1 China became the first country to bring soil from the dark side of the moon
On June 25, China’s moon mission reached Earth with soil from the surface of the moon . With this , it has become the first country to be successful in bringing samples from the dark side of the moon. The Chinese National Space Administration ‘s Chang’e-6 lander returned to Earth after 53 days with samples in a capsule. The re-entry module of Chang’e-6 landed in the northern part of China at 11:30 am on Tuesday (Indian time). Through this, China has come closer to becoming a space power. Apart from sending humans, China wants to build a research base on the South Pole of the Moon by 2030. Research so far has raised the possibility that water is present in the form of ice on this part of the moon. Drills and robotic arms were used to collect samples from the surface of the moon. Through this, soil was extracted from a 4 billion year old crater on the moon. After this, the sample was put in a capsule and transferred to the re-entry vehicle. Chang’e-6 landed on the South Pole-Aitken Basin on May 3. It is one of the three largest and major land parts of the moon, so its scientific value is very high. During this mission, China also took payloads of other countries, including Pakistan, France, Italy and European Space Agency. The far side of the moon is the part which is away from the earth and it is also called the dark side of the moon. This is because we cannot see this part and very little is known about it.
2 Country’s first lithium block auctioned
On June 24, Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy attended the fourth phase of auction of critical minerals at the Convention Center in New Delhi . Reddy allotted the country’s first lithium block in Chhattisgarh to Miki South Mining. The lithium block, Katghora and the rare earth element (REE) block of Chhattisgarh were auctioned to Miki South Mining Private Limited. This allocation was done with a final percentage ownership (FPO) of 76.05%. 21 critical mineral blocks are being auctioned in this auction. Of these blocks, 11 are new blocks in states including Arunachal Pradesh , Jharkhand , Karnataka . In July 2023, the government changed its mining rules by allowing private miners to enter for exploration of minerals.
3 IB Director Tapan Kumar Deka gets one year extension
On June 24, the Personnel Ministry of the Central Government has extended the tenure of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Tapan Kumar Deka by one year . His tenure was ending on June 30. Tapan Deka was appointed as the Director of IB in 2022. Deka has spent most of his career in IB. He also worked as Additional Director in IB. Deka played an important role in dealing with Northeast insurgency and eliminating the Indian Mujahideen. He has handled important cases like terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, especially target killings in the Valley.
4 Tenure of former IFS officer Bharat Lal as NHRC Secretary General extended by one year
On June 24, the central government extended the tenure of retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Bharat Lal as Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by one year . His term was to end on June 30, 2024. Bharat Lal was appointed Secretary General of NHRC in June 2023. Bharat was then working as Director General of the National Good Governance Centre. In 2021, he was appointed Secretary of Lokpal. From 2017-19, he was working as Additional Secretary to former President Ram Nath Kovind. He has also served as Resident Commissioner of Gujarat Government.
5 Kerala Assembly again passed a resolution to change the name of the state to Keralam
The Kerala Assembly on June 24, 2024 unanimously passed a resolution to change the name of the state to Keralam . The resolution moved by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requested the Government of India to change the name of the state in the Constitution. A similar resolution was passed by the Kerala Assembly in August 2023 on which Parliament did not act. “The name of Kerala in the Malayalam language is Keralam,” the chief minister said while introducing the resolution. He said that during the freedom struggle, the Malayali-speaking people had demanded a united Kerala state for all the Malayali-speaking people of the region. After independence, states were reorganized on the basis of language in India and new states came into existence on 1 November 1956. Kerala was also formed on 1 November 1956. However, in the First Schedule of the Constitution, the state was named Kerala instead of Keralam.
6 India to host 64th ISO Council meeting in New Delhi
India will host the 64th International Sugar Organization (ISO) Council meeting in New Delhi . Delegates from over 30 countries and representatives of several international organisations will attend the three-day meeting to discuss important issues in the sugar and biofuel sector .
