PREFACE
It gives us great pleasure to release the monthly edition of the PRAVAHINI - Monthly e-Compendium & Weekly e-Periodicals of Current Affairs. The magazine’s members have shown considerable cooperation as well as devotion. We at successmantra.in work tirelessly to create this magazine and bring it to you with a great sense of gratitude.
The PRAVAHINI June-2021 eBook covers the current events that happened in the month of June. Current Affairs is a crucial component of any competitive exams including CLAT, AILET, DU-LLB, HM, CAT, IAS, PCS, SSC, Banking, MBA and various other competitive examinations.
Current Affairs play the bigger role in many competitive and government exams. It holds the power of making or breaking your chance of success. Therefore, the candidates should cover the Current Affairs thoroughly and smartly.
The PRAVAHINI June-2021 eBook is divided into different sections keeping in mind the need of various exams. The sections covered namely International, National, Economy, Ecology and Environment, Science & Technology, Legal Affairs, Sports, States News Makers and few others.
We would also be pleased to receive any suggestion that could assist us with the upcoming editions.
Success Mantra (GTB Nagar, Delhi)
Website: www.successmantra.in
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- National Affairs
2. International Affairs
3. Economic Affairs
4. Appointments
5. Awards And Honors
6. Important Dates & Sports
7. Reports And Indexes
8. Science & Technology
9. Miscellaneous
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
GUJARAT CM LAUNCHED 'AGRI. DIVERSIFICATION SCHEME
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has virtually launched the ‘Agricultural Diversification Scheme-2021’, with the aim of making agriculture sustainable and profitable in the tribal areas of the state.
The scheme will benefit more than 1.26 lakh vanbandhu- farmers from 14 tribal districts in Gujarat.
Under the scheme: The state government would distribute fertilizer-seed assistance worth around Rs. 31 crores to tribal farmers, which will also include 45 kg of urea, 50 kg of NPK and 50 kg of ammonium sulphate.
Gujarat government has already provided assistance of Rs. 250 crore to 10 lakh tribal farmers under this scheme in the last ten years.
ANDHRA PRADESH INTRODUCES 'SALT PROGRAMME'
Andhra Pradesh has started a Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) programme to transform foundational learning in government schools for which the World Bank has approved a loan of 250 million dollars.
The main objectives of the programme are strengthening foundation schools and providing training and skill development to teachers. Andhra Pradesh’s public school education system has more than 40 lakh children and nearly 2 lakh teachers.
About the programme: The five-year programme is result-oriented with the WB releasing funds after key goals are achieved. The government has converted all Anganwadis into pre-primary schools and attached them to the nearest schools.
The government’s document on SALT documents several challenges to improving the learning outcomes.
These include inadequate facilities in schools and a need for increased focus on foundational learning, the need for upgrading teaching skills of teachers, improving teacher-student interactions in classes, and capacity development of state-level institutions such as the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT), State Institute of Education Management and Training (SIEMAT) and District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs).
The government is also setting up new administrative structures which will monitor the working of schools, like the AP School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission.
RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD LAUNCHED ITAT-E-DWAR
Union Minister for Law & Justice, Communications and Electronics & IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad has formally launched the e-filing portal of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), ‘itat e-dwar’, in New Delhi.
The newly developed e-Filing Portal would enable the parties to file their Appeals, Miscellaneous Applications, documents, paper books, etc., electronically. The portal will enable the online filing of appeals, applications and documents by various parties.
According to Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the launch of the e-filing portal of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), should be seen as a larger narrative of transformation the country is undergoing through the digital medium.
The ‘ITAT e-dwar’ portal aims to enhance accessibility, accountability and transparency in the day-to-day working of the ITAT.
It would not only result in economization of the use of paper and cost savings but also rationalization of the fixation of cases leading to quicker disposal of cases.
The e-Filing Portal will enable the parties to electronically file their Appeals, Miscellaneous Applications, documents and paper books.
All the communication regarding their appeals, like filing of appeal or hearing date, adjournments, pronouncements and disposals will be sent to the appellant’s Mobile and E-Mail Id.
The tribunal orders will also be sent on the given E-Mail Id. The ITAT in its next phase aims to designate specific benches as Paperless Benches and touch screens will be provided in these Paperless Benches to enable members to access their e-Appeals.
'ASHIRBAD SCHEME' FOR EDUCATION OF COVID ORPHANS
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a new scheme ‘Ashirbad’ for the education, health and maintenance of Covid orphans.
The Chief Minister announced that Rs 2500 per month will be deposited in the bank accounts of family members who have taken the responsibility for the children after the death of their parents.
Children who lost their parents or the main earning person of the family on April 1, 2020, or thereafter to Covid-19 will be eligible to be covered under the scheme. Such children under distress have been divided into three categories.
Those who have lost both their parents, those who have lost either father or mother and those whose main earning member of the family, either father or mother have died.
GOA BECOMES 1ST STATE TO BE RABIES FREE
• Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant announced that Goa has become the first state in the country to be Rabies free.
• CM informed that not a single case of rabies had been found in the state since the last three years. The team of mission rabies had been very effectively doing its job and had been also conducting vaccination for dogs.
• As per information, no rabies cases were reported in the state in 2018. The progress came on the heels of Mission Rabies, a statewide drive in place since 2014 which saw almost one lakh dogs given the anti-rabies vaccine yearly, and an awareness campaign that educated 5.2 lakh school children and 23,000 teachers about the virus.
• This included 50,316 vaccinations administered and 78,437 students reached until August 31st this year alone.
• Goa Capital: Panaji
• Governor of Goa: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Chief Minister of Goa: Pramod Sawant
INDIA'S FIRST INDIGENOUS AIRCRAFT CARRIER COMMISSIONED
• The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has informed that India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-I), is planned to be commissioned by 2022.
• Once commissioned, the carrier will be rechristened as INS Vikrant, in memory of India’s first aircraft carrier.
• About the IAC-I: The IAC-1 carrier is being built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi, Kerala, under a public-private partnership.
• It comprises nearly 75 per cent of indigenous content from design, to steel used in construction, to key weapons and sensors. The IAC-1 will undergo a series of sea trials before it gets inducted into the Navy. Vikrant is 262 metres (860 ft) long and 62 metres (203 ft) wide, and displaces about 40,000 metric tons (39,000 long tons).
9TH ASIAN MINISTERIAL ENERGY ROUNDTABLE
• International Energy Forum (IEF) announced that India has agreed to host the 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable (AMER9).
• The 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable will be held in 2022. Dates of this conference will be announced later and it will take forward the understandings reached in the previous meeting in Abu Dhabi during 2018.
• About the conference: The decision of India to be the host of this Energy Roundtable came after a virtual meeting between IEF Secretary-General Joseph McMonigle and Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
• Chief executive officers of Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum Corp, in addition to senior officers from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, were also present at the meeting.
• International Energy Forum (IEF): The International Energy Forum (IEF) is the world’s largest energy organization with 71 member countries, accounting for 90 per cent of the global energy market.
• It holds energy dialogue promoting energy security, market stability, and transparency in the transition to a sustainable and inclusive future.
NATIONAL POPULATION REGISTER (NPR)
According to a Union Home Ministry manual, migrants from six non-Muslim minority communities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh can also produce National Population Register (NPR) enrolment slips as proof of the duration of their stay in India when applying for long-term visas (LTVs).
The NPR number is one of more than ten documents that could be provided to apply for an LTV, which is a prerequisite to acquiring Indian citizenship either by naturalisation or registration under Sections 5 and 6 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, for the six non-Muslim communities.
These communities are: Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians, Jains, and Buddhists. For the first time, a special provision for LTVs for Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan and Afghanistan was made in 2011.
It was also claimed that the awareness campaign has nothing to do with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which is intended to help undocumented migrants from the six groups who entered India before the 2014 cut-off date.
The CAA has not yet been implemented.
HEBBAL-NAGARWARA VALLEY PROJECT
Citizens and Environmentalists are combat towards the notion to clear over 6,000 trees in Singanayakanahalli to construct a lake under Hebbal-Nagawara Valley Project with the aid of Minor Irrigation Department in Karnataka.
Forest Department, in a latest notification, proposed to felled 6,316 timber to advance Singanayakanahalli lake, Yelahanka hobli, due to the fact they are coming in way of this project.
Hebbal-Nagawara Valley Project: This challenge was launched with the aim of filling 65 tanks in Bengaluru Urban, Rural and Chickballapur. Bengaluru lake was the first lake to obtain handled water from this project.
The mission was once intended to act as an impounded reservoir to furnish water in 11 different lakes in this region.
Direct use of handled water for ingesting and agricultural purposes used to be prohibited but farmers have been of the view that, task is growing the water table. Activists are questioning the need and good judgment of casting off such big quantity of trees.
Hebbal Lake: The lake is located in Bangalore at the mouth of National Highway 7, close to the junction of Bellary Road & Outer Ring Road. These lakes had been created in 1537 with the aid of Kempe Gowda.
It used to be shaped by using damming herbal valley systems. It spreads over a place of 75 ha with plans for extending it up to 143 ha.
'JAAN HAI TO JAHAN HAI' AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
The Minority Affairs Minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched a nationwide “JaanHaiToJahaanHai” awareness campaign on Corona vaccination for rural and remote areas.
The aim of this campaign is to aware people of the Corona vaccination and to crush rumours and apprehensions related to Corona vaccination.
It has been launched by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in association with various socio-educational organizations, NGOs, and Women Self Help Groups.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi urged members of Central Waqf Council, Maulana Azad Education Foundation, and other social and educational institutions to take part in this awareness campaign. India is running the world’s largest Corona vaccination drive.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
PAKISTAN TO REMAIN ON FATF 'GREY LIST'
• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to retain Pakistan on “increased monitoring list’. “Increased monitoring list” is another name for the Grey List.
• The FATF had issued the 27-point action plan after placing Pakistan on the ‘Grey List’ in June 2018. The action plan pertains to curbing money laundering and terror financing.
• During the October-2020 Plenary, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Pakistan was given an extension for full compliance with the 27-point action plan till February 2021.
• It had then not fully complied with 6 of the 27 directives. In February 2021, FATF acknowledged Pakistan’s significant progress in combating terrorism, however it was still to fully comply with three of the 27-point action plan.
• The three points pertained to effective steps in terms of financial sanctions and penalties against the terror funding infrastructure and the entities involved.
• The FATF said Pakistan had failed to take appropriate action against UN-designated terrorists such as 26/11 accused Hafiz Saeed and JeM chief Masood Azhar. However, Pakistan has completed 26 of the 27 action items.
• The FATF encourages Pakistan to continue to make progress to address as soon as possible the one remaining Countering Finance of Terrorism (CFT)-related item by demonstrating that Terror Financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups.
• In addition, the FATF has handed down another 6-point list of tasks mainly on money laundering actions to be completed as well.
• Pakistan is expected to amend its Money-Laundering Act, crackdown on Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) like real estate agencies and gemstone traders, confiscate and freeze assets of money laundering entities and monitor businesses for proliferation financing, with sanctions for non-compliance.
PHILIPPINES INCLUDED IN FATF'S 'GREY LIST'
Philippines has been included in the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). FATF has released its grey list of jurisdictions that will be subjected to increased monitoring.
In addition to the Philippines, Haiti, Malta, and South Sudan have also been added to the grey list. Now, these jurisdictions will be required to submit progress reports to the FATF thrice a year.
The Philippines was removed from the blacklist of FATF in 2005. It was previously included in FATF’s blacklist in 2000.
FATF grey list is the list in which jurisdictions under increased monitoring are placed. If a jurisdiction is placed under increased monitoring, this means that jurisdiction is committed to resolving strategic decencies within agreed timeframes.
Jurisdictions under the FATF grey list actively work with FATF to address strategic decencies in their regime to fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
FATF blacklist is the list of countries judged by FATF as non-cooperative in the global fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
• Philippines President: Rodrigo Duterte.
• Philippines Capital: Manila.
• Philippines Currency: Philippine peso.
TAX INSPECTOR WITHOUT BORDER (TIWB) INITIATIVE
• India and Bhutan have jointly launched the “Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB)”. It has been launched for strengthening the tax administration of Bhutan. It will focus on International Taxation and Transfer Pricing.
• TIWB programme aims to strengthen tax administrations among developing countries by transferring technical know-how and skills to their tax auditors and by sharing general audit practices & dissemination of knowledge products with them.
• This programme is another milestone in the relationship between India and Bhutan. It will be completed in 24 months’ duration.
• About the Tax Inspectors without Borders: Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) initiative was launched in 2015. Its main aim is to strengthen developing countries’ auditing capacity.
• It is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). TIWB initiative has completed 80 programmes in 45 countries.
PM OF SWEDEN RESIGNS FOLLOWING NO CONFIDENCE VOTE
• The Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven, has announced his resignation on June 28, 2021, after he lost a confidence vote in parliament.
• The 63-year-old Lofven is the first Swedish government leader to be defeated by a no-confidence vote. He was serving as the Prime Minister of Sweden since 2014.
• The confidence motion was filed by the far-right Sweden Democrats after the Left Party said it was planning such a motion itself in protest against a plan to ease rent controls.
TURKEY & AZERBAIJAN BEGUN JOINT MILITARY DRILL
• Turkey and Azerbaijan have begun joint military drills “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – 2021” in Baku, deploying tanks, helicopters and drones in an effort to improve the two countries’ combat interoperability.
• The exercises involve up to 600 personnel in an effort to improve the allies’ combat interoperability.
• The main purpose of the exercises is to improve the interaction between the two countries’ army units during combat operations, to develop the commanders’ military decision-making skills and their ability to manage military units.
• Turkey President: Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• Turkey Capital: Ankara.
• Azerbaijan Capital: Baku.
• Azerbaijan Prime minister: Ali Asadov.
• Azerbaijan President: Ilham Aliyev.
UKRAINE & US LAUNCHED 'SEA BREEZE DRILLS'
• Ukraine and the United States launched joint naval exercises “Sea Breeze drills” in the Black Sea in a show of Western cooperation with Kiev as it faces off with Russia.
• The drills come just days after the British Royal Navy’s HMS Defender passed near Russian-annexed Crimea in the Black Sea, with Moscow saying it fired warning shots at the destroyer to ward it off.
• The Sea Breeze drills, which have taken place 21 times since 1997, will involve some 5,000 military personnel from more than 30 countries.
• The exercises will last two weeks and involve around 30 ships, including the missile destroyer USS Ross.
• Ukraine President: Volodymyr Zelensky.
• Ukraine Capital: Kyiv.
• Ukraine Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia.
• US Capital: Washington, D.C.
• US President: Joe Biden.
• US Currency: United States Dollar.
INDIA & JAPAN CONDUCTED BILATERAL NAVAL EXERCISE
Ships of the Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) participated in a joint naval exercise at the Indian Ocean to realize “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
“JS KASHIMA (TV3508) and JS SETOYUKI (TV3518) conducted a bilateral exercise with INS KULISH (P63) at the Indian Ocean. Naval cooperation between India and Japan has increased in scope and complexity over the years.
Naval cooperation between India and Japan has increased in scope and complexity over the years.
Last year, in the month of September, the Indian Navy and JMSDF conducted a three-day naval exercise JIMEX-2020. It was the 4th edition of the India-Japan maritime bilateral exercise JIMEX.
EUROPEAN UNION & INDIAN NAVY JOINT EXERCISE
In a first, the Indian Navy is participating in a joint exercise with the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR).
Stealth frigate INS Trikand, will participate in the two-day exercise in the Gulf of Aden as it is already deployed in the region on anti-piracy operations.
The aim of the exercise is to enhance and hone their war-fighting skills and their ability as an integrated force to promote peace, security and stability in the maritime domain.
Along with the Indian Navy, other naval forces are from Italy, Spain and France. The naval exercise included advanced air defence and anti-submarine exercises, tactical manoeuvres, Search & Rescue, and other maritime security operations.
PASSAGE EXERCISE BETWEEN INDIAN & US NAVY
The Indian Navy is taking part in a Passage Exercise with a US Navy Carrier Strike Group.
On June 23 and 24, 2021, Indian Naval Ships Kochi and Teg, along with P8I and MiG 29K aircraft, will participate in a Passage Exercise with US Navy Carrier Strike Group Ronald Reagan while transiting through the Indian Ocean Region.
Indian Naval warships, as well as aircraft from the Indian Navy and Air Force, will participate in joint multi-domain operations with the Carrier Strike Group.
The two-day exercise aims to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation by demonstrating the ability to fully integrate and coordinate maritime operations.
High-speed operations during the exercise include advanced air defence exercises, cross-deck helicopter operations, and anti-submarine exercises.
The participating forces will strive to improve their warfighting abilities and interoperability as an integrated force in order to promote peace, security, and stability in the maritime domain.
During the Carrier Strike Group's current deployment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Indian Air Force will also participate in operational engagements with the US Navy. The exercise will take place over two days south of Thiruvananthapuram on the western seaboard.
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
INDIA 5TH LARGEST RECIPIENT OF FDI INFLOWS
As per the World Investment Report 2021 by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India was the fifth-largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in the world in 2020.
The country received USD 64 billion FDI in 2020, which is an increase of 27 per cent, over USD 51 billion inflows in 2019.
The United States remained the largest recipient of FDI, although, the FDI inflow to the country decreased by 40 per cent, to $156 billion, in 2020.
China was the second-largest recipient with USD 149 billion FDI. The global FDI flows decreased by 35 per cent in 2020 to USD 1 trillion from USD 1.5 trillion in 2019.
BHARTI AIRTEL & TATA PARTNERED FOR 5G NETWORK
Bharti Airtel and Tata Group have announced a strategic partnership for implementing 5G network solutions for India, which will be available for commercial development from January 2022.
Tata Group has developed an O-RAN (open-radio access network)-based radio and non-standalone architecture/stand-alone architecture (NSA/SA) core and has integrated a totally indigenous telecom stack, leveraging the capabilities of the group and its partners.
The NSA/SA are radio technology that controls the signalling of 5G radio. While NSA can control signalling of 5G to the 4G core, the SA can connect the 5G radio directly to the 5G core network and control signalling does not depend on the 4G network.
Airtel will pilot and deploy this indigenous solution as part of its 5G rollout plans in India and start the pilot in January 2022, as per the guidelines formulated by the government.
According to sources, Tata Group will work with Indian tech companies and start-ups for hardware solutions, Tata ‘acting as a super integrator’. It can benefit from this partnership to export the technology to other countries such as Africa and Sri Lanka.
• Bharti Airtel CEO: Gopal Vittal.
• Bharti Airtel Founder: Sunil Bharti Mittal.
• Tata Group Chairman: Natarajan Chandrasekaran
• Tata Group Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
APPOINTMENTS
KARIM KHAN SWORN IN AS ICC CHIEF PROSECUTOR
British lawyer Karim Khan was sworn in as the new chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court. He pledges to reach out to nations that are not members of the court and to try to hold trials in countries where crimes are committed.
He has defended clients at international courts including former Liberian President Charles Taylor & Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto.
Khan, a 51-year-old English lawyer, has years of experience in international courts as a prosecutor, investigator and defence attorney. He takes over from Fatou Bensouda of the Gambia, whose nine-year term ended.
• International Criminal Court Founded: 1 July 2002.
• International Criminal Court Headquarters: The Hague, the Netherlands.
• International Criminal Court Member states: 123.
• International Criminal Court Working languages: English; French.
SURESH N PATEL APPOINTED AD ACTING CVC
• The incumbent Vigilance Commissioner, Suresh N Patel has been appointed as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) of India in the Central Vigilance Commission with effect.
• He has been appointed in place of Sanjay Kothari, who completed his term on June 23, 2021. He will remain on the post until the appointment of the new Central Vigilance Commissioner.
• The Central Vigilance Commission is headed by the CVC and can have a maximum of two vigilance commissioners. Currently, Mr Patel is the only VC in the commission.
