Monthly current affairs for June 2026

The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) came into force in June 2026, in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

Following the operationalisation, the first consignments availing preferential tariff benefits, including agricultural products, gems, and jewellery, were flagged off from Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.

The CEPA provides duty-free export access on 99.38% of tariff lines, covering 98.08% of India’s exports. Under the previous Most Favoured Nation (MFN) regime, only 15.33% of India’s exports entered Oman duty-free.

India and the UK have launched the India-UK Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO) in New Delhi. The platform was jointly inaugurated by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The initiative is a result of a partnership between the IIT (Indian School of Mines) (IIT-ISM) Dhanbad, TEXMiN, and the University of Cambridge.

The Indian Army has successfully completed operational trials of the Divyastra Mk-1 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

The Divyastra Mk-1 is an advanced indigenous AI powered tactical loitering munition system developed by Hoverit. It is designed to strengthen Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities along the border regions of India.

India has won the 8th edition of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship title, defeating the defending champion Bangladesh by 3-1 in the final. The tournament was held at the Fatorda Stadium (Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium) in Goa and featured 6 participating nations.

Individual honours were awarded to Sanfida Nongrum (Most Valuable Player or MVP), Aveka Singh (top scorer with 4 goals), and Panthoi Chanu Elangbam (Best Goalkeeper). Nepal received the Fair Play Award. It is to be noted that this victory marks a record-extending 6th SAFF Women’s Championship title for India.

Lionel Messi, the captain of Inter Miami CF, has been conferred with the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports 2026. He becomes the first individual footballer to receive this honour.

The award recognises his sporting achievements, global influence, and philanthropic efforts in supporting education and healthcare for disadvantaged children.

The Nagaland government has imposed a 1-year statewide ban on the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale of all food products containing tobacco or nicotine.

Microsoft has unveiled “Majorana 2”, its second-generation topological quantum computing chip developed using its agentic AI platform, “Microsoft Discovery”.

The prototype features 12 topological qubits as a model for scalable systems, with the company aiming to develop commercially viable quantum systems by 2029. Additionally, Microsoft has introduced “Scout”, an AI-powered Microsoft 365 assistant designed to autonomously manage schedules, emails, and meetings.

The PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme, launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoH&UA), has completed 6 years.

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Tripura CM Manik Saha interacted with beneficiaries from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. During the event, credit cards and loan sanction letters were distributed to street vendors in Tripura.

It is to be noted that over the last 6 years, the scheme has facilitated 1.12 crore loans, with over 1.05 crore collateral-free loans sanctioned across the country, amounting to a total value exceeding ₹17,800 crore.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Prashant Sitaram Lokhande as the Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). He succeeds Rahul Singh.

The Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary, also known as Surha Tal, in Uttar Pradesh has been declared as the 100th Ramsar Site of India. PM Narendra Modi announced this milestone on World Environment Day (June 5).

With this designation, India ranks 3rd globally in the total number of Ramsar sites, trailing only the UK and Mexico, and holds the 1st position in Asia. This sanctuary marks the 13th Ramsar site in Uttar Pradesh, whereas Tamil Nadu currently holds the highest tally of Ramsar sites in India with 20 designated wetlands.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd has inaugurated the Unilever Fragrance Hub (UFH) at the IIT Bombay. This is the third such global facility for the company, after the ones in the UK and the USA.

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has launched the ‘Swacch Application’ in Kolkata. The geo-tagged mobile app is designed to enhance cleanliness in municipal areas and bolster the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) through technology-enabled solutions.

The application facilitates citizen participation in urban governance by enabling users to report issues for municipal action. The initiative is currently being implemented across 10 municipalities in its initial phase.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan has released a book titled “When Audit Matters: CAG Interventions That Made a Difference” at Uprashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.

The book is edited by former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Vinod Rai and is published by Rupa Publications India. It demonstrates how effective auditing enhances government systems and reinforces public trust.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has facilitated the first-ever commercial export of fresh mangoes from Jharkhand to the United Kingdom.

BharatPe has launched ‘BharatPe Flex’, a UPI solution, in partnership with YES Bank. This allows eligible customers to use a pre-approved credit line for daily UPI transactions.

The Department of Higher Education (DoHE) under the Ministry of Education (MoE) has launched the Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) Scheme 2026. The scheme aims to integrate accomplished Indian-origin researchers, scientists, technologists, and professionals from across the globe into the research and innovation ecosystem of India.

The scheme identifies 13 priority sectors categorized under three pillars: Lead Institutions, Host Institutions, and PMRC Fellows. The MoE has designated 7 premier institutions as Lead Institutions to facilitate the implementation of the scheme across various thematic areas.

The selection of participating institutions and fellows is monitored by an Empowered Committee chaired by Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India.

KP Dhanapalan, a senior Congress leader and former Member of Parliament, passed away at the age of 76. He represented the Chalakudy Lok Sabha constituency from 2009 to 2014.

The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) has signed an MoU with the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure & Artificial Intelligence (DPI-AI) at Kathmandu University, Nepal.

The partnership aims to advance Language AI, multilingual digital public infrastructure, and inclusive digital ecosystems in both India and Nepal.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has inaugurated India’s 7th Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Jammu. The centre will provide specialized weather, disaster, and climate services for Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh.

He also announced the upcoming establishment of an 8th RMC in Lucknow, which will manage services for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

India has won 10 medals including 2 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze at the U17 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 held in Da Nang, Vietnam.

The championship was organised by the United World Wrestling (UWW). In the Women’s Wrestling (WW) category, Diksha (43 kg) and Garima (73 kg) have won gold medals.