Current affairs — 24 June 2026

Prelims pointers

• The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted the peacekeeper accountability resolution on June 23, 2026.
• Nearly 1,100 peacekeepers have lost their lives in the line of duty since 1948, according to U.N. figures.
• The resolution was sponsored by Pakistan and Denmark and co-sponsored by more than 150 countries.
• It authorises the Secretary-General to support fact collection, investigations and prosecutions after future attacks.
• The resolution asks the Secretary-General to provide accountability options to the council within 120 days.

Prelims pointers

• India’s First Biennial Transparency Report says over 20% of total emissions in 2022 came directly from the industrial sector.
• Fuel consumption in manufacturing industries and construction accounted for 13% of total emissions, according to the article.
• Industrial processes and product use accounted for another 9% of total emissions in the BTR1 data cited by the article.
• The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme focuses on nine industrial sectors, while four sectors continue under the PAT scheme.
• More than 40% of manufacturing and construction emissions in 2020 were attributed to the vague ‘non-specific industries’ category.

Prelims pointers

• The Index of Eight Core Industries grew just 0.5% in May 2026, described as the second-lowest reading in 21 months.
• The editorial says the core industries index grew only 1.1% over the entire financial year 2025-26.
• Domestic crude oil and natural gas sectors continued their multi-year streaks of contraction in May 2026.
• The fertiliser sector contracted by 0.9% in May 2026, though less sharply than two months earlier.
• Revenues from domestic GST transactions contracted 2.6% in May 2026, according to the editorial.

Prelims pointers

• The Supreme Court said the petitioners should ideally move the Calcutta High Court with their plea over the West Bengal order.
• Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity argued that SIR outcomes had been linked to PDS and Annapurna Yojana benefits.
• The PDS was described as a welfare mechanism under the National Food Security Act, 2013, for essential food grains.
• The petitioner argued that food security benefits should not depend on electoral status or voter-roll verification categories.
• The plea claimed the linkage could lead to inactivation of ration cards of 35 lakh to 60 lakh people in West Bengal.

Prelims pointers

• Wang Yi met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in New Delhi on June 22, 2026, during the BRICS NSAs meeting.
• Wang called for accelerating the resumption of dialogue mechanisms and exchanges in trade, finance and other fields.
• He said the India-China boundary issue should be placed in its appropriate position and not affect overall bilateral relations.
• The article notes that most of nearly 50 India-China government-to-government dialogue mechanisms remained stalled.
• Both sides were finalising arrangements for Doval to visit Beijing for the next Special Representatives mechanism talks.

Prelims pointers

• The Petroleum Ministry called claims about ethanol-blended petrol absorbing water into fuel tanks misleading and unsubstantiated.
• The ministry also rejected claims that sugarcane juice is directly mixed with petrol under the blending programme.
• The statement said modern vehicles have design features and safeguards to prevent water entry into fuel tanks.
• Fuel ethanol is produced through established industrial processes and must meet stringent quality specifications before blending.
• The ministry listed molasses, broken rice and maize among feedstocks from which ethanol can be produced.

Prelims pointers

• INS Udaygiri and INS Kavaratti arrived at Nha Rong Port in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on June 22, 2026.
• The article describes INS Udaygiri as a stealth frigate and INS Kavaratti as an anti-submarine warfare corvette.
• Both warships are part of the Eastern Fleet led by Rear Admiral Alok Ananda, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet.
• The visit includes cross-deck visits, sporting events, community outreach and senior-level discussions on maritime security.
• The source says this was the Indian Navy’s first major presence in Vietnam after ties were elevated in May 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The Agriculture Minister said rainfall so far was around 43% below normal amid the El Nino situation and delayed monsoon.
• The Centre identified 315 districts as vulnerable to weak monsoon conditions and requiring contingency planning.
• Of the vulnerable districts, 111 districts in 12 States were categorised as high priority due to irrigation coverage below 25%.
• Another 76 districts were medium priority with irrigation coverage between 25% and 50%, while 128 were low priority due to better irrigation facilities.
• ICAR-prepared District Agriculture Contingency Plans include alternative crops, crop diversification, optimum water use and income opportunities.

Prelims pointers

• The U.S. Senate approved the War Powers resolution on June 23, 2026 by a 50-48 vote.
• The resolution sought to block U.S. military action against Iran but was described as largely symbolic.
• Four Republican senators supported the resolution, while Democratic Senator John Fetterman voted against it.
• The House had approved its own version of the War Powers resolution earlier in the same month.
• Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sought roughly $80 billion in supplemental funding after the Iran war.

