June 2019, Current Affair’s (for CLAT)

1.      Former ISRO chief Dr. K Kasturirangan led Committee has recently submitted the draft National Educational Policy (NEP) to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. The existing NEP was framed in 1986 and revised in 1992.

 

2.      Flight Lieutenant Mohana Singh has become the first woman fighter pilot to fly by day a Hawk advanced jet aircraft. She achieved the feat at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station in West Bengal.

 

3.      Chandrani Murmu (25) has created history by becoming the youngest Member of Parliament (MP), after elected to the 17th Lok Sabha from Keonjhar (Odisha) in the 2019 Indian general election as a member of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). She defeated two-time BJP MP Ananta Nayak by a margin of 66,203 votes. Ms. Murmu earned her B. Tech degree from a Bhubaneswar-based engineering college. Previously, the record of Youngest Parliamentarian was held by Dushyant Chautala, who represented Hisar Lok Sabha Constituency in Haryana in the 16th Lok Sabha.

 

4.      Scott Morrison has been sworn-in as new Prime Minister of Australia, after retaining the position in the 2019 general election. Along with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, Mr. Morrison was sworn in by Queen Elizabeth's official representative , Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, at a ceremony in the capital, Canberra. Mr. Morrison became Australia's 30th Prime Minister through an internal party vote in August 2018 in which he replaced Malcolm Turnbull as chief of the ruling Liberal Party. The 46th Parliament of Australia is expected to open in the first week of July.

 

5.      The Telangana government has decided to set up the India's first 'Blockchain district' in Hyderabad to create an ecosystem for all the start-ups and institutes working in the space.

 

6.      Indian-origin Anita Bhatia has been the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) for Resource Management.

 

7.      The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently ruled that all animals are legal persons entitled to legal rights like human beings in Haryana. The verdict comes nearly a year after Uttarakhand High Court passed a similar order to protect and promote greater welfare of animals. The Court has also directed that animal-driven carts are given the 'Right of Way'.

 

8.      On 1st June 2019, Ex-President Pratibha Patil has been conferred the "Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca" (Order of the Aztec Eagle) in the MCCIA Bhavan, Pune.

 

9.      The Government of India (GoI) has formed a new 'Jal Shakti' Ministry by merging the ministries of Water Resources and Drinking Water and Sanitation with Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at its helm.

 

10.  Enoplotrupes tawangensis is a new species of dung beetle that has been discovered in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

 

11.  The Quad an informal strategic grouping consisting of India, US, Australia and Japan. China has been trying to expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific which is a biogeographic region.

 

12.  In United States, Google's India-born CEO Sundar Pichai and Nasdaq President Adena Friedman have been chosen for the prestigious Global Leadership Awards 2019 by business advocacy group USIBC in recognition of the two companies' contribution as the leading technology-driven platforms.

 

13.  Popularly known as the 'Cyclone man of India'.

 

14.  India has been ranked 95th out of a total 129 countries in the first-ever SDG Gender Index, which measures strides made in achieving gender commitments against internationally set targets. The index has been developed by Equal Measures 2030.

 

15.  Majuro, the Capital of the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands are a sprawling chain of volcanic islands and coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and the Philippines.

 

16.  Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs and be part of the all-important panel on political affairs headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Singh was also made a member of two new committees set up by the Modi government.

 

17.  The TomTom Traffic Index 2018, carried out by location technology specialist TomTom, covered 403 cities in 56 countries and defined congestion as the extra time added to road travel when traffic doesn't flow freely. Mumbai topped the list of cities with drivers expecting to spend an average of 65% extra travel time stuck in traffic. New Delhi ranked 4th.

 

18.  American author Tayari Jones has won the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction for her novel "An American Marriage".The book portraits a young African American's wrongful conviction and how it affects his marriage. It is a story of love, loss and loyalty, the resilience of the human spirit painted on a big political canvas.

 

19.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently reconstituted the federal policy think-tank National Institution of Transforming India (NITI) Aayog by introducing key Cabinet ministers as members as ex-officio members. Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Home minister Amit Shah, Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar are now ex-officio members of the think tank that is headed by Mr. Modi. Rajiv Kumar will continue to be the vice-chairperson, along with full time members—Ramesh Chand, VK Saraswat and VK Paul.

