Current Affairs 20th & 21st June 2021| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Sickle Cell Awareness Day – Observed on June 19

• World Sickle Cell Awareness Dayis observed every year on June 19 to increase awareness and understanding of the disease and the challenges faced by its patients and their families.
• The World Sickle Cell Day 2021 Themeis ‘Shine the Light on Sickle Cell’.
• Sickle Cell Disease Day is celebrated to raise awareness about its treatment measures and to get effective control over this disease across the world.
• The international awareness dayis observed annually with the goal to increase public knowledge and an understanding of sickle cell disease, and the challenges experienced by patients and their families and caregivers.
• This year the Sickle Cell Society is celebrating 40 years of working in the sickle cell community.
• World Sickle Cell Day is a United Nations recognized day to raise awareness of sickle cell at a national and international level.

World Sauntering Day – Observed on June 19

• World Sauntering Day is celebrated on June 19 every year.
• World Sauntering Day 2021 Themeis “The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk”.
• The purpose is to remind people to slow down and enjoy life as opposed to rushing through it.
• It is also sometimes referred to as International Sauntering Day.
• The word ‘saunter‘ means to walk slowly in a relaxed manner.
• It is quite important to slow down and enjoy the little things that we might miss rushing through life.

World Refugee Day – Observed on June 20

• World Refugee Day is an international day organized every year on 20 June by the United Nations.
• The themeof World Refugee Day 2021 is “Together we heal, learn and shine”.
• World Refugee Dayis observed every year on June 20, by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe.
• It is designed to celebrate and honour refugees from around the world.
• The day was first established on 20 June 2001, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. 
• Each day thousands of families are forced to flee their homes and leave everything behind.
• On this day, the worldstands together to celebrate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees.

World Father’s Day – Observed on 3^rd Sunday of June

• Father’s Dayis commemorated in most parts of the world on the third Sunday of June.
• This year it is being observed on June 20.
• Father’s Dayis a celebration of fathers, honouring fatherhood, paternal bonds and the role fathers play in society.
• The Civil War veteran and single dad who inspired Father’s Day.
• Sonora Smart Dodd sat in the pews of Central Methodist Episcopal Church in Spokane, Wash., on May 9, 1909, as her pastor extolled the virtues of mothers.
• The most common complete formof FATHER is ‘Follower Adviser Teacher Honorable Educated Reminder’.

International Day of Yoga – Observed on June 21

• The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. 
• June 21, 2021, will mark the seventh edition of International Day of Yoga, and the themethis year is, ‘Yoga for well-being’.
• Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice which originated in India.
• It is relevant for our times in a society that is still recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Yoga Dayis celebrated across the globe to highlight the importance of Yoga and how it has been beneficial in keeping the body and mind in sound health.
• Considered as a holistic approach and targeting the different systems of the body and the mind, Yogarenews the mind with confidence.

World Hydrography Day – Observed on June 21

• World Hydrography Dayis celebrated every year on 21 June.
• The World Hydrography Day theme for 2021 is “100 years of international cooperation in hydrography”.
• Hydrography is a branch of applied sciences dealing with measurements of the physical features of water bodies.
• Hydrography is the science that measures and describes the physical features of the navigable portion of the Earth’s surface and adjoining coastal areas.
• Hydrographic surveyors study these bodies of water to see what the “floor” looks like.
• The main objective of this day is to attract people’s attention towards the work of the IHO at the international level

World Music Day – Observed on June 21

• The Fête de la musique, also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June.
• On Music Day the citizens of a city or country are allowed and urged to play music outside in their neighborhoods or in public spaces and parks.
• World Music Dayis celebrated on June 21 every year to honour the musicians and singers for the gift of music, which gives flight to the imagination and life to everything.
• A worldwithout music would have no meaning to many and World Music Day is observed to celebrate the power of this art.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi initiates crash course to train one lakh ‘Covid warriors’

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a custom crash course programme that aims to skill and upskill over one lakh “Covid warriors” across the country.
• Mr Modi urged the people to remain cautious, stressing that the virus is “still amongst us” and the possibility of it mutating is also there.
• He stated that the central government is committed to provide Covid vaccination free to everyone, starting June 21.
• “In the second wave of coronavirus, we saw what kind of challenges the ever-changing form of this virus can bring before us”.

