Current Affairs Today 31st May & 1st June 2020-Download in PDF

Admin

Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs Today 31st May & 1st June 2020. These are important for the upcoming Exams. Candidates who were preparing for the examination can use these current affairs and also you can download the same as PDF.

Current Affairs Today – 31st May & 1st June 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

  1. World Vape Day (WVD) was observed on May 30, by Millions of e-cigarette users or vapers across the globe and the day is celebrated, a day before World No Tobacco Day.
  2. The United Nations has proclaimed to observe June 1 ever year as the Global Day of Parents to appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship.
  3. World Milk Day is observed on June 1 in order to celebrate the dairy sector and recognise the importance of milk as a global food.
  4. The Reserve Bank of India recently announced that the Government of India has discontinued 7.75% savings bonds.
  5. Centre has approved the Bihar State’s Jal Jeevan Mission Annual Action Plan.
  6. Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, has called upon each and every individual at national and international level to participate in the “My Life, My Yoga”(also called “Jeevan Yoga”) Video Blogging Contest, while addressing his monthly Mann Ki Baat program on 31 May 2020.
  7. The Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal today interacted with the captains of the Pharmaceutical industry, and Office-bearers of the Pharma Associations, through the Video Conference. The meeting was attended by the Ministers of State Shri H.S.Puri and Shri Som Parkash, Secretaries of the Department of Commerce, and Pharmaceuticals, and Officers from Departments of Commerce, Pharmaceuticals and Health.
  8. National Program for the youth titled “Responsible AI for Youth” has been launched by the Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Communications and Law & Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad.
  9. The Kerala State government has announced the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) project will be commissioned by December 2020.
  10. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has extended Rs 1,050 crore special liquidity facility (SLF) to West Bengal (WB) so far in the current fiscal year (FY 21) for the welfare of farmers and poor people in the state.
  11. Himachal Pradesh State Government has given status of second language to Sanskrit.
  12. MP Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan deposited Rs. 145.92 crore towards the amount of 37 days of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme for the month of May and June in the bank accounts of 66.27 lakh students
  13. Assam State government presented the Annual Action Plan for consideration and approval of the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Government of India (GoI) approved Rs.1,407 crore for 2020-21 under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). Assam plans to provide tap connections to 13 lakh households out of a total of 63 lakhs in 2020-21.
  14. Uttar Pradesh has become first state in the country to prepare one lakh beds for COVID-19 patients, with each of the 75 districts having dedicated beds for patients in the respective facilities.
  15. In Madhya Pradesh, despite the banks opening during the Corona transition period, it is a difficult task to move from rural areas to urban area banks.
  16. Three more states — Odisha, Sikkim and Mizoram — have joined the ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’ scheme, taking the number of states and union territories which have joined the scheme to 20.
  17. The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an international project named ‘COVID-19 Technology Access Pool’ (C-TAP) on May 30, 2020.
  18. United States has finally joined the rest of the G7 countries in the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (AI), in an effort to contain China‘s influence on AI.
  19. For the first time in history, NASA astronauts have launched from American soil in a commercially built and operated American crew spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station.
  20. Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal participated in the Digital Summit on Exports organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) through a Video Conference.
  21. The Tata Sons, holding company of the Tata Group, has entered into an agreement with the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram, for commercial production of COVID-19 testing kits.
  22. Private sector lender YES Bank has acquired 24.19 percent stake in Dish TV India Ltd, making it the second-largest shareholder in the direct-to-home (DTH) company.
  23. BCCI nominated Rohit Sharma for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards. The
  24. State-run Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has appointed Ravinder Singh Dhillon as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the company.
  25. Senior bureaucrat Arun Singhal has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of India’s apex food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
  26. The Ministry of Finance has appointed PR Jaishankar as the Managing Director of the India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) for three years.
  27. Lieutenant General Manoj Pande, AVSM, VSM, will take over as the15th Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN) on 01 Jun 2020
  28. Anita Kotwani has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Carat India, a media agency owned by Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN).
  29. BharatPe, India’s largest merchant payment, and lending network company, has strengthened its leadership team by appointing Mr. Ankur Jain as Chief Product Officer.
  30. India skipper Virat Kohli is the only cricketer to feature in Forbes’ list of the top 100 highest paid athletes in the world for the year 2020.
  31. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has taken several proactive measures to streamline the biosafety regulation and to facilitate researchers and industries which are undertaking research and development in Recombinant DNA (rDNA) Technology and Hazardous Microorganisms.
  32. India Observatory, an open-source database, launched a GIS-enabled dashboard, CoAST India(Collaboration/Covid Action Support Group) in collaboration with Anand-based Forest Ecological Security(FES) as its main nodal point, to help administrators, civil society organisations & volunteers to plan urgent steps to get the stranded migrant population to safety & care.
  33. the Department of Science and Technology operating under Ministry of Science and Technology launched the Indian National Super Model. The Model was launched to help monitor transmission of COVID-19 infection.
  34. The Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Law and Justice and Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad launched India’s national Artificial Intelligence Portal called www.ai.gov.in, on 30 May 2020, to mark the the first anniversary of the second tenure of the government
  35. Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr.Jitendra Singh has launched the e-booklet on Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) achievements for the period 30 May 2019 to 30 May 2020.
  36. The world-renowned astrologer, Bejan Daruwalla, has passed away suffering from pneumonia.
  37. Singer & music composer Wajid Khan passed away.
  38. Astronauts have recently discovered a rare space object
  39. NTPC Ltd. has offered learning opportunities to its 19,000+ employees and their family members amid nationwide lockdown. The move by the company is to meet the requirements of the lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

