Current affairs — 30 June 2026

Prelims pointers

• Karnataka’s PRC and domicile guidelines were issued ahead of ECI’s Special Intensive Revision beginning June 30, 2026.
• Permanent residence certificates will be issued by tahsildars or deputy tahsildars appointed by Deputy Commissioners.
• Assistant Commissioners are appellate authorities and Deputy Commissioners are revisional authorities under the guidelines.
• An affected person can appeal within 30 days and seek revision within 60 days.
• The PRC is for administrative purposes and not for claims of government benefits, according to the order.

Prelims pointers

• India lies between Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran to the west and Myanmar-Thailand-Laos to the east, two major drug-producing regions.
• The International Narcotics Control Board has said Myanmar is now the world’s leading source of illicit opium.
• Officials cited in the editorial say drugs are received through maritime routes in Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• The Narcotics Control Bureau has noted a dramatic rise in drone smuggling across borders, especially over Punjab.
• Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan has said it has sensitised over six crore women, but women-focused treatment facilities remain scarce.

Prelims pointers

• The Telangana High Court asked ECI to consider Urdu SIR forms where 20% or more people are conversant in Urdu.
• The petition challenged enumeration forms printed exclusively in Telugu for the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
• ECI’s counsel said Telugu forms were used because Telugu is Telangana’s official language.
• English forms were being provided in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation areas for voter convenience.
• Booth Level Officers in Hyderabad were directed to carry five to 10 dummy Urdu enumeration forms for Urdu-speaking voters.

Prelims pointers

• The West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026 allows detention to prevent future anti-social activity for almost a year.
• The Bill requires every detention case to be scrutinised by an advisory board within three weeks.
• The advisory board’s chairperson must be a person who is or has been a High Court judge.
• Section 10(4) says a detained person shall not ordinarily be represented by a legal practitioner before the advisory board.
• The West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2026 imposes compensation liability for damage to public or private property.

Prelims pointers

• NEP 2020 recommends learning three languages, with at least two of the three being native Indian languages.
• CBSE’s revised guidelines apply from the 2026-27 academic session in CBSE-affiliated schools.
• Current Classes 7, 8 and 9 already studying two non-native languages may continue them and add one Bhartiya Bhasha.
• The current Class 10 batch in 2026-27 will continue under the old two-language system and need not take a third language.
• For current Classes 7, 8 and 9, the third language will be assessed internally by schools, with no CBSE Board exam for R3 in Class 10.

Prelims pointers

• Baaz Battalions are dedicated Indian Army units being raised to enhance Remotely Piloted Aircraft capability.
• The new units will be built upon the Army’s existing RPA Flights rather than created as an entirely unrelated structure.
• Their functions include battlefield surveillance, intelligence gathering, rapid response and management of RPA operations.
• The decision draws on operational lessons from LAC standoffs with China and drone use during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.
• The battalions are expected to centralise expanding drone capabilities and provide frontline units with real-time intelligence.

Prelims pointers

• The high-level study group on Indian cinema will be chaired by Prasoon Joshi and include industry experts and technology partners.
• The study group is expected to submit its report to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry within three months.
• The group will examine opportunities and challenges in Indian cinema and recommend a long-term policy framework for sectoral growth.
• The Ministry has prepared Model State Cinema Regulations and sent them to all State governments for adoption.
• The article states that regulation of cinemas and theatres is a State List subject, causing varied permission rules across States.

Prelims pointers

• SIPRI released its annual yearbook in June, according to the article.
• For the first time, SIPRI classified 12 Indian nuclear warheads as operationally deployed.
• The 12 warheads were part of India’s estimated stockpile of 190 nuclear warheads.
• Operationally deployed means positioned with active military forces, mated with delivery systems and ready for use.
• The article says India has neither crossed a strategic threshold nor abandoned its no first use policy.

Prelims pointers

• Satsuki Katayama said Japan would take appropriate action at any time as necessary.
• The yen hit a 40-year low against the dollar, according to the article.
• The yen sank past 161.96 per dollar in London trade on June 29, 2026, for the first time since 1986.
• Japan had spent more than $70 billion last month to support the currency.
• A weak yen makes imports more expensive for resource-poor Japan, notably dollar-traded oil.

Prelims pointers

• NASA planned the robotic rescue mission for Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
• The mission targets the Swift space telescope, which is falling toward Earth and could burn up without intervention.
• Katalyst developed the rescue spacecraft LINK, slated to launch aboard a small rocket named Pegasus.
• LINK is intended to latch onto Swift with three movable arms and tow it about 300 kilometers higher.
• The Swift telescope was launched in 2004 for a two-year mission to study gamma-ray bursts.

Prelims pointers

• The report is titled ‘Asia-Pacific synergies report: Advancing synergistic solutions to the triple planetary crisis and the SDGs’.
• ESCAP said India Cooling Action Plan-backed initiatives frame safe and efficient cooling as a public health priority.
• The report warned conventional air-conditioning expansion could raise emissions, air pollution and energy poverty.
• It said developing economies in Asia-Pacific face a climate financing gap of approximately $800 billion annually.
• The report cited India’s SEEP and Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation project as financing-related examples.

Prelims pointers

• Sergio Gor said the U.S.-India trade deal was in its "final steps" on June 30, 2026.
• He said only the last 1% of the agreement remained, with a few items pending on both sides.
• The negotiations had been underway for nearly 18 months, according to Gor’s remarks.
• Gor addressed the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Leadership Summit in Washington.
• He said Quad Foreign Ministers were scheduled to meet in the Philippines in about two weeks.

Prelims pointers

• Sergio Gor dismissed the row over renaming the Indo-Pacific Command at a summit on June 29, 2026.
• He said the name on the letterhead matters less than what the United States is actually doing.
• The U.S. Pacific Command was established in 1947, according to the article.
• During Trump’s first term, Pacific Command was renamed Indo-Pacific Command to cite India’s growing importance.
• Gor said India has more military exercises with the United States than with any other country.

Prelims pointers

• Residents in parts of New Delhi faced days without piped water supply this summer.
• The Delhi Jal Board reportedly planned to deploy more than 1,000 tankers to manage the crisis.
• The article says cities have grown faster than their water systems and have built over lakes and tanks.
• It says nearly 30% of water can be lost before it reaches users in systems with large losses.
• The proposed response includes emergency plans, leak reduction, audits of large users, quality testing and used-water management.

Prelims pointers

• India is rated by seven international sovereign credit rating agencies, including S&P, Moody’s, Fitch and CareEdge Ratings.
• The article says ratings measure an entity’s ability and willingness to repay debt.
• S&P upgraded India’s long-term sovereign credit rating to BBB from BBB- in August 2025.
• Moody’s upgraded India’s rating to Baa2 from Baa3 in 2017, its first upgrade in 13 years.
• CareEdge gives primary importance to quantitative factors and uses qualitative ones as secondary enhancement.

Prelims pointers

• Parvathaneni Harish spoke at a 2026 Counter-Terrorism Week side event on June 29, 2026.
• He called FATF an indispensable pillar of counterterrorism financing and anti-money laundering architecture.
• India has been a member of FATF, the global standards body, since 2010.
• Pakistan had been on the FATF grey list since 2018 and was removed in 2022.
• Harish cited crowdfunding platforms, prepaid instruments and social-media tokens as terror-financing concerns.

Prelims pointers

• Net remittances from West Asia to India reached $16 billion in April 2026.
• The April 2026 remittance figure was 70% higher than in the same period of the previous year.
• The data was presented by the Ministry of Finance in its latest Monthly Economic Review.
• The report said remittances are relatively acyclical compared with portfolio flows, debt flows and foreign direct investment.
• The report identified sustained deterioration in host-economy labour markets as the principal risk to remittance inflows.

Prelims pointers

• Coal India is targeting about ₹1,900 crore in research and development spending by fiscal year 2030.
• The company spent ₹61 crore on R&D in FY2023-24 and ₹245 crore in the subsequent financial year.
• The National Centre for Coal and Energy Research was established before the fourfold rise in R&D spending.
• NaCCER is overseeing 19 R&D projects with a total outlay of ₹225 crore.
• Coal India has an agreement with Ericsson for implementing 5G technologies in the Jhanjra underground mine.

Prelims pointers

• NCLAT upheld an NCLT order directing Jet Airways’ liquidator to pay PF and gratuity dues in full.
• The appellate tribunal dismissed appeals filed by State Bank of India and seven other financial creditors.
• The banks wanted PF, gratuity and pension fund dues treated as part of the liquidation estate.
• NCLAT set May 20, 2020 as the effective date for calculating 24 months of workmen’s dues under the IBC.
• Jet Airways operated its last commercial flight on April 17, 2019 and was later admitted into CIRP.

Prelims pointers

• The Supreme Court ordered status quo on the Karnataka High Court direction regarding ethanol allocation for ESY 2025-26.
• BPCL said the ethanol allocation exercise had been completed on October 17, 2025.
• Procurement quantities were allocated to 378 suppliers for about 1,050 crore litres of ethanol.
• The tender had received cumulative ethanol offers of 1,759 crore litres from suppliers.
• The amended National Policy on Biofuels targeted 20% ethanol blending, and the government has said this target was achieved.

Prelims pointers

• VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 was scheduled for nationwide rollout from July 1, 2026.
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the enhanced guarantee is 125 days of wage employment, against 100 days under MGNREGA.
• The government allocated an interim ₹95,692.31 crore to States and Union Territories for the rollout.
• Mallikarjun Kharge cited ₹17,144.13 crore outstanding to 34 States and Union Territories under MGNREGA.
• Kharge said the outstanding MGNREGA amount included ₹7,846.25 crore in wage liabilities.

Prelims pointers

• Myanmar authorities denied ASEAN's special envoy a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi.
• The military staged a coup in 2021 that ousted Suu Kyi and plunged Myanmar into civil war.
• In late April, Min Aung Hlaing announced Suu Kyi, now 81, would be moved to house arrest.
• ASEAN has blocked Myanmar from its high-level summits since the coup.
• ASEAN Foreign Ministers are due to meet in Manila late next month, according to the article.

Prelims pointers

• WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said Venezuela's health services were under extreme pressure after the earthquakes.
• The latest official count cited in the article was some 1,700 dead and 5,000 injured.
• WHO cited problems registering casualties and tracking missing persons after 7.5- and 7.2-magnitude earthquakes.
• Delcy Rodriguez reported that 38 hospitals had been affected by the twin earthquakes.
• UNHCR said it needed an estimated $14.85 million for relief and shelter support over six months.

Prelims pointers

• The National Task Force conducted field visits to 30 higher education institutions across 10 states since May 2025.
• It also conducted 25 stakeholder consultations to support an interdisciplinary and equity-oriented approach.
• The Supreme Court of India constituted the NTF on 24 March 2025 to address student suicides and mental health concerns in HEIs.
• On 27 May 2026, the Supreme Court allowed the NTF time until 31 October 2026 to file its final report.
• Prof. T.C.A. Anant, former Chief Statistician of India, was appointed as Technical Consultant for scientific survey data analysis.

Prelims pointers

• Total receipts up to May 2026 were ₹7,18,669 crore, equal to 19.7% of the Budget Estimate for total receipts.
• Tax revenue net to the Centre was ₹3,48,138 crore and non-tax revenue was ₹3,50,867 crore.
• Non-debt capital receipts stood at ₹19,664 crore in the monthly accounts up to May 2026.
• The Government transferred ₹1,75,557 crore to State Governments as devolution of share of taxes during the period.
• Total expenditure was ₹8,81,023 crore, including ₹6,30,020 crore on revenue account and ₹2,51,003 crore on capital account.

Prelims pointers

• Full customs duty exemption on critical petrochemical imports had earlier been provided until 30 June 2026.
• The earlier exemption was described as temporary and targeted relief amid the conflict in West Asia and supply-chain disruptions.
• The Government extended the exemption by 15 days, making it applicable until 15 July 2026.
• The list of products covered by the exemption remains the same as notified earlier.
• The release says beneficiary sectors include plastics, packaging, textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and automotive components.

Prelims pointers

• The due date for filing appeals before the GST Appellate Tribunal was extended to 31 July 2026.
• The extension concerns appeals under Section 112(1) read with Section 112(3).
• An earlier notification dated 17 September 2025 had notified 30 June 2026 as the last date for filing appeals.
• Stakeholders cited technical difficulties due to a rush to file appeals on the GSTAT portal.
• In the last 15 days, 30,000 appeals were filed, with daily volumes peaking at 5,500 appeals.

Prelims pointers

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the FCRA 2.0 Portal and e-OCI Card in New Delhi.
• FCRA 2.0 makes major processes such as applications, renewals and annual returns fully digital end-to-end.
• The portal is hosted on MeghRaj and integrates with PAN, Aadhaar, OCI, NGO Darpan and ICAI's UDIN system.
• The release states that around 14,500 active FCRA organisations work across the country.
• The e-OCI Card initiative is expected to benefit more than 50 lakh OCI cardholders.

Prelims pointers

• The DDWS Innovation Challenge was held in collaboration with IIT Madras.
• It focused on safe drinking water under Jal Jeevan Mission and plastic waste management under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).
• A total of 348 applications were registered on the portal for the Innovation Challenge.
• Ninety Water Innovation Challenge applications and 66 Plastic Waste Management applications were complete in all respects.
• Three technologies each were selected under Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) in the Grand Finale.

Prelims pointers

• The 198th meeting of ESIC was chaired by Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi.
• ESIC approved that all upcoming and newly commissioned ESI hospitals will be directly managed by ESIC.
• A Memorandum of Understanding between ESIC and the Ministry of Ayush was approved for integrating Ayush services.
• Occupational Disease Centres were approved at Sanathnagar, Faridabad, Ludhiana, Beltola and Bhubaneswar.
• Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana was extended for one year from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.

