Current Affairs June 01st 2022| Current Affairs News

Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Read Current Affairs Today here and stay updated with current news. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this and try the Current Affairs Quiz to test your knowledge level.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Vape Day- May 30th May

• On the 30th of May, the world celebrates World Vape Day to raise awareness about the alternatives to hazardous tobacco products and to promote the relative safety of e-cigarettes as harm reduction and smoking cessation tools.
• World Vape Day (May 30) falls on the day before the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World No Tobacco Day (May 31).
• The World Vapers’ Alliance started World Vape Day (WVA).
• WVA was founded by the Consumer Choice Center, which also funds it.

About e-Cigarette:

• Vapes, vaporizers, vape pens, hookah pens, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or e-cigs), e-cigars, and e-pipes are some of the many tobacco product terms used for ENDS.
• There are several types of e-cigarettes which are the most common form of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and Electronic Non-Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENNDS).
• The technology creates aerosols from a liquid, which the users inhale. This beverage may contain toxins in the form of additives, flavors, and chemicals.
• On World Hunger Day in 2021, e-cigarettes are expected to be 95 percent safer than smoking cigarettes.

World No Tobacco Day- 31st May

• On the 31st of May, the world commemorates World No Tobacco Day.
• This annual event aims to raise awareness among global citizens about not only the dangers of smoking, but also about tobacco companies’ business practices, what the WHO is doing to combat the tobacco epidemic, and what people all over the world can do to assert their right to health and a healthy lifestyle, as well as to protect future generations.
• The theme for 2022 is Tobacco: Threat to our environment.

History:

• The World Health Assembly Enacted Resolution WHA40.38 in 1987, declaring April 7, 1988, to be “a world no-smoking day,” and Resolution WHA42.19 in 1988, declaring May 31 to be “World No-Tobacco Day” every year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

India’s foremost documentary film festival MIFF 2022 begins:

• The 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction, and Animation Films (MIFF-2022) kicked off with a colorful opening ceremony at Mumbai’s Nehru Centre in Worli.
• MIFF 2022 has received a tremendous response from filmmakers all over the world, with a total of 808 film entries from 30 countries.
• Out of these, one hundred 2 films will be screened under the Competition Category -35 in international competition and 67 in the national competition.
• 18 Films will be screened under the ‘MIFF Prism Category’.

About the Best Film:

• The Golden Conch award, together with a monetary reward of Rs 10 lakhs, will be given to the Festival’s Best Film.
• Other prizes include cash prizes ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, as well as a Silver Conch, trophy, and certificate.
• At the festival, 11 Bangladeshi films will be screened.
• The 17th MIFF festival is also available to view online, and it is completely free.
• This award was established in honor of great filmmaker V Shantaram, who served as Honorary Chief Producer for the Films Division during the 1950s.

The Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme extended through FY26:

• The Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) has been extended for another five years, until fiscal year FY26.
• The PMEGP has been approved for continuation during the 15th Finance Commission Cycle for five years, from 2021-22 to 2025-26, with a budget of Rs 13,554.42 crore.
• The new scheme will be modified as a result of the extension.
• The government has increased the maximum project cost for manufacturing units from $25 lakh to $50 lakh, and for service units from $10 lakh to $20 lakh.
• For the scheme, the definitions of village industry and rural areas have also been altered.
• Territories under Panchayati Raj institutions will be classified as rural, while areas under municipal jurisdiction will be classified as urban.

About the Program:

• The Government of India has approved the introduction of the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), a new credit-linked subsidy program that combines two schemes that were in operation until 31.03.2008, namely the Prime Minister’s Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) and the Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP), to create employment opportunities through the establishment of micro-enterprises in rural and urban areas.
• Its objectives are to establish micro-enterprises in rural and urban areas of the country, to provide long-term employment to a large segment of traditional and prospective artisans, to provide long-term employment to rural and urban unemployed youth in the country, and to encourage financial institutions to participate in the micro sector by increasing credit flow.

Prime Minister Modi to deliver the 11th installment of PM-KISAN benefits:

• Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) project, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will give the 11th tranche of financial benefits of Rs 21,000 crore to over 10 million farmers in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
• Shri Narendra Modi would interact with beneficiaries of 16 schemes and programs run by nine central ministries via video conferencing as part of a statewide event called Garib Kalyan Sammelan.
• The national event is part of the year-long Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
• The 11th tranche of the Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, worth Rs 21,000 crores, will be released by the PM.
• The PM-KISAN program provides qualifying farmer families with a financial incentive of Rs 6,000 per year, payable in three equal installments of Rs 2,000.
• The funds are deposited immediately into the beneficiary’s bank accounts.
• The PM has distributed the tenth installment of over Rs 20,000 crore to over 10 crore farmer families.

About PM- KISAN:

• The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) or Prime Minister’s Farmer’s Tribute Fund, is an Indian government initiative that will provide all farmers with minimum income assistance of up to 6,000 rupees per year (equal to $6,300 or US$83 in 2020).
• Each year, the scheme, which launched in December 2018, costs 75,000 crores.
• Each qualifying farmer will get $6,000 per year in three installments, which will be deposited directly into their bank accounts.

EKA launches its First Electric Bus EKA E9                                        

• EKA, an electric vehicle manufacturing, and technology company, and a subsidiary of Pinnacle Industries have launched its first 9-meter pure electric and zero-emission bus, EKA E9, in Pune.
• EKA E9″ is the first electric bus with the “Made-in-India” tag.
• The EKA E9 was unveiled by Aaditya Thackeray, minister of tourism, environment & protocol, the government of Maharashtra, and Mehta at the Pune Alternate Fuel Conclave.

About the EKA E9 bus :

• The E9’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is a lot slower than the current generation of buses that are combustion engine-powered (ICE) and can be seen abundantly on Indian streets.
• The E9 electric bus is powered by an electric motor that delivers maximum energy of 200 KW.
• It is also supported by a 2500 Nm torque with a “regenerative braking system.”

Note :

• Chairman of EKA and Pinnacle Industries Ltd: Dr. Sudhir Mehta

Additional Info :

• EKA is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Industries and is one of the only commercial vehicle manufacturers approved under the Champion OEM Scheme & EV component manufacturing scheme of the Government of India’s Auto PLI policy.
• EKA will design, manufacture, and supply a complete range of Electric Vehicles, Fuel Cell Electric vehicles, and alternative fuel vehicles

About the Pune Alternate Fuel Conclave 2022 :

• The Pune Alternate Fuel Conclave (AFC), is an initiative of the Government of Maharashtra.
• It is being organized by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), in association with the Maratha Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Agriculture (MCCIA) in Pune.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai launches health & wellness app AAYU

• Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai launched a new health and wellness app AAYU to address and help heal chronic diseases and lifestyle disorders through yoga and meditation.
• The app has been developed by Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) in partnership with RESET TECH, an AI-driven integrated health-tech platform.

Aim :

• To address and help heal chronic diseases and lifestyle disorders through the right approach to yoga and meditation.
• To reach and impact over five million chronic disease patients within five years.

About AAYU :

• The app AAYU  would effectively provide users with personalized wellness solutions and offer doctor consultations based on individual’s personal history and monitor its progress enabling them to accelerate healing and recovery
• The app is available in multiple languages.
• It addresses the root cause of the diseases goes beyond temporary care and helps restore lost health

About Karnataka :

• Chief minister: Basavaraj Bommai
• Governor: Thawar Chand Gehlot
• Capital: Bengaluru

Skill India International Centre is to be established in Varanasi to prepare a skilled workforce for global markets

• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and UAE’s DP World for the development of Skill India International Centre at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and UAE minister Dr. Ahmad Belhoul in New Delhi.
• It will impart skilling as per international standards, preparing the candidates for global markets.
• It will provide high-quality training to the Indian youth to skill in various fields like logistics and port operations and other allied areas to pursue overseas employment.
• The centers will host training facilities, providing skills as per the demand of international employers in countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada, Australia, and other GCC regions.
• Services like mobilization, counseling, skill training, pre-departure orientation, and many others will also be provided by the centers.

