All you need to start your day informed in under 6 mins
Good Morning 🇮🇳
Bihar just dropped ₹100 crore on a brand-new 7.5 km “highway”. Except they forgot one tiny detail: clearing the giant trees still standing right in the middle of it. It’s basically a government-funded Hot Wheels track where drivers have to swerve like they’re in a demolition derby. At this rate, it’s not a highway—it’s a ₹100 crore jungle safari with bonus insurance claims.
Now, let’s get into the dispatch! 🚀
MARKETS 🔔🐂🐻
As of 9:30 pm on July 1, 2025.
India’s stock market boom: The Indian stock market has seen a huge surge, with the Sensex soaring to 12,000 points in three months in a ₹72 lakh crore rally. However, experts warn about high valuations as the market trades above their historical averages.
Railways 🚉
Indian Railways provides big changes, announces new app
Image credits: Railway Technology
Indian Railways launches ‘RailOne’, a one-stop app for all railway-related services. This new app, accessible via both the Android Play Store and iOS App Store, will host all passenger services in one app, with the primary focus of delivering an enhanced user experience.
Currently, Indian Railway travellers have to use multiple apps or websites for different services such as IRCTC Rail Connect for booking tickets, IRCTC eCatering Food on Track for ordering meals, Rail Madad for providing feedback, UTS for purchasing unreserved tickets, and National Train Enquiry System for monitoring train movements. RailOne app aims to bring it all under one roof through a single-sign-on system, thereby reducing the need for multiple apps.
Major changes to ticket booking system.
Currently, chart preparation takes place 4 hours before departure; however, the new system seeks to extend this timeline to 8 hours before departure.
From July 1, 2025, only verified users will be allowed for Tatkal bookings, with OTP authentication being implemented by July end.
An Enhanced Reservation System by December 2025 could increase handling capacities tenfold, with a capability of 150,000 reservations per minute while processing 4 million enquiries in the same time frame.
Defence 🪖🇮🇳
Pahalgham terror attack an act of economic warfare: Jaishankar
Image credits: The Hindu
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, in conversation with Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad, asserted that the Pahalgam Terror attack was an act of economic warfare that was meant to destroy the tourism industry in Kashmir.
The tragic terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, resulted in the deaths of 26 innocent civilians. As a retort, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting key terror camps across the border, while keeping the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty under abeyance.
Tourism is a key sector for Kashmir’s economic growth, making up 7% (₹18,550 crore) of J&K’s ₹1.45 lakh crore GSDP, and nearly 29% (₹41,615 crore) when accounting for hotels, transport, and trade. However, the Pahalgam attack resulted in a sharp decline, with just 10-20% of flight bookings active in the aftermath of the incident.
Economy 📈🇮🇳
India’s factory growth witnesses 14-month high in June
Image credits: The Hindu
India’s manufacturing activity skyrocketed to a 14 month high, with the HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rising to 58.4 in June from 57.6 in May. Fuelled by a strong surge in export orders, particularly to the U.S., factory output grew, with incoming orders increasing at their steepest rate in nearly a year. Strong demand prompted manufacturers to hire at an unprecedented rate, the fastest ever since the inception of the survey. Input cost inflation for manufacturers hit a four-month low in June, but firms still raised selling prices to offset expenses. While business sentiment remained broadly positive, it dipped to an eight-month low amid concerns over competition, inflation, and shifting consumer preferences.
BUSINESS INDIA
DHANDA HAI YEH!
Marginal dip in UPI transactions: After touching an all-time high mark of 18.68 billion transactions in May, UPI transactions saw a marginal 1.5% decline to 18.40 billion transactions in June. As per NPCI data, the month of June saw INR 24.04 Lakh Cr in transactions, down 4.4% from May.
India’s GST collection soars: India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections have doubled in the past five years, reaching a record ₹22.08 lakh crore in FY25, a 9.4% year-on-year growth. The average monthly GST collection also increased from ₹1.68 lakh crore in FY24 to ₹1.84 lakh crore in FY25.
Rural India is getting richer: In a recent report by HDFC Securities, rural India is undergoing a revolution, with 112 districts comprising 291 million people now boasting over $2,000 per capita income, driven primarily by growth in the services sector. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu lead as the top performers with 7.7% and 7.6% CAGR respectively.
