Current Affairs 27 & 28 June 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 27 & 28 June 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 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

Prakash Javadekar Releases LiDAR Survey of Forest Areas for 10 StatesUnion Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Prakash Javadekar virtually  released the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) based survey of forest areas for 10 states. The survey is the 1st of its kind in India which uses LiDAR technology.

• The 10 states are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura. It is the 1st time that Central funds have been utilized for surveying of forest areas at such a large scale.
• The LiDAR survey will help in increasing water and fodder in jungle areas thereby reducing human-animal conflict. It will also assist in identifying areas that need groundwater recharge, which will benefit the local communities.
• The survey was carried out by WAPCOS Ltd (formerly known as Water and Power Consultancy Services Ltd), a PSU under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India at a cost INR 18.38 Crore in 26 states over 2,61,897 hectares (DPRs for remaining 16 states to be released shortly).

About WAPCOS Ltd
CMD – Debashree Mukherjee
Head Office – New Delhi
>>Read Full News

India’s 1st Indigenous Aircraft Carrier to be Commissioned by 2022: Defence MinisterUnion Minister for Defence Rajnath Singh has stated that India’s 1st Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) will be commissioned into Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command as ‘INS Vikrant’ by mid-2022. It is being built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).

• The commissioning of INS Vikrant will enhance the combat capability, reach and versatility to India’s defence.
• IAC contains nearly 75% indigenous content and has been designed by Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND).
• It is being built at a cost of INR 24,000 crore and was originally targeted to be commissioned by 2018.
• At present, India has only one Aircraft Carrier – the Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya.

i.Rajnath Singh visited the Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka which is being developed under Project Seabird. The ongoing Phase-IIA of Project Seabird aims to make it the largest Naval base in Asia
ii.He stated that India should aim to be among one of the top 3 naval powers in the world in the next 10-12 years period.
iii.Indian Army issued a tender – Request For Information (RFI) for the procurement of 1,750 Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs) to replace the Russian-origin BMP-2.
About Indian Navy
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy) – New Delhi
>>Read Full News

MoHUA celebrated 6th Anniversary of Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT and PMAY-U; ISAC-2020 Winners Announcedi.On June 25, 2021, an online event was organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to mark the 6^th anniversary of the launch of three transformative Urban Missions viz. Smart Cities Mission (SCM), AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).
ii.The event will be presided over by Minister of State (Independent Charge), Hardeep Singh Puri, MoHUA.
iii.During the event, MoHUA also announced the results of India Smart Cities Awards Contest (ISAC) 2020 which were given across 6 categories of Project Awards, City Leadership Award, State UT Award, Innovation Award, COVID Innovation Award, and City Award.
iv.Indore & Surat jointly won the Best City Award and Uttar Pradesh won Best State award under India Smart Cities Awards 2020.
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA):
Secretary– Durga Shanker Mishra
Headquarter– New Delhi
>>Read Full News

Govt Extended the ‘FAME Phase II’ by 2 Years till March 2024; to Achieve Target On June 25, 2021, the Department of Heavy Industries, Ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises(MoHI&PE), extended the government’s (govt) flagship Electric Vehicles (EV) promotion scheme, ‘FAME India Phase II’ (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India Phase II) for 2 years till March 2024.
Causes behind Extension:
i.FAME India Phase II scheme was approved by the government in April 2019 with an outlay of Rs 10,000 Crore for a period of 3 years up to 31 March 2022.
ii.Funds utilisation: As only 5 percent/Rs 492 crore is spent out of the Rs 10,000 crore till March 2021, the scheme is extended to utilise the allocated funds.
iii.Behind target: As per the FAME-II website, only 78,000 EVs in total have been sold against the target of 1 million electric 2-wheelers, 500,000 3-wheelers, 55,000 cars and 7,000 buses. Since the project has fallen behind its targets now extended to meet it.
Note – No changes were made in the financial allocation of the scheme.
About Ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises(MoHI&PE):
Union Minister – Prakash Javadekar
Minister of State – Arjun Ram Meghwal
>>Read Full News

