Daily Current Affairs 30 June 2022

RBI, Banking and Economy

• GST Council Meet
  • The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council removed a host of tax exemptions and raised rates for a larger number of mass-consumption items to remove anomalies and inversion. The decision will take effect from July 18.

• Foundation stone laid of 9 NH projects worth Rs 1357 Crore in Rajasthan
  • Nitin Gadkari, Union minister for road transport and highways, inaugurated and laid foundation stone for nine national highways projects worth ₹1,357 crore in Rajasthan which will boost connectivity and ease travelling in the region.

• 15 companies selected under 2nd Round of PLI Scheme for White Goods
  • A total of 15 applicants have been selected under the 2nd round of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in White Goods with committed investment of Rs 1,368 crore.

SEBI and FINANCIAL AWARENESS

• SEBI slaps heavy penalties in NSE 'dark fibre' case
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has slapped heavy penalties in a 2015 ‘dark fibre’ case that saw certain brokers exploiting the National Stock Exchange’s (NSE’s) internet infrastructure to get faster connectivity to its colocation (colo) facilities.

• SEBI permits FPIs to deal in exchange-traded commodity derivatives
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI's) board allowed foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to trade in exchange-traded commodity derivatives.
  • The move will enhance liquidity and market depth, as well as promote efficient price discovery.

NABARD & Agriculture

• In RMS 2022-23, 187.86 LMT wheat procured (upto 26.06.2022)
  • Wheat procurement under the central pool in Rabi Marketing Season 2022-23 is going smoothly. Upto 06.2022, a quantity of 187.86 LMT of wheat has been procured, benefiting about 17.85 Lakh farmers with MSP value of Rs. 37, 852.88 crore.

• Cabinet approves Computerization of Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS)
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) with the objective of increasing efficiency of PACS, bringing transparency and accountability in their operations; facilitating PACS to diversify their business and undertake multiple activities/ services.

NATIONAL

• 16th Vice-Presidential Election
  • The Election Commission under the Chairmanship of Sh. Rajiv Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner of India announced that the election to the post of the Vice-President will be held on August 6, as M. Venkaiah Naidu’s term was coming to an end on August 10.

INTERNATIONAL

• World Bank agrees on $500-mn aid to help Egypt fund wheat purchases
  • Egypt will receive a USD 500 million loan from the World Bank to help finance its wheat purchases as prices skyrocket because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
  • The funds, approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors, aim at supporting Egypt's efforts to provide subsidized bread to poor and vulnerable households.

STATES

• Maharashtra renaming two districts
  • The Maharashtra Cabinet cleared the decision to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad districts to Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, respectively.

REPORTS AND INDEXES

• NITI Aayog and TIFAC Launch Report on Future Penetration of Electric Two-Wheelers
  • NITI Aayog and TIFAC launched a report titled ‘Forecasting Penetration of Electric Two-Wheelers in India’, on 28 June.
  • The report provides a much-needed tool to the industry, researchers, academicians, and policymakers to analyze and respond to various scenarios.

• Mumbai, Delhi most expensive cities for expatriates in India: Mercer study
  • According to Mercer's 2022 Cost of Living survey, Mumbai (127) is the costliest city in India in terms of both living expenses and accommodation costs. This is followed by New Delhi (155), Chennai (177), Bengaluru (178), and Hyderabad (192), while Pune (201) and Kolkata (203) are the least expensive Indian cities in the ranking.

• India will have 122 new unicorns in 4 years: Hurun Research report
  • Hurun Research Institute released a report on the ASK Private Wealth Hurun India Future Unicorn Index 2022.
  • According to the report, India will have 122 new unicorns--startups valued each at more than $1 billion--in the next two to four years,.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• New genus of treeshrew from Ramnagar in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), an autonomous institute of Department of Science and Technology (DST) found fossils of the new genus and species of treeshrew (known as Sivatupaia ramnagarensis) from the middle Miocene (extends from about 23.03 to 5.333 million years ago) site of Ramnagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

DEFENCE

• India-Australia defence talks in Dehradun
  • The Australian delegation is on a visit to India from June 25 to July 1.
  • Armies of India and Australia held the ninth Army to Army Staff Talks in Dehradun which were focused on joint military exercises, training cooperation and preparing a roadmap for enhanced defence cooperation.

• High speed Expendable Aerial Target - ABHYAS - successfully flight-tested
  • ABHYAS – High speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) was successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on June 29, 2022.
  • ABHYAS is designed & developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

EVENTS

• G-20 summit expected to be in Delhi
  • India is expected to host the G-20 summit in Delhi expected to be held between December 2022 and November 2023 during India’s G-20 presidency.

SPORTS

• Babar surpasses Kohli’s T20I record
  • Pakistan captain Babar Azam has surpassed India’s Virat Kohli in becoming the world No.1 T20I batter for the longest period of time after he maintained his top spot in the latest ICC T20 batting rankings.

• Formula E race to be held in Hyderabad next year
  • The calendar for the ninth season (2022-23) of the Formula E championship was approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council with Hyderabad set to host the fourth race on February 11, 2023 after Mexico and a double-header in Saudi Arabia

• Poovamma suspended for three months
  • The National Anti-Doping Agency has suspended multiple Asian Games relay gold medallist M.R. Poovamma for failing a dope test in the Indian GP at Patiala in February 2021.