Current affairs — 13 June 2026

Prelims pointers

• The 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting was convened on 12-13 June 2026 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, under India's Presidency.
• The declaration emphasises farmer-centric approaches and the role of smallholder farmers in food security and inclusive rural development.
• ICAR-IIFSR, Modipuram will initially coordinate the BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture.
• IIT Delhi will initially coordinate the BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture covering AI, geospatial technologies, DPI and data-driven solutions.
• India's PPV&FRA in New Delhi will initially coordinate the Global Forum on Farmers' Rights in Seed Systems.

Prelims pointers

• The BRICS Indore Declaration was adopted unanimously at the agriculture meetings held in Indore under India's BRICS Presidency.
• The meeting recorded BRICS priorities on food security, nutritious diets, agricultural trade, regenerative farming and climate-resilient agriculture.
• The article says BRICS countries represent nearly half the world population, about 42% of global agricultural land and nearly 42% of foodgrain production.
• One outcome was a BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture, with IIFSR Modipuram playing India's natural-farming role.
• Other outcomes included a BRICS Digital Agriculture Network, a Global Forum on Farmers' Rights in Seed Systems and the BRICS AGRIN framework.

Prelims pointers

• At RISE Conclave 2026, the Minister said India's start-up ecosystem generated nearly 24-25 lakh jobs over the last decade.
• The article says recognised start-ups grew from about 350-400 around ten years ago to nearly 2.3 lakh ventures.
• India was described as the world's third-largest start-up ecosystem in the article.
• More than 50% of Indian start-ups are now emerging from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
• CSIR-NAL's public-private aerospace incubation centre mach33.aero has completed five years and incubated 34 start-ups.

Prelims pointers

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao was launched on 22 January 2015 in response to the declining Child Sex Ratio and gender-based discrimination.
• BBBP is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Education.
• HMIS data cited in the article shows national Sex Ratio at Birth improved from 918 in 2014-15 to 929 in 2024-25.
• UDISE data cited in the article shows girls' secondary-level enrolment rose from 75.51% in 2014-15 to 80.2% in 2024-25.
• The scheme uses advocacy, community engagement and convergence among Ministries and States/UTs to support girl-child protection, education and empowerment.

Prelims pointers

• The PIB backgrounder says nearly 65% of India's population is under the age of 35, making youth central to Viksit Bharat @2047.
• India had over 2.3 lakh recognised start-ups by 2026 under the youth-led development and entrepreneurship push.
• As of 2025-26, over 1.49 lakh schools were covered under ICT and digital initiatives, with more than 1.76 lakh smart classrooms sanctioned.
• The National Credit Framework has been adopted by 170 universities for credits across academic, skill-based and experiential learning.
• The Academic Bank of Credits has onboarded 2,469 institutions and issued over 32 crore student IDs; over 15.48 crore verified APAAR IDs existed by 31 March 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The Indore Declaration placed farmers at the centre of the BRICS agriculture agenda and linked food security with climate-resilient farming.
• Nearly 100 delegates, including around 60 foreign representatives from BRICS member and partner countries, participated in the Indore meetings.
• The article states that BRICS countries have around 42% of global agricultural land and contribute approximately 42% of global foodgrain production.
• The BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture is meant for joint research, knowledge sharing and capacity building.
• The declaration also announced cooperation on digital agriculture, farmers' rights in seed systems and agro-inputs, genetic resources and information.

Prelims pointers

• DRDO conducted three consecutive flight tests on 10 and 11 June 2026 to demonstrate next-generation defence capabilities.
• The tests demonstrated multi-layered defence against long-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship capability at medium range.
• Multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence capability was successfully demonstrated during the DRDO trials.
• The maiden flight test of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Medium Range was carried out successfully.
• The tests were witnessed by senior officials of DRDO and the Defence Forces, and monitored by DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Prelims pointers

• CAQM's Sub-Committee on Safeguarding and Enforcement held its 25th meeting on 12 June 2026 to review Delhi-NCR air-pollution measures.
• Direction 101 requires ANPR cameras at all Fuel/CNG stations for enforcing restrictions on fuelling vehicles without valid PUCC in NCR from 1 October 2026.
• Direction 94 concerns cleaner mobility by motor vehicle aggregators, delivery service providers and e-commerce entities from 1 January 2026.
• CAQM reviewed complete phasing out of diesel auto-rickshaws from NCR districts by 31 December 2026.
• For brick kilns beyond NCR, CAQM reviewed paddy straw-based pellet or briquette co-firing targets of 20% from 1 November 2026, 40% from 2027 and 50% from 2028.

Prelims pointers

• The National Biodiversity Authority reconstituted the Expert Committee on Agrobiodiversity under Section 13(1) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• Padma Shri Dr P. L. Gautam was appointed Chair of the reconstituted Agrobiodiversity Expert Committee for one year.
• The Chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority will serve as Co-Chair of the Committee.
• The Committee has advised NBA on agrobiodiversity issues since 2005, including ITPGRFA, access and benefit-sharing and conventional plant breeding clarifications.
• The Committee will support India's updated NBSAP Targets 4 and 13 and contribute to SDG 2, SDG 13 and SDG 15.

Prelims pointers

• The Department of Posts launched drone-based mail and parcel transmission between Mandi Head Post Office and Rehardhar Branch Post Office in Himachal Pradesh.
• The drone postal service became effective from 12 June 2026 on the Mandi-Rehardhar route.
• Rehardhar Branch Post Office is about 12 kilometres from Mandi Head Post Office and normally takes more than two hours to connect conventionally.
• The Department of Posts plans drone-based mail transmission across around 150 identified routes in Himachal Pradesh and Assam over two to three months.
• The Mandi-Rehardhar route is the first route operationalised under the planned drone-based postal transmission initiative.

Prelims pointers

• The first batch of women cadets trained at the National Defence Academy was commissioned as officers in the Defence Forces.
• The batch had 17 women cadets who joined NDA in August 2022 as part of the 148th Course.
• Nine women officers were commissioned into the Indian Army at the 158th Regular Course Passing Out Parade at IMA Dehradun on 13 June 2026.
• Five women officers were commissioned into the Indian Air Force at the 217th Course Combined Graduation Parade at AFA Dundigal on 13 June 2026.
• Three women officers were commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Spring Term 2026 Passing Out Parade at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, on 28 May 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The National Institute of Urban Affairs marked 50 years with golden-jubilee celebrations at Vigyan Bhawan under the theme 'Resilient Urban India @2047'.
• The event brought together over 1,000 online and offline participants from government, research, urban practice and development-partner institutions.
• The National Urban Learning Platform was launched as the urban arm of iGOT-Mission Karmayogi for technical capacity building in urban India.
• NIUA released publications on a resilient urban India, geospatial classification of urbanisation and its 50-year contribution to urban transformation.
• The Urban Renaissance Tech Programme convocation recognised 127 students trained in technology-led urban governance and innovation.

Prelims pointers

• June 30, 2026 Posted: 13 JUN 2026 3:20PM by PIB Delhi The Government has appointed Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, presently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon of June 30, 2026.
• Over a distinguished military career spanning nearly four decades, he has had extensive experience across the operational, strategic, capability development and institutional domains, contributing significantly to the Indian Army's combat effectiveness and long-term transformation.
• His command assignments include an Armoured Regiment in the Desert Sector, an Armoured Brigade in the Western Theatre, and a Counter-Insurgency Force in Jammu & Kashmir.
• On elevation to Army Commander, the officer commanded South Western Command and Southern Command, earning the rare distinction of commanding two operational Army Commands and providing strategic oversight across critical theaters for over a period of two and half years.
• Widely recognised for his contributions to force modernisation, the General Officer has tenanted pivotal appointments in the Strategic Planning and Capability Development verticals of the Army Headquarters, shaping its modernisation trajectory, capability roadmap and long-term force structuring initiatives.

Prelims pointers

• A multi-state study found specialised prenatal diagnosis for thalassemia and sickle cell disease can be delivered through district hospitals and referral networks.
• The findings were published in Blood Global Hematology as India targets eliminating sickle cell disease and reducing thalassemia burden by 2047.
• The programme was led by Sankalp India Foundation with State governments, the National Health Mission and fetal medicine specialists across five States.
• Since 2021, more than 2.18 lakh pregnant women across 82 districts and 87 maternity centres were screened for haemoglobin disorders.
• The programme performed 2,092 invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures and helped prevent 286 births affected by severe haemoglobin disorders.

Prelims pointers

• The article says the anomaly in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle has been detected and resolved after review by a national expert committee.
• PSLV-C62 carrying EOS-N1 failed to finish its intended trajectory on 12 January 2026 after an anomaly near the end of the third stage.
• ISRO had earlier faced a PSLV-C61 setback on 18 May 2025 while attempting to launch EOS-09.
• ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said the next launch after the PSLV failure would be a GSLV mission, followed subsequently by PSLV.
• Jitendra Singh described the back-to-back PSLV failures as setbacks and learning experiences rather than failures.

Prelims pointers

• IIT-Madras released a three-dimensional atlas of the human brainstem at cell resolution.
• The atlas is named ANCHOR, or Atlas of Neurochemical Characterization of the Human Brainstem with 3D Reconstruction.
• ANCHOR was developed by the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre using MRI, histology and neurochemical mapping.
• The atlas contains more than 200 brainstem nuclei and fibre tracts reconstructed from hundreds of serial sections.
• Eight complementary immunostains were overlaid across more than 500 sections to identify distinct neurochemical cell types.

Prelims pointers

• Switzerland's 14 June 2026 referendum proposed capping the population at 10 million before 2050.
• The proposal would require stricter immigration rules once Switzerland's population reached 9.5 million.
• If the 10-million limit were breached and not corrected within two years, Switzerland could have to end its 1999 freedom-of-movement agreement with the EU.
• The Swiss People's Party launched the cap initiative, citing pressure on public services and housing from mass immigration.
• Foreigners make up almost 28% of Switzerland's permanent population, and immigrants are important for its ageing labour market.

Prelims pointers

• The east African country's response to the latest outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic fever has been broadly praised by public health officials, with only two deaths out of 19 confirmed cases since the alarm was sounded in the DRC in mid-May.
• Congo’s Ebola outbreak rises to 100 deaths out of 550 cases after a month Almost all of them were Congolese nationals who had crossed the border from their home country, where more than 676 cases have been confirmed and 136 people have died since May 15.
• "Today, the Ugandan Health Ministry, together with the Civil Aviation Authority, Ambassadors, and airline operators serving Uganda, discussed the unfair travel restrictions imposed on Uganda due to the current Ebola situation," Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary for the Health Ministry, said on X on Friday (June 12, 2026).
• WHO chief visits Ebola-hit Uganda While the World Health Organization's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Kampala's strategy on a visit to Uganda on Monday (June 8, 2026) the United Nations health agency warned on Friday (June 12, 2026) that the outbreak was spreading to new areas in the neighbouring DRC.
• Uganda has criticised air travel restrictions imposed by countries including the United States over an Ebola outbreak which has spilt over from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as "unfair".

Prelims pointers

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that any violation of the American blockade and illicit transport of Iranian oil through the Strait of Hormuz will not be tolerated.
• Jaishankar on Friday (June 12, 2026), West Asia war LIVE updates - June 13, 2026 “The Secretary stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from U.S.
• forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in an official statement said on Saturday (June 13, 2026).
• The statement came following his discussion on “recent events” in the critical strait with External Affairs Minister S.
• Rubio, EAM Jaishankar lodged strong protest against the death of Indian nationals in U.S.

Prelims pointers

• The Zojila Tunnel is 13.14 km long and is designed to bypass the 30-km Zojila Pass in the Drass sector.
• The tunnel will connect Baltal in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district with Minamarg in Ladakh’s Drass on National Highway-1.
• Construction work was carried out between altitudes of about 2,900 metres on the Kashmir side and 3,310 metres on the Ladakh side.
• The article states that the project cost is ₹6,800 crore and that workers recorded 10 million safe working hours.
• The tunnel witnessed a construction breakthrough on June 9, 2026, and is expected to be operational by 2028.

Prelims pointers

• The Supreme Court fixed ₹30,000 per month as a minimum benchmark for homemakers’ unpaid domestic labour in motor accident death compensation.
• The new compensation head is called ‘loss of domestic care’ and is distinct from proven income where a homemaker also works outside the home.
• The ₹30,000 monthly figure must be enhanced by 10% on a cumulative basis every three years, according to the Court’s direction.
• The case began after Reshma’s death in a November 2001 road accident; MACT awarded ₹2.42 lakh in December 2003 and the High Court later raised it to ₹8.43 lakh.
• The Supreme Court directed that motor accident compensation appeals should not remain pending in High Courts for more than four years.

Prelims pointers

• The greater hog badger’s scientific name is Arctonyx collaris, and it is locally called ‘mati gahori’ in Assamese.
• Kaziranga’s first scientific assessment estimated at least 55 greater hog badgers across approximately 1,100 sq. km of the park landscape.
• The study used camera-trap images available from past tiger estimation data to assess density and habitat occupancy.
• The greater hog badger is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is globally Vulnerable.
• Three extant hog badger species are mentioned: greater hog badger, northern hog badger and Sumatran hog badger; the first two occur in India.

