Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 and 13 June 2022

Topic: Space and IT

1. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre headquarters in Ahmedabad.

• Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre headquarters will promote private investment and innovation in the space sector.
• The government has started many reforms in the space sector and opened it up to the private sector.
• IN-SPACe will allow non-government private entities to use the facilities of the Department of Space. It will also ensure more participation of Private players in the space sector.
• A total of 10 MoUs were exchanged in the presence of PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah.
• Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre is an independent nodal agency under the Department of Space.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

2. NCPCR launched an app to help in the rehabilitation of children living on the street.

• The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched a “CiSS application” under the Baal Swaraj portal.
• It will help in the rehabilitation process of Children in Street Situations (CiSS).
• NCPCR has launched the Bal Swaraj Portal for online monitoring and digital real-time monitoring of children in need of care and protection.
• It is a first-of-its-kind initiative in India to help children in street situations.
• The CiSS application will be used to receive data of children in street situations from all the states and union territories. It will also track the rescue and rehabilitation process.
• NCPCR was established as the statuary body by the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

3. Agriculture Minister unveiled Anocovax, the country's first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine for animals.

• It is developed by a Haryana-based company- ICAR-National Research Centre for Equines (NRC).
• Both the Delta and Omicron versions of SARS-CoV-2 are neutralized by the immunity induced by Anocovax.
• The vaccine, which is safe for dogs, lions, leopards, mice, and rabbits, contains inactivated SARS-CoV-2 (Delta) antigen with Alhydrogel as an adjuvant.
• The minister also launched the 'CAN-CoV-2 ELISA kit,' a sensitive and specific nucleocapsid protein-based indirect ELISA kit for antibody detection against SARS-CoV-2 in canines.
• Surra ELISA kit was also launched, which is a suitable diagnostic assay for 'Trypanosoma evansi' infection in multiple animal species.
• Additionally, an Equine DNA parentage testing kit was also launched, for parentage analysis among horses.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR):
  • It is the apex body for coordinating, guiding, and managing research and education in agriculture.
  • It works under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  • Its headquarters is in New Delhi.

Topic: Important Days

4. International Albinism Awareness Day 2022: 13 June

• Every year on June 13th, the International Albinism Awareness Day is commemorated.
• It is celebrated to spread awareness about albinism and to protect the human rights of people with albinism.
• The theme of International Albinism Awareness Day 2022 is “United in making our voice heard.”
• The United Nations Human Rights Council declared June 13 to be International Albinism Awareness Day in 2014.
• Albinism is a genetically inherited, non-contagious disease characterized by a lack of melanin in the skin, eyes, and hair.
• Due to the lack of melanin in the eyes, many people often have a permanent visual impairment.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. 12th WTO Ministerial Conference will be held from 12-15 June in Geneva after five years.

• The Indian delegation was led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
• Kazakhstan will co-host the conference, which will be led by Mr Timur Suleimenov, Kazakhstan's President's Deputy Chief of Staff.
• The WTO's response to the pandemic, negotiations on fisheries subsidies, and agriculture problems such as public stockholding for food security are the main topics of discussion and negotiation during this year's conference.
• India has been a founding member of the WTO since January 1, 1995, and a member of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) since July 8, 1948.
• WTO is a 164-member multinational organization that develops rules for worldwide exports and imports and settles trade disputes between countries.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: National Appointment

6. R Subramaniakumar appointed as MD & CEO of RBL Bank.

• RBI has given its approval for the appointment of R Subramaniakumar as MD and CEO of RBL Bank for a tenure of three years.
• Under Section 35B of the Banking Regulation Act 1949, Subramaniakumar's tenure will begin on the date of his taking charge.
• R Subramaniakumar has worked in the banking industry for over 40 years.
• RBL Bank:
  • It is a Mumbai-based Indian private sector bank. It was earlier known as Ratnakar Bank. 
  • It was founded in August 1943.

Topic: International News

7. UNGA has adopted an India-sponsored resolution on multilingualism.

• The resolution mentions the Hindi language for the first time.
• The UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed resolution on 11 June 2022.
• It urges the UN to continue spreading communications and messages in official and non-official languages, including Hindi. 
• India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Trimurti said that for the first time, Hindi language has been mentioned in such a resolution.
• Apart from this, Bengali and Urdu languages ​​have also been mentioned for the first time in the resolution.

Topic: Sports

8. Saanapathi Gurunaidu won Gold medal at the IWF Youth World Championships in Leon, Mexico on 12 June 2022.

• Saanapathi Gurunaidu is an Indian weightlifter. Saanapathi Gurunaidu won the medal in the men's 55 kilogram event.
• Vijay Prajapati and Akansha Kishor Vyavhare won silver medals on the opening day of the event. They are also Indian weightlifters.
• Vijay finished second in the Men's 49 kilogram event.
• Akanksha won the medal in the Women's 40 kilogram category.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

9. Union Minister Jitendra Singh to release second edition of the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment 2021 on 13^th June.

• This report has been prepared to assess states, UTs, and Central Ministries’ effectiveness in delivering online services to citizens.
• The report will also give suggestions to governments to further enhance their e-Governance service delivery systems.
• National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) was formed in 2019 by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG).
• NeSDA 2021 has covered seven sectors- Finance, Labour & Employment, Education, Local Governance & Utility Services, Social Welfare, Environment and Tourism sectors.
• The portals assessed were classified into two categories- State / UT / Central Ministry Portal and Services Portals.
• According to NeSDA 2021, e-Governance services have improved across the country.
• Jammu & Kashmir is on the top among the Union Territories in the ranking of Portals.
• In the Remaining States – Group A category, Kerala ranked the highest, followed by Tamil Nadu and Punjab.
• Among North-East and Hill States, Nagaland is on the top while Meghalaya and Assam are on second and third spot respectively.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

10. India and UAE to sign MoU for Cooperation in the field of Industries and Advanced Technologies.

• Union Cabinet chaired by Narendra Modi approved the proposal for signing this MoU to give a push for enhancing cooperation in the field of Industries and Advanced Technologies.
• The UAE with an investment of US$ 18 billion (Rs.1.37 lakh crore), is the eighth largest investor in India.
• UAE is the second-largest export destination for India. India exported goods worth US$ 29 billion (Rs.2.21 lakh crore) to UAE in the year 2019-2020.
• On 18 February 2022, India and the UAE signed a bilateral "Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (CEPA).

Topic: Important Days

11. World Day Against Child Labour: 12 June

• Each year, World Day Against Child Labour is observed on 12 June.
• International Labour Organization first started the day in 2002 to raise awareness about child labour.
• Its main objective is to support the worldwide movement against child labour.
• This year, "Week of Action against Child Labour” will be observed from 3-12 June.
• This day brings the attention of governments, workers’ organizations and civil society towards the plight of child labourers.
• SDG 8.7: “Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour”.

Topic: Sports

12. R Praggnanandhaa wins Group 'A' title in Norway Chess Tournament.

• Indian Grand Master R Praggnanandhaa won the Group 'A' event in the Norway Chess tournament with 7.5 points in nine rounds.
• He remained undefeated in nine rounds and wins the tournament by defeating V. Praneeth.
• R Praggnanandhaa also defeated Victor Mikhalevski, Vitaly Kunin, Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov, Semen Mutusov and Mathias Unneland.
• Recently, R. Praggnanandhaa defeated World No. 1 player, Magnus Carlsen, in an online rapid chess tournament.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Andhra Pradesh

13. Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched YSR Yantra Seva Scheme.

• He distributed 3,800 tractors and 320 combine harvesters to 3,800 Yantra Seva Centres.
• YSR Yantra Seva scheme’s main objective is to reduce the cost of farming and increase the income of farmers by providing farm machinery to them at a lower rent.
• Under this scheme, the government is planning to establish 10,750 custom hiring centres. Each centre will have harvesters worth Rs 25 lakh.
• The custom hiring centres will be run by farmer groups. The government will give a subsidy of 40% to purchase farm equipment.
• YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also inaugurated the waste-to-energy plant in Kondaveedu.

Topic: International Appointment

14. Krishna Srinivasan appointed as director of Asia and Pacific Department (APD) of IMF.

• Indian national Krishna Srinivasan will take the charge as head of the Asia and Pacific Department (APD) of the International Monetary Fund on 22 June.
• Krishna Srinivasan will succeed Changyong Rhee, whose retirement was announced on 23 March.
• He is currently serving as a Deputy Director in Asia and Pacific Department.
• International Monetary Fund:
  • It is an international organization headquartered in Washington and founded in 1945.
  • Kristalina Georgieva is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.
  • It has a total of 17 departments for policy, analytical, and technical work.