APPOINTMENTS

Justice V. Mohana Sworn in as Supreme Court Judge

• Justice V. Mohana took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court of India on 2 June 2026.

• She became the 12th woman judge in the history of the Supreme Court.

• Justice Mohana is only the second woman advocate directly elevated from the Bar to the apex court, after Indu Malhotra in 2018.

• The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Surya Kant, recommended her appointment on 27 May 2026.

• The Central Government approved the recommendation on 31 May 2026.

• With her appointment, the Court’s working strength increased to 37 judges against a sanctioned strength of 38.

• The Supreme Court, established on 28 January 1950, is the highest constitutional court in India.

• Justice V. Mohana is expected to serve on the Supreme Court until her retirement in June 2031.

Bangladesh’s Khalilur Rahman Elected President of UNGA 81st Session

• Khalilur Rahman was elected President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 2 June 2026.

• He won 99 of 190 votes, defeating Andreas S. Kakouris, who secured 91 votes.

• The presidency for the 81st session was allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group under the UN rotation system.

• The 81st UNGA session will begin on 8 September 2026.

• The President of the General Assembly is elected by secret ballot for a one-year term.

• The office oversees plenary meetings and coordinates discussions among member states.

• The UN General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and has 193 member states.

• Khalilur Rahman is a veteran diplomat who has also served as Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser and High Representative on the Rohingya Issue.

AWARDS

Odisha Wins PM Surya Ghar Excellence Award

• Odisha received the PM Surya Ghar Excellence Award on 2 June 2026 for its outstanding performance during the Month of Solar Campaign 2026.

• The state ranked first among medium-consumer states in the highest number of solar applications.

• It also secured first place in rooftop solar installations during the campaign.

• Odisha topped the category for the highest number of DISCOM inspections.

• The state additionally achieved third position in the Maximum Vendor Registrations category.

• The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana promotes household adoption of rooftop solar energy across India.

• The Month of Solar Campaign, conducted in May 2026, focused on applications, installations, and inspections related to solar systems.

• The award highlights Odisha’s contribution to India’s renewable energy expansion and the promotion of clean household electricity generation.

STATE NEWS

NFHS-6 Highlights Child Malnutrition Concerns in Madhya Pradesh

• The National Family Health Survey-6 (2023–24) reports persistent child malnutrition challenges in Madhya Pradesh despite improvements in some health indicators.

• The state's wasting rate (low weight-for-height) increased from 18.9% to 23.8%, the highest in India, compared to the national average of 19%.

• Underweight children (low weight-for-age) rose from 33% to 39.7%, placing Madhya Pradesh second after Jharkhand (41.1%).

• Stunting (low height-for-age) declined from 35.7% to 31.4%, indicating some improvement in long-term nutrition outcomes.

• Exclusive breastfeeding for infants below six months fell sharply from 74% to 56.4%.

• Only 12% of children aged 6–23 months receive a minimum acceptable diet, reflecting poor infant and young child feeding practices.

• Rural areas show greater nutritional distress, with 42% underweight children and nearly one-fourth affected by wasting.

• The survey also points to a double burden of malnutrition in the state—continued undernutrition among children alongside rising obesity among adults.

Wazed Ali Choudhury Named Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly

• On 2 June 2026, Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass granted Leader of Opposition (LoP) status to senior Congress leader Wazed Ali Choudhury.

• The Assam Legislative Assembly has a total strength of 126 members, and the Congress won 19 seats in the recent elections.

• The Leader of Opposition is the formally recognised head of the largest opposition party in the House and holds an important constitutional position in legislative functioning.

• On 26 May 2026, the Congress Legislature Party elected Wazed Ali Choudhury as its leader.

• On the same day, Joy Prakash Das was appointed as the Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party.

• Revised assembly rules reduced the eligibility requirement for LoP recognition from 21 MLAs to 13 MLAs, enabling Congress to qualify with its current strength.

• Choudhury represents the Birsing-Jarua constituency, created during the 2023 delimitation exercise.

• In the recent elections, former LoP Debabrata Saikia lost the Nazira seat to BJP candidate Mayur Borgohain.

RANKING AND INDEX

Arjun Erigaisi Returns to FIDE Top 10

• Arjun Erigaisi is ranked 8th in the June 2026 FIDE Ratings with an ELO rating of 2761.

• He is currently the only Indian player in the FIDE Top 10 rankings.

• Erigaisi re-entered the Top 10 after gaining 10 rating points through strong recent performances.

• His notable tournaments included the Super Chess Classic Romania, TePe Sigeman 2026, and the Sardinia World Chess Festival.

• At TePe Sigeman 2026, he finished runner-up, losing the tiebreak to Magnus Carlsen.

• D Gukesh is ranked 19th, while Viswanathan Anand occupies the 13th position.

• Arjun became only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to cross the 2800 ELO mark in December 2024.

• His career-best rating of 2801 was achieved in December 2024, marking a major milestone in Indian chess.

India to Launch New Producer Price Index (PPI) from 15 June 2026

• India will introduce a new Producer Price Index (PPI) and a revised Wholesale Price Index (WPI) series on 15 June 2026 with 2022–23 as the base year.

• Both indices will operate simultaneously for five years, after which the WPI will be phased out.

• While WPI tracks wholesale prices of goods, PPI measures prices received by producers and captures production-related inflation more comprehensively.

• The new PPI framework will consist of Output PPI, Input PPI, and Service PPI.

• The Input PPI will initially be introduced on a trial basis for the manufacturing sector.

• The Service PPI will cover seven sectors, including Banking, Insurance, Railways, and Telecom.

• The revised WPI basket will expand from 697 to 957 commodities, adding emerging energy sources such as solar and wind power.

• The WPI and Output PPI will be released monthly, while the Service PPI will be published quarterly along with historical back-series data.