Current Affairs 01st June 2021| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

Global Parents Day – Observed on June 01

• A day to appreciate parents across the world, Global Parents Day or Parents Day, is an excellent opportunity for children and parents to celebrate the unique bond.
• “Appreciate all parents throughout the world” is the theme of global parents’ day 2021.
• The Global Day of Parents is observed on the 1st of June every year.
• The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2012.

World Milk Day – Observed on June 01

• World Milk Day is an international day established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food.
• It has been observed on June 1 each year since 2001.
• The theme and focus of World Milk Day 2021 is: “Sustainability in the dairy sector” with messages on nutrition.
• India is one of the largest producers of milk in the world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduces Horticulture Cluster Development Programme

• In a pilot phase, the programme will be implemented in 12 horticulture clusters out of the total 53 clusters selected for the programme.
• A central sector programme implemented by the National Horticulture Board (NHB) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, CDP aims at growing and developing identified horticulture clusters to make them globally competitive.
• Tomar, in his speech, highlighted that the programme will address all major issues related to the Indian horticulture sector including pre-production, production, post-harvest management, logistics, marketing and branding.

IIT-Ropar launched AmbiTAG, India’s first indigenous temperature data logger 

• Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar (IIT Ropar) in Punjab has developed a first-of-its-kind IoT device – AmbiTag that records real-time ambient temperature during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines and even body organs and blood.
• That recorded temperature further helps to know whether that particular item transported from anywhere in the world is still usable or perished because of temperature variation.
• This information is particularly critical for vaccines including Covid-19 vaccine, organs and blood transportation.

NCPCR devises ‘Bal Swaraj’ for children affected due to COVID-19

• In view of the growing problem related to children affected by COVID-19, The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development stated the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has devised an online tracking portal “Bal Swaraj (COVID-Care link)” for children in need of care and protection.
• The portal has been created with the purpose of tracking and monitoring children who need care and protection in real-time, digitally.
• The portal will also be used to track children who have lost both their parents during COVID-19.
• The “COVID-Care” link on the portal has been provided for the concerned officer or department to upload the data of such children.

Agri Services E-Marketplace Launches CSC SPV

• Aimed at empowering small and marginal farmers, who constitute 86 per cent of India’s farming community, the Common Services Centres (CSC) has unveiled a unique Agri Services Portal that will act as a one-stop destination and marketplace for them.
• The portal will enable small and marginal farmers, who do not have easy access to the digital world, to avail essential agri services with ease and at an affordable cost.
• CSC CEO Sanjay Rakesh stated, “Newly launched portal can be accessed by farmers with support from local CSCs for buying agri-input products, renting and hiring of agriculture implements and machinery, soil testing, sale of farm produce, tele-consultations, loan and insurance facility”.
• The CSC, a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, plans to reach out to 6,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), one in each block of the country, this year.

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya initiates floating jetty at Old Goa

• Union Minister of State (I/C) for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Shri Mansukh Mandaviya in the presence of Chief Minister of Goa Shri Pramod Sawant inaugurated the second floating jetty at Old Goa virtually on the occasion of Goa statehood day.
• Shri Mandaviya expressed hope that the floating jetty at Old Goa will prove a game changer for the tourism sector of Goa.
• He also announced that Panjim and Old Goa will be connected by ferry and cruise services.
• The Minister stated the jetty will offer safe, hassle free transportation to the tourists.
• The Minister lauded the work done by Government of Goa in making tourism sector a growth engine of the state.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Mali court appoints Assimi Goita as interim president

• Mali’s constitutional court declared Assimi Goita, the colonel who led a military coup while serving as vice president, to be the new interim president.
• Colonel Assimi Goita is a Malian military officer and the leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, a military junta that seized power from former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in the 2020 Malian coup.

