Daily GK Updates - 3rd June, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. AYUSH Ministry launches App to locate yoga centres, instructors :  AYUSH Ministry has launched a mobile application to enable people to locate yoga events and centres providing training and instructors. ‘Yoga locator’ is a map-based location app which will also enable yoga instructors to register themselves and reach out to a large number of people. The mobile app was launched ahead of International Yoga Day (21st June). Yoga locator app will help people to locate yoga centres as well as yoga instructors within the preferred radius of their vicinity. It will be a permanent app which will give information to people about yoga activities happening in their vicinity throughout the year.

2. Assam govt hikes parental income limit under the fee waiver scheme :  Assam government has hiked the parental income limit to waive admission fees for students taking admission up to Post Graduate level. Student’s whose parental income is less than 2 lakh rupees per year can avail the benefits. All provincialized government colleges and 5 universities are incorporated under the scheme.

3. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik resigns from Bijepur constituency :  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has resigned from Bijepur assembly constituency. Odisha’s Assembly Speaker Surya Narayan Patra has accepted his resignation. Mr Patnaik had contested assembly elections from Hinjili and Bijepur constituencies and won both the seats.

4. PM-KISAN Scheme extension to include all eligible farmer families irrespective of the size of land holdings  : The Union Cabinet approved the extension of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana to all eligible farmer families, irrespective of the size of their landholding. The ‘PM-KISAN scheme’ for farmers was launched by PM Modi on 24th February 2019. Under the original scheme, households with agricultural landholdings smaller than two hectares were eligible to receive Rs 6,000 annually (as direct benefit transfers from the Centre). The extension of the scheme will increase its coverage to 14.5 crore farmers, an addition of 2.5 crores, the government claimed. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana will provide a minimum fixed pension of Rs 3,000 per month to farmers above the age of 60.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  3rd June: World Bicycle Day : The World Bicycle Day (WBD) is observed by United Nations (UN) on 3rd June every year to raise awareness about the multiple societal benefits of using the bicycle for transport and leisure. The WBD was approved on 12th April 2018 as an official United Nations day of awareness about the multiple societal benefits of using the bicycle for transport and leisure.

2. Pratibha Patil receives Mexico’s highest civilian honour :  Former President of India Pratibha Patil (85-year) was conferred with the “Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca” (Order of the Aztec Eagle), the highest civilian award of Mexico given to foreigners. The award was accoladed by Mexico’s Ambassador to India, Melba Pria, at a special ceremony held in the MCCIA Bhavan, Pune. She is the first Indian female and only the second Indian (first late President S Radhakrishna) to get the Mexico’s civilian award. Pratibha Patil is the first Indian women to have served as the President of India (2007-2012).

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Forex reserve rises by 1.99 billion to 419.99 billion :  As per RBI press release, India's foreign exchange reserves increased by 1.994 billion to 419.992 billion US Dollar in the week ended 24th May 2019. The reserves had declined by 2.05 billion to end at 417.99 billion US Dollar.  Gold reserves remained stable at 23.021 billion US Dollar. India's special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund went by 0.8 million to 1.445 billion US Dollar, while the country's reserve position also increased by 2 million to 3.336 billion US Dollar.

2. GST revenue collection crosses Rs One lakh cr in May :  The GST revenue collection has crossed one lakh crore rupees in May 2019, which is a growth of 6.67% over the revenue collected in the same month last year. The GST collected during last month was one lakh 289 crore rupees as compared to over 94 thousand crore rupees in the same period of last year. Total of 72.45 lakh GSTR-3B returns was filed in the month of May. An amount of 18,934 crore rupees has also been released to the states as GST compensation for the months of February-March 2019.