Daily Current Affairs 12th June, 2021

Daily Current Affairs 12 June 2021 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

IIT Bombay Launches ‘Koita Centre For Digital Health’
IIT Bombay has set up the ‘Koita Centre for Digital Health’ (KCDH) with a generous contribution received from its alumni Rekha and Rizwan Koita, under the aegis of the Koita Foundation. 

• KCDH will be the first of its kind in India, focused on driving academic programs, research and industry collaboration in Digital Health.
• Digital Health, including healthcare informatics, has a profound impact on the quality of care and efficiency of healthcare delivery. Consequently, there is substantial focus globally on enhancing Digital Health and Informatics.

Foreign Secretary releases postage stamps on 70th anniversary of India-Germany ties
Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla released new postage stamps to commemorate the 70th anniversary of India-Germany diplomatic relations as he highlighted the multifaceted nature of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership.

• The Indian stamp has been designed by Ms. Gulistan and the German stamp has been designed by Matthias Wittig.
• Speaking at the event, Foreign Secretary said an important indicator of bilateral ties has been extensive cooperation between the two countries in dealing with COVID in areas of scientific research and health products supply.

Assam CM Sarma Launches Sishu Seva Achoni For COVID-19 Orphans
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a slew of welfare schemes for children who lost their parents to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and women who lost their husbands to the virus.

• Under the chief minister’s Sishu Seva scheme, children will receive a fixed deposit of ₹781,000 with a monthly interest of ₹3,500 till they attain the age of 24. The principal amount of ₹781,000 will be credited to the account of the beneficiary. Apart from this, children will also receive a laptop and a skill-based education. Girls of marriageable age will receive ₹50,000 and one tola gold under the Arundhati scheme.
• Meanwhile, women who lost their husbands to Covid-19 will receive a one-time grant of ₹250,000 and Orunodoi benefit and a widow pension of ₹830 and ₹300 respectively. Orunodoi scheme also covers women who are divorced, unmarried or are suffering from a disability.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Indian Mango Promotion Programme begins in Bahrain
A week-long Indian mango promotion programme began in Bahrain where 16 varieties of the fruit including three Geographical Indications (GI) certified Khirsapati&Lakshmanbhog (West Bengal), Zardalu (Bihar) are being displayed.

• The varieties of mangoes are currently being sold through 13 stores of the group in Bahrain. The mangoes were sourced from farmers in Bengal and Bihar by APEDA registered exporter.

India ranks 67th globally in data skills despite math proficiency: Report
Despite accelerated digital transformation, India continues to witness a digital skills gap, according to Coursera’s latest Global Skills Report 2021. Switzerland topped the rankings followed by Luxembourg and Austria.

• Overall, India ranks 67th globally with 38 per cent proficiency with mid-rankings globally in each domain, number 55 in business and at number 66 in both technology and data science.
• In Asia, India ranks low, placed at 16 — ahead of countries such as the Philippines and Thailand but below others like Singapore and Japan.

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI: ATM Cash Withdrawal Rule Changed
The  Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced changes in the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) rules with regard to cash withdrawal. These changes include an increase in charges for transactions beyond the free monthly permissible limit, a new free ATM transaction limit and an increase in the interchange fee per transaction.
Here are the changes announced by the RBI in ATM cash withdrawal rules:

1. Exceeding monthly limit of free transactions:

Customers will have to pay ₹21 per transaction, instead of ₹20 if they exceed their monthly limit of free transactions. This increase will be effective from January 1, 2022.

2. New free ATM transaction limit:

Customers will continue to remain eligible for five free transactions, including financial and non-financial, per month from their own bank ATMs. They will also be eligible for three free transactions from the ATMs of other banks in metro centres and five transactions in non-metro centres.

3. Increase in interchange fee:

From August 1 this year, banks are allowed to increase the interchange fee per transaction from ₹15 to ₹17 for financial transactions and from ₹5 to ₹6 for non-financial transactions in all centres.

SBI Launches Kavach Personal Loan For Covid-19 Patients
The State Bank of India (SBI) launched the ‘kavach personal loan’ scheme for COVID-19 patients.

• As per the scheme, the state-run lender is offering collateral free personal loans up to Rs 5 lakh at annual interest rate of 8.5 percent.
• The collateral free personal loans are aimed at enabling customers to meet medical expenses of self and family members for COVID-19 treatment.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

ICRA projects India’s FY22 GDP growth at 8.5%
Credit rating agency ICRA Ratings projected India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 8.5 per cent in FY2021-22.

• ICRA said that if the vaccine coverage is accelerated following the re-centralised procurement policy, then the GDP growth could be as high as 9.5 per cent, with a widening upside in Q3 and Q4 of FY22.
• The agency expects the gross value added (GVA) at basic prices (at constant 2011-12 prices) to grow at 7.3 per cent in FY22.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

BharatPe Acquires Loyalty Platform PAYBACK India
Merchant payments and financial services provider BharatPe has acquired multi-brand loyalty platform, PAYBACK India, to help its 6 million offline merchants roll out rewards and loyalty programmes for customers.

• The acquisition is expected to give an exit to American Express and ICICI Investments Strategic Fund, which hold 90% and 10% stake respectively in the entity. PAYBACK India will continue to function independently, after the acquisition

SPORTS

Aruna Tanwar set to be India’s first ever taekwondo entry at Tokyo Paralympics
Aruna Tanwar has been awarded a wild card entry for the upcoming Tokyo Paralympic Games, which will make her the first Indian to compete in the global multi-para sport event, the national federation said.

• A five time national champion, she has finished on podium in the last four years at both Asian Para Taekwondo Championships and World Para Taekwondo Championships.

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat wins gold in women’s 53 kg freestyle at Poland Ranking Series
Tokyo Olympic Games bound wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the women’s 53kg freestyle gold with an 8-0 win over Khrystyna Bereza of Ukraine at the Poland Ranking Series in Warsaw.

• The gold-winning effort of Vinesh is likely to improve her seeding in the 53kg freestyle event at the Olympics, to be held from July 23 to August 8. Khrystyna settled for silver.

APPOINTMENTS

K Nagaraj Naidu Named To Lead UN Bureaucracy For A Year
Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer K Nagaraj Naidu was named chef de cabinet by the incoming UN general assembly president, Maldivian foreign minister Abdulla Shahid, for the duration of his one-year tenure to lead the world body through its return to normalcy as countries strive to bring the pandemic under control.

• Naidu is India’s deputy everlasting consultant to the UN, and he will likely be on mortgage from the Indian authorities to the United Nations for a position that’s comparable to the Indian prime minister’s principal secretary, who oversees the cupboard bureaucracy; additionally one thing just like the chief of employees to the US president.
• Naidu will probably be the first Indian diplomat to be named to this position, and as such, his appointment bears testimony to India’s growing influence in the world body.

AWARDS

RS Sodhi Conferred With Asia Pacific Productivity Champion Award
R S Sodhi, managing director of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has received Asian Productivity Organization (APO), Tokyo, Japan regional award as Asia Pacific productivity champion.

• Sodhi is the first person in the last 20 years from India to receive the award.
• It is the recognition of India’s most productive, efficient supply chain of milk in the world. It is through this system that farmers in India get 70-80% of consumer price as compared to world average of 35-40%.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Russian Navy Building First Fully Stealth Warship
Russia is building the first naval ship that will be fully equipped with stealth technology to make it hard to detect.

• The hull of the Mercury naval corvette dubbed project 20386 has already been built and the vessel is expected to be delivered to the navy next year.
• The warship will be armed with cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and artillery.

‘Namaste Yoga’ mobile App launched in curtain raiser event for 7th International Day of Yoga
‘Namaste Yoga’ a mobile application was launched in the curtain raiser event for the 7th International Day of Yoga. The event was organised by the Ministry of Ayush in association with the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.

• Namaste Yoga app is designed as an information platform for public. It was launched with the aim of raising awareness about yoga and make it accessible for larger community.
• On the occasion, Ayush Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju highlighted about 10-day series on Doordarshan on IDY 2021 and central message of this series as “Be with Yoga Be at Home”.

OBITUARIES

Padma Shri awardee environmentalist Radha Mohan dies at 78
Noted environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee Professor Radha Mohan, who helped popularise organic farming techniques, died at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. He was 78.

• He was awarded the Padma Shri along with his daughter Sabarmatee in 2020 for their contribution to the agriculture sector.  Back in 1990, the father-daughter duo founded ‘Sambhav’, a social organisation aimed at educating farmers on organic and natural farming.
• He also worked as a member of the State Planning Board, Advisory Committee, State Watershed Mission, Task Force on Education, State Wildlife Advisory Committee, NSS Advisory Committee, Steering Committee on Joint Forest Management and the State Pollution Control Board.

Olympian Surat Singh Mathur Passes Away
Olympian Surat Singh Mathur, the first from independent India to complete a marathon at the Olympics, passed away in Delhi He was 90.

• Running with the legendary Emil Zatopek in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Mathur completed the marathon in the 52nd place in 2:58.92s.
• A bronze medallist at the first Asian Games in 1951, Mathur, who was born in Mohammadpur Majri village (Karala) in Delhi, was a two-time National champion.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

‘Home in the World’ by Amertya Sen
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has penned his memoir ‘Home in the World’.

• The book will be published in July by Penguin Random House.
• In ‘Home in the World’, Sen shares details from his life and explores the idea of ‘home’. From growing up in Dhakajkkj, Bangladesh to being raised by his grandparents and parents in Santiniketan, to studying economics for the first time in Calcutta, to moving to Trinity College, Cambridge– Sen has been to many places in his lifetime.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Level Crossing Awareness Day observed
International Level Crossing Awareness Day was observed by “South-Central Railway (SCR)” on June 10, 2021. 

• ILCAD is a worldwide initiative which seeks to improve awareness of level crossing safety. This awareness campaign is spearheaded by UIC which is the worldwide railway organisation.

World Day Against Child Labour
The World Day Against Child Labour is held annually on June 12. It is an international day to raise awareness and prompt action to stop child labor in all of its forms.

• The theme of this year’s World Day Against Child Labour is “Act now: End child labour!”

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