About Mali:

• Capital: Bamako
• Currency: West African CFA franc

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Punjab govt launched “Udaan Scheme” to provide sanitary pads 

• Punjab Social Security Minister Aruna Chaudhary launched the women-empowerment oriented ‘Udaan Scheme’ on the occasion of International Menstrual Hygiene Day, under which sanitary pads of Rs 40.55 crore would be distributed free of cost annually to needy women and girls.
• Chaudhary stated the main objective of the scheme is to protect women and girls from menstrual hygiene related diseases and spread awareness about menstrual hygiene.
• At the launch ceremony, a total of one lakh packets of sanitary pads were distributed at all 1,500 online locations as well as at anganwadi centres in the state.

About Punjab:

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Governor:  P. Singh Badnore
• Chief minister: Captain Amarinder Singh

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS      

Moody’s predicts India GDP growth at 9.3 per cent in FY22

• Moody’s Investors Service pegged India’s GDP growth at 3 per cent in the current fiscal ending March 2022 and 7.9 per cent in FY23.
• “The reimposition of lockdown measures along with behavioural changes on fear of contagion will curb economic activity, but we do not expect the impact to be as severe as during the first wave.
• “We expect a decline in economic activity in the April-June quarter, followed by a rebound, resulting in real, inflation-adjusted GDP growth of 9.3 per cent in the fiscal year ending March 2022 and 9 per cent in fiscal 2022-23”.
• India’s economy contracted by 3 per cent in fiscal 2020-21.

About Moody:

• Moody’s Investors Service, often referred to as Moody’s, is the bond credit rating business of Moody’s Corporation, representing the company’s traditional line of business and its historical name.
• Moody’s Investors Service provides international financial research on bonds issued by commercial and government entities.
• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
• CEO: Raymond W. McDaniel Jr.

ZebPay introduced india’s first crypto based lending platform

• One of the oldest crypto companies in India, ZebPay, launched a new lending platform for crypto asset exchange.
• ZebPaywill offer both open and fixed-term lending using the platform.
• Only Bitcoin , Ethereum, Tether and Dai tokens will be accepted at first.
• The company says that the platform is a “first of its kind” crypto lending model in India and will allow users to lend their cryptocurrency to ZebPay, earning interest on the same.
• The company stated “The ZebPay Lending Platform generates returns on users’ crypto investments if they lend select cryptos thus, providing an opportunity to earn a passive income by adding on to the returns gained from rise in crypto prices”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Omnivore appointed former NABARD Chairman as senior advisor

• Former chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Dr Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, has joined Omnivore, an agritech venture capital firm,  Senior Advisor.
• As a Senior Advisor, Bhanwala will mentor Omnivore’s portfolio companies, advise on new investments, and help develop the fund’s rural fintech investment strategy.
• Bhanwala was NABARD chairman from 2013 to 2020.
• As head of NABARD, the Indian government’s apex development bank, he oversaw all aspects of agricultural credit and the supervision of regional rural banks and cooperative banks.

Adar Poonawalla appointed as Chairman of Magma Fincorp

• Magma Fincorp Ltd announced a series of leadership changes, including appointment of Adar Poonawalla as the chairman of the company.
• The non-banking finance company’s (NBFC’s) board also appointed Abhay Bhutada as its managing director.
• The new appointments come following Poonawalla-led Rising Sun Holdings’ acquisition of controlling stake in Magma Fincorp through an equity infusion of Rs 3,456 crore earlier this month.
• Poonawalla is also the chief executive officer of Pune-based Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.
• Vijay Deshwal, currently working at private sector lender ICICI Bank, as its business head, will take charge as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Magma Fincorp in July.

JB Mohapatra appointed as interim Chairman of CBDT

• The Centre appointed J.B. Mohapatra was the interim chief of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for three months.
• CBDT chairman P.C. Mody’s extended tenure ended on May 31 and in his place Mr. Mohapatra, who was made a member of the apex policy-making body of income tax only last week, has been asked to officiate as the chairman for three months or till the appointment of the regular chairman.
• Mody was given a three-month extension in February, effective from March to May 31.

Canara Bank appointed S K Majumdar as CFO

• State-owned Canara Bank has appointed S K Majumdar as its chief financial officer (CFO) with immediate effect.
• Canara Bank stated ‘S K Majumdar, general manager of the bank has been designated as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the bank with immediate effect from May 31, 2021 in place of V Ramachandra, chief general manager.
• Majumdar, 52, is a chartered accountant and cost accountant by qualification.
• He has over 21 years’ experience in banking in various capacities and departments.
• He has been associated with the bank since January 2000.

Alapan Bandyopadhyay take charge as chief advisor to CM Mamata Banerjee

• In a major turn of events in the ongoing tussle between the Centre and Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government over the repatriation of Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informed that Bandyopadhyay has retired and the Bengal government has appointed him as chief advisor to the CM for the next three years.
• Notably, the Centre had first given Bandyopadhyay a three-month extension on the Bengal government’s request.

About West Bengal:

• Capital: Kolkata
• Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar
• Chief minister: Mamata Banerjee

Rear Admiral IB Uthaiah, VSM take oath as Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam

• Rear Admiral IB Uthaiah, VSM took over as the Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam from RearAdmiral Sreekumar Nair, NM during a formal ceremony held on 31 May 21.
• Rear Admiral IB Uthaiah, VSM was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Nov 1987.
• The Admiral holds a B Tech Degree in Marine Engineering, an M Tech Degree in Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation and an M Phil Degree in Strategic Studies.
• In his 33 years of service, the Admiral has served the Indian Navy in various capacities, with appointments at the Warship Design Directorate, Training Academies, Naval Dockyard and at the Command and Naval Headquarters.

Nagaraj Adiga Elected IAU Council as Asia & Oceania Representative

• India’s Nagraj Adiga has been elected as the Asia-Oceania Representative at the recently concluded 2021 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Congress at which the IAU council elections were held.
• The pandemic caused the congress to be virtual and elections were held online from the 22 May 2021
• For the Asia-Oceania representative, voting was held over a 24-hour period where a total of ten countries from Asia and Oceania region casted their online vote.
• Adiga, who was nominated for elections by the Athletics Federation of India, got elected by a margin of 7-3 against South Korea’s Gilsoo Park.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Lost Children Archive By Valeria Luiselli bags 2021 Dublin Literary Award

• Mexican author Valeria Luiselli has won the 2021 DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, for her novel Lost Children Archive (published by 4th Estate (Harper Collins) in the UK and Vintage Books (Alfred A. Knopf) in the USA.
• With prize money of €100,000, the Award is the world’s largest prize for a single novel published in English.
• Valeria Luiselli is the first writer from Mexico and the fifth woman to claim the prestigious award in its 26 year history.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt bags UAE’s Golden Visa

• Bollywood actor Sanjay Duttwas thrilled to receive a golden visa for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• The 61-year-old actor mentioned that he was honoured to receive the prestigious visa “in the presence of Major General Mohammed Al Marri, Director General of General Directorate of Residencyand Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) – Dubai”.
• The UAE government has introduced the Golden Visa initiative for long-term residents to encourage foreigners to work, live, study and conduct business in the country without requiring national sponsors.
• Through this initiative, foreign investors and businessmen get complete ownership of their businesses in the country.
• These golden visas are issued for five or 10 years, which automatically get renewed.

Notion Press authors Nitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind bags International Business Book of the Year Award 2021

• The authors made history by winning the prestigious International Business Book of the Year Award for 2021 for their recently launched book Transformation in Times of Crisis, published by Notion Press.
• The Business Book Awards is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the calendar for business book writers all over the world.

