03rd June 2026

1. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Presents ‘Sagar Aankalan’ Award to DPA for Best Port Performance
2. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launches Month-Long ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ Campaign in MP
3. HUL Inaugurated 3rd Fragrance R&D in Mumbai, Maharashtra
4. Forbes World’s Top 10 Richest People 2026: Elon Musk, Larry Page and Jeff Bezos Ranked Leads Globally
5. Mahindra-Manulife JV Received MCA Approval for Incorporation of MMIL
6. Indian Army tests Divyastra Mk-1 built for intelligence, surveillance
7. New Species Mesalina bishnoi Discovered in Rajasthan; First Record of Genus Mesalina in India
8. Indian Women’s Team Won 10 Medals Including 2 Gold at U17 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 in Vietnam
9. Oscar-Winning ‘Star Wars’ Editor Marcia Lucas Passes Away at 80
10. World Milk Day 2026 – June 1
11. International Sex Workers’ Day 2026 – June 2
12. India Conducts Successful Flight-Test of Indigenous RudraM-II Air-to-Surface Missile
13. ICC Suspends Cricket Canada Membership Over Governance Breaches
14. Meesho and BSE Launch Project Shikhar to Help MSMEs Access Capital Markets
15. Meet the Indian Students Who Won the Earth Prize 2026 with Plas-Stick Innovation
16. Who Is Bhavitha Mandava? Chanel’s Indian Ambassador Makes Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List

State News

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launches Khet Bachao Abhiyan

• What: Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the nationwide month long Khet Bachao Abhiyan from Ramasiya village in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh.
• Tell me more:
  • The Khet Bachao Abhiyan aims to protect soil fertility and improve farm productivity by promoting balanced fertiliser use, scientific farming practices, water conservation, farmer awareness, and effective delivery of agricultural schemes.
  • The campaign will ensure the benefits of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Crop Insurance Scheme, and Soil Health Cards reach farmers.

Banking and Economy

Hindustan Unilever Limited Inaugurates Mumbai Fragrance Hub

• What: Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) inaugurated its third global Unilever Fragrance Hub at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), Mumbai, to strengthen fragrance innovation and collaboration with academia, following similar centres in the UK and US.
• Tell me more:
  • The facility is part of a broader €100 million investment program aimed at advancing in-house, digitally enabled fragrance creation capabilities.

Mahindra and Manulife Incorporate Life Insurance Venture

• What: Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Canada-based financial services group Manulife incorporated their proposed 50:50 life insurance joint venture under the name Mahindra Manulife Insurance Limited (MMIL) following approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• Tell me more:
  • Mahindra & Mahindra and Manulife formed a life insurance venture, investing up to ₹3,600 crore each to build an AI-driven insurer focused on protection and savings products, especially in rural markets.
  • Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is India’s largest SUV maker.

Reports and Indices

Forbes Releases Global Wealth Report for June 2026

• What: The latest Forbes report revealed that the combined wealth of the richest people in the world increased to around $2.9 trillion due to developments in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and infrastructure technologies.
• Tell me more:
  • Elon Musk holds the title of the wealthiest man in the world with a net worth of $835 billion as of June 2026.

Source: ET

Defence News

Hoverit Successfully Demonstrates Divyastra Tactical Loitering Munition

• What: Defence startup Hoverit successfully conducted an operational demonstration of its indigenous tactical loitering munition platform, named Divyastra Mk-1, in Jodhpur.
• Tell me more:
  • The Divyastra UAV is designed for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), precision strikes, loitering attacks, communication relay, and decoy missions.
  • Its long range, autonomous operation, and swarm capability help armed forces monitor targets, attack enemy positions, and overwhelm air defences at low cost.

India Successfully Flight-Tests RudraM-II Air-to-Surface Missile

• What: Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted flight-tests of the indigenous RudraM-II air-to-surface missile from an airborne platform at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.
• Tell me more:
  • Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad led the indigenous development of the missile under DRDO.
  • The missile can travel at Mach 5.5, strike targets up to 300 km away, and carry a 200 kg warhead.
  • Sister facilities including Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), and Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) collaborated on the project.
  • Agencies like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness (RCMA), and Missile System Quality Assurance Agency (MSQAA) contributed significantly to the program.

Science and Technology

New Species of Lizard Discovered in Rajasthan

• What: Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and other researchers discovered a new species of lizard named Mesalina bishnoi near Gajner in Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
• Tell me more:
  • This discovery marks the first confirmed record of the genus Mesalina in India; these are small, fast-moving, daytime-active lizards that inhabit dry and semi-arid landscapes.

Awards

Deendayal Port Authority Receives Sagar Aankalan Award

• What: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) launched four major digital initiatives alongside port performance recognitions during the 37th Foundation Day celebrations of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) in Mumbai.
• Tell me more:
  • Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal presented the Sagar Aankalan Award to Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) for being the best-performing port in the container cargo category handling less than 0.5 million TEUs during FY 2024-25.
  • Among ports handling more than 0.5 million TEUs, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) secured second position, handling over 8 million TEUs and 102 million metric tonnes of cargo in FY 2025-26.
  • The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) launched four digital initiatives, including the e-Navik Grievance Redressal Module, e-Samudra Ship Registration Module, and the Unified Ship Recycling Portal, to improve maritime services, transparency, and regulatory compliance.
  • The Ship Recycling Portal manages incentives under the ₹70,000-crore Maritime Development Package (2025).
  • Seven Indian ports were ranked among the top 100 global ports in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index 2024.

Three Indian Students Win the Earth Prize 2026

• What: Three 16-year-old Indian students, Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agarwal, and Avyana Mehta, won The Earth Prize 2026 for inventing ‘Plas-Stick’, a cheap, biodegradable material that extracts microplastics from water.
• Tell me more:
  • With mentorship support from IIT Guwahati researchers, the teenage team emerged as Asia regional winners and received a $12,500 grant to further develop and scale their solution.
  • The students became the first team from India to receive this specific global recognition.

Bhavitha Mandava Joins Forbes 30 Under 30

• What: The 26-year-old Hyderabad-born model Bhavitha Mandava secured a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 list in the Rising Talents category after a rapid career rise following her discovery on a New York City subway platform in 2024.
• Tell me more:
  • Mandava became the first Indian model to open Chanel’s Métiers d’Art collection, was appointed a Chanel House Ambassador, represented Chanel at the Met Gala 2026, and was recognised in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia for her professional achievements and cultural representation.

Important Days

World Milk Day 2026 – June 1

• What:
  • Global Theme: “Celebrating Women Farmers”
  • World Milk Day was launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2001 to highlight the importance of milk and the dairy sector worldwide.
• Tell me more:
  • India remained the world’s largest milk producer, contributing nearly 25% of global output, while the dairy sector recorded a compound annual growth rate of around 6% over the past decade.
  • National production increased from 146 million tonnes in 2014-15 to over 247 million tonnes in 2024-25, representing a growth of over 69.4%.
  • The expansion raised India’s per capita milk availability to 485 grams per day in 2024-25, significantly higher than the global average of 328 grams per day.

International Sex Workers’ Day 2026 – June 2

Sports

Indian Wrestlers Shine at Asian Championship Tournaments

• What: The women wrestlers of India achieved a flawless 100% podium finish by winning ten medals at the Under-17 (U17) Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 held in Da Nang, Vietnam.
• Tell me more:
  • Indian winners

• India topped the freestyle standings ahead of powerhouse nations Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, who finished second and third respectively.
• The entire Indian contingent amassed a staggering total of 27 medals at the U23 continental campaign.
• The final U23 tally comprised eleven gold, seven silver, and nine bronze medals across the Freestyle, Women’s Wrestling, and Greco-Roman categories.

International Cricket Council Suspends Cricket Canada Membership

• What: The International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended the membership of Cricket Canada with immediate effect during a Board meeting in Ahmedabad due to serious breaches of membership obligations regarding governance and financial issues.
• Tell me more:
  • Canada holds an associate membership with the global body and recently took part in the Twenty20 (T20) World Cup held in India.

Memorandum of Understanding

Meesho and BSE Launch Project Shikhar for MSMEs

• What: E-commerce platform Meesho partnered with the BSE by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch ‘Project Shikhar’ to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) become publicly-listed companies.
• Tell me more:
  • Project Shikhar helps high-performing e-commerce sellers access growth capital by preparing them for BSE SME listings through structured guidance on compliance, entity conversion, and regulatory requirements, promoting formalisation of businesses.
  • BSE MD and CEO – Sundararaman Ramamurthy

Miscellaneous

Oscar Winning Film Editor Marcia Lucas Passes Away

• Marcia Lucas was an Oscar-winning film editor who won the 1978 Academy Award for editing Star Wars, earned another Oscar nomination for American Graffiti, and edited acclaimed films by George Lucas and Martin Scorsese.

Start Quiz of 03rd June 2026 on Mobile

Start Quiz of 03rd June 2026 on Desktop