Monthly Current Affairs June 2021

FINANCE AND BANKING

• RBI keeps rates unchanged, cuts growth forecast
  • RBI has kept its policy rates unchanged, scaled down the growth projections for the current financial year by a full percentage point. It also said that it would buy Rs 1.2 trillion of government securities under its own version of quantitative easing for the second quarter.

• RBI announces second round of G-SAP to keep yields in check
  • RBI recently said that there would be a second round of the Government Securities Acquisition Programme (G-SAP) in the second quarter of the financial year 2021-22.

• RBI projects retail inflation at 5.1 pc in FY22 on supply-side measures, monsoon
  • RBI expects retail inflation to be at 5.1 per cent in the current financial year supported by the progress of monsoon and effective supply-side interventions by the government.

ECONOMY

• WazirX launches NFT marketplace for Indian artists to sell their work
  • Binance-owned crypto exchange WazirX recently launched South Asia’s first non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace with 15 creators hailing from multiple categories including digital artists, muralist photographers, canvas artists, space 3D artists, street artists, and visual artists to sell their work.

• Govt to distribute free food grains to 80 crore people till Diwali
  • The Government has announced that it will distribute free food grains to around 80 crore people till Diwali for providing relief to the poor amid the second wave of COVID-19.

• Cabinet gives nod to India-Japan MoC on urban development
  • The Union Cabinet has approved a memorandum of cooperation with Japan in the field of sustainable urban development which is expected to create employment opportunities.

NATIONAL

• SAGE (Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal launched
  • The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot virtually launched the SAGE (Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal for elderly persons.
  • The SAGE portal will be a “one-stop access” of elderly care products and services by credible start-ups.

• Sustainable Development Goals India Index 2020-21
  • NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations in India released third rendition of SDG India Index 2020-21.
  • The Index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) evaluates progress of states and union territories on social, economic and environmental parameters.

• CBSE introduces coding and data science as new subjects in 2021-22 academic session
  • The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in collaboration with Microsoft to introduced coding as a subject for students of Class 6-8 and data science curriculum for Class 8-12 as new skilling subjects in the 2021-2022 academic session.

INTERNATIONAL

• Isaac Herzog elected 11th president of Israel
  • Veteran politician Isaac Herzog has been elected Israel’s 11th president in a secret ballot in the Knesset (parliament).

• HeidelbergCement plans world's first CO2 neutral cement plant in Sweden
  • HeidelbergCement, the world’s second-largest cement maker, plans to turn its Swedish factory in Slite into the world’s first CO2-neutral cement plant by 2030 via carbon capture technology.

• China creates combined air defence system along LAC
  • China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) has integrated elements of the air force and army to create a combined air defence system for its western theatre command that is responsible for operations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

REPORTS AND INDEXES

• Centre for World University Rankings 2021-22
  • The Centre for World University Ranking (CWUR) released World University Rankings 2021/22.
  • 19,788 institutions were ranked, and those that placed at the top made the global 2000 list.
  • Among the top 2,000 institutions across the globe, 68 Indian institutions have made the positions in that list.

• AIRINC Global 150 Cities Index
  • AIRINC’s Global 150 Cities Index is a ranking of 150 of the top global locations according to the financial and lifestyle benefits they offer. It combines local salary levels, tax rates, living costs, and living conditions to assess how appealing each location is to live in. Metrics for index: Salary level, cost, taxes, hardship/quality of living, social benefits

• State of Environment Report 2021
  • The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has recently released the State of Environment Report, 2021.
  • India’s rank has slipped by two places from last year to 117 on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted as a part of the 2030 agenda by 193 United Nations member states in 2015.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• IIT Ropar develops "AmbiTAG"- India's first indigenous temperature data logger for the cold chain management
  • Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar (IIT Ropar) in Punjab has developed a first-of-its-kind IoT device – AmbiTag that records real-time ambient temperature during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines and even body organs and blood.

• Reading X-ray via WhatsApp: AI-driven 'XraySetu' helps doctors detect COVID in rural population
  • A new AI-driven platform XraySetu will now help early intervention through rapid screening of COVID-19 with the help of Chest X-ray interpretation over WhatsApp for doctors who have access to X-ray machines.

• Microsoft to retire iconic Internet Explorer browser on June 15, 2022
  • Microsoft has announced to retire its iconic Internet Explorer (IE) browser in June 2022, as it envisions the future of Internet Explorer, which was launched in 1995, on Windows 10 in Microsoft Edge.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• Marine products export dips nearly 11 pc to USD 5.96 bn in FY21
  • The country’s exports of marine products fell 10.88 per cent to USD 5.96 billion (Rs 43,717.26 crore) during 2020-21 due to the pandemic and sluggish overseas markets, the commerce ministry said.

• Van Dhan Yojana to be expanded to UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
  • Central Government’s Van Dhan Yojana will be extended to the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

• GeM portal facilitates public purchases of Rs 1.1 lakh crore
  • Goods and services worth as much as Rs 1.11 lakh crore have been purchased through the public procurement portal GeM since its inception in August 2016, according to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

DEFENCE

• Indian Navy’s oldest hydrographic survey ship INS Sandhayak decommissioned
  • Indian Navy’s oldest hydrographic survey ship INS Sandhayak was decommissioned at Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam after serving the nation for 40 years.
  • The ship was commissioned to the Indian Navy on February 26, 1981.

• India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT)
  • The navies of India and Thailand kicked off their three-day, bi-annually India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) in the Andaman Sea. This is the 31st edition the joint exercise.
  • Participating in the patrol are the Indian Naval Ship Saryu, an indigenously built offshore patrol vessel, and His Majesty’s Thailand Ship (HTMS) Krabi, also an offshore patrol vessel. The two vessels will be accompanied by Dornier patrol aircraft from both navies.

• Russia is building first fully stealth warship
  • The Russian navy is building its first fully stealth warship to make it harder to detect.
  • The hull of the Mercury naval corvette, known as project 20386, has already been constructed and the ship is expected to be delivered to the navy next year.

EVENTS

• BRICS foreign ministers hold virtual meeting
  • India hosted the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in its capacity as the chair of BRICS —Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa.

• IIT Madras hosts Asia’s first workshop on International Memory Studies
  • Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Madras hosted Asia’s first workshop on International Memory Studies virtually.
  • The aim of this workshop was to precedes the launch the Indian Network for Memory Studies officially and bring together the participants from all over the world.

• Italy hosts the Global G20 Health Summit
  • Global G20 Health Summit was co-hosted by Italy and European Union at Villa Pamphilj in Rome to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and pledge new commitments to help ensure COVID-19 vaccine doses reach the populations that need them most

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021
  • Canadian photographer Mr. Thomas Vijayan (native of Kerala), took home the grand prize of 1,500 pounds and the title of Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021 for a photograph, titled 'The World is Going Upside Down' (in pic).

• International Booker Prize 2021
  • David Diop has become the first French novelist to win the International Booker prize for translated fiction with At Night All Blood Is Black, his first novel translated into English.
  • The novel was published in French in 2018.

• WHO Honours Harsh Vardhan for Tobacco Control Efforts
  • World Health Organisation (WHO) has awarded Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan with 'WHO Director-General Special Recognition Award' for his accomplishments in the area of tobacco control.

SPORTS

• ICC Expands Men's ODI World Cup to 14 Teams From 2027
  • ICC expands Men's ODI World Cup to 14 Teams from 2027. Earlier there were 10 teams.
  • T20 World Cup to 20 Teams from 2024.

• FIH world rankings: Indian men's team maintain 4th position, women’s team hold on to 9th
  • In Hockey, Indian men's team maintained their fourth position while women’s team held to ninth position in the latest International Hockey Federation world rankings.

• Sergio Perez Wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix
  • Red Bull's Sergio Perez won Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
  • Sebastian Vettel for Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly for Alpha Tauri were second and third respectively.