sponsored links
June 2018 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners)
- 10th Meeting of Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF) was held in New Delhi, India. This is second time India hosted meeting of GAELF. Earlier in 2002, India had hosted the meeting.
- 11th edition of Geo-Intelligence Asia 2018 was held at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi. Theme of 11th Geo-Intelligence Asia 2018 : ‘GeoSpatial: A Force Multiplier for Defense and Internal Security’.
- 12th June 2018 was observed as the World Day against Child Labour with the theme ‘Generation Safe & Healthy’.
- 13th June 2018 was observed as International Albinism Awareness Day with the theme “Shining Our Light to the World.”
- 14th June 2018 was observed as World Blood Donor Day with the theme “Blood Connects us All”.
- 15th June 2018 was observed as ASEAN Dengue Day with the theme “One Asean Community Against Dengue”.
- 16-year-old Indian shooter Saurabh Chaudhary set a new world record and won a Gold in the 10m air pistol event in the ISSF Junior World Cup in Germany.
- 16-year-old Manu Bhaker won the top prize in 10m air pistol event at ISSF Junior World Cup in Germany. Apart from the CWG gold medal, this was Manu's seventh ISSF individual gold in the year, third with a world record.
- 17th June 2018 was observed as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought with the theme “Land has true value – invest in it”.
- 18 years after achieving statehood, Indian state Uttarakhand is going to debut in Ranji cricket this season.
- 1st June 2018 was observed as World Milk Day with the theme "Drink Move Be Strong".
- 20th June 2018 was observed as World Refugee Day with the theme “Now More Than Ever, We Need to Stand with Refugees”.
- 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer (Switzerland), has won the Stuttgart Open 2018 title in Men's singles category by defeating Milos Raonic (Canada).
- 25th June 2018 was observed as Day of the Seafarer with the theme "seafarers' wellbeing".
- 26th June 2018 was observed as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with the theme "Listen First - Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe."
- 29th June 2018 was observed as National Statistics Day with the theme ‘Quality Assurance in Official Statistics’.
- 3rd June 2018 was observed as the first official World Bicycle Day.
- 4 year old Ayan Gogoi Gohain (Assam) was honoured with the ‘Youngest Author of India’ title by the Indian Book of Records. Ayan Gogoi Gohain has been honoured for his book ‘Honeycomb’, which was published in January 2018.
- 4th International Yoga Day was observed on 21st JUne 2018 with participation of Crores of people in 192 countries. Theme of International Yoga Day 2018 : "Yoga for Peace".
- 5th June 2018 was observed as World Environment Day with the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’. This year’s host country : India.
- 8 states and 4 Union Territories have signed MoUs with the Union Health Ministry to implement the government's ambitious scheme Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission. The eight states which signed the MoUs include Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. The Union Territory of Chandigarh is among the four UTs.
- 8th June 2018 was observed as World Oceans Day with the theme "Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean".
- A 11-year-old Indian girl, Nathania John K, led the Brazilian and Costa Rican teams on to the field at the FIFA World Cup. With this, Nathania became the 1st Indian girl to be an Official Match Ball Carrier (OMBC) at the World Cup.
- A 22-year-old Sikh soldier Guardsman Charanpreet Singh Lall created history by becoming the 1st to wear a turban instead of a bearskin hat during the Trooping the Colour parade (an annual parade that marks the birthday of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II).
- According to a recent report by the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, the Rural sanitation coverage of India has risen to 85% under Swachh Bharat Mission.
- According to a recent survey by the union housing and urban affairs ministry, 19 of the 25 dirtiest cities in India are in West Bengal. The 19 cities include Darjeeling, Siliguri, North Barrackpore and Bankura.
- According to a recently released report by global think-tank SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), Pakistan, with 140-150 nuclear warheads, is ahead of India which has 130-140 warheads.
- According to recently released Henley Passport Index, Japan has the "most powerful" passport in the world. The Indian passport secured the 76th rank in the index.
- According to the government think tank NITI Aayog's recent report, at least 21 major Indian cities, including Delhi and Bengaluru, are expected to run out of groundwater by 2020, affecting 100 million people.
- According to the Save The Children’s End of Childhood Index 2018, India has been ranked at 113 among 175 countries in the world. Singapore tops the index followed by Slovenia and Niger is ranked the last at 175.
- Actress Priyanka Chopra is writing a memoir, titled "Unfinished", which will be published simultaneously in India, the US and Britain next year.
- Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has become the first 21st-century born to play Test cricket (17 years and 78 days), achieving the feat against India .
- Afghanistan's 19-year-old spinner Rashid Khan became the world's fastest cricketer to reach 50 wickets in T20I cricket after reaching the milestone with a wicket on his first ball of the match against Bangladesh.
- Ahead of 4th International Day of Yoga (June 21) the Australian Parliament for the 1st time organized a Yoga session. Important Note : It was the first time that the International Yoga Day was celebrated in any Parliament.
- Aiming to take the defence ties to a newer height, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj handed over handed over the second Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft to visiting President of Seychelles Danny Faure.
- American fighter Ronda Rousey will become the 1st female MMA fighter to be inducted into the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame.
- American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate Time Warner has been renamed as WarnerMedia, a day after AT&T completed its $85.4 billion acquisition of the media conglomerate.
- “The Shiva Trilogy” author Amish Tripathi is going to release a new book titled “Suheldev & the Battle of Bahraich”.
- American multinational technology company Microsoft has launched the prototype of an underwater data centre off the coast of Scotland's Orkney Islands. The 40-foot-long capsule, which contains 864 servers and 27.6 Petabytes of storage, has been placed 117 feet below the ocean's surface.
- American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States, George HW Bush recently turned 94. With this, he officially became the longest living President in US history.
- American professional basketball team Golden State Warriors lifted NBA Finals 2018 by defeating Cleveland Cavaliers.