About Nitin Rakesh 

• Nitin Rakesh, a distinguished leader in Technology and Financial services industries, has been CEO of Mphasis, a leading global software services firm, since 2017.
• His career spans over two decades leading large transnational operations and delivering transformative digital solutions to Fortune 500 companies.
• He won the Gold Stevie for Tech Innovator of the Year – Services at the 2019 American Business Awards & International Business Awards.

About Jerry Wind 

• Jerry Wind, an internationally renowned academician, is currently Lauder Professor Emeritus and Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
• His pioneering research on organizational buying behavior, market segmentation, conjoint analysis, and marketing strategy has made him one of the most cited authors in marketing.
• He was a 2017 inductee into the Marketing Hall of Fame.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

PJTSAU signs MoU with Wadhwani Institute 

• To empower farmers with advance information about the possible pink bollworm infestation in cotton fields so that they could take preventive and control measures, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Learning, Mumbai, for providing AI-based interventions.
• The Agriculture Department, Krishi Vignan Kedras of the Agriculture University, Information Technology department and Wadhwani Institute would participate in the project.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

NSA Ajit Doval commissions Indian Coast Guard’s offshore Patrol Vessel Sajag

• On May 29, 2021, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ‘Sajag’ was commissioned by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
• It has been constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited.
• Sajag is the third in a series of five offshore patrol vessels indigenously designed.
• The ship is fitted with advanced technology equipment, weapons and sensors capable of carrying a twin engine helicopter and four high speed boats.

Note :

• Defence Secretary : Dr Ajay Kumar
• Indian Coast Guard Director : General K Natarajan
• CMD Goa shipyard Cmde : BB Nagpal

About Indian Coast Guard :

• Comes Under Ministry of Defence
• Director General: Krishnaswamy Natarajan
• Additional Director General: D. Chafekar
• Founded: 1 February 1977

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Artificial Synaptic Network that Mimics Human Brain Developed by Scientists

• Scientists have fabricated a device that can mimic human brain cognitive actions and is more efficient than conventional techniques in simulating artificial intelligence, thus enhancing the computational speed and power consumption efficiency.
• It has been devised by Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
• It has been recently published in the journal ‘Materials Horizons’.

Aim :

• To develop a synaptic device for neuromorphic applications with a humble fabrication method.
• Artificial synaptic network (ASN) resembling the biological neural network via a simple self-forming method

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

Ravi Shastri’s book Stargazing : The Players in My Life to release 2021                   

• Cricket legend, commentator and one of Team India’s most successful coaches, Ravi Shastri has Penned a book titled ‘Stargazing: The Players in My Life’. 
• The book will be published by HarperCollins India.
• It is expected to be released on June 25, 2021.
• The book is co-authored by Shastri and Ayaz Memon.
• Shastri has written about some 60 extraordinary talents he has met from across the world who have inspired him in the book.

Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020 Authored by Salman Rushdie

• A Book Titled Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020 Authored by Salman Rushdie.
• The book has been published by Random House.

About the Book :

• In this Book , the author talks about his view and imagination of the change in literature and culture, written between 2003 and 2020.

 

Daily CA On May 30 & 31 :