About NSDC :

• Established: 2008 under the Companies Act, 1956.
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• CEO: Mr. Manish Kumar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

LIC introduces savings life insurance plan Bima Ratna

• The largest insurer in India Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched a non-linked, non-participating, individual, savings life insurance plan called Bima Ratna which offers a combination of protection and savings.
• The product can be purchased through Corporate Agents, Insurance Marketing Firms (IMF), Brokers, CPSC-SPV, and POSP-LI engaged by these intermediaries viz. Corporate Agents, Insurance Marketing Firms (IMF), and Brokers

About Bima Ratna plan :

• LIC’s Bima Ratna plan offers financial support for the family in case of the unfortunate death of the policyholder during the policy term.
• Also, it provides for periodical payments for the survival of the policyholder at specified durations to meet the various financial needs.
• The plan takes care of liquidity needs through a loan facility.

Key features of the plan:

1. Death Benefit
2. Survival Benefit
3. Maturity Benefit
4. Guaranteed Addition
5. Eligibility Conditions and Other Restrictions
6. Date of commencement of risk
7. Settlement Options
8. Premiums Payment
9. Grace Period
10. Revival

About LIC :

• Founded: 1 September 1956
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairperson : M R Kumar
• Managing Directors: BC Patnaik, Smt. Ipe Mini, Siddharth Mohanty, Rajkumar

IMF raises the weighting of the dollar and yuan in the SDR basket

• The International Monetary Fund(IMF) has increased the yuan’s weighting in the Special Drawing Rights(SDR) currency basket, prompting the Chinese central bank to pledge to push for a further opening of its financial markets.
• The IMF raised the yuan’s weighting to 12.28 percent from 10.92 in its first regular review of the SDR evaluation since the Chinese currency was included in the basket in 2016.
• The weighting of the US dollar rose to 43.38 percent from 41.73 percent, while those of the euro from 30.93 to 29.31, the Japanese yen from 8.33 to 7.59, and the British pound from 8.09 to 7.44 declined.
• The change will be effective Aug 1, 2022, and the next review will be in 2027.

About IMF :

• Established: 27 December 1945
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., U.S
• Managing Director: Kristalina Georgieva
• Chief Economist: Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas
• Membership: 190 countries (189 UN countries and Kosovo)

Neobanking platform Stashfin introduces a credit line card LiveBoundless for women

• A neo banking platform, Stashfin has launched a credit line card, especially for women called LiveBoundless.

Key Benefits of Live Boundless :

• 1% cashback on every online spend and POS transaction
• Free credit period up to 30 days
• Receive 2000 welcome stashcash and benefits worth ₹5000+ in the first year
• Exclusive offers on dining, shopping, travel, and more
• Instant approvals on personal loans or credit lines. Borrow any amount ranging from ₹1000 to ₹5,00,000
• Minimum documentation is required. You only need to fill a KYC in digital or physical form, at your convenience
• No hidden costs at all.
• Free ATM cash withdrawals
• Instant disbursal
• 24*7 access to funds
• According to a Statista study, the Indian credit card market volume was at 37.5 million in FY2018 and reached 57.7 million in FY2020 & in FY2021, the numbers hit 62 million.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain elected as IBA’s Athletes’ Committee Chair

•  International Boxing Association (IBA) announced that Indian boxer and Tokyo Olympics Bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain has been elected as the chair and a voting member on the Board of Directors for the Athletes’ Committee
• Borgohain received the highest number of votes during the election held at the 2022 Women’s World Championships.
•  Indian male boxer Shiva Thapa has also been elected as a member of the IBA Athletes Committee, during the corresponding elections held during the 2021 IBA Men’s World Championships.
• The duo, who are both under the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) have confirmed that they have accepted their roles and look forward to representing India and other boxers at the Board of Directors’ meeting.

About Lovlina Borgohain :

• Borgohain was born on 2 October 1997 and hails from the Golaghat district of Assam.
• She is the first female athlete and the second boxer from Assam to represent the state in the Olympics.
• She won the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 in the women’s welterweight event, becoming only the third Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics.
• She has been appointed as Deputy Superintendent of police by Assam Government.

Awards & Honors :

• Asom Sourav, 2nd highest civilian award of Assam, 2021
• Arjuna Award, presented by President Ram Nath Kovind virtually for her outstanding performance in boxing.
• Khel Ratna Award in 2021, the highest sporting honor in India

About IBA :

• Founded: 1946
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• President : Umar Nazarovich Kremlev
• The International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), is an independent sports organization that sanctions amateur (Olympic-style) boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.
• It was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• IBA consists of five continental confederations : AFBC, AMBC, ASBC, EUBC, OCBC.

Indian-origin academic Dr. Swati Dhingra was appointed as an External Member of the Bank of England

• Leading UK-based Indian-origin academic Dr. Swati Dhingra has been named as the first Indian-origin woman to be appointed as an external member of the Bank of England’s interest rate-setting committee, Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).
• On August 9, 2022, she will join the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) for a three-year term.
• Dhingra will replace current external member, Michael Saunders, who has been on the MPC since August 2016.

Role of MPC :

• The MPC is responsible for deciding what monetary policy action the Bank of England will take to keep inflation low and stable.
• It meets eight times a year to set the Bank of England’s interest rate.
• Each member of MPC specializes in the field of economics and monetary policy.

About Dr. Swati Dhingra :

• Dr. Swati Dhingra is an Associate Professor at the London School of Economics.
• She is an elected member of the Council of the Royal Economic Society.
• She is on the Editorial Board of the Review of Economic Studies and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of International Economics.
• She is a Research Associate in the Trade Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance and a Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research.
• She was a member of the UK’s Trade Modelling Review Expert Panel and LSE’s Economic Diplomacy Commission.
• Currently, she is a Director of The Royal Mint Museum and a member of the Steering Group for The Economy 2030 Inquiry.

About Bank of England :

• Established: 27 July 1694
• Headquarters: London, England, United Kingdom
• Governor: Andrew Bailey

Well known filmmaker Sanjit Narwekar was conferred with the V Shantaram Lifetime achievement award at MIFF 2022

• Noted author and documentary filmmaker Shri Sanjit Narwekar, was conferred Dr. V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award at the 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival of India (MIFF 2022).
• He was honored for his exquisitely deep, remarkably diverse, and inspiring body of work.
• The V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, a golden conch, and a citation.
• The award is instituted in memory of legendary filmmaker V Shantaram, who was closely associated with the Films Division as Honorary Chief Producer during the 1950s.

About Shri Sanjit Narwekar :

• Shri Narwekar is a National award-winning film historian, author, publisher, and documentary filmmaker with more than 4 decades of cross-media experience in Journalism, Public Relations, Publishing, and Filmmaking.
• Narwekar has written and edited more than 20 books on cinema, including ‘Marathi Cinema: In Retrospect’, which won him the Swarna Kamal at the National Film Awards in 1996.

Additional Info :

• The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, flagged off the 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), with Bangladesh as the ‘Country of Focus’ at the Nehru Centre in Worli, Mumbai.

About Ministry of Information & Broadcasting :

• Cabinet Minister : Anurag Thakur
• Minister of State : L. Murugan

Kashmiri RJ Umar Nisar receive a UNICEF award

• Radio Jockey Umar Nisar (RJ Umar), who hails from south Kashmir, has been awarded the ’01 Greatest Content material Award’ and the Immunization Champion award by UNICEF at the annual Radio4Child 2022 Awards in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The award was offered by multi-Grammy Award-winning music composer, environmentalist, and UNICEF superstar supporter Ricky Kej, OIC UNICEF, UP Dr. Zafrin Chowdhury, chief of communications and advocacy and partnerships, UNICEF India; Dr. Sachin Desai, State Immunization Officer, Authorities of Maharashtra; Dr. Sachin Desai, State Immunization Officer, Authorities of Maharashtra.
• The award has been conferred on him for his excellent work during the Covid pandemic in building awareness and countering rumors to reach audiences.
• The Radio4Child felicitated radio professionals from non-public FM and All India Radio from throughout the nation for their commendable work through the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to routine vaccination.

Note :

• RJ Umar is the only RJ from Jammu and Kashmir to be selected for the UNICEF award.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Adani Group buys Ambuja Cements & ACC for $10.5 billion

• The Adani Group has agreed to buy Swiss building materials maker Holcim Ltd’s India assets Ambuja Cements and ACC Ltd for $10.5 billion ( ₹80,000 crores) in one of the largest ever acquisitions by an Indian group.
• With this, the Adani Group became the second-largest cement producer in the country after the Aditya Birla Group-owned UltraTech Cement.
• Holcim owns 63.19 percent in Ambuja Cement and 4.48 percent in ACC.
• Ambuja Cement, in turn, owns 50.05 percent of ACC.

About Adani Group :

• Founded: 20 July 1988
• Headquarters: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
• Chairman & MD: Gautam Adani
• CEO : Karan Adani

Ruchi Soya Acquires Patanjali’s Food Retail Business For Rs 690 Crore

• Edible oil major Ruchi Soya Industries acquired Patanjali Ayurved’s food retail business for Rs 690 crore as part of its strategy to focus on non-food, traditional medicine, and wellness business.
• The acquired food business comprises 21 major products namely ghee, honey, spices, juices, atta, etc., the company informed in an exchange filing.
• This is expected to fast-track Ruchi Soya’s shift to the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category.
• The food retail business consists of manufacturing, packaging labeling, and retail trading of certain food products along with manufacturing plants located at Padartha, Haridwar, and Newasa, Maharashtra.
• The board also approved the change in the company’s name from ‘Ruchi Soya Industries Limited’ to ‘Patanjali Foods Limited”.

Key Highlights :

• Ruchi Soya will pay an annual royalty to Patanjali Ayurved, estimated at 1 percent of the gross turnover of the products under the transfer agreement
• It’s a debt-free transfer and Ruchi Soya will fund the acquisition through internal accruals.
• Ruchi Soya’s stock closed 10 percent higher at Rs 1,192.15

About Patanjali Ayurved :

• Founded: 2006
• Headquarters: Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
• Chairperson, MD & CEO: Balakrishna

About Ruchi Soya :

• Founded: 1985
• Headquarters: Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
• Ruchi Soya would focus on four business verticals – edible oil, food and FMCG, nutraceuticals, and oil palm plantation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Navy decommissions INS Gomati at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai

• The Indian Navy decommissioned the Indian Navy Ship (INS) Gomati from the naval dockyard in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India after 34 years of service.
• It was designed by the Indian Navy and built-in an Indian shipyard, and these were initial steps toward an Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).

About INS Gomati :

• INS Gomati was named after the vibrant river Gomti.
• INS Gomati was commissioned on April 16, 1988, by then-defense minister K C Pant at the Mazgaon Dock.
• It was the third ship of the Godavari class guided-missile frigates & also it was the oldest warrior of the western fleet.
• The ship participated in numerous operations including Cactus, Parakram, and Rainbow, and several bilateral and multinational naval exercises.
• For remarkable spirit and stellar contribution to national maritime security, IMS Gomati was twice awarded the coveted Unit Citation, in 2007-08 and again in 2019-20.

Russia successfully test-fires Zircon hypersonic cruise missile

• The Russian defense ministry has successfully test-fired a hypersonic Zircon cruise missile over a distance of about 1,000 km (625 miles) from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate of the Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea of the Arctic Ocean.
• The hypersonic missile can travel at 9 times the speed of sound.
• Zircon is intended to arm Russian cruisers, frigates, and submarines and could be used against both enemy ships and ground targets.
• Additionally, Russian President Putin has emphasized that its deployment will significantly boost the capability of Russia’s military.
• As part of a new generation of unrivaled arms systems, Russia conducted the first Zircon test in October 2020.

Recent News :

• In April 2022, Russia test-launched a new nuclear-capable intercontinental missile, the Sarmat, capable of carrying 10 or more warheads and striking the United States…

About Russia :

• President: Vladimir Putin
• PM: Mikhail Mishustin
• Capital: Moscow
• Currency: Russian ruble (₽) (RUB)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKS & REPORTS

7th Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list 2022 Released by Forbes Magazine

• The 7th edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List 2022 has released by Forbes magazine features 30 notable honorees selected for each of the 10 categories, under the age of 30 who are inspiring change and driving innovation in their respective fields amid the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The list was edited by Rana Wehbe Watson.
• The 2022 list features a diverse set of 30 Under 30 honorees, with 22 countries and territories represented across the Asia-Pacific region.
• In terms of the number of entries, India tops the list with 61, followed by Singapore (34), Japan (33), Australia (32), Indonesia (30), and China (28).

