1 The United Nations declared 2026 as the International Year of Women Farmers
The United Nations General Assembly officially declared 2026 as the ‘ International Year of Women Farmers ‘. It aims to bring women’s participation and challenges in agriculture to the global stage. This is especially important for countries like India, where about 80% of economically active women are engaged in agriculture, but only 8.3% of women own land. Women contribute to about 50% of global food production. In developing countries, women produce 60–80% of food.
2 FASTag based annual pass costing ₹3,000 will be introduced from August 15: Nitin Gadkari
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced a major change in the toll tax rule . This is expected to provide great relief to the general public. In this regard, the Union Minister has announced through ex-post that “FASTag based annual pass costing ₹ 3,000 is being introduced from 15 August 2025. This pass will be valid for one year from the date of activation or up to 200 trips , whichever is earlier.” This pass has been specially designed only for non-commercial private vehicles (cars, jeeps, vans etc.) and will make seamless travel possible on national highways across the country.
3 US President Donald Trump accepts PM Modi’s invitation for Quad Summit
US President Donald Trump will soon visit India. In fact, US President Donald Trump has accepted the invitation for the Quad Summit during a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi . Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri gave this information on Wednesday. The summit of Quad leaders is to be held in India this year. Quad is a group of four countries, which includes Australia, India, America and Japan . This organization was formed by four countries with the aim of strengthening maritime security. Nearly two decades ago, the idea of Quad started with a shared response to the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Today Quad stands as an important force for stability, progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
4 Iran launches Operation True Promise 3 against Israel
In a significant escalation in the Iran-Israel conflict , Iran has launched “ Operation True Promise 3 ”, a series of missile attacks on Israeli infrastructure for the third consecutive day . The operation, conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is seen as a direct response to Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear and military installations. It has used new strategic weapons such as AI-based missile systems and decoy saturation.
5 Centre approves Rs 2,006 crore for Himachal Pradesh to recover from floods and landslides
A high-level committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday approved Rs 2006.40 crore as central assistance to Himachal Pradesh for the recovery and reconstruction scheme in the aftermath of floods, landslides and cloudbursts of 2023. The committee comprising Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog considered the proposal for financial assistance to the state from the recovery and reconstruction funding window under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). According to the Home Ministry, the recovery scheme will help the state in recovery and reconstruction activities due to damage and destruction caused by floods, cloudbursts and landslides during the 2023 monsoon. Out of Rs 2006.40 crore, Rs 1504.80 crore will be the Centre’s share from the recovery and reconstruction funding window under the National Disaster Response Fund. Earlier, the Home Ministry had approved additional financial assistance of Rs 633.73 crore from the NDRF on December 12, 2023 for relief work to Himachal Pradesh affected by this disaster. Actually, this additional assistance is in addition to the amount released by the Center to the states in the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), which is already with the states. At the same time, during the financial year 2024-25, the Central Government has released Rs 20,264.40 crore to 28 states under SDRF and Rs 5,160.76 crore to 19 states under NDRF. Apart from this, Rs 4984.25 crore has also been released to 19 states from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and Rs 719.72 crore to 8 states from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF).
6 Jury Honour for filmmaker Suresh Ariyat’s animation film Desi Oon
Filmmaker Suresh Eriyat ‘s animation film Desi Oon has brought international acclaim to Indian animation by winning the Jury Honour for the Best Commissioned Film at the Annecy International Animation Festival 2025 in France . The film was recently awarded the Best Film at the World Audio, Video and Entertainment Summit-Waves 2025 held in Mumbai . Waves is India’s leading platform for animation and design under the Create in India Challenge. Apart from the Annecy honour, the film has also been selected for the Cannes Lions 2025 in the Film Craft Lions category. This is a landmark achievement for India’s animation industry.
7 Asian Development Bank announced an economic package of $ 2.3 billion for Nepal
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Nepal for the year 2025-2029 , which talks of providing concessional economic assistance of $2.3 billion . Nepal is going to move from the category of least developed countries to the category of developing countries. In view of this situation, a strategy has been formulated by the Asian Development Bank to provide economic assistance to Nepal in a new way.
8 OpenAI receives $200 million AI contract from US Department of Defense
OpenAI , the maker of ChatGPT , has been awarded a $200 million (roughly ₹1,670 crores) contract by the US Department of Defense . The contract is aimed at developing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools for national security and military operations . The deal, announced by the Pentagon on June 16, 2025, will run until July 2026 and will primarily operate around Washington D.C.
9 RBI hikes agency commission for banks on government transactions
With an aim to enhance efficiency in government banking services , the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised the agency commission rates paid to banks for handling government-related transactions . This revised framework will be effective from April 1, 2025 and includes increased commissions on electronic transactions, pension disbursements, and non-pension government payments. It is aimed at encouraging digital management of government funds and motivating banks in this direction. Key changes in agency commission:
| Service | Old Rate | New rate (from 1 April 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Receipts and Payments (Electronic Mode) | ₹9 per transaction | ₹12 per transaction |
| Revenue Receipts and Payments (Physical Mode) | ₹40 per transaction | no changes |
| Pension Payments (Central/State Government) | ₹75 per transaction | ₹80 per transaction |
| Other government payments (non-pension) | 6.5 paise per ₹100 turnover | 7 paise per ₹100 turnover |
10 TCS joins hands with CEB to streamline financial operations
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has partnered with the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) , based in Paris , to make the bank’s complex financial transactions more efficient and transparent. Under this collaboration, TCS will implement its AI-powered reconciliation system ‘TCS BaNCS™ for Reconciliations’, which will help automate and modernise CEB’s reconciliation processes.
11 Ankita Raina wins 32nd doubles title with Elise Robbe at Guimaraes ITF
India’s tennis star Ankita Raina along with France’s Alice Robe won the doubles title of the $40,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament held in Guimaraes, Portugal on 15 June 2025. The fourth seeded pair made a brilliant comeback to beat third seeded Japanese pair Hiromi Abe and Kanako Morisaki 1-6, 6-4, [10-8] in a thrilling match. This victory is Ankita Raina’s third doubles title win of the 2025 season and the 32nd doubles trophy of her career.
12 Armand Duplantis breaks the pole vault world record for the 12th time
Sweden’s pole vault star Armand Duplantis has created history once again when he broke his own world record with a massive jump of 6.28m during the Diamond League meet held in Stockholm on 15 June 2025. He achieved this feat in his very first attempt, and this is the 12th time Duplantis has set a new world record in pole vault.
13 Sustainable Gastronomy Day 2025: June 18
Gastronomy, often called the art of food , is not just limited to cooking. It reflects the cultural identity and traditional culinary heritage of a region. Whether it is street food in Bangkok or a traditional stew from Morocco — gastronomy tells the story of a place and its people. The United Nations General Assembly declared June 18 as “ Sustainable Gastronomy Day ”, which was adopted on 21 December 2016 under resolution A/RES/71/246.
14 Renowned environmentalist, wildlife expert and Padma Shri Maruti Chitampally passed away at the age of 93
Renowned environmentalist, wildlife expert and Padma Shri Maruti Chitampally passed away at the age of 93 in Solapur, Maharashtra due to age-related ailments. He was also known as ‘ Aranya Rishi ‘. He dedicated his life to forest, wildlife and literature conservation. Chitampally was awarded the Padma Shri by the President on April 30 this year . Chitampally travelled more than five lakh kilometres across the country for research and documentation during his 36 years of service in the Forest Department. He was fluent in 13 languages, using his linguistic skills to connect with tribal communities and collect valuable ecological and environmental data. His diaries laid the foundation for his scientific works like ‘Pakshikosh’, ‘Pashukosh’ and ‘Matsyakosh’.