Current Affairs
Select Date
Tags:
Hindi

Important Current Affairs 12th June 2020

National

Population of Asiatic Lions in Gujarat’s Gir Forests increase by 28.87 percent in five years to 674

• The population of Asiatic Lions in the Gir forest region of Gujarat has witnessed a massive jump of 28.87 percent in the last five years, from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020.

• The state forest department conducted an exclusive population estimation exercise called Poonam Avalokan (full-moon night estimation exercise), on the night of June 5 and 6 when there was full moon.

• The population of 674 comprises of 161 males, 260 females, 116 sub-adult lions and 137 cubs. It is the highest growth rate recorded so far.

“Panchvati Yojna” launched in Himachal Pradesh

• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has launched “Panchvati Yojana” for the senior citizens of rural areas of the state. Under the “Panchvati Yojana”, state government of Himachal Pradesh will set up parks and gardens in every development block with all the necessary amenities.

• State government is eying to develop 100 such parks in the state in the current financial year.

International

Apple becomes first US company to hit $1.5 trillion market cap

• On 10 June 2020, US based tech-giant Apple Inc’s market capitalization surpassed $1.5 trillion, making it the first U.S. company to reach that mark.

• Market capitalization is the share price multiplied by the number of outstanding shares of the company’s stock, yielding the company’s overall stock market value.

• At a current price of around $352 per share and with roughly 4.3 billion shares outstanding, Apple’s market capitalization is now at around $1.53 trillion.

Banking and Economy

RBI releases Framework for sale of Loan Exposure and Securitization of Standard Assets

The Reserve Bank of India recently released draft framework for “Sale of Loan Exposures” and “Securitization of Standard Assets”.

The guidelines issued are applicable to Scheduled Commercial Banks. This includes All India Financial Institutions such as EXIM Bank, NABARD, Non-Banking Financial Companies.

The Guidelines has proposed Two Capital Measurement approach. This includes Securitisation External Ratings based approach and Securitisation Standardised Approach.

Fitch Ratings Projects Indian economy to grow at 9.5% in FY22

• Fitch Ratings has forecast India’s GDP growth rate of 9.5 percent in the fiscal year 2021-22.

• Earlier, Fitch Ratings had forecast a 5 percent contraction in the GDP in the ongoing financial year 2020-21.

• Further, it estimates that India’s GDP growth is likely to return to higher levels than ‘BBB’ category peers after the global crises.

OECD Projects India’s GDP at -7.3% for FY21 if  strikes again

• The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in its OECD Economic Outlook, has projected India’s economy to contract 7.3 percent in the current fiscal year 2020-21 if there is a second wave of the  () later this year.

• However, OECD expects the economy to contract 3.7 percent during the year 2020 if there is no second wave. Further, for the fiscal year 2021-22, GDP is estimated at 8.1 percent in case of a second wave and at 7.9 percent in other case, i.eno second wave.

Acquisitions and Mergers

Empays partners with Mastercard to enable contactless ATM withdrawals

• Cloud-based payment solutions provider, Empays Payment Systems India has partnered with Mastercard to launch contactless ATM solution in India due to virus.

• Under the partnership, Mastercard will help Empays to launch ‘Cardless ATM powered by Mastercard.

Obituary

Former member of Planning Commission, A. Vaidyanathan passes away

• The former member of the Planning Commission, A. Vaidyanathan passed away. He was a member of the perspective planning division of the Planning Commission from 1962 to 1972.

• He was also a professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies and Centre for Development Studies.

Days

World Day Against Child Labour

• The World Day Against Child Labour is held every year on June 12 to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labour.

• The theme for 2020 is “C-19 – Protect children from child labour now, more than ever”.

• It is an International Labour Organization (ILO)-sanctioned holiday first launched in 2002, and is intended to foster the worldwide movement against child labour in any of its forms.

World Accreditation Day (WAD)

• The World Accreditation Day (WAD) is celebrated every year on 9 June to promote the role of accreditation in trade & economy.

• The theme for WAD 2020 is “Accreditation: Improving Food Safety”.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 11th June 2020

National

Centre mandates to display green sticker on all BS-VI compliant vehicles of any type

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a notification, making it mandatory for all BS-VI compliant motor vehicles of any fuel type to have a strip of green colour of 1 cm width, at the top of the existing third registration sticker plate.

