Daily Current Affairs June 30 2022

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Asteroid Day: June 30

• As the anniversary of the Tunguska event in 1908 approaches, June 30th is designated as International Asteroid Day.
• This World Asteroid Day 2022 is commemorated to promote awareness about how asteroids will be used in the future, how asteroids will pave the path for future exploration, and how we can protect our planet from asteroid collisions.

Theme:

• The theme of International Asteroid Day 2022, is “small is beautiful,”.

History:

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution A/RES/71/90 in Dec 2016 and designated 30 June as International Asteroid Day to mark every year the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation (30 June 1908) across the globe to bring awareness about the hazardous impact of Asteroids.
• The decision of the General Assembly was made based on a proposal made by the Association of Space Explorers, which was espoused by the COPUOS (Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space).
• Asteroid Day was co-founded by astrophysicist and a British musician Dr. Brian May together with Danica Remy, President of B612 Foundation, Rusty Schweickart, Apollo 9 Astronaut, and filmmaker Grig Richters, to bring attention and provide knowledge to the global public about the significance of asteroids in the formation of our universe and the role they play in our solar system

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Prime Minister to participate in ‘Udyami Bharat’ program in New Delhi:

• Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi will participate in the ‘Udyami Bharat’ program in New Delhi.
• During the event, Prime Minister will launch the ‘Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance’ Scheme, ‘Capacity Building of First-Time MSME Exporters’ Scheme, and new features of the ‘Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme’, PMEGP.
• Prime Minister will also digitally transfer assistance to beneficiaries of PMEGP for 2022-23.
• He will announce the results of the MSME Idea Hackathon-2022 and distribute National MSME Awards.
• Modi will also issue Digital Equity Certificates to 75 MSMEs in the Self-Reliant India Fund.
• ‘Udyami Bharat’ is reflective of the continuous commitment of the government, right from day one, to work towards the empowerment of MSMEs.

Key Points:

• The government has launched several initiatives from time to time like MUDRA Yojana, Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, and Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries.
• This has been done to provide necessary and timely support to the MSME sector, which has helped benefit crores of people across the country.
• The Prime Minister will launch the ‘Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance’ (RAMP) scheme, with an outlay of around 6,000 crore rupees.
• It aims to scale up the implementation capacity and coverage of MSMEs in the states, with impact enhancement of existing MSME schemes.

Arjun Meghwal presented with the holy Kapilvastu relics brought back from Mongolia:

• The four Holy Relics of the Lord Buddha were returned to India after a 12-day exposition at the Batsagaan Temple on the grounds of Gandan Monastery, Mongolia, in honor of Mongolian Buddha Purnima.
• In Ghaziabad, the holy relics were given to Union Minister Shri Arjun Meghwal.
• The presentation of the sacred relics had to be delayed by a few days because of the strong demand from the Mongolian people.

Key Points:

• During a 12-day exhibition at the Gandan Monastery, thousands of people paid their respects to the revered artifacts, including the President of Mongolia, the Speaker of the Mongolian Parliament, the Foreign Minister, the Ministers of Culture, Tourism, and Energy, more than 20 Members of Parliament, and High Abbots from more than 100 Monasteries in Mongolia.
• The celebrations on the closing day were attended by the interior minister of culture for Mongolia.
• Between 18 and 20 thousand worshippers bowed down before the Holy Buddha Relics on the first day of the exhibition.
• On working days, 5–6 thousand devotees visited Gandan Monastery on average, and 9–10 thousand on closed days.
• On the last day, some 18,000 worshippers came to Gandan to honor the holy relics.
• The last day’s rites were witnessed by the interior minister of culture.
• Since they were discovered in Bihar in 1898 and are believed to be from the ancient city of Kapilvastu, the Holy Buddha Relics are frequently referred to as Kapilvastu Relics.
• The Relics have the same climate-controlled case as they have in the National Museum right now after being granted the status of a State Guest.
• In a special C-17 Globemaster airplane, the sacred relics were brought back to India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India to host Special ASEAN- India foreign ministers meeting (SAIFMM) 2022

• India hosted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers and Secretary-General for a Special ASEAN India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (SAIFMM) 2022 in New Delhi to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the India-ASEAN dialogue relations and the 10th anniversary of the country’s strategic partnership with ASEAN.
• External Affairs Minister Shri S Jaishankar and Singapore Foreign Minister Shri Vivian Balakrishnan, who is India’s Country Coordinator, will co-chair the meeting.
• Foreign Ministers of Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, besides the representatives of Foreign Ministers from Lao PDR, Thailand, and the Philippines also attend the event.

