Daily Current affairs - June 5th and 6th, 2018 for all competitive exams
World Environment Day is the
United Nations' (UN) most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and
action for the protection of our environment.
- Each World Environment Day is organized around a
theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental
concern.
- The theme for the World Environment Day 2018,
"Beat Plastic Pollution"
Since it began in 1974, it
has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely
celebrated in over 100 countries. World Environment Day is the "people's
day" for doing something to take care of the Earth. World Environment
Day occurs on the 5th of June every year.
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World Bank forecasts 7.3
per cent growth for India
World Bank has forecasted
a growth rate of 7.3 per cent for India this year and 7.5 per cent for the next
two years, making it the fastest growing country among major emerging
economies.
- Growth in India is projected to advance 7.3 per cent
in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018/19 (April 1, 2018-March 31, 2019) and 7.5 per
cent in FY 2019/20, reflecting robust private consumption and
strengthening investment, the bank stated in its June 2018 edition of the
Global Economic Prospect report.
Govt launches 'Krishi
Kalyan Abhiyaan' to help farmers in Aspirational Districts to raise their
income
The government has announced
the launch of 'Krishi Kalyan Abhiyaan' under which farmers in select villages
will be given assistance and advice on ways to improve farming techniques and
raise their income.
- The Agriculture Ministry in line with the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 has
launched the Krishi Kalyan Abhiyaan from 1st June to 31st July 2018.
Govt. launched Janaushadhi Suvidha
The government has launched the ‘JANAUSHADHI SUVIDHA’, the
Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya
Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).
- The affordable sanitary napkins will now become
available at over 3600 Janaushadhi Kendras functional in 33 States/UTs
across India.
- Jan Aushadhi Suvidha comes with a special additive,
which makes Sanitary napkin biodegradable when it comes in contact with
oxygen after being discarded. This would ensure ‘Swachhta, Swasthya and
Suvidha’ for the underprivileged Women of India and go a long way in the
achievement of vision of Affordable and Quality Healthcare for All.
According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, about 58% of
women aged between 15 to 24 years use locally prepared napkins, sanitary
napkins and tampons. Further, about 78% women in urban areas use hygienic
methods of protection during menstrual period; only 48% women in rural areas
have access to clean sanitary napkins.
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‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ is a campaign launched
by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. Of India, to provide quality
medicines at affordable prices to the masses through special kendra’s known
as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan
Aushadhi Kendra (PMBJK) have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are
available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as
expensive branded drugs.
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Govt. plans to provide fortified rice under NFSA
The government is planning to provide fortified rice (enriched with
essential vitamins and minerals) to all the poor under National Food Security
Act (NFSA) across the country, which would cost about Rs 12,000 to Rs 14,000
crore annually.
- To begin with the scheme is likely to cover the 115
‘aspirational’ districts across the country. The proposal is being
prepared with the support of Niti Aayog under the National Nutrition
Mission.
- Fortification is the practice of deliberately
increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and
minerals (including trace elements) in a food, so as to improve the
nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit
with minimal risk to health.
- Rice fortification is the practice of increasing the
content of essential micronutrients in rice and to improve the nutritional
quality of the rice.
Rice is the world’s most important staple food. An estimated 2 billion
people eat rice every day, forming the mainstay of diets across large of Asia
and Africa.
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NITI Aayog working on Methanol economy
The NITI Aayog is working on a roadmap for full-scale implementation of methanol
economy in the country in near future, which would not only curb pollution, but
reduce India’s dependence on oil imports as well.
- Methanol is a promising fuel as it is clean, cheaper
than fossil fuels and a good substitute for heavy fuels. India imports
methanol from Saudi Arabia and Iran at present. Across the world, methanol
is emerging as a clean, sustainable transportation fuel of the future.
The Concept of “Methanol Economy” is being actively pursued by China,
Italy, Sweden, Israel, US, Australia, Japan and many other European
countries. 10% of fuel in China in transport Sector is Methanol. Methanol
Economy, if adopted by India can be one of the best ways to mitigate the
Environmental hazards of a growing economy. NITI Aayog is preparing a road
map for a full-scale implementation in the near future.
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UIDAI restricts e-wallets
from accessing Aadhaar database
Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI), which manages the country’s Aadhaar repository, has
restricted the access of payment companies to its database by classifying them
as local authentication user agencies, citing concerns over their security systems.
- An authentication user agency (AUA) is allowed to
capture Aadhaar information from a person and submit them to the Central
Identities Data Repository for validation.
MoEFCC and TERI entered MoU to setup Resource
efficiency cell
MoEFCC and TERI have entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up
a resource efficiency cell in the Ministry.
- The main objectives of the Cell are to provide a
platform to mainstream resource efficiency in public policy.
- It aims to achieve this through coordinated thinking
among the various relevant Ministries and agencies for promoting resource
efficiency in the use of materials in the country.
- It also aims to ensure a ‘systems’ thinking based on
materials, products and processes, apart from enabling the preparation of
an overarching resource efficiency policy for India and coordinated
sectoral policies and regulatory mechanisms.
NITI Aayog in collaboration with the European Union delegation to India
have released the Strategy on Resource Efficiency. The strategy aims to
promote resource efficiency in India.
This strategy is the first policy document to emphasize resource
productivity in the country. The Strategy emphasizes on Sustainable Public
Procurement (SSP) as an action agenda which will be the market transformation
tool to transform to a resource efficient economy.
It is developed with the recommendations from the Indian Resource
Efficiency Programme (IREP), launched by the Indian Ministry of Environment,
Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Indian Resource Panel (InRP) in April
2017.
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Varanasi airport 1st to
have national highway under runway
Lal Bahadur Shastri
International Airport near Varanasi is set to become the first Indian airport
to have a national highway underneath its runway.
- A new underpass that will convert the highway into a
four-lane road will be constructed, while the current runway will be
expanded from 2,750 metres to 4,075 metres.
India and World Bank
signed $500 million loan agreement
Govt of India and the
World Bank have signed $500 million loan agreement to provide additional
financing for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project.
- It will be implemented by Union Ministry of Rural
Development.
- It will provide additional financing for the Pradhan
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project "which will
build 7,000 km of climate resilient roads, out of which 3,500 km will be
constructed using green technologies
The World Bank has
supported PMGSY since its inception. So far it has invested over USD 1.8
billion in loans and credits mostly in the economically weaker and hill
states across North India -- Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya,
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. It has built and improved about
35,000 km of rural roads and benefited about eight million people with access
to all-weather roads.
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Saudi Arabia starts
issuing driving licences to women
Saudi Arabia began issuing
its first driving licences to women in decades.
- The first group of women received their Saudi
driving licences.
- The move comes as Saudi Arabia, the only country in
the world where women are not allowed drive, prepares to lift its
decades-long ban on female drivers on June 24.
Arctic seas are the
planet’s cleanest
According to Murmansk
Marine Biology Institute, the Arctic’s seas are the cleanest seas on the
planet.
- In 2017, the Institute’s scientists organized
several big expeditions to the Arctic. The institute’s experts worked in
the Barents, Norwegian and Greenland Seas.
WHO launches global action
plan on physical activity
World Health Organization’s
(WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has launched the
new “WHO Global action plan on physical activity and health 2018-2030.
- Worldwide, one in five adults, and four out of five
adolescents (11-17 years), do not do enough physical activity.
- It also calls for support to, for example, training
of health care workers and other professionals, stronger data systems, as
well as the use of digital technologies.
Apple unveils latest
desktop operating system macOS Mojave
Apple has introduced the
latest version of its desktop operating system called ‘macOS Mojave’.
- Some of its features include ‘Dark Mode’ that
transforms the desktop to a darkened colour scheme, and ‘Stacks’, which
organizes messy desktops by automatically stacking files into neat groups.
- Group FaceTime will allow users to video chat with
multiple people at the same time.
Repo rate increased by 25
bps in second bi-monthly monetary policy statement (2018-19)
Monetary Policy Committee
(MPC) of Reserve Bank of India has increased the policy Repo Rate under the
liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.25 percent in the
Second Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement (2018-19).
- Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF
stands adjusted to 6.0 percent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF)
rate and the Bank Rate to 6.50 percent.
- MPC revised CPI inflation for 2018-19 to 4.8-4.9% in
the first half and 4.7% in the second half.
- The MPC stated that the GDP growth rate for 2018-19
is retained at 7.4 percent.
Monetary Policy Committee
of India is a committee of the Reserve Bank of India that is responsible for
fixing the benchmark interest rate in India. The meetings of the Monetary Policy
Committee are held at least 4 times a year and it publishes its decisions
after each such meeting. The committee comprises six members - three
officials of the Reserve Bank of India and three external members nominated
by the Government of India.
The Governor of Reserve
Bank of India is the chairperson ex officio of the committee. Decisions are
taken by majority with the Governor having the casting vote in case of a tie.
The current mandate of the committee is to maintain 4% annual inflation until
March 31, 2021 with an upper tolerance of 6% and a lower tolerance of 2%.
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Bengaluru to host UN
Global compact network India convention
Global Compact Network
India (GCNI), a local network of the United Nations Global Compact in New York,
is holding its 13th National Convention in Bengaluru.
Theme: Sustainable Development Goals
- This year, the GCNI convention is of a greater
significance as it is coinciding with the UN India Business Forum being
hosted on June 7.
2018 IBSA summit held at South Africa
2018 IBSA Ministerial meet was recently held in Pretoria, South Africa. The
outcome of this meeting was a document titled IBSA Declaration on South-South
Cooperation.
- This document calls for contribution of each of the
member of IBSA forum to contribute to greater understanding of development
cooperation as a common endeavour of the global south.
The establishment of IBSA was formalised by the Brasilia Declaration of 6 June 2003. IBSA is a coordinating mechanism amongst
three emerging countries, three multi ethnic and multicultural democracies,
which are determined to:
Contribute to the construction of a new international architecture, Bring
their voice together on global issues and Deepen their ties in various areas.
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49th Conference of
Governors concludes in New Delhi
The two-day 49th Conference
of Governors concluded in New Delhi.
- The President exhorted Governors to take the lead in
adopting modern technology and methods.
- The Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and the Minister for Home Affairs also addressed the
concluding session of the Conference.
Geo-Intelligence Asia – 2018 held in New Delhi
The Eleventh edition of GeoIntelligence Asia 2018 is being held in New
Delhi. It is organised by GeoSpatial Media and Communication with Directorate
General of Information System as Knowledge Partners and Military Survey as
Co-organisers.
- The seminar brings together the military, security
officials including BSF and Police Forces, Government and industry
together to examine the latest technology solutions and on the critical
role of geospatial technology in military and security applications.
- Theme: ‘GeoSpatial:
A Force Multiplier for Defence and Industrial Security’.
Geospatial intelligence is a critical foundation for many aspects of
defense and internal security. It offers the capability of monitoring,
predicting and countering threats, while helping strategize and support
various field operations. It facilitates multi-source information sharing and
integration across agencies and organizations by providing a common framework
on which other information is based.
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Japanese passport ranked
‘most powerful’ in world
Asian countries are
increasingly challenging their European peers in terms of passport power. As of
early 2018, Germany has for five years in a row been ranked as having the
world’s most powerful passport.
- However, the country just ceded that title to Japan
and Singapore, according to a real-time ranking compiled by
citizenship-planning firm Henley & Partners released
- India has bagged the 76th position in a list of the
world’s most powerful passports, granting its holders visa-free access to
59 countries.
Citizens of Japan and
Singapore now have easy access to 180 countries, compared to Germany’s 179.
Among the countries that have made it easier for citizens of Japan and
Singapore to travel there is Uzbekistan, which recently relaxed its visa
requirements to give citizens of seven countries visa-free travel for up to
30 days.
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Bandhan bank appoints
former RBI deputy governor H R Khan as chairman
Bandhan Bank has appointed
H R Khan, a former RBI deputy governor, as non-executive chairman.
- The board of directors of the bank at its meeting
held appointed Harun Rasid Khan as the non-executive, part time chairman
of the bank.
- Khan’s appointment will be for a period of three
years with effect from June 5, 2018 or till the expiry of his term as an
independent director whichever is earlier. Khan retired as the deputy
governor of RBI in July 2016 after nearly 38 years of service.
30 year old becomes 1st
visually-challenged woman IAS officer
Thirty-year-old Pranjal
Patil has become the first visually-challenged woman IAS officer in India as
she joined her posting as Assistant Collector in Kerala’s Ernakulam district.
- The Maharashtra resident had lost her eyesight when
she was six-years-old and faced difficulty in her initial academic years.
- In 2016, she secured 773 rank in the UPSC exam in
her first attempt.
Book ‘Straight Talk’,
authored by Abhishek Manu Singhvi, releases
The book ‘Straight Talk’,
authored by the Member of Rajya Sabha from West Bengal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi,
has been released by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu.
- The book suggested the automatic suspension of
allowances for law makers per day or per hour lost due to disruptions.
Award-winning Dalit rice
innovator passes away at 79
Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade, an
award-winning Dalit rice innovator, died at a hospital at Shodhgram.
- Khobragade, 79, a resident of Nanded village in
Nagbhid tahsil of Chandrapur district, is largely credited for developing
the famous HMT variety of rice.
- Khobragade later went on to develop seven more
varieties, winning the National Innovation Foundation’s Award in 2005 for
original innovation.
Virat Kohli only Indian on
world’s highest paid athletes list
India cricket captain Virat
Kohli is among the world’s highest-paid athletes, according to a Forbes’
compilation topped by American boxing champion Floyd Mayweather.
- Kohli, the only
sportsperson from India to be featured in the list, is ranked 83rd with
earnings of USD 24 million.
- The ‘World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2018’ list
is topped by 41-year-old Mayweather, with USD 285 million earnings.
Brendon McCullum returns
to rugby after a gap of 18 years
Former New Zealand cricket
captain Brendon McCullum returned to play rugby after a gap of 18 years.
McCullum, who was considered to be a sportsman in multiple disciplines in
school, played for the United Matamata B team in the local derby.
- The 36-year-old also suffered a groin injury during
the match.
Rashid Khan sets world
record Khan became the world’s fastest cricketer to reach 50 wickets in T20I
Afghanistan’s 19-year-old
spinner Rashid Khan became the world’s fastest cricketer to reach 50 wickets in
T20I cricket after reaching the milestone with a wicket on his first ball of
the match against Bangladesh.
- Rashid, who bettered Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal’s record, also picked a wicket with his second ball and ended the match with 3/13 in 3 overs.
