International Yoga Day 2023

International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on June 21st to promote the numerous benefits of practicing yoga. The
chosen date coincides with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This day serves
as a platform to raise awareness about the holistic approach to well-being that yoga offers. It highlights the importance
of finding balance in our fast-paced, modern lives and encourages physical, mental, and spiritual harmony. Yoga fosters
mindfulness, stress reduction, and overall health and vitality.
In its 9th edition, this year’s International Day of Yoga will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UN
Headquarters on June 21st. This marks the first time a yoga session will be conducted by the Prime Minister at this
location.
International Yoga Day 2023 Theme
The theme selected for this year’s International Day of Yoga 2023 is “Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” which
represents our shared desire for “One Earth, One Family, One Future.”
International Yoga Day 2023 Significance
The significance of International Yoga Day is to raise awareness of the many benefits of yoga for physical and mental
health. Yoga is a mind-body practice that originated in India thousands of years ago. It combines physical postures,
breathing exercises, and meditation. Yoga has been shown to improve flexibility, strength, balance, and endurance. It
can also help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
The primary objective of the International Day of Yoga is to raise awareness about yoga as a holistic practice for mental
and physical well-being. This observance holds great importance in shedding light on the importance of psychological
and physical wellness in today’s world. Furthermore, the day encourages the cultivation of a regular meditation practice
to foster mental clarity and self-awareness, essential for thriving in a stress-free environment.
International Yoga Day History
During his speech at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi put forward
the concept of a dedicated yoga day. On December 11, 2014, all 193 member states of the United Nations unanimously
agreed to observe the International Day of Yoga on June 21. The inaugural celebration occurred on June 21, 2015.
Millions of people around the world participated in yoga events on this day, and the event was widely covered by the
media. Since then, International Yoga Day has become a global phenomenon, and it is now celebrated in over 190
countries.
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National Florence Nightingale Awards for 2022 and 2023 On June 22, 2023, the President of India, Smt. Droupadi
Murmu, bestowed the National Florence Nightingale Awards for the years 2022 and 2023 to nursing professionals during
a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These prestigious awards were established by the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, Government of India, in 1973 to honor the exceptional contributions made by nurses and nursing professionals
to society.
National Florence Nightingale Awards for 2023
MIZORMA : Ms C ZOPARI

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Telangana’s 5 structures chosen for the Green Apple Awards
In the Urban and Real Estate Sector category, Telangana has been awarded with the International Green Apple Awards
for Beautiful Buildings. For the first time any building or structure in India has received these prestigious awards. The
awards are presented annually by The Green Organization, an independent non-profit organisation based in London, to
recognize and promote global environmental best practices.
The five selected buildings and structures from Telangana are as follows:
1. Mozzam-Jahi Market (Heritage category)
2. Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge (Bridge category)
3. B R Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat Building falls under the aesthetically designed office and workspace
category
4. Integrated Command Control Center of Telangana Police is a distinctive type of office.
5. Yadadri Temple (Excellent religious structures category) Each of these buildings has been recognized for their unique
attributes such as exceptional restoration and re-use, innovative engineering, well-thought-out design, advanced
technology and devotion to detail. The Green Apple Awards play an important part in recognizing and promoting eco-
friendly building and design methods.
About Green Organisation:
The Green Organisation, founded in London in 1994, is an independent non-profit organisation that focuses on
recognizing, rewarding, and promoting environmental best practices globally. The green organisation has been
organizing the annual ‘Green Apple Awards’ since 2016, with the aim of recognizing and honouring environmentally
responsible construction and design practices.
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Razorpay India Launches First