• International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories Observed on May 25 – 31
• World No Tobacco Day(WNTD) is observed around the world every year on 31 May. The 2021 theme and campaign of World No Tobacco Day: “Commit to Quit”.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a number of welfare measures for children who lost their parents to COVID-19, including ensuring a corpus of Rs 10 lakh when they turn 18 and providing for their education.
• The government launched YUVA Prime Minister’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors, an author mentorship programme to train 75 selected young and budding authors (below 30 years of age) with an aim to promote reading and writing.
• The Centre announced some measures to financially help families who lost earning members to the corona virus disease (Covid-19). These measures are meant to help families maintain a good standard of living.
• The GST Council, which is headed by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprises representatives of all states and union territories, exempted levy of I-GST on import of Amphotericin-B, which is used for the treatment of black fungus.
• The Centre issued an advisory for private television channels, asking them to help the government spread awareness about the corona virus disease (Covid-19) pandemic by displaying four national level helpline numbers. The National Helpline of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for Covid related queries is  –  1075, the Child Helpline Number of  Ministry of Women and Child Development is  – 1098.
• Under India’s Chairship, BRICS countries held second Sherpas and Sous Sherpas’ meeting for four days from May 25 to May 28, wherein they discussed the preparations for the upcoming meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers, which is scheduled to be held on June 1.
• Jal Shakti ministry stated that, The Centre has allocated Rs 5,117 crore to Madhya Pradeshunder the Jal Jeevan Mission, a four-fold rise than last year, and released its first tranche of Rs 1,184 crore.
• Chief Minister M.K. Stalin stated that, Children who have lost their parents to COVID-19 will be given 5 lakh in assistance in the form of a fixed deposit, and the sum will be given to them with interest when they turn 18.
• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the Mukhyamantri Sishu Sewa Achoni scheme which will provide relief to children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19.
• The Uttar Pradesh government launched a welfare scheme for children who have either lost both of their parents to COVID-19 or the earning parent.
• The J&K Government has adopted a comprehensive approach, by creating a Special Cell in the Social Welfare Department to identify and track support to these families over time, in the spirit of leaving no one behind. Under the scheme, called ‘Special Assistance Scheme for COVID Mortalities (SASCM)’, cash assistance of Rs 1000 per month shall be provided to the spouse and the eldest member of the family.
• The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has developed a simple and fast method of swab collection and processing for the RT-PCR coronavirus test which could be used in rural and tribal areas.
• Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) will launch Nano Urea in the market next month. 500-ml Nano Urea, which costs 240 rupees, is equivalent to 45kg of normal urea.
• Indian Institute of Management Indore has joined hands with The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), to connect the dots across myriad sectors to understand how they grappled with COVID-19 for forthcoming pandemic preparedness.
• Digital payments provider Paytm is all set to make its market debut as early as this year, with an aim to raise $3 billion (around Rs 22,000 crore).
• The Assam government will implement the “Guardian Ministers” system by allocating each of the 13 ministers two to three districts for supervision of all aspects, including policy decisions and schemes.
• Public sector banks in India have announced various support measures and launch of new loan products to mitigate the impact of Covid pandemic. This will include the unsecured loans of upto 5 lakh rupees to individuals to meet their and family members’ COVID-19 treatment cost.
• Raymond Ltd stated it has appointed Harmohan Sahni as chief executive officer (CEO) of its realty business.
• Former Indian Customs officer, Jagjit Pavadia has been elected as the President of the International Narcotics Control Board (NCB) becoming the first Indian to head this international body based in Vienna.
• The S.Senate confirmed Christine Wormuth, an international security expert and Defense Department aide during the Obama administration, as secretary of the Army. She is the first woman to serve in the role.
• Three Indian peacekeepers, who laid down their lives while serving in UN peacekeeping missions last year, are among 129 military, police and civilian personnel honoured with a prestigious UN medal awarded posthumously for courage and sacrifice in the line of duty.
• Ms Tsang Yin-hung, 45, reached the top of the world’s highest mountain from base camp in 25 hours and 50 minutes. 
• The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved China’s application for naming eight new features on the moon around the landing site of the Chang’e-5 probe.
• The Indian Institute of Technology in Ropar, Punjab has developed a detector called FakeBuster. It is a deep fake detector to identify and prevent imposters from attending video conferencing and manipulating faces on social media.  It has been developed by IIT Ropar in partnership with Australia based Monash University.
• A New book, titled “Savarkar: A contested Legacy (1924-1966), was authored byVikram Sampath. The book is Published by the Penguin Random House India.
• On May 29, 2021, Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League final to win their 2nd title.
• On May 30, 2021, The 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships, Indian pugilist Mary Kom, lost to two-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan, to settle for silver medal.
• On May 29, 2021, Former Vice Chancellor of Anna University and Prominent educationist M. Anandakrishnan Passed away.
• On May 27, 2021, The Conservative Prime Minister of Denmark, Poul Schlüter Passed away.

