Daily Current Affairs- 17th July 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 17th July 2026

Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu top NITI Aayog’s Investment Friendliness Index

In the News: NITI Aayog released the Investment Friendliness Index 2026 on July 17, 2026. Gujarat secured the highest overall score, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The index evaluates the ability of States and Union Territories to attract, facilitate and sustain investment.

Key Points:

• Leading States: Gujarat ranked first with a score of 56.6 out of 100, Maharashtra stood second with 53.7, and Tamil Nadu ranked third with 53.3. Goa and Odisha completed the list of five top-performing States.
• Coverage of the Index: The index assesses all 28 States and eight Union Territories. It provides a common framework for comparing investment conditions and identifying areas requiring policy, regulatory or infrastructure improvements.
• Eight Assessment Pillars: The index covers infrastructure, business climate, resources, government policy, regulatory ease, institutional environment, financial health and environmental resilience. These pillars examine both economic capacity and the quality of administration.
• Reasons for High Rankings: Gujarat performed strongly in port operations, electricity supply and financial health. Maharashtra benefited from private equity and venture capital investment, while Tamil Nadu scored well in infrastructure, exports and conversion of investment agreements into projects.
• Purpose of the Index: NITI Aayog has described the exercise as a diagnostic and benchmarking tool rather than merely a competitive ranking. States are classified as top performers, frontrunners, emerging performers and aspiring States according to their overall investment ecosystem.

Indus Waters Treaty: Why India wants to renegotiate the pact with Pakistan

In the News:  India has renewed its demand for modification or renegotiation of the Indus Waters Treaty, arguing that the 1960 agreement does not adequately address present-day climatic, technological and security conditions. India has separately kept the treaty in abeyance following the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Key Points:

• Origin of the Treaty: The treaty was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960, by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan after nine years of negotiations. The World Bank facilitated the negotiations and is also a signatory.
• Division of Rivers: Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, known as the Eastern Rivers, were allocated primarily to India. Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, called the Western Rivers, were allocated primarily to Pakistan, while India retained limited rights for irrigation, domestic use and hydroelectric generation.
• India’s Modification Notices: India issued its first formal notice on January 25, 2023, followed by another notice on August 30, 2024. The notices sought government-level discussions under Article XII, which permits treaty provisions to be modified through a duly ratified agreement.
• Changed Circumstances: India has cited population growth, climate change, changing river flows, modern hydropower technology and increased water requirements. The treaty also lacks detailed provisions concerning groundwater, water quality, environmental flows and integrated basin management.
• Dispute-Resolution Structure: Questions are first examined by the Permanent Indus Commission, differences may be referred to a Neutral Expert, and disputes can reach a Court of Arbitration. India has objected to parallel Neutral Expert and arbitration proceedings concerning the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects.

India’s first night safari gets SC nod

In the News: The Supreme Court has conditionally approved the Kukrail Night Safari and Day Zoo project in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The ₹1,510-crore project is proposed as India’s first night safari and the fifth such facility globally. Its construction must comply with all environmental and regulatory conditions.

Key Points:

• Location and Area: The project will be developed over approximately 855 acres within the 2,027-hectare Kukrail Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Lucknow. The reserve is an important urban green space named after the Kukrail stream, a tributary of the Gomti River.
• Project Components: Phase I will include the night safari and associated conservation facilities, while Phase II will include a day zoo. The design provides for naturalistic habitats, forest trails, interpretation centres, conservation breeding facilities and battery-operated visitor vehicles.
• Nocturnal Wildlife Experience: Special lighting will imitate natural moonlight, allowing visitors to observe nocturnal animals without causing excessive disturbance. Proposed species include Asiatic lions, Bengal tigers, leopards, hyenas, flying squirrels and gharials.
• Environmental Conditions: The Supreme Court directed compliance with recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee, the Central Zoo Authority and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Periodic inspections will be conducted, and separate permission will be required before trees are felled.
• Kukrail’s Conservation Importance: Kukrail houses the Gharial Rehabilitation Centre, established in 1975 for the conservation and breeding of the critically endangered gharial. The Central Empowered Committee rejected the proposed adventure zone and did not permit the relocation of the existing Lucknow Zoo.

Skyroot’s Vikram-1 Set for Historic Launch as India’s First Private Orbital Rocket

In the News: Skyroot Aerospace scheduled the maiden flight of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, for July 18, 2026, from Sriharikota. The countdown was placed on a planned hold shortly before the scheduled 11:30 am liftoff. The mission remains part of a launch window extending until August 4.

Key Points:

• Mission Aagaman: The maiden orbital flight has been named Mission Aagaman, meaning “arrival”. It is being conducted from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, and aims to place multiple payloads into low Earth orbit.
• Rocket Specifications: Vikram-1 is a four-stage, seven-storey launch vehicle designed for small satellites. It can carry up to 350 kg to low Earth orbit and approximately 260 kg to a Sun-synchronous orbit.
• Propulsion and Structure: The rocket has three solid-fuel lower stages and a restartable liquid-fuel upper stage. Its carbon-composite structure and three-dimensional printed liquid engine are intended to reduce weight and support quicker manufacturing.
• Payloads and Target Orbit: Mission Aagaman is designed to place domestic and international technology-demonstration payloads into an orbit of about 450 km. The payload manifest includes satellites and experimental systems from Skyroot, DCUBED, Grahaa Space and Cosmoserve Space.
• Skyroot and Private Space Reforms: Skyroot Aerospace was founded in Hyderabad in 2018 by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka. Its Vikram-S rocket conducted India’s first private rocket launch in November 2022, while the establishment of IN-SPACe in 2020 created a formal route for private companies to use national space infrastructure.

Birth Anniversary of K. Kamaraj

In the News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Thiru K. Kamaraj on his 123rd birth anniversary. He remembered Kamaraj as a stalwart of the freedom movement and an exceptional public figure whose life was devoted to nation-building.

Key Points:

• Early Life and Freedom Struggle: Kumaraswami Kamaraj was born on July 15, 1903, at Virudupatti, now Virudhunagar, in Tamil Nadu. He joined the national movement at a young age and participated in the Salt Satyagraha, Civil Disobedience Movement and Quit India Movement, facing imprisonment several times.
• Chief Minister of Madras State: Kamaraj served as Chief Minister of Madras State from 1954 to 1963. His administration concentrated on rural schools, free education, school enrolment and the expansion of the noon-meal programme, earning him the title “Kalvi Thanthai” or Father of Education.
• Development Initiatives: His government expanded irrigation facilities, roads, electricity supply and industrial infrastructure across Madras State. Major dams and reservoirs were developed during his tenure, alongside public-sector and manufacturing projects that supported agricultural and industrial growth.
• Kamaraj Plan: In 1963, he proposed that senior Congress leaders holding government positions should resign and work to strengthen the party organisation. Kamaraj himself resigned as Chief Minister under the plan and later became President of the Indian National Congress.
• National Role and Recognition: Kamaraj served as Congress President from 1964 to 1967 and played an important role in the selection of Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi as Prime Ministers. Popularly described as the “Kingmaker”, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1976.

The journey of Sonam Wangchuk, the activist: Education to ecology to politics

In the News: Ladakhi educator and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi on July 18, 2026, after his health deteriorated during the 21st day of an indefinite hunger strike. The protest sought accountability and reforms following alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

Key Points:

• Education Reformer: Wangchuk is an engineer and educator who co-founded the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh in 1988. SECMOL promotes practical education, locally relevant learning and residential programmes for young people from Ladakh.
• Operation New Hope: In 1994, he led Operation New Hope in collaboration with government departments, village communities and civil society. The programme focused on teacher training, local learning material and community participation in the management of government schools.
• Ecological Innovations: Wangchuk developed the Ice Stupa technique, which stores winter water as cone-shaped artificial glaciers. The ice melts gradually during spring, supplying water when farmers in the cold desert region require it for irrigation.
• Ladakh Movement: His activism expanded to demands for constitutional and environmental safeguards for Ladakh, including protection of land, employment and natural resources. He has also supported demands for statehood and safeguards resembling those available under the Sixth Schedule.
• Sixth Schedule and Recognition: The Sixth Schedule, associated with Articles 244(2) and 275(1), presently covers tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Wangchuk received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018 for his community-driven reforms in education and sustainable development.