GK and Current Affairs Updates

NATIONAL:

Buddhist pillar, dating back to third century AD, found in Prakasam dist .

• A third century A.D Buddhist relic was found on the right bank of river Gundlakamma at Anamanaluru village in Prakasam district on Wednesday.

ABOUT:

• The local limestone pillar is carved with half lotus medallions at the centre and the top on all the four side

• It measures to about 1’-3”x0’-9’’x8’.0” also, it is two feet below the ground level.

J&K reservation (amendment) bill 2019 passed by Lok Sabha.

• Lok Sabha has passed Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019, aimed to provide reservations in educational institutions and government jobs within 10km of the International Border in the Jammu area, just like the Line of Control in Kashmir. In the favour of this bill Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that students had to stay in bunkers for several days during shelling and firing, which was why the government wanted a reservation for those living along the International Border. Moving the bill in the Lok Sabha, Shah said, "This bill is not to please anyone but for those living near the International Border."

INTERNATIONAL:

India wins trade dispute with US over solar panel incentives.

• The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled that a series of US renewable energy incentives violated international trade rules.

•  A WTO panel upheld India's claim that seven US states illegally incentivised the use of local content, thereby discriminating against Indian and other imported solar suppliers.

•  The US, however, told the panel that the ruling would have little or no impact.

AWARDS:

India-born Priya Serrao crowned Miss Universe Australia 2019.

• India-born Priya Serrao has been crowned Miss Universe Australia 2019. The 26-year-old was born in India, spent most part of her childhood in Oman and Dubai, before moving to Melbourne with her family at the age of 11. Serrao is a law graduate and works as a full-time policy adviser with the Australian government in Melbourne.

BANKS AND ECONOMICS:

Max Bupa partners with MobiKwik for health insurance.

• Max Bupa, an independent wellbeing back up plan went into a vital association with MobiKwik, a fintech stage to advance moderate and helpful chomp measured gathering medical coverage items for MobiKwik's 107 Million clients the nation over.

• Max Bupa think of a huge number of creative contributions, including a Cancer spread at an ostensible premium

• A HospiCash item for MobiKwik's immense client base.

• Max Bupa's HospiCash item accommodates a pre-characterized day by day stipend based on number of long periods of hospitalization regardless of the real cost acquired by the client.

• Hospi Cash will offer ₹500 every day clinic remittance for as long as 30 days in a year.

• The primary mean to empower monetary incorporation by making pocket-estimate medical coverage arrangements accessible through the Mobikwik stage

• The arrangement to obtain 1 million Mobikwik clients throughout the following 3-4 years.

DAYS:

Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises Day is celebrated on 27 June.

• United Nations observe 27 June as the Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises Day.

Micro, small and Medium-sized businesses celebrated this day in recognition of their work in local and global economies.

These enterprises, which generally employ fewer than 250 persons are the backbone of most economies worldwide.

International Trade Center, United Nations launch its flagship report: “The SME Competitiveness Outlook 2019: Big money for small businesses”.

The General Assembly invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations.

It includes non-governmental organizations, academia, individuals and other relevant stakeholders to observe the Day in an appropriate manner and in accordance with national priorities.

NATIONAL:

Government of Jharkhand to get $147 Million Loan from World Bank.

• Government of Jharkhand and the World Bank, signed a $147 Million Loan Agreement

They provide basic urban services to the people of Jharkhand and planned to help improve the management capacity of the urban local bodies (ULBs) in the State.

The Jharkhand Municipal Development Project mainly focus on improving the municipal sector’s capacity.

It will invest in urban services such as water supply, sewerage, drainage, and urban roads; and strengthen the capacity of the Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company (JUIDCO)

The ULBs planned to carry out reforms in the areas of urban finance and governance.

The main need is to establish 31 million people reside in urban areas

The population of urban population growth at nine of 24 districts in Jharkhand is above India’s overall urbanization pace of 2.7 percent.

The Loan Agreement was signed by Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Shanker Lal, Acting Country Director (India),    the World Bank, on behalf of the World Bank.

Most of these components will open to all 43 ULBs in the state to participate within an agreed framework under the project.

Over 350,000 urban residents of the participating ULBs are expected to benefit

Interventions such as piped water supply, stormwater drains, climate-friendly road construction and energy efficient street lighting will help improve urban services but also make it environmentally sustainable. 

The Work on two sub-projects namely Khunti water supply subproject and the Dhanbad roads subproject to commence shortly.

Kerala topped NITI Aayog's health index 2019 ranking

• Kerala has topped ranking state in terms of overall health performance as per the report submitted by NITI Aayog on health index. This is the second edition of its type. It measured the annual and incremental performances of states and UTs.

Larger States:

Overall performance:

Next to Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have emerged as the second and third best performers, respectively, on health parameters. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were ranked the two worst performers, respectively.

Kerala secured an overall score of 74.01, while Uttar Pradesh was the least performing state with an overall score of 28.61. The report highlighted the outbreak of encephalitis in Bihar that killed over 150 children till 24 June.

Incremental performance:

In terms of incremental performances, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand made the maximum improvement in terms of health among larger states.

Smaller states:

Among the smaller states, Mizoram ranked first in overall performance, while Tripura and Manipur were top two states in terms of incremental performance.

Union Territories:

• Among the Union Territories, Chandigarh ranked first in overall performance, while Dadra and Nagar Haveli made the most improvement.

Report prepared by:

The report was prepared NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with technical assistance from the World Bank.

Healthy States Progressive India:

NITI Aayog's report, titled 'Healthy States Progressive India', ranked states and Union Territories (UTs) based on the Health Index. The evaluation was based on 23 indicators that covers the key aspects of health sector performance.

The first edition of the report of this kind was released in 2018. It measured the annual and incremental performances of states and UTs for period 2014-15 (as base year) to 2015-16 (as reference year).

In the 2018 report, Kerala, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu had ranked on top in terms of overall performance among bigger states. Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh topped in terms of annual incremental performance.

NITI Aayog:

Formed on: 1 January 2015

Headquarters: Delhi   

Chairman: Narendra Modi

Vice Chairman: Rajiv Kumar

CEO: Amitabh Kant

It replaced the Planning Commission.

The government think tank aims to achieve Sustainable Development Goals  (SDG). It also plans to enhance cooperative federalism by fostering the involvement of State Governments of India in the economic policy-making process.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Amazon India head Amit Agarwal takes over as IAMAI Chairman.

• The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has named Amit Agarwal, the SVP and Country Manager of Amazon India, as the new Chairman of the association. Agarwal takes over the position from former Google India and South East Asia VP Rajan Anandan. Yatra CEO Dhruv Shringi was named Vice Chairman, while Times Internet Vice-Chairman Satyan Gajwani was named Treasurer.

Warner Bros gets first female CEO in studio history.

• WarnerMedia has named Ann Sarnoff as the CEO of Warner Bros. Sarnoff, currently President of BBC Studios Americas, will be the first woman to head the studio behind 'Wonder Woman' and 'Friends'. The 57-year-old will be replacing Kevin Tsujihara.

DAYS:

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed on 26 June.

• The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed on 26 June every year. It is a United Nations International Day against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade. It is observed since 1989. The day was instituted by General Assembly Resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987.

2019 Theme:

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has set the theme for 2019 as 'Health for Justice. Justice for Health'. The theme highlights that justice and health are two sides of the same coin when it comes to addressing drug problems.

Effective responses to the world drug problem require inclusive and accountable institutions of criminal justice, health and social services to work hand in hand to provide integrated solutions, in line with the international drug control conventions, human rights obligations and the Sustainable Development Goals.

INTERNATIONAL:

Former General Mohamed Ould Ghazouani won presidential election of Mauritania.

• Mauritania, a country in Northwest Africa conducted election a former general and defense minister, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Union for the Republic (UPR) party won the presidential election.

He won with 52% votes.

He succeeds Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

Anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid won second with 18.58% votes.

Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar biggest Islamist party won third with 17.87% votes.

First time in 60 years Mauritania faced elections.

They gained independence (28 November 1960) from France.

About Mauritania:

Capital: Nouakchott

Currency: Mauritanian ouguiya

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’s:

NSIC signs MoU with CSC e-governance services India.

• National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) signed an MoU with Common Service Centres (CSC) e-Governance Services India to enhance new offerings for the MSME sector.

This MoU enables CSCs to utilize a plethora of NSIC offerings through the NSIC portal.

He facilitates VLEs and MSMEs through digital empowerment in accessing NSIC integrated support services encompassing Marketing, Finance, Technology.

The MoU special focus on providing services to village level entrepreneurs (VLEs) to exponential growth of Village Entrepreneurs in the country.

The MoU enable CSCs  to utilize plethora of  NSIC offerings through the NSIC portal www.msmemart.com .

About NSIC (National Small Industries Corporation Limited)

Founder: Government of India

Founded: 1955

Headquarters: New Delhi

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

Maruti Suzuki inks partnership with BOB for dealer financing

• Maruti Suzuki, an Automobile producer in India marked 'Favored Financier' MoU(Memorandum of comprehension) with Indian worldwide with Bank of Baroda(BOB) so as to improve credit for business stock financing.

• The association with Bank of Baroda permits Maruti Suzuki to back chances to sellers just as clients. The financing will work in accordance with the Bank of Baroda's item program of Supply Chain Finance.

• The tight liquidity circumstance in the budgetary arrangement of the IL&FS emergency and rising awful credits incited the banks. Moneylenders presented exacting credit standards for vehicle vendors because of the rising instances of awful advances in this portion of the car business. The sellers were approached to give guarantee stretched out by banks.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION:

RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya resigned.

• The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Deputy Governor Viral Acharya resigned six months before the scheduled end of his term

He returned to New York University Stern School of Business (NYU stern) as CV Starr Professor of Economics.

He submitted a letter to RBI he is unable to continue his term as a Deputy Governor of the RBI beyond July 23, 2019.

He joined RBI on January 23, 2017.

He leave the central bank on December 10, 2018

He is in charge of the Financial Stability Unit, Monetary Policy Department, Department of Economic and Policy Research, Financial Markets Operation Department.

About Reserve Bank of India

Established:1 April 1935

Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Governor: Shaktikanta Das

SPORTS:

Lewis Hamilton won French Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes won the French Grand Prix .It is held in Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France.They verified 187 points. The United Kingdom got an eighth straight success in the year 2019 .It was the 6th success of the period.It is 79th of his vocation. He crushed Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes (Finland) verified 151. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari (Monaco) got third Max Verstappen of Red Bull (Belgium) fourth.

NATIONAL:

India’s first iron ore mine discovered in Bangladesh

• Iron ore mine discovered at Isabpur village in Dinajpur.

This announcement was made by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh.

After the effect of extensive drilling over two months in the area. A 400-foot thick iron layer was found in Bangladesh after the result of the Geological Survey.

• Around 1,750 feet beneath the surface stretched over an area of 6-10 square kilometer.

The percentage of iron in the mine around 65.

It indicates the high quality of the ore. The other countries like Canada, China, Brazil, Sweden, and Australia have the percentage of iron ore is below the level of 50.

• Other minerals such as gold, copper, nickel, and chromium also found at various levels of the mining.

The discovery of the iron mine opened up economic prospects for the country.

The iron concentration in the magnetite ore is 65 percent.

Indian Navy launches Operation Sankalp in Gulf of Oman

• Indian Navy launched ‘Operation Sankalp’ in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.Their main aim is to reassure safe passage of Indian flagged vessels transiting through the area.

• This deployment depends on the following recent maritime incidents in the region. INS Chennai and INS Sunayna deployed in the region to undertake maritime security operations.

• An aerial surveillance in the area done by IN aircraft.

Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) of Indian Navy watch over the movement of ships in Gulf region.

INTERNATIONAL:

Saudi Arabia became the first Arab country to get FATF membership

• Saudi Arabia turned into the principal Arab nation to get participation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

• The quantity of perpetual individuals from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is 39. The enrollment conceded into the worldwide illegal tax avoidance after the Annual General Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

• FATF commended their 30th commemoration of its first gathering .Saudi Arabia got a welcome from FATF in 2015 and they joined as an "onlooker part'.

Mexico became the first country to ratify the trade deal to replace NAFTA

• Mexico turned into the main nation to endorse the economic accord to supplant 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

• The exchange accord is known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

• The USMCA (NAFTA 2.0) adjusted for automakers, stricter work, and ecological guidelines, licensed innovation assurances, and advanced exchange arrangements.

• US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico's and President Enrique Pena Nieto marked the arrangement in November 2018 need to sanctioned by every one of the three governments.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

Cricket Australia signs a multi-year partnership with HCL

• Indian multinational information technology service HCL Technologies(Hindustan Computers Limited, HCL) signed a multi-year deal with Cricket Australia (CA), the administrative body of Australian Cricket.

India's third largest sports deal, Accenture was working with Cricket Australia

A five-year deal from November 2013.

• HCL becomes the digital technology partner of Australia (CA)

The company will help CA more fans, cricketers, fans, employees, and volunteers through digital experience around the world. 

• HCL build CA's digital products such as Cricket Australia Live App, cricket.com.

Cricket Australia's fan following gradually increased upto 20 million per year.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

Dr Gaurav Nigam, an educationist, pediatrician and author, honoured with 'Innovative Research Excellence Award 2019'

• Dr Gaurav Nigam deliberated with 'Inventive Research Excellence Award 2019' .The honor was given by Lyonpo Ugyen Dorji, Minister for Labor and Human Resources of Bhutan at the Asian Leadership Summit .

• The capacity is held at Thimphu, Bhutan. The occasion sorted out by the Global Leaders Foundation.

• He won this honor for his magnificence in school training of extraordinary commitment towards the imaginative improvement look into exercises in the field of school instruction in South Asian Region.

• He is the author of iCare. He is the writer of the book titled 'Villain Inside My Mind'.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION:

Shefali Juneja appointed as India's representative in the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)

• India's Pranati Nayak won a bronze decoration at the Senior Asian Artistic Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She is from West Bengal .

• She got equipped for finals.She verified 6th spot and concocted a score of 13.384 to win the bronze decoration.

• She scored 13.400 and 13.367 in the first and second vault score as of late.

Justice V Ramasubramanian appointed as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court

• Justice V Ramasubramanian designated as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

• He succeeded Chief Justice Surya Kant. The function was managed by Governor Acharya Devvrat.

• He filled in as an Additional Judge of the Madras High Court .

• He joined as changeless Judge from November 9, 2009.

Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan appointed as the second Chief Justice of Telangana High Court

• Raghvendra Singh Chauhan named as the second Chief Justice of Telangana High Court in Hyderabad.

• He succeeded Chief Justice T.B. Radhakrishnan in April, 2019 .He has a place with Rajasthan .

• He made vow before Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan. Boss Secretary S.K. Joshi started swearing-in service .

• The Registrar General of Telangana High Court A. Venkateswar Reddy read out the warrant

SPORTS:

Indian Gymnast, Pranati Nayak won bronze at 2019 Asian Artistic Gymnastic Championship held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

• India's Pranati Nayak won a bronze decoration at the Senior Asian Artistic Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She is from West Bengal .

• She got equipped for finals .She verified 6th spot and concocted a score of 13.384 to win the bronze decoration. She scored 13.400 and 13.367 in the first and second vault score as of late.

NATIONAL:

Namma Kolhapuri chappal got GI tag.

• The controller general of patents, designs and trademarks has granted the GI (Geographical Indications) tag to Kolhapuri chappal from Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Solapur districts of Maharashtra and Dharwad, Belgaum, Bagalkot and Bijapur of Karnataka.

Getting GI tag for Kolhapuri means that footwear produced only in these 8 districts will qualify to carry tag of being Kolhapuris.

History:

• According to the GI application made by the two states, Kolhapuris can be traced back to the 12th century when King Bijjal ruled Bidar in Karnataka and his prime minister Vishwaguru Basavanna wanted to create a casteless society and remove the stigma associated with the cobbler community. The community embraced Lingayat faith and used its creative skills to start producing footwear known equally for its ruggedness and regal bearing.

Brand Kolhapuri came into being only in the beginning of 20th century when the footwear began to be traded in 20th century when the footwear began to be traded in Kolhapur. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj (1874-1922) of Kolhapur encouraged its production and 29 tanning centres were opened during his rule in Kolhapur.

