Daily Current Affairs – 29-06-2026

National News

Rural Internal Audit Portal Launched

Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the Rural Internal Audit Portal during the Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Sammelan in New Delhi ahead of the implementation of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) from July 1. The AI-enabled portal is a unified digital platform for managing risk-based and compliance audits of rural development schemes. It aims to improve transparency, accountability, and technology-driven governance by replacing the paper-based internal audit system with a data-driven digital management system. The Union Minister also stated that the revamped MGNREGA proposes to increase the maximum employment period from 100 days to 125 days.

Nalanda University Revives Shastrarth Tradition

During Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated Nalanda University for reviving the ancient Indian tradition of Shastrarth, a system of scholarly debate on scriptures and philosophy. The tradition, once followed in the ancient Nalanda and Vikramashila Universities, was revived through Shastrarth 2026, organised before the University's third Convocation. The event included 23 thematic Shastrarth panels and introduced two awards: Nalanda Shastrartha Sammana for teachers and Nalanda Shastrartha Puraskara for students to recognise excellence in scholarly dialogue. Nalanda University, located at Rajgir, Nalanda district, Bihar, organised the programme on May 17–18, 2026.

Priority Intervention for Tiger Reserves

To mark 18 years of tiger reintroduction at Sariska Tiger Reserve, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav released the reports "Roadmap for Active Tiger Management" and "Learnings from Tiger Reintroductions" at Alwar, Rajasthan. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change identified 25 of India's 58 Tiger Reserves as potential recipient sites requiring priority science-based interventions because they have very low tiger populations, no tigers, or low prey abundance. Sariska Tiger Reserve, which currently has 56 tigers, lost all its tigers in the mid-2000s due to poaching and habitat loss and became the first reserve where tigers were reintroduced through translocation from another reserve. Since 2008, India has undertaken scientifically planned tiger recovery interventions in 12 Tiger Reserves, including Sariska, Panna, Sanjay Dubri, Mukundara Hills, Satkosia, Veerangana Durgavati, Rajaji, Ramgarh Vishdhari, Navegaon-Nagzira, Madhav, Sahyadri, and Similipal. The report identified Satkosia (Odisha), Kawal (Telangana), Dampa, Kamlang, and Buxa (West Bengal) as reserves with zero tigers, while Bandipur, Kanha, Ranthambore, and Corbett were identified as reserves with healthy tiger density, prey base, and habitat.

PM Family Care Tracker Pilot Project

Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah launched the PM Family Care Tracker as a pilot project for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha Constituency in Gujarat. The project aims to coordinate various aspects of a child's development and identify any gaps in developmental progress or service delivery. The PM Family Care Tracker integrates 16 welfare schemes to ensure that eligible beneficiaries are not deprived of government benefits. The launch event was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Health Minister Praful Pansheriya, and senior Health Department officials.

Justice P.S. Narasimha Joins Supreme Court Collegium

Justice P.S. Narasimha has been inducted into the Supreme Court Collegium following the retirement of Justice J.K. Maheshwari on June 29, 2026. Justice Maheshwari retired after serving as a Supreme Court Judge for about five years. Justice P.S. Narasimha, the 5th senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court, will remain a member of the Collegium until his retirement on May 2, 2028. The Supreme Court Collegium now comprises Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice B.V. Nagarathna, Justice M.M. Sundresh, and Justice P.S. Narasimha. The Collegium recommends the appointment, transfer, and promotion of judges in the Supreme Court and High Courts to the Central Government.

International News

Indian Army at Seychelles’ 50th National Day

An Indian Army marching contingent will participate in the 50th National Day celebrations of Seychelles, marking the Golden Jubilee of the country's Independence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the event as the Guest of Honour. The Indian Army contingent consists of 32 personnel from the Assam Regiment and is led by Captain Aryan H. Deolekar. An Indian Navy marching contingent, accompanied by a military band, will also take part in the ceremonial parade. The event highlights the strategic partnership between India and Seychelles in the areas of defence cooperation, development assistance, maritime security, culture, and trade.

Israel Approves Armenian Genocide Recognition

The Israeli Cabinet has unanimously approved a proposal to recognise the violence committed against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide. The proposal still requires approval from the Israeli Parliament. The decision comes amid deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey. Turkey criticised the decision and reiterated its opposition to the recognition of the 1915 Armenian massacres as genocide. According to historians, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

India’s Self-Reliance in Defence Sector

During Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India's progress in self-reliance in the defence and aerospace sectors. He noted that INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak, and INS Agray were inducted into the Indian Navy, and all three warships were designed and manufactured in India. He also stated that the made-in-India C-295 transport aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight and that 40 of the 56 C-295 aircraft being procured by the Indian Air Force will be manufactured in India, supporting the MSME and aerospace sectors.

States’ News

Chhattisgarh’s Model Carbon Agriculture District

The Dhamtari District Administration in Chhattisgarh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the climate-technology organisation PRITHU to establish Dhamtari as the state's first Model Carbon Agriculture District. The initiative aims to generate international carbon credits and provide an estimated ₹250 crore in additional income to local farmers. The project includes a Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Enhancement Project to restore 80,000 hectares of farmland in two phases and an Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) Paddy Project covering 30,000 hectares to reduce water use and methane emissions without affecting crop yield. PRITHU will invest ₹5 crore over the next three years to support farmer training, skill development, and the creation of green-collar jobs for rural youth.

Andhra Pradesh’s First Greenfield Airport

Bhogapuram International Airport, developed by the GMR Group near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, is expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the third week of July. It will be the first Greenfield Airport in Andhra Pradesh. The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) has permitted the airport to collect a User Development Fee (UDF) of ₹835 for departing domestic passengers and ₹355 for arriving domestic passengers, while international passengers will pay ₹1,255 on departure and ₹545 on arrival. The airport is located about 50 km from Visakhapatnam, and the government is developing connecting roads to improve passenger and cargo connectivity. In January, an Air India flight from Delhi successfully landed at Bhogapuram International Airport as part of a trial run.

Sports News

Ben Stokes Announces International Retirement

England Test captain Ben Stokes has announced that he will retire from international cricket after the third Test against New Zealand. The announcement was made during the ongoing Test match at Trent Bridge. Stokes ends a 15-year international career, during which he played 122 Test matches, including 44 as England's Test captain, 114 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 43 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). He played a key role in England's victory in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and was also a member of the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup-winning England team. Along with coach Brendon McCullum, Stokes introduced the aggressive "Bazball" style of cricket in the England Test team.