Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 June 2024

Topic: National Appointments

1. Pema Khandu took the oath as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third time.

• Pema Khandu becomes Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third time in a row.
• Chowna Mein also took the oath as the Deputy Chief Minister.
• The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Dorjee Khandu Convention Hall.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Kiren Rijiju, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attended the oath ceremony.
• BJP has won 46 seats in the 60-member Assembly. Pema Khandu is one of the 10 candidates who won unopposed.
• The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won three seats, the the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) won two seats and the Congress won one.
• Pema Khandu became CM for the first time in 2016. He became chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the fifth time.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

2. World Day Against Child Labour: 12 June

• World Day Against Child Labour is observed every year to increase awareness and mobilise efforts to end child labour in all its forms.
• The theme of this year’s World Day Against Child Labour is Let’s act on our commitments: End Child Labour.
• According to the United Nations, nearly 16 crore children are victims of child labour all over the world. 
• The focus of this year’s day is on celebrating the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999).
• 160 million children (one in ten children worldwide) are still engaged in child labour.
• In the percentage of children in child labour and the absolute number of children in child labour, Africa ranks highest among regions.
• Asia and the Pacific ranks 2nd highest in both of these measures.

Topic: Personality in News

3. Amol Kale died due to cardiac arrest in New York.

• He was Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president.
• He had travelled to United States. He watched the India vs Pakistan match live from the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
• During his tenure, Mumbai also won the Ranji Trophy.
• In 2022, Kale was elected as the MCA president. He won against World Cup champion Sandeep Patil.

Topic: Indian Economy

4. A growth of 5% has been recorded in India’s IIP for April 2024 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

• In April 2023, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growth rate was 4.6%.
• The growth rate of mining sector for April 2024 over April 2023 was 6.7% according to the data released by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• The growth rate of manufacturing sector for April 2024 over April 2023 was 3.9%.
• For the same period, electricity sector recorded a growth of 10.2%.
• Based on use-based classification, primary goods, infrastructure or construction goods and consumer durables were the top three contributors to the growth of IIP.
• On a month-on-month basis, the industrial output growth has decreased to a three-month low.
• The IIP slowed to 5% in April, in comparison to 5.4% in March and 5.6% in February 2024.

Topic: Indian Polity

5. First session of the 18th Lok Sabha will begin from June 24.

• The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will be held from June 24 to July 7 for the swearing-in of the newly elected members or confirmation of their offices.
• On June 27, the 264th session of the Rajya Sabha will commence and conclude on July 3.
• In the first three days of the first session, the newly elected leaders will take an oath or confirm their membership in the Lok Sabha and elect the Speaker of the House.
• On June 27, a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will be addressed by President Draupadi Murmu and outline the roadmap for the new government for the next five years.
• The Indian Constitution, specifically Article 87, grants the President the power to address the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha at the start of the first session following each general election and at the start of the first session of the year.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Art and Culture

6. A 500-year-old stolen bronze statue will be returned to India by Oxford University.

• Britain's prestigious Oxford University has agreed to return to India a 500-year-old bronze statue of a saint, which is believed to have been stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu.
• On March 11, 2024, the Indian High Commission's claim for the return of a 16th-century bronze statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum was supported by the Council of the University of Oxford.
• The decision will now be presented to the Charity Commission for approval.
• The Ashmolean Museum of the University of Oxford acquired the 60-cm-tall statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar in 1967 from Sotheby's auction house in 1967 from the collection of a collector named Dr. J.R. Belmont (1886-1981).
• Additionally, in August 2023, a limestone-carved sculpture originating from Andhra Pradesh and a “Navaneetha Krishna” bronze sculpture originating from Tamil Nadu dating back to the 17th century were handed over to the Indian High Commissioner to the UK.
• Opened in 1683, the Ashmolean is the University of Oxford's museum of art and archaeology, is the oldest public museum in Britain.

Topic: National Appointments

7. Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) has appointed Abhijit Kishore, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Vodafone Idea, as new chairperson.

• He has been appointed for the 2024-25 term, effective from June 2024.
• Rahul Vatts, Chief Regulatory Officer (CRO) of Bharti Airtel, will be the Vice Chairman of COAI.
• Key developments in India’s telecom industry in 2023 include following.
  • The nationwide rollout of 5G and Telecommunications Act 2023
  • The unveiling of the Bharat 6G Vision
  • The promotion of renewable energy through the Green Energy Open Access initiative
  • The abolition of the Wireless Operating License
  • The launch of the Chakshu application
• COAI is the leading industry body for telecom, Internet, technology and digital services companies.
• It was constituted in 1995 as a registered, non-governmental society.
• It represents India’s top telcos Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vi.

