Current Affairs Today 12th June 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Day Against Child Labour

• Every year on June 12, the World Day Against Child Labour is observed on June 12 in almost 100 countries all around the globe.
• The ILO launched World Day Against Child Labour in 2002, after which it is annually celebrated to raise awareness about the plight of child labourers worldwide.
• This year theme will focus on the impact of crisis on child labour. COVID-19: Protect children from child labour, now more than ever!
• The COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labour market shock are having a huge impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Centre allots Rs 4,000 cr to states under ”Per Drop More Crop”

• The Central government has allocated Rs 4,000 crore as annual allotment to states for the current financial year under ”Per Drop More Crop” component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC).
• The Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers” Welfare is implementing the ”Per Drop More Crop” component of PMKSY-PDMC, which focuses on enhancing water efficiency at farm level through micro irrigation technologies such as ”drip and sprinkler” irrigation.
• The drip micro irrigation technique not only helps in saving water but also reduces fertilizer usage, labour expenses and other input costs.
• The Micro Irrigation Fund corpus of Rs 5,000 crore has been created with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), an apex development financial institution in India.
• So far, micro irrigation funds have been released to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu for Rs 616.14 crore and for Rs 478.79 crore, respectively, through NABARD.
• The area covered under these projects is 1.021 lakh hectare in Andhra Pradesh and 1.76 lakh hectare in Tamil Nadu.

About PMKSY

• Formed on July1, 2015

Railways creates new world record by successfully running first Double-Stack Container Train in OHE electrified territory

• Indian Railways has created a new world benchmark by successfully running first Double-Stack Container Train in high-rise in Over Head Equipment electrified territory on Western Railway.
• This tremendous achievement is a first of its kind in the entire world and will also boost the ambitious mission of Green India. Railway Ministry stated, with this remarkable development, Railways has become the first to run Double-Stack Container train with high reach pantograph in high rise Over Head Equipment territory.
• The Operations successfully commenced on 10th June from Palanpur and Botad stations in Gujarat.
• It stated, more than 32 lakh wagons carried supplies to keep the supply chain functional during the lockdown period. Of these, more than 18 lakh wagons carried essential commodities like food grains, salt, sugar, milk, edible oil, onions, fruits and vegetables, petroleum products, coal and fertilizers throughout the country.

About Indian Railways:

• Headquarters:New Delhi, India
• Piyush Goyal (Minister of Railways)
• Suresh Angadi (Minister of State for Railways)
• Vinod Kumar Yadav (Chairman, Railway Board)

Govt constitutes Empowered Group of Secretaries to facilitate investment in country

• The Union Government has constituted an Empowered Group of Secretaries headed by Cabinet Secretary to facilitate investment in the country. The empowered group will assist investment in key sectors of the economy by identifying potential investors. It will also recommend sector-specific and geography specific incentive packages focusing on both domestic and foreign investors.
• Along with handholding investors it will identify Industrial clusters, land-banks, states and areas where investments can be made. Boosting Make in India the empowered group will also incentivise schemes for creating Indian Global Champions in sectors of mobile and electronics, medical devices, drugs, auto and textile machinery among others.
• The seven member empowered group has CEO of NITI Aayog along with secretaries of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Commerce, Revenue and Economic Affairs as it’s members.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Bangladesh launches plasma network for COVID 19 treatment

• The Government of Bangladesh has launched an online network to facilitate plasma exchange between recovered patients of COVID-19 and those undergoing treatment for Corona infection in the country.
• Named ‘Shohojodha’, the initiative has been launched by the ICT division of the government of Bangladesh in collaboration with Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a2i innovation lab and eGeneration to facilitate collection and distribution of plasma from patients who have recovered from Coronavirus.
• The plasma therapy for the Coronavirus patients in Bangladesh is under trial process awaiting final approval from the government.

About Bangladesh:

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

To Boost Infrastructure spending, Centre infuses Rs 5,298 cr in IIFCL

• The government infused equity share capital of Rs 5,297.60 crore in theIndia Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL).
• This has increased the paid-up equity share capital of IIFCL to Rs 9,999.92 crore against the authorized share capital of Rs 10,000 crore.
• IIFCL would be able to maintain its Capital to Risk Adjusted Ratio (CRAR) as per RBI regulations and directions and approach the markets to attract more borrowings and also have increased exposure limits for individual projects and developer groups.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Apple becomes the first US company to hit $1.5 trillion market cap

• Apple has become the first US company to cross $1.5 trillion-mark in market cap as its valuation hit $1.53 trillion at over $352 per share.
• While Microsoft briefly hit $1.5 trillion m-cap, its valuation declined to $1.49 trillion.
• Apple may become the first company ever to touch the $2-trillion valuation mark in next four years, a top analyst forecast recently.

About Apple

• CEO: Tim Cook
• Headquarters: Cupertino, United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Asiatic lion population in Gujarat rises to 674 in five years, up by almost 29%

• The population of Asiatic Lions in Gujarat has witnessed a massive jump in the last five years, from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020. The growth rate is a jump of almost 29%.
• The last population estimation exercise was conducted in May 2015 which pegged the lion numbers at 523, a 27 per cent increase from the estimation of 2010.
• Also, the population of the lions has spread over an area of 30000 sq. km in 2020 from 22000 sq. km in 2015, increasing the distribution area by 36%.
• The use of modern technology, wildlife health care, habitat management, increase in prey base and human-lion conflict mitigation to name a few of the strategies employed by the state department.
• The Gir forest is located in the state of Gujarat and is also known globally for housing Asiatic lions.

About Gujarat

• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Chief minister: Vijay Rupani
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat

UP govt to launch state level sample collection campaign

• The Uttar Pradesh government is launching a state level sample collection campaign to find out the level of corona infection among the different sections of society. The campaign will run for one week in which various clusters of the society will be tested which includes delivery boys, newspaper vendors and other daily workers. Principal secretary health, Amit Mohan Prasad stated that under this campaign samples to those people will be taken who move frequently due to their work.
• On the first day the campaign  team of health workers will visit old age homes, women’s hostels, orphanage and juvenile homes and will take samples of the inmates and samples will be taken from slums of city areas. Similarly those people who are involved in home delivery, newspaper vendors, employees of hospitals, milk suppliers, security guards, pharmacist salesman, and clerical staff of hospitals will be tested on different days.
• The aim of this exercise is to get the information about the spread of Corona infection so that measures can be taken to control this. He stated that such a campaign was launched among migrant workers in 18 districts of state to know the level of infection.
• In these districts 72 villages were chosen where 50 or migrants have been returned and after completion of their 15 days Quarantine other persons of the village were tested to get the information about the spread of virus. The motive was to understand how successfully the workers spent the quarantine period and whether they infected other villages also or not.

About Uttar Pradesh:

• Capital: Lucknow
• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath

Maharashtra renames its environment ministry as ‘Environment and Climate Change Ministry’

• Days after being hit by cyclone Nisarga, Maharashtra has renamed its Environment Ministry as Environment and Climate Change Ministry. The department is handled by Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray.
• On  the occasion of World Environment Day, Thackeray and Minister of State Samanjay Bansode had hinted that the department would be renamed to include the larger domain of climate change within its ambit.
• He had reportedly stated that the new, renamed department will work on ‘the five elements of the nature’. The proposal, however, needed a clearance from the state cabinet and was accordingly cleared during a Cabinet meeting convened under Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
• Maharashtra is among a few states in the country which have a dedicated department to address climate change. Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana are some other states to have such a department.

About Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

IDBI board approves appointment of Anshuman Sharma as Govt nominee director

• IDBI Bank stated its board has approved the appointment of Anshuman Sharma as government nominee director with effect from June 11.
• The Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Anshuman Sharma, Director, Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services, as government nominee director on the board of IDBI Bank Limited w.e.f. June 11, 2020 and until further orders, the bank stated.
• IDBI Bank is now being categorised as a private sector lender after majority stake acquisition by LIC.
• In January 2019, the insurance behemoth had completed acquisition of 51 per cent controlling stake in the then public sector IDBI Bank, making it the lender’s majority shareholder.
• Sharma is an IRS officer and has held positions in tax assessment, investigation, administration and transfer pricing.
• Currently, he is looking after insurance and pension reforms portfolio in the finance ministry.
• He has served on the board of State Bank of Travancore, Allahabad Bank, IFCI Ltd and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB).He is currently serving on the board of IDFC Ltd.