List of 10 Categories :

1. The Arts (Art & Style, Food & Drink)
2. Entertainment & Sports
3. Finance & Venture Capital
4. Media, Marketing & Advertising
5. Retail & Ecommerce
6. Enterprise Technology
7. Industry, Manufacturing & Energy
8. Healthcare & Science
9. Social Impact
10. Consumer Technology.

Several Indians from various fields have been included in this list they are :

• Shiv Parekh, Founder – hBits
• Samyak Jain and Sowmay Jain, Cofounders – Instadapp Labs
• Lavika Aggarwal and Sajal Khanna, Cofounders – Akudo
• Rohan Nayak, Cofounder – Pocket FM
• Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju, Content creator
• Vivan Marwaha, Author
• Masoom Minawala, Content creator
• Ranveer Allahbadia and Viraj Sheth, Cofounders – Monk Entertainment
• Soniya Kundnani and Darshan Shah, Cofounders – NewsReach
• Niharika NM, Content creator
• Shreya Patel, Founder – Window Dreams Productions
• Shlok Srivastava, Founder – Tech Burner
• Ravish Agrawal, Swatantra Kumar, and Siddharth Srivastava, Cofounders – Able Jobs
• Shreyans Sancheti and Harish Uthayakumar, Cofounders – Bluelearn
• Jhansi Elango, Co-CEO – Chutney
• Shourya Agarwal, Rajat Gupta, and Malhar Patil, Cofounders – Flam
• Hardik Bansal, Harsh Vardhan Chhangani, and Bhanu Pratap Singh Tanwar, Cofounders – FRND
• Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash Jonnalagadda, Founder – Bhanzu
• Harshit Awasthi, Ahmad Faraaz, and Sashakt Tripathi, Cofounders – Kalam Labs
• Javed Khatri, Chief Product Officer – eBikeGo
• Arnav Kishore, Founder – Firebolt
• Bhavya Gohil and Atur Mehta, Cofounders – Square Off
• Sujay Suresh Kumar, Cofounder – Lilu
• Pubarun Basu, Photographer
• Alfiya Attarwala and Sarrah Kapasi, Cofounders – D-Alive Health
• Vidur Gupta, Cofounder – Third Eye Distillery
• Harsh Kedia, Founder – A Diabetic Chef
• Osheen Siva, Artist
• Pallav Bihani, Founder – Boldfit
• Raunaq Singh Anand and Rhea Singh Anand, Cofounders – Flexnest
• Anik Bhandari, Siddhant Bhargava, Anirudh Ganeriwal and Devaj Jhunjhunwala, Cofounders – Food Darzee
• Abhishek Negi, Cofounder – Eggoz
• Stuti Gupta, Cofounder – Amrutam·         Vedant Lamba, Founder – Mainstreet
• Dawn Thomas, Cofounder – V&RO Hospitality
• Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, Cofounders – Zepto
• Kirti Jangra and Neetu Yadav, Cofounders – Animall
• Shaily Garg, Founder- GlobalFair Technologies
• Ben K George and Nanma Gireesh, Cofounders – NestAbide
• Manav Garg and Kunal Jain, Cofounders – Nexprt
• Anshu Abhishek and Vikram Singh Meena, Cofounders – Techeagle Innovations
• Nikhil Tripathi, Cofounder – Bijak
• Suvrat Bhooshan, Founder – Gan Studio
• Rajit Bhattacharya, Ankit Das, and Aisik Paul, Cofounders – Data Sutram
• Saya Date, Cofounder – Linecraft AI
• Prashant Kumar, Cofounder – BarRaiser
• Milan Singh and Apoorva Verma, Cofounders – Rattle
• Rashid Khan, Cofounder – Yellow.AI
• Namya Mahajan, Siddhant Sachdeva, and Vishal Sunil, Cofounders – Rocket Learning
• Aditi Arora, Country Manager – India, Girl Up
• Abhishek Bhattacharya, Cofounder – Whrrl
• Sahil Bansal and Aayush Goel, Cofounders – Kosh
• Jigyasa Labroo, Founder – Slam Out Loud
• Shubham Gupta and Rahul Kumar, Cofounders – ConnectedH
• Prasanna Date, Research Scientist – Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Aman Bhandula and Kaishu Sahu, Cofounders – Farmako
• Prasanth Ganesan, Postdoctoral Researcher – Stanford Medicine
• Shrey Jain, Cofounder – HempStreet Medicare
• Mehak Malik, Cofounder – Uvi Health
• Vivek Jaiswal, Anurag Savarnya and Shivansh Shrivastava, Cofounders – Saveo Healthtech