• This means for petrol or CNG, which have a light blue colour sticker and a diesel vehicle which is of orange colour sticker, both will have a green strip of 1 CM on top as mandated.

• This green strip will carry details of registration of BS-VI vehicle and its fuel type. The order will come into force from October 1, 2020.The order has been issued by amending the Motor Vehicles (High Security Registration Plates) order, 2018.

Awards

Ramon Magsaysay Awards 2020 Deferred

• Ramon Magsaysay Awards 2020 have been cancelled due to the C-19 . The Awards, considered as Asia’s version of Nobel Prize, are conferred by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation.

• The award is bestowed upon the Asian individuals showcase excellence in their respective fields and who work selflessly to serve others.

Obituary

Padma Shri awardee Pritam Singh passes away

• Former director of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow, Pritam Singh passed away. He chaired the subcommittee on Institutional Management and Leadership Development in Higher Education by the 12th Planning Commission for the 5-year plan (2012-2017).

• He was a member of the Ministry of Home Affairs Committee for capacity building of IPS officers.

Appointments and Resignations

Anil Valluri appointed as senior director for Google Cloud India

• Google Cloud has appointed Anil Valluri as Senior Director for Google Cloud in India. Valluri has over 30 years of experience in sales and marketing in the hi-tech industry.

• He has also headed several technology transitions in India for customers across banking, telecommunications, public sector and manufacturing. Before joining Google Cloud, Valluri was the President of India & SAARC operations at Net App.

Ranking

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Richest Man in the World; Ambani at 12th Position: Bloomberg Billionaires Index

• The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world’s richest people.

• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has emerged as the richest person in the world with a total net worth of $150 billion after he added almost $35 billion to his net worth so far this year.

• Bill Gates is the second richest person having total net worth of $115 billion. Bernard Arnault ($94.7 billion), Mark Zuckerberg (87.9 billion) and Warren Buffett (79.4 billion), makes up the top five.

• India’s Mukesh Ambani is the 12th richest person in the world. The total net worth of Ambani is 57.2 billion.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 10th June 2020

National

Highest Allocation to MGNREGA Programme

• The Government of India has allocated Rs 1,01,500crores under the MGNREGA programme in the year 2020-21 so far. This is the highest provision of funds allocated for the scheme since its launch.

• The Government of India has already released Rs 31,493 crores. So far 6.69 crore persons have been offered work under the scheme. In May 2020, Rs 2.51crores was spent for the scheme per day. The GoI increased the wages under the scheme from Rs 182 to Rs 202 per day.

• Under the scheme, the focus is given to irrigation, water conservation, horticulture. The scheme also focuses on beneficiary works that promote livelihood.

World Bank lends Rs 1950 crore loans to West Bengal

• West Bengal government has received a loan amount of Rs 1950 crore from the World Bank. The loan amount has been lend to the West Bengal Government to tackle C-19 situation and developmental work in the state.

• Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that out of it, Rs. 1,100 crore will be spent for creating Industrial infrastructures and remaining Rs. 850 crore have been allocated for spending on various Social-Welfare schemes.

International

World Bank: India’s economy to contract by 3.2 per cent in fiscal year 2020/21

• According to World Bank, India’s economy will shrink by 3.2 per cent in the current fiscal.

• The Washington-based multilateral lender said that the C-19  and the multi-phased  imposed to curb its spread has resulted in a devastating blow to the Indian economy.

• In its latest edition of the Global Economic Prospect, the World Bank downgraded its projection of India by a massive negative nine per cent.

• In India, growth is estimated to have slowed to 4.2 per cent in the fiscal year 2019/20 (the year ending in March-2020) and output is projected to contract by 3.2 per cent in fiscal year 2020/21.

GoI facilitates filling of NIL GST Return through SMS

• The Government of India has allowed taxpayers to fill their NIL GST monthly reurn form through SMS. This will improve ease of GST compliance to more than 22 lakh taxpayers.

• The facility of filing the NIL form through SMS has been made available in GSTN portal. The portal also allows the users to track their returns.

• The GST is the single tax imposed on goods and services. The GST bill was first introduced in 2014 as the Constitution (122nd) Amendment bill.

Acquisitions and Mergers

RIL to sell 1.16% in Jio to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority for Rs 5,684 cr

• Jio Platforms has received investment of Rs 5683.50 crore from a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). Hence, ADIA has bought 1.16% stake in Jio Platforms with its investment of Rs 5683.50 crore.

