_______________________ *TODAYS TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS* --------------------------------------- 1. Minister of State for Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh announced that Central government employees covered under the Unified Pension Scheme will now be eligible for retirement and death gratuity benefits. 2. The Election Commission has decided to fast track Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) delivery to the electors. Now the electors will get EPICs within 15 days of update in the electoral rolls. 3. The Government will introduce a FASTag-based Annual Pass priced at three thousand rupees from 15th August this year which will enable seamless and cost-effective travel across National Highways throughout the country. 4. Three months after President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla has sought Rs 1,000 crore from the Central government as a special assistance grant for the state in the backdrop of the ethnic violence which broke out over two years ago, adversely affecting the state’s economic activity and revenue collection. 5. The Government of India has launched the DhartiAaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan, a massive tribal empowerment drive aimed at delivering welfare benefits to nearly one lakh tribal villages. This largest-ever saturation campaign, spearheaded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. 6. The Miss Meghalaya Organisation, under the aegis of the Meghalaya Tourism Youth Development Society (MTYDS), has proudly announced Chaivalry Lartang as the winner of Miss Universe Meghalaya 2025. She will now represent the state at the prestigious Miss Universe India 2025 pageant. 7. With effect from July 1, 2025, the Central Government has named Ms. Anuradha Thakur, a senior IAS officer, the first woman Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) succeeding Ajay Seth. Also she has been added as a SEBI member. 8. Valluru Kranthi, a 2016-batch IAS officer, assumed charge as the managing director of the Telangana Tourism Development Corporation (TGTDC). --------------------------------------- *LEGAL REPORT* --------------------------------------- Thirty seven individuals from six states were arrested by the Cybercrime wing of the Hyderabad police during an out-of-state operations conducted between March 9 and June 14. The coordinated crackdown resulted in refunds totalling to over ₹14.5 crore to victims across India, as investigators unravelled a wide web of cybercrime syndicates. The arrested suspects were involved in at least 178 cases nationwide, with 74 of them registered in Telangana. ------- *MISHAPS*------------ At least 208 victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad have so far been identified through DNA matching, and 173 bodies have been handed over to their families. --------------------------------------- *FINANCE* --------------------------------------- *INDIAN RUPEE VALUE* *USD* ₹ 85 (Approx) 💷 *GBP* ₹115(Approx) € *Euro* : ₹ 96 Approx) *🇨🇳 China Yuan ¥* : ₹ 12 🇦🇪 *UAE Dirham* : ₹ 23 🇵🇰 *Pak Rupee* : ₹ 0.30 🇧🇹 *Bhutan ngultrum* : ₹ 1.00 🇧🇩 *B'desh Taka** : ₹ 0.70 🇱🇰 *Sri Lanka Rupee* : ₹ 0.28 🇳🇵 *Nepal Rupee* : ₹ 0.62 🇲🇻 *Maldives Rufiya* : ₹ 5.52 --------------------------------------- *BSE SENSEX* 81,444.66 −138.64 (0.17%)🔻 *NIFTY* 24,812.05 −41.35 (0.17%)🔻 --------------------------------------- *Rates in Financial Capital Mumbai* *GOLD* : ₹ 100,500/ 10gm (24 krt) *SILVER* : ₹ 1,10,000/KG 1. India’s defence sector is projected to experience robust revenue growth of 15-17% in FY2026, according to a report by the Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency (ICRA).This surge is primarily attributed to strong execution progress, underpinned by a healthy order book and an order book to operating income (OB/OI) ratio of 4.4 times at the end of FY2025. 2. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has developed the Supervisory Data Quality Index (sDQI) to assess the quality of data submitted by Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs). This index evaluates banks based on four crucial parameters: #accuracy #timeliness #completeness #consistency 3. Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has inaugurated India’s largest in-plant automobile railway siding at its Manesar facility in Haryana. Developed with an investment of ₹452 crore, the project is aligned with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and aims to significantly cut carbon emissions and fuel consumption by enhancing rail-based vehicle dispatch. 4. Reliance Infrastructure, led by Anil Ambani, has announced a significant partnership between its subsidiary Reliance Aerostructure Limited and French aerospace major Dassault Aviation to manufacture Falcon-2000 business jets in India. --------------------------------------- *ENTERTAINMENT NEWS* --------------------------------------- 1. Actor turned politician Kangana Ranaut has been named the Brand Ambassador of the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, which will be held from September 27 to October 5 this year. This is the 12th edition of the sporting event and touted as the largest para sport event ever held in India. 2. Desi Oon, an animation film by filmmaker Suresh Eriyat, has brought international acclaim to Indian animation by winning the Jury Award for Best Commissioned Film at the Annecy International Animation Festival 2025 in France. The Film was recently crowned Best Film at the World Audio, Video and Entertainment Summit -WAVES 2025 which was held in Mumbai. 3. The evergreen Telugu romantic drama Ye Maaya Chesave, starring Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, is all set for a grand re-release on July 18, 2025, marking 15 years since it first hit the screens. --------------------------------------- *DEFENCE News* --------------------------------------- 1. The Indian Navy has significantly enhanced its coastal defence and anti-submarine warfare capabilities with the commissioning of INS Arnala, the nation’s first indigenously designed and built Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), on June 18, 2025, at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. 2. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to equip its Su-30MKI and Jaguar fighter jets with SAAW missiles developed by the DRDO. These missiles are capable of hitting targets over 100 kilometres away. The Defence Ministry is expected to take up the proposal soon, as the focus on long-range precision weapons continues to grow. 3. The Indian Army contingent departed yesterday to participate in 8th edition of the biennial India-French Joint Military Exercise SHAKTI. The exercise will be conducted at Camp Larzac, La Cavalerie, France from 18th June 2025 to 1st July 2025. 4. India launches Operation Sindhu to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran. 5. Hyderabad-based Raghu Vamsi Aerospace Group marked a significant milestone for India’s aerospace sector by unveiling a fully indigenous 40 KGF micro turbojet engine at the 55th International Paris Air Show, held from June 16 to 22, 2025.This engine, developed specifically for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and cruise missiles. --------------------------------------- ✈ *INTERNATIONAL NEWS* --------------------------------------- 1. India and Canada have agreed to reinstate their High Commissioners and restore full diplomatic ties, marking a significant breakthrough after nearly two years of strained relations. 2. The Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4), a landmark private spaceflight carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, and Poland to the International Space Station (ISS), has been rescheduled for launch no earlier than June 22, 2025.This mission, led by Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA, SpaceX, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the 51st G7 Summit held in Kananaskis, Canada, where they reaffirmed the strong and growing friendship between India and Italy. 4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan held a significant meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, reaffirming the strong commitment of both nations to deepen their bilateral relationship across a wide range of sectors. 5. PM Modi Meets South Korean President Lee Jae-myung Leader On G7 Sidelines In Canada. 6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a 35-minute phone call with US President Donald Trump, declined Trump’s invitation to visit the United States, citing prior commitments and a pre-existing schedule. The invitation was extended for a stopover in Washington as Modi was returning from the G7 Summit in Canada. Instead, PM Modi invited President Trump to visit India for the upcoming Quad Summit, likely to be held later this year, an invitation which Trump accepted and expressed eagerness to attend. 7. Indian transporters at the Fulbari border crossing, near Siliguri, decided to block the passage of boulders from Bhutan to Bangladesh. The move comes as the allege that Bangladesh has opted to purchase stone exclusively from Bhutan for the past three months, rather than from Indian suppliers. --------------------------------------- 🌎 *WORLD NEWS* 🌍 --------------------------------------- 1. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has officially confirmed that two critical Iranian centrifuge production facilities—the TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center—were struck in recent Israeli airstrikes. Both sites had been under IAEA monitoring and verification as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 2. Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, delivered a comprehensive address highlighting serious concerns about ongoing human rights violations in China, specifically in Tibet and Xinjiang. 3. The Bonn Climate Change Conference 2025, held from June 16–26 in Germany, gathers over 5,000 global delegates to discuss climate adaptation, finance, and implementation strategies under the UNFCCC, shaping outcomes ahead of COP30. --------------------------------------- 🚣🚴🏇🏊 *SPORTS* --------------------------------------- 1. Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team flew off from Bengaluru to take part in the prestigious 4 Nations Tournament in Germany, starting from the 21st of this month. Led by Captain Araijeet Singh Hundal. 2. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the Men’s Selection Committee has added Harshit Rana to India’s squad for the first Test in Leeds against England. Rana, who was a part of the India A squad, has linked up with the team as India begin preparations for the first Test. Shubman Gill led side is set to play a five-match Test series against England beginning at Headingley in Leeds on Friday. 3. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the full schedule for the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, set to be played from 30th September to 2nd of November in India and Sri Lanka. 4. The Hockey India Masters Cup for men and women kicks off yesterday in Chennai. This 10-day tournament, hosted by the Tamil Nadu Hockey Unit, features men in the 40 age group and women over 35. Twelve men’s teams and eight women’s teams are taking part in the event. -------------------------------------- 🌄 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 *FACTS ABOUT INDIA* 🇮🇳 =======================  The Mars Orbiter Mission, also called Mangalyaan, is a space probe orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. It was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Indian Space Research Organization built the Mangalyaan satellite in-house with local technologies instead of outsourcing production or purchasing more expensive foreign components =======================