Monthly current affairs for June 2026

The RBI has imposed a penalty of ₹10.1 lakh on City Union Bank for levying loan-related charges on priority sector agriculture advances up to ₹25,000 and for failing to report Self Help Group (SHG) member-level data to credit information companies.

Mintifi Finserve Pvt Ltd was fined ₹3.1 lakh for failure to upload certain Know Your Customer (KYC) records, and Newa Investments Pvt Ltd was fined ₹2.7 lakh for appointing directors without obtaining prior approval from the regulator.

The Ayush Export Promotion Council (AYUSHEXCIL) has signed an MoU with the Spices Board of India to strengthen the traditional wellness and natural products sector in India.

The partnership focuses on export promotion, quality assurance, innovation, branding, and international market development for Ayush, medicinal spice, nutraceutical, and Ayurvedic products.

The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) has signed an MoU with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to launch the “BHASHINI Seva/Sanchalan - A BHASHINI Sahayogi Program”.

The initiative aims to enhance multilingual digital capabilities across the industry and internal trade ecosystem in India by leveraging the BHASHINI platform, which serves as the National Language Digital Public Infrastructure of the country.

The Gujarat government has signed an MoU with Meta Platforms Inc to launch a WhatsApp chatbot under the ‘Sugam Digital’ initiative.

The 2-year collaboration aims to enhance e-governance in the state by implementing AI driven public services, accessibility projects, and digital skilling programmes. Through this chatbot, citizens can access around 20 public services from 5 departments in both Gujarati and English.

Nikos Christodoulides, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, visited India at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi. He held bilateral discussions with PM Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

During his visit to Mumbai, President Christodoulides participated in the traditional bell-ringing ceremony at the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) and attended the Cyprus-India Business Forum. Both countries signed 6 MoUs across various sectors and made 8 major announcements to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

India and the USA have signed a framework titled “Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths” to secure the supply, mining, processing, and recycling of critical minerals and rare earth elements.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 11th Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi. The US government is allocating over $30 billion through investments, loans, and public–private partnerships to strengthen critical mineral supply chains.

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has signed a strategic partnership with the Japan-based Fourth Valley Concierge Corporation (FVCC) to enhance workforce mobility for Indian professionals seeking employment in Japan.

The partnership will utilize the NSDC Trust’s “Credibility Check” framework to establish a transparent verification system for these professionals.

PM Narendra Modi visited Italy at the invitation of Giorgia Meloni, the PM of Italy. During their bilateral meeting in Rome, the leaders reviewed the progress of the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029.

The visit resulted in the adoption of a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) and a Defence Industrial Roadmap. Both nations also declared 2027 as the Year of Culture and Tourism and signed 10 MoUs across various sectors.

The Indian Army (IA) has launched ‘Q-FORCE’, an integrated digital application designed to streamline logistics and sustainment management by integrating multiple logistics and inventory platforms across diverse operational terrains.

Additionally, the IA has introduced ‘Kautilya’, an AI-powered command intelligence platform.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises has partnered with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to broadcast 39 global football events in the Indian market.

The 8-year agreement includes coverage of major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2030, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, along with docu-series content.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has unveiled a $20 billion, 3-phased plan to establish a permanent lunar base equipped with rovers and drones.

The plan aims to set up the base by March 2027, with the objective of landing astronauts on the moon in 2028. The mission is structured into 3 phases: Moon Base-I (2026-2028), Moon Base-II (2029-2032), and Moon Base-III (2032 onwards).

Five new judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court (SC), taking its current strength to 37, one short of the sanctioned strength of 38.

The newly appointed judges are Senior Advocate Venkita Subramani Mohana, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, and Justice Arun Palli.

Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty has assumed charge as the 20th Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN), succeeding Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar.

Major General Rachel Thomas has been appointed as the Additional Director General of the Military Nursing Service (MNS), succeeding Major General Lissamma. Air Marshal Tarun Chaudhry has assumed charge as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Air Command, succeeding Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan.

Swara Lakshmi Nair, a chess player from Bengaluru has secured the Woman International Master (WIM) title. She achieved this milestone at the Ptuj International Masters tournament held in Slovenia.

It is to be noted that she is the first WIM from Bengaluru and the second WIM from Karnataka, following Isha Sharma who achieved the title in 2019.

PT Usha, the President of Indian Olympic Association, and Dr. Dilip Tirkey, the President of Hockey India, have released a book titled “India’s Olympic Gold: Hockey Triumph at Amsterdam” in New Delhi.

Authored by hockey historian K Arumugam and published by Stick2Hockey, the book commemorates the 98th anniversary of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team winning their first Olympic Gold medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has unveiled the nationwide “Maritime Reform Utsav” during a review meeting of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) in New Delhi.

The initiative commemorates 12 years of maritime reforms in India. It focuses on reform gap analysis, inter-ministerial coordination, stakeholder participation, and skill development in maritime technologies and digital governance.

The Taiwan Stock Exchange has surpassed India to become the world’s 5th largest stock market, with a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion compared to India’s $4.92 trillion.

The leading global equity markets, ranked by market capitalization, include the USA, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, and South Korea.

RBI has issued final amendment directions for Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) and Rural Co-operative Banks (RCBs), mandating a 3-year cooling-off period for directors who have completed a continuous tenure of 10 years on the board.

RBI has also established an 8-member expert panel under the Quantum Secure and Adaptive Financial Ecosystem (Q-SAFE) initiative to evaluate the risks posed to the financial system by the adoption of quantum technology. The panel is led by Anil Prabhakar, a professor at the IIT Madras, who serves as the convener.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal visited Canada to facilitate an economic reset and accelerate free trade negotiations. He led the largest-ever Indian business delegation to the country to fast-track the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Both nations aim to finalize a balanced CEPA by the end of 2026. India and Canada have set a target to scale bilateral trade from $8.5 billion to $50 billion by 2030. During his visit, he held bilateral engagements in Ottawa, including a meeting with Canadian PM Mark Carney.

India has signed a bilateral accession protocol with Ethiopia in Geneva, Switzerland, to facilitate the latter’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).

It is to be noted that India supports the accession of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and developing nations to the WTO to promote inclusive growth and South-South cooperation. The agreement was fast-tracked under the guidance of Union Minister Piyush Goyal.