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Thursday, June 30, 2022

Daily GK Update- 30th June, 2022

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. ‘One health pilot’ initiative launched in Bengaluru: The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) launched the One Health pilot in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The programme is aimed at bringing stakeholders from animal, human and environment health on a common platform to address challenges. DAHD in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as implementation partner is implementing the One-Health Framework undertaking project in the states of Karnataka and Uttarakhand, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.

‘One Health Pilot’: Benefits

a)      Human health cannot be viewed in isolation and it is dependent on the environment it lives which includes animals too. The One Health project helps in realizing the interdependencies that animal and environmental health have on human life.

b)      It will develop a national One Health roadmap based on the learnings of the pilot project implementation.

c)       This will be useful in preventing zoonotic disease outbreaks in the future and facilitate a better response mechanism. Earlier, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had called for the need of creating vigilance and awareness on zoonotic diseases.

d)      The pilot project will institutionalize better management, and development of a targeted surveillance plan, integrate a network of laboratories, develop and implement communication strategy across sectors

e)      It will also integrate data with the digital architecture of the National Digital Livestock Mission. Furthermore, it will also help in building a strong social infrastructure that supports the health of the people and the planet.

 

2. Honey Testing Lab in Nagaland inaugurated by Union Agriculture Minister: During his visit to Nagaland, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, officially inaugurated the Dimapur Honey Testing Laboratory. The honey testing facility will support beekeepers and producers in testing their produced honey. At the North-East Agri Expo, Chumaokedlma, Tomar was attending an event. Among others, G. Kaito, the Nagaland Agriculture Minister, Chief Secretary J. Alam, and Central Horticulture Commissioner Prabhat Kumar attended the ceremony. Speaking at the event, Tomar stated that when it comes to overall growth, the Northeast Region cannot be ignored. Therefore, the government aims to make the north east region self-sufficient through its plans, initiatives, funds, and institutions.

 

3. Uddhav Thackeray resigns as Maharashtra CM: Uddhav Thackeray has resigned as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. This comes immediately after the Supreme Court refused to stay Maharashtra Governor’s direction to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test in the Assembly. Late in the evening, Mr. Thackeray submitted his resignation to Mr. Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. The Governor accepted the resignation of Mr. Thackeray and asked him to officiate as the Chief Minister until alternate arrangements are made.

Why this happen: Mr. Eknath Shinde had revolted against the Sena chief with 39 MLAs and had been stationed in Guwahati since June 22. He had demanded that Mr. Thackeray should snap ties with the Congress and the NCP for the sake of Hindutva. With Mr. Thackeray resigning, Mr. Shinde will have little option but to approach him.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Iran, Argentina applies to join China and Russia in BRICS club: Iran has submitted an application to become a member in the group of emerging economies known as the BRICS. Iran’s membership in the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, “would result in added values for both sides,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Argentina had also applied to join the group. Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez, currently in Europe, has in recent days reiterated his desire for Argentina to join BRICS. Russia has long been pushing to forge closer ties with Asia, South America and the Middle East, but it has intensified its efforts recently to weather sanctions imposed by Europe, the United States and other countries over its invasion on Ukraine.

 

2. Conclusion of G7 meeting in Germany 2022: The United States and other major nations came to an agreement at their G7 summit’s conclusion to concentrate on China‘s growing threats, despite the fact that the three-day meeting’s most pressing issue was Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. In a communique, the Group of Seven (G7) countries articulated a strategy for challenging Beijing regarding its economic policies and human rights violations. Key Points:

a)      In the statement, Beijing was encouraged to respect human rights and Hong Kong‘s autonomy as well as to help to put an end to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

b)      It was also denounced for its aggressive actions in the East and South China Seas.

c)       Regarding China‘s contribution to the world economy, they are still consulting on collective responses to issues posed by nonmarket policies and practises that distort the global economy, including those outside of the G-7.

 

3. International Asteroid Day: 30th June: World Asteroid Day (also known as International Asteroid Day) is an annual UN-sanctioned global awareness campaign event observed on June 30, which is the anniversary of the Siberian Tunguska event of 1908. To provide knowledge to the general public about the importance of asteroids in history, and the role they play in our solar system today. The theme of Asteroid Day 2022 is “small is beautiful.”

