Daily GK Updates - 17th June, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Trustees of PM CARES fund appoints SARC & Associates as its auditor: New Delhi based Chartered Accountants, SARC & Associates has been appointed by the Trustees of the Prime Minister’s Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations fund as its auditors for the next 3-years. The SARC & Associates is headed by Sunil Kumar Gupta who is also the auditor of the PM’s National Relief Fund appointed in 2019. The fund is administered on an honorary basis by the joint secretary of administration in the Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) and assisted by an officer in a director or deputy secretary rank in the PMO.

2. Maharashtra signs 12 MoUs worth Rs 16,100 crore with foreign & Indian firms for various developmental projects: The state government of Maharashtra has signed 12 Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with Indian and foreign corporations from countries like USA, China, South Korea and Singapore. The MOUs have been signed as a part of the ‘Magnetic Maharashtra 2.0’ initiative of the state to restart the economy which has taken a hit by coronavirus pandemic. The total cost of the MoU is Rs 16,100 crore. The Memorandum of Understanding were signed for various developmental projects in areas such as information technology, I-T enabled services, automobile, oil and petroleum, chemicals, logistics and food processing sectors.

3. KVIC rolls out project for Indian Palm Industry: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched a project to produce Neera and Palmgur in Palghar district of Maharashtra. It aims is to promote Neera and palm as a substitute to soft drinks, sweets, etc along with generating self-employment opportunities for Adivasis as well as traditional trapper. Neera is a nutrient-rich health drink extracted from the palm trees before sunrise. Tool kits will also be distributed for efficient commercialization of Palm.

Note: Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission: Vinai Saxena.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray; Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

4. West Bengal Govt launches job portal ‘Karmo Bhumi’ for IT professionals: The West Bengal government under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has launched a job portal for IT professionals who have returned to the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic and looking for job. IT professionals can use the portal ”Karmo Bhumi” to connect with companies based in the state. The portal can be accessed at: karmabhumi.nltr.org. It will act as a medium between the professionals and IT companies in Bengal. West Bengal is among those states that has seen mass influx of people after COVID-19.

Note: Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar; Capital: Kolkata

5. Uttar Pradesh becomes top state to provide employment to workers under MGNREGA: Uttar Pradesh has become the top most state in the country to provide employment to the workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme MGNREGA. According to the data released by officials, the state provided employment to 57 lakh 12975 workers on 15 June 2020. These workers are engaged across 56,981 panchayats out of the total 58,000 panchayats in the state. Uttar Pradesh now accounts for 18 percent of the total workers employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the country and has generated 7.93 crore man-days. UP is followed by Rajasthan (53.45 lakh workers), Andhra Pradesh (36 lakh workers), West Bengal (26 lakh) and Madhya Pradesh (23.95 lakh) with high MGNREGA employment.

Note: Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Aditya Nath; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

6. New fish species ‘Schizothorax sikusirumensis’ discovered in Arunachal Pradesh: In Arunachal Pradesh, a new species of fish has been discovered from genus Schizothoraxunder family. The fish species is named as Schizothorax sikusirumensis. The discovery was made by Dr. Keshav Kumar Jha, Associate Professor & Head, Department of Zoology, Jawaharlal Nehru College, Pasighat. The name of this fish species has been derived from the name of the rivers where it was found. This fish was collected from the junction of River Siku and Sirum near Gakang area under Mebo circle of East Siang District. There are currently 65 recognised species of genus Schizothoraxunder family.

Note: Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh: Pema Khandu; Governor: B.D. Mishra.

7. MoHFW launches Guide to address stigma associated with COVID-19: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued 'guide to address the issue of stigma faced by people affected by COVID-19'. The guide is framed especially for patients recovered from COVID-19, frontline healthcare providers, their families etc. It can be accessed at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/GuidetoaddressstigmaassociatedwithCOVID19.pdf. In case of any problem, queries can be sent to ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kyrgyzstan PM Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev Resigns due to false criminal charges: Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev, the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, has announced his resignation from the post on 15 June 2020. He resigned in connection with allegations against the government in a criminal case on the extension and renewal of radio frequency resources. Abylgaziev was appointed as the 20th Prime Minister of the country by President Sooronbai Jeenbekov in April 2018.

Note: Kyrgyzstan Capital: Bishkek; Currency: Kyrgyzstani som

2. World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought: 17th June: The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed on June 17 each year to raise awareness of the presence of desertification and drought, and highlight methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought. It is an unique occasion to remind everybody that desertification is often effectively tackled, that solutions are possible, which key tools to the present aim lay in strengthened community participation and co-operation in the least levels. The theme of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2020: ‘Food. Feed. Fibre. – the links between consumption and land’. The day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on January 30, 1995.

3. India has sixth highest nuclear weapons stockpile, United States tops: SIPRI Yearbook 2020: The Swedish think tank, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its 51st edition of the SIPRI Yearbook 2020, which assesses the current state of armaments, disarmament and international security. As per the report, the number of nuclear arsenal in India has increased compared to the previous year. India added 10 more weapons by January 2020 to the stockpile to touch 150, compared to an estimated 130-140 in January 2019. This places India at sixth place globally in the list. However, the country is still behind the number of warheads possessed by China and Pakistan. While China (5th) has a total of 320 warheads in its arsenal, Pakistan (7th) is estimated to have 160. United States has highest nuclear warheads at 5800, followed by Russia and United Kingdom. The report also states that the nine nuclear-armed states namely United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), together possessed an estimated 13 400 nuclear weapons in January 2020. This is a decrease from the 13 865 nuclear weapons that these states possessed at the beginning of 2019. As per SIPRI, despite an overall decrease in the number of nuclear warheads, nuclear powers continue to modernise their arsenals.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Sports Ministry to establish Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE): The Ministry of Sports has planned to establish Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE) under its flagship programme, Khelo India Scheme. One KISCE will be set up in each state and union territory to create a robust sporting ecosystem in the entire country and strengthen India’s pursuit for excellence in Ölympics. The Ministry has identified eight states in the first leg of program in which state-owned sports facilities will be upgraded into Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE). These include, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Telengana and the north east states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. To upgrade the existing state-owned sports facilities in the above states into KISCE, ‘Viability Gap Funding’ would be extended by the government in sports science and technology support for sports disciplines practiced at the centre.

Note: Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports: Kiren Rijiju.

2. Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov wins World Stars Sharjah Online Chess Championship 2020: The World Stars Sharjah Online Chess Championship 2020 was organized by the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club, on June 12-13, 2020. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan became the winner of $10,000 chess tournament with a score of 7.5 in 10 rounds. India’s Pentala Harikrishna finished second with 6.5 out of 10. The event was held online on a popular platform Internet Chess Club (ICC) in double round-robin format with 10 min +3 sec time control. Sharjah Online International Chess Championship was hosted by the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. IBBI Reconstitutes Advisory Committee on Corporate Insolvency Resolution and Liquidation: The insolvency regulator ‘Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India’ (IBBI) has reconstituted the Advisory Committee on Corporate Insolvency Resolution and Liquidation process. The 14 member reconstituted panel would be chaired by Uday Kotak, Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank. IBBI had earlier constituted the Advisory Committee on Corporate Insolvency and Liquidation in August 2017. Uday Kotak was the Chairman of this panel too. However, at that time the panel had 12 members. IBBI has inducted three new members in the reconstituted panel. The committee shall advise and provide professional support on any matter relating to the corporate insolvency resolution and liquidation dealt with by the board under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. India 9th largest recipient of FDI in 2019, US Tops: UN Report: According to the World Investment Report 2020, of UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India emerged as the world’s ninth largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the year 2019. World Investment Report 2020 is the 30th edition of the annual report. The report reveals that India received USD 51 billion (approximately Rs 38.79 crore) in foreign investment in 2019, an increase of 20 percent over the previous year 2018 (USD42 bn). In the developing Asia region, India was among the top five host economies for FDI. United States is the largest recipient of FDI in 2019 at $246 billion. China, Singapore, Netherlands and Ireland are the top 5 largest recipient of FDI in 2019 respectively. In 2019, global FDI flows increased marginally by 3 percent, to $1.54 trillion. The report has also predicted that the global foreign investment flows (FDI) is likely to plunge by up to 40% in 2020. However, FDI is projected to decrease by a further 5% to 10% in 2021 and to initiate a recovery in 2022.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Deccan Development Society wins Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Award: Hyderabad-based Deccan Development Society has won the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Award. The society has been honoured for its help in promoting biodiversity and support farming in degraded lands. The honour was declared by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Vice President and CEO, Olivier Wenden.

Note: Director of Deccan Development Society PV Satheesh; Headquarters of Deccan Development Society: Hyderabad, Telangana.

OBITUARIES

1. Mahaveer Chakra Awaredee Lt Gen Raj Mohan Vohra passes away: Retired Lt. Gen. Raj Mohan Vohra (88 years) passes away in Delhi due to COVID-19. He commanded elite Hodson’s Horse in the Shakargarh Sector in 1971 Indo-Pak war and was declared war hero. He was awarded with 1972 Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), country's 2nd highest gallantry award for his conspicuous bravery and leadership. He also fought for the Indo-Pak war of 1965. He tenanted prestigious appointments like GOCinC Eastern Command and GOC 31 Armoured Division.

 

2. Senior Journalist Dinu Randive passes away: Senior journalist Dinu Randive (95 years) passes away at his residence in Dadar, Mumbai. He played a significant role in the struggle movement named Samyukta Maharashtra movement to carve out Maharashtra state. He also participated in the Goa liberation movement. He started his career in journalism in 1956 and was conferred with lifetime achievement award Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh (Maharashtra journalists association). He was recently conferred with Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink award for Lifetime Achievement.

3. Former Goa minister Achyut Usgaonkar passes away: Former Goa minister Achyut Kashinath Sinai Usgaonkar (92 years) passes away in Panaji, Goa due to age-related ailments. He was the leader of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the oldest regional party in Goa. He has also served as the cabinet minister from August 13, 1977 - April 27, 1979 in the then Shashikala Kakodkar government. Prior to this, he was the deputy speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly under 1st Chief Minister of Goa Dayanand Bandodkar.

Note: Goa Capital: Panaji; CM: Pramod Sawant.

Daily GK Updates - 16th June, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. EPFO launches “Multi Location Claim Settlement” facility: Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has launched a “Multi Location Claim Settlement” facility. It will allow settlement of all online claims including provident fund, pension, partial withdrawal, and transfer claims from any EPFO regional offices across the country. It will also reduce claim settlement delay by distributing workload across the nation enabling fast-track settlement. Cla The facility will enable EPFO offices to settle online claims from any of its regional offices, across the country.ims of containment zones are distributed to other locations for processing.

2. CBIC launches ‘e-Office’ in all CGST and Customs offices: Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Chairman M. Ajit Kumar has launched ‘e-Office’ application in 500 CGST and Customs offices across India remotely. It marks the change in office procedure from manual file handling to automatic online procedures. It will provide ‘Faceless, Contactless and Paperless’ indirect Tax administration. It is developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC) with Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) under Mission Mode Project (MMP) of National e-Governance.

Note: Director General of National Informatics Centre (NIC): Neeta Verma.

3. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Launches India’s first online delivery-based gas trading platform Indian Gas Exchange: The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan virtually launched India’s first nationwide online delivery-based gas trading platform, Indian Gas Exchange (IGX) on 15 June 2020. IGX has been incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the IEX (India Energy Exchange) India’s energy market platform. The exchange will provide six market products - day-ahead, daily, weekly, weekdays, fortnightly and monthly. Initially, trading is proposed at the physical hubs at Hazira and Dahej in Gujarat and Oduru/Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh while new hubs would be introduced ahead. The exchange is expected to facilitate transparent price discovery in natural gas, and facilitate the growth of the share of natural gas in India’s energy sector.

