NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Amit
Agrawal appointed as CEO of UIDAI: Senior IAS
officer, Amit Agrawal has been appointed as the new CEO of Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). While Subodh Kumar
Singh has been appointed as director general of the National Testing
Agency. Both Agrawal and Singh are Indian Administrative Service officers of
the Chhattisgarh cadre. Rashmi Chowdhary, additional secretary in the
Department of Personnel and Training, has been appointed as secretary in
the Central Information Commission.
2. Nitin
Agarwal appointed as new DG of BSF: Nitin
Agarwal, an IPS officer of the 1989 Kerala cadre, has been appointed as
the new director general of the Border Security Force (BSF). This
appointment comes after a vacancy of over five months in the position. Presently,
he is serving as the Additional DG of operations at the headquarters of the
CRPF in Delhi. The additional charge of the BSF has been held by Sujoy Lal
Thaosen, the Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
3. IIT
Mandi researchers develop smart biodegradable microgels: Researchers at the IIT Mandi have developed smart biodegradable
microgels to make agricultural practices more sustainable and minimize the
adverse impact caused by the use of insecticides and agrochemicals The research
has been published in the "Carbohydrate Polymers" journal. Modern
agriculture relies heavily on the application of various agrochemicals such as insecticides,
herbicides, and fertilizers on crops to meet the demand for food for the
growing population.
4. Unemployment
rate falls to 7.7% in May on decline in labour participate: According to data released by the private economic think
tank CMIE, the unemployment rate in India fell to 7.7% in
May due to a decline in labor participation at 441.9 million. The unemployment
rate in India among people aged 15 years and above fell to 7.7% in
May 2023, from 8.5% in the previous month. The urban labour market recorded a
fall in the number of employed as well as unemployed people. The rural labour
force reduced to 299.4 million in May.
5. PM Modi inaugurated first-ever National Training
Conclave in New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
inaugurated the first-ever National Training Conclave at the
International Exhibition and Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan in New
Delhi. It was hosted by Capacity Building Commission with the objective to
foster collaboration among civil services training institutes and strengthen
the training infrastructure for civil servants across the country. More than
1500 representatives from training institutes, including Central Training
Institutes, State Administrative Training Institutes, Regional and Zonal
Training Institutes, and Research institutes participated in the conclave. The
Conclave is aimed to enhance capacity building in civil services and is
organized under the auspices of the National Programme for Civil Services
Capacity Building (NPCSCB) – ‘Mission Karmayogi.’ During the conclave,
eight-panel discussions will take place, each focusing on key concerns
pertinent to civil services training institutes.
6. NHDC to construct 525 MW pumped storage power project
in MP: Narmada Hydroelectric
Development Corporation Ltd (NHDC Ltd.) will construct a 525 MW
pumped storage project near the Indira Sagar Dam in Khandwa, Madhya
Pradesh. The project will use the existing reservoirs of Indira Sagar and
Omkareshwar, which are part of the Indira Sagar Project.
The
project is being executed to meet the increasing peak-hour demand for energy in
Madhya Pradesh. The pumped storage project will generate renewable energy that
can be used to meet the state’s energy needs during peak energy hours. The
project is expected to generate 1.2 billion units of energy during peak hours
and is estimated to cost Rs 4,200 crore (approximately $550 million). NHDC
Limited has been allotted this project by the Department of New & Renewable
Energy, Government of Madhya Pradesh.
7. Sanjay Swarup appoints as CMD of CONCOR: The Public Enterprises Selection Board
(PESB) has picked Sanjay Swarup for the role of Chairman
and Managing Director of Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR). Swarup is
currently the Director (International Marketing and Operations) at India’s
biggest rail hauler of containers. Swarup was selected from a short list of
eight candidates, six of whom were from CONCOR. Swarup is an Indian Railways
Traffic Service (IRTS) officer from the 1990 batch. In a career spanning three
decades, Swarup has held assignments in the public sector and government. CONCOR
is a state-owned enterprise that provides container transportation and
logistics services in India.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. World
Day Against Child Labour 2023: 12th June: The World
Day against Child Labour is observed annually on June 12 to
support the expanding anti-child labour movement. ILO declared June 12 to be
the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to raise awareness of this problem. "Week
of Action against Child Labour" is the theme for the 2023 World Day
Against Child Labour. The ILO intends to start a week-long campaign to raise
public awareness of the injustice of child labour and inspire people to take
action.
2. Israel to release world’s first digital government
bond: The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) and Israel’s
Finance Ministry successfully completed the proof-of-concept phase
for a digital Israeli Bond traded on a dedicated blockchain platform.
The development positions Israel to release the world’s first digital
government bond. The blockchain used for this event was EVM-compatible,
enabling potential integration with other blockchain solutions in the future. The
Ministry of Finance issued and minted the first dummy digital governmental bond
on a blockchain-based platform as an ERC-1155 Security Token using a dedicated
decentralized app (dApp) developed leveraging web3 solutions specifically for
this proof of concept. The blockchain used for this event was EVM-compatible,
enabling potential integration with other blockchain solutions in the future.
3. 12 June – World Day Against Child Labour: The World Day against Child
Labour has been observed annually on 12 June since 2002. This
significant day was established by the International Labour Organization (ILO),
and all United Nations member countries have since been commemorating it. Theme
2023 – Week of Action against Child Labour This year, we will mark the
21st World Day Against Child Labour. The origin of this day can be traced back
to 2000. According to the United Nations, approximately 160 million children
worldwide are involved in child labour, which represents 1 in 10 children. From
2000 to 2020, child labour decreased by 85.5 million, dropping from 16 percent
to 9.6 percent. Only 26.4 percent of children worldwide receive social
protection cash benefits. Globally, only 1.1 percent of GDP is spent on social
protection for children and only 0.4 percent of GDP for children in Africa.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Novak
Djokovic wins his 23 grand slam men’s singles title: Serbian Tennis player, Novak Djokovic has defeated Casper
Ruud in the men’s singles final to win the 2023 French Open title.
He has
also created history by becoming the first man to reach the coveted 23
grand slam title mark. Other Winners:
· Women's singles: Iga Świątek (Poland)
· Men's doubles: Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Austin Krajicek (US)
· Mixed doubles: Miyu Kato (Japan) and Tim Pütz (Germany)
· Women's doubles: Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) / Wang Xinyu (China)
2. India
beat Argentina to win FIH Pro League 2023: India
defeated Argentina 2-1 in its final FIH Pro League 2022-23 match
in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Akashdeep Singh and Sukhjeet Singh scored goals
for India while Lucas Toscani netted the only goal for Argentina India
consolidated their position atop the FIH Pro League standings with 30 points
from 16 matches. Argentina is fifth with 13 points from 14 matches The Indian
men’s hockey team finished in fourth place in their debut FIH Pro League
campaign back in 2020-21
3. French Open: Iga Swiatek won Women’s Singles title: In French Open tennis, World No 1 and top seed Iga Swiatek of
Poland has won the Women’s Singles crown. She defended her title
against unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. This is her third
French title in just 5 years. Poland’s Iga Swiatek became the first woman since
2007 to win back-to-back French Open titles. The 22-year-old Swiatek is just
the third woman in the Open era to win each of her first four Grand Slam
finals. Monica Seles and Naomi Osaka are the only other players to achieve this
feat. Swiatek, the world number 1, is also the youngest woman to claim
back-to-back French Open titles since Monica Seles in the early 1990s.
4. Australia won ICC World Test Championship 2023: Australia has won the World Test
Championship after a crushing win over India in the final
at The Oval, London. This was India’s second consecutive defeat in a WTC
final; they had lost to New Zealand in the title clash of the inaugural edition
in 2021. This was India’s fourth defeat in the ICC finals after their Champions
Trophy victory in England in 2013. India lost the final of the T20 World Cup to
Sri Lanka in 2014, then lost the Champions Trophy final to Pakistan in 2017
before a defeat to New Zealand in the WTC final in 2021. Australia also became
the first men’s team in world cricket to win an International Cricket Council
(ICC) world title in all three formats. Australia achieved the feat when they
decimated India in the final of the World Test Championship 2021-23 at The Oval
to become the new world champions of the longest format of the game. Australia
won the first-ever 50-over World Cup in 1987 and went on to win 4 more titles,
becoming the most successful side in 50-over World Cups. Australia also won the
ICC Champions Trophy in 2006, beating the West Indies in the final. Player of
the match – Travis Head
5. India won Women’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup 2023: The Indian hockey team emerged
champions of the Women’s Junior Asia Cup in Japan’s Kakamigahara by
defeating South Korea 2-1 in a captivating final. Annu (22nd) and Neelam
(41st) scored for India and Park Seo-yeon (25th) for Korea. This is India’s
first title while South Korea (4) and China (3) share the honours from the
previous editions. Acknowledging the team’s unbeaten streak in six matches — it
also helped them qualify for the 2023 Women’s Junior World Cup in Chile —
Hockey India (HI) declared a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh per player and Rs.1 lakh
each for the support staff.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. India,
ADB sign $130 million loan agreement to boost horticulture in HP: The central government and the ADB signed a loan agreement
worth $130 million to boost agricultural productivity and
horticulture agribusinesses The deal aims to increase farmers‘ income and
improve access to irrigation in Himachal Pradesh The project interventions will
help increase the income and resilience to the effects of climate change of at
least 15,000 farm households across seven districts in the state: Bilaspur, Hamirpur,
Kangra, Mandi, Sirmour, Solan, and Una
2. Axis
Bank’s lake cleanliness drive in Hyderabad enters Asia Book of Rec: Axis Bank in partnership with NGO Dhruvansh has organised
a lake cleaning drive, ‘Cleanathon’, in Hyderabad. This initiative was recorded
in the Asia Book of Record as it was the largest cleaning drive conducted
across the country. In Hyderabad, over 100 volunteers participated in
cleaning Mushki Cheruvu and Neknampur Lake to restore these water bodies. The
campaign aligned with the United Nations’ theme for World Environment Day 2023,
‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.
3. Go
Digit gets IRDAI nod to commence life insurance operations: Go Digit has received the Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India's approval to commence life insurance
operations. In 2022, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank announced that they will both
acquire up to 9.94% stake each in Go Digit-Life Insurance through the
investment of ₹50-70 crore, possibly in tranches, subject to executive of
certain terms and agreements. Digit Insurance already has general insurance
operations through Go Digit General Insurance.
4. India tops world ranking in digital payments: India with 89.5 million digital transactions in the year 2022
has topped the list of five countries in digital payments, according to
data from MyGovIndia. India accounted for 46% of the global real-time payments
in 2022, more than the other four leading countries combined. Brazil is second
on the list with 29.2 million transactions, followed by China with 17.6 million
transactions. On number 4 is Thailand with 16.5 million digital transactions
followed by South Korea with 8 million worth of transactions.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Govt announces second edition of Antarashtriya Yoga
Diwas Media Samman: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has
announced the second edition of Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman. Under
the Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman 2023, thirty-three Sammans will
be given out under three categories, Print, Television, and Radio in twenty-two
Indian languages and English. Eleven Sammans in 22 Indian languages and
English will be conferred under the category Best Media Coverage in Yoga in
Newspaper. Eleven Sammans in 22 Indian languages and English will be conferred
under the category Best Media Coverage in Yoga in Electronic Media (TV). Eleven
Sammans in 22 Indian languages and English will be conferred under the category
Best Media Coverage in Yoga in Electronic Media (Radio).
2. Paterson Joseph wins RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2023: Author Paterson Joseph was conferred with the 2023 Royal Society of Literature Christopher Bland Prize for his debut novel ‘The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho’. This book is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of Charles Ignatius Sancho, who was the first Black man to vote in England The RSL Christopher Bland Prize is an annual award that is given to a debut writer for their work of fiction or non-fiction, who is first published at the age of 50 or over. The winner receives a prize money of £10,000. This is the fifth year of the award. ‘The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho’ is a historical fiction novel that tells the lesser-known story of Charles Ignatius Sancho, who was the first Black man to vote in England. The story was initially written and performed by Joseph as a one-man show in 2018.
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