Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 8th Jun 2026

Digital India BHASHINI Division:

The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kathmandu University’s Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure & Artificial Intelligence (DPI-AI), Nepal.

• It is under Digital India Corporation (DIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• It is India’s national initiative for AI-driven multilingual digital inclusion and language technology.
• Through the National Hub for Language Technology (NHLT), BHASHINI enables scalable speech and text-based AI services across Indian languages for governance, public platforms, and institutions.
• DIBD also drives open-source innovation, multilingual AI research, dataset creation, startup enablement, and academic collaboration, strengthening India’s digital public infrastructure ecosystem.
• A Bhashini Platform is making Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) resources available to MSMEs, Startups and Individual Innovators in the public domain.
• The platform powers over 800 government websites, processes more than 15 million inferences daily, and supports 36 Indian text languages, 23 Indian voice languages, and 35 international languages.

Sea of Azov:

Ukraine said it has struck five ships carrying illegal cargo in the Sea of Azov.

• Sea of Azov is bordered by Ukraine in the northwest and by Russia in the southeast.
• It is connected to the Black Sea in the south via the Strait of Kerch.
• The Kerch Strait is located between the Crimean Peninsula in the west and the Taman Peninsula in the east.
• It is linked with the Atlantic Ocean via the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.
• The Don and Kuban rivers contribute over 90% of freshwater inflow, reducing salinity and bringing nutrients.
• Chief Ports: Taganrog in Russia, and Mariupol and Berdyans’k in Ukraine.
• The coastline is low and flat with extensive vegetation, lagoons like Syvash and long sand spits including Arabat, Fedotov and Berdyansk.
• It has a continental climate with cold winters (-1 to -5°C, sometimes -30°C) and warm summers (23-25°C), with frequent storms and seasonal ice formation.

Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister: In News

The Prime Minister of India chaired a meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).

• Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister is an independent body constituted to give advice on economic and related issues to the Government of India, specifically to the Prime Minister.
• The Terms of Reference of EAC-PM include:
  • Analysing any issue, economic or otherwise, referred to it by the Prime Minister and advising him thereon.
  • Addressing issues of macroeconomic importance and presenting views thereon to the Prime Minister.
  • These could be either suo-motu or on reference from the Prime Minister or anyone else.
  • Attending to any other task as may be desired by the Prime Minister from time to time.
  • The role of EAC-PM is advisory in nature and not binding on the Government.
  • In addition to its advisory role, the EAC-PM also plays an important role in fostering greater economic understanding and awareness among the public.
  • EAC-PM is headed by a chairperson and consists of eminent economists as members.
  • It is supported in its functions by a team of officials and administrators.
  • There is no fixed definition of the exact number of members and staff of the EAC-PM.
  • For administrative, logistic, planning, and budgeting purposes, the NITI Aayog serves as the nodal agency for the EAC-PM.

GDP growth estimatedat 7.7% in 2025-26:

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Provisional Estimates of National Income, showing India’s GDP growth at 7.7% in FY 2025–26, higher than the 7.6% estimate released in February 2026.

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth measures the annual increase in the total value of goods and services produced within the country.
• According to the provisional estimates, India’s economy grew by 7% in FY 2025–26, compared to 7.1% in FY 2024–25.
• India’s GDP grew by 7% in FY 2025–26, while Q4 growth stood at 7.8%, exceeding earlier projections.
• Manufacturing expanded by 7%, while trade, transport, hotels, communication, and related services recorded 11% growth.
• Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) grew 7%, while Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) rose 8.2%, indicating stronger demand and investment.
• Agriculture growth slowed to 3% in FY 2025–26 from 2% in the previous year, reflecting sectoral divergence.

Coastal Mangroves:

The landfall of Cyclone Dana near Bhitarkanika on Odisha’s coast has highlighted the powerful protective role of coastal mangroves over expensive, engineered infrastructure.

• Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is a nature-centric climate strategy that uses biodiversity and ecosystem services to help communities adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.
• Unlike traditional engineered “grey” infrastructure, EbA harnesses natural habitats like mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs to act as dynamic, self-sustaining buffers.

Key Data and Statistics on India’s Coastal Adaptation:

• Vulnerable Demographics: India manages an ecologically fragile 11,000-kilometre coastline that is home to approximately 250 million people whose lives and homes are directly threatened by climate hazards.
• Skewed Adaptation Spending: Over the last decade, Indian coastal states spent a massive ₹2,641 crore on hard engineered protection measures like seawalls and groynes.
• DecliningGreen Budgets: Reflecting a stark preference for visible infrastructure, the National Coastal Mission’s public budget fell sharply from ₹195 crore in 2022–23 to just ₹50 crore in 2024–25.
• Proven Grassroots Success: Demonstrating scale, over 18,000 women in the Sundarbans successfully restored 4,600 hectares of mangroves, effectively blunting the destruction of cyclones Amphan and Yaas.

The Natural Gas Found In Andaman:

State-owned Maharatna company Oil India Limited (OIL) announced on June 5, 2026, that it has discovered natural gas in its third exploratory well, Vijayapuram-3, in the Andaman shallow offshore block.It is a major marine offshore hydrocarbon discovery made during deep-earth drilling operations. Initial production testing established a continuous, pressurized flow of natural gas, proving the existence of an active petroleum system and a viable hydrocarbon accumulation pathway beneath the seabed of the Andaman microplate.

Panchayat Advancement Index Wins Gold Recognition at National e-Governance Awards 2026:

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj’s flagship data-driven platform, the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI), has been selected for the prestigious Gold Award at the National Awards for e-Governance 2026.

• The Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) is India’s first comprehensive, analytics-driven evaluation framework designed to assess, score, and rank the performance of rural local bodies (Gram Panchayats) across the country. It acts as a standardized report card for rural governance by tracking development metrics on a unified digital dashboard.
• The index is an entirely indigenous flagship governance initiative developed and managed by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India.
• The primary objective of the PAI is to drive a spirit of competitive federalism at the absolute grassroots level.
• By evaluating rural bodies against real data, it aims to eliminate subjective assessments, identify developmental gaps in rural infrastructure, and help states allocate development funds more efficiently.
• In its PAI 2.0 version, the system evaluates more than 6 lakh Gram Panchayats across India, processing over 150 indicators and 230 distinct data points.
• The index evaluates local bodies against the nine core themes of the Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs), which include:
  • Poverty-free and enhanced livelihood villages.
  • Healthy villages.
  • Child-friendly villages.
  • Water-sufficient villages.
  • Clean and green villages.
  • Self-sufficient infrastructure villages.
  • Socially secured villages.
  • Villages with good governance.
  • Women-friendly (engendered) development villages.
• Based on mathematically weighted composite scores, Gram Panchayats are automatically grouped into five distinct performance categories, allowing policymakers to immediately isolate underperforming blocks that need urgent administrative intervention.

National Awards for e-Governance:

• The National Awards for e-Governance are India’s premier state decorations awarded to recognize, promote, and benchmark excellence in the implementation of digital governance solutions. The awards honor innovative designs that successfully bridge technology with public welfare.
• These Awards are being given since 2003.
• The awards are presented annually by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in close coordination with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.
• The awards aim to identify and reward groundbreaking digital initiatives executed by Central Ministries, State Governments, Union Territories, Districts, and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
• It seeks to create a repository of successful digital blueprints that can be easily replicated across other administrative zones.

India won the Men’s U18 Asia Cup 2026:

India crowned champions of the Men’s U18 Asia Cup 2026 after The dominant performance against the host nation Japan in the Gold medal Match. The young Indian side has defeated the Japan 4-1 in Kakamigahara to secure the continental title and sign off with the impressive tournament campaign. Throughout the tournament India had displayed consistency, attacking flair and resilience and emerged the best team at U18 level.

Kimi Antonelli secured a stunning Monaco Grand Prix 2026:

Italian sensation Kimi Antonelli continued his dominant performance in Formula 1 by winning the Monaco Grand Prix 2026, which is one of the most prestigious races all around the world. This Mercedes driver delivered the composed and dominant performance on the streets of Monte Carlo and overcome the late-race drama to secure his fifth consecutive victory of the season and this win has strengthened his lead in the Drivers Championship.

India defeated Bangladesh 3-1 in the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026:

Indian women football team has became the champion of SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 by defeating the Bangladesh 3-1 in Goa. This victory has ended the seven year wait for the title and it secured the sixth championship for the Blue Tigresses. After team India finished runners-up in the previous two editions, India produced the dominant tournament campaign won all the 4 matches and scored 18 goals and just conceded one goal only.

French Open 2026:

The Rolland Garros 2026, (French Open) which is one of top Grand Slam competition in the world was concluded with created the several historic achievements at in Paris. As Alexander Zverev finally secured his long awaited Grand Slam title, teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva also won her maiden title in major championship and also created multiple age-related records. he tournament also witnessed the thrilling competition in doubles matches and it crowned the champions in in men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles categories

India’s Forex Reserves Rise to $682.32 Billion:

Foreign exchange reserves of India has a fresh increase during the week was ended on May 29th, 2025 and it showcased the continued resilience in the country’s external sector. As per the latest data by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s reserves rose by $938 million to reach $682.321 billion. This increase primarily driven by the foreign currency assets and gold reserves witnessed the decline.The Reserve Bank of India reported that the India’s total foreign exchange reserves was increased by $938 million during the latest reporting week.

CEO of the IndiaAI Mission:

Saurabh Vijay CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has assumed the charge as the Chief Executive Officer of the IndiaAI Mission. Sudeep Shrivastava who is the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also assumed the charge as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). This appointment are crucial as India are expanding the AI infrastructure.The IndiaAI Mission has officially announced the appointment of Saurabh Vijay as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).This announcement was made through the Mission’s official social media platform and where it welcomed the new leadership team and expressed the confidence in achieving the mission’s objectives under their guidance.

Delhi Gets 18 New Namo Oxygen Parks:

On World Environment Day 2026 the Government of India and the Delhi Government have inaugurated the total 18 Namo Oxygen Parks across Delhi under the nationwide ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign. It was inaigurated by the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and event has witnessed the release of the three important environmental planning documents.The parks have been developed to function as the urban green lungs, helping to improve air quality, enhance biodiversity and to provide recreational spaces for citizens.This flagship event was held at the Namo Oxygen Park in Maidangarhi.These parks are expected to contribute significantly to the environmental sustainability while encouraging the greater public participation in conservation activities.

India’s 7th Regional Meteorological Centre Inaugurated in Jammu:

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has launched the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Jammu on 5th of June, 2026. This facility becomes the India’s seventh Regional Meteorological Centre and it serve the Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh. This centre is expected to enhance the weather monitoring, provide specialized forecasts for the mountainous regions and improve the early-warning systems for the natural disasters.Latest Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Jammu marks the major milestone in India’s meteorological infrastructure and it is designed to provide region-specific weather forecasting and climate services for the Himalayan states and the Union Territories.