Current Affairs 23rd June 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Olympic Day

• The International Olympic Day is celebrated on 23rd June every year to make people aware of the importance of games in life.
• The entire Olympic Movement has been mobilised to join the online activities on 23rd of June. The International Olympic Committee and its partners, including Olympic Games Organising Committees for Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028 and Milano-Cortina 2026, the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs), Worldwide Olympic Partners and rights-holding broadcasters, will be among those encouraging fans to join the virtual workouts.

United Nations Public Service Day 

• The United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated on June 23 of every year.
• UN Public Service Day celebrates the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlights the contribution of public service in the development process; recognizes the work of public servants, and encourages young people to pursue careers in the public sector.

International Widows Day

• International Widow’s Day is celebrated worldwide on June 23.
• International Widow’s Day mainly aims to target the poor conditions of widow’s in underdeveloped or developing countries.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Centre sanctions Rs 190 cr for augmentation of healthcare facilities in North Eastern States

• Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh has reviewed the COVID status and healthcare facility in Aspirational districts with special focus on North East.
• The Minister also disclosed that in the wake of COVID pandemic, The Ministry of DoNER has decided to sanction 190 crore rupees for augmentation of healthcare facilities in the eight North Eastern States, particularly for developing infrastructure for management of infectious diseases.
• Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh stated, the concept of Aspirational District was based on 49 key indicators, of which the status of healthcare was an important component. The Minister stated that an important experience from the COVID pandemic is that in future, pre-emptive preparedness for epidemic and infection was imperative for optimum healthcare.
• Considering this, the Minister stated, the Ministry of DoNER has given the North Eastern States the option to send proposals for health related projects to be funded up to over 500 crore rupees from North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme.
• Union Minister stated, accordingly, proposals have been received from the States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Sikkim, Mizoram and Nagaland, while the proposal from the eighth State of Tripura is awaited.
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh also complemented the Aspirational Districts of Goalpara and Dhubri in Assam for having achieved Ayushman Bharat coverage of nearly 100 and 85 per cent.

About Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region:

• Jitendra Singh :MOS independent charge
• Constituency: Udhampur, J&K

NCERT launches Online Yoga Quiz Competition to promote integration of Yoga in school curriculum

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) through the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has undertaken multi-dimensional initiatives to promote integration of Yoga in school curriculum.
• NCERT has developed textual materials on Yoga for Healthy Living for Upper Primary to Secondary Stages and also has been organising Yoga Olympiad since 2016. In COVID-19 situation children are being guided by their teachers and parents at home to do yogic practices along with physical exercises based on Alternative Academic Calendar developed for different stages of school education.
• To enable students to learn at home and be safe, Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ through social media launched an Online Yoga Quiz Competition organised by NCERT.
• The Minister stated that the competition aims at developing deep understanding and motivating children to apply the understanding of these practices in one’s  life and living.
• He added that the Competition will also help children to develop healthy habits and lifestyle and thereby promote a sound emotional and mental wellbeing.
• Shri Pokhriyal informed that the Yoga Quiz Competition will be on different dimensions of yoga: Yama and Niymaa Shatkarma/Kriya, Asanas, Pranayama, Meditation, Bandha and Mudra based on the syllabi developed by NCERT.
• He further informed that the competition is open for all students of classes 6 to 12 across the country.

About NCERT:

• Director: Hrushikesh Senapaty
• Headquarters: New Delhi

Procurement of MFP by govt touches all time high, giving boost to tribal economy

• The ongoing procurement of Minor Forest Produces under the Minimum Support Price for MFP Scheme in 16 states has hit a record-breaking high with the procurement touching 42 crore rupees.
• With this, the total procurement for the year, both government and private trade, has crossed more than 2000 crore rupees.
• This has proved to be a much needed panacea during the times of the Covid-19 pandemic which has disrupted the lives and livelihoods of Tribals. On 26th May, the Tribal Affairs Ministry also recommended the addition of 23 new items under the MSP for MFP list.
• These items include agricultural and horticultural produce collected by tribal gatherers. With the injection of over 2000 crore rupees in the tribal economy, the MSP for MFP Scheme can lead in the transformation of the tribal ecosystem and empowering the tribal people.
• Among the States, Chhattisgarh has taken the lead by procuring 20,270 Metric tonnes of Minor forest produces worth 52.80 crore rupees.
• Chhattisgarh has emerged as a Champion State for its commendable efforts. With the State government putting all its might behind the implementation of the MSP for MFP Scheme, the systems and processes for procurement is well in place across all districts.

KVIC starts reviving ancient glory of Pokhran potteries

• Seeking to restore the lost glory of the once-most famous pottery of Pokhran, a small town in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan where India conducted its 1st nuclear test, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) distributed 80 electric pottery wheels to 80 potter families in Pokhran which has a rich heritage in terracotta products.
• Pokhran has over 300 potters’ families that are engaged with pottery for several decades, but potters started looking for other avenues due to heavy drudgery in the work and no market support.
• Apart from the electric wheels, the KVIC also distributed 8 blunger machines in a group of 10 potters, used for mixing the clay which can produce 800 kg clay in just 8 hours. Manually it takes 5 days to prepare 800 kg mud for pottery making. KVIC has created 350 direct employment in the village. All 80 potters who were given 15 days training by KVIC came up with some exquisite pottery.
• The products ranged from Kulhar to decorative pieces like flower vase, sculptures and interesting traditional utensils like spherical bottles with narrow mouth, Lotas with long spouts, and other spherical utensils used for cooking as well as decorative pieces.
• The main objective of Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana is to bring back the potters’ community to the mainstream. By providing potters with modern equipment and training, we are trying to reconnect them with the society and revive their art,” Saxena stated.
• The KVIC Chairman has also instructed the State Director of KVIC in Rajasthan to facilitate marketing and sale of the pottery products at Barmer and Jaisalmer railway stations to provide marketing support to potters.
• Under the scheme, the KVIC also provides equipment like blunger and pug mills for mixing clay for making pottery products. The machines have eliminated drudgery from the process of pottery making and resulted in higher income of potters by 7 to 8 times.

About KVIC:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Vinai Kumar Saxena: Chairperson

Atal Innovation Mission partners with Coal India Ltd to boost its Innovation & Entrepreneurship initiatives

• Coal India Limited (CIL) has agreed to partner with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog to support proactively the flagship mission’s innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives across the country. A Statement of Intent (SoI) of a strategic partnership between AIM and Coal India Limited was signed and exchanged in a virtual e-summit .
• AIM has various innovation programs and entrepreneurial ecosystem building initiatives such as Atal Tinkering Labs ( ATL) at a school level, Atal Incubation Centres ( AIC) at institutional levels, Atal Community Innovation Centres ( ACIC) for Tier-2, Tier3 cities and rural India, Atal New India Challenges ( ANIC) at industry level and Applied Research and Innovation ( ARISE) for stimulating innovations in the MSME industry.
• The collaboration between CIL and AIM intends to conduct various activities / programs to support greater awareness and promotion of the innovation ecosystem through the above mentioned AIM programmes and newer initiatives.
• A Virtual SoI was signed by Mission Director Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog Shri R Ramanan and Director (Technical), Coal India Limited (CIL) Shri Binay Dayal in presence of Chairman and Managing Director Coal India Shri Pramod Agrawal.
• Meanwhile, according to the SoI signed, the partnership has been categorised program wise where under Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) CIL has agreed for adoption of select ATLs Schools, help in conducting teacher training sessions and providing mentoring support to ATL students via Mentors of Change.
• Similarly, under Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACICs), CIL has agreed for adoption and support of ACICs close to their areas of operation, supporting the youth in their journey of societal innovation, hosting community innovation challenges and other innovation based events to spread the impact of the innovation ecosystems being built in the under-served regions of the country.

About Coal India Limited (CIL):

• CEO: Anil Kumar Jha
• Headquarters: Kolkata

About Atal Innovation Mission:

• The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of the country, based on a detailed study and deliberations on innovation and entrepreneurial needs of India in the years ahead

Harsimrat Kaur Badal launches Food Processing Edition of Exclusive Investment Forum

• Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal stated that new opportunities are opening up in the Food processing sector.
• She was launching the Food Processing Edition of the Exclusive Investment Forum. Invest India has designed this forum of unique sectoral series to conduct detailed conversations between global industry leaders and key decision makers from the highest levels of the Central and  State Governments.
• The  Minister stated that due to the COVID pandemic, the sector has seen unique challenges and has been playing a very important role in ensuring that the lockdown remained successful.
• She stated that her  Ministry  will support all states to pick up on the ‘go vocal for local’ thought

About Ministry of Food Processing Industries:

• Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing Industries
• Constituency: Bathinda, Punjab
• Rameswar Teli, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries

IIM Ahmedabad launches Rs 100-crore endowment fund

• Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad has launched an endowment fund with an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore, the first business school in the country to have such a corpus.
• The institute is targeting Rs 1,000 crore as part of this fund over the next five years.
• In a digital event held on June 23, IIM-A announced 10 initial alumni contributors. These include InfoEdge founder and executive vice chairman Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Makemytrip founder Deep Kalra, ICRA non-executive chairman Arun Duggal and Sandeep Singhal, co-founders of WestBridge Capital and Sequoia Capital India, and Kavita Iyer, trustee of Singhal Iyer Family Foundation.
• Funds from alumni are typically used for expansion activities including new buildings, scholarships as well as research and development facilities.
• The endowment fund will have an independent governance structure. Further, there will be a 100 percent tax exemption for the funding.
• IIM Ahmedabad director Errol D’Souza stated the fund was a gift to the institute to enable and generate new forms of knowledge and serve society.
• In November 2019, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi launched an endowment fund through which it aims to raise about $1 billion by 2025. The fund had already received Rs 250 crore, of which a sizable amount is stated to have been donated by Flipkart founders Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal.
• Globally, institutes like Harvard University, Oxford University and Stanford University use alumni networks extensively for fund-raising. At Harvard, for instance, the endowment is made up of more than 13,000 funds.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

World Bank approves $1.05 billion to Bangladesh for jobs, economic recovery

• The World Bank has approved dollar 1.05 billion for three projects in Bangladesh to create quality jobs and accelerate economic recovery in the wake of the corona pandemic.
• The World Bank quoted the Country Director for Bhutan and Bangladesh Mercy Tembon that these projects will help the economy in bouncing back by creating more and better jobs and promoting direct private investment in specialized economic zones.
• The first project worth a dollar 500 million called Private Investment and Digital Entrepreneurship (PRIDE) project will strengthen social and environmental standards in selected economic zones and software technology parks in Bangladesh. It will create over 1.5 lakh jobs of which a percentage will be reserved for women. The project will also establish Dhaka’s first digital entrepreneurship hub in the Janata Software Technology Park. It will help Bangladesh to attract 2 billion dollar of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
• The dollar 295 million Enhancing Digital Government and Economy (EDGE) Project will establish an integrated, cloud-computing digital platform for all government agencies and improve cyber-security.
• The dollar 250 million Second Programmatic Jobs Development Policy Credit will create fiscal space to support the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.
• The World Bank stated that this is the second of the programme based series of three projects for Bangladesh intended to modernize the trade and investment regime, build a stronger system of expanded safety nets and labor protections and help vulnerable populations access better jobs, especially during crises.
• Bangladesh currently has one of the largest IDA programs totaling over 13 billion dollar. The World Bank has committed more than 31 billion dollar in grants, interest-free, and concessional credits to Bangladesh since its independence in 1971.