Key Highlights :

• The Ministers reviewed the status of the ASEAN-India Partnership and set out the path for the coming decade.
• Deliberations were held on COVID-19 & Health, Trade & Commerce, Connectivity, Education, and Capacity Building as well as the implementation of the ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
• The Ministers also exchanged views on important regional and international developments and post-pandemic economic recovery.

ASEAN-India relations :

• The ASEAN-India dialogue relations began in 1992 with the establishment of sectoral partnership which graduated to full dialogue partnership in December 1995, Summit level Partnership in 2002, and Strategic partnership in
• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and
• The SAIFMM will be accompanied by the 12th edition of Delhi Dialogue, a premier Tack 1.5 Dialogue in the ASEAN-India calendar, which will be hosted by India.
• The theme of DD-XII is ‘Building Bridges in the Indo-Pacific’.

About ASEAN :

• It is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia.
• These member states promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic, security, political, educational, military, and sociocultural integration between member countries and Asia-Pacific countries.

Objective :

• To accelerate economic growth, social progress as well as cultural development.
• It seeks to promote regional peace and stability following rule of law and the United Nations charter.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Assam Cabinet approves JV company with Railways to boost network

• The Assam Cabinet approved the formation of a joint venture Assam Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (ARIDCL) between the Assam government and the railway ministry to increase the railway network in Assam.
• The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
• The state government will hold a share of 51 percent and the railway ministry will hold the remaining 49 percent.
• The ARIDCL will ensure speedy implementation of ongoing projects, besides working out possible financing avenues.
• During this, they discussed the issue of resolving the boundary dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Other Cabinet Approvals :

• The cabinet also approved an additional Rs 126.75 crore for the implementation of the relief package for ex-employees of Nagaon and Cachar paper mills of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (HPCL).
• The cabinet approved a one-time scheme for reducing the late payment of fitness fees for vehicles as a Covid relief measure for the transport sector and the owners can apply online within three months to avail of the benefits.
• It also approved the Assam Motor Vehicle Taxation (Amendment), 2022 for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and streamlining the existing taxation regime by incorporating ‘Green Tax’ on older vehicles.
• The Council of Ministers also approved the procurement of handloom items directly from indigenous weavers without involving middlemen through a specially developed portal.
• The Cabinet decided to launch a program ‘Arohan’ for classes 9 to 12 from 2022-23 with an allocated budget of Rs 5.96 crore to guide talented students in the 13-18 age group.

About Assam :

• Governor : Jagdish Mukhi
• CM : Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Capital: Dispur

BSE collaborates with MACCIA to create awareness on SME listing across Maharashtra

• Leading stock exchange Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has collaborated with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA) to promote and create awareness in Maharashtra on the benefits of listing on its Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) platform.

About the Partnership :

• Through this partnership, BSE will provide intellectual and manpower support to enterprises registered with the MACCIA to get listed on the BSE SME platform.
• The BSE SME will provide training and capacity-building programs to MACCIA officials.
• The exchange will appoint a nodal person as single point contact in Maharashtra for providing an end-to-end solution for registration or listing on its SME platform.

Recent News :

• Recently, BSE signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Federal Bank to promote the listing of SMEs and startups.
• To date, 375 companies have been listed on the BSE SME Platform and have raised a little over Rs 3,997 crore from the market.

About BSE :

• Founded: 9 July 1875
• Chairman: S.S. Mundra
• MD & CEO : Ashish Chauhan
• Located at: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• As of January 2022, the BSE is the 8th largest stock exchange with an overall market capitalization of more than ₹713 lakh crore.

About MACCIA :

• Founded: 1927
• President: Lalit Gandhi
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Karnataka Govt Launches ‘Kashi Yatra’ Scheme for Pilgrims

• The Karnataka government launched the Kashi Yatra project offering cash assistance of Rs 5,000 to each of the 30,000 pilgrims willing to take up a pilgrimage to Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
• For this scheme, the government will be using funds of up to ₹7 crores from the accounts head of ‘Assistance to Manasa Sarovara Pilgrims’.

