PM Narendra Modi Flags Off Kerala's first Metro in Kochi
- Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first phase of the ‘Kochi Metro’ for the city of Kochi in Kerala.
- PM Modi also took a ride on the Metro from Palarivattom station to Pathadippalam station.
- The first phase is 13.2 km section (11 stations) of the line from Aluva to Palarivattom.
- The Kochi metro project became the first metro in the country which connects rail, road, and water transport facilities.
- The second phase of 5 km section from Palarivattom up to Maharaja's College will be made operational by August 2017.
Note:
- Kochi Metro Rail Limited is a 50-50 Joint Venture of Centre and the Kerala government.
- The trains will start simultaneously from Aluva and Palarivattom from 6 A.M. and finish the day's ride at 10 P.M. at Aluva.
- Fare: Rs. 15/- to Rs. 30/-.
President inaugurates Green Line of Bengaluru Metro
- President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the ‘Green Line’ of Metro Rail from Mantri Square Sampige Road Station to Yelachanahalli Metro Station in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- The President has also dedicated Phase one of Namma Metro to the Nation.
- Now, with the opening of the Green Line from Mantri Square Sampige Road station to Yelachanahalli metro station the entire phase 1 network open to the commuters of Namma Bengaluru.
- The total length of the East-West and North-South corridors is 42.30 Km (elevated section -33.48 Km and underground section - 8.82 Km).
- This two corridor intersects at Kempegowda Station which is the interchange metro station.
Indian Railways launches Gandhi Darshan special train
- The Union Minister of Railways ‘Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu’ has flagged off special tourist ‘Gandhi Darshan Spl.’ train through video conferencing from Bandra.
- This train will cover all the important destinations like Wardha, Motihari, Bettiah, Gaya, Varanasi, Allahabad & Surat connected with India’s freedom struggle movement & Mahatma Gandhi.
- The 864-seater tourist train will be on a special Tour for 10 days from 17th June to 26th June this year.
Note: The Gandhi Darshan Special tour package costs Rs. 8,720/- per person, which is inclusive of providing travel by train in 2nd Class Sleeper coach besides accommodation, pure vegetarian meals, tourist buses for visiting sightseeing spots.
Sushma Swaraj inaugurates KIP for young overseas Indians
- The Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated Know India Programme (KIP) for young overseas Indians at a function in New Delhi.
- The Know India Programme (KIP) is a three-week orientation program for the Indian diaspora.
- The program is aimed at promoting awareness on different facets of life in India and the progress made by the country in various fields such as economic and education.
- She also announced the opening of new 149 post office Passport Seva Kendras in the country soon.
Twitter launches 'umbrella' emoji to celebrate monsoon
- Twitter has launched a special blue 'umbrella emoji' for its Indian users to celebrate monsoon.
- The emoji went live on 16th June and will be active till 31st August this year.
- Earlier, Twitter has celebrated the local culture with customized emojis (Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Independence Day, Republic Day, International Day of Yoga, and Ambedkar Jayanti).
- This is the first weather-related emoji that Twitter has launched in India.
17th June: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
- The World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) is being observed globally on 17th June across the world to highlight ways to prevent desertification and recover from the drought.
- The theme of 2017 is 'Link between land degradation and migration'.
- Over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification, and about one billion people in over one hundred countries are at risk.
Architect of Germany's reunification, Helmut Kohl passes away
- Former German Chancellor, ‘Helmut Kohl’ (87-years) passed away at his house in the western state of Germany.
- Kohl served as German Chancellor continuously for 16 years (from 1982 to 1998).
- He is also credited with bringing East and West Germany together after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- Kohl is remembered for reuniting the country and for making a huge political and economic contribution to Europe's integration.
Note:
- In German politics, the Chancellor is equivalent to that of a prime minister in many other countries.
- The current Chancellor is Angela Merkel (first female chancellor), who is serving her third term in office.
India top remittance-receiving country in 2016: UN report
- India was the top receiving country for remittances in 2016, followed by China (USD 61 billion), the Philippines (USD 30 billion) and Pakistan (USD 20 billion).
- Indians working across the globe sent home 62.7 billion US dollars last year.
- According to the 'One Family at a Time' study by the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD), about 200 million migrants globally sent more than 445 billion dollars as remittances in 2016 to their families.
- The study is the first-ever of a 10-year trend in migration and remittance flows over the period 2007-2016.
Hybrid seed prices cut by 10% for 2017-18 Kharif season
- The union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has taken the decision to reduce voluntarily the seed prices at a meeting in New Delhi.
- Now, the seed industry will cut the retail prices of hybrid seeds (excluding cotton), by 10 % through the ensuing 2017-18 Kharif season.
- Hybrids seeds are sold in crops like corn, rice, bajra, mustard and vegetables and the retail prices of hybrid seeds range between Rs 300 to Rs 500 per kg.
Aadhaar becomes must for all bank accounts
- The union govt. has made Aadhaar card mandatory for opening new bank accounts & for financial transactions of Rs 50,000 and above.
- All existing account holders are asked to submit Aadhaar to banks by 31st Dec,2017.
- Once Aadhaar is linked with PAN, it will certainly lead to automatic link with the bank accounts as well.
- Now, the interconnection of PAN card, Aadhaar and bank accounts, implies that the government will be able to keep a track of your financial transactions.
Note:
- Aadhaar is a 12-digit number code, issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
- It is used to establish a person's identity on the basis of demographic and biometric information.
Switzerland ratifies automatic exchange of information with India
- Switzerland has ratified automatic exchange of information(AEOI) sharing with India and 40 other countries to facilitate immediate sharing of details about suspected black money.
- According to the country's top governing body ‘The Swiss Federal Council’, the protocol will be implemented next year and the first set of information is planned in 2019.
- In November 2016, India and Switzerland signed an agreement for the implementation of AEOI.
- The decision follows hectic parleys between India and Switzerland for the introduction of the AEOI on tax matters under the guidance of G20, OECD, and other global organizations.
India bag five medals in Asian Junior Wrestling Championships
India bagged five medals (Gold-1-, Silver-2, Bronze-2) in the 2017 Asian Junior Wrestling Championships in Taiwan.
India's gold came in the women's 51 Kg freestyle category through Puja.
Sonu clinched a silver medal in the 44 Kg category, while Manu claimed a bronze in the 59 Kg division.
Satish won a silver in the 120kg Greco-Roman style while Manish claimed a bronze in the 50 kg category.