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26 May, 2026
GK Update
Tue 23 Jun, 2026
NATIONAL NEWS
Strategic border security and foreign policy issues
- The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, begun a four-day study
- visit to Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh to review strategic border security and foreign policy issues.
- The primary mandate of this high-profile visit is to review India-Pakistan relations, Sino-Indian bilateral ties, and local passport service delivery. Chairman Shashi Tharoor explicitly clarified to the media that the committee’s scope remains strictly tied to foreign policy and external affairs, explicitly steering clear of local domestic political issues.
IAS e-Civil List 2026
- Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the IAS e-Civil List 2026 in New Delhi.
Revised FCRA Rules for NGOs
- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has significantly tightened the compliance framework for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2026.
- These revised regulations focus heavily on purpose-based activity tracking, tighter monetary spending caps, and enhanced digital disclosures to curb the misuse of foreign funds
STATE SPECIAL NEWS
Himachal Bioeconomy Valuation Report
- Himachal Bioeconomy Valuation Report titled as "Counting Green Wealth: Towards a Future-Ready People's Forest Economy in Himachal Pradesh" was released by Himachal Pradesh Forest Department and the Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP) evaluates Himachal Pradesh’s forest-based bioeconomy at ₹22,600 crore annually.
Key Sector Valuations
Wild Fruits & Health Products: Valued at ₹11,340 crore.
Pine Needle Eco-Coal: Valued at ₹5,500 crore by converting hazardous, flammable forest biomass into clean industrial fuel.
Regulated Khair Timber: Valued at ₹5,000 crore.
Bamboo Materials & Biofuel: Valued at ₹760 crore to ₹2,760 crore for construction and green energy.
Himachal Pradesh
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Sustainment package for India’s M777A2 ultra-light howitzers
- The United States has finalized a $230 million sustainment package under the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) program to support and maintain the Indian Army’s M777A2 ultra-light howitzers, ensuring their operational readiness without altering the regional military balance.
- This allocation is part of a larger, comprehensive $482.2 million US defence support initiative that concurrently provides a $198.2 million maintenance package for India's AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.
United States (USA)
The Great Lakes: Five interconnected freshwater lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario). Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area. |
Securing American leadership in quantum technology
- US President Donald Trump signed two historic executive orders to accelerate American leadership in quantum computing and fortify national cybersecurity.
- These directives establish strict federal deadlines to rapidly build advanced quantum hardware and safeguard existing digital infrastructure from future quantum-enabled decryption threats.
SUMMITS AND CONFERNCES
India-Morocco Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism
- The second India-Morocco Joint Working Group meeting on Counter Terrorism was held in New Delhi, co-chaired by Dr. Vinod Bahade of India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Hicham Baali of Morocco’s National Judicial Police Brigade.
Morocco
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BRICS Heads of Space Agencies (HOSA) 2026
- The BRICS Heads of Space Agencies (HOSA) 2026 meeting, hosted by ISRO in Bengaluru, brought together leaders from all 11 member countries.
- Under India's BRICS chairship theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," the two-day closed-door sessions focused heavily on expanding the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation (RSSC) agreement to include new members.
BRICS
New Development Bank (NDB)
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APPOINTMENTS
Tushar Mehta
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet reappointed Tushar Mehta the Solicitor-General of India for a further term of three years from July 1.
- The Centre also reappointed five Additional Solicitors-General — Vikramjit Banerjee, K.M. Nataraj Suryaprakash V. Raju, N. Venkataraman, and Aishwarya Bhati — for the Supreme Court for a three-year term.
Kunal Shah
- Kunal Shah was appointed Global Head and CEO of WhatsApp.
- He is founder of the Indian fintech startup Cred, Shah will succeed Will Cathcart, who stepped down to build new products within Meta. The landmark appointment coincides with Meta's $900 million strategic investment in Cred.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Olympic Day
- International Olympic Day is celebrated globally on June 23 to commemorate the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Paris in 1894 and the revival of the modern Olympic Games.
- The official theme for 2026 is “You Can Do This! Let’s Move”.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
J&K won Gold and Silver SKOCH National Awards
- The Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD) of Jammu and Kashmir won Gold and Silver SKOCH National Awards for its innovative and citizen-centric digital transformation initiatives during the SKOCH Awards Ceremony held in New Delhi.
Jammu and Kashmir
Historical Facts
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ECONOMY & BANKING
NAFED auction portal
- Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) auction portal in New Delhi.
World’s Top Ship Recycling Nation
- India became the World’s Top Ship Recycling Nation in the year 2025.
Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in tourism
- Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat participated in the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Interactive Session, organized with representatives of the tourism and hospitality sector in New Delhi.
June 2026 edition of the RBI Bulletin
- The June 2026 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Bulletin highlights a resilient but fragile Indian economy.
- It cautions against lingering global geopolitical tensions and vulnerabilities, while maintaining a cautious, neutral monetary stance to anchor inflation amid stable high-frequency growth.
State of the Economy Highlights
- Growth and Inflation: India's GDP grew at an impressive 7.8% in Q4 of FY26. However, for FY27, the RBI lowered its growth projection to 6.6% and raised the CPI inflation forecast to 5.1% due to risks from crude oil volatility and poor monsoon threats.
- Global Risks: Despite a recent interim peace deal in West Asia, the broader global economic landscape remains fragile.
- External Resilience: India's external sector remains strong, supported by sustained Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows and adequate foreign exchange reserves.
| Establishment & Headquarters | Leadership & Administration | Key Functions |
| Established on the recommendation of the Hilton Young Commission (1926)
Established: 1 April 1935 under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 Initial Headquarters: Kolkata Permanent Headquarters (since 1937): Mumbai Nationalized: 1 January 1949 under the Reserve Bank of India (Transfer to Public Ownership) Act, 1948
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First Governor: Sir Osborne Smith
First Indian Governor: C. D. Deshmukh Current Governor (2026): Sanjay Malhotra Deputy Governors: Swaminathan J., Dr. Poonam Gupta, M. Rajeshwar Rao and T. Rabi Sankar Administration: Governed by the Central Board of Directors Accounting Year: April–March |
Currency Issuance: Issues currency notes (except ₹1 notes and coins)
Monetary Policy: Formulates and implements monetary policy to control inflation through the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) Banker to Government and Banks Foreign Exchange Management: Administers FEMA, 1999 and manages the country's foreign exchange reserves
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NHAI signed MoU NCAER
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) to establish the NHAI Centre for Economics of Transportation, Mobility and Logistics at NCAER.
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
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PERSON IN NEWS
Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee martyrdom day
- Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s martyrdom day, observed as Balidan Diwas, is commemorated annually on June 23.
- The day marks the anniversary of his death in 1953 while in police custody in Jammu and Kashmir, following his arrest for protesting against Article 370 and permit requirements.
George Kurian
- Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying George Kurian resigned from the Union Council of Ministers.
Keir Starmer
- United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party, ending his tenure at Downing Street amid growing internal pressure from his own party.
François Englert
- Belgian theoretical physicist and 2013 Nobel Prize co-laureate François Englert died in Uccle, Belgium.
- He was internationally renowned for his pioneering 1960s work on the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism, which explained how fundamental particles acquire mass.
ART & CULTURE
Rare Four-Sided Buddha Parinirvana Pillar
- A rare 10th-century four-sided stone pillar featuring a Buddha Parinirvana sculpture alongside Hindu deities has been discovered in Bhimsari village, Adilabad district, Telangana.
- Identified by members of the historical research group Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam (KTCB), the monument is an exceptional archaeological find because it combines Buddhist, Shaivite, and Vaishnavite motifs on a single structure, illustrating the region's ancient multi-religious harmony.
ENVIRONMENT + SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Meeting on El Niño effect on agriculture
- Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level review meeting at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi to tackle the potential impact of the El Niño climate phenomenon on the country's agriculture sector.
- The critical meeting brought together state agriculture ministers, secretaries, district collectors, and officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) via virtual mode to outline dynamic action plans for the ongoing Kharif season.
Teplizumab
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has officially recommended teplizumab (brand name Tzield, manufactured by Sanofi) for routine use on the NHS in England and Wales.
- This historic decision marks the first time a disease-modifying immunotherapy has been approved to delay the onset of symptomatic type 1 diabetes by an average of two to three years, moving beyond standard insulin management for the first time in over a century.
DEFENCE NEWS
New Force Headquarters building of the CISF
- Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar laid the foundation stone of the new Force Headquarters building of the CISF in New Delhi and lauded CISF’s Project Mann, which actively provides counselling to thousands of personnel and their families to ensure psychological well-being.
SPORTS
ISSF Junior World Championship
- India strengthened its lead at the ISSF Junior World Championship with four more medals, including a gold by Pritam Kendre in the 10m Air Rifle Men’s Junior event, taking its total tally to 12 medals (5 gold, 1 silver, 6 bronze).
Chiranth Vishwanath
- Chiranth Vishwanath scripted history in June 2026 by becoming the first Indian rider to win a race at the iconic Mobility Resort Motegi racetrack in Japan.
- The 18-year-old racer from Bengaluru achieved this milestone during Round 3 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), competing in the TVS Asia One Make Championship category.