About IDBI bank:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• CEO: Rakesh Sharma
• Tagline :Banking for All,”Aao sochein Bada”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Australian Honour for Indian musician Shobha Sekhar

• Shobha Sekhar has been chosen for the Medal of the Order for her service to the community and the country.
• Shobha Sekhar, founder of Kalakruthi, music organisation in Australia.
• The Montreal-based artiste and lecturer, University of Melbourne, figures in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List and will be conferred the Medal of the Order of Australia later this year.

About Australia

• Prime Minister: Scott Morrison
• Currency: Australian dollar
• Capital: Canberra

The Ramon Magsaysay awards, Asia’s version of Nobel Prize awards cancelled

• The Ramon Magsaysay awards, regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize, have been cancelled this year due to the global pandemic, the only third time the annual awards were disrupted in six decades.
• The awards are named after a popular Philippine president who died in a 1957 plane crash and honour “greatness of spirit in selfless service to the peoples of Asia.”
• The awards were traditionally given in five categories: government service; public service; community leadership; journalism, literature, and creative communication arts; and peace and international understanding. 5 of these, however, were discontinued post 2009.

About Ramon Magsaysay awards

• The Ramon Magsaysay awards are named after Ramon Magsaysay, the third president of the Republic of the Philippines after World War II.
• The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation awards Asian individuals achieving excellence in their respective fields and have been known to help others generously without anticipating public recognition.

Indian-American soil scientist Rattan Lal gets 2020 World Food Prize

• Eminent Indian-American soil scientist Rattan Lal has been named this year’s recipient of the World Food Prize for developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change.
• Lal, a native of India and a citizen of the United States, will receive the 5 lakh dollar award that honours his contribution throughout his career spanning more than five decades and four continents to promote innovative soil-saving techniques that benefit the livelihoods of more than 500 million smallholder farmers, improve the food and nutritional security of more than two billion people and saves hundreds of millions of hectares of natural tropical ecosystems.
• Lal serves as Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and founding Director of the Carbon Management & Sequestration Center at The Ohio State University (OSU).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

FM Nirmala Sitharaman to chair 40th GST council meeting through video conferencing

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will chair the 40th GST council meeting through video conferencing. This meeting of the GST council will be for the first time after the nationwide lockdown and the council is expected to discuss the revenue shortfall and the compensation to states.
• Ms Sitharaman had stated that the Centre will look into the legality of GST Council borrowing from the market to meet the compensation requirements.
• The Council is likely to decide on ways to garner funds to compensate states for the revenue loss due to GST implementation.

About GST:

• The goods and services tax (GST) is a value-added tax levied on most goods and services sold for domestic consumption. The GST is paid by consumers, but it is remitted to the government by the businesses selling the goods and services. In effect, GST provides revenue for the government.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Health-tech startup, Arvi launches contactless thermal scanning kiosks

• Arvi, a health-tech startup has launched contactless thermal scanning kiosks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Arvi kiosks use AI technology with deep learning to combine facial recognition and thermal screening to detect persons with high temperatures as well as those violating requirements to wear masks.
• The newly launched unmanned, contactless thermal scanning kiosks have features such as temperature check, face mask detection, auto hand-sanitization, and attendance/access management. Arvi’s kiosks also screen blood oxygen, pulse, and respiration rate in addition to temperature.
• Founded by the team of IIT Bombay engineers, these kiosks can be used at the entry points of malls, corporate offices, banks, airports, schools, hospitals, etc.

Kerala Startup launches mask disposal smart bin & UV light-based disinfection device

• VST Mobility Solutions, a Startup headquartered at Cochin, has launched an automated mask disposal machine as part of efforts to develop products helping to combat the Covid-19. The disposal device, named BIN-19, developed Chitra UV based face mask disposal bin technology from the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum an institute of national importance under Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, was formally launched by Ernakulam District Collector S. Suhas by installing a unit at his office, the administrative headquarters of the district.
• The IoT-based BIN-19 (Internet of Things) is used for collecting and disinfecting Used Face-Mask. The device has been subjected to a series of successful microbiological tests by Sree Chitra Lab. Sree Chitra is one of the testing agency for UV based devices in the country as per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
• Explaining the functioning of BIN-19, Mr. Alvin George, CEO of VST Mobility Solutions, stated that the used masks dropped inside a container of the bin will be first disinfected by a process. The disinfected masks will be transferred to another container inside the Bin. The person dropping the mask can sanitize her hands with the help of the automatic sanitizer dispenser attached to the Bin-19. There is no need to touch or operate any switches in the Bin to do all these. All functions are automated in the hands-free equipment for the safety of users and health workers.
• The device is mainly used for disposing of the contaminated or used face-mask and for reusing the UVC stable metallic products. This device is proven under a microbiological test conducted by Sree Chitra Lab.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

NIRF Ranking 2020: IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore, IIT Delhi top 3 institutes

• Union Human Resource Development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has released the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Ranking 2020.
• Every year, MHRD ranks the universities and institutions of India based on the pre-determined parameters. In the year 2019, IIT Madras had topped the list of higher education institutions followed by IISc Bengaluru and IIT Delhi.
• Overall Category: IIT Madras, IISc Banglore, IIT Delhi
• University category: IISc Bangalore, JNU New Delhi, BHU Varanasi
• Engineering Category: IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay
• Management Category: IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta
• Pharmacy Discipline: Jamia Hamdard Universitt, Punjab University, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Mohali
• Law Discipline: National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, NLU New Delhi, Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad
• Architecture Discipline: IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, NIT Calicut
• Dental College: Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Science, Manipal College of Dental Science, Dr DY Patil Vidyapith Pune

India retains 108th spot; no change in Fifa team rankings over Covid-19

• Indian football team has retained the 108th spot in the latest FIFA rankings issued as international football has been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Although club football has slowly restarted or been scheduled to restart in various leagues around the world, the spread of Covid-19 remains an obstacle to the staging of international matches. This has again affected the latest FIFA World ranking, which remains unchanged, the FIFA stated.
• Belgium remains at the summit ahead of France and Brazil, who complete the podium, while England and Uruguay continue to occupy fourth and fifth position Lying in wait behind them are Croatia and Portugal on sixth and seventh place respectively followed by Spain, Argentina and Colombia.
• Outside of the top 10 rankings, 200 other national teams are waiting to get back in action and shake up world football’s hierarchy.
• The resumption or start of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in the respective confederations is awaited with eagerness and should see plenty of movement in the Ranking in the months ahead.
• Indian football team is set to host Asian champions Qatar on October 8 in its next 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying round game, which would be India’s first international fixture amid the coronavirus pandemic.

About FIFA:

• President: Gianni Infantino
• Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

India CWG champion lifter Sanjita Chanu cleared of doping charges

• International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has cleared India’s K Sanjita Chanu of anti-doping violation over charges brought up in November 2017 citing “non conformities” in the handling of her sample.
• Chanu is a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist—at Glasgow in 2014 (48kg) and in Gold Coast in 2018 (53kg).
• The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), on the recommendation of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dropped the doping charge against Chanu after more than two-and-a-half years of investigation, making eligible to apply for the Arjuna Award.

About IWF

• Headquarters location: Budapest, Hungary
• President: Ursula Papandrea

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Television actor Jagesh Mukati passes away

• Television actor Jagesh Mukati, who worked in shows like Amita Ka Amit and Shree Ganesh, passed away. He was 47.

SAIL director Atul Srivastava passes away

• Atul Srivastava, Director (Personnel), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) passed away.
• Srivastava assumed charge as Director (Personnel) of SAIL on March 12, 2018.
• In his long-standing career spanning more than 35 years at SAIL, he had served in the the Human Resources department of the company, while working at various SAIL Plants as well as at the Corporate Office.

