- Current Affairs June 2019
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Current Affairs June 2019 - National
1 - The first session of 17th Lok Sabha from June 17th
The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha will commence on 17th of this month. The Rajya Sabha will have its sitting from 20th onwards. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javdekar stated the session will continue till 26th of next month (July).
The election for the Speaker of the Lower House will be held on 19th of June. The President will address the Joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament on the 20th. The Economic Survey will be tabled on the 4th of July and the Union Budget will be presented on the 5th of July.
2 - Nirmala Sitharaman to present First Union Budget on 05th July
The first session of the newly-elected Lok Sabha has been convened from 17th June to 26th July 2019 and the new government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present its first Budget on 05th July 2019 by Nirmala Sitharaman, who is Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs. The 40-day session will have 30 sittings.
3 - Union Cabinet approves extension of PM-KISAN scheme
The newly-sworn in NDA government at the Centre has taken four major decisions related to farmers’ and traders welfare in the first meeting of the Union Cabinet.
It has approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) to all the farmers in the country. Earlier the benefit of the scheme was applicable to farmers having two hectares of land.
4 - PM Modi hikes National Defence Fund scholarship assistance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved changes to the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme for wards of deceased defense personnel under the National Defence Fund.
The quota of new scholarships for children of state police officials will be 500 in a year. The rates of scholarship have also been increased from Rs. 2000 per month to Rs. 2500 per month for boys and from Rs. 2250 per month to Rs. 3000 per month for girls.
5 - India removes restriction on air space usage
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has removed all the temporary restrictions on all air routes in the Indian air space. The Indian Air Force had put temporary airspace restrictions on Indian air space on February 27.
Incidentally, Pakistan had extended the restriction on Indian aircraft overflying its territory till June 15 earlier this week.
6 - Indian-origin Anita Bhatia appointed as UN Deputy Executive Director
Indian-origin Anita Bhatia, a veteran in strategic partnerships, resource mobilization, and management, has been appointed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the Deputy Executive Director in the global body’s agency focused on women empowerment and gender equality.
7 - Kasturirangan committee submits new draft education policy to HRD Ministry
Former ISRO chief Dr. Kasturirangan led Committee submitted the draft National Educational Policy (NEP) to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in New Delhi.
The policy draft recommends incorporation of Indian knowledge systems in the curriculum, constituting a National Education Commission and curbing arbitrary fees hikes by private schools.
8 - Assam government hikes parental income limit under the fee waiver scheme
Assam government has waived admission fees for students taking admission up to Post Graduate level whose parental income is less than 2 lakh rupees per year.
All provincialized government colleges and 5 universities are incorporated under the scheme.
9 - Telangana celebrates its formation day on 02nd June
On the occasion of the fifth Telangana State Formation Day on 02nd June 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have extended their wishes to the people of the state.
Telangana Formation Day is celebrated on the formation of Telangana State on 2nd June every year since 2014. The State celebrates the occasion with formal events across the districts.
10 - Telangana enhances Rythu Bandhu scheme
The Telangana Government has issued a notification to extend the Rythu Bandhu scheme for 2019-20 while enhancing the amount from Rs 4000 to Rs 5000.
The scheme, which provides Initial Investment support to agriculture and horticulture crops through a grant of Rs 4000 per acre per farmer each season towards the purchase of inputs like seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, labour, and other filed operations, has now been enhanced from Rs 4000 to Rs 5000 per acre per farmer per season.
11 - Rajasthan government increases financial aid given to girls under ‘Aapki Beti’ scheme
Rajasthan government has increased the financial assistance given to school girls under the ‘Aapki Beti’ scheme and ex-gratia payment to the families of polling personnel who die during election duty. Under the Aapki Beti scheme, girls living under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and whose mother or father or both have died to get annual financial assistance in the state.
The amount has been increased to Rs 2,100 from Rs 1,100 for the girls studying in class 1 to 8 and for the girls in class 9 to 12, the financial aid has been increased to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,500. Similarly, the government has also increased ex-gratia payment to the next of kin of an officer killed on election duty to Rs 20 lakh from Rs 15 lakh.
12 - Chandrani Murmu becomes the youngest MP in India’s history
Odisha has a total of seven women MPs, making it the first state ever to have 33 percent or the largest share of women MPs of its total of 21 seats.
Chandrani Murmu, who has replaced Dushyant Chautala, was elected as Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate from the Keonjhar seat, as the youngest parliamentarian in the country.
This is in a first that a 25-year-old engineering graduate from Odisha has become the youngest Member of Parliament to the 17th Lok Sabha.
13 - Tripura to host 10th National Science Film Festival of India in 2020
In an effort to raise awareness about science and environment through films, the 10th National Science Film Festival of India (NSFFI) will be organised in Tripura in January and February 2020.
The NSFFI debuted in Chennai eight years ago in 2011. It has covered almost all regions of the country since then including Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Bangalore, Lucknow, Mumbai, Guwahati and Mohali.
14 - Nilekani panel suggests 24x7 RTGS, NEFT, elimination of all charges
To encourage digital payments, the Nandan Nilekani committee has suggested a host of measures, including elimination of charges, round-the-clock RTGS and NEFT facility, and duty-free import of point-of-sales machines.
The committee, which was appointed by the RBI had submitted its suggestions on promoting digital payments to Governor Shaktikanta Das last month.
15 - MP Cabinet passes resolution to increase reservation for OBCs to 27%
Madhya Pradesh Cabinet has passed a resolution to increase reservation quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) from existing 14% to 27%.
The move will lead to the reservation in the state breaching the Supreme Court-mandated 50 percent cap to reach 63 percent. If implemented, Madhya Pradesh will become the only state in the country to have a 27% quota for OBCs.
16 - Draft National Education Policy revised
The Kasturirangan committee has revised the Draft New National Education Policy and effected some changes in the three-language formula.
The committee informed the government that there had been an inadvertent error in the draft submitted for public feedback.
17 - L&T Financial Services Launches ‘Digital Sakhi’ in Tamil Nadu
L&T Financial Services’ (LTFS) ‘Digital Sakhi’, an educational programme aimed at digital financial inclusion of rural women, was launched in two villages of Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
LTFS in association with Sri Aurobindo Society will train and develop a team of 100 rural women (Digital Sakhis) as digital enablers, who in turn, will train about 40,000 others in using digital modes of payments.
18 - Tamil Nadu Gets $287 million World Bank loan for healthcare reform
The Centre, the Tamil Nadu Government and the World Bank have signed a $287-million loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Programme (TNHSRP).
TNHSRP aims to improve the quality of healthcare, reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and fill equity gaps in reproductive and child health services in the State, according to an official statement.
19 - PM Modi forms 2 cabinet panels for growth and jobs
In a bid to spur investment and create new employment opportunities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set up two Cabinet committees to deal with the two crucial issues. Both the panels, respectively on Investment and Growth and on Employment and Skill Development, will be headed by the prime minister.
The Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth will have Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sithataman, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Railways and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal as its members.
20 - India test fires Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from Chandipur in Odisha
India has successfully test fired Brahmos Supersonic Cruise Missile from Chandipur in Odisha.
Described as the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile with high rate of precision and accuracy, BrahMos can be fired from land, sea and air.
21 - Government Reconstitutes 8 Cabinet Committees
The Government has reconstituted eight Cabinet Committees. These are Appointments Committee, Committees on Accommodation, Economic Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, Political Affairs, Security, Investment and Growth and Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development.
The Cabinet Committee on Security will have Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar.
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has Prime Minister Modi and Mr Shah. While Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth will have the Prime Minister and Ministers of Home, Road Transport and Highways, Finance and Corporate Affairs and Railways and Commerce and Industry.
22 - Delhi Metro becomes India's 1st project to receive power from waste-to-energy
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has become the first ever project in the country to receive power generated from a waste-to-energy plant. It has started receiving 2 MW power from a 12 MW capacity waste-to-energy plant set up in Ghazipur.
The waste-to-energy plant set up by East Delhi Waste Processing Company Limited (EDWPCL) is based on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) involving the Delhi government and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), besides the EDWPCL.
23 - CII launches new index to measure fiscal performance
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has launched a Fiscal Performance Index (FPI) to assess state and central budgets.
