June 2021

Important Monthly Current Affairs Capsule – June 2021
S . No Topics P age No
1 Important Days 2
2 Important Banking News 4
3 Important Financial & Economy Affairs 20
4 Important Business News 24
5 Important State Wise News 31
6 Important National News 48
7 Important International News 69
8 Important Appointments 76
9 Important Awards and Honours 84
10 Important MOU’s 92
11 Important Summit & Conference 100
12 Important Defence News 103
13 Important Science and Technology 107
14 Important Environment News 115
15 Important Rankings and Indexes 117
16 Important Books and Authors 126
17 Important Peoples’ in News 127
18 Important Mergers and Acquisitions 130
19 Important Web portals and Mobile Apps 131
20 Important Sports News 134
21 Important Obituaries 145
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Important Days
Dat e Day Theme/Others
June 1 Global Parents Day or Parents Day Appreciate all parents throughout the
(It was proclaimed by the UN General world
Assembly in 2012)
June 1 World Milk Day (established by the FAO; Sustainability in the dairy sector
Celebrated since 2001)
June 2 Telangana Day (Telangana Formation Observed annually on 2 June since
Day) 2014
June 3 International World Bicycle Day In April 2018, the United Nations
General Assembly the day.
June 4 International Day of Innocent Children It was established on 19 August 1982
Victims of Aggression
June 5 World Environment Day Reimagine. Recreate. Restore
(The global host for the day in 2021
is Pakistan)
The purpose
June 5 International Day for the Fight Against UN General Assembly declared the
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated day
Fishing
June 5 World Day against Speciesism
June 6 World Pest Day The first World Pest Day was marked
in 2017
June 6 UN Russian Language Day Established by UNESCO in 2010
June 7 World Food Safety Day Safe food today for a healthy
tomorrow
June 8 World Oceans Day The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods
June 8 World Brain Tumor Day
June 9 World Accreditation Day Supporting the Implementation of the
Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs)
June 12 World Day Against Child Labour Act now: End child labour
(launched in 2002)

June 13 International Albinism Awareness Day StrengthBeyondAllOdds
June 14 World Blood Donor Day (It was Give blood and keep
organized for the first time in 2005) the world beating
June 15 World Wind Day Organised by WindEurope and
GWEC. (Denmark
is called the country of winds)
June 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Access to Justice
June 15 International Day of Family Remittances
June 17 World Day to Combat Desertification Restoration. Land. Recovery
and Drought
June 18 Sustainable Gastronomy Day
June 18 International Picnic Day
June 18 Autistic Pride Day Inclusion in the Workplace:
Challenges and Opportunities in a
Post-Pandemic World
June 19 National Reading Day (Honouring the
father of the 'Library Movement in
Kerala', the late PN Panicker)
June 19 International Day for the Elimination of Orange the World: Fund, Respond,
Sexual Violence in Conflict Prevent, Collect
June 19 World Sickle Cell Awareness Day Shine the Light on Sickle Cell
June 19 World Sauntering Day The best remedy for a short temper is
a long walk
June 20 World Refugee Day (It was first Together we heal, learn and shine
established on 20 June 2001)
June 21 International Day of Yoga Yoga for well-being
June 21 World Hydrography Day 100 years of international cooperation
in hydrography
June 21 World Music Day
June 23 International Olympic Day (It was first Stay healthy, stay strong, stay active
celebrated on 23 June 1948)
June 23 United Nations Public Service Day Innovating the Future Public Service:

New Government Models for a New
Era to Reach the SDGs
June 25 Day of the Seafarer Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s
future
(The campaign for Day of Seafarer
calls for a "fair future for seafarers)
June 25 World Vitiligo Day Embracing Life with Vitiligo (Another
theme - Patients with vitiligo have the
same COVID experience as anybody
else and should not fear vaccination)
June 26 International Day Against Drug Abuse 'Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives
and Illicit Trafficking (Observed annually on 26 June, since
1989)
June 26 International Day in Support of Victims First observed by United Nations
of Torture General Assembly in 1997
June 27 Micro, Small and Medium-sized MSME 2021: key to an inclusive and
Enterprises Day sustainable recovery
June 28 National Insurance Awareness Day
June 29 World Statistics Day Sustainable Development Goal
(SDG)- 2 (End Hunger, Achieve Food
Security and Improved Nutrition and
Promote Sustainable Agriculture)
June 29 International Day of the Tropics Digital Divide in the Tropics
June 30 World Asteroid Day
June 30 International Day of Parliamentarism The day was designated in 2018 by
(Marks the day of the establishment of the United Nations General Assembly
the Inter-Parliamentary Union)
Important Banking News

RB I
RB I drop the licence of S hivajirao B hosale S ahakar i Bank
● The RB I stated it has c anc elled the licence of S hivajirao B hosale S ahakari Bank , Pune as the lender does n ot h a v e
adequate capital and earning prospects.

● RBI mentioned, Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari Bank has more than 98% of the depositors will receiv e f ull a m oun t of
t heir deposits f rom the Deposit I nsurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC)
● The RBI Stated the bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects and as such, it does not comply with
the certain provisions of the B anking Regulation Act, 1949.
RB I bi-monthly monetary policy review f or J une 2021 announced
● Res erve Bank of India (RBI) announced its bi-monthly monetary policy review as RB I Governor S hakt ika nt a D a s in
Monetary Policy statement.
● RBI has projected I ndia’s GDP growth at 9. 5 per cent for the ongoing Financial Year of 2021-2022.
● RBI has kept repo rate unchanged at 4 per c ent, sixth time in a row.
● The RBI rev erse repo rate or RBI’s borrowing rate also remains unchanged at 3. 35 percent.
● I nf lation Target is at 4 percent.
● Marginal S tanding Facility Rate is 4. 25%.

● B ank Rate is 4. 25%.
● Cas h Reserve Ratio is 4% .
● S t atutory Liquidity Ratio is 18%.
● RBI has also maintained an accommodative monetary policy stance to support growth and kept inflation at targeted
level, RBI Governor Das disclosed.
Rupee Co-op B ank permitted extension of banking licence
● The Res erve B ank of I ndia (RBI) has extended the bank license of the Rupee Cooperative Bank f or anot her t h r e e
mont hs until A ugust 31, 2021.
● As of March 2021, the bank has received a total of 263. 93 crore rupees and increased transactions.
● Earned 70. 70 c rore in the pas t five years.
● The bank has been profitable for five years.
● By March 2021, the bank had paid 366.54 crore to 92, 602 depositors under the hardship plan.
● The bank announced in a statement that there were no negative comments in the context of the audit or RBI’s annual
review.
● Rupee Cooperative Bank that the proposed merger with Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (MSC Bank) is awaiting RBI.
RB I imposes penalty on two banks - B oI, P NB totalling Rs 6 c rore
● The RB I imposed a penalty aggregating to Rs 6 crore on Bank of India and Punjab National Bank f or c ontravention of
norms, including one related to 'Frauds – Classification and Reporting'.
● A penalty of Rs 4 c rore has been imposed on B ank of I ndia and Rs 2 c rore on Punjab National Bank.
● RBI stated the statutory I ns pection for S upervisory E valuation (lSE) of Bank of India was conducted with reference t o
its financial position as on March 31, 2019.
● The bank had also conducted a review and submitted a Fraud Monit oring Report (FMR) dated January 1, 2019
pertaining to detection of fraud in an account.

● Examination of the risk assessment report pertaining to the ISE and the FMR revealed non -compliance
with/contravention of directions, viz., breach of stipulated transaction limits; delay in transfer of unclaimed balances to
DEA Fund; delay in reporting a fraud to RBI and sale of a fraudulent asset.
RB I now increased A TM Interchange Fee from Rs 15 To Rs 17
● The Res erve B ank of I ndia (RBI) on J une 10 rais ed t he i n t erc h an ge f ee o n e a c h f in anc ia l t r ans ac t ion at an
A ut omated Teller Machine or A TM.
● The bank noted that the last change in interchange fee structure for ATM transactions was in A ugus t 2012, while the
charges payable by customers were last revised in August 2014.
● The RBI has decided to allow an increase in interchange fee per transaction from Rs 15 t o Rs 17 for financial
transactions and from Rs 5 t o Rs 6 for non-financial transactions in all centres.
RB I stretch the B BPS scope by August 31, 2021
● The Res erve B ank of I ndia stated the scope of B harat Bill P ayment S ystem (BBPS) will be expanded by A ugus t 31
this year by adding ' mobile prepaid recharges' as a biller category, a move likely t o help millio ns o f p re paid p ho ne
s ubscribers in t he country.
A bout BBPS:
● B B P S is an integrated bill payment system that offers interoperable bill payment service to customers online as well
as through a network of agents on the ground.
● The s ystem will provide multiple payment modes and instant confirmation of payment.
● BBPS functions under the aegis of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
● In S ept ember 2019, the scope and coverage of BBPS were expanded to include all categories of billers which raise
recurring bills (except mobile prepaid recharges) as eligible participants, on a voluntary basis.
● Before that, the facility of payment of recurring bills through BBPS was available only in five segments -- direct to
home (DTH), electricity, gas, telecom and water.
RB I I mposes Rs.23 Lakh penalty on 3 c ooperative banks
● The RB I imposed penalties of Rs 23 lakh on t hree cooperative banks, inc luding M o g a v e er a C o -o pe rat iv e B ank
Limited, Mumbai, for contravention of various norms.
● A penalty of Rs 12 lak h has been imposed on Mogaveera Co-operative Bank Limited, Rs 10 lak h on Indapur Urban
Cooperative Bank, and Rs 1 lak h on The Baramati Sahakari Bank Limited, Baramati.
● Regarding Mogaveera Co-operative Bank, the RBI stated the inspection report of the bank, based on its financial
position as on March 31, 2019, revealed that it had not f ully t rans f erred unclaimed deposits to Depositor Education
and Awareness (DEA) Fund and had not conducted annual review of inoperative accounts.
● On I ndapur Urban Cooperative Bank, the RBI stated inspection report of the bank, based on its financial pos it ion as
on March 31, 2019, revealed that it had not adhered to the aggregate ceiling on unsecured advances, and did not
have process for periodical review of risk c ategorization of accounts.

● Inspection report of B aramat i S ahak ari B ank revealed the bank had exceeded prudential inter-bank (single bank)
exposure limit.
● In each case, the RBI added that the penalty was impos ed due to deficiencies in regulatory compliance, and is not
intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.
SBI
S B I introduced collateral-free “Kavach P ersonal Loan”
● The S t ate Bank of India (SBI) has launched a c ollateral-free unique loan offering – ‘Kavach P ersonal Loan’.
● The loan covers the expenses of Covid-19 treatment.
● Under this scheme, the bank will prov ide loans up to Rs 5 lakh at an effective int erest rate of 8.5 per cent per an num
f or 5 y ears.
● The bank is also offering a three months moratorium which is included in the 60 months.
● Also, the bank is providing reimbursement of expenses already incurred for Covid related medical expenses under
the scheme.
● Dines h K hara, Chairman , SBI, mentioned that the product is being offered under the collateral-free personal loan
category.
S B I introduces Aarogyam healthcare business loan
● S t ate B ank of I ndia (SBI), the c ountry's largest lender, launched a new healthcare business loan ' A arogyam' on J une
24, in order to prov ide greater support to the healthcare sector amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
● The new loan product is specially designed to support the healthcare ecosystem of the country.
● Under this scheme, the new loans can be availed by way of term loan, cash credit, bank guarantee, or
letter of credit.
● The loan amount under A arogyam ranges from a minimum s um of Rs 10 lakh to a maximum of Rs.100 c ro re - bot h
for the expansion and the setting up of the new facility, and is repayable in 10 y ears.
S B I funds Rs.3725 Cr f or Noida International A irport
● The Y amuna I nternational Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL) has received the f inal c redit sanction for Rs 3 7 25 c r or e f rom t he
S t ate B ank of I ndia (SBI) for the development of Noida International Airport (NIA).
● The funding is a crucial milestone for the project as it validates the financial viability of the projec t while also outlining
the next steps for the establishment of the Noida I nternational A irport.
● The entire loan of I NR 3725 crore has been underwritten by S B I on a door-to-door loan tenor of 20 y ears.
● We look forward to working closely with SBI to develop NIA as a world-class airport in I ndia.
World Bank
World Bank sanctioned US D125 million financial support for K erala
● Two years after sanctioning an assistance of US D 250 million for the f irst phase of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative (RKI),
the World Bank approved USD 125million assistance for the second phase.

● A meeting of directors of the Bank held in Washington approved the project proposal from the state government and
sanctioned US D 125 million (approximately Rs 925 c rore).
● The loan will be under the Programme-for-Results financing scheme, which means the amount will be sanctioned for
specific development projects approved by independent evaluators.
● With the World Bank clearance for the project, the route is als o c lear for the USD 125 million loan from t he A s ian
I nf rastructure Investment Bank.
● The aim of the Rebuild K erala Initiative is to incorporate disaster risk planning in the master plans of urban and loc al
self-governments and to help make the health, water resources management, agriculture, and works departments
more resilient to calamities.
I ndia and WB s ign $32 million loan agreement f or Mizoram healthcare project
● The Gov ernment of India, Government of Mizoram and the World B ank have signed a $32 million M i z or am H e a lth
S y s t ems S t rengt hening P rojec t to improve management capacity and quality of health services in Mizoram,
particularly for the benefit of under-served areas and vulnerable groups.
● The project will strengthen the governance and the management structure of the Department of Healt h a nd Fa mily
Welf are (DoHFW) and its subsidiaries, improve the quality and coverage of services delivered by the state
government health systems, and invest in a comprehensive Quality Assurance program which would enable quality
certification of health facilities.
A bout the project:
● A k ey f ocus will be to strengthen the effectiveness of the s t ate health insurance programme ; build synergies wit h t he
Government of India’s P radhan Mant ri J an A rogy a Y ojna (P MJ A Y ); and thereby reduc e f inanc ial barriers in
accessing hospital services, prevent catastrophic out of pocket expenditure for health by poor families and expand
coverage.
● The Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening P roject will benefit the people across all eight districts of the state.
● It will also benefit health sector staff, specifically at the secondary and primary levels, by strengthening their planning
and management capacity along with building their clinical skills and competencies.
World Bank sanctioned US D 500 million program t o help boost I ndia’s MSME s ector
● The World Bank has approved a US D 500 million program t o help boost I ndia's MSME s ector.
● The programme t argets improvements in the performance of f iv e lakh 50 thousand MSMEs.
● Out of some 58 million MSMEs in the country, more than 40 per cent lack access to formal sources of finance.
● The US D 500 million Raising and Accelerating Mic ro, Small and Medium E nterprise (MSME) P erf o rma nc e (RA MP )
Program is the World Bank's second intervention in this sector, the first being the USD 750 million MS ME E mergency
Res pons e P rogram , approved in J uly 2020 to address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of millions of viable
MSMEs severely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

A DB
A DB and I ndia sign loan agreement to Sikkim
● The A s ian Development B ank and the Gov ernment of India has signed a $2. 5 million pr ojec t r e adin es s f ina nc ing
(P RF) loan to support project preparation and design activities to upgrade major district roads in Sikkim that will help
improve connectivity to important towns, rural areas, and pilgrimage and tourist destinations in the northeastern
state.
● The signatories to the PRF for the proposed Sikkim Major District Road Upgradation Project were Rajat Kumar
Mishra, Additional Secretary, and Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, who signed for the
Government of India, and Mr. Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission who signed for ADB.
A DB approves USD 484 million loan with GoI t o upgrade road network in Tamil Nadu
● The A s ian Development B ank (ADB) stated, it has approved a US D 484-million loan to improve transport connectivity
and road maintenance in the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu.
● The CK I C is part of India's E ast Coast E conomic Corridor , which s t retches f rom Wes t B e ng al t o T amil N a du a nd
c onnects I ndia t o the production networks of S outheast and E ast Asia.
● The project will upgrade about 590 k m of state highways in the CKIC influence areas.
● Climate change adaptation measures will be incorporated in the highway upgrades, including improved drainage,
raised road embankments in critical sections, and resizing of bridges and culverts.
● The project will strengthen road safety improvement programmes through advanced technologies for road monitoring
and enforcement.
● In addition, t he projec t will s upport improv ed planning c apac it y of Tamil Nadu' s highway s and minor ports
department.
Ot her B anking News
HDFC B ank install mobile A TMs across 50 c ities in India
● HDFC B ank mentioned it has installed mobile A TMs ac ros s 50 c it ies in I ndia , which can be used for ov er 15
t ransactions by customers.
● The bank stated Thes e A TMs have been deployed in various metros and non-metros in view of the restrictions
imposed by Covid-19.
● Customers can conduct over 15 t y pes of t rans ac t ions us ing t he Mobile A TM , which will be operational at each
location for a specific period.
● The Mobile ATM will cover 3-4 stops in a day.
I CI CI B ank became the 1 st in Asi-Pacific, 2nd Globally to offer ‘SWIFT gpi Instant’ Facility
● I CI CI B ank announced that it has tied up with S WI FT to offer a facility that helps overseas partner banks to send
instant remittances on behalf of their customers to the beneficiary in India.
● The beneficiary gets the credit to the bank account instantly.

● This makes I CI CI B ank t he first bank in Asia-Pacific and the second globally to offer the facilit y , c alled ‘ S W I FT g pi
I ns tant’, for cross border inward payments.
K ey benefits of ‘SWIFT gpi I nstant’:
● Personal remittances of up to `2 lak h s ent t hrough ‘SWIFT gpi Instant’ are processed instantly and credit ed int o t he
beneficiary account held with any bank* in India, via the IMPS network.
● S CNL B ecame 1st MFI in India to Integrate NP CI ’s UPI AutoPay.
B harti Axa Life Bancassurance Partnership with S hivalik SFB
● To make available health insurance solutions t o S hivalik's c ustomers across 31 branches.
● Private life insurer B hart i A X A Lif e I ns uranc e has entered into a bancassurance partnership with Shivalik Small
Finance Bank for the distribution of its life insurance products through the bank's pan-India network of branches.
● Bharti AXA Life Insurance will offer its suite of life insurance products, including protection, health, savings and
investment plans, to customers of Shivalik Small Finance Bank across its 31 branches and digit al net work ac ros s
t he c ountry.
Federal B ank i ntroduces NR Saving A ccounts for S eafarers
● Federal B ank has launched a NR s av ings account scheme for the S eafarer segment.
● This scheme is curated and crafted for the mariners and offers services clubbed with digit al bank ing plat f orms that
allow the mariners to execute banking transactions without being affected by the geo coordinates and time zone
differences.
● The scheme is available in both NRE S B and NRO S B variants.
NA B ARD sanctioned Rs.254 Cr for Drinking Water P rojects in Odisha
● The Nat ional Bank for A griculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned R s 2 5 4 c ro re t o s et up t w o
mega piped drinking water supply projects in Odisha under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
● The t wo mega projec t s will come up in the Puri district (covering Brahmagiri and Kru shnaprasad block) and the
Jajpur district (covering Badachana and Dharmasala blocks).
● These projects are expected to bring clean and safe drinking water to an 8.78 lakh rural population across 1.37 lakh
households in 565 villages of the state on completion.
● The projects will contribute to achieving the goal of providing drinking water to the rural population by 2022.
I ndian B ank ties up with wealth t ech c ompany Fisdom
● I ndian B ank has partnered with the leading wealth-tech company Fisdom to offer a comprehens iv e s uit e of wealt h
management products and services to the bank’s ten crore customers.
● Fis dom’s role encompasses the entire wealth management journey from origination to fulfilme nt and t he pos t -s ale
service.

● The partnership will focus on enabling large-scale facilitation and distribution of wealth products and services through
Indian Bank’s network of 6, 000 branc hes and its digital properties including the mobile banking application and
internet banking portal.
K arix Mobile establish WhatsApp B usiness solution for Axis B ank
● Tanla P lat f orms rose 2.39% to Rs 840 after the company said its subsidiary K arix Mobile has deployed a
conversational banking solution, WhatsApp B usiness, for Axis B ank.
● Karix Mobile is I ndia's largest CP aaS (Communications P latform as a S ervice) provider.
● Using the solution, Axis Bank customers can now start a WhatsApp chat with the bank to conduct frequent banking
activities on-the-go.
● All communication on the WhatsApp account is encrypted end-to-end and all sensitive information is safe and
secure.
Ov er 20 lakh customers of other banks log in to ICICI B ank mobile app

● The I CI CI bank has announced that ov er 20 lakh c ustomers of other banks are now using its ‘iMobile P ay’ app.
● The ac hievement is significant as the bank had made the platform available for all only five months ago.
● I CI CI bank was the first to introduce a mobile banking app in the country in 2008, called ‘iMobile’.
● The Bank has transformed the app and renamed it ‘iMobile P ay ’ f iv e mont hs ago to offer interoperability so that
anyone, inc luding customers of other banks, can experience the benefits of hassle-free payments and digital bank ing
of I CI CI B ank t hrough t his app.”
● Customers of any bank can start using ‘iMobile Pay’ by linking their bank account with the app and generating a UPI
ID.
NI TI A ayog finalize t he plan - privatisation of Central B ank, Indian Overseas Bank
● To privatize t wo s tate-run banks as unveiled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Union B udget s peec h
2021, the Narendra Modi government may soon finalize plans to s ell Cent re' s s t ak e in Cent ral B ank of I ndia and
I ndian Overseas B ank (IOB).
● This is part of the Government's mega privatization initiative which also includes sale of other state -run companies
like BPCL.
● NITI Aayog has submitted the names of two public sector banks (PSBs) and one public sector general insurer, which
can be sold off under the gov ernment’s new privatization policy, to the Core Group of Secretaries on Disinvestment.
P ay Nearby tie-up with IndiaFirst Life Insurance Launched– ‘Poorna Suraksha’ Insurance solutions for Retailers
● P ay Nearby has launched an insurance solution ‘P oorna Suraksha’ for its retail community.
● This exclusive and holistic insurance solution will ensure the safety and security of P ay Nearby ’s 15+ lak h ret ail
part ners across 17,500+ P IN c odes.
● This cost-effective, three-in-one solution was created in collaboration with IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited
(IndiaFirst Life) to protect PayNearby's retailers throughout the COV I D-19 pandemic and beyond, ensuring they have
access to a safety net whenever and wherever they need it.

● P ay Nearby ' s P oorna S urak s ha insurance echoes this philosophy by providing coverage for all areas of insurance -
lif e, health, and disability - at an affordable premium.
B ank of Maharashtra top performer PSU bank in terms of loan, deposit growth
● S t ate-owned B ank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the t op performer among public sector lenders in terms of
loan and deposit growth during the financial year 2020-21.
● The lender recorded 13. 45 per c ent increase in gross advances at Rs 1.07 lakh crore in 2020-21.
● It was followed by P unjab & S ind B ank which posted 8.39 per cent growth in advances with aggregate loans at Rs
67,811 crore at the end of March 2021.
● When it came to deposit mobilization, BoM with nearly 16 per cent growth was ahead of even the country's largest
lender State Bank of India, which recorded 13.56 per cent rise.
HDFC MF introduced banking and financial s ervices NFO
● HDFC Mutual Fund has announced the launch of HDFC B anking and Financial S erv ic es F un d , a n e w f u nd o f fe r
(NFO) for retail investors.
● The new fund aims to invest in banking and financial services sector across segments and mark et c apit aliz at ion
including, banking, broking, asset management, wealth management, insurance, non-banking financial companies
(NBFC), and other companies that may be engaged in providing financial services.
● The f und will inv es t in c ompanies which are leaders and/or are gaining market shares due to superior execution,
scale, and better adoption of technology.
● The fund will also focus on opportunities in new listings including pre-I P O part ic ipat ion in lending, insurance, capital
market businesses and fintechs.
Federal B ank expands its partnership with Oracle and Infosys
● Federal B ank has expanded its c ollaborat ion wit h Orac le and I nf os y s to provide improved customer experience
through Orac le CX (Customer Experience) platform.
● The collaboration will focus on creating an integrated Cus t omer Relat ions hip Management (CRM) solution across
marketing, sales, customer service, and social listening to improve Federal Bank’s ope rations, and to deliver
customer experiences across touch points.
● Federal Bank will launch a 360degree v iew of the customer portfolio in a single application for its users, to achieve a
‘S ingle S ource of Truth’.
● Oracle will co-innovate by partnering with the ecosystem of Infosys.
A mbuja c ement Foundation t ie-up with NABARD t o skill Rural Youth
● A mbuja Cement Foundation has joined hands with Nat ional B ank f or A griculture and Rural Development (NAB AR D )
for implementation of its employability through skill initiative project’s second phase.
● The foundation received grant assistance from NABARD under the Gramy a V ik as Nidhi , a fund created for the
development of off-farm sector activities.

● The project will provide skill training across 19 locations for two years in 12 trades. It has already reached over 4,000
youth despite the pandemic.
A bout A mbuja Cement:
● "E s t ablis hed in 1993, Ambuja Cement Foundation is a grassroots pan-India implementing organization that
harnesses t he power of partnerships –between communities, Government and other lik e - mind ed c or po rat es a n d
NGOs – to help solve pressing community problems and to foster prosperity.
● For the past 25 years, ACF has created significant impact.
S k ill Training f or Rural Y outh (STRY)
● Offer modular s k ill training opportunities t o rural y ouths that applies to farmers and farm-women, depending on t heir
local needs.
● Create a team of skilled human resources to perform both farm and non-farm operations.
Ujjivan S mall Finance B ank unite with MoEngage

● Ujjivan S mall Finance B ank stated it has collaborated with c ustomer engagement platform MoEngage to drive digit al
banking experiences in the unserved and underserved regions of the country.
● The main aim of t his c ollaborat ion is to build a vast presence of the bank for connecting with customers in these
regions through multiple digital touch points.
● The part ners hip, it added, will foster holistic customer experience across all organic channels, like the website, app,
email, text message, social media and branches to drive business growth.
Nav i General Insurance launches E MI-based health insurance

● B engaluru-based Navi General I nsurance has introduced a monthly subscription ( E MI) b as ed i ns ur anc e p ro duc t
instead of paying the annual premium upfront to make health insurance affordable.
● Navi General Insurance is a wholly owned s ubsidiary of S achin Bansal-led Navi Technologies.
● The insurance policies can be purchased at EMIs starting as low as INR 240 per month.
● Navi offers health insurance cover ranging from INR 2 Lakh to INR 1 Cr for individuals and families.
● The company claims that it has a claim settlement ratio of 97.3% and a network of 10,000+ cashless hospitals across
400+ locations in India.
I CI CI B ank launches digital banking solutions “ICICI STACK” f or Corporates
● I CI CI Bank launched ‘I CICI S TACK for Corporates’, a comprehensive set of digital banking s olutions f or c orporat es
and their entire ecosystem including promoters, group companies, employees, dealers, vendors and all other
stakeholders.
● It provides c us tomized digital banking services to c ompanies in over 15 leading industries- such as financial services,
IT/ITES, pharmaceuticals, steel to name a few - and their entire ecosystem.
● These services can further be tailor-made for companies within an industry.
● I CI CI B ank has opened eight ecosystem branches- five in Mumbai and three in Delhi NCR.
● It plans to launch another four in this financial year.

● The bank has its own web-bas ed plat f orm , which facilitates instant approval and disbursement of loans for channel
partners.
Godrej Housing Finance introduces ‘design y our E MI’ home loan product
● Godrej Housing Finance (GHF) has released a ‘design your EMI’ home personal loan product to enable c ons umers
to customize their equat ed monthly installments (EMIs).
● This is aimed at optimising their cash flows and brings down the price tag of dwelling ownership.
● Manish S hah, MD & CEO, Godrej Housing Finance explained EMIs can be customized to go well wit h c us t omers ’
requirements a buyer might want to get started with a smaller sized EMI and little by little boost it or start off with a
larger EMI (given that charges are down in Covid-19 instances) and normalize it.
Google P ay support debit cards tokenization with SBI, I ndusInd, HSBC and Federal B ank
● Google P ay app will now s upport debit c ard payments by S BI, I ndusInd B ank and Federal B ank and c redit c a rds b y
I ndusInd B ank and HS BC.

● P rior t o this, tokenization was av ailable with K otak Mahindra Bank, SBI Cards and Axis B ank in I ndia.
● Online merchants like My ntra, Y atra, Dunzo and many others c an also make use of this feature.
● To use this feature, the user's phone must be Near-field communication (NFC) c apable.
● To enable this t ap and pay f eat ure, users will have to do a one-time setup by entering their card details and
generating an OTP.
● After registration, users can use this feature to make payments at any NFC-enabled terminal.
Federal B ank joined with I nfosys f or Oracle CX implementation

● Federal B ank has expanded its strategic collaboration with Orac le and I nf os y s , to offer an enhanced customer
experience through Orac le CX (Customer Experience) platform.
● The part nership will be creating a comprehensive integrated Cus t omer Relationship Ma na ge ment ( C R M) s olut ion
across marketing, sales, customer service, and social listening to strengthen Federal Bank’s operations, and to
deliver connected, data driven, and intelligent customer experiences across all touch points.
● Federal Bank will be unveiling a 360degree v iew of t he c us t omer port f olio in an application in a bid to achieve a
‘S ingle S ource of Truth’.
● According to the lender, these services will help improve productivity and customer satisfaction.
LI C CS L introduced Prepaid Gift Card on IDBI Bank’s Rupay Platform
● LI C Cards S ervices Ltd (LIC CSL) has launched a contactless prepaid gift card ' S hagun' in collaborat ion wit h I D B I
B ank on the RuPay platform.
● The purpose of this c ard is to ex pand the gift c ard market with an intent to p r o m ot e c as hles s w a y s of gif t ing and
present a wide range of end-use c hoices and in future foray into the market of e-gift cards.
● Shagun card, in the initial phase, will be available to LIC and its subsidiaries for official use.
● The card will be used to facilitate awards and special rewards during official conferences and functions.

● The S hagun gift c ard offers customization in the form of flexible loading of any amount ranging f ro m R s 5 0 0 t o R s
10, 000.
● With the wide ac c ept abilit y of RuP ay , the Shagun gift card can be used at millions of merchant outlets and e-
commerce websites in India to diversify spending options on the card.
P honePe introduces a new wallet auto t op-up feature
● Digital payments company PhonePe has launched I ndia’s first Wallet Auto Top-up feature using UPI e-mandates f or
its customers.
● This allows PhonePe customers to make multiple payments using their Wallet, without having to top up their wallet
balance manually each time, saving a lot of time and effort.
B enefits of using Wallet Auto Top-up:
● This f eat ure will help the PhonePe customers in setting up a UP I e-mandat e onc e, after which PhonePe will
aut omatically top up their wallet balance when it drops below a minimum level.
● Much higher transaction s uc cess rate since users don’t have to load their wallet each time the balance drops to zero.
I DFC First Bank Launched COVID-19 Relief program – ‘Ghar Ghar Ration’
● I DFC FIRST B ank has announced the launch of " Ghar Ghar Ration" P rogram, an Employee-funded program f or it s
low-income customers whose livelihoods are affected by COVID-19.
● The Bank also announced a comprehensive program for the families of employees who unfortunately los t their lives
due to COVID-19, and a number of other social response initiatives aimed at controlling the spread of the virus.
' Ghar Ghar Ration' P rogram:

● " Ghar Ghar Ration" is a unique program where employees have contributed f rom their personal inc o me t o s et up a
Cus tomer COVID Care Fund to provide relief to 50,000 COVID affected low -income IDFC FIRST Bank customers.
● Employees of the Bank contributed one day to one month's salary for the purpose.
● The program involves supply of ration kits to such 50,000 low-income customers whose livelihood have been
impacted by the pandemic.
● Employees are procuring rat ion k its c omprising 10 kg rice/flour, 2 k g dal (lentils), 1 k g s ugar and s alt , 1 k g c oo k ing
oil, 5 packets of assorted spices, tea and biscuits a nd other essentials needed to support a s mall f amily f o r a b out a
mont h.
E mployee COVID Care scheme 2021:
● The Bank has also launched a comprehensive Employee COVID Care Scheme 2021 to s upport t he f amilies of
employees who have lost their lives due to COVID -19, with retrospective effect from the start of the pandemic.
● Group Term Life of 4 t imes Total Fixed P ay or Rs. 30 lakh, whichever is higher
● S alary credits to continue for nominee for 2 y ears
● Home loan waiver limit at Rs. 25 lakh for any casualty before June 30, 2021.
● Extension of Mediclaim insurance of employee's family for 24 months
● S c holarship up t o Rs. 10,000 monthly to 2 children t ill graduation

● E mployment t o S pouse on merit
● Skill Training entitlement of Rs. 2 Lakh for spouse who don't avail of the employment opportunity or are not eligible
● Funeral expense up to INR 30,000
● Relocation Assistance to family of Rs. 50,000
● Pro-rata Bonus Payout for period served this year
● Personalized Financial Advisory for affected family
● S alary A dv anc e up to Rs. 3 Lakh at 0% ROI for 24 months for employees to meet unexpected expenses in case
someone in their family is infected.
I ndusInd B ank introduces “Indus E asy Credit” – a digital lending platform
● I ndusInd B ank announced the launch of ' I ndus E asy Credit', a comprehensive digital lending plat f or m t hat enables
customers to meet their financial requirements from the comfort of their homes.
' I ndus E asy Credit' platform:

● With this, both existing as well as non-IndusInd B ank customers can instantly avail personal loans or c redit car ds on
a single platform in a completely paperless and digital manner.
● ' I ndus E as y Credit ' offers a fully digital end to end process that leverages the power of India's public digital
infrastructure - 'India Stack' t o offer personal loans and credit cards in a pap erle s s, p r es enc e les s a n d c a s hles s
manner.
● The stack leverages more than 35 interfaces to digitally verify KYC and employment information as well as analyse
bank statements.
I CI CI B ank introduces cardless E MI facility
● Private lender I CI CI B ank launched a Cardless E MI f acility for its customers to us e at retail stores.
● The lender stated the facility enabled pre-approved c ustomers t o buy gadgets or home appliances , by us ing o n e ’ s
mobile phone and P AN c ard, in the absence of c ards.
● “Customers can convert the high-value t ransactions into easy, no-cost monthly installments by s imply put t ing t heir
registered mobile number, PAN and OTP (received on mobile number) on the PoS machine at the retail outlets”.
● I CI CI B ank stated the facility, launched in a t ie-up wit h P ine Labs , would be available across the pan-India outlets
of Croma, Reliance Digital, My Jio Stores and Sangeetha Mobiles.
● Through the Cardless EMI facility, ICICI Bank’s pre-approved customers would be able to purchase electronics from
brands such as Carrier, Daikin, Dell, Godrej, Haier, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Oppo, Panasonic,
Toshiba, Vivo, Whirlpool and MI.
S B M B ank and P aisabazaar jointly Launched – Step Up Credit Card
● P aisabazaar.com, India’s largest lending marketplace and Credit Score platform, and S B M B ank India, the younges t
universal Bank, announced the launch of S t ep Up Credit Card – a credit builder product designed for consumers wit h
limited access to formal credit, due to ineligible credit score.

● A key part of P aisabazaar’s long-term growth strategy is building neo-lending products with partners, to meet specific
consumer need gaps.
● These innovative products would drive inclusiveness, by enabling underserved segments to access credit and over
the long-term, strengthen the lending ecosystem.
● The S t ep Up Credit Card, built in partnership with S B M B ank I ndia, is the f irs t produc t t o be launc hed under
P aisabazaar’s neo-lending strategy.
K ot ak Mahindra Bank introduces ‘Pay Your Contact’ s ervice
● K ot ak Mahindra B ank (KMBL) has announced the launch of ‘P ay Y our Cont ac t ’ an innovative feature on KMBL’s
mobile banking app that uses the Unified P ayments I nterface (UPI) platform and allows customers to s end money o r
mak e payments to any of their contacts across all payment apps simply by entering the beneficiary’s mobile number.
● Wit h ‘Pay Y our Contact’, KMBL customers no longer need to remember or obtain the bank account number o r I FS C
c ode or remember UPI IDs to send money or make payments .

● The ‘Pay Your Contact’ feature is interoperable across all payment apps and is available on both Android and iOS.
● “The other key issue that ‘P ay Y our Contact’ addresses are that of interoperability.
● Given the immense popularity of UPI in the Indian market, almost every Indian with a bank account has a UP I I D.
● With ‘P ay Y our Contact’ customers can now transfer funds easily to any UP I -linked bank a c co unt ac ros s pay ment
apps with just a mobile number to identify their beneficiary”.
A f thonia Lab & YES B ank make partnership to support Fintech Companies
● A f thonia Lab ties up with Yes B ank Startup incubator Afthonia Lab announced a tie-up with private sector lender Y es
Bank to empower fintech companies.
● The t ie-up will allow the incubator's portfolio companies to develop APIs in a sandbox environment and let them
experiment with radical ideas to test solutions real time.
● The part nership will also s upport t he efforts t o I nnovate and inject new ideas to transform the financial sector of India.
A bout the partnership:
● Under this partnership, the A f thonia Lab’s portfolio startups will dev elop APls in a sandbox environment, enabling t he
startups to experiment with innovative ideas and test t heir solutions in real t ime.
● This will also provide a safe and secure environment for the Afthonia Lab entrepreneurs to test their ideas and
prov ide an opportunity f or Y es B ank to transform the Indian Banking Industry.
● This collaboration will ensure that business has access to mentors from both the global network of Afthonia and Yes
Bank.
A bout Afthonia Lab:
● "A f thonia as an incubator creates an ins ight-forward ecosystem to address gaps most start up f ounders f ac e while
navigating blindly through the traditional Indian financial industry.
● Afthonia c reates a s afe-to-experiment environment for innovators, complete wit h ins ight s and int erv ent ions f rom
seasoned thought leaders, so that you can ideate, experiment, evolve and eventually succeed."

Clov ia makes P artnership with Alliance I nsurance Launched– “Women’s Cancer S hield” I nsurance Policy
● Women’s personal care brand, Clovia in partnership with A lliance I nsurance launched a tailor-made insurance policy,
“Women’s cancer shield” for breast cancer female patients.
● The partnership involves Clov ia as the medium of making insurance reach out to consumers through its platform
while Alliance Insurance as the insurance partner to facilitate the breast cancer insurance policy.
● In India, a woman is diagnosed with breast c ancer every four minutes.
● With breast cancer accounting for 14 perc ent of c ancers in Indian women , this initiative aims to reinforce awareness
for the ailment.
A bout the P olicy:
● The company will prov ide insurance policy cover of I NR 25,000 t o f emale c ustomers in the age group of 18-65 y ears
on a purchase of a certain value from Clovia’s website.

● The ins uranc e polic y comes with lif elong renewals and can be claimed in case of being diagnosed with breast
cancer; however, this is not applicable for pre-existing treatments.
● The policy tenure covers a time of one year with a mandatory waiting period of 90 days f or the policy to be used.
● This cover will be eligible for both minor stages of breas t c anc e r a n d a ls o m a jor s t age s of b r ea s t c anc e r , t he
company added.
A x is B ank uses A WS t o accelerate digital t ransformation
● P rivate sector lender A xis B ank has selected A mazon Web S ervices (AWS) to accelerate its digit al t rans f ormat ion
program.
● As part of a multi-year agreement, Axis Bank will use AWS to build a portfolio of new digital f in anc ia l s e rv ices and
modernize c ore banking applications, reducing costs by nearly a quarter, in the process.
● As part of a multi-year agreement, Axis Bank will draw on the breadth and depth of AWS services, including
containers, database, and compute, to build a portfolio of new digital financial services to bring advanced banking
experiences to customers, including online accounts that can be opened in under six minutes and instant digital
payments, helping the bank increase c ustomer satisfaction by 35% and lower c osts by 24% .
● The bank will als o use A mazon E lastic Compute Cloud (A mazon EC2), a web service that provides secure, resiz able
compute capacity in the cloud, Axis Bank will scale workloads on demand to support 10 million daily real -time
payments t hrough India’s Unified P ayments Interface (UPI), ensuring reliability and consistent performance.
Ujjivan S FB Make partnership with LoanTap
● Ujjivan, a Finance B ank has tied-up with LoanTap a digital lender providing loan opt ions t o t he s alaried s egment
of customers.
● This is part of Ujjivan SFB’s API bank ing initiative, through which ov er 150 APIs are available offering fast and secure
tie-ups for digital lending and digital liabilities, payments etc. to FinTechs.
● This c ollaboration aims to extend the bank ’s services t o its c ustomers via LoanTap’s f ast and convenient platform.