- American professional golfer Brooks Koepka wins US Open 2018 (Golf) by defeating Tommy Fleetwood at Shinnecock Hills.
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has declared the state open-defecation free after achieving the goal of constructing 2.77 lakh individual toilets.
- Andhra Pradesh is set to become 1st state in India to use Auto-Disable Syringes for all clinical purposes to prevent infection.
- Arvind Subramanian has announced that he is going to step down as the Chief Economic Advisor. Subramanian's extended term as the Chief Economic Advisor ends in October this year.
- As part of Digital India Initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched BHIM, RuPay and SBI mobile payment applications in Singapore at a business event focussed on digital platforms.
- At least five major banks including ICICI Bank and Axis Bank are testing the system to send banking communications through WhatsApp. These communications will include notifications on ATM cash withdrawal details and point of sales (PoS) transactions.
- Bangladesh has won the 2018 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup by defeating India in the finals at Kuala Lumpur. India's Harmanpreet Kaur has been named as the Player of the Series.
- Canada's upper house of parliament voted in favour of a bill to legalise recreational marijuana. With this, Canada becomes the first G7 nation to legalise cannabis.
- Centre has approved construction of one lakh fifty thousand houses for urban poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The latest approval entails an investment of 7,227 crore rupees with central assistance of 2,209 crore rupees.
- Chennai's R Praggnanandhaa has become the second youngest Grandmaster in chess history at the age of 12 years, 10 months, 13 days. The youngest Grandmaster ever is Sergey Karjakin (Russia), who achieved the feat aged 12 years, 7 months and has held the record since 2002.
- China has announced that a delegation of troops from the People's Liberation Army will be visiting India this year for the first time since the 73-day standoff at Doklam.
- China is going to build a railway line connecting the Tibetan city of Xigaze with Nepal's capital Kathmandu.
- China led multilateral development bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved investment of $200 million in India’s National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to give greater impetus to mega infrastructure projects. AIIB so far approved $4.4 billion investments in 25 projects.
- China's artificial intelligence major Baidu has tested its two driverless cars for the first time in Tianjin City, China. The trial run would enable developers to collect data on the cars' performance in positioning, mapping, and self-control.
- Commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu was on a two day visit to the United States. This is his first such high-level engagement since the US slapped duties on Indian steel and aluminum.
- Concerned over funds sent abroad under the ‘Maintenance of Close Relative’ category of the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has narrowed the definition of relatives to check the flow of funds. Hence, funds under the ‘maintenance of close relative’ category can be sent only to immediate relatives such as parents, spouses, children and their spouses.
- Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the 1st office of leading defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited in Hanoi, reflecting India's deepening military cooperation with Vietnam.
- Denmark voted in favour of a ban on full-face veils in public, including Islamic veils such as the niqab or burqa.
- Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, aged 45 years and 161 days, has become the oldest player to play a FIFA World Cup match.
- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj embarked on a 4-nation visit to Italy, France, Luxembourg and Belgium. Aim of this Visit : Providing opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with the political leadership on a wide range of global, regional and bilateral issues, and advance India's growing strategic engagement with the European Union.
- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the 2-sided bust of Mahatma Gandhi, titled "Birth of Satyagraha" at the Pietermaritzburg railway station where 125 years ago Mahatma Gandhi decided to fight against injustice and colonialism.
- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was on a 5 day visit to South Africa. During this visit, she attended the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
- Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has started the mass rollout of WhatsApp Payments feature via UPI platform in India.
- Finance Minister Piyush Goyal has announced setting up of a committee on the formation of Asset Reconstruction Company for faster resolution of stressed accounts of public sector banks. Head of this committee : Sunil Mehta (Non-executive chairman of PNB).
- Following directions from Supreme Court, the Central Government has constituted the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CMA) to address the dispute over sharing of river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.
- Following the recommendation of the 7th Pay Commission, the Centre has decided to stop giving overtime allowance to most employees, excluding operational staff. The government will also not revise the rates for overtime allowance and the operational staff will get the allowance as per its 1991 order.
- For the 1st time, Scientists of Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad have discovered a distant planet revolving around Sun-like star and named both the planet and the star as EPIC.
- For the first time, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are going to hold a bilateral summit at Helsinki (Finland's capital) on 16th July 2018.
- Gujarat will become the 1st Indian state to get completely covered under the piped gas distribution network , once Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) completes bidding process for distributing natural gas in eight geographical areas (GAs) in Gujarat.
- Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has banned single-use water bottles in all government offices in the state and ordered the use of only multi-use water bottles.
- Haryana has made use of LED bulbs and tubelights mandatory in all government offices by August 15.
- Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur flagged off a helicopter taxi service that will reduce the travel time between Shimla and Chandigarh to 20 minutes, against the nearly 3.5 hours by road.
- Hong Kong martial artist, actor, film director Jackie Chan's memoir 'Never Grow Up' translated by Jeremy Tiang, will be released in November.
- In a bid to check e-waste problem, Rajasthan government has launched a scheme wherein people can sell their old phones, computers, routers and any other electronic items to the government.
- In it's June 2018 monetary policy meet, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) increased the Repo Rate (the rate at which the RBI lends short-term money to the banks) by 25 Basis Points to 6.25 Per Cent. This was the first rate hike by the Indian central bank in four-and-a -half years, since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government was voted into office in May 2014.
- In it's recently released International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 11, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified Gaming addiction as mental health disorder. The WHO also announced that being Transgender will no longer be classified as mental illness.
- In the wake of recent celebrity suicides, the New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo has launched a suicide prevention programme titled, Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP).
- India and Bangladesh have agreed to institute Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) as an annual exercise between navies of two neighbouring countries. The first edition of CORPAT was inaugurated by Indian Navy’s Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba during his visit to Bangladesh.
- India and Cuba have agreed to enhance cooperation in biotechnology, renewable energy and traditional medicine as President Ram Nath Kovind held wide-ranging talks with his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel to further cement the strong bilateral ties. Cuba also reiterated support for India's candidature for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
- India and the United States have pledged to continue their strong bilateral strategic partnership, after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.
- India and World Bank signed a 500 million Dollar loan agreement to provide additional financing for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project.
- India announced to increase its grant to Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) new four-year investment cycle, known as GEF-7 from $12 million to $15 million.
- India defeated Ireland in the first T20I of the two-match series in Dublin to register their 62nd outright T20I victory, the most by a team after 100 T20Is. South Africa held the previous record of winning the most number of matches (59) after 100 T20Is.
- India extended financial aid of Rs. 99 million to Nepal for the construction of 2,700 Shallow Tube Well (STWs) irrigation systems in 12 districts of southern Terai region to boost agricultural productivity. The assistance was extended as part of final payment for Nepal-Bharat Maitri Irrigation Project.
- India has been excluded from the United Kingdom's new list of countries considered "low risk", whose applicants will undergo reduced checks while applying for student visas. The countries on the list include the US, Canada and China among others.
- India has decided to go ahead with acquiring the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system from Russia despite the US warning against the procurement. The ₹40,000-crore deal will be announced during a summit between PM Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin in October.
- India has lifted the Intercontinental Cup football title.
- India has pledged $5 million for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the Near East. Besides India, 19 countries also made pledges (contributions) for UNRWA at the Pledging Conference for UNRWA held in New York, US.
- India has proposed to introduce $240-million retaliatory tariffs on a list of 30 items imported from the United States.
- India has raised import duties on almost 30 items including agricultural and steel products in protest against the US imposing higher levies on products shipped from the country.
- India has registered a significant decline in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) recording a 22-per cent reduction in such deaths since 2013. According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin released, the MMR has declined from 167 in 2011-2013 to 130 in 2014-2016.
- India has signed two Memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with Cuba. First MoU is on Bio Technology and the Second one is on Traditional Systems of Medicine.
- India hosted the 23rd European Union Film Festival (EUFF) from 18th to 24th June 2018 at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi. The festival was organized by Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting partnering with the Delegation of European Union (EU) and embassies of EU Member States in various city film club.
- India is going to host 1st military exercise of the BIMSTEC Countries 2018. The exercise is scheduled to be held in Pune (Maharashtra) in the second week of September.
- India is going to sign a ₹3,400-crore ($500 million) deal with Israel for the purchase of around 4,500 Spike missiles for the Indian Army.
- India is looking at cutting oil imports from Iran, and replacing them with more purchases from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. This comes after the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley asked PM Narendra Modi to reduce India's dependence on Iran.
- India received the first shipment of its so far cheapest Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Russian supplier Gazprom. The LNG has been delivered at a price close to USD 7 per million British Thermal Unit (mmBtu).
- India successfully test-fired the indigenously developed and nuclear-capable Long Range Ballistic Missile Agni 5. This was the sixth trial of the surface-to-surface missile, which has a strike range of 5,000 km.
- India will get its 1st national police museum in Lutyens Delhi.
- India will soon start producing 1st indigenous Lithium Ion batteries. A MOU in this regard was recently signed between CSIR’s Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu and RAASI Solar Power Pvt Ltd.
- India Women opener Smriti Mandhana is set to become the 1st Indian to play in the English T20 league after being signed by defending champions Western Storm.
- India would start getting data on deposits made by Indians this year in Swiss Banks from 2019 as part of a bilateral treaty signed between the two nations.
- India’s football team captain Sunil Chhetri became joint second highest international goal scorer among active players along with Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi.
- India’s IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) became 1st listed company in India to close day’s trade with Market Capitalisation (m cap) of over Rs. 7 lakh crore (over $103 billion).
- India’s young women’s doubles pair of Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker won the Mauritius International Badminton tournament (Women's Doubles Category) which concluded at Rose Hill in Mauritius.
- Indian Archer Deepika Kumari won her first individual Gold Medal in six years at the Salt Lake World Cup following a 7-3 win over Germany’s Michelle Kroppen in the recurve final.
- Indian Health Ministry notified the Mental Healthcare Act 2017. As per this act, Attempting suicide is no more a crime in India and there will be no more electric shocks for mentally ill children. This act also prohibits tying mentally ill persons with chains.
- Indian long distance runner Gavit Murali Kumar bagged Gold Medal in men's 10,000 metre race at the Gouden Spike meeting in Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sunayana successfully completed the Operation NISTAR, which was initiated to rescue 38 Indian Nationals from cyclone-hit Socotra island in Yemen under swift Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operation (HADR).
- Indian Skipper Virat Kohli has been named BCCI's best international cricketer (Men) for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Indian women's T20I team captain Harmanpreet Kaur and opener Smriti Mandhana received the awards for best international cricketer (women) for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons respectively.
- Indian swimmer Sandeep Sejwal clinched the Gold medal in men’s 50 meter breaststroke event with a timing of 27:59 seconds at the Singapore National Swimming Championships in Singapore. Virdhawal Khade grabbed Silver medal in the 50 meter freestyle event with a timing of 22.68 seconds.
- Indian woman boxer Saweety Boora claimed a Gold medal in the middleweight category at the Umakhanov Memorial Tournament in Kaspiysk, Russia.
- India's 1st indigenous, long-range artillery gun 'Dhanush' has cleared its final test at Pokhran, Rajasthan and is ready to be inducted into the Indian Army.
- India's first café which will be run by HIV-positive teenagers is set to open in West Bengal's Kolkata next month.
- India's fourth largest private sector bank, Yes Bank announced that it has received approval from market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for acting as custodian of securities.
- India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is in the process of closing down 9 foreign branches as part of rationalisation of overseas operations. Note : SBI has over 190 foreign offices spread across 36 countries.
