Daily Current Affairs- 13th July 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 13th July 2026

Ahmedabad Sets Guinness World Record by Planting 3.61 Lakh Saplings in One Hour

In the News: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, volunteers and residents of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency created a Guinness World Record by planting more than 3.61 lakh saplings within one hour. The plantation was carried out using the Miyawaki method and involved over 25,000 volunteers.

Key Points:

• Record Plantation Drive: More than 3,61,000 saplings were planted within one hour under the large-scale public plantation campaign. The initiative was undertaken by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation with the participation of voluntary organisations, government departments and local citizens.
• Miyawaki Method: The plantation used the Miyawaki technique, which involves planting native species at high density to create compact urban forests. The method was developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki and is particularly suitable for limited urban spaces.
• Public Participation: More than 25,000 volunteers took part in the record-setting exercise. The achievement was presented as an example of community-led environmental conservation supported by local administration and voluntary organisations.
• Wider Plantation Campaign: More than 1.26 crore saplings were planted across the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency under the Public Plantation Campaign. Of these, over 1.15 crore were planted at 404 public sites, while more than 11 lakh were planted on private premises.
• Connection with National Initiative: The plantation programme was associated with the broader ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign. The campaign seeks to promote tree plantation, public responsibility for sapling survival and community participation in environmental protection.

With 4 new benches, how the Supreme Court plans to clear its oldest pending cases

In the News: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant constituted four special Division Benches to hear the Supreme Court’s oldest pending civil and criminal cases. The arrangement, effective from July 13, 2026, seeks to provide uninterrupted hearings for decades-old matters and strengthen docket management in the Court.

Key Points:

• Composition of Civil Benches: Two Division Benches headed by Justice P.K. Mishra and Justice S.V.N. Bhatti will hear the oldest pending civil cases. Each bench consists of two judges and has been freed from routine miscellaneous hearings on the specified working days.
• Composition of Criminal Benches: Two other Division Benches, headed by Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, will exclusively deal with the oldest criminal matters. The separation of civil and criminal cases is intended to ensure focused and continuous hearings.
• Working Schedule: The special benches will function on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which are treated as non-miscellaneous days in the Supreme Court. Mondays and Fridays are generally reserved for fresh filings, admission matters and preliminary hearings.
• Scale of Pendency: National Judicial Data Grid figures cited in the report showed 96,045 cases pending before the Supreme Court. These included 74,244 civil matters and 21,801 criminal matters, making civil disputes the larger component of the backlog.
• Oldest Pending Matters: Twenty-four civil cases and two criminal cases had remained pending for more than 30 years. The oldest civil case dated back to 1986, while the oldest pending criminal case was registered in 1991.

What is PMFME Scheme?

In the News: The Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme was launched on June 29, 2020 under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, not a Central Sector scheme, administered by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. The scheme was operational from 2020-21 to 2025-26 with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore.

Key Points:

• Purpose of the Scheme: PMFME was designed to improve the competitiveness of existing micro-enterprises in the unorganised food-processing sector and assist their transition into the formal economy. It provides financial, technical, training and business-development support.
• One District One Product Approach: The scheme follows the One District One Product approach for selecting and developing locally important food products. This enables common procurement, processing, storage, branding, marketing and value-chain development within identified districts.
• Assistance to Individual Enterprises: Eligible individual micro food-processing units can receive a credit-linked capital subsidy equal to 35 per cent of the eligible project cost, subject to a maximum of ₹10 lakh. The beneficiary must contribute at least 10 per cent, while the remaining amount is financed through a bank loan.
• Support for Groups: Farmer Producer Organisations, producer cooperatives and Self-Help Groups can receive assistance for processing, storage, packaging, testing, marketing and common infrastructure. Eligible SHG members may receive seed capital of ₹40,000 each for working capital and small tools.
• Funding Pattern and Coverage: The standard Centre-State funding ratio is 60:40, while it is 90:10 for Northeastern and Himalayan states. Union Territories without legislatures receive complete Central funding, and the original target was to assist two lakh micro food-processing units.

India Joins NeoSep1 Trial to Combat Neonatal Sepsis

In the News: JIPMER, Puducherry, became the first centre in India to enrol a newborn in the NeoSep1 international clinical trial. The trial is examining safe, effective and affordable antibiotic combinations for neonatal sepsis, particularly infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant organisms.

Key Points:

• Participating Institution: The Indian centre is the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in Puducherry. Dr Nishad Plakkal, Head of JIPMER’s Department of Neonatology, is the principal investigator and represents Asia-Pacific sites on the trial’s steering committee.
• Coordinating Organisation: NeoSep1 is coordinated by the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, a not-for-profit organisation working on treatments for drug-resistant infections. The study has expanded across participating hospitals in Asia and Africa.
• Scale of the Trial: Nearly 3,000 newborns are expected to be enrolled over three years. The trial seeks to identify antibiotic combinations that are not only clinically effective but also affordable and suitable for hospitals in low- and middle-income countries.
• Antimicrobial Resistance Challenge: Multidrug-resistant organisms such as Klebsiella and Acinetobacter are increasingly found in neonatal intensive care units. Resistance has reduced the effectiveness of ampicillin and gentamicin, the first-line antibiotic combination recommended by the World Health Organization.
• PRACTical Trial Design: NeoSep1 uses a Personalised Randomised Controlled Trial design. Doctors first identify antibiotic regimens suitable for an individual newborn, after which randomisation is conducted among the appropriate options, allowing the study to reflect real clinical conditions.

US, UK and 12 Nations Reject China’s South China Sea Claims, Reaffirm 2016 Hague Ruling

In the News:  Fourteen countries issued a joint statement marking the tenth anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award. They reaffirmed that China’s expansive maritime claims, including those based on historical rights, have no legal basis under international law. The European Union released a separate statement supporting the ruling and peaceful settlement of maritime disputes.

Key Points:

• Countries Supporting the Statement: The joint statement was issued by the United States, United Kingdom, Philippines, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia. The countries opposed unilateral or coercive actions that could threaten peace and stability in the South China Sea.
• 2016 Arbitral Award: The award was delivered on July 12, 2016, in the case brought by the Philippines against China. The tribunal concluded that China had no legal basis to claim historical rights over resources within areas enclosed by its nine-dash line beyond the maritime zones permitted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
• Legal Framework: The case was decided by an arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex VII of UNCLOS, with the Permanent Court of Arbitration serving as the registry. The award is considered final and legally binding on China and the Philippines, although the tribunal did not decide questions of territorial sovereignty over land features.
• Navigation and Maritime Security: The joint statement stressed the importance of freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight and other lawful uses of the sea. It also opposed the use of coast guard vessels, military forces and maritime militia to obstruct or intimidate the lawful maritime activities of other countries.
• China’s Response: China rejected the renewed international support for the award and described the ruling as illegal, null and void. Beijing maintains that it neither accepts nor recognises the tribunal’s decision and continues to claim sovereignty and maritime rights over large parts of the South China Sea.

Wimbledon Championship 2026: Full List of Winners Category Wise

In the News: The Wimbledon Championships 2026 concluded at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on July 12. The tournament was conducted from June 29 to July 12 on outdoor grass courts. Jannik Sinner retained the gentlemen’s singles title, while Linda Noskova secured her first Grand Slam women’s singles championship.

Key Points:

• Gentlemen’s Singles: Italy’s Jannik Sinner defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Sinner successfully defended his Wimbledon title and registered his fifth Grand Slam singles championship and his 100th Grand Slam match victory.
• Ladies’ Singles: Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova defeated compatriot Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. The victory gave the 21-year-old Noskova her first Grand Slam singles title following an all-Czech championship match on Centre Court.
• Gentlemen’s Doubles: Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Henry Patten of Britain defeated Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia 7-6(4), 7-6(3). Heliovaara and Patten claimed their second Wimbledon doubles title as a partnership.
• Ladies’ Doubles: China’s Guo Hanyu and France’s Kristina Mladenovic defeated Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Luisa Stefani of Brazil 6-3, 7-5. It was the pair’s first Wimbledon women’s doubles championship together.
• Mixed Doubles and Prize Money: Marcelo Arevalo and Jelena Ostapenko defeated Australians Marc Polmans and Storm Hunter 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the mixed doubles final. The total prize-money fund for Wimbledon 2026 was £64.2 million, with the gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles champions receiving £3.6 million each.