Current Affairs 25th June 2021| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

Day of the Seafarer – Observed on June 25

• 25 June of each year is the “Day of the Seafarer”, recognizing the invaluable contribution seafarers make to international trade and the world economy, often at great personal cost to themselves and their families.
• The theme for 2021 Day of the Seafarer “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future”.
• The theme “seeks to increase the visibility of seafarers by drawing attention to the invaluable role they play now and will continue to play in the future.
• This year the campaign for Day of Seafarer calls for a “fair future for seafarers.”
• The campaign aims to discuss “issues that will still be relevant to seafarers after the pandemic, such as fair treatment of seafarers, fair working conditions, fair training, fair safety, etc”.
• The Day of the Seafarer has now been included in the annual list of United Nations Observances.
• On this day, people pay respect to Seafarers and sailors who help the entire world function by conducting sea transport.

World Vitiligo Day – Observed on June 25

• The World Vitiligo Day, observed on June 25, is an initiative aimed to build global awareness about vitiligo.
• The theme for 2021 is “Embracing Life with Vitiligo”.
• Another key theme for 2021 – “Patients with vitiligo have the same COVID experience as anybody else and should not fear vaccination”.
• Vitiligo occurs in 1-2% of the population worldwide; a loss of color in the skin creating a variety of patterns on the skin from loss of pigment.
• It was established to raise awareness for vitiligo, a disfiguring autoimmune disease that causes white spots on the skin.
• The 25^thof June was selected in remembrance of Michael Jackson, who suffered from vitiligo and died on that day in 2009.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Central Govt employees can claim HBA benefit

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

About House Building Advance:

• The Central Government employees, who wish to construct their own home, can avail the House Building Advance (HBA). 
• The HBA amount for expansion of the house is capped at Rs.10 lakh or 34 months of basic pay or cost of the expansion of the house or amount according to repaying capacity, whichever is the least.
• The total amount that a central government employee can avail of under House Building Advance is up to his or her 34 month basic monthly salary or Rs 25 lakh or cost of the houseor the amount as per the repaying ability of the employee, whichever is lower for new construction or purchase of new house or flat.

Interest calculated in HBA:

• The interest amount is calculated based on the outstanding balance on the last day of the month.
• The interest rate on HBA is between 6% and 9.5%, and is based on the loan amount.
• A higher interest rate is stipulated in the sanctions, at 2.5% above the prescribed rates.

7th pay commission:

• The pay structure is segregated into 18 different pay levelsin the pay matrix.
• The basic salary is calculatedby multiplying it by 2.57 which is in addition to allowances like Dearness Allowance (DA), Traveling Allowance (TA), House Rent Allowance (HRA). For instance, if a person’s basic salary is Rs 18,000, then his salary would be 18,000x 2.57= Rs 46,260 which will be without allowances.
• Level-1 employee with the pay grade of Rs 18,000 and in 7th Pay Commission salary range of Rs 18,000-56,000, gets minimum basic pay of Rs 18,000.

MoTA and NCERT jointly initiates NISHTHA Capacity Building Programme

• MoTA and NCERT join hands for NISHTHA Capacity Building Programme.
• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), recently collaborated on a joint mission for the NISHTHA capacity-building programme for Eklavya school teachers and principals.
• Under the programme, teachers and principals from 120 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) from 3 States (Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh) participated in the first batch of the programme.

About NISHTHA Programme:

• NISHTHA stands for National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement.
• NISHTHA is a capacity-building programme for improving the quality of school education through integrated teacher training.
• It aims to build competencies among all the teachers and school principals at the elementary stage.
• It was launched by the Department of School Education and Literacy as a national mission under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme in 2019-20.
• It is also the world’s largest teachers’ training programme of its kind.

