1.
The 2018 International Conference on TRIPS- CBD Linkage will be
held in Geneva, Switzerland on 7-8 June 2018. The conference will bring
together indigenous people/local communities in developing and developed
countries, internationally acclaimed academicians working on the subject,
Geneva-based negotiators and capital based experts. Resource persons,
stakeholders and experts from a large number of countries, including Brazil,
China, India, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines, New Zealand, South Africa,
Switzerland, and the US, would participate in the international conference. The
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a multilateral agreement on
sustainable development and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out
of the utilization of genetic resource. It has membership of 196 countries.
2.
The World Milk Day (WMD) is observed every year by the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) on June 1 to recognize the importance of milk as
a global food. The day is intended to provide an opportunity to bring attention
to activities that are connected with the dairy sector. Interestingly, this is
an event which does not follow a specific theme worldwide. Instead, different
countries, governments and non-governmental organizations get to pick a theme
of their own. The WMD 2018 theme in India is “Drink Move Be Strong”. Milk is
enriched with nutrients like calcium, protein, vitamin B2, potassium, iodine,
etc.
3.
Social networking giant Facebook has partnered with National
Commission for Women (NCW) to launch a digital literacy programme in
collaboration with the Cyber Peace Foundation (CPF).
4.
Indian star cricketer Yuvraj Singh has been honoured with the
‘Most inspiring icon of the year for Social Welfare’ award by the Dadasaheb
Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) for his exemplary contribution in
the field of social welfare.
5.
Assamese Singer Zubeen Garg will be honoured with the ‘Hero to
Animals Award’ from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India
for his recent appeal to end animal sacrifice at the Kamakhya Temple in Assam.
6. The Odisha government has launched the health insurance scheme
“Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana” for working journalists in the
state.
7.
Kendrick Lamar, an American rapper and songwriter, has won the
2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his acclaimed album ‘Damn’ at Columbia University
in New York. With this, Damn has created history by becoming the first
non-classical and non-jazz work to earn the accolade.
8. Tata Motors Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with the State Government of Maharashtra for deployment of 1000 Electric
Vehicles (EV) across its range of passenger and commercial vehicles in the
State. The company also partnered Tata group company, Tata Power Ltd to set up
of EV Charging Stations in the State. The MoU will boost the Maharashtra
Electric Vehicle Policy 2018 in accelerating the adoption of Evs in
Maharashtra.
9.
Giuseppe Conte, an academic and political novice, has been sworn
in as the new Prime Minister of Italy on June 1, 2018. He succeeded the
Democrat Paolo Gentiloni. Conte will head a government of ministers from the
anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the far-right League Party.
According to many journalists and political commentators, Conte’s cabinet is
the first populist government in Western Europe.
10. The India Meteorological
Department (IMD) has launched a new Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS) to
provide probabilistic weather forecasts up to the next 10 days. According to
IMD, these new systems shall improve upon deterministic forecasts that are
prone to high margins of error. These systems also use a higher resolution 12
km grid scale, instead of the 23 km resolution that has been in use till now.
The forecast related to the intensity of the weather will also be more accurate
and colour coded. The new model has been developed jointly by Indian Institute
of Tropical Meteorology and National Centre for Medium-Range Weather
Forecasting. With this new model, India joins the US with a model that predicts
with a 12 km resolution. Only the ‘European Center for Medium Range Weather
Forecast’ has a better 9-kilometer resolution. Better forecasts lead to better
management agriculture and water resources. It also helps promote tourism,
solar and wind energy.
11. President Ram Nath
Kovind has recently presented the ‘Santokbaa Humanitarian Award’ to two noted
personalities viz. Child rights activist and Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi
and space scientist A S Kiran Kumar, former chairman of Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) in Surat, Gujarat. The award, instituted by Shree
Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundaton (SRKKF) and led by diamond baron Govind
Dholakia, includes a trophy and a prize money of Rs 1 crore each to the
awardees. SRKKF confers the award every year for humanitarian contributions by
individuals whose life and work are characterised by their selfless and
inspiring service.
12. In Egypt, President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been sworn-in for a second four-year term in office as
the country faces major economic and security challenges. Sisi won 97% of valid
votes in the March presidential election.
13. Maneka Gandhi, the
Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD), has laid the foundation
stone of India’s first advanced DNA forensic laboratory “Sakhi Suraksha” in the
campus of Central Forensic Science Lab of Chandigarh as part efforts to reduce
the backlog of cases needing advanced forensic analysis. It will be built at a
cost of Rs 99.76 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund. The state-of-the-art lab will
assist in investigation and prosecution of crimes including those committed
against women and children. It will contribute to address the gap in forensic
DNA analysis of pending sexual assault cases in the country. Forensic science
plays a vital role in the criminal justice delivery system by providing
investigators with scientifically based information through the analysis of
physical evidence.
14. On June 1, the Union
Ministry of Culture has launched a new scheme called ‘Seva Bhoj Yojna’ with a
total outlay of Rs. 325 Crores for Financial Years 2018-19 and 2019-20. The
scheme seeks to reimburse the Central Government share of CGST and IGST so as
to lessen the financial burden of such Charitable Religious Institutions who
provide Food/Prasad/Langar (Community Kitchen)/Bhandara free of cost without
any discrimination to Public/Devotees.
15. On June 3, the Indian
Navy evacuated 38 stranded Indians from Socotra Island in Yemen where they were
stranded for nearly 10 days after a severe Cyclonic storm Mekunu hit the area.
The Navy evacuated the Indians as part of operation code name ‘NISTAR’, carried
out off the coast of Socotra and embarked them at Indian Naval ship INS Sunayna
to bring them back to India. The Island of Socotra is considered the jewel of
biodiversity in the Arabian Sea and is recognised as a world natural heritage site
by UNESCO in 2008. It is one of the most isolated landforms on Earth that a
third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet. Notable are the
dragon’s blood trees that look like flying saucers perched on trunks.
16. The Ministry of
Agriculture and farmers welfare in line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 has launched the Krishi kalyan
Abhiyaan from 1st June to 31st July, 2018. The purpose of the scheme is to aid,
assist and advice farmers on how to improve their farming techniques and raise
their incomes.
17. India is the global
host nation for the 43rd edition of World Environment Day (WED -2018) event,
which has started on June 5, 2018. Environment Ministers, representatives from
United Nations and members from various industry bodies will be among the
various dignitaries who will attend the event. The day is a platform for
encouraging awareness and propagating the need for protecting the environment.
The 2018 theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution”. Plastic, which is rampantly
polluting our water bodies, harming marine life and posing a threat to human
health, has been one of the major concerns of environmental bodies this year.
This day is a call for awakening of individuals to take charge of protecting their
environment and to realize the severity of plastic usage in daily life.
18. NTPC Ltd has adopted
the iconic Charminar in Hyderabad under the Swachh Iconic Places Projects of
India. This is part of a special drive under the Centre’s Swachh Bharat
Mission. NTPC Ltd and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have
signed an MoU for implementation of development and beautification works under
the Charminar Pedestrianization Project in Hyderabad. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah,
who was the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda, founded the
city of Hyderabad and built Charminar in 1591.
19. The Chandrabhaga beach
on the Konark coast of Odisha has become the Asia’s first beach to get the Blue
Flag certification — the tag given to environment-friendly and clean beaches,
equipped with amenities of international standards for tourists. The beach
awarded the honour on World Environment Day (WED) on June 5, 2018. Apart from
this, 12 more Indian beaches are being developed by the Society for Integrated
Coastal Management (SICOM), an Environment Ministry’s body working for the
management of coastal areas, in accordance with the Blue Flag certification
standards. Among them are the Chiwla and Bhogave beaches in Maharashtra and one
beach each from Puducherry, Goa, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. The Blue Flag beach standards were established by
Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1985. In order
to get the Blue Flag tag, a beach has to be plastic-free and be equipped with a
waste management system.
20. On June 6, the
screening of the biopic ‘Making of the Mahatma’ in Pietermaritzburg marked the
opening of a three-day series of events to commemorate the historic incident
125 years ago when Mahatma Gandhi was evicted from a train because the
compartment he was in was reserved for whites only.
21. The World Bank has
approved Rs.6000 crore for Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), a Central Sector Scheme
of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
The scheme is to be implemented over a period of five years from 2018-19 to
2022-23, with World Bank assistance. The ABHY has been formulated by the
Ministry to address the criticality of ground water resources in a major part
of the country. The scheme proposal has already been recommended by the
Expenditure Finance Committee and the Ministry will be seeking Cabinet approval
for the project shortly. The purpose of the scheme is to improve ground water
management in priority areas in the country through community participation.
The priority areas identified under the scheme fall in Gujarat, Haryana,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These
States represent about 25% of the total number of over-exploited, critical and
semi-critical blocks in terms of ground water in India.
22. On June 5, the Supreme
Court has allowed the Union government to implement the reservation in
promotion policy for SC/ST employees in accordance with the law but did not
stay a Delhi High Court judgment that had quashed an August 1997 office memorandum
issued by the Centre providing for reservation in promotions for Dalit and
tribal employees. The vacation bench comprising Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and
Ashok Bhushan allowed such reservation but added without elaboration that it
should be “in accordance with law”. As per Article 16 (4A) of the Constitution,
the state would have to make out a case for providing reservation in promotion
to SC/ST based on quantifiable data. The provision also says that the data
should be based on factors like backwardness, inadequacy of representation and
overall efficiency.
23. The Union Government
has constituted a group of eminent persons to study the Special Economic Zones
(SEZ) Policy of India. The group will be headed by Industrialist Baba Kalyani.
The group will evaluate the SEZ policy, suggest measures to cater to the needs
of exporters in the present economic scenario and make the SEZ policy WTO
compatible. The Group has to submit its recommendation in 3 months. The SEZ
Policy was implemented from 1st April, 2000. Subsequently, the Special Economic
Zones Act, 2005 was passed by Parliament in May, 2005 which received
Presidential assent on the 23rd June, 2005 and the Special Economic Zone Act
was enacted. The SEZ Act, 2005, supported by SEZ Rules, came into effect on
10th February, 2006.
24. In a bid to check loan
defaults, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has considered the recommendations of
YM Deosthalee-headed High Level Task Force and will set up a Public Credit
Registry (PCR) in a modular and phased manner. The PCR is an information
repository that collates all loan information of individuals and corporate
borrowers. A credit repository will help banks distinguish between a bad and a
good borrower and accordingly offer attractive interest rates to good borrowers
and higher interest rates to bad borrowers. The PCR will be the single point of
mandatory reporting for all material events for each loan, notwithstanding any
threshold in the loan amount or type of borrower. Thereby, the PCR will serve
as a registry of all credit contracts, duly verified by reporting institutions,
for all lending in India and any lending by an Indian institution to a company
incorporated in India.
25. The Fuego volcano is
an active stratovolcano in Guatemala that has recently erupted violently and
buried several villages on its southern flank. The death toll has risen to 99
in the Fuego volcano eruption. The National Forensic Sciences Agency stated
that, of the 99 people, only 28 have been identified.
26. On June 6, the
6-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
hiked the key policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25% in its second
bi-monthly monetary policy review of FY19. Concurrently, the reverse repo rate
adjusted to 6.0%, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank
Rate to 6.50%. This is the first time since January 2014 that RBI has announced
a rate hike. Since then, RBI has either reduced the rate or maintained status
quo. Repo rate is the rate at which RBI lends to banks generally against
government securities while the reverse repo is the rate at which RBI borrows
money from the banks. In its monetary policy statement, RBI revised CPI
inflation projections for the first half (H1)of FY19 to 4.8-4.9%, and 4.7% in
the second half (H2). RBI retained its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth
projection for the financial year at 7.4%.
27. On June 6, the
Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) in Telangana has received the
approval of Technical Advisory Committee of the Union government in a meeting
held in the Central Water Commission (CWC) in Delhi. The Kaleshwaram project,
which is the biggest lift irrigation project in the country. The Kaleswaram
project across the Godavari river is often described as a boon to the state.
28. The Mitti Dam is a
concrete and earthen dam built on the Mitti River in Abdasa Taluka of Kutch
District, Gujarat.
29. Andhra Pradesh will
become the first Indian state to use auto-disable syringes for all clinical
purposes to prevent infection. The move will be enforced from the World
Hepatitis Day (WHD-2018) when the state government will declare itself as
“Safety Injection Use State”. The initiative will ensure one injection will be
given from one syringe by mandating universal usage of auto-disable syringes in
all clinical/therapeutic cases as part of infection prevention. The move would
strengthen the healthcare system by lowering the burden of infections and
breaking the cycle of cross infection.
30. President Ram Nath
Kovind has recently declared the ‘Queen’ variety of pineapple as the state
fruit of Tripura. The famous ‘Queen’ variety is spiny, golden yellow in color
and emits pleasant aroma and flavor at the ripen stage.
31. Anthony Bourdain (61),
the United States celebrity chef and television personality, has passed away in
Strasbourg, France on June 8, 2018. He was a best-selling food, fiction and
nonfiction author. He shot to fame in 2000 with a best-selling book “Kitchen
Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly”.
32. Indian captain Virat
Kohli will receive the Polly Umrigar Award for the best international cricketer
(2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons) at the BCCI awards, to be held in Bengaluru on
June 15, 2018. Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana are set to be maiden
recipients of the award for best international cricketer (women) for the
2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons respectively. The BCCI Awards recognizes and
honours the top domestic and international cricketers across all age groups.
33. Mithali Raj has become
the first Indian cricketer to score 2,000 runs in T20 International
Cricket.
34. India has been ranked
136th among 163 countries in Global Peace Index 2018 due to a reduction in the
level of violent crime driven by increased law enforcement. The Index is
prepared by Sydney-based international think-tank Institute for Economics and
Peace (IEP). The report provides a comprehensive analysis on the state of world
peace. It covers 99.7% of the world’s population and uses 23 qualitative and
quantitative indicators grouped into three key domains — ongoing conflict,
safety and security, and militarization. The index is topped by Iceland,
followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark. As per the report that
ranks 163 independent states and territories, Syria is the least peaceful
country followed by Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq and Somalia.
35. The 18th edition of
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit was held in Qingdao, China on
June 9-10, 2018. The summit concluded with the adoption of the Qingdao
declaration. The declaration calls for implementing the three-year plan to
combat terrorism, separatism and extremism.
36. New Zealand women’s
cricket team posted the highest-ever total in One-Day International (ODI)
cricket by scoring an incredible 490-4 against Ireland in the first match in
Dublin. New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates top-scored with 151 off 94 balls.
37. The World Oceans Day
(WOD) is a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better
future. It is observed every year on June 8 to provide an opportunity to take
personal and community action to conserve the ocean and its resources. The 2018
conservation action theme is “Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging
solutions for a healthy ocean”.
38. S Ramesh has been
appointed as the new chairman of Central Board of Indirect taxes and Customs
(CBIC). He will succeed Vanaja N. Sarna on July 1.
39. Arvind Saxena, a
1978-batch Indian Postal Service officer, has been appointed as the acting
Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). He will succeed Vinay
Mittal, who completes his term.
40. India will have its
first-ever national police museum as the Central government has decided to
establish the unique facility in Lutyens’ Delhi.
41. Former NIA chief
Sharad Kumar, who is a1979-batch IPS officer of the Haryana cadre, has been
appointed new vigilance commissioner in probity watchdog Central Vigilance
Commission (CVC) for a term of 4 years or till he attains the age of 65. The
CVC is headed by a Central Vigilance Commissioner who is assisted by two
Vigilance Commissioners. The current CVC is K. V. Chowdary and Vigilance
Commissioner is Dr. Tejendra Mohan Bhasin. The commission was set up by the
Government of India (GoI) in February 1964 on the recommendations of K.
Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption to advise and guide Central
Government agencies in the field of vigilance.
42. The 44th edition of G7
summit 2018 was hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Quebec on
June 8–9. This was the 6th time since 1981 that Canada has hosted the meetings.
It was the first summit for Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. The summit
was dubbed the “G6+1” by the French government and political commentators. This
resulted from the United States withdrawing from the Iran Deal along with the
Paris Agreement, rampant American protectionism, and fights with French
President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The 45th
G7 summit will be held in 2019 in Biarritz, France. The G7 Summit is an event
conducted annually where world leaders from seven powerful economies of the world
viz. US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Japan and Italy come together to discuss
burning issues happening around the globe.They, by mutual understanding, also
form policies or figure out remedies for the concerned issue.
43. Rafael Nadal, a
Spanish professional tennis player, claimed his 11th French Open title on June
10, 2018. In the Men’s singles final in Paris, he defeated Austrian Dominic
Thiem in straight sets 6-4 6-3 6-2 to win the title. By winning the French
Open, Nadal tied Margaret Court‘s record for singles titles at a Grand Slam
event. Court won 11 Australian Opens, but seven came when it was the Australian
Championships, an amateur event. It was Nadal’s 17th Grand Slam title, just
three behind great rival Roger Federer.
44. The 22nd edition of
the trilateral naval exercise “Malabar 2018” has started between India, Japan
and United States from June 6-15. The exercise will feature both ashore and
at-sea training off the coast of Guam in the Philippine Sea. The training will
focus on high-end war fighting skill sets, subject matter expert and
professional exchanges, combined carrier strike group operations, maritime
patrol and reconnaissance operations, surface and anti-submarine warfare,
medical operations, damage control, helicopter operations and visit, board,
search and seizure operations. India is being represented by the stealth
frigate INS Sahyadri, stealth corvettes INS Kamorta, and the Deepak-class fleet
tanker INS Shakti, IANS reported. Along with these, P-8I Neptune advanced
maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare aircraft will also participate in the
wargame.
45. India will host the
first military exercise of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for
Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) group focusing on
counter-terrorism in Pune on September 2018.
46. The World Day against
Child Labour is observed every year on June 12 to highlight the plight of child
labourers and what can be done to help them.. The 2018 theme ‘Generation Safe
& Healthy’ points a finger at the hazardous and exploitative working
conditions in which millions of children are working tooth, nail and bone for a
living. The day shines a spotlight on the global need to improve the safety and
health of young workers and end child labour.
47. The Union government has added 10 new Iconic sites in 3rd phase
of its flagship project of Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) under Swachh Bharat
Mission. The 3rd phase of SIP was launched at Mana village which is situated
close to the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand. The sites are Raghavendra Swamy
Temple (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh); Hazardwari Palace (Murshidabad, West Bengal);
Brahma Sarovar Temple (Kurukshetra, Haryana); Vidur Kuti (Bijnor, Uttar
Pradesh); Mana village (Chamoli, Uttarakhand); Nagvasuki Temple (Allahabad,
Uttar Pradesh); and Kanvashram (Uttarakhand). Besides Pangong Lake (Leh-Ladakh,
J&K), ImaKeithal/market (Imphal, Manipur) and Sabarimala Temple (Kerala).
The project envisioned by the Prime Minister is being coordinated by Ministry
of Drinking Water and Sanitation with the support of State governments and
local administration.
48. The 23rd FIFA World Cup 2026 will be hosted by USA, Canada and
Mexico. To host the tournament, the two official bids were submitted to FIFA: a
joint bid by Canada, Mexico and the United States, and a bid by Morocco. On
13th June 2018, the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, Canada, Mexico and the United
States won the final vote. The United Bid received 134 votes, Morocco received
65 votes while one country voted for neither. The tournament will be the first
to feature 48 teams, after FIFA approved expansion from 32 teams.
49. The Ethipothala Falls is a famous waterfall formed by the
mountain streams which falls from a height of approximately 70 feet into a
lagoon. It is located on the Chandravanka River, a tributary of River Krishna,
in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. There is a crocodile breeding center in
the pond formed by the water fall and is managed by the Forest Department of
Andhra Pradesh where one can see the crocodiles from close distance. There are
two temples at the foot of the waterfall, dedicated to Ranganadha Swami and
Dattatreya Swami. Adjacent to the waterfall, there is a group of caves which
are believed to extend till Srisailam. Ethipothala Waterfall is also a great
place for mild trekking and camping along with refreshing nature sightseeing.
50. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has recently approved the final extension of tenure of the Commission
constituted to examine the issue of Sub-categorization within Other Backward
Classes (OBCs) in the Central List. Earlier, it was mandated to present the
report to the President upto 20th June 2018. Now, it is extended till 31st
July, 2018. As per Article 340 of the Constitution, President Ram Nath Kovind
appointed a Commission on 2nd October 2017. Justice (Retd.) G. Rohini is the
head of the commission. The commission will work out the mechanism, criteria,
norms and parameters in a scientific approach for sub-categorisation within
such OBCs. It will also take up the exercise of identifying the respective
castes or communities or sub-castes or synonyms in the Central List of Other
Backward Classes and classifying them into their respective sub-categories.
51. Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the noted social reformer and founder of
Sulabh International, has been honoured with Japan’s prestigious Nikkei Asia
Prize for his significant work in tackling poor hygiene and discrimination. The
award was given under ‘Culture and Community’ category at the 23rd Nikkei Asia
Prize in Tokyo on June 13, 2018.
52. India has been ranked 177th among 180 nations at the 2018 Global
Environment Performance Index (EPI) rankings. As per State of India’s
Environment (SoE) 2018 in Figures, India scored 5.75 out of 100 in air quality.
The SoE in Figures is an annual compendium of environmental statistics put
together by Down To Earth magazine, which Centre for Science and Environment
(CSE) helps publish. The SoE in Figures 2018 covers diverse subjects ranging
from air pollution to environmental crimes & sanitation to energy security.
The 2018 EPI provides a quantitative basis for comparing, analyzing, and
understanding environmental performance for 180 countries. Low scores on the
EPI are indicative of the need for national sustainability efforts on a number
of fronts, especially cleaning up air quality, protecting biodiversity, and
reducing GHG emissions. The top five countries in terms of green rankings are
Switzerland, France, Denmark, Malta and Sweden.
53. On 14th June 2018, Shikhar Dhawan has become the first-ever
Indian batsman to score a century in the first session of a Test match joining
the illustrious ranks of Sir Don Bradman, Victor Trumper, Majid Khan, David
Warner.
54.
On June 12, the United States government has approved a deal to
sell the Indian military six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for $930 million.
The agreement has been passed to the US Congress for approval and if no US
lawmaker raises an objection, the contract will go ahead. Boeing and Indian
partner.
55. The World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is observed every year on June
14 across the globe to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their
life-saving gifts of blood.
56. The 106th Indian Science Congress (ISC-2019) will be held at
Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar, Punjab from 3rd to 7th
January 2019. The theme of the 5-day science congress is ‘Future India: Science
& Technology’.
57. Shujaat Bukhari (50), the veteran journalist and editor of
Srinagar based Rising Kashmir newspaper, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen
outside his office in the Press Enclave area of Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir
(J&K) on June 14, 2018. Apart from Bukhari, his two personal security
officers (PSOs) Hamid Chaudhary and Mumtaz Awan were also killed outside the newspaper’s
office. Bukhari was instrumental in organising several conferences for peace in
the Kashmir Valley. He was also part of the Track II process with Pakistan.
58.
As per latest report “Global Economic Outlook”, Fitch Ratings
has raised India’s growth forecast for 2018-19 to 7.4% from 7.3%, but cited
higher financing costs and rising oil prices as risks to growth. It also said
that the rupee has been among the worst performers vis-a-vis Asian currencies
this year. For FY20, it estimated the country to grow at 7.5%. However, higher
financing costs (stemming from monetary tightening and higher market premiums)
and rising oil prices should limit the upside to growth.
59.
Smriti Mandhana, an Indian Women’s Cricket team opener, will
become the first Indian player to appear in the Kia Super League, the women’s
cricket super league in England. The League will begin from July 22, 2018.
Smriti was signed by Western Storm and will represent the side in the upcoming
edition of the tournament that features six teams. She has appeared in 40 T20Is
so far and has a highest score of 76. In May 2018, she captained IPL
Trailblazers in the Women’s T20 Challenge, which took place ahead of IPL
Qualifier one. Smriti has also featured in the Big Bash League for Brisbane
Heat.
60.
Russia has successfully launched a Glonass- M positioning
satellite by using a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space center
on June 17, 2018. The Glonass network provides real-time positioning data for
surface, sea and airborne objects around the globe, at an accuracy reportedly
at par with the U.S. Global Positioning System.
61. The conference on implementation of National Pension System
(NPS) by the Central Autonomous Bodies (CABs) was held in New Delhi. It was
organized by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
62. Flying Officer Meghana Shanbough MR, an engineering graduate,
has become the sixth female fighter pilot to join the ranks of Indian Air Force
(IAF). She is the first from Karnataka and South India. She graduates from the
Air Force Academy (AFA) in Dundigal. The other fighter pilots: Avani Chaturvedi
from Madhya Pradesh, Bhawana Kanth from Bihar and Mohana Singh from Rajasthan
have already scripted history by becoming the first-ever women to undergo
fighter pilot training in IAF at Hakimpet Air Force station in Hyderabad.
63. The Jawai dam is built across the Jawai river, a tributary of
Luni river, and is situated near Sumerpur town in Pali District of Rajasthan.
The dam was built by Maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur. This is the biggest dam in
the western Rajasthan. The dam has capacity of 7887.5 million cubic feet and
covers an area of 102,315 acres of cultivable command area. Its height is about
61.25 feet. Sei dam and Kalibor dam are the feeder dams of the Jawai dam.
64. The Assumption Island is a small island in the Outer Islands of
Seychelles north of Madagascar, with a distance of 1,135 km southwest of the
capital, Victoria, on Mahé Island. It is in news recently because the deal for
an Indian military base in the Island was declared as ‘dead’ by Seychelles
President Danny Faure. He said that Seychelles would develop military
facilities at the island on its own. Mr. Faure made it clear that he would have
no further discussions on the subject with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he
visited India on June 25 and 26, 2018. The plans for an Indian military base in
Seychelles stirred up public protests by activists who believe that the islands
must stay away from the brewing India-China regional conflict. The decision by
the Seychelles President to drop the deal in the face of protests over a
perceived loss of sovereignty is a blow to the Indian government’s “SAGAR”
(Security and Growth for All in the Region) programme, announced by Mr. Modi
during a visit to Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) countries in March 2015.
65. Ivan Duque Marquez , the Conservative political newcomer, has
been elected as the new President of Colombia and will assume office on August
7, 2018. He won the 2018 presidential election by 54% of the vote on June 17,
2018. His running mate, Marta Lucía Ramirez, will become first female
Vice-President of the country.
66.
With the monsoon under way, the Union Water Resources Ministry
has teamed up with Google to generate flood warnings.
67. Anukreethy Vas from Tamil Nadu has been crowned fbb Colors Femina
Miss India World 2018 at a function held in Mumbai on June 19, 2018.
Anukreethy, who beat 30 contestants to bag the honour, will now represent India
at this year’s Miss World. While Haryana’s Meenakshi Chaudhary was announced
the first runner-up, Shreya Rao Kamavarapu of Andhra Pradesh was adjudged the
second runner-up in the beauty competition. The ceremony was hosted by
filmmaker Karan Johar and Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana. The judges panel
included 2017 Miss World Manushi Chhillar, cricketers Irfan Pathan and Lokesh
Rahul and actors Malaika Arora, Bobby Deol and Kunal Kapoor.
68. On June 19, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has tightened norms
for Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) by making quoting of the Permanent
Account Number (PAN) mandatory even for transactions below $25,000. Under the
LRS, all resident individuals, including minors, are allowed to freely remit up
to 2,50,000 US dollar per financial year for any permissible current or capital
account transaction or a combination of both. Earlier, a system for daily
reporting of individual transactions under the LRS by banks was been put in
place. This system enables the banks to view the remittances already sent by an
individual during the financial year, thus improving monitoring and ensuring
compliance with the LRS limits.
69. The Parliament of Canada has passed a landmark law that
legalizes the recreational use of marijuana nationwide. The Cannabis Act (or
Bill C-45) passed its final hurdle on June 20 in a 52-29 vote in the Senate.
The bill controls and regulates how the drug can be grown, distributed and
sold. Canadians will be able to buy and consume the drug legally as early as
September 2018. The new law allows adults to possess up to 30 grams of dried
cannabis in public, but the minimum legal age to buy and consume the drug has
been set federally at 18. It makes Canada the first G7 country to legalise the
drug’s recreational use and the second to have a nationwide, legal marijuana
market, after Uruguay. The Group of Seven (G7) is a group consisting of Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant intended for medical
or recreational use.
70.
A R Rahman, the renowned music composer, has been appointed as
the Brand Ambassador of the Sikkim government. He will promote and project the
state’s achievements nationally and globally. Sikkim.
71. On June 19, the United States has withdrawn from the United
Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and condemned alleged hypocrisy of its
members and bias against Israel. The announcement came after the top UN human
rights official criticised Washington for separating migrant children from
their parents who are seeking asylum after crossing into the country from
Mexico. It must be noted that Washington’s withdrawal is the latest US
rejection of multilateral engagement after it pulled out of the Paris climate
agreement and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. It’s not first time that the US has
opted to stay out of the UNHRC. When the Council was established in 2006, the
administration of George W. Bush withheld its membership over similar concerns.
The U.S. joined the body only in 2009 under President Barack Obama. The UNHRC
is composed of 47 members — and this is the first time a sitting member country
has voluntarily decided to leave. Though, Libya was suspended in 2011 after a
government crackdown on unarmed protesters.
72. Under ‘India Smart Cities Award’ 2018, Surat Smart City has been
selected for ‘City Award’ for showing great momentum in implementation of
projects especially in the categories of urban environment, transport and
mobility and sustainable integrated development. Beside this, Bhopal and
Ahmedabad were selected in the ‘Innovative Idea’ category for their
transformative approach towards sustainable integrated development. While 9
smart cities, including NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council), bagged ‘Project’
awards for innovative and successful projects in 7 categories. Under ‘Social
Aspects’ category, NDMC and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) bagged the award for
implementation of ‘Smart Classrooms’ project, while Visakhapatnam was selected
for its smart campus project and Pune for ‘lighthouse project’ under which
underprivileged youths of the city get a chance to explore possibilities for
enhancing their skills and pursuing a meaningful career.
73. Peter Thomson (88), one of Australia’s greatest golfers and a
five-time Open Championship winner, has passed away in Melbourne on June 20,
2018. In 1954.
74. The Punjab Government has launched a smartphone application
‘i-Hariyali’, which aims to inspire people to plant more saplings to save the
environment from pollution. It will ensure clean, green, healthy and robust
Punjab with the active participation of people.
75. The International Yoga Day (IYD) is celebrated every year on
June 21 to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.
Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in
India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite,
symbolizing the union of body and consciousness. Yoga is an ancient Indian
practice which is very useful for curing many diseases and health disorders.
The theme for the 2018 celebration, organized by the Permanent Mission of India
to the U.N. is “Yoga for Peace”.
76.
India will host the 3rd annual meeting of the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Mumbai on June 25-26, 2018. It will be
jointly hosted by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and AIIB. The theme
for 2018 meeting is “Mobilizing Finance for Infrastructure: Innovation and
Collaboration” that will see leaders from varied organizations and levels of
government to share ideas and experiences for creating a sustainable future
through sound infrastructure investment.
77.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has banned the Al-Qaeda in
Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Afghanistan-based Islamic State in Khorasan
Province (or ISIS Wilayat Khorasan) under the anti-terror law, Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967 (UAPA). The outfit, which has now been
banned, considers India and Indian interests as its targets and is engaged in
activities of radicalising and recruiting Indian youth for terror activities.
The main purpose of anti-terror law is to make powers available for dealing
with activities directed against the integrity and sovereignty of India. It has
strict penal provisions to deal with banned organisations and their members.
There are 39 banned outfits under UAPA, including the Islamic State, Lashkar-e-Toiba,
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and others.
78. On 22nd June 2018, the annual Ambubachi Mela has started at
Nilachall hillock where the Kamakhya temple is situated in Assam.
79. Researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) in the US have
developed the world’s smallest computer “Michigan Micro Mote”. It measures just
0.3 mm and could help find new ways to monitor and treat cancer. In addition to
the RAM and photovoltaics, the new micro computing device has processors and
wireless transmitters and receivers. Since they are too small to have
conventional radio antennae, they receive and transmit data with visible light.
A base station provides light for power and programming, and it receives the
data. Designed as a precision temperature sensor, the computer can report
temperatures in minuscule regions – such as a cluster of cells – with an error
of about 0.1 degrees Celsius. The system is very flexible and could be
re-imagined for a variety of purposes. The device can help in oncology
research. The study was presented at the 2018 Symposia on VLSI Technology and
Circuits on June 21.
80. Kim Jong-pil (92), the founder of South Korea’s spy agency, has
passed away in Seoul, South Korea on June 23, 2018. The spy agency is
widely-known as the “perennial No. 2 man” in modern Korean politics.
81.
The 22nd edition of Sindhu Darshan Festival (SDF) has started on
the bank of Indus River in Leh district of Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir
(J&K) on June 24, 2018. The 3-day annual fest is organised by Sindhu
Darshan Yatra Samiti and Ladakh Phandey Tsogspa (Leh). It will be inaugurated
by RSS General Secretary Bhaiya Ji Joshi. The programme is focused at national
integration, communal harmony and national pride. It will be marked by holy dip
in the Indus River, hosting of national flag and cultural programme of
different areas of the country. The festival was started by the former Deputy
Prime Minister L K Advani in 1997.
82. The International Widows’ Day (IWD) is observed every year on
June 23 to give special recognition to the situation of widows of all ages and
across regions and cultures.
83. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has been conferred with
the ‘Chief Minister of the Year’ award for her remarkable work in e-governance.
The award was given at the 52nd Skoch Summit 2018 held in New Delhi.
84. “Tumhari Sulu”, a movie about a housewife who lands a job as a
radio jockey, won the Best Picture Award at the International Indian Film
Academy Awards 2018 in Bangkok.
85.
In Archery, Deepika Kumari clinched a gold medal in the women’s
recurve event at stage three of World Cup in Salt Lake City of US on June 25,
2018. She defeated Michelle Kroppen of Germany 7-3. With the win, the four-time
World Cup final silver medalist has automatically qualified for the Archery
World Cup Final to be held in Samsun of Turkey later this year.
86. Dharampal, the Sarpanch of Godikan village panchayat in Haryana,
has passed a ‘No Toilet No Bride’ resolution to ensure the safety and
well-being of its womenfolk.
87. The naval forces of India and Bangladesh will conduct the joint
patrol exercise “Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT)” in the Bay of Bengal from June
27.
88. The Getalsud Dam is an artificial reservoir situated at Ormanjhi
in Ranchi, Jharkhand. It was constructed across the Subarnarekha River and was
opened in 1971. It is a popular picnic spot for the residents of Ranchi and
Ramgarh District. The dam provides a small-scale fishing opportunity to the
local people of Rukka. The main purpose of the dam is to fulfill the drinking
water requirements of the residents of Ranchi. Apart from that, it is also used
for industrial purposes and generating electricity.
89. The 2018 ICC Women’s World T20 championship will be held in the
West Indies from November 9 to 24.
90. Pallavi Durua, who belongs to Odisha’s Koraput district, has
been crowned as the India’s first “Tribal Queen” at the Adi Rani Kalinga Tribal
Queen competition held at Utkal Mandap on June 26, 2018.
91. Bollywood Actress Kalki Koechlin has been conferred with the
French distinction of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans
l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) for her contribution in enhancing Indo-French
ties in cinema on June 22, 2018.
92. The UN Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day is
observed every year on June 27 to recognize the importance of MSME in achieving
sustainable development goals and in promoting innovation, creativity and
sustainable work for all.
93. India has extended a $100 million line of credit to Seychelles
to allow it to build its defense capabilities and purchase weapons from India.
The two nations also signed six Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), including in
the area of infrastructure development in Seychelles, cyber security and
white-shipping arrangement that would enable the two countries to exchange data
regarding identity and movement of non-military commercial vessels. As promised
by PM Modi during his visit there in 2015, India also gifted the 2nd Dornier
aircraft to Seychelles ahead of its National Day on June 29, 2018. Both the
nations agreed to work together on the Assumption Island project based on each
other’s interests. It comes with a good note for India because the deal for an
Indian military base in the Island was recently declared as ‘dead’ by
Seychelles President Danny Faure.
94. The 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. The theme for 2018 is: “Listen First –
Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and
safe”.
95. The Tipaimukh Dam is a proposed embankment dam on the river
Barak in Manipur, which was first commissioned in 1983.
96.
The 26th edition of the world’s largest multilateral naval
exercise ‘Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC-2018)’ has started on June 27 off Hawaii in
the Western Pacific Ocean. The 2-month long biennial exercise is likely to be
attended by navies of 26 countries including India. Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri
has already reached the Pearl Harbour in Hawaii to participate in the RIMPAC
exercise. The Indian Navy in statement said INS Sahyadri, commanded by Captain
Shantanu Jha, is a state-of-the-art indigenously built guided missile stealth
frigate which is a part of the Eastern Fleet under the Eastern Naval Command.
India’s participation in the exercise provides a platform for increased
interoperability and development of common understanding of procedures for
maritime security operations.
97. The 2018 World Food Prize will be awarded to two men who have
dedicated their careers to improving the availability of nutritious food for
pregnant women and children in an effort to reduce the effects of malnutrition
in developing countries. These are Dr. Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro.
Both will split the $250,000 award that goes with the prize. The laureates will
be recognized at a ceremony in the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines on
Oct 18, 2018. Dr. Haddad is a British economist and food policy researcher,
whereas Dr. Nabarro has worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) and
United Nations (UN) on health and hunger issues.
98. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has restricted the
manufacture of Oxytocin formulations for domestic use to public sector only
from 1st July 2018. It has also banned the import of Oxytocin and its
formulations. Only Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL), a
public sector company, would be manufacturing this drug for domestic use from
1st July 2018. The Oxytocin formulations meant for domestic consumption will be
supplied by the manufacturer, i.e. KAPL, to the registered hospitals and
clinics in public and private sector directly. Oxytocin in any form or name
will not be allowed to be sold through retail Chemist. Oxytocin is a
naturally-occurring hormone that causes uterine contractions during labour and
helps new mothers lactate. But, its misuse is widespread in the dairy industry,
where livestock are injected with oxytocin to make them release milk at a time
convenient to farmers. The hormone is also used to increase the size of
vegetables and fruits such as pumpkins, watermelons, brinjals, gourds and
cucumbers.
99. The Gangrel Dam is built across the Mahanadi River in Dhamtari
district of Chhattisgarh. It is also known as the R.S. Sagar Dam and is the
longest dam in Chhattisgarh. This dam supplies year round irrigation, allowing
farmers to harvest two crops per year. The dam also supplies 10 MW of
hydro-electric power capacity.
100.