Customised Crash Course programme:

• The ‘Customised Crash Course programme for COVID-19 Frontline workers’ aims to skill and upskill over one lakh “Covid warriors” across the country.
• The training will be imparted to them in six customised job roles namely home care support, basic care support, advanced care support, emergency care support, sample collection support, and medical equipment support.
• The course has been designed as a special programme under the central component of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0, with total financial outlay of Rs.276 crore.

ECI unveiled ‘General Election 2019 India – An Atlas’

• Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Sushil Chandra along with Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Shri Anup Chandra Pandey released ‘General Elections 2019 – An Atlas’ on June 15, 2021.

About the Atlas:

• It has 42 thematic maps and 90 tables depicting various facets of the elections.
• The Atlas brings out salient features such as data of the 23 States and UTs where women voting percentage was more than the male voting percentage; information about the largest & smallest parliamentary constituency in terms of electors, candidates and performance of political parties amongst other parameters.
• The Atlas depicts the electors data in different categories and through various comparison charts like Elector Gender Ratio and electors in different age categories.
• The 2019 General Elections witnessed the lowest gender gap in the history of Indian elections.
• The Atlas also compares the average number of electors per polling station in different states during 2014 & 2019 General Elections.
• The Election Commission of India set up over 10 lakh polling stations in General Elections 2019 with the lowest number of electors per polling station (365) in Arunachal Pradesh.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

National Ayush Mission to organize 12-hour virtual Yoga Session ‘Yogathon’ in Kerala

• Kerala will celebrate International Day of Yoga virtually by organizing various events.
• National Ayush Mission will organize a 12-hour virtual Yoga Session ‘Yogathon’ in the state.
• Quiz competitions and essay competitions on the theme Yoga will also be organized for school students.
• The mission also plans to broadcast yoga classes for children in collaboration with the Victer’s Channel run by Kerala General Education Department.
• The Field Outreach Bureau under the ministry of information and broadcasting will also organize webinars and virtual Yoga sessions in connection with the International Yoga Day.

About Kerala:

• Kerala, a state on India’s tropical Malabar Coast, has nearly 600km of Arabian Sea shoreline.
• Inland are the Western Ghats, mountains whose slopes support tea, coffee and spice plantations as well as wildlife.
• National parks like Eravikulam and Periyar, plus Wayanad and other sanctuaries, are home to elephants, langur monkeys and tigers.
• Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
• Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
• Chief minister: Pinarayi Vijayan

Tamilnadu CM launches Minnagam consumer grievance redressal centre in Chennai

• Tamilnadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin inaugurated Minnagam, a consumer grievance redressal centre in Chennai.
• The State Government said that consumers of electricity in the State can report their grievances to the Centre through mobile phones.
• The Chief Minister also launched an exclusive customer care mobile number 9498794987 through which the consumers can make their complaints and clarify their doubts about the electricity bills.
• The centre will be functional 24 hours, to handle complaints.
• All the complaints would be passed on to the related executive engineers in the districts.
• Action taken on every complaint would be d in the Social media.
• It may be noted that the State has over three crore ten lakh consumers of electricity.

About TamilNadu:

• Tamil Nadu, a South Indian state, is famed for its Dravidian-style Hindu temples.
• In Madurai, Meenakshi Amman Temple has high ‘gopuram’ towers ornamented with colourful figures. On Pamban Island, Ramanathaswamy Temple is a pilgrimage site.
• The town of Kanyakumari, at India’s southernmost tip, is the site of ritual sunrises. Capital Chennai is known for beaches and landmarks including 1644 colonial Fort St. George.
• Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
• Chief minister: K. Stalin
• Capital: Chennai

Bihar CM launches 2 schemes for Youth & Women

• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched two ambitious schemes christened as the ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Udyaymi Yojna’ and the ‘Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyami Yojna’ to promote entrepreneurship among youth and women of all sections under the state’s ‘Mukhaya Mantri Udyami Yojna’ scheme.
• The schemeswere promised by the chief minister during the 2020 Bihar elections in a bid to counter the RJD’s poll plank on unemployment.

‘Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyami Yojana (MMUY):

• In this scheme, an unemployed woman will be provided an amount of Rs 10 lakh to start a new business or small industry.
• 10 Lakh, Rs.5 Lakh will be a subsidy amount that does not need to be returned to the woman, while the remaining Rs.5 Lakh will be an interest free loan.
• The amount can be refunded in several installments over the next 7 years after the start of the new venture.

