Ramkrishna Mukkavilli First Indian Recognised by United Nations Global Compact as Global SDG Pioneer
For the first time in the world, an Indian was named a Global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Pioneer for Water Stewardship by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). The United Nations Global Compact named ten new SDG Pioneers, who are corporate leaders excelling in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by implementing the UN Global Compact Ten Principles on human rights, environment, labour, and anti-corruption.
Professionals working at any level in a firm engaging in the UN Worldwide Compact were targeted for the global search, with winners picked from every continent. Their work covers a wide range of topics, including climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as circular economy and digital transformation.
The World Bank slashed its growth forecast for India for the 2022-23 financial year to 7.5 percent, a hefty 1.2 percentage points down from its previous forecast of 8.7 per cent. The World Bank said it cut India's GDP growth forecast due to headwinds from rising inflation, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions.
The bank sees India's growth slowing further to 7.1 per cent in FY24. This is 30 basis points higher than the previous forecast of 6.8 per cent. For FY25, GDP growth has been pegged at 6.5 per cent. One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point. While the downward revision in the growth forecast for FY23 is large, it remains higher than local projections.
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the standard measure of the value added created through the production of goods and services in a country during a certain period.
Maruti Suzuki Installs Asia's Largest 20 MWp Solar Plant at Manesar
Maruti Suzuki India installed a 20 MW solar carport at its Manesar, Haryana, site. The project is projected to provide the organisation with 28,000 MWh of electricity per year. According to the firm, the energy generated by this initiative will be similar to the energy required to create nearly 67,000 cars every year. This is Asia's largest solar carport, according to the business.
The commercial and industrial sectors have witnessed a significant increase in demand for solar to meet their energy needs at lower costs while also achieving their sustainability goals. Through an offshore corporate power purchase agreement, Suzuki Motor Gujarat, a Suzuki subsidiary, began purchasing power from a 17.6 MW hybrid wind and solar power project erected by ReNew Power in June 2022.
Suzuki Motor Corporation, the parent firm of Maruti Suzuki India, inked a memorandum of understanding with Gujarat in March 2022, agreeing to invest around 150 billion yen ($1.13 billion) in local manufacturing of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and BEV batteries.
Jio Becomes First Telecom to Provide 4G Mobile Services in Ladakh's Pangong
Reliance Jio expanded the reach of its 4G services in Ladakh region to a village close to Pangong lake, an area which has been a friction point between India and China. The telecom operator became the first network to provide 4G mobile connectivity in and around the Pangong area, a popular tourist destination.
Lok Sabha member from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal inaugurated the Jio mobile tower at Spangmik village. Namgyal asserted that with the launch of the mobile network in the area, the long pending demand of the locals has been fulfilled.
This launch will boost the economy of the region besides providing seamless connectivity to the tourists and the troops in the area.
China Releases World's 'most Detailed' Map of Moon
China released a new comprehensive geologic map of the moon, the "most detailed" to date, which is expected to make a vital contribution to scientific research, exploration and landing site selection on the Earth's only natural satellite. Chinese scientists from multiple research institutes and universities have created the high resolution topographic map based on data from China's lunar exploration Chang'e project and other data and research findings from international organisations. The map includes 12,341 impact craters, 81 impact basins, 17 rock types and 14 types of structures, providing abundant information about geology of the moon and its evolution.
The new comprehensive geologic map of the moon is to a scale of 1:2,500,000, the "most detailed to date". Previously, the USGS Astrogeology Science Centre had released a moon map to a scale of 1:5,000,000 in 2020.
India Beat Poland to Clinch Inaugural FIH Hockey 5s Title
India beat Poland 6-4 in final to clinch the inaugural FIH Hockey 5s championship in Lausanne in Switzerland. Earlier, India first outplayed Malaysia 7-3, pumping in four goals in the second half in a stunning show before beating Poland 6-2 in the second match of the day. India, who had topped the five-team league standings with three wins and one draw en route final, ended their campaign with an unbeaten record.
India had topped the five-team standings after the round-robin league stage with 10 points from three wins and one draw. India had beaten hosts Switzerland 4-3 and drawn with arch-rivals Pakistan 2-2.
International Aluminium Institute Elects Satish Pai as New Chairman
The International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the only body representing the global primary aluminium industry, announced the appointment of Satish Pai as its new Chair. He is the Managing Director of Hindalco Industries, one of the world's largest integrated producers of aluminium. Earlier serving as Vice Chairman, he succeeds Ben Kahrs, Chief Innovation Officer, Alcoa Corporation. An engineer by education and profession, Satish earlier worked with Schlumberger, based out of Paris, where he was responsible for Schlumberger's operations globally.
The IAI's purpose is to promote the sustainable development of the aluminium industry and to increase demand for aluminium products by raising awareness of their unique and valuable properties.
Presidential Election 2022 to be Held on 18 July
The election to choose the next President of India will be held on July 18 and the results will be announced on July 21, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced. The term of President Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 24. Ram Nath Kovind had received over 65% votes in 2017. Electoral college for President's Election comprises 776 MPs and 4033 MLAs, Total 4809. President is elected by an Electoral College, which consists of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of all the States and Union Territories.
Commission directed to ensure the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable materials and eliminate the use of prohibited plastic/materials, as a part of its endeavor to make elections eco-friendly. Nomination can be filed either by the candidate himself or by any of his proposers or seconders between 11 am to 3 pm on the specified days.
Ex Khaan Quest 2022 a multinational peacekeeping exercise commenced in Mongolia. It will continue for 14 days. The exercise features participation of military contingents from 16 countries, including India. It was inaugurated by President of Mongolia, Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. Indian Army is being represented by contingent from the Ladakh Scouts.
The Ex Khaan-Quest 2022 aims to enhance interoperability, build military to military relationships, military readiness and develop peace support operations among participating nations. This exercise will enhance the level of defence co-operation between these countries. It is a multinational peacekeeping operations exercise. It comprises of a United Nations Peacekeeping Mission command post exercise, which is a UN Peacekeeping Operation Mission field training exercise. This exercise has been designed for improving peacekeeping capabilities, enhancing core UN doctrine Peace Keeping Operation capabilities of participating countries, and strengthening military-to-military relationships.
Defence Minister Increases Funding for the DRDO's TDF Scheme
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh authorised an increase in financing for MSMEs and start-ups under the Ministry of Defence's Technology Development Fund (TDF) plan. The initiative, which encourages the development of indigenous components, products, systems, and technologies, will now have a maximum project value of Rs. 50 crore, up from Rs. 10 crore previously. The increased funding is in accordance with the budget announcement and will help the government achieve its goal of self-reliance in the defence sector, according to the defence ministry.
According to the scheme's provisions, the financial assistance is delivered in the form of grants-in-aid to the industry. Projects with a cost of up to Rs. 50 crore will now be evaluated for funding, but only up to 90% of the total project cost would be funded. The project is also confined to the creation of technologies or prototypes of products that may be used by the military, with a typical development duration of two years, according to the strategy.
MS Dhoni Becomes Brand Ambassador of Garuda Aerospace
Former Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni invested in Chennai-based drone startup Garuda Aerospace Pvt Ltd. The Chennai Super Kings captain has also been roped in as the brand ambassador of the startup that has about 400 drones and 500 pilots. Agnishwar Jayaprakash, founder CEO of Garuda Aerospace, said that it was a dream-come-true moment for him to see Dhoni as part of the Garuda Aerospace family.
Apart from serving over 750 clients, Garuda also partnered with Swiggy, HAL, DRDO, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee, Make in India, Invest India, MIT Boston, Intel, Wipro and Cognizant to constantly innovate and explore new frontiers. According to the startup, their pilots are operating in 26 cities.
World Accreditation Day, a joint initiative by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and International Accreditation Forum (IAF), is observed on June 9 every year. The initiative's aim is "accredited once, accepted everywhere," which works for promoting the value of accreditation.
World Accreditation Day came into existence in 2007 with the collaborative efforts of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The first World Accreditation Day was celebrated in 2008 and the theme for that year was - Accreditation: Delivering Trust in the Global Market. As years passed by, the day has touched upon various qualities of accreditation, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improving food quality.
The World Accreditation Day 2022 was celebrated with the theme 'Accreditation: Sustainability in Economic Growth and the Environment.'
Union Health Minister Releases FSSAI's 4th State Food Safety Index on World Food Safety Day
On the occasion of World Food Safety Day, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya released the 4th State Food Safety Index. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) compiled the report to assess states' performance across five food safety categories. The winning State/UTs based on the rating for the year 2021-22 were additionally honoured by the Health Minister for their outstanding performance across five food safety metrics.
The Health Minister also congratulated the 11 winning smart cities of the EatSmart Cities Challenge, which was launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in collaboration with the Smart Cities Mission under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs last year (MoHUA). He also presented the Eat Right Research Challenge for Cities and Districts, as well as the Eat Right Research Awards and Grants, to the recipients.
Sital Sasthi is a sacred Hindu festival celebrated in Odisha. This week-long special festival highlights the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. According to the Hindu calendar, Sital Sasthi is observed on the sixth day of the Jyestha month during the Shukla Paksha.
This festival is usually celebrated in a form of a grand carnival. Artists and individuals from different states come together and participate in the celebrations. The Sambalpur carnival, which is a popular event, attracts thousands of tourists from all over India and abroad. This year, an assembly of more than 6,000 artists from across Odisha as well as other states performed at the cultural extravaganza after a gap of two years. Events like folk music, dance, and other such festivities form the chief attraction of this carnival.
Goa CM Launches 'Beach Vigil App' for Holistic Management of Beaches
The Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant launched a 'Beach Vigil App', a collaboration between Information Technology (IT) sector and tourism sector that aims to benefit tourists and the institutions working in the beach tourism sector in a holistic management of beaches. Through the Beach Vigil App, the Drishti workers, police and other stakeholders can raise issues for safeguarding the interest of the tourist's. During the launch, Goa IT and Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte was also present.
The app will cover everything from reporting illegal hawkers and illegal massage services to beach cleanliness. The Public Health Foundation of India report on India's rape related crimes states that Goa has documented the highest increase of 559.4% in the last two decades, or 5.6 times the national average.
Vacant 1456 Seats Cannot be Filled as Software Discontinued: Centre to Supreme Court
The Central government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on the demand for special counseling on 1456 vacant seats in medical colleges in All India Quota. The Counsel for the Centre submitted that 1456 medical seats cannot be filled as the software used for NEET PG 2021 has now been discontinued.
The Supreme Court had expressed displeasure over the non-filling of vacant posts by the Centre and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), during the hearing of a petition seeking special counseling.
A Bench comprising Justice M.R. Shah and Justice Aniruddha Bose observed that leaving seats in the NEET-PG vacant was not only putting the aspirants into difficulty, but was also leading to a dearth of qualified doctors.
A Delhi Sessions Court quashed the petition filed by former Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, challenging the clean chit given to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and nine other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs by a trial court in the case related to an alleged assault on him at the CM's residence in 2018.
According to Prakash, the incident took place during a meeting at Kejriwal's official residence on February 19, 2018. It triggered a bitter war between the bureaucracy and the Kejriwal-led Delhi government.
The bureaucrat had alleged on March 30 that Kejriwal and Sisodia were the 'kingpins' of a conspiracy that led to him being assaulted at the CM's residence.
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