Rev ision P oints
Organizations Headquarters P resident/CEO/Head
United Nations Educational, Paris Audrey Azoulay
Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO)
Rupee Cooperative Bank Pune Sudhir Pandit
Baramati Sahakari Bank Pune Sunil Sathe
Bank of India Mumbai P R Rajagopal
Centrak Bank of India Mumbai Pallav Mohapatra
Indian Overseas Bank Chennai Partha Pratim Sengupta
Axis Bank Mumbai Amitabh Chaudhry
PayNearby Mumbai Anand Kumar Bajaj
Reserve Bank of India Mumbai Shaktikanta Das
State Bank of India Mumbai Dinesh Kumar Khara
World Bank Washington DC David Malpass
Asian Development Bank Manila, Philippines Masatsugu Asakawa
National Bank for Agriculture Mumbai Dr. G.R. Chintala
and Rural Development
IndusInd Bank Pune Sumant Kathpalia
Google Pay California Sundar Pichai
Godrej Housing Finance Mumbai Manish Shah
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Bengaluru Ajay Kanwal
Navi General Insurance Bengaluru Mr Sachin Bansa
HSBC India Mumbai Surendra Rosha
YES Bank Mumbai Prashant Kumar
Alliance Insurance Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Thakkar Shashikant
Punjab National Bank New Delhi S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao
HDFC Bank Mumbai Sashidhar Jagdishan
Federal Bank Aluva, Kerala Shyam Srinivasan
ICICI Bank Mumbai Sandeep Bakhshi
Life Inssurance Corporation Mumbai MR Kumar
PhonePe Bengaluru Sameer Nigam

IDFC First Bank Mumbai V Vaidyanathan
SBM Bank Port Louis Deepak Shimpi
Paizabazaar Gurugram Naveen Kukreja
Kotak Mahindra Bank Mumbai Uday Kotak
Indian Bank Chennai Padmaja Chunduru
HDFC Mutual Fund Mumbai Milind Barve
Bank of Maharashtra Pune AS Rajeev
National Payments Corporation Mumbai Dilip Asbe
of India (NPCI)
Important Financial & Economy Affairs

Organization GDP – FY 23 GDP - FY 22
Moody's Investors Service 7.9% 9.3%
OECD 9.9%
SBI 7.9%
World Bank 7.5% (CY 2022) 8.3% (CY 2021)
CRISIL 9.5%
ICRA 8.5%
Moody's Investors Service 7% (CY 2022) 9.6% (CY 2021)
S & P Global Ratings 9.5%
Moody's predicts India GDP growth at 9.3 per cent in FY22
● Moody's I nvestors S ervice pegged I ndia's GDP growth at 9. 3 per cent in the current fiscal ending M a r c h 2 0 22 a nd
7. 9 per cent in FY23.
● "The reimposition of lockdown measures along with behavioural changes on fear of contagion will curb economic
activity, but we do not expect the impact to be as severe as during the first wave.
● "We expect a decline in economic activity in the A pril-J une quart er, followed by a rebound, resulting in real, inflation-
adjusted GDP growth of 9.3 per cent in the fiscal year ending March 2022 and 7. 9 per c ent in f iscal 2022-23”.
● India's economy contracted by 7. 3 per cent in f iscal 2020-21.
OE CD f orecasts I ndia’s Growth projection f or FY22 to 9.9%
● The Organization f or Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cut its growth projection for India for FY 22 to
9. 9% f rom 12. 6% estimated in March, as the second wave of coronavirus infections has paused economic recovery
in A s ia's t hird largest economy.

● OECD mentioned that while India is projected to be the fastest -growing G20 economy in 2021, it will also be the one
which is the furthest away from its pre-crisis GDP trend.
● The OECD has revised up its growth projections across the world's major economies since its last f ull E c onomic
Out look in December 2020.
● It now sees global GDP growth at 5.8 % this year (compared with 4.2% projected in December), helped by a
government stimulus-led upturn in the United States, and at 4.4% in 2022 (3.7% in December).
S B I Economists predicts GDP Growth Estimate in FY22 t o 7.9%
● The S t ate Bank of India (SBI) has revised India's growth outlook downwards f or the current f inancial year.
● The latest S B I Ecowrap report has projected a 7.9 percent growth for India's GDP, down from its previous projection
of 10.4 percent growth.
● The SBI Ecowrap noted that the real GDP for FY21 in the provisional estimates has been revised upwards to Rs
135. 13 lakh crore from Rs 134.09 lakh c rore as per the second advance estimates.
● Thus, for FY21 the real GDP growth was registered at -7.3 percent against the earlier SBI estimate of -8.0 per cent.
World Bank projects I ndia t o growth forecast at 8.3 per c ent in 2021
● The World Bank projected India's economy to grow at 8. 3 per cent in 2021 and 7 . 5 p e r c ent i n 2 0 22 , ev en as it s
recovery is being hampered by an unprecedented second wave of the COVID-19, the largest outbreak in the world
since the beginning of the deadly pandemic.
● The Washington-based global lender released Global Economic Prospects, noted that in India, an enormous second
COVID-19 wave is undermining the sharper-than-expected rebound in activity seen during the s ec ond half of Fis c al
Y ear 2020/21, especially in services.
CRI S IL predicts India’s GDP Growth f or FY22 t o 9.5%
● Domestic credit ratings agency Crisil has revised India’s real GDP growth projection for 2021-22 downwards t o 9 . 5
perc ent from 11 per cent estimated earlier.
● The downward revision has been attributed to the decline in priv at e c ons umpt ion and inv es t ment s following the
second wave of Covid-19.
● Crisil further stated that in its base case of 9.5 per cent growth, the pre-pandemic levels will be achieved some time
after September, while in the pessimistic scenario of eight per cent growth, quarterly GDP would surpass the pre -
pandemic level only in the December 2021 quarter.
I CRA predicts I ndia’s GDP growth in FY 22 at 8.5%
● Credit rating agency ICRA Ratings projected India's gross domestic product (G D P ) t o grow at 8 . 5 p e rc ent in F Y
2021-22.
● In FY21, India's GDP contracted 7.3 per cent.
● ICRA expects GDP growth to exceed GVA growth by 120 bps , based on expectations related to the value of taxes on
products and subsidies on products in FY22.

I ndia's agriculture exports grow by 17.34% in 2020 -21
● India's export of agricultural and allied products in 2020-21 grew by 17.34 per cent t o U S D 4 1. 25 b illion , and t his
growt h momentum is expected to be sustained in the current fiscal.
● Commerce S ecretary A nup Wadhawan stated huge growth has been seen in the export of cereals, non-basmati ric e,
wheat, millets, maize and other coarse grains.
● The largest markets for I ndia's agricultural pr oducts are the US , China, Bangladesh, UAE, V iet n am, S aud i A r ab ia,
I ndonesia, Nepal, Iran and Malaysia.
● Exports of only agricultural products (excluding marine and plantation products) increased by 28.36 per cent to USD
29.81 billion in 2020-21 as compared to USD 23.23 billion in 2019-20.
● “Agriculture Exports have performed well during 2020-21”.
E x ports of I ndia’s organic farm products raised 51% in 2020-21
● E x ports of I ndia’s organic farm products surged 51 perc ent in 2020-21 beat ing Covid induced hiccups in t he s upply
chain.
● Commerce S ecretary, Anup Wadhawan stated that outbound shipments of organic products hit 1, 040 million d olla rs
last fiscal compare with 689 million dollars a year before.
● Farm exports raised over 17 percent last fiscal to 41.25 billion dollars.
● Even in volume terms, exports of organic products grew at 39 per cent to 8 lakh 88 thousand 179 tonnes last fiscal.
● The k ey organic produc t s that were shipped out include oil cake and meals, oil seeds, cereals, millets, spices and
condiments, tea, medicinal plant products, dry fruits, sugar, pulses and coffee.
I ndia’s retail inflation reaches 6.3% in May
● I ndia' s retail inflation raced to 6. 3% in May , breaching the upper limit of the central bank's inflation target for the first
time in six months and bringing further pressure on an economy whipped by t he s econd wave of covid-19 infections.
● A diti Nayar, chief economist at I CRA Ratings, mentioned core retail inflation, which excluded volat ile f ood and f uel
items, rose to an 83-month high of 6.6% in May and is expected to remain above 5% throughout FY22.
● S unil Kumar Sinha, principal economist at I ndia Ratings and Researc h, s t at ed it is s t ill t oo early t o s ay if ret ail
inflation will remain in excess of 6% on a sustained basis given the high base of last year.
P A N will be in ‘INOPERATIVE’ status if not linked before June 30, 2021
● Under the new Income Tax Rules, it is mandatory to link PAN with your Aadhaar number bef ore June 30, 2021.
● The PAN cards which are not linked t o A adhaar would bec ome useless and d ec la red “ ino pe rat iv e" and t he K Y C
status will also become invalid.
● The deadline to link the P ermanent Account Number with your A adhaar number is nearing.
● According to Clause 41 of Section 139AA of the Income Tax A ct, “If a person fails to intimate t he A adhaar number,
the permanent account number allotted to such person shall be made inoperative after the notified date in the
manner as may be provided by rules.”
A bout Income Tax Department:

● The I nc ome Tax Department is a government agency undertaking direct tax collection of the Government of India.
● It f unctions under t he Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance.
● The Income Tax Department is headed by the apex body Central B oard of Direct Taxes.
Moody’s predicts I ndia’s Growth Forecast for 2021 to 9.6%, 2022 at 7%
● Moody's I nvestors S ervice s lashed I ndia's growth projection t o 9.6 per cent for 2021 calendar year, f rom it s e a r l ier
es t imat e of 13. 9 per c ent , and said faster vaccination progress will be paramount in restricting economic losses to
June quarter.
● Moody's mentioned in the report that, "the virus resurgence adds uncertainty to I ndia' s growt h f orec as t f or 2021 ;
however, it is likely that the economic damage will remain restricted to the A pril-June quarter.
● We currently expect I ndia's real GDP to grow at 9. 6% in 2021 and 7% in 2022.
● "Indian economy contracted by 7. 3 per c ent in f is c al 2020 -21 as the country battled the first wave of COVID, as
against a 4 per c ent growth in 2019-20”.

S & P Global Ratings cut India’s FY 22 GDP Growth Forecast t o 9.5%
● S & P Global Ratings cut I ndia's growth f orecast for the current fiscal to 9. 5 p e rc en t , f ro m 1 1 p e rc en t e ar lier, and
warned of risk to the outlook from further waves of COVID pandemic.
● The agency lowered the growth outlook, saying that a severe second COVID-19 outbreak in A pril and May led to
loc kdowns imposed by states and sharp contraction in economic activity.
● “S&P forecast growth of 9. 5 per c ent this fiscal year from our Marc h f orecast of 11 per c ent”.
● Stating that permanent damage to private and public sector balance sheets will constrain growth over the next couple
of years, it projected India's growth at 7.8 per cent in the next fiscal ending March 31, 2023.
I ndia tie up with Russia as 4th biggest f oreign exchange reserves holder
● I ndia's f oreign exchange reserves crossed $600 for the f irst time.
● As on June 4, the foreign exchange reserves stood at $605 billion, almost tying with Russia as the fourth largest
reserve holder in the world.
● While I ndia’s forex reserve was $605.008 billion, Russia’s was $605.2 billion.
● It took just about a year for the res erves t o rise by $100 billion, which has generally been the pac e of ac c umulat ion
since S haktikanta Das became the governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in November 2017.
GS T c ollections crossed at Rs 1.03 lakh crore for May 2021
● MS Mani, s enior director, Deloitte I ndia stated, “Collections above Rs 1 lakh crore pertaining to t he t rans ac t ions i n
t he month of A pril 21 indicates that the economic impact of the lockdowns has been much lower than expected".
● He added that a close watch is required on the next month’s collections to determine the extent of the impact on GS T
c ollections f or FY 22.
● Gross GST revenue collected in the month of May 2021, Central GST is Rs 17,592 crore, State GST is Rs 22,653
integrated GST is Rs 53,199 crore (including Rs 26,002 crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is Rs 9,265
crore (including Rs 868 crore collected on import of goods).

Rev ision P oints:
S &P Global Ratings New York Douglas L. Peterson
Moody’s New York Raymond W. McDaniel Jr.
OECD Paris Mathias Cormann
CRISIL Mumbai Ashu Suyash
ICRA Gurgaon N Sivaraman
Important Business News

J io and Google Cloud t o make long term strategic relationship f or implementing 5G Technology
● Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (Jio), a s ubsidiary of Relianc e I n dus t ries L imit e d ( R I L), and G o o g le C lo ud are
embarking on a comprehensive, long-t erm s t rat egic relat ions hip with a goal of powering 5G in enterprise and
consumer segments nationwide.
● In addition, Reliance will also take advantage of Google Cloud' s s c alable inf ras t ruc t ure , thereby enabling its retail
business to ac hieve better operational efficiency, modernization and scale for growth, and deliver better performanc e
and experiences to the customers.
● To further J io's mission to digitise India with faster and better connectivity, Google Cloud will provide a complete end-
t o-end Cloud offering for fully-automated lifecycle management of J io's 5G network and services.
● Jio and Google Cloud will collaborate to bring a portfolio of 5G edge c omput ing s olut ions to help industries address
real business challenges.
● Jio will explore building new s ervices across gaming, healthcare, education, and video entertainment sectors.
ZebP ay introduced india's f irst c rypto based lending platform
● One of t he oldest crypto companies in I ndia, ZebPay, launched a new lending platform for crypto asset exchange.
● ZebP ay will offer both open and fixed-term lending using the platform.
● Only Bitcoin , Ethereum, Tether and Dai tokens will be accepted at first.
● The company says that the platform is a “f irst of its kind” crypto lending model in India and will allow us ers t o lend
their c ryptocurrency t o ZebPay, earning interest on the same.
● The company stated “The ZebP ay Lending P lat f orm generates returns on users’ crypto investments if they lend
select c ry pt os thus, providing an opportunity to earn a passive income by adding on to the returns gained from rise in
crypto prices”.

TCS launches its first E uropean innovation c entre in A msterd am
● Tat a Consultancy S ervices has launched TCS P ace P ort Amsterdam, a co-innovation and advanced research cent er
designed to help customers successfully navigate their growth and transformation journeys.
● Bringing together an ecosystem of partners from academia, government institutions, s t art -ups and t ec hnology
prov iders , TCS Pace Port Amsterdam will serve as a hub for TCS t eams to co-innovate with European customers,
guiding them through the discovery, definition, refinement and delivery phases of innovation.
Number of startups grants by DPIIT reaches 50,000
● As many as 50, 000 startups have been recognized by the Department for P romotion of Industry and Int e rn al T ra de
(DP IIT).
● S t artup India is a f lagship initiative of the government launched on J anuary 16, 2016.
● The initiative is intended to c atalyze a startup c ulture and build a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innov at ion and
entrepreneurship in India.
● Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have the largest number of these entrepreneurs.
Lens kart Foundation introduces Covid -19 relief helpline
● Lens k art Foundat ion has launched a Cov id-19 relief helpline that allows users to message their requirement of
medicines, injections, oxygen support, and lab tests, said the eyewear company about its philanthropy initiative.
● The What sApp c hat-based helpline at 892-947-6589 provides information on what to do if diagnosed wit h Cov id -19,
using inputs from a panel of doctors.
● The Foundation claimed it has received more than 200 reques t s from Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, apart
from states like Jammu, Punjab and Uttarakhand.
● It has helped over 100 people recover from Covid-19 or come out of danger.
Wipro and Finastra Partnered t o Help Digitalize B anks in the A sia-Pacific
● The I T major announced a partnership with Finastra to help corporate banks acros s A s ia P ac if ic ac c elerat e t heir
digital transformation.
● The companies will create a unique offering that combines Wipro's comprehensive services catalogue with Finastra's
f ront-to-back trade f inance and cash-management solutions.
● Harpreet A rora, v ic e pres ident of B FS I Domain & Cons ult ing Head stated, this partnership is in line with our
continued efforts to strengthen our presence in Asia-Pacific and drive digital transformation.
B ill Gates and E U assures $1 billion boost for green technology
● The European Commission stated The E uropean Union and an energy investment programme founded by Bill Gates
plan to raise up to $1 billion to roll out the low-carbon technologies Europe is betting on to meet its climate change
goals.
● The part ners hip would see Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy use private capital and philanthropic funds to match
funding provided by the EU.
● The aim is to together provide up to 820 million euros, or $1 billion, from 2022 to 2026.

Fac ebook India unveiled Tech Scholars Programme f or Law Students
● Fac ebook India stated it has launched a new initiative to provide s t udents from leading law schools in t he c ount ry a
platform for research and mentorship on topics related to t ec hnology law and policy.
● The Fac ebook I ndia Tech S cholars (FITS) programme has S hardul A marchand Ma ng aldas & C o as a k nowledge
partner.
● "The programme aims to provide students from select leading law schools in the country a platform for res earc h and
ment orship on topics related to technology law and policy.
● The first edition of the FI TS programme will offer eight law students an opportunity to work on a research project with
leading Indian t hink t anks that will also extend mentorship support to the students".
Flipkart introduces QR-code based pay-on-delivery option f or consumers
● Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-c ommerce marketplace has launched a c ont actless, QR-code-based payment f ac ilit y
for all its pay-on-delivery shipments.

● The payment method not only ensures greater safety for consumers at a time when they are looking to minimiz e
pers onal c ontact; but also addresses the trust deficit that many consumers might face.
● Consumers who earlier opted for cash on delivery can now use this facility, s c an t he QR c ode attached to their
purchase and mak e a digital payment for their order t hrough any UPI app at the time of delivery.
Web aggregator Policybazaar got insurance broking licence approval from IRDAI
● Leading web aggregator P olicybazaar mentioned it has got approval from regulator I RDAI to undert ak e i n s u ra nc e
brok ing, a development that will help the company augment business and expand bouquet of services.
● With this development, the company will surrender its web aggregator licence to Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and undertake business including insurance aggregation under the broking
umbrella.
Flipkart begins drone delivery pilot for vaccines, drugs in Telangana
● E-commerce firm Flipkart stated it has part nered with the Telangana government to lead a c ons ort ium t as k ed wit h
the development and execution of drone deliveries of medical supplies to remote areas under the ‘Medicines from the
S k y’ project.
● Flipkart stated it will utilize learnings from its t ec h-enabled s upply chain t o deploy drones and enable deliv eries of
medical supplies.
● These efforts will be complemented with technologies such as geo-mapping, routing of shipments and track and
trace of location it has developed over the years.
First time India Exports GI Tagged ‘Jardalu’ Mangoes t o UK
● I ndia exported the f irst c ommercial consignment of Geographical Indications (GI ) certified ' J a r da lu' ma ng oes f rom
Bhagalpur, B ihar, to the Unit ed K ingdom giving a possible boost to the potential of farm ex port s from the eastern
region.
● A P E DA has been initiating measures to boost mango exports from the non-traditional regions.

● A week-long Indian mango promotion programme was organized in Bahrain where 16 v ariet ies of the f ruit inc luding
t hree GI c ert if ied Khirsapati & Lakshmanbhog (West Bengal) and Jardalu (Bihar) were displayed at super stores of
importer Al Jazeera group.
TRA I introduced TV c hannel selector portal f or DTH and cable TV s ubscribers
● The Telecom Regulatory A uthority of I ndia (TRAI) launched a TV Channel S elector web portal f or c o n s ume rs w ho
c ould not access its mobile phone app of the same name due to lac k of a s martphone.
● The TV Channel Selector App for Smartphone was launched on June 25 last year that enabled users to check their
subscription, modify it, view all channels provided by their cable operators and choose channels of interest under a
regulatory framework notified in December 2018.
● The port al will help s ubs c ribers "get optimized solutions and the best combination of user selected
channels/bouquets at the same or less price".
Fac ebook initiates ‘Report it, don’t s hare it!’ c ampaign

● Fac ebook has kicked off a new initiative to k eep children s afe on the internet.
● Given that more and more kids are using the internet for both online classes and entertainment, protecting them is
the first and the most important thing.
● The ‘Report it, don’t share it’ campaign is being helmed by the social media giant in c ollaboration with A arambh I ndia
I nitiative, Cyber P eace Foundation, and Arpan.
● The main idea behind the initiative, as the name suggests, is t o enc ourag e p e op le t o r ep ort a b us iv e o r h ar mf ul
c ontent, and not share it.
The Trade Desk started its operations in India and appointed Tejinder Gill as General Manager
● Global advertising technology major, The Trade Desk announced the launch of operations in I ndia and s t at ed it has
appointed Tejinder Gill as t he Country General Manager .
● The company, which offers a s elf-service cloud-based platf o rm t hat a l lo ws a d b uy ers t o c rea t e, m ana ge, a n d
opt imize digital advertising campaigns across formats and devices, is t argeting digital marketers in India and helping
them capture fast-growing opportunities.
The Trade Desk:
● ' A s an omnic hannel plat f orm , The Trade Desk enables marketers to reach relevant audiences across different
devices, including computers, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TV, and engage with them meaningfully along
their ent ire digital journey'.
● Through the company's data-driven capabilities, marketers can access a marketplace of premium advertising
inventory across a wide range of websites, apps, podcasts, and streaming OTT platforms.
● Gill stated ' The Trade Des k is here to bring the much-needed data-driven decisioning and transparency to India's
digital advertising ecosystem, offering marketers a credible choice where they can tap into the immense opportunities
of the open internet'.

Wipro Partnership with World Economic Forum for New Work Standards initiative
● Wipro announced that it has joined the World E conomic Forum's P artnership for New Work St an da rds i nit iat iv e t o
establish a healthy, resilient and equitable future of work.
● This init iat iv e aims to co-create new frameworks, shape forward-thinking people policies and utilize tools and
technologies to collectively build human-first work standards, with people at the heart of business.
● Wipro has invested in its workforce, developed new ways of working, and created a more relevant and inclusive post -
pandemic work environment to seamlessly transition to a sustainable future of work.
● The company is also undertaking init iat iv es t o s upport and equip its people with dedicated programs for physical,
social, financial and mental well-being.
A irtel partnership with Tata G roup for 'Made in India' 5G network solutions
● B harti Airtel and Tata Group announced a strategic partnership f or implementing 5G network solutions for India.
● The announcement underscores a push for indigenous 5G solutions in India, as the world's second-larges t t e lec om
mark et gears up for f if t h-generat ion mobile net work s that would enable connecting virtually everything together
including machines, objects, and devices at ultra-high speeds.
● Tata Group has developed " O-RA N (Open Radio A c c es s Net work ) based Radio and NSA/SA (Non-
Standalone/standalone) Core and has integrated a totally indigenous telecom stack, leveraging the Group
capabilities and that of its partners”.
● This will be available for commercial development starting J anuary 2022.
● These ' Made in I ndia' 5G products and solutions are aligned to global standards and interoperate with other products
based on standard open interfaces and those def ined by the O-RAN A lliance.
CI I -IGBC jointly launches Green High-Speed Rail Rating S ystem
● The Conf ederation of I ndian Industry (CII)-Indian Green B uilding Council has launched the IGBC Green High-S peed
Rail Rating System during an exclusive session with the Nat ional High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
● IGBC appreciates and acknowledges the ex c ellent leaders hip of Achal Khare, Managing Director, NHSRCL in
opening new perspectives on how I ndian High-Speed Rail project can become a green role model.
● The rat ing system was launched online by Khare and V Suresh, Chairman, IGBC .
● The session was attended by officials of NHSRCL, IGBC and industry leaders & experts of the transit sector.
● Suresh mentioned, "The I GB C Green HSR rating system is a first- of- its- kind in the world and exclusively developed
to address the sustainability aspects of High-Speed Rail (HSR) projects.
● The rating system is developed aligning the requirements with the UN S ustainable Development Goals".
I ndia’s Largest solar carport inaugurated by Tata P ower at Pune
● I ndian ut ilit y Tat a P ower has part nered wit h s is t er c ompany and automobile manufacturing firm Tata Motors to
develop India’s largest behind-the-meter solar energy carport.
● The 6. 2MWp s olar carport in Chikhali, P une, is located at a car plant owned by Tat a Motors and will prod uc e a bov e
86, 000KWh of energy and reduce 7,000 tons of carbon emissions per annum.

● The solar plant covers 30,000 square meters of land and has been constructed under ef f ort s by Tat a Mot ors to
promote the use of clean energy in car manufacturing.
S B I Card and Fabindia jointly launched Co -Branded Contactless Credit Card
● S B I Card has joined hands with lifestyle retail chain Fabindia by launching c ontactless co- br an ded c r ed it c ar ds t o
cater t o t he premium s egment c ustomers.
● SBI Card mentioned The new c o-branded c ontactless credit c ard combines the best in class rewards points on ret ail
spends with the value back on varied spending categories, thus addressing overall spending needs of premium
cardholders.
● The card is designed with curated benefits and privileges to offer a rewarding shopping experience to its premium
customers.
● The card comes in two variants - Fabindia SBI Card SELECT and Fabindia SBI Card.
Mic rosoft unveiled its ‘Windows 11’ version

● Mic rosoft has of ficially unveiled Windows 11, a new iteration of Windows that promises a host of visual upgrades , as
well as new behaviours to the basic OS experience.
● The new Windows 11 will be released as a build for Windows I nsiders next week.
● Microsoft is also introducing Snap layouts to help users with multitasking on Windows 11.
● The new generation of Windows will also be more t ouc h-friendly.
● Team integration is coming directly to Windows 11.
● Users will be able t o v ideo call anyone; it will not matter if the other user is on a different device, even a Mac.
● A ndroid apps will also be coming t o Windows 11.
A bout Windows 11:
● Windows 11 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system, announced on J une 24, 2021, and developed
by Microsoft.
● Expected to be released in late 2021, it is the s uccessor to Windows 10, released six years earlier.
● OS f amily: Microsoft Windows
● Dev eloper: Microsoft Corporation
● P rogramming languages: C, C++, C#, Assembly language
NS DC t ie-up with WhatsApp to launch Digital S kill Champions programme
● The Nat ional Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), apex body to manage Central backed S k ill India or the Nat ional
S k ills Development Mission of I ndia campaign has announced a tie-up with global digit al plat f orm, W h a t s A p p, t o
launch the ‘Digital S kill Champions Program’ to train youth on digital skills, and make them employment ready.
A bout the programme:
● Under this programme, school and university s t udents would be coached to imbibe digital and online skills that would
culminate with WhatsApp and NSDC awarding a ‘Digital Skill Champions’ certification to these students.

● “It aims t o empower y out h with new-age skills to make them employable and more productive in their work
environment”.
● Under the programme to be conducted digitally, WhatsApp will conduct sessions for P radhan Mant ri K aus hal
K endra trainers about the What sApp B usiness app.
● The training will cover modules on leveraging the What s A pp B us ines s app and to make small business
entrepreneurship ' aspirational'.
Google, Amazon, Microsoft take top s pots as India's most attractive employer brands: REBR Survey 2021
● Tec hnology giant Google I ndia has emerged as the mos t ' attractive employer brand', followed by Amaz on I ndia and
Microsoft India, says a survey.
● According to the findings of Randstad Employer B rand Research (REBR) 2021, Google India scored high on financial
health, strong reputation, and attractive salary and benefits parameters -- the top three Employee Value Proposition
(EVP) drivers.
● A mazon India emerged as the runner-up, followed by Microsoft India.
● Ot hers in t he t op 10 most attractive employer brands in India for 2021 include Infosys Technologies at f ourt h plac e,
Tat a Steel (5th), Dell Technologies Ltd (6th), IBM (7th), Tat a Consultancy Services (8t h), W i p r o (9t h), and S o n y
(10th).
Rev ision P oints
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited Mumbai Atul Kansal
Tata Consultancy Services Mumbai Rajesh Gopinathan
European Union Brussels, Belgium Von der Leyen
Facebook California Mark Zuckerberg
Flipkart Bengaluru Binny Bansal
Insurance Regulatory and Hyderabad Subhash Chandra Khuntia
Development Authority
World Economic Forum Cologny, Switzerland Professor Klaus Schwab
Bharti Airtel New Delhi Gopal Vittal
Indian Green Building Council Hyderabad Vasudevan Suresh
SBI Card Gurugram Rama Mohan Rao Amara
National Skill Development New Delhi Manish Kumar
Corporation
WhatsApp California Will Cathcart
Google California Sundar Pichai

Amazon Seattle Andy Jassy
Sony Tokyo Kenichiro Yoshida
Dell Technologies Ltd Texas Michael S. Dell
Tata Steel Londom Henrik Adam
Infosys Bengaluru Salil Parekh
Important State Wise News

A ndhra P radesh
S TP I reports A ndhra Pradesh t ops new job creation under IBPS scheme
● The I ndia B us ines s P roc es s Out s ourc ing P romot ion S c heme (I B P S ) launched by the Centre has facilitated
expansion of several IT and BPO companies in tier-II and III cities across the country.
● Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) stated that, Under this I B PS Scheme, Andhra P radesh is t he h i g hes t i n
employ ment generat ion by creating 12,234 new jobs followed by Tamil Nadu at 9,401 while remaining was spread
across Punjab, Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Bihar.
● Tamil Nadu has become the s econd State in new job generation.
● STPI, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, is the executing agency for
India BPO Promotion Scheme.
A ndhra P radesh Governor releases S pecial Postal Cover - IndiaPost on Yoga Day
● A ndhra P radesh Governor Biswa B husan Harichandan has released a S pecial P ostal Co v er brought out by I n d i a
P os t on the occasion of International Yoga Day at a programme held in Raj Bhavan.
● Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan stated, Y oga is a 5, 000-y ear-old t radit ion originat ed in our c ount ry that
combines physical, mental and spiritual pursuits to achieve harmony of the body and mind.
● Mr Harichandan mentioned that on December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 21s t of J une
as t he I nternational Day of Y oga at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was chosen as the Internat ional
Day of Yoga, which is the S ummer Solstice and longest day of the y ea r i n t h e N o rt h er n H e mis phe re a nd h as a
s pecial significance in many parts of the world.
A ndhra P radesh govt Launches S ALT programme

● A ndhra P radesh has started a programme to transform f oundational learning in government s c h ools f or whic h t he
World Bank has approved a loan of 250 million dollars.
● The main objec t iv es of the programme called S upport ing A ndhra’s Learning Trans f ormat ion (S A LT) are
strengthening foundation schools and providing training and skill development to teachers.
● The f ive-year programme is result-oriented with the WB releasing funds after key goals are achieved.
● The government has converted all A nganwadis into pre-primary schools and attached them to the nearest schools.
● Minister Suresh stated the t wo y ears of pre-primary school would be considered as part of primary education.

A s sam
A s sam govt announced its seventh national park with Dehing Patkai
● The Government of Assam has notified Dehing Patkai as a National P ark.
● A s sam Minister f or Environment and Forest, P arimal S uklabaidya stated, “Raimona and Dihing Patkai National Park s
have been formally notified, adding to A s s am's t otal t ally of National P ark (NP) to 7.
● Assam has become the second state in the country to have the highest number of NPs.
● The newly created NPs will help to boost conservation efforts and provide fillip to tourism and agriculture sectors.”
A s sam CM initiated the scheme Sishu Seva Achoni for COVID-19 Orphans
● A s sam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa S arma announced the Muk hyamantri S ishu Sewa Acho ni s c h eme whic h will
prov ide relief t o c hildren who have lost t heir parents due t o Covid -19.
● As per this scheme, those children who have lost bot h their parents and are being looked after by their extended
family members will be entitled to Rs 3, 500 financial aid per month .

● Children below t he age of 10 years without any family s upport will be provided shelter at c hild care institutions.
● They will have access to the required education facilities.
World’s 1st GM rubber sapling planted in A ssam
● World’s First GM Rupper Developed at the K erala-based Rubber Research Institute of I ndia (RRII), the s apling was
planted by Rubber B oard c hairman and ex ec ut iv e direc t or K N Raghav an at the board’s farm in Sarutari near
Guwahati.
● The GM rubber plant , the first of its kind developed exclusively for the northeast, is expected to thrive in the climatic
conditions of the region.
● The plant, which has additional copies of gene MnS OD (manganes e c ont aining s uperox ide dis mut as e) in it, is
expected to revolutionize natural rubber production in India.
● The plant was developed at the K erala-based Rubber Research Institute of I ndia (RRII) after years of research at it s
biotechnology laboratory and is expected to grow under the climatic condition of the northeast.
● K N Raghavan, Chairman and E xecutive Director of t he Rubber B oard stated that the genet ic ally modif ied r u b b e r
plant, the f irst of its kind developed exclusively for this region, is expected to grow well under the climat ic c ondit ions
of the mountainous northeastern region.
Raimona B ecame Assam’s 6 th National P ark
● Raimona in Assam’s Kokrajhar district was declared as the s t ate’s sixth national park.
● Chief Minister Himanta B iswa S arma made an announcement in this regard on the occasion of Worl d E nv ir onme nt
Day .
● The state’s Environment and Forest Department has issued a notification declaring Raimona as a national park.
● The chief minister mentioned a process was on to also c onvert the Dehing Patkai Wildlife S anctuary int o a n a t iona l
park .

B ihar
B ihar declared 33 % reservation for girls in engineering, medical college
● B ihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a major decision with the announcement of a 3 3 % r e s erv at io n f or g i r ls in
engineering and medical colleges of the state.
● The Chief Minister mentioned that at least one-third of the seats in the enrollment in engineering and medical
colleges of the state should be reserved for girl students as it would increase the number of girl students.
● He stated it would be a unique thing and would motivate the girl students towards pursuing higher and technical
education.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh: Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches I ndus Best Mega Food P ark at Raipur
● Union Minister f or Food Processing Industries Narendra Singh Tomar , virtually inaugurat ed t he I n d u s B es t Me ga
Food P ark, along with B hupesh B aghel, Chief Minister, Chhattisgarh, and in pres enc e of Rames war Teli, Union
Minister of State for Food Processing Industries.
● Tomar stated that the Mega Food P ark will ensure value addition, longer shelf life for farm produce, better price
realisation for farmers, excellent storage facility and will provide an alt ernate market f or farmers in the region.
● The Park will also provide direct and indirect employment to about 5, 000 persons and benefit about 25,000 farmers in
the CPC and PPC catchment areas.
Delhi
Delhi Govt Launched ‘Jahan Vote, Wahan Vaccination Campaign
● With the aim to vaccinate all people above 45 years against COVID-19 in Delhi within the next four weeks, Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind K ejriwal launched ' J ahan V ote, Wahan V accination' c ampaign.
● Kejriwal stated, "We are starting a 'Jahan Vote, Wahan Vaccination' campaign.
● Under this campaign, we will tell people to visit their designated polling stations to get vaccinated.
● Main objective is within four weeks if there is no shortage of vaccines, all the people abov e 45 y ea rs o f a ge will be
vaccinated in Delhi.
Gujarat
Gujarat govt gives tax exemption on cinema halls, multiplexes, gyms from paying property tax
● The Gujarat government announced a complete waiver of property t ax for cinema hous e s , m ult ip lex es a nd g y ms
f rom April 1, 2021 t o March 31, 2022 in view of the pandemic.
● The decision was taken during a working committee meeting chaired by the c hief minister V ijay Rupani.

● These institutions will als o be ex empt ed f rom f ix ed c harges in electricity bills and will be required to pay the bills
based on actual electricity consumption.
Gujarat govt initiates the policy for electric v ehicles f or next f our y ears
● The Gujarat government announced ' Gujarat E lectric Vehicle P olicy 2021' to promote use of electric v ehic les in t he
state.
● Chief Minister Vijay Rupani stated it aims to bring at least 2 lakh electric vehicles on the state roads in t he nex t f our
years.
A bout the policy:
● The polic y aims to make Gujarat a hub for EVs and related components, encourage investments in electric mobility
and reduce vehicular pollution.
● It is estimated that around 1. 10 lakh electric t wo-wheel v ehicles, 70,000 t hree-wheelers and 20,000 four-wheelers will
be used in the state in the next four years following the implementation of this policy, Rupani said.
● The s t ate government will provide a subsidy up t o Rs 20,000 on purchase of an electric t wo -wheeler, R s 5 0, 0 00 f or
t hree-wheeler and Rs 1,50,000 on purchase of a f our-wheeler.
● The s ubsidy will be transferred directly to the bank accounts of owners through direct benefit transfer.
P M Modi inaugurates Zen Garden and K aizen Academy at A MA, A hmedabad
● P rime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a Zen garden and Kaizen Academy in Gujarat's A hmedabad.
● The v irtual event can be watched live on the A hmedabad Management Association's Y ouTube channel.
● A joint endeavour of the Japan Information and Study Centre at AMA and I ndo-Japan Friendship Association (I J FA )
in Gujarat, ' Zen-K aiz en' at AMA seeks to showcase several elements of Japanese art, culture, landscape and
architecture.
● It has been supported by Japan's Hy ogo I nternational Association (HIA).
Zen Garden:
● A traditional Zen garden, k nown as k aresansui, is a minimalist dry landscape comprised of natural elements of roc k ,
gravel, sand and wood, with very few plants and no water.
● Man-made c omponent s include bridges, statuary and stone lanterns, with an enclosing wall or fence to separate the
space from the outside world.
Gujarat CM launched I ndia’s 1 st Fenton Catalytic Reactor Wastewater Treatment Plant
● Gujarat Chief Minister V ijay Rupani virtually inaugurated the c ountry's first Fenton Catalytic R e ac t or , an adv anc ed
industrial wastewater treatment plant, at Vatva industrial area of the city.
● With 30 MLD (million litres per day) capacity, Fent on Cat aly t ic Reac t or has been set by the Green Environment
Services Co-operative Society Limited (GESCSL) in its premises in Vatva GIDC at a c ost of Rs 70 crore.
● Rupani stated the plant will cater to at least 700 industrial units, mostly engaged in manufacturing of c hemic als and
dyes, at Vatva industrial area.

● At present, Gujarat has 35 common effluent t reatment plants (CETPs) hav ing a c ombined c apac it y t o t reat 7 5 0
million litres of industrial wastewater per day, he said, adding that the government plans to set up another 19 CE TP s
in the near future.
A bout Fenton t reatment:
● Fent on is an ef fective advanced treatment process.
● Fenton was mainly used to treat wastewater by radical oxidation and flocculation.
● H2O2 is catalyzed by f errous ions to decompose into HO· and to trigger the production of other radicals, which can
fully ox idize organic matters.
Goa
Goa CM introduced solar-based electrification programme for rural households
● Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched solar-based electrification p r og ra mme f or r ur al h o us eho lds in t he
state.
● This project will bring elec tricity through renewable energy to areas in Goa where grid connectivity is not feasible.
● "With a focus on delivering clean, affordable, and reliable energy to all, P ramod S awant , Chief Minis t er of Goa,
inaugurated a solar-based electrification programme for remote rural households in Goa".
● The solar PV-based home lighting systems for households was inaugurated only two days after the agreement was
signed between Conv ergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL) and Goa E nergy Development Agency (GEDA).
Goa becomes First Rabies-Free state in India
● Goa Chief Minister Pramod S awant announced that the s t ate has not had a s ingle c ase of rabies in Goa i n t h e p a s t
t hree y ears.
● Goa AM mentioned that the state has achieved 5. 40.593 vaccination against rabies in dogs.
● The government has also educ ated nearly one lakh people in preventing dog b it e and has s et up 24-hour rabies
surveillance.
● Along with an emergency hotline and rapid response team for the dog-bite victims.
● The campaign in Goa has now v accinated around 90, 000 dogs per year and has been beneficial to both humans and
dogs.
● However, through effective campaigns, dogs are not only protected against the disease but also are not seen as a
threat.
Mission Rabies Project:
● Sawant stated that the Mis s ion Rabies organiz at ion has been working with all the political leaders, panchayats to
create awareness.
● Following which, Goa has now become the first state in India to become rabies -free.

● P rojec t Mis s ion Rabies started back in 2013 of its sister charity Worldwide V et erinary S erv ic e and became a
registered charity in 2015.
● The aim is to eliminate human-canine mediate rabies death by 2030.
Hary ana
Hary ana Governor approves ‘The Haryana Recovery of Damages t o property Act’
● Gov ernor of Haryana, S N A rya, approved the Hary ana Recovery of Damages to Property Bill.
● According to the bill (now act), any damage created to people’s shops, houses, vendor carts, government offices,
buses, vehicles and other such public property will be recovered from protestors.
● The “Haryana Recovery of Damages t o P roperty During Disturbance t o P ublic Order B ill, 2021” was passed in Marc h
2021, a move similar to Uttar Pradesh government which had passed the “Ut tar P radesh Recovery of D a ma ges t o
P ublic and P rivate Property Act, 2020.