According to data on language released by the Union government
as part of Census 2011, Hindi is the most spoken language in India. As per
data, the percentage of Indian population with Hindi as their mother tongue has
risen to 43.63% from 41.03% in 2001. Bengali has taken the second spot,
followed by Marathi, Telugu, Tamil and Gujarati. Urdu is the 7th most spoken
language in India, while Sanskrit was the least spoken of the country’s 22
scheduled languages. Out of unscheduled languages, the most spoken language was
Bhili or Bhilodi, native to Rajasthan with 1.04 crore speakers and is followed
by Gondi with 29 lakh speakers. According to Census authorities, mother tongue
is defined as the language spoken in childhood by the person’s mother to the
person or, where the mother has died in the person’s infancy, the language
mainly spoken in the person’s household during childhood.
101.
For screening cervical cancer, a new Liquid Based Cytology (LBC)
technique — Direct to Slide — has launched in Tamil Nadu. The LBC technique
would help in detecting cervical cancer during the pre-cancerous stages. In
LBC, a soft brush is used to touch the cervix and take cells from the neck of
the uterus. This is transferred into a bottle containing a preservative and
sent for laboratory analysis. The cell contents are processed on a slide. In
the conventional method, the total number of cells collected may not get transferred
onto the slide, while in LBC, whatever sample is taken gets transferred onto
the slide.
102.
In a bid to boost environmental protection around the world,
India will increase its grant from $12 million to $15 million to the Global
Environment Facility (GEF)’s new four-year investment cycle, known as GEF-7. It
was announced by India’s representative to GEF Council Aparna Subramani, during
a meeting of the GEF Council in Da Nang, Vietnam. The meeting was part of a
4-day-long conference scheduled to conclude on June 28. Apart from her home
country, Subramani also represents Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri
Lanka in the GEF Council. India, which is both a donor and a recipient of GEF,
is among the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change. The GEF is an
international partnership of 183 countries, which is a multilateral financial
mechanism to provide grants for environmental projects.
103. The Maharashtra government has announced a new scheme called
‘Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana’, wherein farmers families where girl children are
born, will be given saplings for plantation. The purpose of the scheme is to
empower women and promoting tree plantation. The farmer family blessed with a
girl child between April 1 and March 31 can make an application with the Gram
Panchayat after which they will get 10 saplings free of cost from the forest
department. The saplings will be of different varieties, including teakwood,
mango, jackfruit, black plum and tamarind. The scheme will be applicable for
maximum two girls. The beneficiaries will also be helped under the horticulture
scheme. It is expected that at least two lakh farmers families will benefit
from the scheme every year.
104.
To mark the 500th death anniversary of mystic poet and saint
Kabir Das, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the two-day ‘Kabir
Mahotsav’ at Maghar in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh on June 28,
2018. The festival, organised by the Union Culture Ministry, will feature folk
music, dance performances and musical theatre in which artistes from all over
the country will participate. Mr Modi also visited the Sant Kabir cave and
unveils a plaque to mark the laying of foundation stone of the Kabir Academy,
which will highlight the great saint’s teachings and philosophy.
105.
The Madhya Pradesh government has been awarded for reducing
maternal mortality under Prime Minister’s Safe Motherhood Campaign. The award
ceremony was held in New Delhi on June 29, 2018. As per the report of the
Registrar General of India, Madhya Pradesh has been registered an unprecedented
48-digit decline in maternal deaths from 2014 to 2016. The maternal mortality
rate was 221 in the year 2011-13, which has now dropped down further to just
173. There has been a significant decline of 22% in the last 3 years in the
state. The results of the various awareness programmes like institutional
delivery, ANM, Anganwadi workers, knock-out campaigns etc. have now started
showing fruitful result. The State government official claimed that this
decline will be more noticeable in the coming years.
106.
According to Mercer’s 24th annual Cost of Living Survey 2018,
Mumbai (55) is India’s most expensive city, followed by New Delhi (103) and
Chennai (144). Kolkata (182) and Bengaluru (170) are the least expensive Indian
cities ranked. As per survey, the factors like instability of housing markets,
low inflation, and fluctuating prices for goods and services are impacting the
cost of doing business in various cities around the world. This year, Hong Kong
is emerged as the most expensive city for expatriates both in Asia and globally
as a consequence of Luanda’s drop in the ranking due in part to the downward
trend in the city’s housing market. Hong Kong is followed by Tokyo (2),
Singapore (4), Seoul (5), Shanghai (7), and Beijing (9).
107.
The Raneh Falls is a natural water fall located in Chhatarpur
district of Madhya Pradesh on Ken River. It is situated about 20 km away from
world famous heritage site Khajuraho. The waterfall is also close to Panna
Tiger Reserve and Ken crocodile sanctuary. It was awarded the Best Holiday
Award for 2017.Tourists from all over the country and abroad come here every
year to enjoy the natural beauty. The Ken River here runs through a narrow
gorge of igneous rocks rich in Granite and Dolomite. The Pandav Falls in Panna
National Park is also located nearby.
108.
Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana is a new scheme of Maharashtra
government in which farmers families where girl children are born, will be
given saplings for plantation. The saplings will be of different varieties,
including teakwood, mango, jackfruit, black plum and tamarind. The scheme will
be applicable for maximum two girls. Income from these trees will safeguard
future of gril child.
109.
Currently, Maharashtra has total five Unesco World Heritage
Sites and this number is highest among all states and UTs in India. The sites
include Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Elephanta Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj Terminus and the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco buildings of South
Mumbai. The last one was included on 30 June, 2018.
110.
In June 2018, Odisha government entered into a collaboration
with the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES), an
intergovernmental body under United Nations. RIMES has 48 member nations among
Asia Pacific and Africa Region and is aimed at automating risk management,
advisory generation and dissemination. This body had evolved in the aftermath
of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami due to efforts of African and Asian Countries.
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