Eligibility to apply for the scheme:

• The beneficiary should be a native of Karnataka
• Applicant should be above 18 years old
• Beneficiaries who have already availed of the subsidy once are not eligible

Documents required:

• Proof of beneficiaries’ domicile of origin in Karnataka – voter ID, Aadhaar card, or ration card.
• Age proof – Aadhaar card, voter ID, etc.
• Any pilgrim taking up the government-sponsored ‘Kashi Yatra’ would get the benefit only once in a lifetime.
• Those who took up pilgrimage from April 1, 2022, to June 30, 2022, & want to take benefit of the ‘Kashi Yatra’ scheme would have to furnish proof that they visited Kashi Vishwanath Temple such as their darshan ticket, waiting list, or their pooja receipt, and submit it to the commissioner of religious endowment department.

About Karnataka :

• Governor: Thawarchand Gehlot
• CM: Basavaraj Bommai
• Capital: Bangalore

Punjab FM presents Rs 1,55,860 crore for Budget 2022

• Punjab finance minister Shri Harpal Singh Cheema presented the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s first budget a ₹1,55,859.78-crore which reflects 14.20 percent growth as compared to 2021-22.
• The state’s outstanding debt would rise to ₹305361.44 crores in the 2022-23 financial year.
• The revenue deficit and fiscal deficit have been pegged at 1.99% and 3.78%, respectively.
• This was for the first time that Punjab presented a paperless budget.
• The government’s focus in the first year will be threefold.

1. To restore deteriorating fiscal health
2. To Deliver on the promises of good governance by ensuring effective use of public funds
3. To Concentrate on health and education.

• The finance minister stated that the Janta budget (people’s budget), which has been prepared after receiving 20,384 suggestions on the government portal and through emails, will focus on various areas, including health and education.
• The revenue expenditure of the state at Rs 1,07,932 crore shows an incremental growth of 5.35% over the previous year.
• Out of this, Rs 66,440 crore is proposed for the committed expenditure
• The capital expenditure is pegged at Rs 10,981 crore showing a growth of 8.95% over the previous year.

Key highlights of the budget:

• The AAP government is fulfilling its first guarantee (promise) made to the people of Punjab by providing 300 units of domestic power supply per month free to all citizens from July 1, 2022.
• The state government will provide seed money of Rs 2,000 per student under this program.
• He also announced that the government will set up 16 new medical colleges making a total of 25 such colleges in Punjab over the next 5 years.
• The government has decided to approve fresh recruitment of 26,454 people and regularization of 36,000 contractual employees
• ₹450 crores will be given as an incentive to paddy growers who adopt non-conventional methods of direct seeding rice, aimed at saving groundwater by at least 20%.
• On the stubble burning issue, various possibilities and solutions will be explored and for this Rs 200 crore has been earmarked in the budget.
• The finance minister proposed a budgetary allocation of ₹11,560 crores for the agriculture sector and ₹6,947 crores for free power to agriculture tube wells.
• The budget outlay for the health sector with an allocation of ₹4,731 crores is an increase of 23.80% over that of FY 2021-22.
• The government plans to set up 117 mohalla clinics for which an initial allocation of ₹77 crores has been proposed & 75 of these mohalla clinics will be operational by Independence Day on August 15, 2022.
• ₹100 crores have been allocated for the installation of the rooftop solar panel system in government schools.
• To help road accident victims, the government proposed a scheme in Punjab on the pattern of the Farishtey scheme in New Delhi whereby anyone can take a road accident victim(s) and get them admitted to any hospital.
• The government proposed ₹1,170 crores for the cooperative sector, an increase of 35.67% compared to the last financial year.

About Punjab :

• Governor : Banwarilal Purohit
• CM: Bhagwant Mann
• Capital: Chandigarh

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

RBI grants semi-closed prepaid payment instruments license to Mufin Finance Limited

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted Muffin Finance Limited, a subsidiary of Hindon Mercantile Limited one of the leading Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC) in principal approval for the issuance of semi-closed prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) to customers in
• A semi-closed PPI license allows digital banks, fintech firms, and large consumer-facing applications to roll out features such as digital payment solutions for lending.
• With this license, the company can now offer a wider range of complementary products for customers and build deeper partnerships with consumer companies and corporations.

About PPI :

• PPI can come in the form of digital wallets, smart cards, magnetic chips, and
• PPI acts as a store of value against which goods and services can be bought and used to transfer funds.
• Gift cards, payment wallets, smart cards, and vouchers are all forms of PPIs.
• However, Debit cards need an open PPI license and are issued only to banks.

Note :

• Mufin Finance is the 4th NBFC to receive such a license from the RBI, after leading brands such as Bajaj Finserv, Manapurram, and Paul Merchants.

Recent News :

• Mufin Finance has acquired APM Finvest, a BSE-listed NBFC, for over Rs 76 crore in a bid to create India’s first financing ecosystem for the fast-growing electric vehicles(EVs) market.
• This comes after Mufin Finance acquired Rupee Circle, a P2P (peer-to-peer) non-banking financial company, in June 2021.

About RBI :

• Founded: 1 April 1935
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy governors: Mahesh Kumar Jain, M. Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra, and T. Rabi Shankar

About Muffin Finance Limited :

• Established: 2016
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Founders : Kapil Garg and Rajat Goyal

World Bank approves $250 mn loans for India’s road safety program

• The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved the financing of $250 million to support the India State Support Program for Road Safety, and the Government of India’s Program for Strengthening Road Safety.
• The India State Support Program for Road Safety, financed by the World Bank, will be implemented in the states of Andhra Pradesh (AP), Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
• The variable spread loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a maturity of 18 years including a grace period of 5.5 years.

Aim :

• To help participating states reduce road crash fatalities and injuries through improved road safety management and institutional reform, and results-based interventions on high-risk roads.
• It will also strengthen emergency medical and rehabilitation services for post-crash care.

Key Highlights :

• The project will establish a national harmonized crash database system to analyze accidents and use that to construct better and safer roads.
• It will fund network expansion of basic and advanced life support ambulances and training of first responder caregivers to road crash victims on the spot.
• The project will also provide incentives to the States to leverage private funding through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concessions and pilot initiatives.
• With only 1% of the world’s vehicles, India accounts for almost 10% of all crash-related deaths.
• Poor households account for a higher proportion of the socio-economic burden of road crashes due to loss of income (over 70 percent of crash victims in poor households), high medical expenses, and limited access to social safety nets.
• According to a World Bank study, road crashes are estimated to cost the Indian economy between 5% and 7% of GDP a year.
• As per Official government data show that each year road accidents in India kill about 1,50,000 people and injure another 4,50,000.
• More than half of the victims are pedestrians, cyclists, or motorcyclists and almost 84% of all fatalities are among road users between the working ages of 18-60 years.

About World Bank :

• Established: July 1944
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States of America
• President : David Malpass
• Membership: 189 member countries

Protean and PayNearby tie-up to offer paperless PAN services

• Protean eGov Technologies Ltd (formerly NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Ltd) and PayNearby (Nearby Technologies Private Limited) have announced a partnership to offer Permanent Account Number (PAN) related services for PayNearby’s retail partners through Aadhaar and biometric or SMS-based One Time Password (OTP) authentication for their customers.
• The partnership will help improve service delivery for millions of citizens as they enter the formal financial sector.
• It will facilitate quick and easy access to online PAN services in neighborhood stores at affordable rates, thus eliminating the submission of physical applications and supporting documents.
• This partnership is designed to make the entire process seamless, hassle-free, and accessible across 17,600+ PIN codes in the country through PayNearby’s DaaS (Distribution as a Service) network of 50+ lakh micro-entrepreneurs.

About Protean eGov Technologies Ltd :

• Founded: 1995
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra

About PayNearby :

• Founded: 2016
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Founder, Managing Director, and CEO: Anand Kumar Bajaj
• PayNearby is a Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) certified company and India’s leading branchless banking and digital payments network.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Justice Shri Satish Chandra Sharma takes oath as Chief Justice of Delhi HC

• Justice Shri Satish Chandra Sharma took oath as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
• Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena administered the oath to justice Sharma at a ceremony held in the Raj Niwas.
• The post of Delhi High Court Chief Justice was lying vacant after the retirement of Justice Shri Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel.
• The ceremony was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Somnath Bharti, and Madan Lal.