The Index incorporates qualitative assessments of revenue expenditure, capital expenditure, revenues, fiscal prudence and the level of public debt arrive at a more holistic picture of fiscal performance than the fiscal deficit to GDP ratio according to the CII.
24 - All states can now constitute foreigners tribunals
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has amended the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964, and has empowered district magistrates in all States and Union Territories to set up tribunals to decide whether a person staying illegally in India is a foreigner or not.
Earlier, the powers to constitute tribunals were vested only with the Centre. The amended Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 2019 also empowers individuals to approach the Tribunals. These tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, earlier unique to Assam.
25 - NCGG and Maldives civil services commission sign MOU
The National Center for Good Governance (NCGG), India’s leading civil services training institution, has entered into an MOU with the Maldives Civil Services Commission for capacity building of 1000 Maldives civil servants over the next 5 years.
The agreement was signed during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Male. The agreement envisages that NCGG will be the nodal institution for designing customised training modules and its implementation taking into account the requirements of the Civil Service Commission, Maldives.
26 - India invited to G-7 outreach session
India has received an invitation from France to attend the outreach Session at the G-7 Summit to be held in France in August 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted an invitation from French President to attend the outreach session of the G7 Summit in Biarritz as a special invitee.
27 - ICAT releases India’s 1st BS – VI certificate in two wheeler segment
International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) released India’s first Type Approval Certificate (TAC) for Bharat Stage – VI (BS – VI) norms that are the latest emission norms as notified by the Government of India for the two-wheeler segment. The certificate was released and handed over by Director ICAT, Dinesh Tyagi to top officials of the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers).
28 - NDMA conducts training programme for CBRN emergencies
NDMA is conducting a basic training programme at the Deendayal Port Trust in Kandla, Gujarat, aimed at increasing the awareness and enhancing the preparedness of Seaport Emergency Handlers (SEHs) to respond to CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) threats which emanate at seaports due to arrival, storage and transportation of a large amount of chemical, petrochemical and other CBRN agents.
29 - BJP MP Virendra Kumar to be pro-tem speaker of Lok Sabha
Virendra Kumar, a seven-term member of Parliament will be the pro-tem speaker of the Lok Sabha.
As pro-tem speaker, he will preside over the first sitting of the Lok Sabha and administer the oath of office to the newly elected MPs.
30 - V.O. Chidambaranar port trust inks MoU with central warehousing corporation
The V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust, Tuticorin and Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) have signed an MoU for facilitating Direct Port Entry (DPE) of e-sealed factory stuffed export container to the port under ‘Ease of Doing Business’.
With this MoU, Central Warehousing Corporation would make use of the 18,357 sqm area earmarked in the Truck Parking Terminal located opposite to Fisheries College, Tuticorin for operating and managing the DPE facility for 30 years on Annual Lease Rental basis.
31 - Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) acquires Jaypore
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL), which retails brands such as Louis Philippe, Peter England and Van Heusen, has acquired ethnic apparel and lifestyle retailer ‘Jaypore E-Commerce Pvt. Ltd‘ which sells ethnic fashion merchandise under its own brand ‘Jaypore’ for Rs 110 crore.
32 - Very severe cyclonic storm ‘VAYU’ over east-central Arabian
The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘VAYU’ over East-central Arabian Sea moved nearly northwards with a speed of about 13 kmph in last six hours and lay centred over East-central Arabian Sea, about 470 km west-northwest of Goa, 280 km south-southwest of Mumbai (Maharashtra) and 340 km nearly south of Veraval (Gujarat).
It is very likely to move nearly northwards and cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva around Veraval & Diu region as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm with wind speed 145-155 kmph gusting to 170 kmph around morning of 13th June 2019.
33 - Arjun Munda launches ‘E-Governance initiatives for ST welfare schemes’
Arjun Munda, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs launched the “e-governance initiatives for ST Welfare schemes” at a function organized by Ministry of Tribal Affairs. A power point presentation on these new e-governance initiatives was made on the occasion.
Munda applauded the teamwork efforts of the Ministry of Tribal affairs for these-governance initiatives for Scheduled Tribes Welfare schemes and stated that as per the “SabkaSaath, SabkaVikas and SabkaVishwas”, these e-governance initiatives will serve their purpose of the betterment of tribal communities across the nation.
34 - Union cabinet clears NDIAC Bill 2019
The Union Cabinet has cleared the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC) Bill, 2019. The Bill provides for setting up of an independent and autonomous body for institutional arbitration.
It also aims to acquire and transfer the undertakings of International Centre For Alternative Dispute Resolution to New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC) w.e.f 2nd March 2019.
35 - India accounts for 12% of the world’s internet users
According to the annual report on internet trends by venture capitalist Mary Meeker, India accounts for 12% world’s internet users.
China has the largest base, accounting for 21% of all internet users globally, and the US comes third at 8%.
36 - New app to help students wishing to study in the U.S.
The U.S. Embassy organised its fifth annual ‘Student Visa Day’ and launched ‘EducationUSA India’.
It is a mobile application to provide Indian students with “current, comprehensive and accurate information about studying in the U.S.”.
It was launched by the Embassy in collaboration with the United States-India Educational Foundation.
37 - Amitav Ghosh becomes the first English writer to win Jnanpith award
Renowned author Amitav Ghosh was awarded the 54th Jnanpith Award for his contribution to the enrichment of Indian Literature in English.
He was conferred the award by former governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
38 - HCL to roll out “Tech Bee” programme
HCL Technologies is all set to roll out “Tech Bee” programme, a company initiative under which it trains and hires students who have completed XIIth standard, across several states.
Tech Bee is HCL’s early career programme in which company provides students an opportunity to start early and become financially independent and trendsetters. Enrolled students are paid stipend of Rs 10,000 per month.
39 - Government reduces the rate of ESI contribution from 6.5% to 4%
The government has reduced the total rate of the contribution made by workers and employers towards the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme from 6.5% to 4% for the first time in over two decades.
At present, nearly 4.75% of a worker’s monthly salary goes towards ESI as the employer’s contribution and 1.75% of the income is the employee’s share at present. Now, 3.25% will be the employer’s share and 0.75% the employee’s.
40 - Culture Minister inaugurates the exhibition ‘Astitva'
Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C) of Culture & Tourism, GoI inaugurated the exhibition titled "Astitva: The Essence of Prabhakar Barwe”.
The inauguration took place at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.
41 - Akshaya Patra wins BBC award
Akshaya Patra, a non-profit organization, has been awarded the BBC World Service Global Champion Award. It runs one of the world’s largest school meals project in India.
The award, presented at the BBC Food and Farming Awards in Bristol this week, recognizes a person or project that is changing the way the world produces, processes, consumes or thinks about food for the better.
The Bengaluru-based NGO was selected by an international panel of judges from nominations sent in by the World Service audience around the world.
42 - 45 individuals to get Bal Sahitya Puraskar and Yuva Puraskar
The Sahitya Akademi announced the name of 22 winners for Bal Sahitya Puraskar and 23 winners for Yuva Puraskar. The winners of both the awards will receive a casket containing an engraved copper plaque and a cheque of Rs 50,000.
Six books of children’s poetry, including works by Vijay Sharma (Dogri), Naji Munauwar (Kashmiri), and Sanjay Chaubey (Sanskrit); five story books by authors including Govind Sharma (Hindi), Mohammad Khalil (Urdu), and Swmim Nasrin (Assamese); and five authors for their total contribution in children’s literature won the Bal Sahitya Puraskar.
43 - Kimberley process intersessional meeting 2019 held in Mumbai
The Intersessional meeting of Kimberley Process (KP) will be hosted by India from 17th to 21st June 2019 in Mumbai.
Besides this, two special forums regarding Diamond Terminology and Artisanal Mining – Small Steps to Larger Outcomes, will be held during the Intersessional.
India is one of the founder members of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and is the Chair of Kimberley Process for the year 2019 with the Russian Federation as Vice Chair.
44 - TV channels to display title, credits in serials in regional languages
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry directed all satellite TV channels to display the cast, credits and titles of Hindi and regional language serials that they broadcast in the respective languages too.
These orders were being issued for cinema too to promote Indian languages.
45 - ADB approves Rs 1,650 cr infra projects in Tripura
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved projects for infrastructure development worth Rs 1,650 crore ($235 million) in seven of the eight districts headquarter towns in Tripura.
The ADB would give 80% of the amount as grant-in-aid and the Tripura Government would have to repay back only 20% loan in due course of time.
46 - Assam government to set up Skill University at Darrang district
Assam government will set up a Skill University at the cost of 850 crore rupees at Darrang district.
This will be perhaps the first skill university of the country with a capacity of 10 thousand seats. The International Yoga Day will be observed at 459 centres of the Skill Development Mission.
47 - 5th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog held in New Delhi
The fifth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog was held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The Governing Council of NITI Aayog comprises the Prime Minister of India, Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories with Legislatures and Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and four Union Ministers as ex-officio members and three Union Ministers as Special Invitees
48 - ISRO opens its laboratories for Indian school students
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has, for the first time, opened its laboratories for Indian school students to undergo two-week training from this year.
The training module has been devised as part of its new Young Scientists Programme, or Yuva Vigyanik Karyakram, YUVIKA.
49 - World Food India to be held in November 2019
The second edition of World Food India to be held from 1st to 4th November 2019 in New Delhi, which will position India as Food Processing Destination of the World.
The tagline of the event will be “Forging Partnerships for Growth”.
50 - Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yury Trutnev Visits India
The Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yury Trutnev addressed a gathering of businesspersons and industrialist in Mumbai and invited Indian Investments in the Russian Far East.
India Russia business tie has been hugely tilted favouring defence sector traditionally. Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yury Trutnev will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
51 - Diamond Jubilee of the Oldest Naval Air Squadron
Indian Navy's first Naval Air Squadron 550 celebrated its Diamond Jubilee at naval base Kochi after Completing 60 glorious years of yeoman service to the nation.
The squadron has flown 14 different types of aircraft starting with the Sea Land Aircraft to the Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft being presently flown.
52 - Unemployed graduates to get up to Rs 3,500 in Rajasthan
Unemployed youth having graduation or an equivalent degree will be given unemployment allowance by Rajasthan government.
Male applicants will get Rs 3,000/month, while the women and differently-abled will get Rs 3,500/month under Chief Minister Yuva Sambal Yojana from February this year.
53 - ICG co-hosts 12th ReCAAP ISC capacity building workshop
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) co-hosts 12th Capacity Building workshop with Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia(ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC) in New Delhi.
Presently 20 countries are members of ReCAAP. India played an active role in the setting up and functioning of ReCAAPISC along with Japan and Singapore.
54 - India grants $15mn to Niger for African Union Summit
India has granted financial support of $15 million to Niger for the African Union Summit. Sub-Saharan Niger is hosting the African Union Summit for the first time.
India is also building a convention centre in Niger as part of a plan to build chain convention centres across 20 African states as signature infrastructure projects.
55 - FM chairs the 20th Meeting of the FSDC in New Delhi
Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs chaired the 20th Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) held in New Delhi.
The FSDC Meeting was also attended by senior officers of the Government of India and the Financial Sector Regulators.
The meeting reviewed the current global and domestic economic situation and financial stability issues including those concerning Banking and NBFCs.
56 - Himachal Pradesh makes GPS device must for trekkers
The Himachal Pradesh government makes mandatory for trekkers to carry a GPS device so that they can be provided all possible help in case of any emergency.
According to the Himachal Pradesh government, as Himachal Pradesh being a disaster prone state, therefore Kullu and Dalhousie have been identified for installation of early warning system.
Rampur and Mandi towns have been zeroed in for setting up the relief and rescue base of National Disaster Response Force.
57 - 35000 km of highways to be built by 2022 under Bharatmala
According to the President of India, construction or upgradation of about 35,000 kilometres of national highways are to be undertaken by 2022 under the 'Bharatmala Project'.
Also under the 'Sagarmala Project', a network of good quality roads is to be constructed in coastal areas and areas adjoining ports.
58 - IIIDEM (ECI) Organises Capacity Building Program On ‘Electoral Technology’
The India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) (ECI) organized five-day training programme on Use of Technology in Elections for Election Officials of Union Election Commission of Myanmar.
The Capacity Building Programs on Electoral technology is the 7th program in the series of the 09 programs scheduled across 2018-2019.