Daily Current Affairs 18 June 2021 – Gkseries

Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 18 June 2021, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.

Daily Current Affairs 18 June 2021

Indian Army holds trial run of train on Dedicated Freight Corridor

The Army successfully conducted a trial run of a military train loaded with vehicles and equipment on Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) from New Rewari in Haryana to New Phulera in Rajasthan.

The successful 247-km run is part of an exercise by the Narendra Modi government called ‘Whole of the Nation Approach’, which is aimed at optimising national resources and achieving seamless synergy among ministries and departments.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India is constructing the Western DFC (1506 Route km) and Eastern DFC (1875 route km including Sonnagar-Dankuni PPP Section).

The EDFC starting from Sahnewal near Ludhiana (Punjab) will pass through the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to terminate at Dankuni in West Bengal.

The Western Corridor connecting Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai will traverse through the states of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra of WDFC.

Centre Simplifies Registration Process for MSMEs

The Ministry for Road Transport & Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises recently announced simplification of process for registration of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises where now only PAN and Aadhaar will be required for registration of MSMEs.

In order to boost the economic activities of MSMEs, the Government had announced a special incentive package of 20 lakh crore rupees under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

The MSMEs contribute significantly in the economic and social development of the country by fostering entrepreneurship and generating large employment opportunities.

With an objective of making India a global economic powerhouse, vision of MSME aims towards building a supporting ecosystem for MSMEs to enhance their contribution towards five trillion dollar economy.

103rd death anniversary of father of modern Odia literature

Father of modern Odia literature, Fakir Mohan Senapati’s 103rd death anniversary was observed on 14 June 2021.

Born on January 13, 1843, Fakir Mohan Senapati was a prolific author, reformer, and avid lover of the Odia language.

He injected a new life in Odia literature in an environment of gloom and despair. Furthermore, his sense of humour remains unsurpassed in the history of Odia literature.

Senapati contributed to Odia literature in several ways. He not only wrote novels but short stories, poems, essays, and school textbooks as well.

He is also known to have translated several Sanskrit classics into the Odia language. He believed writing is a corollary to the development of language and development of language is a corollary to the nation.

World Sea Turtle Day 2021

World Sea Turtle Day is celebrated on June 16th June to honor and highlight the importance of sea turtles. These creatures, like any other creature, are magnificent in their own way.

Turtles are the world’s oldest reptile groups in existence, across the world found even before lizards and snakes.

The first few years of a marine turtle’s life are often referred to as the ‘lost years’. That’s because the time between when the hatchlings emerge until they return to coastal shallow waters to forage is incredibly difficult to study. The lost years they spend at sea – which can be up to 20 years – largely remain a mystery to humans.

The seven species of sea turtle are Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, Kemp’s Ridley, and Flatback. Out of these seven, two species, Hawksbill and Kemps Ridley are considered critically endangered.

Satya Nadella appointed as the New Chairman of Microsoft

Microsoft recently appointed chief executive officer Satya Nadella as the chairman of the company. Under Nadella’s watch, the software giant has become one of the most valuable companies in the world.

Nadella, the company’s third CEO, will also be the third chairman in Microsoft’s history, following Gates and Thompson.

He took over as a CEO of Microsoft in 2014 from Steve Ballmer. He has focused the company around cloud computing, mobile applications and artificial intelligence while breathing new life into the Office software franchise.

Microsoft’s shares have soared more than sevenfold under his leadership and its market value is approaching $2 trillion.

India has 156 nuclear warheads according to SIPRI

Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Year Book 2021 has been released recently where India said to have 156 nuclear warheads.

China and Pakistan have 350 and 165 nuclear warheads respectively as of January this year and the three countries appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals.

Russia and the US together possess over 90 percent of the estimated 13,080 global nuclear weapons.

There are nine countries in the world that have nuclear weapons: the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.

The 5th edition of VivaTech held in Paris, France

The 5th edition of VivaTech held in Paris, France where Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a keynote address.

Other prominent speakers in the event include President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez and ministers and MPs from various European countries.

The event will also witness the participation of corporate leaders including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Chairman and CEO, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and President, Microsoft Brad Smith.

VivaTech is one of the largest digital and startup events in Europe, held in Paris every year since 2016. It is jointly organised by Publicis Groupe – a prominent advertising and marketing conglomerate and Les Echos – a leading French media group.

GI certified Jalgaon banana has been exported to Dubai

A consignment of fibre and mineral-rich Jalgaon banana has been exported to Dubai, in a major boost to exports of Geographical Indications (GI) certified agricultural produce.

