1 Boney Kapoor signs MoU for Noida Film City
On June 27, film producer Boney Kapoor signed an agreement with Yamuna Authority to build Noida Film City . Boney Kapoor and Ashish Bhutani ‘s company Bayview Projects won the bid for the film city on January 31. In the first phase, about 230 acres of land will be developed. Out of the total 1,000 acres of land, 220 acres is for commercial use and 780 acres is for industrial use. The estimated cost of the film city construction project is Rs 1510 crore. Yamuna Authority will get 18% of the profit from this film city. Boney Kapoor will shoot his first film ‘ No Entry Main Entry ‘ in Noida Film City.
2 Arundhati Roy wins PEN Pinter Prize 2024
On 27 June, the British Library honoured Indian writer Arundhati Roy with the PEN Pinter Prize 2024. The PEN Pinter Prize was started in 2009 , which was started in the memory of Nobel Prize- winning playwright Harold Pinter . Arundhati Roy was born on 24 November 1961 in Meghalaya . Arundhati received the Booker Prize in 1997 for her first novel ‘ The God of Small Things ‘ . She received one million pounds (about 8 crore rupees) in advance for this novel. This book was published in May and by June it had been sold in 18 countries of the world. By the end of this year, TIME included it in the five best-selling books. The PEN Pinter Prize is given every year to writers living in the United Kingdom, Ireland or Commonwealth Nations .
3 A new international airport will be built in Hosur
On June 27, in the Tamil Nadu Assembly , Chief Minister MK Stalin announced the construction of an international airport in Hosur . The state government is planning to build a new international airport in Hosur on about 2,000 acres. About 3 crore passengers will be able to travel annually at the new international airport. Hosur already has connectivity with the EXIM gateway. The construction of an airport here will provide connectivity to commercial cities like Chennai, Tiruvallur, Sriperumbudur and Coimbatore. CM Stalin announced the establishment of a library and science center in Trichy like the libraries in Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore.
4 J.P. Nadda appointed as Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Union minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has been named the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. Mr Nadda replaces Union minister Piyush Goyal, who won the recent Lok Sabha elections and took oath as a member of the lower house of Parliament on June 24. The Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha is the leader of the majority party in the Rajya Sabha and the Parliamentary Speaker and is usually either a Cabinet minister or another nominated minister. The Leader of the House is responsible for conducting government meetings and business in the House. The post is not enshrined in the Constitution and is provided under the rules of the Rajya Sabha. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
5 M.P. Government approved the establishment of a PM College of Excellence in all the districts of the state
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that a centre of ‘ Indian Knowledge Tradition ‘ will be opened in every PM College of Excellence and necessary arrangements will be made in this regard. PM College of Excellence is going to start in all 55 districts of Madhya Pradesh from July 1. Additional posts have been approved in the selected colleges to establish Prime Minister College of Excellence in 55 districts of the state. Necessary budget has also been made available to these colleges.
6 Anuj Tyagi becomes the new MD and CEO of HDFC ERGO General Insurance
Private sector general insurer HDFC ERGO General Insurance announced the appointment of Anuj Tyagi as its new managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) , effective July 1, 2024. Tyagi, who has been with the company since 2008 and currently serves as deputy MD, will replace Ritesh Kumar, MD and CEO since 2008. This leadership change has received all the necessary regulatory approvals.
7 Government appointed Girija Subramanian as CMD of New India Assurance Company
The government has appointed Girija Subramanian as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of India’s largest general insurer New India Assurance . She will hold the position from June 19, 2024, till she attains the age of retirement or until further orders.
8 Sam Pitroda re-elected as President of Overseas Congress
On June 26, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal announced the reappointment of Sam Pitroda as the President of Overseas Congress . He resigned from the post on May 8 after his controversial statements during the recently held Lok Sabha elections. A video of Pitroda came out on May 8 during the Lok Sabha elections. In this, he was saying that people from the East in India look like Chinese and those from the South look like Africans. Shortly after the controversy escalated, Pitroda resigned from the post of President of Indian Overseas Congress. Sam Pitroda has also been an advisor to the United Nations (UN). He has been associated with the Congress for more than 40 years. He has worked with former PMs Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh. Sam Pitroda is considered to be Rahul Gandhi’s political guru. His biography ‘Sam Pitroda: A Biography’ was published in 1992. Pitroda lives with his family in Illinois (Chicago). He also has a house in Delhi.
9 Madhya Pradesh ministers will pay taxes on their salaries and allowances themselves
In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in Bhopal, the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet has decided that the ministers will pay income tax on the salary and allowances received by the state ministers as ministers from their own pockets. This proposal presented in the cabinet meeting of the state government was approved unanimously. In 1972 , the Madhya Pradesh government had decided that the tax payable under the Income Tax Act 1961 on the salaries and allowances of ministers will be paid by the state government, and there will be no burden on individual ministers. The state government took this decision under the provisions of the Income Tax Act 1961. In this way, after 52 years, the state government has changed the rules.
10 Jaipur Military Station: Second military station in the country to have a plastic waste road
Jaipur Military Station has become the second military station in the country to have a road made of plastic waste . The road made of plastic waste was inaugurated on 26 June 2024 by Major General RS Godara, General Officer Commanding, 61 Sub Area. The first military station in the country where a road was constructed from plastic waste in 2019 is Narangi Military Station, located in Guwahati, Assam . The Jaipur Military Station road is 100 meters long and it is from Sagat Singh Road Under Bridge to Shavak Corner Complex. In line with the Indian Army’s policy of building sustainable and green military stations, the road in Jaipur was constructed under the aegis of GE (South), CE Jaipur Zone with the assistance of Deep Construction Private Limited . Roads made of plastic waste are more durable, less wear and tear, less water flow compared to conventional roads.
