Daily Current Affairs

The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) officially came into force on June 01, 2026, in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal (Ministry of Commerce & Industry) and Issa Saleh Al Shibani, Ambassador of Oman to India, in New Delhi. This is one of the most comprehensive market access outcomes secured by India in the Gulf region.

• Duty-Free Export: CEPA covers 99.38% of its tariff lines — covering 98.08% of India’s exports — making it one of the most comprehensive outcomes in the Gulf region.
• Pre-CEPA Access: Under the MFN regime, only 15.33% of India’s exports entered Oman duty-free; CEPA delivers significant price competitiveness in Oman’s ~USD 28 billion import market.
• Mobility Provisions: Business visitors — up to 90 days in Oman; Intra-Corporate Transferees (ICTs) — up to 4 years; Independent Professionals — up to 180 days.
• Services Commitment: Oman committed to expand market access across 127 services; binding commitments for professionals in Accounting, Engineering, Medicine, IT, Education, and Construction.
• First Consignments: First exports availing preferential tariff benefits included agriculture, gems and jewellery from Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.

In June 2026, the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) jointly launched the ‘Missions for Advancement in High-Impact Areas (MAHA) Water Mission’ — a national innovation programme — during the national workshop on R&D in Water, held in New Delhi. The initiative is aimed at fostering water technology innovation across India.

• Objectives: Promote innovation from laboratory to field deployment; develop scalable and localised water solutions; strengthen India’s long-term water security; foster collaboration among academia, industry, and government.
• Eligible Participants: Universities, national laboratories, research organisations, startups, MSMEs, and industry partners.
• Key Themes: Water Resource Assessment & Sustainable Management; Drinking Water; Water Quality & Ecological Health; Water Use Efficiency & Circular Economy; Climate Resilience & Adaptation.
• ANRF: India’s apex body for research funding under DPIIT/DST, established under the ANRF Act 2023.

In June 2026, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare / Ministry of Rural Development) launched ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ to promote sustainable agriculture, improve soil health, and raise awareness on climate-resilient farming. The launch took place at Ramsiya village, Madhya Pradesh. The campaign runs from June 1 to June 30, 2026.

• Objective: Reduce excessive urea use, improve soil health, and cut import dependence by addressing soil degradation and unsustainable farming practices.
• Key Promotion: Soil test-based balanced nutrition, green manures, organic and bio-fertilisers, and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) through field demonstrations.
• Duration: June 1–30, 2026 — month-long campaign.
• Launched in: Ramsiya village, Madhya Pradesh.

In June 2026, Digital India BHASHINI (BHASHA Interface for India) Division (DIBD), under the Digital India Corporation (DIC) / Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), signed an MoU with DPIIT (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) under the ‘BHASHINI Seva/Sanchalan — A BHASHINI Sahayogi Programme’ to enhance multilingual digital capabilities across India’s industry and trade ecosystem.

• Multilingual Access: BHASHINI’s AI-powered tools — translation, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech — will provide investment-related information in multiple Indian languages.
• Language Support: Supports all 22 Eighth Schedule languages on DPIIT platforms, reducing language barriers for entrepreneurs, startups, investors, businesses, and citizens.
• Key Initiatives: BHASHINI Udyat, Mitra, Appmitra, and Pravakta, along with API integration and multilingual AI tools.

The Under 17 (U17) Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 were held in Da Nang, Vietnam from May 28–31, 2026. The Indian Women’s wrestling team secured a 100% podium finish with a total haul of 10 medals (2 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Bronze) across all 10 weight categories — a historic clean sweep.

• Host city: Da Nang, Vietnam; held May 28–31, 2026.
• Organiser: United World Wrestling (UWW).
• Disciplines featured: Men’s Freestyle (FS), Men’s Greco-Roman (GR), Women’s Wrestling (WW).
• India’s achievement: 100% podium finish — medals in all 10 women’s weight categories; total: 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Bronze.

In May 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the Annual Report 2025-26 and presented it to the Central Government under Section 53(2) of the RBI Act, 1934. It is the report of the Central Board of Directors on the working of the RBI for the year.

• Balance Sheet Expansion: RBI’s BS expanded by 20.6% (Rs 15.72 lakh crore) — from Rs 76.25 lakh Cr to Rs 91.97 lakh Cr as on March 31, 2026.
• Contingency Fund: Provision of Rs 1.09 lakh Cr made and transferred to the Contingency Fund (CF).
• Asset Growth Drivers: Domestic investments up 44.9%; Gold up 63.8%; Foreign investments up 7.9%.
• Fraud Trends: Fraud amount surged 46% to Rs 48,021 Cr (vs Rs 32,803 Cr in FY25); however, the number of fraud cases fell sharply to 10,114 (from 23,722) — indicating higher per-incident values.
• Legal basis: Report presented under Section 53(2) of the RBI Act, 1934.

