WBCS Current Affairs 20/06/2015 to 03/07/2015

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1. Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangladesh has been named as the winner of the 2015 World Food Prize. He is founder and chairman of Bangladesh-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) BRAC (originally known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) which is world’s largest NGO. Since its formation, BRAC is being credited for helping more than 150 million people out of poverty. It was formed as a temporary relief organization to help people of Bangladesh to recover from the devastating tropical cyclone Bhola in 1972 which had killed about 500,000 people. It also had actively participated and fought in 1971 Indo-Pakistan war for independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan. Later BRAC had grown into one of the world’s largest NGO with prime focus on alleviating poverty. It has expanded its operations in more than 10 countries especially in Asia and Africa. For contributions to social improvement, Fazle Hasan Abed he been bestowed with prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award (2010) and UNDP’s Mahbub Ul Haq Award (also known as Human Development Award) in 2004. About World Food Prize Established in 1986 by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug (father of the Green Revolution). It is an annual award that recognizes scientists and others who have improved the quality and availability of food. It carries monetary award of 250,000 dollars. Since its formation, 7 Indians have won it. They are Dr Sanjaya Rajaram (2014), Dr Modadugu Vijay Gupta (2005), Dr Surinder K. Vasal (2000), Dr B. R. Barwale (1998), Dr Gurdev Khush (1996), Dr Verghese Kurien (1989) and Prof. M. S. Swaminathan (1987).

2. R Paul Singh, Indian-American professor has been selected for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate. The award was announced at the annual Global Confederation for Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) conference held at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon. Singh is known for niche research areas of agricultural sector such as freezing preservation, energy conservation, post-harvest technology and mass transfer in food processing. H had earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering form Punjab Agricultural University. He had completed his doctorate from Michigan State University, US. Presently he is Professor at University of California (UC), Davis and had joined it in 1975. His research and studies on Airflow in complex systems: helped to design innovative systems for the rapid cooling of strawberries. Food freezing: helped to development of computer software generally used to improve the energy efficiency of industrial freezers. His research group also had created food- processing equipment under a NASA contract for a manned mission to Mars. He also had contributed in establishing and evaluating food-engineering programs at various institutions throughout the world including in India, Brazil, Portugal, Peru and Thailand.

3. Union Government has launched mobile App to know gram panchayats assets. It was launched by Union Rural Development and Minister Ch Birender Singh. It was launched on the occasion of Digital India Week in New Delhi. The main purpose of the app is to provide people with the information related to assets of the gram panchayats. Citizens can use this mobile app to capture photographs and geographical coordinates of various public assets in gram panchayats, like schools and hospitals etc. Besides providing information to the general public, the App will also be useful for planning purpose at the Panchayat and State level. Digital India Week was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 1 July 2015. It seeks to educate, inform and engage citizens about the ongoing initiatives of the Union government in the area of e-governance.

4. Darshan Jain, an Indian-American teacher has been selected for prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

5. Union Government has launched a web portal for online submission of applications for environment clearance by State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAA) for Category B projects. It was launched by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi on the occasion of Digital India Week. Soon after the launch of the web portal, nineteen states instantly have joined it. The environment clearance web portal raises the levels of transparency and accountability as the clearances will be monitored and carried out effectively on a real time basis. It will also help to reduce pendency for maintaining the rigours of Environment Clearance process. Previously in 2014, MoEFCC had launched the online application system for Environmental Clearance for Category-A projects under Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006 which needs national level approvals. It should be noted that applications for Environment Clearances under Category ‘B’ projects under EIA notification, 2006 comes under State government for approval purpose. MoEFCC had taken decision in this regard to launch this web portal in order to increase transparency in Environment Clearances without compromising upon the rigour of it at the State level.

6. Haryana Government launched ‘Mhara Gaon, Jagmag Gaon’ scheme to provide 24 hour uninterrupted power supply for rural domestic consumers in a phased manner with their active participation. The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar from Dyalpur village of Kurukshetra district. With this launch, Haryana became first state in the country to provide such an innovative voluntary scheme.