● The Recovery of damages to properties will be made by the person causing disturbances to public order by any
assembly, lawful or unlawful such as riots and violent disorder.
Hary ana declared Rs 5,000 one -time aid for labourers, s hopkeepers hit by pandemic
● The Hary ana government announced a one-time payment of Rs 5,000 each t o s mall s hop k eep ers , c o ns t ruc t ion
work ers, auto-rickshaw drivers and unorganized labourers who have faced financial hardship due t o t he COV I D -19
pandemic and lockdown.
● BPL families who have lost a family member in the 18-50 age group to COVID-19 will be given an ex gratia of Rs 2
lak h eac h, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced at a media briefing here on the occasion of his government
completing 600 days in office.
● The chief minister also announced a host of other benefits, including waiver of property tax and reduction in electricity
bill in the first quarter of 2021-22.
Himachal Pradesh
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari laid foundation stones of several road projects in Himachal P radesh
● Union minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundat io n s t on es of r o a d p r ojec t s w o rt h R s 6 , 15 5 c ro re in
Himachal Pradesh through video conferencing from Manali in K ullu district.
● The projects included the 39-k m-long Parwanoo-Solan section of the NH-22, constructed at a c os t of Rs 1,303 crore.
● On this occasion, Gadk ari stated roads are prerequisite for the overall development of any nation.
● Better roads in Himachal Pradesh will go a long way in tourism promotion, he added.
● Chief Minister J ai Ram Thak ur mentioned that the state has a road network of 40, 000 k ilomet res but a lot more
needs to be done.
J ammu & K ashmir, Ladakh

Ladakh Lt Governor initiates Y ounTab scheme f or students to encourage digital learning
● Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh RK Mathur launched the Y ounTab sche me f or s t udent s and dis t ribut ed 1 2 , 3 0 0
t ablets among them virtually in Leh.
● The Y ounTab scheme is an initiative of the Department of School Education with technical support by the Informatio n
Technology Department under which 12,300 tablets with preloaded online and offline content, inc luding t ex t book s ,
video lectures and online class applications, would be dis tributed to government school students f ro m C las s 6 t h t o
12t h.
● "This scheme is not only associated with pandemic but is an attempt for long term technology infusion in the
education system," further informed that the existing telecom companies have agreed to ins tall additional t owers.
Wey an became the First Village to V accinate 100% Adult Population
● A remote hamlet in the B andipora district of Jammu and Kashmir has become the first village in India to vaccinat e all
its adult population against the novel coronavirus.
● "Wey an, a village in district B andipora (J&K) has become the first village in the country, where the ent ire populat ion
above 18 years has been vaccinated".
● Due to the difficult terrain of the area, the vaccinators had walked 18 k m on foot to reach the village.
Ladakh LG decided All jobs in Ladakh reserved for Residents
● In a major dec is ion that could bring joy to the res ident s of f ront ier Ladak h region, the Union Territory (UT)
administration has reserved all government jobs for the locals.

● Though the rules to define the criteria of such locals are yet to be framed, it shall come into force from the date of its
publication in the of f icial gazette.
● The new recruitment rules were announced by Ladakh’s Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur.
● “No pers on shall be qualified f or appointment to the Service unless t he person is a Resid ent o f U n ion Te rr ito ry of
Ladakh,” read the Union Territory of Ladakh E mployment (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules, 2021.
Ladakh Celebrates Two days Hemis Festival
● Mark ing t he birth of Guru Padmasambhava, H e mis Fe s tiv al is not only o n e o f t h e m os t i mpor t ant B ud dhis t
c elebrations in Ladakh but is also the most popular festival amongst tourists.
● Held in one of the mos t -v is it ed monas t eries in Ladakh, Hemis Gompa, the festival is a two-day event that is
celebrated on the 10t h day of the f ifth month of Tibetan Calendar, which is t he m o nt h o f J u ne/ J u ly i n G r eg or ian
c alendar.
● On t his popular festival in Ladakh, Cham Dance and other traditional dances are performed in Hemis Monas t ery on
the beats of drums and cymbal and on the tunes of long pipe like Tibetan music instrument.
● On both days, giant thangkas (B uddhist paintings) are unfurled for the public.
● In fact, ev ery 12t h y ear, the larges t t hangk a in Ladak h is unfurled in Hemis on the first day of the festival for the
public to see.

Highlights of Hemis Festival:
● Cham Dance
● Unfurling of Thangkas (Buddhist paintings)
K arnataka
K arnataka state Health Dept introduces ‘doctors ride towards village side’ programme
● In Karnataka, the Health Department has launched Doc t ors ride t owards village s ide programme.
● Under this scheme, the Government provides nec essary logistic support for the t eams led b y m edic al s t ude nt s t o
v isit villages and provide better healthcare during the pandemic.
● MB B S final year students, BSc Nursing, BDS, MDS, Ayush graduating doctors are deputed to rural areas to carry out
Covid tests.
● A team of medical students, nurses, ASHA and Anganwadi workers v isit door t o door to identify v ulnerable members
of t he f amily and carry out tests.
P M Modi to launch Bengaluru S uburban railway project: Karna taka CM
● Karnataka CM announced that P rime Minis t er Narendra Modi would lay the f oundat ion s t one for the B engaluru
S uburban Rail project within t he next three months.
● S pec ial t rain from B engaluru Cant onment s t at ion to Heelalige s t at ion to inspect two doubling projects and the
Suburban Rail Project, the CM stated that the Centre had given the green signal to go in for external borrowings to
the t une of Rs 7,400 c rore f or the Rs 15767 crore project.
● The project is being implemented by K -RI DE (Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Develo pme nt E n t erp ris es ), a s pec ial
purpose vehicle jointly set up by the state and Centre.
● Both will share 20 perc ent each of t he project cost and the rest would be through borrowings.
A bout K arnataka:
K erala
Nat ional Ayush Mission to organize 12-hour v irtual Yoga Session 'Yogathon' in Kerala
● K erala will celebrate I nt ernational Day of Y oga virtually by organizing various events.
● Nat ional Ayush Mission will organize a 12-hour virtual Yoga Session ‘Y ogathon’ in the state.
● Quiz c ompetitions and essay competitions on the t heme Yoga will also be organized for school students.
● The mission also plans to broadcast yoga classes for children in collaboration wi th the V icter’s Channel run by Kerala
General Education Department.
● The Field Outreach B ureau under the ministry of information and broadcasting will also organize webinars and virt ual
Yoga sessions in connection with the International Yoga Day.

K erala govt Launches ‘Knowledge Economy Mission’
● The S t at e gov ernment has launched the K nowledge E c onomy Mis s ion to bring the ongoing efforts to provide
employment to the educated and support ' k nowledge workers' under a single programme.
● It was spearheaded by Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) and that they will submit a
comprehensive project report before July 15.
● State CM stated that, "At the heart of the initiative is a comprehensive digital platform for educated youngsters whic h
help t hem upskill, enhance knowledge and empower t hem to face t he challenges of ever -changing job market".
● The chief minister mentioned this digit al plat f orm will create a great opportunity for those who took a break from work
and jobless to connect with global employers.
● The digital platform was developed in c ollaborat ion with the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and
Technology (formerly IIITM-K).
Madhya P radesh
Madhya P radesh state govt to introduced ' Yuva S hakti Corona Mukti A bhiyan’
● In Madhya Pradesh, ‘Y uv a S hak t i Corona Muk t i A bhiy an’ means free from corona with the help of a youth power
campaign will be launched to make people aware about the COVID pandemic.
● Madhya Pradesh is now at number 26 in the country in terms of corona infec tion.
● At the same time, on the basis of the suggestions received from the various Crisis Management Committ ee s , a new
guide line will be issued in the state by June 15.
● In the Y uv a Shakti Corona Mukti A bhiyan, c ollege t eachers and around 1 6 l ak h s t u de nt s will be made aware of
corona infection by learning Covid appropriate behavior and vaccination.
● This c ampaign will be run by the Higher Education and Technical Education Department in collaboration with the
Public Health and Family Welfare Department.
● A mobile app has also been developed for effective real t ime online monitoring of the campaign .
Maharashtra
Maharashtra govt apply MAPS t o provide employment and training t o y outh of s tate
● The Maharas ht ra gov ernment has decided to implement the Maharas ht ra A pprent ic es hip P romot ion S c heme
(MAPS) with the objective of providing employment and training to the youth of the state.
● Under this Scheme, in the current year, apprent ic es hip opport unit ies will be provided to 1 lak h y out h in v arious
industries and establishments in the state.

● Maharashtra Skills Development, Employment and Entrepreneurship Minister Nawab Malik informed that New
Maharashtra Apprentice Promotion Scheme is being implemented to provide employment and self-employment
opportunities and experience to the youth who have passed at least 10t h standard in the state.
A bout Maharashtra Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme:
● The scheme aims to provide employment and training to 5 lak h well-educated unemployed youth in the nex t f iv e
y ears.
● “Under this scheme, the trainees will be entitled to get 75 perc ent of the scholarship payable to them or a maximum
of Rs 5, 000 whichever is less”.
● “The apprenticeship scheme will be implemented in 715 businesses.
' P roject Mumbai’ delivers free food t o more t han 55 lakh people in last 6 months under 'Khana Chahiye' programme
● Various NGOs are making an enormous contribution in the f ight against COVID pandemic through different initiativ es
and ‘P roject Mumbai’ is one of them.

● The NGO has not only helped common people but has also helped Corona Warriors by giving t if f ins t o t he doc t ors
f rom nine hospitals in Mumbai.
● They have also distributed more than two lakh PPE kits and masks to the doctors in Mumbai.
● Helplines were started by Project Mumbai for the counseling of common people who were facing the issues of mental
stress.
K hana Chahiye programme:
● The NGO has provided f ree food to more than 55 lakh p e op le in t he l a s t s ix m ont hs u n de r it s K hana Chahiy e
programme.
● They hav e also provided f ree foodgrain and medicines to needy senior citizens.
Maharashtra cabinet gave nod t o A mendments for P rotection of “Heritage Trees”
● An amendment to t he Maharashtra (Urban Areas) P rotection and Preservation of T r ees A c t , 1 97 5 t o bring in t he
concept of “heritage trees” was approved in a meeting of the Maharashtra Cabinet.
● It is expected to come into force by way of ordinance.
● The Cabinet also green-lighted the formation of the Maharas ht ra Tree A ut horit y , which will take all decisions
regarding protection of trees.
● It will have responsibility related to protection and conservation of trees, including “heritage trees”.
● “The A c t will focus on increasing tree cover in urban areas.
● Protecting existing trees along with preserving those having cultural importance is the need of the hour.
● Principal Secretary (Environment) Manisha Mhaiskar stated, It is critical that development is carried out in a
sustainable manner ensuring conservation of nature’’.

Nagaland
Nagaland govt s anctioned Rs 2,000 each t o bank accounts of all building, other c onstruction workers
● Nagaland Government has announced the approval f or transfer of 2,000 rupees each to the bank accounts of all t h e
B uilding and Other Construction Workers.
● The amount will be debited from the state’s Cess Fund.
● The State Department of Labour stated, owing to the present pandemic situation and the c ont inuing loc k down, there
has been a huge displacement of daily wage workers taking place all over the country, espec ially t he c ons t ruc t ion
workers.
● Therefore, in order t o as sist s uch workers and their f amilies, and as per the instructions of the Central Government t o
provide adequate financial assistance to such identified categories of workers, the State Government will be
depositing an amount of 2,000 rupees each to the beneficiaries registered under the State Labour Department.
Odisha
Odisha govt initiates doorstep delivery service for oxygen concentrators
● The Odisha Government has launched a doorstep delivery service for oxygen concentrators .
● Chief Minis t er Nav een P at naik stated that this will further strengthen the state's preparedness against present and
future waves of covid-19.
● The home delivery service for Oxygen concentrators will be available in 5 major cities of the state in the first phase.
● The facility is also available at the Odis ha COVID dashboard app for Android and iOS operating systems.
● Additional Chief Secretary (Health) P K Mohapat ra mentioned that the municipal corporations will monitor the
requirement and delivery of the concentrators.
Odisha welcomes agricultural y ear t hrough ‘Raja P arba’ Festival
● Raja P arba, a 3-day festival celebrating womanhood is being celebrated across Odisha.
● During this period, it is believed that Mot her Earth menstruates and prepares herself for future agricultural a c tiv it ies
wit h the arrival of monsoon, stated by Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC), chairperson S Mishra.
A bout the f estival:
● The f estival is synonymous with varieties of cakes (pithas).
● Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) launched a s pecial programme named 'Pitha on Wheels'.
● "Due to COVID-19, we're celebrating Raja Parba with a very low key.
● As women don't work during these 3 day s 7 v ehic les of ' P i t ha On wheels ' will reach people's doorstep in
Bhubaneswar," she added.
● Dif f erent k inds of pit has s uc h as 'Poda Pitha', 'Manda', 'Kakara', 'Arisha', 'Chakuli' and 'Chandrakala' have been
made available on 'Pitha on Wheels' (kiosks on wheels).
● These vehicles selling traditional cakes have been stationed in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Sambalpur.

Odisha state govt Launched e-Learning methods for students: e-Pathshala, e-Mulyankan
● After launching Y ouTube lessons for college kids of Class I X and X, the state authorities launched e-P at hs ha la a n d
e-Mulyankan amenities maintaining in thoughts disruption of lessons in the course of the ongoing pandemic.
● These on-line platforms will profit college students, academics and district training officers (DEOs).
● These e-learning amenities have been created as long-term resolutions for any tough scenario, s t at ed c ollege and
mas s training minister Samir Ranjan Sprint after launching the platforms.
e-P athshala:
● The e-P athshala is a web-based s tudying platform that has repositories of e-contents within the t y pe of paperwork ,
audios and movies.
● The e-contents will help completely different areas of on-line studying like self-learning, on-line lessons,
assignments, assessments and analysis of the learners’ progress.
e-Mulyankan:
● The e-Mulyankan platform is des igned t o behave as a digital f inancial instit ut io n o f a pp ly ex a ms and mannequin
query in order that the scholars can apply for examinations.
● The academics can conduct exams, mock examinations and closing examinations by the e-Mulyankan platform.
A bout Odisha:
● Odisha (formerly Orissa), an eas t ern Indian state on t he B ay of B engal, is known for its tribal cult ures and it s many
ancient Hindu temples.

● The capital, Bhubaneswar, is home to hundreds of temples , not ably t he intricately-carved Mukteshvara.
● The Lingaraj Temple c omplex, dating to the 11th century, is set around sacred Bindusagar Lake.
● The Odisha State Museum is focused on the area’s history and environment.
Odisha Govt make Partnership with UN WEP t o E mpower Women SHGs
● The government of Odisha and the Unit ed Nations World Food P rogramme (WFP ) has joined hands t o i m p r ov e
hous ehold food and nutritional security by strengthening livelihood initiatives, reaching thousands of state -s upport ed
Women's S elf-Help Groups (WSHGs).
● A statement quoted WFP Count ry Direc t or in India, B is how P arajuli mentioned that the partnership for achieving
nutritional security in Odisha focused on empowerment, livelihood and incomes of women.
● The part nership, effective till December 2023 , will also be focusing on improving the linkage of women’s groups wit h
government procurement systems, increasing awareness on entitlements, building capacity of women’s groups, and
developing monitoring tools and undertaking evaluations to improve functioning of the groups.

P unjab
P unjab govt launched “Udaan Scheme” t o provide s anitary pads
● P unjab Social Security Minister A runa Chaudhary launched the women-empowerment oriented ' Udaan S c he me' on
the occasion of I nt ernat ional Mens t rual Hy giene Day , under which sanitary pads of Rs 40. 55 c rore would be
distributed f ree of c ost annually to needy women and girls.
● Chaudhary stated the main objec t iv e of t he s c heme is to protect women and girls from menstrual hygiene related
diseases and spread awareness about menstrual hygiene.
● At the launch ceremony, a total of one lakh packets of sanitary pads were distributed at all 1, 500 online loca t ions as
well as at anganwadi centres in the state.
P unjab Cabinet gave nod to Create SPV for S urface Water S upply Scheme
● The P unjab c abinet gave its nod for the creation of a s pecial purpose vehicle (SPV) for operations and maint enanc e
of large multi-village surface water supply schemes across the state.

● The move is aimed to ensure supply of potable water on a long term sustainable basis in rural areas of water quality
affected districts.
● This S P V -- P unjab Rural Wat er (Ut ilit y ) Company -- under the Water Supply and Sanitation department will be a
utility company.
● The cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister A marinder S ingh, also accorded approval to open an account in t he na me of
the SPV, with seed money of Rs 25 c rore allocated f rom the World B ank funds (64 per cent) and s t ate budget (36 per
c ent), to support its functioning in the initial five years, it said.

P unjab CM formally inaugurated recently announced district Malerk otla
● P unjab chief minister Capt Amarinder S ingh virtually inaugurated Malerkotla as the 23rd district of t he sta t e and laid
the foundation stone of dev elopment projects worth Rs 548 crore in Malerkotla city.
● Amarinder stated he had promised to upgrade Malerkotla as a district during his previous tenure in 2005 but it could
not materialise then for some reasons.
● He had made a formal announcement about this decision on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on May 14 this year.
P unjab became 1st state t o roll out NFC-based “eIDs”
● E lectronic Identity Cards (eIDs) have been introduced in numerous countries.
● P unjab Government has also initiated the usage of eIDs equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology
for their officers/employees through one of its prominent entities viz.Punjab Mandi Board.
● Chairman Punjab Mandi B oard Lal S ingh stated that these eIDs are equipped wit h N F C t e c h nolo gy -a s t an da rd-
bas ed wireless c ommunication technology, allows data exchange between devices that are a few centimet ers apart
and will be used as a primary authentication tool.
● The NFC operates at 13.66 MHz and transfers data at up to 424 Kbits/ seconds.

P unjab’s Rana Gurmit Singh S odhi launches a special Mobile A pp " Khedo Punjab"
● P unjab Sports and Youth S ervices Minister Rana Gurmit S ingh S odhi launched a s pecial Mobile A pp "Khedo Punjab"
for putting the Sports Department and all the Sports persons of State of Punjab on Digital platform.
● Rana Sodhi informed that this is the first time in the his t ory of t he S port s Depart ment that the department has
launched a mobile app.
● He stated that with the launch of Mobile A pp, the current sports persons and the budding players will be in a position
to register online and can choose any game of their interest besides identifying their International, National and State
goals, which will finally help in building competitive enthusiasm.
A bout K hedo P unjab:
● A f ter t he “P adho P unjab” initiative, the s tate education board is all set for “K hedo P unjab” to promote s po rt s a m ong
t he s tudents at government schools.
● The aim of t he projec t is to involve students into sports to keep them away from drug abuse and to encourage them
towards fitness.
● As per the guidelines, the schools shall start their day by conducting morning assembly with drum, yoga and PT.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan govt introduced CM Anuprati Coaching scheme for underprivileged students
● Rajasthan has launched Chief Minister Anuprati Coaching Scheme to help u nd er priv ileg ed s t ud ent s prepare f or
entrance examinations to civil services and professional courses, with an aim to give them equal opportunity.
● S t udents belonging t o scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, other backward classes (OBC), extremely backward cas t es ,
minority and economically weaker sections with annual family income less than Rs.8 lakhs per annum will be able t o
av ail t he s c heme run by the tribal area development, minority affairs, and social justice and empowerment
departments.
● Under the scheme, f ree c oac hing will be prov ided for preparation for civil services examination, conducted by the
Union Public Service Commission (UP S C).
Rajasthan govt will s et Vedic E ducation and S anskar Board
● The Rajas t han gov ernment will soon set up a V edic E duc at ion and S ans k ar B oard to revive the knowledge of
Sanskrit scriptures and Vedas.
● The board is likely to be formed in the next f our t o five months.
● A c ommittee, formed to define aims, objectives and functioning of the board, has submit t ed it s report t o t he s t at e
government, Minister of State (MoS) for Sanskrit Education S ubhas h Garg mentioned, adding modules will be
presented before the board based on the report.
● He stated the Vedic board would come into function after approval from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu govt launched new plans on Kaliagnar's 97th birthday
● Tamil Nadu Govt has introduced new plans f or t he celebration of Kaliagnar’s 97th birthday .
● A slew of new techniques had been declared and Chief Minis t er S t alin inaugurated distribution of welfare strategies
in the course of Covid-19.
● The Gov ernment mentioned t hat a 500 bedded multi speciality medical center for the reward of the people liv ing i n
South Chennai will be designed at a value of Rs . 250 crore.
● A library will be built in memory of Kalaignar at Madurai.
● Award winning Tamil writers will be supplied a residence in their individual districts.
● Chief Minister S t alin distributed ten kilogram rice with 15 grocery merchandise alongside with the next inst allment of
2000 Rs compensation throughout Covid time period for ration c ard holders.
● He also gave Rs . 4000 alongwith provisions and rice to the priests who are doing the job at temples undern eat h t he
State Hindu spiritual and Charitable Endowments Ministry.
● The Chief Minister started the scheme of Rs Rs . 5000/- bonus for a s ingle lakh 12 thous a nd 1 8 4 l aw e nf o rc em ent
pers onnel who are functioning in the forefront of battling Covid-19.
Tamilnadu CM launches Minnagam consumer grievance redressal centre in Chennai
● Tamilnadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin inaugurated Minnagam, a consumer grievance redressal centre in Chennai.
● The State Government said that consumers of electricity in the S t at e c an report t heir griev anc es to the Centre
t hrough mobile phones.

● The Chief Minister als o launc hed an exclusive c us t omer c are mobile number 9498794987 through which the
consumers can make their complaints and clarify their doubts about the electricity bills.
● The centre will be f unctional 24 hours, to handle c omplaints.
● All the complaints would be passed on to the related executive engineers in the districts.
● Action taken on every complaint would be d in the Social media.
● It may be noted that the State has over t hree crore t en lakh consumers of electricity.
Telangana
Telangana govt focused to do digital survey of agriculture lands in state
● Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao ordered a digital survey of agriculture lands in 27 s e lec t v illages ac ros s t he
state on a pilot basis f rom June 11.
● He directed officials to select three villages from his home constituency Gajwel and select the remaining 24 v illages
f rom other 24 districts.
● Based on the outcome of the pilot survey, the digital survey will be extended later to the entire state.
● After the completion of the digital survey of agricultural lands, the survey will be undertaken in all urban areas.

Telangana AI Mission launched ‘Revv Up”
● Telangana government had launched the Telangana A I Mission (T-AIM) powered by Nasscom and as part of t he T -
AIM an ac c elerator programme called Rev v Up has been launched to enable and empower AI startups.
● The programme that will begin its first cohort in July is another step towards making Telangana and Hyderaba d as a
global destination for AI and other emerging technologies.
● The accelerator programme, exclusively designed for growth-stage AI startups, will cover various sectors.
● Telangana Industries and IT principal secretary J ay es h Ranjan stated, “Telangana is committed to its vision of
positioning the State as the leader in AI.
● After becoming the f irst S tate in I ndia to launch an actionable policy framework for A rtificial Intelligence in J une 2020,
now set in motion the f irst edition of t he Revv Up accelerator programme to hone innovative AI ideas under T-AIM.
Telangana CM Announced Rs 10 lakh fina ncial assistance t o Dalit f amilies
● CM K Chandrasekhar Rao called for an all-party meeting, June 27 t o discuss and finalize the guidelines of t he C M
Dalit Empowerment Programme that is being initiated by t he s tate government.
● A decision was taken in the meeting to provide Rs 10 lakh financial assistance each directly to the bank ac c ount s of
eligible beneficiaries from the Dalit community.
● It was also decided to earmark Rs 1200 c rore for the empowerment programme.
A bout the programme:
● CM Dalit E mpowerment P rogramme aims to make members of the c ommunity financially s elf-sufficient.
● In the f irst phase, from the t ot al 119 assembly constituencies, 100 f amilies from each constituency ac ros s t he s t at e
will be provided with assistance.
● This means, as per the government’s plan, a t ot al of 11, 900 people will benefit from the programme in the first
phase.
● The money would be transferred directly to the bank accounts of the eligible beneficiaries.
Wes t B engal
Wes t B engal CM relaunches scheme doubling farmers' aid to Rs 10,000
● Wes t B engal Chief Minister Mamata B anerjee relaunched her government's K rishak B andhu sch eme , doubling t he
assistance to f armer- beneficiaries t o Rs 10,000 a year.
● She stated that day labourers in f armlands and s harecroppers in possession of at least one kat ha (0. 0165 ac re) of
land will now rec eive Rs 4,000 a year, instead of Rs 2,000 they used to get earlier.
● Banerjee also mentioned that the respective boards of the state will announce the evaluation pro cess for
examinations of classes 10 and 12, that have been cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

Rev ision P oints
S t ate/UT Chief Minister Gov ernor
Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Biswa Bhusan Harichandan
Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu B. D. Mishra (Retd.)
Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma Jagdish Mukhi
Bihar Nitish Kumar Phagu Chauhan
Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel Sushri Anusuiya Uikey
Delhi Arvind Kejriwal
Goa Pramod Sawant Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Gujarat Vijaybhai R. Rupani Acharya Dev Vrat
Haryana Manohar Lal Satyadeo Narain Arya
Himachal Pradesh Jairam Thakur Bandaru Dattatraya
Jharkhand Hemant Soren Droupadi Murmu
Karnataka B. S. Yediyurappa Vajubhai Vala
Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan Arif Mohammed Khan
Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan Anandiben Patel
Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Manipur N. Biren Singh Najma Heptulla
Meghalaya Conrad Kongkal Sangma Satya Pal Malik
Mizoram Pu Zoramthanga P.S. Sreedharan Pillai
Nagaland Neiphiu Rio R. N. Ravi
Odisha Naveen Patnaik Ganeshi Lal
Punjab Capt. Amarinder Singh V.P. Singh Badnore
Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot Kalraj Mishra
Sikkim PS Golay Ganga Prasad
Tamil Nadu M.K.Stalin Banwarilal Purohit
Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao Tamilisai Soundararajan
Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb Ramesh Bais
Uttar Pradesh Yogi Aditya Nath Anandiben Patel
Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat Baby Rani Maurya
West Bengal Mamata Banerjee Jagdeep Dhankhar
Puducherry (UT) N Rangaswamy

Lis t of Governors & A dministrators
Union Territory Lt . Governor & Administrator
Andaman and Nicobar Island Admiral D K Joshi
Chandigarh V.P. Singh Badnore
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Praful Patel
Delhi (NCT) Anil Baijal
Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha
Lakshadweep Praful Patel
Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan (Addl. Charge)
Ladakh Radha Krishna Mathur
Important National News

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduces Horticulture Cluster Development Programme
● In a pilot phase, the programme will be implemented in 12 hort iculture clusters out of the t ot al 53 c lusters selected for
the programme.
● A central sector programme implemented by the Nat ional Horticulture B oard (NHB) of the Ministry of Agricult ure and
Farmers’ Welfare, CDP aims at growing and developing identified horticulture clusters to make them globally
competitive.
● Tomar, in his speech, highlighted that the programme will address all major issues related to the I ndian hort ic ult ure
s ector including pre-production, production, post-harvest management, logistics, marketing and branding.
NCP CR devises ' Bal S waraj' f or c hildren affected due t o COVID -19
● In view of the growing problem related to children affected by COVID-19, The Union Ministry of Women and Child
Development stated the Nat ional Commission for P rotection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has devised an online trac k ing
portal " B al S waraj (COVID-Care link)" for children in need of care and protection.
● The portal has been created with the purpose of tracking and monitoring children who need care and protection in
real-time, digitally.
● The portal will also be used to track children who have lost both their parents during COVID-19.
● The " COVID-Care" link on t he portal has been provided for the concerned officer or department to upload the dat a of
such children.

A gri Services E-Marketplace Launches CSC SPV
● A imed at empowering s mall and marginal f armers , who constitute 86 per cent of India’s farming community, the
Common S ervices Centres (CSC) has unveiled a unique A gri S ervices P ortal that will act as a one-s t op des t inat ion
and marketplace for them.
● The portal will enable small and marginal farmers, who do not have easy access to the digital world, to avail essential
agri services with ease and at an affordable cost.
● CS C CE O Sanjay Rakesh stated, “Newly launched portal can be accessed by farmers with support from loc al CS Cs
for buying agri-input products, renting and hiring of agriculture implements and machinery, soil testing, sale of farm
produce, tele-consultations, loan and insurance facility”.
● The CSC, a S pec ial P urpos e V ehic le under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, plans to reach out to 6, 000 Farmer
P roducer Organisations (FPOs), one in each block of the country, this year.
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya initiates floating jetty at Old Goa
● Union Minister of S tate (I/C) for P orts, Shipping & Waterways Shri Mansukh Mandav iy a in t he pres enc e of C h i e f
Minis t er of Goa S hri P ramod S awant inaugurated the second floating jetty at Old Goa virtually on the occasion of
Goa statehood day.
● S hri Mandaviya expressed hope that the floating jetty at Old Goa will prove a game changer for the tourism sec t or of
Goa.
● He also announced that Panjim and Old Goa will be connected by ferry and cruise services.
● The Minister stated the jetty will of f er safe, hassle f ree t ransportation to t he tourists.
● The Minister lauded the work done by Government of Goa in making tourism sector a growth engine of the state.
Health Minister Dr Harsh V ardhan launches digitized v ersions of NHA’s I T platform
● The Health Minister has launched the revamped Cent ral Government He alt h S c hem e , C GH S a n d t h e U m br ella
s c hemes of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi, RAN and Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant, HMDG on NHA’s platform,
making them cashless, paperless and the citizen centric.
● Dr Hars h V ardhan stated, the initiative will enable seamless delivery of healthcare services to eligible beneficiaries
under these schemes by making the whole process paperless.
● This is a solid step towards digitalization of healthcare s ervices.
A bout NHA:
● Nat ional Healt h A ut horit y (NHA ) is the apex body responsible for implementing India’s flagship public healt h
ins urance/assurance scheme called “A yushman B harat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana” & has been ent rus t ed
with the role of designing strategy, building technological infrastructure and implementation of “Nat ional Digital Health
Mission” to create a National Digital Health Ecosystem.

● National Health Authority is the successor of the National Health Agency, which has been functioning as a registered
society since 23rd May, 2018.
GS T Council forms 8 member panel under to examine GST exemption on Covid material
● The group of ministers was constituted after several member states of the council, such as West Bengal and P unjab
asked for exempting GST on all Covid-essential materials.
● Ot her members of t he group of minis t ers (GoM) are – Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitinbhai Patel, Maharashtra
deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Goa transport minister Mauvin Godinho, Kerala finance minister KN Balagopal, Odisha
finance minister Niranjan Pujari, Telangana finance minister T Harish Rao and UP finance minister Suresh Kr
Khanna.
● V ac cines and c otton masks attract 5% GST, most of these items fall in the 12% t ax slab.
● Testing kits, drugs, medical oxygen, oxygen concentrators and ventilators fall under the 12% t ax bracket.
● Alcohol-based sanitizers, hand wash gels, disinfectants and thermometers attract 18% GST.
WHO labelled Two Covid-19 V ariants in India as ‘Kappa’ and ‘Delta’
● The WHO has advised against using location-based terms for variants, and has designated an of f ic ial name for the
v ariant first detected in I ndia: B.1.617.
● The organization took six weeks to announce the name “COV I D-19” after cases of the corona virus infection were
first reported in Wuhan, China.
● WHO renames COVID-19 variants with Greek letters to avoid stigma; Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta.
● The B . 1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 variants of the Covid-19, f irst identified in India, has been named as ' K appa' and ' Delt a'
respectively, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced as it named various variants of the corona virus using
Greek alphabets.
Union Cabinet approved draft of Model Tenancy A ct
● The Union Cabinet has approved the draft of Model Tenancy A ct (MTA) for adoption and enactment by S t a t es a nd
Union Territories to promote rental housing in the country.
● MTA envisages balancing the interests and rights of both, the owner and tenant, in an accountable and t ransparent
manner.
● A digit al plat f orm will be set up in the local vernacular language or the language of the State and Union Territory for
this purpose.
● The MTA also provides for a time-bound and robust grievance redressal mechanism.
● The Centre has said that the Model Tenancy Act will make vacant houses available on rent as well as repose
confidence of investors in the sector.
Union A griculture Minister launches S eed Minikit Programme
● A griculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched S eed Minikit P rogramme by distributing Seed Minik it s , higher
yielding varieties of seeds to farmers.

● The mini k its are being provided by the Cent ral A gencies, National S eeds Corporation, NS C, N A FE D a n d G u jar at
S t at e S eeds Corporat ion and it is fully funded by the Government of India through the National Food Security
Mission.
● The distribution of seeds will continue till 15th of this month so that the seeds reach t he f armers bef ore t he K harif
sowing commences.
Union Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot t o launch S AGE project
● The Ministry of Social Justice and E mpowerment will launch S enior c are A geing Growth E ngin e ( S A G E ) projec t t o
select, support and create a “one-stop access” of elderly care products and services by credible start-ups.
● The initiative was launched by S hri Thaawarc hand Gehlot in the presence of MoS, MSJE, Shri Rattan lal Kataria in
New Delhi.
● S t art-ups c an apply for being a part of SAGE through a dedicated portal.
● As per surveys, the share of elders, as a percentage of the total population in the country, is expected to increase
from around 7.5 per c ent in 2001 to almost 12.5 per c ent by 2026 .
CE C s uggested to link A adhaar with Voter I D c ard
● In a bid to ens ure f ree and f air elec t ions in the country and maximize the electoral coverage, the Election
Commission of India has made a series of recommendations to the Law Minis t ry including cancellation of
candidature & increasing the imprisonment to 2 y ears in c ase of false affidavit by poll candidates.
● Currently the statute allows inclusion of names of only those people who have t urned 18 y ears old as on 1st J anuary
of the year.
● In another major reform, the Central poll body has also suggested linking t he Aadhar Card with the Voter I D c ar d i n
order t o prevent duplicity of E PIC cards.
● Current Chief E lection Commissioner: Shri Sushil Chandra
Gov t announced the Target year t o Achieve ‘20% Ethanol-Blending t o P etrol’ to 2023 from 2025
● I ndia's government will bring f orward t o 2023 from 2025 the possibility of fuel companies selling gasoline c ont aining
up to 20% of ethanol (E 20), according to brokers and a publication in the country's official gazette.
● It is the second time India's government anticipates sales of the E 20 f uel, which originally would happen only in 2030,
as the country seeks to cut its oil import bill and reduce carbon dioxide pollution in cities.
● Most of the additional ethanol production in the country will come from sugar cane processing, so less cane will likely
be used to make sugar.
● India has also been giving s oft loans t o sugar mills to increase ethanol productio n c apac it y by adding dis t illat ion
infrastructure to existing plants.
Nat ional AI P ortal celebrated its first anniversary
● The ‘Nat ional AI P ortal’ celebrated its first anniversary on May 28, 2021.
A bout National AI P ortal:
● Firstly, the National AI Portal was launched in May 2020.

● It is a joint init iat iv e by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and
NA S SCOM.
● S ec ond P urpose: The portal works as a one-stop digital platform for sharing of resources.
● Such as articles, startups, investment funds in AI, resources, companies and educational institutions related to AI in
India.
● Third P urpose: The portal also shares documents, case studies, research reports etc.
● It also has a section about learning and new job roles related to AI.
Res ponsible A I for Y outh Programme:
● Launched by: The programme has been launched by the National e-Governance Division, MeitY.
● It is in collaboration with Intel India with support from the Ministry of Education.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh Announced the I ntegration of e -Gopala app with UMANG platform
● Union Minister f or Fisheries, A nimal Husbandry & Dairying announced integration of e G o p a la A p p wit h U M A N G
platform so that 3.1 Crore users of Umang platform will get access to App.
● e-GOP A LA app (Generat ion of wealt h t hrough P roduc t iv e Liv es t oc k ), a comprehensive breed improvement
marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers, was launched by Hon’ble PM on 10th September
2020.
● The Minister stated that India is a global leader amongst dairying nations and produced 198.4 million tonnes of milk
during 2019-20.
● Value of output of milk is more than Rs 7.72 lakh crore during 2018-19 at current prices which is more than the value
of output of wheat and paddy together.
● The Minister announced the launch of the Nat ional A wards for the Cattle and Dairy sector, the Gopal Ratna A wards.
● The award has t hree c ategories – i) Best Dairy farmer, ii) Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT) and Best Dairy
Cooperative/ Milk producer Company/ FPO.
● He mentioned that eligible farmers/dairy cooperative societies/ AI technicians can apply for the award online and the
portal for award will open from 15th July 2021.
● Winners for the award will be announced on 31s t October 2021.
Union Minister Dharmendra P radhan I nitiated List of I nitiatives to Enhance SATAT Scheme
● Union Minister of P etroleum and Natural Gas & S teel S hri Dharmendra Pradhan presided over a virtual ceremony in
which a number of initiatives were launched to provide major fillip to the S A TAT initiative, and help I ndia leap ahea d
t owards a greener.
● This included signing of a Cooperat ion A greement by Oil and Gas majors including IndianOil, HPCL, BPCL, GAIL
and IGL, for the promotion and development of the S A TA T (S us t ainable A lt ernat iv e Towards A f f ordable
Transportation) scheme.
● The SATAT scheme aims to set up Compressed Biogas production plants and make CBG available in the market for
use as a green fuel.

● GAIL shall serve as the coordinator for the implementation of the CB G-CGD synchronization scheme.
Cent re launches new s ystem f or Insurance claims under PMGKP
● The Centre has introduced a new system for processing of the Insurance claims provided under P radhan Mant ri
Garib Kalyan P ackage (PMGKP) Insurance Scheme for the Health Workers Fighting COVID-19.
● The Union Ministry of Health mentioned that states and other stakeholders had been raising the matter that the
processing of the insurance claims was getting delayed.
● With a view to streamline and simplify the processing of the insurance claims, it has been decided to start a new
system for approval of claims.
● As per the system, the due diligence will be done by State Governments at the level of District Collector.
Cent re include Tamil language in CoWIN app
● The Centre has assured to include Tamil language in the CoWI N app facility after an appeal from T a m iln ad u C h ief
Minister M.K.Stalin.
● The Tamilnadu Government stated that along with the nine existing languages included in the CoWIN app, the facility
in Tamil language will be available in a day or two according to the P rincipal Health Secretary.
Gov t extended the v alidity of TET f rom 7 years t o lifetime
● The Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced that the government has dec ided t o ex t end
the validity period of the Teachers E ligibility Test (TET) qualifying certificate from 7 y ears t o lifetime with retrospective
ef f ect from 2011.
● In 2020, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in its 50t h meet ing of the general body had approved
the extension of the TET certificate validity from 7 y ears t o a lifetime.
● For a career in the elementary teaching profession in India, passing a relevant TET is mandatory.
Union Minister A nurag S ingh Thakur launches I EFPA’s 6 modules of short films titled “Hisab K i Kitaab”
● Union Minister of S tate f or Finance and Corporate Affairs S hri Anurag S ingh Thakur launc hed t he s i x m odu les o f
s hort films of Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (I E P FA) titled “Hisaab K i K itaab”.
● “Hisaab ki kitab” is a series of 6 short films, dev eloped by CSC eGov as a part of their training tool.
● There are 6 short films/ modules of 5 minutes duration each.
● The various modules highlight the importance of budget, saving, importance of Insurance schemes, various social
security schemes of the government etc.
● Shri Thakur stated that financial inclusion is one of the t op-most policy priorities of the Government of India
● Financial literacy and education plays a crucial role in financial inclusion, inclusive growth and sustainable
prosperity.
● In financial inclusion, a number of steps have been taken by the Government.

Def ence Minister noted t hat, motto of Atma Nirbhar B harat A bhiyaan is t o Make in I ndia and Make f or World
● The mot t o of 'AatmaNirbhar B harat A bhiy aan' is 'Mak e in I ndia' and ' Mak e for the World', Defence Minster
ment ioned, adding that the campaign envisages the def enc e sector to play a major role in I ndia' s economic growth
and focuses on manufacturing cost-effective quality products for I ndia and for the world.
● Def enc e Minis t er Rajnat h S ingh mentioned several procedural reforms undertaken by the Government, have
transformed the defence industry to meet domestic as well as global demand.
● Addressing a webinar on I ndia-S weden Def enc e I ndus t ry c ooperat ion, Mr Singh stated the motto
of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan is Make in India and Make for the World.
● He stated, the campaign envisages the def enc e s ec t or to play a major role in India’s economic growth and focuses
on manufacturing cost-effective quality products for India and for the world.
GMB s etup India’s first I nternational Maritime Cluster at GIFT City
● Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) will set-up the c ountry's first international maritime services cluster at GIFT City.
● The maritime cluster will be developed as a dedicated ecosystem comprising ports, shipping, logistics services
providers and government regulators, all present in the same geographic vicinity — GIFT City.
● The c lus t er will further leverage the prox imit y and ac c es s ibilit y of these stakeholders to enable a synergetic
collaboration.
● Tapan Ray , MD and Group CE O, GI FT Cit y mentioned, "Establishing a maritime cluster is a much-needed step
towards advancing India's credentials and economic viability in this sector".
E nv ironment Minister launches awareness campaign on single use plastic 2021

● E nv ironment, Forest and Climate Change Minister P rakash Javadekar launched an awareness campaign on s i n gle
us e plastic 2021 on the occasion of World Ocean Day.
● Mr Javadekar stated that uncollected plastic waste is a major problem.
● In India two-third was getting collected and one-third was not getting collected.
● Under the plastic waste management rules, there is a mechanism of collection and recycling of plastic.
● After the ban of single use plastic in the country, the government had also put a ban on plastic waste import.
Gov t prepared guidelines in S pecial e -content f or the Divyang
● For the first time, an attempt was made to prepare guidelines for CwD also referred to as Children wit h S pec ial
Needs (CWSN) children so that the goal of inclusive education is fulfilled.
● The Committee submitted a report titled " Guidelines f or t he Dev elopment of e -Cont ent f or Children wit h
Dis abilities" comprising of eleven Sections and two Appendices.
● This report was shared, presented, discussed and accepted by the MoE.
The s alient highlights of t he e-content guidelines in the report are:
● e-Content for CwDs should be developed based on the four principles namely: perc eiv able, operable,
understandable and robust.

● e-Content including text, tables, diagrams, visuals, audios, videos etc. should comply with accessibility standards:
nat ional standards (GIGW 2.0) and international standards (WCAG 2.1, E -Pub, DAISY etc).
● Distribution platforms on which content is uploaded (e. g. DI K S HA ) and Reading platforms/devices on which content
is accessed and interacted (e. g. e-pathshala) must comply with technical standards
● Reasonable pedagogical accommodations have been recommended to meet the specific needs of CwDs
● The technical standards and guidelines have been detailed out in Section 4 of the report.
● The Committee has also recommended that in a phased manner textbooks may be adapted into Accessible Digital
Textbooks (ADTs).
● The content of ADTs should be provided in multiple formats (text, audio, video, sign language etc) with turn-on and
turn-off features.
Gov t increases kharif MSP of kharif c rops by an average 3.7 per c ent
● The Cent ral government increased the Minimum Support P rice (MSP) of kharif crops for t he 2021-21 c rop s eas on
(July-June) by an av erage 3.7 per cent as compared to the previous year with the maximum hike reserved for puls es
and oilseeds to encourage farmers to shift from paddy.
● The MS P of t ur and urad has been increased by Rs 300 per quintal in absolute terms for 2021-22 t o R s 6 3 0 0 p er
quint al while the MSP of groundnut seed has been inc reas ed by Rs 275 per quint al in 2021-21 to Rs 5550 per
quintal.
I ndia’s 1st c enter f or Digital Health Launched by IIT-Bombay with K CDH
● I ndian I nstitute of Technology, B ombay has launched its new Centre for Digital Heath – the first-of-its-kind in India.
● The ‘K oita Centre for Digital Health’ (KCDH) was launched with a generous contribut ion rec eiv ed f rom it s alumni
Rekha and Rizwan Koita, under the aegis of the Koita Foundation.
● KCDH will be the first of its kind in India, focussed on driving academic programmes, research and industry
collaboration in Digital Health.
● I mproving the quality, accessibility and affordability of healthcare is one of the world’s biggest priorities .
● Digital Health, including healthcare informatics, has a profound impact on the quality of care and efficiency of
healthcare delivery.
● Consequently, there is substantial focus globally on enhancing Digital Health and Informatics.
Foreign secretary Harsh V ardhan S hringla released stamp to mark 70 th A nniversary if India-Germany Ties
● I ndia attended the G7 s ummit as a guest c ountry along with Australia, South Africa and South Korea.
● All four countries are seen as c ritical partners of the G7 (the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, UK and Japan).
● The f oc us is one way and another pandemic – through fighting for the recovery of health and also of economic
health.
● On both fronts, India is a key player.
● A new postage stamp has been released to mark the 70t h anniversary of the es tablishment of diplo mat ic r elat io ns
bet ween I ndia and Germany.

● Both Germany and India are releasing stamps to mark t he occasion.
● The Indian stamp was released by Foreign S ecretary Harsh V ardhan Shringla, with Vineet Pandey, Secretary, P os t s
and Walter Lindner, German Ambassador to India.
● Shringla spoke about the longstanding collaboration in health, research and development, and higher education.
Union E ducation Minister released A ISHE 2019 -20 report
● Union E ducation Minister S hri Ramesh P okhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced the release of the report of A ll I ndia S urvey on
Higher E ducation 2019-20.
● This Report provides key performance indicators on the current status of Higher education in the country.
● Shri Pokhriyal noted that in the last five years from 2015-16 to 2019-20, there has been a growth of 11. 4% in the
student enrolment.
● The ris e in f emale enrolment in higher education during the period is 18. 2%.
● He emphasized that the continuous focus given by the government under the leadership of P rime Minis t er S hri
Narendra Modi on education of girls, women empowerment and empowerment of socially backward classes are well
reflected by the inc reased participation of women, SCs and STs population in High er E d uc at ion as s hown by t he
Report.
Def ence Minister inaugurated t wo centres of excellence of B RO
● Def enc e Minis t er Rajnat h S ingh inaugurated t wo c ent ers of excellence established by the B order Roads
Organization (BRO) at S eema S adak Bhawan in New Delhi.
● Mr. Singh also flagged off the f irst-ever s olo women motorcycle expedition by Kanchan Ugursandi to Umling La Pass,
Ladakh and back.
● The aim of the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety & Awareness (CoERSA) is to create awareness about road
safety.
● This will be done through analysis sharing of the accidents on the road as well as suggesting various methods that
would help in saving lives.
● The focus of Cent re of Excellence f or Roads, Bridges, A ir Fields and Tunnels (CoERBAT) is on institutionaliz ing t he
knowledge which it has gained over years during the development of 56, 000 met ers of bridges , 19 airf ields , of
around 60,000 k ms of roads and f our tunnels in the eastern and north-western part of the country.
The recent connectivity projects in remote areas include:
● State-of-the-art construction of ‘A tal Tunnel; Rohtang’, K ailash Mansarovar Road and Zojila pass .
● On t he budget allot ment f or B RO , the minister stated that it has been increased and approval has been given for
special clothing for the personnel working in high-altitude areas.
● Four s of t ware which have been developed for opt imiz ing t he work ef f ic ienc y of BRO personnel,their HR
management, recruitment management, enrolment and works management was also launched.
● These were created by BRO which would help in reducing the paperwork and cutting down carbon footprint, and
modernizing the organization.

Cent ral Govt launched “Project O2 f or I ndia” initiative
● Centre has launched ' P rojec t O2 f or I ndia' to step up production of medical oxygen to meet the potential increase in
demand due to further waves of the pandemic.
● ' P roject O2 for India', an initiative of the Of f ice of P rincipal Scientific A dviser, Government of India (GoI), aims t o help
stakeholders working to augment the country's ability to meet the rise in demand for medical oxygen.
● Under the project, a ' Nat ional Cons ort ium of Ox y gen' is enabling supply of critical raw materials such as zeolites,
setting up of small oxygen plants, manufacturing compressors, final products such as oxygen plants, concentrators,
and ventilators.
● Besides, the consortium is also working to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem for long-term preparedness.
P M Modi addresses E urope's largest digital and start-up event, V ivaTech
● P M Narendra Modi invited the world t o invest in India while addressing the 5t h edition of global t ech event Viv aTe c h
v ia video conferencing.
● He stated, "India offers what innovators and investors need.
● He invites the world t o invest in India based on t he five pillars of: Talent, Market, Capital, Eco -system, A nd, c ulture of
openness".
● PM talked about how technology and digital have become the emerging areas of cooperation among the wide range
of subjects that India and France have been working together for.
● V iv aTech is one of the largest digital and s tartup events in Europe, held in P aris every year since 2016.
● I ndia is c ommitted to digital partnerships including collaborations within startup ecosystems and quantum technology
with Franc e and other E uropean countries.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister launches ‘Sankalp Se Siddhi-Mission V an Dhan’ & several other initiatives
● S hri Arjun Munda, Minister f or Tribal Affairs launches the tribal livelihoods initiative “S ankalp Se Siddhi – Mission Van
Dhan”Seven new Tribes India Outlets inaugurated virtually at Jagdalpur, Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Sarnath Immunity
boosting hampers, Tribes India Coffee table book, new TRI FE D Head Office among other highlights of the mega-
launch event ‘S ankalp Se Siddhi’ – Mission Van Dhan, was launched by Shri Arjun Munda, Minister for Tribal A f f airs
at the new premises of TRIFED Head Office in New Delhi.
Main Objective:
● The Minister stated ''The goal of TRI FE D is to c onnec t t he ent ire t ribal c ommunit y of the country with the
employment-oriented program and surely we will achieve success in this program.
● For this, we have to bring our products on the e-c ommerce platform.
● Without digitization we cannot move forward in the market.
● In this era we cannot ignore technology.
● If we move forward with technology, then our market potential will increase even more.
● TRI FED s hould market natural products by natural means.
● The biggest strength of TRIFED is the natural products'' .

● The other initiatives launched include the Van Dhan Software Application.
● Designed to receive and process the Van Dhan proposals online, the software application has GIS integration, can
monitor Van Dhan Project implementation activities and can generate related reports.
● A Digital Connect programme under which a two way communication process is proposed to be established was als o
launched.
MHA introduced National Helpline a reporting platform to Prevent Cyber Fraud
● The Union Home Ministry has operationalized the nat ional helpline 155260 and report ing plat f orm f or p r e v en t ing
f inancial loss due t o cyber fraud.
● The national helpline and reporting platform provide a mechanism for persons cheated in c y ber frauds to report s uc h
c as es to prevent loss of t heir hard-earned money.
● Reinforcing the commitment of the Modi government to provide a safe and s ecure digital payments e c os y s te m , t he
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under the leadership of Union Home Minister A mit S hah has operationalized the
national helpline 155260 and reporting platform for preventing financial loss due to cyber fraud.
● The helpline was soft launched on April 1, 2021.
● The helpline 155260 and its reporting platform has been made operational by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination
Centre (I4C) under the home ministry, with active support and cooperation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), all
major banks, payment banks, wallets and online merchants.
Fraud in cyber c rime:
● Cy bercrime, or computer crime, is a crime that involves a computer and a network.

● The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target.
● Cybercrime may harm s omeone's security and financial health .
● Comput er f raud is a c y berc rime and the act of using a computer to take or alter electronic data, or to gain unlawful
use of a computer or system.
● In the Unit ed S t at es , computer fraud is specifically proscribed by the Comput er Fraud and A bus e A c t , which
criminalizes computer-related acts under federal jurisdiction.
Ministry of Home A ffairs:
● The Ministry of Home Affairs is a ministry of the Government of India.
● As an int erior ministry of I ndia, it is mainly responsible for the maintenance of internal security and domestic policy.
● The Home Ministry is headed by Union Minister of Home Affairs A mit S hah.
● Ministry executive: A jay K umar B halla, IAS, Home S ecretary
Cent re unveils 14 disability early intervention c entres across the nation
● The Union Social Justice and E mpowerment (SJE) Ministry launched 14 c ross disability early i nt er v ent ion c e nt res
throughout the nation to of fer assistance t o infants and younger youngsters prone to or with disabilities.
● Union SJE Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot nearly inaugurated the centres which are positioned at sev en nat ionwide
institutes and 7 c omposite regional centres of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

● Through t he c ent res , which have been begun as a pilot, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Himachal
Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and
West Bengal are coated.
● The DEPwD mentioned all its 21 composite regional centres would have early intervention centres step by step.
E arly I ntervention Centers:
● E arly intervention can provide specialized support and services for infants and young children at-risk or with disabilit y
and/or developmental delay and for their f amilies t o help t hem in their overall development, well-being and
participation in family and community life”.
Ministry of Social Justice and E mpowerment:
● The Ministry of Social Justice and E mpowerment is a Government of India ministry.
● It is res ponsible for welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalized sections of soc iet y ,
including scheduled castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), trans-people and LGBTQ people, the disabled,
the elderly, and the victims of drug abuse.
● The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment holds cabinet rank as a member of the Council of Ministers.
● The c urrent minister is Thawar Chand Gehlot, who is assisted by a Minister of State, Rattan Lal Kataria, Kris han P al
Gujjar and Ramdas Athavale.
P M Modi initiates crash course to train one lakh ‘Covid warriors’
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a custom crash course programme that aims to skill and upskill over one
lakh " Cov id warriors" across the country.

● Mr Modi urged the people to remain cautious, stressing that the virus is " s t ill amongs t us " and the possibility of it
mutating is also there.
● He stated that the central government is committed to provide Cov id vaccination f ree t o everyone, starting June 21.
● "In the second wave of coronavirus, we saw what kind of challenges the ever-changing form of this virus can bring
before us".
Cus tomised Crash Course programme:
● The ' Customised Crash Course programme for COVID -19 Frontline workers' aims to skill and upsk ill ov er one lak h
" Covid warriors" across the country.
● The training will be imparted to them in s ix c us t omis ed job roles namely home care support, basic care support,
advanced care support, emergency care support, sample collection support, and medical equipment support.
● The course has been designed as a special programme under the central component of the P radhan Mant ri K aus hal
V ik as Yojana 3.0, with total financial outlay of Rs.276 crore.
E CI unveiled ‘General Election 2019 India – An Atlas’
● Chief E lection Commissioner, S hri Sushil Chandra along with Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar and E lec t ion
Commissioner Shri Anup Chandra Pandey released ' General E lections 2019 - A n Atlas' on June 15, 2021.
A bout the Atlas:

● It has 42 t hematic maps and 90 t ables depicting various facets of the elections.
● The A t las brings out s alient f eat ures such as data of the 23 States and UTs where women voting percentage was
more than the male voting percentage; information about the largest & smallest parliamentary constituency in terms
of electors, candidates and performance of political parties amongst other parameters.
● The A t las depic t s the electors data in different categories and through various comparison charts like Elector Gender
Ratio and electors in different age categories.
● The 2019 General Elections witnessed the lowest gender gap in the hist ory of Indian elections.
● The A t las als o c ompares the average number of electors per polling station in different states during 2014 & 2019
General Elections.
● The Election Commission of India set up over 10 lak h polling s tations in Genera l E lec t ions 2 0 19 wit h t he l o w e s t
number of electors per polling station (365) in A runachal Pradesh.
MoS f or Education, Sanjay Dhotre initiates NIOS Diploma course in Yogic Science
● Minister of State f or Education S hri S anjay Dhotre launched NI OS Diploma course in Y ogic Science on the oc c as ion
of International Day of Yoga.
● The Minister released the s elf-instructional material of the course.
A bout the c ourse:
● The Minister mentioned that NIOS offers s uc h vocational c ourses to the learners.
● Shri Dhotre stated it has resulted in c reating many employment opportunities.
● The course in Y ogic science launched will help t hose who pass out of the course to bec ome a jo b p r ov ide r r at h er
t han a job seeker.
● The Minister also reiterated the laudable effort of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in declaring June 21st as the
International Day of Yoga.
Union Minister f or Minority Affairs launched “JaanHaiToJahaanHai” Campaign across I ndia
● The Minority Affairs Minister Shri Muk htar Abbas Naqvi launched a nationwide “J aanHaiToJ ah aa nH ai” awarenes s
campaign t o c reate awareness on Corona vaccination in rural and remote areas of the country and als o t o “ C r u s h
and Curb” the rumours and apprehensions, being spread by some vested interests regarding the on-going
vaccination drive.
● Launching the campaign from the Primary Health Centre, Chamraua in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Naqvi said that
“Hes itation to Vaccination is Corona I nvitation”.
A bout the Campaign:
● Under the c ampaign various religious leaders, prominent people from social, educational, cultural, medical, science
and other fields are giving effective messages to the people to get vaccinated and street plays will also be organized
across the country.
● Shri Naqvi stated that some vested interests are t ry ing t o s pread rumours and apprehensions regarding Corona
vaccines in some areas of the country.

● Such elements are enemies of t he health and well-being of t he people.
● The Minister mentioned that the Ministry of Minority Affairs along with various socio-educational organizations, NGOs
and Women S elf Help Groups has launched the awareness campaign which will be organized across the country in
the coming days.
Union Govt introduces ‘green tariff’ policy
● The union government is working on a ' green tariff' policy that will help electricity distribution c ompanies (dis c oms )
supply electricity generated from c lean energy projec t s at a cheaper rate as compared to power from conventional
fuel sources such as coal.
● This was announced by power and new and renewable energy minister Raj K umar Singh who said t he gov ernment
was in the process of formulating a set of rules and guidelines to enable such a mechanism.
● Once the mechanism is in place, dis coms can exclusively buy green electricity and supply it at ‘green tariff’, which will
be the weighted average tariff of green energy that the consumer will pay.
● This comes in the backdrop of India’s solar and wind power tariffs hitting an all-t ime low of Rs . 1. 99 per unit
and Rs .2.43 per unit respectively.
● India is running the world’s largest clean energy programme to achieve 175 gigawatt(GW) of renewable c apac it y ,
including 100GW of s olar power by 2022.
Union Cabinet approved merger of Central Railside Warehouse Company Ltd with Central Warehousin g Corporation
● Taking another step towards implementing the direction of “Minimum Government Maximum Governanc e” giv en by
Prime Minister, promot ing eas e of doing bus ines s and bringing private sector efficiencies in Public Sector
Undertakings, the Union Cabinet c haired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved to merge and
transfer all assets, liabilities, rights and obligations of ‘Cent ral Rail side Warehouse Comp any L imit e d’ ( C RW C ), a
Mini-Ratna Category-II Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) incorporated under the Companies A c t , 1956 in
2007 with its holding enterprise ‘Central Warehousing Corporation’ (CWC).
● The merger will unify similar functions of both the companies (i.e., warehousing, handling, transportation) through a
single administration to promote efficiency, optimum capacity utilization, transparency, accountability, ensure
financial savings and leverage railway siding for new warehousing capac ities.
Cent ral Govt employees c an c laim HB A benefit
● With an aim to help c entral government employees who want to c onstruct t heir o w n h o us e , t he c ent er is of f ering
Hous e Building Advance (HBA) benefits to all central government servants (CGS).
● The bas ic interest rate charged on this HBA is 7. 9 percent and the benefit will remain available t ill 31st March 2022.
● Keeping 7t h pay c ommis s ion pay matrix and 7th CPC approval provisions in focus, the center has already updated
the HBA guidelines for the central government servants.
A bout House B uilding A dvance:
● The Cent ral Gov ernment employ ees , who wish to construct their own home, c an av ail t he Hous e B uilding
A dv ance (HBA).

● The HBA amount for expansion of the house is c apped at Rs . 10 lak h or 34 mont hs of bas ic pay or cost of the
expansion of the house or amount according to repaying capacity, whichever is the least.
● The total amount that a c entral government employee can avail of under House Building Advance is up to his or her
34 month basic monthly salary or Rs 25 lakh or c ost of t he house or the amount as per t he repay ing abilit y of t he
employee, whichever is lower for new construction or purchase of new house or flat.
I nt erest calculated in HB A:
● The interest amount is c alculated based on t he outstanding balance on the last day of t he month .
● The int erest rate on HB A is between 6% and 9.5%, and is based on the loan amount.
● A higher interest rate is stipulated in the sanctions, at 2.5% above the prescribed rates.
MoTA and NCERT jointly initiates NISHTHA Capacity B uilding P rogramme
● MoTA and NCE RT join hands for NI S HTHA Capacity B uilding P rogramme.
● The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and the Nat ional Council of E ducation al R es e arc h a nd T ra ining ( N CE R T),
recently collaborated on a joint mission for the NI S HTHA capacity-building programme for Eklavya school teachers
and principals.
● Under the programme, teachers and principals from 120 E k lavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) from 3 S t at es
(Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh) participated in the first batch of the programme.
A bout NISHTHA P rogramme:
● NI S HTHA stands for Nat ional Initiative f or School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic A dvancement .
● NI S HTHA is a capacity-building programme for improving the quality of school education through integrated teacher
training.
● It aims t o build competencies among all the teachers and school principals at the elementary stage.
● It was launched by the Department of School Education and Litera c y as a nat ional mis s ion under t he S amagra
Shiksha Scheme in 2019-20.
● It is also the world’s largest teachers’ training programme of its kind.
Law Minister Launches ‘itat e-dwar’ E-Filing Portal of ITAT
● Shri Rav i S hankar Prasad, Union Minister f or Law & J us t ice, C o mmu nic at io ns a nd E lec t ro nic s & I T, f ormally
launched the e-f iling portal of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), ‘it at e-dwar’.
● Launching the Portal, the Minister explained the power of Digital India.
● He mentioned Digital India means empowering an ordinary Indian with the power of technology – To bridge the digital
div ide between t he digital haves and t he digital have nots leading to digital inclusion achieved by technology, which is
low cost, home grown and developmental.
● Digital India means a framework for transforming India with the power of technology.
● He highlighted that nearly 129 c rore of t he Indian population are enrolled for A adhar which is t he d i g i t al i de nt it y t o
supplement one’s physical identity.

● Nearly 40 c rore bank accounts have been opened for the poor and linked to Aadhar.
● Using the power of Digital India about Rs . 16. 7 lak h c rore has been transferred to the account of the poor as Direct
Benefit Transfer, saving Rs . 1.78 lakh crores which was, otherwise, being siphoned off by middlemen.
● Digital India has positioned our country as a world leader in digital payments.
A bout ‘itat e-dwar’:
● The newly developed e-Filing P ort al would enable the parties to file their Appeals, Miscellaneous Applications,
documents, paper books, etc., electronically.
● Portal will enable online f iling of Appeals, Applications, documents etc. by various parties
● It will enhance the accessibility, accountability and transparency in the day t o day working of the I TAT.
● It would not only result in economization of the use of paper, savings in costs but also rationalization of the fixation of
cases leading to quicker disposal of cases.

P M v irtually interacts with Toycathon 2021 participants
● P rime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with participants of Toy cathon 2021 via video conference.
● Around 1. 2 lakh participants from ac ross India registered and submitted more than 17,000 ideas for t he T o y c at h on
2021, out of which 1,567 ideas have been shortlisted for the t hree-day online Toycathon G ra nd F in ale , being held
from J une 22 to June 24.
● For this purpose, the Ministry of Education Innovation Cell has engaged 645 mentors and evaluators for 1567
participating teams.
● 85 Nodal c ent res have been selected to support the Ministry of Educations Innovation Cell and the All India Council
for Technical Education, which are the organizing agencies for this I nt er-ministerial Toycathon.
A bout Toycathon:
● I ndia, despite being a home of many globally popular games like Chess, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, is not among
leading developers and manufacturers of toys.
● Under the ‘A at maNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ initiated by our Hon’ble P rime Minister, S hri. Narendra Modi , T oy ca t hon -
2021 is conceived to challenge India’s innovative minds to conceptualize novel Toy and Games based on Bharatiya
civilization, history, culture, mythology and ethos.
● Toy cathon 2021 is a unique opportunity for Students, Teachers, Start-ups and Toy experts/professionals in I ndia t o
submit their innovative toys/games concepts and win a large number of priz es worth Rs. 50 lakhs.
● Winning Teams efforts will be made to commercialize the exceptional toy concepts with support from Industry and
investors.
Union Minister P rakash Javadekar launches LiDAR Survey of Forest A reas f or 10 States
● Minister for E nvironment, Forest and Climate Change, S hri P r ak as h J av ad ek ar in a v irt ual ev ent releas ed t he
Det ailed P rojec t Report s (DP Rs ) of LiDA R based survey of forest areas in t en s t at es namely Assam, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura.

● Shri Javadekar informed that t he project which was awarded to WAPCOS, a P S U under the aegis of Minis t ry o f J a l
S hakti, Government of India is a first of its kind and a unique experiment using L i DA R t ec h nolo gy whic h will help
augment water and fodder in jungles areas thereby reducing human-animal conflict, help in groundwat er rec harge,
help loc al c ommunit ies and also asked state forest departments to use CA MP A f unds towards implementation of
these projects in right earnest and in accordance with the ‘Ridge to Valley’ approach of watershed management.
A bout LiDAR s urvey:
● Lidar — Light Detection and Ranging — is a remote sensing method used to ex amine t he surface of the E arth.
● Topographic lidar typically us es a near-infrared laser to map the land, while bathymetric lidar uses water-penet rat ing
green light to also measure seafloor and riverbed elevations.
● The surface reflects the light back to the LI DA R equipment, and the sensor records the reflected light to measure t he
distance traveled.
A bout WAPCO:
● WA P COS has prepared these DP R’s us ing LiDA R t ec hnology in which the 3-D(three dimensional) DEM (Digit al
E lev at ion Model ), imagery and layers of the project areas are used for recommending different types of Soil & Water
conservation structures s uc h as Anicut, Gabion, Gully Plug, Mini percolation tank, Percolation Tank, Field bund,
Sunken pond, Farm pond etc.
● These structures will help in c at c hing t he rain wat er and prev ent s t ream run of f , which will help in recharging of
Groundwater.
● WA P COS with the participation of S t ate Forest Departments identified one major ridge inside a forest bloc k in t hes e
states with an average area of 10, 000 has been selected in each State for preparation of Detailed Project Reports.
Union Govt announced the Scheme FAME II extended t ill 2024
● The s c heme has increased the demand incentive by 50 percent to Rs 15,000 per kWh compared to R s 1 0 , 0 00 p er
k Wh earlier.
● The max imum cap is also increased at 40 percent of the e-two-wheeler cost compared to 20 percent earlier.
● The FA ME I I s c heme, introduced to drive greater adoption of EVs in India, was launched with a massive budget
outlay of Rs 10,000 crore in April 2019, to support 7, 000 e-buses, 500,000 e-three-wheelers , 5 5 , 000 e -p as s eng er
v ehicles and a million e-two-wheelers.
● However, it seems to have missed its desired outcome by a huge count.
● The Union government has announced the extension of the s ec ond phase of FAME I ndia scheme by t wo y ears t ill
Marc h 31, 2024.
A bout FAME India scheme:
● The FA ME India (Faster A doption and Manufacture of (Hybrid a n d) E le c tr ic V eh icle s ) S c h eme is an i n c e nt iv e
s c heme for the promotion of electric and hybrid vehicles in the country.
● Ult imate objective of t he scheme is to promote electric mobility and it gives financial incentives for enhancing elec t ric
vehicle production and creation of electric transportation infrastructure.

● The incentives are provided in the form of s ubs idies t o manufacturers of electric vehicles and infrastructure providers
of electric vehicles.
● Launched by the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in 2015, the f irst phase of the scheme started in
2015 and was completed on March 31st, 2019.
● Phase I of the FAME-India Scheme was implemented with an outlay of INR 895 Cr. Approximately 2,18,625 Electric
Vehicles were promoted by FA ME I t ill J uly 2018.
● The alloc at ions f or t he s c heme during the periods 2019-20 and 2020-21 were approximately INR 1500 Cr and INR
5000 Cr, respectively.
● For the year 2021-22, the amount is es t imated to be INR 3500 Cr.
Rajnath S ingh inaugurates 63 bridges built by B RO in 8 states
● With an aim t o s trengthen t he road connectivity in t he border areas, Defence Minister Rajnath S ingh inaugura t ed 6 3
bridges in six states and two Union Territories built by B order Roads Organisation (B RO).
● Among the 63 bridges , 11 are in Ladakh, four in Jammu & Kashmir, three in Himachal Pradesh, s ix in Uttarakhand,
eight in Sikkim, one each in Nagaland and Manipur, and 29 in Arunachal Pradesh.
● The c ombined cost of the projects is Rs 240 c rores.
● With the inauguration of 63 bridges in one go, BRO has surpassed its own record of 44 bridges launched in 2020.
● These 63 bridges , combined with 12 roads dedicated to the nation by Shri Rajnath Singh on June 17, 2021, form a
bouquet of 75 inf ras t ruc t ure projec t s completed by BRO when the nation is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its
Independence.
A ll High Court websites initiated to introduce c aptchas f or physically disabled access
● A ll websites of t he high courts now have captchas that are ac c essible to people with disabilities, the law ministry.
● The task of making the digital infrastructure of the I ndian judicial system more accessible to people wit h dis abilit ies
has been a core component of the work of the e-Committee of t he Supreme Court in the last few months.
● "A significant milestone that the e-Committee's efforts towards t his objective have yielded has been t o ens ure t hat
all high court websites now have captchas which are accessible to P ers ons with Disabilities (P wDs)".
● The e-Committee of the S upreme Court is headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud
A bout Captcha:
● Capt cha is a programme that protects websites against bots by generating and grading tests that humans c an pas s
but current computer programmes cannot.
● These c aptchas s erve as entry points t o access s everal essential f acets of a court website, such as judgment s and
orders, cause-lists and checking the status of cases.
I FS CA c onstituted Panel t o E xamine B est P ractices in S hip Financing, Leasing Chaired by Vandana Aggarwal
● The I nt ernational Financial S ervices Centre A uthority (IFSCA) has c onstituted a committee to e x am ine global bes t
practices in financing and leasing of ships, identify opportunities and devise a roadmap to enable s uc h activities f rom
GI FT I FSC.

● Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City is a business district near A hmedabad in Gujarat.
● It is the country's f irst operational greenfield smart c ity and international financial services centre.
● This c ommittee, to be c haired by V andana A ggarwal, former Senior Economic Advisor, and Government of India will
include representatives from the Government of India, Gujarat Maritime Board and industry experts possessing
domain knowledge.
Union Govt extends A tmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana deadline t ill March 2022
● The government extended the A t manirbhar B harat Roz gar Y ojana , which was launched in October last year to
encourage employment generation, by nine months t ill March 31, 2022.
● Around 21.42 lakh people have benef ited from the s c heme t ill June 18, 2021, with a total outgo of Rs . 902 crore.
● Finance Minister Nirmala S it haraman stated while announcing a slew of measures to revive the economy, "This
scheme now, which was v alid till J une 30, 2021, is being ex t ended till March 31, 2022".
A bout the Scheme:

● Launched on October 1, last year, the approved outlay under the A t manirbhar B harat Rozgar Y ojana (ABRY), whic h
is aimed at incentivizing employers for creation of new employment, restoration of loss of employment through
EPFO, is Rs . 22,810 crore for 58.50 lakh estimated beneficiaries.
● The beneficiaries are spread around 79,577 establishments.
● The scheme is being implemented t hrough the E mployees P rovident Fund Organisation ( E P FO) and reduc es t he
financial burden of the employers of various sectors/ industries and encourages them to hire more workers.
I nc ome Tax Department initiates its new e -filing portal

● New e-filing webs it e (www.inc omet ax .gov.in) launc h:The I nc omeTax Department launc hed its new e-
filing port al www.incometax.gov.in.
● The Income Tax Department will launch a new e-f iling portal to further ease the f iling of income tax returns (ITRs).
● The e-port al, which, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) mentioned, it will provide a “modern, s eamles s ”
experience to taxpayers, will be available at www.incometax.gov.in.
Gov t c ontinues P radhan Mantri Garib K alyan A nna Yojana t ill diwali
● P rime Minis t er Narendra Modi announced the extension of the P radhan Mant ri Garib K aly an A nna Y ojana
(P MGKAY) till Diwali this year to ensure free ration is provided to those in need.
● As part of the central scheme, 80 c rore Indians will receive a fixed quantity of food grains per month till November.
● PM Modi stated, “In this time of pandemic, the government is standing by the poor in their every need, as their
partner".
A bout P radhan Mantri Garib K alyan Anna Yojana:
● Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana is a f ood s ecurity welfare scheme announced by the Government of I ndia
in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
● The program is operated by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution.

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar releases Model P anchayat Citizens Charter
● A Model P anchayat Citizens Charter/ framework for delivery of the services across the 29 sectors , aligning ac t ions
with localized S us tainable Development Goals (SDGs ) as prepared by M i n i s try o f P anc h ay at i R a j ( MoP R ) in
collaboration with National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) was released by Union
Minister of Rural Development, A griculture and F armers Welfare & Panchay at i R a j S hr i N ar en dr a S ingh T oma r
through virtual program for the Panchayats to adopt & customize.
● The Cit izen Charter would ensure transparent and ef f ective delivery of public services for sustainable dev elopment
and enhanced citizen service experiences; deepening inclusive and accountable Local Self Governments by
incorporating diverse views while designing and delivering services.
● Gram Panchayat Citizen Charter is t o empower the citizens in relation to public services and to improve the quality of
s ervices without any prejudice, and in accordance with the expectations of the citizens.
Gov t moderates pension norms f or families of deceased staff

● Central government has raised upper c eiling f or f amily pens ion from Rs 45, 000 t o Rs 1, 25, 000 per mont h to
provide ' eas e of liv ing' for the family members of the deceased employees and would provide adequate financial
security to them.
● In case of death of both parents of a child, he/she is eligible to draw two family pensions.
● Now this amount has been hike and clarifications in this regard have been issued too.
Rev ision P oints
P ortfolio Union Minister Cons tituency
Ministry of personnel, public grievances Narendra Modi Varanasi
and pensions
Ministry of Defence Rajnath Singh Lucknow
Ministry of Home Affairs Amit Shah Gandhinagar
Ministry of Road Transport and Nitin Gadkari Nagpur
Highways & Ministry of Micro, Small and
Medium enterprises
Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda Bangalore North
Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Nirmala Sitharaman Rajya Sabha
Corporate Affairs
Ministry of Consumer affairs, food and Piyush Goyal (Additional Rajya Sabha
public distribution charge)
Ministry of agriculture and farmers Narendra Singh Tomar Morena
welfare, Ministry of Rural Development

& Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Ravi Shankar Prasad Patna Sahib
communications & Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology
Ministry of Food Processing Industries Narendra Singh Tomar Morena
(Additional charge)
Ministry of Social justice and Thaawar Chand Gehlot RS
empowerment
Ministry of External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam RS (Gujarat)
Jaishankar
Ministry of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Haridwar
‘Nishank’
Ministry of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda Khunti
Ministry of Women and child Smriti Zubin Irani Amethi
Development & Ministry of Textiles
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan Chandni Chowk
Ministry of Science and Technology &
Ministry of Earth Sciences
Ministry of environment, forest and Prakash Javadekar Rajya Sabha
climate change & Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting
Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public
Enterprise
Ministry of Railways & Ministry of Piyush Goyal Rajya Sabha
Commerce and Industry
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Dharmendra Pradhan Rajya Sabha
Ministry of Steel
Ministry of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Rajya Sabha
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Prahlad Joshi Dharwad
Ministry of coal & Ministry of Mines
Ministry of Skill Development and Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey Chandauli
Entrepreneurship
Ministry of Animal Husbandry, dairying Giriraj Singh Begusarai
and fisheries

Ministry of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Jodhpur
Important International News

WHO gav e approval t o China’s S INOVAC Covid vaccine for E mergency Us e Listing
● The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved China's Sinovac Covid vaccine for emergency use.
● It is the second Chinese vaccine to receive the green light from the WHO, after Sinopharm.
● WHO stated that the emergency approval means the vaccine " meets international standards f or s afety, effic ac y a n d
manufacturing".
● Vaccine efficacy results showed that the vaccine prevented symptomatic disease in 51% of t hos e v ac c inat ed and
prev ented s evere COVID-19 and hospitalization in 100% of the studied population.
● Few older adults (over 60 years) were enrolled in clinical trials, so efficacy could not be estimated in this age group.
China’s 'artificial sun' sets new world record
● The core of the Sun burns at 15 million degrees Celsius by nuclear fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium, but now
scientists have designed an ' A rtificial S un' on Earth that has sustained a temperature of 120 million degrees Celsius.
● The E x perimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) fusion reactor des igned by China burns at eight
times the Sun's core temperature.
● The reactor broke the record by reaching a plasma t emperature of 120 million degree Celsius f or 101 s ec o nds a n d
160 million Celsius f or 20 s econds.
Heidelberg Cement announced world’s f irst CO2 neutral cement plant in S weden
● Heidelberg Cement announced its intention to upgrade its plant on the S wedis h is land of Got land to become the
world’s first carbon-neutral cement plant.
● The installation at the State plant of Heidelberg Cement ’s s ubs idiary Cement a will be scaled to capture up to 1. 8
million tonnes of CO2 annually, which corresponds to the plant’s total emissions.
● Additionally, the use of bio based fuels in the cement production at Slite will be increased in line with the Group’s
commitment to significantly raise the share of biomass in the fuel mix.
● The full-scale capturing of the plant’s CO2 emissions is targeted by 2030 .
A bout Heidelberg Cement:
● Heidelberg Cement is one of t he world’s largest integrated manufacturers of building materials a n d s olut io ns , wit h
leading market positions in aggregates, cement, and ready-mixed concrete.
● Around 53, 000 employees at more than 3,000 locations in over 50 c ountries deliver long-term financial perf ormanc e
through operational excellence and openness for change.
● At the center of actions lies the responsibility for the environment.
● As a forerunner on the path to carbon neutrality, Heidelberg Cement crafts material solutions for the future.

E l S alvador became 1 st c ountry to adopt bitcoin as legal tender
● E l S alvador will adopt B it coin as a legal t ender in the country, becoming the first in the world to formally embrac e t he
v olatile cryptocurrency.
● The Latin American country's congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of the law, pushing forward Salvadoran
P resident Nayib B ukele's proposal.
● The 39-y ear-old politician's party holds a supermajority in El Salvador's congress.
I ndia to be elected in UN E conomic and Social Council for t erm 2022-24
● India was elected to the E c onomic and S ocial Council (ECOSOC), one of the six main organs of the Unit ed Nat i o ns ,
for the 2022-24 term.
● I ndian A mbassador to the United Nations TS Tirumurti thanked all UN member states for their 'vote of conf idenc e in
India' shortly after the country made it to the council.
● India was elected in the Asia-Pacific States category alongside Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Oman in the elections.
S olar-Powered B itcoin Mining f acility introduced in U.S
● B lockchain technology company Blockstream Mining stated that Square Inc will invest $5 m i llio n t o build an open-
source, solar-powered bitcoin mining facility at one of Blockstream's U.S. sites.
● B lockstream, in an announcement on its blog, mentioned the "facility will be a proof -of-concept for a 100% renewable
energy Bitcoin mine at scale."
To identify missing persons the I nterpol launches ‘I-Familia’ database
● The I nt erpol has launched a new global dat abase named “I -Familia” to identify missing persons through f amily DNA
and help the police solve cold cases in member countries.
● More t han 12,000 active Y ellow Notices, which are international police alerts for mis sing persons, had been is s ued
by the I nt erpol by late 2020.
A bout I-Familia:
● I -Familia is a global database launched to identify missing persons through family DNA .
● It will help the police to solve cases in member countries.
● Interpol applies cutting-edge scientific research and uses the DNA of relatives to identify missing persons or
unidentified human remains around the world.
● DNA k inship matching is used mostly in cases where a direct sample of the missing person is not available.
US S enate named f irst Muslim-American as federal judge
● The US S enate has approved the historic nomination of P ak istani-American Zahid Quraishi to t he Dis t ric t Court in
New Jersey, making him the f irst Muslim federal judge in the country's history.
● The Senate voted 81-16 to confirm Quraishi, 46.
● As many as 34 Republicans joined the Democrats in confirming the f irst-ever Muslim-American as a federal judge.

I ndian Mango P romotion P rogramme inaugurated in B ahrain
● A week -long I ndian mango promotion programme began in B ahrain where 16 v arieties of the fruit, including the three
Geographical I ndication(GI) certified ' K hirsapati' and 'Lakshman Bhog' from West Bengal and Zardalu from Bihar are
being displayed.
● "The varieties of mangoes are currently being sold through 13 s tores of t he group in Bahrain.
● The mangoes were sourced from farmers in Bengal and Bihar by A gricultural and P rocessed Food P roduc t s E x po rt
and Dev elopment Authority (APEDA)-registered exporter".
G7 leaders initiates B uild Back B etter World (B3W) to c ounter China’s B elt and Road I nitiative
● The Group of S ev en ric hes t democ rac ies has sought to counter China's growing influence by offering developing
nations an infrastructure plan that could rival P res ident Xi J inping's multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative.
● The G7, whose leaders are meeting in south-west England, has been searching for a c oherent res pons e to the
growing assertiveness of Mr Xi after China's surging economic and military rise over the past 40 years.
● The G7 and its allies will use t he B 3W initiative to mobilize private-sector capital in areas such as climate, healt h and
health security, digital technology, and gender equity and equality, the White House added.
● China' s B elt and Road I nit iat iv e (B RI ), whic h Mr X i launc hed in 2013 , involves development and investment
initiatives that would stretch from Asia to Europe and beyond.
● More t han 100 countries have s igned agreements with China to c o ope ra t e i n B RI p r ojec t s lik e railway s , port s ,
highways and other infrastructure.
UA E , B razil, A lbania, Gabon, Ghana elected as non permanent members of UN Security Council
● A lbania, B razil, Gabon, Ghana and t he United A rab Emirates were elected unopposed to the powerful U N S e c u rit y
Counc il as non-permanent members for t he 2022-23 t erm.
● The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections to elect five non-permanent members who will take their
seats on the 15-nation Council for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2022.
● A ll t he f iv e c ount ries won the elections unopposed as they were the only candidates from their respective regional
groups vying for the allotted seats on the Council.
UK and A ustralia agreed on historic f ree trade agreement
● A new f ree trade agreement with the UK will deliver more Australian jobs and bus iness opportunit ies f or ex port ers ,
bringing both countries closer together in a changing strategic environment.
● P rime Ministers Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson have agreed on the broad outlines of an A us tralia-UK Free Tr ad e
A greement (FTA).
● The FTA is the right deal for Australia and the United Kingdom, with greater access to a range of high-quality
products made in both countries as well as greater access for businesses and workers, all of which will drive
economic growth and job creation in both countries.
● Australian producers and farmers will rec eive a s ignificant boost by getting greater access to the UK market.

A DB s anctioned USD 250 million loan t o B angladesh
● The A s ian Development B ank (ADB) approved a $250 million policy-based loan to the Gov ernment of Bangladesh t o
help f inanc e ref orms aimed at improving the inclusiveness and responsiveness of the country’s social development
and resilience program.
● B angladesh has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty over the past 2 decades.
● The pov erty incidence declined from 48. 9% in 2000 t o 20.5% in 2019.
● However, while many people were lifted from extreme poverty, a considerable number continue to live at a
subsistence level.
● The corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has s ignif ic ant ly af f ec t ed t he s oc io ec onomic s it uat ion of
B anglades h with the decline of the country’s gross domestic product to an estimated 5.2 % in fiscal year (FY) 2020
from 8.2% in FY 2019.
J apan t o launch vaccine passport for t ravel abroad

● Japan stated it will make a v ac c ine pas s port available from next month f or J apanes e t rav ellers , as governments
around the world experiment with ways to relaunch t ourism and business t rips.
● The c ertificate will be paper-based rather than digital and will be issued by local government s f rom s omet ime nex t
month.
● The E uropean Union is working on a digital v accine passport for this summer so it can welcome bac k badly needed
tourists, and some EU countries plan to introduce certificates at the national level.
● The E U v ers ion will feature information on whether a person has been vaccinated, or had the virus, tested negative,
and recovered.
V ac cine Passport:
● An immunity passport or vaccine passport, also known as an immunity c ertificat e, rec ov ery c ert if ic at e or releas e
certificate is a document, in bot h paper and digital format, attesting that its bearer is immune to a contagious disease.
World’s Third-Largest Diamond discovered in B otswana
● The diamond firm Debswana has announced the discovery in B otswana of a 1, 098-carat stone that it des c ribed as
the third largest of its kind in the world.
● The company’s acting managing director, Lynette Armstrong, presented the stone, which was found on 1 June, to the
c ountry’s president, Mokgweetsi Masisi.
● It is the t hird larges t in t he world, behind the 3,106-carat Cullinan found in South Africa in 1905 and the 1,109-carat
Lesedi La Rona discovered in Botswana in 2015.
P rime Minister Nikol Pashinyan won A rmenian General E lection
● Nik ol Pashinyan, t he acting prime minister of Armenia, has claimed victory in a snap parliamentary e lec t io n he had
called in an effort to defuse a political crisis following a disastrous war with Azerbaijan.
● With 75 perc ent of results declared, Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party had 55.61 percent of the vote.

● The electoral alliance of his top rival, former President Robert Kocharyan, had 20 percent of the vote, according to
the Central Election Commission (CEC).
● Voter turnout was about 50 percent, with some 2.6 million people eligible to vote.
I ndia-Bhutan introduced joint initiative: Tax Inspectors without B orders
● Tax I nspectors without Borders (TIWB), a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UND P ) and
the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OE CD), launched its programme in Bhutan.
● India was chosen as the Partner Jurisdiction and has provided the Tax E xpert for this programme.
● This programme is expected to be of about 24 months’ duration through which India in collaboration wit h t he U N D P
and t he TIWB Secretariat aims to aid Bhutan in strengthening its tax administration by transferring t ec hnic al k now -
how and skills to its tax auditors, and through sharing of best audit practices.
● The focus of the programme will be in the area of I nternational Taxation and Transfer P ricing.
UNODC Report: 275mn P eople used Drugs Worldwide in 2020

● The World Drug Report released on June 24 by the U. N. Office on Drugs and Crime in V ienna A round 2 7 5 m i llion
people used drugs worldwide last y ear, while ov er 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders.
● The report also stated many countries saw a ris e in the use of c annabis during the c oronavirus pandemic.
● In surveys of health professionals across 77 countries, 42% mentioned c annabis use had increased.
● A rise in the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs was also observed in the same period.
● The report further noted that 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%.
A s hgabat world’s most expensive c ity for f oreign workers
● Turk menistan’s capital city Ashgabat has become the world’s most expensive city for foreign workers , ac c ording t o
this year’s Mercer Cost of Living Survey.
● The annual report has ranked 209 c ities across five continents by measuring the comparative cost of more t han 200
items, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.
● The survey used New Y ork Cit y , rank ed 14 on t he lis t , as the base city and currency movements were measured
against the US dollar.
● Lis t of top 10 expensive c ities mostly features global financial hubs like Hong Kong, which was the priciest las t y ear,
Tokyo, Shanghai, Zurich and Singapore.
● Mumbai remains I ndia’s most expensive c ity at 78th rank but has dropped 18 places in this year’s rank ing “due t o a
relatively weak Indian rupee in comparison with other cities in the ranking.”
● Ot her I ndian c ities on the list are New Delhi (117), Chennai (158), Bengaluru (170), and Kolkata (181).
China replaced UAE became t he 2nd Largest Export Destination of I ndia in FY21
● China ov ert ook t he UA E to emerge as India’s second-largest export destination in FY21, behind only the US, for the
f irst time in recent memory, despite the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic and a deadly border clash with outbound
shipments to the neighbouring c ountry rising 27.53% to $21.18 billion in t he pandemic y ear .

● The US remained the country’s top export partner, according to government data, but shipments dec lined 2. 78% t o
$51.63 billion in a year when India’s merchandise trade —bot h exports and imports — fell amid global lockdowns and
disruption to logistics due to the pandemic.
I ndia and UK launch new work stream
● I ndia along with the Govt. of United Kingdom launched a new work stream to promote indus t rial energy ef f ic ienc y
under the Clean E nergy Ministerial’s (CEM) – Industrial Deep Decarburization Initiative (IDDI) coordinated by UNIDO,
at the 12th Chief Energy Ministerial (CEM).
● The 12t h CEM is ongoing from May 31st and will continue till 6th June 2021.
● The I DDI initiative has been supported by Germany and Canada, with more countries expected to join soon.
● The objective is to infuse green technologies and stimulate demand for low-carbon industrial material.
● Mr. Alok Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Power highlighted that India is committed to cut emissions intensity per unit of
GDP by 33 t o 35% by 2030.
Rev ision P oints
Count ry Capital Currency Head
Bangladesh Dhaka Taka Sheikh Hasina
Japan Tokyo Yen Yoshihide Suga
China Beijing Renminbi Xi Jinping
UK London Pound Sterling Boris Johnson
Botswana Gaborone Pula Mokgweetsi Masisi
Nepal Kathmandu Rupee K.P.Sharma Oli
Bhutan Thimphu Ngultrum Lotay Tshering
Sri Lanka Sri Rupee Mahinda Rajapaksa
Jayawardenepura
Kotte
Mali Bamako CFA Franc Choguel Kokalla Maiga
Iran Tehran Rial Hassan Rouhani
Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Togrog Ukhnaa Khurelsukh
Azerbaijan Baku Manat Ilham Aliyev
Russia Moscow Ruble Vladimir Putin
France Paris Euro Emmanuel Macron
Netherlands Amsterdam Euro Mark Rutte
Israel Jerusalem Shekel Reuven Rivlin
Kazakhstan Nur-Sultan Tenge Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Australia Canberra Dollar Scott Morrison
Italy Rome Euro Sergio Mattarella
USA Washington, D.C. Dollar Joe Biden
Pakistan Islamabad Rupee Arif Alvi
Germany Berlin Euro Frank-Walter Steinmeier
New Zealand Wellington Dollar Jacindra Ardern
Brazil Brasilia Real Jair Bolsonaro
Portugal Libson Euro Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Ireland Dublin Euro Micheál Martin
Sweden Stockholm Krona Stefan Löfven
Spain Madrid Euro Pedro Sánchez
Austria Vienna Euro Alexander Van der Bellen
Finland Helsinki Euro Sauli Niinistö
Switzerland Bern Franc Guy Parmelin
South Africa Cape Town Rand Cyril Ramaphosa
North Korea Pyongyang Won Kim Tok-hun
Czech Republic Prague Koruna Miloš Zeman
Serbia Belgrade Dinar Aleksandar Vucic
Mauritius Port Louis Rupee Pravind Jugnauth
Argentina Buenos Aires Peso Alberto Fernández
Canada Ottawa Dollar Justin Trudeau
Philippines Manila Peso Rodrigo Duterte
Denmark Copenhagen Krone Mette Frederiksen
Belgium Brussels Euro Roberto Martínez
Singapore Singapore City Dollar Halimah Yacob
Greece Athens Euro Katerina Sakellaropoulou
UAE Abu Dhabi Dirham Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Maldives Male Rufiyaa Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Uzbekistan Tashkent So’m Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Argentina Buenos Aires Peso Alberto Fernández
Fiji Suva Dollar Jioji Konrote
Tajikistan Dushanbe Somoni Emomali Rahmon
Kyrgyz Republic Bishkek Som Sadyr Japarov
El Salvador Nayib Bukele

Central African Bangui CFA Franc Prince Salman bin Hamad Al
Republic Khalifa
Gabon Libreville CFA Franc Ali Bongo Ondimba
Albania Tirana Lek Ilir Meta
Ghana Accra Sedi Nana Akufo-Addo
Turkmenistan Ashgabat Manat Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
Kuwait Kuwait City Dinar Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-
Sabah
Important Appointments
Nat ional A ppointments
Name of t he Person Des ignation P redecessor/Others
Harsh Kumar Bhanwala Senior Advisor, Omnivore He is the Former Chairman
of NABARD
Adar Poonawalla Chairman, Magma Fincorp Ltd
Vijay Deshwal Chief Executive Officer, Magma
Fincorp Ltd
Abhay Bhutada Managing Director, Magma Fincorp
Ltd
J.B. Mohapatra Interim chief, Central Board of Direct P.C. Mody
Taxes (three month)
S K Majumdar Chief Financial Officer, Canara Bank V Ramachandra
Alapan Bandyopadhyay Chief Advisor to West Bengal CM
Mamata Banerjee
Rear Admiral IB Uthaiah Admiral Superintendent, Naval RearAdmiral Sreekumar
Dockyard, Visakhapatnam Nair
Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi Chief of Personnel, India Navy
T V Narendran (CEO and MD, President, Confederation of Indian Uday Kotak
Tata Steel) Industry
Air Marshal Vivek Ram Vice Chief of Air Staff
Chaudhari
Ballabha Radha Krishna Western Command in Delhi Vivek Ram Chaudhari

Shabnam Syed Executive vice president of post-paid
marketing, Vodafone-Idea
Arun Kumar Mishra Chairperson, National Human Rights Panel included Narendra
Commission Modi, Amit Shah, and
Harivansh, Om Birla, and,
Mallikarjun Kharge
A K Vinod Nominated Chief Compliance Officer, K L Raju
Union Bank of India (Vinod Nominated for a
minimum period of t3
years)
Paresh B Lal Grievance officer for India, WhatsApp
V Bhoopal Reddy Pro-tem Chairman for the Telangana Appointed by Governor
Legislative Council Tamilisai Soundararajan
G R Arun Kumar Group CFO for Ola and CFO
for Ola Electric
Swayam Saurabh CFO for Ola’s mobility
Amit Malhotra Managing Director for HBO Max in
Southeast Asia and India
Ranjitsinh Disale (Primary World Bank Education Advisor For the period June 2021 to
teacher from Maharashtra's June 2024.
Solapur)
R S Sodhi Board Director, International Dairy He is th managing director
Federation of Gujarat
Cooperative Milk Marketing
Federation Ltd
Pradeep Chandran Nair 21st Director General of the Assam
Rifles
B Sankar General Manager, Chennai circle of
SBI
Vishwavir Ahuja Managing director and CEO, RBL Reappointed for a period of
Bank one year
Ramprasad Sridharan CEO and Managing Director, Sundeep Chugh

Benetton India
Judge Vidya Prakash Registrar General of the National
Green Tribunal
R Kishore Kumar President, Sterlite Copper
Richa Arora Managing Partner and CEO, ECube
M R Kumar Chairman, Life Insurance Extended till March 13,
Corporation of India 2022
Mahesh Kumar Jain Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of Extended for two years
India
Girish Chandra Chaturvedi Chairman, ICICI Bank For a period of 3 years
Sanjay Bembalkar Equity fund manager, Union Asset
Management Company
RS Dhondkar Liquidator of Shivajirao Bhosale Bank
Anup Chandra Pandey Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora
Chandra Shekhar Ghosh MD and CEO, Bandhan Bank For a period of 3 years
Arti Singh Vice president, Hyperspace
Rashmi Vikram Chief equity officer for APAC region,
Dentsu International
Anup Purohit Chief information officer, Wipro Ltd
Kedar Lele (Chairman and Executive director, HUL Management Srinandan Sundaram
managing director Unilever Committee
Bangladesh)
Pratap Bose Executive Vice President and Chief
Design Officer, Mahindra Group
Anand Mohan Bajaj Member of the Board of Securities He is an Additional
and Exchange Board of India Secretary in
the Department of
Economic Affairs
Dr Mukesh Sharma of IIT Honorary member of WHO's Global Sharma has been
Kanpur Air Pollution and Health Technical associated with WHO,
Advisory Group International Council for
Clean Transport, Clean Air

Asia United National
Environmental Program,
Bangkok, and the World
Bank.
Nagraj Adiga Elected in International Association
of Ultrarunners Council
Girish Koppad Vice President and Head of He was serving as the
Technology, Snapdeal former Samsung executive
Ajai Puri Chairman, Cellular Operators' He is the Chief Operating
Association of India (re-elected) Officer of Bharti Airtel
Ravi Kumar Chief Executive Officer of udChalo Varun Jain
Ankit Fitkariwala Chief Business Officer & Head of He worked with Paytm
Products, 5Paisa.com Money as the Head of
Investment Products
Manoj Juneja Vice President Sales & Marketing,
Timex Group India
Aashish Chandorkar Director at India’s WTO Permanent
mission
Montek Singh Ahluwalia A member of a High-Level Advisory
Group (By the World Bank and the
IMF)
Vijay Deshwal Group CEO, Poonawalla group
acquired Magma Fincorp Ltd
Dr Pratima Murthy Head of Department of Psychiatry,
National Institute of Mental Health &
Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS),
Bengaluru
Rupesh Patel Senior Fund Manager, Nippon India He was associated with
Mutual Fund Tata Mutual Fund as a
senior fund manager
Ananta Barua & Santosh Whole-time Member, Securities and Extended the tenour for 2
Kumar Mohanty Exchange Board of India years
Upasana Kamineni (Director, Ambassador of Forest Frontline
Apollo Hospitals) Heroes, WWF-India

Dr. Tadang Minu (Arunachal Member of the Coaches Committee
Pradesh) of the International Boxing
Association.
Amit Kumar Executive Director, Symphony Ltd
Amrita Padda Chief People Officer, Bharti Airtel
Karnam Malleswari First Vice Chancellor of Sports Appointed by Delhi
(Weightlifter) University government
Meenesh Shah Chairman, National Dairy
Development Committee
Suresh N Patel Central vigilance commissioner in the Sanjay Kothari
Central Vigilance Commission
Manesh Mahatme Head of Payments in India,
WhatsApp
Aditya Nath Das Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Extended for 3 months
Praveen Sinha (CBI Additional Special Director of CBI Rakesh Asthana
Director)
Jeremy Kessel New grievance redressal officer for
India, Twitter
Dr C Sylendra Babu Tamil Nadu’s new Director General JK Tripathy
of Police and head of police force
Nikhil Sahni Country Corporate Officer in India,
Mastercard
Shambhu Nath Srivastava Chairman, IFUNA He is former judge of
Allahabad High Court and
former chief Lokayukta of
Chhattisgarh
Chandan Sinha & Manjeev Board of Directors, RBL Bank
Singh Puri
Spoorthi Priya Grievance officer for India, Facebook
KK Maheshwari President, Association of National Anup Khandelwal
Exchanges Members of India
Ashish Saraf Vice-President and Country Director Emmanuel de Roquefeuil
for India - Thales

Arun Raste Managing Director and CEO,
National Commodity and Derivatives
Exchange.
Rajesh Pendharkar Director General Naval Operations
Sanjeev Nandan Sahai Chairman, PNGRB Search Committee headed
by V K Saraswat picked
Sahai
Alok Kumar Chief secretary of Tripura
Hitendra Dave Chief executive officer, HSBC India Surendra Rosha
Husain Al-Musallam President of FINA Bureau
Virendra Nanavati Member of FINA Bureau
I nt ernational Appointments
Name of t he Person Des ignation P redecessor/Others
Assimi Goita New interim president, Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
Nagraj Adiga Asia-Oceania Representative Elected at the International
Association of Ultrarunners
Congress
Isaac Herzog 11th President, Israel Reuven Rivlin
Dr Patrick Patrick Amoth Chairman, World Health Vardhan.
(Kenya) Organization (WHO) Executive
Board
Ukhnaa Khurelsukh 6th elected President, Mongolia He is the former PM of Mongolia
Choguel Kokalla Maiga Prime Minister, Mali
Antonio Guterres Recommended Secretary General, It would be his 2nd term
UN Security Council
General SM Shafiuddin Next Army Chief, Bangladesh General Aziz Ahmed
Ahmed
Benedetto Vigna CEO, Ferrari First all-electric Ferrari to debut
in 2025
Debbie Hewitt Chairperson, Football Association
K. Nagaraj Naidu Chef de Cabinet, Maldives India’s Deputy Permanent
Representative to the UN

Ambassador
Arjan Kumar Sikri Chairman, Internet and Mobile
Association of India
Naftali Bennett 13th Prime Minister, Israel Benjamin Netanyahu
Henri Marie Dondra Prime Minister, Central African
Republic
Rebecca Grynspan of 1st Woman Secretary General,
Costa Rica UNGA
Amit Jain Global CEO, Sterling and Wilson Bikesh Ogra
Solar Ltd
Ajay Simha Marketing director, Nivea India
Raghu Narula Head, Wealth and Personal Ramakrishnan S
Banking - HSBC India
Satya Nadella Chairman, Microsoft
John W Thompson Independent director, Microsoft
Karim Khan New chief prosecutor for the Fatou Bensouda of Gambia
International Criminal Court
Ebrahim Raisi (Sayyid Elected President, Iran
Ebrahim Raisol-Sadati)
Darren Sammy Board Director, Cricket West Indies He is Two-time T20 World Cup-
Board winning former West Indies
captain
Ricky Kapur Head of Asia-Pacific business, He is the former Microsoft
Zoom Video Communications executive
Abdulla Shahid 76th session of the United Nations
General Assembly
Res ignation/Retirement
Name of t he Person Des ignation
Pankaj Kumar CEO, Sterlite Copper
Ramachandra Galla Amara Raja Batteries founder-Chairman
Guenter Butschek CEO, Tata Motors
Stefan Löfven Prime Minister, Sweden

The I BF appointed Former Justice Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman
● The I ndian B roadcasting Foundation (IBF), renamed as I ndian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation ( I B D F), t he apex
body of broadcasters and OTT operators, has announced the appointment of J us t ic e (Ret d. ) V ik ramjit S en as t he
Chairman, along with six other eminent industry members for the newly formed Digit al Media Cont ent Regulat ory
Counc il (DMCRC).
● The Council constitutes prominent personalities from the Media & Entertainment industry and Online Curat ed
Cont ent Providers (OCCPs), with experience in IPR, programming and content creation.
● The Council includes national award-winning filmmaker Nikkhil Advani; Deepak Dhar, CEO and founder, Banijay
Group; prominent artist, filmmaker and writer Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari; and creative writer and innovative director,
Tigmanshu Dhulia.
● The other two members from the OCCPs include Ashok Nambisan, General Counsel, Sony Pictures Pvt. Ltd, and
Mihir Rale, Chief Regional Counsel, Star and Disney India.

TN Gov t Constituted Economic A dvisory Council
● The Tamil Nadu government stated it c onstituted an E c onomic Advisory Council to the chief minister, which inc ludes
Nobel laureate E s t her Duf lo, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, former chief economic advisor to the Union
government A rv ind S ubramanian, development economist P rof Jean Dreze, and former Union financ e S ec ret ary S
Naray an.
● This was rev ealed by Governor Banwarilal P urohit during his address to the 16th Assembly.
● The f ive-member team was put together by f inance minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan , who was an inv estment b ank e r
in t he US and S ingapore before he entered politics.
● Minister stated that, “The chief minister was keen that we must get the best minds in the world to help us and our
priority is that growth should be inclusive”.
Odisha state govt appointed 41 Honorary Wildlife Wardens
● The S t ate government appointed 41 Honorary Wildlife Wardens (HWWs) across all the districts as per the prov is ion
of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
● They have been appointed for a period of two years till J une 2023.
● Wildlif e c ons erv at ionis t Aditya Chandra Panda along with Pradeep Kumar Sahoo has been appointed as the HWWs
for Angul district.
● S nake Helpline general secretary Subhendu Mallik is the new HWW for Khurda district.
● Apart from Mallik, Speak for Animal founder Kusal Biswas and Jyotirmaya Barik will also serve as HWW s of Khurda.
● Pradipta Kabi, Akshay Kumar Mohanty and Bibekananda Pattnaik have been appointed as the HWWs for
Mayurbhanj district, while Sibaram Sahoo and Hrudananda Naik will look into Sambalpur district.
● Suresh Chandra Tripathy will be the HWW for Cuttack, while Bijay Kumar Dash and Surya Narayan Lenka would
look into Dhenkanal and Kendrapara respectively.

● The appoint ment s were delay ed for around a year as terms of the HWWs appointment in the State had expired in
July 2020.
A bout Honorary Wildlife Wardens:
● The Gov ernment of India appoints private citizens as Honorary Wildlif e W a rd ens ( H W Ws ), on t he bas is of t heir
commitment to the cause of conservation.
● These Wardens liaise with the S t at e' s Fores t Depart ment s and contribute their expertise to the government's
conservation efforts.
Former Infosys CEO SD S hibu Lal appointed as head task f orce for bureaucratic reforms
● The government appointed former Infosys CE O S D S hibu Lal as c hairperson of a t hree-member task force which will
assist in bringing major bureaucratic reforms through " Mission K armayogi".
● The pers onnel ministry order confirmed the t hree-member task f orce will include Govind I y er, c ons ult ant at global
management consulting group Egon Zehnder, and Pankaj Bansal, co-founder and Group CEO of HR tech company
PeopleStrong.
● A ddit ionally , Adil Zainulbhai, chairman designate, Capacity Building Commission, Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT) will be a s pec ial invitee to the discussions of the task force.
Important Awards and Honours

Winner P rize A warded By/Theme/Purpose
Valeria Luiselli (Mexican Author) 2021 DUBLIN Literary Award Sponsored by Dublin City
Council, for her novel Lost
Children Archive
David Diop International Booker Diop is the first French author to
Prize with At Night All Blood win the award
Is Black.
Thomas Vijayan Nature TTL Photographer of He shot the picture titled 'The
the Year 2021 World is Going Upside Down', in
Borneo.
QX Global Group Outsourcing Service Provider under the Asian Outsourcing
of the Year award at the 19th Leadership Awards category
Edition of the Asian
Leadership Awards
R S Sodhi Regional award as Asia He is the Managing director of

Pacific Productivity Gujarat Cooperative Milk
Champion from Asian Marketing Federation
Productivity Organization
Tsitsi Dangarembga PEN Pinter Prize in 2021. She is the Booker-shortlisted
Zimbabwean writer
M R Jayadevan Nair Prestigious award for best For his work in the documentary
original score at the film F.E.A.R (Face Everything
Hollywood North And Rise) directed by Manny
Film Awards Bains and Serge Velbovets
Tillotama Shome Best Actor award at the latest For Raahgir: The Wayfarers
edition of the UK Asian Film at UK Asian Film Festival.
Festival. (Goutam Ghose has also won
the award for Best Director)
KL Deemed to be University One District One Green contribution to the Swachh
Champion Award Bharat initiative by the Mahatma
Gandhi National Council of Rural
Education
Sumita Mitra European Inventor Award For her new composite filling
2021 in the “Non-EPO material, called Filtek Supreme
countries” category Universal Restorative
The Art of Life Outstanding Achievement It was written and Directed by
Award Santosh Panda
Larsen & Toubro Infotech Global Innovation Partner of By Snowflake, the Data
the Year Cloud Company
K.K. Shailaja 2021 Central European Determined leadership and
University (CEU) Open community-based public health
Society Prize work, saving lives during the
pandemic
RK Sabharwal (C&MD, Engineers The Order of Polar Star Given by Mongolia government
India Ltd)
Ishan Kapur (15-years old Delhi Diana Award For going above and beyond in
student) his daily life to create and sustain
a positive change.

Delhi Metro Outstanding Civil From the Japan Society of Civil
Engineering Achievement Engineers (JSCE) for its “High-
Award’ for 2020 Quality” infrastructure
development projects
Journalist Palagummi Sainath Fukuoka Grand Prize for Given by Japan’s Fukuoka city
2021 and the Fukuoka City
International
A runachal P radesh’s Water Burial won best film National Award
● Wat er Burial has won the bes t film award on environment c onservation at the 67t h National Films A wards 2021.
● Inspired by the popular Assamese novel S aba K ota Manuh, which is written by Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi, Water B urial
is in Monpa dialect and has an intriguing storyline around a dark ritual of a local tribe in Arunachal Pradesh.
● The film, which is directed by independent filmmaker S hantanu S en in Monpa dialect, has garnered positiv e rev iews
for its uniqueness in portraying the rituals of the tribals of the Northeast and bringing the attention of the mainstream
media towards it.
B ollywood actor S anjay Dutt bags UAE’s Golden V isa
● B ollywood actor S anjay Dutt was thrilled to receive a golden visa for the United A rab E mirates (UAE).
● The 61-y ear-old ac t or mentioned that he was honoured to receive the prestigious visa "in the presence of Major
General Mohammed Al Marri, Director General of General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA )
- Dubai".
● The UA E government has introduced the Golden Visa initiative for long-term residents to e n c our ag e f oreigners t o
work , live, study and conduct business in the country without requiring national sponsors.
● Through this initiative, foreign investors and businessmen get complete ownership of their businesses in the country.
● These golden visas are issued for five or 10 years, which automatically get renewed.
Not ion Press authors Nitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind bags I nternational Business B ook of t he Year Award 2021
● The aut hors made history by winning the prestigious I nt ernational Business Book of the Y ear A ward f or 2021 for their
recently launched book Transformation in Times of Crisis, published by Notion Press.
● The Business Book Awards is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the calendar for business book
writers all over the world.
A bout Nitin Rakesh
● Nit in Rakesh, a distinguished leader in Technology and Financial services industries , has been C E O of M p h as is , a
leading global software services firm, since 2017.

● His career spans over two decades leading large transnational operations and delivering transformative digital
solutions to Fort une 500 c ompanies.
● He won the Gold Stevie for Tech Innovator of the Year – Services at the 2019 American Business Awards &
International Business Awards.
A bout Jerry Wind
● J erry Wind, an int ernat ionally renowned ac ademic ian , is currently Lauder Professor Emeritus and Professor of
Marketing at the Whart on School, University of P ennsylvania.
● His pioneering research on organizational buying behavior, market segmentation, conjoint analysis, and marketing
strategy has made him one of the most cited authors in marketing.
● He was a 2017 inductee into the Marketing Hall of Fame.
WHO honours Dr Harsh Vardhan with s pecial recognition for tobacco c ontrol
● On May 31, 2021, The World Health Organization (WHO) honoured U n i o n h e alt h m inis t er H ar s h V ard ha n wit h
Director-General S pec ial award f or his efforts t o control tobacco c onsumption in India on World No Tobacco Day.
● WHO Director-General stated that Dr Harsh Vardhan's leadership was instrumental in the 2019 national legislation to
ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
● The World Health Organization has set this year's theme for no tobacco day as 'commit to quit'.
● WHO has also designated 31s t May as ' World No Tobac c o Day ' with an aim to abolish the toxic material from the
environment.
The day was first observed by WHO in 1988.

Hy derabad I nternational Airport bags green award
● For the f ourth consecutive year, Hy derabad International Airport has been awarded t he G o l d R e c og nit ion by t he
A irport s Counc il I nt ernat ional (A CI ) A s ia-P ac if ic Green A irport s Rec ognit ion 2021 , in the below 25 million
passengers per annum (MPPA) category.
● GMR-led Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), the ACI’s Green Airports Recognition programme promotes
best environmental practices to minimize the aviation industry’s impact on the environment.
B engaluru international airport bags net energy neutral status
● On World E nvironment Day, B angalore International A irport L imit ed ( B I A L) announc ed t hat t he K e m p eg ow da
I nt ernational Airport, B engaluru has ac hieved net energy neutral status in the fiscal year 2020-21.
● BIAL considers this one of its ambitious goals as it has already set the target to become Net E nergy Neutral by 2020-
21.
● It claims to begin 2021-22 promisingly by addressing 98 perc ent of it s energy requirement of 21-22 through
renewable sources.
● The airport corporation claims to have s aved up to 22 lakh units of electricity in FY 2020-21, enough to power ne arly
9, 000 houses f or a month.

● BIAL saved nearly 5 lakh units (KWH) from lighting and has implemented chiller plant optimization in Heating,
Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), which has resulted in s av ing of over 17 lakh units (KWH) of power .
12 institutes f rom Bihar nominated for central government's green awards
● The Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education of t he Union Ministry of E duc at io n has announc ed t he
" One District - One Green Champion '' awards for 2020-21 to 400 higher educat ion al i ns t itut io ns o f t h e c ount r y ,
including 12 from Bihar under the S wac chatha Action Plan.
● The 12 higher educational institutions selected for the prestigious "One District-One Green Champion A wards " are
S t . X avier's College of Management and Technology from Patna and other institutions from Begus arai, Darbhanga,
Gaya, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Nalanda, Sitamarhi, Gopalganj, East Champaran, Khagaria, Gopalganj and Madhubani.
● This award is given for the contribution of selected higher educational institutions to the S wac hht ha E duc at ion and
P ractices.
Delhi,Hyderabad A irports bags ACI Asia -Pacific Green airports recognition

● The Delhi I nt ernat ional A irport Limit ed (DI A L), a GMR Group led consortium, has been awarded the Platinum
Recognition in the over 25 Million Passengers Per A nnum (MPPA) category , while the GMR Hy derabad International
A irport Limited (GHIAL) received the Gold Recognition by the ACI in the below 25 Million P as s eng ers P er A nnu m
(MP PA) category.
● A CI ’s Green A irport s Rec ognit ion programme promotes environmental best practices to minimize the aviation
industry’s impact on the environment and recognizes ACI Asia-Pacific members for outstanding environmental
initiatives and projects.

● Each year, a different theme is chosen from the environmental aspects and the theme for 2021 was Air Quality
Management specifically emphasizing the benefit of local air quality management.
● The award was decided by a distinguished global panel that highly praised DI A L’s Gree n t a x iin g i nit iat iv es at I GI
A irport based on TaxiBots.
I ndian peacekeepers in S udan honoured with UN medals for outstanding performance
● A bout 130 Indian peacekeepers deployed with the Unit ed Nations Mission in S o ut h S ud an ( U N MI S S) hav e been
honoured with UN medals for their " outstanding performance".
● I ndia is among the largest troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions.
● About 135 I ndian and 103 S ri Lankan peacekeepers serving in the mission were awarded for their service.
A s sam to institute own versions of B harat Ratna and P adma awards from next y ear
● The A s sam government will present its own v ersions of the B harat Ratna and t he Pa dma awards from next year.
● The weekly cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Himanta B iswa S arma decided to ins t it ut e t he A s o m R a t na
A ward to be presented every year to one person who has made significant contribution to the society.
● The cabinet also instituted other c iv ilian honours such as the A s om B ibhus han A ward to be presented to three
persons, the A s sam B hushan to five and the A s om Shree to 10 people every year.

● These f our awards will carry c ash prizes of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and R s 1 l ak h r es p ec t ive ly wit h ot her
benefits like free medical treatment for critical illness, free stay at Assam Bhawans and free travel in ASTC buses,
among others.
I ndian E nvironment Organization ‘Family Forestry’ bags UNCCD’s 2021 Land f or Li fe Award
● This year's Land f or Life A ward goes to Familial Forestry of Rajasthan, India, a unique c onc ept of S hy am S under
Jyani, Associate Professor for Sociology at in Rajasthan that relates a tree with a family, making it a green " f amily
member."
● P lacing a family at the cornerstone of society, the concept ensures the success of any social campaign.
● The Land f or Lif e A ward c eremony will take place in A ugus t at the Eighth Kubuqi International Desert Forum in
China.
● The award winner will also have an opportunity to present their work at the UNCCD Fif t eent h Conf erenc e of t he
P arties UNCCD COP15.

Family Forestry:
● Familial Fores t ry means transferring the care of trees and environment in the family so that a tree becomes a part of
the family’s consciousness.
● More than a million families from more t han 15,000 v illages of desert-prone northwest Rajasthan in over 2 . 5 m illio n
s aplings have been planted in the past 15 y ears, with active participation of students and desert dwellers.
Gandhi documentary bags top award at New Y ork I ndian Film Festival
● A doc umentary on Mahatma Gandhi produced by int ernationally-renowned South A frican filmmaker A nant Singh has
won the B es t Documentary Feature A ward at t he 21st New Y ork I ndian Film Festival.
● The film, titled ‘A hims a – Gandhi: The P ower of t he P owerles s ’ , written and directed by Ramesh Sharma, was
produced by Singh’s company Videovision to commemorate the 150t h anniversary of M a hat ma G an dh i’s b irt h i n
2019.
● These include Gandhi’s granddaughter Ila Gandhi and her grandsons Arun Gandhi and Rajmohan Gandhi living in
America.
● The song ‘Ahimsa’ in this film is sung by U2 and AR Rahman and lyrics are penned by Bono and Rahman.
A bout New Y ork I ndian Film Festival:
● The New York Indian Film Festival is an annual film f estival that takes place in New Y or k C it y, and s c re ens f ilms
relating to India, the I ndian Diaspora, and t he work of I ndian f ilmmakers .
● The festival began in November 2001 and was founded by Aroon Shivdasani and the Indo-American Arts Council.
I ndian Navy’s S ahyadri awarded as ‘best s hip’ t itle at Fleet A wards
● Indian Navy organized the Fleet A ward Func t ion (FA F) at V is ak hapat nam this year to mark the successful
performance of the Operational Cycle of the E astern Fleet.

● FAF 2020 was hos t ed by Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, NM Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet , and the Chief
Guest for the event was Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Flag Officer Commanding -in-Chief,
Eastern Naval Command (ENC).
● The Fleet Award Function is held every y ear t o mark t he resilience and pers e v era nc e o f I ndia n N a v y p e rs o nne l
appointed onboard s hips of ‘Poorvi Beda’ or colloquially c alled the ‘Sword Arm’ of ENC.
● At the event, the Fleet Operations Officer presented the Annual Report of activities and achievements of the Fleet for
01 Apr 19 to 31 Mar 20.
● The occasion was a commendable affirmation of the ships which under the Operation ‘S amudra S et u’ successfully
rescued Indian Diaspora from nations across the world at an unprecedented scale in the wake of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Cent re unveiled full list of S mart Cities Awards 2020 winners
● The Cent ral government declared S mart City awards 2020 in which Indore (Madhya Prades h) and S urat (Gujarat )
won the award jointly for their overall development.
● Whereas Ut t ar P rades h emerged on the t op among all s t at es , followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu under
the S mart City award, 2020.
● The S mart Cit y awards were given across the t hemes of Social Aspects, Governance, Culture, Urban Environment,
Sanitation, Economy, Built Environment, Water, Urban Mobility, the Ministry of Housing Affairs said.
● Surat, Indore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Vijayawada, Rajkot, Visakhapatnam, Pimpri -Chinchwad, and Vadodara were
awarded 4 star rating under Climate S mart Cities Assessment Framework.

● Chandigarh bagged the award f or union t erritories, while Indore won the “I nnovative I dea A ward”.
● A hmedabad bagged the ‘S mart Cities Leadership Award’, followed by Varanasi and Ranchi in the s ec ond and t hird
spots respectively.
● On Gov ernance aspect-Vadodara, Thane and Bhubaneswar stood as t he t op-3 cities in the c ountry.
Lis t of winning Smart Cities under the different c ategories:
S oc ial A spects
● Tirupati: Health Benchmark for Municipal Schools
● B hubaneshwar: Socially Smart Bhubaneswar
● Tumakuru: Digital Library Solution
Gov ernance
● V adodara: GIS
● Thane: Digi Thane
● B hubaneswar: ME app
Cult ure
● I ndore: Conservation of Heritage
● Chandigarh: Capitol Complex, Heritage Project

● Gwalior: Digital Museum
Urban E nvironment:
● B hopal: Clean energy
● Chennai: Restoration of water bodies
● Tirupati: Renewable Energy Generation
S anitation:
● Tirupati: Bioremediation & Bio-Mining
● I ndore: Municipal Waste Management System
● S urat: Conservation through Treated Wastewater
E c onomy:
● I ndore: Carbon Credit Financing Mechanism
● Tirupati: Boost Local Identity & Economy through Design Studio

● A gra: Micro Skill Development Centre
B uilt E nvironment:
● I ndore: Chappan Dukan
● S urat: Canal Corridor
Wat er:
● Dehradun: Smart Water Metering Water ATM
● V aranasi: Eco-Restoration of Assi River

● S urat: Integrated and Sustainable Water Supply System
Urban Mobility:
● A urangabad: Majhi Smart Buses
● S urat: Dynamic Scheduling Buses
● A hmedabad: Manless parking system and automatic ticket dispensing machines AMDA Park
I nnovative Idea Award:
● I ndore: Carbon Credit Financing Mechanism
Cov id I nnovation A ward:
● Kalyan-Dombivali and Varanasi
Coc hin International Airport bags honour in airport s ervice quality
● The Coc hin I nternational A irport Ltd (CIAL) won the A irport Council International's (ACI) Direc t or General' s Roll of
Excellence honour for Airport Service Quality.
● The ACI, a global body of airport operators established the Roll of Excellence recognition to those airport s whic h, in
the opinion of the passengers, have consistently delivered exc ellent services in the Airport Service Quality Survey.
● The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has won a global award for quality of service.

● Airport Council International (ACI) Direc t or-General Luis Felipe de Oliv eira stated the CIAL consistently delivered
excellence in customer service by winning multiple A S Q awards over five years during the pas t 10 years.
Important MOU’s
P J TSAU s igns MoU with Wadhwani I nstitute
● To empower farmers with advance information about the possible pink bollworm infestation in cotton fields so that
they could take preventive and control measures, P rof essor Jayashankar Telangana State A g ric ult ur al U n iv ers it y
(P J TSAU) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Wadhwani Institute f or Artificial Learning, Mu mba i, f or
providing A I -based interventions.
● The A griculture Department, Krishi Vignan K edras of the A griculture University, Information Technology depart ment
and Wadhwani Institute would participate in the project.
B S E signs ink pact with ESC
● Leading stock exchange B SE stated it has joined hands with E lectronics and Computer S oftware Export P ro mot ion
Counc il (ESC) to create awareness about the benefits of listing among small businesses and startups.
● BSE has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ESC, the exchange said in a statement.
● Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) is an organization sponsored by the
Government of India with a mandate to promote the export of I nf ormation and Communicat io ns T ec hn olo gy ( I CT)
s ec t or from the country and works as a bridge between the government and the industry on policy and promotional
matters.
● A jay Thakur, Head of B SE SME and s tartup, mentioned that, “This MoU will help toreaching out to E S C' s pan I ndia
network of Electronics and IT exporters and create greater awareness amongst the SMEs and startups about
benefits of listing on the B S E SME & Startup platform '.
Fintech start-up Boxop t ies up with Mahindra I nsurance
● B ox op, a Kerala-based s t art -up has t ied up wit h Mahindra I ns uranc e Brokers Ltd (MIBL) to provide low-
cost ins urance protection for the Cov id-19 t reatment.
● B ox op is providing this comprehensive service across the State through Akshaya Kendras and support from MIBL.
● B OX OP has introduced a Group Covid plan in which individuals will get a lump sum benefit plan of Rs . 25000, who
have tested positive for Covid in which 24hr of hospitalization is mandatory.
Cabinet approves MoC between India, J apan
● The Union Cabinet approved a memorandum of c ooperat ion with J apan in the field of sustainable urban
development which is expected to create employment opportunities.
● The memorandum of cooperation (MoC) will be signed between the Ministry of Housing and Urban A f f airs a n d t he
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan in supersession of an ex isting MoU of 2007 on u r ba n
dev elopment.

