Monthly current affairs for June 2026

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).

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 RBI has approved leadership updates for two financial institutions. Sandeep Bakhshi has been re-appointed as the MD & CEO of ICICI Bank for a 2-year term, effective until October 3, 2028.

Additionally, Ketan Merchant has been granted a 3-month interim leadership extension at Fino Payments Bank.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar has launched the Joint Elderly Empowerment & Virtual Assistance Network (JEEVAN) mobile application for senior citizens.

He has also launched the Senior Holistic Care Assistance and Training For Your Utility (SHATAYU) Geriatric Caregiver Dashboard. These platforms were unveiled during a virtual national workshop titled ‘Creating a Well-Functioning Care Economy’.

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 11th edition of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (QFMM) was held in New Delhi, chaired by Union Minister S Jaishankar.

Major initiatives launched include the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC) and the ‘Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security’. India will host the second edition of the ‘Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission’.

Under the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) initiative, over $6 million in funding has been allocated to support 6 international research projects.

Additionally, the ‘Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework’ aims to mobilize up to $20 billion in investments from public and private sectors.

The National Steering Committee (NSC) has approved the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) for the Visakhapatnam Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Cluster in Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh has become the first state to operationalise an industry partnership under the PM-SETU scheme.

The plan was submitted by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India in collaboration with its academic partner, New Age Makers Institute of Technology (NAMTECH). It is to be noted that this is the first-ever Strategic Investment Plan cleared under the PM-SETU scheme, which has an outlay of ₹60,000 crore.

Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda have launched a book titled “Apnapan: Narendra Modi Sang Mere Anubhav”. The book is authored by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and published by Prabhat Prakashan Pvt Ltd.

The Birla Institute of Technology Mesra (BIT Mesra) has signed an MoU with the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), which functions under the Department of Space (DoS) and the North Eastern Council (NEC).

The MoU is valid for 5 years and aims to strengthen cooperation in the fields of geospatial technologies, Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI), remote sensing, and higher education.

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) has amended the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre (GATC)) Rules, 2013, to strengthen the legal metrology system of India and expand the national infrastructure for the verification of weights and measures.

Under the Legal Metrology Amendment Rules, 2026, GATCs are now authorized to verify 5 additional fuel dispensing systems: Petrol/Diesel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), and Hydrogen. This expansion increases the coverage of weights and measures under the Legal Metrology framework from 18 to 23 categories.

General NS Raja Subramani has assumed charge as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India. He succeeds General Anil Chauhan.

Prior to this appointment, he served as the Military Advisor at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and is recognized as an expert on security matters concerning Pakistan and China.

Vinod Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Ladakh, has approved a 5-year extension of the MoU with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for the development of the first geothermal power project in India.

Under the agreement, the ONGC will construct a 1 MWe pilot geothermal power plant in the Puga Valley of eastern Ladakh, at an altitude of over 14,000 ft.

Jumpp, operated by the Finvasia Group, has received Corporate Agency and Insurance Self Network Platform (ISNP) licences from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

These licences enable Jumpp to distribute insurance products digitally through its AI-powered platform. The platform has also partnered with YES Bank to provide banking and Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) services.

The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has acquired 26.26 crore equity shares, representing a 2.901% stake, in the Central Bank of India (CBI) through open market purchases. This transaction has increased the total shareholding of LIC in the bank from 3.16% to 6.06%.

The Nibe Group has signed a Joint Venture (JV) with Israel-based Elbit Systems to establish manufacturing facilities for advanced energetic materials and propellants in India.

The JV will manufacture products including Nitro Cellulose, Nitro Glycerine, and various propellant bases like single base, double base, and triple base.