About Eklavya Model Residential Schools:

• Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) is a Central government scheme initiated in 1998-99 for setting up a model residential school from Class VI to XII for imparting quality education to tribal children in their own environment.
• It is a Government of India scheme for model residential school for Indian tribals (ST, Scheduled Tribes) across India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari laid foundation stones of several road projects in Himachal Pradesh

• Union minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundation stones of road projects worth Rs 6,155 crore in Himachal Pradesh through video conferencing from Manali in Kullu district.
• The projects included the 39-km-long Parwanoo-Solan section of the NH-22, constructed at a cost of Rs 1,303 crore.
• On this occasion, Gadkari stated roads are prerequisite for the overall development of any nation.
• Better roads in Himachal Pradesh will go a long way in tourism promotion, he added.
• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur mentioned that the state has a road network of 40,000 kilometres but a lot more needs to be done.

About Himachal Pradesh:

• Himachal Pradesh is a northern Indian state in the Himalayas.
• It’s home to scenic mountain towns and resorts such as Dalhousie.
• Host to the Dalai Lama, Himachal Pradesh has a strong Tibetan presence.
• This is reflected in its Buddhist temples and monasteries, as well as its vibrant Tibetan New Year celebrations.
• The region is also well known for its trekking, climbing and skiing areas.
• Capital: Shimla
• Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya
• Chief minister: Jai Ram Thakur

PM Modi to launch Bengaluru Suburban railway project: Karnataka CM

• Karnataka CM announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would lay the foundation stone for the Bengaluru Suburban Rail project within the next three months.
• Special train from Bengaluru Cantonment station to Heelalige station to inspect two doubling projects and the Suburban Rail Project, the CM stated that the Centre had given the green signal to go in for external borrowings to the tune of Rs 7,400 crore for the Rs 15767 crore project.
• The project is being implemented by K-RIDE (Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Enterprises), a special purpose vehicle jointly set up by the state and Centre.
• Both will share 20 percent each of the project cost and the rest would be through borrowings.

About Karnataka:

• Karnataka is a state in southwest India with Arabian Sea coastlines.
• The capital, Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), is a high-tech hub known for its shopping and nightlife.
• To the southwest, Mysore is home to lavish temples including Mysore Palace, former seat of the region’s maharajas.
• Hampi, once the medieval Vijayanagara empire’s capital, contains ruins of Hindu temples, elephant stables and a stone chariot.
• Capital: Bengaluru
• Governor: Vajubhai Vala
• Chief minister: S. Yediyurappa

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

S&P Global Ratings cut India’s FY 22 GDP Growth Forecast to 9.5% 

• S&P Global Ratings cut India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal to 9.5 percent, from 11 percent earlier, and warned of risk to the outlook from further waves of COVID pandemic.
• The agency lowered the growth outlook, saying that a severe second COVID-19 outbreak in April and May led to lockdowns imposed by states and sharp contraction in economic activity.
• “S&P forecast growth of 9.5 per cent this fiscal year from our March forecast of 11 per cent”.
• Stating that permanent damage to private and public sector balance sheets will constrain growth over the next couple of years, it projected India’s growth at 7.8 per cent in the next fiscal ending March 31, 2023.

About S&P Global Ratings:

• S&P Global Ratings is an American credit rating agency and a division of S&P Global that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities.
• S&P is considered the largest of the Big Three credit-rating agencies, which also include Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings.
• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Founder: Henry Varnum Poor
• President: John L. Berisford

SBI Card and Fabindia jointly launched Co-Branded Contactless Credit Card 

• SBI Card has joined hands with lifestyle retail chain Fabindia by launching contactless co-branded credit cards to cater to the premium segment customers.
• SBI Card mentioned The new co-branded contactless credit card combines the best in class rewards points on retail spends with the value back on varied spending categories, thus addressing overall spending needs of premium cardholders.
• The card is designed with curated benefits and privileges to offer a rewarding shopping experience to its premium customers.
• The card comes in two variants – Fabindia SBI Card SELECT and Fabindia SBI Card.

About SBI Card:

• SBI Cards & Payment Services Ltd., previously known as SBI Cards, is a payment solutions provider in India.
• SBI Card was launched in October 1998 by the State Bank of India, India’s largest bank, and GE Capital.
• In December 2017, State Bank of India and The Carlyle Group. acquired GE Capital`s stake in the Company.
• CEO: Rama Mohan Rao Amara
• Headquarters: Gurugram

About Fabindia:

• Fabindia is an Indian chain store retailing garments, furnishings, fabrics and ethnic products handmade by craftspeople across rural India.
• Fabindia is India’s largest private platform for products that are made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes.
• Productsdisplaying in Green logo are ‘Fully Certified’ Organic.
• All processes, from growing to preparing to packing have been done according to National and International standards, verified by accredited agencies.
• CEO: Viney Singh
• Headquarters: New Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

Kotak Mahindra Bank introduces ‘Pay Your Contact’ service

• Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMBL)has announced the launch of ‘Pay Your Contact’ an innovative feature on KMBL’s mobile banking app that uses the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform and allows customers to send money or make payments to any of their contacts across all payment apps simply by entering the beneficiary’s mobile number.
• With ‘Pay Your Contact’, KMBL customers no longer need to remember or obtain the bank account number or IFSC code or remember UPI IDs to send money or make payments.
• The ‘Pay Your Contact’ feature is interoperable across all payment apps and is available on both Android and iOS.
• “The other key issue that ‘Pay Your Contact’ addresses are that of interoperability.
• Given the immense popularity of UPI in the Indian market, almost every Indian with a bank account has a UPI ID.
• With ‘Pay Your Contact’ customers can now transfer funds easily to any UPI-linked bank account across payment apps with just a mobile number to identify their beneficiary”.

About Kotak Mahindra Bank:

• Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited is an Indian private sector bank headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
• It offers banking products and financial services for corporate and retail customers in the areas of personal finance, investment banking, life insurance, and wealth management.
• CEO: Uday Kotak
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founder: Uday Kotak

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Odisha state govt appointed 41 Honorary Wildlife Wardens 

• The State government appointed 41 Honorary Wildlife Wardens (HWWs) across all the districts as per the provision of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
• They have been appointed for a period of two years till June 2023.
• Wildlife conservationist Aditya Chandra Panda along with Pradeep Kumar Sahoo has been appointed as the HWWs for Angul district.
• Snake Helpline general secretary Subhendu Mallik is the new HWW for Khurda district.
• Apart from Mallik, Speak for Animal founder Kusal Biswas and Jyotirmaya Barik will also serve as HWWs of Khurda.
• Pradipta Kabi, Akshay Kumar Mohanty and Bibekananda Pattnaik have been appointed as the HWWs for Mayurbhanj district, while Sibaram Sahoo and Hrudananda Naik will look into Sambalpur district.
• Suresh Chandra Tripathy will be the HWW for Cuttack, while Bijay Kumar Dash and Surya Narayan Lenka would look into Dhenkanal and Kendrapara respectively.
• The appointments were delayed for around a year as terms of the HWWs appointment in the State had expired in July 2020.

About Honorary Wildlife Wardens:

• The Government of India appoints private citizens as Honorary Wildlife Wardens (HWWs), on the basis of their commitment to the cause of conservation.
• These Wardens liaise with the State’s Forest Departments and contribute their expertise to the government’s conservation efforts.

About Odisha:

• Odisha (formerly Orissa), an eastern Indian state on the Bay of Bengal, is known for its tribal cultures and its many ancient Hindu temples.
• The capital, Bhubaneswar, is home to hundreds of temples, notably the intricately-carved Mukteshvara.
• The Lingaraj Temple complex, dating to the 11th century, is set around sacred Bindusagar Lake.
• The Odisha State Museum is focused on the area’s history and environment.
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik

Mastercard appoints Nikhil Sahni as Country Corporate Officer in India 

• Global payments technology major Mastercard announced the appointment of Nikhil Sahni as the new Division President, South Asia and Country Corporate Officer, India.
• Sahni replaces Porush Singh, who will be relocating to Singapore and will assume a new role within the company.
• He will oversee Mastercard’s operations, and position the company’s extensive suite of products, solutions and services across the sub-continent, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan, in addition to India.
• Nikhil has nearly 25 years of experience in strategy, investment banking, corporate, commercial, SME, retail, branch, and government banking.

