TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. International Affairs ----------------2-6

2. Surveys---------------------------------7-11
3. Summits & Conferences----------12-15
4. Awards & Honors-------------------16-19
5. Business & Economy---------------20-33
6. Sports----------------------------------34-37
7. National Affairs---------------------38-55
8. Science & Technology-------------56-63
9. States In News-----------------------64-68
10. Books & Authors- ----------------69-69
11. Appointments & Resignations-70-83
12. Important Days--------------------83-87
13. Obituaries--------------------------88-89
 INTERNATIONALS
Trump becomes first ex-U.S. President to be convicted of felony
➢ News: A New York jury convicted Donald Trump on all 34 charges in his
hush money case.
➢ falsifying records to cover up a $130,000 payment made to buy a porn star’s
silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter.
Krishn Kanhai’s ‘The Golden Krishna’ Exhibition Opens
➢ News: Indian artist Krishn Kanhai unveiled his latest collection, “The Golden
Krishna” in Dubai.
➢ The centerpiece of the exhibition is a breathtaking lifesized, three-dimensional
painting of Tirupati Balaji, meticulously crafted with 24-karat gold.
Volcano erupts in Philippines
➢ News: Mount Kanlaon on Negros island in Philippines exploded.
➢ The Philippines is located in the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire" that hosts more than
half of the world's volcanoes. Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the archipelago nation.
Note:
➢ The material that reaches the ground includes lava flows, pyroclastic debris,
volcanic bombs, ash and dust and gases such as nitrogen compounds, sulphur
compounds and minor amounts of chlorene, hydrogen and argon.
Nuclear technologies in Food Safety
➢ The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) organized an International Symposium on Food Safety and Control in Vienna, Austria.
Highlights:
➢ Nuclear technologies offer solutions in animal health, soil and water management, insect pest
management, food safety and control, and plant breeding and genetics.
➢ The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a nuclear-based method that uses ionizing
radiation to sterilize insects before releasing them to manage pest populations.
Note:
➢ Iodine- 131 - locating brain tumors and in determining liver and thyroid activity.
➢ Uranium - 235 is used as a fuel in nuclear power plants
➢ Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, is used to identify the leaks in underground water pipes.
Maldives to ban Israeli passport holders
➢ News: President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives has announced a
ban on individuals holding Israeli passports.
➢ The decision comes amid heightened political pressure and ongoing conflict in Gaza.
➢ He launched a national fundraising campaign called “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine".
➢ The Gaza conflict has led to at least 36,439 killings, primarily civilians, by Israeli Defence Forces.
➢ The Maldives had lifted a previous ban on Israeli citizens in the early 1990s and restored diplomatic
relations in 2010.
India, S. Korea, US, Japan, EU Launch Biopharmaceutical Alliance
➢ News: South Korea, India, the United States, Japan, and the European Union have come
 together to launch an alliance to put joint efforts into building a resilient supply
chain in the biopharmaceutical sector.
➢ Inaugural meeting of the Biopharmaceutical Alliance, held in San Diego during
the Bio International Convention 2024.
➢ The alliance was launched in response to the drug supply shortages experienced during the Covid-
19 pandemic.
Joint Task Force on Investment
➢ India & Qatar hold 1st meeting of Joint Task Force on Investment in New Delhi.
➢ Aim: strengthening investment cooperation.
➢ First meeting of the Joint Task Force on Investment.
Greening Education” in Classrooms
➢ News: UNESCO launched new tools for greening schools and curricula, highlighting the need
to empower young people to play a concrete role in tackling the climate crisis.
➢ To tackle climate disruption in the long-term.
➢ A UNESCO analysis of 100 national curriculum frameworks in 2021 revealed
that nearly half (47%) do not mention climate disruption.
➢ Following this analysis, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO,
made environmental education a priority
➢ UNESCO’s new Green School Quality Standard, developed in partnership with other UN agencies,
civil society and countries, sets the minimum requirements on how to create a “green school” by
promoting an action oriented approach.
Arun III hydropower project
➢ News: The Arun III hydropower project in Nepal, which is being constructed with Indian assistance.
➢ The 900 MW hydropower project being constructed on the Arun River
with a budget of about USD 1.4 billion, is a run-off-the-river type project
whose construction started in May 2018.
➢ The Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam was awarded with the project through
international competitive bidding in March 2008.
Macron dissolves French parliament
➢ News: French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the country’s National
Assembly and ordered fresh polls.
➢ “France needs a clear majority to act in serenity and harmony,” Mr. Macron
stated.
World Bank working paper advocates increased devolution for Panchayats
➢ News: The World Bank working paper titled ‘Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Democracies: A
Review of Village Government in India’ authored by Siddharth George, Vijayendra Rao and
MR Sharan.
➢ Delegating more authority to Panchayats, rather than stripping them of power, is crucial in ensuring
effective local governance
➢ The working paper highlighted “inefficiencies”, saying Gram Panchayat (GP) council members
spend excessive time at Block Development offices and District Collectorates, acting as
intermediaries rather than empowered decision-makers.
➢ Enhanced fiscal capacity and broader decision-making authority are deemed essential for
improving governance.
➢ Building local tax capacity is highlighted as vital for panchayat autonomy.
➢ 73rd Constitutional Amendment, 1992:
❑ Added Part IX; Article 243 to 243-0.
Vice-President of Malawi, 9 others killed in plane crash
➢ News: Malawi Vice President was killed in a plane crash in the Chikangawa
mountain range. Country bordered by Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania
❑ Capital: Lilongwe; Currency: Malawian Kwacha
Oxford University to return stolen 500- year-old bronze idol to India
➢ News: The UK's prestigious Oxford University has agreed to return a 500-year
old bronze idol of a saint believed to be stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu to India.
➢ Return of a 16th-century bronze sculpture of Saint Tirumankai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum.
Pakistan increases Defence Budget by nearly 15% for the year 2024-25
➢ News: Pakistan announced a nearly 15 per cent hike in its defence spending and
allocated Rs 2,122 billion in the 2024-25 budget, marking a significant increase
from last year.
➢ Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the budget.
Turkiye to buy F-16 warplanes from U.S.
➢ News: Turkey and the United States have signed a contract for the sale of F-16
warplanes after Washington greenlighted the $23 billion deal.
➢ Under the deal, Turkey will get 40 new F-16s and upgrades to 79 of the jets in its existing fleet.
Montreal Protocol
➢ Montreal Protocol effective in reducing emissions of Ozone- Depleting Substances
➢ Global treaty to eliminate production and use of ODS.
➢ Signed in 1987
➢ ODS are human-made chemicals containing chlorine & bromine (like Chlorofluorocarbons etc.)
➢ leading to destruction of ozone.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
➢ Siddhesh Sakore, a farmer and the founder of AGRO RANGERS, from Maharashtra, has been
named Land Hero by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
➢ On the occasion of World Desertification and Drought Day, the UNCCD announced
the names of 10 Land Heroes in a programme in Bonn, Germany.
UNCCD:
❑ Established in 1994;
❑ Addresses the arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid areas
❑ The sole legally binding international treaty on land management and drought
❑ Secretariat: Bonn, Germany.
Israel’s Navy receives new landing craft from US
News: The INS Komemiyut (Israel Navy Ship Independence) LSV (landing craft) arrived in Israel.
➢ The US-built INS Komemiyut was the Navy’s second landing craft, after the INS Nahshon, which was
received in October 2023.
China has 500 nuclear warheads
➢ According to the Swedish think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute, India’s nuclear arsenal reached 172 warheads this year, slightly
surpassing Pakistan which has 170 warheads
➢ China, on the other hand, has triple that number, with 500 warheads
➢ India’s nuclear doctrine, ‘no first use’.
➢ In November 2019, India formally declared its nuclear triad operational, after the country’s first
SSBN [a nuclear-powered submarine carrying ballistic missiles armed with nuclear weapons], INS
Arihant, completed its first deterrence patrol. This means Arihant has begun patrols at sea carrying
ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads.
Thailand to be first Southeast Asian country to recognise same-sex marriage
➢ Thailand's Senate passed the final reading of a marriage equality law, paving the
way for it to become the 1st country in Southeast Asia to recognise same-sex couples.
Canada declares Iran’s IRGC a Terrorist Entity
➢ News: Canada has declared Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of
the Iranian Armed Forces, as a terrorist entity.
➢ As an immediate consequence of the listing, Canadian financial institutions, such
as banks and brokerages, are required to immediately freeze the property
Putin signs deals with Vietnam
➢ News: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a series of deals with his
Vietnamese counterpart To Lam.
➢ Signed agreements to further cooperation on education, science and
technology, oil and gas exploration and health.
➢ Also agreed to work on a roadmap for a nuclear science and technology center in Vietnam.
Chad eliminates sleeping sickness
➢ News: Chad has become the first country in 2024 and the 51st globally
to eliminate a neglected tropical disease — the gambiense form of human
African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness.
➢ Announced by World Health Organization.
➢ HAT is caused by protozoan parasites that spread via infected tsetse flies. The illness is typically
fatal if left untreated.
India to Start E-Medical Visa Facility For Bangladesh Nationals
➢ India will start an e-medical visa facility for Bangladeshi nationals
coming to India for medical treatment.
➢ Also: India will open a new consulate in Rangpur, Bangladesh, to facilitate
services for people in the northwest region of the country.
➢ 8 Memorandums of Understanding have been signed or renewed, apart from the 2 new vision
documents on digital and green partnerships during the current visit.
➢ The sixth rail link between India and Bangladesh has started between Jakhoda and Agartala.
➢ Cargo services have been started for our northeastern states with the Khulna-Mongla Port.
➢ Bharat-Bangladesh Maitri Satellite.
Russia approves draft logistics agreement
➢ News: India-Russia mutual logistics agreement is ready for conclusion, with
Russia approving the draft agreement.
➢ The agreement will simplify military-to-military exchanges for exercises,
training, port calls and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts.
➢ The cooperation agreement involves interaction between troops, and also addresses issues of
the supply and development of weapons and military equipment.
About Russia:
❑ Capital: Moscow; Currency: Russian Ruble; Prime minister: Mikhail Mishustin
Sri Lanka seals debt deal
➢ Sri Lanka has reached an agreement with the Official Creditor Committee (OCC)
to restructure $5.8 billion of debt owed to bilateral lenders.
➢ The agreement provides significant debt relief, allowing Sri Lanka to allocate
funds to essential public services and secure concessional financing for development needs.
➢ The OCC is a platform comprising 17 countries, including India, Japan, and other members of
the Paris Club. The agreement was signed in May 2023 to simplify Sri Lanka's debt
negotiations after the country defaulted on its external debt in 2022.
About Sri Lanka:
❑ Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte; Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee
❑ President: Ranil Wickremesinghe; Prime minister: Dinesh Gunawardena
100th Member Of International Solar Alliance
➢ News: Paraguay has become the 100th country to join the International
Solar Alliance as a full member.
➢ The South American nation officially handed over its Instrument of Ratification to the ISA
➢ The ISA, co-founded by India and France during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change
Conference in Paris, aims to promote solar energy deployment worldwide.
➢ 99th – Spain; 98th - Sierra Leone
❑ Republic of Paraguay: Currency : Guaraní (PYG); Capital : Asunción
Carbon tax on livestock emissions
➢ News: Denmark is set to become the first country to impose a carbon tax on
livestock emissions, targeting methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
➢ Aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
➢ From 2030, livestock farmers will be taxed 300 kroner ($43) per ton of carbon
dioxide equivalent, rising to 750 kroner ($108) by 2035.
➢ Targets methane emissions from cows, sheep, and pigs.
Turkey removed From Money Laundering Grey List
➢ The global financial crime watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had
removed Turkey from its "grey list" of countries that require special scrutiny.
➢ FATF aims to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
❑ FATF: Established in 1989 during the G7 Summit Secretariat: Paris, France
 SURVEYS
TIME Magazine's Most Influential Companies
➢ News: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited, along with the Tata Group
and Adar Poonawalla-led Serum Institute of India, have been recognized as some
of the world's most influential companies by TIME magazine for 2024
➢ Reliance - only Indian company to receive this recognition twice.
➢ Reliance Industries Limited & Tata Group has been placed in the “Titans” category of TIME’s list
➢ Serum Institute, which has been placed in the “Pioneers” category.
➢ Note: Reliance’s $8.5 billion merger deal with Disney’s India business
QS World University Rankings 2025
➢ The 21st edition of the QS World University Rankings is the only ranking of its kind that
emphasises employability & sustainability. It features over 1,500 institutions
across 105 higher education systems. Release by: Quacquarelli Symonds
➢ MIT has topped the QS World University Ranking for the 12th
consecutive year.
➢ The National University of Singapore (NUS) has moved up three places
to become the first Asian university to break into the top 10 club.
➢ 46 Indian institutions have been ranked this year, under 18 different subject categories.
Note:
➢ The rankings are based on factors including employer reputation, citations per faculty, academic
reputation, student-to-faculty ratio, proportion of international faculty, and proportion of
international students.
➢ IIT Bombay has risen 31 places to rank 118th in the QS World University Rankings 2025.
➢ IIT Delhi has also risen 47 places to rank 150th.
➢ IIT Bombay has achieved a score of 56.3 out of 100, with its greatest strength in employer
reputation (ranked 63 globally).
Top 10 universities as per QS World Rankings 2025