US surpasses China as India’s largest trading partner in FY22

• The US surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner in 2021-22, reflecting strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
• According to commerce ministry data, in 2021-22, bilateral trade between the US and India stood at US$ 119.42 billion as against US$ 80.51 billion in 2020-21.
• Exports to the US increased to US$ 76.11 billion in 2021-22 from US$ 51.62 billion in the previous fiscal, while imports rose to US$ 43.31 billion as compared to around US$ 29 billion in 2020-21.
• Exports to China increased marginally to US$ 21.25 billion in the last fiscal from US$ 21.18 billion in 2020-21, while imports increased from around US$ 65.21 billion in 2020-21 to US$ 94.16 billion.
• The trade gap widened to US$ 72.91 billion in 2021-22 from US$ 44 billion in 2020-21.

India’s trade surplus with the US :

• The US is one of the few countries with which India has a trade surplus.
• In 2021-22, India had a trade surplus of US$ 32.8 billion with the US.
• Trade experts believe that bilateral trade with the US will continue to grow in the coming years as New Delhi and Washington continue to strengthen economic ties.

Top trading partners of India :

• China was India’s top trading partner from 2013-14 to 2017-18 and also in 2020-21.
• In 2021-22, the United Arab Emirates was India’s third largest trading partner with US$72.9 billion followed by Saudi Arabia (US$ 42.85 billion) as 4th, Iraq (US$ 34.33 billion) as 5th and Singapore (US$ 30 billion) as 6th position.

Forbes Global 2000 list – RIL top-ranked Indian firm

• The 20th annual Forbes Global 2000 list of public companies was released, according to that Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) climbed two spots to No. 53 followed by State Bank of India at No. 105, HDFC Bank at No. 153 and ICICI Bank at No. 204.

Top 10 Indian Companies in Forbes Global 2000 list :

1. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)
2. State Bank of India (SBI)
3. HDFC Bank Limited
4. ICICI Bank Limited
5. Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Ltd. (ONGC)
6. Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited
7. Indian Oil Corp. Ltd.
8. Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS)
9. Tata Steel Limited
10. Axis Bank Limited

Top 5 Global companies on the Forbes list :

1. Berkshire Hathaway, USA
2. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China
3. Aramco, Saudi Arabia
4. JP Morgan Chase, USA
5. China Construction Bank.

Note :

• In 2021, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China  (ICBC) Beijing, China was ranked 1st position.

Key Highlights :

• Reliance, which recorded sales of USD 104.6 billion between April 2021 and March 2022, became the first Indian company to generate over USD 100 billion in annual revenue.
• With a market cap of USD 56.12 billion, SBI grabbed the No. 2 spot on the list.
• Globally State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at 228 rank, Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC) at No. 268, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at No.357, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) at No. 384, Tata Steel at No. 407 and Axis Bank at No. 431.
• Some notable newcomers to the list include billionaire Gautam Adani’s companies: Adani Enterprises Limited, Adani Transmission Ltd and Adani Total Gas Ltd.
• Meanwhile, oil, gas and metal conglomerate Vedanta Limited jumped 703 spots on the list, the highest leap among all Indian companies.

About Forbes Global 2000 list :

• The Forbes Global 2000 is an annual ranking of the top 2000 public companies in the world by Forbes magazine.
• The ranking is based on a mix of four metrics: sales, profit, assets and market value.
• The list has been published since 2003.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Bujar Nishani, the former President of Albania, has died:

• Bujar Nishani, a former Albanian President, died of a health ailment.
• He was 55.