About Geographical Indications (GI) tag:

A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin.

Darjeeling tea became the first GI tagged product in India, in 2004-05, since then by october 2018, 321 had been added to the list.

The GI tag is valid for a period of 10 years. Further it can be renewed.

India’s first solar cruise vessel will debut in Kerala.

• India’s first solar-powered ferry in 2016, Kerala is gearing up for the launch of the country’s premier solar-powered cruise boat.

The initiative comes from the State Water Transport Department (SWTD), whose solar ferry Aditya in the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route proved to be a success.

The Rs. 3-crore cruise boat can carry 100 passengers is under construction at a boatyard in Aroor and comes from the stable of the builders of Aditya.

It will be rolled out in Alappuzha in December.

The hybrid vessel will be powered by a motor that can source energy from solar panels, battery, and generator.

Its battery will have 80 KWh (kilowatt hour) power backup, as compared to 50 KWh backup in Aditya.

About Low Energy Force

Aditya incurs a rock-bottom energy expense of ₹200 a day compared to the approximately Rs. 8,000 needed for diesel-powered ferries.

Solar vessels do not create air and noise pollution.

The double-deck, double-engine catamaran-type vessel adheres to norms specified by the Indian Registry of Shipping (IRS).

The vessel will have an air-conditioned lower deck and pushback seats, he said.

The upper deck, which is non-air conditioned, can be used for dining and to get a better view of the backwaters.

INTERNATIONAL:

Mauritania holds election for 1st time since independence 60yrs ago.

• Mauritania went to polls for the first time on Saturday since the African nation gained independence from France nearly 60 years ago. President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who seized power in a coup in 2008, agreed to step down and abide by the maximum two five-year elected terms. Non-elected military governments have mostly ruled the country following independence.

NATIONAL:

Indian Navy to build 6 submarines.

• Indian Navy issued an ‘Expression of Interest’ for shortlisting potential strategic partners.

The construction of six P-75 (I) submarines costing nearly ₹45,000 crore.

•  This is the second project being undertaken under the latest Strategic Partnership (SP) Model.

The procurement of 111 naval utility helicopters (NUH) are obtained recently.

They provide a major boost to the indigenous design and construction capability of submarines in India.

The latest submarine design and technologies as part of the project.

‘Make in India’ issued the Expression of Interest(s) for shortlisting of potential Indian Strategic Partners (SPs) for construction of six conventional submarines for P-75(I) project of the Indian Navy on June 20.

The case was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council on January 31.

The Expression of Interest (EoI) for shortlisting of Indian strategic partners been uploaded on the Defence Ministry and Navy websites.

The EoI for shortlisting of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) will be issued in two weeks.

About Indian Navy

Founded    1612

Country    India

Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind

Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS):Admiral Karambir Singh

KCR inaugurates Kaleshwaram multi-purpose lift irrigation project.

• The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in Telangana was inaugurated on Friday by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. It is believed to be the largest multi-stage, multi-purpose lift irrigation project in the world. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan, Andhra CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis were chief guests at the event.

INTERNATIONAL:

Bangladesh emerged as the fastest economy in Asia-Pacific: Asian Development Bank.

• According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Bangladesh emerged as the fastest growing economy among the 45 countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

Higher public sector investment, stronger consumption demand, revival in exports, improved power supply and higher growth in private sector credit were the key factors of the high growth performance of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh registered a growth rate of 7.9%.

They predicted that the growth will be 8% in the next financial year 2019-20.

About Bangladesh:

Capital: Dhaka

Currency: Bangladeshi taka

Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Manila, Philippines

Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina Asian Development Bank (ADB)

President: Takehiko Nakao

DAYS:

Fifth International Yoga Day being celebrated on June 21.

• Nepal celebrates 5th International Day of Yoga. Government of Nepal planned to organize a yoga program in Kathmandu to celebrate the International Day of Yoga.

International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide about the benefits of practicing yoga.

The 2019 Theme: Yoga for Climate Action.

Prime Minister of Nepal K. P. Sharma Oli as chief guest. Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri and other dignitaries will also attend the event.Janakpur city, a special programme organised early in the morning at the premises of famous Janaki temple.

A mass Yoga Utsav held in temple premises. The event organised by the Embassy of India in association with Janaki temple trust and Patanjali Yogpeeth Nepal.

Many government officials Governor and Chief Minister of Province 2, senior leaders from Center and Province 2 and officials of Indian Embassy Kathmandu and Consul General of India Birgunj join Yoga Day celebrations.

Patanjali Yogpeeth Nepal planned events in all seven provinces of Himalayan nation.Around two hundred programmes will be held in all 77 districts headquarters to celebrate International Day of Yoga.

India - Celebration of yoga

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in celebrating yoga day from Ranchi in Jharkhand.

The main function held at the Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi.

Prime Minister insisted on integrating yoga with health schemes.

Government has integrated yoga with health and wellness to make it a pillar of preventive health care.

At Gujarat 1.51 crore people participated in the celebrations. Governor of Gujarat O.P. Kohli and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Prime Minister participated in the event through video conferencing early this morning.

Tamil Nadu, several programs were organised by Central Government offices, Central and state Government schools and yoga groups.

About Nepal

Capital: Kathmandu

Currency: Nepalese rupee

Prime minister: KP Sharma Oli

AWARDS:

Bronze for India in the 58th Ostrava Golden Spike Athletics meet.

• Annu Rani won the women’s javelin bronze in the 58th Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet,

• Croatia’s Sara Kolak took the gold and Slovenia’s Martina Ratej bagged the silver.

• About Annu Rani

• She is a Javelin thrower from Uttar Pradesh.

• She is supported by Olympic Gold Quest.

• A not-for-profit foundation that identifies and supports Indian athletes

• She finished eighth a best of 56.37 meters in the final.

• At the Asian Games in Incheon South Korea, she won the bronze medal with a throw of 59.53 meters

• She Born in Jatt Farmer Family in Dabthuwa Village of Meerut.

SPORTS

India name 23-member squad for Asian Junior Badminton Championship.

• India named a 23-member squad to represent the country at the Asian Junior Badminton Championship.

The tournament will be held in Suzhou, China.

boys' singles challenge by Manipur's Maisnam Meiraba Luwang.

An impressive total of 1000 points by virtue of a fine run in the domestic circuit.

The girls' team led by Malvika Bansod of the Airport Authority of India.

She topped the list with 1000 points.

Ishaan Bhatnagar and Vishnuvardhan Goud lead India's challenge in the boys' doubles competition, while Aditi Bhatt and Tanisha Crasto the ones to watch out for in girls' doubles.

About Badminton Championship

It is a badminton tournament sanctioned by Badminton World Federation.

The tournament offers the most ranking points, together with Summer Olympic Games.

The winners will be crowned as the "World Champions"

NATIONAL:

Unemployed Graduates To Get Up To Rs 3,500 in Rajasthan

• Unemployed youth who completed their graduation or equivalent degree will be given unemployment allowance by the Rajasthan government.

Male applicants will get Rs 3,000/month

• While the women and differently-abled will get Rs 3,500/month under Chief Minister Yuva Sambal Yojana.

• The applicants must be natives of Rajasthan.

Maharashtra topped the USGBC list of Top 10 States for LEED in India

• The Second Edition of the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) list of India's top 10 states are released.The states which have maximum number of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified green buildings are listed below.

• Maharashtra bagged the top slot with 334 LEED-certified green buildings

It is followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu with the rankings 232 and 157 buildings respectively.

• LEED is a widely used green building rating system in order to rank states in terms of cumulative Gross Square Feet (GSF) of certified space.

• They were ranked on December 31, 2018.

• At the first Edition of the list Tamil Nadu ranked first with 118 buildings.

INTERNATIONAL:

India extended $15 million grant to Niger to organize the AU summit

• India extended USD 15 million assistance to Nigeria for organizing the African Union (AU) summit scheduled to be held in Niamey.This summit is scheduled to be held in Niamey from July 7-8.It is the first time that Niger is scheduled to host an AU summit.

• The assistance in the form of the grant was symbolically handed over to Niger's Deputy Foreign Minister Lamido Ousseini Bala Goga Salamatou by Ambassador of India to Niger Rajesh Agarwal held on June 17 in Niamey.

