Recent Current Affairs related to Women

The Haryana government has approved a full exemption from motor vehicle tax for new Electric Vehicles (EVs) priced up to ₹30 lakh. This applies to battery-operated two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and four-wheelers at the time of registration. For EVs priced above ₹30 lakh, a 50% tax exemption is provided.

Additionally, the state has announced a 1% motor vehicle tax rebate on non-transport vehicles registered in the name of women. The existing 20% tax rebate on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles remains unchanged.

The 2026 Fields Medals have been awarded to four mathematicians: Yu Deng, John Pardon, Jacob Tsimerman, and Hong Wang. It is to be noted that Hong Wang has become the third woman to receive this prestigious award.

Often referred to as the 'Nobel Prize of Mathematics', the Fields Medal is awarded every four years to researchers under the age of 40 for exceptional mathematical achievement. Each laureate receives a gold medal featuring the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes and a cash prize of $15,000 (Canadian Dollar - CAD).

Akanksha Choudhary from Ajmer, Rajasthan, has been crowned Mrs India 2026 at a ceremony held in Jaipur.

In another achievement, Dr. Priyanka Sharma has won the title of Mrs. Earth International Elite 2026.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has flagged-in 'Samudra Pradakshina', the inaugural Tri-service all-women circumnavigation sailing expedition, via video conferencing.

The team, comprising nine women officers from the three Services, sailed aboard the Indian Army Sailing Vessel (IASV) Triveni. They returned to Mumbai after completing a 314-day voyage, covering nearly 25,500 nautical miles across four oceans.

The Indian Deaf Women’s Cricket Team has won the inaugural Women’s Twenty20 International (T20I) series against the Sri Lanka Deaf Women’s Cricket Team with a 5–0 victory. The series was held at the De Soysa International Cricket Stadium in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.

Shradda Vaishnav was named the 'Player of the Final', while Reddy Jyoshna was adjudged the 'Player of the Series'.

Dr. Nandini Azad, the President of the Working Women's Forum (India) (WWF-I) and the Indian Cooperative Network for Women (ICNW), has been conferred with the Bharat Samman 2026.

India hosted the BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting (WMM) in Kochi, Kerala under its BRICS Chairship 2026. During the meeting, member nations reached a consensus on two initiatives proposed by India: the 'BRICS Digital Repository of Best Practices' and 'BRICS Digital Capacity Building'.

India also hosted the 3rd BRICS Transport Ministers' Meeting (TMM) in Nagpur, Maharashtra, chaired by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. The meeting concluded with the unanimous adoption of the Ministerial Declaration.

Australia, captained by Sophie Molineux, has won the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, marking their 7th championship victory. They defeated the hosts England by 7 wickets in the final held at the Lord's cricket stadium in London.

The 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup featured 12 teams, marking an expansion in participation for the first time. Danni Wyatt-Hodge of England emerged as the top run-scorer with 302 runs, while N Shree Charani of India was the leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets. Beth Mooney of Australia was named the Player of the Match in the final.

International Day of Women in Diplomacy

Day – June 24

Theme 2026 – "Diplomacy for All"

Observed since – 2023

Gautam Buddha University (GBU) has partnered with Space Kidz India and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to support "Mission ShakthiSAT".

The mission is the world's first all-girls international lunar mission. The initiative aims to empower 12,000 young girls from 108 countries. Mahima Rajput, a student from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, has been selected to participate in this international space mission.

Parveen Sheikh and Barkha Subba, two Indian conservationists, have been named among the 6 global recipients of the 2026 Whitley Award, commonly known as the "Green Oscar".

The former was honoured for her community-led efforts to protect the Indian Skimmer across river systems in India. The latter, a conservationist from the Darjeeling Himalayas, was recognised for her work in safeguarding the rare Himalayan salamander and its wetland habitat.

Each recipient receives £50,000 in project funding for one year. The other recipients of the 2026 Whitley Award include Moreangels Mbizah (Zimbabwe), Issah Seidu (Ghana), Marina Kameni (Cameroon), and Paola Sangolqui (Ecuador). Farwiza Farhan was honoured with the Whitley Gold Award.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations (UN) Women have released the "2026 Women in Politics map" which provides global rankings on the representation of women in executive and government positions as of January 2026.

India ranks 151st globally in parliamentary representation, with women holding 13.8% of the seats. In terms of representation of women among Cabinet ministers, India ranks 173rd globally, with women occupying 5.6% of Cabinet positions.

President Droupadi Murmu presided over the Passing Out Parade of the 158th Regular Course of the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Lieutenant Vishal Kumar was awarded the Sword of Honour and the President’s Gold Medal for securing the first position in the overall Order of Merit and emerging as the best all-round officer cadet. Academy Under Officer Prince Raj received the Silver Medal, and Senior Under Officer Tejas Bhatt was awarded the Bronze Medal.

The Tamil Nadu government has launched the Singappen Special Task Force, an all-women police unit dedicated to preventing crimes against women and children.

Headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) K Bhavaneeswari, the unit will deploy about 2,500 personnel in its initial phase. The government has allocated ₹354 crore for this initiative.

Major Abhilasha Barak, an Indian Army officer, has been conferred the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award. She served as the Engagement Team Commander and Gender Focal Point within the Indian Battalion under the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

She is the third Indian peacekeeper to receive this global award, after Major Suman Gawani (2019) and Major Radhika Sen (2023). It is to be noted that She is the first woman combat helicopter pilot in the history of the Indian Army.

The West Bengal government has started the enrolment for the ‘Annapurna Yojana’, also known as the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme.

The scheme aims to empower women and support households by providing monthly financial assistance to eligible women (aged 25-60) who do not have a fixed income, government salary, or pension.

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has released findings from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), highlighting India’s progress in maternal and child health, nutrition, and financial protection. Institutional deliveries have reached 90.6%, while Antenatal Care (ANC) coverage has improved from 92.6% to 95.9%.

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remains stable at 2.0, while the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased from 66.7% to 69.1%. Full immunization coverage has improved from 83.8% to 87.1%, with vaccination rates for children aged 12-23 months remaining consistently high at over 96%.

Public health facilities remain the preferred choice for immunization, with 95.6% of children receiving most vaccinations through these channels. Child nutrition indicators have shown improvement, with stunting reduced by 17% and severe wasting reduced by 32%.

Five outstanding female scientists have been honoured with the “UNESCO–L’Oréal International Awards for Women in Science 2026”, presented jointly by the UNESCO and the Fondation L’Oréal.

The laureates for 2026 include Professor Liesl Zühlke from South Africa, Professor Felice Jacka from Australia, Professor Sarah A Teichmann from the UK, Professor Raquel Chan from Argentina, and Professor Gordana Novakovic from the United States (US).

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) has completed its first-ever all-women international mountaineering expedition to Mount (Mt) Everest, the highest peak in the world at 8,848 m. The 14-member team scaled the summit through the South Col Route from Nepal.

Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF), a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has also successfully scaled Mt Everest through its inaugural all-women expedition named ‘Mission Vande Mataram’. This expedition was organised as a part of its Diamond Jubilee celebrations, marking 60 years of service.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in collaboration with the Vertis Foundation, has launched “Project Saksham” to empower rural women through skill development and employment opportunities.

The initiative aims to provide industry-relevant skills, promote financial independence, and facilitate access to formal employment opportunities for rural women. Project Saksham operates through a network of 12 training centres established across India.