Weekly Current Affairs: 21 June- 29 June

Important Days

International Yoga Day: 21 June

11th December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly decided to observe one common day in the year as International Yoga day or World Yoga Day.

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit: 26 June

Theme for 2017 is: "Listen First - Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe."

Day of the Seafarer: 25 June

In 2010, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), decided to designate June 25th as the International Day of the Seafarer as a way to recognize that almost everything that we use in our daily lives has been directly or indirectly affected by sea transport.
This year our theme is "Seafarers Matter".

International MSME Day: June 27

The International Trade Centre (ITC) celebrated the first International MSME Day on June 27, 2017.

Anti-Emergency day

The government has decided to observe anti-Emergency day on June 25-26 and asked all its ministers to hold programmes across the country to remind people how Emergency was clamped by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.

World Music Day 2017 : 21 June

World Music Day 2017 (not to be confused with International Music Day) is being celebrated on June 21, marking the beginning of summer solstice, i.e., the longest day of the year.

National Events

First Indigenously Built Floating Dock

The country's first indigenously built floating dock FDN-2 for the Indian Navy, was formally launched at the L&T Shipbuilding Yard at Kattupalli near Chennai.

SBI & Meghalaya Signed MoUs

Meghalaya government signed two MoUs with the State Bank of India as a part of an initiative towards migrating government transactions to digital mode.

Startup India Virtual Hub

India is the world’s third largest startup ecosystem in the world, and to further cement that position, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Startup India Virtual Hub.

Biggest Municipal Bond

To finance its 24x7 water supply project, the Pune Municipal Corporation launched India’s biggest municipal bonds programme.
The project looks to raise Rs 2,264 crore in five years.

Funding For Skill India Mission

The World Bank has cleared a $250 million loan for making Indian youth more employable through reskilling, in a move that is seen to aid the Skill India mission.

ADHAAR Mandatory

The Delhi government has made Aadhaar card mandatory for those seeking subsidy on e-rickshaws registered in the city.

Social Index Progress Report 2017

The 2017 Social Progress Index report was launched by SPI with support from Deloitte and its strategic partners.
Denmark is the world’s top performer this year.
India is ranked at 93rd position performs within the expected range on a relative basis.

Staff for Sahayak System

The Army is now actively considering recruiting civilian staff in peace stations to do away with the colonial-era Sahayak system, in the wake of rising cases of jawans coming out openly against it.

RAAM

Nashik’s army doctor Srinivas Gokulnath and Nagpur’s doctor Amit Samarth made history as they became first solo finishers from the country in the Race Across America (RAAM), one of the most esteemed ultra-endurance cycling events in the world.

Retirement Age Increased

Andhra Pradesh State Government Employees will be working until they attain 60 years as their Retirement has been raised from 58 to 60 Years. Bill to this effect was passed by AP Assembly this week.

Digital MSME

Union Minister of MSME Kalraj Mishra launched a new scheme, 'Digital MSME' Scheme for the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector

Open Defecation Free States

Uttarakhand and Haryana have become the fourth and fifth Open Defecation Free (ODF) states of India under the Swachh Bharat Mission
The two states joined the league of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, which were the first three states to be declared ODF.

Helpline for Women

To battle the ever increasing crimes against women in Manipur, the Biren Singh-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has launched a toll free 24/7 helpline number 181 for women in the state.

Survey in Leh

The Railways will kick off the final location survey of the 498 km long Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line at Leh in Jammu and Kashmir this week

EPFO & HUDCO Join Hands

Retirement fund body EPFO signed a pact with the Housing and Urban Development Corp (HUDCO) to enable members of its housing scheme to avail subsidy and interest subvention under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Fuel Delivery At Home

Bengaluru has become the country's first city where one can have fuel delivered at one's doorstep, just like milk and newspapers, only weeks after oil ministry announced that the Centre was thinking of rolling out such a system.

Sainj Hydro Power Project Commissioned

The first 50 MW unit of 100 MW Sainj Hydro Power project of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) commissioned and synchronised with northern grid through Parvati-Kol Dam transmission line.

Contactless Metro Cards

Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank in association with Kochi Metro Rail Corporation (KMRL) has launched KMRL Axis Bank ‘Kochi1’ Card, India’s first open loop EMV contactless metro card that would make travel a convenient and hassle free experience for commuters in Kochi.

Most Expensive City

Mumbai is the most expensive city for expatriates in India and is ranked higher than major global cities such as Paris, Canberra, Seattle and Vienna, says a report.
According to Mercer's 23rd annual Cost of Living Survey, Mumbai is placed 57th on the list while New Delhi was placed at 99. Chennai (135), Bangalore (166) and Kolkata (184) were the other Indian cities on the list.
Luanda, the capital of Angola, was the costliest city

Free Education From Nursery to PhD

The Captain Amarinder Singh-led government in Punjab has announced free education for girls in government schools and colleges from Nursery to PhD.

ADB Granted Loan to MP

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $275 million loan for improving urban services in 64 small towns in the State of Madhya Pradesh.

Traffic Control Robot

In what is being considered as a first for India, Indore has installed a 14-foot-tall robot to control traffic

30 New Smart Cities

Kerala's capital Trivandrum has topped the government's latest list of 30 Smart Cities selected under its Smart City mission.
Following Trivandrum, Naya Raipur in Chattisgarh came in at the second spot while Rajkot in Gujarat came at the third city to be taken up for development by the government under the Smart City mission.

My Plant App

Maharashtra forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar announced that a mobile app named ‘My Plant’, which would help in recording data about tree plantations in the state, would be launched on July 1

VAJRA Scheme

In a bid to bring together the Indian scientists abroad and India-based researchers for conducting joint researches in India, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) launched a scheme named 'Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty' (VAJRA).

50 Years of Passport Act

The Ministry of External Affairs celebrated the completion of 50 years of the Passport Act 1967 as the 5th Passport Seva Divas and held a conference of regional passport officers in New Delhi
The Passport Act came into effect on June 24, 1967

POSOCO & MERIT

Shri Piyush Goyal Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal , New & Renewable Energy and Mines launched Weather Portal for Power Sector in association with POSOCO and IMD at the meeting of the Forum of Regulators
The information available in the Portal regarding weather forecast shall help State Discoms to take pro-active steps regarding short term and medium term management processes and supply planning requirements and also for better planning for infrastructure availability to ensure cost effective and reliable supply.
Another portal ‘MERIT’ (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency). This has been developed by Ministry of Power in association with POSOCO and Central Electricity Authority.

Incubation Centre in Hyderabad

An incubation centre for biotechnology start-ups is to be set up at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad.

International Events

New King of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's King Salman appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, placing him firmly as first-in-line to the throne and removing the country's counterterrorism czar and a figure well-known to Washington from the royal line of succession.

Protocol Between India & Portugal

A Protocol of Cooperation was signed between the National Archives of India and the Minister of Culture of the Portuguese Republic in the field of archives
India and Portugal announced a four million euros joint fund to bolster research in science and technology as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held in-depth talks with his Portuguese counterpart on cooperation in areas like counter-terrorism, space and climate studies.

India-Russia Military Corporation

Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu signed a military cooperation roadmap during the 17th meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission for military-technical cooperation, which took place in Moscow, Russia

ADHAAR Not Valid Identification

Aadhaar is not a valid identification document for Indians travelling to Nepal and Bhutan
Indians can travel to Nepal and Bhutan--both countries for which they don't need visas--if they possess a valid national passport or election ID card issued by the Election Commission.

China's Fastest Bullet Train

China’s indigenous next-generation bullet train, with a maximum speed of 400 kmph, made its debut on the country’s busiest Beijing-Shanghai line.
‘Fuxing’, or rejuvenation, a CR400AF model, departed Beijing South Railway Station at 11:05 AM for Shanghai. At the same time, a CR400AF model left Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station for Beijing.

PM of Romania

Mihai Tudose, the outgoing economy minister of Romania, has been appointed as prime minister, days after the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD) removed its own government following an internal power row.

Global Terrorist

Dispelling Pakistan's longstanding contention that the Hizbul Mujahideen was a homegrown Kashmiri resistance force, the US on Monday designated Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist.

Second-largest Migrants in Australia

Indians have become the second largest group of migrants living in Australia since 2011 at 1,63,000, following people of Chinese origin, according to the latest census data.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the latest figures of the country's fast changing population and demographics that has recorded 1.3 million new migrants settled in Australia since 2011 from around 180 countries, including India and China.

First ATM Celebrates 50 Years

The automated teller machine (ATM) marked its 50th anniversary which had its inception on June 27, 1967 unveiled by Barclays at their Enfield branch in north London.

‘Moncoes do Reino’ Handed to India

As a first step under this agreement, the Torre do Tombo (National Archives of Portugal) handed over to the National Archives of India digital copies of 62 volumes of the collection known as ‘Moncoes do Reino’ (Monsoon correspondence).

Aspire Academy of Qatar

Qatar has made its first leap into the growing Indian football market by announcing a "technical partnership" between Doha's Aspire Academy and Delhi Dynamos FC.

Expat Levy inSaudi Arabia

Saudi government’s plan to introduce an ‘expat levy’ from July 2017, with charges of up to SR800 per worker to be phased in by 2020, is going to cost them heavily, which many of them may be unable to bear.

44 Million Dollars for ASPIRe

World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a loan assistance of 44 million dollars for the Assam State Public Finance Institutional Reforms (ASPIRe) Project.

Reliance Defence And Yugoimport Join Hands

Anil Ambani Group company Reliance Defence Ammunition has entered a strategic partnership with Serbia's state-run defence major Yugoimport to manufacture ammunition in India and target business opportunities of Rs 20,000 crore over the next 10 years.

Trackless Train of China

China has unveiled a track-less train that runs on virtual rails in a bid to speed up public transportation in major cities

BIO International Convention

San Diego Convention Center will host the 2017 BIO International Convention featuring the latest trends, technology, companies, and breakthrough ideas in biotech and pharma.

Banking & Finance

Rules for Transfer Pricing

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified the rules for operationalising the provisions of secondary adjustment in the arena of transfer pricing.

Hike Joins Yes Bank

Hike — the Indian WhatsApp rival — will offer payment facilities to its 10 crore users through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) by partnering with Yes Bank.

IDBI Partners With SunTec

IDBI Federal Life Insurance has partnered with SunTec, which will help facilitate in computing and invoicing of debit tax and credit tax that will be GST compliant

Three Steel Companies To be Merged

State Bank of India the country’s biggest bank, has been authorised to refer Essar Steel Bhushan Steel and Electrosteel to the bankruptcy court raising the possibility that some of these companies could be merged in an effort to return them to health.

Amazon & ClearTax

E-commerce giant Amazon has tied up with ClearTax to help sellers on their platform make a seamless transition to the GST regime and help them file their tax returns with ease, the company said in a statement.

Jio & Ola

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio has made an entry into the app-based taxi service space.
Travel aggregator Ola has tied up with India’s leading wallet Jio Money to provide customers with more cashless options for payment

Amendments in Banking Ombudsman Scheme

You can now complain against banks for fraudulent or wrong transactions on the internet and mobile banking or in the case of misselling of products from banks.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) widened the scope of its Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006, to include, inter alia, deficiencies arising out of sale of insurance/ mutual fund/ other third party investment products by banks, the central bank said in a statement on its website.

Awards & Honours

Award for Yoga Development

The Ramamani lyengar Memorial Yoga Institute has been selected as the first recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award, for outstanding contribution for promotion and development of Yoga.

Nomination of Deepika Padukone in Teen Choice Award

Hindi cinema actor Deepika Padukone has been nominated in Teen Choice Awards for her breakthrough role in xXx: Return of Xander Cage and the actor will compete with Wonder Woman Gal Gadot for the trophy.

Desmond Elliott Prize

Francis Spufford has been awarded the 2017 Desmond Elliott Prize for his "miraculously constructed" debut fiction, Golden Hill

International Engine of the Year

Ferrari's 3.9-litre V8 from the 488 GTB has won the 2017 International Engine of the Year award for the second consecutive year.

Ministry of Environment Award

Indian agricultural microbiologist Shrihari Chandraghatgi has been conferred the Ministry of Environment Award for 2017 in Japan for developing cutting edge technologies to address burning environmental problems.

Dublin Literary Award

This year's International Dublin Literary Award has been awarded to the Angolan writer Jose Eduardo Agualusa for his 14th novel, A General Theory of Oblivion , translated into English by Daniel Hahn. The 100,000 prize is divided between author and translator, with Agualusa receiving 75,000 and Hahn 25,000.

Excellence Awards For Bengal

Bengal has received five state-level and two district-level excellence awards for implementation of flagship programmes of the ministry of rural development during 2016-17

Skytrax World Airline Awards

The Skytrax World Airline Awards are generally considered to be the ‘Oscars of the aviation industry
The award winners have been ranked based on traveller-voting across the world as part of Skytrax’s annual passenger survey.
Indigo and Jet Airways were on 57th and 73rd positions respectively.
Qatar Airways, the national airline of Gulf nation, awarded the best airline

Queen's Young Leaders Award

Anti-hunger activist Ankit Kawatra, who has been committed to solving hunger and malnutrition in India, is all set to receive the prestigious Queen's Young Leaders Award with 60 others from all 53 Commonwealth countries.
Ankit Kawatra, 25, will be honoured by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony to be held in the Buckingham Palace on June 29.

