DAILY GK 5-6 JUNE 2024
1.
RASHTRIYA E-PUSTAKALAYA
·
The Department of School Education
& Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education (MoE),
Government of India (GoI) has signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
the National Book Trust (NBT) to create an
institutional framework for Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, a Digital
Library Platform.
·
NBT, is an apex body
established by the GoI (Department of Higher Education (DHE), Ministry of Human
Resource Development (MHRD)) in 1957.
·
The Rashtriya E-Pustakalaya aims to
resolve the ‘last mile’ accessibility issue for many states by offering over
10,000 books in more than 100 languages within the next 2-3 years.
·
Presently, over 1,000 books in 23
languages are available including English.
·
The books will be categorised by four
age groups, as per National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, for
readers aged 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years.
2.
SBI
BECOMES 1ST PUBLIC SECTOR BANK TO SURPASS RS 8 TRILLION MARKET
CAPITALIZATION
·
The State Bank of India (SBI) became
the 1st public sector bank and the 7th Indian company to
cross the Rs 8 trillion market capitalization (m-cap).
·
HDFC Bank and ICICI
Bank are the only other lenders with m-cap of over Rs 8 trillion.
·
At present, six Indian companies are
valued over Rs 8 trillion.
·
Apart from SBI, Reliance
Industries, TCS, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, and ICICI Bank are in the
Rs 8 trillion league.
3.
IRDAI
RELEASES COMPREHENSIVE CIRCULAR ON CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR
INSURERS
·
The Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India (IRDAI) issued a master
circular on corporate governance for insurers.
·
Corporate governance refers to the system
of rules, practices, and processes by which a company is directed
and controlled.
·
It ensures ethical operation and serves
the best interests of all stakeholders.
·
The primary goal is to ensure
accountability, fairness, and transparency in the company’s relationship with
stakeholders.
·
It promotes integrity, ethical behaviour,
and responsible decision-making.
4.
INDIA TO HOST 81ST IATA ANNUAL
GENERAL MEETING IN 2025
·
India is set to host the prestigious
annual general meeting (AGM) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in
2025, marking a significant milestone after 42 years.
·
IndiGo,
India's largest airline by market share, will serve as the host airline for the
AGM and the accompanying World Air Transport Summit.
·
The event is scheduled to take place in
Delhi
5.
ACTING
CHAIRPERSON OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMISSION
·
Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, Member
of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has been authorized to act as
the Chairperson of NHRC by the President, under Section 7(1) of the
Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
·
Sayani will replace Justice (Retd)
Arun Kumar Mishra, who completed his three-year tenure as the eighth
Chairperson of NHRC on June 1, 2024.
6.
CENTRE
LAUNCHES NEW MOBILE NUMBER SERIES FOR SERVICE, TRANSACTIONAL CALLS
·
The Centre has launched a new
numbering series, 160xxxxxxx, specifically for service or transactional calls.
·
This initiative aims to help citizens
easily identify legitimate calls and curb unsolicited voice calls from telemarketers
using 10-digit mobile numbers.
·
Currently, the 140xxxxxxx series is
allocated to telemarketers for promotional, service, and transactional calls.
·
However, its extensive use for promotional
purposes often leads consumers to ignore such calls, resulting in missed
important service and transactional communications.
7.
UPI
TRANSACTIONS SET NEW RECORD, SCALE 14.04 BILLION PEAK IN MAY 2024
·
Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
achieved a record-breaking 14.04 billion transactions in May, a
significant increase from the 13.30 billion transactions recorded in
April.
·
This remarkable growth reflects a 49%
year-on-year increase, highlighting the rapid adoption and expanding usage
of UPI.
·
The total transaction value for May reached
an impressive Rs 20.45 lakh crore, showcasing the substantial monetary flow
through UPI.
·
UPI has already expanded internationally
and is operational in countries such as Singapore and the UAE, setting a
precedent for global digital payment solutions.
8.
GATI SHAKTI VISHWAVIDYALAYA SIGNED
THREE MOUS FOR INDUSTRY-ACADEMIA COLLABORATION
·
Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) has
signed three Memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with Nokia
Corporation, Plasser (India) Private Limited and Jacobs
Solutions Inc. to strengthen the partnership between industry and
academia.
·
GSV in Vadodara, Gujarat, is a
Central University under Ministry of Railways.
·
GSV was established in 2022 by
the Act of Parliament.
·
The MoU with Nokia
will focus on collaboration with research in the domain of 5G/6G communications
targeting air, land and sea transportation use cases
·
The MoU with Plasser
and GSV will collaborate in the field of research, teaching, and
training of students to deepen their understanding on topics related to rail
sector.
·
The MoU with Jacobs will
enhance advancement in the field of research, teaching, and training activities
pertaining to transport, rail and semiconductor sector.
9.
77TH WORLD HEALTH
ASSEMBLY - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
·
The 77th World Health Assembly(WHA 77) was
held in Geneva, Switzerland
·
Theme of
2024 WHA is “All for Health, Health for All”.
·
World Health Assembly is the
decision-making body of World Health Organization (WHO). It is attended
by delegations from all 194 Member States of WHO.
·
Bengaluru-based National Institute of
Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) bagged
the Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion for 2024 by WHO.
·
WHA 77 unanimously adopted various
amendments to the International Regulations 2005 (IHR 2005) based
on 300 proposals made by member states after COVID-19
Pandemic.
·
India hosted
a side event on Women, Children and Adolescent Health in partnership with
Norway, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Partnership for Maternal,
Newborn and Child Health (PMCH) in Geneva, Switzerland.
·
WHO released a Strategic framework
for enhancing prevention and control of mpox (Monkey pox) (2024–2027)
10.
SEBI LAUNCHED “Saa₹thi 2.0”
MOBILE APP
·
The Securities Exchange Board of
India (SEBI) launched “Saa₹thi” (SAARTHI) 2.0” mobile
application on personal finance for investors.
·
The app introduced a user-friendly
interface with comprehensive tools which aims to simplify complex financial
concepts.
·
The app includes financial calculators,
and has modules that explain Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures,
mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
·
By using this app, investors can buy
and sell shares on stock exchanges.
·
It has investor grievances redressal
mechanism and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform.
·
It also features various videos
which are designed specifically to help the investors in their personal
financing.
11.
ONLINE BOND PLATFORM FORMED OBPP
ASSOCIATION OF INDIA
·
Around 24 online bond
platforms formed an association named, the Online Bond Platform
Providers (OBPP) Association of India, to represent the
industry, promote retail participation in the domestic debt markets and
interact with regulators.
·
OBPP is a SEBI-registered platform which facilitates
the buying and selling of bonds.
·
Aditi Mittal, Co-founder
and Director, India Bonds, was appointed as the Chairman of
the OBPP Association.
·
Vivek Darak, Bondbazaar
was appointed as Vice-Chairperson of the OBPP Association.
·
SEBI Chairman- Madhabi
Puri Buch
·
Headquarter- Mumbai,
Maharashtra
·
Established– 1992
12.
1ST FEMALE PRESIDENT OF MEXICO
·
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo of
the Morena party, has been elected as the first Female
President of the United Mexican States (Mexico).
·
She will also become the 1st person of
Jewish heritage to become the Head of State of Mexico.
·
Sheinbaum is also the 1st woman to win a
general election in the United States of America(USA), Mexico or Canada.
·
Sheinbaum won the election by securing
58.3%-60.7% of the votes.
·
This is the highest vote percentage in
Mexico’s democratic history.
·
She defeated Xóchitl Gálvez who
secured between 26.6% and 28.6% of the votes
·
In 2006, Claudia Sheinbaum joined the
United Nations(UN)’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
which later won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2007.
·
IPCC shared the Nobel Peace Prize 2007
with Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. “for their efforts to build
up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change,
·
In 2018, she became the first
woman to be elected as the Mayor of the Mexico City. She
held this post till 2023.
·
Mexico President- Andrés
Manuel López Obrador
13.
CHINA’S CHANG’E-6 LUNAR PROBE SOFT
LANDED ON MOON’S FAR SIDE
·
The China National Space Administration’s
(CNSA) Chang’e-6 lunar probe made a soft
landing on the moon’s far side to collect and return
samples from the rarely explored far side of the moon, a first of its
kind in human lunar exploration history.
·
Chang’e-6 with the support of the
Queqiao-2 relay satellite landed in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin,
specifically the Apollo Basin crater.
·
The ascender of the Chang’e-6
probe successfully lifted off from the lunar surface,
carrying rock and soil samples collected from the moon’s far side.
14.
QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2025
·
According to the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
World University Rankings 2025, the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT)
Bombay, Mumbai (Maharashtra) and IIT Delhi, New Delhi
(Delhi) are the only two Indian Institutes featured among
the top 150 Universities on the ranking.
·
IIT-B has retained its position as the
best higher education Institute in India, with global ranking of 118th in
the list.
·
IIT Delhi has improved its rank from 197th
(in 2024) to 150th position (in 2025).
·
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), Cambridge, the United States of America
(USA) has topped the list globally for the 13th time (2012
and from 2014 to 2025).
·
Delhi based Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
(GGSIPU), formerly known as Indraprastha University (IP University or IPU),
has bagged the prestigious “Rising Star” award from the QS
World Ranking.
·
QS World University Rankings 2025 edition
features 1500 universities across 105 Higher
education systems.
15.
ITU’S WSIS+20 FORUM EVENT - GENEVA
·
India participated
in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS +20) Forum
High-Level Event 2024 held in Geneva, Switzerland
·
This marks the 20 years of progress made
in the implementation of the outcomes of the WSIS.
16.
NATIONAL
SPELLING BEE
·
Bruhat Soma, a 12-year-old
Indian-American seventh-grader from Florida, emerged
victorious at the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee.
·
Continuing the tradition of excellence
within the small ethnic community, Bruhat demonstrated exceptional spelling
prowess by correctly spelling 29 words in the tiebreaker round, earning
him over $50,000 in cash and prizes.
17.
FIRST
MINORITY COMMUNITY WOMAN TO ACHIEVE BRIGADIER RANK IN PAKISTAN
ARMY
·
Dr Helen Mary Roberts, serving
in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, has made history by becoming the
first woman from the minority community to achieve the rank of brigadier
in the Muslim-majority country.
·
Brigadier Dr Helen is a senior
pathologist and has been serving in the Pakistan Army
for the last 26 years.
·
Before Brigadier Roberts, Major
General Nigar Johar had broken gender barriers in June 2020 by
becoming the country’s first female officer to be promoted to the rank
of lieutenant general.
·
Pakistan is a Muslim-majority country,
with Muslims comprising 96.47% of the population, followed
by Hindus (2.14%), Christians (1.27%), Ahmadi Muslims (0.09%), and
others (0.02%), according to data from the Pakistan Bureau of
Statistics in 2021.
18.
GOOGLE
TERMINATES MORE THAN 50 WORKERS OVER PROTESTS AGAINST ISRAEL CLOUD
DEAL
·
A significant cloud computing and
artificial intelligence initiative undertaken by Google in
collaboration with the Israeli government, aimed at enhancing
the latter's technological capabilities, particularly amidst the ongoing Gaza
conflict.
·
Employees at Google's offices in New York
and Sunnyvale, California, organized sit-in protests against the company's
involvement in Project Nimbus.
·
These protests were led by the group No
Tech For Apartheid.
·
Google terminated the employment of over
50 workers following the protests. Initially, 28 employees were dismissed, with
the number later revised to 30.
·
Subsequently, an additional 20 staff
members were discharged, some of whom were not actively participating in the
protests.
·
Project Nimbus is a $1.2 billion
cloud computing initiative involving Google and the Israeli
government.
·
The project aims to
provide public cloud services to address challenges in various sectors in
Israel, such as healthcare, transportation, and education.
19.
15TH UEFA
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
·
At Wembley Stadium, Real Madrid added
another chapter to their illustrious history by securing a record-extending 15th
UEFA Champions League title.
·
The Spanish giants clinching a hard-fought
2-0 victory over a determined Borussia Dortmund side.
20.
RESERVE
BANK OF INDIA CANCELS 1ST-EVER 10-YEAR GREEN BOND
AUCTION
·
In a first, the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) cancelled the auction of 10-year green bonds as
traders refused to pay greenium.
·
Greenium signifies the premium
investors are willing to pay for green bonds because of their
sustainability impact.
·
It signifies the lower yield
investors accept for these securities, which are aimed at financing
environmentally sustainable projects.
·
Diverging from the pattern of issuing
green bonds in the latter half, the government plans to issue green bonds
worth Rs 12,000 crore in the first half of the current financial
year.
·
The green bonds were intended to be issued
in two tranches of Rs 6,000 crore each, with a tenure of 10
years.
21.
“AI FOR GOOD” GLOBAL SUMMIT: GENEVA
·
India also participated in the “AI
for Good” Global Summit held at the International Conference Center
Geneva (CICG), Geneva, Switzerland
·
The summit was organised by ITU
in partnership with 40 UN sister agencies and co-convened with the government
of Switzerland.
·
India Took Over the Baton to Host
World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA 2024) in New Delhi
·
International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) was initially established in 1865 as the
“International Telegraph Union” and was later renamed as International Telecommunication
Union in 1934.
·
Headquarters–
Geneva, Switzerland
22.
OVER 50% OF THE WORLD’S MANGROVES
IS AT RISK OF COLLAPSE- IUCN
·
According to the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Mangrove
Ecosystems, over 50% of the world’s mangrove ecosystems are at risk of
collapse, with nearly 1 in 5 faces severe risk.
·
As per the study, climate change poses
serious threats to 33% (1/3rd) of the mangrove ecosystems
across the world.
·
This is the first global mangrove
assessment for the IUCN Red List of Ecosystem(RLE), a global standard for
measuring the health of ecosystems.
·
IUCN Director-General (DG)- Dr.
Grethel Aguilar
·
Headquarters- Gland,
Switzerland
·
Establishment- 1948
23.
ILO’S WORLD EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL
OUTLOOK
·
According to the International Labour
Organization’s (ILO), World Employment and Social Outlook: May
2024 Update, the global unemployment is projected
at 4.9% in 2024, slightly lower than the 5.0% in
2023
·
The downward trend in joblessness is
anticipated to stabilise in 2025, with unemployment persisting
at 4.9%.
·
The ‘jobs gap’ in 2024 is
estimated at 402 million individuals, encompassing 183
million classified as unemployed.
·
Women,
notably in low-income nations, face disproportionate challenges,
with a jobs gap of 22.8%, compared to 15.3% for men.
·
Women earn
significantly less than men, especially in low-income countries,
where the figure drops to 44 cents for every dollar earned
by men.
·
Informal employment has risen from 1.7
billion in 2005 to 2.0 billion in 2024,
slowing progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
·
ILO Director-General–
Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo
·
Headquarters–
Geneva, Switzerland
·
Founded – 1919
24.
SEBI SETS UP AD-HOC
COMMITTEE TO REVIEW OWNERSHIP
·
The Securities and Exchange Board
of India (SEBI) has set up an Ad-hoc Committee to
review the ownership and economic structure of Clearing
Corporations (CCs) and to suggest measures to ensure that CCs function
as resilient, independent, and neutral risk managers.
·
The ad-hoc committee will be chaired
by Usha Thorat, former Deputy Governor (2005
to 2010) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
·
The Ad-hoc committee will examine the
feasibility and expand the list of eligible investors
who are permitted to take shareholding in a clearing corporation and suggest
categories of investors who can acquire shareholding in such corporations.
25.
NETHERLANDS BECOMES INDIA’S THIRD
LARGEST EXPORT DESTINATION IN FY 24
·
As per the data of the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry (MOCI), the Netherlands emerged
as the third largest export destination in FY24 after
the United States of America (USA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
·
India’s exports to the Netherlands
increased by 3.5% to USD 22.36 billion in
FY24 as compared to USD 21.61 billion in FY23.
·
During FY24, India received about USD
5 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from
the Netherlands.
·
Netherlands Prime Minister – Mark Rutte
·
Capital – Amsterdam
·
Currency – Euro
(EUR)
26.
SC RECONSTITUTES GENDER SENSITISATION
AND INTERNAL COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE
·
The Supreme Court of India (SC)
re-constituted Gender Sensitisation and Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC).
·
Justice Hima Kohli has
been appointed as Chairperson to head the committee.
·
The committee comprises a total of 12
members from various fields.
27.
CROWN PRINCE OF KUWAIT
·
Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad
Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah was officially sworn in as the Crown
Prince of Kuwait before the Emir Sheikh Meshal
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (head of state of Kuwait).
·
He has served as Kuwait’s Prime Minister
(PM) from 2019 to 2022 to Saudi Arabia from 1995 until 1998 and as chief of the
national security from 1998 to 2006.
28.
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2024 – JUNE 5
·
The United Nations (UN) World
Environment Day (WED) is annually observed across the globe on 5
June to emphasise the critical importance of environmental protection
and health.
·
The WED event has been led by the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the specialised UN agency on
environmental issues, since 1973.
·
The 2024 theme of the WED
campaign is, “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience”
under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #Generation Restoration.”
·
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the global
host of World Environment Day 2024.
·
The Republic of Korea will
host WED 2025 with a focus on ending plastic pollution
globally.
·
UNEP Executive
Director– Inger Andersen
·
Headquarters–
Nairobi, Kenya
·
Founded in 1972
