For the very purpose of getting you ready for the challenge that is Current Affairs In India, we are covering the 2019 June current affairs including politics current affair, current affair news, science current affairs, general knowledge current affair, current government affair and international current affairs. Only studying India's current affairs or political current affairs is not sufficient as you have to cover international events and current affairs along with the Indian current affairs, as well as those in the field of science and sports.

Current Affairs - June

Current Affairs May 26 to June 01

• UAPA: It stands for the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It was in the news recently after Bangladesh-based terror outfit — the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) — was banned by the Centre under this anti-terror law. This law is aimed at effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India. Its main objective is to make powers available for dealing with activities directed against the integrity and sovereignty of India. The UAPA, framed in 1967, has been amended twice since: first in 2008 and then in 2012.
• Article 83(2) of the Constitution: It is the Article under which completion of five years from the first day of its meeting amounts to dissolution of the Lower House. It was in the news recently after the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave its approval to the Resolution advising the President to dissolve the Sixteenth Lok Sabha, which was constituted on 18.05. 2014.The Lower House can also be dissolved earlier by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. It can also be dissolved if the President feels that no viable government can be formed after the resignation or fall of a regime.
• SKM: Which stands for Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) President Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) was sworn in as the sixth chief minister of Sikkim during a public function at Paljor Stadium recently. Governor Ganga Prasad administered the oath of office and secrecy to Golay and his cabinet members. SKM had won 17 of the 32 seats in the recently-concluded assembly polls. It ended the 25 year-long rule of SDF led by five-term CM Pawan Chamling
• PM-AASHA: Which stands for Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan is the government’s flagship price support scheme.Greaves Cotton -it is the company which recently launched high-speed electric scooter Ampere Zeal that meets the specifications of the FAME-II policy of the government. Zeal will have a top speed of 55kmph and a range of 75km with charge time of 5.5 hours. Under FAME (Faster Adoption and manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) II benefit, Zeal would attract Rs. 18,000 subsidy per scooter.
• NSIC: It recently signed MOU with Ministry of MSME which envisages provision of enhanced services by NSIC under its marketing, financial, technology and other support services schemes for MSMEs in the country. Under the scheme of National SC-ST Hub being implemented by NSIC on behalf of the Ministry of MSME, it will be a continued endeavour to provide assistance to SC/ST entrepreneurs through different interventions and various outreach activities with the overall objectives to increase their participation in public procurement. The National SC/ST Hub has been set up to provide professional support to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Entrepreneurs to fulfil the obligations under the Central Government Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises Order 2012, adopt applicable business practices and leverage the Stand-Up India initiative.
• Operation Safed Sagar:It was undertaken by the Air Force jointly to flush out infiltrators in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control.
• BJD: Which stands for Biju Janata Dal is the party whose President Naveen Patnaik took oath as the chief minister of Odisha for a fifth consecutive term, in Bhubaneswar recently. Odisha governor Ganeshi Lal administered the oath of office and secrecy to Patnaik. The BJD, which won 112 seats in the 147-member assembly in the recently concluded elections, held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, has been in power in Odisha since 2000.
• BIMSTEC: Which stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation is the group whose leaders have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony on May 30, 2019 of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With this move India has made a carefully calibrated diplomatic move that signals a major outreach to India’s neighbourhood from the Bay of Bengal to Central Asia, as well as the Indian diaspora across the world. BIMSTEC was formed in 1997, originally with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and later included Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. BIMSTEC, which now includes five countries from South Asia and two from ASEAN, is a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. It includes all the major countries of South Asia, except Maldives, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

• Mount Agung: It is the volcano located on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali which erupted recently. Mount Agung or Gunung Agung is a currently active volcano in Bali, Indonesia, southeast of Mt Batur volcano, also in Bali. Gunung Agung stratovolcano is the highest point on Bali. It dominates the surrounding area, influencing the climate, especially rainfall patterns.
• Kappaphycus alvarezii:It is an invasive, which smothers and kills coral reefs. It has spread its wings to coral reef areas in Valai island in the Gulf of Mannar (GoM) and set to invade new coral colonies in the marine national park. It has already invaded Shingle, Kurusadai and Mulli islands in Mandapam cluster of the GoM, the red algae invaded Valai island along Kilakarai coast following its cultivation in south Palk Bay.

• Mandapam, Keezhakkarai and Palk Bay in Gulf of Mannar regions: They are the places where the researchers have found an alarming pattern of bleaching in the reefs. Sea surface temperature ranged from 28.7°C to 31°C in the August 2018-February 2019 period and there was no bleaching seen then. However, when the temperatures rose to between 32°C and 36°C between March 2019 and May 2019, researchers observed a pattern of bleaching in corals, which was different at different layers within the sea. Coral reefs are important hotspots of biodiversity in the ocean. Corals are animals in the same class (Cnidaria) as jellyfish and anemones. They consist of individual polyps that get together and build reefs.

• India and Switzerland:They are the two countries which were recently removed by USA from its currency monitoring list of major trading partners, citing certain developments and steps being taken by them which address some of its major concerns. The US currency monitoring list includes Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. In both Switzerland and India, there was a notable decline in 2018 in the scale and frequency of foreign exchange purchases, the report said. India for the first time was placed by the US in its currency monitoring list of countries with potentially questionable foreign exchange policies in May 2018 along with five other countries - China, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland.
• NSIC: It recently signed MOU with Ministry of MSME which envisages provision of enhanced services by NSIC under its marketing, financial, technology and other support services schemes for MSMEs in the country. Under the scheme of National SC-ST Hub being implemented by NSIC on behalf of the Ministry of MSME, it will be a continued endeavour to provide assistance to SC/ST entrepreneurs through different interventions and various outreach activities with the overall objectives to increase their participation in public procurement. The National SC/ST Hub has been set up to provide professional support to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Entrepreneurs to fulfil the obligations under the Central Government Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises Order 2012, adopt applicable business practices and leverage the Stand-Up India initiative.
• EQUIP: It is the name of the ambitious ₹1.5 lakh crore project which the Ministry of Human Resource Development plans to launch to improve the quality and accessibility of higher education over the next five years. EQUIP stands for the Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme and was crafted by ten committees led by experts within the government. EQUIP is meant to bridge the gap between policy and implementation. The project is made to bring transformation in the higher education system in the upcoming 5 years.
• OMO: It stands for Open Market Operations. Open market operations is the sale and purchase of government securities and treasury bills by RBI or the central bank of the country. The objective of OMO is to regulate the money supply in the economy. RBI carries out the OMO through commercial banks and does not directly deal with the public. It was in the news recently that The Reserve Bank of India is planning to inject Rs. 15,000 crores into the financial system next month through purchase of government bonds via the auction route.
• Elephant Bonds:They are the one which the high-level government-appointed committee on trade and industry has suggested to issue to people for declaring undisclosed income to mandatorily invest 50%. Elephant Bonds are the 25-year sovereign bonds in which people declaring undisclosed income will be bound to invest 50 per cent. The fund, made from these bonds, will be utilized only for infrastructure projects.
• Requirement of strong room: Area of the strong room/ vault of at least 1,500 sq ft. Area of the strong room/ vault of at least 600 sq ft in hilly areas are the two major requirement for setting up of currency chests as per the Reserve Bank of India new guidelines. The other requirements are that the new chests should have a processing capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes per day. Those situated in the hilly/ inaccessible places, a capacity of 2.1 lakh pieces of banknotes per day. The currency chests should have Chest Balance Limit (CBL) of Rs 1,000 crore, subject to ground realities and reasonable restrictions, at the discretion of the Reserve Bank.

• SKA:Which stands for Square Kilometre Array is the name of the world’s largest radio telescope which the scientists at Cambridge recently finished brain designing. It consists of a supercomputer that will process the enormous amounts of data produced by the SKA’s telescopes. The total compute power will be around 250 PFlops — that’s 25 per cent faster than IBM’s Summit, the current fastest supercomputer in the world. When complete, the SKA will enable astronomers to monitor the sky in unprecedented detail and survey the entire sky much faster than any system currently in existence. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project is an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope, with eventually over a square kilometre (one million square metres) of collecting area. Whilst 10 member countries are the cornerstone of the SKA, around 100 organisations across about 20 countries are participating in the design and development of the SKA. Location of SKA antenna dishes will be built in South Africa (in the Karoo), with outstations in other parts of South Africa, as well as in eight African partner countries, namely Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia. Another part of the telescope, the low-frequency array, will be built in Western Australia.
• Athena and LISA: These are the two future missions of ESA which the researchers have proposed to combine the observing power to study the effects when two supermassive black holes collide. Currently in the study phase, both missions are scheduled for launch in the early 2030s. Athena will be the largest X-ray observatory ever built, investigating some of the hottest and most energetic phenomena in the cosmos with unprecedented accuracy and depth. LISA will be the first space-borne observatory of gravitational waves—fluctuations in the fabric of spacetime produced by the acceleration of cosmic objects with very strong gravity fields, like pairs of merging black holes.
• Akash-MK-1S: It is the name of missile which was successfully test fired by India from the integrated test range at Chandipur in Odisha. The surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile with a strike range of 25 km and capability to carry warhead of 60 kg. Akash weapon system has combination of both command guidance and active terminal seeker guidance.

• UNSC: It stands for The United Nations Security Council is one of the organs of the United Nations which is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions; it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states. The Security Council consists of fifteen members. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, and the United States—serve as the body’s five permanent members. These permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary-General.
• Ravi: The name of the river in Pakistan on whose banks Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur is located which is in the news recently for construction of special corridor. Officials from Pakistan and India recently held a meeting to discuss the modalities for a corridor linking Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur across the border. The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an integrated development project with Government of India funding, to provide smooth and easy passage, with all the modern amenities.
• Sri Lanka, Japan and India: These countries have signed an agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal at the Colombo Port. The joint initiative is estimated to cost between $500 million and $700 million. As per the agreement signed, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) retains 100% ownership of the East Container Terminal (ECT), while the Terminal Operations Company is jointly owned. Sri Lanka will hold a 51% stake in the project and the joint venture partners will retain 49%. The ECT is located some three km away from the China-backed international financial city, known popularly as “port city”.
• The International Labour Organization (ILO): It recently released its second global report, titled Women in Business and Management: The business case for change. As per the report a critical mass of 30 per cent women is need by the enterprises in order to reap the benefits of gender diversity. Almost half of the surveyed enterprises reported women holding less than 30 per cent of entry-level management positions. Across the world, men are still more likely to participate in the labour market than women. The average global labour force participation rate of women in 2018 stood at 48.5 per cent, while that of men was 75 per cent. This equates to a 26.5 percentage point gender gap in labour force participation.
• Burn-Out: It is the disease which the World Health Organization has for the first time recognised in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is widely used as a benchmark for diagnosis and health insurers. The decision could help put to rest Sdecades of debate among experts over how to define burnout, and whether it should be considered a medical condition. In the latest update of its catalogue of diseases and injuries around the world, WHO defines burn-out as “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” The syndrome is characterised by three dimensions: “1) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; 2) increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and 3) reduced professional efficacy.”
• Scott Morrison:He was recently sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Australia. Mr. Morrison became Australia’s 30th Prime Minister through an internal party vote in which he replaced Malcom Turnbull as chief of the ruling Liberal Party.
• World Health Organization:They unveiled a new strategy to dramatically cut deaths and injuries from snakebites, warning a dearth of antivenoms could soon spark a “public health emergency”. Each year, nearly three million people are bitten by poisonous snakes, with an estimated 81,000-138,000 deaths. Another 400,000 survivors suffer permanent disabilities and other after-effects, according to WHO figures. Most snakebite victims live in the world’s tropical and poorest regions, and children are worse affected due to their smaller body size. WHO has already categorised “snakebite envenoming” as a Neglected Tropical Disease.
• Artemis: It is the name of programme unveiled by NASA that will return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century, including eight scheduled launches and a mini-station in lunar orbit by 2024. Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed mission around the Moon planned for 2020. Next will come Artemis 2, which will orbit Earth’s satellite with a crew around 2022; followed finally by Artemis 3 that will put astronauts on lunar soil in 2024, including the first woman. The three will be launched into space by the biggest rocket of all time, the Boeing-led Space Launch System (SLS), which is currently under development but has seen numerous delays and has been criticized in some quarters as a bloated jobs program. ARTEMIS stands for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the Sun. The mission was named Artemis after the Greek mythological goddess of the Moon and twin sister to Apollo, namesake of the program that sent 12 American astronauts to the Moon between 1969 and 1972.
• Bishkek: In Kyrgyzstan is the place which recently hosted the Second Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Mass Media Forum. The Forum aims to strengthen the exchange and cooperation in the field of mass media amongst SCO countries. It offers a unique platform for active work through mass media to create an objective vision of the organization and strengthen its positive image in the global information space. The first SCO Media Summit was held in Beijing on 1 June 2018. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, also known as the Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai. The founding members were China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The cooperation was renamed to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation after Uzbekistan joined the organisation in 2001.
• Chagos islands: It is the main reason for the dispute between Britain and Mauritius. The United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) has passed a non-binding resolution asking United Kingdom (UK) to return Chagos Archipelago in Indian Ocean to Mauritius. The UK should end its control of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean as rapidly as possible. The islands are not lawfully separated from the former colony of Mauritius.
• China:This country has been illegally emitting Trichlorofluoromethane or CFC-11 — the banned ozone-depleting chemical — according to the research published in the journal Nature recently. CFC-11 was phased out under the 1987 Montreal Protocol. Despite being the signatory to the Montreal Protocol, and agreeing to phase out production of CFC-11 in 2010, China continued to emit the polluting gas. China has the world’s largest polyurethane foam market, accounting for about 40 per cent of the world’s consumption. Chinese foam manufacturers have been using CFC-11 illegally to save on the higher cost of alternatives, such as hydrochloro-fluorocarbons like HCFC-141b, which is to be phased out in China by 2026.

• SLCP: Which stands for Social and Labour Convergence Programme is an initiative to have a standard-neutral, converged assessment framework for the textile and clothing industry, will be launched in India shortly. It eliminates the need for repetitive audits to be carried out on the same facility. The initiative is led by world’s leading manufacturers, brands, retailers, industry groups, non-governmental organisations and service providers. The objective of the initiative Its aim is to improve the working conditions in textile units by allowing resources that were previously designated for compliance audits to be redirected towards the improvement of social and labour conditions. This is a voluntary adoption by the textile and clothing makers.

• England and South Africa: These are the two countries which will play the inaugural match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. This edition of ICC World Cup is being played in England.
• Pakistan:This country was recently awarded the hosting rights for the next edition of Asia Cup in 2020. The Asian Cricket Council in its meeting in Singapore recently awarded continental meet in T20 format to Pakistan which will most likely organise it in neutral venues of the United Arab Emirates, its cricket home since the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus.

• Jaganmohan Reddy: He recently became the 1st CM in Andhra Pradesh to step into his father’s shoes. Since the birth of Andhra Pradesh in 1956, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy is the first CM-elect whose father was a chief minister himself. This after the state has seen 16 chief ministers, with some of them serving second terms. While northern states have seen nearly a dozen father-son duo as CMs, there are just two instances in the southern parts. Karnataka was the first state to see an ex-CM’s son sit on the chief minister’s chair when HD Kumaraswamy became the chief minister. Kumaraswamy’s father HD Deve Gowda served as the chief minister from 1994 to 1996. On the other hand, Jaganmohan Reddy’s father YS Rajasekhara Reddy served as the chief minister of AP from 2004 till his death in 2009.
• Veer Savarkar :He is the freedom fighter whose birth anniversary was observed on 28th May, 2019. In Pune, Savarkar founded the “Abhinav Bharat Society”. He was also involved in the Swadeshi movement and later joined Tilak’s Swaraj Party. His instigating patriotic speeches and activities incensed the British Government. As a result, the British Government withdrew his B.A. degree.

• Odisha: This is the state which has launched DAMaN Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran initiative to fight malaria. The initiative aims to deliver services to the most inaccessible and hardest hit people of the State. The initiative has in-built innovative strategies to combat asymptomatic malaria. The programme is jointly implemented by Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR-NIMR), National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Odisha and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).
• Vellore: In Tamil Nadu is the place where the recently concluded General Elections 2019 was cancelled by President of India acting on recommendation of Election Commission of India.
• Prakasam: This district of Andhra Pradesh is known for Ongole Cattle breed which was in the news recently after Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu called for protecting Ongole cattle breed. The breed derives its name from the place the breed originates from, Ongole. The Ongole breed of cattle, Bos Indicus, has a great demand as it is said to possess resistance to both foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease.
• India: It has inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ISE Foods, Japan’s largest egg producer. The objective is to improve the quality of eggs, disease diagnosis and waste management in poultry farms across India. ISE Foods will establish two poultry farms in India out of which first will be in Gujarat’s Surat city and second will be in Telangan’s Siddipet. The egg production process used by ISE Foods is fully automated, the chickens are totally antibiotic-free and ISE’s production process is considered the most hygienic in the world. ISE Foods also regulates “ISE Integration System” which supervise the production of feed, poultry farming, egg collection, packing and delivery production to control quality.
• India: It has been elected to the Executive Board of the first UN-Habitat Assembly. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) is the United Nations agency for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the First UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976. It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. It is a member of the United Nations Development Group. The mandate of UN-Habitat derives from the Habitat Agenda, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996.
• India and Switzerland:They are the two countries which were recently removed by USA from its currency monitoring list of major trading partners, citing certain developments and steps being taken by them which address some of its major concerns. The US currency monitoring list includes Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. In both Switzerland and India, there was a notable decline in 2018 in the scale and frequency of foreign exchange purchases, the report said. India for the first time was placed by the US in its currency monitoring list of countries with potentially questionable foreign exchange policies in May 2018 along with five other countries - China, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland.
• The Orchha : The town of Madhya Pradesh has been included in tentative list of the World Heritage Sites of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). It is situated on the banks of the river Betwa, in Niwari district of Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 UNESCO member states which are elected by the General Assembly.
• Haryana:The state which is planning to discourage planting of the water-guzzling rice (paddy) crop, which threatens to deplete the State’s groundwater. Meanwhile, farmers have asked the government to first come out with a mechanism to procure alternative crops at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) so that farmers are not at the receiving end. Water depletion in Haryana over the years has led to 60 dark zones in the State, which include 21 critical ones in 10 districts. The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs announces MSP for various crops at the beginning of each sowing season based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). The CACP takes into account demand and supply, the cost of production and price trends in the market among other things when fixing MSPs.
• Bihar :The state which registered the maximum None of The Above (NOTA) votes of about 8 lakh, with the highest share of 5.04% reported from the Gopalganj constituency in the recently concluded General Elections 2019. The high NOTA percentage was an indicator that people were frustrated with the state of affairs in their constituency, did not find any of the candidates worthy enough and therefore, even after reaching the polling station, decided to press the NOTA button. The option of NOTA for Lok Sabha and assembly elections was prescribed by the SC in 2013. The option of NOTA in RS polls was introduced by the EC in 2014. Thus, India became the 14th country to institute negative voting.

Current Affairs June 02 to June 08

• 14 days: It is the period in which one candidate if elected to 2 parliamentary seat has to vacate one seat. Under Sec 33(7) of RPA, 1951, an individual can contest from two parliamentary constituencies but, if elected from both, he has to resign one seat within 14 days of the declaration of the result, failing which both his seats shall fall vacant. [Sec 70, RPA, 1951 read with Rule 91 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961]. Under Article 101(2) of the Constitution (read with Rule 2 of the Prohibition of Simultaneous Membership Rules, 1950, made by the President under this Article) members of state legislatures who have been elected to Lok Sabha must resign their seats within 14 days “from the date of publication in the Gazette of India or in the Official Gazette of the State, whichever is later, of the declaration that he has been so chosen”, failing which their seats in Lok Sabha shall automatically fall vacant.
• CBI Raids:Consent of the state is required for raids in State by CBI. Unlike the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is governed by its own NIA Act and has jurisdiction across the country, the CBI is governed by the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act that makes consent of a state government mandatory for conducting investigation in that state. There are two kinds of consent: case-specific and general. It was in the news recently when reversing his predecessor’s orders, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to go ahead with investigations and raids in the State without prior permission of the State government. The Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal governments, had last year, withdrawn “general consent” to the CBI for investigating cases in their respective states. The state governments said they had lost faith in the CBI in the backdrop of its internal turmoil marked by the open war among the agency’s top officers. They had also alleged that the Centre is using the CBI to unfairly target Opposition parties.
• Hawa Aane De:It is the name of song launched by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on air pollution. The song was launched in the national capital recently. The main aim is to spread awareness regarding protecting the environment. Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the song in the presence of actor Shekhar Suman and singer Shaan. World Environment Day is celebrated on June 05.
• Union Environment Ministry:They on the eve of World Environment Day, has launched a people’s campaign called #SelfiewithSapling, urging people to advocate the cause on social media. Under the campaign, people have been urged to plant a sapling and post selfie with the planted sapling on social media. Every June 5th is World Environment Day. The World Environment Day is a part of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) for creating awareness and action worldwide for the environment. The first World Environment Day was celebrated in 1973. The theme for 45th World Environment Day is Beat Air Pollution. It is the call for action to combat the global crisis for ‘fresh air’.
• The Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) and the World Bank:They recently signed a $287 million loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Programme. The programme aims to improve the quality of health care, reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and fill equity gaps in reproductive and child health services in Tamil Nadu. The programme supports interventions to strengthen institutional and state capacity to achieve results. The programme will promote population-based screening, treatment and follow-up for NCDs, and improve monitoring and evaluation. Patients will be equipped with knowledge and skills to self-manage their conditions. Another key aim of this programme is to reduce the equity gaps in reproductive and child health. Tamil Nadu ranks third among all Indian states in the NITI Aayog Health Index which is reflected in vastly improved health outcomes.
• JSS:Which stands for Jan Shikshan Sansthans is the name of the scheme under which the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has decided to waive off fee for SC/ST candidates who join vocational training under this scheme. Formerly under the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Jan Shikshan Sansthan was transferred to the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship in 2018. Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS) were established to provide vocational training to non-literate, neo-literate, as well as school dropouts by identifying skills as would have a market in the region of their establishment. They were formerly known as Shramik Vidyapeeth.
• PRC:Which stands for Population Research Centre has been established by The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) with the mandate to provide, inter alia, critical research-based inputs related to the Health and Family Welfare Programs and Policies at the national and state levels. Their main role is to undertake research projects relating to family planning, demographic research and biological studies & qualitative aspect of population control, with a view to gainfully utilize the feedback from these research studies for plan formulation, strategies and modifications of on- going schemes. Autonomous in their functioning, these PRCs are provided 100 per cent central assistance in the form of grant-in-aid on a year-to year basis.
• Small Retailers Benefits:The Union Cabinet has approved a monthly pension scheme for small retail traders and shopkeepers. The scheme that offers pension coverage to the trading community will cover 3 crore small retail traders and shop keepers. Under the scheme all small shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed persons are assured a minimum of Rs.3,000 monthly pension after attaining 60 years of age. All small shopkeepers, self-employed persons and retail traders aged between 18-40 years and with Goods and Service Tax (GST) turnover below Rs.1.5 crore can enrol for pension scheme. The scheme is based on self-declaration as no documents are required except bank account and Aadhaar Card. The Central Government will make matching contribution (same amount as subscriber contribution) i.e. equal amount as subsidy into subscriber’s pension account every month.
• Jal Shakti :It is the name of the new Ministry created by Centre. It has been created by merger of Ministries of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation along with Drinking Water and Sanitation. The ministry will roll out government’s ambitious plans to provide piped water connections to every household in India by 2024. It will also address international and inter-states water disputes and the Namami Gange project which is the flagship initiative to clean the River Ganga, its tributaries and sub-tributaries. ‘Nal se Jal’ scheme to provide piped drinking water to every household will be a component of government’s Jal Jivan Mission.
• Features of revised PM-KISAN scheme are:The revised Scheme is expected to cover around 2 crore more farmers, The coverage of PM-KISAN extended to around 14.5 crore beneficiaries, Vulnerable landholding farmer families, having cultivable land upto 2 hectares covered, Eligible farmers will be provided direct income support at the rate of Rs. 6,000 per year. This income support will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers, in three equal installments of Rs. 2,000 each.The complete expenditure of Rs 75000 crore for the scheme will borne by the Union Government in 2019-20. For the purpose of the calculation of the benefit, the Centre has defined a small and marginal landholder family as the one comprising of husband, wife and minor children up to 18 years of age, who collectively own cultivable land up to two hectare as per the land records of the concerned states.
• Farmer’s benefit Schemes :Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana in Madhya Pradesh is sought to provide relief to farmers by providing the differential between MSPs and market prices. The Rythu Bandhu scheme of the Telangana government provides ₹4,000 per acre for every season to all the farmers of the state. Similar initiatives have also been framed in Jharkhand and Odisha. In December 2018, Odisha launched the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income augmentation (KALIA). KALIA is more complicated in design and implementation. It commits to give Rs 5,000 per SMF, twice a year, that is Rs 10,000 a year.
• FICCI's :(Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) economic outlook survey projected India's median GDP (Gross Domestic Product) 7.1% for FY20 and 7.2% for FY21. The survey was conducted among economists belonging to the industry, banking and financial services sectors of Survey for 2019-20: Minimum and maximum growth estimate stood at 6.8 per cent and 7.3 per cent. Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation rate is projected at 3.1% in 2019-20.
• Solar Capacity Targets :The Government had set a target of installing 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022 in the country. The Government had set a target of installing 60 GW of wind power capacity by 2022 in the country. A target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022 has been set, which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro power.

• The Indian fertiliser industry: This industry has overlooked the aspects related to environmental pollution, while making improvements in energy efficiency, according to a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based non-profit, under its Green Rating Project (GRP). The fertiliser industry has been classified under the ‘red category’ of polluting sectors by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
• Air pollution: This pollution is responsible for 12.5 per cent of all deaths in India. Climate change poses the biggest economic threat in the world today. These are the major findings of The State of India’s Environment 2019, an annual quantified statement of environmental statistics and analysis put together by Down To Earth magazine, which Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) helps publish. Air pollution impact on children is equally worrying. Over 100,000 children below the age of five die due to bad air in the country. While India was one of the first countries to pledge the phasing out of non-electric vehicles, its national scheme to promote the sale of e-vehicles is yet to pick up. Against the target of 15-16 million e-vehicles by 2020, the county had 0.28 million vehicles till May 2019. Both surface and groundwater in the country are under stress. 86 water bodies are critically polluted. The bulk of the polluted water bodies are in Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala. One of the reasons is the substantial increase (136 per cent) in the number of grossly polluting industries between 2011 and 2018. Groundwater is also reeling under overexploitation, which is running 94.5 per cent of all minor irrigation schemes in the country. There has been an unsustainable increase in the number of deep tube wells that has gone up by 80 per cent between 2006-07 and 2013-14.

• Quad Collation:India, Japan, Australia and the United States constitutes the Quad Collation. The fourth edition of the Quadrilateral meet, after it was revived in November 2017, was held recently at Bangkok, Thailand. They held consultations on collective efforts to “advance a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific”. The meet also referred to efforts to “maintain universal respect for international law and freedom of navigation and overflight”. The idea was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it. Quad is an opportunity for like-minded countries to share notes and collaborate on projects of mutual interest. All four countries share a vision of an open and free Indo-Pacific. Each is involved in development and economic projects as well as in promoting maritime domain awareness and maritime security.
• Mecca, Saudi Arabia:It is the place where the 14th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held recently. The agenda of meeting was to address ‘current issues in Muslim world’ and ‘recent developments in a number of OIC member states. Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states. It is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations. The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union.
• USA President Donald Trump:He has terminated India’s designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the GSP (Generalized System of Preference)trade program with effect from 5th June 2019.The trigger for the latest downturn in trade ties was India’s new rules on e-commerce that restrict the way Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart-backed Flipkart do business in a rapidly growing online market set to touch $200 billion by 2027. GSP is a U.S. trade program designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for up to 4,800 products from 129 designated beneficiary countries and territories. Removal of GSP indicate a tough trade position by the US; especially for countries like India who benefited much from the scheme. India is the 11th largest trade surplus country for the US and India enjoyed an annual trade surplus of $ 21 bn in 2017-18.
• Equal Measures 2030:They recently released the 2019 edition of SDG Gender Index. Developed by Equal Measures 2030, it is a joint effort of regional and global organisations including African Women’s Development and Communication Network, Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation etc. It accounts for 14 out of 17 SDGs (sustainable development goals) that cover aspects such as poverty, health, education, literacy, political representation and equality at the workplace. India is ranked 95th among 129 countries. India’s highest goal scores are on health (79.9), hunger & nutrition (76.2), and energy (71.8).
• Economic Performance, Infrastructure, Government Efficiency, Business Efficiency:These are the four parameters on which the economies are judged in the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings. The 2019 edition of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Business School World Competitiveness Rankings has been released. Started in 1989, the report ranks 63 economies on 235 indicators which are incorporated from each of these economies. India has moved up one place to rank 43rd (Previously: 44th position in 2018, 45th in 2017 and 41st in 2016.) This improved rank is result of India’s robust economic growth, a large labour force and its huge market size. The 2019 ranking is topped by Singapore. It has grabbed top position for the first time in nine years. In 2018 it stood at third rank.
• Kilogram:It is the unit whose definition has changed recently. The decision was made at the General Conference on Weights and Measures in 2018. The new definitions came into force on 20 May 2019. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) had agreed to change the way we measured weight and as of the World Metrology Day (May20th), the kilogram has shed its 130-year-old definition to be more accurate and consistent. General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) is the highest international body of the world for accurate and precise measurements and comprises of 60 countries including India and 42 Associate Members. The new definition involves an apparatus called the Kibble balance, which makes use of the constant to measure the mass of an object using a precisely measured electromagnetic force.
• 31st May :This day was recently celebrated as World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). Every year the World Health Organization (WHO) and global partners celebrate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). The annual campaign is an opportunity to raise awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, and to discourage the use of tobacco in any form. It is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption around the globe.
• 1st June :This day was recently celebrated as World Milk Day by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food. It has been observed on June 1 each year since 2001. The day is intended to provide an opportunity to bring attention to activities that are connected with the dairy sector. Objective of the day: - To provide information about the need and importance of milk in a human being's life.

• Unemployment rate:The unemployment rate (UR) in both rural and urban India is at its highest since 1972. The increase in the UR is more than three times among rural men and more than double among rural women according to the usual status since 2011-12. These are some of the major findings in the latest edition of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The unemployment rates in urban areas are higher than those in rural areas. In rural areas, the UR is 5.3 per cent, whereas in urban areas, the UR is 7.8 per cent according to the usual status. The overall unemployment rate is 6.1 per cent in India according to the usual status. The rural employment rate is 8.5 per cent whereas the urban rate is 9.6 per cent. The overall unemployment rate is 8.9 per cent. The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had constituted PLFS under the chairmanship of Amitabh Kundu. The data was collected by NSSO from July 2017 to June 2018. The survey was spread over 12,773 first-stage sampling units (7,014 villages and 5,759 urban blocks) covering 1,02,113 households (56,108 in rural areas and 46,005 in urban areas) and enumerating 4,33,339 persons (2,46,809 in rural areas and 1,86,530 in urban areas).

• Nandan Nilekani: He led the panel on digital payments which recently submitted its recommendations. The major recommendations are: Targets: It has set a target for the government and regulators to achieve a ten-fold volume growth in digital payments over the next three years through customer-friendly pricing mechanisms and broadening access infrastructure. Measures to increase the outreach: Banks need to ensure that no user is more than 5 kms away from a banking access point and if such areas are found, these must be considered ‘shadow areas’ and a local vendor be made a banking correspondent (BC) as he deals in money and stays there. Measures to less-cash economy: removing transaction charges on digital payments made to government, inducing a competitive Merchant Discount Rates (MDR) pricing structure and easing KYC costs to banks are amongst the key recommendations put forward by the committee. Role of the governments: committee has put the onus on government to be at the forefront of the transition by taking steps such as removing transaction charges on all digital payments made by customers to the government. The committee recommends that the Government, being the single largest participant in payments, take the lead on all aspects of digitization of payments. Committee has also asked RBI to set an interchange rate for transaction between customers and leave the MDR on competitive market pricing which would reduce the transaction cost for customers. The panel has also asked the government to set up special risk mitigation and complaint registering digital portals.
• Chandrani Murmu: A tribal woman from Odisha, aged 25 of Biju Janata Dal (BID) party became the youngest MP in the country. She defeated the two-time BJP MP Ananta Nayak by a margin of 66,203 votes and claimed the Keonjhar constituency, Odisha. She replaced Dushyant Chautala who was elected at the age of 26 from the Hisar Lok Sabha seat in 2014. She defeated the two-time BJP MP Ananta Nayak by a margin of 66,203 votes and claimed the Keonjhar constituency with her victory.
• Anita Bhatia: The Indian-origin woman who was recently appointed as Deputy Executive Director in UN Women. A veteran in strategic partnerships, resource mobilization, and management, has been appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) for Resource Management, Sustainability, and Partnerships. The agency focussed on women empowerment and gender equality.
• Pratibha Patil: The Former Indian President who has been conferred the "Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca" (Order of the Aztec Eagle), the highest civilian award of Mexico given to foreigners, on 1 June 2019. The Ambassador of Mexico to India, Melba Pria, conferred the award on Patil, who created history as this country's first woman President (2007-2012), at a special ceremony held in the MCCIA Bhavan, Pune.

• RISAT-2B :It is the name of country’s newest microwave Earth observation satellite which rode to its orbit 557 km above the ground recently. With the successful pre-dawn launch of RISAT-2B satellite, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has added another feather to its cap. Data that will come from the all-weather day-and-night satellite are considered to be vital for the Armed Forces as also agriculture forecasters and disaster relief agencies. Dubbed as a ‘spy’ satellite, RISAT-2B (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B) will replace its predecessor RISAT-2 which has been actively used by India to monitor activities in terror camps across the border in Pakistan to thwart infiltration bids by terrorists.

• Kerala: It is the state where the deadly Nipah Virus has resurfaced. According to WHO, the Nipah virus infection is a newly emerging zoonosis, that is, a disease transmitted from animals to humans. The virus belongs to a new genus termed Henipavirus (subfamily Paramyxovirinae). The natural host of the virus are fruit bats belonging to the family Pteropodidae. In 2004, humans were affected after eating the date palm contaminated by infected fruit bats. Pigs can also act as intermediate hosts. It was first identified in 1998 at Kampung Sungai Nipah village, Malaysia. The virus is named after this village.
• Agartala, Tripura: It is the place where the 10th National Science Film Festival of India (NSFFl) will be held in January-February 2020. This is for the second time the event will be held in a North-Eastern city. It will be jointly hosted by Vigyan Prasar of the Central Government, State Government, and Tripura Central University.
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati:It signed an MoU with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up an IITG-ISRO Space Technology Cell (STC) at the institute where Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi inaugurated a new academic complex and research and development building. IITG-ISRO STC would be first of its kind in the North-east region to augment research and capacity building processes in the field of space technology.
• Rajasthan: It is the state whose Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the ban on the sale of e-cigarettes in Rajasthan. Gehlot issued the order on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on May 31. Ban: The government had banned the online or offline sale, storage, production, distribution, and advertisement of e-cigarettes in the state. The CM said that the ban follows his party's manifesto to discourage the youth from addiction.
• Punjab: It is the state which recently announced to ban online delivery of food without hygiene rating as per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines. The announcement was made by the Health Minister Brahm Mohindra recently. The decision was taken under the 'Tandarust Punjab Mission'.

Current Affairs June 09 to June 15

• 5 : It is the number of Deputy Chief Ministers who have been appointed in Andhra Pradesh by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy in a full 25-member Cabinet,one each from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Backward Classes (BC), Minority and Kapu communities. The 5 Deputy CMs- Pamula Pushpa Sreevani, Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose, Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, L Narayana Swamy and AmzathBashatook oath at a ceremony held near the State Secretariat in Velagapudi, Amravati on June 8, 2019.
• 3rd June- 7th June 2019 :it is the period which was celebrated as The Financial Literacy Week 2019 by the Reserve Bank of India. It is an annual initiative by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to promote awareness on key topics through a focused campaign. The theme of Financial Literacy Week 2019 was ‘Farmers’ which focuses on how they can benefit by being a part of the formal banking system. The aim of initiative is to create awareness about financial products and services, good financial practices, going digital and consumer protection.
• DSRO:it is the name of the new agency which will develop sophisticated weapon systems and technologies. It will enhance the capabilities of the armed forces to fight wars in space. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently approved to set up the DSRO.The agency will consist of a team of scientists. They will work in close coordination with the tri-services integrated defence staff officers. It will provide research and development support to Defence Space Agency (DSA).
• Union Environment Ministry:They on the eve of World Environment Day, has launched a people’s campaign called #SelfiewithSapling, urging people to advocate the cause on social media. Under the campaign, people have been urged to plant a sapling and post selfie with the planted sapling on social media. Every June 5th is World Environment Day. The World Environment Day is a part of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) for creating awareness and action worldwide for the environment. The first World Environment Day was celebrated in 1973. The theme for 45th World Environment Day is Beat Air Pollution. It is the call for action to combat the global crisis for ‘fresh air’.
• The Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) and the World Bank:They recently signed a $287 million loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Programme. The programme aims to improve the quality of health care, reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and fill equity gaps in reproductive and child health services in Tamil Nadu. The programme supports interventions to strengthen institutional and state capacity to achieve results. The programme will promote population-based screening, treatment and follow-up for NCDs, and improve monitoring and evaluation. Patients will be equipped with knowledge and skills to self-manage their conditions. Another key aim of this programme is to reduce the equity gaps in reproductive and child health. Tamil Nadu ranks third among all Indian states in the NITI Aayog Health Index which is reflected in vastly improved health outcomes.
• JSS:Which stands for Jan Shikshan Sansthans is the name of the scheme under which the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has decided to waive off fee for SC/ST candidates who join vocational training under this scheme. Formerly under the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Jan Shikshan Sansthan was transferred to the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship in 2018. Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS) were established to provide vocational training to non-literate, neo-literate, as well as school dropouts by identifying skills as would have a market in the region of their establishment. They were formerly known as Shramik Vidyapeeth.
• PRC:Which stands for Population Research Centre has been established by The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) with the mandate to provide, inter alia, critical research-based inputs related to the Health and Family Welfare Programs and Policies at the national and state levels. Their main role is to undertake research projects relating to family planning, demographic research and biological studies & qualitative aspect of population control, with a view to gainfully utilize the feedback from these research studies for plan formulation, strategies and modifications of on- going schemes. Autonomous in their functioning, these PRCs are provided 100 per cent central assistance in the form of grant-in-aid on a year-to year basis.
• Small Retailers Benefits:The Union Cabinet has approved a monthly pension scheme for small retail traders and shopkeepers. The scheme that offers pension coverage to the trading community will cover 3 crore small retail traders and shop keepers. Under the scheme all small shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed persons are assured a minimum of Rs.3,000 monthly pension after attaining 60 years of age. All small shopkeepers, self-employed persons and retail traders aged between 18-40 years and with Goods and Service Tax (GST) turnover below Rs.1.5 crore can enrol for pension scheme. The scheme is based on self-declaration as no documents are required except bank account and Aadhaar Card. The Central Government will make matching contribution (same amount as subscriber contribution) i.e. equal amount as subsidy into subscriber’s pension account every month.
• Jal Shakti :It is the name of the new Ministry created by Centre. It has been created by merger of Ministries of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation along with Drinking Water and Sanitation. The ministry will roll out government’s ambitious plans to provide piped water connections to every household in India by 2024. It will also address international and inter-states water disputes and the Namami Gange project which is the flagship initiative to clean the River Ganga, its tributaries and sub-tributaries. ‘Nal se Jal’ scheme to provide piped drinking water to every household will be a component of government’s Jal Jivan Mission.
• Features of revised PM-KISAN scheme are:The revised Scheme is expected to cover around 2 crore more farmers, The coverage of PM-KISAN extended to around 14.5 crore beneficiaries, Vulnerable landholding farmer families, having cultivable land upto 2 hectares covered, Eligible farmers will be provided direct income support at the rate of Rs. 6,000 per year. This income support will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers, in three equal installments of Rs. 2,000 each.The complete expenditure of Rs 75000 crore for the scheme will borne by the Union Government in 2019-20. For the purpose of the calculation of the benefit, the Centre has defined a small and marginal landholder family as the one comprising of husband, wife and minor children up to 18 years of age, who collectively own cultivable land up to two hectare as per the land records of the concerned states.
• Farmer’s benefit Schemes :Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana in Madhya Pradesh is sought to provide relief to farmers by providing the differential between MSPs and market prices. The Rythu Bandhu scheme of the Telangana government provides ₹4,000 per acre for every season to all the farmers of the state. Similar initiatives have also been framed in Jharkhand and Odisha. In December 2018, Odisha launched the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income augmentation (KALIA). KALIA is more complicated in design and implementation. It commits to give Rs 5,000 per SMF, twice a year, that is Rs 10,000 a year.
• FICCI's :(Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) economic outlook survey projected India's median GDP (Gross Domestic Product) 7.1% for FY20 and 7.2% for FY21. The survey was conducted among economists belonging to the industry, banking and financial services sectors of Survey for 2019-20: Minimum and maximum growth estimate stood at 6.8 per cent and 7.3 per cent. Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation rate is projected at 3.1% in 2019-20.
• Solar Capacity Targets :The Government had set a target of installing 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022 in the country. The Government had set a target of installing 60 GW of wind power capacity by 2022 in the country. A target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022 has been set, which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro power.

• The Indian fertiliser industry: This industry has overlooked the aspects related to environmental pollution, while making improvements in energy efficiency, according to a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based non-profit, under its Green Rating Project (GRP). The fertiliser industry has been classified under the ‘red category’ of polluting sectors by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
• Air pollution: This pollution is responsible for 12.5 per cent of all deaths in India. Climate change poses the biggest economic threat in the world today. These are the major findings of The State of India’s Environment 2019, an annual quantified statement of environmental statistics and analysis put together by Down To Earth magazine, which Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) helps publish. Air pollution impact on children is equally worrying. Over 100,000 children below the age of five die due to bad air in the country. While India was one of the first countries to pledge the phasing out of non-electric vehicles, its national scheme to promote the sale of e-vehicles is yet to pick up. Against the target of 15-16 million e-vehicles by 2020, the county had 0.28 million vehicles till May 2019. Both surface and groundwater in the country are under stress. 86 water bodies are critically polluted. The bulk of the polluted water bodies are in Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala. One of the reasons is the substantial increase (136 per cent) in the number of grossly polluting industries between 2011 and 2018. Groundwater is also reeling under overexploitation, which is running 94.5 per cent of all minor irrigation schemes in the country. There has been an unsustainable increase in the number of deep tube wells that has gone up by 80 per cent between 2006-07 and 2013-14.

• Biarritz :The place in France is the place where 45th session of the G7 Summit of the G7 group of countries is scheduled to take place from August 24 to August 26, 2019. It was in the news as French President, Emmanuel Macron has invited Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to attend it as a special invitee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted an invitation for the summit. The Seven (G7) countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• Mount Sinabung:The volcano in Sumatra Island, western Indonesia is the volcano which erupted recently. It had erupted in 2010 for the first time in past 400 years. Indonesia sit along the Ring of Fire region, an area where most of the world’s volcanic eruptions occur. The Ring of Fire has seen a large amount of activity in recent days, but Indonesia has been hit hard due to its position on a large grid of tectonic plates. Indonesia is at the meeting point of three major continental plates – the Pacific, the Eurasian and the Indo-Australian plates – and the much smaller Philippine plate. As a result, several volcanoes on the Indonesian islands are prone to erupting. Indonesia is home to roughly 400 volcanoes, out of which 127 are currently active, accounting for about a third of the world’s active volcanoes. The Ring of Fire is a Pacific region home to over 450 volcanoes, including three of the world’s four most active volcanoes – Mount St. Helens in the USA, Mount Fuji in Japan and Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. It is also sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt. Around 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur in the Ring of Fire, and 80% of the world’s largest earthquakes.
• Tsukuba:The Japanese city where the G20 Ministerial meeting on Trade and Digital Economy was recently held. Formed in 1999, the G20 is an international forum of the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies. Collectively, the G20 economies account for around 85 percent of the Gross World Product (GWP), 80 percent of world trade.The G20 has no permanent staff of its own and its chairmanship rotates annually between nations divided into regional groupings. The 19 member countries of the forum are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States and 20th Member is European Union.
• Estonia, Niger, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines, Tunisia, and Vietnam- :The countries which were elected to United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as Non-permanent Members on June 7, 2019, for a 2-year term beginning January 1, 2020. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had held elections for 5 non-permanent members of the Security Council in the General Assembly hall. UNGA has 193 members. The Security Council has 15 members – 5 permanent members namely China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom& the United States and 10 non-permanent members who are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. At present, 10 non-permanent members are Belgium, Cte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Indonesia, Kuwait, Peru, Poland and South Africa.
• Sri Lankan Airlines :It has been named the world’s most punctual airline by flight data analysis company Flightstats.com. An extraordinary 90.5 percent of SriLankan Airlines’ flights were on time according to an analysis by Flightstats. This is the second consecutive time in less than 12 months that Sri Lankan has achieved this milestone. Earlier it was won the tag in September 2018 with the punctuality rating of 91.37 percent. LATAM Airlines was in second place with 38,202 flights. All Nippon Airways was in third place with 29,536 flights. 8th was Singapore Airlines with 7,987 flights. Emirates was in 10th place with 12,615 flights.RTA’s which stand for Reciprocal Trade Agreements are such agreements used by countries use to increase market access and expand trade in foreign markets. These agreements are called reciprocal trade agreements (RTAs) because members grant special advantages to each other. RTAs include many types of agreements, such as preferential arrangements, free trade agreements, customs unions, and common markets, in which members agree to open their markets to each other’s exports by lowering trade barriers.
• El Salvador:The country which has in a historic move, recognised forests as living entities. Its citizens, will now be required to preserve forests. El Salvador has lost about 85 per cent of its native forests since the 1960s, while Earth has lost about 80 per cent of its native forests.
• Portugal:It is the country which will join hands with India in the setting up of a national maritime heritage museum at Lothal in Gujarat. It is likely to come up on the lines of a similar museum at Lisbon, which is administered by the Portuguese Navy. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Shipping through its Sagarmala programme, with the involvement of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the State government and other stakeholders.
• Russia:has warned that it was prepared to drop New START treaty(Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) with the U.S. and warned of “global catastrophe” if Washington keeps dismantling a global arms control regime.It alleged that Washington showed no genuine interest in conducting talks on extending the New START treaty, which caps the number of nuclear warheads well below Cold War limits. New START is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation with the formal name of Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. It was signed on 8 April 2010 in Prague, and, after ratification entered into force on 5 February 2011. New START replaced the Treaty of Moscow (SORT), which was due to expire in December 2012. Its name is a follow-up to the START I treaty, which expired in December 2009, the proposed START II treaty, which never entered into force, and the START III treaty, for which negotiations were never concluded.
• June 7 :This day was recently celebrated as the first World Food Safety Day. This was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018. This year’s theme was ‘Food Safety, everyone’s business’.The United Nations has designated two of its agencies — the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) — to lead efforts in promoting food safety around the world.
• AU :Which stands for African Union is a continental union consisting of 55 countries of the continent of Africa, with exception of various territories of European possessions located in Africa. The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched on 9 July 2002 in South Africa. The intention of the AU is to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states. The AU’s secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa.

• Sourav Kothari : The Indian billiards player who won the 2019 Pacific International Snooker Championship held in the Reventon Classic, in Melbourne, Australia.He defeated Tyson Crinis of Australia to win the title. He won gold medal in 2014 Asian Billiards Championship and won bronze medal in 2011, 2014 and 2015 World Billiards. He won Arjuna award for Billiards & Snooker in the year 2016.

• Unemployment rate:The unemployment rate (UR) in both rural and urban India is at its highest since 1972. The increase in the UR is more than three times among rural men and more than double among rural women according to the usual status since 2011-12. These are some of the major findings in the latest edition of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The unemployment rates in urban areas are higher than those in rural areas. In rural areas, the UR is 5.3 per cent, whereas in urban areas, the UR is 7.8 per cent according to the usual status. The overall unemployment rate is 6.1 per cent in India according to the usual status. The rural employment rate is 8.5 per cent whereas the urban rate is 9.6 per cent. The overall unemployment rate is 8.9 per cent. The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had constituted PLFS under the chairmanship of Amitabh Kundu. The data was collected by NSSO from July 2017 to June 2018. The survey was spread over 12,773 first-stage sampling units (7,014 villages and 5,759 urban blocks) covering 1,02,113 households (56,108 in rural areas and 46,005 in urban areas) and enumerating 4,33,339 persons (2,46,809 in rural areas and 1,86,530 in urban areas).

• Romila Thapar: The eminent historian and writer who was recently elected to the member of American Philosophical society, the oldest learned society in the United States. Her APS citation regarded her as the “greatest living historian of India”. She was among the 1,013 members elected to the society. She is Professor Emerita of history at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. She is famous for her careful scholarship on the emperor Asoka, the epigraphy of the Mauryan period, and the multiple historiographies surrounding the contested Hindu and Muslim history of Somnath.
• Amitav Ghosh : The noted English Fiction writer who recently received the country’s highest literary honour 54thJnanpith Award in New Delhi. The decision taken by the Jnanpith Selection Board chaired by Jnanpith laureate Pratibha Ray. Former West Bengal Governer ,Gopalakrishna Gandhi ,who was the chief guest of the event presented the award. Ghosh is known for his novels such as Shadow Lines, The Glass Palace, The Hunger Tide, River of smoke, Flood of Fire. Amitav Ghosh is also recipient of the Padma Shri(2007) and Sahitya Akademi Awards.
• Pradeep Kumar Sinha :He has become the longest serving bureaucrat in the post of Cabinet Secretary as the government recently amended the 60-Year-Old Rule to Pave Way for Cabinet Secretary Extension. A cabinet secretary is appointed for a fixed tenure of two years. According to All India Services (Death-Cum-Retirement-Benefits) Rules, 1958, the government can give extension in service to a cabinet secretary provided the total tenure does not exceed four years. As per the modified rules, the central government may give an extension in service for a further period not exceeding three months, beyond the period of four years to a cabinet secretary. The cabinet secretariat is under the direct charge of the prime minister. The administrative head of the secretariat is the cabinet secretary who is also the ex-officio chairman of the civil services board.
• Shanta Kumar : He headed the six-member committee set up by government to suggest restructuring or unbundling of FCI to improve its financial management and operational efficiency in procurement, storage and distribution of food grains. The Important recommendations made by the committee is to Reduce the number of beneficiaries under the Food Security Act—from the current 67 per cent to 40 per cent; Allow private players to procure and store food grains; Stop bonuses on minimum support price (MSP) paid by states to farmers, and adopt cash transfer system so that MSP and food subsidy amounts can be directly transferred to the accounts of farmers and food security beneficiaries. It was in the news recently after Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan stated that primacy will be given to ensuring that the functioning of FCI is streamlined and fast paced as per recommendations of the Shanta Kumar Committee.

• RISAT-2B :It is the name of country’s newest microwave Earth observation satellite which rode to its orbit 557 km above the ground recently. With the successful pre-dawn launch of RISAT-2B satellite, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has added another feather to its cap. Data that will come from the all-weather day-and-night satellite are considered to be vital for the Armed Forces as also agriculture forecasters and disaster relief agencies. Dubbed as a ‘spy’ satellite, RISAT-2B (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B) will replace its predecessor RISAT-2 which has been actively used by India to monitor activities in terror camps across the border in Pakistan to thwart infiltration bids by terrorists.

• Siachen Glacier :It lies in the Karakoram Range system which is a part of western Himalayas. It is among of the largest glaciers in the non-polar region of the world. It also lies to the south of the zone that separates Eurasion Plate with the Indian Plate, which is the result of convergence boundary interaction in geographical terms. The word Siachen comes out of two words: “Sia” which means rose and “Chun” which means anything found in abundance according to “Balti” language. Therefore it represents the place of roses. It is the highest battle field in the world and lies on LoC (Line of Control) between India and Pakistan. It has been continuously contested by Pakistan as its own part which has led to militarisation of the glacier. Siachen Glacier also boasts of the world’s highest helipad built by India at Point Sonam, to supply its troops. India also installed the world’s highest telephone booth on the glacier.
• Japan: This country has decided to invest an amount of 205.784 billion Yen, nearly Rs 13,000 crore in several ongoing as well as new infrastructure projects in the North-East Region. This was announced after a meeting which the Development of North-East Region (DoNER) Minister Dr Jitendra Singh had with the Japanese delegation led by Ambassador Mr Kenji Hiramatsu. Japan will invest in projects like Guwahati Water Supply Project and Guwahati Sewage Project in Assam, Northeast Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project spread over Assam and Meghalaya, Northeast Network Connectivity Improvement Project in Meghalaya, Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project in Sikkim, Sustainable Forest Management Project in Tripura, Technical Cooperation Project for Sustainable Agriculture & Irrigation in Mizoram, Forest Management Project in Nagaland.
• Manipur:It is the state from where a 22-year-old civil engineer, Zonel Sougaijam was recognized by the social media giant “Facebook” for discovering and reporting a WhatsApp bug that violated the privacy of a user. Zonel Sougaijam was rewarded $5000 and also inducted into the Facebook ‘Hall of Fame’2019. Now he is at the 16th position in a rundown of 94 people in the ‘Facebook Hall of Fame’ 2019.
• Chandigarh: This place topped the 2018-19 State Food Safety Index (SFSI). The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, has developed first State Food Safety Index (SFSI) to measure performance of States on five parameters of food safety. This is an effort of ministry to motivate states to work towards ensuring safe food for citizens. . The first State Food Safety Index (SFSI) was to measure the performance of States on five parameters of food safety. The categories included human resources and institutional arrangements, compliance, food testing – infrastructure and surveillance, training and capacity building and consumer empowerment.
• India :It has signed a deal with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, an Israeli defence firm to procure a batch of SPICE 2000 guided bombs. The SPICE stands for Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective. It is guidance and maneuvering kit manufactured by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.SPICE can overcome errors in locating target, GPS jamming and also reduces collateral damage.
• Jammu &Kashmir :It is the state where the annual Kheer Bhawani mela is held.The Kheer Bhawani mela is one of the biggest religious functions of the Kashmiri Pandits. It has become a symbol of communal harmony as Muslims in the locality make all the arrangements for the devotees, including setting up of stalls for flowers and other offerings.
• Mumbai :It is the city which has been ranked as the most traffic-congested city in the world for the second straight year, and Delhi at fourth place in Traffic Index 2018 published by TomTom, an Amsterdam-based company.The index factors for peak hours, accidents, inclement weather, construction work and all other factors likely to cause disruptions. The latest index ranks 403 cities across 56 countries, including 13 new cities. Nearly 75% of the cities part of the 2018 index had increased or stable congestion levels between 2017 and 2018, with only 90 cities showing measurable decreases. Globally, Christmas Day resulted in the least traffic congestion.

Current Affairs June 16 to June 22

• Dispute Resolution Committee : In a major decision to facilitate the solar and wind energy projects, the government has approved a proposal to set up a Dispute Resolution Committee to consider the unforeseen disputes between solar/wind power developers and SECI/NTPC, beyond contractual agreement. The move will give further fillip to the smooth implementation of solar/wind energy projects in India. It fulfils a long pending demand of the industry to resolve expeditiously, unforeseen disputes that may arise beyond the scope of Contractual Agreements. Solar and Wind Industry have been demanding setting up of Dispute Resolution Mechanism by MNRE for quite some time, to resolve expeditiously, unforeseen disputes that may arise beyond the scope of Contractual Agreements between solar power developers / wind power developers and SECI/ NTPC. A three-member Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) will be set up with the approval of Hon’ble Minister (NRE), consisting of eminent persons of impeccable integrity. The upper age for the DRC members shall be 70 years.
• Speaker of Lok Sabha :Is basically the head of the house and presides over the sittings of Parliament and controls it’s working. The salary of the Speaker is charged on the consolidated Fund of India and the same is not subject to vote of Parliament. While debating or during general discussion on a bill, the members of the parliament have to address only to the Speaker. Whenever there is a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha) the Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides over this meeting. These are some of the Functions and Powers of Lok Sabha Speaker. The Speaker of Lok Sabha comes at sixth position in the Order of Precedence of Government of India. In the normal circumstances the Speaker does not casts his vote over any matter in Lok Sabha. But whenever there is a tie-on vote between the ruling party and opposition, the Speaker at that time can exercise his vote. The Speaker decides whether a bill brought to the house is a money bill or not. In the case Speaker decides some bill as a money bill, this decision cannot be challenged. Speaker is the final and sole authority to allow different types of motions and resolutions such as No Confidence Motion, Motion of Adjournment, Censure Motion etc.
• PMBJP:It stands for Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. Of India, to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses through special Kendra’s known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra (PMBJK) have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs. Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementing agency of PMBJP.

• Paddy Frog: It is the name of new frog which the researchers have discovered from Northeast India, primarily in Assam. The newly discovered species has been named Aishani, which is derived from Sanskrit word ‘aishani’ or aisani meaning Northeast.The frog belongs to genus Micryletta, (a small genus of microhylid frogs). The microhylid genus is a group of narrow-mouthed frogs that are more commonly known as paddy frogs and are primarily and widely distributed in Southeast Asia (SEA). As of now, there are only 4 recognised species in this group and newly discovered Micryletta aishani becomes the 5th. It is likely to be more widely distributed in Northeast India, particularly Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot region.
• Death Zone of Mount Everest: This pollution is responsible for 12.5 per cent of all deaths in India. Climate change poses the biggest economic threat in the world today. These are the major findings of The State of India’s Environment 2019, an annual quantified statement of environmental statistics and analysis put together by Down To Earth magazine, which Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) helps publish. Air pollution impact on children is equally worrying. Over 100,000 children below the age of five die due to bad air in the country. While India was one of the first countries to pledge the phasing out of non-electric vehicles, its national scheme to promote the sale of e-vehicles is yet to pick up. Against the target of 15-16 million e-vehicles by 2020, the county had 0.28 million vehicles till May 2019. Both surface and groundwater in the country are under stress. 86 water bodies are critically polluted. The bulk of the polluted water bodies are in Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala. One of the reasons is the substantial increase (136 per cent) in the number of grossly polluting industries between 2011 and 2018. Groundwater is also reeling under overexploitation, which is running 94.5 per cent of all minor irrigation schemes in the country. There has been an unsustainable increase in the number of deep tube wells that has gone up by 80 per cent between 2006-07 and 2013-14.It is the place where the climate scientists have created a history by installing world’s highest operating weather station, including five other automated stations on other parts of the mountain. The weather station will record data on temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. Besides, the new weather stations will also give scientists direct observations to understand jet stream, and will also help understand how the climate change is affecting the Himalayas. The other five weather stations that are located in the Mount Everest are in Balcony area (8,430 m), South Col (7,945m) at Phortse (3,810 m), Everest Base Camp (5,315 m) and Camp 2 (6,464 m).
• Bt cotton: It remains the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in the country. Developed by US giant Bayer-Monsanto, it involves insertion of two genes viz ‘Cry1Ab’ and ‘Cry2Bc’ from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into cotton seeds. This modification codes the plant to produce protein toxic to Heliothis bollworm (pink bollworm) thus making it resistant to their attack. The commercial release of this hybrid was sanctioned by the government in 2002. In India, it is the responsibility of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Environment Ministry to assess the safety of a genetically modified plant, and decide whether it is fit for cultivation. The GEAC comprises experts and government representatives, and a decision it takes has to be approved by the Environment Minister before any crop is allowed for cultivation. Besides Bt cotton, the GEAC has cleared two other genetically modified crops — brinjal and mustard — but these have not received the consent of the Environment Minister.

• December 2010:It is the month in which FSDC (The Financial Stability and Development Council) was constituted. An apex-level FSDC is not a statutory body. The FSDC was set up to strengthen and institutionalise the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development. The Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and its members are Governor, Reserve Bank of India; Finance Secretary and/or Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs; Secretary, Department of Financial Services; Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance; Chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India; Chairman, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority and Chairman, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. It also includes the chairman of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board (IBBI). Recently, the government through a gazette notification, had included ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) secretary in the FSDC in view of the increased focus of the government on digital economy.
• Dispute Resolution Committee: In a major decision to facilitate the solar and wind energy projects, the government has approved a proposal to set up a Dispute Resolution Committee to consider the unforeseen disputes between solar/wind power developers and SECI/NTPC, beyond contractual agreement. The move will give further fillip to the smooth implementation of solar/wind energy projects in India. It fulfils a long pending demand of the industry to resolve expeditiously, unforeseen disputes that may arise beyond the scope of Contractual Agreements. Solar and Wind Industry have been demanding setting up of Dispute Resolution Mechanism by MNRE for quite some time, to resolve expeditiously, unforeseen disputes that may arise beyond the scope of Contractual Agreements between solar power developers / wind power developers and SECI/ NTPC. A three-member Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) will be set up with the approval of Hon’ble Minister (NRE), consisting of eminent persons of impeccable integrity. The upper age for the DRC members shall be 70 years.
• Five trillion:Dollar economy by 2024 -It is the goal set for India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 15, 2019 during the fifth meeting of the Governing Council of The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog which was held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Centre, New Delhi. This was the first governing council meeting under the new Modi government. The guiding principle of Union Government is “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwaas”. Focus should be given to fisheries, animal husbandry, horticulture, fruits and vegetables in order to fulfill the commitment to double incomes of farmers by 2022.
• 58.8%:It is the growth rate of total digital transactions in 2018-19 as per the The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report “Payment and Settlement: The Plumbing in the Architecture of India’s Financial System”. It stated that, the digital transactions till March 2019 witnessed tremendous growth and they will rise by four times from Rs 2,069 crore in December 2018 to Rs 8,707 crore in December 2021. Digital transactions in value terms grew by 19.5% during 2018-19.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB):It has approved a project submitted by the Urban Development Department (UDD) of Tripura amounting to Rs. 1650 crore for overall infrastructure development of seven districts headquarter towns of Tripura. The fund is meant for development of piped water supply, underground drainage, underground sewage or scientific septage management, roads with pavement. The ADB will give 80 percent of Rs 1650 crore as grant-in-aid and the State Government of Tripura will have to repay back only 20 percent loan in due course of time. The seven-district headquarters include-Khowai (Khowai), Ambassa (Dhalai district), Dharmnagar (North Tripura), Kailashahar (Unakoti), Udaipur (Gomati), Bishramganj (Sepahijala), Belonia (South Tripura), where the plan will be implemented.

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) :This is at the top of the global list for the eighth consecutive year in the QS World University Rankings for 2020 which was released recently. QS World University Rankings is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). QS evaluates universities and institutions on parameters such as academic and employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty and international students and faculty on campuses. IIT-Bombay has been ranked India’s best university for the second year in a row. Two other Indian universities — IIT Delhi (182) and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (184) — have also cracked the top 200.
• Hidden Hunger:This is a term used when malnutrition and obesity co-exist in the same people. Hidden hunger is a result of various factors. These include poverty, inequality, urbanisation and industrialisation of the food system. The interplay of these factors leaves low income households with very limited access to fresh, healthy foods. Instead, many South Africans — and other people living in similar conditions — subsist on diets high in sugar and processed starch. These diets contribute to increasing levels of obesity.
• Venezuela:The country which recently announced that it will issue new banknotes due to racketing hyperinflation which eroded the currency’s value. The central bank of Venezuela will release new Banknotes of 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 bolivar denominations. The decision aims to control the prevailing hyperinflationary situation that reached more than 1.3 million percent and strengthen the payment system and commercial transactions in the country. The highest bill in circulation was 500 bolivar note before the announcement. The largest denominations banknotes of 50,000 bolivars are worth about Rs.560 ($8) which is more than the minimum wage of 40,000 bolivars.
• One Health:This is a concept in news given by The World Organization of Animal Health, commonly known as OIE (an abbreviation of its French title), which summarises the One Health concept as “human health and animal health are interdependent and bound to the health of the ecosystems in which they exist”. The philosophy of One Health recognises inter-connectivity among human health, the health of animals, and the environment. Circa 400 BC, Hippocrates in his treatise On Airs, Waters and Places had urged physicians that all aspects of patients’ lives need to be considered including their environment; disease was a result of imbalance between man and environment. So, One Health is not a new concept, though it is of late that it has been formalised in health governance systems. According to the OIE, 60% of existing human infectious diseases are zoonotic i.e. they are transmitted from animals to humans; 75% of emerging infectious human diseases have an animal origin. Developing countries like India have much greater stake in strong One Health systems on account of agricultural systems resulting in uncomfortably close proximity of animals and humans.
• 17th June:This day was recently celebrated as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2019 theme was ‘Let’s Grow the Future Together’ (Reflecting on 25 years of progress and envisaging to the next 25) encouraging people against depleting the land of its inbuilt resources. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development declares that “we are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations”. Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. Desertification does not refer to the expansion of existing deserts.
• Gulf of Mexico:The place where the scientists have predicted the creation of Dead Zone. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Louisiana State University have predicted that this spring’s record rainfall would produce one of the largest-ever “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico. Unoxygenated “dead zones” appear in waterways wherever algae are overfed by runoff from human activities such as urbanization and agriculture – a phenomenon called eutrophication. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, fuelled by the nutrient-laden water spilling from the mouth of the Mississippi River, is the second-largest in the world. It blooms every summer, when warming waters accelerate the metabolisms of microorganisms, and it is expected to get even worse as the climate continues to change.
• Zuzana Caputova:The lawyer and Anti-corruption campaigner was recently sworn in as first female & the fifth President of Slovakia. She defeated Smer-SD candidate Maros Sefcovic. She was elected in March 2019 with 58% of votes over Mr Sefcovic(42%). She was honoured with the Goldman Environmental Award in 2016 for her strong leadership regarding the Pezinok landfill affair, Caputova. Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest.
• Hertogenbosch in Netherlands:The place where the 50th edition of World Archery Championships, 2019 also known as Hyundai World Archery Championships were held from June 10, 2019, to June 16, 2019. It was comprised of Men’s Individual, Women’s Individual, Men’s team, Women’s team, and Mixed team. South Korea topped the medal tally with 3 gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze. Chinese Taipei came second with 3 Gold,1 Bronze. India won three medals,1 silver, and 2 bronze.iii. Indian men’s archery team secured the Olympic quota for the 2020 Tokyo Games by entering into the quarterfinals of the World Championships with a 5-3 win over Canada. After the 2012 London Olympics, this is the first time that Indian men could secure a team quota.
• Germany and Russia :These are the two countries whose joint team of scientists are set to launch a space telescope- Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG). It will create a three-dimensional (3D) X-ray map of the universe and unveil unknown supermassive black holes, dark energy and stars. The telescope will be launched into space on a Russian-built Proton-M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on June 21, 2019. The four-year mission will survey the entire sky eight times and track the evolution of the universe and dark energy — a mysterious repulsive force — that is accelerating its expansion. It also aims to detect up to three million supermassive black holes — many of which are unknown — and X-rays from as many as 700,000 stars in the Milky Way. The telescope is the first to be sensitive to high-energy ‘hard’ X-rays and map the entire sky.
• The Strait of Hormuz:It is the waterway separates Iran and Oman, linking the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The Strait is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just two miles (three km) wide in either direction. Most crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq — all members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries — is shipped through the waterway. It is also the route used for nearly all the liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced by the world’s biggest LNG exporter, Qatar.
• Rice:It is the crop which is affected by Sheath Blight disease. A strain of Rhizoctonia solani is the fungal pathogen that causes the dreaded Sheath Blight disease in rice. It is a major issue in rice cultivation. It can cause up to 60 per cent reduction in rice yield. It is difficult to breed disease resistant rice varieties, as there is lack of natural source of disease resistance. The researchers have identified several genes and gene families in the strain that might account for their disease aggressiveness. This genomic insight is expected to help develop rice varieties resistant to sheath blight disease.
• 12th June:This day was recently celebrated as The World Day against Child Labour across the world. The theme of 2019 was ‘Children should not work in fields but on dreams’. The World Day against Child Labour was established by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it. The day brings together governments, employers and workers organizations, civil society as well as millions of people to highlight the plight of child labourers and measures to help them. UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7 set by the international community calls for an end to child labour in all its forms by 2025. World Day against Child Labour 2019 calls for full ratification and implementation of Convention No. 182 and of the ILO’s Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138). The day also aims to encourage ratification of the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, which protects both adults and children. This year marks 20 years since the adoption of the ILO’s Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182).
• Kelps:These are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Kelps have adapted to the severe conditions. These cool water species have special strategies to survive freezing temperatures and long periods of darkness, and even grow under sea ice. In regions with cold, nutrient-rich water, they can attain some of the highest rates of primary production of any natural ecosystem on Earth. Kelps function underwater in the same way trees do on land. They create habitat and modify the physical environment by shading light and softening waves. The underwater forests that kelps create are used by many animals for shelter and food.
• Global Peace Index Themes:The level of societal safety and security. The extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict. The degree of militarisation. These are the three thematic domains on which the countries are ranked to their level of peacefulness in the Global Peace Index. Global Peace Index is released by Australian think tank Institute for Economics & Peace. The GPI was founded by Steve Killelea, an Australian technology entrepreneur and philanthropist. The report covers 99.7 per cent of the world’s population and uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources to compile the index. Global Peace Index 2019 includes new research on the possible effects of climate change on peace. India’s rank has slipped five places to 141 this year. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the Global Peace Index (GPI) by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and Denmark. Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country in the world, replacing Syria, which is now the second least peaceful. South Sudan, Yemen, and Iraq comprise the remaining five least peaceful countries. Seem Reap province in Cambodia -it is the place where the 16th Asia Media Summit 2019 was organised in to deliberate on many issues pertaining to media & broadcasting industry. It is an annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) Kuala Lumpur. The Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) was established in 1977 under the auspices of UNESCO. It is hosted by the Government of Malaysia and the secretariat is located in Kuala Lumpur. Full membership of the AIBD is confined to sovereign states and they are invited to designate the broadcasting authority of the country to be the beneficiary. The AIBD currently has 26 Full Members (countries), represented by 34 organisations, and 67 Affiliate Members (organisations) with a total membership of 101 representing 48 countries and regions and over 50 partners in Asia, Pacific, Europe, Africa, Arab States and North America.
• 30th January, 2020:It is the date on which Spitzer space telescope of NASA will be retired. Spitzer is going to shut down permanently after about 16 years of exploring the cosmos in infrared light. By 2020, Spitzer space telescope will have operated for more than 11 years beyond its prime mission. Launched into solar orbit on August 25, 2003, Spitzer was initially scheduled for a minimum 2.5-year primary mission. But the space telescope has lasted far beyond its expected lifetime. Spitzer’s discoveries extend from our own planetary backyard, to planets around other stars, to the far reaches of the universe. And by working in collaboration with NASA’s other Great Observatories, Spitzer has helped scientists gain a more complete picture of many cosmic phenomena. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope was launched in 2003 to study the universe in the infrared. It is the last mission of the NASA Great Observatories program, which saw four specialized telescopes (including the Hubble Space Telescope) launched between 1990 and 2003.
• OSRIR-Rex:The asteroid probe by the US space agency NASA set a new record for the closest-ever orbit of a planetary body made by a man-made spacecraft. The recent manoeuvre has placed the spacecraft into an orbit 680 meters above the asteroid Bennu’s surface for about seven weeks. OSIRIS-Rex stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers program, which previously sent the New Horizons spacecraft zooming by Pluto and the Juno spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter.
• Juneteenth:Is considered the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It was originally celebrated on June 19, the day that Union soldiers in 1865 told enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War had ended and they were free. The celebration started with the freed slaves of Galveston, Texas. Although the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the South in 1863, it could not be enforced in many places until after the end of the Civil War in 1865. The term Juneteenth is a blend of the words June and nineteenth. The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day.
• RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) of Canada:It was launched successfully into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The constellation of three satellites will provide daily images of Canada’s vast territory and maritime approaches, as well as images of the Arctic, up to four times a day. It will have daily access to 90 percent of the world’s surface. The RCM is also equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS), allowing improved detection and tracking of ships, including those conducting illegal fishing. The RADARSAT Constellation Mission will provide improved data for the critical services our government provides to Canadians, including monitoring climate change, protecting the health of our oceans, forests and crops; and supporting our first responders’ disaster relief efforts.
• China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan:These are the founding members of The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The cooperation was renamed to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation after Uzbekistan joined the organisation in 2001. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, also known as the Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai. SCO Summit 2019 was recently held in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan. Presently, the SCO comprises eight member states, namely the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan. The SCO counts four observer states, namely the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Mongolia.
• The Windrush Scheme:It enables Commonwealth citizens, their children, and some other long-term residents of the UK to obtain documentation confirming their status free of charge. The Windrush generation refers to citizens of former British colonies who arrived before 1973, when the rights of such Commonwealth citizens to live and work in Britain were substantially curtailed. The name derives from the ship MV Empire Windrush, which on June 22, 1948, docked in Tilbury, Essex, bringing nearly 500 Jamaicans to the UK. The immigrants came at the invitation of the British government, which was facing a labour shortage due to the destruction caused by World War II.

• Unemployment rate:The unemployment rate (UR) in both rural and urban India is at its highest since 1972. The increase in the UR is more than three times among rural men and more than double among rural women according to the usual status since 2011-12. These are some of the major findings in the latest edition of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The unemployment rates in urban areas are higher than those in rural areas. In rural areas, the UR is 5.3 per cent, whereas in urban areas, the UR is 7.8 per cent according to the usual status. The overall unemployment rate is 6.1 per cent in India according to the usual status. The rural employment rate is 8.5 per cent whereas the urban rate is 9.6 per cent. The overall unemployment rate is 8.9 per cent. The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had constituted PLFS under the chairmanship of Amitabh Kundu. The data was collected by NSSO from July 2017 to June 2018. The survey was spread over 12,773 first-stage sampling units (7,014 villages and 5,759 urban blocks) covering 1,02,113 households (56,108 in rural areas and 46,005 in urban areas) and enumerating 4,33,339 persons (2,46,809 in rural areas and 1,86,530 in urban areas).

• Bimal Jalan: The Ex-Governor, RBI is the head of RBI constituted a panel on economic capital framework. The expert panel on RBI’s economic capital framework was formed to address the issueof RBI reserves—one of the sticking points between the central bank and the government. Economic capital framework refers to the risk capital required by the central bank while taking into account different risks. The economic capital framework reflects the capital that an institution requires or needs to hold as a counter against unforeseen risks or events or losses in the future. Existing economic capital framework which governs the RBI’s capital requirements and terms for the transfer of its surplus to the government is based on a conservative assessment of risk by the central bank and that a review of the framework would result in excess capital being freed, which the RBI can then share with the government.
• Thawarchand Gehlot :The Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment was recently appointed as Leader of Rajya Sabha. The Leader of the Rajya Sabha is appointed by the party in power at Centre. The term Leader of the House has been defined in Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Leader of the House, according to Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha means the prime Minister, if he is a Member of the House or a Minister who is a Member of the House and is nominated by the Prime Minister to function as the Leader of the House. The Prime Minister is invariably the Leader of the Lok Sabha. The Leader of the House is an important parliamentary functionary and exercises direct influence on the course of parliamentary business.
• Om Birla :He has been named as the new Lok Sabha Speaker by the NDA. He is elected Member of Parliament from Kota, Rajasthan. The chairman or the Presiding Officer of Lok Sabha is called Speaker. The speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected from all other members by simple majority. Any member of Parliament is eligible to be nominated as a speaker but most commonly the candidate of ruling party or the party with majority wins this post. However, there are certain cases when the elected Speaker does not belong to the majority ruling party of Lok Sabha (G. M. C. Balyogi, Manohar Joshi, Somnath Chatterjee).
• Kirit Parikh : The economist is the head of, the Central Government constituted five-member committee to review the existing marketing structure of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in India. The other members of the panel include the former petroleum secretary GC Chaturvedi, former Indian Oil chairman MA Pathan, IIM Ahmedabad director Errol D’souza, and a joint secretary in the petroleum ministry. The newly constituted committee will look into the issues related to definition or quality standards of LPG being marketed.
• President Ramnath Kovind :He recently addressed joint sitting of Parliament outlining the govt’s goals for next five years. Article 87(1) says: “At the commencement of the first session after each general election to the House of the People and at the commencement of the first session of each year the President shall address both Houses of Parliament assembled together and inform Parliament of the causes of its summons.” Originally, the Constitution required the President to address both Houses of Parliament at the commencement of “every session”. This requirement was changed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. The President’s speech essentially highlights the government’s policy priorities andplans for the upcoming year. It is drafted by the Cabinet, and provides a broad framework of the government’s agenda and direction.
• Suman Rao:The 20-year-old model, a resident of Rajsamand, Rajasthan was crowned Miss India 2019. The ceremony was held at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium, Mumbai, Maharashtra. She was crowned by Miss India 2018 Anukreethy Vas from Tamil Nadu. Born on November 23, 1999. Suman has the title of Miss India Rajasthan 2019 and will represent India in the coveted Miss World 2019 which is going to be held in Pattaya, Bangkok in December 2019. She is pursuing a Chartered Accountancy course from New Delhi along with B.Com. Shivani Jadhav from Chhattisgarh won Femina Miss Grand India 2019 title and Shreya Shankerfrom Bihar won Miss India United Continents 2019 title. Sanjana Vij of Telangana was adjudged as Miss India Runner Up 2019.

• DRDO :It recently conducted maiden test of an indigenously developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV). HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft. HSTDV is dual-use technology and can have multiple civilian applications. It can be used for launching satellites at low cost and can also be available for long-range cruise missiles of future.
• Data localization :It is the act of storing data on any device that is physically present within the borders of a specific country where the data was generated. Data localization is necessary for India for securing citizen’s data, data privacy, data sovereignty, national security, and economic development of the country. Recommendations by the RBI, the committee of experts led by Justice BN Srikrishna, the draft ecommerce policy and the draft report of the cloud policy panel show signs of data localisation. The extensive data collection by technology companies, has allowed them to process and monetize Indian users’ data outside the country. Therefore, to curtail the perils of unregulated and arbitrary use of personal data, data localization is necessary. Digital technologies like machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) can generate tremendous value out of various data. It can turn disastrous if not contained within certain boundaries. The Srikrishna Committee wants to localise data for law enforcement to have easy access to data, to prevent foreign surveillance, to build an artificial intelligence ecosystem in India, and because undersea cables through which data transfers take place are vulnerable to attacks.
• Anthrax :It is a disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a germ that lives in soil. It affects animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats more often than people. People can get anthrax from contact with infected animals, wool, meat, or hides. It can cause three forms of disease in people. Anthrax does not spread directly from one infected animal or person to another; it is spread by spores. These spores can be transported by clothing or shoes. Anthrax can be contracted in laboratory accidents or by handling infected animals or their wool or hides.
• AWaRe :It is an online tool aimed at guiding policy-makers and health workers to use antibiotics safely and more effectively. The tool, known as ‘AWaRe’, classifies antibiotics into three groups: Access — antibiotics used to treat the most common and serious infections. Watch — antibiotics available at all times in the healthcare system. Reserve — antibiotics to be used sparingly or preserved and used only as a last resort. Antibiotic resistance is already one of the biggest health risks and is estimated to kill 50 million by 2050 worldwide. The threat continues to escalate globally because more than 50 per cent of antibiotics in many countries are used inappropriately such as for treatment of viruses when they only treat bacterial infections or use of the wrong (broader spectrum) antibiotic.
• ICANN & NASSCOM :Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) have announced collaboration for working in developing standards and identifier technology that will feed into the global consultation for managing Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices and infrastructure using internet. The Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a non-profit organization that was set up in 1998 to oversee the administration of domain names. ICANN coordinates and ensures the smooth and secure functioning of the cybernetic framework. The global nature of the Web today means that there are constantly increasing numbers of Domain Names, Host Names, IP addresses and web sites that are emerging on a daily basis. ICANN oversees this interconnected network and ensures that computers across the internet can find one another through defined unique pathways and identifiers.

• India:This is currently the Chair of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) since 1st January 2018. It was handed Chairmanship by the European Union during KPCS Plenary 2018, which was held in Brussels, Belgium. The Intersessional meeting of Kimberley Process (KP) is being hosted by India in Mumbai. India is founding member of KPCS. The Kimberley Process is an international certification scheme that regulates trade in rough diamonds. It aims to prevent the flow of conflict diamonds, while helping to protect legitimate trade in rough diamonds. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) outlines the rules that govern the trade in rough diamonds. The Kimberley Process (KP) is open to all countries that are willing and able to implement its requirements. The KP has 55 participants, representing 82 countries, including the European Union and its Member States counting as a single participant. KP members account for approximately 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds.
• Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Karnataka:These are the states in which the centre has launched the pilot phase of a flagship project on enhancing capacity on forest landscape restoration (FLR) and Bonn Challenge in India. At the UNFCC Conference of the Parties (COP) 2015 in Paris, India also joined the voluntary Bonn Challenge pledge to bring into restoration 13 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by the year 2020, and additional 8 million hectares by 2030. India’s pledge is one of the largest in Asia. The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030. The 2020 target was launched at a high-level event in Bonn in 2011 organised by the Government of Germany and IUCN, and was later endorsed and extended to 2030 by the New York Declaration on Forests of the 2014 UN Climate Summit. The Bonn Challenge is an implementation vehicle for national priorities such as water and food security and rural development while simultaneously helping countries contribute to the achievement of international climate change, biodiversity and land degradation commitments. Underlying the Bonn Challenge is the forest landscape restoration (FLR) approach, which aims to restore ecological integrity at the same time as improving human well-being through multifunctional landscapes.
• India:This country has for the first time extended $15 Million financial support to Niger as a support for organising African Union (AU) summit scheduled to be held in Niger. This will be the 1st time that Niger will be hosting an AU summit. The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 countries of the continent of Africa, with exception of various territories of European possessions located in Africa. The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched on 9 July 2002 in South Africa. The intention of the AU is to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states. The AU’s secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa.
• India and Myanmar:These are the two countries who have jointly launched Operation Sunrise against insurgent groups camp in North East. It was carried out by the armies of India and Myanmar. In the operation, Other than NSCN (K), the groups hit were Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), the United Liberation Front of Assam, and the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB).
• The Kaladan project :This project connects Sittwe Port in Myanmar to the India-Myanmar border. The project was jointly initiated by India and Myanmar to create a multi-modal platform for cargo shipments from the eastern ports to Myanmar and to the North-eastern parts of the country through Myanmar. It is expected to open up sea routes and promote economic development in the North-eastern states, and also add value to the economic, commercial and strategic ties between India and Myanmar. This project will reduce distance from Kolkata to Sittwe by approximately 1328 km and will reduce the need to transport good through the narrow Siliguri corridor, also known as Chicken’s Neck. Sittwe is the capital of Rakhine State (which has been in the news for the plight of Rohingya Muslims) in south-western Myanmar. It is located at the mouth of the Kaladan river, which flows into Mizoram in north-eastern India.