• The investment done by ADIA valued the Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore.

Obituary

Former union minister and Odisha MP Arjun Charan Sethi passes away

• Former Union Water Resources Minister Arjun Charan Sethi passed away. He was eight-time MP from Bhadrak, Odisha. He was Water Resources Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cabinet from 2000 to 2004.

•  The veteran politician was also elected to Odisha Assembly twice on Janata Dal ticket in 1991 and 1995 from Bhandaripokhari.

Days

World Accreditation Day 2020

• The World Accreditation Day (WAD) is celebrated globally on 9th June every year to highlight and promote the role of accreditation in trade & economy.

• The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) decided the theme for WAD 2020 as “Accreditation: Improving Food Safety”.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 9th June 2020

National

Garisain declared as summer capital of Uttarakhand

• Uttarakhand Government has declared Bhararisen, also known as Garisain, as new summer capital of Uttarakhand. Garisain is located in the Chamoli district of the state.

• With this, Uttarakhand becomes the second state or UT after the Jammu & Kashmir to have two capitals - Summer and Winter. The another capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun.

• Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh to become India's 27th state on November 9, 2000.

IAF develops rescue pod “ARPIT” for evacuation

• Indian Air Force has indigenously designed, developed and manufactured an Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation (ARPIT). This pod will help for the evacuation of critical patients with infectious diseases including C-19 from high altitude area, isolated and remote areas.

• The system has been formed as a lightweight isolation system made from aviation certified material.This indigenously designed, developed and manufactured system has been developed for Rs 60,000 only. The cost is much less in comparison to the imported systems costing up to at least Rs 60 lakh.

Andhra Pradesh launches online waste exchange website “APEMC”

• Online waste exchange website of Andhra Pradesh Environment Management Corporation (APEMC) has been launched by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

• The website was launched on the occasion of World Environment Day. Andhra Pradesh has become India’s first state to launch waste exchange website.

International

New Zealand declared as C-19 free

• New Zealand on June 8, 2020 declared itself C-19 free following the recovery of its last patient. The country has not reported any new C-virus positive case in last 17 days. With this, all the restrictions imposed across the country will be lifted off including social distancing.

• However the country will continue to follow strict border controls.The nation that has a population of 5 million had 1,154 confirmed C-19 cases and 22 deaths.

Summits and Mou’s

India, Denmark sign agreement for boosting cooperation in power sector

•  India and Denmark have signed an MoU to develop cooperation in the power sector. The agreement was signed between the Union Ministry of Power and Denmark’s Ministry for Energy, Utilities and Climate.

•  The main objective behind the agreement is to develop a strong, deep and long-term co-operation between the two countries in the power sector on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit.

Awards

Javed Akhtar became first Indian to bag Richard Dawkins Award 2020

• Writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar has become the first Indian to be awarded with the prestigious Richard Dawkins Award 2020. He was conferred with the award for humanist value, critical thinking and advancing human progress.

• The Richard Dawkins Award is bestowed every year to a distinguished individual from the field of entertainment, scholarship, science, and education.

Ranking

Gujarat tops India's Food Safety Index among larger states

•  Gujarat has topped India’s food safety index among larger states, while Chandigarh topped among the union territories. Goa topped the index among the small states, as per the information shared by FSSAI on June 7, 2020.

•  Gujarat was followed by Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra among the larger states in food safety and Goa was followed by Manipur and Meghalaya among the smaller states.

•  Among the Union Territories, Chandigarh was followed by Delhi and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in food safety.

•  The FSSAI had shared the results of the second 'State Food Safety Index' on June 7 during a webinar to commemorate the World Food Safety Day.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 8th June 2020

National

India Loses 750 Tigers in Last Eight Years: NTCA Survey

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has shared the data related to details of tiger deaths during the eight year period between 2012 and 2019.According to the official data of NTCA, as many as 750 tigers died in the country in the last eight years due to poaching and other causes.

• Of these total tiger mortalities, 369 were due to natural causes, 168 due to poaching, 70 deaths are under scrutiny and 42 due to unnatural reasons, including accident or conflicts events and 101 seizures.

