International News
Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport of Indore Declared as International Airport
- It was given the International status as per sub-rule (b) of rule 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950 by the Central Government.
- About Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport:
- The airport is named after Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore.
- It is the busiest airport in Central India and it is operating 24*7.
- One must know:
- International airports have customs and border control facilities to enable passengers to travel between countries.
India's preferential Trade Status under GSP Programme
- The United States has terminated India's preferential trade status under the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) programme.
- India was the largest beneficiary of the GSP programme in 2017 with $5.7 billion in imports to the US given duty-free status.
- Reasons for US withdrawing India's GSP benefits:
- Medical device industry
- Issues related to data localisation norms
- The move was taken on determining that India has not committed to provide "equitable and reasonable access to its markets" for the US.
- One must know:
- The 60-day notice period ended on May 3.
National news
'Hawa Aane De' song Launched by Environment Ministry
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched a song titled 'Hawa Aane De' to spread awareness about Air pollution.
- Every year on 5 June World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated globally.
- For the year 2019 theme for WED is 'Air Pollution'.
- The event includes release of several books, launch of a film competition on environment and three thematic sessions on- Air Pollution, Waste Management and Forests: the Green Lungs of cities.
- About the "Hawa Aane De" Song:
- It is the theme song for WED 2019 and was launched in New Delhi by Shri C.K. Mishra, Secretary MoEFCC in presence of artists involved with the song.
- The song is written by Shri Swanand Kirkire.
- About the National Clean Air programme (NCAP):
- It is one of the initiatives recently by launched Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) to combat air pollution.
- It is a mid-term 5 Year Action Plan.
- It is a multi-sectoral and collaborative approach with mainstreaming and integration to reduce air pollution.
India's Last Orangutan 'Binny' Died at Nandankanan Zoological Park
- India's last Orangutan 'Binny' who was 41-years-old died at Odisha's Nandankanan Zoological Park on 29th May following a prolonged illness.
- The lone female orangutan Binny was brought to Nandankanan Zoo from Pune's Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park on 20 November 2003, when she was 25 years old.
- About Orangutan:
- Orangutans are one of the world's three extant species of great apes and are native to Indonesia and Malaysia.
- Orangutans are currently found only in the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra.
- They have been extensively studied by researchers for their learning abilities.
Tripura to Host the 10th NSFFI in 2020
- 10th National Science Film Festival of India (NSFFl) will be held in Agartala, Tripura in January-February 2020.
- Chief Minister of the State Biplab Kumar Deb had requested the Union Science and Technology Minister to hold the NSFFI in Tripura.
- Minimum 10 countries will participate in the upcoming event and it will include the films produced by UNICEF, UNESCO and filmmakers from different countries.
- NSFFI was first held in Chennai in 2011.
- About National Science Film Festival of India(NSFFl):
- The festival is an initiative of Vigyan Prasar and the Government of India to promote science films in India.
- Science filmmaking is not a developed field in India compared to many other developed countries.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to Present her First Union Budget
- New Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her first Union Budget for 2019-20 on July 5th.
- The Economic Survey will be presented by new Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian on July 4.
- Ms. Sitharaman, 59, is the senior most woman minister in PM Modi's cabinet and the second woman to head the finance department after late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
NITI Aayog recommends National Project Management Policy Framework
- A task force on project management, headed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, has suggested the development of a "National Project Management Policy Framework" for the effective execution of public sector and public-private partnership infrastructure projects.
- It has also recommended the setting up of a nodal body for the certification of chartered project management professionals to create world-class infrastructure.
- About NITI Aayog:
- NITI Aayog is a policy think tank of the Government of India.
ONGC becomes India's Most Profitable Public Sector Company
- Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), India's top oil and gas producer, has toppled Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to regain the crown of being the country's most profitable public sector company.
- Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) reported a 34% jump in its 2018-19 fiscal net profit to Rs. 26,716 crore.
- ONGC, in the previous two financial years, had lost the most profitable PSU tag to IOC.
- About ONGC:
- ONGC is an Indian multinational oil and gas company.
- It is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Ministry of AYUSH Launches Yoga Centers and Instructors
- Ahead of International Yoga Day which is celebrated on June 21, the Ministry of AYUSH has launched "Yoga Locator", an app to locate yoga events and centers providing training and instructor within the user's range.
- Yoga Locator is a map-based location app which will also enable yoga instructors to register themselves and reach out to a large number of people.
- The Yoga Locator app will help people to locate yoga centres as well as yoga instructors within the preferred radius of their vicinity.
- About Yoga and International Yoga Day:
- Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice originated in India.
- The International Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21 every year.
AAI signs 'Technical Assistance Agreement'
- The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed a 'Technical Assistance Agreement' with aerospace major Boeing.
- The agreement aims to develop an air traffic management roadmap which will improve airspace utilization and help maintain efficient aircraft operations.
- The AAI will use guidance in the modernization of the Indian National Airspace System (NAS).
Madhya Pradesh to Increase Reservation for OBCs to 27%
- Madhya Pradesh Cabinet passed a resolution to increase the percentage of reservation quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) from existing 14 percent to 27 percent.
- The move will lead to the reservation in the state breaching the Supreme Court-mandated 50 percent cap to reach 63 percent.
- Madhya Pradesh is the only state in the country to have a 27 percent quota for OBCs.
Nirmala Sitharaman to Attend G20 Finance Ministers' Meeting in Japan
- Finance Minister Shri Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the two-day meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank governors in Japan on June 8th and 9th.
- The main aim is to focus on the risks and challenges of overseas trade and investment in infrastructure which are faced by our country.
- One must know:
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) submitted a report on taxation, urging greater cooperation among nations.
Banking
Banks to Accept Aadhaar only for KYC
- Reserve Bank of India (RBl) permitted banks to accept Aadhaar number only for 'Know Your Customer' (KYC) verification of customers with DBT accounts with their consent.
- RBI has added the 'Proof of possession of Aadhaar number' to the list of Officially Valid Documents (OVD).
- The bank should obtain the Aadhaar number from the customers who receive any benefit or subsidy under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
- For Non-DBT beneficiary customers:
- For Non-DBT beneficiary customers, the Regulated Entities (REs) should obtain a certified copy of any OVD describing the details of customer's identity and address along with 1 recent photograph.
- Form 60 is submitted by an individual who do not have a Permanent Account Number (PAN).
Appointments
| Name of the person | Designation |
| Vice Admiral Karambir Singh | Next Navy Chief |
| Chandrani Murmu | Youngest MP in India |
| Anita Bhatia | Deputy Executive Director |
| Ajay Singh | Chairman and MD to the Board of International Air Transport Association |
| Mr. Ajit Doval | National Security Advisor with Cabinet Minister Rank |
| Rakesh Makhija | Chairman of Axis Bank |
Awards and Honours
| Award | Awardee |
| "Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca" award | Ms. Pratibha Patil |
| Country's First Woman Fighter | Flight Lieutenant Mohana Singh |
| Global Leadership Award 2019 | Sunder Pichai and Adena Friedman |
| World's Richest Female Musician | Rihanna |
Important Days
| Date | Day | Theme |
| 3rd June 2019 | World Bicycle Day | |
| 3rd June to 7th June 2019 | Financial Literacy Week | Theme: 'Farmers' |
| 5th June 2019 | World Environment Day | Theme: "Beat Air Pollution" |
Government Schemes
Assam Govt hikes Parental income limit to Rs 2 Lakhs
- Assam Government increased the parents' annual income of students eligible for fee wavier scheme up to post graduation level from Rs 1 Lakh to Rs 2 Lakh.
- This scheme does not cover private colleges and universities in Assam.
- Children of parents working in state and central government are not eligible.
Rajasthan Increased Financial aid under 'Aapki Beti' Scheme
- Rajasthan government has increased the financial assistance given to school girls under the 'Aapki Beti' scheme and ex-gratia payment to the families of polling personnel who die during election duty.
- About the Aapki Beti scheme:
- Under the Aapki Beti scheme, girls living under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and whose mother or father or both have died to get annual financial assistance in the state.
- Amount sanctioned under Aapki Beti scheme:
- The amount has been increased to 2,100 from Rs 1,100 for the girls studying in class 1 to 8 and for the girls in class 9 to 12, the financial aid has been increased to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,500.
Science and Technology
IIT Madras Launches a Data Platform called IDIP
- IDIP is aimed at enhancing the efficiency of infrastructure development in India and to enable effective decision-making among different stakeholders involved in the infrastructure sector.
- IDIP's focus on the Road Sector:
- While the database will expand to cover other infrastructure in the country, the initial focus of IDIP would be on the road sector, which has received the highest private investment among all infrastructure sectors.
- The Road PPP in India is the largest in the world.
- IIT-Madras is soon to work on adding around 680 roads built on the Engineering Procurement and Construction model.
IAF signs an Agreement with ISRO for Gaganyaan Mission
- The Indian Air Force (IAF) has signed an agreement with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for crew selection and training for the prestigious Gaganyaan, the country's maiden manned space mission.
- Under the programme, a three-member crew will spend a minimum of seven days in space.
- The Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) will lead the selection and training of astronauts on behalf of IAF.
- Gaganyaan Mission:
- Gaganyaan ("Sky Craft") is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the basis of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
- The Programme is aimed to be launched by December 2021.
Facebook plans to Launch 'GlobalCoin'
- Facebook plans to launch its cryptocurrency 'GlobalCoin' by the first quarter of 2020.
- The currency, which is being referred to internally as 'GlobalCoin', will reportedly be available in around a dozen countries at launch, where it's expected to offer people affordable and secure payments without the need for a bank account.
- India - A Key focus for Facebook:
- India is reported to be a key focus for the new currency, where Facebook hopes it will allow Indian workers abroad to send money back home to their families using WhatsApp.
- What is a Cryptocurrency?
- A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security.
- A cryptocurrency is difficult to counterfeit because of this security feature.
Scientists identify a New Species of Wasp in Goa
- Scientists have recently identified a new species of Wasp from the genus Kudakrumia in Goa.
- The Wasp, Kudakrumia Rangnekari, has been named after Goa-based researcher Parag Rangnekar.
- What is a Wasp?
- A Wasp is any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant.
- About Mr. Parag Rangnekar:
- Mr. Parag Rangnekar's quest to document the butterflies of this unique region resulted in a record of 220 species, of which 13 species had not been spotted before.
- Mr. Rangnekar, who is the founder-president of the Goa Bird Conservation Network (GBCN), has now taken up the documentation of the dragonflies in the State.
China Launched Space Rocket from Sea for the First Time
- China launched a space rocket from the sea for the first time on 5th June 2019.
- With this China becomes the third nation to successfully demonstrate the ability to launch satellites into orbit from a floating platform following the U.S. and Russia.
- In the operation, March 11, a Long rocket was launched from a ship in the Yellow Sea.
- About the Payloads:
- The rocket carried two experimental satellites and five commercial satellites.
- It was built by the China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing.
- About China's space exploration:
- China is the first nation to land a rover on the far side of the Moon.
- It also plans to build a research base on the lunar surface.
Sports
ITF Men's Future Tennis title Won by Sidharth Rawat
- Sidharth Rawat won his title in the $25,000 ITF Men's Futures Tennis tournament.
- The tournament was held in Thailand.
- Last year he won with Manish Sureshkumar for doubles.
- He is associated with coach Gaurav Sharma for nearly 15 years.
