Current affairs — 29 June 2026

Prelims pointers

• The landslide blocked the Siji river in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Siang district on June 28, 2026.
• Debris dammed the river at the Siji-Magi Block Point, creating an artificial lake.
• The Siji river becomes the Gai river in Assam, making downstream Assam areas vulnerable.
• In Assam’s Dhemaji district, 15,483 people across 69 villages were reported affected by floods.
• A railway bridge across the Simen river collapsed, an iron bridge washed away and embankment erosion was reported along National Highway 52.

Prelims pointers

• NIOS Mitra is a Ministry of Education technology-enabled outreach initiative for out-of-school children.
• The programme targets enrolment into formal education, particularly for children in the 14-18 age group.
• Trained facilitators called mitras help with enrolment and guide students until examinations.
• The pilot covers ten districts in nine States, with Yadgir selected from Karnataka.
• A Yadgir door-to-door survey found 1,747 out-of-school children in the 14-18 age group.

Prelims pointers

• Operation Amistad is India’s humanitarian assistance mission for quake-hit Venezuela.
• Two Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft flew from Delhi to Caracas for the mission.
• The IAF said the aircraft completed a 23-hour flight covering more than 14,000 km.
• The cargo included 66 tonnes of aid, an Indian Army field hospital, medicines, medical equipment and two BHISHM Cubes.
• The operation included a 41-member rescue team that departed on June 27, 2026.

Prelims pointers

• Mindgrove Technologies is headquartered at IIT Madras Research Park and signed the MoU with Prama India Private Limited.
• The MoU covers deployment of indigenously designed chips in CCTV surveillance cameras and advanced video-security systems.
• Prama will integrate Mindgrove’s proprietary Vision SoC, described in the report as the company’s second chip.
• The Vision SoC was funded under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s Design Linked Incentive scheme.
• Mindgrove described the deal as one of the largest commercial integrations of Indian-designed silicon to date.

Prelims pointers

• The Supreme Court held that denial of access to footpaths can violate the Right to Life and Right to Freedom of Movement.
• The ruling was by a Division Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar.
• The court described the right to walk on demarcated footpaths as a primary entitlement over motor-vehicle movement.
• The duty to construct, maintain and safeguard footpaths was placed on urban development authorities and local bodies.
• Kerala High Court ruled against proposed kiosks in Queen’s Walkway in Kochi because of pedestrians’ right to unobstructed access.

Prelims pointers

• The Strait of Hormuz is described as carrying a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas in normal times.
• Oman announced an alternative route through the strait that hugged the Omani shoreline.
• Iran insisted that ships transit through a corridor close to its own shores.
• The article says the strait comprises Omani and Iranian territorial waters.
• U.S. Central Command said it attacked 10 Iranian military targets over aggression against commercial shipping.

Prelims pointers

• China imposed export controls on 40 Japanese entities on June 29, 2026.
• Twenty Japanese entities were placed on a control list restricting sales of dual-use items made in China.
• Another 20 Japanese entities were added to a watch list for dual-use items.
• Watch-list exports require special licences, risk assessment reports and written pledges against military use.
• Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force deployed a Type-12 missile launcher on Minamitorishima on June 29, 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The NTCA-WII publication is titled “Reintroduction & Population Recovery of Tigers in India: Field Experiences & Key Learnings”.
• Across the 12 analysed tiger reserves, the current tiger population is estimated at 288 compared with 38 over 16 years of the programme.
• The first exercise moved two female and one male tiger from Ranthambore to Sariska Tiger Reserve in 2008.
• Satkosia’s tiger reintroduction programme began in 2018 with a male and a female introduced from Kanha and Bandhavgarh.
• The report says successful tiger restoration needs prey populations, secure habitats, protection mechanisms, connectivity and social acceptance.

Prelims pointers

• Operation Amistad is the Indian humanitarian assistance operation for earthquake-hit Venezuela described in the article.
• The Indian Army field hospital was established at the International La Rinconada Racetrack in Caracas.
• Two IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft transported 66 tonnes of aid from India to Venezuela.
• The aid included over 35 tonnes of relief supplies, medicines and medical equipment, and two BHISHM Cubes.
• BHISHM expands to Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri and refers to mobile hospitals for emergency medical care.

