Latest Current Affairs

Latest Current Affairs - June 2024

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June 1 - World Milk Day. It has been marked by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
1. Notably, Nov 26 is observed as National Milk Day In India, to commemorate birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien, father of India’s White Revolution. India is top Milk Producer Nation, followed by US.
  1. India ranks 1st in milk production, contributing 24% of global milk production.
2. June 1 is also observed by United Nations as Global Day of Parents.
Obituaries (June 2024) -
1. Ramoji Rao - Noted film producer, and head of Ramoji Group which owns world's largest film production facility Ramoji Film City (Hyderabad).
2. Maryse Condé - Noted French novelist.
  1. She had received several notable literary awards, most recently including 2024 PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature, which is awarded annually by PEN America, carrying $50,000 monetary reward.
3. A J T Asir Johnsingh - Noted Padma shri awardee ecologist from Tamil Nadu.
4. Rajeev Taranath - Noted Sarod Maestro.
5. David Johnson - Former Indian Cricketer.
6. Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare - Former Governor of Odisha.
Misc. Sports News / Events (June 2024) -
1. Boxing Federation of India (BFI) joined World Boxing, the newly-formed global governing body for boxing sport.
  1. It was formed after International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to recognize International Boxing Association (IBA).
2. India won 7 medals at Taiwan Athletics Open 2024, including 3 golds, 3 silvers and 1 bronze.
  1. Gold Medals - Nayana James (women’s Long Jump), Ankesh Choudhary (Men’s 800 metres), DP Manu (men’s Javelin throw).
3. Spanish Football club Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund (Germany) to win its record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League title.
4. Cricketer Dinesh Karthik announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
5. Cricketer Kedar Jadhav announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
6. Noted Indian Footballer Sunil Chhetri retired from international football, after playing India vs Kuwait FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier Round 2 Game at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
  1. He is 4th highest international goalscorer after Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Lionel Messi (Argentina) & Ali Daei (Iran).
7. Indian Ultimate Frisbee team won silver at Asia Oceanic Beach Ultimate Championships 2024 at Shirahama (Japan), finishing just behind Philippines.
8. India won 11 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, and bronze) at Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championships in Amman (Jordan).
9. Smriti Mandhana became first Indian woman cricketer to score 2 consecutive ODI hundreds (against South Africa).
10. Australian cricketer David Warner announced his retirement from international cricket.
11. Former noted cricketer Kapil Dev has been elected as president of Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
Misc. MOUs (June 2024) -
1. Between Adani Group Firm Adani International Ports Holdings & Tanzania Ports Authority, to operate and manage Container Terminal 2 at Dar es Salaam Port (Tanzania), for 30 years.
2. Between Ministry of Defence's Defence Accounts Department (DAD) & 4 Banks (Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank), to onboard them as SPARSH (System for Pension Administration (Raksha)) Service Centres, to provide last-mile connectivity to pensioners across country.
3. Between Telecom firm Nokia and Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), to jointly explore advancements in 5G and 6G communications, specifically targeting transportation and logistics sectors.
4. Between CSC SPV and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer's Welfare, to convert FPOs registered under Formation & Promotion of 10,000 FPOs scheme into CSCs, and help them to deliver citizen-centric services.
5. Between Muthoot Microfin Limited & State Bank of India (SBI), to extend financial services to women entrepreneurs in rural and semi-urban regions across India, by providing loans between 10000 - 3 Lakh to members of Joint Liability Groups (JLGs).
6. Jammu & Kashmir govt broadened its existing Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with New Zealand into a full-fledged strategic agreement, for agricultural and sheep sector co-operation.
7. Between IT Firm Oracle & Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, to enhance IT skills among state’s youth through Naan Mudhalvan program.
  1. It will provide training and certification in cutting-edge technologies like cloud computing, data science, AI, ML, and blockchain to over 200000 students.
8. Between Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and Mastercard, for collaboration in cyber security to enhance India’s cyber-resilience in Financial Sector.
9. Between India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) & Ria Money Transfer (Euronet Worldwide Subsidiary), to provide customers in remote areas across India with convenient and affordable doorstep financial services.
10. Between NHAI & Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (Delhi), to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) based solutions for improvement in availability of road signs on National Highways.
11. Between India's Bharat 6G Alliance & European 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G IA), 6G Flagship- Oulu University (Finland) & NextG Alliance (USA), to enable development of secure and trusted telecommunication technology including resilient supply chains.
  1. Bharat 6G Alliance aims to align with India's Bharat 6G Mission, to develop technology that provide an intelligent and secure solution for high-quality living experience for citizens.
12. Between Indian Army's Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), and Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY)'s Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER), to advance collaboration in Next Generation Wireless Technologies for Indian Army.

Misc. Economy / Financial News (June 2024) -

Canara Bank approved diluting 14.50% stake and PNB Approved diluting 10% stake in Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company, via an initial public offering (IPO).
1. Earlier, Canara Bank had 51% stake in life insurer, PNB had 23% and HSBC 26%.
Adani One and ICICI Bank launched co-branded credit cards with airport-linked benefits in collaboration with Visa, Available in two variants - Signature & Platinum.
Axis Bank and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance signed bancassurance partnership, to boost insurance penetration by promoting Insurer's products to bank customers.
RBI approved Amalgamation of Yadagiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd (Telangana) with Gayatri Co-operative Urban Bank (Jagtial, Telangana).
SBI Mutual Fund became first fund house in India to achieve Rs 10 trillion milestone in assets under management (AUM).
Notable Penalties put by RBI (June 2024) -
1. Central Bank of India - 1.455 Crores.
2. Sonali Bank PLC (Bangladesh Based Bank) - 96.40 Lakh.
RBI cancelled Banking licence of -
1. Ghazipur (Uttar Pradesh) based Purvanchal Co-operative Bank Ltd.
2. Mumbai (Maharashtra) based City Co-operative Bank Ltd.
Export-Import Bank of India inaugurated its East Africa Representative Office in Nairobi (Kenya).
SBI launched SME Digital Business Loans, to sanction loans for MSMEs within 45 minutes.

Indian GDP Growth Forecasts (June 2024) -

S&P Global Ratings - 6.8% for FY25 (2024-25), 6.9 % for FY26 (2025-26) and 7.0 % for FY27 (2026-27).

As per World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report (June 2024 edition) -

Global growth is projected to pick up from 2.6% in 2023 & 2024, to 2.7 % in 2025 & 2026.

GDP Growth projections in notable regions -

	2023	2024	2025	2026
USA	2.5	2.5	1.8	1.8
India	8.2	6.6	6.7	6.8
China	5.2	4.8	4.1	4.0

Finance Ministry has set an upper limit of ₹10 crore for cases to be brought under arbitration process, to streamline resolving commercial dispute having government or a PSE as a party.
India joined JP Morgan GBI-EM Global Series of indices, which could lead to $25-30 billion inflows into country.
1. It will happen in phases over a 10-month period as the domestic bonds will hold 10% weightage and add 1% every month.
2. India became 25th market to enter the index since its launch in June 2005.
Govt granted Mini RATNA (Category-1) status for Ministry of Science & Technology PSU Central Electronics Limited (CEL).

Misc. Science News (June 2024) -
1. American Software firm Nvidia announced to launch a new next-generation AI platform in 2026, to be called Rubin.
  1. Notably, Nvidia recently overtook Apple to become world’s second most valuable company, with over $3 trillion valuation.
2. India's Ingenious Research Solutions Pvt Ltd developed AI-based robust and multi-faceted authentication system Divya Drishti, by combining facial recognition with gait analysis, as a significant advancement in biometric authentication technology.
3. IT Firm Wipro launched Lab45 Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform, which leverages Generative AI, machine learning, and deep learning technologies to enable companies to enhance efficiencies, transform business functions, and enable industry-specific solutions.
4. Researchers discovered a new species of great ape which lived 11 million years ago and only ever grew to the size of a human toddler, making it smallest known so far.
  1. The now-extinct ape species, which has been named Buronius manfredschmidi, was uncovered at Hammerschmiede fossil site in Bavaria (Germany).
5. Pune-based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) Researchers discovered a new genus of Gomphonemoid diatom found in clean water river of Eastern Ghats, named Indiconema.
  1. Diatoms are crucial microscopic algae that produce 25 % of global oxygen, and serve as a base of aquatic food chain.
6. Chinese scientists generated precise 3-D representation of solar atmospheric rotation, through use of their solar exploration satellite Chinese H-alpha Solar Explorer (CHASE).
  1. It has led to discovery of a new pattern of solar atmospheric rotation.
Misc. / Industrial Awards (June 2024) -
1. Poet and playwright Siddhalinga Pattanashetti has been chosen for Gudleppa Hallikeri Award 2024 by Gudleppa Hallikeri Memorial Foundation in Hosaritti (Haveri District, Karnataka).
2. India's SEBI has been given Best Conduct of Business Regulator in Asia Pacific Award by The Asian Banker, for its role in enhancing regulatory framework for securities markets in India.
3. Canara Bank sponsored Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) won national award for significant enrolment under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) from Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), for record APY Enrollment during FY24 (2023-24).
Misc. Infra Projects (June 2024) -
1. Maharatna PSU GAIL India announced to set up a 1500 KTA ethane cracker project at Ashta, district Sehore in Madhya Pradesh, with investment of 60000 crores.
  1. Ethane is a component of natural gas. An ethane cracker breaks down ethane into ethylene, which is key chemical input for making plastics, adhesives, synthetic rubber, and other petrochemicals.
2. Uttar Pradesh govt will set up a bioplastic park in Gola Gokarnnath of Lakhimpur Kheri district, to be developed by Balrampur Sugar Mills Firm, and Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) as nodal agency.
Misc. Appointments (June 2024) -
1. Kamal Kishore Soan has been named Director General of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under Ministry of Labour & Employment.
2. Govt reappointed Ajit Doval as National Security Adviser (NSA) for his 3rd term. His appointment will be co-terminus with the term of PM Narendra Modi.
  1. PK Mishra will also continue as Principal Secretary to PM.
3. Ajith Kumar KK has been named MD and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank.
4. Govt named Atul Kumar Chaudhary as Secretary, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
5. Govt named Manoj Jain as CMD of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
6. Govt named Pradeep Singh Kharola as new Director General of National Testing Agency (NTA).
7. Manika Jain has been named new Ambassador of India to Romania.
Misc. Defence News (June 2024) -
1. Indian Army inducted indigenous Loiter Munition named Nagastra-1, developed by Nagpur-baser Solar Industries subsidiary Economics Explosives Ltd (EEL). Operating in kamikaze mode, Nagastra-1 can neutralize hostile threats with GPS-enabled precision strikes.
  1. A kamikaze attack is a sudden, violent attack on an enemy where attacker is willing to be destroyed, in order to inflict maximum damage to the enemy.
2. Railway Protection Force (RPF) launched Sangyaan App, to provide in-depth information on 3 new Criminal Acts - Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023.
  1. It aims to educate and empower RPF Personnel by providing comprehensive information to understand provisions of both new and old criminal laws.
3. DRDO completed developmental trials of High Speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) ABHYAS, with improved booster configuration from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur (Odisha).
4. Indian Navy retired UH-3H helicopter after 17 years of service.
  1. UH-3H helicopter will be replaced by Sea King 42C helicopter at INAS 350 (INS Dega, Visakhapatnam).
India's fiscal deficit styaed at 16.54 Lakh Crores (5.6 % of GDP) in FY24 (2023-24), lower than Revised Estimates of 5.8 % of GDP. It has been primarily attribited to higher than expected tax receipts.
June 2 is Statehood Day of Telangana, which was formed in 2014 as India's 29th State.
1. Notably, Hyderabad ceases to be common capital of Telangana & Andhra Pradesh, as of June 02, 2024 (completion of 10 years of formation of telangana). Now onwards, Hyderabad will be capital city of Telangana only, while Amaravati will be capital city of Andhra Pradesh.
Results announced for 2024 General Elections to Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha & Sikkim -
1. Andhra Pradesh -
  1. Out of Total 175 Seats, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won 135 seats, followed by Janasena Party (21 seats).
  2. Notable Appointments -
    1. TDP's N. Chandrababu Naidu (Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh), for his 4th term.
    2. Janasena Party Leader Pawan Kalyan has been named Deputy CM of State.
    3. Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu has been named speaker of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
2. Arunachal Pradesh -
  1. Out of Total 60 Seats, Bharatiya Janata Party won 46 seats, followed by National People's Party (5 seats).
  2. Notable Appointments -
    1. BJP's Pema Khandu has been named Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, for his 5th term (and 3rd consecutive term).
    2. BJP's Chowna Mein has been named Deputy CM of State, for his 2nd term.
3. Odisha -
  1. Out of Total 147 Seats, Bharatiya Janata Party won 78 seats, followed by Biju Janta Dal (51 seats).
  2. Notable Appointments -
    1. BJP's Mohan Charan Majhi has been named Chief Minister of Odisha, as 1st BJP CM of Odisha.
    2. BJP's Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo & Pravati Parida have been named Deputy CMs of State.
    3. Surama Padhy has been named speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly.
4. Sikkim -
  1. Out of Total 32 Seats, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha won 31 seats, followed by Sikkim Democratic Front (1 Seat).
  2. Notable Appointments -
    1. SKM's Prem Singh Tamang has been named Chief Minister of Sikkim, for his 2nd consecutive term.
Gross GST revenue collected in May 2024 stood at 1.73 lakh crores (including CGST 32409 crores, SGST 40265 crores, IGST 87781 crores & Cess 12284 crores).
Claudia Sheinbaum has been elected as North American Nation Mexico’s first female president.
June 3 - World Bicycle Day, declared by United Nations in 2018. It promotes use of Bicycle for its environmental and health benefits.
US Department of Labor honored Wadi El Nil Association (Egyptian civil society organization) and Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe (a trade union leader in Ghana) with 2024 Iqbal Masih Award for their work towards Elimination of Child Labor.
China's Chang'e 6 mission landed on far side of the moon, in Apollo crater (located in South Pole-Aitken basin).
1. It is humanity's first lunar mission to retrieve samples from far side of the Moon, as all previous collective sample-return missions were done from the near side.
2. Notably, China is only country to have successfully landed a spacecraft on far side of the moon. It is also China's 2nd Landing on Far side of moon, after Chang'e 4 mission earlier in 2019.

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare released -

2nd Advance Estimates of 2023-24 of Area and Production of various Horticultural Crops -

Total Horticulture	2022-23	2023-24 (1st Adv. Est.)	2023-24 (2nd Adv. Est.)
Area (in Million Ha)	28.44	28.77	28.63
Production (in Million Tonne)	355.48	355.25	352.23

3rd Advance Estimates of Major Agricultural Crops for 2023-24 -
1. Total foodgrain production is estimated at 3288.52 LMT, higher by 211.00 LMT from average foodgrain production of last 5 years.
2. Notable Crops -
  1. Rice -1367.00 LMT
  2. Wheat - 1129.25 LMT
  3. Shree Anna - 174.08 LMT
  4. Total Oilseeds - 395.93 LMT
  5. Sugarcane - 4425.22 LMT

As per RBI Data -
1. Credit growth in Scheduled Commercial Banks increased by 15.3 % during FY24 (2023-24), compared to 15.8 % rise in previous financial year.
  1. Private banks recorded over 15 % growth for 3rd consecutive year, with their share in total credit by SCBs rose to 40.6 %.
2. Deposit growth in Scheduled Commercial Banks increased by 13.0 % during FY24 (2023-24), compared to 10.2 % rise in previous financial year.
ISRO's VSSC developed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software Parallel RANS Solver for Aerospace Vehicle Aero-thermo-dynamic Analysis (PraVaHa), to simulate external and internal flows on launch vehicles, winged & nonwinged re-entry vehicles.
1. PraVaHa has been used extensively in Gaganyaan program for aerodynamic analysis of human-rated launch vehicles. It soon will replace most of the CFD simulations for aero characterization, which is currently being carried out using commercial software.
Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA) Heads of State Summit 2024 held in Livingstone (Zambia), with leaders of 5 member countries agreeing to argue for lifting of ban on ivory trade, at 20th meeting of Conference of Parties (CoP20) of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2025 in Geneva (Switzerland).
1. KAZA TFCA is 2nd largest nature and landscape conservation area in world, spanning international borders of 5 Southern African countries (Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe).
As per QS World University Rankings 2025 -
1. Top 5 -
  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
  2. Imperial College London (UK)
  3. University of Oxford (UK)
  4. Harvard University (US)
  5. University of Cambridge (UK)
2. Indian universities in list -
  1. IIT Bombay is best ranked Indian university, ranked 118th. It is followed by IIT Delhi (150), IISC Bengaluru (211).
  2. Total 18 Indian universities are featured in list of world's best 1500 universities.
Pakistan's new multi-mission communication satellite PAKSAT MM1 has been launched by China, from Xichang Satellite Launch Center (Sichuan).
Lok Sabha Election Results 2024 -
1. Results -
  1. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became largest party by winning 240 Seats (Compared to 303 Seats in 2019 elections). BJP led alliance NDA (National Democratic Alliance) won 293 (Compared to 352 Seats in 2019 elections).
    1. 271 seats are required to gain majority and form govt.
    2. In absolute terms, BJP won 36.56% votes, while INC received 21.19% votes.
  2. Indian National Congress remained second largest party in Lok Sabha Elections 2024, with 99 seats (compared to 52 seats in 2019 elections).
  3. Narendra Modi to be re-appointed as Prime Minister of India, for his 3rd consecutive term. He is 2nd Indian PM (After JL Nehru), to be re-appointed for 3rd consecutive term.
2. Notable Facts About Lok Sabha Elections 2024 -
  1. These elections were conducted to elect people’s representatives for 18th Lok Sabha.
  2. Elections for Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha & Sikkim 2024 were also held along with Lok sabha Elections 2024.
  3. General Elections 2024 had 97 Crore Eligible voters. Voter turnout was 66.61%.
  4. Punjab Chief Electoral Officer’s office named cricketer Shubman Gill as state icon for Punjab.
  5. Election Commission of India (ECI) named Sheetal Devi (noted Arjuna Awardee Para-archer) as National Icon in PwD category.
  6. Election Commission launched a special campaign in Himachal Pradesh to maximise voter turnout in 414 polling stations which registered less than 60 % voting in last Lok Sabha polls, named Mission 414.
  7. To enable greater accessibility, Election Commission allowed voters above 85 years age and Persons-with-Disabilities (PWD) with 40 % benchmark disability to vote from home. ECI also launched Saksham App, to facilitate easier voting for PWDs, and to avail facilities at Polling Stations.
Indian govt's premier Telecom R&D centre Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) won UN’s WSIS 2024 Champion Award for its project Mobile-Enabled Disaster Resilience through Cell Broadcast emergency Alerting, under category of Benefits in all aspects of life - E-environment.
1. It was announced during World Summit on Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum 2024, conduted by International Telecom Union (ITU) in Geneva (Switzerland).
2. Notably, AI for Good Global Summit was also held along, as leading action oriented platform of UN promoting AI to advance health, climate and other global development priorities.
June 5 is observed by UN as World Environment Day. 2024 theme is Our land. Our future.
1. On this occasion -
  1. Indigenous Air Quality Monitoring System (AQ-AIMS) and Air-Pravah App has been launched, developed by C-DAC Kolkata in collaboration with TeXMIN (ISM Dhanbad) and J M Envirolab Pvt Ltd.
  2. PM Narendra Modi launched #एक_पेड़_माँ_के_नाम /#Plant4Mother campaign by planting a sapling at Buddha Jayanti Park in New Delhi.
2. June 5 is also observed by UN as International Day for the fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing.
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) launched mobile app Saa₹thi 2.0, for investors to simplify complex personal financial concepts.
Axis Bank launched NFC Soundbox in collaboration with Mastercard, as an industry-first all-in-one solution allowing Bharat QR, UPI, Tap & Pay and Tap + Pin payments from a sinlge device.
State Bank of India (SBI) become 7th Indian listed company (and first PSU) to surpass 8 lakh crore market capitalisation milestone.
1. Earlier firms to reach this mark were ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys and Bharti Airtel.
Pakistan, Somalia, Denmark, Greece, and Panama have been elected as non-permanent members of UN Security Council for a 2-year term starting on January 1, 2025.
1. UNSC has 15 members (5 permanent and 10 temporary) -
  1. Permanent members - China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States.
  2. Non-permanent - Algeria, Guyana, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Sierra Leone and Slovenia, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique & Switzerland.
    1. Note that after latest election, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique & Switzerland will be replaced by newly elected Pakistan, Somalia, Denmark, Greece, and Panama.
June 6 is observed by UN as Russian Language Day.
1. June 6 is also observed as BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Day.
SEBI has set up a committee to review ownership and economic structure of clearing corporations, and suggest measures to ensure that clearing corporations function as resilient, independent, and neutral risk managers. It will be chaired by Usha Thorat (former RBI Deputy Governor).
NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP) partnered to enable deployment of a UPI-like real-time payments system in Peru (South America).
12 countries signed the Zero Debris Charter, an initiative led by European Space Agency (ESA) to address pressing issue of space debris.
1. Unveiled in 2023, the Charter commits signatories to achieving debris-neutral space activities by 2030.
2. Charter’s current signatories are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and UK.
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko working onboard International Space Station (ISS), became first person in world to stay in Earth orbit for 1000 cumulative days, during his 5 missions to ISS.
1. Kononenko's current mission will end on Sep 23, bringing his total number of days spent in orbit to 1110.
India's Vellayan Subbiah (Chairman of Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Co) has been named EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024.
1. He is 4th recepient of this award from India, after Infosys Co-founder Narayana Murthy (2003), Kotak Mahindra Bank founder Uday Kotak (2014) and Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (2020).
June 7 is observed by UN as World Food Safety Day, Observed since 2019.
RBI revised definition of bulk deposits, with regard to both traditional banks and Small Finance Banks (SFBs).
1. Bulk deposits will now encompass single rupee term deposits of Rs 3 crore and above (up from 2 crore and above earlier set in 2019).
2. For Local Area Banks and Regional Rural Banks, Bulk deposits will now encompass single rupee term deposits of Rs 1 crore and above.
RBI constituted a committee (headed by former NPCI MD & CEO A P Hota) to examine various aspects of setting up a Digital Payments Intelligence Platform, which will harness advanced technologies to mitigate payment fraud risks.
1. Notably, RBI approved Inclusion of Recurring Payments with no fixed periodicity such as Fastag, National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), UPI Lite etc with Auto-Replenishment Facility under e-mandate Framework. It wil enable customers to automatically replenish their balance when it goes below a threshold limit set by them.

