PLFS Monthly Bulletin – June 2026: UR Remains Unchanged at 5.5%
In July 2026, the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Monthly Bulletin: June 2026, 15th in the series covering both rural and urban areas.
- As per this report, India’s overall Unemployment Rate (UR) for people aged 15 years and above remained unchanged at 5.5% in June 2026.
- Unemployment Rate (UR): The rural UR for persons of age 15 years and above decreased marginally from 5.1% in May 2026 to 5.0% in June 2026, while urban UR increased slightly from 6.4% to 6.6%.
India launches Rs 1,500cr Biomedical Research Career With Wellcome Trust support
In July 2026, Union Minister of State (MoS), Independent Charge (IC), Dr. Jitendra Singh, Ministry of Science & Technology (MoS&T) launched Phase-III of the Biomedical Research Career Programme (BRCP) with a total outlay of Rs. 1,500 crore, including Rs. 1,000 crore from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India (GoI) and Rs. 500 crore from Wellcome Trust (WT), London, United Kingdom (UK).
- Implementation: The programme is jointly implemented by DBT in partnership with WT through the DBT-WT India Alliance, administered by a dedicated Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
- Objective: The programme aims to nurture a globally competitive biomedical research workforce, including basic scientists, clinician-researchers, public health experts, science communicators, and research managers.
India hosted the 12th BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting in Hyderabad, Telangana
In July 2026, India hosted the 12th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting in Hyderabad, Telangana under its BRICS Chairship 2026, which is themed “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
- The meeting concluded successfully with the adoption of the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Declaration, and the launch of BRICS CONNECT, an initiative proposed by India to strengthen technical cooperation, knowledge exchange, and capacity building among BRICS nations.
- Key Outcome: The key highlight of the meeting was the adoption of the Joint Statement of the 4th BRICS WMM, aimed at strengthening long-term collaboration under the BRICS Women Track.
- Key Initiatives: During the meeting, BRICS member nations agreed on two initiatives proposed by India: The BRICS Digital Repository of Best Practices and the BRICS Digital Capacity Building.
- BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies Meeting: India hosted the BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies Meeting held from July 06, to July 07, 2026 in Guwahati, Assam.
- Organiser: The two-day long meeting was organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
- Priority Areas: The meeting was mainly focused on three key priority areas: curbing synthetic drugs and the diversion of precursor chemicals, bolstering intelligence sharing and operational coordination among member countries, and enhancing institutional cooperation and capacity building.
- Key Outcomes: During the meeting, the BRICS member nations unanimously adopted the Guwahati Declaration. Also, India proposed the establishment of a dedicated BRICS Virtual Working Group (VWG) to systematically address the evolving trends in drug trafficking and enhanced cross-border training initiatives.
- 3rd BRICS Transport Ministers’ Meeting: India hosted the 3rd BRICS Transport Ministers’ Meeting (TMM) held from July 11 to July 12, 2026 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, under the chairmanship of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
- Key Outcome: The meeting concluded successfully with the unanimous adoption of the Ministerial Declaration, providing a comprehensive framework for collaboration on circularity in infrastructure, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), transport decarbonisation, urban mobility hub, logistics supply chain cooperation and BRICS Railway Research Network.
- Other Key Engagements: In addition, India organised GO-BRICS India-Russia Energy-o-thon 2026, considered as the world’s 1st BRICS nations hackathon in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- The BRICS Academic Thematic Conference on “Strengthening BRICS Connectivity: Fostering Cooperation”, organised jointly by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the BRICS Expert Council Russia in Moscow, Russia.
MoPSW Approves Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster in Porbandar & Ship Repair Facility at Vadinar under SbDS
On 15 July 2026, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) accorded in-principle approval to a Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster in Porbandar district and a state-of-the-art Ship Repair Facility at Vadinar in the Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, under the Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS).
- The projects aim to strengthen India’s indigenous shipbuilding and ship repair capabilities under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, supporting the country’s ambition to emerge as a global shipbuilding hub.
President Murmu Inaugurates ‘Saushrutam 2026’ at AIIA in New Delhi
In July 2026, the President of India Droupadi Murmu inaugurated ‘Saushrutam 2026’, a three-day international seminar focused on Ayurvedic surgery, at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in New Delhi (Delhi) on the occasion of Sushruta Jayanti, celebrated in honour of Sushruta, known as the Father of Surgery.
Union MoS Arjun Ram Meghwal Launches ‘e-VSP Portal’ for Digital Access to Legal Publications
In July 2026, Union Minister of State (MoS), Independent charge (IC) Arjun Ram Meghwal, Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J) launched the electronic – Vidhi Sahitya Prakashan (e-VSP) portal, a digital platform that provides easy access to legal books, publications, and educational resources, at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi, Delhi.
About e-VSP Portal:
Development: The e-VSP portal has been developed to provide seamless digital access to publications of Vidhi Sahitya Prakashan (VSP).
- The e-VSP portal is hosted at www.vsp.gov.in.
India’s First AI-Integrated Vertical University Campus Inaugurates in Chennai TN
In July 2026, Padma Shri Sridhar Vembu, Chief Scientist and Co-founder of Zoho Corporation Pvt. Ltd., inaugurated VELS Institute of Science, Technology, & Advanced Studies (VISTAS)’s Thiruvanmiyur campus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN), regarded as India’s 1st Artificial Intelligence (AI)-integrated vertical university campus.
