Daily Current Affairs and GK | 29 June 2021

Topic: Defense News

1. India successfully tested Nuclear Capable Ballistic Missile Agni-P (Prime).

• DRDO has successfully test-fired new Generation Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile Agni P from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam island of Odisha.
• The missile completed all mission objectives with a high level of accuracy.
• Various telemetry and radar stations monitored the trajectory of missile.
• Agni-P missile will help in strengthening India's deterrence capabilities.
• Agni I was successfully test-fired for the first time in May 1989. It has a range of 700-900 kilometers.
• Agni-P (Prime):
  • It is an advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.
  • Its range capacity lies between 1,000 and 2,000 km.
  • It is a canisterised missile that can be launched from rail and road and can be stored for a longer period.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

2. National Statistics Day: 29 June

• National Statistics Day is observed every year on 29 June in India.
• It is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Prof. PC Mahalanobis and to recognize his invaluable contribution in the National Statistical System.
• The theme of Statistics Day 2021 is Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)- 2 (End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture).
• The first Statistics Day was observed on June 29, 2006.
• On this occasion, the winners of Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis National Award and Prof C. R. Rao National Award for Young Statistician will be also announced.
• Mahalanobis is considered the Father of modern statistics in India. He founded the Indian Statistical Institute.

Topic: Sports

3. Max Verstappen wins Styrian Grand Prix.

• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has won the Styrian Grand Prix.
• Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished second in the Formula One championship battle.
• This was Max Verstappen’s fourth win of the 2021 Formula One season. He has won two races for the first time in a row in Formula One.
• Valterri Bottas achieved third spot ahead of Red Bull's Sergio Perez. McLaren's Lando Norris finished fifth.
• Max Verstappen competes in Formula One for Red Bull team. Lewis Hamilton competes in Formula One for Mercedes team.
• Styrian Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing event. It is held at Red Bull Ring, a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Styria, Austria. 
• Formula One championship comprises of a series of races, known as Grands Prix. Grands Prix are often named after the country they take place in.

Topic: Indian Economy

4. NCAER expects Indian economy to grow 11.5% in June quarter.

• National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) expects Indian economy to grow 11.5% in June quarter.
• NCAER expects that Indian economy will grow in the range of 8.4-10.1% in FY22 over a negative base.
• As per NCAER, India needs expansionary fiscal policy to put the economy on a sustainable growth path.
• In its latest quarterly review of the economy on Friday (25 June), NCAER said that contractionary fiscal policy in FY21 will delay economic recovery. 
• As per NCAER, India’s fiscal deficit is being reduced sharply from 9.2% of GDP in FY21 to 7.2% in FY22.
• NCAER said that expenditure in 2021-22 budget was reduced from Rs 35.1 trillion in 2020-21 to Rs 34.8 trillion in 2021-22.
• Expansionary fiscal policy means increased spending and tax cuts by government to increase aggregate demand and economic growth. 

Topic: National News

5. President to lay foundation stone of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar cultural centre in Lucknow.

• President Ram Nath Kovind will lay the foundation stone of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar cultural centre in Lucknow. He is on a five day visit to Uttar Pradesh.
• Ambedkar culture centre will be developed by the culture ministry of state. It will have a 750 seated auditorium, library, picture gallery, museum, multipurpose hall, dormitory, and other basic facilities.
• The government has allocated 45.04 crores for this project. It will have a grand statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.
• It will be spread over 3 acres and will help in promoting art and culture in the state. It will be the second such cultural center after Ambedkar Memorial Park in Lucknow.
• Dr. B R Ambedkar:
  • Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer.
  • He is considered the chief architect of the Constitution of India.
  • He was the first Law Minister of India.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Indian Economy

6. Government planning to develop a rating system for MSMEs.

• The Central government is planning to develop a financial rating system for upcoming micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
• This new rating system will help banks in making credit judgments for MSMEs borrowers.
• The rating will depend upon the annual turnover, goods and services tax (GST) records, income tax records, exports, and the credentials of a company.
• Profitability and the quality of the balance sheet of a company will be also one of the factors of their ranking.
• Ministry of MSME is developing a single-point portal for delivery of all the services offered by the government to small businesses.
• MSMEs play a vital role in the growth of the Indian economy. It contributes about 30% to India’s gross GDP.

Topic: International News

7. Swedish PM Stefan Lofven resigns after losing no-confidence vote.

• Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Lofven resigned after losing no-confidence vote. He is the leader of the Social Democrat party.
• He lost the confidence vote because Left Party withdrew its support from the government.
• If Speaker Andreas Norlen fails in finding a new Prime Minister, then election will be held in September 2022.
• Stefan Lofven formed the minority coalition government in 2018 with the support of small centre-right parties and the Left Party.
• Sweden has constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government.
• The Prime Minister heads the government in Sweden. The executive power of the government is vested in Prime Minister.