RBI launched its global hackathon HaRBInger 2024 (3rd edition), with themes Zero Financial Frauds and Being Divyang Friendly.

Problem statements -
1. Zero Financial Frauds -
  1. Real time prediction, detection and prevention of frauds in financial transactions using alternate sources of data including publicly available information.
  2. Ensuring transaction anonymity in token-based (CBDC) transactions while maintaining financial system integrity.
  3. Identifying mule bank accounts/ payment wallets.
2. Being Divyang Friendly -
  1. Accurately identifying banknotes by visually impaired

Prize Money -

Sl. No.	Category	Amount
I.	Winner across each problem statement	INR 40 lakh
II.	Special prize to the best ‘all woman team’ (a team comprising of only woman members’), across all the four problem statements	INR 20 lakh
III.	Stipend per team shortlisted for solution development for meeting the cost of development of prototype	INR 5 lakh

June 8 is observed by UN as World Oceans Day. 2024 theme is Awaken New Depths.
India, South Korea, Japan, US, and European Union launched Biopharmaceutical Alliance, to build a resilient supply chain in biopharmaceutical sector, during Bio International Convention 2024 in San Diego (US).
700-metre pedestrian Bridge named Bridge of National Unity has been inaugurated in Satoraljaujhely, Hungary.
1. It is world's 2nd longest pedestrian bridge, after 721 meter long Sky Bridge 721 in Dolní Morava (Czech Republic).
All India Tennis Association (AITA) named coach Nar Singh as recepient of Dilip Bose award for lifetime achievement, including cash prize of 50000.
1. AITA also announced a new lifetime achievement award for women coaches, with Rohini Lokhande as first awardee.
Cameroon's former prime minister Philémon Yang has been named President of 79th session of UN General Assembly (UNGA).
1. He will take over from Trinidad and Tobago's Dennis Francis (President of 78th UNGA), from Sep 2024 onwards.
June 9 is observed as World Accreditation Day. June 9 is also observed as -
1. Coral Triangle Day, to raise awareness of ocean conservation and protection, especially on Coral Triangle, which are world's epicenter of marine biodiversity.
2. International Archives Day.
2024 French Open Tennis (Paris, France) Winners -
1. Men's singles - Carlos Alcaraz (Spain). He defeated Alexander Zverev (Germany) in final.
  1. This was Carlos Alcaraz's 1st French Open & his 3rd grand slam title overall.
2. Women's singles - Iga Świątek (Poland). She defeated Jasmine Paolini (Italy) in final.
  1. This was Iga Świątek's 4th French Open & her 5th grand slam title overall.
3. Men's doubles - Marcelo Arévalo (El Salvador) & Mate Pavić (Croatia)
4. Women's doubles - Coco Gauff (USA) & Kateřina Siniaková (Czech Republic)
5. Mixed doubles - Laura Siegemund (Germany) & Édouard Roger-Vasselin (France)
6. Boys' singles - Kaylan Bigun (USA)
7. Girls' singles - Tereza Valentová (Czech Republic)
Smritivan Earthquake Memorial and Museum in Bhuj (Gujarat) has been shortlisted by UNESCO for Prix Versailles Award 2024, becoming first museum in India to be selected for the award.
1. This museum pays homage to people who lost their lives in devastating earthquake that struck the region on January 26, 2001.

Red Bull's Dutch-Belgian F1 Racer Max Verstappen won Canadian Grand Prix 2024.

F1 Season 2024 -

Round	Grand Prix	Winner	Race date
1	Bahrain Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 March
2	Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	9 March
3	Australian Grand Prix	Carlos Saint Jr. (Spanish)	24 March
4	Japanese Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	7 April
5	Chinese Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	21 April
6	Miami Grand Prix	Lando Norris (British-Belgian)	5 May
7	Emilia Romagna Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	19 May
8	Monaco Grand Prix	Charles Leclerc (Monaco)	26 May
9	Canadian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	9 June
10	Spanish Grand Prix		23 June
11	Austrian Grand Prix		30 June
12	British Grand Prix		7 July
13	Hungarian Grand Prix		21 July
14	Belgian Grand Prix		28 July
15	Dutch Grand Prix		25 August
16	Italian Grand Prix		1 September
17	Azerbaijan Grand Prix		15 September
18	Singapore Grand Prix		22 September
19	United States Grand Prix		20 October
20	Mexico City Grand Prix		27 October
21	São Paulo Grand Prix		3 November
22	Las Vegas Grand Prix		23 November
23	Qatar Grand Prix		1 December
24	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix		8 December

