Daily Current Affairs and GK | 23 June 2021

Topic: Important Days

1. International Olympic Day: 23 June

• International Olympic Day is celebrated every year on June 23 across the world.
• The theme of this year’s International Olympic Day is – “Stay healthy, stay strong, stay active with the Olympic Day workout on June 23.”
• The day is also celebrated to increase participation in sport regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.
• Olympic Day is celebrated to mark the anniversary of establishment of the International Olympic Committee. The three pillars of Olympic Day are move, learn and discover.
• The first Olympic Day was commemorated on 23 June 1948. It was celebrated by nine countries.
• The International Olympic Committee was formed on this day in 1894. It is the apex authority for organizing the Olympic Games.
• Tokyo Olympics  is scheduled to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021. The first Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

2. India and Fiji signed MoU for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.

• An MoU has been signed between India and Fiji for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.
• The signing of MoU will further strengthen the cooperation between the two countries.
• The MoU will help in the cooperation in the fields of Dairy Industry Development, Rice Industry Development, Water Resources Management, Coconut Industry Development, Food Processing Industry Development, etc.
• The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of the Republic of Fiji will be the executing agencies of the MoU.
• A Joint Working Group will be established to achieve the objective of the MoU.
• India and Fiji share a friendly and cordial relationship. Both countries have strong cultural and people-to-people ties.

Topic: Defence

3. State-of-the-Art Canopy Severance System for fighter aircraft developed.

• State-of-the-Art Canopy Severance System (CSS) for fighter aircraft developed at Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune.
• The CSS has been developed in association with High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune for indigenously developed LCA Tejas and Trainer Aircraft, HJT-36 Aircraft and HTT-40 Aircraft.
• It provides safe passage by pre-weakening/severing the canopy to facilitate the smooth escape of the pilot in the shortest possible time.
• It operates on the principle of controlled propagation of detonation using explosive mechanical energy.

Topic: Miscellaneous

4. Upasana Kamineni, Director of Apollo Hospitals, named as “Ambassador of Forest Frontline Heroes”.

• Upasana Kamineni, Director of Apollo Hospitals, has been named as “Ambassador of Forest Frontline Heroes” by WWF India.
• The naming as “Ambassador of Forest Frontline Heroes” aims to appreciate the efforts of frontline workers in hospitals and the wildlife protection space.
• WWF India or World Wide Fund for Nature-India was founded in 1969. It is headquartered in New Delhi. Mr. Arvind Wable is the President of WWF India.

Topic: Defense News

5. Indian naval ships and US NAVY participating in Passage Exercise.

• Indian Navy ships, aircraft of Air Force and US Navy are participating in Passage Exercise in the Indian Ocean region.
• The two-day naval exercise is scheduled to be organized from 23-24 June.
• Indian Naval Ships Kochi and Teg along with P8I and MiG 29K aircraft are participating in this Naval exercise.
• From the US Navy side, US Navy Carrier Strike Group Ronald Reagan is participating in this exercise.
• The main objective of the exercise is to strengthen the bilateral relationship and cooperation between both countries.
• Advanced air defense exercises, cross deck helicopter operations, and anti-submarine exercises will be part of this naval exercise.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Corporates/Companies

6. Airtel collaborated with Tata group for implementing 5G network solutions.

• Airtel and Tata Group announced a strategic partnership for implementing 5G network solutions in India.
• Airtel will deploy this indigenous solution in a different part of India as part of its 5G rollout plans in India. It will be launched on a pilot basis from January 2022.
• This 5G network solution has been developed with the help of Tata Group. It is based on the open radio access network (ORAN) technology.
• The ORAN technology requires expertise in the integration of disparate elements of hardware and software based on an open source technology. It allows telecom operators to buy their hardware and software from multiple players.
• ORAN technology will reduce the network cost and it will be more efficient.
• Airtel is the first telecom company to demonstrate the 5G network in India.
• Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) is a member of the O-RAN Alliance, which is a global community of mobile network operators, vendors, and research and academic institutions operating in the Radio Access Network (RAN) industry.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

