Current Affairs Daily Updates: 23rd and 24th June 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 23rd and 24th June 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Indian Council of Historical Research secretary Anand Shanker Singh resigns
  • Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR)'s member secretary Anand Shanker Singh resigned from the post citing personal reasons, within six months after his appointment by the Human Resource Department Ministry.
  • He was vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh chapter of RSS-backed Akhila Bharatiya Itihasa Sankalana Yojana (ABISY) and principal of Iswar Saran Degree College in Allahabad.
Imran Khawaja appointed as ICC Deputy Chairman
  • Imran Khawaja appointed as International Cricket Council (ICC) as Deputy Chairman.
  • He is a senior lawyer and serving in the ICC Board for several years.
  • The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the international governing body of cricket was founded in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference.
Kenneth I Juster set to become America’s new ambassador to India
  • Kenneth I Juster is set to become America’s new Ambassador to India.
  • He is the Deputy Assistant to the United States President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of his National Economic Council.
  • He is awarded Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Reserve Bank of India reconstitutes Oversight Committee appoints three more members
  • Reserve Bank of India announced names of the members ofOverseeing Committee.
  • Another three members have been added former L&T Finance Holdings Chairman YM Deosthalee, former Canara Bank chairman MBN Rao, and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) whole-time member S Raman appointed as new members.
  • Pradeep Kumar has been named as the chairman of this 5-member committee.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
West Bengal honoured with UN Public Service Award
  • West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received the highest prize in United Nations Public Service Award for the State Government’s Kanyashree Prakalpa (Girl Child) scheme in The Hague, Netherlands.
  • Kanyashree Prakalpa scheme of West Bengal came first among the 552 project nominations received by the UN from 62 countries.
  • West Bengal has been awarded in the Asia-Pacific group for the category is 'Reaching the Poorest and Most Vulnerable through Inclusive Services and Participation'.
Indian Anti Hunger activist to be honoured by Queen Elizabeth II
  • Anti-hunger activist Ankit Kawatra selected for prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Award with 60 others from all 53 Commonwealth countries.
  • He will be honored by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony to be held in the Buckingham Palace, United Kingdom.
  • The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognizes and celebrates exceptional people aged 18-29 from across the Commonwealth, who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives.
BANKING AFFAIRS
Reserve Bank of India widens scope of Banking Ombudsman Scheme
  • The central bank has extended the scope of Banking Ombudsman Scheme.
  • As per the amendment, the pecuniary jurisdiction of the Banking Ombudsman to pass an award is doubled to 20 lakh rupees.
  • The Reserve Bank extended the scope of Banking Ombudsman Scheme under which banks could be penalized for mis-spelling third-party products like insurance and mutual funds via mobile or electronic banking.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
Intel partners with the International Olympics Committee
  • The Intel company partners with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a long-term technology partnership at an official signing with IOC President Thomas Bach and the US tech giant's chief executive officer Brian Krzanich.
  • Intel will join "The Olympic Partner" (TOP) worldwide sponsorship program, becoming a Worldwide TOP Partner through 2024.
EPFO signs MoU with HUDCO under new Housing Scheme of EPF & MP
  • The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) a retirement fund body will sign a pact with the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).
  • According to the statement, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed in the presence of Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
  • Under the housing scheme, EPFO allows its subscribers from societies for withdrawing up to 90% of their EPF accumulations to buy homes.
IMPORTANT DAYS OBSERVED
International Widows Day is observed on June 23
  • International Widows Day is observed on June 23 for action towards achieving full rights and recognition for widows.
  • Programs and policies for ending violence against widows and their children, poverty alleviation, education and other support to widows of all ages also need to be undertaken, including in the context of action plans to accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • The children of widows are often affected, both emotionally and economically and Widowed mothers.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India, Russia agree to roadmap for development of defence co-operation
  • India agreed to sign a roadmap for the development of bilateral defense cooperation.
  • The roadmap includes specific activities to be concluded by both sides and aims to enhance cooperation in the field of political and military dialogue, exercises, exchange of visits, military cooperation and training of military personnel.
  • The agreement was reached at the 17th meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation held in Moscow.
United States approves Sale of UAV Technology to India
  • The United States cleared the sale of the state-of-the-art Guardian 22 unmanned Guardian flights to India.
  • The deal to sell Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flights to India is estimated to be worth $2 to $3 billion.
  • The transfer of the state-of-the-art UAV technology to India will be the first significant progress after India’s entry into the exclusive Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and after the US has designated India as a major defence partner.
  • Last year, the Indian Navy requested for this Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform.
Philippines bans private use of Firecrackers
  • Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order banning the private use of firecrackers in the country.
  • Health authorities recorded 350 fireworks-related injuries as the country welcomed 2017.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Union Government launches Index to Rank 116 Cities
  • Urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu launched itsfirst liveability index which will rank the country’s 116 major cities on the basis of the quality of life.
  • The index named ‘City Liveability Index’ will cover cities with a population above one million, including the capital cities.
  • He distributed Rs 500 crore as an incentive to 16 states that have performed well in implementing urban reforms during 2016-17.
Maharashtra Government to launch My plant app to create database on Tree Plantation
  • The Maharashtra Government to launch My Plant app to create a database on tree plantation.
  • The app would be helpful in recording the tree plantations in the street.
  • The forest department has planned to plant four crores samplings through public participation between July 1 to July 7.
Union Minister inaugurated commemorative postage stamp released on completion of 50 years of Passport Act
  • The Minister for Communications Shri Manoj Sinha launched Passport Seva Project (PSP) in India with its successful implementation in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
  • To extend passport services to our citizens on a larger scale and to ensure wider area coverage, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Posts (DOP) have agreed to utilize the Head Post Offices in the country as Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) for delivering passport related services to the citizens of our country.
  • The Passports Act provides issue of passports and travel documents and regulation of the departure from India of Indian citizens.
NITI Aayog selects CCMB as Incubation Centre for Biotech Start-ups
  • NITI-Aayog has chosen the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) -Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad for hosting 10-crore Atal Incubation Centre for biotechnology start-ups.
  • CCMB is one of the 10 organizations that have been identified to host the ‘Atal Incubation Centre’.
  • Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog is aimed at promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
  • Under the scheme, Atal Incubation Centre can be established either in Publicly funded institutions or Private sector funded institutions or in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
Union Minister launches POSOCO-IMD Weather Portal for Power Sector & Web Portal ‘MERIT’ (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency)
  • Union Minister for Power, Coal New & Renewable Energy Shri Piyush Goyal and Mines launches Weather Portal for Power Sector in association with POSOCO and IMD at the meeting of the Forum of Regulators.
  • Day to day weather variations have an impact on load demand and energy production, transport and distribution management, as well as energy prices.
  • Another portal ‘MERIT’ (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency) launched during the same meeting.
  • The additional peaking support of 3000-5000 Mega Watts with an equivalent amount of backing down in off-peak hours from the existing Hydro Power stations.
Bengaluru Firm 1st in India to deliver diesel at Home
  • Bengaluru became the country's first city where fuel delivered at one's doorstep just like milk and newspapers.
  • Mypetrolpump, a one-year-old startup, conducted a soft launch with three delivery vehicles -each with a capacity of 950 liters.
  • Diesel is delivered at the day's running price with a fixed delivery charge for up to 100 liters, the one-time delivery charge is Rs.99.
Mizoram launches scheme for better treatment of HIV-Hit people
  • The Mizoram Health Minister Lal Thanzara launched the ‘Test and Treat Strategy’ of the Mizoram state AIDS Control Society (MSACS) to improve treatment for HIV affected people in the state.
  • The Test and Treat Strategy is a new initiative of the Centre to combat the HIV/AIDS disease.
  • Anti RetroviraTherapy (ART) has been found to be able to resist TB and other bacterial diseases.
Union Government announces 30 new Smart Cities
  • The Union Government announced 30 new smart cities with a total investment of Rs. 57,393 crores by Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.
  • The Government will further select 10 more cities under Smart City Mission.
  • The Smart City Mission is a scheme of Union Government that will cover 100 cities and its duration is five years (2015-16 to 2019-20).
Fifty Three New Projects for 9 Cities approved in Odisha under AMRUT Scheme in Odisha
  • The State Government of Odisha approved 53 urban projects with a total investment of Rs 538 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
  • The main objective is to provide basic services is water supply, sewerage, urban transport to households and build amenities in cities which will improve the quality of life.
  • Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, and Baripada are the nine places where the scheme is being implemented with fund sharing pattern, not 50:50 between the Centre and State Government.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu launched India’s largest municipal Bond Programme
  • Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu launched India’s largest municipal bond program after banging a gong to incorporate the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the list of BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange).
  • The PMC became the first municipal corporation in the country to tap money through municipal bonds in 14 years.
  • Municipal bonds have been in existence in India from the year 1997. Cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Nashik, and Madurai have already issued them.
Uttarakhand and Haryana declared as Open Defecation free states
  • The Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), rural Uttarakhand and rural Haryana declared as the 4th and 5th Open Defecation Free (ODF) the States of India.
  • Already, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala declared as ODF.
  • Uttarakhand has 13 districts, 95 blocks, 7,256-gram panchayats and 15,751 villages.
  • Haryana has 21 districts, 124 blocks, and 6,083-gram panchayats all of which have declared themselves as ODF in formal declarations in Dehradun and Chandigarh, respectively.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY / DEFENCE AFFAIRS
NASA launches world’s lightest satellite designed by 18-year-old Tamil Nadu student
  • India launched the world’s lightest satellite weighing 64 grams called Kalamsat.
  • It is the only Indian payload in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
  • The satellite was designed by 18-year-old Tamil Nadu student Rifath Sharook and his team.
  • It is Equipped with nano Geiger-Muller counter for measuring the radiation in space, the satellite is built with reinforced carbon fiber polymer.
ISRO’s PSLV-C38 carrying 31 satellites, lifts off from Sriharikota
  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) workhorse rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-38) blasted off from the spaceport carrying the Cartosat-2 series satellite a dedicated satellite for the defense forces along with 30 co-passenger satellites.
  • The 30 satellites will together weigh 243 kg and the total weight of all the 31 satellites, including Cartosat, is about 955 kilograms.
  • The co-passenger satellites comprise 29 nano satellites from 14 countries namely Austria, Belgium, Britain, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and the US as well as one Indian nanosatellite.
SPORTS AFFAIRS
Kavita Devi becomes first Indian woman wrestler to compete in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
  • Former Indian powerlifter and South Asian Games gold medal winner, Kavita Devi became the first Indian woman to appear in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
  • The event is set to take place on July 13 and July 14 in Full Sail Live in Orlando, Florida.
  • The May Young Classic (July 13-14) will feature 32 of the top female competitors from around the world participating in a single-elimination tournament.