1 Ajit Doval appointed as National Security Advisor and Dr. PK Mishra appointed as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister
Former IPS officer Ajit Doval has been reappointed as National Security Advisor and former IAS Dr PK Mishra has been reappointed as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister . The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved these appointments yesterday. These appointments will be effective from June 10. The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has said that the appointment of Mr Doval and Mr Mishra will be effective for the term of the Prime Minister or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Both these officers have been given the rank of Cabinet Minister in seniority. The Appointments Committee has also approved the appointment of retired administrative officers Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor as Advisors to the Prime Minister. The appointment of both the officers will be effective from June 10 in the rank and pay scale of Secretary to the Government for a period of two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier. These appointments will be on contract basis as per general terms and conditions.
2 Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pema Khandu took oath as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third consecutive time today
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pema Khandu took oath as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third consecutive time . Along with Mr Khandu, 11 other MLAs were also sworn in as ministers at a ceremony held at DK Convention Hall in Itanagar. Arunachal Pradesh Governor Retired Lieutenant General KT Parnaik administered the oath of office and secrecy to the Chief Minister and other ministers of the state cabinet.
3 Assam government launched scheme to promote girl child education and end child marriage
The Assam government has announced a new scheme Mukhyamantri Nijut Moina (MMNM) to promote girl child education and eliminate child marriage in the state. It was announced by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on 12 June 2024 after the Assam government cabinet approved the scheme. The Mukhyamantri Nijut Moina Yojana aims to empower the girls of the state by promoting education among them with financial incentives and support from the state government. An empowered girl will also help in reducing the incidence of child marriage in the state. Around 10 lakh girl students of the state will benefit from this scheme. Girl students enrolled in higher secondary education will get Rs 1000 per month from the government. Girl students enrolled in three-year or four-year degree graduation course will get Rs 1200 per month. Girl students enrolled in post graduation or B.Ed degree will get Rs 2500 per month. According to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, daughters of ministers and members of Assam Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are not eligible for this scheme.
4 Approval received to change the name of Joshimath
On June 12, the central government approved the renaming of Joshimath located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand . Now Joshimath will be known by its ancient name Jyotirmath . The new name of Koshyakutoli tehsil of Nainital district was also approved as Shrikainchi Dham . Last year, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had announced the change of name in Chamoli district. Joshimath is considered to be the gateway to Badrinath Dham . It is believed that in the 8th century, Adi Guru Shankaracharya did penance under the Kalpavriksha in this area . After this penance, he attained divine knowledge. This place was called Jyotirmath because of the divine knowledge light and Jyotieshwar Mahadev .
5 Cloud giant Oracle Cloud will help in training two lakh students of India
Cloud giant Oracle will help train two lakh students in India in cloud , data science, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Oracle and Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation have launched a special program under the Naan Mudhalvan initiative to provide employment-oriented training to students in the state . Oracle company said that this program will give students and professionals basic knowledge of cloud computing and help them better understand other concepts like AI, machine learning, data science or blockchain. More than 60 thousand students from more than 900 colleges of Tamil Nadu have registered for this training.
6 India’s retail inflation falls to 4.75 percent, the lowest in a year, according to data from the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation
According to data from the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation , India’s retail inflation in May has come down to a year’s lowest of 4.75 percent. The Consumer Price Index inflation rate was 4.83 percent in April. Last month’s rate is the lowest since May 2023 and has remained below 5 percent for three consecutive months starting March this year. The decline in inflation rate is due to softening of major commodities or no change in it compared to the previous month. Inflation rate of major commodities, excluding volatile components like food and fuel, is now at a level below 2.97 percent. At the same time, the inflation rate of food and beverages remains at 7.87 percent.
