NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Gujarat’s Vishwamitri river project gets National Green Tribunal nod: The Principal Bench
of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently directed the Vadodara Municipal
Corporation (VMC), Gujarat and other authorities to implement the Vishwamitri
River Action Plan, including preparation for demarcation, plantation and maintaining
the integrity of the river. The crocodiles, turtles & highly protected
species have been breeding in the stretches of the river.
In its order, the NGT has observed that the
river consists of catchments, floodplains, tributaries, ponds, river-bed and adjoining
ravines which, along with the soils and vegetation on both sides, is the
river’s natural mechanism to retain the additional water, prevent floods and
provide habitat for various species. The NGT has observed that the Vishwamitri
River in Vadodara is among the 351 polluted river stretches identified by the
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and the restoration of such stretches
has also been “exhaustively considered” by the Tribunal in another hearing of a
petition by the same applicants.
Note: Chairman of NGT: Adarsh Kumar Goel;
NGT Headquarters: New Delhi;
Gujarat Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani;
Gujarat Governor: Acharya Devvrat.
2.
IEFPA’s 6 modules of short films titled “Hisab Ki Kitaab” launched: Union Minister of
State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur launched the six
modules of short films of Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority
(IEPFA) titled “Hisaab Ki Kitaab”. These short films developed by Common
Services Centers (CSC) eGov as a part of their training tool.
About the modules: The various modules
highlight the importance of budget, saving, the importance of Insurance
schemes, various social security schemes of the government etc. The modules
also interestingly portray the consequences of a common man falling prey to the
schemes and how they should protect themselves from Ponzi schemes. These short
films will be used by IEPFA and its partnering organisation for Investor
Awareness Programs across the country. During the launch, a trivia of all the 6
modules was showcased.
3.
IIT Madras hosts Asia’s first International Memory Studies Workshop: Indian Institute of
Technology Madras’ Centre for Memory Studies recently hosted virtually Asia’s
first International Memory Studies Workshop. Indian Network for Memory Studies
(INMS), the first national network in the field in Asia under the aegis of the
International Memory Studies Association, Amsterdam.
About the workshop:
(1) This international workshop on Memory
Studies, the first of its kind in Asia, precedes the official launch of the
Indian Network for Memory Studies (INMS).
(2) The launch of the INMS will take place
in mid-June 2021 through a virtual event at IIT Madras.
(3) The international Memory Studies
Workshop also proved to be a promising platform that brought together academics
from Kashmir, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu,
Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jharkhand among others as well as from the
University of Warwick and Leeds Beckett University, UK.
Key objectives of this International
Memory Studies Workshop are:
(1) To provide a pioneering scholarly
platform to train and mentor doctoral and postdoctoral researchers in Memory
Studies.
(2) To align interests from different
disciplinary locations and identify research convergences to foster
institute-level collaborations in India as well as internationally.
(3) To facilitate the emergence of research
methods and innovative, interactive, immersive tools in Memory Studies with the
aid of digital technologies.
(4) To facilitate the formation of research
clusters and networks academically as well as with industry partners.
4. A
book title ‘1232 km: The Long Journey Home’ by Vinod Kapri: A new book titled
‘1232 km: The Long Journey Home’ by filmmaker Vinod Kapri chronicles the
journey of seven migrant workers from Bihar, who journeyed back home on their
bicycles and reached their destination after seven days. The book is published
by Harper Collins. The nationwide lockdown in March 2020 forced thousands of
migrant workers to return to their native villages by covering thousands of
kilometres on foot.
Kapri accompanied these seven migrant
workers — Ritesh, Ashish, Ram Babu, Sonu, Krishna, Sandeep and Mukesh — on
their 1,232-km journey from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh to Saharsa in Bihar. It
is a story of courage as well as the desperation of seven men braving police
lathis and insults, battling hunger and exhaustion to reach their home.
According to the author, he was curious to know what makes labourers’ cycle
1,232 kilometres without food or any help in such extreme circumstances. He
wanted to see them up close.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
RanjitsinhDisale Appointed as the World Bank Education Advisor: RanjitsinhDisale
has been appointed as the World Bank Education advisor, starting from June 2021
to June 2024. He is the first Indian to have been awarded the Global Teacher
Award in 2020, will now be working on the Coach Project, launched by the World
Bank in March 2021. The project’s aim is to ‘help countries accelerate learning
by improving teacher professional development.’
About RanjitsinhDisale: Disale is from
Paritewadi Village in the Solapur district of Maharashtra. He had initially
wanted to become an engineer, but later took up the teacher’s training
programme. He is the first Indian to have been awarded the Global Teacher Award
in 2020. He won the award in recognition of this work in promoting the
education of girls.
Note: World Bank Headquarters: Washington,
D.C., United States; World Bank Formation: July 1944; World Bank President:
David Malpass.
2.
HeidelbergCement plans world’s first CO2 neutral cement plant in Sweden: HeidelbergCement,
the world’s second-largest cement maker, plans to turn its Swedish factory in
Slite into the world’s first CO2-neutral cement plant by 2030 via carbon
capture technology. Following the planned retrofit, which will cost at least
100 million euros ($122 million), the plant will be able to capture up to 1.8
million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Note: Sweden capital: Stockholm; Currency:
Krona; PM of Sweden: Stefan Lofven.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Sergio Perez wins Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Red Bull’s Sergio
Perez won a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix with both Max Verstappen and Lewis
Hamilton failing to finish. This was the first win for Perez since joining Red
Bull. Sebastian Vettel for Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly for Alpha Tauri
completed the unexpected podium. Verstappen crashed with five laps to go and
the race at his mercy. Hamilton then locked up at the restart when on target
for the second.
2.
Germany’s FIFA World Cup-winner Sami Khedira announces retirement: Germany’s FIFA
World Cup-winner, Sami Khedira has announced retirement. He began his career at
VfB Stuttgart and helped them win the league title in the 2006-07 season before
moving to Real Madrid, where he won the league and Champions League in a
trophy-laden spell. He played 77 games for Germany scoring seven goals and
helped them win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
RBI announces FPI investment limits in G-secs, SDLs: The Reserve Bank of
India said the limits for foreign portfolio investors (FPI) investment during
the current fiscal in government securities (G-secs) and State Development
Loans (SDLs) will remain unchanged at 6 per cent and 2 per cent respectively,
of outstanding stocks of securities for 2021-22.
In a circular, the RBI said the allocation
of incremental changes in the G-sec limit (in absolute terms) over the two
sub-categories – ‘General’ and ‘Long-term’ – will be retained at 50:50 for FY
2021-22. The FPI limit in G-Sec General, G-Sec Long Term, SDL General, SDL Long
Term, and Corporate Bonds, was Rs 9,54,280 crore as on March 31, 2021. The
revised limit (in absolute terms) for April 2021-September 2021 period is Rs
10,14,957 crore, including Rs 2,43,914 crore for G-sec General and Rs 5,74,263
crore for Corporate Bonds. The FPI investment limit in the debt instruments for
October 2021 – March 2022 period is ₹10,75,637 crore.
2.
RBI approves re-appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja as MD, RBL Bank: The Reserve Bank of
India has approved the appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja as the Managing Director
and CEO of RBL Bank for a one-year period with effect from June 30, 2021. He
has been the Managing Director & CEO of RBL Bank since June 30, 2010.
Before RBL Bank, Ahuja was the Managing Director & CEO of Bank of America,
India.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
GST collections at Rs 1.03 lakh crore for May: The goods and
service tax collections for May clocked Rs 1,02,709 crore, making it the eighth
straight month of collections crossing the Rs 1 lakh crore mark. The
collections have been 65% higher than the GST revenues in the same month,
despite many states being under lockdown due to the Covid pandemic. The May GST
collections were also a 27.6 per cent drop from a record sum of Rs 1.41 lakh crore
in April, which was the highest monthly collection since the introduction of
the nationwide tax.
List of GST Collection previous months:
April 2021: ₹1.41 lakh crore(All-time
Highest)
March 2021: Rs. 1.24lacs cr.
Feb 2021: Rs 1,13,143 crore
January 2021: ₹ 1,19,847 crore
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Nitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind win International Business Book of the Year Award
2021: Nitin
Rakesh and Jerry Wind won the International Business Book of the Year Award
2021. The authors made history this week by winning the prestigious
International Business Book of the Year Award for 2021 for their recently
launched book “Transformation in Times of Crisis”, published by Notion Press.
Their book Transformation in Times of Crisis brings entrepreneurs and business owners
the knowledge that can help their business thrive even in a crisis.
About the award: The Business Book
Awards is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the calendar for
business book writers all over the world. It highlights leadership, change, and
sustainability in business through the promotion of business books and their
authors. The organizers receive over 150 submissions from top authors and their
publishers every year, making this achievement all the more special.
DEFENCE
1.
Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari appointed as IAF Vice Chief: The Indian Air
Force will see a number of changes at the top as Air Marshal Vivek Ram
Chaudhari has been appointed as the next Vice Chief of Air Staff in the Air
headquarters. Air Marshal BallabhaRadha Krishna would be succeeding Chaudhari
at the Western Command in Delhi while Air Marshal RJ Duckworth would be taking
charge of the Central Air Command in Prayagraj.
Note: IAF HQ: New Delhi; Founded: 8 October 1932; Air Chief Marshal: Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.
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