Current Affairs 26 June 2024

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 26 June 2024, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2024 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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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh Launched “One Week One Theme” (OWOT) Campaign On 24th June 2024, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, MoS (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Government of India (GoI) has launched “One Week One Theme” (OWOT) campaign which demonstrates the recent success stories of India in various streams of Science and Technology.

• During the launch of campaign, Union Minister Jitendra Singh underscored that the main objective of the Government of India (GoI) is to integrate the efforts of all Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) labs to reduce redundancy and optimize resources.
• The initiative “One Week One Theme” launched under CSIR which aims to make innovation inclusive for all.

About OWOT campaign:
i.The campaign is the brainchild of Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh and built on the backdrop and success of the “One Week One Lab” (OWOL) initiative launched in 2023.
ii.While addressing the event, Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the objective of the initiative is to create awareness among citizens about the progress and development in Labs, underscored various benefits by generating new avenues and opportunities for employment, empowering stakeholders such as: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Startups, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), scientists, researchers through collaboration with industry.
MoUs Signed for Technology Transfers and Products Launches:
During the event, various Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)’s were signed in the presence of Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh which includes around 24 technology transfers, and product launches.

• He outlined 8 themes which aims to empower farmers and common citizens by not limiting Science to labs but reaching out them to promote ease of living, which include: energy and energy devices; chemicals and petrochemicals, aerospace, electronics and strategic sectors; civil infrastructure and engineering, agriculture, nutrition and biotech, healthcare, Mining, minerals, metals and materials; ecology, environment, earth, ocean sciences and water.

Key Points:
i.He announced that the agenda for 2025 as One Week One Integrated Theme (OWIT).
ii.He highlighted that the progress in the Deep-Sea mission, Aroma mission, millet economy, Bio economy and Next generation technology will eventually boos the Indian economy to grow faster and will help India to become the 4th  largest economy in the world, from the 5th largest.
About Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR):
It is an autonomous body established in 1942. It is the largest publically funded multi-disciplinary Research & Development (R&D) organisation under the administrative control of Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), GoI.
President- Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi
Director General (DG)- N. Kalaiselvi
Headquarters- New Delhi

MoC Initiates India’s 1st Ever Pilot Project for Underground Coal Gasification in Jharkhand  Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), under the strategic direction of the Ministry of Coal(MoC), has commenced India’s first-ever pilot project for Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) at the Kasta coal block in Jamtara District, Jharkhand.

• This pilot project aims to establish new standards in coal resource utilisation, contributing to India’s journey towards energy self-reliance.

Note: ECL is a subsidiary of Coal India Limited(CIL), a Maharatna Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) under the MoC.
About the Project:
Aim: To revolutionise coal sector by using in-situ coal gasification to convert it into valuable gases like Methane (CH4), Hydrogen (H2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), and Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

• These gases can be used to produce synthetic natural gas, chemical feedstocks for fuels, fertilisers, explosives, and other industrial applications.

Points to note:
i.In line with the comprehensive policy framework for UCG in coal and lignite-bearing areas, Kasta coal block was chosen for the implementation of the UCG technology customised for Indian geo-mining conditions.

• The framework was approved by the MoC in December 2015.
• UCG technology allows access to coal resources that are economically unviable through traditional mining methods.

ii.The execution of this pilot project will create transformative opportunities for India’s energy sector and show the sustainable and efficient use of the India’s coal resources.
Details:
i.The project will be managed by the ECL in collaboration with the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) in Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Ergo Exergy Technologies Inc. (EETI) from Canada.
ii.This Research and development (R&D) project spans 2-years and comprises of  2 phases.

• Phase 1: It involves the Technical Feasibility Report completion via borehole drilling and core testing (started on 22 June 2024).
• Phase 2: It will focus on the pilot-scale coal gasification.

iii.The project is funded by the CIL R&D Board, demonstrating collaboration between ECL and Ergo Exergy as sub-implementing agencies.
About the Ministry of Coal (MoC):
Union Minister– G. Kishan Reddy (Constituency- Secunderabad, Telangana)
Minister of State (MoS)–  Satish Chandra Dubey (Rajya Sabha- Bihar)

MWCD Launches 100-Days Special Awareness Campaign on Women Empowerment
The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has launched a ‘100-days Special Awareness Campaign’ at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, Delhi to expand awareness and outreach on women-centric issues.

• The campaign was chaired by the Minister of State (MoS) for MWCD Savitri Thakur alongside Secretary Anil Malik.

i.It was launched during the ‘National Workshop on Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP): Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW)’, which will run from June 21 to October 4 2024.
ii.The one-day workshop featured sessions on legal provisions, communication strategies, and counselling techniques for grassroots functionaries of SANKALP: HEWs which are operational in 693 districts across India.
iii.These sessions have been designed to ensure the last-mile delivery of services and to enhance women’s participation in various developmental schemes.
iv.Through the schemes like  Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY); PM Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U); Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM); Poshan Abhiyaan, and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), the 100-days special awareness campaign aims to amplify awareness on women empowerment.

BANKING & FINANCE

ICICI Bank Launches ‘SmartLock’ To Lock/Unlock Banking Services
ICICI Bank Limited has launched ‘SmartLock’, a first-of-its-kind safety feature on iMobile Pay, the official Mobile Banking app of ICICI Bank. The feature enables customers to lock/unlock multiple banking services instantly, without the support of customer care executive through phone or e-mail.

• This also permits account holders to lock or unlock the entire iMobile Pay.
• This will enable customers to lock/unlock internet banking, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) (including payments from other UPI apps linked to the bank account), credit and debit cards.
• This will also allow the user to deactivate a particular banking service during a period of time and in case of a possible fraudulent transaction.
• It allows scheduled Standing Instructions (SI) and E-mandates to go through, even when a banking service is locked by the customer.

RBI Partners with APIX To Host HaRBInger 2024 Hackathon:Innovation for Transformation
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has partnered with APIX to host its 3rd global hackathon, ‘HaRBInger 2024 : Innovation for Transformation’. This partnership aims to bring the brightest minds together to address challenges in the financial industry.

• HaRBInger 2024 hosted on Application Programming Interface Exchange (APIX) platform. The Registration for HaRBInger 2024 started from 7th June to 19th July.
• The Hackathon invites participants to create solutions using technology and innovative methods under the 2 themes and 4 problem statements.

Note: APIX is the leading global collaborative innovation platform for financial institutions and fintechs across over 90 countries.
i.The two themes of the HaRBInger 2024 are “Zero Financial Frauds” and “Being Divyang Friendly”.

• The 1st theme “Zero Financial Frauds” deal with the problem statements are real-time fraud detection, ensuring transaction anonymity and identifying mule accounts.
• The second theme “Being Divyang Friendly” deal with the problem statement is empowering the visually impaired in financial transactions.

ii.Participants can create solutions by using technologies like Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), Application Programming Interface (API) and Data Analytics(DA) etc.
iii.The cash prizes includes, (Indian Rupee) INR 40 lakh for the winner in each problem statement category, a special prize of INR 20 lakh for the best all-woman team and stipend of INR 5 lakh per team shortlisted for solution development for meeting the cost of development of prototype.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

S&P Global Ratings Retained India’s Growth Forecast at 6.8% for FY25On 24th June 2024, S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor’s) released its Economic Outlook Asia-Pacific Q3 2024.  It has retained India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth projection at 6.8% for FY25 (2024-25) and cited high interest rates and lower fiscal boost are the main factors which would temper the demand in the non-agricultural sectors.

• The agency also noted that India’s economic growth continues to surprise on the upside as it revised India’s GDP up to  8.2% for full FY24(2023-24).
• S&P Global Ratings has raised its projection for India’s GDP from 6.1% (projected in March 2024) to 6.9% for FY26 (2025-26), and also, raised India’s GDP for FY27 (2026-27) from 6.2% (projected in March 2024) to 7%.

Key Points:
i.S&P’s growth projections for India’s GDP for FY25 is lower than of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s projections. RBI in its 2nd bi-monthly monetary policy review released in June 2024 has raised its growth projection for India’s GDP from 7% to 7.2% for FY25, on the back of improving rural demand and moderating inflation.
ii.The rating agency expected that RBI will reduce its policy from 6.5% to 6% for FY25. It also expected further rate cuts to 5.5% and 5.25% in FY26 and FY27 respectively.
iii.S&P Global Ratings also estimated that India’s retail inflation for FY25 will be at 4.5%. This projection about inflation is in alignment with the RBI’s retail inflation projections for FY25 which is estimated at 4.5%, with Q1 at 4.9%, Q2 at 3.8%, Q3 at 4.6% and Q4 at 4.5%.
iv.The rating agency has raised its GDP projection for China from 4.6%  to 4.8% for FY25.

• But, it sees a sequential slowdown in the June quarter 2024 due to the combination of subdued consumption and robust manufacturing investment will weigh on prices and profit margins.

Additional Information:
Projections made by various Rating Agency for FY25 are:
i.Fitch Ratings estimated India’s GDP growth at 7.2%.
ii.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimated India’s economic growth at 7%.
iii.Both Moody’s Ratings and Deloitte India projected India’s GDP to grow at 6.6% .
iv.While, Morgan Stanley projected India’s growth rate at 6.8%.
About S&P Global Ratings:
President- Martina L. Cheung
Headquarters- New York, the United States of America (USA)

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Anuj Tyagi Appointed as MD & CEO of HDFC Ergo General InsuranceHDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Limited has appointed Anuj Tyagi as its new Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) with effect from 1st July 2024.

• Anuj Tyagi, currently serving as the Joint MD of HDFC ERGO, will succeed Ritesh Kumar, who has been the MD & CEO of HDFC ERGO General Insurance since 2008.

Note: Ritesh Kumar is set to join the Board of Management of ERGO International as Deputy Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from 4th October 2024. As deputy COO, he will focus on the growth of Asian markets like China, Thailand and Singapore.
About Anuj Tyagi:
i.Anuj Tyagi has about 25 years of work experience in banking and insurance and led various functions including Sales channels, Reinsurance, Underwriting, Claims, Technology, and People functions.
ii.He joined the HDFC Ergo General Insurance in 2008 as a Head – Corporate Business Group.
iii.He has been serving as a member of the Board of Management since 2016 and has been elevated as Joint MD in 2023.
iv.Anuj Tyagi is registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) as a Director in Indian Companies.

• He has served as the Director of CSC (Common Service Centres) E-Governance Services India Limited (CESIL) from 2016 to 2022.

About HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Limited:
HDFC ERGO was formed as a Joint Venture (JV) 51:49 between erstwhile Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (HDFC) and ERGO International AG.
Chairman – Keki M Mistry
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founded- 2002

SPORTS

Table Tennis: India won 9 Medals at WTT Contender Lagos 2024; Sreeja Akula Becomes 1st Indian to win WTT Singles titleThe Indian contingents won 9 medals (3 gold, 1 silver and 5 bronze) at the  World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Lagos 2024 held from 19th to 23rd June 2024 in Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Lagos, Nigeria.

• India’s Sreeja Akula won the 2024 WTT Women’s Singles title by defeating China’s Yijie Ding in the finals. She became the first-ever Indian player to win a Women’s Singles title in the WTT Contender.
• Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany won the Men’s Singles title by defeating Ricardo Walther (Germany) in the finals. this marks his 2nd WTT Series Singles title.

>> Read Full News

F1: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the 2024 Spanish GP Title On 23 June 2024, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, a Belgian-Dutch racing driver, won the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix (GP) (officially known as the Formula 1 (F1) Aramco Gran Premio de España 2024) held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

• This marks Verstappen’s 3rd Spanish GP title in a row and his 4th Spanish GP (overall) at this track. He has previously won the title in 2016, 2022, & 2023.
• McLaren’s Lando Norris, a British and Belgian racing driver and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, a British racing driver, finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Podium finish:

Note:
i.So far Norris is the only driver to score points in all 10 races of the 2024 season.
ii.This marks Lewis Hamilton’s first GP podium of the 2024 season.
Key Points:
i.This victory marks Verstappen’s 7th win in 11 races in 2024, and his 61st career win.
ii.It marks the 5th time that Verstappen and Norris have finished 1-2 (in either order) in the last 6 races.
iii.Now, Verstappen leads the F1 drivers’ championship standings with 219 points followed by Norris in the 2nd 150 points, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (Monaco), in the 3rd with 148 points.

• Norris has secured the 2nd position in the drivers’ championship for the first time.

iv.The 2024 Spanish GP marks the 10th round of the 2024 F1 World Championship.
v.The 11th round of the 2024 F1 Championship will be the F1 Qatar Airways Austrian GP, which takes place over 71 laps of the 4.318-km Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria on 30 June 2024.
About the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya:
i.The race took place over 66 laps of the 4.657-kilometre (km) Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

• The circuit length was 4.657 km and the race distance was 307.236 km.

ii.The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (known as the Circuit de Catalunya until 2013) is one of Europe’s busiest tracks.
iii.It was built as part of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics development program. The 1st car race was a round of the 1991 Spanish Touring Car Championship.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais Released a Book titled “Gateways to the Sea”
On 22nd June 2024, Ramesh Bais, Governor of Maharashtra, released a book titled ‘Gateways to the Sea: Historic Ports and Docks of Mumbai Region’ at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• The book is published by the Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
• The book comprises 18 articles by renowned authors, compiled by the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society (MMMS).

About the book:
i.The book is a compilation of articles on the history of various ports and docks of the Mumbai Region and creates awareness about the ancient ports like Sopara, Vasai, Versova, Mahim, Kalyan, Thane, Panvel, Alibag, Chaul, Mandad, and Janjira.
ii.It also covers the development of modern ports and docks of Mumbai including Mazagon Dock, Mumbai Port, Bombay Dock, Sassoon Dock and Ferry Wharf also known as Bhaucha Dhakka.
Note: A presentation of the book was made in the Raj Bhawan by Publications Division in collaboration with the Asiatic Society.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Women in Diplomacy 2024 – June 24 The United Nations (UN) International Day of Women in Diplomacy (IDWID) is annually observed across the globe on 24 June to acknowledge the crucial role of women diplomats in promoting socio-economic equitable and inclusive sustainable development.

• 24 June 2024 marks the 2nd observance of IDWID. The 1st ever International Day of Women in Diplomacy was observed on 24 June 2023.
• The commemorative events of the 2024 IDWID focussed on the theme, “Women’s Leadership in Multilateral Diplomacy.”

i.According to the UN Women’s Global Data on Women Political Leaders 2024, women are significantly underrepresented in global executive positions, including Heads of State, Heads of Government, and Cabinet members.

• India(6.5%) ranked 171st in terms of representation of women in Parliament. Finland(63.2%) topped in the list, followed by Nicaragua(62.5%) and Liechtenstein(60%).

ii.During the Commemorative Event of IDWID 2024, UNGA President Dennis Francis honoured Hansa Jivraj Mehta, an Indian feminist leader, activist, and diplomat, who played a pivotal role in making the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) more inclusive.
About UN Women:
It is the United Nations entity which works specifically for gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Executive Director- Sima Bahous
Headquarters- New York, the United States of America (USA)
Established- July, 2010
>> Read Full News

Day of the Seafarer 2024 – June 25 The United Nations (UN)’s Day of the Seafarer (DotS) (also known as the International Day of the Seafarer) is annually observed across the globe on 25 June to acknowledge the crucial role Seafarers play in international maritime trade and the global economy.

• 25th June 2024 marks the observance of the 14th edition of the Day of the Seafarer.
• The annual observance of the DotS is led by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The 2024 DotS campaign focuses on the invaluable contributions of seafarers to maritime safety. #SafetyTipsAtSea is the new hashtag for the 2024 campaign.
Background:
i.The Manila Amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) were adopted by resolutions 1 and 2, respectively, by a Conference of Parties to the STCW Convention, held in Manila, Philippines, from 21 to 25 June 2010
ii.The resolution adopted by the 2010 diplomatic conference proclaimed the 25th june of every year as the Day of the Seafarer.
iii.The 1st ever DotS was observed on 25th June 2011.
About the International Maritime Organization (IMO):
The convention for establishing IMO was adpted in 1948 and came into force in 1958.
Secretary-General– Arsenio Dominguez (Republic of Panama)
Headquarters– London, The United Kingdom(UK)
>> Read Full News

World Vitiligo Day 2024 – June 25 World Vitiligo Day (WVD) is annually observed across the globe on June 25 to raise awareness about vitiligo, a skin condition that affects 1-2 percent of people globally.  This day serves as a platform to combat stigma, promote acceptance, and advocate for those affected by vitiligo.

• The theme for WVD 2024 is ‘United by the skin’, which emphasises the importance of recognising and appreciating the unique beauty of individuals with vitiligo and encourages viewing vitiligo as a part of human diversity.
• This year campaign headquarters hosted by the vibrant city of Cali, Colombia, under the presidency of Dr. Claudia Arenas and General Secretary Dr. Adriana Cruz.

Note: WVD is also known as Vitiligo Awareness Day or Vitiligo Purple Fun Day because ‘purple’ is the official colour representing the condition.
Significance:
The significance of WVD is to promote awareness about the vitiligo condition and educate people about the treatment options available and to highlight the importance of self-care for people with vitiligo.
Background:
i.WVD was first proposed by the non-profit organisations Vitiligo Research (VR) Foundation and Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF)in 2011.
ii.The first ever WVD was observed on June 25th in 2011 in memory of Micheal Jackson, ‘King of Pop’, an American singer, songwriter and dancer who had vitiligo and passed away on 25h June 2009.
About Vitiligo:
i.Vitiligo is a disorder that causes patches of skin to become white, because the melanocytes (melanin), cells that make colour are destroyed.
ii.The word vitiligo is derived from ‘vitium’, meaning ‘defect’ or ‘blemish’.
iii.It can impact a person’s daily life, affecting their ability to work, study, or social interaction.
About Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF):
Founder and Executive Director – Ogo Maduewesi
Headquarters – Lagos, Nigeria

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