Notes:
The first official World Bicycle Day (WBD) is observed by United Nations (UN) on 3rd June 2018 to encourage a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation. On this occasion, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu flagged off a cycling event at Connaught Place in New Delhi Nearly five thousand cyclists participated in the 8km long event. New Delhi Municipal Council has organised the event in association with World Cycling Alliance.

Notes:
India has recently signed Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in nursing with Singapore which would allow nurses trained in seven nursing institutions across India to gain employment in the South-East Asian country. MRAs pave the way for recognition of the professional bodies of one country by the other. Regulatory bodies of various professional services like engineering, nursing, accountancy and architecture are encouraged to enter into these pacts. These pacts are part of free trade agreements (FTAs) that India has signed with several regions, including Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Asean. India and Singapore entered into FTA in August 2005.

Notes:
The Odisha government has launched the health insurance scheme “Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana” for working journalists in the state. It will be implemented with effect from June 1, 2018. In the first phase, as many as 3,233 working journalists will get health insurance coverage up to Rs 2 lakh a year. Under the scheme, at least five members of the journalists family will be covered. The scribes will get their health insurance card from the District Information and Public Relations Officer (DIPRO) in their respective districts.

Notes:
Kendrick Lamar, an American rapper and songwriter, has won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his acclaimed album ‘Damn’ at Columbia University in New York. With this, Damn has created history by becoming the first non-classical and non-jazz work to earn the accolade.

Notes:
Tata Motors Ltd.  has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State Government of Maharashtra for deployment of 1000 Electric Vehicles (EV) across its range of passenger and commercial vehicles in the State. The company also partnered Tata group company, Tata Power Ltd to set up of EV Charging Stations in the State. The MoU will boost the Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy 2018 in accelerating the adoption of Evs in Maharashtra.

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Dr. Dinesh Gupta, an officer of the 1983 UPSC batch, has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of the Geological Survey of India (GSI). He took over from N Kutumba Rao to become the 47th DG of the GSI. Gupta is an expert in mineral exploration and responsibility has been given to him to steer GSI in this field.

Notes:
Giuseppe Conte, an academic and political novice, has been sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Italy on June 1, 2018. He succeeded the Democrat Paolo Gentiloni. Conte will head a government of ministers from the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the far-right League Party. According to many journalists and political commentators, Conte’s cabinet is the first populist government in Western Europe.

Notes:
The Union Government has set up an executive committee, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spread Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy among the people at the national and international level. The committee comprises, senior cabinet ministers, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, renowned Gandhians, social activists and noted public figures. The panel was formed after the first meeting of the National Committee (NC) under the chairmanship of President Ram Nath Kovind to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. During the meeting, it was decided to form a sub-committee to consider policies and lay down guidelines for the celebrations. The NC has 125 members, of which 116 are from India. Other members are acclaimed foreign members.

Notes:
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has launched a new Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS) to provide probabilistic weather forecasts up to the next 10 days. According to IMD, these new systems shall improve upon deterministic forecasts that are prone to high margins of error. These systems also use a higher resolution 12 km grid scale, instead of the 23 km resolution that has been in use till now. The forecast related to the intensity of the weather will also be more accurate and colour coded. The new model has been developed jointly by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting. With this new model, India joins the US with a model that predicts with a 12 km resolution. Only the ‘European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast’ has a better 9-kilometer resolution. Better forecasts lead to better management agriculture and water resources. It also helps promote tourism, solar and wind energy.

Notes:
President Ram Nath Kovind has recently presented the ‘Santokbaa Humanitarian Award’ to two noted personalities viz. Child rights activist and Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and space scientist A S Kiran Kumar, former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Surat, Gujarat. The award, instituted by Shree Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundaton (SRKKF) and led by diamond baron Govind Dholakia, includes a trophy and a prize money of Rs 1 crore each to the awardees. SRKKF confers the award every year for humanitarian contributions by individuals whose life and work are characterised by their selfless and inspiring service.