th current affairs - vanik.org

ContentsTopics of the Month -------------------------------------------------------- 1

Economy -------------------------------------------------------- 16

RBI in News -------------------------------------------------------- 16

SBI in News --------------------------------------------------------- 17

Other Banks in News ------------------------------------------------ 17

Financial News ------------------------------------------------ 19

Rating and Survey ------------------------------------------------ 21

MOU and Agreement ------------------------------------------------ 22

Fund Allocation ------------------------------------------------------ 23

Committee and Its Head -------------------------------------------------------- 24

State News -------------------------------------------------------- 25

International -------------------------------------------------------- 32

National -------------------------------------------------------- 37

International and National Summits --------------------------------------- 46

Bilateral & MOU -------------------------------------------------------- 48

Award -------------------------------------------------------- 50

Person in News/Newly Appointed -------------------------------------------- 54

Sports -------------------------------------------------------- 57

Science and Technology -------------------------------------------------------- 60

New Lunch -------------------------------------------------------- 62

Defence -------------------------------------------------------- 63

Index and Ranking -------------------------------------------------------- 65

Book and Author -------------------------------------------------------- 68

Day and Days -------------------------------------------------------- 69

Obituary -------------------------------------------------------- 71

Miscellaneous -------------------------------------------------------- 72

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MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

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of the MonthISSUES

MAJOR

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Cabinet Reshuffle

2021In the first ever reshuffle since the beginning of the 2ndterm PM Modi added many new faces to his Council ofMinister which upgrading some to Cabinet status anddropping some from the list declared on 7th July 2021.

ShriNarendraModi

Prime Minister and also in-charge of:Ministry of Personnel, PublicGrievances and Pensions;Department of Atomic Energy;Department of Space;All important policy issues;and All other portfolios not allocated toany Minister

Full list of Ministers in Narendra Modi’s Government :

CABINET MINISTERS1 Shri Raj Nath Singh Minister of Defence2 Shri Amit Shah Minister of Home Affairs; and Minister of Cooperation3 Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari Minister of Road Transport and Highways4 Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate Affairs5 Shri Narendra SinghTomar Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare6 Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Minister of External Affairs7 Shri Arjun Munda Minister of Tribal Affairs8 Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani Minister of Women and Child Development9 Shri Piyush Goyal Minister of Commerce and Industry; Minister of Consumer Affairs,

Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of Textiles10 Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Minister of Education; and Minister of Skill Development and

Entrepreneurship11 Shri Pralhad Joshi Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of Coal; and Minister of

Mines12 Shri Narayan Tatu Rane Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises13 Shri Sarbananda Sonowal Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; and Minister of AYUSH14 Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Minister of Minority Affairs15 Dr. Virendra Kumar Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment16 Shri Giriraj Singh Minister of Rural Development; and Minister of Panchayati Raj17 Shri Jyotiraditya M.Scindia Minister of Civil Aviation18 Shri Ramchandra Prasad Singh Minister of Steel19 Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Minister of Railways; Minister of Communications; and Minister of

Electronics and Information Technology20 Shri Pashu Pati Kumar Paras Minister of Food Processing Industries21 Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Minister of Jal Shakti22 Shri Kiren Rijiju Minister of Law and Justice23 Shri Raj Kumar Singh Minister of Power; and Minister of New and Renewable Energy24 Shri Hardeep Singh Puri Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Housing and

Urban Affairs25 Shri Mansukh Mandaviya Minister of Health and Family Welfare; and Minister of Chemicals

and Fertilizers

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and Fertilizers

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26 Shri Bhupender Yadav Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Minister ofLabour and Employment

27 Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey Minister of Heavy Industries28 Shri Parshottam Rupala Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying29 Shri G. Kishan Reddy Minister of Culture; Minister of Tourism; and Minister of

Development of North Eastern Region30 Shri Anurag Singh Thakur Minister of Information and Broadcasting; and Minister of Youth

Affairs and Sports

MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)1 Rao Inderjit Singh Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and

Programme Implementation;Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning; andMinister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs

2 Dr. Jitendra Singh Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science andTechnology;Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences;Minister of State in the Prime Minister’sOffice;Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and

Pensions;Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and Minister of Statein the Department of Space

MINISTERS OF STATE1 Shri Shripad Yesso Naik Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism2 Shri Faggansingh Kulaste Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel; and Minister of State in the

Ministry of Rural Development3 Shri Prahalad Singh Patel Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti; and Minister of State in the

Ministry of Food Processing Industries4 Shri Ashwini KumarChoubey Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public

Distribution; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forestand Climate Change

5 Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister ofState in the Ministry of Culture

6 General (Retd.) V. K.Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; andMinister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation

7 Shri Krishan Pal Minister of State in the Ministry of Power; and Minister of State in theMinistry of Heavy Industries

8 Shri Danve RaosahebDadarao Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways; Minister of State in theMinistry of Coal; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines

9 Shri Ramdas Athawale Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment10 Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public

Distribution; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development11 Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and

Dairying12 Shri Nityanand Rai Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs13 Shri Pankaj Chaowdhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance14 Smt. Anupriya Singh Patel Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry15 Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice16 Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and

Entrepreneurship; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics andInformation Technology

17 Sushri Shobha Karandlaje Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare18 Shri Bhanu Pratap Singherma Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises19 Smt. Darshana VikramJardosh Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles; and Minister of State in the

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Ministry of Railways20 Shri V. Muraleedharan Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State

in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs21 Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State

in the Ministry of Culture22 Shri Som Parkash Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry23 Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs24 Shri Rameswar Teli Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employment25 Shri Kailash Choudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare26 Smt. Annpurna Devi Minister of State in the Ministry of Education27 Shri A. Narayanaswamy Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment28 Shri Kaushal Kishore Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs29 Shri Ajay Bhatt Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence; and Minister of State in the

Ministry of Tourism30 Shri B. L. Verma Minister of State in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region;

and Minister of State in the Ministry of Cooperation31 Shri Ajay Kumar Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs32 Shri Devusinh Chauhan Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications33 Shri Bhagwanth Khuba Minister of State in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers34 Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj35 Sushri Pratima Bhoumik Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment36 Dr. Subhas Sarkar Minister of State in the Ministry of Education37 Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance38 Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State

in the Ministry of Education39 Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare40 Shri Bishweswar Tudu Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs; and Minister of State in

the Ministry of Jal Shakti41 Shri Shantanu Thakur Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways42 Dr. Munjapara Mahendrabhai Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of AYUSH43 Shri John Barla Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs44 Dr. L. Murugan Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and

Dairying; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Information andBroadcasting

45 Shri Nisith Pramanik Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs; and Minister of State inthe Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

Meanwhile, ahead of the much-anticipated reshuffle, twelve ministers resigned. Among the big names to resignare IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar,Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar.Other ministers who are out of the Cabinet are Babul Supriyo, Sadananda Gowda, Debasree Chaudhuri, RattanLal Kataria, Sanjay Dhotre, Thawarchand Gehlot, Pratap Chandra Sarangi (MoS) and Ashwini Chaubey (MoS).

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MILKHA SINGH : THEFLYING SIKH

Milkha Singh, byname the Flying Sikh, (born October 17, 1935, Lyallpur [now Faisalabad],Pakistan—died June 18, 2021, Chandigarh, India), Indian track-and-field athlete whobecame the first Indian male to reach the final of an Olympic athletics event when heplaced fourth in the 400-metre race at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Orphaned during the partition of India, Singh moved to India from Pakistan in1947. He eked out a living by working in a roadside restaurant before joining theIndian army. It was in the army that Singh realized his abilities as a sprinter. Afterwinning the national trials in the 200-metre and 400-metre sprints, he was eliminated during the preliminary heats for those events at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.At the 1958 Asian Games, Singh won both the 200-metre and 400-metre races. Laterthat year he captured the 400-metre gold at the Commonwealth Games, which was India’s firstathletics gold in the history of the Games. He narrowly lost the bronze medal in the 400 metres atthe 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, missing out on third place in a photo finish. Singh retained his 400-metre gold at the 1962 Asian Games and also took another gold as part of India’s 4 × 400-metrerelay team. He made a final Olympic appearance at the 1964 Tokyo Games as part of the national4 × 400 team that failed to advance past preliminary heats.Singh was awarded the Padma Shri (one of India’s highest civilian honours) in 1959. After hisretirement he served as the director of sports in Punjab. Singh’s autobiography, The Race of My Life(cowritten with his daughter Sonia Sanwalka), was published in 2013.

INDIA LAUNCHES GLOBALINITIATIVE FOR CLEAN

ENERGY INNOVATIONIndia launched the Mission Innovation CleanTech Exchange, a global initiative, that will create a network ofincubators across member countries to accelerate clean energy innovation.

The network, launched virtually at the Innovating to Net Zero Summit hosted by Chile, will provide access tothe expertise and market insights needed to support new technologies to access new markets globally.India among 23 governments collectively launched bol d new plans to catalyze action and spearheaded a decadeof innovation to drive global investment in clean energy research, development and demonstrations.The goal is to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all this decade, to accelerate actiontowards the Paris Agreement and net zero pathways.Mission Innovation 2.0 is the second phase of the global Mission Innovation initiative, launched alongside theParis Agreement at the 2015 UN climate conference. Its members -- collectively responsible for over 90 per centof global public investment in clean energy innovation -- are committed to increase investment andcollaboration to deliver the technologies needed to overcome the world's most difficult climate challenges.Achieving the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to well below two degrees Celsius, comparedto pre-industrial levels, requires huge leaps in energy innovation this decade.Half of the global emissions reductions required to achieve national and global climate targets by 2050 dependon technologies that exist today, but are only at demonstration or prototype phase. These technologies are not

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yet sufficiently effective or affordable to be deployed at scale, such as clean hydrogen, advanced battery storageor zero emission fuels.Mission Innovation 2.0 will catalyze public-private action and investment through sector-specific missions thataccelerate the development of clean energy solutions in critical areas, to reach tipping points this decade in theiraffordability.The goal is to make them attractive and accessible to all countries and give governments worldwide theconfidence to set ambitious clean energy pathways.As many governments and businesses around the world continue to commit to ambitious climate goals and toreach net zero emissions, the need for innovation has never been greater or more urgent.To achieve the ParisAgreement goals, all sectors of the economy need access to cost competitive clean energy solutions this decade.The ministers committed to step up their collective ambition and cooperation; mobilize and connect globalresearch, development and demonstration efforts to maximize the impact of these investments; build confidencein clean energy solutions; and develop pathways to deployment.They also committed to develop National Innovation Pathways that describe how they will enhance ambition topioneer clean energy technologies and/or sectors to meet their climate and energy goals up to 2030.Mission Innovation 2.0was officially launchedat the Innovating to NetZero Summit, hosted byChile.John Kerry, U.S. SpecialPresidential Envoy forClimate, said The launchof Mission Innovation2.0 is an important stepforward to reach ourcollective climate goals.Reaching net-zeroemissions by 2050 willrequire urgent action by2030, both to deploy theclean energytechnologies we alreadyhave as well as todevelop, demonstrate,and scale the innovationswe'll need to fullydecarbonize the globaleconomy.The United States is reinvigorating its leadership in this exciting new phase, in which the Mission Innovationcommunity will advance the technologies we need for slashing emissions across challenging applications,including zero-carbon hydrogen, clean long-distance transportation, and carbon dioxide removal.The launch of Mission Innovation 2.0 is a key milestone in the build-up to the COP26 climate conference inGlasgow, UK, in November.Accelerating the transition to clean energy will be essential if we are to keep the 1.5 degree goal within reach.To achieve this, international collaboration on innovation in sectors like power, transport and industry will becrucial.Speaking on M ission Innovation, Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan said Mission Innovation(MI) has played an exemplary role in mobilizing greater public and private investments and partnerships tomove the innovation needle, thereby accelerating clean energy innovation.MI 2.0 highlights the importance of collaborative scientific efforts to realize the vision of an affordable andreliable clean energy system and shall help countries reiterate their pledge to pursue a sustainable future throughresearch-led innovations.Since 2015, Mission Innovation member governments have increased clean energy innovation investments by acumulative total of $18bn.Investment is now $5.8bn per year higher than in 2015. Canada, Chile, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands,Norway, the Republic of Korea and the UK have doubled their levels of investment and Denmark, Germany,Sweden and the European Commission have increased investment by 75 per cent or more against their 2015baselines.

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SURAKSHIT HUMSURAKSHIT TUM

ABHIYAAN LAUNCHED IN112 ASPIRATIONAL

DISTRICTSNITI Aayog and Piramal Foundation on June 8, launched the‘Surakshit Hum Surakshit Tum Abhiyaan’ in 112 aspirationaldistricts to assist the district administrations in providing home-care support to Covid-19 patients who are asymptomatic orhave mild symptoms.The campaign is under a special initiative – AspirationalDistricts Collaborative – in which local leaders, civil societiesand volunteers will work with the district administrations toaddress emerging issues across key focus areas of theAspirational Districts Programme.It is aimed to reach everyaffected person in these 112 districts.It will be led by district magistrates in partnership with over1000 local NGOs, which will enlist and train over 1 lakhvolunteers to connect with patients through inbound/outboundcalls.Aspirational Districts ProgrammeAbout:It was launched in January 2018, the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ Programme (TADP).Aspirational Districts are those districts in India that are affected by poor socio-economic indicators.These are aspirational in the context, that improvement in these districts can lead to the overall improvement inhuman development in India.Ministry:At the Government of India level, the programme is anchored by NITI Aayog. In addition, individual Ministrieshave assumed responsibility to drive the progress of districts.Objective:To monitor the real-time progress of aspirational districts.Focus Areas:ADP is based on 49 indicators from the 5 identified thematic areas, which focuses closely on improvingpeople’s Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & SkillDevelopment, and Basic Infrastructure.With States as the main drivers, ADP seeks to focus on the strength of each district, identify low-hanging fruitsfor immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.Broad Contours of the Programme (Triple-C):Convergence (of Central & State Schemes) which brings together the horizontal and vertical tiers of thegovernment.Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors) which enables impactfulpartnerships between government, market and civil society.Competition among districts driven by a spirit of the mass movement fosters accountability on districtgovernments.

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RUSSIA PULLS OUT OFOPEN SKIES TREATY

President Putin has signed legislation, which signaled Russia’sformal exit from the 1992 Open Skies arms control treaty.US had formally withdrawn from Open Skies treaty on 22 November2020.Open Skies treaty had become effective on January 1, 2002. Itallows unarmed surveillance flights over member countries.34 other countries had signed the treaty. It was proposed by GeorgeH. W. Bush's administration in 1992.Recently, the US and Russia have extended the NewSTART (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) for the nextfive years. It is a nuclear arms reductiontreaty between US and Russia.Terms Of Open SkiesTreaty:Open surveillance: Underthe treaty, a member Statecan undertake surveillanceon any part of the hostnation, with the latter’sconsent.Only approved imagingequipment is permitted onthe surveillance flights.Officials from the host statecan also stay on board throughout the planned journey.Sharing strategic information: The information gathered, such as on troop movements, military exercises andmissile deployments, has to be shared with all member States.Both US and Russia were signatories of the treaty.India is not a member of this treaty.Key PointsReasons for USA Withdrawal:Russia’s continuous non compliance: The USA had for over a decade accused Russia of non-compliance withOST protocols, blaming Moscow of obstructing surveillance flights on its territory, while misusing its ownmissions for gathering key tactical data.OST misused to claim Ukrainian region: The USA also accused Russia of designating an airfield in the annexedCrimean Peninsula as an Open Skies refueling base as an illegal attempt by Russia to cement its claim to theUkrainian region.Risk to critical infrastructures: Russia misused its flights over the USA and Europe to identify criticalinfrastructure for potential attack in a time of war.Reasons for Russia Withdrawal:USA limiting OST: Russia defends its non compliance with the OST to allow flights over Kaliningrad (Russianexclave in Eastern Europe that lies between NATO allies Lithuania and Poland) citing the example of the USimposing similar limits on flights over Alaska.No assurance from NATO members: After USA withdrawal from OST, Russia did not get the sought assurancefrom North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies who continued to remain on the treaty that they wouldnot transfer data collected by their flights over Russia to Washington (USA).Significance:For European NATO members:Russia’s departure could adversely impact Washington’s European allies, which rely on OST data to trackRussian troop movements in the Baltic region.

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Departure from Arms control treaties:The failure of the Open Skies Treaty follows the demise of another significant arms control accord, theIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, after both the US and Russia left it in 2019. This treaty aimedat eliminating their stocks of intermediate-range and shorter-range (or “medium-range”) land-based missileswhich could carry nuclear warheads.Withdrawal of the USA and Russia from OST has further deepened doubts on extension of the New STARTtreaty, which expires in February, 2021.For India:Growing mistrust between global powers could make it difficult for India to maintain good mutualrelationships with both the countries if the hostility escalates in future.

PAN-AADHAAR LINKINGDEADLINE EXTENDED TO

SEPTEMBER 30 BYGOVERNMENT

The PAN-Aadhaar linking deadline has yet again been extended by the government. As per announcementmade by Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur via his Twitter handle, thedeadline to link PAN with Aadhaar has been extended by three months to September 30, 2021 from thecurrent deadline of June 30, 2021.

The PAN-Aadhaar linking deadline has been extended due to the second wave of the novel coronaviruspandemic. The government has already extended thedeadline thrice due to Covid-19 - first from March

31, 2020, to June 30, 2020, then to March 31,2021, and then again to June 30,2021. This extension will come as arelief for those who still have notlinked their PAN with Aadhaar due tomismatch in details.Do keep in mind that if your PAN isnot linked with Aadhaar by the newdeadline, then not only will your PAN

become inoperative, but you will also be liableto pay a penalty of up to Rs 1,000 if the linkingis done after the expiry of the deadline.Penalty will be levied as per the newly inserted section 234H into the Income-taxAct, 1961. The insertion of the new law was done by the government at the time of passing of the Finance Bill,2021. Though the law says that the maximum penalty amount will not exceed Rs 1000, however, thegovernment is yet to prescribe the exact amount.Further, once the PAN becomes inoperative, then an individual will not be able to conduct financial transactionswherever quoting of PAN is mandatory. If PAN is linked with Aadhaar after it has become inoperative thenyour PAN will become operative once again from the date of linking.There are many financial transactions wherever quoting of PAN is mandatory. This includes at the time of filingincome tax return, opening of a bank account, fixed deposit account etc.Earlier, the law stated that if the PAN is not linked with Aadhaar, then PAN would become 'invalid', as if anindividual never held the PAN. However, the rule regarding the consequences of not linking PAN with Aadhaar

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was revised in July 2019 Budget. The amendment in the law was done to protect the financial transactionsundertaken prior to linking of the same.How to link PAN with AadhaarThere are three ways to link PAN with Aadhaar. These include: either by sending an SMS to 567678 or 56161,through the e-filing website, or manually by filling a specified form at a designated PAN service centre. If youare already filing ITR (income tax return), it is likely that your PAN is linked to Aadhaar.

2021 PULITZER PRIZEWINNERS

The Pulitzer Prize is the top US journalism award presented annually for excellence in newspaper, magazineand online journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition.

Pulitzer prizes are awarded in twenty-one categories. Each winner receives a certificate and a USD 15,000 cashaward in 20 categories, while in one of the category namely, public service category, the winner gets a goldmedal.Winners of Pulitzer Prizes for the year 2021 :JournalismPublic Service:The Ne w York TimesBreaking News Reporting:Staff of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.Investigative Reporting:Matt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen and Brendan McCarthyof The Boston GlobeExplanatory Reporting:Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell and Jackie Botts ofReuters and Ed Yong of The AtlanticLocal Reporting:Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi of the Tampa Bay TimesNational Reporting:Staffs of The Marshall Project; AL.com, Birmingham; IndyStar, Indianapolis; and theInvisible Institute, ChicagoInternational Reporting:Megha Rajagopalan, AlisonKilling and Christo Buschek of BuzzFeed NewsFeature Writing:Mitchell S. Jackson, freelancecontributor, Runner’s Worldand Nadja Drost, freelance contributor, TheCalifornia Sunday MagazineCommentary:Michael Paul Williams of theRichmond (Va.) Times-DispatchCriticism:Wesley Morris of The New YorkTimesEditorial Writing:Robert Greene of the LosAngeles TimesEditorial Cartooning:No awardBreaking News Photography:Photography Staff of Associated PressFeature Photography:Emilio Morenatti of Associated PressAudio Reporting:Lisa Hagen, Chris Haxel, Graham Smith and Robert Little of National Public RadioBooks, Drama, and MusicFiction: The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich (Harper)Drama :The Hot Wing King, by Katori HallHistory Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, by Marcia Chatelain (Liveright/Norton)Biography:The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X, by the late Les Payne and Tamara Payne(Liveright/Norton)Poetry : Postcolonial Love Poem, by Natalie Diaz (Graywolf Press)General Nonfiction:Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy, byDavid Zucchino (Atlantic Monthly Press)Music:Stride, by Tania León (Peermusic Classical)Special Citations:Darnella Frazier

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6TH EDITION OFSUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT REPORT2021 : INDIA'S

RANK 120THThe Covid-19 pandemic is such a big global healthemergency that it has snowballed into a sustainabledevelopment crisis for most countries. For the first timesince adoption in 2015 for a better world, the worldwideprogress on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(UN SDGs) has shown reversal due to increased povertyand unemployment caused by Covid-19. The decline in theSDG progress worldwide may be even underestimated dueto lack of the latest data, according to a new report.

The ‘Sustainable Development Report 2021’ (SDR 2021) was written by lead author Prof Jeffrey Sachs and histeam at the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a UN initiative for mobilising scientific andtechnical expertise for achievement of the goals.India has dropped three spots from 117 to rank at 120 out of 165 countries, according to the report. In 2020, too,India had slid to rank 117 down from 115 in 2019. For India, there is a silver lining, too. The country is on trackto achieve the SDG 6 on Clean Water & Sanitation despite major challenges related to basic sanitation servicesand anthropogenic wastewater treatment, and SDG 13 on Climate Action. NITI Aayog’s recent SDG IndiaIndex 2020–21, too, had recorded the country’s steady progress on Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6) andAffordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7).Amidst continued challenges in India, SDR 2021 has recorded declining trends on Quality Education (SDG 4)due to lower secondary completion rate, and Life on Land (SDG 15) due to risk of extinction of species.Due to major challenges in India, the progress is stagnant on Zero Hunger (SDG 2); Gender Equality (SDG 5);Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11); Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16); andPartnerships for Goals (SDG 17).The report also points out goal-wise targets showing downward trends in progress. For example, there areworsening trends on the targets related to the ratio of female-to-male labour force participation rate under thegoal of Gender Equality; the proportion of urban population living in slums, annual mean concentration ofparticulate matter and access to improved water source under the goal of Sustainable Cities and Communities;and unsentenced detainees, people feeling safe walking alone at night, and Press Freedom Index under the goalon Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.Most other countries are faring better than India, but they too have to recover some lost ground. For example,Finland, Sweden and Denmark occupy the top three ranks, but they too are challenged to achieve all the SDGsby 2030. Having said that, the report says, the rich countries can cover lost ground faster than poor countries dueto their fiscal space.Overall the progress on the SDGs can pick up on the back of sound policies and strong global cooperation tobuild forward better, says the report. Taking note of the short-term impacts of Covid-19 on the SDGs, the reportunderlines how the SDGs can help stage the recovery. “To restore SDG progress, developing countries need asignificant increase in fiscal space, through global tax reform and expanded financing by the multilateraldevelopment banks,” says Prof Sachs in his communication. He adds that fiscal outlays should support six key

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SDG transformations: quality education for all, universal health coverage, clean energy and industry, sustainableagriculture and land use, sustainable urban infrastructure, and universal access to digital technologies.What is the SDG Index?The SDG Index is an assessment of each country’s overall performance on the 17 SDGs, giving equal weight toeach Goal. The score signifies a country’s position between the worst possible outcome (0) and the best, ortarget outcome (100)As per SDG Index 2021, Finland’s overall index was the highest with a score of 85.90Three Nordic countries top the 2021 SDG Index: Finland, Sweden, and DenmarkIndia ranked 120th with a score of 60.07All countries in the top 20 apart from Croatia are OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment) countries. Yet even OECD countries face significant challenges in achieving several SDGsWhat is the SDG Dashboard?The SDG dashboards highlight each country’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to the 17 goals, presentingperformance in terms of levels and trends.Overall, OECD member states are closer to achieving the targets than other country groups, yet none of themare on track to achieve all 17 SDGsEast and South Asia has progressed more towards achieving the SDGs than any other region since the adoptionof the goals in 2015. Overall, the region is performing best on SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 4 (QualityEducation)Of the 17 goals, countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are on average closest to achieving SDG 1 (NoPoverty) and SDG 4 (Quality Education). Compared with other regions, SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and StrongInstitutions) remains problematicLatin American and Caribbean countries perform best on SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), but they facemajor challenges on several other SDGsCountries in the Middle East and North Africa show great disparity in their performance on the SDGs andprogress being made. Ongoing conflicts in some countries have led to poor and worsening performance on mostSDGs for several years, particularly on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well Being), and SDG16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)Impact of COVID-19 on key SDG indicators:SDG 1 (No Poverty) – Covid has pushed an estimated 120 million people into extreme poverty over the pastyearSDG 2 (Zero Hunger) – It has also impacted access to food and increased food insecuritySDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) – As of late April 2021, the global COVID-19 death toll had surpassed 3million deaths globallySDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordableand Clean Energy), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) have also been severely affectedTemporary gains were observed on SDGs 12–15 over the past year related to sustainable production andconsumption, climate action and biodiversity protection have been rapidly offset once restrictions were liftedCOVID-19 has highlighted the limited capacity of LIDCs (Low-Income Developing Countries) to tap marketfinancing. While the governments of high-income countries have borrowed heavily in response to the pandemic,LIDCs have been unable to do so because of their lower market creditworthiness.

INDIA RECEIVES $64 BNFDI IN 2020, FIFTH

LARGEST RECIPIENT OFINFLOWS : UN

India received $64 billion in Foreign Direct Investment in 2020, the fifth largest recipient of inflows in theworld, according to a UN report which said the COVID-19 second wave in the country weighs heavily on thecountry's overall economic activities but its strong fundamentals provide optimism for the medium term.

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The World Investment Report 2021 by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), releasedMonday, said global FDI flows have been severely hit by the pandemic and they plunged by 35 per cent in 2020to $1 trillion from $1.5 trillion the previous year.Lockdowns caused by COVID-19 around the world slowed down existing investment projects, and prospects ofa recession led multinational enterprises (MNEs) to reassess new projects.The report said in India, FDI increased 27 per cent to $64 billion in 2020 from $51billion in 2019, pushed up by acquisitions in the information and communicationtechnology (ICT) industry, making the country the fifth largest FDI recipient inthe world.The pandemic boosted demand for digital infrastructure and services globally.This led to higher values of greenfield FDI project annou ncements targeting theICT industry, rising by more than 22 per cent to $81 billion.Major project announcements in the ICT industry included a $2.8 billion investment by online retail giantAmazon in ICT infrastructure in India.The report noted that the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in India weighs heavily on the country'soverall economic activities.Announced greenfield projects in India contracted by 19 per cent to $24 billion, and the second wave in April2021 is affecting economic activities, which could lead to a larger contraction in 2021, it said, adding that theoutbreak in India severely hit main investment destinations such as Maharashtra, which is home to one of thebiggest automotive manufacturing clusters (MumbaiPuneNasikAurangabad) and Karnataka (home to theBengaluru tech hub), which face another lockdown as of April 2021, exposing the country to productiondisruption and investment delays.Yet India's strong fundamentals provide optimism for the medium term. FDI to India has been on a long-termgrowth trend and its market size will continue to attract market-seeking investments. In addition, investment intothe ICT industry is expected to keep growing, the report said.The country's export-related manufacturing, a priority investment sector, will take longer to recover, butgovernment facilitation can help. India's Production Linkage Incentive scheme, designed to attractmanufacturing and export-oriented investments in priority industries including automotive and electronics candrive a rebound of investment in manufacturing.The report said FDI in South Asia rose by 20 per cent to $71 billion, driven mainly by strong M&As in India.Amid India's struggle to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, robust investment through acquisitions in ICT(software and hardware) and construction bolstered FDI, it said adding that cross-border M&As surged 83 percent to $27 billion, with major deals involving ICT, health, infrastructure and energy. Large transactionsincluded the acquisition of Jio Platforms by Jaadhu, a subsidiary of Facebook for $5.7 billion, the acquisition ofTower Infrastructure Trust by Canada's Brookfield Infrastructure and GIC (Singapore) for $3.7 billion and thesale of the electrical and automation division of Larsen & Toubro India for $2.1 billion. Another megadealUnilever India's merger with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare India, a subsidiary of GSK UnitedKingdom) for $4.6 billion also contributed.FDI outflows from South Asia fell 12 per cent to $12 billion, driven by a drop in investment from India. Indiaranked 18 out of the world's top 20 economies for FDI outflows, with 12 billion dollars of outflows recordedfrom the country in 2020 as compared to 13 billion dollars in 2019.Investments from India are expected to stabilise in 2021, supported by the country's resumption of free tradeagreement (FTA) talks with the European Union (EU) and its strong investment in Africa.The report cautioned that while the Asian region has managed the health crisis relatively well, the recent secondwave of COVID-19 in India shows that significant uncertainties remain.This has major impacts on prospects for South Asia. A wider resurgence of the virus in Asia could significantlylower global FDI in 2021, given that region's significant contribution to the total.FDI inflows to developing Asia grew by 4 per cent to $535 billion in 2020, making it the only region to recordgrowth and increasing Asia's share of global inflows to 54 per cent. In China, FDI increased by 6 per cent to$149 billion.While some of the largest economies in developing Asia such as China and India recorded FDI growth in 2020,the rest recorded a contraction.The report added that FDI inflows in Asia are expected to increase in 2021, outperforming other developingregions with a projected growth of 510 per cent.Signs of trade and industrial production recovering in the second half of 2020 provide a strong foundation forFDI growth in 2021. Yet, substantial downside risks remain for the many economies in the region that struggleto contain successive waves of COVID-19 cases and where fiscal capacity for recovery spending is limited.Economies in East and South-East Asia, and India, will continue to attract foreign investment in high-techindustries, given their market size and their advanced digital and technology ecosystem

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ECONOMYRBI IN NEWSRBI Monetary Policy: Repo rate unchanged at 4% The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the repo rate unchanged at 4

per cent while maintaining an ‘accommodative stance’ as long as necessary to mitigate the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic.

Reverse repo rate too was kept unchanged at 3.35 per cent. The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate andbank rate also remained unchanged at 4.25 percent.

Reverse repo rate too was kept unchanged at 3.35 per cent. The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate andbank rate also remained unchanged at 4.25 percent.

Government Securities Acquisition Program 1.0 (G-SAP 1.0) for Rs 40,000 crore purchase will beconducted by the RBI. Also, G-SAP 2.0 worth Rs 1.2 lakh crore will be taken in the second quarter (Q2) ofFY22 to support the market.

Central bank will open a Rs 15,000 crore on-tap liquidity at repo rate for contact intensive sectors till March2022. This will give lending to the hospitality, car and bus rental operators, restaurants, salons, and otherhigh-contact services.

RBI’s foreign exchange reserve is in touching distance of the $600 billion mark. This gives the RBI greatconfidence to deal with challenges arising out of global spillovers.

RBI: ATM Cash Withdrawal Rule ChangedThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced changes in the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) rules withregard to cash withdrawal. These changes include an increase in charges for transactions beyond the freemonthly permissible limit, a new free ATM transaction limit and an increase in the interchange fee pertransaction.Here are the changes announced by the RBI in ATM cash withdrawal rules:Exceeding monthly limit of free transactions:Customers will have to pay Rs.21 per transaction, instead of Rs. 20 if they exceed their monthly limit of freetransactions. This increase will be effective from January 1, 2022.New free ATM transaction limit:Customers will continue to remain eligible for five free transactions, including financial and non-financial, permonth from their own bank ATMs. They will also be eligible for three free transactions from the ATMs of otherbanks in metro centres and five transactions in non-metro centres.Increase in interchange fee:From August 1 this year, banks are allowed to increase the interchange fee per transaction from Rs.15 to Rs.17for financial transactions and from Rs.5 to Rs.6 for non-financial transactions in all centres.Public Sector Banks To Offer Unsecured Loans Up To Rs. 5 Lakh For Covid Treatment Public sector banks will be offering unsecured personal loans between Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 5 lakh to salaried,

non-salaried and pensioners for meeting Covid treatment. As part of the newly created Covid loan book under the guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India, the banks

will also offer healthcare business loans for setting up oxygen plants under Emergency Credit LineGuarantee Scheme (ECGLS).

These include unsecured personal loans to individuals from Rs.25,000 to Rs.5 lakh to meet medicaltreatment costs for COVID-19, and business loans to healthcare facilities upto Rs.100 crore.

Loan up to Rs. 2 crore capped at 7.5 per cent will be provided to hospitals, nursing homes for setting upoxygen plant.

Earlier this month, Reserve Bank of India said that it will provide a term-liquidity facility of Rs. 50,000crore to ease access of funds for emergency medical service.

RBI announces FPI investment limits in G-secs and SDLs The Reserve Bank of India said the limits for foreign portfolio investors (FPI) investment during the current

fiscal in government securities (G-secs) and State Development Loans (SDLs) will remain unchanged at 6per cent and 2 per cent respectively, of outstanding stocks of securities for 2021-22.

In a circular, the RBI said the allocation of incremental changes in the G-sec limit (in absolute terms) overthe two sub-categories – 'General' and 'Long-term' – will be retained at 50:50 for FY 2021-22.

As of March 31, 2021, the FPI limit stood at Rs. 9,54,280 crore (US$ 131.61 billion) in G-Sec General, G-Sec Long Term, SDL General, SDL Long Term, and Corporate Bonds.

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For April 2021-September 2021, the revised limit (in absolute terms) stands at Rs. 10,14,957 crore (US$139.97 billion). This includes limit for G-sec General at Rs. 2,43,914 crore (US$ 33.64 billion) andCorporate Bonds at Rs. 5,74,263 crore (US$ 79.20 billion). For October 2021 – March 2022, the FPIinvestment limit in the debt instruments stands at Rs. 10,75,637 crore (US$ 148.34 billion).

SBI IN NEWSSBI sanctions Rs.3725 crore for Noida International AirportCountry’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has sanctioned a loan of Rs.3725 crore for the developmentof Noida International Airport (NIA) which is being developed by Yamuna International Airport (YIAPL) andwill be the second airport in National Capital Region (NCR).The entire loan of Rs.3725 crore has beenunderwritten by SBI on a door-to-door loan tenor of 20 years.SBI Launches Kavach Personal Loan For Covid-19 Patients The State Bank of India (SBI) launched the ‘kavach personal loan’ scheme for COVID-19 patients. As per the scheme, the state-run lender is offering collateral free personal loans up to Rs 5 lakh at annual

interest rate of 8.5 percent. The collateral free personal loans are aimed at enabling customers to meet medical expenses of self and

family members for COVID-19 treatment.SBI launched Aarogyam healthcare business loan for healthcare sector amid the pandemic The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched the Aarogyam healthcare business loan to provide enhanced

support to the healthcare sector amid the pandemic. Under this new product, the entire healthcare ecosystemsuch as hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic centres, pathology labs, manufacturers, suppliers, importers,logistic firms engaged in critical healthcare supply can avail of loans up to Rs 100 crore (as per thegeographic location) repayable in 10 years, the country’s largest state-owned bank.

In metro centres loans under Aarogyam can be availed up to Rs 100 crore, Tier I & Urban centres up to Rs20 crore and in Tier II to Tier VI centres up to Rs 10 crore.

SBI Card partners with FabindiaSBI Card, the country’s second-largest credit card issuer and Fabindia, a retail platform for a wide range ofhandcrafted products by the artisans of the country, have joined hands to launch an exclusive co-brandedcontactless credit card named “Fabindia SBI Card”. The card is designed with curated benefits and privileges tooffer a rewarding shopping experience to its premium customers and comes in two variants — Fabindia SBICard SELECT and Fabindia SBI Card.

OTHER BANKS IN NEWSRBI imposed Rs 10 crore penalty on HDFC Bank for deficiency in its regulatory complianceThe Reserve Bank of India has imposed a fine of Rs 10 crore on HDFC Bank for deficiencies in regulatorycompliance found in the auto loan portfolio of the bank. As per the RBI, HDFC Bank has violated the provisionsof section 6(2) and section 8 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.RBI cancelled the licence of Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari BankThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Pune-based Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari Bank.The bank ceases to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business on May 31. The bank doesnot have adequate capital and earning prospects. As such, it does not comply with the provision of the BankingRegulation Act, 1949.Bharti AXA Life in bancassurance pact with Shivalik Small Finance BankPrivate life insurer Bharti AXA Life Insurance has entered into a bancassurance partnership with Shivalik SmallFinance Bank for the distribution of its life insurance products through the bank’s pan-India network ofbranches. This alliance is a part of the bank’s various measures towards financial inclusion and acceleration ofwealth creation for its customers.ICICI Bank to offer instant facility for cross-border inward remittances ICICI Bank has tied up with SWIFT to offer instant facility for cross-border inward remittances as per the

press release on 2nd June 2021. This facility aids in helping the overseas partner banks to instantly send remittances on behalf of their

customers to the Indian beneficiaries. This facility makes ICICI Bank the first Bank in Asia-Pacific and second globally to provide the service

called ‘SWIFT gpi Instant’ Amount over Rs. 2 lakh can be sent to help the overseas partner banks and make a reliable and instant cross border remittances

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RBI imposed penalty on BoI & PNB of Rs 6 croreThe RBI has imposed a penalty aggregating to Rs 6 crores on Bank of India and Punjab National Bank forcontravention of norms, including one related to “Frauds – Classification and Reporting”. A penalty of Rs 4crores has been imposed on the Bank of India and Rs 2 crores on Punjab National Bank.NITI Aayog recommends privatisation of Central Bank, Indian Overseas Bank NITI Aayog has recommended divesting government stake in Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas

Bank (IOB) as part of the privatisation initiative announced in the Union Budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, had announced privatising two public sector

banks (PSBs) and one general insurance company in 2021-22. As per the new PSE (Public SectorEnterprise) policy for 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', NITI Aayog is entrusted with the task to suggest names ofPSUs in strategic sectors to be merged, privatised, or made subsidiaries of other PSUs.

Federal Bank launched an exclusive NR savings account scheme for the Seafarer segment This scheme is specially curated and crafted for the mariners and its services are clubbed with state-of-the-

art digital banking platforms that help the mariners enjoy seamless banking transactions, irrespective of thegeo-coordinates and time zone differences.

The scheme offers facilities like preferential exchange rate for monthly inward remittances, premium debitcard with domestic airport lounge access, linked zero balance NRO account, and bespoke financial planningand customised wealth management products and services.

IDFC FIRST Bank launches Customer COVID relief Ghar Ghar Ration Program IDFC FIRST Bank has announced the launch of ‘Ghar Ghar Ration’ Program, an employee-funded

program for its low-income customers whose livelihoods are affected by COVID-19. “Ghar Ghar Ration” is a unique program where employees have contributed from their personal income to

set up a Customer COVID Care Fund to provide relief to 50,000 COVID affected low-income IDFC FIRSTBank customers.

Employees of the Bank contributed one day to one month’s salary for the purpose.Federal Bank partners with InfosysFederal Bank, to improve its marketing, sales and offer a better customer experience, has partnered with Infosysfor Oracle CX adoption, a cloud-based tool to manage the relationship with customers.DBS tops Forbes Worlds Best Banks list in India for second year in a row DBS has been named by Forbes in their list of World’s Best Banks 2021. DBS was ranked #1 out of 30

domestic and international banks in India for the second consecutive year. This is the third edition of the ‘World’s Best Banks’ list by Forbes, conducted in partnership with market

research firm Statista.KIADB inks MoU with HDFC Bank to Offer Banking Solutions to Investors Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with HDFC Bank to provide a wide range of financial products and services to its customers. As part of the MoU, HDFC Bank will provide a wide range of financial products and services to its

customers through an extensive network of branches across the country.Central Bank of India inks co-lending pacts with Indiabulls Housing, IIFL Home Finance State-owned Central Bank of India announced co-lending partnerships with NBFC players Indiabulls

Housing Finance and IIFL Home Finance. Under this arrangement, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) will originate and process retail home

loans while Central Bank of India will take into its book 80 per cent of the housing loan under directassignment transactions, the lender said in separate regulatory filings.

Indian Bank partners with Fisdom to offer wealth management solutionsIndian Bank, the seventh largest public sector bank, has partnered wealth-tech company Fisdom to offer acomprehensive suite of wealth management products and services to the bank’s 10 crore customers.Bank of Maharashtra tops PSU banks in terms of loan, deposit growth State-owned Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the top performer among public sector lenders in

terms of loan and deposit growth during financial year 2020-21.The lender recorded 13.45 per cent increasein gross advances at Rs.1.07 lakh crore in 2020-21, as per the published data of BoM.

It was followed by Punjab & Sind Bank which posted 8.39 per cent growth in advances with aggregateloans at Rs.67,811 crore at the end of March 2021.

HDFC MF launches banking and financial services NFO HDFC Asset Management Company has launched the New Fund Offer of HDFC Banking and Financial

Services Fund, which aims to invest in the banking and financial services sector across segments andmarket capitalisation.The NFO, which opened on June 11, will close on June 25.

The fund will invest in companies that are leaders and are gaining market shares due to superior execution,scale and better adoption of technology.

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PMC Bank will have a new owner in Centrum and BharatPe The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it has given an ‘in-principle’ nod to Centrum Financial

Services to set up a small finance bank (SFB), paving the way for the entity to take over the crisis-riddenPunjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) bank.

Jaspal Bindra-led Centrum Capital, the holding entity for CFSL, and its partner BharatPe, a paymentssystem company, will infuse Rs 1,800 crore into the small finance bank.

It will get 120 days to commence operations. The amalgamation with PMC Bank is a separate process thatwould involve a notification of the scheme by the government.

The PMC Bank has been facing regulatory action and investigations over the alleged irregularities in certainloan accounts. The problem began when 73% of PMC Bank’s loans were found to be non-performing inSeptember 2019. These loans, worth Rs.6,500 crore, were issued to a real estate company HousingDevelopment and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).

RBI to grant in-principle approval to Centrum Financial Services Ltd to set up Small Finance Bank Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to grant in-principle approval to Centrum Financial Services Limited

to set up a Small Finance Bank. This in-principle approval has been accorded in specific pursuance to the expression of centrum financial

services limited’s offer dated February 1, 2021. The approval has been accorded in response to the notification dated 30 November 2020 published by the

Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC) bank.IndusInd Bank Launches A Digital Lending Platform “IndusEasy Credit” IndusInd Bank announced the launch of ‘IndusEasy Credit’, a comprehensive digital lending platform that

enables customers to meet their financial requirements from the comfort of their homes. With this, both existing as well as non-IndusInd Bank customer can instantly avail personal loans or credit

cards on a single platform in a completely paperless and digital manner.ICICI Bank launched ‘ICICI STACK for Corporates’ICICI Bank has announced the launch of ‘ICICI STACK for Corporates’, a comprehensive set of digital bankingsolutions for corporates and their entire ecosystem including promoters, group companies, employees, dealers,vendors and all other stakeholders. The wide range of 360-degree solutions enables corporates to seamlesslymeet all banking requirements of their ecosystem in an expeditious and frictionless manner.Ujjivan Small Finance Bank collaborates with MoEngage Ujjivan Small Finance Bank said it has collaborated with customer engagement platform MoEngage to

drive digital banking experiences in the unserved and underserved regions of the country. The engagement aims to build a vast presence of the bank for connecting with customers in these regions

through multiple digital touchpoints.Kotak Mahindra Bank launched the new feature ‘Pay Your Contact’ serviceKotak Mahindra Bank has announced the launch of ‘Pay Your Contact’ the new feature that enables itscustomers to send money or make payments to any of their contacts across all payment apps simply by thebeneficiary’s mobile number. The ‘Pay Your Contact’ service is available on the lender’s mobile banking appand uses the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform.

FINANCIAL NEWSGovt Announces Amnesty Scheme For GST Taxpayers, Allows Filing Of Returns With Reduced Late FeeSoon after addressing the 43rd meeting of the GST Council, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamanannounced amnesty scheme for small GST taxpayers and allowed the filing of income tax returns with reducedlate fee. Giving further details, Sitharaman said that the taxpayers can now file their pending returns and availthe benefits of this Amnesty scheme with reduced late fees.SEBI Slaps Rs 5 Cr Fine on Franklin Templeton AMC, Bans Vivek Kudva for 1 Year SEBI barred Franklin Templeton AMC from launching any new debt scheme for two years and fined it Rs 5

crore for violating regulatory norms in the case of winding up of six debt schemes in 2020. Also, it has been asked to refund investment management and advisory fees to the tune of Rs 512 crore,

including interest, collected with respect to the six debt schemes. In a separate order, the regulator has barred Vivek Kudva, former head of Asia Pacific (APAC) for Franklin

Templeton, and his wife Roopa from the securities market for one year for redeeming units of FranklinTempleton MF schemes while in possession of non-public information.

Centre releases Revenue Deficit Grant of Rs 9871 crore to 17 States Centre has released the 3rd monthly installment of Post Devolution Revenue Deficit (PDRD) Grant of Rs.

9,871 crore for the current financial year to 17 States. With the release of 3rd installment, a total amount of Rs. 29,613 crore have been released in the first three

months of the current financial year as Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant to the states.

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The States recommended for Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant are: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana,Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan,Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

India ties with Russia as 4th largest forex reserves holder As per Reserve Bank of India’s data, the foreign exchange reserves of India has crossed $600 billion marks

for the first time. The Forex reserve of India increased by USD 6.842 billion to $605.008 billion in the weekended June 04, 2021.

This is the lifetime high of India’s foreign asset. With this, India has tied with Russia as the fourth largestreserve holder in the world. The forex reserve of Russia is calculated to be $605.2 billion.

Policybazaar gets insurance broking licence Leading web aggregator Policybazaar said it has got approval from regulator IRDAI to undertake insurance

broking, a development that will help the company augment business and expand bouquet of services. With this development, the company will surrender its web aggregator licence to Insurance Regulatory and

Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and undertake business including insurance aggregation under thebroking umbrella.

LIC CSL launched prepaid gift card in collaboration with IDBI Bank on RuPay platformLIC Cards Services (LIC CSL) has launched a contactless prepaid gift card, ‘Shagun’, in collaboration withIDBI Bank on the RuPay platform. The purpose of this card is to expand the gift card market with an intent topromote cashless ways of gifting and present a wide range of end-use choices and in a future foray into themarket of e-gift cards. NPCI partnered with LIC CSL & IDBI Bank for the launch of the Shagun Gift Card onRuPay network.LIC launched IT Platform ‘e-PGS’Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has launched a centralized web-based workflow-based IT platform called “e-PGS”. The new technology platform, e-PGS, has been designed to provide a centralized collection and paymentaccounting with a high level of bank integration. It has been designed to provide very innovative features ofseamless and integrated banking with automatic reconciliations.RBI allows prepaid mobile recharges through Bharat Bill Payment SystemAccording to RBI, The scope of the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) will be expanded by August 31 thisyear by adding ‘mobile prepaid recharges as a biller category. BBPS is an interoperable platform for recurringbill payments operated by the National Payments Corporation of India.GST Council slashes tax on medical supplies needed for covid treatment Ministry of Finance has notified the reduction or waiver in GST rates to be levied on items used for

preventing or treating Covid.The GST Council, in it meeting, had slashed tax rates on critical medication and paraphernalia related toCovid-19 infection.

The reduced rates will remain in effect till September 30, 2021, the Gazette notification read. Therationalisation in GST rates will also apply to existing stocks of Covid relief items.

Remdesivir, which has become immensely popular over the past few months for treating Covid patients,will now be taxed at 5 per cent instead of the earlier 12 per cent.

The GST Council had decided that any other drug recommended by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW) and Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) for Covid treatment will be taxed at 5 per cent.

NCLT gives approval to Piramal’s resolution plan for DHFL The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the overall resolution plan of Piramal Group

for Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL). The NCLT pronounced the order on the resolution plan submittedby Piramal Capital & Housing for the stressed DHFL.

Piramal Capital has already received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) andReserve Bank of India for its Rs.34,250 crore bid to take over DHFL.

World Investment Report 2021: India was fifth largest recipient of FDI in 2020 As per the World Investment Report 2021 by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),

India was the fifth-largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in the world in 2020. Thecountry received USD 64 billion FDI in 2020, which is an increase of 27 per cent, over USD 51 billioninflows in 2019.

The United States remained the largest recipient of FDI, although, the FDI inflow to the country decreasedby 40 per cent, to $156 billion, in 2020. China was the second-largest recipient with USD 149 billion FDI.The global FDI flows decreased by 35 per cent in 2020 to USD 1 trillion from USD 1.5 trillion in 2019.

Finance Ministry allowed HFCs above Rs 100 crore to use to SARFAESI law Ministry of Finance has allowed housing finance companies (HFCs) with asset size of over Rs. 100 crore to

recover the dues using SARFAESI law. This move is expected to be a shot in the arm for thousands ofsmall HFCs, as it will facilitate quick recovery of dues and encourage these companies to lend more.

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Earlier HFCs with assets over Rs. 500 crore (and notified by Finance Ministry) were allowed to useSARFAESI law to recover dues. Currently, there are nearly 100 HFCs that are registered with NHB. Thetop-10 HFCs account for 70-80 per cent of the assets of the housing finance industry. SARFAESI Act 2002allows banks and other financial institutions to auction residential or commercial properties (of Defaulter)to recover loans.

FM announces a new credit guarantee scheme in which loans will be provided to 25 lakh persons viamicrofinancing institutions (MFIs) Finance Minister has announced a new credit guarantee scheme in which loans will be provided to 25 lakh

persons via microfinancing institutions (MFIs). Under the scheme, Rs 1.25 lakh will be provided as loan for three years at interest rate at least 2% below

the maximum rate fixed by RBI. Under the scheme, a guarantee will be provided to scheduled commercial banks for loans to new or existing

non-banking financial corporations (NBFC)-MFIs or MFIs to lend a maximum of Rs 1.25 lakh to around 25lakh small borrowers.

The guarantee will be valid till March 31, 2022 or till guarantees for an amount of Rs 7,500 crore areissued, whichever is earlier.

The guarantee will cover 75% of default amount for up to three years through National Credit GuaranteeTrustee Company (NCGTC).

Finance Minister said that all borrowers, including defaulters up to 89 days, will be eligible for the scheme.The scheme will cover all stressed borrowers except NPAs.

RATTING AND SURVEYSBI lowers India’s FY22 economic growth forecast to 7.9%The latest SBI Ecowrap report has projected India’s FY22 economic growth forecast at 7.9% and this is lowerthan the previous growth projection. Previously, it has projected economic growth of 10.4%.OECD Cuts India Growth Forecast To 9.9% For FY22The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cut its growth projection for India forFY22 to 9.9 per cent from 12.6 per cent estimated in March, as the second wave of coronavirus infections haspaused economic recovery in Asia’s third largest economy. Economic Outlook published by OECD.India’s economy to grow at 9.3% in FY22: Moody’sIndia’s economy will rebound in the current financial year to mark a growth of 9.3 per cent but the secondCovid-19 wave has increased risks to the country’s outlook with potential longer-term credit implications,Moody’s Investors Service said.India’s GDP grows 1.6% in fourth quarter, contracts 7.3% in FY21 Amid coronavirus pandemic, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew at 1.6 per cent in the January-

March quarter of fiscal year 2020-21, but witnessed a contraction of 7.3 per cent for the entire fiscal year,showed government data.

This is the first full-year contraction in the Indian economy in the last four decades since 1979-80, whenGDP had shrunk by 5.2 per cent. This is also the second straight quarter of expansion since India exited arare recession.

Global economy likely to expand 5.6% in 2021: World Bank The global economy is expected to expand 5.6 percent in 2021.According to the latest edition of Global

Economic Prospects World Bank slashed its 2021-22 GDP growth forecast for the Indian economy to 8.3%from

10.1%. It projected a 7.5% economic growth for 2022-23 fiscal year. In 2021, China economic growth will be 8.5 percent and US growth will be 6.8 percent for this year. World Bank:President: David Malpass,Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States,Founded: July 1944,

Bretton WoodsConfederation of Indian Industry forecasted India’s GDP growth of 9.5% for FY 22The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) forecasted India’s GDP growth of 9.5% for the financial year 2021-22.Ind-Ra revises India’s GDP growth rate for FY22 at 9.6% India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has projected the GDP growth rate of India for fiscal year FY22

(2021-22) at 9.6 per cent. Earlier this was estimated at 10.1 per cent by the rating agency. This rate is, however, contingent upon India

vaccinating its entire adult population by December 31, 2021.

CORPORATE, e-COMMERCE AND BUSINESS NEWSWipro touched Rs 3 trillion in market capitalisation for the first time

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Wipro has touched Rs 3 trillion in market capitalisation for the first time, becoming the third Indian IT firmto achieve the milestone after Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys. The company won its largest dealever from German retailer Metro and has seen deal wins of $7.1 billion. India has a total of 13 listed firmsthat have crossed the Rs 3 trillion m-cap. Wipro now ranks 14th.

Reliance Industries is India’s most valued company with a market capitalisation of Rs.14.05 trillion,followed by Tata Consultancy Services Ltd and HDFC Bank with an m-cap of Rs.11.58 trillion and Rs.8.33trillion, respectively.

TCS opens its first European innovation centre in AmsterdamTata Consultancy Services (TCS) will bring universities, businesses, startups and government together at itslatest innovation hub in Amsterdam to help use digital technology to solve sustainability challenges.It will focuson sustainability challenges faced by organisations and becomes the first in a network of hubs, known as TCSPace Ports, in Europe.Adani launches green tarif initiative Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited (AEML) has decided to offer a Green Tariff Initiative for its consumers

in Mumbai suburban area. As per the company's official release, all consumers right from corporates, industrial, commercial, hotels,

restaurants, and residential consumers can now switch to green energy.NTPC Joins UN’s CEO Water Mandate for Water ConservationIndia’s largest power utility, NTPC Ltd, under the Ministry of Power, has become a signatory to the prestigiousUN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, that focus on efficient water management. The initiative alsoprovides a platform for companies to partner with like-minded businesses, UN agencies, public authorities, civilsociety organizations, and other key stakeholders.

MOU AND AGREEMENTByju’s, Google Team up to Offer ‘Learning Solution’ for SchoolsEducation technology firm Byju’s announced a partnership with tech giant Google to offer a learning solution’for schools.With this, the simplicity, flexibility and security of Google Workspace for Education and Byju’scontent pedagogy come together on the ‘Vidyartha’ platform to aid effective learning at school.Mahindra Rural Housing Finance, IPPB tie up for cash management solution Mahindra Rural Housing Finance and India Post Payments Bank announced a strategic partnership for cash

management solution. As part of the tie-up, IPPB will be offering cash management and collection services to MRHFL through its

access points and postal service providers.NMPB and CSIR-NBRI signed MoU for Cultivation and Production of Medicinal Plants The National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPS) and the National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI)

have signed an MoU to boost the cultivation and production of medicinal plants and herbs in India. The MoU will help in establishing nurseries and seed bank for medicinal plants and herbs. It will also help

in the development of Quality Planting Material (QPM) for medicinal plants and herbs.NHPC limited formed a joint venture Company with JKSPDC NHPC Limited has formed a joint venture Company with Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development

Corporation Ltd (JKSPDC). Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited has been formed for the implementation of 850 MW Ratle

Hydroelectric Project. Ratle Hydroelectric Project (850 MW) is a Run of River Scheme located on River Chenab, Kishtwar

district, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.CBSE collaborated with Microsoft to add Coding and Data Science to curriculum Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has collaborated with Microsoft to add Coding and Data

Science to the curriculum. Coding will be added to the curriculum of Classes 6 to 8 and the Data Science will be added to the

curriculum of Class 8 to 12. Under the New Education Policy 2020, these courses will help in imparting next-generation skills to

students.BharatPe acquires loyalty platform PAYBACK IndiaMerchant payments and financial services provider, BharatPe has acquired a multi-brand loyalty platform,PAYBACK India, to help its 6 million offline merchants roll out rewards and loyalty programmes forcustomers.CII- IGBC inks MoU with Indian Institute of Architects to strengthen green building movement

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The CII-Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) signed an MoU to give afillip to the Green Building Movement & Sustainable Development in the field of Architectural Design andplanning.PayNearby & IndiaFirst Life launch affordable insurance solutions for retailers PayNearby has launched a insurance solution ‘Poorna Suraksha’ for its retail community. This exclusive

and holistic insurance solution will ensure the safety and security of PayNearby’s 15+ lakh retail partnersacross 17,500+ PIN codes.

This cost-effective, three-in-one solution was created in collaboration with IndiaFirst Life InsuranceCompany Limited (IndiaFirst Life) to protect PayNearby’s retailers throughout the COVID-19 pandemicand beyond, ensuring they have access to a safety net whenever and wherever they need it.

This cost-effective coverage, which ensures “full protection,” is available to retailers at a premium of Rs.3er day, and an enrollment fee of Rs.111. Available exclusively for PayNearby retailers, Poorna Surakshaoffers a life cover of Rs.2 lakhs, disability cover of Rs.1 lakh and hospital cash of Rs.15,000.

Amazon acquired an American instant messaging app ‘Wickr’Amazon has acquired an American instant messaging app ‘Wickr’ to offer secure communications forbusinesses, government agencies, and individuals, who are moving to hybrid work environments, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. It must be noted that Wickr offers the most secure, end-to-end encrypted, communicationtechnology, with advanced security features, that are not available with traditional communications servicesacross messaging, voice and video calling, file sharing, and collaboration.Paisabazaar, SBM bank announced to launch Step Up credit cardPaisabazaar.com, India’s largest lending marketplace & Credit Score platform and SBM Bank India, theyoungest universal Bank announced the launch of “Step Up Credit Card” – a credit-builder product designed forconsumers with limited access to formal credit, due to ineligible credit score. It is the first product to belaunched under Paisabazaar’s neo-lending strategy.Merger of Central Railside Warehouse Company Limited (CRWC) with Central WarehousingCorporation (CWC) approved by cabinet Cabinet approved the merger of Railside Warehouse Company Limited (CRWC) with Central Warehousing

Corporation (CWC). Similar functions of both the companies such as warehousing, handling, and transportation will be unified

as a result of the merger. As a result of the merger, management expenditure of Railside Warehouse Complexes (RWCs) will reduce

by Rs 5 crore because of savings in the corporate office rent, salary of employees, and other administrativecosts.

FUND ALLOCATIONBill Gates and EU pledge $1 billion boost for green technologyThe European Union and an energy investment programme founded by Bill Gates plan to raise up to $1 billionto roll out the low-carbon technologies Europe is betting on to meet its climate change goals. The aim is totogether provide up to 820 million euros, or $1 billion, from 2022 to 2026. Support will target hydrogenproduced from renewable energy, sustainable aviation fuels, technology to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere, andlong-duration energy storage.ADB and India signed an agreement for road upgradation project in Sikkim The Asian Development Bank and the Government of India signed an agreement for financing road

upgradation project in Sikkim. ADB will give a $2.5 million project readiness financing (PRF) loan to support projects related to

upgradation of major district roads in Sikkim. Asian Development Bank (ADB) It is a regional development bank established in 1966. Members: 68 countries (49 members are from Asia pacific region) It is headquartered in Mandaluyong, Philippines. Masatsugu Asakawa is the current president of ADB.NABARD sanctions Rs 254 crore for drinking water projects in Odisha NABARD has sanctioned Rs 254 crore to Odisha under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for

setting up of two mega piped drinking water supply projects. The two mega projects will come up in Jajpur district (covering Badachana and Dharmasala blocks) and

Puri district (covering Brahmagiri and Krushnaprasad block).World Bank approves USD 500 million program to help boost India’s MSME sectorThe World Bank has approved a USD 500 million program to help boost India’s MSME sector.The programmetargets improvements in the performance of five lakh 50 thousand MSMEs.

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India and ADB signed a $484 million loan agreement for improving road network in Tamil Nadu The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $484 million loan agreement

for improving the road network and facilitating industrial development in Tamil Nadu. The Chennai–Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) will be developed with the partnership of the Asian

Development Bank (ADB).India and World Bank signs an loan agreement for MizoramThe Government of India, along with the Government of Mizoram has signed a $32 million loan agreement withWorld Bank for Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project. The project aims to improve the managementcapacity and quality of health services in Mizoram, with a focus on the benefit of under-served areas andvulnerable groups.World Bank Approved 125 million financial support for KeralaThe World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a $125 million support for the ‘Resilient KeralaProgram’ to help the state in preparedness against natural disasters, climate change impacts, disease outbreaks,and pandemics.

COMMITTEE AND ITS HEADExpert group on fixation of minimum wages and national floor wages set up by government Director of Institute of Economic Growth Professor Ajit Mishra will chair the Expert Group. Prof Tarika Chakraborty, Dr Anushree Sinha, Ms Vibha Bhalla and Dr H. Srinivas are members of the

Expert Group. Expert group will have a term of three years. It will provide technical inputs and recommendations.Govt reconstitutes 6 empowered groups into 10 to manage Covid-19 issues The Centre reconstituted the six empowered groups set up for Covid-19 management to make 10 panels,

expanding their ambit to look into issues like availability of oxygen, vaccination, emergency response andeconomic welfare measures.The Centre has also formed a panel for vaccination and to monitor medicaloxygen requirements.

Niti Aayog (health) member Dr VK Paul will lead the panel. Giridhar Aramane, Union secretary, ministry of road transport and highways has been appointed convener

of the empowered group to see the nation’s requirements related to medical oxygen.United Nations (U.N.) bodies set up “One Health” expert-panel to advise on animal disease risks The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that WHO along with three other international bodies

has put together a team of experts to launch a new One Health High-Level Expert Panel to formulate aglobal plan for the prevention of the spread of diseases from animals to humans.

The One Health High-Level Expert Panel is a team of experts put together by the World HealthOrganization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Organization forAnimal Health (OIE), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Expert Committee on Variable Capital Company submits its report to the International FinancialServices Centres Authority (IFSCA) Dr. K.P. Krishnan headed expert committee on Variable Capital Company has submitted its report on the

feasibility of Variable Capital Companies in the International Financial Services Centres to the Chairpersonof the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), Shri. Injeti Srinivas.

The IFSCA set up this Committee to explore the potential for allowing another legal structure – popularlyknown as a variable capital company (VCC) – as an additional option through which asset managers couldpool the investors’ funds.

SEBI reconstitutes Four-member Takeover PanelMarkets regulator Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reconstituted its four-member TakeoverPanel. The Takeover Panel looks into the applications that seek exemption from the mandatory open offer thatan acquirer needs to make to minority shareholders.Four- Members Panel are: Chairman: Justice N. K. Sodhi (Former Chief Justice of High Courts of Karnataka & Kerala and Former

Presiding Officer of the Securities Appellate Tribunal). Member: Darius Khambata (Former Advocate General, Maharashtra). Member: Thomas Mathew T (Former chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India). Member: N Venkatram (MD and CEO, Deloitte India).

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STATE NEWSGujarat’s Vishwamitri river project gets NGT nodThe Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently directed the Vadodara MunicipalCorporation (VMC), Gujarat and other authorities to implement the Vishwamitri River Action Plan, includingpreparation for demarcation, plantation and maintaining the integrity of the river. The crocodiles, turtles &highly protected species have been breeding in the stretches of the river.Bihar to provide 33% reservation for GirlsFemale students in Bihar will get 33% reservation in seats of all engineering and medical colleges in thestate.The reservation will be for the girls who are domicile of Bihar. The state government is already providing35% reservation for females in all state government jobs.Telangana celebrates its foundation day every year on 2 June

Telangana is celebrating its 8th Formation Day on 2 June 2021. Telangana was formed as the 29th state of India in 2014. In 2013, the Congress Working Committee

(CWC) passed a resolution for the formation of Telangana. Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act (APRA), 2014 bill was passed by Parliament in February 2014.

Telangana was formed by carving out ten districts of Andhra Pradesh. Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao is the first Chief Minister of Telangana.

Goa constituted “Goa Institution for Future Transformation (GIFT)” Think Tank The Goa state government constituted a think tank on the lines of NITI Ayog. It has been named “Goa

Institution for Future Transformation (GIFT)”. It will assist and guide the government in policymaking. It will also help in the monitoring of projects

related to sustainable development goals.Chief Minister of Goa shall be the Chairman of “GoaInstitution for Future Transformation (GIFT)”. It has got autonomy under Article 309 of theConstitution.

After disbanding of Planning Commission at the national level, the Goa government has disbanded theState Planning Board in 2017.

Kerala government announces second Covid package of Rs 20,000 crore As part of the budget, Kerala government has announced second Covid package of Rs 20,000 crore and

kept aside Rs 1,000 crore to provide free vaccination for all aged above 18 years. Out of Rs 20,000 crore, Rs 2,800 crore will be spent to tackle health emergency situations. In the Kerala budget, allocation of ‘knowledge economy fund’ had been increased from Rs 200 crore to

Rs 300 crore. Knowledge economy fund is meant for strengthening of higher education.Ladakh Lt Governor R K Mathur launches YounTab scheme

R K Mathur, Lt Governor of Ladakh, has launched a scheme- YounTab- for students to encouragedigital learning.

The scheme is an initiative of the Department of School Education with technical support from the ITDepartment.

During the first phase of the scheme, tablets were given to students of 9th to 12th classes. These tabletscontain pre-loaded online and offline content- textbooks, video lectures, etc.

Indus Best Mega Food Park at Raipur, Chhattisgarh virtually inaugurated by Shri Narendra SinghTomar

Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Shri Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated theIndus Best Mega Food Park at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

The park will provide direct and indirect employment to about 5,000 persons and benefit about 25,000farmers.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries has approved Mega Food Park at Raipur district inChhattisgarh. This is being implemented by Indus Best Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd.

Mega Food Park Scheme It was launched in 2008-09 to give a major boost to the food processing sector by adding value and

reducing food wastage at each stage of the supply chain with a particular focus on perishables. The central government provides financial assistance upto Rs. 50 Crore per Mega Food Park (MFP)

project. The MFP project is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which is a Body Corporate

registered under the Companies Act, 2013.

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Karnataka: Health Dept launches ‘doctors ride towards village side’ programmeIn Karnataka, the Health Department has launched Doctors ride towards village side programme.Under thisscheme, the Government provides necessary logistic support for the teams led by medical students to visitvillages and provide better healthcare during the pandemic.Centre allocates Rs 3411 Cr grant to Gujarat under Jal Jeevan MissionCentre has allocated three thousand 411 Crore rupees grant to Gujarat under Jal Jeevan Mission to provide safeand potable piped drinking water to all the rural household in the state.Jal Jeevan Mission, is envisioned toprovide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to allhouseholds in rural India.Union Health Ministry approves annual plan worth Rs. 1163.40 cr for J&K under National HealthMission

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare hasapproved annual plan worth Rs. 1163.40 crore for the UT for financial year 2021-22 under NationalHealth Mission in a way ahead towards strengthening healthcare system with special emphasis onCovid mitigation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Union Health Ministry approves annual plan worth Rs. 1163.40 cr for J&K under National HealthMission

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare hasapproved annual plan worth Rs. 1163.40 crore for the UT for financial year 2021-22 under NationalHealth Mission in a way ahead towards strengthening healthcare system with special emphasis onCovid mitigation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Punjab to provide free sanitary pads to needy under new ‘Udaan’ schemeThe Punjab government on the occasion of International Menstrual Hygiene Day launched a scheme to providefree sanitary napkins to needy girls and women across the state.An amount of Rs 40.55 crore per annum will beincurred on the scheme called ‘Udaan’. Under this scheme, maximum of nine pads would be given to eachbeneficiary per month.Kerala launches new Smart Kitchen Scheme, to be ready by July

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced the formation of a secretary-level committee todevelop guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of the “Smart Kitchen Scheme” in thestate in order to meet LDF commitments.The Smart

Kitchen Scheme will be launched on July 10, 2021.As part of the scheme, women of state will be givena loan to renovate their kitchens.

Goa Government Launches Solar-Based Electrification Drive For Rural Households In a big move towards solar energy’s adoption in the State of Goa, Chief Minister (CM) Pramod

Sawant has launched a solar-based rural electrification drive for rural households. The programme hasbeen launched to take electricity to the areas in Goa where grid connectivity is not feasible.

The project will be carried out by Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) and Convergence EnergyServices Limited (CESL).

Shiv Rajyabhishek Din being celebrated in MaharashtraIn Maharashtra, Shiv Rajyabhishek Din is being celebrated to mark the coronation day of Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj.The 348th Coronation Ceremony was celebrated at Raigad Fort. At Raigad Fort, Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj was crowned as the Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom on June 6, 1674.Kerala government launches Knowledge Economy Mission

Kerala government has launched Knowledge Economy Mission to bring its efforts to help knowledgeworkers under single programme.

During the Kerala budget, it was also announced that government would set up a high-powercommission to examine the education system and suggest steps to rebuild education sector.

Government has also increased allocation for knowledge economy fund from Rs 200 to Rs 300 crore.Haryana CM announces “Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme” and Oxy Van (Oxygen Forests)

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar has announced “Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme (PVDPS)” andOxy Van (Oxygen Forests) on the occasion of World Environment Day.

Under the scheme, all those trees which are of the age of 75 years and above will be identifiedthroughout the state. These trees will be looked after with the participation of local people.

Under PVDPS, a pension amount of Rs 2,500 will be given every year for the maintenance of treesolder than 75 years. The pension will increase every year on the line of Old Age Samman PensionScheme in Haryana.

Oxy Van (Oxygen Forests) will be planted on land from 5 acres to 100 acres in the cities of Haryana.Oxy Van (Oxygen Forests) are pieces of land on which around 3 crore trees would be planted.

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Raimona reserve forest in Kokrajhar district named as sixth national park of Assam Raimona reserve forest in Kokrajhar district has been named as sixth national park of Assam. It is famous for Golden Langur. Asian elephant, tiger, clouded leopard, Indian gaur, wild buffalo,

spotted deer, hornbill are other species found in Raimona reserve. Assam has six national parks now. Kaziranga, Manas, Nameri, Orang and Dibru-Saikhowa are the

other five national parks of Assam.CESL signed an MoU with Administration to make Ladakh green and clean

Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) and the Administration of Ladakh signed an MoU tomake it clean and green.

CESL will start its work from the Zanskar Valley area. It will work on solar mini and microgridsolutions, energy-efficient lighting, energy storage-based solutions, efficient cooking stoves, andelectric mobility solutions.

Bengaluru airport achieve net energy neutral status in FY 2020-21 Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) has achieved net energy neutral status in

the Financial Year 2020-21. BIAL has saved around 22 lakh units of energy in the FY 2020-21. It has saved 17 lakh units of energy

from the implementation of chiller plant optimization in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning(HVAC).BIAL has also signed a deal to purchase additional 20 Million units of Wind Power.

In 2020-21, Bengaluru airport has met 98% of its energy requirement from renewable energy. BIAL has taken several measures to make Bengaluru airport environmentally efficient and sustainable.

Two species of monals were found in Arunachal Pradesh Himalayan monal and Sclater monal have been sighted in the Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Both

are rare species of Monal. Himalayan monal is generally found in the region from Afghanistan to northeast India. The Sclater monal is mainly found in southern China and northern Myanmar. It lives at an altitude of

more than 1500m above sea level. Sclater monal is listed as vulnerable in IUCN Red List and is protected under the Scheduled I species

of Wildlife Protection Act 1972.Gujarat government launched a mobile App and portal for unorganized sector workers

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched the ''e-Nirman'' portal and its mobile App. It will provide an online service for the registration of workers from the unorganized sector. Around 9.20 lakh unorganized sector workers are already registered. The government has given them

U-WIN cards. U-WIN cards will help unorganized sector workers in getting the benefits of different government

schemes like the “Ma Amrutam'' scheme, Shramik Annapurna Yojna, etc.Tamil Nadu CM forms panel to study NEET

Chief Minister MK Stalin constituted a high-level committee headed by retired judge of Madras HighCourt AK Rajan, to study and submit a report on the impact of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test(NEET) on admissions to medical courses in State.

The State government has been fighting a legal battle to ensure that the admission to medical courses isgranted on the basis of class 12 marks, and for scrapping NEET. The committee headed by AK Rajanwould study whether the NEET has affected socially backward students during the past few years andif so, the panel would suggest alternative admission procedures to set right the ill-effects.

Rajasthan launches free coaching scheme Rajasthan has launched Chief Minister Anuprati Coaching Scheme to help underprivileged students

prepare for entrance examinations to civil services and professional courses, with an aim to give themequal opportunity.

Students belonging to scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, other backward classes (OBC), extremelybackward castes, minority and economically weaker sections with annual family income less than Rs.8lakhs per annum will be able to avail the scheme run by the tribal area development, minority affairs,and social justice and empowerment departments.

Coaching will also be provided for engineering and medical entrance examinations apart fromCommon Law Admission Test (CLAT).

Uttarakhand police to plant 1 lakh saplingsThe Uttarakhand Police on the occasion of World Environment Day, started a tree plantation campaign underwhich one lakh saplings will be planted in police premises across the state.Himachal Pradesh CM inaugurates Makeshift COVID-19 Hospital in Una district

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated a Makeshift COVID-19 Hospital atPandoga in Haroli Vidhan Sabha area of Una district virtually from Shimla.

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The 140-bedded makeshift hospital has been built in a record time of one month and able to provideuninterrupted oxygen supply to the COVID patients nearer to their homes.

Maharashtra govt to implement MAPS to provide employment and training to youth of state The Maharashtra government has decided to implement the Maharashtra Apprenticeship Promotion

Scheme (MAPS) with the objective of providing employment and training to the youth of the state. Under this Scheme, in the current year, apprenticeship opportunities will be provided to 1 lakh youth in

various industries and establishments in the state. New Maharashtra Apprentice Promotion Scheme is being implemented to provide employment and

self-employment opportunities and experience to the youth who have passed at least 10th standard inthe state. The aim of the scheme is to provide employment and training to 5 lakh well-educatedunemployed youth in the next five years.

Indian Oil Corporation Limited signs MoU with Gujarat govt to set up 6 petrochemical projects Indian Oil Corporation Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gujarat

government to set up six petrochemical projects.These projects will be set up around Vadodara with theinvestment of Rs. 24,000 crore.

The projects will include LuPech project for petrochemicals, Acrylics-Oxo Alcohol project at Dumadnear Vadodara, infrastructure for KAhSPL at JR & Dumad, shifting of LAB TTL facility in Dumadand New Flare at JR and hydrogen dispensing facility.

Weyan: 1st Village to Vaccinate 100% Adult Population A remote hamlet in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir has become the first village in India

to vaccinate all its adult population against the novel coronavirus. Weyan, a village in district Bandipora (J&K) has become the first village in the country, where the

entire population above 18 years has been vaccinated.Chief minister of Assam Sarma launched Sishu Seva Achoni for C-19 Orphans

Assam chief minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has dedicated Chief Minister Sishu Seva Scheme tothe service of the beneficiaries and handed over the cheques of financial assistance to few beneficiarieswho lost both their parents due to C-19.

It may be noted that under the scheme an amount to the tune of Rs. 7,81,200 would be parked in thebank as fixed deposit in the name of each beneficiary.

Monthly financial assistance of Rs. 3500 which will be realised from the fixed deposit will be given tothe beneficiaries till they attain 24 years of age.

On completion of 24 years of age, the principal amount parked as a fixed deposit against eachbeneficiary would be credited to their bank accounts.

Jammu kashmir to set up mythological theme park The Jammu and Kashmir administration is planning to set up a theme park to showcase Indian

mythology, particularly the Ramayana and Mahabharata, near the famous Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasidistrict and has sought investors for the project.

The Katra Theme Park will combine education and entertainment and of course, mythology willheadline Jammu and Kashmir's economic development, which aims to take a different route

A new plant species of coffee has been found in Kerala A new plant species of coffee has been found in the Wagamon hills of Kerala. It has been named

Argostemma quarantena. It was discovered by a research team consisting of Anoop P. Balan, N. Sasidharan, and A.J. Robi. Their

findings were published in the latest edition of Webbia journal of plant taxonomy and geography.Madhya Pradesh government to launch 'Yuva Shakti Corona Mukti Abhiyan’ to spread awareness aboutCovid pandemic

The state government of Madhya Pradesh will launch 'Yuva Shakti Corona Mukti Abhiyan’ to awarepeople about the COVID pandemic.

Under the Yuva Shakti Corona Mukti Abhiyan, college teachers and around 16 lakh students will bemade aware of the Covid appropriate behavior and vaccination.

This campaign will be run by the Higher Education and Technical Education Department incollaboration with the Public Health and Family Welfare Department.

Punjab becomes first State to use NFC-based eIDs Punjab government became the first state in India start using Electronic Identity Card (EID) equipped

with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology for government officials and employees throughPunjab Mandi Board.

These NFC-based EIDs will be used as the primary authentication device and will operate at 13.66MHz and transfer data up to 424 kbit/s.

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An employee will be authenticated by his/her Human Resource Management System (HRMS) datawhere the details of each officer and employee are stored in the form of a service book.

Assam To Institute Own Versions Of Bharat Ratna And Padma Awards The Assam government will present its own versions of the Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards from

next year. The cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma decided to institute the Asom

Ratna Award to be presented every year to one person who has made significant contribution to thesociety.

Telangana government has launched the Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM)Telangana government has launched the Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM) powered by Nasscom and as part of theT-AIM, an accelerator programme called “Revv Up” has been launched to enable and empower AI startups. Theaccelerator programme, exclusively designed for growth-stage AI startups, will cover various sectors.Madhya Pradesh’s para shooter wins gold at Peru event; creates world recordMadhya Pradesh shooter Rubina Francis has set a world record and won herself the gold in the 10-metre airpistol para women event at World shooting Para Sport Cup in Peru.Rubina, 21, scored 238.1 points and beat theworld record of Aysegul Pehlivanlar of Turkey, also securing the Paralympic quota for India at the Tokyogames this year.MP Govt launched ‘Yuva Shakti C-19 Mukti Abhiyan’The Government of Madhya Pradesh has launched ‘Yuva Shakti C-19 Mukti Abhiyan’ to make the people ofthe state aware of the ongoing C-19 pandemic. It translates to free from C-19 with the help of the youth powercampaign. Students in colleges in small groups will be given information and details about the significance ofC-19-friendly behaviour and vaccination.Rajasthan govt will set Vedic Education and Sanskar Board for Sanskrit scriptures and VedasThe Rajasthan government will soon set up a Vedic Education and Sanskar Board to revive the knowledge ofSanskrit scriptures and Vedas. The board is likely to be formed in the next four to five months.CM Arvind Kejriwal launched ‘Jahan Vote, Wahan Vaccination’ CampaignDelhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the ‘Jahan Vote, Wahan Vaccination’ campaign, with the aim tovaccinate all people above 45 years against C-19 in Delhi.A special scheme to provide financial support to the orphans announced by Odisha Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik

A special scheme to provide financial support to the orphans has been announced by Odisha ChiefMinister Naveen Patnaik.

The scheme is named "Aashirbad". It will offer financial support to the orphan children who have lostboth their parents, or either of the earning parents or the single parent.

Under the scheme, different slabs of financial support have been kept. The maximum slab is Rs 2500per month for children in distress who has been orphaned on or after the 1 April 2020.

Shipping Ministry and Ministry of Culture signed MoU for development of National Maritime HeritageComplex at Lothal

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) and Ministry of Culture (MoC) have signed anMoU for Cooperation in Development of National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal,Gujarat.

National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) will be dedicated to the maritime heritage of India. Itwill help in uplifting the image of India’s Maritime Heritage at the international level.

UP Cabinet Approves Proposal for World-class Bus Station in AyodhyaThe Uttar Pradesh Cabinet cleared a proposal for the construction of a bus station on par with internationalstandards in Ayodhya at a cost of Rs 400 crore.Buses will be run between Ayodhya and all major cities of thestate from this station. The Cabinet also approved a proposal to build a four-lane flyover on the Ayodhya-Sultanpur road. The 1.5-km-long flyover will be built at a cost of over Rs 20 crore.Guj CM Inaugurates Command Centre for Real-time Monitoring of Govt SchoolsGujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated a command-and-control centre in Gandhinagar to monitor theactivities of over 54,000 government-run schools in the state.Gujarat has become the first state in the country to come up with a real-time monitoring system for schools.Navi Mumbai Airport to Be Named After Bal ThackerayThe Navi Mumbai International Airport will be named after Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray.BalThackeray, the father of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, had floated Shiv Sena in 1966 andserved as its chief until his death in 2012.Centre Allocates Whopping Rs 10,870.5 Crore to UP Under Jal Jeevan Mission

The Centre has allocated a whopping Rs 10,870 crore to Uttar Pradesh under the Jal Jeevan Mission for2021-22, the highest allocation so far to any state, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said.

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The amount is more than four times what was allocated to the poll-bound state last year. Uttar Pradeshhas assured to achieve the goal of providing water to every rural household by 2024.

3 Centres of Excellence inaugurated in Karnataka under Indo-Israel Agricultural Project Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Minister of

Karnataka B S Yediyurappa jointly inaugurated three Centers of Excellence established in Karnatakaunder the Indo-Israel Agricultural Project.

Under Government to Government cooperation 29 Centers of Excellence are to be set up in 12 states inIndia. Out of these, three Centers were launched virtually in Karnataka. The Centres of Excellence inKolar, Bagalkote and Dharwad in Karnataka will implement advanced Israeli Agro-Technologytailored to local conditions.

Delhi Skill University to Setup Centres to Skill Kids in Slum Clusters The Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) along with a Pune-based organisation,

Lighthouse Communities Foundation will set up centres near slum clusters to help youngsters developskills for better employability.

The first four centres, being called ‘lighthouses’, will be set up at Kalkaji, Malkaganj, Matia Mahal andPatparganj.

TN Sets Up Commission to Study Enrollment Ratio of Govt School Students in Professional Courses The Tamil Nadu government ordered setting up a commission led by retired Chief Justice of Delhi

High Court, D Murugesan, to look into the enrollment ratio of government school students inprofessional courses like engineering.

If the number of students -who get admitted to courses like engineering, agriculture, veterinarysciences, fisheries and law- from state run schools is less, the panel would recommend appropriateremedial measures.

Ladakh declared Open Defecation Free UT in IndiaThe Union Territory of Ladakh has been declared Open Defecation Free UT in India under the First Phase ofSwachh Bharat Mission.Odisha government launches e-learning methods for students

After launching YouTube classes for students of Class IX and X, the Odisa government launched e-Pathsala and e-Mulyankan facilities keeping in mind disruption of classes during the ongoingpandemic. These online platforms will benefit students, teachers and district education officers (DEOs).

The e-Pathsala is an online learning platform that has repositories of e-contents in the form ofdocuments, audios and videos. The e-contents will support different areas of online learning like self-learning, online classes, assignments, assessments and evaluation of the learners’ progress.

The e-Mulyankan platform is designed to act as a digital bank of practice tests and model question sothat the students can practice for examinations. The teachers can conduct tests, mock examinations andfinal examinations through the e-Mulyankan platform.

Punjab Sports and Youth Services Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi launches a special Mobile App“Khedo PunjabPunjab Sports and Youth Services Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi launched a special Mobile App “KhedoPunjab” for putting the Sports Department and all the Sports persons of State of Punjab on Digital platform.Bihar CM Nitish Kumar launched ‘Mukhya Mantri Udyaymi Yojana’

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched two ambitious schemes christened as the ‘MukhyaMantri Yuva Udyaymi Yojna’ and the ‘Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyami Yojana. Both the schemeslaunched to promote entrepreneurship among youth and women of all sections under the state’s‘Mukhaya Mantri Udyami Yojana scheme. The schemes were promised by the chief minister duringthe 2020 Bihar elections.

Youth and Women-irrespective of caste and creed, wishing to start entrepreneurship, will get a loan ofRs 10 lakh, in which Rs 5 lakh would be a grant from the state government and the rest Rs 5 lakh willcome as a loan, refundable in 84 instalments. He also launched a portal on which youth and womenfrom all sections can register themselves for availing of the loan from the government.

Arunachal Pradesh’s woman, Tadang Minu becomes first to be appointed in AIBA Arunachal Pradesh woman, Dr Tadang Minu, becomes the first in the state and the second Indian

woman in the country to be appointed as a member of the Coaches Committee of the InternationalBoxing Association (AIBA). She has been appointed by AIBA for her enormous knowledge andexperience in the field of boxing.

Dr Tadang is currently the HOD of Physical Education at Rajiv Gandhi University(RGU) and is thechairman of the Boxing Federation of India’s Women’s Commission for two years.

Vijay Rupani CM of Gujarat launched Agricultural Diversification Scheme

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Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has virtually launched the ‘Agricultural Diversification Scheme-2021’, with the aim of making agriculture sustainable and profitable in the tribal areas of the state. Thescheme will benefit more than 1.26 lakh vanbandhu- farmers from 14 tribal districts in Gujarat.

The state government would distribute fertilizer-seed assistance worth around Rs. 31 crores to tribalfarmers, which will also include 45 kg of urea, 50 kg of NPK and 50 kg of ammonium sulphate.

Gujarat government has already provided assistance of Rs. 250 crore to 10 lakh tribal farmers underthis scheme in the last ten years.

Tamil Nadu CM announces Rs. 3 crore for gold medal winners Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday announced that his government will reward

sportspersons who bag medals in the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games. CM MK Stalin said that sportsperson who win a gold medal will be given Rs 3 crore as prize money,

while those winning silver medals will be given Rs 2 crore and Rs 1 crore will be given to bronzemedal winners.

Gagan Narang, a Chennai native who represented India in shooting and won a bronze in the 2012London Olympics in the Men's 10m Air Rifle event, is still the only individual medallist from the state.

Delhi Govt launched Mukhyamantri C-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana Delhi government has launched “Mukhyamantri C-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana” to provide

financial assistance to the families who lost a member due to the C-19 pandemic. According tonotification by Social Welfare Department, Rs 50,000 ex-gratia will be provided to every family thathas lost a member amid a pandemic. A pension of Rs 2,500 per month would also be given to thosefamilies that lost the sole breadwinner to the C-19 pandemic.

Children who lost their both parents or single parent to C-19 will also be provided Rs.2,500 per monthtill they achieve 25 years of age. The Delhi government will also provide free education to them.

Uttar Pradesh will soon have maximum number of international airports Uttar Pradesh will soon have maximum number of international airports in a state. The government has

sanctioned Rs 200 crore for the Kushinagar airport. At present, Chaudhary Charan Singh airport at Lucknow and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport

at Varanasi are the two international airports in Uttar Pradesh. Kushinagar airport becomes the third international airport of Uttar Pradesh. Recently, Kushinagar

airport has got approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA’s). The Jewar international airport in the NCR region will be ready by 2023. The international airport

construction work in Ayodhya is on full swing. Currently, Kerala has the largest number of international airports (4 international airports).

PM inaugurates Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy at AMA, AhmedabadPrime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy at AMA, Ahmedabad.Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy is a symbol of strong ties of the India-Japan relationship.Odisha: Only state to have all three species of Crocodile

All three species of crocodiles were found in Odisha. these three species are MuggerCrocodile,Gharials and saltwater crocodiles.

It is the only state to have this achievement in India. Crocodiles are an indispensable part of the ecosystem and it is popularly known as the guardians of the

marine ecosystem. Gharials were introduced in the rivers of Odisha in 1975. Gharials are found in Satakosiya in Mahanadi

and the muggers & saltwater crocodiles are found at Vitarkanika National Park in Odisha.Goa becames first state to go rabies freeChief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant announced that Goa has become the first state in the country to be Rabiesfree. CM informed that not a single case of rabies had been found in the state since the last three years. The teamof mission rabies had been very effectively doing its job and had been also conducting vaccination for dogs.Andhra Pradesh started a Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) ProgrammeAndhra Pradesh has started a Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) programme to transformfoundational learning in government schools for which the World Bank has approved a loan of 250 milliondollars. The main objectives of the programme are strengthening foundation schools and providing training andskill development to teachers. Andhra Pradesh’s public school education system has more than 40 lakh childrenand nearly 2 lakh teachers.Andhra Pradesh tops new job creation under IBPS scheme

Andhra Pradesh has generated the highest number of jobs under the India Business ProcessOutsourcing Promotion Scheme (IBPS).

Tamil Nadu is on the second position to generate jobs under this scheme. Andhra Pradesh has generated 12,234 new jobs while Tamil Nadu has generated 9,401 new jobs.

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The India Business Process Outsourcing Promotion Scheme (IBPS) was launched for the expansion ofseveral IT and BPO companies in tier-II and III cities. It was launched in 2014.

It is implemented by Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), an autonomous body under theMinistry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Under the scheme, financial assistance of up to 50% of capital expenditure is provided by thegovernment.

World’s first genetically modified rubber planted on outskirts of Guwahati, AssamWorld’s first genetically modified rubber was planted on the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam.Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) has developed it. It is the first of its kind developedexclusively for the northeast.Uttar Pradesh got first rank among states in Smart Cities Award 2020

Uttar Pradesh has been ranked as the top-performing state under the Smart Cities Mission’s India SmartCities Award Contest 2020.

Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu got second and third rank respectively in the India Smart CitiesAwards Contest (ISAC) 2020.

Indore and Surat have been jointly named as best cities for their work under the Smart Cities Mission.Chandigarh has been ranked first among Union territories.

India Smart Cities Award was announced on the sixth anniversary of the Smart Cities Mission. Theawards were given on different themes like Social Aspects, Governance, Culture, Urban Environment,Sanitation, Economy, Built Environment, etc.

Smart Cities Mission was launched in 2015 to develop smart cities which are sustainable and citizen-friendly.

Maharashtra signs MoU with UK government to make start-ups ecosystem strong Maharashtra has signed MoU with the UK government to make the start-ups ecosystem strong. The MoU has been signed under their ACT4Green programme, which aims to enable start-ups from

India and UK to expand internationally. The MoU was signed during a virtual ceremony organized by Maharashtra State Innovation Society

(MSInS).

INTERNATIONAL NEWSWorld’s first CO2 neutral cement plant in Sweden HeidelbergCement, the world’s second-largest cement maker, plans to turn its Swedish factory in Slite into

the world’s first CO2-neutral cement plant by 2030 via carbon capture technology. Following the planned retrofit, which will cost at least 100 million euros ($122 million), the plant will be

able to capture up to 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.India elected as a member to UN Economic and Social Council India has been elected a member of the UN Economic and Social Council for the term 2022-24. Economic

and Social Council is one of the six main organs of the United Nations. India is elected in the Asia-Pacific States category along with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Oman. In the African states, Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Mauritius, Tunisia, and the United Republic of Tanzania were

elected. Croatia and the Czech Republic are elected from European countries while Belize, Chile, and Peru were

elected from Latin American countries. ECOSOC's members are elected for a term of three years. Seats of the council are allotted based on

geographical representation. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC):consists of 54 Members,established in in 1945,Headquarters:

New York,President: Oh JoonChina allowed couples to have three children China allowed all married couples to have three children. It has ended the two-child policy. China had relaxed the one-child policy in 2016 and allowed people to have a second child. The two-child

policy failed to boost birth rates. The lower birthrate will lead to a bigger elderly population and it will affect the economic growth of China.

It will also increase spending on pensions and health care.First human case of infection with H10N3 bird flu reported from China’s eastern province of Jiangsu First human case of infection with H10N3 bird flu reported from China’s eastern province of Jiangsu.

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H10N3 is a rare strain of bird flu. H10N3 cannot spread easily in humans. No case of human infection withH10N3 was reported globally yet.

H10N3 is low pathogenic. This means that its infection leads to less severe disease in poultry. It may notlead to large scale outbreak.

China developed a combined air defense system along LAC China created a combined air defense system along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The combined air defense system has been developed with the elements of the air force and army of

western theatre command. For the first time, an integrated army air defence system has been developed by china along the western

borders. Line of Actual Control is a line that separates India controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. India-China LAC is divided into three parts i.e. Arunachal and Sikkim Border,Uttarakhand and Himachal

Pradesh BorderLadakh Border.China successfully launches Fengyun-4B (FY-4B) satellite China successfully launched Fengyun-4B (FY-4B), which is the first new generation meteorological

satellite. Fengyun-4B (FY-4B) was launched by a Long March-3B rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in

Sichuan Province. It will be used for weather analysis and forecasting, and environmental and disaster monitoring.International Astronomical Union approves Chinese names to identify areas on MoonThe International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved eight Chinese names for features around the area onthe Moon where China’s spacecraft Chang’e-5 probe landed last year to collect samples from the lunar surfaceand return to Earth.The Chang’e-5 space mission is China’s maiden attempt to retrieve materials from an extra-terrestrial body. It was launched on November 24 last year.24th BIMSTEC Day celebrated on 6 June All member countries of BIMSTEC celebrated the 24th anniversary of its formation on 6 June. The Bay of

Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an internationalorganization of seven nations of South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are members of BIMSTEC.It wasformed on 6 June 1997 and it is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka is the current Chair of BIMSTEC.FATF's regional body retained Pakistan on 'enhanced follow-up' list Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) regional body Asia Pacific Group (APG) has retained Pakistan on

the "enhanced follow-up" list. Pakistan has moved from the enhanced to enhanced follow-up list. Pakistan’s rating has improved on 21

technical recommendations of the FATF. In June 2018, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had included Pakistan in its grey list.Russia formally exits from Open Skies Pact after Putin’s approval President Putin has signed legislation, which signaled Russia’s formal exit from the 1992 Open Skies arms

control treaty. US had formally withdrawn from Open Skies treaty on 22 November 2020. Open Skies treaty had become effective on January 1, 2002. It allows unarmed surveillance flights over

member countries. 34 other countries had signed the treaty. It was proposed by George H. W. Bush's administration in 1992.A new global database to identify missing persons through family DNA launched by Interpol The global database is named as I-Familia. It will help police solve cold cases in member countries by

identifying missing persons through family DNA. As per Interpol, the database used the DNA of relatives to identify missing persons or unidentified human

remains around the world.Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) is commonly known as Interpol. It is headquartered in Lyon, France. It was formed in 1923. Kim Jong Yang is president of Interpol.El Salvador becomes first country to declare bitcoin as legal tender El Salvador became the first country to adopt bitcoin as a legal tender.El Salvador’s President, Bukele

believed that bitcoin will create jobs and promote financial inclusion in the country. Bitcoin is already used by the people of El Salvador for transactions.Cryptocurrency:

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It is a special type currency,which decentralized and protected by cryptographic encryption techniques. Itworks on blockchain technique.

Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple are some examples of cryptocurrencies.Pakistan To Produce Chinese C-19 Vaccine As 'PakVac Pakistan has launched a C-19 vaccine named 'PakVac' which will be manufactured in Pakistan. The vaccine

is made with the assistance of the all-weather ally China to an extent that it is said to be a localised versionof China's CanSinoBio vaccine.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan expressed happiness over thelaunch and said Pakistan will soon be able to start the production of the vaccine.

The vaccine is categorically said to be a localised version of the CanSinoBio vaccine of China, whichmeans the vaccine has been designed and developed in China.

UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration officially launched The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has been officially launched, which will run from

2021 to 2030. United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will be co-led by the UN EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). It was proclaimed by theUnited Nations General Assembly in a 2019 resolution.

A Multi-Partner Trust Fund has also been launched for the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Germany isthe first country to provide funding of Euro 14 million towards this fund.

China’s Advanced ‘Artificial Sun’ Fusion Reactor Just Broke a New World Record China’s nuclear fusion reactor that’s also known as the ‘artificial sun’ has now set a new world record after

it successfully ran at the temperature of 216 million degrees Fahrenheit or 120 million degrees Celsius for100 seconds.

The reactor which was first fired in December last year has surpassed its previous world record ofmaintaining plasma temperature of 180 million degrees Fahrenheit or 100 million degrees Celsius for 100seconds.

The reactor named Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is regarded as China’slargest and most technically advanced nuclear fusion research device to date. It harnesses a really strongmagnetic field to combine extremely hot plasma.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches SiriusXM radio broadcasting satelliteSpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, this one boosting the SiriusXM-8 radio satelliteinto orbit to relay entertainment programming to receivers in cars, boats, homes and offices.The satellite, knownas SXM-8, was built by Maxar Technologies in California and will deliver high-powered broadcast service toSiriusXM listeners.G7 nations agree to set minimum global corporate tax rate at 15%The Group of seven (G-7) advanced economies secured a landmark deal on taxing multinational companies asper which the minimum global tax rate would be at least 15 per cent.Besides, they agreed to put in placemeasures to ensure taxes are paid in the countries where businesses operate, a move aimed at pluggingloopholes in cross-border taxation.US traders have benefited the most in Bitcoin Investment Gain in 2020The US traders have benefited the most in Bitcoin Investment Gain in 2020, with a profit of $4.1 billion,according to the latest report by Chainalysis, a blockchain analysis company based in Manhattan, New York.Chinese traders stood second, with a profit of $1.1 billion. India has been ranked at 18th spot with a profit of$241 million, among the top 25 countries, in Bitcoin investment gains 2020.European Space Agency to Launch ‘EnVision’ Mission to Venus in 2030 European Space Agency (ESA), is now developing its own probe to study Venus, for holistic view of planet

from its inner core to upper atmosphere. The mission dubbed as “EnVision” will probably be launched tothe planet in early 2030.

ESA will undertake this mission with contributions from NASA.Israel became the World’s First Mask-Free Country from June 15 Israel became the world’s first mask-free country in the Corona period. Here the rule of applying masks in

closed places ended from June 15. However, most restrictions related to foreign travel have not yet been lifted. For example, travel to nine

countries is still banned. There is a rule of quarantine for travellers coming from these countries. His coronatest is also being done.

Chinese Parliament passed Anti-foreign Sanctions Law Recently, the Parliament of China has passed the Anti-foreign Sanctions Law. It provides legal cover to

Chinese officials and entities against foreign sanctions.

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The US and EU countries have banned several Chinese entities and officials due to human rights violationsagainst Muslim Uyghurs and the imposition of China's national security law in Hong Kong.

In response to these sanctions, China has also announced counter measures against individuals and entitiesof certain countries.

Child labour rises to 160 million – first increase in two decades The number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide – an increase of 8.4 million

children in the last four years – with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19, according to anew report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF.

Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward – released ahead of World Day AgainstChild Labour on 12 th June – warns that progress to end child labour has stalled for the first time in 20years, reversing the previous downward trend that saw child labour fall by 94 million between 2000 and2016.

The report points to a significant rise in the number of children aged 5 to 11 years in child labour, who nowaccount for just over half of the total global figure.

The number of children aged 5 to 17 years in hazardous work – defined as work that is likely to harm theirhealth, safety or morals – has risen by 6.5 million to 79 million since 2016.

UNGA Adopt Political Declaration Pledging Urgent, Transformative Action to Stop Global AIDSEpidemic by 2030 World leaders in the General Assembly committed to “urgent and transformative action” to end the gender

inequalities, restrictive laws and multiple forms of discrimination that perpetuate the global AIDS epidemic,adopting a lengthy Political Declaration that spells out measures to stop the disease in its tracks by 2030.

The text — titled “Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track toEnd AIDS by 2030” passed by a recorded vote of 165 in favour to 4 against (Belarus, Nicaragua, RussianFederation, Syria), with no abstentions, following charged attempts by the Russian Federation to excisecontentious provisions through three proposed amendments, all of which failed by recorded vote underintense scrutiny.

NATO leaders declared China a global security challenge NATO leaders declared that China poses a constant security challenge and is working to undermine global

order. This is a message in sync with US President Joe Biden’s efforts to get allies to speak out with a moreunified voice against China’s trade, military and human rights practices.

The NATO leaders said that China’s goals and ‘assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to therules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security. The warning to China comes asBiden has stepped up his effort to rally allies to put up a unified voice about China’s human rights record.Biden has also criticised China’s trade practices and its military’s increasingly assertive behaviour that hasunnerved US allies in the Pacific.

SIPRI has released the SIPRI Yearbook 2021 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI) has released the SIPRI Yearbook 2021. The report

assesses the current state of armaments, disarmament and international security. China is in the middle ofsignificant modernisation and expansion of its nuclear weapon inventory, and India and Pakistan alsoappear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals.

According to the yearbook, India possessed an estimated 156 nuclear warheads at the start of 2021compared to 150 at the start of last year, while Pakistan had 165 warheads, up from 160 in 2020.

China’s nuclear arsenal consisted of 350 warheads up from 320 at the start of 2020. The nine nuclear-armed states – the U.S., Russia, the U.K., France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North

Korea – together possessed an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons at the start of 2021.ESA will launch world’s first wooden satellite from New ZealandThe European Space Agency (ESA) has planned to launch the world’s first wooden satellite. It is going to belaunched from New Zealand. It will be launched from a Rocket Lab Electron rocket by the end of 2021. Thesatellite is the brainchild of Jari Makinen.A new trade agreement between UK and AustraliaA new free trade agreement with the United Kingdom will deliver more Australian jobs and businessopportunities for exporters, bringing both countries closer together in a changing strategic environment. PrimeMinisters Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson have agreed on the broad outlines of an Australia-UK Free TradeAgreement (FTA).UNHCR Global Report 2020 released The Global Report 2020 has been released by UNHCR(United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).

It is a compilation of the achievements and efforts of UNHCR and its partners. It shows that the number of people fleeing wars, violence, persecution, and human rights violations in 2020

rose to nearly 82.4 million people.

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According to this report, by the end of 2020, there are 20.7 million refugees. Around 48 million peoplewere internally displaced (IDPs) in their own countries. Between 2018 to 2020 around one million childrenwere born as refugees.

For the seventh consecutive year, Turkey has the largest refugee population worldwide. UNHRC headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.Japan to provide vaccine passports from next month for Japanese travelers Japan will provide vaccine passports from next month for Japanese travelers. Japan is preparing to issue a certificate of vaccination for those who want to visit foreign countries. European Union (EU) is working on a digital vaccine passport, which will have information on whether a

person has been vaccinated. Last month, US has said that it was also considering special documentation for vaccinated Americans who

want to travel abroad.Bangladesh to establish an international vaccine institute Bangladesh will establish an international institute for vaccine production. It will produce vaccines for

many diseases including Covid-19. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced this in Parliament and said that the government will sign an

agreement with South Korea to establish a vaccine institute in Bangladesh. She further said that Bangladesh has till now received 1.08 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from

foreign sources out of which 1.02 crore doses came from India.China sent first three astronauts to build Tiangong Space Station China sent three astronauts as its first crew to its new Tiangong Space Station. The astronauts will be traveling in the Shenzhou-12 spaceship launched by a Long March-2F Y12 rocket

from Gansu province. The mission is led by Nie Haisheng and the crew will stay for three months at the core module of the new

Tiangong space station. The space station, Tiangong, will be in a T shape with the core module at the centre and a lab capsule on

each side. It will be used for 15 years. The space station, Tiangong, would be China’s first self-developed space station. International Space

Station (ISS) is the only other station in service.SIPRI claimed China, Pakistan and India appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals According to a study by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China, Pakistan, and

India appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals. At present, China, Pakistan, and India have 350, 165, and 156 nuclear warheads respectively. 90 percent of

the total global nuclear warheads are possessed by the United States and Russia. The US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea are the only nine countries

that have nuclear weapons.Philippines included in FATF grey list Philippines has been included in grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has released its grey list of jurisdictions that will be subjected to

increased monitoring. In addition to Philippines, Haiti, Malta, and South Sudan have also been added to grey list. Now, these jurisdictions will be required to submit progress reports to the FATF thrice a year.European Space Agency to hire first disabled astronaut The European Space Agency will hire and launch the world’s first physically disabled astronaut. It received

22000 applicants for this recruitment call. ESA is developing technologies for para-astronaut. It will give a message to the world that ‘Space is for

everyone’. European Space Agency is facing tough competition from private players and other space agencies for

launching commercial satellites. Amazon founder Bezos will become the first man to go into space on his own rocket in July 2021.International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposed setting of international carbon price floor In order to limit global warming and to achieve low carbon growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

has proposed to set up an international carbon price floor. The price rise on carbon encourages innovation and transition to renewable energy and low carbon

technologies. According to IMF, limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees will require the emission cut by a quarter to

a half by 2030 and it is not possible without equal measures of a global carbon price of about $75 a tonneby the end of this decade.

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So, IMF has proposed an international carbon price floor to achieve the goal of low carbon growth over thisdecade.

First ever Asia-Pacific cybersecurity council launched by MicrosoftThe first Asia Pacific Public Sector Cyber Security Executive Council has been launched by Microsoft. Itconsists of policymakers and influencers from Brunei, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singaporeand Thailand. The council aims to accelerate public-private partnerships in cybersecurity and share threatintelligence.

NATIONAL NEWSGovernment launched YUVA PM Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors The Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education has launched a new initiative called

‘YUVA- Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors’. YUVA stands for Young, Upcomingand Versatile Authors. It is an Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors, below 30years of age to promote reading, writing and book culture in the country, and project India and Indianwritings globally.

The National Book Trust, India under the Ministry of Education will be the Implementing Agency for thescheme.

A total of 75 authors will be selected through an All India Contest, that will be conducted throughhttps://www.mygov.in/ from 1 June – 31 July 2021.

The young winning authors will be trained by eminent authors/mentors. A consolidated scholarship of Rs.50,000 per month for a period of six months per author will be paid under

the Mentorship Scheme.CBSE Invites Youths To Join 'Young Warrior Movement' To Combat COVID-19The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has invited participants from the age group between 18 and30 years to join a movement and safeguard themselves against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, their families,communities, and the country at large. Named Young Warrior Movement, the movement seeks to engage youthsin a series of easy and real-life tasks including promoting access to verified health and essential services,vaccine registration, COVID-19 appropriate behaviours and myth busting.WHO named C-19 variants first found in India as ‘Kappa’ and ‘Delta’ The UN health agency, World Health Organisation (WHO), has given easy-to-say labels to two variants of

the C-19, first found in India. The two variants are B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2. The B.1.617.1 variant of the C-19 has been named as ‘Kappa’ while the B1.617.2 variant is named as ‘Delta.’

The naming of these variants do not aim at replacing the existing scientific names of these #SARSCoV2Variants of Concern (VOCs) & Interest (VOIs), but is aimed at helping the public discussion aboutVOI/VOC.

Narendra Singh Tomar launches Horticulture Cluster Development Programme To ensure holistic growth of horticulture, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra

Singh Tomar virtually launched the Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP).In a pilot phase,the programme will be implemented in 12 horticulture clusters out of the total 53 clusters selected for theprogramme.

Horticulture Cluster Development Programme is a central sector programme. It will be implemented by theNational Horticulture Board (NHB) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare

It aims at growing and developing identified horticulture clusters to make them globally competitive. Horticulture CDP will benefit about 10 lakh farmers. It will attract an investment of Rs 10,000 crore when

implemented in all the 53 clusters.National Horticulture Board (NHB): It was set up by the government in 1984. It is headquartered at Gurugram. It was set up on the basis of recommendations of "Group on Perishable Agricultural Commodities", headed

by Dr. M. S. Swaminathan.IEFPA’s 6 modules of short films titled “Hisab Ki Kitaab” launchedUnion Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur launched the six modules ofshort films of Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) titled “Hisaab Ki Kitaab”. These shortfilms developed by Common Services Centers(CSC) eGov as a part of their training tool.

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RDSO becomes first standards body to join 'One Nation, One Standard' scheme The Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) has become the first standard body to join the

'One Nation, One Standard' scheme. RDSO has been recognized as a 'Standard Developing Organisation' (SDO) by the Bureau of Indian

Standards (BIS). The recognition will be valid for three years.'One Nation, One Standard' scheme: It was launched by the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on 1 June 2021. The main aim of this scheme is to synergize standards adopted by various Standard Development

Organisations in the country. It will improve the quality and services produced in India. It will be reviewed once every five years.Union Health Minister launched digitized versions of health schemes on NHA’s IT platform Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched digitized versions of major Health Schemes on the

IT platform of the National Health Authority. The digitalized version has been launched to provide cashless and paperless healthcare services to

beneficiaries. The Union Health Minister launched digitalized version of the Central Government Health Scheme,

Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi, and Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant. Central Government Health Scheme was started in 1954.It provides comprehensive health care facilities to

the Central Government employees and pensioners and their dependents. Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi provides financial assistance up to Rs 2 lakh.It was launched to provide financial

assistance to patients living below the poverty line and suffering from major life-threatening diseases.CSIR-NCL lab developed a new technique for disinfecting water by using natural oils The CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune has developed a hybrid technology called

"SWASTIK” for disinfecting water. CSIR-NCL has used natural oils having antimicrobial properties for disinfecting water. This is a cost-effective method for removing harmful bacteria from water.Government launched SAGE (Senior care Ageing Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal for elderlypeople Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the SAGE (Senior care Ageing Growth Engine)

initiative and SAGE portal for the elderly population. Under the senior care Ageing Growth Engine project, credible startups will provide products and services

for the elderly population. Startups can apply for SAGE projects through SAGE portal. The startups will be selected on the basis of their innovative products and services. These startups will

provide products and services in the health, housing, care centers sectors. The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment will act as a facilitator for accessing products.Agriculture Ministry launched a dedicated window on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal forBamboo products Union Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala has launched a Bamboo Market Page on Govt e-

Marketplace (GeM) portal. It has been launched for the marketing of bamboo products. The dedicated window has been named “The Green Gold Collection”. It was launched on 3rd June 2021. The “Green Gold Collection” dedicated window is created by the efforts of the National Bamboo Mission

and Government e-Marketplace (GeM).Telecom Department announces guidelines for PLI scheme for telecom, networking equipment The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced operational guidelines for the Production

Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for telecom and networking equipment. The scheme envisages creation of global champions out of India who have the potential to grow in size and

scale using cutting edge technology and penetrate the global value chains. Telecom products play animportant role in the larger vision of "Digital India".

The PLI Scheme will be implemented within the overall financial limits of Rs 12,195 crores over five years.For MSME category, allocation will be Rs 1000 crores.

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has been appointed as the Project ManagementAgency (PMA) for the PLI scheme.

Investment made by successful applicants in India from April 1, 2021 onwards and up to 2024-2025 shallbe eligible under the scheme.

The support under the scheme shall be provided for a period of five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26. The applicants will have to satisfy the minimum revenue criteria to be eligible under the scheme.

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The company may decide to invest in single or multiple eligible products. The scheme stipulates aminimum investment threshold of Rs 10 crore for MSME and Rs 100 crore for non MSME applicants. Landand building cost will not be counted as investment.

Eligibility shall be further subject to incremental sales of manufactured goods (covered under scheme targetsegments) over the base year (FY2019-20).

The Department of Telecommunications shall grant approvals to 10 eligible applications each in MSMEand non-MSME categories.

Govt Asks Private TV News Channels to Display Four New Helpline Numbers The Centre asked private TV news channels to display four new national helpline numbers for the benefit of

citizens as a part of the COVID-19 awareness initiative. The channels have been asked to display the National helpline number of Ministry of Health and Family

Welfare -1075, child helpline number of the Ministry of Women and Child Development-1098, seniorcitizens helpline of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment- 14567(in Delhi, Karnataka, MadhyaPradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand) and helpline number ofNational Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) for psychological support –08046110007.

One-stop centres to provide legal, medical support for Indian women to be set up across 9 countries The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), Government of India announced, that WCD in

collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will set up 10 ‘One-Stop Centres’ across ninecountries to support Indian women affected by violence in public or private spaces.

9 countries to have ‘One-Stop Centres’ are: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Singapore,Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Each country, except Saudi Arabia, will have one center. Two centres will be set up in Saudi Arabia. One-Stop Centre is a scheme under the National Mission for Empowerment of Women that offers an

integrated support system to women affected by violence, both in public and private spaces.NCPCR Launches Online Tracking Portal ‘Bal Swaraj (COVID-Care Link) The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched Online Tracking Portal

‘Bal Swaraj (COVID-Care Link) for child in need of care and protection.This portal of the Commission hasbeen created with a purpose for online tracking and digital real time monitoring mechanism of children whoare in need of care and protection.Jayanti, a new spider cricket discovered from Chhattisgarh

Recently, a new species of Cricket named ‘Indimimus jayanti’ was found in the Kurra caves ofChhattisgarh. The new species was named after Professor Jayant Biswas, one of the leading cave explorersin the country.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches Seed Minikit Programme Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched Seed Minikit Programme by distributing Seed

Minikits, higher yielding varieties of seeds to farmers. The mini kits are being provided by the Central Agencies, National Seeds Corporation, NSC, NAFED and

Gujarat State Seeds Corporation and it is fully funded by the Government of India through the NationalFood Security Mission.

Railways achieves highest freight loading of 1233 million tonnes in 2020-21 Railway Board Chairman Suneet Sharma has said that despite COVID-19 challenges, Railway had achieved

nine consecutive months of record freight loading from September last year to May this year. The highest ever loading of 1233 million tonnes was achieved in 2020-21. The chairman said, 738 Kisan Rail services have been operated on 59 routes so far carrying around 2.33

lakh tonnes of agriculture products.AYUSH ministry operationalises its Covid-19 counselling helpline A dedicated community support helpline has been operationalised by the Ministry of Ayush to provide

Ayush-based approaches and solutions for the challenges posed by COVID-19. The toll-free number is 14443. The helpline is operational pan-India from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight – all seven

days of a week.Report of the Expert Committee on Road Map for ethanol blending in India 2020-2025 released by PMModi during World Environment Day event The report was prepared by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Dr. Rakesh Sarwal was chairman of the Expert Committee on Road Map for ethanol blending in India

2020-2025. The Committee had five members. PM Modi also launched a Pilot Project of E 100 dispensing stations at three locations in Pune on 5th June

2021 via video conferencing. E 100 means pure Ethanol. PM Modi addressed the World Environment Day event on 5th June 2021 via video conferencing.

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The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and the Ministry ofEnvironment, Forest and Climate Change.

‘Promotion of biofuels for better environment’ was the theme for this year’s event. To commemorate World Environment Day, Government has released E-20 Notification and directed Oil

Companies to sell ethanol blended petrol with percentage of ethanol up to 20% from 1st April 2023.Ministry of Panchayati Raj releases a Model Citizens Charter for panchayat A Model Panchayat Citizens Charter/ framework has been released by Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of

Panchayati Raj. It is prepared by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) in collaboration with the National Institute of

Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR). The charter will ensure the transparent and effective delivery of public services in 29 sectors. The main objective of this Citizen charter is to provide services to the people in a time-bound manner,

redressing their grievances and improving their lives.73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1993 provides constitutional status to Panchayats.NITI Aayog launched ‘Surakshit Hum Surakshit Tum Abhiyaan’ in collaboration with PiramalFoundation NITI Aayog and Piramal Foundation have launched ‘Surakshit Hum Surakshit Tum Abhiyaan’ in 112

Aspirational Districts. It has been launched to assist the district administrations of aspirational districts in the care of asymptomatic

COVID-19 patients. It will be led by district magistrates in collaboration with local NGOs. Piramal Foundation will train

volunteers of NGOs.Government issued guidelines for development of e-content for children with disabilities Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has released guidelines for developing e-content for

Children with disabilities. The new guidelines were recommended by a committee of experts from the Department of School

Education and Literacy. The guidelines will help in creating high-quality content for the digital education of disabled children. The Committee has suggested that the textbooks should be adapted into Accessible Digital Textbooks

(ADTs) in a phased manner. The content should be provided in text, audio, video, and sign languageformat.

In May 2020, the government had launched the ‘PM e-VIDYA’ initiative to promote digital education inthe country.

CHATT association has been formed to promote domestic tourism in India Travel and tourism technology companies have formed the Confederation of Hospitality, Technology and

Tourism Industry (CHATT) association to promote domestic tourism. Union Tourism Minister, Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated the CHATT association. CHATT will represent micro and small companies in the tourism sector. It will be consulted by the

government for the development of tourism in the country.PM Modi Launched Three E-100 Ethanol Dispensing Stations in Pune Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the World Environment Day event, which was jointly

organised by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change. During the event, PM Modi also released the “Report of the Expert Committee on RoadMap for ethanol blending in India 2020-2025”. The theme of the report is ‘promotion of biofuels for abetter environment’.

PM Modi also launched a Pilot Project of E 100 ethanol dispensing stations at three locations in Pune, forthe production and distribution of ethanol across the country, because ethanol has a better impact on theenvironment as well as on the lives of farmers.

Centre assures safe potable tap water by 2022 in every household of North Western States The Centre has assured safe potable tap water by next year in every household of North Western States and

Union Territories of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Ministry of Jal Shakti has said that the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission will be expedited in these

States and UTs and every rural household will be provided with tap water connections by the end of 2022.Govt extends Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till Deepawali Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, a food

security welfare scheme introduced last year to provide free ration for over 80 crore poor people will beextended till Diwali 2021.

The Prime Minister made this announcement after he said that the Union government will provide freecoronavirus vaccine to states

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for inoculation of all above the age of 18 from June 21, and asserted that vaccine supply would be increasedsignificantly in the country in coming days.

Dharmendra Pradhan dedicates to nation 201 CNG plants, commencement of PNG supply in Jhansi Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan dedicated to the nation

GAIL group’s 201 CNG stations across the country. Pradhan also inaugurated the commencement of PNG supply in Jhansi and Mobile Refueling Units

(MRUs)for refuelling vehicles at Raigad. Pradhan also interacted with MRU operators in Raigad and Delhi and witnessed the filling of CNG in

vehicle through MRU. The MRUs inaugurated belong to Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) and MahanagarGas Limited.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh releases E-booklet on 20 MoD reforms in 2020 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released an E-booklet titled ’20 Reforms in 2020’, highlighting the major

reforms undertaken by Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2020, in New Delhi. The E-booklet is a compendium of 20 reforms undertaken by the ministry in the past 12 months that

includes steps to make India a military industrial power and also mentioned that the defence exportsexpanded to more than 84 countries.

Jal Shakti Ministry allocates Rs 40,700 crore under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) phase -2 towardssolid and liquid waste management Jal Shakti Ministry said that Rs 40,700 crore have been allocated under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen)

phase -2 towards solid and liquid waste management to support over two lakh villages in the currentfinancial year.

The Ministry said, the Central share will be around Rs 14 thousand crore and the States will spend over Rs8300 crore. The funds to the tune of Rs 12,730 crore will be made available through the 15th FinanceCommission.

The implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase 2 in 2021-2022 will see construction ofover 50 lakh individual household toilets, one lakh community toilets, plastic waste management units inover 2400 blocks, apart from the targeted support for over two lakh villages in implementation of solid andliquid waste management interventions.

India Taking All Steps to Ensure it Becomes Free of Single-use Plastic by 2022 India is taking all steps to ensure that the country becomes free of single-use plastic by 2022 as envisioned

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said while launching‘Plastic Hackathon 2021’ campaign.

The “India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021” is a unique competition calling upon start-ups/entrepreneurs and students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to develop innovative solutions tomitigate plastic pollution and develop alternatives to single use plastics.

Govt approves to allotment of 5 MHz spectrum in 700 MHz frequency band to Railways for enhancedsafety and security of train operations The Union Cabinet has approved an allotment of 5 Megahertz Spectrum in 700 MHz frequency band to

Indian Railways for public safety and security services at stations and in trains. With this spectrum, Railways has envisaged to provide Long Term Evolution, LTE-based Mobile Train

Radio Communication on its route. The estimated investment in the project is more than Rs 25,000 croreand it will be completed in the next five years.

The purpose of the LTE for Railways is to provide secure and reliable voice, video and data communicationservices for operational, safety and security applications.

AISHE 2019-20 report released by Union Education Minister All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20 report has been released by Union Education

Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. As per AISHE in the last five years (2015-16 to 2019-20), studentenrolment has grown by 11.4%.

Female enrolment in Higher Education has increased by 18.2% from 2015-16 to 2019-20. Total Enrolment in Higher Education: It stands at 3.85 crores in 2019-20. Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): It is denied as the percentage of students belonging to the eligible age group

enrolled in Higher Education. It is 27.1% in 2019-20. Gender Parity Index (GPI) in Higher Education: It stands at 1.01 in 2019-20. It shows improvement in the

relative access to higher education for females of eligible age group compared to males.Ministry of Ayush Launches ‘Namaste Yoga’ App The Ministry of Ayush organised event for the 7th International Day of Yoga in association with Morarji

Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY). The event underlined the importance of the central theme of IDY 2021 “Be With Yoga, Be At Home”. As a

part of the event, a mobile application devoted to Yoga named “Namaste Yoga”, was also launched. The

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Namaste Yoga” app has been designed as an information platform for the public, with the aim to raiseawareness about yoga and make it accessible for the larger community.

Union Cabinet approved hike in MSP for Kharif crops for 2021-22 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the hike in the Minimum Support Prices

(MSPs) for Kharif crops for 2021-22. The MSP of paddy has been increased from Rs 1,868 per quintal to Rs 1,940 per quintal in 2021-22. The MSP of Bajra has been increased to Rs 2,250 per quintal for 2021-22 from Rs 2,150 per quintal. The MSP of groundnut and nigerseed has been increased by Rs 275 per quintal and Rs 235 per quintal

respectively. The highest increase in MSP has been approved for sesamum (Rs 452 per quintal). Among all crops, the lowest increase in MSP has been approved for maize.India’s export of agricultural and allied products increased by 17.34% in 2020-21 India's agriculture and allied products exports have increased by 17.34% to USD 41.25 billion in 2020-21.

The export is likely to be also increased in FY 2021-22. In 2020-21, the US, China, Bangladesh, UAE, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran, and Malaysia

were the main market for India’s agricultural products.India Can Save Logistics Fuel worth Rs.311 Lakh Crore between 2020 and 2050 According to the report of NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute, India has the potential to reduce

logistics costs by 4% of GDP by 2030. According to the report titled “Fast Tracking Freight in India: A Roadmap for Clean and Cost-Effective

Goods Transport”, India can save Rs.3.11 trillion worth of fuel till 2050 by using clean energy fortransportation.

According to the report, India has the potential to reduce 10 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by2030.

India’s freight activity will grow by five-fold times by 2050. India is working towards its electric vehicles(EV) programme for developing an efficient transport system.

India’s export of organic products rose by 51% India's organic food product exports rose by 51% to USD 1bn in 2020-21. The main products which record the growth in export include cake meal, oilseeds, fruit pulps and purees,

cereals, millets, spices, tea, dry fruits, etc. National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) is responsible for the development of organic

agriculture and products.Government launched Injury Management System for athletes Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has launched the Central Athlete Injury Management System (CAIMS) for

athletes training for Olympics 2024 and beyond. It is a unique initiative of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for streamlining the sports medicine and

rehabilitation support offered to the athletes. CAIMS will standardize the injury treatment protocol for athletes in India. It will also support athletes who

are a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) development group.UN body lauds success of Centre’s Aspirational Districts Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has lauded the Centre’s Aspirational Districts

Programme (ADP), saying that it should serve as a “best practice” for other countries where regionaldisparities in development status persist for many reasons.

The report, Aspirational Districts Programme: An Appraisal, was presented by UNDP India ResidentRepresentative Shoko Noda to NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar and CEO Amitabh Kant

ICCR was appointed as the personnel certification body of the Yoga Certification Board of India Yoga Certification Board of India has appointed Indian Council for Cultural Relations as the personnel

certification body. ICCR, along with the Ministry of Ayush, will now start Yoga Certification courses for the professionals

across the world. Apart from holding Yoga courses, ICCR will now ensure Indian embassies become the centres for Yoga

Certification.Government of India launched “Project O2 for India” initiative The government of India has launched ‘Project O2 for India’ to step up production of medical oxygen to

meet the potential increase in demand due to further waves of the pandemic. ‘Project O2 for India’, aninitiative of the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India (GoI), aims to helpstakeholders working to augment the country’s ability to meet the rise in demand for medical oxygen.

Under the project, a ‘National Consortium of Oxygen’ is enabling the supply of critical raw materials suchas zeolites, setting up of small oxygen plants, manufacturing compressors, final products such as oxygen

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plants, concentrators, and ventilators. Besides, the consortium is also working to strengthen themanufacturing ecosystem for long-term preparedness.

PM Narendra Modi launched crash course to train one lakh ‘C-19 warriors’Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a crash course to train more than one lakh “C-19 warriors” as hecalled on the country to be prepared for challenges the coronavirus pandemic may pose in the future. Theprogramme will be to be carried out from 111 training centres spread across 26 states.Ministry of Tribal Affairs and NCERT collaborated for capacity building of EMRS Teachers andPrincipals Ministry of Tribal Affairs and NCERT have collaborated for improving the quality of education in Eklavya

Model Residential Schools (EMRSs). Around 120 EMRS teachers and principals completed a 40 days’ NISHTHA-National initiative for School

Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement Program. It is a capacity-building program for improving thecompetencies of teachers and school principals.

The main objective of this collaboration is to conduct such programs across 350 functional EMRS schoolsin the country.

Ministry of Tourism organized a webinar titled “Yoga for Immunity and Respiratory Health” Ministry of Tourism organized a webinar titled “Yoga for Immunity and Respiratory Health”.It has been

organized as part of the celebration of International Yoga Day in association with the Isha Foundation. The Ministry of Tourism organized one more webinar titled “Yoga: The way of life” on 21st June. Ministry of Ayush is also organizing series of five webinars under the broad theme of “Be with Yoga, Be at

Home”. International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on 21 June to spread awareness about the benefits of Yoga.Quality Council of India (QCI) launched Indian Certification of Medical Devices (ICMED) Plus Scheme The Quality Council of India (QCI) has launched the Indian Certification of Medical Devices (ICMED)

13485 Plus Scheme. It has been launched to integrate the Quality Management System components and product- related quality

validation processes through testing of products. It will be the only scheme for an end-to-end quality assurance scheme for the medical devices sector in

India. It provides an institutional mechanism for assuring product quality and safety.Government released the latest edition of Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India On the occasion of Desertification and Drought day (june 17), the Government released the latest edition of

Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India. Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India has been published by Space Application Centre,

ISRO, Ahmedabad. India has set up a target for restoring 26 Million ha of degraded land by 2030. Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily

by human activities and climatic variations.Government aims to reduce 50% road accident deaths by 2024 The Government has set a target to reduce road accident deaths by 50% by the year 2024. During a virtual session on 'Role of Corporates in Arresting Road Fatalities' organized by FICCI, Nitin

Gadkari said that the government is proactively identifying the ‘black spot' in every state, district, and city. With the support of the World Bank and ADB, Government has allocated Rs 14,000 crores for removing

the black spots. The government is committed to restructuring and strengthening four ‘E’ of road safety i.e Engineering,

Economy, Enforcement, and Education.CCEA approved the "Deep Ocean Mission" Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Earth Sciences

(MoES) on the "Deep Ocean Mission". The main objective of the mission is to explore deep ocean resources and to develop deep sea technologies

for the sustainable use of ocean resources. The mission’s estimated cost will be Rs 4077 crore for 5 years to be implemented in phase-wise manner. Rs

2823.4 crore is the estimated cost for the first phase for three years (2021-2024). Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry implementing this mission. United Nations (UN) has declared the decade 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable

Development.Tribal Affairs Minister launched 'Adi Prashikshan Portal' and training programme for ST PRI Members Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda launched the ADI PRASHIKSHAN portal and inaugurated a

three-day training programme for ST PRI Members.

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ADI PRASHIKSHAN portal has been developed by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It will act as a CentralRepository for all training programs.

Adi Prashikshan will revolutionize the various ongoing training initiatives of the Ministry and it willimprove the process of conducting training.

The training programme will improve the education, health, nutrition, social security, livelihood, and skillsof the tribal youth.

It has been jointly organized by the National Tribal Research Institute and Tribal Research & DevelopmentInstitute, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) has launched fortifiedRice Bran Oil Government of India's NAFED has launched fortified Rice Bran Oil to Boost Healthy Living.The fortified

Rice Bran oil will contain additional nutrients and Vitamins. NAFED Fortified Rice Bran Oil will be available at all Nafed Stores and also on various online platforms. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) was set up in 1958. It is

headquartered in New Delhi. Dr. Bijender Singh is its chairman.Over $1 trillion needed by 2030 to put world on track to reach net-zero by 2050 The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) has said that emerging and developing countries need

as much as $1 trillion of clean energy financing by 2030 if they are to hit 2050 net-zero emissions targets. In its latest report Financing Clean Energy Transitions in Emerging and Developing Economies, the IEA

said that clean energy investment in emerging and developing economies declined by 8 percent in 2020 toless than $150 billion and is only expected to rebound slightly in 2021.

This means that these economies, which include almost every country in the Middle East and North Africa,need to ramp up investment sevenfold to put the world on course for net-zero emissions targets by 2050.

Ambuja Cement Foundation and NABARD to skill rural youth across the nation Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Ambuja Cements Ltd,

which is working towards empowerment of rural communities joins hands with National Bank forAgriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for the implementation of its ‘Employability through SkillInitiative Project (ESIP) Phase II.

ACF received grant assistance from NABARD under the Gramya Vikas Nidhi, a fund created for thedevelopment of off-farm sector activities.

ESIP will provide skill training across 19 ACF locations for a period of two years in 12 trades and hasalready reached over 4000 youth despite the pandemic.

Arjun Munda launches Sankalp Se Siddhi- Mission Van Dhan Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda has started off Sankalp Se Siddhi – Mission Van Dhan. it

aims to promote local products manufactured by tribal artisans. in addition, it will also make ensure thesustainable livelihood of the tribal population in the country.

Arjun Munda also has begun TRIFED’s new office premises at NSIC Complex at Okhla Industrial Area.the TRIFED’s new office is built in around 30,000 sqft area and has state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Centre allocates Rs 1,804 crore grant to Kerala, Rs 3,691 Crore grants to Tamil Nadu and Rs 3180 croreto Andhra Pradesh under Jal Jeevan Mission for tap water supply to every home Union Government has allocated Rs 1,804 crore grant to Kerala under Jal Jeevan Mission to make

provision of tap water supply to every home. With a four-fold increase in allocation, the CentralGovernment has pushed for speedy provision of “Har Ghar Jal” in Kerala by 2023.

The Centre has allocated Rs 3,691 Crore grants to Tamil Nadu under Jal Jeevan Mission to make provisionof tap water supply to every home

The Centre has also allocated over Rs 3180 crore to Andhra Pradesh under the Jal Jeevan Mission in thecurrent year.

Govt extends validity of documents related to Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 till Sept The government extended the validity of motor vehicle documents like driving licence (DL), registration

certificate (RC) and permits till September 30, 2021, in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This covers all documents whose validity has expired since Feb 1, 2020, or would expire by September 30,

2021. This will help out citizens in availing transport related services, while maintaining social distancing.Home Ministry operationalises National Helpline for preventing financial loss due to cyber fraudHome Ministry has operationalised the national Helpline 155260 and Reporting Platform for preventingfinancial loss due to cyber fraud.The Helpline was soft launched on first of April this year. The Helpline and itsReporting Platform has been made operational by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, I4C under theMinistry of Home Affairs, with active support and cooperation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), all majorbanks, Payment Banks, Wallets and Online Merchants.

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Govt extends validity of Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum from 31st March to 31st DecMinistry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has extended the validity of Udyog Aadhaar Memorandumfrom 31st March to 31st December this year.This would facilitate the holders of Entrepreneurs MemorandumPart-II and Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum to avail benefits of the provisions under various existing schemes andincentives including Priority Sector Lending benefits of MSME.PAN to be declared ‘INOPERATIVE’ if not linked before september 30, 2021 The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had recently extended the deadline to link Permanent Account

Number (PAN) with Aadhaar number to september 30, 2021, due to the difficulties posed by the ongoingC-19 pandemic. So now as the deadline is fast approaching, here are some guidelines which must be kept inmind.

As per the new Section 234H of the Income-tax Act 1961, which has been recently introduced duringBudget 2021, the PAN cards which are not linked to Aadhaar after september 30, 2021, would be declared“inoperative”, as well as a penalty of Rs 1,000 may also be imposed. On the other hand, the person will beconsidered as an individual without a PAN card.

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched “JaanHaiToJahaanHai” awareness campaign The Minority Affairs Minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched a nationwide “JaanHaiToJahaanHai”

awareness campaign on C-19 vaccination for rural and remote areas. The aim of this campaign is to aware people of the C-19 vaccination and to crush rumours and

apprehensions related to C-19 vaccination.Rajnath singh to inaugurate 63 bridge From Kungyam village in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today virtually inaugurated 63

bridges. From Kunjan bridge on Leh-Loma road, Minister inaugurated the bridges built by Boarder RoadsOrganization (BRO) in Eight States across the country.

The bridges include, 11 in Ladakh, four in Jammu and Kashmir, three in Himachal Pradesh, six inUttarakhand, eight in Sikkim, 29 in Arunachal Pradesh and one each in Nagaland and Manipur. BRO usedthe latest technologies in building of these bridges. These are Class-70 bridges and can bear the load ofmovement of Tanks and other heavy vehicles. These bridges will facilitate strategic and quicker access notjust to Armed forces but to people living in the border villages also.

Government extends Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana deadline till March 2022 Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that Government extended the Atmanirbhar

Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) by nine months till March 31, 2022. The Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana was set to expire on June 30, 2021. Around 21.4 lakh benefited

from this scheme since its launch.Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY): It was launched on 1 October 2020 with an outlay of Rs 22,810 crore. The scheme is being implemented through the EPFO and reduces the financial burden on companies. Under this scheme, the government bears provident fund contribution for employer and employee for two

years. This will be for new employees in organizations having up to 1000 employees for two years.India gets Asia’s longest and world’s fifth longest High Speed Track for automobiles Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Prakash Javadekar inaugurated NATRAX- the

High Speed Track (HST) in Indore. It is Asia’s longest and world’s fifth-longest High-Speed Track for automobiles. It is 11. 3km long High-

Speed Track. NATRAX will emerge as a high-speed performance test center for 2 wheelers vehicles to heavy tractor. It

has multiple test capabilities like measurements of maximum speed, acceleration, constant speed fuelconsumption, etc.

HST is used for measuring the maximum speed capability of high-end cars. On this track, vehicle canachieve maximum speed of 375 Kmph.

It will help India in becoming an automobile manufacturing hub.Law & Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched ‘itat e-dwar’Union Minister for Law & Justice, Communications and Electronics & IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad has formallylaunched the e-filing portal of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), ‘itat e-dwar’, in New Delhi. The newlydeveloped e-Filing Portal would enable the parties to file their Appeals, Miscellaneous Applications, documents,paper books, etc., electronically. The portal will enable the online filing of appeals, applications and documentsby various parties.State-of-the-Art Canopy Severance System for fighter aircraft developed State-of-the-Art Canopy Severance System (CSS) for fighter aircraft developed at Armament Research and

Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune.

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The CSS has been developed in association with High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL),Pune for indigenously developed LCA Tejas and Trainer Aircraft, HJT-36 Aircraft and HTT-40 Aircraft.

It provides safe passage by pre-weakening/severing the canopy to facilitate the smooth escape of the pilot inthe shortest possible time. It operates on the principle of controlled propagation of detonation usingexplosive mechanical energy.

NITI Aayog organizes National Convention on Prevention of Maternal, Adolescent and ChildhoodObesity NITI Aayog organized the National Convention on Prevention of Maternal, Adolescent and Childhood

Obesity. In this convention, NITI Aayog described obesity as a “silent epidemic”. Global experts, representatives

from UN bodies, and national research institutions presented statistics related to obesity and best practicesfor obesity reduction.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONALSUMMIT

Asia’s first International Memory Studies Workshop hosted by IIT Madras Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ Centre for Memory Studies recently hosted virtually Asia’s first

International Memory Studies Workshop. Indian Network for Memory Studies (INMS), the first nationalnetwork in the field in Asia under the aegis of the International Memory Studies Association, Amsterdam.

This international workshop on Memory Studies, the first of its kind in Asia, precedes the official launch ofthe Indian Network for Memory Studies (INMS).

UN Sustainable Transport Conference will be held in China The second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference will be held from 14-16 October 2021

in Beijing, China. It will provide an opportunity to focus attention on the opportunities, challenges andsolutions towards achieving sustainable transport worldwide.

The conference will follow up on the first Global Sustainable Transport Conference, held in 2016 inAshgabat, Turkmenista.

BRICS Foreign Minister meeting concluded virtually External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chaired the meeting of BRICS foreign ministers through video

conferencing. Foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa participated in this meeting. In this meeting, Ministers agreed to cooperate on the pillars of political and security, economic and finance,

and People to people and cultural exchanges.Climate Breakthroughs Summit concluded The Climate Breakthroughs Summit was organized by a collaboration of the World Economic Forum,

Mission Possible Partnership, the United Nations Climate Champions, and the United Kingdom. The leaders discussed the progress in different sectors of the global economy, including steel, shipping,

green hydrogen. The main objective of this summit is to move the world towards a zero-carbon economy. ‘Race to Zero’ is one of its key campaigns for a sustainable future. It encourages companies for cutting

emission by 2030. Around 40 health care institutions have committed to reduce their emission by half by 2030 and these

institutions will reach at net-zero level by 2050.HPC and ICT discussed at BRICS Working Group Meeting hosted by South Africa The fifth BRICS working group meeting discussed High-Performance Computing(HPC) and Information

Communication Technology(ICT). Under the Science, Technology, and Innovation track, the Fifth BRICS Working Group meeting on High

Performance Computing (HPC) and Information Communication Technologies (ICT) was hosted andorganized in online mode by South Africa.

All five countries Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa participated.Germany hosts the 8th Global Nitrogen Conference The 8th International Nitrogen Initiative Conference (INI2020) was held in Berlin, Germany.

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The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were the main focus of the eighthtriennial conference of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI).Assessing and managing nitrogencompounds sustainably were considered as crucial to achieve the 17 UN SDGs targeted for 2030.

PM Modi to participate in the Outreach Sessions of the G7 Summit PM Modi will participate in the Outreach Sessions of the G7 Summit on 12 and 13 June in virtual format. UK has invited India, Australia, Republic of Korea and South Africa, as Guest Countries for the G7

Summit. The theme for G7 summit is ‘Build Back Better’. UK currently holds the Presidency of the G7. G-7 Group: It is an intergovernmental organization that was founded in 1975. Its members include France, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, USA and UK.First Arab-India Energy Forum held during 8-9 June 2021 First edition of Arab-India Energy Forum held in the virtual format during June 8- June 9, 2021, under co-

chairship of India and Morocco. The event ended after the discussion on increasing two-way energy cooperation and intra-regional power

trading. The event was an implementation of the Executive Programme of Arab-India Cooperation Forum (AICF). The panelists for the event were from different institutions from India and League of Arab States (LAS) and

from key regional organizations such as Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)and Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA).

The participants at First Arab-India Energy Forum (AIEF) agreed to convene the second edition of AIEF inIndia during the year 2023.

Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC): It is headquartered in Kuwait. League of Arab States (LAS): It is also known as Arab League. It was founded in 1945. It is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. It has 22 member states.NATO Summit 2021 held in Belgium 31st formal meeting of heads of government of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) and also being

dubbed as Brussels summit of NATO was held in Brussels, Belgium. NATO Leaders discussed key issues, took decisions about future of NATO and agreed on concrete

measures to adapt NATO in accordance with NATO 2030 agenda.Narendra Modi virtually addressed the 5th edition of VivaTech Prime Minister, Narendra Modi virtually addressed the 5th edition of VivaTech. VivaTech is one of the

largest digital and startup events of Europe, held in Paris every year since 2016. PM Modi was invited as aGuest of Honour to deliver the keynote address at VivaTech 2021, which has been organised from 16-19June 2021 in Paris.

Other prominent speakers of the event include the President of France Mr. Emmanuel Macron, PrimeMinister of Spain Mr. Pedro Sanchez, and Ministers/MPs from various European countries.

VivaTech is jointly organized by Publicis Groupe, a prominent advertising and marketing conglomerate,and Les Echos, a leading French media group.

IIT Bombay Hosts Conference of BRICS Network Universities 2021 The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) is hosting a three day virtual “Conference of

BRICS Network Universities”. This conference is being held as a part of India’s Chairmanship of the 13thBRICS Summit in 2021.

The theme of the Conference of BRICS Network Universities is “Electric Mobility”.Dr. Harsh Vardhan addressed the Global Yoga Conference 2021Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare addressed the inaugural ceremony of GlobalYoga Conference 2021. The event was organised by ‘Mokshayatan Yog Sansthan’ along with the Ministry ofAYUSH, Government of India &Indian Council for Cultural Relations to mark the occasion of the 7thInternational Day of Yoga fall on 21st June 2021.Two day summit on Green Hydrogen Initiatives involving BRICS nations hosted by India Two day summit on Green Hydrogen Initiatives involving BRICS nations hosted by India.The started on

22nd June. It will conclude on 23rd June. India’s largest power producer, NTPC Ltd, will anchor the event. The summit provides a platform to share Green Hydrogen initiatives. Green Hydrogen is the Hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy. It has no

carbon footprint.

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Union Minister for Railways, Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal attend the UN Trade Forum 2021 Union Minister Piyush Goyal attended UN Trade Forum 2021 and put forward India’s renewed thrust to

achieve climate goals in the post-COVID-19 world. At the forum, Goyal stated that India’s per capita CO2 emission is the lowest among the big economies of

the world, and the country’s ambitious target of 450 Gigawatts by 2030 is the representation of commitmenttowards the United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and Sustainable DevelopmentGoals.

India extends $108.28 million soft loan to Eswatini Government has extended a soft loan of USD 108.28 million to Eswatini (Swaziland) for construction of

their new Parliament building, Exim Bank said. With the signing of this line of credit agreement, Exim Bank has now in place 272 Lines of Credit (LoC),

covering 62 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the CIS, with credit commitments of around USD26.84 billion, available for financing exports from India.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in the 8th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-

Plus) via video conferencing. During the virtual address at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), Singh asserted

that maritime security challenges are another area of concern to India and it hopes that the Code of Conductnegotiations regarding the South China Sea will lead to outcomes that are in keeping with international law.

The ADMM-Plus is a platform comprising 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) andits eight dialogue partners -India, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and theUnited States – to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability and development in theregion.

Denmark signs framework agreement on International Solar Alliance with India Denmark signed the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement (ISA FA) and Instrument of

Ratification with India. Denmark became the first country to ratify International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement (ISA FA)

after amendments came into force. Recently, Italy has signed the amended Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA)

with India.9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable to be hosted by India in 2022 International Energy Forum (IEF) announced that India has agreed to host the 9th Asian Ministerial Energy

Roundtable (AMER9). The 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable will be held in 2022. Dates of thisconference will be announced later and it will take forward the understandings reached in the previousmeeting in Abu Dhabi during 2018.

The decision of India to be the host of this Energy Roundtable came after a virtual meeting between IEFSecretary-General Joseph McMonigle and Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Ajit Doval participated in the 16th Meeting of Security Council Secretaries of SCO National Security Advisor Ajit Doval participated in the 16th Meeting of Security Council Secretaries of

Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe. Tajikistan, the current president of the SCO, hosted the Meeting of Security Council Secretaries on 23rd

June. The meeting was addressed by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): It was formed in 2001. India, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are members of

Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It is headquartered in Beijing, China.

BILATERAL AND MOUIndia-Australia agreed for cooperation in the field of Agriculture During a virtual meeting, India and Australia agreed for cooperation and collaboration in the field of

Agriculture. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and his counterpart Mr. David Littleproud participated

in the meeting based on the theme of Agriculture, Drought & Emergency Management.

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MoU between India and Maldives on cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development approvedby Union Cabinet The MoU was signed between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India

and Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Government of Maldives in February 2021. Now, a Joint Working Group (JWG) will be formed to implement programmes on cooperation under the

framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).Union Cabinet approves memorandum of cooperation between India-Japan on urban development The Union Cabinet has approved a memorandum of cooperation between India-Japan in the field of

sustainable urban development. A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Sustainable Urban Development has been signed between the

Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,Transport and Tourism, Government of Japan.

New work stream launched by India and UK Government to promote industrial energy efficiency at 12thClean Energy Ministerial (CEM) India along with Govt. of United Kingdom launched a new workstream.The workstream has been launched

under Clean Energy Ministerial’s (CEM) – Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative (IDDI), co-ordinated by UNIDO. 12th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) was held from May 31st till 6th June 2021. It is being organized by

Chile in virtual mode. India will host CEM in 2023. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) headquarters: Vienna, Austria. Director

General:Li Yong.Founded:1966India and Kuwait signed an MoU for cooperation on recruitment of domestic workers India and Kuwait have signed an MoU for cooperation on recruiting domestic workers. The MoU will bring Indian domestic workers under the ambit of the legal framework of Kuwait and

provide them protection under the law. The MoU has been signed by Indian Ambassador Sibi George and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of

Kuwait Majdi Ahmad Al-Dhafiri.Foreign Secretary releases postage stamps on 70th anniversary of India-Germany tiesForeign Secretary Harsh V Shringla released new postage stamps to commemorate the 70th anniversary ofIndia-Germany diplomatic relations as he highlighted the multifaceted nature of the India-Germany StrategicPartnership.Indian Mango Promotion Programme begins in BahrainA week-long Indian mango promotion programme began in Bahrain where 16 varieties of the fruit includingthree Geographical Indications (GI) certified Khirsapati&Lakshmanbhog (West Bengal), Zardalu (Bihar) arebeing displayed.US-India hydrogen taskforce launched under aegis of Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) US-India hydrogen taskforce has been launched under the aegis of Strategic Clean Energy Partnership

(SCEP). United States Department of Energy (DOE), the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),

Government of India, along with the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has launched thetaskforce.

Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) was launched by India and US in April 2018. India is the world’s third-largest oil importer. It imports 85% of its oil demand and 53% of its gas demand.Hiranandani Energy signed MoU with Petrobangla for supplying LNG to Bangladesh Hiranandani Energy (H-Energy) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Petrobangla for

supplying re-gasified LNG to Bangladesh. Hiranandani Energy (H-Energy) will lay down the natural gas pipeline from its LNG terminal in West

Bengal to the Bangladesh border. H-Energy is the only company to get the authorization from Petroleum and Natural gas Regulatory Board

(PNGRB) for laying down the pipeline. Kanai Chatta-Shrirampur natural gas pipeline will provide environmentally friendly, safe, and economical

energy to West Bengal and Western Bangladesh.India and Bhutan sign MOU for cooperation in EnvironmentIndia and Bhutan signed an MoU for cooperation in the area of the environment.The MoU will enhance theIndia and Bhutan partnership and exchange best practices in areas of prevention of Air Pollution, WasteManagement, Chemical Management, Climate Change, etc.

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Twenty-two metric tonnes of GI certified Jalgaon banana exported to Dubai The banana was sourced from farmers of Tandalwadi village, part of Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, a

banana cluster under the Agri Export Policy.Jalgaon banana is rich in fibre and mineral. The fibre obtainedfrom Jalgaon Banana has the high spinning ability and tensile strength.

India’s banana exports have grown both in terms of volume as well as value. The volume of India’s bananaexports has grown from 1.34 lakh metric tonne in 2018-19 to 1.95 lakh metric tonne in 2019-20.

India is the world's leading producer of bananas. Its share in total production is around 25%. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are

major contributors to the production of bananas. They contribute more than 70% of country’s bananaproduction.

External Affairs Minister inaugurated renovated Mahatma Gandhi Library in Nairobi External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar inaugurated renovated Mahatma Gandhi Library at the University of

Nairobi in Kenya. In 1956, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi was also unveiled at this University. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar did a three-day visit to strengthen India’s relations with the major

East African country. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and discussed people-to-

people and economic issues.India Extends USD 100 Million Line of Credit to Sri Lanka for Solar Energy ProjectsIndia has extended a USD 100 million Line of Credit to Sri Lanka to help the island nation finance variousprojects in the solar energy sector and ensure that the country’s 70 per cent power requirements are fulfilled byrenewable energy sources by 2030.India and Fiji inks MoU for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors A virtual meeting was held between the Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GoI, Shri

Narendra Singh Tomar with Dr. Mahendra Reddy, Minister of Agriculture, Waterways & Environment,Government of Fiji.

During the meeting, both the ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation inthe field of Agriculture and allied sectors. This MoU will further strengthen the multi-faceted cooperationbetween the two countries.

India and Bhutan jointly launched TIWB India and Bhutan have jointly launched the “Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB)”. It has been

launched for strengthening the tax administration of Bhutan. It will focus on International Taxation andTransfer Pricing.

Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) initiative was launched in 2015. Its main aim is to strengthen developing countries’ auditing capacity.Cabinet approved an agreement between India and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for exchange ofinformation related to taxes The Union Cabinet has approved the agreement between India and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for the

exchange of information and assistance related to the collection of taxes. According to the agreement representatives of the other country can examine individuals or records for tax

purposes.

AWARDNitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind win International Business Book of the Year Award 2021Nitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind won the International Business Book of the Year Award 2021. The authors madehistory this week by winning the prestigious International Business Book of the Year Award for 2021 for theirrecently launched book “Transformation in Times of Crisis”, published by Notion Press.First French novelist David Diop wins International Booker 2021David Diop has become the first French novelist to win the International Booker prize for translated fiction withAt Night All Blood Is Black, his first novel translated into English. The International Booker Prize, formerlyknown as the Man Booker International Prize, has been awarded since 2005 when it was won by Albanianwriter Ismail Kadare. It is a sister prize to the Booker Prize, awarded to a novel written in English.Dr. Harsh Vardhan has been honoured by WHO for efforts in tobacco control On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day(MAY 31,2021), Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has

been honoured with Director-General Special award. The World Health Organization (WHO) has given this award for its efforts to control tobacco consumption

in India.

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Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli wins the 2021 Dublin Literary AwardMexican author Valeria Luiselli has won the 2021 DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council,for her novel Lost Children Archive (published by 4th Estate (Harper Collins) in the UK and Vintage Books(Alfred A. Knopf) in the USA.Indian-Origin Teenager Among Winners of Apple WWDC21 Swift Student ChallengeAbinaya Dinesh, a 15-year-old Indian-origin girl, is among three winners of the annual WWDC21 Swift StudentChallenge, a platform for the young brains willing to demonstrate their coding and problem-solving skills.BAFTA TV Awards 2021 winners announcedBritish Academy Television Awards are presented annually to recognize the outstanding work in BritishTelevision. It is being given annually since 1955.It is mainly given to British programs.Winners of BAFTA TV Awards 2021 are:Category WinnersBest Comedy Series Inside No. 9Best Drama Save Me TooBest Actor Paul MescalBest Actress Michaela CoelBest Comedy Performance Charlie Cooper and Aimee Lou WoodMost awards I May Destroy YouThomas Vijayan Wins Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021Kerala-based Thomas Vijayan, who is now settled in Canada, has won the 2021 Nature TTL PhotographyAwards for his photo of an Orangutan clinging to a tree. The photograph is titled ‘The World is Going UpsideDown’.Arunachal Pradesh’s Water Burial bags best film National Award Water Burial, a film based on Monpa dialect of Arunachal Pradesh, has won the Best Film National Award

in environment conservation category at the 67th National Films Awards 2021. The film, which is directed by independent filmmaker Shantanu Sen in Monpa dialect, has garnered

positive reviews for its uniqueness in portraying the rituals of the tribals of the Northeast and bringing theattention of the mainstream media towards it.

Indian-American Student Wins Prestigious Award for Developing Eco-friendly Foam Alternative An Indian-American student has won a prestigious award for developing an eco-friendly foam alternative,

which was motivated by the impact of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. Sohi Sanjay Patel, a sophomore at a Texas high school, was declared the winner of the Patrick H Hurd

Sustainability Award at the 2021 virtual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The award is given by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Her project proposes to provide a

plant-derived, flame retardant polyurethane foam that could be used for housing insulation and otherapplications.

Pulitzer Prize 2021 for fiction went to Louise Erdrich for The Night Watchman. Pulitzer Prize is given for achievements in the field of newspaper, magazine and online journalism,

literature, and musical composition. It was started on the name of Joseph Pulitzer in 1917. It is given in twenty-one categories and each winner receives a certificate and a US$15,000 cash award. Important Winners list:

Books

Fiction The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (Harper)

Drama The Hot Wing King by Katori Hall

Music Stride by Tania León

Journalism

Breaking NewsReporting

Star Tribune

Investigative ReportingMatt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen and BrendanMcCarthy

Explanatory ReportingEd Yong of The AtlanticAndrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell and Jackie Botts ofReuters

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Public Service The New York Times

International Reporting Megha Rajagopalan, Alison Killing and Christo Buschek

UK Asian Film Festival 2021: India’s Tillotama Shome wins Best Actor awardIndian actress Tillotama Shome has made the country proud by winning the Best Actor award at the 2021 UKAsian Film Festival (UKAFF). Tillotama won the award for her role in the film Raahgir: The Wayfarers. Thefilm has been directed by Goutam Ghose. The UK Asian Film Festival (UKAFF) 2021 was the 23rd edition ofthe annual event. Apart from Tillotama, filmmaker Goutam Ghose has also won the Best Director award at theUKAFF.Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga wins PEN Pinter prize 2021Tsitsi Dangarembga, the Booker-shortlisted Zimbabwean writer who was arrested last year in Harare whileprotesting against corruption, has been awarded the PEN Pinter prize, praised for her “ability to capture andcommunicate vital truths even amidst times of upheaval”. Dangarembga was also shortlisted for the 2020Booker Prize for her work, This Mournable Body.RS Sodhi conferred with Asia Pacific Productivity Champion awardThe Managing Director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul), R.S. Sodhi, was conferredwith the regional award as Asia Pacific Productivity Champion from Asian Productivity Organization (APO),Tokyo, Japan in recognition of enhanced productivity and efficient milk supply chain.IIT Roorkee prof bags NSG award for ‘blast-resistant’ helmetShailesh Govind Ganpule, an assistant professor at the mechanical and industrial engineering department(MIED), was conferred the award with the ‘NSG Counter-IED and Counter-Terrorism Innovator Award 2021′for developing a “blast-resistant” helmet.Delhi, Hyderabad airports receive ACI Asia–Pacific Green Airports recognition GMR Airports-run Delhi and Hyderabad airports have been felicitated by the Airports Council International

(ACI) Asia-Pacific Green Airports Recognition 2021 for their environment sustainable initiatives. The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR Group led consortium, has been awarded the

Platinum Recognition in the over 25 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category, while the GMRHyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) received the Gold Recognition by the ACI in the below25 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category.

LTI Awarded Snowflake Global Innovation Partner of the YearLarsen & Toubro Infotech, a global technology consulting and digital solutions company has been recognized asthe Global Innovation Partner of the Year by Snowflake, the Data Cloud Company. LTI received thisprestigious recognition during Snowflake Virtual Partner Summit.Indian climate activist Shyam Sundar Jyani won UN Land Conservation Award 2021 Familial Forestry, an environmental conservation project by Rajasthan's Shyam Sunder Jyani, won United

Nations' Land for Life Award 2021. He relates a tree with a family, making it a green family member. He was campaigning for Familial

Forestry in Rajasthan for over 15 years. The ‘Familial Forestry’ conservation concept revolves around community participation in protecting and

conserving the trees.FTCCI CEO Khyati Naravane was awarded ‘Certificate of Commitment’ by The World Book of Records Industry body Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) CEO Khyati

Naravane has been awarded by The World Book of Records, London for commitment towards trade andindustry during the Covid times.

The World Book of Records (WBR) has taken an initiative to motivate and inspire people to be committedto safety.

Chemist Sumita Mitra honoured with prestigious European Inventor Award 2021 Indian-American chemist Sumita Mitra has been honoured with the European Inventor Award 2021 in the

‘Non-European Patent Office countries’ category. She was the first to have successfully integratednanotechnology into dental materials to produce stronger and more aesthetically pleasing fillings.

The award, one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes, is presented annually by the EuropeanPatent Office (EPO) to recognise outstanding inventors from Europe and beyond.

NTPC won recognition as India’s Best Employers among Nation-Builders 2021 For the first time, NTPC won recognition as India’s Best Employers among Nation-Builders 2021. It has

been recognized as the ‘Great Place to Work’ for the 15th straight year by the Great Places to WorkInstitute. It has been ranked at 38th. It was ranked 47 last year.

It also won its first-ever recognition of India’s Best Employers among Nation-Builders 2021.

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Cochin International Airport won honour in airport service quality awardCochin International Airport (CIAL) won Airport Council International (ACI) Director General’s Roll ofExcellence honour in Airport Service Quality. This recognition is awarded to those airports which, in theopinion of passengers, consistently delivered excellent services.Centre releases list of Smart Cities Awards 2020 winners The Central government has declared Smart City awards 2020 in which Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Surat

(Gujarat) won the award jointly for their overall development. Whereas Uttar Pradesh emerged on the topamong all states, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu under the Smart City award, 2020. TheSmart City awards were given across the themes of Social Aspects, Governance, Culture, UrbanEnvironment, Sanitation, Economy, Built Environment, Water, Urban Mobility.

According to the Centre, of the total, proposed projects under the Smart Cities Mission, 5,924 projects(115% by number) worth Rs.1,78,500 crore have been tendered so far. Whereas work orders have beenissued for 5,236 projects (101% by number) worth Rs.1,46,125 crore.

List of winning Smart Cities under the different categories:1. Social Aspects

Tirupati: Health Benchmark for Municipal Schools Bhubaneshwar: Socially Smart Bhubaneswar Tumakuru: Digital Library Solution

2. Governance Vadodara: GIS Thane: Digi Thane Bhubaneswar: ME app

3. Culture Indore: Conservation of Heritage Chandigarh: Capitol Complex, Heritage Project Gwalior: Digital Museum

4. Urban Environment Bhopal: Clean energy Chennai: Restoration of water bodies Tirupati: Renewable Energy Generation

5. Sanitation Tirupati: Bioremediation & Bio-Mining Indore: Municipal Waste Management System Surat: Conservation through Treated Wastewater

6. Economy Indore: Carbon Credit Financing Mechanism Tirupati: Boost Local Identity & Economy through Design Studio Agra: Micro Skill Development Centre

7. Built Environment Indore: Chappan Dukan Surat: Canal Corridor

8. Water Dehradun: Smart Water Metering Water ATM Varanasi: Eco-Restoration of Assi River Surat: Integrated and Sustainable Water Supply System

9. Urban Mobility Aurangabad: Majhi Smart Buses Surat: Dynamic Scheduling Buses Ahmedabad: Man-less parking system and automatic ticket dispensing machines AMDA Park

10. Innovative Idea Award Indore: Carbon Credit Financing Mechanism Chandigarh: For Union Territories

11. Covid Innovation Award Kalyan-Dombivali and Varanasi

Other Awards in different categories:Surat, Indore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Vijayawada, Rajkot, Visakhapatnam, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Vadodara wereawarded 4-star rating under Climate-Smart Cities Assessment Framework.

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According to the ministry, Ahmedabad bagged the ‘Smart Cities Leadership Award’, followed by Varanasi andRanchi in the second and third spots respectively.French non-fiction author Emmanuel Carrere wins top Spanish awardFrench author Emmanuel Carrere, popular for his non-fiction books in a high literary vein, has been granted thisyear’s Spanish Princess of Asturias Literature Award.Delhi Metro bags ‘Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award’ award for 'high-quality'Delhi Metro received the ‘Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award’ for the year 2020.It has been given by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) for the “High-Quality” infrastructuredevelopment projects of Delhi Metro.RK Sabharwal honoured with the highest civilian award of Mongolia ‘The Order of Polar Star by hisexcellencyEngineers India Limited (EIL) Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), RK Sabharwal has been honoured withthe highest civilian award of Mongolia ‘The Order of Polar Star by his excellency. The President of Mongoliarecognises the outstanding contribution made by him towards the establishment of the first-ever oil refinery inMongolia.Journalist P. Sainath wins Japan’s Fukuoka Grand Prize 2021 Journalist Palagummi Sainath has been awarded the Fukuoka Grand Prize for 2021. He is a committed

journalist who has continued to investigate impoverished farming villages in India and captured the realityof the lifestyle of the residents in such areas. The award, established by Japan’s Fukuoka city and theFukuoka City International Foundation, is given to individuals and organisations for their work inpreserving Asian culture.

Besides the Grand Prize, there are two more award categories, academics and culture. The Academics Prizewas given to Professor Kishimoto Mio, a historian from Japan.

Thailand-based writer and filmmaker Prabda Yoon received the Arts and Culture Award.

PERSON IN NEWSWORLDMontek Ahluwalia Former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia

was named a member of a high-level Advisory Group formed by the World Bankand IMF.

Karim Khan British lawyer Karim Khan was sworn as the new chief prosecutor for theInternational Criminal Court.

Upasana Kamineni WWF India has inducted Upasana Kamineni, Director, Apollo Hospitals, as“Ambassador of Forest Frontline Heroes” with the aim to appreciate the efforts offrontline workers in hospitals and in the wildlife protection space.

Nikol Pashinyan Nikol Pashinyan elected as the new Prime Minister of ArmeniaStefan Lofven Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Lofven resigned after losing no-confidence vote.

He is the leader of the Social Democrat party.Isaac Herzog Veteran Israeli politician, Isaac Herzog, has been elected as the President of the

country on June 01, 2021.60-year-old Herzog will be the 11th President of Israel.Dr Patrick Amoth Dr Patrick Amoth, the acting Director-General for Health, Ministry of Health of

Kenya has been appointed as the Chairman of the World Health Organisation(WHO) Executive Board, for a period of one year. The announcement was madeduring the 149th session of the WHO Executive Board, on June 02, 2021, by theoutgoing Chair Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Nagraj Adiga India’s Nagraj Adiga has been elected as the Asia-Oceania Representative at therecently concluded 2021 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Congressat which the IAU council elections were held.

Ranjitsinh Disale Ranjitsinh Disale, the first Indian teacher to receive the Global Teacher Award hasbeen appointed by the World Bank as an Advisor to the World Bank.

Abdulla Shahid The Maldives’ Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has been elected as the newPresident of the UN General Assembly.Every year President of the UN GeneralAssembly is elected among various regional groupings on the rotational basis.

Hitendra Dave Hitendra Dave will be appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HSBC(TheHongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) India on receipt of regulatoryapproval.

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Rajesh Nambiar Cognizant's India chairman Rajesh Nambiar appointed head of digital biz.Antonio Guterres The UN Security Council has recommended Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

for a second five-year term as chief of the world organisation beginning January 1,2022.

Husain Al-Musallam Husain Al-Musallam from Kuwait has been elected President of the InternationalSwimming Federation (FINA). He will replace Julio Maglione.

Ukhnaa Khurelsukh Former Mongolian Prime Minister, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh became the country’s sixthdemocratically elected president.

Benedetto Vigna Ferrari has named Benedetto Vigna as its new company CEO, taking over frominterim chief John Elkann.

Rebeca Grynspan The U.N. General Assembly has approved the appointment of Costa Ricaneconomist Rebecca Grynspan, as the Secretary-General of the United NationsConference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Naftali Bennett Naftali Bennett, the former Defence Minister of Israel, and leader of the Yaminaparty took oath as the Prime Minister of the country. The 49-year-old former techentrepreneur replaces Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been forced out of office after12 years (2009 to 2021). (Netanyahu is the longest-serving PM of Israel).

Henri Marie Dondra Henri Marie Dondra has been named prime minister of the Central AfricanRepublic (CAR)

Satya Nadella Microsoft Corp, named Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella as its new chairman.Ebrahim Raisi Ebrahim Raisi won the presidential election of Iran. He will take the place of

Hassan Rouhani, who was elected as President in 2013.

NATIONALAmitabh Kant NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant’s term has been

extended till June 2022. This is the third time Amitabh Kant's tenure has beenextended as CEO of NITI Aayog.

K K Venugopal The government has extended the tenure of Attorney General K K Venugopal byone more year. Now, his tenure will end on June 30, 2022.

Dr Pratima Murthy Dr Pratima Murthy, head of Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of MentalHealth & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru has been appointed as Directorof the Institute for a period of five years. She will retire in March 2026. She wasawarded the WHO Regional Director’s Special Recognition Award on ‘World NoTobacco Day 2021’.

Suresh N Patel The incumbent Vigilance Commissioner, Suresh N Patel has been appointed as theacting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) of India.

Praveen Sinha The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointmentof Praveen Sinha as the Special Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI).

Jeremy Kessel Twitter appoints California-based Jeremy Kessel as India Grievance OfficerParesh B Lal WhatsApp has named Paresh B Lal as its grievance officer for India.WhatsApp was

released in January 2009. It was acquired by Facebook in February 2014. It wasoriginally programmed by Brian Acton and Jan Koum.

Spoorthi Priya Social media giant Facebook has named Spoorthi Priya as its grievance officer forIndia on its website.

S. N. Srivastava Justice (Retd.) Shambhu Nath Srivastava, a former judge of Allahabad High Courtand former chief Lokayukta of Chhattisgarh, has been appointed the chairman ofthe Indian Federation of United Nations Associations (IFUNA).

Mawya Sudan Mawya Sudan has become the first woman from J&K to become the Indian AirForce’s fighter pilot.She belongs to Lamberi village on the Line of Control in theRajouri district. She is India’s 12th woman fighter pilot.

Anup Chandra Pandey President has appointed Anup Chandra Pandey as an Election Commissioner.Theseat was vacant after Sushil Chandra was promoted as Chief ElectionCommissioner.Sushil Chandra is the current Chief Election Commissioner and Rajiv Kumar is theother Election Commissioner.The Election Commission consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and twoElection Commissioners.Articles 324 to 329 of the Constitution is associated with powers, functions, tenure,

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eligibility, etc. of the Election Commission and its members.Their tenure is of six years or till the age of 65, whichever is earlier.

Kuldiep Singh Director-General of Central Reserve Police Force, Kuldiep Singh has been givenadditional charge of Director General of National Investigation Agency, NIA.

Adar Poonawalla Magma Fincorp has appointed Adar Poonawalla as its chairmanA.K. Mishra Former Supreme Court judge Arun Kumar Mishra will be the new chairperson of

the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).Vikramjit Sen The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) announced the appointment of former

Supreme Court judge Justice Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman of its newly formedself-regulatory body Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC).

T.V. Narendran Tata Steel Ltd chief executive officer and managing director, T.V. Narendran hastaken over as president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2021-22.

Vivek Ram Chaudhari Vivek Ram Chaudhari appointed as IAF(Indian Air Force) Vice ChiefRS Sodhi Amul’s RS Sodhi elected to board of International Dairy FederationRavneet Singh Vice-Admiral Ravneet Singh assumed charge as Deputy Chief of Naval StaffDr Vinay K Nandicoori Dr Vinay K Nandicoori appointed as Director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular

BiologyJ B Mohapatra J B Mohapatra has been given additional charge of the Central Board of Direct

Taxes (CBDT) chairman.Dr Vinay K Nandicoori Well-known molecular biologist, Dr Vinay K Nandicoori has been appointed as

new director of CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB),Hyderabad, Telangana.

Air Marshal Vivek RamChaudhari

Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari (VR Chaudhari) has been appointed the nextVice Chief of Air Staff at the Air headquarters.

Vishwavir Ahuja The Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja asthe Managing Director and CEO of RBL Bank for a one-year period with effectfrom June 30, 2021.

Chandra Shekhar Ghosh The Reserve Bank of India has granted approval for the re-appointment of ChandraShekhar Ghosh as MD and CEO of Bandhan Bank, for a period of three years.

Mahesh Kumar Jain The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the re-appointment ofMahesh Kumar Jain as the Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) fortwo more years with effect from June 22, 2021.Currently, Michael Patra, MRajeshwar Rao and Rabi Sankar are the other three serving RBI Deputy Governors.

M R Kumar The appointments committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension ofthe tenure of MR Kumar as the Chairman of state-owned insurance company LifeInsurance Corporation of India (LIC).

K. N. Naidu IFS officer K Nagaraj Naidu named to lead UN bureaucracy for a yearAkshay Kumar Bollywood superstar, Akshay Kumar has been appointed as the new brand

ambassador of biotechnology company Mylab Discovery Solutions.Girish ChandraChaturvedi

The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-appointment of Girish ChandraChaturvedi as the part-time Chairman of ICICI Bank for a period of three yearsstarting July 1, 2021.

Ajai Puri Ajai Puri, Chief Operating Officer of Bharti Airtel, has been re-elected as Chairmanof the industry association for 2021-22.

Mukesh Sharma Mukesh Sharma, a faculty at IIT Kanpur, has been appointed as an honorarymember of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Air Pollution andHealth – Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG).

Aashish Chandorkar The government of India has appointed a private person Aashish Chandorkar asCounsellor in India’s Permanent Mission in the World Trade Organisation for threeyears.

Sumant Sinha The United Nations Global Compact has announced that it has recognized Mr.Sumant Sinha, Chairman & MD of ReNew Power as one of ten 2021 SDG Pioneersfor his work to advance access to clean and affordable energy.

Mukund Gosavi Maharashtra govt appoints Mukund Gosavi as brand ambassador of Coronavaccination program due to his selfless service. Mr. Mukund Gosavi has 80 per centdisability. However, this did not stop him from helping needy people during thepandemic situation.

Anand Mohan Bajaj The Centre has appointed Anand Mohan Bajaj, Additional Secretary in theDepartment of Economic Affairs (DEA) as Member of the Board of Securities and

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Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which is the capital markets as well as commodityderivatives market regulator.In the SEBI Board, he is replacing Tarun Bajaj, who isnow the Revenue Secretary.

Karnam Malleswari The Delhi government appointed former Olympic medalist weightlifter KarnamMalleswari as the first Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Sports University.She is the firstIndian woman weightlifter to bring home an Olympic medal. She created history atthe Sydney Olympics in 2000 by lifting 110 kilograms and 130 kilograms in the‘snatch’ and ‘clean and jerk’ categories.

Jasprit Bumrah Jasprit Bumrah appointed as the brand ambassador of OnePlus

Yuvraj Singh Global sports brand Puma India has extended partnership with former Indiancricketer Yuvraj Singh, who has been associated with the brand for over a decade.

Virat Kohli The captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli, has for long been the brandambassador for Audi in India.

Sanjay Dutt received UAE’s Golden Visa The UAE government awarded Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt with its Golden Visa. The Golden Visa system

essentially offers long-term residency to people with outstanding talents. In 2019, UAE implemented a newsystem for long-term residence visas enabling foreigners to live, work & study there without the need of anational sponsor & with 100% ownership of their business.

Justice (Retd.) Arjan Kumar SikriThe Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has appointed former Supreme Court Justice (Retd.)Arjan Kumar Sikri to chair the grievance redressal board (GRB), formed as a part of the digital publishercontent grievances council (DPCGC).Montek Singh Ahluwalia named as member of high-level Advisory Group formed by World Bank andIMF

Former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia was named asmember of high-level Advisory Group formed by World Bank and IMF.

The group will be jointly led by Mari Pangestu, Ceyla Pazarbasioglu and Lord Nicholas Stern. Mari Pangestu is Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships, World Bank. Ceyla Pazarbasioglu is Director, Strategy, Policy and Review Department, International Monetary

Fund. The group was formed by World Bank and IMF in the face of dual crisis posed by the Covid-19

pandemic and climate change.

SPORTSNew Zealand won first ICC World Test Championship New Zealand defeated India to win the first ICC World Test Championship. New Zealand chased down the

target of 139 to win the first-ever World Test Championship final with eight wickets in hand. The last day of the match was played on June 23, 2021. The match saw 6 days play in place of the regular 5

days due to the rain factor. Kyle Jamieson (NZ) has been adjudged as the “Player of the match”, while KaneWilliamson (NZ) is the “Player of the series”.

Rani Rampal, Manpreet Singh named captains of Indian hockey teams Midfielder Manpreet Singh was named captain of the 16-member Olympic-bound Indian men’s hockey

team, while experienced defenders, Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh, were named vice-captains. Rani Rampal was named the captain of the 16-member Olympic-bound Indian Women’s Hockey Team,

announced Hockey India.Patiala hosted Indian Grand Prix 4The Athletics Federation of India (AFI), announced that the Indian Grand Prix 4 held on June 21 at the NationalInstitute of Sports in Patiala. The decision to host the domestic events was made to give Indian athletes themaximum chance to qualify for Tokyo.Novak Djokovic wins French Open Tennis Title 2021 Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to lift the French Open title for the second time in his career.

Djokovic, with his 19th Grand Slam title, has closed in on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the all-timeGrand Slam titles list.Both the players have won 20 Grand Slams each.

In the women’s singles final, Barbora Krejcikova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to win her maidengrand slam.

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Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova won the women's doubles title. Barbora Krejcikova has becomethe first woman to win singles and doubles titles at the same French Open.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut won the men's doubles title.Vinoo Mankad and 9 others inducted into ICC Hall of FameThe ICC has inducted 10 icons of the game, including India’s Vinoo Mankad, into its illustrious Hall of Famewith two players each from five eras, dating back to cricket’s early days, making it to the list. Theannouncement has been coincided with the inaugural World Test Championship final, to be played betweenIndia and New Zealand from June 18 in Southampton.Wrestler Vinesh Phogat wins gold in women’s 53 kg freestyle at Poland Ranking SeriesTokyo Olympic Games bound wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the women’s 53kg freestyle gold with an 8-0 winover Khrystyna Bereza of Ukraine at the Poland Ranking Series in Warsaw.Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu qualifies for Tokyo Olympics in women’s 49-kg categoryIndia’s Mirabai Chanu, the 2017 world champion in weightlifting, has qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Gamesin women’s 49 kg category, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced.Gukesh Wins Gelfand Challenge Chess TitleExceeding all expectations, D. Gukesh sensationally won the $15,000 Gelfand Challenge chess title and with it,a ‘wild card’ for the elite Meltwaters Champions Chess Tour.Portugal legend Ronaldo breaks Euros goal record and becomes first player to feature at five finalstournaments Cristiano Ronaldo now stands alone as the all-time record goalscorer at European Championships, after also

becoming the first player to feature at five finals tournaments in Portugal's 3-0 win over Hungary inBudapest.

The Juventus forward has represented his country at every Euros since Portugal hosted the tournament in2004, and he remains the talisman of the reigning champions 17 years later.

Neeraj Chopra throws 83.18m to clinch gold in LisbonIndian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra produced a stunning return to the international circuit by striking gold at theMeeting Cidade de Lisboa in Lisbon.Utah Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson wins 2021 Sixth Man of the YearUtah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson has won the 2020-21 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award for his contributions in areserve role. Clarkson becomes the first player in Jazz franchise history to win the award and was presented thetrophy by his teammate and fellow Sixth Man of the Year Finalist Joe Ingles.Djokovic Wins Belgrade openWorld No. 1 Novak Djokovic capture the 83rd title of his career with victory on home soil at the BelgradeOpen.Indian men’s hockey team remains at 4th position in latest FIH world rankings. In the latest International Hockey Federation world rankings, the Indian men’s team remained at the fourth

position.Men’s FIH ranking is topped by Belgium. Indian women’s hockey team has maintained the ninth position in the FIH world rankings. Women’s FIH

ranking is topped by the Netherlands.Brazil to host Copa America for 2nd consecutive timeIn football, Brazil will host Copa America for the second consecutive time.South American soccer bodyCONMEBOL announced the decision hours after it ruled out Argentina amid an increase in COVID-19 cases inthe country.Shafali Verma continues to top ICC women’s T20I batting rankings Teenage India batswoman Shafali Verma continues to top the ICC women’s T20I batting rankings. The Indian Broadcasting Foundation appoints Former Justice Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), which is soon going to be renamed as Indian Broadcasting &

Digital Foundation (IBDF), the apex body of broadcasters and OTT operators, has announced theappointment of Justice (Retd.) Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman, along with six other eminent industrymembers for the newly formed Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC).

Sunil Chhetri surpasses Argentina’s Lionel Messi. Sunil Chhetri surpasses Argentina’s Lionel Messi and he has become the second-highest active

international goal-scorer with 74 strikes. He made this record in a joint preliminary qualifying round match for 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023

AFC Asian Cup. He is currently behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (103) in the active international goal-scorer list. Sunil Chhetri is an Indian professional footballer. He is popularly known as Captain Fantastic.

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Oman will host inaugural FIH Hockey5s World Cup. The Executive Board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced that Oman will host

inaugural Hockey5s World Cups (Men and Women) in 2024. Matches will take place in Oman’s capitalcity, Muscat.

India and Pakistan have also bidden to host this event.Singapore F1 Grand Prix Cancelled Due To C-19 PandemicFormula One’s Singapore Grand Prix has been called off this year due to C-19 restrictions, local organiserSingapore GP Pte Ltd have confirmed.BharatPe becomes ICC’s official partner till 2023Lending and digital payments startup BharatPe announced that it has inked a three-year long deal to become anofficial partner with International Cricket Council (ICC).As per the agreement, BharatPe will promote theassociation across broadcast and digital platforms, as well as execute in-venue brand activations at all the ICCevents until 2023.New Zealand’s Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will be first trans-athlete to compete at Olympics The New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is poised to make history and headlines, as well as

significant controversy, after being confirmed as the first transgender athlete to compete at an OlympicGames. The 43-year-old, who will be the fourth oldest weightlifter at an Olympics, is regarded as a genuinemedal contender in the women’s super heavyweight 87kg-plus category in Tokyo.

But while her inclusion has been welcomed by trans groups, it has also been questioned by those whobelieve she has unfair advantages in strength and power, having gone through male puberty beforetransitioning in 2012.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce becomes second fastest woman of all-time ahead Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the second-fastest woman of all-time behind 100 metres

world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner when she clocked 10.63 seconds at a meet in Kingston. American Griffith-Joyner still holds the women’s 100m world record of 10.49 seconds, set in Indianapolis

in 1988, as well as the three fastest times ever, with 10.61 and 10.62, also in 1988.India’s official Olympic theme song ‘Lakshya Tera Samne Hai’ releasedAhead of the Tokyo Games, the official Olympic theme song for the Indian contingent was launched. MohitChauhan has composed and sung the song titled “Lakshya Tera Samne Hai”. The Games will open on July 23and over 100 Indian athletes have qualified for the event so far.Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown breaks 100-meter backstroke world record with a time of 57.45seconds Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown breaks the 100-meter backstroke world record at the South

Australian Aquatic Centre with a time of 57.45 seconds from the previous mark of 57.57 seconds set byAmerican Regan Smith in 2019.

Emily Seebohm finished second in 58.59 to qualify for her fourth Olympics.Cristiano Ronaldo becomes joint top-scorer in men’s international football Cristiano Ronaldo has become the joint-top scoring men’s international player of all time. He is currently

tied with Iran legend Ali Daei, who scored 109 times in 149 matches between 1993 and 2006. Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties to tie the overall men’s scoring record with 109 goals in 176

matches and Portugal advanced to the round of 16 at the European Championship after a 2-2 draw withFrance.

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a bronze medal at Kuortane Games.In Kuortane Games held in Finland, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won the bronze medal. The World no.1, Johannes Vetter of Germany won a gold medal to throw his javelin at a distance of 93.59 meters.Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari win gold medal in the mixed recurve team event at the Archery WorldCup Stage III in Paris. Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari have won the gold medal in the mixed recurve team event at the Archery

World Cup Stage III in Paris. They scored 5-3 win over the Netherlands to win India’s second gold medal of the day. The Netherlands

won a silver medal. India also won a gold medal in the recurve women’s team event. The team comprised of Deepika Kumari,

Komalika Bari and Ankita Bhakat. India’s Abhishek Verma earlier won a gold medal in the men’s compound event by defeating Kris Schaff of

the USA.Madhya Pradesh’s all-rounder cricketer Anshula Rao first woman to get dope banMadhya Pradesh all-rounder Anshula Rao became the first women cricketer to be handed a four-year ban afterfailing the dope test. She was handed the ban by the panel of the National Anti-Doping Agency for faking adope test which dates back to July 2020.

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ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 now shifted to UAE & Oman ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, originally slated to be held in India, will now be shifted to the UAE. The Board

of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which holds the hosting rights of this year’s event, will inform theInternational Cricket Council (ICC) in this regard. The T20 World Cup was postponed last year due to thepandemic.

The BCCI will remain the hosts of the event, which will now be held in Dubai International Stadium, theSheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground, from17 October to 14 November 2021.

Shafali Verma becomes youngest Indian to make debut in all formats. Opener Shafali Verma has become youngest Indian cricketer to make debut in all formats. She took 17 years and 150 days to make her debut in all formats. She has become fifth youngest cricketer overall in the list of all format debuts. The list is topped by

Afghanistan's Mujeeb Ur Rahman.Debbie Hewitt England’s Football Association named corporate executive and former RAC chief,

Debbie Hewitt as its first woman chair.Kevin O’Brien Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brien has announced his retirement from one-day

internationals.Sanjeet Kumar India’s Sanjeet Kumar wins gold medal in the 91 kg weight category at the ASBC

Asian Boxing Championships held in Dubai.Sergio Perez Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has won Azerbaijan formula one Grand Prix.Sami Khedira Germany’s FIFA World Cup-winner, Sami Khedira has announced retirement.Saurabh Chaudhary Saurabh Chaudhary won the bronze medal in the men’s 10m air pistol event at the

ISSF(International Shooting Sport Federation) World Cup.ISSF World Cup 2021 isbeing held in Osijek, Croatia.

Rahi Sarnobat India’s Rahi Sarnobat clinched gold medal in the women’s 25m pistol event at theISSF shooting World Cup.ISSF World Cup 2021 is being held in Osijek, Croatia.

French Grand Prix Red Bull's Max Verstappen won French Grand Prix 2021.Styrian Grand Prix Max Verstappen (Netherlands-Red Bull) has won the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYIIT Ropar developed India’s first indigenous temperature data logger for cold chain management. IIT Ropar has developed “AmbiTAG”, India’s first indigenous temperature data logger for the cold chain

management. It will record the real-time temperature of the surrounding during the transportation of perishable products,

vaccines, and body organs. It has been developed under Technology Innovation Hub – AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology

Development Hub) and its Startup ScratchNest.Scientists have developed an Artificial Synaptic Network for mimicking human brain.Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research have developed Artificial SynapticNetwork that can mimic human brain cognitive actions. It is more efficient than conventional techniques inworking like Artificial Intelligence.Scientists have discovered a material system mimicking neuronal bodies andaxonal network connectivity much like the biological system.IIT Hyderabad developed nano-fibre technology based Amphotericin B oral tablets. IIT Hyderabad has developed nano-fibre based oral tablets of Amphotericin B, also called AmB. Amphotericin B is used to treat fungal infections post COVID-19 treatment.IIT Guwahati researchers design “smart windows” to cut carbon emissionsIIT Guwahati researchers have developed a “Smart Window” material that can effectively control the amount ofheat and light passing through it in response to an applied voltage.Bharti-backed OneWeb launches 36 new LEO satellites Bharti Airtel owned satellite communications company OneWeb, confirmed the launch of 36 new Low

Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. The launch is part of OneWeb’s ‘five to 50’ programme, which is meant tobring satellite-based broadband Internet to countries like the UK, Alaska, US, Northern Europe, Greenland,Iceland, the Arctic seas, and Canada. The company has said that its services will start from 2022.

The launch was carried out by European satellite launch company, Arianespace, from the Russianspaceport, Vostochny Cosmodrome.

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DBT-NII receives Trademark for India's first indigenous tumour antigen SPAG9. The SPAG9 antigen developed by the National Institute of Immunology (NII) has received the

ASPAGNIITM trademark. The SPAG9 tumour antigen was discovered by Dr. Anil Suri in 1998. It is India’s first indigenous tumour

antigen. At present, ASPAGNIITM is used in the treatment of cervical and ovarian cancer but now it will be also

used in breast cancer.Department of Biotechnology supported First CAR-T cell therapy. Tata Memorial Hospital, IIT Bombay team and cancer care in India performed the first CAR-T cell therapy. The Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is used in the treatment of Cancer. At present, this

therapy is not available in India. BIRAC and DBT have taken several initiatives for the development of CAR-T cell technology against

cancer in last two years. The TMC-IIT Bombay team are being supported through the National Biopharma Mission for conducting

Phase I/II trial of their CAR-T product. The CAR-T cell technology will be used for diseases like acute lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma,

glioblastoma, etc.UK, Indian Scientists Develop Low-cost Sensor to Detect Covid-19 in Wastewater UK and Indian scientists have jointly developed a low-cost sensor that can detect fragments of the virus

responsible for COVID-19 within wastewater. The technique, developed by researchers from the University of Strathclyde and the Indian Institute of

Technology (IIT) Bombay, could be used to enable widespread monitoring of COVID-19 prevalence inlow- and middle-income countries which struggle to conduct mass human testing.

The sensor was tested with wastewater collected from a sewage treatment plant in Mumbai spiked withSARS-Cov-2 Ribonucleic Acid (RNA).

UK Scientists Develop Gadget That Sniffs Out Covid-19 Electronic devices may soon be used to identify the presence of infection in a crowded space using body

odour profiles after scientists in the UK have tested a so-called “COVID alarm”. Early studies by scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Durham

University show that COVID-19 infection has a distinct smell, resulting from changes in the volatileorganic compounds (VOC) which make up the body odour – generating an odour “fingerprint” that thesensors can detect.

Led by researchers from the LSHTM and biotech company RoboScientific Ltd with Durham University, thestudy tested devices with organic semi-conducting (OSC) sensors, which could potentially be used as aCOVID-19 screening tool.

Bharti Airtel and Tata Group partner for 5G network solutions Bharti Airtel and Tata Group have announced a strategic partnership for implementing 5G network

solutions for India, which will be available for commercial development from January 2022. Tata Grouphas developed an O-RAN (open-radio access network)-based radio and non-standalone architecture/stand-alone architecture (NSA/SA) core and has integrated a totally indigenous telecom stack, leveraging thecapabilities of the group and its partners.

The NSA/SA are radio technology that controls the signalling of 5G radio. While NSA can controlsignalling of 5G to the 4G core, the SA can connect the 5G radio directly to the 5G core network andcontrol signalling does not depend on the 4G network.

Airtel will pilot and deploy this indigenous solution as part of its 5G rollout plans in India and start the pilotin January 2022, as per the guidelines formulated by the government.

Jio and Google Cloud to Collaborate on 5G Technology Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited and Google Cloud are embarking on a comprehensive, long-term strategic

relationship with a goal of powering 5G in enterprise and consumer segments nationwide. In addition,Reliance will also take advantage of Google Cloud’s scalable infrastructure thereby enabling its retailbusiness to achieve better operational efficiency, modernize and scale for growth, and deliver betterperformance and experiences to customers.

As part of the partnership, Reliance will also augment its compute workload for retail business takingadvantage of Google’s AI/ML, e-commerce, and demand forecasting offerings. This will help Reliance torapidly grow its new commerce business to leverage Google Cloud with increased reliability andperformance, as well as scale up as needed to respond to customer demand.

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NEWLY LUNCHEDXraySetu Launched to Detect C-19 in Rural Population via WhatsApp A new AI-driven platform called ‘XraySetu’ has been developed to help in the early detection of C-19, with

the help of Chest X-ray. The solution will be beneficial for early detection especially in rural areas, whereRT-PCR tests and CT-Scans are not easily available. XraySetu will operate through WhatsApp.

The solution has been developed by ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park), a not-for-profitfoundation established by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, with support from theDepartment of Science & Technology (DST), GOI, in collaboration with Bangalore based HealthTechstartup Niramai and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

CoviSelf, country’s first self-use kit for testing at home The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved the country’s first Covid-19 self-testing kit for

home use. That essentially means anyone can collect their own nasal sample and test it for SARS-CoV-2. Called CoviSelf, it has been developed by MyLab Discovery Solutions, a Pune-based molecular company.

It uses a rapid antigen test, in which a nasal swab sample is tested for the virus and gives results within 15minutes. This testing kit cost Rs 250.

Dept of atomic energy to build India’s 1st reactor on PPP model The department of atomic energy (DAE) announced that it will be constructing the country’s first research

reactor on public-private partnership (PPP) model. DAE is shortlisting the private enterprises for apartnership in the project.

The research reactor, which will be designed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), will produceradioisotopes, and is expected to bring down the costs of nuclear medicine that is used in cancer treatmentin India.

DAE will provide the upfront capital and build the plant through its subsidiary – Nuclear PowerCorporation of India Ltd

First International Maritime Cluster of India to come up at GIFT CityGujarat Maritime Board (GMB) will set up the country's first international maritime services cluster at GIFTCity. The maritime cluster will be developed as a dedicated ecosystem comprising ports, shipping, logisticsservices providers and government regulators, all present in the same geographic vicinity — GIFT City. GIFTCity is India's first operational smart city and international financial services.Indian Cricketer Sehwag launched cricket coaching website 'Cricuru' Indian star cricketer Virender Sehwag has launched an experiential learning portal for Cricket coaching

named CRICURU. CRICURU is India’s first AI-enabled coaching website, to offer a personalised learningexperience for the younger players.

Young players will be able to learn to play cricket through master classes by 30 player-coaches from acrossthe globe like AB de Villiers, Brett Lee, Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, JontyRhodes, who will share their experience and learning with users.

Facebook India Launches Tech Scholars Programme for Law Students Facebook India said it has launched a new initiative to provide students from leading law schools in the

country a platform for research and mentorship on topics related to technology law and policy. The Facebook India Tech Scholars (FITS) programme has Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co as a

knowledge partner. The programme aims to provide students from select leading law schools in the country a platform for

research and mentorship on topics related to technology law and policy.Bombay launches new centre for digital HealthThe Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has set up the 'Koita Centre for Digital Health' (KCDH) underthe aegis of the Koita Foundation. KCDH will be focused on driving academic programmes, research andindustry collaboration in Digital Health.IIT Ropar develops India’s first power-free CPAP device ‘Jivan Vayu’ The Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Ropar has developed a device dubbed ‘Jivan Vayu’ which can be

used as a substitute for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. Jivan Vayu can deliver highflow oxygen up to 60 Litres Per Minute (LPM).

This machine is India’s first such device that functions even without electricity and can work on both kindsof oxygen generation units like O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals.

Google to build the longest undersea cable Google said it is building an open subsea cable that will connect the East Coast of the US and Las Toninas,

Argentina with additional landings in Brazil and Uruguay.

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With the new cable, the tech giant aims to bolster internet connectivity to users in South America andenhance its existing cable investments in the region.

The Firmina cable, named after Brazilian abolitionist and author Maria Firmina dos Reis, will be the longestcable in the world.

PGCIL commissions India”s first VSC-based HVDC power transmission system State-run Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd has fully commissioned India’s first Voltage Source

Convertor (VSC) based HVDC (high voltage direct current) electricity transmission system, the powerministry said.

The PGCIL commissioned Monopole-I of the ± 320 kV, 2000 MW, Pugalur (Tamil Nadu) – Thrissur(Kerala) Voltage Source Convertor (VSC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) System. ThePugalur-Thrissur HVDC system, costing Rs 5070 crore, is a part of the Raigarh-Pugalur-Thrissur 6000 MWHVDC system and enables transfer of 2000 MW to Kerala through the VSC HVDC station at Thrissur.

The state-of-the-art VSC Technology has been brought to India for the first time by PGCIL through thisProject.

Facebook launched ‘Report it, Don’t share it!’ initiative to tackle child abuse content. Facebook has launched a new initiative called 'Report it, don't share it' to encourage reporting of child abuse

content. It has been launched in collaboration with civil society organizations like Aarambh India Initiative, Cyber

Peace Foundation, and Arpan.NSDC And WhatsApp Launch “Digital Skill Champions Program” The National Skill Development Corporation and WhatsApp announced an alliance to launch the Digital

Skill Champions Program that aims to train India’s youth on digital skills, in order to make thememployment ready. The partnership identifies two broad areas of collaboration viz., WhatsApp DigitalSkills Academy and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) and WhatsApp Business App Trainingsessions.

Through this program, school and university students would be coached to imbibe digital and online skillsthat would culminate with WhatsApp and NSDC awarding ‘Digital Skill Champions’ certification.

Microsoft Launched new Windows operating system ‘Windows 11’ Microsoft officially launched its new Windows operating system ‘Windows 11’. It is being called as the

“next generation” of Windows. The release comes nearly six year after the current latest WindowsOperating System ‘Windows 10’ was launched in July 2015. Windows 11 is special because it focuses on anew user interface, a new Windows Store, and improvements to performance, including a centre-alignedTaskbar and Start button.

One of the unique features of Windows 11 is that it will support Android apps via Amazon’s app store. Itwill work better in touch mode as well.

Windows 11 operating system (OS) will be available as a free upgrade for Windows 10 users in late 2021,as long as the user has a compatible PC that meets the requirements of Microsoft’s new operating system.

JSCA, SAIL-BSL inks MoU for International Cricket Stadium in BokaroThe Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SAILBokaro Steel Plant (BSL), for the construction of an International Cricket Stadium in Bokaro city. Once thestadium is ready, Bokaro will become the third city in Jharkhand to have an International Cricket Stadium afterJamshedpur and Ranchi.

DEFENCENSA Doval commissioned Indian Coast Guard’s ship SajagNational Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval has commissioned the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore PatrolVessel (OPV) Sajag, which has been constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited.INS Sandhayak decommissioned First of its class indigenously designed and built Hydrographic Survey Ship, INS Sandhayak has been

decommissioned. The decommissioning ceremony of INS Sandhayak took place at the Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam. It was constructed at GRSE Kolkata in 1978 and commissioned to the Indian Navy on 26 Feb 1981.Defence Ministry Signs Contract with Mahindra Telephonics for 11 Airport Surveillance RadarsThe Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Mahindra Telephonics to procure 11 airport surveillance radarsfor the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

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India Clears ‘Landmark’ Rs 43,000 Crore Project to Build 6 High-tech Submarines The Defence Ministry cleared a mega project to domestically build six conventional submarines for the

Indian Navy at a cost of around Rs 43,000 crore, in a major decision aimed at significantly boosting India’snaval prowess in the face of China rapidly expanding its maritime capabilities.

The decisions to approve the naval submarine project named ‘P-75 India’ and the procurement of themilitary weapons and equipment were taken at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Indian Navy inducted three ALH MK III advanced light helicopters The Indian Navy inducted three indigenously-built advanced light helicopters ALH MK-III in their fleet. It

will be used for maritime reconnaissance and coastal security. These helicopters are built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at the Indian Naval Station (INS) Dega in

Visakhapatnam.Indian Navy will receive three MH-60 'Romeo' Multi-Role Helicopters. Indian Navy will receive three MH-60 Romeo helicopters from the United States. In 2020, India and the United States had signed a deal of 16,000 crores to buy 24 MH-60 Romeo

helicopters. MH-60 Romeo helicopters are equipped with multi-mode radars and night-vision devices. These helicopters

can operate from frigates, destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers.31st edition of Indo-Thai CORPAT is being conducted between Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy. 31st edition of the India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) conducted between Indian

Navy and Royal Thai Navy. Under Indian Government’s SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) vision, Indian Navy has

been proactively engaging with the countries in the Indian Ocean Region to enhance regional maritimesecurity.

Defence Minister approves budgetary support of 499 crores for innovations in defence sector. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has approved the budgetary support of Rs 498.8 crore to Innovations for

Defence Excellence (iDEX) - Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) for the next five years. The fund will be used to provide financial support to around 300 start-ups, micro, small and medium

enterprises (MSMEs) and individual innovators. The budgetary support will help in achieving the self-reliance in defence & aerospace sector. It will support

the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.National Security Guard (NSG) signed a MoU with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) for cooperation. The National Security Guard (NSG) signed an MoU with the Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) to

strengthen its core competencies. The main objective of this MoU is to provide assistance to Indian startups engaged in developing

technology for security. The MoU will help in sharing the expertise of NSG & RRU in the field of security through the ‘Security

and Scientific-Technical Research Association’ (SASTRA) and the RISE platform.Russian Navy Building First Fully Stealth Warship Russia is building the first naval ship that will be fully equipped with stealth technology to make it hard to

detect. The hull of the Mercury naval corvette dubbed project 20386 has already been built and the vessel is

expected to be delivered to the navy next year.Indian Navy and European Naval Force conducting joint exercise in the Gulf of Aden The Indian Navy is participating in a joint exercise with the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) in

the Gulf of Aden. Indian Naval Ship Trikand, currently deployed for anti-piracy operations, is participating in this naval

exercise. The other countries participating in the exercise are: Italy, Spain, and France.Rajnath Singh inaugurates BRO’s two Centres for ExcellenceDefence Minister, Rajnath Singh dedicated to the nation two Centres of Excellence established by Border RoadsOrganisation (BRO) at Seema Sadak Bhawan in New Delhi. These Centres have been established to achieveexcellence in road safety as well as foster growth in the construction of roads, bridges, airfields and tunnels.INS Trikand, mission deployed for Anti-Piracy Operations participating in maiden IN – EUNAVFORJoint Naval Exercise in Gulf of Aden Indian Naval Ship Trikand, a mission deployed for Anti-Piracy Operations, is participating in the maiden

IN – EUNAVFOR Joint Naval Exercise in the Gulf of Aden.

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A total of five warships from four navies are participating in the two day exercise. Other warships includeItalian Navy Ship ITS Carabiniere, Spanish Navy Ship ESPS Navarra, and two French Navy Ships FSTonnerre and FS Surcouf.

The two-day exercise will see high tempo-naval operations at sea, including advanced air defence and anti-submarine exercises, cross deck helicopter operations, tactical manoeuvres, boarding operations, underwayreplenishment, Search and Rescue

DRDO Successfully Test Fires Enhanced Pinaka Rocket Off Odisha Coast The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired an extended-range

version of the indigenously developed Pinaka rocket. The rockets were launched from a Multi-BarrelRocket Launcher (MBRL) at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. Theenhanced range version of the Pinaka Rocket System can destroy targets at distances up to 45 km.

The Pinaka Rocket system has been developed jointly by Pune based Armament Research andDevelopment Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) withmanufacturing support from M/s Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur.

INS Tabar deployed for naval exercises in Africa, Europe till September. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tabar has been deployed for naval exercises in Africa, Europe till September. The ship will cross the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, and Baltic Sea. INS Tabar will participate in many bilateral exercises like Ex Konkan with UK Royal Navy, Ex Varuna

with French Navy, and Ex Indra with Russian Federation Navy. It will also participate in Russian Navy Day celebrations from July 22 to 27.DRDO successfully flight-tests ‘Agni P’ Ballistic Missile off Odisha Coast The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested a New Generation

Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile “Agni P (Prime)” from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast ofOdisha, Balasore. As per Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials, Agni-Primeis a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.

Agni P (Prime) is a new-generation advanced variant from the Agni class of missiles. It is a canisterisedsurface-to-surface ballistic missile having a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km.

Indian naval ships and US NAVY participating in Passage Exercise. Indian Navy ships, aircraft of Air Force and US Navy are participating in Passage Exercise in the Indian

Ocean region. The two-day naval exercise is scheduled to be organized from 23-24 June. Indian Naval Ships Kochi and Teg along with P8I and MiG 29K aircraft are participating in this Naval

exercise. From the US Navy side, US Navy Carrier Strike Group Ronald Reagan is participating in this exercise.India launched trilateral partnership for Indo-Pacific stability.India launched a trilateral partnership with Italy and Japan for the security, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific Region. It has been launched in a virtual meeting of representatives of these three countries.It has been launched to establish stability and a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.Enhanced Range 122mm Caliber Rocket successfully test fired by DRDO. Enhanced range versions of indigenously developed 122mm Caliber Rocket were successfully test fired by

DRDO on June 25, 2021. Four enhanced range versions of 122mm rockets were successfully test fired at Integrated Test Range

(ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. These rockets have been developed for Army applications and can destroy targets up to 40 km. They would

replace the existing 122mm Grad rockets. Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials

Research Laboratory (HEMRL) have developed the rockets with manufacturing support from M/sEconomic Explosives Limited, Nagpur.

INDEX AND RANKINGCentre for World University Rankings 2021-22 announced Harvard University has topped the ranking globally followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

Stanford University, University of Cambridge, and Oxford University respectively. As many as 68 Indian institutes have made it to the list of the top 2000 higher education institutes across the

world, as per the Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR) 2021-22. The Indian pack is led by the

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IIM-Ahmedabad which has bagged 415th rank followed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at 459thrank.

Third edition of the SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020–21 released Recently, the third edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index and Dashboard 2020–

21 was released by NITI Aayog. The NITI Aayog launched its index in 2018 to monitor the country’s progress on the goals through data-

driven assessment, and foster a competitive spirit among the States and Union Territories in achievingthem.The SDG India Index 2020–21 is developed in collaboration with the United Nations in India.

These scores range between 0–100, and if a State/UT achieves a score of 100, it signifies it has achieved the2030 targets.

States and Union Territories are classified in four categories based on their SDG India Index score: Aspirant(0–49), Performer (50–64), Front-Runner (65–99), Achiever (100).

Kerala has retained the top rank in Niti Aayog’s SDG India Index 2020-21 with a score of 75, while Biharhas been adjudged as the worst performer, according to a report released by Niti Aayog Vice ChairmanRajiv Kumar. The country’s overall SDG score improved by 6 points — from 60 in 2019 to 66 in 2020-21.

Further, Chandigarh maintained its top spot among the union territories (UTs) with a score of 79. Under the health sector goals, Gujarat and Delhi were the top performers among the states and the UTs,

respectively.Under the goal of quality education, Kerala and Chandigarh were the top performers among thestates and UTs, respectively.

Under the goal of reduced inequalities, Meghalaya and Chandigarh (Achiever, with Index score of 100)emerged as the best performers among the states and UTs. Under the goal of no poverty, Tamil Nadu andDelhi were the best performers among the states and UTs, respectively.

India slips two spots on achieving Sustainable Development Goals India's rank slipped to 117th on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Last year, India was on

the 115th spot.The overall SDG score of India is 61.9 out of 100. India’s rank dropped due to poor performance in ending hunger and achieving food security, achieving

gender equality, and building resilient infrastructure.In South Asian Countries, India’s rank is below thanBhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Among Indian states, Jharkhand and Bihar are least prepared to achieve the goal of SDG by 2030. According to India's Environment Report 2021, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh have the best

overall SDG score. India got 168th rank in Environmental Performance Index (EPI). It is an indicator how countries are

protecting their citizens from environmental health risks.Three Indian Universities achieved positions in top-200 in QS World University Rankings 2022 In June, QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) has released 18th edition of World University Rankings.Massachusetts

Institute of Technology (MIT) achieved the first rank for 10th consecutive year in QS World UniversityRankings. University of Oxford achieved 2nd rank.

Stanford University and the University of Cambridge both achieved third position. Three Indian Universities have achieved positions in top-200 in QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World

University Rankings 2022.IIT Bombay has secured 177th position and IIT Delhi has secured 185th rank. IISc Bengaluru has secured 186th position in university rankings. It is ranked number 1 in the world for

research. QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings are released annually by Quacquarelli Symonds. It

was earlier known as Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings.Grading index in school Education: Punjab tops performancePunjab, which has improved its showing from the 13th position it attained in 2018-19, topped the charts thistime among all the states and union territories with a score of 929 out of 1,000, followed by Chandigarh (912)and Tamil Nadu (906).

Rhea Chakraborty has bagged the number 1 spot in ‘Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2020’Rhea Chakraborty has bagged the number 1 spot on Times Most Desirable Women 2020 list. She was in thenews for most of last year due to the sudden demise of Sushant Singh Rajput and the controversy around hisdeath.Anemia Mukt Bharat Index : Himachal in third spotHimachal Pradesh has climbed to the third spot in the Anemia Mukt Bharat Index 2020-21 national ranking witha score of 57.1.Madhya Pradesh is in the first position with a score of 64.1 followed by Odisha with a score of59.3.

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THE Asia University Rankings 2021 released In the latest Times Higher Education Asia university rankings 2021, three Indian universities secured

positions in the top 100 list. IISc Bangalore, IIT Ropar and IIT Indore have secured ranks among the top 100 universities in Asia. Like

last year, not a single Indian varsity made it to the elite top 10. IISc Bangalore ranked at 37th position. IITRopar is placed at 55th rank and IIT Indore at 78th rank among the top 100 universities.

Tsinghua University, China has gained the first position in the Asia university rankings 2021. The secondplace is also secured by China’s Peking University. The third and fifth ranks have been secured bySingapore varsities. Whereas, University of Hong Kong is at fourth rank.

India got 67th rank in Coursera's Global Skills Report 2021. India has been ranked at the 67th position in Coursera's Global Skills Report 2021. In Asia, India is ahead of 16 countries. India is ahead of the Philippines and Thailand but behind Singapore

and Japan. India got 55th rank in business and 66th rank in technology and data science. Switzerland has topped in Coursera's Global Skills Report 2021, it is followed by Luxemburg and Austria.India has been placed on 14th position in World Giving Index 2021. According to the World Giving Index 2021 report, India is the 14th most charitable country in the world.

Last year, India’s rank was 82nd among 128 countries. Indonesia has topped the World Giving Index 2021. According to this report, 61% of Indians helped strangers; 34% volunteered; and 36% donated money.India Slips 12 Spots To 55th Position In Global Home Price Index India has moved down 12 places in the global home price index in Q1 of 2021 to 55th position from 43rd

rank during the same quarter last year, shows the latest report by global property consultancy Knight Frank. Turkey remains at the top with a 32 per cent rise in prices during January-March 2021 compared to the first

quarter of the 2020 calendar year.India Maintains 43rd Rank On IMD’s World Competitiveness Index 2021 India held the 43rd rank on the Institute for Management Development (IMD)’s annual World

Competitiveness Index 2021. Switzerland led the 64-nation list, followed by Sweden (moved up to the second position from sixth in

2020), Denmark, the Netherlands and Singapore.Turkey first & India ranked Second in share of central bank surplus transfers The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was second in terms of reserves transferred to the government as a

percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) for the fiscal year 2020-21. Turkey has been ranked first. RBI has transferred Rs 99,122-crore surplus to the government for FY21 which is 73% higher than the Rs

57,128 crore paid out in 2019-20. The surplus transferred by RBI constitutes 0.44% of GDP, while that ofthe Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey constitutes 0.5% of GDP.

15th edition of Global Peace Index 2021 released The 15th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) announced by Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)

Sydney. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Yemen,

Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq. South Asia: India has moved up two notches from its previous year’s ranking to become the 135th most peaceful

country in the world and the 5th in the region. Bhutan and Nepal are named as the first and second most peaceful in this region. Bangladesh has been ranked 91th out of 163 countries in Global Peace Index for 2021. According to the

list, Bangladesh is the 3rd most peaceful in South Asia.Ease of Living Index 2020: Bengaluru ‘most liveable’ city of India Bengaluru has been named as the most liveable city of India, in the Ease of Living Index 2020, released by

the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The Ease of Living Index 2020 is part of the report titledState of India’s Environment 2021. Bengaluru is followed by Chennai, Shimla, Bhubaneshwar, andMumbai, as the top five best cities respectively.

The Ease of Living Index 2020 is the second edition of the index after the first one was launched in 2018.Jamsetji Tata tops inaugural Philanthropists of the Century Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, Indian pioneer industrialist and founder of the Tata Group, has topped the

inaugural, EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century list, which ranks the world’s 50 most generousindividuals in the last century. As per the report, the total donations made by Mumbai-based Jamsetji Tata

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is estimated at US$102.4 billion. He is the only Indian among the top 10 list, compiled by Hurun Researchand EdelGive Foundation.

The only other Indian in the list of 50 global philanthropists is Azim Premji, former chairman of Wipro. Heis ranked at 12th position. Bill Gates & Melinda French Gates ranked second with donations worth $74.6billion.

Bengaluru ranked as one of the Top 5 technology centers in Asia Pacific Bengaluru has emerged as the top five technology centres in the APAC region while Hyderabad is ranked

in the Top 10 list, a report by Colliers titled ‘Growth Engines of Innovation: How Asia Pacific TechnologyHubs are Reshaping Regional Real Estate’.

Beijing, Shanghai, Bengaluru, Shenzhen and Singapore currently rank as the top five technology centres inAPAC.

Ashgabat most expensive city for foreign workers in the world Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan in Central Asia, has been named the world’s most expensive city for

foreign workers. The city topped the list in a 2021 cost-of-living survey by consultancy firm Mercer. HongKong was on the second position, followed by Beirut in Lebanon and Tokyo in Japan.

Mumbai remains India’s most expensive city at 78th rank.India has been ranked 31st in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021. India has been ranked 31 out of 46 countries in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021. According

to this report, only 38 percent of Indians have trust in news. Finland has topped the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021. In Finland, 65% of peoples have trust in

the news. The United States is on the last position of this Index. India has been included for the first time in this Digital News Report. Around 73% of Indians use

smartphones to access news. 82% of Indians access news online through social media, WhatsApp and other online platforms. It has been published by the Reuters Institute for Study of Journalism (RISJ).

BOOK AND AUTHORBook Author

“Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020” Salman Rushdie‘Stargazing: The Players in My Life’ Ravi Shahtri“Savarkar: A contested Legacy (1924-1966)” Vikram Sampath“All You Need is Josh: Inspiring Stories of Courage and Conviction in21st Century India”

Supriya Paul

‘1232 km: The Long Journey Home’ Vinod KapriSkill It, Kill It Ronnie Screwvala‘Home in the World’ Book by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen“Tiananmen Square: The Making of a Protest – A Diplomat LooksBack”

Vijay Gokhale

‘Believe – What Life and Cricket Taught Me’ Cricketer Suresh Raina'The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis Amitav Ghosh‘Beyond Here and Other Poems’ Bishnupada Sethi‘The 7 Sins of Being A Mother’ Tahira Kashyap Khurrana‘Habba Khatoon’ Kajal Suri‘Will’ autobiography of Actor Will Smith“My Joys and Sorrows – as a Mother of a Special Child” Krishna SaksenaIt’s a wonderful Life’ Ruskin Bond"Anomalies in Law and Justice" R V Raveendran“Fiercely Female: The Dutee Chand Story” Sundeep Mishra“Kashmiri Century: Portrait of a Society in Flux” Khemlata Wakhlu“Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, DC” Kaushik BasuKiren Rijiju releases E-Book on 20 Medicinal Plants for Covid-19 Care. Minister of State for Ayush, Kiren Rijiju, released the e-book on 20 Medicinal Plants for Covid-19 Care. The “20 Medicinal Plants for 2021 for Covid-19 care” e-book has been prepared by the National Medicinal

Plants Board (NMPB).

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DAY & DAYSJune 1 World Milk DayJune 1 Global Day of ParentsJune 3 World Bicycle DayJune 4 International Day of

Innocent Children Victimsof Aggression

June 5 World Environment Day The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is ‘Reimagine.Recreate. Restore.’ as this year marks the beginning of the UnitedNations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Pakistan is the global hostfor the day to highlight the importance of ecosystem restoration thisyear.

June 6 UN Russian Language DayJune 6 World Pest DayJune 7 World Food Safety Day Theme:- “Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow”.June 8 World Oceans Day The idea of World Oceans Day was first proposed at the Earth

Summit in 1992. The theme for World Oceans Day 2021 is 'The Ocean: Life and

Livelihoods'June 8 World Brain Tumour DayJune 9 World Accreditation Day World Accreditation Day (WAD) is celebrated every year on 9 June to

promote the role of accreditation in trade & the economy. The themefor WAD 2021 is “Accreditation: Supporting the Implementation ofthe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.

June 10 International Level CrossingAwareness Day observed

International Level Crossing Awareness Day was observed by “South-Central Railway (SCR)”

JuneJune 12 World Day Against Child

Labour 2021Tjeem:- Act now: End child labour!.

June 13 International AlbinismAwareness Day

Theem:- 'Strength Beyond All Odds'

June 14 World Blood Donor Day The day marks the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner whodiscovered and classified the ABO blood groups.

This year the theme of this day is – “Give blood and keep worldbeating”. The theme highlights the importance of blood donation.

Italy is the host for World Blood Donor Day 2021.June 15 World Elder Abuse

Awareness DayJune 15 Global Wind Day Global Wind Day is organized by WindEurope and the Global

Wind Energy Council (GWEC). According to the International Renewable Energy Agency

(IRENA), wind energy is one of the fastest-growing renewableenergy sources in the world.

India will install 20GW of wind capacity over 2021-25. Atpresent, India has a total installed wind power capacity of 38.789GW.

June 15 ASEAN Dengue Day Theme:- ” ASEAN Unite Against Dengue Amidst COVID-19Pandemic”.

June 16 International Day of FamilyRemittances

June 16 International Day of FamilyRemittances

June 17 World Day to CombatDesertification and Drought

Theme:- “Restoration. Land. Recovery. We build back better withhealthy land”

June 17 World Crocodile Day

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June 18 Sustainable GastronomyDay

June 18 Autistic Pride Day 2021June 18 Sustainable Gastronomy

DayJune 19 World Sauntering Day Theme is “The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk”June 19 World Sickle Cell

Awareness Day Sickle Cell Disease is a group of inherited blood cell disorders. It

affects a person’s red blood cells. It makes blood cells stiff andsickle-shaped.

The disease is prevalent among tribal communities. The NationalHealth Mission established its first sickle cell institute inSambalpur district, Odisha.

June 19 National Reading Day The Day is celebrated to honour the father of the ‘LibraryMovement in Kerala’, the late P.N. Panicker, whose deathanniversary falls on June 19.

The week following June 19 will be observed as Reading Weekand the entire month till July 18 will be observed as ReadingMonth.

June 19 International Day for theElimination of SexualViolence in Conflict

June 20 World Refugee Day Theme:- 'Together we heal, learn and shine'June 21 International Day of Yoga International Day of Yoga is celebrated every year on 21st June

since 2015. The theme for this year’s yoga day is “Yoga for Wellbeing”.

June 21 International Day of theCelebration of the Solstice

Solstice is that the point at which the Sun is at its greatest distancefrom the world and equinox is when space is that the lowest.

June 21 World Music DayJune 23 International Olympic Day Theme:- “Stay healthy, stay strong, stay active with the #OlympicDay

workout on 23 June.”June 23 United Nations Public

Service DayJune 25 World Vitiligo Day Vitiligo is a skin disorder leading to loss of colour in the skin creating

a variety of patterns on the skin from loss of pigment.June 25 Day of the Seafarer The International Maritime Organization (IMO) celebrates the

annual Day of the Seafarer (DoS) on June 25 each year to payrespect to Seafarers and sailors who help the entire world functionby conducting sea transport.

The theme of the 2021 campaign is “Seafarers: at the core ofshipping’s future”.

June 26 International Day in Supportof Victims of Torture 2021

June 26 International Day AgainstDrug Abuse and IllicitTrafficking

Theme:- “Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives”.

June 27 Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day

Thme:- “MSME 2021: key to an inclusive and sustainable recovery

June 29 National Statistics day 2021 The government of India is celebrated National Statistics day on 29thJune on the birth anniversary of Prof. P C Mahalanobis.

June 29 International Day of theTropics

June 30 International Day ofParliamentarism

June 30 International Asteroid Day

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OBITUARYLegendary sprinter Milkha Singh passes away Indian sprinter legend Milkha Singh passed at the age of 91 years due to COVID-19. Captain Milkha Singh was the only athlete to win gold in 400 meters race at the Asian Games and the

Commonwealth Games. He also won the gold medal in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games and represented India in 1956, 1960, and

1964 Summer Olympics. He was conferred with the Padma Shri award for his contribution to the field of sports. He is also known as Flying Sikh. He is remembered for his race in the 400 meters final at the 1960 Olympic Games.T.M. Kaliannan T.M. Kalliannan Gounder, the last surviving former member of the Indian

Constituent Assembly, died at the age of 101. He served as a Member of theLegislative Council in Tamil Nadu and also as an MLA thrice, between 1952 and1967. He was reportedly the youngest member in the Constituent Assembly thenand also a member of India’s first provisional parliament.

Anerood Jugnauth Anerood Jugnauth, former Prime Minister of Mauritius, passed away.He servedfour consecutive terms as Prime Minister of Mauritius. He is longest-serving PrimeMinister of Mauritius.

Kalipatnam Ramarao Kalipatnam Ramarao, a Telugu story writer and poet, passed away.GN Rangarajan Tamil filmmaker GN Rangarajan passes awayLakshmi Nandan Bora Noted Assamese litterateur and Padma Shri awardee Lakshmi Nandan Bora passed

away at a private hospital in Guwahati.World Brain Tumor Day 2021Seher Aly Latif Casting director Seher Aly Latif, known for her work on films like The Lunchbox

and Durgamati, died due to cardiac arrest.Dingko Singh Former Asian Games gold medalist boxer Ngangom Dingko Singh passed awayBuddhadeb Dasgupta The National award-winning eminent Bengali film Director Buddhadeb Dasgupta

has passed away.S.S. Mathur Olympian Surat Singh Mathur, the first from independent India to complete a

marathon at the Olympics, passed away.Radhamohan Padma Shri winning noted Economist and Environmentalist, Prof Radhamohan Ji

has passed away.Sanchari Vijay Veteran Kannada film actor Sanchari Vijay, who won the National award in 2015,

has passed away.Nirmal Milkha Kaur The former Indian women volleyball team captain Nirmal Milkha Kaur, who is the

wife of sprint legend Milkha Singh (Flying Sikh), has passed away due to COVID-19 complications.

SwamiShivamayanandaji

Vice-President of Ramakrishna Math and Mission Swami Shivamayanandaji died ata city hospital night due to COVID-19.

Siddalingaiah Karnataka’s noted Kannada Dalit poet and activist Siddalingaiah died due to Covid-related complications at a private hospital in the city.

Guruprasad Mohapatra Secretary in the Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) GuruprasadMohapatra died of Covid-19 related complications at AIIMS

Mufti Faiz-ul-Waheed Renowned Jammu-based Islamic scholar Mufti Faiz-ul-Waheed, who firsttranslated Quran into Gojri language, has passed away in a Jammu.

Kenneth Kaunda First President of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda passed awayGottfried Bohm German architect Gottfried Böhm, designer of the brutalist Church of the

Pilgrimage, has passed away aged 101.J.D. McAfee British-American Software pioneer, John David McAfee, the creator of the McAfee

antivirus software, has passed awaySivan Mollywood’s veteran cinematographer and director, Sivan passed away recently.

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MISCELLANEOUSBlue-finned Mahseer moved out from endangered species category of IUCN red list. The Blue-Finned Mahseer has now moved to the least concern category of the IUCN red list. Earlier, it was on the endangered species category of the IUCN red list. Tata power has created an artificial lake at Walvan Hatchery in Lonavala for the breeding of Mahseer. However, the Golden Mahseer is still listed as endangered on IUCN Red List.IUCN Red ListIt is also known as Red Data Book.It was founded in 1964.US, Hong Kong climbers set new records for scaling Mount Everest Climbers from the United States and Hong Kong have set new records as they scaled Mount Everest this

week. Arthur Muir, 75, became the oldest American to climb the world’s highest peak at 8,848.86-metres (29,031

feet).Muir beat the record set by Bill Burke, who became the oldest American to climb the mountain at theage of 67 in 2009.

Separately, Hong Kong’s Tsang Yin-Hung, 45, scaled the peak in less than 26 hours, the shortest time takenby any woman after starting from the base camp. She beat the record set by Nepali woman Phunjo JhangmuLama in 2017, who climbed Everest in 39 hours and six minutes.

Himalayan monal is listed as the Least Concern species in the IUCN Red List. Economist Intelligence Unit released Global Liveability Ranking 2021. The Global Liveability Ranking is released by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) annually. Auckland has topped the Global Liveability Ranking 2021. It has become the most liveable city in the

world. Damascus is the least liveable city in the World.Ten islands of Lakshadweep Islands might submerge in the next 30 years. Ten islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago might submerge in the next 30 years. According to a study, the extreme rise of seawater level in the last 15 years could be the main reason for the

submersion of islands in the archipelago. According to a study, there will be 70 percent to 80 percent land loss in eight of the ten islands by 2035.UNESCO: Great Barrier Reef should be listed in “in danger” category. UNESCO recommended to add the Great Barrier Reef in “in danger” category of world heritage sites.

Currently, 53 sites are listed in “in danger” category of world heritage sites. The committee has downgraded the status of the Great Barrier Reef because of its coral decline. It said that

the Australian government is not doing enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Australia gets tourism revenue of four million dollars every year from the Great Barrier Reef. UNESCO has also recommended to put seven world heritage sites on the list of endangered sites.A team of researchers discovers new species of skittering frog from surroundings of Thattekkad birdsanctuary A team of researchers has discovered new species of skittering frog from the surroundings of Thattekkad

bird sanctuary. The species has been named ‘Euphlyctis Kerala’ in honour of the astonishing biodiversity of the state. Thattekkad bird sanctuary was the first bird sanctuary in Kerala.

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