 

20.  The Sinai Peninsula is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Africa.

 

21.  On June 6, the 6-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.75% from 6.0% with immediate effect in its 2nd bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2019-20. Repo rate is the interest rate at which the central bank provides liquidity to banks to overcome short-term liquidity mismatches.

 

22.  The train, named Zarengold ("The Tsar's gold" in German), complete with two restaurant cars will travel from Saint Petersburg through Petrozavodsk, the historic town of Kem and Murmansk. At Murmansk, by far the largest city north of the Arctic Circle, the tourists will get off the train and continue by bus to Kirkenes in Norway before ending their journey with a boat trip to Oslo or by air to the island of Spitsbergen.

 

23.  In Nagaland, the scenic Dzukou Valley has been officially declared Plastic Free Zone on the occasion of 2019 World Environment Day (WED). The declaration was made officially by Advisor of Youth Resources and Sports, Zale Neikha. The much-appreciated initiative on declaring this scenic valley as a 'plastic-free zone'.

 

24.  Facebook has launched its first interactive game show titled "Confetti" in India, which will start from June 12 on its dedicated video platform.

 

25.  Indian-American Congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal has become the first South Asian American woman to preside over the US House of Representatives.

 

26.  Maldives has conferred 'Nishan Izzuddin' award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is the highest award to honour foreign nationals.

 

27.  The 16-year-old Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and her "Fridays for Future" global movement has won a prestigious Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2019.

 

28.  The ruling National People's Party (NPP), which is in an alliance with the BJP in Meghalaya, has been granted recognition as a national party by the Election Commission of India (ECI). As per the party's request, the symbol 'book' has been allotted to it. It is a recognized party in four states of the region viz. Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

 

29.  Mount Sinabung, on the island of Sumatra. It follows the eruption of Mount Agung on the Indonesia island of Bali.

 

30.  India has been designated as the Guest of Honour at the 33rd Guadalajara International Book Fair (GIBF) 2019 in Mexico.

 

31.  Interim President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has won the 2019 Presidential election of Kazakhstan with 70.96% of the vote President of Kazakhstan & succeeded Nursultan Nazarbayev who served as the President from the country's independence in 1992 until his resignation.

 

32.  Meanwhile, Union Minister for Railways and Commerce Piyush Goyal will take charge as the Deputy Leader for the Upper House of the Indian Parliament.

 

33.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a high-level committee under IBA Chief Executive V G Kannan to examine ATM charges and fees by banks amid demands for reviewing the levies.

 

34.  Zonel Sougaijam, a 22-year-old civil engineer from Manipur, has been honoured by Facebook for discovering a WhatsApp bug that violated the privacy of a user. The social media giant awarded $5000 to him and also included him in the 'Facebook Hall of Fame 2019' for detecting the WhatsApp bug.

 

35.   Bestselling author and one of India's leading contemporary writers, Amitav Ghosh has been conferred the 54th Jnanpith award for the year 2018 for his outstanding contribution towards literature. Mr Ghosh is the first Indian author in English language to be honoured with the Jnanpith award. The works of Amitav Ghosh portray a vast range of subjects. His famous books include The Circle of Reason (1986), The Shadow Lines (1988), The Calcutta Chromosome (1996), The Hungry Tide (2004), Sea of Poppies (2008), The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable (2016). Instituted in 1961, the Jnanpith award is bestowed only on Indian writers writing in Indian languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India and English with no posthumous conferral. The recipients of Jnanpith award are given a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Goddess Saraswati.

 

36.  Bollywood Superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be the chief guest at the 10th edition of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), which is scheduled to be held between 8th to 17th August 2019.

 

37.  Bihar Cabinet-led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has approved a proposal to punish sons and daughters who abandon their elderly parents with a jail term. The cases against the children will be registered under the non-bail able section in Bihar after receiving complaints from the elderly parents.

 

38.  Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights, will be honored with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by UNICEF's American chapter at their Snowflake Ball on December 3 in New York. Priyanka is known for her contribution to social causes and for being a voice for children's education. She has been a part of United Nation's global "Girl Up" Campaign. The award is named after actor-philanthropist Danny Kaye, who was UNICEF's first Goodwill Ambassador.

 

39.  The International Albinism Awareness Day (IAAD) is observed every year on June 13 to celebrate the human rights of persons with albinism worldwide. The 2019 theme is "Still Standing Strong". Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized in humans by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes.

