Daily Current Affairs – June 21, 2023
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Daily Current Affairs - Banking - June 21, 2023
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National News
First batch of Vande Bharat sleeper trains to be out by March next year
- The Centre will roll out the first batch of sleeper variants of Vande Bharat in March 2024 and the plans to introduce these new trains are on track, railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
- The design of these sleeper trains, according to Vaishnaw, is being made by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, and will be ready by the end of this year.
- Currently, 22 trains are being made as per the schedule.
- The statement comes against the backdrop of disagreement between the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) and Russia’s TMH over the ownership of a consortium that had won the bid to supply 120 Vande Bharat sleeper trains.
- Ministry of Railways – Ashwini Vaishnaw,Union Minister (Rajya Sabha MP,Odisha) – Raosaheb Danve,Minister of State (Jalna,Maharashtra) Darshana Jardosh,Minister of State (Surat,Gujarat)
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated Integrated Simulator Complex ‘Dhruv’ in Kochi to enhance practical training of Indian Navy personnel
- Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Integrated Simulator Complex (ISC) ‘Dhruv’ at Southern Naval Command, Kochi.
- The ISC ‘Dhruv’ hosts modern state-of-the-art indigenously-built simulators which will significantly enhance practical training in the Indian Navy.
- These simulators are envisaged to give real-time experience on navigation, fleet operations and Naval tactics.
- These simulators will also be utilised for training of personnel from friendly countries.
- Amongst the many simulators envisaged in the complex, the Raksha Mantri visited Multi-Station Handling Simulator (MSSHS), Air Direction and Helicopter Control Simulator (ADHCS) and Astronavigation Dome.
- The Ship Handling Simulators produced by ARI Pvt Ltd, New Delhi have been exported to 18 countries.
- The Astronavigation Dome developed by Infovision Technologies Pvt Ltd is the first-of-its-kind in the Indian Navy.
- The ADHCS – developed by Institute for Systems Studies and Analysis, a DRDO laboratory – would be able to provide real-time operational environment scenario to trainees.
- These technologically advanced simulators are indicative of the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative and promise great defence export potential for the nation.
- Some of the other indigenously developed simulators in the Complex include Combat Management System and Maritime Domain Awareness Lab.
- Ministry of Defence – Rajnath Singh,Union Minister (Lucknow,UP) – Ajay Bhatt,Minister of State (Nainital–Udhamsingh Nagar,Uttarakhand)
International News
UNDP partnered with DAY-NULM towards empowering women entrepreneurs
- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) entered into a collaborative partnership aimed at empowering women to make well-informed career choices in the field of entrepreneurship.
- The partnership will provide support for women looking to start and expanding their own enterprises, particularly in sectors such as care economy, digital economy, electric mobility, waste management, food packaging and more.
- Focused on fostering entrepreneurship development and accelerating enterprise growth, the three-year project, extendable beyond 2025, will cover eight cities in the initial phase.
- UNDP and DAY-NULM will jointly engage in on-ground mobilization activities that involve identifying pockets of urban poverty and potential entrepreneurs, as well as facilitating access to Business Development Services.
- The DAY-NULM has an aim to uplift the urban poor by enhancing sustainable livelihood opportunities through skill development.
- The scheme extends its coverage to all the 4,041 statutory cities and towns, thereby covering most of India’s urban population.
- Through its outreach efforts, DAY-NULM has mobilized more than 8.4 million urban poor women across India, forming over 8,31,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in over 4,000 towns.
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – 22/11/1965 (Founded) – New York (HQ) – Achim Steiner (Administrator)
India, Philippines signed MoU for FinTech collaboration
- After having inked a deal for the BrahMos missile systems, India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further financial technology (fintech) cooperation with the Philippines.
- The MoU was signed by Ambassador of India Shambhu Kumaran and Benjamin E Diokno of the Philippines Department of Finance.
- The MoU envisages the constitution of a Joint Working Group (JWG) co-chaired by Finance Ministries of both countries and comprising senior representatives from Foreign and IT Ministries, central banks, financial sector regulatory institutions and other related agencies as members.
- The JWG will identify concrete measures for partnership in innovative technologies, fintech industry, digital governance, payment linkages, creation of interoperable APIs, financial inclusion and other related areas.
- Philippines – Manila (Capital) – Philippine peso (Currency) – Bongbong Marcos (President) – Filipino & English (Language)
India, UNWTO signed pact to enhance cooperation
- India and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) have signed an agreement to enhance cooperation and identify areas of mutual interest, on the sidelines of the two key events of the influential bloc being hosted in Goa.
- Besides, nearly 15 bilateral meetings in total are planned to be held between India and various G20 member countries and international organisations on the sidelines of the these key events being held from June 19-22.
