National News

Inauguration of the National Headquarters of the National Turmeric Board

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the National Headquarters of the National Turmeric Board in Nizamabad, Telangana, on 29 June 2025.

National Turmeric Board:

Inauguration of Purulia–Bankura–Howrah Passenger Train Service

• Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the Purulia–Bankura–Howrah passenger train service from Santragachi railway station in Howrah district.
• This new train service is expected to significantly enhance rail connectivity and passenger convenience in the rural, local, and regional areas of West Bengal.

Indian Railways:

State Special News

Construction of Mango Park

• The Uttar Pradesh government will construct a Mango Park in Malihabad, Lucknow.
• The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has prepared the blueprint for this mango-themed park under the Basant Kunj Scheme near the Malihabad region.

Major mango varieties and their regions:

International News

65th Independence Day Anniversary of Madagascar

• Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth, represented India at the 65th Independence Day anniversary celebrations of Madagascar and the occasion marking the formation of the Malagasy Armed Forces.

Madagascar:

Economy and Banking

MCL to Open Two New Coal Mines

• Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India, will open two new coal mines with a combined capacity of 35 million tonnes per annum in the Talcher coalfields region of Angul district, Odisha.

Related Facts:

Controlling Stake in Colombo Dockyard PLC

• India’s state-owned company Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) has decided to acquire a controlling stake in Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard PLC through a deal worth USD 52.96 million.

Company Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL):

First Consignment of Rose-Scented Litchis Exported to Qatar

• India has dispatched the first consignment of one metric tonne (1,000 kilograms) of rose-scented litchis from Pathankot, Punjab to Qatar.
• This consignment was prepared with the support of the Punjab government, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and the Department of Agriculture.

Litchi:

Reports and Indexes

Child Mortality Estimates Report 2024

• According to the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) 2024 report, India has achieved a 78% reduction in the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) between 1990 and 2023, compared to a 61% reduction globally during the same period.

Related Facts:

Appointments

Parag Jain

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed senior IPS officer Parag Jain as the next Secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for a tenure of two years.
• Jain, a 1989-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, will succeed Ravi Sinha, whose tenure ends on 30 June.

Related Facts:

Sports News

US Open 2025

• India’s badminton player Tanvi Sharma secured her place in the women’s singles final at the US Open 2025 Badminton tournament.
• She defeated Ukraine’s Polina Buhrova in straight games (21-14, 21-16) at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA.

Badminton World Federation (BWF):

• Five-Match T20 Series: Nottingham

• India defeated England by 97 runs in the first match of the five-match T20 series held at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
• Batting first, India scored 210 runs for 5 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

Cricket:

Important Days

National Statistics Day

• National Statistics Day is observed every year on 29 June to commemorate the birth anniversary of Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, the father of Indian statistics and the architect of modern statistical systems in India.

Related Facts:

International Day of the Tropics

• The International Day of the Tropics is observed every year on 29 June to raise awareness about the unique challenges faced by tropical regions and to highlight their rich biodiversity, cultural wealth, and global significance.
• The United Nations General Assembly declared this day in 2016.

Tropical Zone: