Monthly BeePedia June 2021

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
INDEX
Finance and Banking ______________________________________________2
Economy _________________________________________________________
18
National __________________________________________________________
37
International _____________________________________________________
47
States____________________________________________________________52
Reports and Indexes _______________________________________________

54
Science and Technology ___________________________________________61
Agriculture and Rural Development __________________________________

64
Defence __________________________________________________________
69
Events ___________________________________________________________
72
Appointments ____________________________________________________
75
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Awards and Rewards ______________________________________________81
Important Days ___________________________________________________85
Obituaries_________________________________________________________
87
Books ___________________________________________________________
91
Sports ___________________________________________________________
91
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Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
FINANCE AND BANKING

Back to Index
RBI keeps rates unchanged, cuts growth forecast
 RBI has kept its policy rates unchanged, scaled down the growth projections for the current financial
year by a full percentage point.
 It also said that it would buy Rs 1.2 trillion of government securities under its own version of
quantitative easing for the second quarter.
 The six-member monetary policy committee (MPC) decided unanimously to keep the repo rate
unchanged at 4 per cent.
 The stance remains “accommodative” for “as long as necessary to revive and sustain growth on a
durable basis and continue to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, while ensuring that
inflation remains within the target going forward”.
Learn Along
RBI Headquarters: Mumbai Governor: Shaktikanta Das
4 Deputy Governors: T. Rabi Sankar,
MK Jain, MD Patra, M Rajeshwar Rao
 The MPC is a statutory committee that fixes the key policy interest rates and monetary policy stance of the country
as well as the inflation target.
 The MPC comprises three external members and three members from the RBI. The RBI Governor heads the MPC
An accommodative stance means a central bank will cut rates to inject money into the financial system whenever
needed. A change in this stance to ‘neutral’ means RBI will alter rates in any direction to control the money supply in
the system. www.i xamBee.c om
RBI announces second round of G-SAP to keep yields in check
 RBI recently said that there would be a second round of the Government Securities Acquisition
Programme (G-SAP) in the second quarter of the financial year 2021-22.
 RBI has decided to undertake G-SAP 2.0 in Q2 of FY22 by conducting secondary market purchase
operations of Rs. 1.20 lakh crore to support the market.
 In addition, a third round of bond buying has also been announced under G-SAP 1.0.
Learn Along
G-sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP) will run alongside RBI's regular operations, including Liquidity Adjustment
Facility (LAF), open market operations (OMOs) and Operation Twist. The programme is built into the RBI's liquidity
planning framework for FY22 as a whole.
RBI projects retail inflation at 5.1 pc in FY22 on supply-side measures, monsoon
 RBI expects retail inflation to be at 5.1 per cent in the current financial year supported by the progress
of monsoon and effective supply-side interventions by the government.
 The projection is well within the Monetary Policy Committee’s target to keep the rate of inflation at 4
per cent with an upper or lower tolerance level of 2 per cent.
Learn Along
Inflation refers to the rise in the prices of most goods and services of daily or common use, such as food, clothing,
housing, recreation, transport, consumer staples, etc.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
RBI issues norms on Certificate of Deposit
 RBI recently said Certificate of Deposit (CD) shall be issued in minimum denomination of Rs 5 lakh
and in multiples of Rs 5 lakh thereafter.
 Further, banks are not allowed to grant loans against CDs, unless specifically permitted by the Reserve
Bank.
Learn Along
Certificate of Deposit (CD) is a negotiable, unsecured money market instrument issued by a bank as a usance
promissory note against funds deposited with it for a maturity period up to one year.
NACH to be available on all days of the week: RBI
 Bulk payment system, National Automated Clearing House (NACH) will be operational all days of the
week effective from August 1, 2021.
 NACH is operated by NPCI and facilitates one-to-many credit transfer such as payment of dividend,
interest, salary and pension.
Learn Along
National Automated Clearing House (NACH), a bulk payment system operated by the National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI) facilitates one-to-many credit transfers such as payment of dividend, interest, salary and
pension.
NPCI Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO– Dilip Asbe
RBI opens Rs 15,000 crore liquidity tap for travel, tourism, contact intensive sectors
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 RBI is opening a Rs 15,000 crore On-Tap Liquidity Window at repo rate for contact intensive sectors.
 This will provide additional lending to the hospitality, bus operators, tourism, salons, aviation
ancillary services.
Learn Along
Liquidity refers to the ease with which an asset, or security, can be converted into ready cash without affecting its
market price. Cash is the most liquid of assets while tangible items are less liquid.
RBI cancels licence of Pune-based Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari Bank
 RBI has cancelled the licence of Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari Bank, Pune as the lender does not have
adequate capital and earning prospects.
 As per data submitted by Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari Bank, more than 98 per cent of the depositors will
receive full amount of their deposits from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation
(DICGC).
Learn Along
Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of
India. It was established on 15 July 1978 under the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act, 1961
for the purpose of providing insurance of deposits and guaranteeing of credit facilities. DICGC insures all bank
deposits, such as saving, fixed, current, recurring deposit for up to the limit of Rs. 500,000 of each deposit in a bank.
DICGC Headquarters: Mumbai Executive: M.D. Patra

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
RBI extends banking license of Rupee Co-operative Bank till August 31
 RBI has extended the banking license of the Rupee Co-operative Bank till August 31.
 Till March-2021, the Bank has made total recovery of Rs.263.93 crores and aggregate operating profit of
Rs.70.70 crores during the last five years, a release from the Bank said.
RBI announces FPI investment limits in G-secs and SDLs
 RBI recently said the limits for foreign portfolio investors (FPI) investment during the current fiscal in
government securities (G-secs) and State Development Loans (SDLs) will remain unchanged at 6
per cent and 2 per cent respectively, of outstanding stocks of securities for 2021-22.
Learn Along
Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) refers to investing in the financial assets of a foreign country, such as stocks or
bonds available on an exchange.
State Development Loans (SDLs) are dated securities issued by states for meeting their market borrowings
requirements. In effect, the SDL are similar to the dated securities issued by the central government. Purpose of
issuing State Development Loans is to meet the budgetary needs of state governments. Each state can borrow up to
a set limit through State Development Loans.
RBI asks banks not to delete CCTV footage from 2016 demonetisation period
 RBI recently asked banks not to delete the CCTV recordings of their branch operations and currency
chests from the 2016 demonetisation period.
 The move is aimed at helping enforcement agencies in their probe against illegal activities during the
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demonetisation period.
ATM cash withdrawal rule changed by RBI
 RBI recently changed some rules regarding cash withdrawal from ATMs.
 These ATM cash withdrawal rule changes include higher charges on transactions beyond the free
permissible limit, a new free ATM transaction limit and a rise in interchange fee.
 Bank customers can now do five free financial and non-financial transactions every month from their
own bank ATMs.
 ATM cardholders can do three free financial and non-financial transactions in metro centres while five
in the non-metro transaction from other bank ATMs.
 Interchange fee per transaction changed from Rs 15 to Rs 17 for financial transactions while from Rs 5
to Rs 6 for non-financial transactions in effect from August 1, 2021.
 Customer will have to pay Rs 21 (currently it is Rs 20) for each ATM cash withdrawal beyond the free
transaction limit in effect from January 1, 2022.
RBI extends risk-based internal audit system to housing finance firms
 RBI recently extended the risk-based internal audit (RBIA) system for housing finance companies
(HFCs) to enhance the quality and effectiveness of their internal audit system.
 The provisions will apply to all deposit-taking HFCs and non-deposit-taking HFCs with asset size
of Rs 5,000 crore and above.
 Such HFCs have been asked to put in place an RBIA framework by June 30, 2022.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Learn Along
Housing Finance Company (HFC) is another form of non-banking financial company which is engaged in the
principal business of financing of acquisition or construction of houses that includes the development of plots of
lands for the construction of new houses.
RBIA is an audit methodology that links an organization’s overall risk management framework. It provides an
assurance to the board of directors and the senior management on the quality and effectiveness of the
organization’s internal controls, risk management and governance-related systems and processes.
RBI proposes uniform regulatory framework for microfinance sector
 RBI recently proposed a uniform regulatory framework for the microfinance sector, wherein MFIs
can provide collateral-free loans to households at board-determined interest rates.
 Microfinance is a form of financial service which provides small loans and other financial services to
poor and low-income households.
 It also suggests no requirement of collateral, and greater flexibility of repayment frequency for all
microfinance loans.
Learn Along
Microfinance is a basis of financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses deficient in contact with
banking and associated services. Similar to banking operation traditions, microfinance entities are supposed to
charge their lender’s interests on loans.
Mobile prepaid recharge facility on BBPS by August-end: RBI
 RBI recently said the scope of the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) will be expanded by August
31 this year by adding 'mobile prepaid recharges' as a biller category.
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 BBPS functions under the aegis of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Learn Along
Bharat Bill Payment System is an integrated bill payment system in India offering interoperable and accessible bill
payment service to customers through a network of agents of registered member as Agent Institutions, enabling
multiple payment modes, and providing instant confirmation of payment.
RBI granted approval to CFSL for taking over PMC Bank via SFB route
 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently gave in-principle approval to Centrum Financial Services Limited
(CFSL) to set up a small finance bank (SFB).
 Through this SFB, Centrum will take over Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC) as a
separate process.
 For the setting up of SFB, there will be capital infusion of Rs 1,800 crore by the Centrum Capital,
holding entity for CFSL, and its partner BharatPe.
Learn Along
Small finance banks (SFB) are a type of niche banks in India. Banks with a small finance bank license can provide
basic banking service of acceptance of deposits and lending. The aim behind these to provide financial inclusion to
sections of the economy not being served by other banks, such as small business units, small and marginal farmers,
micro and small industries and unorganised sector entities.
Speed, scale of Covid vaccination to shape economic recovery path: RBI report
 Speed and scale of vaccination against COVID-19 will shape the path of economic recovery which has
the resilience and the fundamentals to bounce back from the pandemic and unshackle itself from pre-
existing cyclical and structural hindrances, said a report by RBI.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 As per the current assessment, the second wave of the pandemic has mainly hit the domestic demand.
RBI Changed DHFL's Deposit-taking Status into Non-Deposit Taking HFC
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revoked the deposit-taking status of Dewan Housing Finance
Limited (DHFL) and reclassified it as a non-deposit taking housing finance company (HFC), before
approving the Piramal group's bid to take over it towards the end of the resolution process.
Learn Along
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is a quasi-judicial body in India that adjudicates issues relating to
Indian companies. The tribunal was established under the Companies Act 2013 on the recommendation of the V.
Balakrishna Eradi committee on law relating to the insolvency and the winding up of companies.
RBI Issued Norms for FATF Non-Compliant Jurisdictions' Investment in PSOs
 RBI issued regulations for investments in Payment Systems Operators (PSOs) by new entities from
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Non-compliant countries.
 RBI stopped new investors from or through non-compliant FATF jurisdictions to acquire significant
influence in PSOs.
 Fresh investments from those non-compliant FATF jurisdictions, in aggregate, should account for less
than 20 percent of the voting power (including potential voting power) of the PSO.
Learn Along
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. The inter-
governmental body sets international standards that aim to prevent these illegal activities and the harm they cause to
society. It was founded in 1989 by G-7 countries. It is based in Paris, France.
RBI issues guidelines to manage risk arising from outsourcing in Cooperative Banks
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 The Reserve Bank of India recently released guidelines for co-operative banks to manage risks that
could arise from outsourcing of financial services.
 As per the guidelines, the chief executive officer and the senior management of co-operative banks
would be responsible for evaluating risks and materiality of all existing and prospective outsourcing
activities.
 It specified that a bank shall retain ultimate control of outsourced activities.
 The RBI has also made it clear that co-operative banks shall be responsible for the actions of their
service provider, including actions of business correspondents and their retail outlets/sub-agents.
 The grievance redressal mechanism of co-operative banks should not be compromised on account of
outsourcing.
RBI issues norms for dividend distribution by NBFCs
 RBI recently came out with dividend distribution guidelines for non-banking finance companies
(NBFCs) in order to infuse greater transparency and uniformity in the practice.
 The regulator has mandated that net NPA ratio of the NBFC concerned should be less than 6% in each
of the last three years for declaring dividend.
 Similarly, the RBI has prescribed applicable regulatory capital requirement in different types of NBFCs.
 A deposit taking NBFCs will need to have a minimum capital adequacy ratio of 15%.
 However, for housing finance companies, the tier-I and tier-II capital should not be less than 13% as on
March 2020, 14% as on March 2021 and 15% as on March 2022 for declaring dividend.
 The guidelines also prescribe ceilings on dividend payout ratios for NBFCs.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 The maximum dividend payout ratio could be 60% for an NBFC which is a core investment company.
However, there is no ceiling specified for NBFCs that do not accept public funds and do not have any
customer interface.
Learn Along
A non-performing asset (NPA) is a loan or advance for which the principal or interest payment remained overdue for
a period of 90 days. Banks are required to classify NPAs further into Substandard, Doubtful and Loss assets.
RBI restricts continuous tenure of UCB MDs to 15 years
 RBI has limited the maximum continued term of managing directors and whole-time directors (WTD)
of urban cooperative banks (UCBs) to 15 years.
 In the latest directions given by the RBI on appointment, re-appointment and termination process of MD
and WTD of UCBs, it has said that an individual will be eligible for re-appointment as MD/WTD in the
same bank even after finishing continuous 15-year tenure but only after a minimum gap of three years,
subject to meeting other conditions.
 Moreover, during this three-year cooling period, the individual shall not be appointed or associated with
the bank in any capacity, either directly or indirectly.
 It also prescribed educational qualifications and 'fit and proper' criteria for managing directors (MDs)
and whole-time directors (WTDs) of primary urban cooperative banks and barred MPs and MLAs from
these posts.
 Issuing the guidelines for appointment of MDs and WTDs, the RBI said MPs, MLAs and
representatives of municipal corporations will not be eligible to hold such positions in the primary
urban cooperative banks (UCBs).
 It further said the MD/WTD should be a post graduate or have qualifications in finance discipline.
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 He or she could be either chartered/cost accountant, MBA (finance) or have a diploma in banking or
cooperative business management.
 The person should not be below 35 years of age or more than 70 years, it added.
 Besides MPs, MLAs and representatives of municipal corporations and local bodies, persons engaged
in business, trade or having substantial interest in any company too will not be eligible for appointment
to such positions.
Learn Along
Co-operative Banks, which are distinct from commercial banks, were born out of the concept of co-operative credit
societies where members from a community group together to extend loans to each other, at favourable terms. Co-
operative Banks are broadly classified into Urban and Rural co-operative banks based on their region of operation.
RBI extends restrictions on PMC Bank till Dec 31, 2021
 RBI has extended the timeline for restrictions on Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank
till December 31, 2021 after taking into account the prospective time required for the restructuring
process of the bank.
 RBI recently granted an "in principle" approval to Centrum Financial Services for setting up a small
finance bank (SFB), thereby clearing the decks for the takeover of the crisis-hit PMC Bank by Centrum
and BharatPe as equal partners.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
RBI launches FY21 round of survey on ITES exports
 RBI has launched the 2020-21 round of its annual survey on computer software and information
technology enabled services (ITES) exports, results of which are used for compilation of balance of
payments statistics.
RBI sets July 30 deadline for banks to move current accounts
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set a deadline of July 30 for banks to give up current accounts of
all companies where their exposure is below a cut-off decided by the regulator.
 According to the new rule, a bank with less than 10% of the total approved facilities - which include
loans, non-fund businesses like guarantees, and daylight overdrafts (or intra-day) exposure - to a
company is barred from having the client's current account.
 It's aimed at curbing the practice of companies who run current accounts to collect sale proceeds and
other receivables with banks outside the lending consortium to delay loan servicing.
SEBI asks to make disclosure based on interest, credit risk
 SEBI has asked mutual funds to classify all debt schemes in terms of a potential risk class matrix, based
on interest and credit risk.
 The 9-cell table or matrix will display the interest and credit risk associated with the scheme.
 This will provide relevant information to investors to make an informed decision while making decision
low risk to moderate risk to high risk in combination of credit and interest rate risks.
Learn Along www.i xamBee.c om
SEBI Headquarters: Mumbai Chairman: Ajay Tyagi
SEBI streamlines framework on centralised database for corporate bonds
 SEBI recently streamlined the framework for centralised database for corporate bonds to provide
further ease of access of information for investors.
 Under this, it has provided an updated list of data fields to be maintained in the database along with the
manner of filing the same.
SEBI gives more time for implementation of SMS alerts for IPO process through UPI system
 SEBI gave more time for implementation of guidelines pertaining to SMS alerts under the Unified
Payment Interface (UPI) system for shares applied and allotted during an IPO.
 The deadline for putting in place automated web portal with respect to Initial Public Offers (IPOs)
through UPI system has also been extended.
 The framework for automated web portal would come into force from October 1, 2021 while those
related to SMS alerts from January 1, 2022.
Learn Along
Initial public offering (IPO) refers to the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new
stock issuance. Public share issuance allows a company to raise capital from public investors. IPO turns a privately
owned company into a Public company.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is an instant real-time payment system developed by National Payments
Corporation of India facilitating inter-bank transactions. The interface is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and
works by instantly transferring funds between two bank accounts on a mobile platform.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
SEBI issues guidelines for off-market transfer of securities by FPIs to IFSC
 SEBI recently came out with guidelines for relocation of foreign funds to the International Financial
Services Centre (IFSC).
 For relocation, a Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) or its wholly-owned special purpose vehicle may
approach its Designated Depository Participants (DDP) for approval of a “one-time ‘off-market’ transfer
of its securities to the ‘resultant fund’.
Learn Along
IFSCA Headquarters: Gandhinagar, Gujarat MD & CEO– Injeti Srinivas
SEBI Inks Pact With CSSF, Luxembourg to Strengthen Cooperation In Securities Regulation
 SEBI has signed an initial pact with Luxembourg supervisory authority for the financial sector, the
Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), for mutual cooperation and technical
assistance.
 The objective of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is to strengthen cross border cooperation in
the area of securities regulation.
SEBI tweaks delisting rules to make process transparent, efficient
 SEBI recently said that independent directors will have to give reasoned recommendation on the
proposal of delisting, while the promoters need to disclose their intention to delist the firm through an
initial public announcement.
 Under the new rules, timelines for completion of various activities forming part of the delisting process
have been introduced or revised to make it more efficient.
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Learn Along
Delisting is the removal of a listed security from a stock exchange. The delisting of a security can be voluntary or
involuntary and usually results when a company shuts down operations, declares bankruptcy, merges, does not
meet listing requirements, or seeks to become private.
SEBI appoints BSE subsidiary to supervise investment advisers
 SEBI has appointed BSE Administration and Supervision Ltd (BASL), a subsidiary of BSE Ltd, to
grant recognition to registered investment advisers (RIAs) and supervise them.
 Currently, these functions are discharged directly by SEBI.
 BASL has been granted these powers for three years, starting 1 June, 2021.
 New individual applicants for RIA licence will have to pay ₹2,000 and corporates ₹1 lakh as annual
membership fee.
 For renewal of licences, the fees are ₹1,800 and ₹99,000 respectively.
SEBI Issued - Norms for MF's Participation over IRS; Framework for Supervisory
 SEBI recently issued guidelines for the participation of Mutual Fund (MF) schemes in Interest Rate
Swaps.
 SEBI allowed MFs to enter into plain vanilla IRS for hedging purposes, but the value of the notional
principal in such cases must not exceed the value of respective existing assets being hedged by the
scheme.
 If the MF is entering into the IRS through counter transactions, the counterparty has to be an entity
recognized as a market maker by Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Learn Along
An Interest Rate Swap (IRS) is a type of a derivative contract through which two counterparties agree to exchange
one stream of future interest payments for another, based on a specified principal amount. In most cases, interest
rate swaps include the exchange of a fixed interest rate for a floating rate.
SEBI reconstitutes Takeover Panel
 SEBI has reconstituted its Takeover Panel, which looks into the applications seeking exemption from
the mandatory open offer that an acquirer needs to make to minority shareholders.
 The regulator has appointed N Venkatram MD and CEO, Deloitte India as the new member of the
Takeover Panel.
 The panel, chaired by N K Sodhi, the former chief justice of the high courts of Karnataka and Kerala,
makes its recommendations to SEBI on such applications after which the regulator gives an opportunity
to concerned parties before passing an order.
 Sodhi was also the former presiding officer of the Securities Appellate Tribunal.
SEBI to allow accredited investors, make capital markets investing easier, tighten independent
director norms
 SEBI recently approved stricter norms related to independent directors, reduced the minimum
subscription amount for REITs and InvITs and decided to introduce a framework for accredited
investors along with other measures.
 The minimum application value will be in the range of Rs 10,000-15,000 and trading lot will be of one
unit for REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and InvITs (Infrastructure Investment Trusts), SEBI said.
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 To provide easy access to investors to participate in public/rights issues by using various payment
avenues, SEBI has also decided to permit banks, other than scheduled banks, to act as a banker to
such issues.
 SEBI decided to allow resident Indian fund managers to be constituents of foreign portfolio investors and
also amend mutual funds rules to provide for the investment of a minimum amount as “skin in the game”
in the schemes by asset management companies (AMCs) based on the risk associated with such
schemes.
 At present, the requirement is an investment of one per cent of the amount raised in a New Fund Offer
(NFO) or an amount of Rs 50 lakh, whichever is less.
Learn Along
An Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvITs) is like a mutual fund, which enables direct investment of small amounts
of money from possible individual/institutional investors in infrastructure to earn a small portion of the income as
return
REITs (Real Estate Investment Trust) are similar to mutual funds. While mutual funds provide for an opportunity to
invest in equity stocks, REITs allow one to invest in income-generating real estate assets.
They are collective investment vehicles that operate and manage property portfolios and give returns to investors.
A new fund offer (NFO) is the first subscription offering for any new fund offered by an investment company. A new
fund offer occurs when a fund is launched, allowing the firm to raise capital for purchasing securities. Mutual funds
are one of the most common new fund offerings marketed by an investment company. The initial purchasing offer for
a new fund varies by the fund’s structuring.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Policybazaar gets insurance broking licence from IRDAI
 Policybazaar has got approval from regulator IRDAI to undertake insurance broking, a development
that will help the company augment business and expand bouquet of services.
 With this development, the company will surrender its web aggregator licence to Insurance Regulatory
and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and undertake business including insurance aggregation
under the broking umbrella.
Learn Along
IRDAI Headquarters: Hyderabad Chairperson: Subhash Chandra Khuntia
PolicyBazar Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana CEO: Yashish Dahiya
SIDBI invites bids from consultants to help set up Rs 20,000 cr NaBFID
 SIDBI on behalf of the government has floated Request for Proposal (RFP) inviting bids from
consultants to help set up Rs 20,000 crore DFI called National Bank for Financing Infrastructure
and Development (NaBFID) to catalyse investment in fund-starved infrastructure sector.
Learn Along
SIDBI Headquarters: Lucknow CMD– Sivasubramanian Ramann
Development financial institutions (DFIs) provide long-term credit for capital-intensive investments spread over a
long period and low yielding rates of return, such as urban infrastructure, mining and heavy industry, and irrigation
systems. Development banks are different from commercial banks, which mobilize short- to medium-term deposits
and lend for similar maturities to avoid a maturity mismatch (a potential cause for a bank’s liquidity and solvency).
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BSE signs MoU with ESC to encourage SME & startup listing
 BSE has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Electronics and Computer Software
Export Promotion Council (ESC) to create awareness about benefits of listing among ICT SMEs and
Startups of the country.
 Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) is an organization sponsored
by the Government of India with a mandate to promote export of Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) sector from the country and works as a bridge between the Government and the
Industry on policy / promotional matters.
Learn Along
BSE Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: Ashish Kumar Chauhan
BSE StAR MF signs MoU with GUMCCSL to deepen rural engagement for greater financial
inclusion
 BSE-led mutual funds distributor platform, BSE StAR MF, has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Godavari Urban Multi State Credit Co-Op Society Ltd., Nanded
(GUMCCSL) to deepen its network of over 70,000 registered distributors.
 The MoU aims to facilitate cooperation between BSE StAR MF and rural markets in areas such as
financial inclusion, investment goals, and wealth creation.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
BeAM inks pact to enhance smallholder farmers’ income in Maharashtra
 BSE E Agricultural Markets (BeAM) signed a pact with Haridra Lakshmi to enhance the smallholder
farmers’ income in Maharashtra.
 The MoU aims to bring the benefit of globally competitive market technologies to enhance the
efficiency of physical markets represented by these institutions in areas such as knowledge sharing,
education and training and related events.
Learn Along
BSE E-Agricultural Markets Ltd (BEAM) is an electronic spot platform for agricultural commodities of BSE
Investments Ltd. The platform aims to boost the competitiveness of the Indian agricultural market by enhancing the
strength of the BSE in financial markets, market technology and its vibrant ecosystem.
BSE collaborates with GIFT SEZ to offer finance courses
 BSE Institute, a subsidiary of leading stock exchange BSE, has joined hands with GIFT SEZ Ltd to
offer courses in finance and capital markets.
 The pact will lead to the development, launch, and conduct of programmes related to IFSC at GIFT
City.
 It will also help in the introduction and management of certification programmes for the market
participants at GIFT IFSC.
 It must be noted that GIFT SEZ houses India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
HDFC Bank commits to become carbon neutral by 2031-32
 HDFC Bank announced plans to become carbon neutral by 2031-32.

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 As part of this initiative, the Bank is looking at reducing its emissions, energy, and water consumption.
 The Bank will continue to incorporate and scale up the use of renewable energy in its operation.
Learn Along
HDFC Bank Headquarters: Mumbai CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan
IndusInd Bank to raise climate financing to 3.5% in 2 years
 IndusInd Bank recently said it will reduce carbon emissions to 50 per cent in next four years and raise
climate financing to 3.5 per cent in two years.
 The bank aims at increasing the allocation of capital towards climate finance to 3.5 per cent of its loan
book over the next two years, which is currently at 2.7 per cent.
Learn Along
IndusInd Bank Headquarters: Pune MD& CEO: Sumant Kathpaliai
Kotak announces pandemic benevolent policy for its 73,000 employees
 Kotak Mahindra Group (Kotak) has announced a Pandemic Benevolent Policy for its 73,000
employees.
Learn Along
Kotak Mahindra Bank Headquarters: Mumbai CEO: Uday Kotak

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
ICICI Bank Became 2nd Globally to offer ‘SWIFT gpi Instant’ facility
 ICICI Bank has announced that it has tied up with SWIFT to offer a facility that helps overseas partner
banks to send instant remittances on behalf of their customers to the beneficiary in India.
 This makes ICICI Bank the first bank in Asia-Pacific and the second globally to offer the facility, called
‘SWIFT gpi Instant’, for cross border inward payments.
Learn Along
ICICI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai MD &CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), provides a network that enables
financial institutions worldwide to send and receive information about financial transactions in a secure, standardized
and reliable environment.
SWIFT Headquarters: La Hulpe, Belgium
IDRBT Founded: 1973
SCNL Became 1st MFI in India to Integrate NPCI's UPI AutoPay
 Satin Creditcare Network Limited (SCNL), a Microfinance Institute (MFI) and HSBC India, banking
partner of SCNL made a partnership with NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) to integrate
NPCI's UPI AutoPay platform into their system, to enable fully automated loan EMI payments (Recurring
Payments) by its customers.
 Through this, SCNL became the 1st MFI in India to use the UPI AutoPay.
Bank of Maharashtra tops PSU banks in terms of loan, deposit growth
 Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the top performer among public sector lenders in terms
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of loan and deposit growth during financial year 2020-21.

