19 June 2024 Current Affairs

19 June 2024 Current Affairs

DAILY-CURRENT-AFFAIRS-BY-EDUSPRINT

National news

PM Modi To Inaugurate New Campus Of Nalanda University At Rajgir In Bihar; Inaugural Ceremony To Be Attended By Several Eminent People Including Head Of Missions Of 17 Countries

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bihar today. He will inaugurate the new campus of Nalanda University at Rajgir in Nalanda district. The inauguration function is scheduled to begin from around 10 am at Sushma Swaraj Auditorium on university premises.
  • The Prime Minister will also visit the ancient ruins of world heritage Nalanda University in Rajgir which has a deep connection with the newly built university.

Nalanda University is conceived as a collaboration between India and East Asia Summit (EAS) countries. The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar.

Several eminent personalities including the Head of Missions of 17 Countries will also remain present at the function. Equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure the University campus is spread over 450 acres.

Based on the theme of environmental conservation the campus has been made as a ‘Net Zero’ Green Campus. For energy and other needs, the university is self-sustainable with a solar plant, domestic and drinking water treatment plant, and water recycling plant for reusing wastewater. It has several water bodies spread over the 100-acre area and many other environment-friendly facilities.
Post Office Act, 2023 Officially Comes Into Effect 

  • The Post Office Act, 2023 has officially approved The Act replaced the Indian Post Office Act, 1898. As per the provisions of the Act, the government can intercept an article transmitted through India Post on specified grounds, including security of the state and public order.
  • An interception may be carried out on the occurrence of any public emergency or in the interest of public safety or tranquility.  Such interceptions may be carried out by the central government, state governments, or any officer specially authorized by them.  An intercepted shipment can be detained or disposed of by the officer in charge. 
  • The officer also has powers to open, detain, or destroy shipments carrying items prohibited under the Act or any other law. The Act also states that the Director General of Postal Services will be appointed to head India Post. 
  •  He will have powers to make regulations on various matters including tariffs for services and supply of postage stamps.
  • The Parliament passed the Post Office Bill 2023 in December, last year. It received the assent of the President of India on 24th December 2023.


State news

Assam Secretariat Becomes India’s First Eco-friendly State Government Headquarters

The Assam secretariat became India’s first green (eco-friendly) state government headquarters with the inauguration of a 2.5 Megawatt (MW) solar power project on the campus of Janata Bhawan in Dispur, Guwahati, Assam.

  • The secretariat complex will now run solely on solar power installed at Rs 12.5 crore.
  • This grid-connected rooftop solar power plant will save Rs 30 lakh every month in electricity bills.

Note:

  • Government office power installations will have automatic disconnection facilities at 8-9 pm, except for the home, finance, and Chief Minister (CM) secretariat.
  • From July 2024, ministers and officials residing in official quarters will pay their electricity bills, ending a 75-year-old practice.

Assam:

  • Capital: Dispur
  • Chief minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma
  • Governor: Gulab Chand Kataria 


International news

India Participates in the Summit on Peace in Ukraine

  • Shri Pavan Kapoor, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, represented India at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, hosted by Switzerland at Burgenstock on June 15-16, 2024.
  • India attended the Opening and Closing Plenary Sessions of the Summit but did not align itself with any communique or document that emerged.
  • This highlights India’s consistent and independent approach to achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Ukraine:

  • Capital: Kyiv
  • President: Volodymyr Zelensky
  • Currency: Ukrainian Hryvnia (UAH)
  • Official Language: Ukrainian

Theo James Named UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador

  • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, has named British actor, producer, and model Theo James (Birth Name: Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis) as its new Global Goodwill Ambassador.
  • Goodwill Ambassadors are prominent public figures associated with UNHCR, enhancing the organization’s global visibility through their influence, dedication, and hard work.

Note: UNHCR, formally known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights, and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes due to conflict and persecution.

Theo James’ Support for UNHCR:

  • Theo James has been a High Profile Supporter of UNHCR since 2016, supporting their work through field visits, fundraising events, and lending his voice to campaigns.
  • He went on his first UNHCR field mission to Greece in 2016 to learn about the work of the UNHCR and the refugee situation.
  • In 2019, he lent his voice to a video for UNHCR’s High-Level Segment on Statelessness, highlighting global efforts to combat statelessness under the “#IBelong Campaign” to End Statelessness.

