Current Affairs 24 June 2026

National Affairs

Overview of PM Narendra Modi’s Visit to Odisha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside President Droupadi Murmu, visited Odisha to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for major developmental projects worth over ₹47,600 crore in Rairangpur, Mayurbhanj.

• The Occasion: The leaders participated in a program marking the completion of 2 years of the Government of Odisha, held under the theme ‘Vikas ra Dhara, Odisha Sara’.
• Key Projects: Jointly inaugurated 60 projects and laid foundation stones for 12 more across energy, industrial infrastructure, and tourism. Notably, they laid the foundation for India’s first commercial-scale Coal-to-Ammonium Nitrate Project in Lakhanpur.
• Model Solar Village: PM Modi announced that Pahadpur will be developed as a Model Solar Village, ensuring every household is equipped for solar power generation.

Overview of PM Narendra Modi’s Visit to West Bengal
PM Narendra Modi undertook a two-day state visit to West Bengal, launching major development initiatives and participating in the Paschimbanga Divas (West Bengal Day) celebrations in Tarakeswar, Hooghly.

• Celebration Theme: Organised under the theme “West Bengal: Heritage, Harmony and Development”.
• Agriculture Boost: The PM released the 23rd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. To mark this milestone, nationwide awareness programs will be held under the banner of “PM-KISAN Utsav Diwas”.
• Projects Launched: Dedicated several massive infrastructure projects across railways, rural development, fisheries, and animal husbandry.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal Approves DISHA 2.0 Scheme for Digital Justice
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, approved the restructured DISHA 2.0 (Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice) scheme with a massive outlay of ₹255 crore for five years (April 2026 – March 2031).

• Funding: Backed by 100% Gross Budgetary Support from the Government of India, as recommended by the Standing Finance Committee.
• Constitutional Mandate: Strengthens "Access to Justice" under Articles 14, 21, and 39A of the Constitution and directly aligns with the UN’s SDG-16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
• Target Reach: Implemented pan-India, DISHA 2.0 aims to achieve a cumulative outreach of 3 crore beneficiaries.

DIBD and AISF Sign MoU to Promote Multilingual AI Solutions in Assam
The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) and the Assam Innovation & Startup Foundation (AISF) signed an MoU to promote language technology and multilingual AI solutions across Assam.

• The Initiative: DIBD and AISF will collaborate under the BHASHINI Rajyam initiative to enable multilingual access to Assam's digital platforms and startup programs.
• Integration: Will heavily focus on integrating DIBD Language Translation APIs into official platforms, developing voice-enabled applications in Assamese, and boosting linguistic data collection through Bhashadaan.

International Affairs

FAO’s SOFIA 2026 Report: India is World’s 2nd Largest Aquatic Animals Producer
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its latest State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2026 report, revealing that India has emerged as the world’s 2nd largest producer of aquatic animals (contributing 9% globally), trailing only China.

• Inland Water Catches: India ranks 1st globally in inland water catches, producing a staggering 2.2 MT from rivers, lakes, and freshwater systems (ahead of Bangladesh’s 1.4 MT).
• Global Production: Global fisheries and aquaculture production reached a new high of 235 Million Tonnes (MT) in 2024, representing a 5.2% growth compared to 2022.
• Top 5 Aquaculture Nations: China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Together, these nations account for 84% of total global aquaculture output.

Banking & Finance

World Bank Approves $1.5 Billion for India’s Private Sector Job Creation
The World Bank approved a massive $1.5 billion financing package to support India’s structural reforms under the Private Sector Development Policy Financing (DPF) program.

• Objective: Aimed at accelerating private sector-led job creation, the initiative targets the creation of employment for around 11 million youth annually over the next two decades.
• Haryana Water Project: Separately, the World Bank also approved a ₹4,000 crore loan for the Jal Sanrakshit Haryana project, which spans 15 clusters to improve water management and conservation across 48.94 lakh acres.

PFRDA Launches AI-Powered ‘Pension Sahayak’ Portal
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) launched PFRDA Pension Sahayak, a cutting-edge AI-enabled grievance redressal platform for subscribers of PFRDA-regulated schemes.

• Unified Digital System: It replaces the older CGMS system, consolidating web, mobile, and WhatsApp-based services onto a single, highly transparent platform.
• Access Simplified: Subscribers can log in instantly using an OTP sent to their mobile number—eliminating the need to memorize PRANs or passwords. All PRANs linked to a mobile number display automatically.

IFC Pledges $371 Million to Sify for AI-Ready Data Centres in India
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) pledged $371 million to Sify Infinit Spaces Limited (SISL) to develop highly sustainable, AI-ready Data Centre (DC) infrastructure in India.

• Setting up Next-Gen DCs: Sify will develop two next-generation Data Centres in Navi Mumbai and Chennai, built in strict accordance with IGBC Platinum standards.
• Project Capacity: Designed specifically to support intensive AI workloads, the proposed data centers are expected to have a combined capacity of 103 Mega-Watts (MW).

NSE Partners with BME to Boost India’s Non-Ferrous Metal Derivatives Market
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) signed an MoU with the Bharat Metal Exchange (BME) to develop and promote non-ferrous metal derivatives in India.

• Focus Metals: The partnership targets critical industrial metals including copper (Cu), aluminium (Al), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni).
• Impact: Aims to bridge the gap between physical and derivatives markets by delivering efficient hedging tools, enhancing liquidity, and managing price risks for manufacturers and traders.

Awards & Recognitions

GI Tags Granted to Khurasani Imli, Garuda Tuber, and Balam Kakdi of Madhya Pradesh
The Geographical Indication Registry (GIR) awarded GI tags to several unique agricultural products from Madhya Pradesh, recognizing their distinct regional heritage.

• Khurasani Imli: The sour-sweet fruit of Mandu’s iconic Baobab tree.
• Balam Kakdi: A special cucumber variety from Ratlam's tribal region, known for its saffron and green hues.
• Garadu Tuber & Malwi Potato: Garadu is a starchy winter delicacy deep-fried with spices, while the Malwi potato (low sugar/starch) remains white after frying, making it perfect for chips and street food.

Harsh Vardhan Receives Global Prestige Award at UK Parliament
Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) President Harsh Vardhan was honored with the Global Prestige Award at the House of Lords in the UK Parliament for his monumental contributions to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

• The Recognition: Presented under the theme ‘Visionaries of Change’, celebrating global leaders driving development, innovation, and peace. Vardhan was elected unopposed as the youngest BCA President in September 2025.

Appointments & Resignations

CRED Founder Kunal Shah Joins Meta to Lead WhatsApp Globally
Kunal Shah, the highly successful founder of CRED, has joined Meta Platforms Inc. to lead WhatsApp globally, stepping away from his operational role as the CEO of CRED.

• Interim Leadership: Miten Sampat, who has led CRED's strategy and finance since 2020, will serve as interim CEO. Meta (a minority investor in CRED) will have no access to CRED's user data.
• Entrepreneurial Journey: Shah famously founded FreeCharge before launching CRED, which grew to 17 million users, raised over $900 million, and posted its first profitable quarter in 2026 under his leadership.

Sports

India Wins Gold in Women’s 4x100m Relay at Asian Relays Championships 2026
India secured the Gold medal in the women’s 4x100m relay at the 2nd edition of the Asian Relays Championships held in Shangyu, China.

• Gold Medal Performance: The team—Srabani Nanda, Sneha Shanuvalli, Sudeshna Shivankar, and Tamanna—clocked a season’s best 43.85 seconds, defeating China and Thailand.
• Total Medal Haul: India finished with three medals, also securing Silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and Bronze in the mixed 4x100m relay.
• Next Event: India has been selected to host the upcoming 2027 Asian Relays Championships in Chandigarh.

Books & Authors

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Launches Book on India’s IIT Ecosystem
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla officially launched the book ‘IIT: The Story of India’s Most Prestigious Educational Ecosystem’ during a special event at IIT-Delhi.

• The Author: Written by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Prabhat Kumar, Chairman of PanIIT Alumni India, and published by HarperCollins India.
• Key Insights: Celebrating 75 years of the IIT ecosystem, the book traces its evolution from the Hijli Detention Camp (IIT Kharagpur) in 1951 to a massive network of 23 campuses today, detailing student life, startups, venture capital, and AI.

Important Days at a Glance

Current Affairs 24 June 2026 Oneliner Question Answer

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth over how much during his Odisha visit in June 2026?
Answer: ₹47,600 crore.

2. What is the theme of the Odisha Government's two-year completion programme held at Rairangpur?
Answer: “Vikas ra Dhara, Odisha Sara”.

3. Which instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme was released by PM Narendra Modi during his West Bengal visit?
Answer: 23rd instalment.

4. What is the total outlay approved for the DISHA 2.0 Scheme?
Answer: ₹255 crore.

5. Which two organizations signed an MoU to promote multilingual AI and language technology in Assam?
Answer: Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) and Assam Innovation & Startup Foundation (AISF).

6. According to the FAO's SOFIA 2026 Report, what is India's global rank in aquatic animal production?
Answer: Second.

7. Which organization approved USD 1.5 billion to support India's private sector job creation reforms?
Answer: World Bank.

8. Which authority launched the AI-powered 'Pension Sahayak' grievance redressal portal?
Answer: Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

9. Which World Bank Group institution pledged USD 371 million to Sify for AI-ready data centres?
Answer: International Finance Corporation (IFC).

10. Which two organizations signed an MoU to strengthen India's non-ferrous metal derivatives market?
Answer: National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bharat Metal Exchange (BME).

11. Which four products from Madhya Pradesh received Geographical Indication (GI) tags in June 2026?
Answer: Khurasani Imli, Garadu, Malwi Potato, and Balam Kakdi.

12. Who received the Global Prestige Award at the UK Parliament for contributions to Viksit Bharat 2047?
Answer: Harsh Vardhan.

13. Which CRED founder was appointed to lead WhatsApp globally at Meta?
Answer: Kunal Shah.

14. Which country won the gold medal in the women's 4×100m relay at the Asian Relays Championships 2026?
Answer: India.

15. Which city will host the 2027 Asian Relays Championships?
Answer: Chandigarh.

16. Who authored the book IIT: The Story of India’s Most Prestigious Educational Ecosystem?
Answer: Prabhat Kumar.

17. International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice is observed annually on which date?
Answer: 21 June.

18. World Music Day is observed every year on which date?
Answer: 21 June.

19. What is the theme of World Music Day 2026?
Answer: “Music for Peace”.

20. Which village in Odisha was announced to be developed as a Model Solar Village?
Answer: Pahadpur.