Prelims pointers

• Parvathaneni Harish made India’s remarks at an Arria-formula meeting held on June 23, 2026.
• The meeting was organised by the Permanent Missions of Pakistan and China to the United Nations.
• India said the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is strictly internal and will remain so.
• Arria-formula meetings are informal and confidential gatherings named after former Venezuelan ambassador Diego Arria.
• Harish said Chapter VI tools include negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation and arbitration.

Prelims pointers

• IAEA head Rafael Mariano Grossi signalled on June 24, 2026, that inspectors would visit Iranian enrichment sites.
• The inspections were described as a key component of the interim deal between the United States and Iran.
• The source says the IAEA had been blocked by Tehran from visiting enrichment sites since a 12-day war in 2025.
• Iran is described as having uranium enriched up to 60% purity without a weapons program.
• Grossi said the memorandum states that nuclear activities at nuclear material facilities will be supervised by the IAEA.

Prelims pointers

• The new tiger moth genus and species has been named Antaram idukki and was discovered in Kerala’s Idukki district.
• It belongs to the tiger moth subfamily Arctiinae in the family Erebidae.
• The study team included researchers from ZSI centres in Pune and Kozhikode, the Natural History Museum, London, and a naturalist.
• Researchers said the genus is currently known only from Idukki and is distinguished by morphological characters.
• The source identifies Idukki in the Western Ghats as part of a UNESCO World Heritage site and a biodiversity hotspot.

Prelims pointers

• India has more than a thousand mango varieties, including Banganapalli, Dassheri, Alphonso, Badaami, Imaam Pasandh and Mulgoa.
• Mango trees across India bloom between December and March each year.
• A mango branch bearing flower clusters is called a panicle by botanists.
• Each mango panicle can contain a few hundred to up to 10,000 individual flowers.
• A single mango tree can carry up to about 3,000 panicles depending on size and branching.

Prelims pointers

• Oman designated two temporary routes north and south of the existing Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.
• The temporary corridors were established in coordination with the International Maritime Organization.
• The strait carried roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the war, according to the source.
• Oman said the existing Traffic Separation Scheme in the waterway was currently unsafe for use.
• Oman stated that no tolls would be imposed on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Prelims pointers

• Sri Lanka reported 47,530 dengue cases and 29 dengue-related deaths as of June 22, 2026.
• Colombo had the highest district burden, with nearly 10,000 cases as of June 22, 2026.
• Officials linked the surge to the monsoons and the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which hit in December last year.
• Sri Lanka recorded a major dengue outbreak in 2017 with 186,101 cases and 440 dengue-related deaths.
• The government decided to appoint a military-led monitoring unit, according to the President’s Office statement.

Prelims pointers

• S. Jaishankar met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun in Seoul on June 24, 2026.
• Jaishankar was in South Korea on a two-day visit after having visited Mongolia.
• The talks followed South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to India in April.
• Jaishankar said they reviewed cooperation in political, shipbuilding, trade, investment, defence, technology and clean-energy domains.
• Cho said Korea would soon host a dialogue for Indian companies, after India hosted Korea Week.

Prelims pointers

• France identified a positive Ebola case in a patient returning from a humanitarian mission in Congo.
• The patient was taken into care at a specialised facility in France and was reported to be stable.
• Congo’s Health Ministry reported 1,094 confirmed Ebola cases and 277 confirmed deaths on June 24, 2026.
• The outbreak was caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which the source says has no vaccines or treatment yet.
• French authorities began contact tracing and said contacts would be monitored during a 21-day home isolation.

Prelims pointers

• The Jonnagiri mine in Kurnool was inaugurated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on June 24, 2026.
• It is expected to produce about 400 kg of gold in 2026-27 and later move towards a tonne a year.
• India imported a record $71.98 billion of gold in 2025-26, amounting to about 721 tonnes by Commerce Ministry data.
• Geomysore Services held the ground from the 1990s, applied for the mining lease in 2006 and put investment at about ₹405 crore.
• The mine plan permits work at 0.4 million tonnes a year, and filings put the audited resource at 8.2 million tonnes of ore.

Prelims pointers

• U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer concluded a two-day visit to New Delhi for trade discussions.
• He held multiple meetings with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the interim trade agreement and broader BTA.
• Both sides noted substantial progress by negotiating teams, but the statement did not mention deadlines.
• The BTA was announced in February 2025 and had been scheduled for completion by the fall of that year.
• Reviewed elements included market access, digital trade, supply-chain resilience, non-tariff barriers and strategic sectors.

Prelims pointers

• The Union government brought out the National Policy for Rare Diseases in 2021.
• More than 7,000 rare diseases have been identified worldwide, while NPRD-2021 recognises 63.
• Union assistance of up to Rs. 50 lakh is available for recognised diseases treated at notified Centres of Excellence.
• Andhra Pradesh is considering its first Centre of Excellence at Government General Hospital, Vijayawada.
• Referral centres are proposed in Kurnool, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam.

Prelims pointers

• A senior MEA official said the Indian passport is a travel document and not a citizenship document.
• The Human Resource Mobility Forum is scheduled in New Delhi from 30 June to 1 July.
• The source says 27 countries give visa-free entry status to Indian passport holders.
• It also says 47 countries offer visas on arrival and 66 countries provide e-visas to Indian passport holders.
• Around 10% of Indian passport-holders possess an e-passport, according to the MEA official.

Prelims pointers

• The approval covers 96 road works in Tripura under PMGSY-IV, Batch-I for FY 2026-27.
• The approved road works cover a total length of 163.872 km.
• The estimated cost of the newly approved Tripura road works is Rs. 211.71 crore.
• The projects are intended to give first-time all-weather road connectivity to 96 habitations.
• Till date, 1,594 road works, 6,284 km and 66 bridges have been sanctioned in Tripura under PMGSY.

Prelims pointers

• BHARATI stands for Bharat's Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Innovation.
• The first cohort comprised 100 startups from 22 states and 2 Union Territories.
• The startups were selected through a multi-stage evaluation process from over 700 applications.
• The cohort included 68 agri-food product startups and 26 export-enabling technology and service providers.
• APEDA facilitated the participation of the top eight BHARATI startups at Gulfood 2026 in Dubai.

Prelims pointers

• The 52nd PRAGATI meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Seva Teerth.
• Four infrastructure projects worth around ₹30,000 crore across four states were reviewed.
• The projects covered the road, power, industrial corridor and metro rail sectors.
• The Prime Minister asked for use of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan and timely updating of project data.
• Cyber crime and digital arrest grievances were reviewed with emphasis on coordinated response and e-Zero FIR mechanisms.

Prelims pointers

• The BRICS Heads of Space Agencies meeting was hosted by ISRO under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026.
• Dr Jitendra Singh pitched a BRICS Space Economy as a frontier of global growth.
• The meeting discussed space sustainability, debris-free missions and the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation.
• Discussions covered disaster management, Earth observation, capacity building and knowledge sharing.
• The proposed BRICS Space Council was mentioned as an institutional mechanism under discussion.

Prelims pointers

• IPC organised the national conference at its campus in Ghaziabad on 24 June 2026.
• The conference focused on quality of blood and blood components through IP 2026 standards.
• Over 160 blood centre professionals, regulators and health officials participated from six states.
• The release says IP 2026 introduces exclusive standards for blood and blood components.
• Technical sessions covered haemovigilance, plasma quality, regulatory requirements and IP Online.

Prelims pointers

• C-DOT signed an MoU with IIT Hyderabad to establish a Centre of Excellence in advanced communication technologies.
• The CoE focuses on wireless communications, quantum technologies, cybersecurity and AI-driven applications.
• This was described as C-DOT’s fourth CoE after IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar and IIT Roorkee.
• Research areas include 5G Advanced, 6G, very large-scale MIMO and integrated sensing and communication systems.
• C-DOT had already engaged with WISIG for disaggregated 5G O-RAN solutions.

Prelims pointers

• NMCG and NIUA have completed Urban River Management Plans for 13 cities.
• URMPs are being prepared for 27 cities under Phase I and 33 additional cities under Phase II.
• The initiative aims for overall coverage of 60 cities across the Ganga Basin.
• The long-term vision is to cover all 97 cities along the main stem of the Ganga.
• The URMP framework covers environmental, economic and social pillars of urban river management.

Prelims pointers

• NHAI intensified action against unauthorised parking and encroachments along National Highway corridors.
• The initiative was undertaken in compliance with directions of the Supreme Court.
• NHAI identified 595 critical locations of unauthorised parking across different states.
• Encroachment removal is linked to the Control of National Highways Land and Traffic Act, 2002.
• Field offices were directed to audit Advanced Traffic Management System installations.

