Daily Current Affairs June 22 2023 | Latest News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

Union Bank launches 4 new deposit schemes to advantage women, pensioners and cooperative societies

• Union Bank of India (UBI) has launched 4 bank account schemes named Union Unnati, Union Samriddhi, Union Samman, Union SBCHS acknowledges the significance of cooperative housing societies, targeting women, women entrepreneurs and professionals, pensioners and cooperative housing societies.

About Union Unnati :

• Union Unnati is a current account specifically designed for women entrepreneurs and professionals, offering free cancer care coverage, personal accident cover, concession in loan interest rates, retail loan processing charges, and minimal service charges.

About Union Samriddhi:

• Union Samriddhi, which is tailored to empower women by providing them with a safe and convenient savings and financial management avenue.
• The account offers similar benefits as Union Unnati.

About Union Samman :

• Union Samman, a savings account aimed at pensioners.
• The account extends door-step banking, personal accident cover, concession in loan interest rates and processing charges, and free health check-ups.

About Union SBCHS :

• Union SBCHS acknowledges the significance of co-operative housing societies, offering concessions in loan processing charges for purchasing solar lights, elevators, and other machinery, as well as concessional rates for home, vehicle, and education loans for society and flat owners.

About Union Bank of India :

• Established : 11 November 1919
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO : A. Manimekhalai
• Tagline : Good People to Bank with

NSE International Exchange unveils new identity for Gift Nifty

• NSE International Exchange (NSE IX) unveiled a new and refreshed brand identity of GIFT Nifty ( National Stock Exchange FIFTY) as a part of the full-scale transition of SGX Nifty to Gift Nifty from July 3, 2023.
• Injeti Srinivas, Chairman of the International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) will be the chief guest of the event, which will be held in the presence of Ashishkumar Chaunah, MD & CEO, NSE, and V Balasubramaniam, MD & CEO, NSE IX.

Key Highlights :

• GIFT Nifty is a new identity given to SGX Nifty, which was traded on the Singapore Exchange (SGX).
• A full-scale switch from Singapore Exchange (SGX) to NSE-IFSC Exchange in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in GIFT City – Gandhinagar,Gujarat will happen on July 3, 2023.
• Following the transition, all US dollar-denominated Nifty derivatives contracts will be exclusively traded on NSE IFSC.
• All open positions in SGX NIFTY will migrate to GIFT NIFTY; hence no open interest remains in SGX NIFTY.
• The SGX NIFTY will be suspended from trading after the end of the T session on June 30 2023.
• SGX intends to delist the SGX NIFTY.

About National Stock Exchange of India Limited :

• Founded : 1992
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairperson : Girish Chandra Chaturvedi
• MD & CEO : Ashishkumar Chauhan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurates 11 flyovers from Delhi to Panipat

• Union Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated 11 flyovers from Delhi to Panipat on the eight-lane National Highway- 44 at Sonipat.
• The project also includes a six-lane service road on both sides.
• The project is 24 km long and completed with an estimated cost of 890 crore rupees.
• Mr Nitin Gadkari at the spot approved the demand of constructing ROBs and RUBs at a cost of 300 crore rupees under Setu Bharatam Yojana and also approved bypass from Narwana road to Rohtak road in Jind and ring road from Jind to Ikas.
• Accompanied by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal, Union Minister also addressed Gauravshali Bharat Rally on this occasion.
• Out of which 51 projects of 2200 kilometer length costing 47000 crore rupees have been completed and 30 projects of 830 kilometer length costing 35000 crore rupees are in progress.
• There are 19 projects of 756 kilometer length costing 20000 crore rupees out of which detailed project reports of 14 projects are being prepared and some projects in the tender process.

Government issues draft notification proposing Motor Third Party Premium and Liability Rules for FY 2023-24

• Road, Transport and Highways Ministry has issued a draft notification proposing Motor Third Party Premium and Liability Rules for the Financial Year 2023-24.
• As per the notification, a discount of 15 per cent has been proposed for educational institution buses.
• A discount of 50 per cent has also been proposed for a private car registered as Vintage Car.
• A discount of 15 per cent has been proposed for Electric vehicles and 7.5 per cent for Hybrid Electric Vehicles.
• A reduction of about 6.5 per cent in the base premium rate has been proposed for three-wheeled passenger carrying vehicles.
• The Ministry has invited comments and suggestions from all stakeholders within thirty days.

4th Education Working Group Meeting commences in Pune

• The 4th Education Working Group meeting (EdWG) commenced in Pune to finalize outcome documents to be presented at the Education Ministers meeting.
• The meeting was chaired by G-20 India Chair and Secretary, Department of Higher Education Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, with Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Shri Sanjay Kumar, and Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari as Alternate Chairs.
• Deliberations with the G20 delegates on the draft ministerial declaration took place on day 1 of the 4th EdWG meeting.
• The International Organisations (IOs) UNICEF, OECD and UNESCO presented the education working group report.
• G20 members and invited countries appreciated the sustained efforts of the Indian Presidency and IOs for having put together the education policies and programmes by setting a common agenda for the group in a comprehensive manner through the EdWG Report and Compendium.

India hosts the 18th Session of the India – Iraq Joint Commission Meeting at New Delhi

• Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India, hosted H.E. Mr. Hayan Abdul Ghani Abdul Zahra Al Sawad, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs, and Minister of Oil of the Republic of Iraq, at the 18th India – Iraq Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), held in New Delhi.
• The Confederation of Indian Industry organized a Business Roundtable on 19th June 2023, between the Business Leaders of both countries.
• During the Joint Commission Meeting held on 20th June 2023, Shri Hardeep Puri, in his opening remarks, highlighted the natural and traditional synergies which exist between the two countries, on account of India’s position as the growing energy demand centre of the World.
• He called for the strengthening of relations between the two sides including the Oil & Gas Sector, Capacity Building and Diversification of trade baskets between the two countries.
• He underlined the readiness of Indian companies to explore investment opportunities in Iraq, upgradation of infrastructure facilities of the oil & gas sector and their amenability for sourcing of increased quantities of crude oil from Iraq based on appropriate pricing regime.

Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurates and lays the foundation stone of 4 NH projects in Haryana worth Rs 3,835 crores

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 4 National Highway projects at Sonepat, Karnal and Ambala in Haryana worth Rs 3,835 crore in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Dushyant Chautala and other MPs, MLAs and officials.
• The construction of 11 flyovers on 8-lane National Highway 44 from Delhi to Panipat in Sonepat at a cost of Rs 890 crore with a total length of 24 km will provide better connectivity to the economic nodes of Haryana, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
• This highway from Delhi to Panipat will connect agricultural areas with industrial areas facilitating the transportation of goods and final products. T
• he Delhi-Panipat corridor will ease the movement of tourists going to and from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
• The construction of national highways, Karnal Greenfield 35 km 6-lane Ring Road at a cost of Rs 1690 crore is not just a road but will become the lifeline for the development and prosperity of the region in times to come.
• It will bypass Karnal city traffic and provide an easy and convenient option for commuters traveling to Jammu, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Southern Haryana, thereby reducing pollution and accidents in the region.
• Shri Gadkari also Inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 2 NH projects worth Rs 1255 Crore in Ambala, Haryana.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

United Nations adopt 1st-ever treaty to protect marine life in high seas

• The United Nations (UN) has adopted the first-ever treaty to protect marine life in the high seas.
• The treaty will create a new body to manage the conservation of ocean life and establish marine protected areas on the high seas.

Aim :

• To protect biodiversity in the high seas, which cover about half of the Earth’s surface and lie beyond national boundaries.
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed the historic agreement as giving the ocean a fighting chance.
• Delegates from the 193 member nations approved the treaty.
• Negotiations on this treaty had been going on for 20 years, facing many obstacles and delays in reaching an agreement.

Key Highlights :

• The treaty is vital to address these threats & Guterres urged all countries to spare no efforts to ensure that it is signed and ratified as soon as possible.
• It also establishes ground rules for conducting environmental impact assessments for commercial activities in the oceans.
• The new treaty is under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which came into effect in 1994 before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept.
• The new treaty will be opened for signatures on September 20, during the annual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly, and it will take effect once it is ratified by 60 countries.

About UN :

• Established : 1945
• Headquarters : New York, United States
• Secretary General : António Guterres

United Kingdom to Host 1st global summit on Artificial Intelligence

• United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Mr Rishi Sunak has announced that Britain, UK will host the first major global summit on Artificial Intelligence (AI) safety.

About the Summit :

• The summit will bring together key countries, leading tech companies and researchers to agree on safety measures to evaluate and monitor the most significant risks from AI.
• The summit will consider the risks of AI, including frontier systems, and discuss how they can be mitigated through internationally coordinated action.
• The date of the summit is not announced yet.
• Recognising the strength of the UK’s AI expertise, US tech giant Palantir has also announced it will make the UK its new European Headquarters (HQ) for AI development.
• The UK and US are two of the only three countries in the world to have a tech industry valued at more than $1 trillion.

About UK :

• Prime Minister : Rishi Sunak
• Capital : London
• Currency : Pound sterling

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

SBI’s MD Swaminathan Janakiraman appointed as RBI Deputy Governor

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has selected State Bank of India (SBI) Managing Director (MD) Swaminathan Janakiraman for the post of Deputy Governor (DG) in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of 3 years.
• Currently, the other 3 deputy governors of the RBI are Michael D Patra, T Rabi Sankar and Rajeshwar Rao.
• Janakiraman will succeed Mahesh Kumar Jain, whose tenure ends on June 22, 2023.
• Jain was appointed as a deputy governor in June 2018 for 3 years.
• Jain was re-appointed in June 2021 for a further 2-year period.

About Swaminathan Janakiraman :

• He is a banker with domain expertise in Retail and Corporate Banking, International Banking, Trade Finance, Correspondent Banking & FI products, Digital Banking & Transaction Banking products.
• He started working with the State Bank of India (SBI) as a manager in December 1988.
• He served as a Nominee Director of SBI on the Boards of Yes Bank, Jio Payments Bank, and NPCI as well as Bank of Bhutan, an SBI Joint Ventures (JV).

About RBI :

• Established : 1 April 1935
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das

Reliance Group appoints Parul Sharma as Group President

• The Reliance Group has appointed Parul Sharma as Group President.
• For nearly 40 years, Tony Jesudasan was the public face of the Reliance Group, its bulwark in Delhi and across the world.
• Tony passed away in February 2023.

About Parul Sharma :

• Parul Sharma will be based in New Delhi.
• As a global communications strategist, Sharma led the communications strategy for Rupert Murdoch’s ‘Star India’ for 15 years, shaping its corporate image, publicity and relationships.
• She worked with the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, based in Cologne.
• Her work on the Kumbh Mela was displayed at the prestigious Florence public Museum ‘Marino Marini’ in
• She is also an author and her book ‘Dialects of Silence’ chronicling Covid deaths and the plight of migrants was published in 2020.

About Reliance Group :

• Founded : 10 July 2006
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman, MD & CEO ; Anil Ambani

NEC Corporation’s Aalok Kumar joins Asian Development Bank’s High-level Advisory Group on Digital Technology for Development

• Aalok Kumar, Corporate Officer & Senior Vice President (VP), Head of the Global Smart City Business, NEC (formerly known as Nippon Electric Company, Limited) Corporation India, has been appointed as a member of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) High-level Advisory Group on Digital Technology for Development in Asian Countries.
• Kumar takes over from Katsumi Emura, former NEC Corporation Fellow, one of the founding members of the group.
• The 8-member group, consisting of global industry leaders in digital technology and academicians, is committed to further accelerating the utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) among ADB activities for developing countries.
• This advisory group was founded in 2019, with a core purpose to help devise digital strategies on ADB’s operational priorities, as defined in “ADB Strategy 2030.”

About Aalok Kumar :

• Aalok Kumar brings nearly three decades of experience in senior leadership roles in business transformation, performance improvement, and margin expansion.
• Prior to taking up the mantle as the President and CEO of NEC India in 2020, he served as the Senior Vice President of McKinsey & Company.
• He has also worked in companies that include GE Healthcare, GE Capital and ABN Amro Bank.

Senior IAS officer Amit Agrawal appointed as CEO of UIDAI

• Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Amit Agrawal assumed charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• He is expected to play a key role in the further development of Aadhaar and in ensuring that the UIDAI is able to meet the needs of the people of India.
• He was appointed to the position following the retirement of Saurabh Garg.

About Amit Agrawal :

• He is an officer of the 1993 batch IAS from the Chhattisgarh cadre.
• He is a well-known expert in the field of Information Technology (IT) and e-governance.
• In Chhattisgarh, he served as the Finance Secretary and the Secretary in charge of the Departments of Commercial Tax and Technical Education in the State Government among other roles.
• Prior to joining UIDAI as CEO, he was Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• He served as Additional Secretary and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.
• He is also the current Chairman of the National Digital Communications Policy Committee.

About Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology :

• Cabinet Minister : Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Minister of State : Rajeev Chandrasekhar
• Secretary : Alkesh Kumar Sharma

About UIDAI :

• Established : 28 January 2009
• Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

All-India Consumer Price Index Numbers for Agricultural and Rural Labourers – May 2023:

• The All-India Consumer Price Index Number for Agricultural Labourers and Rural Labourers for the month of May, 2023 increased by 6 & 5 points to stand at 1186 and 1197 points respectively.
• The major contribution towards the rise in the general index of Agricultural Labourers and Rural Labourers came from food group to the extent of 5.29 & 4.72 points respectively mainly due to the increase in prices of rice, pulses, milk, meat goat, chillies dry, garlic, ginger, vegetables & fruits, etc.
• The rise/fall in index varied from State to State.
• In case of Agricultural Labourers, it recorded an increase of 2 to 17 points in 11 States and a decrease of 1 to 5 points in 8 States while it remained stationary for Himachal Pradesh State.
• Tamilnadu with 1371 points topped the index table whereas Himachal Pradesh with 918 points stood at the bottom.
• In case of Rural Labourers, it recorded an increase of 1 to 17 points in 12 States and a decrease of 1 to 5 points in 7 States while it remained stationary for Kerala State.
• Tamilnadu with 1360 points topped the index table whereas Himachal Pradesh with 968 points stood at the bottom.

EPFO adds 17.20 lakh net members in April 2023

• Employees Provident Fund Organisation, EPFO’s provisional payroll revealed that EPFO has added 17.20 lakh net members in April this year as compared to the net addition of 13.40 lakh members during March, 2023.
• Out of 17.20 lakh members, around 8.47 lakh new members have come under social security coverage of EPFO for the first time.
• Among the newly joined members, the age-group of 18-25 years constitutes 54.15 percent of total new members added during the month.
• The age-group of 18-25 years indicates that majority of the members joining organised sector workforce of the country are mostly first-time job seekers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

TPG India sells entire 2.65% stake in Shriram Finance for ₹1,390 crores

• TPG India Investments II Inc sold its entire 2.65% stake, or 99.2 lakh shares, in Non Banking Finance Company (NBFC) Shriram Finance Limited for Rs 1390 crore through open market transactions.
• However, Shriram Finance’s share price rallied nearly 5% as there were multiple major buyers.
• Among key investors were Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs along with many fund houses.
• The largest buyer was Kotak Funds India Midcap Fund.
• Shriram Finance is primarily engaged in the business of financing commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles, construction equipment, farm equipment, micro, small and medium enterprises, two-wheelers, gold and personal loans.

About TPG Inc :

• Founded : 1992
• Headquarters : Fort Worth, Texas, United States
• CEO : Jon Winkelried
• TPG Inc., previously known as Texas Pacific Group and TPG Capital, is an American private equity firm.
• In June 2023, TPG was ranked 6th in Private Equity International’s PEI 300 ranking of the largest private equity firms in the world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Army Contingent participates in multinational peacekeeping Joint Exercise – Ex Khaan Quest 2023 in Mongolia

• The Indian Army contingent participated in the Multinational Peacekeeping Joint Exercise ‘Ex Khaan Quest 2023’ in Mongolia which is scheduled to be held from June 19 to July 2, 2023 (14 day long exercise).
• Mr Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, the Hon’ble President of Mongolia inaugurated the Exercise in a ceremony organised at Five Hills Training Area in Mongolia.
• The exercise is co-sponsored by Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) and United States Army Pacific Command (USARPAC).
• The Indian Army is represented by a contingent from the GARHWAL RIFLES.
• Military contingents and observers from over 20 countries are participating in this exercise.

