News detail on 4 June 2021

World Bicycle Day 2021 – June 3

United Nations(UN)’s World Bicycle Day is annually observed across the globe on 3rd June to create awareness about the importance and benefits of riding bicycles.
The UN declared the 3rd June as World Bicycles day to highlight the benefits of cycling and to acknowledge the versatility, uniqueness and longevity of the two-wheeler

United Nations and Bicycles:

The UNGA has welcomed various initiatives to organise bicycle rides at the national and local levels to strengthen physical and mental health and well-being and the growing culture of cycling in society.

Benefits of Bicycle:

i.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), safe infrastructure for cycling and walking will support to achieve health equity.

ii.Cycling reduces the risks of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, diabetes among others.

iii.Cycling and walking are the key part of the mobility solution to help the cities dissociate population growth from increased emissions.

Spice Health won the Gold Stevie Award 2021

Gurgaon based Spice Healthcare Pvt. Ltd(SpiceHealth), the healthcare arm of Spicejet launched in 2020, won the Gold Stevie Award 2021 for ‘Most Valuable Medical Innovation’ at the 2021 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards under the Covid-19 response category. Stevies is a Greek word for ‘crowned’.

• SpiceHealth was the first organisation to introduce the concept of mobile testing laboratories in remote areas in containment zones and in villages with no access to hospitals and medical facilities.
• The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only business award program to recognise innovation in the workplace across 29 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
• The winners of the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards 2021 will be honoured at a virtual award ceremony on 14th July 2021.

Hong Kong’s Tsang Yin-Hung became the Fastest Female Climber to Reach the Peak of Mount Everest

Tsang Yin-Hung from Hong Kong broke the record and became the fastest female climber to reach the peak of Mount Everest, she scaled the peak in 25 hours 50 minutes, (the shortest time taken by any woman).

• She beat the record set by Nepali woman Phunjo Jhangmu Lama in 2017, who climbed Everest in 39 hours and 6 minutes. In 2017, Tsang became the 1st Hong Kong woman to reach the peak.

i.Arthur Muir, 75, became the oldest American to climb the Mount Everest – at 8,848.86-metres (29,031 feet). Muir beat the record set by Bill Burke, who became the oldest American to climb the mountain at the age of 67 in 2009.

ii.Nepal has issued a record 408 Everest permits for the 2021 climbing season as 2020’s season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Adar Poonawalla Becomes Chairman Of Magma Fincorp

Mumbai-based non-banking finance company Magma Fincorp Limited has appointed Adar Poonawalla as the Chairman of the company.
Key points:
 i.Adar Poonawalla is currently the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Serum Institute of India, the maker of Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine in India.
ii.Adar Poonawalla controlled Rising Sun Holdings (RSH) by acquiring the controlling stake through an equity infusion of Rs.3,456 crore.
iii.The rebranding of Magma Fincorp Limited as a Poonawalla Group firm is underway.

Justice Arun Kumar Mishra Appointed as the Chairperson of NHR

Former Justice of Supreme Court, Arun Kumar Mishra appointed as the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India. He was appointed as the Chairperson for a period of 3 years.

He succeeds Justice Prafulla Pant, who has been serving as the interim Chairperson of NHRC. Before Prafulla Pant, former Chief Justice of India (CJI), H L Dattu served as the Chairperson of NHRC & retired from the post on December 2020.

About National Human Rights Commission (NHRC):

• After amending the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 in 2019, the eligibility criteria for the post of chairperson of NHRC and state human rights commissions were revised.
• With this amendment, Justice/Former Justice of Supreme Court can also be appointed as the chairperson of NHRC. Before this amendment, Chief Justice of India (CJI) can only be appointed as the chairperson of NHRC.

Isaac Herzog Elected as the 11th President of Israel

Veteran politician Isaac Herzog, the former Labor Party leader elected as the 11th President of Israel in a secret Ballot held in the Knesset, Parliament of Israel.

• He will replace the outgoing President Reuven Rivlin on 9th July 2021.
• He will be serving as the 11th President of Israel for a period of 7 years.

Note: Isaac Herzog won against Miriam Peretz with the support of 87 lawmakers in the 120 member house. Miriam Peretz received 27 votes.

About Isaac Herzog:
i.Isaac Herzog, son of former President Chaim Herzog who served as the President between 1983 and 1993. ii.He started his career as the Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Ehud Barak between 1999 and 2000.
iii.He has served as a lawmaker in Knesset between 2003 and 2018.

Tennis: Novak Djokovic won his 83rd Career Title at 2021 Belgrade Open

Novak Djokovic, a Serbian tennis player won his 83rd Career Title by defeating Alex Molcan Slovak tennis player at the 1st Edition of 2021 Belgrade Open Singles final held at the Novak Tennis Center, Belgrade, Serbia on 29th May 2021. 2021 Belgrade Open:

• The Belgrade Open part of the Association of Tennis Professionals(ATP) Tour 250 Tennis Tournament.
• 2021 Belgrade open is an outdoor clay courts tournament.
• Belgrade Open 2021 is the first edition of the event created due to the one-week delay of the 2021 French Open. • Belgrade Open was established in 2021 and organised with a single year licence in 2021.

Doubles Title: Jonathan Erlich and Andrei Vasilevski, Israeli-Belarusian team won the doubles title at the Belgrade open by defeating Sweden’s Andre Goransson and Rafael Matos.

About Novak Djokovic: i.Novak Djokovic has won a total of 83 ATP singles titles which includes 18 Grand Slam singles titles, five ATP Finals titles, and a joint-record 36 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles tie with Rafael Nadal. ii.Novak Djokovic was ranked World No 1 by the ATP in July 2011.

Achinta Sheuli Bags Silver at 2021 World Junior Weightlifting Championship

Indian weightlifter Achinta Sheuli from West Bengal has bagged a silver medal in the men’s 73kg category at the International Weightlifting Federation’s Junior World Weightlifting Championships 2021 held at Tashkent, Uzbekistan as well as he broke three national records. Sheuli lifted a total of 313 kg, 141kg in snatch and then 172kg in clean and jerk At the gold level qualifying event for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

Salman Rushdie Authored a New Book Titled “Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020”

Indian Born British Writer Salman Rushdie has authored a new book titled “Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020” a collection of nonfiction essays, criticism and speeches with a focus on his view and imaginations of the change in literature and culture written between 2003 and 2020. The book was published by Penguin Random House.
About the Book:
i.The book provides the analytical views of the author on the evolution of literature and culture.
ii.He explores the work of authors from Shakespeare and Cervantes to Samuel Beckett, Eudora Welty, and Toni Morrison mean to him.

Govt Revised the Target year to Achieve ‘20% Ethanol-Blending to Petrol’ to 2023 from 2025

To reduce India’s dependence on costly oil imports, the government (govt) has brought forward the target year for achieving 20 percent ethanol-blending with petrol by 2 years to April 2023 from 2025. It was reported by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG).

Background:

i.In 2020, the govt had set a target of reaching 10 percent ethanol-blending by 2022 (i.e. mixing 10 percent of ethanol with 90 percent of gasoline) and 20 percent by 2030 under the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme (EBP).
ii.In January 2021, the govt brought forward the plan of achieving 20% ethanol-blending with gasoline by 2025 (5 years ahead of its previous target) and now it has been further advanced to April 2023.

Note – India is the 3rd biggest oil importer in the world and relies on foreign suppliers to meet more than 80 percent of demand.

Reasons behind Ethanol Blending:

i.As the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel, resulting in fewer emissions and thereby reducing the occurrence of environmental pollution.
ii.The renewable ethanol content, a by-product of the sugar industry, will reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC).

