Current Affairs Today 24th June 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 24th June 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

  1. Public and Private Sectors banks have sanctioned loans worth over 79 thousand crore rupees so far under Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme.
  2. The Karnataka Bank has rolled out a new product titled “KBL Micro Mitra” for the Micro entrepreneurs.
  3. Moody’s Investors Service has sharply revised its forecast for India’s annual GDP growth and has projected the Indian economy to shrink 3.1 percent in the Calendar year 2020, caused by the disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  4. Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW), under Make in India initiative indigenously develops a vehicle-mounted ULV sprayer for locust control to overcome the limitation of importing equipment.
  5. India has announced contributing 10 million US dollar to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) over the coming two years.
  6. “Information about Country of Origin” has been mandated for the sellers by the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
  7. On 23rd June 2020, within the next 7 days, the External Affairs Ministry of India has decided to reduce the staff strength of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad by 50% and has also directed the Pakistan Government to implement the same by reducing 50% of its staff from its Pakistan High Commissionion in New Delhi.
  8. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, K. Palaniswami has inaugurated compressed biogas (CBG) Plant in Namakkal.
  9. Rajasthan state government will soon launch Indira Rasoi Yojana for the poor.
  10. Among the major states in India, Karnataka has achieved the highest per patient contact tracing at about 47 contacts per patient.
  11. Uttar Pradesh government will establish Covid help desks at every police station, hospital, collectorate, Block Development Office and major institutions including jails of state.
  12. Maharashtra government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 30 lakh for employees of power department who die due to COVID-19.
  13. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is launching ‘Mission Universal Testing’ in Mumbai under which one lakh antigen testing kits will be made available.
  14. China announced that it has decided to join the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (UN-ATT) to regulate its arms sales.
  15. China launched the satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System 3 (BDS-3) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on 23 June 2020.
  16. Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic won the controversial parliamentary election.
  17. As part of the 6th International Yoga Day commemorations, the world’s first yoga university outside India has been launched in Los Angeles, offering programmes that combine scientific principles and modern research approaches to the ancient Indian practice of yoga.
  18. The Education Minister of Haryana has announced that the Haryana State Government has signed an agreement under the Chief Minister’s Distance Learning Programme with Reliance Industries Limited’s subsidiary company Jio.
  19. Nobel-laureate Indian economist and philosopher Amartya Sen has been selected for the 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for his decades-long work around issues of global justice.
  20. Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani became the only Indian to feature in Town & Country magazine’s top global philanthropists of 2020 list.
  21. Indian Financial Technology & Allied Services (IFTAS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India, (RBI) has appointed Shri. T Rabi Sankar as the Chairman of the organisation and Dr N Rajendran as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
  22. Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has been appointed head coach of the Uttarakhand cricket team.
  23. Standard Chartered Bank (India) announced the appointment of Gaurav Maheshwari as its new Chief Financial Officer effective 22 June 2020.
  24. Novak Djokovic, the world’s no.1 tennis player, has tested positive for COVID-19. Djokovic recently took part in an exhibition tennis tournament in the Balkans.
  25. IT-Bombay has created Indian beneficiary chip “Dhruva”.
  26. Union Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched an initiative ‘YUKTI 2.0’ on 23 June 2020 in New Delhi.
  27. Thousands of health service specialists have launched the platform Swasth Telemedicine for corona care.
  28. Former Karnataka basketball star player, K Raghunath passed away.
  29. Former Indian shooter and coach Pournima Zanane passed away due to cancer.
  30. Former member of parliament (MP) and veteran journalist Vishwa Bandhu Gupta passed away.
  31. Hollywood producer Steve Bing, who financed Tom Hanks movie ‘The Polar Express’ and fathered a child with actress Liz Hurley, has died in US. He was 55.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

Public & Private Sectors banks sanction loans worth over Rs. 79,000 cr so far under ECLGS

  • Public and Private Sectors banks have sanctioned loans worth over 79 thousand crore rupees so far under Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme.
  • Out of which more than 35,000 crore have already been disbursed.
  • The Scheme was launched by the Government to provide relief to the MSME sector by incentivizing member lending institutions to provide additional credit of upto Rs. three lakh crore at low interest to enable MSME to meet their operational requirements during Covid-19 crisis.
  • Finance Ministry said, the interventions by Government for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, have been gaining rapid traction.
  • The top lenders under the Scheme are SBI, HDFC Bank, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank.
  • This has helped 19 lakh MSMEs and other businesses restart their businesses post the lockdown.

Karnataka Bank rolls out KBL Micro Mitra for Micro entrepreneurs

  • The Karnataka Bank has rolled out a new product titled “KBL Micro Mitra” for the Micro entrepreneurs.
  • Under the newly launched product, the Micro manufacturing and service enterprises will be offered a financial assistance of up to Rs 10 lakhs.
  • This financial assistance would be provided either for working capital or for investment purposes.
  • The financial assistance facility comes with a simplified procedure and competitive rate of interest.
  • KBL Micro Mitra would be available for the Micro entrepreneurs across India through all the branches of Karnataka Bank.
  • This will ensure timely credit assistance to the micro entrepreneurs who are playing an instrumental role in the recovery of the economy both in rural and urban India.

Extra Shots:

Karnataka Bank:

  • Headquarters: Mangaluru(Mangalore), Karnataka
  • MD & CEO: Mahabaleshwara M S

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Moody’s Projects India’s GDP at -3.1% for Calendar Year 2020 and 6.9% in 2021

  • Moody’s Investors Service has sharply revised its forecast for India’s annual GDP growth and has projected the Indian economy to shrink 3.1 percent in the Calendar year 2020, caused by the disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Moody’s released its June update to Global Macro Outlook (2020-21) on 22 June 2020.
  • In April 2020, it pegged India’s annual growth at 0.2 percent for 2020.
  • However, Moody’s expects the economy to register 6.9 percent growth in 2021.

Extra Shots:

Moody’s:

  • Headquarters: NewYork, United States
  • President & Chief Executive Officer(CEO): Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr.

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Make in India initiative in locust control trials of prototype vehicle mounted ULV sprayer successfully conducted

  • Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW), under Make in India initiative indigenously develops a vehicle-mounted ULV sprayer for locust control to overcome the limitation of importing equipment.

Highlights:

  • Mechanization and Technology Division of DAC&FW developed a prototype of the sprayer, through an Indian manufacturer.
  • The trials of the sprayer were successfully conducted in Ajmer and Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
  • As the ground control vehicles with sprayers used for locust control can only spray up to a height of 25-30 feet the tractor-mounted sprayers were used. It reached to the inaccessible areas and tall trees.
  • The deployment of drones has enhanced another dimension in the capabilities of Locust Circle offices to ensure effective control over desert locust.
  • Currently, vehicle-mounted sprayers were supplied by M/s Micron Sprayers, UK. GoI placed an order for 60 nos. of sprayers on the firm in February 2020.

India pledges USD 10 million to UNRWA over next two years

  • India has announced contributing 10 million US dollar to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) over the coming two years.
  • When certain countries withdrew funding, India had stepped up its annual pledge from 1.25 million US dollar to 5 million US dollar in 2018.
  • India has already disbursed two million dollar and will soon be remitting the balance three million dollar.
  • India provides 250 annual scholarships to Palestinian youth and officials, apart from regular customised training programmes, and our current project grant is around 72 million dollar.
  • As a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause, India deeply appreciates the generous support and untiring work of host countries, donors and UNRWA to ensure millions of our Palestinian brothers and sisters displaced from their homeland lead a life of dignity.

Extra Shots:

UNRWA:

  • Headquarters location: Amman, Jordan
  • Commissioner-General: Christian Saunders (acting)
  • Deputy Commissioner-General: vacant
  • Purpose: Provide direct relief and works programmes for Palestinian refugees
  • Fields: Humanitarian aid
  • Budget: 92.5 crores USD

GeM mandates “Information about Country of Origin” for sellers

  • “Information about Country of Origin” has been mandated for the sellers by the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Highlights:

  • The sellers have been advised to mention “Information about Country of Origin” while registering all new products on GeM.
  • While those sellers, who had already registered their products before the launch of this new feature on GeM, would be reminded regularly to update the information about Country of Origin.
  • If they fail to update the same, their products shall be removed from GeM.
  • Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has launched this new feature with prime objective of promoting the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
  • With this, GeM has also enabled ‘Make in India’ filter on the portal.

India calls for 50% Staff Reduction after Pakistan violates Vienna Convention

  • On 23rd June 2020, within the next 7 days, the External Affairs Ministry of India has decided to reduce the staff strength of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad by 50% and has also directed the Pakistan Government to implement the same by reducing 50% of its staff from its Pakistan High Commissionion in New Delhi.

 STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Tamil Nadu CM K. Palaniswami inaugurates compressed biogas plant

  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, K. Palaniswami has inaugurated compressed biogas (CBG) Plant in Namakkal.
  • They inaugurate this plant through video conference in the presence of Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan.
  • The cost of compressed biogas plant (CBG) is Rs 25 crore.
  • The new plant can make 15 tonnes of CBG per day and 20 tonnes of bio manure per day.
  • Chief Minister also inaugurated the five CBG retail outlets in Namakkal, Salem, Puduchathiram and Rasipuram.
  • The CBG plant belongs to IOT, a joint venture between Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and German company Oiltanking GmbH.

Extra Shots:

Tamilnadu

  • Capital: Chennai
  • Chief Minister: Edappadi K.Palanisamy
  • Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
  • Chief Justice of Madras High Court: Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani
  • National Park: Guindy NP,Gulf of Mannar Marine NP, Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) NP,             Mudumalai NP, Mukurthi NP.

Rajasthan Goverment to launch “Indira Rasoi Yojana”

  • Rajasthan state government will soon launch Indira Rasoi Yojana for the poor.
  • This scheme will start to ensure that “no one sleeps hungry” in the state.
  • Under this scheme, pure and nutritious food on concessional rates is going to be provided to the needy twice each day.
  • The State government will spend Rs100 crores every year on the scheme.
  • Local NGOs also will be roped certain the successful implementation of the scheme and its effective monitoring are going to be through with the assistance of data technology.

Extra Shots:

Rajasthan

  • Capital:Jaipur
  • Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot
  • Governor: Kalraj Mishra

Karnataka achieves highest per patient COVID contact tracing in country

  • Among the major states in India, Karnataka has achieved the highest per patient contact tracing at about 47 contacts per patient.
  • The state could contain the spread of COVID 19 because it could trace and quarantine every contact of COVID 19 patients within 14 days prior to being tested positive.
  • More than 10000 Field Staff are doing contact tracing work. The contact tracing mobile app records all primary and secondary contacts with their addresses.
  • The field level staffs across the state access them immediately and establish contact with persons for immediate quarantine.
  • After isolating the primary and secondary contacts, the details of their phone numbers are entered in the mobile app for tracking them with the help of GPS.
  • Hence the app is helping authorities to complete within 24 hours the process of identifying all contacts, hand stamping them and put them in quarantine.

Extra Shots:

Karnataka:

  • Capital: Bengaluru
  • Chief Minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
  • Governor: Vajubhai Vala
  • National Park: Anshi NP, Bandipur NP, Bannerghatta NP, Kudremukh NP, Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) NP.

UP Govt to establish Covid help desks at various institutions across state

  • Uttar Pradesh government will establish Covid help desks at every police station, hospital, collectorate, Block Development Office and major institutions including jails of state.
  • these help desks will act as support system for general public and will have posters and pamphlets displaying precautions necessary to break the chain of corona infection.
  • These help desks will play important role in generating awareness and giving first hand help to the the citizen of state.
  • There should be arrangement of Pulse oximeter, infrared thermometer and sanitizer on these desks.
  • The employees who will work on these desks should get knowledge and training of working with medical equipments and must have mask and gloves.

Extra Shots:

Uttar Pradesh:

  • Capital: Lucknow
  • Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
  • Governor: Anandiben Patel
  • State formed in: 24 January 1950
  • Literacy Rate: 67.68%
  • Nation Park: Dudhwa National Park

Maharashtra govt announces an ex-gratia of Rs.30 lakh for employees of power dept who die due to COVID-19

  • Maharashtra government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 30 lakh for employees of power department who die due to COVID-19.
  • Maharashtra’s Energy Minister Nitin Raut said the employees are risking their lives to ensure that there are no power outages and hence it is the state’s government’s responsibility to look after their families.
  • He clarified that this monetary assistance will be given to regular as well as contractual staff.

