Monthly current affairs for June 2026

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

Day - June 17

Theme 2026 - 'Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.'

Observed since - 1995

Commemorating - Foundation anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Host 2026 - Kenya

Zerodha Fund House, India's first passive-only, direct-only Asset Management Company (AMC), has launched the country's first lifecycle (target-date) mutual funds. The new funds include the 'Zerodha Life Cycle Fund 2036' (10-year maturity) and the 'Zerodha Life Cycle Fund 2041' (15-year maturity).

These funds are classified as equity funds for taxation purposes, offering long-term capital gains (LTCG) benefits. It is to be noted that these funds have no lock-in period and require a minimum investment of ₹100.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) have launched "AIR SUVIDHA 2.0", an upgraded contactless Passenger Health Self-Declaration Portal.

The portal aims to strengthen public health surveillance at Points of Entry in response to the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak.

Harsh Vardhan, the President of the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA), has been honoured with the Global Prestige Award at the House of Lords in UK.

The award was presented under the theme 'Visionaries of Change: Charting the Course to Viksit Bharat 2047'. It is to be noted that he was elected as the youngest President in the history of the BCA in 2025.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed an MoU with the IIT Hyderabad to advance research and innovation in next-generation communication technologies.

Under this collaboration, C-DOT is establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) at the campus. This marks the 4th CoE established by C-DOT, following those at IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar, and IIT Roorkee.

The 5th edition of the "Burgundy Private Hurun India 500" report, a collaboration between Axis Bank's Burgundy Private and Hurun India, values the 500 most valuable non-state-run companies in India at $3.4 trillion.

Reliance Industries Ltd is the most valuable company in India, followed by HDFC Bank and Bharti Airtel. The Tata Group is the leading conglomerate, with 14 companies valued at ₹24.9 lakh crore. Bharti Airtel is the top wealth creator over a 5-year period, adding ₹7.64 trillion in value.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) is the most valuable unlisted firm in India, with a valuation of ₹4.86 lakh crore. The report also featured 5 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises as new entrants, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ranked as the most valuable franchise at ₹20,850 crore, followed by Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, and Punjab Kings.

The Ministry of Defence has granted permission to the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd (MRDCL) to use 83.814 acres of defence land under the Artillery Centre in Hyderabad.

The land, valued at ₹533.42 crore, has been allocated for the Gandhi Sarovar Project at Bapu Ghat, Hyderabad, under the Equal Value Infrastructure (EVI) Policy.

The AI model 'Claude Fable 5' from Anthropic has been suspended globally, just 3 days after its launch. This action follows an unprecedented export control directive issued by the US government.

Union Minister of State Arjun Ram Meghwal has approved the continuation of the Central Sector Scheme 'Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice' (DISHA), which is now restructured as 'DISHA 2.0'.

The scheme has been allocated an outlay of ₹255 crore for 5 years (April 2026 to March 2031). The funding is provided through 100% Gross Budgetary Support from the Government of India (GoI), following recommendations from the Standing Finance Committee chaired by Niraj Verma.

The scheme aims to strengthen access to justice as mandated by the Preamble and Articles 14, 21, and 39A of the Constitution of India, and supports the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-16) on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. It targets 3 crore beneficiaries.

The scheme comprises 4 components: 'Tele-Law' (Reaching the Unreached), 'Nyaya Bandhu' (Pro-Bono Legal Services) Programme, 'Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme' (LLLAP), and 'VIDHI Sanjeevani'.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has inducted its first indigenously constructed Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV), designated H-561, at the Rassaim shipyard facility in Goa.

The vessel, built by the Goa-based Chowgule & Company Pvt Ltd (CCPL), is made of marine-grade aluminium and contains over 50% indigenous content. The ACV can accommodate up to 42 personnel and an 8-tonne payload, with a maximum speed of 45 knots.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group (WBG), has pledged $371 million to Sify Infinit Spaces Ltd (SISL), a subsidiary of Sify Technologies Ltd.

The financing will support the development of AI-ready, energy-efficient Data Centre (DC) infrastructure in Navi Mumbai and Chennai.

The 5th edition of the Indian Space Congress (ISC) 2026 was held in New Delhi. During the event, India's first digital repository of space-sector capabilities, named 'Indian Space Industry E-Catalogue', was launched.

Developed by the Satcom Industry Association (SIA)-India, it serves as a platform for capability discovery, collaboration, and business development within the Indian space ecosystem.

Additionally, two reports were released: 'Building India's On-Orbit Servicing and Refuelling Ecosystem: Policy, Partnerships, and Pathways Forward' (developed in collaboration with OrbitAID) and 'India's Strategic Opportunity in Space-Based Compute Infrastructure' (developed in partnership with TakeMe2Space).

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has constituted a 7-member Working Group on AI (WG-AI) to guide insurance companies regarding the adoption, governance, and oversight of AI technologies.

The WG-AI is chaired by Prof. Sandeep K Shukla, Director of the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad. Deepak Gaikwad, General Manager (GM) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at IRDAI, has been appointed as the member-convener of the group.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued an emergency nationwide order to block the messaging platform 'Telegram'. The directive was executed under the provisions of Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.

This measure was implemented after the National Testing Agency (NTA) and intelligence agencies identified a significant rise in organized cheating rackets on the platform, specifically in the period leading up to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026 re-test.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with the Grassroots Research And Advocacy Movement (GRAAM).

The partnership facilitates the engagement of two research fellows under the Embark India Development Fellowship (EIDF) proposal.

PM Narendra Modi has visited Slovakia and was honoured with 'The Order of the White Double Cross (1st Class),' the highest national award of the country, by President Peter Pellegrini. This marks the 33rd global honour for the PM.

Both countries have elevated their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership (CP). PM Modi and his counterpart Robert Fico formalized 11 agreements focusing on strategic cooperation, innovation, and technology.

Both nations agreed to establish a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter-Terrorism to enhance security and launch a Consular Dialogue mechanism. They also announced the establishment of the first-ever Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Chair in AI at the Technical University of Kosice in Slovakia.

Punjab National Bank (PNB) has signed a 5-year agreement with Zaggle Prepaid Ocean Services Ltd to launch and distribute co-branded credit cards.

The Department of Financial Services has approved the appointment of Rajendra Kumar Saboo, the Executive Director (ED) of UCO Bank, as the MD & CEO of the bank with additional charge. He will hold this position from June 19, 2026, to August 2026. He succeeds Ashwani Kumar.

SpaceX has agreed to acquire Anysphere, the parent company of the AI coding assistant Cursor, in an all-stock transaction worth $60 billion.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan has released a book titled "VIP Culture in India: Power, Privilege and the Distance from Democracy".

The book is authored by Nabam Rebia and co-authored by Sandeep Kumar, incorporating references to the civilisational and intellectual traditions of India.