● The agreement will promote strong, deep and long-term bilateral cooperation in the field of sustainable urban
development between the two countries.
Cabinet approves MoU between India & Maldives
● The Union Cabinet was apprised of the Memorandum of Unders t anding (MoU) signed between the Minis t ry of
Hous ing and Urban Affairs, Government of India and Ministry of National P lan ning , H ous in g a n d I nf ras t ru c tu re,
Gov ernment of Maldives on c ooperation in the f ield of S ustainable Urban Development.
● The MoU was signed in February 2021.
● A J oint Working Group (JWG) will be constituted to strategize and implement programmes on cooperation under t he
framework of the MoU.
● The J oint Working Group will meet once in a year, alternately in Maldives and in India.
MoU inked for Water Metro project
● The K oc hi Met ro Rail Lt d (K MRL) and the s t at e gov ernment signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for
forming a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the operation and maintenance of the Rs 747-c rore Wat er Met ro
project.
● The SPV, Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML), shall be a joint venture with equity of 74% f or t he government and 26% for
K MRL.
● As per the MoU signed by Chief Secretary V P Joy and KMRL MD K R Jyothilal in Thiruvananthapuram, KWML will
undertake the operation and maintenance of the project.
A dd E ngg signed MoU with UAE f irm

● A dd E ngineering Gmbh, the parent c ompany of A DD E ngineering (India) Private Limited , has s igned an MoU wit h
the UA E -based defence sector EDGE Group P USC to share crucial technology to enhance production and improv e
efficiency of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) in the defence aviation sector.
● ADD Engineering has been allotted land by KIADB at Tumakuru Machine Tools P ark to set up its unit.
● KIADB authorities handed over the letter of allotment to Girish Linganna.
CI I - IGBC inks MoU with Indian Institute of A rchitects
● On the Occasion of World Environment Day celebrated on June 5, CI I's Indian Green Building C o unc il ( I GB C ) and
I ndian I ns t it ut e of A rc hit ec t s (I I A ) signed a MoU to give a fillip to the Green Building Movement and sustainable
development in architectural design and planning.
● V S uresh, chairman, IGBC, A rchitect C R Raju, IIA national president , exchanged the MoU in the virt ual plat f orm in
the august presence of supporting organisations.
● MoU will go a long way in development of a built env ironment that is aligned with the green building concepts and
practices.
New Zealand became latest nation t o s ign s pace agreement with NASA
● New Zealand announced it was the latest country to sign a s pac e agreement wit h NA S A , just as New Zealand's
nascent space industry begins to take off.

● New Zealand became the elev ent h s ignat ory to the Artemis Accords, a blueprint for space cooperation and
supporting the U. S . s pace agency's plans t o return humans to the moon by 2024 and t o launc h a his t oric h u m a n
mission t o Mars.
● NASA Administrator Bill Nelson mentioned in a statement that New Zealand was one of seven nations that helped
craft the principles in the accords and he was delighted they had signed up.
Cabinet approves ratifying S CO agreement
● The Union Cabinet, chaired by P rime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval f or signing and
rat ification of an agreement on ' Cooperation in the field of Mass Media' between all t he member states of Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation.
● The Agreement was s igned in June, 2019.
● The agreement shall promote equal and mutually beneficial c ooperation among associations in the field of Mass
Media.
● Shanghai Cooperation Organization consists of eight c ountries: I ndia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, K azakhstan,
P ak istan, Tajikistan, Russia, and Uzbekistan.
B haratPe signed a strategic partnership with ICC
● Merchant payment and lending service provider B haratPe mentioned it has entered into a s t rategic partners h ip w it h
I nt ernational Cricket Council (ICC).
● The agreement will ensure B haratPe's involvement and integration at all ICC events throughout t he t erm, inc luding
the ICC Men's T20 World Cup (India, 2021), ICC Men's T20 World Cup (Australia, 2022), ICC Women's World Cup
(New Zealand, 2022) and ICC Men's Cricket World Cup (India, 2023) among others.
CE S L signed MOU with Ladakh and Meghalaya
● To promote clean, affordable and reliable energy solutions, Meghalay a government and Ladak h union territory
have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) separately with Conv ergenc e E nergy S erv ic es Lt d , a wholly -
owned s ubsidiary of E nergy Efficiency S ervices Ltd to generate around 65MW of decentralized solar.
● In t he f irst MoU with Meghalaya P ower Distribution Corporation Ltd (MeP D C L), CE S L has s igned an MoU wort h
60MW, which will also entail finding synergies in business development to implement vari ous sustainable solutions
like pump sets, LED lighting and solar power stations for agriculture.
● Wit h Ladak h, CESL will implement various clean energy and energy efficiency programmes, including decentralized
solar power in Zanskar region worth 5MW
DI C s igned MoU with I CAR to provide ‘Demand Based Tele Agriculture A dvisories’ to f armers
● In order to facilitate farmers by providing location specific ‘Demand B ased Tele A griculture A d v iso ries ’ , t he I n dia n
Counc il of A gricultural Research (ICAR) and Digital I ndia Corporation (DIC) has s igned an init ial pac t t o prov ide
location specific farm tele-advisories.

● ''The objective of t he MoU is to integrate the existing Interactive Information Dissemination System (I IDS) platf orm of
DIC with the proposed K isanSarathi program of ICAR and its implementation through ICAR network to reac h a large
number of farmers across the country''.
K I A DB and HDFC Bank signed MOU to offer B anking s olutions to investors
● K arnataka Industrial Area Development B oard (KIADB) has signed a Memorandum of Unders t anding ( M o U ) wit h
HDFC B ank to provide a wide range of financial products and services to its customers.
● As part of the MoU, HDFC Bank will prov ide a wide range of financial products and s ervices to its customers t hrough
an extensive network of branches across the country.
● In addition, KIADB, in its efforts to make the land acquisition for industrial purposes more affordable and attract
investments into Karnataka, has agreed t o c ollaborat e with HDFC bank so that eligible investor/customer of KIADB
can avail of credit facilities from HDFC Bank as per Bank process and policies.
NHP C Limited ink E -Mobility Agreements with CESL

● State-run hydro power giant NHP C signed pacts with Conv ergenc e E nergy S erv ic es Lt d (CE S L) to procure 25
electric v ehicles on lease and t hree fast EV c hargers.
● NHP C Lt d has signed e-mobility agreements with Conv ergenc e E nergy S erv ic es Lt d (CE S L), a wholly owned
subsidiary of E nergy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), for leasing of 25 electric vehicles and supply of t hree elec t ric
vehicle (EV) fast chargers to NHPC including its installation and commissioning.
● The agreement s were signed by Rajesh Kumar, GM (Mechanical) on behalf of NHPC; and Rajneesh Rana, CGM &
Cluster Head (North) EESL/ CESL on behalf of CESL.

I ndia and K uwait sign MoU for c ooperation on recruitment of domestic workers
● I ndia and K uwait have signed a MoU that brings Indian domestic workers in the Gulf nation within the ambit of a legal
framework that streamlines their recruitment and provides them with the protection of the law.
● The MoU was signed by I ndian A mbassador Sibi George and Deputy Minister for Foreign A f f airs o f K uw ait M ajd i
A hmad A l-Dhafiri in the presence of visiting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheik h
Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah.
● Jaishankar arrived here on his first bilateral visit to the oil-rich Gulf nation early.
B ihar s igned MoU f or mega hydropower project initiation with NHPCL
● A MoU for Bihar's mega Dagmara hy droelec t ric projec t , initiated with an aim t o a new era of growth in the power
sector, was s igned between the B ihar State Power Holding Corpor at ion a nd t h e N a t io na l H y dr oele c tr ic P ow er
Corporation Limited (NHPC).
● The MoU was signed f or setting up B ihar’s bigges t hy droelec t ric power generat ion plant called the ‘Dagmara
multipurpose hydropower project over the K os i River in S upaul district.
E mirates Group Security, GMR Aviation A cademy jointly s igned MoU f or aviation t raining
● The E mirat es Group S ec urit y (E GS ) and t he GMR A v iat ion A c ademy (GMRA A ) signed a MoU to promote
cooperation for development and exchange of inf ormation, technical expertise, and experiences in aviation security.

● The GMRA A is part of t he GMR Group , India's leading infrastructure development company and t he 4t h larges t
priv ate airport company in the world.
● Dubai-based EGS is a multi-faceted organization that develops and implements security s t rat egies and meas ures
across the Emirates Airline network.
● Through this MoU, the GMRAA and the EGS will jointly offer more t han 75 avia t ion a n d s ec ur i ty c o urs e s in bot h
online and conventional classroom settings - certificates, diplomas, undergraduate and postgraduate - to thousands
of professionals in India as well as in the Middle East and Asian regions.
MoU s igned between t wo ministries for development of National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal in Gujarat
● An MoU has been signed bet ween the Ministry of Ports, S hippin g a n d W a t erw ay s a nd M inis tr y of C u lt ur e a n d
Tourism f or Cooperation in Development of National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal in Gujarat.
● Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Mans ukh Mandaviya mentioned that this complex would be dedicated to t he
legacy of maritime heritage to showcase India’s rich and diverse maritime glory.
● He stated, MoU would help in exhibiting the robust maritime history as well as the vibrant coastal tradition of our
country.
● He noted, this would uplift the image of India’s Maritime Heritage in the international forum.
S J VN signed an inks pact with National I nstitute of Wind Energy for energy projects
● S t ate-owned SJVN Ltd has signed a pact with Nat ional I nstitute of Wind E nergy (NIWE) t o develop s o lar a n d w i nd
energy projects.
● SJVN has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Institute for 'technical c ons ultancy serv ic es '
for development of solar, wind, hybrid (wind and solar) and hybrid (wind, solar and battery storage) energy projects of
SJVN.
● NIWE will support SJVN to assess the feasibility and t ec hno-commercial aspects of the projects and preparat ion of
detailed project reports, estimates and bid documents covering all relevant aspects from the concept to the
commissioning of these projects.
H-E nergy s igned an ink pact MoU for supply of re-gasified LNG t o P etrobangla
● H-E nergy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with P etrobangla recently to supply re-gas if ied liquef ied
natural gas (R-LNG) from I ndia t o B angladesh.
● “The companies will soon finalize a long-term supply agreement to commence the supply of regasified LNG to
Bangladesh through a c ross border natural gas pipeline”.
● H-Energy has received permission from the Petroleum and Natural gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) to build, own and
operate K anai Chhata-Shrirampur natural gas pipeline connecting it’s LNG terminal in West Bengal to Bangladesh, to
enable cross border supply of regasified LNG.
S hipping Ministry and MoCA s ign pact to develop seaplane services in India
● I ndia’s ministry of state for ports, s hipping, and waterways has signed a pact wit h t he minis t ry of c iv il av iat ion t o
develop seaplane services across the country.

● The ministry of state for ports, shipping, and waterways stated, “MoU for development of seaplanes services under
RCS -UDA N s c heme signed between the ministry of state for ports, shipping, and waterways and ministry of civil
aviation.
● “S eaplane operations will result in enhanced connectivity of remote places and boost religious tourism.”
● Both the ministries will jointly workout operating routes.
I I M Nagpur signed MOU with CIRT
● The I ndian I nstitute of Management Nagpur (IIMN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the C e n t r al
I ns titute of Road Transport (CIRT) for generating industry-oriented knowledge in transport management and boosting
work capacity.
● The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
● The MoU paves way for collaboration in the areas of training, research, consulting and outreach in the domain of
transport management and skill development.

● The I I MN has been appointed for c arrying out this job.
● The MoU contains goals for increasing capacity in the transport sector and enhancement of production.
● The MoU s igning programme was also at t ended by Tech Mahindra’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Direc t or
C P Gurnani, IIMN Director Dr Bhimaraya Metri, CIRT Director Dr Rajendra B Saner Patil and NHAI Consultant
Vaibhav Dange.
I ndia signed MOU with B hutan
● I ndia and B hutan inked an MoU for dev eloping cooperation between t wo c ountries in the area of environment.
● The MoU was signed virtually by Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar from the
Indian side and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairperson of the National Environment Commission Lyonpo Dr.
Tandi Dorji from the Bhutanese side.
● Shri Javadekar stated, the MoU will open new vistas of bilateral cooperation in the area of c limat e c hange, was t e
management etc and Describing the relat ions hip bet ween t he t wo c ount ries as symbolic, he said, India wants to
engage with Bhutan on environmental related issues including climate change.
● The MoU is a platform to further enhance Indian and Bhutanese partnership and support, and exchange best
practices in areas like prevention of Air Pollution, Waste Management, Chemical Management, Climate Change, etc.
Union B ank of India signed MOU with NSIC to s upport MSMEs
● Union B ank of India has entered into an MOU with The Nat ional S mall I ndu s tr ies C o rpo rat io n L t d ( NS I C ) under
“NS I C B ank Credit Facilitation S cheme” to s upport MSMEs with credit requirements.
● Under the arrangement the MS ME Unit c an approach directly to any of NSIC branch offices which are also operat ing
as Finance Facilitation Centre (FFC) and submit their request for loan requirement from Union Bank of India.
● The official sitting at the NSIC Branch will provide hand holding support to the MS ME unit by assisting them in
completing all documentation as required for further submission to the Bank.

I ndia signed MOU with Fiji
● Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra S ingh Tomar and Fiji’s Minister of Agriculture,
Waterways & Environment, Dr. Mahendra Reddy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for c ooperat ion in
t he f ield of Agriculture and allied sectors between India and Fiji in a virtual meeting.
● Tomar stated that India believes in the spirit of ' V asudhaiv K utumbakam'.
● India has helped all the countries in the same spirit even during the Corona pandemic under the leadership of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
● The MoU provides for c ooperation in the f ields of Dairy Industry Development, Rice Industry Development, Root c rop
diversification, Water Resources Management, Coconut Industry Development, Food Processing Industry
Development, Agriculture Mechanization, Horticulture Industry Development, Agricultural Research, Animal
Husbandry, Pest and Disease, Cultivation, Value Addition and Marketing, Post-Harvest and Milling, Breeding and
Agronomy.
NS G s igned MOU with RRU
● With focus on a dual mission, the Nat ional S ecurity Guard (NSG) and the Ras htriya Raksha University (RRU) signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation and collaboration aimed at strengthening the core
competencies of the NSG, which are c ounter-terrorism, counter-IEDs, and anti-hijacking.
● DG NSG M A Ganapathy and Prof (Dr) Bimal N Patel, Vice-Chancellor RRU signed the MoU at the Manesar campus
of NSG.
● The MoU also aims to contribute to c apacity-building and providing assistance to Indian start-ups focused on securit y
by helping them to understand the specific requirements and the problem statements formulated by NSG for design
and research projects.
● The aim of t he MoU is t o s y nergis e t he ex pert is e of NS G & RRU to embolden innovation, incubation, training,
research, and distance education in the field of security through the ‘S ec urit y and S c ient if ic -Tec hnic al Res earc h
A s sociation’ (SASTRA) and RRU’s Integrated S pace for e -Education (RISE) platform and tie-ups wit h I ndian s t art -
ups dealing with security-related products.
I FFCO, INAES and Cooperar jointly signed MOU to setup Nano Urea P lant in A rgentina
● Leading fertilizer cooperative I FFCO stated it will set up a nano urea liquid manuf ac t uring plant in Argentina in
partnership with two agencies -- I ns tituto Nacional de Asociativismo Y Economia S ocial (INA ES ) and C o o p e rat iv e
Conf ederation of Argentina 'Cooperar'.
● IFFCO, INAES and Cooperar -- entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the same.
● According to IFFCO, the three will together analyze the feasibility of setting up a nano urea fertiliser manufacturing
plant in Argentina with mutual collaboration.
● The s c ope of MoU will be of fering opportunities t o exchange ideas and develop business relationships , t o c arry out
joint research and training activities along with educational visits for better understanding and opportunities.

Denmark s igned Framework Agreement in ISA with India
● Denmark signed the f ramework agreement of the I nt ernational S olar A lliance Framework A greem ent ( I S A F A ) and
Instrument of Ratification with India, informed Ministry of E xternal A ffairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
● "On 22 June, Freddy Svane, Ambassador, Roy al Danis h E mbas s y , deposited signed copies of the ISA Framework
Agreement and Instrument of Ratification with MEAIndia.
● Signed copies of ISA FA were handed over to the Additional S ec retary (ER)".
● Meanwhile, Denmark became the first country to ratify I nternational S olar Alliance Framework Agre eme nt (I S A FA )
after amendments to it entered into force on January 8.
● "Kingdom of Denmark becomes 1st c ountry to ratify International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement (ISA FA) after
amendments to it entered into force on 8 January this year, opening its Membership to all M ember States of the
United Nations.
● I S A is an alliance of over 120 countries initiated by I ndia, most of them being s uns hine c ount ries whic h lie eit her
completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
I ndian Oil Corporation Limited signs MoU with Gujarat
● State run Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) ink ed pac t s wit h Gujarat gov ernment for implementing projects totaling
around Rs . 24,000 crore in the western state.
● “I ndianOil’s Gujarat Refinery will be implementing I ndia’s first Hydrogen Dispensing Facility as a clean fuel initiative”.
● Expanding refining capacity by 4. 3 million t onnes per annum to 18 million tonnes and adding plants to produce
5,00,000 tonnes per annum of polypropylene and 2, 35,000 tonnes of lube oil base stock at the site would see a total
investment of about Rs 24,000 crore.
● "Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijaybhai Rupani and Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & S t ee l D h arm end ra
P radhan presided over an MOU signing ceremony for 'Investment Promotion' between the Gov ernment of Gujarat
and I ndianOil for setting up a Petrochemical and Lube Integration (LuPech) Project and Acrylics / Oxo Alcohol Project
along with other infrastructure projects at Gujarat Refinery".
NMP B and CSIR-NBRI signed MOU
● The Nat ional Medicinal Plant B oard (NMPS) and the Nat ional B otanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI) have signed
an agreement to boost cultivation and production of medicinal plants and herbs in India.
● The A Y USH ministry stated the MoU will facilitate the development of Quality Planting Material (Q P M) of medic inal
plants and herbs identified by the NMP B , help in establishment of their nurseries for QPM, development, promotion,
conservation and cultivation of the appropriate medicinal plants in different agro-climatic zones, including the
threatened medicinal plant species and plants for the high-altitude regions.
● "Through this collaboration, NMP B will s upport CSIR-NBRI in carrying out the potential medicinal plant s pec ies wit h
high commercial value for the Germplasm collection/conservation and establishment of nursery and seed banks/gene
banks".

B S E STAR MF signed MOU with GUMCCSL
● B S E -led mutual funds distributor platform, B SE STAR MF, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( M o U ) wit h
Godavari Urban Multi State Credit Co -Op S ociety Ltd., Nanded (GUMCCSL) to deepen its net work of ov er 70, 000
registered distributors.
● S ameer P at il, CB O of B S E stated “via this MoU, Godavari Urban Multi-State Co-Op Society Ltd. would strive to
leverage its reach and capacity for delivery of a wider range of financial products such as mutual funds and so on.
● This partnership with B S E S TA R MF will ensure that customers will be on boarded through an easy and hassle-free
digital process and the efforts are aligned towards a les s-paper ecosystem.”
● MoU aims t o f ac ilit at e c ooperat ion between BSE STAR MF and rural markets in areas such as financial inclusion,
investment goals, and wealth creation.
Important Summit & Conference

2nd UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference hosted by B eijing in October
● The s econd United Nations (UN) Global S ustainable Transport Conference will take place f rom October 14 t o 16 in
B eijing, China.
● Theme of the Conference : s us tainable transport, sustainable development
● It prov ides an opportunity to focus attention on the opportunities, challenges and solutions t owards achi eving
s ustainable transport worldwide.
A im :
● To adv ance sustainable transport globally and underscores its importance f or the achievement of t he UN 2030
A genda for S ustainable Development, according to t he organizers.
Not e :
● The f irst Global Sustainable Transport Conference was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in 2016.
● It is Organized by the UN Department of E conomic and Social Affairs.

● It is expected to indicate a way forward for sustainable transport to help achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
First edition of Arab-India E nergy Forum held V irtually
● From J une 08 t o J une 09, 2021, t he first edition of the 2 day A rab-India Energy Forum was held Virtually.
● It was under the c o-chairship of I ndia and t he K ingdom of Morocco.
● The inaugural session of the forum was addressed by R K Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power,
Aziz Rabbah, Minister of Energy and Mines of Morocco, and Kamal Hasan Ali, Assistant Secretary -General for
Economic Affairs of the League of Arab States (LAS).
● In this Forum a range of issues on boos ting two-way energy cooperation and intra-regional power t rading dominated
were discussed.

● The forum witnessed exchange of knowledge, expertise and best practices in the fields of energy efficiency
programmes for different economic sectors, accelerated development of new and renewable energy, fostering
regional power-sharing arrangements, enhanced oil recovery, tight gas extraction and safe nuclear power generation
etc.
● The discussion was also held on respective national regulatory policies governing these sectors, training
collaboration possibilities, Research & Development, and investment opportunities.
2021 NA TO S ummit Held in Brussels, B elgium
● On J une 14, 2021, The yearly meeting of Nort h A tlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held a face-to-face summit at
NATO headquarters i n Brussels, B elgium.
● It was the 31s t formal meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the alliance.
A bout the S ummit :
● The summit of the 30-member NATO group was held as a part of U.S. P resident J oe B iden’s first f oreign trip.
● All the leaders agreed on the “NATO 2030” agenda, a comprehensive initiative to make sure that the alliance remains
ready to face future challenges.
● The agenda also states that NATO will s t rengthen political consultation and the resilience of society, reinforce
def ense and deterrence, sharpen the technological edge, and develop its next S trategic Concept in t ime f or the
s ummit in 2022.
I I T Bombay Hosts Conference of BRICS Network Universities
● On J une 16, 2021, The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) B ombay hosted a t hree-day virtual conference of BRICS
Net work Universities on electric mobility.
● The t heme of the Conference of BRICS Network Universities is “E lectric Mobility”.
● The conference is part of the engagements that I ndia is hosting under t he education stream during its 13th B RICS
S ummit t his year.
● More than 100 students, researchers, and faculty from the BRICS Network Universities of the five-member countries
are expected to participate in the conference.
● The Conference deals with E ighteen experts from B razil, Russia, I ndia, China and S. A frica who will talk about
v arious aspects of electric mobility like t raffic management, hydrogen technology, hybrid vehicles, lithium -ion
bat teries and linkage between e-mobility and livelihoods over the next t hree days.
A bout B RICS Network Universities :
● BRICS Network University is a union of higher education institutions of t he five B RICS member c ountries.
Objective :
● E nhancing educational c ooperation, especially in the field of research and innovation.
● I I T-Bombay is the leading institution of I ndia for t he BRICS Network University.

9t h A sian Ministerial Energy Roundtable Hosted by I ndia in 2022
● On J une 22, 2021, the I nternational E nergy Forum (IEF) informed I ndia that it has agreed to hos t the 9th A sian
Ministerial E nergy Roundtable (AMER9) in 2022.
● It will take forward the understandings reached in the prev ious meeting in Abu Dhabi during 2018.
● The Summit was c o-hosted by I ndia.
● The Summit Foc using on global energy s ecurity in t he age of c hange.
I ndia Organize BRICS Green Hydrogen Summit
● Under the Ministry of P ower, NTPC Limited, organised a t wo-day workshop on Green Hydrogen.
● The event will be anc hored by I ndia's state-run power major NTPC.
● The online event will be held through a video conference f rom J une 22, 2021 t o 23, 2021.
● Experts from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) countries participated.
● In addition to that, the Cent ral government also launched a National Hydrogen Mission this y ear.
B enefits of Green Hydrogen :
● Green Hydrogen has no c arbon footprint.
● Green Hydrogen is one of the most popular and demanding fields in the current t imes and considered to be t he next
c arrier of energy.
● Green hydrogen has a great amount of potential to ensure sustainable energy supply.
● It would increase the level of energy available at the same time and minimize the negative impact on the
environment.
A bout National Hydrogen Mission :
● This Mission is to int roduce hydrogen purchase obligations for fertilizers, refineries.
A im :
● To dev elop India into a global hub f or the manufacturing of hydrogen and fuel cells technologies across the value
chain.
A ndhra P radesh Governor inaugurates I nternational Education e-Conference
● On J une 26, 2021, Andhra Pradesh Governor B iswa Bhusan Harichandan inaugurated the t wo-day I nternational
E ducation e-Conference.
● The two-day conference was held in virtual mode.
● The Conference held on the t heme of Holistic Education for Excellence in Life.
● It has been organised by P rajapita Brahma K umari Ishwariya V ishwa V idyalaya.
P urpose :
● Through holistic development children will be equipped with int ellectual, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual
c apabilities to face the demands and challenges of everyday life and real-world education helps every child find his
or her unique place in the world in alignment with their innate values.

Not e :
● Gov ernor of Chattisgarh Anasuiya Uikey also presented this event.
Rev ision P oints
Conf erence/Summits V enue/Host Country Chaired By/Theme/Addressed
B y /Others
2nd UN Global Sustainable Beijing, China Theme: Sustainable transport,
Transport Conference sustainable development
1st edition of the 2 day Arab-India Co-chaired by India and the
Energy Forum Kingdom of Morocco
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Brussels, Belgium
BRICS Network Universities on IIT Bombay Electric Mobility

electric mobility
9th Asian Ministerial Energy India
Roundtable
Two-day workshop on Green Organized by NTPC
Hydrogen.
International Education e- Holistic Education for Excellence
Conference in Life
Important Defence News

NS A A jit Doval commissions I ndian Coast Guard's offshore P atrol Vessel Sajag
● On May 29, 2021, t he I ndian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore P atrol Vessel (OPV) ' Sajag' was commissioned by
Nat ional S ecurity A dvisor A jit Doval.
● It has been c onstructed by Goa Shipyard Limited.
● Sajag is the t hird in a series of five offshore patrol v essels indigenously designed .
● The ship is fitted with advanced technology equipment, weapons and sensors capable of carrying a twin engine
helicopter and four high speed boats.
I ndia Obtains 8 new Flying Training A cademies
● I ndia will get eight new Flying Training Academies under the liberalised Flying Training Organisation (FTO) policy of
the A irports A uthority of India (AAI), the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

● These academies will be set up at f ive airports across the country Belagavi, J algaon, K alaburagi, Khajuraho and
Lilabari.
A im :
● To make I ndia a global flying training hub and to prevent the exodus of Indian cadets to foreign FTOs.
● These FTOs will also be designed to cater the flying training requirements of cadets in India’s neighbouring countries.
● This initiative will help t he Indian flying training sector in becoming more self-sustaining under the A tma Nirbhar
B harat initiative.
Nav ies of Indo - Thai - begins t hree-day coordinated patrol in A ndaman S ea
● From 09 to 11 J une 2021, the t hree day coordinated patrol between t he Indian Navy and the Roy al Thai Navy was
c onducted.
● It was the 31s t edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo -Thai CORPAT) in the A ndaman S ea.
● The Indian Navy's offshore patrol vessel INS Saryu and Thai ship Krabi along with Dornier maritime patrol aircraft
from both navies.
A bout CORPAT :
● Since 2005, the two navies have been bi-annually undertaking CORPAT along their international maritime boundary
line (IMBL).
● The CORPAT builds up understanding and interoperability between navies and facilitates institution of measures to
prevent and suppress unlawful activities like illegal unreported unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime
terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.

I ndian Navy to receive t hree MH-60 Romeo Multi role helicopters from t he US in July 2022
1. I ndian Navy will receive the f irst set of t hree of t he 24 MH-60 ‘Romeo’ multirole helicopters f rom the US in J uly 2022.
2. In February 2020, I ndia had signed a Rs 15,157 crore ($2.13 billion) contract with the US f or Lockheed Martin .
3. The first batch of Indian pilots has reached the US for training on the helicopters .
K ey Features of MH-60 Romeo :
● The MH-60 Romeo helicopters would be equipped with multimode radars and night v ision devices, Hellfire missiles,
t orpedoes, and precision-guided weapons.
● The MH-60 helicopters have been des igned to operate from c ruisers, aircraft carriers, destroyers, and frigates.
● The choppers are designed for hunting submarines as well as knocking out ships and conducting search -and-rescue.
A RDE & HEMRL develops State-of-the-Art Canopy Severance S ystem
● S t ate-of-the-art CSS has been developed ab-initio at A rmament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE),
P une in association with High E nergy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL), P une, for the indigenously developed
LCA Tejas and Trainer A ircraft, HJT-36 Aircraft and HTT-40 Aircraft.
● It provides s af e passage by pre-weakening/severing the c anopy to facilitate the smooth escape of the pilot in the
s hortest possible t ime.
● All modern aircraft are equipped with a Canopy S everance System (CSS).

● It is an escape path clearance system for the pilot in case of emergencies occurring on the aircraft.
● The CSS design has been c leared by Certifying A gency RCMA (AA), Pune and CE MILAC, B angalore has issued
Ty pe Approval.
● CSS has two independent subsystems.
● The first one is the I n-f light E gress System (IES) for in-flight emergencies, which is integrated with the seat ejection
operation
● Second one is the Ground E gress S ystem (GES) for on-ground emergencies, which is independent of seat ejection.
● ARDE and HEMRL are now capable of developing CSS for any Military Aircraft as required by Indian Air Force.
I ndian Navy and European Naval Force Exercise held in Gulf of Aden
● On J une 18, 2021, The maiden Indian Navy and E uropean Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) exercise began in t he
Gulf of A den.
● A total of f iv e warships from four navies were participating in t he two-day exercise.

● It will enhance and hone their war-fighting skills and their ability as an integrated f orce to promote peace, security
and s tability in the maritime domain.
● For anti-piracy operations, I NS Trikand, is participating in the exercise.
● Italy’s ITS Carabiniere, the Spanish Navy’s ESPS Navarra, and FS Tonnerre and FS Surcouf of France.
MoD & Goa Shipyard Ltd s igns c ontract for construction of t wo P ollution Control Vessels for I ndian Coast Guard
● On J une 22, 2021, The Ministry of Defence has s igned a contract with Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) for the construction of
t wo P ollution Control V essels (PCVs) for the I ndian Coast Guard (ICG) at a cost of about Rs 583 c rore.
● These Special Role ships will be indigenously designed and will be developed & built by GSL.
● The acquisition is under ‘Buy Indian Indigenously Designed Developed & Manufactured (Buy Indian -IDDM)’, the
highest priority category for defence capital procurements.
● The acquisition will augment the capability of ICG to respond to oil spill disasters at sea and also will enhance
Pollution Response (PR) efficiency.
● Both vessels are s c heduled for delivery by November 2024 and May 2 025 respectively.
● The new PCVs planned are for pollution response requirements in Eastern and the ecologically sensitive Andaman &
Nicobar Regions.
I A F & I ndian Navy begin 2-day passage exercise with US Carrier Strike Group in Indian Ocean
● On J une 23, 2021, Indian A ir Force (IAF) and the I ndian Navy commenced t wo-day Passage exercise.
● The exercise will be held t wo days, J une 23, 2021 and June 24, 2021.
● It is the joint operational passage exercise with t he US Navy Carrier S trike Group in the I ndian Ocean Region (IOR).
● It will be carried out s outh of Thiruvananthapuram, on t he western seaboard.
A im of the Exercise :
● To s t rengthen t he bilateral relationship and c ooperation by demonstrating the ability to integrate and c oordinate
c omprehensively in maritime operations.

● As part of the exercise, Sukhois, Jaguars, IAF refuelling aircraft and warships and maritime patrol aircraft of the Navy
will participate in the exercise.
● I NS K ochi and Teg, along with P 8I and MiG-29K aircraft will participate in a ‘P assage Exercise’ with US Navy CS G
Ronald Reagan.
Ministry of Defence, DRDO S uccessfully Test fires Subsonic Cruise Missile ‘Nirbhay’
● On J une 24, 2021, The s ubsonic cruise missile ‘Nirbhay’ was s uccessfully test-fired off the Odisha c oast.
● Nirbhay is a subsonic cruise missile des igned and developed by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) under t he Ministry of Defence.
● The missile having a range of 1500 KM, it was fired from launchpad no.3 of the I ntegrated Test Range at Chandipur
of B alasore district.
● The missile is capable of c arrying nuclear warheads upto 200 kg.
Not e :
● The f irst t est f light of Nirbhay was held on 12 March 2013 .
● This was the eighth test f light of the missile.
A bout the Missile ‘Nirbhay’ :
● Nirbhay is a long-range, all-weather, s ubsonic cruise missile .
● The missile can be launched f rom multiple platforms and is c apable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads.
● 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.
● The missile c an reach speeds of 0.6-0.7 Mach.

I NS Tabar Utilized f or naval exercises in Africa, E urope
● To enhance military cooperation with f riendly nations, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tabar , which commenced its
prolonged deployment on June 13, will v is it a number of ports in Africa and Europe t ill September end, 2021.
● INS Tabar, is a Talwar-class stealth Frigate built f or I ndian Navy in Russia.
● The ship is commanded by Captain M Mahesh and has a c omplement of 300 personnel.
● Tabar will transit across the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea and Baltic Sea while
making port calls at Djibouti, Egypt, Italy, France, UK, Russia, Netherlands, Morocco, and Arctic Council countries
like Sweden and Norway.
● The ship is also s c heduled t o participate in bilateral exercises like Ex K onkan with the Royal Navy, Ex V aruna with
French Navy and Ex Indra with Russian Federation Navy.
● The deployment will also see participation by the ship in the Rus s ian Navy Day celebrations from J uly 22 t o 27.
● This is to f urther strengthen maritime s ecurity in t he region and t o c onsolidate c ombined operations against maritime
t hreats.
DRDO s uccessfully test-fires A gni s eries' off Odisha coast - A gni-P

● On May 28, 2021, t he Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested a New
Generation Nuclear Capable B allistic Missile “Agni P” from Dr APJ A bdul K alam island off the coast of Odisha,
B alasore.
A bout Agni - P :
● Agni P is a new generation advanced v ariant of the A gni class of missiles.
● The new ballistic missile, which has a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 kilometres.
● The new nuclear-capable missile is f ully made up of composite material and it was a t extbook launch.
Mus tafa K emal Atatürk 2021 - Turkey & Azerbaijan Joint Military Drills Started in Baku
● On J une 28, 2021, Turkey & Azerbaijan armies started joint military exercises Mustafa Kemal A taturk – 2021 in Baku.
● The t hree day drill will run until J une 30, 2021.
● The drill name is a reference to modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal A tatürk.
● It Involves 600 s oldiers, 40 tanks and armored vehicles, 20 c annons, s even war helicopters, unmanned aerial
v ehicles and 50 other vehicles
P urpose :
● 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
Not e :
● On J une 15, Turkey and A zerbaijan signed the S husha Declaration, a pact that focuses on defense cooperation and
establishing new transportation routes.
Important Science and Technology News

I FFCO introduces world's f irst Nano Urea Liquid Globally
● On May 31, 2021, I ndian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) introduced the world's first Nano Urea for
the farmers.
● This Nano Urea will be in liquid f orm.
● It is eas y on t he pocket of f armers and will be effective in increasing f armers' income.
● The production of the urea will begin f rom June 2021.
● IFFCO has priced Nano Urea at Rs 240 per 500 ml bottle for the f armers, it is 10 per c ent c heaper t han the c ost of a
bag of c onventional Urea.
● It will be primarily available to farmers through its cooperative s ales and marketing channel apart f rom its sale on
I FFCO's e-commerce platform www.iffcobazar.in
A I -based S olution X raySetu Developed to Detect Covid -19 in Rural Population Through WhatsApp
● A new AI-driven platform called ‘X raySetu’ has been dev eloped with the help of Chest X -ray, to help in early
det ection of COVID 19.

● It can work with low-resolution images sent via mobiles, is quick and easy t o use, and can f acilitate detection in rural
areas.
● It is useful for RT-PCR tests and CT-Scans are not easily available.
● X-Ray Setu, Can be operates t hrough Whatsapp,
● It has been dev eloped by A RTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park), with support from t he Department of Science
& Tec hnology (DST), GOI, in collaboration with Bangalore based HealthTech startup Niramai and t he Indian Institute
of S cience (IISc).
Work ing P rocedure of ‘XraySetu’ :
● Doctor needs to visit www. xraysetu.com and click on the ‘Try the Free X-Ray S etu Beta’ button.
● The platform will then redirect to another page, in that they can choose to engage with the WhatsApp -based chatbot
via web or smartphone application.
● Otherwise doctors can simply send a WhatsApp message to the phone number + 91 8046163838 t o start the X -Ray
S et u s ervice.
● Then they just need to click the picture of the patient’s X-ray and obtain the 2-page automated diagnostics with
annotated images in a few minutes.
A bout AI & Robotics Technology P ark :
● It is a not-for-profit foundation established by the I ndian Institute of Science (IISc), B engaluru.
● It will promote technology innovations in AI (Artificial Intelligence)& Robotics leading to societal impact by executing
ambitious mission mode R&D projects in healthcare, education, mobility, infrastructure, agriculture, retail and cyber -
security focusing.
A rt ificial Synaptic Network t hat Mimics Human B rain Developed by Scientists
● Scientists have f abricated a device that can mimic human brain c ognitive actions and is more efficient than
conventional techniques in simulating artificial intelligence, thus enhancing t he computational s peed and power
c onsumption efficiency.
● It has been dev ised by Scientists f rom Jawaharlal Nehru Centre f or Advanced Scientific Research, B engaluru, an
aut onomous institute of t he Department of Science & Technology, Government of India .
● It has been recently published in t he journal ‘Materials Horizons’.
A im :
● To dev elop a synaptic device f or neuromorphic applications with a humble f abrication method.
● Artificial synaptic network (ASN) res embling the biological neural network via a simple self-forming method

I I T-Ropar launched A mbiTAG, India's f irst indigenous temperature data logger
● I ndian I nstitute of Technology, Ropar (IIT Ropar) in Punjab has developed a first-of-its-kind I o T d ev ic e – A mb iTag
that records real-time ambient t emperature during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines and even body
organs and blood.
● That recorded temperature further helps to know whether that particular item transported from anywhere in the world
is still usable or perished because of temperature variation.
● This inf ormation is particularly critical for vaccines including Covid-19 vaccine, organs and blood transportation.
B harti backed OneWeb successfully launches 36 New LEO s atellites
● On May 28, 2021, B harti group backed OneWeb, t he Low E arth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, Co-
owned by B harati Global and t he UK Government launched the nex t s uccessful 36 satellites.
● It was done by A rianespace from t he Vostochny Cosmodrome.
● It will form part of OneWeb's 648 LEO satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global c onnectivity.
● It brings OneWeb's t ot al in-orbit constellation t o 218 s atellites.
● It is a part of Fiv e t o 50' s ervice, enabling OneWeb to offer connectivity across the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern
Europe, Greenland, the Arctic Seas and Canada.
● The company was also able to back an investment of almost $550 million from a Company named Eutelsat
Communications, which is based in Paris, France, in April 2021.
● It has the acquisition of a t ot al of 24% stakes of the c ompany
China successfully launches cargo spacecraft Tianzhou -2

● On May 29, 2021, China successfully launched an aut omated cargo resupply spacecraft named Tianzhou-2, or
Heav enly Vessel.
● It was blasted off v ia a Long March-7 Y 3 rocket f rom the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern island of
Hainan in the South China Sea.
● Tianzhou-2 is the s ec ond of 11 missions needed t o c omplete China’s f irst self -developed s pace station around 2022.
● It is the t hird and largest orbital station launched by China’s increasingly ambitious space programme.
S paceX launches tiny c ritters, solar panels to s pace station
● On J une 03, 2021, SpaceX launched t housands of t iny sea c reatures to the International Space Station, along with a
plaque-fighting toothpaste experiment and powerful solar panels.
● This is 7, 300-pound (3,300-kilogram) which also includes f resh lemons, onions, avocados and c herry t omatoes for
t he s tation’s s even astronauts.
● The Dragon cargo capsule, also brand new, is delivering the first of three sets of high-tech solar panels designed to
bolster the space station’s aging power grid.
I ndian Navy Decommissioned oldest Hydrographic S urvey S hip INS Sandhayak
● On J une 04, 2021, INS Sandhayak, t he I ndian Navy's oldest Hydrographic S urvey Vessel was dec ommissioned at
Nav al Dockyard in V isakhapatnam.

