Daily Current Affairs 23 June 2026

The Department of Public Enterprises under the Ministry of Finance has upgraded Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) as India's 28th Navratna company and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) as the 29th Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).

Following this, both Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) can invest up to Rs 1,000 crore or 15% of their net worth on a single project without prior approval from the central government.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has hosted the First BRICS MSME Forum and the Third SME Working Group Meeting in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The event was held under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.

The Third SME Working Group Meeting deliberated on the theme 'Building MSME Ecosystem - Sustainable Roots to Global Routes'.

Six northern states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, have signed an MoU for the implementation of the Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project. The agreement was signed during a meeting chaired by Union Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

The project is a hydroelectric and water storage initiative on the Tons River, a tributary of the Yamuna, located on the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in the Dehradun-Sirmour region. The project is estimated to cost ₹15,000 crore. The Central Government will provide 90% of the water component cost as Central Assistance, while the remaining 10% will be shared by the participating states.

The RBI has approved the extension of the tenure of Keki Mistry as the Interim Part-Time Chairman of HDFC Bank Limited for a period of 3 months. He will continue in the position until 18 September 2026.

The RBI has relaxed capital requirements for bank loans backed by the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS 5.0), effective immediately.

Under the revised norms, 75% of the guaranteed portion of the loan attracts a zero-risk weight, while the remaining 25% of the exposure attracts a 20% risk weight. To qualify for the 0% risk weight, banks must settle claims within 30 days from the date of invocation.

The World Economic Forum (WEF), in collaboration with Accenture, has released the “Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2026: Insight Report June 2026”. India is ranked 70th in the index with an overall score of 54.9.

Sweden topped the index with a score of 75.3, followed by Finland, Denmark, Estonia, and Norway. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is ranked last at 120th place.

PM Narendra Modi has visited France to strengthen the India-France Special Global Strategic Partnership, focusing on trade, technology, and security. He held bilateral talks with President Emmanuel Macron in Nice and participated in the 52nd G7 Outreach Summit as a guest partner.

PM Modi and President Macron co-launched the 'Bharat Innovates' initiative in Nice, featuring participation from over 120 Indian startups. At the VivaTech 2026 expo in Paris, the largest technology exhibition in Europe, India was designated as the 'AI Country of Focus'.

The visit resulted in 13 key outcomes, including the adoption of the 'India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030', the establishment of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on AI Governance, and the expansion of the UPI in France. PM Modi also addressed the Indian diaspora during the 'Bonjour Modi' event held in Paris.

Uzbekistan has become the 10th member and shareholder of the New Development Bank (NDB) after ratifying the NDB Articles of Agreement (AoA). This marks the first entry of a Central Asian nation into the NDB.

The Indian Army has procured 106 jet-powered Peacekeeper (Agniveg) drones from the defence manufacturer SMPP Ltd. The consignment includes 100 operational drones and 6 training drones.

These drones were developed in partnership with KB Indela, Belarus, and have been partially localized within India. The Peacekeeper drone has an operational range of 180 km. An upgraded variant of the drone, capable of reaching speeds of 750 kmph, has been proposed.

Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), the defence arm of Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL), in partnership with the South Africa-based Paramount Group, has unveiled the 'Simha 4x4 Light Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicle (LAMPV)'.

The vehicle, featuring an ab initio modular design, was unveiled at the Eurosatory 2026 event held in Paris, France.

The Essar Group has signed a $500 million crude oil sourcing and product supply agreement with the Abu Dhabi-based International Resources Holding (IRH).

The agreement aims to support procurement, supply chain optimization, and energy trading in global markets.

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has inaugurated the Versatile Deuterated Compounds Production Plant (VDPP) and commissioned a 24 kA Prototype Sodium Cell at the Heavy Water Board Facilities (HWBF) in Vadodara, Gujarat.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the reappointment of Tushar Mehta as the Solicitor General of India for a period of 3 years, starting from July 2026.

The ACC has also approved the reappointment of 5 Additional Solicitors General (ASGs) for the Supreme Court for a 3-year term. They are Vikramjit Banerjee, KM Nataraj, Suryaprakash V Raju, N Venkataraman, and Aishwarya Bhati.

India has won the 2025–26 International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey Women's Nations Cup by defeating New Zealand 2–0 in the final held at the North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Auckland. This marks India's second title in the tournament, which featured 8 top-tier nations.

Lalremsiami (India) was awarded the 'Player of the Match' in the final. Ashley Sessa (USA) was named the 'Best Player' of the tournament and shared the 'Joint Top Scorer' title with Deepika Sehrawat (India), with both scoring 6 goals. Grace O'Hanlon (New Zealand) was named the 'Best Goalkeeper'. The USA secured the bronze medal in the competition.

TIME has released the inaugural edition of the "TIME 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026" list, which categorizes individuals into 4 segments: Leaders, Icons, Innovators, and Titans.

Smriti Mandhana is the only Indian featured on the list, placed in the "Titans" category alongside notable sports personalities such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, and Temba Bavuma.