🗞️ Why in News A round-up of the most exam-relevant developments of June 13, 2026, for rapid revision. Each item below is covered in depth in its own article in today’s edition.
Security and Defence
First Women NDA Cadets Commissioned at the IMA
President Droupadi Murmu reviewed the passing-out parade of the 158th Regular Course and 141st Technical Graduates Course at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. For the first time since the IMA’s founding in 1932, women officer cadets who entered the armed forces through the National Defence Academy were commissioned as Lieutenants in the Indian Army, completing a journey that began with the Supreme Court’s 2021 order opening the NDA to women.
Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth Named the Next Army Chief
The government approved Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth as the next Chief of Army Staff. He will assume charge on June 30, 2026, succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi, and will be the 31st COAS. Commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986, he is the first armoured-branch officer to head the Army in nearly three decades.
International Relations
BRICS Adopts the Indore Declaration on Agriculture
The 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, held in Indore on June 12-13, 2026 under India’s BRICS Chairship, adopted the farmer-centric Indore Declaration on food security, climate-resilient agriculture and digital farming. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired the meeting, which launched four new cooperation platforms, including a BRICS network on digital agriculture.
PM Modi to Make First-Ever Indian PM Visit to Slovakia
Ahead of a June 14-16 visit, the government confirmed PM Modi will become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Slovakia since the country’s independence in 1993. The visit deepens India’s engagement with Central Europe and runs alongside the India-EU free trade negotiations.
Reports, Schemes and Society
ICMR-Gates Foundation Launch Anaemia Grand Challenge
The Indian Council of Medical Research and the Gates Foundation launched a Grand Challenge offering grants of up to Rs 1 crore for affordable, iron-rich food prototypes to combat anaemia, which affects nearly half of India’s adolescent girls and women of reproductive age. Applications are open until July 3, 2026.
Odisha Announces Free Education From KG to PG
On the completion of two years of its government, Odisha announced free education from kindergarten to postgraduate level across all government institutions, positioning itself as the first state to span the full education ladder. The 2026-27 education allocation is about Rs 42,565 crore, roughly 13.7 percent of the state budget.
Facts Corner
📌 Facts Corner — Knowledgepedia
Defence:
- IMA founded 1932, Dehradun; women admitted to the NDA after the Supreme Court’s 2021 order
- Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth: 31st Chief of Army Staff from June 30, 2026; Armoured Corps
Diplomacy and agriculture:
- Indore Declaration: outcome of the 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, June 12-13, 2026
- PM Modi’s Slovakia visit (June 14-16): first by an Indian PM; Slovakia independent since 1993, capital Bratislava
Health and education:
- ICMR-Gates anaemia challenge: grants up to Rs 1 crore; anaemia affects about 50 percent of women of reproductive age
- Odisha free education KG to PG; education budget about Rs 42,565 crore (13.7 percent of state budget)
Anniversary watch:
- June 14: World Blood Donor Day, on the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner (ABO blood groups, Nobel 1930)
Source: Current Affairs Today — June 13, 2026 — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