- Bilateral meetings were held with Oman and United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
- United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) – 01/11/1975 (Founded) – Madrid, Spain (HQ) – Zurab Pololikashvili (Secretary-General)
State News
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched website, mascot of Tawang Marathon
- Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu set off the registration process for the forthcoming sporting event Tawang Marathon by launching the event website, mascot and T-shirt.
- He also became the first person to register for the event in the 10 km category scheduled to be held in Tawang from 1 October 2023.
- The event, to be organized jointly by the state government and the Tawang based 5 Mountain Division of the Indian Army, will have 4 categories of marathon races viz., 5 km, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km.
- Arunachal Pradesh – Itanagar (Capital) – Pema Khandu (CM) – Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik (Governor) – English (Language)
Schemes
Solar park scheme deadline extended till FY26
- The union ministry of new and renewable energy has extended the scheme for ‘Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Park Projects’ till FY26.
- A notification from the ministry said that the extension would not entail any additional financial implication.
- The scheme was scheduled to end in March 2024.
- The scheme was rolled out in December 2014.
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy – Raj Kumar Singh,Union Minister (Arrah, Bihar) – Bhagawanth,Minister of State (Bidar,Karnataka)
Punjab steps in to help Karnataka with its free rice scheme
- The Congress government in Karnataka, which is struggling to procure rice for its ambitious Anna Bhagya scheme received a ray of hope after the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government in Punjab agreed in-principle to supply the requisite quantum of rice even as the State government is trying to procure rice from national-level cooperative agencies.
- Under the Anna Bhagya scheme, the State plans to enhance free rice given per person in the BPL card from current 5 kg to 10 kg.
- The total supply of 10 kg is estimated to cost the exchequer ₹840 crore monthly and ₹10,092 crores annually, said a note from the Chief Minister’s Office.
- The Anna Bhagya scheme is slated for launch on July 1.
- Karnataka – Bengaluru (Capital) – Basavaraj Bommai (CM) –Thawarchand Gehlot (Governor) – Kannada (Language)
Banking and Finance
Union Bank of India
- Union Bank of India has debuted four specialised bank accounts.
- Union Unnati is a current account specifically designed for women entrepreneurs and professionals, offering free cancer care coverage, personal accident cover, concession in loan interest rates, retail loan processing charges, and minimal service charges.
- Another account targeted at women is Union Samriddhi, which is tailored to empower women by providing them with a safe and convenient savings and financial management avenue.
- The account offers similar benefits as Union Unnati.
- The third product is Union Samman, a savings account aimed at pensioners.
- The account extends door-step banking, personal accident cover, concession in loan interest rates and processing charges, and free health check-ups.
- Lastly, Union SBCHS acknowledges the significance of co-operative housing societies, offering concessions in loan processing charges for purchasing solar lights, elevators, and other machinery, as well as concessional rates for home, vehicle, and education loans for society and flat owners.
- Union Bank of India – 11/11/1919 (Founded) – Mumbai (HQ) – A. Manimekhalai (MD & CEO) – “Good People to Bank with”
Mastercard launched global plan to recycle credit cards
- Payments company Mastercard launched a global project to recycle credit and debit cards as part of a plan to save the billions of cards in circulation across the industry from landfill.
- Initially partnering with British lender HSBC Holdings Plc in eight branches in Britain, Mastercard said banks across the world, some of which have launched local initiatives, would be able to join the programme and help build economies of scale.
NaBFID expected loan disbursements to reach ₹60,000 crores in FY24
- The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure Development (NaBFID) expected to end FY24 with final loan sanctions of ₹1 lakh crore and disbursements of close to ₹60,000 crores.
- The development finance institution, which made its first loan disbursement in December 2022, has so far disbursed about ₹15,000 crores to projects mostly in the road and energy (primarily renewable energy and transmission projects) sectors.
- The NaBFID chief observed that the DFI is also examining a few proposals in the solar and wind energy segments, city gas distribution, data centres, and telecom towers, as well as multi-modal transport projects that are coming up and will absorb a lot of investment.
Appointments
Senior IAS officer Amit Agrawal appointed as CEO of UIDAI
- Senior IAS officer Amit Agrawal has assumed charge as the new CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
- He was appointed following the retirement of Saurabh Garg.
- Agrawal is a 1993-batch IAS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre.
- He has held a number of important positions in the government, including Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- He is also the current Chairman of the National Digital Communications Policy Committee.
Ranks and Indices
ICC Test rankings
- Premier India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin has maintained the top spot among bowlers, while England’s Joe Root toppled Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne to become the world’s top-ranked batter in the ICC Test rankings.
- Ashwin, who was ignored for the World Test Championship final against Australia earlier this month in London, remained the world No 1 bowler with 860 points, followed by England’s James Anderson at second with 829 points.
- Among Indian bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah (772) and Ravindra Jadeja (765) occupied the eighth and the ninth spot respectively with no change in their rankings.
