Daily Current Affairs 20th June, 2022

Daily Current Affairs 20 June 2022 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Centre to set up ‘PM Shri Schools’ to prepare students for future
The Centre is planning to set up ‘PM Shri schools’, which will be aimed at preparing students for the future. It will also be the laboratory of the new National Education Policy (NEP), said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

  • Addressing the two-day National Education Ministers’ Conference in Gujarat, Pradhan said, “School education is the foundation on which India will become a knowledge-based economy.”
  • The National Education Ministers’ Conference began in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar with a focus on implementation of the new NEP.

PM Modi inaugurates redeveloped Kalika Mata temple in Gujarat’s Pavagadh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Kalika Mata temple atop the Pavagadh hill in the Panchmahal district of Gujarat.

  • After the ascent of Pavagadh in the fifteenth century, the peak of the temple was dilapidated for the last five centuries. The summit has now been redesigned with a new look.

National Conference on Cyber Safety and National Security held in New Delhi
The Ministry of Home Affairs will hold a National Conference on Cyber Safety and National Security (Cyber Apradh Se Azadi – Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav) at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital.

  • The conference is part of the efforts to create mass awareness for the prevention of cybercrimes in the country.
  • The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), in the MHA in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India in the run-up to tomorrow’s conference had also organized functions at 75 places in different States and Union Territories on Cyber Hygiene, Prevention of Cyber Crimes, Cyber Safety and National Security under the banner “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” from June 8 to 17.

PM Modi Inaugurates Biotech Startup Expo – 2022 in New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Biotech Startup Expo – 2022 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

  • The Biotech Startup Expo – 2022 is a two day event being held on 9th and 10th June. It is being organised by the Department of Biotechnology and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). It is being held to mark completion of ten years of setting up of BIRAC. The theme of the Expo is ‘Biotech Startup Innovations: Towards AatmaNirbhar Bharat’.
  • The Expo will act as a platform to connect entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, scientists, researchers, bio-incubators, manufacturers, regulators, government officials, etc.

Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia launches National Air Sports Policy
Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched a national aero sports policy, which established a four-tier governance structure to promote 11 disciplines including ballooning, para gliding and aerobatics. “Multiple locations for air sports will be established across the country.

  • The government has identified 11 sports — aerobatics, aero modelling and rocketry, ballooning, amateur-built and experimental aircraft, drones, gliding and power gliding, hand gliding and power hand gliding, parachuting, paragliding and paramotoring, powered aircraft and rotor aircraft — under the policy.
  • In the governance structure, Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) will be the apex governing body.National associations for individual air sports will be in the second tier, regional units and State affiliates will be in the third tier, and district-level associations will be in the fourth tier.

Coursera Global Skills Report 2022: India lags in Data Science but improves skills proficiency in technology
The Global Skills Report (GSR) 2022 by Coursera states that India’s proficiency in data science has reduced from 38% in 2021 to 26% in 2022, leading to a 12-rank drop. In terms of overall skills proficiency , India has slipped 4 places to be ranked 68th globally and 19th in Asia.

  • However, the report reveals that India has improved its technology proficiency levels from 38 percent to 46 percent , improving its position by six spots.
  • West Bengal leads the Indian states in terms of skills proficiency with the state showing the highest levels of digital skills proficiency in the country. Andhra Pradesh is among the top three performing states with high proficiency in business and technology skills .
  • The report mentions the government’s efforts toward skill development, public-private partnerships, and synergy through Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) as the learners in AP have 100 percent proficiency in security engineering, operating systems, and computer networking.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India, Israel, UAE And US form new I2U2 Grouping, 1st Summit in July 2022
The new I2U2 grouping of India, Israel, UAE and the US will hold its first virtual summit next month as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to re-energise and revitalise American alliances across the world, according to the White House.

  • The first-ever virtual summit of the I2U2 grouping will be held in July 2022 and it will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister of Israel Neftali Bennett, and the UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
  • The leaders of the four countries will discuss the food security crisis and the other areas of cooperation.