• The Personnel Ministry has invited applications for the posts of CVC and a vigilance commissioner.
• Central Vigilance Commission Formed: February 1964
• Central Vigilance Commission Headquarters: New Delhi.
AWARDS & HONOR
P SAINATH AWARDED WITH FUKUOKA GRAND PRIZE
Journalist Palagummi Sainath has been awarded the Fukuoka Grand Prize for 2021. He is a committed journalist who has continued to investigate impoverished farming villages in India and captured the reality of the lifestyle of the residents in such areas.
The award, established by Japan’s Fukuoka city and the Fukuoka City International Foundation, is given to individuals and organisations for their work in preserving Asian culture.
Besides the Grand Prize, there are two more award categories, academics and culture.
The Academics Prize was given to Professor Kishimoto Mio, a historian from Japan who specialises in the socio-economic history of China in the Ming-Qing period. Thailand-based writer and filmmaker Prabda Yoon received the Arts and Culture Award.
About the Sainath: Sainath was born in Chennai and has served as the editor of The Hindu and as the vice-editor of political magazine Blitz.
The journalist was awarded the European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Prize for journalism in 1995 and the Amnesty International Global Human Rights Journalism Prize in 2000.
He received the United Nation’s Food & Agriculture Organization’s Boerma Prize in 2001 and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for outstanding contribution to Asian journalism in 2007.
His major publications include everybody loves a good drought, which is a collection of 85 articles published in The Times of India, under the series “The face of poor India”.
KK SHAILAJA AWARDED WITH 'CEU OPEN SOCIETY PRIZE
The Central European University (CEU) Open Society Prize for the year 2021 has been awarded to KK Shailaja, the former Health Minister of Kerala.
The award was to her in attention of “her determined management and community-based public health work, saving lives throughout the pandemic”.
She demonstrates to the world that decided leadership, community-based public health and high-quality communication can save lives.
The CEU’ Open Society Prize is awarded yearly to an man or woman or corporation “whose achievements have contributed drastically to the advent of an open society”.
CEU was situated in 1991 through George Soros, a Hungarian-born political activist and billionaire philanthropist based totally on his vision of a special group that would teach future generations of scholars, professionals, politicians, & civil society leaders “to make contributions to building open and democratic societies that admire human rights and adhere to the rule of law”
JAMSETJI TATA TOPS IAUGURAL LIST OF PHILANTHROPIST
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, Indian pioneer industrialist and founder of the Tata Group, has topped the inaugural, EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century list, which ranks the world’s 50 most generous individuals in the last century.
As per the report, the total donation made by Mumbai-based Jamsetji Tata is estimated at US$102.4 billion. He is the only Indian among the top 10 list, compiled by Hurun Research and EdelGive Foundation.
The only other Indian in the list of 50 global philanthropists is Azim Premji, former chairman of Wipro.
He is ranked at 12th position. Bill Gates & Melinda French Gates ranked second with donations worth $74.6 billion. They are followed by Henry Wellcome ($56.7 billion), Howard Hughes ($38.6 billion), and Warren Buffett ($37.4 billion) respectively.
Individuals have been ranked based on their Total Philanthropic Value, which is calculated as the “value of the assets today together with the sum of gifts or distributions to date”.
The top 50 most generous individuals in the list belongs to five countries, and is led by the US with 38, followed by UK (5), China (3), India (2), Portugal (1) and Switzerland (1). The total donations from these philanthropists amounted to USD 832 billion.
SPORTS
NEW ZEALAND DEFEATED INDIA TO WIN 1ST WTC FINAL
New Zealand defeated India to win the 1st ICC World Test Championship. New Zealand chased down the goal of 139 to win the first-ever World Test Championship final with eight wickets in hand.
The final day of the in shape used to be performed on June 23, 2021. The fit saw 6 days play in region of the normal 5 days due to the rain factor.
Kyle Jamieson (NZ) chosen as the Player of the match, while Kane Williamson (NZ) is the Player of the series. The first test championship started in 2019 with the finals being played in 2021.
The pinnacle three teams, as a result, are: First: New Zealand; Second- India; Third- Australia. The remaining healthy was once played at Ageas Bowl Stadium (Rose Bowl Stadium) in Southampton, England.
The subsequent Test Championship will be held between 2021-2023.
ICC MEN'S T20 WORLD CUP TO BE HELD IN UAE
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, originally slated to be held in India, will now be shifted to the UAE.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which holds the hosting rights of this year’s event, will inform the International Cricket Council (ICC) in this regard. The T20 World Cup was postponed last year due to the pandemic.
The BCCI will remain the hosts of the event, which will now be held in Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground, from 17 October to 14 November 2021.
• Secretary of BCCI: Jay Shah.
• President of BCCI: Sourav Ganguly.
• Headquarters of BCCI: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Founded: December 1928
DATES & DAYS
WORLD MUSIC DAY OBSERVED ON 21ST JUNE
World Music Day is observed globally on 21st June every year. This day is celebrated to honour amateur and professional musicians.
Over 120 countries celebrate World Music Day by organizing free pubplic concerts in parks, streets, stations, museums and other such public places.