International Asteroid Day History: In December 2016, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in order to “observe each year at the international level the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908, and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard.” Tunguska event is the most harmful known asteroid-related event on Earth in recent history.

 

4. International Day of Parliamentarism: 30th June: June 30 is observed as the International Day of Parliamentarism every year to commemorate the date on which the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was founded. The IPU, founded in Paris in 1889, is an international organisation of national parliaments to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members. The International Day of Parliamentarism is a time to review the progress that parliaments have made in achieving some key goals to be more representative and move with the times, including carrying out self-assessments, working to include more women and young MPs, and adapting to new technologies.

Note: Inter-Parliamentary Union Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Inter-Parliamentary Union President: Saber Hossain Chowdhury; Inter-Parliamentary Union Founded: 1889, Paris, France; Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretary General: Martin Chungong.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Olympic Champion Sydney McLaughlin breaks own 400m hurdles world record: Olympic gold medallist, Sydney McLaughlin broke her own women’s 400 metres hurdles world record at the U.S. championships in Eugene, Oregon, winning the final in 51.41 seconds. The 22-year-old wrested the lead early and never gave the rest of the field a fighting chance, clinching her spot in the world championships in front of an adoring crowd. Britton Wilson finished 1.67 seconds behind with Shamier Little taking third in 53.92. Sydney previously set the record with a 51.90-seconds performance at the U.S. Olympic trials a year ago, only to shatter that figure in Tokyo, collecting gold in 51.46.

 

2. IWF chooses Mohammed Jalood as President: Mohammed Jalood has been elected as the organization’s president, and 11 additional new members have been added to its Executive Board, according to a press release from Tirana, Albania, which hosted both the Special & Electoral Congress and the recently concluded European Weightlifting Championships.

Key Points:

a)      The 12 new members of the Executive Board constitute a 66 percent change in staffing overall, despite the IWF’s emphasis on the necessity of maintaining “seasoned leadership” during this transitional phase. The minimum quota for women was “significantly exceeded,” and three Athlete Representatives were appointed with full voting privileges.

b)      Quinones was inadvertently named general secretary as a result of a voting mistake in Tirana. Quinones, who has indicated interest in the IWF holding a recount, may have been chosen inadvertently as the winner due to a rounding error in the vote-counting process.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Mukesh Ambani Resigns, Akash Ambani is New Jio Chairman: Mukesh Ambani’s eldest son Akash Ambani will take over as chairman of Jio Infocomm’s board, the digital division of Reliance industries, in what is viewed as the 65-year-old billionaire’s succession planning. Mukesh Ambani has resigned as the company director effective from 27 June. Pankaj Mohan Pawar was among the other selections made, and his five-year term as managing director began on 27 June. KV Chowdary and Raminder Singh Gujral were named independent directors.

Mukesh Ambani will continue to serve as chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and as the chairman of Jio Platforms Ltd, the parent firm of all Jio digital services brands, including Reliance Jio Infocomm. Broadly, Reliance operates under three main business segments, petrochemicals and oil refining, retail, and digital services, which includes telecom.

 

2. Zomato acquired Blinkit for Rs 4,447 crore in all-stock deal: Zomato (Online food delivery platform) has announced the acquisition of Blink Commerce (Blinkit), earlier known as Grofers India. The company’s Board of Directors approved a proposal to acquire cash-strapped quick commerce company Blinkit for Rs 4,447 crore. Last year, Zomato extended USD 50 million loans to Grofers India Private Limited. Zomato already owned more than a 9 percent stake in Blinkit (earlier Grofers). While the earlier Blinkit deal value was around $700 million, the drop in Zomato’s share price reduced it to $568 million.

About the Blinkit: Blinkit is a quick commerce marketplace delivering groceries and other essentials to customers within minutes (an average delivery time of 15 minutes in the month of May). Blinkit was rebranded from Grofers after a pivot to quick commerce last year. Their erstwhile business model was next-day grocery delivery.

Note: Zomato Founded: July 2008; Zomato Founders: Deepinder Goyal; Pankaj Chaddah; Zomato Headquarters: Gurgaon, Haryana

 

3. Acemoney launched new wearable ATM cards and Offline UPI: Acemoney has launched UPI 123Pay payment and wearable ATM cards. The UPI 123Pay payment allows people to carry out cashless transactions without smartphones or internet connections using feature phones. The wearable ATM cards are gadgets designed as key chains and rings that enable people to carry out cashless transactions without ATM cards and phones.