 

Daily CA On June 01 :

• Global Parents Day Observed on June 01. “Appreciate all parents throughout the world” is the theme of global parents’ day 2021.
• World Milk Day Observed on June 01. It is an international day established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food.
• Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduces Horticulture Cluster Development Programme. It was implemented by the National Horticulture Board (NHB) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare
• Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar (IIT Ropar) in Punjab has developed a first-of-its-kind IoT device – AmbiTag that records real-time ambient temperature during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines and even body organs and blood.
• The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development stated the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has devised an online tracking portal “Bal Swaraj (COVID-Care link)” for children in need of care and protection.
• Aimed at empowering small and marginal farmers, who constitute 86 per cent of India’s farming community, the Common Services Centres (CSC) has unveiled a unique Agri Services Portal that will act as a one-stop destination and marketplace for them.
• Union Minister of State (I/C) for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Shri Mansukh Mandaviya in the presence of Chief Minister of Goa Shri Pramod Sawant inaugurated the second floating jetty at Old Goa virtually on the occasion of Goa statehood day.
• Mali’s constitutional court declared Assimi Goita, the colonel who led a military coup while serving as vice president, to be the new interim president.
• Punjab Social Security Minister Aruna Chaudhary launched the women-empowerment oriented ‘Udaan Scheme’ on the occasion of International Menstrual Hygiene Day, under which sanitary pads of Rs 40.55 crore would be distributed free of cost annually to needy women and girls.
• One of the oldest crypto companies in India, ZebPay, launched a new lending platform for crypto asset exchange. ZebPaywill offer both open and fixed-term lending using the platform.
• Former chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Dr Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, has joined Omnivore, an agritech venture capital firm, Senior Advisor.
• Magma Fincorp Ltd announced a series of leadership changes, including appointment of Adar Poonawalla as the chairman of the company.
• State-owned Canara Bank has appointed S K Majumdar as its chief financial officer (CFO) with immediate effect.
• Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government over the repatriation of Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informed that Bandyopadhyay has retired and the Bengal government has appointed him as chief advisor to the CM for the next three years.
• Rear Admiral IB Uthaiah, VSM took over as the Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam from RearAdmiral Sreekumar Nair, NM during a formal ceremony held on 31 May 21.
• India’s Nagraj Adiga has been elected as the Asia-Oceania Representative at the recently concluded 2021 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Congress at which the IAU council elections were held.
• Mexican author Valeria Luiselli has won the 2021 DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, for her novel Lost Children Archive (published by 4th Estate (Harper Collins) in the UK and Vintage Books (Alfred A. Knopf) in the USA.
• Bollywood actor Sanjay Duttwas thrilled to receive a golden visa for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 61-year-old actor mentioned that he was honoured to receive the prestigious visa “in the presence of Major General Mohammed Al Marri, Director General of General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) – Dubai”.
• The authors made history by winning the prestigious International Business Book of the Year Award for 2021 for their recently launched book Transformation in Times of Crisis, published by Notion Press.
• To empower farmers with advance information about the possible pink bollworm infestation in cotton fields so that they could take preventive and control measures, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Learning, Mumbai, for providing AI-based interventions.
• On May 29, 2021, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ‘Sajag’ was commissioned by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. It has been constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited.
• Scientists have fabricated a device that can mimic human brain cognitive actions and is more efficient than conventional techniques in simulating artificial intelligence, thus enhancing the computational speed and power consumption efficiency.
• Cricket legend, commentator and one of Team India’s most successful coaches, Ravi Shastri has Penned a book titled ‘Stargazing: The Players in My Life’. The book will be published by HarperCollins India.
• A Book Titled Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020 Authored by Salman Rushdie. The book has been published by Random House.