Current Affairs Quiz - June 2022

Notes:
Indian Council for Cultural Relations organised a ten days programme named ‘Gen-Next Democracy Network’ concluded.
Under the Gen Next Democracy Network programme, Youth from various democratic countries come to India and get acquainted with India’s heritage, culture and functioning of Indian democracy. ICCR is an autonomous organisation involved in India’s global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries.

Notes:
The government raised the premium for Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), to make them economically viable.
The premium rate of PMJJBY has been revised upward to Rs 1.25 per day, with an increase from Rs 330 to Rs 436 annually. The annual premium for PMSBY has been hiked from Rs 12 to Rs 20. The new premium rates are effective from June 1, 2022.

Notes:
The Controller General of Accounts (CGA) released the fiscal deficit for 2021-22, which improved to 6.71 per cent of the GDP over the revised budget estimate of 6.9 per cent. The fiscal deficit in absolute terms was Rs 15,86,537 crore (provisional).
The increase was mainly on account of higher tax realisation. The tax receipts during the fiscal stood at Rs 18.2 trillion as against the revised estimates (RE) of Rs 17.65 trillion.

Notes:
Soft robots are robots that are flexible and unlike traditional robots can be used to perform more delicate functions.
Soft robots can be programmed to execute specific tasks such as reaching into difficult gaps or holding onto delicate objects.

Notes:
India and Israel adopted a ‘Vision statement’ for strengthening defence cooperation in future. The statement marked 30 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Israeli counterpart held bilateral talks in New Delhi. The two leaders discussed defence cooperation and the global and regional defence scenario. Israel recently signed the instrument of ratification of the International Solar Alliance.

Notes:
Santoor maestro Bhajan Sopori, also called as the ‘saint of santoor’ and ‘King of strings’ passed away recently at the age of 73.
The veteran musician received multiple awards throughout his career, including the Padma Shri in 2004, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992 and the Jammu and Kashmir State Lifetime Achievement Award.

Notes:
The Government has approved 8.1 per cent rate of interest on employees’ provident fund (EPF) deposits for the year 2021-22, from 8.5 per cent provided in the previous year.
The 8.1 per cent EPF rate of interest is the lowest since 1977-78, when it stood at 8 per cent. The interest rate on EPF deposits was decided by the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) and was ratified by the finance ministry 2021.

Notes:
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and India’s public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati are exploring the feasibility of a technology called ‘direct-to-mobile’ (D2M) broadcasting.
It allows broadcasting video and other forms of multimedia content directly to mobile phones, without the need of an active internet connection. The technology is also expected to improve consumption of broadband and utilisation of spectrum.

Notes:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been signed on as brand ambassador and a minority shareholder of Garuda Aerospace.
It is a Chennai-based aviation and aerospace component manufacturing firm that deals with designing and building of unmanned aerial vehicles. The company is known for developing low-cost drone solutions.

Notes:
Ace woman cricketer Mithali Raj recently announced her retirement from all forms of Cricket. The 39-year-old player is the first and only woman cricketer in the world to appear in six World Cups so far.
She joined the list of Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan’s Javed Miandad recently, for this feat. Her tally of 7,805 runs from 232 ODIs is the highest in the women’s ODI game. She is also the long-serving India captain with a total of 10,868 runs, a women’s cricket record.