 

40.  On June 13, the meeting of Council of Heads of States (CHS) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has started in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc. The CHS is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO.

 

41.  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. The 2019 theme "Blood Donation and Universal Access to Safe Blood Transfusion" is a component of achieving universal health coverage.

 

42.  The Union Cabinet has0 accorded ex-post facto approval for the extension of the term of the Commission to examine the issue of Sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by two more months upto 31st July 2019. This is the 6th extension to the commission, which was constituted under Article 340 of the Constitution with the approval of President on 2nd October 2017.

 

43.  Chinese President Xi Jinping has been conferred the Kyrgyzstan's highest national award titled "Manas Order of the First Degree" at the Ala Archa state residence in Bishkek. The founding members of the SCO are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were admitted to the Beijing-based regional security grouping in 2017.

 

44.  India is one of the founder members of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) and is the Chair of Kimberley Process for the year 2019 with Russian Federation as Vice Chair.

 

45.  The Kargil Vijay Diwas (KVD) is celebrated every year on July 26 to commemorate India's emphatic victory against Pakistan. The day is named after the success of Operation Vijay.

 

46.  The South American Football Confederation (SAFC) has invited Australia and Qatar as guests at 2020 Copa America. Both the nations will join 10 South American nations in the 2020 tournament, which for the first time will be held jointly in two countries -- Colombia and Argentina. Qatar, which is the current champion of 2019 AFC Asian Cup and also host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is making its debut at the 2019 edition of Copa America.

 

47.  As per a report released by the Australian think tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), India's ranking in 2019 Global Peace Index (GPI) has slipped five places to 141st among 163 countries. In 2018, India ranked at 136th among 163 countries. IEP ranks countries according to their level of peacefulness based on three thematic domains -- the level of societal safety and security, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict and the degree of militarization. Iceland remains the most peaceful country and Afghanistan the least peaceful nation. In South Asian countries, Bhutan topped the index with 15th rank, followed by Sri Lanka 72nd, Nepal 76th and Bangladesh 101st. Terror-ridden Pakistan has been ranked 153rd on the index. The GPI was founded by Steve Killelea, an Australian technology entrepreneur and philanthropist.

 

48.  Bengaluru-based NGO Akshaya Patra has been awarded the 2019 BBC World Service Global Champion Award for its school meal project programme at the BBC Food and Farming Awards in Bristol, United Kingdom.

 

49.  Ahmedabad-based Adani group has recently got final approval for controversy-hit Carmichael coal mine project in Australia, after Queensland State authorities approved its groundwater management plan. The final approval for the Adani group's long-delayed billion-dollar mega coal mine project came only weeks after a surprise election win of Australia's pro-coal ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

 

50.  On June 15, the 10th edition of Regional GRIHA Summit 2019 was held in Nagpur, Maharashtra with theme 'Transformation strategies for built environment'.

 

51.  The Hyderabad-based defence public sector undertaking, Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for supply of heavy weight torpedoes - Varunastra - to the Indian Navy.

 

52.  According to UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2019, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India increased by 6% to $42 billion in 2018 with strong inflows in manufacturing, communication, financial services and cross-border merger and acquisition activities making it the sub-region's largest recipient. As per report, India has been ranked 10th amongst the top recipients of FDI in 2018. The report added that India has historically accounted for 70 to 80% of inflows to the sub-region. Further, the growth in cross-border Merger & Acquisitions for India to 33 billion dollars in 2018 was primarily due to transactions worth 16 billion dollars in retail trade, which includes e-commerce, and telecommunication.

 

53.  The National Geographic Society has announced the successful installation of the world's highest operating weather stations on Mount Everest to provide researchers, climbers, and the public with near real-time information about mountain conditions. The multi-disciplinary team installed the world's two highest operating automated weather stations at Balcony area (8,430 m) and South Col (7,945 m), as well as three other weather stations on Mount Everest. The other stations were placed at Phortse (3,810 m), Everest Base Camp (5,315 m) and Camp II (6,464 m). Each weather station will record data on temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction.

 

54.  The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (WDCDD) is observed every year on 17th of June to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification. The 2019 theme is "Let's Grow the Future Together".