- Inline with Union Government’s Digital India Initative, the Union Ministry of Railways has launched Rail MADAD Application to expedite and streamline passenger grievance redressal. MADAD - Mobile Application for Desired Assistance During travel
- Island nation Mauritius is going to host the 11th World Hindi Conference (विश्व हिंदी सम्मेलन) in its capital city Port Lois from 18th to 20th August 2018. Theme of 11th World Hindi Conference 2018 : “Vaishvik Hindi Aur Bharatiy Sanskriti“.
- Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra made biometric attendance compulsory in all state government offices with immediate effect. The move is aimed at ensuring punctuality in all the offices.
- Japan’s Cabinet has adopted an economic plan that will allow more foreign workers to work in the country.
- Japanese conglomerate SoftBank is going to invest up to $100 billion in solar power generation project in India.
- Japan's Princess Hisako has become the 1st member of the Imperial family to visit Russia since 1916.
- Kerala's tourism department has given its clearance to hold IPL-style boat races, including the Nehru Trophy boat race and the President's Trophy Boat Race in Kollam.
- Landlocked nation Ethiopia is going to build a new Navy as part of military reforms. Note : Ethiopia had disbanded its Navy in 1991 after its then-province Eritrea declared independence, leaving it landlocked.
- Madhya Pradesh will be awarded under Prime Minister's Safe Motherhood Campaign for reducing maternal mortality.
- Maharashtra has become the 18th state to enforce a complete ban on the sale, use and manufacture of plastic bags. Other states which have imposed a complete ban include Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, among others.
- Maharashtra has been ranked the most vulnerable state in the draft National Disaster Risk Index, followed by West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
- Malabar 2018, the Trilateral Naval Exercise between India, Japan and United States was held off the coast of Guam in Philippine Sea from 6th to 15th Jun 2018. This is the 22nd edition of the naval exercise, and will focus on high-end war fighting skillsets, subject matter expert and professional exchanges.
- Malaysia has set up a trust fund for the public titled Malaysia Hope Fund, to donate money to help the government repay the country's debt. Note : Malaysia's national debt amounts to $250.8 billion which is 80% of its GDP.
- Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) is going to expand its India BPO Promotion Scheme to 1 lakh seats from current 48,000 seats. It will also set up 5th and India’s largest National data centre (NDC) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh with capacity of 5 lakh virtual servers.
- Mongolia has launched construction of its 1st strategically important oil refinery funded by India in southern Dornogovi province. This refinery was jointly launched by by Mongolian Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and Indian Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh.
- Mukesh Ambani's Reliance is going to launch its e-commerce business by end of this year through an app meant for local retailers and stores. This app will help merchants manage inventory, logistics, and supply chain requirements and even accept payments and credit money back.
- NASA's record-breaking astronaut, Peggy Whitson (58), retired after a 22-year-long career.
- Nepali Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was on his 1st visit to China after assuming the charge as Prime Minister. During this visit, he signed several bilateral deals with China, including a MOU, according to which, China will build a railway connecting the western region of Tibet with Nepal.
- NITI Aayog has come up with the Composite Water Management Index in view of limitations on availability of water resources and the rising demand for water. The index is a useful tool to assess and improve performance in management of water resources.
- On the backdrop of rising oil prices and shortfall in FPI inflows to the country the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to raise $30-35 billion via NRI bonds to raise the rupee.
- On the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Karnataka government has announced a new toll-free number 1908 to report drug activity.
- On the occasion of 'Passport Seva Divas' (26th June), External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launched the mPassport Seva mobile application to help deliver passports to applicants at their residence.
- On the World Environment Day, Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that the state would ban the use of plastic from 2019. Milk and oil pouches, along with other basic need items will be exempted from the ban.
- Playing in her 74th T20I, Indian cricketer Mithali Raj became the 1st-ever Indian woman cricketer to reach 2,000 runs in T20I cricket as India defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the Women's Asia Cup.
- President Ram Nath Kovind approved the imposition of Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir with immediate effect. This comes after the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti resigned as the Chief Minister.
- President Ram Nath Kovind embarked on 3 nation official tour to Greece, Suriname and Cuba from 16th to 22th June 2018.
- President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to ordinance to set up the India’s first national sports university in Imphal.
- President Ram Nath Kovind has declared the Queen variety pineapple as state fruit of Tripura. Note : Tripura is one of the largest pineapple growing states in country.
- President Ram Nath Kovind launched Solar Charkha Mission under which Government will disburse subsidy of Rs 550 crore to thousands of artisans, generating employment in rural areas. Aim of Solar Charkha Mission : To generate employment in rural areas and contribute to the green economy.
- President Ram Nath Kovind on 21st June met Surinam’s President Dési Bouterse in capital Paramaribo and performed yoga asanas along with him to observe the International Day of Yoga. This is the first time that heads of two countries together participated in the International Day of Yoga.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved setting up of committee to lay down standards for metro rail systems in India. Head of this Committee : E Sreedharan (Metro man of India).
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 3rd annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Mumbai. Theme of 3rd Annual Meeting of AIIB 2018 : 'Mobilising finance for infrastructure: innovation and collaboration'.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Mohanpura irrigation project in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district. The ₹3,866 crore project includes a dam and a canal system which will provide drinking water to over 400 villages.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for National Centre for Ageing at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Vanijya Bhawan at Delhi's Akbar road. Once ready, the new building will house the Department of Commerce.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a 2 day visit to China. During this visit, he attended the annual summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). PM Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to attend the summit after India became a full member in 2017 along with Pakistan.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Singapore's former premier Goh Chok Tong, unveiled a plaque dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi at Clifford Pier in the city-state, where his ashes were immersed.
- Prime Minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy lost a confidence vote in the Parliament. This makes his government the first in Spanish history to be ousted this way.
- Private sector lender Karnataka Bank is targeting to disburse about Rs 9,000 crore agriculture loan this fiscal, seeing potential opportunities in the sector. MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank : Mahabaleshwara M S.
