KARNATAKA ISSUES

• On 2 July 2025, WHO expressed interest in documenting Karnataka’s Asha Kirana as a global model for people-centred eye care using ECSAT and ECIM tools at no cost. Launched on 18 February 2024 by CM Siddaramaiah, the programme offers door-to-door screenings by ASHA workers, secondary checks by ophthalmologists, free spectacles, and cataract surgeries. So far, over 10 million people have been screened. Karnataka has also established 393 Asha Kirana vision centres under the national blindness control programme.
• Karnataka’s PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana faces slow progress, with only 10,022 installations, the lowest in South India. This is primarily due to a misconception of full subsidy and the State’s Gruha Jyothi scheme, offering free electricity up to 200 units. Additionally, the loan requirement for subsidy access and installation hurdles, including alleged bribes, deter consumers. PM Surya Ghar-Muft Bijli is a central scheme to promote the adoption of solar rooftop systems by providing substantial financial subsidies and ensuring ease of installation. It aims to provide free electricity to one crore households in India, who opt to install roof top solar electricity units. The households will be able to get 300 units of electricity free every month.
• With the 56th Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting likely to be held in July, cooperative bodies marketing arecanut in the State have sought a reduction in GST on copper sulphate from a maximum 18% to 5%. Copper sulphate is a major ingredient in Bordeaux mixture, a fungicide used to control ‘kole roga’ (fruit rot disease) in arecanut plantations. The disease hits arecanut plantations when there is incessant heavy rains. The mixture is also used to control fungal diseases in crops such as coffee, rubber, cardamom, pepper, and ginger.

SCHEMES

• The Centre allowed inclusion of “non-transport motorcycles” by ride-hailing apps in its revised guidelines for taxi aggregators at a time States like Karnataka have banned bike taxis. The guidelines issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on July 1 provide a regulatory framework for State governments to issue licences and regulate aggregators. It says State governments may adopt these revised guidelines within three months
• The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has approved SPREE 2025 (Scheme for Promotion of Registration of Employers and Employees). The Scheme for Promotion of Registration of Employers and Employees (SPREE) 2025, approved by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), is a special initiative aimed at expanding social security coverage under the ESI Act. The scheme will be active from 1st July to 31st December 2025 and provides a one-time opportunity for unregistered employers and employees—including contractual and temporary workers—to enrol without facing inspections or demands for past dues.
• The “Handloom Hackathon 2025” was launched by the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) to revolutionize India’s handloom sector. Scheduled for August 2-3, 2025, at IIT Delhi, this national competition, themed “DREAM IT; DO IT,” will unite students, technologists, and artisans. It focuses on design innovation, sustainability, market access, skill development, and community building, aiming to empower handloom artisans economically. Online registration is open until July 31, 2025.

SOCIAL ISSUES

• The National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) has officially been renamed as the Savitribai Phule National Institute of Women and Child Development, reflecting its evolving role and greater focus on region-specific, mission-driven support for the development of women and children across India. NIPCCD now renamed as Savitribai Phule National Institute of Women and Child Development has its headquarters in New Delhi and presently has regional centres in Bangalore, Guwahati, Lucknow, Indore and Mohali .It serves as the apex body for training, research, documentation, and capacity building in the field of Women and Child Development. The Institute plays a pivotal role in strengthening implementation mechanisms under various flagship schemes through its online and physical training programmes .

ECONOMY

• HDB Financial Services, an HDFC Bank subsidiary, debuted on the stock market with a nearly 13% jump over its issue price. This strong performance propelled it to become India’s 8th largest NBFC, boasting a market capitalization of almost ₹70,000 crore.
• SEBI has mandated a Common Contract Note with a single Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) for easier institutional trading. VWAP is the average stock price weighted by trading volume, calculated daily using intraday data (Typical Price * Volume / Cumulative Volume). It helps investors benchmark current prices, decide entry/exit points, and optimize large trades by indicating market trends (above VWAP: uptrend; below: downtrend). While useful for algorithmic trading and cost reduction, its cumulative nature can cause data lags.