4. MoS for Home affairs G. Kishan Reddy launches device ‘GermiBAN’:  A device named “GermiBAN” has been launched by the Union Minister of State for Home affairs G. Kishan Reddy. The device has been developed by Atal Incubation Centre & Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP) Women Entrepreneurs (WE) HUB. The recently launched device has the capability of killing 99.9% of surface and air microbes. Hence the device will be very useful for quarantine centres, isolation wards, hospitals and all general places for killing viruses like coronavirus. ALEAP WE-HUB is an effort to encourage women startups across sectors

5. Union Minister Jitendra Singh Launches ‘Feedback Call Centres on COVID -19 Public Grievances’: The Union Minister of State for Personnel, PG and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the “Feedback Call Centres on Public Grievances” on 15 June 2020. The Feedback Call Centres would take feedback from individual citizens on citizen satisfaction regarding the COVID-19 Public Grievances that have been filed on Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) for the period 30/3/2020 to 30/5/2020. The DARPG (Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances) has in collaboration with BSNL operationalized Feed Back Call Centers in Bhubaneshwar, Guwhati, Jamshedpur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Ajmer, Guntur, Coimbatore and Guntakal with 1406 call centre operators. These call-centres would operate in Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese and Rajasthani.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India along with 12 other Countries leads ‘#VERIFIED’ initiative at UN to counter misinformation on COVID-19: India and 12 other countries have come together to lead United Nations initiative ‘#VERIFIED’, which aims to counter misinformation on the coronavirus by spreading fact-based content. The other countries are Australia, Chile, France, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway, Senegal and South Africa. Apart from these 13 nations, 132 other nations are endorsing the global call to fight the “infodemic” or manipulated information relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by the UN Department for Global Communications (DGC),’Verified’ will provide information around three themes: (1) science- to save lives; (2) solidarity- to promote local and global cooperation; (3) solutions- to advocate for support to impacted populations. UN has launched this initiative in collaboration with Purpose, one of the world’s leading social mobilisation organisations.

2. India joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) as a founding member: On 15 June 2020, India joined the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI or Gee-Pay) as a founding member to support responsible and human-centric development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). With this, India has joined the group of leading nations and economies like USA, the UK, EU, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, and Singapore for launch of GPAI. GPAI will be supported by a Secretariat, to be hosted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, as well as by two Centers of Expertise — one each in Montreal and Paris. GPAI is an international and multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible development and use of AI, with focus on human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation, and economic growth. It is a first of its type initiative for better understanding of the challenges and opportunities around AI using the experience and diversity of participating countries.

3. Anmol Narang becomes 1st observant Sikh to graduate from US Military Academy:  Anmol Narang has made history by becoming the 1st observant Sikh to graduate from the distinguished United States (US) Military Academy at West Point. She was among about 1,100 cadets who graduated at the premier institution’s campus in New York with the rank of 2nd lieutenant. US Congress passed a law that prohibited Sikhs from keeping article of faith within military in 1987. She is hopeful that her efforts to represent her religion and community will encourage Americans to find out more about Sikhism. She was born and raised in Roswell, Georgia.

4. International Day of Family Remittances: 16th June: The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) is a United Nations General Assembly recognized day, observed on 16 June each year to celebrate the contribution of migrant workers, improve the lives of their family members back home, and to create a future of hope for their children. This year International Day of Family Remittances is celebrated under the theme: “Building resilience in times of crisis”. The first International Day of Family Remittances was celebrated on June 16, 2015.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Airtel Payments Bank Launches ‘Suraksha Salary Account’ for MSME: The Airtel Payments Bank has launched ‘Suraksha Salary Account’, designed specifically for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). With Suraksha Salary Account, MSMEs and other organisations will be able to make cashless payments and also provide a financial security blanket to their employees. Some features of the account include: The account has no minimum balance condition. Account holders will be able to make cash withdrawals, deposits and transfer money at Airtel Payments Bank’s 500,000 banking points across India. There are no charges on cash withdrawals of up to Rs 50,000 and deposits of up to Rs 20,000 in one month. The account offers benefits such as Hospicash Insurance and personal accidental insurance cover. This means in the event of hospitalization the account holder will get fixed cover of Rs 400/day up to a maximum of 10 days. The account holder will also get free group accidental cover of Rs 1 lakh.

Note: Airtel Payments Bank Headquarters: New Delhi; Airtel Payments Bank MD and CEO: Anubrata Biswas

2. ICICI Bank introduces ‘Insta FlexiCash’ facility for salary account holders: ICICI Bank has launched a fully digital overdraft facility for its Salary Account customers to get approval for overdraft (OD) instantaneously and in a paperless manner. The facility called, ‘Insta Flexicash’, will provide end-to-end fully digital experience to the customers using the Bank’s internet banking platform. The customers can apply for the OD from their home, without visiting a bank branch. The Bank will offer a credit limit worth up to three times of a customer’s net salary. The facility can be sanctioned immediately while customers can start using the approved OD limit within 48 hours. The interest payable on the OD is calculated on the basis of the actual amount availed by the customer, not on the full amount of the OD sanctioned.

Note: Managing Director & CEO of ICICI Bank: Sandeep Bakhshi; Non-Executive (part-time) Chairman of ICICI Bank: Girish Chandra Chaturvedi; ICICI Bank established: 1994; Headquarters of ICICI Bank: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Sprinter Hima Das nominated for Khel Ratna award by Assam Government: India's sprinter Hima Das (Dhing Express) has been nominated for the prestigious Khel Ratna award. She is one of the youngest nominee for this award. She is India’s first track athlete to win global title at U20 World Championship. She won 400m silver, 4X400 mixed relay gold and women's 4X400m gold at the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018. She is holding the current Indian national record in 400 mtrs with a timing of 50.79 s. Hima is already a recipient of Arjuna Award.

2. Chef Angad Singh Rana wins QualityNZ Culinary Cup 2020: Chef Angad Singh Rana has won QualityNZ Culinary Cup 2020. The award was announced by Cricket legend and Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming. Chef Angad Singh Rana grabbed the QualityNZ Culinary Cup 2020 alongside INR 50,000 worth of QualityNZ lamb and seafood and a Weber BBQ valued at over INR 46,000. This award is the New Zealand’s first ‘Virtual’ Chef competition – the ‘Quality NZ Culinary Cup’ held in India.

Note: Prime Minister of New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern; Capital of New Zealand: Wellington.

                                    

OBITUARIES

1. Former New Zealand cricketer Matt Poore passes away: Former New Zealand cricketer Matt Poore (90 years) passes in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. He was featured in 14 Tests for the Black Caps, scoring 355 runs, and picking up 9 wickets between 1953-1956. He also played 61 Tests for Canterbury and scored 2,336 runs and 68 wickets. He is widely remembered because of an incident involving a stray dog in New Zealand tour of India 1955 to Bengaluru after which 12 anti-rabies injections was given to him.

2. Former Lok Sabha MP Madhavrao Patil passes away: Former Lok Sabha member Madhavrao Patil (80 years) passes away in Maharashtra's Nashik district. He was the founder of Janalaxmi Cooperative Bank on 14 February, 1976 and was the chairman of the bank. He was the staunch supporter of Sharad Pawar and was among the first to join Nationalist Congress Party in 1999. He won Nashik Lok Sabha constituency seat on a Congress ticket in 1998 defeating Rajaram Godse of Shiv Sena.

3. Uttarakhand folk singer Heera Singh Rana passes away:  Noted folk singer of Uttarakhand, Heera Singh Rana passed away. He was born in 1942 in Manila Dandholi village of Almora. He visited Kolkata with a scholarship to review music. Recently he was appointed vice-chairman of Garhwal, Kumaoni and Jaunsari Academy by the govt of Delhi. He began singing in various forums since the age of 15.

4. Former Bangladesh Minister Mohammad Nasim passes away: Former Bangladesh Minister Mohammad Nasim (72 years) passes away in Dhaka. Mohammad Nasim was Health Minister of Bangladesh from 2014 to 2018. He was also Bangladesh’s Home Minister from 1999 to 2001. He was the chairman of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Food of the present parliament. He was also presidium member of the Awami League and was serving as the spokesperson of the 14-party alliance.

Note: Bangladesh PM: Sheikh Hasina.

Daily GK Updates - 15th June, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Centre Launches ”Aarogyapath” Healthcare Supply Chain Portal: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched a healthcare supply chain portal named ”Aarogyapath”, to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies to manufacturers, suppliers and customers. The portal AarogyaPath can be accessed at https://www.aarogyapath.in. The initiative aims at filling a critical gap in last-mile delivery of patient care within India through improved availability and affordability of healthcare supplies. It will act as a single-point availability of items by hospitals, labs, research, medical colleges, patients, importers and manufacturers.

2. Maharashtra CM Launches Mumbai’s New Flood Warning System IFLOWS-Mumbai: In Mumbai, a new integrated flood warning system (IFLOWS) has been inaugurated, which can predict flood alerts for the city, and therefore enable the authority to take due precautions in advance. The state-of-the-art IFLOW-Mumbai flood warning system was jointly inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology, and Earth sciences. The system will provide early warning for flooding specially during high rainfall events and cyclones. With this hi-tech system it will be possible to have an estimate of the flood inundation three days in advance, along with immediate weather updates. The system has been developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) with in-house expertise and coordination with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Note: Chief Minister of Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray; Governor of Maharashtra: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

3. Central Railway Launches Robot ‘CAPTAIN ARJUN’ to intensify screening, surveillance of passengers in Pune: Railway Protection Force of Central Railway, Pune division, has launched a unique robot named ”CAPTAIN ARJUN”, for the screening of passengers for COVID-19 infection while they board trains as well as keep a watch on anti-social elements. With this, the Central Railway has added another feather in its cap. ‘CAPTAIN ARJUN’ stands for Always be Responsible and Just Use to be Nice. The robot undertakes the thermal screening of passengers and captures the temperature in a digital display panel. It also sounds an abnormal automatic alarm indicating a higher temperature than reference range. Hence, Captain ARJUN will provide enough protective cover to the passengers while undergoing the screening and also ensure security in the railway premises.

4. CIMAP announced Medicinal and Aromatic plants photography competition: Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic plants (CIMAP) has announced competition on medicinal and aromatic plants. The theme is ‘Know your Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs)’. It is open to all Indian amateur and professional photographers and 3 photographs of 3MB size are to be summitted for entry along with their Latin and vernacular name and importance till June 30. The winners will get cash awards of Rs. 5000, Rs. 3000, and Rs. 2000 as per the position.

5. Madhya Pradesh to organise employment fair for labourers: MP Govt will organise employment fair to provide employment opportunities to registered labourers under Sambal Yojana (Power facility scheme-BPL families) and labourers returning from other states. It will be organised in 3rd week of June. Labourers will be informed by SMS and transportation arrangement will be made for them to reach the venue along with food, water. It will be organised along with corona prevention guidelines like thermal testing, sanitisation, etc.

6. Raja Parba festival begins in Odisha: Raja Parba festival (June 14 to 16) is being celebrated in Odisha every year. It is a 3-day-long festival dedicated to Mother Earth (Bhuma Devi) and womanhood at large. The first day is called Pahili Raja, second is Mithuna Sankranti and third Bhudaha or Basi Raja. In this unmarried girl perform various customs. Also, Odia people do not undertake any construction work that require earth digging. This festival is also associated with summer end and monsoon Arrival.