7. Prof. Sanjeev Galande has been selected for the prestigious G D Birla award for Scientific Research 2014. He has been selected for his significant contribution and his pioneering research in the field of Epigenetics and Molecular Cell Biology.

8. Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Narendra Modi approved Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) or PM’s Agriculture Irrigation Scheme. PMKSY is central scheme that aims at providing irrigation facilities to every village in the country by converging ongoing irrigation schemes implemented by various ministries. It will focus on ‘end-to-end solution’ in irrigation supply chain by implementing new programme in a “project mode” with decentralised state-level planning and execution. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana Ensure access to some means of protective irrigation to all agricultural farms in the country in order to produce ‘per drop more crop’ to bring desired rural prosperity. Flexibility and autonomy: to states in the process of planning and executing irrigation projects in order to ensure water to every farm. Irrigation plans: ensure that state and district irrigation plans are prepared on the basis of sources of availability of water and agro-climatic conditions in that region. Promoting extension activities: related to ‘on farm water management and crop alignment’ for farmers as well as grass root level field functionaries. Agencies involved: nodal agency for implementation of PMKSY projects will be state agriculture department. Inter-ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC) will periodically review these projects. Budgetary allocation: 1,000 crore rupees for fiscal year 2015-16. Funding Pattern: Centre- States will be 75: 25 per cent. In case of north-eastern region and hilly states it will be 90:10.

9. Iran and P5+1 nations i.e. six major powers have agreed to extend an interim nuclear agreement until July 7, 2015 in order to allow more time for negotiations on a final deal. This decision was taken during the talks between these nations held in the Vienna, Austria after the deadline expired on 30 June 2015. It should be noted that the so-called P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and United States) and Iran are negotiating to curb Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief. They are working towards an accord that would halt Iran’s sensitive nuclear work for at least a decade in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Summary Background There is decade long deadlock between Iran and Western countries over the issue of Iran’s Nuclear Programme and safety concerns of uranium enrichment. Western Countries allegations: Western countries especially US is alleging Iran, that their Nuclear Programme may be used by them to produce enriched uranium to develop nuclear warheads. Iran’s response: However, Iran has refused the allegations of western countries and has clearly mentioned that it is its sovereign right to continue its nuclear programme to their energy demand. Even they had mentioned that their Nuclear programme is completely peaceful and not for defence purpose. P5+1 countries want Iran to reduce its uranium enrichment programme to make sure it cannot produce nuclear warheads.

10. Greece has become the first developed nation to default on International Monetary Fund (IMF) debt. It has defaulted on a 1.7 billion dollars payment to IMF. The deadline for debt payment was missed by Greece after Eurozone Finance Ministers refused to extend its bailout. They had refused the bailout after Greece rejected the proposal given International Monetary Fund (IMF), European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Commission (EC). Apart from this, ECB also has frozen its liquidity lifeline to Greek banks. It should be noted that Greece is now formally in arrears and there are fears that this could put Greece at risk of shifting back to its old currency Drachma by leaving the Euro. This may increase in the cost of imports of Greece leading to increase inflation further worsening its economic crisis. Impact of Greece crisis on India The Greece crisis may depreciate the value Euro which may led investors to invest in Gold and Dollar to be on the safer side. In this case it may appreciate value of dollar and make it stronger as compared to Indian rupees. Thus trade between the member countries and India may be largely affected as it will make imports expensive and exports cheap. It will directly affect the oil prices.

11. World Bank has approved an additional loan of 650 million dollars for India’s Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Project. It was approved in third round of World Bank funding and follows earlier two other loans by the bank for this project. This loan will fund To build 401 km Ludhiana-Khurja section that falls in three North Western states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. To develop and enhance the institutional capacity of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) and to build and maintain the DFC infrastructure network. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Project DFC Project aims at the faster delivery of goods between the northern and eastern parts of the country. The project will further help to increase the capacity of freight-only lines. It will raise the axle-load limit from existing 22.9 tonnes to 25 tonnes. The speeds of freight carriers will be further boosted up to 100 km/hr due to dedicated freight lines. Apart from faster delivery of goods, this project is also going to help to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions caused by road transportation in this region.