Rank World Universities Overall Score

1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) US 100

2 Imperial College London 98.5
3 University of Oxford 96.9
4 Harvard University 96.8
5 University of Cambridge 96.7
6 Stanford University 96.1
7 ETH Zurich Switzerland 93.9
8 National University of Singapore (NUS) 93.7
9 UCL 91.6
10 California Institute of Technology (Caltech) 90.9
Container Port Performance Index
➢ Developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence.
➢ Visakhapatnam Port has broken into the top 20 rankings in the Container
Port Performance Index 2023
➢ Visakhapatnam Port was ranked 19 in the Index, higher than Mundra Port (ranked 27) run
by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd.
➢ The Index is a comparable assessment of performance based on vessel time in port.
➢ China’s Yangshan Port clinched the top spot for the second consecutive year, while Oman’s
Port of Salalah retained the number two position.
➢ In the overall rankings, Pipavav Port was ranked 41, Kamarajar/Ennore Port 47, Kattupalli 57,
Cochin 63, Hazira 68, Krishnapatnam 71, Chennai 80, Jawaharlal Nehru Port 96, New Mangalore
235 and Syama Prasad Mookerjee 242.
India ranks 129 on Global Gender Gap index
➢ News: India has slipped two places on the World Economic Forum's Global
Gender Gap index to 129th place
➢ Iceland retained its top position followed by Finland, Norway, New Zealand
and Sweden in the top five. The U.K. was ranked 14th, while the USA was at 43rd place.
➢ Within South Asia, India was ranked fifth after Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, while
Pakistan was ranked last
➢ Globally, Sudan was ranked last on the index of 146 countries, while Pakistan slipped three places
to 145th.
Parameters:
❑ Economic Participation and Opportunity; Educational Attainment; Health and Survival
❑ Political Empowerment
Infosys named among top 100 most valuable global brands
➢ Infosys has been ranked among the 100 most valuable brands in the world,
for the 3rd consecutive year, by leading marketing data & analytics business Kantar.
➢ Ranked as the 74th most valuable brand in the world and ranked as 20th most
valuable global B2B (businesstobusiness) technology brand.
Knight Frank’s prime global cities index
➢ As per Knight Frank’s prime global cities index, Mumbai witnessed a 11.5% rise in luxury real
estate prices, reaching the third spot globally, after Manila and Tokyo.
➢ Delhi’s prime residential prices soared by 10.5% in the last year, finding fifth spot
➢ At the top of the table is Manila with 26.2% annual growth, followed by Tokyo at
12.5%. In fourth place is Perth, at 11.1%.
Environmental Performance Index 2024
➢ News: India ranked 176th among 180 countries, above Pakistan, Vietnam, Laos,
and Myanmar only, in the overall index.
➢ Published by Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Columbia
Center for International Earth Science Information Network
➢ The 2024 EPI has 58 indicators, including biodiversity, air pollution, air and water quality, waste
management, emission growth rates, projected emissions, etc., under the three main heads of
ecosystem vitality, environmental health and climate change.
➢ This year, the EPI introduced the biodiversity and habitat category
➢ The EPI is released once every two years.
➢ Estonia, Luxembourg, Germany, Finland are top 4.
Mercer’s 2024 Cost of Living survey
➢ Mumbai is the most expensive city for expats in India, according to the 2024
Mercer's Cost of Living survey.
➢ In Asia, Mumbai stands as the 21st most expensive city.
➢ Hong Kong is the world's most expensive city for expats.
➢ Mumbai ranks 136th globally, while Delhi ranks 164th and Chennai- 189th <> Hyderabad - 202nd .
➢ India's strong economy and improving living standards make it an attractive destination for
international assignments.
➢ Delhi records 12-15% rise in housing rents. Mumbai leads in transportation costs. Kolkata
has lowest prices for daily essentials. Delhi has lowest costs for alcohol and tobacco.
Quacquarelli Symonds Best Cities Rankings
➢ Delhi rated best student city in India in QS Best student cities 2025.
➢ London retained its spot for the sixth consecutive edition, followed by
Tokyo in second and Seoul in third.
➢ China has the highest number of ranked cities, followed by Taiwan with five,
and India and Indonesia with four each.
➢ Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai
➢ Delhi- 111th ; Mumbai - 113 ; Bengaluru - 130th ; Chennai - 140th
➢ In 2021-22, the total number of foreign students in Indian institutions was around 46,000, which
represented a 2 per cent drop compared to the previous year.
Energy Transition Index
➢ News: India has been ranked 63rd on a global Energy Transition Index
➢ Published by World Economic Forum
➢ Sweden topping the index, followed by Denmark, Finland, Switzerland and France in the top
five.
➢ China was ranked 20th.
➢ The WEF also lauded the strides made by India in its clean energy infrastructure, with renewable
energy and biomass comprising 42% of its power generation capacity, making it the fourth-largest
renewables market globally.
5th Edition of 'State of Global air-2024’ Report
➢ By Health Effects Institute (HEI), an independent U.S.- based nonprofit
research organization Highlights.
➢ Air pollution accounted for 8.1 million deaths globally in 2021.
➢ Globally, air pollution accounted for the 2nd largest risk factor of death
(8.1 million deaths) in 2021, after High blood pressure.
➢ 99% of the world's population lives in places with unhealthy levels of PM2.5 pollution.
➢ India and China together accounted for 54% of the total global disease burden linked to air
pollution.
World Investment Report 2024
➢ News: The World Investment Report 2024 was published by the UN
Conference on Trade and Development.
➢ Focuses on trends in foreign direct investment.
➢ Globally, foreign direct investment flows declined by 2% in 2023.
UNCTAD
❑ Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
❑ UNCTAD membership consists of 195 states.
India Ranks 3rd in Global Domestic Airline Market
➢ News: According to an analysis based on OAG data India has emerged as the
world’s third-largest market for domestic airlines.
➢ India's domestic airline capacity has doubled in ten years, from 7.9 million
in April 2014 to 15.5 million in April 2024
➢ The United States and China still lead, with 86.1 million and 67.8 million seats, respectively.
World Drug Report 2024
➢ News: World Drug Report 2024 launched by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
➢ The No. of people who use drugs has risen to 292 million in 2022, a 20% increase over 10 years.
➢ Cannabis remains the most widely used drug worldwide (228 million users),
followed by opioids (60 million users), amphetamines (30 million users),
cocaine (23 million users), and ecstasy (20 million users).
➢ Triple Frontier area (Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay) and Golden Triangle
(Laos Myanmar and Thailand).
❑ UNODC was established in 1997 ; HQ: Vienna, Austria
➢ Note: June 26th International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
➢ Theme: “The evidence is clear: invest in prevention”
➢ Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Migration and Development Brief 2024
➢ News: World Bank’s latest Migration and Development Brief, released.
➢ The growth in remittances to India is likely to halve in 2024 to 3.7% from 7.5% in 2023.
➢ Remittance flows to India from the UAE, which account for 18 per cent and are
the second-largest source of India’s remittances after the US.
➢ In addition to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar account for 11 %
of India’s total remittances
➢ Top five recipient countries: India ($120 billion), followed by Mexico, China,
Philippines, and Pakistan.
Compressed biogas
➢ According to a report by the Delhi based think tank Centre for Science
and Environment, Uttar Pradesh leads in compressed biogas potential
➢ A symposium organized by CSE and the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable
Energy Development Agency in Muzaffarnagar.
➢ Compressed biogas can help enhance waste management, promote local clean energy solutions, and
bring down our dependence on imported compressed natural gas.
➢ Biogas is produced from waste / biomass sources (e.g., agricultural residue, cattle dung, sugarcane
press mud, municipal solid waste, and sewage treatment plant waste) etc.
India Becomes World’s Third-Largest Domestic Aviation Market
➢ India has become the world's third-largest domestic aviation market, surpassing
Brazil and Indonesia.
➢ The country's domestic airline capacity has doubled in the last 10 years, from
7.9 million seats in April 2014 to 15.5 million in April 2024.
➢ India has posted the highest annual average capacity growth rate of 6.9% over the last decade,
followed by China at 6.3% and the US at 2.4%. IndiGo and Air India together have more than
1,000 planes on order and account for 9 out of 10 domestic seats in the country.
India is home to 67 unicorns, 46 gazelles, and 106 cheetahs, a slight decrease from last
year's numbers.
➢ ASK Private Wealth Hurun India Future Unicorn Index 2024 highlights the
growth potential of Indian startups, with a total valuation of $58 billion, a
1.8% increase from last year.
➢ New entrants: 38 new startups joined the index, including 7 gazelles and 31
cheetahs, with notable growth in sectors FElike SpaceTech, AI, and EV/Renewable Energy.
➢ Ixigo, a former Cheetah, went public with a 48% premium and is poised to reach a billion-
dollar valuation, while Zepto, Porter, and Incred Finance joined the unicorn club,
highlighting the resilience and dynamism of India's startup landscape.
IEP’ Global Peace Index 2024: India stands at 116th Rank out of 163 countries
➢ India has moved up 10 positions in the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2024 and is now
ranked 116th out of 163 countries.
➢ The GPI is released by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) and assesses the
level of peacefulness in countries worldwide.
➢ Iceland continues to top the list, followed by Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Singapore,
while India's improvement suggests progress in areas such as safety and security, domestic
and international conflict, and militarization.
4% of antibacterial agents under development globally in India: WHO
➢ India has only 4% of the total number of antibacterial agents in clinical
development globally, a relatively small percentage compared to other countries.
➢ The WHO report highlights the urgent need for new and innovative antibacterial
agents to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as only 12 out of 32 antibiotics under
development can be considered innovative and even fewer are active against critical pathogens.
World falling behind on environment, health and hunger goals, UN report says
➢ The UN report says none of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on
track to be met by 2030 due to funding shortfalls, geopolitical tensions, and the
COVID-19 pandemic.
➢ The report highlights areas of weakness, including hunger, sustainable cities, and
biodiversity, and urges countries to address funding shortfalls and revamp the UN system.
 SUMMITS & CONFERENCES
KAZA Summit
➢ News: Inaugural edition of Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Trans-Frontier
Conservation Area Summit is being held in Zambia.
➢ Theme : “Leveraging KAZA’s natural capital and cultural heritage resources
as catalysts for inclusive socio-economic development of the eco-region.”
➢ Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the five countries that make up the KAZA-TFCA
conservation region <> 520,000-square kilometre wildlife sanctuary
➢ The KAZA states signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2006 resulting in the KAZA Treaty of
2011 followed by its immediate implementation.
Shangri La Dialogue
➢ The 21st edition of the Asia Pacific premier defence meet, the Shangri
La Dialogue or the Asian Security Summit, concluded in Singapore.
➢ It brings together security practitioners, including defence ministers, senior officials and non-
governmental stakeholders, to discuss the most pressing security challenges in the Asia-Pacific.
➢ Organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies with the Singapore government.
➢ The event is always inaugurated by the United States Secretary of Defence. (2024- Llyod Austin)
➢ No representation for India <> 2018, Narendra Modi was the first Indian prime minister to
address the Shangri La Dialogue.
National level Coordination Committee
➢ News: The National Level Coordination Committee for the World’s largest grain storage plan
held its maiden meeting in the Ministry of Cooperation, New Delhi
➢ Reviewed the status of implementation of its pilot project in 11 States.
➢ Plan envisages creation of various agricultural infrastructure
➢ The Pilot project has been implemented by National Cooperative Development Corporation with
the support of NABARD, Food Corporation of India, Central Warehousing Corporation & Others.
➢ FCI is nodal agency responsible for procurement, storage and farmers to earn better prices.
movement of food grains, public distribution and maintenance.
India to Host 81st IATA Annual General Meeting in 2025
➢ IndiGo will host the 81st International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General
Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Delhi, India in June 2025.
➢ The event will be held in Delhi for the 3rd time, having previously taken
place in the city in 1958 and 1983.
➢ IATA DG: Willie Walsh stated that India is on the trajectory to become the
world’s 3rd largest aviation market within the next decade. IndiGo: CEO Pieter Elbers
➢ The event will focus on topics such as safety, diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability, and
efficiency in delivering growing global demand for air travel.
➢ This will be the first time that IndiGo will be hosting the IATA AGM, and it is expected to bring
together the global aviation community to discuss key issues and challenges in the industry.
Climate conference in November to emphasise ‘peace’ and ‘truce’
➢ The annual climate conference to be held in Nov 11, will lay particular stress on “Peace”& “Truce”.
➢ It enables countries to focus on climate solution amid ongoing conflicts.
➢ The 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29) to be held in
November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
112th session of International Labour Conference
➢ News: The Indian tripartite delegation led by Secretary (Labour & Employment), Ms. Sumita
Dawra, participated in the 112th session of International Labour Conference
➢ Venue: Geneva, Switzerland.
➢ Plenary session on “Towards a renewed social contract”, and highlighted the
major initiatives of the Government of India
➢ The session on ‘Decent work and the care economy’, the delegation highlighted that India has a
huge youth population with average age of the population around 29 years.
➢ Indian delegation highlighted the Government’s initiatives taken in the care sector, in the form of
access to clean cooking fuel under ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)’ to reduce the daily
care burden of women, maternity benefits, health care including geriatric care, skilling
programs and initiatives in care-work, social security benefits etc.
3rd Indian Analytical Congress being held at CSIR-IIP Dehradun
➢ The theme of the 3rd Indian Analytical Congress (IAC) is "Role of Science
and Technology in Green Transitions".
➢ The conference aims to provide a platform for industries, academia,
scientists, and technologists to present solutions in the field of analytical sciences.
➢ The conference will feature five technical sessions with invited talks by eminent speakers,
presentations by researchers, and special and plenary sessions.
➢ The event is being jointly organized by CSIR-IIP and ISAS-Delhi Chapter, and is expected to attract
over 250 delegates from various institutions and public sector units.
Pak, Denmark, Greece, Panama & Somalia get seat on UN Security Council
➢ Pakistan, Somalia, Denmark, Greece, and Panama were elected as non-permanent
members of the UN Security Council for a 2year term starting from Jan 1, 2025.
➢ The elections were held by secret ballot in the UN General Assembly,
with Pakistan receiving 182 votes and Somalia receiving 179 votes.
➢ Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Ishaq Dar expressed their commitment to promoting peace, stability, & cooperation among nations.
➢ The five countries will work together to uphold the UN Charter's vision of preventing war and
promoting peace, fostering global prosperity, and promoting universal respect for human rights.
First IPEF Clean Economy Investor Forum meeting Held in Singapore
➢ India participated in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Ministerial
meeting in Singapore, led by Secretary, Department of Commerce, Shri Sunil Barthwal.
➢ The IPEF Clean Economy Agreement aims to accelerate efforts towards energy
security, climate resilience, and GHG emissions mitigation, & India has announced
a new Cooperative Work Programme (CWP) on "e-waste urban mining".
➢ India's Commerce Secretary expressed India's intention to work with IPEF partners on other
CWPs to facilitate immense gains from such CWPs not only for developmental purposes but
also towards their contribution to society.
1st BRICS Ministerial meeting held with expanded membership in Russia
➢ The 1st BRICS Ministerial meeting was held in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia,
with expanded membership, from June 10-11, 2024.
➢ The newly added members are Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia,
which joined the group on January 1, 2024.
➢ The meeting was attended by foreign ministers from the 10 member countries,
including India's India's delegation was led by Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations)
at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
➢ Russia will host the 16th annual BRICS summit from October 22-24, 2024.
➢ Brazil will host the meeting as it will be the next chairman of BRICS after Russia.
➢ At the 15th BRICS summit meeting, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 22 to 24 August 2023.
PM Modi leaves for Italy for G7 Summit
➢ News: The Group of Seven countries will meet for the Leaders’ Summit
in Italy’s Apulia region between June 13 and 15.
➢ G7 will explore the regulation of emerging technologies, data privacy, and
cybersecurity to ensure they benefit global development.
➢ Hiroshima, Japan was the host of the G7 Summit 2023.
About G7:
❑ G7 originated from a 1973 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in Paris, France
❑ Meeting was convened in response to major economic challenges of at time – an oil crisis, rising
inflation and collapse of the Bretton Woods system
❑ The first G7 summit was held in 1975 in Rambouillet, France, bringing together the leaders of
France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy and Japan. Canada joined the next
year.
India-IORA Cruise Tourism Conference
➢ News: The 2 day India-IORA Cruise Tourism Conference concluded in New Delhi
➢ Aim: to boost the cruise tourism sector and related sectors in the Indian Ocean region.
➢ IORA - 1997
➢ Permanent Secretariat of IORA: Mauritius
➢ 23 countries are members: India, Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, France,
Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Woman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa,
Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Ukraine peace summit opens in Switzerland with low expectations
➢ The Ukraine peace summit held in Switzerland has low expectations despite being attended
by 101 countries and organizations, including 57 heads of state.
➢ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed disappointment at Russia's absence,
saying that even without them, the idea of joint efforts can stop war and establish just peace.
➢ The summit aims to find a path to peace in Ukraine, but many attendees are doubtful about the
chances of a breakthrough or concrete solutions emerging.
➢ Global concerns about the conflict's impact on international rules and norms,
food security, energy supplies, and the potential for further escalation are
driving the need for a united response to Russian aggression.
‘India Africa Postal Leaders Meet
➢ The ‘India Africa Postal Leaders Meet’ is being organized in India.
➢ Why: Strengthening relationships among the administrations of African
countries and India in the postal sector.
➢ An initiative under the “South- South and Triangular Cooperation” programme of the Universal
Postal Union, organized with the support of India Post and the united States Postal Service.
67th meeting of the Global Environment Facility
➢ Held in Washington, USA.
➢ A total of $736.4 million was approved to support 34 nature
conservation and renewal projects globally
➢ The Global Environment Facility, established in 1991, serves as a
primary funding mechanism for global environmental initiatives
➢ Secretariat: Washington
64th ISO council meeting
➢ News: The 64th International Sugar Organization council meeting concluded in New Delhi
➢ To discuss critical issues related to the sugar and biofuel sectors
➢ World’s largest consumer and the second largest producer of sugar, India
has been nominated by the ISO Council to chair the organization for 2024.
➢ An industrial tour for international delegates was held at a grain-based
distillery in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh
➢ A workshop titled ‘Sugar and Biofuels – Emerging Vistas’ was organized at Bharat Mandapam
➢ International Sugar Organization, a UN affiliated body headquartered in London, has about
85 member countries covering nearly 90% of global sugar production.
NSA of India & US Co-chair 2nd India- US meeting on iCET In New Delhi
➢ National Security Advisors of India and US discuss iCET, defence ties, and
regional security, focusing on emerging technologies and partnerships.
➢ Nikhil Gupta extradited to US for murder-for-hire plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
➢ India-US announce semiconductor partnership for precision-guided ammunition.
➢ Talks underway for purchase of 31MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Vehicles & other defence equipment.
International Dairy Federation Asia-Pacific summit
➢ News: The Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying ( Rajiv
Ranjan Singh ), National Dairy Development Board, and the International Dairy
Federation are jointly organizing the 1st IDF Regional Dairy Conference Asia
Pacific-2024 in Kochi. Theme: ‘Farmer-centric innovations in dairying’.
➢ Aim: Address key issues affecting the dairy sector, particularly in the Asia Pacific region &
globally.
 AWARDS & HONOURS
WHO’s Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion for 2024
➢ News: The World Health Organization has conferred the National Institute of Mental Health &
Neuro Sciences (estb in 1974), Bengaluru, the country’s premier mental health
institution, with the Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion for 2024.
➢ The Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion, established by WHO in 2019,
recognizes individuals, institutions and/or governmental or non-governmental
organizations that have demonstrated remarkable contributions to health promotion.
➢ NIMHANS director Pratima Murthy, received the award at the 77th World Health Assembly
in Geneva.
➢ Note: The award was won jointly by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences
(NIMHANS), India and Professor Bontle Mbongwe of Botswana.
U.N. medal for sacrifice in line of duty
➢ News: An Indian peacekeeper, Naik Dhananjay Kumar Singh who lost his life
serving under the UN flag is to be honoured posthumously with a prestigious
medal for their service and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
➢ He served with the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO),
will be honoured posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjold medal.
Gudleppa Hallikeri Award
➢ Siddhalinga Pattanashetti, a poet and playwright, has been awarded the Gudleppa
Hallikeri Award for 2024, which includes a ₹25,000 prize and a memento.
➢ The award is presented by the Gudleppa Hallikeri Memorial Foundation, based in
Hosaritti, Haveri District, and is given to individuals who have made significant
contributions to literature, society, or social service.
➢ The award was named after Gudleppa Hallikeri, a famous freedom fighter who shared the
values of Mahatma Gandhi.
Sanya Malhotra Wins Best Actress at NYIFF 2024 for ‘Mrs’
➢ News: Sanya Malhotra has won the Best Actress award at the New York
Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2024.
➢ For her exceptional performance in the film ‘Mrs.’ Directed by Arati Kadav.
➢ Earlier this year, Sanya Malhotra’s exceptional acting prowess was recognized with the prestigious
Dadasaheb Phalke Award for her role in the critically acclaimed film “Kathal.”
R P Goyal, CMD, NHPC Received ‘Roll of Honour’ PSU Award 2023′
➢ R.P. Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director of NHPC Limited, has been conferred with the
'Roll of Honour' under the 'PSU Award of the Year 2023' by Dalal Street Investment Journal.
➢ The award was given in the category 'Miniratna of the Year - Manufacturing’
in recognition of his contributions to NHPC Limited.
➢ R.P. Goyal has risen through the professional ranks in NHPC due to his strong
sense of responsibility, ethics, and dedication to the company.
THDCIL awarded Prestigious ‘Great Place To Work’ Certification
➢ THDC India Limited has been certified as a 'Great Place To Work' by Great Place
To Work’, India, in recognition of its exemplary HR practices and work culture.
➢ The certification is a testament to the organization's commitment to fostering
a positive & inclusive work culture, despite the challenges faced in harnessing Hydro Energy.
THDC India Limited:
❑ CMD: R.K. Vishnoi Director: Shallinder Singh,
C-DOT wins UN’s WSIS 2024 PRIZE “Champion” Award
➢ C-DOT wins UN’s WSIS 2024 PRIZE “Champion” Award for “Mobile – Enabled
Disaster Resilience through Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting” category at the
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+ 20 Forum High-Level Event held at Geneva.
EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2024 to Vellayan Subbiah
➢ Vellayan Subbiah, Executive Vice-Chairman of Tube Investments of India (TII)
and Chairman of Cholamandalam (Chola) Investment and Finance Co. Ltd., was
named the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024.
➢ He is the fourth winner from India in the award's 24-year history, making India
the only country to win the global entrepreneurship award four times.
➢ WHY: He was named the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 due to his impressive
leadership, transformation of businesses, and commitment to giving back to society.
➢ WHEN: He was awarded the title at an award ceremony held in Monaco's Salle des Etoiles in June
2024.
18th Mumbai International Film Festival
➢ National Geographic's documentary, Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story, will
kick off the screenings at the 18th Mumbai International Film Festival in Mumbai.
➢ Held from 15th June 2024 to 21st June 2024
➢ Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story (English – 78 mins) directed by Charlie Hamilton James is a
heartwarming story about a man who forms an unlikely friendship with a wild otter while living in a
remote Shetland Islands.
2024 Kavli Prize
➢ News: The 2024 Kavli Prize winners were announced, honoring great work
in neuroscience, astrophysics, and nanoscience.
➢ Kavli Prize in Astrophysics: David Charbonneau (Canada/USA) and
Sara Seager (Canada/USA) groundbreaking work in finding exoplanets and
figuring out what their atmospheres are like
➢ Kavli Prize in Nanoscience: Robert S. Langer (USA), Armand Paul Alivisatos (USA) and Chad A.
Mirkin (USA) nanoengineering materials for drug delivery systems, quantum dots for bioimaging.
➢ Kavli Prize in Neuroscience: Nancy Kanwisher (USA), Winrich Freiwald (Germany), and Doris
Tsao (USA) Tsao made big steps toward understanding how facial recognition works in the brain.
Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar for Telugu
➢ Award: Ramesh Karthik Nayak, a 26-year-old writer from Telangana, was awarded the Sahitya
Akademi Yuva Puraskar for Telugu for his short story collection "Dhavlo" (Song of Lament, 2021).
➢ He is the first tribal author from Telangana to receive this honour.
➢ His debut poetry collection in English, "Chakmak" (Flintstone), was released
at the Bengaluru Poetry Festival last year. His short story collection "Balder
Bandi" (Ox Cart, 2018) is now part of Andhra University's postgraduate syllabus.
➢ Recognition: He has also received the Tribal Young Achiever Award for Contribution to Tribal
Literature (Telugu) from the Telangana State Tribal Welfare Department in 2021.
Sahitya Akademi announces Yuva Puraskar, Bal Sahitya Puraskar winners for 2024
➢ The Sahitya Akademi has announced the names of 23 writers who will receive
the prestigious Yuva Puraskar, including K. Vaishali for her memoir "Homeless:
Growing up Lesbian and Dyslexic in India".
➢ The winners include 10 poetry books, 7 collections of short stories, 2 collections
of articles, 1 novel, 1 book of ghazals, and 1 memoir.
➢ The Yuva Puraskar awardees will receive a casket containing an engraved copper plaque and
a cheque of Rs 50,000 at an awards ceremony later.
➢ The National Academy of Letters has also announced the names of 24 winners of the Bal Sahitya
Puraskar for 2024, including Nandini Sengupta for her historical fiction "The Blue Horse and
Other Amazing Animal Stories from Indian History".
➢ The winners of the Bal Sahitya Puraskar will receive a casket containing an engraved copper plaque
and a cheque of ₹50,000 at a special function to be held at a later date.
‘Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award’
➢ Film-maker Vinod Ganatra has become the first Indian to be conferred the
prestigious ‘Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award’ of South Africa.
➢ Why: for his contribution to films
➢ He was honoured with the coveted award at the ongoing 7th Nelson Mandela
Children’s Film Festival, for his immense contributions to the world of cinema for kids.
➢ Also: He became the only Indian filmmaker to receive the ‘Liv Ullmann Peace Prize’, in
Chicago, for his Gujarati film, ‘Harun-Arun’.
Kohli India’s most-valued celebrity brand
➢ News: According to Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2023, released by global
consulting firm Kroll, cricketer Virat Kohli surpassed Bollywood star Ranveer
Singh to claim the No 1 spot as India’s most valued celebrity
Digital News Report 2024
➢ News: Akashvani News has been recognized as one of the most trusted news
brands in India.
➢ A recent survey conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism,
Oxford University.
➢ Prasar Bharati Chairman Navneet Kumar Sehgal.
IPBES wins prestigious Blue Planet Prize
➢ News: Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Services (IPBES), established to strengthen the science-policy interface
for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable
use of biodiversity, is one of the two recipients of the 2024 Blue Planet Prize
➢ The Blue Planet Prize, awarded by Japan’s Asahi Glass Foundation.
18th Mumbai International Film Festival
➢ Organised by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
➢ Nistha Jain’s ‘Golden Thread’ film won the prestigious Golden Conch
award for the best documentary at the 18th MIFF 2024.
➢ Wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu was conferred with the
18th V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award.
➢ Best International Short Fiction Film – Sour Milk, directed by Vera Pirogova of Estonia.
➢ Best International Animation Film: Zima, directed by Tomek Popakul, Kasumi Ozeki of Poland.
➢ Pramod Pati Award For Most Innovative / Experimental Film (Director): The Old Young Crow,
directed by Liam Lopinto of Japan.
GRSE Wins Sustainable Governance Champion Award
➢ News: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd., Kolkatta has been
honoured with the "Sustainable Governance Champion Award" at the Outlook
Planet Sustainability Summit & Awards 2024.
➢ Why: GRSE's commitment to sustainable practices and governance excellence.
“PSU Leadership Award for Digital Transformation Excellence”
➢ News: THDC, formerly known as the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd,
is a joint venture between the Union and the Uttar Pradesh government won
“PSU Leadership Award for Digital Transformation Excellence”.
➢ R K Vishnoi, the Chairman and Managing Director of THDC.
Pen Pinter Prize 2024
➢ News: Arundhati Roy awarded Pen Pinter Prize for her ‘unflinching’ writing.
➢ The prize, established in 2009 by the charity English PEN, defends freedom
of expression & celebrates literature in memory of Nobel Laureate playwright
Harold Pinter. She won the Booker Prize for her debut novel “The God of Small Things”.
Somalia's only all-women media team wins global freedom of expression award
➢ Bilan, Somalia's only all-women news team, wins 2024 One World Media Press
Freedom Award. Recognizes courageous reporting on taboo topics and
women's voices in a dangerous country.
➢ Team provides editorial independence to Somali women journalists, covering
issues like discrimination and women's rights.
2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
➢ News: Sanjana Thakur, a writer from Mumbai, beat competition from over
7,359 entrants worldwide to be named the winner of the GBP 5,000
Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2024 in London.
➢ Sanjana’s story entitled ‘Aishwarya Rai’ takes its name from the famed
Bollywood actress to reimagine and reverse the traditional adoption story.
 BANKING & ECONOMY
India's first electric vehicle Index
➢ News: NSE Indices Limited, a subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of
India, has introduced India's first electric vehicle Index.
➢ The index tracks the performance of EV companies and those developing
advanced automotive vehicles and related technologies.
➢ launch aligns with the Indian government's promotion of EVs and their manufacturing
➢ Index includes EV manufacturers, new age automotive vehicles, electric batteries; EV or electric
battery component producers and companies that produce or supply raw materials for EVs and
autonomous vehicle technology.
Net FDI declines by 62% to $10.5 billion in FY24
➢ According to the latest Reserve Bank of India, Net foreign direct investment
(FDI) flows into India dropped 62.17 % to $10.58 billion in 2023-24 (FY24)
— the lowest since 2007 — from $27.98 billion the previous year.
➢ In FY23, gross FDI flows had been $71.3 billion
➢ More than 60 per cent of the FDI equity flows were directed towards manufacturing, electricity and
other energy, computer services, financial services, and retail and wholesale trade.
➢ More than 80 per cent of the flows was accounted for by Singapore, Mauritius, the US, the
Netherlands, Japan and the UAE.
Aurobindo arm inks pact with MSD; to invest ₹ 1,000 crore
➢ News: Aurobindo Pharma’s subsidiary TheraNym has signed a master service
agreement with pharma major Merck Sharpe & Dohme Singapore Trading Pte.
Ltd. for contract manufacturing of biologicals.
Maruti, DBS Bank ink pact for inventory Funding
➢ News: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
DBS Bank India Ltd. for dealer inventory funding.
➢ This will help dealers operating more than 3,863 Maruti Suzuki sales outlets across
India. ’DBS Bank India to deliver comprehensive working capital solution for dealer partners.
RBI imposes Rs 36.38 lakh penalty on HSBC
➢ News: The Reserve Bank imposed a fine of Rs 36.38 lakh on foreign lender
HSBC for Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations.
➢ Requirements under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme of FEMA, 1999 wer not followed by HSBC
Axis Bank and Mastercard collaborate to launch NFC Soundbox
➢ Axis Bank has announced the launch of NFC Soundbox in collaboration with
Mastercard. The new soundbox is expected to act as an all-in-one solution
allowing the users to accept Bharat QR, UPI, Tap & Pay and Tap + Pin payments.
➢ Axis Bank will be the first bank in India to introduce a Soundbox that can accept Tap + Pin payments
AIC-CCMB and HDFC Bank grant ₹47 lakh to three biotechnology startups
➢ News: Atal Incubation Centre-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and HDFC Bank have
 announced the recipients of their latest grant of ₹47 lakh for the year
startups Biodimension, Phyx44 and Cellverse.
➢ The grant, instituted under ‘HDFC Parivartan’, is for up-and coming firms
poised to catalyse biotechnology
➢ The 1st awardee, Biodimension, specialises in tissue engineering and offers bio-fabricated human
tissues such as those of skin and vagina as ethical and efficient alternatives for drug screening.
➢ The second awardee, Cellverse, seeks to redefine cancer research by harnessing the power of 3D
bioprinting to create novel and human cancer-on-a-chip and models
➢ The third awardee, Phyx44, seeks to create nature identical dairy alternatives.
RBI unveils Strategic Action Plan for 2024- 25 for Internationalization of Indian Rupee
➢ News: Bank of India in its Annual Report for 2023-24 highlighted Action
Plan for promoting internationalization of INR.
➢ Internationalization of Indian Rupee refers to use of rupee in cross-border
transactions.
➢ Accepted as an International currency.
➢ The Reserve Bank of India allowed the opening of rupee accounts outside India as part of its
strategic plan to internationalize the domestic currency.
➢ SPECTRA project: The RBI has finalized a strategic action plan for 2024-25 and envisaged
liberalization of external commercial borrowing framework and ‘Go-live’ for phase I of software
platform for ECBs and trade credits reporting and approval.
100 days 100 days campaign by RBI
➢ News: The Reserve Bank of India announced a ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign for banks to trace and
settle the top 100 unclaimed deposits of every bank in every district of the country within 100 days.
Unclaimed deposits:
➢ In case there is no transaction (other than interest credits and service charge debits) in the savings
bank account for a continuous period of 10 years
➢ In case of term deposits (FDs) if on maturity there is no renewal or withdrawal for a period of 10
years, from the date of last operation then the particular savings bank account / FDs are classified
as Unclaimed deposits.
➢ Completion of the 10th year all monies in that account is transferred to The
Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF) maintained by the RBI.
➢ The unclaimed deposits earn simple interest at a rate declared by
the RBI intermittently, provided and paid by the bank
➢ Accounts that have not been operated for 10 years or more, the
'unclaimed deposits' as of February, amount to Rs 35,012 crore.
➢ Note: The “Depositor Education and Awareness Fund Scheme, 2014”, was notified by Reserve
Bank of India, which covers norms related to unclaimed deposits.
State Bank of India's market cap crosses ₹8 lakh crore
➢ News: The market capitalisation of the State Bank of India crossed the ₹8 lakh crore mark.
➢ SBI is now the third-largest bank in India by market cap, very close to ICICI