About Bangladesh:

• Capital: Dhaka
• Currency: Bangladeshi taka
• Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Karnataka Bank launches KBL Micro Mitra for micro enterprises

• Karnataka Bank has launched a new product KBL Micro Mitra, wherein financial assistance up to Rs.10 lakhs can be provided to the Micro manufacturing and service enterprises either for working capital or for investment purposes.
• The facility comes with a simplified procedure and competitive rate of interest.
• ‘KBL Micro Mitra’ will be a true friend of the micro entrepreneurs. This facility is available across India through all the branches of Karnataka Bank.

About Karnataka Bank

• Headquarters: Mangalore
• CEO: Mahabaleshwara M. S

UCO Bank partners with four insurers to sell their products

• State-run UCO Bank tied up with four insurers to offer various insurance products to its customers through its network of branches across the country.
• The lender teamed up with SBI Life Insurance Company, the Oriental Insurance Company and Religare Health Insurance Company, Star Health and Allied Insurance Company for selling their products.
• With these new partnerships, the lender will now be offering a much wider range of insurance products, UCO Bank MD and CEO Atul Kumar Goel stated.
• The fresh tie-ups have strengthened the bank’s partnerships with insurers from existing two to six, an official stated.
• These will enable us to reaffirm our commitment to our customers for their financial well being. We would digitise and automate the customer interface for availing these facilities,UCO Bank executive director Ajay Vyas stated.

About UCO bank:

• Headquarters– Kolkata, West Bengal
• Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Atul Kumar Goel
• Tagline: Honours your Trust

SEBI announces relaxations for listed companies having stressed assets

• Stock market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) decided to relax the pricing methodology for preferential issues by listed companies having stressed assets and exempt allottees of preferential issues from open offer obligations with immediate effect.
• Eligible listed companies having stressed assets will now be able to determine the pricing of their preferential allotments at not less than the average of weekly high and low of the volume-weighted average prices of related equity shares during the two weeks preceding the relevant date.
• Allottees of the preferential issue in such eligible companies will be exempted from making an open offer if the acquisition is beyond the prescribed threshold or if the open offer is warranted due to change in control in terms of takeover regulations.
• The framework is aimed at helping stressed companies raise capital through timely financial intervention and protecting the interest of shareholders, stated SEBI in a statement

About SEBI:

• Founded: 12 April 1992
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Rath Yatra embarks in Puri

• The Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, one of India’s biggest religious festivals, is in the temple town in Odisha amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• But this year people will not be allowed after the Supreme Court placed several conditions, including the imposition of a curfew in Puri during the festivities.
• A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, said in its order that each chariot would be pulled by not more than 500 people, including officials and police, and there has to be an interval of one hour between pulling of the chariots.
• The Odisha government has imposed a 41-hour curfew in the temple town and started Covid-19 tests of 700 temple priests who would pull the three chariots.

About Odisha

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik

Tripura to start ‘ Play little, Study little’ scheme for school students

• With uncertainty prevailing over reopening of schools due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Tripura government has decided to start a scheme called ‘Ektu Khelo, Ektu Padho’ which means ‘Play little, Study little’, from June 25.
• As per the scheme, the students would be getting audio and video contents on learning activities , projects alongwith fun and gaming activities via SMS or WhatsApp services.
• The Education state headquarters would share the learning contents to different district academic coordinators and they would share the same to headmasters of the schools in their concerned areas. The headmasters would give the responsibility to the teachers to share the contents among the students.
• After closure of the educational institutions from March, the state introduced online classes through local TV channels and social media, for the students so that they could continue their studies amidst the pandemic. But it was found that many children could not utilise the initiative due to poor network connectivity.
• The students can access the scheme through smartphones of their parents. If any children can’t access through smartphone, they will get learning activities via SMS services. We want to make sure that the students should invest their time in study during this period,” Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath told.
• The students would get their daily lessons and activities on their phones every morning and their feedback would be received every afternoon.

