Current Affairs Daily Digest – June 26 2019
1. Three astronauts landed after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS)
Three astronauts landed after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Oleg Kononenko with the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Anne McClain of NASA and Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques landed aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft on June 24. The landed after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
2. Government to launch Universal Smart Card Driving License
Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has decided to modify the format of driving licenses to smart card type driving licences so as to follow a standardised format nationwide.
Nitin Gadkari, Road Transport and Highways Minister in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, notified that MoRTH has prescribed a common standard format and design of Driving Licence for Pan India.
3. 25 June: International Day of Seafarer observed
The International Day of the Seafarer is an annual and international event day which is celebrated worldwide on 25 June and is coordinated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
IMO celebrated the Day of the Seafarer 2019 with Campaign– I Am On Board with gender equality. Just like previous years, the campaign was centred on socil media with hashtag: # IAmOnBoard.
4. Leh celebrates Sindhu Darshan Festival
The 23rd edition of Sindhu Darshan Utsav 2019 started at Sindhu Ghat Shey in Leh from 24 to 27 June. It was inaugurated by Skyabje Choskyong Palga Rinpoche. The 4-day event is organised by Sindhu Darshan Yatra Samiti (SDYS) in collaboration with Ladakh Phanday Tsogspa.
5. Amitabh Kant to be NITI Aayog CEO for two more years
The government on Wednesday extended think-tank NITI Aayog’s CEO Amitabh Kant’s tenure by two years till June 30, 2021. Kant, who graduated in economics from Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College, is a 1980 batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre. Earlier this month, PM Narendra Modi approved the reconstitution of NITI Aayog and retained Rajiv Kumar as the Vice Chairman.
6. Government approves Motor Bill; steep penalties for traffic offences proposed
The Bill proposes ₹10,000 fine for not providing way to emergency vehicles, ₹10,000 for driving despite disqualification and ₹10,000 for drunk driving. The Bill, which was pending for approval in the Rajya Sabha, lapsed after the term of the 16th Lok Sabha ended.
7. Amazon India head Amit Agarwal takes over as IAMAI Chairman
Amazon India head Amit Agarwal has been appointed as the new chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). Agarwal assumes office at a time when the industry is on a growth trajectory with more than 500 million internet users in India. According to the recently launched Mary Meeker report, India accounts for 12% of the world’s internet users, second only to China (21%).
8. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking | June 26
The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is a United Nations International Day against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade. It is observed annually on 26 June, since 1989.
2019 Theme – Health for Justice. Justice for Health
9.International Day in Support of Victims of Torture | June 26
The United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is held annually on 26 June to speak out against the crime of torture and to honor and support victims and survivors throughout the world.
10. Freedom fighter Mohan Ranade dies
Veteran freedom fighter Mohan Ranade, who also participated in the Goa liberation movement, died at a Pune-based hospital in neighbouring Maharashtra. He was 90. Ranade had been ailing since some time and undergoing treatment.
Ranade was arrested by Portuguese police in 1955 and incarcerated at the Fort of Caxias near Lisbon in Portugal where he was kept in solitary confinement for six years.
11. 31.4% of Indian children will be stunted by 2022: report
Almost one in three Indian children under five years will still be stunted by 2022 going by current trends, according to an analysis of the country’s food and nutrition security released on Tuesday.
At this rate, 31.4% of children will still be stunted by the 2022 deadline. India must double its rate of progress to reach the target of 25% by that time, says the report.
12. Centre plans to add 500 GW of renewable energy to its electricity grid by 2030
Centre plans to add 500 GW of renewable energy to its electricity grid by 2030. The Centre plans to add 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy to its electricity grid by 2030. The plan aims to clean up air in its cities and lessen the rapidly growing economy’s dependence on coal.
The Ministry of new and renewable energy has planned to install 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022 without taking into account large hydro and 225 GW including large hydro.
13. NASA’s Curiosity rover confirmed the presence of Methane in Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover confirmed the presence of Methane in Mars. NASA has confirmed that the Curiosity rover, the NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, recently detected the largest amount of methane ever measured during the mission. Curiosity’s methane reading came to 21 parts per billion units by volume. It is thrice the amount it sniffed out during a surge in 2013.
14. Balakot air strike planner Samant Goel appointed as new RAW chief
PM Narendra Modi has appointed Samant Goel, who was part of planning the Balakot air strikes, as the next chief of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Goel earlier headed operations for the external intelligence agency and also had a role in surgical strikes after Uri attack. Meanwhile, Arvind Kumar has been appointed as the Director of Intelligence Bureau.
