Current affairs — 23 June 2026

Prelims pointers

• A test found TDS of 19,600 mg/l in the tidal inflow channel entering DPS Flamingo Lake.
• The reported TDS level was more than nine times the 2,100 mg/l permissible limit under IS 2490:1974 standards.
• A March sample from the lake recorded TDS of 21,720 mg/l, reinforcing concerns about contamination.
• An April drain sample discharging into the wetland recorded TDS of 7,950 mg/l and BOD of 36.4 mg/l.
• DPS Flamingo Lake forms part of the Ramsar-listed Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary ecosystem.

Prelims pointers

• Around 55% of children in India are exposed to at least three of the eight climate hazards considered by UNICEF.
• The eight hazards include riverine floods, coastal floods, drought, tropical storms, heatwaves, extreme heat, and sand and dust storms.
• India ranked fifth in the world on UNICEF’s multi-hazard exposure score for children.
• India received the highest score of 10 for children’s exposure to extreme heat in the UNICEF data.
• Almost 99% of children in India are exposed to air pollution, and two-thirds are exposed to malaria.

Prelims pointers

• The Barzan gas facility explosion in Ras Laffan, Qatar, killed 12 Indian workers and one Pakistani worker on June 21.
• The source states that nearly 50% of process safety incidents occur during the roughly 10% of time when a facility is in transient mode.
• Transient operations include startup and shutdown, when a facility moves from one operating state to another.
• The 1989 hazardous chemicals rules require safety reports, on-site emergency plans, risk assessments and notifications of major accidents.
• LOPA checks whether independent protection layers such as alarms, relief valves and blast walls are sufficient to prevent an accident.

Prelims pointers

• India's LPG imports from the U.S. were set to top 1 million metric tons in June, a record high according to industry sources.
• Before the disruption, India depended on West Asian producers for 90% of its LPG imports.
• India's LPG imports totalled about 2 million tons per month before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz closure.
• Government data showed LPG imports declined to 696,000 tons in April and recovered to 1.15 million tons in May.
• Kpler's preliminary June data indicated scheduled imports of about 1.07 million tons of LPG from the U.S.

Prelims pointers

• India hosted the two-day BRICS Heads of Space Agencies 2026 meeting in Bengaluru as BRICS chair for 2026.
• The meeting was attended by heads and senior representatives from the space agencies of 11 BRICS member countries.
• The theme of the meeting was Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
• Space sustainability was identified as a major focus, including debris-free space missions and domestic governance frameworks.
• The agenda included proposed amendments to the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation Agreement and terms for a proposed BRICS Space Council.

Prelims pointers

• Piyush Goyal and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began bilateral trade talks in New Delhi on 23 June 2026.
• The talks concerned issues related to the first phase of the India-U.S. bilateral trade agreement.
• India and the United States formally launched BTA negotiations on 13 February 2025.
• The source says a 10% U.S. tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act was announced for 150 days and would expire on 24 July 2026.
• India's exports to the U.S. were $87.3 billion and imports were $52.9 billion in 2025-26, leaving a $34.4 billion trade surplus.

Prelims pointers

• The RBI bulletin was released on Monday, 22 June 2026, according to the source.
• The bulletin said transmission of the 50 bps rate cut between March and April 2026 was uneven across sectors.
• Between May 2022 and January 2025, the RBI increased the repo rate by 250 bps.
• Between February 2025 and April 2026, the repo rate decreased by 85 bps.
• Credit grew at 17.7% while deposits grew at 12.2% in May 2026, according to the source.

Prelims pointers

• The Tiruvallur ammonia gas leak killed eight migrant women workers at a private seafood processing unit in Tamil Nadu.
• Some of the 68 hospitalised workers were in intensive care on oxygen support after the ammonia leak.
• The leak occurred when workers were resting in factory accommodation and involved the pipeline to ice-flake machinery.
• An earlier inspection reportedly found deficiencies including absence of a suitable alarm system and fire hydrant.
• Tamil Nadu decided to form a committee to inspect all 6,669 hazardous industries after the tragedy.

Prelims pointers

• The International Seabed Authority regulates deep international waters and is based in Jamaica.
• The ISA ended a two-week session without consensus on a regulatory framework for deep-sea mining.
• No deep-sea mining exploitation licences had been issued, but an application was expected later in the year.
• Exploration is ongoing in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone between Hawaii and Mexico at depths of 4,000 to 6,000 metres.
• More than two dozen countries have called for a ban, pause or moratorium on deep-sea mining.

Prelims pointers

• The article defines an AI hallucination as an answer that sounds plausible but is factually wrong.
• Large language models are described as learning statistical patterns and generating responses one piece at a time.
• A model’s temperature setting governs how adventurous its word choices are during text generation.
• A 2025 study reported evidence that creativity and hallucination tend to increase together in more adventurous outputs.
• Researchers at OpenAI and Georgia Tech argued in September 2025 that hallucinations reflect how systems are trained and tested.