Two Days Hemis Festival Celebrated in LadakhThe two days grand Hemis festival was celebrated by the people of Ladakh and the Tibetian community on 20^th and 21^st of June 2021. It is celebrated at the sweeping courtyard of Hemis monastery, Ladakh.
Key Points:
i.It is celebrated on the 10th day of the fifth month of Tibetan lunar calendar which is believed to be the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava popularly known as the second Buddha.
ii.It is a two-day grand festival that signifies the triumph of good over evil.
iii.The masked dances also known as ‘Chham Dance’ depict the triumph of good over the bad are the highlights of the Hemis Festival of Ladakh.
iv.Also ‘Chang’, a local liquor is served to the people during the festival.
About Ladakh: 
Lieutenant Governor:Radha Krishna Mathur
Capital: Leh,Kargil

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Overview of Ministerial-level Thematic Forum for UN High level Dialogue on Energy 2021The Ministerial-level Thematic Forum for UN High Level Dialogue on Energy 2021  (HLDE 2021) was held virtually from June 21-25, 2021.  It is an initiative of United Nations-Energy (UN Energy).

• The main aim of HLDE 2021 is to promote the implementation of the energy-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The Forums in HLDE 2021 held discussions around 5 themes – Energy access; Energy transition; Enabling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through inclusive, just energy transitions; Innovation, technology and data; Finance and investment.
• The Ministerial Thematic Forums are being held in preparation for the High-level Dialogue on Energy during the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2021 in New York, USA.

Key Takeaways
i.India co-hosted the Ministerial Thematic Forum for Energy Transition along with 9 other countries. These 10 countries were designated as Global Champions for the  theme ‘Energy Transition’.
ii.In the sidelines of the Ministerial-level meeting of HLDE 2021, India hosted the ‘Accelerating Citizen Centric Energy Transition’. It was organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of India (PMI) to the United Nations and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

• Minister of State (I/C) for Power, New and Renewable Energy, R K Singh addressed the event and launched a booklet called ‘The India Story’. It is a compilation of Indian initiatives which are shaping India’s energy transition.  He also launched a website (energytransition.in), which will act as a repository of energy transition related knowledge resources from across the globe.

About UN-Energy
Co-Chairs – Achim Steiner (Administrator of United Nations Development Programme) &  Damilola Ogunbiyi (Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sustainable Energy for All)
>>Read Full News

9th Moscow Conference on International Security 2021 in Russia: Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar Represented IndiaOn June 22-24, 2021, a 3-day 9th Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS-2021) organised by the Russian Ministry of Defence was held in Moscow, Russia with a participation of 600 attendees. The opening session was addressed by President of Russian, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

• India was represented by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar. He addressed the plenary session on the topic ‘Role of Military Agencies in fighting against COVID-19’.
• More than 600 participants attended the conference.

Key Points:
i.On the sidelines of the conference, Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu held bilateral meetings with heads of defence departments of other countries.
ii.India is set to hold, India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) meeting later this year which will be attended by Sergei Shoigu.
iii.Russia will support India in the co-development and production of high technology defence items  under ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ between the two countries.
Issues discussed during the meeting:
During the conference the issues of information security, post INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) Treaty, and the role of the armed forces in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic were discussed.
About MCIS:
It is held annually since 2012 under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence of Russia to discuss actual problems of international security by bringing together Defence Ministers, Heads of International organizations, nongovernment experts and world’s think-tank representatives.  The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Points to be noted:
i.India has taken a number of steps to enhance collaboration between the Indian and Russian companies after the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on the joint manufacturing of spares in India signed in Vladivostok on September 4, 2019.
ii.The IGA provides a framework for partnership of Russian Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) with Indian industry for the use of Indian defence forces under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Santosh Gangwar Addresses G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting 2021Minister of State  (I/C) for Labour and Employment, Santosh Gangwar delivered the Ministerial Address on ‘Declaration and Employment Working Group  Priorities’ at G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting 2021, which was held in Hybrid mode from Catania, Italy. The meeting was hosted by Italy (2021 G20 Presidency).

• The participants discussed current labour market trends across the world, employment and social challenges, women employment, social security and remote working.
• The Labor and Employment Ministers’ Meeting 2021 is one of the ministerial meetings organized as part of the G20 Leaders Summit 2021, set to be hosted by Italy in October 2021.

Key Points from the Minister’s Address
Santosh Gangwar highlighted initiatives taken by India to address the issues of women, self-employed & people working in the unorganised sector.

• Code on Wages, 2019 to reduce gender gaps in labour force participation.
• Code on Social Security, 2020 brings self-employed and all other classes of workforce under social security coverage.
• Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM), a voluntary and contributory pension scheme introduced in 2019 for the unorganised sector workers provides a minimum assured pension after the age of 60 years.

Efforts taken by G20 to reduce Gender Gap
In 2014, G20 Leaders took a pledge in Brisbane, Australia to reduce the gap in labour force participation rates between men and women by 25% by 2025.
About G20
Members – 20 (19 countries + European Union)
2021 Presidency –  Italy
Established – 1999
>>Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI Launched FY21 Round of Survey on ITES exports, Foreign LiabilitiesIn June 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the FY21 round of its annual Survey on ‘Computer Software and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Exports’.

• The survey was started initially in 2002 -03 and the annual survey collects data on various aspects of computer services exports and exports of information technology-enabled services (ITES) and business process outsourcing (BPO).
•  The results will be used for the compilation of balance of payments(BoP) statistics.

RBI has also launched the FY21 round of its annual survey on ‘Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Mutual Funds and Asset Management Companies’.

• Under the survey, the information from mutual fund companies and asset management companies on their external financial liabilities and assets for FY21 were collected.
• The results will be used for the compilation of India’s external sector statistics.

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
i.RBI was established in 1935 and nationalised in 1949
ii.The 1st headquarters of RBI was located in Kolkata
iii.The cash reserve Ratio (CRR) is the amount of funds that the banks have to keep with the RBI.
iv.Reverse Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI borrows money from commercial banks.
v.Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends money to commercial banks.

RBI Penalises 3 Maharashtra-Based Co-Operative Banks

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a total penalty of Rs 8 lakh on 3 Maharashtra-based co-operative banks for contravention of directions issued by RBI over ‘Maintenance of Deposit Accounts’ and ‘Know Your Customer (KYC)’.

• A penalty of Rs 4 lakh was imposed on Excellent Co-operative Bank, Mumbai – and Rs 2 lakh penalty each on Janseva Sahakari Bank Limited, Pune and The Ajara Urban Co-operative Bank, Ajara.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

NCAER Projected India’s FY22 GDP Growth at 8.4-10.1%; Ind-Ra cut FY22 GDP Growth National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), a non-profit think tank of economics, forecasted India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the whole year of FY22 in the range of 8.4-10.1 percent with 11.5 percent growth in the Q1FY22(April – June, 2021). It estimated a contraction of 7.3(-7.3) percent in FY21.

• India’s economic activity in April and May 2021 faced a sharp decline in growth due to the 2nd wave of COVID-19.
• GDP on constant price at the end of FY22, is estimated to be the same as of FY20 i.e. Rs 146 trillion (Rs 146 lakh crore).

Ind-Ra cut India’s GDP Growth Estimate for FY22 to 9.6%
On June 25, 2021, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) reduced India’s GDP growth forecast for FY22 to 9.6 percent from its earlier estimate of 10.1 percent.

• Alternate Projection: It also stated an alternate growth projection of 9.1 percent, in the case of a slow pace of vaccination or non-availability of vaccines for COVID-19.

About National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER):
Establishment –  1956
Headquarters – New Delhi
President – Nandan M Nilekani
>>Read Full News

China became the 2nd-largest Export Destination of India in FY21; Replaced UAE As per the Central government data, China replaced the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the 2nd largest export destination for India in FY21. The United States (US) remained as India’s top export partner.

• China’s share in India’s export rose to 7.29 percent in FY21 from 5.3 percent of FY20 (Whereas the imports from China declined marginally in FY21).
• Iron ore, organic chemicals, and petroleum were the top exports to China in FY21.