12. Cuba has become the first country in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. It was announced by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Cuba was able to achieve this milestone with the help and efforts of WHO and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).

13. Union Cabinet has approved setting up of an Online National Agriculture Market that will provide more options to farmers for selling their produce. Decision in this regard was taken at a Union Cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. For online national agriculture market, an online platform will be set up. On this platform farmers will be able to sell and buy vegetables, fruits and other produce from across the country. In this regard, Union government will also establish an agency to oversee online trading and ensure that transactions take place smoothly. This online agriculture market will also focus on creating godowns and facilitate transportation of the farm produce after the online trade. Presently, farmers are restricted to sell their produce at traditional mandis or market committees which are charging various taxes on producers. This platform will also give choice to farmers to sell the farm produce both in traditional mandis or online platform and boost their incomes and improve availability, moderating price rise.

14. Union Government has notified the compliance window for black money disclosure under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Asset) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. The notified compliance window makes it mandatory for people to disclose their foreign income and assets till 30th September 2015. Those who make the disclosure during this notified period will have further 3 months’ time i.e. till 31st December 2015 to pay the taxes and the penalty on their foreign income and assets.

15. Finnish telecom engineer and father of messaging service (SMS) technology Matti Makkonen passed away following serious illness. He was 63. In 1984, he had pioneered the idea of sending messages via mobile networks but failed to patent it was merely idea and was not actual implementation.

16. For the first time scientists have identified two promising drug candidates for the treatment of deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus. REGN3051 and REGN3048 are the two antibodies (drug candidates) which have shown ability to neutralise the MERS virus. This research was done in collaboration with New York based biopharmaceutical company Regeneron

17. Former world junior champion and Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta won the 19th Commonwealth Chess Championship.

18. National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) survey has pegged literacy rate in the rural areas at 71 per cent and 86 per cent in the urban areas in year 2014. It was revealed in NSSO’s 71st Round of survey on Social Consumption: Education which was conducted from January to June 2014. As per the NSSO survey Literacy among the age group of 7 year and above: Male literacy rate- 83 percent, female literacy rate- 67 per cent. Adult literacy (age 15 years and above) rate: It was around 71 per cent. In rural areas- 64 per cent, urban areas- 84 per cent. Education level of graduation and above: It was 4.5 per cent of males and 2.2 per cent of females in rural areas. While, in urban areas it was 17 per cent of males and 13 per cent of females. Primary level students: 72 per cent in rural areas and 31 per cent in urban areas. Upper primary level: 76 per in rural areas and38 per cent in urban areas. Secondary and Higher secondary level: 64 per cent in rural areas and 38 per cent in urban areas. The 71st Round of survey had covered entire country with samples taken from 29,447 households in urban areas and 36,479 households in rural areas from 3,720 urban blocks and 4,577 villages.

19. A 15-year-old boy named Byron Wake has become Britain’s youngest ‘cyborg’ i.e. part-human, part machine. He achieved this feat after inserting xNT microchip under the skin using hypodermic syringe. The chip is the size of a grain of rice and is encased in bio-safe glass. It has ability to emit a low-power radio signal that can perform simple functions such as unlocking a mobile or opening a door and operate some Bluetooth devices with a wave of his hand. It should be noted that Kevin Warwick from UK was the world’s first cyborg when he had a chip implanted in his body in 1998. It is estimated that around 10,000 people worldwide have implanted the chip in their body.

20. 50 founding nations including India have signed 60-article agreement of China-led multilateral Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Australia was the first country to sign the agreement and was followed by 49 other members. Indian Ambassador Ashok Kantha signed the agreement on behalf of country. The 60-article agreement provides the legal framework for Institution of AIIB. Each member’s capital share and voting share. Governance structure of AIIB. Policy-making mechanism of AIIB. Facts about Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Designed to finance infrastructure projects including energy, transport and infrastructure projects in Asia. AIIB is seen as a rival to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) which managed by most prominent countries like US, Japan and European etc. Headquarters:Beijing. It will be operational by end of 2015. Authorized capital: It will be of 100 billion US dollars. The initial subscribed capital will be around 50 billion US Dollar and the paid-in ratio will be 20 per cent. Regional character of the Bank: Its regional members (Asian) will be the holding around 75 percent of shares i.e. they will be majority shareholders. They have been allocated their capital share on quota basis i.e. based on their economic size. Voting share: for each member country it is based on the size of their economy and not on authorised capital share to the Bank. Largest shareholders: China is highest contributor to AIIB with 29.78 billion US dollars i.e. with a 30.34 percent stake in authorized capital. China will have 26.06 per cent of the voting rights along with veto powers for certain key decisions. India: second largest shareholder with 8.52 per cent stake and voting share of 7.5 per cent. Russia: third largest shareholder with 6.66 stake and voting share of 5.92 per cent. It should be noted that there are 57 founder-member countries AIIB. Seven countries were not able to sign this agreement as it was not ratified by their respective domestic authorities. The seven countries are Denmark, Malaysia, Kuwait, Holland, Philippines and South Africa and Thailand.
Australia has decided to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as a founding member. In this regard, Australia will contribute paid-in capital of 718.5 million US dollars over next five years i.e. till 2020. With this investment it will become sixth largest shareholder in AIIB.

21. Technology major Lenovo has appointed Rahul Agarwal as the Managing Director (MD) of its India operations. He succeeds Amar Babu who has been promoted to regional mandate as Chief operating Officer (COO), Asia Pacific and Chairman of Lenovo India.

22. Nadia district in West Bengal has won the United Nations Public Service Award 2015 in the category of improving delivery of public services for or eliminating open defecation in the district. The award was presented by the acting Secretary General of the UN Lenni Montiel to District Magistrate of Nadia and Sabhapati of Nadia Zilla Parishad in Medellin, Colombia. It should be noted that Nadia district is the first open defecation free district in India. The district had achieved this feat by making toilets available for all under state governments flagship programme Sabar Shouchagar (Toilets for All). It was a collaborative effort with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Bank along with state government and local governments. The programme was initiated in 2013. In one-and-half-years, toilets were built in 5 lakh households and over 200 cluster toilets in public places. After completion of the building toilets under this programme, the percentage of people defecating in open has gone down to 0.02 per cent compared to 33.8 per cent when the project was started.

23. India and Thailand signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on double taxation avoidance treaty (DTAT). The MoU was signed during 7th meeting of the India-Thailand Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

24. First phase of Chennai Metro service was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa after she flagged off inaugural train. The first phase of Metro service covers the 10-km overhead (elevated) stretch. It connects Alandur in south Chennai to Koyabedu in the north.

25. India is fourth largest carbon emitter in the world in terms of per capita emission accounting for 6.6 % of global emissions for the year 2012. It was revealed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in its latest analyses of the country-wise carbon emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases (GHGs). According to the analysis figures of WRI, Top 10 emitters are: China (25.26%), US (14.4%), European Union (10.16%), India (6.69%), Russia (5.36%), Japan (3.11%), Brazil (2.34%), Indonesia (1.76%), Mexico (1.67%) and Iran (1.65%). Emission Disparity: Largest 10 emitters have contributed a majority of over 72% of global GHGs emissions (excluding change in land use and forestry). Six of the top 10 emitters are developing countries. On the other hand, the lowest 100 emitters had contributed less than 3% of global emissions. Sector wise: energy sector is the largest source of GHGs emissions accounting for more than 75% of global emissions. Industrial and agricultural sectors also have significantly contributed in GHGs emissions. The WRI analysis was based on data from its Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT) for the year 2012. It had analysed various economic sectors for the overall emission from different countries.

26. India has become most attractive investment destination in world after it was ranked first among 110 countries in a ranking of destinations for attractiveness to foreign investors. The ranking was based on baseline profitability index (BPI) 2015. In this edition of China was placed at the 65th position and US was placed at the 50th. India has emerged as top investment destination in BPI 2015 compared to previous 6th position held in the 2014 index. It should be noted that high ranking in this index indicates high returns and improving economic institutions. India was able to top in this edition of BPI because of high growth forecasts, perceptions of corruption down and investor friendly polices of Union Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. About Baseline profitability index (BPI) The ranking based on a BPI is determined by assuming three factors which affect the ultimate success of a foreign investment. These factors are how much the value of an asset grows; the ease of repatriation of proceeds from selling the asset and the preservation of that value while the asset is owned. The index combines measures for each of these factors into a summary statistic to determine country’s basic attractiveness for investment. Thus, this index compares how local conditions and policies affect the same investment in different countries. It also helps to determine the value of the principal and the return will change depending only on where the investment is made.

27. Himachal Pradesh High Court has ruled that the daughters in tribal areas in the state shall inherit the property in accordance with Hindu Succession Act, 1956. This landmark judgment will help to bring a new resolution in the tribal society’s inoder to grant equal rights to the girls and bring down gender disparity. The ruling was given by Justice Rajiv Sharma by upholding the earlier order passed by District Judge of Chamba in 2002 to grant legal rights to women in family property. The court rule that These tribal people profess Hindu rites and customs and they do not follow different Gods. Though their culture may be different but their customs must conform to the constitutional philosophy. Women have to be advanced socially and economically to bestow upon them dignity. Gender discrimination violates fundamental rights so the daughters in a society cannot be segregated from mainstream. So they are entitled to equal share in the property. It should be noted that this judgement will help tribal women in districts of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba of state to reinforce their inherent rights in the ancestors’ property same as male siblings.

28. India’s legendary batsman and Bharat Ratna recipient Sachin Tendulkar has been voted the ‘Best Test player’ of the 21st century in an online poll. The online poll was conducted by Cricket Australia’s website for the list of the 100 best Test players since 2000.

29. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the date to exchange pre-2005 bank notes till December 31, 2015 for third time. Earlier in December 2014, RBI had set the last date for public to exchange these notes as June 30, 2015. RBI has urged people to deposit the old design notes in the bank accounts or exchange them at a bank branch. The apex bank also has stated that the notes can be exchanged for their full value and all such notes continue to remain legal tender. Reasons for withdrawing pre-2005 notes from circulation: Security – pre-2005 notes have fewer security features as compared to 2005 and post-2005 currency notes. Thus, lesser will be the chances of its counterfeiting newer currency notes. It will also remove fake currency notes in circulation which were being pumped in Indian economy were copies of pre-2005 notes. Flushing out black money – The spillover effect of the RBI’s decision will be to flush out black money. Money has value only as long as it is a medium of exchange and store of value. It loses its value when it ceases to be a medium of exchange. A disincentive for cash hoarders – With the RBI’s announcement, currency hoarders will be left with no option but to liquidate their unaccounted holdings by spending or exchanging them. Thus, this is a well thought out exercise by the RBI to capture the “money flows’’ into the system and also help flush out counterfeit notes. International standard practice – It is an international standard practice to remove old series notes.

30. India has topped in the regional inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in South Asia region during year 2014, accounting for 34 billion US dollars investments. It was revealed in United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD’s) World Investment Report 2015. As per the report FDI inflow to India has surged by 22 per cent to about 34 billion US dollars. India has improved its position to 9th top host country in the world for FDI in 2014. Owing to good performance of India, the FDI inflows to South Asia region has rose to 41 billion US dollars in 2014. Top five FDI recipients in South Asia: India, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. The report had divided Asia into three sub-regions viz East and South East Asia, West Asia and South Asia. China is the world’s largest recipient of FDI with 129 billion dollars investments and has toppled US (92 billion dollars). Outward flow of FDI: US had largest outward flow of FDI of 337 billion dollars followed by Hong Kong-China (142 billion dollars) and China (116 billion dollars). India was also the biggest investor in terms of outward FDI in South Asia region with 9.8 billion dollars. It had marked an increase of 486 per cent compared to year 2013.

31. Sahitya Akademi has conferred prestigious ‘Bhasha Samman’ on four scholars for their contribution to classical and medieval literature in various languages. The award will bestowed upon them by the President of the Sahitya Akademi at a special function which will be held later. Recipients of Bhasha Samman K Meenakshi Sundaram: For her contributions to Classical and Medieval Literature (Southern). She was conferred with this award for year 2013. Apart from her rich contribution to medieval Tamil literature, Sundaram also has written scholarly essays on Tirukkural. Acharya Munishwar Jha: For his contributions to Classical and Medieval Literature (Eastern). He was conferred with this award for the year 2014. He has made valuable contribution in the area of Sanskrit literature. Charu Chandra Pande and Mathuradutt Mathpal: Jointly recognised for their work towards the enrichment of Kumauni. Bhasha Samman: The award carries a cash prize of 1 lakh rupees along with an inscribed copper plaque and a citation. In case of joint winners, the monetary prize is equally shared between the winners.

32. Union Cabinet has given nod to rename Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) as the Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI). Apart from this decision, Union Cabinet also gave approval to SECI to convert into Section 3 Company by applying to the Registrar of Companies (ROC) from a Section 8 Company under the Companies Act, 2013.

33. Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been conferred with Colombia’s highest civilian award, Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero. He was bestowed with this award for spreading the message of peace in society, reducing stress, inter-mediation in war and combating violence through yoga and breathing exercises.

34. Former Pakistan cricket team captain Zaheer Abbas has been selected the new President of International Cricket Council (ICC) for one year term. He will be 13th President of ICC and succeeds Mustafa Kamal of Bangladesh who had resigned from the post of ICC President in April 2015.

35. Rajasthan has become number one state in the country in terms of total installed capacity of solar energy. It was revealed in recently released data by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Rajasthan with total 1,167 megawatt (MW) installed capacity has surpassed Gujarat (1000 MW) which was previous number one state in the country. Top five states in India are (in terms of installed capacity) Rajasthan: 1147 MW. Gujarat: 1000 MW. Madhya Pradesh:58 MW. Maharashtra: 7 MW. Andhra Pradesh:4 MW. In 2014, Rajasthan government had released its Solar Policy which aimed at installing 25000 MW of solar power in state. In this policy state government had introduced numerous investor-friendly measures to tap full potential of solar power. One of the key measure introduced was to installed solar plants was through State, Private Enterprises or Public-Private partnership (PPP). In this regard state government had inked agreements number of private companies to develop solar parks with a cumulative capacity of 26,000 MW. It should be noted that Rajasthan has all natural advantage for solar parks such as abundant barren land and high solar radiation (insolation) in the country.

36. Kerala government has appointed Tennis Icon Steffanie Graf as Ayurveda brand ambassador. Decision in this regard was taken by cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in Thiruvananthapuram. As an Ayurveda brand ambassador she will promote Ayurveda tourism of state in North America and Europe with theme Visit Kerala Destination.

37. Veteran journalist, author, political analyst and anti-nuclear activist Praful Bidwai passed away in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was 64. He died due to cardiac arrest after he had choked on his food.

38. Maharashtra government has decided to evoke Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act (MPDA), 1981 against those involved in black marketing of essential commodities and sand mafia. Decision in this regard was taken by state cabinet meeting chaired by Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai. Cabinet also approved proposal to amend parent Act in order to include criminal activities related to sand mafia and black marketing. The decision to impose MPDA was taken by government in order to tackle the menace of black marketing of essential commodities and sand mafia in state and to prevent organised attacks against revenue officials and employees by sand mafias and smugglers. Prior to this decision, this law was only applicable against slumlords, bootleggers, drug offenders, dangerous persons and persons involved in video piracy. In order to incorporate sand mafia and black marketers in the ambit of law, definitions of sand smuggling and sand smuggler (mafia) will be added in section 2 of the Act. Apart from this state government is also going to take action against those involved in assisting those sand mafia and smugglers.

39. Indian Telecom major Bharti Airtel has launched 4th Generation (4G) services in Mysuru (or Mysore), Karnataka. With this launch, Airtel customers in Mysore can now access high speed access to the Internet using 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology and enjoy the most advanced Internet experience in India. It should be noted that Bharti Airtel is first Telecom major in India to launch 4G LTE services in the country. They had launched the India’s first 4G services in Kolkata in April 2012. Later in the course of time they had expanded this service in other major cities including Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mangalore, Pune, Chandigarh and Amritsar. About 4G LTE 4G LTE is wireless communications standard developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is one of several competing 4G standards along with WiMax (IEEE 802.16) and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB). It is designed to provide up to 10x speeds of 3G networks for mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones, netbooks and wireless hotspots etc. It can provide internet speed of at least 100 Mbit per second (Mbps) to 1 GBit per second (Gbps). 4G technologies are designed to provide IP (Internet Protocol)-based voice, data and multimedia streaming at high speed.

40. Union Government has launched Bhuvan Ganga Mobile Application and Web Portal to aid flagship mission to Clean Ganga. The app and webportal was launched by Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti in New Delhi.

41. Union Government recently has cancelled the licences of over 2000 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) across the country. The decision to cancel the registration of these NGOs was taken by the Union Home Ministry. The registration was cancelled after these entities failed to submit their annual returns and in view of other anomalies under the provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010. Prior to cancellation of registration, all these organisations were given proper notice by the Foreigners’ Division of the Home Ministry with adequate time to reply. It should be noted that Maharashtra tops the list with the cancellation of licences of 964 NGOs followed by Uttar Pradesh with 740 and Karnataka with 614. The licences of 88 NGOs were cancelled in Tamil Nadu. Earlier licences of nearly 13 thousand NGOs were cancelled in two rounds of crackdown for alleged violation of FCRA, 2010. Thus, with this cancellation, these NGOs now would not be able to receive foreign funds. As per the mandatory provisions of FCRA, 2010 it is necessary for every registered NGO to submit its returns annually, irrespective if they have or not received foreign funding in that particular year.

42. Sister Nirmala Joshi, former Superior General of Missionaries of Charity passed away in Kolkata after brief illness. She was 81. She had taken over as Superior General in March 1997 after the death of Mother Teresa.

43. Maharashtra has topped in Patent filing in India during year 2013-14. While, the Bengaluru was the top city in IPR filing in the country. It was revealed in recently published annual report of the office of the Controller-General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM). Top five states are: Maharashtra (2892 patents). Karnataka (1639 patents). The state has shown 40 per cent rise in IPR fillings in a year. Tamil Nadu (1436 patents). Delhi (1009 patents). Andhra Pradesh (879 patents). In Bengaluru, various tech companies and institutes had applied for IPR filing making it top city in this domain. Top companies in Bengaluru are: Samsung R&D Institute (84 patents), Infosys (83 patents), Wipro Ltd (59 patents) and Samsung India Software Operations Pvt. Ltd (66 patents). Top Institutes in Bengaluru are: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) (32 patents), Siddaganga Institute of Technology (24 patents), Tumakuru and Indian Space Research Organisation (12 patents). About Controller-General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) Office of the CGPDTM is a subordinate office under the under the aegis of Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It administers the Indian law of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks. It operates in five key administrative sections. They are Patents, Designs, Trademarks, Geographical indications, Patent Information System.

44. Joint military training exercise code named ‘Silk Route- 2015′ between China and Sri Lanka has begun at Buttala in Central Sri Lanka. It is three-week long joint military training exercise will be conducted in three phases. Phase 1 will be held June 22-28, 2015; Phase 2 will be held from June 28-July 5, 2015 and Phase 3 will be held from July 5 – July 13, 2015.

45. Typhoon Kujira has made landfall in south China’s Hainan island province. It is the eighth typhoon of 2015 in this South-east Asian region.

46. China has opened 2nd land border crossing in Tibet via Nathu La, Sikkim to allow the Indian pilgrims for Kailash-Mansarovar yatra.
The new route is in addition and alternative to the existing Lipulekh Pass route located in Uttarakhand which was only route earlier. This route was damaged in the devastating Uttarakhand floods in 2013.
The border crossing at Nathu La is located 4,000 metres above sea level. This route will facilitate comfortable travel for Indian pilgrims by buses compared to previous route.
By this route, pilgrims will be travel by bus to Shigatse in the Tibet Autonomous Region, around 1500 kms away from Nathula to reach their ultimate destination the Kailash–Mansarovar.
It should be noted that the opening of this route was officially announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in May 2015.

47. India has set two Guinness world records (GWR) in Rajpath yoga event held on the eve of first International Yoga Day led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Two records are Largest number of participants- 35,985 people had participated in largest yoga demonstration at a single venue i.e. Rajpath yoga event. Most number of nationalities at a single event– People of 84 nationalities performed yoga at one place. The awards were received by Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik from representatives of Guinness World Records. In this event all participants of all ages had performed various yoga exercises on the entire two-km stretch from Rafi Marg crossing near Vijay Chowk to India Gate. This mass yoga event has broken previous world record on mass yoga exercise which was set by 29,973 students from 362 schools on November 19, 2005 led by Vivekananda Kendra at Jiwaji University Gwalior. They had performed a sequence of yogic kriyas for surya namaskar simultaneously for 18 minutes. It should be noted that this record won’t appear on the GWR book till September 2016 as the deadline for this year’s book has passed.
The first International Yoga Day (IYD) was celebrated across the world on 21 June 2015. This edition of IYD was led by India and was marked by 192 countries across the globe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led thousands of participants of all ages at Rajpath yoga event. The celebrations were also held at the United Nations headquarter in New York which was led by External affair minister Sushma Swaraj. Numerous mass events were held in various cities across the world including New York London, Tokyo and Sydney. Background The idea of celebrating the International Yoga Day was pitched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2014. In December 2014, UNGA had unanimously adopted India-led resolution to observe 21st June as ‘International Day of Yoga’. This resolution was adopted under the agenda of ‘Global Health and Foreign Policy’. 21st June was selected because it represents one of the two solstices and it is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere which has special significance in many parts of the world.

48. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg from Germany has won the Austrian Grand Prix Formula One (F1) World Championship title. It is Rosberg’s eleventh overall championship title and the third win in the 2015 season. First was the Spanish Formula 1 World Championship title won on May 10, 2015 and second was Monaco Grand Prix on May 24, 2015. Nico Rosberg had also won the Austrian Grand Prix of 2014 season which was maiden win for Mercedes on this track.

49. Every year June 20 is observed as World Refugee Day to raise awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world. The theme for year 2015 is With courage let us all combine.

50. Eminent Historian-writer Ramachandra Guha has been selected for Japan’s Fukuoka Prize 2015 in n the Academic category. Apart from him Thant Myint-U (Grand Prize category) and Minh Hanh (Arts and Culture category) were also chosen for this edition of award. They have been selected for their outstanding contributions to academia, arts and culture across Asia. The awards will be presented to them on September 17, 2015 at the Fukuoka International Congress Centre. During this award ceremony Mr Guha will give a lecture on “Gandhi, India and the World”.

51. India and Tanzania have inked various agreements including for cooperation in the field of statistics, hydrography, agricultural science and tourism. These agreements were signed in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counter Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete in New Delhi.

52. Jharkhand Government has imposed a ban on the sale of thermocol plates in the state. It was announced by Chief Minister Raghuvar Das.

53. Astronomers have named a newly discovered galaxy as CR7 (COSMOS Redshift 7) after Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is famously known as CR7 after his initials and his jersey number. He had won Fifa’s Ballon d’Or award consecutively for two years in 2013 and 2014 and has scored a staggering 66 goals this season.