20th-22nd June 2026

1. Senior IAS Officer T.V Somanathan Appointed Cabinet Secretary
2. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi Launches Smart Warehousing System to Monitor Real-Time Operations via AI
3. WEF’s Energy Transition Index 2026: Sweden Leads Global Rankings, India at 70th
4. ADB Partners with SIL for USD 10 Million to Expand Digital Education Infrastructure in India
5. BITS Pilani-Axis Bank Signed Agreement to Establish Rs 100 Crore Innovation Park in Hyderabad
6. RBI Approves Extension of Keki Mistry’s Tenure as Interim Chairman of HDFC Bank
7. Indian Jurist Bimal N. Patel Elected UN’s ITLOS Tribunal Judge for 2026–2035 Term
8. KSSL Unveils Simha 4×4 Armoured Vehicle at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris, France
9. Jainendra K. Jain Wins Wolf Prize in Physics, Becomes First Indian-Origin Laureate
10. MoD Signs ₹425 Crore Contract for Indigenous Marine Gas Turbine Generators to Strengthen Indian Navy
11. NHAI Launches Rajasthan’s First Barrier-Free Tolling System on NH-48
12. Who Is Vivek Aggarwal? First Indian Appointed FATF Vice President
13. PM Modi to Lay Foundation Stone of India’s First Commercial-Scale Coal-to-Ammonium Nitrate Project in Odisha
14. Supreme Court Declares Right to Walk on Safe Footpaths a Fundamental Right
15. World Refugee Day 2026: Honouring Courage, Resilience and the Right to Seek Safety
16. Indian Army Contingent Leaves for Mongolia to Participate in Exercise KHAAN QUEST 2026
17. Uzbekistan Becomes First Central Asian Member of New Development Bank
18. France to Get First Traditional Hindu Temple Built with Indian Stones
19. UAE Sets 15 as Minimum Age for Social Media Use, Introduces AI-Based Age Verification
20. Qadian–Beas Railway Line Revived After Nearly 100 Years
21. RBI Cancels Licence of Karnataka’s Shree Mahalaxmi Co-operative Credit Bank
22. India to Host BRICS National Security Advisers Meeting on Non-Traditional Security Challenges
23. Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan and PM Modi Express Grief Over Tamil Nadu Ammonia Leak Tragedy
24. INS Tarkash Reaches Mauritius as Part of Operational Deployment
25. India Win Women’s 4x100m Relay Gold at Asian Relays Championships
26. PM Modi Congratulates Indian Women’s Hockey Team on Winning FIH Women’s Nations Cup
27. India Finish with 12 Medals, Including Eight Golds, at Grand Prix Usti nad Labem
28. Norway Bans Use of Generative AI Tools in Elementary Schools to Prevent Negative Impact on Learning
29. Father’s Day 2026: Date, History, Significance and Celebrations
30. Jonathan the Tortoise Becomes the World’s Oldest Known Land Animal at 194

National News

Ministry Launches Artificial Intelligence Powered Smart Warehousing System

• What: The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) launched a tech-driven Smart Warehousing System for public sector foodgrain storage at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking the world’s largest deployment of advanced monitoring technologies.
• Tell me more:
  • The Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) implemented the technology across 215 bag-based storage spaces, while the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is deploying it across 150 additional warehouses.
  • The system uses AI, IoT, and ERP integration to automate warehouse operations, monitor conditions, detect risks, generate analytics, improve transparency, reduce delays, enhance productivity, and ensure efficient food distribution.

Asian Development Bank Funds Digital School Infrastructure Project

• What: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) partnered with Schoolnet India Limited (SIL) to improve local learning outcomes through a USD 10 million financing package to scale up digital infrastructure.
• Tell me more:
  • According to ADB, the Schoolnet Digital Learning Project will scale up digital learning infrastructure in 30,000 government schools, including the installation of computer laboratories in at least 1,000 schools and the establishment of 58,000 digital classrooms, benefiting 4.5 million students.
  • The programme is ADB’s first private-sector financing for a digital education project in India. ADB Country Director Mio Oka said it will promote high-quality, inclusive learning. Established in 1966, ADB has 69 member countries.

Supreme Court Recognizes Right to Walk on Footpaths

• What: The Supreme Court of India recognized walking on demarcated footpaths as a fundamental right that overrides the privilege of motor vehicles during a fatal road accident case.
• Tell me more:
  • In a case arising from the death of a five-year-old boy struck by a fuel tanker while walking to school, a bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar urged the government to enact a law protecting pedestrian rights.

India Hosts BRICS National Security Advisers Meeting

• What: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval is chairing a two-day BRICS National Security Advisers meeting in New Delhi to address non-traditional security challenges confronting the world today.
• Tell me more:
  • The high-level gathering brings together top security chiefs from BRICS’ 11 member countries—India, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE.
  • Discussions focus on evolving national security challenges, including cybersecurity, digital vulnerabilities, and threats arising from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
  • The heads of delegation will review outcomes from the Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism and Security in the Use of Information and Communication Technologies.
  • India currently holds the BRICS Chairship for the fourth time in 2026, having previously led the grouping in 2012, 2016, and 2021.
  • The current chairmanship is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s people-centric vision presented at the 2025 Rio Summit.

State News

BITS Pilani Partners With Axis Bank for Research Park in its Hyderabad campus

• What: Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani (BITS Pilani) collaborated with Axis Bank to establish a ₹100 crore research, technology, and innovation park at its Hyderabad campus.
• Tell me more:
  • Axis Bank committed a ₹100 crore CSR grant for the 120,000 sq ft Axis Bank–BITS Innovation Park in Hyderabad to support startups, MSMEs, deep-tech research, technology transfer, and Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India goals.

National Highways Authority Launches Barrierless Tolling System

• What: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) successfully launched a Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) based tolling system at the Daulatpura Toll Plaza on National Highway 48 (NH-48) in Rajasthan to enable barrier-less vehicular movement.
• Tell me more:
  • NHAI previously launched this technology-driven system at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza in Gujarat and the Mundka Bakkarwala Toll Plaza in Delhi.
  • The new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology with FASTag-based Electronic Toll Collection system enables barrier-free travel, automated fee collection, lower costs, and reduced emissions.

Prime Minister Modi Backs First Coal Gasification Plant

• What: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of India’s first commercial-scale coal-to-ammonium nitrate project at Lakhanpur in Jharsuguda district of Odisha on June 20.
• Tell me more:
  • Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited (BCGCL), a joint venture between Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Coal India Limited (CIL), developed the facility.
  • The Ministry of Coal provided ₹1,350 crore under its coal gasification incentive scheme, while the central government approved broader incentive schemes with a financial outlay of up to ₹46,000 crore for surface lignite projects.

Government Revives Long Pending Punjab Railway Line

• What: Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu announced that the government revived the long-pending 39.68-km-long Qadian-Beas railway line project in Punjab nearly 100 years after its first proposal.
• Tell me more:
  • The Cabinet has approved the ₹1,400-crore Qadian–Beas rail line in Punjab, to be executed by Northern Railway.

Tamil Nadu Government Probes Ammonia Gas Leak

• What: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay formed a three-member committee to probe an ammonia gas leak incident that killed two people and affected multiple factory workers in Tiruvallur.
• Tell me more:
  • The leak occurred at St Peter & Paul Sea Foods Exports, a seafood processing and export unit.

International News

Uzbekistan Becomes New Development Bank Shareholder Member

• What: The Republic of Uzbekistan officially became a shareholder of the New Development Bank (NDB) after fulfilling all necessary requirements and ratifying the Articles of Agreement on June 5, 2026.
• Tell me more:
  • Uzbekistan became the 10th member of the institution and the first country from Central Asia to join.
  • The BRICS nations established the multilateral development bank in 2015, and since its inception, it has approved 139 projects worth nearly US$43 billion.
  • The total membership includes founding nations Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa alongside Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bangladesh, Algeria, and Uzbekistan.

France Will Soon Inaugurate First Traditional Hindu Temple

• What: Members of the Indian diaspora in France announced that the European nation will soon open its first traditional Hindu temple with a scheduled inauguration ceremony in September.
• Tell me more:
  • PM Narendra Modi arrived in Paris after the G7 Summit, receiving a warm diaspora welcome. He praised India-France ties as vital globally. Modi also highlighted Global South cooperation. Meanwhile, BAPS will inaugurate its France temple in September.

United Arab Emirates Restricts Social Media Age Limits

• What: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) approved a landmark resolution that prohibits children under the age of 15 from creating, using, or operating personal social media accounts.
• Tell me more:
  • The restriction makes the UAE the first Arab country to introduce such age-based digital regulations.

Norway Imposes Generative Artificial Intelligence School Ban

• Norway will impose a near ban on generative AI for elementary pupils from the new school year in August, citing learning concerns. The government had earlier banned smartphones and strengthened teachers’ disciplinary authority.

Banking and Economy

Reserve Bank of India Cancels Cooperative Bank Licence

• What: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancelled the business licence of Karnataka-based Shree Mahalaxmi Urban Co-operative Credit Bank due to the lender’s worsening financial position and inadequate capital.
• Tell me more:
  • RBI stated that the bank does not comply with provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Around 97.9% of depositors are eligible to receive their full deposits.

Reports and Indices

WEF’s Energy Transition Index 2026

• The Energy Transition Index (ETI) has been published for 16 years and evaluates 120 countries using 44 indicators within parameters. It measures both a country’s current energy performance and its preparedness for future energy transition.
• Parameters

• Sweden ranked top with 75.3 score.
• India ranks 70th with 54.9 score in the 2026 index, indicating moderate transition progress. It faces challenges in financing, infrastructure and energy security, but remains a key future electricity-demand growth market.
• Global energy transition is slowing and becoming uneven. Clean energy investment and renewable capacity are rising, but energy security, financing conditions, policy support, infrastructure bottlenecks and geopolitical shocks are weakening progress.

Defence News

Defense Firms Unveil New Light Armoured Vehicle

• What: Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL), the defense arm of Bharat Forge Limited, and South Africa-based Paramount jointly unveiled a new light armored multipurpose vehicle called Simha 4×4 to target global defense markets.
• Tell me more:
  • The tactical vehicle is designed for military applications like reconnaissance, internal security, border protection, and troop transport.
  • Vice-Chairman and Joint Managing Director of KSSL, Amit Kalyani, stated that the vehicle is built around North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) qualified aggregates.

Ministry of Defence Signs Warship Generator Contract

• What: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a ₹425-crore contract with Pune-based Bharat Forge Limited to supply 12 indigenous marine gas turbine generator (GTG) sets for the Indian Navy.
• Tell me more:
  • The historic agreement marks the first time an Indian company will build and deliver gas turbine-based power plants for domestic naval warships.
  • Bharat Forge Limited will establish a dedicated integration and testing facility for the newly commissioned generators.

Indian Army Participates in Multinational Exercise Khaan Quest

• What: An Indian Army contingent is participating in the 23rd edition of the multinational joint military exercise named Khaan Quest 2026, which is taking place in Mongolia from June 20 to July 3.
• Tell me more:
  • Conducted at the Five Hills Training Area in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the two-week exercise brings together militaries from across the world to enhance interoperability and collaboration in UN Chapter VII peace support operations.
  • The international event, which began as a bilateral training exercise between the US and Mongolian armed forces in 2003, evolved into a multinational peacekeeping exercise from 2006 onwards.

Indian Naval Ship Tarkash Arrives in Mauritius

• What: Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tarkash, a stealth frigate of the Indian Navy, arrived at Port Louis in Mauritius, as part of an ongoing operational deployment.
• Tell me more:
  • The naval vessel is deployed in the South West Indian Ocean Region to strengthen maritime cooperation, enhance India–Mauritius bilateral relations, and deepen long-standing defence ties.
  • During the visit, Commanding Officer Captain Rohit Mishra will meet senior officials of the Mauritius government and Coast Guard, while the ship’s crew will conduct professional training sessions for Mauritius National Coast Guard personnel.

