Weekly Current Affairs 23 to 30 June 2022

RBI, Banking and Economy

• Former SBI official appointed member of advisory committee of SIFL & SEFL
  • The RBI appointed Venkat Nageswar Chalasani, former Deputy Managing Director of SBI, as a member of the Advisory Committee of Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited (SIFL) and Srei Equipment Finance Limited (SEFL).

• RBI extends deadline for card tokenisation till Sept 30
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is extending the deadline for card-on-file (CoF) tokenisation by another three months to September 30 as transaction processing based on such tokens is yet to gain traction across categories of merchants.

• India completes ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ implementation
  • With Assam becoming the last state to implement the one nation one ration card (ONORC) scheme, its pan-India rollout is now complete.
  • Under the scheme, beneficiaries can get access to highly subsidised foodgrains under public distribution system anywhere in the country.

SEBI and FINANCIAL AWARENESS

• SEBI relaxes regulatory framework for AIFs targeting 'accredited investors'
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), relaxed the regulatory framework for alternative investment funds (AIFs) targeting ‘accredited investors’ — those investors with annual income of over Rs 2 crore or networth of at least Rs 7.5 crore.

• SEBI gives UPI payment option to invest in public issues of REITs, InvITs
  • Capital markets regulator SEBI provided an additional payment option of UPI or unified payments interface mechanism to retail investors to apply in the public issue of REITs and InvITs for application value up to Rs 5 lakh.

• 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

• Vanijya Bhawan and launch NIRYAT portal to be launched
  • Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new premises of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry - ‘Vanijya Bhawan’ - on 23rd June 2022.
  • Prime Minister will also launch a new portal - NIRYAT (National Import-Export Record for Yearly Analysis of Trade) - which is developed as a one stop platform for stakeholders to get all necessary information related to India’s foreign trade.

• IGI Delhi becomes India’s first airport to run entirely on solar and hydro energy
  • In a significant step toward achieving the ambitious aim of being a Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport by 2030, Indira Gandhi International Airport this month became the first airport in the nation to function fully on hydro and solar electricity.

• 7th Anniversary to commemorate launch of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban
  • The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) organised a virtual event to celebrate 7 years of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), which was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 25th June 2015.
  • The seventh anniversary celebrations highlighted the important initiatives implemented under PMAY-U Mission, which is one of the largest urban housing programmes in the world.

INTERNATIONAL

• Pakistan secures IMF deal to restore $6 billion stalled aid
  • Pakistan has secured a deal with the International Monetary Fund to restore the stalled $6 billion assistance package and unlock doors for financing from other international sources.

• Monkeypox outbreak declared a public health emergency
  • The World Health Network (WHN) has declared Monkeypox outbreak as a public health emmergency of global concern.
  • The coalition of scientists on June 23, 2022 considered the monkeypox outbreak as a 'pandemic' and urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to make a formal declaration.

• G7 proposes $600-bn global infra plan
  • The G7 group announced an attempt to compete with China’s formidable Belt and Road Initiative by raising $600 billion for global infrastructure programmes in poor countries.

STATES

• Kerala to have its own regional red list of birds
  • The Kerala Bird Monitoring Collective led by Kerala Agricultural University and the Bird Count India will conduct the regional red list assessment and Kerala will soon have its own red list of birds.
  • Kerala will be the first State to have a region-specific red list of birds.

• Udaipur’s ‘bird village’ to be declared wetland
  • Recognised as the “bird village” following community-driven conservation efforts, Menar in Udaipur district is set to be notified as Rajasthan's new wetland.
  • This will pave the way for getting the Ramsar site status for this rural heartland of the Mewar region.

• Inauguration of Honey Testing Lab in Nagaland
  • The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched the Honey Testing Laboratory at Dimapur, Nagaland.
  • It will help beekeepers and processors for testing the honey produced.

REPORTS AND INDEXES

• Indian Hotels' Taj ranked world's strongest hotel brand by Brand Finance
  • Brand Finance has released the ‘Hotels 50 2022’ annual report.
  • As per the report, Indian Hotels Company's Taj has been rated the world’s strongest hotel brand while Hilton (brand value up 58 per cent to US$12.0 billion) has extended its reign as the world’s most valuable hotels brand.