Bank which is second largest.
➢ Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code introduced by the government has improved
the financial conditions of Indian banks, with a recovery of ₹10 lakh crore of
bad loans.
➢ The shares of the State Bank of India hit a new high of Rs 899.55 on the BSE on 3 June 2024.
➢ SBI joins the ranks of Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC Bank, Bharti
Airtel, Infosys, and ICICI Bank in achieving this milestone.
About SBI:
❑ Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra ❑ Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Khara
❑ Tagline: Pure Banking Nothing Else
Goldman Sachs boosts India GDP forecast to 6.9% for CY24
➢ News: Goldman Sachs has upped India GDP growth forecast by 20 basis
points to 6.9 per cent for CY24 from an earlier projection of 6.7 per cent.
Sebi launches saathi 2
➢ Capital markets regulator Sebi launched a mobile app 'Saathi 2.0' on personal
finance for investors with comprehensive tools
➢ Aimed at simplifying complex financial concepts.
➢ The app includes financial calculators and has modules that introduce and explain KYC
procedures, mutual funds, ETFs, buying and selling shares on stock exchanges, investor grievances
redressal mechanism, and the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform.
Nokia, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya ink pact to partner on 5G, 6G research in the
transportation and logistics sector.
➢ Collaboration: The partnership aims to collaborate on research opportunities in 5G/6G
communications, standards development, smart factory/automation, and AI/GenAI labs.
➢ Research areas: The research will focus on air, land, and sea transportation
use cases, as well as other areas like telecommunications.
❑ Partners: The MoU was signed in the presence of railway minister Ashwini
Vaishnaw, who is also the Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.
➢ Goal: The partnership aims to leverage advances in telecommunications for the transportation and
logistics sectors, promoting a "Viksit Bharat" (prosperous India).
Volvo to issue world's first EV battery passport
➢ Volvo Cars is launching the world's first EV battery passport, which tracks
the origin of raw materials, components, recycled content, and carbon
footprint for its flagship EX90 SUV.
➢ The passport was developed by Volvo, which is owned by China’s Geely, in partnership with UK
startup Circulor, which uses blockchain technology to map supply chains for companies.
➢ The battery passport will be mandatory for electric vehicles sold in the EU from February
2027 and will show the composition of batteries, their carbon footprint, and recycled content.
Adani One launches two variants of co-branded credit cards with ICICI Bank
➢ Adani One, the digital platform of the Adani Group, and ICICI Bank have
launched two co-branded credit cards in collaboration with Visa, marking
the Adani Group's entry into the retail financial sector.
➢ The credit cards come in two variants - Adani One ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card and Adani
One ICICI Bank Platinum Credit Card - and offer a reward program to customers.
➢ Cardholders can earn up to 7% Adani reward points on spends within the Adani Group ecosystem,
including Adani One app, Adani-managed airports, and Adani CNG pumps, among others.
Ashok Leyland rolls out 'Sarathi Suraksha' policy
➢ Ashok Leyland has launched a new insurance scheme called "Sarathi
Suraksha" for drivers operating its vehicles, providing insurance
coverage up to Rs 10 lakh.
➢ The policy is a group personal accident policy that covers all drivers of Ashok Leyland vehicles
across India, offering financial security to drivers and their families in case of accidents.
➢ The primary benefit of this policy is financial security for drivers and their families, providing
significant support in case of death or permanent disability.
Netherlands emerges as India's 3rd largest export destination
➢ The Netherlands has emerged as India’s third- largest export destination
after the U.S. and UAE during 2023-24.
➢ The main commodities which registered healthy exports growth in the
Netherlands include petroleum products ($14.29 billion), electrical goods,
chemicals, and pharmaceuticals in the last fiscal.
➢ India’s trade surplus with the Netherlands rose to $17.4 billion in FY24 from $13 billion in FY23
Note:
➢ India's exports to the Netherlands rose by about 3.5% to $22.36 billion in 2023-24 as against
$21.61 billion in 2022-23, the data showed.
➢ In 2021-22 and 2020-21, the outbound shipments to the European country stood at $12.55 billion
and $6.5 billion, respectively.
Defence Ministry signs MoUs to onboard four banks as SPARSH service centres
➢ The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) has signed MoUs with four
banks - Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, and Utkarsh
Small Finance Bank - to onboard them as SPARSH service centres.
➢ The SPARSH initiative is an effort by the Ministry of Defence to provide
a comprehensive solution to defence pensioners.
➢ The MoUs aim to provide last-mile connectivity to pensioners, especially in remote areas, by
providing access to pension-related services at bank branches.
➢ The service will be provided free of cost, with nominal service charges borne by the DAD.
➢ With these MoUs, SPARSH services will now be available at over 26,000 branches of 15 banks across
the country, in addition to:
❑ 199 dedicated service centres of the DAD
❑ Over 3.75 lakh common service centres across the country
➢ The initiative aims to bring efficiency, responsiveness, & transparency in managing defence pensions.
NPCI, Peru central bank ink pact to build UPI-like payments system
➢ The partnership makes Peru the first South American nation to adopt
NPCI’s technology.
➢ It will enable BCRP to facilitate instant payments between individuals
and businesses within Peru, and expand the usage of digital payments among the
country’s large unbanked population.
AIBEA Launches “Bank Clinic" Initiative
➢ News: “Bank Clinic" Initiative aim is to assist bank customers with grievance redressal amid
 the rapid expansion of technology and Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) guidelines on retail banking.
➢ Under this initiative, customers can register their complaints on
the Bank Clinic website and within five working days.
➢ It serves as an additional channel alongside the normal Banking Ombudsman process.
AIBEA (All India Bank Employees Association):
❑ Founded: 20th April 1946 in Kolkata Headquarter: Chennai
DBS retains India GDP growth forecast at 7% for FY24-25
➢ DBS Bank retains India's GDP growth forecast at 7% for FY24-25.
➢ DBS Bank attributes its optimistic view to stable global growth, public
and household capex investments, and rural recovery.
‘Insure today for a safe tomorrow’ campaign
➢ Universal Sompo launched "Insure today for a safe tomorrow" campaign.
➢ Campaign aims to increase insurance inclusion & educate public about benefits.
➢ Insurance products offered by Universal Sompo include motor, health, and personal accident.
➢ Company partnered with Maruti Suzuki Insurance Broking for insurance awareness in Andhra
Pradesh.
SEBI forms ad-hoc Committee
➢ The ad-hoc committee would be chaired by Usha Thorat, former Deputy
Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
➢ Sebi seeks to ensure clearing corps function as neutral risk managers.
➢ Panel to review ownership structure, finance of clearing corporations.
➢ Committee to suggest alternatives for financial independence and sustainability.
➢ Sebi sets up ad-hoc committee to review clearing corps structure.
➢ Panel to examine global best practices for clearing corporations.
Bank of India signs an MOU with the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts
(Pensions) through SPARSH Portal
➢ 433 Bank of India branches will serve as SPARSH Service Centres,
providing last-mile connectivity to pensioners.
➢ Services will include profile updates, grievance redress, digital yearly
identification, and pensioner data verification.
➢ The MOU aims to provide timely services to Defence Pensioners and
reflects Bank of India's efforts to adopt innovative technology.
Bank of Maharashtra introduces the Maha Krishi Samridhi Yojana (MKSY)
➢ The MKSY is a financial assistance scheme for food and agro-based industries,
agri-infrastructure projects, and agricultural infrastructure facilities.
Eligibility:
➢ Individual, proprietorship, partnership concerns, FPCs, private limited
companies, public limited companies, and limited liability partnership concerns are eligible.
➢ All advances to new/existing food and agro-processing units under the "Agriculture" category are
eligible.
Quantum: Minimum: No minimum amount; Maximum: Up to Rs. 100.00 Crore
Repayment Terms:
➢ Term Loan: Minimum 10-25% (case to case basis) and Working Capital: Stocks & Book Debt -
Minimum 25%.
➢ Repayment for Term Loan: Maximum period up to 10 years (including moratorium period)
About Bank Of Maharashtra:
❑ Established: 1935; HQ: Pune, Maharashtra; MD & CEO: Nidhu Saxena; Tagline: One Family One Bank
SBI Mutual Fund Became First To Top 10 Trillion In Assets Under Management
➢ SBI Mutual Fund (SBI MF) made history on June 3 by becoming India's first fund
firm to reach Rs 10 trillion in assets under management (AUM).
➢ Key drivers of growth: The surge in SBI MF's AUM is attributed to the post-
pandemic equity boom, expanding investor base, and strategic product launches.
➢ Institutional and retail contributions: Institutional investors hold nearly Rs 5 trillion of the total
AUM, while retail investors contribute over Rs 5 trillion through direct plans and SIPs.
About SBI Mutual Fund (SBIFMPL):
❑ Founded: 29 June 1987 ; HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra; MD & CEO: Shamsher Singh
Shinhan Bank receives CCI approval to acquire 11% stake in HDFC Credila
➢ The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared South Korea based Shinhan Bank's
proposed acquisition of an 11 per cent stake in HDFC Credila Financial Services.
➢ Part of the Shinhan Financial Group, Shinhan Bank Co Ltd is a multinational
bank, which commenced operations in India in 1996.
➢ HDFC Credila Financial Services, is a Reserve Bank of India (RBI)- registered
non-deposit taking non-banking financial company. It is primarily engaged in
the business of providing education loans in India
About Shinhan Bank:
❑ Established: 1897; HQ: Seoul, South Korea; MD & CEO: Jung Sang-hyuk
Third edition HaRBInger 2024
➢ News: RBI announces HaRBInger 2024 with focus on Zero Financial Frauds.
➢ Aim: ensuring trust, safety, security and inclusivity in the financial system
focusing on inclusive access and minimisation of frauds.
➢ “HaRBInger 2024 – Innovation for Transformation” launched with two overarching themes viz.,
‘Zero Financial Frauds’ and ‘Being Divyang Friendly’.
SEBI bags 'Best Conduct of Business Regulator' award
➢ News: SEBI has been given 'Best Conduct of Business Regulator' award in
Asia Pacific by The Asian Banker
➢ Why: for its role in enhancing the regulatory framework for securities markets in India.
➢ Received by Sebi's Whole Time Member Kamlesh Chandra Varshney in a ceremony held in
Hong Kong.
Centre releases ₹1.39 lakh crore to states in June
➢ News: The Central government has devolved ₹1.39 lakh crore to states as
devolution of its tax revenue in June
➢ Centre devolves 41% of its tax revenue to state governments as part of the
formula set by the Finance Commission.
➢ The existing devolution formula is set by the Fifteenth Finance Commission for the five-year period till
FY26.
➢ States’s share is decided by a formula meant to incentivize demographic performance and each state’s
effort to mobilize its own tax revenue.
➢ The formula also takes into account geographic area, forest cover and the state’s per capita income.
Coromandel International opens nano-fertilizer plant
➢ Coromandel International Limited, India’s leading agri solutions provider, unveiled
state-of-the-art Nano Fertiliser plant at its Kakinada complex in Andhra Pradesh.
Coromandel has developed nano fertilizers such as nano DAP and nano urea through
its in-house research and development centre at IIT Bombay-Monash Research Academy.
➢ Indian Economy Grew by 8.2% in FY 24 : NSO
➢ GDP growth rate is an indicator of the overall economic growth of the country.
➢ The RBI's annual report 2023-24 expects real GDP growth at 7% in FY25.
➢ The growth in GDP is mainly driven by the manufacturing sector, which grew by 9.9% in FY24.
➢ The nominal GDP growth rate has been estimated at 9.6% in FY24, indicating a significant increase in
economic activity.
RBI keeps Repo Rate unchanged for 8th consecutive time at 6.5%
➢ RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.5%.
➢ GDP growth forecast revised to 7.2% for FY2024-25.
➢ CPI inflation forecast for FY2024-25 is 4.5%.
India to remain fastest growing major economy in world : World Bank
➢ The World Bank has revised India's GDP growth forecast for the current financial
year 2024-25 to 6.6%, up from 6.4% earlier.
➢ India is expected to remain the fastest-growing major economy, with growth projected to moderate.
➢ The World Bank attributes the revision to strong public investment, private capex, and rise in private
consumption.
➢ Following are the forecasts of various global and Indian financial agencies regarding the growth of the
Indian economy(as of 12 June 2024).
Agency / Organisation GDP forecast for 2024-25 GDP Forecast for 2025-
26
Reserve Bank of India 7%
World Bank 6.6% 6.7%
International Monetary 6.5% 6.5%
Fund
Asian Development Bank 7% 7.2%
Moody's 6.6% 6.2 %
Morgan Stanley 6.8% -
S&P Global 6.8% 7%
United Nations 6.6 %(January to December2025 ) -
 OECD 6.2 % 6.5%
Fitch Rating 7.0% -
CRISIL 6.8% -
Citi Bank 6.8%
Standard Chartered Bank 7.0%
India Ratings and 7.1%
Research (Ind-Ra)
ICRA 6.5 %
Ambuja Cements to acquire Penna Cement for ₹ 10,422 cr.
➢ News: Ambuja Cements Ltd. said it had signed a binding agreement for acquisition of 100%
shares of Penna Cement Industries Ltd. (PCIL) from its existing promoter group – namely P. Pratap
Reddy and family – at an enterprise value of ₹10,422 crore
CAMSRep unveils Bima Central to plan insurance portfolio
➢ News: CAMSRep (CAMS Insurance Repository Services) unveiled Bima Central, a
one-stop platform for simplifying insurance portfolio management.
➢ Bima Central allows users to manage life, health and motor policies through their
secure e-insurance account (eIA)
Zomato creates Guinness World Record
➢ News: Food ordering and delivery platform Zomato has set a Guinness World
Record for the largest first aid lesson (single venue)
➢ Organized a first-of-its-kind programme to equip delivery partners with crucial lifesaving skills.
➢ The event was held at Nesco, Goregaon in Mumbai, and attended by more than 4,300 delivery
agents.
➢ Headquarters: Gurugram
‘Risk manager of the year award 2024’
➢ Reserve Bank of India has been awarded the "Risk Manager of the Year Award
2024" by Central Banking, a renowned publication headquartered in London.
➢ Why: RBI's significant progress in cultivating a robust risk culture and heightened
awareness, solidifying its essential role in maintaining the stability of India's financial system.
IFC to fund Brookfield’s solar power project
➢ News: International Finance Corporation has announced to part finance a 550 MW solar power
project in Bikaner, Rajasthan being developed by Brookfield Asset Management with $105 million.
➢ Brookfield will provide solar power to commercial and industrial consumers across India.
➢ The project will be connected to the inter-state transmission system section of India’s green energy
corridor.
Dassault Systemes eyes India revenue of $1 billion by 2027
➢ News: Dassault Systèmes, the technology arm of Paris-based Dassault Group, said that it was
 Expecting a revenue of $1 billion from India by 2027.
➢ Dassault Systemes offers virtual twin technology for a wide range of industries
including airplane manufacturing, drug, clinical trial, and medical devices and
healthcare, automotive/EV manufacturing, education and consumer goods.
Fitch raises India’s growth forecast for FY25 to 7.2% from 7%
➢ News: Fitch Ratings increased India’s growth forecast for the current
fiscal year to 7.2 per cent, up from 7 per cent projected in March.
➢ Revision is due to a recovery in consumer spending and increased investment.
➢ For the fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27, Fitch projected growth rates of 6.5 per
cent and 6.2 per cent, respectively.
'Green coal' projects
➢ Macawber Beekay Private Ltd., a wasteto- energy firm announced that it had bagged
three 'green coal' projects from NTPC in Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya
Pradesh), and Hubbali (Karnataka).
➢ The largest project with 900 tonnes per day (TPD) capacity would come up in Noida,
while Bhopal and Hubbali would have 500 and 400 TPD respectively.
➢ 'Green coal' is produced from discarded fine coal. It helps halve sulphur emissions during
combustion.
Cabinet clears MSP hikes for 14 kharif crops
➢ News: The Union Cabinet gave its nod to raise the minimum support price (MSP) for
paddy by 5.35% to ₹2,300 per quintal for the upcoming 2024-25 kharif .
MSP:
➢ Based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
➢ 14 crops of the kharif season, 6 rabi crops and 2 other commercial crops.
➢ Kharif Crops like paddy, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, tur/arhar, moong, urad, groundnut,
soyabean, sunflower, sesamum, niger seed, cotton
➢ Rabi Crops like wheat, barley, gram, masur/ lentil, rapeseed and mustard,and safflower
➢ Commercial Crops like jute and copra.
SabPaisa gets RBI’s approval
➢ News: SabPaisa, a payment solutions provider, has received final approval from the Reserve Bank
of India to operate as a Payment Aggregator under the Payments and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
➢ Established in 2016, SabPaisa specialises in payments, payment gateway
solutions, and products such as payouts and subscriptions.
➢ PA firms are entities that enable e-commerce sites and online merchants
to accept various instruments from customers to complete their payment
obligations without the need for the merchants to create their systems.
➢ PAs get payments from customers, pool and transfer them to the merchants
Internationalisation of Rupee
➢ News: Prime Minister asked the RBI to prepare a 10-year strategy to make the Indian rupee a
globally accessible and acceptable currency
➢ Means: Involves the use of a currency for more and more cross-border transactions. For the rupee,
it means that more and more international payments start taking place in the Indian currency.
➢ Involves promoting the rupee for current account transactions and foreign trade.
➢ Transactions will have to take place between resident and non-resident Indians.
➢ Currently, the US dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the pound sterling are the
leading reserve currencies in the world.
➢ Significance: Enhances the ability to repay external sovereign debt.
➢ Reduces the requirement to maintain large foreign exchange reserves.
➢ Financing budget deficit <> by issuing domestic currency debt in international markets .
➢ Permits domestic firms and financial institutions to access international financial markets.
Sun Pharma to introduce Takeda gastrointestinal drug
➢ Drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has entered into a non-exclusive patent licensing
agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company to commercialise gastrointestinal drug
Vonoprazan tablets 10 mg, 20 mg in India under the brand name Voltapraz.
GST rate rationalisation panel reconstituted
➢ News: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has been appointed
as the convenor of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on GST rate rationalisation.
➢ Members of the reconstituted panel are Suresh Kumar Khanna, Mauvin
Godinho, Gajendra Singh, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Krishna Byre
Gowda, and Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal.
➢ The seven-member GoM has been tasked with suggesting required rate rationalization and
correction of inverted duty structure with an objective of simplifying the rate structure, reviewing
the GST exemption list and enhancing revenues from Goods and Services Tax
➢ The GoM was originally set up in September 2021. This is the second time that the GST rate
rationalisation panel was reconstituted.
GST Council meeting
➢ News: The 53rd Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting was held in New Delhi.
➢ The meeting was chaired by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and attended by state
finance ministers.
Recommendations:
➢ The services offered by the Indian Railways such as platform ticket sale, retiring room facility,
waiting rooms, cloakroom facilities, & battery-operated car services are exempted from GST.
➢ The GST Council has recommended the reduction of GST on all kinds of
carton boxes from 18 per cent to 12 per cent.
➢ Council extended the deadline for furnishing returns from April 30 to
June 30 for the fiscal year 2024-25 and subsequent years.
➢ A uniform GST rate of 12 per cent recommended for solar cookers --
both single or dual energy source.
➢ Council recommended a uniform GST rate of 12 per cent on all milk cans, regardless of their
material (steel, iron, aluminum).
➢ All types of sprinklers, including fire and water sprinklers, will attract a uniform GST rate of 12%.
Priority Sector Lending
➢ News: Reserve Bank of India revises Priority Sector Lending norms.
➢ Scheme was launched in 1966 & formalized in 1972.
➢ Aims to facilitate flow of credit to such sectors, which though creditworthy, are unable to access
 credit from formal financial institutions.
➢ Benefits for Banks: concessional refinance facilities from the RBI, lower cash reserve ratio (CRR)
requirements
The RBI has classified the following eight categories of priority sectors in India:
1. Agriculture
5. Housing
2. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
6. Social Infrastructure
3. Export Credit
7. Renewable Energy
4. Education
8. Others
Amara Raja arm inks pact
➢ News: Amara Raja Advanced Cell Technologies has signed a technical licensing
agreement with Gotion High-Tech Co. subsidiary GIB EnergyX Slovakia s.r.o.
to get access to Gotion’s LFP technology for lithium-ion cells.
➢ The agreement, as part of which GIB EnergyX will license Gotion’s LFP technology
for lithium-ion cells, enables Amara Raja to manufacture world class LFP cells in both cylindrical
and prismatic form factors.
➢ Last year, Amara Raja had announced an investment outlay of ₹9,500 crore to establish the Amara
Raja Giga Corridor in Telangana.
S&P Global Ratings
➢ News: The S&P Global Ratings retained its growth forecast for India at 6.8 per cent for FY25.
➢ RBI raised its growth projection for FY25 to 7.2 per cent from an earlier estimate of 7 per cent.
SBI pays Rs 6,959 crore dividend to govt
➢ News: SBI declared a dividend of Rs 13.70 per share for the financial year
2023-24, higher than Rs 11.30 per equity distributed for the previous year.
➢ The dividend cheque was presented to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
by Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara in the presence of Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi.
➢ During 2023-24, the bank earned a record consolidated net profit of Rs 67,085 crore against Rs
55,648 crore in the preceding year.
About SBI:
❑ Established: 1 July 1955; Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Chairman: Dinesh Kumar
Khara; CFO: Kameshwar Rao Kodavanti
India kicks off $11.5 billion spectrum auction
➢ News: India has offered telecom spectrum worth around 962.38 billion rupees
($11.53 billion) for auction
➢ A total of 10 GHz of radio waves is up for sale in this auction, ranging between 800 MHz to 26 GHz.
India’s external debt rises $39.7 bn YoY to $663.8 bn
➢ News: India’s external debt at the end of March 2024 was placed at $663.8 billion,
an increase of $39.7 billion from its level at end March 2023.
➢ The external debt-to-GDP ratio declined to 18.7% at end-March 2024 from 19.0%
at end March 2023, according to data released by RBI
➢ Loans remained the largest component of external debt, with a share of 33.4%, followed by
currency and deposits (23.3%), trade credit and advances (17.9%) and debt securities (17.3%).
SBI raises ₹10,000 crore through infrastructure bond issuance
➢ News: State Bank of India had raised ₹10,000 crore at a coupon rate of
7.36% through its fifth infrastructure bond issuance.
➢ The proceeds of bonds will be utilized in enhancing long-term resources
for funding infrastructure and affordable housing segment.
ICICI Bank mcap tops $100 bn
➢ News: ICICI Bank’s market capitalisation crossed the $100-billion mark for
the first time, becoming only the sixth company to do so.
➢ The private sector lender joins the likes of Reliance Industries, Tata
Consultancy Services, HDFC Bank, and Bharti Airtel-the four other domestically listed
companies with a market value of more than $100 billion.
➢ Previously, Infosys had also achieved the milestone. After hitting a record high of Rs 1,207, shares
of ICICI Bank last closed at Rs 1,199, up 2.5 per cent, valuing the firm at Rs 8.44 trillion ($100
billion).
About ICICI Bank:
❑ CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi (15 Oct 2018–); Founded: 1994, Vadodara; Headquarters: Mumbai
RBI unveils revised Currency Swap Arrangement
➢ News: The RBI said it with the concurrence of the Government of India has
decided to put in place a revised Framework on Currency Swap Arrangement
for SAARC countries for the period 2024 to 2027.
➢ Under this Framework, the Reserve Bank would enter into bilateral swap
agreements with SAARC central banks, who want to avail of the swap facility.
➢ Aim: to provide a backstop line of funding for short term foreign exchange liquidity requirements or
balance of payment crises of the SAARC countries till longer term arrangements are made.
About RBI :
❑ Established: 1 April 1935; HQ : Mumbai, Maharashtra; Governor : Shaktikanta Das; Deputy
governors : Swaminathan Janakiraman , M. Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra and T. Rabi Shankar
UltraTech Cement acquires 23% stake in India Cements
➢ Aditya Birla Group’s UltraTech Cement Ltd. announced it was making a non-
controlling financial investment to pick up 23% equity stake in India Cements Ltd.
➢ UltraTech initially bought 6.02 crore ICL shares, or 19.4% stake.
Global conclave to boost recycled plastics
➢ News: Projecting that the plastic recycling industry would grow to $6.9 billion by
2033, the All India Plastic Manufacturers’ Association and the Chemicals and
Petrochemicals Association, have announced to organise a Global Conclave on
Plastics Recycling and Sustainability, from July 4 to 7 at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, Delhi.
➢ Address critical issues surrounding plastic use and the plastic recycling industry.
India export record 17,81,602 MT of seafood in 2023-24
➢ India's seafood exports reached an all-time high of 17,81,602 MT worth
₹60,523.89 crore (US$7.38 billion) in FY 2023-24.
➢ Frozen shrimp remained the top export item, accounting for 40.19% in quantity
and 66.12% in dollar earnings.
➢ The US and China remained the top export destinations for India's seafood, with the US
importing 2,97,571 MT of frozen shrimp worth ₹14,453.21 crore (US$1,745.83 million).
➢ Other major export items included frozen fish, fish meal and feed, frozen squid, and surimi and
surimi analogs.
Cabinet green signals a greenfield major port at Vadhavan, Maharashtra
➢ India's Union Cabinet approves Vadhavan port project in Maharashtra
with ₹76,200 crore investment. Port to have 20 million TEU capacity and
be developed as all-weather Greenfield deep draft major port.
➢ Expected to create 12 lakh direct and indirect jobs & serve as gateway for India-Middle East-Europe
Corridor and International North-South Transportation Corridor. Port to have 9 container terminals
and 4 multipurpose berths, with first phase completion by 2030 and second phase by 2040.
FDI to India drops in 2023 by 43%, ranked 15th in world :UNCTAD
➢ India's Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows declined by 43% to $28 billion
in 2023, a drop from $49 billion in 2022.
➢ India dropped to 15th spot in 2023 from 8th position in 2022 in terms of FDI inflows,
but remained in the Top-5 for both greenfield projects and international project finance deals.
➢ The decline in FDI inflows was due to a global decline of 2% and challenges faced by multinational
corporations, partly due to efforts to implement a global minimum tax rate on their profits.
➢ India's FDI outflows rose to 20th rank in 2023 from 23rd rank in 2022, while FDI in
developing Asia fell by 8% to $621 billion.
SBI to Open 400 branches in 2024-25: SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara
➢ SBI plans to open 400 new branches in India in the 2024-25 financial year,
increasing its total branch count to over 23,000. SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar
Khara stated Physical branches needed for customer services like wealth management.
➢ As of March 2024, SBI has over 22,500 branches, 63,580 ATMs/ADWMs, and 82,900 business
outlets in India. According to RBI guidelines, A "Banking Outlet" is a fixed point with a minimum
of 4 hours/day and 5 days/week service.
➢ SBI has signed an agreement with the Ministry of External Affairs to integrate its payment
gateway, SBIePay, with the eMigrate portal, allowing Indian migrant workers and others to
make emigration-related payments through various channels with zero fees.
Ashok Leyland, Bajaj Finance to offer vehicle financing
➢ Ashok Leyland Ltd. has entered into a strategic pact with Bajaj Finance Ltd. to
provide customized vehicle financing solutions to its customers across India.
➢ The MoU would enable both Ashok Leyland and Bajaj Finance to offer
customized and seamless financial solutions to their customers.
Bajaj Auto opens new manufacturing facility in Brazil
➢ News: Indian automotive manufacturer Bajaj Auto has opened a new 9,600
square metre manufacturing facility in Manaus, Brazil.
➢ The new plant will have an initial capacity of 20,000 units per year on a
single-shift basis.
Royal Sundaram General Insurance integrates with IRCTC, through the INSILLION
Insurtech platform to issue 500k policies per day
➢ Royal Sundaram General Insurance integrated with IRCTC to offer
embedded Group Personal Accident policies alongside e-ticket purchases.
➢ They issued 6,40,000 policies covering 1.4 million passengers in a single day
during the Tatkal rush period.
➢ INSILLION's platform uses Amazon Web Services Cloud to embed fixed-benefit
products and has empowered over 40 global insurance carriers to modernize their operations.
Muthoot microfin secured corporate agent licence from IRDAI
➢ Muthoot Microfinance won a corporate agent licence from IRDAI to offer tailored insurance plans.
➢ This will enable the company to negotiate better with insurance partners, customize
products for its BOP customers, and augment its sources of revenue and earnings.
➢ The licence will also help bridge the protection gap for microfinance customers and
provide additional revenue through commissions. CEO:Sadaf Sayeed.
ICICI Bank introduces ‘SmartLock’, a unique safety measure on iMobile Pay
➢ ICICI Bank has launched a unique safety measure called 'SmartLock' that allows
customers to lock/unlock multiple banking services, including internet banking,
UPI, credit and debit cards, instantly through iMobile Pay.
➢ This feature enables customers to take control of their account security by
locking/unlocking specific banking services, providing an additional layer of
protection against fraudulent transactions.
➢ Customers can schedule standing instructions and e-mandates to go through even when a banking
service is locked, providing flexibility and convenience while maintaining account security.
India ranks sixth globally in deeptech startup ecosystems: Nasscom
➢ India has 3,600 deeptech startups, ranking sixth in the global deeptech
ecosystem, with 480 startups established in CY23 alone.
➢ AI is a key focus area, with 74% of new startups in 2023 focusing on AI,
up from 62% in the previous period.
➢ Funding for deeptech startups has decreased, with a 77% drop in funding compared to the last year,
and a decline of over 60% in early and late-stage deals.
➢ Four sectors are of strategic importance: space and defence, healthcare, automotive, and
industrial manufacturing, with over 500 startups building solutions for these sectors.
BharatPe & Invest India Partner To Promote Digital Financial Inclusion Amongst ODOP
Stakeholders
➢ BharatPe and Invest India have partnered to promote digital financial inclusion
and increase digital financial literacy among One District One Product (ODOP)
stakeholders across various districts in India.
➢ Aims to increase digital payments for ODOP merchants in tier 3-4 cities & rural areas.
➢ Program provides training on digital payments & cybersecurity.
➢ Targets districts in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh & Delhi NCR.
 SPORTS
UEFA Champions League
➢ Real Madrid were crowned kings of Europe for a record-extending 15th
time with a trademark 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions
League final.
➢ Venue: London, England
Taiwan Athletics Open
➢ India’s Nayana James clinched the gold medal in the women’s Long Jump
at the Taiwan Athletics Open 2024.
➢ India won seven medals including three golds, three silvers and one
bronze medal.
➢ In Men’s 800 metres, India’s Ankesh Choudhary bagged the gold.
➢ DP Manu in men’s Javelin throw clinched the gold medal.
Norway Chess
➢ Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa scored a massive victory over
world number two Fabiano Caruana of United States.
➢ Recently Praggnanandhaa has received effusive praise from several quarters
for his prowess on 64 squares.
Virat Kohli receives ICC ODI Player of the Year 2023 award
➢ Virat Kohli has been honoured with the ICC ODI Player of the Year award and named in the ICC
Men's ODI Team of the Year for 2023.
➢ This recognition was announced in New York.
➢ Over the course of 27 One Day Internationals (ODIs) in 2023, he amassed ,377
runs, boasting an average of 72.47 and a strike rate of 99.13.
➢ His remarkable consistency was highlighted by scoring six centuries and eight half-centuries
across 24 innings, with his highest score being an unbeaten 166.
‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma crosses 600 sixes in International Cricket
➢ Rohit Sharma broke several records during India's win against Ireland in the 9th ICC T20 World
Cup, including becoming the first cricketer to hit 600 sixes in international cricket.
➢ India won the match by 8 wickets, with Rohit Sharma scoring 52 runs in 37 balls,
hitting four fours and three sixes.
➢ The win also saw Rohit Sharma surpass many records, including becoming the
first captain to win 100 T20 matches for India.
➢ Rohit Sharma also surpassed MS Dhoni's record as India's most successful
captain in T20Is, with 42 wins in 55 matches.
Lifetime Achievement Award
➢ All India Tennis Association has announced the Dilip Bose award for lifetime
achievement to coach Nar Singh.
➢ Award was instituted in 2002 in the name of Dilip Bose. Venue: Pune, Maharashtra
Portland Track Festival 2024 athletics: Gulveer Singh takes over 5000m national record
➢ India’s Gulveer Singh has clinched the silver medal in the Men’s 5000-metre race at the Portland
Track Festival High- Performance Meet in Portland, US.
➢ He also won Bronze in Asian Games.
➢ National record timing of 13 minutes 18.92 seconds to surpass the previous record of
13 minutes 19.30 seconds, set by Avinash Sable.
➢ Dylan Jacobs of USA bagged the gold, while his compatriot Eric Van Der Els won the bronze medal.
Men’s Junior World Cup
➢ International Hockey Federation announced that India will host the FIH Hockey Men’s
Junior World Cup in December 2025.
➢ Will be the 14th edition of the Junior Hockey World Cup.
➢ This will be the fourth time India will host the Junior hockey World Cup. The 2013
edition was held in New Delhi while Lucknow and Bhubaneswar played hosts in 2016
and 2021, respectively.
Mizoram Sports Conclave 2024
➢ A two-day State Sports Conclave with the theme “Vision 2036” was concluded
in Mizoram.
➢ Aim of the conclave is to haunt and nurture young talents so that more athletes
and players from Mizoram could participate in the forthcoming Olympics 2036.
Sarabjot Singh wins gold at ISSF Munich World Cup 2024
➢ Sarabjot Singh won India's first medal at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF)
World Cup, held from May 31 to June 8, 2024 in Munich, Germany.
➢ Indian shooter Sarabjot Singh scored 242.7 points in the final to win the gold
medal in the men’s 10-meter air pistol event.
➢ Shuaihang Bu of China won the silver medal and German Robin Walter had to
settle for a bronze medal.
Magnus Carlsen and Ju Wenjun win Norway Chess 2024
➢ Magnus Carlsen won the Norway Chess 2024 tournament after defeating
Fabiano Caruana in the Armageddon with white pieces.
➢ Ju Wenjun claimed the title with 19 points ahead of Anna Muzychuk.
Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek wins 2024 French Open Tennis Singles title
➢ Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Iga Swiatek of Poland won the 2024 French Open men’s and women’s
Tennis Single titles.
➢ The 123rd edition of the French Open, also known as Roland Garros, was held at
the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from 26 May to 9 June 2024.
➢ It was the first French Open singles title for Alcaraz and the fourth singles title
for the world no.1 Iga Swiatek.
Max Verstappen Dominates Canadian Grand Prix for Third Consecutive Year
➢ Max Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix for the third straight year.
➢ Verstappen’s triumph at the Canadian Grand Prix 2024 marked his 60th
Formula 1 win and his sixth victory in nine races this season.
➢ McLaren’s Lando Norris secured second-place.
Shruti Vora Scripts historic Victory
➢ Indian equestrian sports <> Shruti Vora, has become the first Indian rider to
win a three-star Grand Prix event.
➢ The Indian finished ahead of Moldova’s Tatiana Antonenco (Aachen),
➢ Austria’s Juliane Jerich completed the top three.
➢ Hailing from Kolkata, Shruti has represented India in the Dressage World Championship
(2022) and the Asian Games (2010, 2014).
World Junior Chess
➢ Divya Deshmukh won the World junior girls’ chess championship after beating
Bulgaria’s Beloslava Krasteva.
➢ Luka Budisavljevic of Serbia finished third.
ICC Players of the Month for May
➢ West Indies’ left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie won the ICC Men’s Player of the
Month award.
➢ Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured her second ICC Women’s
Player of the Month.
Gretchen Walsh sets 100m fly world record
➢ Gretchen Walsh set a world record in the women’s 100-meter butterfly posting
a time of 55.18 seconds in a semifinal heat at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials.
➢ Broke 55.48 set by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro
Olympics.
‘Halt Sports Injuries’ movement
➢ Coimbatore-based Ortho-One Orthopaedic Speciality Centre launched the ‘Halt
Sports Injuries’ movement to sensitise athletes to sports injuries, and educate
them on preventing injuries.
➢ Olympic gold-medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra launched the movement.
Neeraj Chopra wins gold at Paavo Nurmi Games
➢ Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra won a gold with a throw of 85.97m at the 2024 Paavo
Nurmi Games.
➢ Finland's Toni Keränen won the silver medal with a throw of 84.19m, while
Oliver Helander took the bronze with 83.96m.
➢ The event took place at the Paavo Nurmi Stadium in Turku, Finland on 18 June.
➢ This was Neeraj's third event of the season as he prepares for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
GM Arjun Erigaisi wins Stepan Avagyan Memorial
➢ Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi delivered yet another domineering performance to clinch the
Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2024 crown in Jermuk, Armenia with a round to spare.
➢ The 20-year-old, India’s highest-rated chess player, defeated Russian GM Volodar
Murzin in 63 moves in the eighth and penultimate round to move to six points with
four wins and as many draws.
➢ He now has an unassailable lead of 1.5 points over three players tied for second
spot in a strong 10-player field.
BRICS Games 2024
➢ India clinched their first medal at the ongoing BRICS Games in Kazan, Russia with
the women’s table tennis team comprising Poymantee Baisya, Moumita Dutta and
Yashini Sivasankar clinching a bronze medal.
➢ Indian women’s TT team lost to China 1-3 in the semi-final to settle for a bronze.
Hattrick in ICC T20 World Cup
➢ Aussie pacer Pat Cummins became the first bowler in ICC Men's T20 World Cup
2024 to take a hattrick. Cummins achieved the feat during the Australia vs
Bangladesh.
➢ He took the wickets of Mahmudullah and Mahedi Hasan in the last two balls of
18th over. He returned in the 20th over to get rid of Hridoy.
Kapil Dev takes over as president of Professional Golf Tour of India
➢ World Cup-winning former India cricket captain Kapil Dev has taken over
as the new President of the Professional Golf Tour of India.
➢ Already a member of the PGTI Board as its Vice President, was chosen
unanimously and would be taking over from incumbent H R Srinivasan.
Bronny and LeBron James to become first father-son duo to team up in NBA history
➢ Bronny James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second
round of the NBA draft, bringing his father LeBron one step closer to
fulfilling his long-held dream of playing alongside his son.
➢ Bronny and LeBron will be the first father-son duo to play in the league at
the same time and on the same team
ICC T20 World Cup
➢ India beats South Africa by 7 runs. South Africa managed to reach 169/8, chasing India’s 176/7.
➢ Player of the match – Virat Kohli (India). Player of the tournament – Jasprit Bumrah (India).
➢ Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz - most runs – 281 in eight innings at a
strike rate of over 124.
➢ Rohit Sharma was second in the list with 257 runs at a strike rate of 156.70.
➢ Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi was the joint highest wicket-taker with along
with India’s Arshdeep Singh – 17 wickets.
 NATIONAL AFFAIRS
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC ) and the International Labour
Organization (ILO) announced a strategic partnership.
➢ A key aspect of the partnership is the implementation of the Skill India Digital Hub
➢ It will streamline skill development initiatives, enhancing their efficiency,
accessibility, and global impact.
ILO:
❑ Established : 1919 Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
Railways to build canopy bridges
➢ The Northeast Frontier Railway decided to construct canopy bridges for
India’s only ape to move across a railway track bifurcating its prime habitat in
eastern Assam.
➢ A 1.65-km-long track – set to be doubled and electrified.
➢ Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in the Jorhat district, has the largest concentration of the hoolock
gibbon, one of 20 species of apes on earth.
➢ These canopy bridges, designed by the Wildlife Institute of India in consultation with NFR.
Nokia, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya signed MoU
➢ Agreement aims to research opportunities in 5G/6G communications targeting air, land and sea
transportation use cases, as well as standards development, smart factory/
automation, and AI/GenAI labs.
➢ Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, a university under the Ministry of Railways
➢ The MoU was signed at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi, in the presence of railway
minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who is also the Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.
FSSAI, APEDA develop Unified India Organic logo
➢ The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Agricultural and Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) have jointly developed a “Unified India
Organic” logo to replace the India Organic and Jaivik Bharat logos.
➢ It is aimed to bring uniformity and convergence in implementation of Indian regulations on organic
products.
FSSAI:
❑ Founded: 5 September 2008 Founder: Anbumani Ramadoss
❑ Headquarters: New Delhi
Former BrahMos engineer gets life term for leaking data to ISI
➢ Nishantg Agarwal was arrested from his residence in Nagpur in 2018 in a
joint operation by the anti-terror teams of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
➢ Undergo 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Remove claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from label and ads
➢ The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a directive mandating all
Food Business Operators (FBOs) to remove any claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from the labels and
advertisements.
➢ Instructed to exhaust all existing preprinted packaging materials before September 1.
➢ FSSAI has concluded that according to the Food Safety and Standards
(Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018.
➢ Additionally, if added nutritive sweeteners exceed 15 gm/kg, the product
must be labelled as “Sweetened juice”.
NHRC recommends all states to have 'anti-human trafficking nodal officer’
➢ The NHRC has recommended that every state should have an 'anti-human trafficking nodal officer'
who shall coordinate with the government authorities by taking effective steps and measures to
curb this menace.
➢ This officer should not be below the rank of a secretary to a state government or an inspector
general of police.
➢ Article 23 -Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour.
NHRC:
➢ Chairman : Justice Arun Kumar Mishra Established : 12 October,1993
➢ Headquarters : New Delhi
India's First Urban Ropeway
➢ Varanasi to Launch India’s First Urban Ropeway.
➢ Inaugurated by: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24, 2022, is set to
be ready by August 2024, with phase 1 projected to be completed by 2025
at a cost of Rs 645 crore.
➢ The 3.7-kilometer ropeway will connect five significant locations in Varanasi: Girja Ghar Godowlia
Chowk, Rath Yatra, Kashi Vidyapith (Bharatmala Mandir), Varanasi Railway Station, and Varanasi
Cantonment.
➢ This ropeway project will reduce travel time significantly, cutting the journey from Varanasi
Junction to Godowlia to just 16 minutes while providing an aerial view of the city, enhancing both
transportation efficiency and tourist experience.
Retirement Gratuity and Death Gratuity limit
➢ As per the Government’s decisions on the recommendations of the 7th CPC, the maximum limit of
Retirement Gratuity and Death Gratuity would be increased by 25% i.e. from Rs 20 Lakh to Rs
25 Lakh on reaching the Dearness Allowance Rates to 50%., effective January 1, 2024.
➢ According to the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, an employee can receive
gratuity if he has rendered continuous service for at least five years with
an organisation.
➢ This gratuity is payable to the employee:
a) On his superannuation, or
b) On his retirement or resignation
'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' Campaign
➢ Launched by: Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on the occasion of World
Environment Day.
➢ He planted a Peepal tree at Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi.
➢ He was accompanied by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and
Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
Zupee Joins Forces With Gurugram Cyber Police To Promote Cyber Security Awareness
➢ To strengthen the cyber security ecosystem, Zupee, India’s largest skill-based Ludo platform, has
partnered with the Gurugram Cyber Police, for the 11th edition of the Cyber Security Summer
Internship Program, called ‘Cyber Warriors’.
➢ Cyber warriors program aims to equip 550 working professionals and
college students (18+) in Gurugram with essential skills in cyber security.
➢ The Gurugram Police Cyber Security Summer Internship Program
(GPCSSI 2024) is a flagship event of the Gurugram Police since 2013.
➢ Zupee as its knowledge partner.
India creates world record with participation of 64.2 crore voters in Lok Sabha
elections
➢ Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that India has created a world record with 64.2
crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participating in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections
➢ Over 68,000 monitoring teams and 1.5 crore polling and security personnel
were involved in the world’s largest electoral exercise.
➢ "This is 1.5 times of the voters of all G7 countries - US, UK, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Canada, all put together.
PM-Kisan Scheme:
➢ According to data available with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, 1.16 lakh farmers
voluntarily gave up their Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme benefits
across the country from June 2023 to May 2024.
➢ Under the PM-Kisan scheme, eligible farmer
families receive Rs 6,000 per annum in
three equated instalments through Direct
Benefit Transfer (DBT) every four months.
➢ The scheme was launched on February 24,
2019 at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
➢ The PM-Kisan is a Central Sector scheme
with 100% funding from the Centre.
➢ The fund is directly transferred to the bank
accounts of the beneficiaries.
Nepal's largest Hydel project constructed with Indian assistance marks breakthrough
➢ The Arun III hydropower project in Nepal, which is being constructed with Indian assistance.
➢ The 900 MW hydropower project being constructed on the Arun River with a budget of about USD
1.4 billion, is a run-off-the-river type project whose construction started in May 2018.
➢ The Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam was awarded with the project through international competitive
bidding in March 2008.
Nepal:
❑ Capital: Kathmandu Prime Minister: Pushpa Kamal Dahal
❑ President: Ram Chandra Poudel
NHRC takes serious cognizance of ‘Nata Pratha’
➢ The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to four states—Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
➢ The notice follows a 2020 case in which a father sold his daughter for 2.5 lakhs and later filed a
complaint with the commission upon discovering her dead body.
NHRC:
❑ Founded: 1993
❑ Chairman: Arun Kumar Mishra
IIT Kanpur, Centre of Excellence for UAVs, and DFI launch UDAAN
➢ The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre at IIT Kanpur has joined forces with the Centre of
Excellence for Capacity Building, Training, and Design of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at IIT Kanpur
➢ It is an initiative by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, and the Drone Federation
of India to launch the UAV/Drone Acceleration and Networking (UDAAN).
Programme.
➢ For aspiring and promising drone startups in India.
PTP - NER (Tribal Products):
➢ Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED), under the
Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, launched phase 2 of the ‘Promotion of Tribal Products for the North
East Region’ (PTP-NER 2.0).
➢ It is a Central Sector scheme launched in Manipur.
➢ Aim: livelihood opportunities for tribal artisans through increased
efficiency in procurement, logistics and marketing of tribal products.
➢ Implemented in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Tripura and Sikkim (38 Districts)
➢ India Post will provide logistics support in order to meet the scheme's goals.
➢ Implementing Partner: North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation.
Joshimath renamed as Jyotirmath, Kosiyakutoli is now Kainchi Dham
➢ The Centre has approved the Uttarakhand government’s proposal to rename
Joshimath tehsil in Chamoli district as Jyotirmath, and Kosiyakutoli tehsil in
Nainital district as Pargana Shri Kainchi Dham.
➢ Believed that the area was originally called Jyotirmath after Adi Guru Shankaracharya visited it in
the 8th century to perform penance under the Amar Kalpa tree and attained enlightenment (Divya
Gyan Jyoti).
NITI Aayog launches two initiatives to foster innovation
➢ Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog launched of two groundbreaking initiatives.
➢ Aimed at fostering innovation and sustainability in India: the ‘AIM – ICDK Water Challenge 4.0’
and the fifth edition of ‘Innovations for You’ handbook, spotlighting SDG entrepreneurs of India.
➢ AIM - Innovation Centre Denmark (ICDK) Water challenge 4.0 to address critical water-related
challenges through incentive solutions
➢ Innovations For You Sustainable Development Goals entrepreneurs of inosa
nancoook scotions entereneurstron. diverse corners contributing to societal
betterment through sustainable Ideas.
Reference Fuel
➢ India began producing 'reference' petrol and diesel, joining a select league of nations that
produce the highly specialized fuel which is used for testing automobiles.
➢ Launched by Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri <> step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-
reliant India).
➢ These fuels, which have higher specifications, are critical for calibrating and testing by automobile
manufacturers and testing agencies like the International Centre for Automotive Technology and
the Automotive Research Association of India.
➢ Indian Oil Corporation has indigenously developed products that will replace imports.
➢ IOC's Paradip refinery in Odisha will produce 'reference' grade petrol and its Panipat unit in
Haryana will produce such quality diesel.
➢ The regular fuel has an octane number of 87, but premium fuel has an octane number of 91.
Reference grade fuel comes with a 97 octane number.
➢ Octane number is a unit to measure the ignition quality of petrol or diesel.
➢ Against the price of Rs 90-96 per litre for regular petrol and diesel, the imported 'reference' fuel
comes for Rs 800-850. Producing it domestically will cut its cost to around Rs 450 a litre.
National Commission for Indian System of Medicine
➢ The National Commission for Indian Medical Systems organized a two-day National
Conference, ‘PRANA’ Protecting Rights and Novelties in ASUS (Mind to Market for Indian
System of Medicines Professionals).
➢ Collaboration with All India Council for Technical Education and Ministry of
Education’s Innovation Cell to mark its fourth foundation.
➢ Involved a significant number of innovations that have the potential to be patented, can be
commercialized or could be fit for technology transfer of those patented items.
3rd Edition of Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman – 2024
➢ Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has announced the third edition of
Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman 2024.
➢ Under the Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman 2024, thirty-three Sammans
will be given out under three categories viz Print, Television, and Radio in twenty
-two Indian languages and English:
➢ a) 11 Sammans in 22 Indian languages and English – to be conferred under the category “Best
Media Coverage in Yoga in Newspaper and Electronic Media (TV)”.
➢ b) 11 Sammans in 22 Indian languages and English – to be conferred under the category “Best
Media Coverage in Yoga in Electronic Media (Radio)”
Note:
➢ 2024 Yoga Day theme:“Yoga for Women Empowerment”
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
➢ Union Cabinet approves Construction Of 3 Crore Additional Houses Under
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
➢ First cabinet meeting of the newly-formed NDA government in New Delhi
➢ Implementing the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana since 2015 to provide assistance to eligible rural
and urban households for the construction of houses with basic amenities.
India is world’s second largest emitter of nitrous oxide
➢ India is the world’s second largest source of nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas that heats
up the atmosphere far more than carbon dioxide.
➢ Nearly 11% of such global man-made emissions in 2020 were from India, topped
only by China at 16%.
➢ Sources: fertilizer usage
➢ N2O emissions from human activities have increased by 40% (three million metric tons of N2O per
year) in the past four decades, with growth rates between 2020 and 2022 higher than in any
previous period since 1980.
➢ Agricultural production using nitrogen fertilizers, such as ammonia, and animal manure
contributed 74%.
PM - eBus Sewa Scheme
➢ Aim to augment bus operations by deployment of 10,000 electric buses on PPP model.
➢ Rs.57,613 crore <> out of which support of Rs.20,000 crore will be provided by the Central
government. The Scheme will support bus operations for 10 years.
➢ Scheme will cover cities of Three lakh and above population as per census 2011.
➢ The scheme envisages green initiatives like bus priority, infrastructure, multimodal interchange
facilities, NCMC-based Automated Fare Collection Systems, Charging infrastructure, etc.
➢ Compliance to Bus code AIS 052 and Annexure V of AIS 153.
➢ Priority seats near passenger door for Passengers with reduced mobility with
pictograms for easy boarding.
➢ 25% of the buses will have Hydraulic lift/Ramp mechanism for wheel-chair
accessibility for 12m and 9m buses.
100 Microsites project - Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
➢ The National Health Authority had announced 100 Microsites project for
accelerated adoption of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission across the country.
➢ Mizoram becomes the first state in India to operationalize an ABDM Microsite in Aizawl.
➢ A microsite is a cluster of all small and mid-sized clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, labs, pharmacies,
and other healthcare facilities.
➢ Under this, all healthcare facilities including the private clinics, small hospitals and labs in the region
shall be made ABDM-enabled and will offer digital health services to the patients.
➢ The concept of Microsites was envisaged to provide a strong impetus to healthcare digitization.
India set to be the 6th country to have its own Deep Sea Mission
➢ “India set to be the 6th country to have its own Deep Sea Mission” says Dr. Jitendra Singh,
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology.
➢ Deep sea mission is not limited to mineral exploration but development of ocean
sciences and exploration of flora and fauna and conservation of marine
biodiversity etc.”
➢ National Institute of Ocean Technology and the Indian Space Research Organisation in developing a
titanium hull capable of withstanding extreme pressure.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar inaugurates Prerna Sthal
➢ Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar inaugurated the ‘Prerna Sthal’ on the
Parliament House premises.
➢ 15 statues of freedom fighters and icons of Indian history, including statues of Mahatma Gandhi and
B.R. Ambedkar, previously established in different parts of the Parliament campus, have been
relocated to a single location.
“Tarang Shakti”
➢ The Indian Air Force’s first multinational air exercise, Tarang Shakti-2024, will be held in August.
➢ Enriched with the Red Flag exercise experience, the IAF keenly looks forward
to hosting the participating contingents from other countries during Tarang
Shakti-2024.
➢ The exercise is now scheduled to be held in two phases. The first will be held
in southern India in the first two weeks of August and the second will be in the
western sector.
Jal Shakti Ministry launches portal to ecologically monitor the Ganga
➢ The Union Jal Shakti Ministry launched an e-flow ecological monitoring system
that allows real-time monitoring of river quality.
➢ Aid the planning and monitoring of projects, river water quality, and other
key parameters.
➢ The Environmental flows (E-flows) Monitoring System has been developed by the National Mission
for Clean Ganga.
➢ Jal Shakti Minister: Chandrakant Raghunath Patil
Digital Health Incentive Scheme
➢ The central government has given a year-long extension to the Digital Health
Incentive Scheme.
➢ It is meant for digitizing patients’ health records and linking them with the Ayushman Bharat Digital
Health Account
➢ The scheme, which was launched on January 1, 2023, will now remain in effect till June 30, 2025.
➢ The scheme is applicable to both public and private hospitals and digital solution companies
creating digital health records.
World Food India 2024
➢ World Food India 2024 will be organized from 19th to 22nd September 2024.
➢ Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Chirag Paswan and Union
Minister of State for Food Processing Industries and Railways, Ravneet
Singh, launched the website and mobile application for World Food
India 2024.
Delta 5 motorcycle expedition
➢ Indian Army’s Delta 5 motorcycle expedition flagged off from Hyderabad.
➢ The soldiers riding these bikes are part of an initiative of the Indian Army to
commemorate the 25th anniversary of Kargil victory.
➢ The expedition, which began in Dhanushkodi on June 12 aiming to cover over
4,000 kilometres, will conclude at the Kargil War Memorial in Dras on July 10.
India, U.S. working to scale up partnership on critical minerals
➢ India and the U.S. are looking to “quickly” conclude a bilateral agreement on
furthering cooperation on critical minerals.
➢ Aims to drive a partnership in supply chains for graphite, gallium, and
germanium.
➢ In July 2023, India released a list of 30 minerals critical for the country.
Cabinet approves Rs 76220 crore Vadhavan port
➢ Union Cabinet approved the construction of a major port at Vadhavan near
Dahanu in Maharashtra's Palghar district at a cost of ₹76,220 crore.
➢ The all-weather greenfield deep draft port will be set up by Vadhavan Port
Project Limited , a special purpose vehicle formed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port .
Authority and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) with a shareholding of
74 per cent and 26 percent, respectively.
➢ It will be an integral part of the IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Corridor).
NHAI Signs MoU With IIIT Delhi
➢ NHAI Signs MoU With IIIT Delhi To Enhance Road Safety Through AI.
➢ Aimed at enhancing road safety through the deployment of Artificial
Intelligence.
➢ IIIT Delhi will conduct surveys to collect imagery and other related data related to the availability
and condition of road signs on selected National Highway stretches.
eMigrate portal
➢ The Ministry of External Affairs and the SBI have signed an MoU to provide an additional digital
payment service of the bank through its payment gateway SBIePay to
users of the eMigrate portal, including Indian migrant workers and
recruiting agents.
➢ Facilitate and enhance the ambit of safe and legal migration of Indian
migrant workers.
➢ eMigrate project was launched in 2014, assisting Indian workers going to emigration.
NHAI to enhance green cover on National Highways
➢ NHAI will undertake Miyawaki plantation on land parcels adjacent to
National Highways in and around Delhi- NCR.
➢ Miyawaki plantations, also known as Miyawaki method is a unique
Japanese approach to ecological restoration and afforestation
development.
➢ This method aims to create dense, native, and biodiverse forests in a short period of time.
➢ Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki endowed the Miyawaki technique to create dense forests with
native plants.
Kavach
➢ The accident involving the Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express which claimed
10 lives, has brought to the fore once again the delay in installing Kavach,
an indigenously developed automatic train protection system, across the
country’s rail network.
➢ Kavach aids the loco pilot in trains running within specified speed limits by automatic application of
brakes in case the pilot fails to do so.
➢ Railway Board chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha said ‘prima facie’ the accident was due to a ‘human
error’.
About Kavach:
➢ Developed by: Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO)
➢ The Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering & Telecommunications (IRISET) in
Secunderabad, Telangana hosts the 'Centre of Excellence' for Kavach.
PM Modi inaugurates new campus of Nalanda University
➢ The Prime Minister inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University,
an international University, close to the site of the ancient ruins of Nalanda
in Rajgir, Bihar.
➢ Nalanda is a symbol of India’s academic heritage and vibrant cultural exchange
Note: The Parliament of India established the Nalanda University through the Nalanda University Act,
2010.
➢ The Act formed the basis for implementing the decisions arrived at the second East Asia Summit
(EAS) (Philippines, 2007) for the establishment of the university as an “international institution for
pursuit of intellectual, philosophical, historical and spiritual studies” and at the forth East Asia
Summit (Thailand, 2009).
CDS releases its blueprint for warfare in cyberspace
➢ Acknowledging that cyberspace has emerged as a crucial and challenging
domain in modern warfare, the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan
released India’s first joint doctrine for cyberspace operations during a
meeting of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
➢ The joint doctrine is a keystone publication that will guide commanders of the armed forces in
conducting cyberspace operations in today’s complex military operating environment
➢ Unlike territorial limits in the traditional domains of warfare, such as land, sea, and air, cyberspace
is a “global common and hence has shared sovereignty”.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
➢ The scheme was Launched in 2016.
➢ Aim: providing affordable crop insurance to ensure comprehensive risk cover for crops of farmers
against all non-preventable natural risks.
➢ It is administered by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare under the
Ministry of Agriculture.
➢ Providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out
of unforeseen events.
➢ Stabilizing the income of farmers.
➢ Adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices
➢ The list of notified crops includes food crops (i.e., cereals, millets, and pulses),
oilseeds, annual commercial crops, and annual horticultural crops.
Premium:
➢ Uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi
crops.
➢ Annual commercial and horticultural crops, the premium to be paid by farmers will be only 5%.
➢ Losses arising out of war and nuclear risks, malicious damage and other preventable risks shall be
excluded.
Govt sets up panel under ISRO ex-chief to plan exam reforms
➢ An expert committee to recommend a roadmap for examination reforms
and review the structure and functioning of the National Testing Agency.
➢ The expert committee comprises seven members and will be chaired by
former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan.
➢ Its mandate is to recommend reforms in testing procedures and data security protocols, and to
review the structure and functioning of the NTA which is at the Centre of a storm over the conduct
of the exams.
➢ Also: the Ministry of Education has appointed retired Indian Administrative Officer Pradeep Singh
Kharola as the new director general of the National Testing Agency.
‘Next Generation Wireless Technologies For Indian Army’
➢ Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, Indian Army and Society for Applied
Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), an autonomous Research and
Development laboratory.
under the Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology has signed a MoU to advance collaboration in ‘Next Generation
Wireless Technologies for Indian Army’.
➢ Strengthening the Indian Army’s technological capabilities which is aligned towards declared vision
for 2024 as ‘Year of Technological Absorption for Indian Army.
Indian Army:
❑ Chief of the Army Staff (COAS): General Manoj Pande.
❑ Vice Chief of Army Staff: Upendra Dwivedi
Kerala celebrates first UNESCO 'City of Literature’
➢ The status of ‘City of Literature’ bestowed on Kozhikode by UNESCO.
➢ The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was created in 2004.
➢ Fields such as: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.
About UNESCO:
➢ Established:1945 HQ: Paris
Recent cities Joined:
➢ Kozhikode (‘City of Literature’)
➢ Gwalior (‘City of Music’)
➢ Mumbai (Film), Chennai (Music)
➢ Hyderabad (Gastronomy), Varanasi (Music), Jaipur (Crafts and Folk art) and Srinagar (Crafts and
Folk art).
Skin Bank Facility
➢ Army’s Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi has opened a state-of-the-art skin bank
facility, a first-of its-kind to be established within the Armed Forces Medical Services.
➢ Aims to revolutionize the treatment of severe burn injuries and other skin-
related conditions among service members and their families.
➢ Serve as a centralized hub for the collection, processing, storage, and
distribution of skin grafts.
Fast Track Immigration - Trusted Traveller Programme
➢ Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the ‘Fast Track
Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme’ at Terminal-3 of Indira Gandhi
International Airport, New Delhi.
➢ Designed for faster, smoother and safer immigration clearance for
international travellers. The program will run on e-gates or automated
border gates which will minimize human intervention in the immigration
clearance process.
Indian Army constructs 150 ft suspension bridge
➢ The engineers of Indian Army have successfully constructed a 150-foot
suspension bridge in north Sikkim over a flowing river in less than 48 hours.
➢ In October 2023, Sikkim witnessed one of the biggest environmental disasters when a glacial lake
outburst flood.
➢ The World Meteorological Organizations ‘State of the Climate Asia 2023’ report in April 2024 had
described the floods as one of the worst climate- related disasters.
STOP Diarrhoea Campaign 2024
➢ The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda
launched the National STOP Diarrhoea Campaign 2024 in New Delhi.
➢ Launched the campaign by distributing oral rehydration salts (ORS) and
zinc tablets to children.
➢ The two-month campaign will begin from the 1st of July and continue till the 31st of August.
➢ The goal behind the STOP Diarrhoea Campaign is to attain zero child deaths due to childhood
diarrhoea.
Nationwide campaign on Tobacco
➢ Ministry of Education rolls out a nationwide campaign on Tobacco Free
Educational Institutions.
➢ According to Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2019, 8.5 percent of
school students in the age group of 13 to 15 consume tobacco in different
forms across the country.
Atal Bhujal Yojana
➢ Extended till 2025.
➢ Implemented Ministry: Ministry of Jal Shakti.
➢ Bhujal Yojana is a central sector scheme which was launched in 2019.
➢ To improve the management of groundwater resources in select water
stressed areas in identified states.
➢ The scheme is being taken up in 8220 water stressed Gram Panchayats of
seven states: Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar
Pradesh.
➢ Funding: 50% through World Bank loan and remaining through budgetary support.
➢ Nodal Implementing agency: Central Ground Water Board.
18th Lok Sabha
➢ JP Nadda was appointed as the leader of House in Rajya Sabha. He replaces Piyush Goyal as the
leader.
➢ Chairman of the House is Jagdeep Dhankar the Leader of Opposition is
Mallikarjun Kharge.
Oath:
➢ Article 99 deals with oaths of office of the MPs, to be subscribed before the
President or some person appointed by him.
➢ The forms of oath are provided in the Third Schedule.
➢ Article 104 provides a penalty for a member if he/she sits in the House without the oath.
Srinagar’s ‘World Craft City’ tag
➢ Srinagar has earned the World Craft City (WCC) tag from the World Crafts Council (WCC), a non-
government organization working to empower artisans and safeguard craft heritage globally.
➢ This is likely to reopen Kashmir’s centuries old linkages with craft centres in Central Asia and Iran.
➢ The fresh recognition for a city with more than 4,000 years of written history
has put the spotlight on a place that has created masterpieces in different art
sectors, especially shawls, carpets, papier mache, etc.
➢ Saleem Beg, head of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage-Kashmir (INTACH-K),
described the world craft city tag as “the latest recognition of the skill base of Kashmir.”
➢ In 2021, Srinagar also earned the title of UNESCO Creative City under Crafts and Folk Art.
Indian Air Force to acquire 6 Tapas drone
➢ Indian Air Force has made a proposal to the central government to buy 10 Tapas drones.
➢ To enhancing indigenous unmanned surveillance capabilities of defence forces.
➢ Out of the 10, six Made-in-India drones would be for the Indian Air Force,
while the remaining four would be for the Indian Navy.
➢ Tapas drones are medium-altitude long, endurance-category drones that have
been developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and have to
be manufactured by a consortium of Bharat Electronics Limited and Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited.
➢ The IAF has a fleet of Israeli-origin Searcher, Heron Mark-1 and Mark-2 drones and is looking to
induct the American Predator MQ-9B drones.
India’s First Ever Pilot project for Underground Coal Gasification
➢ The Ministry of Coal, Eastern Coalfields Limited has begin an innovative pilot project for
Underground Coal Gasification.
➢ Aims to revolutionize the coal industry by using in-situ coal gasification to
convert it into valuable gases such as methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide,
and carbon dioxide.
➢ These gases can be utilized to produce synthetic natural gas, chemical feedstocks
for fuels, fertilizers, explosives, and other industrial applications.
Om Birla elected Lok Sabha speaker for second term
➢ Om Birla was elected Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha defeating Kodikunnil Suresh of the Congress.
➢ The first time an election for the Speaker’s post took place was in the first Lok Sabha of 1952, when
G.V. Mavalankar polled 394 votes to defeat Shantaram More, who managed to
garner 55 votes.
➢ In 1967, during the fourth Lok Sabha, Congress’ Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy faced
off against Tenneti Viswanathan.
➢ In the fifth Lok Sabha Speaker G.S. Dhillon had resigned on December 1, 1975. On January 5, 1976,
during the Emergency, Bhagat was elected Speaker against a competing claim by Jana Sangh leader
Jagannath Rao Joshi.
Ladakh achieves Full Functional Literacy
➢ Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Dr. B.D. Mishra, declared the union territory to have achieved Full
Functional Literacy under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (NILP), following the
achievement of a literacy rate exceeding 97%.
➢ The ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) Nav Bharat
Saaksharta Karyakram is a centrally sponsored scheme being implemented
from 2022-23 to 2026-27.
➢ Non-literates of 15 years and above in all States/UTs in the country will be
covered under the scheme.
➢ The target for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy is five crore learners or one crore learners per
year.
➢ The whole scheme is being implemented through online mode and the teachers will be volunteers.
India's first 'Chadwick House: Navigating Audit Heritage’ Museum
➢ The Comptroller and Auditor General of India inaugurated the 'Chadwick House: Navigating
Audit Heritage' Museum at Shimla .
➢ The museum, located at Chadwick House, has been developed into a state-of-
the-art facility that showcases the evolution, achievements, and milestones of
the institution of CAG.
➢ Mahatma Gandhi's stay in 1946 during his visit to Shimla for the Cabinet Mission.
➢ Post-independence, in 1950, a training school for the Indian Audit and Accounts Service.
❑ Mr. Girish Chandra Murmu, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), has been re-
elected as External Auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva for a four-year term
from 2024 to 2027.
“CARING-2024”
➢ Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR) has commenced its two-day workshop,
CARING-2024 in New Delhi.
➢ Focusing on the challenges and opportunities in coal gasification.
➢ Coal gasification is a process in which coal is partially oxidized with air, oxygen,
steam or carbon dioxide to form a fuel gas.
➢ Gas is then used instead of piped natural gas, methane and others for deriving energy.
➢ Utilized for electricity generation, replacing natural gas and other fuels.
Hunar Indian Folk And Tribal Art Exhibition
➢ The Dubai Art Centre, one of the city’s oldest art institutions, is currently hosting the “Hunar”
exhibition.
➢ The exhibition highlights the rich cultural heritage of India’s folk and tribal art forms.
➢ Including Aipan art from Uttarakhand, Madhubani art from Bihar, and Warli
art from Maharashtra.
➢ Also murals of Kerala , intricate Muria art of Chhattisgarh, each piece offering
a glimpse into the soul of Indian traditions.
PESA Act:
➢ Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act 1996.
➢ Response to the long-standing demands of the tribal communities in India for greater autonomy
and control over their own affairs.
➢ To enable tribal self-rule in fifth schedule areas. The Act extended the provisions
of Panchayats to the tribal areas of Fifth Schedule states.
➢ Under the Act, Scheduled Areas are those referred to in Article 244(1), which
says that the provisions of the Fifth Schedule shall apply to the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled
Tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
➢ Ten states — Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Telangana — have notified Fifth Schedule areas that
cover (partially or fully) several districts in each of these states.
Objectives:
➢ To ensure self-governance through Gram Sabhas (village assemblies) for people living in the
Scheduled Areas.
➢ Recognizes the right of tribal communities.
➢ Empowers Gram Sabhas to play a key role in approving development plans and controlling all social
sectors.
➢ Act provides for the protection of the land rights of the tribal communities in the Scheduled Areas.
India’s largest leopard safari
➢ South India’s first and the country’s largest leopard safari was inaugurated by Environment
Minister Eshwar Khandre at the Bannerghatta Biological Park.
➢ Bannerghatta is home to a good population of free ranging leopards
(Panthera pardus).
➢ Facility has been created at a cost of ₹4.5 crore.
➢ Jhalana Leopard Safari Park, Rajasthan.
Mumbai's first underground metro
➢ Mumbai’s first underground metro is set to launch in July.
➢ The 33.5 km stretch of the underground metro begins at Aarey Colony and
goes on to cover as many as 27 train stations.
➢ The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has been awarded the contract for operation and maintenance
of Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro's line 3 by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation.
One Week One Theme ’ campaign
➢ The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, under the Department
of Science and Technology has organised ‘One Week One Theme (OWOT)’
campaign across its 37 labs in India.
➢ Aimed at showcasing the wide-ranging thematic research and innovations across its numerous
laboratories.
➢ Serves as a platform to highlight CSIR's diverse contributions to scientific and industrial
 advancements in India and to engage with various societal sectors.
➢ Inaugurated by Dr. Jitendra Singh Union Minister of State (independent Charge) for Science &
Technology, Earth Sciences.
50 years since the Proclamation of National Emergency
➢ This year marks the beginning of the 50th year since the imposition of Emergency on June 25, 1975.
➢ It was imposed because of the political insecurity of the then Prime Minister, not because of any
genuine "internal disturbance".
➢ Article 352 of the Constitution provides for the proclamation of national emergency on the
grounds of internal disturbances, threat to national security due to war or external aggression.
➢ A state of emergency has been imposed thrice since Independence – during the wars with China in
1962 and Pakistan in 1971 and for the third time in 1975.
➢ Article 352 to Article 360 under Part XVIII of the Constitution.
➢ Article 356 - Provisions in case of failure of constitutional machinery
in States <>popularly known as ‘President’s Rule’.
➢ Article 360 - Provisions as to Financial Emergency.
Approval:
➢ The proclamation of emergency must be approved by both the houses of Parliament within one
month from the date of its issue.
42nd Amendment, 1976:
➢ The right to life and liberty under Article 21 could not be suspended during any emergency.
Note:
➢ Emergency provisions - Government of India Act of 1935
➢ Suspension of Fundamental Rights during Emergency - Germany Constitution
“Bhuvan Panchayat ” portal
➢ Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched two Geoportals namely ‘Bhuvan
Panchayat (Ver. 4.0)" portal for rural land record and "National Database for
Emergency Management (NDEM Ver. 5.0)" developed by Indian Space
research Organisation.
➢ For visualization and planning to provide high resolution satellite imagery of 1:10K scale for
different locations across the entire country.
➢ NDEM provides a country for comprehensive geospatial database for entire situational assessment
and effective decision making during disasters/ emergency situations.
Central Electronics Ltd granted 'Mini RATNA’ (Category-1) status
➢ Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced the grant of "Mini RATNA"
status (Category-1) for Central Electronics Ltd at its Golden Jubilee
celebration at the Ghaziabad campus.
➢ Completion of 50 years in the service
➢ Established in 1974 & Pioneer in the country in the field of Solar Photovoltaic.
➢ HQ: Ghaziabad
President's Address to the Parliament
➢ President Droupadi Murmu addressed the joint sitting of Parliament, her first presidential address
after the formation of the third National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
➢ Article 87 of the Constitution of India states that the President will address both Houses of
Parliament at the beginning of the first session after each general election
and at the beginning of the first session of each year.
➢ The address of the president, akin to the 'speech from the Throne' in
Britain, is discussed in both Houses of Parliament through a motion
called the 'Motion of Thanks.’
➢ The Motion of Thanks must be passed in the House. Otherwise, it amounts to the defeat of the
government. It is one of the ways through which the Lok Sabha can also express a lack of confidence
in the government.
➢ At the end of the discussion, the motion is put to vote. The Motion of Thanks must be passed in the
House.
New Schemes for MSMEs
➢ Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Jitan Ram Manjhi, launched two
new schemes.
➢ The scheme, ‘MSME TEAM’, aims to facilitate five lakh micro and small
enterprises for Open Network for Digital Commerce.
➢ Second, the Yashasvini campaign focuses on mass awareness to formalize
women-owned informal micro enterprises and provide necessary support
and assistance.
➢ The MSMEs need to align themselves to adopting digital and technological solutions.
Sangyaan App
➢ The Director General of Railway Protection Force Manoj Yadava launched the mobile application-
Sangyaan App.
➢ Designed and developed by the Tech Team of RPF.
➢ RPF to provide in-depth information on three new Criminal Acts: the
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha
Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023.
➢ Sangyaan App aims to educate and empower RPF Personnel by providing comprehensive
information to understand the provisions of both new and old criminal laws.
30 districts to be recognised for containing drug abuse among school children
➢ The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) will felicitate 30 top
performing districts in the country for the successful implementation of a Joint Action
Plan to contain substance abuse among school children.
➢ The event will be held on the sidelines of a national review and consultation
organized jointly by the NCPCR and the Narcotics Control Bureau on the
‘Joint Action Plan on Prevention of Drugs and Substance Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking’.
➢ A new portal called ‘Prahari’ (sentry) also launched. Through this portal, quarterly activities for
awareness on drugs and substance abuse in schools will be conducted by children and teachers
nominated by special ‘Prahari’ clubs.
Smart Cities Mission
➢ Smart Cities Mission Launched in 2015 <> Centrally Sponsored Scheme <> extended till June
2024.
➢ To transform 100 cities to provide the necessary core infrastructure and clean
and sustainable environment to enable a decent quality of life to their citizens
through the application of “Smart Solutions”.
➢ The Union Government gave financial support to the extent of Rs. 48,000
crores over 5 years (FY15-FY20) i.e., on an average Rs.100 crore per city per year.
➢ An equal amount on a matching basis is to be provided by the State/ULB Fundamental Principles:
Community at the core: Communities at the core of planning and implementation.
➢ More from Less: Ability to generate greater outcomes with the use of lesser resources Coorporative
& Competitive Federalism: Cities selected through completion and flexibility to Implement projects
➢ Integration, Innovation, Sustainability: Innovating methods, integrated and sustainable solutions.
➢ Technology as means, not the goal: Careful selection of technology, relevant to the context of cities.
➢ Convergence: Sectorial and Financial Convergence
All-India survey on ‘Ayush’
➢ News: The first exclusive all-India survey on ‘Ayush’ was conducted by the National Sample Survey
Office from July 2022 to June 2023
➢ survey covered the entire Indian Union, excluding a few inaccessible villages in the Andaman &
Nicobar Islands.
➢ National Ayush Mission, launched in 2014.
Highlights:
➢ Approximately 95% of rural and 96% of urban respondents are aware of Ayush.
➢ At least one member is aware of Medicinal Plants/Home remedies/Local Health Tradition/Folk
medicine in about 85% of rural and 86% of urban households.
➢ Around 46% of rural and 53% of urban individuals used Ayush for prevention or treatment of
ailments in the past 365 days.
➢ Ayurveda is the most commonly used system across both rural and urban areas for treatment.
 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Chinese spacecraft successfully lands on moon's far side
➢ The mission is the sixth in the Chang’e moon exploration program, which is
named after a Chinese moon goddess.
➢ The landing module touched a huge crater known as the South Pole-Aitken
Basin.
➢ It is the second designed to bring back samples, following the Chang’e 5, which did so from the
near side in 2020.
➢ To collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-
explored region and the better-known near side.
Biologics facility of Dr. Reddy’s CRDMO arm Aurigene opened
➢ Biologics facility of Dr. Reddy’s Contract research, development and
manufacturing organisation (CRDMO) Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services
has opened a 70,000 sq ft biologics facility in Genome Valley in Hyderabad.
➢ Designed to serve customers with process and analytical development and small scale
manufacturing of antibodies and other recombinant proteins for preclinical and early phase clinical
requirements.
ISRO develops PraVaHa software
➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation has developed Computational Fluid Dynamics software
named Parallel RANS Solver for Aerospace Vehicle Aerothermo-dynamic Analysis (PraVaHa).
➢ Developed in ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
➢ It can simulate external and internal flows on launch vehicles, winged and non winged reentry
vehicles
➢ PraVaHa has been used extensively in the Gaganyaan program for aerodynamic analysis of human-
rated launch vehicles, viz, HLVM3, Crew Escape System (CES), and CM.
ISRO:
➢ Headquarters: Bengaluru
➢ Chairman : S. Somanath
Sukhoi fighter jet crashes in Nashik
➢ An SU-30MKI fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in Nashik.
➢ The aircraft was recently overhauled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and
was on a test sortie from HAL Nashik at Sirsa gaon.
➢ Both the pilots ejected safely and have suffered minor injuries.
CSIR's 'Phenome India' Project
➢ The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research announced the successful
conclusion of the first phase of its groundbreaking longitudinal health
monitoring project - the 'Phenome India CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase’
(PICheCK).
➢ It is a pan-India longitudinal study is being conducted with an aim to develop an enhanced
prediction model for cardiometabolic disease, especially diabetes, liver diseases and cardiac
diseases.
➢ Launched on 7th December 2023, the PICHeCK project aims to assess risk factors in non-
communicable (cardio-metabolic) diseases within the Indian populace.
Paraparatrechina neela
➢ Researchers have discovered a new ant species from the Eastern Himalayas. Belonging to the rare
genus Paraparatrechina, the blue-coloured insect has been named
Paraparatrechina neela.
➢ Described as a small ant with a total length of less than 2mm. Its body is
predominantly metallic blue, except for the antennae, mandibles, and legs.
➢ The discovery, made during an expedition to Siang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.
Fire Rescue Drone
➢ IIT Dharwad unveils fire rescue assistant drone.
➢ A team of teachers and students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Dharwad, led by Sudheer Siddapureddy and Ameer Mulla, has developed a
fire rescue assistant drone.
➢ The project was completed with funding from TiHAN Foundation, IIT
Hyderabad (NMICPS, Government of India).
➢ Unveiled during the two-day workshop on Drone design and autonomous navigation in fire rescue
(DDANFR 2024).
➢ Organized by: The Fire and Thermal Research Laboratory (FLRL) and the Control System and
Robotics Laboratory at IIT Dharwad.
ISRO chairman inaugurates facilities at HAL to support LVM3 programme
➢ ISRO Chairman S Somanath inaugurated HAL's Advanced Propellant Tank
Production and CNC Machining facilities, which will enhance ISRO's capacity
to meet its growing production demands, particularly for the LVM3 rocket.
➢ The new facilities will enable HAL to manufacture enough critical components to support six LVM3
launches annually, closing the production gap.
➢ The facilities will specialize in manufacturing high-performance fuel and oxidizer tanks and
fabricating rings and propellant tank domes for the LVM3.
Oleg Kononenko
➢ Oleg Kononenko, a 59-year-old Russian cosmonaut, recently achieved a historic landmark by
becoming the first person to spend 1,000 days in space.
➢ Announced by: Roscosmos <> The Russian space agency.
➢ Kononenko first took the cumulative space time record in February 2024, when
he surpassed the total of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, and 48 seconds set by
fellow Russian Gennady Padalka in 2015.
➢ He achieved the milestone having made five journeys to the International Space Station dating back
to 2008.
Common low-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke
➢ A low-calorie sweetener called xylitol used in many reduced-sugar foods and
consumer products such as gum and toothpaste may be linked to nearly twice
the risk of heart attacks, stroke and death in people who consume the highest
levels of the sweetener.
➢ In 2023, the same researchers found similar results for another low-calorie sweetener called
erythritol, which is used as a bulking sugar in stevia, monkfruit and keto reduced-sugar products.
Peru and Slovakia sign the Artemis Accords for peaceful moon exploration
➢ Peru and Slovakia on May 30, signed NASA’s Artemis Accords, making them the
latest in a rapid number of countries to join the U.S.-led agreement on the safe
exploration of space.
➢ Both countries signed the accords at NASA’s Washington headquarters, but in
separate ceremonies with Peru the first to add its name to the accords on
May 30 followed by Slovakia.
➢ Peru became 41st and Slovakia 42nd countries to do so.
ISRO Gives Details on Indo-French TRISHNA Mission
➢ Space agency ISRO has announced a joint Indo-French infrared earth observation satellite mission,
TRISHNA (Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-Resolution Natural Resource
Assessment).
➢ To monitor surface temperature and water management around the world.
➢ It is currently tentatively set to launch in 2025 with an expected lifespan of 5 years.
ISRO:
❑ Headquarters: Bengaluru Chairman: S. Somanath
New portable atomic clock offers very accurate timekeeping at sea
➢ Atomic clocks are the backbone of the Global Positioning System (GPS), the
network of satellites above the earth that we use every day to navigate cities,
respond to emergencies, and organise military operations, among other things.
➢ Types of atomic clocks: There are two types of atomic clocks: cesium atomic
clocks and hydrogen maser atomic clocks.
International Year of Quantum Science and Technology
➢ The United Nations has announced 2025 will be designated the ‘International Year
of Quantum Science and Technology’.
➢ The 193-member United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to this effect on 7 June
2024. Earlier, the United Nations had declared 2025 as the
▪ International Year of Cooperatives,
▪ International Year of Peace and Trust and
▪ International Year of Glacier’s Preservation.
➢ 2024 is being observed as the International Year of Camelids. (Bactrian camels,
Dromedary camels, Llamas, Alpacas, Guanaco, and Vicuana are considered camelid animals.)
Scientists discover smallest ever great ape that only grew to size of human toddler
➢ Scientists have discovered a new species of great ape which lived 11 million
years ago and only ever grew to the size of a human toddler, making it the
smallest known to science.
➢ The now-extinct ape species, which has been named Buronius -
-manfredschmidi, was uncovered at the Hammerschmiede fossil site in
Bavaria.
Two antlion species found for first time in India
➢ Researchers have found antlion species of Myrmeleontidae family of order Neuroptera from India,
Thailand, and Vietnam. They are Pseudoformicaleo nubecula and Creoleon cinnamomeus.
➢ Where: Irinjalakuda, Thrissur
➢ Antlions are commonly known by their pit-building habit. Larval stages of
only some of antlion genera construct the conical pits in loose dry soil as their
predation strategy.
Japan India Maritime Exercise – 24 (JIMEX – 24) Commenced at Yokosuka Japan
➢ Indian Navy’s indigenous Stealth Frigate INS Shivalik arrived at Yokosuka in
Japan to participate in the bilateral Japan – India Maritime Exercise 2024
(JIMEX 24).
➢ This is the eighth edition of JIMEX, since its inception in 2012.
➢ Exercise includes both harbour and sea phases.
➢ The harbour phase will comprise professional, sports and social interactions, after which the two
navies will jointly hone their war fighting skills at sea and enhance their interoperability through
complex multi-discipline operations in the surface, sub-surface and air domains.
5th LSAM 13 missile cum ammunition barge inducted
➢ The launch of ‘Missile Cum Ammunition Barge, LSAM 13 (Yard 81)’, the fifth
Barge of 08 x Missile Cum Ammunition Barge project at Maharashtra.
➢ Built by MSME Shipyard, M/s SECON Engineering Projects Pvt Ltd.
Three craters discovered on Mars
➢ The scientists of Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory have
discovered three new craters on Mars.
➢ Discovered in the Tharsis volcanic region.
➢ International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System
Nomenclature approved naming the three craters on Mars.
➢ Named “Lal crater” after Prof. Devendra Lal, a renowned Indian geophysicist and former director of
PRL.
➢ Second crater has been named “Mursan crater” after a town in Uttar Pradesh, India.
➢ Third crater is “Hilsa crater”. <> named after a town in Bihar, India.
India advances in drone warfare with Nagastra 1 Deployment
➢ The Indian Army is set to induct its first indigenous loiter munition, Nagastra-1.
➢ Developed by Solar Industries, Nagpur
➢ Nagastra-1 is a man-portable system with an all-up weight of 30 kg split across
two rucksacks, including a ground control station, communication control, payload and pneumatic
launcher.
➢ The Nagastra-1 excels in "kamikaze mode" by neutralizing hostile threats with GPS-enabled
precision strikes, boasting an accuracy of up to two meters.
DRDO Unveils the Power of AI (Divya Drishti)
➢ A woman-led start-up has successfully developed an AI-based tool that creates
a "robust and multi-faceted authentication system" by combining facial
recognition with gait analysis
➢ The start-up was established by woman entrepreneur Shivani Verma
➢ An AI tool 'Divya Drishti' that "integrates face recognition with immutable physiological parameters
such as gait and skeleton.
“Flesh-eating bacteria”
➢ Spread of deadly 'flesh-eating bacteria' in Japan raises global concerns known
as Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome.
➢ STSS - virulent infection can prove fatal within 48 hours.
➢ Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS) stems from Group A Streptococcus (GAS) bacteria,
which release toxins triggering an intense inflammatory response in the body. This leads to rapid
tissue decay, severe pain, and shock. The infection can swiftly spread through the bloodstream,
causing multi-organ failure in a short span.
Catalytic boost for cheaper biodiesel production
➢ A team of scientists from Assam, Odisha, China, and the United Kingdom have
developed a water repellent catalyst that can cut the cost of producing
“environmentally benign” biodiesel substantially from the current levels.
➢ The process of arriving at the “spherical superhydrophobic activated carbon
catalyst” to withstand water by-product during the production of biodiesel –pursued as a substitute
for diesel, an exhaustible fossil fuel.
➢ At present, the cost of biodiesel in India is about ₹100 or UD$1.2 per litre. Using the
superhydrophobic activated carbon catalyst can bring down the cost to about 37 cents per litre.
ISRO Partners with Manav Rachna University
➢ Manav Rachna University becomes the First University in Delhi NCR to install a Global Navigation
Satellite System receiver in collaboration with the National Atmospheric
Research Laboratory (NARL)-Indian Space Research Organization .
➢ It encompasses critical studies on weather, climate, space weather, and
planetary ionospheres through GNSS receiver networks.
 IIT’s are in News
❑ IIT Guwahati:
➢ IIT Guwahati has developed pharmaceutical and food products from tea factory
wastes.
➢ It is signed a MoU with Indian Council of World Affairs to build capacity/skills in
international affairs and foreign policy.
➢ It has launches SWASTHA (Smart Wearable Advanced Nano Sensing Technologies in Healthcare
ASICs) to revolutionize health centre in nanotechnology
➢ IIT Guwahati unveils 3D Printed Dummy Ballot Unit IIT Delhi.
❑ IIT Delhi: IIT Delhi- Abu Dhabi will start offering its first postgraduate
programme in energy transition and sustainability starting
January 2024.
❑ IIT Gandhinagar:1st Australia India Education and Skill Council meeting held at IIT Gandhinagar.
❑ IIT Kanpur: The IITK and Airbus signed a MoU to facilitate increased
collaboration in developing education programmes.
➢ IIT Kanpur has signed an MoU with ICICI Bank to support the startup ecosystem
in the institute.
❑ IIT Kharagpur: Jindal Stainless Ltd. and IIT Kharagpur will jointly work on
Metallurgical projects like primary alloy production and materials
characterization.
❑ IIT Jodhpur: IIT Jodhpur scientists develop 'CODE' device for good air quality. <> Cold-plasma
Detergent in Environment ‘CODE’ device for good Indoor Air Quality.
❑ IIT Ropar:
➢ Governor of Punjab, Banwarilal Purohit, inaugurated a deep tech startup
accelerator program - SAMRIDHI (Strategic Acceleration for Market, Research,
Innovation & Development: a Holistic Initiative
❑ IIT Bombay:
➢ IIT Bombay has received a donation of $18.6 million from an alumnus
towards the establishment of a Green Energy and Sustainability Research
Hub.
➢ The IIT Bombay has entered a strategic partnership with Tata Consultancy
Services to develop India’s first Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager.
➢ Daksha project led by IIT Bombay, an ambitious proposal to build two high energy space telescopes
for the study of explosive astrophysical sources.
➢ IIT Bombay has launched a new programme titled WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering from
Rural Parts of India).
➢ Indian Bank signed an MoU with Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Bombay for
extending exclusive credit facility to start-ups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
New Freshwater Diatom Genus discovered
➢ Researchers from the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune have
discovered a new genus of diatoms in the unpolluted waters of the Eastern Ghats
mountain range.
➢ Diatoms are microscopic algae that play a crucial role in our everyday lives,
producing approximately 25 percent of the global oxygen supply— roughly
every fourth breath we take.
➢ They form the base of the aquatic food chain and serve as valuable indicators of water quality due
to their sensitivity to changes in water chemistry.
➢ The genus has been named “Indiconema” due to its limited distribution within the country.
Iberian lynx
➢ The Iberian Lynx has improved from Endangered to Vulnerable on The IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species.
➢ Its population increasing exponentially from 62 mature individuals in 2001 to 648
in 2022.
➢ Iberian lynx are endemic to Spain and Portugal.
Pushpak, ISRO’s reusable launch vehicle, clears test
➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation completed the third Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)
Landing Experiment (LEX) at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka.
➢ This is the third and final test in the series of LEX (03).
➢ Notably, the RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems as
such without any modification, from the LEX-02 mission.
ISRO:
❑ Headquarters: Bengaluru Chairman: S. Somanath
Two bio-geographic hotspots in India yield two new plant species
➢ Indian botanists and researchers have discovered two new species of plants
from two bio-geographic hotspots of the country the Andaman and Nicobar
islands and Arunachal Pradesh.
➢ Discovered aerial stem-parasitic flowering plant species Dendrophthoe
longensis from the Long Islands of middle Andamans.
➢ Other discovery Petrocosmea arunachalense was discovered from a cave from West Kameng
district of Arunachal Pradesh.
South African scientists make rhino horns radioactive to curb poaching
➢ South African scientists injected radioactive material into live rhinoceros horns to make them
easier to detect at border posts in a pioneering project aimed at curbing poaching.
➢ At the Limpopo rhinoceros orphanage.
➢ Horns are used in traditional medicine.
➢ The radioactive material would “render the horn useless... essentially
poisonous for human consumption”.
Space MAITRI
➢ Recently, the Australian government entered into an $18 million
MoU with NewSpace India Limited, the commercial arm of the ISRO
under the space MAITRI mission.
➢ Space MAITRI (Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation), represents a
major step forward in the strategic partnership between the two nations in the space domain.
➢ Focuses on debris management and sustainability.
➢ Under this agreement, NewSpace India Limited will launch Australia’s Space Machines Company’s
second Optimus spacecraft in 2026.
NASA, SpaceX Launch NOAA’s Latest Weather Satellite
➢ NASA successfully launched the fourth and final satellite in a series of
advanced weather satellites for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration).
➢ The GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) will benefit the nation by
providing continuous coverage of weather and hazardous environmental conditions across much of
the Western Hemisphere.
Indian Navy bid farewell to the UH-3H helicopter
➢ Indian Navy bid farewell to the UH-3H helicopter after 17 years of glorious
service during a de-induction ceremony held at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.
➢ It will be replaced by Sea King 42C helicopter.
➢ Brought to Indian shores in 2007 along with INS Jalashwa, the UH-3H helicopter was inducted into
INAS 350 christened 'Saaras' on 24 Mar 09 at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.
➢ Played a crucial role in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations, security of offshore
installations and special operations.
DRDO completes trials of aerial target ‘Abhyas’
➢ The Defence Research and Development Organisation has successfully conducted a series of
developmental trials of high-speed expendable aerial target (HEAT) Abhyas.
➢ The unmanned aerial vehicle was test flown from the Integrated Test Range off Odisha coast.
➢ Abhyas has successfully completed 10 developmental trials demonstrating the reliability of the
system.
➢ Designed for autonomous flying with the help of an auto-pilot, a laptop- based
ground control system for aircraft integration, pre- flight checks, and
autonomous flight.
➢ It can record data during flight for post- flight analysis.
 STATES IN NEWS
Assam to set up new IIM Kamrup
➢ The Centre has approved an Indian Institute of Management for Assam, and it
would come up near Guwahati.
➢ IIM-Ahmedabad to be the mentor institute of the 21 IIMs across the country,
only one — IIM Shillong — is located in the Northeast.
Haryana government to launch Rs 10,000- crore project
➢ Haryana government will soon roll out a Rs 10,000-crore project funded by
the World Bank to address air pollution.
➢ The announcement was made in a meeting of the governing committee of
Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development held under the chairmanship of the chief
secretary.
Rajasthan govt developing Maharana Pratap Tourist Circuit
➢ Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said the state government is developing the Maharana
Pratap Tourist Circuit at a cost of Rs 100 crore.
➢ This announcement was made on 8 June 2023 during the inauguration of the Maharana Pratap
Jayanti celebration in Udaipur, where the 484th birthday of the legendary Maharana Pratap of
Mewar was celebrated on 9 June 2024.
Maharana Pratap:
➢ Pratap Singh popularly known as Maharana Pratap, was a king of Mewar.
➢ His father, Udai Singh II was the founder of Mewar
➢ 1576: Battle of Battle of Haldighati <> between the forces Maharana Pratap and the Mughal
emperor Akbar's forces, led by Man Singh I of Amber. Horse name: Chetak
Madhya Pradesh CM Inaugurates PM Shri Tourism Air Service
➢ Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav inaugurated the PM Shri
Tourism Air Service from Bhopal
➢ Under PM Shri Tourism Air Service, eight cities of the state, Bhopal, Indore,
Jabalpur, Rewa, Ujjain, Gwalior, Singrauli and Khajuraho are being connected through air service.
➢ Also: Country’s first Helicopter Training School in Khujaraho.
Malabar River Festival
➢ The 10th edition of the Malabar River Festival and the International White Water Kayaking
Championship will be held in Iruvazhinji and Chalipuzha at Thusharagiri in
Kozhikode from July 25 to 28.
➢ Organised by the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society
➢ The first edition of the Malabar River Festival, held in August 2013.
Mannuyir Kaathu Mannuyir Kaappom
➢ Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the ‘Chief Minister’s Mannuyir Kaathu Mannuyir Kaappom’
scheme to improve the soil health across Tamil Nadu.
➢ Under the scheme, to be implemented on an outlay of ₹206 crore, a sum of
₹20 crore would be allotted for preservation of soil fertility through the use
of green manure.
➢ In the first phase in 2024-25, it has been planned to distribute green manure seeds, covering about
2 lakh acres and benefiting over 2 lakh farmers.
Shimla Police introduces ‘One Minute Traffic Plan’
➢ The Police in Shimla have initiated a new traffic plan to ease the traffic congestion in the city.
➢ The plan sets a periodical cycle of one minute, with a ratio of 40:20 and 20:40, to
release vehicles and ease congestion.
➢ To equalize the flow of vehicles from different directions, the One Minute Traffic
plan has been implemented.
Assam govt announces stipend scheme 'Nijut Moina’
➢ Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that his
government would provide monthly stipends to all girl students from
class 11 to postgraduation over the next five years, aiming to prevent
child marriages.
➢ Scheme 'Nijut Moina', was approved by the cabinet, which estimated that Rs 1,500 crore would be
required in five years to give the incentives to around 10 lakh girls.
➢ The stipend will be deposited to the bank accounts of the students for 10 months in a year.
Assam secretariat becomes India’s first eco-friendly state govt headquarters
➢ The Assam Secretariat became the country's first green state government
headquarters with the inauguration of a 2.5 MW solar power project on its
campus.
Assam:
❑ Capital: Dispur Governor: Gulab Chand Kataria
Punjab police launch 'Mission Nishchay'
➢ Punjab Police in association with the Border Security Force and Village Defence Committees will
carry out a one week drive against drug.
➢ Named as ‘Mission Nishchay’, police officers will fan out in villages in
Fazilka district.
Punjab:
❑ Chief minister: Bhagwant Mann Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
Oracle, TNSDC to offer training
➢ Oracle and Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation have together launched a specialized skills
development programme under Tamil Nadu’s massive skill enhancement initiative Naan
Mudhalvan.
➢ Aim: to provide employment-linked skills development training to more than 2 lakh students in the
State.
➢ TNSDC is also collaborating with Oracle to offer Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
training to help students in the State advance their careers.
Tamil Nadu:
❑ Chief minister: M. K. Stalin Governor: R. N. Ravi
Uttar Pradesh tops list of complaints with National Commission for Women
➢ The highest number of complaints received by the National Commission for Women so far this year
has been from Uttar Pradesh (6492) followed by Delhi (1119) and then Maharashtra (764). Strife-
torn Manipur has recorded only three complaints of “crime against women” with the commission.
➢ Among other States, Tamil Nadu recorded 304 complaints, Karnataka 305, Bihar 586, Madhya
Pradesh 516, Haryana 509, Rajasthan 409 and West Bengal 307.
National Commission for Women (NCW):
❑ Established in January 1992 <> under National Commission for Women Act, 1990
❑ NCW consists of Chairperson, 5 Members, and a Member-Secretary who are nominated by the
Central Government.
❑ 3 years term and removed by the Central Government.
❑ Chairperson: Rekha Sharma.
Uttar Pradesh:
❑ Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath Governor: Anandiben Patel
Patna High Court strikes down 65% quota in Bihar
➢ The Patna High Court set aside the amendments passed by the Bihar
legislature in 2023 to increase the reservation Backward Classes, Extremely
Backward Classes, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe from 50% to 65%
in educational institutions and government jobs.
➢ Together with the 10% Economically Backward Class (EWS) quota, the Bill had pushed reservation
in Bihar to 75%, well past the 50% ceiling set by the Supreme Court.
Bihar:
❑ Chief minister: Nitish Kumar Governor: Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Karnataka Governor Inaugurates First National Yoga Olympiad
➢ Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurated the National Yoga
Olympiad in Mysuru.
➢ Organized by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and the NCERT
with the support of the Regional Institute of Education.
➢ NCERT has released the textbooks “Yoga a healthy way of living” for upper primary and secondary
stages.
Karnataka:
❑ Chief minister: Siddaramaiah Governor: Thaawarchand Gehlot
Kallakurichi hooch tragedy
➢ Recently, Many people died after consuming hooch (or spurious liquor) in Tamil Nadu.
➢ Spurious liquor is characterized by the liquid mixture containing methanol
as well. Methanol - known as wood alcohol.
➢ Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations 2018 stipulate
the maximum permissible quantity of methanol in different liquors.
➢ Including “absent” in coconut fenny, 50 grams per 100 litres of country liquor, and 300 grams per
100 litres of pot-distilled spirits.
➢ Liquor is to the 40% or so of distilled spirits. differentiated by its alcohol content – from the 5% or
so of beer to the 12% or so of wine
Kerala Assembly passes resolution to rename State as ‘Keralam’
➢ The Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution proposing a Constitutional amendment to
change the name of the State from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’.
➢ Similar resolution passed in 2023 had been returned by the Centre.
➢ Article 3 provides for the formation of new States and the alteration of
areas, boundaries or names of existing States.
‘School in a box’
➢ ‘School in a box’ for children in Assam flood relief camps.
➢ Such a box or child-friendly space (CFS) kit containing learning materials and
other items to ensure the continuity of education will be provided for each of
the 167 model relief camps in the State where floods and rainfall- induced
landslides.
Khalubar War Memorial
➢ In Ladakh, as a tribute to the heroes of the Kargil War, the Indian Army has
opened the Khalubar War Memorial to tourists.
➢ It was a part of the ‘Forever in Operations’ Division’s Pre-Kargil Vijay Diwas.
➢ India will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26 July.
First advanced AI System for forest fire detection
➢ The Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra has launched an advanced Artificial Intelligence system
for early detection of forest fires.
➢ Features a high-resolution camera, with a visual range of 15 kilometres.
This means it can effectively cover more than 350 sq km of the tiger reserve.
➢ The AI-powered platform, known as Pantera, leverages both the camera
feed and satellite-based data to provide real-time alerts of forest fires within 3 minutes.
➢ A joint collaboration between Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra; Satpuda Foundation; Umgrameio
(Brazil) and Forest Fire Tech, a division of Scaale Inc, USA.
UP brings Ordinance against paper leaks
➢ The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet cleared an ordinance to prevent incidents of paper leaks and use of
unfair means in exams.
➢ According to the ordinance, if a person is found guilty of a paper leak, they could face life
imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore.
➢ In case the examination is affected by the paper leak, the expenses incurred
on it will be recovered from the solver gangs.
➢ "solver gang" is a group of people that leaks examination papers and also
provides proxy candidates who will appear for the examination.
Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved TATA Sons’ proposal for ‘museum of temples’ in
Ayodhya
➢ The Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved a proposal from Tata Sons to build
a ‘museum of temples’ in Ayodhya, with an estimated cost of ₹750 crore.
➢ The tourism department would lease the company land for this international-
level museum for 90 years, charging a token fee of Re 1.
➢ The union government has roped in Tata Sons to construct a museum in Ayodhya costing ₹650
crore. The company will manage the project using its corporate social responsibility fund.
➢ Additional development projects in the temple town with an additional ₹100 crore.
UP govt to set up bioplastic park
➢ The Uttar Pradesh government will set up a bioplastic park in Gola Gokarnnath of Lakhimpur
Kheri district at an investment of Rs 2,000 crore.
➢ The park will be developed by the Balrampur Sugar Mills Firm over 1,000
hectares in Kumbhi village of the district on pubic private partnership model.
➢ Bioplastic is made from natural materials such as corn, sunflower, or sugar
beet. It decomposes quickly, thereby reducing environmental pollution.
Plastic waste road
➢ Jaipur Military Station has become the second military station in India
to have a road made from plastic waste.
➢ Inaugurated by Major General R.S. Godara.
➢ A 100 meters long and stretches from Sagat Singh Road under bridge to Cubs
Corner complex.
➢ The first military station to have a plastic waste road was Narangi Military Station in Guwahati,
Assam, built in 2019.
➢ The plastic waste is mixed with heated bitumen and the resultant mixture is coated over stone used
for making roads.
➢ Professor Rajagopalan Vasudevan of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai and his team -
developed and patented a technique to use plastic waste in making roads.
➢ Rajagopalan Vasudevan - Plastic Man of India <> Padma Shri, in 2018.
 BOOKS & AUTHORS
“Source Code: My Beginnings”
➢ Bill Gates set to launch his memoir, titled “Source Code: My Beginnings.”
on February 4, 2025. Offer an intimate glimpse into the life and experiences that
shaped one of the world’s most influential tech pioneers.
“The Adventures of Ed-a-Mamma: Ed Finds A Home”
➢ Actor Alia Bhatt debuted as a children’s book author with “The Adventures of Ed-a-Mamma: Ed
Finds A Home.”
➢ The book is inspired by her kidswear brand Ed-a-Mamma,
featuring illustrations by Tanvi Bhat.
➢ Tanvi Bhat, known for her illustrations in children’s books,
brings the story to life through her vibrant watercolor and gouache paintings.

“I Have the Streets: A Kutty Cricket Story”

➢ Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the most accomplished cricketers in
the history of the game, is set to unveil his autobiography titled ‘I Have the Streets:
A Kutti Cricket Story’ on June 10, 2024.
➢ Co-authored with acclaimed writer Sidharth Monga.
A Book titled “A Fly on the RBI Wall”
➢ When Alpana Killawala joined the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the bank’s
communication department was just beginning to take shape.
➢ Her book, A Fly on the RBI Wall: An Insider’s View of the Central Bank, offers an
insightful glimpse into her journey and the institution’s transformation over 25 years.
‘Gateways to the Sea: Historic Ports and Docks of Mumbai Region’
➢ The Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Ramesh Bais , released a book titled
‘Gateways to the Sea : Historic Ports and Docks of Mumbai Region ’ <> by various
authors.
➢ Shedding light on the area’s ancient and modern maritime history.
➢ Publisher : Publications Division.
PM to release three books on the life and journey of Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu
➢ a) Biography of the former Vice President titled “Venkaiah Naidu – Life in Service”
authored by Shri S Nagesh Kumar, former Resident Editor of The Hindu,
Hyderabad edition.
➢ b) “Celebrating Bharat – The Mission and Message of Shri M Venkaiah Naidu as
13th Vice–President of India”, a Photo chronicle compiled by Dr. I.V. Subba Rao,
Former Secretary to Vice-President of India.
➢ c) Pictorial biography in Telugu titled “Mahaneta – Life and Journey of Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu”
authored by Shri Sanjay Kishore.
 APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Kuwait's Emir makes Sheikh Sabah alKhalid Crown Prince
➢ News: Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Meshal alAhmad al-Sabah issued a decree
nominating Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid alSabah as crown prince.
➢ Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid previously served as Prime Minister from 2019 until 2022.
❑ Currency: Kuwait Dinar Capital: Kuwait City.
Iceland elects Halla Tomasdottir as President
➢ Halla Tomasdottir, a businesswoman & investor, has won Iceland’s presidential election
➢ 34.3% of the vote, defeating former Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir
➢ Iceland, a Nordic island nation located in the North Atlantic.
❑ Capital: Reykjavík Currency: Krona
Ruchira Kamboj retired
➢ News: India’s first woman Permanent Representative to the United Nations,
Ruchira Kamboj (1987-batch IFS officer) retired after 35 years of service, during
which she served as Indian envoy in Bhutan, South Africa and the UNESCO.
➢ Kamboj began her diplomatic career in Paris as the Third Secretary in the Indian
Embassy to France from 1989-91.
➢ Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York from 2002-05.
➢ From 2011-2014, she was India’s Chief of Protocol, the first and only lady so far in Government to
have held this position.
Claudia Sheinbaum
➢ News: Claudia Sheinbaum became the Mexico’s first woman president
➢ Won 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for report on climate change, underscoring
her credentials as a climate scientist.
❑ Currency: Mexican peso (MXN) Capital: Mexico City
Helen Mary Roberts
➢ News: Dr. Helen Mary Roberts, a Christian lady, became the first woman to be
promoted to the rank of one-star officer in Pakistan’s 77-year military history.
➢ Brigadier Helen Mary Roberts has been associated with Pakistan Army Medical
Corps for over 26 years, a s a senior pathologist and its first female surgeon general.
➢ Earlier, in June 2020, Major General Nigar Johar was also celebrated for becoming the first female to
be promoted to the lieutenant general rank.
Cashfree Payments appoints Abhaya Hota as Independent Director
➢ Cashfree Payments, India’s payments and API banking company, has announced the
appointment of Former NPCI MD & CEO Mr Abhaya Hota as an Independent Director.
➢ He was the Former managing director & CEO of the National Payments Corporation of India.
➢ Mr. Hota also serves as an Independent Director at Federal Bank, NSE
Clearing, Protean e-Gov Technologies and RBI Innovation Hub.
➢ Akash Sinha, Co-founder & CEO, Cashfree Payments.
Om Birla becomes first Lok Sabha Speaker
➢ Om Birla becomes the 1st Lok Sabha Speaker in 20 years to be re-elected as an MP.
➢ Om Birla won the Kota parliamentary seat by a margin of 41,139 votes.
➢ He is the first presiding officer in 20 years to be re-elected to the Lower House.
➢ The last Lok Sabha speaker to get re-elected to the Lower House was
P A Sangma, who was the presiding officer of the 11th Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998.
Navy gets its first woman helicopter pilot
➢ Sub Lieutenant Anamika B. Rajeev became the Indian Navy’s first woman helicopter pilot
➢ A total of 21 officers were awarded the ‘Golden Wings’ by Vice Admiral Rajesh
Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.
➢ Helicopter Training School - Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu.
Aditya Roy Kapur doubles the chill with Bisleri Limonata
➢ Bisleri Limonata has launched a new campaign with Aditya Roy Kapur as the
brand ambassador.
➢ The product is a unique blend of lime and mint, providing a refreshing
experience for consumers. The campaign aims to highlight the product's distinct flavor blend and
establish strong recognition for Limonata.
Yang of Cameroon elected President of upcoming General Assembly session
➢ The UN General Assembly elected by acclamation Philemon Yang,
former PM of Cameroon, President for its 7th session which gets underway in September.
PNB MetLife has named Sameer Bansal as its new Managing Director and CEO
➢ PNB MetLife India Insurance Co. Ltd. has appointed Sameer Bansal as
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2024.
➢ Sameer has over 25 years of experience in financial services and has been
with PNB MetLife since 2007.
➢ He succeeds Ashish Srivastava, who has been appointed Managing Director for MetLife Inc.'s
Global Shared Services team in India.
Shri Kamal Kishore Soan takes over the charge of Director General, ESIC
➢ ESIC: Employees' State Insurance Corporation (a social welfare organization that
provides medical and financial benefits to workers)
➢ Kamal Kishore Soan: A senior IAS officer from Jharkhand Cadre, currently serving as Additional
Secretary and Director General, Labour Welfare in the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
➢ Kamal Kishore Soan is a senior IAS officer with experience in governance and management of
various departments in Jharkhand
❑ ESIC is a government organization that provides benefits to workers.
Priyanka Jarkiholi is the youngest tribal woman to win from an unreserved seat
➢ Priyanka Jarkiholi has won from Chikkodi, defeating incumbent MP
and B JP leader Annasaheb Jolle.
➢ Priyanka Jarkiholi from Chikkodi became the youngest tribal woman to
enter Parliament from an unreserved seat in Karnataka since Independence.
➢ The BJP has won all the seats in Mumbai Karnataka, except Chikkodi.
➢ She also became the second leader from a reserved community to win from a general seat, after
Kotturu Hariharappa Ranganath who was a Lok Sabha member from Chitradurga during 1984-89.
➢ She is aged 27 years, 1 month, 18 days old as of June 4
Prem Singh Tamang sworn in as Chief Minister of Sikkim
➢ Sikkim Krantikari Morcha supremo Prem Singh Tamang is set to take
oath as chief minister of the for a second straight term.
➢ Governor Lakshman Acharya will administer the oath of office and secrecy
➢ The council of ministers in Sikkim has a strength of 12 members, including the chief minister.
➢ 32 members in the legislative assembly
Inder Pal Singh Bindra
➢ Competition Commission of India has a new Secretary in Inder Pal Singh Bindra,
an Indian Revenue Service officer <> for three years.
➢ Bindra will replace Anupama Anand
Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi to be next Army chief
➢ The government announced the appointment of Vice-Chief of Army Staff
Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi as the next Army Chief.
➢ He will take over from Gen. Manoj Pande on June 30.
Narendra Modi sworn in for a historic third time as Prime Minister
➢ Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for the third consecutive time on June
9, 2024. He was administered the oath of office by President Droupadi
Murmu in a simple ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
➢ Modi equalled the record of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, who was also
sworn in as Prime Minister for the third consecutive time.
➢ Indira Gandhi holds the record for being the PM of India 4 times.
➢ 71 ministers, including 30 cabinet ministers and 41 ministers of state, were also sworn in by
President Murmu. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by several foreign leaders, including
Presidents from Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
➢ The new Council of Ministers has 61 members from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 11
members from its allies.
➢ Seven women ministers were sworn in, including Nirmala Sitharaman, Annapurna Devi, and
Savitri Thakur.
➢ Uttar Pradesh has the highest representation in the Council of Ministers with 11 members.
➢ K Ram Mohan Reddy, a 36-year-old member of parliament from Telugu Desam party, is the
youngest ever to become a cabinet minister in India. Jitan Ram Manjhi, a 79-year-old former
chief minister of Bihar, is the oldest ever to become a cabinet minister.
Seven Former Chief Ministers in Modi’s Council of Ministers
The newly constituted Council of Ministers of Prime Minister Modi includes seven former state
chief ministers. They are as follows:
❑ Narendra Modi (BJP) -former CM of Gujarat; Shivraj Singh Chauhan (BJP) . Madhya Pradesh,
❑ Rajnath Singh (BJP), Uttar Pradesh ; Manohar Lal Khattar (BJP) Haryana; Sarbanand
Sonowal (BJP) Assam; Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM) Bihar ; HD Kumaraswamy (JD(S)) Karnataka
 List of Cabinet Ministers of India 2024

The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has directed the allocation of portfolios
among the following members of the Union Council of Ministers :-
Prime Minister Prime Minister and also in-charge of:

Shri Narendra Modi Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions;

Department of Atomic Energy;

Department of Space;

All important policy issues; and

All other portfolios not allocated to any Minister.

CABINET MINISTERS
1. Shri Raj Nath Singh Minister of Defence.

2. Shri Amit Shah Minister of Home Affairs; and

Minister of Cooperation.
3. Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari Minister of Road Transport and Highways.

4. Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda Minister of Health and Family Welfare; and
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
5. Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; and
Minister of Rural Development.
6. Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Minister of Finance; and
Minister of Corporate Affairs.
7. Dr.Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Minister of External Affairs.

8. Shri Manohar Lal Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs; and

Minister of Power.
9. Shri H. D. Kumaraswamy Minister of Heavy Industries; and
Minister of Steel.
10. Shri Piyush Goyal Minister of Commerce and Industry.

11. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Minister of Education.

12. Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

13. Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Minister of Panchayati Raj; and
Lalan Singh Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
14. Shri Sarbananda Sonowal Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

15. Dr. Virendra Kumar Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.

16. Shri Kinjarapu Minister of Civil Aviation.
Rammohan Naidu
17. Shri Pralhad Joshi Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and
Minister of New and Renewable Energy.
18. Shri Jual Oram Minister of Tribal Affairs.

19. Shri Giriraj Singh Minister of Textiles.

20. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Minister of Railways;

Minister of Information and Broadcasting; and
Minister of Electronics and Information Technology.
21. Shri Jyotiraditya M. Minister of Communications; and
Scindia Minister of Development of North Eastern Region.
22. Shri Bhupender Yadav Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

23. Shri Gajendra Singh Minister of Culture; and

Shekhawat Minister of Tourism.
24. Smt. Annpurna Devi Minister of Women and Child Development

25. Shri Kiren Rijiju Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; and

Minister of Minority Affairs.
26. Shri Hardeep Singh Puri Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas

27. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya Minister of Labour and Employment; and

Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports.
28. Shri G. Kishan Reddy Minister of Coal; and
Minister of Mines.
29. Shri Chirag Paswan Minister of Food Processing Industries.

30. Shri C R Patil Minister of Jal Shakti.

 MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

1. Rao Inderjit Singh Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of

Statistics and Programme Implementation;

Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of

Planning; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture.

2. Dr. Jitendra Singh Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of

Science and Technology;

Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of

Earth Sciences;

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office;

Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public

Grievances and Pensions;

Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and

Minister of State in the Department of Space.

3. Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law
and Justice; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

4. Shri Jadhav Prataprao Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of

Ganpatrao Ayush; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

5. Shri Jayant Chaudhary Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education.

 MINISTERS OF STATE
1. Shri Jitin Prasada Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and

Information Technology.
2. Shri Shripad Yesso Naik Minister of State in the Ministry of Power; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of New and Renewable

Energy.
3. Shri Pankaj Chaudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance.
4. Shri Krishan Pal Minister of State in the Ministry of Cooperation.
5. Shri Ramdas Athawale Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment.
6. Shri Ram Nath Thakur Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare.
7. Shri Nityanand Rai Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
8. Smt. Anupriya Patel Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and

Fertilizers.
9. Shri V. Somanna Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways.

10. Dr. Chandra Sekhar Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development; and
Pemmasani
Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications.
11. Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal
Husbandry and Dairying; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

12. Sushri Shobha Karandlaje Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and

Employment.
13. Shri Kirtivardhan Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs.

14. Shri B. L. Verma Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food
and Public Distribution; and

Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and

Empowerment.
15. Shri Shantanu Thakur Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and
Waterways.
16. Shri Suresh Gopi Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and
Natural Gas; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism.
17. Dr. L. Murugan Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
18. Shri Ajay Tamta Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways.
19. Shri Bandi Sanjay Kumar Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

20. Shri Kamlesh Paswan Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development.

21. Shri Bhagirath Choudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare.
22. Shri Satish Chandra Dubey Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines.
23. Shri Sanjay Seth Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence.

24. Shri Ravneet Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing
Industries; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways.
25. Shri Durgadas Uikey Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

26. Smt. Raksha Nikhil Khadse Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

27. Shri Sukanta Majumdar Minister of State in the Ministry of Education; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Development of North
Eastern Region.
28. Smt. Savitri Thakur Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child
Development.
29. Shri Tokhan Sahu Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs.
30. Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

31. Shri Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries; and
Varma Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel.
32. Shri Harsh Malhotra Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways.
33. Smt. Nimuben Jayantibhai Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food
Bambhaniya and Public Distribution.
34. Shri Murlidhar Mohol Minister of State in the Ministry of Cooperation; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
35. Shri George Kurian Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal
Husbandry and Dairying.
36. Shri Pabitra Margherita Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and
Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles.
Mohan Majhi - Odisha Chief Minister
➢ Mohan Charan Majhi, four-time MLA and tribal leader, will take
the oath of office as Chief Minister of Odisha.
➢ First time the BJP is forming a government in the State on its own.
➢ It won 78 seats in the 147-member Assembly.
➢ The Biju Janata Dal has won 51 seats and the Congress 14. One seat went to the CPI(M).
DICV names Muthu as new Chief of Operations
➢ Daimler India Commercial Vehicles has appointed C. Muthu Maruthachalam
as President and Chief of Operations and Logistics with effect from August 15.
➢ He replaces former COO Anshum Jain.
Prem Prabhakar
➢ SBICAP Ventures Limited (SVL) has appointed Prem Prabhakar as its new
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
➢ Earlier, he served as General Manager at State Bank of India.
Chandrababu Naidu sworn in as Andhra Pradesh CM for the fourth time
➢ Chandrababu Naidu, leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), was sworn in as the chief
minister of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth time.
➢ Naidu was elected from the Kuppam legislative assembly constituency
and became the 18th chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.
➢ The state Governor also swore in a 25-member cabinet, including
21 members of TDP, 3 from Janasena, and 1 from BJP.
➢ TDP and its allies swept the recently held Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly poll, winning 164
seats out of 175.
➢ Naidu's party won 135 seats, Janasena won 21 seats, and BJP won 8 seats.
➢ The opposition YSR Congress party, led by former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, got only 11
seats.
➢ Naidu has announced that Amravati will be the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
➢ Naidu has previously served as chief minister from 1995 to 2004, and again from 2014 to 2019.
Pema Khandu
➢ Pema Khandu takes oath as Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister for 3rd term.
➢ Won 46 of the 60 Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh
➢ Also: Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt Gen (retired) K.T. Parnaik administered
the oath of office and secrecy to Chowna Mein as the Deputy Chief Minister.
Govt extends Ajit Doval’s tenure as National Security Advisor
➢ The GOVT extended the tenure of Ajit, former IB chief and Kerala cadre IPS officer, as
the National Security Advisor (NSA ) and re-appointed PK Mishra as the Principal
Secretary to PM Modi. Doval will be assigned the rank of Cabinet Minister
➢ Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor have been appointed as Advisors to PM, in the Prime
Minister's Office for a period of two years.
Jyoti Vij
➢ The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry announced the
appointment of Jyoti Vij as its director general. Ficci president Anish Shah
Peter Pellegrini sworn in as Slovakia’s president:
➢ Peter Pellegrini was sworn in as the 6th president of Slovakia since it gained
independence after the disintegration of Czechoslovakia in 1993.
➢ He replaced Zuzana Caputova.
❑ Slovakia: Capital: Bratislava; Currency: Euro; PM: Robert Fico
Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected South African president following coalition deal
➢ Cyril Ramaphosa, 71, was re-elected as South Africa's president for a 2nd term.
➢ The African National Congress (ANC) formed an unprecedented coalition govt
after the May 29 general election produced no outright winner.
➢ Historic Turning Point: The election marked a historic turning point for South
Africa, ending 30 years of dominance by the ANC, which won only 40% of the vote and lost its
absolute majority in parliament for the first time.
❑ South Africa: Capital:- Cape Town; Currency:- South African rand
Dhanlaxmi Bank appoints Ajith Kumar KK as MD & CEO for 3-year tenure
➢ Private sector Dhanlaxmi Bank has appointed Ajith Kumar
KK as Managing Director (MD) of the bank.
❑ Dhanalakshmi Bank: Tagline is "Banking on Relationships forever“
❑ HQ: Thrissur, Kerala.
Dr Kapil Dua has been appointed as the President of the Asian Association of Hair
Restoration Surgeons (AAHRS)
➢ Dr Kapil Dua has been announced as the President of the Asian Association
of Hair Restoration Surgeons (AAHRS).
➢ The announcement was made at the 8th Annual Scientific Meeting and Surgical
Workshop of AAHRS, held in China.
➢ Dr Dua, who previously served as President of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery
(ISHRS) in 2022-2023 and the Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons (AHRS) India in 2016-
2017, is the only Indian hair transplant surgeon to have led national, global, and now Asian
organizations in hair restoration.
Mohanlal re-elected AMMA president for the third time
➢ Actor Mohanlal has been re-elected unopposed president of the Association
of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA).
➢ This will be the actor’s third consecutive term.
Annurag Batra has been elected a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences
➢ Annurag Batra, founder of exchange4media and Chairman of BW
Businessworld, has been elected a member of the International
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
➢ He joins a group of over 900 members from about 60 countries, representing
the world’s leading television and media companies.
Rajeev Agarwal has been appointed as the Independent Director of Paytm
➢ Paytm has onboarded former whole-time director of market regulator
SEBI Rajeev Krishnamuralilal Agarwal as an independent director
for five years.
➢ Currently, Agarwal serves as Chairman and Independent Director on the board of Trust
Mutual Fund.
➢ Neeraj Arora, the former Chief Business Officer of WhatsApp, has resigned from the board of One97
Communications, the parent company of fintech giant Paytm.
❑ Paytm:- Founded: 2010;
❑ CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma; Headquarters: Noida, UP.
David Wiese has announced his retirement
➢ Namibia’s star all-rounder David Wiese has confirmed his
international cricket retirement after their loss to England.
➢ Wiese, who started his international career with South Africa, would
switch allegiances and start being a part of the Namibian side from 2021.
❑ Namibia:- capital:- Windhoek; Currency:- Namibian dollar (NAD);
Bhartruhari Mahtab appointed pro tem Speaker of Lok Sabha
➢ President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Bhartruhari Mahtab,
seven term MP from Cuttack, as the pro tem Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha.
➢ Article 95(1) of the Constitution.
➢ will make oath or affirmation before the pro tem Speaker.
❑ Lok Sabha: Members: maximum of 550 members in the House.
❑ The Lok Sabha currently has 543 members; Out of the elective seats,
79 are reserved for SC and 41 for ST.
GWEC India has announced the appointment of Mr. Girish Tanti as Chairman
➢ As Global Wind Day(June 17) is celebrated across the world.
➢ GWEC India has announced that Mr Girish Tanti, Vice-Chairman of
Suzlon Group, has been appointed as the Chairman.
S. Tripathy appointed as the first director of UVCE
➢ The State government has appointed S. Tripathy, professor,
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur, West Bengal, as the first director of the University of Visvesvaraya
College of Engineering (UVCE).
❑ University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE): Founded:- 1917;
❑ Slogan:- "For Quality and Excellence“.
❑ Under the name Government Engineering College, by Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya.
Rear Adm Nelson D’Souza takes over as Commandant, Military Institute of Technology,
Pune
➢ Rear Admiral Nelson D’Souza has taken over as Commandant of Military Institute
of Technology (MILIT), Pune from Air Vice Marshal Vivek Blouria.
➢ An accomplished alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Naval War College,
Goa, Rear Admiral D’Souza has served in numerous key positions within the Indian Navy since his
commissioning in March 1991.
Bharat Electronics appoints Manoj Jain as chairman & MD
➢ The aerospace & defense firm announced that its board has appointed Manoj Jain
as chairman and managing director of the company with effect from 20 June 2024.
❑ BEL: Founded: -1954; Headquarters:- Bangalore;
Actor Theo James appointed as global Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR
➢ The United Nations refugee agency named British actor Theo James as a global goodwill
ambassador .
➢ James, who acted in television series, The Gentlemen and The White Lotus, has supported UNHCR
since 2016, and has travelled to Greece, France and Jordan to meet asylum seekers and refugees.
❑ UNHCR: Founded:-1950; Headquarters:- Geneva, Switzerland;
Sudhakararao Papa has been appointed as the Director (Enterprise) of BSNL
➢ Sudhakararao Papa has been appointed as the Director (Enterprise) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam
Limited (BSNL).
➢ Presently, he is serving as Chief General Manager (Chennai Telecom District Circle)
in the same organisation.
➢ Papa has been selected for the post of Director (Enterprises) of BSNL Limited from
a list of 11 candidates.
❑ BSNL:- Established:-15th September 2000;
❑ Chairman& Managing Director:- Pravin Kumar Purwar; Headquarters: New Delhi;
IB chief, NHRC Secretary General get extension
➢ Bharat Lal, retired Indian Forest Services officer, has been granted a one-year
extension as secretary-general of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)-India.
➢ Period of one year beyond June 30, 2024
➢ Also: A year's extension in service to TapanKumar Deka, Director, Intelligence Bureau.
❑ NHRC:- Founded: 12 October 1993 Headquarter: New Delhi
Sony Pictures Networks India appoints Disney Star’s Gaurav Banerjee as new MD and
CEO
➢ Sony Pictures Networks India announced the appointment of former
Disney executive Gaurav Banerjee as its Managing Director and CEO.
➢ Mr . Banerjee will succeed N. P. Singh.
Govt appoints Girija Subramanian as CMD of New India Assurance Company
➢ The government has appointed Girija Subramanian as chairman and managing
director of the largest general insurer, New India Assurance, effective from June 19,
2024, until she attains the age of superannuation or until further orders.
NATO Allies select Mark Rutte as next Secretary General
➢ NATO's 32 nations appointed outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the
alliance's next head.
➢ Mr. Rutte will take over from Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on October 1.
❑ NATO: Established :- On 4 April 1949; Headquarters:- Brussels, Belgium;
❑ NATO has 32 member countries.
Om Birla elected Lok Sabha speaker for second term
➢ Om Birla was elected Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha defeating Kodikunnil Suresh
of the Congress.
➢ The first time an election for the Speaker’s post took place was in the first Lok
Sabha of 1952, when G.V. Mavalankar polled 394 votes to defeat Shantaram More, who
managed to garner 55 votes.
➢ In 1967, during the fourth Lok Sabha, Congress’ Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy faced off against Tenneti
Viswanathan
➢ In the fifth Lok Sabha Speaker G.S. Dhillon had resigned on December 1, 1975. On January 5, 1976,
during the Emergency, Bhagat was elected Speaker against a competing claim by Jana Sangh leader
Jagannath Rao Joshi.
1989 batch IFS officer Vikram Misri to be new Foreign Secretary
➢ News: Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri will take charge as the
Foreign Secretary on July 15.
➢ Mr. Misri, who is a former Indian ambassador to China, will succeed current
Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
SBI General Insurance appoints Naveen Chandra Jha as MD & CEO
➢ News: SBI General Insurance Company Ltd. has named Shri Naveen Chandra Jha
as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
➢ He succeeds Shri Kishore Kumar Poludasu.
❑ SBI General Insurance: Founded:- 2009; Headquarters:- Mumbai, India;
Portugal’s António Costa, The European Council’s Next President
➢ Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has been formally
appointed to take on the second highest job in the European Union,
that of President of the European Council.
➢ Ursula Von der Leyen has been reinstated for a second term as President
of the European Commission.
FSIB recommends Setty for SBI Chairman post
➢ The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB), the body which
selects the Chairman and MDs of public sector banks and insurance companies,
has recommended the name of Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as the next Chairman
of State Bank of India
➢ SBI’s current Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara is retiring on August 28,.
➢ He was given an extension in October 2023.
❑ SBI:- Founded:1806; Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Ravi Agrawal appointed new CBDT chief
➢ News: Ravi Agrawal, a 1988-batch IRS officer, has been appointed as the new chairman of the
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the administrative body for the Income Tax Department.
➢ He takes over from Nitin Gupta, a 1986-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, whose extended
tenure as the chairman ends on Sunday, June 30.

IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day of the Seafarer
➢ International Day of the Seafarer is celebrated every year on 25 June.
➢ The Day of the Seafarer (25 June) was established in a resolution adopted by
the 2010 Diplomatic Conference in Manila to adopt the revised STCW Convention.
World Vitiligo Day
➢ World Vitiligo Day is celebrated every year on 25 June.
➢ Since 2001.
➢ 2024, Theme: “United by the skin”.
➢ Aims to promote a better understanding of the condition, provide support to those
affected by vitiligo.
Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day
➢ Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day is celebrated every year on 27 June.
➢ 2024, Theme: “Leveraging Power and Resilience of MSMEs to Accelerate Sustainable
Development and Eradicate Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises”.
National Statistics Day
➢ National Statistics Day is celebrated every year on 29 June.
➢ Theme of 2024: “Use of data for decisionmaking” .
➢ Contributions made by Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the fields of statistics.
➢ He founded the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Calcutta – 1931.
World Milk Day
➢ Every year, World Milk Day is observed on June 1, Since 2001.
➢ Established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.
➢ 2024 Theme : “celebrating the vital role dairy plays in delivering quality
nutrition to nourish the world”.
Global Day of Parents
➢ Global Day of Parents is a United Nations observance that is celebrated
on June 1 each year.
➢ Importance of parenthood and promote the healthy development of
children.
➢ In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly decided to hold an annual
World Day of Parents.
➢ 2024 Theme : “The Promise of Playful Parenting”.
International Sex Workers’ Day
➢ International Whores' Day or International Sex Workers' Day is
observed annually on June 2 of each year.
➢ To create awareness about the challenges and exploitation faced by
sex workers.
➢ 2024 Theme : “Access to Justice.”
Telangana Formation Day
➢ Telangana Formation Day is a momentous occasion celebrated annually on
June 2 in the Indian state of Telangana.
➢ This day marks the official establishment of Telangana as the 28th state of
India on June 2, 2014.
World Bicycle Day
➢ This day is celebrated annually on June 3.
➢ 2024 Theme : Promoting Health, Equity, and Sustainability through Cycling.
➢ World Bicycle Day was first marked on June 3, 2018, following a resolution
adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on April 12, 2018, during its
72nd Regular Session.
International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
➢ It is observed every year on 4 June.
➢ It focuses on the challenges faced by children who are victims of aggression,
violence and exploitation.
International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
➢ It is celebrated on June 5 every year.
➢ This year marks the observance of the 7th International Day for the Fight Against
IUU Fishing.
World Environment Day
➢ World Environment Day is celebrated on 5th June every year.
➢ 2024 Theme: ‘Land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience‘ under
the slogan ‘Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration
➢ Host Country: Saudi Arabi.
World Pest Day
➢ World Pest Day or World Pest Awareness Day is observed on June 6th .
➢ 2024 Theme: “Global Solutions, Local Impact: Mapping Success in Pest
Management.”
World Food Safety Day
➢ The World Food Safety Day (WFSD), celebrated every year on June 7.
➢ WFSD reaches its sixth edition in 2024.
➢ 2024 Theme : “Food safety: prepare for the unexpected.”
➢ Slogan : "Food safety is everyone’s business"
World Oceans Day
➢ It is celebrated every year on June 8th since 2008
➢ This year, World Oceans Day falls on Saturday.
➢ Theme: “Awaken New Depths.”
World Brain Tumour Day
➢ Every year, World Brain Tumour Day is observed on June 8th
➢ Theme: ‘Brain Health and Prevention’.
➢ It was first observed in the year 2000.
International Archives Day
➢ It is celebrated every year on June 9th
➢ In 2007, the International Council on Archives (ICA) took the initiative and
officially declared the 9th of June as International Archives Day.
International Day of Play
➢ It is celebrated every year on June 11th
➢ Theme 2024: Play Makes A Better World.
World Day Against Child Labour
➢ It is celebrated every year on June 12th
➢ Theme: 'Let’s act on our commitments: End Child Labour.’
International Albinism Awareness Day
➢ It is celebrated every year on June 13th
➢ Awareness about albinism – a rare, genetically inherited condition that
causes a lack of pigmentation in the skin, hair, and eyes.
➢ Theme: “10 years of IAAD: A decade of collective progress”
World Blood Donor Day
➢ It is celebrated every year on June 14th
➢ Theme: “20 years of celebrating giving: thank you blood donors!”
➢ It was organized for the first time in 2004.
Global Wind Day
➢ Global Wind Day or World Wind Day is a worldwide event that is held on
June 15.
➢ 500 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030, of which 140 GW is slated to
come from wind power.
➢ Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE): Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi.
➢ India’s first 4.20-MW wind turbine generator - Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
➢ It is commemorated each year on June 15.
➢ 2024 Theme: “Spotlight on Older Persons in Emergencies raise awareness”
about the abuse, neglect, and exploitation that older persons face.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Day
➢ UNCCD is celebrated each year on 17 June.
➢ 2024 Theme: “United for Land: Our Legacy. Our Future”
➢ Target: global commitments to restore 1 billion hectares of degraded land
by 2030.
Autistic Pride Day
➢ Autistic Pride Day is celebrated each year on 18 June.
➢ 2024 Theme: "Taking the Mask Off."
➢ This date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of renowned
autism rights activist, Dr. Jim Sinclair.
➢ Autistic Pride Day was first celebrated in 2005 by Aspies for Freedom, a now-defunct autism
advocacy organisation.
World Sickle Cell Awareness Day
➢ World Sickle Cell Awareness Day is celebrated each year on 19 June.
➢ 2024 Theme: “Hope Through Progress: Advancing Sickle Cell Care
Globally”
➢ National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission >> to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia as a public
health problem in India before 2047.
World Refugee Day
➢ World Refugee Day is celebrated each year on 20 June.
➢ The global community observes World Refugee Day to raise awareness about
the challenges faced by refugees worldwide.
➢ The United Nations General Assembly first designated June 20th as World
Refugee Day in 2001.
➢ 2024 Theme: "For a World Where Refugees Are Welcomed”.
International Yoga Day
➢ International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on 21 June.
➢ 2024, Theme: “Yoga for Self and Society”.
➢ United Nations officially proclaimed June 21st as the International Day of
Yoga on December 11, 2014.
World Music Day
➢ World Music Day is celebrated every year on 21 June.
➢ World Music Day, also known as Fête de la Musique, is an annual global
celebration of music celebrated every year on June 21.
➢ People around the world come together to showcase their talents, creating a
diverse and inclusive musical experience.
World Rainforest Day
➢ World Rainforest Day is celebrated every year on 22 June.
➢ World Rainforest Day was observed in 2017 by the Rainforest Partnership.
➢ 2024, Theme: “The Year of Action.”
International Olympic Day
➢ International Olympic Day is celebrated every year on 23 June.
➢ 2024, Theme: ‘Let’s Move and Celebrate’
➢ First made official in 1948, it is an annual celebration of sport, health, and togetherness.
United Nations Public Service Day
➢ United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated every year on 23 June.
➢ 2024, Theme: ‘Fostering Innovation amid Global Challenges: a Public Sector Perspective’
➢ On 20 December 2002, the General Assembly designated 23 June as Public Service Day by adopting
resolution 57/277.
International Day of Women in Diplomacy
➢ International Day of Women in Diplomacy is celebrated every year on 24 June.
➢ Women have participated in diplomacy for centuries, yet their contributions have
often been overlooked.
➢ Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential.
 OBITUARIES
Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, has died in
Washington plane crash
➢ Retired Maj. Gen. William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took
the iconic “Earthrise” photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble
from space in 1968.
➢ He was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San
Juan Islands in Washington state. He was 90.
➢ He was also the backup pilot for the Gemini XI mission and Apollo 11 mission in which the first
humans actually landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.
A.J.T. Johnsingh, a renowned wildlife field biologist and conservationist, Passes Away
➢ Eminent wildlife field biologists and pioneers of wildlife conservation in the Country,
A.J.T. John Singh passed away in Bengaluru at the age of 78.
➢ Instrumental in Project Elephant.
Ramoji Rao, founder of Ramoji Film City and head of ETV Network, dies in Hyderabad
➢ Ramoji Rao, head of the ETV Network and founder of Ramoji Film City, died while undergoing
treatment in Hyderabad at the age 87.
➢ Ramoji Rao headed the Eenadu group of companies, ETV Network, Margadarshi
Chit fund, and Ramoji Film City (RFC).
➢ In 2016, he was recognized with the Padma Vibhushan.
Vice-President of Malawi, 9 others killed in plane crash
➢ Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine other people, including his
wife, were killed as the plane they were onboard crashed in the Chikangawa
mountain range.
Sarod maestro Pandit Rajeev Taranath passes away
➢ Sarod maestro Pandit Rajeev Taranath, 92, passed away.
➢ Honoured with Padma Shri in 2019 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2000.
➢ In Karnataka, he was bestowed with the Rajyotsava Award in 1996, Chowdaiah
Memorial Award in 1998, Sangeet Vidwan Award in 2018, and the Nadoja Award in 2019.
Veteran sports journalist Harpal Singh Bedi passes away
➢ Veteran sports journalist Harpal Singh Bedi, who covered several
highs and lows of Indian sports in a career spanning over four decades,
served as the national Olympic contingent's press attache in 2012 and
charmed the media box with his inimitable wit and warmth, died after
prolonged illness in New Delhi on June 15.
Former Odisha Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare passes away
➢ Bhandare was a senior Congress leader from Maharashtra and a
former Rajya Sabha member for three terms.
➢ He also practised as a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court and served as Governor of Odisha from
August 2007 to March 2013.
David Johnson, former India pacer, dies at the age of 52
➢ Former India pacer David Johnson has tragically passed away after falling from
the balcony of his fourth-floor apartment in Bengaluru, a Karnataka State
Cricket Association (KSCA).
➢ Johnson, who was 52, is survived by his wife and two children.
Acharya Laxmikant Dixit, Chief Priest Of Ram Mandir Consecration Ceremony Dies
➢ Chief priest Acharya Laxmikant Dixit, who spearheaded the holy consecration of
Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, died.
➢ He was 86 years old.
The Hunger Games’ Actor Donald Sutherland Dies at 88
➢ The Canadian actor Donald Sutherland, star of films including The Hunger
Games and Don’t Look Now, has died at 88 after a long illness.
➢ Born in New Brunswick, Canada, Sutherland started as a radio news reporter before
travelling to London in 1957 to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Statistician Frank Duckworth, co-inventor of the Duckworth-Lewis method, has passed
away at the age of 84.
➢ The duo co-invented the Duckworth-Lewis method, used to fairly determine results
and set targets in rain-truncated matches.
➢ First used in international cricket in 1997, the method was fully adopted by the ICC in 1999.
Former Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey, at the helm when Cold War ended, passes
away
➢ Former Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey, who steered India’s foreign affairs
establishment towards the end of the Cold War and the post-Cold War phase in
the early 1990s, passed away.
➢ He was India’s 17th Foreign Secretary during 1990-91.