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DoPT to delink a requirement
- Dept of Personnel and Training, DoPT has decided to delink the requirement of submission of a summary of medical report for filing of Annual Appraisal Reports of Senior Government officials for 2021.
- It further added that the timeline for conduct of the Annual Medical Examination and submission of the summary of the medical report for 2020-2021 has been extended up to 31st December 2021.
PM Modi addresses UN High-Level Dialogue
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed a UN ‘High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation & Drought’, on 14 June 2021.
- He informed that three million hectares of forest cover have been added in India over the last ten years.
- He addressed as the President of the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
RBI: Document on Regulation of Microfinance
- Reserve Bank of India has released a Consultative Document on Regulation of Microfinance.
- It has been released for harmonizing the regulatory frameworks for various regulated lenders in the microfinance space.
- Key proposals of the document are: definition of microfinance loans, Capping the outflow on account of repayment of loan obligations of a household to a percentage of household income.
J&K plans to set up a mythological theme park
- The Jammu and Kashmir administration is planning to set up India’s best mythological theme park near the famous Vaishno Devi shrine in the Reasi district.
- The state-of-the-art park is aimed at increasing economic activity and generating direct and indirect local employment, besides improving the overall experience of tourists and citizens in the union territory.
IIT-B launches new centre for Digital Health
- The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has set up the ‘Koita Centre for Digital Health’ (KCDH) under the aegis of the Koita Foundation.
- KCDH will be focused on driving academic programs, research, and industry collaboration in Digital Health.
- KCDH will offer minor, dual degree, Masters and Ph.D. programs in Healthcare Informatics.
Federal Bank partners with Infosys
- Federal Bank has partnered with Infosys for Oracle CX adoption, a cloud-based tool to manage the relationship with customers.
- With the integration of this tool, Federal Bank wants to build an efficient way of recalling customer’s information, improve their productivity and customer satisfaction.
- Federal Bank is an Indian commercial financial services institution headquartered in Kerala.
Iran approves first homegrown Covid vaccine
- Iran has approved emergency use of its first domestically developed coronavirus vaccine COVIran Barekat.
- The vaccine was developed by the Iranian pharmaceutical company Shifafarmed.
- The emergency authorisation was approved after Iran faced problems importing enough vaccines for domestic use.
India: 14th most charitable country in the world
- India is the 14th most charitable country in the world, as per World Giving Index 2021 released by the Charities Aid Foundation’s (CAF).
- India is now in the Top 20 most generous countries in the world which is up from the 10 yr global rank of 82.
- Indonesia remains in 1st place, followed by Kenya.
- 61% of Indians helped strangers; 34% volunteered; and 36% donated money, as per the report.
Rajasthan Govt to set up Vedic Shiksha Board
- The Government of Rajasthan has decided to set up Vedic Shiksha and Sanskar Board within 4-5 months.
- It aims to teach students how Vedic education is linked to Science and Yoga.
- A committee formed to look into the matter has submitted its report on 14 June 2021.
- In June 2019, the state govt had announced forming a Vedic education board to revive the knowledge of ancient Sanskrit scriptures.
Actor Sanchari Vijay passes away
- National award-winning Kannada film actor Sanchari Vijay has passed away on 14 June 2021.
- Vijay had won the national award for his performance in the film ‘Naanu Avanalla Avalu’ (I’m not him, her) in 2015.
- Vijay acted in a slew of Kannada films including Dasavala, Harivu, Oggarane, Killing Veerappan, Varthamana, and Sipaayi among others.
Ladakh declared Open Defecation Free UT
- The Union Territory of Ladakh has been declared Open Defecation Free UT in India under the first phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
- Mr. Zubdavi, Director of Rural Development Department, flagged off six garbage collection vans for each zones of Kargil to give for this purpose.
- Swachh Bharat Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014.
India exports ‘Jardalu’ mangoes to UK
- India exported the 1st commercial consignment of Geographical Indications (GI) certified ‘Jardalu’ mangoes from Bhagalpur, Bihar, to the United Kingdom on 14 June 2021.
- The Agri and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, APEDA, in collaboration with the Bihar govt, Indian High Commission, and Invest India, exported the mangoes.
- Jardalu mangoes received GI certification in 2018.
EGS and GMRAA sign MoU
- Emirates Group Security (EGS) and GMR Aviation Academy (GMRAA) have signed an MoU.
- The MoU will enable GMRAA and EGS to jointly offer more than 75 aviation and security courses in both online and conventional classroom settings – certificates, diplomas, undergraduate and postgraduate – to thousands of professionals in India as well as in the Middle East and Asia.