‘Mukhaya Mantri Yuva Udyami Yojana (MYUY):

• In this scheme, unemployed youth will be provided an amount of Rs 10 lakh to start a new enterprise or industry.
• 10 Lakh, Rs.5 Lakh will be the subsidy amount (which they don’t need to refund), the balance Rs.5 Lakh will be the loan simple interest of 1% to be refunded in several installments.

About Bihar:

• Bihar is a state in East India, bordering Nepal.
• It is divided by the River Ganges, which floods its fertile plains.
• Important Buddhist pilgrimage sites include the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya’s Mahabodhi Temple, under which the Buddha allegedly meditated.
• Capital: Patna
• Governor: Phagu Chauhan
• Chief minister: Nitish Kumar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

IDFC First Bank Launched COVID-19 Relief program – ‘Ghar Ghar Ration’

• IDFC FIRST Bank has announced the launch of “Ghar Ghar Ration” Program, an Employee-funded program for its low-income customers whose livelihoods are affected by COVID-19.
• The Bank also announced a comprehensive program for the families of employees who unfortunately lost their lives due to COVID-19, and a number of other social response initiatives aimed at controlling the spread of the virus.

‘Ghar Ghar Ration’ Program:

• “Ghar Ghar Ration” is a unique program where employees have contributed from their personal income to set up a Customer COVID Care Fund to provide relief to 50,000 COVID affected low-income IDFC FIRST Bank customers.
• Employees of the Bank contributed one day to one month’s salary for the purpose.
• The program involves supply of ration kits to such 50,000 low-income customers whose livelihood have been impacted by the pandemic.
• Employees are procuring ration kits comprising 10 kg rice/flour, 2 kg dal (lentils), 1 kg sugar and salt, 1 kg cooking oil, 5 packets of assorted spices, tea and biscuits and other essentials needed to support a small family for about a month.

Employee COVID Care scheme 2021: 

• The Bank has also launched a comprehensive Employee COVID Care Scheme 2021 to support the families of employees who have lost their lives due to COVID-19, with retrospective effect from the start of the pandemic.
• Group Term Life of 4 times Total Fixed Pay or Rs. 30 lakh, whichever is higher
• Salary credits to continue for nominee for 2 years
• Home loan waiver limit at Rs. 25 lakh for any casualty before June 30, 2021.
• Extension of Mediclaim insurance of employee’s family for 24 months
• Scholarship up to Rs. 10,000 monthly to 2 children till graduation
• Employment to Spouse on merit
• Skill Training entitlement of Rs. 2 Lakh for spouse who don’t avail of the employment opportunity or are not eligible
• Funeral expense up to INR 30,000
• Relocation Assistance to family of Rs. 50,000
• Pro-rata Bonus Payout for period served this year
• Personalized Financial Advisory for affected family
• Salary Advance up to Rs. 3 Lakh at 0% ROI for 24 months for employees to meet unexpected expenses in case someone in their family is infected.

IndusInd Bank introduces “Indus Easy Credit” – a digital lending platform 

• IndusInd Bank announced the launch of ‘Indus Easy Credit’, a comprehensive digital lending platform that enables customers to meet their financial requirements from the comfort of their homes.

‘Indus Easy Credit’ platform:

• With this, both existing as well as non-IndusInd Bank customers can instantly avail personal loans or credit cards on a single platform in a completely paperless and digital manner.
• ‘IndusEasyCredit’ offers a fully digital end to end process that leverages the power of India’s public digital infrastructure – ‘India Stack’ to offer personal loans and credit cards in a paperless, presence less and cashless manner. 
• The stack leverages more than 35 interfaces to digitally verify KYC and employment information as well as analyse bank statements.

About IndusInd Bank:

• IndusInd Bank Limited is a new-generation Indian bank.
• The bank offers commercial, transactional and electronic banking products and services.
• IndusInd Bank was inaugurated in April 1994 by then Union Finance Minister Manmohan Singh.
• CEO: Sumant Kathpalia
• Headquarters: Pune

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Vijay Deshwal appointed as Magma Fincorp Group CEO

• Vijay Deshwal has joined Poonawalla group acquired Magma Fincorp Ltd, as its Group
• In his new role, he would be responsible for the Lending and Housing Finance business along with its Insurance business. 
• He will be based out of the Pune corporate office.
• Vijay Deshwal, a post-graduate from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) is a seasoned banker with a track record of two decades.
• His experience spans across segments of banking, corporate finance, international business, and operations.
• He has an enviable track record of growing businesses with an overall approach of customer centricity and profitability.

