1 During his Seychelles visit, Prime Minister Modi presented a tortoise to the President and a Toda shawl to the Speaker.
Seychelles President Hermini presented an example of the craftsmanship of Moradabad artisans . This artistic tortoise, crafted from the famous brass craftsmanship of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, symbolizes India’s exquisite handicraft tradition. Prime Minister Modi presented a Toda-embroidered shawl to Speaker of the Parliament Azareel Ernesta . Made with traditional embroidery by the Toda tribe living in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu , this shawl features vibrant red and black designs on white cotton fabric. Crafted using a unique hand-embroidered technique called ‘pukhur,’ this shawl symbolizes the cultural identity, tradition, and handicraft skills of the Toda community. Seychelles Vice President Sebastian Pillai was gifted an orchid painting from Sikkim, one of the Seven Sisters . This captivating painting depicts India’s national bird, the peacock, amidst orchid flowers and floral vines. Prime Minister Modi presented President Hermini’s wife and Seychelles First Lady Veronique Hermini with a Maheshwari silk stole and a beautiful box of Bidri crafts . Crafted from the renowned Maheshwari weaving tradition of Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh, this silk stole is known for its light weight, attractive design, and exquisite craftsmanship. The second gift was a box crafted from the famous Bidri metal art of Bidar in Karnataka, renowned for its intricate silver inlay work on black metal. Kanchivaram (Kanjeevaram) silk is a special identity of Tamil Nadu in South India . Prime Minister Modi gifted Kanchivaram silk fabric to the Second Lady, Leena Pillai, wife of Vice President Sebastian Pillai .
At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi , Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan will pay an official visit to New Delhi from July 1-3, 2026, for the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit . According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the summit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review and strengthen the full range of mutual cooperation, as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. In February 2026, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on her victory in the House of Representatives elections. This will be Prime Minister Takaichi’s first official visit to India. Prior to this, Prime Minister Modi visited Japan in August 2025, where he attended the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit.
3 General Dheeraj Seth assumed charge as the 31st Chief of Army Staff
The 1.2 million strong Indian Army has got a new Army Chief. General Dheeraj Seth took over as the Chief of Army Staff on Tuesday . After the completion of General Upendra Dwivedi’s tenure, he handed over the command of the Army to General Dheeraj Seth in an official ceremony. General Dheeraj Seth has previously served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff. He assumed the charge of the Vice Chief of Army Staff on April 1, 2026. After nearly 28 years, the Indian Army has got an Army Chief from the Armored Corps. Earlier, in the year 1997, General Shankar Roy Choudhary of 20 Lancers had retired from the post of Army Chief.
The Ministry of Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Google India to strengthen the digital promotion of India’s tourist destinations . The MoU was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The MoU establishes a framework for collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Google India in key areas such as digital tourism promotion, knowledge sharing, capacity building, and the use of emerging technologies to enhance tourist engagement. The partnership will leverage Google’s expertise in the digital ecosystem to strengthen the visibility of India’s tourist destinations, experiences, and cultural heritage among domestic and international travelers. This collaboration is non-commercial, non-binding, and non-exclusive, and will have no financial impact on either party.
The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) is a revolutionary digital platform of the Ministry of Education and regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) . It is designed to support every learner in their educational journey. It provides a digital platform for storing, managing, transferring, and using academic credits earned by students from recognized educational institutions. The APAAR (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) ID is a unique 12-digit student identification number linked to the ABC system . Launched under the ” One Nation, One Student ID ” initiative, the APAAR ID creates a single academic identity for every learner. Accessible through DigiLocker, this feature brings together a student’s academic records from school, higher education, skill development, and other learning programs on a single platform. The APAAR ID can be generated through the nearest Common Service Center (CSC), making it available even in remote and underserved areas. By June 2026, 26.30 crore verified APAAR IDs have been created across India.
The Central Government has extended the tenure of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Ravi Agrawal for six months . The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his reappointment on Tuesday. He will now serve as the Chairman of CBDT on contract basis from July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Ravi Agrawal, a 1988 batch officer of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), was appointed as the Chairman of CBDT in June 2024, succeeding Nitin Gupta. Under his leadership, special emphasis has been laid on digitisation of direct tax administration, strengthening tax compliance and providing better services to taxpayers.
On June 30 , HDFC Bank appointed Rajiv Kumar as its part-time chairman . Rajiv Kumar will replace former chairman Atanu Chakraborty. Rajiv has served as the country’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). Rajiv was the Finance Secretary of the Government of India in September 2020. Rajiv has held several important positions related to banking, insurance, pension and financial sectors. Rajiv has also been a member of the boards and committees of various institutions including RBI, SBI, NABARD. As the 25th Chief Election Commissioner of India, Rajiv is known for successfully conducting free and fair elections.
On May 29th , Meta -owned WhatsApp announced the launch of the username feature. With this feature, users will be able to chat using their usernames without revealing their mobile numbers . Until now, providing your mobile number was required to chat with someone new on WhatsApp. But that will no longer be the case. The company also began booking usernames worldwide on Monday. However, this feature won’t be available to all users at once. It will be gradually rolled out to all countries over the coming months. Users will receive a notification within WhatsApp when this feature becomes available in their respective region. Millions of users worldwide can choose the same or similar usernames. Therefore, those who reserve their usernames first will have a higher chance of receiving the one they desire.
9 Hul Diwas is being celebrated in Jharkhand in memory of tribal revolutionaries.
Hul Day is celebrated annually on June 30th in Jharkhand . This day commemorates the sacrifice of tribal revolutionaries Sidho-Kanho, Chand-Bhairav, and Phool-Jhano . It also commemorates the historic Santhal Rebellion of 1855 , which is considered India’s first tribal freedom struggle.
10 Nine Years of GST: Simplifying Taxation, Building a Stronger India
The launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, 2017, marked a historic milestone in India’s tax reform journey. The principle of “one nation, one tax” has now become a reality, helping India move towards a unified tax system. GST has significantly transformed India’s indirect tax system by introducing a unified tax structure, replacing fragmented central and state taxes. This has helped create a common national market and support the vision of “one nation, one tax.” Since its implementation in 2017, GST has evolved through continuous reforms, digital systems, and stronger central-state coordination. The next-generation GST reforms in 2025 further simplified the structure through lower rates, exemptions, and easier procedures.
Streamlined rate structure : The tax structure has been primarily reformed into two slabs: 5 percent and 18 percent .
Tax on luxury and harmful goods : To help maintain revenue balance while ensuring a fair tax structure, a 40 percent tax rate has been introduced on luxury and harmful goods. This includes lottery/online gaming, tobacco, carbonated beverages, highly expensive cars, yachts, and private aircraft.
11 International Day of Parliamentarism
International Parliamentarian Day is celebrated every year on June 30. The United Nations General Assembly officially recognized this day in 2018. This date was chosen to commemorate the establishment of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1889 , the world’s oldest global organization of national parliaments. India, the world’s largest democracy, is an active member of the IPU and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). India’s CPA India Region comprises 32 parliamentary and legislative branches. After the Africa Region, India has the largest number of member branches in the CPA. The CPA India Region is divided into nine administrative zones. Its objective is to strengthen parliamentary democracy, good governance, dialogue, and legislative cooperation. International Parliamentarian Day highlights the role of parliaments around the world, the importance of democratic values, and representation. It also provides an important opportunity to strengthen UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.7—”Accountable, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making at all levels.”