Aim :

• To enhance interoperability of the participating nations, for sharing experience and to train uniformed personnel for the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO).

Key Highlights :

• The exercise includes Command Post Exercise (CPX), Field Training Exercises (FTX), combat discussions, lectures and demonstration.
• The military exercise will enhance the level of defence co-operation between Indian Army and participating countries especially with the Mongolian Armed Forces which will enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.

About Khaan Quest :

• Khaan Quest is an annual military exercise held in Mongolia.
• The exercise was established in 2003.
• It only became an international exercise in 2006, originally being a joint exercise between the Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).

India gifts missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam

• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh announced that India will gift the indigenously-built in-service missile ‘Corvette INS Kirpan’ to Vietnam and both the countries will also collaborate in defence industry cooperation, maritime security and multinational cooperation.
• He held bilateral talks with Vietnamese Defence Minister Mr General Phan Van Gang in New Delhi, Delhi.
• Also, General Phan Van Gang laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and paid homage to the fallen heroes.

About INS Kirpan :

• INS Kirpan is a Khukri class missile corvette displacing 1,350 tonnes.
• It was commissioned into the Navy on January 12, 1991.
• It has a displacement of close to 1,400 tonnes, a length of 91 metres, a beam of 11 metres, and is capable of speed in excess of 25 knots.
• The ship is fitted with a medium range gun, 30 mm close range guns, chaff launchers, and surface to surface missiles, enabling it to perform a wide variety of roles, including coastal and offshore patrol, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

About the Defence Partnership between India & vietnam :

• India and Vietnam have shared a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since 2016 and defence cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership.
• Vietnam is an important partner in India’s ‘Act East’ policy and the Indo-Pacific vision.
• In June 2022, India and Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual logistics support in the presence of the two Defence Ministers during Mr. Singh’s visit to the Southeast Asian nation, and the two Defence Ministers signed the “Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam defence partnership towards 2030”,

About Vietnam :

• President : Võ Văn Thưởng
• Prime Minister : Phạm Minh Chính
• Capital : Hanoi
• Currency : Vietnamese dong

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

UNDP partners with DAY-NULM towards empowering women entrepreneurs

• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) entered into a collaborative partnership aimed at empowering women to make well-informed career choices in the field of entrepreneurship.
• The partnership will provide support for women looking to start and expanding their own enterprises, particularly in sectors such as care economy, digital economy, electric mobility, waste management, food packaging and more. Focused on fostering entrepreneurship development and accelerating enterprise growth, the three-year project, extendable beyond 2025, will cover eight cities in the initial phase.
• The DAY-NULM has an aim to uplift the urban poor by enhancing sustainable livelihood opportunities through skill development.
• The scheme extends its coverage to all the 4,041 statutory cities and towns, thereby covering most of India’s urban population.
• Through its outreach efforts, DAY-NULM has mobilized more than 8.4 million urban poor women across India, forming over 8,31,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in over 4,000 towns.
• Their impressive grassroots initiatives facilitate economic empowerment and amplifies the voices of marginalized sections of the urban population, including SCs/STs, minorities, female-headed households, street vendors, and rag pickers.

