1. Dr. R Seetharaman, Group CEO of Doha Bank, has been honoured with the 2016 Green Economy Visionary at the 2016 Union of Arab Banks (UAB) International Banking Summit, Rome. He has been awarded for his contribution in environment-friendly activities and for promoting green economy for nearly two decades.
2. B S Bassi, the former Delhi Police commissioner, has been appointed as the new member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), a Constitutional post. He will have tenure of about 5 years till February 2021. Bassi is a 1977-batch IPS officer of Arunachal Pradesh- Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre. The UPSC is headed by a chairman besides maximum of ten members. Under the Constitution, a member of the UPSC can have a maximum of six years tenure or till he attains age of 65 years.
3. Bhedabahal is a proposed ultra mega power project (UMPP) near Sundargarh in Odisha.
4. The world's longest and deepest rail tunnel has been opened in Switzerland. The 57 km (35-mile) twin-bore Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) will provide a high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps between Northern and Southern Europe. The tunnel has overtaken Japan's 53.9 km Seikan rail tunnel as the longest rail tunnel in the world. The full service will begin in December 2016. The tunnel has taken 17 years to build at a cost of 12.2 billion Swiss francs (£8.4 billion).
5. The India-Morocco Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IMCCI) has been launched by Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane in Rabat, Morocco. The Chamber is a new initiative taken by the two countries to strengthen their relations in trade and investment. The motto of IMCCI is "Shake hands, strengthen ties, go with IMCCI".
6. The Asia's largest technology trade fair "Computex Taipei 2016" has started at the Taipei World Trade Centre, Taiwan. The purpose of the fair is to promote internet computing ecosystems. The highlight of 2016 trade show is Virtual Reality (VR). In it, more than 1,600 companies from 30 countries will showcase their latest products in robotics, virtual reality, innovation, business solutions and games. The trade show will end on June 4, 2016 and organisers expect the event to attract more than 130,000 visitors.
7. China has successfully launched "Ziyuan III 02", a new civilian high-resolution mapping satellite from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province. Ziyuan III 02 will be used in land resource surveys, natural disaster prevention, agricultural development, water resources management and urban planning, among other tasks. It is the second satellite in the remote-sensing mapping system which China plans to build by 2030. Along with Ziyuan satellite, the two NewSat satellites from Uruguay were also successfully launched.
8. The Hindi Journalism Day (or Hindi Patrakarita Diwas ) is celebrated every year on May 30 in India to mark the beginning to journalism in Hindi language. On this date, in 1826, the first Hindi-language newspaper of India "Udant Martand" was published from Calcutta by Pt. Jugal Kishore Shukla. Though, due to financial problems, the newspaper couldn't publish for long. In 2016, the Hindi Journalism has completed its 190 years in India.
9. The Government of India (GoI) has recently signed a $9.2-million grant agreement with the World Bank (WB) for the 'Efficient and Sustainable City Bus Service Project'. The agreement has been signed under the World Bank-Global Environment Facility (GEF) Program. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will be the implementing agency of the GEF for the project. The purpose of the project is to improve the efficiency and attractiveness of city bus transport and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the demonstration cities of Bhopal, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Mira Bhayandar municipality in the Thane district of Maharashtra.
10. India has been ranked 41 out of 61 countries in the IMD's world competitiveness rankings 2016. The survey has been conducted by the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management and Development (IMD)'s World Competitiveness Center (WCC). Hong Kong has topped the list, followed by Switzerland, the US, Singapore, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Canada. The IMD measures how well countries manage all their resources and competencies to facilitate long-term value creation. The overall ranking is based on an analysis of over 340 criteria derived from four principal factors—economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure.
11. Salma dam is located in Afghanistan. It has been built with India's assistance.
12. India's homegrown e-commerce giant, Flipkart has recently introduced "No Cost EMI" option to make online shopping affordable for high-end purchases through an attractive financing option of Equated Monthly Installments (EMI) where customers will not bear additional cost. The No Cost EMI entails zero processing fees, zero down payments and zero interest for customers.
13. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has launched "DND (do not disturb) services" mobile app for telecom subscribers to register their complaints against pesky calls and SMS in an easy way. Apart from registering for 'do-not-disturb' service and filing complaints on the app, users will also be able to view the status of their lodged complaints. The complaint will be delivered to the telecom operator as well. As per rule, TRAI has mandated all telecom operators to disconnect telephone numbers from which a pesky call or SMS has originated on receipt of the first complaint.
14. The Delhi Government has launched 'DVAT M SEWA' mobile app through which city traders can register themselves with the VAT department of the state government. In it, traders are no longer required to apply for registration at the department's office instead they can fill the form online. This application will ensure VAT registration within 24 hours of filing request. Because of this app, for registering the business there is no need for inspector's visit on their business premises.
15. India has been ranked 4th out of 167 countries in the 2016 Global Slavery Index. The list is topped by North Korea, followed by Uzbekistan, Cambodia, India and Qatar.
16. The World Milk Day is observed every year on June 1 to recognize the importance of milk as a global food. The day is established by the Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO) to provide an opportunity to bring attention to activities that are connected with the milk industry.
17. The Government of India (GoI) has recently constituted Prabhat Kumar committee to draft national policy for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The committee will submit its report within 4 months.
18. The National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has recently acquired 1,790 songbooklets of hindi films belonging to every decade of the India's cinematic heritage. The song booklets (from 1934 to 2012) are a visual and textual journey through our cinematic history and heritage. They are also an indicator of the changing printing technology and art-work down the ages. It is notable that these songbooks contain not only the full lyrics of songs in multiple languages, but are also a treasure trove of information about the film itself, including the cast, credits and storyline. The headquarters of NFAI is at Pune, Maharashtra.
19. The book "Iron Fist, Velvet Glove" has been authored by Mahesh Nair. The book is a photo journey that provides an insight into the lives of soldiers of the Indian Army. It is an attempt to capture the dichotomy of the army life through the eyes of a photographer who travelled these areas.
20. Rahul Johri, the former media professional has taken charge as the first-ever Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The move is in line with the Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha committee's list of recommendations. Prior to this appointment, Johri was the Asia Pacific's executive vice- president and general manager for South Asia with Discovery Networks.
21. The Copa America cup for 2016 is being hosted by United States. Argentina has hosted it for the maximum number of time(9 times).
22. Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer, he is considered as the greatest heavyweight in the history of the sport. He died on June 3, 2016.
23. Navin Agarwal, a 1986 batch IPS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, has been appointed as the Director General (DG)/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The NADA is the national organization responsible for promoting, coordinating, and monitoring the doping control program in sports in all its forms in India.
24. The Asia's largest annual security forum "Shangri-La Dialogue" has recently opened in Singapore. The territorial disputes in the South China Sea, North Korea's military provocations and Islamist extremism are expected to dominate discussions in the forum. The Shangri-La Dialogue has been organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies ( IISS). It is to be attended by at least 20 defence ministers and led by Pentagon chief Ashton Carter.
25. India has recently signed the pact with United States (US) to join the global terror database maintained by the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) of US. As per this pact, India and the US will give each other access to terrorism screening information through designated contact points, subject to domestic laws and regulations. Initially, the proposal was made by the U.S. in 2012 but had made no progress due to objection of Indian security agencies. The TSC has details of 11,000 suspects on its database including nationality, date of birth, photos, finger prints and passport number.
26. The book "The Unseen Indira Gandhi" has been authored by Dr. KP Mathur, who was the personal physician of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for nearly 20 years till her assassination in 1984. The foreword of the book was written by her granddaughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The book provides some interesting peeps into the responses of Mrs. Gandhi's to challenges both personal and political.
27. Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar, the former India captain, has been conferred with the 2016 Lifetime Achievement CEAT Cricket Rating award.
28. The Kanger Ghati National Park is located in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. The park is well known for its biodiversity with picturesque landscape, magnificent waterfalls and subterranean geomorphologic limestone caves. It is home for the Bastar hill myna (the state bird of Chhattisgarh), Chital, barking deer, panther, etc.
29. India has been ranked 70th out of 163 countries in the 2015 Good Country index. The list is topped by Sweden, followed by Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Finland, Canada, France, Austria and New Zealand. The report ranked a total of 163 countries taking 35 different UN and World Bank indices into account, including global contributions to science, culture, peace and security, climate change and health and equality. The biannual index was founded by Simon Anholt, a British government adviser whose aim is to find ways of encouraging countries to collaborate and co-operate a lot more, and compete a bit less.
30. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India (GoI) have recently signed $200 million loan agreement to upgrade 176 Kilometers of State roads in State of Jharkhand. The financing for the Jharkhand State roads II Project will upgrade existing sections of four State roads to two lane standard and will also support improvements in the design, safety and maintenance of the network.
31. The book "The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India" has been authored by Urvashi Butalia. The book is the product of more than 70 interviews that Butalia conducted with survivors of the Partition and emphasises particularly the role of violence against women in the collective experience of the tragedy. It tells the stories of real people, the laymen who were affected during this period, which most books on this period have not done.
32. Avtar Singh, has become the first Indian judoka to qualify for the Olympics under 90kg weight since 2004. He is South Asian Games gold medallist.
33. Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No.1 in men's singles category. He defeated World number one Britain's Andy Murray to win his first French Open title and complete the career Grand Slam.
34. India has been ranked second position as per 2016 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI). India has jumped 13 positions from last year to rank second among 30 developing countries this year on ease of doing business. Sharp pick up in GDP growth and better clarity regarding FDI regulations have helped India achieve a second ranking.
35. The Haryana government has recently launched Asia's first 'Gyps Vulture Reintroduction Programme' at Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore.
36. India has recently joined the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC), a global initiative to prevent ballistic missile proliferation. With this, India has become the 138th country in the world to subscribe to an international code of conduct against the proliferation of ballistic missiles. The HCoC is a voluntary, legally non-binding international confidence building and transparency measure that seeks to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles that are capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.
37. Neerja Sethi and Jayshree Ullal, the Indian origin techies, have been named in the Forbes' annual list of America's 60 wealthiest and most successful self-made women entrepreneurs. The list is topped by ABC Supply's Diane Hendricks, followed by Oprah Winfrey, Doris Fisher, etc.
38. A cheerful white tiger cub "Soohorang" has been named as the official mascot for South Korea's 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Traditionally, tigers represent the shape of the Korean peninsula and especially the white tiger is considered a sacred guardian animal. The mascot's white colour represents snow and ice of winter sports. It also symbolizes the close link between the Olympic Winter Games and the natural environment. The name "Soohorang" is a combination of several meanings in the Korean language. "Sooho" is the Korean word for "protection" meaning that it protects the athletes, spectators and all participants of the Olympic Games. "Rang" comes from the middle letter of "ho-rang-i" which means "tiger" and also from the last letter of "Jeongseon Arirang", a traditional folk music of Gangwon Province, where the host city is located.
39. committee The Union government has recently constituted the Financial Sector Search and Recruitment Committee headed by cabinet secretary P K Sinha to decide on members and heads of financial regulatory agencies. The head of the regulatory body, whose members are to be selected, will be a special invitee to the panel.
40. "Bandabi", an Asiatic black bear, has been named as the mascot for the South Korea's 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympic Winter Games. Bandabi was picked as the Paralympic mascot because bears to Koreans represent strong will and courage, and also because the Asian black bear is the symbolic animal of the Gangwon Province, the region that governs Pyeongchang. In the name "Bandabi", "banda" comes from "bandal" meaning "half-moon", indicating the white crescent on the chest of the Asiatic Black Bear, and "bi" has the meaning of celebrating the Games.
41. Dia Mirza has been recently named as ambassador for Swachh Bharat Mission's youth-based wing 'Swachh Saathi'.
42. India and Qatar have signed total of seven agreements which include agreement to share intelligence to combat 'hawala' transactions and terror financing between the two countries.
43. Garbine Muguruza, a Spanish professional tennis player, has won the 2016 French open Women's Singles tournament by defeating the defending champion Serena Williams in the final by 7-5, 6-4.
44. The World Environment Day is observed every year on June 5 to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. The 2016 theme is "Zero tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife". This year United Nations (UN) has called a worldwide campaign "Go Wild for Life" to take a strong action to curb the illegal trade of wildlife i.e. threatening the biodiversity of the planet Earth. This year, Angola is the host country, which has created strong commitments to combat wildlife crime by shutting down its domestic ivory trade and is taking action to stop smuggling over its borders.
45. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has been conferred with the Afghanistan's highest civilian honour "Amir Amanullah Khan Award". Mr Modi is the first Indian and is among a handful of foreign leaders to receive the award. Beside this, Narendra Modi has also inaugurated the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, earlier known as Salma Dam, which was rebuilt with India's aid.
46. The book "India vs Pakistan : Why Can't we just be friend?" has been penned by Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ex-envoy to United States. The book on India-Pakistan relations, recounts the visit by ISI chief Gen. Shuja Pasha to Washington on December 24-25, 2008, where he made the startling admission. As per the book, General Pasha had admitted (shortly after the Mumbai attacks in 2008) that planners of the 26/11 attacks were our people but it wasn't our operation.
47. The 2016 FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup will be hosted by Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The World Cup will be held from December 8 to 18, 2016 and would be the first international hockey competition to be hosted in Lucknow. The countries that will participate in the Junior World Cup include hosts India, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, England, Pakistan, Germany, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain.
48. Himachal Pradesh has become the India's first state to have a State Data Centre (SDC). The SDC is designed using green data centre concept, as it minimizes power requirement by maximizing power utilization efficiency. It will offer 101 people-oriented services online through an integrated data base. The SDC would help the departments to roll out more government- to-citizen-services and people can avail them from anywhere and anytime.
49. Sudarsan Pattnaik, the famous Indian sand artist, has won gold medal in People's Choice Prize at 2016 world championship festival of sand sculpting Russe in Bulgaria for his sand sculpture – "Drugs kill Sports". The sand sculpture is an awareness creating sculpture, which has highlighted the issue of drugs in the sporting field.
50. The world's first 3D-printed aircraft 'Thor' has been officially launched by Airbus, a European aerospace company, at the International Aerospace Exhibition held in Schoenefeld, Germany. The Thor stands for 'Test of High-tech Objectives in Reality'. In Thor, the only parts that are not printed from a substance called polyamide are the electrical elements. It is a windowless drone that weighs just 21 kg and is only 13 feet long. It is lighter, faster and cheaper.
51. Thailand has become the first Asian country to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, it is declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to WHO's global guidelines, mother-to-child transmission of HIV is considered to be effectively eliminated when the rate of transmission falls below 2 %. The Elimination of transmission is defined as a reduction of transmission to such a low level that it no longer constitutes a public health problem. In 2015, Cuba was the world's first country to receive WHO validation for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
52. The World Oceans Day is observed every year on June 8 to raise awareness of the challenges humanity faces to protect the world's oceans. The 2016 theme is "Healthy Oceans, Healthy Plane.
53. per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s second bi-monthly monetary policy statement for year 2016-17, the policy repo rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) has remain unchanged at 6.5 %, the reverse repo rate under the LAF has remain unchanged at 6.0 % and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 7.0 %. The RBI has also kept the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 % of Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL).
54. The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed every year on June 4 to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN's commitment to protect the rights of children.
55. Odisha has become the first Indian state to give transgender people social welfare benefits such as pension, housing and food grains. The members of the transgender community will be given Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards that will allow them to access benefits under various government welfare programmes. This includes schemes that provide free housing, 100 days of paid work annually, pensions and loans to start up their own businesses. They would also be entitled 5 kg of food grains every month under India's National Food Security Act.
56. Guwahati, the Assam state capital, has become the India's first city to have its own City Animal "Gangetic river dolphin". The Kamrup Metropolitan district administration has declared the Gangetic river dolphin (locally known as 'Sihu') as the mascot of the city to protect it from extinction.3
57. Axis Bank has recently launched India's first internationally-listed certified green bond at London Stock Exchange. The bond is certified by the Climate Bonds Standards Board and raised USO 500 million.
58. The first ever "All India Women Journalists' Workshop" has been organized by Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) in association with Press Information Bureau (PIB), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The conference has brought together around 250 journalists from 30 States/Uts together on a single platform to understand, discuss and deliberate on issues concerning women and children. The women journalists represent print, electronic and online media across the country including small regional media organisations.
59. The 2019 AFC Asian Cup will be hosted by United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup.
60. The Government of India (GoI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have recently signed $120 million loan agreement to modernize irrigation and improve water management infrastructure in Odisha. The financing will be used for modernizing 7- irrigation subprojects resulting in improved irrigation in over 1,00,000 hectares and strengthening of Water User Associations (WUAs) and the institutional capacity of Odisha's Department of Water Resources. The selected areas for the investment program are the Baitarani, Brahmani, Budhabalanga and Subernarekha river basins and part of Mahanadi Delta.
61. The Rajasthan Government has recently launched mobile application "RajVayu" for sharing information about air quality index of Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur. RajVayu is based on the data collected by sophisticated air quality monitoring equipment and weather sensors. It would share details about the air quality, such as levels of pollutants likes Particulate Matter, SOx, NOx, CO, Ozone particles with the city residents and tourists. And also temperature, humidity, wind speed, weather forecast and advisories would be issued through this. Beside this, the mobile app 'Drishti' has also launched for monitoring of pollution levels in industrial regions. With this, the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) has become the first state Board in India to have this app for its citizens.
62. The Union Government has recently launched a campaign 'Swachh Yug' to make all the villages along the banks of Ganga Open Defecation Free (ODF). It is a collaborative effort of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in partnership with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. There are 5,169 villages located along the banks of Ganga falling under 1,651 Gram Panchayats ( GPs) in 52 districts of five states – UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal from where the holy river flows through. The youth agencies under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs viz. Bharat Scouts and Guides, Nehru Yuva Kendras and National Service Scheme will be deployed for the campaign. These organizations will be called upon to provide a large number of local youth volunteers to support a behavior change campaign in the 52 districts under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
63. The 2016 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup will be held in Santiago, Chile from November 24 – December 4, 2016. India will not be part of this world cup.
64. India has been ranked 141st out of 163 countries in the 2016 Global Peace Index (GPI), compiled by global think tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The list is topped by Iceland, followed by Denmark and Austria. The GPI 2016 ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness.
65. The 105th session of International Labour Conference (ILC) has been held at International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland from 30 May to 10 June 2016. The focus of the 2016 conference is "Building a future with decent work". The purpose of the conference would be on qualitative labour and employment, information exchange, labour market formulization, and solution to the social problems and plan for strong, sustainable inclusive growth. From India, the conference has been attended by Bandaru Dattatreya, Union Minister of Labour and Employment.
66. The book titled "The World in 2050- Striving for a More Just, Prosperous and Harmonious Global Community" has been authored by Harinder S. Kohli. The book is penned in such a manner that makes relevant and extremely important for all of us to reflect on various issues such as women empowerment, etc. It is recently launched by Piyush Goyal, Minister of State for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy, in New Delhi.
67. The 5th edition of joint naval exercise "2016 Sahyog-Hyeobleod (cooperation" has started between Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and South Korea in the Bay of Bengal, Chennai from June 9 and will continue till June 11, 2016. These exercises are scheduled every year alternately between the two countries.
68. N Ramachandran, the president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), has been honoured with the prestigious Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for his outstanding services to the Olympic movement.
69. The Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal has recently launched Surya Mitra mobile App at National Workshop on Rooftop Solar Power in New Delhi on June 7, 2016. The app will be very useful in the field of renewable energy to serve customers at their doorsteps with quality installation, repair and Observations and Measurements (O&M) services.
70. According to the recently released BP Statistical Review of World Energy, United States is the world's largest oil consumer, followed by China, India and Japan. India has 4.1 million barrels per day (bpd) oil demand, whereas US has 19.39 million bpd and China has 11.96 million bpd. The review shows that global demand for primary energy grew only 1% in 2015, which is significantly slower than the 10-year average. This reflected continued weakness in the global economy and lower growth in Chinese energy consumption as the country shifts from an industrial to a service-driven economy.
71. PM2.5 and ground level Ozone are held responsible for the maximum number of premature mortalities in India. PM2.5 causes respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties or Asthma, and sometimes may prove fatal.
72. T Haque was the chairman of Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices, and now has been appointed the head of the newly created land policy cell in the NITI Aayog. T Haque was among the prime mover behind the Model Land Leasing Act.
73. The 10-day long military training exercise, Anakonda 2016 (AN16) has started in Poland from June 7, 2016. It is the most important and the largest training exercise of the Polish Armed Forces in 2016. The purpose of Anakonda–16 is to check the abilities of NATO to defend the territory of the eastern flank of North Atlantic Alliance. It involves 31,000 soldiers from 19 NATO countries and five partner countries, including approximately 12,000 Polish troops.
74. The Government of India (GoI) has recently joined a group of nearly 40 nations that have signed a Europe-led clampdown on tax evasion and corruption. These 40 countries have committed to the initiative to automatically exchange information on beneficial ownership. Besides India, some of the other countries outside Europe on the list include Afghanistan, Nigeria, Mexico and the UAE. The initiative aims to develop a global standard for the automatic exchange of beneficial ownership data between law enforcement agencies and tax authorities of partner countries. Most European countries except Switzerland are part of this automatic exchange mechanism.
75. NR Visakh, the Tamil Nadu teenager and International Master, has created history by becoming the first Indian to won the 9th edition of Mumbai Mayor's International Open Chess Tournament 2016.
76. France is the host nation of the 15th edition of UEFA European football championship 2016 (Euro 2016). It is scheduled from 10 June to 10 July 2016. For the first time, the European Championship final tournament will be contested by 24 teams. Under this new format, the finalists will contest a group stage consisting of six groups of four teams, followed by a knockout stage including three rounds and the final. The winning team of Euro 2016 earns the right to compete at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Russia.
77. The book "The Gene: An Intimate History" has been authored by Siddhartha Mukherjee, who is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the book "The Emperor of All Maladies". The book is a magnificent history of the gene and a response to the defining question of the future: What becomes of being human when we learn to read and write our own genetic information?. In other words, it is a magnificent synthesis of the science of life, and forces all to confront the essence of that science as well as the ethical and philosophical challenges to our conception of what constitutes being human.
78. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has constituted a 5-member committee for pay revision of academic staff of Universities and Colleges. The Pay Revision Committee will be chaired by UGC member Prof V S Chauhan and it will submit its report in six months. The panel will examine the present structure of emoluments and service conditions of university and college teachers, librarians, physical education personnel and other academic staff. The panel will also suggest revision in the pay structure, taking into account the minimum qualifications, career advancement opportunities and benefits like superannuation benefits, medical and housing facilities. It will also make recommendations on the ways and means for attracting and retaining talented persons in the teaching profession among other things.
79. Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, the well-known Indian-origin professor, has been bestowed with the prestigious Regius Professorship in Manufacturing by Queen Elizabeth II for his outstanding contribution in manufacturing. He is the founder of the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick. Throughout his career, he has advised the UK government on manufacturing, innovation, and technology, including former Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.
80. The 2016 Malabar trilateral naval exercise has started in Japan. The harbor phase of the exercise would be held at Sasebo from June 10 to June 13 and the sea phase in the Pacific Ocean from June 14 to June 17. The exercise is in line with India's 'Act East' policy. In it, the naval ships of United States, India and Japan will participate to advance multi-national maritime relationships and mutual security issues. The exercise will support maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region and benefit the global maritime community.
81. Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had made the announcement to abolish the tax on agricultural income while presenting the State Budget for 2016-17. This in turn will provide relief to many tea and coffee companies besides thousands of individual coffee growers. Plantation companies had to pay a 35 per cent tax on their net income.
82. The scheme has been introduced by Ministry of Railway. Under Janani Sewa, hot milk, hot water and baby food will be available at railway stations.
83. The annual conference of tax administrators 2016 "Rajasva Gyan Sangam" will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in New Delhi on June 16, 2016. It is for the first time that two Revenue Boards "Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) & Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC)" are holding the conference simultaneously. The purpose of the conference is to motivate the revenue officers towards achieving high standards in taxpayer friendly services in view of fast paced changes in the world economy and to address some of the challenges that these Departments face in this scenario.
84. Sikkim has become the first Indian state to launch open government data website to promote transparency. The data portal 'Sikkim.data.gov.in' and Open Government Data Platform (Sikkim) has been launched by Sikkim Government. On the open government data portal, the data produced or commissioned by the government or government controlled entities can be freely used, reused and redistributed by anyone.
85. Saina Nehwal, an Indian badminton player, has won the 2016 Australian Open Super Series Women's singles Badminton tournament by defeating Sun Yu in the final by 11-21, 21-14, 21-19 at Sydney, Australia.
86. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been conferred with the National Award for Best Performing Central PSU for Roof Top Solar Power initiatives. It has installed 4.8 megawatt peak power (MWp) rooftop solar plants at 13 airports, which are generating approximately 51 lakh units of solar energy. Further, 4.9 MWp solar plants are expected to be installed at 14 other airports by December 2016.
87. Akhil Sharma, an Indian born-American author, has won the prestigious 2016 International Dublin Literary Award for his novel "Family Life". The novel is the autobiography of the author, which mirrors the author's own experience of emigrating from India to America as a child. The prize of €100,000 is awarded to the author of the winning book. Though, if the winning book is in English translation, €75,000 is awarded to the author and €25,000 to the translator.
88. According to the Forbes' 2016 list of world's 100 highest-paid athletes, soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo, with earnings of $88 million, has topped the list, followed by Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Roger Federer, Kevin Durant and Novak Djokovic.The 100 top-earning athletes belong to 23 countries and compete in 10 sports.
89. Satya Pal Jain, additional Solicitor General of India and former Parliamentarian, has been appointed as a part-time member of the 21st Law Commission of India. He is a noted constitution lawyer and senior BJP leader and has been a lawyer in many important civil and criminal cases, Liberhan Commission of Enquiry, Presidential election disputes, various election petitions and other important civil and criminal cases.
90. The book "India's Wars: A Military History (1947-1971)" has been authored by Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam. The author provides detailed accounts of the principal conflicts from Independence to 1971: the first India-Pakistan war of 1947-48, the liberation of Hyderabad and Junagadh, the campaign to evict the Portuguese from Goa in 1961 and the full-blown conventional wars against China and Pakistan. The book is laced with veterans' exhilarating experiences in combat operations, India's Wars fuses the strategic, operational, tactical and human dimensions of war with great finesse. Thus, book is deeply researched and offers a fresh perspective on modern Indian history.
91. India has surpassed Japan to become the world's third-largest oil consumer. USA retains the First position.
92. Norway has become the first country in the world to ban deforestation. The ban is a part of the government's procurement policy and includes eliminating the use of any product that contributes to deforestation as well as a request that the government exercise due care for the protection of biodiversity in its investments. Beside this, the Scandinavian country is also in the process of restricting the sales of gas-powered cars by 2025.
93. G Kalyanakrishnan is the newly appointed Chief Executive of Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC). He succeeded N Saibaba. Prior to this assignment, Kalyanakrishnan was the Deputy Chief Executive of NFC. The NFC is a major industrial unit of India's Department of Atomic Energy, for the supply of nuclear fuel bundles and reactor core components. It has its headquarters at Hyderabad.
94. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has recently recognized the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) led by Rao Inderjit Singh as the president. The IPC is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. It organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for 9 sports. The IPC's headquarters is located in Bonn, Germany. The Paralympic Games is a major international multi-sport event, involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities. These games are organized in parallel with the Olympic Games.
95. The Union Government has recently constituted Satish Chandra committee to make recommendations on revision in the pay scale of central public sector undertakings' employees. The committee will provide its recommendations on the matter to the government, covering Board level functionaries, below-Board level executives and non-unionized supervisory staff of CPSEs and will submit its recommendations within 6 months. The government's decision on the recommendations of the committee will take effect from January 1, 2017.
96. The United Nations International Albinism Awareness Day is observed every year on June 13 to raise public awareness on albinism and to prevent attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism. Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the partial or complete absence of the pigment melanin in the skin, hair, and eyes. The lack of melanin in the skin makes albinos more prone to sunburn and skin cancers. Albinism is also associated with visual problems such as photophobia, amblyopia (lazy eye),nystagmus, etc.
97. Bethool Ajmal from Kerala has been crowned as 'The Little Miss Princess of Asia 2016' at a beauty pageant held in Georgia. Bethool also bagged 'Young Talent' and 'Young Miss Universe Grand Prix' title at the event, held on June 5, 2016. Ajmal competed with 29 participants from 27 different countries under the age group of 10-13 years. The purpose of the beauty pageant is to boost cultural communication among countries. The event was organized by 'The Kingdom of Universal Production'.
98. The book "Losing My Religion" has been authored by Vishwas Mudagal. Its' a story about a young entrepreneur and devoted gamer, Rishi Rai, who's life, which was once successful, crumbles into pieces right before his eyes. One day, when he's down in the dumps, he meets an unpredictable and crazy hipster, Alex, who changes the way Rishi sees life. He travels across India along with Alex with no plans and no obligations. As sparks fly and emotions intertwine, Rishi is curiously drawn towards Kyra. But, she has a secret and she isn't who she claims to be. What follows next is something nobody ever thought would happen.
99. Indian short film "Leeches" has won the Audience Choice Award at the Seoul International Women's Film Festival (SIWFF). The film is about two Hyderabadi sisters who live in the interiors of the city where a lot of orthodox practices are still common. The story is about an older sister who hatches a dangerous and improbable plan to save her younger sister from becoming a one-day bride and their fight against the prevalent culture and its practices. The film is directed by Payal Sethi.
100. Leander Paes, an Indian professional tennis player, will become the only tennis player in the world and the first Indian to make a 7th appearance at the Olympics. It will be his record 7th Olympics at 2016 Rio Olympics. Beside this, he is the only Indian to win an individual medal at Olympics. He won the bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
101. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has recently elected Israel to chair its Legal Committee, also known as the sixth Committee, for the first time in the world body's 71-year history. The Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon has won the chairmanship of the UN's legal affairs committee with 109 votes from the 193 member states. The legal Committee overseas UN activities related to international laws. The UN's five other standing committees oversee the areas of disarmament, economic and financial issues, human rights, decolonization and the UN budget.
102. Recently, the United States has successfully launched its secret spy satellite "NROL-37" to space by the United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket, the world's most powerful rocket, at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is responsible for designing, building and operating the United States' fleet of spy satellites.
103. Lewis Hamilton, a British Formula One racing driver from England and racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, has won the 2016 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.
104. The book "Goa Undercover" has been authored by Madhumita Bhattacharyya. The story is a Pan McMillan masala thriller. In it, both the criminal and the sleuths are Indian to the core and not raised on gun culture. They would bomb a village, or a safe house only as a last resort, but would not kill a fly unless they were forced too. The man on the run or rather the persons on the run, are not really bad but merely grey.
105. Yuzvendra Chahal is the only player to represent India in chess and cricket. His name is listed in World Chess Federation's official site. Beside this, he is playing for Indian national cricket team, which is touring Zimbabwe to play 3-ODIs and 3-Twenty20 Internationals(T20Is). In it, India clinched ODI series against Zimbabwe with 8 wickets win in 2nd ODI at Harare and the man of the match was awarded to Yuzvendra Chahal, who was the most successful bowler, with 3- wickets for 25 runs.
106. The Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary (DBWS) is located at Kamrup district in Guwahati, Assam. It is home to Wild Asian elephants, leopard, jungle cat and the protected barking deer, Chinese porcupine, Spot-billed pelican, sambar, etc.
107. India has recently removed China out from prior referral category status. In 2015, Iran was also removed out from prior referral category status from India. When a country is removed from prior referral status it facilitates easy and quick visa for its nationals.
108. President Pranab Mukherjee has become the first Indian president to visit Republic of Ghana and Republic of Cote d'Ivoire after both countries established diplomatic relations. In his 3-nation African tour to Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Namibia, Mr. Mukherjee visited Ghana on June 12, 2016 and signed 3-pacts on exemption of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic and official passports, for cooperation between the Foreign Service institutes of the two countries and for the establishment of a joint commission to periodically review various aspects of the multi dimensional relationship and in the second leg of his visit starting June 14, he would visit Cote d'Ivoire and then Nambia.
109. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently introduced a new scheme "Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A)" for resolution of bad loans of large projects. The S4A will cover those projects which have started commercial operations and have outstanding loan of over Rs.500 crore. The purpose of the S4A is to strengthen the lenders' ability to deal with stressed assets and put real assets back on track by providing an avenue for reworking the financial structure of entities facing genuine difficulties. The scheme is an optional framework for resolution of large stressed accounts.
110. The US Embassy in Gambian capital Banjul has reopened for normal operations after the Gambian government redeployed police guards it withdrew last week. Though, the Gambian and US authorities have not explained the circumstances leading to the redeployment of the police guards. The dispute comes in the midst of controversy over Gambia's arrest and trial of a US citizen who was under arrest while visiting relatives in the country.
111. The World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is observed every year on June 14 to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life- saving gifts of blood. The 2016 theme is "Blood connects us all", which aims to motivate more people to donate blood globally.
112. The United Nations' World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is observed every year on June 15 to focus global attention on the problem of physical, emotional, and financial abuse of elders and to create awareness on the need of taking care of elders.
113. Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, will represent India at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in St Petersburg, Russia, which is scheduled from June 16-17, 2016. The SPIEF is an annual international conference dedicated to economic and business issues. It attracts over thousands of participants, including political and business leaders, leading scientists, public figures, and members of the media from all over the world. The forum mainly discusses the most pressing issues facing Russia and the world.
114. The Union Government has constituted a selection committee headed by cabinet secretary P.K. Sinha for shortlisting candidates for RBI governorship, after Raghuram Rajan's term comes to an end in September 2016.
115. Peter Thomson, Fiji's ambassador to the United Nations, has been elected as the new President of the 71st session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 71). He will replace current General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft and will begin his tenure in September 2016 at the commencement of the UNGA 71. With this, Thomson will become the first representative of the Small Islands and Developing States (SIDS) group to hold the position. Thomson will oversee the process of searching for a new U.N. secretary-general to replace Ban Ki-moon of South Korea, who will finish his second five-year term in the post at the end of 2016.
116. The report titled "The Rise of Environmental Crime" has been released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and INTERPOL. As per the report, environmental crimes grew up by 26 % larger than previous estimates. The environmental crime is the world's 4th largest criminal enterprise after drug smuggling, counterfeiting and human trafficking. The environmental crime includes the illegal trade in wildlife, corporate crime in the forestry sector, the illegal exploitation and sale of gold and other minerals, illegal fisheries, the trafficking of hazardous waste and carbon credit fraud. The report has recommended strong action, legislation and sanctions at national and international levels to stop crime.
117. Margaret Atwood, Canadian poet and environmental campaigner, has been awarded the prestigious 2016 Pen Pinter Prize for her work championing environmental causes. She will receive award at a public British Library event on October 13, 2016. The Prize is awarded annually to British, Irish or Commonwealth writer to define the real truth of our lives and our societies.
118. The official slogan for the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games is "A New World". For Rio 2016, the core values of the slogan and the manifesto are unity, respect for diversity and the will for change. The motto of Rio 2016 is to promote the concepts of transformation through sport and changing the world for the better.
119. The Bihar government has recently launched the Child Labour Tracking System (CLTS) in Patna to keep a track of rescued child labour for their proper rehabilitation. A committee headed by Chief Secretary for implementation of children's demands will also be set up. Beside this, every rescued child will be given Rs. 25000 from Chief Minister's Relief Fund. The money will directly go to children's bank account. The money will be given to all those children who will be registered under the tracking system.
120. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an intergovernmental body to organize, regulate and control all mineral-related activities in the international seabed area beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, an area underlying most of the world's oceans. It is in news recently because India will soon sign a 15 years contract with the ISA, which will give exclusive rights to India to mine for precious metals in the Indian Ocean seabed. The ISA, under the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), governs non-living resources of the seabed of international waters. Presently, the ISA has 167 members and the European Union, composed of all parties to the Law of the Sea Convention. The headquarters of ISA is located at Kingston, Jamaica.
121. The 9th edition of the mega event "India Chem 2016" will be held at Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, Maharashtra from September 1-3, 2016. The purpose of the event is to develop the Indian Chemical and Petrochemical Industry and to increase trade between India & Foreign Chemical and Petrochemical industry and "Swachh Bharat (Clean India)" campaign of Government of India (GoI). It will be jointly organized by Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals of the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, along with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). Currently, India has 6th position in the world and 3rd in Asia in chemical sector.
122. Supriya Sahu, a 1991 batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of Doordarshan for 3 years. The post was lying vacant since July 2014, after the then DG, Tripurari Sharan, completed his tenure. Earlier, she has worked as Director and Joint Secretary in Information and Broadcasting Ministry, nodal authority for the national broadcaster Doordarshan.
123. Syed Nayeemuddin, the legendary Indian footballer and coach, will be conferred with the 2016 Mohun Bagan Ratna (Mohun Bagan Jewel) at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal on July 29, 2016 for his overall contribution to the club and the country both as a player and as a coach. He is the only sports-person to win both the Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards for football. The Mohun Bagan Ratna is awarded every year on 29th July, which is celebrated as Mohum Bagan Day, to recognize and lauds indispensable contribution of football greats to the club over the years.
124. The United Nations' World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (WDCDD) is observed every year on June 17 to highlight the urgent need to curb the desertification process. It also aims to strengthen the visibility of the dry land issues on the international environmental agenda. The 2016 theme is "Inclusive cooperation for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality" and its slogan is "Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People".
125. The State Bank of India ( SBI) has recently launched "IT Innovation Start-up Fund" with a corpus of Rs. 200 crore to empower startups in the financial technology (fintech) space. The fund will consider assistance of up to Rs. 3 crore to an Indian registered company for promoting their business innovations using IT in India for banking and related technology.
126. Sunil Bharti Mittal, the chief executive of Bharti Group, has been elected as the new Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Mittal succeeded Terry McGraw, Chairman Emeritus of S&P Global, who becomes ICC's Honorary Chairman. With this, Mittal has become the 3rd Indian business leader to hold this position in ICC's near 100 years history. The ICC is the world's largest business organization which represents private-sector views to national governments and intergovernmental bodies around the world. It advocates for free trade and the market economy, working through a network of national committees and direct members in over 130 countries. The headquarters of ICC is at Paris, France.
127. Cdr Ashutosh Pednekar of Indian Navy has become the first Indian to participate and win International tournaments in sport of Racketlon. He clinched gold medal in the men's amateur and the veterans (plus 45) categories at the Nordic Racket Games held at Vejen, Denmark on May 28-29, 2016. Then, he won gold in plus 45 and silver in men's amateur category at the prestigious Super World Tour- King of Rackets tournament held at Oudenaarde Belgium on June 3-5, 2016. Racketlon is a racket sport quadrathlon where players compete to become the best all-round racket player. It is modelled on the lines of decathlon/triathlon and is a combination sport comprising four racket games namely table tennis, badminton, squash and lawn tennis. It is an internationally popular sport, but in India, it is still young and unknown.
128. Rashmi Narzary has won the 2016 Sahitya Akademi Bal Puraskar award (English) for her collection of short stories "His Share of Sky", which covers various stories keeping Barsau (a little tribal Bodo boy) in center. The stories narrate the different situations – sometimes very funny and at other times emotional – in which Barsau lands himself, along with his two brothers and many friends. Every child will relate to witty and smart Barsau. Though, he lives in a rural setting in the north-east of India, his charm and sense of mischief remains universal and timeless. The author is among the list of 21 writers across 21 languages recognized by the Sahitya Akademi for 2016 Bal Puraskar award. The winners will receive a copper-plaque and a cheque of Rs. 50,000 at a special function on November 14, 2016.
129. Raghu Karnad, a journalist and contributing editor at The Wire, has won the 2016 Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar (English) for his debut non-fiction epic "Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War", which tells the story of war through the lives and deaths of a single family. He is among the list of young award-winners across 24 languages recognized by the Sahitya Akademi for 2016 Yuva Puraskar. The winners will receive a plaque and a cash reward of Rs. 50,000.
130. Lakshmi Saravana Kumar, Tamil writer and filmmaker, has won the 2016 Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar award (Tamil) for his novel "Kaanakan", which depicts the life of Paliar tribe in the Western Ghats and hunting practices. It deals with the Paliar tribes' struggle against ganja plantations and the attempt to appropriate their land for the purpose in the 1980s. Beside him, the 23 writers of all 23 languages recognized by the Sahitya Akademi are also selected for 2016 Yuva Puraskar. The winners will receive a plaque and a cash reward of Rs 50,000.
131. The Union Human Resource Ministry has selected Microsoft as their technical partner for it's "SWAYAM" platform to launch 2,000 massive open online courses for about three crore students. These courses will be available on SWAYAM platform by partner institution the National MOOCs coordinator. For this, UGC (Credit Framework for online learning courses through SWAYAM) Regulation, 2016 has been finalized by the ministry for successful launch of the app. Using this app and portal, students of various streams including science and technology will be able to access and download very high quality UGC approved course content free of cost for their studies. To accomplish the task, a deal of Rs. 38 crore has been signed between Microsoft and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). The SWAYAM stands for Study Webs of Active- learning for Young Aspiring Minds.
132. India's indigenous basic trainer aircraft "Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40)" has successfully made its maiden flight recently in Bangalore. The two-seater aircraft designed and developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). HTT-40 will be used for the first-stage training for all flying cadets of the three services. The programme aims to achieve its operational clearance by 2018.
133. The Kannada film "Thithi" has won the best film and best script writers award at the Asia New Talent Awards in the 19th edition of Shanghai International Film Festival 2016. It is the only film from India that has been selected and screened in the festival. The movie is a dramatic comedy about how three generations of sons react to the death of the oldest in their clan. The movie is directed by debutante filmmaker Raam Reddy. Beside this, the movie has recently won the 2016 National Award for Best Feature film in Kannada.
134. The Union Finance Ministry has stated that by using "eNPS" platform, the Non-resident Indians (NRIs) can now open National Pension Savings (NPS) accounts online if they have Aadhaar Card or PAN card. The NPS accounts can be opened both on repatriable and non-repatriable basis. On a repatriable basis, an NRI will have to remit the amount through his/her NRE/FCNR/NRO account. For non-repatriable scheme, NRIs will be able to join NPS through their NRE/FCNR/NRO accounts at the time of maturity or during partial withdrawal. The NPS funds would be deposited only in their NRO accounts. Earlier, NRIs have been allowed to open NPS account by personally approaching banks.
135. The 36th edition of Men's Hockey Champions Trophy 2016 has been won by Australia by defeating India in a penalty shoot-out to clinch their 14th Champions Trophy in London, United Kingdom.
136. Urban Jyoti Abhiyaan Mobile app has been developed by Power Finance Corporation on behalf of Ministry of Power for Urban Power Distribution Sector to enhance consumer connect with the Urban Power Distribution sector by providing information of IT enabled towns.
137. The "Ganges-Danube Cultural Festival of India" has been organized by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (I/C) and Civil Aviation on June 17, 2016 at Vigado Theatre in Budapest, Hungary. The 3-day festival will showcase Indian culture, i.e. dance, music, yoga, film and exhibitions. Beside this, Indian martial art experts, puppet artists, Hungarian artists (proficient in Indian art forms) will also participate in the programme.
138. The special platform "Korea Plus" has been launched by India and South Korea in New Delhi to promote and facilitate Korean investments in India. The platform will act as a mediator in arranging meetings, assisting in public relations and research/evaluation and provide information and counseling to Korean companies investing in India. It covers the entire investment spectrum including supporting Korean enterprises entering the Indian market for the first time, looking into issues faced by Korean companies doing business in India and policy advocacy to the Indian Government on their behalf.
139. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the two-day 'Rajswa Gyansangam', an annual conference of tax administrators, in New Delhi on June 16, 2016. It is for the first time that two revenue boards – the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), has hold the conference simultaneously. In the conference, the five-point charter for tax administrators "RAPID" has also outlined by Mr. Modi to bring reform to country's outdated revenue administration. The "RAPID" stands for revenue, accountability, probity, information and digitisation.
140. The book "Dark Horse – Ek Anakahi Dastan" has been authored by Nilotpal Mrinal. For it, the author has won the 2016 Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar award in Hindi language.
141. The first-ever 'National Yoga Olympiad' has been organized by the NCERT for all government and government-aided schools students from June 18 to 21, 2016. The following Yogic practices will be covered in the Olympiad: Asanas, Pranayama, Kriya (Cleansing Process), Bandha(Secondary stage only) and Surya Namaskar (optional). The theme of the Olympiad is 'Yoga for Health and Harmony'. In it, the Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani would be the chief guest of Award ceremony of National Yoga Olympiad in New Delhi.
142. India has recently bagged two gold and two silver medals in men's and women's categories of Javelin throw at the 2016 Budapest Open Athletics meet. In men's section, Shiv Pal Singh won the gold with a javelin throw of 76.74 meters while Rajinder Singh won silver. In women's section, national record-holder Annu Rani won gold with a throw of 57.24 meters. Suman Devi, a South Asian Games champion, won the silver with a throw of 55.38 meters.
143. A unique initiative 'Maitree Ek Gyan Yatra' has been launched by Assam government in Sivsagar district to link primary schools to high schools to colleges. Under the initiative, college teachers will take classes in high schools and high schools teachers will teach in primary schools voluntarily. The purpose of the programme is to change the mindset of the teachers, as in some places subject teachers of a school considered it below their dignity to teach the lower level students. The basic idea of implementing the initiative was to improve quality of school students and create better synergy in education sector.
144. India's first three women fighter pilots – Avani Chaturvedi of Madhya Pradesh, Mohana Singh of Rajasthan and Bhawana Kanth of Bihar, has been commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad. The trio will go to Bidar in Karnataka for their stage-III training for a year on Hawk advanced jet trainers, before they get to fly supersonic warplanes like Sukhoi and Tejas.
145. The Haryana government has recently given its approval to set up an AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) University, the first-of-its-kind in India. The university will be formed by upgrading Shri Krishna Government Ayurvedic College in Kurukshetra and would offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in all the AYUSH systems.
146. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched 'IRCTC Air' , an android mobile app, which enables booking of air tickets for travel within India and abroad at lower prices. Beside this, existing IRCTC login credentials of passengers are accepted on this app too and there is no need to create a separate user name and password. A maximum of 9 passengers can be booked on one PNR through net banking, for only Rs. 10 per PNR.
147. The Punjab government has launched a special fund "Mukh Mantri Punjab Hepatitis C Relief Fund" to provide free treatment for patients affected by Hepatitis C. With this initiative, Punjab has become the first Indian state to provide free treatment to confirmed cases of Hepatitis C.
148. The Assamese novel "Zantadhari" has won the 2016 Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar award. It has been authored by Prarthana Saikia.
149. The Kerala Tourism has won four awards at the 11th edition of the 'FilmAT', which is one of the biggest international film festivals dedicated to tourism, art and ecology in Poland. The 'Responsible Tourism' initiative started by Kerala Tourism has won three awards under categories of the Best Promotional Social Campaign, Protection of Nature, and Eco-Food categories respectively. The tourism board's ad film "The Great Backwaters of Kerala" has won the 'Best Editing Award', which showcased life in and around the legendary backwaters. The FilmAT festival is associated with the International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals.
150. Sampoor power plant is a joint venture between NTPC of India and Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the NTPC of India on 50:50 basis.
151. The United Nations' (UN) World Refugee Day is observed every year on June 20 to raise awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world. The 2016 theme is "We stand together with refugees".
152. Nico Rosberg, a German Formula One driver for Mercedes Formula 1 team, has won the 2016 Formula 1 European Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan.
153. The Indian mixed recurve team of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das has won the silver medal at the 2016 Archery World Cup at Konyaalti Beach Park in Antalya, Turkey.
154. The Government of India (GoI) has recently approved 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in defence through the approval route, 100% FDI in food product e-commerce, 100% FDI in greenfield pharma via the automatic route, 100% in brownfield pharma – of which 74% will be through automatic route, 100% FDI in scheduled airlines and up to 49% FDI in airlines through automatic route. Beside this, up to 100% FDI through auomatic route has also been permitted for setting up of uplinking HUBs/Teleports, Mobile TV, DTH, and cable networks operating at national, state and district levels, as well as local cable networks.
155. Maharashtra have won the first edition of India's Bad Bull Softball League by defeating Punjab 2-1 at Saket Sports Complex. The league was recognised by the Delhi Softball Association (DSA). The Softball league was an effort to encourage amateur baseball and softball at entry level among the common masses.
156. The International Day of Yoga (IDY) is observed on June 21 every year to spread awareness about yoga. Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. This tradition is 5000 years old. It embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action, restraint and fulfillment, harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being. The 2nd edition of IDY is celebrated in India and across the world. In it, 139 countries participated in the celebrations at UN on June 21, 2016. The 2016 theme is "Connect the Youth".
157. The Bangladesh-based Non-Government organization (NGO) "BRAC" has been ranked No. 1 in the list of Geneva-based NGO Advisor's 2016 Top 500 NGOs World rankings. The BRAC has acquired top position because of its holistic approach to fight against poverty and treating it as a system of interrelated barriers that must be addressed concurrently.The ranking has also highlighted the organization's history of designing and implementing solutions at scale. The other notable NGOs in the top 500 include Doctors Without Borders (2), Oxfam (5), Save the Children (9) and Grameen Bank (12).
158. The Parliamentary committee under the chairmanship of E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan has been constituted to review Model code of conduct (MCC) for election polls and will also suggest ways to check distribution of cash and freebies ahead of the polls. The MCC are the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI)for conduct of political parties and candidates during elections mainly with respect to speeches, polling day, polling booths, election manifestos, processions and general conduct.
159. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a Suresh Mathur committee to study the scope of title insurance in the Indian market. The committee will submit its report within two months. The title insurance is a cover that protects the owner of a property from disputes or frauds of land titles.
160. The book "Green Transport: : Exploring Eco-Friendly Travel for a Better Tomorrow" has been authored by Rani Iyer. The author loves to write for children on a variety of topics viz. nature, ecology, science, culture and history. The "Green transport" is one of the books of her i.e. inclined towards the environment.
161. The Chinese supercomputer "the Sunway TaihuLight" has topped the Top500 list of the most powerful supercomputers for 2016. According to the Top500 site, Sunway TaihuLight is capable of performing some 93,000 trillion calculations per second and will be used for research and engineering work, including weather modeling and advanced manufacturing. The TaihuLight is followed by Tianhe-2, Titan, IBM BlueGene/Q system and Fujitsu's K computer. The 47th edition of the TOP500 list has recently announced at the 2016 International Supercomputer Conference (ISC) in Frankfurt, Germany.
162. The Expert Committee headed by Anand Desai, which was constituted to examine the Specific Relief Act 1963, has recently submitted its report to Union Law and Justice Minister DV Sadananda Gowda. The committee has recommended that the courts' intervention in public works should be minimal, specific performance of contracts be made the rule and damages or compensation be the exception and a separate class of contracts for public utility contracts should be created.
163. The book "All of Us in Our Own Lives" has been authored by Manjushree Thapa. It is the story of an encounter between strangers who shape each others' lives in fateful ways.
164. The Vice President of India Mohd Hamid Ansari has inaugurated a two day international conference titled "Yoga for body and beyond" in New Delhi. In it, about 70 international delegates from countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Algeria, Malaysia, Spain, Russia, Australia, China, Egypt, Japan, Kuwait, Korea, and Mauritius will attend the conference.
165. The Government of India (GoI) has banned use of potassium bromate as a food additive in the preparation of bread and other food items as per the recommendations given by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The recommendations were based on a study conducted by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE). According to CSE, potassium bromate is a category 2B carcinogen (cancer-causing agent), which typically increases dough strength, leads to higher rising and uniform finish to baked products and on the other hand, potassium iodate has harmful effects on the thyroid and may trigger disorders of the gland, which is used as a flour treatment agent. As per the study, 84 % of 38 commonly available brands of pre-packaged breads, including pav and buns, tested positive for potassium bromate and potassium iodate. These two food additives are banned in many countries and listed as hazardous for public health. In case of potassium iodate, it has been referred to a scientific panel. And after study, the decision will be taken.
166. The 2016 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit will be hosted by Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The 2-day meeting of heads of state of SCO is under the presidency of Uzbekistan. During the summit, the issues related to strengthen stability and security in Central Asia, expansion of SCO's contacts with other international organization and states and also wide involvement of the SCO observer states and dialogue partners in practical cooperation within the organization will be discussed. In it, India and Pakistan will sign a memorandum of obligation for obtaining SCO member states status.
167. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched a record 20 satellites in a single mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-34 has carried India's latest earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 along with 19 co-passengers. The images sent by Cartosat-2 series satellite will be used for drawing maps, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, road network monitoring and water distribution. Of the 19-satellites, 12 are earth imaging "Dove satellites" of USA and another American satellite. The rest are from Canada (two) and one each from Germany and Indonesia. Two academic satellites are from Sathyabama University (Sathyabamasat) in Chennai and from College of Engineering (Swayam) at Pune.
168. The Maharashtra Government has recently granted minority status to Jews in the state, as per the provisions of the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission Act, 2004. With this Maharashtra has become 2nd state (after West Bengal) to grant minority status to the Jewish community in India. As per the 2001 census, there are 4,650 Jews in the country of whom 2,466 are in Maharashtra. After being officially recognized as a minority community, the Jews would enjoy several privileges like other minority communities. It would become easier for them to register their marriages. They would also be able to set up their own educational institutes and practice and promote their culture.
169. India has been ranked 10th in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in the world , as per the latest 2016 World Investment Report by the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The list is topped by United States followed by Hong kong, China, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Brazil and Canada.
170. Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. As of now, there are 48 member countries of the group. India is not a member of it.
171. Arvind Subramanian, an Indian economist, is the current Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) to the Government of India (GoI). He is the author of two books "India's Turn: Understanding the Economic Transformation" and "Eclipse: Living in the Shadow of China's Economic Dominance". The CEA is the ex-officio cadre controlling authority of the Indian Economic Service (IES). The CEA is under the direct charge of the Minister of Finance.
172. The computer called "Sunway TaihuLight" has been developed by the National Research Centre of Parallel Computer Engineering and Technology (NRCPC) and is built in China.
173. The book "A Life in Diplomacy" has been authored by Maharajakrishna Rasgotra, an Indian diplomat and former Indian Foreign Secretary. It is an insider's account of the personalities and policies that shaped Indian diplomacy. The book provides a ringside view of the beginnings of ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, the last years of the Cold War, the negotiations on the formation of SAARC, Indira Gandhi's assassination and the Bhopal gas disaster.
174. The United Nations (UN) Public Service Day is observed every year on June 23 to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to community and also to raise awareness regarding the contribution of public service in the development of society and honouring the work of public servants.
175. The first annual meeting of the Board of Governors' of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will be held in Beijing, China on June 25-26, 2016. From India, the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley will attend the meeting.
176. India and Switzerland have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish formal cooperation in the fields of skill development and vocational and professional education and training. The MoU was signed in Winterthur city in Zurich between State Secretary Mauro Dell' Ambrogio and Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
177. The World Hydrography Day is observed every year on June 21 to create awareness about hydrography which is an essential science before undertaking any activity on or under the sea. The 2016 theme is "Hydrography – the key to well-managed seas and waterways".
178. Ken Miyauchi has been appointed as the new President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group. He succeeded Nikesh Arora.
179. Mahasthangarh, the 3rd century BC archaeological site in Bogra, Bangladesh, has been declared as the SARRC cultural capital for 2016-17. The historic place will host festivals on literature, films, foods and dances from October 2016 to September 2017. Every year, an archeologically and culturally rich city of one of the 8- South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries is declared the cultural capital for that year to create a bridge among the people of those countries. Bamiyan, a historic city of Afghanistan, is the current SAARC cultural capital for 2015-16.
180. The Union Government has extended the timeline for states to join Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme by a year to March 2017. The move would help states which could not enroll in or operationalise the scheme due to various reasons such as elections and regulatory approvals. Earlier, states were required to join the scheme last fiscal and issue bonds to pay off discoms' 50 % debt in 2015-16. The main purpose of UDAY scheme is to get these discoms out of the vicious circle of debt and enable them to purchase power to increase consumption in the country.
181. Anil Kumble, former Indian captain and leg-spinner, has been appointed as the new coach of the Indian Cricket Team for one-year tenure. His tenure will begin from the upcoming West Indies's tour which starts on July 9, 2016. With this, Kumble has become the first Indian to be appointed as the head coach of the national team since Kapil Dev in 1999-2000.
182. The Asian Games champion Vikas Krishan (75kg) and Commonwealth Games gold-medalist Manoj Kumar (64kg) has recently booked their berth for 2016 Rio Olympic after advancing to the semifinals of the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) World Qualifying Tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan. Apart from them, Shiva Thapa (56 kg) has already booked his ticket to Rio Olympics 2016 during the Asian Qualifiers in March 2016 and is the Indian boxer to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
183. The International Olympic Day is observed every year on June 23 to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.
184. The Vice President of India M Hamid Ansari has inaugurated "The International Conference on Social Statistics in India" in Patna, Bihar. The conference has been organised by Asian Development Research of India.
185. The book "Chandigarh is in India" has been authored by Shanay Jhaveri. The book is the first-ever compilation of works of art on Chandigarh, presenting a unique perspective on the city. It tells the stories of the city of Chandigarh through the works of Indian and Western artists.
186. S K Roy, the chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India, has recently resigned from the post two years before his term end. The reasons for his resignation are not known. Roy, who took charge as chairman of the India's largest insurer on June 29, 2013, was appointed by the previous United Progressive Alliance ( UPA) government. Under his leadership, LIC has stuck to its traditionally cautious investment approach. The state- run insurer is the largest single investor in stocks in India and holds close to 18 trillion rupees ($267.25 billion) in assets.
187. India's first pilot programme to run two wheelers on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) has been launched by the Union Government in New Delhi to curb air pollution in cities. The pilot project was launched by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and is being implemented by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) and one of its parent companies, GAIL (India) Limited.
188. The 25th edition of G. D. Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2016 has been awarded to Prof. Sanjay Mittal for his contribution in the area of Mechanics. Mittal is a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),Kanpur. He has made significant contribution in development of finite element algorithms for High Performance Computing (HPS).
189. Zubaida Bai, an Indian social entrepreneur, has been named among the ten '2016 Global Compact SDG Pioneers', an initiative launched by UN to search for "entrepreneurs" who can play a pivotal role. Zubaida is the founder of 'ayzh', a for-profit social venture providing health and livelihood solutions to impoverished women worldwide. The UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has announced the 10 pioneers at the 2016 UN Global Compact (UNGC) Leaders Summit in New York, United States. The UNGC is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative that supports companies to do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with ten principles of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption; and to take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.
190. The International Widows day is observed every year on June 23 to address the poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries. The 2016 theme is "Never Alone". This day was established by 'The Loomba Foundation' to raise awareness of the issue of widowhood.
191. Dutee Chand, an Indian professional sprinter, has recently qualified for 2016 Rio Olympics in the women's 100 metre event at the 26th International Meeting G.Kosanov Memorial in Almaty, Kazakhstan. With this, she became the first Indian woman to qualify for the event since qualification started for the event.
192. The China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has recently approved four loans worth $509 million to finance four projects in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia and Tajikistan. The projects approved by the bank included a $ 165 million loan for a Power Distribution System Upgrade and Expansion Project in Bangladesh, $ 216.5 million loan for a National Slum Upgrading Project in Indonesia, $ 100 million loan to finance the Shorkot-Khanewal Section of National Motorway M-4 in Pakistan and a $ 27.5 million loan for the Dushanbe-Uzbekistan Border Road Improvement Project in Tajikistan. The loan would have an interest rate of London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) plus 1.15 % and a repayment period of 25 years with 5 years in grace period.
193. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) is a scientific institution based in India for expanding research in meteorology of the tropics in general with special reference to monsoon meteorology of India. Its' headquarters is at Pune, Maharashtra. It is in news recently because it is working with the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop high resolution seasonal and long-term climate forecasts to prepare for the monsoons. Beside this, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and United States' space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are also working together to develop a synthetic aperture radar satellite to observe and measure ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet collapses and natural hazards. The data gathered from this mission will help build climate resilience and potentially save lives.
194. Yasmin Sooka, the South African Indian-origin lawyer and long-time human rights activist, has been appointed to chair a UN commission to monitor the human rights situation in South Sudan and make recommendations for their improvement. She has vast experience in global human rights matters and will serve together with Kenneth Scott from the US and Godfrey Musila of Kenya on the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.
