Current Affairs 25 June 2026

National Affairs

VOC Port Emerges as Model for Green Maritime Growth, Records 45% Emission Cut
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, announced that the V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (VOCPA) has emerged as a model for sustainable maritime development in India after achieving a massive 45% reduction in net carbon emissions.

• New Initiatives Dedicated: The Minister dedicated 6 key initiatives at the port focused on education, green energy, and digital transformation.
• Report & Case Study: Released the port's first sustainability disclosure report, “Towards a Green Maritime Future”, alongside a dedicated case study developed by IIM Calcutta.
• Recognition: VOCPA was officially recognized as a "Scope-2 Emission Free Port" by the Ministry, validating its successful low-carbon transition.

Union Minister Amit Shah Launches Four Digital Policing Apps for ICJS
Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched four cutting-edge digital policing applications at the 26th All India Fingerprint Conference in New Delhi to modernize the Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS).

• The Apps: NCRB-Abhigyan, Criminal Procedure Identification (CrPI), e-Prosecution 2.0, and e-Forensics 2.0.
• Objective: Designed to drastically speed up investigations and convictions by integrating police, forensic, and judicial systems. The goal is to complete the justice process within three years of FIR registration.
• Other Launches: Minister Shah also launched the NAFED e-auction portal NAFEX.in, alongside digital initiatives DRISHTI, ERP, and NAFED KALYAN.

India Becomes World’s Top Ship Recycling Nation in 2025 with 35.4% Global Share
According to the UNCTAD report ‘Review of Maritime Transport 2025’, India emerged as the world’s leading ship recycling nation in 2025, capturing a 35.4% global market share and surpassing its Maritime India Vision 2030 targets five years early.

• Growth Metrics: Recycling volumes surged nearly 60% to 2.99 million gross tons (GT).
• Scheme Support: Driven by the Ship-breaking Credit Note Scheme (SbCN), which offers credits worth 40% of scrap value and enabled the modernization of 115 Hong Kong International Convention (HKC)-compliant facilities.
• The Global Hub: The Alang-Sosiya Ship Recycling Yard handles ~97% of India’s activity and is currently being expanded to a massive 9 million LDT capacity.

India and Israel Sign MoU to Strengthen Public Sector Auditing
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India signed an MoU with the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Israel to strengthen and modernize public sector auditing cooperation.

• Key Interventions: The agreement emphasizes the heavy integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytics, and digital tools to improve audit efficiency, transparency, and governance oversight.
• Key Discussions: State Comptroller of Israel Matanyahu Englman delivered a lecture under the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Lecture Series, highlighting innovative AI applications in modern state auditing.

NHAI & NCAER Sign MoU for Transportation and Mobility Research Centre
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed an MoU with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) to establish India’s first permanent research center dedicated to the economics of transportation, mobility, and logistics in New Delhi.

• Key Functions: The center will undertake applied economic research to generate actionable insights for long-term planning, investment decisions, and policy formulation.
• Research Focus: Will cover National Highway economics, freight logistics, modal integration, toll policy, and asset monetization.
• Leadership: Led by an Advisory Committee featuring top economists, public policy experts, NHAI’s Member (Finance), and the DG of NCAER.

Safran and SatSure Sign MoU for GEOINT Solutions Collaboration
French aerospace giant Safran Electronics & Defence signed an MoU with Indian Earth intelligence firm SatSure Analytics to collaborate on advanced Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) solutions under the France-India Year of Innovation.

• Aim: To develop end-to-end GEOINT solutions by seamlessly integrating satellite imagery, AI models, and intelligence systems to vastly improve decision-making.
• Integration: Combines Safran’s AI capabilities with SatSure’s satellite data expertise. KaleidEO Space Systems will deliver a fully integrated Earth observation-to-intelligence pipeline.

International Affairs

QS World Future Skills Index 2027: India Ranks 13th Globally; USA Retains Top Spot
Global higher education analytics firm QS released the “QS World Future Skills Index 2027”, placing India 13th globally (overall score: 89.4), cementing its status as one of the world’s strongest performers in AI-economy readiness.

