Current Affairs 23rd June 2021| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

International Olympic Day – Observed on June 23

• International Olympic Dayis celebrated on June 23 to encourage more people to participate in the Olympic Games and raise awareness about the number of sports held during this event. 
• The theme of International Olympic Day 2021: Stay healthy, stay strong, stay active with the #OlympicDay workout on 23 June.
• Olympic daywas first celebrated on 23 June 1948.
• The date 23 June was chosen to celebratethe foundation of the International Olympic Committee at the Sorbonne, Paris, on 23 June 1894. 
• OlympicDay is a celebration of sport, health, and being the best you can be.
• It invites everyone around the globeto be active.

United Nations Public Service Day – Observed on June 23

• The United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated on June 23 of every year.
• This year, the United Nations Public Service Day will be celebrated under the themeof “Innovating the Future Public Service: New Government Models for a New Era to Reach the SDGs”.
• The UN Public Service Day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly, to “celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community”.
• The UNPSA aims to promote and reward innovation and excellence in public services by recognizing the creative achievements and contributions of public institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide in support of sustainable development.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Union Minister for Minority Affairs launched “JaanHaiToJahaanHai” Campaign across India

• The Minority Affairs Minister Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched a nationwide “JaanHaiToJahaanHai” awareness campaign to create awareness on Corona vaccination in rural and remote areas of the country and also to “Crush and Curb” the rumours and apprehensions, being spread by some vested interests regarding the on-going vaccination drive.
• Launching the campaign from the Primary Health Centre, Chamraua in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Naqvi said that “Hesitation to Vaccination is Corona Invitation”.

About the Campaign:

• Under the campaign various religious leaders, prominent people from social, educational, cultural, medical, science and other fields are giving effective messages to the people to get vaccinated and street plays will also be organized across the country.
• Shri Naqvi stated that some vested interests are trying to spread rumours and apprehensions regarding Corona vaccines in some areas of the country.
• Such elements are enemies of the health and well-being of the people.
• The Minister mentioned that the Ministry of Minority Affairs along with various socio-educational organizations, NGOs and Women Self Help Groups has launched the awareness campaign which will be organized across the country in the coming days.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan won Armenian General Election

• Nikol Pashinyan, the acting prime minister of Armenia, has claimed victory in a snap parliamentary election he had called in an effort to defuse a political crisis following a disastrous war with Azerbaijan.
• With 75 percent of results declared, Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party had 55.61 percent of the vote.
• The electoral alliance of his top rival, former President Robert Kocharyan, had 20 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC).
• Voter turnout was about 50 percent, with some 2.6 million people eligible to vote.

About Nikol Pashinyan:

• Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan is an Armenian politician serving as the prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018. 
• A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in 1998, which was shut down a year later.
• He was sentenced for one year for defamation against then Minister of National Security Serzh Sargsyan.

About Armenia:

• Armenia is a nation, and former Soviet republic, in the mountainous Caucasus region between Asia and Europe.
• Among the earliest Christian civilizations, it’s defined by religious sites including the Greco-Roman Temple of Garni and 4th-century Etchmiadzin Cathedral, headquarters of the Armenian Church.
• Khor Virap Monastery is a pilgrimage site near Mount Ararat, a dormant volcano just across the border in Turkey.
• Capital: Yerevan
• Currency: Armenian dram
• President: Armen Vardani Sarksyan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

STPI reports Andhra Pradesh tops new job creation under IBPS scheme

• The India Business Process Outsourcing Promotion Scheme (IBPS) launched by the Centre has facilitated expansion of several IT and BPO companies in tier-II and III cities across the country.
• Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) stated that, Under this IBPS Scheme, Andhra Pradesh is the highest in employment generation by creating 12,234 new jobs followed by Tamil Nadu at 9,401 while remaining was spread across Punjab, Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Bihar.
• Tamil Nadu has become the second State in new job generation.
• STPI, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, is the executing agency for India BPO Promotion Scheme.

