment (2023) reaffirmed that fundamental rights can apply horizontally between citizens too.
- Lok Sabha to adopt a new digital attendance system with biometric and PIN login for MPs.
- The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) fixed prices for 71 key drugs under DPCO to ensure affordable medicines.
- Birkenstock sued local sellers for counterfeit sandals; India remains a major source of fake goods globally.
Economy, Trade & Infra
- India’s trade deficit widened due to rising oil and gold imports.
- GST collection stays above ₹1.6 lakh crore for July.
- Railways to open more private cargo corridors under Gati Shakti.
- SEBI plans tighter mid-cap norms to protect retail investors from sudden losses.
- New EPR norms set higher targets for aluminium and copper recycling.
- The maize policy meeting highlighted its ethanol blending and poultry feed role.
- Coal India to boost captive solar and wind power for mines.
International & Strategic
- The Indian Navy joined ASEAN anti-piracy drills to strengthen maritime security.
- India–Japan to launch more green hydrogen pilots under Indo-Pacific push.
- India supported the Sudan peace process under African Union mediation.
- BRICS New Development Bank added Colombia and Uzbekistan as new members.
- Brazil–India talks advanced on Akash missile co-production.
Science, Tech & Health
- CSIR to roll out affordable genome test kits for rare diseases.
- Kerala flagged fresh Nipah risk areas; WHO issued global caution.
- IIT study found Ganga floods falling, Kerala’s pre-monsoon floods rising.
- ISRO to map urban heat islands for future city plans.
Environment & Climate
- Odisha’s mangrove cover grew due to local replanting efforts.
- Rajasthan to expand solar parks; SECI’s total green contracts cross 60 GW.
- CPCB to extend real-time air monitoring to Tier-2 cities.
- States to use drones and GIS to check illegal forest encroachments.
- India may gain market share in 61% of its US exports, with a tariff edge in steel, textiles, nuclear reactors, and vehicles.
- NITI Aayog proposed expanding PLI schemes, AEO programs, new FTAs, and upskilling to boost export competitiveness.
- Finance Minister urged faster Global Capability Centres (GCCs) setup — India hosts 1,800+ GCCs, with 2.16 million employed.
- Retail inflation hit a 6-year low at 2.1% in June 2025.
- MoEF exempted 78% of thermal plants from installing Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) units, sparking pollution worries.
- India reached 50% installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuels, 5 years ahead of its Paris Agreement NDC target.
- Key drivers: PM Surya Ghar, PM-KUSUM, PLI for solar and wind, Viability Gap for offshore wind.
- Story of Tommy Garnett’s Environmental Foundation for Africa — led to Sierra Leone’s first UNESCO World Heritage site: Gola–Tiwai Complex.
- Indian scientists found that quantum noise can unexpectedly generate or revive entanglement, which helps in quantum error correction.
- Ram Air Turbine was deployed in the Ahmedabad Air India crash — provides emergency power when engines fail.
- Next-gen Shinkansen high-speed trains to run on Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train line with advanced crash avoidance.
- China unveiled a new high-speed Maglev train — covers 1,200 km in 2.5 hours, faster than air travel.
- Machilipatnam Greenfield Port (AP) is nearly 50% complete — revives historic trade hub from Satavahana & Golconda times.
Welfare & Society
- PM-POSHAN kitchens to get stricter digital tracking to prevent mid-day meal fund leaks.
- WHO pushed India to levy higher sugar taxes to curb lifestyle diseases.
- Govt to update Community Forest Rights data for gram sabha empowerment.
- First batch of AH-64E Apache helicopters from the US to be deployed in Jodhpur for border operations.
- Talisman Sabre 2025, Australia’s biggest joint drill with 19 countries, including. India — large-scale amphibious and cyber ops.
Places & Mapping
- Ancient temple found in Odisha linked to the Somavamshi dynasty.
- Seine River in Paris reopened for swimming after 100+ years.
- Peru coastal ruins show new Andean-Pacific trade evidence.
- The Behdeinkhlam festival is celebrated in Meghalaya by the Jaintia Pnars to spiritually ‘drive away plague’.
- Sierra Leone’s Gola–Tiwa rainforest and island were declared a World Heritage site — a milestone for West Africa’s biodiversity.
Robust Growth in Services Exports
Context:
India’s trade deficit shrank by 9.4% in the first quarter (April–June) of FY 2025, largely due to robust growth in services exports, which helped offset moderate growth in goods exports.
Key Highlights:
- Overall exports up 6%:
- Grew to $210.3 billion in Q1, up from $198.5 billion year-on-year.
- Services lead the charge:
- Services exports rose nearly 11% to $98.1 billion (from $88.5 billion).
- Merchandise exports rose only 2% to $112.2 billion — petroleum price drops were a drag.
- Deficit narrows: Overall trade deficit fell 9.4%, now at $20.3 billion.
- Top buyer:
- The U.S. remains India’s largest export destination — exports up 22.1% to $25.5 billion.
- Other key markets: UAE ($9.04 bn), Netherlands ($5.65 bn), China ($4.4 bn).
- Imports also grew:
- Overall imports rose 4.4% to $230.6 billion.
- Merchandise imports up 4.2%, services imports up 4.9%.
Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100% “secondary tariffs”
Context:
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has warned that Brazil, China, and India could face significant economic consequences if they continue buying Russian exports while the U.S. pushes for a peace deal on Ukraine.
Key Points:
- Trump’s announcement: U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100% “secondary tariffs” on any country that buys Russian exports if Russia does not agree to peace talks within 50 days.
- Countries at risk: Mark Rutte specifically named Brazil, China, and India as countries that should reconsider doing business with Russia to avoid these new sanctions.
- Call for action: Rutte urged the leaders of these countries to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to start serious negotiations for peace.
- NATO’s new commitment: Rutte said NATO will increase military support for Ukraine. Under a new deal, the alliance will buy weapons from the United States, including air defense systems, missiles, and ammunition, and send them to Ukraine.
- Support from Europe: Rutte added that Europe will find the funds to help Ukraine and ensure it is in a strong position for any future negotiations.
- Senate reaction: U.S. senators supported Trump’s plan, but some, like Republican Senator Thom Tillis, said they were concerned about giving Russia 50 days to continue fighting without facing immediate consequences.
- Next steps: The Pentagon and NATO commanders are working out the details of which weapons to supply, including whether to send long-range offensive missiles.
Pakistan court on online blasphemy
Context:
A court in Islamabad has ordered the government to investigate the growing number of young people being accused of blasphemy online, especially on WhatsApp groups.
Key Points:
- The Islamabad High Court directed the government to form a commission within 30 days to look into the allegations.
- The commission must submit its report within four months.
- Since 2022, more young men have been arrested for alleged blasphemy online.
- Rights groups say private law firms and their volunteers often track people online and bring cases to trial.
- Blasphemy is a very serious crime in Pakistan, punishable by death, and even false accusations can lead to lynchings or families being isolated.
- A 2023 report by the National Commission for Human Rights found 767 people, mostly young men, were in jail for blasphemy charges.
- Lawyer Imaan Mazari, who represents affected families, said the court order gives families hope, as many youngsters are falsely accused and face lifelong stigma even if acquitted.
Bilateral Investment Treaty with the US
Context:
India is actively pursuing multiple international trade negotiations to expand its export markets and strengthen economic ties with major regions. The government is currently working on finalising new trade agreements with the European Union (EU) and the United States (US), while also reviewing and updating its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Key Highlights:
- India has completed the 12th round of negotiations with the EU and exchanged market access offers.
- Negotiators could soon close a few chapters of the EU deal, though differences remain in some areas.
- A team from India is in Washington for the third time in recent months to negotiate a trade deal with the US.
- The Fall deadline for concluding the Bilateral Investment Treaty with the US is still in place.
- The Indian team has included sector-specific experts to resolve detailed issues.
- Recent tariff threats from US President Trump have not yet impacted the trade talks.
- India and ASEAN have held nine rounds of meetings so far to review their FTA.
- Progress on the ASEAN review has been uneven, but discussions continue on customs, trade facilitation, technical cooperation, and market access.
- The next ASEAN negotiation rounds will be held in New Delhi in August and Malaysia in October.
- India aims to reach a conclusion on the ASEAN pact review before the ASEAN-India Summit at end-October.