World Vape Day 2020 observed on May 30

  • World Vape Day (WVD) was observed on May 30, by Millions of e-cigarette users or vapers across the globe and the day is celebrated, a day before World No Tobacco Day.

Aim:

  • WVD aims to raise awareness on e-cigarettes or vapes & help smokers who are unable to quit on their own or with currently available smoking cessation tools to change to safer nicotine products.

Global Day of Parents observed on 01 June

  • The United Nations has proclaimed to observe June 1 ever year as the Global Day of Parents to appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship.
  • The theme for Global Day of Parents 2020 is “Appreciate all parents throughout the world”

World Mil day observed on 01 June

  • World Milk Day is observed on June 1 in order to celebrate the dairy sector and recognise the importance of milk as a global food.
  • The day was founded by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.
  • This year marks the 20th anniversary of World Milk Day.

Theme:

  • This year’s theme is “20th Anniversary of World Milk Day”.
  • Each year events are organised by various groups in order to raise and discuss the importance of milk.
  • The main focus of this rally was to encourage people to talk about the benefits of milk in terms of health, nutrition, affordability and accessibility.
  • To spread the awareness on the importance of milk on World Milk Day 2020, you can send these messages to your loved ones

History:

  • World Milk Day was established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The day was initiated to recognize the importance of milk as a global food. The day has been observed each year since 2001.

Extra Shots:

FAO:

  • Headquarters: Rome, Italy
  • Head: Qu Dongyu
  • Founded: 16 October 1945, Quebec City, Canada
  • Formation: 16 October 1945; 74 years ago
  • Area: Europe
  • Parent organization: United Nations Economic and Social Council

BANKING & FINANCE

GoI discontinues 7.75% savings bonds

  • The Reserve Bank of India recently announced that the Government of India has discontinued 7.75% savings bonds.
  • The 7.75% savings bonds that are also called government bonds or RBI bonds were issued in 2018.
  • They were available for the resident citizens of India alone.
  • The value of one bond was Rs 1000 and there was no maximum limit of investment.
  • The interests of the bonds were taxed under Income Tax Act, 1961.
  • Apart from discontinuing savings bonds, GoI had also introduced other measures.
  • The interests of the bonds were taxed under Income Tax Act, 1961.
  • Apart from discontinuing savings bonds, GoI had also introduced other measures.On the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, the rates were cut from 8.4% to 7.6%.
  • RBI also reduced the repo rates twice after COVID-19.

Extra Shots:

Savings Bonds

  • The bonds are like guarantees provided by the GoI. On investing on these bonds, the GoI will return the amount with maturity at 7.75% interest rate. However, due to global recession, Government has now recently stopped issuing these bonds. However, the move will deprive investors of the other saving options that provided high tax returns to the investors.

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Centre approves Annual action plan for Bihar under Jal Jeevan mission

  • Centre has approved the Bihar State’s Jal Jeevan Mission Annual Action Plan.
  • As per the plan, the State has provided 100% coverage of all households with functional tap water connections by 2020-21.
  • The plan was approved by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Highlights:

  • Bihar State is planning to provide tap connections to the remaining 1.50 Crore households in 2020-21.
  • The government of India has allocated Rs.1832.66 Crore for this during 2020-21.
  • The State Government is all set with the roadmap to implement the target.
  • A proper plan is in place for 100% coverage of all 38 districts during 2020-21 has been prepared by the State government.
  • Bihar Government is giving special attention to providing 100% of Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) in Aspirational districts, quality-affected habitations, and SC/ST villages.
  • The move initiated by the state is due to the abundance of groundwater and surface water in Bihar.

Prime Minister Modi announces “My Life My Yoga” Video Blogging contest in Man Ki Baat

  • Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, has called upon each and every individual at national and international level to participate in the “My Life, My Yoga”(also called “Jeevan Yoga”) Video Blogging Contest, while addressing his monthly Mann Ki Baat program on 31 May 2020.
  • This contest is a joint effort by the Ministry of AYUSH and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
  • Through the My Life-My Yoga video blogging competition, government seek to raise awareness about Yoga and to inspire people to prepare for and become active participants in the observation of IDY 2020.
  • Due to the contagious nature of COVID-19, no mass gathering is allowed for IDY 2020, hence, this year the Ministry is encouraging the people to practice
  • Yoga at their homes, with participation from the entire family.
  • To enter into the contest the participants (from any country) are required to upload a 3 minutes duration video of 3 Yogic practices (kriya, asana, pranayama, bandha or mudra), including a short video message on how the said Yogic practices influenced their life.
  • The video may be uploaded on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the contest hashtag #MyLifeMyYogaINDIA and appropriate category hashtag.
  • Winners will be given cash prizes.

India is now recognized as the ‘pharmacy of the world’: Piyush Goyal

  • The Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal today interacted with the captains of the Pharmaceutical industry, and Office-bearers of the Pharma Associations, through the Video Conference. The meeting was attended by the Ministers of State Shri H.S.Puri and Shri Som Parkash, Secretaries of the Department of Commerce, and Pharmaceuticals, and Officers from Departments of Commerce, Pharmaceuticals and Health.
  • He said that India has been recognized as the ‘Pharmacy of the World’, as over 120 countries got some essential medicines, during the last two months, including 40 of them getting them in the form of grant, free of cost
  • The whole world appreciated India’s gesture, and this has swelled India’s goodwill and reputation.
  • India had adequate production capacity and abundant stock of HCQ and PCM for its projected domestic requirements, and putting restrictions on their exports was to ensure that the medicines are made available to all the needy nations.
  • The Pharma industry received accolades from the Minister for their extra-ordinary performance, in ensuring that the Country did not face any type of shortage of medicines during this period.
  • India has set an example, under the able guidance and leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in being pro-active in management of Covid-19, and also following it up with welfare and relief packages for mitigating its consequences.

Ravi Shankar Prasad launches program “Responsible AI for Youth”

  • National Program for the youth titled “Responsible AI for Youth” has been launched by the Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Communications and Law & Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad.
  • The program has been launched to empower the youth of India with appropriate new age tech mind-set, hence making them digitally ready for the future.
  • This program will provide students from Government schools pan India an opportunity to become part of the skilled workforce in an inclusive manner.
  • National Program for the youth titled “Responsible AI for Youth” has been rolled out by National e-Governance Division, Ministry of Electronics & IT in collaboration with Intel India, along with the support from Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Human Resource Development.
  • The program aims to provide India’s youth a platform where they can acquire appropriate new age tech mind-set, relevant AI skill-sets and access to required AI tool-sets and hence become digitally ready for the future.
  • The knowledge of artificial intelligence will enable the nation’s youth to create meaningful social impact solutions along with bridging the skill gap.

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

Kerala to launch free internet project K-FON in December

  • The Kerala State government has announced the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) project will be commissioned by December 2020.
  • The project aims to provide free internet access to the poor in the State. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the decision after a meeting with the heads of companies of the consortium.

K-FON Project:

  • The estimated cost of the K-FON Project is Rs.1,500 crore
  • Kerala is the first state to declare the internet as a fundamental right of the citizen. No other state across the country has implemented such a scheme.
  • The project aims to provide quality internet free of cost to the poor and at affordable rates to others.
  • The project will be completed by December 2020.
  • The consortium comprises of the public sector companies including Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Railtel, and private companies such as SRIT and LS Cables.

Extra Shots:

Kerala:

  • Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
  • Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
  • Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan
  • Festivals: Onam, Vishu, Thrissur Pooram, Nehru Trophy Boat Race
  • National Parks: Anamudi Shola National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Mathikettan Shola National Park, Pambadum Shola National Park, Periyar National Park,Silent Valley National Park
  • Wildlife Sanctuaries: Aralam WLS, Chimmony WLS, Idukki WLS, Periyar WLS, Wayanad WLS, Peppara WLS, Neyyar WLS, Kurinjimala WLS, Malabar WLS etc

NABARD grants Rs 1,050 crore to West Bengal

  • National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has extended Rs 1,050 crore special liquidity facility (SLF) to West Bengal (WB) so far in the current fiscal year (FY 21) for the welfare of farmers and poor people in the state.
  • Of the total amount, Rs 300 crore disbursed for MFIs, Rs 700 crore sanctioned for state cooperative banks and Rs 50 crore for regional rural banks (RRBs).
  • NABARD had already approved an amount of Rs 720 crore to the state cooperative banks and regional rural banks & the disbursement to micro-finance institutions (MFIs) would start soon.
  • The credit support to the rural areas of the state is extremely important to sustain agricultural operations as the economy is hit by the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Extra Shots:

NABARD:  National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development is an Apex Development Financial Institution in India.

  • Founded: 12 July 1982
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Agency executive: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala (Chairperson)
  • Purpose: Development assistance; Poverty Reduction
  • Formation: July 12, 1982; 37 years ago
  • Subsidiaries: Nabcons, NABVENTURES Ltd., Nabkisan Finance Ltd., NABSAMRUDDHI Finance Limited

Himachal Pradesh gives Sanskrit status of second language

  • Himachal Pradesh State Government has given status of second language to Sanskrit.
  • CM said now efforts should be made to make it more practical and simple so that it could be popularized amongst the masses.
  • Now the state would bring out the Newsletter in Hindi, Sanskrit and English.

Extra Shots

Himachal Pradesh:

  • State formed on: 25 January 1971
  • Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya
  • Chief Justice: Lingappa Narayana Swamy
  • Chief Minister: Jai Ram Thakur
  • Official language: Hindi

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan deposits Rs. 146 crore for 66 lakh students

  • MP Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan deposited Rs. 145.92 crore towards the amount of 37 days of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme for the month of May and June in the bank accounts of 66.27 lakh students
  • An amount of Rs. 117.11 crore of 33 days for the month of March and April has already been deposited earlier. Apart from this, a total amount of Rs. 84 crore in two installments has been paid to the cooks under the scheme.
  • A total amount of Rs. 347 crore has been deposited under the scheme during the period of Corona pandemic.
  • Benefit of the scheme has been extended to the students first time during the holidays.

Extra Shots:

Madhya Pradesh:

  • Capital: Bhopal
  • Chief Minister: Kamal Nath
  • Governor: Lalji Tandon
  • National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP

Assam to provide functional tap connections to 13 lakh rural households in 2020-21 year

  • Assam State government presented the Annual Action Plan for consideration and approval of the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Government of India (GoI) approved Rs.1,407 crore for 2020-21 under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
  • Assam plans to provide tap connections to 13 lakh households out of a total of 63 lakhs in 2020-21.

Highlights:

  • Achieving the target of Jal Jeevan Mission in Assam is not difficult because of the abundant water resources in the State, which is both groundwater and surface water
  • Assam is giving emphasis on capitalizing on ‘low-hanging fruits’ in the villages/ habitations where piped water supply schemes already exist in order to yield the desired results.
  • The state plans to immediately provide household tap connections to all remaining households belonging to weaker and marginalized sections on priority.
  • The state government has also defined roadmap for the effective implementation of the Village Action Plan (VAP) with the active participation of the rural community.
  • The aim is to strengthen the existing drinking water sources for the long-term sustainability of drinking water supply systems through the convergence of various programmes like MGNREGS, SBM (G), 15th Finance Commission Grants to PRIs, District Mineral Development Fund, CAMPA, Local Area Development Fund, etc. at village level is planned for judicious use of all available resources.
  • With the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission, people in rural areas now aspire to get tap connections in their household premises.

Extra Shots:

Assam:

  • Capital: Dispur
  • Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
  • Governor: Jagdish Mukhi
  • National Park: Dibru-Saikhowa NP, Kaziranga NP, Manas NP, Nameri NP, Rajiv Gandhi Orang NP

UP becomes first state to prepare one lakh beds for COVID-19 patients

  • Uttar Pradesh has become first state in the country to prepare one lakh beds for COVID-19 patients, with each of the 75 districts having dedicated beds for patients in the respective facilities.
  • The beds in the hospitals are classified into three categories- Level 1, level 2 and level 3. While level one and two beds are for patients exhibiting mild symptoms, level three beds are meant for graver infections.
  • The hospitals catering to level one patients will have facilities for oxygen support, those catering to level two patients will have a few ventilators in addition to oxygen support.
  • Level three hospitals will have ventilator support as well as ICU facilities for the patients, besides having provisions for dialysis.

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

MP: 651 Bank Sakhi provide door to door bank facilities in rural areas

  • In Madhya Pradesh, despite the banks opening during the Corona transition period, it is a difficult task to move from rural areas to urban area banks.
  • In such a situation, 651 Bank Sakhi (Banking Correspondents) have taken up the task of providing door to door bank facilities in rural areas.
  • The villagers are also happy to get all the banking facilities including transaction of money at their home.More than 32 lakh 27 thousand women are associated as members in 2 lakh 87 thousand self-help groups in Madhya Pradesh. Educated women of these groups or their daughters have been linked to nationalized banks as Bank Sakhi.
  • Bank Sakhi Anita Nagadia said that we are giving amounts of all Govt schemes including Kisan Samman Nidhi, widow and other social security pensions.
  • The bank Sakhis provided an amount of Rs 62 crore 23 lakh to the respective account holders in rural areas. 3 lakh 34 thousand bank transactions have been done by 651 bank-Sakhis in the state.

Extra Shots:

Madhya Pradesh:

  • Capital: Bhopal
  • Chief Minister: Kamal Nath
  • Governor: Lalji Tandon
  • National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP

Odisha, Sikkim, Mizoram join ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’ scheme: Ram Vilas Paswan

  • Three more states — Odisha, Sikkim and Mizoram — have joined the ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’ scheme, taking the number of states and union territories which have joined the scheme to 20,
  • By August, Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Manipur will also be added to the national cluster, he added
  • Under the ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’ initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled foodgrains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any Fair Price Shop in the country using the same ration card.