About Andhra Pradesh:

• Andhra Pradesh is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. 
• It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of 162,975 km² and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants.
• The government has proposed to retain Amaravati as the legislative capital, while making Visakhapatnam the home for executive and Kurnool the judicial capital.
• Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
• Chief minister: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

Gujarat CM e-launches Agricultural Diversification Scheme-2021

• Gujarat Chief Minister Mr. Vijay Rupani e-launched the Agricultural Diversification Scheme-2021 for benefitting vanbandhu-farmers in the tribal areas of the state.
• He stated that the state government is working to make agriculture sustainable and profitable in the tribal areas.
• Inaugurating the Agricultural Diversification Scheme-2021 through video conferencing from Gandhinagar Mr. Rupani noted that, this scheme will benefit more than 126000 Vanbandhu farmers of 14 tribal districts from Ambaji to Umargam in Gujarat.

About the scheme:

• Under this scheme tribal farmers will get fertilizer-seed assistance of Rs. 31 crores in which 45 kg of urea,50 kg of NPK and 50 kg of ammonium sulphate will be provided.
• The CM added that, assistance of Rs. 250 crore has been provided to 10 lakh tribal farmers under this scheme in the last ten years.
• Seeds of crops like maize, Bitter Melon (karela), Calabash (dudhi), tomato, millet, etc. are provided under this scheme.

About Gujarat:

• Gujarat is a state on the western coast of India with a coastline of 1,600 km – most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula – and a population of 60.4 million.
• It is the fifth-largest Indian state by area and the ninth-largest state by population.
• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat
• Chief minister: Vijay Rupani

Andhra Pradesh Governor releases Special Postal Cover – IndiaPost on Yoga Day

• Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan has released a Special Postal Cover brought out by India Post on the occasion of International Yoga Day at a programme held in Raj Bhavan.
• Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan stated, Yoga is a 5,000-year-old tradition originated in our country that combines physical, mental and spiritual pursuits to achieve harmony of the body and mind.
• Mr Harichandan mentioned that on December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 21st of June as the International Day of Yoga at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was chosen as the International Day of Yoga, which is the Summer Solstice and longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has a special significance in many parts of the world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Upasana Kamineni appointed as ‘Ambassador of Forest Frontline Heroes’ at WWF India

• WWF Indiahas inducted Upasana Kamineni, Director, Apollo Hospitals, as “Ambassador of Forest Frontline Heroes” with the aim to appreciate the efforts of frontline workers in hospitals and in the wildlife protection space.
• The focus of this will be on several States across the country covering most eco-regions.

About Upasana Kamineni:

• Upasana Kamineniis granddaughter of Doctor Pratap C Reddy who is the Chairman and co-founder of Apollo Hospitals.
• Now she is a Director of Apollo Hospitals.
• She is the wife of famous South Indian Actor Ram Charan Teja.

About WWF-India:

• World Wide Fund for Nature-India, better known by its abbreviation, WWF-India, has been devotedly working to protect and secure natural heritage and ecology for more than 50 years.
• Headquarters: New Delhi

Tadang Minu – 1st Arunachali Woman to be appointed in AIBA

• Arunachal Pradesh woman Tadang Minu, becomes the first in the state and the second Indian woman in the country to be appointed as a member of the Coaches Committee of the International Boxing Association.
• Tadang has been appointed by AIBA for her enormous knowledge and experience in the field of boxing.
• Dr Minu, who works as an assistant professor at Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), was appointed to the post by the AIBA recently, considering her vast experience in the field of boxing.
• Moreover, she was also re-elected for another two years as the chairman of the Boxing Federation of India’s Women Commission.

About AIBA:

• The International Boxing Association or AIBA, originally the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur, is a sport organization that sanctions amateur boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• President: Umar Kremlyov

Symphony appointed Amit Kumar as ED & Group CEO

• Symphony Limited announces the appointment of Amit Kumar as Executive Director (ED) and Group CEO of the Company, effective August 2, 2021.
• With over 18 years of work experience, Kumar has worked with GE, PwC, Shapoorji Pallonji, EY, and KPMG.
• In addition, he co‐founded analytics-focused start‐up and ran it for 3 years and he currently works with KPMG as a Partner with a focus on the Consumer Products sector.
• He specializes in Business Transformation and Profitability Improvement.
• Kumar holds a bachelor’s degree in Technology, Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) from IIM, Ahmedabad.
• He has nearly 18 years of experience with corporate and consulting sectors, had his own tech start‐up and has been a business transformation and profitability improvement specialist with three of the Big Four accounting/consulting firms.”

About Symphony:

• Symphony Limitedis an Indian multinational company specialised in manufacturing state of the art Air Coolers located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
• It manufactures products like domestic air coolers, industrial air coolers.
• Symphony has its operations in about 60 countries. 
• Achal Bakeri is an Indian entrepreneur and founder, chairman and managing director of Symphony Limited.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

India signed MOU with Fiji 

• Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar and Fiji’s Minister of Agriculture, Waterways & Environment, Dr. Mahendra Reddy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of Agriculture and allied sectors between India and Fiji in a virtual meeting.
• Tomar stated that India believes in the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’.
• India has helped all the countries in the same spirit even during the Corona pandemic under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The MoU provides for cooperation in the fields of Dairy Industry Development, Rice Industry Development, Root crop diversification, Water Resources Management, Coconut Industry Development, Food Processing Industry Development, Agriculture Mechanization, Horticulture Industry Development, Agricultural Research, Animal Husbandry, Pest and Disease, Cultivation, Value Addition and Marketing, Post-Harvest and Milling, Breeding and Agronomy.

About Fiji:

• Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, is an archipelago of more than 300 islands.
• It’s famed for rugged landscapes, palm-lined beaches and coral reefs with clear lagoons.
• Its major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, contain most of the population.
• Viti Levu is home to the capital, Suva, a port city with British colonial architecture.
• The Fiji Museum, in the Victorian-era Thurston Gardens, has ethnographic exhibits.
• Capital: Suva
• Currency: Fijian dollar
• President: Jioji Konrote

CURRENT AFFAIRS: PERSONS IN NEWS

Mawya Sudan – IAF’s 1st woman fighter pilot from J&K

• Mawya Sudan, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, has become the first woman fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Rajouri district.
• Hailing from the village of Lamberi, of Border Tehsil of Nowshera in Rajouri, she was commissioned into the IAF as Flying Officer.
• Mawya has become the 12th woman officer and first from Rajouri to be inducted as a fighter pilot in the IAF.
• Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria reviewed the combined graduation passing out parade at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal, Hyderabad.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

ARDE & HEMRL  develops State-of-the-Art Canopy Severance System    

• State-of-the-art CSS has been developed ab-initio at Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune in association with High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, for the indigenously developed LCA Tejas and Trainer Aircraft, HJT-36 Aircraft and HTT-40 Aircraft.
• It provides safe passage by pre-weakening/severing the canopy to facilitate the smooth escape of the pilot in the shortest possible time.
• All modern aircraft are equipped with a Canopy Severance System (CSS).
• It is an escape path clearance system for the pilot in case of emergencies occurring on the aircraft.
• The CSS design has been cleared by Certifying Agency RCMA (AA), Pune and CEMILAC, Bangalore has issued Type Approval.
• CSS has two independent subsystems.
• The first one is the In-flight Egress System (IES) for in-flight emergencies, which is integrated with the seat ejection operation
• Second one is the Ground Egress System (GES) for on-ground emergencies, which is independent of seat ejection.
• ARDE and HEMRL are now capable of developing CSS for any Military Aircraft as required by Indian Air Force.

About Armament Research and Development Establishment :

• Headquarters location: Pune
• Established: 1958
• Director: Dr V Venkateswara Rao, O.S

About High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL) :

• Director: K P S Murthy
• Founded: 1960
• Located at : Pune, Maharashtra

Indian Navy and European Naval Force Exercise held in Gulf of Aden

• On June 18, 2021, The maiden Indian Navy and European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) exercise began in the Gulf of Aden.
• A total of five warships from four navies were participating in the two-day exercise.
• It will enhance and hone their war-fighting skills and their ability as an integrated force to promote peace, security and stability in the maritime domain.
• For anti-piracy operations, INS Trikand, is participating in the exercise.
• Italy’s ITS Carabiniere, the Spanish Navy’s ESPS Navarra, and FS Tonnerre and FS Surcouf of France.

About Indian Navy :

• Founded: 26 January 1950
• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Karambir Singh
• Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS): Vice Admiral Ashok Kumar
• Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS): Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

SIPRI Yearbook 2021 : US Tops, India Ranked 6th Position

• On June 14, 2021, Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released the SIPRI Yearbook 2021.
• The SIPRI Yearbook assesses the current state of armaments, disarmament and international security.
• In that, SIPRI Yearbook 2021 US remains the top position with the highest nuclear warheads, having 5550 in January 2021, Compared to January 2020 this is a decrease from 5800.
• According to the yearbook, India possessed 156 nuclear warheads at the start of 2021 compared to 150 at the start of 2020.
• India Ranked Sixth Position in the list.
• The nine nuclear armed states – the U.SRussia, the U.KFrance, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea – together possessed an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons at the start of 2021.
• Russia and the U.S. together possessed over 90% of global nuclear weapons and have extensive and expensive modernisation programmes under way.

About Stockholm International Peace Research Institute :

• Headquarters: Solna
• Founded: 6 May 1966
• Leader: Dan Smith
• Founders: Alva Myrdal, Government of Sweden, Tage Erlander

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brien announces retirement from ODI cricket

• Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brien has announced his retirement from one-day internationals Cricket.
• It was Informed after playing his final match for the country against the Netherlands on June 7, 2021

About Kevin O’Brien :

• The 37-year-old Dubliner, will be available for Tests and T20Is.
• Kevin O’Brien picked 114 ODI wickets, which is the highest by any Irish player.
• Kevin will be remembered for his record-breaking 113 in the ICC World Cup 2011 against England in Bangalore.
• The star all-rounder represented the nation in 153 ODI matches.
• He won 153 caps in the 50-over format, scoring over 3,000 runs.
• He Scored 3619 runs, the third highest from his country behind Stirling and Porterfield.
• Also,  he is Ireland’s leading wicket-taker with 114 scalps in one-day internationals.
• In May, Kevin became the first Test centurion for Ireland, after making 118 in the nation’s maiden Test against Pakistan at Malahide.

Daily CA On June 22 :

• Minister of State for Education Shri Sanjay Dhotre launched NIOS Diploma course in Yogic Science on the occasion of International Day of Yoga.
• Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline judge who is under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses, secured victory as expected in Iran’s presidential election, Appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
• The diamond firm Debswana has announced the discovery in Botswanaof a 1,098-carat stone that it described as the third largest of its kind in the world.
• Odisha CM inaugurated scheme for COVID-19 Orphan Children – ‘Ashirbad’
• Nagaland Government has announced the approval for transfer of 2,000 rupees each to the bank accounts of all the Building and Other Construction Workers.
• Under the new Income Tax Rules, it is mandatory to link PAN with your Aadhaar number before June 30, 2021. The PAN cards which are not linked to Aadhaar would become useless and declared “inoperative” and the KYC status will also become invalid.
• Bharti Airtel and Tata Group announced a strategic partnership for implementing 5G network solutions for India.
• Private lender ICICI Banklaunched a Cardless EMI facility for its customers to use at retail stores. The lender stated the facility enabled pre-approved customers to buy gadgets or home appliances, by using one’s mobile phone and PAN card, in the absence of cards.
• The Tamil Nadu government stated it constituted an Economic Advisory Council to the chief minister, which includes Nobel laureate Esther Duflo, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, former chief economic advisor to the Union government Arvind Subramanian, development economist Prof Jean Dreze, and former Union finance Secretary S Narayan.
• Nippon India Mutual Fund has announced the appointment of Rupesh Patel as Senior Fund Manager in Equity Investments and Hideaki Masago as Deputy Chief Risk Officer.
• The Centre has extended the tenure of appointment of Ananta Barua as Whole-time Member (WTM) of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a period of two years beyond July 31.
• The Centre has extended the tenure of appointment of Santosh Kumar Mohantyas SEBI Whole-time Member by two more years.
• Former State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja was awarded the prestigious 2021 Central European University (CEU) Open Society Prize.
• Union Bank of India has entered into an MOU with The National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC) under “NSIC Bank Credit Facilitation Scheme” to support MSMEs with credit requirements.
• On June 21, 2021, International Day of Yoga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the mYoga app. It has been developed In collaboration with WHO, and the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ministry of AYUSH), Government of India.
• On June 16, 2021, The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), released the Ease of living index 2020.
• According to the World Investment Report 2021 by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India received $64 billion in Foreign Direct Investment in 2020. In that India was the fifth largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows.
• Jnanpith awardee and bestselling author Amitav Ghosh authored a new book titled The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis is all set to release in October 2021.
• On June 20, 2021, Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen won the 2021 French Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton [Britain-Mercedes] stood second in the 2021 French Grand Prix and Sergio Perez [Mexico- Red Bull] stood third.
• On June 19, 2021, Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra Passed away.

Daily CA On June 23 :

• International Olympic Dayis celebrated on June 23 to encourage more people to participate in the Olympic Games and raise awareness about the number of sports held during this event. The theme of International Olympic Day 2021: Stay healthy, stay strong, stay active with the #OlympicDay workout on 23 June.
• The United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated on June 23 of every year. This year, the United Nations Public Service Day will be celebrated under the themeof “Innovating the Future Public Service: New Government Models for a New Era to Reach the SDGs”.
• The Minority Affairs Minister Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched a nationwide “JaanHaiToJahaanHai” awareness campaign to create awareness on Corona vaccination in rural and remote areas of the country and also to “Crush and Curb” the rumours and apprehensions, being spread by some vested interests regarding the on-going vaccination drive.
• Nikol Pashinyan, the acting prime minister of Armenia, has claimed victory in a snap parliamentary election he had called in an effort to defuse a political crisis following a disastrous war with Azerbaijan.
• The India Business Process Outsourcing Promotion Scheme (IBPS) launched by the Centre has facilitated expansion of several IT and BPO companies in tier-II and III cities across the country.
• Gujarat Chief Minister Mr. Vijay Rupani e-launched the Agricultural Diversification Scheme-2021 for benefitting vanbandhu-farmers in the tribal areas of the state.
• Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan has released a Special Postal Cover brought out by India Post on the occasion of International Yoga Day at a programme held in Raj Bhavan.
• WWF Indiahas inducted Upasana Kamineni, Director, Apollo Hospitals, as “Ambassador of Forest Frontline Heroes” with the aim to appreciate the efforts of frontline workers in hospitals and in the wildlife protection space.
• Arunachal Pradeshwoman Tadang Minu, becomes the first in the state and the second Indian woman in the country to be appointed as a member of the Coaches Committee of the International Boxing Association.
• Symphony Limited announces the appointment of Amit Kumar as Executive Director (ED) and Group CEO of the Company, effective August 2, 2021.
• Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar and Fiji’s Minister of Agriculture, Waterways & Environment, Dr. Mahendra Reddy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of Agriculture and allied sectors between India and Fiji in a virtual meeting.
• Mawya Sudan, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, has become the first woman fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Rajouri district.
• State-of-the-art CSS has been developed ab-initio at Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune in association with High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, for the indigenously developed LCA Tejas and Trainer Aircraft, HJT-36 Aircraft and HTT-40 Aircraft.
• On June 18, 2021, The maiden Indian Navy and European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) exercise began in the Gulf of Aden.
• On June 14, 2021, Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released the SIPRI Yearbook 2021. The SIPRI Yearbook assesses the current state of armaments, disarmament and international security.
• Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brien has announced his retirement from one-day internationals Cricket.