ENVIRONMENT

• The endangered and nocturnal White-eared Night Heron, native to southern China and northern Vietnam, was recently camera-trapped in Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh—marking only the second confirmed sighting in India since 2016. With a global population of just 250–999 mature individuals, it inhabits subtropical forests and river ecosystems. Its presence signals Namdapha’s high ecological value. Threatened by habitat loss and hunting, the sighting underscores the urgent need for intensified conservation and biodiversity research in the park.
• Kariyachalli Island, located in Tamil Nadu’s Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park between Rameswaram and Thoothukudi, is rapidly shrinking due to erosion, rising sea levels, and coral reef degradation. Once 20.85 hectares in 1969, its area dropped to about 3.14–4.12 hectares in 2024. With one-third of its coral bleached and the risk of submergence by 2036, Tamil Nadu is launching the TNSHORE project in August 2025 to deploy 8,500 artificial reefs and restore marine biodiversity.
• Taiwan’s Wandan mud volcano recently erupted, spewing bubbling mud and ignitable gases. A mud volcano is a cone formed by the gentle flow or forceful ejection of hot water and fine sediment, often releasing methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. These “sedimentary” or “gas-oil volcanoes” can erupt powerfully, hurl flames, and dramatically alter landscapes, with around 1,000 identified globally on land and undersea.
• C-FLOOD is a web-based platform that provides two-days advance inundation forecasts up to village level in the form of flood inundation maps and water level predictions. This initiative executed under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) jointly steered by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Department of Science and Technology (DST). It was collaboratively developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and Central Water Commission (CWC), Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR)
• Indian scientists recently discovered a new deep-sea eel species, Facciolella smithi (Smith’s witch eel), in the Arabian Sea.

INTERNATIONAL

• The Quad—comprising India, the US, Australia, and Japan—has launched the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative to reduce dependence on China for critical minerals vital to semiconductors, EVs, electronics, and defence. China currently dominates rare earth processing, affecting global industries, including India’s EV sector. The initiative supports secure supply chains, aligns with the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan, and complements India’s ₹16,300 crore National Critical Minerals Mission and the India-US TRUST initiative for tech collaboration in mineral extraction.
• India-US trade negotiations are facing major hurdles over four sensitive agricultural sectors—corn, ethanol, soybean, and dairy. India considers these areas non-negotiable to protect domestic farmers. Genetically modified (GM) crops, especially maize and soybean, are central to the dispute. While Bt cotton has boosted cotton output by 192% since 2002, GM crops remain controversial due to environmental, health, and seed sovereignty concerns. India’s import restrictions and high tariffs, particularly on GM products and dairy, are key points of contention.

MISCELLANEOUS

• The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) recently said its Kochi zonal unit busted “India’s most prolific darknet drug syndicate” operating under the name “Ketamelon”.
• SAKSHAM-3000 is a 25.6 Tbps switch-router designed for modern data centers, powering cloud, 5G/6G, and AI workloads. Supporting diverse Ethernet speeds (1G-400G) across 32 ports and featuring ultra-low latency with CROS (C-DOT Router Operating System), it functions from leaf to super-spine nodes in CLOS networks. This “future-ready” platform supports Layer-2, IP, and MPLS protocols, offers energy efficiency, flexible licensing, and high reliability, meeting the evolving demands of large enterprises and hyperscale data centers.
• The Coal Ministry launched RECLAIM , a Community Engagement and Development Framework for mine closures. Developed with the Heartfulness Institute, RECLAIM provides a step-by-step guide for inclusive community participation during and after mine closures. This framework, supported by India-specific tools, emphasizes gender inclusivity, vulnerable group representation, and alignment with Panchayati Raj Institutions, aiming for a just, equitable, and sustainable transition for mining communities, focusing on trust, ecological restoration, and long-term well-being.
• A UK F-35B fighter jet, grounded at Thiruvananthapuram Airport since June 14 due to technical issues, has unexpectedly become a Kerala Tourism sensation. An official social media post featuring the jet with a humorous caption, “Kerala is such an amazing place. I don’t want to leave,” went viral, showcasing brilliant marketing. The “most lethal” aircraft was diverted due to bad weather and remains unmoved, awaiting repairs by a UK engineering team, amidst widespread online trolling and even a fake sale advertisement.
• Ghana President John Mahama adorns PM Narendra Modi with ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’
• IndiGo announced the appointment of Amitabh Kant as a non-executive director on the Board of Directors of parent company InterGlobe Aviation Limited.
• Sarbartho Mani and Brijesh Divi won the Open and girls’ under-10 gold respectively while Pratitee Bordoloi took the honours in girls’ under-12 section in the FIDE World Cup Cadets 2025 event in Batumi, Georgia.