Prelims pointers

• NSA Ajit Doval said the opening of the Strait of Hormuz was a welcome move that would help energy security.
• Doval said freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz would benefit countries in the region and beyond.
• India welcomed the MoU reached between the U.S. and Iran with cautious optimism, according to Doval’s remarks.
• Doval said the Strait’s opening would remove supply chain bottlenecks and address shortages in sectors like fertilisers and chemicals.
• The source states that BRICS represents about 49.5% of global population, around 40% of global GDP and around 26% of global trade.

Prelims pointers

• 3I/ATLAS was described as only the third interstellar object ever spotted in the solar system.
• Researchers estimated that 3I/ATLAS formed around 10 to 12 billion years ago in a primordial planetary system.
• The comet has a diameter of around 2.6 km and may be the oldest-known object to venture through the solar system.
• James Webb Space Telescope observations were used to measure hydrogen and carbon isotope ratios on 3I/ATLAS.
• The comet’s water contained about 30 times more deuterium than other comets in the solar system.

Prelims pointers

• The study analysed a global dataset of human heat stress from 1950 to 2024.
• Heat stress is influenced by temperature, humidity, wind and radiation, and can be assessed using the Universal Thermal Climate Index.
• The share of the global population experiencing at least 90 days of strong heat stress annually rose from 55% in the 1970s to 70%.
• Exposure to at least one day of extreme heat stress increased from 16% to 22% of the global population.
• The 10 warmest nights each year warmed at 0.32°C per decade, faster than the 0.27°C per decade rate for the 10 warmest days.

Prelims pointers

• Iran said IAEA inspectors would not be given access to nuclear sites bombed during the war with Israel and the United States.
• Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said there were no plans for inspections of facilities damaged by U.S. and Israeli military action.
• U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance had said Iran would allow U.N. nuclear inspectors to return after mediated talks.
• The source says Washington bombed nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan during a 12-day war last year.
• Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA in July last year but agreed in September to resume cooperation under a new framework.

Prelims pointers

• R. Mukundan said India's reforms should address the speed of doing business, not only ease of doing business.
• He cited land demarcation delays after land allotment as an example of a friction point.
• He identified handovers between transport modes, such as boat to rail, rail to road and road to ship, as infrastructure friction points.
• Mukundan said West Asia-linked energy constraints showed the need for resilient MSMEs in supply chains.
• CII data cited in the source said private companies' additions to net fixed assets rose from Rs 0.5 lakh crore in September 2020 to Rs 6.9 lakh crore in September 2025.

Prelims pointers

• The 15th India-United Kingdom Executive Steering Group was held in the U.K. from June 17 to 19.
• The engagement included visits to the U.K. Trials & Experimental Group, the Ministry of Defence in London and MBDA in Stevenage.
• Discussions focused on enhanced interoperability, bilateral joint exercises and training between the armies.
• The talks included subject matter expert exchanges in niche and emerging military technologies.
• The Indian Army described the deliberations as constructive and forward-looking for India-U.K. defence cooperation.

Prelims pointers

• WHO said Congo’s Ebola outbreak had the largest confirmed case count in the first month of any African Ebola outbreak.
• The Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo infected over 1,000 people and killed 267.
• Experts said the outbreak was detected late because the virus had circulated for months before being declared on May 15.
• Ebola cases were reported in at least three crowded displacement camps in eastern Congo.
• The International Organisation for Migration reported at least 25 confirmed camp cases, including 14 deaths.

Prelims pointers

• The Policybazaar study covered 2,228 Indians across metros and tier-II and tier-III cities.
• India's Health Claims Experience score stood at 82.8 out of 100, placing the experience in the moderate category.
• Seven in ten respondents underwent cashless treatment in the study.
• Cashless claims recorded an HCX score of 86.7, while reimbursement claims recorded a lower score of 73.7.
• As many as 76% of reimbursement claimants said they borrowed funds during treatment.

Prelims pointers

• The Union government temporarily blocked Telegram to protect the sanctity of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination.
• Section 69A of the IT Act allows directions to block public access to information through a computer resource.
• The Delhi High Court endorsed the Centre's view that Section 69A could cover an application's software architecture, codebase, databases and programmatic ecosystem.
• Telegram argued that the government could block specific information but not impose a blanket restriction on an entire intermediary platform.
• The source says many of Telegram's 150 million users were students and educators who used the platform for NEET preparation resources.

