Current Affairs 22 July 2026

India–North Macedonia Business Forum Held in Skopje

President Droupadi Murmu delivered the inaugural address at the India–North Macedonia Business Forum in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, on 21 July 2026. The forum was attended by North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, government representatives, business leaders, and industry associations from both countries. Droupadi Murmu is the 15th President of India.

The visit marked the first visit by an Indian President to North Macedonia. The President observed that bilateral trade was growing steadily but remained below its full potential. She called for stronger cooperation through mutual investments and long-term commercial partnerships.

The sectors identified for cooperation include digital innovation, Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, agro-processing, and green energy. Partnerships among startups, universities, research institutions, and technology enterprises were also encouraged.

About North Macedonia:

• Official name: Republic of North Macedonia
• Capital and largest city: Skopje
• Currency: Macedonian denar
• Location: Southeastern Europe, in the Balkan Peninsula
• North Macedonia became independent from Yugoslavia in 1991.
• President: Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova

Andy Burnham Becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Andy Burnham became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 20 July 2026, succeeding Keir Starmer. King Charles III formally invited him to form a government after Starmer submitted his resignation. Burnham became the United Kingdom’s seventh Prime Minister in a decade.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is formally appointed by the monarch. By constitutional convention, the monarch invites the person most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons to form the government.

Mission Golden Spice

The Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region launched Mission Golden Spice – Integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain Enhancement Project in Meghalaya. The ₹175.45-crore initiative aims to develop the State’s GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric into a globally competitive premium spice brand.

The Mission will be implemented as a five-year programme from 2025 to 2030 in two phases. Phase I will focus on strengthening the value chain, while Phase II will expand cultivation, processing, and market access. It is anchored by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and the North-Eastern Council.

Lakadong turmeric is known for its exceptionally high curcumin content of 7–10%, nearly four times the global average. Curcumin is the natural compound responsible for turmeric’s yellow colour and many of its medicinal and nutraceutical properties.

The Mission aims to expand the area under Lakadong turmeric cultivation from about 2,500 hectares to nearly 7,500 hectares. It also seeks to raise farmers’ earnings from around ₹30–₹40 per kg to nearly ₹80 per kg by 2030.

Why Wholesale Inflation Is Rising in India?

India’s wholesale inflation rose sharply to 9.87% in June 2026, compared with 9.68% in May and 3.98% in March. The increase was driven mainly by higher fuel and input costs, rising manufactured product prices, and food supply pressures, rather than excessive demand alone.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) measures changes in the prices of goods at the wholesale or producer level. Its three major groups are Primary Articles, Fuel and Power, and Manufactured Products. In June 2026, inflation stood at 7% for Primary Articles, 27.41% for Fuel and Power and 7.48% for Manufactured Products.

Higher international crude-oil and petroleum-product prices directly increase fuel costs. They also raise transportation, electricity, packaging, and industrial production expenses. When producers pass these increased costs to buyers through higher prices, it is called cost-push inflation.

India also experiences imported inflation when the prices of imported commodities such as crude oil, natural gas, fertilisers, and edible oils increase. A depreciation of the rupee can further raise the domestic cost of imports, even when their international prices remain unchanged.

Food prices are highly sensitive to agricultural supply. Poor monsoons, droughts, crop damage, heatwaves, and supply-chain disruptions can reduce the availability of food commodities and raise prices. Such inflation caused by a reduction in supply is known as supply-side inflation. India’s WPI Food Index inflation increased from 4.49% in May to 6.14% in June 2026.

Inflation may also occur when overall demand grows faster than the economy’s capacity to produce goods and services. This is known as demand-pull inflation. However, the recent rise in India’s wholesale inflation appears to have been driven mainly by cost and supply factors rather than strong excess demand.

Types of Inflation

• Demand-pull inflation: Occurs when aggregate demand exceeds the available supply of goods and services.
• Cost-push inflation: Results from higher production costs, including fuel, wages and raw materials.
• Imported inflation: Arises when imported commodities become costlier due to global price increases or currency depreciation.
• Food inflation: Refers to increases in the prices of food items, often caused by weather and supply disruptions.
• Structural inflation: Results from long-term weaknesses such as inadequate storage, transport, irrigation or market infrastructure.
• Headline inflation: Measures the overall rise in prices, including volatile food and fuel prices.
• Core inflation: Excludes food and fuel prices to reveal the underlying and relatively persistent inflation trend.
• Built-in inflation: Occurs when workers demand higher wages in response to past inflation, prompting firms to raise prices further.
• Stagflation: A situation involving high inflation, weak economic growth, and high unemployment.
• Deflation: A sustained decline in the general price level.
• Disinflation: A slowdown in the rate of inflation, although prices continue to rise.

Reducing inflation caused by supply and cost pressures requires measures beyond monetary policy. These include improving irrigation, storage, and food distribution systems, diversifying energy sources, and adjusting fuel taxes when global crude oil prices rise sharply.

India Approves Its First Dengue Vaccine, QDENGA

The Drug Controller General of India has granted market authorisation to QDENGA, making it the first dengue vaccine approved in India. Developed by Takeda, the vaccine has been authorised for preventing dengue among individuals aged 4–60 years.

QDENGA, also known as TAK-003, is a live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine. It contains weakened forms of all four dengue virus serotypes—DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4—and is intended to protect each of them.

The vaccine is administered in a two-dose regimen, with the second dose given three months after the first. Under its Indian authorisation, it may be administered irrespective of whether the person has previously had dengue, without mandatory pre-vaccination screening.

The World Health Organization prequalified QDENGA in May 2024. However, WHO’s public-health recommendation is specifically for children aged 6–16 years in areas with high dengue-transmission intensity; this is narrower than India’s regulatory market authorisation for persons aged 4–60 years.

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Key Points for Exams:

• Vaccine: QDENGA
• Developer: Takeda
• Approved age group in India: 4–60 years
• Vaccine type: Live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine
• Dengue is transmitted mainly by infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Magnetic Levitation in High-Speed Maglev Trains

Maglev, meaning magnetic levitation, uses powerful magnetic fields to lift and propel a train above a specially designed guideway. With no wheel-to-track contact during normal operation, rolling friction is eliminated, allowing speeds above 400 km/hr. There are two kinds of Maglev train systems available.

In Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS), the train has powerful electromagnets fitted underneath it. These magnets are attracted to the metal guideway above them. This upward magnetic attraction lifts the train slightly, so it floats about 10 mm above the guideway.

The gap must remain very small and constant. Sensors continuously measure the distance between the train and the guideway. If the train moves too close, the magnetic force is reduced. If it moves too far away, the magnetic force increases. In this way, the train remains balanced without touching the track.

In Electrodynamic Suspension (EDS), the train carries very powerful superconducting magnets. When the train moves, these magnets pass near coils fixed along the guideway. The changing magnetic field produces an electric current in the coils. This process is called electromagnetic induction.

According to Lenz’s law, the magnetic field produced by the induced current always opposes the change that caused it. Therefore, the guideway coils create a magnetic field that repels the magnets on the train. This repulsive force pushes the train upward and makes it float.

EDS generally works only after the train reaches a certain speed because the magnets must move fast enough to induce a strong current in the coils. At low speed, the train may use wheels. Once it gains sufficient speed, the magnetic force becomes strong enough to lift it above the guideway.

GREAT Scheme

The Ministry of Textiles is implementing the Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT) scheme under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM). Launched in 2023, the scheme supports innovators, scientists, technologists, and startups in converting research ideas into commercially viable technical-textile products.

Under the GREAT scheme, each approved startup can receive financial assistance of up to ₹50 lakh. The scheme covers innovations such as smart textiles, self-sanitising fabrics, graphene-based materials, energy-harvesting fabrics, medical textiles, shape-memory wearables, and advanced composites used in automobiles, construction, and defence.

Key Points for Exams:

• GREAT Scheme: Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles
• Parent mission: National Technical Textiles Mission
• Implementing ministry: Ministry of Textiles
• Maximum assistance per approved startup: ₹50 lakh
• Main objective: Convert innovative ideas into commercial technologies and products
• From Andhra Pradesh, one proposal from Guntur district has been approved under the GREAT scheme.

Harjit Singh Grewal assumed charge as the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) on 21 July 2026. His appointment is aimed at strengthening the Commission’s work relating to minority welfare, social inclusion, empowerment, and equal opportunities.

The National Commission for Minorities is a statutory body constituted under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. It consists of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and five members nominated by the Union Government. Their term of office is three years.

Q1. Which company developed the QDENGA dengue vaccine?
A. Bharat Biotech
B. Serum Institute of India
C. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
D. Biological E Limited

Q2. In June 2026, India’s wholesale inflation rose sharply due mainly to higher fuel and production costs. This type of inflation is known as:
A. Demand-pull inflation
B. Cost-push inflation
C. Built-in inflation
D. Deflation

Q3. According to Lenz’s law, the direction of an induced current is such that it:
A. Increases the change in magnetic flux
B. Opposes the change in magnetic flux that produces it
C. Always flows in a clockwise direction
D. Produces no magnetic field

Q4. What is the capital city of North Macedonia?
A. Sofia
B. Skopje
C. Belgrade
D. Tirana

Q5. Who became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in July 2026?
A. Keir Starmer
B. Andy Burnham
C. David Cameron
D. Rishi Sunak

Q6. Mission Golden Spice was launched to promote the GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric of which State?
A. Assam
B. Meghalaya
C. Sikkim
D. Arunachal Pradesh

Q7. Who assumed charge as the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities in July 2026?
A. Glenn Souza Ticlo
B. Harjit Singh Grewal
C. Berjis Desai
D. S. Munawari Begum

Q8. What is the maximum financial assistance provided to an approved startup under the GREAT scheme?
A. ₹25 lakh
B. ₹40 lakh
C. ₹50 lakh
D. ₹1 crore