Adani Green Energy goes big: Adani Green Energy announced surpassing 15,000 megawatts (MW) of operational renewable generation capacity, marking the fastest and largest capacity addition in India. This, in addition to working towards building Earth’s largest power plant—five times the size of Paris and visible from space.
WORLD: HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY🌍
US-India trade deal: What’s happening so far?
What’s the Buzz?
With a July 9th deadline looming, the India-US trade deal is facing intense last-minute negotiations. Despite upbeat statements from both sides, key sticking points remain in areas of agricultural access, auto components, and tariffs on Indian steel.
The Elephant in the Room!
The big issue in US-India trade talks remains India's agricultural sector. The US wants access to this huge, untapped market to boost its agricultural exports and reduce its $45 billion trade deficit. However, India remains cautious, as agriculture is an economically sensitive sector affecting over 700 million rural people.
The Big Picture
Experts believe a "mini-deal" is the most probable outcome, leaving broader free trade issues for future talks. India might consider offering limited access to select products—such as ethanol, almonds, walnuts, apples, and wines—through tariff cuts, quotas, and strategic commitments.
What if ‘Trade Talk’ fails?
If talks fail, President Trump is unlikely to reinstate the steep 26% tariff rate on India. Instead, a 10% baseline tariff may apply. However, with Trump, "surprises can't be ruled out!"
WORLD: BUSINESS AND GEOPOLITICS 🌍
KYA CHAL RAHA HAI?
Thai PM suspended: Thailand’s embattled prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was suspended from duty on Tuesday and could face dismissal, pending an ethics probe over a leaked phone call she had with Cambodia’s powerful former leader where she appeared to criticise the Thai military
USAID cuts warnings: A recent study warns that the USAID cuts may cause over 14 million additional deaths by 2030. President Donald Trump has made funding cuts to USAID as part of his broader plan to remove wasteful spending.
Russia-Ukraine War: Russia claims full control of Ukraine's Luhansk region and a Dnipropetrovsk village on July 1, 2025. If confirmed, Luhansk will be the first Ukrainian region to be fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv.
Musk vs Trump: Elon Musk criticised Trump’s coveted tax-cut and spending bill—which he calls the “Big, Beautiful bill”—threatening to launch a new “America Party” should lawmakers pass the bill. Musk has also threatened to unseat lawmakers who support the bill.
Aur Batao: News from across India 📰
Manipur peace talks: Manipur civil society groups met Home Ministry officials on Monday to discuss a peace roadmap, restoring popular government, free movement on highways, farmer security, and action against illegal migrants. The Northeastern state has been under President’s rule since February 13, 2025.
Court slams media defamation: A Jammu and Kashmir court has ordered the police to file an FIR against Zee News, News18, and other news channels for falsely defaming a local Islamic teacher, named Qari Mohammad Iqbal, as a 'terrorist’ after his demise amid Pakistani artillery firing on May 7 in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
India-Bhutan partnership grows: India and Bhutan reviewed their development partnership, approving 10 new projects worth ₹ 1,113 crore. These projects will cover sectors such as healthcare, connectivity, and infrastructure in Bhutan.
New bill against ‘Fake news’: India’s tech hub, Karnataka, has recently proposed a bill with up to seven years in jail for the propagation of fake news. While the aim is to curb misinformation, it raises concerns on freedom of speech.
Telangana pharma blast update: The death toll of the tragic reactor blast at Sigachi Industries Private Ltd., has reached 36 as of the time of writing. Telangana CM Revanth Reddy announced a compensation of ₹1 crore to the families of the demised and ₹10 lakh to those severely injured.
Sports and Entertainment
Wimbledon Test for reigning champ: Carlos Alcaraz faced a tough test, edging past Fabio Fognini (5-7, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2, 1-6) in a five-set thriller in the first round of Wimbledon. The duo battled it out for 4 hours and 37 minutes on court, with Fognini saying farewell to the Wimbledon after his narrow defeat.
India vs Iraq (Women's AFC Qualifiers): India will take on Iraq in the third game of their AFC Women’s Asia Cup Qualifier campaign on July 2 at 2:30 pm IST. The Blue Tigresses are flying high after registering back-to-back wins, currently sitting on top of Group B.
Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy: India will take on England at the Edgbaston stadium in their second Test match starting today at 3:30 pm IST. India will be looking to level the five-match series after losing their first encounter.
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