Daily Current Affairs and GK | 8 June 2024

Topic: National Appointments

1. Kamal Kishore Soan took over the additional charge of Director General of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).

• Kamal Kishore Soan took over additional charge on 31 May 2024.
• Kamal Kishore Soan is an IAS officer from Jharkhand cadre.
• Kamal Kishore Soan is currently serving as an Additional Secretary and Director General, Labour Welfare in the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
• Employees' State Insurance Corporation:
  • It was founded in 1952.
  • It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
  • It was set up under the ESI Act 1948 for the implementation of the ESI scheme.

Topic: Personality in News

2. AJT Johnsingh passed away in Bengaluru.

• He is a renowned wildlife field biologist and one of India's first wildlife conservationists.
• His groundbreaking research on elephants in the early 1980s had a key role in the development of Project Elephant by the Indian government.
• Additionally, he had organised a global symposium that brought experts on elephants from all over the world to Tamil Nadu's Mudhumalai Wildlife Sanctuary.
• In addition, he was a member of the Tiger Conservation Authority and the National Wild Life Board.
• He was an Indian vertebrate ecologist from Tamil Nadu.

Topic: International News

3. Pakistan, Denmark, Greece, Panama, and Somalia have been elected non-permanent UN Security Council members.

• Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia are elected to the UN Security Council.
• These five countries' terms will start on January 1, 2025. They have been elected by a secret ballot in the UN General Assembly.
• These five countries will replace Mozambique, Japan, Ecuador, Malta, and Switzerland.
• Pakistan has been elected for the 8th time as a non-permanent member.
• Somalia got 179 votes, and Pakistan got 182 seats in the two seats reserved for African and Asia-Pacific countries.
• In the Latin American and Caribbean States, Panama got 183 votes, while in the Western European and other States, Denmark got 184 votes and Greece got 182.
• The United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France are the five permanent members of the UNSC.
• Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia were elected non-permanent members in 2023.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

4. CSC SPV and the Ministry of Agriculture signed a MoU to convert 10,000 FPOs into CSCs.

• As per the MoU, 10,000 FPOs will be converted into CSCs. FPOs registered under the ‘Formation & Promotion of 10,000 FPOs Scheme’ will be transformed into CSCs.
• CSC SPV will enable them to provide the services that are available on the Digital Seva Portal.
• CSC will help in the training and capacity building of FPOs.
• Delivery of CSC services through FPOs will increase employment opportunities in rural areas.
• The “Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)” scheme was launched by the Central Government in 2020.
• It was launched to increase the income of farmers and reduce the cost of production.
• This initiative will give a new dimension to the movement toward rural development and digital empowerment in the country.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

5. Air Quality Monitoring System and Air-Pravah App have been launched by the government.

• Secretary MeitY S Krishnan inaugurated the Indigenous Air Quality Monitoring System (AQ-AIMS) and launched the ‘Air-Pravah’ App on the occasion of World Environment Day.
• It is an outdoor air quality monitoring system that will monitor environmental pollutants including PM 1.0, PM 2.5, PM 10, SO2, NO2, O3, CO, CO2, etc.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said that the developed system will help in providing different clearances.
• It has been developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Kolkata in collaboration with TeXMIN (ISM, Dhanbad) and industry partner J M Envirolab Pvt Ltd.
• It has been developed under the ‘National Programme on Electronics and ICT Applications in Agriculture and Environment (AgriEnIcs)’.
• This system is being commercialized by the ToT partner M/s J M Envirolab Pvt Ltd.
• ‘Air-Pravah’ app has been launched by the AQ-AIMS for real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) monitoring.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

6. Households spent most on ‘beverages, refreshments and processed food: Consumption expenditure survey 2022-23.

• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022–23.
• In rural and urban areas, Household consumption expenditure on ‘beverages, refreshments and processed food’ was most common among food items in 2022–23.
• In rural areas among all major states, Haryana spent the most on'milk and milk products’ with 41.7% of the total expenditure.
• In urban areas, Rajasthan has spent the most on'milk and milk products’ at 33.2 per cent, followed by Haryana (33.1%) and Punjab (32.3%).
• Kerala spent the most on ‘egg, fish & meat’ at 23.5 per cent.
• Among major states, ‘Beverages, processed food’ share was highest in total food consumption.
• Tamil Nadu is in the first position on expenditure on beverages and processed food.
• In rural India, the household expenditure on ‘beverages, refreshments, and processed food’ was about 46 percent.
• It was followed by milk and milk products (8.33 per cent) and vegetables (5.38 per cent).
• The share of cereals and cereal substitutes was 4.91 per cent of the total consumption spending.
• In rural India, the highest share of monthly per capita expenditure on ‘conveyance’ among non-food items was recorded in Kerala (18.9%).

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

7. Major advancements in India-UAE digital payments revealed at Dubai Conclave.

• Recently, the Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) in Dubai, in collaboration with representatives from NPCI and RBI, showcased significant advancements in digital payments and currency settlement mechanisms.
• The conclave was held in an effort to enhance economic cooperation and facilitate seamless cross-border transactions.
• Held at the Taj Dubai, the conclave served as a showcase for the Local Currency Settlement (LCS) framework, which was a major outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's earlier this year visit to the UAE.
• Leveraging the stability of the Indian Rupee and advanced digital payment technologies, this cross-border settlement mechanism will not only reduce transaction costs but also enhance financial transparency and convenience.
• It aims to create a seamless financial ecosystem that benefits both businesses and consumers and fosters deeper economic ties between nations.
• RuPay cards are now accepted in the UAE via the Mercury payment gateway, and UPI payments are possible via Mashreq Bank.
• The upcoming RuPay stack, named “JAYWAN” in the UAE, is scheduled to launch in July 2024, with further enhancements planned in October 2024.

Topic: Economy/ Banking

8. For the first time, King Charles currency notes enter circulation.

• The Bank of England has asked people to return old banknotes bearing the image of Queen Elizabeth II as new banknotes bearing the image of King Charles III will come into circulation in Britain.
• With this, King Charles III has now become the second British monarch to appear on Bank of England notes.
• Only the image of King Charles III is different in the new notes, but other details remain the same.
• In December 2022, the images of notes depicting King Charles were first released, after Queen Elizabeth II died in September of that year.
• New banknotes will be printed only to replace old notes, and to meet the overall increase in demand for banknotes.
• People can exchange their old notes. For this, people will have to exchange old notes worth up to £300 for new notes from 5 June to 30 June.
• The old banknotes bearing the image of Queen Elizabeth II will remain valid and will remain in circulation alongside the new notes.

Topic: Banking System

9. A Digital Payments Intelligence Platform will be set up by RBI to tackle digital payments frauds.

• The announcement was made by Governor Shaktikanta Das during the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on June 7.
• RBI has continuously implemented measures to promote digital payments and ensure their security to maintain consumer confidence.
• But despite these efforts, the rise in digital payment fraud points to the urgent need for a comprehensive system-wide approach to prevent and mitigate such problems.
• The Payments Intelligence Platform will facilitate network-level intelligence and real-time data sharing across the digital payments ecosystem.
• This will enhance the ability to detect and respond to fraudulent activities quickly and effectively.
• To take this initiative forward, RBI has constituted a committee headed by former NPCI MD and CEO AP Hota.  
• Various aspects of setting up the platform will be examined by the committee to ensure that it meets the requirements and effectively secures the digital payments landscape.

Topic: Important Days

10. World Oceans Day 2024: 8 June

• Every year on June 8, World Oceans Day is celebrated.
• The day is celebrated to highlight the role of the oceans in sustaining life on Earth and to inspire action to preserve it.
• The theme of World Oceans Day 2024 is ‘Awaken New Depths’.
• The United Nations (UN) declared 8th June as World Oceans Day in 2008.
• The idea of celebrating World Oceans Day was first proposed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• In 1973, the International Marine Organization was formed to deal with problems like pollution from ships, garbage in the ocean, and air pollution from ships.

Topic: Space and IT

11. Information about India-France Trishna mission provided by ISRO.

• On the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, ISRO provided details about its collaborative effort with the French National Space Agency CNES for the upcoming TRISHNA mission.
• TRISHNA stands for “Thermal Infrared Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resources Assessment.”
• TRISHNA is designed to monitoring of Earth's surface temperature, emissivity and biophysical and radiative variables for surface energy budget from regional to global scales.
• The mission addresses critical water and food security challenges, focusing on the impacts of human-induced climate change and efficient water resources management through evapotranspiration monitoring.
• The primary objectives of Trishna include detailed monitoring of the energy and water budgets of the continental biosphere to quantify terrestrial water stress and water use, and high-resolution observations of water quality and dynamics in coastal and inland waters.
• Additionally, Trishna's secondary objectives will also help in comprehensive assessment of urban heat islands, detection of thermal anomalies associated with volcanic activity and geothermal resources.

Topic: Sports

12. 'Hitman' Rohit Sharma made multiple records as a batsman and captain during the T20 World Cup 2024 opener match.

• On June 5, Rohit completed 600 sixes in international cricket during the clash between India and Ireland in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
• In addition, Rohit surpassed MS Dhoni as the 'captain' with most wins for India in T20 cricket.
• Dhoni has led the team to 41 wins in 73 T20Is (excluding Super Over wins), while Rohit won 42 wins in 55 T20Is as captain.
• Rohit's win percentage (77.29) is also higher than Dhoni's (59.28). On the other hand, Virat Kohli has registered 30 wins in 50 T20Is as captain (win percentage 60).
• With 46 victories in 81 games, Pakistan's Babar Azam tops the list overall, but having a much lower win percentage than Rohit.
• During this match, the Rohit also became the second player after Virat Kohli to score 4000 runs in all three formats.
• Rohit has 4001 runs in T20s, 10,709 in ODIs and 4137 runs in Tests. Kohli has 4038 runs in T20s, 13,848 in ODIs and 8848 runs in Tests.
• In this match, Rohit also completed 1000 runs in the T20 World Cup.

Topic: National News

13. Prerana Sthal is being developed by Lok Sabha Secretariat.

• In the Parliament House Complex, the Lok Sabha Secretariat is developing Prerana Sthal.
• The statues of great leaders and freedom fighters of the country are being installed at this place.
• Earlier, these statues were installed at different parts of the Complex.
• Prerana Sthal is being developed in such a way that visitors coming to visit the Parliament complex can easily see the statues.
• At this Prerana Sthal, arrangements will be made to provide detailed information to visitors through modern technology.
• These statues of great leaders will inspire people from their lives and philosophy.
• After the construction of the new Parliament Building, an action plan has been made for the beautification of the Parliament Complex.
• The Parliament House Complex is under the jurisdiction of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

14. NCLT approved the merger of Air India and Vistara.

• The National Company Law Tribunal, Chandigarh Bench, has approved the merger of Tata Sons-owned Air India with Vistara.
• Both airlines can start integrating their networks, human resources, and fleet deployments.
• The merger has resulted in the creation of one of the world’s largest airline conglomerates.
• As per the deal, Singapore Airlines will own a 25.1 % stake in Air India.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had already approved the merger in September 2023.
• Vistara is a joint venture of Tata Sons Private Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA).