Latest Current Affairs For Friday 10th June, 2022

Maruti Suzuki installed Asia’s largest 20 MWp solar plant at Manesar

Maruti Suzuki India has installed a 20 MW solar carport at its Manesar, Haryana, site. The project is projected to provide the organisation with 28,000 MWh of electricity per year.

According to the firm, the energy generated by this initiative will be similar to the energy required to create nearly 67,000 cars every year. This is Asia’s largest solar carport, according to the business.

Suzuki Motor Corporation, the parent firm of Maruti Suzuki India, inked a memorandum of understanding with Gujarat in March this year, agreeing to invest around 150 billion yen ($1.13 billion) in local manufacturing of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and BEV batteries.

India ranked worst in the world in terms of environmental performance in 2022

In the 2022 Environment Performance Index (EPI), an analysis by Yale and Columbia University researchers that gives a data-driven evaluation of the situation of sustainability around the world, India came in last out of 180 countries.

Climate change, environmental public health, and biodiversity are among the 40 performance factors used by the EPI to rank 180 nations.

With an overall score of 18.9, India came in last, while Denmark came in first as the world’s most sustainable country.

Union Health Minister releases FSSAI’s 4th State Food Safety Index

Union Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya has released the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI), 4th State Food Safety Index.

Aim: To measure the performance of states across five parameters.

Tamil Nadu topped the list among large states followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Smaller states: Goa(1st) followed by Manipur and Sikkim.

UTs: Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh

QS World University Rankings 2023 of top 200 varsities released

QS World University Ranking 2023 has been released, in which 41 Indian varsities have been found place in the rankings.

Indian Institute of Science (IISc) ranked 155th as the top research university in the world with a perfect score of 100 in the citation per faculty parameter.

IIT Bombay placed at the 172nd rank and IIT Delhi has been ranked 174.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at top position followed by the University of Cambridge, Stanford University

Krishna Srinivasan appoints as the director of IMF's Asia-Pacific

International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed Krishna Srinivasan as Director of the Asia and Pacific Department (APD) with effect from June 22.

He will succeed Changyong Rhee whose retirement from the IMF was announced on March 23.

He has joined IMF in 1994 in the Economist Program.

He is currently working as a Deputy Director in APD where he is responsible for the department's surveillance work on large and systemically important countries such as China and Korea.

OECD cuts India Growth forecast to 6.9% in FY23

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has reduced the economic growth for India to 6.9% growth in FY23 from 8.1% estimated earlier.

OECD has also projected the growth for India is 6.2% in 2023.

The Reserve Bank of India has also estimated the nations growth to 7.2%.

The RBI has also raised the repo rate by 50 basis points (bps) to 4.9% in a bid to curb the soaring inflation in the country.

OECD Headquarters: Paris, France

RBI raises individual housing loan limit for co-operative banks

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised the limits for individual housing loans being extended by Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) and Rural Cooperative Banks by over 100%.

The limits for Tier I /Tier II UCBs have been revised from ₹30 lakh/ ₹70 lakh to ₹60 lakh/ ₹140 lakh, respectively.

RCBs the limits have been increased:-

(i) From ₹20 lakh to ₹50 lakh for RCBs with assessed net worth less than ₹100 crore

(ii) From ₹30 lakh to ₹75 lakh for other RCBs.

European Parliament votes to ban sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035

European Parliament Members have voted to prohibit the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035.

Aim: To fight against climate change

The EU assembly voted in Strasbourg, France to require automakers to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 100% by the middle of the next decade.

The mandate would amount to ban on the sale in the EU nations of new cars powered by gasoline.

EU lawmakers also endorsed a 55% reduction in CO2 from automobiles in 2030 compared with 2021.

Indian shooters win gold in 10 meter air pistol mixed team event in France

Indian shooters, Manish Narwal and Rubina Francis have won gold in 10 meter P6 air pistol mixed team event at the Para-shooting World Cup in Chateauroux, France.

The team of Narwal and Francis has defeated Chinese pair of Yang Chao and Min Li by 17-11.

The Indian duo has also created a new world record in the qualification stage with a score of 565 to enter the final at the top position.

Earlier, Avani Lekhara has bagged the gold in women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1.

Mithali Raj announces her retirement from international cricket

Indian Women's cricket legend, Mithali Raj has announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket at the age of 39 years.

She has represented India in matches (232) and scored 7,805 runs at an average of 50.68.

She made her international debut in an ODI against Ireland, in June 1999.

She became the first and is the only woman cricketer to have aggregated more than 10,000 international runs in over 350 matches across all three formats.

Cabinet approves increase in MSP for Kharif crops

The CCEA has approved increase in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all intended Kharif crops for Marketing Season 2022-23.

Government has approved rates are at least 1.5 times of the all India weighted average cost of production.

The highest absolute increase in MSP has been recommended for: (Per Quintal)

Sesamum: Rs 523

Moong: Rs 480

Sunflower seed: Rs 385

Tur, Urad and Groundnut: Rs 300

Cotton (Medium Staple): Rs 354

Cotton (Long Staple)Rs 355

PM Modi inaugurates Biotech Startup Expo - 2022 in New Delhi

PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Biotech Startup Expo - 2022 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

This 2022 Expo is organised to mark completion of ten years of setting up of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

The theme of the 2022 Expo is ‘Biotech Startup Innovations: Towards AatmaNirbhar Bharat’.

This Expo will connect entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, scientists, researchers, bio-incubators, government officials, etc.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) would confer the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1, 2023.

Reason: This award recognizes PM Modi's supreme leadership under which India has climbed the ladder of progress

It is presented annually on the occasion of Lokmanya Tilak's death anniversary.

Other awardees: Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sharad Pawar, Cyrus Poonawalla, and Manmohan Singh. 

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has been felicitated for the Best Performance in CASA-India (1st Runner up in Small Bank Category) at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards 2022.

The event was participated by banks from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar.

The function was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Goa.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in Calcutta.

India poised to become world’s 2nd-largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs

According to the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075.

As per the report, India would cross Japan, Germany, and the US With a population of 1.4 billion people.

India’s GDP is estimated to expand remarkably, reaching 52.5 trillion dollars surpassing the US GDP projection.

The labour force participation set to make India the second-largest economy in the world by 2075.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy. 

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.