Daily Current Affairs - 15 June 2026

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) will hold the first meeting of SARTHI (Strategic Advisory and Reforms Taskforce for Holistic ITI Transformation) on June 12, 2026, at Vigyan Bhavan, chaired by Minister Shri Jayant Chaudhary. It aims to reform the network of 13,888 ITIs under the Craftsmen Training Scheme. Discussions will cover curriculum, assessment, industry linkages, women’s participation, instructor development, and quality frameworks. SARTHI seeks better Centre-State coordination and alignment with evolving industry needs.

Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated DST-funded Central Instrumentation Facility and three research clusters (Advanced Materials, Energy, and Healthcare & MedTech) at IIT Gandhinagar. Nearly 70 industries joined as founding partners. The Minister stressed translational research, industry-academia collaboration, and moving beyond publications to societal solutions. He highlighted ANRF, National Quantum Mission, and ₹1 lakh crore RDI initiative. The facilities will support national priorities like semiconductors. He also released a booklet on top research achievements.

• The Income Tax Department and PwC India hosted a webinar on June 9, 2026, titled “Decoding the new Income-tax Act, 2025: International Tax and Transfer Pricing Aspects.” Over 1,100 participants from 16 countries attended.
• Officials including Ms. Monica Bhatia, discussed transition to the new Act and Rules 2026, Advance Pricing Agreements, Safe Harbour provisions, and cross-border cooperation. Presentations covered key reforms compared to the 1961 Act. The interactive session received positive feedback, with participants seeking more such engagements for clarity on international taxation.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved Ancat Holding GmbH’s acquisition of 29.06% shareholding in PUMA SE through a secondary purchase. Ancat is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of ANTA Sports. ANTA engages in sports footwear, apparel, and accessories. PUMA is a global sportswear company involved in design, marketing, and sales of athletic products. The approval clears the combination with no significant competition concerns in India.

Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw virtually inaugurated a 20 kW Akashvani FM Transmitter at Ramgarh, Jaisalmer, increasing Rajasthan’s FM transmitters to 39. It will provide coverage to border areas spanning 20,000 sq km. The Minister called for a “Digital First” and “Hyper-Local” approach in broadcasting, integrating local talent. He also mentioned the upcoming AI Data Centre in Jaipur. Prasar Bharati Chairman Prasoon Joshi emphasised Akashvani’s societal role in information dissemination.

• The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) organised a Scientific Conclave in Haridwar on IP 2026 to strengthen pharmaceutical quality and compliance. In collaboration with Uttarakhand industry associations, the event promoted awareness of updated standards, reference substances, and quality systems.
• Dr. V. Kalaiselvan highlighted IP’s role in global leadership. Discussions covered microbiological requirements, analytical methods, and regulatory aspects. The conclave provided handholding support to manufacturers, fostering collaboration between regulators, industry, and scientists for quality-assured medicines.

A detailed study of Type IIP supernova SN 2023zcu, discovered in 2023 in galaxy NGC 2139 (90.7 million light-years away), enhances understanding of cosmic distance scales. Using the Expanding Photospheric Method, researchers from ARIES estimated its distance at 27 Mpc. The progenitor star was about 12 solar masses with typical explosion energy. Observations across rise, plateau, and nebular phases reveal minimal pre-explosion mass loss and element formation. The research, published in The Astrophysical Journal, improves knowledge of core-collapse supernovae dynamics.

• Avtaar.ai, supported by the IndiaAI Mission, launched Varya, a distilled video generation model that reduces creation steps from 50 to 4, making it up to 10x more cost-efficient. Priced at ₹0.48 per second, it generates culturally relevant videos for education, e-commerce, and storytelling across India’s diverse contexts.
• The model enables simple text-to-video conversion and supports population-scale accessibility. Union Secretary S. Krishnan and Avtaar CEO Sravanth Aluru highlighted its role in building indigenous, affordable AI capabilities for inclusive innovation in India.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will host the Global Wind Day 2026 Conference on June 15 in Goa, themed “Wind Energy: From Ambition to Acceleration.” Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi will lead discussions on achieving 100 GW by 2030 and 155 GW by 2035. Focus areas include grid readiness, domestic manufacturing, exports, and capacity addition. India, the fourth-largest wind market, added a record 6.1 GW in 2025-26. Industry reports on turbine exports will be released during plenary sessions with government and industry stakeholders.

• The World Day Against Child Labour is observed annually on June 12 to raise awareness and accelerate global efforts against child exploitation. The 2026 theme, “Red Card to Child Labour: Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults,” draws from sports symbolism to reject child labour.
• It emphasises quality education, universal social protection, decent adult employment, strong labour laws, and tackling poverty. Despite progress, 138 million children remain in child labour globally, including 54 million in hazardous work. The observance builds on the Marrakech Global Framework following the Sixth Global Conference.