About UNDP:

• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Founded: 22 November 1965

TRIFED collaborates with Ayush Ministry to supply 34,000 yoga mats

• Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd, TRIFED has collaborated with Ministry of Ayush to supply 34,000 yoga mats.
• This collaborative effort, set to coincide with the upcoming International Yoga Day, highlights the government’s commitment to uplift tribal communities and celebrate India’s rich cultural heritage.
• This initiative not only bolsters the economic prospects of tribal communities but also ensures the preservation and promotion of their unique artistic traditions.
• These yoga mats, procured exclusively from tribal artisans across different regions of the country, will bear distinct designs and motifs representative of their respective communities.
• Each mat is a vibrant testament to the diverse cultural heritage of India’s tribes, reflecting their stories, folklore, and artistic legacy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports organises “Yoga Mahotsav” on the occasion of International Yoga Day 2023

• In the run up to the International Day of Yoga, 2023 (IDY-2023), Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organized “Yoga Mahotsav” at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi.
• Youth Affairs Secretary Meeta Rajivlochan and other officials in the Ministry also graced the occasion.
• More than 100 volunteers from National Service Scheme, NSS, participated in the common Yoga Protocol during the Yoga Mahotsav

Daily CA One- Liner: June 22

• The Union Bank of India (UBI) has launched 4 bank account schemes named Union Unnati, Union Samriddhi, Union Samman,Union SBCHS acknowledges the significance of cooperative housing societies, targeting women, women entrepreneurs and professionals, pensioners and cooperative housing societies.
• NSE International Exchange (NSE IX) unveiled a new and refreshed brand identity of GIFT Nifty ( National Stock Exchange FIFTY) as a part of full-scale transition of SGX Nifty to Gift Nifty from July 3, 2023.
• The Union Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated 11 flyovers from Delhi to Panipat on the eight-lane National Highway- 44 at Sonipat
• The Road, Transport and Highways Ministry has issued a draft notification proposing Motor Third Party Premium and Liability Rules for the Financial Year 2023-24
• The 4th Education Working Group meeting (EdWG) commenced in Pune to finalize outcome documents to be presented at the Education Ministers meeting
• Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India, hosted H.E. Mr. Hayan Abdul Ghani Abdul Zahra Al Sawad, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs, and Minister of Oil of the Republic of Iraq, at the 18th India – Iraq Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), held in New Delhi.
• The United Nations (UN) has adopted the first-ever treaty to protect marine life in the high seas.
• United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Mr Rishi Sunak has announced that Britain,UK will host the first major global summit on Artificial Intelligence (AI) safety.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has selected State Bank of India (SBI) Managing Director (MD) Swaminathan Janakiraman for the post of Deputy Governor (DG) in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of 3 years.
• The Reliance Group has appointed Parul Sharma as Group President.
• Aalok Kumar, Corporate Officer & Senior Vice President (VP), Head of the Global Smart City Business, NEC (formerly known as Nippon Electric Company, Limited) Corporation India, has been appointed as a member of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) High-level Advisory Group on Digital Technology for Development in Asian Countries.
• Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Amit Agrawal assumed charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• TPG India Investments II Inc sold its entire 2.65% stake, or 99.2 lakh shares, in Non Banking Finance Company (NBFC) Shriram Finance Limited for Rs 1390 crore through open market transactions.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundation stone of 4 National Highway projects at Sonepat, Karnal and Ambala in Haryana worth Rs 3,835 crore in presence of Haryana Chief Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Dushyant Chautala and other MPs, MLAs and officials
• The All-India Consumer Price Index Number for Agricultural Labourers and Rural Labourers for the month of May, 2023 increased by 6 & 5 points to stand at 1186 and 1197 points respectively
• Employees Provident Fund Organisation, EPFO’s provisional payroll revealed that EPFO has added 17.20 lakh net members in April this year as compared to the net addition of 13.40 lakh members during March, 2023
• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) entered into a collaborative partnership aimed at empowering women to make well-informed career choices in the field of entrepreneurship
• Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd, TRIFED has collaborated with Ministry of Ayush to supply 34,000 yoga mats.
• The Indian Army contingent participated in the Multinational Peacekeeping Joint Exercise ‘Ex Khaan Quest 2023’ in Mongolia which is scheduled to be held from June 19 to July 2, 2023 (14 day long exercise).
• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh announced that India will gift the indigenously-built in-service missile ‘Corvette INS Kirpan’ to Vietnam and both the countries will also collaborate in defence industry cooperation, maritime security and multinational cooperation.
• In the run up to the International Day of Yoga, 2023 (IDY-2023), Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organized “Yoga Mahotsav” at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi.