05 June 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. World Environment Day being observed today

The World Environment Day (WED) observed every year across the world on 5th June to encourage awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
The theme for World Environment Day 2019 is " Beat Air Pollution ".
China is the global host nation for the 44th edition of this event.
Today, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar planted a sapling in Paryavaran Bhawan in New Delhi.

Note:

World Environment Day is a platform for encouraging awareness and propagating the need for protecting the environment.
It has been a flagship campaign ((first held in 1974) for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.

Banking and Finance

2. RBI observe financial literacy week from June 3-9

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will observe ‘Financial Literacy Week’ across the country from 3rd to 9th of June.
Financial Literacy Week is an initiative of RBI to promote awareness on key topics every year through a focused campaign.
The theme this year is - 'Farmers and how they benefit by being a part of the formal banking system'.
The RBI has advised banks to display the posters and content in their rural bank branches, Financial Literacy Centres, ATMs and websites.
It is RBI’s endeavour to reach out to the farming community and all stakeholders are requested to coordinate and make this financial literacy campaign a success.

Source: RBI.org

3. Nandan Nilekani panel suggests measures to boost digital transactions

The Nandan Nilekani committee (appointed by the RBI) had submitted its suggestions on promoting digital payments to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
To encourage digital payments, the Nandan Nilekani committee has suggested a host of measures, including elimination of charges, round the clock RTGS and NEFT facility and duty-free import of point-of-sales machines.
The panel has suggested that there should be no convenience fee on payments made to government agencies by customers and recommended that payment systems use machine-driven, online dispute resolution systems to handle complaints.
Another key recommendation of the panel is to increase the timings for RTGS window and to make NEFT facility available 24×7 for customers.
The committee has also recommended that the current import duty of 18 per cent on POS machines be reduced to Nil for a period of three years to facilitate adequate expansion of acquiring infrastructure in the country.

Note:

In January 2019, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had set up the five-member panel on deepening digital payments with a view to encouraging digitisation of payments and enhance financial inclusion through digitisation.
Nation-wide payment system, RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) is the fastest possible money transfer system through the banking channel.

Source: Money Control

National Appointment

4. BJP's Rajesh Patnekar elected as Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly

Goa BJP MLA Rajesh Patnekar has been elected as the speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Mr Patnekar garnered 22 votes over the 16 votes received by Congress leader Pratapsingh Rane during the assembly session
The 22 votes for Mr Patnekar include 16 from BJP MLAs, and three each from Goa Forward Party legislators and independents.
Mr Patnekar represents the Bicholim assembly constituency of Goa.
The post of the speaker felt vacant after Pramod Sawant became Goa Chief Minister in March this year following the demise of former CM Manohar Parrikar.

Source: Business-Standard

5. Rajiv Mehrishi elected external auditor of WHO

Comptroller and Auditor General of India Mr. Rajiv Mehrishi (IAS- 1978 batch-Rajasthan cadre) has been elected as external auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO) for a term of four years (from 2020 to 2023).
Mehrishi was elected at the 72nd World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2019.
In March 2019, he was elected for the post of External Auditor of Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.
Mehrishi is currently also on the Board of Auditors of the United Nations and Vice-Chair of the UN Panel of External Auditors.

Source: The Economic Times

6. MN Sarma elected as Secretary General of General Insurance Council

Mr. M N Sarma has been elected as the new Secretary General of the General Insurance Council (GIC).
He will take over the charge in August 2019
Mr. Sarma is the former Chairman & Managing Director (MD) of United India Insurance.

Source: Business Line

Science

7. Scientists break the record for highest-temperature superconductor

Scientists have discovered superconductivity at the highest temperatures ever recorded.
The researchers at the University of Chicago in the US studied a class of materials in which they observed superconductivity at temperatures of about minus 23 degrees Celsius.
Superconductivity is the ability to conduct electricity perfectly.
The material offers zero resistance to electrical current and cannot be penetrated by magnetic fields.
However, scientists have previously only been able to create superconducting materials when they are cooled to extremely cold temperatures initially, minus 240 degrees Celsius and more recently about minus 73 degrees Celsius.
Since such cooling is expensive, it has limited their applications in the world at large.

Source: Indian Express

International Affairs

8. Volcano erupts in the Indonesian island of Bali

A volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali, Mount Agung erupted.
Mount Agung spewed a plume of ash and smoke more than 2,000 metres into the sky.
The volcano is located about 70 kilometres from the tourist hub of Kuta.
It has been erupting periodically since it came back to life in 2017
Indonesia is situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the collision of tectonic plates causes frequent quakes and major volcanic activity.

Source: Reuters

Obituaries

9. Rajasthani folk dancer ‘Queen Harish’ passes away

World fame dancer Queen Harish passed away in a road accident near Kaparda village Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
Harish gave a new identity to Jaisalmer with his different dance style
Harish Kumar was popularly known as Queen Harish and his shows comprising of various folk-dance forms like Ghoomar, Kalbelia, Chang, Bhawai, Chari among others were very popular.

10. Bengali singer Ruma Guha Thakurta passes away

Bengali singer-actress Ruma Guha Thakurta (84-years) passed away.
She was the founder of Calcutta Youth Choir (CYC) (in 1958), which played a key role in popularising ‘gana sangeet’ or mass songs in Bengal.
Ruma Guha Thakurta made her acting debut with Amiya Chakravarty's Jwar Bhata (1944).
She was married to Kishore Kumar in 1951 and had a son Amit Kumar by this marriage.

Source: Indian Express

National Affairs

11. Telangana enhances assistance under ‘Rythu Bandhu Scheme’ to Rs 5000

Telangana government has announced to increase the assistance under its flagship ‘Rythu Bandhu scheme’ for 2019-20 from Rs 4000 to Rs 5000.
The scheme is an Initial Investment support programme of the state government to provide income support for agriculture and horticulture crops to farmer in each season to be used to purchase inputs like seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, labour and other filed operations.
The amount Rs 5000 (per acre per farmer per season) would be paid through electronic transfer using the RBI payment platform, e-Kuber.

Source: The Times Of India

12. Rajasthan Government increases financial aid under ‘Aapki Beti’ scheme

The Rajasthan government has increased the annual financial assistance under the ‘Aapki Beti’ scheme.
‘Aapki Beti’ scheme provides annual financial assistance to the schoolgirl (class 1 to 8) in the state living under Below Poverty Line (BPL) and whose mother or father or both have died.
As per the revised scheme, girls will get an amount of Rs 2,100 instead of Rs 1,100.
Similarly, for girls (in class 9 to 12), financial aid has been increased to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,500.
The State Government has also increased the ex-gratia payment (from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh) to the next of kin of polling personnel who got killed on election duty.

Source: India Today

13. Food grains production for the agricultural year 2018-19 estimated at over 283 million tonnes

Food grains production for the agricultural year 2018-19 has been estimated at over 283 million tonnes.
It is higher by over 17 million tonnes than the previous five years average production of food grain.
According to Agriculture Ministry, as per the third advance estimates the rice production is estimated at an all-time high of over 115 million tonnes during 2018-19, (previous 112 million tonnes- in 2017-18)
Production of wheat is also estimated at a record of over 101 million tonnes, which is higher by 1.33 million tonnes as compared to the previous year.
The total pulses production is estimated at over 23 million tonnes.