NATIONAL NEWS
IFSCA constitutes committee to examine global best practices in ship financing & leasingInternational Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has constituted a committee to examine global best practices in ship financing and leasing.
- This Committee will also identify opportunities and devise a roadmap to enable such activities.
- The committee will be chaired by former Senior Economic Advisor, Vandana Aggarwal.
The Maharashtra government has decided to increase the honorarium of ASHA workers by Rs one thousand and give an additional Rs 500 as COVID allowance.
- The pay hike will be implemented from 1st July. Further, as an additional incentive, the state government will provide each of the over 68,000 ASHA workers with a smartphone. Following this announcement, ASHA workers have called off their week-long strike and will resume work tomorrow onwards.
GrabUnion Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari performed inaugurations and laid foundation stones of several road projects worth Rs 6155 crore through video conferencing from Manali in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh.
- On this occasion, Mr Gadkari said within the next two years the travelling distance between Delhi to Kullu would be reduced to seven hours. This would give a big boost to tourism.
- Mr Gadkari said, road projects worth Rs 15,000 crore would be awarded to Himachal Pradesh this year.
The Cabinet approved a proposal to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) to provide free ration to over 80 crore people, mostly poor, by five more months till November-end.
- The PMGKAY was reintroduced for two months till June this year in order to minimise the economic hardships being faced by the poor PDS (public distribution system) beneficiaries during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cabinet approved the merger of state-owned Central Railside Warehouse Company Ltd (CRWC) with its holding enterprise Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC).
- The decision is aimed at implementing ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’, promoting ease of doing business and bringing private sector efficiencies in public sector undertakings (PSUs).
- The merger will unify similar functions of both the companies (i.e warehousing, handling, transportation) through a single administration to promote efficiency, optimum capacity utilisation, transparency, accountability, ensure financial savings and leverage railway siding for new warehousing capacities.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
QS EMBA Rankings 2021: IIM Bangalore ranked best in IndiaThe Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management (PGPEM) of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) has been ranked the best in India in the latest edition of QS Executive MBA Rankings. IIMB has bagged the 39th spot globally, making it the only Indian institute to feature in the list of the top 100.
- In the Asia-Pacific category, IIMB holds the 10th spot, leading the B-school brigade from India.
- Globally, HEC Paris retains its top rank followed by Wharton Business school, and IESE at the second and third spots, respectively.
The heads of the global health, Intellectual Property, and trade bodies announced a joint platform to help the countries around the world plug the gaps in accessing the COVID-19 vaccines, technologies, and treatments.
- The leaders of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), World Health Organisation (WHO), and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said that through the platform, countries will be able to access the expertise in places where the three fields cross over in battling the pandemic.
- The platform to tackle the pandemic will provide support to the states in assessing and prioritizing the unmet needs for Coronavirus vaccines, medicines as well as other related technologies.
BANKING & FINANCE
SBI Launches Aarogyam Healthcare Business LoanState Bank of India (SBI) has launched the Aarogyam Healthcare Business Loan to provide enhanced support to the healthcare sector in the country amid pandemic.
- Under the Aarogyam Healthcare Business Loan, the country's largest lender will cover entire healthcare ecosystem such as hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic centres, pathology labs, manufacturers, suppliers, importers, logistic firms engaged in critical healthcare supply.
- They can avail of loans upto Rs 100 crore, depending on their geographic location. The loan will be repayable in 10 years.
- The Aarogyam Loan can be availed either as term loan to support expansion/modernization or as Working capital facilities such as cash credit, bank guarantee/letter of credit.
The Centre, Government of Mizoram and the World Bank have signed a USD 32 million Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project to improve the 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 Health and Family Welfare (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.
Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has launched a centralized web-based workflow-based IT platform called “e-PGS” for its group business operations.
- The new technology platform is designed to provide for centralized collection and payment accounting with high level of bank integration through host to host connectivity and provide very innovative features of seamless and integrated banking with automatic reconciliations.
- The new system, e-PGS, is capable of providing comprehensive self-servicing capabilities through customer portal where corporate customers will be able to view their data, initiate actionable processes, lodge and track claims.
One hundred and 20 crore out of 140 crore bank accounts in the country have been linked to Aadhaar so far enabling people to enter into the formal financial system.
- Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Dr Saurabh Garg said through around 29 lakh Micro ATMs in the country, people are able to do financial transactions using Aadhar Enabled payment System (AEPS).
SPORTS
Australian Swimmer Kaylee McKeown Breaks 100-Meter Backstroke World RecordAustralia's Kaylee McKeown broke the women's 100m backstroke world record. She clocked 57.45sec at the Australian Olympic trials in Adelaide, dedicating it to her father who died last year.
- The 19-year-old, who has been in blistering form this year, swam a sensational race to sweep past American rival Regan Smith's all-time mark of 57.57, set at the 2019 world championships.
