Daily GK Updates - 26th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Haryana govt to implement health insurance scheme for poor:The state govt. will implement a health insurance scheme in the state to provide free health services to the poor said the Haryana Chief Minister ManoharLal.The Haryana government will bear the cost of the premium.The state govt. has also promised to establish medical colleges in every district to meet the shortage of doctors in government hospitals.

2. Arunachal Pradesh govt. raises the retirement age of employees to 60 years: As decided by the Arunachal Pradesh Govt. the retirement age of regular state government employees will be increased to 60 from the existing 58.  The matter was under consideration of the state government for past many months and was discussed in the cabinet on two separate occasions.

3. Assam govt to construct 9000 km of roads under PMGSY in next one year: Under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMSSY), the Assam govt. has decided to construct 9 thousand kilometers of roads in the next one year.720 new bridges will be constructed and another 1000 wooden bridges will be converted to reinforced concrete or RCC during this period.

4. Big Boost to Skill India Mission: USD 250-million loan from World Bank: The World Bank has cleared a USD 250-million loan for the Skill India Mission. The USD 250-million Skill India Mission Operation (SIMO), approved by the World Bank board of executive directors, will increase the market relevance of short-term skill development programmes (3-12 months or up to 600 hours) at the national and state level. The mission aims at making Indian youth more employable through reskilling.

5. HRD Ministry appoints panel to work on new education policy: To work on a New Education Policy a new nine-member panel has been appointed by The Union Human Resource Development (HRD). The panel will be headed by space scientist K Kasturirangan. Expected to recast India's education, the experts and educationists have been chosenfrom wide-ranging backgrounds policy.The panel has been appointed keeping in mind that the members bring expertise related to the diverse areas of education.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed worldwide:  To raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugsrepresent to society and particularly to young people, The United Nations (UN) International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed every year on 26th June. The theme for 2017 is ‘Listen First - Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe’.

2. China releases Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo: After being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer last month, China’s jailed Nobel peace prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has been granted medical parole. Liu, who has about three years of his 11-year sentence to serve, was diagnosed on May 23 and was released days later, said lawyer Mo Shaoping. The 61-year-old democracy campaigner was being treated at a hospital in the north-eastern city of Shenyang.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1.IDFC appoints Sunil Kakar as MD & CEO for 3 years: Appointment of Sunil Kakar as the Managing Director (MD) and CEO of the company is being by the board of directors of IDFC Ltd for the next 3 years with effect from July 16, 2017. Prior, Kakar had worked with Max New York Life Insurance Company since 2001 as CFO. Earlier, the board has approved the resignation of veteran banker ‘VikramLimaye’ from the post of MD and CEO who is set to join leading stock exchange NSE as its new Managing Director and CEO.

2. RBI says banks have no liability for loss of valuables kept in their lockers: In response to a Right to Information query,The Reserve Bank of India has said that public sector banks have no liability for theft of valuables kept in their lockers, reported PTI. The unanimous reason given by the RBI and 19 other PSU banks is that the relationship they have with customers with regard to lockers is that of “lessee (landlord) and lessor (tenant)

SPORTS:

3. Yashaswini wins gold in ISSF Junior World Championship:At the women's 10-meter air pistol event in the ISSF Junior World Championship Rifle/Pistol competition in Suhl, Germany, India's Yashaswini Singh Deswal has won a gold. Her effort helped India consolidate their second position in the medals tally with two gold, one silver, and one bronze.India also won a team bronze in the men's 10-meter pistol event.

Daily GK Updates - 25th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Haryana govt to implement health insurance scheme for poor: To provide free health services to the poor Haryana state govt. will implement a health insurance scheme in the state says, the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal. The Haryana government will bear the cost of the premium.The state govt. will establish medical colleges in every district to meet the shortage of doctors in government hospitals.

 2. 3rd Slum YuvaDaud flagged off in New Delhi: The 3rd Slum Yuva Daud was flagged by the Sports Minister Vijay Goel and Environment Minister Dr.Harshvardhan in New Delhi. Thousands of youth from Delhi slums participated in the run which started from Kasturba Gandhi Polytechnic, Pitampura and ended at Pitampura Sports Complex.

3. MSMEs minister announces sanctioning a Technology Centre for Tripura: Sanction of Rs 20 crores has been announced by the Union Minister of MSMEs Kalraj Mishra for a Technology Centre for Tripura. This centre will be utilized for bamboo and rubber related enterprising works, which will benefit the youth of the state.

4. 24/7 helpline for women launched: Manipur government has launched a toll free 24/7 helpline number 181 for women in the state. Aiming to fight and reduce crime against women in the state the helpline will provide a 24-hour telecom service to women affected by violence, seeking support and information.This scheme is available and designed for all 16 districts of the state and for this purpose District level nodal officers have been appointed.

5. The book titled ‘The Emergency-Indian Democracy’s Darkest Hour released:To mark the anniversary of the Emergency and to honor all those who fought for the restoration of democracy in the country in the mid-1970s the Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu & Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani have launched the book ‘Emergency – Indian Democracy’s Darkest Hour’ in Gandhinagar. The book is written by the chairman of Prasar Bharati, Surya Prakash.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Day of the Seafarer observed by IMO:  The Day of the Seafarer (DotS) was observed on 25 June by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) with the theme 'Seafarers Matter'. This year's theme aims to particularly engage ports and seafarer centres to demonstrate how much seafarers matter to them. The Day was proclaimed with an aim to recognize the unique contribution made by seafarers from all over the world to international seaborne trade and civil society as a whole.

2. Pakistan issues its first transgender passport: Pakistan has issued its first third-gender passport to a transgender activist, Farzana Riaz, a transgender activist said the new passport would help her campaign globally on behalf of her community. Farzana’s new passport mentions her gender as X and not as a male or female.In 2009, Pakistan became one of the first countries in the world to legally recognise a third sex, allowing transgenders to obtain identity cards.

3. China develops world’s most powerful submarine detector: A major breakthrough in magnetic detection technology which could find hidden metallic objects, including minerals and submarines has been achieved by china. The device works from air and can be used to pinpoint the location of minerals buried deep beneath the earth.The device could also be used on civilian and military aircraft.The technology could be used to detect minerals on land, and in the ocean to nail down submarines.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Manushi Chhillar wins Femina Miss India World 2017 Title: Manushi Chillar who hails from Haryana has won Femina Miss India 2017 title at the grand finale. A total of 30 participants participated for the crown of Femina Miss India 2017. The winner will represent India at Miss World 2017.First runner-up: Sana Dua (Miss J&K). Second runner up: PriyankaKumari (Miss Bihar).

SPORTS:

2. Kidambi Srikanth wins Australia Open Super Series: Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth won his fourth Super Series title in the Australian Open summit clash in Sydney. Srikanth beat Olympic champion Chen Long) 22-20, 21-16 to win the Series title.Now, Srikanth is only the fifth player in the world to contest three successive Super Series finals (Singapore and Indonesia prior)

Daily GK Updates - 24th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Maharashtra government to launch ‘My Plant’ mobile app on tree plantation: Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has announced to launch (on 1st July) a mobile app named 'My Plant', which would help in recording data about tree plantations in the state. Using this app, people and organizations can feed the data about the saplings they have planted with the Forest Department.

2. Govt. launches portal on weather information: At the meeting of the Forum of Regulators, The Union Minister of State (IC) Shri Piyush Goyal has launched Weather Portal for Power Sector in association with POSOCO and IMD. The portal provides regional weather information to help & manage power distribution for the current day and up to next 7 days. The weather information on the portal will also help in better planning for infrastructure availability to ensure cost effective and reliable supply.

3. Commemorative postage stamp on 50 years of Passports Act released: To mark the completion of 50 years of the Passports Act-1967, a new commemorative postage stamp. The passport rules have been reformed in the recent past and efforts are being to provide the passport to the citizens at the earliest and at his/her door steps. Now, no one should have to travel more than 50 kilometres to get his or her passport.

4. Maharashtra govt. enters into agreement with Ola for skill development: Cab aggregator ‘Ola’ and the Maharashtra govt. entered into an agreement to train 20,000 youth to become micro-entrepreneurs in the field of passenger transport in the next five years. The state govt intends to develop skills of youth and create jobs and through the Pramod Mahajan Kaushalya Vikas Yojana, youth in different sectors are being trained to become entrepreneurs.

5.Venkaiah Naidu presents 100 volumes of CWMG to Sabarmati Ashram: The Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu has presented the 100 volumes of The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG) published by the Publications Division to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. To ensure that Gandhian thoughts reach the new generation readers, all these restored editions have also been made available as e-Books, and are available for online sale. The Publications Division is working in coordination with Gandhian institutions to bring out restored editions of heritage books on Mahatma Gandhi.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India & Russia agree to roadmap for development of defense cooperation: For the development of bilateral defense cooperation, India and Russia have agreed to a roadmap at the meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation in Moscow. The 17th meeting held under the Co-Chairmanship of the Defence Minister Arun Jaitley (India) and the Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (Russia). The roadmap includes specific activities to be concluded by both sides and aims to enhance cooperation in the field of political and military dialogue, exercises, exchange of visits, military cooperation and training of military personnel.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. West Bengal wins prestigious UN Public Service Award: The state of West Bengal has received the ‘2017 UN Public Service Award’. The award has been given for the 'Kanyashree Prakalpa'. Department of Women Development and Social Welfare (DWD&SW), Government of West Bengal has designed the ‘Kanyashree Prakalpa’, a conditional cash transfer scheme with the aim of improving the status and well-being of the girl child in West Bengal by incentivizing schooling of all teenage girls and delaying their marriages until the age of 18 years.

BANKING & FINANCE:

2.RBI amends Banking Ombudsman Scheme: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the scope of Banking Ombudsman Scheme, under which banks could be penalized for miss-selling third-party products like insurance and mutual funds via mobile or electronic banking. It enables a customer to lodge a complaint against the bank for its non-adherence to RBI instructions in India. As per the amendment, the pecuniary authority of the Banking Ombudsman to pass an award has been doubled to 20 lakh rupees.

3. Govt. asks banks to deposit junked notes at RBI by July 20: By 20^th July this year all the banks and post offices are permitted to deposit junked Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes with the Reserve Bank. This is the second window (earlier till 31st Dec) the govt. has provided to banks, post offices and cooperative banks for depositing the junked notes with RBI. They should get the exchange value by credit to the account of such subject to the satisfaction of the RBI of the conditions specified.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt. announces another 30 cities under Smart City Mission: The Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu has announced the names of another 30 cities for development as smart cities under Smart City Mission in New Delhi. Out of the Forty-five cities contested for 40 available smart city slots, only 30 were selected. With this the total investment approved under the smart city plans of 90 cities has gone up to ₹1,91,155crore under the Smart City Mission, which was launched on June 25, 2015.

2. ISRO’s PSLV-C38, carrying 31 satellites, lifts off from Sriharikota: Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) workhorse rocket PSLV C-38 blasted off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The rocket carrying the Cartosat-2 series satellite for the defense forces, along with 30 co-passenger satellites.Out of the 30 co-passenger nano-satellites, 29 belong to foreign customers from 14 countries Austria, Belgium, Britain, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia.

3. EPFO, HUDCO to ink pact for housing subsidy under PMAY: To enable members of its housing scheme to avail subsidy and interest subvention under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’ Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) in New Delhi. Now, the EPFO allows its subscribers for withdrawing up to 90% of their EPF accumulations to buy homes. The eligibility condition has been relaxed for such withdrawal and now membership period of EPFO reduced from five years to three years.

4. Jeevandas Narayan appointed as MD of Manappuram Home Finance: Manappuram Finance has appointed Jeevandas Narayan as the Managing Director (MD) and Subhash Samant as CEO of its fully-owned home loans subsidiary, Manappuram Home Finance Pvt. Ltd.

5. Govt. launches ‘VAJRA’ scheme to attract Indian scientists abroad: To bring together the Indian scientists abroad and India-based researchers for conducting joint researches in India. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has launched a scheme named 'Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty' (VAJRA). The idea of the scheme is to bring the best of the world to India and conduct research here.

6. Passports to be in both English and Hindi: Sushma Swaraj, the Union External Affairs Minister, has announced that passports would now be in both Hindi and English (not just in English). Earlier, the personal details in passports are printed only in English. She also announced 10% reduction in passport fee for applicants who are under 8 and over 60 year.

7. Rural Haryana declares itself as 5th ODF under Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin: Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin Rural Haryana has declared itself as the fifth open defecation free (ODF) state in India.Haryana has joined the states of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Uttarakhand, which were the first four states to be declared ODF.Nationally, the sanitation coverage has increased from 42% to over 64% in just two-and-a-half years since the launch of SBM.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Russian Diplomat Vladimir Voronkov appointed as Chief of United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre: To head the newly established UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Russian diplomat Vladimir Voronkov. Voronkov has been given the rank of Under-Secretary-General. The United Nations General Assembly has approved the establishment of a new United Nations office of counter-terrorism.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Azim Premji honoured with Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy: For his efforts to reform public school system in India Wipro Chairman Azim Premji is honored with the 2017 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. He is now among the nine philanthropists with the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy which is considered as the most prestigious prize in philanthropy.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt. launches web portal for smooth GST implementation: To facilitate taxpayers with regard to addressing issues related to Information Technology Services and Electronics goods, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (E&I) has launched a dedicated webpage for smooth GST implementation. The Webpage can be accessed through Ministry’s Web Portal http://meity.gov.in. Any Individuals, Companies, and Entrepreneurs in IT and Electronics sector can visit the webpage for sector-specific information. The webpage also enables filing of grievances in relation to the implementation of GST.

2. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu launches PMC's municipal bond listing at BSE: The Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the listing of Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) Municipal Bonds program, at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). This is India’s largest Municipal Bond Programme for Pune 24x7 Water Supply Project. It is the first time after ten years that any municipal corporation has issued bonds worth value of Rs. 2264 crore and any profits made in this will directly go to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

3. Chandrababu Naidu lays foundation stone for Airport at Orvakal: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandra Babu Naidu has laid the foundation stone of the Greenfield Airport at Orvakal in Kurnool district. At a cost of Rs. 120 crores, the airport will be constructed on 2,000 acres land. The construction of this airport will attract a number of industries resulting in enhanced growth in businesses and more job opportunities.

4. Guwahati Intl Documentary Film Festival begins in Guwahati: The Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit has inaugurated the Guwahati International Documentary Film Festival (GIDFF) in Guwahati, Assam. He invited filmmakers to explore the beauty of the North East. The event is being organized by Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Regional Film and Television Institute. Total twenty-seven documentary and animation films will be showcased in the festival (till 24th of June).

5. Meghalaya Govt. signs two MoUs with SBI for digital transaction: The Meghalaya govt. has signed two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with the State Bank of India (SBI) for their SBIePay and SBI CMP facilities, as a part of an initiative towards migrating government transactions to digital mode. After Goods and Services Tax(GST), the MoUs are expected to give dealers and other citizens for conducting financial transactions with the state government on a digital platform.

6. Aadhaar must for benefits under govt's TB control scheme: In order to avail benefits under a central government scheme, people suffering from tuberculosis (TB) will have to submit their Aadhaar number. According to the Health Ministry notification The Health Ministry also asked those who do not have Aadhaar card to get themselves enrolled by 31st August 2017. The notification will be effective in all the states and Union territories except Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir. The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme under the National Health Mission aims at promotion of universal access to tuberculosis care with early diagnosis and regular treatment completion.

7. ADB& India sign USD 275 million loan agreement for upgrading small towns in Madhya Pradesh: For improving urban services in 64 small towns in the State of Madhya Pradesh, The Union Govt. has signed a loan agreement of USD 275 million with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The project is decided to be carried out in the design-build-operate model operation and maintenance to ensure better sustainability of the water service operation and financial viability. The project will run for almost five years with an expected completion date of June 2022.

