Current affairs — 25 June 2026

Prelims pointers

• The nationwide southwest monsoon deficit increased from 35% to 43%.
• Both the U.S. NOAA and the India Meteorological Department expect a moderate-to-strong El Niño this year.
• Northwest India has received 5% more rain than normal, while central India and the northeast face deficits of 63% and 43%.
• Reservoir storage is at 30.4% of capacity, compared with 25.1% during previous El Niño years.
• The Agriculture Ministry has prioritised 111 districts out of 315 vulnerable ones based on irrigation coverage.

Prelims pointers

• The ePlane Company is headquartered in Chennai and has completed assembly of its full-scale eVTOL aircraft e200X.
• The completed e200X prototype is designated PT-01 and moves the project from simulation into physical testing.
• The e200X is designed as one airframe for passenger air taxi, urban cargo carrier and air ambulance markets.
• Founder Satya Chakravarthy said vertical and forward propulsion units were being fitted for further ground testing.
• The e200X will enter ground testing, then flight testing, followed by pursuit of Type Certification.

Prelims pointers

• The U.S. military changed the regional command name from US INDOPACOM to US PACOM.
• US INDOPACOM stood for United States Indo-Pacific Command; US PACOM stands for United States Pacific Command.
• The command had been renamed in 2018 to recognise the growing significance of the Indian Ocean, the Indian subcontinent and India.
• The U.S. Department of War said the command’s area of responsibility still runs from the U.S. West Coast waters to India’s western border.
• At the May 30 Shangri-La Dialogue speech in Singapore, Pete Hegseth made no reference to the Indo-Pacific region or strategy.

Prelims pointers

• A legal notice was sent on June 24, 2026, seeking rollback of the Maharashtra Right to Information (Amendment) Rules, 2026.
• The activists asked how the RTI Rules could be amended without prior disclosure or public consultation.
• The notice sought consultation with RTI users, former Information Commissioners, journalists, transparency activists, civil society organisations and legal experts.
• The notice was issued by Shailesh Gandhi, Prahlad Kachare, Vijay Kumbhar, Vinita Deshmukh, Vivek Velankar, Jugal Rathi and Mohammed Afzal.
• The notice alleged restrictions including mandatory identity requirements, enhanced fees, shifting burden of proof, expanded exemptions and procedural hurdles.

Prelims pointers

• Sufiyana Mousiqi is described as a Kashmiri tradition believed to be practised since the 15th century with muqams or ragas.
• The article says Sufiyana Mousiqi is bidding for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list for the first time.
• J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote to Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking support for the nomination.
• The Chief Minister said UNESCO recognition would aid preservation, documentation, promotion and transmission to future generations.
• The proposal for UNESCO submission was prepared by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Kashmir chapter.

Prelims pointers

• ADR and National Election Watch analysed 226 of the 233 Rajya Sabha MPs.
• The article says four Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal were vacant and three MPs were not analysed due to unavailable affidavits.
• Of the 226 MPs analysed, 69 or 31% declared criminal cases, while 36 or 16% declared serious criminal cases.
• The report found one MP with declared cases related to murder, four related to attempt to murder and four related to crimes against women.
• Of the 226 sitting Rajya Sabha MPs analysed, 31 or 14% were billionaires.

Prelims pointers

• The report cites an International Journal of Educational Integrity article on fake patents.
• Eight firms were described as likely involved in selling thousands of U.K. registered designs to Indian academics.
• Design applications are not examined for novelty, innovation or uniqueness before quick grant.
• The studied U.K. design registrations were usually granted in around 11 days.
• Experts said buyers obtain ownership positions on design registrations, not necessarily functional patents or real inventions.

Prelims pointers

• RBI issued the digital scam compensation pilot on June 24, 2026.
• The pilot amends RBI’s 2017 circular on limiting customer liability in unauthorised electronic banking transactions.
• The rules are effective from January 1, 2027 and last for one year as a pilot.
• For losses up to ₹50,000, individual victims can claim 85% compensation only once in their lifetime, capped at ₹25,000.
• Customers who ignore fraud-signal warnings such as a UPI PIN warning are not eligible for compensation.

