News of The Day – 6th July 2026

The Hindu, Indian Express, Live Mint, Business Standard, Economic Times, PIB and AIR, etc

(with Syllabus Relevance)

• Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951.
• Served as India’s first Minister for Industry and Supply.
• Opposed Article 370 and advocated full integration of Jammu & Kashmir.
• Remembered for his contribution to nationalist politics and education.

(GS-2: Polity & Governance)

• MeitY directed Meta to remove advertisements promoting Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM).
• Governed by the Information Technology Act, 2000 and IT Rules, 2021.
• Sections 67, 67A and 67B prescribe punishment for obscene, sexually explicit and child sexual abuse content.
• Intermediaries must remove such content within 24 hours after lawful notice or lose safe harbour protection under Section 79.
• Enforcement is supported by I4C and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

(GS-2: Polity & Governance)

• India has significantly reduced Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) but postnatal care remains inadequate.
• Major concerns include anaemia, malnutrition and quality of maternal healthcare.
• Key schemes: PMSMA, Janani Suraksha Yojana, LaQshya and POSHAN Abhiyaan
• Strengthening primary healthcare and continuum of care is essential to achieve SDG-3.
• Institutional deliveries alone are insufficient without quality follow-up care.

(GS-2:International Relations)

• India will chair the UNCTAD Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection.
• UNCTAD promotes fair trade, consumer rights and sustainable development.
• Focus areas include digital markets, cross-border e-commerce and consumer protection.
• Highlights India’s growing leadership in global digital governance and consumer policy.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Indo-Gangetic Plains contribute significantly to India’s milk production.
• Favourable climate, abundant fodder and high livestock density support dairy farming.
• Climate change, heat stress and fodder shortages threaten productivity.
• Government initiatives include Rashtriya Gokul Mission and National Programme for Dairy Development.
• Dairy sector plays a vital role in rural livelihoods and nutritional security.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) involves sowing seeds directly instead of transplanting seedlings
• Saves 15–30% irrigation water and reduces labour costs.
• Shortens crop duration and lowers methane emissions.
• Increasingly adopted due to labour shortages and uncertain monsoon conditions.
• The major challenge is effective weed management.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Matcha is a finely powdered green tea produced from shade-grown tea leaves.
• Assam has produced India’s first commercial matcha tea.
• Diversifies India’s tea industry into premium value-added products.
• Enhances export potential and farmer income.

(GS-3: Economy)

• PPP 2.0 is a revised Public-Private Partnership framework to revive private investment in infrastructure.
• Focuses on balanced risk-sharing, transparent contracts and faster dispute resolution.
• Encourages long-term institutional investors through improved project design.
• Supports National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), PM Gati Shakti and Viksit Bharat goals.
• Aims to overcome issues such as stalled projects and aggressive bidding under earlier PPP models.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Located at Pachpadra, Balotra (Rajasthan).
• Developed by HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd. (HRRL).
• India’s first greenfield integrated refinery-petrochemical complex.
• Enhances domestic refining capacity and petrochemical production.
• Strengthens energy security, employment generation and import substitution.

(GS-3: Science & Technology)

• SOLVE (Sub-Orbital Launch Vehicle for Experiments) is being developed for Gaganyaan test missions.
• Used to validate the Crew Module’s parachute and deceleration systems.
• The Crew Module will be tested at altitudes of 10–17 km.
• Gaganyaan will use the Human-Rated LVM3 (HLVM3) with a Crew Escape System.
•  India aims to send three astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (~400 km).

(GS-3: Science & Technology)

• Synthetic cells are artificially engineered cell-like systems created using synthetic biology.
• They mimic essential biological functions but are not fully living organisms.
• Applications include drug delivery, vaccine development, biosensors and disease modelling.
• Help scientists understand the origin and functioning of living cells.
• Raise ethical and biosafety concerns requiring regulatory oversight.

(GS-3: Environment)

• Gujarat recorded 891 Asiatic lions in the latest population estimation.
• Population has increased by 32.2% since 2020.
• Around 44.22% now live outside protected forests.
  The Supreme Court (2013) directed translocation to Kuno National Park for a second free-ranging population.
• Project Lion (2020) focuses on habitat expansion, disease management and long-term conservation.