WEEK 2: July 8–12, 2026
The second week of July 2026 was headlined by Prime Minister Modi’s landmark state visit to Indonesia, a major fertiliser-reform scheme, a successful strategic missile test, record foreign exchange reserves, and a fresh scientific reclassification with conservation significance. All ten topics below carry strong exam weight.
1.PM Modi’s State Visit to Indonesia BrahMos Deal and Highest Civilian Honour [Foreign Policy]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a three-day state visit to Indonesia (July 6–8, 2026) at the invitation of President Prabowo Subianto. India and Indonesia signed 16 bilateral agreements, including cooperation on the BrahMos missile system and the Astra air-to-air missile. On July 7, 2026, PM Modi was conferred the ‘Bintang Adipurna of the Republic of Indonesia’, the country’s highest civilian honour, instituted in 1959.
Exam Tip: Note that India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru received the same honour posthumously. Link this visit to the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2018) and 75 years of diplomatic relations (2024) – a strong UPSC GS-II bilateral-relations topic.
2.India-Indonesia Cultural and Institutional Cooperation Deepens [Foreign Policy / Culture]
During the visit, India and Indonesia agreed to jointly restore the UNESCO World Heritage Prambanan Temple Compounds through the Archaeological Survey of India, and declared 2026–27 as the ‘Tagore–Dewantara Year of India-Indonesia Cultural and Educational Diplomacy’. Both sides also welcomed the proposal for an IIM Bangalore branch campus at Singhasari SEZ, Indonesia.
Exam Tip: Know India’s growing list of overseas academic campuses – IIM Ahmedabad (Dubai), IIT Madras (Zanzibar), IIT Delhi (Abu Dhabi) – and the significance of Rabindranath Tagore’s 1927 visit to Indonesia for the Tagore–Dewantara Year link.
3.PM-PRANAM Scheme Launched with Rs 2.11 Lakh Crore Outlay [Agriculture / Economy]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PM-PRANAM) on July 8, 2026, at a national agriculture conclave in New Delhi. The scheme incentivises states to cut chemical-fertiliser consumption and shift to nano-fertilisers, bio-stimulants and organic inputs, sharing 50% of subsidy savings with implementing states as a grant.
Exam Tip: Know related agriculture schemes for comparison – PM-KISAN, PKVY (organic farming), and Soil Health Cards. PM-PRANAM was conceptualised by the Department of Fertilizers under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
4.DRDO Successfully Test-Fires Agni-Prime Ballistic Missile [Defence / Science & Technology]
India successfully test-fired the Agni-Prime (Agni-P) ballistic missile from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha, on July 8, 2026. Conducted by DRDO and the Strategic Forces Command, the test validated the missile’s navigation, guidance, and propulsion systems. Agni-P is a canisterised, MARV-capable missile with a 1,000-2,000 km range, first tested in December 2021.
Exam Tip: Know India’s Agni missile series (Agni-I to Agni-P and Agni-V), the role of the Strategic Forces Command (established 2003) in managing India’s nuclear arsenal, and the significance of canisterised, dual-redundant navigation systems.
5.India’s Forex Reserves Hit Record $710.5 Billion [Indian Economy]
India’s foreign exchange reserves rose to an all-time high of $710.5 billion for the week ending July 4, 2026, as per RBI data released on July 8, 2026, driven by strong FII inflows and RBI’s strategic reserve accumulation.
Exam Tip: Know the components of forex reserves – foreign currency assets, gold reserves, SDRs, and the RBI’s reserve tranche position with the IMF. A recurring one-mark banking-awareness question.
6.Himalayan Pangolin Recognised as an Independent Species [Environment / Biodiversity]
A study published in the journal Communications Biology re-recognised the Himalayan pangolin as an independent species, Manis aurita, distinct from the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), based on extensive genomic and morphological analysis. The two species are believed to have diverged roughly 1.8 million years ago.
Exam Tip: Pangolins are among the world’s most trafficked mammals, protected under CITES Appendix I and India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. ‘Species in News’ is a recurring UPSC Prelims theme.
7.President Unveils Durand Cup 2026 Trophies [Sports]
The President of India unveiled the three trophies of the Durand Cup Football Tournament 2026 – the Durand Cup, the Shimla Trophy, and the President’s Cup – at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Established in 1888 in Shimla, the Durand Cup is Asia’s oldest and the world’s third-oldest operational football competition, organised under the aegis of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Exam Tip: Know India’s oldest sporting tournaments: Durand Cup (football, 1888), IFA Shield (1893), and the DFTS (Durand Football Tournament Society) that manages the event today.
- Global Passport Index 2026: India Ranked 125th, Sweden Tops List [International Reports]
Global Citizen Solutions released the Global Passport Index (GPI) 2026, ranking India 125th among 197 countries with a composite score of 45.1 – its highest score in five years, though the rank dropped one place from 2025. Sweden topped the rankings, followed by Switzerland, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands.
Exam Tip: Distinguish the Global Passport Index (Enhanced Mobility, Investment, Quality of Life) from the Henley Passport Index, which ranks visa-free destination count. Both are frequently confused in exam MCQs.
Tags: Global Passport Index 2026, Sweden passport, India passport rank, international reports GK
9.Government Appoints New Chiefs for BPR&D, NCRB and SVPNPA [Appointments / Internal Security]
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved new IPS chiefs for three key law-enforcement institutions in July 2026: Alok Kumar Mittal as Director General, Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), and Amit Garg as Director, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), succeeding Alok Ranjan.
Exam Tip: Know the mandate of each body: BPR&D (police modernisation and research), NCRB (crime data and statistics), and SVPNPA, the National Police Academy at Hyderabad that trains IPS probationers.
10.Ministry of Tribal Affairs Launches TribeX Digital Learning Platform [Education / Culture]
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched TribeX on July 7, 2026, India’s first dedicated digital learning platform for tribal arts, culture, languages and traditional knowledge, inaugurated by Union Minister Jual Oram in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It offers free certificate courses and UGC-recognised postgraduate diploma programmes in areas such as Santali language and tribal textiles.
Exam Tip: Link TribeX to other tribal-welfare initiatives – Van Dhan Vikas Yojana, PM-JANMAN, and the Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) network – a growing UPSC GS-II Social Justice theme.