● The Ship Served the nation for 40 glorious years.
● INS Sandhayak undertook over 200 major hydrographic surveys.
● The ship took part in important operations :
1. Op Pawan in Sri Lanka, 1987
2. Op Rainbow for Humanitarian Assistance in the aftermath of the Tsunami in 2004
3. Maiden Indo-US HADR Exercise Tiger-Triumph in 2019.
To Treat P ost Covid - Fungal I nfections Researchers From IIT Hyderabad develops Oral A mphotericin
● The I ndian I nstitute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad has developed nano-fibre based controlled-release oral t ablets of
A mphotericin B (AmB) t o treat f ungal infections arising out of COVID -19.
● Presently, A mB is an injectable drug.
● Professor Saptarshi Majumdar and Dr Chandra Shekhar Sharma from the Department of Chemical Engineering have
made a proven study about oral nanofibrous AMB to be effective for black fungus (visceral leishmaniasis).
● The oral tablets used in the t reatment of kala-azar or black fever have come t o t he aid of black fungus patients.
● In 2019, researchers f rom IIT- H's Creative and Advanced Research Based on Nanomaterials (CARBON) lab
reported using gelatin nanofibers to manufacture Amphotericin B in a sustained-release tablet form.
I ndia''s first CAR-T c ell t herapy c onducted at ACTREC, in Mumbai
● On J une 4, t he country''s first CAR-T cell t herapy was done at the B one Marrow Transplant unit at ACTREC, Tata
Memorial Centre in Mumbai.
● This trial is the joint effort of t he I IT bombay and Tata Memorial Centre.
● It was S upported by the Department of Biotechnology t hrough t he National B iopharma Mission-BIRAC.
● The central government''s Nat ional B iopharma Mission-BIRAC has approved Rs 19.15 crore to the team f or
c onducting a first-in-human phase-1/2 c linical trial of the CA R-T cells.
● Clinical trials conducted globally have shown promising results in end-stage patients, especially in patients suffering
from acute lymphocytic leukemia.
● Each patient''s CAR-T cell therapy c os ts Rs 3-4 c rore, and currently this t echnology is not available in India.
A bout CAR-T :
● The CAR-T cells were des igned and manufactured at the Bioscience and B ioengineering (BSBE) department of IIT,
B ombay.
● This work is part ly supported by the BIRAC-PACE scheme.
● The clinical trials are being done by Dr Gaurav Narula, professor of paediatric oncology and health sciences.
I S RO develops 3 types of v entilators, to transfer technology to industry f or c linical Usage
● The I ndian S pace Research Organisation has developed three types of v entilators, and has come forward to transfer
the technology to industry for c linical usage as the c ountry battles the second wave of COVID -19 pandemic.
● It is a low-cost and portable critical care ventilator, ‘PRANA’ (“Programmable Respiratory Assistance f or the Needy
A id’) is based on the automated compression of an AMBU (Artificial Manual Breathing unit) bag.

● The ICU grade positive pressure mechanical ventilator is titled ‘V aU’ (abbreviation of Ventilation assist Unit).
I ndia’s first Power f ree CPAP device J ivan V ayu Developed By I IT Ropar
● I ndian I nstitute of Technology (IIT) Ropar has developed a device called ‘J ivan V ayu.
● It can be used as a s ubstitute for a CPAP machine.
● K hushboo Rakha, Assistant Professor, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, has developed the device at the
Advanced Materials and Design Lab of IIT Ropar.
A bout Jivan Vayu :
● The device has been manufactured using 3D printing and has also been tested mechanically.
● It has an inbuilt viral filter at the air entrainment end which has a viral efficacy of 99.99%.
● The dev ice is designed to maintain an FiO2 of above 40% with a PEEP (positive end -expiratory pressure) of 5-20 cm
H2O.
● Jivan Vayu can deliver high f low oxygen up t o 60 Litres P er Minute (LPM)
● The new device is the "f irst to be designed in I ndia t hat f unctions even without electricity" and is adapted t o both
k inds of oxygen generation units like CO2 c ylinders and oxygen pipelines .
I I T Ropar in recent news (June 1):
● Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar (IIT Ropar) in Punjab has dev eloped a f irst-of-its-kind IoT device A mbiTag t hat
rec ords real-time ambient t emperature during the t ransportation of perishable produc t s , v ac c ines a n d e v en b ody
organs and blood.
● That recorded temperature further helps to k now whether that particular item t ransported f rom anywhere in t he world
is s till usable or perished because of t emperature variation.
● This information is particularly critical for vaccines including Covid-19 vaccine, organs and blood transportation.
E uropean S pace A gency’s E nVision mission to Venus in 2030
● To S t udy V enus the E uropean S pace A gency (ESA) has announced the launching of its probe E nVision.
● It will probably be launched to the planet in early 2030.
● The spacecraft will c arry a range of instruments t o study the planet’s atmosphere and s urface, monitor trace gases in
t he atmosphere and analyse its surface composition.
A bout E nVision :
● EnVision is an E S A led mission with contributions f rom NASA.
● The EnVision probe of ESA will det ermine how and why V enus and E arth evolved s o differently, even while being in
t he habitable z one t o the S un.
● EnVision launched on an A riane 6 rocket, the spacecraft will take about 15 months to reach Venus and will take 16
more months to achieve orbit c ircularisation.
● Recently NA S A selected t wo missions to t he planet Venus, called DAVINCI+ and V ERITAS.
● Early E S A -led mission to V enus c alled ‘Venus Express’ (2005-2014) that focussed on atmospheric research and
pointed to volcanic hotspots on t he planet’s s urface .

● Other than this, J apan’s Akatsuki s pacecraft has also been studying the planet’s atmosphere since 2015.
HA L manufactured A LH Mk-III helicopters inducted into ICG
● On J une 12, 2021, The I ndian Coast Guard inducted the f irst three of 16 A dvanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Mk -III
des igned and manufactured by Hindustan A eronautics Limited (HAL).
A bout A LH Mk-III helicopters :
● The ALH Mk-III marine v ersion has been designed and developed with in-house c ustomisation of 19 additional
equipment by HAL to meet Coast Guard requirements.
● The HAL will s upply 16 ALH Mk-III to t he ICG by mid next year 2022.
● On induction, the 16 A LH Mk-III will be positioned at f our Coast Guard squadrons at Bhubaneshwar, P orbandar,
K oc hi and Chennai.
World's first wooden satellite WISA Woodsat to be launched f rom New Zealand
● The E uropean Space A gency (ESA) has planned to launch the world’s first wooden s atellite, WISA Woodsat, on
E arth’s orbit by the end of 2021.
● It will be launched with a Rocket Lab E lectron rocket from t he Mahia Peninsula launch complex in New Zealand.
● According to ESA, the mission was initiated by J ari Makinen.
China launches first human spaceflight S ince 2016
● On J une 17, 2021, The Shenzhou 12 mission launched from J iuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
● China successfully launched the f irst three men crew to its new space station in its f irst c rewed mission in f ive years.
● A Chinese spacecraft will blast off from the Gobi Desert on a Long March rocket in the coming days, ferrying three
men onboard.
● Shenzhou-12, meaning ‘Divine Vessel’.
● It will be the t hird of 11 missions needed t o c omplete China's space station by 2022. A mong t hem, f our will be
missions with people on board, potentially propelling up to 12 Chinese astronauts into space.
Not e :
● The launch is a gift to the 100t h anniversary of the founding of the Communist P arty.
● China, aims to become a major spacefaring power by 2030, in May became the second country to put a rover on
Mars.
I I T & Y IC Developed a new technique to detect cyclones earlier t han satellites
● Researchers at the I ndian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and Yantai I nstitute of Coastal Zone Research in China
have developed a technique that can det ect t he f ormation of cyclones in t he North Indian Ocean region.
● The research team for this s t udy included Jia Albert, Bishnupriya S ahu and P rasad K Bhaskaran f rom IIT K haragpur.
● It is published in the journal Atmospheric Research.
● The study was c onducted under t he Climate Change P rogram with s upport from the Centre’s Department of Science
and Technology.

● The research team analysed f our post-monsoon s evere cyclones that developed over the North Indian Ocean, came
out with a threshold value of a parameter called Ok ubo-Weiss Zeta Parameter.
● When the parameter crossed the threshold value, it resulted in the formation of a cyclone.
I nt ernational collaborative sky surveying project : P ASIPHAE
● P olar-Areas Stellar-Imaging in P olarisation High-Accuracy Experiment (PASIPHAE) is an international c ollaborative
s k y surveying project.
● PASIPHAE is an instrument used in s k y surveys to study stars.
● The PASIPHAE survey will meas ure starlight polarisation over large areas of the sky.
● Scientists from the University of Crete, Greece, Caltech, USA, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and
Astrophysics (IUCAA), India, the South African Astronomical Observatory and the University of Oslo, Norway, are
involved in this project.
● The Project, which will be used in upcoming sky surveys t o study stars, is being led by an Indian astronomer.
A bout the P roject Funds :
● The Project had been f unded with $1 million
1. The I nfosys Foundation, I ndia,
2. S t avros Niarchos Foundation, Greece
3. US A ’s National Science Foundation
● This was combined with contributions from the E uropean Research Council and t he National Research Foundation in
S outh Africa.
● The survey will use t wo high-tech optical polarimeters to observe t he northern and southern skies.
● It will f oc us on capturing s tarlight polarisation of very faint stars t hat are s o f ar away t hat polarisation s i gnals from
t here have not been systematically studied.
● The distances will be obtained from measurements of the GA I A satellite.
● It will help to understand the mysteries surrounding the origin of the universe and continue to draw human curiosity.
New Way of Imaging Through Fog Developed by Indo-French Researchers
● A workforce of I ndo-French researchers has developed a brand new imaging t echnique to make c lear images of
objects in f oggy weather conditions.
Res earchers Team :
1. Raman Analysis Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru
2. Isro’’s Area Software Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad
3. Université Paris-Saclay
4. CNRS, France
● The work was part ially funded by t he Division of Science and K now-how (DST) and the Indo-French Centre f or the
P romotion of Superior A nalysis.

I I T Madras inaugurates Research Centre On S tart-ups A nd Risk Financing
● The I ndian I nstitute of Technology Madras, has launched a ‘Centre f or Research on Start -Ups and Risk Financing’
(CRE S T).
A im :
● To provide academic and thought leadership in innovation, entrepreneurship and risk capital.
● To create a unique world-class data repository on Indian start-ups and ventures to address a major hurdle for
engaging in high-quality research.
K ey mission & Vision of CREST :
● CREST is to be globally rec ognized as a leading centre of research engaged in scholarly research in the areas of
c reation, development, and financing of innovation, s tart -ups, and entrepreneurship.
● To engage in scholarly research encompassing the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, and risk capital.
China plans to launch its first crewed mission t o Mars in 2033
● China plans to s end its first c rewed mission to Mars in 2033.
● It is a long-term plan to build a permanently inhabited base on t he Red Planet and extract its resources.
● It will intensify a race with the Unit ed States to plant humans on Mars.
● Crewed launches to Mars are planned for 2033, 2035, 2037, 2041.
● Before the crewed mission, China will send robots t o Mars t o study possible sites for t he base and to build systems
t o ex tract resources t here.

● Meanwhile, China is also studying S k y Ladder, a new s pace transportation system for t he Mars missions.
DRDO s uccessfully test f ires enhanced Pinaka Rocket in Odisha
● On J une 25, 2021, The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully t est f ired an
ex t ended range version of indigenously developed "Pinaka".
● It was c arried at I ntegrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur off the c oast of Odisha.
● The 122 mm Caliber rockets were launched f rom a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL).
● 25 enhanced Pinaka Rockets were launched in quick succession against targets at different ranges.
● The enhanced range version of Pinaka Rocket System can des t roy t argets at distances up t o 45 kms.
● The rocket system has been dev eloped jointly by Pune based Armament Research and Development Establishment
(A RDE ) and High E nergy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) .
● The development of the Enhanced Pinaka system was taken up to ac hieve longer range performance.
Nat ional Institute Of I mmunology Receives Trademark for India’s First Indigenous Tumour Antigen SPAG9
● The S P AG9 antigen developed by the National Institute of I mmunology (NII) has received the A S PAGNIITM
t rademark, from t he Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
● I ndia's f irst indigenous tumour antigen SPAG9 was discovered in 1998 by Dr Anil Suri.
● He heads the Canc er Research P rogramme at t he NII, a DBT institute.

● ASPAGNIITM is being used in dendritic cell (DC) based immunotherapy in c ervical, ovarian cancer and will also be
us ed in breast cancer.
● Immunotherapy is a new approach that exploits the body's inner c apability to put up a f ight against c ancer.
Important Environment News

New S pecies of Spider Cricket - J ayanti Found in Chhattisgarh
● The Zoology Department of Panjab University, Chandigarh, in A pril 2021 by a t eam of z oologists headed by Dr
Ranjana Jaiswara discovered a new species of S pider Cricket named Indimimus jayanti.
● It was f ound in the K urra caves of Chhattisgarh.
● It has been published in the reputed journal Zootaxa.
● The new species was named after P rof essor J ayant B iswas, one of the leading cave explorers in the country.
● It was identified under the genus A rachnomimus Saussure, 1897.
A bout jayanti :
● The newly discovered subgenus, I ndimimus.
● It has a loc k-and-key model genitalia structure.
● Crickets are noticeable for their loud calls, the new Jayanti subgenus cannot produce sound and their females don’t
have ears and may be c ommunicating by beating their abdomen or any other body part on the c ave wall. ( Unique
way of Vibrational Communication ).
● Vibrational communication is one of t he softest but f astest modes of signal transmission.
A New S pecies Cyrtodactylus bengkhuaiai of Gecko Discovered from Meghalaya and Mizoram
● A new species of Cy rtodactylus bengkhuaiai , was discovered from Mizoram and Meghalaya.
● In 4 new species of gecko, 2 f rom Meghalaya and 2 from Mizoram.
● The Study about the new species was published in Zoot axa
● It is a peer-reviewed clinical mega magazine for animal taxonomis ts printed from New Zealand.
● The second one new lizard in Mizoram, Cy rtodactylus aaronbaueri, used to be recorded in and round Aizawl t he c ity.
● The other 2 new species recorded in Meghalaya are the k arst-dwelling bent-toed gecko ( Cyrtodactylus karsticola)
and A garwal’s bent-toed gecko ( Cyrtodactylus agarwali ).
● Both species are from limestone caves c lose t o S iju village in South Garo Hills district
B lack carbon deposits accelerates glaciers and s now melt in Himalayan ranges by World B ank
● On J une 03, 2021, According to the World Bank Study Black carbon deposits accelerated glaciers and snow melt in
the fragile Himalayan ranges and are changing temperatures and precipitation patterns, due to human activities.
● It is generated by human activity both inside and outside South Asia.
● Changing temperatures and precipitation patterns, anthropogenic black carbon (BC) deposits soot are further
accelerating glaciers and snow melt in these mountain ranges.


New S pecies of Coffee Planted Discovered in K erala
● A New Species of Cof fee P lant A rgostemma quarantena Discovered in Wagamon hills, Kerala.
● The New Species belongs to the f amily Rubiaceae.
● Argostemma quarantena to c ommemorate the lives lost in P andemic.
A bout the Research Team :
● The plant was recognized by an analysis group consisting of Anoop P. Balan and A.J. Robi, school of the Division of
Botany, Bishop Abraham Memorial School, Thuruthicad, Pathanamthitta district; and N. Sasidharan, former Chief
Scientist, Kerala Forest Analysis Institute (KFRI), Peechi.
A bout A rgostemma quarantena :
● Argostemma quarantena is a perennial herb which grows to a t op of 3 -7cm and is characterised by putting white
f lowers.
15-metre t ree of Coffee discovered in A ndaman & Nicobar Islands

● A new 15-meter-tall tree P yrostria laljii, that belongs to the genus of the c offee f amily has recently been discovered.
● It was discovered f rom the Andaman Islands by a team of researchers f rom India and t he P hilippines.
A bout Pyrostria laljii :
● The tree has an umbellate inflorescence with 8-12 f lowers.
● The colour of the flowers varies from white to cream, and turns brown after pollination.
● The tree is distinguished by a long stem with a whitish coating on the trunk, and oblong-ovate leaves with a cuneate
base, and was first reported from South Andaman’s Wandoor forest.
● Pyrostria laljii, is also the f irst record of the genus Pyrostria in India.
Not e :
● Pyrostria laljii has been as s essed as ‘Critically E ndangered’ based on t he International Union f or Conservation of
Nat ure’s (IUCN) Red List criteria.
● The new species has been named P y rostria laljii after Lal Ji Singh, J oint Director and Head of Office, Andaman and
Nic obar Regional Centre, B otanical Survey of India.
● Dr. Singh and Mr. Naik has also dis covered a new species of pokeweed named Rivina and amanensis.
● It represents the f irst record of the pokeweed family P etiveriaceae in t he A ndaman and Nicobar Islands.
New S pecies of S kittering frog : E uphlyctis Kerala discovered f rom surroundings of Thattekkad bird s anctuary
● A new species of s k ittering frog Euphlyctis K erala has been identified f rom the surroundings of the Thattekkad bird
s anctuary.
A bout Researchers Team :
● A team of researchers from the Zoological S urvey of India (ZSI), Mount Carmel Faculty (MCC), B engaluru, and
Nat ionwide Institute of S cience Training and Analysis (NISER), B hubaneswar.
● The new species is named in honour of t he exceptional biodiversity of t he S tate.

● The new species P ublished in the Worldwide Journal Zootaxa printed from New Zealand .
● The research is a part of an “I nt egrative Taxonomic Strategy (ITA)” whereby scientists utilise morphological
characters, genetic research and different parameters to substantiate their findings of latest species.
● This discovery was part of t he Zoological S urvey of I ndia’s (WGRC, Kozhikode) faunal exploratory and
documentation programme within the Thattekad hen sanctuary.
A bout Euphlyctis K erala :
● New species Euphlyctis Kerala to be discovered within the c ontemporary water bodies of the foothills of the Western
Ghat s, s outh of the Palakkad Hole.
● These frogs live in f reshwater bodies, conservation of t hese freshwater systems plays a c rucial role in c onservation.
● Members of the genus Euphlyctis (skittering frogs) have their distribution vary from Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan,
India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand.
S ida keralensis - New Plant S pecies Found in K erala

● A new Plant Species S ida keralensis found on the roads ides and wastelands in Thiruvananthapuram district of
K erala.
● Their findings have been revealed in the journal P hytotaxa.
A bout the Research Team :
● A crew of researchers from the J awaharlal Nehru Tropical B otanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI),
Palode, consisting of E.S. Santhosh Kumar, S. Shailajakumari, A.K. Sreekala and R. Prakash Kumar (director,
JNTBGRI) and Parthipan B. of S.T. Puccho College, Nagercoil.

A bout Sida k eralensis :
● Sida keralensis is an erec t branched s ubshrub, rising t o a t op of 40 -80 cm.
● The s t ems are greenish or barely purple-tinged.
● It has 2 mm-long, brownish-black seeds and hanging y ellow f lowers.
● The s pecies is c alled after t he State of K erala.
Not e :
● The genus Sida has about 250 s pecies distributed within the t ropical and sub-tropical areas, of which 22 will be
pres ent in India.
Important Rankings and Indexes

S DG I ndia Index for 2020-21 : K erala Tops; Released by NITI Aayog
● On J une 03, 2021, NITI Aayog launched the t hird edition of t he S ustainable Development Goals (SDG) I ndia Index
and Das hboard 2020-21.
● K erala retained the t op s pot in 2021 S DG India I ndex
● In Union Territories Chandigarh Topped Followed by Delhi & P uducherry.
● The theme of SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020–21 : P art nerships in t he Decade of Action.

A im of the I ndex :
● The index is to c omprehensively monitor and rank the progress made by S tates and Union Territories t owards
ac hieving t he Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Top 5 S tates in SDG I ndia I ndex for 2020-21 :
● Kerala - 75
● Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu - 74
● Andhra Pradesh - 72
● Sikkim - 71
● Maharashtra - 70
● B ihar and J harkhand were the worst-performing states on the SDG India Index with scores of 52 and 56 respectively.
A bout S DG Index :
● The SDG India Index is tabulated annually by NITI Aayog.
● To ev aluate the progress of states and union t erritories on t he basis of s oc ial, economic and environmental c riteria.
Cognizant ranked 185th on “2021 Fortune 500 List”
● Cognizant climbed to No. 185 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list with a digital focus driving the advancement of the an n u a l
rank ing of America’s largest companies.
● The US-based IT company with a strong offshore presence in India, debuted on the list in 2011 at 484.
● It entered the t op 200 in 2018 and ros e nine spots on this year’s list.
● Fortune 500 companies are ranked based on their total revenue for their respectiv e fiscal years.
● Cognizant’s 2020 revenue of $ 16.7 billion raised the company to its c urrent rank of 194 on the 2020 Fortune 500
ranking.
US bec ame 2 nd largest S ource of FDI t o I ndia
● The US replaced Mauritius as the s ec ond largest source of f oreign direct investment into India during 2 0 2 0 - 21 wit h
inflows of USD 13.82 billion, according to government data.
● S ingapore remained the t op s ource of f oreign direct investment (FDI) into the country for the third consecutiv e f is c al
year at US D 17. 41 billion.
● During the last financial year, India attracted US D 5. 64 billion in FDI from Mauritius, according to the data by the
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DP IIT).
● Total FDI, including equity, re-invested earnings and capital, rose 10 per c ent to the highest-ever USD 81.72 billion,
as against USD 74.39 billion in 2019-20.
E I U Report 2021: New Zealand’s A uckland named as World’s Most Liveable city
● A uc kland in New Zealand has been named the world's most liveable c ity, in an annual ranking that has been s hif t ed
by the corona virus pandemic.

● The E c onomist Intelligence Unit (E IU) survey ranked 140 cities on factors including stability, infrastructure, educ at ion
and access to healthcare.
● Auckland in New Zealand has been named the world's most liveable city, in an annual ranking that has been s hif t ed
by the coronavirus pandemic.
● But the pandemic proved to be the defining factor in this year's list.
● It meant European cities fell while those in A us tralia, Japan and New Zealand rose up t he rankings .
A s ia University Rankings 2021 : IISc, B engaluru Ranked B est Indian University
● On J une 02, 2021, in the t op 100 list of Times Higher E ducation (THE) Asia University Rankings 2021 Released.
● In that, t hree Indian universities secured positions in t he top 100 list.
● I I Sc B angalore, IIT Ropar and IIT Indore have secured ranks among the t op 100 universities in A sia.
● I I Sc B angalore ranked at 37t h position, It was the highest ranked university f rom India f or the seventh y ear in a row.
● The other two Universities are I ndian I nstitute of Technology Ropar ranked 55th Position and Indian Institute of
Tec hnology Indore 78th P osition.
● Ts inghua University, China has gained the first position in the A sia university rankings 2021 Followed by China’s
Peking University.
Top 5 Universities :
1. Tsinghua University, China
2. Peking University, China
3. National University of Singapore

4. Hong Kong’s University of Hong Kong
5. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
A bout Times Higher E ducation Asia University Rankings :
● THE assessed performance of 551 universities across the continent under 13 performance indicators or parameters.
Union E ducation Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ releases P erformance Grading Index (PGI) 2019
● On J une 06, 2021, Union E ducation Minister, Ramesh P okhriyal ‘Nishank’ approved the release of P erformance
Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 f or States and Union Territories.
A bout P GI Index :
● The PGI for States and Union Territories was f irst published in 2019 with reference y ear 2017-18.
● The PGI index measures the performance of states in s c hool education, based on data drawn from several sources,
lik e Unified District Information S ystem for E ducation P lus, National Achievement S urvey, and Mid-Day Meal.
● The PGI States/UTs for 2019-20 is the third publication in this series.
● These parameters are grouped under five broad categories
1. Access (eg. enrolment ratio, transition rate and retention rate);
2. Governance and management;
3. Infrastructure;

4. Equity (difference in performance between scheduled caste students and general category students)
5. Learning outcomes (average score in mathematics, science, languages and social science).
● In PGI grading system There are 10 lev els,
● Lev el I (951-1000) is the highest grade while Level X , also known as Grade VII (0 -550) is t he lowest grade.
● In 2021 PGI, none of t he s tate or Union Territory could achieve t he highest grade, that is Level I .
● Chandigarh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar and Kerala have obtained Grade 1++ (or Level II), which
makes them the best performing states.
● Ladakh has obtained the lowest grade, Grade VII.
I MD's World Competitiveness Index : Switzerland t ops & India retains 43rd rank
● India maintained 43rd rank on an annual World Competitiveness Index c ompiled by t he Institute for Management
Dev elopment (IMD).

● World Competitiveness Rankings List c omprises a t otal of 64 nations.
Rank Count ry
1 Switzerland
2 Sweden
3 Denmark
4 Netherlands
5 Singapore
The c ountries were ranked based on four k ey factors:
1. Economic Performance
2. Government Efficiency
3. Business Efficiency
4. Infrastructure
● The top- Performing Asian Countries are Hong Kong (7th), Taiwan (8th) & China (16th).
Not e :
● Taiwan entered the t op 10 rankings f or the first time since the ranking began 33 years ago.
B RI CS Nations Ranking :
1. China (16th)
2. India (43rd)

3. Russia (45th
4. Brazil (57th)
5. South Africa (62nd)
2021 Global P eace Index released by the Institute f or Economics and Peace
● On J une 17, 2021, Institute f or Economics and Peace released t he 15th edition of the Global Peace I ndex.
● This index presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value,
and how to develop peaceful societies.
● I c eland remains the mos t peaceful c ountry in the world & A fghanistan is the least peaceful c ountry in the world for
the fourth consecutive year.
● New Zealand, Denmark, Portugal, and Slovenia ranked 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Positions.
● I ndia ranked 135th most peaceful country in the world.
● In S outh Asia B hutan ranked as the most peaceful nation followed by Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
● In Global Peace Index 2021 for South Asia, India and Pakistan have been placed on the 5th and 6th positions
respectively.
A bout Global P eace Index :
● GPI measures t he peacefulness of 163 countries and territories, covering 99.7 percent of the world’s population.
● It comprises 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators f rom highly respected sources.
● These indicators are grouped into three key domains: ongoing c onflict, s afety and security, and militarization.
I ndia ranked 2nd in share of central bank surplus transfers

● The Res erve B ank of I ndia (RBI) was s econd in terms of res erves transferred t o t he government as a percent ag e o f
gros s domestic product (GDP) for the f iscal y ear 2020-21.
● Turk ey has been ranked f irst f ollowed by India.
● Recently, RB I has t ransferred Rs 99,122-crore surplus to the government for FY21 which is 73% higher t han t he Rs
57,128 crore paid out in 2019-20.
● The s urplus transferred by RBI constitutes 0.44% of GDP, while that of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turk ey
constitutes 0.5% of GDP.
E as e of living I ndex 2020 : Bengaluru ranks as most liveable city in India
● On J une 16, 2021, The Centre f or Science and E nvironment (CSE), released t he Ease of living index 2020.
Top 5 Livable Cities :
Rank Count ry
1 Bengaluru
2 Chennai

3 Shimla
4 Bhubaneshwar
5 Mumbai
● In that Index, B engaluru scored high on the parameter of economic ability (78.82), Chennai scored highest in t he
parameter quality of life (60.84).
● The city with the highest c itizen perception score was Bhubaneshwar at 94.8.
● Meanwhile, Delhi was ranked the worst c apital city, with a score of 69.4
● It focused on four parameters: quality of life, economic ability, sustainability and c itizens’ perceptions.
● This is the s ec ond edition of t he index, t he f irst one was launched in 2018.
I ndia Obtains $64 bn FDI in 2020 : UN Report
● According to the World Investment Report 2021 by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India
received $64 billion in Foreign Direct Investment in 2020.
● In that I ndia was t he f ifth largest recipient of Foreign Direct I nvestment (FDI) inflows.
● The inflow was boos ted by acquisitions in the information and communication t echnology (ICT) industry.
● In India, FDI increased 27% to $64 billion in 2020 from $51 billion in 2019.
● The United S tates remained t he largest recipient of FDI with $156 billion followed by China with USD 149 billion.
● In 2019, The global FDI flows decreased by 35 percent in 2020 to USD 1 trillion from USD 1.5 trillion.
S I P RI Yearbook 2021 : US Tops, India Ranked 6th Position
● On J une 14, 2021, Swedish think tank S t ockholm International P eace Research I nstitute (SIPRI) released t he SIPRI
Y earbook 2021.
● The SIPRI Yearbook as s esses the current state of armaments, disarmament and international s ecurity.
● In that, SIPRI Yearbook 2021 US remains the t op position with the highest nuclear warheads, having 5550 in
J anuary 2021, Compared to January 2020 this is a decrease from 5800.
● According to the yearbook, I ndia possessed 156 nuclear warheads at the start of 2021 compared to 150 at the start
of 2020.
● I ndia Ranked Sixth P osition in the list.
● The nine nuclear armed states - the U.SRussia, the U.KFrance, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea -
together possessed an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons at the start of 2021.
● Russia and the U.S. together possessed over 90% of global nuclear weapons and have extensive and expensive
modernisation programmes under way.
Founder of the Tata Group J amsetji Tata t ops inaugural list of Top P hilanthropists of the Century

● Founder of the Tata Group, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata ($102.4 billion) has t opped t he EdelGive Hurun
P hilanthropists of t he Century.
● The list prepared by E delGive Foundation and Hurun Report.
● Tat a is the only Indian in the top 10 list.
● The other Indian among the t op 50 is Azim P remji, former chairman of Wipro, he is ranked 12th.
● Bill Gates & Melinda French Gates ($74.6 billion) ranked second position followed by Henry Wellcome ($56.7 billion),
Howard Hughes ($38.6 billion) and Warren Buffett ($37.4 billion).
● The ranking is based on Tot al Philanthropic Value, c alculated as the v alue of the assets adjusted f or inflation,
t ogether with t he sum of gifts or distributions t o date.
● According to the EdelGive Hurun report, The world’s 50 most generous individuals came from five countries, led by
the US with 39, followed by 5 from the UK, China (3), India (2) and Portugal & Switzerland (1 each).
The Reuters I nstitute Digital News Report, 2021, India Ranks 31

● Out of 46 countries, India ranked 31 in t he Reuters I nstitute Digital News Report, 2021.
● Finland had the highest levels of overall trust in news (65%) while the US had t he lowest levels of trust (29%).
● Only 38% of the respondents from India informed they trust the news overall.
● The A s ian College of Journalism (ACJ) provided logistical support f or s urveying t he Indian market.
● The survey shows I ndia is one of t he strongest mobile-focused markets.
● The 10t h edition of the Digital News Report featured I ndia for the f irst time in the main report.
● The report is based on an online s urvey of 46 media markets t o understand how news is consumed in different
c ountries.
● The 2021 report f ocuses on t rust in news, the pandemic induced economic pressure on news publishers,
mis information and COVID-19.
NTP C bags recognition of India’s best employers among Nation-Builders 2021
● "NTP C is the only PSU to consistently f eature in I ndia’s Top 50 B est Workplaces.
● This year NTP C ranked 38th up from 47th position last year .
● It also won it s first-ever recognition of I ndia’s Best E mployers among Nation -Builders 2021”.
● The Maharatna Communit y and P ublic S ec t or Unit (CP S U) have once again featured in I ndia' s t op 50 ' B es t
Work places'.
Important Schemes
RDS O enhance First S tandards Body to Join ‘One Nation, One Standard’ Scheme
● Luc k now - bas ed RDS O, which sets standards for the railway s ec t or, has become the first standards body in the
country to join the central government's ' One Nation, One Standard' scheme that aims to ensure quality pr od uc t s t o
I ndian c onsumers.

● The Res earch Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) has now been recognized as a ' S t an da rd D e v elo ping
Organization' by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which is implementing the scheme.
● The partnership will help RDSO, the sole R&D wing of the railways ministry, to realign its stand ard formulation
procedures as per the code of good practices mentioned under the WTO-Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO-TBT).
● The recognition will be valid for three years.
A bout ‘One Nation, One Standard’ Scheme:
● The objec t iv e of the government's 'One Nation, One Standard' scheme, launched in 2019, is to ensure there is a
synergy and no overlap in the standardization work in the country, thereby building a ' B rand I ndia' identity in the long
run.
Hary ana CM launcheD P ran V ayu De vta Pension Scheme
● Hary ana P ran V ayu Devta P ension Scheme (PVDPS) 2021 & Ox y V an (Oxygen Forest) launched Rs. 2500 per ye ar
in Prana Vayu Devta Pension Yojana for maintenance of trees older than 75 years.
● Haryana government led by CM Manohar Lal K hattar has launched Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme 2021.
● This Life Air God Pension scheme aims to ensure adequate supply of natural oxygen in the state.
● This Prana Vayu Devta Pension Yojna is a major step towards ensuring clean air to breathe amid the ongoing
COV I D-19 pandemic outbreak.
● Oxy Van is a piece of land identified by the Haryana govt.
● On which as many as 3 c rore trees would be planted.
● The Oxy Vans will oc c upy 10% of the 8 lakh hectares of land across the state.
A P CM Launches Jagananna Thodu S cheme
● Chief Minister YS J agan Mohan Reddy will be launching J agananna Th od u s c h eme, whic h a i m s at p r ov id ing a
helping hand t o s mall and petty vendors across the State.
● Under the scheme, an int eres t -f ree loan of Rs 10, 000 will be provided to 3.7 lakh small and petty vendors at an
expenditure of Rs 370 crore.
● The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on November 25, 2020 and t his is t he s ec ond
c onsecutive year t he s cheme is being extended to benefit the small and petty vendors.
● The main objec t iv e of the scheme is to free vendors from paying heavy interest to the loans taken from private
parties.
B ihar CM launches 2 schemes f or Y outh & Women
● Bihar Chief Minister Nit ish K umar launched t wo ambitious schemes christened as t he 'Mukhya Mantri Y uva Udyay mi
Y ojna' and the 'Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyami Yojna' to promote entrepreneurship among y out h and women of all
sections under the state's 'Mukhaya Mantri Udyami Yojna' scheme.
● The s c hemes were promised by the chief minister during the 2020 B ihar elections in a bid to counter t he RJ D' s poll
plank on unemployment.
' Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyami Y ojana (MMUY):

● In this scheme, an unemployed woman will be provided an amount of Rs 10 lak h to start a new business or small
industry.
● Rs . 10 Lakh, Rs.5 Lakh will be a s ubsidy amount that does not need to be returned to the woman, while the remaining
Rs . 5 Lakh will be an interest free loan.
● The amount can be refunded in several installments over the next 7 years after the start of the new venture.
' Mukhaya Mantri Yuva Udyami Yojana (MYUY):
● In this scheme, unemployed youth will be provided an amount of Rs 10 lakh to start a new enterprise or industry.
● Rs . 10 Lakh, Rs.5 Lakh will be the s ubsidy amount (which they don’t need to refund), the balance Rs . 5 L ak h w ill b e
t he loan simple interest of 1% to be refunded in several installments.
Odisha CM inaugurated scheme f or COVID-19 Orphan Children – ‘Ashirbad’
● Odisha CM inaugurated scheme for COVID-19 Orphan Children – ‘Ashirbad’
● The Covid-19 pandemic has orphaned many c hildren.

● Governments are trying their level best for the upbringing of these children.
● The states were asked by the Center to pay attention t o s uch children, take care of t hem and make arrangements f or
their protection.
A bout the scheme:
● Odisha Chief Minister Naveen P atnaik has launched the A s hirbad scheme on Father`s Day.
● Under this scheme, the government will give Rs 2, 500 per mont h t o ev ery c hild who has lost one or both of his
parents.
● This money will be s ent to the bank account of the guardian or c aregiver of the beneficiaries t ill they turn 18.
● If such children are s ent to a children's home in the absence of a caregiver, they will be given an additional Rs 1, 00 0
ev ery month.
Gujarat CM e-launches A gricultural Diversification Scheme-2021
● Gujarat Chief Minister Mr. V ijay Rupani e-launched the A gricultural Div e rs if ic at io n S c h eme -2 02 1 f or benef it t ing
vanbandhu-farmers in the tribal areas of the state.
● He stated that the state government is working to make agriculture sustainable and profitable in the tribal areas.
● Inaugurating the A gricultural Diversification Scheme-2021 through video conferencing from Gandhinagar Mr. Rupani
noted that, this scheme will benef it more t han 126000 V anbandhu f armers of 14 tribal districts from Ambaji to
Umargam in Gujarat.
A bout the scheme:
● Under t his scheme tribal farmers will get f ertilizer-seed assistance of Rs. 31 c rores in which 45 k g of urea, 50 k g of
NPK and 50 kg of ammonium sulphate will be provided.
● The CM added t hat, assistance of Rs. 250 c rore has been provided to 10 lakh tribal farmers under this scheme in t he
last ten years.

● S eeds of c rops like maize, Bitter Melon (karela), Calabash (dudhi), tomato, millet, etc. are provided under this
scheme.
Delhi initiates new scheme named Covid-19 Pariwar Aarthik S ahayata Y ojana
● The Delhi government has dev eloped a portal through which f amilies of COVID19 victims will apply for Mukhyamant ri
COVID19 P ariwar A arthik S ahayata Y ojana to avail financial assistance.
● Under the scheme, an ex gratia of Rs 50, 000 will be provided to t hos e who hav e los t a f amily mem ber t o
c oronavirus.
● The government's S oc ial Welfare Department notified the scheme earlier this week under which Rs . 50, 000 ex-grat ia
will be given to every family that lost a member to COVID-19 and an additional Rs . 2, 500 pens ion per mont h if the
deceased was the sole breadwinner.
A bout the scheme:
● “E ac h family in which deat h has occurred due t o Covid, an ex-gratia of Rs . 50, 000 will be provided."
● Children who lost t heir both parents or single parent to COVID-19 will also be provided Rs . 2, 500 per month t ill t h ey
ac hieve 25 years of age.
● The Delhi government will als o provide f ree education to t hem.
Important Books and Authors

A ut hors B ooks
Ravi Shastri (Co-authored by Stargazing: The Players in My Life (Published by
Shastri and Ayaz Memon) HarperCollins India)
Salman Rushdie Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020 (Published by
Random House)
Ronnie Screwvala Skill it , kill it (Published by Penguin Random House)
Vijay Gokhale Tiananmen square the making of protest (Published by
HarperCollins Publishers)
Amartya Sen Home in the World (Published by Penguin Random House)
Amitav Ghosh The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis
(Published by John Murray)
Ruskin Bond It’s a Wonderful Life (Published by Aleph Book Company)
Tahmima Anam The startup wife
N V Ramana Anomalies in Law and Justice Virtually
Kaushik Basu Policymaker's Journal: From New Delhi to Washington D.C

Important Peoples’ in News

I ndian-origin girl bags Apple 'WWDC21 S wift Student Challenge'
● A binaya Dinesh, a 15-year-old Indian-origin girl, is among three winners of the annual t e c h g iant A pp le W W D C2 1
S wif t S t udent Challenge , a platform for the young brains willing to demonstrate their coding and problem-solving
skills.
● Passionate about the intersection of medicine and technology, something that became personal for her last year,
Dinesh created an app c alled Gastro at Home, which she plans to launch on the App Store this summer.
● A pple has selected 350 S wif t S t udent Challenge winners from 35 different countries and regions, as it opens all-
virtual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2021′ from June 7-11.
I nt er Milan appointed Simone Inzaghi as c oach on 2 -year contract
● I nt er Milan appointed S imone Inzaghi as coach, signing him to a t wo-year c ontract.
● Inzaghi replaces Antonio Conte, who left Inter last month after leading the club to its first Series A title in more than a
decade.
● The 45-year-old Inzaghi has been c oaching Lazio and led the club to the I t alian Cup title in 2019.
● He also won two Italian Super Cups in his five seasons.
● Inzaghi had been expected to extend his contract with Lazio last week but opted not to after Conte left Inter.
● Inzaghi is the younger brot her of f ormer AC Milan player and Coach Filippo Inzaghi.
Rhea Chakraborty t opped ‘The Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2020’
● Rhea Chakraborty topped ' The Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2020' list.
● Rhea Chakraborty has bagged the number 1 s pot on Times Most Desirable Women 2020 list.
● Rhea Chakraborty was in the news for most of last year due to the sudden demise of Sushant Singh Rajp ut and t he
c ontroversy around his death.
S unil Chhetri become 2nd highest active international goalscorer
● On J une 07, 2021, Captain of t he Indian football team, Sunil Chhetri became the s ec ond-highest active international
goalscorer with 74 goals.
● Cristiano Ronaldo (103) in the list of active footballers with the most international goals.
Tok yo P aralympics: Aruna Tanwar becomes India's first-ever Taekwondo Qualify
● A runa Tanwar has been awarded a wild card entry for the upcoming Tok yo P aralympic Games, which will mak e her
t he f irst Indian to compete in the global multi-para s port event, the national federation.
● I ndian Taekwondo president Namdev S hirgaonkar informed Aruna received the wild card based on her exemplary
past performances.
● She is the f irst Taekwondo athlete f rom India t o qualify f or the P aralympics.
● Aruna is the c urrent World No. 4 in the women's U-49 category.
● A f ive t ime national champion, she has finished on the podium in the last four years at bot h Asian P ara Taekwondo
Championships and World Para Taekwondo Championships.


