Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 26th July 2025

Kargil Vijay Diwas: 26th Anniversary

On the 26th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas, the President and Prime Minister led the nation in paying tributes to the Kargil heroes.

• Kargil Vijay Diwas, also known as Kargil Diwas, is celebrated annually on July 26 to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War.
• The day celebrates the courage and sacrifice of Indian soldiers who valiantly defended the nation’s sovereignty.
• The year 2025 marks the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas.
• It was fought between India and Pakistan between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LOC).
• In an effort to ease these tensions, India and Pakistan signed the Lahore Declaration in February 1999, which aimed for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue.
• However, during the winter of 1998-1999, Pakistani forces secretly infiltrated the Drass and Batalik sectors of Kargil in the Ladakh region.
• Their objective was to capture positions that would allow them to monitor and potentially control movements along the vital NH 1A highway.
• Initially, the Indian military mistook these infiltrators for insurgents.
• As the scale of the infiltration became apparent, India mobilized nearly 200,000 troops to counter the threat, leading to the onset of the Kargil War.
• The Indian Army fought bravely and recaptured the famous ‘Tiger Hill’ and other important posts under ‘Operation Vijay’ by evicting the Pakistani troops in the 1999 Kargil War.
• It was fought at extreme altitudes, with some of the battlegrounds reaching heights of over 18,000 feet.
• It lasted for approximately three months.
• The Indian Army employed heavy artillery, airpower, as well as major infantry operations during the Kargil War.

Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple:

Nashik rural police recently uncovered a major black-marketing racket involving darshan passes at the renowned Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple.

• It is a renowned Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, situated in the town of Trimbak in the Nashik district of Maharashtra.
• It is 28 km far from the city of Nashik.
• It is located near the mountain named Brahamagiri, from which the river Godavari flows.
• It was constructed by the third Peshwa, Balaji Bajirao (1740-1760), on the site of an old temple.
• It is identified as one of the divine 12 Jyotirlinga.
• The architecture of the Trimbakeshwar Temple reflects a blend of traditional Hindu temple design with distinctively local elements.
• It features intricate carvings and sculptures depicting various mythological stories and deities.
• The temple complex also includes other shrines dedicated to various gods and goddesses.
• One unique feature of Trimbakeshwar Temple is its presence of three lingams, symbolic representations of Lord Shiva, enshrined within the sanctum sanctorum.
• These represent the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, embodying creation, preservation, and destruction, respectively.

Foot and Mouth Disease : In News

The 16 chitals, or spotted deer, that died recently at the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Pune were afflicted with Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), lab reports have confirmed.

• It is a highly contagious viral disease that affects all cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, camelids, deer, and pigs.
  Cloven-hoofed animals are those with divided hooves.
• It does not affect horses, dogs, or cats.
• Intensively reared animals are more susceptible to the disease than traditional breeds.
• It is a transboundary animal disease (TAD) that deeply affects the production of livestock and disrupts regional and international trade in animals and animal products.
• The disease is estimated to circulate in 77% of the global livestock population in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as in a limited area of South America.
• It is not a human health or food safety threat.
• It is also not related to hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is a common childhood illness caused by a different virus.\
• The organism which causes FMD is an aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae.
• There are seven strains (A, O, C, SAT1, SAT2, SAT3, and Asia1), which are endemic in different countries worldwide.
• Immunity to one type does not protect an animal against other types or subtypes.
• The FMD virus is transmitted via direct contact with infected animals or indirect contact with secretions or excretions (including semen and milk) from infected animals or by mechanical vectors (people, horses, dogs, cats, birds, vehicles) or air movement over land or water.
• The virus can enter the host via inhalation, ingestion, or through skin wounds and mucous membranes.
• FMD is characterised by fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats, and between the hooves.
• Ruptured blisters can result in extreme lameness and reluctance to move or eat.
• Other frequent symptoms are fever, depression, hypersalivation, loss of appetite, weight loss, growth retardation, and a drop in milk production, which can persist even after recovery.
• The disease causes severe production losses, and while the majority of affected animals recover, the disease often leaves them weakened and debilitated.
• The disease is rarely fatal in adult animals, but there is often high mortality in young animals.
• It was the first disease for which the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) established official status recognition.
• Vaccines for FMD are available but must be matched to the specific type and subtype of virus causing the outbreak.

Horsehair Worms:

The officials of the Forest Department have stumbled upon Horsehair worm or Nematomorpha in the Motidol beat area of the Mohandra region in the Southern Forest Division under Panna Tiger Reserve.

• Horsehair worms, also known as Gordian worms, belong to the phylum Nematomorpha.
• They are long, measuring from several inches to over 14 inches.
• They are quite thin, ranging from 1/25 inch to 1/16 inch wide (1 mm to 1.5 mm) and are uniform in diameter from front to back.
• They vary in color from whitish to yellow/tan to brown/black.
• They occur in knotted masses or as single worms in water sources such as ponds, rain puddles, swimming pools, animal drinking troughs, and even domestic water supplies.
• Adult worms are free-living and non-parasitic.
• Immature stages are internal parasites of grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, beetles, and other insects and millipedes and centipedes.
• They are not parasites of humans, livestock, or pets and pose no public health threat.
• They should be considered beneficial because they can be effective in controlling certain insects.

