NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Assam gets its seventh national park with DehingPatkai: The Assam
Government has decided in its recent cabinet meeting to declare DehingPatkai
Wildlife Sanctuary as the 7th National Park of the state. The newest national
park, popularly known as DehingPatkai Rain Forest, has unique floral and faunal
diversity, which was recognized by the state government in 2004 when 111.19
square kilometres of the area was notified as DehingPatkai Wildlife Sanctuary.
The area is home to hoolock gibbon,
elephant, slow loris, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, golden cat, fishing cat,
marble cat, sambar, hog deer, sloth bear, and several bird species including
the endangered state bird, the white-winged wood duck. The state now has the
second-highest number of national parks in the country. Madhya Pradesh and
Andaman and Nicobar Islands have nine national parks each.
Note: Assam Governor: JagdishMukhi; Assam
Chief Minister: HimantaBiswaSarma.
2.
Himachal jumps to third spot in Anemia Mukt Bharat Index: Himachal Pradesh
has climbed to the third spot in the Anemia Mukt Bharat Index 2020-21 national
ranking with a score of 57.1. Himachal Pradesh was at rank 18 in the year
2018-19, but with consistent efforts of the government and the field
functionaries, the state was able to achieve the third spot. Madhya Pradesh is
in the first position with a score of 64.1 followed by Odisha with a score of
59.3. The prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths had decreased from 29% to
0.3% in a short span of three years.
About the Anemia: Anemia remains a
major public health issue with high prevalence across the country irrespective
of gender, age and geography. India is one of the countries with anemia as a
serious public health concern today. Almost 50% of the pregnant women, 59% of
children fewer than five years of age, 54% of adolescent girls and 53% of
non-pregnant non-lactating women in India are anemic.
3.
Anup Chandra Pandey appointed as election commissioner: The Union
government has appointed Anup Chandra Pandey, a retired IAS officer of the 1984
batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre, as Election Commissioner. In the Election
Commission, Pandey will have a little under three years in office and will
retire in February 2024.Pandey has been appointed to the position left vacant
by former Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora’s retirement on April 12.
Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Election Commissioner Rajiv
Kumar are the other two members of the panel. This restores the three-member
commission to its full strength, which will now oversee the next set of crucial
assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand next
year.
Note: Election Commission Formed: 25
January 1950; Election Commission Headquarters: New Delhi; First executive of
Election Commission: Sukumar Sen.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
Interpol launches “I-Familia” to identify missing persons: Interpol has
launched a new global database named “I-Familia” to identify missing persons
through family DNA and help the police solve cold cases in member countries.
Describing it as a groundbreaking database officially launched this month, the
Interpol in a statement said it applied cutting-edge scientific research and
used the DNA of relatives to identify missing persons or unidentified human
remains around the world.
About I-Familia: I-Familia is a
global database launched to identify missing persons through family DNA. It
will help the police to solve cases in member countries. Interpol applies
cutting-edge scientific research and uses the DNA of relatives to identify
missing persons or unidentified human remains around the world. DNA kinship
matching is used mostly in cases where a direct sample of the missing person is
not available.
Components: I-Familia has three
components: Dedicated
global database to host the DNA profiles provided by relatives. It is held
separately from any criminal data; DNA matching software called Bonaparte
developed by Dutch company Smart Research; and Interpretation guidelines
developed by Interpol.
Note: Interpol President: Kim Jong Yang;
Interpol Founded: 7 September 1923; Interpol Headquarters: Lyon, France, Motto:
“Connecting police for a safer world”.
2. QS
World University Rankings 2022 released: The London-based Quacquarelli
Symonds (QS) has released the QS World University Rankings 2022 which compares
and ranks Universities from across the globe on various parameters. Eight
Indian universities have found a place among the best 400 global universities
in the QS World University Rankings 2022, released on June 09, 2021. However,
only three Universities namely the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay,
IIT-Delhi, and IISc Bangalore feature among the top 200.
Top Indian University:
(1) IIT-Bombay is ranked as the best
University in India with a rank of 177. It is followed by IIT-Delhi (185) and
IISc (I86).
(2) The Indian Institute of Science (IISc),
Bengaluru, has also been adjudged as “world’s top research university,
achieving a perfect score of 100/100 for Citations Per Faculty (CPF) indicator,
which measures research impact. This is the first time that any Indian
institute has scored a perfect 100 in research or any other parameter.
Top University:
(1) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) has topped the ranking for the 10th years in a row.
(2) MIT is followed by the University of
Oxford in the second position. Stanford University and the University of
Cambridge shared the third spot.
3. World
Elder Abuse Awareness Day: 15th June: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is
observed globally on 15th June every year. This day is celebrated to raise a
voice for the elderly who are abused and victimized. The main objective of this
day is to provide an opportunity for communities around the globe to promote a
better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by creating
awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting
elder abuse and neglect.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
History:
The day was officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in
December 2011 bypassing the resolution 66/127 of the United Nations following a
request from the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
(INPEA).
4.
Global Wind Day: 15th June: Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that
occurs annually on 15 June. It is a day for discovering wind energy, its power
and the possibilities it holds to reshape our energy systems, decarbonise our
economies and boost jobs and growth. Wind energy has many advantages: it is
cost-effective, it is a source of clean fuel and it is inexhaustible.