7 India’s first defense ETF launched
Asset management company Motilal Oswal i.e. AMC has launched ‘ Motilal Oswal Nifty India Defense Index Fund ‘ on June 13. It is an open-ended fund, which replicates or tracks the total return of the Nifty India Defense Index. In open-ended, stocks can be bought or sold at any time. Investors can invest in this defense index fund with a minimum of Rs 500 and any amount in multiples of Rs 1 thereafter. The money of investors investing in Motilal Oswal Nifty India Defense Index Fund will go to defense-related companies. The Nifty India Defense Index includes 15 companies, which are also part of the Nifty Total Market. This is the first index mutual fund to offer the option of investing in defense companies listed in India. The objective of this fund is to give investors an opportunity to participate in the growth potential of the defense sector. When a mutual fund is listed, it is called an NFO. All existing mutual funds are listed in this way by bringing an NFO.
8 Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that his country will withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)
Armenia ‘s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that his country will pull out of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) . Mr Pashinyan has accused the alliance’s member countries of favouring Azerbaijan. The CSTO was formed under the leadership of Russia ‘s predecessor Soviet Union in which member countries pledge to help each other if attacked.
9 In Italy, G-7 member countries have agreed to provide a loan of $ 50 billion to Ukraine from the money obtained from Russia’s seized assets
In Italy , G-7 member countries have agreed to give Ukraine a loan of $50 billion from the money obtained from Russia’s seized assets. Ukraine will use this loan to strengthen its army against Russia, rebuild infrastructure and in its state budget. The US government has said that due to sanctions, Western countries have blocked about $280 billion of the Russian Central Bank. This money is mainly in the countries of the European Union.
10 Discovery of ice on Mars
On June 10, the European Space Agency ‘s (ESA) ExoMars and Mars Express missions have detected large amounts of water on Mars . This is the first time that the presence of ice has been detected near the equator of Mars. Tharsis is the highest volcano in the entire solar system . It is about 4 thousand km wide and 10 km high. This ice was first seen by ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) . According to research, these pieces of ice remain present for a few hours around sunrise, after which they vaporize in sunlight. About 150,000 tons of ice vaporizes in the cold season. This amount of ice on Mars is equal to about 60 Olympic swimming pools. Water was discovered on Mars for the first time in 2007.
11 Pump and Dump Scheme
Recently, the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has fined 11 individuals for allegedly operating a ‘ pump and dump’ scheme . A pump-and-dump scheme is a type of manipulation activity in which the price of a stock is artificially inflated through false and misleading information, so that the stock can be sold at an inflated price and investors suffer huge losses. This manipulation strategy is particularly prevalent in the micro-cap and small-cap sectors, where public information about companies is often limited and trading volumes are low. Pump-and-dump schemes are completely prohibited under SEBI guidelines. Pump-and-dump manipulators may be subject to legal penalties, including fines, disgorgement of profits earned, and imprisonment. These schemes undermine trust in financial markets, making legitimate investors wary of potential fraud. A pump-and-dump scheme is different from insider trading because a pump-and-dump scheme does not misuse confidential company information.
12 Nano-fertilizer plant in Kakinada
Recently Coromandel International (an agriculture solutions provider) has opened a nano-fertilizer plant at its Kakinada campus in Andhra Pradesh . Nano fertilizers (such as Nano DAP and Nano Urea) ensure optimal nutrient delivery and absorption by plants and potentially replace conventional fertilizers and increase crop yield. Nano fertilizers are highly efficient types of fertilizers that deliver nutrients such as nitrogen to crops through fine particles. They are composed of nanoparticles, which are particles smaller than 100 nanometers in size. This small size enables the nanoparticles to enter plant cells more easily and deliver nutrients directly to the plants.
13 Shruti Vora becomes the first Indian rider to win a Three Star Grand Prix competition
Shruti scored 67.761 points in the CDI-3 competition held in Lipica, Slovenia from June 7 to 9. Moldova’s Tatiana Antonenko finished second with 66.522 points. Austria’s Juliane Gerich made it to the top three with 66.087 points.
14 Divya Deshmukh of India won the Girls’ World Junior Chess Championship
India’s Divya Deshmukh has won the girls’ World Junior Chess Championship . Divya defeated Bulgaria’s Beloslava Krasteva in the final round at the GIFT City Club in Gandhinagar , Gujarat to win the title. Top seed Divya won her first Under-20 title by defeating Krasteva in just 26 moves in the 10th round. She has remained unbeaten in the championship, winning nine of her matches while drawing two.