Bhitarkanika National Park: In News

A 6.3-feet-long female saltwater crocodile was recently netted by forest personnel from a pond in a village close to Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.

• It is located in the Kendrapara district of Odisha.
• Spread across an area of 672 sq.km. of the mangrove swamp situated on the delta formed by the three rivers, namely Brahmani, Baitarani, and
• Dhamra, the park houses an array of creeks, backwaters, estuaries, deltas, and mudhuts.
• It is India’s second largest mangrove ecosystem after the Sunderbans.
• Proximity to the Bay of Bengal makes the soil of the area enriched with salt; the vegetation and species of the sanctuary are those that are mainly found in the tropical and subtropical intertidal regions.
• It is also designated as a Ramsar site.
• It is home to the largest congregation of the endangered Salt Water Crocodile in the country.
• The Gahirmatha Beach, which forms the boundary of the park in the east, is the largest colony of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles.
• It is also home to numerous animals like hyenas, wild boar, Chitals, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Jungle cat, Wild Pigs, etc., and migratory birds, which make it their home during the winter season, lending a vibrant hue to the ecosystem.
• It is also home to eight varieties of Kingfisher birds, which is also a rarity.

Raorchestesjadoh and Raorchestesjakoid:

Two new bush frogs were discovered in Meghalaya and researchers named them as Raorchestesjadoh and Raorchestesjakoid.

• These are bush frog species belongs to genus Raorchestes
• Raorchestesjadohrecorded from Langtor in the Eastern West Khasi Hills district at an altitude of 1,655 metres above the mean sea level and Raorchestesjakoid was found in the East Khasi Hills district’s Lawbah at an elevation of 815 metres.
• These frogs were located in bushes and trees near human settlements.
• Both these species are direct-developing frog e, these frogs are those that bypass the free-swimming tadpole stage and hatch from eggs as froglets or miniature versions of the adults.
• The genus Raorchestes is one of the most diverse in the family Rhacophoridae, currently comprising 80 recognised species.
• The two frogs’ unique calls, morphology, and DNA sequences have placed them within the Raorchestesparvulus species complex.
• This genus has a wide geographical range from southern and northeastern India to Nepal, extending through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and southern China, reaching Vietnam, Cambodia, and western Malaysia.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: In News

The Democratic Republic of the Congo government and the rebel group M23 signed a declaration of principles which was mediated by Qatar.

• It is located in Central Africa with the equator passing through the country.
• Bordering countries: Angola, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia.
• The country also has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest.
• The highest point in the Republic of the Congo is Mount Nabemba.
• Major River: Congo River
• The plateaus are mostly covered in savanna grasslands, with patches of forests in the valleys and lower areas
• It has famous lakes like Lake Tanganyika, Lake Albert, Lake Edward, Lake Kivu
• Volcanoes: Mount Nyiragongo which is an active volcano located in Virunga Mountains.
• The DRC is rich in natural resources such as industrial diamonds, cobalt, and copper, and it has large forest reserves and significant hydroelectric potential.
• Capital city: Kinshasa

Tanvi Sharma and Vennala Kalagotla at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2025 : Secure two medals

Indian badminton continues its upward trajectory with a historic breakthrough at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2025, as Tanvi Sharma and Vennala Kalagotla became the first-ever Indian duo to secure two medals in women’s singles in a single edition of the tournament. This remarkable feat has etched their names into the annals of Indian badminton history and showcases the emerging strength of India’s junior women shuttlers on the Asian stage.The Badminton Asia Junior Championships is an annual tournament that attracts the best U-19 talent from across the continent. Historically, India has had success in individual and team events but has never won two women’s singles medals in the same edition.

India’s First Gold at FISU World University Games 2025 in Archery:

India marked a proud moment at the FISU World University Games 2025 in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, as archers Parneet Kaur and Kushal Dalal clinched the country’s first gold medal in the compound mixed team archery event. This victory not only adds to India’s sporting achievements but also highlights the rising standards of Indian university-level athletes on the global stage, particularly in non-mainstream Olympic sports like compound archery. The FISU World University Games, often called the Universiade, is a prestigious international sporting event organized every two years by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The 2025 edition is being held from July 16 to 27 across six cities in Germany. Nearly 300 Indian athletes are participating across multiple disciplines. Archery, especially the compound format, is gaining momentum globally. Notably, compound archery will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, raising the stakes for athletes participating in this category.

PM Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ Gift to King Charles III:

During his UK visit in July 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a tree sapling to King Charles III at Sandringham Estate, Norfolk. The gesture was part of India’s environmental initiative ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, aimed at promoting tree plantation in honour of mothers. This symbolic act also reflected shared environmental values and growing Indo-UK cooperation.Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ is a green initiative launched by PM Modi to encourage people to plant trees in tribute to their mothers. It emphasizes environmental responsibility and personal emotional connection with nature. The movement is part of India’s broader efforts toward climate action and ecological sustainability.