DAILY GK 27-28 JUNE 2024

 DAILY GK 27-28 JUNE 2024

1.         WORLD MSME DAY 2024 – JUNE 27

·           The United Nations (UNWorld Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day is annually observed across the globe on 27 June to raise awareness about MSMEs’ contributions to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

·           Theme of MSME Day 2024 is “Leveraging Power and Resilience of Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to Accelerate Sustainable Development and Eradicate Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises”.

·           MSMEs account for 90% of businesses, over 70% of employment, and 50% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) worldwide.

 

2.         GLOBAL LIVEABILITY INDEX 2024

·           According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s Global Liveability Index 2024Vienna, the capital of Austria, has topped the index as the most liveable city for the third consecutive year.

·           Denmark’s Copenhagen maintained its second position, while Switzerland’s Zurich moved up from 6th place(2023) to 3rd on the 2024 list.

·           No Indian City is ranked on the 2024 list of top 10 liveable cities in the world.

·           EIU is the research and analysis division of the Economist Group the sister company to The Economist newspaper.

·           Headquarters– London, The United Kingdom

 

3.         RBI GOLD RESERVES  OVERSEAS DROPS TO ITS LOWEST AT 47%

·           The Reserve Bank of India’s(RBI) gold reserves held overseas declined to their lowest level in six years by the end of March 2024, accounting for 47% of the total reserves accumulated since December 2017.

·           By the end of March 2024, the RBI’s total gold holdings stood at 822.1 tonnes and its at-home holdings increased from 39% in 2021 to 53% in March 2024.

·           The share of gold reserves held domestically by central banks rose from 50% in 2020 to 68% by December 2023, with expectations of further increase to 74% within the next five years.

·           India’s gold reserves are stored in the Bank of England(BOE), then also stores some of its gold reserves at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in the United States.

·           The RBI began bringing gold back to India in March 2022.

·           The RBI had repatriated 100 tonnes(1 lakh kilograms) of gold from the United Kingdom (UK), attributing this to adequate domestic storage capacity in May 2024.

 


4.         PEN PINTER PRIZE 2024

·           Renowned Indian Author ‘Arundhati Roy’ has won the prestigious PEN(Poet, Playwright, Editors Essayist, Novelist) Pinter Prize 2024 for her ‘unflinching and unswerving’ writings.

·           The prize is shared with a designated ‘Writer of Courage’, someone who has been persecuted for speaking out about her or his beliefs.

·           PEN Pinter Prize was established in 2009 and set up by the English PEN, a founding centre of a global literary network that promotes literature and human rights. It aims to recognise ‘Writers of Courage’.

·           The prize was given in memory of playwright Harold Pinter, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 2005.

·           In 2023, Michael Rosen, British author won the PEN Pinter Prize for his literary contributions and Rahile Dawut, Chinese anthropologist won the Writers of Courage.

·           Arundhati Roy is one of the well-known representatives of the contemporary generation of Indian writers who writes in English. 

·           Roy, currently facing the threat of prosecution over historic comments on Kashmir 14 years ago.

·           Her novel The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997

·           She wrote an essay titled ‘The End Of Imagination’, which is a critique against the Indian government’s nuclear policies.

·           Some of her notable works includes: The Cost of Living (1999); Power Politics (2001); Field Notes on Democracy: Listening to Grasshoppers (2009); Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)and Broken Republic: Three Essays (2011).

 

5.         NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL

·           The North Atlantic Council officially appointed Mark Rutte, the acting  Prime Minister (PM) of the Netherlands (Dutch) as the next Secretary General (SG) of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

·           Jens Stoltenberg has been serving as the SG of NATO since October 2014. 

·           His 10-year term is set to conclude on 1st October 2024.

·           2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO.

·           The NATO Summit 2024 will be hosted by the United States of America (USA) in Washington D.C. from 9 to 11 July 2024.

·           NATO was created by the United States of America(USA), Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

·           The North Atlantic Treaty, the founding treaty of NATO popularly known as the Washington Treaty was signed by 12 founding members on 4th April 1949.

·           NATO Secretary–General– Jens Stoltenberg (Norway)

·           Members– 32 members countries

·           Headquarters– Brussels, Belgium

 

6.         OM BIRLA ELECTED SPEAKER OF 18TH LOK SABHA 

·           Om Birla candidate of ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), was elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha(Lower House of the Parliament) for 2nd consecutive term by a voice vote.

·           He was elected against opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc’s candidate, Kodikunnil Suresh, 8 time-Member of Parliament (MP) from Mavelikkara constituency, Kerala

·           He serves as a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Kota constituency in Rajasthan since 2014

 

7.         NATIONAL INSURANCE AWARENESS DAY 2024 – JUNE 28

·           National Insurance Awareness Day is annually observed on 28 June to raise awareness about the importance of insurance, a financial product, in protecting individuals, families, and businesses from financial risks.

·           The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI):The IRDA was constituted as an autonomous body to regulate and develop the insurance industry, following the recommendations of the Malhotra Committee report, in 1999.

·           The IRDA was incorporated as a statutory body in April 2000.

·           Chairman– Debasish Panda

·           Headquarters– Hyderabad, Telangana

 

8.         RBI UPDATES GUIDELINES FOR PRIORITY SECTOR LENDING

·           The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised its priority sector guidelines to encourage banks to provide small loans in economically disadvantaged districts with low average loan sizes.

·           The new norms discourage lending in districts with high average loan sizes.

·           Effective from FY25, fresh priority sector loans in districts with low loan availability (less than Rs 9,000 per person) will receive a weightage of 125%.

·           In districts with high loan availability (more than Rs 42,000 per person), the weightage for loans will be reduced to 90%.

·           Majority of districts, except outliers with low or high credit availability, will retain the current weightage of 100%.

·           Districts will be ranked based on per capita credit flow to the priority sector.

 

9.         NTA’S DG

·           Retired Indian Administrative Officer Pradeep Singh Kharola as the new director general of the National Testing Agency (NTA) till the appointment of a regular incumbent.

·           Subodh Kumar Singh, the previous National Testing Agency (NTA) DG, has been removed and placed on compulsory wait in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) amid controversy over exam irregularities.

·           The decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

·           The Education Ministry has also set up a 7-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to review the agency's functioning and recommend exam reforms.

 

10.      CAG INAUGURATES INDIA'S FIRST 'CHADWICK HOUSE

·           The Comptroller and Auditor General of India inaugurated the 'Chadwick House: Navigating Audit Heritage Museum’ in Shimla, marking a significant milestone in preserving and celebrating the institution's rich legacy and contributions to India's governance.

·           Historical Significance: Mahatma Gandhi stayed here in 1946 during his visit for the Cabinet Mission. In 1950, it became a training school for the Indian Audit and Accounts Service.

 

11.      KERALA ASSEMBLY APPROVES RESOLUTION TO RENAME STATE TO ‘KERALAM’  

·           The Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on June 24 to change the name of the state from 'Kerala' to 'Keralam'.

·           The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, called for invoking Article 3 of the Indian Constitution to effectuate this change in the First Schedule.

 

12.      HEMIS TSESCHU FESTIVAL COMMENCES IN LADAKH

·           The Hemis Monastic Festival, also known as Hemis Tseschu, is an annual celebration of Tibetan Buddhism in Ladakh, India.

·           The festival marks the birth anniversary of Guru Padma Sambhava.

 

13.      J.P. NADDA APPOINTED AS LEADER OF THE HOUSE IN RAJYA SABHA  

·           Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda has been appointed as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha.

·           Nadda replaces Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who recently won the Lok Sabha election and took oath on Monday as a member of the Lower House of Parliament.

·           In the Cabinet, Mr. Nadda is also in charge of the Chemicals and Fertilizers portfolio.

·           Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

·           Besides Mr. Nadda, 11 other members of the Upper House of Parliament are in the Union Council of Ministers.

·           The Rajya Sabha, also known as the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India.

·           The total allowed capacity is 250 (238 elected, 12 appointed) according to article 80 of the Indian Constitution.

·           The current potential seating capacity of the Rajya Sabha is 245 (233 elected, 12 appointed), after the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act.

·           Article 84 of the Constitution provides the qualification to be elected as a member of Rajya Sabha:

·           He must be a citizen of India.

·           An individual needs to complete 30 years of age.

 

14.      FIRST INDIAN WOMAN CRICKETER TO SCORE CONSECUTIVE CENTURIES IN ODIS.

·           Smriti Mandhana, renowned for her aggressive batting style, created history in Indian cricket during the recent ODI series against South Africa.

·           Mandhana amassed a remarkable 343 runs across three ODIs against South Africa.

·           She became the first Indian woman cricketer to score consecutive centuries in ODIs.

 

15.      ARCHERY WORLD CUP

·           India's recurve mixed team of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Bhajan Kaur displayed exceptional skill to secure a bronze medal in the Archery World Cup Stage 3.

·           The Indian duo levelled the score with a flawless round and ultimately won 5-3 against Alejandra Valencia and Matias Grande of Mexico.

·           This bronze marks India's third medal at the event, with prospects for more as Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat advance to their individual semifinals.

·           Earlier, the Indian women's compound team comprising Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami, and Parneet Kaur secured a gold medal, while Priyansh claimed a silver in their respective events.