Defence and Strategic Advancements
India's indigenous defence manufacturing received a significant boost with the commissioning of the Diving Support Vessel (DSV) INS Nistar on Friday, July 18, 2025. This marks a crucial achievement in the nation's pursuit of self-reliance in defence. Additionally, India successfully test-fired two nuclear-capable missiles, Prithvi-II and Agni-I, from Odisha, demonstrating their accuracy, technical strength, and defence readiness. In international defence cooperation, the Indian Navy is participating in SIMBEX 2025, the 32nd edition of a bilateral naval exercise with Singapore, aimed at enhancing maritime cooperation and interoperability.
Urban Development and Cleanliness Initiatives
The results of the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 highlighted significant improvements in urban cleanliness across India. Vijayawada was ranked the fourth cleanest city in the country. Mysuru successfully entered the 'Super Swachh League', recognized for its long-term cleanliness and community participation. Bengaluru also showed remarkable progress, climbing from rank 125 to 36 among Million-Plus Cities, though challenges remain in areas like toilet cleanliness and legacy landfill management.
Economic Developments and Investment
The Indian market witnessed new foreign investment with Tesla inaugurating its first showroom in India, located in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), debuting the Model Y. On the industrial front, Maharashtra unveiled Vidarbha's first integrated steel plant in Gadchiroli, a project expected to advance industrial growth, create jobs, and establish Vidarbha as a manufacturing hub. In a notable international economic development, the European Union imposed sanctions on India's second-largest refinery, Nayara Energy's Vadinar refinery, as part of its 18th set of sanctions against Russia, given Rosneft's 49% ownership in the refinery.
Government Policies and Social Welfare
In a significant move, the Bihar Cabinet approved a scheme to provide up to 125 units of free electricity to 1.67 crore domestic consumers, effective from August 1, 2025. Furthermore, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) called for a review of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) due to a high failure rate in Aadhaar biometric verification, which could potentially exclude beneficiaries from social welfare schemes. The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also laid foundation stones and inaugurated multiple projects worth ₹1,087.81 crore in Meghalaya, praising the state's growth and utilization of central funds.