Prelims pointers

• The report was prepared by the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj for the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
• It assesses factors influencing public participation in Gram Sabha meetings and measures to strengthen citizen engagement.
• The two-volume report analyses barriers, offers evidence-based policy recommendations and gives State/UT-wise accounts.
• The study covered nearly 7,800 respondents across about 400 Gram Panchayats in 26 States and Union Territories.
• The field assessment included 213 districts and PESA and Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats.

Prelims pointers

• The 29th National Conference on e-Governance 2026 is scheduled for 1-2 July 2026 in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• It is organised by DARPG and MeitY in collaboration with the State Government of Rajasthan.
• The conference theme is Viksit Bharat 2047: AI-enabled, Data-driven and Secure Digital Governance.
• National Awards for e-Governance 2026 will be conferred on 17 exemplary initiatives across seven categories.
• The event will feature 6 plenary sessions, 6 breakout sessions and over 60 speakers from diverse backgrounds.

Prelims pointers

• PFC and REC boards approved a scheme for merger of REC as transferor company into PFC as transferee company.
• The merger scheme has been framed under Sections 230 to 232 and other applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013.
• The merged financing entity is expected to have an aggregate loan book of over ₹11 lakh crore.
• The proposed exchange ratio is 88 fully paid PFC equity shares for every 100 fully paid REC equity shares.
• The scheme requires approvals from shareholders, creditors, relevant regulators and government authorities before implementation.

Prelims pointers

• Indian Railways sanctioned a ₹432 crore Electronic Interlocking project in Asansol Division of Eastern Railway.
• The project covers 27 stations or cabins, including one IBS location, on HDN and HUN routes.
• The work will replace 28 relay-based interlocking installations with modern Electronic Interlocking systems.
• The sanctioned project is linked to routes where Kavach, ABS and CTC systems are being implemented.
• Electronic Interlocking replaces ageing relay-based systems with computer-based interlocking for safer train operations.

Prelims pointers

• The event marked the concluding ceremony of Khet Bachao Abhiyan and the launch of the Haryana Farmer Producer Organisation Mission at Bawal in Rewari district.
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Haryana provides MSP for 24 crops and has implemented Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana for price-deficiency compensation.
• The minister warned that excessive and imbalanced fertiliser and pesticide use degrades soil, increases acidity and creates nutrient imbalance.
• The release says the government is working on mobile access to Soil Health Card information for field-level nutrient and fertiliser decisions.
• Haryana's incentive of ₹8,000 per acre for farmers shifting from paddy to pulses was cited as a water-saving and farmer-friendly measure.

Prelims pointers

• Phase VI ended with the final tour from Madhya Pradesh to Jharkhand concluding on 19 June 2026.
• Yuva Sangam is organised by the Department of Higher Education under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme.
• The first tour of Phase VI commenced on 8 May 2026 from Rajasthan to Karnataka.
• Around 1,100 delegates were selected from among more than 1,26,000 registered students from 22 paired states.
• Participants visited educational institutions, heritage sites, innovation ecosystems, villages and community engagement locations.

Prelims pointers

• The celebrations mark five years since the establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation and are organised from 29 June to 6 July 2026.
• The celebrations are aligned with the vision of Sahakar Se Samriddhi and led by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah.
• Participating institutions include States and UTs, national federations, cooperative banks, DCCBs, UCBs, PACS and local cooperative bodies.
• Day-wise themes include PACS transformation, digital cooperatives, financial literacy, farmer welfare, grain storage and AI-enabled services.
• The week is scheduled to culminate in a national-level programme at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 6 July 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The Finance Ministry lowered the export levy on diesel to ₹8.5 per litre and ATF to ₹7.5 per litre.
• The export levy on petrol was increased to ₹4 per litre, and the new rates apply for the fortnight commencing July 1.
• Diesel duty was reduced by ₹5.5 per litre from ₹14 per litre, as fixed in the June 16 fortnightly review.
• Mauritius and Maldives were added to the countries exempted from the levy, alongside Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
• The government first instituted the levies from March 27 during the West Asia crisis to ensure domestic petroleum availability.

Prelims pointers

• India added 709 species to its fauna in 2025, including 483 species new to science and 226 first records for India.
• The country added 353 taxa to its flora in 2025, of which 14 were infraspecific taxa.
• ZSI said India’s total faunal biodiversity now stands at 1,05,953 species.
• Kerala recorded the highest 98 new animal species, followed by West Bengal with 76, Karnataka with 67 and Arunachal Pradesh with 65.
• The Plant Discoveries, 2025 documents 154 angiosperms, three pteridophytes, 13 bryophytes, 62 lichens, 93 fungi, 22 algae and six microbes.