- Public Sector Banks (PSBs) accounted for over 85% of total fraud cases reported in the banking system in 2017-18, a recently released RBI report revealed. The banking system reported 6,500 frauds, amounting to more than ₹30,000 crore.
- Public Sector Banks collectively suffered a net loss of ₹87,357 crore in 2017-18. Punjab National Bank (PNB) posted the highest loss of nearly ₹12,283 crore.
- Public sector banks have written off bad loans worth Rs 1.20 lakh crore, an amount that is nearly one-and-a-half times more than their total losses posted in 2017-18.
- Puducherry LG Kiran Bedi has inaugurated a tourist kiosk or robocop called 'Singham' (Lion). Singham will guide people to the nearest police station, hospitals, tourist spots, available transport services and other facilities.
- Punjab government has launched ‘i-Hariyali’ mobile application under ‘Mission Tandarust Punjab’ aimed at increasing the state’s green cover.
- Rafael Nadal claimed an 11th French Open title in Men’s singles final in Paris after defeating Austrian Dominic Thiem.
- Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has announced that, the target of replacing bio-toilets with vacuum bio-toilets in trains will be achieved 100 percent by March, 2019.
- Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh has discontinued the tradition of giving ceremonial Guard of Honour to the Governor.
- Rajasthan has been ranked first by the NITI Aayog among all states after it registered a significant increase in groundwater level due to the water conversation structures built under Chief Minister's Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan.
- Rajinikanth starrer 'Kaala' became the 1st Indian film to release in Saudi Arabia, months after the kingdom opened a cinema for the first time in 35 years.
- Researchers at IISc Bangalore have developed a 'LifeBox' that can extend the preservation time of organs, specifically the heart, and allows for increased travel time and distances.
- Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called Norman which they claim is the world's first 'psychopathic' AI.
- Richard Branson-led Virgin Hyperloop One is going to invest ₹3,000 crore to build a 15-km-long Hyperloop demonstration track in Pune for the Mumbai-Pune Hyperloop project.
- Romanian professional tennis player, Simona Halep has won French Open 2018 in women's singles category by defeating USA's Sloane Stephen.
- Russia has successfully launched Glonass-M positioning satellite on board of Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space centre in Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast.
- Russian billionaire and scientist Igor Ashurbeyli officially declared himself as the leader of the world's first space nation 'Asgardia'.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to attend the Eastern Economic Forum which is scheduled to be held in September 2018 at Russia.
- Saudi Arabia became the last country in the world to allow women to drive after it lifted the ban on female motorists.
- Seychelles has gifted pair of Giant Aldabra tortoise to India as a goodwill gesture. They were brought to India as gift from the President of Seychelles Danny Faure during his five-day visit to India.
- Seychelles president Danny Faure is on a 6 day visit to India. This is his first bilateral visit to India.
- Shillong (Capital city of Meghalaya) has been selected as 100th Smart City, to receive funding under the Centre’s flagship Smart Cities Mission, after evaluating the proposal submitted by it.
- Spain have appointed former Real Madrid defender Fernando Hierro as their new manager.
- Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal was the official race starter at the 86th edition of the 24 Hours Le Mans classic endurance race.
- Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar’s consumer goods venture Sri Sri Tattva has launched an in-house apparel brand – BYOGI.
- State-owned Bank of Baroda along with Indian Overseas Bank and Andhra Bank are in advanced discussions with a possible buyer to sell their stake in Malaysian joint venture — India International Bank (Malaysia) Berhad. Bank of Baroda holds a 40 per cent stake in India International Bank (Malaysia), while Indian Overseas Bank and Andhra Bank own 35 per cent and 25 per cent stake, respectively.
- State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) has set up loan recovery cells in all its 6,900 branches.
- Tamil Nadu is going to ban electronic cigarettes, battery-operated inhalers that emit doses of vaporised nicotine.
- Tata Power announced that it has bagged the contract for setting up a 150-MW solar project in Maharashtra.
- Technology giant Google is planning to launch its e-commerce platform in the Indian market later this year. Google's Vice President of Product Management Caesar Sengupta is likely to head the e-commerce unit for the company in India.
- Telangana government entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India to provide RS.5 lakh insurance cover to the farmers under ‘Telangana Rythu Beema’ scheme.
- Thai professional golfer Ariya Jutanugarn won the 73rd US Women’s Open at the Shoal Creek Alabama course, United States.
- The 106th Indian Science Congress will be held at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Jalandhar, Punjab from 3rd to 7th January 2019. Theme of Indian Science Congress 2019 : ‘Future India: Science & Technology’.
- The 13th edition of India-Nepal joint military exercise 'Surya Kiran' successfully concluded at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. Aim of Surya Kiran XIII : Enhancing and strengthening level of defence cooperation between the two neighbouring nations.
- The 18th Shanghai Corporation Organization (SCO) summit concluded on 10th June at Qingdao, China with the adoption of the Qingdao declaration. It was India and Pakistan’s first summit as full members of SCO grouping.
- The 1st biannual Indian Air Force Commanders' Conference was held at Air Headquarters, New Delhi. This conference was inaugurated by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
- The 29th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests / massacre was observed in China on 4th June 2018.
- The 3rd Home Affairs’ Dialogue between India and U.K. was held in New Delhi. The Government of India Delegation was led by Rajiv Gauba, Union Home Secretary and the Delegation from Home Office of the U.K. was led by its Second Permanent Secretary Patsy Wilkinson.
- The Andhra Pradesh government has announced a first of it's kind monthly allowance of ₹1,000 each to unemployed graduate youths in the state with an upper age limit of 35.
- The ban on plastic came into effect from 23rd June 2018 across the state of Maharashtra.
- The Bank of Maharashtra board stripped the bank's MD and CEO Ravindra Marathe and Executive Director RK Gupta of all functional responsibilities with immediate effect. This comes after Marathe and Gupta were arrested in the ₹2,043-crore DSK Group loan fraud case.
