Current Affairs 04 July 2026

IIT Bombay Partners with SBI Life to Establish AI Cyber Innovation Hub.

• IIT Bombay and SBI Life Insurance signed an MoU on 1 July 2026.
• To establish the Bharat AI & Cyber Innovation Hub for Insurance.
• Aim: Develop indigenous AI-based cybersecurity solutions for the insurance sector.
• Focus areas: AI cybersecurity, Quantum Technologies, insurance innovation, talent development, and innovation incubation.
• Supports SBI Life’s transition to an AI-native insurance company.

India and Saudi Arabia Sign MoU to Enhance Water Management Cooperation.

• India and Saudi Arabia signed an MoU on 30 June 2026 during Saudi Water Week.
• Aim: Strengthen cooperation in water resources management and sustainability.
• Focus areas:
• Sharing water planning best practices.
• Capacity building and technical cooperation.
• Sustainable water management and irrigation systems.
• Signed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• Agreement signed by Suhel Khan (India) and Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen AlFadley (Saudi Arabia).

Rajasthan and Haryana Sign Agreement for Yamuna Water Project.

• Union Government, Rajasthan, and Haryana signed an agreement to implement the Yamuna Water Project.
• Resolves a nearly 30-year-old water-sharing dispute.
• Rajasthan will receive 580 MCM water from the Western Yamuna Canal.
• Project includes three underground pipelines (each over 3.6 m diameter).
• Water supply period: July to October annually.
• Beneficiaries:
• Rajasthan: Sikar, Churu, Jhunjhunu.
• Haryana: Bhiwani, Fatehabad.
• Uses storage ponds for rainwater conservation and groundwater recharge.

Assam’s Borjuli Site Declared as Biodiversity Heritage Site.

• Borjuli (Sonitpur, Assam) notified as a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
• Aim: Conservation of wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) genetic resources.
• Project: In-situ Conservation and Management of Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon).
• Implemented by ICAR–National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR) since 2022.
• Funded by the National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) in collaboration with the Assam State Biodiversity Board.
• Site notified by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).

India Approves First PinS Instrument Approach at Undavalli Heliport.

• India’s first Point-in-Space (PinS) Instrument Approach Procedure approved for helicopter operations.
• Approved by Ministry of Civil Aviation on 1 July 2026 at Undavalli Heliport, Andhra Pradesh.
• Developed by AAI and approved by DGCA as per ICAO standards.
• Uses Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) and satellite navigation technology.
• Enables IFR helicopter operations at heliports without conventional landing systems.
• Works with India’s indigenous GAGAN satellite navigation system.
• Marks the first private PinS procedure implementation in India.