Current Affairs Quiz 20 June 2026

India hosts Tibetans (since 1959), Sri Lankan Tamils, Rohingya and Afghans without a refugee law. The 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol define a refugee and enshrine non-refoulement, the bar on returning a person to persecution.
India has not ratified either, citing security and demographic concerns. Article 21 (life and liberty) and Article 14 (equality) apply to all persons, not just citizens, which is the constitutional hook the judiciary uses to protect refugees.
World Refugee Day (June 20) was designated by UNGA Resolution 55/76 (2000).

The National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 5 MMT of green hydrogen a year by 2030 with about 125 GW of associated renewable capacity. Its key instrument is SIGHT (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition), which incentivises electrolyser manufacturing and hydrogen production; incentives have been awarded for 8,62,000 MTPA. Green hydrogen is made by electrolysis of water using renewable electricity, with near-zero emissions at production.
The EU CBAM taxes embedded carbon in imports, so internationally recognised certification is vital. Six states have dedicated hydrogen policies.

CERT-In (Computer Emergency Response Team) is the national nodal agency for cybersecurity incidents under the IT Act 2000, distinct from I4C, which coordinates cybercrime policing under the MHA. The Helpline 1930 and the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System link banks to freeze fraudulent transfers in the golden hour after a fraud. About 1 lakh citizens have benefited and roughly 94 lakh bank accounts were uploaded under a standard operating procedure.
The Money Restoration Module and a Grievance Redressal Mechanism were launched after a review chaired by the Home Minister.

The GI Registry is at Chennai under DPIIT (Ministry of Commerce and Industry). GIs are recognised internationally under the WTO TRIPS Agreement.
Darjeeling Tea was India’s first GI (2004). Jharkhand’s tally rose from 1 (2019) to 12, with products including Tussar Silk and Sarees, Kuchai Silk Saree, Dokra Craft, Jadopatia Painting and Munda Jewellery.
Dokra uses the lost-wax (cire perdue) technique, shared with Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. GIs protect traditional knowledge, prevent imitation and support artisan livelihoods, though branding and market access support are needed post-registration.

The four verticals are quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing and metrology, and quantum materials and devices, each anchored by Thematic Hubs. The Mission targets 50 to 1,000 physical qubits over eight years.
A dilution refrigerator uses helium isotopes to reach milli-Kelvin temperatures; the cooling to 4 Kelvin (minus 269 degrees Celsius) at Amaravati Quantum Valley is an intermediate stage. Absolute zero is 0 Kelvin (minus 273.15 degrees Celsius).
A second reference facility is planned at SRM University AP. Quantum technology has strategic implications for encryption, security and finance.

UNCLOS (1982), the constitution for the oceans, established ITLOS, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. UNCLOS defines maritime zones: 12 nm territorial sea, 24 nm contiguous zone and 200 nm EEZ, with the continental shelf extendable to 350 nm.
Beyond national jurisdiction lies the High Seas and the Area, whose resources are the common heritage of mankind, administered by the ISA. India is an ISA explorer in the Central Indian Ocean Basin. Bimal Patel, an ILC member and VC of Rashtriya Raksha University, secured 115 of 168 votes, succeeding Neeru Chadha, and takes office in October 2026.

India proposed the Day at the UNGA in September 2014; Resolution 69/131 secured a record 175 co-sponsors, and it was first observed on June 21, 2015. June 21 is the summer solstice, the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
The 11th edition (2025) was held at Visakhapatnam and the 12th (2026) at Red Road, Kolkata. The Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy) is the nodal ministry.
The Day reflects India’s ability to mainstream its cultural heritage in multilateral forums and is frequently cited as soft-power diplomacy.

The Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016 are framed under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986. The 2021 amendment banned identified single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022, and strengthened Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), under which producers, importers and brand owners must manage plastic waste.
Ladakh’s LG order prescribes Rs 10,000 for banned single-use plastic and Rs 5,000 for littering, enforced by BDOs, tehsildars and forest officials. Ladakh has been a UT without a legislature since October 31, 2019.
High-altitude ecosystems are especially vulnerable to plastic pollution.

The Takin inhabits elevations up to about 4,500 metres across the Mishmi Hills of Arunachal Pradesh, northern Myanmar and adjacent China. A goat-antelope shares features of both goats and antelopes.
IUCN Red List categories run from Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, to Extinct in the Wild and Extinct. Vulnerable means a high risk of extinction in the wild.
The sighting is biogeographically significant because it extends the documented westward presence of the species and signals reasonable habitat health in protected high-altitude forests of Sikkim.

The Rangarajan Commission on statistics recommended an apex body to oversee the statistical system, leading to the NSC in 2005. It advises the government on statistical matters, but because it is non-statutory it lacks the legal autonomy of a statutory or constitutional body.
Saibal Chattopadhyay, former Director of IIM Calcutta, was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet to chair it, succeeding Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar, with members including Madhavan Mukund. Strengthening the NSC through legislation is a recurring demand to insulate data from political pressure, especially around GDP and employment figures.

The informal dialogues let member states question candidates, increasing transparency, though the substantive decision remains with the Security Council. The next Secretary-General takes office in January 2027 for a five-year, renewable term.
There is a push for the first woman Secretary-General and for rotation favouring the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (GRULAC). Article 97 also makes the Secretary-General the chief administrative officer of the UN, while Article 99 lets the SG bring threats to peace before the Security Council.
The June 2026 session featured Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana.

The CWC is a PSU under the DFPD, while the FCI is the nodal agency for procurement, storage and distribution of foodgrains, central to the public distribution system and minimum support price operations. The system covers 215 CWC bag-based warehouses and 150 FCI warehouses, enabling real-time monitoring of grain quality and quantity.
Phosphine sensors prevent over-fumigation, and face-recognition quality checks improve accountability. Reducing storage and post-harvest losses is critical for food security, given India’s large procurement and buffer-stock operations.
The launch was at Bharat Mandapam.

The Miocene epoch spans roughly 23 to 5 million years ago. Marine fossils found far inland are evidence of shifting coastlines and sea levels over geological time, reconstructing palaeo-geography.
The Geological Survey of India (GSI), under the Ministry of Mines, identifies and notifies National Geo-heritage Monuments to conserve sites of geological importance. Such recognition aids scientific study, education and geo-tourism.
Fossil beds are non-renewable scientific archives, and their protection prevents loss to quarrying, erosion or neglect. Odisha already hosts geological features of interest, and the Baripada bed adds to India’s palaeontological record.