Daily Current Affairs and GK | 6 June 2024

Topic: Space and IT

1. In the first-ever crewed flight, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are the first people to fly to space in a Boeing Starliner.

• Indian-Origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams made history by being the first female pilot of a newly developed human-rated spaceship.
• On June 5, 2024, the crew was launched from Space Launch Complex-41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to board the Atlas V rocket of United Launch Alliance.
• The maiden flight with humans was scheduled for May 7. But it was postponed first of a helium leak, and then because of a problem with the ULA's ground power supply.
• This is the third try, and 90% of the weather was ideal for the launch.
• Williams will be the pilot and Butch will be the commander of the flight.
• The two will spend almost a week at the International Space Station before riding the reusable crew spacecraft back to Earth.
• The goal of the Starliner mission is to transport goods and crew to low Earth orbit and beyond for upcoming NASA missions.

Topic: International News

2. The world's first EV battery passport will be issued by Volvo ahead of EU regulations.

• The world’s first EV battery passport will be launched by Volvo Cars, recording the origin of raw materials, components, recycled content and carbon footprint for its flagship EX90 SUV.
• Volvo, owned by China's Geely (GEELY.UL), developed the passport in partnership with UK startup Circular.
• Circular uses blockchain technology to map supply chains for companies and took more than five years to develop.
• Battery passports will become mandatory for electric vehicles (EVs) sold in the EU from February 2027, showing information including the battery’s composition, the origin of key materials, their carbon footprint and recycled content.
• The introduction of the passport, nearly three years before the regulation comes into effect, is aimed at bringing transparency to car buyers, as automakers aim to produce only full-electric cars by 2030.
• Production of the EX90 SUV with Battery Passport is set to begin soon at Volvo's plant in Charleston, South Carolina, and will be delivered to customers in Europe and North America from the second half of the year.

Topic: Indian Economy

3. The PMI showed that services sector growth fell to a five-month low in May.

• According to a survey, India's services activity growth fell to a five-month low in May as strong domestic demand weakened.
• It also showed that exports were growing at a record pace and job creation reached a 21-month high.
• The final HSBC India Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) compiled by S&P Global fell to 60.2 last month from 60.8 in April.
• A reading of above 50 on the survey-based index indicates expansion in activity levels.
• However, new orders from international markets rose at their fastest pace in nearly 10 years.
• Survey participants saw strong growth in demand from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
• Since August 2022, the hiring activity among the 400 firms surveyed for the index rose to the greatest extent, as they picked up more junior and mid-level workers in May.
• Furthermore, the manufacturing PMI also fell to a three-month low in May, making the overall private sector growth in India the slowest since December 2023.
• The HSBC India Composite Output Index fell to 60.5 in May from 61.5 in April.

Topic: Geography

4. Indonesia's Ibu volcano explodes twice and hot lava comes out.

• On June 6, Indonesia's Mount Ibu volcano erupted again, spewing glowing red lava into the night sky.
• The first explosion occurred at 1:30 a.m. local time, and the second explosion occurred at 7:46 a.m. for two minutes, spewing volcanic ash as high as 1,200 metres (4,000 ft).
• The volcanic activity on June 6 was the latest in a series of eruptions since May.
• Also on May 13, the 1,325-metre-high (4,347 ft) Ibu volcano erupted. Ibu volcano is on the remote island of Halmahera in Indonesia.
• Indonesia, which has about 127 active volcanoes, lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
• Ibu is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, having erupted more than 21,000 times in 2023.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

5. PM Modi launched ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ Campaign on World Environment Day.

• To celebrate World Environment Day, the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ Campaign has been launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• PM Modi planted a peepal tree sapling at Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi.
• He has also urged all to contribute to making our planet better and more informed.
• This campaign urged people to plant a tree as a tribute to their mother.
• India has lost approx 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000.
• Madhya Pradesh has the highest forest cover by area followed by Arunachal Pradesh.
• Mizoram has the highest forest cover in terms of percentage of total geographical area.
• As per the latest ISFR 2021, the total forest cover of the country is 7,13,789 square kilometres. It is 21.71% of the geographical area of the country.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. A comprehensive survey for MSMEs has been launched by the Department of Telecommunications.

• This survey will identify and address the challenges faced by MSMEs in adapting to new technologies.
• It aims to lay the groundwork for a robust ecosystem that leverage the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT), the artificial intelligence (AI), the cloud computing, and the integration of 5G and 6G networks.
• The survey will be carried out over a period of 60-days.
• It will cover five sectors each in North and South India. It will reveal sector-specific needs across at least ten industries.
• The survey’s findings will shape policy interventions aimed at improving MSME’s competitive positioning and survivability.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. Defence Accounts Department has signed MoUs with four banks.

• These four banks are Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank.
• Defence Accounts Department, Ministry of Defence will onboard them as System for Pension Administration Raksha (SPARSH) Service Centres. 
• The MoUs will provide last-mile connectivity to pensioners.
• The MoUs will provide connectivity especially in remote areas where they do not have technical wherewithal to log on to SPARSH.
• These Service Centres will become an interface for pensioners for SPARSH.
• SPARSH is an initiative of the Ministry of Defence. It aims to provide comprehensive solution to the defence pensioners.

Topic: National Appointment

8. Sushil Kumar Singh has been appointed Chairman of Deendayal Port Authority (formerly known as Kandla Port) by the government.

• He is the Joint Secretary looking after Ports/PPP and PHRD in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• He replaced S. K. Mehta, who stepped down in April after completing a five-year tenure.
• The appointment of Singh will last until January 31, 2027, or until further orders.
• Sushil Singh is a 1993 batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), one of the Group 'A' Central Engineering Services of the Indian Railways.
• Deendayal Port Authority operates India's second largest government-owned commercial port in terms of operations.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. C-DOT won United Nations WSIS 2024 “Champion” Award.

• The United Nations WSIS 2024 “Champion” award presented to the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) for the project “Mobile-enabled Disaster Resilience through Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting”.
• It is recognized under AI, C-7, e-Environment in the category of ‘Benefits in all aspects of life – e-Environment’.
• C-DOT is the premier telecom R&D centre of the Government of India.
• International Telecom Union (ITU) had conducted the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum 2024, a High-Level Event in Geneva, Switzerland from 27th May - 31st May, 2024.
• The WSIS Forum recognized C-DOT’s Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting Platform project for its outstanding contribution towards strengthening the implementation of WSIS findings and underlined C-DOT’s commitment to leveraging technology for societal impact.     
• C-DOT's mobile-enabled Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting platform is an end-to-end solution for near real time delivery of life-saving emergency information to mobile phones through cellular networks.
• This indigenous, low-cost and automated system has made it possible to provide geo-targeted multiple hazard alerts with multi-language support, thereby improving the overall efficiency of disaster risk management activities.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Science and Technology

10. Fire rescue assistive drone has been developed by IIT Dharwad.

• A fire rescue assistive drone has been developed by a team of teachers and students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dharwad.
• The team was led by Professor Sudhir Siddapureddy and Professor Ameer Mulla with funding from Tihan Foundation, IIT Hyderabad (NMICPS, Government of India).
• The first fire rescue assistant drone was unveiled and demonstrated during a two-day workshop on 'Drone Design and Autonomous Navigation in Fire Rescue' (DDANFR 2024).
• On May 31 and June 1, it was organised by the Fire and Thermal Research Laboratory (FTRL) and the Control Systems and Robotics Laboratory, IIT Dharwad.
• The new drone is designed for the fire protection community and takes into account the challenges of designing a drone that is small enough to operate in indoor spaces and able to withstand high temperatures.   
• This will help in fire safety management in crowd places such as railway stations, malls and pilgrimage sites.

Topic: State News/ Haryana

11. A project worth Rs 10,000 crore will be launched by the Haryana government to tackle air pollution.

• On June 3, Haryana Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad said the state government would soon launch a Rs 10,000 crore World Bank-funded project to tackle air pollution.
• Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development will be implemented in a phased manner in the state.
• Its first phase will be implemented in the districts falling in the National Capital Region (NCR) and later it will be implemented in the entire state.
• This ten-year comprehensive project will be funded by the World Bank.
• Under this project, efforts will be made to eliminate the problem of air pollution.
• The initial phase involves improving Haryana's air quality monitoring infrastructure.
• This includes setting up of a state-of-the-art laboratory and modernisation of four existing laboratories.
• Additionally, a dedicated programme management unit will be set up to monitor the implementation of the project.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

12. India’s first biosphere within a tiger reserve has been created in the Rajaji National Park.

• Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana have been working on a project to create India’s first biosphere within a tiger reserve.
• Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB) is a 35-acre private forest within the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand.
• Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana and their team conducted extensive surveys to identify suitable native plant species, especially those rare or disappearing in the region.
• The first phase of the plantation was started in 2023 with approximately 80 species.
• In the upcoming monsoon season, an additional 35 to 40 new species in the biosphere will be planted.
• Jai and Vijay are also working on creating a second biosphere in Western Ghats.

Topic: Indian Polity

13. NOTA created a new record in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

• For the first time in the electoral history of the country, NOTA has received 2 lakh 18 thousand votes.
• BJP candidate Shankar Lalwani from Indore created history by winning by about 7 lakh votes.
• Of the total voters, 14 per cent opted for 'None of the Above'.
• In 2019, Bihar's Gopalganj had created a record of 51,660 NOTA voters.
• In the 2019 general elections, 65,14,558 (1.06 per cent) of the total 61,31,33,300 votes were polled for NOTA.
• After the order of the Supreme Court, NOTA was introduced in 2013.