Current Affairs 3 June 2023

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 3 June 2023, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2022 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

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Launched Unified Registration Portal For GOBARdhanGajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, launched the Unified Registration Portal for Biogas/ Compressed Bio Gas (CBG)/ Bio CNG  (Compressed Natural Gas) plants under Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) scheme.

• This portal will be a one-stop repository to assess investment and participation in Biogas/CBG sector at the pan-India level.
• This will also streamline the process of setting up CBG/Biogas plants in India.

About the portal:
i.The portal, developed by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the nodal agency of GOBARdhan, will ensure Ease of Doing Business (EODB).
ii.The functioning of the portal was tested and explored by the CBG Producers Association.
Key Points:
i.With aggregated data from all Ministries & Departments across Centre and States, this will also attract greater investment from the private players.
ii.To avail the benefits and support of GoI schemes and programs related to GOBARdhan, new projects should register on this portal.
iii.The portal will display information about existing and proposed GOBARdhan projects.
iv.This portal will act as a valuable tool for investors and entrepreneurs of the sector.
About GOBARdhan:
GOBARdhan, launched in 2018 under the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen(SBM(G)-Phase II program, is an umbrella initiative of the Indian government that aims to convert waste to wealth towards promoting a circular economy.

• The scheme is implemented through the partnership between the State Governments and Private Sector including entrepreneurs, societies etc.

i.Objective: To generate wealth and energy by converting cattle dung, agri residue and other organic waste into Biogas, CBG and biofertilizers.
ii.It encompasses schemes/programmes under various Ministries & Departments. This includes:

• Waste to Energy Scheme – Ministry of New and Renewable Energy(MNRE).
• SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas(MoPNG).
• SBM(G) Phase II of DDWS.
• Agri Infrastructure Fund (AIF) of Dept. of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare.
• Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) of Dept. of Animal Husbandry & Dairy.

iii.Target: The scheme aims to contribute to India’s climate action goals especially towards achieving net zero emission by 2070.
Note:  At present around 650 GOBARdhan plants have been reported by different stakeholders.

Formal job creation increased in FY23, Highest in Maharashtra: EPFO Payroll Data AnalysisAccording to the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation’s (EPFO) payroll reporting data analysis, 1.39 crore people found new formal jobs in India in FY23 which means the number of net payroll additions increased around 13% Y-o-Y (Year-on-Year) to 1,38,51,689 in FY23 from 1,22,34,625 in FY22.

• The increase in payroll addition was recorded amid global layoffs and an economic slowdown.
  In India, tech start-ups laid off around 20000 employees in FY23, while other sectors provided jobs.
• Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of formal job creation, contributing around 22% of total new jobs created in India i.e., 30,28,978 payroll additions across age groups and sectors.
• It should be noted that Maharashtra has topped every financial year since September 2017, when the EPFO began releasing payroll addition data.

Assessment:
It captures the employment data of firms employing at least 20.
Highlights:
i.In Maharashtra, from 15,75,943 lakh in FY19, new formal jobs in the state increased to 17.4 lakh the following year. While there was a dip during the pandemic in FY21, the number shot up in FY22. This again increased by 15% in FY23.
ii.Maharashtra is followed by Tamil Nadu (TN) at 2nd place with 14.05 net new payroll additions in FY23 recording a 9.6% increase in formal job creation compared to FY22.

• It has risen in ranking after a gap of five years.

iii.Karnataka, Haryana and Gujarat bagged the third, fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
iv.Among the large states, Assam had the fewest formal job creations at 64,432. This is, however, a 177% increase compared to FY22.
v.The 22-25 age group bagged the most jobs at 36.24 lakh.

• 32.25 lakh people aged 18-21 also bagged formal jobs in FY23.

vi.While Tech start-ups in India laid off around ​20,000 employees in FY23, the other sectors did well in providing jobs.
Note: Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) also showed lower unemployment rate, 7.6% in FY23, compared to the previous two financial years of 8% in FY22 and 10% in FY21.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched a PM SVANidhi Mobile app

On 1st June 2023, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the mobile app “PMSVANidhi” for street vendors to ease their loan application process under the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme.

• The app was launched during the event organised to mark the 3 years completion of the Scheme, which was launched on 1st June 2020.
• This will provide an end-to-end solution to facilitate Lending Institutions – Banks/ non-bank financial companies (NBFCs)/ Microfinance institutions (MFIs), to process loan applications of beneficiaries through field agents.

The scheme was launched to provide collateral-free working capital loans of up to Rs 10,000 of one-year tenure to approximately 50 lakh street vendors to help resume their businesses in the urban areas.
Note: The scheme facilitates working capital loans in three tranches to street vendors.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Finland, Norway, and Sweden Hosts multinational Arctic Challenge Exercise 2023 from 29 May to 9 June 2023

Finland, and Norway, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, along with Sweden hosted the 6th multinational Arctic Challenge exercise 2023 (ACE 23), which is scheduled to be held from 29 May to 9 June 2023.

• Objective: To train participating forces to conduct dissimilar aircraft combat in large composite air operations safely and effectively.

Participants:

 i.In addition to the hosts (Finland, Norway, and Sweden), the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom (UK), Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, the Czech Republic and the United States of America (USA) are also participating in the ACE 23.

 ii.Nearly 1,000 allied forces from the USA, UK, Norway and also from NATO applicant Sweden, joined some 6,500 Finnish troops and some 1,000 vehicles for exercises, which mark Finland’s biggest modern-time land-force drill above the Arctic Circle.

 iii.Some 150 aircraft from 14 NATO members and partner countries are also participating in ACE 23 exercises.

 iv.The USA troops practised with their Multiple Launch Rocket Systems shipped from Germany, while their Finnish counterparts fired their Leopard 2A6 tanks, the Swedes and the Norwegians fired from CV90 infantry fighting vehicles and the UK troops deployed Warrior tanks.

About ACE:

i.ACE is the event which has been conducted by Nordic countries bi-annualy since 2013.

ii.The ACE is part of the NORDEFCO cooperation between Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Their Air Forces regularly carry out combined air combat-related Cross Border Training operated from their home bases.

Note – The Air Forces of Sweden, Finland and Norway hosted the multinational Arctic Challenge Exercise 2021 (ACE 21) from 7 June to 18 June 2021.

Finland the New Member of NATO:

i.Finland joined NATO in April 2023 and became its 31st member. 

ii.As Finland shares a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia, the addition of Finland into NATO doubled the length of the border that NATO shares with Russia.

iii.Finland is hosting the ACE 23 in Rovajarvi, one of Europe’s largest artillery training grounds in Northern Finland.

About North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):
Formed in– 1949
Secretary General– Jens Stoltenberg
Headquarters– Brussels, Belgium
Members –31 independent member countries

BANKING & FINANCE

Myntra, Kotak Mahindra Bank launches first-of-its-kind Digital Fashion Co-Branded Credit CardOn June 1, 2023, the Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) in partnership with Myntra, Bengaluru-based Indian fashion e-commerce company, launched its first-of-its-kind co-branded digital fashion and lifestyle credit card namely ‘Kotak Myntra credit card’ which will be available on MasterCard and RuPay networks.

• The credit card could be availed completely in a digital way across Myntra and Kotak mobile applications. 
• The co-branded credit card was created to be used in the fast-growing fashion e-commerce market in India.

Features of Cards:
i.The card is dedicated to fashion shoppers across metros, tier 1, tier 2 & 3 cities
ii.The joining fee and annual fee for the credit card is Rs 500.

• Rs 500 e-voucher on card activation.

iii.There will be 7.5% instant discount on unlimited transactions on Myntra, up to Rs 750 per transaction, and complimentary access to Myntra Insider.
iv.There will be 5% cashback on any purchase with some of the popular platforms: Swiggy, Swiggy Instamart, PVR, Cleartrip, Urban Company.

mooPay Launches India’s first Heat Index linked insurance for dairy farmers of mooMark

mooPay Private Limited, the fintech arm of Stellapps Technologies Private Limited, in partnership with IBISA Network, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Ltd., and  Insurtech startup Gramcover, has launched India’s first heat Index-based insurance plan to provide financial compensation to mooMark dairy farmers in case of income loss due to a fall in milk productivity during heat waves in summer.

• mooMark is a private dairy supply chain arm of Stellapps.

What is in the heat Index-based insurance plan?
Under this farmers receive insurance benefits if temperatures exceed specified limits for a set number of days within a 60-day period starting from May 1, 2023, based on region-specific parameters.

• mooMark utilizes temperature trend data from a pre-agreed public database to compensate claimants according to prescribed benefit slabs.
• Each insured cattle can receive a maximum coverage of Rs 2,000. Presently, the insurance covers one cattle per household.

First Phase:
In the first phase, mooMark includes this insurance in its loyalty program, covering approximately 7,000 farmers in 5 districts across 4 states, with a total sum assured exceeding Rs 1.3 crore.

• This financial product can benefit over 80 million dairy farming families that rely on income from around 300 million cattle.

So far, the mooPay platform has made direct farmer payments worth more than Rs 1,000 million and disbursed more than 3,200 loans worth over Rs 42 million.

About Stellapps Technologies Private Limited:
CEO– Rahul Mallick
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka

Manappuram Finance Launched Digital Lending App ‘Ma-Money’Manappuram Finance Limited, a Thrissur(Kerala)-based NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company), launched a new digital lending platform named ‘Ma-Money’ to provide customers with all the financial products offered by Manappuram Finance under one platform.
Key Points:
i.The app is primarily targeted at customers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities (cities with populations ranging from 20000 to 1 lakh).
ii.Loans offered under the Ma-Money app include personal loans, business loans, consumer durables’ loans, loans for the healthcare industry, food industry, small-scale industries, car loans, home repair loans, among others.
iii.The launch of Ma-Money is part of Manappuram Finance’s broader strategy to expand its digital footprint and provide customers innovative and convenient financial products.
iv.As per the statement of  V P Nandakumar, Managing Director and CEO, of Manappuram Finance, the new app is expected to support it to increase its digital business and reach a wider audience.
v.Manappuram Finance is expected to touch USD 350 billion by the end of 2023 at a growth rate of 11 to 12 per cent annually.

RBI launches ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign to settle unclaimed deposits

As per the announcement made by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 12, 2023, RBI launched the ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign for the banks on June 1, 2023. The campaign was commenced by the banks to trace and settle the top 100 unclaimed deposits of every bank in every district of India within 100 days.

• This measure will complement the ongoing efforts by RBI to reduce the quantum of unclaimed deposits in the banking system and return such deposits to their rightful owners/ claimants.

What are unclaimed deposits?
Balances in savings / current accounts which are not operated for 10 years, or term deposits not claimed within 10 years from the date of maturity are classified as “Unclaimed Deposits”.

• These amounts are transferred by banks to ‘Depositor Education and Awareness Fund’ (DEAF) maintained by RBI.
• RBI has also announced the setting up of a Centralized Web portal for the public to search unclaimed deposits across multiple banks.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

India’s GDP Grows at 6.1% in Q4FY23 and 7.2% in FY23: Union Govt data

According to the official data released by the Union Government on May 30, 2023, the Indian Economy’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in Q4 FY23 (Fourth Quarter of Financial Year 2022-23) i.e. from January to March 2023 is projected at 6.1% year-on-year (YoY) when compared to the 4.5% growth in Q3 FY23 and 4.1% in FY22.

• India’s growth rate for FY23 was projected at 7.2% compared to 9.1% GDP growth in FY22. Due to this growth, the Indian economy is now USD 3.3 trillion in size.

Key Points:

i.Sector-wise Growth in Q4FY23: 

• The growth in the Q4 FY23 period was mainly contributed by 6.9% of growth in service sector, a 5.5% in agriculture, 4.5% in manufacturing and 10.4% in Construction sector.
• The electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services segment grew 6.9% in Q4FY23 from 6.7% in Q4FY22.

ii.GDP Projections:

• According to the National Statistics Office (NSO) data, the real GDP prices in FY23 are estimated to attain a level of Rs 160.06 lakh crore, as against the first revised estimates of GDP of Rs 149.26 lakh crore for FY22.
• Nominal GDP in FY23 is estimated to attain a level of Rs 272.41 lakh crore, as against Rs 234.71 lakh crore in FY22, showing a growth rate of 16.1%.
• The GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in Q4 FY23 is estimated at Rs 43.62 lakh crore against Rs 41.12 lakh crore in Q4 FY22, showing a growth of 6.1%. 
• The GDP at Current Prices in Q4 2022-23 is estimated at Rs 71.82 lakh crore compared to Rs 65.05 lakh crore in Q4 2021-22, a growth of 10.4%.

iii.Gross value added (GVA) growth in FY23 was about 7% against an 8.8% growth in FY22. The Manufacturing sector’s GVA growth increased to 4.5% Q4 FY23 as against 0.6% in Q4 FY22.

iv.The discrepancies factored while computing the national income was Rs 3,80,964 crore in FY23, which was lower than Rs 4,47,182 crore in FY22.

JP Morgan raises India’s FY24 GDP forecast to 5.5%JP Morgan raised its forecast for India’s annual growth by 50 basis points to 5.5% for fiscal 2024, following an increase in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 6.1% in the March quarter of FY23 (Q4FY23).

• This growth was boosted by government and private capital spending.
• The economy also grew at a better-than-expected 7.2% for fiscal 2023.

Key Points:
i.Though the GDP forecast is increased, but, it has warned that the global economic slowdown and tighter financial conditions will still drag the economy.
ii.The growth potential could be enhanced if the central government successfully achieves a significant increase in budgeted capital expenditure for fiscal 2024 and convince the states to do the same.

• The economy may suffer adverse effects if the occurrence of the El Nino phenomenon affects the monsoon of 2023.

iii.Global growth momentum is still expected to slow in the coming quarters.
iv.On May 31, 2023, the Indian government revised its full-year growth estimate for FY23 to 7.2% from 7%. India’s economy grew at 9.1% in FY22.
v.As per the brokerage, the Indian economy could be affected if the El Nino phenomenon impacts the 2024’s monsoon.

NGEL & UPRVUNL Signed MoU to Develop Renewable Energy Parks On May 31, 2023, NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL), a subsidiary of NTPC Ltd, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP).

• Objective: To develop Renewable Energy Parks and Projects in UP and to facilitate in Government of India’s efforts towards energy transition.
• The MoU was signed by Mohit Bhargava, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NGEL and Nidhi Kumar Narang, Director (Finance), UPRVUNL,  in the presence of P. Guruprasad, Managing Director (MD), UPRVUNL, Praveen Saxena, Regional Executive Director of NTPC. V V Sivakumar, General Manager, NGEL.

Key Points:
i.As part of the agreement, the NGEL and UPRVUNL would collaborate and set up floating and ground mounted Solar Projects in the Rihand reservoir, other water bodies and any available vacant land.
ii.They would also develop solar PV (Photovoltaic) Projects dedicated to the solarization of Ayodhya City (UP) and set up of Renewable energy Parks and Projects wherever land is made available.
iii.NGEL and UPRVUNL shall jointly work for the formation of a Joint Venture Company (JVC) to meet the Renewable Generation Obligation, Flexibility in Generation and Scheduling of Thermal/Hydro Power Stations through bundling with Renewable Energy and Energy Storage.

• The Rihand River is a tributary of the Son River and flows through the Indian states of Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh.

About UPRVUNL & NGEL:
i.At present UPRVUNL has four thermal power stations within UP with an installed capacity of 5,820 MW and one thermal power station with an installed capacity of 1,320 MW under JV with NTPC.

• UPRVUNL is in the process of adding a further 3300 MW capacity with supercritical technology on its own and another 1980 MW in JV with Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).

ii.NTPC is India’s largest power utility with an installed capacity of 72 GW (including JVs) and plans to become a 130 GW company by 2032.
iii.NTPC established NGEL as a fully owned subsidiary to focus on Renewable Energy Parks and Projects. NGEL aims to drive the development of green hydrogen, energy storage technologies, and round-the-clock renewable energy power.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

BoB announced nominations for the Inaugural Rashtrabhasha Samman Award 

Bank of Baroda(BoB), India’s leading public sector bank, announced the nominations for the 1st edition of the Bank of Baroda Rashtrabhasha Samman Awards (2023). The winner is set to be announced on 11th June 2023.

• A total of 12 titles in Odia, Urdu, Punjabi, Nepali, Bengali, Marathi and Tamil were featured on the longlist of Rashtrabhasha Samman Awards 2023.

The award aims to acknowledge and promote literary works in various Indian languages listed under the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, and make these works accessible to Hindi readers through translations.

• The Award will be presented to both the author of the original work and its hindi translator.
• Prize: The award-winning book will receive Rs 21 lakh(for author) and Rs 15 lakh (for translator) and the 5 shortlisted books will receive Rs. 3 lakh (author) and Rs. 2 lakh(translator).

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS      

Argentina’s Celeste Saulo appointed as 1st female SG of WMO; India’s Mrutyunjay Mohapatra elected as 3rd VPOn 1st June 2023, Prof Celeste Saulo, a leading meteorologist from Argentina, was appointed as the first female Secretary-General (SG) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), United Nations’ (UN) specialised agency for meteorology.

• Celeste Saulo, who is currently serving as 1st Vice-President of WMO, will take over as SG of WMO on 1st January 2024.
• She will succeed Prof Petteri Taalas of Finland, who has been the SG of WMO (for 2 terms) since 2016.

i.Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General (DG) of India Meteorological Department (IMD), under the Ministry of Earth Science, has been elected as the Third Vice-President of WMO.
ii.Abdulla Al Mandous– Director General of the National Center of Meteorology, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Permanent Representative of UAE and President of the WMO Regional Association for Asia, was elected as the next President of WMO for a four-year term from 2023 to 2027.
About World Meteorological Organization (WMO):
Established in– 23 March 1950
Secretary-General- Professor Petteri Taalas
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
>> Read Full News

Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago’s Elected as UNGA President for the 78th sessionOn 1st June 2023, Dennis Francis, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), was elected as the President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the General Assembly Hall at UN Headquarters in New York, United States of America (USA).

• Dennis Francis will take charge as President of UNGA at the beginning of the 78th session in September 2023.
• He will succeed Csaba Kőrösi of Hungary, President of the 77th session of the UNGA.

Note: In accordance with the established regional rotation, the President of the 78th session of the UNGA was elected from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.
About Dennis Francis:
i.He served as the Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to many countries for 18 consecutive years and retired in September 2021.
ii.He represented UN agencies in Geneva, Vienna and Paris.
UN General Assembly:
i.The 193 Member UN General Assembly (UNGA) is the main policy-making organ of the Organization.
ii.The main functions of the UNGA include appointing the Secretary-General on the recommendation of the Security Council, electing the non-permanent members of the Security Council and approving the UN budget.
78th Session of UNGA: 
During the session of the UN General Assembly, the world leaders discuss the action needed to achieve the UN Goals for 2030, from ending extreme poverty and ensuring quality secondary education for all children to achieving gender equality, reducing inequality, and taking urgent action to combat climate change.
About Trinidad and Tobago:
President-Christine Kangaloo
Capital-Port of Spain
Currency-Trinidad & Tobago Dollar (TT$)
About United Nations:
Secretary General- António Guterres
Head Quarters-New York, United States
Established-1945    

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India carries out successful training launch of MRBM Agni-1 From OdishaOn 1st June 2023, India carried out a successful training launch of a nuclear-capable Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM), Agni-1 from APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.