Top 5 Export Partners in FY21:

About China:
Capital – Beijing
President – Xi Jinping
Currency – Renminbi
>>Read Full News

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Jamsetji Tata: World’s Top Philanthropist of Last Century

The founder of Tata Group, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata has emerged as the biggest philanthropist globally in the last century(between 1901-1999) by donating $102.4 billion, according to the list of top 50 givers prepared by the Hurun Report and EdelGive Foundation.

• Total global donations in the last century stood at $832 billion.
• The only other Indian in the list of 50 global philanthropists is Azim Premji, former chairman of Wipro. He is ranked at 12th position.
• Bill Gates & Melinda French Gates ranked second with donations worth $74.6 billion. They are followed by Henry Wellcome ($56.7 billion), Howard Hughes ($38.6 billion), and Warren Buffett ($37.4 billion) respectively.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Meenesh Shah Appointed as NDDB ChairmanNational Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Executive Director Meenesh Shah has taken additional charge as the Chairman of NDDB for six months with effect from June 1,2021.

• He succeeds Varsha Joshi whose tenure ended on May 31,2021.

About Meenesh Shah:
i.Meenesh Shah has over 35 years of experience in the dairy sector.
ii.He is the member secretary of the Indian National Committee (INC) of the International Dairy Federation (IDF).
iii.He is also a member of the standing committee on dairy policy and economics of the IDF.
About National Dairy Development Board (NDDB):
Founder: Verghese Kurien
Founded: 16 July 1965
Headquarters: Anand,Gujarat

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

CCI Approves Acquisition of Zuarinagar Plant by Paradeep PhosphatesThe Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of the Zuarinagar plant of Zuari Agro Chemicals Ltd (ZACL) by Paradeep Phosphates Limited (PPL).
Key Points:
i.Urea and Non-urea fertiliser products are developed and manufactured at the Zuarinagar, Goa plant.
ii.Both ZACL and PPL are part of the Adventz Group.
iii.PPL mainly manufactures and sells non-urea fertilisers, namely, diammonium phosphate and NPK fertilisers. It also imports and sells Muriate of Potash
iv.In February,the Board of ZACL approved the sale of its fertiliser plant in Goa and the associated businesses to PPL for $280 million (~ Rs.2027.46 crore).
About Competition Commission of India(CCI):
Establishment:2003
Headquarters: NewDelhi
Chairman:Ashok Kumar Gupta

LIC, SBI Life & Canara Bank Pick Up Stakes in Indian Bank Under QIPAccording to a regulatory filing, the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), SBI Life Insurance and Canara Bank were among the top investors picking up stakes in Indian Bank under the qualified institutional placement (QIP).
Indian Bank has raised a total of Rs 1650 crore in its QIP of shares which were issued at Rs 142.15 apiece.

• The LIC, India’s largest and the only state-owned life insurer, has picked up 17.80 % shares issues under QIP.

Key info:
The SBI Life has picked up 11.87% shares, SBI Mutual Fund and its various schemes have picked up 11.87% shares, Societe Generale and its various schemes have picked up 9.74% and Canara Bank subscribing to 5.93% shares offered in the issues.
Background:
i.The Indian Bank has allotted 11,60,74,569 new equity shares to the eligible qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) in the issue that opened on June 21 and closed on June 24.
ii.In March 2021, the Indian Banks committee on capital raising approved for raising equity capital aggregating up to Rs 4000 crore through QIP in one or more tranches.
About Indian Bank:
MD & CEO– Padmaja Chunduru
Head Office– Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Tagline– Your Own Bank
Establishment– 1907
About SBI Life Insurance:
MD & CEO– Mahesh Kumar Sharma
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

LIC Launched Web Portal for Group Business Operations – ‘e-PGS’Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has launched a centralized web-enabled workflow-based IT platform for its group business operations named ‘e-PGS’.
Features of e-PGS:
i.The platform was designed to provide centralized collection and payment accounting with a high level of bank integration by connecting the innovative features of integrated banking with automatic reconciliations.
ii.The customer portals under the platform will provide comprehensive self-servicing capabilities, through which the corporate customers could view their data, initiate actionable processes, lodge, and track claims.
iii.This initiative was intended to change the ways of services and data transfer to customers on group business platforms through technology.
About Life Insurance Corporation (LIC):
Establishment -1956
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman -M R Kumar

DRDO Test Fires Pinaka Rocket & Enhanced Range 122mm Caliber RocketThe Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired the Extended range version of indigenously developed Pinaka rocket & Enhanced range versions of indigenously developed 122mm Caliber rocket from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha.