IIT Roorkee professor gets an award
- A professor from IIT Roorkee, Prof. Shailesh Ganpule, has received the ‘NSG Counter-IED & Counter-Terrorism Innovator Award 2021′ for his design of a blast-resistant helmet.
- The ‘blast-resistant helmet’ designed by Prof. Shailesh Ganpule is an advanced version of conventional helmets.
- It protects military personnel from IED-induced blast waves with a technology readiness of 4.
Arjan Kumar: Chairperson of Grievance Board
- Former Supreme Court judge Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri will chair the Grievance Redressal Board of the recently formed Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC).
- The DPCGC currently has 14 publishers of online curated content as members.
- The Grievance Redressal Board (GRB) will address content grievances pertaining to the Council members’ video online streaming services.
Albania, Brazil elected to UN Security Council
- Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates have been elected unopposed to the powerful UN Security Council as non-permanent members for the 2022-23 term.
- Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent, and the Grenadines, Tunisia, and Vietnam will complete their two-year terms on the Council in 2021.
- India will assume the rotating Presidency of the Security Council in August 2021.
Centre allocates Rs 3,183 cr to Andhra Pradesh
- The union government has increased the central grant to Andhra Pradesh under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the year 2021-22 to Rs 3,182.88 crore, which was Rs 790.48 crore in 2020-21.
- In Andhra Pradesh, out of a total of 95.66 lakh households in 18,650 villages, 46.89lakh households (49.02%) have been provided with tap water connections.
IIT Ropar develops power free CPAP device
- IIT Ropar has developed a device “Jivan Vayu” which can be used as a substitute for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine.
- This is the nation’s first such device that functions even without electricity and is adapted to both kinds of oxygen generation units like CO2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals.
- These provisions are not available in existing CPAP machines.
Odisha allows the recruitment of transgenders
- The Odisha Govt has allowed the transgender community to apply for the posts of constables and sub-inspectors in the state police department.
- The Odisha Police Recruitment Board sought online applications from men, women, and transgender people for the appointment of 477 sub-inspectors and 244 constables (communication).
- The application portal will remain open till July 15, 2021.
Committee launched in cooperation with IMD
- Malaria No More, an NGO, in collaboration with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is creating an India Interagency Expert Committee on Malaria and Climate (IEC).
- It will explore and advance climate-based solutions for accelerating malaria elimination in India.
- The IEC’s launch is part of a global initiative Forecasting Healthy Futures.
IDFC FIRST Bank launches a program
- IDFC FIRST Bank has announced the launch of the “Ghar Ghar Ration” program.
- It is an employee-funded program for its low-income customers whose livelihoods are affected by COVID-19.
- The program involves the supply of ration kits to such 50,000 low-income customers whose livelihood has been impacted by the pandemic.
- The ration kits comprising 10 kg rice/flour, 2 kg dal, 1 kg sugar, etc.
EnVision mission to Venus
- The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that it has selected EnVision as its next orbiter that will visit Venus sometime in the 2030s.
- EnVision is an ESA-led mission with contributions from NASA
- Once launched on an Ariane 6 rocket, the spacecraft will take about 15 months to reach Venus and will take 16 more months to achieve orbit circularisation.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: 15 June
- World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is observed every year on 15 June.
- It is an annual initiative launched on June 15, 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the WHO.
- The UN International Plan of Action has described elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue.
- “Access to Justice” is the theme for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2021.
Obituaries
- Kannada film producer K.C.N. Chandrashekhar, popular as K.C.N. Chandru in film circles, passed away in Bengaluru in June’21.
- CR Viswanathan, former President of the Tamil Nadu Football Association and Vice-President of All India Football Federation, passed away in Chennai in June’21.
- Former Indonesian badminton player, Markis Kido, who won the 2008 Olympic gold medal, passed away in June’21.
IndiaFirst Life introduces Micro Bachat Plan
- IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited (IndiaFirst Life) has introduced IndiaFirst Life Micro Bachat Plan.
- This non-linked, participating, limited pay, micro-life insurance policy is designed to offer dual benefits of security and disciplined savings to secure life’s certainties.
- It takes care of the insured’s liquidity needs through its loan facility.
Ujjivan Bank collaborates with MoEngage
- Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has collaborated with the customer engagement platform MoEngage.
- It will drive digital banking experiences in the unserved and underserved regions of the country.
- The engagement aims to build a vast presence of the bank for connecting with customers in these regions through multiple digital touchpoints.
Contact-free health monitor by Dozee
- Dozee, a Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its PSU Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) funded start-up is offering ‘contact-free monitoring of the vital parameters of the patients on a normal bed.
- The innovation has already resulted in the upgrading of over 4,000 hospital beds for Step-Down ICUs across 35 districts in India.
India, Japan conduct bilateral naval exercise
- Ships of the Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) on 13 June 2021 participated in a joint naval exercise at the Indian Ocean.
- The exercise was conducted to realize “free and open Indo-Pacific”.
- In September 2020, the Indian Navy and JMSDF conducted a three-day naval exercise JIMEX-2020 which was held in the North Arabian Sea.
Honeywell partners with DRDO, CSIR-IIP
- Honeywell is partnering with DRDO and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum to ramp up oxygen production in the country.
- The partnership is for the supply of “molecular sieve adsorbents (zeolites) to the country to accelerate the setting up of medical oxygen plants.
- Honeywell developed the first commercially viable adsorbent more than 40 years ago.
Glenmark launches COPD treatment inhaler in UK
- Glenmark Pharma has announced the launch of Tiotropium Bromide Dry Powder Inhaler, used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in the UK.
- COPD is a long-term condition that causes inflammation in the lungs, damaged lung tissue, and a narrowing of the airways, making breathing difficult.
- It has become one of the companies to launch it with the brand name Tiogiva.
LTI signs agreement with Amazon Web Services
- Larsen and Toubro Infotech has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
- LTI has recently launched a dedicated cloud unit for AWS which will focus on migration and modernization, SAP application workloads, etc.
- In addition, LTI will build accelerators and create industry-focused cloud offerings for different sectors.
Cryo-EM can help research in enzymology
- Researchers in India would soon have access to four Cryogenic-Electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) facilities.
- The National Facilities supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board would help explore macromolecular structures and complexes and create a research knowledge base for cryo-EM research in India to establish leadership in structural biology, enzymology, ligand/drug discovery.
New study on cancer causing virus
- Indian scientists have found that the cancer-causing virus Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) affects the glial cells or the non-neural cells in the central nervous system and alters molecules like phospho-inositols.
- Scientists’ teams from the Departments of Physics and Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering at IIT Indore used Raman Spectroscopy System to trace the propagation mechanism of the virus.
Govt sets target to set 10,000 PMBJKs
- Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra in Pragpur at Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, on 14 June 2021.
- The government has set a target to increase the number of PMBJKs to 10000 by March 2024.
- As of 11th June 2021, the number of stores has increased to 7836.
Accenture to acquire umlaut
- Accenture Plc has agreed to acquire umlaut, an engineering consulting and services firm headquartered in Aachen, Germany.
- As part of the acquisition, Accenture will onboard umlaut’s more than 4,200 engineers and consultants across 17 countries to its Industry X services.
- Umlaut is the latest in a series of 22 acquisitions Accenture has made since 2017 to build its Industry X capabilities.
NHPC signs MoU with BSHPC
- An MoU has been signed between NHPC Limited and Bihar State Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (BSHPC) for the implementation of the 130.1 MW Dagmara HE Project in Supaul, Bihar.
- The largest hydropower project of Bihar is to be implemented by NHPC on an ownership basis.
- NHPC is a Category-A Miniratna Company under the Ministry of Power, in the field of hydropower.
SEBI appoints BSE subsidiary
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has appointed BSE Administration and Supervision Ltd (BASL).
- It is a subsidiary of BSE Ltd, to grant recognition to registered investment advisers (RIAs) and supervise them.
- Currently, these functions are discharged directly by SEBI.
- BASL has been granted these powers for three years, starting 1 June 2021.
A new blood test device developed
- Bhopal-based Professor Dr. Nishant Nambisan of Government College of Homeopathy and his colleagues have developed a new blood test device for sickle cell anemia.
- Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign, the central government has also approved it.
- The device delivers test results in less than five minutes and is 10 times cheaper than the cost of the testing technology currently in use.
Retail inflation rises to 6.3% in May
- Retail inflation rose to 6.3 percent in May 2021, mainly on account of the higher prices of food and energy items.
- Retail inflation for May hit a six-month high.
- As per the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation data released on 14 June 2021, the food inflation increased to 5.01 percent in May as compared to 1.96 percent in April.
ICC announces prize money for World Test
- The ICC has announced prize money for the winner and runner-up of the World Test Championship final.
- The winning team of the final between India and New Zealand will receive about 12 crore rupees along with an ICC Test Championship Mace.
- The losing team will receive 6 crore rupees approximately.
- The final match will start on June 18, 2021, at Ageas Bowl, Southampton.