Current Affairs June 2026 for UPSC: RBI Pause, FY26 GDP at 7.7%, G7 Evian, LRLACM Test, Karnataka CM and International Yoga Day

June 2026 at a Glance

🎯 June 2026: 1 to 30 June. June gave a new GDP number, a policy pause, a change of Chief Minister in Karnataka, the G7 summit at Evian, the cruise missile test, International Yoga Day in Kolkata and a new Army chief. Every item here is from news reports (secondary), except the host of World Environment Day, which comes from UNEP.

June at a glance

Economy: the RBI Pause and the Provisional GDP Estimates

Two economic releases on 5 June matter for the numbers questions: the RBI's policy and the provisional GDP estimates.

Economy: the RBI pause and the provisional GDP estimates

• RBI policy (5 June). The Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to keep the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent with a neutral stance, as announced by Governor Sanjay Malhotra. The standing deposit facility rate stayed at 5.00 per cent and the marginal standing facility rate and Bank Rate at 5.50 per cent. The risks named were the West Asia conflict, high crude prices, supply disruptions and the monsoon and El Niño. Static: Bank Rate equals the MSF rate; the MPC has six members, three from the RBI and three external; the decision is by majority and the Governor has a casting vote.

• Provisional GDP estimates for 2025-26 (MoSPI, 5 June). On the new base year 2022-23, real GDP grew 7.7 per cent in FY26 against 7.1 per cent in FY25; the Second Advance Estimate of February had said 7.6 per cent. Nominal GDP grew 8.9 per cent to Rs 346.36 lakh crore. In the fourth quarter (January to March 2026) real GDP grew 7.8 per cent to Rs 87.77 lakh crore, against a revised 8.0 per cent in Q3; real GVA grew 7.9 per cent in both Q4 and the year, and manufacturing grew 10.7 per cent for the year. The release came later than the originally scheduled 29 May. Static: provisional estimates come after the advance estimates and are followed by first and second revised estimates.

Polity and Governance: Karnataka, NEET-UG and the Army Chief

The month's governance items were a change of government in Karnataka, the NEET-UG re-test and a new Army chief.

Polity and governance: Karnataka, NEET-UG and the Army chief

• Karnataka (3 June). D.K. Shivakumar was sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka at Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru, with G. Parameshwara as Deputy Chief Minister and thirteen ministers in all, after Siddaramaiah resigned on 28 May. Static: the Governor appoints the Chief Minister (Article 164); there is no constitutional post of Deputy Chief Minister, who is a Minister of Cabinet rank.

• NEET-UG re-test (21 June). The re-examination was scheduled for Sunday 21 June 2026 after the 3 May examination was cancelled over the paper leak (see May).

• New Army chief (30 June). General Dhiraj Seth took over as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff, succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi. Commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986, he was Vice Chief and earlier headed Southern Command, and he is the first Armoured Corps officer to lead the Army since 1997. Static: the President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces (Article 53); the Chief of the Army Staff serves for three years or until age 62, whichever is earlier.

International Relations and Defence: G7 Evian and the LRLACM Test

June's international item was the G7 outreach, and its defence item a missile test.

International relations and defence: G7 Evian and the LRLACM test

• 52nd G7 Summit at Evian, France (15-17 June). Prime Minister Modi attended as an invited outreach partner at President Macron's invitation, reported as India's 13th participation in the G7 and his seventh consecutive attendance. He took part in sessions on partnerships and international solidarity, balanced and sustainable growth and the safe rollout of AI; held bilateral talks with the leaders of the UAE, Kenya, Egypt, South Korea, Japan and Canada; greeted President Trump at the outreach session; and then addressed VivaTech in Paris. No outcome document for India was found. Static: the G7 members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, with the EU attending; India is not a member.

• LRLACM test (15 June). DRDO flight-tested the indigenously developed Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast; all test objectives were met per tracking data from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur. The Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bengaluru, is the nodal laboratory, and the Navy and Air Force representatives witnessed it. Static: a land-attack cruise missile flies at low altitude on a terrain-following path, unlike a ballistic missile.

Environment and Culture: Monsoon, World Environment Day and Yoga Day

Three environment and culture items complete the month.

Environment and culture: monsoon, World Environment Day and Yoga Day

• Monsoon onset (4 June). The southwest monsoon reached Kerala on 4 June, three days after the normal date of 1 June and nine days after the IMD's earlier forecast date of 26 May. Static: the onset is declared on rainfall, wind and cloud criteria at designated stations in Kerala.

• World Environment Day (5 June). It was hosted by Azerbaijan, with the main event in Baku (UNEP). Static: the UN General Assembly established the day in 1972, and it has been celebrated since 1973.

• International Day of Yoga (21 June). The 12th International Day of Yoga had the theme 'Yoga for Healthy Ageing'. Prime Minister Modi led the Common Yoga Protocol at Red Road, Kolkata; yoga was also practised on 500 boats on the Hooghly, and more than 210 Indian Missions organised events at about 2,500 locations abroad. Static: the UN General Assembly proclaimed the day in December 2014 on India's proposal; the first was on 21 June 2015.

Further Reading

• PIB press releases, ministry websites and annual reports, the Gazette of India, MEA and UN documents and the official sources named in each note — the primary sources behind every fact above.

How UPSC Could Ask This Next

Here is how UPSC could turn June into questions.

How UPSC could ask this next

• Numbers: the repo, SDF, MSF and Bank Rate together; the FY26 growth rate and its base year; the difference between nominal and real GDP.

• Organisations: who hosts the G7 in 2026 and India's status; the members of the G7; who the nodal laboratory for the LRLACM is.

• Constitution: who appoints the Chief Minister, the status of the Deputy Chief Minister, the article that makes the President Supreme Commander.

• Days and themes: the host and theme of World Environment Day and International Yoga Day.

• Geography: the normal onset date of the monsoon and what a late onset implies.

Test Yourself: Practice Questions

Sixteen practice questions on June 2026, each tied to a verified fact.

Practice Questions

Q1. At its June 2026 meeting the Monetary Policy Committee

• (a) changed the stance to accommodative

• (b) cut the repo rate to 5.00 per cent

• (c) raised the repo rate to 5.50 per cent

• (d) kept the repo rate at 5.25 per cent with a neutral stance

Q2. The Bank Rate after the June 2026 policy is

• (a) 6.25 per cent

• (b) 5.00 per cent

• (c) 5.50 per cent

• (d) 5.25 per cent

Q3. According to the provisional estimates released on 5 June 2026, India's real GDP growth in 2025-26 was

• (a) 7.7 per cent

• (b) 7.6 per cent

• (c) 8.4 per cent

• (d) 7.1 per cent

Q4. The provisional estimates for 2025-26 are on the base year

• (a) 2004-05

• (b) 2024-25

• (c) 2022-23

• (d) 2011-12

Q5. Real GDP growth in the January to March 2026 quarter was

• (a) 8.4 per cent

• (b) 7.8 per cent

• (c) 6.5 per cent

• (d) 5.9 per cent

Q6. Who was sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka on 3 June 2026?

• (a) H.D. Kumaraswamy

• (b) Siddaramaiah

• (c) G. Parameshwara

• (d) D.K. Shivakumar

Q7. The post of Deputy Chief Minister in a State

• (a) has no specific constitutional status

• (b) carries the powers of the Chief Minister

• (c) is appointed by the President

• (d) is created by Article 163

Q8. The 2026 NEET-UG re-examination was scheduled for

• (a) 3 May 2026

• (b) 5 June 2026

• (c) 21 June 2026

• (d) 1 July 2026

Q9. General Dhiraj Seth, who took over as Chief of the Army Staff on 30 June 2026, is the first officer from which arm to lead the Army since 1997?

• (a) Infantry

• (b) Armoured Corps

• (c) Engineers

• (d) Artillery

Q10. The 2026 G7 Summit, which Prime Minister Modi attended, was held at

• (a) Hiroshima, Japan

• (b) Evian, France

• (c) Apulia, Italy

• (d) Kananaskis, Canada

Q11. Which of the following is NOT a member of the G7?

• (a) Canada

• (b) India

• (c) Japan

• (d) Italy

Q12. The Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) was flight-tested from

• (a) Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha

• (b) Car Nicobar

• (c) Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh

• (d) Pokhran, Rajasthan

Q13. In 2026 the southwest monsoon reached Kerala on

• (a) 1 June

• (b) 15 June

• (c) 4 June

• (d) 26 May

Q14. World Environment Day 2026 was hosted by

• (a) Republic of Korea

• (b) Azerbaijan

• (c) India

• (d) Saudi Arabia

Q15. The theme of the 12th International Day of Yoga (21 June 2026) was

• (a) Yoga for Healthy Ageing

• (b) Yoga for Sustainable Development

• (c) Yoga for Humanity

• (d) Yoga for Health and Well-being

Q16. The UN General Assembly proclaimed the International Day of Yoga in

• (a) 2010

• (b) 2016

• (c) 2014

• (d) 2019

Mains Practice Questions

Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly — they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover.

• Explain how rebasing the GDP series affects the interpretation of provisional and advance estimates, using the 2025-26 numbers.

• Discuss the constitutional position of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister in the light of recent changes in State governments.

• Assess the importance of India's participation in G7 outreach sessions for its foreign policy.

• Evaluate the strategic significance of long-range land-attack cruise missiles for India's defence posture.