Current Affairs Weekly Updates – JUNE Week IV

In Current Affairs 2017
July 1, 2017

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AWARDS AND HONOURS

NAME OF THE AWARD	AWARD WINNER	KEY POINTS TO NOTE
Ministry of Environment Award for 2017	Shrihari Chandraghatgi	Indian agricultural microbiologist
United Nations Public Service Award	The West Bengal Government’s Kanyashree Prakalpa	Scheme aimed at retaining girls in schools and other educational and skill development institutions and preventing child marriage.
Carnegie Medal 2017	Azim Premji	He is Wipro Chairman
Crowned Miss India 2017	Manushi Chhillar	Haryana girl
USIBC Global Leadership Awards	Adi Godrej, Andrew Liveris	Awarded by US-India Business Council

APPOINTMENTS

NAME	DEPT/FIELD
Vladimir Voronkov	Secretary-General Of UN Counter-Terrorism Office
Rajiv Gauba	Home Secretary
N N Vohra	President of the India International Centre (IIC)
K. Kasturirangan	Head of National Education Policy
Sunil Kakar	MD and CEO of IDFC Bank
Priyanka Chopra	Ambassador for Government’s Skill India campaign
Krishna R Urs	US Ambassador to Peru
Manoj soni	Member of union public service commission (UPSC)
KK Venugopal	Attorney General of India
Vijay Keshav Gokhale	Economic relations secretary in MEA
Rajiv Kumar	Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh
Narendra Kumar Sinha	Secretary of Information & Broadcasting

INDIAN AFFAIRS

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.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), rural Uttarakhand and rural Haryana have declared themselves as the 4th and 5th Open Defecation Free (ODF) States of India.
The tunnelling work under the Hooghly river, the first such underwater project in the country, to provide metro connectivity between Howrah and Kolkata has been completed.
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).
UP Cabinet Minister Shrikant Sharma in a press conference in Lucknow announced that under the Power For All scheme all the urban BPL families will get free electricity connection.
Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has announced that a mobile app named ‘My Plant’, which would help in recording data on tree plantations in the state, would be launched on July 1.
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has opened a technologically advanced product application & research centre (PARC) for polymers at Vadodara, Gujarat.
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.
To provide free health services to the poor, the Haryana government will implement a health insurance scheme in the state, for which it will bear the cost of premium.
The proposal for a greenfield airport in Jewar in Greater Noida was cleared by the Centre and is likely to be operational in the next 5-6 years.
Apollo Hospitals has launched a round-the-clock dedicated Air Ambulance Service Network to bring in patients in emergency from various parts of the country, especially from the smaller cities and towns to the major cities.
To provide free health services to the poor, the Haryana government will implement a health insurance scheme in the state, for which it will bear the cost of premium.
The proposal for a greenfield airport in Jewar in Greater Noida was cleared by the Centre and is likely to be operational in the next 5-6 years.
Apollo Hospitals has launched a round-the-clock dedicated Air Ambulance Service Network to bring in patients in emergency from various parts of the country, especially from the smaller cities and towns to the major cities.

CABINET APPROVALS

The Union has approved Amendment of the bilateral Social Security Agreement (SSA) between India and the Netherlands by incorporating the “Country of Residence” Principle into the said SSA.
The Union Cabinet has approved the MoU between Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for bilateral cooperation in the field of water resources management.
The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India, and Ministry of the Presidency and of Administrative Modernization, Government of Portuguese Republic, for ‘Cooperation in the field of Public Administration and Governance Reforms’.
The Union Cabinet has approved constitution of an organized Group ‘A’ Engineering Service, namely Indian Naval Material Management Service (INMMS) and consequent changes in cadre structure of existing Group ‘A’ cadre of Naval Store Officers of the Indian Navy.
The Union Cabinet has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the textiles, clothing and fashion sectors between the Ministry of Textiles and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia.
The Union Cabinet was apprised about an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space between India and Armenia. The MoU has already been signed in April, 2017.
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy between Ministry of AYUSH. The signing of the proposed MoU will enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the areas of traditional medicine and homoeopathy.
The Union Cabinet has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Israel on National Campaign for Water Conservation in India.
The Union Cabinet has approved signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between India and the United States of America on Homeland Security.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval to fourth tranche recommendations of NITI Aayog on strategic disinvestment of CPSE (strategic disinvestment of Air India and five of its subsidiaries) based on the recommendations of Core Group of Secretaries on Disinvestment (CGD).

BANKING AND FINANCE

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.
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.
The Reserve Bank the extended the scope of Banking Ombudsman Scheme under which banks could be penalised for misselling third-party products like insurance and mutual funds via mobile or electronic banking.
An agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 35 Million from World Bank for “Assam State Public Financial Institutional Reforms Project” was signed at New Delhi.
The World Bank has cleared a USD250-million loan for making Indian youth more employable through reskilling, in a move that is seen to aid the Skill India mission.

BUSINESS AFFAIRS

Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has signed an MoU with the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) to enable members of its housing scheme to avail subsidy and interest subvention under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
The Ministry of Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) has signed memoranda of understanding with SAP India, Intel and HMT with the aim to digitally empower small businesses.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

India was became the 71st country to ratify the United Nations TIR (Transports International Routiers) Convention, a move that will help boost trade through smoother movement of goods across territories.
India and Portugal have announced a €4 million joint fund to bolster research in science and technology as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held in-depth talks with his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa on cooperation in areas like counter-terrorism, space and climate studies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa have launched the India-Portugal International Startup Hub, a platform developed to strengthen and foster the connection between the startup ecosystem of the two countries. Start-up sphere is an interesting space for cooperation.
Aadhaar is not a valid identification document for Indians travelling to Nepal and Bhutan
India has contributed $100,000 to a UN fund to promote the participation of developing countries in a panel dealing with international cooperation in tax matters.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

China has launched a research project to compile historical data obtained during expeditions by its teams to the disputed South China Sea since the late 1950s.
China has added another piece of public transport innovation to its growing list of achievements in the area.
Fireworks in the Philippines will now be limited to public displays sanctioned by the authorities, according to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s order.
French billionaire businessman François Pinault has unveiled his day plans to transform the 19th century Bourse de commerce, namely the former Paris stock exchange, into a new modern art museum housing his €1.25 billion art collection.
The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova named the UAE emirate of Sharjah the World Book Capital for 2019.
The Russian military has successfully test-fired a submarine-launched Inter- continental Ballistic Missile (IBM).
The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution sharply reducing the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region, a move pressed by the United States that will save hundreds of millions of dollars.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C38 successfully launched the 712 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.
Satellite-based chip systems will now alert road users at unmanned level crossings about approaching trains and also help in tracking train movement on a real-time basis.
ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C38 successfully launched the 712 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.
Scientists have created the brightest light ever produced on the Earth, shining a billion times stronger than the surface of the sun.
China’s military has launched its biggest new generation destroyer weighing 10,000 tonnes as part of a massive expansion to become a global naval power.
The Russian military has successfully test-fired a submarine-launched Inter- continental Ballistic Missile (IBM).

SPORTS

WINNER	TITLE	SPORT/ VENUE
Kidambi Srikanth	Australia Open Super Series	India shuttler
Roger Federer	Halle Open title or Gerry Weber Open	Germany
AnishBhanwala	ISSF Junior World Championship	Pistol category

The Indian mens & womens throwball teams scripted history by bagging a gold medal each in the World Games, held at Kathmandu, Nepal.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced cash prize of Rs 50 lakhs to shuttler Kidambi Srikanth for winning men’s singles titles at the Indonesian Open Super Series Premier and Australian Open Super Series.
Srikanth’s coach, Dronacharya awardee Pullela Gopichand, was also given Rs 15 lakh.

OBITUARY

NAME OF THE PERSON	FIELD
Sabita Chowdhury	Bengali Singer
KR Mohanan	Malayalam filmmaker
Desh Bandhu Gupta	Pharma firm Lupin’s Founder

OBSERVED DAYS IN FEBRUARY

DATE OBSERVED	DAY OBSERVED	Theme / Purpose
June 23	International Olympic day	To promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.
June 23	International Widows’ day	Never Alone
June 26	International day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking	Listen First
June 27	Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise( MSME) day	Small business – big impact
June 29	International day of tropics	Aim to raise awareness to the specific challenges faced by Tropical Areas
June 29	National Statistics Day	Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare
June 30	International day of Asteroid	To raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard