Karnataka & Group C Current Affairs – July 22nd, 2026

Appointments

Anurag Jain Appointed NITI Aayog CEO 

Anurag Jain (a 1989-batch MP-cadre IAS officer) has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog for a two-year term by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, succeeding B.V.R. Subrahmanyam. He will head the administration of the government’s apex policy think tank—established on January 1, 2015, replacing the Planning Commission—to drive cooperative federalism and the Viksit Bharat@2047 agenda under the leadership of the Prime Minister (Chairperson) and Ashok Kumar Lahiri (Vice Chairperson). 

Important Days

1. National Broadcasting Day 

• Observed Date: July 23
• Observing Organisation: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting / Prasar Bharati
• Objective: To commemorate India’s first organized radio broadcast by the private Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) from Bombay on July 23, 1927. It honors the evolution of the national broadcaster—renamed All India Radio (AIR) in 1936 and Akashvani in 1956—and its commitment to the public service motto Bahujana Hitaya, Bahujana Sukhaya.

2. Lokmanya Tilak Jayanti 

• Observed Date: July 23
• Observing Organisation: Government of India
• Objective: To honor freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak (born July 23, 1856). Revered as Lokmanya and dubbed the “Father of Indian Unrest”, he coined the slogan “Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it.” 
• Key exam facts: co-founded the Deccan Education Society (1884) and Indian Home Rule League (1916); launched newspapers Kesari (Marathi) and Mahratta (English); authored Gita Rahasya and The Arctic Home in the Vedas; popularized public Ganesh Chaturthi (1893) and Shivaji Jayanti (1895) festivals; and helped broker the Lucknow Pact (1916).

Military exercises

Exercise Pitch Black 2026

Why in News: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2026, a premier biennial multinational air-combat exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in northern Australia.

Salient Features & Key Exam Facts:

• Format & Focus: The drill emphasizes complex night-time flying operations, electronic warfare, and Beyond Visual Range (BVR) combat over the vast regions of northern Australia.
• Global Scale & Participation: The 2026 edition features around 100 aircraft from 21 partner nations, including India. The IAF contingent includes Rafale multirole fighters, supported by C-17 Globemaster III transport and IL-78 air-to-air refuelling aircraft.
• Other India-Australia Defence Exercises:
  • AUSTRA HIND: Bilateral Army exercise.
  • AUSINDEX: Bilateral Navy exercise.
  • MALABAR: Multilateral Naval exercise featuring the Quad nations (India, USA, Japan, and Australia).

Miscellaneous

France Enacts Social Media Ban for Minors

Why in News: France became the first EU nation to enact a blanket social media ban for children under 15 to curb cyberbullying, screen addiction, and youth mental health issues.

Salient Features & Key Exam Facts:

• Global Precedents: Australia was the world’s first country to enforce a nationwide social media ban for minors under 16.
• Indian & Karnataka Context: Karnataka became India’s first state to announce a social media ban for children under 16 in its 2026–27 State Budget.
• Constitutional Provision: Telecommunications and online services fall under Entry 31 of the Union List (Seventh Schedule), with data privacy governed nationally under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.