Prelims pointers

• The article discusses ships waiting after prolonged disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.
• A retired Additional Director General of Shipping said ships are not designed to remain indefinitely idle.
• Even when stationary, a ship remains a living industrial system needing maintenance and regulatory oversight.
• Extended waiting can create technical, regulatory and human-factor challenges.
• The article states that returning to normal trade can take weeks or even months after long idling.

Prelims pointers

• India and the U.S. announced in February 2025 that they would work toward a comprehensive Bilateral Trade Agreement.
• The comprehensive BTA was initially targeted for finalisation by Fall 2025.
• In February 2026, the two sides signed a framework agreement for an interim trade deal.
• The interim deal was to be implemented by April-May 2026, according to the article.
• Negotiation areas include market access, digital trade, supply-chain resilience, non-tariff barriers and strategic sectors.

Prelims pointers

• S. Jaishankar spoke at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2026 in South Korea.
• He said India and the Republic of Korea must cooperate more closely.
• Fields named for cooperation include shipbuilding, health, infrastructure and defence.
• The South Korea visit was the second leg of his foreign tour after Mongolia.
• He said pandemics, terrorism and extreme climate events cannot be contained within political jurisdictions.

Prelims pointers

• Bangladesh called for the Teesta water-sharing deal to be considered under the ‘current circumstances’.
• Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman reiterated Bangladesh’s demand for a greater share of Teesta waters.
• The statement followed the BJP’s victory in the West Bengal Assembly election, according to the article.
• Outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was described as long seen as a hurdle in Teesta talks.
• The report was updated on June 25, 2026 and refers to Rahman’s May 5, 2026 statement.

Prelims pointers

• Bangladesh and China agreed on June 25, 2026 to strengthen cooperation on Teesta and other river management.
• Chinese Water Resources Minister Li Guoying met Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Beijing.
• Rahman sought Chinese technical assistance for the Teesta management project.
• The article refers to a Dhaka-Beijing water cooperation MoU signed in 2005.
• Bangladesh also sought help on riverbank erosion, irrigation systems and inland water navigation.

Prelims pointers

• Dinesh Trivedi presented credentials to Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin on June 25, 2026.
• He was named India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh on April 27, 2026.
• The article describes him as the first politician to serve in this position.
• Travel visa applications for Bangladeshi nationals can be submitted starting June 28, 2026.
• Travel visas cover tourism, medical treatment, government and business assignments, and transit to third countries.

Prelims pointers

• Iraq is a founding member of OPEC, according to the article.
• Oil exports make up about 90% of Iraq’s budget revenues.
• Iraq said OPEC had begun a process to reassess member states’ production capacities.
• Iraq denied reports that it was considering ending its OPEC membership.
• Before the war erupted on February 28, Iraq produced about four million barrels per day and exported about 3.5 million bpd, mostly via Hormuz.

Prelims pointers

• Seven rescued golden langurs were released in Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park on June 25, 2026.
• Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park spans Chirang and Kokrajhar districts in Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Region.
• The park covers 316 sq. km and is the newest of Assam’s eight national parks.
• Golden langur’s scientific name is Trachypithecus geei.
• The species is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Prelims pointers

• Europe was experiencing its second major heatwave in two months, with temperatures rising steeply since mid-June.
• Code red heat alerts were issued in parts of the U.K., France, Spain and Italy.
• More than 60 heatwave-related deaths were reported across Europe.
• France reported about 40 drownings, mostly of youngsters, since June 18.
• A heat-related transformer failure on June 24 caused a major power outage affecting about 68,000 households in France.