Awards

Professor Jainendra Jain Wins Prestigious Wolf Prize

• What: India’s Professor Jainendra K. Jain received the prestigious Wolf Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking discovery of composite fermions, a breakthrough that revolutionized the understanding of the quantum world.
• Tell me more:
  • Presented by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the Wolf Prize is regarded as one of the world’s highest scientific honors after the Nobel Prize.
  • Jain became the first person of Indian origin to receive the award since its inception in 1978, for a landmark 1989 discovery made during his postdoctoral research at Yale University.
  • Jain is the Evan Pugh University Professor at Pennsylvania State University and Founding Director of the Lodha Theoretical Physics Institute, Mumbai.

Important Days

World Refugee Day 2026 – June 20

• UN Focus: Until Everyone Is Safe

Father’s Day 2026 – June 21

Sports

Indian Women Win Gold at Asian Relays

• What: The Indian women’s 4x100m team won the gold medal on the final day of the Asian Relays Championships 2026 in Shangyu, the People’s Republic of China.
• Tell me more:
  • The Indian contingent won a total of three medals at the athletics meet, consisting of one gold, one silver, and one bronze.
  • China won the silver medal after clocking 44.09 seconds, while Thailand took the bronze medal with 44.11 seconds.
  • India opted not to field a men’s 4x100m team for the competitive tournament on account of injuries to key runners.
  • India will host the Asian Relays Championships 2027 – the third edition of the athletics meet – in Chandigarh next year.

Indian Women Team Wins Hockey Nations Cup

• The Indian women’s hockey team won the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup title after defeating the host New Zealand 2–0 in the final match held in Auckland, securing its second Nations Cup title and promotion to the FIH Women’s Pro League.

Indian Boxers Win Twelve Medals in 56th Grand Prix Usti nad Labem 2026

• What: Indian Commonwealth Games boxing squad members secured a rich haul of 12 medals at the invitational 56th Grand Prix Usti nad Labem 2026 boxing tournament held in Czechia.
• Tell me more:
  • The Indian boxing squad finished the international tournament with eight gold medals, three silver medals, and one bronze medal.
  • The five-member Indian women’s boxing team won four gold medals and one silver medal, while the men’s team secured four gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal.
  • The competitive tournament provided a valuable international test before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next month and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya later this year.

Appointments

Appointments Committee Names New National Cabinet Secretary

• What: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the formal appointment of T.V. Somanathan as the new Cabinet Secretary for a designated tenure of two years starting from August 30.
• Tell me more:
  • The high-level committee also cleared his immediate transition as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) within the Cabinet Secretariat.

Reserve Bank of India Extends HDFC Bank Chairman Tenure

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved a three-month extension for Keki Mistry to continue serving as the interim part-time chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation Bank (HDFC Bank).

Bimal Patel Elected to International Maritime Tribunal

• What: Noted jurist Bimal N. Patel won an election to serve as a judge at the Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term.
• Tell me more:
  • The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is an independent judicial body established in 1996, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, to resolve maritime disputes under UNCLOS.
    • This independent judicial body comprises 21 independent judges and resolves complex disputes related to international maritime boundaries and navigation rights.
  • Member nations voted during the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in New York.
  • The newly elected judges will fill seven judicial positions representing India, Vietnam, Ghana, Tunisia, Russia, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
  • The legal expert will assume office on October 1, 2026, to succeed the current representative of India, Neeru Chadha.
  • Patel is a member of the International Law Commission (ILC), Vice-Chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), and a member of India’s National Security Advisory Board (NSAB).

Indian Bureaucrat Named Financial Action Task Force Vice President

• What: Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Vivek Aggarwal won the election to become the Vice-President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), marking the first time India will hold this global position.
• Tell me more:
  • Aggarwal is a 1994-batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and currently serves as a Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Culture.
  • The Paris-based FATF, which sets global standards against money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing, elects a Vice-President from its members to assist the President.
  • Elisa de Anda Madrazo of Mexico is the FATF President from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2026.

Miscellaneous

Oldest Land Animal Jonathan Named Guinness Icon

• The Guinness World Records (GWR) officially recognized a 194-year-old Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan as an icon for being the oldest known living land animal on Earth.

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