Featured Post

Greetings!

Hi folks, Greetings from Paridhi Madam and Hardik Sir! Paridhi Madam and Hardik Sir are renowned educationists and have shaped li...

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Daily GK Updates - 2nd June, 2020


NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM launches technology-based solution CHAMPIONS to empower MSMEs: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched technology-based solution named as CHAMPIONS for MSME sector, in New Delhi. The platform CHAMPIONS which stands for ‘Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength’ is aimed to provide one stop solution to all the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the country. It will solve grievances of smaller units along with encouraging, supporting, and handholding them in becoming champions. CHAMPIONS platform will also help businesses to expand their horizons by opening up bigger avenues to them. It will boost potential enterprises with the help of latest communication tools including telephone, internet and video conferencing. It has ICT tools, AI, Data Analytics and Machine Learning.

2. Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) campaign launched for dairy farmers: The government has launched the Kisan Credit Cards campaign to benefit dairy farmers. Under the special drive, Kisan Credit Cards will be provided to 1.5 crore dairy farmers belonging to Milk Unions and Milk producing Companies within the next two months between June 1-July 31, 2020. It is a part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat package. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in association with the Department of Financial Services have already circulated relevant circulars and KCC application format to all the State Milk Federation and Milk Unions to implement the same on a mission mode. In the 1st phase, all farmers without KCC will be the target. Farmers with KCC can enhance KCC credit limit.

3. Centre approves 812 crore rupees for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Odisha: Centre has approved 812 crore rupees for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Odisha during 2020-21. Out of 81 lakh rural households in Odisha, State Government has planned to provide over 16 lakh household connections in 2020-21. Also, the state is planning 100 per cent household tap connections by the year 2024. Priority is being given for 100 per cent coverage of villages under water-scarce areas, quality-affected areas, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna villages, villages in Aspirational Districts and SC/ST dominated habitations. Jal Jeevan Mission encourages participation of local community in surveillance of water quality.

4. Centre announces ‘Mudra Shishu loan’ for small businesses and cottage industries: The centre has announced the launch of ‘Mudra Shishu loan’ to benefit small businesses and cottage industries. Under the scheme, one lakh beneficiaries can avail an interest benefit of 2 percent for a year. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the ‘Mudra Shishu loan’ while announcing the second tranche of the centre’s 20 lakh crore package to revive the Indian economy amid COVID-19 pandemic. All small businesses impacted by coronavirus will get 2 percent interest subvention on loans up to Rs 50,000 secured under the Mudra Shishu Loan.

5. Pradip Kumar Tripathi took charges of Secretary in Ministry of Steel: Senior IAS officer (1987 batch, Jammu and Kashmir (JK) cadre) ) Pradip Kumar Tripathi took over the charge as Secretary in the Ministry of Steel. Mr. Tripathi succeeds Binoy Kumar, who superannuated on May 31, 2020. Prior to this, Mr. Tripathi had been posted as Special Secretary and Establishment Officer in Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT)
Note: Union Minister of Steel: Dharmendra Pradhan.

6. R K Chaturvedi took charge as Chemical and Petrochemical Secretary: R K Chaturvedi has been appointed as the Secretary in Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals under Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Govt. of India. He will be succeeding P Raghavendra Rao. Prior to this, he was serving as an Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Culture. He has also worked as Chairman of CBSE and as Director General in the National Skill Development Authority (NSDA).

7. Centre approves 175 crore rupees for implementation of Jal jeevan mission in Meghalaya: Centre has approved 175 crore rupees for implementation of Jal jeevan mission in Meghalaya during 2020-21. Jal Jeevan Mission was launched by Union Government last year aims to provide Functional Household Tap Connection to every rural household by 2024.

8. India Observatory launches GIS-enabled dashboard, CoAST India: India Observatory has come up with a Geographic Information System (GIS)-enabled dashboard called Collaboration/Covid Action Support Group (CoAST India) to monitor the movements of migrants. The dashboard has been made in collaboration with Foundation for Ecological Security (FES). The CoAST India dashboard includes an India map, which will show the movement of migrants in real time, often on foot.

9. IMD Reports ‘Cyclone Nisarga’ over Arabian Sea: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that the cyclonic storm Nisarga has turned into a depression in the Arabian Sea. The storm is expected to hit Maharashtra and Gujarat on June 3. This cyclonic storm could be the first tropical cyclone in 129 years to hit Maharashtra in the month of June.
Note: Director-General of Meteorology, India Meteorological Department: Mrutyunjay Mohapatra; India Meteorological Department Headquarters: New Delhi.

10. Telangana Formation Day observed on 2nd June: Telangana government celebrates 2nd June as the “Telangana Formation Day” every year. The idea to formed the state was coined in the year 2013 in both the Parliaments under the Prime Ministership of Manmohan Singh. Finally, it was on 2nd June 2014 when Telangana was inaugurated as a separate State by Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 and Sri K Chandrashekhar Rao became its first Chief Minister. It is the youngest state of India.
Note: Capital: Hyderabad; Chief Minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao; Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft landed at International Space Station: SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft along with two NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley successfully docked with the International Space Station. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 with Crew Dragon capsule – Endeavour launched from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft has marked the dawn of a new age in commercial space travel after traveling 19 hours. With this, SpaceX became the 1st private company to launch people into orbit. US, Russia and China are the only countries which had made this significant move earlier.
Note: The administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Jim Bridenstine; Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States.
SpaceX founder & CEO: Elon Musk; SpaceX president & COO: Gwynne Shotwell; SpaceX Founded: 2002; SpaceX Headquarters: Hawthorne, California, United States of America.

2. India ranks 23rd in StartupBlink's Ecosystem Ranking Report: According to the global innovation mapping and research company StartupBlink, which gathers local data of every country to rank their startup ecosystem based on the quality of startups, business environment coupled with the quantity, India has moved down from 17th position in 2019 to 23rd this year out of 100 countries. The third-largest ecosystem- India, in terms of number of technology startups, has been ranked even behind emerging ecosystems such as Estonia, Lithuania, Brazil, Denmark etc. The ranking has been led by the US, the UK, and Israel while China has improved its rank by 13 spots to 14th position this year and Japan stood at 21st spot.
Moreover, among the top 100 startup cities, only four India cities were captured. Bengaluru (down by three ranks to 14th position), New Delhi (up by three spots to 15th position), Mumbai (improved by seven spots to 22nd position), and Hyderabad (falling 21 ranks to disappointing 96th position). Last year, seven cities were ranked in the top 100 list versus four this year.

OTHER UPDATES:


SPORTS

1. Kiren Rijiju inaugurates “Khelo India e-Pathshala” programme: Khelo India e-Pathshala programme has been inaugurated by the Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Kiren Rijiju. The programme has been launched by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in collaboration with National Sporting Federations (NSF). It is India’s first ever National-level open online coaching and education programme for the grassroot level athletes across India. The webinar featured participation of young archers, archery coaches and experts from across the nation. Eminent athletes and coaches will teach modules to improve the technical skills of athletes across India.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Public Sector Banks sanction collateral free loans worth 3,200 crore rupees in a single day under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan: Public Sector Banks have sanctioned collateral free loans worth three thousand 200 crore rupees in a single day under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed that largely the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) located in over three thousand TIER-2 towns were covered on the first day of sanctions of the collateral free loans. The amount sanctioned will help the MSMEs to meet the expenses towards payment of salaries, rent and restocking of goods Under this scheme, MSME and borrowers from other stressed sectors with up to 25 crore rupees of total borrowing were allowed to avail an additional 20 per cent of the outstanding loan from banks and other financial institutions.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. ISED launches business clinic for MSMEs in Kerala: Institute of Small Enterprises and Development (ISED) has rolled out a unique platform for extending advisory services to Covid19-affected MSMEs in Kerala which is ranked 31 in terms of the number of self-employed, and second in relation to the size of casual labour. The initiative is aimed at offering free guidance to entrepreneurs to make self-evaluation for improving their performance. ISED Centre for Financial Education and Research, a division of the ISED, has opened a dedicated window to address issues related to MSMEs, with specific focus on Covid. ISED Finance Clinic for Small Enterprises (ISED-FCSE) will service the interests of MSMEs, entrepreneurial aspirants such as return migrants, start-ups, educated unemployed, and women entrepreneurs.Kerala

2. Fiscal deficit for 2019-20 at 4.6% in 2019-2020: India’s fiscal deficit widened to 4.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) for the previous fiscal, overshooting the government’s revised target of 3.8%, official data released showed. The fiscal deficit for April reached 35.1% of the FY21 target of Rs 7.96 lakh crore due to lower revenue, which was hit hard as economic activity stalled after the lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19. The government’s net tax revenue stood at Rs 21,412 crore in April revealing a massive 70% decline as against Rs 71,637 crore in April last year. The fiscal deficit, or the gap between the government’s revenue and expenditure, came in at Rs 9.35 lakh crore in March, which was 22% higher than the targeted Rs 7.66 lakh crore.

OBITUARIES

1. Former Olympic Sprint Champion Bobby Morrow Passes Away: Former Olympic American sprinter Bobby Joe Morrow (84 years) passes away. He was known as ‘The San Benito Bullet’. He won three athletics gold medals for 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. He was the first man after American Jesse Owens (1936) to win sprint treble. Carl Lewis (1984) and Usain Bolt (2012 and 2016) are other who won the three sprint titles at the same Games. He was named as the “Sportsman of the Year” in 1956.

2. Former BJP member K. N. Lakshmanan passes away: Former Tamil Nadu BJP president and ex-MLA K.N. Lakshmanan (90 years) passes away. He started his career with RSS in 1944 and started Jana Sangh unit in Salem in 1957 along with the support of nine others. He joined the BJP since its foundation. He was appointed as BJP Tamil Nadu president in 1984 to 1989 and 1996 to 2000. In 2001, he won from Mylapore Assembly constituency. He was a member of the BJP’s national council since 2006. Origin: Salem, Tamil Nadu.

No comments:

Post a Comment