Council of Ministers of 3rd PM Narendra Modi Govt -
1. Union Ministers -
  1. Narendra Modi -
    1. Prime Minister
    2. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
    3. Department of Atomic Energy
    4. Department of Space
  2. Raj Nath Singh -
    1. Minsitry of Defence
  3. Amit Shah
    1. Ministry of Home Affairs
    2. Ministry of Cooperation
  4. Nitin Gadkari
    1. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  5. Jagat Prakash Nadda
    1. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
    2. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
  6. Shivraj Singh Chouhan
    1. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
    2. Ministry of Rural Development
  7. Nirmala Sitharaman
    1. Ministry of Finance
    2. Ministry of Corporate Affairs
  8. S Jaishankar
    1. Ministry of External Affairs
  9. Manohar Lal Khattar
    1. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
    2. Ministry of Power
  10. H. D. Kumaraswamy
    1. Ministry of Heavy Industries
    2. Ministry of Steel
  11. Piyush Goyal
    1. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  12. Dharmendra Pradhan
    1. Ministry of Education
  13. Jitan Ram Manjhi
    1. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  14. Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh
    1. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
    2. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
  15. Sarbananda Sonowal
    1. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  16. Virendra Kumar
    1. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  17. Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu
    1. Ministry of Civil Aviation
  18. Pralhad Joshi
    1. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
    2. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  19. Jual Oram
    1. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
  20. Giriraj Singh
    1. Ministry of Textiles
  21. Ashwini Vaishnaw
    1. Ministry of Railways
    2. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
    3. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
  22. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia
    1. Ministry of Communications
    2. Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
  23. Bhupender Yadav
    1. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  24. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
    1. Ministry of Culture
    2. Ministry of Tourism
  25. Annpurna Devi
    1. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  26. Kiren Rijiju
    1. Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
    2. Ministry of Minority Affairs
  27. Hardeep Singh Puri
    1. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  28. Mansukh L. Mandaviya
    1. Ministry of Labour and Employment
    2. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
  29. G. Kishan Reddy
    1. Ministry of Coal
    2. Ministry of Mines
  30. Chirag Paswan
    1. Ministry of Food Processing Industries
  31. C R Patil
    1. Ministry of Jal Shakti
2. Ministers of State (Independent Charge) -
  1. Rao Inderjit Singh
    1. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
    2. Ministry of Planning
  2. Arjun Ram Meghwal
    1. Ministry of Law and Justice
  3. Jayant Chaudhary
    1. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
  4. Jitendra Singh
    1. Ministry of Science and Technology
    2. Ministry of Earth Sciences
  5. Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao
    1. Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH)
3. Ministers of State -
  1. Rao Inderjit Singh
    1. Ministry of Culture
  2. Arjun Ram Meghwal
    1. Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
  3. Jayant Chaudhary
    1. Ministry of Education
  4. Shripad Yesso Naik
    1. Ministry of Power
    2. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  5. Krishan Pal
    1. Ministry of Cooperation
  6. Ram Nath Thakur
    1. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
  7. Anupriya Singh Patel
    1. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
    2. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
  8. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani
    1. Ministry of Rural Development
    2. Ministry of Communications
  9. Shobha Karandlaje
    1. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
    2. Ministry of Labour and Employment
  10. B. L. Verma
    1. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
    2. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  11. Suresh Gopi
    1. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
    2. Ministry of Tourism
  12. Ajay Tamta
    1. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  13. Kamlesh Paswan
    1. Ministry of Rural Development
  14. Satish Chandra Dubey
    1. Ministry of Coal
    2. Ministry of Mines
  15. Ravneet Singh
    1. Ministry of Food Processing Industries
    2. Ministry of Railways
  16. Raksha Nikhil Khadse
    1. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
  17. Savitri Thakur
    1. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  18. Raj Bhushan Choudhary
    1. Ministry of Jal Shakti
  19. Harsh Malhotra
    1. Ministry of Corporate Affairs
    2. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  20. Murlidhar Mohol
    1. Ministry of Cooperation
    2. Ministry of Civil Aviation
  21. Pabitra Margherita
    1. Ministry of External Affairs
    2. Ministry of Textiles
  22. George Kurian
    1. Ministry of Minority Affairs
    2. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
  23. Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya
    1. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
  24. Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma
    1. Ministry of Heavy Industries
    2. Ministry of Steel
  25. Tokhan Sahu
    1. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  26. Sukanta Majumdar
    1. Ministry of Education
    2. Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
  27. Durgadas Uikey
    1. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
  28. Sanjay Seth
    1. Ministry of Defence
  29. Bhagirath Choudhary
    1. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
  30. Bandi Sanjay Kumar
    1. Ministry of Home Affairs
  31. L. Murugan
    1. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
    2. Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
  32. Shantanu Thakur
    1. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  33. Kirtivardhan Singh
    1. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
    2. Ministry of External Affairs
  34. S. P. Singh Baghel
    1. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
    2. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
  35. V. Somanna
    1. Ministry of Jal Shakti
    2. Ministry of Railways
  36. Nityanand Rai
    1. Ministry of Home Affairs
  37. Ramdas Athawale
    1. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  38. Pankaj Chaudhary
    1. Ministry of Finance
  39. Jitin Prasada
    1. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
    2. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
  40. Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao
    1. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  41. Jitendra Singh
    1. Prime Minister's Office
    2. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
    3. Department of Atomic Energy
    4. Department of Space
General News / Events (June 1-10, 2024) -
1. Kerala govt included Artificial Intelligence (AI) in school textbooks, to help students become familiar with AI.
2. Department of Telecommunications (DoT) introduced a new numbering series, 160xxxxxxx for making service/transactional calls, to enbale citizens to easily identify such legitimate calls.
3. 3rd Indian Analytical Congress (IAC) held at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) in Dehradun.
4. 21st Shangri-La Dialogue (Asia Pacific premier defence meet) held in Singapore. It is held annually in Singapore by Bahraini-funded think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
5. Central govt approved establishment of an Indian Institute of Management at Marabhita in Assam’s Kamrup district, as India's 22nd IIM.
6. India will host 81st International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June 2025 in New Delhi, as 3rd hosting of the event by India after 1958 and 1983.
7. Uttarakhand govt hosted India's first astro-tourism event named Nakshatra Sabha, at George Everest Peak, Mussoorie.
NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission launched 2 initiatives aimed at fostering innovation and sustainability - AIM – ICDK Water Challenge 4.0 and 5th edition of Innovations for You handbook.
1. In collaboration with Innovation Centre Denmark (ICDK) at Royal Danish Embassy in India, AIM's 4th edition of open innovation water challenge is a cornerstone of Indo-Danish bilateral green strategic partnership. It aims to address critical water-related challenges through inventive solutions.
World Health Organization (WHO) designated Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) unit National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH) Hyderabad as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Fundamental and Literary Research in Traditional Medicine. This recognition is granted for 4 years.
1. NIIMH is 3rd Indian institute to receive this title, after Institute for Teaching & Research in Ayurveda (Jamnagar) and Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (New Delhi).
IIT Kanpur based Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) & Centre of Excellence for Capacity Building, Training, and Design of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drone CoE Kanpur) launched UAV/UAS/Drone Acceleration and Networking (UDAAN) Program, in association with Drone Federation of India (DFI).
1. The program will annually support 20 aspiring and promising drone startups in India, providing them with resources and expertise needed to scale their businesses rapidly.
3rd Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Ministerial Meeting held in Singapore, attended by Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal on India's behalf.
1. During the meet, IPEF members signed several notable agreements to address challenges and strengthening economic engagement across a critical region.
  1. Agreements include Clean Economy Agreement, Cooperative Work Programme (CWP), Catalytic Capital Fund, Fair Economy Agreement & Upskilling Initiative.
  2. Notably, IPEF Catalytic Capital Fund will support expansion of pipeline of quality clean economy infrastructure projects in IPEF emerging and upper-middle income economies under IPEF Clean Economy Agreement. Fund’s founding supporters (Australia, Japan, Korea, and USA) announced to provide US $33 million of initial grant funding.
  3. These agreements will enter into force after at least 5 IPEF partners complete their internal legal procedures for ratification or approval.
2. About -
  1. IPEF was launched in May 2022 jointly by USA and 13 other partner countries of Indo-Pacific region, to strengthen economic engagement among partner countries.
  2. Framework is structured around 4 pillars relating to Trade (Pillar I), Supply Chains (Pillar II), Clean Economy (Pillar III) & Fair Economy (Pillar IV). India had joined Pillars II to IV of IPEF while it has an observer status in Pillar-I.
June 11, 2024 has been 0bserved by UN as International Day of Play, to be observed annually. 2024 theme is Play Makes A Better World.
As per Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2024 on state of global nuclear arsenals -
1. 9 nuclear-armed Nations (US, Russia, China, UK, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel) possess 12121 nuclear warheads as of Jan 2024, down from 12512 last year.
2. Top 3 - Russia (5580), US (5044), China (500).
3. India's nuclear arsenal expanded from 164 in 2023 to 172 in 2024, and that of Pakistan remained flat at 170 during same period.
As per Forbes' The Global 2000 List 2024 -
1. Top 5 Firms globally -
  1. JPMorgan Chase (US)
  2. Berkshire Hathaway (US)
  3. Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia)
  4. ICBC (China)
  5. Bank of America (USA)
2. Indian Firms in List -
  1. Total 71 Indian Firms are in List.
  2. Top 5 Indian Firms in List (with global ranks) -
    1. Reliance Industries (49)
    2. State Bank of India (55)
    3. HDFC Bank (65)
    4. LIC (70)
    5. ICICI Bank (142)
As per 2024 Mercer Cost of Living Ranking -
1. Top 3 Costliest cities - Hong Kong, Singapore, Zurich (Switzerland)
2. Mumbai is India's costliest city, ranked 136th globally. It is followed by Delhi (165), Chennai (189).
Notable Awardees at Central Banking Awards 2024 (London).
1. Governor of the year - Andriy Pyshnyy (National Bank of Ukraine)
2. Central bank of the year - Central Bank of Brazil
3. Lifetime achievement - Masaaki Shirakawa (Former Governor of Bank of Japan)
4. Risk Manager of the Year - Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
June 12 is observed by UN as World Day against Child Labour. 2024 theme is Let’s act on our commitments: End Child Labour!
As per Global Skills Report 2024 by Coursera -
1. Top 3 - Switzerland (1), Japan (2), Germany (3), Netherlands (4), France (5)
2. India ranked 87th on the list, down from 60th place last year.
3. Neighbors - China (36), Pakistan (84), Bangladesh (94), Sri Lanka (86)
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announced to release his memoir titled Source Code: My Beginnings, on February 4, 2025.
European Commission removed Tanzania from list of countries eligible for its 18 million Euro conservation grant to be launched in East Africa as part of its NaturAfrica initiative. The funding will now be targeted at Kenya only.
Norway Chess Tournament 2024 winners -
1. Men's - Magnus Carlsen (Nortway). It was his 6th title. India's R Praggnanandhaa stayed at 3rd place.
2. Women's - Ju Wenjun (China).
June 13 is observed by UN as International Albinism Awareness Day.
Peru (South America) and Slovakia (Central Europe) signed the Artemis Accords, outlining best practices for responsible space exploration.
1. It brought number of countries who have signed it to 42, including India.
2. Artemis Accords is a series of non-binding multilateral arrangements between US and other nations, that elaborates on norms expected to be followed in outer space. The accords are related to the Artemis program, a US-led effort to return humans to the Moon by 2026, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond.
India will host FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup 2025, featuring 24 teams (for the first time).
1. Notably, Men's FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 will be hosted in Belgium and Netherlands.
Indian Air Force (IAF) participated in Exercise Red Flag 2024 (2nd edition) conducted at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska (USA). It included Air forces from Singapore, UK, Netherlands, Germany, India and US.
2024 Heilbronner Neckarcup Men's Tennis (Heilbronn, Germany) -
1. Singles - Sumit Nagal (India). He defeated Alexander Ritschard (Switzerland) in final.
  1. It was Sumit Nagal's 6th ATP Challenger Tennis Title.
2. Doubles - Romain Arneodo (Monaco) & Geoffrey Blancaneaux (France)
June 14 is observed by WHO as World Blood Donor Day.
Indian equity markets overtook Hong Kong to reclaim 4th largest global market spot.
1. Top 5 (USD Trillion) - US (56.49), China (8.84), Japan (6.30), India (5.20), Hong Kong (5.17)
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav inaugurated PM Shri Paryatan Vayu Seva, to enhance intra-state connectivity across state.
1. First flight under the scheme was flagged off, from Bhopal to Jabalpur.
Book A Fly on the RBI Wall, authored by Alpana Killawala (Chief General Manager of Department of Communication at RBI) has been released.
Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin's autobiography I Have the Streets: A Kutti Cricket Story has been released.

As per World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report (June 2024 edition) -

Global growth is projected to pick up from 2.6% in 2023 & 2024, to 2.7 % in 2025 & 2026.

GDP Growth projections in notable regions -

	2023	2024	2025	2026
USA	2.5	2.5	1.8	1.8
India	8.2	6.6	6.7	6.8
China	5.2	4.8	4.1	4.0

Inflation and Trade Data for May 2024 -

Inflation -
1. Wholesale price Index (WPI) based (wholesale inflation) -
  1. WPI based inflation increased to 2.61% in May 2024 (15 months high)
  2. WPI Inflation in last 12 months -
    1. April 2024 - 1.26 %
    2. March 2024 - 0.53 %
    3. February 2024 - 0.20 %
    4. January 2024 - 0.27 %
    5. December 2023 - 0.73 %
    6. November 2023 - 0.26 %
    7. October 2023 - (-) 0.52 % (Negative)
    8. September 2023 - (-) 0.26 % (Negative)
    9. August 2023 - (-) 0.52 % (Negative)
    10. July 2023 - (-) 1.36 % (Negative)
    11. June 2023 - (-) 4.12 % (Negative) (lowest in 8 years)
    12. May 2023 - (-) 3.48 % (Negative)
2. Consumer Price Index (CPI) Based (retail inflation) -
  1. CPI-based inflation rate for May 2024 decreased to 4.75 % (11 month low)
  2. CPI Inflation in Last 12 Months -
    1. April 2024 - 4.83 %
    2. March 2024 - 4.85 %
    3. February 2024 - 5.09 %
    4. January 2024 - 5.1 %
    5. December 2023 - 5.69 %
    6. November 2023 - 5.55 %
    7. October 2023 - 4.87 %
    8. September 2023 - 5.02 %
    9. August 2023 - 6.83 %
    10. July 2023 - 7.44 % (15 Month High)
    11. June 2023 - 4.81 %
    12. May 2023 - 4.25 % (25 Month Low)

Trade -

Trade in May 2024 (Amount in Billion USD) -

		May 2024 (USD Billion)	May 2023 (USD Billion)
Merchandise	Exports	38.13	34.95
Merchandise	Imports	61.91	57.48
Services*	Exports	30.16	26.99
Services*	Imports	17.28	15.88
Total Trade (Merchandise +Services) *	Exports	68.29	61.95
	Imports	79.20	73.36
	Trade Balance	-10.90	-11.41

Trade During Previous Financial Year (FY24 (2023-24)) -

		2023-24 (USD Billion)	2022-23 (USD Billion)
Merchandise	Exports	437.06	451.07
Merchandise	Imports	677.24	715.97
Services*	Exports	339.62	325.33
Services*	Imports	177.56	182.05
Overall Trade (Merchandise+ Services)*	Exports	778.20 (NEW RECORD)	776.40
	Imports	854.80	898.01
	Trade Balance	-76.60	-121.62

Sahitya Akademi approved 23 writers for Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2024 -

S.No	Language	Name of the Book (Genre)	Awardee’s Name
	Assamese	Jaal Kota Jui (Short-Stories)	Nayanjyoti Sarma
	Bengali	Deraje Halud Ful, Gatajanma (Poetry)	Sutapa Chakraborty
	Bodo	Saikhlum (Short-Stories)	Self-Made Rani Baro
	Dogri	Ik Rang Tere Range Chaa (Poetry)	Heena Choudhary
	English	Homeless: Growing up Lesbian and Dyslexic in India (Memoir)	K. Vaishali
	Gujarati	…To Tame Raaji? (Ghazal)	Rinku Rathod
	Hindi	Smritiyon Ke Beech Ghiri Hai Prithvi (Poetry)	Gaurav Pandey
	Kannada	Zero Balance (Poetry)	Shruthi B. R.
	Kashmiri	Aene Baedas (Articles)	Mohd. Ashraf Ziya
	Konkani	Pedanyacha Samaaram (Essays)	Adwait Salgaonkar
	Maithili	Nadi Ghati Sabhyata (Poetry)	Rinki Jha Rishika
	Malayalam	Meeshakkallan (Short Stories)	Shyamkrishnan R.
	Manipuri	Ashiba Turel (Poetry)	Waikhom Chingkheinganba
	Marathi	Usvan (Novel)	Devidas Saudagar
	Nepali	Canvas Ko Xitiz (Poetry)	Suraj Chapagain
	Odia	Hu Baieaa (Short-Stories)	Sanjay Kumar Panda
	Punjabi	Khat Jo Likhno Reh Gaye (Poetry)	Randhir
	Rajasthani	Sudh Sodhun Jag Angane (Poetry)	Sonali Suthar
	Santali	Jangbaha (Poetry)	Anjan Karmakar
	Sindhi	Paper Parya (Articles)	Geeta Pradeep Rupani
	Tamil	Vishnu Vandhar (Short Stories)	Lokesh Raghuraman
	Telugu	Dhaavlo (Short Stories)	Ramesh Karthik Nayak
	Urdu	Stepney (Short-Stories)	Javed Amber Misbahi

Notably -
1. Award in Sanskrit will be declared later.
2. Award includes monetary prize of Rs 50000.

June 15 is observed by UN as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
June 15 is observed as Global Wind Day.
1. Notably, India aims at 500 GW by 2030 from renewable sources (up from Approx 195 GW Currently), which includes installation of 280 GW of solar power and 140 GW of wind power. Current Solar capacity in India is approx 86 GW, while Wind energy capacity is 46 GW.
Armenia announced to leave Russia-led security bloc Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).
1. CSTO is an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia consisting of 6 post-Soviet states - Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, formed in 2002.
2. Similar to NATO and Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, CSTO establishes that an aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all.
June 16 is observed by UN as International Day of Family Remittances.
Indian-American Novelist V.V. Ganeshananthan won UK's Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 for her novel Brotherless Night. The award carries grant of £30000.
1. About -
  1. Women’s Prize for Fiction is an annual award given to best novel written by a woman in previous year, and published in Ireland and the UK.
  2. Notably, 1st Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction has also been awarded this year, with Canadian author Naomi Klein as inaugural winner, for her novel Doppelganger. It also carriees a grant of £30000.
Researchers at Ahmedabad based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) discovered 3 new craters on Mars, situated in Tharsis volcanic region. They have been named as -
1. Lal crater - This 65 km wide crater has been named after noted Indian geophysicist and former Director of PRL Devendra Lal.
2. Mursan crater - This 10 km wide crater has been named after a town in Uttar Pradesh.
3. Hilsa crater - This 10 km wide crater has been named after a town in Bihar.
United Nations proclaimed 2025 as International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, as it recognizes 100 years since initial development of quantum mechanics.
FIDE under 20 World Chess Championship 2024 (Gandhinagar (Gujarat)) -
1. Women's - India's Divya Deshmukh.
  1. Divya Deshmukh is 4th Indian woman to win the Title, after Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli and Soumya Swaminathan.
2. Men's - Kazybek Nogerbek (Kazakhstan).
As per Global Peace Index 2024 by Institute for Economics & Peace -
1. Top 3 - Iceland (1), Ireland (2), Austria (3)
2. Bottom 3 - Yemen (163), Sudan (162), South Sudan (161)
3. India ranked 116th, compared to 126th last year
4. Neighbors - China (88), Pakistan (140), Bangladesh (93), Sri Lanka (100)
As per Global Gender Gap Report 2024 by World Economic Forum (WEF) -
1. Top 3 - Iceland (1), Finland (2), Norway (3)
2. Bottom 3 - Sudan (146), Pakistan (145), Chad (145)
3. India ranks 129th, compared to 127th last year
4. Neighbors - China (106), Pakistan (145), Sri Lanka (122), Bangladesh (99)
As per World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2023, India's Visakhapatnam Port has been ranked 19th globally (compared to 115th rank last year), followed by Adani Group's Mundra Port (27th).
1. Notably, 9 Major Ports of India have been ranked in Global Top 100.
India and UAE jointly launched Local Currency Settlement System (LCSS), which will allow transactions between two nations to be conducted in their respective domestic currencies - Indian Rupees and UAE Dirhams.
1. It will reduce reliance on intermediary currencies like US Dollar, thereby cutting down transaction costs and settlement times.
2. Earlier during PM Narendra Modi's 2023 visit to UAE, RBI and Central Bank of UAE signed a MOU to this effect.
June 17 is observed by UN as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
1. On this occasion, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) honored 10 Land Heroes globally, including India's Siddhesh Sakore from Maharashtra, founder of Agro Rangers.
Noted British Historian Jackie Wullschläger won Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography 2024, for his book Monet: the Restless Vision (biography of French impressionist painter Claude Monet).
1. This award was established in memory of British author & historian Elizabeth Longford, carrying £5,000 monetary grant.
2024 Stuttgart Open Men's Tennis (Stuttgart, Germany) -
1. Singles - Jack Draper (UK)
2. Doubles - Brazil's Rafael Matos & Marcelo Melo
G7 summit 2024 (50th edition) held in Fasano (Italy).
1. G7 Grouping includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US & European Union.
2. India was among 12 other nations invited to 50th G7 Summit. PM Narendra Modi attended the summit on India's behalf.
3. During the summit, G7 Nations approved to provide Ukraine 50 billion USD, by pulling forward interest income on Russian assets that had been immobilized in Western countries.
An international peace summit in relation to Russia - Ukraine War, called Summit on Peace in Ukraine held in Bürgenstock (Switzerland). India also attended the summit.
1. Notably, India did not sign the final joint communique at the summit, insisting that all parties (Including Russia) must be included in summits for lasting peace in Ukraine.
Paraguay become 100th member of India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA), after Paraguay handed over Instrument of Ratification for the same.
1. Gurugram (Haryana) based International Solar Alliance (ISA) is First India-based treaty-based international organisation. It aims to promote solar power as a sustainable transition to a carbon-neutral future, and aims to unlock US$ 1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030.
2. India and France jointly launched International Solar Alliance (ISA) during COP21 in Paris in 2015.
June 18 is observed by UN as International Day for Countering Hate Speech, observed since 2022. June 18 is also observed as -
1. Sustainable Gastronomy Day (UN).
2. Autistic Pride Day.
RBI has invited applications for recognition of Self-Regulatory Organisations (SRO) for NBFC sector under aegis of omnibus framework released by RBI for the same earlier.
1. SRO will operate with credibility and objectivity under oversight of the regulator, to improve regulatory compliance for healthy and sustainable development of the sector to which it caters.
2. Membership Criteria for SRO for NBFCs -
  1. Applicant should achieve a minimum net worth of 2 crores, within 1 year after recognition as an SRO by RBI, or before commencement of operations as an SRO, whichever is earlier.
  2. A maximum of two SROs for NBFC sector will be recognised.
2024 Indonesia Open Badminton -
1. Men's singles - Shi Yuqi (China)
2. Women's singles - Chen Yufei (China)
3. Men's doubles - China's Liang Weikeng & Wang Chang
4. Women's doubles - South Korea's Baek Ha-na & Lee So-hee
5. Mixed doubles - China's Jiang Zhenbang & Wei Yaxin
Noted Polish-American author Anne Elizabeth Applebaum has been named winner of Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2024 (Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels), carrying grant of €25000.
1. Notably, India born British-American author Salman Rushdie had received this award last year (2023).
2024 Australian Open Badminton -
1. Men's singles - Lee Zii Jia (Malaysia)
2. Women's singles - Aya Ohori (Japan)
3. Men's doubles - China's He Jiting & Ren Xiangyu
4. Women's doubles - Indonesia's Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma & Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi
5. Mixed doubles - China's Jiang Zhenbang & Wei Yaxin
Cabinet Approvals (June 19, 2024) -
1. General -
  1. Approved Ministry of Home Affairs's Central Sector Scheme National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (NFIES), with outlay of 2254 crores during 2024-25 to 2028-29.
    1. Scheme components include Establishment of Campuses of National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Establishment of Central Forensic Science Laboratories & Enhancement of existing infrastructure of Delhi Campus of NFSU.
    2. The scheme underscores importance of high quality, trained forensic professionals in timely and scientific examination of evidence for an efficient criminal justice process.
  2. Approved increase in Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Kharif Crops for Marketing Season 2024-25.
    1. Expected margin to farmers over their cost of production are estimated to be highest in case of bajra (77%), followed by tur (59%), maize (54%) and urad (52%). For rest of crops, margin to farmers over their cost of production is estimated to be at 50%.
  3. Approved proposal of Airports Authority of India (AAI) for development of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport Varanasi, With outlay of 2870 Crores.
    1. Under it, passenger handling capacity of airport will be increased to 9.9 million passengers per annum (MPPA) from existing 3.9 MPPA.
  4. Approved Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for offshore wind energy projects at outlay of 7453 crores, including 6853 crore for installation and commissioning of 1 GW of offshore wind energy projects (500 MW each off the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu), and 600 crore for upgradation of two ports to meet logistics requirements for offshore wind energy projects.
  5. Approved setting up an all-weather Greenfield Airport at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharastra.
    1. It will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), an SPV formed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and Maharashtra Maritime Board with shareholding of 74% and 26%, respectively.
    2. Total project cost will be 76220 Crores. Rail and Highways connectivity with the port will also be built.
    3. Port will have cumulative capacity of 298 million metric tons (MMT) per annum, and 23.2 million TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalents) of container handling capacity.

2024 ISSF World Cup -

2024 ISSF Calendar included 6 Legs - Cairo (Egypt), Rabat (Morocco), Granada (Spain), Baku (Azerbaijan), Munich (Germany), Lonato (Italy)

Medal Table -

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	7	7	5	19
2	South Korea	6	2	2	10
3	Germany	5	1	7	13
4	Italy	4	5	3	12
5	India	3	3	3	9

India Ranked at 5th place, with 9 Medals (3 Each of Gold, Silver and Bronze).
Indian Gold Medalists -
1. Divyansh Singh Panwar - Men's 10m Air Rifle (Egypt, Cairo)
2. Sarabjot Singh - Men's 10m Air Pistol (Germany, Munich)
3. Rhythm Sangwan & Ujjawal Malik (Mixed Team) - 10m Air Pistol (Egypt, Cairo)

Notable points from PM Narendra Modi's visit to Uttar Pradesh & Bihar -
1. UP -
  1. Released Krishi Sakhis Certificates to over 30000 women from Self Help Groups (SHGs).
    1. Krishi Sakhi Convergence Program (KSCP) aims at empowerment of rural women as Krishi Sakhi, by imparting training and certification of Krishi Sakhis as Para-extension Workers.
2. Bihar -
  1. Inaugurated new campus of Nalanda University at Rajgir (Bihar), conceived as a joint collaboration between India and East Asia Summit (EAS) countries. The Net Zero Campus is Self-Sustainable with solar plant, water treatment / recycling plant, water bodies, and several other environment friendly facilities.
    1. About -
      1. The Original Nalanda University was established around 427 CE by emperor Kumaragupta I of the Gupta Empire. It was widely considered to be among the greatest centres of learning in the ancient world. It operated until 13th century.
      2. Nalanda was attacked by Muslim general Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1200, who brutally killed scores of disciples there and destroyed extremely rare and invaluable ancient Indian literature stored therein.
      3. The attacks were among first major Islamic attacks on India after fall of Chauhan Empire with death of Prithvirāja III (पृथ्वीराज चौहान) in 1992 in war with Afghan intruder Muhammad Ghuri (Ruler of Ghor).
      4. In 2016, the ruins of Nalanda was declared as a UN Heritage Site.
      5. Notable incidents regarding spread of Islam in India -
        712 - Muhammad bin Qasim attacked Sindh and Defeated King Dahir Sen (Last Brahmin Ruler of Sindh), paving way for spread of Islam in Sindh (Now in Pakistan). The attack also witnessed India's first-ever Jauhar.
        
        1008 - Battle of Chach between Afghan Intruder Mahmud Ghaznavi and Hindu Shahi army led by Punjab King Anandapala. Muslim army won the battle, paving way for spread of Islam in Punjab Region.
        
        1192 - Second Battle of Tarain. It witnessed loss and death of last Chauhan King of Ajmer Prithviraj III. Afghan forces of Muhammad Ghuri won the battle, paving way for setting up of first Islamist rule in Delhi and North India, called Delhi Sultanate.
        Notably, Chauhan Kings of Ajmer had kept invading muslim forces away from North India for almost 500 years, from 1st Islamic attack on India in 712 to upto 1192. It kept spread of Islam in India under check until end of 12th century.
        
        1527 - Battle of Khanwa, between Afghan Muslim intruder Babur and Mewar Rajput King Rana Sanga. Babur won the battle, after Rana Sanga was deceived by his own men.
        