Prelims pointers

• Conservation surveillance technologies mentioned in the article include drones, camera traps and thermal imaging.
• Experts said drone deployment over civilian areas can infringe privacy and forest deployment can annoy wildlife.
• Available research cited in the article indicates drone sounds can mimic bees and wasps and disrupt insect movements.
• Kerala’s chief wildlife warden said the State currently uses drones only for monitoring, not for driving animals back.
• Experts urged Kerala to introduce a comprehensive Code of Practice for the use of conservation surveillance technologies.

Prelims pointers

• World Weather Attribution scientists said the early-summer European heatwave would have been virtually impossible without climate change.
• The UN health agency recorded more than 1,300 excess deaths in Europe since June 21 during the heatwave.
• France reported at least 74 drowning deaths since June 18, and Poland reported 17 drownings on June 28 alone.
• At least 130 million people in Europe were expected to face temperatures above 35°C, down from 190 million on June 28.
• Weekend temperature records cited were 41.9°C in the Czech Republic, 41.7°C in Germany and 40.5°C in Poland.

Prelims pointers

• Industrial activity growth quickened to a five-month high of 5.1% in May 2026.
• The government adopted the Producer Price Index instead of the Wholesale Price Index for some value-based IIP outputs.
• The PPI-based IIP release superseded the earlier WPI-based IIP 2022-23 series released on June 1, 2026.
• Manufacturing grew 5.5% in May 2026, below April’s 6.1% but above the 4.2% growth in May last year.
• Mining and quarrying contracted by 1.6% in May 2026, marking a fifth consecutive month of contraction.

Prelims pointers

• The NATO summit mentioned in the article is scheduled for July 7-8, 2026, in Ankara.
• Erdogan addressed parliamentary delegates from all 32 NATO member states in Istanbul.
• The EU’s SAFE initiative is worth €150 billion and is aimed at strengthening European defence capabilities.
• Turkey’s access to SAFE requires approval from all 27 European Union members, with Greece threatening to block it.
• U.S. CAATSA sanctions followed Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defence system.

Prelims pointers

• West Bengal plans to introduce a Uniform Civil Code Bill in the Assembly in August 2026, according to the article.
• The State Cabinet is to give in-principle approval to the UCC proposal on 2 July.
• A committee led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai will study family laws and report in four weeks.
• The committee’s scope includes marriage, succession and live-in relationships in the State.
• Adivasis, indigenous people, kurmis and other recognised ancient tribal communities are proposed to be excluded from the law.

Prelims pointers

• The restrictions on petrol and diesel sales were withdrawn by the Union government with effect from July 1, 2026.
• The withdrawn retail rule had limited diesel dispensing to 200 litres per consumer or vehicle per day.
• Industrial and commercial consumers had been directed to use dedicated supply channels instead of retail fuel outlets.
• The Petroleum Ministry issued the diesel control order on June 12 to curb black marketing, diversion and hoarding.
• Bulk diesel was approximately ₹40 per litre more expensive than diesel sold at retail pumps.

Prelims pointers

• The Union Cabinet approved an additional ₹30,000 crore government investment in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.
• The fresh approval takes the Government of India’s total commitment in NIIF to ₹60,000 crore.
• NIIF Infrastructure Fund II is proposed as the successor to NIIF’s first flagship infrastructure-focused fund.
• The proposed NIIF Infrastructure Fund II target corpus is close to ₹30,000 crore.
• The fund is expected to invest across transportation, energy, digital infrastructure, urban infrastructure and e-mobility.

Prelims pointers

• Karnataka’s SIR house-to-house enumeration begins on 30 June 2026 and continues until 29 July.
• The Election Commission directed SIR in phases across 16 States and three Union Territories with 1 October 2026 as qualifying date.
• Karnataka has 5,54,32,314 electors to be covered under the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
• Draft electoral rolls are scheduled for 5 August, and final electoral rolls are scheduled for 7 October.
• A total of 59,050 BLOs have been trained and deployed across Karnataka for the revision exercise.

