Daily Current Affairs (10 – Jun – 26)
1. ECONOMIC THREAT OF EL NIÑO TO INDIA –
• As India faces a delayed southwest monsoon and an emerging El Niño condition in the equatorial Pacific, meteorologists and historians are drawing uneasy parallels to the catastrophic Great Famine of 1876–78.
• With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a below-normal monsoon, this climate anomaly serves as a stark reminder of how deeply ocean-atmosphere disruptions can trigger economic crises.
Summary
• El Niño and a likely below-normal monsoon in 2026 could weaken agricultural output, increase food inflation, reduce rural incomes, and pose risks to India’s economic growth and livelihood security.
• India must strengthen climate resilience through drought-resistant agriculture, efficient irrigation, restoration of traditional water bodies, heat action plans, and ecosystem-based adaptation to mitigate future climate shocks.
What are the Economic Implications of El Niño for India?
• Monsoon Deficit: El Niño typically weakens the easterly trade winds, which disrupts global atmospheric circulation and suppresses India’s Southwest Monsoon.
• Because nearly 70% of India’s annual rainfall occurs during this season, a deficit immediately threatens the country’s primary water source for agriculture, reservoir replenishment, and groundwater recharge.
Agricultural Shock:
• Crop Failures: Around half of India’s net sown area is rain-fed. A delayed or deficient monsoon severely impacts the sowing and yield of crucial Kharif crops like rice, cotton, soybeans, and pulses.
• Surging Input Costs: To compensate for the lack of rain, farmers are forced to extract groundwater.
• This leads to a sharp spike in input costs, primarily for the diesel and electricity required to run irrigation pumps.
2. PROVISIONAL ESTIMATES OF GDP FOR FY 2025-26 –
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the provisional estimates of national income, revealing that India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth accelerated to 7.7% in the financial year 2025-26, up from 7.1% in FY 2024-25.
• Headline Economic Growth: India’s real GDP grew at 7.7% for the full fiscal year 2025-26, higher than the 7.6% estimate released in February 2026.
• However, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has projected GDP growth to moderate to 6.6% in FY 2026-27, due to downside risks arising from the geopolitical crisis in West Asia and expectations of a lower-than-normal monsoon.
Sectoral Performance Heterogeneity:
• Manufacturing Powerhouse: The manufacturing sector expanded by 10.7% in FY26 (compared to 9.3% in FY25).
• Services Boom: The contact-intensive sector comprising trade, repair, hotels, transport, and communication quickened to an 11% growth rate in FY26 from 6.6% in the previous fiscal.
• Agricultural Deceleration: Highlighting structural climate vulnerability, agriculture and allied sectors slowed down to 3% growth in FY26 from 4.2% in FY25.
3. INDIA TOPS WORLD YOGASANA CHAMPIONSHIP 2026 MEDAL TABLE WITH RECORD 114 MEDALS –
• India emerged as the champion at the inaugural World Yogasana Championship 2026. As India finished at the first position of the medal tally with the extraordinary efforts and grabs the 114 medals which includes the 102 gold medals. It was held at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad from June 4 to June 8 and this championship brought together the 522 athletes from 79 countries.
India Tops World Yogasana Championship
• The inaugural World Yogasana Championship was concluded as India delivered the most dominant performances seen at the international sporting event.
• While competing across the multiple age groups and disciplines, the Indian contingent secured the,
A. 102 Gold Medals
B. 9 Silver Medals
C. 3 Bronze Medals
• With the total of 114 medals, India finished far ahead of every other participating nation and underlining the its expertise and long-standing tradition in yoga and Yogasana.
4. BONN CLIMATE CONFERENCE 2026: HEALTH ALLIANCE URGES $120 BILLION ADAPTATION FINANCE GOAL BY 2035 –
• The Bonn Climate Conference 2026 (SB64) kicked off with the renewed calls for the stronger climate action and increased financial support for the vulnerable nations. Several health experts and climate advocates have urged the governments to triple a public adaptation finance to at least $120 billion by the year 2035 and warned that the inadequate funding could weaken the health systems and increase climate-related risks.
Health Groups Seek Major Increase in Adaptation Finance
• The Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) has called on the governments to significantly increase the public and grant-based adaptation finance.
• The alliance argues that the current global adaptation funding target is insufficient to meet the growing challenges posed by the climate change.
• It has proposed the raising adaptation finance to at least $120 billion annually by the year 2035 which is nearly three times the existing target which was established at COP26.
• According to the health advocates increased adaptation funding is essential to protect the vulnerable populations from the worsening impacts of the climate change.
5. INDIA RECORDS SURPRISE CURRENT ACCOUNT SURPLUS OF $7.1 BILLION IN Q4 FY26 –
India’s Current Account Surplus in Q4
• As per the latest RBI data, India have posted the current account surplus of $7.1 billion during the period of January-March 2026 (Q4 of FY26).
• This marks significant turnaround from the current account deficit of the $13.2 billion or 1.3% of GDP from the previous quarter.
• The surplus represented the 0.7% of GDP and exceeded market expectations and reflected the strong performance in India’s invisible trade components such as services exports and remittances.
What is the Current Account?
• The current account is the key component of the country’s Balance of Payments (BoP) and records transactions involving the,
• Exports and imports of goods
• Exports and imports of services
• Income from the investments
• Remittances and transfers
MCQ Quiz
Q1. Which state government has launched‘Project Ganga’ to ensure last-mile digital connectivity in rural areas ?
a) Uttarakhand
b) Uttar Pradesh
c) Madhya Pradesh
d) Gujarat
Q2. Recently , a 250 MW Solar Power Project with Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) has been approved in which city of Uttar Pradesh ?
a) Sitapur
b) Prayagraj
c) Jhansi
d) Kanpur
Q3. Which country won the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 ?
a) Bangladesh
b) Nepal
c) India
d) Sri Lanka
Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the findings of the SIPRI Yearbook 2026:
• All nine recognized nuclear-armed states are actively modernizing and expanding their nuclear arsenals.
• India officially holds the highest number of deployed nuclear warheads among South Asian countries.
• According to the report, India remains the world’s second-largest arms importer.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2, and 3
Explanation-
• Statement 1 is correct: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2026 highlights that all nine nuclear-armed states (the USA, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel) are actively modernizing and expanding their nuclear arsenals, increasingly relying on nuclear weapons as instruments of national power.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: While India’s total estimated nuclear warhead inventory reached roughly 190, the report notes that China possesses the largest deployed assets in the region with 34 deployed warheads. Furthermore, out of India’s 190 warheads, only 12 are kept in a deployed operational state.
• Statement 3 is correct: The SIPRI data identifies India as the second-largest arms importer globally (accounting for over $92.1 billion in military spending and around 8.2% of global arms imports), positioned only behind Ukraine.
Q5. Consider the following statements about the PM E-DRIVE (Prime Minister Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement) Scheme:
• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented by the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
• It features an e-Voucher system for Aadhaar-authenticated digital subsidy disbursement to ensure transparency.
• The scheme provides incentives for the procurement of electric buses as well as electric trucks linked to the scrapping of old diesel vehicles.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2, and 3
Explanation-
• Statement 1 is incorrect: The PM E-DRIVE Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme, not a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. In a Central Sector Scheme, the entire funding is borne by the Government of India. It is implemented by the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
• Statement 2 is correct: To promote transparency and prevent the misuse of subsidies, the scheme introduces an e-Voucher system. These are Aadhaar-authenticated digital vouchers used to disburse demand incentives directly.
• Statement 3 is correct: The scheme supports the deployment of over 14,000 electric buses in major cities. It also incentivizes electric trucks up to ₹9.6 lakh per vehicle, provided the incentive is linked to the scrapping of old diesel trucks.