Extra Shots:

Maharashtra:

  • Capital: Mumbai
  • Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
  • Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
  • National Parks: Chandoli National Park, Nawegaon National Park, Gugamal National Park, Pench National Park, Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park, Tadoba National Park
  • Wildlife Sanctuaries: Amba Barwa WLS, Bor WLS, Great Indian Bustard WLS,

Lonar WLS, Melghat WLS, Gangewadi New Great Indian Bustard WLS, etc.

BMC launches ‘Mission Universal Testing’ in Mumbai

  • The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is launching ‘Mission Universal Testing’ in Mumbai under which one lakh antigen testing kits will be made available.

Highlights:

  • These kits would be available at all civic-run hospitals, government hospitals, covid care centres, etc. This kit is said to provide results within thirty minutes.
  • As per the instructions issued by the State Government, antigen testing would be permissible only through the ICMR approved SD Biosensor company kits.
  • It may be mentioned that as compared to the presently available RT-PCR testing, this antigen testing kit would help in identifying infection in high-risk groups with severe comorbidity in just 15-30 minutes so that timely medical treatment can be given to them.
  • Besides, testing suspicious patients, this kit will help in testing patients in the list of contact tracing and hence immediately providing medical aid.
  • The BMC has requested 35 big private hospitals to buy these government approved kits for testing. The corporate houses and private offices too can buy these newly available Rapid Testing kits to test their employees for the infection.
  • The BMC has also stated that those above 70 years of age can get themselves tested without a preion.
  • As part of the Universal Testing Mission, BMC will also allow covid19 tests by labs on the basis of e-preions.

Extra Shots:

BMC:

  • Municipal Commissioner: Iqbal singh Chahal IAS
  • Deputy Mayor: Suhas Wadkar (Shiv Sena)
  • Mayor: Kishori Pednekar (Shiv Sena)
  • Headquarters location: Mumbai
  • Founded: 1888, Mumbai
  • Subsidiary: Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

China to join the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty to regulate its arms sales

  • China announced that it has decided to join the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (UN-ATT) to regulate its arms sales.
  • The decision was made during a three-day meeting which was held from 18-20 June of the top lawmaking committee in China- Legislative Affairs Committee.

Highlights:

  • China has always strictly controlled the export of military products.
  • China’s move to join the treaty is an important step towards the country’s effort to enhance & maintain peace and stability across the globe and support multilateralism.
  • Under this, China will export military products to sovereign countries and will not export military products to non-state actors.

Arms Trade Treaty

  • Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) promotes, regulates, and monitors the international sales and transfer of conventional arms as per the global standards.
  • ATT regulates from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships.
  • UNGA adopted the treaty on 2 April 2013.
  • ATT entered into force on 24 December 2014. As per the treaty, the UN member countries must keep records of international transfers of weapons.
  • It also imposes the member states to prohibit cross-border shipments that could be used in human rights violations or attacks on civilians.

Extra Shots:

China (Capital/Currency): Beijing/Renminbi

  • President: Xi Jinping
  • Official Language: Mandarin

China launched last BeiDou Satellite System

  • China launched the satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System 3 (BDS-3) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on 23 June 2020.

BDS-3 Satellite:

  • BDS-3 Satellite was carried by a Long March-3B carrier rocket.
  • It is the 30th BDS-3 satellite and also the 55th of the whole BeiDou satellite family.
  • BDS-3 will offer its users services including high-precision positioning and short message communication. It will bring new highlights to global navigation satellite systems.
  • The final BDS satellite weighs over 10,000 pounds. It is the largest of its kind in the family.
  • The satellite is filled with propellants for maneuvers in orbit.
  • BDS-3 family will allow the constellation to provide more cost-effective navigation services.
  • BDS-3 is constructed with 24 satellites in medium-Earth orbits (MEO), three in inclined geosynchronous satellite orbits, and three in geostationary orbits. The satellite is scheduled to provide services worldwide.
  • The launch of the satellite marked the completion of China’s domestically developed BeiDou constellation, one of four global navigation networks alongside the United States’ GPS, Russia’s GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and the European Union’s (EU’s) Galileo.

Extra Shots:

China (Capital/Currency): Beijing/Renminbi

  • President: Xi Jinping
  • Official Language: Mandarin

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic won the controversial Parliamentary election

  • Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic won the controversial parliamentary election.
  • The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won over 60% of the vote, which is around 190 seats in the 250-seat Serbian parliament.

Background:

  • The general election was originally scheduled for 26 April 2020 but was postponed after a state of the emergency was declared to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The largest block of parties including the Serbian Radical Party (SRP), the Democratic Party, the Party of Freedom and Justice, The Doors (Dveri), the People’s Party, and the Let’s not drown Belgrade movement boycotted the election.

Extra Shots:

Serbia (Capital/Currency): Belgrade/ Serbian dinar

  • President: Aleksandar Vucic
  • Prime Minister: Ana Brnabić

World’s first yoga University outside India launched in US

  • As part of the 6th International Yoga Day commemorations, the world’s first yoga university outside India has been launched in Los Angeles, offering programmes that combine scientific principles and modern research approaches to the ancient Indian practice of yoga.
  • The Vivekananda Yoga University (VaYU) was jointly launched by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on External Affairs P P Chaudhary during a virtual event held at the Consulate General of India in New York.
  • Eminent Indian yoga guru Dr. H R Nagendra, Chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA) is the first Chairman of VaYU.
  • Addressing the virtual launch, Muraleedharan said Swami Vivekananda gave the message of universal brotherhood from the US and through the first of its kind yoga university outside India; the message of yoga will be broadcast from America to the world.
  • The event was jointly hosted by the Consulate General and Jaipur Foot USA Chairperson and founding director of VaYU Prem Bhandari.

Extra Shots:

USA (Capital/Currency): Washington, D.C./ United States Dollar

  • President: Donald Trump
  • Official languages: English

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

Reliance JioTV & Haryana Government Signs Agreement to benefit 5.2 Million School Children

  • The Education Minister of Haryana has announced that the Haryana State Government has signed an agreement under the Chief Minister’s Distance Learning Programme with Reliance Industries Limited’s subsidiary company Jio.
  • The agreement signed is to provide education to school children in the rural areas of the state.
  • Schools across the state were closed in the month of March 2020 following a nationwide lockdown to combat COVID-19, after 3 months, today it’s still uncertain on when the schools will re-open.
  • The agreement is signed with the aim to impart education to every school student in the state without jeopardizing social distancing norms.
  • The four channels of EDUSAT will be available free of cost on the live television streaming application of Jio- JioTV.
  • The content that will be live broadcasted on the channels of EDUSAT will also be available in recorded mode on the JioTV platform that will enable students to watch and study as per their convenience.
  • The agreement will benefit a combined 52 lakh (5.2 million) students of both government and private schools in the state of Haryana.

Extra Shots:

Jio:

  • Founder: Mukesh Ambani
  • Founded: 2007
  • Subsidiaries: LYF, Reliance Jio Infocomm Pte. Ltd
  • Parent organizations: Reliance Industries Limited, Jio Platforms

Haryana Education Minister: Mr Ram Bilas Sharma

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL  AWARDS

Nobel-laureate Indian economist Amartya Sen wins 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade

  • Nobel-laureate Indian economist and philosopher Amartya Sen has been selected for the 2020 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for his decades-long work around issues of global justice.
  • The 86-year-old Harvard professor and past Nobel prize winner will be awarded during a ceremony on 18 October 2020 in Frankfurt.
  • The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade comes with a cash prize of €25,000 euros ($28,000).
  • The German Publishers and Booksellers Association, Borsenverein, presents the prize annually since 1950 to honor individuals “who have made an outstanding contribution to the realization of the idea of peace, primarily through their activities in the fields of literature, science and art.”

Nita Ambani only Indian among top global philanthropists of 2020, features alongside Oprah, Tim Cook

  • Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani became the only Indian to feature in Town & Country magazine’s top global philanthropists of 2020 list.
  • While RIL’s Mukesh Ambani, with a net worth of $64.5 billion, recently became the only Asian tycoon among the world’s top 10 richest people, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, wife Nita was recognised by T&C among the top philanthropists “who are saving lives and our sense of hope” during the pandemic.
  • Ambani features alongside prominent global individuals including as Tim Cook, Oprah Winfrey, Laurene Powell Jobs, the Lauder Family, Donatella Versace, Michael Bloombeg and Leonardo Di Caprio among others.

Extra Shots:

Town & Country, formerly the Home Journal and The National Press, is a monthly American lifestyle magazine. It is the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States.

  • Editor: Stellene Volandes
  • Total circulation (2015): 486,297
  • Country: United States
  • Company: Hearst Communications
  • Based in: New York
  • Former editors: Frank Zachary

APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS

Shri. T. Rabi Sankar appointed as Chairman of IFTAS, Dr. N Rajendran as Chief Executive Officer

  • Indian Financial Technology & Allied Services (IFTAS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India, (RBI) has appointed Shri. T Rabi Sankar as the Chairman of the organisation and Dr N Rajendran as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
  • Sankar’s appointement is effective from May 15, 2020 while Dr N Rajendran’s appointment is effective from May 27, 2020.
  • T Rabi Sankar is also serving as Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India for Payment systems, Information Technology, Risk Management and Fintech.
  • IFTAS is established under Section 8 of Indian Companies Act, 2013 to provide essential IT-related services, required by the Reserve Bank of India, banks, and financial institutions, effectively and efficiently.

Wasim Jaffer becomes head coach of Uttarakhand cricket team

  • Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has been appointed head coach of the Uttarakhand cricket team.
  • The most elevated run-getter in Ranji Trophy, Jaffer had reported retirement in March this year.
  • This will be his first spell as a lead trainer with a Team.
  • Uttarakhand had arrived at the quarterfinals in their debut Ranji Trophy season in 2018-19, where they lost to Vidarbha, by an innings and 115 runs.
  • They did not advance to the quarterfinals within the next season from Group C.

Extra Shots:

The Uttarakhand cricket team is a cricket team that represents the state of Uttarakhand in Indian domestic competitions.

  • Captain: Tanmay Srivastava
  • Ground: Doon sports club
  • Owner: Cricket Association of Uttarakhand
  • Capacity: 25,000
  • Founded: 2018
  • Coach: Gursharan Singh

Standard Chartered Bank appoints Gaurav Maheshwari as CFO – India

  • Standard Chartered Bank (India) announced the appointment of Gaurav Maheshwari as its new Chief Financial Officer effective 22 June 2020.
  • He has taken over from Subhradeep Mohanty, who was elevated as CFO, Africa & Middle East (AME) region.
  • In this role, Maheshwari will report to Jean Fernandes, Regional CFO, Asean and South Asia and Zarin Daruwala, India, CEO.

Extra Shots:

Standard Chartered Bank

  • Headquarters location: London, United Kingdom
  • CEO: Bill Winters
  • Founded: 1969, London, United Kingdom
  • Founders: Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, Standard Bank

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

World’s No.1 Tennis Player Novak Djokovic tests positive for COVID-19

  • Novak Djokovic, the world’s no.1 tennis player, has tested positive for COVID-19. Djokovic recently took part in an exhibition tennis tournament in the Balkans.
  • He has tested positive for a virus COVID-19 although he is not showing any symptoms. Novak Djokovic was tested along with his family members with whom he was in Belgrade and Zadar.
  • He confirmed that his wife, Jelena Djokovic has also tested positive while the results of their children remain negative. Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently the world’s No. 1 in men’s singles tennis.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CURRENT AFFAIRS

IIT-Bombay develops Indian receiver chip “Dhruva”

  • IT-Bombay has created Indian beneficiary chip “Dhruva”.
  • This chip can be utilized in cell phones and route gadgets to discover areas and courses inside the nation.
  • Dhruva will get signals from India’s NAVIC group of navigation satellites just as the US Global Positioning System-based satellites to decide these precisely under every single climate condition.
  • The radiofrequency collector chip was structured in the year and a half by understudies and specialists at IIT Bombay.
  • It can receive in different frequency bands and handle weak signals.

