NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Punjab Government to Start e-Stamp Instead Of Paper Stamp: The Punjab
government has decided to abolish the physical stamp papers in an attempt to
bring efficiency and check the pilferage of State revenue. Punjab Revenue
Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa launched the ‘e-stamp facility’ here. Following
this, stamp paper of any denomination can now be obtained via ‘e-stamp’, which
includes computerised print-out from any stamp vendor or from banks authorised
by the State government.
Step was taken because: The Punjab
government will pay a commission of 2% to the stamp vendors on e-stamps ranging
from Rs 1 to Rs 19,999, while the general public would get stamp paper at the
actual rate. For instance, they will have to pay only Rs 100 for a stamp paper
of Rs 100 and no extra commission will be levied. This step will also help in
curbing the stamp paper-linked fraud.
Note: Punjab Governor: Banwarilal Purohit;
Punjab Speaker: Kultar Singh Sandhwan; Punjab Chief Justice: Ravi Shankar Jha.
2.
Delhi govt to name colonies & streets after Babasaheb Ambedkar: Following the
Central government’s guideline advising against the usage of the word
‘Harijan’, the Delhi government is set to replace the word ‘Harijan’ from names
of colonies & streets and name them after Babasaheb Ambedkar instead. In
this vein, Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam has tabled a proposal to
rename all streets and colonies under Delhi Government titled as ‘Harijan’
after Dr Ambedkar. The Social Welfare Minister also chaired an important
meeting in this regard with senior officials to expedite the process with
officials from the concerned departments to act on the matter and issue a
notification on the same. The Delhi Government strives to uplift the SC, ST,
and OBC communities living in the national capital.
Note: Delhi Chief Minister: Arvind
Kejriwal; Delhi Governor: Vinai Kumar Saxena.
3.
Country’s First Liquid Mirror Telescope Comes Up in Uttarakhand: The first liquid
mirror telescope in the country and the largest in Asia – was commissioned atop
Devasthal, a hill in Uttarakhand. This will now keep a watch on the overhead
sky to identify transient or variable objects such as supernovae, gravitational
lenses, space debris, and asteroids.
About the Indian Liquid Mirror
Telescope:
a)
The
Indian Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) will help in surveying the sky, making it
possible to observe several galaxies and other astronomical sources just by
staring at the strip of sky that passes overhead.
b)
Built
by astronomers from India, Belgium and Canada, the novel instrument employs a
4-meter-diameter rotating mirror made up of a thin film of liquid mercury to
collect and focus light.
c)
It
is located at an altitude of 2,450 metres at the Devasthal Observatory campus
of Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an
autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST),
Government of India in Nainital district, Uttarakhand.
d)
The
scientists from the three countries spun a pool of mercury, which is a
reflective liquid so that the surface curved into a parabolic shape. It is
ideal for focusing light. A thin transparent film of mylar protects the mercury
from the wind. The reflected light passes through a sophisticated multi-lens
optical corrector that produces sharp images over a wide field of view. A
large-format electronic camera located at the focus records the images.
Note: Uttarakhand Chief Minister: Pushkar
Singh Dhami; Uttarakhand Capitals: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer);
Uttarakhand Governor: Lt Gen Gurmit
Singh.
4.
ISRO chairman inaugurates new spacecraft manufacturing facility: Dr S Somanath, the
chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), inaugurated ANANTH
Technologies’ spacecraft manufacturing unit at Karnataka Industrial Area
Development Board (KIADB) Aerospace Park. The new state-of-the-art spacecraft
manufacturing facility can conduct assembly integration and testing of four
large spacecraft simultaneously. This is a first of its kind facility in India,
adding that since its establishment in 1992, Ananth Technologies has
contributed to the manufacturing of 89 satellites and 69 launch vehicles
built/launched by ISRO.
Key highlights:
a)
The
15,000 sqm facility is capable of conducting the assembly, integration and
testing of four large spacecraft at the same time, with four separate units
present within the facility.
b)
Over
the years, ANANTH Technologies has successfully contributed to major launches
of ISRO. Our technology acumen is such that none of the sub-systems supplied by
ANANTH Technologies has ever failed in orbit.