About Magma Fincorp:

• Magma Fincorp Limited is a Mumbai based non-banking financial company registered with the Reserve Bank of India as an Asset Finance Company with a registered office in Kolkata.
• The company operates more than 295 branches in 22 states and a union territory and has a strong presence in rural and semi-rural India.
• Headquarters: West Bengal

Senior psychiatrist Pratima Murthy named as director of NIMHANS for five years

• Dr Pratima Murthy, head of Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru has been appointed as Director of the Institute for a period of five years.
• She will retire in March 2026.
• Dr Murthy was awarded the WHO Regional Director’s Special Recognition Award on ‘World No Tobacco Day 2021’ last month.
• She has been appointed by NIMHANS on the approval of the central government as the full-term director of the institute of national importance after Prof and Head of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Dr Padma Srivastava could not assume the top office due to some technical reasons.

About NIMHANS:

• The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences is a medical institution in Bengaluru, India.
• NIMHANS is the apex centre for mental health and neuroscience education in the country.
• It is an Institute of National Importance that operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

‘The Art of Life’ won “Outstanding Achievement Award” at Singapore film fest  

• The Journey of the Hindi Film “The Art of Life” written and Directed by Santosh Panda has been eventful.
• After being rewarded in more than 20 International Films in different categories including Best Film on many occasions, the film has added one more International laurel to it’s credit.
• The Film has been rewarded with an Outstanding Achievement Award at World Film Carnival at Singapore recently.
• The film based on sand art also highlights the Culture, Tourism and Disaster Management by Odisha.

About Singapore film fest:

• The Singapore International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Singapore and is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia.
• Awards: Silver Screen Awards
• Founded: 1987

Gandhi documentary bags top award at New York Indian Film Festival

• A documentary on Mahatma Gandhi produced by internationally-renowned South African filmmaker Anant Singh has won the Best Documentary Feature Award at the 21st New York Indian Film Festival. 
• The film, titled ‘Ahimsa – Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless’, written and directed by Ramesh Sharma, was produced by Singh’s company Videovision to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth in 2019.
• These include Gandhi’s granddaughter Ila Gandhi and her grandsons Arun Gandhi and Rajmohan Gandhi living in America.
• The song ‘Ahimsa’ in this film is sung by U2 and AR Rahman and lyrics are penned by Bono and Rahman.

About New York Indian Film Festival:

• The New York Indian Film Festival is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers.
• The festival began in November 2001 and was founded by Aroon Shivdasani and the Indo-American Arts Council.

Indian Navy’s Sahyadri awarded as ‘best ship’ title at Fleet Awards

• Indian Navy organized the Fleet Award Function (FAF)at Visakhapatnam this year to mark the successful performance of the Operational Cycle of the Eastern Fleet.
• FAF 2020 was hosted by Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, NM Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, and the Chief Guest for the event was Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC).
• The Fleet Award Function is held every year to mark the resilience and perseverance of Indian Navy personnel appointed onboard ships of ‘Poorvi Beda’ or colloquially called the ‘Sword Arm’ of ENC.
• At the event, the Fleet Operations Officer presented the Annual Report of activities and achievements of the Fleet for 01 Apr 19 to 31 Mar 20.
• The occasion was a commendable affirmation of the ships which under the Operation ‘Samudra Setu’ successfully rescued Indian Diaspora from nations across the world at an unprecedented scale in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

About INS Sahyadri:

• INS Sahyadri is a Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigate built for the Indian Navy.
• This class features improved stealth and land attack capabilities over the preceding Talwar-class frigates.
• Launched: 27 May 2005
• Commissioned: 21 July 2012

About Indian Navy:

• The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces.
• The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy.
• The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy.
• Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS): Vice Admiral  Ashok Kumar,AVSM, VSM
• Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS): Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh, AVSM, NM
• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Karambir Singh, PVSM, AVSM
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind

LTI honoured as Snowflake Global Innovation Partner of the Year

• Larsen & Toubro Infotecha global technology consulting and digital solutions company has been recognized as the Global Innovation Partner of the Year by Snowflake, the Data Cloud Company.
• LTI received this prestigious recognition during Snowflake Virtual Partner Summit held on June 16, 2021.