7. JNU develops new drug molecules against amoebiasis: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Researchers have developed new drug molecules against the protozoa that causesamoebiasis. Amoebiasis or amoebic dysentery is a disease caused of Entamoeba histolytica protozoa. According to WHO, Entamoeba histolytica is the 3rd leading cause of death in the world. It is anaerobic in nature but on entering human, it synthesizes large amounts of cysteine to counter oxidative stress. It spreads through drinking or eating uncooked food.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Shambhu S. Kumaran appointed as Ambassador of India to Philippines: Shri Shambhu S. Kumaran has been appointed as Ambassador of India to the Republic of Philippines. He is presently serving as the Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Morocco. He will replace Jaideep Mazumdar as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Philippines. He is the IFS officer of 1995 batch.

Note: Capital of Philippines: Manila; Currency: Philippine Peso; President of Philippines: Rodrigo Duterte; Prime Minister: Salvador H. Laurel

2. Global Wind Day: 15th June: Every year the Global Wind Day is celebrated worldwide on 15 June to spread awareness about wind energy, the various uses of wind energy, and the ways and possibilities as to how wind energy can help change the world. The day is organised jointly by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Wind Europe and the national associations. 2020 marks the 13th year of Global Wind Day.

Note: Chairman of Global Wind Energy Council: Morten Dyrholm; CEO of Global Wind Energy Council: Ben Backwell; Headquarters of Global Wind Energy Council: Brussels, Belgium.

3. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: 15th June: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is marked every year on 15 June to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. The theme in 2020 for WEAAD is “Lifting Up Voices”. The day was launched on June 15, 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations (UN). WEAAD was officially recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2011.

4. Kathy Lueders Becomes The First Ever Female Director Of Human Explorations At NASA: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that Kathy Lueders will be its first female director of human spaceflight. Lauders will be heading the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate, that’s working to get astronauts back on the moon by 2024. She has for years been in charge of the exhaustive testing program for space capsules developed by SpaceX, Boeing and other companies that are partnering with NASA to build vessels that can safely take humans into space.

5. Government to organise 4 more courses on COVID-19 for Bangladesh: Government will organise 4 more courses on COVID 19 management for professionals in Bangladesh and other countries. The courses are the part of Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) platform aimed at capacity building for professionals engaged in the COVID 19 pandemic management. It will be conducted between June 18-26 by National Centre for Good Governance, Mussoorie and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Six courses have already been conducted.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Imtaiyazur Rahman appointed as CEO of UTI Asset Management Company: UTI Mutual Fund appointed Imtaiyazur Rahman as the CEO of United Trust India (UTI) Asset Management Company (AMC). He was serving as acting CEO of UTI Mutual Fund from past 2 years after Leo Puri’s term ended. His appointment will bring stability to the company and it will launch its first IPO shortly addressing SEBI’s concern. He joined the UTI Group in 1998 and is with the AMC since 2003. The AMC has already filed Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with SEBI in December 2019 to protect investor’s interest in shareholding.

Note: UTI Mutual Fund Chief Financial Officer: Surojit Saha; Company Secretary: Arvind Patkar; Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

2. RBI Approves Kaizad Bharucha’s Re-appointment as HDFC Bank Executive Director: Private sector lender HDFC Bank said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the re-appointment of Kaizad Bharucha as the executive director of the bank for a period of three years with effect from 13 June. In his current position, Bharucha is responsible for wholesale banking covering areas of corporate banking, emerging corporate group, business banking, capital markets and commodities business, agri lending, among others.

3. India’s forex crosses half trillion mark for the 1st time: India's foreign exchange reserves (Forex) have surged by 8.22 billion dollars crossing half-a-trillion mark for the 1st time. The reserves rose to $501.70 billion along with a whopping rise in foreign currency assets. As per RBI, foreign currency assets rose by $ 8.42 billion to $ 463.63 billion. However, Gold reserves are declining by $ 329 million. India's special drawing rights (supplementary foreign exchange reserve assets) with IMF and reserve position enhanced.

OBITUARIES

1. SAIL Director Atul Srivastava passes away: Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) Director, Atul Srivastava passes away at Apollo Hospital, New Delhi due to cardiac arrest. He took charge as Director (Personnel) of SAIL on March 12, 2018. He was serving SAIL for more than 35 years through SAIL plants as well as at the Corporate Office. He had served the organisation in areas like HR Policies, Manpower Planning, HRD/OD Interventions, Performance Management, Employee Engagement Initiatives and IR Management.

2. India’s oldest 1st class cricketer Vasant Raiji passes away: India's oldest first-class cricketer, Vasant Raiji (100 years) passes away at his residence in Walkeshwar in Mumbai. He was a right-handed batsman and played nine first-class matches in the '1940s and scored a total 277 runs. He was the opener of Bombay and Baroda team in the Ranji Trophy and was a reserve for the Hindus team in the 1941 Bombay Pentangular. After John Manners death, he was declared as the oldest living first class cricketer in the world.

Daily GK Updates - 14th June, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Third Phase of SAUNI Scheme, to fill Saurashtra Dams, to be completed by March 2021: Gujarat Govt: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced that the Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) scheme is set to be completed by 15 August 2020 and 31 March 2021, respectively. SAUNI scheme was launched by PM Modi in 2016, to fill 115 major dams in Saurashtra region of the state by diverting floodwaters overflowing from the Sardar Sarovar Dam across the Narmada river to the drought areas. The first phase of the scheme is completed and now filling of 16 dam reservoirs is possible. The second phase to fill the 57 water reservoirs through laying pipeline networks of 547 kilometres is on the verge of completion. In the third phase, 42 dam reservoirs needs to be filled through 457 kilometres of pipeline through 3 links. The state government has spent Rs 14,707 crore for four links of all the three phases of SAUNI Yojana.

2. Government Constitutes Empowered Group of Secretaries to facilitate investment in country: The Union Government  has constituted a seven-member ‘Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS)’, headed by Cabinet Secretary, for attracting investments in India. Rajiv Gauba is the current Cabinet Secretary of India. The initiative will reinforce India’s vision of becoming a US$ 5 trillion economy by 2024-25. The members of the EGoS include:

(1) Cabinet Secretary (Chairperson)

(2) CEO, Niti Aayog (Member)

(3) Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (Member Convenor)

(4) Secretary, Department of Commerce (Member)

(5) Secretary, Department of Revenue (Member)

(6) Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (Member)

(7) Secretary of Department concerned (to be co-opted).

3. Central Railways Installs Body Screening Facility ‘FebriEye’ in Mumbai’s CSMT & LTT Stations to screen Passengers: The Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways has launched a body-screening facility “FebriEye thermal cameras” at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, to scan passengers for COVID-19 symptoms and ensure contactless entry. FebriEye is an Artificial Intelligence-based thermal screening system for real-time and automated, non-intrusive monitoring of the passengers at the entry point, to ensure that a person entering does not have a high fever. When passengers pass before the cameras, anyone with temperature above the set range will be shown in a different colour pattern than the rest, on the computer screen connected to the cameras. FebriEye thermal cameras can cover large areas which mean it can detect the temperature of multiple people entering at once at a premise and record temperature automatically while passengers keep on moving.

4. Bihar Government Ropes in Actor Pankaj Tripathi as Brand Ambassador of Bihar Khadi: Well known Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi has been chosen by the Bihar government to promote the Khadi of Bihar. He has been appointed as the brand ambassador of India’s first and largest Khadi Mall, set up in Patna, Bihar. The Khadi Village Industries Board has instructed all Khadi institutions to produce new designs of Khadi garments to increase production and sales.

Note: Governor of Bihar: Phagu Chauhan, Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar.

5. MP gives corona warriors status to Divyang Anganwadi workers: Madhya Pradesh Government conferred the status of corona warriors to the Divyang Anganwadi workers. They are playing an important role by distributing nutritious food from house to house of the beneficiaries. They are also spreading awareness regarding social distancing and the ways to protect from the infection. Kanchan Gayari, Saroj Shukla, Babulal Rathore are few of them working in this area.

6. Attorney General of India KK Venugopal term extended for a year: Attorney General of India, KK Venugopal will get the 1-year extension of service. His tenure is coming to an end on 30th June 2020. He was appointed as Attorney General and had succeeded Mukul Rohatgi on June 30, 2017. Mr. Venugopal was appointed the 15th Attorney General of India and continued in the post after the Narendra Modi government won a second term in 2019. He has defended the government in cases like Aadhaar, CAA, Article 370 and Rafale. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2002 and Padma Vibhushan in 2015.

7. Madhya Pradesh farmers created unique grain bank to help needy:

Madhya Pradesh's Affluent farmers have created unique grain bank to help the needy people like migrant labourers with food. The initiative is started by Patwari Rajesh Chaurasi and Parasia development block of Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh. In the grain bank, 23 quintals of wheat has been stored which will work as a boon to the needy. This initiative has been appreciated by the district residents.

Note: Chief Minister of MP: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor: LaljiTandon; Capital: Bhopal

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Blood Donor Day: 14th June: World blood donor day is observed globally on June 14th every year to create awareness about the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood. The campaign theme for this year’s World donor Day is “Safe blood saves lives”. It would be promoted with the slogan ‘Give blood and make the world a healthier place.’ It was first celebrated in 2004 by World Health Organization (WHO), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In May 2005, WHO officially established with its 192 Member States, World donor Day at the 58th World Health Assembly.

Note: Headquarters of WHO: Geneva, Switzerland; Director-general of WHO: TedrosAdhanom.

2. SpaceX Launches Fresh Batch of 58 Starlink internet satellites in a Rideshare mission: On 13 June 2020, the private spaceflight company, SpaceX successfully launched its latest batch of 58 Starlink internet satellites into the orbit, in a rideshare mission. With this launch, the total number of operational Starlink broadband internet satellites on orbit comes to 538. The launch of the rideshare mission took place on Falcon 9 rocket, which carried 58 internet-beaming Starlink satellites along with three small Earth-observation satellites, SkySat, owned by PlanetLabs. This is the first time that SpaceX Starlink mission shared the ride with Planet Skysat spacecrafts.

3. India-ASEAN Youth Dialogue 2020 held online: The 3rd India-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) youth dialogue 2020 was held virtually and focusing on coronavirus pandemic. The meet has regarded the youth as “vehicles of change” that are playing a pivotal role by leading the fight against the pandemic. During the dialogue, India and ASEAN enhanced cooperation constructively in skill development, youthful energy and education. These areas were identified as strategic partnership between the two countries at the dialogue.

Note: 2020 Chairmanship: Vietnam; Chairman: Nguyen Xuan Phuc; Secretariat: Jakarta, Indonesia; Secretary General: H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi

Membership: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam; 1 Observer: Papua New Guinea.

4. Exim Bank extends $216 million credit line to Malawi govt: Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) said it has extended a line of credit (LOC) worth USD 215.68 million to the Malawi government for drinking water supply schemes and other development projects. With the signing of this agreement, Exim Bank, so far, has extended five LOCs to Malawi, on behalf of the Indian government, taking the total value of LOCs extended to USD 395.68 million. Projects covered under the LOCs extended to Malawi includes supply of irrigation network, tobacco threshing plant, cotton processing facilities, green belt initiative, sugar processing equipment, fuel storage facility and construction of a new water supply system from Likhubula river in Mulanje to Blantyre

Note: Capital: Lilongwe; Currency: Malawian kwacha; President: Peter Mutharika

Exim Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO): David Rasquinha.