• The data showed that Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of 526 tigers in the country. However, Madhya Pradesh reported the highest tiger deaths during this eight year period at 173, of which, 38 were due to poaching, 94 natural deaths, 19 under scrutiny, six due to the unnatural causes and 16 seizures.

International

Russia declares state of emergency after massive fuel spill in Arctic Circle

• Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency on June 4, 2020 after a massive fuel spill in the Arctic Circle. At least 20,000 tonnes of diesel leaked from a power plant in Norilsk last week and spilled into the Ambarnaya River in Siberia, making it turn red.

• Russia has imposed a state of emergency in the region, as emergency workers and maritime clean-up specialists are putting in intensive efforts to clean up the fuel spill.

• The major diesel spill reportedly took place on May 29, 2020 after a fuel tank at a power plant ruptured in the Siberian city of Norilsk. The city is located above the Arctic Circle in north-central Russia.

Summits and Mou’s

MoU between ISRO and ARIES for cooperation in Space Situational Awareness, Astrophysics

• On 4th June 2020, for the cooperation in the Field of Space Situational Awareness(SSA) and Astrophysic, The Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO), Bengaluru signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Aryabhatta Research institute of Observational Science(ARIES).

• R. Umamaheswaran, Scientific Secretary of ISRO from ISRO headquarters and Prof. Dipankar Banerjee, Director of ARIES from ARIES headquarters signed the MoU on the virtual platform.

Awards

Hyderabad airport wins ACI Asia-Pacific Green Airports Platinum Recognition 2020

• The Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific announced the results of the ACI Asia-Pacific Green Airports Recognition 2020 on 5 June 2020.

• The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad has received the Platinum award in the 15-35 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category for its water management practices.

Obituary

Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passes away

• Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passed away. He had made his debut with the movie ‘Vayuputra. He has featured in films such as Samhaara, Aadyaa, Khaki, Sinnga, Amma I Love You, Prema Baraha, Dandam Dashagunam and Varadhanayaka among others.

• He was last seen in the Kannada action-drama Shivarjuna.

Days

World Oceans Day

• World Oceans Day is marked annually on the 8 June to celebrate the role of the oceans in our everyday life and inspiring action to protect the ocean and sustainably use marine resources.

• The theme of UN World Oceans Day 2020 is “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean.”

• World Oceans Day was officially recognised by the United Nations in 2008.

World Brain Tumour Day

• World Tumour Day is observed on June 8 every year to spread awareness about this deadly disease, ensure its early diagnosis, as well as as pay tribute to brain tumour patients and their families.

• The day was first initiated by the German Brain Tumour Association (GBTA) in 2000.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 7th June 2020

National

CSIR and Atal Innovation Mission sign a Letter of Intent to foster Innovation in India

• This partnership will support world class start-ups through CSIR Incubators under AIM initiatives and jointly work on new models of innovation, including setting up of CSIR Innovation Parks.

• It also stimulates innovation and research in the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) industry by CSIR in collaboration with ARISE, an initiative of AIM.

Banking and Economy

HDFC Bank launches ‘Summer Treats’ to meet post  needs of customers

• India’s largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has launched ‘Summer Treats’, to offers a range of products to help meet the changing needs of merchants as well as salaried and self-employed customers.

• As C-19 have changed consumer lifestyles and demands such as work from home and school from home, there have been an increased demand for phones, tablets, computers and related accessories. Similarly, demand for safe digital payments and private transport is also rising as well as the need for business finance has also increased.

• Summer Treats fulfills all such needs by providing a host of exciting offers. The key offers include:

яГ╝ Exclusive discount for iPhone SE launch, no cost EMI and no down payment for large appliances,

яГ╝ Discounts and cash back on select brands,

яГ╝ 50% extra reward points on online spends using Credit Cards,

яГ╝ Exclusive offers on the bank’s lending products and

яГ╝ Extra rewards on online spends via Debit Card Credit Card or Payzapp.

Awards

India’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw named EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2020

• Indian billionaire entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been named as the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 (WEOY).

• She has been emerged as the winner from among a distinguished list of 46 Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) country award winners from 41 countries and territories.

• Mazumdar-Shaw is the first woman entrepreneur from India and the third Indian to win the title in the award’s 20-year history.

• UdayKotak of Kotak Mahindra Bank (2014) and N R Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys Ltd, (2005) are the other winners from India.

Obituary

Former Governor and Delhi Police Chief VedMarwah passes away at 87

• Ved Marwah who had served as the former Governor of Mizoram, Manipur and Jharkhand has passed away. He was 87.

• Marwah had also served as the Delhi Police Commissioner.He had also penned a book ‘Uncivil Wars: Pathology of Terrorism in India’.

Sports

2022 Women’s Asian Cup will held in India

• India has been awarded the hosting rights of the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup by the Asian Football Confederation. The tournament will held in India for the second time since 1979.

• As hosts, India will get an automatic qualification to the tournament.The tournament has been expanded from the previous slots of eight teams to 12 teams.

Days

World Food Safety Day 2020

• The second World Food Safety Day (WFSD) is observed on 7 June 2020.  The aim of the day is to raise awareness about different foodborne risks and the measures of how to prevent it.

•  According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), this year theme is ‘Food safety, everyone’s businesses.

• The campaigns will also spread awareness that how food safety is very much important and related to different other important factors of life such as human health, economic growth, and many others.

UN Russian Language Day

• The UN Russian Language Day is observed annually on 06 June. It is one of the six official languages used by the United Nations throughout the Organization.

• The day was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2010.

• 6 June is chosen as UN Russian Language Day as it coincides with the birthday of Aleksandr Pushkin, a Russian poet who is considered the father of modern Russian language.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 6th June 2020

National

India to donate USD 15 million for Global Vaccine Alliance

• India has pledged to make donation of USD 15 million for GAVI - Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation. The donation was made during the virtual Global Vaccine Summit that was hosted by United Kingdom (UK).

• Prime Minister Modi attended the meeting and mentioned that the huge demand for the vaccine in India will make it cheaper.

Ayush Ministry launches 'My Life, My Yoga' international competition

• The Ministry of Ayush launched the My Life, My Yoga international video-blogging competition on June 5, 2020. The competition invites participation from people across the globe.

• The participants have been asked to post a 3-minute video on their social media accounts by tagging the Ministry of Ayush to participate in the competition.

• The participants can also use the hashtag “My Life, My Yoga” in the comment section on the social media platforms while sharing their video blogs. The winners will be awarded Rs 1 lakh cash prize.

Important Cabinet Approvals

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi held meeting. Following are the major approvals given during the meet:

• Renaming of Kolkata Port as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port. The Kolkata Port is the first Major Port as well as the only riverine port of the country.

• Re-establish Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) as Subordinate Office under Ministry of AYUSH by merging into it Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM) and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL)- the two central laboratories established at Ghaziabad since 1975.

• Setting up of an “Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) and Project Development Cells (PDCs) in Ministries/Departments of Government of India for attracting investments in India”. This new mechanism will reinforce India’s vision of becoming a US$ 5 trillion economy by 2024-25.

• Signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of India and the Royal Government of Bhutan on Cooperation in the areas of Environment.

Banking and Economy

RBI creates Payment Infrastructure Development Fund

• The Reserve Bank of India created Payment Infrastructure Development Fund of Rs 500 crores. The apex bank has made an initial contribution of Rs 250 crores towards the funds. The rest of the fund is to come through the card issuing banks.

• The fund has been created to increase point of sale infrastructure and other digital payment infrastructure in the country.

• The funds are being allocated in line with the measures proposed in the vision document on payment and settlement systems in India 2019-21.

• The funds are to be governed through an advisory council. However, the funds will be administered and managed by RBI.

IndusInd Bank Launches India’s First Mobile-based current account opening facility

• IndusInd is the first bank in India to introduce this assisted mobile application based facility which will enable the Bank to open current accounts for self-employed individuals and businesses digitally, in just a few hours.

• The IndusInd app uses multiple ‘Application Programme Interface’ (APIs) and enables secured validation of KYC documents from authorised government platforms such as the Goods and Service Tax (GST), Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), Import Export Code (IEC) and Aadhaar.

Axis Bank MasterCard and World line launches ‘Soft POS’, first financial payments service

• Axis Bank Ltd, Mastercard India & World line India partnered to launch a digital point-of-sale(POS) solution ‘Soft POS’, the 1st financial payments service in India to transform everyday smartphones into merchant POS terminals.

• Soft POS provides a cost-effective card acceptance solution for all micro-merchants and SMEs in India by eliminating the need to invest in a POS device. The app allows banks to have complete visibility of a merchant’s transactions, which makes it easier for small merchants to get business loans.