About Justice Satish Chandra Sharma :

• Justice Satish Chandra Sharma was born on November 30, 1961, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• He became an advocate in 1984 and practiced in Constitutional, Service, Civil and Criminal matters before the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur.
• He was appointed as the Additional Central Government Counsel in May 1993.
• He was appointed as senior panel counsel by the Government of India in June 2004.
• He was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2003 at the age of 42 years & he was one of the youngest among the senior advocates of the High Court.
• He was elevated as a Judge of Madhya Pradesh HC on January 18, 2008, and was appointed as a Permanent Judge on January 15, 2010.
• He was transferred to Karnataka High Court in January 2021 & later he became the Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka HC on August 31, 2021.
• On October 11, 2021, he took oath as the Chief Justice of Telangana HC.
• He is associated with National Law University and is also on the Advisory Board of National Law Institute University, Bhopal, and has published numerous research articles and papers.
• Recently, the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, as the new Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
• The Collegium had recommended the elevation of Justice Vipin Sanghi, Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, as the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court.
• The Collegium further recommended the elevation of Justice AA Sayed, SS Shinde, Rashmin M Chhaya, and Ujjal Bhuyan as Chief Justices of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gauhati, and Telangana High Courts respectively.
• The decision was taken by the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Zomato to acquire Blinkit for Rs 4,447 crore in an all-stock deal

• The Board of the food delivery company Zomato approved the acquisition of quick commerce start-up Blink Commerce Pvt Ltd (formerly known as Grofers India Pvt Ltd) for Rs 4,447.5 crore ($570 million) for Rs 13.45 lakh per equity share in an all-stock deal.
• Zomato would acquire up to 33,018 equity shares of Blink Commerce Pvt Ltd.
• Zomato also acquired Blinkit warehousing and ancillary services business HOTPL for $8 million.
• In August 2021, Blinkit (then Grofers) had raised $100 million from Zomato in a round that gave the company a Unicorn status.

Key Highlights :

• The latest filing by Zomato has revealed Blinkit annual turnover in the last three fiscals: Rs. 263 crores in FY22, Rs. 200 crores in FY 21, and 165 crores in FY20.
• Blinkit’s largest shareholder SoftBank will receive 28.71 crore shares of Zomato, Tiger Global will take home 12.34 crore shares, BCCL will get 1.5 crore shares, and South Korean investors DAOL will get 3.66 crore shares of the food delivery major.
• Zomato had also a lifeline to cash-strapped Blinkit through a loan of $150 million to parent company Grofers India Private Limited (GIPL).

About Zomato :

• Founded: July 2008
• Headquarters: Gurgaon, Haryana
• CEO: Deepinder Goyal

About Blinkit :

• Founded: December 2013
• Headquarters: Gurgaon, Haryana, India
• CEO: Albinder Dhindsa

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IN-SPACe authorizes India’s 1st set of Space StartUps to Launch Payloads

• Indian Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe) has approved 2 space startups Dhruva Space Private Limited in Hyderabad, Telangana, and Digantara Research & Technologies Private Limited in Bangalore, Karnataka to launch their payloads in space.
• This is the first time that two privately-owned Indian enterprises will be launching payloads in space.
• The payloads would fly onboard the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) of PSLV-C53 scheduled to be launched on June 30.
• Dhruva Space’s Dhruva Space Satellite Orbital Deployer (DSOD 1U), a technology demonstration payload, and Digantara’s ROBust Integrating Proton Fluence Meter (ROBI), a Proton dosimeter payload, were authorized.

About PSLV-C53 :

• PSLV-C53 is the 55th mission of ISROs scheduled to be launched on June 30, 2022 IST from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota.
• The mission will demonstrate the in-house developed CubeSat Deployers ahead of the launch of our Satellite Missions, Thybolt-1 and Thybolt-2, onboard the PSLV C54 Mission.
• This will also enable Dhruva Space to support international clients with CubeSat Deployers, Integration, and Launch Services

About IN-SPACe :

• Headquarters: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
• Chairman : Pawan Kumar Goenka
• Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN–SPACe or INSPACe) is a single-window autonomous agency under the Department of Space of the GoI.
• IN-SPACe is an autonomous, formed to promote, authorize, monitor, and supervise the space activities of non-governmental private entities (NGPEs) in India.

About Dhruva Space :

• Founded: 2012
• Headquarters: Hyderabad, Telangana, India
• CEO : Sanjay Srikanth Nekkanti
• Dhruva Space is a space technology start-up focused on building full-stack space engineering solutions, involved in building application-agnostic satellite platforms.

About Digantara :

• Digantara offers end-to-end solutions for carrying out sustainable space operations.
• To reduce waste in space, it has developed a space network called Space Situational Awareness along with platform and data products.
• Co-Founder & CEO: Anirudh Sharma

Bengaluru’s ADTL delivers Gaganyan Crew module fairing to ISRO

• The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has acquired the crew module fairing (CMF), a crucial construction that may defend the Gaganyaan module carrying the astronauts throughout the launch, from an Alpha Design Technology Limited’s (ADTL), Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• The CMF was manufactured by Alpha Design Technology Limited’s (ADTL) owned subsidiary Alpha Tocol Engineering Services in Peenya, whereas the design and specs got here from Isro.
• Adani Group holds the bulk stake in ADTL.

Key Highlights :

• ADTL is working with Isro on satellites (large and small), floor stations, together in Bhutan, Andaman, and Nicobar, northeast India, and on launchers equivalent to Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
• Further, Alpha is scheduled to sign a settlement for a switch of expertise of the small satellite platform Indian Mini Satellite-1 (IMS-1) Bus.
• The bus is the infrastructure of the spacecraft that gives places for payload.
• The IMS-1, developed by Isro’s UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), would allow low-price entry to the area by offering a devoted platform for payloads for earth imaging, ocean, and atmospheric research, microwave distant sensing, and area science missions with a fast turnaround time.

About ISRO :

• Founded: 15 August 1969
• Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• Chairman: Sreedhara Panicker Somanath

About VSSC :

• Established: 21 November 1963
• Headquarters: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
• Director: Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair
• Vikram Sarabhai is often regarded as the father of the Indian space program.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

Utama won the Transylvania Trophy at the 21st TIFF Edition

• At the Awards Ceremony held in Cluj-Unirii Napoca’s Square, the 21st edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival’s winners received cheers.
• The filmmaker Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s first film, Utama, was selected as this year’s main winner and given the 10,000-euro Transylvania Trophy.
• The Bolivian production also won over the TIFF audience and received the MasterCard Audience Award, which is worth 2,000 euros and is chosen by festival attendees.

Other Winners:

• Best Director Award went to filmmaker Guomundur Arnar Guomundsson, awarded for the “credible, original and brilliant universe” he created in Beautiful Beings.
• For their exceptional roles in The Night Belongs to Lovers, actors Laura Müller and Schemci Lauth, were awarded the Best Performance Award by Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim.

Odisha govt bags first prize in National MSME Award 2022:

• Awarded first place in the category “National MSME Award 2022 to States/UTs for Outstanding Contribution in the Promotion and Development of MSME Sector” is the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Department of the Government of Odisha.
• This is due to the numerous developmental activities that have been undertaken to advance MSMEs.
• Second and third place, respectively, went to Bihar and Haryana.

Regarding the awards:

• Awards to States, UTs, and Aspirational Districts for their contribution to the MSME were given based on factors including sector-specific policies and their performance, the effectiveness of the Facilitation Council, the resolution of grievances, the year-over-year growth in MSME budget and credit, the use of the cluster approach, Udyam Registration, skill development initiatives, and awareness campaigns, among others.

Other Winners:

• Kalahandi has been awarded third prize in the category “National MSME Award 2022 to Aspirational districts for outstanding contribution in the promotion and development of MSME Sector” as the sectoral development was in the line of award parameters, according to an official statement issued by the state government.
• Similarly, Sumeet Mohanty M/s Saferisk Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Bhubaneswar has been awarded first prize in the category “Award for Service Entrepreneurship – Service Small Enterprise (Overall)”.
• In addition, Sibabrata Rout M/s Amarnath Pest Management Technology, Cuttack has also been awarded third prize in the category “Award for Service Entrepreneurship – Service Micro Enterprise (Overall)”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

IWF Youth World Championships: Vizianagaram’s Sanapathi Gurunaidu becomes India’s first to win gold

• Sanapathi Gurunaidu of Chandrampeta village in Nellimarla Mandal of Vizianagaram district has become India’s first weightlifter to win gold at the IWF Youth World Championships held at Leon in Mexico.
• The 16-year-old claimed the top slot with a total effort of 230kg (104kg+126kg) in the boy’s 55kg event.
• While Gurunaidu, the 2020 Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships bronze medallist, stood on top of the podium, Saudi Arabia’s Ali Majeed 229kg (105kg+124kg) came in second and Yerassyl Umrov of Kazakhstan 224kg (100kg+124kg) third.
• Besides Gurunaidu, compatriot Soumya S Dalvi bagged the bronze in her event on the second day of the competition.
• Maharashtra a two-time Khelo India Youth gold medallist, heaved 148kg (65kg+83kg) to claim the third spot in the 45kg girl’s event.
• India’s tally at the word event now stands at four medals.
• On the opening day of the competition, Akansha Kishor Vyavhare and Vijay Prajapati won silver medals in their respective events.
• India had not participated in the previous edition of the tournament which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last year.

