Daily Current Affairs 6th June, 2024
Daily Current Affairs 6 June 2024 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NATIONAL NEWS
Prime Minister launches ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ Campaign
- The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has launched ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ Campaign on the occasion of World Environment Day(June 5). Modi’s planted a Peepal tree at Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi.
- He has also urged all to contribute in making our planet better and informed that in the last decade, India has undertaken numerous collective efforts which have led to increased forest cover across the nation.
- World Environment Day is celebrated annually on 5 June and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. The theme for World Environment Day 2024 is “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience.”
Plastic Waste Management And Recycling Plant Inaugurated In Changgu, East Sikkim
- The Trishakti Corps of the Indian Army celebrated World Environment Day(June 5) with numerous “Go Green Initiatives” in North Bengal and Sikkim. A key highlight was the inauguration of a plastic waste management and recycling plant in Changgu, East Sikkim.
- This project, part of the Army’s Sadbhavana initiative, aims to improve waste management, promote sustainability, and benefit the local economy.
- The plant will transform plastic waste into materials for road construction and bricks, reducing pollution and landfill burden. The initiative also provides employment for local villagers, fostering economic resilience.
National Pension System assets surge 28% to ₹12.16 lakh crore
- National Pension System’s (NPS) assets under management (AUM) have touched ₹12.16 lakh crore as of May 25, the latest data from the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) showed.
- The AUM is up by 28 per cent from ₹9.52 lakh crore a year ago. The overall AUM, including Atal Pension Yojana (APY), was also higher than the March 2024 level of ₹11.73 lakh crore.
- In August last year, the NPS assets had touched ₹10 lakh crore. In nine months, it jumped by ₹2 lakh crore, PFRDA data showed.
- NPS took six years and six months to reach the milestone of ₹1 lakh crore AUM after its implementation in 2009. It then took four years and 11 months to reach ₹5 lakh crore.
Government initiates parametric & hydroelectric insurance pools for enhanced disaster protection
- The government, led by GIC chairman Ramaswamy Narayanan, is developing parametric and hydroelectric insurance pools to enhance disaster protection. Parametric coverage will pay claims based on predefined triggers like earthquakes, while the hydroelectric pool will insure losses to power projects due to natural disasters.
- These schemes draw inspiration from the successful post-2004 terrorism insurance pool. The government plans to prioritize these initiatives after the elections. Details like whether the coverage will be at the state or district level are still being finalized.
- The regulator and stakeholders, including insurers and reinsurers, are actively participating in the process. The final product’s name and structure will depend on its development.
Haryana govt to launch Rs 10,000 crore project to combat air pollution
- Haryana Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad said the state government will soon roll out a Rs 10,000-crore project. This ten-year comprehensive project funded by the World Bank to address air pollution.
- The Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development will be implemented in the state in a phased manner with the first phase being implemented in the districts falling in the National Capital Region (NCR) and replication in entire state later.
- The initial phase involves enhancements to Haryana’s air quality monitoring infrastructure. This encompasses the establishment of a cutting-edge laboratory and the modernisation of four existing ones. Additionally, a dedicated programme management unit will be established to oversee the project’s implementation.
DoT launches initiative to support MSMEs and Startups in Industry 4.0 transformation
- Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is planning a new initiative aimed at aiding organisations and startups through the adoption of Industry emerging technologies. It has called for a proposal for “Industry 4.0 a baseline Survey among MSMEs” that aligns with the broader vision of fostering digital transformation and preparing industries for the advent of 5G and 6G technologies.
- The survey will be targeted on understanding the challenges faced by MSMEs in adapting to Industry 4.0 and utilizing advanced technologies. The survey will aim to lay the groundwork for a robust ecosystem capable of capitalizing on the capabilities offered by AI, IoT, cloud computing and the integration of 5G and 6G networks.
- This would include identifying sector-specific needs – in at least 10 sectors – and preferences, recognizing the diverse landscape of MSMEs and providing targeted support to foster innovation and competitiveness.
- The survey will, over a 60-day period, seek to cover five sectors each in North and Southern parts of India. The key recommendations will form the platform for policy interventions to achieve the transformative adoption of Industry 4.0 leading to enhanced competitive positioning and survivability of MSMEs.
Secretary, MeitY inaugurates indigenous Air Quality Monitoring System and launch Air-Pravah App on World Environment Day
- Secretary, MeitY, S Krishnan has inaugurated Indigenous Air Quality Monitoring System (AQ-AIMS) and launched Air-Pravah App on the occasion of World Environment Day on June t, 2024. These are developed under MeitY supported technologies.
- It is a very cost effective, ‘Make in India’ solution, which is available in three variants dependinh upon the needs of industries. System has been thoroughly tested and validated for various parameters of air.
- The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Kolkata in collaboration with TeXMIN (ISM, Dhanbad) and industry partner J M Envirolab Pvt Ltd, under the ‘National programme on Electronics and ICT applications in Agriculture and Environment (AgriEnIcs)’, has developed an outdoor air quality monitoring system to monitor environmental pollutants which includes parameters like PM 1.0, PM 2.5, PM 10, SO2, NO2, O3, CO, CO2, Temperature, Humidity, etc, for continuous air quality monitoring.
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Ministry of Defence sign MoU to set up dedicated Tele MANAS cell for armed forces
- A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to facilitate collaboration between the two ministries in operating a special cell of Tele MANAS, the National Telemental Health Helpline of MoHFW, as a pilot project for a period of two years at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune.
- The special Tele-MANAS Cell was inaugurated on 1st December, 2023, at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM in the presence of senior officials from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- With the signing of the MoU, the mental health and well-being of Armed Forces personnel and their families will be addressed and the Armed Forces beneficiaries will have direct access to specialized care, ensuring that their unique mental health needs are addressed promptly and effectively.
Mines Ministry Signs MoU with Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for Collaborative Action Towards Elimination of Tuberculosis in the Country by 2025
- Ministry of Mines and Central TB Division of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) in New Delhi for collaborative and convergent action towards elimination of Tuberculosis.
- The MoU will forge inter-ministerial collaboration and strategic partnerships to achieve the target of Eliminating Tuberculosis (TB) in India by 2025.
- This partnership aims for collaborative field actions like webinars and other awareness-building initiatives under National TB Elimination Programme by engaging the CPSEs, attached offices, subordinate offices and autonomous bodies of Ministry of Mines.
- This initiative will also help in capacity building of health functionaries of PSUs’ hospitals & health centres for specialized campaigns for eradication of TB at grass-root level.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
KAZA Summit 2024: Leaders decide to fight ivory trade ban at CITES CoP20
- The 2024 Heads of State Summit for the Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA) took place in Livingstone, Zambia, where member states renewed their calls to withdraw from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
- Leaders of the five member countries (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) agreeing to argue their case for lifting of the ban on ivory trade at the 20th meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP20) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) due next year in Geneva, Switzerland.
- The KAZA summit noted that the member states are sitting on ivory worth over $1 billion which they are unable to sell because of the CITES ban.
- KAZA’s incoming chair, President Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe – a country struggling with an elephant population of 100,000 – accused Western countries opposed to opening the ivory trade of applying double standards.
- This summit strengthens the legacy left by the founding fathers of the transfrontier conservation area, which aims to harmonize policies, strategies and practices to manage shared wildlife resources that extend across international borders.
IIT Bombay, Delhi listed under top 150 in QS World University Ranking 2025; MIT remains best varsity
- The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) Bombay and Delhi are among the top 150 universities in the world, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the top rank globally for the 13th time, according to the QS World University Ranking, 2025 announced. While IIT Bombay has climbed from 149 last year to 118, up by 31 ranks, IIT Delhi improved its rank by 47 points to bag the 150th position globally.
- According to the coveted ranking published by the London-based higher education analyst, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Delhi University stood out for the employability of its graduates and has been ranked 44th globally in the category of “employment outcomes”.
- Boasting 46 universities in this edition of the rankings, the Indian Higher Education system is the seventh most represented globally and the third in Asia, trailing only Japan (49 universities) and China (Mainland) (71 universities).
