Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 24 June 2026, Daily Roundup

Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: 24 June 2026, Daily Roundup

Current Affairs – 24 June 2026

National Current Affairs

1. Government Modernises Statistical System

The Government of India announced major reforms in the country’s statistical system to improve economic data under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Key Highlights

• Wholesale Price Index (WPI) will gradually be replaced by the Producer Price Index (PPI) over the next five years.
• Unlike WPI, PPI will include both goods and services, making it a more comprehensive inflation indicator.
• The wholesale basket has been expanded from 839 to 1,042 items, adding sectors like gas supply, sewerage and waste management while removing outdated products such as VCRs and cassette recorders.
• Electricity data will now separately track renewable and non-renewable power.
• Census 2027 will be India’s first fully digital, app-based Census.

Exam Facts

• WPI → Goods only
• PPI → Goods + Services
• Census 2027 → First digital census of India

2. Sagarmala 2.0 Announced: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways unveiled the Sagarmala 2.0 programme to strengthen India’s maritime infrastructure.

Key Features

• Development of Maritime Industrial Clusters
• Expansion of Coastal Economic Zones (CEZs)
• Development of Vadhavan Port (Maharashtra) as a mega deep-sea port.
• Construction of the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, Gujarat.

The programme aims to promote port-led industrialisation, logistics efficiency and economic growth.

3. India Accelerates Critical Mineral Mission: The Ministry of Mines announced major progress under the Critical Mineral Mission.

Highlights

• 56 critical mineral blocks auctioned.
• 11 exploration licence blocks awarded.

The mission aims to secure minerals required for electric vehicles, batteries, renewable energy and semiconductor manufacturing.

4. Padma Awards Presented: President Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Awards during the second Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The awards are India’s highest civilian honours after the Bharat Ratna and are conferred in three categories:

• Padma Vibhushan
• Padma Bhushan
• Padma Shri

5. CUET-UG 2026 Results Declared: The National Testing Agency (NTA) declared the CUET-UG 2026 results.Candidates can download their scorecards from the official CUET portal.

6. NHAI Partners with NCAER: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed an MoU with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).

A new research institution—the NHAI Centre for Economics of Transportation, Mobility and Logistics—will undertake research on transport economics, logistics and mobility.

7. Lakadong Turmeric in Focus: Lakadong Turmeric from Meghalaya gained global recognition.

Exam Facts

• GI Tagged product.
• Contains 7–12% curcumin, compared to 2–3% in ordinary turmeric.
• Used in food, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and cosmetics.

International Current Affairs

1. India–US Trade Talks Continue: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held high-level trade talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in New Delhi.

Both countries aim to conclude an interim Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) before 24 July 2026, focusing on market access, tariffs and digital trade.

2. BRICS NSA Meeting Held: The 16th BRICS National Security Advisers’ Meeting concluded in New Delhi. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval also met:

• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
• Representatives from BRICS countries

The discussions focused on global security, terrorism and regional cooperation.

3. Kailash Mansarovar Yatra 2026: The first batch of pilgrims will leave New Delhi on 30 June 2026.

Pilgrims will be allowed to carry:

• Up to 20 kg of luggage
• Essential medicines for 20 specified ailments

4. Queen Máxima Visits India: Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, serving as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health, visited Mumbai to study India’s:

• UPI ecosystem
• Digital payment system
• Payroll-linked financial infrastructure

Global Geopolitical Crisis

1. India Criticises Pakistan over PoK Remarks: India strongly rejected remarks made by Pakistan’s Defence Minister regarding Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), calling them attempts to divert attention from Pakistan’s own human rights record.

2. West Asia Developments: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that lasting peace in West Asia requires ending attacks by Iranian-backed proxy groups.

• The United States temporarily eased certain sanctions on Iran for 60 days to support ongoing peace negotiations.

3. United Nations Calls for AI Transparency: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during London Climate Action Week, urged AI companies to disclose:

• Carbon emissions
• Water consumption
• Land use

to reduce the environmental impact of Artificial Intelligence.

Defence & Science & Technology

1. New Radio Galaxy Discovered: Indian citizen scientists participated in discovering a rare Bow-and-Arrow Radio Galaxy (RAD-BAARG).The discovery provides new insights into the interaction between supermassive black holes and surrounding galaxies.

2. IIT Madras Professor Joins UN AI Panel: Prof. B. Ravindran of IIT Madras was appointed to the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence.

The panel will work on:

• AI safety
• Ethical AI
• Bias reduction
• Global AI governance

3. PSLV Technology to be Transferred: India announced plans to transfer Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) technology to private companies through IN-SPACe, encouraging greater private participation in the space sector.

4. Defence Updates: INS Udaygiri and INS Kavaratti reached Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam during their deployment in Southeast Asia.

• Defence Minister Sanjay Seth chaired the 15th Defence Information Technology Consultative Committee (DITCC) meeting focusing on defence IT self-reliance.
• The US announced a 230 million USD sustainment package for India’s M777 Ultra-Light Howitzers.
• The Indian Air Force confirmed that all 36 Rafale fighter aircraft remain operational.

Legal & Governance

• The Supreme Court stayed the premature release of a life convict in the 1993 Kolkata Bowbazar Blast Case.
• CBI arrested former IAS officer Pankaj Aggarwal in connection with the Haryana government fund misappropriation case.
• Social activist Anna Hazare announced an indefinite hunger strike from 5 July against amendments to Maharashtra’s RTI Rules.
• Rajasthan constituted a High-Level Committee to prepare the draft of the Rajasthan Uniform Civil Code (UCC), 2026.

Global Observance Day

International Day of Women in Diplomacy – 24 June: The day is observed to recognise and promote the role of women in diplomacy, peacebuilding and international decision-making.

Sports Notes

Asian Relays Championships: India finished strongly with:

• 🥈 Silver in the Mixed 4×400 m Relay
• 🥉 Bronze in the Mixed 4×100 m Relay

Hockey: The Indian Men’s Hockey Team defeated Pakistan 4–3 in the FIH Pro League at London.

Asian Relays: India’s women’s 4×100 m relay team won the Gold Medal with a season-best timing of 43.85 seconds.

Miscellaneous Current Affairs

• Tamil Nadu: Government approved the Thai Maman Gold Ring Scheme, under which every child born in government hospitals will receive a 1-gram gold ring.
• Finance: NITI Aayog Vice-Chairperson stated that India’s total trade grew by 5.4% in the last quarter.
• Communications: Pension Adalat resolved pension-related grievances of BSNL, MTNL and DoT pensioners.
• Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan paid tribute to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his martyrdom day.
• Minority Affairs: Minister of State George Kurian resigned from the Union Council of Ministers.
• Maharashtra: Anna Hazare opposed amendments to the RTI Rules.
• Tamil Nadu: Government proposed the Thai Maman Gold Ring Scheme for newborns in government hospitals.