Note: ISRO Founded: 15 August 1969; ISRO
Headquarters: Bengaluru; ISRO Chairman: S Somanath.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Instagram’s new feature to help find missing children: Instagram has
launched an ‘alert’ feature to help find missing children. The photo-sharing
app has partnered with various organisations globally to set up the feature.
The feature will display details about missing children on users’ Instagram
feed if they are in a specific area where an active search is taking place. Key
points of the new feature:
a)
The
alerts on the Meta-owned platform will include details such as a child’s photo,
description, and location of the abduction. Instagram will show users alerts
based on information like their IP address and location services (if it is
turned on), it noted.
b)
The
social media platform said it has developed the child emergency alert feature
in collaboration with organisations like the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the U.S., the International Centre for Missing
& Exploited Children, the National Crime Agency in the U.K., the Attorney
General’s Office in Mexico, the Australian Federal Police, among others.
2.
World Environment Day: 5th June: World Environment Day is observed globally
on 5th June every year. This day is observed to raise awareness about
protecting the environment and to remind people not to take nature granted. The
year 2022 marks the 50th WED. Sweden is the host this year and the theme is
‘Only One Earth,’ focusing on the need to live sustainably in harmony with
nature. Only One Earth was the motto for the 1972 Stockholm Conference; 50
years on, the motto holds true – this planet is our only home, whose finite
resources humanity must safeguard.
History of the World Environment Day: The idea of WED
can be traced back to a warm June in Stockholm, Sweden, 50 years ago. That’s
when the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment took place. Widely
regarded as the first global environment summit, it was here that the idea of a
World Environment Day was formalized, with the first one held in 1973. Since
then, the annual event, which falls on June 5, has helped both celebrate the planet
and put a spotlight on the perils it is facing.
3.
International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated
Fishing: 5th June:
International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated
Fishing is organized every year on 5th June. The day is the opportunity to draw
attention to the threats posed by IUU fishing activities to the sustainable use
of fisheries resources as well as to ongoing efforts to fight these activities.
History of the day: In 2015, the
General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean of the FAO proposed that an
initiative be launched to declare an International Day for the Fight against
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. Following extensive consultations,
a proposal was submitted to the attention of the thirty-second session of the
FAO Committee on Fisheries. In December 2017 the UN General Assembly in its
annual resolution on sustainable fisheries proclaimed 5 June as the
“International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated
Fishing.”
Note: Food and Agriculture Organization
Head: Qu Dongyu; Food and Agriculture Organization Headquarters: Rome, Italy;
Food and Agriculture Organization Established: 16 October 1945.
OTHER UPDATES:
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
Former SBI MD Ashwani Bhatia takes charge as whole-time member at SEBI: Ashwani Bhatia has
taken charge as a whole-time member (WTM) at the market regulator Securities
and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). Bhatia was previously the managing director
of the state-owned State Bank of India (SBI). After Bhatia’s joining, Sebi now
has three WTMs. The government is yet to appoint the fourth member. The market
regulator functioned with just two WTMs for the past seven months after Sebi’s
current chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch’s tenure as WTM ended on October 4, 2021,
and G. Mahalingam demitted office on November 8, 2021.
Note: SEBI Founded: 12 April 1992; SEBI
Headquarters: Mumbai; SEBI Agency executive: Madhabi Puri Buch (Chairperson).
2.
Punjab & Sind Bank MD & CEO S Krishnan retires: Punjab & Sind
Bank Limited, an Indian nationalised bank, announced that it’s MD & CEO, S
Krishnan to retire from the role, with effect from May 31, 2022. He was
appointed as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Punjab & Sind
Bank from the date of assumption of office till the date of his superannuation,
i.e. 31.05.2022 or until further orders, whichever is earlier. It is now
informed that Shri S Krishnan has retired upon his superannuation on
31.05.2022.
S Krishnan, a postgraduate in Commerce
(M.Com) and qualified Cost Accountant (ICMA), took charge as Managing Director
& Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of Punjab & Sind Bank on 4th
September 2020. Prior to joining Punjab & Sind Bank as MD & CEO, Krishnan
was Executive Director of Syndicate Bank and Canara Bank. He started his
carrier in Indian Bank in January 1983. He has a long and varied field of
banking and administrative experience of nearly 38 years.
Note: Punjab & Sind Bank Limited
Headquarters: New Delhi; Punjab & Sind Bank Limited Founder: Vir Singh;
Punjab & Sind Bank Limited Founded: 24 June 1908.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
India’s economic growth expected to be 8.7% in FY22, Q4 GDP to be 4.1 %: India’s economic
growth fell to 4.1 percent in January-March 2021-22, a four-quarter low,
reflecting the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic’s Omicron wave on the
manufacturing sector and contact-intensive services. The National Statistical
Office reduced its year-on-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast
for the full fiscal year 2021-22 to 8.7%, down from 8.9% anticipated in
February. In the years 2020-21, the economy shrank by 6.6 percent.
In Q4 of FY22, private final consumption
expenditure — a measure of individual consumption of goods and services –
increased by 1.8% year on year. Gross fixed capital creation (GFCG) increased
by 5.1 percent, which is a proxy for investment activity. Government final
consumption expenditure increased by 4.8 percent in January-March, bolstering
the economy.
Gross Value Added (GVA) increased by 8.1
percent in FY22, compared to a decline of 4.8 percent the previous year. In
nominal terms, which account for inflation, GDP is expected to expand by 19.5%,
compared to a fall of 1.4% last year.
2.
Javier Olivan Taking Over as the Meta New Chief Operating Officer: Javier Olivan, the
current chief growth officer at Meta Platforms, will take over as the company’s
chief operating officer after Sheryl Sandberg stepped down from the post.
Olivan has been with Meta, formerly known as Facebook, for several years,
contributing to its explosive expansion. Olivan will be responsible for the
advertising and business products while continuing to head infrastructure and
corporate development.
Note: Meta CEO: Mark Zuckerberg; Meta
Founded: February 2004, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Indian American Harini Logan Wins 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee: Harini Logan was
eliminated from the Scripps National Spelling Bee once, then reinstated. She
missed four words in a gruelling standoff against Vikram Raju, including one
that would have given her the title. In the first-ever lightning-round
tiebreaker, Harini finally claimed the trophy. The 13-year-old eighth-grader
from San Antonio, Texas, who competed in the last fully in-person bee three
years ago and endured the pandemic to make it back, spelt 21 words correctly
during a 90-second spell-off, beating Vikram by six.
Harini, one of the best-known spellers
entering the bee and a crowd favourite for her poise and positivity, wins more
than $50,000 in cash and prizes. She is the fifth Scripps champion to be
coached by Grace Walters, a former speller, fellow Texan and student at Rice
University who is considering bowing out of the coaching business. If so, she
will depart on top.
OBITUARIES
1.
Santoor maestro Bhajan Sopori passes away: Santoor maestro and Padma Shri
awardee, Bhajan Sopori has passed away at the age of 73. The santoor player was
born in Sopore in Kashmir Valley in 1948 and belonged to the Sufiana Gharana of
Indian classical music. He was the great-grandson of Pandit Shankar Pandit, who
had developed the style popularly known as the ‘Sufi Baaj’ (style), based on
Sufiana Qalam and Hindustani Classical music. Hailed as ‘Saint of the Santoor’
and the ‘King of Strings’, Sopori won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992
and the Padma Shri in 2004. In 2009 he was honoured with the Baba Allaudin Khan
Award and M N Mathur award in 2011 for his contribution to Indian classical
music.
2.
Freedom fighter Anjalai Ponnusamy passes away: Freedom fighter
Anjalai Ponnusamy, who fought for India’s independence from colonial Britain,
died, aged 102. At the age of 21, Anjalai joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment –
the women’s regiment of the Indian National Army – in the hopes of discarding
the yoke of British colonialism from the Indian people.
A prominent figure in the struggle for India’s independence, Bose was a contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi, who shared his dream of an India free from British rule. To accomplish this, he founded the Indian National Army in 1943, albeit with the support of the Japanese, during World War II. After the war ended with the Japanese defeat, the Indian National Army was disbanded, and Anjalai returned home to continue her life in Malaysia.
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