WEBPORTALS & APP  IN NEWS

Union HRD Minister launched YUKTI 2.0 platform for Higher Education Institutes in New Delhi

  • Union Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched an initiative ‘YUKTI 2.0’ on 23 June 2020 in New Delhi.
  • The initiative aims to help systematically assimilate technologies having commercial potential and information related to incubated startups in higher education institutions.

YUKTI 2.0:

  • YUKTI stands for Young India combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology & Innovation
  • YUKTI 2.0 is the logical extension of the earlier version of ‘YUKTI’.
  • The initiative aims to identify ideas relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • YUKTI 2.0 will help in fostering the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the academic institutions.
  • The initiative is expected to help the government to identify bottlenecks and formulate appropriate policies to strengthen the innovation ecosystem in the country.
  • It will also support creative innovations and technologies to help the society at large.
  • The portal will prove to be a milestone towards promoting innovations and entrepreneurship culture in the higher education system and involving youth in nation-building.

Background:

  • YUKTI was launched on 11 April 2020 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to cover the different dimensions of COVID-19 challenges in a very holistic and comprehensive way. It was launched with an aim to ensure that students, teachers, and researchers in higher educational institutions are getting appropriate support to meet the requirements needed to advance their technologies and innovations. The outcomes of the earlier version of ‘YUKTI’ will be released soon by MHRD.

Extra Shots:

MHRD: The Ministry of Human Resource Development, formerly Ministry of Education, is responsible for the development of human resources in India.

  • Ministry executives: R. Subrahmanyam, (IAS Officer); Rina Ray, (IAS Officer)
  • Officeholder: Ramesh Pokhriyal (Union Minister)
  • Founded: 26 September 1985
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Jurisdiction: India
  • Departments: Department of Higher Education, Department of School Education and Literacy

Swasth Has Launched A Free Mobile App Based Service For Corona Protection

  • Thousands of health service specialists have launched the platform Swasth Telemedicine for corona care.

Highlights:

  • SWAST is a unique non-profit group of Indian healthcare professionals, including doctors, small hospitals, diagnostic labs, pharmacies, telemedicine systems, insurance companies, and healthcare technology companies.
  • This system connects Indians digitally with the best doctors and wellness providers.
  • Swasth is responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for telemedicine to be a national priority.
  • This technology-powered mobile app-based service provides access to affordable and affordable healthcare services across the country to 130 million people, regardless of geographical or economic value.
  • Swasth facilitates seamless communication between registered medical practitioners and patients through various means such as video and telephone.
  • Swasth will also utilize a built-in intelligence-based priority set for caregiving.
  • Prescription and treatment advice will be provided with a digital signature.
  • Currently, the app supports Hindi, English, and Gujarati.
  • It will be expanded to 25 Indian languages.

OBITUARY

Former Karnataka basketball player K Raghunath passes away

  • Former Karnataka basketball star player, K Raghunath passed away.
  • He was one of the founding members of the still-popular Beagles Basketball Club.
  • Raghunath’s tryst with basketball began in 1958.

Former Indian shooter Pournima Zanane passes away

  • Former Indian shooter and coach Pournima Zanane passed away due to cancer.
  • She represented India at multiple ISSF World Cups, Asian Championships, Commonwealth Championships, amongst other tournaments. Pournima Zanane was a national record holder in 10m Air Rifle event.

Former MP & veteran journalist Vishwa Bandhu Gupta passes away

  • Former member of parliament (MP) and veteran journalist Vishwa Bandhu Gupta passed away.
  • He was associated with the Congress party during the 1980s and served as a Member of Parliament from Delhi between April 1984 to 1990, in the Rajya Sabha.
  • Vishwa Bandhu Gupta alse served as the Chairman and Editor-in-chief of the Tej-Bandhu group of publications and was the President of the All India Newspaper Editors Conference.

‘The Polar Express’ producer Steve Bing passes away