Prelims pointers

• Drone surveys have covered over 400 km of the Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Varuna and Pandu rivers in Uttar Pradesh.
• The initiative will feed a live GIS-based Drain Dashboard with 2D and 3D visualisation capabilities for basin-level pollution monitoring.
• The article says LiDAR-based scientific data is being coupled with visual data generated through drone surveys.
• Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Kanpur are among the major cities where river-condition surveys were conducted.
• District Ganga Committees are expected to support field-level validation for targeted interventions and drain-based pollution management.

Prelims pointers

• Centurion battle tanks served in the Indian Army from induction in 1953 until their phase-out in the 1980s.
• India acquired Centurion tanks from the United Kingdom to modernise its Armoured Corps.
• Centurions earned the nickname ‘Patton Killer’ during the 1965 Battle of Asal Uttar against Pakistan’s M47 and M48 Patton tanks.
• In the 1971 Battle of Basantar, Centurions from The Poona Horse regiment played a pivotal role.
• The tanks were upgraded with 105 mm L7 rifled guns and later replaced by indigenous Vijayanta and Soviet-built T-72 ‘Ajeya’ tanks.

Prelims pointers

• The 28th meeting of IORA’s Committee of Senior Officials is scheduled to commence on June 15, 2026.
• India is the current Chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, a regional maritime cooperative association.
• The United States is a dialogue partner in IORA, participating as an observer without voting rights.
• The Committee of Senior Officials is described as the Indian Ocean Rim Association’s second-highest decision-making body.
• U.S. Central Command said that since April 13, 2026, it had disabled nine blockade-violating vessels and allowed passage for 42 humanitarian-aid vessels.

Prelims pointers

• The third synchronised Nilgiri Tahr estimation was held from April 24 to 27.
• Coimbatore forest division’s Nilgiri Tahr population was estimated at 26, with a lower limit of 20 and an upper limit of 51.
• The same division had an estimated Nilgiri Tahr population of zero in 2024 and nine in 2025.
• In Coimbatore division, Nilgiri Tahrs inhabit select high-altitude landscapes in Madukkarai and Boluvampatti ranges.
• The report recommends habitat enrichment, corridors through removal of invasive plants and population reintroduction for fragmented groups with fewer than 30 individuals.

Prelims pointers

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Nice on June 13, 2026, at the start of a six-day tour of France and Slovakia.
• Bharat Innovates 2026 is to be inaugurated by Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on June 14, 2026.
• The tech summit aims to connect deep-tech ventures and higher education institutes from India for research, co-development, investment and technology transfer.
• India and France elevated their relationship to a Special Global Strategic Partnership in February 2026.
• India is the AI Country Partner for VivaTech in Paris on June 18, 2026, according to the article.

Prelims pointers

• The Pentagon added BYD, Alibaba and Baidu to a list of Chinese military-linked companies on June 8, 2026.
• The list seeks to identify Chinese companies deemed to have ties to the Chinese military and bars them from U.S. defence contracts.
• China’s Ministry of Commerce said the U.S. move ignored the consensus reached at the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing.
• BYD, Alibaba and Baidu said earlier that there was no basis to include them in the list.
• The mid-May Trump-Xi summit included agreement on boosting economic ties and setting up separate boards of trade and investment.

Prelims pointers

• Two regional sources told Reuters the UAE agreed to release $10 billion to Iran, with more than $3 billion already delivered.
• Two other sources with knowledge of the arrangement put the total funds involved at $20 billion.
• The UAE foreign ministry denied reports of any $3 billion transfer and said no frozen Iranian funds had been released or facilitated.
• Vice President JD Vance said funds would not be released to Iran merely for signing a deal or attending a meeting.
• The article says Iran’s last known direct attack on the UAE was a May 4 strike on Fujairah port on the Gulf of Oman.

Prelims pointers

• The Lebanese Army withdrew from a barracks in Kfar Tebnit after Israeli troops advanced nearby on June 13, 2026.
• Israel issued evacuation warnings for about 20 locations, including Nabatiyeh and nearby villages.
• The strategic Ali Taher hill overlooks large parts of Nabatiyeh and roads linking the city with nearby villages.
• Israeli troops held Ali Taher hill for 18 years until withdrawing from Lebanon in May 2000.
• The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.