• National

India ranked 113 out of 176 countries in End of Childhood Index

• According to the 3rd End of Childhood Index, a part of Changing Lives in Our Lifetime – Global Childhood Report 2019, India was ranked 113 in 176 countries on the wellbeing of children with 769 score out of 1000.
• The Index was released on May 28, 2019 by ‘Save the Children’, a United Kingdom (UK) based non-profit organisation which works for child rights.
• The index is part of Changing Lives in Our Lifetime – Global Childhood Report, 2019 and was released by Save the Children, a non-profit, on May 28, 2019.

Note:

About India

Capital: New Delhi

President: Ram Nath Kovind

Prime minister: Narendra Modi

• International

Gandhi peace rally held in Saudi Arabia

• The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia organised a “Gandhi cycle rally for peace” in Riyadh on Friday to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• More than 150 persons of different nationalities, gender and age, including many Saudi nationals participated in the cycle rally organized in association with the Diplomatic Quarter Authority and Saudi Cycling Federation.
• India’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr Ausaf Sayeed, flagged off the rally and later participated in the event with his wife Farha Sayeed.

Note:

About Saudi Arabia

Capital: Riyadh

Currency: Saudi riyal

King: Salman of Saudi Arabia

• Economy and Business

Luxembourg to be first nation outside Asia to host annual meeting of AIIB

• Luxembourg, will host AIIB’s annual meeting next month, the first time the gathering has taken place outside of Asia.
• Luxembourg will also host the second annual Asian Infrastructure Forum, a networking event run by the bank.
• A memorandum of understanding for the 2019 annual meeting was signed in Luxembourg by the country’s finance minister Pierre Gramegna and AIIB vice-president Danny Alexander.
• Scheduled for June 12-13 with the theme “Cooperation and Connectivity”, it will be the Beijing-based development bank’s fourth annual meeting and the first outside of Asia.

Note:

About AIIB

AIB: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Headquarters: Beijing, China

President :Jin Liqun

Membership: 97 Members

Region served: Asia and Oceania

• Economy and Business

Edelweiss ties up with Bank of Baroda for MSME loans

• Edelweiss Financial Services said its unit ECL Finance has signed an agreement with Bank of Baroda to explore co-lending or co-origination of loans to small businesses.
• The two will offer loans and expertise to MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises), self-employed persons as well as “priority sector groups”.
• “Under the arrangement, both partners can widen their respective markets and offer timely delivery of credit to customers at a significantly lower cost.

Note:

About Bank of Baroda

Headquarters: Alkapuri, Vadodara

CEO: P. S. Jayakumar (13 Oct 2015–Till date)

Founder: Sayajirao Gaekwad III

Founded: 20 July 1908, Vadodara

• Economy and Business

RBI formed a committee headed by VG Kannan, IBA Chief to review ATM pricing

• The Reserve Bank of India has constituted a six-member committee to review the ATM interchange fee structure.
• VG Kannan, Chief Executive Officer of the Indian Banks’ Association.
• The decision to form a committee tp review ATM interchange fee structure was taken at the seventh bi-monthly meet of RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee increase ATM deployment in areas lacking in banking facilities.
• The VG Kannan-led committee will examine the entire gamut of ATM charges and fees.

Note:

About RBI

Bank rate: 5.75%

Interest on reserves: 4.00% (market determined)

Headquarters: Mumbai

Founder: British Raj

Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata

Governor: Shaktikanta Das

• Economy and Business

Imports from Pakistan to India declined by 92% in March 2019 to $2.84 million

• Imports from Pakistan to India declined by 92% in March 2019 to $2.84 million due to the imposition of 200% customs duties on all products after Pulwama terror attack.
• On February 16 this year, taking strong economic action against Pakistan following the attack, India raised the customs duty to 200 percent on all goods imported from the neighbouring country, including cotton, fresh fruits, cement, petroleum products and mineral ore.
• According to the data of the commerce ministry, the imports from the neighbouring country stood at $34.61 million in March 2018.

Note:

About Pakistan

President: Arif Alvi

Capital: Islamabad

Currency: Pakistani rupee

Prime minister: Imran Khan

• Economy and Business

Amazon beats Apple and Google to become the world’s most valuable brand

• Amazon has overtaken Google and Apple to become the world’s most valuable brand at $315.5 billion, according to a ranking of global companies, up 52% on last year.
• Apple comes second, valued at $309.5 billion, with Google in third place, at $309 billion, according to the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brand ranking 2019.
• Google and Apple had spent a combined 12 years at the top of the list, with Google taking the top spot in 2018.

Note:

About Amazon

CEO: Jeff Bezos

Founder: Jeff Bezos

Founded: 5 July 1994, Bellevue, Washington, United States

• Sports

IAAF To be Renamed As “World Athletics”

• The 107 year-old IAAF will soon be renamed as “World Athletics”.
• The decision to change the global governing body in athletics and to unveil a new logo arrived during the 217th executive council meeting of the organisation held in its hqs in Monaco.
• The athletics body’s new name, ‘World Athletics’, builds upon the organisation’s restructuring and governance reform agenda of the past four years to represent a modern, more creative and positive face for the sport.

Note:

About IAAF

IAAF: International Association of Athletics Federations

Headquarters: Monaco

President: Sebastian Coe

Founded: 17 July 1912, Stockholm, Sweden

Membership: 215 member federations

• Awards

Noted English writer Amitav Ghosh conferred Jnanpith award

• Noted English writer Amitav Ghosh was conferred the 54th Jnanpith award for 2018.
• It was given for his outstanding contribution in English.
• Mr Ghosh is the first English writer to get this award.
• The works of Amitav Ghosh cover a vast range of subjects.

Note:

About Jnanpith award

Ceremony date: 14 December 2018

Established: 1961

First winner: G. Sankara Kurup

First awarded: 1965

• Appointments

Laxman Narasimhan chosen as Reckitt CEO

• British consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser, named PepsiCo executive Laxman Narasimhan to succeed Rakesh Kapoor as CEO.
• Narasimhan, PepsiCo’s global chief commercial officer, will join Reckitt as CEO-designate and be appointed to the board shortly.
• Reckitt is looking to Narasimhan to deliver improved performance in the health biz, which is a key driver of growth
• He will become group CEO on September 1

Note:

About Reckitt Benckiser

CEO: Rakesh Kapoor

Headquarters: Slough, United Kingdom

• Appointments

Sharad Kumar named interim CVC

• On June 11,2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed selection panel has named Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar as interim Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) for a term of four years or till he attains the age of 65.
• The move comes after the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) KV Chowdary completed his tenure at anti-graft body.
• Kumar, who is the other Vigilance Commissioner, has been authorised to act as the CVC “until the appointment of the Central Vigilance Commissioner” .

Note:

About CVC

CVC: Central Vigilance Commission

Formed: February 1964

Objectives: To address governmental corruption

Jurisdiction: Government of India

Headquarters: New Delhi

First executive: Nittoor Srinivasa Rau

• Defence

India successfully launched indigenously developed HSTDV in Odisha

• India conducted a successful first test flight of the indigenously developed HSTDV from a base off the Odisha coast.
• HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demonstration vehicle that can cruise up to a speed of mach 6 (or six times the speed of sound) and rise up to an altitude of 32 km in 20 seconds
• It has a range of uses, including missiles of the future, and energy-efficient, low cost and reusable satellite-launch vehicle

Note:

About HSTDV

HSTDV: Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle

Manufacturer: Defence Research and Development Organisation

Status: Development and testing

• States

Bancha becomes the first solar kitchen only village in India

• Bancha in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh is the first village in India to have zero wooden stoves and almost no use for LPG cylinders with all its 75 houses relying on solar-powered stoves to meet their cooking needs.
• The Central government’s decision to choose Bancha has changed has set an example which can be replicated to make other villages smoke and pollution free.
• Nagar who is also a member of the Bharat-Bharti Shiksha Samiti, an NGO spoke about the role played by the team from IIT Mumbai and thanked Union Minister for Petrol and Energy, Dharmendra Pradhan.

Note:

About Madhya Pradesh

Capital: Bhopal

Chief minister: Kamal Nath

Governor: Anandiben Patel

Districts: 52

• States

Karnataka Government Launches “Pink Sarathi vehicles”

• On June 9, 2019, The state government of Karnataka launched “Pink Sarathi vehicles” for women safety.
• This was launched by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, H.D.Kumaraswamy.
• The vehicles were procured by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) under the ‘Nirbhaya’ scheme.

Note:

About Karnataka

Chief minister: H. D. Kumaraswamy

Capital: Bengaluru (Executive Branch)

Governor: Vajubhai Vala

• Agreements

IRSDC signed a Tripartite Agreement with SNCF and AFD

• Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) entered into a Tripartite Agreement with French National Railways (SNCF) and French Development Agency (AFD).
• Under this agreement, a grant up to 7 lakh euros will be provided to boost capacity building for railway station development program in India.
• This agency to provide finance up to €7,00,000, through French National Railways (SNCF)-Hubs and Connexions to support the Railway Station Development Programme in India.
• The agreement provides in-kind grant financing up to EUR 7,00,000, through SNCF-hubs and connexions
• It is a technical partner to IRSDC to support the Railway Station Development Program in India.
• There will be no financial liability on IRSDC or Indian Railways.

Note:

About IRSDC

IRSDC: Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation

Founded: 2012

Parent organization: Ircon International