Current Affairs Review: June 18th, 2026

Flashcards covering Indian current affairs, economic updates, technology launches, and international environmental/sports milestones from mid-June 2026.

NRE and FCNR(B) deposits

Types of Non-Resident accounts for which the RBI temporarily removed the interest rate ceiling until September 30, 2026, specifically for deposits with a duration of 3 to 5 years.

Deronix

An open-source blockchain platform and digital laboratory launched by NPCI, based on Hyperledger Fabric, which serves as the successor to the Falcon initiative.

Card on File Tokenization (COFT)

A security process supported by the Deronix platform that replaces sensitive card details with a secure 'token'.

Galeries Lafayette Nice Masséna

The prominent department store in Nice, France, where India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was launched in collaboration with Lyra Collect.

Har Ghar Investor

A nation-wide campaign launched by the National Commodity and Derivative Exchange (NCDX) in Guwahati with the vision of 'Equity for Bharat'.

Rain Mumbai

The world's first rainfall futures contract launched by NCDX in collaboration with IMD and IIT Bombay.

Senior Unsecured Bonds

Financial instruments through which HDFC Bank raised $750$ million in Gift City; 'senior' status grants holders preference during interest payments or liquidation.

IIT Delhi

The top-ranked university in India according to the QS World University Rankings 2027, holding a global rank of 118.

New Development Bank (NDB)

A Shanghai-headquartered institution, also known as the BRICS Bank, which recently inducted Uzbekistan as its 10th member.

Bonn Challenge

A global effort launched in 2011 to restore degraded and deforested land; India restored $21.76$ million hectares between 2011 and 2020 under this framework.

She-Box 2.0

A portal launched under Mission Shakti by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to provide a single-window platform for workplace sexual harassment complaints.

Shibal Chattopadhyay

The individual appointed as the new Chairperson of the National Statistical Commission (NSC).

Nimbus and nScore

Digital lending architectures used in the partnership between Yes Bank and Northern Arc Capital for credit origination and data-based risk assessment.

Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM)

A bilateral framework adopted by India and Japan under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement to promote low-carbon technology and achieve climate targets.

Money Restoration Module (MRM)

A portal launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs through i4C that enables victims of cyber fraud to apply for the return of recovered frozen funds.

National Green Hydrogen Mission

A mission under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy that aims for an annual production target of $5$ million metric tonnes of green hydrogen.

Sea King MK 42B

An Indian Navy helicopter fleet known as the 'Flying Frigates' that was decommissioned after 36 years of service; operated by the INAS 330 (Harpoons) squadron.

JK 250E

An unmanned aerial system (drone) designed for intelligence and surveillance, delivered by DrogO Aerospace to the Indian Army's Southern Command.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

Observed on June 17, 2026, with the theme 'Range Lands: Recognize, Respect, Restore'.

Nasha Mukt Bharat Week

A 10-day campaign launched by Union Minister Virendra Kumar with the theme 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, Viksit Bharat ki Pehchan'.

Sarinda

A traditional bowed string musical instrument from Tripura, handcrafted from a single block of wood, which recently received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

High Energy Medical Cyclotron

A $\text{₹}300$ crore project in Nagpur approved by the Maharashtra Cabinet for cancer diagnosis, research, and the production of radioisotopes.

World Crocodile Day

Observed annually on June 17 to raise awareness for crocodile conservation; the 2026 theme was 'Legacy in Every Scale'.

Usutu virus

A mosquito-borne virus, primarily carried by the Culex pipiens mosquito, which was detected for the first time in Scotland in blackbirds.

Yoga Park Portal

An initiative by the Ministry of Ayush to transform public parks into community wellness hubs for yoga and meditation.

Exercise Pitch Black

A biennial multinational air combat exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in the Northern Territory.

Sarpreet Singh

The first player of Indian origin to start a FIFA World Cup match, representing New Zealand.

Jagannath Temple, Puri

The first temple in India to secure a trademark registration for its name and associated identity.

Prix Versailles

An international awards program for architecture and design which featured Navi Mumbai International Airport and Guwahati Airport Terminal 2 in its 2026 list.

Tunnelhood Technology

Engineering technology deployed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project to reduce 'tunnel boom' noise and pressure waves.

Paraquat

A highly toxic synthetic herbicide banned by Telangana, making it the third state in India to do so after Kerala and Odisha.

Sarvam AI

An Indian AI startup that reached unicorn status after securing approximately $\$1.5$ billion in funding to develop localized AI models.