• Both rockets have been developed by Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL).

i.Pinaka Rocket – The enhanced range version of the Indigenous Pinaka Rocket System test fired from a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) can destroy targets at distances up to 45 Kms.

• It has been developed jointly by the Pune-based ARDE and HEMRL, with manufacturing assistance from Economic Explosives Ltd, Nagpur, Maharashtra.

ii.Enhanced Range 122mm Caliber Rocket – The Enhanced Range 122mm Caliber Rocket was test fired from a MBRL. The enhanced version has been developed for Army applications and can destroy targets up to 40 kilometres.
About Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE)
Director – Dr. V Venkateswara Rao
Location – Pune, Maharashtra
About High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL)
Director – KPS Murthy
Location – Pune, Maharashtra
>>Read Full News

Ravi Shankar Prasad Launches ‘itat e-dwar’ E-Filing Portal of ITATUnion Minister for Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad formally launched the e-filing portal of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) – ‘itat e-dwar’ from New Delhi.

• The portal developed by ITAT will enable parties to file their Appeals, Miscellaneous Applications, documents, paper books etc electronically. It is expected to benefit lawyers & tax litigants.
• During the launch, the Union Minister stated that data of more than 18 crore cases were available in the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), and suggested that cases of ITAT should be integrated in NJDG.

Digital India

i.Ravi Shankar Prasad highlighted several initiatives taken under Digital India Programme.

• Around 129 crore of the Indian population have enrolled for Aadhar, which is a digital identity to supplement one’s physical identity. Using 40 crore bank accounts have been opened for the poor and linked to Aadhar.
• Using the power of Digital India about Rs.16.7 lakh crore has been transferred to the account of the poor as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), saving Rs.1.78 lakh crores which was being siphoned off by middlemen.

ii.He urged Lawyers to tender legal advice to the needy through Tele Law programme.
About Ministry of Law and Justice:
Union Minister– Ravi Shankar Prasad (Constituency- Patna Sahib, Bihar)

SPORTS

Madhya Pradesh shooter Rubina Francis creates world record at World shooting Para Sport Cup

Para shooter Rubina Francis from Madhya Pradesh has set a world record, who won gold with 238.1 points in the 10-metre air pistol para women’s event at World shooting Para Sport Cup in Lima, Peru. He beated the record of Aysegul Pehlivanlar of Turkey and holds the Paralympic quota for India at the Tokyo Olympic 2020.

OBITUARY

Carnatic Singer Parassala B Ponnammal Passed AwayLegendary Carnatic singer Parassala B Ponnammal passed away due to age-related ailments in Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala. She was born in a Tamil Brahmin family in Parassala,along Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in 1924.

• In 2006 she became the 1st woman in 300 years of tradition to sing at the famed Navaratri Celebrations of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple,Kerala.

About Parassala B Ponnammal:
i.Parassala B Ponnammal was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017 for her contributions to Carnatic music.
ii.She was also a recipient of several notable honours including M.G.Radhakrishnan Award,the Lifetime Achievement Award instituted by Chennai Fine Arts, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and so on.
iii.She was the first woman student to enroll in the historic Swathi Thirunal College of Music here during the 1940s.
iv.She was also the first woman faculty of the Swathi Thirunal College and the first ever woman principal of the famous RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A Novel  titled ‘The Startup Wife’ by Tahmima Anam

A  novel, titled ‘The Startup Wife’ authored by award-winning author Tahmima Anam. The book is about the dynamics of a modern day marriage in a highly competition driven world. It was published by Penguin Random House India.

