14th June, 2024

1. Recently, the 3rd Indian Analytical Congress (IAC) was inaugurated at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
2. The neurosurgery department of the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai, has acquired a state-of-the-art intraoperative Ultrasound (iUS) machine, named bKActiv,
3. Orbit Connect India, a joint venture between Reliance Industries’ Jio Platforms and Luxembourg’s SES has received approval from India’s space regulator, Indian National Space Promotion & Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to operate satellites for high-speed internet.
4. Aurionpro Payment Solutions Private Limited (Aurionpro Payments), a subsidiary of Aurionpro, has received final authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an Online Payment Aggregator under the Payments Settlements (PSS) Act, 2007, through its payments gateway brand AuroPay.
5. Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company (MOAMC) has launched the Motilal Oswal Nifty India Defence Index Fund, India’s first index fund focused on defense stocks.
6. SEBI banned SecUR Credentials, a background check company, and its managing director (MD) Rahul Belwalkar from participating in the securities market.
7. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) imposed Rs 1 crore penalty on former CNBC Awaaz news anchor Pradeep Pandya and Alpesh Vasanji Furiya, who used to appear on the channel as an investment expert.
8. Recently the Prime Global Cities Index January-March 2024 quarter of calendar year 2024 was released by London based firm nhe scientists of Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) have discovered three new craters on Mars. They have been discovered in the Tharsis volcanic region on Mars.amed Knight Frank
9. UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has recently released a report titled “Raising Ambition, Accelerating Action: Towards Enhanced NDCs for Forests”
10. The launch of ‘Missile Cum Ammunition Barge, LSAM 13 (Yard 81)’, the fifth Barge of 08 x Missile Cum Ammunition Barge project was held recently.
11. The scientists of Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) have discovered three new craters on Mars. They have been discovered in the Tharsis volcanic region on Mars.
12. The Indian Army has commenced a Pan-India motorcycle expedition named, ‘D5’ MOTORCYCLE EXPEDITION”, a journey commemorating the 25th anniversary of Indian victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War of 1999
13. Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Shri Ajit Doval, also known as ‘spymaster’ was re-appointed as the National Security Adviser (NSA).
14. Pema Khandu took oath as the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third term in a row, after being unanimously elected as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party Leader.
15. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for a fourth term.
16. Mohan Majhi new CM of Odisha,
17. FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) has recently appointed Ms. Jyoti Vij as its Director General.
18. On 9th June 2024, Narendra Modi (73-year-old), leader of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), was sworn in as the Prime Minister (PM) of India for the third consecutive term (2024 to 2029).
19. Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has written his autobiography named “I Have the Streets: A Kutti Cricket Story”.
20. The Chief Minister of Kerala Shri Pinarayi Vijayan has released the book titled “Viswasapoorvam,”, it is the Autobiography of Islamic Scholar A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar.

National News

1. The 3rd Indian Analytical Congress (IAC) inaugurated at the CSIR-IIP Dehradun
   • What: Recently, the 3rd Indian Analytical Congress (IAC) was inaugurated at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
     • It is a three-day International Conference cum Exhibition IAC-2024 being jointly
       organized by CSIR-IIP and the Indian Society of Analytical Scientists (ISAS-Delhi Chapter).
   • Aim of the conference: The conference will provide a platform for industries, academia, scientists, and technologists in the Analytical Sciences to exchange ideas and discuss the latest developments in the field of Analytical science.
   • Tell me more:
     • The theme of the conference is: “Role of Science and Technology in Green Transitions”.
       Source: PIB

2. TMC Acquires India’s First Advanced Imaging Equipment for Brain Tumor Surgery
   • What: The neurosurgery department of the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai, has acquired a state-of-the-art intraoperative Ultrasound (iUS) machine, named bKActiv,
   • Why: For complex brain tumour surgeries. This is the first installation of this advanced iUS system in India.
     Source: PIB

Banking and Economy

1. Jio Platforms gets approval to launch satellite internet in India
   • What: Orbit Connect India, a joint venture between Reliance Industries’ Jio Platforms and Luxembourg’s SES has received approval from India’s space regulator, Indian National Space Promotion & Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to operate satellites for high-speed internet.
     • Orbit Connect India, a 51:49 JV between Jio Platforms (JPL) and Luxembourg-based SES.
   • Tell me more:
     • These clearances, allow Orbit Connect to position satellites above India.
     • However, further approvals from the Department of Telecommunications are still required before the service can begin.
     • This move positions Jio-SES JV against other players in India’s satcom sector, including Bharti Enterprises-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, Elon Musk’s Starlink, and Amazon’s Kuiper.
       • Eutelsat OneWeb was the first satellite player to receive IN-SPACe authorization in November 2023 to start commercial broadband-from-space services in India.
         Source: India Today
2. Aurionpro can now operate as e-payment aggregator
   • What: Aurionpro Payment Solutions Private Limited (Aurionpro Payments), a subsidiary of Aurionpro, has received final authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an Online Payment Aggregator under the Payments Settlements (PSS) Act, 2007, through its payments gateway brand AuroPay.
     • The PSS Act, 2007 received the assent of the President on 20th December 2007 and came into force with effect from 12th August 2008.
     • Detail: The Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007, set up by the RBI, provides for the regulation and supervision of payment systems in India and designates the apex institution (RBI) as the authority for that purpose and all related matters.
       Source: Aurionpro

3. Motilal Oswal launched India’s first Nifty India Defence Index Fund
   • What: Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company (MOAMC) has launched the Motilal Oswal Nifty India Defence Index Fund, India’s first index fund focused on defense stocks.
     • An index fund is a type of mutual fund that holds all or a sample of the securities in a specific index. An index is a preset basket of stocks or bonds that represents a financial market or a segment of it.
   • This open-ended fund will track the Nifty India Defence Index.
     • The Nifty India Defence Index includes 15 companies involved in manufacturing and servicing defence projects, reflecting their market performance.

   • Over the past year, the index has achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 177% in one year, and 89.5% over three years as of May 31, 2024.
     Source: Motilal Oswal
4. SEBI bars SecUR Credentials
   • What: Recently, SEBI banned SecUR Credentials, a background check company, and its managing director (MD) Rahul Belwalkar from participating in the securities market.
   • Why: SEBI has accused the company and its MD of misusing the company’s funds for personal benefit and transferring money to the company’s directors and other entities.
     • SEBI highlighted that SecUR Credentials failed to ensure accurate and fair disclosure of financial information, including non-disclosure of an outstanding loan from its MD and inaccuracies regarding the status of its Rights Issue.
   • Tell me more
     • SecUR Credentials was previously listed on the SME platform (NSE Emerge) and moved to the mainboard in October 2022.
       Source: Live Law
     
     

5. Sebi slaps Rs 2.6-cr fine on ex-news anchor, 7 others
   • What: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) imposed Rs 1 crore penalty on former CNBC Awaaz news anchor Pradeep Pandya and Alpesh Vasanji Furiya, who used to appear on the channel as an investment expert.
   • Six others named in the case have been fined Rs 10 lakh each.
   • In addition, the regulator has barred all entities from the market for five years.
   • The investigation by the regulator found that Pradeep Pandya and Alpesh Vasanji Furiya were front-running and engaged in ‘buy-today-sell-tomorrow’ trades in ‘synchr­onisation’ with recomme­ndations.
     Source: Live Mint

Report and Indices

1. Prime Global City Index – 2024 released by Knight Frank
   • What: Recently the Prime Global Cities Index January-March 2024 quarter of calendar year 2024 was released by London based firm named Knight Frank
   • Tell me more:
     • India Specific details:

• Mumbai, with a rise of 11.5 percent in the index, recorded the third highest year-on-year (YoY) growth in prime residential prices in the January-March quarter
• Delhi and Mumbai have witnessed a surge in house prices driven by robust economic growth.

• Globally the Residential price index was recorded at 4.1 percent across the 44 cities surveyed.
• The index tracks nominal prices in local currency.
• The strong demand trend for residential properties has been led by markets of Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
  Source: News18

2. UNEP Report: Raising Ambition, Accelerating Action: Towards Enhanced NDCs for Forests
   • What: UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has recently released a report titled “Raising Ambition, Accelerating Action: Towards Enhanced NDCs for Forests”
   • Why: To highlight major gaps in forest protection, management, and restoration in current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
     • NDCs: NDCs are commitments made by countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts as part of climate change mitigation. They are updated every five years, starting from 2020.
   • Tell me more (Key Findings of the Report)
     • An average of 5.6 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent was emitted from tropical deforestation per year between 2019 and 2023 for top 20 countries.
     • Only 8 countries include explicit quantified targets to reduce deforestation and all fall short of global ambition to halt deforestation by 2030.
     • Only 38% of Parties to UNFCCC include measures to reduce conversion of forests and other ecosystems.
     • Drivers of Deforestation
       • Agriculture: It is a major cause of deforestation. E.g., Deforestation rates in Indonesia are linked to fluctuations in market prices of oil palm.
       • Land-use policies: Lack of effective and enforced land-use policies. E.g., High deforestation rates in Brazilian Amazon attributed to reduction in environmental policies.
     • Key Recommendations:
       • NDC targets should be designed with inclusivity, considering diverse needs and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
       • Emphasize on retaining primary forests rather than replacing them with planted forests.
       • Strengthening, enhancing & aligning forest-based measures mentioned in NDCs and clearly defined national policies.
         Source: UNEP

Defence News

1. Indian Navy gets fifth Missile-Cum-Ammunition Barge
   • What: The launch of ‘Missile Cum Ammunition Barge, LSAM 13 (Yard 81)’, the fifth Barge of 08 x Missile Cum Ammunition Barge project was held recently.
   • Why: The availability of these Barges would provide impetus to operational commitments of Indian Navy by facilitating Transportation.

• Tell me more:
  • Developed by: Indigenously developed by an MSME working in shipping sector named M/s SECON Engineering Projects Pvt Ltd (SEPPL), Visakhapatnam for Indian Navy.
    Source: Indian Navy
  
  

Science and Technology

1. Three craters were discovered on Mars by scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory
   • What: The scientists of Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) have discovered three new craters on Mars. They have been discovered in the Tharsis volcanic region on Mars.
     • Craters are depressions or holes on the surface of a planet, moon, asteroid, or other celestial body, typically formed by the impact of a meteoroid, asteroid, or come
   • Tell me more:
     • On the recommendation of the PRL, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature approved naming the three craters on Mars.
       • One crater has been named “Lal Crater” after Prof. Devendra Lal, a renowned Indian geophysicist and former director of PRL from 1972 to 1983.
       • The second crater has been named “Mursan crater”, Mursan is a town in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Mursan is the birthplace of the current PRL director Dr. Anil Bharadwaj.
       • The third crater is “Hilsa crater”, it is named after a Hilsa town (Nalanda District) in Bihar, India. It is the birthplace of Dr. Rajeev Ranjan Bharti, a scientist of PRL, he was part of the discovery team.

Source: The Hindu

Important Days

1. Twenty-Five Years of the Kargil War
   • What: The Indian Army has commenced a Pan-India motorcycle expedition named, ‘D5’ MOTORCYCLE EXPEDITION”, a journey commemorating the 25th anniversary of Indian victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War of 1999.
   • Three teams of eight motorcyclists each have embarked on this historic journey from three corners of the country – Dinjan in the East, Dwarka in the West, and Dhanushkodi in the South.
     • The teams will converge in Delhi on 26th June (the 25th anniversary of Vijay Diwas)
   • The expedition is being led by the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army.

Source: PIB

Appointments

1. Govt Re-Appoints Ajit Doval As NSA, PK Mishra As Principal Secretary To PM
   • What: Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Shri Ajit Doval, also known as ‘spymaster’ was re-appointed as the National Security Adviser (NSA).
     • This will be the third term of Ajit Doval as an NSA.

   • Also, the government has re-appointed Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Pramod Kumar (PK) Mishra as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
     • This will be the second term of P.K Mishra as an NSA.

   • Both appointments will be co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister or until further orders whichever is earlier.

   
   

Source: Outlook

2. Pema Khandu Takes Oath As Arunachal CM For 3rd Straight Term
   • What: Pema Khandu took oath as the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third term in a row, after being unanimously elected as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party Leader.
   • Also the BJP leader Chowna Mein took oath as deputy chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh along with 11 minsters.
   • Tell me more:
     • The BJP returned to power in Arunachal Pradesh for the third time in a row, winning 46 seats in the 60-member assembly.
     • Khandu currently is the youngest CM (37 years) of any Indian state.
       Source: NDTV
     
     
     
     

3. N. Chandrababu Naidu appointed as the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
   • What: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for a fourth term.
     • He will be replacing YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as the CM.
   • Also, Jana Sena Party president Konidela Pawan Kalyan, has been appointed as the deputy CM.
     Source: India Today
4. Mohan Charan Majhi Becomes First BJP CM Of Odisha
   • What: BJP leader Mohan Charan Majhi a tribal leader and a 4-time Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), took oath as the 15th Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha
     • He will be replacing Naveen Patnaik who served as the CM of Odisha from 2000 to 2024 (for 24 years and 98 days)
     • He became the first BJP CM of Odisha.
   • Tell me more:
     • Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida were also sworn in as the deputy CMs of Odisha during the event.
     • With this, Pravati Parida became 1st woman Deputy CM of Odisha.
       Source: Outlook

5. FICCI announces the appointment of Jyoti Vij as Director General
   • What: FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) has recently appointed Ms. Jyoti Vij as its Director General.
   • Currently, she holds the position of Additional Director General at FICCI.
     Source: FICCI

6. Narendra Modi was sworn in as the PM of India for the third consecutive term
   • What: On 9th June 2024, Narendra Modi (73-year-old), leader of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), was sworn in as the Prime Minister (PM) of India for the third consecutive term (2024 to 2029).
   • Tell me more:
     • Droupadi Murmu, President of India, administered the oath of office to PM Modi, along with 71 ministers, at a Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
     • Note: The new cabinet includes 30 Cabinet Ministers, 5 Ministers of State (MOS) with independent charge, and 36 Ministers of State.
     • 18th Lok Sabha Election Result(2024): BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won the 2024 Lok Sabha general election with 293 seats. The opposition won a total of 234 seats out of 543.
     • PM Narendra Modi is only the second Indian PM after Jawaharlal Nehru to retain power for a 3rd five-year term.
     • List of Cabinet Ministers:

Source: PM India

Miscellaneous

1. “I Have the Streets: A Kutti Cricket Story” autobiography of R. Ashwin
   • What: Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has written his autobiography named “I Have the Streets: A Kutti Cricket Story”.
   • It was written by Ashwin along with author Sidharth Monga.
   • It is a reflection of Ashwin’s life from before he became a cricket star.
   • Highlights of Ashwin’s Career
     • He became the 9th bowler in history to take 500 wickets in Test cricket in 2024 against England in Rajkot, Gujarat, and the 2nd Indian after Anil Kumble.
     • He is also the second-fastest bowler to reach 500 wickets, after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. He is the quickest to reach 300 test wickets in just 54 matches.
       Source: India Today
     
     
     
     
2. Kerala CM Released “Viswasapoorvam,” autobiography of A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar
   • What: The Chief Minister of Kerala Shri Pinarayi Vijayan has released the book titled “Viswasapoorvam,”, it is the Autobiography of Islamic Scholar A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar.
     Source: The Hindu

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