Daily Current Affairs

In June 2026, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) officially designated Surha Taal — officially known as Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary — located in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh, as India's 100th Ramsar Site and the 13th Ramsar Site in UP. The announcement was made on World Environment Day (5 June 2026) at a programme in Lucknow.

• About Surha Taal: Natural perennial oxbow lake in the Ganga-Saryu river system; Ballia, UP; key winter resting site for migratory birds on the Central Asian Flyway.
• Bird species hosted: Bar-headed Goose, Eurasian Teal, Red-crested Pochard, Green Sandpiper.
• Ramsar Convention: Convention on Wetlands of International Importance; adopted 1971; HQ: Gland, Switzerland.
• SDG link: SDG 14 — Life Below Water.

In June 2026, the Government of India (GoI) constituted 6 sector-specific working groups to identify a maximum of 100 products to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce import dependence.

• Chair: Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary, DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade), MoC&I.
• Objective: Strengthen India's manufacturing sector; reduce outflow of foreign exchange.
• Focus sectors: Pharmaceuticals/biotech/medical devices, chemicals/petrochemicals, textiles/footwear, capital goods, automotive/EVs, energy/construction, defence & aerospace (civilian items), electronics.
• Members: Representatives from DPIIT, MoC&I, NITI Aayog, economic affairs, textiles, and chemicals ministries.
• Timeline: Groups to finalise and submit product lists to Cabinet Secretariat within three weeks.

Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing undertook a 5-day official visit to India from 30 May to 3 June 2026, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — his first-ever official tour abroad since taking office as Myanmar's President in April 2026.

• Bodh Gaya visit: Offered prayers at Mahabodhi Temple, Mahabodhi Meditation Centre, and Sujata Temple.
• Bilateral talks: Held with PM Modi in New Delhi; reviewed bilateral, regional, and global issues.
• Business engagement: Attended India-Myanmar Business Conclave organised by CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) with UMFCCI (Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry).
• Significance: First state visit by Myanmar's President after new government took office; strengthens India's “Act East” policy.

In June 2026, the Government of Himachal Pradesh (HP) signed an MoU with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to strengthen climate-resilient development, encourage sustainability, and protect the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.

• Signatories: Sushil Kumar Singla (Administrative Secretary, Environment, Science, Technology, Climate Change, HP) and Angela Lusigi (Resident Representative, UNDP India) — in the presence of CM Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
• Key focus areas: Circular economy and waste management, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, inclusive and gender-responsive development, sustainable livelihoods.
• Safai Mitra Scheme: Launched by CM Sukhu on the occasion; aims to empower informal waste management workers across HP.
• UNDP: United Nations Development Programme; HQ: New York, USA; established: 1965.

The National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Provisional Estimates (PE) of Annual GDP for FY 2025-26, along with Q4 (January–March 2026) quarterly estimates, using 2022-23 as the new base year.

• Revision: Full-year growth revised upward by 10 bps from February estimate of 7.6%; surpasses FY25's 7.1% by 60 bps.
• Q4 beats forecasts: Q4 growth of 7.8% exceeded RBI's estimate of 7% and Reuters/Bloomberg consensus of 7.2%.
• Base year change: MoSPI introduced 2022-23 as new base year in February 2026, replacing 2011-12.
• NSO: National Statistics Office; under MoSPI; publishes official GDP and national accounts data.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conducted its 61st Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting — the 2nd Bi-Monthly MPC for FY 2026-27 — from June 3 to 5, 2026, under the chairmanship of Governor Sanjay Malhotra.

• Stance: Neutral — indicating rates may go up or reduce further based on incoming data.
• Reason for hold: Uncertainty from geopolitical conflicts, supply-chain disruptions, and food inflation risks.
• MPC members (61st meeting): Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Saugata Bhattacharya, Ram Singh, Dr. Poonam Gupta, Indranil Bhattacharyya.
• RBI Governor: Sanjay Malhotra.

In June 2026, India slipped to 7th spot in global market capitalisation rankings (Bloomberg data), with a USD 5.01 trillion market valuation, as South Korea overtook India. India had earlier been pushed to 6th by Taiwan in May 2026.

• MSCI share decline: India's share in MSCI Global Standard Index fell sharply from 21% (September 2024) to 12.3%.
• FII outflows: Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) withdrew USD 26.4 billion from Indian stocks in 2026.
• Key reasons: Heavy foreign selling, weak earnings growth, and limited exposure to AI-linked stocks.

In June 2026, Air India — India's flag carrier airline — and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Air signed an MoU to enhance premium travel options, streamline bookings, and expand flight connectivity between India, Saudi Arabia, and global destinations.

• Objective: Enhance global connectivity between India, Saudi Arabia, and other global destinations through Delhi, Mumbai (India) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) hubs.
• Collaboration areas: Loyalty programmes, cargo services, operational support, and digital passenger experience initiatives.
• Integration: Subject to regulatory approval — both airlines to explore interline and codeshare arrangements for seamless single-booking connectivity.
• Air India: Privatised under Tata Group in 2022; expanded to 25 codeshare and 120 interline partnerships globally.
• Riyadh Air: New Saudi premium national carrier; HQ: Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In June 2026, Saurabh Vijay, CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), assumed additional charge as CEO of IndiaAI Mission, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

• IndiaAI Mission: Under MeitY; aims to build India's AI ecosystem; operationalises the National AI Mission (NAIM).
• UIDAI: Unique Identification Authority of India; statutory body under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016; HQ: New Delhi.
• Predecessor's new role: Abhishek Singh moved as Director General of NTA (National Testing Agency).

World Ocean Day (WOD) is observed annually on 8 June to raise awareness about the critical role of oceans in sustaining life on Earth — covering food, livelihoods, biodiversity, and climate regulation.

• Oceans cover 71% of Earth's surface.
• Produce 50% of the world's oxygen.
• Home to 80% of all life on Earth.

Indian Grandmaster (GM) R Praggnanandhaa scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Norway Chess tournament. The 20-year-old Chennai-born prodigy defeated Germany's Vincent Keymer in the decisive final round to finish with 18 points, edging out Wesley So (USA, 17 points) to claim the title. Norway Chess 2026 was held in Oslo/Stavanger, Norway from 25 May to 5 June 2026.

• Historic first: First Indian to win Norway Chess; no previous Indian — including Vishy Anand or D Gukesh — had won since its founding in 2013.
• Campaign highlights: Won 4 consecutive classical games in the second half; defeated Magnus Carlsen twice in classical chess.
• Praggnanandhaa: 20 years old; born Chennai; one of the youngest GMs in history.

Former Asian Games shot put bronze medallist and Arjuna Awardee Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, popularly known as "Baba Dhaliwal", passed away in June 2026 at the age of 67 in Chandigarh after battling lung cancer.

• Post-retirement: Worked with SAI (Sports Authority of India), Athletics Federation of India, Punjab University; ran a sports academy in Chandigarh.