About Bujar Nishani

• President Bujar Nishani, who was born in Durrs, Albania, on September 29, 1966, was noted for his centrist political affiliation with the communist coalition.
• From 2012 until 2017, he was the president of the United States.
• He was elected as the youngest and sixth president of post-communist Albania at the age of 45, with only parliamentarians from then-Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s centre-right Democratic party supporting him.

Daily CA on June 01 :

• On the 30th of May, the world celebrates World Vape Day to raise awareness about the alternatives to hazardous tobacco products and to promote the relative safety of e-cigarettes as harm reduction and smoking cessation tools.
• On the 31st of May, the world commemorates World No Tobacco Day
• The 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction, and Animation Films (MIFF-2022) kicked off with a colourful opening ceremony at Mumbai’s Nehru Centre in Worli.
• The Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) has been extended for another five years, until fiscal year FY26.
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) project, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will give the 11th tranche of financial benefits of Rs 21,000 crore to over 10 million farmers in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

• EKA, an electric vehicle manufacturing, and technology company, and a subsidiary of Pinnacle Industries has launched its first 9-meter pure electric and zero-emission bus, EKA E9, in Pune.
• Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai aunched a new health and wellness app AAYU to address and help heal chronic diseases and lifestyle disorders through yoga and meditation.
• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and UAE’s DP World for the development of Skill India International Centre at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and UAE minister Dr Ahmad Belhoul in New Delhi.
• The largest insurer in India Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched a non-linked, non-participating, individual, savings life insurance plan called Bima Ratna which offers a combination of protection and savings.
• The International Monetary Fund(IMF) has increased the yuan’s weighting in the Special Drawing Rights(SDR) currency basket, prompting the Chinese central bank to pledge to push for a further opening of its financial markets.
• A neobanking platform, Stashfin has launched a credit line card especially for women called LiveBoundless.
•  International Boxing Association (IBA) announced that Indian boxer and Tokyo Olympics Bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain has been elected as the chair and a voting member on the Board of Directors for the Athletes’ Committee
• Leading UK-based Indian-origin academic Dr Swati Dhingra has been named as the first Indian-origin woman to be appointed as an external member of the Bank of England’s interest rate-setting committee, Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).
• Noted author and documentary filmmaker Shri Sanjit Narwekar, conferred Dr. V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award at the 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival of India (MIFF 2022).
• Radio Jockey Umar Nisar (RJ Umar), hails from south Kashmir, has been awarded the ’01 Greatest Content material Award’ and the Immunization Champion award by UNICEF on the annual Radio4Child 2022 Awards in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Radio Jockey Umar Nisar (RJ Umar), hails from south Kashmir, has been awarded the ’01 Greatest Content material Award’ and the Immunization Champion award by UNICEF on the annual Radio4Child 2022 Awards in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The Adani Group has agreed to buy Swiss building materials maker Holcim Ltd’s India assets Ambuja Cements and ACC Ltd for $10.5 billion ( ₹80,000 crore) in one of the largest ever acquisitions by an Indian group.
• Edible oil major Ruchi Soya Industries acquired Patanjali Ayurved’s food retail business for Rs 690 crore as part of its strategy to focus on non-food, traditional medicine, and wellness business.
• The Indian Navy decommissioned the Indian Navy Ship (INS) Gomati from the naval dockyard in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India after 34 years of service.
• The Russian defence ministry has successfully test-fired a hypersonic Zircon cruise missile over a distance of about 1,000 km (625 miles) from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate of the Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea of Arctic Ocean.
• The 7th edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List 2022 has released by Forbes magazine features 30 notable honorees selected for each of the 10 categories, under the age of 30 who are inspiring change and driving innovation in their respective fields amid the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The US surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner in 2021-22, reflecting strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

• The 20th annual Forbes Global 2000 list of public companies was released, according to that Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) climbed two spots to No. 53 followed by State Bank of India at No. 105, HDFC Bank at No. 153 and ICICI Bank at No. 204.
• Bujar Nishani, a former Albanian President, died of a health ailment.