Current Affairs
Select Date
Tags:
Hindi

Important Current Affairs 27th June 2020

National

PM launches Atma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a 125-day campaign on 26th June 2020 that will provide employment migrant and daily wage workers in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The campaign is called Atma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan. The campaign was launched through video conferencing in the presence of Yogi Adityanath (Chief Minister Uttar Pradesh).

• The mega job scheme launched by Prime Minister today is part of the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan that was launched on 20th June 2020 by Prime Minister himself.

• The Campaign launched will focus on providing employment in a total of 31 districts of Uttar Pradesh. There are more than 25,000 returnee migrant workers in each of the 31 districts.It was also announced that 5000 tool kits will also be distributed under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Initiative in the state.

International

Russia plans to take first tourist for spacewalk in 2023

• Russia's Energia Space Corporation plans to take its first tourist for spacewalk in the year 2023. The Energia entered into a contract with Space Adventures of United States to take two space tourists in 2023 to the International Space Station (ISS).

• Energia is a part of Roscosmos, Russia’s Space Agency.

Pakistan to remain on FATF grey list

• Pakistan will remain on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for failing to suits the worldwide terrorist financing watchdog’s deadline to prosecute and penalise terrorist financing in the country.

• FATF had expressed serious concerns over Pakistan’s failure to finish its 27-point action plan in line with the agreed timelines, which led to September 2019.

Banking and Economy

IMF predicts Indian economy to contract by 4.5% in FY21

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that Indian economy will experience a sharp contraction of 4.55% in Fiscal Year 2021, as compared to that of 1.9% expansion projected in the month of April 2020. The international organization has called this a “historic low” for India.

World’s First Gold-backed Digital Gold Currency launched in India

• IBMC Financial Professionals Group, an internationally recognized financial services institution and business consultants, has joined hands with US Gold Currency Inc and Blockfills to bring the world’s first monetary gold-backed digital gold currency to India.

• The currency is also being simultaneously introduced in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Middle East and Africa. Each US Gold digital currency is backed by US American Eagle one ounce (33.931 gram) gold coin, minted by US Federal Agency, US Mint.

• The holders of the currency can redeem their digital assets as physical gold coin or in US dollars anywhere in the world.

Science and Technology

NASA headquarters to be renamed for Mary W. Jackson

• NASA has announced that its headquarters in Washington, D.C., will be named after Mary W. Jackson, one of its history-making engineers. The information was passed by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

• Mary. W. Jackson was an aerospace engineer and a mathematician who was part of a group of very important women who had NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space.

Sachin Bansal’s startup “Navi” launches new instant lending app

• Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal’s financial services startup “Navi” has launched a mobile app ” Navi lending” to provide instant personal loans targeted at consumers in the middle-income segment.

Obituary

1971 war hero SqnLdr Parvez Jamasji passes away

• Vir Chakra awardee, SqnLdr (retd) Parvez Jamasji passed away. He was commissioned in 1965 and retired in 1985. He was awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.

Sports

New Zealand, Australia to jointly host 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

• Australia and New Zealand till jointly be hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. The Federation of International Football Associations made the announcement on June 25, 2020 following the voting done by FIFA Council during its virtual meeting.

• New Zealand Football and Football Federation Australia had earlier submitted a joint bid for hosting the World Cup 2023.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 24th June 2020

National

Patanjali launches Ayurvedic medicine, claims 100 pc recovery within 3-7 days

•  Patanjali on June 23, 2020 launched 'Coronil and Swasari', its Ayurvedic medicine, which it claims can treat C-19. There is no official confirmation on the same by any scientific or government authority.

•  Patanjali stated that the medicines showed 100 percent favourable results during clinical trials on the confirmed  patients. Two clinical trials were conducted, the first clinical controlled study that took place in Delhi and Ahmedabad and many other cities.

•  Around 280 patients were included in the trial and as per Patanjali, 100 percent of those recovered.

•  However, the efficacy of Patanjali’s medicines has not received any backing from any medical body as yet. The World Health Organization (WHO) had recently said that though many drug trials are going on, there is currently no proof that any drug can cure or prevent C-19.

Rajasthan Government to launch “Indira Rasoi Yojana”

Rajasthan state government will soon launch Indira Rasoi Yojana for the poor. This scheme will start to ensure that “no one sleeps hungry” in the state. Under this scheme, pure and nutritious food on concessional rates is going to be provided to the needy twice each day. The State government will spend Rs.100 crores every year on the scheme.

Banking and Economy

Moody’s Projects India’s GDP at -3.1% for Calendar Year 2020 and 6.9% in 2021

•   Moody’s Investors Service has sharply revised its forecast for India’s annual GDP growth and has projected the Indian economy to shrink 3.1 percent in the Calendar year 2020, caused by the disruptions due to the C -19.

•    Moody’s released its June update to Global Macro Outlook (2020-21) on 22 June 2020.

Awards

Nobel-laureate Indian economist Amartya Sen wins 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade

• Nobel-laureate Indian economist and philosopher Amartya Sen has been selected for the 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for his decades-long work around issues of global justice.

• The 86-year-old Harvard professor and past Nobel prize winner will be awarded during a ceremony on 18 October 2020 in Frankfurt. The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade comes with a cash prize of €25,000 euros ($28,000).

• He has been chosen for the prestigious prize for his pioneering work addressing issues of global justice, social inequality in education and healthcare.

Science and Technology

ISRO receives patent for “Liquid Cooling and Heating Garment”

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has received a patent for its Liquid Cooling and Heating Garment (LCHG). Liquid Cooling and Heating Garment (LCHG) is a protective garment for human spaceflight. It is a close fitting long garment that covers the torso as well as the limbs from neck to toe as a single piece lightweight comfort inner wear.

• The flight suit has to be worn by the astronauts over the LCHG. The garment permits the long term use without any impact on the wearer in terms of skin irritation or infection.

Obituary

Former Indian shooter Pournima Zanane passes away

• Former Indian shooter and coach Pournima Zanane passed away due to cancer. She represented India at multiple ISSF World Cups, Asian Championships, Commonwealth Championships, amongst other tournaments.

• Pournima Zanane was a national record holder in 10m Air Rifle event.

Appointments and Resignations

T. Rabi Sankar becomes new Chairman of IFTAS

• Indian Financial Technology & Allied Services (IFTAS) has announced the appointments of T Rabi Sankar as the Chairman of the organization. IFTAS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India.

• T Rabi Sankar, currently serving as Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India for Payment Systems, Information Technology, Risk Management and Fintech has taken over concurrent charge, ex officio, as the Chairman of IFTAS.

Days

United Nations Public Service Day

• The United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated on June 23 every year, as a tribute to the people who are associated with public service in all the counties of the world.

• The Day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2003 to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community.

• Theme of 2020 is ‘On the frontlines: honouring public servants in the C-19  response.’

International Olympic Day

• The Olympic Day is celebrated globally on 23rd June every year. This year the Olympic Movement will celebrate Olympic Day 2020 by creating the world’s largest 24 hour digital-first Olympic workout.

• For this, the Olympic Channel is making a brand new home workout video made by Olympic athletes.The Olympic Day 2020 theme is “Move, learn and discover”

Books and Authors

Amish Tripathi launches his new fiction book – ‘Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India’

• The author of The Immortals of Meluha has announced the launch of his new book, Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India. Published by Westland Publications Pvt Ltd, his latest fiction is set in 11th-century, India.

• The book begins with Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion and the massacre of the holy Somnath Temple. The book has been published by Westland Publications.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 21st June 2020

National

PM Narendra Modi addresses the nation, promotes yoga to fight

• PM Modi in his message on sixth International Yoga Day stated that Yoga has emerged as a force of unity and it also deepens the bonds of humanity. It doesn't discriminate and goes beyond color, race, faith, gender, and nations.

• It was the first time that Yoga day celebration was held virtually, ever since it was instituted in 2015.This day is celebrated every year on June 21.The date June 21 was suggested by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his UN address.

• PM Modi picked this date, as it is the longest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere. This day also shares a special significance in many parts of the world.

Union Minister launches R&D Portal “SATYABHAMA”

• Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi has launched R&D Portal “Science and Technology Yojana for Aatmanirbhar Bharat in Mining Advancement (SATYABHAMA)”.