- The Banks Board Bureau (BBB) has recommended 22 general managers to be elevated as Executive Directors at the various Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pulled out of the alliance with Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over repeated attacks on forces and civilians in the Valley.
- The Bombay High Court recently approved the service of notice about a litigation in a PDF format through WhatsApp as valid.
- The Cabinet approved an MoU signed between India and The Netherlands on technical cooperation in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management and Mobility Management.
- The Cabinet approved MoU signed between India and Oman on Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
- The Central Bureau of Health Intelligence, the health intelligence wing of the directorate general of health services in the Union ministry of health and family welfare, has recently released the National Health Profile 2018. Maldives spends 9.4% of its GDP to claim the top spot in the list, followed by Thailand (2.9%).
- The Central Water Commission (CWC) has signed collaboration agreement with search engine giant Google for flood forecasting and dissemination of flood related information to masses.
- The Centre approved the continuation of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III programmes, costing over ₹10,000 crore. While ₹6,131 crore was allotted for launching light-weight satellites in 30 PSLV flights, ₹4,338 crore was given for heavy-weight satellites on 10 GSLV missions.
- The Centre announced a total overhaul of the University Grants Commission Act and a new legislation to set up the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI). The new body is expected to provide more autonomy and flexibility to institutes.
- The Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) signed agreement with Kerala government to construct three marine ambulances for state fisheries department.
- The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) lab has signed Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with RAASI Solar Power Pvt Ltd for transfer of technology for India’s first Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Battery project.
- The Data Security Council of India (DSCI), an arm of the Nasscom, has signed an agreement with the Telangana government to set up the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for cyber security.
- The Dutch city of Eindhoven is set to be the 1st in the world to have habitable houses made by a 3D printer.
- The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) at its plenary meeting in Paris, France has officially placed Pakistan on its Grey List of countries involved in providing monetary assistance to terrorism and related causes for failing to curb terror financing on its soil. The placement on to grey list could hurt Pakistan’s economy as well as its international standing.
- The first International Day of Parliamentarism was observed on 30th June 2018 to highlight the role of parliaments worldwide as indispensable cornerstones of democracy.
- The Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India increased to US $61.96 billion in 2017-18.
- The French government has announced a plan to reintroduce compulsory national service for all 16-year-olds. Under this plan, French boys and girls would do a minimum of one-month service in the first phase which would focus on voluntary teaching and working with charities among others.
- The government has announced a comprehensive package of more than ₹8,000 crore to provide relief to sugarcane farmers and to clear their dues, which have crossed over ₹22,000 crore.
- The government has clarified that the GST will not be applicable to free banking services such as cheque book issuance and ATM withdrawals. However, interest charged on outstanding credit card bills, and exit fee paid by investors of mutual funds will be taxable under GST.
- The government has made Permanent Account Number (PAN) mandatory for sending money abroad under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). Earlier, PAN was not insisted upon for current account transactions of up to $25,000.
- The government has opened 10 joint secretary-level posts for private sector employees, who neither require to be an IAS officer nor UPSC qualified to be eligible for the job. The openings spread through major ministries including Finance and Agriculture.
- The government has set up a committee to bring in transparency in the jobs data calculation. The committee will look into the limitations of the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) and submit its report. Head of this Committee : TCA Anant (former Chief Statistician of India)
- The government planning to merge at least four state-run banks including IDBI Bank, Bank of Baroda, Central Bank of India, and Oriental Bank of Commerce. With combined assets of ₹16.58 trillion, the merged entity would become India's second-largest bank after the State Bank of India (SBI).
- The Gujarat government has launched a new solar power scheme for farmers titled Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY). It is first such scheme in the country, where farmer will produce his power and sell surplus to State power utility.
- The Haryana government has decided to introduce an environment-centric scheme, under which school children will be given ₹50 for planting trees every six months for a period of three years. The scheme will cover students from Classes 6 to 12 of both government and private schools. It will be launched on July 10.
- The Haryana government has raised the upper age limit of entry into government service from 40 to 42 years.
- The Hungarian Parliament has adopted the "Stop Soros" law that criminalises helping migrants. Hungary named the legislation after George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist it accuses of encouraging migration of Muslims to Europe.
- The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS Rani Rashmoni, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is aiming to make India the first nation to land a rover near Moon's south pole and study the potential for mining waste-free nuclear fuel that could be worth trillions of dollars. ISRO will launch Chandrayaan-2 in October to analyse crust samples for signs of helium-3, which could meet global energy demands for 250 years if harnessed from Moon.
- The indigenous Pinaka rocket system of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), known for firing a salvo of 12 rockets in just 44 seconds, is being evolved into a precision-guided missile, with enhanced range and accuracy to hit its targets.
- The indigenously upgraded artillery gun Dhanush (also known as Desi Bofors) has successfully completed the third and final user trials and is ready for induction into Indian Army.
- The informal meeting of IBSA Foreign Ministers was recently held at Pretoria, South Africa. India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, Lindiwe Sisulu and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Marcos Bezerra Abbott Galvão participated in the meeting.
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has approved Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)’s plan to buy 51 per cent stake in IDBI Bank as the insurance regulator gave the insurer exemption from 15 per cent investment cap. The LIC is expected to invest around Rs. 13,000 crore in tranches in the NPA-mired state-run lender.
- The International Conference on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was held in Kathmandu (Nepal's capita) during 17th and 18th June 2018. Theme of the Conference : “Sustainable Development Goals for Smart Society”.
- The International Cricket Council (ICC) has charged Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal with "changing the condition of the ball" during the second Windies Test in St Lucia.
- The International Cricket Council (ICC) included Nepal, Netherlands, Scotland and the UAE in their ODI rankings list apart from the 12 existing countries.
- The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) was observed on 16 June 2018 across the world. Aim of IDFR : Recognizing significant financial contribution migrant workers make to wellbeing of their families back home and to sustainable development of their countries of origin.
