6th June 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• Almost 77% Swiss voters today rejected a proposal to introduce a guaranteed basic monthly income for its citizens, regardless of their employment status. 
• • The supporters of the proposal had suggested a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs (about $2,563) for adults and 625 Swiss francs for children. Notably, Switzerland is the first nation to hold such a vote.

National Affairs

• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today launched the Bihar Public Grievance Redressal Act empowering people to get their grievances redressed within a specific time frame in the state.
  
• • The Act has empowered people to get their grievances redressed. 
  • Now no one can ignore them, all the officers / staff will have to listen to them and redress their grievances.
• Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today announced its first ever 'IT and Electronics Start-up Policy', having special focus on encouraging new ventures by providing them various incentives and subsidies.
• • Note : This policy will be applicable only to IT and electronics related start-ups.  
• To reduce import dependence, the government has decided to establish six bulk drug and medical devices parks, which will entail a combined investment of Rs 60,000 crore.
• • As per various estimates, once these parks become operational, they can bring down the cost of production of devices and bulk drugs by at least 30 per cent and in long-run, this will help the general public also.
• Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to observe a vehicle-free day on the seventh of every month in and around Tezu town. 
• • The move has been taken to benefit the environment and reduce government expenditure on fuel.
• Union Minister Smriti Irani today announced that experts from universities like Cambridge, MIT, and University of Pennsylvania have been brought on board to help design syllabi of higher education institutions. 
• • Irani said that these experts would "help states internationalise their curriculum in order to benefit their students". 
  • Note : This move was announced under the Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan.
• The Madhya Pradesh government today imposed Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code in Betul district in the wake of a severe water crisis. 
• • Section 144 prohibits unlawful assembly of five or more persons at a place. 
  • All construction work, whether government or private, has been restricted. 
  • Note : Madhya Pradesh is facing a drought-like situation for a second consecutive year.
• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today announced that the state government has set a target of planting 10 lakh new trees and 5 lakh new saplings of medicinal and herbal plants in 2016. 

New Appointments

• Bollywood actress Dia Mirza was named as the ambassador for Swachh Saathi (student internship) programme. 
• • As the ambassador, she would interact with college and school students from across the country through awareness sessions, motivational videos and community cleaning activities. 
  • She was named as the ambassador because she is an active campaigner and a youth icon for Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission which seeks to make country clean . 
• Former Union Minister V Narayanasamy today took oath as the Chief Minister of Puducherry, where the Congress-DMK alliance won 17 out of 30 seats in the recent elections. 
• • The oath was administered by the newly appointed Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi. 
  • Important Note : Puducherry and Delhi are the only two union territories in the country to have Chief Ministers.

Science & Technology

• Cambridge University professor Peter Wadhams has claimed the Arctic sea may become ice-free this year or in 2017 for the first time in 100,000 years. 
• • Wadhams added that sea ice will be in less than one million sq km by September. 
  • Satellite data earlier showed 11.1 million sq km of sea ice against an average of 12.7 million sq km.
• Aircraft manufacturer Airbus recently unveiled 'Thor', which it claims is the world's first 3D-printed aircraft, at the 2016 edition of the Berlin Air Show. 
• • Weighing 21 kilograms and measuring 13 feet in length, the aircraft has been printed from a substance called polyamide. 
  • Printed aircraft offer ecological benefits as lighter jets use lesser fuel and release fewer pollutants.

Business & Economy

• Foreign nationals are not allowed to carry Indian rupee outside the country, and need to necessarily convert it into a foreign currency before leaving India. 
• • However, Indian residents and non-resident Indians (NRIs), except Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, are allowed to take up to ₹25,000 in Indian currency notes outside India.
• In a ranking of developing countries in terms of ease of doing business, India has moved up 13 places to second position behind China. 
• • The Global Retail Development Index by US-based consulting firm AT Kearney ranks 30 developing economies for retail investment. 
  • The study attributed India's improved ranking to the rise in GDP growth and better clarity regarding FDI regulations.

Awards & Honors

• Tuticorin based V.O. Chidambaranar Port has bagged National Award for Excellence in Cost Management for the year 2015 from The Institute of Cost Accountants of India under the category of Public Service Sector- Small.
• • The award has been given for exemplary performance of V.O. Chidambaranar Port towards optimization of manpower, savings in electricity, implementation of Solar Energy Systems, reduction of overall cost of handling by mechanization and improvising efficiency and logistics support.
  • Note : V. O. Chidambaranar is the second-largest port in Tamilnadu.

Sports

• Mick Schumacher, the 17-year-old son of hospitalised Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, claimed two wins in one day today in the German Formula 4 championships. 
• • After claiming victory in the early afternoon’s first race following a mass pile-up involving 11 cars on the first lap, Schumacher managed a second victory in the evening race.
• Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has been selected by the country's cricketing body for its upcoming Test series against England, his first appearance in the nation's Test squad after a five-year ban. 
• • Note : The ICC had handed the player a suspension for his involvement in 2010 spot-fixing scandal against England. 
• World Number one Novak Djokovic today completed his career Grand Slam after defeating Andy Murray to win the French Open 2016 title. 
• • Important Points to Note :
  • With this win, the now 12-time Grand-Slam winner has six Australian Open, three Wimbledon, one French Open and two US Open titles.
  • He also became the first man since 1969 to be the defending champion of all four Grand Slams - French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open and US Open - at a single time. 
  • He is only the third man in history to achieve the feat after Don Budge in 1938 and Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969.

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