NITI Aayog’s SDGs India Index 2020-21; Kerala Tops Among State, Chandigarh Tops Among UTs

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) released the 3rd edition of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index and dashboard for 2020–21 in New Delhi.

• Report Title: ‘SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020–21: Partnerships in the Decade of Action’.
• The index was launched by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar along with other members.
• State-Wise Top Rank: Kerala has retained its rank as the top state with a score of 75 and Bihar has been adjudged as the worst performer.
• Union Territories (UTs) Top Rank: Chandigarh topped among the UTs, followed by Delhi, Puducherry. Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu has been adjudged as the worst performer.

Top Fast-Moving States:

i.Front-Runner (65–99): 12 more States/UTs joined in the Front-Runner category in 2020–21. (2018- only 10 states were under Front-Runner) Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Punjab, Haryana, Tripura, Delhi, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
ii.In terms of improvement in score from 2019, Mizoram, Haryana, and Uttarakhand became the top gainers in 2020–21, with an increase of 12, 10 and 8 points.

Cabinet Approvals on June 2, 2021

Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on June 2, 2021 has approved the following,

• Model Tenancy Act to unlock vacant houses for rental purposes
• Signed & Ratified Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Mass Media with SCO Members
• MoC between India & Japan in the field of sustainable urban development
• MoU between India and Argentine Republic in the field of Mineral Resources
• MoU between India and Maldives in the field of sustainable urban development

Cabinet Approves Model Tenancy Act to unlock vacant houses for rental purposes:

Cabinet Approves the Model Tenancy Act.It will provide the much-required boost to Rental Housing in India.The Act was approved for circulation to all States / Union Territories for adaptation by way of enacting fresh legislation or amending existing rental laws suitably.

Objective – It aims at creating a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive rental housing market in the country. It will enable creation of adequate rental housing stock for all the income groups thereby addressing the issue of homelessness.

Cabinet Signed & Ratified Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Mass Media with SCO Members:

Union Cabinet had Signed & Ratified Agreement on “Cooperation in the field of Mass Media” between all the Member States of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Objective – To share the best practices and new innovations in the field of mass media.

Cabinet Approval with Foreign Countries:

Cabinet Approves the MoC between India & Japan in the field of sustainable urban development:

Cabinet Approved the signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Government of Japan in the field of Sustainable Urban Development inline with the existing MoU of 2007 on Urban Development.

Validity – The MoC is valid for the 5 years & it may extend for the next 5 Years.

Objective – To create employment opportunities in the areas of sustainable urban development, including Urban Planning, Smart Cities Development, Affordable Housing, (including rental housing), Urban Flood Management, Sewerage and Waste Water Management, Urban Transport (including Intelligent Transport Management System, Transit-Oriented Development and Multimodal Integration) and Disaster Resilient development.

Cabinet Approves MoU between India and Maldives in the field of sustainable urban development:

Union Cabinet approves the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Government of Maldives on cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Development.

Objective – To create employment in the areas of sustainable urban development.

Benefits:

It will create employment in areas including, Urban Planning, Smart Cities Development, Solid waste management, Affordable housing, Urban Green Mobility, Urban Mass Rapid Transport, Smart Cities Development.

Agriculture Ministry signs MoU with 4 Institutions for Pilot Projects

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoU’s) with 4 Organisations for implementing digital infrastructure projects using Kisan Database on Pilot basis for a period of one year.

4-Organisations & Projects:

i.Patanjali Organic Research Institute – Agriculture Management & Farmer Service in 3 districts (Haridwar- Uttarakhand, Hamirpur- Uttar Pradesh and Moraina- Madhya Pradesh).
ii.Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Creating Digital Innovative Ecosystem in the Agriculture value chain
iii.ESRI India Pvt. Ltd – Setting up of “National Agriculture Geo Hub”
iv.Agribazar India Pvt. Ltd – Partner with Pilot Projects of Department of Agriculture in 3 states – Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan

A Report Titled ‘One year of INDIAai’ Released

‘National AI Portal'(https://indiaai.gov.in) celebrated its first anniversary. A report titled ‘One year of INDIAai’ was released and a new look of the website homepage was also unveiled at a virtual event attended by nearly 400 participants and dignitaries.

• National AI Portal -A joint initiative by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and NASSCOM.
• It was launched on May 20, 2020.It has been serving as a central hub for AI related news, learning, articles, events and activities.

AIRINC Global 150 Cities Index – Manama tops in Financial Attractiveness Ranking for 3rd Consecutive time

Manama, the Capital city of Bahrain topped the AIRINC Global 150 Cities Index for Financial Attractiveness ranking for the 3rd consecutive time. Indian Cities of New Delhi & Mumbai were the only two to be listed in the Index.

i.Indicators used for calculating Financial Attractiveness – Salary levels, Cost of Living, and Taxes in a particular market
ii.Seven cities from the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region were among the Top 16.
iii.Notably, Bahrain also topped in different indicators among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as per the InterNations Expat Insider 2021 survey

“Global Pandemic Radar” a Pathogen Surveillance Network by UK

Prime Minister of United Kingdom (UK), Boris Johnson, announced plans to develop an advanced international pathogen surveillance network called “Global Pandemic Radar” with the collaboration of the World Health Organization(WHO) to identify the emerging COVID-19 types and diagnose new diseases worldwide.

• This announcement was made before the ahead of the Global Health Summit hosted by Italy and the EU.

Objective – Early detection of new variants of COVID-19 and other emerging pathogens before they cause future pandemics and enabling the rapid development of vaccines, treatments, and tests.

Microsoft Launched The First Ever Asia-Pacific Cybersecurity Council

Microsoft has launched the first ever “Asia Pacific Public Sector Cyber Security Executive Council”. Aim: The council aims to accelerate public-private partnerships in cybersecurity and share threat intelligence by,

• Building strong communications channel to address cyber threats and

• Sharing best practices among participating countries.

Functions of Council

i.Council was set up to build a strong coalition and to strengthen cyber security defense.

• As these countries experience 1.6 times higher malware attacks and 1.7 times higher ransomware attacks as compared to other countries.

ii.Council will meet virtually on a quarterly basis to continuously exchange information on cyber threats and related cybersecurity solutions.
iii.They will learn from Microsoft security certification training, hands on lab sessions and dedicated workshops to improve digital skills of the workforce.

Goa Govt Constitutes State Planning Body “GIFT”;CM of Goa appointed as Chairman of GIFT

The Goa government has notified the formation of Goa Institution for Future Transformation (GIFT), a state planning body modelled on the lines of the Centre’s NITI Aayog to ready the state for challenges ahead.The Chairman of GIFT will be the Chief Minister(CM) of Goa (Current CM – Dr. Pramod Sawant).

About GIFT:

i.It will be backed up with Article 309 of the Constitution of India for attaining autonomy.
ii.GIFT was earlier named as “State Institution for Transforming Goa (SIT-Goa)”. Functions:

• The functioning of GIFT is to be on par with the NITI Aayog.
• It will assist, advise and guide the government on policy making, its formulation and implementation.
• It will also help in monitoring sustainable development goals and evaluation of several development plans, programmes and schemes.

Paytm To Launch India’s Largest IPO, Aims To Raise $3 Billion

Digital payments provider Paytm is going to launch its Initial Public Offering (IPO) and raise about $3 billion (around Rs 21,800 crore) , which would be India’s largest IPO debut ever.

• Paytm backed by Softbank commonly called One97 Communications Private Limited has targeted around $25 Billion to $ 30 Billion from an IPO.It is 1.5-1.8 times the current valuation of $16 billion.

• Paytm IPO will break the record of Coal India Limited IPO offering which raised more than Rs 15000 crore that was launched in 2010.

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