1) National Statistics day celebrated on 29th June
•Government of India is celebrated National Statistics day on 29th June on the birth anniversary of Prof. P C Mahalanobis. The National Statistics Day is celebrated to create awareness among youth about the role of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation. Statistics Day to popularize the use of Statistics in everyday life and sensitize the public as to how Statistics helps in shaping and framing policies.
2) Arjun Munda inaugurates Tribes India store on GeM
•Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda has inaugurated the TRIBES India store on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). TRIBES India store will help in facilitating purchases by Government. Along with the products, the minister also launched the TRIFED’s new website (trifed.tribal.gov.in). This newly launched website contains all important information about the schemes as well as initiatives underway to the benefit of tribal communities.
•The products and the website were launched during a webinar organised by TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal affairs with focus on “TRIFED Goes Digital” and “Be Vocal for Local”.
3) Ministry of Culture celebrates “Sankalp Parva”
•The Ministry of Culture is celebrating the “Sankalp Parva” from 28th June to 12 July 2020. This initiative has been launched following the call of Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi to plant at least five trees either in Office campus or wherever it is possible in order to ensure clean and healthy environment of the country.
•Under the “Sankalp Parva” celebrations, Ministry of Culture expects its Subordinate Offices, Academies, Attached Institutions as well as Affiliated Institutions to plant trees in its campus or at the surroundings wherever it is possible. The ministry also recommended five trees which represents the herbal heritage of our country. These are: Awla, Bel, Pepal, Bargad, Ashok.
4) Narendra Tomar launches “Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan” web portal
•The web portal of the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan has been launched by the Union Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar. The web portal has been set up to provide information to the public regarding the various district-wise and scheme-wise components of the Abhiyaan. It will also help in monitoring the progress of completion of the works being undertaken in 116 districts of 6 states, with more than 25000 returnee migrant workers per district.
•The Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan is an employment generation-cum-rural infrastructure creation programme launched by the Government of India to offer employment opportunities to returnee migrant workers at their native places for next four months. Ministry of Rural Development is the nodal Ministry of the programme launched with a funding of Rs 50,000 crore.
5) India becomes 1st country to control locusts through drones
•India is the first country to control locusts through drones. Under the Make in India initiative, the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW), Agriculture Ministry has indigenously developed a vehicle-mounted Ultra-low volume (ULV) sprayer for locust control. Locust is a crop-threatening migratory pest that has entered the country through the India-Pakistan border.
•In total 60 ground control teams of Locust Circle Offices and 12 drones are being used for locust control operations in the affected areas. The need for an aerial spray for locust control was felt like the ground control vehicles sprayers can spray up to a height of 25-30 feet only. The tractor-mounted sprayers also have a limitation in reaching inaccessible areas and tall trees.
6) Anandiben Patel given additional charge of Madhya Pradesh
•Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has been given the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh as its Governor. She will be discharging the functions of the Governor of Madhya Pradesh in addition to her own duties, as the present governor of Madhya Pradesh Lalji Tandon is undergoing treatment in Lucknow.
7) Micheal Martin becomes new PM of Ireland
•Micheal Martin has been elected as new Prime Minister of Ireland by the lower house of the Irish parliament. There are altogether 160 seats within the current lower house of Irish parliament with one seat getting to the speaker of the house who wasn’t involved within the vote.
•Micheal Martin has won the election by receiving 93 votes in favour, 63 votes against and 3 votes in abstention. He has been the leader of the Fianna Fáil party since 2011.
8) Indian Navy inducts Advanced Torpedo Decoy System “Maareech”
•The Indian Navy has inducted an advanced anti-torpedo decoy system called ‘Maareech’. This system has been designed and developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and it’s capable of detecting, locating and neutralizing incoming torpedo. The prototype of this technique installed onboard a nominated naval platform had successfully completed all user evaluation trials and demonstrated the features as per the Naval Staff Qualification Requirements.
•This induction not only stands testimony to the joint resolve of the Indian Navy and DRDO towards indigenous development of defence technology but has also given a serious fillip to the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and therefore the country’s resolve to become ‘atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) in niche technology. Meanwhile, the Bharat Electronics Limited, a Defence PSU, would undertake the production of this decoy system.
9) IAS Vini Mahajan becomes 1st woman chief secretary of Punjab
•IAS Vini Mahajan becomes 1st woman chief secretary of Punjab. She is a 1987-batch IAS officer she is youngest of all six colleagues and retires in October 2024. She will replace Karan Avtar Singh, who has now been posted as Special Chief Secretary, Governance Reforms and Public Grievances. While Karan Avtar Singh was set to retire on August 31, Mahajan has succeeded him two months prior to that.
•Currently, Vini Mahajan is the only Punjab cadre officer in the state to hold a Secretary’s post at the Centre. She has received the National Literacy Award for best performance in India. She became the 1st woman officer to be posted as Deputy Commissioner(DC) in Punjab in 1995, where she took charge as DC in Ropar & served as the 1st Director Disinvestment. She has also participated in the global response through the G-20 mechanism.
10) Piyush Goyal chairs 49th Governing Council Meeting of NPC
•Shri Piyush Goyal, Commerce & Industry Minister and President of NPC Governing Council chaired the 49th Governing Council Meeting of National Productivity Council (NPC). NPC is an autonomous body which comes under the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. The meeting witnessed the participation of Government Officers, Leaders of Industry Associations, Industry captains, Trade Union leaders, Productivity Councils of States and other eminent personalities.
•The participants in the meeting deliberated on increasing the productivity levels of the India in various sectors. These participants put forward various suggestions such as interlinking of academia and industry for creation of a highly skilled labor force, identification of Champion sectors which has the potential to drive the economy, sector formulation of specific action plans by NPC especially in agriculture and logistics sectors, adoption of technology to increase the productivity and delivering cost-effective solutions for marginalised sector etc.
11) G20 Extraordinary Virtual Education Ministers’ Meet
•The G20 Extraordinary Virtual Education Ministers’ Meeting was held to address the widespread disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the education sector. Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ represented India in the meeting. During the meet, the minister highlighted the measures taken by the Indian government to build resilience into the education system in face of COVID-19 pandemic.
•The G20 Extraordinary Virtual Education Ministers’ Meeting, held under the presidency of Saudi Arabia, was convened to deliberate the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on the education sector, to discuss how different governments are dealing with it and how the Member States can collaborate to further the cause of education in these difficult times. During the meeting, the member countries committed for collaborative efforts to improve teaching and learning in the present time of crisis.
12) UN honours Kerala Health Minister K.K Shailaja
•Kerala Health Minister K.K Shailaja was honoured by the United Nations. She was honoured for her efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic in her state. Shailaja was praised for maintaining low mortality rates within the state thanks to early intervention. Kerala, which recorded India’s first coronavirus cases, has been successful in flattening the curve.
•Shailaja was the only speaker from the country to speak on the strategies adopted by Kerala to curb COVID-19 transmission. She was one among several leaders across the world invited to speak on the occasion of United Nations Public Service Day.