• The R&D Portal SATYABHAMA has been designed, developed and implemented by National Informatics Centre (NIC), Mines Informatics Division.It has been integrated with NGO Darpan Portal of NITI Aayog.

• The newly launched portal will increase efficiency as well as effectiveness in the implementation of the Scheme as it allows online submission of project proposals along with monitoring of the projects and utilization of funds/grants.

Banking and Economy

RIL reaches $150-billion market valuation mark

• The Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has reached $150-billion mark in term of market capitalisation. Hence, the Mukesh Ambani-helmed RIL has become India’s first $150-billion company in terms of market capitalisation.

• RIL achieved this milestone when its share price had gained 6.23% to close at Rs 1,759, taking its market capitalisation to Rs 11.15 lakh crore i.e. around $150 billion.

• With this achievement, the market capitalisation of Reliance Industries Limited is more than that of Total SA, Royal Dutch Shell and BP among the top global energy players.

Appointments and Resignations

Former RBI Governor Urjit Patel appointed as Chairman of NIPFP

• Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP).His four-year term will begin from June 22, 2020.

• The National Institute of Public Finance and Policy is an autonomous research institute under the Ministry of Finance, based in New Delhi. It conducts research on public finance and contributes to the process of policy-making relating to public finance.

Days

World International Day of Yoga

• United Nations celebrates International Day of Yoga globally on 21 June every year to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga. Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.

• The theme of International Day of Yoga 2020 is ‘Yoga for Health – Yoga at Homeand Yoga with Family'.

Father's Day

• Father's Day is a day of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on March 19 as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages.

• Father's day is celebrated in many parts of the world at different times of the year, mostly in March, May, and June. However, Father's Day is usually celebrated in India on the third Sunday in June, meaning that Father's Day 2020 will be celebrated on June 21.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 20th June 2020

National

India will serve as UNSC president for August 2021

• India will be serving as UNSC President for August 2021. India was earlier elected as the non-permanent member of the 15-member United Nations Security Council. The UNSC presidency is held for a month by each of its members in alphabetical order.

• For a two-year term beginning on January 1, 2021, India, Norway, Mexico, Ireland, and Kenya were elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on June 17, 2020.

• This will be the eight-time that India will sit at the council’s table. India was elected previously for the years 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92 and the most recent in 2011-12

Coal Ministry & FICCI Initiated e-Auction Process of 41 Coal blocks for Commercial mining

• On the lines of the announcement made by Central government under the 20 Lakh crore Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, on June 18, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the two stage electronic auction of 41 coal blocks for commercial mining through video-conference.

• The commencement of the auction process of these blocks is likely to contribute Rs 20,000 crore revenues annually to the state governments. On the Central Government front, it is expected to garner Rs 33,000 crore of capital investment over next five to seven years.

Manipur Observes the 19th Great June Uprising Day

• The 19th Great June Uprising Day was observed on 18th June at Kekrupat, Manipur. The day is being observed every year on 18 June to pay tribute and respect to 18 persons who lost their lives in June, 2001 to protect the territorial integrity of Manipur.

• On the occasion, family members of the 18 martyrs and leaders of some organisations paid floral tribute & respect to 18 persons at Kekrupat, Manipur.

Banking and Economy

ICICI Home Finance launches “SARAL” scheme for affordable house loan

• ICICI Home Finance Company Limited (HFC) has launched “SARAL” scheme for a special affordable house loan for urban and rural areas.

• The beneficiaries are women, lower, middle-income customers and economically weaker sections, with a maximum household income up to Rs 6 lakh per annum.

Summits and Mou’s

MoHUA& SIDBI signs Mo/U for PM SVANidhi scheme

• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for PM Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi). PM SVANidhi is a Special Micro-Credit Facility for Street Vendors.

• The credit guarantee to the lending institutions would also be managed by the SIDBI through Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).

Obituary

Veteran economist & FC memeber B.P.R. Vithal passes away

• Veteran economist and the member of 10th Finance Commission, B.P.R. Vithal passes away. He was a former IAS officer of the 1950 batch.

•  He also served as the Secretary, Finance and Planning, government of Andhra Pradesh, from 1972 to 1982.

Sports

India to host 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup

• The All India Football Consideration (AIFF) will be hosting the Women’s Asian Cup 2022 of Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The decision was taken during the AFC Women’s Football Committee. The Committee had recommended India to host the tournament earlier in February 2020.

•  It will be the first time for India to host the Women’s Asian Cup 2022 since 1979.

Days

World Refugee Day

• United Nations celebrates World Refugee Day globally on 20 June every year. The World Refugee Day 2020 aims to remind the world that everyone, including refugees, are capable in contributing towards society and Every Action Counts in the effort to create a more just, inclusive, and equal world.

• The theme of World Refugee Day 2020 is “Every Action Counts”.

World Sickle Cell Day 2020

• Every year on June 19 the World Sickle Cell Awareness Day is observed to increase public knowledge & understanding about sickle cell disease.The day also aims to put forth the challenges faced by these patients, their families and caregivers.

• World Sickle Cell Day was 1st organised by the United Nation General Assembly in the year 2008 to recognise sickle cell disease as a public health problem.

Books and Authors

The Debut Novel of Megha Majumdar – “A Burning”

• The Penguin Hamish Hamilton released the “A Burning”, debut novel of Megha Majumdar. The 32-year-old New York’s writer who was born and raised in Kolkata.The book was published on 2nd June 2020 by Knopf Doubleday publishing Group.

• The book is about the lives of three characters, Tommy Orange, YaaGyasi and Jhumpa Lahiri who want to rise to the middle class, to political power, to gain fame in the film industry and how their lives changed in Indian society.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 19th June 2020

National

PM Modi to launch Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan on 20 June

• “Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan” will be launched by the Government of India from Village Telihar, Block Beldaur of Khagaria District of Bihar. It is a massive rural public works scheme that will empower and offer livelihood opportunities to the returnee migrant workers as well as rural citizens.

• The programme will be joined by the villages across 116 districts in the six States through the Common Service Centres and Krishi Vigyan Kendras. The six states are: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Harsh Vardhan launched India’s 1st Mobile Lab

• Union Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan has launched India’s first mobile lab for C-19 testing. The Rapid Response Mobile Laboratory has been developed with the support from the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology and Andhra Pradesh Med-tech Zone (AMTZ) under DBT-AMTZ COMManD (COVID Medtech Manufacturing Development) Consortia.

•  The mobile lab which is also called Infectious Disease Diagnostic Lab or I-Lab will be able to run 25 RT-PCR and about 300 ELISA tests in a day. The lab can also take additional tests for TB, HIV as per CGHS rates.

Two Indian Companies – ZestMoney and Stellapps – Named in WEF’s Technology Pioneers of 2020

• Two Indian firms namely ZestMoney and Stellapps have figured in the 2020 Technology Pioneers list released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on 16 June 2020.

• 2020 Technology Pioneers is the 20th edition of the annual list and comprises the names of companies from around the world that are poised to have a significant impact on business and society by addresing global issues with cutting-edge technology.

• Of the 100 companies in the 2020 class, one-fourth are led by female founders.

International

India elected as non-permanent member of UN Security Council for a two-year term

• India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term during the 2020 UNSC elections held on 17 June 2020.India’s two year term for the 2021-22 will begin on January 1, 2021.

• The country won 184 votes out of 192 valid votes polled in 193 member UN General Assembly. India was the sole candidate from the Asia-Pacific category.

• This is the eighth time that India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the Council. Its previous terms are 1950—1951, 1967—1968, 1972—1973, 1977—1978, 1984—1985, 1991—1992 and 2011—2012.

• Along with India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway were the other countries that also won the 2020 Security Council election.

Banking and Economy

AIIB Approves $750 million loan to India

• Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved USD 750 million as a loan to India to help government to strengthen its response to the effect of the Chinese virus on millions of poor households.

• AIIB is co-financing the loan with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).This is the second loan for India under AIIB’s C-19 Crisis Recovery Facility (CRF).Earlier, the bank had provided USD 500 million C-19 emergency response to India.

• With this, AIIB’s total sovereign loans to India that have already been approved amount to USD 3.06 billion.

Fitch revises India’s outlook to negative from stable

• Fitch Ratings has revised India’s long-term outlook to negative from stable, citing risks due to continued acceleration in the number of new C-19 cases as the lockdown is eased gradually in the country.

• The global credit rating agency has affirmed the country’s sovereign rating at ‘BBB-’, the lowest investment grade.

• Fitch expects Indian economic to contract by 5% (-5 percent) in the fiscal year ending March 2021 (FY21).

ADB Forecast India’s GDP at -4% for FY’21; 5% for FY’22

• India’s economy is forecast to contract by 4 percent in 2020-21, as per the latest Asian Development Outlook (ADO) report of the Asian Development Bank released on 18 June 2020, due to the adverse effect of the coronavirus pandemic.

• For FY2021, ending March 2022, India’s GDP is projected to grow at 5%.

яГ╝ GDP for 2020-21 : -4%

яГ╝ GDP for 2021-22 : 5%

Appointments and Resignations

Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir Elected President of 75th UN General Assembly

• Volkan Bozk─▒r, a veteran Turkish diplomat and parliamentarian was elected as the President of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on June 17. He was the sole candidate for the post.

• Bozk─▒r is the first Turkish national who has become the President of the General Assembly.

Days

International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

• International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is observed globally on 19th June every year.

• This day is seen to bring issues to light of the need to stop strife related sexual violence, to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all or any those that have fearlessly dedicated their lives to and lost their lives in going to bat for the annihilation of those violations.

Autistic Pride Day

• Every year, Autistic Pride Day is observed on June 18 globally to create awareness about autism among people and recognise the importance of pride for autistic people and its role in bringing about positive changes in the broader society.

• The day is represented by a rainbow infinity symbol which denotes the infinite possibilities that autistic people have.

• Autistic Pride Day was first celebrated in Brazil in 2005, at the initiative of an organisation named Aspies for Freedom.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 18th June 2020

National

Uttar Pradesh becomes top state to provide employment to workers under MGNREGA

• Uttar Pradesh has become the top most state in the country to provide employment to the workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme MGNREGA.

• According to the data released by officials, the state provided employment to 57 lakh 12975 workers on 15 June 2020. These workers are engaged across 56,981 panchayats out of the total 58,000 panchayats in the state.

• Uttar Pradesh now accounts for 18 percent of the total workers employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the country and has generated 7.93 crore man-days.

Sports Ministry to set up “Khelo India State Centres of Excellence”

• Under the Sports Ministry’s flagship programme “Khelo India Scheme“, the ministry is going to set up Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE).

• To create a robust sporting ecosystem in the entire country, as well as to strengthen India’s pursuit for excellence in Olympics, one KISCE will be identified in each state and unionterritory (UT).

• In the first phase of setting up KISCE, sports ministry has identified state-owned sports facilities in eight states of India. These states are: Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Kerala, Telangana, Nagaland, Karnataka, and Odisha.

Trustees of PM CARES fund appoints SARC & Associates as its auditor

• The Trustees of the Prime Minister’s Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) fund has appointed, New Delhi based Chartered Accountants, SARC & Associates, as its auditors for the next three years.

• The SARC & Associates headed by Sunil Kumar Gupta is also the auditor of the PM’s National Relief Fund(PMNRF) appointed in 2019.

AYUSH Ministry launches ‘Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family’ Campaign

• The AYUSH Ministry has launched 'Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family' campaign to mark the International Yoga Day 2020.

• Under the campaign, the Ministry will encourage people to perform Yogasanas from their homes, while maintaining social distancing and other restrictions imposed during the C-19 pandemic.

Science and Technology

Scientists observe “Fifth State of Matter” for first time in space

• A team of NASA scientists has observed the fifth state of matter for the first time in space. This observation will help scientists in solving some of the Bose-Einstein Quantum universe’s difficult questions.

• The existence of Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) fifth state of matter was projected by Albert Einstein and Indian mathematician Satyendra Nath Bose a century ago.

Obituary

Maharashtra based senior journalist & freedom fighter Dinu Randive passes away at 95

• Senior journalist and freedom fighter from Maharashtra, Dinu Randive has passed away due to old age. He was 95.

• Randive played a key role in the struggle movement called Samyukta Maharashtra movement to carve out Maharashtra state. He also participated in the Goa liberation movement.

Maha Vir Chakra Awardee Lt Gen Raj Mohan Vohra passes away

• MahaVir Chakra awardee Lt Gen (retd) Raj Mohan Vohra passed away due to C-19. He was a 1971 war hero. Lt Gen Vohra had received the coveted award in 1972.

• The MahaVir Chakra is that the country’s second-highest gallantry award. It is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry within the presence of the enemy whether on land, at sea or in the air.

Days

Sustainable Gastronomy Day

• Sustainable Gastronomy Day is observed globally on 18th June every year. This day is observed to acknowledge gastronomy as a cultural expression related to nature as well as the cultural diversity of the world.

• It also reaffirms that each one culture and civilizations are contributors and crucial enablers of sustainable development throughout the planet.

• The UN General Assembly adopted on 21 December 2016 its resolution A/RES/71/246 and designated 18 June as an international observance, Sustainable Gastronomy Day.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

• World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed on 17th June every year. The day is observed to spread awareness among people about the cooperation required to combat desertification and the effects of drought.

• The theme of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2020: Food. Feed. Fibre. – the links between consumption and land.

Others

New fish species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

A new fish species named as “Schizothoraxsikusirumensis” has been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh. The new fish species was discovered by Dr. Keshav Kumar Jha. He discovered a new fish species from genus Schizothorax.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 16th June 2020

National

Centre Launches ”Aarogyapath” Healthcare Supply Chain Portal

• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched a healthcare supply chain portal named ”Aarogyapath”, to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies to manufacturers, suppliers and customers.

• The portal AarogyaPath can be accessed at https://www.aarogyapath.in.

• The initiative aims at filling a critical gap in last-mile delivery of patient care within India through improved availability and affordability of healthcare supplies.

India gets first diagnostics lab for infectious diseases

• India has got its first infectious disease diagnostics lab as a part of PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’. This mobile laboratory has been built in a record time of only 8 days after the receipt of Automotive Chassis from Bharat Benz.

• The Department of Bio-Technology has supported the development of this lab.

PepsiCo to invest USD 3 million for safe water access

•  PepsiCo Foundation announced on June 15, 2020 that it will invest USD 3 million to provide safe water access to agricultural communities and help women in high water-risk areas in West Bengal and Maharashtra in association with Water Aid.

•  The safe water access programme will provide around 2 lakh farmers and their families access to piped water supply for household use and increased water resources. It will also help establish community-managed water distribution systems in these communities.

•  This decision is a part of PepsiCo Foundation's new goal of reaching 100 million people with safe water access worldwide by 2030. The foundation has helped more than 44 million people gain access to safe water since 2006.

International

Kathy Lueders becomes first female to head Human Space Flight Program of NASA

• Kathy Lueders has been appointed as the new Associate Administrator of Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate. With this, she becomes the first female to head the human space flight program of NASA.

• Lueders has been assisting NASA in sending astronauts to space since 2014 on private spacecraft.

Banking and Economy

Bank of Baroda to completely digitise lending operations

•  Bank of Baroda, India’s third-largest lender has decided to completely digitise it’s lending operations including agriculture, home, MSME, auto and personal loans.

•  The bank is looking to completely do away with paper-based lending. It has reached out to the big four consultants like McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group to help set up a “digital lending department”.

•  The approval and disbursal of fresh loans will now happen through the new digital platform while past loans will also be digitised to cut costs and improve profitability. The bank is planning to set up its digital department within two months.

Obituary

India’s oldest first-class cricketer Vasant Raiji passes away at 100

• Vasant Raiji, the oldest first-class cricketer of India has recently passed away. He was 100-year-old.

• The legendary cricketer Vasant Raiji celebrated his 100th birthday on 26 January 2020.

• Raiji, a right-handed batsman, played in 9 first-class matches from 1939 to 1950, scoring 277 runs with 68 being his highest score.

Former New Zealand cricketer Matt Poore passes away

• Former New Zealand Test cricketer, Matt Poore passed away. He was featured in 14 Tests for New Zealand, scoring 355 runs and picking up nine wickets between 1953-1956.