5. Europe's Inclusive Vaccine Alliance signed contract with AstraZeneca: Europe's IVA have signed contract with British pharma company ‘Astrazeneca’ to supply 400 million vaccine doses against the COVID-19. It is the first contract signed by Europe's Inclusive Vaccines Alliance (IVA), a group formed by France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands to secure vaccine doses for all member states. The vaccine is developed by Oxford University whose experimentation is already being started. Deliveries of the vaccine will start by the end of 2020.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Sports to be the part of curriculum in India’s new education policy: Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju announces that India's new education policy will have sports as part of the curriculum and not just as an extra-curricular activity. High-level committee to shape the National Sports Education Board will be established to bring the national sports education board into shape. The announcement was made during the inaugural session of ‘International Webinar on Olympism and Olympic Education in the 21st century’.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. SBI relaunches Aadhaar-based online savings account opening facility: The State Bank of India (SBI) relaunched its Aadhaar-based instant digital savings account facility for customers who want to open an online account using the Yono platform. Yono is the lender’s integrated banking and lifestyle platform. The ‘insta savings bank account’ will offer a complete paperless and instant digital savings account opening with just PAN and Aadhaar number.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Govt infuses Rs 5,298 cr into IIFCL to boost infrastructure spending: India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL) said the government infused equity share capital of Rs 5,297.60 crore in the company. This infusion has increased the paid-up equity share capital of IIFCL to Rs 9,999.92 crore against the authorized share capital of Rs 10,000 crore. The increased paid-up equity share capital enables IIFCL to create requisite headroom to provide finance to more number of infrastructure projects in the country.

2. Global goods trade to fall 27% in Q2 after 5% decline in first quarter: UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said that the value of international trade in goods declined around 5% in the first quarter of 2020 and is expected to decline further by 27% in the ongoing quarter with trade in many developing countries projected to nosedive due to the “unprecedented effects of the pandemic”. UNCTAD’s estimates are in line with those of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which expects global merchandise trade to decline 13-32% in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

                                    

OBITUARIES

1. Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput passes away: Noted Bollywood actor and television star Sushant Singh Rajput, has passed away, after he commited suicide at his home in Mumbai. He was only 34. Reason for suicide is yet to be known. Rajput came to fame after portraying the role of Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the legendary cricketer’s biopic, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. He was noticed in the famous soap on Zee TV's 'PavitraRishta' in 2009, for which he received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Sushant made his film debut with Kai Po Che in 2014 and had starred in a number of films such as PK, Kedarnath, Shudh Desi Romance.

Daily GK Updates - 13th June, 2020

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NHAI becomes 1st construction sector to go ‘fully digital’: The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has become the first of its kind organisation in the construction sector to go fully digital. It has launched Cloud-based and Artificial Intelligence-powered big data analytics platform ‘Data Lake and Project Management Software’ to transform the entire project management workflow of NHAI from manual to online portal based. All project documentation, contractual decisions and approvals are now being done through portal only. The software will ensure transparency, speed and quick decision making in the process. The complete project documents and correspondences will be stored in Digital format in the cloud-based ‘Data Lake’ linked with GIS tagging and Unique Project ID, so that the project data can be easily retrieved as and when required from any location.

Note: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways: Nitin JairamGadkari; NHAI Founded: 1988; NHAI chairman: Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.

2. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches ‘Sahakar Mitra’ Internship programme to provide paid internship to youth: The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched Sahakar Mitra Scheme on Internship Programme (SIP) to provide paid internship to youth and ensure availability of assured project loans to young cooperators. This scheme is an initiative by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare. Sahakar Mitra SIP scheme will provide an opportunity to the young professionals to get practical exposure and learning from the working of NCDC and cooperatives as a paid intern. Under the scheme, each intern will get financial support over a 4 months internship period.

Note: Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare: Parshottam Rupala.

Managing Director of National Cooperative Development Cooperation: Sundeep Kumar Nayak.

3. UP Government Launches ‘Bal Shramik Vidya Yojana’ to educate child labourers: Uttar Pradesh government inaugurated Bal Shramik Vidya Yojana [Child Labor Education Scheme (BSBY) via video conferencing on June 12, on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour. The scheme is meant to provide school education to child labourers, orphans and children of workers in the age group of 8 to 18 years. As a part of the scheme, boys would be given an annual grant of Rs 1,000 per month while the girls would get Rs 1,200 per month for school education. Apart from this, those studying in class 8, 9 and 10 would an additional amount of Rs 6,000 per year to encourage them.

Note: Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Aditya Nath; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

4. ‘STREE’ scheme launched in Hyderabad to support, empower women undergoing domestic violence: With the objective to support and empower women against domestic violence and abuse, the Hyderabad City Security Council (HCSC) in association with Hyderabad City Police has launched an initiative named ‘STREE’. The name STREE denotes: “She Triumphs through Respect, Equality, and Empowerment”. The main purpose of STREE programme is to create a platform for women from various walks of the community to come together and be part of joint forum for women and Police to work together on issues of safety and security of women and girls. It will create awareness among the women on their rights, entitlements, laws and support systems available, and help to build a network of partners to ensure women’s safety, equality and empowerment.

Note: Chief Minister of Telangana: K. Chandrashekar Rao; Governor of Telangana: Tamilisai Soundararajan.

5. Odisha Becomes First State to get ISO certification for Tribal hostels: Odisha has become the first state in the country where ISO Certification has been given to its tribal hostels. A comprehensive assessment and evaluation of all hostels under ST & SC Welfare Department were conducted with the help of Quality Control of India to improve the standard and quality of the hostels. In the first phase of the audit, 60 out of 156 hostels of Keonjhar were selected for intensive interventions. Similarly, out of 90 hostels of Sambalpur, 12 were selected for the purpose. The audit team for certification visited 32 hostels of Keonjhar and 12 of Sambalpur for final assessment. All the 44 hostels cleared the assessment parameters and were awarded ISO 9001:2015 Certification. The remaining 28 hostels will be assessed after the lockdown is lifted and restoration of normalcy.

Note: Capital of Odisha: Bhubaneswar; Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik; Governor of Odisha: Ganeshi Lal.

6. State-of-the-art Flood Warning System launched in Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the new Integrated Flood Warning System (IFLOWS). Named as 'Boon' and developed for Mumbai it will help the people in a "big way" as it can predict floods. The system was developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The device will be very useful, especially if people need to be evacuated from low-lying areas.The system will also forecast the rainfall in each pocket.

7. Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Launches ‘Ghar Ghar Nigrani’ Mobile App for house-to-house COVID-19 surveillance: The Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh has launched a mobile based app named ‘Ghar Ghar Nigrani’, to undertake house to house surveillance in the state, in an effort to check the community spread of COVID-19. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country. The user-friendly app had been developed and designed in-house by the Health Department of the state, as a tool for early detection and testing of the people for Covid19, and preventing its community spread. The state government, with the help of ASHA (accredited social health activist) workers and community volunteers, will conduct house to house survey, in which the entire rural and urban population above 30 years of age shall be surveyed. This would not be a one-time activity but an ongoing process till the containment of COVID. The survey would help the state to develop an extremely important database and further plan its COVID containment strategy and make targeted interventions for the community.

8. IIT Kharagpur developed AI-based system to track social distancing: The researchers at IIT- Kharagpur have developed an Artificial Intelligence-based cyber-physical system to monitor social distancing in public places. The device will play a proximity alert sound through audio output, whenever any violation will occur.It captures images of the field view and computes the distance as per criteria set by the government. The system has been successfully tested by installing three prototypes of the device within the IIT-Kharagpur campus.

9. DRDO develops ‘Germi Klean’ to sanitise uniforms of security forces: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a sanitizing chamber named ‘Germi Klean’ to sanitise uniforms of security forces. DRDO’s move came after Delhi Police gave their requirement for sanitizing their uniforms, canes, cane shields, helmets. This chamber is designed to sanitise 25 pairs of uniforms within 15 minutes. The sanitizing chamber has been set up at Parliament Street Police Station.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Facebook joins hand with tech-giants, including Google and Microsoft for ‘Project Protect’ to fight online child sexual abuse: Facebook has joined hands with Microsoft, Google, Twitter and 14 other tech giants for a new initiative called ‘Project Protect’ to help combat child sexual abuse and exploitation online. Facebook will lead this initiative. These tech giants have been working together under Technology Coalition since past 14 years, since its formation way back in 2006. Project Protect is a renewed commitment from the Technology Coalition for the next 15 years to protect kids online and guide its work. Project Protect will focus on five key areas: tech innovation, collective action, independent research, information and knowledge sharing, and transparency and accountability.

2. International Albinism Awareness Day: 13th June: The International Albinism Awareness Day (IAAD) is celebrated annually on June 13 to celebrate the human rights of persons with albinism worldwide.The 2020 Theme of IAAD is “Made to Shine”. The United Nations’ General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 18, 2014, to establish June 13 as International Albinism Awareness Day.

Note: Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized in humans by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes.

3. Kathy Sullivan has descended to the deepest known spot in the ocean: Astronaut and oceanographer Kathy Sullivan became the first woman and the fifth person in history to descend to the deepest known spot in the world’s oceans called the 'Challenger Deep' in the Mariana Trench. She was also the first American woman to walk in space in 1984. Sullivan is now the only human who has walked in space and reached the deepest point in the ocean.

Note: Challenger Deep is the deepest point in the Earth’s sea bed. It is at a depth of 10,902 metres.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. FIFA’s latest ranking: India retains 108th slot: India football team retained its 108th spot in the latest FIFA rankings. While Belgium ranked first and world champion France is in 2nd place and Brazil is at 3rd spot. In the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the qualifier tournaments have been postponed for the FIFA World Cup and other major games at the international level.

Note: Headquarters of FIFA: Zürich, Switzerland; President of FIFA Gianni Infantino.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI sets up panel to review ownership of private banks: The RBI has constituted a 5-member Internal Working Group to review the guidelines related to ownership, governance and corporate structure of private sector banks. The panel will be headed by RBI Director PK Mohanty. The RBI panel will also examine and review the eligibility criteria for individuals or entities to apply for banking licence. It will also study the current regulations on holding of financial subsidiaries through a non-operative financial holding company.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Fitch Ratings Projects Indian economy to grow at 9.5% in FY22: Fitch Ratings has forecast India’s GDP growth rate of 9.5 percent in the fiscal year 2021-22. Earlier, Fitch Ratings had forecast a 5 percent contraction in the GDP in the ongoing financial year 2020-21. Further, it estimates that India’s GDP growth is likely to return to higher levels than ‘BBB’ category peers after the global crises.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Indian-American Soil scientist Rattan Lal Wins 2020 World Food Prize: Eminent Indian-American pedologist (soil scientist) Rattan Lal has been awarded the 2020 World Food Prize the World Food Prize Foundation. He has been rewarded the $250,000 award for developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change. The World Food Prize is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture,” and is the most prominent global award recognizing an individual who has enhanced human development and confronted global hunger through improving the quality, quantity or availability of food.

DEFENSE

1. Biswajit Dasgupta takes charge as ENC Chief of Staff: Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta took charge as the Chief of Staff of Eastern Naval Command (ENC). He replaced Vice Admiral S.N Ghormade, who has been appointed as Controller Personnel Services at the Integrated Headquarters, New Delhi. Mr Dasgupta was an alumnus of the NDA and commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1985. He has commanded frontline ships including the missile corvettes INS Nishank, INS Karmuk, stealth frigate INS Tabar and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.

OBITUARIES

1. Biswajit Dasgupta takes charge as ENC Chief of Staff: Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta took charge as the Chief of Staff of Eastern Naval Command (ENC). He replaced Vice Admiral S.N Ghormade, who has been appointed as Controller Personnel Services at the Integrated Headquarters, New Delhi. Mr Dasgupta was an alumnus of the NDA and commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1985. He has commanded frontline ships including the missile corvettes INS Nishank, INS Karmuk, stealth frigate INS Tabar and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.