Prelims pointers

• MoSPI is preparing to launch the Index of Services Production in July 2026.
• The ISP is designed as a short-term indicator of real output changes in service-producing industries.
• The services sector has contributed over 50% of Gross Value Added since 2013-14.
• The ISP base year has been selected as 2024-25.
• Trial monthly indices for 2025-26 and April 2026 are slated for release on 14 July 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The consultation was convened on 24 June 2026 at Kartavya Bhavan, New Delhi.
• Representatives and nodal officers from 18 Ministries and Departments participated in the meeting.
• The VB-G RAM G Act is stated to come into effect from 1 July 2026.
• The Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan is described as the primary planning instrument at Gram Panchayat level.
• An interim list of 318 permissible works has been notified for operationalisation from 1 July 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The Chintan Shivir 2026 on Digitalisation in the Steel Sector was held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
• H.D. Kumaraswamy said India has remained the world’s second-largest steel producer since 2018.
• The government’s capacity vision cited in the source is 300 million tonnes by 2030.
• The longer-term steelmaking capacity vision cited is 400 million tonnes by 2035.
• Technologies discussed included AI, Machine Learning, Industrial Internet of Things, Digital Twins and Robotics.

Prelims pointers

• Textiles Summit 2026 was held from 23 to 24 June 2026.
• The Summit brought together representatives from State Governments, industry and academia.
• The Ministry aims to translate recommendations into a comprehensive National Textile Export Roadmap.
• The source cites a textiles sector target of USD 100 billion exports by 2030.
• Discussions included digital product passports, closed-loop recycling and textile waste management.

Prelims pointers

• The 2026 event was the 8th edition of the Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Challenge.
• The challenge received over 350 applications from youth-led startups across 28 states.
• Fifty startups were enrolled in the three-month National Springboard Programme.
• The Regional Immersion Bootcamp was hosted at T-Hub, Hyderabad from 15 to 19 June 2026.
• The three winning startups received seed grant support of Rs. 3,50,000 each.

Prelims pointers

• SAIL supplied the entire 5,700 tonnes of special steel for INS Dunagiri, INS Agray and INS Sanshodhak.
• The three naval vessels were formally commissioned on 21 June 2026 at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata.
• The supplied steel included DMR 249A grade hot-rolled sheets and plates.
• The steel was manufactured and supplied from SAIL’s Bokaro, Bhilai and Rourkela Steel Plants.
• SAIL has also supplied specialised steel for INS Vikrant and Project 17A stealth frigates.

Prelims pointers

• The workshop is scheduled at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 25 June 2026.
• It is being organised by the Department of Rural Development under the Ministry of Rural Development.
• NITI Aayog, the IndiaAI Mission, industry leaders, academia and startups are listed among expected participants.
• The thematic sessions include AI with Digital Public Infrastructure for rural governance and administrative systems.
• Responsible AI, data privacy, ethical frameworks, policy compliance and scaling pathways are included in the agenda.

Prelims pointers

• The Ministry of Coal organised a BRICS side event on clean coal technologies with focus on coal gasification.
• Coal gasification converts coal into syngas for products such as ammonia, methanol, hydrogen and synthetic fuels.
• The Government of India has a target of gasifying 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030.
• Eastern Coalfields Limited presented progress on the Kasta Underground Coal Gasification Pilot Project.
• The event included discussion on high-ash Indian coal, project economics and policy and financial support.

Prelims pointers

• The discussion paper is aligned with the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Central Framework.
• MoSPI has followed the UN SEEA Framework for physical asset accounts since 2018.
• The paper presents physical asset accounts for coal in India for 2015-16 to 2023-24.
• India recorded raw coal production of 1,047.523 million tonnes in 2024-25.
• The OECD 2025 methodology is identified as the most appropriate approach for the Indian context.

Prelims pointers

• IPC conducted the second hands-on training on EG and DEG determination from 22 to 23 June 2026.
• The training used gas chromatography for oral liquid preparations.
• Participants came from Haryana, Goa, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya.
• EG and DEG are highly toxic substances not permitted in pharmaceutical formulations.
• Amendment List 09 to IP-2022 mandates EG and DEG testing in all oral liquid formulations from 10 October 2025.

Prelims pointers

• PAC chairperson K.C. Venugopal sought a report from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on the Great Nicobar Project.
• The PAC meeting was convened to discuss the CAG report on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences.
• Venugopal flagged panic among residents as 1.5 crore trees are slated to be felled for the Great Nicobar Project.
• He said the naval base INS Baaz was not given additional land for expansion, according to sources cited in the article.
• The CAG report flagged over 40% shortfall in prescribed types of medical equipment at the Andaman and Nicobar medical institute.

Prelims pointers

• New START, the last nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States, expired in February.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a Moscow foreign policy forum that the global security system was eroding.
• New START was signed in 2010 and restricted Moscow and Washington to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads each.
• Donald Trump has pressed for a new treaty to include China, whose nuclear arsenal is growing but still far smaller than those of Russia or the United States.
• Moscow says that if China is included in a new deal, Washington’s nuclear allies Britain and France should also be included.