Monthly current affairs for June 2026

The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), an independent business division under the Digital India Corporation (DIC) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has empanelled 6 firms to provide AI and Machine Learning (ML) solutions for central ministries and agencies.

The selected firms are TCS, NEC India, Kyndryl Solutions, Innefu Labs, CoRover.ai, and Cactus Technology Solutions. The empanelment is valid for 2 years, with a provision for an extension of up to 1 year.

The National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has signed an MoU with the Dr. RS Tolia Uttarakhand Academy of Administration (DRSTUAoA) in Nainital to collaborate on capacity building regarding social defence issues in the state.

PM Narendra Modi has visited Gujarat, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various development projects in Surat worth ₹18,800 crore, aimed at strengthening road connectivity, power infrastructure, and industrial development.

He also virtually inaugurated the first ‘World Yogasana Championship’ in Ahmedabad, which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage City.

Key projects include Packages VI and VII of the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway, a 200-bed Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital, a transmission network expansion project, and Chemical and Bulk Drug Zone projects in Valsad and Bharuch.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered India the advanced Sukhoi Su-57, a fifth-generation stealth aircraft.

He also proposed joint production in India, including full technology transfer and the establishment of manufacturing facilities, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) held in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Quality Council of India (QCI) has signed an MoU with the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) to strengthen the quality, testing, accreditation, and skilling ecosystem in the Indian leather and footwear sector.

The collaboration aims to establish a framework for capacity building, certification, and development of testing infrastructure across key footwear clusters, including Agra, Bahadurgarh, Ranipet, Chennai, Calicut, and Kanpur.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi has announced the fellowships and awards for 2024 and 2025. The Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna), the highest lifetime achievement honour in performing arts in India (restricted to 40 living individuals), has been conferred upon 7 eminent artists. The award carries a cash prize of ₹3 lakh, a Tamrapatra, and an Angavastram.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) were conferred upon 108 artists for their work in Hindustani and Carnatic music, classical and folk dance, theatre, and puppetry. The award includes a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a Tamrapatra, and an Angavastram.

Additionally, the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, which honours young artists up to the age of 40, was presented to 106 recipients. Each recipient receives a cash prize of ₹25,000, a Tamrapatra, and an Angavastram.

The Government of India has re-appointed Swaminathan Janakiraman as the Deputy Governor of the RBI for a tenure of 2 years. This re-appointment will be effective from June 26, 2026.

Savitha Baskar, a 19-year-old Indian International Master (IM), has won the gold medal on tie-breaks at the Women’s Asian Individual Chess Championship 2026, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Afruza Khamdamova of Uzbekistan secured the silver medal, while Song Yuxin of China claimed the bronze. In the Open section of the championship, Kong Xiangrui of China won the gold medal.

Salim Kumar, a veteran Malayalam actor, passed away at the age of 56.

He was the recipient of the National Film Award for Best Actor in 2010 for his performance in the film ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has unveiled the ‘Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)’ (VB-G RAM G) framework.

The rural development initiative has been allocated a budget of ₹1.25 lakh crore and is set to be effective from July 2026. It aims to generate employment, create village assets, and promote digital governance across nearly 2.8 lakh Gram Panchayats.

Viyona Fintech India Pvt Ltd, a National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)-certified Technology Service Provider, has received certification as a Biller Operating Unit (BOU) under the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).

The BBPS is operated by NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL). This certification enables Viyona to facilitate billers across various sectors to collect payments through the Bharat BillPay network.

The 125th edition of the French Open 2026 was held at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France.

Alexander Zverev (Germany) won the men’s singles title by defeating Flavio Cobolli (Italy), while Mirra Andreeva (Russia) won the women’s singles title by defeating Maja Chwalinska (Poland). The men's and women's singles champions was awarded €2.8 million.

Marcel Granollers (Spain) and Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) retained the men’s doubles title (Jacques-Brugnon Cup). Katerina Siniakova (Czechia) and Taylor Townsend (USA) won the women’s doubles title (Simonne-Mathieu Cup), while Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori (Italy) won the mixed doubles title (Marcel-Bernard Cup).

Union Minister Amit Shah has launched the Land Port Management System (LPMS) – VINIMAY, a digital platform in New Delhi. Developed by the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the system aims to modernize land port operations, facilitate trade, and strengthen border security.

The implementation of the platform is expected to eliminate 90% of paperwork, reduce truck waiting time by 40-60%, and cut gate processing time by 22-35%.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has inaugurated a 20 kW Akashvani FM transmitter in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, to upgrade communication capabilities along the India-Pakistan border.

He also announced the establishment of an Advanced Quantum Computing and Quantum Communications Lab and a dedicated AI Lab at the Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT) in Jaipur.

The centre has signed a tripartite MoU with the state governments of Assam and Nagaland to resume mineral oil and natural gas operations along their contested border. The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Minister Amit Shah.

The pact covers over 1,000 sq km of area along the border, encompassing 6 identified disputed oilfields. The revenue generated from the hydrocarbon resources extracted from these regions will be shared between the two states based on a 50:50 formula.

Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, a former Asian Games shot put bronze medallist popularly known as ‘Baba Dhaliwal’, passed away at the age of 67. He was a recipient of the Arjuna Award in 1987.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has nominated Han Seong-sook as the next Prime Minister (PM) of the country. Upon parliamentary approval, she will succeed Kim Min-seok.

It is to be noted that she will become the second woman to serve as the PM in the history of South Korea, following Han Myeong-sook.

The ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad, has launched “Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra,” a WhatsApp-based AI advisory service.

The initiative aims to harness digital technology to benefit the farming community. It enables oilseed farmers across India to access free, trusted, and instant crop advisory through WhatsApp.

Nepal Foreign Minister (FM) Shisir Khanal visited India at the invitation of Union Minister S Jaishankar to review bilateral relations. During the visit to New Delhi, he held talks with S Jaishankar and the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

A key outcome of the discussion was the launch of a Person-to-Person (P2P) linkage between the UPI of India and the National Payments Interface (NPI) of Nepal. Furthermore, 84 reconstruction projects funded by India, initiated after the 2015 earthquake, were formally handed over to the Government of Nepal.

Jaspal Rana, the Indian shooting legend and national coach, passed away at the age of 49.

He remains the most successful athlete of India in the Commonwealth Games with 15 medals, including 9 gold, across four editions. He was a recipient of the Arjuna Award in 1994, Padma Shri in 1997, and the Dronacharya Award in 2020.