• He also played 61 Tests for Canterbury and scored 2,336 runs and ended up with 68 wickets.

Days

International Day of Family Remittances

• International Day of Family Remittances is observed on 16th June every year. The day recognizes the contribution of over 200 million migrants to improve the lives of their 800 million family members back home and to create a future of hope for their children.

• This year International Day of Family Remittances is celebrated under the theme: “Building resilience in times of crisis”

World Blood Donor Day

• World Blood Donor Day is marked by the World Health Organization (WHO) all around the world on every 14 June to create awareness about the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood.

• The theme for the Blood donor day 2020 is ‘Safe Blood Saves Lives’. It would be promoted with the slogan ‘Give blood and make the world a healthier place.’

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 15th June 2020

National

CM Uddhav Thackray and Dr Harshvardhan e-launched ‘I-FLOWS’ a flood warning system in Mumbai

• The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray and Union Earth science  Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan jointly launched the state-of-the-art Integrated Flood Warning System (I-FLOWS) – Mumbai

• The system monitors the flood activities by providing early warning in the city during high rainfall and cyclone events by as early as 3 days in advance.

• It was developed by Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) functioning under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

International

Facebook joins hand with tech-giants, including Google and Microsoft for ‘Project Protect’ to fight online child sexual abuse

• Facebook has joined hands with Microsoft, Google, Twitter and 14 other tech giants for a new initiative called ‘Project Protect’ to help combat child sexual abuse and exploitation online. Facebook will lead this initiative.

• These tech giants have been working together under Technology Coalition since past 14 years, since its formation way back in 2006.Project Protect is a renewed commitment from the Technology Coalition for the next 15 years to protect kids online and guide its work.

• Project Protect will focus on five key areas: tech innovation, collective action, independent research, information and knowledge sharing, and transparency and accountability.

Banking and Economy

India’s forex reserves cross $500 billion-mark’

• India’s forex reserves have now crossed the $ 500 billion mark, according to the data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• The reserves rose to $ 501.7 billion, marking an increase of $ 8.22 billion in a week. Reserves had surged $3.43 billion to a fresh all-time high of $493.48 billion in the week-ended May 29.

Obituary

Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput passes away

• Bollywood Actor Sushant Singh Rajput passed away. He made his Bollywood debut with the 2013 movie “Kai Po Che!” and was renowned for his role in the 2016 hit MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. He earned massive fame with a TV show “Pavitra Rishta” and made a successful transition to films.The actor delivered major hit films such as 'PK' and 'Kedarnath'. His biggest hit was 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story', a film based on the life of former Indian skipper MS Dhoni.

•  His upcoming project included Mukesh Chhabra's 'Dil Bechara' opposite Sanjana Sanghi. The film is an official remake of the Hollywood film 'The Fault in Our Stars'. Sushant Singh Rajput's last release was Nitesh Tiwari's Chhichhore, which released in September 2019.

Appointments and Resignations

UTI mutual funds appoint Imtaiyazur Rahman as CEO

• UTI Asset Management Board appointed  Imtaiyazur Rahman as Chief Executive Officer (CEO ) of the UTI Asset Management Committee (AMC)

• He will succeed Leo Puri whose 5-year tenure was over in August 2018.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 14th June 2020

National

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches ‘Sahakar Mitra’

• The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched Sahakar Mitra: Scheme on Internship Programme (SIP) to provide paid internship to youth and ensure availability of assured project loans to young cooperators.

• This scheme is an initiative by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.

• Sahakar Mitra: SIP scheme will provide an opportunity to the young professionals to get practical exposure and learning from the working of NCDC and cooperatives as a paid intern. Under the scheme, each intern will get financial support over a 4 months internship period.

Odisha becomes 1st state to get ISO for tribal hostels

• Odisha has become the first state in the country to receive ISO certification for hostels meant for tribal students. The ST & SC Welfare Department has launched the ‘Mission Suvidya’ project to provide all the tribal hostels of the state uniform standards of infrastructure, amenities and human resources.

• Mission Suvidya has launched in December 2019, it aims to improve the quality of basic facilities in the SC (Scheduled Castes) and ST (Scheduled Tribes) hostels like safe building, functional toilets, safe drinking water, proper kitchen and dining, safety, security, health, hygiene and food provisions for students.

International

UK’s economy shrinks by record 20.4 percent in April

• The United Kingdom’s economy shrank by record 20.4 percent in April, amid strict , revealed official data on June 12, 2020.

• The record slump in the economy is likely to be the low point before a long and slow recovery, as Britain readies to open up its economy.

• The Office of National Statistics stated that the gross domestic product of Britain contracted by 10.4 percent in the three-month period till April in comparison to the previous three-month period.

Banking and Economy

RBI constitutes Internal Working Group to review ownership, corporate structure of Indian private sector banks

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a five-member Internal Working Group (IWG) to review the extant guidelines related to ownership, governance and corporate structure of private sector banks.

• The committee will be headed by Dr. Prasanna Kumar Mohanty, Director, Central Board of RBI. It will submit its report by 30 September, 2020.

Obituary

Manchester United Legend, Tony Dunne, Passes Away

• The former Republic of Ireland international footballer, Tony Dunne, has passed away. He was 78.

• He played for Manchester United for 13 years in which he made 535 appearances.

• He played as defender for Manchester United’s European Cup-winning team in 1968, becoming the first English side to lift the continent’s most-prestigious trophy.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 13th June 2020

National

NHAI goes completely digital

• The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has gone completely digital. It is the first organisation of the construction sector that has been transformed into online portal completely through the Data Lake and Project Management Software.

• The entire NHAI work will now be carried out online amid the C-19 .The online portal will help the NHAI employees in continuing their work without any physical contact.

Madhya Pradesh becomes the top wheat procurer; pumps Rs 25,000 crores to boost farmers

• MP becomes India’s largest wheat procurer in the year 20-21 surpassing Punjab. Rs 25,000 crore introduced to boost farmers.MP also produced the most wheat about 30 million tonnes this year.

Coimbatore becomes Koyampuththoor as TN changes English names of 1,018 places

• The Tamil Nadu government has issued a notification as per the recommendation of an experts committee for changing the names of 1,018 places, including of many important places, in accordance with how they are exactly pronounced in Tamil.

• For instance Coimbatore will be called Koyampuththoor and Ambattur has been re-christened as Ambaththoor. Vellore will be known as Veeloor.

Awards

Indian-American Dr. Rattan Lal awarded with World Food Prize 2020

• Indian-American Dr. Rattan Lal has been awarded with the 2020 World Food Prize for developing a soil centric approach for increasing food production while conserving natural resources and mitigating the climate change.

• Lal has been helping over 500 million small farmers through measures such as improved management, less soil degradation and recycling of nutrients.He will receive USD 250,000 as prize money.

• Lal serves as Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and founding Director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center at The Ohio State University (OSU).

Obituary

Veteran Urdu poet Gulzar Dehlvi passes away

• Veteran Urdu poet, Anand Mohan Zutshi Gulzar Dehlvi passed away. He was the editor of ‘Science ki Duniya’, the only science magazine published in Urdu by the government, which was launched in 1975.

• He is also credited with setting up Urdu schools across India. He was also associated with the freedom movement since the ’30s, when he was in school.

Ranking

FIFA’s latest ranking: India retains 108th slot

• India football team retained its 108th spot in the latest FIFA rankings. While Belgium ranked first and world champion France is in 2nd place and Brazil is at 3rd spot.

• In the wake of the C-19 , the qualifier tournaments have been postponed for the FIFA World Cup and other major games at the international level.

Days

International Albinism Awareness Day 2020

• International Albinism Awareness Day is celebrated worldwide on June 13, 2020. The day aims at creating awareness and acknowledging the multiple forms of discrimination that people with albinism face worldwide.

• Albinism is non-contagious, genetically inherited, rare difference present at birth. This condition results in a lack of pigmentation in skin, hair, and eyes causing vulnerability to the sun and bright light.

• This year’s International Albinism Awareness Day theme is ‘Made to Shine’. The theme has been chosen to celebrate the achievements and successes of people with albinism worldwide.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

All Rights Reserved Top Rankers