• Agni-1 was fired as a user training launch by Strategic Forces Command (SCF), which controls, manages and administers the nuclear forces in India.
• This test launch successfully validated all operational and technical parameters of the missile.

About Agni-1 missile:
i.This medium-range Agni-1, is a 15-meter-long missile, weighing around 12,000 kilograms(Kg), has a strike range of over 700 kilometres (Km) and is capable of carrying a payload of up to 1,000 Kg.
ii.Agni Systems Agni-1 to 5 missiles are designed & developed by DRDO.
iii.It was first launched on 25th January 2002 from Wheeler Island (now APJ Abdul Kalam Island), Odisha.
Other Agni series missiles:
i.The series of Agni missiles includes Agni-2(up to 2,000km), Agni-3(around 3,000km), Agni-4(around 4,000km) and the country’s longest striking range Agni-5(up to 5,000km).
ii.The latest addition to this series is the ’Agni-Prime’ a two-stage canisterised solid-propellant missile with a strike range of 1,000 to 2,000-km was first tested on 28th June 2022.
Ballistic missile: Ballistic missiles are powered initially by a rocket, then follow an unpowered trajectory that moves upwards before descending to reach its fixed target. In Contrast, cruise missiles are jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout their flights
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
Chairman-Dr Samir V Kamat
Headquarters-New Delhi, Delhi
Established-1958

ENVIRONMENT

Pisodonophis kalinga: New Eel Species Discovered from Palur canal, OdishaScientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of eel named Pisodonophis kalinga from Palur canal in Ganjam district, Odisha. The Olive-Coloured snake eel, was found hiding in the Chilika lagoon, Asia’s biggest brackish and freshwater lagoon and the adjoining Palur canal of Odisha.

• The name “Pisodonophis kalinga” refers to the ancient name of Odisha, and “kalinga snake eel” has been proposed as the common name for this unique species.
• The detailed characteristics of Pisodonophis kalinga was published in the latest edition (29th May 2023) of the International Journal Marine Biodiversity.

Note: Palur canal connects Chilika lagoon with River Rushikulya of Odisha.
Species Classification:
Pisodonophis kalinga belongs to the family Ophichthidae and the order Anguilliformes.
Research team:
Anil Mohapatra (Team led), a senior scientist, Estuarine Biology Regional Centre (ERBC) of ZSI, Gopalpur, Odisha; Scientists of Berhampur University, Berhampur (Odisha) and Ravenshaw University, Cuttack (Odisha).

• In 2020, Rajesh Kumar Behera, a masters student of Berhampur University collected several specimens by assuming the species as “Pisodonophis boro” (rice-paddy eel) and conducted the length and weight relationship by using digital callipers and a measuring tape.

Examination:
i. After thorough examination, the specimens of “Pisodonophiskalinga” were found to be very distinct from “Pisodonophisboro” in several aspects like teeth shape, vertebrae range, position of dorsal fin, among others.
ii. DNA analysis of samples collected from different localities with various morphs confirmed the two species were related. One was expected to be Pisodonophisboro, and the other was the newPisodonophis kalinga.
Features of Pisodonophis kalinga:
i. The found specimen of Pisodonophiskalinga has a strong elongated body (30 inches long) with irregular patches of teeth.
ii. The dorsal side of the body of new species is dark olive-brown, ventrally pale white and both the colours meet at the lateral side. The dorsal and anal fins have black bases and margins.
iii. P. kalinga have a higher range of vertebrae and fin ray count: 170–173 vertebrae, 374–400 dorsal fin rays, and 248–269 anal fin rays.
iv. It is abundantly found in the region during the monsoon season from September to November.
Total Species:
There are now a total of three species of Pisodonophis in India, following the discovery of the new species.

• The eels from the family Ophichthidae have at least 359 valid species within two subfamilies, the Myrophinae (71) and the Orphichthine (288 species), across the world.

SPORTS

Men’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup 2023 in Oman: India won the title defeating Pakistan

On 1st June 2023, India won the Dhofar Municipality Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 defeating Pakistan in the finals held in Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex Stadium in Salalah, Oman. This marks India’s 4th Men’s Junior Asia Cup title.

• The tournament organised by the Asian Hockey Federation and hosted by Oman Hockey Association was held from 23rd May 2023 to 1st June 2023 in Salalah, Oman.
• Uttam Singh, Captain of the Indian Team, was awarded the Player of the Match(finals).
• With this win, India became the most successful team with maximum titles(4). India has previously won the title in 2004, 2008 and 2015. Pakistan is the 2nd most successful team with 3 titles (1988, 1992 & 1996).

The Men’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup is a men’s international under-21 event. The tournament, held since 1988, serves as a qualification tournament for the Men’s  International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey Junior World Cup.
Note: The Hockey India Executive Board announced a cash award of Rs 2 lakh each for the players as the team qualified for the FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023, which is set to be held in December 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

OBITUARY

Ghanaian writer and feminist Ama Ata Aidoo dies at 81

Ama Ata Aidoo, Ghanaian author, poet and playwright famous for her feminist ideals, passed away at the age of 81 in Ghana, a country in western Africa. She was born in 1942 in Abeadzi Kyiakor, Gold Coast (now Ghana).

• She published her first play “The  Dilemma of a Ghost” in 1965 and became the first African woman to publish a play.
• She served as the education minister of Ghana from 1982 to 1983.
• She won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best African Book in 1992 for her novel “Changes: A Love Story”

Her Noted Works include Anowa, Our Sister Killjoy, and Search Sweet Country.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Sex Workers’ Day 2023 – June 2 International Sex Workers Day, also known as International Whores Day,  is annually observed across the globe on 2nd June to honour the sex workers who are the victims of cruelty and violence and acknowledge them as valuable contributors to society.

• The day also provides a platform to recognise the exploited working conditions of these sex workers.

Every year,  International Sex Workers’ Day is commemorated by NSWP (Global Network of Sex Work Projects) with a focus on the theme “Access to Justice”
Background:
i.On 2 June 1975, more than 100 sex workers occupied the Saint Nizier Church in Lyon, France and protested against sex work and expressed their anger about their exploitative living conditions.

• They also launched a media campaign to express their grievances to the world.

ii.Since 1975, the 2nd June of every year is commemorated as International Sex Workers Day.
>> Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Cabinet of Maharashtra Approved Initiatives to Benefit Farmers of the StateOn May 31, 2023, the state Cabinet of Maharashtra chaired by the Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde has approved the following initiatives which were announced earlier in the state budget 2023-24 in March 2023.
a.Crop Insurance Scheme under Re 1:
The cabinet has approved the decision to enable the farmers in Maharashtra to opt for the crop insurance scheme by paying 1 Rupee(Re), with the state funding their share of a 2% premium.

• The cabinet also approved a model that will cap the profit of insurance companies.

b.Approved Scheme  ‘Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Yojana’:
i.The state cabinet has approved new financial scheme named ‘Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Yojana’.
ii.Benefit: Under the scheme, more than one crore farmers in the state will be paid Rs 6,000 annually.
iii.As per the statement of CM Eknath Shinde, the amount was in addition to Rs 6,000 paid to farmers in instalments per year by the Centre under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.

• As a result, a sum of Rs 12,000 will be deposited in the account of each farmer of the state every year. Thus the state’s grant will be paid in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each.

iv.The scheme was announced by Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister, who is also the state’s finance minister, in the 2023-24 state budget.

• The state had proposed a budgetary outlay of Rs 6,900 crore for the scheme for 2023-24.

c.Natural Farming: To promote natural farming, the cabinet also approved the decision to bring an area of 25 lakh hectares in the state under organic farming in the next three years.

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List of Current Governors in India – February 2023

List of Current Chief Ministers in India – February 2023

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