Topic: Sports

8. India will host men’s Junior Hockey World Cup in 2025.

• The tournament will be organised in December. Its last edition was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2023.
• For the first time, a Hockey Junior World Cup will include 24 teams.
• In 2023, Germany became winner with a 2-1 win over France.
• In 2023, Spain and India were at the third and fourth places respectively.
• In the past, India hosted the tournament three times in 2013 (New Delhi), 2016 (Lucknow) and 2021 (Bhubaneswar). India won the 2016 edition.

Topic: Science and Technology

9. Researchers have developed portable atomic clock to offer accurate timekeeping at sea.

• A new study published in Journal Nature introduced a different kind of portable optical atomic clock that can be used onboard ships.
• This is the most performant optical clock based at sea and represents a significant advancement in optical timekeeping.
• Atomic clocks are a critical component of a Global Positioning System (GPS).
• The researchers conducted initial tests of atomic clocks at sea at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in April 2022.
• Optical atomic clocks are more accurate. It uses coherent light to achieve higher accuracy in two main ways.
• Strontium (Sr) is the most common atom used in optical atomic clocks.
• Atomic clocks use atoms to measure time. The most popular design of atomic clock uses atoms of an isotope of caesium, Cs-133.
• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, are working on developing a strontium optical atomic clock.

Topic: National Appointments

10. Jyoti Vij has been appointed as director-general of the FICCI.

• Jyoti Vij has assumed the charge of director-general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) with immediate effect.
• Vij is currently the additional director general at Ficci. She has worked across various sectors.
• Shailesh Pathak has resigned from the post of secretary general, Ficci due to personal reasons.
• Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI):
  • It was founded in 1927 on the advice of G.D. Birla and Purshottamdas Thakurdas.
  • Its primary goal is to promote and protect the interests of Indian businesses domestically and internationally.
  • It is headquartered in New Delhi.
  • It is the largest, oldest and apex business non-governmental trade association in India.

Topic: Indian Economy

11. India growth forecast raised by World Bank for FY25 to 6.6%.

• India will remain the fastest-growing economy among the world's largest economies.
• However, the World Bank said in its June Global Economic Outlook report that the pace of its expansion is expected to slow to a steady average annual growth of 6.7% between fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2027.
• It raised India's growth forecast by 0.2 percentage points to 6.6% for FY25 and 6.7% for FY26 compared to its projection in January this year.
• However, it is much lower than the 7.2% projected by the Reserve Bank of India last week.
• The bank's report said global growth is forecast to remain stable at 2.6% this year for the first time in three years, despite geopolitical tensions and high interest rates.
• In 2024, the growth in the South Asia region is projected to slow to 6.2% and remain at a similar rate in 2025-26, mainly reflecting stable growth in India.

Topic: Personality in News

12. Sarod player Pandit Rajeev Taranath passed away at the age of 92 in Mysuru on June 11.

• Pandit Rajeev Taranath received music education from Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and dedicated his life to music.
• He was also the music director of several Kannada films, including Samskara, Pallavi, Anuroopa, Paper Boats and Agunthaka, besides Malayalam movies like Kadavu and Kanchanaseetha.
• Pandit Taranath, an eminent artist of the Senia Maihar Gharana, was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2019 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000.
• In Karnataka, he was awarded the Rajyotsava Award in 1996, Chowdaiah Memorial Award in 1998, Sangeet Vidwan Award in 2018 and the Nadoja Award in 2019.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

13. India slipped to 129th place on the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap index.

• India secured 129th place by slipping two places in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Index.
• Iceland retained its top position in the rankings, followed by Finland, Norway, New Zealand, and Sweden.
• India is one of the countries with the lowest levels of economic parity. India showed the best gender parity in terms of enrolment in secondary education.
• India ranked 65th in terms of political empowerment of women.India has closed 64.1% of its gender gap in 2024.
• India’s position has declined from 127th to 129th due to declines in 'Educational Attainment' and 'Political Empowerment,' parameters.
• ‘Economic Participation and 'Opportunity' parameter scores have improved.
• In this ranking, the U.K. was ranked 14th, while the USA was in 43rd place.
• In South Asia, India was ranked fifth after Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, while Pakistan was ranked last.
• Sudan is in the last position on the Global Gender Gap Index of 146 countries.

Topic: National Appointments

14. Mohan Charan Majhi became the new Chief Minister of Odisha.

• BJP leader Mohan Charan Majhi has taken oath as Chief Minister of Odisha at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar.
• Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida have also become deputy chief ministers.
• Mohan Charan Majhi is a four-time MLA from Keonjhar in Odisha. He was elected in 2000, 2004, 2019, and 2024 from Keonjhar in Odisha.
• Mohan Majhi was also a member of the SC/ST Standing Committee, formed under the Orissa Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services (for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Act.
• In the Assembly election, the BJP won 78 out of 147 seats. Biju Janata Dal has won 51 seats, while INC has won 14 seats.
• Naveen Patnaik served as the 14th Chief Minister of Odisha from March 5, 2000, to June 12, 2024.
• His reign was the second longest as chief minister of any Indian state, after Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim.