Economics – Medium Level – GK Questions

India climbed to the 94th rank in the UN Sustainable Development Report 2026, marking a significant update in its progress toward the global Sustainable Development Goals.

In July 2026, the RBI launched three surveys: Inflation Expectations Survey of Households, Rural Consumer Confidence Survey, and Urban Consumer Confidence Survey to assess household inflation expectations and consumer confidence across various cities.

According to AMFI data, the number of outstanding SIP accounts increased to 10.5 crore in June 2026 for the first time after four months of staying around 10.4 crore accounts. Of these, 9.7 crore were contributing SIPs, constituting 93% of all outstanding SIP accounts.

As per the Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI), Indian investors invested ₹28,973 crore into equity-based mutual fund schemes in June 2026, which was 26.5% more than the ₹22,907 crore invested in May 2026. This represented a recovery after net inflows had fallen 40.4% in May 2026.

Indian Bank, headquartered in Chennai, posted a net profit of ₹3,273 crore in the June quarter of FY27, which represents a 10% increase from ₹2,973 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal. This information is relevant for understanding the performance of public sector banks.

NCDEX designated Kochi as the delivery and pricing centre for the Black Pepper Futures contract. Initially, four contracts expiring in August, September, October, and November will be available for trading. The unit of trading has been fixed at 1 metric tonne, though some stakeholders have suggested it should be reduced to 200-250 kg for practical producer participation.

NCDEX announced that the black pepper futures contract will start trading from July 15, 2026, with Kochi designated as the delivery and pricing centre. The contract was suspended in 2010 following severe quality disputes and is being relaunched after receiving SEBI approval following litigation and legal hurdles that lasted over a decade.

SBI Funds Management's maiden public equity offering is valued at ₹11,600 crore, scheduled to open on July 14 and conclude on July 16, 2026. The entire IPO is an Offer for Sale (OFS) by promoters SBI and Amundi India Holding.

SBI sold 1.42% stake (2,88,32,748 equity shares) in SBI Funds Management Ltd to 30 investors for ₹1,655 crore at ₹574 per share in a pre-IPO placement ahead of the company's IPO scheduled for July 14-16, 2026.

The press release explicitly states that PM SVANidhi has facilitated more than 1.05 crore (10.5 million) loan sanctions worth over ₹17,800 crore for street vendors nationwide.

PM SVANidhi was launched in June 2020 as a flagship micro-credit scheme by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs to empower street vendors with collateral-free credit and social security.

The review meeting was specifically held to facilitate implementation of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 and recommendations of the High-Level Committee on regulatory reforms as part of legal metrology reforms.

The press release clearly mentions that the comprehensive roadmap prepared under 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' includes balanced fertiliser use, natural farming, and action against fake fertilisers and seeds.

The SIRI Mathrushree Industrial Park was inaugurated at Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. The inauguration ceremony was held from Dharmasthala.

MSMEs contribute approximately 30% to India's GDP, about 45% of exports, and employ over 11 crore people — making them the backbone of India's economy.

India's National Infrastructure Pipeline was launched in 2019 with an investment target of Rs 111 lakh crore (approximately USD 1.5 trillion) in infrastructure projects over 2020-25.