1. International Day of Yoga 2026 Observed with Theme "Yoga for Healthy Ageing"
Why in News?
The 12th International Day of Yoga (IDY) was observed globally on 21 June 2026, the Summer Solstice, with the Prime Minister leading the main national event at Red Road, Kolkata, in partnership with the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY).
Key Points
Theme 2026: "Yoga for Healthy Ageing", focusing on yoga's role in promoting mobility, cognitive health, and social connectedness among ageing populations.
The day commemorates the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/131 (adopted 11 December 2014), proposed by India following PM Modi's UNGA address on 27 September 2014.
A record 177 countries co-sponsored the original UN resolution.
21 June was chosen for its dual significance — the Summer Solstice (longest day in the Northern Hemisphere) and the yogic tradition associating the date with Adiyogi (Lord Shiva) beginning to impart yoga knowledge to the Saptarishis.
Nodal Ministry: Ministry of AYUSH; the 25-day countdown to IDY 2026 was launched at the Khajuraho group of monuments.
Indian Army, Navy and Air Force organised yoga sessions across high-altitude and remote military establishments.
Static Knowledge
Yoga was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.
The first IDY (2015) set two Guinness World Records at Rajpath, New Delhi, with over 35,985 participants performing 21 asanas.
Ministry of AYUSH was created in 2014; AYUSH stands for Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination on 21 June 2026 for over 2.2 million aspirants, nearly seven weeks after the original 3 May 2026 exam was cancelled following alleged paper-leak irregularities.
Key Points
Exam timing: 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM; candidates eligible for compensatory time permitted till 6:20 PM.
Indian Air Force airlifted question papers to 18 locations across the country as part of security arrangements.
A nationwide mock drill was held a day earlier to test CCTV systems, jammers, frisking protocols, and biometric verification.
Around 40–50 security personnel deployed per centre; bank branches and postal teams coordinated transport of confidential material and OMR sheets.
Conducted under the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test framework for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and allied undergraduate medical courses across India.
Static Knowledge
NTA was established in 2017 as an autonomous testing organisation under the Ministry of Education.
NEET (UG) is conducted under provisions including Section 10D of the Indian Medical Council Act and Section 14 of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020.
3. Indian Coast Guard Inducts First Indigenous Hovercraft H-561
Why in News?
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) inducted its first indigenously built Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV/hovercraft), H-561, into service at Goa, marking a milestone under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative in defence manufacturing.
Key Points
Built by Chowgule & Company Private Limited under a Ministry of Defence contract signed in October 2024 for a series of six hovercraft.
H-561 operates on a cushion of air, allowing it to traverse water, mudflats, marshes, sandbanks and shallow coastal regions inaccessible to conventional vessels.
Key roles: coastal surveillance, anti-smuggling and anti-infiltration operations, search and rescue, and rapid interception in shallow/marshy zones such as the Sundarbans and Gujarat creeks.
Reflects growing indigenous capability of Indian shipyards in advanced maritime platform construction.
Static Knowledge
Indian Coast Guard was established in 1978 under the Coast Guard Act, 1978; functions under the Ministry of Defence.
India has a coastline exceeding 7,500 km.
4. RBI Temporarily Withdraws Interest Rate Ceiling on FCNR(B) and NRE Deposits
Why in News?
The Reserve Bank of India issued the RBI (Commercial Banks – Interest Rate on Deposits) Amendment Directions, 2026, effective 17 June 2026, temporarily withdrawing rate ceilings on select NRI deposit schemes to boost foreign currency inflows.
Key Points
Interest rate ceiling on fresh FCNR(B) deposits of 3–5 year tenors withdrawn till 30 September 2026.
Restriction on NRE deposit rates (3 years and above tenor) also withdrawn for the same period; applies to fresh and renewed deposits.
Earlier FCNR(B) ceiling: Overnight Alternative Reference Rate (ARR)/swap rate + 350 basis points for 3–5 year tenors; deposits of 1–3 years continue under ARR + 250 bps ceiling.
Transfers from NRO to NRE accounts are excluded from this exemption.
Issued under Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949; applicable to both commercial and small finance banks.
Aim: mobilise additional forex resources, ease rupee pressure, and attract NRI capital amid global volatility.
Static Knowledge
FCNR(B): Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) account, deposits held in foreign currency.
NRO: Non-Resident Ordinary account, used for India-sourced income, not fully repatriable.
RBI regulates deposit interest rates under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
5. Bimal N. Patel Elected Judge of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)
Why in News?
Indian jurist Bimal N. Patel was elected as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for a nine-year term spanning 2026 to 2035.
Key Points
ITLOS comprises 21 judges; no two judges may be nationals of the same country.
One-third of the bench (7 judges) is elected every three years to ensure continuity.
ITLOS, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, adjudicates disputes arising from the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982.
The election strengthens India's voice in maritime law and Indo-Pacific governance frameworks.
Static Knowledge
UNCLOS, 1982, also called the "Constitution of the Oceans," entered into force in 1994.
India ratified UNCLOS in 1995.
ITLOS was established under Annex VI of UNCLOS.
6. WEF Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2026 Released
Why in News?
The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2026, benchmarking 120 countries on progress towards secure, equitable and sustainable energy systems.
Key Points
Sweden retained the top rank for the third consecutive year, followed by Finland and Denmark; advanced economies held 14 of the top 20 positions.
Only 24% of assessed countries improved simultaneously across all three dimensions — security, equity, and sustainability.
Global clean-energy investment hit a record $2.3 trillion, yet overall transition readiness declined for the first time in over a decade due to rising geopolitical risks.
Total global energy investment reached $3.3 trillion in 2025; renewables and nuclear together generated 42% of electricity, adding nearly 800 GW of capacity.
India recorded one of the largest gains in transition readiness, climbing two places to rank 70th, with its score improving by 1.9%.
India's low-carbon jobs grew by 24% in 2024.
Static Knowledge
WEF is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and also publishes the Global Competitiveness Report and Global Gender Gap Report.
India's installed renewable energy capacity target: 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 (updated NDC commitment).
7. Supreme Court Declares Right to Walk Safely a Fundamental Right
Why in News?
The Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark ruling declaring that the right to walk on safe, demarcated footpaths constitutes a fundamental right.
Key Points
The judgment links pedestrian safety and urban infrastructure to the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Directs civic and urban local bodies to ensure footpath continuity, encroachment-free pavements, and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.
Expands the jurisprudence on Article 21 to include urban mobility and public-space safety as integral to a dignified life.
Static Knowledge
Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees Protection of Life and Personal Liberty.
Article 21 has been judicially expanded to include rights to clean environment, livelihood, privacy, and now pedestrian safety.
8. India-EU FTA and India-UK CETA: Trade Agreement Updates
Why in News?
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains (17 June 2026), stated that the long-pending India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would be signed by end-2026. Separately, India and the UK confirmed 15 July 2026 as the entry-into-force date for their Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
Key Points
The India-UK CETA rollout had been delayed over a dispute on UK steel-import duties, now resolved.
The India-EU FTA negotiations have been ongoing for over a decade, covering goods, services, investment, and sustainability standards.
Both agreements are significant for India's trade diversification strategy amid global tariff uncertainty.
Static Knowledge
CETA = Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
India's other major FTAs include those with UAE (CEPA, 2022) and Australia (ECTA, 2022).
9. NIUA Celebrates Golden Jubilee; Parliamentary Panel Flags Governance Gaps
Why in News?
The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is celebrating its Golden Jubilee (50 years) under the theme "Resilient Urban India @2047." Separately, a Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee tabled its 379th–381st reports to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, flagging gaps in social-sector and education governance.
Key Points
NIUA, established in 1976 under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, is India's premier urban-sector think tank.
Parliamentary panel flagged: inadequate 7.5-hour day-care provision at Anganwadi-cum-Crèches (AWCCs) for full-time/shift working women; technical hurdles in Single Nodal Agency (SNA)/SNA-SPARSH disbursement; delayed Utilisation Certificates stalling Centrally Sponsored Scheme funds.
Only 12 of 20 promised Institutions of Eminence (IoE) have been notified eight years after the scheme's launch.
Delays in publishing the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) have left three years of data unpublished.
Static Knowledge
Institutions of Eminence Scheme was launched in 2017 under the UGC (Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities) Regulations.
AISHE is conducted by the Ministry of Education.
Prelims Practice MCQs
The theme of International Day of Yoga 2026 is?
International Day of Yoga is observed under which UN General Assembly Resolution?
Which Indian jurist was recently elected as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)?
ITLOS, headquartered in Hamburg, was established under which instrument?
As per the WEF Energy Transition Index 2026, India's rank improved to which position?
Which country topped the WEF Energy Transition Index 2026 for the third consecutive year?
The RBI's 2026 Amendment Directions temporarily withdrew interest rate ceilings on which deposit schemes?
Under which Act/Section did the RBI issue its 2026 Amendment Directions on deposit interest rates?
H-561, recently inducted into the Indian Coast Guard, is a type of which vessel?
The Indian Coast Guard was established under which legislation?
The Supreme Court's recent ruling on pedestrian safety links the right to walk on safe footpaths to which Article of the Constitution?
The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is set to enter into force on?
NIUA, celebrating its Golden Jubilee in 2026, functions under which ministry?
NEET (UG) 2026 is conducted by which agency?
The Institutions of Eminence Scheme, under which only 12 of 20 promised institutions have been notified so far, was launched in which year?