In June 2026, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) — India’s largest FMCG company — inaugurated its new Unilever Fragrance Hub (UFH) at IIT Bombay campus, Mumbai. This is the 3rd such global facility after the UK and the USA.

• Technology: Integrates consumer insights, advanced science, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support fragrance innovation across product categories.
• Targets: Achieve 20% reduction in product development cycles; expand India’s R&D footprint by nearly 25% in the sensory segment; support over 30 local and premium brands.
• Investment Context: Part of HUL’s EUR 100 million investment programme for digitally-enabled, in-house fragrance creation capabilities.

In June 2026, Forbes released its World’s Top 10 Richest People rankings (as of June 1, 2026). Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, retained the top spot (since May 2024) with an estimated net worth of USD 835 billion.

In June 2026, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) approved the incorporation of Mahindra Manulife Insurance Limited (MMIL), a 50:50 life insurance joint venture between Mahindra Group (India) and Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC, Canada), aimed at delivering AI-native, digitally-led insurance solutions under the vision of ‘Insurance for All.’

• Leadership: Suresh Agarwal appointed as Managing Director (MD) and CEO-designate of MMIL.
• Positioning: AI-native, digitally-led, customer-first insurer using AI, data-driven underwriting, and digital engagement.
• Target Market: Savings, protection, and needs-based insurance products for rural, semi-urban, and urban customers, with focus on underserved regions.

In June 2026, the Indian Army successfully completed operational trials of the Divyastra Mk-1, an advanced indigenous AI-powered tactical loitering munition system, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The system is designed to strengthen Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities along India’s border regions.

• Developer: Hoverit — an indigenous Indian firm; designed to enhance ISR along India’s borders.
• Overview: Divyastra Mk-1 is an indigenous tactical UAV developed for ISR and precision strike missions.
• Features: AI and swarm capabilities for autonomous navigation, target recognition, coordinated strikes, and decoy missions.
• Significance: Advances India’s atmanirbhar (self-reliant) defence manufacturing ecosystem under Make in India for Defence.

In June 2026, scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered a new lizard species, Mesalina bishnoi, near Gajner in Bikaner district, Rajasthan — marking the first confirmed record of the genus Mesalina in India. The field surveys were conducted in August 2025 and published after morphological and genetic validation.

• Naming: Named in honour of the Bishnoi community for its outstanding conservation ethos.
• Overview: Small, fast-moving, diurnal lizard; snout-vent length ~39.2 mm; discovered in the Thar biogeographic province.
• Identification: Confirmed through morphological examination and mitochondrial DNA analysis; establishes a distinct evolutionary lineage within the Mesalina watsonana species complex.
• Significance: Expands India’s reptile biodiversity; validates earlier unconfirmed records; highlights hidden Thar Desert biodiversity; reinforces the importance of taxonomic research.

In June 2026, Marcia Lou Griffin (Marcia Lucas), the Academy Award-winning film editor best known for her contributions to the original Star Wars trilogy, passed away at the age of 80 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA. She was born on October 4, 1945, in Modesto, California.

• Award: Won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1978).
• Career: Began film editing in the late 1960s; gained prominence through collaborations with filmmakers George Lucas and Martin Scorsese.
• Other Recognition: Academy Award nomination for American Graffiti; BAFTA Award nomination for Taxi Driver.

World Milk Day (WMD) is observed annually on June 1 to promote the nutritional value of milk, encourage its consumption, and recognise the dairy sector’s contribution to global nutrition, economic development, and sustainability. The 2026 theme is ‘Celebrating Women Farmers.’

• Established: By the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) in 2001.
• First Observance: June 1, 2001.
• Date Rationale: June 1 was chosen as many countries already celebrate National Milk Day around the same time, enabling a unified global observance.

International Sex Workers’ Day, also known as International Whores’ Day, is observed every year on June 2 worldwide to recognise the contributions of sex workers, raise awareness on challenges they face, and promote their rights, safety, equality, and dignity. The 2026 theme is ‘Access to Justice.’

• Organiser: The Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) — a UK-based Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) — marks the day annually.
• Origin: On June 2, 1975, more than 100 sex workers occupied the Saint-Nizier Church in Lyon, France, launching an 8-day strike against violence, police harassment, fines, and imprisonment.
• Annual observance: Observed every year since 1976.