This summit is expected to launch the historic African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

Indian engineer wins Innovation for Sustainable Development Award

• Indian engineer Nitesh Kumar Jangir whose low-cost neonatal breathing device saved the lives of new-born babies across small towns.India won the 2019 Commonwealth Secretary-General's Innovation for Sustainable Development Award in London.

• Nitesh Kumar Jangir created Saans as a breathing support device to avoid deaths of premature babies from respiratory distress syndrome due to a lack of immediate access to complex medical equipment.

• He received his award in the People category alongside 14 other innovators from across the 53 member-countries of the Commonwealth.

• The main aim is to ensure that babies don't lose their lives due to the lack of access to a piece of technology.This device can be used anywhere to deliver crucial support to premature babies.

DAYS:

World Refugee Day is observed on 20 June

• World Refugee Day is observed on June 20 each year. The day is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world. The theme for 2019 World Refugee day is #StepWithRefugees — Take A Step on World Refugee Day.

• The theme expects communities, schools, businesses, faith groups and people from all walks of life should take big and small steps in solidarity with refugees.

• Refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

SPORTS:

Rashid Khan becomes most expensive bowler in World Cup history

• Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan is the most expensive bowler in World Cup history.He is the world’s No.3 ODI bowler.He played Sunrisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier LeagueThe record earlier belonged to New Zealand’s Martin Snedden 105 runs for two wickets against England in the 1983 World Cup.

• Rashid had taken one for 52 against Australia and two for 17 against Sri Lanka. He gave 45 runs against South Africa team.He is the second most expensive in ODI history. Pakistan’s left-arm Wahab Riaz took 110 runs in 10 overs against England in August 2016.He is a world class bowler & a delight to watch.

AGREEMENT'S AND MOU’s:

KSEB signed an agreement with GJ Eco Power Pvt. Ltd. to establish Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants.

• The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) signed a power purchase agreement with Kochi-based GJ Eco Power Pvt. Ltd. to establish Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants across the State. GJ Eco Power Pvt. Ltd. has been implementing the project at the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant.

• The proposed plant is expected to be commissioned within 18 months of the launch of its construction. The power purchase agreement was signed in the presence of Electricity Minister M.M. Mani, Electricity Department secretary B. Ashok and KSEB chairman and managing director N.S. Pillai.

• Under the agreement, the KSEB will purchase the power generated from the 9.76 MW WtE plant at a rate of Rs.6.17 per unit for a period of 20 years from the commercial operation date. Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved the tariff.

• The company had been roped in by the Kochi Corporation to implement the State’s first WtE project in the public-private partnership mode.

• KSEB will be supplied with 330 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste by the local body. It is tasked with generating 47 million units (mu) of power.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd has appointed Naveen Uppal as the Chief Risk Officer.

• Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd has appointed Naveen Uppal as the Chief Risk Officer (CRO). The appointment complied with norms of National Housing Bank (NHB), the housing finance sector regulator. His appointment will be for a period of three years with effect from June 17, 2019. He will be directly reporting to the managing director and CEO of the company.

RBI's norm:

• The appointment comes after the announcement made by RBI on 16 May which said that all non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) with assets of more than ₹5,000 crore to appoint a chief risk officer (CRO). RBI’s move was in the wake of ongoing rating downgrades of non-banks which has raised fears of another liquidity crisis.

Mr.Uppal:

• Uppal has over 23 years of experience in operations, audit and credit risk within the finance industry. He has been associated with Indiabulls Housing Finance for 12 years and presently heads risk and compliance. He was also associated with ICICI Bank as its zonal operations head.

Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd:

♦ Founded on: January, 2000   

♦ Headquarters: Gurgaon, India

♦ Chairman and Founder: Sameer Gehlaut

♦ Vice Chairman and MD: Gagan Banga

♦ Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd. (IBHFL) is India’s second largest housing finance company, regulated by the National Housing Bank (NHB).

♦ It was rated the 13th largest consumer finance company worldwide by Forbes Global 2000 in June 2018.

Kona Raghupati was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

• Kona Raghupati was unanimously elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on 18 June 2019. He is a two-time MLA from the ruling YSRCP who is representing Bapatla constituency.