Prelims pointers

• The Finance Minister said borrowing is not the issue; what borrowed money is used for matters.
• She urged States to use borrowings for long-term capital expenditure such as schools and hospitals.
• She contrasted asset creation with revenue expenditure such as cash distributions when resources are tight.
• The article states that States are permitted to borrow up to 3% of their GSDP.
• She argued that public infrastructure funded through loans can generate employment for 50 to 60 years.

Prelims pointers

• Hardeep Singh Puri met Iran’s Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad at the BRICS Energy Ministers’ Meeting.
• India halted purchases of Iranian crude in 2019 following U.S. sanctions.
• India purchased 518 thousand barrels per day of Iranian oil in 2018, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea cited in the report.
• Indian purchases slowed to 268 thousand barrels per day between January and May 2019.
• Chinese independent refineries imported about 1.58 million barrels per day of crude between January and May this year, according to S&P Platts cited in the article.

Prelims pointers

• The Paris Judicial Court ordered TotalEnergies to account for emissions from the use of its products by clients.
• The case was brought by NGOs and the city of Paris against TotalEnergies.
• France’s corporate duty of vigilance law was enacted in 2017.
• Plaintiffs said indirect end-user emissions amounted to 342 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2024.
• The court gave TotalEnergies six months to amend its vigilance plan to include Scope 3 end-user emissions.

Prelims pointers

• BLOs began house-to-house distribution of SIR enumeration forms in Hyderabad on June 25, 2026.
• The distribution and collection phase is to continue until July 24, 2026.
• BLOs are expected to visit each house at least three times during the phase.
• Voters must locate their names in the electoral rolls updated during SIR-2002 and mention them in the forms.
• If unable to do so, voters may be summoned by the ERO to produce any of 12 listed citizenship-proof documents.

Prelims pointers

• Netra is an indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control system developed by DRDO with the IAF and associated industries.
• DRDO handed over Netra’s Final Operational Clearance certificate to the Indian Air Force.
• The Initial Operational Clearance for Netra was given in 2017.
• The FOC ceremony was held in Bengaluru, Karnataka on June 25, 2026.
• The system is meant to enhance airborne surveillance, situational awareness and battle-management capability.

Prelims pointers

• DoT began accepting applications for telecom service authorisations under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
• Rules for authorisation under Section 3(1)(a) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 were notified on June 23, 2026.
• Rules for migration of licences under Section 3(6) of the Act were also notified on June 23, 2026.
• Applications for fresh authorisation and licence migration are to be submitted through the Telecom eServices Portal.
• DoT had suspended new applications for several telecom licences and permissions from November 10, 2025 as an interim measure.

Prelims pointers

• The Transition Facilitation (Quality Control) Order, 2026 was notified by DPIIT under the Commerce and Industry Ministry.
• The Order introduces an alternative risk-based compliance mechanism for industry transition under QCOs.
• It permits procurement from manufacturers licensed under Scheme II of Schedule II of BIS Conformity Assessment Regulations, 2018.
• The alternative applies instead of Scheme I, the ISI Mark Scheme, in specified circumstances.
• Benefits are also extended to manufacturers with three continuous years of QCO compliance without default.

Prelims pointers

• The first commercial sea shipment comprised 5 MT of Banganapalle mangoes from India to Singapore.
• The consignment was exported on June 11, 2026 and arrived in Singapore on June 24, 2026.
• The mangoes came from GAP-certified orchards in Andhra Pradesh and were packed at an APEDA-recognised packhouse in Karnataka.
• The shipment met Singapore’s quality and phytosanitary requirements, according to the PIB report.
• Farm-gate realisation was about ₹50 per kg against domestic prices of ₹25–26 per kg.

