Daily Current Affairs

Union Minister Amit Shah (Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Cooperation) chaired the 10th Apex-Level Meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD), organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. A new Vision Document on Narcotics Control was released at the meeting.

• New Zonal Offices — Virtually inaugurated in Jammu (J&K) and Guwahati (Assam); the NCB Annual Report 2025 was also released at the meeting.
• Drug Disposal Campaign — A nationwide campaign targets destruction of nearly 2,09,500 kg of seized narcotics worth approximately Rs 6,000 crore.
• NCORD — Apex coordination mechanism for India’s anti-narcotics enforcement across central and state agencies.

Union Minister Dr Virendra Kumar (Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, MSJE) led the valedictory event of ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Saptah’ under the theme ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan – Viksit Bharat Ki Pehchaan’ (17–26 June 2026) at Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar, Uttarakhand.

• Culmination — The 10-day campaign culminated on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (26 June) with a rally of over 4,000 citizens.
• MoUs Signed — Between the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) and Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Pariwar under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA, launched 15 August 2020) and the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY).

Gautam Buddha University (GBU) partnered with Space Kidz India and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to support Mission ShakthiSAT — the world’s first all-girls international lunar mission.

• Objective — Aims to empower 12,000 young girls from 108 countries through hands-on exposure to satellite development and space technology.
• Roles — GBU will support research, innovation and interdisciplinary learning; the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) will provide institutional support.
• Indian Student Selected — Mahima Rajput (Raipur, Chhattisgarh) has been selected for the international space mission.

Gujarat Police signed an MoU with the multi-state cooperative society Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited (Bharat Taxi) to strengthen public safety, traffic management, and urban mobility through digital integration, during the launch of Bharat Taxi in Gandhinagar in the presence of Union Minister Amit Shah.

• Key Feature — An SOS emergency response system will be integrated into the Bharat Taxi mobile app; mandatory KYC verification of all drivers will be conducted by Gujarat Police.
• Other MoUs — Bharat Taxi also exchanged MoUs with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC), Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC)/BRTS, Gujarat State Cooperative Bank, Adani Airport, Gujarat Traffic Police, and Western Railway.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Ministry of Rural Development, MoRD) launched a first-of-its-kind AI-enabled Rural Internal Audit portal that integrates audit planning, execution, reporting, compliance management, and monitoring into a single digital interface.

• Developed By — Conceptualised by the Office of the Chief Controller of Accounts (CCA) and developed in partnership with the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• Significance — Supports risk-based audit planning and real-time monitoring of Action Taken Reports (ATRs), financial irregularities, and compliance status through interactive dashboards.

IIT Delhi and Sorbonne University, France, expanded their partnership by launching joint Master’s (MSc) and PhD programmes in Biological Science from 2026, anchored by the Franco-Indian Integrated Health Campus.

• Leadership — Programmes are coordinated by IIT Delhi following a delegation visit led by Professor Rangan Banerjee to Sorbonne University.
• Scope — The collaboration extends beyond healthcare into AI, robotics, and materials science, with two-way student mobility and co-supervised doctoral research.

Indian conservationists Parveen Sheikh and Barkha Subba were among six honoured with the 2026 Whitley Award, often called the ‘Green Oscar’, presented by Princess Anne at the Royal Geographical Society, London, UK.

• Indian Skimmer Recovery — Population rose from about 400 birds (2017) to nearly 1,000, via the initiative with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
• Prize — Each winner receives £50,000 in project funding over one year; continuation funding of up to £100,000 over two years was introduced by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) in 2020.

14-year-old Ethan Vaz (Goa) became India’s 96th Grandmaster after securing his final GM norm at the Sarajevo GM Mix Tournament, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with an unbeaten 7/9 score and a 2643 tournament performance rating.

• Vaz’s Norms — Earned across GM4 Festival Šaha Bijeljina (Bosnia, Oct 2025), GM Mix 11 Fantastico (Serbia, Jan 2026), and Chess Summer Sarajevo GM Mix (June 2026), under FIDE’s stricter 2022 norm regulations.
• Harshavardhan G.B. — Earlier norms came at the Asian Junior Chess Championship (2022) and Asian Continental Championship (2025, UAE).

Mintage World, the world’s first online museum dedicated to coins, stamps and banknotes, launched a 200-page coffee table book, ‘Stamps, Coins, and Banknotes Issued During the Premiership of Shri Narendra Modi’, in New Delhi.

• Curated By — Conceptualised and curated by Sushilkumar Agrawal, CEO of Mintage World; a second volume covering 2020–2024 is under preparation.
• Themes Covered — Chronicles initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Digital India, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Jan Dhan Yojana, and Viksit Bharat through official numismatic releases.

The World’s Best School Prizes 2026, organised by T4 Education (UK), shortlisted seven Indian schools across categories — the highest number from any single country since the awards began in 2022.

• Process — Shortlisted schools are evaluated by an independent Judging Academy; category winners and top-three finalists will be announced in November 2026, while the Community Choice Award is decided by public vote.

Ben Stokes, England’s Test captain and star all-rounder, announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, UK, ending a 15-year international career.

• Rare Double — Becomes only the second cricketer after Jacques Kallis (South Africa) to complete the Test double of 7,000 runs and 250 wickets.
• Highlights — Test debut in the 2013–14 Ashes at Adelaide Oval; captained England’s Test team from April 2022; scored an unbeaten 52 in the final to help England win the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), also known as ‘Bharatiya Tatrakshak’, commissioned ICGS Akshay, the fourth indigenous Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) in the eight-vessel Adamya-class series, designed and built by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL).

• Commissioning — The ship was commissioned by Parama Sen, Additional Secretary (Personnel), Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, at GSL’s facility in Vasco da Gama, Goa.
• Command — Deepak Choubey, Commandant (Junior Grade), will command ICGS Akshay, manned by 6 officers and 35 sailors; the vessel will strengthen maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and EEZ surveillance.

ISRO successfully conducted a hot test of the Semi-Cryogenic Engine Power Head Test Article (PHTA) at 88% of its 175-tonne target thrust at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPC), Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu — the 8th in a series of PHTA hot tests.

• Engine — The SE2000 engine produces 2,000 kN of thrust and will power the new SC120 propulsion stage, expected to replace the L110 core stage of the LVM3 rocket.
• Significance — The advanced stage is projected to increase payload capacity; semi-cryogenic engines need only one propellant (liquid oxygen) stored at extremely low temperatures, using LOX and kerosene-based fuel.

International Asteroid Day is observed globally on 30 June every year to raise public awareness about the hazard of asteroid impacts and to inform crisis-communication actions in the event of a credible near-Earth object threat. The date commemorates the 1908 Tunguska event — the largest asteroid impact in recorded history.

• UN Recognition — The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/71/90 in December 2016, officially declaring 30 June as International Asteroid Day, based on a proposal by the Association of Space Explorers, endorsed by COPUOS.
• Origin & Founders — Co-founded in 2014 by astrophysicist Brian May (Queen), Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, B612 Foundation president Danica Remy, and filmmaker Grig Richters.
• 2026 Edition — This is the 11th edition of Asteroid Day since UN recognition.

World Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day is observed globally on 27 June to recognise the contribution of MSMEs to innovation, job creation, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Background — Declared via UNGA Resolution A/RES/71/279, adopted on 6 April 2017; first observed on 27 June 2017.
• Global Event — The 9th Anniversary International Forum was held on 26 June 2026 at the UN Headquarters, New York, USA.
• National Event — Vice President of India C. P. (Chandrapuram Ponnusamy) Radhakrishnan presided over ‘MSME Day 2026 – Udyami Bharat’ at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

National Insurance Awareness Day is observed annually on 28 June to promote awareness about insurance as a financial tool that protects individuals, families, and businesses against financial risk.

• Evolution — Oriental Life Insurance Company, India’s first modern insurer, was established in 1818 at Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal; the Indian Life Assurance Companies Act, 1912 was India’s first regulatory law for life insurance.
• Nationalisation — The Government of India nationalised the life insurance sector in 1956, creating the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) under the LIC Act, 1956, by merging 245 insurers.
• Regulator — Based on Malhotra Committee recommendations, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) was constituted in 1999 and became a statutory body in April 2000.
• Capital Norms (2025) — Minimum paid-up equity capital is Rs 100 crore for Life, General, and Health insurers, and Rs 200 crore for Reinsurance companies.

World Allergy Week is a global awareness initiative held every June, organised by the World Allergy Organization (WAO), highlighting the rising global prevalence of allergic diseases.

• History — WAO first observed World Allergy Day in July 2005 alongside the Biennial World Allergy Congress (WAC); the observance was expanded into a full World Allergy Week in 2011, with the first edition held 4–10 April 2011.
• WAC 2026 — The World Allergy Congress 2026 is scheduled for 15–18 October 2026 in Kyoto, Japan.