1 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University in Rajgir, Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University in Rajgir , Bihar . He unveiled a plaque and planted a sapling in the new campus. Tight security arrangements were made in view of Mr. Modi’s visit. Gautami Bhattacharya, Superintendent Archaeologist of Patna Division , informed the Prime Minister about the ancient ruins. The new university has been started as a cooperation between India and East Asia Summit (EAS) countries . EAS countries include a total of 18 countries including 10 ASEAN countries. India is also included in these. Ambassadors of 17 of these countries were present in the program. This campus built in 450 acres is the world’s largest net zero green university campus . Admission for the first batch in the university took place in 2014 and the campus started with 6 departments. Nalanda University was established in 427 AD by Emperor Kumaragupta. It used to be the world’s first residential university. In ancient times, 2000 teachers and about 10,000 students from China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia used to study in this university. This university is located just 20 kilometers away from Nalanda Mahavira. Nalanda Mahavira was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. Nalanda University was established in 2010. In 2006, the then President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam suggested re-establishing the university in the Bihar Assembly .
2 The central government announced the minimum support price for 14 Kharif crops
The Central Government has decided to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 14 crops , develop Maharashtra ‘s Vadhavan port and develop the first wind terminal in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu . The government has also taken decisions for the development of Varanasi airport and National Forensic Infrastructure Augmentation Scheme. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the government has taken five major decisions in the Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet has approved the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops for the marketing season 2024-25 on 14 crops. The highest increase in MSP compared to last year has been made for oilseeds and pulses such as nigerseed (Rs 983 per quintal), followed by sesame (Rs 632 per quintal) and tur/arhar (Rs 550 per quintal). Mr Vaishnav informed that the Central Government has decided to develop an all-weather Greenfield port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra. He said that the cost of building this port will be more than Rs 76 thousand and after completion it will be among the top 10 ports in the world. Mr Vaishnav also informed that the Cabinet has approved the development of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi at a cost of Rs 2,869 crore.
3 Thailand passed bill related to same sex marriage
On 18 June, the Parliament of Thailand passed the bill related to homosexual marriage . Now Thailand has become the first country in South East Asia to recognize same-sex marriage . However, the bill will get legal recognition only after the approval of King Vajiralankaran of Thailand. During the voting on this bill, 152 members were present in the Parliament. Out of these, 130 members voted in favor of the bill. 4 members of the Parliament voted against the bill and 18 members did not participate in the voting. Same-sex marriage has also been legally recognized in Taiwan and Nepal. In Indonesia and Brunei, homosexual relations are considered an illegal crime.
4 New plan announced to grant citizenship to immigrants in America
On June 18, US President Joe Biden announced the launch of a protection program for immigrants living in the country without the necessary documents . This program is for people who are married to American citizens, but are living in the US without the necessary documents. The name of this protection program is Parole in Place . Under this program, citizenship will be given to those people who have been living in the country for at least 10 years after marrying an American citizen . Children of such couples will also be able to get citizenship through this program. Through this protection program, it will be easier for people to get work permit and citizenship. The purpose of this program is also to simplify the process of obtaining a green card for immigrants without documents.
5 indigenous Assamese submachine guns inducted into Indian Army
The Northern Command of the Indian Army has ordered 550 indigenously designed , developed and manufactured Asmi ( ASMI ) submachine guns worth Rs 4.26 crore. It is the first indigenously designed and manufactured weapon to be inducted into the Indian Army . The Asmi submachine gun is manufactured by Hyderabad -based Lokesh Machines Limited . Asmi is an acronym for Asmita , which means pride . It is designed by Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with the Indian Army . The design of the Asmi was handed over to CNC (Computerised Numerical Control) machine manufacturer Lokesh Machines Limited for manufacturing. Lokesh Machines Limited manufactures the Asmi submachine guns at its Turpan factory located in Medak district of Telangana using aerospace-grade aluminium.
6 Bonn Climate Conference 2024 concluded in Bonn, Germany
Mid-year climate discussions in Bonn, Germany recently concluded with limited progress, raising concerns about a potentially challenging path to the COP29 summit to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan later this year . The 60th session of the UNFCCC subsidiary bodies (SB60), also known as the Bonn Climate Change Conference, aims to pave the way to COP29 by tackling key issues related to climate action.
7 India Post Payments Bank collaborates with Ria Money Transfer to provide more efficient money transfer services in rural India
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has partnered with Ria Money Transfer (RIA), a leader in the C-mapar money transfer industry and an industry division of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. This collaboration will enable the delivery of convenient and affordable doorstep financial services to customers in remote areas across India . 65% of India’s population lives in rural areas with limited financial infrastructure. These households have to travel long distances to withdraw currency coming from abroad, resulting in loss of wages, travel costs, risk associated with storing cash during travel and at home as they have to withdraw the entire amount. The partnership between IPPB and RIA will enable people to get banking services at their doorsteps. They will be able to withdraw only the amount they need immediately, ensuring that they avoid the hassles and risks of earlier transactions. This facility will lead to financial inclusion in the true sense and will lead to their long-term economic growth.
8 CERT-In and Mastercard India sign MoU for cooperation in cyber security to enhance India’s cyber-resilience in the financial sector
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is a government organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India . CERT-In is designated as the national agency for incident response under Section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000. CERT-In has joined hands with Mastercard to promote cooperation and information sharing in the area of cyber security relating to the financial sector . The two entities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which they will leverage their shared expertise with respect to the financial sector in the areas of cyber security incident response, capacity building, sharing of cyber threat intelligence specific to the financial sector and advanced malware analysis.
9 major ports of India included in the list of global top 100 ports released by World Bank
The performance of India’s port development program has been significantly appreciated in the special report Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) prepared by the World Bank and S&P Global Marketing Intelligence for the year 2023. In the latest edition of this report, 9 ports of India have made it to the global top 100 ports . Visakhapatnam Port has reached 19th position among the top 20 ports in the world in the year 2023. In terms of efficiency, Visakhapatnam Port has performed the best with 27.5 moves per crane hour, turnaround time (TRT) of 21.4 hours and minimum berth idle time. All these factors highlight the efficiency of the port in managing container ships and significantly influence the choice of customers. The other seven Indian ports that featured in the top 100 are Pipavav (41), Kamarajar (47), Cochin (63), Hazira (68), Krishnapatnam (71), Chennai (80) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (96).
10 India exported a record 17,81,602 metric tonnes of seafood in 2023-24
According to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) , seafood exports from India in 2023-24 are set to register an all-time high of 17,81,602 metric tonnes (MT) as compared to 17,35,286 MT in 2022-23. However, in terms of monetary value, the value of seafood exports has declined. India exported seafood worth Rs 60,523.89 crore or US$ 7.38 billion during 2023-24, while the value of seafood exports in 2022-23 was Rs 63,969.14 crore or US$ 8,094.31 million. The Indian government had set an export target of $9.1 billion for seafood in 2023-24. The main reason for the decline in value is the sharp fall in shrimp prices in international markets, especially in the United States.
11 SBI approves raising up to Rs 20,000 crore by issuing long-term bonds in FY25
State Bank of India-SBI has approved raising up to Rs 20 thousand crore by issuing long-term bonds in the financial year 2025. This step has been taken to finance infrastructure projects and affordable housing units. The central board said in the meeting that the raising of funds will be done by public issue or private placement. After the announcement of the plan to issue new bonds, the bank’s stock closed at Rs 853, up 0.95 per cent compared to its previous closing price. In early June, SBI raised ten million dollars by selling three-year senior unsecured floating-rate bonds through its London branch. These bonds were sold 95 points above the secured overnight financing rate. Similarly, SBI raised Rs 5 thousand crore through perpetual bonds at a coupon rate of 8.34 per cent in January.
12 Fire breaks out in Hollong Bungalow, a historic tourist spot in North Bengal
A fire broke out at Hollong Bungalow, a historic tourist spot in North Bengal . The bungalow was closed for tourists since June 15, so there are no reports of any casualties. The cause of the fire is not known. However, according to the staff of the bungalow, the building burned down completely due to a short circuit. The building was located outside the main forest area of Jaldapara forest range.
13 Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the javelin throw competition of the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour
Olympian and world champion Neeraj Chopra has won the gold medal in the javelin throw event at the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour held in Finland . He achieved this feat by throwing the javelin at a distance of 85.97 meters in the competition . Neeraj Chopra started with a throw of 83.62 meters. Tony Keranen won the silver medal by finishing second with a throw of 84.19 meters. Olivier Helander won the bronze medal with his best throw of 83.96 meters.
14 West Indies scored the most runs in the powerplay in T20 World Cup history
On June 17, in the last match of the group stage of the ICC T20 World Cup, West Indies defeated Afghanistan by 104 runs. West Indies scored 218 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs . This was the highest score of this World Cup. Afghanistan was all out after scoring 114 runs in 16.2 overs. Nicholas Pooran’s innings of 98 runs made the match the highest score of the current tournament. This is the best powerplay score so far in the history of T20 World Cup . The team scored 92 runs in the powerplay after losing 1 wicket. Earlier in 2014, Netherlands scored 91 runs in the powerplay against Ireland. T20 World Cup 2012 champion West Indies gave its best performance in this match. The team scored 218 runs after losing 5 wickets. This is the highest score of West Indies in the World Cup. At the same time, it has also become the fourth highest score in T20 World Cup history. Earlier, the team had scored 205 runs for the loss of 6 wickets against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup.
15 Trent Boult announces retirement from international cricket
New Zealand left-arm fast bowler Trent Boult has announced his retirement from international cricket after New Zealand’s final Group C match against Papua New Guinea in the 2024 T20 ICC Cricket World Cup. The match was played at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba. New Zealand, already eliminated from the 2024 T20 World Cup, bowled out Papua New Guinea for 78, with Trent Boult taking two wickets for 14 runs. His fellow fast bowler Lockie Ferguson shared the world record with a remarkable performance of 4-4-0-3 in the match. Ferguson took three wickets without conceding a single run in his allotted four overs. He is the second player after Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar to achieve the feat of not conceding a single run in his allotted four overs. In the match against Panama in 2021, Saad took two wickets in 4 overs without conceding any runs.
16 Indian National Ultimate Frisbee Team wins silver medal at 2024 Asia Oceanic Championships in Japan
The Indian National Ultimate Frisbee Mixed Team put up a valiant performance in the finals of the Asia Oceanic Beach Ultimate Championship (AOBUC) 2024 , finishing runners-up after a hard-fought battle against the Philippines with a final score of 9-12 . This is a historic milestone for Indian Ultimate Frisbee as the national team demonstrated significant growth and potential on the international stage by reaching the finals for the first time. The tournament saw participation of 16 teams from Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
17 World Sickle Cell Day 2024
June 19 is observed as World Sickle Cell Day across the world . Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder , and the day seeks to raise awareness about the disease among the public, government, and other stakeholders. It aims to raise awareness so that the disease can be detected early and preventive measures can be used to provide relief to patients. The theme of the 2024 World Sickle Cell Day is: Hope through Progress: Advancing sickle cell care globally .