195. The United Nations' (UN) International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed every year on June 26 to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society and particularly to young people. The 2016 theme is "Listen First", which is an initiative to increase support for prevention of drug use that is based on science and is thus an effective investment in the well-being of children and youth, their families and their communities.
196. The novel "Once Upon a Time in India: The Marvelous Adventures of Captain Corcoran" was written in the 1860s, by a Frenchman Alfred Assollant, about India, which has been translated into English for the first time by Sam Miller. It is a wacky, madcap tale of intrigue and romance set during the days of the India's First War of Independence in 1857. It was a wild hit of its times and translated into six languages, including Russian and Polish, but was so relentlessly rude about the British that it was never translated into English.
197. The Day of the Seafarer is observed on June 25 to recognize the unique contribution made by sefarers to international seaborne trade, the world economy and to global society as a whole. The 2016 campaign theme is "At Sea For All", which emphasis that seafarers serve at sea not just for the shipping industry or for their own career purposes but for all of us.
198. India's first sunken museum will be set up at the World Heritage Site of Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi. The interactive museum will open to the public in early 2018 and will display a mix of artifacts that have been locked up in the reserve collections of the National Museum, National Archives and museums of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It will focus on bringing alive the 7-centuries of pluralistic cultural traditions and architectural history of the Nizamuddin area.
199. The Padma Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) is located in Darjeeling, West Bengal. It is the largest high altitude zoo in India and specializes in breeding animals adapted to alpine conditions and has successful captive breeding programs for the snow leopard, the critically endangered Himalayan wolf and the red panda. Recently, it is news because the snow leopard named Makalu from Dudley Zoological Gardens (DZG) in Britain has been brought to Darjeeling zoo for a global conservation breeding programme. The DZG will financially support Makalu for the next five years.
200. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million loan to construct a bridge across the Ganga River in Bihar. The project is expected to complete by December 2020. Once built, the 9.8 km road bridge in Bihar will be India's longest river bridge and will provide vital transport link between the northern and southern parts of the state and neighboring Nepal.
201. Shashi Kant Sharma, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India ( CAG), has been conferred with the honorary professorship by the Nanjing Audit University (NAU), China. It is the only university which is recognized by the Institute of Internal Auditors.
202. The 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) will be hosted by India. The summit will promote economic growth, inclusion and opportunities among entrepreneurs from across the world, with a special focus on emerging nations from Africa and Asia. The GES is a personal initiative of US President Barack Obama to bring entrepreneurs from across the globe on one platform.
203. India has become the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016. The MTCR membership will enable India to buy high-end missile technology and also enhance its joint ventures with Russia. The purpose of the MTCR is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kg payload for at least 300 kms, as well as systems intended for the delivery of Weapons ofMass Destruction (WMD).
204. The Governor of Nagaland P B Acharya has recently launched women helpline "181" and "Sakhi-One Stop Centre", an institute that supports women affected by violence, at the District Hospital Dimapur in Nagaland. The helpline and centre are aimed to provide integrated assistance, medical, legal and psychological counselling to women affected by violence. The 'Sakhi-One Stop Centre'is a centrally sponsored scheme by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) to be funded through Nirbhaya Fund.
205. In Archery, Atanu Das has recently qualified for 2016 Rio Olympics in the men's individual recurve event. It is officially confirmed by the Archery Association of India (AAI) after a selection trial at Bengaluru. He will be the only Indian representative in the men's category at the Rio Games. It will be Das's first Olympics. The women's recurve team of Deepika Kumari, L Bombayla Devi and Laxmirani Manjhi has already qualified for the individual as well as team event in Rio. Though, Indian men's team failed to qualify in the final Olympic qualification.
206. The book "R.D.Burmania –Panchamemoirs" has been authored by Chaitanya Padukone, the noted journalist. The book depicts the journey of the legendary music director R D Burman. It is an attempt to string together amazing, amusing and agonizing yet fascinating anecdotes, incidents and idiosyncrasies while unravelling the mystique behind Bollywood's most adored composer.
207. The Government of India (GoI) has extended the ban on import of milk and its products from China till June 2017. The prohibition on import of milk and milk products includes chocolates and chocolate products and candies/ confectionery/ food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient. Though, India does not import milk products from China, but has imposed the ban as a preventive measure. Among states, Uttar Pradesh is the leading milk producer, followed by Rajasthan and Gujarat.
208. The Chile national football team has won the 2016 Copa America Football tournament by defeating Argentina in a penalty shootout at New Jersey, United States. This was the 2nd Copa America title won by Chile after winning it for the first title in 2015 after defeating Argentina. With this, Chile has become the 4th nation to win at least two consecutive Copa America titles, after Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.
209. The Union Rural Development Ministry and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have recently signed a pact for geo-tagging the assets created under the rural job guarantee scheme "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)" in each gram panchayat. As per the pact, a Gram Rozgar Sahayak or junior engineer will take a photo of an asset created by beneficiaries of the scheme and through a mobile app created by ISRO upload the photo on the Bhuvan web portal run by ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre. The geo-tagging of assets will help to check and curb leakages and also help in using of modern space technology for rural development in planning and execution of projects in a transparent manner.
210. Kavalam Narayana Panicker (88), the famous Malayalam theatre personality, has recently passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was popularly known as Kavalam, was a well-established poet, lyricist and theatre director. His notable works include Madhyamavyayogam (1979), Kalidasa's Vikramorvasiyam (1981), Shakuntalam (1982), Karnabharam (1984), Bhasa's Uru Bhangam (1988), Swapnavasavadattam and Dootavakyam (1996).
211. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has signed pact with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to proactively curb misleading or unsubstantiated advertisements in the food and beverage sector. As per the MoU, FSSAI has given a 'suo moto' mandate to ASCI to process complaints against misleading ads by food companies. ASCI will actively monitor advertisements across various media for this. Additionally, ASCI will also report to FSSAI companies which do not comply with its directions after it has received complaints through the GAMA Portal set up by the Consumer Affairs Ministry. The headquarters of ASCI is located at Mumbai, Maharashtra.
212. India's largest food products marketing organization Amul has become the official sponsor of Indian contingent to the 2016 Rio Olympics. The purpose of Amul is to engage with youth and leverage the connection between the energy of milk and sports. The company will launch a series of advertising campaigns for milk and various dairy products to promote this association. Amul has embarked upon an "Eat Milk with Every Meal" campaign to highlight the importance of milk and dairy products like cheese, yogurt, butter, ghee, paneer, etc.
213. The four Indian-Americans viz. Hari Sreenivasan (anchor of PBS NewsHour), Vikram Malhotra (Chairman of the McKinsey & Co.) and Bharati Mukherjee (National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author) and Google CEO Sunder Pichai, are among 42 individuals who has been honoured with the 2016 "Great Immigrants: The Pride of America" award in New York, United States. It the annual award of the Carnegie Corporation.
214. The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Institute of Animal Welfare (NIAW) to start courses on development of animal welfare sciences at Ballabgarh campus of NIAW. These courses will help in preparing competent manpower to man various posts in zoos, municipalities, slaughter houses and veterinary hospitals. The NIAW is a division of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in India.
215. The Minister of Human Resource and Development (HRD) Smriti Irani has recently launched the teacher education portal 'Prashikshak' for District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) in New Delhi. The purpose of Prashikshak is to help DIETs make informed decisions about their institutes, compare the performance of their institute against other DIETs and help aspiring teachers make informed decisions about which institute to join. The Portal has been developed by the HRD Ministry in collaboration with Central Square Foundation.
216. Half-miler Jinson Johnson from Kerala has won the gold medal in the 800 m race at the 56th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad. Though, he missed the Rio Olympics qualification standard narrowly. He clocked 1:46.43 while the Rio Games qualification mark stands at 1:46.00.
217. Tathagata Roy, the Governor of Tripura, has been given the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh in the absence of Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa. It has been announced by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee.
218. The National Statistics Day is celebrated every year in India on June 29 to mark the birth anniversary of late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, the Father of Indian Statistics, in recognition of his valuable contribution in the fields of statistics and economic planning. The purpose of this day is to create public awareness, especially among the younger generation about the role and importance of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation. The 2016 theme is "Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare".
219. India has been ranked 105th out of 130 nations in the 2016 Global Human Capital Index, which is recently released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The 2016 index measures countries' ability to nurture, develop and deploy talent for economic growth. The report presents an analysis by focusing on a number of key issues that can support better design of education policy and future workforce planning. The list is topped by Finland, followed by Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Sweden and New Zealand.
220. KG Subramanyan (92), one of the pioneers of Indian modern art, has recently passed away in Vadodara, Gujarat. He was famous for his terracotta murals, glass paintings, illustrated children's books and works on canvas that drew upon myth, memory and tradition.
