1 Seychelles honoured PM Modi with the country’s highest environmental honour ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded Seychelles’ highest honor, “Guardian of the Blue Horizon .” Seychelles President Patrick Hermione presented the honor to him for his contributions to environmental protection, sustainable development, and the promotion of the Blue Economy. This honor reflects the importance Seychelles attaches to India’s growing role in capacity building, environmental protection, sustainable development initiatives, and advancing shared priorities in the Indian Ocean region. Prime Minister Modi has previously received several international honors in the fields of sustainable development and environmental protection. These include the United Nations’ “Champion of the Earth” award , the Seoul Peace Prize , and the Agricola Medal of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . Prime Minister Modi has received over 30 prestigious international honors . These include the highest civilian honors, academic honors, and environmental honors conferred by various countries and international organizations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Seychelles President Dr. Patrick Herminy on Sunday . During the meeting, several MoUs were signed between the two countries. India and Seychelles exchanged Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to discuss agriculture, the Exim Bank, outer space exploration, and the new Seychelles National Hospital . Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Seychelles President Dr. Patrick Herminy held delegation-level talks at State House in Victoria. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations in detail, as well as regional and global challenges such as security in the Indian Ocean region, illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and piracy. Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s commitment to Seychelles’ development priorities and said that India is fully committed to further strengthening the long-standing trust and partnership between the two countries. The two leaders also unveiled a joint commemorative logo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Seychelles. This was followed by the exchange of several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) related to capacity building, UPI , health, agriculture, shipping, space, extradition, and lines of credit. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India announced a line of credit of Rs 1,250 crore to Seychelles . Several new development initiatives were also announced in the areas of food security, infrastructure, health, vocational training, maritime security, and defense. Seychelles also announced its joining the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the National Assembly of the island nation of Seychelles on Sunday . This marked the PM’s 20th address to a foreign parliament . He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to address the Seychelles Parliament. He said, “India has a 50-year-old relationship with Seychelles. He added that Seychelles has love for Indians. India has a loving relationship with Seychelles, and both countries are partners.” Regarding the Prime Minister’s addresses on foreign soil, the record was set in 2014. After assuming office in 2014 , he first addressed the parliaments of Bhutan, Nepal, Australia, and Fiji . The series continued the following year, and in 2015, he addressed the National Assembly of Mauritius, the parliaments of Sri Lanka, Mongolia, the United Kingdom, and Afghanistan. In 2016, the PM addressed the US Congress, and in 2023, he will again address a joint session of the US Congress. With this, he became the first Indian Prime Minister to address a joint session of the US Congress twice. Among these significant occasions, he also addressed the parliaments of Uganda in 2018, the Maldives in 2019, and Guyana in 2024. This journey continued in 2025, when Prime Minister Modi addressed the national parliaments of Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Namibia during his visits in July. Subsequently, in December, he addressed a joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament, reflecting India’s growing engagement with Africa and the Global South. On February 25, 2026, Prime Minister Modi made history by addressing the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, during his state visit to Jerusalem, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to do so. He also became the first Indian Prime Minister to do so in the Seychelles.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the pilot project of PM Family Care Tracker in Gandhinagar, Gujarat . This integrated digital platform will track the health, nutrition, and education of beneficiaries from pregnancy to age 18 using a unique ID linked to the birth registration number or Abha ID . During the event, Mr. Shah released health passports for children. Following the event, he flagged off electric buses under the first phase of the PM e-Bus service in Gandhinagar.
Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) is an open platform that allows students and teachers across the country to access high- quality curriculum -relevant digital educational content in multiple languages . It is a key component of the Ministry of Education’s PM e-Vidya initiative, which aims to continue learning through online means . DIKSHA is described as the country’s “One Nation, One Digital Platform” for school education. Launched in 2017, it is run by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in collaboration with the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET). DIKSHA can be customized to suit individual needs and has been widely adopted by various boards in almost all states and union territories. It provides a complete digital educational content for K-12 (kindergarten to grade 12), covering everything from basic literacy and numeracy (FLN) to senior secondary education.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ashok Vaswani has decided to step down from his position (and not seek reappointment) upon completion of his three-year term. His three-year term ends on December 31, 2026. On June 27, the bank announced that he had taken this decision due to personal reasons, and the board had accepted it. Vaswani assumed office on January 1, 2024, for a three-year term. He was appointed to the position after billionaire banker Uday Kotak resigned in September 2023. Ashok Vaswani has over 35 years of experience in global financial services across retail, consumer, corporate, and payments businesses . Before joining Kotak Bank, he was President of Pagaya Technologies. He has held several senior leadership roles at Citigroup and Barclays throughout his career. Vaswani is a commerce graduate and a Chartered Accountant (CA) and Company Secretary (CS). Currently, apart from Vaswani, Kotak Bank’s senior leadership includes three full-time directors – Anup Kumar Saha, Jaideep Hansraj and Paritosh Kashyap.
On June 27th , Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Bharat Taxi service in Gujarat . This is India’s first zero-commission ride-hailing platform , where drivers pay only a membership fee and retain the entire fare. In the first phase, it has been launched in 14 major cities of Gujarat . Bharat Taxi has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Cooperation and the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), with the theme “Sarathi Hi Malik.” The platform will offer cab, auto, and bike taxi services. Drivers are also planned to benefit from cooperative benefits like insurance, loans, and pensions.
8 First successful jet landing using satellite-based navigation
On June 27 , the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) successfully landed a jet aircraft for the first time using the indigenous GAGAN system . GAGAN stands for GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation . This system is completely manufactured in India. IndiGo’s Airbus A320 aircraft was used in this test. The GAGAN system was jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) . This system helps in safer and more precise landing of aircraft by increasing the accuracy of GPS signals. This will facilitate safe landing at small and remote airports and will increase India’s indigenous technological self-reliance in the aviation sector.
9 Mention of ‘Hargila Bird’ in Mann Ki Baat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 135th episode of his radio programme ‘ Mann Ki Baat ‘, paid tribute to the rare bird of Assam ‘Hargila’ (Greater Adjutant Stork). , and its conservation. He explained that there was a time when this bird was considered inauspicious in some areas of Assam, but efforts to change people’s mindset have now made it a village symbol. The Hargila is one of the world’s rarest and largest stork species. Its name, derived from the Sanskrit words “had” (bone) and “gila” (to swallow), means “bone-swallowing bird.” It is primarily found in Assam, India, and parts of Cambodia. Assam alone accounts for approximately 80 percent of this bird’s global population. The Hargila is a carnivorous and scavenger bird. It acts as a natural scavenger by consuming carrion, dead animals, and garbage. Additionally, it also plays an important role in keeping the ecosystem around wetlands and reservoirs clean and balanced.
10 Ansi Sojan breaks national record in long jump
On June 27 , Indian athlete Ansi Sojan broke Anju Bobby George’s 20-year-old national record in the long jump . Sojan achieved this feat at the 2026 Inter-State Athletics Championships held in Bhubaneswar . Ansi Sojan won the gold medal with a jump of 6.85 meters . The previous record held by Anju Bobby George was 6.83 meters, set at the 2004 Athens Olympics . Ansi hails from Kerala . Her father, an auto-rickshaw driver, was an athlete himself. In addition to representing the country in sports, she also serves as a Chief Petty Officer in the Indian Navy . also serves as
11 Ethan Vaz becomes India’s 96th Chess Grandmaster
On June 27 , Goa ‘s Ethan Vaz became India’s 96th Grandmaster . Ethan achieved this feat at just 14 years old . Ethan completed his third and final Grandmaster norm at the Grandmaster Mix tournament held in Bosnia and Herzegovina . Ethan is Goa’s second Grandmaster after Leon Mendonca. Ethan won three medals, including two gold, at the 2026 Commonwealth Chess Championship.
12 Lionel Messi became the first player to score in seven consecutive FIFA World Cup matches.
Argentine footballer Lionel Messi has created a new record in the FIFA World Cup . He has become the first player in the world to score goals in seven consecutive matches . Argentina defeated Jordan 3-1 in their last match of Group J. Messi scored a goal from a free-kick in the 80th minute. With this, his number of goals in the World Cup has reached 19. Messi is the highest goal scorer in this World Cup so far with six goals. France’s Kylian Mbappé, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Norway’s Erling Haaland are two goals behind him.