A 90-member Indian Army contingent, led by the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, departed for Exercise Shakti-VIII, a joint Indo-French military exercise held from June 18 to July 1, 2025, at Camp Larzac, La Cavalerie in southern France. The French side is represented by the 13th Foreign Legion Half-Brigade.

The biennial exercise focuses on joint operations in sub-conventional warfare under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, conducted in semi-urban terrain. It aims to enhance interoperability, tactical coordination, and operational understanding between the two armies through shared drills and training in modern military technologies.

Beyond military synergy, the exercise aims to strengthen strategic ties and camaraderie between India and France, reinforcing their growing defence partnership.

The Indian Navy is commissioning INS Arnala, the country’s first Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), on June 18, 2025, at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam. The ceremony is being presided over by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.

INS Arnala is the first of 16 ASW-SWC vessels being inducted and was delivered to the Navy on May 8, 2025. It is named after the historic Arnala Fort off the Maharashtra coast.

Designed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (Kolkata) in partnership with L&T Shipbuilders, it features over 80% indigenous content, supporting the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.

The vessel is 77.6 meters long, weighs over 1,490 tonnes, and is the largest Indian naval ship with a diesel engine-waterjet propulsion system. This commissioning enhances India’s coastal defence and strengthens its position as a self-reliant maritime power in the Indian Ocean Region.

The Government of India has officially notified the schedule for the upcoming Census, to be conducted in two phases.

• The reference date for the Census will be 1st March 2027, except for:
  • Ladakh,
  • snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu & Kashmir,
  • and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where the reference date will be 1st October 2026.

Census Phases:

1. House Listing Operation – Information on housing conditions, assets, and amenities.
2. Population Enumeration – Collection of demographic, socio-economic, and cultural details.

• Caste enumeration will also be conducted in this Census.
• Around 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and 1.3 lakh Census functionaries will be deployed.
• This will be the 16th national Census and the 8th Census since Independence.
• The Census will be conducted digitally using mobile apps, and self-enumeration options will be available.
• Strict data security protocols will be enforced to protect data during collection, transmission, and storage.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the Medical Entrance exam NEET UG 2025 results on June 14, 2025. Score cards are available for download on the official website ntaneet.nic.in, where candidates can also check the merit list.

The NEET UG exam was conducted on May 4, 2025, with participation from over 22 lakh candidates across 5,400+ centres in 552 cities in India and 14 international cities.

• Topper: Mahesh Kumar (Rajasthan)
• 2nd Rank: Uttkarsh Awadhiya (Madhya Pradesh)
• 3rd Rank: Krishang Joshi (Maharashtra)

The exam witnessed wide-scale participation, reaffirming its status as the largest medical entrance test in India.

A tragic helicopter crash in Uttarakhand on the morning of June 15, 2025, claimed seven lives, including an infant and the pilot. The incident occurred in the Kedarnath–Guptkashi sector, near Gaurikund, between 5:30 and 5:45 AM, likely due to poor weather conditions.

The helicopter had taken off from Guptkashi at 5:10 AM, briefly landed at Kedarnath at 5:18 AM, and departed again at 5:19 AM. Preliminary reports suggest Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) as the cause, due to low visibility and heavy cloud cover.

Rescue operations are underway by NDRF and SDRF teams. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami held an emergency meeting with officials from DGCA and the Civil Aviation Ministry.

In response:

• Aryan Aviation’s operations for the Char Dham Yatra have been suspended.
• Licenses of two TransBharat Aviation pilots were suspended for six months for flying in unsuitable weather.
• All helicopter operations in the region were halted on June 15 and 16.
• UCADA has been directed to conduct a comprehensive safety review and establish a real-time flight monitoring Command-and-Control Room.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation reiterated that aviation safety is paramount, directing DGCA to strictly enforce weather and operational protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.

The 17th edition of the India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT concluded on June 13, 2025 at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh praised the professionalism and dedication of the Indian soldiers, highlighting the exercise as a symbol of the strong friendship and shared cultural ties between India and Mongolia.

The Indian Army contingent included 45 personnel, mainly from the ARUNACHAL SCOUTS battalion.

The two-week-long exercise focused on enhancing interoperability between the two nations’ armed forces in semi-conventional operations, particularly in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under a United Nations mandate.

A devastating Air India crash on 12 June 2025 claimed 241 lives when a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner headed to London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport. The flight had 242 people on board, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Only one survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, has been confirmed.

The victims included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. Among the deceased was former Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader Vijay Rupani. Several individuals on the ground also lost their lives.

The pilot issued a ‘Mayday’ distress call shortly after takeoff at 1:39 PM. The aircraft was piloted by Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal (8,200 flight hours) and First Officer Clive Kundar (1,100 hours). The Dreamliner had been delivered to Air India in 2014.

Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, expressed condolences and stated its readiness to support Air India and the investigation.

From 15 July 2025, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication will be mandatory for booking online Tatkal tickets via the IRCTC website and app. The move aims to promote fair and transparent booking practices.

For Tatkal tickets booked at PRC counters or by authorised agents, OTP verification will be done using the mobile number provided at the time of booking.

To prevent misuse, IRCTC agents will be barred from booking Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the booking window:

• 10:00–10:30 AM for AC classes
• 11:00–11:30 AM for non-AC classes
  The Centre for Railways Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC have been instructed to implement these changes and inform all departments accordingly.

On 10 June 2025, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal announced that India met its peak power demand of 241 GW with zero shortage — a major milestone in the country’s energy sector. He highlighted that during 2024–25, India added its highest-ever generation capacity of 34 GW, including 29.5 GW from renewable sources.

Over the last 11 years under the Narendra Modi government, the power sector has made unprecedented progress, with a focus on service, good governance, and welfare. By the end of 2025, non-fossil energy sources are expected to exceed 50% of India’s total energy capacity.

The length of transmission lines has grown from 2.91 lakh circuit kilometers to 4.94 lakh circuit kilometers, significantly strengthening energy infrastructure.

Peak power demand has almost doubled from 130 GW to 250 GW in 11 years, with a forecast of 270 GW by year-end. At the same time, energy shortages have dropped sharply from 4.2% in 2013 to 0.1% last year.

Recent data shows a zero gap between power demand and supply, signaling India’s movement towards becoming a power-surplus nation.

India’s first underwater museum and artificial coral reef will be developed around the decommissioned warship INS Guldar near Nivati Rocks at Vengurla in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis virtually attended the project initiation.

The centrally supported initiative aims to promote marine conservation and tourism, featuring scuba diving and future submarine tours. The Union Tourism Ministry has approved ₹46.91 crore for the project.

INS Guldar, a 1,120-ton warship, was decommissioned in January 2024 and handed over to the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. After completing environmental cleaning, the ship will be scuttled to serve as an underwater museum and coral reef site.