        1556 - Second Battle of Panipat, between Mughal Ruler Akbar and Last Hindu king of Delhi, Samrat Hemu. Muslim army won the battle after an arrow struck Samrat Hemu's eye. This was followed by uninterrupted Muslim rule of approx 150 years in North India, till death of Aurangzeb in 1707.
        1761 - Third Battle of Panipat, between Maratha Empire & invading Afghan army of Durrani Empire led by Ahmad Shah Adbali. It was won by Afghans, who committed wide scale massacre of Marathas, including soldiers and civilians.
June 19 is observed by UN as International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.
1. June 19 is also observed as -
  1. World Sickle Cell Day.
  2. National Reading Day in India, to honour father of Library Movement in Kerala, P.N. Panicker whose death anniversary falls on June 19.
Children’s book Ed Finds a Home, written by Actress Alia Bhatt has been released.
June 20 is observed by UN as World Refugee Day. 2024 Theme is For a World Where Refugees Are Welcomed.
1. On this occasion, UN Refugee Agency UNHCR named British actor Theo James as its newest global Goodwill Ambassador.
General News / Events (June 11-20, 2024) -
1. UK's Oxford University agreed to return a 500-year-old bronze idol of Indian saint Tirumankai Alvar, which was stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu.
2. Kerala’s Kozhikode hosted Malabar River Festival 2024, featuring International White Water Kayaking Championship.
3. International Labour Conference 2024 held at ILO Headquarters in Geneva (Switzwerlnad).
4. Hemis Festival held in Ladakh, commemorating birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava, a revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism.
5. Ladakh achieved Full Functional Literacy under ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram, after having achieved over 97% literacy.
As per Environmental Performance index 2024 released by Yale University (US) -
1. India has been ranked at 176th place, out of 180 Nations
2. Top 3 - Estonia, Luxembourg, Germany
3. Bottom 3 - Vietnam (180), Pakistan (179), Laos (178)
4. Neighbors - Pakistan (179), China (154), Bangladesh (175), Sri Lanka (131)
Noted Indian film-maker Vinod Ganatra become first Indian to be conferred Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award of South Africa, during Nelson Mandela Children’s Film Festival 2024.
As per Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2023 by global consulting firm Kroll, cricketer Virat Kohli is India’s most valued celebrity with brand value of $227.9 million. He is followed by Actor Ranveer Singh.
Notable Points from PM Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir -
1. Launched Competitiveness Improvement in Agriculture & Allied Sectors (JKCIP) Projects worth 1800 crores, covering 15 lakh beneficiaries.
  1. $217 Million Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project in Jammu and Kashmir (JKCIP) project aims to enhance competitiveness and climate resilience of small-scale farmers and promote sustainable agriculture in the region.
  2. It is being implemented with support from UN agency International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
2. Attended 10th International Day of Yoga (IDY) Celebrations at Srinagar.
June 21 - UN International Yoga Day, being Observed Since 2015. 2024 Theme is Yoga for self and society.
1. On this occasion -
  1. Main event of 10th edition of International Day of Yoga 2024 held at Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
2. Other Observations on June 21 -
  1. World Music Day. First all-day musical celebration on the day of the summer solstice was celebrated in Paris in 1982.
  2. Summer Solstice day. Summer Solstice is longest day of year which marks official start of summer season in Northern hemisphere.
    1. International Day of Celebration of the Solstice was proclaimed by UN General Assembly in 2019.
  3. World Hydrography Day, observed by International Hydrographic Organization.
18th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) 2024 held in Mumbai.
1. Opening Film - Billy & Molly, an Otter Love Story (UK).
2. Notable Awardees -
  1. Golden Conch award for the Best Documentary - The Golden Thread by Nistha Jain. It carries prize of 10 lakh rupees.
  2. V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award - Noted wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu. It carries prize of 10 lakh rupees.
3. About -
  1. MIFF is oldest film festival for non-feature films (Documentary, Short Fiction & Animation) in South Asia, held biennially since 1990.
Patna HC struck down Bihar govt’s decision to hike reservation for backward classes, extremely backward classes, scheduled castes, and scheduled tribes (SCs and STs) from 50 to 65 % in govt jobs and educational institutions.
1. With existing 10 % quota for economically weaker sections (EWS), the percentage of reservation quota was increased to 75 % in state.
Indian author Dipesh Chakrabarty has been awarded European Essay Prize for lifetime achievement 2024 for French translation of his essay The climate of history in a planetary age.
June 22 is observed as World Rainforest Day.
Central Govt approved new Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) schemes to evacuate 9 GW of Renewable Energy from Rajasthan and Karnataka, to be implemented through Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) mode.
1. Power evacuation scheme of Rajasthan Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) will evacuate 4.5 GW of RE power from Rajasthan, comprising 1 GW from Fatehgarh complex, 2.5 GW from Barmer Complex and 1 GW from Nagaur (Merta) Complex. Cost is 12241 crores, to be completed in 2 years.
2. System strengthening scheme of Karnataka will evacuate 4.5 GW RE power from Koppal and Gadag area, to be completed by June 2027 with Cost 1354 crores.
3. Notably, India aims at 500 GW RE capacity by 2030, out of which 200 GW is already connected.
Former Soviet Nation Tajikistan parliament approved a bill banning alien garments and children's celebrations for two major Islamic holidays - Eid al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. These festivals, known as idgardak, traditionally involve children visiting houses in their neighbourhoods to extend greetings.
1. The bill mostly targets Islamic head scarf called hijab and other traditional items of Islamic clothing.
2024 Hockey Junior Asia Cup (Hosted in Singapore) -
1. Men's -
  1. Bangladesh won the title (their 3rd), defeating China in final.
2. Women's -
  1. Chinese Taipei won the title (their 4th), defeating Bangladesh in final.
Notable Recommendations of 53rd GST Council Meeting -
1. Changes in GST rates on Goods -
  1. 5% IGST will apply to imports of Parts, components, testing equipment, tools and tool-kits of aircrafts.
  2. Milk cans (steel, iron and aluminium) & solar cookers will attract 12% GST.
  3. Extended IGST exemption on imports of specified items for defence forces for a further period of five years till 30th June, 2029.
2. Changes in GST rates on Services -
  1. Exempt services provided by Indian Railways to general public namely, sale of platform tickets, retiring rooms/waiting rooms, cloak rooms and battery-operated cars and Intra-Railway transactions.
3. Other Recommendations -
  1. Waiving interest and penalties for demand notices issued under Section 73 of CGST Act for fiscal years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, if full tax demanded is paid upto 31-03-2025.
  2. Monetary limit of 20 lakh for GST Appellate Tribunal, 1 crore for High Court and 2 crore for Supreme Court, for filing of appeals by the Department, to reduce litigation.
June 23 is observed by UN as Public Service Day.
1. June 23 is also observed as -
  1. International Olympics Day.
  2. International Widows' Day (UN).
  3. From 2023 onwards, All India Football Federation (AIFF) declared June 23 (birth anniversary of Noted Former Indian footballer Pradip Kumar Banerjee), as AIFF Grassroots Day.
As per Energy Transition Index 2024 released by World Economic Forum (WEF) -
1. Top 3 - Sweden (1), Denmark (2), Finland (3)
2. Bottom 3 - DR Congo (120), Yemen (119), Tanzania (118)
3. India ranks 63rd, compared to 67th place last year.
4. Neighbors - Bangladesh (109), Pakistan (113), Sri Lanka (69), China (17)
South Africa's parliament re-elected Cyril Ramaphosa as country's president, for his 2nd term.
Ministry of Education constituted a High-Level Committee headed by K Radhakrishnan (Former ISRO Chairman), to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations.
1. Committee will make recommendations on Reform in mechanism of examination process, improvement in Data Security protocols and structure and functioning of NTA.
As per Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)'s Global Liveability Index 2024 -
1. Top 5 most liveable cities -
  1. Vienna (Austria)
  2. Copenhagen (Denmark)
  3. Zurich (Switzerland)
  4. Melbourne (Australia)
  5. Calgary (Canada)

Red Bull's Dutch-Belgian F1 Racer Max Verstappen won Spanish Grand Prix 2024.

F1 Season 2024 -

Round	Grand Prix	Winner	Race date
1	Bahrain Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 March
2	Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	9 March
3	Australian Grand Prix	Carlos Saint Jr. (Spanish)	24 March
4	Japanese Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	7 April
5	Chinese Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	21 April
6	Miami Grand Prix	Lando Norris (British-Belgian)	5 May
7	Emilia Romagna Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	19 May
8	Monaco Grand Prix	Charles Leclerc (Monaco)	26 May
9	Canadian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	9 June
10	Spanish Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	23 June
11	Austrian Grand Prix		30 June
12	British Grand Prix		7 July
13	Hungarian Grand Prix		21 July
14	Belgian Grand Prix		28 July
15	Dutch Grand Prix		25 August
16	Italian Grand Prix		1 September
17	Azerbaijan Grand Prix		15 September
18	Singapore Grand Prix		22 September
19	United States Grand Prix		20 October
20	Mexico City Grand Prix		27 October
21	São Paulo Grand Prix		3 November
22	Las Vegas Grand Prix		23 November
23	Qatar Grand Prix		1 December
24	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix		8 December

June 24 is observed by UN as International Day for Women in Diplomacy. It was proclaimed in 2022.
As per RBI Data -
1. India’s External Debt at end of March 2024 stood at US$ 663.8 billion, an increase of US$ 39.7 billion over its level at end-March 2023.
2. India recorded a current account surplus of $5.7 billion (0.6 % of GDP)) in fourth quarter of FY24 (2023-24). This is for the first time in 10 quarters that India's current account balance has recorded a surplus.
  1. For full FY24 (2023-24), India's current account deficit more-than-halved to 7 year low of $23.2 billion, from $67 billion in FY23 (2022-23).
3. External debt to GDP ratio declined to 18.7 % at end-March 2024 from 19.0 % at end-March 2023.
4. Loans remained largest component of external debt (33.4 %), followed by currency and deposits (23.3 %), trade credit and advances (17.9 %) and debt securities (17.3 %).
5. Debt service (principal repayments and interest payments) increased to 6.7 % of current receipts at end March 2024 from 5.3 % at end-March 2023
As per Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2024 by Starup Genome -
1. Top 3 -
  1. Silicon Valley (US) (1)
  2. London (UK) & New York City (US) (Tied at 2nd place)
  3. Tel Aviv (Israel) & Los Angeles (US) (Tied at 4th place)
2. India's Bengaluru ranks 21st, jointly with Sydney (Australia). Bengaluru is followed by Delhi (24), Mumbai (37).
Madhya Pradesh govt approved setting up a Prime Minister College of Excellence in all 55 districts of state.
Kozhikode (Kerala) became India's first city to be designated as a UNESCO City of Literature, marking a significant recognition for city's rich literary heritage.
1. Earlier in October 2023, Kozhikode had earned a place in Literature category of UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
June 25 is observed as International Day of Seafarer.
1. June 25 is also observed as World Vitiligo Day.
As per UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2024 -
1. Globally, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 2% to $1.3 trillion in 2023, amid an economic slowdown and rising geopolitical tensions
2. India received $28.16 Billion FDI in 2023, compared to $49.35 Billion received in 2022, showing sharp decline of 43 %. India slipped t0 15th place among top FDI recepients.
3. Top 5 -
  1. USA - 332
  2. China - 189
  3. Singapore - 141
  4. Hong Kong - 110
  5. Brazil - 73
4. Neighbors - China (189), Pakistan (1.8), Sri Lanka (.7), Bangladesh (3)
June 26 is observed by UN as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
1. June 26 is also observed as International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
BJP's Om Birla has been re-elected as Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha for his 2nd consecutive term.
1. With this, he became first presiding officer in 20 years to be re-elected to Lok Sabha, after P A Sangma.
2. Also, J P Nadda has been named Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha.
Indian author Sanjana Thakur won Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2024, carrying GBP 5000 monetaryPrize, for her story entitled Aishwarya Rai.
1. Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2000 to 5000 words), open to citizens of member states of Commonwealth of Nations.
2. It was set up in 2012, managed by Commonwealth Foundation.
Srinagar (J&K) became fourth Indian city to be recognised as a World Craft City by World Craft Council (WCC).
1. Earlier Indian cities with this recognition are Jaipur, Malappuram and Mysore.
June 27 is observed by UN as International MSME Day (Micro Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day). 2024 theme is MSMEs and the SDGs.
1. June 27 is also observed as Helen Keller Day, to commemorate Helen Keller, noted American author and disability rights advocate, who was born deaf and blind.

2024 Asian Fencing Championships (Kuwait) -

Medal Table -

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	South Korea	4	2	5	11
2	China	3	4	3	10
3	Japan	3	3	7	13
4	Hong Kong	1	1	5	7
5	Kazakhstan	1	1	2	4

India did not win any medal at the event.

