Daily Current Affairs 30 June 2026

The BRICS Heads of Space Agencies (HOSA) meeting was held in Bengaluru. It was hosted by the ISRO and the Department of Space (DoS) with support from the Ministry of External Affairs, featuring participation from all BRICS member nations.

The 11th BRICS Energy Ministers’ Meeting was held in Gurugram, Haryana, under the BRICS Chairship of India for 2026. The meeting was conducted under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” with the Energy Track focusing on the theme “Energy for All.”

The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) has celebrated its 23rd Foundation Day and launched 4 digital platforms.

The platforms include: 'IX Portal' to optimize the operations and management of domestic internet exchanges. 'myIRINN Portal' as a secure platform for members and affiliates of the Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN). '.IN Auction Portal' to streamline the bidding and acquisition process for premium '.in' domain names. 'AI-Powered WHOIS Screening Platform' to secure the '.in' domain space of India.

jUMPP, an AI-driven fintech platform, has received approval from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to operate as a Third Party Application Provider (TPAP). This authorization allows the platform to integrate UPI payment capabilities into its application.

The RBI has revamped the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme by standardizing the definition of crop seasons to ensure uniform loan processing and repayment. The 'KCC Directions, 2026' will be applicable to all loans sanctioned under the scheme from January 2027.

The objective of these directions is to establish a framework for providing adequate and timely credit support through the banking system to meet the working capital and investment credit requirements of borrowers engaged in agriculture and allied activities.

BharathCloud has signed an MoU with the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) in Pune to provide secure, India-hosted cloud infrastructure for Company Secretaries (CS).

Under the partnership, ICSI members will get access to BharathCloud services at special pricing for 2 years.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has signed an MoU with the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Israel to strengthen cooperation in public sector auditing.

The National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) has signed an MoU with the Bharat Metal Exchange (BME) to promote the development and adoption of non-ferrous metal derivatives in India.

According to the "State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2026" report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the theme "Blue Transformation: Turning Vision into Impact", India has emerged as the world's second-largest producer of aquatic animals, contributing 9% of the total global production in 2024.

India ranks first globally in inland water catches, producing 2.2 million tonnes (MT) from rivers, lakes, and freshwater systems. The top five aquaculture-producing countries globally are China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations (UN) Women have released the "2026 Women in Politics map" which provides global rankings on the representation of women in executive and government positions as of January 2026.

India ranks 151st globally in parliamentary representation, with women holding 13.8% of the seats. In terms of representation of women among Cabinet ministers, India ranks 173rd globally, with women occupying 5.6% of Cabinet positions.

Abiy Ahmed, the leader of the Prosperity Party, has been elected as the PM of Ethiopia for the second consecutive 5-year term, after the party's victory at the general election. It is to be noted that he was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has released the 'Delegation of Financial Powers to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) (DFP-2026)' in New Delhi. The framework aims to expedite local clearances by expanding financial powers across various management levels of the DRDO.

Under the new policy, the financial powers for competitive procurement and sanctioning new projects for the Secretary, Department of Defence R&D (DRDO Chairman) have been doubled from ₹75 crore to ₹150 crore.

The sanctioning autonomy for Directors General (DGs) has been increased from ₹25 crore to ₹75 crore, and for Laboratory Directors from ₹2 crore to ₹5 crore. Additionally, single-tender and proprietary procurement limits have been upgraded, authorizing the Secretary, DRDO up to ₹75 crore, DGs up to ₹37.5 crore, and Lab Directors up to ₹2.5 crore.

Maruti Suzuki India has partnered with 5 startups under the fifth cohort of the Maruti Suzuki Incubation Program (MSIP).

The selected startups are MiniMines, Easework AI, Sarvam AI, Siftly, and CodeMate AI. These startups will develop solutions focused on operational efficiency, customer experience, and recycling of end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The MSIP is conducted in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore.

The Delhi Cabinet has approved the 'Delhi Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2026', effective from July 2026 to March 2030, with a financial outlay of 15,000 crore.

The policy offers a 100% road tax and registration fee waiver for electric cars up to 30 lakh, and a 50% exemption for strong hybrid models (up to 30 lakh). Luxury EVs priced above 30 lakh are excluded.

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) subsidies for electric 2-wheelers are 30,000 (1st year), 20,000 (2nd year), and 10,000 (3rd year), while electric 3-wheelers receive 50,000, 40,000, and 30,000 over three years.

N1 category goods trucks are eligible for an incentive of up to 1 lakh. Scrappage bonuses include 1 lakh for 4-wheelers, 50,000 for commercial trucks, 25,000 for 3-wheelers, and 10,000 for 2-wheelers. Commercial and school fleet operators are mandated to electrify 10% of their fleet within two years, 20% by the third year, and 30% by March 2030.

The government also aims to deploy over 30,000 charging stations. Additionally, the first 1,000 heavy-duty N2 electric trucks (3.5 to 12 tonnes) will receive a 10-year exemption from city peak hour 'No Entry' restrictions.

The Himachal Pradesh government has signed implementation agreements for 19 hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 278 Megawatts (MW). These projects, involving an investment of ₹3,336 crore, are scheduled for implementation in 2026.

Pradeep Singh Kharola has rejoined Air India as the Executive Advisor to its Chairman, N Chandrasekaran.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) organised the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards 2025 in New Delhi. The awards were presented by Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Neeraj Chopra and Parul Chaudhary were named the Best Male and Female Athletes of the Year, respectively, receiving a cash prize of ₹10 lakh each. Shanavaz Khan and Pooja Singh were recognised as the Best Emerging Athletes of the Year, receiving ₹2.5 lakh each.

Lifetime Achievement Awards, carrying a cash prize of ₹5 lakh each, were conferred upon PT Usha, Anju Bobby George, Gurbacha Singh Randhawa, and Bahadur Singh Randhawa.

Viswanathan Anand has been conferred the Sports Journalists' Federation of India (SJFI) Gold Medal in recognition of his exceptional contribution to Indian chess and outstanding achievements in the sport.

The award was presented by former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth at the Madras Cricket Club (MCC) in Chennai.

The 6th edition of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Men's Volleyball Cup (formerly known as the AVC Men's Challenge Cup) was held at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad. Indonesia won its first gold medal after defeating South Korea by 3-0 in the final, while India secured the bronze medal.

Following this tournament, the Indian men's volleyball team improved its Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) World Ranking from 60th to 42nd place. Individual awards: Boy Arnez Arabi (Indonesia) - Most Valuable Player (MVP); Vladislav Mastikhin (Kazakhstan) - Top Scorer; Anand Kottarathil (India) - Best Libero.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has launched a book titled "IIT: The Story of India's Most Prestigious Educational Ecosystem" at the IIT Delhi. The book is authored by Prabhat Kumar and published by HarperCollins India.

World Refugee Day

Day - June 20

Theme 2026 - 'Until Everyone Is Safe'

Observed by - WHO and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Observed since - 2001

Commemorating - Signing of the 1951 Refugee Convention at a UN conference in Geneva, Switzerland

World Sickle Cell Day

Day – June 19

Theme 2026 – "Closing the Survival Gap: Equity in Sickle Cell Disease"

Observed by – UN and WHO

Observed since – 2009