About SAIL

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• CEO: Anil Kumar Chaudhary

Writer Jas Waters passes away

• Jas Waters, who wrote for shows like This is Us and Kidding, has passed away. She was 39.
• Waters was a credited writer on the 2019 film What Men Want, Showtime’s Kidding and Comedy Central’s Hood Adjacent with James Davis, as well as This Is Us in 2017 and 2018.

DAILY CA 11th JUNE 

• World Accreditation Day- 9th june
• MoS Home G Kishan Reddy, 9 others named on new panel for freedom fighters
• BS-VI compliant vehicles to display green sticker
• Indian economy to grow at 9.5 pct in next fiscal, says Fitch Ratings
• Customs duty hiked on bamboo imports from 10% to 25%
• Uttar Pradesh govt. clears ordinance to prevent cow slaughter
• Andhra CM launches ‘Jagananna Chedodu’ scheme for tailors, barbers and washermen
• Nagarjuna Cement ropes in actor Varun Tej as brand ambassador
• Gargo International Proudly Presents Sonu Sood as its Brand Ambassador
• Lakshmi Vilas Bank appoints B K Manjunath as non-exec, independent director
• Alan Gemmell appointed British Deputy High Commissioner for western India
• Shri Shambhu S. Kumaran has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Philippines
• TCS iON partners with NSDC to accelerate skill development
• Empays Payment Systems, Mastercard partner to enable contact-free ATM cash withdrawals
• NFL inks MoU with ITI Nangal for training of youth in 12 trades for employment
• IFFCO signs MoU with ICAR for joint research, testing, validation of products
• India ranks 56th among 200 countries on Covid-19 safety assessment
• Mumbai most expensive Indian city for expats, 19th most expensive in Asia
• QS World University Rankings, IIT Bombay is India’s top university
• First American Woman to Walk in Space Reaches Deepest Spot in the Ocean
• Russian high jumper Alexander Shustov given four-year ban over doping offence
• ICC approves replacements in test cricket, bans use of saliva to shine ball
• GRSE delivers fifth ship in Fast Patrol Vessels” series to Indian Coast Guard
• Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle Complex inaugurated at Visakhapatnam
• IAF inducts indigenously developed pod ARPIT to evacuate critical patients from remote areas
• President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, 55, passes away

DAILY CA 12th JUNE 

• World Day Against Child Labour –june 12th
• Centre allots Rs 4,000 cr to states under ”Per Drop More Crop”
• Railways creates new world record by successfully running first Double-Stack Container Train in OHE electrified territory
• Govt constitutes Empowered Group of Secretaries to facilitate investment in country
• Bangladesh launches plasma network for COVID 19 treatment
• To Boost Infrastructure spending, Centre infuses Rs 5,298 cr in IIFCL
• Apple becomes the first US company to hit $1.5 trillion market cap
• Asiatic lion population in Gujarat rises to 674 in five years, up by almost 29%
• UP govt to launch state level sample collection campaign
• Maharashtra renames its environment ministry as ‘Environment and Climate Change Ministry’
• IDBI board approves appointment of Anshuman Sharma as Govt nominee director
• Australian Honour for Indian musician Shobha Sekhar
• The Ramon Magsaysay awards, Asia’s version of Nobel Prize awards cancelled
• Indian-American soil scientist Rattan Lal gets 2020 World Food Prize
• FM Nirmala Sitharaman to chair 40th GST council meeting through video conferencing
• Health-tech startup, Arvi launches contactless thermal scanning kiosks
• Kerala Startup launches mask disposal smart bin & UV light-based disinfection device
• NIRF Ranking 2020: IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore, IIT Delhi top 3 institutes
• India retains 108th spot; no change in Fifa team rankings over Covid-19
• India CWG champion lifter Sanjita Chanu cleared of doping charges
• Television actor Jagesh Mukati passes away
• SAIL director Atul Srivastava passes away
• Writer Jas Waters passes away