RBI notified revised Framework on Currency Swap Arrangement for SAARC countries for period 2024 to 2027.
1. Under this -
  1. RBI will sign bilateral swap agreements with SAARC central banks, who want to avail of the swap facility.
  2. A separate INR Swap Window has been introduced with various concessions for swap support in Indian Rupee, with total corpus INR 25000 crores.
  3. RBI will continue to offer swap arrangement in US$ and Euro under a separate US Dollar/ Euro Swap Window with an overall corpus of US$ 2 billion.
2. SAARC Currency Swap Facility came into force on November 15, 2012, to provide a backstop line of funding for short term foreign exchange liquidity requirements or balance of payment crises of SAARC countries till longer term arrangements are made.
Mark Rutte (Former Dutch Prime Minister) has been named new Secretary General of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), a Brussels (Belgium) military alliance of 32 Nations. He will succeed Jens Stoltenberg (Norway).
Denmark became first country to impose a carbon tax on livestock emissions, targeting greenhouse gas methane. It aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly.
1. From 2030 onwards, livestock farmers will be taxed 300 kroner ($43) per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent, rising to 750 kroner ($108) by 2035.
June 28 is observed as National Insurance Awareness Day in India.
Antonio Costa (Former Prime Minister of Portugal) has been elected as new President of the European Council of European Union, to succeed Charles Michel (Belgium).
Official Creditor Committee (OCC) and Sri Lanka govt finalized MoU on debt restructuring, based on main parameters agreed earlier in November 2023.
1. OCC for Sri Lanka was formally formed by 17 countries in May 2022, co-chaired by India, Japan and France as chair of the Paris Club.
2. Paris Club is a group of officials from major creditor countries whose role is to find co-ordinated and sustainable solutions to payment difficulties experienced by debtor countries. It currently has 22 permanent members.
South Korea, US and Japan held their first trilateral multi-domain exercise named Freedom Edge, near Jeju Island (South Korea).
Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched 2 Geoportals developed by Indian Space research Organization (ISRO), namely Bhuvan Panchayat (Ver. 4.0) and National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM Ver. 5.0).
1. Bhuvan Panchayat Portal aims to support Space based Information Support for Decentralized Planning (SISDP) and empower citizens at grass root level in Panchayats.
2. National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM Ver. 5.0) aims to provide space-based inputs on natural disasters and aid in disaster risk reduction.
June 29 is observed as National Statistics Day in India, marking Birth anniversary of India’s eminent statistician, Late Prof Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. 2024 theme is Use of data for decision-making.
1. On this occaison -
  1. International Statistical Institute names winner of Mahalanobis International Award, presented biennially at ISI World Statistics Congress.
    1. Earlier, this award was conferred on Arup Bose (From ISI Kolkata), in 2023.
    2. The award recognizes an individual for lifetime achievements in statistics in a low and middle income country or region, sponsored by Government of India.
  2. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) released annual publications on India's progress in implementing 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), titled National Indicator Framework Progress Report 2024. Highlights include -
    1. Number of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) provided bank credit linkage has increased from 18.32 lakh in 2015-16 to 44.15 lakh in 2023-24
    2. Gross Value Added in agriculture per worker (in ₹) has increased from 61,427 in 2015-16 to 87,609 in 2023-24
    3. Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher secondary education has increased from 48.32 in 2015-16 to 57.60 in 2021-22
    4. Installed renewable energy generating capacity in the country has shown a steady increase in value from 63.25 watts per capita in 2014-15 to 136.56 watts per capita in 2023-24
    5. Number of patents issued (granted) has increased from 6,326 in 2015-16 to 1,03,057 in 2023-24
    6. Percentage of budget allocated for welfare of SCs and STs has increased from 2.86% in 2015-16 to 6.19% in 2023-24
    7. Number of Government services provided online to citizens has increased from 968 in 2015-16 to 4,671 in 2021-22
    8. Maternal Mortality Ratio has declined from 130 per 1,00,000 live births in 2014-16 to 97 per 1,00,000 live births in 2018-20
    9. Under-five mortality rate has declined from 43 per 1000 live births in 2015 to 32 per 1000 live births in 2020
    10. Number of waste recycling plants installed has increased from 829 in 2020 to 2447 in 2024
June 29 is observed by UN as International Day of the Tropics.
Outcomes of FATF Singapore Plenary Meet June 2024 -
1. FATF removed 2 countries from its increased monitoring - Jamaica and Türkiye.
2. FATF added 2 countries to its increased monitoring - Monaco and Venezuela.
3. FATF maintains 2 types of lists -
  1. Black List (High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action) - It identifies countries with serious strategic deficiencies to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and financing of proliferation.
    1. Current black listed nations are - North Korea, Iran, Myanmar.
  2. Grey List (Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring) - Identifies countries that are actively working with FATF to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.
    1. Current Grey listed nations -
      1. Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Croatia, DR Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen.
4. FATF adopted Mutual Evaluation Report of India, which places India in regular follow-up category, marking a significant milestone in India’s efforts to combat money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF). Plenary concluded that India has reached a high level of technical compliance with FATF requirements.
5. Notably, This was final Plenary of FATF under Presidency of T Raja Kumar of Singapore. Elisa de Anda Madrazo of Mexico will begin her 2 year term as FATF President from July 01, 2024.
2024 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup (9th edition, Hosted by West Indies & USA) -
1. India won the title (their 2nd), defeating South Africa in final. 20 teams had participated in the event.
2. Notable players -
  1. Player of the series - Jasprit Bumrah (India)
  2. Most runs - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (281)
  3. Most wickets - Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan) & Arshdeep Singh (India), both claiming 17 wickets.
3. Brand ambassadors for the event - Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Yuvraj Singh (India), Chris Gayle (West Indies), and Usain Bolt (Noted Jamaican Sprinter).
4. Next tournament will be held in 2026 in India & Sri Lanka.
PM Narendra Modi released 3 books life and journey of M Venkaiah Naidu (former Vice President of India) -
1. Venkaiah Naidu – Life in Service - authored by S Nagesh Kumar
2. Telugu book Mahaneta – Life and Journey of Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu - Sanjay Kishore
3. Celebrating Bharat - The Mission and Message of Shri M Venkaiah Naidu as 13th Vice–President of India - I V Subba Rao
Notable Awardees at 6th UK-India Awards 2024 (London) -
1. Global Indian Icon - Arunachalam Muruganantham (Jayaashree Industries Founder)
2. Lifetime Contribution to UK-India Relations - Lord Anthony Bamford (Former Member of the House of Lords of UK)
Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings 2024 -
1. Top 5 -
  1. Tsinghua University (China)
  2. Peking University (China)
  3. National University of Singapore
  4. Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
  5. University of Tokyo (Japan)
2. Indian Universities in List -
  1. IISC Bengaluru is best ranked Indian university, ranked 32nd. It is followed by Anna University (119) & M G University (134).
  2. Total 122 Indian universities have been featured in list of Asia's best 1127 universities.
Govt named Vikram Misri (Former Deputy National Security Advisor) as new Foreign Secretary of India, to succeed Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
1. Notably, Vinay Mohan Kwatra has been named India's new Ambassador to USA.
June 30 is observed annually as International Asteroid Day. It marks event anniversary of Tunguska event in 1908, when an asteroid leveled about 2,150 square kilometres forest in Siberia.
1. June 30 is also observed as UN International Day of Parliamentarism.
2. June 30 is also observed as World Social Media Day.
3. In Jharkhand, Hul Diwas is observed annually across state on June 30, marking sacrifice of tribal leaders Sidhu-Kanhu, Chand-Bhairav, and Phoolo-Jhano, during independence movement of 1855.
Visits from India (June 2024)
1. PM Narendra Modi visited Italy, to attend G7 summit 2024 (50th edition), in Fasano (Italy).
  1. G7 Grouping includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US & European Union.
  2. India was among 12 other nations invited to attend 50th G7 Summit.
Visits to India (June 2024) -
1. United States’ (US) National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan visited India, to attend review meeting of India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in New Delhi.
Dr Usha Thakur has been conferred 12th Vishwa Hindi Samman by Ministry of External Affairs, for her contribution in development of Hindi literature.
1. Notably, this award is generally presented during annual World Hindi Conference, 12th edition of which was held in Fiji in 2023.
General News / Events (June 21-30, 2024) -
1. India hosted sugar sector event ISO (International Sugar Organization) Council Meeting in New Delhi, as Chair of the organisation for 2024.
  1. Notably, India is world’s largest consumer and second largest producer of sugar.
2. Madhya Pradesh Govt ruled that ministers of state cabinet will now pay their income tax on salaries and allowances themselves, revoking a 52-year-old rule (1972) under which the state government paid it on their behalf.
3. India Space Congress 2024 (3rd edition) held in New Delhi.
Upendra Dwivedi assumed charge as New (30th) Chief of Indian Army, succeding Manoj Pande.
1. Also, NS Raja Subramani assumed charge as Vice Chief of Indian Army.

Mercedes' British F1 Racer George Russell won Austrian Grand Prix 2024.

F1 Season 2024 -

Round	Grand Prix	Winner	Race date
1	Bahrain Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 March
2	Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	9 March
3	Australian Grand Prix	Carlos Saint Jr. (Spanish)	24 March
4	Japanese Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	7 April
5	Chinese Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	21 April
6	Miami Grand Prix	Lando Norris (British-Belgian)	5 May
7	Emilia Romagna Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	19 May
8	Monaco Grand Prix	Charles Leclerc (Monaco)	26 May
9	Canadian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	9 June
10	Spanish Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	23 June
11	Austrian Grand Prix	George Russell (British)	30 June
12	British Grand Prix		7 July
13	Hungarian Grand Prix		21 July
14	Belgian Grand Prix		28 July
15	Dutch Grand Prix		25 August
16	Italian Grand Prix		1 September
17	Azerbaijan Grand Prix		15 September
18	Singapore Grand Prix		22 September
19	United States Grand Prix		20 October
20	Mexico City Grand Prix		27 October
21	São Paulo Grand Prix		3 November
22	Las Vegas Grand Prix		23 November
23	Qatar Grand Prix		1 December
24	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix		8 December

Loans Approved for India during June 2024 -
1. Asian Development Bank (ADB) -
  1. $60 million - To help Aadhar Housing Finance Limited (AHFL) provide housing loans to women and address shortage of financing in low-income and affordable housing segment in India.
  2. $170 million - To improve India’s health system preparedness and capacity to respond to future pandemics.
2. World Bank -
  1. Approved $1.5 billion in financing for a second operation to help India accelerate development of low-carbon energy.
  2. International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector financing arm of the World Bank Group, committed USD 105 million to Brookfield's Bikaner Solar Power project through long-term non-convertible debentures.
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) launched eSankhyiki portal (esankhyiki.mospi.gov.in) to provide real-time inputs for policy-makers, researchers and public.
1. It aims to establish a comprehensive data management and sharing system for ease of dissemination of official statistics in country.

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Latest Current Affairs - June 2024

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