Current Affairs 26 June 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 26 June 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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Top 20 Current Affairs of 26 June 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Harsh Vardhan released Annual TB Report 2020 prepared by Central TB Division; 14% rise in TB patients in 2019 

i.Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s (MoHFW) Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and its Minister of State (MoS), Ashwini Kumar Choubey launched the Annual “India TB (Tuberculosis) Report 2020” through a virtual event which is released by Central TB Division (CTD), MoHFW . The salient feature of 2020 report is that for the first time CTD introduced a quarterly ranking on TB elimination efforts by all the states and UTs.
ii.It should be noted that the sustainable goal of eradicating TB globally is 2030, but the Indian government is committed to achieve this target in the country by 2025.
iii.In the categories of larger states with more than 50 lakh population, Gujarat has been ranked 1st followed by Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh at 2nd & 3rd position as best performing States.
iv.Near-complete on-line notification of TB patients have been achieved through the NIKSHAY system.
About NIKSHAY:
NI-KSHAY-(Ni=End, Kshay=TB), a web enabled patient management system for TB control under the NTEP is developed and maintained by the CTD in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) Country office for India.
Static :
World Tuberculosis Day– March 24
2020 theme– It’s Time
TB Campaign (India)– TB Harega Desh Jeetega
<< Read Full News >>

NITI Aayog & ITF Launch Decarbonizing Transport Project in India

On June 24, The NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and the International Transport Forum(ITF) of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) launched the ‘Decarbonizing Transport in Emerging Economies’ (DTEE) project in India. 
ITF Secretary General Young Tae Kim and NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant inaugurated the launch.
Key Highlights:-

• The project designs a tailor-made transport emissions assessment framework for India.
• The Five year project helps India in developing a pathway towards low-carbon transport system through development of modelling tools and policy scenarios.

ITF:
India is a member of ITF since 2008
Secretary General: Young Tae Kim
Headquarter: Paris, France
<< Read Full News >>

Jitendra Singh e-Inaugurates ”Puneja Bridge” & “Devika Bridge” in J&K

i.On 24th June 2020, Union Minister of State(MoS) (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh inaugurated Jammu and Kashmir’s  ”Puneja Bridge” in Doda district  and “Devika Bridge” in Udhampur district over a virtual platform.
ii.The bridges were built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). 
About Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region:
Minister of State– Jitendra Singh
Headquarters– New Delhi
About J&K
Lt Governor– Girish Chandra Murmu
Capital– Jammu (winter), Srinagar(summer)
<< Read Full News >>

Cabinet approvals on June 24, 2020

On June 24, 2020, Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has given its approval to the following proposals:
–Cabinet approves declaration of Kushinagar Airport in Uttar Pradesh as an International Airport

• The reason behind this move is to provide improved connectivity to Kushinagar, an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, located in the north-eastern part of UP. 

–Union Cabinet Approves Term Extension Of Commission To Examine Sub-Categorization Of OBCs till Jan 31, 2021

• In October 2017, the commission was instituted under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) G. Rohini. to examine the issue of Sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs)

–Historic Reform: Private sector participation in Space activities approved

• As a part of this approval, the newly-created Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) will guide private enterprise participation in space activities and the use of the country’s space infrastructure.

–2% Interest Subvention approved on prompt repayment of Shishu Loans under PMMY for 12 months

• The Cabinet has also approved a scheme for interest subvention of 2% for a period of 12 months to all Shishu loan accounts under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) to eligible borrowers w.e.f. June 01, 2020 till May 31, 2021. The estimated cost of the Scheme is approximately Rs 1,542 crore.

–Cabinet approves establishment of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund worth Rs. 15000 cr

• On the lines of the 20 Lakh cr Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan stimulus package, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved setting up of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) worth Rs. 15000 crore to incentivize MSMEs and private companies participation in the animal husbandry sector .

–Cabinet approves additional investment of US$ 121.27 mn by ONGC Videsh Ltd. for development of blocks A-1 and A-3 of Myanmar

• OVL, the overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), had picked up a stake in the Shwe Project in Myanmar in 2002.

–Urban, multi-State cooperative banks to come under RBI supervision

• The Cabinet has approved an ordinance to bring nearly 1,482 urban and 58 multi state cooperative banks under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) supervision. It will give an assurance to 8.6 crore depositors, who have saved Rs 4.84 lakh crore in these banks, that their money will stay safe.

<< Read Full News >>

MSDE & IBM Joins Hands to Launch SkillsBuild Reignite and Skills Build Innovation Camp

On June 24, 2020, Directorate General of Training (DGT), under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Technology giant IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) India Private Limited,have jointly launched free digital learning platforms ‘SkillsBuild Reignite’ and ‘SkillsBuild Innovation Camp’ to provide more new resources to job seekers and business owners in India through BharatSkills learning platform (https://bharatskills.gov.in) of DGT.
About Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship:
Headquarters– New Delhi
Cabinet Minister- Mahendra Nath Pandey
<< Read Full News >>

Virtual conference of the Russia-India-China trilateral hosted by Moscow, Russia

On June 23, 2020, the Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Minister-level virtual conference was held following the cross border clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15, 2020, where India lost 20 Army personnel. It was the biggest ever confrontation between the two sides after a gap of 45 years. The conference was hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Moscow, Russia.

• From Indian side, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar participated in the meet. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov were the other two participants of the conference. 
• Russia has urged both the countries to resolve the border row through talks.

Notably on June 22, 2020 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left for Russia on a three-day visit to attend a military parade in Moscow on June 24 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of victory of the Russian people in the Second World War.
About Russia:
Capital– Moscow
Currency– Russian Rouble
President– Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
About China:
Capital– Beijing
Currency– Renminbi
President– Xi Jinping

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

COVID-19 Widened Educational Divide: 2020 UNESCO’s GEM Report on Inclusion and Education: All Means All

On 23rd June 2020, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report Team launched its 2020 Report on Inclusion and Education: All Means All, assessing the progress towards the Sustainable Developments Goal 4 on education and other SDG agendas related to education.
About UNESCO:
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters– Paris, France
<< Read Full News >>

Pakistan remains in Financial Action Task Force’s Grey list

On 24th June 2020, the Financial Action Task Force(FATF) in its 3rd and final plenary meeting under the Chinese Presidency of Xiangmin Liu over a virtual platform, retained Pakistan on the grey list till October 2020, for failing to prosecute and penalise terrorist financing in the country before the deadline fixed by FATF .
Note: Germany will take over the presidency of the FATF from July, 2020 for a year.
Key Points:
i.In the FATF meeting in February 2020, Islamabad was told that all the deadlines have expired and if failed to prosecute and penalise terrorist financing by June 2020, the global terrorist financing watchdog will take action.
ii.In the Paris plenary FATF expressed their concern at Pakistan’s failure to complete its 27point action plan before the deadline that ended in September 2019.
iii.If Pakistan fails to comply with FATF directive by October 2020 the country will be put under “Black List”.
Grey List:
i.The countries on the grey list will have difficulties in getting financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, ADB and European Union.
ii.The inclusion in grey list servers as a warning that the country may enter black list 
Black List:
i.Non-cooperative countries or a Territories (NCCTs) are put in black list.
ii.Currently countries like North Korea and Iran are under black list

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Indian Economy will Shrink by 4.5% in 2020, Global Economy will Come Down to -4.9%: IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the June 2020 update “A Crisis Like No Other, An Uncertain Recovery” of its flagship World Economic Outlook (WEO), has predicted that the Indian economy will have a big 4.5 % contraction in 2020 and it will come down to a historic low.
This historical decline will be the lowest level since 1961 due to the Coronavirus, its prevention measures and slowdown of economic activity.
i.At the same time, the IMF has reported a global growth rate of negative 4.9 % in 2020.
About International Monetary Fund (IMF):
Founded– 27 December 1945.
Headquarters– Washington, D.C., United States(US).
Managing Director (MD)- Kristalina Georgieva
Chief Economist– Gita Gopinath.
<< Read Full News >>

Republic of Mali Grant the Project Management Consultancy Contract of 500 MW Solar Park to NTPC 

On 24th June 2020, The Republic of Mali awarded the Project Management Consultancy (PMC) contract for the development of a 500 MW solar park in Mali to NTPC Limited (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited). In the event chaired by RK Singh, Minister of State for Power and President of International Solar Alliance (ISA), Sekou Kasse, Ambassador of Mali handed the award letter to Gurdeep Singh CMD of NTPC.
About International Solar Alliance (ISA):
Director General– Upendra Tripathy
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
About NTPC:
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)– Gurdeep Singh
Headquarters– New Delhi
About Republic of Mali:
Capital– Bamako
President– Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
Prime Minister– Boubou Cisse
Currency– CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc
<< Read Full News >>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Priyanka Chopra & Anurag Kashyap Named Among 50 Ambassadors for 45th Edition of TIFF 2020

i.Actor Priyanka Chopra and Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap named among the 50 ambassadors for the 45th edition of Toronto International Film Festival(TIFF) 2020, which is to be held virtually. 
ii.The festival will take place from September 10-19 with  physical screenings and drive-ins, digital screenings, virtual red carpets, press conferences and industry talks.
iii.This is the 1st time TIFF will launch a digital platform for the festival, offering new opportunities to connect with audiences beyond Toronto.
About TIFF:
Headquarters– Toronto, Canada
Artistic Director & Co-Head– Cameron Bailey
Executive Director & Co-Head– Joana Vicente
<< Read Full News >>

Former England Women Cricket Captain Clare Connor Becomes the 1st Female President of Marylebone Cricket Club in 233 years

Former England Women Cricket Captain Clare Connor(43 year old), an all-rounder, becomes the 1st female president of Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC) in 233 years. Her tenure will begin on October 1, 2021, and will end on September 30, 2022. She will succeed Kumar Sangakkara.

• She is current head of women’s cricket in the England and Wales Cricket Board (since 2007). 

Key Points
i.The current MCC president, Kumar Sangakkara who is the 1st  non-British MCC president, nominated Clare Connor through video link from his native Sri Lanka during an annual general meeting on June 24. He is a former Sri lankan cricketer.
ii.The tenure of MCC Presidents is for a year but Kumar Sangakkara’s term is set to be extended by a further 12 months due to pandemic. He assumed the post in 2019.
About MCC:
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Health Ministry & Indian Red Cross Jointly Launches ‘eBloodServices’ App to Order Blood

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched ‘eBloodServices‘ mobile app , under which needy people can demand/order up to 4 units of blood & the blood banks will wait for them for 12 hours.
The mobile app, developed by the ERaktkosh team of C-DAC (Development of Advanced Computing) India, is an initiative of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) with the aim of ‘Safe blood saves lives’.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare:
Headquarters– New Delhi
Minister of State- Ashwini Kumar Choubey
About Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS):
Headquarters– New Delhi
<< Read Full News >>

Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport becomes the 1st airport in India to get AWMS at both ends of the runway

i.Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru(KIAB/ BLR Airport) becomes the 1st airport in India to get an indigenously-developed Aviation Weather Monitoring System (AWMS) at both ends of the runway. 
ii.AWMS is set up by Bangalore International Airport(BIAL). The technology is developed by Bengaluru-based CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL).
iii.In addition to AWMS, BIAL has also installed 4 Drishti Transmissometers to measure the Runway Visibility Range (RVR). 
About NAL:
Headquarters– Bangalore, India
Director– Jitendra J Jadhav
<< Read Full News >>

India to be World’s First Country to Use Drone Mounted ULV Sprayer for Locust Control 

i.Under the Make in India initiative the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW) has initiated to develop a vehicle mounted  ultra-low volume (ULV) sprayer for locust control to reduce the limitations of importing equipment. 
ii.India is to be the first country in the world to control desert locusts using drones.
About Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare:
Union Minister– Narendra Singh Tomar
Ministers of State– Purushottam Rupala and Kailash Choudhary
About Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA):
Minister– Hardeep Singh Puri
<< Read Full News >>

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of the Seafarer 2020: June 25 

i.The International Day of the Seafarer is observed annually on June 25 as a tribute to the Seafarers and sailors who are essential to global trade and transport. This year marks the 10th edition.
ii.The day aims to raise awareness about the dangers of sea travel, like piracy.
​iii.The 2020 campaign is: #SeafarersAreKeyWorkers. To support the campaign, a webinar will be held online on Friday 26 June. 
Theme of the webinar– “Seafarers are key workers: Essential to shipping, essential to the world” will be held online on Friday 26 June. 
About IMO:
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom
Secretary General– Kitack Lim
<< Read Full News >>

World Vitiligo Day 2020 – June 25

25th June of every year is observed as World Vitiligo Day as a campaign to raise awareness about vitiligo and to recognise the challenges, bullying, social neglect and psychological trauma  faced by the people who have this disease. 
Key Points:
i.The day was created by the non-profit organizations VR Foundation of USA and VITSAF of Nigeria and the first World Vitiligo Day was held on 25th June 2011.
ii.A petition  is made to the United Nations to recognise June 25th as World Vitiligo Day.
Vitiligo:
i.Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition which causes irregular white patches on the skin due to the damaged skin pigment cells.
ii.Vitiligo doesn’t have any cure but change in food habits and lifestyle can help to restore the pigment in the cells and prevent the condition from worsening.

STATE NEWS

Tripura govt launches Mukhyamantri Matru Pushti Uphaar Scheme to Provide Nutrition Kits to Pregnant and Lactating Women

i.Tripura government has launched Mukhyamantri Matru Pushti Uphaar scheme to provide nutrition kits to pregnant and lactating women. 
ii.The scheme is a part of the state’s efforts to fight malnutrition and maternal mortality
iii.The scheme will be in addition to the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) under which Rs 5000 each was given to 58,996 beneficiaries, after the birth of their first child.
About Tripura:
National Parks- Clouded Leopard National Park, Bison National Park
Wildlife Sanctuary(WLS)– Sepahijala WLS, Trishna WLS, Gomati WLS, Rowa WLS
<< Read Full News >>

Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy Launches YSR Kapu Nestham Scheme for Women of Kapu 

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the Kapu Nestham scheme to provide financial support of Rs 75000/- for a period of 5 year (Rs 15000/- per annum) to women of Kapu community.
The objective of the scheme is to financially empower Kapu women by enhancing their livelihood and living standards with financial assistance.
Key Points:-

• Women in the age group of 45-60 belonging to Kapu Community are benefited with this scheme. 
• In a period of Five years an eligible woman will get a sum of Rs 75000.
• About 354 crore is distributed to over 2.36 lakh womens belonging to Kapu, Balija, Telaga and Ontari communities and having rice cards.

Portal: http://navasakam.ap.gov.in/
Static:-
About Andhra Pradesh:
Capital: Amaravati
Chief Minister: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy 
Kapu Corporation:
Chairperson and MLA: J Raja
<< Read Full News >>

Govt of Maharashtra Appoints Sanjay Kumar as Chief Secretary & Ajoy Mehta as Principal Advisor to CM

On June 25, 2020 Maharashtra government has appointed Sanjay Kumar as its Chief Secretary. He will take up the charge on July 1. He will succeed Ajoy Mehta who will retire on 30 June. Ajoy Mehta has been named as the Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister(CM) Uddhav Thackeray & will take this position on July 1.

• Sanjay Kumar will hold the post of the Additional Chief Secretary in the housing department till his term ends on February 28, 2021. He also holds the additional charge of the home department.

Key Points
i.Sanjay Kumar is the 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service(IAS) officer
ii.Ajoy Mehta is the  1984-batch IAS officer. He assumed the office as the chief secretary on May 10, 2019 & was supposed to retire on September 30, 2019, but received a couple of term extensions.
About Maharashtra
Capital– Mumbai
Governor– Bhagat Singh Koshyari

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