NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rohit Jawa assumed as MD and CEO of Hindustan Unilever: Rohit Jawa has assumed charge as the Managing Director and CEO of FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL). He has replaced Sanjiv Mehta who retired after the company's annual general meeting. Mehta handed over the baton to Jawa, who was appointed as an Additional Director and CEO-Designate from April 1, 2023. Prior to this role, Jawa was the Chief of Transformation for Unilever in London.

He started his career with HUL as a management trainee in 1988.

2. Govt approves price of 315 rupees per quintal for sugarcane farmers: The CCEA has approved the fair and remunerative price of Rs 315 per quintal for sugarcane farmers for the season 2023-24. It will be applicable for the purchase of sugarcane from farmers by sugar mills from Oct 1, 2023 It will be applicable for a basic recovery rate of 10.25% A premium of Rs.3.07 per quintal will be provided for every 0.1% increase in recovery above 10.25% Conversely, the FRP will be reduced by Rs 3.07 per quintal for every 0.1% decrease in recovery.

3. National Statistics Day 2023: 29th June: India observed National Statistics Day on June 29 every year, to celebrate the birth anniversary of statistician P.C. Mahalanobis. This day was first celebrated in 2007 in India. The theme of Statistics Day, 2023 is “Alignment of State Indicator Framework with National Indicator Framework for Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals”. Statistics Day in India is celebrated by conducting seminars, conferences, and other interactive events.

4. Centre provides financial incentives to 12 states for power sector reforms: The Centre has provided financial incentives of 66,000 crore rupees to 12 states to accelerate power sector reforms. These states include Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Manipur and Andhra Pradesh. The primary objectives of granting financial incentives for undertaking power sector reforms are to improve operational and economic efficiency within the sector and promote a sustained increase in paid electricity consumption.

5. Karnataka to give money instead of 5 kg additional rice to BPL families: The Karnataka government has decided to give cash instead of rice till rice is procured. It was one of the guarantees of the Siddaramaiah govt was to provide 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household. The government has decided to pay beneficiaries cash at the rate of ₹34 per kilo, for the additional 5kg of the foodgrain promised under the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme. The disbursement of money will start on July 1.

6. Cabinet approves introduction of National Research Foundation Bill: The Union Cabinet approved the introduction of the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill, 2023, in parliament. Aim: To pave the way to establish NRF that will seed, grow and promote research and development (R&D) and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India’s

universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories The Department of Science and Technology (DST) will be the administrative Department of NRF.

7. Gujarat signs MoU with US chip maker Micron for semiconductor plant: Gujarat government signed an MoU with the US-based computer storage chip maker Micron for setting up a $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility at Sanand in Ahmedabad. It will be the first semiconductor manufacturing facility in India and will be manufactured within 18 months. Micron will receive 50% fiscal support for the total project cost from the Indian government and incentives representing 20% of the total project cost from the Gujarat government.

8. IndiGo becomes India's leading airline to touch ₹1 lakh crore: InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (Indigo) has become India's leading airline to cross ₹1 trillion in market capitalization. The stock hit a 52-week high of ₹2,634.25 on the BSE, with a market value of ₹1.01 trillion. Shares of IndiGo settled 3.55% higher at ₹2,619.85 apiece on the BSE, compared to the previous close of

₹2,529.95. IndiGo placed an order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft in the largest order in the history of commercial aviation.

9. DRDO organizes ‘Anusandhaan Chintan Shivir’ 2023: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has organized an Anusandhaan Chintan Shivir in New Delhi aimed at promoting Defence Research and Development in the industry and academia. At the event, a list of 75 technology priority areas was released, encouraging indigenous innovation in defence technologies and fostering self-reliance. The DRDO Technology Foresight 2023, listing current and future technology development tasks, was also unveiled. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan also attended the event as the Chief Guest with other dignitaries.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India ranked 67th on Energy Transition Index: WEF: India bagged the 67th position globally in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) energy transition index. WEF informed that India is the only major economy whose energy transition accelerated across all dimensions. Top 5: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Switzerland The global energy transition has plateaued amid the global energy crisis and geopolitical volatilities, but India is among the countries that have made significant improvements.

2. IIT Bombay ranks 149th in the QS world ranking 2024: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay emerged as India’s highest-ranked educational institute, according to QS World Rankings 2024. Globally, it was ranked 149th and was the only such Indian institute in the top

150. However, it is the highest rank the institute has ever attained. IIT Bombay showed an improvement from last year’s QS world rankings when it took the 172nd spot. It was followed by IIT Delhi (ranked 197th globally), slipping from 174th last year. These were the only

two institutes in the top 200 on the list. At the third spot was the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, ranked 225th globally. It slipped sharply from 155th place last year. While in the overall ranking, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States topped the rankings for the twelfth consecutive year. UK’s Cambridge University ranked second followed by Oxford University. The rankings were based on nine indicators, including citations per faculty, employment outcomes, employer reputation, academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, sustainability, international research network, international faculty ratio, and international student ratio. India is the seventh most represented country globally, with 45 universities ranked.

3. India beats China with world’s second-largest road network: India becomes the second- largest country with the biggest road network after beating China. While the United States remains in the number one position. The report says India successfully reserved the position by spreading 1.45-lakh km of road connectivity over the last 8 years India had 91,287 km of road network only. During his tenure, the minister gripped on NHAI, which has constructed, fixed and improved highways and expressways. NHAI has constructed more than 30,000 km of highways and expressways nationwide.

4. Vishesh Chandiok appointed initiated into ICAEW: CEO of Grant Thornton Bharat, Vishesh C. Chandiok has been appointed as the first Indian council member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) residing overseas. This recognition honors Chandiok’s significant contributions to the global accounting profession. His appointment highlights the influence of Indian professionals in accounting and finance globally. Founded in 1880, ICAEW has played a pivotal role in shaping the accounting industry and works with governments, regulators and business leaders globally. Its commitment to upholding the highest professional standards and promoting ethical practices has made it the most influential accountancy organisation in Europe.

5. 29 June – International Day of the Tropic: International Day of the Tropic is observed every year on 29 June. Objective – To spread awareness about conservation strategies and promote tropical regions on Earth. James Cook University of Australia, alongside 11 other research institutions, released an inaugural State of the Tropics Report on June 29, 2014. The report specifically mentioned that the population present in the Tropical region is expected to rise from 40 percent to 50 percent by the year 2050. It looked into various environmental, social, and economic factors to acknowledge the quality of life in tropical regions. The Tropics account for 36 percent of the Earth’s landmass. It includes the Equator and parts of North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Jhulan Goswami, Heather Knight, Eoin Morgan join MCC World Cricket Committee: Indian woman cricketer Jhulan Goswami has joined England women’s team captain Heather Knight and Eoin Morgan to become a member of the MCC World Cricket Committee (WCC). This committee is an independent body that consists of current and former international cricketers, umpires, and officials from various countries. Jhulan Goswami retired from international cricket in 2022. Throughout her impressive two-decade-long career, Goswami took over 300 wickets in white-ball cricket across 272 appearances and secured 44 wickets in 12 Test matches. Heather Knight has been leading the England cricket team since 2016. Under her captaincy, England won the ICC Women’s World Cup at Lord’s in 2017, just a year after she took over. Eoin Morgan, one of England’s greatest run-scorers in ODI cricket, has amassed just under 7,000 runs in his career. He captained the English team to their historic victory in the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2019, which culminated in an unforgettable final against New Zealand.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Tata AIA partners with WhatsApp, Pay U to introduce premium payment feature: Tata AIA has partnered with WhatsApp and PayU to make payments through Unified Payment Interfaces (UPI) for their consumers more efficient. This feature provides an instant premium payment facility through WhatsApp and UPI-enabled payment options. The company has enabled the renewal of premium collections via multiple Digital modes and enhanced its language capability to 5 Languages–English, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, and Bengali.

2. RBI cancels Mahalaxmi Cooperative Bank Dharwad’s banking license: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has canceled the banking license of the Karnataka-based Mahalaxmi Cooperative Bank, Dharwad, and allowed function only as a non-banking institution. This makes it obligatory on the part of Mahalaxmi Cooperative Bank Ltd., Dharwad, Karnataka to stop conducting the business of ‘banking’ within the meaning of section 5(b) of the Act ibid, including acceptance of deposits from non-members with immediate effect. RBI has also been instructed to repay unpaid and unclaimed deposits of non-members held by it, whenever demanded, even after being notified as a non-banking Institution.

3. AP Hota appoints as part-time Chairman of Federal Bank: The Reserve Bank of India has given its approval to the Federal Bank for the appointment of AP Hota as part-time chairman, with effect from June 29, 2023, till January 14, 2026. AP Hota has banking experience of over 27 years in the Reserve Bank, mostly in technology and payment systems, from 1982- 2009. While at Reserve Bank of India, he served as nominee director to the Board of Vijaya Bank and subsequently Andhra Bank. He was the architect of NPCI and served as its Managing Director