Top Current Affairs 24th June 2021 at Freshers Wisdom

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Top Current Affairs

12% more wheat procured in 2021

• Till 22 June 2021, a quantity of 432.19 LMT of wheat has been procured.
• It is an all-time high, as it has exceeded the previous high of 389.92 LMT in 2020.
• Wheat procurement in Rajasthan has reached an all-time high of 22.85LMT.
• Paddy procurement has also reached an all-time high level, surpassing the previous high of 773.45 LMT in 2019-20.

Government approves extension of PM-GKAY

• The Union Cabinet has approved the allocation of additional foodgrain under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (Phase IV) – for another period of 5 months i.e. July to November 2021.
• 5 kg per person per month will be given free of cost to a maximum of 81.35 crore beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) including those covered under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

S&P cuts India’s FY22 growth forecast to 9.5%

• S&P Global Ratings has cut India’s growth forecast for fiscal 2021-22 to 9.5%, from 11 percent earlier.
• It projected India’s growth at 7.8 percent in the next fiscal ending March 31, 2023.
• Earlier in June 2021, RBI too cut India’s growth forecast to 9.5 percent for this fiscal, from the 10.5 percent estimated earlier.

Honorarium of ASHA workers increased

• The Maharashtra Govt has decided to increase the honorarium of ASHA workers by Rs 1000 and give an additional Rs 500 as a COVID allowance.
• The pay hike will be implemented from 1st July 2021.
• Further, as an additional incentive, the state government will provide each of the over 68,000 ASHA workers with a smartphone.
• The state will incur an annual expenditure of Rs 202 crores post this hike.

India launches its Olympic Theme Song

• India’s “Official Olympic Theme Song” was launched on 23 June 2021 ahead of the Summer Games in July-August.
• Mohit Chauhan has composed and sung the song titled “Lakshya Tera Samne Hai”.
• The Games will open on 23 July 2021 and over 100 Indian athletes have qualified for the event so far.
• The event was organized by Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

US President Joe Biden unveils a plan

• US President Joe Biden has unveiled a plan that includes funding more police to combat a nationwide surge in homicides.
• Officials in high crime areas can hire more law-enforcement personnel using coronavirus relief funding.
• Announcing his five-point strategy, he urged cities and states to use $350bn of funding from a Covid-19 relief bill on public safety efforts.

MoHFW, UNICEF held capacity-building workshop

• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in partnership with UNICEF held a capacity-building workshop for media professionals and health correspondents, on 23 June 2021.
• Secretary, Health Rajesh Bhushan, addressed the workshop.
• The participating journalists also learned about Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI), its management, and the best practices while reporting on AEFI.

Culture Minister chairs a meeting of CABC

• Minister of Culture Prahlad Singh Patel chaired the meeting of the Central Advisory Board on Culture (CABC) at Gandhi Smriti (Rajghat) in New Delhi on 23 June 2021.
• During the discussion, the Members advised the Ministry of Culture to evolve more programs and to intensify the existing policy programs to focus attention on creativity at different levels of Indian society.

FDI in April increased by 60% to $4.44 billion

• Foreign direct investment into India increased by 60% to $4.44 billion in April 2021 as against $2.77 billion in the same month in 2020.
• Total FDI, including equity, re-invested earnings, and capital, rose 38% to $6.24 billion in April, as against $4.53 billion in April 2020, as per the govt data.
• In April 2021, Mauritius was the top investing country with 24% of the FDI equity inflows.

Haryana to give ₹6 cr to Olympics gold winner

• Haryana government will give a cash amount of ₹6 crores to sportspersons from the state who will win a gold medal in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
• The govt has further announced a cash amount of ₹4 crores for silver and ₹2.50 crore for bronze winners in the upcoming Olympics.
• Government jobs have also been announced to medal winners at international events.

IIT Madras launches research centre

• IIT Madras has launched a ‘Centre for Research on Start-Ups and Risk Financing’ (CREST) to provide academic and thought leadership in innovation, entrepreneurship, and risk capital.
• It would also create a data repository on Indian startups and ventures.
• This information resource will be made accessible for researchers and policymakers that can result in top-tier publications.

LowCarbon.Earth to be launched

• The United Nations Environment Programme in collaboration with Massive Earth Foundation has announced the launch of LowCarbon.Earth.
• A first of its kind unique initiative of Industry-Academia Partnership, the program will provide a platform for startups to interact with established corporates to build collective capabilities for the industry in areas of advanced sustainable technologies.

Diplomat L. Prashant Pise: Next envoy to Iraq

• Diplomat L Prashant Pise, Deputy Director-General of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, has been appointed as the next Ambassador to Iraq.
• Pise is a 1995 batch of Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
• He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

Ashok Kumar: High Commissioner to Zambia

• Ashok Kumar, presently Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Zambia.
• Mr. Kumar is a 1998 batch Indian Foreign Services officer.
• He also served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry and was appointed Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti on December 19, 2018.

IFFCO to set up nano urea plant in Argentina

• IFFCO will set up a nano urea liquid manufacturing plant in Argentina in partnership with two agencies — Instituto Nacional de Asociativismoy Economía Social (INAES) and Cooperative Confederation of Argentina “Cooperar”.
• IFFCO stands for Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited.
• The three of them have entered into an MoU for the same.

Microsoft reaches a $2 trillion market value

• Microsoft Corporation has become just the second U.S. public company to reach a $2 trillion market value.
• Saudi Aramco eclipsed that threshold briefly in December 2019, but currently has a market value of about $1.9 trillion.
• Co-founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft created the personal-computer software industry and dominated the market for PC operating systems for years.

SBI Gen Insurance ties up with IDFC Bank

• SBI General Insurance has signed a Corporate Agency agreement with IDFC FIRST Bank, for the distribution of non-life insurance solutions.
• Under this agreement, it will offer insurance products along with the commercial line of insurance products such as property to the Bank’s customers.
• IDFC FIRST Bank has a digital-first approach and serves customers through its net banking platform.

International Olympic Day: 23 June

• International Olympics Day is observed on June 23 every year to celebrate sports and health.
• The occasion marks the day when International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894.
• The day aims at promoting sports and spreads the message of making sports an integral part of life.
• Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894.

Jamsetji N Tata: World’s top philanthropist

• With donations worth $102.4 billion, India’s pioneer industrialist and Tata Group founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata is the world’s biggest philanthropist of the 20th century.
• Bill and Melinda Gates came second.
• Wipro Founder-Chairman Azim Premji ranked 12, is the only other Indian in the list of 50 global philanthropists compiled by Hurun Research and EdelGive Foundation.

IBM, IISc set up Hybrid Cloud Lab

• IBM and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) have launched the IBM-IISc Hybrid Cloud Lab to advance research in hybrid cloud technologies and drive breakthrough innovations.
• Located at the IISc. campus in Bengaluru, students, and faculty across departments of the institute would work alongside IBM Research scientists on cutting-edge technologies.

Reuters Institute Digital News Report released

• The Reuters Institute Digital News Report, 2021 was released virtually on June 23, 2021.
• India was ranked 31 out of 46 countries on levels of overall trust in news.
• Only 38% of the respondents from India said they trust news overall.
• Finland had the highest levels of overall trust in the news (65%) while the U.S. had the lowest levels of trust (29%).

Shooting range to be named after Chandro Tomar

• The UP Govt has decided to name the shooting range in Noida after the international shooter Chandro Tomar, popularly known as ‘Shooter Dadi’.
• Chandro Tomar passed away in April 2021 due to Covid.
• Shooter Dadi had started professional shooting at the age of 60 and went on to win many national competitions.
• She is considered the oldest shooter in the world.

UK liaison officer joins IN’s IFC-IOR

• A UK liaison officer has joined the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), which is meant for maritime domain awareness.
• The centre is located in Gurugram.
• Lt Cdr Stephen Smith will be based full-time at the centre, working directly with the Indian armed forces and fellow liaison officers from partner nations to enhance maritime domain awareness.

WWF India inducts Upasana Kamineni

• WWF India has inducted Upasana Kamineni, Director, Apollo Hospitals, as “Ambassador of Forest Frontline Heroes”.
• The aim is to appreciate the efforts of frontline workers in hospitals and in the wildlife protection space.
• World Wide Fund for Nature-India, or, WWF-India, has been devotedly working to protect and secure natural heritage and ecology for more than 50 years.

Tahira Kashyap announces new book

• Author Tahira Kashyap Khurrana has announced her fifth book ‘7 Sins of Being A Mother’.
• Tahira Kashyap Khurrana had launched her fourth book ’12 Commandments of Being A Woman’ in 2020.
• She is also one of the co-founders of Indian Women Rising, a cinema collective that aims to promote and accentuate female content creators across the globe.

International Widows Day: 23 June

• International Widows Day is observed on June 23 every year to draw attention to the voices of widows and highlight their problems.
• The day was established by The Loomba Foundation to raise awareness about the matter of widowhood.
• June 23 was chosen to mark International Widows day as it was on this day in 1954 that Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, mother of Lord Loomba, became a widow.

Book ‘Habba Khatoon’ by Kajal Suri released

• Book ‘Habba Khatoon’ has been released by Sanjana Prakashan, New Delhi.
• The book has been penned down by Kajal Suri.
• Habba Khatoon was a renowned poetess of Kashmir.
• Kajal has done creative work by publishing a play on her in a book shape.
• She is presently working as a programming executive at All India Radio, New Delhi.