• It helps offline merchants and Kirana stores accept payments using their smartphones.Merchants can accept contactless payments directly by their own Android smartphones, this functionality is called “Tap on Phone” which means a cardholder can tap his/her contactless card on the merchant Smartphone with NFC functionality and so encourages social distancing.

• The solution enables merchants to accept payments through various digital form factors which include Bharat QR, sending payment links to customers and accepting Near Field Communication(NFC) based technology payments to boost contactless payments in the country.

Acquisitions and Mergers

Jio-Mubadala deal for 1.85% Stake in Jio Platforms

• Abu Dhabi-based firm, Mubadala Investment Company has recently invested into Reliance Jio Platforms to acquire 1.85 percent stake in the company. Under this deal, Mubadala will be investing Rs 9,093.60 crore into Jio Platforms., the telecom branch of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

• The Jio-Mubadala deal awaits regulatory and customary approvals. It is the sixth such deal in last 1.5 months. The other five deals were carried out with Facebook, Silver Lake, General Atlantic, Vista Equity Partners and KKR.

Appointments and Resignations

Brajendra Navnit becomes India’s new ambassador to WTO

• India has appointed Brajendra Navnit as India’s new ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO). He is a 1999 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre. He will be posted at the Permanent Mission of India (PMI) to the WTO in Geneva.

• Navnit, who recently completed his tenure as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. He replaces JS Deepak at the PMI, whose two-year extended term ended on May 31.

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 5th June 2020

National

Union Cabinet clears ordinance to create ‘One India, One Agriculture Market’

• The union cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved an ordinance on June 3, 2020, that will pave the way for the creation of ‘One India, One Agriculture Market’.

• The ordinance aims at setting up an ecosystem where farmers and traders will have the freedom of choice of sale and purchase of the agricultural produce.

• The Cabinet decision was announced by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar.

GoI launches “The Urban Learning Internship Program (TULIP)”

• Government of India has launched “The Urban Learning Internship Program (TULIP)”. This programme is an initiative of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of HRD, and Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

• TULIP programme aims to provide internship opportunities to fresh graduates in all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) as well as Smart Cities across the nation.

• The programme would also facilitate practical experience to the students of India and hence help in infusing fresh ideas and innovative thinking into the working of Urban Local Bodies and smart cities.

India- Australia Virtual Meet

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 4 held the first-ever ‘India-Australia’ virtual summit with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The Australian PM was earlier scheduled to visit India this year.

• The ‘bilateral virtual summit’ signifies the strengthening of India’s ties with Australia as both the countries also signed 7 agreements on defence, public reforms, and critical technology.

International

World food price index hits 17-month low in May 2020: UN

•  The United Nations food agency announced on June 4, 2020 that the world food prices fell for the fourth consecutive month in May 2020, hitting a 17-month low.

•  The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index averaged 162.5 points in May, the lowest monthly reading since December 2018. The index measures monthly changes in the prices of cereals, dairy products, oilseeds, meat and sugar.

•  The dairy price index also dropped by 7.3%, led by sharp falls in prices of butter and cheese, partly because of lower import demand.

•  The cereal price index also fell by 1% as coarse grain prices continued to fall with US maize prices falling and wheat export prices falling, amid expectations of ample global supplies. However, international rice prices have edged higher during this period. Rice production reached an all-time high of 508.7 million tonnes in 2020, up by 1.6% from 2019.

•  The meat index also slipped 0.8%, as poultry and pig meat prices continued to fall, reflecting high export availabilities and despite an increase in import demand in East Asia.

Obituary

Legendary Filmmaker Basu Chatterjee passes away

• Legendary Filmmaker & the National Film Award winner Basu Chatterjee passed away. He was known for his middle-of-the-road cinema and films like “Chhoti Si Baat” and “Rajnigandha”. He also directed two hit TV serials namely “Byomkesh Bakshi” and “Rajani”.

• He received National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare for his film Durga in 1992.

Renowned lyricist Anwar Sagar passes away

• Veteran lyricist and member of Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS), Anwar Sagar passed away.

• The lyricist also has to his credit films like Khiladi, Yaarana, Salaami, Aa Gale Lag Jaa and Vijaypath among more.

Appointments and Resignations

Uday Kotak takes over as President of CII

• MD & CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Uday Kotak has taken over as the President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the year 2020-21.

• He has replaced the chairman and MD of Kirloskar Systems, Vikram Kirloskar as the President of CII.

Days

World Environment Day 2020: Global CO2 emissions hit record high in May

• The World Environment Day 2020 was observed across the globe on June 5, 2020 with an emphasis on the need to care for nature and humanity. World Environment Day is observed every year to raise global awareness on environmental issues.

• This year’s theme of Environment Day is ‘Biodiversity’. The World Environment Day 2020 theme is extremely important, especially with the recent events of major bushfires in Australia, Brazil and the United States.

• The day provides an opportunity to broaden the “basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises, and communities in preserving and enhancing the environment.”

Read More
Read Less
View All Comments

Important Current Affairs 4th June 2020

National

Government launches Electronics Manufacturing Scheme 2.0 (Outlay- Rs 50,000 Crore)

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the Electronics Manufacturing Scheme 2.0 with an outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore (approximately USD 7 billion). It includes three sub-schemes.

• The PLI (Production Linked Incentive)Scheme shall extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over base year) of goods manufactured in India and covered under the target segments, to eligible companies, for a period of five years subsequent to the base year.

• Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) andThe SPECS(Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors)shall provide financial incentive of 25% on capital expenditure for the identified list of electronic goods, i.e., electronic components, semiconductor/ display fabrication units, Assembly, Test, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) units, specialized sub-assemblies and capital goods for manufacture of aforesaid goods.

• The EMC 2.0 (Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters) shall provide support for creation of world class infrastructure along with common facilities and amenities, including Ready Built Factory (RBF) sheds / Plug and Play facilities for attracting major global electronics manufacturers, along with their supply chains.

International

US President Trump invites PM Modi for G7 meet

• US President Donald Trump has invited PM Narendra Modi for the G7 meeting during telephonic conversation held between both the leaders on June 2, 2020.

• PM Modi and President Trump discussed the issue of C-19 , G-7 meeting, Indo-China border and others. The G7 meeting has been rescheduled to September 2020.

India to be re-elected as non-permanent member of UNSC

• India to be soon re-elected as a UNSC non-permanent member. The United Nations Security Council will hold its elections in June 2020 and India is highly expected to win the elections from the Asia Pacific seat.

• India is the sole contender from this region and its name was proposed by all the Asia Pacific member countries.

Banking and Economy

Facebook to acquire 9.9% stake in Jio Platforms via Jaadhu Holdings

• Facebook will acquire this stake in Jio Platforms via a new entity named Jaadhu Holdings LLC. According to a submission made to the Competition Commission of India, Jaadhu Holdings, LLC is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Facebook, Inc.

• Jaadhu is a newly incorporated company formed in March 2020 under the laws of the State of Delaware, US. Jaadhu is not engaged in any business in India or anywhere in the world.

Obituary

NBA Hall Of Famer Wes Unseld Passes Away At 74

• NBA legend Wes Unseld, one of the greatest American professional basketball player,  has passed away at the age of 74.

• Unseld is universally considered as the greatest player in league’s history.

• He led his franchise ‘Washington Wizards’ (the then Baltimore Bullets) to the NBA Championship in 1978.

Appointments and Resignations

Gaitri Kumar appointed India’s next High Commissioner to UK

• Gaitri Kumar has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom.

• She is presently serving as the Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the European Union.

Ex Google CFO Patrick Pichette Appointed as new Chairman of Twitter’s Board

• Twitter Inc has appointed Patrick Pichette, a former chief financial officer (CFO) at Google, as the new chairman of the company’s board.

• It is the first time in Twitter’s history that an outsider will preside over the group. Pichette will replace Omid Kordestani.

Sibi George appointed India’s next Ambassador to Kuwait

• Sibi George has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the State of Kuwait.

• He was presently serving as the Ambassador of India to Switzerland.

V N Datt takes over as C&MD, National Fertilizers Limited

•  Virendra Nath Datt has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director of National Fertilizers Limited (NFL). Datt has been serving as the Director (Marketing) of the Company since October 2018.

•  As Director (Marketing) at NFL, Datt is credited with sustained growth in fertilizer sale of the company from 43 Lakh MT in 2017-18 to 57 Lakh MT in 2019-20.

Raveesh Kumar becomes new Ambassador of India to Finland

• Raveesh Kumar has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Finland. He is presently serving as the Joint Secretary in the Ministry.

• He is an IFS officer of 1995 batch.

Days

International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

• International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed globally on 4th June every year. This day affirms the UN’s commitment to guard the rights of children.

•  This day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the planet who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. The main aim of celebrating today is to spread the notice about the pain and sufferings faced by the victims as children.

Read More
Read Less

Important Current Affairs 3rd June 2020

National

PM SVANIDHI Scheme launched to help street vendors with affordable loans

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched PM SVANIDHI (Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi) scheme, which is a special micro-credit facility scheme for providing affordable loan to street vendors, to help them to resume their livelihoods.

• The scheme is as per the announcement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 14 under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat economic package.

• The scheme is valid until March 2022 and will provide total liquidity of Rs 5,000 crore. SIDBI will be the technical partner for implementation of the scheme.

Cyclone Nisarga heads towards coast in Maharashtra, Gujarat

• As per the information shared by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), a deep depression is likely to intensify into cyclonic formation in next 12 hours in the east-central Arabian sea.

• The Tropical cyclone ‘Nisarga’ is heading towards the coast in Gujarat and Maharashtra. It is expected to hit the coast of Mumbai on June 3.

International

WHO launches ‘C-TAP’ for equitable access to life-saving tech

• WHO has launched the ‘C-19 Technology Access Pool’ for equitable access to life-saving tech. This comes after at least 37 countries jointly appealed to the World Health Organisation for common ownership of vaccines, medicines and other diagnostic tools to combat the global health crisis.

• C-TAP aims to accelerate the development of vaccines and medicines through the sharing of research and information and to increase manufacturing capacity for any products that are developed. WHO has also issued a ‘Solidarity Call to Action’ urging other stakeholders of the UN health agency to join the cause.

Sports

36th National Games postponed indefinitely

• The 36th National Games, which were scheduled to be held between October and November in Goa, have now been postponed indefinitely.

• The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had recently asked the Goa government to host the National Games as scheduled from October 20- November 4, 2020. However, the National Games organising committee decided to postpone the games.

• The National Games organising committee will be hosting a meeting in September, following which the new dates for National Games will be decided. The previous edition of the Games was held back in 2011 in Jharkhand.

Virat Kohli only cricketer in Forbes’ 2020 list of world’s highest paid athletes

• India skipper Virat Kohli is the only cricketer to feature in Forbes’ list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world for the year 2020. Kohli is ranked at number 66 with estimated earnings of $26 million.

• Swiss tennis great, Roger Federer has topped the list of world’s highest-paid athlete for 2020 with an estimated $106.3 million.

Appointments and Resignations

Pradip Kumar becomes new Secretary in Ministry of Steel

J&K cadre IAS, Pradip Kumar Tripathi, has taken over as Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Govt. of India. Prior to this, Shri Tripathi has been posted as Special Secretary and Establishment Officer in Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

Ranking

Amazon tops Brand Finance Global 500 2020 report; Tata Group top Indian brand

• Brand Finance has released its annual Brand Value Report 5000 for the year 2020.

• It is for the third consecutive year that Amazon has retained the title of the world’s most valuable brand having brand valuation of $220,791 million. It is also made history by becoming the first brand in Brand Finance Global 500 to exceed US$200 billion value mark.

• Google has jumped one place up to come second in the list at $159,722 million. In 2019 it was at 3rd spot. Apple ($140,524M), Microsoft ($117,072M) and Samsung Group ($94,494M) makes top 5 brand in the list.

• Among Indian companies, Tata Group has once again retained its position as top Indian brand. It is the only Indian brand to feature in top 100.

India Drops 6 Places to be Ranked 23rd in Startup Blink’s Startup Ecosystem Rankings 2020

• Startup Blink has launched the Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report 2020 that ranks 1,000 cities and 100 countries worldwide, based on their startup ecosystem strength and activity level. Startup Blink is global startup ecosystem map and research center.

• India has dropped 6 places to be ranked at 23rd spot in the latest ranking, with a score of 5.698. Last year it was placed at 17th spot.

• United States has topped the ranking list with a score of 123.167.

Days

World Bicycle Day

• Every year the International World Bicycle Day is observed on 3rd June to recognise the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the Bicycle as a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transport.

• The day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in April 2018.

Read More
Read Less

All Rights Reserved Top Rankers