About Mastercard:

• Mastercard Incorporated is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in the Mastercard International Global Headquarters in Purchase, New York.
• The Global Operations Headquarters is located in O’Fallon, Missouri, a municipality of St. Charles County, Missouri.
• CEO: Michael Miebach
• Headquarters: Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

IAF & Indian Navy begin 2-day passage exercise with US Carrier Strike Group in Indian Ocean       

• On June 23, 2021, Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy commenced two-day Passage exercise.
• The exercise will be held two days, June 23, 2021 and June 24, 2021.
• It is the joint operational passage exercise with the US Navy Carrier Strike Group in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• It will be carried out south of Thiruvananthapuram, on the western seaboard.

Aim of the Exercise :

• To strengthen the bilateral relationship and cooperation by demonstrating the ability to integrate and coordinate comprehensively in maritime operations.
• As part of the exercise, Sukhois, Jaguars, IAF refuelling aircraft and warships and maritime patrol aircraft of the Navy will participate in the exercise.
• INS Kochi and Teg, along with P8I and MiG-29K aircraft will participate in a ‘Passage Exercise’ with US Navy CSG Ronald Reagan.

About Indian Air Force :

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Founded: 8 October 1932
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind
• Chief of the Air Staff : Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria
• Vice Chief of the Air Staff : Harjit Singh Arora

About Indian Navy :

• Founded: 26 January 1950
• Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS): Vice Admiral G. Ashok Kumar
• Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS): Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh
• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Karambir Singh
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable Hosted by India in 2022

• On June 22, 2021, the International Energy Forum (IEF) informed India that it has agreed to host the 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable (AMER9) in 2022.
• It will take forward the understandings reached in the previous meeting in Abu Dhabi during 2018.
• The Summit was co-hosted by India.
• The Summit Focusing on global energy security in the age of change.

About International Energy Forum :

• The International Energy Forum (IEF) is the world’s largest energy organisation with 71 member countries, accounting for 90% of the global energy market. 
• The Forum holds energy dialogue promotes energy security, market stability and transparency in the transition to a sustainable and inclusive future.
• Secretary-General : Joseph McMonigle
• Founded: 1991
• Headquarters: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

India Organize BRICS Green Hydrogen Summit

• Under the Ministry of Power, NTPC Limited, organised a two-day workshop on Green Hydrogen.
• The event will be anchored by India’s state-run power major NTPC.
• The online event will be held through a video conference from June 22, 2021 to 23, 2021.
• Experts from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) countries participated.
• In addition to that, the Central government also launched a National Hydrogen Mission this year.

Benefits of Green Hydrogen :

• Green Hydrogen has no carbon footprint.
• Green Hydrogen is one of the most popular and demanding fields in the current times and considered to be the next carrier of energy.
• Green hydrogen has a great amount of potential to ensure sustainable energy supply.
• It would increase the level of energy available at the same time and minimize the negative impact on the environment.

 About National Hydrogen Mission :

• This Mission is to introduce hydrogen purchase obligations for fertilizers, refineries.

Aim :

• To develop India into a global hub for the manufacturing of hydrogen and fuel cells technologies across the value chain.

About Ministry of Power :

• Minister : Raj Kumar Singh
• Founded: 2 July 1992
• Headquarters: New Delhi

About NTPC Limited :

• NTPC : National Thermal Power Corporation Limited
• It is the largest power company in India with an electric power generating capacity of 62,086 MW
• Founded: 1975
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairman & Managing Director : Shri Gurdeep Singh

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Madras inaugurates Research Centre On Start-ups And Risk Financing 

• The Indian Institute of Technology Madras, has launched a ‘Centre for Research on Start-Ups and Risk Financing’ (CREST).

Aim :

• To provide academic and thought leadership in innovation, entrepreneurship and risk capital.
• To create a unique world-class data repository on Indian start-ups and ventures to address a major hurdle for engaging in high-quality research.

Key mission & Vision of CREST :

• CREST is to be globally recognized as a leading centre of research engaged in scholarly research in the areas of creation, development, and financing of innovation, start-ups, and entrepreneurship.
• To engage in scholarly research encompassing the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, and risk capital.

About IIT Madras :

• Founded : 1959
• Chairman & Managing Director : Pawan Kumar Goenka
• Director : Bhaskar Ramamurthi
• It is recognised as an Institute of National Importance.
• It was the third IIT established by the Government of India.
• IIT Madras is ranked the top engineering institute in India by the Ministry of Education’s National Institutional Ranking Framework since its inception in 2016.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

The Reuters Institute Digital News Report, 2021, India Ranks 31                   

• Out of 46 countries, India ranked 31 in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, 2021.
• Finland had the highest levels of overall trust in news (65%) while the US had the lowest levels of trust (29%).
• Only 38% of the respondents from India informed they trust the news overall.
• The Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) provided logistical support for surveying the Indian market.
• The survey shows India is one of the strongest mobile-focused markets.
• The 10th edition of the Digital News Report featured India for the first time in the main report.
• The report is based on an online survey of 46 media markets to understand how news is consumed in different countries.
• The 2021 report focuses on trust in news, the pandemic induced economic pressure on news publishers, misinformation and COVID-19.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Sports Minister launched India’s Olympic theme song ‘Lakshya Tera Samne Hai’ 

• On June 23, 2021, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launched India’s Official Olympic Theme Song ‘Lakshya Tera Samne Hai‘ for the Summer Games in July-August.
• Mohit Chauhan has composed and sung the song.
• The event was organised by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and attended by its President, Secretary General, Deputy Chef De Mission, Sports Secretary and DG Sports Authority of India (SAI).
• The Games will open on July 23 and over 100 Indian athletes have qualified for the event so far.

About Indian Olympic Association :

• President: Narayana Ramachandran
• Founded: 1927
• Secretary General: Rajeev Mehta
• Founders: Harry Buck, Arthur Noehren

Note :

• The International Olympic day is Observed on June 23 every year to celebrate sports and health.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Benigno Aquino, Former Philippine President Passes Away

• On June 24, 2021, Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino Passed away.
• He was 61.

About Benigno Aquino :

• Benigno Aquino also Known as PNoy & Noynoy.
• He was born in 1960, in Manila, Philippines.
• He served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016.
• He was the son of politician Benigno Aquino Jr. and President Corazon Aquino.
• In the Aquino family, he was a fourth-generation politician.
• From 1998 to 2010, he was also a member of the House of Representatives and Senate.
• He also served as a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives from 2004 to 2006.
• In 2013, Times Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

About Philippine :

• President: Rodrigo Duterte
• Capital: Manila
• Currency: Philippine peso

 Daily CA On June 24 :

• The union government is working on a ‘green tariff’ policy that will help electricity distribution companies (discoms) supply electricity generated from clean energy projects at a cheaper rate as compared to power from conventional fuel sources such as coal.
• Union Cabinet approved merger of Central Railside Warehouse Company Ltd with Central Warehousing Corporation
• World’s First GM Rupper Developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII), the sapling was planted by Rubber Board chairman and executive director KN Raghavan at the board’s farm in Sarutari near Guwahati.
• An amendment to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975 to bring in the concept of “heritage trees” was approved in a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet.
• The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Indian Green Building Council has launched the IGBC Green High-Speed Rail Rating System during an exclusive session with the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL). 
• Indian utility Tata Power has partnered with sister company and automobile manufacturing firm Tata Motors to develop India’s largest behind-the-meter solar energy carport.
• Moody’s Investors Service slashed India’s growth projection to 9.6 per cent for 2021 calendar year, from its earlier estimate of 13.9 per cent, and said faster vaccination progress will be paramount in restricting economic losses to June quarter.
• com, India’s largest lending marketplace and Credit Score platform, and SBM Bank India, the youngest universal Bank, announced the launch of Step Up Credit Card – a credit builder product designed for consumers with limited access to formal credit, due to ineligible credit score.
• The RBI imposed penalties of Rs 23 lakh on three cooperative banks, including Mogaveera Co-operative Bank Limited, Mumbai, for contravention of various norms.
• Bharti Airtel has appointed Amrita Padda as Chief People Officer to lead the company’s people strategy as the company transforms into a digital services provider according to a company announcement.
• Tata Motors, in a regulatory filing made after trading hours, stated that Guenter Butschek would be stepping down from his role as CEO & MD from 30 June 2021.
• The Delhi government appointed former Olympic medalist weightlifter Karnam Malleswari as the first Vice Chancellor of Sports University stated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
• Two-time T20 World Cup-winning former West Indies captain Darren Sammy has been appointed as an independent non-member director of the CWI board.
• The National Security Guard (NSG) and the Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation and collaboration aimed at strengthening the core competencies of the NSG, which are counter-terrorism, counter-IEDs, and anti-hijacking.
• HDFC Bank has given its approval to 3,55,67,724 crore shares in group firm HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company for over ₹1,906 crore from the parent company Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC).
• Founder of the Tata Group, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata ($102.4 billion) has topped the EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century.  The list prepared by EdelGive Foundation and Hurun Report.
• On June 22, 2021, The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) for the construction of two Pollution Control Vessels (PCVs) for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at a cost of about Rs 583 crore.
• Ruskin Bond authored a new book titled It’s a Wonderful Life. The Book is Published by Aleph Book Company.
• India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams will be captained by Manpreet Singh and Indian forward Rani Rampal respectively at next month’s Tokyo Olympics.
• Gottfried Böhm, the first German architect to be awarded the Pritzker Prize, has passed away.