APPOINTMENTS
Former Olympic medalist Karnam Malleswari becomes 1st Vice Chancellor of Delhi Sports UniversityThe government has appointed former Olympic medallist Karnam Malleswari as the first Vice Chancellor of Delhi Sports University.
- Former weightlifter Karnam Malleswari is the first Indian woman to win a medal at Olympics. She won the bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics Games in 2000.
AWARDS
Centre Releases Full List Of Smart Cities Awards 2020 WinnersThe Central government declared Smart City awards 2020 in which Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Surat (Gujarat) won the award jointly for their overall development. Whereas Uttar Pradesh emerged on the top among all states, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu under the Smart City award, 2020.
- According to the Centre, of the total, proposed projects under the Smart Cities Mission, 5,924 projects (115% by number) worth ₹1,78,500 crore have been tendered so far. Whereas work orders have been issued for 5,236 projects (101% by number) worth ₹1,46,125 crore.
- Social Aspects
- Governance
- Culture
- Urban Environment
- Sanitation
- Economy
- Built Environment
- Water
- Urban Mobility
- Innovative Idea Award
- Covid Innovation Award
- According to the ministry, Ahmedabad bagged the ‘Smart Cities Leadership Award’, followed by Varanasi and Ranchi in the second and third spots respectively.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
IISc Bangalore, IBM Launches Hybrid Cloud LabIBM and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) announced the launch of a hybrid cloud lab. Located at the IISc campus, the lab will start with an initial set of projects, involving faculty and students from the IISc Departments of Computational and Data Sciences, Computer Science and Automation, and Supercomputing Education and Research Centre, alongside scientists from IBM Researchs India lab, on several areas.
- They include building autonomous, self-healing computing systems; adopting microservices and optimisation of cloud- native applications; creating AI-based information management; and developing AI systems that can analyse human and machine languages, with advances in AI for Code.
Microsoft officially launched its new Windows operating system ‘Windows 11’ . It is being called as the “next generation” of Windows.
- The release comes nearly six decades after the current latest Windows Operating System ‘Windows 10’ was launched in July 2015.
- Windows 11 is special because it focuses on a new user interface, a new Windows Store, and improvements to performance, including centre-aligned Taskbar and Start button.
India's first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) will be commissioned next year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. The Carrier will be christened INS Vikrant on commissioning.
- The nearly Rs 24,000-crore project was targeted to be commissioned by 2018, but was hit by delays due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ‘basin trial’ was successfully completed in November 2020.
- IAC, which is 262 metres long and 62 metres wide, will be able to launch 30 aircraft, including 20 fighter jets and 10 helicopters. The ship will be compatible with the MiG-29K and LCA Navy aircraft and will have two runways and a landing strip with STOBAR (short take off but arrested delivery) equipment.
The subsonic cruise missile ‘Nirbhay’ was successfully test-fired off Odisha coast, informed the DRDO.
- This was the eighth test flight of the missile. The first test flight of Nirbhay was held on 12 March 2013.
- Nirbhay is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile designed and developed in India by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) which is under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
ENVIRONMENT
New species of skittering frog discovered from surroundings of Thattekkad bird sanctuaryA new species of skittering frog has been identified from the surroundings of the Thattekkad bird sanctuary.
- A team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Mount Carmel College (MCC), Bengaluru, and National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, made the discovery.
- The new species is named as Euphlyctis Kerala in honour of the remarkable biodiversity of the State, which is also known for many endemic species of frogs.
OBITUARIES
Noted Photographer and Filmmaker Sivan Passes Away at 89Veteran still photographer and film-maker Sivan died. He was 89.
- Sivan was the first press photographer in Kerala. He was also the still photographer of the classic Malayalam movie 'Chemmeen' which was released in 1965.
- Sivan directed 'Abhayam' in 1991, which bagged the national film award for the Best Children's film. 'Abhayam', 'Yagam', 'Mohangal', 'Kilivaathil, Keshu', 'Oru Yathra' are among his notable works.
John McAfee, the creator of the eponymous antivirus software, was found dead in prison outside Barcelona after a Spanish court said that he could be extradited to the United States on tax-evasion charges. He was 75.
- McAfee who founded the McAfee associates in 1987 was a programmer at NASA's Institute for Space Studies in New York City from 1968 to 1970. The anti-virus software which was created by him was quite popular in the 1980s and the 1990s. However, in 2010, he sold McAfee to Intel. The company had announced that the McAfee products will be sold as Intel security.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Ruskin Bond’s Book Titled ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ LaunchedIndian British author Ruskin Bond has authored a new book titled ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is published by Aleph Book Company.
- The book is written in a perceptive, uplifting, deeply moving, and non-fictional way.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day In Support Of Victims Of TortureThe United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is observed every year on June 26.
- The day is marked to urge all stakeholders to unite for those who have faced or are facing abuse and torture.
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed every year on June 26 with an aim to spread awareness about the global drug problem and eliminate drug misuse.
- 'Share Drug Facts to Save Lives' is the theme of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking this year.
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