8. Karnataka waives Rs 8,165 crore worth farm loans: The Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has announced a crop loan waiver of Rs. 50,000 per farmer. The State is going to incur Rs. 8,165 crores in additional expenditure through the loan waiver. The move is expected to help about 22.27 lakh state farmers who had taken loans from various cooperative banks. The Karnataka government's decision comes in the wake of similar announcements made by the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra and Congress-ruled Punjab governments.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. SEBI decides to ease entry norms for FPIs: Markets regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) has decided to ease the entry norms for overseas investors by permitting a direct access to Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) from eligible jurisdictions. The regulator has rationalized fit and proper criteria for FPIs as well as simplified broad-based requirements for such investors. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will issue a discussion paper on easing registration of FPI.SEBI has decided to expand the eligible jurisdictions for grant of FPI registration to category I FPIs by including countries having diplomatic tie-ups with India.

2. Govt sells 2.5% stake in Larsen & Toubro, raises Rs. 4,200 Crores: The Union Govt. has sold its 2.5% stake in Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to state-run entities, including SBI and LIC, for about Rs. 4,200 crores. The transaction was done through the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India.

OBITUARIES:

3. Italian fashion legend Carla Fendi passes away: The public face of the company famous colourful 'baguette' bags, an Italian fashion legend Carla Fendi passed away in Rome.

Daily GK Updates - 21st June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Chandrababu Naidu awards Rs. 5 lakhs to Nellore's Jyotsna: The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced a financial support of Rs. 5,00,000 to a girl, Jyotsna of Nellore, for performing most difficult asanas on 3rd International Yoga Day celebrations in Vijayawada.

2. Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute selected for PM's Yoga Award 2017: After 85 nominations received and 15 more recommended by the Screening Committee, Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (Pune) has been selected for the Prime Minister's Award for outstanding contribution to promotion and development of Yoga. The Yoga Institute has worked to spread Yoga, internationally over a period of four decades. The Institute has published books on Yoga in multiple languages. 

3. Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind resigns: President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted the resignation of Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind. Earlier, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had announced the name of Dalit leader Kovind as its nominee for the president's post. President has appointed West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi to discharge the function of Governor of Bihar until further notice.

4. GST facilitation cell established for implementation of new indirect tax regime for stakeholders: To facilitate the implementation of the new indirect tax regime for the stakeholders, Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry and its organizations have established ‘GST facilitation cell’. The cell has been constituted to serve as the first point of contact for industry to facilitate, guide and provide all support to the stakeholders for a smooth and successful rollout of GST from 1st of next month. Nine officers have been deployed in the cell.

5. India & Portugal sign agreement to promote Cooperation in the Field of Archives

The National Archives of India and the Minister of Culture of the Portuguese Republic have signed agreement called Protocol of Cooperation in the field of archives in Lisbon, Portugal. The National Archives of Portugal handed over to the National Archives of India digital copies of 62 volumes of the collection known as ‘Moncoes do Reino’.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. International Yoga Day being celebrated worldwide: To promote yoga and make it as a part of people’s daily routine International Yoga Day (3rd) is observed worldwide on 21stJune.The theme of this year is "Yoga for Health", in order to highlight the fact that yoga can contribute in a holistic way to achieve an equilibrium between body and mind.

2. Saudi king names son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince: Saudi King Salman named his son ‘Mohammed bin Salman’ as crown prince and also named him as the deputy prime minister and minister of defence. This completes a gradual removal of powers from the previous Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who has been fired.

3. Luxembourg and Estonia open the World’s 1st data embassy: PM of Estonia Jüri Ratas and PM of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel signed an agreement on housing data and information systems between 2 countries, thereby creating world’s 1st data embassy. Luxembourg has been chosen as the location for the embassy and will begins its operations from 2018.

4. World Refugee Day observed: World Refugee Day is held every year on June 20th to raise awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world. On this day, refugee advocates urge people to focus on plight of those who have been displaced by famine and war.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. AnilKumble resigns as Head Coach of Indian Cricket team: Former Indian Captain Anil Kumble has resigned from the post of ‘Head Coach’ of the Senior Indian Cricket team. Earlier at the end of the Champions Trophy, one year contract of Kumble expired but he was given the option to travel with the team to the West Indies tour. The BCCI has deputed MV Sridhar (General Manager of cricket operations) to supervise the team management for the West Indies tour.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Hike partners with Yes Bank: A completely new interface and the addition of a mobile wallet, Hike Messenger has launched the new version of the app ‘Hike 5.0’ in partnership with YES Bank.The new version with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) support will enable the users to do free and instant bank-to-bank transfers with their friends even if they aren't on Hike.

3. Air Asia- the World’s best budget airline: Air Asia has been named the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline for the ninth time in a row at the 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards.

4. Uber Founder Travis Kalanick resigns as Uber CEO: Uber Founder & the chief executive of Uber Travis Kalanick has resigned from the post. Kalanick will remain on Uber’s board of directors.

Daily GK Updates - 20th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Punjab govt. announces crop loan waiver of up to Rs. 2 lakhs for small, marginal farmers: The Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh has announced to wave off entire crop loans up to Rs. 2 lakhs for small and marginal farmers. The state govt. will take over the outstanding crop loan from institutional sources of all the families of farmers who committed suicides in the state. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh govt. and Maharashtra govt. waived off farmer loans.

2. Piyush Goyal launches new rules to promote green homes: The Power Minister Piyush Goyal has launched Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017 developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency in New Delhi. The code aims at optimizing energy savings with the comfort level for occupants and prefers life-cycle cost effectiveness to achieve energy neutrality in the commercial building. This code prescribes the energy performance standards for new commercial buildings to be constructed across the country.

3. Union Minister for Science and Technology, Harsh Vardhan, launches app on Yoga Day celebrations: The union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched a Mobile App – ‘Celebrating Yoga’ that aims to connect people through Yoga for a scientific healthy living. The mobile application will help to provide a platform to share information and insights about people's participation during Yoga activities on International Yoga Day (21st June). 

4. Rural Development Ministry gives away 144 awards: Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union Rural Development Minister, gave 144 awards under various categories to states and other organizations at a function in New Delhi. Bihar got awarded for constructing the highest number of rural roads, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) whereas Madhya Pradesh got the award for use of non-conventional construction material in constructing roads. Karnataka, Haryana and Gujarat received a special prize for completing more than 95% of their targets.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Muzoon Almellehan appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador by the UNICEF: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has appointed education activist and a Syrian refugee Muzoon Almellehan as a Goodwill Ambassador. She has becomed the first person with official refugee status to become an Ambassador for UNICEF and also the youngest one.

2. Justice Dalveer Bhandari re-nominated to ICJ: For another term as Judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), India has re-nominated Justice Dalveer Bhandari as its candidate. His current term runs through February 2018. The ICJ elections will be conducted in November and if elected, he will serve a term of 9 years.

3. World Refugee Day being observed globally: The ‘World Refugee Day’ was observed across the world on 20th June to raise awareness of the state of refugees throughout the world. This year, the World Refugee Day also marks a moment for the public to show support for families who were forced to flee.

4. India ratifies UN International Convention on Road Transports: India becomes the 71st country to join the United Nations TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) Convention. The Transports Internationaux Routiers Convention aims to boost trade through smoother movement of goods across territories.

5. Afghan President inaugurates first Afghanistan-India air corridor: The first ‘Afghanistan-India air corridor’ at the Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan was inaugurated by the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The corridor, by creating a direct route (bypassing Pakistan), aims to improve commerce in Afghanistan.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Lockheed Martin, Tata Group sign deal to manufacture F-16 fighter jets in India: Tata Group has signed a pact to operate, produce, and export the combat-proven F-16 fighters in india with the American aerospace giant, ‘Lockheed Martin’. Originally developed by General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) the F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft which was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF).

SPORTS:

2.Indian Wushu Team bags six medals in BRICS Games: In the first ever BRICS Games in Guangzhou, China, India wins six medals (two each Gold, Silver, and Bronze). In the Wushu Competition M. Gyandas and Anjul Namdev won Gold, whereas  Bidheswari Devi and Toshibala won Silver. L. Sanatgombhi Chanu and Sajan Lamasecured third by winning a bronze.