Daily CA On June 25 :

• 25 June of each year is the “Day of the Seafarer”, recognizing the invaluable contribution seafarers make to international trade and the world economy, often at great personal cost to themselves and their families. The theme for 2021 Day of the Seafarer “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future”.
• The World Vitiligo Day, observed on June 25, is an initiative aimed to build global awareness about vitiligo. The theme for 2021 is Embracing Life with Vitiligo.
• With an aim to help central government employees who want to construct their own house, the center is offering House Building Advance (HBA) benefits to all central government servants (CGS). The basic interest rate charged on this HBA is 9 percent and the benefit will remain available till 31st March 2022. 
• MoTA and NCERT join hands for NISHTHA Capacity Building Programme. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), recently collaborated on a joint mission for the NISHTHA capacity-building programme for Eklavya school teachers and principals.
• Union minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundation stones of road projects worth Rs 6,155 crore in Himachal Pradesh through video conferencing from Manali in Kullu district. The projects included the 39-km-long Parwanoo-Solan section of the NH-22, constructed at a cost of Rs 1,303 crore.
• Karnataka CM announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would lay the foundation stone for the Bengaluru Suburban Rail project within the next three months.
• S&P Global Ratings cut India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal to 5 percent, from 11 percent earlier, and warned of risk to the outlook from further waves of COVID pandemic.
• SBI Card has joined hands with lifestyle retail chain Fabindia by launching contactless co-branded credit cards to cater to the premium segment customers.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMBL)has announced the launch of ‘Pay Your Contact’ an innovative feature on KMBL’s mobile banking app that uses the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform and allows customers to send money or make payments to any of their contacts across all payment apps simply by entering the beneficiary’s mobile number.
• The State government appointed 41 Honorary Wildlife Wardens (HWWs) across all the districts as per the provision of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. They have been appointed for a period of two years till June 2023.
• Global payments technology major Mastercard announced the appointment of Nikhil Sahni as the new Division President, South Asia and Country Corporate Officer, India.
• On June 23, 2021, Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy commenced two-day Passage exercise. The exercise will be held two days, June 23, 2021 and June 24, 2021. It is the joint operational passage exercise with the US Navy Carrier Strike Group in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• On June 22, 2021, the International Energy Forum (IEF) informed India that it has agreed to host the 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable (AMER9) in 2022.
• Under the Ministry of Power, NTPC Limited, organised a two-day workshop on Green Hydrogen. The event will be anchored by India’s state-run power major NTPC. The online event will be held through a video conference from June 22, 2021 to 23, 2021.
• The Indian Institute of Technology Madras, has launched a ‘Centre for Research on Start-Ups and Risk Financing’ (CREST).
• Out of 46 countries, India ranked 31 in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, 2021. Finland had the highest levels of overall trust in news (65%) while the US had the lowest levels of trust (29%).
• On June 23, 2021, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launched India’s Official Olympic Theme Song ‘Lakshya Tera Samne Hai‘ for the Summer Games in July-August. Mohit Chauhan has composed and sung the song. The event was organised by Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
• On June 24, 2021, Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino Passed away.