Daily current affairs

The Centre announced expansion of the PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme to 25,000 schools by 2027. The scheme aims to develop "model" schools showcasing NEP 2020 implementation.

India and UAE bilateral trade settled in INR/AED under the local currency settlement framework crossed ₹1 lakh crore since the agreement in July 2023, reducing dollar dependency.

Ministry of Railways: 1,400+ stations now under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) for modernization. Phase 1 of 506 stations nearly complete; Phase 2 expanded scope. Total budget ₹25,000+ crore. Features: clean toilets, AC waiting halls, free Wi-Fi, retail, parking.

Indian Railways completed KAVACH (indigenous Automatic Train Protection) deployment on 5,000 route km, mainly Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors. Prevents collisions and signal violations. Target: 35,000 km by 2027.

India hosted UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development) summit in Mumbai with delegates from 150+ countries. India launched proposals for fairer global trade rules, debt restructuring framework for developing countries.

India and Brazil signed defence collaboration worth $5 billion. Joint production of light helicopters, naval platforms, and small arms. Both countries also discussed BRICS-related cooperation.

Ministry of AYUSH announced 10+ crore people participated in International Day of Yoga (June 21) rehearsal events across India in May 2026 — sets stage for largest-ever yoga gathering. Theme: "Yoga for Climate Action."

India and African Union (55 countries) signed framework for Free Trade Agreement at India-Africa Summit. Goal: triple bilateral trade from $100 bn to $300 bn by 2030. Focus: pharma, IT, agriculture, infrastructure.

India to host the G20 Health Ministerial in Hyderabad (June 2026), focusing on antimicrobial resistance, global pandemic preparedness, and digital health solutions. India to share UHC (Universal Health Coverage) approach via Ayushman Bharat.

Ministry of Power: every census village in India now has reliable grid electricity access (24×7 or near-24×7). Builds on Saubhagya scheme (2017) and rural infra push.

India hosted a special G20 Energy Transitions Working Group meeting in Goa, with discussions on global green hydrogen, critical minerals supply chain, and climate finance. India proposes "Mission LiFE for Energy" plan.

A 3-judge SC bench issued comprehensive guidelines for whistleblower protection in cases involving public sector corruption. Anonymous filing, witness protection, and time-bound investigation directives.

RBI announced nationwide rollout of digital rupee (e₹) for retail transactions after 18 months of pilot. ~12 lakh users in pilot phase; transaction volume crossed ₹2000 crore. Now available via UPI-style mobile apps from all major banks.

SEBI released a consultation paper proposing a regulated framework for equity crowdfunding in India. Caps: ₹10 crore raise/year, ₹2 lakh per individual investor. Aimed at startups and SMEs without traditional VC access.

CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (Lucknow) announced first indigenous oral insulin tablet, completing Phase II clinical trials. Could replace injectable insulin for type-2 diabetics. Expected approval and launch by 2027.

India-Singapore activated next phase of UPI-PayNow integration. Real-time bank-to-bank payments under SGD 1000 per transaction. ~₹250 cr transactions in pilot. Similar arrangements being finalized with UAE, France, Bhutan.

WHO South-East Asia Regional Office certified India's progress on measles-rubella elimination as a model for other developing nations. India launched the MR vaccine campaign in 2017 — over 32 crore children immunized.

A 3-judge SC bench struck down a state law requiring district magistrate approval for interfaith marriages, holding it violates Articles 14, 21, and 25 of the Constitution. Reaffirmed right to choose life partner as fundamental right.

Ministry of Education revamped the PM Vidya Lakshmi portal, offering single-window education loan applications across 13 PSU banks. Subsidized interest rates for income-based eligible students.

India ratified the 1965 Hague Service Convention, simplifying cross-border service of judicial documents in civil/commercial matters. Reduces delays in international legal proceedings for Indian businesses and citizens abroad.

India hosted the 7th BIMSTEC Summit in New Delhi. The Bay of Bengal regional grouping (7 countries) signed agreements on maritime cooperation, energy grid, and a free trade framework.

India signed a Government-to-Government deal with France for 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy's aircraft carriers (INS Vikrant and Vikramaditya). Estimated cost ₹63,000 crore.

BCCI announced rule changes for IPL 2026: reduced strategic time-out duration; mandatory player workload tracking; expanded use of DRS for wide calls.

Ministry of Home Affairs notified the first National Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (NDRRF) with ₹15,000 crore corpus, separate from response funds. Focuses on early warning systems, building codes, resilient infrastructure.

India and Russia agreed to extend cooperation for 6 additional nuclear reactors at Kudankulam (units 7-12). Also covers floating SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) for coastal areas.

Ministry of Tourism launched a digital platform with QR-coded heritage trails across 100 cities including all UNESCO sites. Features AR/VR experiences, multilingual audio guides, accessibility for differently-abled visitors.

India finished 6th in the medal tally at the Asian Para Athletics Championship with 11 gold, 8 silver, 14 bronze. Devendra Jhajharia won javelin gold for 4th time. Para-athletics has become India's strongest discipline.

IIM-Bangalore reported completion of training 200,000+ rural leaders under the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship — a 2-year program for district magistrates' staff and community workers. Focus: SDG implementation, evidence-based governance.

Neeraj Chopra won javelin gold (90.21 m, season's best) at the Doha Diamond League. Murali Sreeshankar took silver in long jump. Annu Rani also placed 3rd in women's javelin.

India and Nepal signed an updated bilateral transit treaty, granting Nepal additional sea routes through India (Visakhapatnam) and improved railway connectivity. Nepal is a landlocked LDC.

DoT released the Bharat 6G Vision 2030 — strategy document targeting 10% of global 6G IPRs by 2030. Plans for testbed, standards contribution to ITU, R&D ecosystem support.

India hosted the BRICS Foreign Ministers' meeting in New Delhi. Discussions: BRICS expansion roadmap, payment systems alternative to SWIFT, climate finance from Global North.

DPIIT launched the National Deep-Tech Startup Policy with a ₹2,000 crore Fund of Funds for AI, quantum, biotech, space-tech, advanced materials. Aims to support 10,000 deep-tech startups by 2030.

Centre approved expansion of PM-eBus Sewa to 200 cities with population 3 lakh+, deploying 50,000 electric buses by 2030. Funding: ₹57,613 crore on PPP model.

World Bank's Migration and Development Brief: India remained the top remittance recipient globally for the fourth consecutive year, with inflows crossing $135 billion in 2025-26. Major sources: USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, UK.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the National Mission for AI in Healthcare with ₹3,500 crore over 5 years. Focus: diagnostic AI, drug discovery, public health surveillance.

ISRO marked the third anniversary of Chandrayaan-3's successful soft landing with the launch of CY-3A, a follow-up mission demonstrating in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) experiments on the lunar surface.

The Election Commission of India launched a remote voting pilot in five state by-elections, allowing migrant workers to vote from their work location. Uses biometric and OTP authentication.

The Centre approved Chandrayaan-4 — India's first lunar sample return mission. Target launch: 2028. Will use SLV2 (heavy launcher) and two-spacecraft rendezvous architecture.

IMD operationalised the Bharat Forecast System, India's indigenous high-resolution global numerical weather prediction model. Resolution: 6 km — 4× sharper than the previous global system.

NHSRCL reported Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR is at 50% physical completion. Vapi-Surat section piers complete. 21-km undersea tunnel through Thane Creek (longest in India) under construction. Commercial operations targeted for end-2027.

ICF Chennai completed trial runs of Vande Bharat Sleeper variant on Western Railway. Speed test: 180 km/h achieved. Equipped with First AC, AC 2-tier, AC 3-tier coaches. Commercial launch expected late 2026 on Delhi-Mumbai overnight route.

A 3-judge SC bench held that "right to disconnect" from work outside office hours is part of Article 21 (right to dignified life). India joins France, Belgium, Italy in legal protection of work-life balance.

Ministry of New & Renewable Energy: PM Suryodaya Yojana (launched 2024) has installed 1 crore (10 million) rooftop solar units across India, with 300 free units/month for households. Capacity: 40+ GW.

Tata Electronics announced first indigenously produced 8K resolution LCD display panel at Tamil Nadu fab. Initial output: 2 lakh panels/year. Reduces import dependency on display panels (~$10B annual imports).

Delhi Metro inaugurated India's first metro tunnel below a major river — under the Yamuna, on the Phase 4 corridor (Tughlaqabad-Aerocity). Engineering feat with twin-tunnel boring machines at depth of 25m.

CSIR-National Chemical Lab (Pune) developed first-in-class plant-derived mRNA vaccine platform. Could be game-changer for cold-chain-free vaccines in tropical countries. Phase 1 trial planned for influenza in 2026.

ECI rolled out Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM) pilot for inter-state migrant workers in 5 states. Aims to enable ~30 crore migrant Indians to vote without travelling home.

Union Cabinet cleared ₹50,000 crore National Battery Storage Mission to develop 50 GWh grid-scale battery storage by 2030. Critical for integrating renewable energy (solar/wind intermittency) into national grid.

IMD rolled out the new AI-based Hyper-Local Weather Forecasting System (HLWFS) covering all 766 districts of India. Provides hour-by-hour forecasts at 1 km resolution, factoring local geography. India joins US, China, EU.