UNHCR:

  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
  • President: Filippo Grandi
  • Founder: United Nations
  • Founded: 14 December 1950

Economy news

Fitch Ratings Increases India’s Growth Forecast For Current Fiscal Year To 7.2% From 7%

  • 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.
  • This revision is due to a recovery in consumer spending and increased investment. Fitch Ratings Quarterly Global Economic Outlook report published today also depicted raised the world growth forecast for 2024 to 2.6 per cent from 2.4 per cent.
  •  Confidence in European recovery prospects has improved and China’s export sector is experiencing a revival. Domestic demand in emerging markets, excluding China, shows stronger momentum. These factors highlight a positive outlook for global economic growth in the coming year.

IFC to invest $105 million in Brookfield’s Bikaner Solar Power project

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has agreed to invest $105 million (around Rs 871 crore) in the non-convertible debentures of Brookfield’s Bikaner Solar Power project in Rajasthan. IFC is a company of the World Bank Group which provides finance to the private sector companies.

Brookfield Global Transition Fund’s Bikaner Solar Power Project

Project Overview

  • Project Name: Bikaner Solar Power Project
  • Location: Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
  • Total Capacity: 550 MW
    • Phase 1: 268 MW (commissioned in March 2024)
    • Phase 2: 282 MW (cost estimated at USD 317 million)

Investment and Ownership

  • Investors: Brookfield Global Transition Fund (BGTF)
  • Equity Ownership:
    • Brookfield Asset Management: 80%
    • Brookfield Renewable: 20%
  • Execution: A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set up by BGTF

Connection and Distribution

  • Transmission: Connected to India’s interstate transmission system, part of the green energy corridor
  • Energy Supply:
    • Long-term power purchase agreements with commercial and industrial customers
    • Sales on the merchant market via power exchanges

Environmental Impact: GHG Emissions Reduction: Expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 804,408 tons of carbon dioxide annually

Banking news

RBI Imposes Rs 1.45 Crore Penalty on Central Bank of India

On June 2024, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1,45,50,000 on the Central Bank of India (CBI) for non-compliance with specific directives issued by RBI on ‘Loans and Advances – Statutory and Other Restrictions’ and ‘Customer Protection – Limiting Liability of Customers in Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions’.

  • CBI sanctioned a working capital demand loan to a Corporation against amounts receivable from Government by way of subsidies.
  • CBI failed to credit (shadow reversal) the amount involved in a few instances of unauthorised electronic transaction to the customer’s account within 10 working days from the date of notification by the customer and resolve complaints and provide compensation to certain customers within 90 days from the date of receipt of such complaints.

Note: The penalty was imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under sections 47 A (1) (c), 46 (4) (i), and 51(1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. The Statutory Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation (ISE 2022) of CBI was based on its financial position as of 31st March 2024.

RBI:

  • Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata
  • Governor: Shaktikanta Das
  • Headquarters: Mumbai

Award news

Vinod Ganatra conferred ‘Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award’

  • Eminent children’s film-maker Vinod Ganatra has been conferred with South Africa’s prestigious  ‘Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award’for his contribution to films.
  • Vinod Ganatra becomes the first Indian to be honoured with the ‘Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award. Vinod Gantra was conferred with the award at the 7th Nelson Mandela Children’s Film Festival for his outstanding contribution to children’s cinema.

About Vinod Ganatra: Globally renowned filmmaker and editor Vinod Ganatra of Gujarat but now based in Mumbai has been active in Film & Television Production from 1982. 

About Nelson Mandela: Nelson Mandela is perhaps the most famous personality in South Africa who has the distinction of being the first black President of South Africa.

  • He was born on 18 July 1918 in South Africa, which followed an official apartheid policy.
  • Under the apartheid policy, the country followed a racial segregation policy which denied political and other civil rights to the black majority, ethnic Indians, and coloured population of South Africa. Political and economic rights were confined to the white minority population of South Africa.
  • Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) party in 1944 and actively participated in the anti-apartheid struggle and opposed the ruling National Party. He was intermittently jailed by the government for his anti-apartheid movement.
  • Presidential elections were held in 1994 in South Africa, during which all the people of South Africa had voting rights, and Nelson Mandela was elected as the first black president of South Africa.
  • The new South Africa was called a ‘Rainbow Nation’.
  • Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk were honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
  • The Indian government conferred him with the country’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, in 1990. He is the second non-Indian after Pakistan’s Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan (1987) to receive India’s highest civilian award 
  • His birthday, 18 July, is observed as Nelson Mandela International Day.

S. Nallamuthu Conferred 18th V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award

  • The prestigious 18th V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred to the Noted wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu. The award was conferred to Subbiah Nallamuthu by the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan at the inaugural ceremony of the 18th Mumbai international Film Festival at Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • Subbiah Nallamuthu received this award for his outstanding contributions to the field of non-feature and wildlife documentary filmmaking.

V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award

  • The Prestigious V.Shantaram Lifetime Achievement has been instituted in memory of the legendary filmmaker V.Shantaram.
  • The award, instituted in 1990 by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is given at the Mumbai International Film Festival.
  • The award is given to a filmmaker who has made a significant contribution to documentary films. The first person to receive it was Ezra Mir in 1990. 
  • In the past the award has been conferred to prestigious documentary makers like Mike Pandey, ,Anand Patwardhan,Naresh Bedi, Shyam Benegal.
  • The V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award carries a citation,a trophy and Rs 10 lakh as a cash prize.

Awards:

Subbiah Nallamuthu has won several national and international awards including the 5 National Film Awards which includes.

  • Best Environment Film (2018) for The World’s Most Famous Tiger.
  • Best Exploration / Adventure Film (2015) for Life Force – India’s Western Ghats.
  • Best Non-Feature Film Cinematography (2012) for Tiger Dynasty.

Defence news

India to Host Its First Multinational Air Exercise Tarang Shakti in August

  • The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to make history this August by hosting its first-ever multinational air exercise, Tarang Shakti-2024. The exercise is slated to be held in two phases, with the initial phase commencing in the first two weeks of August in southern India, followed by the second phase in the western sector from late August to mid-September.
  • It is a first multinational air exercise to be hosted by the Indian Air forceTarang Shakti 2024 will feature air assets from 12 countries, with six nations actively participating with their frontline fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, and mid-air refuellers. The remaining six will join as observers. Notably, the exercise is likely to include forces from the Quad nationsAustralia, Japan, and the United States—along with France and the United Kingdom in addition to Germany.

History of India-Germany Defence Cooperation

  1. 2006: Bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement
    • Significance: This foundational agreement marked the beginning of formal defence cooperation between India and Germany, establishing a broad framework for bilateral defence ties.
  2. 2007: Agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information
    • Purpose: To ensure the protection and secure exchange of classified information between the two countries, thereby enhancing trust and facilitating deeper cooperation in defence matters.
  3. February 2019: Arrangement on Implementation of the 2006 Agreement
    • Location: Signed in Berlin.
  1. Enhancement: This arrangement aimed to operationalize and provide detailed procedures for the implementation of the original 2006 agreement, thereby strengthening the existing defence cooperation framework.
  2. February 2024: India-Germany High Defence Committee (HDC) Meeting
    • Location: Berlin.
    • Co-Chairs:
      • Giridhar Aramane, Defence Secretary of India.
      • Benedikt Zimmer, State Secretary of the German Ministry of Defence.
    • Focus Areas:
      • Enhancement of defence cooperation as a key pillar of the strategic partnership.
      • Potential joint military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.
      • Deliberations on defence industrial projects, aiming to foster collaboration in defence manufacturing and technology.

Indian Air Force:

  • Founded: 8 October 1932, India
  • Chief of Defence Staff (CDS): General Anil Chauhan

Sports news

Lockie Ferguson creates record of most economical spell in T20I history

  • New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson entered the history books, recording the most economical spell for any bowler in T20I history, that too in a World Cup fixture, returning with figures of 4-4-0-3 against Papua New Guinea.
  • Ferguson’s stunning spell saw him becoming only the second bowler in the history of the format to have sent down each of the four overs allotted to a player as maidens, joining Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar in the process.

Books and author news

Ed Finds A Home: Alia Bhatt’s Heartwarming Children’s Book

  • Actress Alia Bhatt celebrated Father’s Day in a unique way by unveiling the first look of her debut children’s book, “Ed Finds a Home.” This book marks the beginning of a new series from the “Ed-a-mamma” universe.
  • Ed Finds a Home” is a collaboration between Alia Bhatt, the author, and Tanvi Bhat, the illustrator. Tanvi Bhat, known for her illustrations in children’s books, brings the story to life through her vibrant watercolor and gouache paintings.

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