Daily Current Affairs

In June 2026, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) released the 20th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI). Iceland retained its position as the world’s most peaceful country for the 19th consecutive year (score: 1.161). India dropped to 127th (from 115th in 2025) with an overall score of 2.409, a decline of 2.9%.

• Coverage: 163 independent states and territories; covers 99.7% of the world’s population.
• Key Indicators: 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators across three segments: (1) Societal Safety and Security; (2) Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict; (3) Degree of Militarization.
• India’s change: Dropped from 115th (2025) to 127th (2026) — a decline of 12 positions and 2.9% score deterioration.
• Russia: Ranked 163rd (least peaceful) with score 3.367.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) concluded the 13th BRICS Urbanisation Forum at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan, New Delhi, from 11–12 June 2026, under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026.

• Theme: ‘Cities for People: BRICS Cooperation for Inclusive and Resilient Urban Futures’.
• Ministerial Declaration: Reaffirms commitment to inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and liveable cities; identifies inclusive urban development, climate resilience, disaster preparedness, digital innovation, and citizen-centred governance as key priorities.
• BRICS Urban Research and Knowledge Network: Proposed to strengthen urban cooperation among member nations.
• Publications showcased: ‘India’s Urban Transformation: Stories of Change’ and ‘Cities for People: Urban Stories from BRICS Nations’.

In June 2026, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), a premier think tank under MoHUA, marked 50 years of contribution to India’s urban development journey.

• Celebration Theme: ‘Resilient Urban India @2047’, held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
• Chief Guest: Dr P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
• Publications Launched:
  • ‘Vision for a Resilient Urban India: Building Sustainable and Future-Ready Cities’
  • ‘Understanding the New Geography of India’s Urbanisation: A Geospatial Approach’
  • ’50 Years of Shaping India’s Urban Transformation’
• Platform Launched: National Urban Learning Platform — to strengthen technical capacity building in urban governance through an integrated hybrid learning system.

In June 2026, Avataar.ai, an AI-native transformation company, launched Varya — India’s first indigenous distilled video story-generating AI model — with support from the IndiaAI Mission. Unveiled on 12 June 2026 at New Delhi in the presence of S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

• Overview: Developed using national AI compute infrastructure under IndiaAI Mission; strengthens India’s indigenous AI and deep-tech ecosystem.
• Key Feature: Uses distilled video generation technology to reduce video creation from 50 steps to 4; generates videos at ~₹0.48 per second with up to 10x efficiency. Workflow: Idea → Video → Story via text prompts or images.
• Design: Trained on Indian cultural contexts; generates region-specific visuals reflecting festivals, traditions, and everyday life; applicable in education, e-commerce, and content sectors.

In June 2026, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) commissioned the first batch of 17 women cadets trained at the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra, into the Indian Army (IA), Indian Navy (IN), and Indian Air Force (IAF) — a historic milestone in gender inclusion in India’s Defence Forces.

• Background: Women cadets joined NDA in August 2022 as part of the 148th Course, following the Supreme Court’s 2021 ruling permitting women to enter NDA; SC held exclusion violated Articles 14 and 16 (equality provisions).
• Total: 17 women officers — Army (9), IAF (5), Navy (3).

In June 2026, the Quality Council of India (QCI), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), and the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), also under MoC&I, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen quality, testing, accreditation, certification, and skilling in India’s leather and footwear sector.

• Signed by: Chakravarthy T. Kannan (Secretary General, QCI) and Vivek Sharma (Managing Director, FDDI).
• Coverage: Major footwear manufacturing clusters in Agra & Kanpur (UP), Bahadurgarh (Haryana), Ranipet & Chennai (Tamil Nadu), and Calicut/Kozhikode (Kerala).
• Key Role of QCI: Provide accreditation and quality management expertise; create MSME awareness on quality/testing; support monitoring frameworks, research, and white papers.
• RPL Framework: Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework will recognise skills of experienced workers without formal qualifications.

In June 2026, the Department of Posts (DoP), under the Ministry of Communications, launched its first drone-based mail and parcel transmission service between Mandi Head Post Office and Rehardhar Branch Post Office in Himachal Pradesh (HP) — aimed at enhancing last-mile connectivity in remote terrains.

• Background: Introduced based on feedback from Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) and Postal Assistants to improve postal connectivity in remote areas.
• Key Feature: Reduced transit time on the Mandi–Rehardhar route from over 2 hours to about 7 minutes; features real-time tracking and eco-friendly transport.
• Expansion: DoP plans to extend drone-based mail transmission to around 150 routes in Himachal Pradesh and Assam within the next 2–3 months.

In June 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed several restrictions on Mogaveera Co-operative Bank Limited (Mumbai, Maharashtra), effective from the closure of business on 12 June 2026, for a period of 6 months.

• Key Restrictions: Without RBI’s prior approval, the bank cannot: grant/renew loans and advances; make any investment; or incur liabilities (borrowing of funds, acceptance of fresh deposits).
• Withdrawal Limit: Maximum withdrawal of ₹1 lakh from savings/current or any other deposit account.
• No Licence Cancellation: RBI clarified these restrictions do not constitute cancellation of the banking licence; the bank continues to function under these restrictions.
• Deposit Insurance: Eligible depositors entitled to deposit insurance coverage up to ₹5 lakh from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).
• Essential Operations: The bank is allowed to incur daily operational expenses: employee salaries, rent, and electricity bills.

In June 2026, Oil India Limited (OIL), a ‘Maharatna’ Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), signed a collaboration framework with Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC), a Canada-based not-for-profit energy research organisation, at the Global Energy Show 2026 in Calgary, Canada.

• Focus Areas: Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS); geothermal energy; subsurface energy technologies.
• Areas of Cooperation:
  • Permanent storage of captured CO₂ via geological sequestration and mineralisation
  • Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods
  • Evaluation of potential geothermal projects
  • Joint research through OIL and PTRC’s Energy Innovation Hub
• Industry Engagement: Collaboration also involves mc2+, an Indian startup platform supported by MoPNG, to drive innovation and support emerging technologies.
• Event: Signed at Global Energy Show 2026, Calgary, Canada.

In June 2026, the Geographical Indications Registry (GIR), under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), granted Geographical Indication (GI) tags to 11 products from Jharkhand, including Bhoya Saree and Fabric, Kuchai Silk Saree, and Jharkhand Bamboo Craft. Additionally, 4 products from Assam received GI tags.

• Assam GI Products: Karbi Anglong Handloom Products, Assam Bihu Pepa, Assam Bamboo Crafts, and Deuri Handloom Products. With this, NABARD-supported GI-certified products in Assam reach a total of 12.
• Facilitated by: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for Assam products.
• GI Validity: Registration is valid for 10 years from the date of registration; renewable for further periods of 10 years each.

In June 2026, Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik, a sand artist from Puri, Odisha, won the Russia Grand Sand Master Cup 2026 at the II International Festival of Sand Sculpture in Kaliningrad, Russia — becoming the first Indian to receive the honour.

• Sculpture: A three-metre-high sand sculpture depicting two contrasting faces of Earth: environmental degradation on one side and ecological restoration (afforestation and conservation) on the other.
• Competition: 12 internationally renowned sand sculptors from different countries participated.
• Recognition: The international jury unanimously acknowledged his artistic excellence and efforts to raise social and environmental awareness through sand art.
• Previous Awards: Padma Shri (2014, Arts); People’s Choice Award at Sand Sculpting World Cup 2014 (Atlantic City, USA); Italian Sand Art Award (2019); Fred Darrington Sand Master Award, London, UK (2025).

In June 2026, the Government of India (GoI) appointed Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Dhiraj Seth, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS), as the next Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) under the Ministry of Defence (MoD), effective from 30 June 2026. He will succeed General Upendra Dwivedi.

• Military Career: Commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986 after graduating from NDA, Khadakwasla, Pune.
• Commands Held: Armoured Regiment, Armoured Brigade, Counter-Insurgency Force, Sudarshan Chakra Corps, and Delhi Area.
• Honours: Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM, 2025); Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM, 2026); Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM, 2022); and several Army commendations.

In June 2026, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), under MoD, conducted three consecutive flight-tests of India’s integrated multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.

• Significance: Demonstrated interception capability against long-range (5,000 km) and medium-range (2,000 km) missiles; positions India among an elite group of nations with operational BMD capability up to the ICBM class.
• Phase-II Test: Target missile simulating adversary ballistic weapon launched from Launch Complex-IV (LC-IV), Dhamra, Odisha; detected by land- and sea-based radars; intercepted by air defence system.
• Bonus Achievement: Also includes the maiden flight-test of the indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Medium Range (NASM-MR).
• Location: Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.

World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is observed annually on 14 June to recognise voluntary, unpaid blood donors and raise awareness about safe and sufficient blood supplies worldwide. The 2026 campaign theme is ‘One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives.’

• Origin: WBDD was established in 2004, jointly organised by the WHO, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations (IFBDO), and International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT). First observed on 14 June 2004.
• UN Recognition: In 2005, the 58th World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted Resolution WHA58.13, officially designating 14 June as the annual observance of WBDD.
• Commemoration: Observed on 14 June to honour Karl Landsteiner’s birth anniversary — the scientist who discovered the ABO Blood Group System.

The UN’s World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is observed annually on 15 June to raise awareness about elder abuse and promote dignity, rights, and well-being of older persons. The 2026 theme is ‘Beyond Awareness: Making Elder Abuse Prevention Work’.

• Origin: WEAAD was launched in 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).
• UN Recognition: On 19 December 2011, the UNGA adopted Resolution A/RES/66/127, officially designating 15 June as WEAAD. First UN-recognised WEAAD observed on 15 June 2012.
• 2026 Event: Marked by UN DESA, INPEA, OHCHR, and the NGO Committee on Ageing New York through a side event at the 19th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP19), UN Headquarters, New York, USA.

In June 2026, renowned Mand folk singer Gavri Devi passed away at the age of 98 in Gavri Nagar, Desuri, Pali district, Rajasthan. She was born on 14 April 1928 in Koran village, Barmer district, Rajasthan.

• Contribution: Popularised Mand music through her iconic rendition of ‘Kesariya Balam’, which became a symbol of Rajasthan’s cultural identity and hospitality. She preserved and promoted Mand music — a traditional folk genre of Rajasthan, particularly associated with the Marwar region.
• Career: Musical journey spanning nearly eight decades; performed across India and abroad; gained recognition through All India Radio and Doordarshan.
• Awards: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1986); Rajasthan Ratna (2013); Veer Durgadas Rathore Lifetime Achievement Award.