- India has one more university within the top 150 rankings, IIT Delhi (150th) and two more entries in the world’s top 400 with the University of Delhi (ranked 328th) and Anna University (ranked 383rd) making their debut in this tier.
- IIT Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) has achieved the fourth spot in India as it went from 271 in the 2024 rankings to 222 this time. IIT KGP is followed by IIT Madras which climbed 58 ranks (285 to 227) this year. IIT Madras has taken the position of IIT Kanpur this time, which has slipped to the sixth position, even after climbing from 278 to 263 this year.
South Korea Establishes National Space Agency, KASA
- South Korea has officially launched its space agency, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), to lead policy and industrial development in its aerospace sector. Yoon Young-bin, the first administrator of the new space agency.
- The establishment was made possible after the Country’s national assembly passed a special law in January to unify government organizations in charge of space policy and projects. The new agency is based in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, with an annual budget of 758.9 billion won ($556 million).
- Aligning with the government’s policy, KASA will subsequently establish a roadmap for Korea’s space exploration, aiming to promote reusable launch vehicles, development of South Korea’s global positioning system (GPS) and a lunar lander program. Furthermore, the agency has plans to land its lunar lander on the moon in 2032 and to design and develop engines to enter the commercial launch service market.
NASA Welcomes Peru as 41st Artemis Accords Signatory
- Peru became the 41st signatory to the Artemis Accords at a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Artemis Accords were established in 2020 by the United States and seven other countries to set out a practical set of principles to guide civil space exploration and use.
- Foreign Minister Javier González-Olaechea signed the Accords for Peru in the presence of Ambassador to the United States Alfredo Ferrero Diez Canseco, State Department Acting Assistant Secretary Jennifer R. Littlejohn, and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
- The United States and Peru have a long history of working together on the global stage, and we applaud Peru’s decision to extend our collaboration to space exploration. Peru first announced its decision to join the Artemis Accords at the highly successful High-Level Dialogue on May 9, 2024.
Maldives bans Israelis over Gaza offensive
- The Maldives has banned entry of the people of Israel to protest against the latter’s months-long Gaza offensive. The president of the island nation, Mohamed Muizzu, has resolved to impose a ban on those bearing Israeli passports.
- Muizzu also announced a national fundraising campaign called “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine”.
- The move comes amid pressure from the opposition and the government’s allies to ban the people of Israel from the Maldives to protest against the war in Gaza, which has resulted in the killings of thousands of civilians.
BANKING & FINANCE
MoD inks MoUs with four banks to onboard them as SPARSH Service Centres across 1,128 branches pan India
- Defence Accounts Department (DAD), Ministry of Defence has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank in New Delhi to onboard them as SPARSH [System for Pension Administration (Raksha)] Service Centres across 1,128 branches of the four banks across the country.
- The MoUs will provide last-mile connectivity to pensioners, especially in remote areas where they do not have technical wherewithal to log on to SPARSH.
- These Service Centres will become an interface for pensioners for SPARSH, providing an effective medium to update their profile; register grievances; digital annual identification; data verification, besides fetching detailed information regarding their monthly pension.
- With these MoUs, SPARSH Services would now be available at over 26,000 branches of a total of 15 banks across the country. This is in addition to 199 dedicated service centres of DAD, and more than 3.75 lakh Common Service Centers across the country.
Axis Bank, Bajaj Allianz forge strategic bancassurance partnership
- Axis Bank, a private sector bank, and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, a private general insurer, have entered a strategic bancassurance partnership to boost insurance penetration and financial inclusion in the country.
- Under this Bancassurance tie-up, a comprehensive suite of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance products will be distributed through Axis Bank’s network of 5,250 plus branches.
- The suite of insurance solutions would include personal insurance products such as motor insurance, health insurance, home insurance, travel insurance, and commercial insurance products, including engineering and marine insurance.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Tata Motors to incorporate new wholly-owned subsidiary to house commercial vehicle business
- Tata Motors said its board has approved to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary to house commercial vehicles business. The company has proposed the name of the new unit as TML Commercial Vehicles Ltd (TMLCVL).
- In March this year, Tata Motors announced the demerger of its commercial and passenger vehicle segments into two separate listed entities to better capitalise on growth opportunities.
- As part of the initiative, the CV business and its related investments would be housed in one entity, while the passenger vehicle business, including electric vehicles, Jaguar Land Rover and its related investments, will come under a separate listed entity.
Volvo to issue world’s first EV battery passport ahead of EU rules
- Volvo Cars is launching the world’s first EV battery passport recording the origins of raw materials, components, recycled content and carbon footprint for its flagship EX90 SUV, the Swedish automaker said .
- Volvo owners can access a simplified version of the passport using a QR code on the inside of the driver’s door.
- The EV battery passport is a result of a collaboration between Volvo and UK-based startup Circulor, which uses blockchain technology to map supply chains for companies.
- The objective behind having an EV battery passport for the EX90, according to VOLVO, is to increase awareness and improve transparency around such vehicles. It’s really important for us to be a pioneer and a leader.
SPORTS
Dutee Chand’s four-year ban stays
- The National Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (ADAP) has rejected 100m national record holder Dutee Chand’s appeal against the four-year ban imposed on her in August 2023.
- Dutee, the 100 and 200m silver medallist at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and the fastest woman at the 2019 World University Games in Italy, had tested positive for a concoction of three Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) in an out-of-competition dope-test in Bhubaneswar in December 2022.
- The ban on Dutee Chand will be effective from 3 January 2023 and the results of all her competitions will be scrapped from 5 December 2022- the day she went her first test. The athlete is not satisfied with the punishment and is expected to challenge the same.
APPOINTMENTS
Sushil Kumar Singh named Chairperson of Deendayal Port Authority
- The government has named Sushil Kumar Singh, a joint secretary looking after ports/ PPP and PHRD in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and waterways as the Chairperson of Deendayal Port Authority (formerly Kandla Port).
- Sushil Singh is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME) officer of 1993 batch – one of the group ‘A’ central engineering services of the Indian Railways. He succeeds S K Mehta who stepped down from the post in April after a five-year term.
- Singh’s appointment will run through January 31, 2027 or until further orders, according to an order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
AWARDS
Sanya Malhotra wins best actress award for ‘Mrs’ at New York Indian Film Festival
- Sanya Malhotra won the Best Actress award for her role in ‘Mrs’ at the New York Indian Film Festival 2024. The film is a remake of the Malayalam film, ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’, which revolves around Sanya’s character who navigates the challenges and expectations imposed by society and her marital life.
- ‘Mrs’, which has only travelled to film festivals, will soon release in theatres. Filmmaker Arati Kadav was also nominated in the Best Director category.
- This triumph marks a significant milestone in Malhotra’s burgeoning career and underscores her exceptional talent as an actress. Earlier this year, Sanya received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for her performance in ‘Kathal’.
Poet Siddhalinga Pattanashetti chosen for Gudleppa Hallikeri Award
- Poet and playwright Siddhalinga Pattanashetti has been chosen for the prestigious Gudleppa Hallikeri Award for 2024 by the Gudleppa Hallikeri Memorial Foundation, Hosaritti (Haveri District).
- This is the 19th award and will be presented in the honour of the birth anniversary of Gudleppa Hallikeri on 6 June.
- The Gudleppa Hallikeri Award honors those who have made significant achievements to literature, society, or social service. It bears the name of Gudleppa Hallikeri, a well-known liberation warrior who shared Mahatma Gandhi’s beliefs.
- Pattanashetti is recognized as an important poet, columnist, and creative translator of the contemporary context. His main works of poetry include Neena, Re-Bandidala, Aparampara, and Kulai. He has also translated plays like One Day of Asadha, From Suyyasta to Suyyodaya, Chora Charandasa, and Mudrarakshasa.
C-DOT wins UN’s WSIS 2024 PRIZE “Champion” Award at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+ 20 Forum High-Level Event held at Geneva
- Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Government of India, awarded UN’s WSIS 2024 “Champion” Award for the project “Mobile-Enabled Disaster Resilience through Cell Broadcast emergency Alerting”, recognised under AI, C-7, E-environemnt, in the category of ‘Benefits in all aspects of life – E-environment”.
- The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum 2024, a High-Level Event, conduted by International Telecom Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland from 27th May – 31st May, 2024, recognised the project of C-DOT’s Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting Platform for its outstanding contribution towards strengthening the implementation of the WSIS outcomes and underscores C-DOT’s commitment to leveraging technology for societal impact.
- The AI for Good Global Summit, which was organised along with WSIS, from 29th May to 31st May, 2024 at Geneva, is the leading action oriented platform of the United Nations promoting AI to advance health, climate, gender, inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, and other global development priorities.
- The C-DOT’s mobile–enabled Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting Platform is an end-to-end solutions for near real time delivery of life-saving emergency information to mobile phones through cellular networks.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Nvidia unveils new chip as the AI processor war heats up
- Nvidia, AMD and Intel have separately launched the next generation of their artificial intelligence (AI) chips in Taiwan, as a three-way race heats up. The company would roll out its most advanced AI chip platform, called Rubin, in 2026.
- The Rubin platform will succeed the Blackwell, which supplies chips for data centers and was announced only in March. It was dubbed by Nvidia at the time as the “world’s most powerful chip.”
- The Rubin will feature new graphics processing units (GPUs), a new central processing unit (CPU) called Vera and advanced networking chips. Nvidia is now the third company in the US, behind Apple and Microsoft, to cross that $3 trillion mark.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft sends first astronaut crew to orbit
- Boeing’s new Starliner capsule flew its first crew of astronauts to orbit from Florida in a much-delayed test mission to the International Space Station.
- The CST-100 Starliner, with astronauts Barry “Butc h” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams aboard, lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, strapped to an Atlas V rocket furnished and flown by the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).
- The gumdrop-shaped capsule and its crew are headed for a rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) following years of technical problems, delays and a successful 2022 test mission to the orbital laboratory without astronauts aboard.
- The rocket’s upper stage separated from its core booster about four minutes into flight, followed by Starliner’s separation from the second stage. On its own, the spacecraft fired onboard thrusters to push itself into orbit, kicking off its 24-hour catch-up journey with the ISS, which orbits some 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
- The mission is a test flight required before NASA can certify Starliner for routine astronaut missions. Now in space, the capsule will need to execute precise maneuvers to dock with the ISS, demonstrate it can stay docked for about eight days, then safely return the two astronauts to Earth, among other flight objectives.
ISRO Develops PraVaHa Software for Aerodynamic Design and Analysis
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software named Parallel RANS Solver for Aerospace Vehicle Aero-thermo-dynamic Analysis (PraVaHa).
- This CFD software enables the understanding of airflow around aircraft, rocket bodies, and Crew Modules during earth re-entry, crucial for shaping design elements such as structure and Thermal Protection Systems (TPS). It is tailored to simulate both external and internal flows on various types of vehicles, including launch vehicles, winged, and non-winged re-entry vehicles
- PraVaHa has played a significant role in the Gaganyaan program, facilitating aerodynamic analysis for human-rated launch vehicles like HLVM3, Crew Escape System (CES), and Crew Module (CM). Its collaborative framework allows for partnerships with academic institutes and government labs.
IIT Dharwad unveils fire rescue assistant drone
- A team of teachers and students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dharwad, led by Sudheer Siddapureddy and Ameer Mulla, has developed a fire rescue assistant drone. The project was completed with funding from TiHAN Foundation, IIT Hyderabad (NMICPS, Government of India).
- It was demonstrated at the two-day workshop on Drone design and autonomous navigation in fire rescue (DDANFR 2024), organized by the Fire and Thermal Research Laboratory (FLRL) and the Control System and Robotics Laboratory at IIT Dharwad.
- The drone is designed to be able to fly through small rooms and high temperatures, which is important for fighting fires in complicated places. Prof. Siddapureddy talked about the difficulties of making a gadget that is so small and strong at the same time.
- The Fire and Thermal Research Laboratory (FTRL) made important contributions, such as making sensors that can survive soot and making protective shields that are flexible after a lot of fire testing.