Energy : 300 GW, and Half the Grid Clean
India’s non-fossil generating capacity reached 300.50 GW on 31 July 2026, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said — 54.44 per cent of an installed base of about 552 GW. The detail few noticed: hydro at 57.24 GW still nearly matches wind at 58.14 GW.
Manufacturing : Module List Crosses 200 GW
Enlisted capacity under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers for solar modules has crossed 200 GW, from 2.3 GW in 2014. Against a record 44.6 GW of solar built in 2025-26, that is roughly four and a half years of domestic supply already listed — a buffer, not a bottleneck.
Trade : July’s Exports Were Carried by Electronics
India’s combined goods and services exports reached USD 80.14 billion in July 2026 against USD 70.72 billion a year earlier. Merchandise grew 19.63 per cent; services 6.37 per cent. Electronic goods rose 57.4 per cent to USD 5.92 billion — the fastest-moving line in the basket.
Aviation : Ninety-One New Airports Since 2014
India had 165 operational airports as on 15 July 2026, against 74 in 2014. The Modified UDAN scheme notified on 4 July 2026 carries ₹28,840 crore over ten years to FY36, and targets 100 further airports from existing airstrips plus 200 helipads.
Health & Education : MBBS Seats Have Not Quite Trebled
India now has 846 medical colleges and 1,39,864 MBBS seats, against 387 and 51,348 before 2014, the government told the Lok Sabha on 7 August 2026. Postgraduate seats rose from 31,185 to 86,360 — a 2.77-fold rise, faster than the undergraduate expansion.
Mobility : One Vehicle in Eight Is Now Electric
Electric vehicle retail sales reached 3,27,901 units in July 2026, the highest month on record and 66 per cent above July 2025, on FADA registration data. Electric penetration was 12.65 per cent of the 25,91,138 vehicles retailed — against 9.6 per cent a year earlier.
Money : The Rate Held, the Forecast Moved
The Monetary Policy Committee left the repo rate at 5.25 per cent on 5 August 2026, a fourth consecutive hold. Less noticed: the FY27 growth forecast was raised to 6.7 per cent even as inflation is expected to peak at 5.9 per cent in the October-December quarter.
Agriculture
The Sowing Gap Closed From 23 to 3
Kharif acreage that trailed last year by about 23 per cent at the end of June had narrowed to roughly 3 per cent by end-July as the monsoon recovered. Pulses and coarse cereals remain the laggards — the two crops that decide the household’s dal and millet bill.
Digital India : UPI’s Average Payment Is ₹1,300
UPI carried 24,161.69 crore transactions worth ₹314 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, the Finance Ministry recorded. This desk’s computation puts the average transaction at about ₹1,300, and daily volume at 66.2 crore. Some 703 banks are now live on the network.
Sport : Asia Cup Opens, India Begin Sunday
The Women’s T20 Asia Cup opens at Dubai International Stadium today, 28 August 2026, with eight teams. India, who have won seven of the nine editions played, begin against Thailand on 30 August under Harmanpreet Kaur, with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma in the squad.