BANKING & FINANCE

RBI Payments Vision 2025 aims 3-fold increase in digital payments
The Reserve Bank’s ‘Payments Vision 2025’ document, which seeks a three-fold jump in the number of digital payments, is progressive and aims to establish India as a powerhouse of payments globally, opined industry players.

  • The RBI came out with its ‘Payments Vision 2025’ document which also talks about ring-fencing of domestic payment systems, including the need to mandate domestic processing of payment transactions, in view of the emerging geopolitical risks.
  • The core theme of the vision documents is ‘E-Payments for Everyone, Everywhere, Everytime’ (4Es), with an overall objective to provide every user with safe, secure, fast, convenient, accessible, and affordable e-payment options.

Equitas Small Finance Bank set to launch kids’ savings account
Equitas Small Finance Bank is set to launch kids’ savings account called ENJOI, on Father’s Day (19 June, 2022) .

According to the firm, ENJOI will allow kids of 0-18 years to open a savings account under the supervision of their parents.

  • Minors aged 10 & above will also get an option for a personalized debit card, as per the bank. The account offers 7% interest for savings balances between ₹5 Lakh to ₹2 crore. Upon the written consent from parents, minors aged 10 & above can also avail self- operating account with limited transaction limits.
  • The account offers flexibility to choose the mode of savings either as a savings account, balance starting as low as ₹ 1,000; RD (recurring deposit) for ₹ 500 monthly; FD (fixed deposit) for ₹ 10,000.

Fitch revises Outlook on 9 Indian Banks’ IDRs to Stable
Fitch Ratings revised up its outlook for nine India-based banks, including SBI, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, to stable from negative.

  • The other lenders include – Bank of Baroda (BOB), Bank of Baroda (New Zealand) Ltd, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Union Bank of India.
  • Fitch said, “Fitch Ratings has revised the Outlook to Stable from Negative on the Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) of 9 India-based banks, while affirming their IDRs.”

Tamil Nadu pips West Bengal to become the largest State in terms of outstanding microfinance loan portfolio
Tamil Nadu has displaced West Bengal to emerge as the largest State in terms of the outstanding portfolio of microfinance loans.

  • According to MFIN Micrometer Q4 FY21-22, a quarterly report published by Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), the gross loan portfolio (GLP) of Tamil Nadu as of March 31, 2022 stood at ₹36,806 crore. It was followed by Bihar (₹35,941 crore) and West Bengal (₹34,016 crore).
  • At the end of Q3FY22, West Bengal topped the chart with the highest outstanding portfolio of loans at ₹32,880 crore, followed by Tamil Nadu (₹32,359 crore).
  • The Top 10 States (based on total microcredit universe) constitute 82.4 per cent of total GLP of the industry. West Bengal was followed by Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.


BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Innovation fund Pontaq signs deal with TN govt to support startups
Pontaq, an innovation fund that invests in early-stage technology businesses in the UK, India, US and Canada, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission, which s backed by state government.

  • Under the terms of the MoU, the government will help Pontaq-supported companies expand business operations in the State. As part of this, Pontaq organised an investors summit in the state.

Tata Projects wins bid to construct Noida International Airport at Jewar, UP
Tata Projects will build the national capital region’s new airport at Jewar, after outbidding the Shapoorji Pallonji Group and Larsen & Toubro for the contract.

While the deal size has not been disclosed, sources pegged it at  over Rs 6,000 crore. 

  • Tata Projects, the infrastructure and construction arm of the Tata group,  will construct the terminal, runway, airside infrastructure, roads, utilities, landside facilities and other ancillary buildings at the Noida International Airport.


SPORTS

FIFA unveils host cities for 2026 World Cup
The 16 cities of the first World Cup spread across three nations were revealed, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino made a bold statement summing up the goal of the 2026 tournament, to be played largely in the United States.

  • Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver are being selected as the 16 host cities for the 23rd edition of the football World Cup.

PM launches 1st ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay, India to host 44th Chess Olympiad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first-ever torch relay for the Chess Olympiad ahead of the 44th edition of the event, which is to be held in Mahabalipuram from July 28 to August 10.

  • The international chess body, FIDE, for the very first time has instituted the torch relay, which is part of the Olympic tradition, but was never done in the Chess Olympiad.
  • The international chess body, FIDE, for the very first time has instituted the torch relay, which is part of the Olympic tradition, but was never done in the Chess Olympiad.

Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra wins gold at Kuortane Games
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra clinched his first top podium finish of the season by winning the javelin throw event at the Kuortane Games in Finland, beating reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada for the second time in four days.

  • The 24-year-old Chopra’s opening throw of 86.69m turned out to be the winning distance. Trinidad and Tobago’s 2012 Olympics champion Keshorn Walcott was second with a first round throw of 86.64m. Peters was third with a best throw of 84.75m, which also came in the opening round.


AWARDS

TCS, HDFC Bank, Infy and LIC among Kantar’s global 100 most valuable firms
Four Indian companies namely TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys and LIC — were featured among the top 100 global biggest brands, along with companies like Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft.

  • TCS was the most valuable brand coming out of India, which sat on the 46th spot of the list. The company’s brand value is estimated to be $50 billion by Kantar Brands 2022, the author of the l report.
  • Its counterpart Infosys, a latest entrant in the list, was ranked at 64th position as its brand value lingered at $33 billion. Wipro —which is one of the top IT firms in India along with TCS and Infosys — was missing from the top 100 list.
  • Meanwhile, HDFC Bank stood at the 61st rank as the second biggest brand from India. LIC, which recently held India’s biggest public issue of ₹21,000 crore, was at the 92nd spot, with a brand value of $23 billion.

Qatar’s Hamad International wins World’s Best Airport Award again
Qatar’s Hamad International Airport has been named the World’s Best Airport for the second year running. The announcement took place at the Skytrax 2022 World Airport Awards, held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Paris, France.

  • Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) was named the finest regional airport in India and South Asia. Customers voted for the airport with the greatest customer service every year in a global study, and BLR Airport received this honour.
  • Singapore Changi Airport (World’s Best Airport Staff Service and World’s Best Airport Dining).
  • Istanbul Airport (World’s Best Airport Shopping and Most Family-Friendly Airport).
  • Tokyo Haneda Airport won awards as the World’s Cleanest Airport, the World’s Best Domestic Airport, the Best Airport in Asia, and the Best Airport PRM & Accessible Facilities.
  • King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh secured the award as the World’s Most Improved Airport.
  • Nagoya’s Chubu Centrair International Airport was named the World’s Best Regional Airport.
  • Copenhagen Airport won the World’s Best Airport Immigration Processing award.
  • Zurich Airport repeated its success by winning the World’s Best Airport Security Processing award.


SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 

IIT-M’s Robot to Clean Septic Tanks Without Humans Will Help End Manual Scavenging
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras have developed a robot to clean septic tanks without human intervention.

  • Named HomoSEP, ten units are planned to be deployed across Tamil Nadu and the researchers are in touch with sanitation workers to identify the locations, officials said.
  • Gujarat and Maharashtra are being considered for the deployment of the robots that have been developed with an aim to eliminate manual scavenging in the next phase.


ENVIRONMENT 

India’s newest recorded snail named after Western Ghats
The Western Ghats of Maharashtra have yielded a carnivorous land snail new to the world of science.

  • The Haploptychius sahyadriensis, recorded from the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, is the third member of the genus Haploptychius. The other two – H. andamanicus and H. pfeifferi – were recorded in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the 1860s.
  • The new snail has been described in latest issue of Molluscan Research, an international journal, by Amrut Bhosale, Tejas Thackeray of the Mumbai-based Thackeray Wildlife Foundation and Omkar Yadav of the Medha-based Amdar Shashikant Shinde Mahavidyalay.


BOOKS & AUTHORS

PM releases Ram Bahadur Rai’s book ‘Bhartiya Samvidhan: Ankahi Kahani’
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi released Ram Bahadur Rai’s book ‘Bhartiya Samvidhan: Ankahi Kahani’.

  • The book by Shri Rai will be in the tradition of New India’s effort to remember the forgotten thoughts to ensure that in the India of the future, consciousness of the past remains strong.
  • The book, along with the history of independence and the untold chapters of our constitution will give a new thinking to the youth of the country.


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