- About Campus: The newly inaugurated campus features Industry-Academia Centres of Excellence (CoEs), established in partnership with Intel Unnati, Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) iON, Microsoft, Oracle Academy.
- These CoEs will enable the students to have experience in Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and other emerging technologies.
Pi-labs Partners with Google Cloud to Deliver Mission-Ready AI Solutions for India
In July 2026, pi-labs, an Indian Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfake detection company focused on regional security operations and digital governance, entered into a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to advance the delivery of secure, scalable and mission-ready AI solutions for India.
- Under the collaboration, Google Cloud will provide the secure, scalable, and resilient infrastructure needed to host robust AI workloads, while pi-labs will provide localised AI models and capabilities purpose-built to align with governance ecosystem of India.
DIBD and PNB Sign MoU to Advance Multilingual AI for Inclusive Banking
In July 2026, the Digital India BHASHINI(BHASha INterface for India) Division (DIBD), under the Digital India Corporation (DIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Punjab National Bank (PNB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on multilingual Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions for inclusive banking and citizen-centric financial services through the BHASHINI for Seva/Sanchalan initiative.
Social Activist Dr. Nandini Azad Receives Bharat Samman 2026 for Women’s Empowerment
In July 2026, Dr. Nandini Azad, President of the Working Women’s Forum (India) (WWF-I) and the Indian Cooperative Network for Women (ICNW), received the Bharat Samman 2026, in recognition of her lifelong contributions to women’s empowerment, financial inclusion, and grassroots social development.
- The award was presented at an event held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, by the International Institute of Education and Management (IIEM) in association with the Economic Growth Foundation (EGF).
Mindaugas Sinkevicius Sworn in as Lithuania’s New PM
In July 2026, Mindaugas Sinkevicius, leader of Lithuanian Social Democratic Party(LSDP) was sworn in as 20th Prime Minister (PM) of Lithuania after the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) approved his party’s government Manifesto.
- He succeeds Inga Ruginienė, who stepped down on 14 July 2026.
Policybazaar Appointed Amitabh Bachchan as Brand Ambassador for Insurance Awareness Campaign
In July 2026, Policybazaar, India’s online insurance marketplace, appointed veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan as its Brand Ambassador to spearhead a nationwide awareness campaign “Parivaar Sabse Pehle” (Family Comes First), developed by MagicCircleon Communications.
- The campaign, aims to raise awareness of health and term insurance, promote timely financial protection for families, and support the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) vision 2047 of expanding insurance coverage across India.
Fairfax Financial Holdings to Acquire 60.72% Stake in IDBI Bank
In July 2026, Canada-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) emerged as the preferred bidder to acquire a 60.72% stake in Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) Bank Limited from the Government of India (GoI) and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in a Rs. 52,932 crore (USD 5.5 billion) deal.
- If approved, the acquisition will become the largest foreign investment in an Indian bank, subject to approvals from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Competition Commission of India (CCI), and a mandatory Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)-mandated open offer to public shareholders.
Asian U-19 & U-23 Boxing Championships 2026: Uzbekistan Tops; India Wins 29 Medals Including 5 Gold
The Asian Under-19 (U-19) & U-23 Boxing Championships 2026, inaugural edition of the combined boxing tournament, held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 3-16 July 2026, where India’s boxers secured 29-medal haul with 5 gold, 13 silver, and 11 bronze medals, to finish third in the overall medal standings.
- Uzbekistan topped the medal table with 33 medals (21 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze and Kazakhstan finished second with 30 medals (11 gold, 11 silver and 8 bronze).
ICC Approves New Formats for Men’s ODI and T20 World Cups to Enhance Competitiveness
In July 2026, the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved major format changes to the ICC Men’s One Day International (ODI) World Cup and the ICC Men’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup, introducing a Super 7 round-robin stage in the 14-team ODI World Cup and a Super 10 stage with Eliminators in the 20-team T20 World Cup, during its annual Board meetings held in Edinburgh, Scotland..
Padma Shri Awardee & Nokkuvidya Puppetry Exponent Moozhikkal Pankajakshi Passed Away
On 15 July 2026, renowned Nokkuvidya Pavakkali exponent Moozhikkal Pankajakshi passed away in Koothattukulam, Kerala, at the age of 90. She was born on 14 March 1936 at Urulikunnath, Pala in Kottayam district, Kerala
- She was honoured with the Padma Shri, India’s 4th -highest civilian award, in 2020 for her outstanding contribution to the field of Arts.
AI Appreciation Day 2026 – July 16
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Appreciation Day is annually observed across the world on 16 July worldwide to recognise the transformative role of AI in driving innovation and shaping society and the economy.
Background:
Origin: AI Appreciation Day was established in May 2021 by the United States of America (USA)-based A.I. Heart LLC.
Evolution of AI: AI research traces its roots to the 1943 artificial neuron model by McCulloch & Pitts, while the term “Artificial Intelligence” was coined at the Dartmouth Workshop in 1956.
- Early AI ethics debates were shaped by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Alan Turing’s Church–Turing Thesis, which proposed that machines could perform logical operations using binary code.
World Snake Day 2026 – July 16
World Snake Day is observed annually on 16 July across the world to raise awareness about the ecological importance of snakes, promote their conservation, dispel myths associated with them, and highlight the diversity of over 3,900 snake species that play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance.