Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 June 2020

1. 40^th GST Council meeting concluded through video conferencing

• The 40^th meeting of the GST Council was concluded through video conferencing.
• The meeting was chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
• In this meeting, the topic of lack of revenue to the council and compensation to the states was discussed.
• Goods and Services Tax Council:
  • It is a constitutional body.
  • This body makes recommendations to the Central and State Government on issues related to Goods and Services Tax.
  • This council is headed by the Union Finance Minister.
  • It is described under Article 279A of the Indian Constitution.

(Source: News on AIR)

2. India Rankings 2020 for Higher Educational Institutions was released by Ministry of Human Resource Development

• Recently India Rankings 2020 for Higher Educational Institutions was released by HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
• IIT Madras holds the overall ranking as well as the first position in engineering.
• Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad is the highest in management category followed by Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
• The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, remains the highest in the medical category for the third consecutive year
• Miranda College ranks first among colleges for the third time in a row.
• Maulana Azad Institute of Dental College ranks first in the field of dental. Dental institutions were first included in the India Ranking 2020.
• The National Institutional Ranking Framework has provided this ranking based on several parameters such as teaching, learning, resources, research and business practice etc.

(Source: PIB)

3. Indian Railways created a new world record by running the first high-rise double stack container train

• Recently created a new world record by successfully running the first double stack container train in high rise in Over Head Equipment electrified territory.
• Indian Railways has tested this container service in the electrification sector of Western Railway.
• It was successfully operated from Palampur and Botad railway stations in Gujarat.
• This is the first of its kind in the world, it will also promote ambitious campaigns like Green India.

4. Government gave advice for import and maintenance of foreign living species in the country

• Recently, the government has issued advisories for import and maintenance of foreign living species in the country.
• Exotic living species are those species of animals or plants that are moved from their place of origin to a new place.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has decided to collect stock information from the holders of such species by providing voluntary information over the next six months.
• The database of exotic animals will help in the control and management of animal diseases.
• Also, guidance will be available from time to time to ensure the safety of animals and humans.

5. 95^th annual plenary session of Indian Chamber of Commerce held in Kolkata

• Recently the 95^th annual session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce was held in Kolkata.
• The theme of this session was People, Planet and Profit.
• The 95^th annual plenary session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce was addressed by the Prime Minister through video conference and he has called for the opportunity to transform the challenges posed by COVID-19 to make India self-reliant.
• Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC):
  • It is currently one of the most active and pioneer divisions in the country.
  • It was founded in 1925.
  • It is headquartered in Kolkata.

(Source: News on AIR)

6. Eminent Soil Scientist Rattan Lal was awarded the World Food Prize

• Recently the noted Indian-American soil scientist Rattan Lal has been awarded this year's World Food Prize.
• He has been given this award for conserving natural resources and increasing food production that mitigates climate change and develops a soil-centric approach.
• Rattan Lal will receive a prize of $ 2.5 million.
• Rattan Lal is a professor at the prestigious University of Science and the founding director of the Center for Carbon Management and Victory at Ohio State University.
• World Food Prize:
  • It is an international award given to individuals who advance human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.
  • They were founded in 1986 by General Foods Corporation.

(Source: News on AIR)

7. Madhya Pradesh government gave Divyang Anganwadi workers the status of Corona warriors

• Recently, the Madhya Pradesh government has given the status of Corona warriors to Divyang Anganwadi workers.
• The Madhya Pradesh government has taken this decision in view of the significant contribution of Divyang Anganwadi workers during the ongoing Corona crisis in the state.
• They are distributing nutritious food from door to door of the beneficiaries. They are also advising people to avoid corona infection.
• Madhya Pradesh:
  • Madhya Pradesh ranks second in terms of area in the country after Rajasthan.
  • The state capital is Bhopal.
  • The Chief Minister is Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Governor is Lalji Tandon.
  • The state animal of the state is Barasingha.
  • The state bird of Madhya Pradesh is the Asian Paradise Flycatcher (Dudhraj).

8. June 12: World Day against Child Labour

• World Day Against Child Labour is celebrated every year on 12 June.
• World Day against child labour 2020 focuses on the impact of the crisis on child labor.
• This year, World Day is organized as a virtual campaign and is organized in association with the Global March against Child Labour and the International Partnership for Cooperation in Child Labour in Agriculture.
• Theme 2020: “COVID-19: Protect children from child labour, now more than ever”
• The day was established in 2002 by the International Labour Organization.

9. Annual International Religious Freedom Report issued by the US Department of State

• The annual International Religious Freedom Report has recently been released by the US State Department.
• This report is prepared by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which is an independent bipartisan commission.
• It covers the status of religious freedom, religious beliefs and practices of different groups, religious sects of individuals and their religious freedom. This report is a survey of the status of religious freedom worldwide.
• Nicaragua, Nigeria and China were cited as negative examples. In China, state-sponsored repression against all religions is intensifying.
• Status of India as per the report-
  • The report noted changes in the status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Citizen Register.
  • At the same time, this report also includes ignoring issues of religiously motivated mob violence, lynching and communal violence.
  • Apart from this, the report has taken note of Supreme Court’s Babri Masjid verdict and the restrictions of some women entering the Sabarimala temple in 2018.

10. NITI Aayog supported imposition of border adjustment tax on imports

• Recently, the NITI Aayog has supported imposition of border adjustment tax on imports.
• The purpose of this tax is to provide an equal opportunity to domestic industries.
• This suggestion has been taken in view of the United States and China trade tensions.
• The border adjustment tax is one such tax, in addition to the customs duty to be charged at port entry, it is proposed to be levied on imported goods.
• It is a fiscal measure.

11. QS World University Rankings was released

• Recently the 17^th edition of the QS World University Rankings has been released.
• It is an annual publication of university rankings by the British company Quacquarelli Symonds, which ranks higher educational institutions around the world on the following 6 grounds-
  • Academic reputation
  • Employer reputation
  • Faculty Student Ratio
  • Citations Per faculty
  • International Faculty Ratio
  • International Student Ratio
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA has topped this ranking.
• India has three institutes in the top 200, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (172) followed by the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (185) and IIT Delhi (193). However, all three institutions have fallen in their rankings compared to last year.

12. Nature Index 2020 compiled by Nature Research released

• The Nature Index 2020, compiled by Nature Research, has been released recently.
• The Nature Index is a database of information on published research articles from an independently selected group of 82 high-quality science journals. This database is compiled by Nature Research.
• The Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing topped the Nature Index 2020 Annual Tables List.
• There are also three institutes of the Department of Science and Technology among the top 30 selected institutions in India.
• The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science Kolkata ranks 7^th, Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru at 14^th and SN Bose National Center for Basic Sciences, Kolkata at 30^th.
• In this list, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is ranked 160^th and Indian Institute of Science Bangalore is at 184^th position.