• Mr. Raghupati was nominated by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Botsa Satyanarayana which was backed by other members of the cabinet and senior leaders of the ruling party. Speaker Tammineni Sitaram declared the election of Kona Raghupathi as Deputy Speaker as he was the only contestant.

Mr. Raghupati:

• He is from political family. He holds a Bachelors degree. His father, Kona Prabhakara Rao, was a veteran Congress leader who even served as the Speaker for the Assembly of united Andhra Pradesh, for a brief period between 1980 and 1981. Rao also acted as Governor for three states, Pudducherry, Sikkim and Maharshatra, serving a brief period in each state between 1983 and 1986.

Om Birla has been elected as the 17th Lok Sabha Speaker.

• Om Birla has been unanimously elected as the 17th Lok Sabha Speaker with the opposition Congress coming out in support of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s candidate. Birla will replace Sumitra Mahajan.

Mr.Om Birla:

• He is a two-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of Parliament (MP) from Rajasthan. Birla is also a member of theStanding Committee on Energy in Parliament, member of Committee on Petitions and Consultative Committee for Ministry of social justice and empowerment. He has an 86% average attendance in the House.

Nominated by:

• Mr.Birla was nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah and minister for transport and highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari. He was also backed by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

• The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) which was led by the Congress has also decided to support Birla’s candidature.

NATIONAL:

India to host COP-14 of UNCCD.

• India will be hosting the 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) for the first time. COP-14 will be held between September 2 and 14 in Delhi.

Participants: It is expected that atleast 5,000 delegates from nearly 197 countries will be participating.

• The Centre launched a flagship project, part of a larger international initiative called the Bonn Challenge ahead of the COP-14. The flagship project aims to enhance India’s capacity for forest landscape restoration (FLR).

• The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land under restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030.

COP-13 of UNCCD:

• The 13th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-13) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held in Ordos, China. Around 113 countries had agreed to specify concrete targets with clear indicators, to rehabilitate more land and reverse degradation, which currently affects over a third of the world’s land resources.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD):

Drafted: 17 June 1994

Signed: 14 October 1994

Location: Bonn, Germany

Parties: 197 (196 states + the European Union)

UNCCD aims to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed is appointed as Pakistans Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence.

• Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed has been appointed as Pakistan’s Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (DG-ISI), a powerful spy agency. He assumed his office on 17th June 2019.The Pakistan Army also announced a number of changes to postings of its top generals.

Lt. Gen. Hameed was appointed as Director-General of the ISI in place of Lieutenant General Asim Munir. Munir was transferred and appointed as Corps Commander Gujranwala. Lt. Gen. Munir was appointed as ISI chief in October 2018 after the retirement of his predecessor Lt. Gen. Naveed Mukhtar.

Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed:

• Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed is a three-star rank general in the Pakistan Army. He is currently the 24th Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (DG-ISI).

• On April 12, the Pakistan Army promoted then Major General Hameed to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed him Adjutant General at the General Headquarters (GHQ) later that month.

He was previously serving as the head of the Counter Intelligence wing in the ISI.

Indiabulls Housing appoints Chief Risk Officer after new rules.

• Indiabulls Housing Finance on Monday said it has named Naveen Uppal as Chief Risk Officer to comply with regulator National Housing Bank's direction. Uppal has been associated with Indiabulls Housing Finance for 12 years and presently heads Risk and Compliance. He'll directly report to the company's Vice-Chairman, MD and CEO or the board-constituted risk management committee of the company.

Paytm Mall names Rudra Dalmia as Exec Director, Board member.

• Paytm Mall has named Rudra Dalmia as the Executive Director and also appointed him to its board. Dalmia is an SRCC alumnus and has an MBA from Cornell University's Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. "I welcome [Dalmia] to Paytm family...am proud to see him as a board member of Paytm e-commerce," Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said.

SPORTS:

Eoin Morgan breaks world record for hitting most sixes in an ODI.

• England captain Eoin Morgan set the world record for most sixes (17) in an ODI, achieving the feat during his 71-ball 148-run knock against Afghanistan in World Cup today. The previous record (16 sixes) was jointly held by Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. Morgan also smashed the fastest World Cup hundred by an England player (57 balls).