• Regional Dominance: India ranked 1st in the South Asia region and is the only South Asian country in the top 15. It also ranked 1st globally among lower-middle-income countries.
• Top 3 Countries: The USA led the rankings (99.2), followed by Australia (97.5) and the UK (96.6).
• India’s Indicator Rankings: Future of Work (5th), Economic Transformation (14th), Skills Alignment (18th), and Academic Readiness (22nd).

Banking & Finance

RBI Issues Revised Directions on TReDS to Simplify MSME Onboarding
The Reserve Bank of India issued the “RBI (Trade Receivables Discounting System) Directions, 2026” to drastically simplify the onboarding process for MSME sellers and encourage greater trade receivable financing.

• TReDS Platform: An electronic marketplace where MSMEs can auction their approved invoices to banks and eligible financiers for immediate cash.
• Entity Eligibility: Any entity seeking authorization to set up a TReDS platform must be incorporated in India and registered strictly under the Companies Act.

Awards & Recognitions

GRSE Conferred Navratna CPSE Status; Becomes India’s 29th Navratna
The Department of Public Enterprises upgraded Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Limited from a Miniratna Category-I to a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).

• Financial Growth: GRSE achieved this status after reporting a staggering 300% revenue growth, rising from ₹1,754 crore in FY22 to ₹7,002 crore in FY26.
• Navratna Autonomy: As India's 29th Navratna, GRSE can now independently invest up to ₹1,000 crore (or 15% of its net worth) per project without requiring prior government approval.

MeitY Awards IndiaAI Fellowship to 7 CU Students for AI/ML Projects
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) awarded the prestigious IndiaAI Fellowship to 7 Computer Science Engineering students from Chandigarh University (CU).

• Financial Assistance: Introduced under the IndiaAI Mission’s Future Skills pillar, the fellowship grants each recipient ₹1 lakh for their innovative AI/ML projects.
• Research Focus: The winning projects deal with high-impact areas including disaster response, traffic management, and deep-learning for real-time yoga pose correction.

Appointments & Resignations

Air India Appoints Pradeep Singh Kharola as Executive Advisor to Chairman
Pradeep Singh Kharola, the former CMD of Air India and former MoCA Secretary, has rejoined Air India as the Executive Advisor to Chairman N. Chandrasekaran.

• Strategic Role: He will serve as a full-time member of the Air India Management Committee, guiding the airline during a critical leadership transition following the announced departure of CEO Campbell Wilson.
• Previous Tenure: Kharola was intimately involved in the airline’s privatization process (2017–2019) before its successful 2022 acquisition by the Tata Group.

Obituary

Francois Englert, Nobel Laureate and Higgs Boson Theorist, Passes Away at 93
Belgian theoretical physicist Francois Englert passed away in Brussels at the age of 93. He was a foundational scientist who co-developed the theoretical framework explaining how fundamental particles acquire mass.

• Breakthrough: In the early 1960s, Englert and Robert Brout proposed that particles gain mass through a universal field (the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism).
• Recognition: He won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside British physicist Peter Higgs after their theory was experimentally confirmed by CERN in 2012.

State News

Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan Presents Revised State Budget for FY27
Kerala Chief Minister and Finance Minister V.D. Satheesan presented the revised State Budget for FY27, focusing on infrastructure, social welfare, and balanced fiscal consolidation.

• Fiscal Deficit: The FD is estimated to drop to 3.46% of the GSDP, down from 3.78% in the previous financial year.
• Key Allocations: Earmarked ₹400 crore for the Mission Samudra initiative to integrate coastlines and ports. Also allocated ₹200 crore for an Aviation Hub, ₹100 crore for a Mineral Corridor, and ₹100 crore for a Life Science City.

HP Govt Signs Agreements for 19 Hydropower Projects Worth ₹3,336 Crore
The Himachal Pradesh government, led by CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, signed implementation agreements for 19 major hydropower projects, representing a combined capacity of 278 MW and an investment of ₹3,336 crore.

• Aim: To exponentially enhance sustainable energy development and attract clean energy investment into the Himalayan region.
• Geothermal Expansion: Alongside these hydro projects, HP signed an MoU with Geo Tropi India Pvt Ltd for geothermal energy development, diversifying its green energy portfolio.

Important Days at a Glance

Current Affairs 25 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.