About Tripura:

• Capital: Agartala
• Governor: Ramesh Bais
• Chief Minister: Biplab Kumar Deb

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

NI-MSME inks pact with Nitte to train MSMEs

• The Hyderabad-based National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NI-MSME) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mangaluru-based Nitte (deemed-to-be university) for the empowerment of the MSME sector.
• The MoU provides an institutional mechanism for NI-MSME and Nitte Education Group for collaborative efforts to conduct executive education programmes, research, training and consultancy for the MSME sector.
• The MoU was signed by Glory Swarupa, Director General of NI-MSME, and Satheesh Kumar Bhandary, Vice-Chancellor of Nitte, it added.

IIT Delhi And  UN World Food Programme To Increase Efficiency Of Government’s Food Security Net

• The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, or IIT Delhi, has collaborated with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), India, to develop solutions for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of food security programmes of the Government of India. The aim of this tie-up is to create “sustainable models” that can be used across the country and beyond.
• The tie-up will combine advanced analytics and operations research to develop solutions that support “long-term strategic planning of procurement, storage, and movement of food grains” by agencies like the Food Corporation of India (FCI). It will also create “cost-effective supply chain networks” for distribution under the public distribution system (PDS), or ration shops.
• This will be especially relevant for states such as Uttarakhand, where maintaining a consistent availability and supply of food grains year-round is a challenge due to factors such as difficult terrain, limited availability of transporters, restricted windows for transportation and disintegrated storage spaces.

About UNWFP:

• Headquarters– Rome, Italy
• Executive Director– David Muldrow Beasley

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Standard Chartered appoints Gaurav Maheshwari as CFO – India

• Standard Chartered Bank (India) announced the appointment of Gaurav Maheshwari as its new Chief Financial Officer effective 22 June 2020.
• He has taken over from Subhradeep Mohanty, who was elevated as CFO, Africa & Middle East (AME) region.
• In his career spanning over 23 years, he has also worked with companies like Coca-Cola and Reuters.

About SCB

• Head Quarters: London, United Kingdom
• CEO- Standard Chartered Bank, India: Zarin Daruwala

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Amartya Sen to be awarded the 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade

• Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has been awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for his decades-long work around issues of global justice.
• To be presented by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, Börsenverein, the award will recognise the Indian economist’s contribution in addressing questions around social inequality in education and healthcare.
• The award ceremony is set to take place on 18 October, 2020 in Frankfurt.
• Sen, who was born and raised in West Bengal went on to receive his doctorate from Trinity College, Cambridge and was the recipient of the 1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Since 2004, he has been a professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University.

Golden Globe awards postponed to February 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic

• The annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony for film and television has been postponed to February next year, organizers stated.
• The Golden Globes ceremony, which kicks off Hollywood’s awards season, will now take place on 28th of February in Beverly hills, California instead of its usual slot on the first Sunday in January.
• The decision follows the postponement by two months of the Oscars to 25th of April because of Coronavirus pandemic. The ceremony, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will take place on the originally scheduled date of the Oscars, which has been pushed back two months. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group behind the awards, will provide details about eligibility, voting period and nominations timing in the weeks ahead.

About Golden Globe Awards:

• The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in film, both American and International, and American television

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

The 36th ASEAN Summit being hosted by Vietnam

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has indicated that the 36th ASEAN Summit will be the first ever to take place via teleconference, with Vietnam to host the remote gathering, set to focus on handling regional public health issues and funding to cope with COVID-19.
• Vietnam, as the ASEAN Chair, is to emphasize unity in the region to respond to current challenges, and it is expected that ASEAN leaders will discuss cooperation on public health, and draft a plan for post COVID-19 rehabilitation.
• Other topics to be considered include human and food security and women’s rights, so as to support economic growth. These issues are expected to result in agreements, along with the signing of documents on the development of labor potential.

About ASEAN

• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation among its ten members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• Headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia

S Jaishankar to join Russia-India-China trilateral virtual conference

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will join his Chinese and Russian counterparts at a virtual conference of the Russia-India-China trilateral, against the backdrop of New Delhi’s frayed ties with Beijing over the Galwan Valley
• India was initially reluctant to join the Russia-India-China trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting but agreed to participate in it following a request from Moscow, the host of the conference.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left for Russia on a three-day visit to attend a military parade in Moscow on June 24 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of victory of the Russian people in the second world war.
• The meeting of the RIC foreign ministers is also expected to delve into key connectivity projects in the region including the implementation of the 7,200 km-long International NorthSouth Transport Corridor (INSTC) linking India, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia with Europe.

About MEA

• Minister of External Affairs: Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
• Constituency: Gujarat

Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates India’s one of India’s largest & first Virtual Healthcare & Hygiene EXPO 2020

• Union State Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated one of India’s   largest and first Virtual Healthcare and Hygiene EXPO 2020.
• Health, Hygiene and Sanitation, Medical textiles and Devices, AYUSH and Wellness sectors have assumed greater significance in the nation’s fight against the COVID 19 pandemic.
• Schemes such as providing toilets for every household, Ayushman Bharat , to cover 10 crore families for healthcare, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Suvidha Sanitary Napkin under which a sanitary napkin is provided for just 1 rupees each.
• The unique exhibition which aims to give a boost to such health and hygiene endeavours has been organised by FICCI.
• The recent policy announcement of government giving incentives for setting up of Bulk Drug Parks and Medical Device Parks in the country which will act as a cog in the wheel of Atmanirbharat Abhiyan.

About MosCF

• Union Minister of State for Shipping and Union Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilizers: Mansukh Mandaviya
• Constituency: Gujarat

Union Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar inaugurates Virtual India Pavilion at Cannes Film Market 2020

• Indian Participation at Cannes Film Festival – 2020 with the e-inauguration of the Virtual India Pavilion by Hon’ble Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar. The Festival will be held from 22 – 26 June, 2020.
• Addressing the film fraternity and film lovers across the Globe, the Hon’ble Minister stated “virtual inaugurations are the new normal and these virtual spaces are the new places for real partnerships”. He added that films are India’s soft power and the film facilitation office would be made a single window for all Center and State government permissions. The Minister invited the international film fraternity to come shoot in India and sell in the world market. The Minister expressed hope that the two films sent to Cannes from India would be appreciated world over.
• The Indian Pavilion at Cannes  has  always been a hub of activity. It is here that the Indian film makers and delegates interact with the international community, who while experiencing the colour, flavor and aroma of Indian cinema, also explore the opportunities of working with Indian film makers and to shoot within Incredible India that has almost unparalleled variety of locations and people.
• This  year too, adopting the new normal, and to keep the ethos  of the Indian participation the prestigious film festival alive, the Indian Pavilion is expected to be buzzing with activities around co-production and film shooting in India, exports of Indian films and content, post production activities in India and fruitful business networking among delegates.  The Pavilion will facilitate B2B meetings and linkages between film makers and other media and entertainment industries stake holders.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Nita Ambani only Indian among top global philanthropists of 2020

• Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani became the only Indian to feature in Town & Country magazine’s top global philanthropists of 2020 list.
• While RIL’s Mukesh Ambani, with a net worth of $64.5 billion, recently became the only Asian tycoon among the world’s top 10 richest people, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
• Ambani features alongside prominent global individuals including Tim Cook, Oprah Winfrey, Laurene Powell Jobs, the Lauder Family, Donatella Versace, Michael Bloomberg and Leonardo Di Caprio among others.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ISRO receives patent for protective garment for human spaceflight

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has received a patent for its Liquid Cooling and Heating Garment (LCHG) made of biocompatible fabrics and components to provide a comfortable temperature and removal of sweat for astronauts, for use in space for protection from hot and cold environments.
• LCHGs are used in space, military applications, fire fighting and also for personal cooling and heating purposes for protection from hot and cold environments of industrial areas or in extreme temperature and humidity conditions that may exist in work environments.
• These garments have a system for circulating temperature controlling fluid into and out of the garments, for instance, through tubes inside the garment.
• Isro’s invention is designed to permit long term use of the garment without any impact on the wearer in terms of skin irritation or infection and is low in cost of manufacture, according to the patent specification filed by the organisation with the Patent Office in February 2016.
• The garment is provided with an outer layer made of polymeric fabric net and an inner layer of polymeric fabric tricoting, which comes in contact with the skin of the wearer.
• Both the layers are separated by several tubes configured to circulate a heat transfer fluid across the body through at least one inlet and at least one outlet connected to a valve for controlling the supply of the heat transfer fluid to and from the reservoir.

About ISRO

• Headquarters: Bengaluru
• Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan

China launches final satellite in GPS-like Beidou system

• China launched the final satellite in its Beidou constellation that emulates the US Global Positioning System, marking a further step in the country’s advance as a major space power.
• The launch of the satellite onboard a Long March-3 rocket was broadcast live from the satellite launch base of Xichang, deep in the mountains of southwestern China, shortly before 10 a.m. About half an hour later, the satellite was deployed in orbit and extended its solar panels to provide its energy.
• The third iteration of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System promises to provide global coverage for timing and navigation, offering an alternative to Russia’s GLONASS and the European Galileo systems, as well as America’s GPS.
• China’s space program has developed rapidly over the past two decades as the government devotes major resources toward developing independent high-tech capabilities — and even dominating in fields such as 5G data processing.
• The first version of Beidou, meaning “Big Dipper,” was decommissioned in 2012. Future plans call for a smarter, more accessible and more integrated system with Beidou at its core, to come online by 2035.
• In 2003, China became just the third country to independently launch a crewed space mission and has since constructed an experimental space station and sent a pair of rovers to the surface of the moon.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Amish Tripathi launches new book ‘Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India

• Amish announced the launch of his new fiction book – Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India.
• The publishers of the book, Westland Publications Pvt Ltd, revealed that the book will be available across physical and online bookstores.
• Amish has assured his readers that despite the release of his new book, he continues to write the 4thbook of the Ram Chandra series, the sequel to Raavan – Enemy of Aryavarta.
• The idea behind writing Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India, was to bring to national consciousness an inspiring story that has been ignored in the pages of Indian history.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

The Undertaker retires from WWE

• Wrestling legend and WWE superstar The Undertaker whose original name is Mark Calaway has announced his retirement from World Wrestling Entertainment.
• The Undertaker’s last match was against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Major General (Retd) Lachhman Singh Lehl passes away

• Major General (Retd) Lachhman Singh Lehl has passed away aged 97.
• He commanded the 20 Mountain Division of the Army that exhibited massive courage and valour during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Former India shooter Pournima Zanane passes away

• Former India shooter Pournima Zanane has passed away aged 42.
• She had been suffering from cancer for the past two years and also underwent extensive treatment for the same.
• Zanane, who was a national record holder in 10m air rifle event, took to coaching and was honoured with the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports award by the Maharashtra government.

KPCC general secretary K Surendran passes away

• KPCC general secretary and INTUC national organising secretary K Surendran (64) passed away .He had suffered a heart attack.
• Surendran was a former Kannur DCC president who became active in politics through INTUC. He has also served as INTUC district secretary, district president and state secretary.

Social worker Vidyaben Shah passes away

• Social worker Vidyaben Shah passed away. She was 98. As a university student, she participated in the Quit India Movement
• She was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1992 and Government of India’s National Award for outstanding services in the field of Child Welfare in 1986.

DAILY CA 21st & 22nd  JUNE

• National Reading Day- 19th june
• International Yoga Day– 21st june
• International Father’s Day- 21st june
• World Music Day- 21st june
• World Hydrography Day- 21st june
• PM Modi launches Rs 50,000 cr Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan for migrant workers
• Niti Aayog forms panel to develop job platform for migrant labours
• Decarbonising Transport: International Project to Develop Pathway to Low-CO2 Mobility for India
• France commits 200 million Euros for India’s Covid response
• One billion children experience violence every year as countries fail to protect them: UN report
• Exim Bank extends USD 20.1 mn credit line to Nicaragua govt
• Yes Bank partners Affordplan to launch co-branded cashless healthcare card
• Amazon to host Small Business Day on June 27 to help SME sellers
• Hyundai Motor India partners with HDFC Bank to offer online car loans on Click to Buy
• Biocon ties up with DKSH to distribute 7 products in Singapore, Thailand
• Jharkhand to launch job guarantee scheme for urban poor
• NGT imposes Rs 10 lakh fine on Karnataka government over pollution in Bengaluru’s Kithiganahalli Lake
• MP: Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company starts Nishtha Vidyut Mitra Scheme for women empowerment
• National champion Niki Poonacha elected to ITF panel
• Tata Sons’ Chandrasekaran re-nominated to RBI central board
• Indian officials attend virtual EAG plenary meet in June
• Mukesh Ambani 9th among top-10 richest men
• India becomes 12th largest holder of US govt securities
• RIL 57th most valuable firm globally by market-cap; Saudi Aramco tops chart
• Annular solar eclipse with majestic Ring of Fire, witnessed in several parts of India
• Prof Kirk Smith passes away
• Iraqi football legend Ahmad Radhi passes away after battling COVID-19
• Legendary Indian left-arm spinner Rajinder Goel passes away
• Ex-Indian kabaddi player Ilaiah passes away

DAILY CA 23rd JUNE

• International Olympic Day- 23rd june
• United Nations Public Service Day– 23rd june
• International Widows Day- 23rd june
• Centre sanctions Rs 190 cr for augmentation of healthcare facilities in North Eastern States
• NCERT launches Online Yoga Quiz Competition to promote integration of Yoga in school curriculum
• Procurement of MFP by govt touches all time high, giving boost to tribal economy
• KVIC starts reviving ancient glory of Pokhran potteries
• Atal Innovation Mission partners with Coal India Ltd to boost its Innovation & Entrepreneurship initiatives
• Harsimrat Kaur Badal launches Food Processing Edition of Exclusive Investment Forum
• IIM Ahmedabad launches Rs 100-crore endowment fund
• World Bank approves $1.05 billion to Bangladesh for jobs, economic recovery
• Karnataka Bank launches KBL Micro Mitra for micro enterprises
• UCO Bank partners with four insurers to sell their products
• SEBI announces relaxations for listed companies having stressed assets
• Rath Yatra embarks in Puri
• Tripura to start ‘ Play little, Study little’ scheme for school students
• NI-MSME inks pact with Nitte to train MSMEs
• IIT Delhi And UN World Food Programme To Increase Efficiency Of Government’s Food Security Net
• Standard Chartered appoints Gaurav Maheshwari as CFO – India
• Amartya Sen to be awarded the 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade
• Golden Globe awards postponed to February 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic
• The 36th ASEAN Summit being hosted by Vietnam
• S Jaishankar to join Russia-India-China trilateral virtual conference
• Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates India’s one of India’s largest & first Virtual Healthcare & Hygiene EXPO 2020
• Union Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar inaugurates Virtual India Pavilion at Cannes Film Market 2020
• Nita Ambani only Indian among top global philanthropists of 2020
• Isro receives patent for protective garment for human spaceflight
• China launches final satellite in GPS-like Beidou system
• Amish Tripathi launches new book ‘Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India
• The Undertaker retires from WWE
• Major General (Retd) Lachhman Singh Lehl passes away
• Former India shooter Pournima Zanane passes away
• KPCC general secretary K Surendran passes away
• Social worker Vidyaben Shah passes away