The aim of celebrating World Music Day is to provide free music to everyone, and also to encourage amateur musicians to showcase their work to the world.
World Music Day was founded by France’s Minister of Culture, Jack Lang and also Maurice Fleuret, a French composer, music journalist, radio producer, arts administrator, and festival organiser, on the day of the summer solstice in Paris in 1982.
UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICES DAY
United Nations Public Service Day is observed globally on 23rd June every year. This day is to highlight the contribution of public service in the development process and to value public service to the community.
This day is widely known by various public service organisations and departments around the world by organising several events to recognise the role of public servants in making developments and improvements in the community.
LAs a part of the occasion, the Division of Public Institutions and Digital Government of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs will host a virtual event, in collaboration with the government of the United Arab Emirates, under the theme of “Innovating the Future Public Service: New Government Models for a New Era to Reach the SDGs”.
On 20 December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly designated 23 June per annum to watch as United Nations Public Service Day by passing a resolution 57/277.
The day marks the anniversary of the date when the International Labour Organization adopted the Convention on Labour Relations (Public Service), 1978 (No. 151) for determining the working conditions of all civil servants across the world.
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC DAY OBSERVED ON 23RD JUNE
The International Olympic Day is held on June 23 each year. The day is celebrated to encourage more people to participate in the Olympic Games and spread awareness about the event and promote the Olympic Movement.
Based on the three pillars – “move”, “learn” and “discover” – the National Olympic Committees are deploying sports, cultural and educational activities to encourage participation regardless of age, gender, social background, or sporting ability.
The Olympic Day 2021 theme is “Stay healthy, stay strong, stay active with the #OlympicDay workout on 23 June.”
History of the day: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved to observe Olympic Day in January 1948 to commemorate the creation of the International Olympic Committee on 23 June 1894.
The creation of the modern-day Olympic Games is inspired by the ancient Olympic Games held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. The first Olympic Day was celebrated in the year 1948.
• International Olympic Committee Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland.
• International Olympic Committee President: Thomas Bach.
• International Olympic Committee Founded: 23 June 1894 (Paris, France).
INTERNATIONAL ASTEROID SAY: 30TH JUNE
International Asteroid Day is observed globally on 30th June every year.
International Asteroid Day aims to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard and to inform the public about the crisis communication actions to be taken at the global level in case of a credible near-Earth object threat.
International Asteroid Day: In December 2016 the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/71/90, declaring 30 June International Asteroid Day in order to “observe each year at the international level the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908, and to boost public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard.”
Asteroids are the small rocky body that orbits around the sun. Mostly, they are found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter but some have more eccentric orbits.
So, we will say that asteroids are rocky-metallic objects which range in size from about the dimensions of pebbles to around 600 miles across.
They are so small that aren’t considered as planets but they orbit Sun. They are known as the leftover material of the Solar System.
REPORT & INDEXES
INDIA RANKED 120TH IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REPORT
According to the 6th Edition of ‘Sustainable Development Report 2021 (SDR 2021)’ released by Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), India with a score of 60.1 has been placed at 120th rank out of 165 countries. Finland topped the Index followed by Sweden & Denmark.
For the 1st time since 2015, all countries have shown a reversal in progress in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SDR 2021 has been written by a group of authors led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, President of the SDSN and has been published by Cambridge University Press.
SDR Report: SDR is an annual report which ranks the 193 UN member countries based on their performance against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
It has been released since 2015 and is based on official data sources (UN, World Bank, etc.) and non-official data sources (research institutions and non-governmental organizations).
SUICIDE WORLDWIDE IN 2019 BY WHO
Recently, a report titled Suicide worldwide in 2019 was published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Suicide is defined as death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior.
Reducing the global suicide mortality rate by a third is both, an indicator and a target (the only one for mental health) in the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But the world will not be able to reach this target.
The Covid-19-pandemic has increased mental stress globally. However a crisis was already in place in 2019. Approximately 7,03,000 people or one in a 100, died by suicide in 2019.
Africa, Europe and South-East Asia recorded suicide rates higher than the global average. This number was highest in the Africa region (11.2) followed by Europe (10.5) and South-East Asia (10.2). In 20 years (2000-2019), the global suicide rate had decreased by 36%.
Suicides in India: India has the highest suicide rate in the Southeast Asian region. A total of 1,34,516 cases of suicide were reported in 2018 in India, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. While the rate of suicide was 9.9 in 2017, it increased to 10.2 in 2018.
Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) states whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or both.
WORLD DRUGS REPORT 2021 BY UNODC
• Recently, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in its World Drug Report 2021, has highlighted that the lockdown restrictions during Covid-19 have accelerated drug trafficking using the Internet.
• By drugs, the Report refers to substances controlled under international drug control conventions, and their non-medical use.
• Data Analysis: Between 2010-2019, the number of people using drugs increased by 22%, owing in part to an increase in the global population.
• Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide last year, while over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders. Opioids continue to account for the largest burden of disease attributed to drug use.
• A rise in the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs was also observed during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Cannabis is More Potent but Fewer Young People See it as Harmful: In the last 24 years, cannabis potency had increased as much as four times in some parts, even as the percentage of adolescents who perceived the drug as harmful fell by as much as 40%.
• The major psychoactive constituent in cannabis, Δ9-THC, is responsible for the development of mental health disorders, in the long-term.
• Reason: Aggressive marketing of cannabis products and promotion through social-media channels.
• Rising Web-based Sales Could Transform Global Drug Use Patterns: Access to drugs has also become simpler than ever with online sales, and major drug markets on the dark web are now worth some $315 million annually.
• In Asia, China and India are mainly linked to shipment of drugs sold on the 19 major darknet markets analysed over 2011-2020.
ASHGABAT: WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CITY FOR WORKERS
• Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan in Central Asia, has been named the world’s most expensive city for foreign workers.
• The city topped the list in a 2021 cost-of-living survey by consultancy firm Mercer. Hong Kong was on the second position, followed by Beirut in Lebanon and Tokyo in Japan.
• The annual report ranks 209 cities based on the cost of expenses like housing, food and transport. Most of the cities in the top 10 are those where economic growth has contributed to an increase in the cost of living.
• Three are Swiss cities, of which Zurich dropped to fifth, followed by Shanghai and Singapore. London was placed 18th.
• About the Ashgabat: Ashgabat is known for its magnificent marble buildings and monuments. It is also home to one of Central Asia’s most colourful bazaars called Tolkuchka Bazaar.
• Other tourist attractions include the National Museum, White Marble, Turkmenbashi Cableway, Museum of Fine Arts, Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center, and Turkmen Carpet Museum.
• Indian cities: Mumbai remains India’s most expensive city at 78th rank but has dropped 18 places in this year’s ranking “due to a relatively weak Indian rupee in comparison with other cities in the ranking.”
• Other Indian cities on the list are New Delhi (117), Chennai (158), Bengaluru (170), and Kolkata (181).
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
SHENZHOU-12 MANNED MISSION PROGRAMME
A Chinese spacecraft "Shenzhou XII" with three crew members docked with China's new space station module Tianhe 1. This follows the launch of the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, which delivered critical supplies to the space station.
About six hours after taking off from the Jiuquan launch centre in the Gobi Desert, the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft connected with the Tianhe space station module.
The three-man crew will spend three months on the Tianhe module, which will orbit the Earth at 340km to 380km altitude.
This is the first of two manned space missions scheduled for this year, as part of a intense launch schedule aimed at completing the Chinese space station by 2022.
The three astronauts are the first to live in the main living module, where they will conduct experiments, test equipment, perform maintenance, and prepare the station for the arrival of two laboratory modules next year.
It was China's seventh crewed space mission, but it was a number of firsts for the country, including the first manned mission during the construction of China's space station, the first in nearly five years since the country's last manned mission in 2016, and China's longest crewed space mission to date.
Purpose of the Mission: It will aid in the testing of technologies related to long-term astronaut stays and health care, the recycling and life support system, space material supply, extravehicular activities and operations, and in-orbit maintenance.
DRDO SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRED NIRBHAY CRUISE MISSILE
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired the subsonic cruise missile ‘Nirbhay’ on June 24, 2021, from an Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha’s Balasore.
• This was the eighth test flight of the missile. The first test flight of Nirbhay was held on 12 March 2013.
• About the Missile: Nirbhay is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile indigenously designed and developed by DRDO.
• The missile can be launched from multiple platforms and is capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads. Nirbhay is a two-stage missile and can engage several targets in a single flight.
• The missile has a length of 6 metres, a width of 0.52 metres, a wingspan of 2.7 metres and weighs about 1500 kg. It has a strike range of about 1500 km.
DRDO TEST-FIRED PINAKA ROCKET OFF ODISHA COAST
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired an extended-range version of the indigenously developed Pinaka rocket.
• The rockets were launched from a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
• The enhanced range version of the Pinaka Rocket System can destroy targets at distances up to 45 km. 25 Enhanced Pinaka Rockets were launched in quick succession against different range targets.
• The Pinaka Rocket system has been developed jointly by Pune based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) with manufacturing support from M/s Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur
DRDO SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRED AGNI-P MISSILE
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested a New Generation Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile “Agni P (Prime)” from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha, Balasore.
• As per Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials, Agni-Prime is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.
• About the Agni P: Agni P (Prime) is a new-generation advanced variant from the Agni class of missiles. It is a canisterised surface-to-surface ballistic missile having a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km.
WORLD'S FIRST PHYSICALLY DISABLED ASTRONAUT
The European Space Agency will hire and launch the world’s first physically disabled astronaut.
It received 22000 applicants for this recruitment call. ESA is developing technologies for para-astronaut. It will give a message to the world that ‘Space is for everyone’.
European Space Agency is facing tough competition from private players and other space agencies for launching commercial satellites.
Amazon founder Bezos will become the first man to go into space on his own rocket in July 2021.
• European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organization of 22 member states
• European Space Agency was established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris.
MICROSOFT OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED 'WINDOWS 11'
• Microsoft officially launched its new Windows operating system ‘Windows 11’. It is being called as the “next generation” of Windows.
