Daily Current Affairs – 24-06-2026

Tamil Nadu News

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court struck down Section 34-C of the Tamil Nadu Registration (Amendment) Act, 2025, which empowered registration authorities to prevent property registration when original documents were not produced. The judgment was delivered by a division bench comprising Justice N. Sathish Kumar and Justice M. Jothiraman. The court held that registration authorities perform only administrative and ministerial functions and that disputes relating to property title can be decided only by a competent civil court. The court observed that the provisions of Section 34-C interfere with the provisions of the Transfer of Property Act and grant adjudicatory powers to registration authorities without legal authority. The court also directed the Inspector General of Registration to prepare and publish a comprehensive list of property encumbrances in Book I, indexed survey number-wise and door number-wise, in all sub-registrar offices across Tamil Nadu through a phased process.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay will launch the Thaimaman Gold Ring Scheme on September 15, 2026, the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai (Anna). Under the scheme, a one-gram gold ring will be provided to children born in government hospitals in Tamil Nadu. The beneficiaries include children born from June 22, 2026 onwards. The scheme has been introduced to support maternal and child welfare and a Government Order (GO) has been issued for its implementation. The Tamil Nadu Government has allocated ₹755.83 crore annually for the implementation of the scheme and has directed the immediate invitation of tenders for its execution.

International News

Kunal Shah, founder of CRED, has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of WhatsApp, the messaging platform owned by Meta Platforms. He will be based at WhatsApp’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Meta has made a $900 million investment in CRED as a minority investor. India is WhatsApp’s largest market with more than 500 million active users. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a New Delhi-based economic think tank, highlighted concerns regarding the increasing presence of foreign technology companies in India’s fintech sector. According to GTRI, Walmart holds about 72% stake in PhonePe, Google owns Google Pay, and Meta operates WhatsApp Pay. Kunal Shah co-founded FreeCharge in 2010, and the company was acquired by Snapdeal in 2015 for about $400–450 million. He founded CRED in 2018 and has also invested in companies such as Razorpay, Unacademy, and Spinny.

The Telegram app was restored for use in India from June 23, 2026, after a temporary suspension imposed during the NEET re-examination for undergraduate medical admissions. The Central Government had imposed the temporary restriction from June 16 to June 22, 2026, as a precautionary measure to prevent irregularities such as question paper leaks during the examination. Following government instructions, Google removed the application from its Play Store and later restored it. The message editing feature on the Telegram app remains disabled until June 30, 2026, as directed by the Central Government.

In the 2026 Presidential Election of Colombia, the right-wing candidate Abelardo De La Espriella won the election with 49.66% of the votes. His opponent, left-wing candidate and senator Ivan Cepeda, secured 48.70% of the votes, losing by a margin of approximately 2.5 lakh votes. The election was held in Colombia, a country in South America. The newly elected president announced plans related to tax reduction, public sector reforms, and increased oil and gas production. The election took place during the presidency of President Petro. US President Donald Trump extended his congratulations to Abelardo De La Espriella following his victory.

Oman, a key strategic partner of India in the Gulf region, has assured toll-free navigation for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, following a USA–Iran understanding reached in Switzerland on implementing a memorandum of understanding. Oman and Iran have agreed to set up a joint working team to develop a framework for managing maritime navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi reaffirmed commitment to international law and toll-free safe passage after discussions with Iranian officials in Muscat. He held talks with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi regarding the Iran–US understanding, particularly related to the Strait of Hormuz. Both Iran and Oman, which share coastlines along the Strait, reiterated their commitment to ensuring safe passage while maintaining sovereignty over territorial waters. The joint working team will focus on navigation management, services, and cost structure based on international standards, and both sides agreed to consult other coastal states and relevant stakeholders.

SpaceX launched a demonstration mission to send a reusable capsule into space and recover it as part of its Starfall programme, aimed at developing capabilities in the emerging field of in-space manufacturing. Under this programme, SpaceX plans to transport products such as pharmaceutical components into space using small uncrewed capsules mounted on its Falcon 9 rocket. The capsules are designed to remain in orbit for a period before re-entering the atmosphere for recovery. The company also plans to eventually use its Starship launch system for scaling the programme. The first capsule under this initiative was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