Prelims pointers

• APEDA facilitated export of a 40 metric tonne biscuit consignment from Varanasi to Oman.
• The shipment was described as the first biscuit export from Varanasi to Oman following the India-Oman CEPA.
• The exporter named in the PIB report was M/s Shree Tirupati Balajee Industries Pvt. Ltd., based in Varanasi.
• The consignment route included ICD Kanpur for customs clearance and JNPT for onward shipment to Oman.
• APEDA supported the exporter through trade-fair promotion including AAHAR 2026 and Gulfood 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The 8th National Conference on cooperatives was held in Srinagar on the theme ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi — From Vision to Ground Reality’.
• Participants included State and UT officers, Registrars of Cooperative Societies, national federations and cooperative institutions.
• The Ministry highlighted computerisation of PACS, model bye-laws and formation of new multipurpose PACS, dairy and fishery cooperatives.
• National-level cooperatives in exports, organic products and seeds were cited as major initiatives.
• National Cooperative Database 2.0 was described as a tool to strengthen planning, monitoring and decision-making.

Prelims pointers

• The keel-laying was for the fourth of six Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard.
• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. is building the NGOPVs for the Indian Coast Guard.
• The ceremony took place in Mumbai, Maharashtra on June 25, 2026.
• The contract for six NGOPVs was concluded on December 20, 2023.
• The vessels are being indigenously designed, developed and constructed by MDL.

Prelims pointers

• The REPM tender bid due date was extended from June 29, 2026 to July 29, 2026.
• Technical bid opening was rescheduled from June 30, 2026 to July 30, 2026.
• The global tender was invited on March 20, 2026 to select manufacturers under the REPM scheme.
• The Union Cabinet approved the scheme on November 26, 2025.
• The scheme aims to establish 6,000 MTPA of integrated Rare Earth Permanent Magnet manufacturing capacity in India.

Prelims pointers

• Citizen feedback on the JSJB 2.0 portal is open until July 31, 2026.
• The feedback concerns water conservation, rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and storage works.
• The Prime Minister launched the nationwide water-conservation Jan Andolan vision on September 6, 2024 at Surat, Gujarat.
• As of May 31, 2026, more than 1.5 crore structures had been reported under JSJB.
• The feedback portal aims to strengthen community ownership of water conservation structures.

Prelims pointers

• The eighth Sujal Gram Samvad was organised by DDWS under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• The Samvad was chaired by Kamal Kishore Soan, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Jal Jeevan Mission.
• The eighth edition covered five Gram Panchayat-headquartered villages and recorded more than 3,000 participants.
• Since 2019, India has prioritised household piped water and more than 6 lakh villages are covered under JJM.
• A primary condition for 16th Finance Commission fund release cited in the report is completion of GPDPs by August 15, 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The amendment expands Schedule H2 of the Drugs Rules, 1945 for QR-code based drug traceability.
• Newly covered categories include all vaccines, antimicrobials, anti-cancer drugs and NDPS Act-covered narcotic and psychotropic drugs.
• The QR code must be on primary packaging, or secondary packaging if primary packaging has inadequate space.
• Nine QR data elements include product code, drug names, brand, manufacturer address, batch, manufacture and expiry dates, licence number and excipients.
• Compliance starts on July 1, 2027 for vaccines, NDPS drugs and anti-cancer medicines, and July 1, 2028 for antimicrobials.

Prelims pointers

• AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 is a contactless Passenger Health Self-Declaration Portal for international arrivals in India.
• The launch followed WHO’s May 17, 2026 PHEIC declaration for the Ebola/Bundibugyo outbreak in DRC and Uganda.
• The portal asks arriving passengers for 21-day travel history, exposure history and symptoms before immigration clearance.
• Real-time data is shared with the Airport Health Officer, Bureau of Immigration, IDSP and State Surveillance Officers.
• The Self Declaration Form can be completed 24 hours in advance before arrival in India.

Prelims pointers

• MSP procurement for wheat, gram and masoor in Uttar Pradesh for Rabi Marketing Season 2026–27 was extended from June 24 to July 8, 2026.
• The Centre approved 6,18,482 pucca houses for Uttar Pradesh under the new 2024–25 to 2028–29 phase of PMAY-G.
• PMAY-G’s new phase aims to construct an additional two crore pucca houses across India.
• Uttar Pradesh was described in the PIB report as contributing around 38% of India’s wheat production.
• The review meeting covered agriculture and rural development schemes with Union and Uttar Pradesh officials participating.

Prelims pointers

• Clinical Establishments Act amendments were notified on June 22, 2026 under the Jan Vishwas reform framework.
• The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 was published in the Official Gazette on April 8, 2026.
• Jan Vishwas 2026 rationalises provisions across 79 Central Acts administered by 23 Ministries and Departments.
• In the health sector, 35 provisions across five Health Ministry Acts were amended.
• Sections 40, 43 and 46 replace ‘fine’ with ‘penalty’, shifting enforcement toward administrative adjudication.

Prelims pointers

• Intra-Circle Roaming was activated in Keyi Panyor, Lower Subansiri, Upper Subansiri and West Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The ICR activation was initially for three days after heavy rainfall, cloudburst and landslides disrupted communication networks.
• Flash floods entered the NEEPCO Exchange at Posa, Yazali, making it non-functional.
• Multiple landslides between Potin and Yazali damaged about 12 km of Optical Fibre Cable.
• ICR lets a mobile subscriber access another available network where the home network is temporarily unavailable.

Prelims pointers

• ICAR-CISH, Lucknow, and APEDA developed a sea-shipment protocol for Indian mango exports.
• A 4.3-tonne Banganappalli mango consignment from Andhra Pradesh reached Singapore in 16 days by reefer container.
• Sea shipment cost was estimated at ₹13–20 per kg compared with ₹150–250 per kg by air shipment.
• ICAR-CISH reported mango shelf life of up to 30 days under sea-shipment conditions.
• The Singapore consignment arrived with 20.1°Brix TSS, nil disease incidence and quality comparable to air-shipped mangoes.

Prelims pointers

• China defended recent patrols in waters east of Taiwan after Britain, France and Germany raised alarm.
• The three European nations said China's actions threatened regional stability, freedom of navigation and international shipping safety.
• China said coast guard ships were deployed after Japan and the Philippines announced maritime-boundary discussions.
• Taiwan said Chinese coast guard ships were harassing commercial vessels by asking them to report intended routes.
• The article describes the waters as a vital lane for oil, gas and goods moving from West Asia and Europe to East Asian ports.

Prelims pointers

• The Union government restored industrial and commercial LPG supply to pre-crisis levels on June 25, 2026.
• The Petroleum Ministry cited an improved supply situation while withdrawing sector-specific allocation caps.
• The removed restrictions applied to the supply of non-domestic packed LPG to industrial and commercial consumers.
• Bulk LPG consumers will be allotted 50% of their pre-crisis consumption requirements under the decision.
• Supplies to bulk LPG consumers had been suspended at the onset of the West Asia crisis.

Prelims pointers

• The Bonn climate talks in Germany took place from June 8 to June 18, 2026, according to the article.
• India urged care and clarity in using the term 'tipping points' because of definitional and communication challenges.
• A climate tipping point is a threshold beyond which part of the earth's climate system shifts into a new state.
• Potential tipping points listed include Amazon dieback, AMOC collapse, coral reef bleaching, monsoon changes and Greenland ice-sheet disintegration.
• The article states that the 1.5°C and 2°C temperature goals adopted at COP21 are political targets, not tipping points themselves.

Prelims pointers

• FATF issued the Myanmar statement after the conclusion of its plenary meeting on June 19.
• The FATF asked Myanmar to act appropriately against fraud and cyber scam networks.
• The FATF also called for protection of trafficking victims exploited by criminal groups.
• The article states that hundreds of job-seeking Indians were duped and trafficked to cyber scam hubs in Myanmar.
• Government data shared in the Rajya Sabha in February 2026 said 2,168 Indians had been rescued from Myanmar since 2022.