About the Award:

• The award represents a key milestone for the strategic partnership between LTI and Snowflake and will strengthen collaboration between the companies to empower enterprises with innovative solutions and services.
• With its automation-first approach, LTI’s unique Canvas PolarSledplatform provides speed, performance, and risk reduction to Snowflake customers.

The platform offers:

• Technology strategy and consulting to help define Snowflake migration and data strategy.
• Automation-led implementation toolkit powered by ML-based tools.
• Governance toolkit to help sustain and optimize Snowflake cloud data platform.

About Larsen & Toubro Infotech:

• Larsen & Toubro Infotech Limited is an Indian global Information technology solutions and services company based in Mumbai, India.
• In 2017, NASSCOM ranked LTI as the sixth-largest Indian IT services company in terms of export revenues.
• LTI is a global technology consulting and digital solutions Company helping more than 400 clients succeed in a converging world.
• With operations in 31 countries, we go the extra mile for our clients and accelerate their digital transformation with LTI’s Mosaic platform enabling their mobile, social, analytics, IoT and cloud journeys.
• CEO: Sanjay Jalona

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

India signed MOU with Bhutan 

• India and Bhutan inked an MoU for developing cooperation between two countries in the area of environment. 
• The MoU was signed virtually by Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar from the Indian side and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairperson of the National Environment Commission Lyonpo Dr. Tandi Dorji from the Bhutanese side.
• Shri Javadekar stated, the MoU will open new vistas of bilateral cooperation in the area of climate change, waste management etc and Describing the relationship between the two countries as symbolic, he said, India wants to engage with Bhutan on environmental related issues including climate change.
• The MoU is a platform to further enhance Indian and Bhutanese partnership and support, and exchange best practices in areas like prevention of Air Pollution, Waste Management, Chemical Management, Climate Change, etc.

About Bhutan:

• Bhutan, a Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ eastern edge, is known for its monasteries, fortresses (or dzongs) and dramatic landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys.
• In the High Himalayas, peaks such as 7,326m Jomolhari are popular trekking destinations.
• Paro Taktsang monastery (also known as Tiger’s Nest) clings to cliffs above the forested Paro Valley.
• Capital: Thimphu
• Prime minister: Lotay Tshering
• Currency: Bhutan Ngultrum

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

New Way of Imaging Through Fog Developed by Indo-French Researchers

• A workforce of Indo-French researchers has developed a brand new imaging technique to make clear images of objects in foggy weather conditions.

Researchers Team :

1. Raman Analysis Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru
2. Isro’’s Area Software Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad
3. Université Paris-Saclay
4. CNRS, France

• The work was partially funded by the Division of Science and Know-how (DST) and the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Superior Analysis.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

IMD’s World Competitiveness Index : Switzerland tops & India retains 43rd rank

• India maintained 43rd rank on an annual World Competitiveness Index compiled by the Institute for Management Development (IMD).
• World Competitiveness Rankings List comprises a total of 64 nations.

Rank	Country
1	Switzerland
2	Sweden
3	Denmark
4	Netherlands
5	Singapore

The countries were ranked based on four key factors:

1. Economic Performance
2. Government Efficiency
3. Business Efficiency
4. Infrastructure

• The top- Performing Asian Countries are Hong Kong (7th), Taiwan (8th) & China (16th).

Note : 

• Taiwan entered the top 10 rankings for the first time since the ranking began 33 years ago.

BRICS Nations Ranking :

1. China (16th)
2. India (43rd)
3. Russia (45th
4. Brazil (57th)
5. South Africa (62nd)

About World Competitiveness Index  :

• The report notes that qualities such as investment in innovation, digitalisation, welfare benefits and leadership, resulting in social cohesion have helped countries better weather the crisis and thus ranked higher in competitiveness.

2021 Global Peace Index released by the Institute for Economics and Peace

• On June 17, 2021, Institute for Economics and Peace released the 15th edition of the Global Peace Index.
• This index presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies.
• Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world & Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the fourth consecutive year.
• New Zealand, Denmark, Portugal, and Slovenia ranked 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Positions.
• India ranked 135th most peaceful country in the world.
• In South Asia Bhutan ranked as the most peaceful nation followed by Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
• In Global Peace Index 2021 for South Asia, India and Pakistan have been placed on the 5th and 6th positions respectively.

About Global Peace Index :

• GPI measures the peacefulness of 163 countries and territories, covering 99.7 percent of the world’s population.
• It comprises 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources.
• These indicators are grouped into three key domains: ongoing conflict, safety and security, and militarization.

About Institute for Economics and Peace :

• Headquarters location: Sydney, Australia
• Founded: 2008

India ranked 2nd in share of central bank surplus transfers              

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was second in terms of reserves transferred to the government as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) for the fiscal year 2020-21.
• Turkey has been ranked first followed by India.
• Recently, RBI has transferred Rs 99,122-crore surplus to the government for FY21 which is 73% higher than the Rs 57,128 crore paid out in 2019-20.
• The surplus transferred by RBI constitutes 0.44% of GDP, while that of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey constitutes 0.5% of GDP.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Indian Sporting icon Milkha Singh passes away 

• On June 18, 2021, Indian sprint legend Milkha Singh passed away.
• He was 91.

About Milkha Singh :

• Singh, born in Gobindpura in present day Pakistan.
• Popularly he is referred to as the ‘Flying Sikh’.
• He was the first Indian track and field athlete to win gold in the then British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in 1958.
• At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Milkha became the first Indian to reach the final of a track and field event.
• He had also won four Asian Games gold medals  200m and 400m in 1958, and 400m & 4x400m relay in 1962.
• He also represented India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1959.

Daily CA On June 19 :

• National Reading Dayis celebrated to honour the father of the ‘Library Movement in Kerala’, the late PN Panicker, whose death anniversary is on June 19.
• On June 19, the United Nations observes International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict to raise awareness about the need to eradicate and put a full stop to conflict-related sexual violence. This year’s themefor the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”.
• The Union Home Ministry has operationalized the national helpline 155260 and reporting platform for preventing financial loss due to cyber fraud.
• The Union Social Justice and Empowerment (SJE) Ministry launched 14 cross disability early intervention centres throughout the nation to offer assistance to infants and younger youngsters prone to or with disabilities.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $250 million policy-based loan to the Government of Bangladesh to help finance reforms aimed at improving the inclusiveness and responsiveness of the country’s social development and resilience program.
• Japan stated it will make a vaccine passportavailable from next month for Japanese travellers, as governments around the world experiment with ways to relaunch tourism and business trips.
• Punjab Sports and Youth Services Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi launched a special Mobile App “Khedo Punjab” for putting the Sports Department and all the Sports persons of State of Punjab on Digital platform.
• After launching YouTubelessons for college kids of Class IX and X, the state authorities launched e-Pathshala and e-Mulyankan amenities maintaining in thoughts disruption of lessons in the course of the ongoing pandemic.
• Digital payments company PhonePe has launched India’s first Wallet Auto Top-up feature using UPI e-mandates for its customers.
• Premium smartphone brand OnePlus stated it has named cricketer Jasprit Bumrah as the brand ambassador for its wearables category.
• “Aashish Chandorkar, a private person, is appointed to the post of Councillor, Permanent Mission of India (PMI), World Trade Organisation (WTO), Geneva (at DS/Director level) for a period of three years,” the department of commerce has stated in an office order.
• Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and distinguished fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), was named as a member of a High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) formed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the face of the dual crisis posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.
• British lawyer Karim Khan was sworn as the new chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, pledging to reach out to nations that are not members of the court in his quest to end impunity for atrocities and to try to hold trials in countries where crimes are committed.
• Indian-American chemist Sumita Mitra has won one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes for her pioneering use of nanotechnology in dentistry to produce stronger and more aesthetically pleasing fillings which are now used by dentists around the world. Mitra won European Inventor Award 2021 in the “Non-EPO countries” category.
• United Nations Global Compact has recognized Sumant Sinha, Chairman& MD of ReNew Power, as one of the ten SDG Pioneers 2021, for his work to advance access to clean and affordable energy.
• This year’s Land for Life Award goes to Familial Forestry of Rajasthan, India, a unique concept of Shyam Sunder Jyani, Associate Professor for Sociology at in Rajasthan that relates a tree with a family, making it a green “family member.”
• The Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIMN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) for generating industry-oriented knowledge in transport management and boosting work capacity.
• On June 17, 2021, The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposed acquisition of a stake in Magma HDI General Insurance Company by two entities, Under the transaction, India Advantage Fund S4 I & Dynamic India Fund S4 US I, and NHPEA Trisul Holding B.V.
• Polar-Areas Stellar-Imaging in Polarisation High-Accuracy Experiment (PASIPHAE) is an international collaborative sky surveying project.
• India’s Neeraj Chopra won the javelin gold medal in the Meeting Cidade de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal.
• Mahavir Chakra (MVC) recipient, Brig Raghubir Singh Rajawat, Passed away.
• Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s founding president and a champion of African nationalism Passed away.

Daily CA On June 20 & 21 :

• World Sickle Cell Awareness Dayis observed every year on June 19 to increase awareness and understanding of the disease and the challenges faced by its patients and their families. The World Sickle Cell Day 2021 Theme is ‘Shine the Light on Sickle Cell’.
• World Sauntering Day is celebrated on June 19 every year. World Sauntering Day 2021 Themeis “The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk”.
• World Refugee Day is an international day organized every year on 20 June by the United Nations. The themeof World Refugee Day 2021 is “Together we heal, learn and shine”.
• Father’s Dayis commemorated in most parts of the world on the third Sunday of June. This year it is being observed on June 20.
• The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. 
• World Hydrography Dayis celebrated every year on 21 June. The World Hydrography Day theme for 2021 is “100 years of international cooperation in hydrography”.
• The Fête de la musique, also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June.
• The summer solstice, Observed on June 21. It is also known as festival solstice or midsummer, occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a custom crash course programme that aims to skill and upskill over one lakh “Covid warriors” across the country.
• Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Sushil Chandra along with Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Shri Anup Chandra Pandey released ‘General Elections 2019 – An Atlas’ on June 15, 2021.
• Kerala will celebrate International Day of Yoga virtually by organizing various events. National Ayush Mission will organize a 12-hour virtual Yoga Session ‘Yogathon’ in the state. Quiz competitions and essay competitions on the theme Yoga will also be organized for school students.
• Tamilnadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin inaugurated Minnagam, a consumer grievance redressal centre in Chennai.
• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched two ambitious schemes christened as the ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Udyaymi Yojna’ and the ‘Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyami Yojna’ to promote entrepreneurship among youth and women of all sections under the state’s ‘Mukhaya Mantri Udyami Yojna’ scheme.
• IDFC FIRST Bank has announced the launch of “Ghar Ghar Ration” Program, an Employee-funded program for its low-income customers whose livelihoods are affected by COVID-19.
• IndusInd Bank announced the launch of ‘Indus Easy Credit’, a comprehensive digital lending platform that enables customers to meet their financial requirements from the comfort of their homes.
• Vijay Deshwal has joined Poonawalla group acquired Magma Fincorp Ltd, as its Group
• Dr Pratima Murthy, head of Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru has been appointed as Director of the Institute for a period of five years.
• ‘The Art of Life’ won “Outstanding Achievement Award” at Singapore film fest
• A documentary on Mahatma Gandhi produced by internationally-renowned South African filmmaker Anant Singh has won the Best Documentary Feature Award at the 21st New York Indian Film Festival. 
• Indian Navy organized the Fleet Award Function (FAF)at Visakhapatnam this year to mark the successful performance of the Operational Cycle of the Eastern Fleet.
• Larsen & Toubro Infotecha global technology consulting and digital solutions company has been recognized as the Global Innovation Partner of the Year by Snowflake, the Data Cloud Company. LTI received this prestigious recognition during Snowflake Virtual Partner Summit held on June 16, 2021.
• India and Bhutan inked an MoU for developing cooperation between two countries in the area of environment. 
• A workforce of Indo-French researchers has developed a brand new imaging technique to make clear images of objects in foggy weather conditions.
• India maintained 43rd rank on an annual World Competitiveness Index compiled by the Institute for Management Development (IMD).
• On June 17, 2021, Institute for Economics and Peace released the 15th edition of the Global Peace Index. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world & Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the fourth consecutive year.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was second in terms of reserves transferred to the government as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) for the fiscal year 2020-21. Turkey has been ranked first followed by India.
• On June 18, 2021, Indian sprint legend Milkha Singh passed away.