World Wind Day history: Global Wind Day is
organised by WindEurope and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the
national associations. This day was established to introduce the general people
to wind energy and its benefits through a series of activities. The first
observance of the day was held in the year 2007. However, it was not a World
Wind Day or Global Wind Day till the year 2009.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Debbie Hewitt appointed Football Association’s first chairwoman: England’s Football
Association named corporate executive and former RAC chief, Debbie Hewitt as
its first woman chair, ending months of speculation over Greg Clarke’s
successor following his exit over inappropriate remarks. The FA, which was
formed in 1863 and has been working to become more inclusive, launched its
‘Pursuit of Progress’ initiative in 2018. FA is the governing body of football
located in England.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
SBI launches Kavach Personal Loan for Covid-19 patients: State Bank of India
(SBI) has launched a collateral-free “Kavach Personal Loan” to enable its
customers to meet medical expenses of self and family members for Covid treatment.
Under this scheme, customers can avail of loans up to ₹5 lakhs at an effective
interest rate of 8.5 per cent per annum for 60 months, which is inclusive of
three months moratorium. This loan product will also be part of the Covid loan
book being created by banks as per the Reserve Bank of India’s Covid relief
measures. The loan will also cover reimbursement of Covid related medical
expenses already incurred.
Note: SBI Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara;
SBI Headquarters: Mumbai; SBI Founded: 1 July 1955.
2.
Mahesh Kumar Jain gets two-year extension as RBI Deputy Governor: The Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet has approved the re-appointment of Mahesh Kumar Jain
as the Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for two more years with
effect from June 22, 2021. The three-year term of MK Jain as RBI Deputy
Governor was to end on June 21, 2021. Currently, Michael Patra, M Rajeshwar Rao
and Rabi Sankar are the other three serving RBI Deputy Governors.
3.
RBI approves re-appointment of GC Chaturvedi as part-time Chairman of ICICI
Bank: Private
lender, ICICI Bank, has received RBI’s approval for the re-appointment of
Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as the part-time Chairman of the Bank. He will be the
part-time chairman of ICICI Bank for a 3-years tenure starting July 01, 2021,
on extant terms and conditions. Last year, the bank’s shareholders approved the
re-appointment of Chaturvedi as non-executive (part-time) Chairman of the Bank
effective from July 1, 2021.
Note: ICICI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai,
Maharashtra; ICICI Bank MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi ICICI Bank Tagline: Hum
Hai Na, KhayalApka.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Facebook names SpoorthiPriya as grievance officer for India: Facebook has named
SpoorthiPriya as its grievance officer for India, the company said on its
website. This move comes close on the heels of the new Information Technology
(Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, coming
into force last month. According to the new government guidelines, social media
companies with over 50 lakh users have to appoint a grievance officer, nodal
officer and a chief compliance officer.
All three personnel will have to be
residents of India. Facebook owned messaging platform WhatsApp appointed Paresh
B Lal as the grievance officer a few days ago. WhatsApp, Facebook, and Google
had shared information on their compliance officer, resident grievance officer
and nodal contact person with the government on May 29. Two days after the new
IT rules kicked into action.
Under the new rules: Social media
platforms also have to publish the name and other relevant information of the
grievance officer on their website so that users can easily reach out to them.
The grievance officer has also been tasked with ensuring that the complaint is
acknowledged within 24 hours and properly disposed of within 15 days from the
date it is lodged and receive and acknowledge any order, notice or direction
issued by the authorities.
Note: Chief Executive Officer of Facebook:
Mark Zuckerberg; Facebook Headquarters: California, US.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Zimbabwean novelist TsitsiDangarembga wins PEN Pinter prize 2021: TsitsiDangarembga,
the Booker-shortlisted Zimbabwean writer who was arrested last year in Harare
while protesting against corruption, has been awarded the PEN Pinter prize,
praised for her “ability to capture and communicate vital truths even amidst
times of upheaval”. Dangarembga was also shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize
for her work, This Mournable Body.
Established in 2009, PEN Pinter prize is
given in memory of Nobel-laureate playwright Harold Pinter. The annual award is
given to an author who, the website specifies, must have “a significant body of
plays, poetry, essays, or fiction of outstanding literary merit, written in
English.”
DEFENCE
1.
Indo-Thai CORPAT Begins in Andaman Sea: The 31st edition of the India-Thailand
Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) kicked off on June 09, 2021, in the
Andaman Sea. The three-day coordinated patrol between the Indian Navy and the
Royal Thai Navy is being conducted from 09 to 11 June 2021. From the Indian
side, an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel, Indian Naval Ship
(INS) Saryu, is participating and from Thailand Navy, HTMS Krabi is
participating in CORPAT, along with Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both
navies.
About the CORPAT:
(1) The CORPAT exercise is being conducted
between the two navies bi-annually since 2005, along their International
Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
(2) CORPAT builds up understanding and
interoperability between navies and develops measures to prevent and suppress
unlawful activities like Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug
trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.
Note: Thailand Capital: Bangkok; Thailand Currency: Thai baht.
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