Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 23rd Jun 2026

Today’s Current Affairs: 23rd jun 2026 for UPSC IAS exams, State PSC exams, SSC CGL, State SSC, RRB, Railways, Banking Exam & IBPS, etc

Table of Contents

Solanum Pandeyi:

A new species of wild brinjal has been discovered from one of the remote islands of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago by a scientist from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and named it as Solanum pandeyi.

Solanum Pandeyi is a species of wild brinjal recorded in the evergreen forest of Middle Andaman.
It was found growing in the open along the forest edges and was locally known as wild orange eggplant.
The new species is similar to Solanum lasiocarpum and belongs to the Leptostemonum clade of Solanum.
It was used by an indigenous Negrito tribe, Great Andamanese, for food and medicinal purposes.
Most seeds and roots are used to treat tooth infection.
Ripe fruit with jaggery (a natural unrefined sugar), chilli, garlic, ginger, and salt are used to make sour-sweet sauce by the Ranchi and Bengali settler community of the island.
Botanical Survey of India is India’s apex taxonomic and floristic research institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
It was established on 13 February 1890.
It provides the scientific foundation for plant conservation, documentation, identification and sustainable use of the country’s plant wealth.

New Species of Cave-Dwelling Micro Snails:

Researchers recently discovered two new species of miniature, cave-dwelling micro-snails named Georissa meghalayaensis and Acmella bensoni.

Georissa meghalayaensis and Acmella bensoni are two new species of cave-dwelling micro-snails.
They were discovered deep inside the damp limestone caves of Northeast India’s Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.
Georissa meghalayaensis was discovered at the edge of Meghalaya’s Krem Puri cave entrance.
It stands out from its closest relatives due to its striking orangish-red colour and a highly detailed, mesh-like pattern of ridges covering its tiny shell.
In contrast, its closest known snail cousins typically sport yellowish shells with sharp, widely spaced spiral lines.
Acmella bensoni was found clinging to walls deeper inside both the Krem Puri and Arwah caves of Meghalaya.
This species distinguishes itself from similar snails by having a smaller, slightly transparent, whitish shell.
It features deeply impressed grooves between the shell’s spirals (whorls) and an incredibly fine, densely packed pattern of tiny ribs that make the shell appear almost smooth.
This shiny little snail was named in honour of William H. Benson, a legendary 19th-century scientist, celebrated as the pioneer of Indian Malacology, the study of molluscs.

India’s first 3D-Printed Artificial Reef Modules:

Tamil Nadu is set to deploy India’s first 3D-printed artificial reef modules in coastal waters as part of an ambitious marine habitat restoration initiative under the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.

India’s first 3D-Printed Artificial Reef Modules is to be deployed by Tamil Nadu in coastal waters off the Ramanathapuram coast.
It is part of an ambitious marine habitat restoration initiative under the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
It will serve as a pilot to assess the performance of six newly developed reef designs created through advanced 3D-printing technology.
The modules, each weighing about 1 tonne, were developed by Chennai-based startup Tvasta, an IIT Madras-incubated company, in collaboration with Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.
These modules will be deployed about two nautical miles offshore.
Unlike conventional artificial reefs made from reinforced concrete structures, the new modules feature complex geometries with multiple crevices, folds and attachment surfaces designed to enhance biodiversity.
They are manufactured without iron reinforcement and incorporate material innovations aimed at increasing porosity and creating substrates more suitable for marine organisms, including corals, sponges and other reef-associated fauna.
They allow greater structural complexity, higher surface area, and species-specific habitat design.
The technology offers significant advantages over traditional reef modules, including faster fabrication, reduced labour requirements and flexibility to alter material composition according to site-specific ecological needs.

Dongfeng-17 (DF-17):

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has for the first time aired footage showing the launch of a Dongfeng-17 (DF-17) hypersonic missile recently.

Dongfeng-17 (DF-17) is a Chinese solid-fueled medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile.
It was officially unveiled in 2019.
Its NATO code name is CSS-22.
It is said to have a range of 1800 km to 2500 km.
It is mounted on a mobile launcher.
It carries a hypersonic glide vehicle DF-ZF (HGV — Hypersonic Glide Vehicle).
The missile is launched outside the atmosphere like a classic ballistic missile.
At a certain altitude, the DF-ZF warhead separates.
The warhead reenters the atmosphere, but instead of descending in a straight line like ballistic missiles, it “glides” in the atmosphere with its fins.
While gliding, it changes direction and maneuvers. Its speed is approximately Mach 5-10.
This flight profile allows the vehicle to remain below radar detection for longer durations than a ballistic missile covering the same distance.

Blue Swimmer Crab:

ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA), Chennai, has successfully demonstrated Blue Swimmer Crab (Portunus reticulatus) farming technology for the first time.

Blue Swimmer Crab is a brachyuran crab in the Portunidae family.
It is also known as the blue crab, blue swimmer crab, blue manna crab and flower crab.
It is usually recognized by flat, disc-shaped hind legs, used as paddles for swimming, and by the nine spikes or horns along their carapace, on either side of their eyes.
It is found in Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, India, Sweden, Singapore
In India it is distributed all along the east and west coasts with a dominant fishery at Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar.
They stay buried under sand or mud most of the time, particularly during the daytime and winter, which may explain their high tolerance to ammonium (NH4+) and ammonia (NH3).
They come out to feed during high tide on various organisms such as bivalves, fish and, to a lesser extent, macroalgae.

Nabha Fort:

Volunteers recently cleared four trolley-loads of garbage from the 18th-century Nabha Fort and an adjoining park, renewing demands that the monument linked to Maharaja Ripudaman Singh be protected and developed as a tourism destination.

Nabha Fort is located in Nabha city within the Patiala district of Punjab.
It served as the royal residence and administrative center of the Nabha princely state under the Phulkian dynasty.
Constructed and expanded over more than 150 years, notable rulers like Maharaja Hira Singh (1843-1911) contributed to its grandeur with decorative frescoes, intricate carvings, and spacious courtyards.
The fort played a significant role during the Anglo-Sikh Wars, with Nabha aligned with the British, which secured its sovereignty under colonial rule.
The fort features traditional Indian military architecture with thick walls, bastions, and large gates designed for defense, alongside palatial residences, gardens, and audience halls showcasing a blend of Mughal, Rajput, and Sikh architectural styles.
The fort also consists of painted chambers, gilding and mirror work, colored glass and decorative fanlights, wood carvings, decorative plasterwork, stone door frames, and stone jaalis.
Rediscovered artifacts include rare wall paintings depicting Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army and a unique cooling system in the basement known as the Sard Khana.

Bolivia:

The Bolivian President announced a state of emergency in Bolivia.

It is a landlocked country located in west-central South America.
It is bordered by 5 countries: by Brazil to the north and east; by Paraguay to the southeast; by Argentina to the south; by Chile to the southwest and by Peru to the northwest.
The constitutional capital is Sucre, while the seat of government and executive capital is La Paz.
Bolivia’s geography is diverse, featuring high mountains, plateaus, and low plains.
The Andes Mountains dominate the west, with the Cordillera Occidental along the Chilean border, and the Cordillera Oriental to the east.
Highest Point: It is Nevado Sajama
Important ones include the Beni, Desaquadero, Guapore, Madre de Dios and Mamore.
Lake Titicaca is situated between Peru to the west and Bolivia to the east is the largest freshwater lake in South America and the highest of the world’s large lakes.
It has significant deposits of natural gas and vast reserves of minerals such as tin, silver, zinc, and lithium.

Ambubachi Mela:

The annual Ambubachi Mela which is one of the largest and most significant religious gatherings in eastern India started at the revered Kamakhya Temple.

Ambubachi Mela festival is held during the monsoon, generally in June at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.
It is a shrine to the Goddess Kamakhya and one of the most important centres of Tantrik Shaktism.
The period of Ambubachi is believed to be the period of the goddess’s annual menstruation, and the shrine is closed for this.
The festival is associated with fertility, with the onset of monsoon, and the common historical association across cultures of the Earth as a fertile woman.
The name ‘Ambubachi’ itself translates to water flowing.
Kamakhya Temple is situated on Nilachal Hill and adjoining the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River.
It is one of the most revered centres of Tantric practices. It is regarded as one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India.
It had been modelled out of a combination of two different styles namely, the traditional nagara and Saracenic or Mughal style of architecture.
This unusual combination has been named the Nilachala Style of Architecture.
This is the only temple of Assam having a fully developed ground plan.
It consists of five chambers, garbhagriha, antarala, Jagan Mohan, bhogmandir and natmandir or opera hall for performing traditional dance and music associated with sukti temples.
The superstructure of each of the above chambers exhibits different architectural features.
The main temple contains a modified Saracenic dome, the antarala carries a two-roofed design, the bhogmandir with five domes similar in appearance to the main temple and the natmandir having a shell-roof with apsidal end similar to some of the impermanent namghars or prayer halls found in Assam.

Lake Baikal: In News

Researchers said ancient DNA obtained from bodies interred in four burial sites in the Lake Baikal area revealed the ‌presence of the oldest-known strains of Yersinia pestis, the plague bacterium.

It is located in the southern part of eastern Siberia, south-central Russia, near the border with
It is the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth.
It is the world’s largest freshwater lake.
It is also the world’s deepest lake.
There are 45 islands and islets in Lake Baikal, of which Olkhon is the largest island.
Rivers: Barguzini, Selenga, Upper Angara, Sarma, and Turka are the major rivers that drain into the lake.
It has only one outlet, the Angara River.
It is also home to the Buryat people, who follow the Tibetan Buddhist religion and reside on the eastern side of the lake, rearing goats, camels, cattle, and sheep.
The lake was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Nirbhay Chetna Initiative:

The central government rolled out ‘Nirbhay Chetna’ to sensitise 17.5 lakh male elected representatives.

Nirbhay Chetna Initiative is a key intervention under the Nirbhay Raho initiative.
It is a first-of-its-kind national initiative implemented under the Nirbhaya Fund.
Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Panchayati Raj
It seeks to strengthen gender-responsive governance through Panchayati Raj Institutions by building awareness, accountability and community leadership among elected representatives.
It is a landmark national initiative on the sensitisation of men towards women-related issues, including women’s safety and security that aims to strengthen gender-responsive governance at the grassroots level.
Components of Nirbhay Raho:
- Nirbhay Chetna seeks to sensitise elected male representatives on gender equality and women’s safety
- Nirbhay Netri focuses on capacity-building and legal awareness among elected women representatives;
- Nirbhay Drishti envisages the installation of CCTV cameras at strategic rural locations to strengthen technology-enabled safety infrastructure in Panchayats.

Ecologically Sensitive Area:

The Western Ghats one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, may soon receive stronger legal protection in at least three states through the notification of Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs).

ESAs, also called Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are designated regions identified for special environmental protection because of their rich biodiversity, fragile ecosystems or critical ecological functions.
The Central Government can notify certain areas as Ecologically Sensitive Areas under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Under this recognition certain activities are prohibited, some are tightly regulated, while others are encouraged to ensure development does not come at the cost of ecological damage.
Getting an ESA status also means that any development project in the area will be subject to stricter environmental scrutiny.
Eco-Sensitive Zones are created as “shock absorbers” for the protected areas, to minimize the negative impact on the “fragile ecosystems” by certain human activities taking place nearby.
These areas are meant to act as a transition zone from areas requiring higher protection to those requiring lesser protection.