• Rapid transition to clean energy could create 1.5 crore jobs by 2025: Report
  • The ‘We Mean Business Coalition’ and Cambridge Econometrics published a report, ‘Creating Jobs and Cutting Bills: the economic opportunities of a clean energy transition’.
  • According to it, a swift shift from fossil fuels to clean energy could lead to creation of 1.5 crore new jobs in India by 2025 and increase savings on electricity bills.

• India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy: NITI Aayog report
  • NITI Aayog released a first-of-its-kind report ‘India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy’.
  • According to it, the Indian gig workforce is expected to expand to 23.5 million workers by 2029-30, a near 200 per cent jump from 7.7 million now.
  • The report estimates that gig workers will form 4.1 per cent of the total workforce in India by FY30, from 1.5 per cent now.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Four new corals recorded from Indian waters
  • Scientists have recorded four new species of azooxanthellate corals for the first time from the waters off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • The details of the new species have been published in Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences.

• World's largest bacterium discovered
  • Scientists have discovered the world’s largest known bacterium in the brackish waters of a red mangrove swamp in Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles.
  • This latest discovery of bacteria is the first that is visible to naked eye and it is in the form of white filaments, almost the size of human eyelashes.

• 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

• MoD approves ‘BRO cafes’ in border areas
  • The Ministry of Defence approved the setting up of wayside amenities with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), to be branded as ‘BRO Cafes’, at 75 locations in 12 States and Union Territories on different sections of roads.

• 38TH INDIA – INDONESIA COORDINATED PATROL (IND-INDO CORPAT)
  • The 38th edition of India–Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between Indian Navy and Indonesian Navy is being conducted from 13-24 Jun 22.

• PADMA, the Centralised Pay System for Indian Coast Guard launched
  • Pay Roll Automation for Disbursement of Monthly Allowances (PADMA), an automated Pay & Allowances module for the Indian Coast Guard was inaugurated by Shri Rajnish Kumar, Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA), Ministry of Defence, on June 28, 2022.

EVENTS

• Modi to attend G-7 summit in Germany
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be going to Germany as a special invitee to the G7 meeting on June 26 and 27.
  • Among the special invitees to the G-7 summit are the leaders of Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa.

• National Monuments Authority to observe martyrdom day of great warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur
  • National Monuments Authority is observing the great warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur's martyrdom on 25thJune, 2022.
  • This is the first time that the republic of India is saluting the Valour and sacrifice of the great martyr.

• COP15 in Canada
  • The United Nations (UN) has announced that a pivotal summit to finalise a new global agreement on protecting the environment will go ahead in December this year, after a two-year delay due to COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, will move from Kunming in China to Montreal, Canada.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• India’s First Logistics Excellence Awards
  • The Government of India hosted its first-ever National Logistics Excellence Awards in New Delhi.
  • The National Logistics Excellence Awards aim to acknowledge the many logistics service providers in the country that have been able to display innovation, diversity and efficiency.

• National MSME Award 2022
  • The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Department, Government of Odisha has been awarded the first prize in the category ‘National MSME Award 2022 to States/UTs for outstanding contribution in the Promotion and Development of MSME Sector'.

• Karnataka announces 3 names for first Kempe Gowda award
  • The Karnataka government has selected the former Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, and former Indian badminton player Prakash Padukone for the Kempe Gowda International Award, constituted in honour of Kempe Gowda, founder of Bengaluru.

SPORTS

• Rumeli Dhar announces her retirement
  • The right-handed batter and medium-pacer Former India women’s team captain Rumeli Dhar announced her retirement from all forms of the game.
  • She also played 78 WODIs, scoring 961 runs and taking 63 wickets.
  • She played her last ODI in 2012.

• 20th Kumar Surendra Singh shooting championship
  • Rohit Kumar Singh emerged the men’s air rifle champion, at the 20th Kumar Surendra Singh shooting championship in Tughlakabad.
  • Hriday Hazarika finished to take the bronze.
  • In the junior section, Divyansh Singh Panwar clinched the gold medal.

• Osaka and James launch media company
  • Naomi Osaka is launching a new media company ‘Hana Kuma (flower bear) in partnership with basketball legend LeBron James.
  • It is aimed at telling stories that cross cultural barriers.
  • It will produce stories that are “culturally specific but universal to all audiences.