11 CAG inaugurates India’s first ‘Chadwick House: Navigating Audit Heritage’ museum in Shimla
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India inaugurated the ‘ Chadwick House: Navigating Audit Heritage ‘ museum in Shimla on June 24. The museum is an important milestone in preserving and celebrating the institution’s rich heritage and its contribution to the country’s system of governance. Chadwick House, an important landmark in Shimla, is blessed with a rich and detailed history. Its historical significance further increased when Mahatma Gandhi stayed here during his visit to Shimla for the Cabinet Mission in 1946. After Independence, a training school for the Indian Accounts and Audit Service was started here in 1950. After the training institute shifted, Chadwick House gradually fell into neglect. Without proper care and maintenance, it was on the verge of collapse in 2018. At the same time, India’s apex audit institution took steps to safeguard its heritage.
12 Karnataka Forest Minister Ishwar Khandre called for using the services of ISRO’s earth observation satellite to control encroachment of forest land
Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has called for using the services of ISRO ‘s earth observation satellite to control encroachment of forest land . The same technology can be used to monitor afforestation efforts undertaken by the department and prevent forest fires, he said. Addressing a meeting of senior officials in Bengaluru, he said the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Application Centre has collected data on forest areas through geo reference modules . ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre provides real-time information on forest fires and other changes in land pattern and their exact locations.
13 A Genome Sequencing Laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art next generation genome sequencing facilities was inaugurated at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune
Lt Gen Daljit Singh, Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services and Senior Colonel Commandant, Army Medical Corps inaugurated a new Genome Sequencing Lab at Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune . The new laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art next generation genome sequencing facilities, including advanced “NextSeq 2000” and “MiniSeq” analysers. NGS technology has wide applications in various healthcare sectors, including hereditary diseases, oncology, transplantation medicine and reproductive medicine. This advanced technology significantly enhances the capabilities of AFMS by facilitating accurate diagnosis of rare genetic disorders, molecular prediction of malignancy and organ transplantation. This is the second such facility at AFMS, after Army Hospital (Research & Referral) in New Delhi, where NGS facility was commissioned by Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services on 23 January 2024.
14 India’s first AI university appoints award-winning US professor as VC
India’s first artificial intelligence university , Universal AI University (UAIU) , has appointed international strategist and multiple award-winning Professor Simon Mak as its Vice-Chancellor. Mak is the first non-Indian to be appointed as the founding Vice-Chancellor of an Indian institution.
15 Kotak Mahindra Bank will open 200 new branches in FY25
Kotak Mahindra Bank in India plans to expand its branch network from 175 to 200 branches in FY25 . This decision comes despite the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) recent regulatory restrictions on digital customer acquisition and credit card issuance due to IT-related issues. Group President and Head of Consumer Banking, Mr. Virat Diwanji highlighted the bank’s commitment to this expansion strategy, noting the historical growth rate of around 150 branches annually. The focus will be on areas with high deposit potential to strengthen customer acquisition through the physical branch network amid the current digital limitations.
16 Pat Cummins’ second consecutive hat-trick in T20 World Cup
On 23 June , Pat Cummins created history as he became the first player to take 2 hat-tricks in a T20 World Cup . He achieved the feat during the Super 8 match between Australia and Afghanistan in St Vincent. Cummins achieved the feat by taking the wickets of Rashid Khan, Karim Janat and Gulbadin Naib. This was only the eighth time a bowler completed a hat-trick in a men’s T20 World Cup, and the first time a player achieved the feat more than once.
17 Smriti Mandhana became the first Indian woman cricketer to score consecutive centuries in ODIs
Smriti Mandhana became the first Indian woman to score two combined centuries in the second ODI against South Africa played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 19. She registered the record for the most runs by an Indian woman in a bilateral One Day International series. Mandhana also became the highest ever scorer in a three-match ODI bilateral series in women’s cricket by scoring 343 runs in the series. She broke the record of South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, who scored 335 runs in three matches against Sri Lanka earlier this year.
18 Fastest half-century in T20
Nepal ‘s Dipendra Singh Airee holds the record for the fastest half-century in T20 cricket , scoring a half-century in nine balls against Mongolia in a group stage match at the Asian Games 2023. This innings is also the fastest 50 runs in T20 International. Dipendra Singh Airee scored an unbeaten 52 off just 10 balls in a match played at the Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field in Hangzhou, Republic of China. His record innings included eight explosive sixes. This also included six consecutive sixes, five of which were hit in the last over.
19 Rohit Sharma became the first batsman to hit 200 sixes in T20
Rohit Sharma became the first player to hit 200 sixes in the Super Eight Group 1 match of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Australia on June 24 at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia . Rohit scored 92 runs off 41 balls and hit eight sixes in this innings, taking his total number of sixes in T20I cricket to 203. Rohit has become the first batsman to hit 200 sixes in T20I cricket. Only one other batsman has more than 150 sixes in this format. New Zealand’s Martin Guptill follows Rohit with 173 T20I sixes. Among Indian players, only Suryakumar Yadav (129) and Virat Kohli (121) have hit more than 100 sixes in T20I cricket.
20 Former MP Pahalman Subba passed away
On June 27, Sikkim ‘s first elected MP Pahalman Subba passed away. The 90-year-old Subba breathed his last at the Central Referral Hospital. Subba was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1975 after Sikkim merged with India . Subba represented Sikkim in the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian Parliament) during the 1977-80 term. Subba contested and won the 1980 election on a Sikkim Janata Party (SJP) ticket. He has also been the president of the Sikkim Teachers’ Association .
