15th JUNE CURRENT AFFAIRS

1Global Wind Day 2026-JUNE 15

Global Wind Day is celebrated annually on June 15 to promote wind energy and its role in combating climate change.

Indiahosting the Global Wind Day 2026 Conference on 15 June 2026 in Goa, under the theme "Wind Energy: From Ambition to Acceleration."

The conference will bring together senior representatives from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Grid India, leading state governments, and industry bodies and associations.

The conference will also witness the release of the industry report "Elevating India's Wind Turbine Exports for Global Markets.

Wind Capacity and Manufacturing Growth

India ranks 4th globally in installed wind power capacity.

Installed wind capacity increased from 21.04 GW in March 2014 to 56.09 GW in March 2026, a 2.66-fold increase.

An additional 28 GW is under implementation.

India recorded its highest-ever annual wind capacity addition of 6.05 GW in 2025-26, surpassing the previous record of 4.15 GW in 2024-25.

Nearly 45% of wind generation occurs during peak demand hours, complementing solar power and strengthening grid reliability

vMore than 900 wind-monitoring stations have been installed nationwide

Majority of the assessed wind potential at 150 Meter is concentrated in eight high-resource states:

Rajasthan: 284.2 GW

Gujarat: 180.8 GW

Maharashtra: 173.9 GW

Karnataka: 169.3 GW

Andhra Pradesh: 123.3 GW

Tamil Nadu: 95.1 GW

Madhya Pradesh: 55.4 GW

Telangana: 54.7 GW.

2. Keezhadi Phase 11 Excavation: Discovery of Ancient Iron Smelting Furnace

A historic iron smelting furnace has been discovered during the 11th phase of excavations underway in Keezhadi, Sivaganga district .

Significance: This confirms that the Sangam period Tamils excelled in iron technology and that Keezhadi was an important industrial hub

The Keezhadi excavation site is located near Madurai in Tamil Nadu, along the Vaigai River.

It is a major urban Sangam-era settlement, estimated to date between the 5th century BCE and the 3rd century CE.

It represents one of the most significant archaeological findings in Tamil Nadu since the Adichanallur site.

Excavations reveal an urban, literate, and craft-oriented society, suggesting early urbanisation in South India independent of North Indian influences.

3World Dengue Day-June 15 Theme: “One World Against Dengue”

Dengue is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), which is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes.

primary vector is the day-biting Aedes aegypti mosquito (also transmits Chikungunya and Zika

Approximately 5.6 billion people, more than half of the world's population, are at risk of dengue.

4IN -SPACe Selected 03 Space Startups for Funding under TAF Scheme

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) selected three space startups for funding under the Technology Adoption Fund (TAF) Scheme.

The program supports Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) to commercialize advanced space technologies and reduce reliance on imported hardware.

The three selected startups and their respective projects include:

1Astrobase Space Technologies: A Bengaluru-based startup developing a high-thrust (800 kN) closed-cycle liquid rocket engine for medium-to-heavy lift space launch vehicles.

2SatSure Analytics India: A Bengaluru-based company develop Dhaarini, a Large Earth Observation Model (LOM) designed to serve as India's foundational artificial intelligence (AI) platform for remote-sensing

3TakeMe2Space (TM2SPACE): A Hyderabad-based startup creating India’s first AI-powered star tracker, a vital technology for precision spacecraft and satellite orientation

5Jharkhand’s Four Traditional Products Receive GI Tag

Four traditional products from Jharkhand—Bhagaiya silk, Kuchai silk, Munda jewellery, and bamboo craft—have been officially granted the prestigious

Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Munda jewellery

Traditional tribal jewellery handcrafted with unique geometric patterns and nature-inspired motifs of the Munda community.

Geographical Indication (GI) tag is an official intellectual property sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities, characteristics, or a reputation that are essentially due to that place of origin.

In India, GI registrations are governed by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.