The twenty-two metric tonnes of GI-certified Jalgaon banana were sourced from progressive farmers of Tandalwadi village, part of Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, a banana cluster identified under the Agri Export Policy.

In 2016, Jalgaon Banana got GI certification, which was registered with Nisargraja Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Jalgaon.

India’s banana export has been rising sharply because of the adoption of farm practices as per global standards.

India is the world’s leading producer of bananas with a share of around 25 per cent in total output. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh contribute more than 70 per cent of the country’s banana production.

BCCI lifted the life ban imposed on Ankit Chavan

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has recently lifted the life ban on former Mumbai spinner Ankeet Chavan.

Chavan, who has represented Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, was banned for life in 2013, along with team-mates S Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila for alleged involvement in spot-fixing.

The BCCI slapped a life ban on Chavan in 2013 for alleged involvement in spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League.

The BCCI is the governing body for cricket in India and is under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

Delhi decided to train 5,000 youths as health assistants

The Delhi government recently decided to train 5,000 youths to assist doctors and nurses as part of preparations for a possible third wave of COVID-19.

Under the plan, 5,000 youth will be given two weeks training by Guru Gobind Singh Indra Prastha University.

This training will be provided in nine major medical institutes in Delhi. These people will work as assistants to doctors and nurses; they won’t be able to make (medical) decisions themselves.

They will be provided training in basic nursing, paramedics, life-saving, first aid and home care.

They (health assistants) will be called to work as and when the need arises. They will be paid depending on the number of days they work.

Sputnik V vaccine is reportedly more effective against ‘Delta’ COVID-19 variant

A report in Moscow Times confirms that the developers of Russia’s Sputnik V Coronavirus vaccine are studying the jab’s effectiveness against the so-called “Moscow strain” of the virus.

Sputnik V is an adenovirus viral vector vaccine for COVID-19 developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.

Sputnik V is a two-component vaccine in which adenovirus serotypes 5 and 26 are used. A fragment of tissue-type plasminogen activator is not used, and the antigen insert is an unmodified full-length S-protein. Sputnik V vaccine is produced with the HEK293 cell line.

Inaugural ceremony of Global Yoga Conference 2021

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan addressed the inaugural ceremony of Global Yoga Conference 2021.

The event was organised by ‘Mokshayatan Yog Sansthan’ along with the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India &Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

Dr Harsh Vardhan highlighted how Yoga has helped people during COVID restrictions on public activities. The benefits of Yoga in immunity building and management of stress are well documented with evidence.

With programmes like this Global Yoga Conference, more people shall be drawn into the fold of practising Yoga and related activities.

Telangana government launched a programme called ‘Revv up’

Telangana government launched the Telangana Artificial Intelligence Mission (TAIM) accelerator programme Revv Up, which is exclusively designed for growth-stage artificial intelligence (AI) startups.

The vision of T-AIM is to develop Telangana as a global hub for AI startups.

Revv Up, which will begin its first cohort in July this year, is another step towards making Telangana and Hyderabad a global destination for AI and other emerging technologies.

The Revv Up accelerator will provide the opportunity for startups to solve tough business problems in collaboration with the government and industry.

Selected startups will receive mentorship from industry experts and technology and IP support to build a scalable business around their AI-based product or service.

The program is aimed at growth-stage AI startups that are based in Hyderabad or intending to set up their facility in the city. T-AIM encourages startups that have a strong AI use case to apply.

S. Jaishankar has inaugurated Mahatma Gandhi Library in Nairobi

On June 14, Dr S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister recently inaugurated the renovated Mahatma Gandhi Library at the University of Nairobi in Kenya.

India’s association with this university goes back to decades and Mahatma Gandhi’s memory who was meant to underline our strong solidarity.

Since the 1960s Indian universities have hosted many young Kenyans who have risen to important positions in various fields. Every year, the government of India offers more than 400 scholarships to Kenyans.

Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country in Eastern Africa. Kenya is the world’s 48th largest country by total area.

Nairobi is the capital and the largest city of Kenya. The name comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to “cool water”, a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city.

ADB Bank to provide a USD 484 million loan to improve transport connectivity

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced to provide a USD 484 million loan to improve transport connectivity and facilitate industrial development in the Chennai–Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu.

The CKIC is part of India’s East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC), which stretches from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu and connects India to the production networks of South, Southeast, and East Asia. ADB is the lead partner of the Indian government in developing ECEC.

The funding will be used for a project to upgrade about 590 kilometers of state highways in the CKIC influence areas, covering 23 of the 32 districts between Chennai and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.

Seven-year contracts are provided for long-term maintenance of road projects. Climate change adaptation measures will be incorporated in highway upgrades.