7 New criminal laws will be implemented across the country from July 1
New criminal laws are going to be implemented across the country from July 1. After their implementation, the Indian Penal Code i.e. IPC will be replaced by the Indian Justice Code 2023 , Criminal Procedure Code i.e. CRPC will be replaced by the Indian Civil Protection Code 2023 and Indian Evidence Act 2023 will be replaced by the Indian Evidence Act . Through the new criminal laws, it will be ensured that people get speedy justice. For this, new technologies have been incorporated in the entire process. The Indian Justice Code 2023 promotes transparency and victim participation in legal processes. Along with this, it further strengthens the role of law enforcement in justice delivery. UP Police Director General Prashant Kumar gave information about the new criminal laws in a special conversation with Akashvani News Lucknow.
8 Ladakh achieves full functional literacy
Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Dr. B.D. Mishra has declared Ladakh as the administrative unit to achieve full functional literacy on 24 June 2024 in view of achieving more than 97 percent literacy under the ‘ULLAS’ – Nav Bharat Literacy Program. This outstanding achievement reflects Ladakh’s commitment to empower its citizens through basic literacy and numeracy and important life skills for all. Dr. Mishra gave this information at a function at Sindhu Cultural Center (SSK), Leh. Actually, the ‘ULLAS’ scheme aims to empower adults aged 15 years and above from all backgrounds who could not receive proper schooling. It not only allows learners to acquire reading, writing and numeracy skills, but also enriches them with an understanding of important life skills while encouraging lifelong learning. The scheme is being implemented through promoting volunteerism, social responsibility and a sense of duty. The Ministry of Education informed that so far more than 77 lakh people have benefited from this scheme across the country. The ‘ULLAAS’ mobile app has more than 1.29 crore learners and 35 lakh volunteer teachers.
9 Dr. Jitendra Singh launches “One Week One Theme” (OWOT) campaign
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has launched the “One Week One Theme ” (OWOT) campaign showcasing India’s recent success stories in various fields of science and technology. Dr Jitendra Singh said – “Our aim is to integrate the efforts of all CSIR laboratories working on similar projects, so as to reduce overlap and optimize resource utilization on the same work at the same time.” He informed that the ‘One Week One Theme’ initiative under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) aims to make innovation inclusive for all. ‘OWOT’ is a sequel to the ‘ One Week One Lab ‘ (OWOL) initiative launched last year and builds on its success. The OWOL initiative has also been possible under his guidance.
10 Maharashtra Governor unveils book titled ‘Gateway to the Sea: Historic Ports and Docks of Mumbai Region’
Shri Ramesh Bais, Governor of Maharashtra released the book titled ‘ Gateways to the Sea: Historic Ports and Docks of Mumbai Region ‘ at Raj Bhavan Mumbai on June 22, 2024 (Saturday). The book is published by Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. The book contains 18 articles by renowned authors compiled by the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society (MMMS) . Shri Ramesh Bais, Governor of Maharashtra felicitated MMMS and 17 authors and two editors on the occasion. He also encouraged the citizens of Mumbai to learn about their ancient maritime history. A presentation of the book was also held at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan by the Publications Division in collaboration with the Asiatic Society.
11 Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is launching Cleanliness Adoption, Bimari Bhagao initiative
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is launching the Swachhata Apnao, Beemari Bhagao initiative under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 from 1st July to 31st August . The initiative aims to enhance the preparedness of urban local bodies to deal with heavy rainfall and the health risks that arise during the months of June to August . It is in line with the ‘ Diarrhea Roko Abhiyaan ‘ of the Ministry of Health. The initiative seeks to synergize various related ministries and departments to address challenges related to sanitation and diseases during the monsoon season.
12 350th contract signed under IDEX with SpacePixel Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
The 350th contract was signed with SpacePixel Technologies Pvt Ltd in New Delhi under the Innovation Scheme for Excellence in Defence – IDEX. The contract is for the design and development of a small satellite weighing 150 kg capable of carrying electro-optical, infrared, synthetic aperture radar and hyperspectral payloads. The contract was exchanged by Additional Secretary (Defence Production) Anurag Bajpai and SpacePixel Technologies Founder Awais Ahmad Nadeem Alduri in the presence of Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and other senior officials of the Ministry.
13 C-DAC and All India Council for Technical Education sign MoU to create an eco-system for human resource development in high performance computing and allied areas
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) regarding creating an eco-system for human resource development in High Performance Computing (HPC) and allied areas. Some of the key activities to be undertaken under this MoA are: Master Trainer Programmes : These training and refresher programmes will be conducted to train master trainers to enhance their teaching skills in HPC and allied technologies. The master trainers in turn will train faculty members with the necessary knowledge to teach students in their colleges. Quality Improvement Programmes : These training programmes will be conducted to enhance subject expertise in HPC and allied technologies of faculty from disciplines other than computer science. Courses on SWAYAM : The courses in HPC will be offered on the Ministry of Education’s SWAYAM platform, which provides free online courses in various subjects to learners. This will help in reaching out to students across the country. Designing courses in line with industry needs : HPC related courses will be designed in such a way to ensure that they are in line with the current and emerging needs of the HPC industry. Offering HPC learning platforms developed by C-DAC : C-DAC will offer HPC learning platforms such as PARAM Shavak, PARAM Vidya and other upcoming platforms to the targeted institutes through AICTE.
14 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released from UK jail after deal with US authorities
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from a UK prison following a deal with US authorities that will see Assange plead guilty to criminal charges of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information. WikiLeaks said in a social media post that Assange has been granted bail by London’s High Court after spending more than five years in prison. Assange will no longer have to remain in US custody under the terms of a temporary agreement with the US Justice Department.
15 SBI will open 400 branches in 2024-25: SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara
According to State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara , the bank plans to open 400 branches in India in the financial year 2024-25. India’s largest scheduled commercial bank opened 137 branches in 2023-24 , of which 59 were rural branches. The SBI chairman said that despite the increase in digital transactions by SBI customers, physical bank branches are needed to provide customer services in the new emerging areas of wealth management and advisory services. As of March 2024, the Government of India-owned SBI had over 22,500 branches, 63,580 ATMs/ADWMs and 82,900 business outlets in the country.
16 SBI paid dividend of 6959 crores to the government
State Bank of India (SBI) has distributed a dividend of Rs 6,959 crore to the Government of India for the financial year 2023-24 . This is an increase from the previous year’s dividend of Rs 11.30 per share and now it is Rs 13.70 per share. SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara handed over the dividend cheque to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the presence of Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi. SBI reported a record consolidated net profit of Rs 67,085 crore for the year, up from Rs 55,648 crore in the previous year.
17 S&P retains India FY25 GDP growth forecast at 6.8%
S &P Global Ratings has maintained its GDP growth forecast for India at 6.8% for FY25, citing high interest rates and low fiscal stimulus as factors dampening demand in non-agricultural sectors. The projection for FY26 and FY27 is 6.9% and 7%, respectively .
18 India won a total of 11 medals including four gold, two silver and five bronze medals in the Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championship
India concluded its campaign on a high note in the Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championship being played in Amman , Jordan . India’s youth team won a total of 11 medals including four gold, two silver and five bronze medals. All the four gold medals for India were won by women wrestlers. Deepanshi in the 46 kg category, Muskan in the 53 kg category, Rajnita in the 61 kg category and Mansi Lather in the 69 kg category performed brilliantly and won gold medals. Raja Bala won the silver medal in the 40 kg category. Among men, Samarth Gajanan Makave won the silver medal in the 55 kg category. Whereas, Akash in the 65 kg category, Sachin Kumar in 71 kg, Vikas Kachhap in 48 kg, Tushar Tukaram Patil in 60 kg and Raunak in the 110 kg weight category won bronze medals.
19 Indian pair won Doubles Contender for the first time
The final of the Lagos World Table Tennis (WTT) was played on 24 June in Nigeria . The Indian pair of Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar won gold in men’s doubles . The pair of Manav and Harmeet defeated Olajide Omotayo-Azeez Solanke of Nigeria 3-0. They became the first Indian pair to win the Contender title. Apart from women’s singles and doubles, India also won gold in men’s doubles. India won a total of 9 medals including 3 gold, 1 silver and 5 bronze. Sreeja Akula also won gold in women’s singles and doubles with Archana Kamath .
20 International Day of the Seafarer 2024
Every year on June 25, we celebrate International Seafarer Day . This special day was established in 2010 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to recognize the vital contribution seafarers make to our daily lives and the global economy.
