Current Affairs June 14, 2019

In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of June 14, 2019 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.

1. The World Day Against Child Labour (WADCL) is observed every year on June 12 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it. The day brings together governments, employers and workers organizations, civil society, as well as millions of people to highlight the plight of child labourers and the measures to help them. The 2019 theme is – “Children shouldn’t work in fields, but on dreams!”.

2. China has appointed veteran diplomat Sun Weidong as its new envoy to India. He is an expert in South Asian affairs and worked closely with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his tenure in Beijing as the Indian ambassador from 2009 to 2013. Sun, who also served as the ambassador to Pakistan, is currently the Director General of the Policy and Planning Department of the Foreign Ministry. He will succeed Luo Zhaohui, who has been appointed as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

3. Amasebailu village in Kundapura Taluk of Udupi district has become Karnataka’s first solar-powered Gram Panchayat. Over 1800 houses were provided solar lamps at a total cost of Rs 2.13 crore. The project was funded by Centre and State Government in the ratio of 30:20 and the rest was paid by the Panchayat and charitable organizations. As per the agreement with Selco Light Pvt. Ltd, the solar lamps have a guarantee of 5 years and any faulty lamps will be replaced by the supplier within the guarantee period.

4. Thawar Chand Gehlot, the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, has been appointed the Leader of the House for the Rajya Sabha. He will replace senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley who opted out of the government citing health reasons. Gehlot is an experienced parliamentarian from and a Dalit face of the saffron party. He was a member of the Madhya Pradesh state assembly for several terms and has served in the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha. Meanwhile, Union Minister for Railways and Commerce Piyush Goyal will take charge as the Deputy Leader for the Upper House of the Indian Parliament. The Rajya Sabha has been convened to meet for the Budget Session from 20 June, the day President Ram Nath Kovind will address the joint sitting of Parliament. The session will continue till 26 July. In all, there will be 27 meetings of the upper house of the Parliament.

5. The Sashakt Committee, headed by PNB non-executive chairman Sunil Mehta, has recommended changes in existing Inter-Creditor Agreement (ICA) to incorporate revised voting threshold and other changes for decision making stipulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It will enable expeditious implementation of the new framework on stressed assets. Under the RBI’s new framework, it is a mandatory requirement for lenders to enter into an Inter-Creditor Agreement (ICA) during the review of the borrower account within 30 days from date of first default to any lender. The New Framework further lays down some parameters to be included in the Inter-Creditor Agreement including decision-making by lenders holding 75% (by value of total outstanding facilities) and 60% by number and protection of dissenting lenders. The Inter-Creditor Agreement is required to be executed by all lenders covered under the New Framework and asset reconstruction companies. The New Framework applies to all banks, term financial institutions, small finance banks, systemically important non-deposit taking non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) as well as deposit taking NBFCs.

6. Ashleigh Barty, an Australian professional tennis player and former cricketer, has clinched the women’s title at the 2019 French Open tennis tournament. In the final, she defeated Marketa Vondrousova 6–1, 6–3 at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris. Barty is the first Australian player ( male or female) to win a French Open singles title since Margaret Court in 1973. The 2019 French Open was the 123rd edition of a Grand Slam tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts.

7. A team of scientists from Delhi University (DU) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in collaboration with researchers from Indonesia and the US, have discovered a new species of ‘paddy frog’ from Northeast India, primarily Assam. The frog belongs to the microhylid genus Micryletta. It is a group of narrow-mouthed frogs that is primarily and widely distributed in Southeast Asia. Currently, there are only four recognized species in this group. The newly discovered Micryletta frog from Northeast India was confirmed as a new species by detailed comparison of both DNA and morphology with all previously known members across Southeast and East Asia. The new species has been named ‘aishani’, derived from the Sanskrit word ‘aishani’ or aisani (meaning North - east), referring to the Northeast regions of India where this frog was discovered. The frog has reddish-brown coloration on the back, prominent dark streaks and ash-grey mottling on the lateral sides, shape of snout and no web on its feet.

8. Dr. I V Subba Rao, a 1979 batch IAS officer from Andhra Pradesh, will continue as secretary to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on a contract basis in the rank and pay of a secretary of the Government of India (GoI). His tenure will be co-terminus with the tenure of the vice president.

9. The ‘Mela Kheer Bhawani’ is one of the biggest religious festivals of the displaced community of Kashmiri pundits, and is associated with Hindu Goddess Ragnya Devi. It is recently celebrated with religious fervor and gaiety at Tulmulla area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and Kupwara with thousands of Pandith devotees participated in the function. The annual festival is held on Jesht Ashtami (May-June) when Kashmiri pandits visit the place in large number to offer prayers to seek the blessings of the deity. The devotees carry rose petals, walk barefoot and offer tribute to the goddess, and also offer milk and kheer (pudding) at the sacred spring. It is believed that the colour of the water in the spring, which flows below the temple, is an indication of the valley's well-being. Black or darkish colour of the water is believed to be a sign of inauspicious times for Kashmir. However, the water in the spring this time was clean and milky white. The mela has become a symbol of communal harmony as Muslims in the locality make all the arrangements for the devotees, including setting up of stalls for flowers and other offerings.

10. Twenty-three Indian Institutions have been ranked among the best global universities in the latest 2020 QS World University ranking. In it, IIT Bombay has become India's best institute & secured 152nd rank globally. IIT Delhi and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore have also been figured in the top 200. Other Indian universities included in the top 500 list are IIT-Madras (271), IIT-Kharagpur (281), IIT- Kanpur (291), IIT-Roorkee (383), University of Delhi (474)and IIT-Guwahati (491). World-class MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has made a history by topping the QS World University Rankings for the 8th consecutive year. According to QS, no other university has managed such a long run at the top. Stanford University, Harvard University and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) -- all retain their positions at second, third and fourth in the world, respectively.


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