Extra Shots:

Sikkim:

  • Capital: Gangtok
  • Chief Minister: Pawan Kumar Chamling
  • Governor: Ganga Prasad
  • Literacy Rate: 81.42%

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

WHO along with 37 countries launch tool ‘C-TAP’ for common ownership of vaccines for Covid-19

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an international project named ‘COVID-19 Technology Access Pool’ (C-TAP) on May 30, 2020.
  • Till now 37 countries have joined this initiative of WHO, which calls for common ownership of vaccines, medicines and other diagnostic tools for COVID-19 treatment since patent right laws can act as a barrier to the sharing of crucial supplies.
  • C-TAP aims to accelerate the development of vaccines and medicines through the sharing of research and information and to increase manufacturing capacity for any products that are developed.
  • WHO has also issued a ‘Solidarity Call to Action’ urging other stakeholders of the UN health agency to join the cause.

Extra Shots:

WHO: The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency’s governing structure and principles, states its main objective as “the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.”

  • Heads: Tedros Adhanom, Soumya Swaminathan, Jane Ellison, Peter Salama Trending
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Founded: 7 April 1948
  • Customer service: 011 6656 4800
  • Parent organization: United Nations Economic and Social Council

US joins G7 Group’s Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to counter China

  • United States has finally joined the rest of the G7 countries in the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (AI), in an effort to contain China‘s influence on AI.
  • The Trump administration had been the only nation among leaders of the Group of Seven which was not the part of the Global Partnership on AI, set up by France and Canada in 2019.
  • However, looking at how Chinese technology companies are attempting to shape international standards on facial recognition and surveillance at the United Nations, the US decided to join the international panel for setting ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence.
  • The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence aims to guide the responsible adoption of AI based on shared principles of “human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation and economic growth”, among the member nations.
  • G7 Members: France, Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan, UK and US

Extra Shots:

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

  • President: Donald Trump
  • Official languages: English

NASA Astronauts Launch from America in Historic Test Flight of SpaceX Crew Dragon

  • For the first time in history, NASA astronauts have launched from American soil in a commercially built and operated American crew spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station.
  • The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley lifted off at 3:22 p.m. EDT Saturday on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
  • The launch of this commercial space system designed for humans is a phenomenal demonstration of American excellence and is an important step on our path to expand human exploration to the Moon and Mars
  • NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2, the mission is an end-to-end test flight to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, including launch, in-orbit, docking and landing operations.
  • This is SpaceX’s second spaceflight test of its Crew Dragon and its first test with astronauts aboard, which will pave the way for its certification for regular crew flights to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Extra Shots:

NASA:

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
  • Preceding agency: NACA (1915–1958);
  • Founder: Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • Founded: 1 October 1958, United States
  • Administered by: Jim Bridenstine

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

Piyush Goyal attends the Digital Summit on Exports through video conference

  • Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal participated in the Digital Summit on Exports organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) through a Video Conference.
  • The institutional partner for the summit is Export-Import(EXIM) Bank.
  • Exports are likely to improve in May, with the contraction expected to be 30-35%, after outbound shipments crashed by a record 60% in April. 70% of exports are in raw materials & their remaining trade is affected by price shocks and supply volatility.
  • These items command only 30% of global product demand.
  • Exports fell 60.28% in April and 34.5% in March. The fall can be narrowed 8- 10% by June 2020.
  • The 28 of the 30 major product groups experienced the highest-ever double-digit contraction of up to 99 % in April.
  • Even large quantities of petroleum products are unable to push value-wise exports as international prices were at low.
  • 3 important ways to increase India’s exports- reviving manufacturing, diversifying the exports basket, and finding newer and more accepting markets.
  • The government is already promoting electronics production and the manufacturing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients(API).
  • India should be seen as a trusted partner and reliable friend in the world market, especially when global supply chains are undergoing a restructuring.

Extra Shots:

EXIM:

  • Head Office: Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO): David Rasquinha

CII:

  • It has completed 125 years & has also launched the Taskforce on Enhancing Exports through integration into the Global Value Chains (GVCs).
  • Corporate Office: New Delhi, India
  • President: Vikram Shreekant(S.) Kirloskar
  • Director General: Chandrajit Banerjee

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

Tata Sons, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute partner for production of COVID-19 test kits

  • The Tata Sons, holding company of the Tata Group, has entered into an agreement with the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram, for commercial production of COVID-19 testing kits.
  • The SCTIMST is an Institute of National Importance under the Department of Sciences and Technology (DST), Government of India.

Highlights:

  • The kits will be based on RT-LAMP (Reverse Transcriptase Loop-Mediated Amplification) technology which can produce results in significantly less time thereby increasing the throughput of labs in India, a statement issued by the Tata Sons
  • The tie-up follows the Tata Sons’ partnership with the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology to produce CRISPR-based test kits.
  • These two partnerships will significantly boost the Tata Sons efforts to cater to the growing demand for testing

ACQUISITION & MERGER

Yes Bank acquires 24.19% stake in Dish TV via pledged shares

  • Private sector lender YES Bank has acquired 24.19 percent stake in Dish TV India Ltd, making it the second-largest shareholder in the direct-to-home (DTH) company.
  • Yes Bank Ltd has acquired the stakes by invoking pledges against 44.53 equity shares kept as collateral with the private lender for a loan.
  • This is the fifth instance in the past one year that Yes Bank has acquired majority stake in a non-banking businesses simply due to invocation of pledge against shares of a company that had availed loans from the bank and later failed to repay the dues.

Extra Shots:

Yes Bank: Yes Bank Limited is an Indian private sector bank, founded by Rana Kapoor and Ashok Kapur in 2004. It primarily operated as a corporate bank, with retail banking and also asset management as subsidiary function.

  • CEO: Ravneet Gill
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Tagline: Experience our Expertise

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL  AWARDS

Rohit Sharma nominated for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

  • BCCI nominated Rohit Sharma for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards. The Award is considered to be the highest sporting honour award in India.
  • The period of consideration for a person to get nominated is from January 2016 to December 2019. Rohit has become the first T20 cricketer to score four centuries.
  • Also, he holds record of 150 plus score in around 8 ODIs.
  • He also holds the greatest number of centuries in ODI matches since 2017, that numbered to18. He was also the ICC ODI Cricketer of the year, 2019.
  • He received this award as he was the first player to score five ODI centuries in a single edition of the World Cup.

Extra Shots:

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

  • The award is the highest sporting honour of India. The award is presented by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and sports. The award is presented for outstanding performance for a period of 4 years. The award comprises of cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakhs.

BCCI

  • President: Sourav Ganguly
  • Secretary: Jay Shah
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Vice president(s): Mahim Verma
  • Founded: December 1928
  • Women’s coach: W. V. Raman

APPOINTMENT IN NEWS

Power Finance Corporation board Appoints R S Dhillon as CMD

  • State-run Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has appointed Ravinder Singh Dhillon as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the company.
  • He will succeed incumbent CMD Rajeev Sharma, who is attaining superannuation on May 31, 2020.
  • Dhillon’s appointment will be with effect from 01 June 2020, till the date of his superannuation (May 31, 2023) or until further orders.

Extra Shots:

PFC:  Power Finance Corporation

  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Owner: Government of India

Arun Singhal Appointed CEO of Food Regulator FSSAI

  • Senior bureaucrat Arun Singhal has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of India’s apex food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
  • He will succeed GSG Ayyangar.
  • A 1987-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Mr Singhal, is at present Special Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
  • The FSSAI comes under the purview of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. It is responsible for setting up standards for the food industry and regulate the manufacturing, storage, distribution, sale, and import of foods.

Extra Shots:

FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Chairperson: Rita teotia
  • Founded: August 2011
  • Sector: Food safety
  • Jurisdiction: India
  • Parent agency: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India

PR Jaishankar Appointed as the MD of state-owned IIFCL

  • The Ministry of Finance has appointed PR Jaishankar as the Managing Director of the India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) for three years.
  • The Bank Boards Bureau (BBB), the headhunter for state-run banks and financial institutions, recommended Jaishankar for the post on March 15.
  • Prior to this, Jaishankar served as the executive director of the National Housing Bank (NHB).
  • IIFCL is a wholly-owned Government of India company set up in 2006 to provide long term finance to viable infrastructure projects.

Extra Shots:

IIFCL:  India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd

  • Founded: 5 January 2006

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande takes over as Commander-In-Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command

  • Lieutenant General Manoj Pande, AVSM, VSM, will take over as the15th Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN) on 01 Jun 2020
  • He is a graduate of Staff College, Camberley (United Kingdom) and attended the Higher Command Course at Army War College, Mhow and National Defence College (NDC) at Delhi.
  • During his 37 years of distinguished service, the General Officer has taken active part in Operation Vijay and Parakram.
  • He commanded an Engineer Regiment along the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir, an Engineer Brigade as part of the Strike Corps, an Infantry Brigade along the Line of Control, a Mountain Division in High Altitude Area of Western Ladakh and a Corps deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as also in Counter Insurgency Operations area in the North East.
  • He was Director General at Army Headquarters dealing with subjects of Discipline, Ceremonial and Welfare, prior to assuming the present appointment.

Anita Kotwani becomes Chief Executive Officer of Carat India

  • Anita Kotwani has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Carat India, a media agency owned by Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN).
  • She was earlier serving as the senior vice president, new business and client lead, for The Walt Disney business at Mindshare India.
  • Taking over the new role of CEO, Anita Kotwani will work towards Carat India’s strategic progress and business growth nationally.
  • She will help the media agency to deliver enhanced integrated solutions to clients by focusing on developing and leading significant tools as well as capabilities within the agency.

BharatPe appoints Ex Walmart Labs Ankur Jain as its Chief Product Officer

  • BharatPe, India’s largest merchant payment, and lending network company, has strengthened its leadership team by appointing Mr. Ankur Jain as Chief Product Officer.
  • Ankur will be responsible for the complete product lifecycle and innovation at BharatPe. Ankur is the fifth CXO at BharatPe and joins Vijay Agarwal (CTO), Nishit Sharma (Chief Revenue Officer), Puneet Agarwal (Chief Risk Officer), and Nishant Jain (Chief Business Officer) in the core team.
  • Ankur will contribute to BharatPe’s aggressive plans to scale up its footprint to 10 million merchants this year.

SPORT CURRENT AFFAIRS

Virat Kohli only cricketer in Forbes’ 2020 list of world’s highest paid athletes

  • India skipper Virat Kohli is the only cricketer to feature in Forbes’ list of the top 100 highest paid athletes in the world for the year 2020.
  • Kohli is ranked at number 66 with estimated earnings of $26 million.
  • Swiss tennis great, Roger Federer has topped the list of world’s highest-paid athlete for 2020 with an estimated $106.3 million.
  • Soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo ($105 million), Lionel Messi ($104 million ) and Neymar ($95.5 million) and NBA’s LeBron James complete the top 5 positions in the list.
  • The factors used by Forbes’ for calculation were athletes’ revenue, including prize money, salaries, contract bonuses, endorsements, royalties, and appearance fees from June 1, 2019, until June 1, 2020.

Extra Shots:

Forbes:

  • CEO: Mike Federle
  • CEO/Asia: William Adamopoulos
  • Headquarters: New Jersey, United States of America

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DBT enabled Rapid Response Regulatory Mechanism for COVID-19 pandemic

  • The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has taken several proactive measures to streamline the biosafety regulation and to facilitate researchers and industries which are undertaking research and development in Recombinant DNA (rDNA) Technology and Hazardous Microorganisms.

Various Steps are:

  • DBT has operationalized the Indian Biosafety Knowledge Portal.
  • The Department has issued the Revised Guidelines in January 2020. In the guidelines, the Institutional Biosafety Committee has been delegated authority to make decisions on applications of import-export and exchange of GE organisms and products thereof for R&D purposes for RG1 and RG2 items.
  • DBT has proactively taken several steps to facilitate researchers and industries involved in research on COVID-19.

Guidelines issued by DBT are:

  • Rapid Response Regulatory Framework for COVID-19 to deal with an application for the development of vaccines, diagnostics, prophylactics and therapeutic
  • Interim Guidance Document on Laboratory Biosafety to Handle COVID-19 Specimens
  • IBSCs can conduct their meeting through video conferencing up to 30 June 2020.
  • Rapid response regulatory framework for the development of recombinant DNA COVID 19 vaccine

Extra Shots:

DBT:

  • Secretary: Renu Swarup
  • Founded: 1986
  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Abbreviation: DBT
  • Region served: India
  • Parent organization: Ministry of Science and Technology

India Observatory launches GIS-enabled dashboard, CoAST India

  • India Observatory, an open-source database, launched a GIS-enabled dashboard, CoAST India(Collaboration/Covid Action Support Group) in collaboration with Anand-based Forest Ecological Security(FES) as its main nodal point, to help administrators, civil society organisations & volunteers to plan urgent steps to get the stranded migrant population to safety & care.
  • The dashboard provides a repository of migrants data & requirements linked to the relevant service providers. It also visualises facilities like schools & hospitals, road networks, relief camps, quarantine centers & healthcare workers.
  • It draws information from 55 organisations mostly in villages and aims to make such data available so that governments and small local civil society groups can help.
  • The data available on the platform is collated from various gov. departments, NGOs & various helpline numbers & is crowdsourced in the website itself and constantly is being updated.
  • The platform includes the map of India which reflects the movement of migrants in real time on their long journeys, often on foot, along with facilities and relief organisations on their routes.
  • The map matches time and spatial data, on administrative facilities in the area, transportation and healthcare facilities of an area and summaries, on the fly, in real-time of people passing by.

“Indian National Super Model” launched by DST

  • the Department of Science and Technology operating under Ministry of Science and Technology launched the Indian National Super Model.
  • The Model was launched to help monitor transmission of COVID-19 infection.

Highlights

  • The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) and IISc (Indian Institute of Science) are to play crucial role in the programme.
  • The programme will act as a common platform for the experts from different fields to come together and create a model.
  • The model will perform rigorous tests and will practice forecast routine similar to that of the weather forecasting communities.
  • The Model will integrate mathematical and statistical forecasts.
  • This will help in predicting the possible impacts of the spread of the disease.
  • A consultative committee is to work closely with the experts involved in the model.
  • The committee will provide guidance, aggregation and final delivery of the super model.

Extra Shots:

DBT:

  • Secretary: Renu Swarup
  • Founded: 1986
  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Abbreviation: DBT
  • Region served: India
  • Parent organization: Ministry of Science and Technology

WEBPORTALS & APPS IN NEWS

Ravi Shankar Prasad launches India’s National AI Portal www.ai.gov.in

  • The Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Law and Justice and Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad launched India’s national Artificial Intelligence Portal called www.ai.gov.in, on 30 May 2020, to mark the the first anniversary of the second tenure of the government
  • The portal has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and IT Industry.
  • It will be jointly run by National e-Governance Division of Ministry of Electronics and IT and NASSCOM from the IT industry.
  • The AI portal shall work as a one stop digital platform for all AI related developments in India like sharing of resources such as articles, startups, investment funds in AI, resources, companies and educational institutions related to AI in India, among other things.
  • The minister also launched a National Program for the youth, “Responsible AI for Youth”, to give the young students of our country a platform and empower them with appropriate new age tech mind-set, relevant AI skill-sets and access to required AI tool-sets to make them digitally ready for the future.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Jitendra Singh launched e-booklet on DARPG achievements

  • Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr.Jitendra Singh has launched the e-booklet on Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) achievements for the period 30 May 2019 to 30 May 2020.

DARPG Reforms:

  • DARPG has provided the immense impetus to e-Governance in India by Intense pursuit of the implementation of e-Office in the Central Secretariat and States and
  • DARPG supported GOI’s conduct of the 22nd and 23rd National e-Governance Conferences at Shillong and Mumbai in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
  • DARPG had undertaken significant reforms in handling Public Grievances by pursuing CPGRAMS reforms in several Ministries and Departments.
  • Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, DARPG has provided timely redressal of 0.87 lac COVID 19 Public Grievances in a record average time of 1.45 days/grievance.
  • DARPG has engaged with the Government of Jammu & Kashmir in conducting a series of Regional Conferences and Capacity Building programs that were participative and innovative in taking forward the Government’s agenda for good governance in J&K.

OBITUARY

Veteran Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla passes away at 89

  • The world-renowned astrologer, Bejan Daruwalla, has passed away suffering from pneumonia.
  • He was 89.
  • Daruwalla was a great Ganesha devotee.
  • He combined the principles of various techniques like Vedic astrology, Numerology, Palmistry, I-Ching, Tarot, Kabalah and even Western astrology for his predictions.

Singer & music composer Wajid Khan passes away

  • Singer & music composer Wajid Khan passed away.
  • The singer was renowned for his partnership with his brother Sajid and the duo was known as Sajid-Wajid.
  • They made their Bollywood debut in 1998 with movie Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya and went on to work in various films such as Garv, Tere Naam, Tumko Na Bhool Payenge, Partner and various others.
  • Wajid Khan also mentored the participants of singing reality shows “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012” and “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar”. He also scored the IPL 4 theme song, Dhoom Dhoom Dhoom Dhadaka, along with his brother Sajid.

MISCELLANEOUS

New Asteroid discovered near Jupiter

  • Astronauts have recently discovered a rare space object. The object looks like both asteroid and comet. The new space object is called Active Asteroid
  • The asteroid has been named 2019 LD2. It has an orbit like an asteroid and a tail like a comet. The 2019 LD2 shares the orbit of Jupiter and is a part of the asteroid swarm called Jupiter Trojans. The space object found is the first that emits gas just like a comet.
  • The discovery has also provided evidence that the Jupiter Trojans have large amounts of ice beneath their surfaces. So far, there was no evidence for presence of ice beneath their surface.

NTPC accelerates Learning and Development Opportunities for 19000 Employees amid Lockdown

  • NTPC Ltd. has offered learning opportunities to its 19,000+ employees and their family members amid nationwide lockdown.
  • The move by the company is to meet the requirements of the lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • NTPC has collaborated with the World Bank to provide learning opportunities.
  • The collaboration aims to provide an opportunity to be part of a rigorous online technical course, attending virtual classes, giving assessments, and, eventually, obtaining certifications.

Highlights:

  • NTPC Learning and Development (L&D) strategy has been customized for enriching employees through intensive digitization and online training, enabling them to avail of these services from anywhere.
  • Power Management Institute of NTPC has conducted 250+ training sessions in diverse disciplines ranging from technical, functional, health and safety. Besides, NTPC’s Regional Learning and Development Centres located in power plant projects have created almost 100-plus online learning opportunities.
  • The company introduced the method of learning to upskill the employees even during crises.
  • One of the courses “45-Day Learning Challenge” offers its staff thorough learning for 45 days in varied disciplines such as Technical, Finance, and HR, earning them certifications once completed from home.
  • Also, classes are being held on power plant essentials such as Turbine, Boiler, Water Chemistry, Renewable Energy, and other significant O&M (Operations & Maintenance) areas through in-house and guest faculties.
  • The new learning methodology includes connecting via online forums, webinars, an internally-developed mobile application “Samvaad” and leveraging the Internet and its internal learning portal.

Extra Shots:

NTPC:

Related Post
  1. February 2023 | Daily Current Affairs – PDF Download
  2. Daily Current Affairs in Hindi January 2023 PDF Download
  3. January 2023 | Daily Current Affairs – PDF Download