Prelims pointers

• NGOs seeking foreign funds must register under one of five permitted categories: social, economic, educational, cultural and religious.
• The amended Rules require NGOs to disclose activities, geographical scope of programmes, websites, social media accounts and publications.
• NGOs must pay separate fees for each specified purpose and for each State or Union Territory in which they operate.
• Existing FCRA registrations must comply with the amended requirements within the next year.
• FCRA violations can attract a minimum fine of ₹1 lakh, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs order cited in the source.

Prelims pointers

• The Cauvery Water Management Authority held its 52nd meeting on 23 June 2026.
• The authority directed all basin States to use available reservoir water judiciously, particularly for drinking water needs.
• Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry participated in the meeting and reviewed reservoir storage, inflows, outflows and rainfall.
• Tamil Nadu pressed for the release of 9 tmcft of Cauvery water from Karnataka during the meeting.
• Karnataka cited delayed monsoon, poor inflows and lower reservoir storage while explaining reduced releases.

Prelims pointers

• MSC Elsa 3 sank off the Alappuzha coast in May 2025 while carrying more than 600 containers.
• The Kerala High Court flagged hazardous cargo including plastic nurdles, calcium carbide and other hazardous cargo in the ship's containers.
• The court sought a Centre action plan with measures taken, proposed steps, timelines and compliance status.
• The Centre submitted that MoEFCC, the Director General of Shipping and other agencies would deliberate on marine pollution issues.
• The court warned that plastic nurdles from damaged containers could affect marine ecosystems if fish ingest the plastic.

Prelims pointers

• The Ministry invited applications for one Chairperson and two members in the National Sports Board.
• Selection is to be made under the National Sports Governance Act 2025 and the National Sports Governance (National Sports Board) Rules 2026.
• Appointments will be made by the Central Government on recommendations of a Search-cum-Selection Committee.
• The Board will act as the central authority for granting recognition to National Sports Bodies.
• The Board is also tasked with ensuring compliance with governance, financial and ethical standards.

Prelims pointers

• DARPG released the 46th monthly CPGRAMS report for States and Union Territories for May 2026.
• In May 2026, 85,900 public grievance cases were received for States and UTs and 84,365 were redressed.
• Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of disposals in May 2026 with 27,030 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 9,476 cases.
• As of 31 May 2026, pendency across all States and UTs on CPGRAMS stood at 2,13,190 public grievance cases.
• Under the Sevottam Scheme, 1,175 training courses trained about 38,693 officers over the last five financial years.

Prelims pointers

• The Departmental Summit was titled Textiles for Global Markets: Strategy for Achieving USD 100 Billion Exports by 2030.
• The summit aims to increase textile and apparel exports from around USD 37 billion to USD 100 billion by 2030.
• The consultative exercise included 36 State and UT consultations, nearly 200 district-level consultations and more than 5,000 stakeholders.
• The exercise produced 36 State Export Action Plans and 200 District Export Action Plans.
• The first session discussed four major textile clusters: Ludhiana, Tiruppur, Surat and Bhadohi.

Prelims pointers

• VOC Port's first Sustainability Report said renewable energy offsets nearly 94% of the port's energy-consumption equivalent.
• The source states that VOC Port reduced net carbon emissions by around 45%.
• Carbon intensity per tonne of cargo at VOC Port was reported to have reduced by nearly half over the past four years.
• The IIM Calcutta case study released at the event was titled The Hydrogen Pivot and covered VOC Port's green transition.
• VOC Port signed an MoU with Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya to promote research, innovation, logistics education, skill development and sustainable port operations.

Prelims pointers

• The source says southwest monsoon rainfall was around 43 per cent below normal and likely to remain weak during the week ending July 2.
• Around 315 districts were identified as potentially affected by weak monsoon conditions, including 111 high-priority districts with irrigation coverage below 25 per cent.
• ICAR and ICAR-CRIDA prepared District Agriculture Contingency Plans incorporating climatic conditions, cropping patterns, water resources and risk factors.
• States were advised to promote short-duration and low-water crop varieties, crop diversification, intercropping and special emphasis on pulses, Shri Anna and oilseeds.
• The Minister described PMFBY, KCC and PM-KISAN as a comprehensive support system for farmers during challenges such as El Niño.

Prelims pointers

• The total number of critical and strategic mineral blocks successfully auctioned by the Central Government reached 56.
• The Seventh Tranche successfully auctioned 10 critical and strategic mineral blocks.
• Critical mineral blocks were auctioned for the first time in Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Telangana by the Central Government.
• The Seventh Tranche included minerals such as Graphite, Rare Earth Elements, Vanadium, Titanium, Glauconite and Rock Phosphate.
• The cumulative number of Exploration Licence blocks successfully auctioned by the Central Government reached 11.