 It recorded 13.45 per cent increase in gross advances at Rs 1.07 lakh crore in 2020-21.
 It was followed by Punjab & Sind Bank which posted 8.39 per cent growth in advances with aggregate
loans at Rs 67,811 crore at the end of March 2021.
 However, in absolute terms SBI's deposit base was 21 times higher at Rs 36.81 lakh crore as against
Rs 1.74 lakh crore of BoM.
Learn Along
Bank of Maharashtra Headquarters: Pune CEO: A. S. Rajeev
DBS tops Forbes 'World's Best Banks' list in India
 Forbes has published World's Best Banks 2021 List.

 DBS was ranked 1st out of 30 domestic and international banks in India for the second consecutive
year.
 This is the third edition of the 'World's Best Banks' list by Forbes, conducted in partnership with
market research firm Statista.
Learn Along
DBS India Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: Surjit Shome
Yes Bank to raise Rs 10,000 crore via debt securities
 The board of directors at private sector lender Yes Bank has approved seeking shareholders' nod for
raising up to Rs 10,000 crore in Indian or foreign currency by issuing debt securities, including but not
limited to non-convertible debentures, bonds and medium-term notes.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 On March 5, 2020, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had placed Yes Bank under a moratorium and
appointed Prashant Kumar as the new CEO and Managing Director.
Learn Along
Debt securities are financial assets that entitle their owners to a stream of interest payments. Unlike equity
securities, debt securities require the borrower to repay the principal borrowed.
Yes Bank Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: Prashant Kumar
SBI gets central board’s nod to raise Rs 14,000 Crores via bonds
 SBI’s Central Board has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 14,000 crore by issuing Basel-III
compliant bonds.
 The bonds are proposed to be raised in Indian or US currency.
 Under this, the bank plans to raise fresh additional tier I capital up to an amount of Rs 14,000 crore
subject to the government of India concurrence, it added.
Learn Along
AT-1, short for Additional Tier-1 bonds, are a type of unsecured, perpetual bonds that banks issue to shore up their
core capital base to meet the Basel-III norms. Tier 1 capital refers to a bank’s core capital. It includes disclosed
reserves that are present on a bank’s financial statements and equity capital.
A lender uses tier I capital to function on a regular basis and it forms the basis of a financial institution’s strength.
Canara Bank to be lead sponsor of bad bank, to pick up 12% stake
 Canara Bank will be the lead sponsor of National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL)
or bad bank with 12 per cent stake in the entity.
 Bad bank refers to a financial institution that takes over bad assets of lenders and undertakes resolution.
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Learn Along
Canara Bank Headquarters: Bengaluru CEO: Lingam Venkat Prabhakar
National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) is the proposed bad bank for taking over stressed assets
of lenders. It was announced in the Budget for 2021-22. The plan is to create a bad bank to house bad loans of ₹500
crore and above, in a structure that will contain an asset reconstruction company (ARC) and an asset management
company (AMC) to manage and recover dud assets.
HDFC MF launches banking and financial services NFO
 HDFC Asset Management Company has launched the New Fund Offer of HDFC Banking and
Financial Services Fund, which aims to invest in the banking and financial services sector across
segments and market capitalisation.
 The fund will invest in companies that are leaders and are gaining market shares due to superior
execution, scale and better adoption of technology.
 The fund will also focus on opportunities in new listings, including pre-IPO participation in lending,
insurance, capital market businesses and fintechs.
Learn Along
A new fund offer (NFO) is the first subscription offering for any new fund offered by an investment company. A new
fund offer occurs when a fund is launched, allowing the firm to raise capital for purchasing securities. Mutual funds
are one of the most common new fund offerings marketed by an investment company. The initial purchasing offer
for a new fund varies by the fund’s structuring.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Top Indian FinTechs by users and merchant acquisition
 PayTM and Whatsapp Business lead the roost in merchant acquisition, according to a report by
Credit Suisse.
 FinTechs in India have cumulatively acquired 30 million merchants on their platforms.
 PayTM had 17 million merchants on its platform whilst Whatsapp Business had 15 million merchants
on its platform, according to the Report.
 PhonePe had 13 million merchants whereas business transaction FinTech Khatabook had 6 million
merchants on its platform.
 Whatsapp had acquired 459 million users whilst PayTM had 150 million users. FinTechs MobiKwik had
120 million users on its platform, whilst PhonePe and Google Pay had 100 million and 75 million users,
each.
Learn Along
Paytm Headquarters: Noida, UP Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
PhonePe Headquarters: Bengaluru MD &CEO: Sameer Nigam
BharatPe acquires Payback India
 Merchant payment and lending service provider BharatPe has acquired Payback India from American
Express and ICICI Investments Strategic Fund.
 Payback India – launched in 2010 – is a multi-brand loyalty programme with over 100 million
members in the country. It has a network of more than 100 offline and online partners and allows its
customers to earn and redeem points on every transaction at its partner merchant outlets.
BharatPe Headquarters: New Delhi CEO: Ashneer Grover
Paytm unit seeks RBI exemption from NBFC tag
 Paytm Entertainment, a subsidiary of Paytm, now is facing the risk of being classified as a Non-
Banking Financial Company (NBFC) after it lent money to a joint venture business that exceeded the
RBI’s limits.
 As per RBI, if a company derives 50% of its total assets and income from financial assets, it needs to
register with the central bank as an NBFC.
 Last year, Paytm Entertainment had sanctioned a one-time loan to its JV Paytm First Games to a tune
of ₹80 crore.
Learn Along
Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and engaged
in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities issued by
Government or other marketable securities of a like nature, leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit
business
Google Pay announces cards tokenization with SBI, IndusInd Bank in collaboration with Visa
 Google Pay has roped in more banks for card tokenization on the Google Pay app.
 Cards tokenization is a feature that lets users make debit or credit card payments through a secure
digital token attached to their phone without having to physically share their credit or debit card details.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Finance Ministry allows HFCs above Rs 100 crore to use to SARFAESI law
 Ministry of Finance has allowed housing finance companies (HFCs) with asset size of over Rs. 100
crore to recover the dues using SARFAESI law.
 It is expected to be a shot in the arm for thousands of small HFCs, as it will facilitate quick recovery of
dues and encourage these companies to lend more.
 Earlier HFCs with assets over Rs. 500 crore were allowed to use SARFAESI law to recover dues.
Learn Along
The Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest Act, 2002
(SARFAESI) is an Indian law. It allows banks and other financial institution to auction residential or commercial
properties to recover loans.
Schemes/Facilities launched by various banks/private financial companies
Company Name Service/Scheme Launched Learn Along

About Ujjivan Small
Ujjivan SFB & Tie-up- For end-to-end digitisation of invoice-based financing Finance Bank
Progcap of MSMEs for their small tenor working capital requirements. Headquarters: Bengaluru
MD & CEO: Nitin Chugh
About ICICI Lombard
Headquarters: Mumbai
Tie-up- To strengthen and automate the quality control MD & CEO: Bhargav
ICICI Lombard & processes. The insurer will make use of Microsoft’s Azure Dasgupta
Microsoft Speech Services and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to About Microsoft
screen its daily service calls made by customer service reps.
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Headquarters:
Washington, US
CEO: Satya Nadella
About SBI
Funding- SBI has invested an undisclosed amount in Headquarters: Mumbai
SBI & Cashfree Cashfree start-up. Chairperson: Dinesh
Kumar Khara
Partnership- It HDFC ERGO partners with Visa to provide About HDFC Ergo
HDFC Ergo & Visa specialized insurance policies for business cardholders. Headquarters: Mumbai
CEO: Ritesh Kumar
Partnership- To help corporate banks across Asia-Pacific About Wipro
Wipro Ltd. &
accelerate their digital transformation. Headquarters: Bengaluru
Finastra
CEO: Thierry Delaporte
About HDFC Bank
HDFC Bank & MoU- To provide a wide range of financial products and Headquarters: Mumbai
KIADB services to its customers. CEO: Sashidhar
Jagdishan
KAVACH Personal Loan Scheme- For the Covid-19
treatment of self or family members who are found Covid-19 About SBI
positive on or after 01.04.2021. Importantly, the loan will also Headquarters: Mumbai
SBI
cover reimbursement of Covid-19 related medical expenses Chairperson: Dinesh
already incurred by the borrower. Kumar Khara
About Yes Bank

Afthonia and YES Partnership- To innovate and inject new ideas that would Headquarters: Mumbai
Bank transform the Indian financial sector. MD & CEO: Prashant
Kumar

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021

RuPay Prepaid Gift Card 'Shagun'- To promote cashless
ways of gifting and present a wide range of end-use choices. About LIC
LIC Cards It also presents itself as a future foray into the market of e- Headquarters: Mumbai
Gift Cards. It has been launched in collaboration with IDBI Chairman: M R Kumar
Bank.
Ghar Ghar Ration' program- An Employee-funded program About IDFC First Bank
for its low-income customers whose livelihoods are affected Headquarters: Mumbai
IDFC First Bank
by the Covid-19 pandemic. MD & CEO:
V.Vaidyanathan
ICICI Stack for Corporates- A comprehensive set of digital
banking solutions for corporates and their entire ecosystem
including promoters, group companies, employees, dealers,
vendors and all other stakeholders. About ICICI bank
ICICI Bank Headquarters: Mumbai
Cardless EMI facility- The facility can be availed across a
CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
host of categories such as electronics, home appliances,
laptops, mobile phones, travel, fashion apparels, sportswear,
education and home decor.
Stake Purchase- The investment is aimed at empowering

millions of MSMEs and gig workers by providing easy to use About Mastercard
Mastercard & solutions that will help them to rapidly digitise such as setting Headquarters: New York,
Instamojo up online stores, equipping them with digital payment US
acceptance capabilities and reaching out to customers, even Chairman: Ajay Banga
during the pandemic.
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Stakes- Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), SBI Life and About Indian Bank
Canara Bank were among the top investors picking up stakes Headquarters: Chennai
Indian Bank
in Indian Bank under a QIP. Indian Bank raised a total of Rs MD & CEO: Padmaja
1,650 crore in its QIP of shares, which were issued at Rs Chunduru
142.15 apiece.
About Visa
Acquisition- Visa Inc. had signed a deal to buy European Headquarters: California,
Visa open banking platform Tink and would pay 1.8 billion euros United States
($2.15 billion) for the acquisition. Chairman & CEO: Alfred
F. Kelly, Jr
Aarogyam Healthcare Business Loan- Under this new
product, entire healthcare ecosystem such as hospitals, About SBI
nursing homes, diagnostic centres, pathology labs, Headquarters: Mumbai
SBI manufacturers, suppliers, importers, logistics firms engaged Chairperson: Dinesh
in critical healthcare supply can avail of loans up to Rs 100 Kumar Khara
crore (as per the geographic location) repayable in 10 years.
Alliance- To launch the Digital Skill Champions Program that About NSDC
aims to train India’s youth on digital skills, in order to make
NSDC and Headquarters: New Delhi
them employment ready. Through this program, school and
Whatsapp MD & CEO: Manish
university students would be coached to imbibe digital and
Kumar
online skills that would culminate with WhatsApp and NSDC
awarding ‘Digital Skill Champions’ certification.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021

About Airtel
Collaboration- For implementing 5G networks solutions for Headquarters: New Delhi
India. Tata Group has developed a ‘state of the art’ O-RAN MD: Sunil Bharti Mittal
Bharti Airtel & TCS based Radio & NSA/SA Core and has integrated a totally
indigenous telecom stack, leveraging the Group capabilities About TCS
and that of its partners. Headquarters: Mumbai
MD: Natarajan
Chandrasekaran
About Axis Bank
Axis Bank & Deal- To power the digital transformation programme of the Headquarters: Mumbai
Amazon Web country’s third largest private sector bank. MD & CEO: Amitabh
Services
Chaudhry
Acquisition- To offer secure communications for About Amazon
Amazon Web businesses, government agencies, and individuals, who are Headquarters:
Services & App moving to hybrid work environments, due to the COVID-19 Washington, USA
Wickr pandemic. Founder: Jeff Bezos
Partnership- To power 5G in enterprise and consumer
segments nationwide. In addition, Reliance will also take About Google
Reliance Jio advantage of Google Cloud’s scalable infrastructure thereby Headquarters: California,
Infocomm Limited enabling its retail business to achieve better operational United States
and Google Cloud efficiency, modernize and scale for growth, and deliver better CEO: Sundar Pichai
performance and experiences to customers.
e-PGS- It has been designed to provide a centralized

collection and payment accounting with a high level of bank
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About LIC
LIC integration. It has been designed to provide very innovative Headquarters: Mumbai
features of seamless and integrated banking with automatic Chairman: M R Kumar
reconciliations.
The Global Alliance

for Mass
MoU- To help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) About SIDBI
Entrepreneurship
address their challenges that were accentuated during the Headquarters: Lucknow
(GAME) and the
pandemic. Chairperson:
Small Industries
Sivasubramanian Ramann
Development Bank
of India (SIDBI)
ECONOMY
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WazirX launches NFT marketplace for Indian artists to sell their work
 Binance-owned crypto exchange WazirX recently launched South Asia’s ﬁrst non-fungible token
(NFT) marketplace with 15 creators hailing from multiple categories including digital artists, muralist
photographers, canvas artists, space 3D artists, street artists, and visual artists to sell their work.
 For the uninitiated, every NFT is unique and cannot be traded unlike cryptocurrencies, which are
identical to each other, and can enable commercial transactions.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Govt to distribute free food grains to 80 crore people till Diwali
 The Government has announced that it will distribute free food grains to around 80 crore people till
Diwali for providing relief to the poor amid the second wave of COVID-19.
 In April, the Centre had announced distribution of free food grains for the months of May and June under
the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
Learn Along
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) is a part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP)
to help the poor fight the battle against Covid-19. The scheme aimed at providing each person who is covered under
the National Food Security Act 2013 with an additional 5 kg grains (wheat or rice) for free, in addition to the 5 kg of
subsidised foodgrain already provided through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
PMGKAY Ministry: Ministry of Finance Launch Year: 2020
Cabinet gives nod to India-Japan MoC on urban development
 The Union Cabinet has approved a memorandum of cooperation with Japan in the field of sustainable
urban development which is expected to create employment opportunities.
 The MoC is expected to create employment opportunities in the areas of sustainable urban
development, including urban planning, smart cities development, affordable housing, urban flood
management, sewerage and waste water management, urban transport — including intelligent transport
management system — transit-oriented development and multimodal integration and disaster resilient
development.
Indian economy to grow 9.3 pc in FY22, 2nd COVID wave raises risks to credit profile: Moody’s
 Indian economy would rebound in the current fiscal ending March 2022 and clock a growth of 9.3 per
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cent, but a severe second COVID wave has increased risks to India’s credit profile and rated entities,
Moody’s Investors Service said recently.
 Moody’s, which has a ‘Baa3’ rating on India with a negative outlook, said it expects a decline in
economic activity in the June quarter due to reimposition of lockdown measures along with behavioural
changes on fear of contagion.
India's monsoon rains forecast to be 101% of average in 2021
 The Southwest Monsoon is likely to be normal in north and south India, above-normal in central India
and below-normal in east and northeast India, according to the MeT Department.
Banihal-Qazigund tunnel likely to be operational in coming weeks
 The ambitious double-tube Banihal-Qazigund tunnel along the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national
highway built at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore is going through the testing and commissioning process and is
likely to become operational in coming weeks.
Govt sets up expert panel to fix minimum pay, national floor wage
 The Labour and Employment Ministry has constituted an expert group to provide technical inputs and
recommendations on fixation of minimum wages and national floor for minimum wages.
 It has been constituted for a period of three years and is chaired by Ajit Mishra, Director, Institute of
Economic Growth.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
RDSO becomes the FIRST Institution to be declared SDO under one "One Nation One Standard"
mission on BIS
 RDSO (Research Design & Standards Organization) of Indian Railways has become the FIRST
Institution to be declared Standard Developing Organization (SDO) under “One Nation One Standard"
mission on BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) which is Institution under Department of Consumer
Affairs.
 It may be noted that to attain “Nation One Standard” vision of Govt. of India, Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body, has launched a scheme which provides for “Recognition
of SDO”.
Learn Along
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of
Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian
Standards Act, 1986. It is headquartered in Delhi.
World Bank approves $500 mn program to help boost India’s MSME sector
 World Bank has approved a USD 500 million programs to support India’s nationwide initiative to
revitalise the MSME sector, which has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
 The USD 500 million Raising and Accelerating Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME)
Performance (RAMP) Program is the World Bank’s second intervention in this sector, the first being the
USD 750 million MSME Emergency Response Program.
Learn Along
World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C., US President: David. Malpass
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World Bank projects India’s economy to grow at 8.3% in 2021 and 7.5% in 2022
 World Bank recently projected India’s economy to grow at 8.3 per cent in 2021 and 7.5 per cent in
2022.
 The projection came as a part of World Bank’s latest issue of Global Economic Prospects.
World Bank approves $500 million MSME financing programme; targets support to 5.55 lakh firms
 World Bank recently approved a $500 million programme called Raising and Accelerating Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprise Performance (RAMP) to help the sector recover from the Covid menace.
 RAMP aims improvement in the performance of 5.55 lakh MSMEs and is likely to mobilise financing of
$15.5 billion as part of the government’s $3.4 billion MSME Competitiveness – A post-Covid
Resilience and Recovery Programme (MCRRP).
NTPC Ltd. Joins UN’s CEO Water Mandate for Water Conservation
 NTPC Ltd has become a signatory to the prestigious UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate.
 The mandate focuses on efficient water management.
 The initiative also provides a platform for companies to partner with like-minded businesses, UN
agencies, public authorities, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders.
Learn Along
NTPC Headquarters: New Delhi CMD: Gurdeep Singh

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
NTPC joins UN’s CEO Water Mandate to step up work on water conservation
 NTPC Ltd has become a signatory to the prestigious United Nations Global Compact’s CEO Water
Mandate.
 The CEO Water Mandate is a UN Global Compact initiative to demonstrate commitment and efforts
of companies to better their water and sanitation agenda as part of long-term Sustainable Development
Goals.
Pharmeasy acquires Medlife
 Pharmeasy has announced the acquisition of rival Medlife, thereby creating India’s largest online
pharmacy.
 The deal values the stake of Medlife shareholders at $250 million.
Tata Digital buys 64% stake in BigBasket
 Tata Digital has acquired around 64% stake in Supermarket Grocery Supplies that owns BigBasket.
 Tata Digital has infused primary capital of $200 million in the egrocer at a post-money valuation of $2
billion.
OECD estimate growth cut of India to 9.9% FY22
 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has cut India’s growth
projection to 9.9 % for Financial Year 2022.
 In March, it estimated growth to 12.6%. The rate was cut witnessing covid cases lockdowns which have
threatened to stall the nascent economic recovery of India.
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Learn Along
OECD Headquarters: Paris (France) Secretary-General: Angel Gurria
Kerala launches ‘Knowledge Economy Mission’
 Kerala government has launched ‘Knowledge Economy Mission’ to boost job prospects in the state
by supporting knowledge workers.
 It will be implemented by Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC).
 The project will be launched to bring ongoing efforts of providing employment to educated people and
support ‘knowledge workers’ under a single programme.
India’s GDP contracts 7.3% in FY21
 For the full financial year 2020-21, Indian GDP contracted 7.3 per cent.
 The GDP had slipped into a technical recession in the first two quarters of FY21 by contracting 24.4 per
cent and 7.4 per cent.
 Before the second Wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country, India’s gross domestic product
(GDP) grew 1.6 per cent in the fourth quarter (January-March) of 2020-21.
Central Government revises that target to 20% Ethanol Blending by 2023
 The central government is targeting achieving 20 per cent ethanol-blending with petrol by 2023 in
order to cut down the country’s reliance on expensive imports of oil.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 Earlier, the objective to secure 10 per cent ethanol-blending in petrol was fixed to be realized by 2022
whereas 2030 was set to be the goal for 20 per cent blending.
 The latter’s target was then revised to 2025 and now it has been further fast-tracked to April 2023.
ADB inks USD 2.5 million loan pact with Union government to upgrade road infra in Sikkim
 Asian Development Bank (ADB) has inked a pact with the union government for USD 2.5 million
(approx Rs 18.23 crore) loan assistance to upgrade road infrastructure in the north-eastern state Sikkim.
 The USD 2.5 million project readiness financing (PRF) loan will support project preparation and
design activities to upgrade major district roads in Sikkim.
Learn Along
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank. It was established in 1966, it is owned by 68
members—49 from the region.
ADB Headquarters: Philippines President: Masatsugu Asakawa
India's fiscal deficit at 9.3% of GDP for FY21, down from revised estimate of 9.5%
 India's Fiscal deficit for 2020-21 was at 9.3 per cent or ₹18.21 lakh crore of the gross domestic
product (GDP), lower than 9.5 per cent estimated by the Finance Ministry in the revised Budget
estimates, according to the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) data.
Learn Along
A fiscal deficit is a shortfall in a government's income compared with its spending. A fiscal deficit is calculated as a
percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), or simply as total money spent in excess of income. In either case, the
income figure includes only taxes and other revenues and excludes money borrowed to make up the shortfall.
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FSDC Constituted Inter-regulators' Panel to Deal with Fintech Challenges
 The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) has constituted the first of its kind inter-
regulators' panel to address the regulatory challenges posed by the fintech (financial technology)
industry.
 The committee includes officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), finance ministry, the
Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Insurance and Regulatory Authority of India
(IRDAI).
Learn Along
The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) is a non-statutory apex council under the Ministry of
Finance constituted by the Executive Order in 2010. The Raghuram Rajan committee (2008) on financial sector
reforms first proposed the creation of FSDC. It is chaired by the finance minister and its members include the heads
of all Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA & IRDA), Finance Secretary, Secretary of Department of
Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Financial Services (DFS), and Chief Economic Adviser.
Multiple Initiatives launched to Enhance SATAT Scheme
 A number of initiatives to enhance the SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable

Transportation) scheme have been launched.
o Cooperation agreement signed among oil & gas companies
o MoU signed by MoPNG with GGGI and Companies to set up CBG plants
o CBG-CGD Synchronization
o Website www.satat.co.in launched
o Foundation for 5 CBG plants

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Rate of Minimum Wages Revised for Central sphere Employees
 The Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India has notified and revised the rate of
Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA).
 The VDA is revised on the basis of average Consumer Price Index for industrial workers (CPI-IW) a
price index compiled by Labour Bureau.
 The average CPI-IW for the months of July to December 2020 was used for undertaking the latest VDA
revision.
 The rates fixed for scheduled employment in Central sphere are applicable to the establishments under
the authority of Central Government, Railway Administration, Mines, Oil fields, major ports or any
corporation established by the Central Government.
 These rates are equally applicable to contract and casual employees/workers.
Learn Along
The CPI-IW measures change in the prices of goods and services consumed by industrial workers in reference to a
base year. The labour bureau, under the ministry of labour and employment, compiles the consumer price index for
industrial workers every month.
Wipro IT Services approves issuance of up to USD 750 million dollar denominated notes
 Wipro IT Services has approved issuing US dollar denominated notes of up to USD 750 million.
 The net proceeds of the notes, which are proposed to be listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, are
intended to be utilised for refinancing existing debt and general corporate purposes.
El Salvador makes bitcoin legal tender www.i xamBee.c om
 El Salvador became the first country in the world to adopt bitcoin as legal tender.
 The use of bitcoin will be optional for individuals and would not bring risks to users, with the
government guaranteeing convertibility to dollars at the time of transaction through a $150 million trust
created at the country's development bank BANDESAL, the Government said.
Govt nod for construction of 3.61L houses under PMAY-U
 The Central Government gave approval to 708 proposals for construction of 3.61 lakh houses under
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).
 With this, as on date, the total number of sanctioned houses under PMAY(U) is now 112.4 lakh and so
far, 82.5 lakh have been grounded for construction of which 48.31 lakhs have been completed and
delivered.
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The government has set a target of 1.12 crore houses in urban areas by 2022 under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna
(PMAY) – Housing for All
PMAY Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Launch Year: 2015
NMPB And CSIR-NBRI Sign MoU for Promotion of Cultivation and Production of Medicinal Plants
 The National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPS) and the National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-
NBRI) signed an MoU for extending joint collaborative efforts to boost the cultivation and production of
medicinal plants and herbs in India.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 The MoU will facilitate development of Quality Planting Material (QPM) of medicinal plants and herbs
identified by NMPB, help in establishment of their nurseries for QPM, development, promotion,
conservation and cultivation of the appropriate medicinal plants in different agro-climatic zones,
including the threatened medicinal plant species and plants for the high-altitude regions.
PSU banks sanction 95% of total loans under PM SVANidhi scheme
 Public sector banks have sanctioned 95 per cent of the total loans under PM SVANidhi scheme
which aims at providing street vendors loans of up to Rs 10,000 to restart their business post the
COVID-induced lockdown last year.
 Under the scheme, collateral-free working capital loan of up to Rs 10,000 of one-year tenure is being
provided.
 The scheme aims at financing approximately 50 lakh street vendors, to resume their businesses.
Learn Along
PM SVANidhi Scheme aims at providing affordable working capital loan to street vendors to resume their
livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown. This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh
Street Vendors
SVANidhi Ministry: Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs) Launch Year: 2020
India’s first international maritime services cluster coming up at GIFT City
 Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) will be setting up India’s first international maritime services cluster at
GIFT City in Gujarat.
 The Maritime Cluster will be developed as a dedicated ecosystem comprising of ports, shipping,
logistics services providers and pertinent government regulators, all present in the same geographic
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vicinity.
ICRA projects GDP growth at 8.5 pc in FY2022
 ICRA Ratings expects India’s GDP to grow at 8.5 per cent in FY2021-22.
 It expects the gross value added (GVA) at basic prices (at constant 2011-12 prices) to grow at 7.3 per
cent in FY2022.
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Gross value added is the output of the country less the intermediate consumption, which is the difference between
gross output and net output. GVA= GDP + Subsidies on Products- Taxes
Maharashtra government waives interest on crop loan up to Rs three lakh
 The Maharashtra Government recently announced that the farmers who repay crop loan up to Rs 3
lakh regularly will be charged zero per cent interest.
 Earlier, there was 1 per cent concession in interest rate if crop loan between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh
was repaid on time.
 The concession has been now raised by 2 per cent (total 3 per cent which has been waived).
GST Council cuts rate on Covid related materials to 5%, leaves vaccine rate unchanged
 The Goods and Service Tax Council recently decided to lower rates on medicines, oxygen
generators, concentrators, testing kits and other related material, but left the rate of vaccines at 5%.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Learn Along
 GST council is a constitutional body for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues
related to Goods and Service Tax.
 The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of
Revenue or Finance and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.
Change in GST Rates on goods being used in Covid-19 relief and management
 The 44th GST Council in its meeting has decided to reduce the GST rates on the specified items being
used in Covid-19 relief and management till 30th September 2021.
 The GST on medicines like Tocilizumab, Amphotericin B has been reduced to 0% from existing 5%.
 Medical grade oxygen and ventilators will attract reduced GST at 5%.
ESI coverage for casual and contractual employees of Municipal bodies in the States/UTs
 The Ministry of Labour & Employment recently announced the decision to extend coverage under
the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 (ESI Act) to all casual and contractual workers working in
the municipal bodies in the country.
NHPC to lease electric vehicles, fast charging devices from EESL
 NHPC Ltd, a state-owned hydropower company, has signed an agreement with Energy Efficiency
Services Ltd (EESL), a public sector unit under the ministry of power, for leasing of 25 electric
vehicles and three fast charging devices to be used by its officials.
 As per NHPC, with the induction of these new vehicles, it will have the biggest fleet of such zero-
emission cars among all public sector units (PSUs). www.i xamBee.c om
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Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is an energy service company (ESCO) of the Government of India
and is the world's largest public ESCO. It is 100% government-owned, a joint venture of state-owned NTPC Limited,
Power Finance Corporation, REC Limited and POWERGRID.
EESL Ministry: Ministry of Power Chairman: Rajeev Sharma
NHPC signs MoU with BSHPC for Implementation of 130.1 MW Dagmara HE Project
 A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NHPC Limited and Bihar State
Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (BSHPC) for Implementation of 130.1 MW Dagmara HE
Project, Dist. Supaul, Bihar.
 The project is located near village Dagmara on the right bank and Simri on the left bank, about
22.5 km downstream of Bhimnagar barrage on Kosi River.
 The 130.1 MW Dagmara HE Project, the largest hydropower project of Bihar is to be implemented by
NHPC on ownership basis.
 NHPC is a Category-A Miniratna Company under Ministry of Power in the field of Hydropower.
 Currently, NHPC has 24 operational power stations with a total installed capacity of 7071 MW.
Google announces the Firmina subsea cable between the US and Argentina
 Google recently announced its plans to build a new subsea cable that will connect the East Coast of
the U.S. and Las Toninas, Argentina — with additional landings in Brazil and Uruguay.
 The idea here is to provide users in South America with improved low-latency access to Google’s
portfolio of consumer and cloud services. It will be world’s longest undersea cable.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
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Google Headquarters: California, United States CEO: Sundar Pichai
India elected as member of UN Economic and Social Council for 2022-24
 India has been elected as a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC), for three-year terms of 2022-24.
 India was elected to the 54-member ECOSOC, by the UNGA on June 7, 2021, in the Asia-Pacific
States category, along with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Oman.
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The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six principal organs of the United
Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the
fifteen specialized agencies, the eight functional commissions and the five regional commissions under its
jurisdiction.
G7 deal on Minimum Global Corporate Tax
 G7 economies signed a landmark deal on taxing multinational companies.