 

55.  Suman Rao from Rajasthan has won the Femina Miss India World 2019 beauty pageant during a star-studded ceremony at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai.

 

56.  In Pune, Social activist Makarand Tilloo has won the 'Save Water Hero Award' by the HridayMitra Foundation for his efforts to raise awareness about water conservation in the city. Tilloo is a Laughter Yoga trainer and motivational speaker by profession.

 

57.  Zuzana Caputova, a liberal environmental activist and a political newcomer, has been sworn-in as the first female President of Slovakia in Bratislava on 15th June 2019. Caputova was awarded the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize. Caputova succeeded Slovak President Andrej Kiska.

 

58.  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has recently announced that India's second mission to the moon - Chandrayaan-2 - will be launched on July 15 at 2.15 AM from Sriharikota. This particular mission is an advancement of Chandrayaan-1, which was launched a decade ago. Chandrayaan-2 will scale the lunar surface and gather intel on minerals, rock formations and water. For the first time in the history of ISRO, the Project Director and the Mission Director will be women. Muthayya Vanitha will be the Project Director for the orbiter, the lander and the rover, and Ritu Karidhal will be the Mission Director in charge of the GSLV-Mk III launch vehicle. In fact, 30% of the team in charge of the mission is composed of women. The cost of the entire Chandrayaan-2 mission is about Rs.1,000 crore.

 

59.  Danish economist and environmentalist, Inger Andersen has recently taken charge as the new Executive Director (ED) of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for a four-year term. She succeeded Erik Solheim of Norway.

 

60.  HCL Technologies will soon roll out "TechBee" programme to hire and train students for IT jobs. The purpose of the HCL's early career programme is to provide students an opportunity to start early & become financially independent and trendsetters.

 

61.  The Feni Bridge, which is also known as Maitree Setu, is developing as a corridor for trade and commerce between India's North-East and Bangladesh over river Feni and will connect Tripura with Chittagong port of Bangladesh. It will provide direct road connectivity between South Tripura and Chittagong allowing India to use Chittagong as a "port of call" and promoting trade, tourism and people-to-people ties.

 

62.  Dr. Virendra Kumar, the 7-time Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, has been sworn-in as the pro-tem speaker of Lok Sabha.

 

63.  The armies of India and Myanmar carried out a 3-week-long coordinated operation, named 'Operation Sunrise 2', from May 16 in their respective border areas & targeted several militant groups operating in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. As part of the operation, the armies coordinated with each other to bust camps of militant outfits, including the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), the NSCN (Khaplang), the United Liberation Front of Assam (I) and the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB).

 

64.  Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed has been appointed as the new Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the powerful spy agency of Pakistan. He succeeded Lt Gen Asim Munir. Its headquarters were initially located in Rawalpindi, but were later moved to Islamabad. In 1950, the ISI was officially given the task of safeguarding Pakistani interests and national security, inside and outside the country.

 

65.  For the first time, India will host the 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in New Delhi between September 2 -14, 2019. It will see participation from at least 5,000 delegates from nearly 197 countries. Ahead of the COP-14, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar launched a flagship project (a part of a larger international initiative called the Bonn Challenge) to enhance India's capacity for Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR). It will be implemented during a pilot phase of three-and-a-half years in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Karnataka. The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world's deforested and degraded land under restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030.

 

66.  NDA nominee Om Birla from Kota has been unanimously elected as the Speaker of 17th Lok Sabha.

 

67.  The Maharashtra government has decided to launch the Chief Minister's Employment Generation Programme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which will create 10 lakh jobs in the next five years. The flagship programme of the Industries Department will have 30% reservation for women entrepreneurs. The scheme will be implemented on the lines of the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP).

 

68.  The researchers from Hiroshima University in Japan have developed a new type of cooling vest for sports athletes that may help them compete safely in sweltering summer conditions.

 

69.  The Maharashtra government has decided to launch a pilot project providing smoke-free environment in the kitchen for women. The project, named "Chullah (wood-fired stove)-free and smoke-free Maharashtra".

 

70.  According to the Randstad Employer Brand Research (REBR) 2019, E-commerce giant Amazon India is the most attractive employer brand in India followed by Microsoft India and Sony India.

 

71.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up an 8-member expert committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to suggest long-term solutions for the economic and financial sustainability of the MSMEs. This committee is set up under the leadership of former SEBI Chairman UK Sinha to review the current framework for the MSME Sector.

 

72.  The Bangalore-based electronics engineer, Nitesh Kumar Jangir has won the 2019 Commonwealth Secretary-General's Innovation for Sustainable Development Award in London, United Kingdom (UK). Jangir created Saans as a breathing support device to tackle avoidable deaths of premature babies from respiratory distress syndrome due to a lack of immediate access to complex medical equipment.

 

73.  India has extended US$ 15 million grant assistance to Niger in support of organizing of the African Union (AU) summit scheduled from 7-8 July, 2019 in Niamey, the capital of Niger. Niger is hosting the AU Summit for the first time.

 

74.  Global internet body Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and Indian IT industry body Nasscom has collaborated to develop identifier technology that can be used for managing devices and infrastructure using internet. The ICANN is a nonprofit organization responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces and numerical spaces of the Internet, ensuring the network's stable and secure operation. Its' headquarters is located at Los Angeles in California, United States.

 

75.  The World Refugee Day (WRD) is observed every year on 20th of June to celebrate the stories and contributions of refugees. The 2019 theme is "#Step with Refugees - Take a Step on World Refugee Day".

 

76.  In Nepal, thousands of people came onto roads in capital Kathmandu against controversial "Guthi Bill" on 19th June 2019. The local residents of Kathmandu valley, especially ethnic Newar community members are protesting against the controversial bill, claiming that the bill had provisions in favour of land mafias and could be a threat to the centuries-old culture and traditions of Nepal. Guthis are socio-economic institutions (trusts), both public and private, that fund their obligations from incomes from cultivated or leased land assets.

 

77.  Shefali Juneja, a 1992 batch officer of Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax cadre), has been appointed to the post of Representative of India in the council of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada for a period of 3 years.

 

78.     Maharashtra bagged the top slot in the second edition of the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) list of India's top ten states that have maximum number of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified green buildings.

 

79.     India has opened its first specialised hydrotherapy treatment center (water clinic) for elephants suffering from arthritis, joint pain and foot ailments on the banks of the Yamuna in Mathura.

 

80.     In a bid to boost India's relations with its neighbours, the Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) has signed agreements with Bangladesh and South Korea to make DD India available to viewers in the two countries respectively. Under this agreement, Bangaldesh's BTV World and South Korea's KBS World will also be made available on DD Free Dish.

 

81.     Karnataka and Maharashtra have jointly got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Namma Kolhapuri chappal. These leather chappals are hand-crafted and tanned using vegetable dyes.

 

82.     The book titled "Yoga and Diet for Weight Loss" has been authored by noted integrated yoga therapist Bijoylaxmi Hota.

 

83.     India's first solar-powered cruise boat to be rolled out in Alappuzha, Kerala in December 2019. A Rs 3-crore cruise boat that can carry 100 passengers is under construction at a boatyard in Aroor.

 

84.     Indian Navy has recently launched Operation Sankalp in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to reassure Indian flagged vessels transiting through the area.

 

85.     A team of scientists from CSIR-NEIST Assam has developed a chemical process that turns 'dirty' coal into a biomedical 'dot' to help detect cancer cells. The acronym 'CSIR-NEIST' stands for "Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-North East Institute of Science and Technology".

 

86.     The National Freight Index (NFI) has been launched by a technology-enabled logistics company Rivigo.

 

87.     The book titled "My Life, My Mission" is the autobiography of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and is co-authored with senior journalist Uday Mahurkar.

 

88.     Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 14th G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan on 28th and 29th of June 2019. Former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu will be India's sherpa at the summit.

 

89.     The fifth edition of International Yoga day (IYD-2019) is celebrated across the country and abroad on 21st June with theme 'Yoga for Climate Action'.

 

90.     Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan has been sworn-in as new Chief Justice of Telangana High Court in Hyderabad. Governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office to Justice Chauhan at Raj Bhavan.

 

91.     The researchers at the University of St Andrews in Scotland have found that gray seals can copy the sounds of human words and songs including "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". The study showed that 3 trained seals were able to imitate parts of popular tunes.

 

92.     The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has constituted a working group, headed by NSE Clearing Ltd., to review the current framework of margins in the futures and options segment.

 

93.     Author Amish Tripathi has been appointed the new director of Nehru Centre in London, which is under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

 

94.     On June 23, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has formally opened its new headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, exactly 125 years after the Olympic Games were revived.

 

95.     Italy's Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo have been chosen to host the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics during the 134th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

 

96.     Rachna Khaira of The Tribune has bagged the prestigious RedInk Award for 'Journalist of the Year' for her expose during 2018 on the functioning of the UIDAI and its Aadhaar data cache.

 

97.     Hemant Pandey, a senior DRDO scientist, has developed a herbal drug – Lukoskin - to treat leucoderma, a condition in which white patches develop on the skin.

 

98.     The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a new "Complaint Management System (CMS)" website where anyone can complain against any of the entities regulated by RBI. Through this website, complaints can be lodged against RBI regulated entities with public interface such as commercial banks, urban co-operative banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), etc.

 

99.     The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) has been gifted by Japan to Manipur to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imphal, which was one of the fiercest battles of the Second World War.

 

100. Saudi Arabia has become the first Arab country to be granted full membership of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) following its Annual General Meeting at Orlando in Florida, USA. The FATF Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris. As of June 2019, there are 39 Member countries of FATF and policies drafted by FATF are highly regarded and treated as law.

 

101. To commemorate 20 years of Kargil War, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has turned the Gwalior air base virtually into a conflict theatre with dramatic reenactment of some of the milestones of the operation in 1999.

 

102. The Union Government has constituted an 18-member working group for the revision of the current series of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) under Chairmanship of Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member of NITI Aayog. The current series of WPI with 2011-12 as the base year was introduced in May 2017.

 

103. The Rajasthan government has decided to set up Vedic education board and culture board in the state.

 

104. Samant Kumar Goel, a 1984 batch IPS officer from Punjab cadre, has been appointed as the new of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW). He succeeded Anil Dhasmana.

 

105. India has signed a loan agreement worth $400 million with the World Bank (WB) to help treat and eliminate Tuberculosis from the country. In India, around five lakh people died every year due to Tuberculosis.

 

106. The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed every year on 26th June to raise awareness about the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. The 2019 theme - Health for Justice, Justice for Health - highlights that justice and health are two sides of the same coin when it comes to addressing drug problems.

 

PM-KISAN scheme:

A voluntary and contributory pension scheme for all Small and Marginal Farmers (SMF) PAN India.

Entry age of 18 to 40 years with a provision of minimum fixed pension of Rs.3,000/-  upon attaining  60 years of age.

For example, If a beneficiary farmer is required to contribute Rs 100/ - per month at median entry age of 29 years.  The Central Government shall also be contributing to the Pension Fund an equal amount as contributed by the eligible farmer. 

After the subscriber's death, while receiving pension, the spouse of the SMF beneficiary shall going to be entitled to receive 50% of the pension received by the beneficiary as family pension, provided he/she is not already an SMF beneficiary of the Scheme.

If, the death of the subscriber happens during the period of contribution, the spouse shall have the option to  continue  the Scheme by paying regular contribution.

 

UN extended sanctions against South Sudan on - 30th May 2019

Even after having resistance from Russia, China and African countries, United Nation Security Council (UNSC) has extended an arm embargo and sanctions on South Sudan for an year.

 

Kerala student infected with Nipah virus, confirmed by - State government

Pune based National Institute of Virology tested the man's.

Indian Air Force AN-32 aircraft gone missing on - 3rd June 2019

Indian Air Force (IAF) transport aircraft AN-32 that took off from Assam's Jorhat with 13 people onboard on 3rd June 2019 has gone missing over over hilly terrain in the Northeast. The Antonov AN-32 aircraft took off at 12:27 pm for a remote military landing strip in Mechuka of Arunachal Pradesh but lost its signal within minutes.

24x7 RTGS, NEFT, elimination of all charges suggested by - Nilekani panel

Nandan Nilekani committee has issed some recommendations to encourage digital payments in India. Nilekani panel recommended that RTGS and NEFT facility should be available around the day.

It has also recommended that payment systems should utilise machine-driven, online dispute resolution systems to handle grievances.

Elephanta Festival of Art and Culture begins in - Mumbai

The Elephanta Festival of art and culture began at the iconic Gateway of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The festival was initiated by state Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal who lime-lighted government's commitment towards boosting Elephanta island tourism in all possible ways.
More about Elephanta Caves

These are the rock-cut Caves & were built around the mid 5-6 centuries AD. They are a collection of cave temples primarily dedicated to Lord Shiv along with Buddhist caves.

The island was renamed as Elephanta from Gharapuri by Portuguese after they found a statue of an
elephant on island.

Elephanta Caves is presently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Google Maps launched new public transport features in - India

Google Maps has declared 3 India-first public transport navigation features with an objective to ease daily travel of travellers. Starting from 5th June 2019, Google Maps subscribers will be able to see bus travel times from live traffic across 10 Indian cities, along with live train status for Indian Railways and even receive mixed-mode commute suggestions which now unites auto-rickshaw and public transport.

This feature is now live across 10 cities in India including Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow, Chennai, Mysore, Coimbatore, and Surat.

Pact with Boeing to modernise India's Air Traffic Management signed by - AAI

The Airports Authority of India inked a technical assistance pact with Boeing to develop and modernise India's Air Traffic Management.
Facebook released its first interactive Game Show on - 4th June 2019

The Social networking mega Facebook released its 1st interactive game show, termed 'Confetti' in India on 4th June 2019. The release announcement was done on side-lines of Facebook's Social Entertainment  Summit organised in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Who has appointed Director General of IMD ? -  Mrutyunjay Mohapatra 

Famous scientist, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra has been selected as Director-General the India Meteorological Department. His nomination order was given by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
He leads the Cyclone Warning Division of the India Meteorological Department and is well known as "Cyclone Man" for his cyclone forecasts.

 

Russia launches 1st Arctic train service from - St. Petersburg station

Russia has released 1st Arctic train service operating from St. Petersburg station led to Norway.

The train is named 'Zarengold' which means 'The Tsar's gold' in German. It is accomplished with 2 restaurant cars will travel along route from Saint Petersburg via Petrozavodsk and Murmansk.

·         The travellers will get off the train at Murmansk &  will continue by bus to Kirkenes in Norway before ending their journey with a boat trip to Oslo the Norway's capital or by air to island of Spitsbergen, the largest and only permanently populated island of Svalbard archipelago situated in northern Norway.

 

Deal to procure SPICE 2000 bombs from Israel inked by - IAF

Indian Air Force (IAF)  has recently signed Rs.300 crore deal with Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems which is an Israeli defence firm to procure a batch of SPICE 2000 guided bombs.

 

G20 Ministerial summit on Trade and Digital Economy in - Japanese city of Tsukuba

G20 Ministerial summit on Trade and Digital Economy is being organised from 8th June-9th June 2019 in Japanese city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Tsukuba is Japan's one of main academic and  research centres.
Space Rocket from Yellow Sea for 1st time launched by - China

China released a space rocket termed "Long March 11" from a mobile launch platform in Yellow Sea off Shandong province, China for the 1st time. With this China became third nation after the United States and Russia to efficaciously demonstrate ability to introduce satellites into orbit from a floating platform.
PM-KISAN

It was declared in interim Budget for the year 2019-2020 and released on 24 February 2019 in Gorakhpur, UP where the 1st rounds of instalments were paid to various farmers.

It provides recipient farmers income support of Rupees 6000. This amount is issued in 3-4 monthly instalments of Rupees 2000 each over the year. It is issued directly into the bank accounts of the recipients organised in destination banks via Direct Benefit Transfer mode.

Who has been elected as member of American  Philosophical Society ? - Romila Thapar

More about American Philosophical Society

It is the oldest learned society in United States of America.

It was started in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for motive of 'promoting useful knowledge.'

It delivers a forum for free exchange of ideas while grabbing conviction that intellectual inquiry and critical thought are inherently in best interest of public.

 

India to hold 1st ever simulated space warfare exercise  in - July last week

India to organise it's 1st-ever simulated space warfare exercise in the last week of July, 2019. It has been termed IndSpaceEx. This exercise will essentially be a 'table-top war-game', with all shareholders from the military and scientific community participating in it.

India and Portugal to set up National Maritime Heritage Museum in - Gujarat

India and Portugal will collaborate in formation of a national maritime heritage museum at ancient Indian site of Lothal in Gujarat. Lothal that literally means the mound of dead, was one of port cities of Indus Valley Civilization/Harappan Civilization.

BJP MP Virendra Kumar to be Pro-tem Speaker of 17th Lok Sabha  from - Madhya Pradesh

Virendra Kumar a Bhartiya Janta Party MP from Madhya Pradesh will be the Pro-tem Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha. 65 years old Virendra Kumar is a 7-term member of Parliament and secured the Lok Sabha elections from Tikamgarh.

IAAF to rebrand as World Athletics from - October 2019

World athletics' governing group, the International Association of Athletics Federations will re-brand itself as World Athletics. The re-branding would be operative from October 2019.
International Association of Athletics Federations' new brand individuality as World Athletics will start its rollout in October 2019 subsequent the completion of world championships in Doha, Qatar and  following congress endowments approval of modification to federation's legal name.

 

Virat Kohli sole Indian in Forbes 2019 list of world's peak-paid athletes , published on - 11th June 2019

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli is again the only Indian in the Forbes 2019 list of world's maximum-paid athletes. The list, publicized on June 11th, 2019, is topped by Argentinean football star Lionel Messi.
Virat Kohli is graded last on this year's Forbes list at the 100th spot, down from last year's 83^rd rank, despite an upsurge of $1m in endorsements. As per to the Forbes 2019 list, Virat Kohli received a sum of $25m in the past 12 months, including $21m via endorsements and  $4m from salary and winnings, making him the peak paid Indian athlete.
The Indian cricket team skipper presently leads the batting ranking in both ICC's Test and One-Day International rankings list.
His acceptance and present form has secured him deals with few of the sport's biggest brands. He is one of the most-sought out cricketers globally, with fan following almost in each corner.
Forbes 2019 list important Facts

Lionel Messi has surpassed the Forbes 2019 list as the world's peak-paid athlete for the 1st time, dethroning boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather.

Thawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment was recently designated as Leader of Rajya Sabha. The Leader of the Rajya Sabha is designated by the party in power at Centre.

 

PM Modi reaches Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for SCO Summit 2019 on - 13th June 2019

PM Narendra Modi has reached Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to attend the conference of Council of Heads of States of Shanghai Cooperation Organization starting on June 13th, 2019. Following Lok Sabha elections 2019, this is PM Modi's 1st multi-lateral summit. Presidents and PMs of 8 member nations will participate in this international forum which will also be witnessed by 4 head of states as observers.

  

During June 2019 which project became the first in India to receive power from waste-to-energy? – Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

Who was elected the Prime Minister of Thailand on 5 June 2019? - Prayuth Chan-ocha (Prayuth Chan-ocha, the one-time coup leader and incumbent Prime Minister, was again elected as the Prime Minister of Thailand by country's new Parliament on 5 June 2019.

How many ministers were included in the NITI Aayog as ex-officio members after the Union Government reconstituted the entity on 6 June 2019? – Four(Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 June 2019 approved the reconstitution of government think-tank NITI Aayog. While Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar continues in his post along with members VK Saraswat, Ramesh Chand and VK Paul, the ex-officio members now include Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. However, the name of Bibek Debroy, a former permanent member, is missing from the new list)

What is India's rank in the first-ever SDG Gender Index that was released during June 2019? – 95 out of 129 countries. Denmark was ranked at the first place and Chad at 129^th place.

Which former Australian woman cricketer on 8 June 2019 won the women's singles title of 2019 French Open? - Ashleigh Barty (23-year old Ashleigh Barty of Australia won the women's singles title of 2019 French Open as she defeated Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic in final by 6-1, 6-3. It is worth mentioning that Ashleigh is a former cricketer.

Noted writer, playwright, actor and intellectual Girish Karnad passed away at the age of 81 on 10 June 2019. In which year he was conferred the prestigious Jnanpith Award? – 1998 (Karnad was one of the most prominent theatre personalities of the 60s and 70s, a period regarded as the Renaissance of Indian theatre. He was also a film director and actor. He acted in films like Manthan, Swami, Nishant, Minsara Kanavu, Hey Ram, China Gate, Tiger Zinda Hai, Kadhalan among others. He directed films like Utsav, Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane and Kaadu. He was also applauded for his acting in TV serial "Malgudi Days". He was conferred the Jnanpith Award in 1998 for his contribution to Kannada literature)