Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 18 June 2026, Daily Roundup

Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 18 June 2026, Daily Roundup

Current Affairs – 18 June 2026

National Current Affairs

1. RBI Approves Record Surplus Transfer of ₹2.87 Lakh Crore: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved a record surplus transfer of ₹2.87 lakh crore to the Central Government for FY 2025-26.

Key Highlights:

• RBI balance sheet expanded by 20.6% to ₹91.97 lakh crore.
• Gross income increased by over 26%.
• Transfer made under the Economic Capital Framework (ECF).
• Based on recommendations of the Bimal Jalan Committee.
• Provides significant non-tax revenue to the government.

2. Green Hydrogen Certification Portal Launched: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi launched India’s Green Hydrogen Certification Portal.

Objective:

• Verify and certify green hydrogen production.
• Improve transparency and global trade compliance.
• Support the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

3. President Droupadi Murmu’s MP–Odisha Visit: President Droupadi Murmu began a five-day visit to Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

Programmes:

• Tribal empowerment programme at Betul.
• International Sickle Cell Day event at Omkareshwar.

4. Kharif Crop Coverage Crosses 84 Lakh Hectares: The Agriculture Ministry reported that Kharif crop sowing crossed 84 lakh hectares as of 12 June 2026.

5. Rail Infrastructure Projects Approved: Indian Railways approved infrastructure projects worth over ₹1,200 crore across Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh to  focus on Freight movement, Rail capacity enhancement, Safety systems and Urban transport upgrades

6. Pune Railway Station Redevelopment: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the expansion of Pune Railway Station with an investment of approximately ₹600 crore.

7. NCR Regional Plan 2041 Reviewed: The 42nd meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) reviewed the Draft Regional Plan-2041.

Key Facts:

• NCR population projected to rise from 7.86 crore to 14.73 crore by 2041.
• Proposal for four new greenfield cities known as Namo Cities/Namo Nodes.

8. Odisha Clears Major Industrial Investments: Odisha’s High-Level Clearance Authority approved 20 industrial projects with an investment of ₹76,611.86 crore and Expected Employment generation of  50,517 jobs across nine districts.

9. Madhya Pradesh to Introduce UCC Bill: Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill will be introduced during the Monsoon Session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

10. Women’s Safety Framework Strengthened: The Government upgraded the SHe-Box 2.0 Portal under the Mission Shakti initiative to strengthen workplace safety for women.

International Current Affairs

1. India–Japan Adopt Joint Crediting Mechanism Rules: India and Japan adopted the Rules of Implementation for the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.

Benefits:

• Bilateral carbon market.
• Technology transfer.
• Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
• Support for sustainable development.

2. PM Modi at G7 Summit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the G7 Summit in Évian, France. He held bilateral meetings with leaders of the UAE, Japan, South Korea, Egypt and Kenya

3. Space Cooperation Expands with Countries like Canada, Italy, Thailand and the Philippines who expressed interest in expanding space cooperation with India during India Space Congress 2026.

Global Geopolitical Crisis

1. US–Iran Peace Agreement Finalised: Iran announced that a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding with the United States had been finalised to end the Strait of Hormuz conflict.

2. PM Modi Raises Maritime Security Concerns: At the G7 Summit, PM Modi highlighted:

• Threats to maritime trade routes.
• Economic consequences of disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Loss of Indian civilian lives during the West Asia conflict.

3. Europe Revises China Trade Strategy: The European Union indicated plans to revise its trade policy amid

• Growing dependence on China.
• Rising trade deficits.
• Strategic supply-chain concerns.

Defence

1. National Military Drone Technology Hub Approved: The Ministry of Defence approved a ₹500-crore National Military Drone Technology Hub at IIT Kanpur.

Focus Areas:

• Swarm drones
• Counter-drone systems
• AI-driven warfare technologies
• Indigenous UAV development

2. Pralay Missile Production Expanded: India significantly expanded production capacity of the Pralay Missile, increasing annual output from about 40 units to nearly 250 units.

3. Defence Production Reaches Record High: India’s defence production touched a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26 with a Growth of 15.6% over the previous year.

4. Indigenous Kamikaze Drone Facility: The Indian Air Force is establishing a dedicated drone production facility at Sulur Air Force Station, Tamil Nadu.

5. Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence Tests Successful: DRDO successfully completed advanced Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence tests, enhancing India’s interception capability against long-range missile threats.

6. Indigenous UAV Weapon Platform Demonstrated: Hyderabad-based Thanos Technologies successfully demonstrated an in-flight UAV weapon firing system.

7. MALE Drone Procurement: Ten Indian firms, including HAL, Tata Advanced Systems and Larsen & Toubro, submitted bids for the ₹30,000 crore project to supply 87 MALE drones to the Indian Air Force.

8. Defence Exports Showcase: At Eurosatory 2026 Bharat Forge unveiled the MArG 155 mm artillery system and Paramount introduced the Simha 4×4 armoured vehicle.

Science & Technology

1. ISRO–DAE Partnership for Long-Life Lunar Missions: ISRO and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) are jointly developing Radioisotope Heating Units (RHUs) with an Objective to Extend lunar lander life from 14 Earth days to nearly 200 Earth days.

2. India Faces Satellite Shortage: The Government directed ISRO to launch at least 200 satellites in the next three years to address a shortage of satellite transponders and strengthen digital infrastructure.

3. Bengaluru Emerges as AI Startup Hub: According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2026:

• Bengaluru ranked 2nd in Asia among AI-native startup clusters.
• Ranked 15th globally.
• Startup ecosystem valued at $153 billion.

4. GeM–BHASHINI Collaboration: Government e-Marketplace (GeM) signed an MoU with BHASHINI to provide multilingual procurement support for local businesses.

Environment and Global Observance

1. India Nears Bonn Challenge Target: Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced that India has restored 21.76 million hectares of degraded land.

Target: 26 million hectares by 2030 under the Bonn Challenge.

2. World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought: Observed across 813 project areas under WDC-PMKSY 2.0. Mainly focused on land restoration, Sustainable watershed management and Drought resilience.

Sports

1. Cricket – India Beat Afghanistan: India defeated Afghanistan by 170 runs in the second ODI at Lucknow.

Highlights:

• Shubman Gill: 154 runs.
• Ishan Kishan: 125 runs.
• India secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

2. Hockey: India defeated Japan 2-1 in the FIH Women’s Nations Cup in Auckland.

3. Football: AIFF announced the inaugural Under-17 Women’s Youth League, beginning next month in Chhattisgarh.

4. FIFA World Cup 2026

• Austria defeated Jordan 3-1.
• Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0.
• Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick.
• Norway beat Iraq 4-1.

Miscellaneous One-Liners Current Affairs

• Polling held for two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand and one seat in Mizoram.
• India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIIDEM) completed 15 years.
• Delhi LG reviewed the implementation of the POCSO Act.
• Puducherry Cabinet expanded with three new ministers.
• PIB Fact Check dismissed rumours that E20 petrol attracts ants.