 The 47th G7 summit was held in Cornwall, United Kingdom while it holds the presidency of the G7.
 According to the deal, the minimum global tax rate would be at least 15 per cent.
 The agreement was signed by finance ministers of G7 Countries.
 The G7 members are United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Canada, France, Italy and Japan.
 It opens the way for levies on multinational companies in countries where they operate rather than
just where they are headquartered.
 This proposal was made which would impose an additional tax on several multinational companies and
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technology giants like Facebook, Amazon and Google to pay taxes to countries based on where their
goods or services are sold irrespective of their physical presence there.
NITI Aayog recommends privatisation of Central Bank, Indian Overseas Bank
 NITI Aayog has recommended divesting government stake in the Central Bank of India and Indian
Overseas Bank (IOB) as part of the privatisation initiative announced in the Union Budget.
 Finance Minister had announced privatising two public sector banks (PSBs) and one general insurance
company in 2021-22 earlier in her Budget Speech.
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NITI Aayog Headquarters: New Delhi Chairman: Narendra Modi
Central Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO: Pallav Mohapatra
Indian Overseas Bank Headquarters: Chennai CEO: Partha Pratim Sengupta
India ties with Russia as 4th largest forex reserves holder
 Recently, foreign exchange reserves of India have crossed $600 billion marks for the first time.
 With this, India has tied with Russia as the fourth largest reserve holder in the world.
 The forex reserve of Russia is calculated to be $605.2 billion.
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Foreign exchange reserves are cash and other reserve assets such as gold held by a central bank or other
monetary authority that are primarily available to balance payments of the country, influence the foreign exchange
rate of its currency, and to maintain confidence in financial markets.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
CII-IGBC signed MoU with HA for Green Building Movement
 Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Architects (HA) to strengthen the
Green Building Movement and to promote sustainable development in the field of Architectural Design
and planning.
 The aim is to set a new global benchmark in environmentally sensitive building design, resource
conservation, energy and environmental management.
Indian Oil Corporation to Invest INR 24, 000 Crore in Gujarat Refinery
 Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gujarat
Government to invest around INR 24, 000 Crore in 6 projects at its Gujarat Refinery in Koyali,
Vadodara district, Gujarat.
 The 6 projects include India's 1st Hydrogen dispensing station.
 The projects will expand the capacity of Gujarat Refinery to 18 million Metric Tonne Per Annum
(MMTPA) from 13.7 MMTPA and provide 25,000 direct and indirect jobs.
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IOCL Headquarters: New Delhi Chairman & MD: Shrikant Madhav
Vaidya
1st EV City to be developed in Kevadia, Gujarat
 India's 1st electric vehicle (EV) city plan to be set up at Kevadia, Gujarat.
 The city also has the 182-meter statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel popularly known as the Statue of
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Unity.
Government allocates INR 40, 700 Crore for Waste Management in 2 Lakh villages under SBM-G
 The Ministry of Jal Shakti under Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) Phase 2 is set to support
around 2 lakh villages to achieve Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) arrangements through
an investment of INR 40, 700 Crore during the FY 2021¬22.
 Under SBM-G Phase 2, Around 50 Lakh Individual Household Toilets (IHHLs), 1 Lakh Community
toilets, Plastic Waste Management Units in 2400 Blocks of India, Gobardhan projects in 386 Districts,
Faecal Sludge Management arrangements in over 250 districts are set to be constructed.
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GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) - DHAN scheme is being implemented as part of the
Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). It aims at keeping villages clean, increasing the income of rural households, and
generation of energy from cattle waste. The scheme also aims at creating new rural livelihood opportunities and
enhancing income for farmers and other rural people.
Gobardhan Scheme Ministry: Ministry of Jal Shakti Launch Year: 2018
Speed, scale of Covid vaccination to shape economic recovery path: RBI report
 Speed and scale of vaccination against COVID-19 will shape the path of economic recovery which has
the resilience and the fundamentals to bounce back from the pandemic and unshackle itself from pre-
existing cyclical and structural hindrances, said a report by RBI.
 As per the current assessment, the second wave of the pandemic has mainly hit the domestic demand.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Haryana announces Rs 5,000 one-time aid for labourers, shopkeepers hit by pandemic
 The Haryana government recently announced a one-time payment of Rs 5,000 each to small
shopkeepers, construction workers, auto-rickshaw drivers and unorganised labourers who have faced
financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.
 BPL families who have lost a family member in the 18-50 age group to COVID-19 will be given an ex
gratia of Rs 2 lakh each.
CII projects India’s FY22 GDP growth at 9.5%
 The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has estimated the gross domestic product (GDP) of India
to grow at 9.5 per cent in the current financial year, i.e. FY 2021-22.
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CII Headquarters: New Delhi President: Uday Kotak
World Bank, IMF Launch High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery and
Growth
 In the face of two crises—COVID-19 and climate change—the World Bank Group and International
Monetary Fund launched a High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) on “Sustainable and Inclusive
Recovery and Growth” to help secure a strong recovery and set a path for green, resilient, and inclusive
development over the coming decade.
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IMF Headquarters: Washington, United States MD: Kristalina Georgieva
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SJVN Partners with NIWE to Develop Solar, Wind & Hybrid Projects
 SJVN Limited has announced signing a Memorandum of Understating (MoU) with the National
Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) to develop various Solar, Wind (solar-wind) Hybrid, and (solar-wind
pus battery storage) Hybrid Energy projects.
Centre allocates Rs. 1,804 Crore grant to Kerala under Jal Jeevan Mission to make provision of tap
water supply to every home
 Union government has increased the Central grant to Kerala under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the year
2021-22 to Rs 1,804.59 Crore, which was Rs 404.24 Crore in 2020-21.
ADB, India sign $484 million loan to upgrade road network in Tamil Nadu industrial corridor
 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $484 million loan to
improve transport connectivity and facilitate industrial development in the Chennai–Kanyakumari
Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in the state of Tamil Nadu.
 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 Government of India in developing ECEC.
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The East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) is India’s first coastal economic corridor covering 2500 km of India's
coastline, to be developed with the help of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The ADB is to invest $500 million in
infrastructural development of the project. It stretches from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu and connects India to the
production networks of Southeast and East Asia.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank. It was established in 1966, it is owned by 68
members—49 from the region.
ADB Headquarters: Philippines President: Masatsugu Asakawa
Exim Bank extends Line of Credit of $108.28 million to Eswatini, Swaziland
 On behalf of the Government of India, Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has, extended Line
of Credit (LoC) of $108.28 million to the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland) for
construction of a new Parliament building in Eswatini.
 With the signing of the Agreement, Exim Bank, to date, has extended four (Four) Lines of Credit to the
Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland), on behalf of the Government of India, taking the
total value of LoCs extended to $176.58 million.
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Exim Bank is a specialized financial institution wholly owned by the Government of India with presence in Indian and
foreign cities around the world. It was set up in 1982, for the purpose of financing, facilitating and promoting India’s
international trade
Exim Bank Headquarters: Mumbai MD: David Rasquinha
A line of credit (LOC) is a preset borrowing limit that can be tapped into at any time. The borrower can take money
out as needed until the limit is reached, and as money is repaid, it can be borrowed again in the case of an open line
of credit.
H-Energy signs MoU for regasified LNG supply
 H-Energy was authorised by Petroleum and Natural gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), the regulatory
body in India, to build own and operate Kanai Chhata-Shrirampur natural gas pipeline connecting H-
Energy’s LNG terminal in West Bengal passing through various regions of the state and further
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connecting to the Bangladesh border, to enable cross border supply of regasified LNG into Bangladesh.
 H-Energy is the only company to have received the authorisation from PNGRB to lay a pipeline till
Bangladesh border.
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Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is a statutory body in India, constituted under the act of
Parliament of India, namely Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006.
Its primary functions include regulation of refining, transportation, distribution, storage, marketing, supply and sale of
petroleum products and natural gas.
Wipro joins WEF's Partnership for New Work Standards initiative
 Wipro Limited has joined the World Economic Forums Partnership for New Work Standards
initiative to establish a "healthy, resilient and equitable future of work".
 This initiative aims to co-create new frameworks, shape forward-thinking people policies and utilise tools
and technologies to collectively build human-first work standards, with people at the heart of business.
Learn Along
World Economic Forum Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland Executive Chairman: Klaus Schwab
Assam signs MoU with Survey of India for rural property survey
 The Assam government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Survey of India
for implementing the Svamitva scheme in the state.
 The scheme aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural areas.
 Survey of India, as the technology partner, will take steps for survey of inhabited rural land by drone as
well as establishment of ground-based control stations to enable a detailed spatial database of
properties in rural areas.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
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 SVAMITVA is a Central Sector scheme which aims to provide the ‘record of rights’ to village household owners in
rural areas and issue Property Cards.
 The Scheme is being implemented across the country in a phased manner over a period of four years (2020-2024)
and would eventually cover around 6.62 lakh villages of the country
SVAMITVA Ministry: Ministry of Panchayati Raj Launch Year: 2020
Union Cabinet approves Inland Vessels Bill 2021
 The Union Cabinet has approved the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021.
 The Bill aims to streamline vessels/ships which run on the 4,000 Kilometres of operational Inland
Waterways in India.
o It regulates the safety, security and registration of inland vessels and introduces a unified law for
entire India, instead of separate rules framed by the states.
o The certificate of registration granted under the proposed law will be valid in all States & UTs,
eliminating the need for getting separate permissions from the States.
o It provides a central database for recording the details of vessel, vessel registration, crew on an
electronic portal.
o It also mandates all mechanically propelled vessels to be registered.
Finance Ministry announces relief package worth Rs 6,28,993 crore against COVID-19
 Union Finance Ministry announced a total of 17 measures worth Rs. 6,28,993 crore.
 Rs 1.10 lakh crore Loan Guarantee Scheme for COVID Affected sectors.
o This includes Rs 50,000 crore for the health sector and Rs 60,000 crore for other sectors, including
tourism. www.i xamBee.c om
 Additional Rs 1.5 lakh crore for Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS)
 Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro Finance Institutions (New scheme)
o Amount per loan capped at Rs 1.25 lakh at an interest rate of MCLR (the minimum lending rate
for a bank) plus 2 per cent.
 Scheme for Tourists guides/ stakeholders- The scheme will cover 10,700 Regional Level Tourist Guides
recognised by the Ministry of Tourism and Tourist Guides recognised by the State Governments; and
about 1,000 Travel and Tourism Stakeholders (TTS) recognized by the Ministry of Tourism.
 Free one-month tourist visa to 5 lakh tourists
 Extension of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana (ANBRY) to 31 March 2022.
 Additional Subsidy for DAP & P&K fertilizers to Rs 42,275 crore in FY 2021-22.
 Free food grains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) to be provided from May to
November 2021.
 Rs. 23,220 crores in 2021-22, for public health with emphasis on children and paediatric care/paediatric
beds.
 Revival of North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC)
 Rs 33,000 crore additional boost for project exports through National Export Insurance Account (NEIA)
over five years.
 Rs 88,000 crore to be infused through equity in Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) over five
years to Export Insurance Cover.
 Digital India: Rs. 19,041 crore for Broadband to each Village through BharatNet PPP Model.
 Rs 3.03 lakh crore for Reform-Based Result-Linked Power Distribution Scheme

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Learn Along
ECLGS was rolled out in May 2020 as part of the Centre’s Aatmanirbhar package in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
The objective was to support small businesses struggling to meet their operational liabilities due to the imposition of a
nationwide lockdown.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) is a part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP)
to help the poor fight the battle against Covid-19. The scheme aimed at providing each person who is covered under
the National Food Security Act 2013 with an additional 5 kg grains (wheat or rice) for free, in addition to the 5 kg of
subsidized food grain already provided through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
PMGKAY Ministry: Ministry of Finance Launch Year: 2020
Govt Eased Listing Norms for Companies having M-cap over Rs 1 lakh crore
 After the SEBI’s approval over the amendment of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules,
Companies that have a market capitalization (M-cap) of more than Rs 1 lakh crore at the time of listing
are now enabled to sell just 5 percent of their shares.
 The issuer companies should reach a public shareholding of 10 percent within 2 years of listing and 25
percent within 5 years of listing.
 The amendments became beneficial to the Government of India for the proposed IPO (Initial public
offering) of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), as the minimum divest is reduced to 5 percent than the
earlier norms of 10 percent.
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Market capitalization, commonly called market cap, is the market value of a publicly traded company's outstanding
shares. Market capitalization is equal to the share price multiplied by the number of shares outstanding.
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LIC Headquarters: Mumbai Chairperson– M R Kumar
Indian economy may grow 8.4-10.1% in current financial year: NCAER
 As per National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), the Indian economy may grow
8.4-10.1 per cent for the current financial year as against a contraction of 7.3 per cent in the last fiscal.
Govt extends Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana till March 2022
 The Central Government recently extended the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana, which was
launched in October last year to encourage employment generation, by nine months till March 31, 2022.
 Around 21.42 lakh people have benefited from the scheme till June 18, 2021, with a total outgo of Rs
902 crore.
 The beneficiaries are spread around 79,577 establishments.
 The scheme is being implemented through the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and
reduces the financial burden of the employers of various sectors/ industries and encourages them to
hire more workers.
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EPFO is a statutory body established by the Employees' Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 and
is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Labour and Employment
EPFO Headquarters: New Delhi Central PF Commissioner: Sunil Barthwal

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Over Rs 9 lakh crore disbursed as Mudra loans since 2015: Labour ministry
 Labour Ministry recently said that a total of Rs 9 lakh crore has been disbursed as collateral-free loans
so far under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).
 PMMY was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8, 2015, to promote entrepreneurship.
Under the scheme, loans up to Rs 10 lakh is provided to non-corporate, non-farm small or micro
enterprises.
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Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana was launched in April 2015 by the Prime Minister, the Mudra Yojana aims to enable
Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs), Non-Banking financial institutions/Companies (NBFCs), Small Finance Banks,
RBRs, Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks, etc. to provide Low Rate Loans to eligible entities.
Rs 4,698.10 crore paid for death claims under PMJJBY last fiscal
 Around Rs 4,700 crore has been paid against more than two lakh death claims filed under the Pradhan
Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) in the last financial year, as per the Department of
Financial Services.
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The Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana is a government scheme launched in 2015. It aims to provide life
insurance security to the poor and low-income section of the society. This scheme can be availed by people aged
between 18 years to 50 years.
Govt's total liabilities rise to Rs 116.21 lakh crore at end-March 2021
 The government's total liabilities stood at Rs 116.21 lakh crore at the end of March 2021, up 6.36 per
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cent from the previous quarter, according to official data.

 The total liabilities (including liabilities under the 'Public Account') of the government were Rs 109.26
lakh crore at end-December 2020.
China is now second largest export partner of India
 China replaced the UAE as the second largest export destination for India in fiscal 2021, with outbound
shipments to the neighbouring country rising 27.53% to $21.18 billion in the pandemic year.
 The US remained the country’s top export partner, according to government data.
NTPC Declares its Energy Compact Goals towards Sustainability
 NTPC Ltd has become first energy company in energy domain in India to declare its Energy Compact
goals as part of UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE).
 NTPC has set a target to install 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032. India’s largest power
producer is also aiming at 10% reduction in net energy intensity by 2032.
 Further, NTPC has declared that it will form at least 2 international alliances/groups to facilitate clean
energy research and promote sustainability in energy value chain by 2025.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
GoI signs $32 million loan with World Bank for improving healthcare services in Mizoram
 The Government of India, Government of Mizoram and the World Bank have signed a $32 million
Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project to improve management capacity and quality of health
services in Mizoram, particularly for the benefit of under-served areas and vulnerable groups.
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World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C., US President: David. Malpass
IFSCA constitutes a committee for development of avenues for Ship Financing and Leasing in IFSC
 International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has constituted a committee to examine
global best practices in ship financing and leasing, identify opportunities and devise a roadmap to
enable such activities from GIFT IFSC.
 This committee will be chaired by Ms. Vandana Aggarwal, former Senior Economic Advisor,
Government of India.
 The committee includes representatives from the Government of India, Gujarat Maritime Board and
industry experts possessing domain knowledge.
 India is strategically located on the world’s shipping routes and has a large coastline of approximately
7,500 km. India also has 12 major and over 200 minor ports.
 Data from the Ministry of Shipping suggests that 95% of India’s trading by volume and 70% by value is
done via maritime transport.
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IFSCA was established on April 27, 2020 with head office in Gandhinagar with an objective to develop the financial
products and services in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City International Financial Services Centre (GIFT
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IFSC).
Cabinet approves merger of Central Railside Warehouse Company Limited (CRWC) with Central
Warehousing Corporation (CWC)
 The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved to merge and transfer all assets,
liabilities, rights and obligations of ‘Central Railside Warehouse Company Limited’ (CRWC), a Mini-
Ratna Category-II Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) incorporated under the Companies Act,
1956 in 2007 with its holding enterprise ‘Central Warehousing Corporation’ (CWC).
 The merger will unify similar functions of both the companies (i.e., warehousing, handling,
transportation) through a single administration to promote efficiency, optimum capacity utilization,
transparency, accountability, ensure financial savings and leverage railway siding for new warehousing
capacities.
CCI approves acquisition of additional equity shareholding by Heineken International B.V. of

United Breweries
 The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition of additional equity shareholding by
Heineken International B.V. (“HIBV”) of United Breweries Limited (“UBL”).
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Headquarters: New Delhi
Competition Commission of India Chairman: Ashok Gupta

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
FAME II scheme extended till 2024, electric 2-wheelers subsidy hiked by 50%
 The government of India’s ambitious FAME II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and
EV) scheme has now been further extended by another two years to March 31, 2024, from the earlier
closure of March 31, 2022.
 It was launched with a budget outlay of Rs 10,000 crore in April 2019, and aims to support 7,000 e-
buses, 500,000 e-three-wheelers, 55,000 e-passenger vehicles and a million e-two-wheelers.
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Government has approved Phase-II of FAME Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 Crore for a period of 3 years
commencing from 1st April 2019. Rs. 1,000 crore has been earmarked for setting up charging stations for electric
vehicles in India
FAME (Phase II) Ministry: Ministry of Heavy Industries Launch Year: 2019
World Bank Approves $125 Million Program to Support a Green and Resilient Kerala
 The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a $125 million program to support
Kerala’s preparedness against natural disasters, climate change impacts, disease outbreaks, and
pandemics.
 The heavy monsoons of 2018 were the worst Kerala had seen in nearly a century, triggering
devastating floods and landslides. It impacted more than 5 million people, mainly in the Pamba River
Basin.
India's bank credit-to-GDP ratio inches up to 56% in 2020: BIS data

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 India’s bank credit-to-GDP ratio stood at USD 1.52 trillion in the country in 2020, according to the BIS
data for the year.
 The bank credit-to-GDP ratio rose to a five-year high to 56.075% in 2020, but way behind its peers and
just half of the G20 average, according to the latest data from the Bank for International Settlements
(BIS).
 According to analysts, bank credit growth is a key indicator of economic growth and a credit-GDP ratio
of 100 per cent is the ideal, which indicates robust demand for credit without the fear of a bubble in the
making.
 A higher credit-to-GDP ratio indicates aggressive and active participation of the banking sector in the
real economy, while a lower number shows the need for more formal credit.
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The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of
Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian
Standards Act, 1986. It is headquartered in Delhi.
India 2nd only to Turkey in share of central bank surplus transfer
 RBI was second only to Turkey in terms of Surplus transfer by any Central Bank to the Government as
a percentage of GDP for the FY 2021.
 Recently, RBI transferred Rs 99,122 Crores surplus to the Central Government.

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June 2021
Wealth of India's super-rich slips 4.4% in 2020 due to rupee fall: report
 The Overall wealth of the country's super-rich dipped 4.4 per cent to USD 12.83 trillion in the year due
to the rupee's fall, and so did their tally, says a report by Credit Suisse Research Institute.
 The number of dollar millionaires in India fell from 7,64,000 in 2019 to 6,98,000 solely because of the
rupee's fall, while their cumulative wealth stood at USD 12.833 trillion, down by USD 594 billion or 4.4
per cent from the previous year.
 The country is home to just 1 per cent of the global rich, whose number rose by 5.2 million to 56.1
million in the COVID-hit year.
World's first Green rating system for High-Speed Rail launched
 The world's first exclusive Green rating system for High-Speed Rail has been launched, with the Indian
Green Building Council (IGBC) undertaking its formulation in collaboration with the National High Speed
Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL).
 This rating system will be a tool to enable new High-Speed Rail (HSR) stations to apply energy
efficient concepts during design and construction, so as to further reduce adverse environmental
impacts that are measurable.
 The objective of the IGBC Green HSR Rating is to ensure environmental sustainability, while enhancing
commuter experience.
Andhra Pradesh tops new job creation under IBPS scheme, TN ranks 2nd
 The India Business Process Outsourcing Promotion Scheme (IBPS) launched by the Centre has
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facilitated expansion of several IT and BPO companies in tier-II and III cities across the country and
Tamil Nadu has become the second State in new job generation, as per Software Technology Parks
of India (STPI).
 Under the IBPS Scheme, Andhra Pradesh is the highest in employment generation by creating 12,234
new jobs followed by Tamil Nadu at 9,401 while remaining was spread across Punjab, Odisha,
Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Bihar.
 STPI, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, is the
executing agency for India BPO Promotion Scheme.
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India BPO Promotion Scheme (IBPS) was approved under Digital India Programme to incentivize BPO/IT- ITES
operations sector in the country. It was launched in 2014 under the Ministry of IT and Electronics.
India holds on to position as second-largest source of FDI for UK
 Indian companies invested in 99 projects and created 4,830 jobs in Britain to retain India's position as
the second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) after the US in the past year, according to
new UK government figures.
US announces USD 41 million additional COVID 19 assistance to India
 The USAID has announced an additional USD 41 million assistance to help India respond to the
COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen the country’s preparedness for the future health emergencies,
taking the total aid to more than USD 200 million.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Learn Along
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the United States
federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.
Govt disburses Rs 25.25 crore seed capital to SHGs in 1st year of PMFME
 The Central Government has disbursed Rs 25.25 crore in the first year of the PMFME scheme for
meeting seed capital requirements of eligible 8,000-odd Self-Help Group (SHG) members engaged in
food processing activities.
 The Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME), launched on
June 29 last year, aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the
unorganised segment of the food processing industry and promote formalisation of the sector.
 The scheme envisages financial support of Rs 40,000 for working capital and purchase of small tools for
each member of SHGs engaged in food processing activities.
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Launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing
Enterprises (PM-FME) Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing
individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and promote formalization of
the sector and provide support to Farmer Producer Organizations, Self Help Groups, and Producers Cooperatives
along their entire value chain. With an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25,
the scheme envisions to directly assist the 2,00,000 micro food processing units for providing financial, technical, and
business support for upgradation of existing micro food processing enterprises.
PM-FME Ministry: Ministry of Food Processing Industries Launch Year: 2020
Electoral Bearer Bond Scheme- Sale starts at 29 authorised SBI Branches

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 State Bank of India (SBI), in the XVII Phase of sale, has been authorised to issue and encash Electoral
Bonds through its 29 Authorized Branches between 1st July to 10th July.
 The Electoral Bonds shall be valid for fifteen calendar days from the date of issue and no payment shall
be made to any payee Political Party if the Electoral Bond is deposited after expiry of the validity
period.
 The Electoral Bond deposited by an eligible Political Party in its account shall be credited on the same
day.
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Electoral Bonds may be purchased by a person, who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India. A
person being an individual can buy Electoral Bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals. Only the Political
Parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and which secured
not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last General Election to the House of the People or the
Legislative Assembly of the State, shall be eligible to receive the Electoral Bonds. The Electoral Bonds shall be
encashed by an eligible Political Party only through a Bank account with the Authorized Bank.
Railways on way to deliver 58 super critical and 68 critical projects worth more than Rs 115000
crore
 Railways is on its way to deliver 58 super critical and 68 critical projects worth more than Rs 115000
crore in next few years.
 29 Super Critical Projects of total length 1,044 Km costing Rs 11,588 Cr got commissioned in last 1
year.

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June 2021
 Indian Railways identified total 58 Super Critical Projects of a total length of 3750 km costing Rs
39663 Crore.
 Out of these total 58 Super Critical Projects, 27 projects will be completed by December 2021 while
remaining 02 projects will be handed over by March 2022.
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Indian Railways Headquarters: New Delhi Minister: Piyush Goyal
NITI Aayog Releases Report on Not-for-Profit Hospital Model in India
 NITI Aayog recently released a comprehensive study on the not-for-profit hospital model in the
country, in a step towards closing the information gap on such institutions and facilitating robust
policymaking in this area.
 The study provides insights into the operation model of not-for-profit hospitals. It presents research-
based findings on such hospitals—categorized under ownership and premise of service—and makes
subsequent comparisons with private hospitals and health schemes of the Union government.
India-Bhutan: Tax Inspectors Without Borders Initiative
 India and Bhutan have jointly launched the “Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB)”.
 It has been launched for strengthening the tax administration of Bhutan.
 The Initiative will focus on International Taxation and Transfer Pricing. TIWB programme aims to
strengthen tax administrations among developing countries by transferring technical know-how and
skills to their tax auditors and by sharing general audit practices & dissemination of knowledge products
with them. www.i xamBee.c om
Andhra Pradesh introduces programme to transform foundational learning with World Bank aid
 Andhra Pradesh has started a programme to transform foundational learning in government schools for
which the World Bank has approved a loan of 250 million dollars.
 The main objectives of the programme called Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT)
are strengthening foundation schools and providing training and skill development to teachers.
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SAGE (Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal launched
 The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot virtually launched the
SAGE (Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal for elderly persons.
 The SAGE portal will be a “one-stop access” of elderly care products and services by credible start-
ups.
 An allocation of Rs 25 crores has been made for the SAGE project in the current financial year i.e
2021-22.
 The SAGE project is shaped on the recommendations of the empowered expert committee (EEC)
report on start-ups for elderly.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Sustainable Development Goals India Index 2020-21
 NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations in India released third rendition of SDG India
Index 2020-21.
 The Index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) evaluates progress of states and union
territories on social, economic and environmental parameters.
 First launched in December 2018, the index has become the primary tool for monitoring progress on
the SDGs in the country and has simultaneously fostered competition among the states and union
territories by ranking them on the global goals.
 From covering 13 goals, 39 targets, and 62 indicators in the first edition in 2018-19 to 17 goals, 54
targets and 100 indicators in the second; this third edition of the index covers 17 goals, 70 targets,
and 115 indicators.
Top Ranked States: Kerala retained its rank as the top state with a score of 75. Both Himachal
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu took the second spot with a score of 74.
Lowest Ranked States: Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam were the worst performing states in this year's
index.
Ranjitsinh Disale Appointed As World Bank Education Advisor
 Ranjitsinh Disale, a primary teacher from Maharashtra's Solapur, who won the Global Teacher
Prize 2020, has been appointed as the World Bank Education Advisor for the period June 2021 to
June 2024. www.i xamBee.c om
 Mr Disale, 32, was named the winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2020 in recognition of his efforts to
promote girls' education and trigger a quick-response (QR) coded textbook revolution in India.
 The World Bank has launched a new Coach initiative that aims to accelerate student learning by
improving in-service teacher professional development (TPD). 
The IBF appoints Justice (retd.) Vikramjit Sen as the chairman of Digital Media Content
Regulatory Council
 The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has appointed Justice (Retd.) Vikramjit Sen as the
Chairman, along with six other eminent industry members for the newly formed Digital Media
Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC).
 The apex body of broadcasters and OTT operators which is soon going to be renamed as Indian
Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) has also brought on board Nikkhil Advani, Deepak
Dhar, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Tigmanshu Dhulia.
 The other two members from the OCCPs include Ashok Nambisan, General Counsel, Sony Pictures
Pvt. Ltd, and Mihir Rale, chief regional counsel, Star and Disney India.
Gujarat: Vishwamitri river project gets green tribunal’s go-ahead
 The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Delhi in its order directed the
Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) and other state government authorities to prepare a plan of
demarcation of the entire flood plain zone of Vishwamitri river as well as plantation and

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
maintaining the integrity of the river in totality, which would include removal of all unauthorised
structures, as per the river restoration plan.
 The NGT has observed that the river consists of catchments, floodplains, tributaries, ponds, river-bed
and adjoining ravines which, along with the soils and vegetation on both sides, is the river’s natural
mechanism to retain the additional water, prevent floods and provide habitat for various species.
 The Vishwamitri River Action Plan should include demarcating, protecting, and restoring the river,
and maintaining minimum environment flow in a time-bound manner.
DRDO develops antibody detection kit for COVID-19
 The Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed a new antibody detection-
based kit that can give the result in 75 minutes and will cost Rs 75.
 The DRDO’s Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) laboratory has
developed the DIPCOVAN kit, which can detect spike as well as nucleocapsid (S&N) proteins of
SARS-CoV-2 virus with a high sensitivity of 97 per cent and specificity of 99 per cent.
 It will be commercially launched by DRDO’s industry partner — Delhi-based Vanguard Diagnostics.
 The kit will be very useful for understanding Covid‐19 epidemiology and assessing an individual’s
previous SARS‐CoV‐2 exposure.
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DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi Agency Executive: Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy
CBSE introduces coding and data science as new subjects in 2021-22 academic session
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 The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in collaboration with Microsoft to introduced
coding as a subject for students of Class 6-8 and data science curriculum for Class 8-12 as new
skilling subjects in the 2021-2022 academic session.
 The coding and data science curriculum are focused on building critical thinking, computational skills,
problem-solving skills, creativity and hands-on exposure to new technologies.
 The subjects have been launched in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
 Microsoft has designed supplementary handbooks in both coding and data science, aligned with
NCERT patterns and structures.
Govt reconstitutes 6 empowered groups into 10 to tackle Covid-19 crisis
 The Centre has reconstituted 6 empowered groups into 10 to tackle the current coronavirus
disease (Covid-19) situation in the country.
 The Centre has also formed a panel for vaccination and to monitor medical oxygen requirements.
 NITI Aayog (health) member Dr. VK Paul will lead the panel on vaccination which has 10 other
members who will oversee procurement, manufacturing, logistics, daily supply and utilisation and will
also oversee amount of vaccine wastage.
 Giridhar Aramane, Union secretary, ministry of road transport and highways has been appointed
convener of the empowered group to see the nation's requirements related to medical oxygen. He
along with 11 others will oversee production, import, logisitics, matters related to equipment meant for
transporting oxygen, PSA plants and conversion of industrial oxygen to medical oxygen.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
IEFPA’s 6 modules of short films titled “Hisab Ki Kitaab” launched
 Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur launched the six
modules of short films of Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) titled “Hisaab
Ki Kitaab”.
 “Hisaab ki kitab” is a series of 6 short films, developed by CSC eGov as a part of their training tool.
 There are 6 short films/ modules of 5 minutes duration each. The various modules highlight the
importance of budget, saving, importance of Insurance schemes, various social security schemes of
the government etc.
PM Modi launches ethanol dispensing stations in Pune
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the E-100 pilot project for production and distribution of
ethanol across the country.
 The comprehensive roadmap of the project will be a guide for production of ethanol across the
country and the launch of dispensing E100 from three petrol pumps in Pune.
 India is committed to meeting its target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by 2025.
NCPCR asks to Upload Data of Children on Online Tracking Portal “Bal Swaraj (COVID-Care)”
 The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), in furtherance to its function
as a monitoring authority under section 109 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and in view of the
growing problem related to children affected by COVID-19, has devised an online tracking portal “Bal
Swaraj (COVID-Care link)” for child in need of care and protection.
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 This portal of the Commission has been created with a purpose for online tracking and digital real
time monitoring mechanism of children who are in need of care and protection.
 The Commission has extended the use of this portal for tracking children who have lost both its
parents or either of the parent during COVID-19 and provided a link under the name of “COVID-
Care” for uploading of data of such children by the concerned officer/department on the portal.
SCO Agreement on Mass Media Cooperation Gets India's Retrospective Nod
 The Cabinet accorded an ex post facto approval for signing and ratifying an agreement on
cooperation in the field of mass media between all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO).
 The agreement aims to promote equal and mutually beneficial cooperation among associations
in the field of mass media.
 The main areas of cooperation in the agreement are creation of favorable conditions for wide and
mutual distribution of information through mass media in order to further deepen the knowledge about
the lives of the peoples of their states.
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About SCO: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent inter-governmental international
organisation, the creation of which was announced on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai by the Republic of Kazakhstan,
the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the
Republic of Uzbekistan. SCO comprises eight countries - India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan,
Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Cyclone Yaas
 Cyclone Yaas was a relatively strong and highly damaging tropical cyclone that made landfall in
Odisha and brought significant impacts to West Bengal during late May 2021.
 The second cyclonic storm, second severe cyclonic storm, and second very severe cyclonic storm of
the 2021 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Yaas formed from a tropical disturbance.
 The name of the cyclone 'Yaas', was given by Oman.
NMMS app and Area officer monitoring App launched
 Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Panchayati Raj and Food
Processing Industries, Narendra Singh Tomar launched National Mobile Monitoring Software
(NMMS) app and Area officer monitoring App through video-conferencing.
 The NMMS App permits taking real time attendance of workers at Mahatma Gandhi NREGS
worksites along with geotagged photograph, which will increase citizen oversight of the programme
besides potentially enabling processing payments faster.
 Area Officer Monitoring App facilitates them to record their findings online along with time
stamped and go-coordinate tagged photograph for all the schemes of Dept. of Rural Development-
Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, PMAYG, PMGSY. This would also enable not only better record keeping
of inspections by field and supervisory officials but also facilitate analysis of the findings for better
programme implementation.
Education Ministry releases AISHE report 2019-20

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 The Ministry of Education released All Indian Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) report 2019-20.
 This report is the 10th in the series of AISHE annually released by the Department of Higher
Education.
 This Report provides key performance indicators on the current status of Higher education in the
country.
Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20
 Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal released Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for
schools to provide insights on the status of school education in States and UTs.
 The PGI States/UTs for 2019-20 is the third edition of PGI that was first released in the year 2019
with the reference year 2017-18.
About the Index: The index covers 70 parameters to catalyse transformational change in school
education including learning outcomes and quality, access to education, infrastructure and facilities,
equity, governance process, with a maximum score of 1,000. It envisages that the index would propel
States and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will bring about the much-desired
optimal education outcomes. The PGI helps the States/UTs to pinpoint the gaps and accordingly
prioritise areas for intervention to ensure that the school education system is robust at every level.

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June 2021
Key Findings:
o As per the latest report, most of the States/UTs have improved their grade in PGI 2019-20
compared to the earlier years.
o For the third year in a row, none of the states or Union territories reached Level-1.
o Punjab, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Kerala occupy the
highest grade (Grade A++) for 2019-20, with a score between 901 to 950 on a scale of 1,000.
These five states and Union territories scored more than 90% for the first time and reached
Level-2 or Grade A++
o Seven regions, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Puducherry, Himachal
Pradesh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, scored 851-900, coming in Level-3.
o Eleven states including Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, UP, West Bengal, Rajasthan are
among the States that have improved their score by 10 to 20 per cent from last year. While, 10
States including Bihar, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir have improved their PGI score
by 5 to 10 per cent.
o Meghalaya (Level 8) and Ladakh (Level 10) are at the bottom.
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Image Source: Republic World
‘Namaste Yoga’ mobile App launched in curtain raiser event for 7th International Day of Yoga
 ‘Namaste Yoga’ a mobile application was launched in the curtain raiser event for the 7th
International Day of Yoga.
 The event was organised by the Ministry of Ayush in association with the Morarji Desai National
Institute of Yoga.
 It aims to raise awareness about yoga and make it accessible for the larger community. It has been
designed as an information platform for the public.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Karnataka: Bengaluru airport achieves energy neutral status
 The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) achieved net energy neutral status during the 2020-
21 financial year, the airport operator Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) announced.
 As an outcome of energy conservation, BIAL has been able to save nearly 22 lakh units of energy
in the FY 2020-21, enough to power nearly 9,000 houses for a month.
Mission Innovation CleanTech Exchange launched
 India among 23 governments (22 countries and the European Commission) collectively launched
Mission Innovation CleanTech Exchange (Mission Innovation 2.0), a global initiative which will create
a network of incubators across member countries to accelerate clean energy innovation
 It will catalyze action and spearhead a decade of innovation to drive global investment in clean energy
research, development and demonstrations.
 The network, launched virtually at the Innovating to Net Zero Summit hosted by Chile, will provide
access to the expertise and market insights needed to support new technologies to access
new markets globally.
 The goal is to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all this decade, to
accelerate action towards the Paris Agreement and net zero pathways.
UN body lauds success of Centre’s Aspirational Districts Programme
 A report, Aspirational Districts Programme: An Appraisal, was presented by UNDP India Resident
Representative Shoko Noda to NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar and CEO Amitabh Kant.
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 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has lauded the Centre’s Aspirational
Districts Programme (ADP), saying that it should serve as a “best practice” for other countries
where regional disparities in development status persist for many reasons.
 UNDP’s analysis across the 5 key sectors of the ADP found that the programme has acted as a
catalyst for expediting development in these districts.
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About Aspirational Districts Programme: The Aspirational Districts Programme was launched by the Prime
Minister in 115 districts across 28 states in January 2018. It programme aims to transform some of India's most
underdeveloped districts. The ranking is based on 49 indicators across 5 sectors:
i. health and nutrition
ii. education
iii. agriculture and water resources
iv. basic infrastructure
v. financial inclusion and skill development
100% COVID vaccination: Kashmir village is India's first to inoculate all adults
 Weyan village, a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district has become the first
one in the country to vaccinate all its adult population against the coronavirus disease.
 Vaccination in Weyan village was covered under the J&K model, a 10-point strategy to inoculate
everyone who is eligible for the shots at a faster pace.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Biotechnology Company MyLab appoints Akshay Kumar as brand ambassador
 Actor Akshay Kumar has been appointed as the new brand ambassador of biotechnology
company Mylab Discovery Solutions.
 The partnership with Akshay is aimed at creating awareness for Mylab's products and kits such as
CoviSelf and also to share educational content.
Cabinet approves Deep Ocean Mission
 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has
approved the proposal of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on "Deep Ocean Mission", with a view
to explore deep ocean for resources and develop deep sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean
resources.
 The estimated cost of the Mission will be Rs. 4077 crore for a period of 5 years to be implemented
in a phase-wise manner. The estimated cost for the first phase for the 3 years (2021-2024) would be
Rs.2823.4 crore.
 Such technology and expertise is now available with only five countries -- US, Russia, France, Japan
and China. India will now be sixth country to have it.
 Deep Ocean Mission with be a mission mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of
the Government of India.
 Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry implementing this multi-institutional
ambitious mission.
Centre approves policy to declassify war histories, operations

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 In a significant development that will help set the record straight on India’s military history, defence
minister Rajnath Singh approved a new policy to declassify war histories and records of other
military operations in a time-bound manner to give the country an accurate account of events,
provide authentic material for research and counter unfounded rumours.
 According to the policy, each organisation under the MoD such as tri-services, Integrated Defence
Staff, Assam Rifles and Indian Coast Guard, will transfer the records, including war diaries,
letters of proceedings and operational record books, to the History Division of MoD for proper
upkeep, archival and writing of histories.
 The ministry’s History Division, set up in October 1953, will be responsible for coordination with
various departments for compiling, seeking approval and publishing war and operations
histories. All organisations under the ministry will transfer the records, including war diaries, letters of
proceedings and operational record books to the History Division for upkeep, archival and writing the
histories.
 The requirement of having war histories written with clear cut policy on declassification of war records
was recommended by the Kargil Review Committee headed by K Subrahmanyam as well as N N
Vohra Committee in order to analyse lessons learnt and prevent future mistakes.
Govt launches 'Project O2 for India' to increase supply of medical oxygen
 The Centre has launched 'Project O2 for India' to step up production of medical oxygen to meet
the potential increase in demand due to further waves of the pandemic.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 'Project O2 for India', an initiative of the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of
India (GoI), aims to help stakeholders working to augment the country's ability to meet the rise in
demand for medical oxygen.
Government releases Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India
 For generating awareness towards preventing and restoring land degradation for healthier and
sustainable ecosystems, the Desertification and Drought day (17th June) was commemorated by
the Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with an aim to generate large scale
awareness towards understanding the key role of land in all environmental and economic concerns
that world, as well as India is facing now-a days.
 The Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Babul Supriyo released the latest
version of Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India.
 It has been published by Space Application Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad.
 The Atlas provides state wise area of degraded lands for the time frame 2018-19. It also provides
the change analysis for the duration of 15 years, from 2003-05 to 2018-19.
 The event also observed release of Coffee Table Book “India Hosting UNCCD-COP 14” and a short
film on UNCCD-COP 14.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs and NCERT’s joint mission for NISHTHA Capacity Building Programme
for EMRS Teachers and Principals
 To fulfill the long-standing vision of Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) to achieve academic excellence
in Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs), 120 EMRS teachers and principals from 3 states
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completed a 40 days’ NISHTHA-National initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic
Advancement Program, a national flagship program of NCERT.
 The capacity building program is aimed to build competencies among teachers and school principals
and Improving Quality of School Education through Integrated Teacher Training.
 MoTA has recently collaborated with National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
for conducting such programs across 350 functional EMRS schools across the country.
 This was the first batch of 120 EMRS teachers and principals from 3 states, namely Himachal
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
 The participants were capacitated on 18 holistic and comprehensive modules covering different
aspects of education.
Report it, don’t share it! Facebook has a new initiative to keep children safe online
 Facebook has kicked off a new initiative to keep children safe on the internet. Given that more
and more kids are using the internet for both online classes and entertainment, protecting them is the
first and the most important thing.
 The ‘Report it, don’t share it’ campaign is being helmed by Facebook in collaboration with
Aarambh India Initiative, Cyber Peace Foundation, and Arpan.
mYoga app launched on International Yoga Day
 Ministry of AYUSH, on International Yoga Day, has announced the launch of the new WHO mYoga
app.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 The new mYoga app basically aims to educate people about yoga with the help of a library of audio
and video clips. As the name suggests, the app has been developed in collaboration with the
World Health Organization.
PM Modi launches crash course to train one lakh ‘Covid warriors’
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a crash course to train more than one lakh “Covid
warriors” as he called on the country to be prepared for challenges the coronavirus pandemic may
pose in the future.
 The programme will be to be carried out from 111 training centers spread across 26 states.
 Prime Minister Modi said training will be imparted to COVID warriors in six customised job roles —
Home Care Support, Basic Care Support, Advanced Care Support, Emergency Care Support,
Sample Collection Support, and Medical Equipment Support.
Minority Affairs Minister launches a nationwide “JaanHaiToJahaanHai” campaign
 The Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched a nationwide “JaanHaiToJahaanHai”
awareness campaign to create awareness on Corona vaccination in rural and remote areas of the
country and also to curb the rumours and apprehensions, being spread by some vested interests
regarding the on-going vaccination drive.
 He launched the campaign from the Primary Health Centre, Chamraua in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.
 The Ministry of Minority Affairs along with various socio-educational organisations, NGOs and
Women Self Help Groups have launched the awareness campaign which will be organised across
the country in the coming days.
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Mawya Sudan becomes IAF’s 1st woman fighter pilot from J&K
 24-year-old Mawya Sudan has become the first woman from Jammu and Kashmir to become a
fighter pilot. She is the 12th woman fighter pilot in the IAF.
 Mawya’s family originally belongs to Lamberi village on the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district.
Bhutan’s Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) programme launched in partnership with India
 Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), a joint initiative of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
launched its programme in Bhutan.
 India was chosen as the Partner Jurisdiction and has provided the Tax Expert for this programme.
NSDC and WhatsApp Launch ‘Digital Skill Champions Program’
 The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and WhatsApp announced an alliance to
launch the Digital Skill Champions Program that aims to train India’s youth on digital skills, in order
to make them employment ready.
 Through this program, school and university students would be coached to imbibe digital and online
skills that would culminate with WhatsApp and NSDC awarding ‘Digital Skill Champions’ certification.
 The partnership identifies two broad areas of collaboration viz., WhatsApp Digital Skills Academy and
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) and WhatsApp Business App Training sessions.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
PM Modi to inaugurate Zen garden, Kaizen Academy in Ahmedabad
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a Zen garden and Kaizen Academy in Gujarat's
Ahmedabad.
 A joint endeavour of the Japan Information and Study Centre at AMA and Indo-Japan Friendship
Association (IJFA) in Gujarat, 'Zen-Kaizen' at AMA seeks to showcase several elements of Japanese
art, culture, landscape and architecture.
 It has been supported by Japan's Hyogo International Association (HIA).
JSCA, SAIL-BSL Inks MoU For International Cricket Stadium In Bokaro
 Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) signed a lease agreement with SAIL-Bokaro Steel
Plant (BSL), which has paved the way for constructing an international cricket stadium by JSCA in
Bokaro.
 Under this arrangement, the SAIL-BSL has transferred 20.17 acres of land to JSCA for 33 years to
construct an international cricket stadium at Bokaro. The said land on lease to JSCA is located on the
south of National Highway-23 at Mauja-Narkara and south-west of the Vistapit College.
E-filing portal of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal launched by law minister
 Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the e-filing portal of Income Tax Appellate
Tribunal (ITAT), ‘itat e-dwar’, in New Delhi.
 The newly developed e-filing portal would enable the parties to file their appeals, miscellaneous
applications, documents, paper books, etc., electronically.
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India gets Asia’s longest, world’s fifth-longest high speed track for automobiles
 Asia's longest high-speed track for automotive testing, measuring 11.3 kilometres, was virtually
inaugurated in Indore, Madhya Pradesh by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar.
 The longest high-speed track in Asia is also the the fifth-largest in the world.
 The high-speed track in the city's Pithampur town will be used for automotive and component testing
by automobile companies.
 The National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX) facility will facilitate measuring the maximum speed
capabilities of high-end cars and other categories of vehicles. The four-lane track will be used to carry
out development and homologation tests for all kinds of vehicles.
INTERNATIONAL
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Isaac Herzog elected 11th president of Israel
 Veteran politician Isaac Herzog has been elected Israel’s 11th president in a secret ballot in the
Knesset (parliament).
 Herzog won the support of an overwhelming 87 lawmakers in the 120-member house defeating his
rival Miriam Peretz.
 He will officially replace outgoing President Reuven Rivlin next month, with his seven-year term
beginning on July 9.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
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About Israel Capital: Jerusalem Currency: Israeli Shekel
Naftali Bennett sworn in as Israel's new Prime Minister
 Naftali Bennett sworn in as new Prime Minister of Israel.

 Israel’s parliament approved a new coalition government, ending the 12-year rule of Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and sending the leader into the opposition.
Israel will become the World’s First Mask-Free Country from June 15
 Israel will become the world’s first mask-free country in the Corona period. The rule of applying
masks in closed places will end from June 15.
 The rule of applying masks outside has already been abolished in the country.
HeidelbergCement plans world's first CO2 neutral cement plant in Sweden
 HeidelbergCement, the world’s second-largest cement maker, plans to turn its Swedish factory
in Slite into the world’s first CO2-neutral cement plant by 2030 via carbon capture technology.
 Following the planned retrofit, which will cost at least 100 million euros ($122 million), the plant will
be able to capture up to 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which corresponds to the
site’s total emissions.
 While HeidelbergCement will bear some of the costs for the upgrade of Slite, which accounts for
about 3% of Sweden’s carbon emissions, most of the money will have to come from the Swedish
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government.
 With cement production being one of the heaviest emitters globally, HeidelbergCement aims to
reduce CO2 emissions by nearly a third by 2025 compared with 1990 on a group level.
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About Sweden Capital: Stockholm Currency: Swedish krona
Swedish PM Stefan Lofven resigns after no-confidence vote
 Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven resigned, handing the speaker of parliament the job of
finding a new premier after the Social Democrat leader lost a vote of no-confidence.
China creates combined air defence system along LAC
 China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) has integrated elements of the air force and army to create a
combined air defence system for its western theatre command that is responsible for operations
along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
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About China Capital: Beijing Currency: Renminbi

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June 2021
China turns on world’s second-biggest hydropower dam
 The first two generating units of the world’s second-biggest hydroelectric dam were officially
turned on in southwestern China.
 The Baihetan Dam on the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze, is part of Chinese efforts to curb
surging fossil fuel demand by building more hydropower capacity.
 The 289-meter-tall (954-foot-tall) Baihetan Dam have 16 generating units with a capacity of 1 million
kilowatts each. That will make it second in size after the Three Gorges Dam, opened in 2003 on the
Yangtze, with 22.5 million kilowatts of generating capacity.
Mali's president, prime minister resigned under detention
 Mali’s President Bah N'Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane of Mali’s transitional government,
who are under detention at a military camp, announced their resignations.
 After the resignation both were released.
 The arrests were orchestrated by Vice President Assimi Goita, who led last year's coup that overthrew
former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
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About Mali Capital: Bamako Currency: West African CFA franc
INTERPOL unveils I-Familia, new global database to identify missing persons
 INTERPOL unveiled I-Familia, a groundbreaking new database officially launched that applies
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cutting-edge scientific research and uses the DNA of relatives to identify missing persons or
unidentified human remains around the world.
 Family members’ DNA profiles can be compared to that of an unidentified body or human remains
through what is known as DNA kinship matching. This method is often used when a direct sample
from the missing person – from a prior medical sample or a personal item– is not available.
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About INTERPOL Headquarters: Lyon, France President: Kim Jong Yang
Bill Gates and EU pledge $1 billion boost for green technology
 The European Union and an energy investment programme, Breakthrough Energy, founded by
Bill Gates plan to raise up to $1 billion to roll out the low-carbon technologies for Europe to meet its
climate change goals.
 The partnership would see Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy use private capital and philanthropic
funds to match funding provided by the EU. The aim is to together provide up to €820 million, or $1
billion, from 2022 to 2026.
 Support will target hydrogen produced from renewable energy, sustainable aviation fuels, technology
to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere, and long-duration energy storage. The investments will focus on
building large-scale commercial demonstration projects to reduce the cost of the technologies.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Ex-Mongolian Prime Minister Khurelsukh Wins Presidential Election
 Former Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh became the country's sixth
democratically elected president.
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About Mongolia Capital: Ulaanbaatar Currency: Mongolian tögrög
UK’s and Australia's PMs agree on historic free trade agreement
 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison have
agreed on a historic free trade agreement (FTA) that will make it cheaper for the UK to sell its cars
and Scotch whisky Down Under and remove barriers for business.
 The leaders reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the UK and Australia during their discussion
and agreed to work closely together on defence, technology collaboration and tackling climate change
– including through a future Clean Tech Partnership.
 The new Free Trade Agreement means iconic British products like cars, Scotch whisky, biscuits
and ceramics will be cheaper to sell into Australia, boosting UK industries.
 British farmers will be protected by a cap on tariff-free imports for 15 years, using tariff rate quotas
and other safeguards.
 Under the agreement, Brits under the age of 35 will be able to travel and work in Australia more
freely, opening opportunities for young people.
About Australia Capital: Canberra Currency: Australian dollar
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About UK Capital: London Currency: British Pound
NATO leaders declare China a global security challenge
 NATO leaders declared China a constant security challenge and said the Chinese are working to
undermine global order.
Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, UAE Elected To UN Security Council for 2022-23 Term
 Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates were elected unopposed to the UN
Security Council as non-permanent members for the 2022-23 term.
 The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections to elect five non-permanent members who will
take their seats on the 15-nation Council for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2022.
 As per regional distribution for the 2021 election, three seats were available from the African and
Asian States that went to Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates, one Latin American and
Caribbean Group seat to which Brazil was elected and the Eastern European Group seat that went
to Albania.
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About Non-permanent members: Every year, five countries are elected to the 15-member Council as non-
permanent members for a two-year term, according to a geographical rotation set by the General Assembly in

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
1963, to ensure fair regional representation: five from African and Asian and Pacific States; one from Eastern
Europe; two from Latin American States; and two from Western European and Other States (WEOG).
Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam will complete their two-year terms on
the Council this year and the five newly elected members will sit at the horse-shoe table along with five permanent
members China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the five non-permanent
members India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway, whose terms at the Council will end December 31, 2022. India
will assume the rotating Presidency of the Security Council in August.
India, China, Pakistan appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals: SIPRI
 According to a study by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China, Pakistan
and India have 350, 165 and 156 nuclear warheads respectively as of January this year and the
three countries appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals.
 It also said as per its assessment, 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.
 It also said Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and China were the five largest importers of major
arms in the world between 2016 and 2020. Saudi Arabia had 11 percent share and India 9.5 percent
in the global imports of the major arms in this time period.
Ebrahim Raisi will be the next president of Iran
 Ebrahim Raisi will be the next president of Iran following his win in election.
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 Ebrahim Raisi won almost 18 million of the nearly 29 million ballots cast. Now, he will
become Iran's eighth president. Image Source: Wikipedia
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About Iran Capital: Tehran Currency: Iranian rial
World's Third Largest Diamond Unearthed In Botswana
 A 1,098-carat diamond believed to be the third-largest gem-quality stone ever

to be mined has been discovered in Botswana, according to Debswana which is
a joint venture between Anglo American's De Beers and the Botswanan
government. (Botswanan government, which receives as much as 80% of the
income from sales through dividends, royalties and taxes.)
 The stone was presented to Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi by
Debswana Diamond Company's acting managing director Lynette Armstrong.
 The yet-to-be-named stone measures 73mm long, 52mm wide, and 27mm thick. Image Source: Fox Business
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About Botswana Capital: Gaborone Currency: Botswana pula
Armenia PM Pashinyan’s Civil Contract claims victory in snap poll
 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's party won 53.9 percent of the vote in snap
parliamentary polls called in an effort to defuse a political crisis after a war with Azerbaijan.

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June 2021
 An alliance led by his rival, ex-leader Robert Kocharyan, came second with 21 percent.
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About Armenia Capital: Yerevan Currency: Armenian dram
Philippines added to FATF grey list anew
 The Philippines has been included in a global dirty money watchdog’s “grey list” of countries that
will be subjected to increased monitoring to prove its progress against money-laundering and terrorist
financing.
 The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) released its grey list or jurisdictions that will be under
increased monitoring and actively working to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter
money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.
 In addition to the Philippines, the FATF added Haiti, Malta, and South Sudan to the grey list.
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About Philippines Capital: Manila Currency: Philippine peso
STATES
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Schemes/Facilities/Initiatives launched by various States governments
State Scheme/Facilities/Initiatives launched

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the Raimona
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reserve forest in Kokrajhar district under the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR),
bordering Bhutan, has been upgraded as the sixth national park of the state and
Dehing Patkai National Park as its seventh national park.
Assam
Assam chief minister announced a slew of welfare schemes for children who lost
their parents to the coronavirus disease and women who lost their husbands to
Capital: Dispur the virus. Under the chief minister’s Sishu Seva scheme, children will receive a
Governor: Jagdish Mukhi
fixed deposit of ₹781,000 with a monthly interest of ₹3,500 till they attain the age
CM: Himanta Biswa
Sarma of 24. Meanwhile, women who lost their husbands to Covid-19 will receive a one-
time grant of ₹250,000 and Orunodoi benefit and a widow pension of ₹830 and
₹300 respectively.
The Assam cabinet has decided to institute the 'Asom Ratna' award to be
presented every year to one person who has made a significant contribution to
society. The cabinet also decided to bestow 'Asom Bibhushan' award to three
people, 'Assam Bhushan' to five people and 'Asom Shree' to 10 people every
year.
The world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant was planted on the
outskirts of Guwahati, Assam. Developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research
Institute of India (RRII), the sapling was planted by Rubber Board chairman and
executive director KN Raghavan.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched two ambitious schemes christened as
Bihar the 'Mukhya Mantri Yuva Udyaymi Yojna' and the 'Mukhya Mantri Mahila
Udyami Yojna' to promote entrepreneurship among youth and women of all
sections under the state's 'Mukhaya Mantri Udyami Yojna' scheme. He also
Capital: Patna
launched a portal on which youth and women from all sections can register
Governor: Phagu Chauhan
themselves for availing the loan from the government.
CM: Nitish Kumar

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
With the aim to vaccinate all people above 45 years against COVID-19 in Delhi
within the next four weeks, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched 'Jahan
Delhi
Vote, Wahan Vaccination' campaign. The campaign is a new initiative for mass
vaccination at booth level in a planned manner in the national capital.
Governor: Anil Baijal
CM: Arvind Kejriwal
The Delhi government has developed a portal through which families of COVID-19
victims will apply for "Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata
Yojana" to avail financial assistance. Under the scheme, an ex-gratia of Rs
50,000 will be provided to those who have lost a family member to coronavirus
and an additional Rs 2,500 pension per month if the deceased was the sole
breadwinner. Children who lost their both parents or single parent to COVID-19
will also be provided Rs 2,500 per month till they achieve 25 years of age.
Goa
Capital: Panaji Goa Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant announced that Goa has become the first
Governor: Bhagat Singh state in country to be Rabies free. Not a single case of rabies had been found in
Koshyari the state since last three years. The progress came on the heels of Mission
CM: Pramod Sawant Rabies, a statewide drive in place since 2014.
Gujarat In Gujarat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani e-launched Agricultural Diversification

Capital: Gandhinagar Scheme-2021 benefiting vanbandhu- farmers in tribal areas. The scheme will
CM: Vijay Rupani benefit more than 1.26 lakh farmers from 14 tribal districts of the state. The state
Governor: Acharya Devvrat government is working to make agriculture sustainable and profitable in the tribal
areas.
Haryana Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the state government
will bear all expenses of COVID-19 patients belonging to below poverty line (BPL)
category undergoing treatment in private hospitals.
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Capital: Chandigarh
Governor: Satyadev Narayan On the occasion of World Environment Day, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal
Arya Khattar inaugurated several schemes. In order to promote the promotion,
CM: Manohar Lal Khattar protection, planting of trees Haryana Government has launched four important
schemes: Prana Vayu Devta Pension Scheme, Oxy-One in Karnal, Oxy-One in
Panchkula and Panchavati Plantation
Ladakh Ladakh Lt Governor RK Mathur has launched the YounTab scheme for students
Capital: Leh, Kargil in the Union Territory. YounTab scheme formulated to encourage digital learning,
Lt. Gov: Radha Krishna bridge the digital divide between connected and unconnected and mitigate the
Mathur Covid pandemic disruptions.
Madhya Pradesh The Madhya Pradesh Government has launched ‘Yuva Shakti Corona Mukti
Abhiyan’ involving youth to make the people aware of the COVID-19 pandemic
Capital: Bhopal
and covid appropriate behaviour. About 10 lakh students of the colleges of the
Governor: Anandiben Patel state will play an important role in the eradication of Corona. Chief Minister
CM: Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched a mobile app ‘Covi-Sandesh’ designed for real time monitoring of the
campaign.
Raja Parba, a 3-day festival celebrating womanhood is being celebrated across

Odisha. Raja Parba or Mithuna Sankranti is a three-day-long festival and the
Odisha second day signifies the beginning of the solar month of Mithuna from, which the
season of rains starts. It welcomes the agricultural year in Odisha, which marks,
Capital: Bhubaneswar through biological symbolism, the moistening of the sun-dried soil with the first
Governor: Ganeshi Lal showers of the monsoon in mid-June thus making it ready for productivity.
CM: Naveen Patnaik Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a new scheme ‘Ashirbad’ for
education, health and maintenance of COVID orphans. Children who lost their
parents or main earning person of the family on April 1, 2020 or thereafter to
COVID-19 will be eligible to be covered under the scheme.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021

Rajasthan The Rajasthan government will soon set up a Vedic Education and Sanskar
Capital: Jaipur Board to revive the knowledge of Sanskrit scriptures and Vedas. A committee,
Governor: Kalraj Mishra formed to define aims, objectives and functioning of the board, has submitted its
report to the state government.
CM: Ashok Gehlot
The Tamil Nadu government named former Reserve Bank of India Governor
Tamil Nadu Raghuram Rajan and Nobel laureate Esther Duflo as part of a five-member
Economic Advisory Council to the Chief Minister. The others in the panel are:
Capital: Chennai
former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, development economist
Governor: Banwarilal Purohit Jean Dreze and former Union Finance Secretary S Narayan. Based on the
CM: MK Stalin council’s recommendations, the government will revitalise the state’s economy
and ensure that benefits of economic growth reach all segments of society.
REPORTS AND INDEXES

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Centre for World University Rankings 2021-22
 The Centre for World University Ranking (CWUR) released World University Rankings 2021/22.
 19,788 institutions were ranked, and those that placed at the top made the global 2000 list.
 Among the top 2,000 institutions across the globe, 68 Indian institutions have made the positions in
that list.
Top Ranked Universities: Harvard University is ranked at top position globally followed by
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. All these universities are in USA.
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Indian Universities: Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad is ranked at 415th position. It is top
ranked university among Indian universities. Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (459th) was second
among Indian universities followed by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai (543rd).
AIRINC Global 150 Cities Index
 AIRINC’s Global 150 Cities Index is a ranking of 150 of the top global locations according to the
financial and lifestyle benefits they offer. It combines local salary levels, tax rates, living costs, and
living conditions to assess how appealing each location is to live in.
 Metrics for index: Salary level, cost, taxes, hardship/quality of living, social benefits
Top Ranked Cities: Zurich, Switzerland is the top ranked city followed by Geneva, Switzerland and
Luxembourg.
Indian Cities: New Delhi is at 122nd position. Mumbai at 128th position.
Last Ranked City: Port Moresby capital of Papua New Guinea is ranked at last position.
State of Environment Report 2021
 The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has recently released the State of Environment
Report, 2021.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 India’s rank has slipped by two places from last year to 117 on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) adopted as a part of the 2030 agenda by 193 United Nations member states in 2015.
 India’s rank was 115 last year.
 The overall SDG score of India is 61.9 out of 100.
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The Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be
a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". The SDGs were set in 2015 by the United Nations
General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030.
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation
based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1980, CSE works as a think tank on environment-development issues in
India, poor planning, climate shifts devastating India's Sundarbans and advocates for policy changes and better
implementation of the already existing policies.
Scientific review of the impact of climate change on plant pests: FAO
 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published a report-
Scientific review of the impact of climate change on plant pests.
 As much as 40 per cent of the world’s agricultural crops are lost to pests each year.
 Invasive pests cost countries at least $70 billion annually and are one of the main drivers of biodiversity
loss.
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FAO Headquarters: Rome, Italy Director General: Qu Dongyu
State of Finance for Nature: UN Report www.i xamBee.c om
 United Nations in association with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World
Economic Forum (WEF) and the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative recently released report-
"State of Finance for Nature".
 It estimates that the annual investments in Nature-based Solutions (NbS) must be tripled by 2030 and
increased to 4-times by 2050, compared to the current spending of USD 133 billion (Rs. 9.7 lakh
crores).
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UNEP Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Executive Director: Inger Andersen
WEF Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland Executive Chairman: Klaus Schwab
World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2021 (WESO Trends 2021): ILO Report
 The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has released a report titled "World Employment and
Social Outlook: Trends 2021 (WESO Trends 2021)".
 It states that the global unemployment rate will be 5.7% in 2022, 6.3% in 2021 & there will no recovery
in global jobs until 2023.
 The report also stated that there will be 205 million unemployed people around the world in 2022, which
is higher than the pre Covid numbers of 187 million in 2019.
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ILO Headquarters: Geneva (Switzerland) Director-General: Guy Ryder

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Global House Price Index - Q1 2021: Knight Frank
 Knight Frank, an international property consultancy, released its latest research report - Global
House Price Index - Q1 2021.
 The Global House Price Index tracks the movement in mainstream residential prices across 56
countries and territories worldwide using official statistics.
Top Ranked Nations: In the 12-month percentage change for Q1 2020 – Q1 2021, Turkey continues to
lead the annual rankings with prices up by 32 percent YoY, followed by New Zealand at 22.1 percent
YoY and Luxembourg with 16.6 percent YoY.
India’s Ranking: India ranked 55th in Q1 2021 of global home price index, with a decline of 1.6
percent year-on-year (YoY) in home prices. India gained a spot, compared to last quarter (Q4 2020),
where India ranked last globally amongst the 56 countries tracked by the Index.
Lowest Ranked Nation: Spain was the weakest-performing territory in Q1 2021, where home prices
fell by 1.8 percent YoY.
Asia University Rankings 2021
 The Times Higher Education released Asia University Rankings 2021.

 It assessed performance of 551 universities from 30 countries on 13 performance
indicators/parameters.
 The performance indicators are grouped into five areas: teaching (the learning environment); research
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(volume, income and reputation); citations (research influence); international outlook (staff, students
and research); and industry income (knowledge transfer).
Top Ranked Universities: Tsinghua University, China has gained the first position in the Asia
university rankings 2021. The second place is also secured by China’s Peking University. National
University of Singapore is at third position, University of Hong Kong at fourth and Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore at fifth position.
Indian Universities: In the Times Higher Education Asia university rankings 2021, three Indian
universities secured positions in the top 100 list. IISc Bangalore (37th), IIT Ropar (55th) and IIT Indore
(78th) have secured ranks among the top 100 universities in Asia.
A total of 25 Indian Universities are ranked in the list.
QS World University Rankings 2022
 London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released its World University Ranking 2022, listing
world’s top 1300 universities.
Top Ranked Universities: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US achieved a record-

extending 10th consecutive year as world number-one. University of Oxford, UK is at second place
followed by Stanford University, US.

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June 2021
Indian Universities: In the total list, 35 Indian universities got ranked, with only 22 in the top 1000, 3 in
the top 200, and none in the top 100. Here are the top 3 Indian universities as per the QS World
University Rankings 2022:
i. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB): Rank: 177

ii. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD): Rank: 185
iii. Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru (IISc): Rank: 186
Global Liveability Index 2021
 The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) published the Global Liveability Index 2021.
 The Index is an annual assessment which ranks 140 global cities for their urban quality of life based
on assessments of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
 The data for the liveability survey was collected from February 22, 2020, to March 21, 2021.
Top Ranked Cities: Here’s the top 3 most liveable cities in the world:
i. Auckland (New Zealand)

ii. Osaka (Japan)
iii. Adelaide (Australia)
Bottom Ranked Cities: Living conditions remained worst in the Syrian capital Damascus. Other cities
scraping along the bottom of the rankings are Lagos, Port Moresby, and Dhaka.
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Due to Climate Change India Might Lose 3-10% GDP Annually by 2100 says ODI Report
 The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) published 'The Costs of Climate Change in India: a
review of the climate-related risks facing India, and their economic and social costs' report.
 As per the report, India may lose 3-10 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) annually by
2100 due to climate change.
 It also estimated the poverty rate of India to rise by 3.5 percent in 2040 due to climate change.
Global Skills Report 2021: Coursera Report
 Coursera released ‘Global Skills Report 2021’.

 India has been ranked 67th overall globally, according to the Report.
 The Top 3 countries are- Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria.
GWEC released report titled "Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2021-2025"
 Global Wind Energy Council released the report "Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2021-2025".
 The report highlights the increase of job opportunities across the supply chain with the increase
in the global wind industry.
 India remains one of the top markets globally for onshore wind with 38.6 GW of capacity.
 India is expected to install over 20GW of additional capacity in the next 5 years.
 This includes the first 100MW of offshore wind by the middle of the decade.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
India Can Save Logistics Fuel Worth ₹311 Lakh Crore between 2020 and 2050: Report
 NITI Aayog & RMI India jointly published “Fast Tracking Freight in India: A Roadmap for Clean and
Cost-Effective Goods Transport” Report.
 According to the report, India has the potential to:
o Reduce its logistics cost by 4% of GDP
o Achieve 10 gigatons of cumulative CO2 emissions savings between 2020 and 2050
o Reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions by 35% and 28%,
respectively, until 2050
 As India’s freight activity grows five-fold by 2050 and about 400 million citizens move to cities, a whole
system transformation can help uplift the freight sector.
World Giving Index 2021
 The World Giving Index (WGI) is an annual report published by the Charities Aid Foundation,
using data gathered by Gallup, and ranks over countries in the world according to how charitable they
are.
 The aim of the World Giving Index is to provide insight into the scope and nature of giving around the
world. The first edition was released in 2010 and this year marks the 10 year anniversary of WGI.
Top Ranked nations: This year, Indonesia has topped the index, followed by Kenya and Nigeria.
India’s Rank: India is now ranked as the 14th most charitable country in the world as per a report
released by the index. www.i xamBee.c om
Bottom Ranked nations: Japan (114) is ranked at the bottom of the index. Portugal (113) and
Belgium (112) are also ranked at the bottom.
Global Peace Index 2021
 The 15th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 163 independent states and
territories according to their level of peacefulness was produced by the Institute for Economics
and Peace (IEP).
Most Peaceful Countries: Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has
held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Denmark, Portugal, and Slovenia.
India’s Rank: India is ranked at 135th position in the index.
Least Peaceful Countries: Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the fourth
consecutive year, followed by Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq.
Most Peaceful Regions: Europe maintained its position as the most peaceful region in the world,
which it has held since 2008. Europe is followed by North America and Asia- Pacific.
Least Peaceful Regions: Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) remained the least peaceful
region in the world for the sixth consecutive year, despite recording the largest improvement in
peacefulness of any region. MENA is followed by South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Anemia Mukt Bharat Index 2020-21
 Anemia Mukt Bharat is an initiative of UNICEF and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
which has been launched to reduce the prevalence of anemia all over the country.
 Considering the slow progress that is less than 1% per annum in reduction of anemia from 2005 to
2015, the Government of India launched the Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy under the Prime
Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyaan with the target to
reduce anaemia by 3% per year.
 Madhya Pradesh is at the first position in the Anemia Mukt Bharat Index 2020-21 national ranking
with a score of 64.1 followed by Odisha with a score of 59.3. Himachal Pradesh was at the third
spot with a score of 57.1.
Developing Economies Energy Transition needs USD 1 Trillion by 2030 says IEA Report
 The International Energy Agency (IEA) released 'Financing Clean Energy Transitions in Emerging
and Developing Economies' report.
 The report has been prepared by IEA in collaboration with the World Bank and the World Economic
Forum (WEF).
 According to the report, the Annual Clean energy investment in emerging and developing economies
needs to increase by more than seven times - from less than USD 150 billion in 2019 to more than USD
1 Trillion by 2030 to put the world on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
 Annual investment across the entire energy sector in emerging and developing markets have fallen by
about 20% since 2016.
 World's energy and climate future will depend on how emerging economies manage energy transition
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successfully.
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International Energy Agency (IEA) Headquarters: Paris, France Chairman: Fatih Birol
India set to add 17 GW renewable capacity in 2021 and 19.3 GW in 2022: IEA
 The International Energy Agency published the 'Renewable Energy Market Update - Outlook for 2021
and 2022'.
 India will add 17 GigaWatt (GW) renewable capacity in 2021 & 19.3 GW in 2022.
 However, the total Renewable Energy Capacity will be under 140 GW in 2022.
 It also says that India's Renewable Energy capacity additions declined by 50% in 2020 compared to
2019. The growth may pick up and renewable expansion is expected to set new records by 2022.
 Globally, in 2020 the annual renewable capacity additions increased 45% to almost 280 GW - the
highest year-on year increase since 1999.
India ranked 51st in terms of Money Deposited in Swiss Banks says SNB
 Swiss National Bank (SNB) came up with the 'Annual Bank Statistics of 2020'.
 As per that, India has been placed at 51st position in the list of foreign clients' money in Swiss Banks
during 2020.
 The United Kingdom (UK) topped the list with CFIF 377 billion, followed by US (152 billion).
 The CHF 2.55 Billion (includes deposits made by Indian individuals, firms, deposits made in India-
based branches of Swiss Banks and other financial institutions) has increased from 899 million CHF
(INR 6, 625 Crore) in 2019.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
UNESCO Report throws light on India’s expenditure on Research & Development
 UNESCO has released 'UNESCO Science Report 2021: The race against time for smarter
development'.
 It states that India's Investment in Research remains unsatisfactory. India's Gross Domestic
Expenditure on Research & Development (GERD) remained at 0.7% of the GDP for several years.
 India has one of the lowest GERD/GDP ratios among the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and
South Africa) nations.
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UNESCO Headquarters: Paris Director General: Audrey Azoulay
India receives $64 billion FDI in 2020, fifth largest recipient of inflows in world: UN
 The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released The World Investment Report
2021.
 As per that Report, India received USD 64 billion in Foreign Direct Investment in 2020, the fifth largest
recipient of inflows in the world.
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UNCTAD Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland Secretary-General: Mukhisa Kituyi
World Competitiveness Index 2021
 The annual World Competitiveness Index is released which is compiled by the Institute for
Management Development (IMD).
 The IMD World Competitiveness Ranking ranks 64 economies and assesses the extent to which a
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country promotes the prosperity of its people by measuring economic well-being through hard data
and survey responses from executives.
Top Ranked Economies: The 64-nation list was led by Switzerland, while Sweden has moved up to
the second position (from sixth last year), Denmark has lost one place to rank third, the Netherlands
has retained its fourth place and Singapore has slipped to the fifth place (from first in 2020).
Top-performing Asian economies: The top-performing Asian economies are, in order, Singapore
(fifth), Hong Kong (seventh), Taiwan (eighth) and China (16th).
India’s Rank: India maintained 43rd rank on an annual World Competitiveness Index.
Mercer Cost of Living Survey 2021
 Mercer’s 2021 Cost of Living city ranking reveals the most and least affordable locations for
international employees worldwide.
 The annual report has ranked 209 cities across five continents by measuring the comparative cost of
more than 200 items, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and
entertainment.
Most Expensive Cities: Ashgabat tops this year’s list of most expensive cities for international
employees, followed by Hong Kong and Beirut.

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June 2021
Indian Cities: Mumbai remains India’s most expensive city at 78th rank. Other Indian cities on the list
are New Delhi (117), Chennai (158), Bengaluru (170), and Kolkata (181).
Least Expensive Cities: The world’s least expensive cities for international employees according to
Mercer’s survey are Tbilisi (207), Lusaka (208) and Bishkek (209).
EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century
 Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, founder of the Tata Group, has topped the EdelGive Hurun
Philanthropists of the Century.
 The report pegs the current value of his donation – mainly to education and healthcare – at $102.4
billion with the start of his key endowments way back in 1892.
 Tata is the only Indian in the top 10 list. The other Indian among the top 50 is Azim Premji, former
chairman of Wipro, who is ranked 12th. Bill Gates & Melinda French Gates, Henry Wellcome,
Howard Hughes and Warren Buffett are among the top 5.
Growth Engines of Innovation: How Asia Pacific Technology Hubs are Reshaping Regional Real
Estate
 A report titled 'Growth Engines of Innovation: How Asia Pacific Technology Hubs are Reshaping
Regional Real Estate' is released by Colliers.
 The study ranks the most attractive technology submarkets within major APAC (Asia-Pacific)
cities, which should serve as a navigation tool for technology groups, as they plan their expansion.
 Beijing bagged the top spot in the list followed by Shanghai, Bengaluru, Shenzhen, and
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Singapore.
 Bengaluru has emerged as the top five technology centers in Asia Pacific region. Hyderabad
ranked in the top 10 list in the report.
 Delhi NCR also ranks in top ten cities by property factors.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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IIT Ropar develops "AmbiTAG"- India's first indigenous temperature data logger for the cold
chain management
 Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar (IIT Ropar) in Punjab has developed a first-of-its-kind IoT
device – AmbiTag that records real-time ambient temperature during the transportation of
perishable products, vaccines and even body organs and blood.
 That recorded temperature further helps to know whether that particular item transported from
anywhere in the world is still usable or perished because of temperature variation.
 The device has been developed under Technology Innovation Hub – AWaDH (Agriculture and
Water Technology Development Hub) and its Startup ScratchNest. AWaDH is a Govt of India
project.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Reading X-ray via WhatsApp: AI-driven 'XraySetu' helps doctors detect COVID in rural population
 A new AI-driven platform XraySetu will now help early intervention through rapid screening of
COVID-19 with the help of Chest X-ray interpretation over WhatsApp for doctors who have access to
X-ray machines.
 XraySetu can work with low-resolution images sent via mobiles, is quick and easy to use, and can
facilitate detection in rural areas.
 ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park), a not-for-profit foundation established by the Indian
Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, with support from the Department of Science & Technology
(DST), Govt. of India, in collaboration with Bangalore-based HealthTech startup Niramai and the
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has developed XraySetu specifically designed to identify COVID
positive patients even from low-resolution Chest X-Ray images sent over Whatsapp.
Microsoft to retire iconic Internet Explorer browser on June 15, 2022
 Microsoft has announced to retire its iconic Internet Explorer (IE) browser in June 2022, as it
envisions the future of Internet Explorer, which was launched in 1995, on Windows 10 in Microsoft
Edge.
IIT Guwahati researchers develop smart window material for automatic climate control to save
energy
 IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a smart window material that can effectively control
the amount of heat and light passing through it in response to an applied voltage.
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 Dr Debabrata Sikdar, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering,

along with research scholar, Ashish Kumar Chowdhary at the institute designed this.
 This material can help in developing automatic climate control systems in buildings. These smart
glasses can also be applied to efficient automatic climate control in vehicles, locomotives, aeroplanes
and greenhouses of the future.
WHO names COVID-19 variants found in India as 'Kappa' and 'Delta'
 The B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 variants of the COVID-19, first identified in India, has been named as
'Kappa' and 'Delta' respectively by WHO.
 An expert group convened by WHO has recommended labeling using letters of the Greek Alphabet,
i.e., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, which will be easier and more practical to discuss by non-scientific
audiences.
European Space Agency’s EnVision mission to Venus
 The European Space Agency (ESA) announced that it has selected EnVision as its next orbiter
that will visit Venus sometime in the 2030s.
 EnVision is an ESA led mission with contributions from NASA. The earliest launch opportunity for
EnVision is 2031, followed by 2032 and 2033. Once launched on an Ariane 6 rocket, the spacecraft
will take about 15 months to reach Venus and will take 16 more months to achieve orbit
circularisation.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 EnVision will follow another ESA-led mission to Venus called ‘Venus Express’ (2005-2014) that
focused on atmospheric research and pointed to volcanic hotspots on the planet’s surface.
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European Space Agency Headquarters: France Administrator: Josef Aschbacher
Europe's Space Agency to hire first disabled astronaut
 The European Space Agency hopes to hire and launch the world's first physically disabled
astronaut as part of a 22-member space programme.
IIT Ropar Develops Power-Free CPAP Device 'Jivan Vayu'
 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar has developed a device ‘Jivan Vayu’ which can be used
as a substitute for a CPAP machine.
 This is the nation’s first such device that functions even without electricity and is adapted to both
kinds of oxygen generation units like O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals. These provisions
are not available in otherwise existing CPAP machines.
 It has an inbuilt viral filter at the air entrainment end which has a viral efficacy of 99.99%. The viral
filter ensures that the air does not bring in any pathogens from the environment.
The world’s first wooden satellite should be in space by the end of 2021
 A Finnish company called Arctic Astronautics is working on sending the world’s first wooden
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satellite to space by the end of this year.

 The satellite, WISA Woodsat, is a nanosatellite that’s shaped like a cube and is made of birch
plywood. It has sensors that have been developed by the European Space Agency (ESA).
 The WISA Woodsat is 10cm on each side, length, height, and width. The main idea behind something
like this is to see if a material like wood can survive in the vacuum, heat, cold, and radiation in space.
 The WISA Woodsat is going to be launched from New Zealand on a rocket Electron that’s been
developed by American aerospace manufacturer Rocket Lab.
ISRO, NOAA-led multinational project endorsed by UN body
 A multinational project, co-led by ISRO and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) from the US, that aims to improve the accuracy of coastal data based on satellite and
land-based observations has been recently endorsed by a UN body for its use of innovative
technology, and for fostering trust and collaboration among scientists.
 The project is called Committee on Earth Observation Satellites—Coastal Observations, Applications,
Services, and Tools (CEOS COAST).
 Its pilot projects are uniquely capable of using Earth Observation technologies to meet several of the
17 UN-designated sustainable development goals for the Ocean Decade initiative.
 The themes of these projects include disaster risk reduction and coastal resilience among continental
shorelines and small island nations.
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About ISRO
Headquarters: Bengaluru Founder: Vikram Sarabhai Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

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Marine products export dips nearly 11 pc to USD 5.96 bn in FY21
 The country’s exports of marine products fell 10.88 per cent to USD 5.96 billion (Rs 43,717.26 crore)
during 2020-21 due to the pandemic and sluggish overseas markets, the commerce ministry said.
 It said the US, China and the European Union were the leading importers, while frozen shrimp
retained its position as the major export item, followed by frozen fish.
Van Dhan Yojana to be expanded to UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
 Central Government’s Van Dhan Yojana will be extended to the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar
Haveli and Daman and Diu.
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Van Dhan Yojana aims at the economic development of tribals involved in the collection of Minor Food Produces
(MFPs) by helping them in optimum utilization of natural resources and providing them with a sustainable livelihood.
Under this scheme, the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras constituted, provide skill up-gradation and capacity building training
and setting up of primary processing and value addition facilities.
Van Dhan Yojana Ministry: Ministry of Tribal Affairs Launch Year: 2018
GeM portal facilitates public purchases of Rs 1.1 lakh crore
 Goods and services worth as much as Rs 1.11 lakh crore have been purchased through the public
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procurement portal GeM since its inception in August 2016, according to the Ministry of Commerce &
Industry.
 The ministry also said that presently GeM has over 6,90,000 MSE sellers and service providers
onboard contributing over 56% of the total order value on GeM.
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The Government e-Market (GeM) portal is designed to facilitate online purchases of goods and services by
ministries/departments and entities belonging to the central and state governments to better ensure transparency in
public procurement system.
Agri Ministry launches the Bamboo Market Page on Govt e-Marketplace (GeM) portal
 The National Bamboo Mission and the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) have been working together
for having a dedicated window on the GeM portal for marketing of the Bamboo Goods (Bamboo based
products & Quality Planting Materials).
 A dedicated window “The Green Gold Collection” for bamboo products was launched by the Agriculture
Ministry.
Agri Ministry launches Horticulture Cluster Development Programme
 Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar virtually launched the
Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP) to ensure holistic growth of horticulture.
 This will be implemented in 12 horticulture clusters out of the total 53 clusters selected for the
programme.
 It will be done by the National Horticulture Board (NHB).

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Govt unveils road map to set up centralised farmers’ database
 The Central Government has unveiled a road map for setting up a centralised farmers database, Agri
Stack, as part of its effort to create a digital ecosystem for the farm sector, bringing all agriculture-related
information to one platform.
 The database will eventually be linked with the land records of farmers across the country, generating
unique farmer IDs (like ‘Aadhaar’) for over 14 crore landholding farmers in India.
 Under Agri Stack, information related to all benefits and assistance provided through various schemes
of the government will also be kept at one place.
Food Processing Ministry inaugurates Indus Best Mega Food Park in Chhattisgarh
 Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated the
Indus Best MegaFood Park.
 The Mega Food Park will ensure value addition, a longer shelf life for farm produce, better price
realization for farmers, excellent storage facility and will provide an alternate market for farmers in the
region.
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Mega Food Park Scheme was launched to provide a mechanism to link agricultural production to the market by
bringing together farmers, processors and retailers so as to ensure maximizing value addition, minimizing wastage,
increasing farmers income and creating employment opportunities particularly in the rural sector.
Mega Food Park Ministry: Ministry of Food Processing Industries Launch Year: 2008-09
Madhya Pradesh Government launches ‘Ankur’ scheme www.i xamBee.c om
 Madhya Pradesh Government has launched a scheme named ‘Ankur’ under which citizens will be
awarded for planting trees during monsoon.
 Citizens taking part in this initiative will be given the Pranvayu Award, to ensure public participation in
the programme.
 A sapling plantation campaign will be carried out during the monsoon.
NABARD sanctioned Rs 254 crore for Rural Water
 NABARD has sanctioned Rs 254 crore from Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for
setting up mega piped drinking water projects in Odisha.
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NABARD Headquarters: Mumbai Chairperson: Govinda Rajulu Chintala
 In 1995-96, the Government of India set up Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for financing
ongoing rural infrastructure projects.
 The funds released under RIDF are maintained by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(NABARD).
 The main objective of the fund is to provide loans to State Governments and State-owned corporations to enable
them to complete ongoing rural infrastructure projects.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
e-Gopala Platform integrates with UMANG
 Recently the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Giriraj Singh announced
integration of e-Gopala App with UMANG platform so that 3.1 Crore users of Umang platform will get
access to App.
 e-GOPALA app (Generation of wealth through Productive Livestock), a comprehensive breed
improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers, had been launched by the
Prime Minister on 10th September 2020.
IFFCO begins commercial production of nano urea liquid
 Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) has started commercial production of nano urea
liquid and dispatched the first consignment to Uttar Pradesh for use of farmers.
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IFFCO Headquarters: New Delhi MD: U S Awasthi
IFFCO to set up nano urea plant in Argentina; inks pact
 Leading fertiliser cooperative IFFCO recently said it will set up a nano urea liquid manufacturing plant in
Argentina in partnership with two agencies.
 According to IFFCO, the three will together analyse the feasibility of setting up a nano urea fertiliser
manufacturing plant in Argentina with mutual collaboration.
Agriculture Ministry signs MoU with 4 Institutions for Pilot Projects

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 Agriculture Ministry signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoD's) with 4 Organisations for

implementing digital infrastructure projects using Kisan Database on Pilot basis for a period of one
year.
 The for organisations are- Patanjali Organic Research Institute, ESRI India Pvt. Ltd, Agribazar India
Pvt. Ltd, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
India's agriculture exports jump to $ 41 billion despite pandemic disruptions
 India's agriculture exports (including marine and plantation products) have beaten the pandemic
registering a growth of 17.34 per cent to $ 41.25 billion in 2020-21.
 In rupee terms, the increase is 22.62 per cent with exports during 2020-21 amounting to Rs 3.05 lakh
crore as compared to Rs 2.49 lakh crore during 2019-20.
 For agriculture products (excluding marine and plantation products), the growth is 28.36% with exports
of USD 29.81 billion in 2020-21 as compared to USD 23.23 billion in 2019-20.
Government launches seed minikit programme to boost production of oilseeds, pulses
 The Agri Ministry has launched a seed Minikit programme by distributing the high-yielding varieties
of seeds of oilseeds and pulses to farmers.
 The mini-kits under the program are being provided by the Central agencies NAFED, National Seeds
Corporation (NCS), and Gujarat State Seeds Corporation and the wholly funded by the government
through the National Food Security Mission.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Digital India Corporation& Indian Council of Agricultural Research signs MoU
 In order to facilitate farmers by providing location specific ‘Demand Based Tele Agriculture Advisories’,
the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Farmers Welfare and Digital India
Corporation (DIC) have signed an MoU.
 ICAR and DIC have agreed to collaborate to develop and deploy ICT platforms to establish and
operate a multi-media, multi-way advisory and communication system for supporting various
agricultural activities at local level.
 Digital India Corporation comes under the administrative control of Ministry of Electronics & Information
Technology.
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The ICAR is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE),
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
ICAR Headquarters: New Delhi President: Narendra Singh Tomar
India’s agri exports up 17.34 pc at $41.25 bn in 2020-21
 India’s export of agricultural and allied products in 2020-21 grew by 17.34 per cent to USD 41.25
billion.
 Huge growth has been seen in the export of cereals, non-basmati rice, wheat, millets, maize and other
coarse grains.
 The largest markets for India’s agricultural products are the US, China, Bangladesh, UAE, Vietnam,
Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran and Malaysia.
Govt to link innovative agriculture technologies to farms to help farmers in North East region
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 The Centre will work towards linking innovative agricultural technologies with the farms to benefit small
and marginal farmers, especially women in the North-eastern region under its Biotech-KISAN
programme, the S&T ministry recently said.
 Biotech – Krishi Innovation Science Application Network (Biotech-KISAN) is a scientist-farmer
partnership scheme launched in 2017 for agriculture innovation with an objective to connect science
laboratories with the farmers to find out innovative solutions and technologies to be applied at the farm
level.
Ambuja Cement Foundation, NABARD to skill rural youth in 10 states
 Ambuja Cement Foundation has joined hands with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) for implementation of its employability through skill initiative project’s second
phase.
 The project will provide skill training across 19 locations for two years in 12 trades.
 It has already reached over 4,000 youth despite the pandemic, the foundation said in a statement.
KVIC Records Highest Ever Turnover in FY 2020-21 Despite Covid-19 Pandemic
 In a year completely marred by Covid-19 pandemic, Khadi and Village Industries Commission
(KVIC) has recorded its highest-ever turnover.
 In the year 2020-21, KVIC registered a gross annual turnover of Rs. 95,741.74 crores, as compared to
Rs. 88,887 crores turnover in 2019-20, thus, registering an increase of 7.71%.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Learn Along
KVIC Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO– Vinai Kumar Saxena
3 Centers of Excellence established in Karnataka under Indo-Israel Agriculture project
 3 Centers of Excellence (COEs) established in Karnataka under Indo-Israel Agricultural Project (IIAP)
have been inaugurated.
 MIDH Division of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India and MASHAV -
Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation - are leading Israel’s largest G2G
cooperation, with 29 operational Centres of Excellence (COEs) across India in 12 States, implementing
advanced Israeli Agro-Technology tailored to local conditions.
Cabinet approves Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for P&K Fertilisers for the year 2021-22
 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers
for fixation of Nutrient Based Subsidy Rates for P&K Fertilizers for the year 2021-22(till the present
season).
 Per Kg Subsidy Rate for Nitrogen is Rs 18.789, for Phosphorus it is Rs. 45.323, for Potash it is Rs.
10.116, and for Sulphur it is Rs. 2.374.
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Under the Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme, a fixed amount of subsidy decided on an annual basis is provided on
each grade of subsidized Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers, except for Urea, based on the nutrient content
present in them. The scheme is administered by the Department of Fertilizers under the Ministry of Chemicals &
Fertilizers.
'Sankalp Se Siddhi-Mission Van Dhan' launched by MoTA www.i xamBee.c om
 The Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the Tribal Livelihoods Initiative 'Sankalp Se Siddhi-Mission Van
Dhan'.
 Through this scheme, TRIFED aims to expand its operations through convergence of various schemes
of different Ministries and Departments and launch various tribal development programs in Mission
Mode.
 Along with the initiative, the Union Minister also launched 7 new Tribes India Outlets, Tribes India Coffee
table book, Van Dhan website, software application, and new TRIFED Head Office in New Delhi.
 7 Tribes India outlets - 2 in Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh), 3 in Ranchi (Jharkhand), 1 in Jamshedpur
(Jharkhand) and 1 at Sarnath (heritage site), Uttar Pradesh.
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 TRIFED was established in August 1987 as a National level Cooperative body. It is mandated to bring socio-
economic development of tribals of the country by institutionalising the trade of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) &
Surplus Agricultural Produce (SAP) collected/ cultivated by them.
 It is under Ministry of Tribal Affairs
India, Fiji sign MoU for cooperation in agriculture
 India & Fiji signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of Agriculture
and allied sectors.
 The MoU provides for cooperation in the fields of dairy industry development, rice industry development,
root crop diversification, water resources management, coconut industry development, food processing
industry development, agriculture mechanization, horticulture industry development, agricultural

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
research, animal husbandry, pest and disease, cultivation, value addition and marketing, post-harvest
and milling, breeding and agronomy.
NAFED plans to open about 200 grocery stores by end of fiscal
 The NAFED plans to open about 200 more stores under the franchise model by the end of this financial
year in various parts of the country.
 The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), the Central
government agency engaged in procurement, processing, distribution, export and import of various
agricultural commodities, has, in collaboration with the Tirupati Cooperative, opened its first grocery
store in the name of NAFED Bazar in Gurugram.
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 NAFED is an apex organization of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in India.
 It is under Ministry of Agriculture
DEFENCE
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Indian Navy’s oldest hydrographic survey ship INS Sandhayak decommissioned
 Indian Navy’s oldest hydrographic survey ship INS Sandhayak was decommissioned at Naval
Dockyard in Visakhapatnam after serving the nation for 40 years.
 The ship was commissioned to the Indian Navy on February 26, 1981.
www.i xamBee.c om
India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT)
 The navies of India and Thailand kicked off their three-day, bi-annually India-Thailand Coordinated
Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) in the Andaman Sea. This is the 31st edition the joint exercise.
 Participating in the patrol are the Indian Naval Ship Saryu, an indigenously built offshore patrol vessel,
and His Majesty’s Thailand Ship (HTMS) Krabi, also an offshore patrol vessel. The two vessels will be
accompanied by Dornier patrol aircraft from both navies.
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About Indo-Thai CORPAT: The Indo-Thai CORPAT, which began in 2005, serves to reinforce maritime links
between Thailand and India and forge strong bonds of friendship between the two navies, besides helping
consolidate inter-operability. In addition, the CORPAT ensures an exchange of information pertaining to the
prevention of smuggling, illegal immigration and in the conduct of search and rescue operations at sea, thereby
enhancing the operational synergies.
Russia is building first fully stealth warship
 The Russian navy is building its first fully stealth warship to make it harder to detect.
 The hull of the Mercury naval corvette, known as project 20386, has already been constructed and
the ship is expected to be delivered to the navy next year.
 The warship will be armed with cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and artillery, as well as being
capable of searching for and destroying submarines.
 Stealth technology can make military assets such as ships and planes harder for radar to detect.

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June 2021
Indian Navy inducts three ALH MK III helicopters
 The Indian Navy has inducted three Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) MK III helicopters to
boost maritime reconnaissance capabilities.
 The three Maritime Reconnaissance and Coastal Security (MRCS) helicopters were inducted in a
ceremony at Naval Air Station, INS Dega, Eastern Naval Command (ENC) in Visakhapatnam.
 Built indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the ALH MK III helicopters are
equipped with systems that were previously present only on heavier, multi-role helicopters of the
Indian Navy.
Indian Navy Set to Receive Three MH-60 'Romeo' Multi-role Helicopters from US
 The Indian Navy will receive three of the 24 MH-60 “Romeo” multi-role helicopters from the US in
July.
 India had signed an Rs 15,157 crore ($2.13 billion) contract with US for the Lockheed Martin
choppers in a significant ramp-up of military capabilities for the Navy in detecting and destroying
enemy submarines prowling in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
India, Japan conduct bilateral naval exercise in Indian Ocean
 Ships of the Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) participated in a
joint naval exercise at the Indian Ocean to realize “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
 JS KASHIMA (TV3508) and JS SETOYUKI (TV3518) conducted a bilateral exercise with INS KULISH
(P63) at the Indian Ocean to realize “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
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Indian Navy and European Naval Force hold first joint exercise
 In a first, the Indian Navy is participating in a joint exercise with the European Union Naval Force
(EUNAVFOR).
 Stealth frigate INS Trikand, will participate in the two-day exercise in Gulf of Aden.
 The other countries participating in the exercise are: Italy, Spain and France.
 At the same time, a virtual information sharing exercise is also being conducted between the
Indian Navy Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) and Maritime Security
Centre-Horn of Africa.
Aircraft carrier built in India will be ready next year
 India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), INS Vikrant, is likely to be commissioned next
year.
 The IAC has been under construction at the Cochin Shipyard for over a decade.
 INS Vikrant will operate MiG-29K fighter aircraft, Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopters, the soon-
to-be-inducted MH-60R multi-role helicopter, and the indigenously manufactured Advanced Light
Helicopters.

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June 2021
Turkey, Azerbaijan begin joint military drills in Baku
 Turkey and Azerbaijan have begun joint military drills in Baku, deploying tanks, helicopters and
drones in an effort to improve the two countries' combat interoperability.
 The main purpose of the exercises is to improve interaction between the two countries' army units
during combat operations, to develop the commanders' military decision-making skills and their ability
to manage military units.
 The drills, named "Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - 2021", involved up to 600 personnel, around 40 tanks and
armoured vehicles, and seven helicopters.
DRDO successfully test-fires Pinaka, Enhanced Range 122mm Caliber rockets off Odisha coast
 The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced that it has
successfully test-fired extended range version of indigenously developed Pinaka rocket from a
Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur off
Odisha coast.
 Twenty-five enhanced Pinaka Rockets were launched in quick succession against targets at different
ranges. All the mission objectives were met during the launches.
 The enhanced rocket system was developed jointly by the Pune-based Armament Research and
Development Establishment (ARDE) and the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory
(HEMRL), with manufacturing assistance from Economic Explosives Ltd in Nagpur.
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DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi www.i xamBee.c om
Agency Executive: Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy
DRDO successfully flight tests New Generation Agni P Ballistic Missile
 Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested a New
Generation Nuclear Capable Ballistic Missile Agni P from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast
of Odisha, Balasore.
 Agni P is a new generation advanced variant of Agni class of missiles. It is a canisterised missile
with range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 kms.
Indian naval ships to join maritime patrol of US Navy’s Passage Exercise
 Indian naval ships will join maritime patrol and other aircraft to participate in a “Passage Exercise"
or Passex with the US Navy’s Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group during its transit through Indian
Ocean Region.
 The Passex was part of regular exercises between the Indian and US navies.
 The two-day exercise aims to strengthen the bilateral relationship and cooperation by demonstrating
the ability to integrate and coordinate comprehensively in maritime operations. High tempo operations
during the exercise include advanced air defence exercises, cross deck helicopter operations and
anti-submarine exercises.
 Indian Naval Ships Kochi and Teg along with P8I (maritime patrol aircraft) and (Indian ship based)
MiG 29K aircraft are participating in the Passex.

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June 2021
India successfully test fires subsonic cruise missile ‘Nirbhay’ off Odisha coast
 India successfully test fired ‘Nirbhay’, the 1,000 km strike range sub-sonic cruise missile, off the
coast of Odisha.
 Nirbhay cruise missile is the country's first indigenously designed and developed long-range
cruise missile, as per India's Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE).
 The all-weather missile has been developed by Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development
Establishment (ADE), a lab under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and
can be launched from multiple platforms. It is designed to carry conventional and nuclear warheads.
EVENTS
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BRICS foreign ministers hold virtual meeting
 India hosted the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in its capacity as the chair of BRICS —Brazil-
Russia-India-China-South Africa.
 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the key principles guiding the five-nation grouping
BRICS and referred to international law and the UN Charter that recognises the sovereign equality of
all states, and respects their territorial integrity.
 For the first time, BRICS foreign ministers have agreed on a common, standalone joint statement on
reforming the multilateral system.
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IIT Madras hosts Asia’s first workshop on International Memory Studies
 Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Madras hosted Asia’s first workshop on International
Memory Studies virtually.
 The aim of this workshop was to precedes the launch the Indian Network for Memory Studies officially
and bring together the participants from all over the world.
Italy hosts the Global G20 Health Summit
 Global G20 Health Summit was co-hosted by Italy and European Union at Villa Pamphilj in Rome to
discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and pledge new commitments to help ensure COVID-19
vaccine doses reach the populations that need them most
 At the summit, G20 countries agreed to the Rome Declaration, which reaffirms continued multilateral
support for preparedness, prevention, detection, and response to the pandemic, as well as
appropriate and sustainable funding for collaborative global response efforts, especially the Access
to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.
74th World Health Assembly
 The World Health Organization’s (WHOs) decision-making body, World Health Assembly (WHA)
met for its 74th session including delegations from all UN health agency’s member states.
 The theme for this year’s session is “Ending this pandemic, preventing the next: building
together a healthier, safer and fairer world.”