Prelims pointers

• NHAI signed an MoU with NCAER to establish the NHAI Centre for Economics of Transportation, Mobility and Logistics at NCAER.
• The source describes the centre as India’s first permanent and independent research centre dedicated to economics of transportation, mobility and logistics.
• The centre will undertake applied economic research to support long-term planning, investment and policy formulation in the road and transport sector.
• Its research areas include National Highway economics, freight logistics, modal integration, toll policy, asset monetisation and road safety interventions.
• NHAI will support the establishment and operation of the institution for a period of ten years.

Prelims pointers

• MoRTH signed an MoU with DICV, which owns the Bharat Benz brand, for replacement of old trucks and buses in Delhi-NCR.
• Under the agreement, the OEM will provide an 8 per cent discount on the ex-showroom price of eligible trucks and buses.
• For electric vehicles, the discount is capped at the discount applicable to an equivalent GVW category Internal Combustion Engine vehicle.
• The Central Government will provide 5 per cent interest subvention and fixed monthly fuel vouchers for five years.
• Participating State Governments will provide up to 100 per cent motor vehicle tax concession for ten years and waiver of registration fees.

Prelims pointers

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met National Security Advisors and senior security officials of BRICS countries.
• The Prime Minister highlighted BRICS as significant for addressing contemporary global security challenges.
• The source names terrorism, cyber security and emerging technologies as shared challenges for BRICS cooperation.
• India’s BRICS Chairmanship was described as focused on advancing practical cooperation among member nations.
• The Prime Minister linked India’s approach to supporting the priorities of the Global South and building a safer, secure and inclusive world.

Prelims pointers

• DARPG released the 49th monthly CPGRAMS report for Central Ministries and Departments for May 2026.
• Central Ministries and Departments redressed 1,78,423 grievances in May 2026.
• The average grievance disposal time for Central Ministries and Departments in 2026 is 13 days.
• The CPGRAMS AI-enabled voice chatbot Samadhan Didi was launched on 30 May 2026 at Kartavya Bhawan, New Delhi.
• Department of Posts, Department of Financial Services (Insurance Division) and Department of Telecommunications topped Group A in the May 2026 GRAI rankings.

Prelims pointers

• The Ethanol Blending Programme was launched in 2003 to reduce crude oil imports, enhance energy security and promote environmental sustainability.
• The phased implementation of the programme culminated in the rollout of 20 per cent ethanol blending, or E20, from 2023 onwards.
• The Government monitors the programme with oil marketing companies, automobile manufacturers, fuel testing agencies and other stakeholders.
• The Ministry states that no widespread engine failure or vehicle breakdown attributable to ethanol blending has been reported since E20 introduction.
• The programme has helped save over ₹1.4 lakh crore in foreign exchange through reduced crude oil imports.

Prelims pointers

• The Seva Se Samriddhi regional workshop on Panchayat-led service delivery was organised at SKICC, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
• The workshop included representatives and officials from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
• The source says Jammu and Kashmir’s online public services expanded from a few dozen in 2020 to over 1,100 services.
• Nearly 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats manage planning, implementation, financial management and audits through the eGramSwaraj platform.
• The AI-powered SabhaSaar application generates Gram Sabha proceedings in 23 Indian languages and has been adopted by around 1.5 lakh Panchayats.

Prelims pointers

• INCOIS started releasing specialised El Niño bulletins to highlight possible impacts of the ongoing El Niño on maritime sectors.
• The first bulletin says El Niño is expected to peak during November 2026 to January 2027.
• Indian Ocean sea surface temperature is expected to remain higher than normal until April or May 2027.
• The northern Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, is likely to face marine thermal stress especially during March-May 2027.
• The source warns of coral bleaching, marine heat waves and reduced fish catch, particularly for sardine and mackerel species.

Prelims pointers

• IEPFA is under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and administers the Investor Education and Protection Fund across India.
• The panel discussion was titled “Aapki Poonji Aapka Adhikaar – Learning and Way Forward”.
• The publication “Claiming the Unclaimed: Unlocking the Potential of Idle Financial Assets in India” was unveiled at the event.
• The discussion focused on investor rights, reclamation of unclaimed financial assets and a more inclusive financial ecosystem.
• IEPFA facilitates refunds of shares, unclaimed dividends, matured deposits and debentures transferred to the Fund.

Prelims pointers

• S&P Global Energy analysts said the Iran-U.S. interim peace deal paved the way for increased global crude oil flows.
• Jim Burkhard said oil could flow freely through Hormuz for the next sixty days, with uncertainty after that period.
• Benjamin Tang said freight insurance costs remained elevated and would likely return to pre-war levels only gradually.
• Tang reported an average of thirty vessel transits a day in the previous seven to eight days.
• Burkhard said crude pricing pressure for India would depend significantly on China’s purchasing behaviour.