● The Tok yo P aralympics will be held f rom August 24 t o S eptember 5.
A k shay Kumar appointed as B rand A mbassador of Mylab Discovery Solutions
● B ollywood superstar A kshay Kumar has been appointed as the new brand ambassador of biot ec hnology c ompany
My lab Discovery S olutions.
● This announcement comes days after the P une-based f irm launched the c o u n t ry ' s f irs t C O V I D- 19 s e lf-t es t k it -
Cov iSelf.
● The partnership with Akshay is aimed at creating awareness for Mylab's products and kits such as CoviSelf and also
to share educational content, according to the firm.
● On May 20, 201, MyLab Discovery Solutions had launched CoviSelf after receiving approval from the Indian Council
for Medical Research (ICMR).
V inoo Mankad and 9 others c onferred into ICC Hall of Fame
● The I nt ernational Cricket Council (ICC) announced a special edition int ake of 10 c ricket icons including former I n d ia
c ricketer V inoo Mankad into the ICC Hall of Fame to celebrate the prestigious history of Test cricket, coinc iding wit h
this month’s maiden World Test Championship (WTC) final between I ndia and New Zealand.
The s t alwarts, who have made great c ontribution to the game and were inducted into the I CC Hall of Fame are:
● Aubrey Faulkner of South Africa and Monty Noble of Australia (Early Cricket Era, prior to 1918)
● Sir Learie Constantine of West Indies and Stan McCabe of Australia (Inter-War Era, 1918-1945)
● Ted Dexter of England and Vinoo Mankad of India (Post-War Era, 1946-1970)
● Desmond Haynes of West Indie and Bob Willis of England (ODI Era, 1971-1995)
● Andy Flower of Zimbabwe and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka (Modern Cricket Era, 1996-2015).
● Thes e 10 legends have all made a significant contribution to the history of Test c ricket, and join an illus t rious lis t of
ICC Hall of Famers, taking the t ot al number to 103 as a result of this intake.
I CC Hall Of Fame V inoo Mankad, K umar S angakkara I nducted
● On J une 13, 2021, The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced list of 10 cricket legends who have been
inducted t o t he prestigious list of the I CC Hall of Fame
● The t ot al number of inductees in the list of ICC Hall of Famers have reached to 103.
● The 10 new ICC Hall of Famers are listed below:
1. South Africa’s Aubrey Faulkner
2. Australia’s Monty Noble
3. West Indies’ Sir Learie Constantine,
4. Australia’s Stan McCabe
5. England’s Ted Dexter
6. India’s Vinoo Mankad
7. West Indies’ Desmond Haynes\
8. England’s Bob Willis

9. Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara
10. Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower
Y uv raj Singh appointed as B rand A mbassador of PUMA Motorsport in India
● Global sports brand PUMA has extended partnership with former Indian cricketer Y uv raj S ingh.
● Singh has been associated with the brand for over a decade.
● He will now be seen in a new avatar as the face of P UMA Mot ors port in I ndia , showcasing his passion for fast cars
and sports-inspired fashion.
● With this, Singh also joins the brand’s global league of legends like Thierry Henry, Boris Becker and Usain Bolt.
● A bhishek Ganguly, managing director, P UMA India and S outheast Asia stated, “P UMA and Y uv raj s hare a deep
emotional bond that only grew stronger over the years.
S umant S inha honoured with S DG P ioneers by UNGC
● Unit ed Nations Global Compact has recognized S umant S inha, Chairman& MD of ReNew Power, as one o f t h e t e n
S DG P ioneers 2021, for his work to advance access to clean and affordable energy.
● SDG Pioneers are business leaders selected by the UN Global Compact for doing an exceptional job to advance the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the implementation of the UN Global Compac t Ten P rinc iples on
human rights, environment, labor, and anti-corruption.
● This honor comes in recognition of S umant 's work to advance access to clean and affordable energy (SDG 7).
OneP lus named in Jasprit B umrah as brand ambassador f or wearables
● P remium s martphone brand OnePlus stated it has named c ricketer Jasprit Bumrah as the brand ambassador f or it s
wearables category.
● "The partnership with Bumrah reiterates the brand philosophy of 'Never Settle' and the company's pursuit towards
perfection.
● For young India, B umrah represents a passion for a healthy, f it, and an active lifestyle while believ ing in c ons t ant ly
becoming better, a philosophy that truly resonates with what OnePlus stands for".
● The OneP lus wearables c ategory includes the OneP lus Watch and OnePlus Band .
I reland all-rounder K evin O'Brien announces retirement f rom ODI cricket
● I reland all-rounder K evin O'Brien has announced his ret irement from one-day internationals Cricket.
● It was Informed after playing his f inal match for the c ountry against t he Netherlands on June 7, 2021
A bout K evin O'Brien :
● The 37-year-old Dubliner, will be av ailable f or Tests and T20Is.
● Kevin O'Brien picked 114 ODI wickets, which is t he highest by any I rish player.
● Kevin will be remembered for his rec ord-breaking 113 in the I CC World Cup 2011 against England in Bangalore.
● The star all-rounder represented the nation in 153 ODI matches.
● He won 153 c aps in t he 50-over format, scoring over 3,000 runs.
● He S c ored 3619 runs, the t hird highest from his country behind Stirling and Porterfield.

● Also, he is Ireland's leading wicket-taker with 114 scalps in one-day internationals.
● In May, Kevin became the f irst Test c enturion for I reland, after making 118 in the nation's maiden Test against
P ak istan at Malahide.
Mawy a S udan - IAF’s 1st woman f ighter pilot f rom J&K
● Mawy a S udan, a resident of J ammu and K ashmir, has become the f irst woman fighter pilot in t he I ndian A ir Forc e
(IAF) from Rajouri district.
● Hailing from the village of Lamberi, of Border Tehsil of Nowshera in Rajouri, she was commissioned into the IAF as
Flying Officer.
● Mawya has become the 12t h woman officer and f irst from Rajouri to be inducted as a fighter pilot in the IAF.
● Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria reviewed the combined graduation passing out parade at the Air
Force Academy, Dundigal, Hyderabad.
S hafali Verma Becomes t he Youngest Indian Cricketer in all formats

● On J une 27, 2021, Opener S hafali Verma became the y oungest Indian c ricketer to make debut across all t he formats
after being picked for the f irst ODI against E ngland Women.
● The others are followed by former England women's team wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor, Australia Women all -rounder
Ellyse Perry is third in the list, followed by Pakistan Mohammad Amir.
● Verma, on her ODI debut, s c ored 15 runs off 14 balls before being dismissed by E ngland’s K atherine B runt.
● The Haryana girl took 17 years and 150 days to make her debut across all formats, making her the f ifth-youngest
c ricketer overall in the list, headed by Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

‘TecHalli’: A nand Mahindra, Nandan Nilekani honours B engaluru with new t itle
● Mahindra Group Chairman A nand Mahindra and I nfosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani have chosen " Tec H alli" as an
alt ernative name for B engaluru, instead of India's Silicon Valley.
● The name includes the word " halli" which means "village" in K annada .
● Mahindra had conducted a caption competition, calling for a new title for the country's tech capital.
Important Acquisitions & Mergers

Canara Bank fund f or bad bank with 12% stack
● S t ate-owned Canara B ank mentioned it will be the lead sponsor of Nat ional Asset Reconstruction Company L im ite d
(NARCL) or bad bank with 12 per c ent stake in the entity.
● Bad bank refers to a financial institution that takes over bad assets of lenders and undertakes resolution.
● "The I ndian Banks' A ssociation (IBA) vides their letter dated May 13, 2021 requested Canara Bank t o part ic ipat e in
NARCL as sponsor.
● The board of Canara B ank has given in-principle approval for taking stake in NARCL”.
● Banks have identified around 22 bad loans worth Rs 89,000 c rore to be transferred to the NARCL in the initial phase.

CCI Cleared proposed deal to acquire stake in Magma HDI General Insurance
● On J une 17, 2021, The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposed ac quisition of a stake in
Magma HDI General I nsurance Company by t wo entities, Under the transaction, India Advantage Fund S4 I &
Dynamic India Fund S4 US I, and NHPEA Trisul Holding B.V.
● The transaction involves acquisition of les s than 25% of Magma HDI by India A dvantage Fund S 4 I and Dynamic
I ndia Fund S 4 US I on a f ully diluted basis.
● The deal also involves acquisition of less than 10% of the share capital of Magma HDI on a fully dilute d basis by
NTH.
● NTH is an investment holding firm that belongs to a fund managed or controlled by an affiliate of Morgan Stanley.
HDFC B ank t o buy stake worth over ₹1,906 cr in E RGO General Insurance & Borderless S ofttech
● HDFC B ank has given its approval to 3,55,67,724 c rore s hares in group firm HDFC E RGO General Insurance
Company f or over ₹1,906 crore from the parent company Hous ing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC).
● The board of directors of HDFC Bank has approved equity shares of ₹10 each.
● The aggregate consideration for purc hase of 3,55,67,724 shares of HDFC E RGO is ₹1,906.43 crore, i.e. ₹536 per
s hare.
CCI A ccepts acquisition of Zuari A gro Chemicals plant by P aradeep P hosphates
● On J une 25, 2021, The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved ac quisition of the Zuarinagar plant of Zua ri
A gro Chemicals Limited by Paradeep P hosphates Limited.
A bout PPL :
● PPL, part of t he Adventz Group.
● It is mainly in the manufacture and s ale of non-Urea fertilizers, namely, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and NPK
f ertilizers.
● It also imports and sells Muriate of Potash (MoP).
A bout ZACL :
● ZACL is also a part of the A dv entz Group.
● It is engaged in the development and manufacturing of f ertilizers in I ndia.
● It has manufacturing facilities at Zuarinagar, Goa where it produces Urea and non -Urea f ertilizers.
Important Web Portals and Mobile Apps

NCP CR Launches online portal ‘Bal Swaraj’
● The Nat ional Commission for P rotection of Child Rights (NCPCR) under the Ministry of Women and Child
Dev elopment has devised an online tracking portal B al S waraj (COVID-Care link).
P urpose of the Portal :

● The portal has been c reated with t he purpose of t rackin g and monitoring children who need care and protection in
real-time, digitally.
● The portal will also be used to t rack c hildren who have lost both their parents during COVID-19.
● The COVID-Care link on the portal has been prov ided f or the concerned officer or department to upload the data of
s uc h c hildren.
S hri Thaawarchand Gehlot Launches S AGE initiative and S AGE portal
● On J une 04, 2021, The Minister of S ocial Justice and E mpowerment, Shri ThaawarchandGehlot virtually launched
the S A GE (Seniorcare A ging Growth Engine) initiative and S AGE portal f or elderly persons.
● The SAGE portal will be a one-s top access of elderly care products and services by credible start-ups.
A im :
● To involve y outh f or elderly care by way of start-ups and their innovative ideas t o make t he elderly care.
● This will help to mak e the programmes f or elderly care a national movement rather than just a government
programme.
● The start-ups will be selected on the basis of innovative products and services, which they should be able to provide
across sectors such as health, housing, care centers, apart from technological access linked to finances, food and
wealth management, and legal guidance.
● The SAGE project is shaped on the rec ommendations of the empowered expert c ommittee (EEC) report on start-ups
f or elderly.
S ehwag launches experiential c ricket learning app – CRICURU

● India’s star cricketer and opener V irender S ehwag has launched CRI CURU, an experiential learning app.
A im :
● Redefining and revolutionising the cricket coaching experience in the country.
● It is I ndia’s first A I-enabled coaching website, t o offer a personalised learning experience for the y ounger players.
● The app is available on bot h iOS and Android devices.
● It can be accessed at www. cricuru.com
● The curriculum for each player is dev eloped personally by V irender S ehwag along with S anjay Bangar, f ormer Indian
player and batting c oach of t he Indian cricket team (2015-19).
● CRICURU is designed to help y oungsters learn playing cricket t hrough master classes of 30 handpicked player -
c oaches from across the globe like AB de Villiers, Brett Lee, Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan
Singh, Jonty Rhodes.
I nc ome Tax Department t o launch new e -filing portal
● On J une 07, 2021, The I ncome Tax Department launched a new e -filing portal.
A im of the P ortal :
● Providing the t axpayer convenience and a modern, s eamless experience t o t axpayers.
● It is an I nitiative by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

● The portal can be accessed through the address www. incometax.gov.in.
A bout e- f iling Portal :
● The portal has been int egrated with immediate processing of Income Tax Returns (ITRs) t o issue quick refunds t o
t ax payers.
● New call centre for taxpayer assistance and prompt response to taxpayer queries.
● The portal will have functionalities for filing Income Tax forms, to add tax professionals and for submitting responses
to notices in faceless scrutiny or appeals.
Ministry of Ayush Launches ‘Namaste Y oga’ A pp
● On J une 11, 2021, a mobile application called Namaste Y oga Launched by t he Ministry of A yush .
● On June 11, 2021, The Ministry of Ayush organised a c urtain raiser event f or the 7th I nternational Day of Yoga,
v irtually.
● The event was organised by the Ministry of Ayush in association with Morarji Desai National Institute of Y oga
(MDNIY).
A im :
● Rais e A wareness about yoga and make it accessible for the larger community.
● Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar and Union Mini ster of State (IC) for Ayush
Shri Kiren Rijiju underlined the importance of the central theme of IDY 2021 “Be With Yoga, Be At Home” .
● The curtain raiser event also mark ed the beginning of a 10-episode s eries on v arious aspects of Common Y oga
P rotocol to be t elecast on DD India.

● The series is produced by Morarji Desai National Institute of Y oga (MDNIY).
I nt ernational Yoga Day 2021: P M Modi launches mYoga App
● On J une 21, 2021, International Day of Y oga, P rime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the mY oga app.
● It has been dev eloped I n c ollaboration with WHO, and t he Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha
and Homoeopathy (Ministry of A YUSH), Government of India.
A bout the app :
● WHO mYoga is an app for the general public to use regularly, providing Y oga l ea rn ing a nd p rac t ic e s e s sio ns o f
v arying durations.
● The app was developed through review of s c ientific literat ur e a n d e x t ens iv e i nt e rn at iona l e x pe rt c o ns ult at ion
proc esses.
● The app is safe and secure, collecting no data from users at all, and can be used as a daily yoga companion for
persons aged 12-65 years.
● M-Yoga app, will have yoga training videos in different languages for people across the world.
● This will help us in our ' One World, One Health' motto."
● The app available on the Google play store.

● M- Yoga app is c urrently available in E nglish, Hindi and French. It will be available i n o t he r U N l an gu ages i n t he
upc oming months.
LI C Launches Technology P latform ‘e-PGS’
● Lif e Insurance Corporation (LIC) has launched a centralized web-based workflow-based IT platform, “e-P GS”.
● The new technology platform, e-P GS , is designed to provide a centralized collection and payment accounting with a
high level of bank integration.
● It is designed to provide very innovative features of seamless and integrated banking with automatic matching.
● The system is capable of providing comprehensive s elf-service capability through the customer portal.
● On this portal, c orporate c ustomers will be able to view their data, initiate actionable processes and register and track
claims.
Rev ision P oints
A pplications/Web portals Launched By/Developed By
Bal Swaraj National Commission for Protection of Child
Rights
SAGE portal Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri
ThaawarchandGehlot
CRICURU Virender Sehwag
Namaste Yoga Ministry of Ayush .
mYoga app WHO, Ministry of AYUSH
e-PGS Life Insurance Corporation
Important Sports News

Cricket
I CC E xpands Men's ODI World Cup To 14 Teams For 2027 & 2031 E ditions
● On J une 01, 2021, The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the men's ODI World Cup will once again
bec ome a 14-team t ournament in 2027 and 2031.
● These 14 t eams will split into two groups of seven , with the top three in each group progressing to a Super Six stage,
followed by semi-finals and final.
● Earlier in the 2019 World Cup, only 10 teams contested.
● The I CC Men's T20 World Cup will be expanded t o a 20 -team.
● The t ournament will take place every t wo years f rom 2024-2030.

S hafali Verma remains to top I CC women’s T20I batting rankings
● On J une 01, 2021, Teenage I ndia batswoman S hafali Verma continued to t op t he I CC women’s T20I batting
rank ings.
● The 17-y ear-old player, being touted as the s uccessor to Smriti Mandhana, has 776 points.
● India’s T20 v ice-captain, S mriti, is fourth with 693 points.
Rank P layer
1 Shafali Verma ( India ) - 776 Points
2 Beth Mooney ( Australia )
3 Jemimah Rodriques ( India ) - 640 Points
4 Smriti ( India ) - 693 Points
● Scotland all-rounder K at hryn B ryce, has become t he f irst batswoman from her country to make it into t he top 10.
B haratPe becomes ICC’s official partner till 2023
● Digital payments startup B haratPe announced it has ink ed a t hree-year long deal to become an official partner with
I nt ernational Cricket Council (ICC).
● As per the agreement, BharatPe will promote t he association across broadcast and digital platforms, as well as
ex ecute in-venue brand activations at all t he ICC events until 2023.
● The key tournaments include the upcoming
6. ICC World Test Championship (Southampton, UK 2021),
7. Men’s T20 World Cup (India, 2021),
8. Men’s T20 World Cup (Australia, 2022),
9. Women’s World Cup (New Zealand, 2022),
10. U19 Cricket World Cup (West Indies, 2022),
11. Women’s T20 World Cup (South Africa, 2022),
12. Men’s Cricket World Cup (India, 2023)
13. World Test Championship (2023).
I P L 2021 Remaining matches t o be held in U AE Between S ep - Oct 2021
● The B oard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the remainder of I ndian P remier League (IPL) 2021
will be played in t he United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the months of S ep - Oct 2021.
● The decision was taken at B CCI's S pecial General Meeting (SGM) which was held v irtually.

● IPL 2021 had been postponed in may after several players and support staff across teams tested positive for COVID-
19.
● As many as 29 mat ches were held this season before the t ournament c ame to a halt.
I CC P layers of t he month f or May - Mushfiqur Rahim, K athryn Bryce
● S c otland's K athryn B ryce and Mushfiqur Rahim of B angladesh have been named the I nt ernational C r ic k et C o unc il
(I CC) Players of the Month f or May.
● B ry ce secured the women's prize after becoming the f irst Scottish player, male or female, to make it into the t op 10 of
t he I CC rankings.
● She is third on the T20 all-rounder standings and 10th on the bowling list.
● Bryce played four T20 internationals in Scotland's series with Ireland in May, where she scored 96 runs and took five
wickets.
● The 23-year-old was a standout performer despite her side losing the series.
● Bryce beat off competition from Ireland duo Gaby Lewis and Leah Paul to land the monthly award.
● Rahim took the men's prize after helping B angladesh to a one-day international series win over Sri Lanka.
● He scored 125 in the second match and hit an unbeaten 68 in his side's drawn Test against the same opponents.
● Hasan Ali of Pakistan and Praveen Jayawickrama of Sri Lanka were also nominated.
Ot hers
2021 A sian Amateur B oxing Championships - S anjeet K umar wins 91kg Gold Medal
● I ndian heavyweight boxer S anjeet K umar won a gold medal in the 91 kg weight category at the A S BC Asian B oxing
Championships.
● The 2021 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships was held f rom 24 t o 31 May 2021 in Dubai, United Arab E mirates.
● Sanjeet Kumar defeated f ive-time Asian Championships medallist and Rio Olympic silver medalist V assiliy Levit of
K az akhstan in a 3-2 split decision in the final of Asian Championships.
● The 19-member Indian contingent, including both men and women, secured 15 medals c omprising 2 gold, 5 silver
and 8 bronze.
I n Men's Category :
1. Sanjeet Kumar - 91 kg - Gold Medal
2. Amit Panghal - 52 kg - Silver Medal
3. Shiva Thapa - 64 kg - Silver Medal
4. Vikas Krishan Yadav - 69 kg - Bronze Medal
5. Varinder Singh - 60 kg - Bronze Medal
I n Women's Category :
1. Pooja Rani - 75 kg - Gold Medal

2. Mary Kom – 51 kg - Silver Medal
3. Lal Buat Saihi – 64 kg - Silver Medal
4. Anupama Kundu – 81 kg - Silver Medal
5. Monika – 48 kg - Bronze Medal
6. Sakshi Chaudhary – 54 kg - Bronze Medal
7. Jasmine – 57 kg - Bronze Medal
8. Simranjit Kaur – 60 kg - Bronze Medal
9. Lovlina Borgohain – 69 - Bronze Medal
10. Saweety Boora – 81 kg - Bronze Medal
B razil t o host Copa America for 2nd consecutive time
● B razil will hos t Copa A merica for the second consecutive time after Colombia and Argentina were stripped of hos ting
rights for the Football t ournament.

● It has been announced by South A merican s occer body CONMEBOL.
● The tournament is confirmed to take plac e between J une 13 and July 10.
● Colombia was removed as co-host on May 20 as street protests against President Ivn Duque rocked the nation.
● Copa America was initially scheduled f or 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic.
Djok ovic Wins 2021 B elgrade Open Tennis Tournament 83rd Career Title
● World No. 1 Novak Djokovic captured the 83rd t itle in t he 2021 Belgrade Open Tennis Tournament.
● The Belgrade Open was held from May 23.

● Novak Djokovic def eated world No. 255 Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-3 in the f inal of t he Belgrade Open t ournament.
● This was the f irst edition of the t ournament.
● With 83 career titles, Djokovic is the fifth-most successful player of all time, only behind Rafael Nadal (88), Ivan Lendl
(94), Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109).
2021 FIH world rankings: I ndian men’s team maintain 4th position, women’s team at 9th
● The latest I nt ernational Hockey Federation world rankings 2021 , In Hockey, I ndian men’s team maintained their
f ourth position while women’s t eam held ninth position.
Rank Men's Team
1 Belgium
2 Australia
3 Netherlands
4 India

Rank Women’s Team
1 Netherlands
2 Argentina
3 Australia
9 India
● Despite missing the European leg of the FIH Hockey Pro- League series in Great Britain, Spain and Germany in April
and May, the Indian men’s team maintained its fourth spot with 2223.458 points.
● In the women’s category, got 1643 P oints.
I naugural FIH Hockey 5s World Hosted By Oman in January 2024
● The I nt ernational Hockey Federation (FIH) has appointed Oman as t he host country f or the inaugural FIH Hockey 5s
World Cups (Men and Women
● It will be played in J anuary 2024.
● The Hockey5s’ flagship event is a brand-new FIH competition.
● 16 teams per gender (3 per continent + Oman, as hosts) will take part in this very first edition.
French Open Tennis Title 2021 - Novak Djokovic and B arbora K rejcikova wins
● Nov ak Djokovic and B arbora K rejcikova win in The French Open Tennis Tournament 2021.
● List of Winners in French Open Tennis Title 2021 :
1. Men’s Singles- Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2. Women’s Singles- Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic)
3. Men’s Doubles- Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) and Nicolas Mahut (France)
4. Women’s Doubles- Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic) and Kateřina Siniaková (Czech Republic)
5. Mixed Doubles- Desirae Krawczyk (United States) and Joe Salisbury (United Kingdom)
Not e :
● In E urope, this t ournament is known as the Roland Garros Tennis Tournament.
A c hievements of Djokovic :
● Djokovic has also become the f irst man in t he Open Era t o c omplete t he c areer Grand Slam twice.
● He now has nine Australian Open, five Wimbledon, and three US Open titles to his name.
● This is Djokovic's third title of the year.
A c hievements of Krejcikova :
● Krejcikova has become the f irst player t o win both the women's singles and doubles event.

● Krejcikova has also bec ome t he f irst woman t o win both the singles and doubles events at a Grand Sla m since
S erena Williams in 2016.
● She is the f irst woman f rom her country t o clinch the French Open singles t itle since Hana Mandlikova in 1981.
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu qualifies for Tokyo Olympics
● I ndia’s Mirabai Chanu, the 2017 world c hampion in weight lifting, has qualified for the Tok yo Olympics in the women’s
49-k g c ategory announced by the I nt ernational Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
● The International Weightlifting Federation announced that Mirabai has qualified on t he basis of her world ranking
points.
● The I ndian Manipur lifter is ranked second in the women's 49kg category with 4133,6172 points.
● As per rules of the IWF, t op eight lifters in each of t he 14 weight c ategories, including seven in t he women's group,
are eligible to c ompete in Tokyo Olympic Games.
● In the men's 67 kg category, I ndia's t eenage weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga is ranked 12th.
Gelfand Challenge Chess Title : Grandmaster D. Gukesh wins
● On J une 13, 2021, world's second y oungest Grandmaster D. Gukesh sensationally won the $15, 000 Gelfand
Challenge c hess title.
● He s ec ured a ‘wild card’ for the elite Meltwaters Champions Chess Tour.
● Gukesh, 15, won all f our rounds, including the key battle against Praggnanandhaa.
● Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa aggregated 14 points f rom 19 rounds.
● Gukesh took the title due to his 17th-round win over Praggnanandhaa.
Neeraj Chopra wins gold medal in Meeting Cidade de Lisboa in Lisbon
● I ndia's Neeraj Chopra won the javelin gold medal in the Meet ing Cidade de Lisboa in Lisbon, P ortugal.
● His f ifth attempt too was no throw while the las t and s ixth t hrow was 83.18m.
● In J anuary 2020, a t hrow of 87.86m in S outh Africa he had qualified for Tokyo Olympic 2020.
French Grand P rix 2021 : F1 leader Max V erstappen wins
● On J une 20, 2021, Formula One championship leader Max V erstappen won t he 2021 French Grand P rix.
● Lewis Hamilton [Britain-Mercedes] stood s econd in the 2021 French Grand P rix and S ergio P erez [ Mexico- Red Bull]
s t ood third.
● Verstappen has 131 points to Hamilton’s 119 after seven races.
● This race is the s ev enth round of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship.
2021 Tokyo Olympics : Manpreet S ingh & Rani Rampal named captains of I ndian hockey t eams
● I ndia’s men’s and women’s hockey t eams will be c aptained by Manpreet Singh and Indian forward Rani Rampal
respectively at next month’s Tok yo Olympics.
● 2021 Tokyo Olympics will begin in July 2021.
● For Both teams, t wo v ice-captains were also appointed namely Deep Grace Ekka and S avita.
● B ot h t eams are composed of 16 members each.

S ports Minister launched India's Olympic theme song ' Lakshya Tera S amne Hai'
● On J une 23, 2021, Sports Minister K iren Rijiju launched I ndia's Official Olympic Theme Song ' Lakshya Tera Samne
Hai' for the S ummer Games in July-August.
● Mohit Chauhan has composed and sung the song.
● The event was organised by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and attended by its President, Secretary General,
Deputy Chef De Mission, Sports Secretary and DG Sports Authority of India (SAI).
● The Games will open on July 23 and over 100 I ndian athletes have qualified for the event so far.
I S S F World Cup : Olympic-bound s hooter Saurabh Chaudhary Wins bronze medal
● On J une 24, 2021, Tokyo-bound shooter Saurabh Chaudhary won a bronze medal at the 10m air pistol event at the
I S S F World Cup in Osijek.
● Saurabh is 19 year old, he scored 220 in the final after qualifying with a score of 581.
● The event is the I ndian shooting t eam''s f inal competitive outing before the Olympics in Tokyo .
● Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar f inished seventh in the men's 10m air rifle f inal.
● Manu B hakrer finished seventh in the women's 10m air pistol event with a score of 137.3.
A bout S aurabh Chaudhary :
● Saurabh Chaudhary was the y oungest Indian gold medalist at t he Asian Games.
● He won t he gold medal at t he 2018 Asian Games in 10 m A ir Pistol.
● He set a new junior world record in the ISSF J unior World Cup in S uhl, Germany .
K ay lee McKeown breaks 100-meter backstroke world record

● A us tralian S wimmer Kaylee McKeown broke the 100-meter backstroke world record at the A ustralian Olympic t rials.
● The 19-year-old McKeown had a t ime of 57.45 s econds at the S outh Australian Aquatic Centre .
● E mily Seebohm came s econd to qualify for her f ourth Olympic Games.
● McKeown beat the previous world record held by the Unit ed States swimmer Regan Smith who made the record
wit hin a t ime of 57:57.
K uortane Games : Neeraj Chopra wins bronze medal
● On J une 26, 2021, Tokyo-bound javelin thrower from India, Neeraj Chopra won the bronze medal at t he Kuortane
Games in Finland.
● Neeraj Chopra threw his javelin at the 86. 79m mark.
● This was Chopra’s third best performance t his season.
● He finished third behind world no. 1 Johannes Vetter of Germany and former Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott
of Trinidad and Tobago.
● J ohannes V etter c linched gold with a massive 93.59m throw, while Walc ott's silver-winning effort measured 89.12m.
Tok yo Olympics : S ajan P rakash becomes first ever Indian swimmer to qualify
● S ajan P rakash became the f irst I ndian swimmer to qualify for t he upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
● This is the first time an Indian swimmer managed to breach the Olympic qualification mark.

● Sajan ac hieved t he feat as he clocked 1:56:38 in t he men's 200m butterfly at the S ette Colli Trophy in Rome.
● The 27-year-old swimmer from K erala clocked a time of 1:56.96s
● Tokyo Olympics 2021 will begin on J uly 23 and t he Games will run up t o A ugust 8 2021.
F1 S t yrian Grand Prix 2021 : Red B ull's Max Verstappen Wins
● Red B ull driver Max Verstappen has won the S tyrian Grand P rix 2021 held at S pielberg, A ustria.
● Followed by Merc edes drivers Lewis Hamilton & V altteri B ottas finished 2nd & 3rd P lace.
● F1 Styrian Grand Prix 2021 Organised by FIA.
● Verstappen has won t hree of the last f our races.
A c hievements of Max Verstappen :
● For the Hungarian Grand P rix, Verstappen became the f irst Dutch F1 driver in 2019.
● On 23 May 2021, V erstappen became the first Dutch F1 driver to lead the World Championship, after winning the
Monaco Grand Prix.

I S S F Shooting World Cup : Rahi S arnobat Clinches Gold I n 25m Pistol
● On J une 28, 2021, Indian shooter Rahi S arnobat won a gold medal in the women's 25M pistol event at the 2021
I nt ernational Shooting S port Federation World Cup being held in Osijek, Croatia.
● It is being held f rom June 22 to July 03, 2021.
● Rahi s hot 39 out of 50 in the 25m pistol final to win & It was I ndia’s first gold at the ongoing edition of t he t ournament.
● The s ilver went to France's Mathilde Lamolle, who scored 31 out of 50.
A bout Rahi Sarnobat Achievements :

● Sarnobat became I ndia's f irst pistol s hooter to win a gold medal in t he 25m pistol event in the ISSF World Cup in
Changwon.
● She won her f irst gold medal at the 2008 Commonwealth Y outh Games in Pune, I ndia.
● She had won t wo gold medals in 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
A rc hery World Cup Stage 3: I ndia's Deepika Kumari completes hat-trick of gold medals in P aris
● On J une 27, 2021, India’s Deepika K umari completed a hat -trick of gold medals at the A rchery World Cup Stage 3 in
P aris.
● Deepika Kumari beat Elena Osipova of Russia 6 -0 in the final.
● It is her t hird gold medal at t he tournament.
● Deepika has also won t he top prize in the mixed t eam and women's individual recurve events.
● In the mix ed recurve team event, husband-wife duo A t anu Das and Deepika K umari bagged Gold with 5 -3 win over
t he Netherlands.
● This was their s ec ond successive gold medal in t he World Cup t his year, and s ixth overall (Shanghai-2011, Medellin-
2013, Wroclaw-2013, Wroclaw-2014, Guatemala City-2021).
A z erbaijan Grand P rix Sergio P erez wins
● Red B ull's Sergio P erez won a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2021 held at B ak u, A zerbaijan.

● Sebastian Vettel for Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly for Alpha Tauri finished 2nd & 3rd in the race.
● It was the 6t h round of t he 2021 Formula One World Championship.
● The F1 Championship Organized by Federation International de I’Automobile.
Rev ision P oints
Magma Fincorp Ltd West Bengal Adar Poonawalla
Central Board of Direct Taxes New Delhi J.B. Mohapatra
Canara Bank Bengaluru Lingam Venkat Prabhakar
Confederation of Indian Industry New Delhi T V Narendran
Vodafone-Idea Gandhinagar Ravinder Takkar
National Human Rights Commission New Delhi HL Dattu
Union Bank of India Mumbai Rajkiran Rai
Ola Electric Bengaluru Bhavish Aggarwal
HBO Max United States Jason Kilar
International Dairy Federation Brussels, Belgium Piercristiano Brazzale
RBL Bank Mumbai Vishwavir Ahuja
United Nations World Food Programme Rome, Italy David Beasley
National Commission for Protection of New Delhi Priyank kanongoo
Child Rights
Common Services Centres New Delhi Ajay Prakash Sawhney
World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland Tedros Adhanom
Border Roads Organization New Delhi Rajeev Chaudhary
National Council of Educational New Delhi R. S. Sharma
Research and Training
United Nations Office on Drugs and Vienna, Australia Ghada Waly
Crime
Sterlite Copper Thoothukudi R Kishore Kumar
ECube Seoul, South Korea Richa Arora
Bandhan Bank Kokata Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
Wipro Ltd Bengaluru Thierry Delaporte
Securities and Exchange Board of India Mumbai Ajay Tyagi
Snapdeal New Delhi Kunal Bahl

Nippon India Mutual Fund Mumbai Sundeep Sikka
International Boxing Association Lausanne, Switzerland Umar Kremlyov
Bharti Airtel New Delhi Gopal Vittal
Mastercard New York Michael Miebach
Tata Motors Mumbai Guenter Butschek
Zoom Video Communications California Eric Yuan
International Criminal Court The Hague, Netherlands Judge Piotr Hofmański
Microsoft Washington, USA Satya Nadella
Sterling and Wilson Solar Ltd Mumbai Amit Jain
United Nations General Assembly New York Rebecca Grynspan
NASA Washington D.C Bill Nelson
BharatPe New Delhi Ashneer Grover
Convergence Energy Services Ltd New Delhi Mahua
Indian Council of Agricultural Research New Delhi Trilochan Mohapatra
Karnataka Industrial Area Development Bengaluru Dr. N. Shivashankara
Board
Energy Efficiency Services Ltd New Delhi RK Sud
National Hydroelectric Power Faridabad Abhay Kumar Singh
Corporation Limited
National Institute of Wind Energy Chennai Balaraman Kannan
Central Institute of Road Transport Pune Rajkumar
National Small Industries Corporation New Delhi Vijayendra
National Security Guard New Delhi M.A. Ganapathy
Goa Shipyard Limited Goa Bharat Bhushan Nagpal
Armament Research and Development Pune Dr V Venkateswara Rao
Establishment
High Energy Material Research Pune K P S Murthy
Laboratory
Defence Research and Development New Delhi Ajay Kumar Singh
Organization
SpaceX California Elon Musk
Indian Space Research Organization Bengaluru K Sivan
European Space Agency Paris Johann-Dietrich Wörner
Economist Intelligence Unit London Robin

Institute for Economics and Peace Sydney, Australia Steve Killelea
NTPC New Delhi Gurdeep Singh
RDSO Lucknow Virendra Kumar
International Cricket Council Dubai Manu Sawhney
Board of Control for Cricket in India Mumbai Sourav Ganguly
International Hockey Federation Lusanne, Switzerland Leandro Negre
International Weightlifting Federation Lausanne, Switzerland Dr. Michael Sheriar Irani
(Interim)
Indian Banks' Association Mumbai Rajkiran Rai G
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative New Delhi B.S.Nakai
Limited
National Commission for Protection of New Delhi Priyank kanongoo
Child Rights
Facebook Massachusetts, United Mark Zuckerberg
States
Association of National Exchanges New Delhi KK Maheshwari
Members of India
National Commodity and Derivatives Mumbai Arun Raste
Exchange
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory New Delhi Sanjeev Nandan Sahai
Board
HSBC India Mumbai Hitendra Dave
FINA Bureau Lausanne, Switzerland Husain Al-Musallam
Internet and Mobile Association of India Mumbai Arjan Kumar Sikri
Football Association London, United Kingdom Debbie Hewitt
Ferrari Maranello, Italy Benedetto Vigna
National Institute of Immunology New Delhi M. G. K. Menon
National Medicinal Plant Board New Delhi Dr. J.L.N Sastry
National Botanical Research Institute Lucknow S.K. Barik is
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd Mumbai Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
OnePlus Shenzhen, China Pete Lau

Important Obituaries
Name Field
Lee Evans Sprinter & Olympic activist
Sir Anerood Jugnauth Former President and Prime Minister of Mauritius
Narinder Bragta The Chief Whip in Himachal Pradesh Assembly and
senior BJP MLA
Buddhadeb Dasgupta Bengali filmmaker
N. Dingko Singh (Arjuna Award Former Asian Games gold medallist, boxer
(1998), Padma Shri Award (2013))
Radha Mohan Padma Shri awardee environmentalist and Odisha's
former information commissioner Professor
Surat Singh Mathur Asian Games marathon bronze medal winner and 1952
Olympian
Dr Ashok Panagariya Neurologist and Padma Shri recipient
Siddalingaiah Kannada poet, playwright and Dalit activist
Sanchari Vijay Kannada Actor
CR Viswanathan Former All India Football Federation (AIFF) vice-president
Brig Raghubir Singh Rajawat Mahavir Chakra (MVC) recipient
Kenneth Kaunda Zambia’s founding president and a champion of African
nationalism
Dr Lakshmi Nandan Bora Assamese litterateur
Milkha Singh Indian Sporting icon (Flying Sikh)
Guruprasad Mohapatra Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
secretary
Gottfried Böhm Pritzker Prize winner (1st German Architect)
Benigno Aquino Former Philippine President
John McAfee Founder of the antivirus software
Parassala Ponnammal of Kerala Carnatic musician
Sivan Malayalam Filmmaker & Cinematographer


June 2021

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Important Monthly Current Affairs Capsule – June 2021

2 Important Banking News 4

3 Important Financial & Economy Affairs 20

4 Important Business News 24

5 Important State Wise News 31

6 Important National News 48

7 Important International News 69

9 Important Awards and Honours 84

11 Important Summit & Conference 100

12 Important Defence News 103

13 Important Science and Technology 107

14 Important Environment News 115

15 Important Rankings and Indexes 117

16 Important Books and Authors 126

17 Important Peoples’ in News 127

18 Important Mergers and Acquisitions 130

19 Important Web portals and Mobile Apps 131

20 Important Sports News 134

21 Important Obituaries 145

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(It was proclaimed by the UN General world

Celebrated since 2001)

June 2 Telangana Day (Telangana Formation Observed annually on 2 June since

General Assembly the day.

June 4 International Day of Innocent Children It was established on 19 August 1982

June 5 World Environment Day Reimagine. Recreate. Restore

(The global host for the day in 2021

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated day

June 5 World Day against Speciesism

June 6 UN Russian Language Day Established by UNESCO in 2010

June 8 World Oceans Day The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods

June 8 World Brain Tumor Day

June 9 World Accreditation Day Supporting the Implementation of the

Sustainable Development Goals

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June 13 International Albinism Awareness Day StrengthBeyondAllOdds

organized for the first time in 2005) the world beating

June 15 World Wind Day Organised by WindEurope and

is called the country of winds)

June 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Access to Justice

June 15 International Day of Family Remittances

June 17 World Day to Combat Desertification Restoration. Land. Recovery

June 18 Sustainable Gastronomy Day

June 18 International Picnic Day

June 18 Autistic Pride Day Inclusion in the Workplace:

Challenges and Opportunities in a

June 19 National Reading Day (Honouring the

father of the 'Library Movement in

Kerala', the late PN Panicker)

Sexual Violence in Conflict Prevent, Collect

established on 20 June 2001)

June 21 International Day of Yoga Yoga for well-being

June 21 World Hydrography Day 100 years of international cooperation

June 21 World Music Day

celebrated on 23 June 1948)

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