Real estate and mortgage platform SquareYards entered the unicorn club after raising ₹900 crore ($95 million) in a mix of debt and equity led by EAAA Alternatives with participation from Muzinich & Co. The funding round will be followed by an additional $35 million in November 2025, and the company is preparing for a ₹2,000 crore Initial Public Offering (IPO). The company is also in discussions to raise another $50–60 million in the next quarter at a valuation of $1.6 billion. In FY26, SquareYards reported revenue of ₹2,086 crore (about $223 million), reflecting a 48% increase compared to the previous year. The earlier funding round was led by Smilegate Investment and other investors at a valuation of $900 million.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, announced his resignation from the posts of Prime Minister and party leader amid internal political pressure within his party. He stated that he will continue in office until a new leader is selected and in place before the reassembly of Parliament in September. The announcement was made from 10 Downing Street, where he has served as Prime Minister, marking the end of his tenure pending the leadership transition.

China has overtaken the United States in the TOP500 global supercomputer ranking (June 2026 edition) with the system named LineShine installed at the National Supercomputing Centre, Shenzhen, using domestically designed chips. The system surpassed the US supercomputer El Capitan located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is used for maintaining the US nuclear weapons stockpile. The TOP500 list is a biannual global ranking based on benchmark tests used to measure supercomputing performance. LineShine marked China’s first appearance at the top position in three years, after earlier fluctuations in rankings between China, the US, and Japan until 2023. The development comes amid increasing competition between the US and China in advanced computing and quantum computing policy initiatives, including executive actions in the United States. Reports also noted that major cloud computing firms such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google operate large-scale computing systems primarily optimized for artificial intelligence workloads but do not participate in TOP500 rankings. Studies referenced in the report indicated that some AI-focused systems, such as xAI’s Colossus, may exceed government supercomputers in performance, although TOP500 rankings are based on benchmark simulations of scientific computing tasks rather than AI-specific workloads.

National News

Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched four new initiatives of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) in New Delhi on June 23. The initiatives include Nafex.in, an agricultural e-auction platform, Drishti, an inventory management system, NAFED’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Solution, and NAFED Kalyan, a scholarship scheme for children from farming families. NAFED announced that it will allocate 1% of its profits for higher education scholarships and career development of farmers’ children. The government has also set a two-year deadline for NAFED and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) to procure pulses and oilseeds directly from farmers without intermediaries. India currently imports 6-7 million tonnes of pulses and 15-16 million tonnes of edible oils annually to meet domestic shortages.

George Kurian, a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Madhya Pradesh, resigned from his posts as Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying after the completion of his Rajya Sabha term on June 21, 2026. The 65-year-old leader from Kerala has been associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 1980. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in August 2020. Following the end of his parliamentary term, he submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, and the resignation was subsequently accepted by the President’s office.

NLC India and Indian Oil Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a joint venture company for promoting green energy projects in Tamil Nadu. The agreement aims to develop large-scale renewable energy projects including solar power, wind power, hybrid power projects, battery energy storage systems, and pumped storage power projects in the state. The partnership will also explore other business opportunities in the renewable energy sector in Tamil Nadu. NLC India, a Navratna company, is expanding its activities in the renewable and green energy sectors. Prasanna Kumar Motupalli, Chairman of NLC India, stated that the partnership marks an important step in the company’s expansion in the clean and sustainable energy sector.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on FCNR(B) (Foreign Currency Non-Resident Bank) deposits, External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs), and foreign currency swap facilities. The RBI clarified that Indian banks, including their overseas branches, can extend loans to non-residents and issue Standby Letters of Credit (SBLC) in favour of overseas lenders against FCNR(B) deposits. Banks are also permitted to provide loans to FCNR(B) account holders and mark a lien on such deposits. The RBI stated that its foreign exchange swap facility covers only the principal amount of deposits and not the interest component. Under the Commercial Banks – Interest Rate on Deposits Directions, 2025, interest rates on FCNR(B) deposits may vary based on the tenure and size of deposits. On June 5, 2026, the RBI announced measures to attract foreign capital, including bearing the full hedging cost for fresh 3-year and 5-year FCNR(B) deposits until September 30, 2026. The RBI also provides concessional foreign exchange swap facilities for External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs). According to the Foreign Exchange Management (Borrowing and Lending) (First Amendment) Regulations, 2026, ECBs can be raised for permitted periods, while only ECBs with an average maturity period of three years or more are eligible for concessional forex swap facilities.

The government has identified 315 districts as potentially affected by weak monsoon conditions, including 111 districts classified as highly vulnerable due to irrigation coverage of less than 25% of cultivable land, along with 76 medium-priority districts and 128 low-priority districts. The classification has been made in the context of preparing for a possible super El Niño in 2026, which could reduce agricultural output and increase inflation risks. Among the highly vulnerable districts are 22 districts in Maharashtra and 10 districts in Chhattisgarh. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed crop sowing progress and rainfall conditions with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, ICAR, Ministry of Rural Development, and IMD, and stated that weak monsoon conditions may continue until July 2, affecting kharif crops. The government has prepared state-wise contingency plans promoting alternative crops such as pulses, oilseeds, and coarse cereals, along with short-duration and climate-resilient crop varieties, for states including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. The Ministry of Agriculture has also established an El Niño Monitoring Cell and a Crop Weather Watch Group for real-time monitoring. The ICAR has issued guidelines recommending short-duration varieties, seed treatment, higher seed rate, and drought-resistant crops like millets, moong, urad, cowpea, and sesame depending on rainfall delay.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that the southwest monsoon entered Mumbai nearly two weeks behind schedule, crossing through Dahanu (about 150 km north of Mumbai) and extending across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and parts of Uttar Pradesh, linking with the North-East monsoon system. The monsoon advance is expected to cover Gujarat, remaining parts of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, and parts of Madhya Pradesh within 2–3 days, followed by Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh within 3–4 days. The revival is driven by a cyclonic circulation over the North and central Bay of Bengal combined with a monsoon trough extending from Rajasthan to Bihar via Uttar Pradesh, supporting moisture inflow into central and north-west India. The IMD reported widespread rainfall activity, including heavy to very heavy rain in Konkan and Goa (including Mumbai), Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Karnataka and Kerala, along with rain over Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and north interior Karnataka. Forecast models indicate possible formation of a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal in early July, which may strengthen monsoon activity. The outlook suggests better rainfall conditions for sowing in Central India during June 22–July 6, while rainfall activity may weaken in later July, particularly during July 13–20.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2026, amending the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011, to strengthen compliance requirements for organisations receiving foreign funds and to define permitted religious-category activities. The rules introduce a structured schedule listing eligible activities such as construction, renovation and maintenance of places of worship including temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, monasteries, synagogues and other religious sites, along with preservation, printing, translation and digitisation of religious scriptures, support for institutions studying religious philosophy and history, and provision of pilgrim facilities such as drinking water, sanitation and shelter. The framework also permits establishment of dharamshalas, langars, annadans and community kitchens, along with religious education, moral instruction, satsangs, spiritual discourses, meditation activities, devotional music, chants, theatre, liturgical arts, and documentation of indigenous and tribal faith practices. The rules explicitly exclude any form of proselytisation (conversion activities). Compliance provisions introduce the term “key functionary”, expanding accountability to directors, trustees, partners, office-bearers, karta of Hindu Undivided Families and persons managing organisations. Registration certificates must specify the exact purpose and geographical area of operation, and organisations must select activities only from the prescribed schedule and declare operational states or Union Territories. The MHA also revised compounding penalties under FCRA, including a penalty of ₹1 lakh or 5% of excess administrative expenditure beyond 20% of foreign contributions, whichever is higher, for violations under Section 8.

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar paid homage to the victims of the 1985 Air India ‘Kanishka’ (Flight 182) bombing and reaffirmed India’s commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms. A commemoration ceremony marking the 41st anniversary of the attack was held at Canada House in New Delhi, where Canada’s High Commissioner to India Christopher Cooter and Ireland’s Deputy Ambassador Raymond Mullen also paid tribute to the victims. Senior officials from the Government of India attended the event. The bombing was referred to as a significant incident in the history of Canada, and solidarity was expressed with the families of the victims.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Chairman and Managing Director (Sanjay Kumar Jain) resigned from his post, and the resignation was accepted by the Ministry of Railways on June 23, 2026, according to PTI reports. He will continue in office until July 20, 2026. He had joined IRCTC as CMD in February 2024 and served the organisation for more than two years. The development relates to administrative changes in the leadership of IRCTC, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways.

The Adani Group has opened its captive Mundra Airport for scheduled commercial flight operations under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, enabling air services to four destinations. The airline Star Air, owned by the Sanjay Ghodawat Group, began operations from Mundra Airport from Tuesday. The four cities connected through regular flights are Mumbai, Goa, Surat, and Hindon (Delhi NCR), marking the start of scheduled regional air connectivity services from the airport.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), in collaboration with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), has expanded Urban River Management Plans (URMP) across the Ganga Basin under the Namami Gange Programme supported by the Jal Shakti Ministry. According to the ministry, URMPs have been completed for 13 cities, while plans are under preparation for 27 cities in Phase-I and 33 cities in Phase-II, covering a total of around 60 cities. The initiative aims to integrate river health with urban planning through pollution control, flood management, wetland restoration, riverfront development, and citizen participation. The NMCG and NIUA are also facilitating implementation of selected interventions identified under URMPs, focusing on nature-based solutions, ecological restoration, innovative technologies, and community-centric approaches for urban river management.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is set to launch the Index of Services Production (ISP) in July as a monthly short-term indicator to measure changes in the growth of the formal services sector. The ISP will function as a counterpart to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), with 2024–25 as the base year. Trial monthly indices for 2025–26 and April 2026 are scheduled for release on the 14th of next month, followed by regular monthly releases around the 29th day with a 60-day lag. The ISP is designed to measure changes in the real output of service-producing industries and will serve as a high-frequency economic indicator supporting economic forecasting and business cycle analysis. The services sector has contributed over 50% of Gross Value Added (GVA) since 2013–14, highlighting the need for a dedicated short-term measurement index for policy planning.

The Vice President of India, C P Radhakrishnan, released the book titled “V.I.P. Culture in India: Power, Privilege and Distance from Democracy” in New Delhi. The book examines the gap between institutions of power and citizens and highlights the need for people-centric governance. It reflects India’s democratic identity and reaffirms constitutional values of justice, equality, and liberty. The book links contemporary democratic challenges with India’s democratic traditions and emphasizes public office as responsibility rather than privilege. It also references governance examples involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including delaying departure to facilitate NEET students, and the removal of red beacon lights for dignitaries, highlighting citizen-centric administration. The book also draws references from India’s civilisational and intellectual traditions such as the Upanishads, Ramcharitmanas, teachings of Lord Buddha, and Panchatantra, and highlights public service values of leaders including former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. It emphasizes equality before law, citizen dignity, humility, and responsible public service as core democratic values.

Personalities, Awards and Events

President Droupadi Murmu presented Padma Awards to 65 awardees at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, in 2026. The Padma Awards 2026, announced in January 2026, included 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards, with a total of 131 awardees. The ceremony was attended by Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. P. Narayanan and former Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas received the Padma Vibhushan. Vijay Amritraj, Mammootty, Mylaanandhan (SKM Group founder), Vellappally Natesan, Dattatreyudu Nori, Shibu Soren, and Alka Yagnik received the Padma Bhushan. The Padma Shri awardees included IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti, Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam, Rajasthapathi Kaliappa Gounder, Thangaraj, Chandramouli Kadamanugu, R.V.S. Mani, Kalamandalam Vimala Menon, Punyamurthy Nadesan, K. Ramasamy, R. Madhavan, Ranjani and Gayatri, and Rohit Sharma.

Sports News

Defending champions Argentina, along with France and Norway, advanced to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In a match held at Dallas, United States, Argentina defeated Austria by 2-0, with Lionel Messi scoring both goals. With these goals, Lionel Messi became the highest goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history, scoring 18 goals in 28 matches. He surpassed the previous record of 16 goals in 24 matches held by Miroslav Klose of Germany. Messi has scored 5 goals in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including three goals in the first match and two goals against Austria. He also set a record for participating in the highest number of winning matches in World Cup history, recording 18 victories in 28 matches.

Economy News

The Deloitte GST@9 Survey, based on responses from 1,096 business leaders across eight sectors including MSMEs, reported that Goods and Services Tax (GST) has achieved near-universal acceptance as it enters its 10th year. More than 99% of respondents expressed positive or neutral views, while negative sentiment declined from 10% in 2022 and 5% in 2025 to nearly zero. GST, introduced on July 1, 2017, recorded major achievements in compliance digitisation (69%), automation of tax processes (54%), and the stabilisation of e-invoicing and e-way bill systems (48%). The survey found strong support for AI-based data processing and reconciliation (89%), automatic tax utilisation on the GST portal (84%), and a unified taxpayer dashboard (53%). Major challenges identified include refund delays (77%), working capital optimisation (67%), audit-related issues (65%), and Input Tax Credit (ITC) disputes (57%). Respondents also supported centralised audits (72%), allowing Reverse Charge Mechanism (RCM) payments through ITC (70%), and further simplification of the GST rate structure (64%).