Telegram Restricted Under Section 69A
🗞️ Why in News The Delhi High Court (Justice Tejas Karia, vacation bench) upheld the Centre’s temporary restriction on Telegram under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000 till June 22, 2026, following a MeitY order of June 16, ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG re-exam.
Key Data
The court held that 69A blocking power can extend to an entire intermediary platform and called the measure “least restrictive,” citing the proportionality test from Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (2020). Telegram was also told to disable message-editing till June 30. Telegram-linked NCRP complaints rose from 75,688 (2023) to about 2.75 lakh (2025).
UPSC Angle
Section 69A (blocking) versus Section 79 (intermediary safe harbour); Blocking Rules 2009.
📌 Facts Corner Section 69A grounds include sovereignty, security of the State and public order; defying a 69A order carries up to 7 years imprisonment.
NEET-UG 2026 Re-Examination
🗞️ Why in News The NEET-UG 2026 re-exam is scheduled for June 21, after the original May 3 exam was cancelled on May 12 over paper-leak allegations now under a CBI probe.
Key Data
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the Indian Air Force would transport question papers. The National Testing Agency (NTA, established 2017, autonomous under the Ministry of Education) conducts NEET-UG, JEE-Main, CUET and UGC-NET.
UPSC Angle
Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024; exam-integrity governance.
📌 Facts Corner NTA was set up in 2017 as an autonomous testing body under the Ministry of Education.
UAE Bars Under-15s from Social Media
🗞️ Why in News On June 18, 2026, the UAE Cabinet, chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, barred children under 15 from creating or operating personal social-media accounts, the first Arab nation to do so.
Key Data
A 12-month transition applies; the rule covers residents and tourists; ages 15 to 16 get supervised access; AI and biometric age verification is mandatory and self-declaration is rejected. It mirrors Australia’s under-16 ban.
UPSC Angle
India’s DPDP Act, 2023 requires verifiable parental consent for under-18s, a consent model rather than a ban.
📌 Facts Corner India’s DPDP Act defines a “child” as under 18 and bars tracking and targeted ads at children.
IRDAI Working Group on AI in Insurance
🗞️ Why in News On June 18, 2026, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) set up a seven-member working group on AI in insurance.
Key Data
The group is chaired by Sandeep K. Shukla (Director, IIIT-Hyderabad), with members from CERT-In, SBI Life, Star Health, ICICI Lombard and a former ReBIT executive.
UPSC Angle
IRDAI is statutory under the IRDA Act, 1999 (established 1999), headquartered in Hyderabad; CERT-In is the national nodal cyber-incident agency under MeitY.
📌 Facts Corner IRDAI HQ is Hyderabad; CERT-In handles national cyber-incident response.
Japanese Encephalitis in Assam
🗞️ Why in News Assam reported 35 confirmed Japanese Encephalitis (JE) cases and 7 deaths in 2026 (as of June 17), with the National Health Mission clarifying that JE is distinct from the broader Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).
Key Data
AES figures stood at 470 cases and 32 deaths. The AES-JE season runs June to August. JE is mosquito-borne (Culex), with pigs and water-birds as amplifying hosts; about 62% of India’s JE deaths since 2018 have been in Assam.
UPSC Angle
JE vaccine is provided under the Universal Immunisation Programme; vector-borne disease control.
📌 Facts Corner JE vector is the Culex mosquito; pigs and water-birds are amplifying hosts.
Southwest Monsoon Stalls
🗞️ Why in News The southwest monsoon has stalled, with a 38% all-India rainfall deficit for June 1 to 17 (central India at 62% below normal), despite a May 24 onset over Kerala (the earliest since 2009).
Key Data
The IMD attributes the hiatus to five factors: an unfavourable MJO phase, a feeble Somali/Findlater Jet, weak convection, poor wind convergence and suppressed dynamics. Further advance into Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar is expected around June 23.
UPSC Angle
Monsoon mechanics, MJO modulation and the kharif sowing risk.
📌 Facts Corner Normal Kerala onset is June 1 (+/- 4 days); the MJO is the Madden-Julian Oscillation.
EPF Interest Rate Fixed at 8.25%
🗞️ Why in News The Government ratified the EPF interest rate of 8.25% for FY26, the third consecutive year at this rate, to be credited to over 7 crore members this month.
Key Data
EPFO operates under the Ministry of Labour and Employment; the rate is decided by the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the apex tripartite body chaired by the Labour Minister.
UPSC Angle
Social-security architecture; tripartite governance.
📌 Facts Corner CBT is the apex decision-making body of the EPFO, chaired by the Union Labour Minister.
RBI Deputy Governor Reappointed
🗞️ Why in News The Centre reappointed RBI Deputy Governor Swaminathan Janakiraman (former SBI Managing Director) for two years with effect from June 26, 2026.
Key Data
The RBI has one Governor and up to four Deputy Governors. (FCNR(B) refers to Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) deposits.)
UPSC Angle
RBI’s leadership structure and central-banking governance.
📌 Facts Corner The RBI is led by a Governor plus up to four Deputy Governors.
India Launches the Producer Price Index
🗞️ Why in News India launched its first Producer Price Index (PPI) on June 15, 2026, with the WPI to be phased out within about five years.
Key Data
The PPI uses a 2022-23 base, covers goods plus seven services, applies the IMF-backed double-deflator and aligns with OECD standards. Output PPI inflation was 9.4% in May 2026; the WPI excluded services.
UPSC Angle
PPI versus WPI versus CPI; double-deflator and national-accounts accuracy.
📌 Facts Corner PPI base year is 2022-23; released by the Office of the Economic Adviser, DPIIT; covers 7 services including banking and telecom.
Sixth All-India Tiger Estimation Begins
🗞️ Why in News India began its sixth All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) cycle in January 2026, with the report due in 2027.
Key Data
It builds on the 2022 count of 3,682 tigers (about 70% of global wild tigers). The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is statutory under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (created by the 2006 amendment); Project Tiger was launched in 1973. The tiger is Schedule I and IUCN Endangered.
UPSC Angle
Conservation governance; AITE as the world’s largest wildlife survey, held every 4 years.
📌 Facts Corner Project Tiger launched 1973; NTCA created by the 2006 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
NFHS-6 Nutrition Findings
🗞️ Why in News NFHS-6 (2023-24) was released on May 30, 2026, showing under-five stunting down to 29.3% but a lag in infant feeding practices.
Key Data
Severe wasting is 5.2%, institutional births 90% and full immunisation 87%, yet only about 50% of newborns are breastfed within the first hour and only 15% of 6-to-23-month-olds get an adequate diet. The nodal agency is IIPS Mumbai.
UPSC Angle
POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018), the “first 1,000 days,” and SDG-2.
📌 Facts Corner Stunting is low height-for-age (chronic); wasting is low weight-for-height (acute).
Amarnath Yatra 2026 Dates Announced
🗞️ Why in News The 2026 Amarnath Yatra will run for 57 days from July 3 to August 28 (ending on Raksha Bandhan).
Key Data
The pilgrimage uses two routes: Baltal (Ganderbal) and Nunwan-Pahalgam (Anantnag). The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB, established 2000) manages it; RFID cards are mandatory and security is heightened after the April 2025 Pahalgam attack.
UPSC Angle
SASB governance; pilgrimage and security management in J&K.
📌 Facts Corner SASB was established in 2000; the two yatra routes are Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam.
India’s Defence Decade Reviewed
🗞️ Why in News A MoD review (PIB, June 18, 2026) of 2014 to 2026 highlighted indigenous defence production of Rs 1.78 lakh crore (FY26) and exports of Rs 38,424 crore.
Key Data
Exports rose more than 5,500% over 12 years, reaching 80+ countries via 145 firms; the target is Rs 50,000 crore by 2029, with the private sector at 24% of production. Enablers include DAP 2020 (Buy Indian-IDDM), Positive Indigenisation Lists, iDEX (551 contracts by March 2026), ADITI and two Defence Industrial Corridors (UP, Tamil Nadu).
UPSC Angle
Atmanirbharta in defence; procurement reform and export strategy.
📌 Facts Corner DAP 2020 made Buy Indian-IDDM the most-preferred procurement category.
Direct Tax Collections Rise
🗞️ Why in News Net direct tax collections rose about 14.64% to Rs 5.21 lakh crore (till June 17, 2026).
Key Data
Net corporate tax was up 22% and Securities Transaction Tax (STT) up 45%. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) operates under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, statutory under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.
UPSC Angle
Direct-tax buoyancy; CBDT and fiscal administration.
📌 Facts Corner CBDT is statutory under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.
Facts Corner
📌 Facts Corner — Knowledgepedia
- Section 69A, IT Act 2000: Platform-wide blocking upheld by Delhi HC; proportionality from Anuradha Bhasin (2020).
- NTA: Established 2017; conducts NEET-UG, JEE-Main, CUET, UGC-NET.
- UAE ban: Under-15s off social media; first Arab nation; AI/biometric age check.
- IRDAI: Statutory under IRDA Act 1999; HQ Hyderabad.
- JE: Culex-borne; pigs and water-birds amplifying hosts; vaccine under UIP.
- Monsoon: 38% deficit (June 1 to 17); MJO and Somali Jet drivers.
- EPF: 8.25% for FY26; decided by CBT under Ministry of Labour and Employment.
- RBI: 1 Governor + up to 4 Deputy Governors; Swaminathan Janakiraman reappointed.
- PPI: Base 2022-23; goods + 7 services; double-deflator; replaces WPI.
- Tigers: 6th AITE begun (Jan 2026); 2022 count 3,682; Project Tiger 1973; NTCA under WPA 1972.
- NFHS-6: Stunting 29.3%; IIPS Mumbai; POSHAN Abhiyaan 2018.
- Amarnath Yatra: July 3 to Aug 28, 2026; routes Baltal and Nunwan-Pahalgam; SASB est. 2000.
- Defence: Exports Rs 38,424 crore (FY26); target Rs 50,000 crore by 2029.
- Direct tax: Net up ~14.64% to Rs 5.21 lakh crore; CBDT under Central Board of Revenue Act 1963.
Sources: The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, LiveMint
Source: Current Affairs Today — June 19, 2026 — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