- International Cricket Council (ICC) – 15/06/1909 (Founded) – Dubai (HQ) – Greg Barclay (Chairman) – 108 members
Reports
World Economic Forum's annual Gender Gap Report, 2023
- India has ranked at 127 out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity an improvement of eight places from last year according to the World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Report, 2023.
- The World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked India at 135 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index in the report’s 2022 edition.
- India has improved by 1.4 percentage points and eight positions since the last edition, marking a partial recovery towards its 2020 parity level.
Randstad India's annual report 'Randstad Employer Brand Research (REBR) 2023
- Tata Power Company has emerged as the country’s most ‘attractive employer brand’, followed by e-commerce giant Amazon and Tata Steel.
- HR services provider Randstad India’s annual report ‘Randstad Employer Brand Research (REBR) 2023’ revealed that Tata Power Company scored very high on financial health, good reputation and career progression opportunities the top 3 Employee Value Proposition (EVP) drivers for the organisation that helped the brand get to the winning spot from rank 9 in 2022.
- Amazon climbed up rankings this year to emerge as the runner-up, followed by another new entrant in the top 3 list of REBR 2023 Tata Steel.
- IT major Tata Consultancy Services secured the 4th position in the top 10 most ‘attractive employer brand’, followed by Microsoft, Samsung India, Infosys, Tata Motors, IBM and Reliance Industries.
- Big Basket, the online megastore, emerged as the most attractive startup employer brand in the country.
- According to the report, employees rated automotive (77 per cent) as the most attractive sector followed by IT, ITeS and Telecom (76 per cent) and FMCG, Retail and e-commerce (75 per cent).
- The REBR report is based on a survey among 1.63 lakh respondents worldwide, covering 32 markets and 75 per cent of the global economy.
Awards and Recognitions
Salman Rushdie won prestigious German peace prize
- The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for 2023 has been awarded to British-American author Salman Rushdie.
- The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, endowed with €25,000 ($27,300), will be handed out in a ceremony in October during the Frankfurt Book Fair.
- The prize, created in 1950, recognizes a personality committed to serving international understanding between nations and cultures through their work.
- Germany – Berlin (Capital) – German (Language) – Frank-Walter Steinmeier (President) – Olaf Scholz (Chancellor) – Euro (Currency)
Ujjivan Small Finance in Partnership with BUSINESSNEXT Won the Best CRM Implementation Award
- Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (USFB) Limited, one of the leading small finance banks catering to the un-served and under-served segments, won the ‘Best CRM implementation’ award.
- The CRM initiative, in collaboration with BUSINESSNEXT, a universe of composable enterprise solutions for banks and financial services, was deemed the winner out of more than 150 submissions.
- Ujjivan Small Finance Bank – 01/02/2017 (Founded) – Bangalore (HQ)- Ittira Davis (MD & CEO)
Important Days
World Music Day
- World Music Day is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June.
- The first all-day musical celebration on the day of the summer solstice was originated by Jack Lang, then Minister of Culture of France, as well as by Maurice Fleuret; it was celebrated in Paris in 1982.
- Music Day later became celebrated in 120 countries around the world.
- Theme – Music on the Intersections
International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice
- International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice is observed every year on June 21.
- The day was instituted by the United Nations to spread awareness on the solstices across religions and cultures.
- United Nations (UN) – 24/10/1945 (Founded) – New York (HQ) – António Guterres (Secretary General) – 193 member states & 2 observer states
International Day of Yoga
- The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated across the world annually on June 21 since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.
- Theme – “Yoga – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”
- The Indian Army formed a ‘Bharatmala’ by conducting Yoga all along the border areas of the nation from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to mark the International Yoga Day.
- United Nations General Assembly – 1945 (Founded) – New York City (HQ) – Dennis Francis (President)
Daily Current Affairs - June 21, 2023 - Consolidated
- First batch of Vande Bharat sleeper trains to be out by March next year
- Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated Integrated Simulator Complex ‘Dhruv’ in Kochi to enhance practical training of Indian Navy personnel
- UNDP partnered with DAY-NULM towards empowering women entrepreneurs
- India, Philippines signed MoU for FinTech collaboration
- India, UNWTO signed pact to enhance cooperation
- Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched website, mascot of Tawang Marathon
- Solar park scheme deadline extended till FY26
- Punjab steps in to help Karnataka with its free rice scheme
- Union Bank of India
- Mastercard launched global plan to recycle credit cards
- NaBFID expected loan disbursements to reach ₹60,000 crores in FY24
- Senior IAS officer Amit Agrawal appointed as CEO of UIDAI
- ICC Test rankings
- World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Report, 2023
- Randstad India’s annual report ‘Randstad Employer Brand Research (REBR) 2023
- Salman Rushdie won prestigious German peace prize
- Ujjivan Small Finance in Partnership with BUSINESSNEXT Won the Best CRM Implementation Award
- World Music Day
- International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice
- · International Day of Yoga
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