Daily Current Affairs- 18th July 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 18th July 2026

Gujarat Tops NITI Aayog’s First Investment Friendliness Index for States

In the News: NITI Aayog released the first Investment Friendliness Index 2026, assessing the investment environment across all 28 states and eight Union Territories. Gujarat secured the first position with a score of 56.6, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The index compares states on factors affecting the establishment, operation and expansion of businesses.

Key Points:

• Leading States: Gujarat topped the overall ranking with 56.6 points, while Maharashtra secured the second position with 53.7 points. Tamil Nadu ranked third with 53.3 points, followed by Goa with 53.1 points and Odisha with 52.4 points.
• Assessment Framework: The index evaluates states through 84 indicators organised under eight pillars. These are infrastructure, business climate, resources, government policy, regulatory ease, financial health, institutional environment and environmental resilience.
• Data and Scoring: The index uses a 100-point scale and combines 62 secondary-data indicators with 22 perception-based indicators. Feedback from investors and publicly available economic and administrative data were used to assess state-level conditions.
• Performance Categories: States and Union Territories were classified as top performers, frontrunners, emerging performers and aspiring states. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Odisha were placed in the top-performer category with scores above 50.
• Purpose of the Index: The index is intended to identify strengths and weaknesses in state investment ecosystems and encourage competition among states. It covers policy predictability, infrastructure, access to resources, regulatory processes and the broader conditions required for sustained private investment.

RBI Financial Stability Report 2026: Top Takeaways You Should Know

In the News: The Reserve Bank of India released the June 2026 edition of its Financial Stability Report on 30 June 2026. The report described India’s financial system as resilient and well-capitalised, supported by improving bank asset quality and strong capital buffers. It also highlighted risks arising from geopolitical tensions, energy prices, funding pressures and technology-related threats.

Key Points:

• About the Report: The Financial Stability Report is released half-yearly and presents the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council. It examines systemic risks and the resilience of banks, NBFCs, insurance companies and other financial institutions.
• Improvement in Asset Quality: The gross non-performing asset ratio of scheduled commercial banks declined to a multi-decadal low of 1.8 per cent in March 2026. Agriculture continued to record the highest sectoral GNPA ratio at 5.1 per cent and accounted for 37.2 per cent of total bank GNPAs.
• Capital and Profitability: The capital-to-risk-weighted-assets ratio of scheduled commercial banks stood at 17.7 per cent, while the Common Equity Tier-1 ratio reached 15.3 per cent. Bank profit after tax increased to ₹4,05,268 crore during 2025-26.
• Stress-Test Results: Under the baseline scenario, the banking system’s GNPA ratio may rise marginally to 1.9 per cent by March 2028.
• Risks Identified: The report warned that high oil prices, supply-chain disruptions, global public debt, stretched asset valuations and leveraged non-bank institutions could affect financial stability. It also noted that 8 NBFCs could fall below prescribed capital levels under a severe credit-stress scenario.

Andy Burnham Confirmed as UK Labour Leader, Set to Become Prime Minister

In the News: Andy Burnham was confirmed as leader of Britain’s governing Labour Party on 17 July 2026, replacing Keir Starmer. He is scheduled to formally become Prime Minister after Starmer submits his resignation to King Charles III and Burnham is invited to form a government. The transfer of office is due to take place on 20 July 2026.

Key Points:

• Labour Leadership: Burnham was officially declared Labour leader at a special party conference held at the Trades Union Congress in London. He received the support of 379 Labour MPs and 23 affiliated organisations and faced no rival in the final leadership process.
• Return to Parliament: Burnham returned to the House of Commons after winning the Makerfield by-election on 18 June 2026. He secured a majority of 9,231 votes, enabling him to contest the leadership of the parliamentary Labour Party.
• Political Background: Burnham served as Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 and became widely known as the “King of the North”. He previously held senior positions including Health Secretary, Culture Secretary and Chief Secretary to the Treasury under earlier Labour governments.
• Constitutional Transition: In the United Kingdom, the monarch formally appoints the person capable of commanding the confidence of the House of Commons as Prime Minister. Burnham will assume office after Starmer’s resignation is accepted and King Charles III invites him to form the government.
• Stated Priorities: Burnham has identified the cost-of-living crisis, weak public services, regional inequality and the concentration of power in Westminster as major concerns. He has promised greater devolution of authority and a government focused on improving living standards across different regions of the United Kingdom.

Vikram-1 Launches India’s First Private Orbital Rocket

In the News: Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital launch vehicle, on July 18, 2026. The rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota under Mission Aagaman and placed its payloads in a low-Earth orbit of about 450 kilometres.

Key Pointers:

• Mission Aagaman: The maiden orbital flight was named Mission Aagaman, meaning “arrival”. The mission demonstrated the ability of an Indian private company to develop, launch and operate an orbital-class rocket carrying customer payloads.
• Rocket Specifications: Vikram-1 is an all-carbon-composite launch vehicle capable of carrying payloads weighing up to 350 kilograms to low-Earth orbit. It uses solid-fuel boosters and a three-dimensional-printed liquid engine for its orbital operations.
• Developer and Naming: The rocket was developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, founded by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka. The Vikram series is named after Dr Vikram Sarabhai, regarded as the father of India’s space programme.
• Payloads Carried: The mission carried Skyroot’s SCOPE satellite, DCUBED’s technology-demonstration payload, Grahaa Space’s SOLARAS S3 satellite and Cosmoserve Space’s Embrace robotic arm. Embrace has been designed to demonstrate technologies associated with capturing orbital debris.
• Private Space Regulation: The launch was authorised by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, or IN-SPACe. Vikram-1 followed the 2022 launch of Vikram-S under Mission Prarambh, which was India’s first privately developed suborbital rocket mission.

Harjit Singh Grewal – The New National Commission for Minorities Chief

In the News: The Ministry of Minority Affairs notified the nomination of Harjit Singh Grewal as Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities on July 16, 2026. S. Munawari Begum was nominated as Vice-Chairperson, while Glenn E. Souza Ticlo was appointed as a member of the Commission.

Key Points:

• New Chairperson: Harjit Singh Grewal is a senior political leader from Punjab and belongs to Dhanaula in Barnala district. He succeeds Iqbal Singh Lalpura, whose tenure as NCM Chairperson ended in April 2025.
• Statutory Foundation: The National Commission for Minorities is a statutory body established under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. The recent nominations were made under Sections 3 and 4 of the Act.
• Composition of NCM: The Commission consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and five members nominated by the Central Government. At least five members, including the Chairperson, must belong to the notified minority communities.
• Tenure: The Chairperson and members hold office for three years from the date on which they assume charge. Their conditions of service, resignation and removal are governed by the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
• Notified Minorities: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians or Parsis were initially notified as minority communities. The Jain community became the sixth nationally notified minority community in January 2014.

72nd National Film Awards 2026: Who Won Best Actor, Best Actress And Best Film?

In the News: The winners of the 72nd National Film Awards were announced on July 18, 2026, at the National Media Centre in New Delhi. The awards recognised films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification between January 1 and December 31, 2024.

Key Points:

• Best Feature Film: Article 370, directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, won the Best Feature Film award. The film’s producers, Jio Studios and B62 Studios, and its director received the Swarna Kamal and the prescribed cash prize.
• Best Actor: Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan jointly received the Best Actor in a Leading Role award. Mammootty was recognised for the Malayalam film Bramayugam, while Kartik Aaryan was honoured for the Hindi film Chandu Champion.
• Best Actress: Yami Gautam won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for her performance in Article 370. The award carried the Rajat Kamal and a cash prize of ₹2 lakh.
• Direction Awards: Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Direction for the Tamil film Amaran. Randeep Hooda received the Best Debut Film of a Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
• Other Major Honours: Kalki 2898 AD won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Bhangaar was selected as the Best Non-Feature Film, while Ram-Nami received the Best Documentary award.