The wearable ATM cards functions using applications connected to smart phones. Therefore, it can be switched on or off as per the requirement of the customer. Acemoney is the first company in India to launch UPI 123Pay services in Malayalam and Tamil. The Reserve Bank of India had launched UPI 123Pay in March this year. The wearable ATM cards functions using applications connected to smart phones. Therefore, it can be switched on or off as per the requirement of the customer.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Global Airwards Best Drone Organization Award wins by IG Drones: The Delhi-based leading Drone enterprise platform company IG Drones has been felicitated with the “Best Drone Organization – Start-up Category” by Airwards. IG Drones has been selected for the award for its approach of helping local communities and giving access to technology to various stakeholders during natural disasters and calamities.

About the IG Drones: IG Drones is developing new technology-based disaster response and mitigation to increase the efficiency and efficacy of first responders’ aid in emergency response and catastrophe mapping. Using drone and GIS technology, they’ve saved hundreds of thousands of lives throughout national disasters such as the Assam Floods, Amphan Cyclone, Fani Cyclone, and Jajpur Flood in Odisha, Maharashtra Flood, and Uttarakhand CloudBurst.

 

2. Odisha govt bags first prize in National MSME Award 2022: The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Department, Government of Odisha has been awarded first prize in the category “National MSME Award 2022 to States/UTs for outstanding contribution in the promotion and Development of MSME Sector” by virtue of various developmental initiatives taken up for the development of MSMEs. Bihar and Haryana were second and third respectively. Other awardees:

a)      Kalahandi has been awarded third prize in the category “National MSME Award 2022 to Aspirational districts for outstanding contribution in the promotion and Development of MSME Sector” as the sectoral development was in the line of award parameters, according to an official statement issued by the state government.

b)      Similarly, Sumeet Mohanty M/s Saferisk Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Bhubaneswar has been awarded first prize in the category “Award for Service Entrepreneurship – Service Small Enterprise (Overall)”.

c)       In addition, Sibabrata Rout M/s Amarnath Pest Management Technology, Cuttack has also been awarded third prize in the category “Award for Service Entrepreneurship – Service Micro Enterprise (Overall)”.

 

3. Utama won the Transylvania Trophy at the 21st TIFF Edition: The winners of the 21st edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival were applauded  at the Awards Ceremony, organised in the Unirii Square in Cluj-Napoca. Utama, the debut film of director Alejandro Loayza Grisi, was chosen as this year’s big winner and awarded the 10,000 euro Transylvania Trophy. The Bolivian production also won over the TIFF audience, and was also awarded the Audience Award of 2,000 euro by MasterCard, as voted by the filmgoers at the Festival.

Other Awardees:

a)      Best Director Award went to filmmaker Guomundur Arnar Guomundsson, awarded for the “credible, original and brilliant universe” he created in Beautiful Beings.

b)      For their exceptional roles in The Night Belongs to Lovers, actors Laura Müller and Schemci Lauth, were awarded the Best Performance Award by Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Business Tycoon Pallonji Mistry passes away: Renowned business tycoon Pallonji Mistry has passed away at the age of 93. He was the Chairman of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, one of the largest business firms in India. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution in the field of industry and trade. The Shapoorji Pallonji Group is Mumbai-based 156-year-old firm which operates in the construction business in Africa, India, the Middle East and South Asia. Shapoorji Pallonji Group covers six business segments namely engineering and construction, infrastructure, real estate, water, energy and financial services.

 

2. A noted lyricist, Chowallor Krishnakutty passes away: In Kerala, noted lyricist, author and journalist, Chowalloor Krishnankutty passed away at a private Medical College Hospital in Thrissur. He was 86. A former Staff Artist with AIR, Krishnankutty penned over 3000 devotional songs and authored more than 200 books. He retired as an Assistant Editor with the Malayala Manorama daily. Krishnankutty is a recipient of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi and Kerala Sahitya Akademi awards, Krishnankutty also served as the vice-chairman of the Kerala Kalamandalam.


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