Moscow International Film Festival

The blockbuster movie Bahubali 2: The Conclusion will be screened at the 39th edition of the Moscow International Film Festival.

Sahitya Akademi Awards

Two Konkani literary personalities — Vincy Quadros and Amey Naik — from Goa have been chosen for awards by the the country's highest literary body - the Sahitya Akademi.

Compassionate Business Award

Actress Sonam Kapoor and her producer-sister Rhea Kapoor's fashion label -- Rheson has bagged the Compassionate Business Award from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India for a line of bags made exclusively of vegan materials.

Biju Patnaik Award

The prestigious Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence, 2014 was conferred on scientist Lalit Mohan Das for his outstanding contribution to science.

Social Entrepreneur of the Year

Nisha Dutt, Chief Executive Officer of Hyderabad-based Intellecap has been honoured with the “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” award at The 7th Asian Awards in London.

Carnegie Medal in Philanthropy

Wipro Chairman Azim Premji is among the honorees of this years Carnegie Medal, considered the most prestigious prize in Philanthropy, for his efforts to reform Indias public school system.

UN Award for Mamta Banerjee

In a major boost to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's pet project 'Kanyashree', the United Nations today accorded its highest award for public service to the West Bengal government for the scheme initiated to empower the girl child with education.

The Sports Journalists Federation of India Award

The Sports Journalists Federation of India, at its annual general meeting decided to confer the best Sportsperson of the Year Award on the ace shuttler and Rio Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu.

54th Femina Miss India World 2017

The 54th Femina Miss India World 2017 winner is Manushi Chhillar from Haryana, while the first runner-up is Sana Dua from Jammu and Kashmir and the second runner-up is Priyanka Kumari from Bihar.

Skoch Awards 2017

Vijaya Bank has bagged nine Skoch Awards.
The bank received awards in the following categories -- Best Bank in Public Sector; Best Bank for NPA Management – Organization Category; Retail Lending; Inclusive Wallet – VPAYQWIK; Digital Inclusion; IT Security; e-Surveillance of ATMs and branches; and 100 Digital Villages – Financial Inclusion.

World Bodybuilding Championship

Dehradun girl Bhumika Sharma is a girl with muscle power who ruled at the World Bodybuilding Championship in Venice.
She made India proud after acing all the important rounds. She gained the maximum number of points in body posing, individual posing and fall category.

Bharat Garv

Former India hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay will be awarded East Bengal football club’s highest honour – Bharat Gaurav on their foundation day.

Appointments

Special Secretary in Ayush Ministry

Ayurveda physician 'Vaidya' Rajesh Kotecha has been appointed as special secretary in Ayush ministry.

Ambassador of Skill India Campaign

Actress Priyanka Chopra will soon be seen endorsing government's flagship Skill India campaign, with the National Skill Development Corporation roping in the Bollywood celebrity as an ambassador for the initiative.

NN Vohra To Head ICC

Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra became the president of the India International Centre (IIC) — a prestigious cultural hub in the national capital — replacing eminent jurist Soli Sorabjee, who stepped down after an intense power struggle.

K. Kasturirangan to Chair National Education Policy Committee

Eminent scientist and Padma Vibhushan awardee K. Kasturirangan has been appointed the Chairman of the committee to prepare the final draft of the National Education Policy.
The Chairperson apart, the committee has eight members.

Ghassan Salamé Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Ghassan Salamé as his Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), which is working to facilitate a Libyan-led political solution to the challenges facing the country.

Vladimir Voronkov to Head Counter-Terrorism Division of UN

The United Nations has appointed veteran Russian diplomat Vladimir Voronkov to head a newly-established counter-terrorism division, despite growing tensions between the US and Russia.

Economic Affairs Secretary

Subhash C Garg, a 1983 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Finance Ministry.
This was part of the major secretary level reshuffle and appointments announced by the Centre

RBI's Oversight Committee

RBI has expanded the oversight committee by appointing three more members to the high-level panel that will vet the process to resolve mounting bad loans bogging down the banking sector.
Former chief vigilance commissioner Pradeep Kumar will head the now 5-member panel that will work through multiple benches
Besides Kumar, the other members of the committee are former SBI Chairman Janki Ballabh, former Canara Bank Chairman and Managing Director M B N Rao, former Chairman and Managing of L&T Finance Y M Deosthalee and S Raman, member Sebi.
Raman would be inducted into the panel from September 7, 2017 after he completes the term at Sebi.

CEO of IDFC Bank

Private sector lender IDFC Bank announced the elevation of its CFO Sunil Kakar as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from July 17 for three years.

Palbinder Kaur Shergill Appointed Judge in British Court

Indian-origin Sikh human rights advocate Palbinder Kaur Shergill has been appointed a judge at the Supreme Court of British Columbia in New Westminster. Ms Shergill is the first turbaned Sikh to be appointed to the judiciary in Canada.

UN's Youngest Goodwill Ambassador

The UN children’s agency has announced the appointment of its youngest goodwill ambassador, 19-year-old Syrian refugee and education activist Muzoon Almellehan. U

ICC's Deputy Chairman

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Chairman of Associates Imran Khawaja as its deputy chairman.

President of Vision 2020

Dr Taraprasad Das, Vice Chair, L V Prasad Eye Institute, and Regional Chair, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, South East Asia (IAPB, SEA), has been elected as the President of Vision 2020 India.

President of IEA

Former chief economic advisor Kaushik Basu has taken over as president of the International Economic Association (IEA).

US Ambassador to India

Kenneth Juster to be new US ambassador to India

Science & Tech

Cartosat-2E

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched an Earth-observation satellite, named Cartosat-2E
Apart from the Cartosat-2E, 30 other nano satellites, both national and international, were transported by the PSLV as well

MOM Complete 1000 Earth Days in Orbit

India's Mars orbiter, launched in 2013, was expected to last six months or 180 days after reaching its destination.
But having completed four years and 1,000 Earth days in orbit, the spacecraft shows no signs of fatigue, continuing to relay back a mass of images and data, each contributing to better understanding of the red planet.

Book Released

The Emergency

The Emergency — Indian Democracy’s Darkest Hour, a book written by A Surya Prakash, chairman Prasar Bharati was released by Union Minister for Urban Development and Information & Broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at Ahmedabad

Luke Ronchi Retires

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi has announced his retirement from international cricket.

First Chinaman in India

Kuldeep Yadav became the first male Chinaman bowler to represent India in ODIs, making his debut in the first ODI against West Indies.

Two Countries Get Test Match Status

Ireland and Afghanistan were awarded Test match status taking the number of countries playing at the pinnacle of cricket from 10 to 12 in a decision described as "fantastic" and "remarkable".

World Wrestling Entertainment

Former competitive powerlifter Kavita Devi will become the first Indian woman to compete in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) when she takes part in the company’s first ever tournament for women next month

ISSF Junior World Championship

Pistol shooter Anish shone bright as India bagged a gold and a silver on the opening day of the ISSF Junior World Championship Rifle/Pistol campaign in Suhl, Germany

WTF Changes Name

The World Taekwondo Federation changed its name to World Taekwondo because of ‘negative connotations’ that came with its acronym WTF.

Srikanth Wins Australian Open

Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth notched up his second successive Super Series title with a stunning straight-game triumph over reigning Olympic champion Chen Long in the Australian Open summit clash in Sydney

Ulaanbaatar Cup Boxing Tournament

Ankush Dahiya (60 kg) clinched gold while the experienced L Devendro Singh (52kg) settled for a silver medal on the final day of the Ulaanbaatar Cup boxing tournament in Mongolia.

Aegon IIkley Challenger Trophy

Veteran tennis star Leander Paes and his Canadian partner Adil Shamasdin clinched the men's doubles title at the Aegon IIkley Challenger Trophy

Roger Federer Won Halle Open

Roger Federer's 6-1 6-3 win over Alexander Zverev was nothing short of historic as records tumbled left, right and centre.
The Halle Open win was the hundredth title of his long and illustrious career, 92 of which are singles crowns while eight have come in doubles.

Indian Bagged Gold in Shooting

Pistol shooter Yashaswini Singh Deswal put up a bright performance to bag a gold in the 10m Air Pistol Women in Germany.

Indian Throwball Team Created History

The Indian men's and women's throwball teams scripted history by bagging a gold medal each in the World Games, held at Kathmandu, Nepal.
The women's team defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 15-13, 15-12 in a nail-biting final to clinch the title, while the men posted a 15-13, 15-12 win over Bangladesh in their final match to finish at the top of the podium.

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