NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Rajasthan Govt to Invest ₹100 Cr. for Maharana Pratap Tourist Circuit: Rajasthan state government will develop the Maharana Pratap Tourist Circuit with an investment of Rs 100 crore.
This announcement was made during the inauguration of the Maharana Pratap Jayanti celebration in Udaipur, where the 484th birthday of the legendary Maharana Pratap of Mewar was celebrated on 9 June 2024 (according to the Hindu calendar). Under the project, the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation will develop museums and basic amenities for tourists and improve the overall connectivity to these places.
2. Mohan Charan Majhi appointed as the CM of Odisha: The Bharatiya Janata Party has picked four-time MLA Mohan Charan Majhi as the new chief minister of Odisha. While, KV Singhdeo and Pravati Parida have been named as his deputies. Mohan Charan Majhi won the Keonjhar assembly seat in the just concluded Odisha assembly elections, defeating Biju Janata Dal’s Mina Majhi by 11,577 votes. The BJP trounced Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal by winning 78 out of 147 seats in the Odisha assembly.
3. COAI names VI’s Abhijit Kishore as chairperson: Telecom industry association COAI has been named Vodafone Idea’s COO Abhijit Kishore as its chairperson. While, Bharti Airtel’s Chief Regulatory Officer Rahul Vatts as the vice chairperson of the association. The announcement comes after COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) concluded its annual general body meeting for 2023-24. Kishore brings to the board a wide-ranging experience of over three decades with the Indian telecom industry across functions, organisations and geographies. He takes over the charge from Pramod K Mittal, a president at Reliance Jio Infocomm.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark makes world’s first ‘immersive’ phone call: Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark made a phone call using a new technology called “immersive audio and video” that improves the quality of a call with three-dimensional sound, making interactions more lifelike. The call was held with Stefan Lindstrom, Finland’s Ambassador of Digitalization and New Technologies. Current smartphone calls are monophonic which compresses audio elements together and sound flatter and less detailed, but the new technology will bring 3D audio where a caller will hear everything as if they were there with the other person. Nokia made the call using a regular smartphone over a public 5G network.
2. Visakhapatnam Port ranks in Top 20 of World Bank CPPI: State-owned Visakhapatnam Port has broken into the top 20 rankings in the Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI 2023), developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. Visakhapatnam Port was ranked 19 in the Index, higher than Mundra Port (ranked 27) run by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ). Visakha Container Terminal Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned unit of J M Baxi Ports & Logistics, runs a 1.35 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) capacity terminal at Visakhapatnam Port on the country’s eastern coast.
3. 12 June – World Day Against Child Labour: World Day Against Child Labour Day is celebrated every year on 12 June. This year’s World Day will focus on celebrating the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999, No. 182). Theme 2024 – Let’s Act on Our Commitments: End Child Labour The Indian Constitution prohibits children under the age of 14 from working in mines or in any hazardous occupation. The International labour Organisation (ILO) also states that a child under the age of 18 should not be involved in labour or any kind of hazardous work.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi to be next Army chief: Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi has been appointed as the next Chief of the Army Staff. He will take charge from 30th June. The present Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj C Pande will demit office on 30th June. Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi was commissioned into the Infantry (Jammu and Kashmir Rifles) of the Indian Army on 15th December1984 During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 40 years, he has served in different capacities.
2. Japan-India Maritime Exercise commences at Yokosuka: The 8th edition of the Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX-24) has started at Yokosuka, Japan. The JIMEX-24 exercise is being hosted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF). The Japanese Navy is called the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force. During the exercise, navies of both the countries will jointly hone their war fighting skills at sea and enhance their interoperability. The Indian Navy’s indigenously built Stealth Frigate INS Shivalik is participating in the JIMEX -24 exercise. The JMSDF is represented by its Guided Missile Destroyer JS Yugiri.
SPORTS
1. India’s Sumit Nagal clinches Heilbronn Neckarcup Challenger in Germany: In tennis, India’s Sumit Nagal clinched the Heilbronn Neckarcup Challenger in Germany. He defeated Alexander Ritschard of Switzerland, 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 in the men’s singles title clash. This is his 6th ATP Challenger title. With this victory, Sumit virtually qualified for the upcoming Paris Olympics. He also achieved an all-time high World Ranking of 77 in the Live ATP ranking.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. PhonePe partners with PickMe to offer UPI Payments for Indians in Sri Lanka: Fintech firm PhonePe has partnered with ride-hailing platform PickMe to enable UPI-based payments for Indian travellers in Sri Lanka. Last month, PhonePe entered into a partnership with LankaPay to allow its users to pay using UPI across Sri Lanka. Now, with PhonePe, Indian tourists visiting the beautiful island nation of Sri Lanka can enjoy the ease and security of UPI payments for their rides. The collaboration follows the launch of PhonePe in the island nation last month, wherein the Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha had urged companies in Sri Lanka to engage with Indian companies to build on the UPI stack for innovations in hotel bookings, cab bookings, delivery services etc.
2. World Bank revises India’s FY25 growth forecast to 6.6%: The World Bank revised India’s FY25 growth forecast upward to 6.6% from 6.4% projected in January, on the back of strong public investment accompanied by private capex and rise in private consumption. It raised FY26 growth forecast by 20 bps to 6.7%, noting that private consumption will benefit from a recovery in agricultural production and declining inflation. The FY27 growth is projected at 6.8%. Investment growth is still expected to be stronger than previously envisaged and remain robust over the forecast period, with strong public investment accompanied by private investment.
3. SBI launches ‘SME Digital Business Loans: State Bank of India (SBI) has launched ‘SME Digital Business Loans’, offering end-to-end sanction turnaround time of up to 45 minutes for SMEs (small and medium enterprises). SME Digital Business Loans leverages technology and an ecosystem of APIs (application programming interface) to streamline the lending process. Utilizing authentic data footprints from sources such as ITR (income tax return), GST (goods & service tax) returns, and bank statements, the Bank has developed a data-driven credit assessment engine capable of providing sanction decisions within a remarkable 10 seconds after submitting the required details, without any human intervention.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Nethra Gururaj selected for 2024 Oscar Academy Gold Rising Program: Nethra Gururaj, a dynamic cinematographer from Bengaluru, has been selected for the prestigious 2024 Oscar Academy Gold Rising Program. This honour places her among the most promising young filmmakers and cinematographers globally, highlighting her significant achievements and potential. Nethra Gururaj, currently based in Los Angeles, has a diverse portfolio that includes short films, feature films, documentaries, music videos, and experimental pieces. With a Master’s degree in Cinematography from the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles, she has skilfully combined her knowledge in writing, directing, and production design to create visually stunning narratives that resonate deeply with audiences.
2. Tredence wins third consecutive Databricks Retail and CPG Partner of the Year Award: Tredence, a global data science and AI solutions company and an Elite partner of Databricks, has been named the 2024 Databricks Retail and CPG Partner of the Year. Tredence has been selected from over 2,500 consulting and system integrator partners for this award, reflecting the company’s exceptional expertise in leveraging the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to deliver unmatched value to retailers and CPG companies. Tredence and Databricks have together solved last-mile analytics and AI challenges for eight of the world’s top 10 retailers and eight of the top 10 CPG firms.
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