Topic: Sports

8. Indian shooter Rahi Sarnobat wins Gold at ISSF World Cup shooting.

• India’s Rahi Sarnobat clinched gold medal in the women’s 25m pistol event at the ISSF shooting World Cup.
• She is the first Indian to win one silver and two bronze medals in the ongoing tournament. She scored 591 out of a maximum of 600 in the qualifying stage.
• France's Mathilde Lamolle won silver medal with score of 31 in the final. Russian Vitalina Batsarashkina won bronze medal with 28 points.
• Indian shooter Manu Bhaker finished at 7^th position.
• This is the last competition before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
• ISSF World Cup 2021 is being held in Osijek, Croatia.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Miscellaneous

9. European Space Agency to hire first disabled astronaut.

• The European Space Agency will hire and launch the world’s first physically disabled astronaut. It received 22000 applicants for this recruitment call.
• ESA is developing technologies for para-astronaut. It will give a message to the world that ‘Space is for everyone’.
• European Space Agency is facing tough competition from private players and other space agencies for launching commercial satellites.
• Amazon founder Bezos will become the first man to go into space on his own rocket in July 2021.
• European Space Agency:
  • It is an intergovernmental organization of 22 member states.
  • It was established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris.
  • It is dedicated for the exploration in space.

Topic: Important Days

10. International Day of the Tropics: 29 June

• 29 June is every year observed as International Day of the Tropics.
• International Day of the Tropics aims to promote tropical regions on Earth. It also aims to increase awareness about the conservation strategies.
• ‘State of the Tropics Report’ was introduced by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2014 on June 29.
• Two years later, UN General Assembly adopted resolution and announced 29 June as International Day of the Tropics.
• As per the ‘State of the Tropics Report 2021’, the theme for International Day of the Tropics this year is The Digital Divide in the Tropics.
• The Tropics account for 40% of the world’s total surface area. They are host to approximately 80% of the world’s biodiversity.
• The Tropics have about 95% of the world’s mangrove forests by area and 99% of mangrove species.

Topic: Books and Authors

11. Chief Justice of India N V Ramana release a book titled "Anomalies in Law and Justice".

• Chief Justice of India N V Ramana has released a book titled "Anomalies in Law and Justice".
• The book is written by former Supreme Court Judge Justice (retd) R V Raveendran.
• The book explains deficiencies in law that need to be overcome.

Topic: Sports

12. Shafali Verma becomes youngest Indian to make debut in all formats.

• Opener Shafali Verma has become youngest Indian cricketer to make debut in all formats.
• She took 17 years and 150 days to make her debut in all formats.
• She has become fifth youngest cricketer overall in the list of all format debuts. The list is topped by Afghanistan's Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Topic: International News

13. Philippines included in FATF grey list.

• Philippines has been included in grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has released its grey list of jurisdictions that will be subjected to increased monitoring.
• In addition to Philippines, Haiti, Malta, and South Sudan have also been added to grey list.
• Now, these jurisdictions will be required to submit progress reports to the FATF thrice a year.
• Philippines was removed from black list of FATF in 2005. It was previously included in FATF’s blacklist in 2000. 
• FATF grey list is the list in which jurisdictions under increased monitoring are placed. If a jurisdiction is placed under increased monitoring, this means that jurisdiction is committed to resolve strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes.
• Jurisdictions under FATF grey list actively work with FATF to address strategic deficiencies in their regime to fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
• FATF black list is the list of countries judged by FATF as non-cooperative in global fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

Topic: Appointments

14. NDDB’s executive director, Meenesh Shah given additional charge of its Chairman.

• National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)'s executive director, Meenesh Shah has been given additional charge of its Chairman for six months.
• He took over additional charge effective from June 1, 2021 after Varsha Joshi’s tenure ended on May 31, 2021.
• Meenesh Shah is member secretary of Indian National Committee (INC) of International Dairy Federation (IDF).
• Meenesh Shah is also a member of the standing committee on dairy policy and economics of International Dairy Federation (IDF).
• National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was founded in 1965. It is headquartered in Anand, Gujarat. It is a statutory body. Mother Dairy is its subsidiary.

Topic: Appointment

15. Attorney General KK Venugopal tenure extended for one year.

• The government has extended the tenure of Attorney General K K Venugopal by one more year. Now, his tenure will end on June 30, 2022.
• In 2020, Attorney General K K Venugopal’s tenure was extended for one year.
• He was appointed as the 15^th Attorney General of India in 2017.
• Attorney General of India:
  • He is the chief legal advisor of the government.
  • He is appointed by President under the Article 76 of the Indian Constitution.
  • He has the right to speak or to take part in the proceedings of the Indian Parliament.