7. UNESCO: Great Barrier Reef should be listed in “in danger” category.

• UNESCO recommended to add the Great Barrier Reef in “in danger” category of world heritage sites. Currently, 53 sites are listed in “in danger” category of world heritage sites.
• The committee has downgraded the status of the Great Barrier Reef because of its coral decline. It said that the Australian government is not doing enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
• According to environmental activists, Australia has not taken enough steps to curb carbon emissions.
• If the recommendation gets accepted then it would be the first time a natural world heritage site to be placed in the “in danger” list due to the impact of climate.
• Australia gets tourism revenue of four million dollars every year from the Great Barrier Reef.
• UNESCO has also recommended to put seven world heritage sites on the list of endangered sites.
• Great Barrier Reef:
  • It is located in Australia. It is the world's largest coral reef system.
  • It was listed as World Heritage Site in 1981.
  • It is threatened by pollution fishing and tourism and warming ocean temperatures.

Topic: Important Days

8. United Nations Public Service Day: 23 June

• The United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated every year on 23 June.
• It is celebrated to highlight the contribution of public service in the development process all over the world and to recognize the work of public servants.
• On 20 December 2002, the General Assembly adopted 23 June as Public Service Day.
• On the occasion of Public Service Day, UN Public Service Award is given to promote and reward innovation and excellence in public services.
• The theme of this year’s Public Service Day is “Innovating the Future Public Service: New Government Models for a New Era to Reach the SDGs”.

Topic: State News/ Tamil Nadu

9. Raghuram Rajan, Esther Duflo to be part of Tamil Nadu’s Economic Advisory Council.

• Nobel laureate Esther Duflo, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, former chief economic advisor to the Union government Arvind Subramanian, economist Prof Jean Dreze will join Tamil Nadu's economic advisory council.
• Tamil Nadu Government will revive the state's economy with the help of the Economic Council.
• An expert committee consisting of industrialists, banking and financial experts, and government officials will be also set up to revive MSMEs.
• Economic Advisory Council will study the financial situation of the state and recommend changes in the policy.

Topic: International News

10. Party of Armenia’s acting PM Nikol Pashinyan wins snap parliamentary elections.

• Party of Armenia’s acting PM Nikol Pashinyan has won snap parliamentary elections.
• Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won 53.9% of the vote. Another party led by former President Robert Kocharyan stood at second place with about 21% votes.
• Acting PM Nikol Pashinyan called the early election after months of protests demanding his resignation.
• His resignation was demanded because he signed a peace deal to end fighting with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
• Nagorno-Karabakh region is located within Azerbaijan. But, it had been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces since a separatist war ended in 1994.
• The Armenia Alliance led by Kocharyan did not accept the results of election.
• Lachin corridor is a mountain pass. It links Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Armenia:
  • It is a landlocked country. It is bordered by Turkey to west, Georgia to north, Azerbaijan to the east and Iran to the south.
  • Its capital is Yerevan. Its President is Armen Sarksyan. Nikol Pashinyan is its acting Prime Minister.

Topic: Miscellaneous

11. OnePlus appoints Jasprit Bumrah as brand ambassador for wearables.

• OnePlus has appointed Jasprit Bumrah as brand ambassador for wearables.
• OnePlus Watch and OnePlus Band are included in OnePlus wearables category.
• OnePlus Technology Ltd. is a Chinese consumer electronics manufacturing company.
• Jasprit Bumrah is an Indian International Cricketer from Gujarat.

Topic: State News/Gujarat

12. Agricultural Diversification Scheme 2021 e-launched by Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani.

• Agricultural Diversification Scheme-2021 has been e-launched by Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani.
• Over 1.26 lakh farmers from 14 tribal districts of the state will be benefitted from the scheme.
• Under the scheme, fertilizer-seed assistance of Rs. 31 crores will be provided to tribal farmers.
• Under the fertilizer assistance, 45 kg of urea, 50 kg of NPK and 50 kg of ammonium sulphate will be provided.
• Seeds of crops like maize, Bitter Melon (karela), Calabash (dudhi), tomato, millet, etc will be provided.

(Source: News on AIR)