• The release comes nearly six year after the current latest Windows Operating System ‘Windows 10’ was launched in July 2015.
• Windows 11 is special because it focuses on a new user interface, a new Windows Store, and improvements to performance, including a centre-aligned Taskbar and Start button.
• Key features of Windows 11:
• One of the unique features of Windows 11 is that it will support Android apps via Amazon’s app store. It will work better in touch mode as well.
• Windows 11 operating system (OS) will be available as a free upgrade for Windows 10 users in late 2021, as long as the user has a compatible PC that meets the requirements of Microsoft’s new operating system.
• Windows 11 OS will work on PCs having a processor that has two or more cores and a clock speed of 1GHz or higher.
• PCs having Intel’s sixth and seventh-generation processors will not be eligible to use Windows 11.
• Microsoft CEO and Chairman: Satya Nadella
• Microsoft Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States.
MISCELLANEOUS
WORLD'S THIRD LARGEST DIAMOND UNEARTHED
A 1,098-carat diamond has been discovered in Botswana, by Debswana Diamond Company, a joint venture between the government of Botswana and the South African diamond company De Beers.
The newly discovered diamond is believed to be the third-largest gem-quality stone ever to be mined in the world.
The stone has been presented by Debswana Diamond Company to the President of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi.
The largest diamond to be recovered to date is 3,106 carat Cullinan stone in South Africa in 1905, followed by the 1,109 carats Lesedi La Rona unearthed by Lucara Diamonds in Botswana in 2015.
SECTION 27A OF NDPS ACT DECLARED 'INOPERATIVE'
Recently, the Tripura High Court has discovered that an oversight in drafting the 2014 amendments to the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 had unintentionally rendered a key provision (Section 27A) of the Act inoperable.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985: India is a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs 1961, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971 and the Convention on Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988.
They prescribe various forms of control aimed to achieve the dual objective of limiting the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical and scientific purposes as well as preventing the abuse of the same.
The basic legislative instrument of the Government of India in this regard is the NDPS Act, 1985. The Act provides stringent provisions for the control and regulation of operations relating to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
It also provides for forfeiture of property derived from, or used in, illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. It also provides for death penalty in some cases where a person is a repeat offender. The Narcotics Control Bureau was also constituted in 1986 under the Act.
Section 27A of the NDPS Act: The provision reads that whoever indulges in financing, directly or indirectly, any of the activities specified in sub-clauses (i) to (v) of clause (viiia) of section 2 or harbours any person engaged in any of the aforementioned activities.
He shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to twenty years and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to two lakh rupees:
Reason of Section 27A getting Inoperable: The text of the provision says that offences mentioned under Section 2 (viiia) sub-clauses i-v are punishable through Section 27A.
However, Section 2 (viiia) sub-clauses i-v, which is supposed to be the catalog of offences, does not exist after the 2014 amendment. So, if Section 27A penalises a blank list or a non-existent provision, it can be argued that it is virtually inoperable.
AUSTRALIA'S GREAT BARRIER REEF (UNESCO SITE)
Recently, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has recommended that the Australia’s Great Barrier Reef should be added to a list of “in danger” World Heritage Sites.
It was recommended to add to the list because of the impact of climate change. Despite Reef 2050, the coral reef ecosystem has suffered three major bleaching events since 2015 due to severe marine heatwaves.
The Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan is the Australian and Queensland Government’s overarching framework for protecting and managing the Great Barrier Reef by 2050.
When corals face stress by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white
This phenomenon is called coral bleaching.
Marine heatwave is an event of anomalous warm sea surface temperatures (SST) from several days to years.
About Great Barrier Reef: It is the world’s most extensive and spectacular coral reef ecosystem composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. The reef is located in the Coral Sea (North-East Coast), off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
WHO DECLARES END OF EBOLA OUTBREAK
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, which began in February 2021.
• Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) or Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by Ebola viruses in humans and other primates.
• It is transmitted to humans from wild animals and spreads in the human population via human-to-human transmission.
• The Ebola virus was discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River (the current Democratic Republic of the Congo). Ebola virus transmission occurs naturally in fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family.
• Animal to Human Transmission: Ebola is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats, chimpanzees, and gorillas that have been found ill, dead, or in the rainforest.
• Human-to-Human Transmission: Ebola is transmitted through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with:
• The blood or body fluids of people who have contracted Ebola virus or died of Ebola virus. Objects contaminated with such bodily fluids (like blood, feces, vomit).
• Symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, and, in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.
RAJASTHAN'S FOURTH TIGER RESERVE
• The Ramgarh Vishdhari wildlife sanctuary was approved by the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) technical committee to become Rajasthan's fourth Tiger reserve.
• The NTCA was established in 2005 in response to the Tiger Task Force's recommendations.
• It is a statutory body of the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change with an overarching supervisory/coordination role, performing functions as specified in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Protection Status of Tiger:
• Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
• IUCN Red List: Endangered.
• CITES: Appendix I.
• Rajasthan's other three tiger reserves are:
• Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Sawai
• Madhopur, Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) in Alwar, and
• Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) in Kota.