• She was the winner of the Best First Book in the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize 2008(Book-A Golden Age) and her other works are The Good Muslim (long-listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2011) and The Bones of Grace.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2021 -June 26The United Nations(UN)’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is annually observed across the Globe on 26th June to create awareness about the sufferings of the victims of torture and to support and honour the victims and survivors across the globe.

• Various organisations like the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims(IRCT) and Amnesty International, plays a major role in promoting the day through organising various events across the globe.

Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/52/149 on 12th December 2021 and proclaimed the 26th June of every year as the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
ii.The First International Day in Support of Victims of Torture was observed on 26th June 1998. 
Why June 26?
26th June marks the date on which the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment came into effect (1987).
>>Read Full News

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2021 – 26 JuneThe United Nations (UN)’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is annually observed across the globe on 26th June to create awareness about the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society.
The theme of the 2021 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is “Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives”.

• The 2021 theme aims to combat misinformation about drugs and to promote the sharing of facts on drugs.

Background:
The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/42/112 on 7th December 1987 and proclaimed the 26th June of every year as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
World Drug Report 2021:
i.The World Drug Report is annually prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
About United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
Director-General/ Executive Director– Ghada Fathi Waly
Headquarters– Vienna, Austria
>>Read Full News

World Humanist Day 2021 – June 21 The World Humanist Day is annually observed across the globe on 21st June to create awareness about the ways to spread information and combat misinformation about the positive aspects of Humanism, a means to affect the change in the world.

• The World Humanist day is globally celebrated by the American Humanist Association(AHA), the International Humanist and Ethical Union(IHEU), the Council for Secular Humanism, the Campus Freethought Alliance and the Secular Student Alliance.
• The word ‘humanist’ derives from the Latin word ‘Humanitas’, which means human nature, civilisation and kindness. There is also an Indian Humanist Union, a humanist organisation established in 1960 and it is affiliated to Humanist International, a consortium of political parties associated with universal humanism.
  

Background:
i.The various local state chapters of the American Humanist Association (AHA) started the observance of World Humanist Day.
ii.In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the AHA and then the IHEU (Humanists International), passed resolutions and declared the 21st June of every year as World Humanist Day.
iii.In both cases, World Humanist Day was declared under the twin resolutions, the first to decide that there should be a World Humanist Day, the second to decide when that day should be.
iv.June 21 marks the date of the summer solstice across the globe.
Humanism:
According to the AHA, Humanism is defined as the progressive philosophy of life that affirms the ability and responsibility to lead an ethical life that aspires to the greater good.
Humanist of the Year Award:
The AHA established the Humanist of the Year award in 1953 to recognize a person of national or international reputation who made significant contributions to the improvement of human condition.

STATE NEWS

MOIL, Madhya Pradesh Govt, MPSMCL Signed MoU to Explore Manganese Ore ReservesState-owned MOIL Limited signed a tripartite MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the Government (govt) of Madhya Pradesh (MP) and the Madhya Pradesh State Mining Corporation Limited (MPSMCL), to explore the possibilities of manganese ore mining in 4 districts of MP viz, Balaghat, Jabalpur, Jhabua, and Chhindwara.
Key points:
i.MOIL has carried out detailed remote sensing studies to identify the manganese-bearing areas with the help of the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), Hyderabad. NRSC specified sites for MOIL to explore.
ii.Reservation: Under Rule 67 (1) of the Mineral (Other than Atomic and Hydrocarbon Energy) Mineral Concession Rules, 2016, the MP govt has reserved 850 sq km and 487 sq km areas in Balaghat and Chhindwara districts respectively to enable MOIL to take up exploration projects in the reserved areas.
About MOIL Limited:
It is the largest producer of manganese ore in India. It owns and operates 11 mines in Maharashtra and MP.
Establishment – 1896 (as Central Province Prospecting Syndicate), (Renamed as MOIL ltd in FY11)
Headquarters – Nagpur, Maharashtra
Chairman-cum-Managing Director – M.P.Chaudhari
>>Read Full News

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