- The International Space Station (ISS) has launched a spacecraft titled RemoveDEBRIS, which would help remove human mission-threatening space debris including defunct satellites and used rockets.
- The Kerala government has announced plans to launch the Comprehensive Newborn Screening programme to detect birth defects in babies born in government health facilities within 48 hours of birth. The scheme aims at improving the quality of life for the surviving children.
- The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has adopted Jagatpur village (Delhi) for its Swachhata Abhiyaan.
- The Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport near Varanasi is set to become the first Indian airport to have a national highway underneath its runway.
- The Madhya Pradesh government has announced Bijli Bill Mafi Yojana 2018 (Power Bill Waiver Scheme), a waiver scheme for outstanding power bills for labourers and poor families. The scheme is expected to benefit around 77 lakh people in the state.
- The Maharashtra government has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Quebec province of Canada to increase economic cooperation and welfare of tribal community in the state.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has banned Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) under anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. AQIS is an affiliate of al Qaeda and ISKP is Afghanistan wing of Islamic State (IS).
- The much-awaited summit between the United States and North Korea took place in Singapore. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at a resort island of Sentosa along with their respective translators. Kim and Trump became the first leaders of their countries to ever come face to face.
- The number of hungry people in the world has risen for the first time in more than a decade, according to a recently released UN’s Sustainable Development Goals report 2018.
- The Odisha government has launched Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana, a new Healt Insurance scheme for Journalists. This scheme provides Rs. 2 Lakh per annum health insurance cover to all working journalists of the state.
- The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is going to host the 7th OPEC International Seminar at the Imperial Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Theme of 7th OPEC International Seminar 2018 : ‘Petroleum – cooperation for a sustainable future’.
- The plenary meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was recently held at Jurmala, Latvia. In this meeting, China announced that will oppose India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) whose plenary session is underway in Bern. Note : Latvia assumed chairmanship of NSG for 2018-19.
- The Pune Police arrested the MD & CEO of Bank of Maharashtra, Ravindra Marathe along with executive director R K Gupta in the ₹3,000 crore DSK Group loan fraud case.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that it will set up a Public Credit Registry (PCR) as a repository of information regarding loan information of individuals and corporate borrowers.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked payment services firms to provide fortnightly updates on action taken by them to store transaction data in the country.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made changes in the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) 2015 to enable people to open a hassle-free gold deposit account.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed setting up of Board of Management (BoM) in all Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) having deposits of over Rs 100 crore within one year to strengthen governance and promote professional management in these banks.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised the Priority Sector Lending (PSL) guidelines for housing loans with Affordable Housing definition under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
- The Rupee has hit an all-time low of 69.10 against US dollar on 28th June. This comes after spike in crude oil prices and concerns of higher inflation and widening current account deficit. The previous record low for Rupee was 68.86 on November 24, 2016.
- The SAARC Development Fund (SDF) is going to launch a Social Enterprise Development Programme (SEDP) as part of its social window. The programme will be implemented in all SAARC member states with objective of identifying and building social enterprises by using mix of grants and concessional returnable capital.
- The State Bank of India (SBI) has informed refiners that it won't handle payments for crude oil from Iran from November.
- The state of Telangana has celebrated the 4th anniversary of its foundation on 2nd June 2018.
- The Telangana government directed all urban local bodies and civic municipal bodies to ban usage of single-use plastic in the offices.
- The UK High Court has ordered embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya to pay a minimum of 2 lakh pounds towards the costs incurred by 13 Indian banks in their legal battle to recover alleged dues.
- The UK's Financial Conduct Authority has fined state-owned Canara Bank's UK division £896,100 (₹8 crore) for breaching anti-money laundering laws. It has also prohibited the bank from accepting new deposits for nearly five months.
- The UK's Queen Elizabeth II gave royal assent to the Brexit bill that would allow the country to leave the European Union (EU). The EU withdrawal bill repeals the 1972 European Communities Act through which the UK became a member of the bloc.
- The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of additional 6.5 Million Metric Tonne (MMT) Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) facilities at Chandikhol in Odisha and Padur in Karnataka.
- The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for introduction of Dam Safety Bill, 2018 in the Parliament. This bill aims to help all States and Union Territories to adopt uniform dam safety procedures which will ensure safety of dams and safeguard benefits from such dams.
- The Union Finance Ministry has given "in-principle" approval to proposed Metro Rail projects in Indore, Bhopal, Kanpur, Agra and Delhi. The estimated cost of the projects is ₹1.07 lakh crore.
- The Union Ministry of Culture has launched a new scheme titled Seva Bhoj Yojana. Aim of Seva Bhoj Yojana : To provide financial assistance on purchase of specific food items by Charitable Religious Institutions (CRIs) for free distribution among people.
- The Union Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeITY) launched 5000 Wi-Fi Choupals in villages in partnership with common service centres (CSCs). Aim of Wi-Fi Choupals : To transform rural Internet connectivity through Bharat Net Project.
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has clarified that the use of or access to Aadhaar biometric data for criminal investigation is not permissible under Aadhaar Act.
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has extended the deadline for service providers to implement the Virtual ID (VID) system to July 1. The Virtual ID system aims to give users the option of not sharing their Aadhaar number with service providers and give them a 16-digit temporarily generated VID instead.
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has restricted Mobile Wallet Companies from accessing the Aadhaar database, effective July 1.
- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected South Africa, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Germany and Belgium as non-permanent members of the Security Council. Their terms will begin on January 1 next year, with the non-permanent members being elected for a two-year term.
- The United States enforced 'Restoring Internet Freedom Order', replacing Obama-era 'net neutrality' rules, which had barred internet service providers from charging more for certain content to grant equal access to the internet.
- The United States has named North Korea as one of the worst human trafficking nations for reportedly the 16th consecutive year.
- The United States has unveiled the world's most powerful supercomputer titled 'Summit', beating the previous record-holder China's Sunway TaihuLight.
- The United States withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) citing anti-Israel bias. The US was elected to the Council for the first time in 2009 after boycotting it for three years.
- The United States, Mexico and Canada won the right to jointly host the 2026 Fifa World Cup after beating Morocco in a vote by FIFA member nations in Moscow.
- The Upper House of the Dutch Parliament passed a law banning full-face veils such as the burqa and niqab in public places. The law bans wearing the veils in educational and government institutions, hospitals and on public transport, but not on streets.
- The US government has approved a deal to sell six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to India for $930 million. Under the deal, the US will also provide night vision sensors, control radars, Hellfire Longbow missiles and Stinger air-to-air missiles to India.
- The Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announced a blanket (complete) ban on polythene starting July 31.
- The Uttarakhand High Court has banned water sports in the state until the government frames a policy to regulate them.
- The Uttarakhand High Court has ordered the state government to set the limit of loudspeakers at 5 decibels.
- The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has received the book titled "Vedvigyan Alok" authored by Acharya Agnivarat Naishthik. This book is the scriptural verse in Vedas' prose.
- The world’s first International Centre for Humanitarian Forensics was launched in Gandhinagar (Gujarat).
- To address the criticality of ground water resources in a major part of the country, the Indian government has formulated a new scheme titled, Atal Bhujal Yojana. The scheme aims to improve ground water management in priority areas in the country through community participation.
- To facilitate infrastructure investments by insurance and pension funds, the Union Government is going to launch Rs.500 crore Credit Enhancement Fund (CEF) in July 2018.
- To facilitate money withdrawals for people of far flung areas, Fintech firm Mahagram will deploy over 1 lakh Aadhaar-enabled ATM machines across India.
- To focus on creating awareness among customers of banks, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has conducted Financial Literacy Week from 4th June 2018. Theme of Financial Literacy Week : ‘Customer Protection’.
- To monitor citizens living in different parts of the country, China has launched bird-shaped drones fitted with a camera, GPS antenna, and satellite communication capability.
- To provide clean drinking water, the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation has launched a scheme titled Swajal Yojana in 115 Aspirational districts of India. Swajal Yojana is a community owned drinking water scheme for sustained drinking water supply.
- To study the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Policy of India, the Indian Government has constituted a Group of eminent persons. Head of this Group : Baba Kalyani (Industrialist).
- To trace missing and abandoned children in India, the Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu launched a mobile application titled ReUnite.
- Uganda passed a bill for "social media tax" imposing a daily fee of about 200 shillings (₹3.57) for using platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter.
- UK Prime Minister Theresa May has announced that the country is going to launch 'Start-Up Visas' from the year 2019 to invite talented founders of business ventures.
- UK’s Prince William became the 1st member of the royal family to visit Israel on an official visit. During this visit, he met Holocaust survivors, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather has been named the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes for the fourth time in seven years with $285 million in earnings.
- Union Cabinet apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Denmark on technical cooperation in the field of Sustainable and Smart Urban Development.
- Union Cabinet approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India and Institut National de la Santeet de la RechercheMedicale (INSERM), France. This MoU aims at cooperation in areas of common interest within medical, health research and life sciences fields.
- Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for grant of permission to HDFC Bank to raise additional share capital of up to a maximum of 24,000 crore rupees.
- Union Culture and Environment Minister Mahesh Sharma has announced that a scientific study called Colour Stereography will be done on the Taj Mahal to determine its exact colour.
- Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi laid the foundation stone for India's first Advanced DNA Forensic Lab in Chandigarh. Built at a cost of Rs 99.76 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund, the state-of-the-art 'Sakhi Suraksha' lab, will come up at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory campus to assist in investigation and prosecution of crimes including those committed against women and children.
- University of Michigan has regained the title of making the world's smallest 'computer' from IBM by making a device measuring 0.3mm x 0.3mm, one-tenth of IBM's version. Smaller than a grain of rice, the device loses all prior data when unplugged, unlike desktop computers.
- US Food and Drug Administration has approved the 1st Prosthetic Iris (coloured part of the eye) that can be implanted to treat patients with missing or damaged iris .
- US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have signed an agreement to completely denuclearise South Korea in exchange for security guarantees from the US.
- US President Donald Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by two Norwegian MPs for his efforts in reaching an agreement with North Korea to denuclearise the Korean peninsula.
- Uttar Pradesh's Mughal Sarai Junction has officially been renamed as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the state government's proposal.
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu released a commemorative coin of Rs 125 and circulation coin of Rs 5 denomination on the occasion of Statistics Day and 125th birth anniversary of P C Mahalanobis .
- Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has launched a book titled “Human Rights, Values and Cultural Ethos”. This book is a collection of essays and lectures written by Dr. R.P. Dhokalia.
- With 1,86,000 Indian students currently studying in the United States, India is the 2nd highest sender of foreign students to the US, next only to China.
- With an aim to promote energy efficiency, Power Minister RK Singh has asked major air-conditioner manufacturers to maintain default temperature setting at 24 degree Celsius. Some countries like Japan have regulated the temperature at 28 degree.
- With the inspiration of ‘Beti Bacho-Beti padao’ programme being initiated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, East coast Railways, Waltair Division has launched ‘SUBHADRA VAHINI’ programme for the security and protection of Women. A 32 member- women team consisting of RPF police and TC women employees will monitor the security of the women passengers in Trains and Railway stations in the division.
- With the total project portfolios of US$4.4 Billion, India has been the largest borrower of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) lending since the time the Bank started its operations.
- World number one Test bowler Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) became the 1st Cricketer to bag 6 Trophies at the annual Cricket South Africa awards.
- World's largest international maritime warfare exercise, RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific Exercise) will be held from 27th June 2018 to 2nd August 2018. As many as 26 countries, including India, will participate in the biennial exercise.
sponsored links
0 Responses:
Post a Comment