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June 2021
 Ahead of the 74th WHA, WHO had signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding' to launch the first
WHO 'BioHub Facility' for the research of the deadly pathogens. This facility will enhance the rapid
sharing of viruses and other pathogens between laboratories and partners globally.
 Further, the 74th World Health Assembly has elected 5 vice president of the WHO’s decision-
making body including Benin, Estonia, Guatemala, Mongolia, Qatar.
 This year, the assembly elected Bhutan’s Minister of Health, Dechen Wangmo as the President.
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About WHA: WHA is focused on the specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions
of the WHA are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial
policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. It is held every year in Geneva, Switzerland
and this year it was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Beijing to host 2nd UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference in October
 The second United Nations (UN) Global Sustainable Transport Conference will take place from
October 14 to 16 in Beijing.
 Themed "sustainable transport, sustainable development," the conference will be held both online
and offline, and will see events including a ministers' forum and thematic sessions.
 The conference aims to advance sustainable transport globally and underscores its importance for the
achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
47th G7 summit
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 The 47th G7 summit was held in Cornwall in the United Kingdom while it holds the presidency of
the G7.
 The participants included the leaders of the seven G7 member states (Canada, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, UK and US) as well as representatives of the European Union.
 At the invitation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in
the Outreach Sessions of the G7 Summit in virtual format. UK has invited India, along with
Australia, Republic of Korea and South Africa, as Guest Countries for the G7 Summit.
 The theme for the Summit is ‘Build Back Better’ and the UK has outlined four priority areas for its
Presidency.
IIT Bombay Hosts Conference of BRICS Network Universities
 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay is hosting a three-day virtual conference of BRICS
(Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) network universities.
 The conference on the theme of electric mobility is a part of the engagements that India is hosting
under the education stream during its chairship of the 13th BRICS Summit this year.
 Eighteen experts from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will talk about various aspects of
electric mobility like traffic management, hydrogen technology, hybrid vehicles, lithium-ion batteries
and linkage between e-mobility and livelihoods in the conference.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
PM Modi to deliver keynote address at 5th edition of VivaTech
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address at the 5th edition of VivaTech via
video conferencing. The Prime Minister has been invited as a Guest of Honour to deliver the keynote
address at VivaTech 2021.
 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.
 The 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.
NATO Summit 2021: Brussels, Belgium
 The 2021 Brussels summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was the 31st formal
meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,
held in Brussels, Belgium, in June 2021.
 The meeting will be chaired by the NATO Secretary General.
 At the Summit, leaders discussed threats and challenges affecting transatlantic security and joint
efforts to strengthen shared commitments to keep our people safe. Leaders also welcomed an
ambitious NATO 2030 agenda that will continue NATO’s adaptation to address evolving security
challenges, including the security implications of climate change.
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www.i xamBee.c om
About NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an
intergovernmental military alliance between 30 European and North American countries. The organization
implements the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949.
Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses the Global Yoga Conference 2021
 Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare addressed the inaugural
ceremony of Global Yoga Conference 2021.
 The event was organised by 'MokshayatanYogSansthan' along with the Ministry of AYUSH,
Government of India & Indian Council for Cultural Relations to mark the occasion of 7th
International Day of Yoga which falls on 21st June 2021.
 He accentuated the importance of the central message for observing Yoga Day this year, ‘Be with
Yoga, Be at Home’.
India set to organise two day summit on Green Hydrogen Initiatives involving BRICS nations
 India is all set to host a two day summit on Green Hydrogen initiatives on 22nd June, 2021
involving the BRICS nations. The online event will be held via a video conference and will conclude
on 23rd June.
 The prestigious event offers a platform to share their respective Green Hydrogen initiatives and views
on how to take it to the next level in their own countries.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 The event will be anchored by India’s largest power producer and one of the global energy majors,
NTPC Ltd, a Maharatna CPSU under Ministry of Power.
India to Host 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable Next Year
 India has agreed to host the 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable (AMER9) next year.
 The 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable, dates of which will be announced later, will take forward
the understandings reached in the previous meeting in Abu Dhabi during 2018, which was co-hosted
by India. That meeting focused on global energy security in the age of change.
 The International Energy Forum (IEF) is the world's largest energy organisation with 71 member
countries, accounting for 90 per cent of the global energy market. It holds energy dialogue promoting
energy security, market stability and transparency in the transition to a sustainable and inclusive
future.
APPOINTMENTS
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Organization Learn
News
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RBL Bank received an approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the re- Headquarters:
RBL Bank appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja as the managing Mumbai
director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO).
The re-appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja as MD and
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CEO of RBL Bank is for further period of one year,

with effect from 30 June 2021.
Image Source: livemint
Headquarters:
Confederation CII elects Tata Steel CEO and MD T V Narendran as its New Delhi
of Indian new president for 2021-22. He takes over from Uday
Industry Kotak, Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer,
Kotak Mahindra Bank. Image Source: BS
JB Mohapatra, a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service Headquarters:

Central Board of officer, was given the additional charge as Central New Delhi
Direct Taxes Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman after the
extended tenure of incumbent PC Mody ended.
Image Source: BS
International The International Dairy Federation (IDF) -

Dairy Federation unanimously elected R S Sodhi, managing director,
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd
(GCMMF), to its board.
Image Source: ET

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June 2021
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The board of Magma Fincorp appointed Adar Poonawalla as the Chairman
Magma Fincorp while Abhay Bhutada will be the Managing Director. Headquarters:
Vijay Deshwal will take over as the Chief Executive of West Bengal
Magma Fincorp. Sanjay Chamria will continue as the Vice
Chairman of the company.
Image Source: FreePress
Indian Navy Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh, Ati Vishisht Seva -

Medal (AVSM), and Nausena Medal (NM) holder,
assumed charge as the Deputy Chief of Naval
Staff. He relieves Vice Admiral MS Pawar, a Param
Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), AVSM, Vishisht Seva
Medal (VSM) holder, who superannuated on May 31.
Im age Source: Ani News
Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, AVSM, VSM has

assumed charge as Director General Naval Operations. -
Indian Navy
Image Source: Orrisa Diary
Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari has been

Indian Air Force appointed as the next Vice Chief of Air Staff in the Air
www.i xamBee.c om
headquarters. Chaudhari will replace incumbent Air

Marshal HS Arora who will superannuate on June 30.
-
Image Source: IE
Lieutenant General Pradeep Chandran Nair, Ati

Indian Army Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Yudh Seva Medal -
(YSM) took over as the 21st Director General of
the Assam Rifles (popularly known as Sentinels of
the North-East).
Image Source: Udayavani
WhatsApp India WhatsApp has appointed Paresh B Lal as its grievance officer for India. -
The grievance officer will have to acknowledge the complaint within 24 hours
and dispose of such complaint within a period of 15 days from the date of its
receipt, and receive and acknowledge any order, notice or direction issued by
the authorities.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has hired former Amazon Pay executive -
WhatsApp India Manesh Mahatme as its Head of Payments in India. Mahatme will be
working on enhancing the payments experience for users and scaling the
service in the country.
Facebook India Social media platform Facebook named Spoorthi Priya as its grievance Headquarters:
officer for India. Mumbai
Twitter has appointed its global legal policy director Jeremy Kessel as the -
Twitter India new grievance officer for users in India.

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CSIR-Centre for Dr. Vinay K Nandicoori has been appointed as the new Headquarters:
Cellular and director of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Hyderabad
Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. He is a well-known molecular
Biology biologist, and has been a scientist at the DBT-National
Institute of Immunology, New Delhi.
Image Source: Ani News
The Acting Director-General for Health Dr. Patrick Headquarters:

WHO Amoth has been elected the chairperson of the Geneva,
Executive Board of the World Health Organization Switzerland
(WHO). He takes over from India’s Minister of Health
and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, whose term
ended on June 2 after chairing three consecutive Board
sessions, since 2019. Image Source: AU BePositive
Former power secretary Sanjeev Nandan Sahai has been

elected as the new chairman of petroleum and natural gas Headquarters
PNGRB sector regulator PNGRB. location: New
Delhi
Image Source: Construction world
Foreign lender HSBC announced the appointment of Headquarters:

HSBC India bank veteran Hitendra Dave as its new chief
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Mumbai
executive for India.
Image Source: PSU connect
The Union government appointed Anup Chandra

Election Pandey, a retired IAS officer of the 1984 batch, Uttar Headquarters:
Commission Pradesh cadre, as Election Commissioner. Chief New Delhi
Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Election
Commissioner Rajiv Kumar are the other two members on
the panel. Image Source: IE
Bandhan Bank, re-appointmented of current MD and CEO,

Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, for three years. Headquarters:
Bandhan Bank Kolkata
Image Source: New 18
The United Nations Security Council endorsed

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a second five- Headquarters:
UN Security year term. Guterres, 72, became the ninth UN secretary- New York,
Council general in 2017. United States
Image Source: India Today

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Private lender, ICICI Bank, has received RBI's

ICICI Bank approval for the re-appointment of Girish Chandra Headquarters:
Chaturvedi as the part-time Chairman of the Bank. Vadodara
Chaturvedi will be the part-time chairman of ICICI
Bank for a 3-years tenure starting July 01, 2021, on
extant terms and conditions.
Image Source: ICICI Bank
The appointments committee of the cabinet approved

Life Insurance the extension of M R Kumar as the chairman of Life Headquarters:
Corporation of Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). Kumar’s term Mumbai
India as LIC chairman was supposed to end on June 30,
2021, but Centre extended his term by almost nine
more months till March 13, 2022.
Image Source: ET
The Reserve Bank of India said the government Headquarters:

RBI has extended the tenure of Deputy Governor Mumbai
Mahesh Kumar Jain for two years. The other
three serving deputy governors are Michael Patra, M
Rajeshwar Rao and T Rabi Sankar. Image Source: BS
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Ferrari has appointed technology executive Benedetto Vigna as its new Headquarters:
Ferrari CEO. Maranello,
Italy
Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid was
elected president of the 76th UNGA with an
United Nations overwhelming majority — he received 143 votes Headquarters:
General out of 191 ballots cast, while Afghanistan’s former New York,
Assembly Foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul got 48 votes. United States
Image Source: The Wire
Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer K Nagaraj Naidu was named chef de
United Nations cabinet for the duration of his one-year tenure to lead the world body through
General its return to normalcy as countries strive to bring the pandemic under control.
Assembly
-
Thales India Ashish Saraf appointed Vice-President and Country Director of French
multinational defence and aerospace firm Thales India.
International -
Association of India's Nagraj Adiga elected in International Association of Ultrarunners
Ultrarunners Council as Asian representative.
Council

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Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica will be the new head
of UNCTAD, the United Nations trade and development Headquarters:
United Nations body. Grynspan, the first woman and Central American Geneva,
Conference on to be appointed as UNCTAD’s Secretary General, is an Switzerland
Trade and economist and current Ibero-American Secretary
Development General. Image Source: UNCTAD
Former IB Director, Mr Rajiv Jain and ex-Chief Justice of J&K High Court
National Human Mahesh Mittal Kumar have been recommended as members of NHRC. Headquarters:
Rights Justice Arun Mishra is likely to be the next chairperson of the National New Delhi
Commission Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI)
Internet and has roped in former Supreme Court Justice (Retd.) Headquarters:
Mobile Arjan Kumar Sikri to chair the Grievance Redressal Mumbai
Association of Board (GRB), formed as a part of the Digital Publisher
India Content Grievances Council (DPCGC). The GRB will
address content grievances pertaining to any of the
DPCGC member’s video streaming services.
Image Source: Deccan Herald
COAI said that Ajai Puri, COO, Bharti Airtel, will stay the
Cellular Chairman of the industry association for 2021-22. COAI Headquarters:
Operators also said that Pramod Kumar Mittal, President, Reliance New Delhi
Association of Jio Infocomm, will continue as Vice Chairman of the
India association.
Image Source: Free Press Journal
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Mukesh Sharma, a faculty at IIT Kanpur, has been

World Health appointed as an honorary member of World Health Headquarters:
Organisation Organisation’s (WHO) Global Air Pollution and Health - Geneva,
Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG). Switzerland
Image Source: India TV
Microsoft's India-born CEO Satya Nadella has been

Microsoft appointed as the technology giant's new Chairman, an Headquarters:
additional role in which he will lead the work to set the Washington,
agenda for the board. Nadella, 53, succeeds John W United States
Thompson, who as the lead independent director, will retain
significant authority.
Image Source: BS
The government has appointed a private person Aashish Chandorkar as

Indian govt. Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission in the World Trade
Organisation for three years. For the first time, a private person has been
appointed at the Mission. Chandorkar is director of Bengaluru-based policy
think tank Smahi Foundation of Policy and Research.
Montek Singh Ahluwalia was named as a member of a
World Bank-IMF High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) formed by the -
High-Level World Bank and the International Monetary Fund
Advisory Group (IMF) in the face of the dual crisis posed by the Covid-19
pandemic and climate change. Image Source: BS

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Upasna Kamineni, Director Apollo Hospitals, appointed as
WWF India “Ambassador of Frest Frontline Heroes” at WWF India. -
Image Source: Twitter
International British lawyer Karim Khan was sworn in as the new Headquarters:
Criminal Court chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The Hague,
Khan, a 51-year-old English lawyer, has years of Netherlands
experience in international lawyer as a prosecutor,
investigator and defense attorney. He takes over from
Fatou Bensouda of Gambia, whose nine-year term
ended.
Image Source: The Hindu
Central Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N. Patel will act as the Headquarters:

Vigilance Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) in the Central New Delhi
Commission Vigilance Commission, until the appointment of the
central vigilance commissioner. Image Source: The Hindu
The government appointed CBI Additional Director Praveen

Central Bureau Sinha as the Special Director of the Central Bureau of
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Headquarters:
of Investigation Investigation (CBI). New Delhi
Image Source: India Today
-
National Dr Pratima Murthy, head of Department of Psychiatry,
Institute of National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences
Mental Health & (NIMHANS), Bengaluru has been appointed as Director
Neuro Sciences of the Institute for a period of five years. She will retire
in March 2026.
Image Source: Corporate Health Summit
Indian
Federation of A former judge of the Allahabad High Court Justice (Retd.) Shambhu Nath Headquarters:
United Nations Srivastava has been appointed chairman of the Indian Federation of New Delhi
Associations United Nations Associations, a non-profit organisation to promote
objectives of the United Nations and its specialised agencies. He succeeds
Mukul Sangma, a former chief minister of Meghalaya.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
AWARDS AND REWARDS

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Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021
 Canadian photographer Mr. Thomas Vijayan (native of Kerala), took

home the grand prize of 1,500 pounds and the title of Nature TTL
Photographer of the Year 2021 for a photograph, titled 'The World is
Going Upside Down' (in pic).
 13-year-old Thomas Easterbrook, from the United Kingdom, was
crowned the Young Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021. Image Source: naturettl.com
International Booker Prize 2021
 David Diop has become the first French novelist to win the International Booker prize for translated
fiction with At Night All Blood Is Black, his first novel translated into English.
 The novel was published in French in 2018.
 Diop is the first French author and the first of African heritage to win the
International Booker.
 Diop, the author of two novels, and his translator Anna Moschovakis, split the
50,000 pound ($70,000) annual prize, which goes to the best author and
translator of a work translated into English. Image Source: The Guardian
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World’s largest programming competition: TCS CodeVita wins Guinness record
 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced that the ninth season of TCS CodeVita has won
the Guinness World Records title as the world’s largest computer programming competition,
with 136,054 participants from 34 countries.
 The 2021 TCS CodeVita competition invited college students from around the world to pit their
programming skills against each other. The winners walked away with cash prizes, and internship
offers to work directly with technology leaders at TCS.
 This year’s champion, Ben Alexander Mirtchouk of Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey, is
the competition’s first ever US winner. The 1st runner-up was Václav Volhejn, a student at ETH
Zürich in Switzerland, and the 2nd runner-up was Ali Khosravi from the University of New South
Wales in Sydney, Australia.
International Business Book of the Year Award 2021
 Authors Nitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind made history by winning the prestigious International Business
Book of the Year Award for 2021 for their book Transformation in Times of Crisis, published by
Notion Press.
 The Business Book Awards is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the calendar for
business book writers all over the world. It highlights leadership, change, and sustainability in
business through the promotion of business books and their authors.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
WHO Honours Harsh Vardhan for Tobacco Control Efforts
 World Health Organisation (WHO) has awarded Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan with
'WHO Director-General Special Recognition Award' for his accomplishments in the area of tobacco
control.
 Every year, WHO recognises individuals or organisations in each of the six WHO Regions for their
accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. This recognition takes the form of WHO Director-
General Special Recognition Award and World No Tobacco Day Awards.
UK Asian Film Festival Awards
 Tillotama Shome won the Best Actor award at this year’s UK Asian Film Festival for her film
Raahgir: The Wayfarers (2019).
 Apart from Tillotama, filmmaker Goutam Ghose has also won the award for Best Director.
NSG Counter-IED & Counter-Terrorism Innovator Award 2021
 A professor from IIT Roorkee, Prof. Shailesh Ganpule, has received the ‘NSG Counter-IED &
Counter-Terrorism Innovator Award 2021' for his design of a blast-resistant helmet.
 The award was conferred to the professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department
(MIED) in a ceremony held at NSG Campus, Manesar, Haryana.
 The ‘Blast-Resistant Helmet’ designed by Prof. Shailesh Ganpule is an advanced version of
conventional helmets to protect military personnel from IED-induced blast waves with a technology
readiness of 4.
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Learn Along
About the award: The ‘NSG Counter-IED & Counter-Terrorism Innovator Award' is instituted by National Security
Guard for deserving innovators who have made an outstanding contribution towards innovation in Counter IED and
Counter-Terrorism fields to safeguard national security.
Asia Pacific Productivity Champion award
 The Managing Director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (AMUL), R.S. Sodhi, was
conferred with the regional award as Asia Pacific Productivity Champion from Asian Productivity
Organization (APO), Tokyo, Japan in recognition of enhanced productivity and efficient milk supply
chain.
 Sodhi is the first Indian to have received the prestigious award, in the last 20 years.
PEN Pinter Prize 2021
 The PEN Pinter prize 2021 is awarded to Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga for charting the
development of Zimbabwe from a British colony to an autocratic and troubled free state through her
writing career of 30-years.
 The prize will be shared between Dangarembga and an International Writer of Courage. The co-
winner will be selected by Dangarembga from a shortlist of international cases.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Learn Along
About the Award: Established in 2009, PEN Pinter prize is given in memory of Nobel-laureate playwright Harold
Pinter who had been a Vice President of English PEN and an active member of the International PEN Writers in
Prison Committee (WiPC). The PEN Pinter prize is open to writers from Britain, Republic of Ireland, and the
Commonwealth countries or former Commonwealth nations.
Indian environmental organization ‘Familial Forestry’ wins prestigious UN award
 Rajasthan based environmental organization Familial Forestry has won the prestigious Land for Life
Award for the current year conferred by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD).
 It got the award because of its innovative land restoration and conservation method that promotes the
well-being of communities and improves their relationship with nature.
UN Global Compact Recognises Sumant Sinha of ReNew Power as One of Ten SDG Pioneers
 The United Nations Global Compact recognised Sumant Sinha, Chairman & MD of ReNew Power
as one of ten 2021 SDG Pioneers.
 SDG Pioneers are business leaders selected by the UN Global Compact for doing an exceptional job
to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the implementation of the UN Global
Compact Ten Principles on human rights, environment, labor, and anti-corruption.
 This honor comes in recognition of Sumant’s work to advance access to clean and affordable
energy (SDG 7). As the leader of India's leading renewable energy company, ReNew Power, Sumant
has set an example by building the core business of ReNew Power around the targets of SDG 7.
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Snowflake Global Innovation Partner of the Year
 Larsen & Toubro Infotech, a global technology consulting and digital solutions company has been
recognized as the Global Innovation Partner of the Year by Snowflake, the Data Cloud Company.
 The award represents a key milestone for the strategic partnership between LTI and Snowflake and
will strengthen collaboration between the companies to empower enterprises with innovative solutions
and services.
Indo-American chemist Sumita Mitra honoured with prestigious European Inventor Award
 Indian-American chemist Sumita Mitra, the first to have successfully integrated nanotechnology into
dental materials to produce stronger and more aesthetically pleasing fillings, has been honoured with
the European Inventor Award 2021 in the ‘Non-European Patent Office countries’ category.
 The award, one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes, is presented annually by the
European Patent Office (EPO) to recognise outstanding inventors from Europe and beyond.
French non-fiction author Emmanuel Carrere wins top Spanish award
 French author Emmanuel Carrere, popular for his non-fiction books in a high literary vein, has been
granted this year’s Spanish Princess of Asturias Literature Award.
 The award is one of the eight prestigious prizes by the foundation named after the heir to the Spanish
throne, Princess Leonor.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Cochin airport gets global award for quality of service
 The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has won a global award for quality of service.
 The Cochin International Airport has consistently delivered excellence in customer service by winning
multiple ASQ awards over five years during the past 10 years and is one of the only six airports
worldwide that will receive the recognition this year.
NTPC wins recognition of India's best employers, among top 50 Great Place to Work
 For the first time, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) won recognition as India's
Best Employers among Nation-Builders 2021.
 It has been recognized as the 'Great Place to Work' for the 15th straight year by the Great Places
to Work Institute.
 NTPC is the only Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) to consistently feature in India's top 50 best
workplaces. The PSU comes under the ministry of power.
 This year NTPC ranked 38th up from 47th position last year. It also won it’s first-ever recognition of
India’s Best Employers among Nation-Builders 2021.
Former Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja honoured with CEU Open Society Prize
 Former Health Minister KK Shailaja has been chosen for the prestigious Central European
University (CEU) Open Society Prize.
 She has been selected for the award in recognition of her commitment to public health services. As
minister of public health in the Indian state of Kerala during the Covid-19 pandemic, KK Shailaja
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Teacher and the dedicated staff of the public health service demonstrated to the world that
determined leadership, community-based public health and effective communication can save lives.
Learn Along
About the Award: Open Society Prize, the highest civilian recognition by the university, is annually awarded to
persons of exceptional distinction who serve the ideals of an open society.
EIL CMD RK Sabharwal gets highest civilian award of Mongolia
 Engineers India Limited (EIL) Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) RK Sabharwal has been
honoured with the highest civilian award of Mongolia 'The Order of Polar Star' by His Excellency,
the President of Mongolia to recognise the outstanding contribution made by him towards the
establishment of first ever oil refinery in Mongolia.
Journalist P Sainath awarded Japan’s Fukuoka Grand Prize for 2021
 Renowned journalist and founder of PARI (People’s Archive of Rural India) P Sainath has been
awarded the Fukuoka Grand Prize for 2021.
 The award is given in three categories: Academic Prize, Culture Prize and the Grand Prize. The
Grand Prize is considered the biggest among them.
 The 2021 Academic Prize and Culture Prize was awarded to Japanese scholar Mio Kishimoto and
Thai writer and filmmaker Prabda Yoon.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Learn Along
About the Award: Established by the city of Fukuoka and the Fukuoka City International Foundation to honor the
outstanding work of individuals or organizations in preserving or creating Asian culture, the award aims to foster
and increase awareness of the value of Asian cultures, and to establish a foundation from which people of the Asia
can learn and share with one another.
Smart Cities Awards 2020
 The Centre declared the Smart Cities Awards 2020 in which Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Surat
(Gujarat) won the award jointly for holistic development.
 In a first, states were also awarded for the overall performance of their smart cities; in this
category, Uttar Pradesh emerged on top, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
 The awards commemorated six years of the Union government’s three initiatives to spur urban
development: Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT), and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).
 The Winners:
o Chandigarh took top honours among union territories, while Indore won the Innovative Idea
Award for its ‘Carbon Credit Financing Mechanism’.
o Ahmedabad bagged the Smart Cities Leadership Award, followed by Varanasi and Ranchi in
the second and third spots respectively.
o Keeping the pandemic in mind, additional parameters of sustainable business model of
Integrated Command and Control Centres and innovation in Covid-19 management were also
counted for the awards. Varanasi and Kalyan-Dombivali were named the joint winners under
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this category.
o The top nine performing cities awarded a four-star rating are Surat, Indore, Ahmedabad, Pune,
Vijayawada, Rajkot, Visakhapatnam, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Vadodara.
o Odisha's capital, Bhubaneswar, won two awards: second place in the Social Aspects Project
category, while Bhubaneswar secured the third spot in Governance category.
o Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh also took home several honours, in the Social Aspects, Sanitation
and Urban Environment categories.
IMPORTANT DAYS
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Day/Week Observance Theme
Global Day of Parents Appreciate all parents throughout the world
1 June
World Milk Day Sustainability in the dairy sector
3 June World Bicycle Day -
International Day of Innocent Children
4 June -
Victims of Aggression
World Environment Day Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.
5 June International Day for the Fight against
-
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
World Pest Day -
6 June
UN Russian Language Day -
7 June World Food Safety Day Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Day/Week Observance Theme

8 June World Ocean Day The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods
Accreditation: Supporting the Implementation of
9 June World Accreditation Day
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
12 June World Day Against Child Labour Act Now, End Child Labour
13 June International Albinism Awareness Day Strength Beyond All Odds
14 June World Blood Donor Day Give blood and keep the world beating
Global Wind Day -
15 June
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Access to Justice
Recovery and resilience through digital and
16 June International Day of Family Remittances
financial inclusion
World Day to Combat Desertification and Restoration.Land.Recovery. We build back
17 June
Drought better with healthy land
Sustainable Gastronomy Day -
18 June Inclusion in the Workplace: Challenges and
Autistic Pride Day
Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World.
International Day for the Elimination of
-
Sexual Violence in Conflict
19 June
National Reading Day -
World Sickle Cell Awareness Day -
World Refugee Day -
20 June Father's Day is celebrated annually on every
Father's Day
third Sunday of June.
World Music Day www.i xamBee.c om
-
United Nations theme is “Yoga for well-being”
International Day of Yoga Ministry of Ayush, Government of India’s theme
is ‘Yoga for Wellness’
21 June One hundred years of international cooperation
World Hydrography Day
in hydrography
International Day of the Celebration of the
-
Solstice
World Humanist Day -
Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-
22 June World Rainforest Day
being
Innovating the Future Public Service: New
United Nations Public Service Day Government Models for a New Era to Reach
the SDGs
23 June
Stay healthy, stay strong, stay active with the
International Olympic Day
#OlympicDay workout on 23 June
International Widows' Day Invisible Women, Invisible Problems.
24 June Passport Seva Divas (PSD) -
Day of the Seafarer Seafarers: at the core of shipping's future
25 June
World Vitiligo Day -
International Day in Support of Victims of
-
Torture
26 June
International Day against Drug Abuse and
Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives
Illicit Trafficking
Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises MSME 2021: Key to an inclusive and
27 June
Day sustainable recovery

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Day/Week Observance Significance

End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and
National Statistics Day Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable
29 June
Agriculture (Sustainable Development Goal- 2)
International Day of the Tropics The Digital Divide in the Tropics
International Asteroid Day -
30 June Social Media Day -
International Day of Parliamentarism -
January 30 now ‘World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day’
 The ongoing 74th World Health Assembly declared January 30 as ‘World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD)
Day’.
Learn Along
About Neglected Tropical Diseases: NTDs are a group of infections that are most common among marginalised communities
in the developing regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas. They are caused by a variety of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria,
protozoa and parasitic worms. These diseases generally receive less funding for research and treatment than malaises like
tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS and malaria. Some examples of NTDs include snakebite envenomation, scabies, yaws, trachoma,
Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.
OBITUARIES
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Name of Person Field www.i xamBee.c om
Points to Remember
He was 92. He was a Danish politician who served as Prime
Minister of Denmark from 1982 to 1993. He was the first
Former Prime member of the Conservative People's Party to become Prime
Minister of Minister, as well as the first conservative to hold the office since
Denmark 1901. Schlüter was a member of the Folketing (Danish
parliament) for the Conservative People's Party from 1964 to
Image Source: Wikipedia 1994. He was also Chairman of the Conservative People's Party
Poul Schlueter from 1974 to 1977 and from 1981 to 1993.
T. M. Kaliyannan was an Indian politician who served as a
member of the Provisional Parliament of India and as a member
of the Legislative Assembly MLA, Member of the Legislative
Assembly MLC of Tamil Nadu. He was the last surviving
Politician member of the first parliament of India (Provisional Parliament
1950–1952) and was one of the few surviving members of the
Image Source: TOI first assembly of Tamil Nadu (formerly Madras) State (MLA
T. M. Kaliannan 1952 Rasipuram, MLA 1957 Tiruchengode, MLA 1962
Tiruchengode).
Honorary Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

IIT professor and and renowned road safety and injury prevention expert Dinesh
renowned road Mohan passed away. Mohan (75) was one of the world's
safety expert leading experts on traffic safety issues and human tolerance to
Image Source: NDTV injury.
Dinesh Mohan

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Name of Person Field Points to Remember
Sir Anerood Jugnauth was a Mauritian politician and barrister

who served both as President and Prime Minister of Mauritius.
Former president He was Member of Parliament for Piton & Riviere Du Rempart.
and prime He served as Prime Minister from 1982 to 1995 and again from
minister of 2000 to 2003. He was then elected as President of Mauritius
Mauritius and served as such from 2003 to 2012. Following his party's
Image Source: Wikipedia victory in the 2014 general elections, he was appointed again to
Anerood Jugnauth serve his sixth term as Prime Minister. He was considered the
father of the Mauritian economic miracle of the 1980s.
Actor Sanchari Vijay passed away. The National Award-winning
Sanchari Vijay Kannada Actor Kannada film actor was 37. He won National Award for Best
Actor in 2015.
India's 1951 Asian Games marathon bronze medal winner and

1952 Olympian Surat Singh Mathur has died. He was 90.
Mathur was the first athlete from independent India to complete
Asian Games an Olympic marathon race, at the 1952 Helsinki Games.
and Olympics Besides the 1951 Asian Games bronze, Mathur won two gold,
marathoner one silver and one bronze in the National Championships during
his short stint at the top. After retirement, having served as a
Image Source: The Hindu headmaster, Mathur became a special coach in the Municipal
Surat Singh Mathur Corporation of Delhi in 1977. He was honoured by the Olympic
Council of Asia during the inauguration of its headquarters in
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Kuwait City in 2009.
National award winning filmmaker and celebrated poet

Buddhadeb Dasgupta died. He was 77. In his illustrious career,
the filmmaker received several national and international
Filmmaker recognitions for his work. He received the National Film Award
in several categories including best film, best direction, best
screenplay and best feature film in Bengali for his work. He also
Image Source: TOI
Buddhadeb Dasgupta received international awards at the Venice Film Festival,
Locarno Film Festival, Asia Pacific Film Festival and Bangkok
International Film Festival among others.
Noted Kannada poet, playwright and Dalit activist Prof

Siddalingaiah died. He was 67. Siddalingaiah is credited with
starting the Dalit-Bandaya movement in Kannada, as well as
starting the genre of Dalit writing in Kannada literature. At
Bangalore University, where he was chairman of the
Kannada poet, Department of Kannada Studies for several years, Prof
writer, Dalit Siddalingaiah was also the director of an Ambedkar Study and
activist Research Centre which taught students about Ambedkar and
Image Source: IE
his thinking. Siddalingaiah was a nominated member of the
Prof Siddalingaiah Legislative Council for two terms between1988-1994 and 1995-
2001. He was also a former chairman of the Kannada
Development Authority and Karnataka Book Authority.
He was awarded the Pampa Award, the highest literary award
of the state, in 2019, and the Rajyotsava Award in 1986.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021

Nirmal Milkha Singh, former Indian volleyball captain, breathed
her last. Nirmal was married to Milkha Singh. Nirmal was the
Indian volleyball Punjab volleyball captain before becoming the Indian volleyball
Nirmal Milkha Kaur captain captain. She also worked as joint director sports, Chandigarh,
and director sports, Chandigarh, after her retirement from
Punjab.
Former Asian Games gold medalist boxer Ngangom Dingko

Singh passed away. He was 47. Dingko won the gold medal in
Indian Boxer 1998 at the 13th Asian Games, Bangkok. He was also
Manipur’s first Asian Games gold medalist.
For his outstanding contribution, the Manipuri pugilist was
Image Source: TOI
bestowed the Arjuna award in 1998 and conferred with Padma
Ngangom Dingko Singh Shri in 2013.
Noted environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee Professor

Radha Mohan, who helped popularise organic farming
techniques, died. He was 78. A former Odisha Information
Commissioner and a retired professor of economics. They
Environmentalist transformed the 36 hectares of wasteland in Nayagarh district’s
Odagaon using ecological waste to create fertile topsoil.
He was awarded the Padma Shri along with his daughter
Image Source: Wikipedia Sabarmatee in 2020 for their contribution to the agriculture
Radha Mohan sector. Back in 1990, he founded ‘Sambhav’, a social
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organisation aimed at educating farmers on organic and natural

farming.
Gottfried Böhm was a German architect and sculptor. His

reputation is based on creating highly sculptural buildings made
of concrete, steel, and glass. Böhm's first independent building
was the Cologne chapel "Madonna in the Rubble" (now
German architect integrated into Peter Zumthor's design of the Kolumba museum
renovation). The chapel was completed in 1949 where a
medieval church once stood before it was destroyed during
Image Source: Wikipedia
World War II. Böhm's most influential and recognized building is
Gottfried Böhm
the Maria, Königin des Friedens pilgrimage church in Neviges.
In 1986, he became the first German architect to be awarded
the prestigious Pritzker Prize.
Milkha Singh also known as The Flying Sikh, was an Indian

track and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport while
serving in the Indian Army. He is the only athlete to win gold at
Indian track and 400 metres at the Asian Games as well as the
field athlete Commonwealth Games. He also won gold medals in the 1958
and 1962 Asian Games. He represented India in the 1956
Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer
Image Source: Tribune India Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in
Milkha Singh Tokyo. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest
civilian honour, in recognition of his sporting achievements.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Kenneth David Kaunda also known as KK, was a Zambian

politician who served as the first president of Zambia from 1964
to 1991. He died at the age of 97. He was at the forefront of the
Zambia’s first struggle for independence from British rule. Dissatisfied with
president Harry Nkumbula's leadership of the Northern Rhodesian African
National Congress, he broke away and founded the Zambian
Image Source: CNN African National Congress, later becoming the head of the
Kenneth Kaunda United National Independence Party (UNIP). He was the first
president of the independent Zambia.
Mufti Faiz-ul-Waheed, a renowned Islamic scholar who was the

first to translate the Quran into the Gojri language and helped
Islamic scholar hundreds of tribal students pursue medical and engineering
education across Jammu and Kashmir, passed away. He was
56. The scholar was widely respected among tribals for his
Image Source: Greater Kashmir efforts for their upliftment.
Mufti Faiz-ul-Waheed
Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary Dr
Guruprasad Mohapatra have passed away. He was 59. A
Department of Gujarat cadre 1986-batch IAS officer, he was appointed to the
Industry and DPIIT in August 2019. Prior to joining DPIIT, Dr Mohapatra had
Internal Trade served as the chairman of the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
(DPIIT) secretary He had earlier been deputed as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry
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of Commerce and Industry. In Gujarat, he held several roles,

Image Source: Livemint
including that of the commissioner of the Ahmedabad Municipal
Guruprasad Mohapatra
Corporation.
Brigadier Raghubir Singh passed away at an age of 99 years.
Brig Raghubir Singh was commissioned on 18 Apr 1943 into the
Sawaiman Guards as a Second Lieutenant and fought a
number of wars including the second world war. He participated
in the Burma war in 1944 and went to Japan to fight. Thereafter,
Army Personnel he fought in the Indo Pak war of 1947-48 in the Uri sector
immediately after independence. He also fought in Indo-pak war
of 1965 and 1971. For this gallant act, the then President of
Image Source: Rajput Community Forum India, Dr S Radhakrishnan, honoured Lieutenant Colonel (later
Brigadier Raghubir Singh Brigadier) Raghubir Singh with Maha Vir Chakra, the second
highest gallantry award in the country.
Cinematographer
and veteran National Award-winning cinematographer and veteran director
Sivan Malayalam film Sivan passed away. He was 89. Sivan has won a National
director Award three times in his career.
John David McAfee was a British-American computer

programmer, businessman, and two-time presidential candidate
American who unsuccessfully sought the Libertarian Party nomination for
computer president of the United States in 2016 and 2020. In 1987, he
programmer wrote the first commercial anti-virus software, founding McAfee
Associates to sell his creation. He resigned in 1994 and sold his
John McAfee remaining stake in the company.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
BOOKS
Back to Index
Book Title Author/s Publisher
1232 km: The Long Journey Home Vinod Kapri HarperCollins
Stargazing: The Players in My Life Ravi Shastri and Ayaz Memon HarperCollins India
Savarkar: A contested Legacy (1924- Penguin Random House India
Vikram Sampath
1966)
Home in the World Amartya Sen

Penguin Random House
Believe : What Life and Cricket Taught Penguin
Suresh Raina, Bharat Sundaresan
Me
The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a ---
Amitav Ghosh
Planet in Crisis
Beyond Here and Other Poems Bishnupada Sethi Har Anand Publications
The 7 Sins of Being A Mother Tahira Kashyap Khurrana Juggernaut Books
WILL Will Smith (Author), Mark Manson Penguin Press
My Joys And Sorrows – As A Mother ---
Dr Krishna Saksena
Of A Special Child
Policymaker's Journal: From New S&S India
Kaushik Basu
Delhi to Washington D.C.
Fiercely Female: The Dutee Chand Westland Books
Sundeep Mishra
Story
A Kashmiri Century: Portrait of a HarperCollins
Khemlata Wakhlu
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Society in Flux
Anomalies in Law and Justice Justice (retd) R V Raveendran ---
It’s a Wonderful Life: Roads to ---
Ruskin Bond
Happiness
SPORTS
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ICC Expands Men's ODI World Cup to 14 Teams From 2027
 ICC expands Men's ODI World Cup to 14 Teams from 2027. Earlier there were 10 teams.
 T20 World Cup to 20 Teams from 2024.
 Champions Trophy will be revived as 8-team event in 2025 and 2029.
 The changes were announced as the ICC unveiled its global schedule of events from 2024-2031.
Utah's Jordan Clarkson wins NBA's 6th man of the year award
 Utah’s Jordan Clarkson was announced as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.
 Utah’s Joe Ingles was second.
 New York’s Derrick Rose, the other first-place votegetter, was third, while Dallas teammates Jalen
Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr. were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
FIH world rankings: Indian men's team maintain 4th position, women’s team hold on to 9th
 In Hockey, Indian men's team maintained their fourth position while women’s team held to ninth
position in the latest International Hockey Federation world rankings.
 In Men’s ranking, Belgium, the reigning world and European champions, lead the table, followed by
Australia. The Netherlands are placed third.
 In the women’s category, The Netherlands women’s team is leading while Argentina are second.
Australia climbed to third position.
Djokovic Wins 83rd Career Title in Belgrade
 World No. 1 Novak Djokovic captured the 83rd title of his career with victory in the Belgrade
Open.
 He defeated Slovakian qualifier and first-time ATP Tour finalist Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-3 at the Novak
Tennis Center.
Sergio Perez Wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix
 Red Bull's Sergio Perez won Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

 Sebastian Vettel for Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly for Alpha Tauri were second and third
respectively.
Germany’s FIFA World Cup-winner Sami Khedira announces retirement

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 Germany’s World Cup-winning midfielder Sami Khedira will retire following his club Hertha Berlin’s
final match of the Bundesliga season against Hoffenheim.
 Khedira, 34, began his career at VfB Stuttgart and helped them win the league title in the 2006-07
season before moving to Real Madrid.
 Khedira went on to win five Serie A titles at Juventus after joining them in 2015 and left for Hertha
three months ago.
 Khedira played 77 games for Germany scoring seven goals and helped them win the 2014 World Cup
in Brazil.
Rafael Nadal beats Novak Djokovic to win 10th Italian Open title
 Rafael Nadal beat world number one Novak Djokovic to win a 10th Italian Open title.
 Second seed Nadal won through 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 against the defending champion in the 57th career
showdown between the pair.
NBA creates social justice award, named for Abdul-Jabbar
 The NBA announced the creation of a new award — the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice
Champion Award — to recognize players who are making strides in the fight for social justice.
 Each NBA team will nominate one player for consideration; from there, five finalists will be selected
and ultimately one winner.
 The winning player will receive $100,000 for the charity of his choice; the other four finalists will
receive $25,000 apiece, also for charity.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Phil Mickelson wins US PGA Championship in triumph for the ages
 Phil Mickelson win the 103rd PGA Championship as he became the oldest player to win a major
event. He replaced legendary golfer Julius Boros as the oldest player to win a major in the sport.
 Mickelson, 50, won his sixth major championship and beat out two-time PGA Championship winner
Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen – both golfers finished tied for second.
 It was Mickelson’s 45th PGA Tour win, and he took home $2.1 million in earnings.
Atletico Madrid Win 2020-21 La Liga Title
 Atletico Madrid won 2020-21 La Liga Title by defeating Real Valladolid.

 This is only the second time in 17 years that a team other than Barcelona or Real Madrid have won
the title, with Atletico claiming the other one under Simeone in 2014.
Barcelona beats Chelsea to win Women's Champions League final
 Barcelona beat Chelsea 4-0 to win the Women's Champions League final for the first time in the
club's history.
 Barcelona is the only franchise whose men's and women's sides have won the top European
tournament.
2020–21 UEFA Champions League
 The 2021 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions
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League, the 66th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the
29th season since it was renamed from the European Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
 It was played at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal between English clubs Manchester City
and Chelsea.
 Chelsea won the final 1–0 for their second UEFA Champions League title, and will now play the
winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, Villarreal, in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup, and at the
2021 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.
BharatPe becomes ICC’s official partner till 2023
 Lending and digital payments startup BharatPe announced that it has inked a three-year deal to
become an official partner with International Cricket Council (ICC).
 As per the agreement, BharatPe will promote the association across broadcast and digital platforms,
as well as execute in-venue brand activations at all the ICC events until 2023.
ICC Hall of Fame
 The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a special edition intake of 10 cricket icons
into the ICC Hall of Fame to celebrate the prestigious history of Test cricket, and to coincide with the
first-ever ICC World Test Championship final.
 The 10 legends of the game to be inducted have all made a significant contribution to the history of
Test cricket, and join an illustrious list of ICC Hall of Famers, taking the total number to 103 as a
result of this intake.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
 The special inductions of the ICC Hall of Fame from the following five eras join the ranks of the
world's greatest players:
o From early cricket era, South Africa's Aubrey Faulkner, Australia's Monty Noble have
been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. In the early cricket era, players whose greatest
contributions to the game till 1918 were selected.
o In the inter-war era (Players whose greatest contributions to the game were from 1918-1945),
West Indies' Sir Learie Constantine, Australia's Stan McCabe were chosen.
o In the post-war era (Players whose greatest contributions to the game were from 1946-1970),
England's Ted Dexter, India's Vinoo Mankad were inducted to the ICC Hall of Fame.
o In the ODI era (Players whose greatest contributions to the game were from 1971-1995),
West Indies' Desmond Haynes and England's Bob Willis were inducted into the ICC Hall of
Fame.
o In the Modern Cricket Era, Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, Zimbabwe's Andy Flower were
selected.
Kathryn Bryce, Mushfiqur Rahim Named ICC Players of The Month For May
 The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Scotland's Kathryn Bryce and Bangladesh's
Mushfiqur Rahim as the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for May.
 All-rounder Kathryn Bryce from Scotland was voted the ICC Women's Player of the Month for May
2021 while Bangladeshi Mushfiqur Rahim was named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for May
2021.
Debbie Hewitt nominated to become Football Association’s first female chair

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 The Football Association (FA) have officially confirmed the nomination of Debbie Hewitt to become
the organisation’s new chairperson.
 From January 2022, Hewitt is set to become the FA’s first female chair as the permanent successor
to Greg Clarke.
 Peter McCormick had been performing the role on an interim basis and will continue until the New
Year.
Sunil Chhetri Surpasses Lionel Messi's Tally Of International Goals
 Sunil Chhetri (74 goals) has surpassed Argentine footballer Lionel Messi to become the second-
highest active international goal-scorer.
 The 36-year-old Chhetri achieved the feat with his brace against against Bangladesh in the joint
preliminary qualifying round match for 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
 The seasoned striker now stands only behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (103) in the active
international goal-scorers list.
Oman beats India to become host of first Hockey5s World Cup 2024
 Oman has beaten India, Pakistan and Singapore to win the bid to host the first edition of the FIH
Hockey5s World Cups for men and women, to be played in January 2024. Matches will take place
in Omani capital Muscat.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Virendra Sehwag takes cricket coaching online with sports startup Cricuru
 Ace cricketer Virendra Sehwag unveiled his sports training startup Cricuru to bring cricket training
over the internet.
 Cricuru is an online platform for cricket coaching, which it delivers through a repository of video
tutorials by professional cricketers and an artificial intelligence-powered tool for improving basic
techniques.
 Sehwag teamed up with cricketer and former India Cricket Team Coach Sanjay Bangar to create
Cricuru.
Asian Boxing Championships
 The 31st edition of the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships was held in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. It was the second time in the tournament's history that men and women fought in the same
championship.
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Gold Winners: Sanjeet Kumar (91 Kg) and Pooja Rani (75 Kg)
Silver Winners: Amit Phangal (52 Kg), Shiva Thapa (64 Kg), Mary Kom (51 Kg), Lal Buat Saihi (64 Kg)
and Anupama Kundu (+81 Kg)
Gukesh Wins Gelfand Challenge
 World’s second youngest Grandmaster D. Gukesh won the $15,000 Gelfand Challenge chess title.
 Gukesh, 15, won all four rounds, including the key battle against Praggnanandhaa, and emerged on
top.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
French Open 2021 Men's Singles
 The 2021 French Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was
held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, comprising singles, doubles and mixed doubles
play. It was the 125th edition of the French Open and the second Grand Slam event of 2021.
 Here are the winners of the tournament:
Category Winner Defeated
Men's singles Novak Djokovic Stefanos Tsitsipas

women's singles Barbora Krejčíková Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
France Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Alexander Bublik,
Men's Doubles
Nicolas Mahut Andrey Golubev
Barbora Krejčíková, Bethanie Mattek-Sands,
Women's Doubles
Kateřina Siniaková Iga Świątek
Desirae Krawczyk, Elena Vesnina,
Mixed Doubles
Joe Salisbury Aslan Karatsev
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat clinches gold at Poland Open
 Tokyo Olympic-bound star Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the 53kg gold at the Poland Open in
Warsaw. She defeated Ukraine's Khrystyna Bereza in the final, winning 8-0.
 It is third title of the season for the 26-year-old Vinesh, who claimed gold medals at the Matteo
Pellicone event (March) and Asian Championship (April) earlier.
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French Grand Prix 2021
 The 2021 French Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Emirates Grand Prix de France 2021)
was a Formula One motor race which took place at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, Var.
 Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen win the race.
 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was second and Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez was third.
Kevin O'Brien announces retirement from ODIs
 Ireland all-rounder Kevin O'Brien announced his retirement from the 50-over format.
 The 37-year old Dubliner finishes his ODI career having appeared 153 times in that format, amassing
3,618 runs (Ireland's third-highest ODI run-scorer) at an average of 29.41 and a strike rate of 88.72,
and took 114 wickets -- ending as Ireland's highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket (Boyd Rankin is second
on the list with 96 ODI wickets).
Sports brand Puma India extends partnership with Yuvraj Singh
 Global sports brand Puma India has extended partnership with former Indian cricketer Yuvraj
Singh, who has been associated with the brand for over a decade.
 Yuvraj will now be seen as the face of Puma Motorsport in India.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard qualifies for Olympics, makes history as openly transgender athlete
 New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard has become the first openly transgender athlete
selected for the Olympics.
 Hubbard, 43, had participated in the men’s category as Gavin before coming out in 2013.
 She will compete in the women’s 87-kilogram class in Tokyo.
 Hubbard is the oldest weightlifting qualifier at 43 years old.
India will host the Indian Grand Prix 4 in Patiala
 The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced that it will host the Indian Grand Prix 4 on June
21 in Patiala.
 The list of events that will be conducted in the fourth IGP are 400m, 1500m, long jump, triple jump,
shot put, javelin throw and 400m hurdles for men and 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m, 5000m, discus
throw, javelin throw and 4x100m relay for women.
Dr Tadang Minu becomes first Indian woman to be appointed as AIBA’s coaches committee
member
 Dr Tadang Minu from Arunachal has become the first woman in the country and the second
Indian to be appointed as a member of the Coaches Committee of the International Boxing
Association (AIBA), the parent body for boxing in the world.
 Dr Minu, who is the HoD (in-charge) of the physical education department of RGU, has also been
retained as the Boxing Federation of India’s Women’s Commission chairman for another two years.
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 She is also the president of the Arunachal Amateur Boxing Association (AABA).
Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce becomes second-fastest woman of all time
 Jamaica’s double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the second-fastest

woman of all time behind 100 metres world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner when she clocked
10.63 seconds at a meet in Kingston.
 American Griffith-Joyner still holds the women’s 100 metres world record of 10.49 seconds, set in
Indianapolis in 1988, as well as the three fastest times ever with 10.61 and 10.62, also in 1988.
Tokyo Olympics: Rani Rampal, Manpreet Singh named captains of Indian hockey teams
 India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams will be captained by Manpreet Singh and Rani Rampal
respectively at next month’s Tokyo Olympics.
 Deep Grace Ekka and Savita as two vice-captains of the national women’s hockey team while
defenders Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh will be the two deputies of the men’s team.
2020 Tokyo Olympics: India's official theme song launched
 India's "Official Olympic Theme Song" was launched ahead of the Summer Games in July-August.
 The event was organised by Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
 Mohit Chauhan has composed and sung the song titled "Lakshya Tera Samne Hai".

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
OnePlus ropes in Jasprit Bumrah as brand ambassador for wearables
 Premium smartphone brand OnePlus has roped in cricketer Jasprit Bumrah as the brand
ambassador for its wearables category.
New Zealand crowned ICC World Test Champions
 New Zealand captain Kane Williamson beat India in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship
(WTC) Final in Southampton.
 Williamson became the second New Zealand captain to win an ICC trophy after Stephen Fleming
(ICC Knockout Trophy) in 2000 as they chased down 139 on the sixth and final day in just over a
session to be crowned the world champions in Test cricket at the Ageas Bowl.
Deepika Kumari Reclaims World No.1 Ranking After Triple Gold at World Cup Stage 3 in Paris
 Indian archer Deepika Kumari regained the number one position in global rankings for recurve
women following her hat-trick of gold medals at the World Cup Stage 3 in Paris.
 The 27-year-old from Ranchi, who had achieved the top spot for the first time in 2012, claimed gold
medals in three recurve events -- women's individual, women's team and mixed team.
 Deepika had become only the second Indian woman after Dola Banerjee to grab the numero uno
spot in June 2012 after claiming her first individual recurve World Cup gold medal at Antalya, Turkey.
Formula One: Red Bull's Max Verstappen Wins Styrian Grand Prix
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 The Styrian Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing event held at the Red Bull Ring, named after
Styria, the province of Austria that the circuit is located in.
 Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the Styrian Grand Prix 2021.
 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was second and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas was third.
ISSF World Cup: Rahi Sarnobat Wins Gold in Women's 25m Pistol
 Olympic-bound Rahi Sarnobat clinched the women's 25m pistol gold medal at the ISSF shooting
World Cup in Osijek, Croatia.
 The silver went to France's Mathilde Lamolle.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021 relocated to UAE, Oman
 The venue for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has been shifted to the United Arab Emirates and
Oman. The tournament is scheduled to be held from October 17 to November 14.
 Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) will remain the hosts of the event.
Allrounder Anshula Rao First Indian Woman Cricketer to Fail Dope Test, Handed Four-Year Ban
 Madhya Pradesh allrounder Anshula Rao has been handed a four-year ban by the National Anti-
Doping Agency for failing a dope test, backdated to July 2020.
 Rao thus becomes the first woman cricketer to have been punished for doping.

Monthly BeePedia
June 2021
Shafali Verma becomes youngest Indian cricketer to play in all formats
 Shafali Verma became the youngest Indian cricketer to make her debut in all three formats after
she was named in the playing XI for the first ODI against England.
 Shafali was 15 years 239 days old when she made her debut in T20Is in September 2019. She made
her debut in the longest format of the game 11 days ago in England. And now at the age of 17 years
150 days, Shafali made her ODI debut to achieve the feat.
Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown breaks 100-meter backstroke world record
 The 19-year-old swimmer Kaylee McKeown broke the 100-meter backstroke world record at the
Australian Olympic trials.
 She had a time of 57.45 seconds at the South Australian Aquatic Centre to improve on the previous
mark of 57.57 set by American Regan Smith in 2019.
Olympic medallist appointed first V-C of Delhi Sports University
 Retired weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari — the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics —
has been appointed the first vice-chancellor of the Delhi government’s Delhi Sports University.
 Malleshwari won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She has also been awarded the Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award and Padma Shri.
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Sources of the News:
PIB India, DD News, News on AIR, The Economic Times, Financial Express, liveMint, The Indian Express,
The Times of India, Business Standard, Business World, Business Line, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Al
Jazeera, BBC, Zee News, Republic World, Times Now News, Money Control, NDTV, Outlook India and
Wikipedia


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Science and Technology ___________________________________________61

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Awards and Rewards ______________________________________________81

Important Days ___________________________________________________85

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FINANCE AND BANKING

RBI announces second round of G-SAP to keep yields in check

RBI projects retail inflation at 5.1 pc in FY22 on supply-side measures, monsoon

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RBI issues norms on Certificate of Deposit

NACH to be available on all days of the week: RBI

NPCI Headquarters: Mumbai MD & CEO– Dilip Asbe

RBI cancels licence of Pune-based Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari Bank

DICGC Headquarters: Mumbai Executive: M.D. Patra

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RBI extends banking license of Rupee Co-operative Bank till August 31

RBI announces FPI investment limits in G-secs and SDLs

ATM cash withdrawal rule changed by RBI

RBI extends risk-based internal audit system to housing finance firms

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RBI proposes uniform regulatory framework for microfinance sector

Mobile prepaid recharge facility on BBPS by August-end: RBI

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RBI Changed DHFL's Deposit-taking Status into Non-Deposit Taking HFC

RBI Issued Norms for FATF Non-Compliant Jurisdictions' Investment in PSOs

RBI issues norms for dividend distribution by NBFCs

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RBI restricts continuous tenure of UCB MDs to 15 years

RBI extends restrictions on PMC Bank till Dec 31, 2021

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RBI launches FY21 round of survey on ITES exports

RBI sets July 30 deadline for banks to move current accounts

SEBI asks to make disclosure based on interest, credit risk

SEBI Headquarters: Mumbai Chairman: Ajay Tyagi

SEBI streamlines framework on centralised database for corporate bonds

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SEBI issues guidelines for off-market transfer of securities by FPIs to IFSC

SEBI tweaks delisting rules to make process transparent, efficient

SEBI appoints BSE subsidiary to supervise investment advisers

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SEBI reconstitutes Takeover Panel

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Policybazaar gets insurance broking licence from IRDAI

PolicyBazar Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana CEO: Yashish Dahiya

SIDBI invites bids from consultants to help set up Rs 20,000 cr NaBFID

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BeAM inks pact to enhance smallholder farmers’ income in Maharashtra

BSE collaborates with GIFT SEZ to offer finance courses

HDFC Bank commits to become carbon neutral by 2031-32

 HDFC Bank announced plans to become carbon neutral by 2031-32.

IndusInd Bank to raise climate financing to 3.5% in 2 years

Kotak announces pandemic benevolent policy for its 73,000 employees

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SCNL Became 1st MFI in India to Integrate NPCI's UPI AutoPay

of loan and deposit growth during financial year 2020-21.

DBS tops Forbes 'World's Best Banks' list in India

 Forbes has published World's Best Banks 2021 List.

Yes Bank to raise Rs 10,000 crore via debt securities

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