Prelims pointers

• e-Sushrut@Clinic is a light ABDM-enabled HMIS created by C-DAC for small outpatient clinics.
• The software is proposed for government PHCs, health and wellness centres, subcentres and private clinics.
• More than 800 health facilities are onboarded on e-Sushrut@Clinic, generating over 680 health records, according to the release.
• HPR and HFR are part of the onboarding process, and non-HPR doctors cannot use e-Sushrut@Clinic.
• The stated effective rate is ₹299 per month for five users after a ₹200 discount, with no cost for the first three months.

Prelims pointers

• The India Pavilion at Summer Fancy Food 2026 was inaugurated at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on 28 June 2026.
• PIB describes the 2026 pavilion as India's largest-ever participation at North America's premier specialty food exhibition.
• The pavilion featured basmati rice, spices, ready-to-eat foods, beverages, organic products, frozen foods and value-added agricultural products.
• A key attraction was an Indian Mango Showcase featuring six premium export varieties alongside mango-based culinary creations.
• APEDA Chairman Abhishek Dev said participation of more than 70 Indian exhibitors reflected confidence among Indian exporters.

Prelims pointers

• The 16th CCHFW Conference was chaired by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on 29 June 2026.
• The Minister said nearly 1.85 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, 23 new AIIMS and more than 157 medical colleges had been established.
• India's MMR declined from 130 per lakh live births in 2014 to 87, according to the statement cited in the release.
• Mission Indradhanush vaccinated 5.46 crore missed children and 1.32 crore pregnant women, as stated at the conference.
• The conference launched NAS 2026 guidelines, SUMAN Roadmap 2030, SSBSK and Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.

Prelims pointers

• The Improvement Notice mechanism has been introduced under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 through Jan Vishwas amendments.
• A Legal Metrology Officer may identify a first-time procedural or regulatory deficiency and allow reasonable time to rectify it.
• The mechanism applies to manufacturers, importers, packers, dealers, repairers, traders, MSMEs and other regulated entities.
• Covered matters include registration, documentation, weights and measures manufacture or repair, imports, packaged commodities and statutory returns.
• The release says strict action will continue for fraud, repeated violations, tampering and acts adversely affecting consumer interests.

Prelims pointers

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released the Delegation of Financial Powers to DRDO 2026 on 29 June 2026.
• DFP-2026 aims to improve efficiency, accountability and timely execution of strategic R&D projects in DRDO.
• The framework provides dedicated financial provisions for trial campaigns, tests and evaluation activities.
• DFP-2026 authorises sanctioning of pre-project R&D initiatives within the Department of Defence R&D.
• It segregates financial powers for grants-in-aid related to Extra-Mural Research Projects, DIA-CoEs and Technology Development Fund projects.

Prelims pointers

• The tiger reintroduction workshop was inaugurated at Alwar, Rajasthan, on 28 June 2026 by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
• It brought together 12 Chief Wildlife Wardens and 18 Field Directors from States and Tiger Reserves.
• The WII Tiger Cell presented a roadmap for stocking tiger-deficient areas and active management of tiger reserves in India.
• The workshop discussed prey augmentation, habitat restoration, landscape connectivity and lessons from tiger and cheetah reintroduction programmes.
• Low tiger-density reserves mentioned for future recovery preparedness included Buxa, Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi, Indravati and Palamau.

Prelims pointers

• Aarogya Setu 2.0 is positioned as a Personal Health Record and citizen-facing digital health application under ABDM.
• The app has a user base of nearly 20 crore downloads, according to the PIB release.
• Aarogya Setu 2.0 includes ABHA creation, health record management and Scan and Register for hospital registration.
• The app uses AI, including Google’s open-source Medical Data Toolkit, to convert scanned health documents into machine-readable data.
• The My Consent feature lets users manage requested, approved, pending, denied and expired permissions for sharing health information.

Prelims pointers

• SUMAN Roadmap 2030 is anchored in the RMNCHA+N framework and follows a life-cycle approach to maternal and newborn care.
• The roadmap targets focused interventions in 130 districts across 13 high-focus States.
• High-risk pregnancies will be tracked across antenatal care, third-trimester care, intrapartum care and the postnatal period.
• Interventions include bi-weekly ASHA home visits during the eighth and ninth months of pregnancy in high-focus States.
• The roadmap envisions reducing MMR to below 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030 and achieving zero preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

Prelims pointers

• SSBSK provides home and community-based care for every child from birth to 36 months of age.
• The programme integrates Home-Based Newborn Care and Home-Based Care for Young Child into one comprehensive framework.
• At-risk newborns may receive up to nine home visits during the first 42 days of life.
• At-risk children may receive up to eight home visits up to the age of 36 months.
• SSBSK includes Well-Baby Sessions at every VHSND and a monthly Shishu Shivir at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

Prelims pointers

• The initiatives launched include Aarogya Setu 2.0, Ayushman App, Ayushman Sarathi, NHCX, e-Sushrut Clinic, UHI and Drug Registry.
• The initiatives were developed under the aegis of the National Health Authority and the National Resource Centre for EHR Standards.
• The release states that over 90 crore ABHA accounts have been created and more than 100 crore health records have been linked.
• Common LOINC Codes for India and Bharat Health Terminology Service were among the digital health initiatives launched.
• The Health Minister called on States and Union Territories to actively implement the initiatives because health is a State subject.

Prelims pointers

• Ayushman Sarathi is a PM-JAY WhatsApp chatbot providing secure 24x7 access to Ayushman Bharat services.
• The chatbot uses secure API-based integrations with PM-JAY systems to deliver real-time information and services through WhatsApp.
• Its services include PM-JAY eligibility check, PM-JAY card lock or unlock, empanelled hospital search and grievance handling.
• The Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card service for persons aged 70 years and above is listed among the chatbot services.
• Ayushman Sarathi supports digital feedback collection after hospital discharge to strengthen service quality monitoring.

Prelims pointers

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Seychelles' 50th Independence anniversary celebrations as Guest of Honour on 29 June 2026.
• PIB says Shri Narendra Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to attend the Independence Day celebrations in Seychelles.
• The event coincided with 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Seychelles.
• India's parade contingent included personnel from the Assam Rifles, the Indian Navy and an Indian Navy Marching Band.
• Indian Naval Ships Tarkash and Ikshak docked at Port Victoria as part of the Seychelles golden-jubilee celebrations.

Prelims pointers

• The Operational Guidelines on National Ambulance Services, 2026 seek uniform operational standards for emergency medical transport.
• The framework covers ambulance categorisation, population-based deployment, equipment, medicines, EMT training and grievance redressal.
• The guidelines promote Integrated Command and Dispatch Centres with GPS tracking, digital call management and real-time dashboards.
• GIS-based mapping will cover healthcare facilities, referral centres, ambulance stations, accident-prone areas and bed availability.
• Evidence-based deployment should analyse emergency call trends, traffic density, accident hotspots, geography and population distribution.

Prelims pointers

• MPEDA conducted 50 Seafood Value Addition Training Programmes before the second National Seafood Skill Olympiad.
• More than 2,500 seafood processing workers and professionals were trained in export-oriented value-added marine products.
• The top 10 performers from regional competitions qualified for the National Seafood Skill Olympiad Grand Finale.
• India has 670 approved seafood processing units with combined processing capacity exceeding 40,000 metric tonnes per day.
• India has set a target to raise value-added seafood products to 25% of total seafood exports by 2030.

Prelims pointers

• The revised Operational Guidelines for Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan were released at the 16th Central Council of Health and Family Welfare meeting in New Delhi.
• The programme transitions from Anemia Mukt Bharat to Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, expanding beyond supplementation to testing, therapeutic care and community involvement.
• The earlier 6x6x6 strategy has been expanded to a 7x7x7 framework by adding a beneficiary group, an intervention and an institutional mechanism.
• Low birth weight babies aged 0 to 6 months have been added as the seventh beneficiary group under the revised framework.
• The T4 strategy means Test, Treat, Talk and Track, replacing the earlier T3 approach of Test, Treat and Talk.

Prelims pointers

• Project BRAHMANK of the Border Roads Organisation celebrated its 16th Raising Day on 29 June 2026 at Ranaghat, Arunachal Pradesh.
• The project was raised on 29 June 2011 at Ranaghat, East Siang district, and became fully functional on 3 December 2011.
• Its area includes Siang, East Siang, West Siang, Upper Siang and Shi-Yomi districts of Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Dhemaji in Assam.
• Project BRAHMANK is entrusted with maintenance and development of 811 km of roads and approximately 86 bridges.
• In FY 2025-26 it inaugurated 13 bridges spanning 390 metres and blacktopped 61 km of roads to NHDL specifications.

Prelims pointers

• UHI is the service layer of ABDM and functions as an open network with common technical standards for digital health services.
• The UHI core Gateway is developed and maintained by the National Health Authority.
• UHI uses ABHA as patient identifier and HPR and HFR for verification of healthcare providers.
• Live UHI services include e-RaktKosh blood availability, PM-JAY hospital search, Jan Aushadhi Kendra discovery and ambulance booking.
• The next phase listed by PIB includes lab diagnostics discovery, vaccination centre discovery and slot booking, and pharmacy discovery.

Prelims pointers

• The Cabinet approved an additional Government of India investment commitment of Rs 30,000 crore in NIIF.
• NIIF is described as India's Sovereign Anchored Fund and is managed by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited.
• The Government of India is a 49% shareholder in NIIF, which managed about Rs 40,000 crore in capital commitments before this approval.
• NIIF's first infrastructure fund has a corpus of Rs 16,000 crore and is described as India's largest domestic infrastructure fund.
• NIIF Infrastructure Fund II is proposed with a target corpus close to Rs 30,000 crore for sectors including transportation, energy and digital infrastructure.

Prelims pointers

• The Drug Registry is conceptualised under ABDM as a unified and standardised digital platform for drug-related information.
• ABDM’s four core registries listed in the release are ABHA Registry, HPR, HFR and Drug Registry.
• The Drug Registry was developed with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization and NRCeS, Pune.
• The registry uses international standards such as SNOMED CT for interoperability and semantic consistency across platforms.
• It is designed to integrate with HMIS, doctor-facing applications and ABDM-compliant digital health solutions through open APIs.

Prelims pointers

• Masoud Pezeshkian said $6 billion out of $12 billion in Iranian resources in Qatar would be released and returned to Iran.
• The Strait of Hormuz carries about one-fifth of all traded oil and natural gas in peacetime, according to the article.
• The strait is described as an international waterway despite lying in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters.
• Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday, June 29, 2026.
• U.S. officials said no frozen Iranian assets had yet been released, and Qatar had not acknowledged a transfer.

Prelims pointers

• The white-rumped vulture was captive-bred, radio-tagged and belonged to the species Gyps bengalensis.
• It was electrocuted on June 28, 2026, along the slopes of Ebbanad overlooking the Sigur plateau.
• The bird was initially released in Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve in December 2025.
• It was released in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in April 2026 after permission from Tamil Nadu authorities.
• Mudumalai is described as home to the last sizeable population of white-rumped vultures in south India.

Prelims pointers

• Italy placed 22 cities from Bolzano to Palermo under a red heat warning on June 29, 2026.
• France reported 1,000 excess deaths blamed on the heatwave, mostly involving older people.
• Serbia’s State Hydrometeorological Service warned temperatures would reach 39°C on June 29, 2026.
• Scientists cited in the article said the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.
• The article says soaring night-time temperatures have become 100 times more likely than two decades ago due to climate change.

Prelims pointers

• MEA called Pakistan’s air strikes on Afghan territory a blatant act of aggression and a direct threat to regional peace and stability.
• Afghanistan’s foreign ministry alleged that Pakistani strikes killed 36 civilians and injured 163 others.
• Pakistan said its forces killed 29 militants in a ground operation near the Afghan border and in cross-border strikes.
• Islamabad and Kabul summoned each other’s Charge d’affaires to lodge diplomatic protests after the escalation.
• India reiterated its unwavering support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.