Bengaluru: One of the top 5 technology centers

• Beijing, Shanghai, Bengaluru, Shenzhen, and Singapore currently rank as the top five technology centers in the Asia Pacific.
• They offer a balance of infrastructure and talent for occupiers and are well-positioned to deliver future growth and investment opportunities for owners.
• The data was given in a research report by Colliers, a professional services and investment management company.

Will Smith announces his autobiography

• Actor, rapper, and film producer Will Smith has announced his autobiography.
• Titled “Will”. the book will be published in November 2021.
• He co-wrote the book with Mark Manson, author of the self-help book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck,” a No. 1 bestseller.
• Smith is a four-time Grammy Award winner and has earned Oscar nominations for “Ali” and “The Pursuit of Happyness”.

Central Govt employees can claim HBA benefit

• The Center is offering House Building Advance (HBA) benefits to all central government servants (CGS).
• The basic interest rate charged on this HBA is 7.9 percent and the benefit will remain available till 31st March 2022.
• Keeping the 7th pay commission pay matrix and 7th CPC approval provisions in focus, the center has already updated the HBA guidelines for the central government servants.

RBI penalises 3 co-operative banks

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a total penalty of ₹8 lakh on three Maharashtra-based cooperative banks.
• They have been fined for deficiencies in regulatory compliance.
• A penalty of ₹4 lakh has been imposed on Excellent Co-operative Bank, Mumbai, and ₹2 lakh each on Janseva Sahakari Bank Limited, Pune, and The Ajara Urban Co-operative Bank, Ajara (Kolhapur).

IRM India Affiliate to work with Cipla

• In order to strengthen the risk ecosystem of the Indian pharmaceutical sector, Cipla will work with the Institute of Risk Management, India Affiliate (IRM India Affiliate).
• IRM India Affiliate will focus on building risk awareness and a robust risk management ecosystem in collaboration with leading organizations across various other sectors.

Manipur okays incentive for Mirabai Chanu

• The Manipur Cabinet has decided to extend a one-time cash incentive of ₹10 lakh to Tokyo Olympics-bound weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu.
• Mirabai Chanu has qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in the women’s 49 kg category.
• She has been ranked 2nd in the International Weightlifting Federation’s Absolute Ranking List in the 49 kg category.

Twitter adds first Indian payments aggregator

• Twitter has added the operator of the first payment to its Tip Jar feature, which allows Twitter users to pay creators for content.
• The company has announced a tie-up with Razorpay, though the feature is only available to “select users” right now.
• Integrating Razorpay allows Twitter users to pay creators through credit and debit cards, along with UPI, net banking, and payment wallets in India.

China plans its first crewed mission to Mars

• China aims to send its first crewed mission to Mars in 2033, with regular follow-up flights to follow.
• This is a part of a long-term plan to build a permanently inhabited base on Mars and extract its resources.
• Before the crewed missions begin, China will send robots to Mars to study possible sites for the base and to build systems to extract resources there.

Army plans to buy 1750 FICVs, 350 light tanks

• The Indian Army has issued the Request for Information to finalize the specifications for acquiring 1,750 Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs).
• It wants to deploy the vehicles in places like Eastern Ladakh along with desert and amphibious terrain.
• The Indian Army is also looking at the prospect of acquiring 350 light tanks in a phased manner, along with performance-based logistics.

US bans imports of solar panel material

• The US administration has ordered a ban on US imports of a key solar panel material from Chinese-based Hoshine Silicon Industry, over forced labor allegations.
• The U.S. Commerce Department separately restricted exports to Hoshine, three other Chinese companies, and the paramilitary Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC).
• They were involved with the forced labor of Uyghurs.

River runoff projected to increase in future

• Snow and glaciers are melting rapidly in the Himalayan range due to climate change, altering water supplies in the rivers like Ganga in the Himalaya-Karakoram ranges.
• Total river runoff, glacier melt, and seasonality of flow in these rivers are projected to increase until the 2050s.
• This was given in a study “Glacio-hydrology of the Himalaya-Karakoram” published in the journal ‘SCIENCE’.

Bombay High Court gets 4 new Additional Judges

• President of India has appointed Rajesh Narayandas Laddha, Sanjay Ganpatrao Mehare, Govinda Ananda Sanap, and Shivkumar Ganpatrao Dige, to be Additional Judges of the Bombay High Court.
• They have been appointed for a period of two years with effect from the date they assume charge.
• A notification in this regard has been issued by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice.

Bhutan’s TIWB programme launched

• Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), launched its programme in Bhutan on 23 June 2021.
• India was chosen as the Partner Jurisdiction and has provided the Tax Expert for this programme.
• This programme is expected to be of about 24 months duration.