Daily Current Affairs and GK | 7 June 2022

Topic: Environment and Ecology

1. World’s first fishing cat census done in Chilika.

• This census has been conducted by Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in association with The Fishing Cat Project (TFCP).
• Chilika Lake has 176 fishing cats and this is the first estimate of the fishing cat population.
• As per the Chilika Development Authority (CDA), the census was conducted in two phases.
• Phase-I was conducted in 2021 in the north and north-eastern part of Chilika. Phase II was conducted in 2022 along the coastal islands of Chilika.
• The spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture (SECR) method has been used to analyse the data.
• Fishing cats are globally threatened and are generally found in wetlands like marshlands, mangroves and flooded forests.
• It is found in the major rivers of 10 Asian countries from Indus in Pakistan to the Mekong in Vietnam.
• Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project will soon launch a fishing cat action plan.

Topic: International Appointments

2. Bajram Begaj has been elected as the new President of Albania.

• Bajram Begaj has held the post of Chief of General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF).
• Ilir Meta is the name of the outgoing president of Albania. Ilir Meta will be in office until July 22, 2022.
• Bajram Begaj will take oath as new President on July 25, 2022.
• Albania:
  • It is a country in Southeastern Europe.
  • It lies on Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Its capital and largest city is Tirana. Edi Rama is its Prime Minister.

Topic: Sports

3. India achieved second position at Bolat Turlykhanov Cup at Almaty in Kazakhstan.

• India won 12 medals including six golds, one silver, and five bronze medals.
• Out of six gold medals, five were won by women. Iran won the highest number of medals (14).
• Sarita Mor won her first gold medal of the 2022 season in 59 kg. Manisha won her first gold in seniors in 65 kg.
• All the Indian medalists from the 2022 Bolat Turlykhanov Cup are listed in the next table.

• 2022 Bolat Turlykhanov Cup is a wrestling event. It was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan between 2 and 5 June 2022.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Miscellaneous

4. Garuda Aerospace has selected Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its brand ambassador.

• Dhoni will also be a shareholder in Drone startup Garuda Aerospace.
• Garuda Aerospace is a Chennai-based startup. Its drone manufacturing facilities were inaugurated by PM Modi in February.
• Garuda Aerospace is one of the four drone startups that had been selected by Swiggy for a pilot project.
• Garuda Aerospace is developing low-cost drone solutions. It is a ‘drone-as-a-software’ aggregator.

Topic: Defence

5. India conducted a successful test launch of the Intermediate-Range Agni 4 Ballistic Missile.

• Agni-4 has been successfully launched from APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
• The test was part of the routine user training launches conducted by the Strategic Forces Command.
• System reliability and operational parameters were validated during the launch.
• The successful test confirms India's policy of having a "Credible Minimum Deterrence" capability.
• Agni-I, Agni-II and Agni Prime are medium-range ballistic missile. Agni-III, Agni-IV are intermediate-range ballistic missile. Agni-V is an intercontinental ballistic missile.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. Finance Minister has launched the Single Nodal Agency Dashboard.

• During the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav of the Ministry of Finance's Iconic Week Celebrations in New Delhi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Single Nodal Agency (SNA) Dashboard.
• The SNA Dashboard is part of a major public financial management reform that was launched in 2021 with regard to the way funds are released, distributed, and monitored for Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS).
• This revised procedure, now known as the SNA model, requires each state to identify and designate a Single Nodal Agency for each scheme.
• All funding for that State in a specific scheme will be credited to this account, and all expenses will be paid from this account by all other Implementing Agencies involved.
• The SNA model ensures that money for centrally sponsored schemes is allocated to states in a timely manner and after meeting various stipulations.
• The Union Finance Minister has also unveiled the Department of Expenditure's Training Modules.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

7. Indian Army Contingent took part in “Ex Khaan Quest 2022”.

• It is a multinational joint exercise hosted by Mongolia. It is also a multinational peacekeeping exercise.
• It started in Mongolia on 06 June 2022. Military contingents from 16 countries are taking part in this exercise.
• Mr. Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, the Hon’ble President of Mongolia, inaugurated the Exercise.
• The 14-day exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability and sharing of best practices between the Armed Forces of participating nations.
• A contingent from the LADAKH SCOUTS is representing the Indian Army.
• LADAKH SCOUTS is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is nicknamed the "Snow Warriors" or "Snow Leopards".

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

8. Amit Shah inaugurated the National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI) on the 7th of June 2022 in New Delhi.

• He inaugurated NTRI as a part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• NTRI will be a premier national-level institute. It will become the nerve-center of tribal concerns, issues and matters.
• It will monitor projects of Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs). It will provide policy inputs to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• It will also provide policy inputs to State Welfare Departments.
• It will design studies and programs that support socio-economic aspects of tribal lifestyles.

Topic: National News

9. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched the ‘Leaders in Climate Change Management’ Program.

• The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and World Resources Institute (WRI) India jointly launched the ‘Leaders in Climate Change Management (LCCM)’ program.
• Its main objective is building capacity among urban professionals to lead climate action initiatives.
• The Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Mysuru, signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NIUA and WRI India for this face-to-face learning program.
• The LCCM program has been designed and implemented in partnership with the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Indian School of Business (ISB).
• The online learning will be hosted on the National Urban Learning Platform (NULP). The LCCM program has four phases.
• WRI India:
  • It is an independent charitable organization legally registered as India Resource Trust.
  • It focuses on building sustainable and liveable cities and working towards a low carbon economy.
• National Institute of Urban Affairs:
  • It is one of the most reputed national think tanks for urban planning and development in India.
  • It provides solutions for the challenges of Urbanizing India and pave way for making cities more inclusive and sustainable.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Punjab

10. Punjab government to ban single-use plastic from July.

• The central government has decided to ban single-use plastic from 1 July.
• The manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastics will be prohibited from 1st July 2022.
• The ban on single-use plastic will be imposed to make Punjab greener and healthier. Punjab has set a target of planting 1.20 crore saplings this year.
• Punjab Government will also give Shaheed Bhagat Singh Punjab State Environment Award for outstanding contribution towards environment protection and conservation of natural resources.
• The Punjab government will also launch Climate Action Plan 2.0 to reduce carbon emissions.
• Rahul Tewari, Secretary, Science, Technology and Environment also released a coffee table book titled “Threatened Flora and Fauna of Punjab”.
• Himachal Pradesh government also announced to ban single-use plastic from July.
• Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the country to ban plastic envelopes.

Topic: Defence

11. A joint training exercise SAMPRITI-X begins in Bangladesh.

• Military exercise ‘SAMPRITI-X’ between India and Bangladesh is being conducted at Jashore Military Station in Bangladesh from 05 June to 16 June 2022.
• ‘SAMPRITI-X’ is a bilateral defence cooperation exercise to strengthen and widen the aspects of interoperability and cooperation.
• The Indian contingent is being represented by a Battalion of the DOGRA Regiment.
• The exercise will culminate with a joint Counter-Terrorism Operation. It will help both armies in gaining experience from each other.
• Sampriti Exercise started in 2009. The last edition of this exercise was held in 2020 in Meghalaya.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

12. NCC’s ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’ concluded on 5 June.

• The latest phase of the nationwide flagship ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’ was conducted from 30 May 2022 to 5 June 2022.
• Around 74000 cadets from 10 states and 4 Union Territories participated in this campaign.
• Puneet Sagar Abhiyan was launched by NCC to clean Sea Shores/Beaches.
• In this campaign, waste collected was disposed of in an environment-friendly manner in cooperation with Government/ Private agencies.
• The main aim of the campaign is to increase awareness about the importance of keeping the beaches and riverfronts clean.
• National Cadets Corps:
  • It was formed under the National Cadets Corps Act 1948.
  • Its aim is to give military training to the youths from high and higher secondary schools, colleges and universities.
  • Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh is the 34^th Director-General of the National Cadets Corps.

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

13. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated Sant Kabir Academy and Research Centre in Uttar Pradesh.

• Sant Kabir Academy and Research Centre has been established at Sant Kabir Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.
• President Ram Nath Kovind pays homage to Kabir at his 'Samadhi sthal' in Maghar.
• He said that when India was facing foreign invaders at that time Kabir spread the message of love, devotion and harmony.
• Sant Kabir:
  • He was born in the 15^th century in Kashi (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh).
  • His works were written in the Hindi language.
  • He had a tremendous influence on the Bhakti movement through his work.
  • His two-line couplets are known as 'Kabir Ke Dohe'.

Topic: National Appointments

14. MD and CEOs’ appointments of three public sector banks have been approved by Appointments Committee of Cabinet.

• Swarup Kumar Saha has been appointed as MD and CEO of Punjab & Sind Bank for three years.
• Swarup Kumar Saha will replace S Krishnan. Saha is Executive Director at Punjab National Bank.
• A Manimekhalai has been appointed as MD and CEO of Union Bank of India for three years.
• A Manimekhalai will replace G Rajkiran Rai. She is Executive Director at Canara Bank.
• Ajay Kumar Srivastava has been appointed as MD and CEO of Indian Overseas Bank for three years.
• Ajay Kumar Srivastava will take place of Partha Pratim Sengupta. Srivastava is Executive Director at Indian Overseas Bank.