NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Government reconstitutes empowered group on Covid-19: Centre has
reconstituted the six Empowered Groups into ten groups to tackle the COVID
situation in the country. Highlights:
(1) The decision is aimed at further
improving the efforts in catering the current need of COVID management. NITI
Aayog Member (Health) Dr VK Paul will head the Emergency Management Plan Group
and the ten-member panel on Vaccination.
(2) Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan will be
the convener of the Empowered Group on Emergency Response Capabilities. It will
look into the issues related to hospitals, equipment and medicines. A separate
Empowered Group has been formed under the chairmanship of Road and Transport
Secretary, GiridharAramane on oxygen production, import and other related
issues.
(3) Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava has been made the convener of the panel
on COVID testing, while NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will head the group which
will take care of work of private sector, NGOs and international organisations.
(4) Economic and Welfare Measures group
which has been tasked with emerging issues related to growth and employment,
will be headed by Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth.
(5) Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla will be the
convenor of 12 member Empowered Group on Pandemic Response and Coordination.
(6) An 11 member group headed by
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare will look after the steps on
information, communication and public engagement.
2.
CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh gets additional charge of NIA: Director-General of
Central Reserve Police Force, Kuldiep Singh has been given additional charge of
Director General of National Investigation Agency, NIA. He will hold the
additional post after 31st or this month after the superannuation of Y C Modi.
The Ministry of Home Affairs assigned the additional charge to Singh, a
1986-batch West Bengal cadre officer, who has been handling the post of CRPF
Director General since March 16 this year. He has been appointed as DG, CRPF up
to September 30, 2022–the date of his superannuation.
Note: National Investigation Agency
Headquarters: New Delhi; National Investigation Agency Founder: Radha Vinod
Raju; National Investigation Agency Founded: 2009.
3.
CBSE launches Young Warrior movement to combat Covid-19: CBSE launched a
nationwide Young Warrior movement to engage 5 million young people to fight
against Covid-19. This movement is expected to impact 50 million people. The
Board has launched the movement together with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, YuWaah-UNICEF, and a
multi-stakeholder consortium of over 950 partners.
About the programme:
(1) Students and teachers between the ages
of 10 and 30 years can join this movement to safeguard themselves, their
families, their communities, and the country!.
(2) The movement will comprise a series of
easy and real-life tasks with the Young Warriors earning a UNICEF certificate
for their participation and completion of tasks.
(3) The tasks include promoting access to
verified health and essential services, vaccine registration, Covid appropriate
behaviours, myth-busting etc.
(4) These tasks will be hosted in 10
regional languages to protect themselves, their families and their
neighbourhood against Covid-19.
Note: CBSE Chairman: Manoj Ahuja; CBSE Head
Office: Delhi; CBSE Founded: 3 November 1962.
4. A
book title “Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020” by Salman Rushdie: A book titled
“Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020” authored by Salman Rushdie. In his new
book, Rushdie attempts to perform a defensive castling move. He suggests his
work has been misunderstood and mistreated because the literary culture has
turned from brio-filled imaginative writing toward the humbler delights of
“autofiction,” as exemplified by the work of Elena Ferrante and Karl Ove
Knausgaard.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
WHO, Switzerland to launch facility for sharing pathogen samples: The World Health
Organization (WHO) and the Swiss Confederation will launch the first facility
to share rapidly virus and pathogen samples between laboratories worldwide, as
the WHO BioHub Facility was approved through a Memorandum of Understanding. The
BioHub laboratory will store and analyse pathogens from across the globe and
enhance the rapid sharing of information between labs around the world. The
facility will be hosted at the Swiss defence ministry’s biological safety
laboratories in the lakeside town of Spiez.
2.
International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression: 4th June: International Day
of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed globally on 4th June
every year. This day affirms the UN’s commitment to guard the rights of
children. This day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout
the planet who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. The
main aim of celebrating today is to spread the notice about the pain and
sufferings faced by the victims as children.
History of International Day of
Innocent Children Victims of Aggression: On August 19, 1982, during an emergency
session on the question of Palestine, the UN General Assembly, appalled at the
amount of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese child victims of Israel’s acts of
aggression, decided to commemorate 4 June of every year because of the
International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Chelsea wins 2020-21 UEFA Champions League Final: Chelsea defeated
Manchester City 1–0 in the final, to lift the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League
title, on May 29, 2021, played at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal.
German forward Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the football match. This is
the second Champions League title for Chelsea, after winning the first won in
2012.
2.
IPL 2021 to resume in the UAE in September-October: The Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that the IPL 2021 Phase 2
will be held in the UAE during the September-October window. In a Special
General Meeting chaired by BCCI president SouravGanguly, the Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed to the State units that the tournament
will have to be shifted out of India on account of ‘monsoon.’
Note: Secretary of BCCI: Jay Shah;
President of BCCI: SouravGanguly; Headquarters of BCCI: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
Founded: December 1928.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
RBI imposes Rs 10 crore penalty on HDFC Bank: The Reserve Bank of
India has imposed a fine of Rs 10 crore on HDFC Bank for deficiencies in
regulatory compliance found in the auto loan portfolio of the bank. As per the
RBI, HDFC Bank has violated the provisions of section 6(2) and section 8 of the
Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
After receiving a complaint from a
whistleblower, RBI conducted an examination in the marketing and sale of
third-party non-financial products to the bank’s auto loan customers and found
that the bank was in contravention of regulatory directions. RBI has imposed
the monetary penalty in the exercise of powers vested by the central bank under
the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the Banking
Regulation Act.
Note: Headquarters of HDFC Bank: Mumbai,
Maharashtra; MD and CEO of HDFC Bank: SashidharJagdishan; The tagline of HDFC
Bank: We understand your world.
2.
Paytm Plans to launch $3-Billion IPO; Biggest Ever in India: Digital payments
giant Paytm is planning to come out with an initial public offer worth USD 3
billion later this year. The proposed Initial Public Offer (IPO), if
successful, would be the largest such offer. Coal India’s Rs 15,200 crore-IPO
in 2010 is the country’s largest one till date. The SoftBank and Alibaba-backed
company is looking at raising about USD 3 billion (over Rs 21,700 crore) at a
valuation of well over USD 25 billion.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
GST Council forms 8-member panel to examine tax exemption on Covid material: The Goods and
Services Tax (GST) Council has constituted a group of ministers (GoM) in order
to decide on the rates of COVID-19 relief material. Currently, 5% GST is levied
on domestically manufactured vaccines, while it is 12% for COVID drugs and
oxygen concentrators. Alcohol-based sanitisers, hand wash, disinfectants and
thermometers attract 18% GST. An eight-member ministerial panel under the
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma to consider Goods and Services Tax
(GST) exemptions on a range of Covid-19 essentials such as vaccines, drugs,
testing kits and ventilators. The other members of the group of ministers (GoM)
are Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitinbhai Patel, Maharashtra deputy chief
minister AjitPawar, Goa transport minister MauvinGodinho, Kerala finance
minister KN Balagopal, Odisha finance minister Niranjan Pujari, Telangana
finance minister T Harish Rao and UP finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna.
In the 43rd meeting of the GST Council, the
finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said a ministerial panel will be
constituted to decide on the rates on the vaccines and medical supplies.
According to its terms of reference, the GoM will examine the need for GST
concession or exemption on Covid vaccines, drugs and medicines for Covid
treatment, testing kits for Covid detection, medical-grade oxygen, pulse
oximeters, hand sanitisers, oxygen therapy instruments (concentrators,
generators and ventilators), PPE kits, N95 masks, surgical masks, temperature
checking thermometers and any other items required for Covid relief.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Robert Lewandowski wins Europe’s Golden Shoe award: For the first time
in his career, Robert Lewandowski has won the European Golden Boot. The Bayern
Munich striker scored an incredible 41 goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances to
claim the top scorer spot in Europe. It’s truly been an incredible campaign
from Lewandowski who was also able to break Gerd Muller’s 49-year single-season
scoring record en route to becoming the European Golden Boot winner. In second
place was Lionel Messi who registered 30 goals during Barcelona’s La Liga
campaign. Right behind Messi in third place was Cristiano Ronaldo
DEFENCE
1.
NSA Doval commissions Indian Coast Guard’s ship Sajag: National Security
Advisor (NSA), AjitDoval has commissioned the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore
Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sajag, which has been constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited.
Sajag is the third in a series of five offshore patrol vessels indigenously
designed in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ vision.
The indigenously-built ship is fitted with advanced technology equipment,
weapon and sensors capable to carry a twin-engine helicopter and four
high-speed boats.
Note: Director-General of Indian Coast Guard: Krishnaswamy Natarajan; Indian Coast Guard Headquarters: New Delhi.
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