Deepak Punia wins bronze in U23 Asian wrestling championships 2022:

• Tokyo Olympian Deepak Punia won a bronze medal after defeating Maksat Satybaldy in the 86kg freestyle weight category at the U23 Asian wrestling championships 2022 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
• Despite a win, it was an unimpressive result from him as the Indian contingent was expecting a better outing from the world championships silver medallist in the tournament.
• In the opening two rounds, the 23-year-old Punia lost to eventual gold medallist Azizbek Fayzullaev of Uzbekistan and Nurtilek Karypbaev of Kyrgyzstan.
• However, he overpowered Satybaldy of Kazakhstan to settle for the bronze.
• India won 25 medals in the U23 meet in the event, including 10 gold medals.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ENVIRONMENT

New spider from Thar desert named after Malayali arachnologist:

• A new species of spider discovered in the Thar desert of Rajasthan has been named after a Malayalee arachnologist.
• The new species of jumping spider, Pseudomogrus sudhii, has been named after Sudhikumar A.V., Head, Department of Zoology, Christ College, Irinjalakuda, and founder of the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE) in recognition of his contributions to the field of Indian arachnology.
• The jumping spider was discovered during a joint exploration by Dmitri Logunov Rishikesh Balkrishna Tripathi and Ashish Kumar Jangid of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
• This species inhabits the dry grass blades of the desert.
• It is the first report of this genus from India.
• So far 35 species of spiders of this genus have been discovered worldwide.
• The spider is only 4 mm long.
• The dark brown colored head of the male is covered with small white hairs and has a black eye region.
• The spider is named after Dr. Sudhikumar for his contributions to the field of Indian arachnology.
• He has published more than 200 research articles on the Indian spider diversity in various international and national journals.
• He is the author of Keralathile Chilanthikal published by the Kerala Bhasha Institute.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Biography of George Fernandes to hit stands next month

• According to Penguin Random House India, a new biography of one of India’s most outspoken union leaders and former Central minister George Fernandes will follow his journey from the slums of Bombay to the halls of power in
• Rahul Ramagundam’s book “The Life and Times of George Fernandes” will be published on July 25 under Penguin’s “Allen Lane”

Regarding the George Fernandes:

• In 1974, as a trade unionist in Mumbai, Fernandes organized a nationwide rail strike that brought the nation to a stop.
• Fernandes was born on June 3, 1930, in Mangalore to a Christian family.
• At the age of 88, Fernandes passed away in January 2019 after a protracted illness.
• In 1989, he was appointed minister of rails in V P Singh’s National Front coalition government, which was dominated by left-leaning parties.
• After the Emergency was implemented in 1975 by the then-prime minister, Indira Gandhi, Fernandes became a crucial player in the struggle to re-establish democracy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Chairman of Shapoorji Pallonji group, Pallonji Mistry Passes away

• Pallonji Mistry, chairman of Shapoorji Pallonji group, passed away in Mumbai at the age of 93.

About Pallonji Mistry :

• The Indian-born Irish tycoon was the richest person in his nation and had a net worth of $28.90 billion as per the Bloomberg Billionaire index.
• Pallonji was the largest individual shareholder in the Tata Group with 18.4 percent holding in the conglomerate and is also known as the Phantom of Bombay House within the conglomerate.
• He was the former chairman of Associated Cement Companies and Eureka Forbes.
• Mistry’s life was captured in the form of the biography The Moguls of Real Estate by Manoj Namburu in 2008.
• He helped in the expansion of the SP Group to the Middle East countries, including Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Dubai, in 1970.
• In 1971, the company won its first overseas project to build the palace of the Sultan of Oman, which was completed in 1976.

Awards & Honors :

• In 2016, Pallonji was conferred with the country’s third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan, for his contribution to business including Real Estate, Textiles, Power, Shipping, Publications, and others.

About Shapoorji Pallonji group :

• Founded: 1865
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• The Shapoorji Pallonji Group is an Indian conglomerate company.
• It operates in construction, real estate, textiles, engineered goods, home appliances, shipping, publications, power, and biotechnology.
• The Shapoorji Pallonji Group, under Pallonji Mistry’s watch, has built some of the iconic structures in Mumbai, including the Reserve Bank of India building, the State Bank of India building, and The Taj Mahal Palace hotel buildings.

Olympic and World Cup medallist hockey player Varinder Singh Passes away

• Legendary Indian hockey player & and Olympic and world championships medalist Varinder Singh passed away in Jalandhar at the age of 75.

About Varinder Singh :

• Varinder Singh was an integral member of India’s dominant hockey team in the 1970s.
• Singh was also part of the bronze medal-winning team at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the silver medal at the 1973 World Cup in Amsterdam.
• He was part of the gold-medal-winning Indian team at the 1975 men’s Hockey World Cup in Kuala Lumpur (India’s only gold medal at the prestigious tournament ).
• He also had to his credit a silver medal at the 1974 and 1978 Asian Games, respectively.
• The Indian hockey stalwart was also featured in the 1975 Montreal Olympics.

Awards & Honors :

• In 2007, Varinder was conferred with the prestigious Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award.

Daily CA on June 30 :

• As the anniversary of the Tunguska event in 1908 approaches, June 30th is designated as International Asteroid Day.
• Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi will participate in the ‘Udyami Bharat’ program in New Delhi.
• The four Holy Relics of the Lord Buddha were returned to India after a 12-day exposition at the Batsagaan Temple on the grounds of Gandan Monastery, Mongolia, in honor of Mongolian Buddha Purnima.
• India hosted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers and Secretary-General for a Special ASEAN India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (SAIFMM) 2022 in New Delhi.
• The Assam Cabinet approved the formation of a joint venture Assam Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (ARIDCL) between the Assam government and the railway ministry to increase the railway network in Assam.
• Leading stock exchange Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has collaborated with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA) to promote and create awareness in Maharashtra on the benefits of listing on its Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) platform.
• The Karnataka government launched the Kashi Yatra project offering cash assistance of Rs 5,000 to each of the 30,000 pilgrims willing to take up a pilgrimage to Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
• Punjab finance minister Shri Harpal Singh Cheema presented the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s first budget a ₹1,55,859.78-crore which reflects 20 percent growth as compared to 2021-22.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted Muffin Finance Limited, a subsidiary of Hindon Mercantile Limited one of the leading Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC) in principal approval for the issuance of semi-closed prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) to customers in
• The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved the financing of $250 million to support the India State Support Program for Road Safety, and the Government of India’s Program for Strengthening Road Safety.
• Protean eGov Technologies Ltd (formerly NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Ltd) and PayNearby (Nearby Technologies Private Limited) have announced a partnership to offer Permanent Account Number (PAN) related services for PayNearby’s retail partners through Aadhaar and biometric or SMS-based One Time Password (OTP) authentication for their customers.
• Justice Shri Satish Chandra Sharma took oath as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
• The Board of the food delivery company Zomato approved the acquisition of quick commerce start-up Blink Commerce Pvt Ltd (formerly known as Grofers India Pvt Ltd) for Rs 4,447.5 crore ($570 million) for Rs 13.45 lakh per equity share in an all-stock deal.
• Indian Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe) has approved 2 space startups Dhruva Space Private Limited in Hyderabad, Telangana, and Digantara Research & Technologies Private Limited in Bangalore, Karnataka to launch their payloads in space.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has acquired the crew module fairing (CMF), a crucial construction that may defend the Gaganyaan module carrying the astronauts throughout the launch, from an Alpha Design Technology Limited’s (ADTL), Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• At the Awards Ceremony held in Cluj-Unirii Napoca’s Square, the 21st edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival’s winners received cheers.
• Awarded first place in the category “National MSME Award 2022 to States/UTs for Outstanding Contribution in the Promotion and Development of MSME Sector” is the MSMEs Department of the Government of Odisha.
• Sanapathi Gurunaidu of Chandrampeta village in Nellimarla Mandal of Vizianagaram district has become India’s first weightlifter to win gold at the IWF Youth World Championships held at Leon in Mexico.
• Tokyo Olympian Deepak Punia won a bronze medal after defeating Maksat Satybaldy in the 86kg freestyle weight category at the U23 Asian wrestling championships 2022 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
• A new species of spider discovered in the Thar desert of Rajasthan has been named after a Malayalee arachnologist.
• According to Penguin Random House India, a new biography of one of India’s most outspoken union leaders and former Central minister George Fernandes will follow his journey from the slums of Bombay to the halls of power in
• Pallonji Mistry, chairman of Shapoorji Pallonji group, passed away in Mumbai at the age of 93.
• Legendary Indian hockey player & and Olympic and world championships medalist Varinder Singh passed away in Jalandhar at the age of 75.