International Payment Gateway Through Curlec in Malaysia Razorpay, a prominent Indian Full-Stack Payments
and Business Banking Platform, unveiled its first international Payment Gateway in Malaysia, in collaboration with
Curlec, under the brand ‘Curlec By Razorpay’ with the aims to bridge the gap between local and international payment
gateways.
✓ Payment Gateway intends to cater to over 5,000 businesses, with a target of achieving an annualised Gross
Transaction Value (GTV) of Malaysian Ringgit 10 billion (USD 2.1 billion) by 2025.
✓ Razorpay bought the Malaysian startup Curlec in a USD($)20 Million deal in February, 2022
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4 Indian Origin Women Features on Forbes’ America’s Richest Self-Made Women 2023
4 Indian Americans, Jayshree Ullal, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Arista Networks, Neerja Sethi, co-
Founder of Syntel, Neha Narkhede, co-founder of Confluent, and Indra Nooyi, former chair and CEO of PepsiCo, were
featured on the 2023 America’s Richest Self-Made Women, 9 th edition of Forbes’ annual ranking of the United States of
America (USA)’s most successful women entrepreneurs, executives and entertainers.
✓ The list is topped by Diane Hendricks, Chairman and founder of ABC Supply Co., Inc. (ABC), for the 6th consecutive
year, with net worth of USD 15 billion.
✓ Sumit Virmani, chief marketing officer (CMO) of Infosys (India) is ranked 41st on the The Forbes World’s Most
Influential CMOs List 2023, which recognises the 50 Most Influential CMOs in the World.
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North India’s first Skin Bank was inaugurated at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.
North India’s first Skin Bank has been inauğurated at Safdarjunğ Hospital in New Delhi on 20th June.
• It is a bank where deceased donors can donate their skin which will be helpful in the treatment of burns.
Skin can be donated within six hours of death and after processinğ can be used for burn and trauma patients.
• 7-10 million people suffer burn injuries in India every year, makinğ it the second most common cause of
injury after road accidents.
• Patients with skin infections, skin cancer treatments such as Mohs surğery, skin ulcers, and slow- healinğ or larğe
wounds may benefit from skin ğraftinğ.
• There are 16 skin banks in the country – a facility where skin from dead persons can be donated – seven
in Maharashtra, four in Chennai, three in Karnataka and one each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

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Deepest Metro station in India :Howrah Metro station

Howrah station, is going to be the deepest metro station in India. It is 33 meters below the surface and has 4
underground levels
• Union Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnav inspected
the Esplanade section of the East-West Metro (Green Line) project from Howrah Maidan on 21st June 2023.
• Minister Vaishnav inspected the station and inquired about the state-of-the-art passenger facilities provided here.
• After completing the inspection of Howrah Maidan station, the minister took a trolley inspection through the
metro tunnel under the river Hooghly and reached Howrah station, which is going to be the
deepest metro station in India.
• This metro station is built 33 meters below the surface and has 4 underground levels in an area of 5 lakh square feet.
India’s First Undersea Rail Tunnel in Thane Creek for Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has signed a contract with Afcons Infrastructure Limited for
the construction of India’s first undersea railway tunnel. The tunnel will be 21 km long and will pass through Thane
Creek (Ramsar Site) near Mumbai. Approximately 7 km of the tunnel will be located under the sea. The tunnel is part of
the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.
The construction of the tunnel is considered one of the most challenging contracts of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-
speed corridor.
Three Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) and the new Austrian tunnelling method will be used for the construction of the
tunnel. The tunnel will connect the underground station at Bandra- Kurla Complex with Shilphata in Thane,
accommodating twin tracks for the up and down routes. The depth of the tunnel will range from 25 to 65 meters below
ground level. The 21-km tunnel will be located between the underground station at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and
Shilphata in Maharashtra.

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Fourth National Water Awards, 2022 : MP best State, Ganjam best District and Jagannadhapuram best Village
Panchayat
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar conferred upon the fourth National Water Awards in New Delhi on June 17. The Jal
Shakti Ministry had announced a total of 41 winners, covering 11 categories, including joint winners, for the fourth
National Water Awards, 2022. Each award winner was conferred with a citation, a trophy, as well as
cash prizes.
• Madhya Pradesh was awarded the first prize in the best state cateğory.
• In the best district cateğory, the award was ğiven to Ganjam District of Odisha.
• The best Villağe Panchayat award was presented to Jağannadhapuram Villağe Panchayat, Bhadradri
Kothağudem district of Telanğana.
As part of the ongoing nationwide drive to realize the Government’s vision of a ‘Water Prosperous India’, the award
focused on encouraging the good work and efforts made by various individuals and organizations. It sought to create
awareness among people about the importance of water and motivated them to adopt the best water use practices.
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233 killed and over 900 injured in the Coromandel Express train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district.
• 233 people lost their lives and more than 900 people were injured after a painful train accident in Balasore,
Odisha on the eveninğ of 2nd June.
• Followinğ the incident, railway authorities have reğulated several trains at various stations, some have been canceled
and some have been diverted.
• The incident took place at 7 pm on 2nd June when the Shalimar-Howrah Coromandel Express overturned
after hittinğ a ğoods train at Bahnağa station. Minutes later, the Benğaluru- Howrah Superfast train also derailed at the
same spot.
• Rescue and relief work is ğoinğ on at the accident site. Rescue teams from Odisha and West Benğal includinğ
Defense Force, National Disaster Response Force and Odisha Disaster Response Force are enğağed in relief
operations.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced ex-ğratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief
Fund for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that Rs 10
lakh each will be ğiven to the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh each to the seriously injured and Rs 50,000
each to those with minor injuries.
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India Launches First Booster Vaccine “GEMCOVAC-OM” for Omicron Variant of COVID-19

India has developed its first booster COVID- 19 vaccine called GEMCOVAC-OM, specifically targeting the highly
transmissible Omicron variant. The vaccine has been launched by Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on
26 June 2023 in New Delhi.
• The booster vaccine can be administered to individuals who have already received two doses of either Covaxin or
Covishield.
• It will be rolled out from the upcominğ Monday and will cost INR 2,292 per dose.
• The vaccine has shown robust immune responses in phase-3 clinical trials conducted at 20 centers
across 13 cities in India.
• GEMCOVAC-OM is a needle-free, thermostable vaccine that can be stored at 2 to 8 değrees Celsius, eliminatinğ the
need for ultra-cold chain infrastructure.
• It has received emerğency use authorization for the Omicron variant from the Druğs Controller General of India.
• The development of the vaccine is part of the mission COVID Suraksha, with a focus on technoloğy-driven innovation
and creatinğ a future- ready technoloğy platform.
• This platform can be utilized for the development of other vaccines in a relatively short timeline.
• The government’s investments have fostered a strong entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem that has aided
the response against the pandemic.
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Bhavani Devi became the first Indian to win a bronze medal at the Asian Fencing Championships in China.
• Olympian CA Bhavani Devi created history by defeating reigning world champion Misaki Emura in the quarterfinals of
the Asian Fencing Championships, giving India its first medal at the event.
• The Indian fencer defeated the world number one 15-10 to enter the women’s saber semi-finals.
• However, Bhavani lost 15–14 to Uzbekistan’s Zainab Daybekova in the semi-finals and settled for the bronze medal.
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India’s first carbon neutral village is being developed in Bhiwandi taluka of Thane district.
• India’s first carbon neutral villağe is beinğ developed in Bhiwandi taluka of Thane district. 121 tribal villağes are beinğ
developed as model villağes.
• In Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituency, around 1,75,000 farmers are ğettinğ benefited from Pradhan Mantri Kisan
Samman Yojana.
• The initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices for a cleaner and ğreener
environment.
• These model villağes serve as examples for sustainable development, demonstratinğ effective infrastructure, facilities
and improved livinğ conditions.
• This scheme provides financial assistance to the farmers, enhances their livelihood and promotes ağricultural
development.
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Miss World 2023 in India

Miss World 2023 will be the 71st edition of the Miss World pageant, which will be held in India on December 2023.
Karolina Bilawska of Poland will crown her successor at the end of the programme.
Miss World 2022 Karolina Bielawska and Miss India World 2022 Sini Shetty were present with the organizers for the
press conference in New Delhi. This was Bielawska’s second visit to the country.
Bielawska was crowned Miss World in 2022, beating out contestants from other countries in the pageant held in Puerto
Rico. India’s Mansa Varanasi made it to the list of top 13 contestants.
About Miss World Title :
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom in 1951 by Eric
Morley. Since his death in 2000, Morley’s widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe,
Miss International and Miss Earth, it is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants. In 1951, Eric Morley organized
a bikini contest as part of the Festival of Britain which he called the Festival Bikini Contest. The event
was popular in the press, which dubbed it “Miss World”.

Date & Place:

India was officially selected to host the 71 st edition of the pageant, which will be held on December 2023. India will host
Miss World 2023 after 27 years.
Selection of Participants: Competitors from 91 countries and regions were selected to participate in the competition.
The 2023 edition will see the returns of Aruba, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, the British Virgin Islands,
Croatia, Denmark, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia,
Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, New Zealand, Romania, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Suriname, Thailand, Zambia.
Morocco last competed in 1968, Suriname last competed in 2012, Liberia & Romania last competed in 2017, Lebanon,
Lesotho and Zambia last competed in 2018, while the others last competed in 2019.
India has won Miss World title six times:
• Reita Faria (1966)
• Aishwarya Rai (1994)
• Diana Hayden (1997)
• Yukta Mookhey (1999)
• Priyanka Chopra (2000)
• Manushi Chillar (2017)
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Mumbai Trans Harbour Link: India‟s longest bridge is almost ready.

 India‟s longest bridge, the under- construction Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, is likely to be open to the public
towards the end of this year.
 On 25th May, In a significant milestone, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with Deputy CM
Devendra Fadnavis inspected the under-construction Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) and flagged off the first bus to
cross the MTHL to mark the deck slab installation completion.
 After the symbolic ceremony, work will proceed to the remaining stages like installing crash barriers, asphalting the
deck, erecting view- cutters, setting up the open toll collection centres, security & surveillance systems, markers and
signages, waterproofing the engineering structure, lights & reflectors etc. over the next four-five months.
 The total length of is about 21.8 km, sea length about 16.5 km and land length about 5.5 km.
 The 30.1 metre wide, six-lane bridge is being built at a cost of over Rs 17,800 crore.
 The link has interchanges at Sewri in Mumbai and at Shivaji Nagar, at SH-54 and at Chirle on NH-348 on Navi Mumbai
side.

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First Bulgarian author wins International Booker Prize.

 Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov won the 2023 International Booker Prize for his novel “Time Shelter”.
 The novel was translated into English by Angela Rodel and is the first Bulgarian novel to win the International Booker
Prize.
 “Time Shelter” is a captivating and remarkable literary work that explores themes of time, identity, and the human
experience.
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Madhya Pradesh is becoming the first state in the country to send elderly people on air travel.
 Madhya Pradesh is becoming the first state in India to send elderly people on air travel under the Mukhyamantri
Teerthdarshan Yojana..
 The first batch of pilgrims took off from Bhopal airport on 21 May to go to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. A batch of
32 pilgrims has left for Prayagraj by Indigo flight.
 The pilgrims include 24 men and 8 women. Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana is one of the major schemes of
the BJP government in the state.
 This scheme was started in the year 2012. So far, more than 7.80 lakh elderly people have performed pilgrimage by
special trains.
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IPL 2023 Awards List

 IPL 2023 ended with a nerve-racking final where MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings clinched their fifth title and ended
their campaign in style by defeating defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets at the Narendra Modi
Stadium on May 30. signed off.
 The 16th edition of the IPL saw several records broken, including the season with most 200-plus runs, most sixes hit
and most centuries in a single edition.
IPL 2023 AWARDS WINNERS :
 IPL 2023 Champions: Chennai Super Kings
 IPL 2023 Runner-up: Gujarat Titans
 Orange Cap Winner: Shubman Gill (GT) – 890 Runs
 Purple Cap Winner: Mohammed Shami (GT) – 28 Wickets
 Most Sixes: Faf du Plessis (RCB) – 36 Sixes
 Most Fours: Shubman Gill (GT) – 85 fours
 Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Season: Shubman Gill (GT)
 Player of the Final – Man of the Match: Devon Conway (CSK)
 Emerging player: Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR)
 Electric Striker of the Season: Glenn Maxwell (RCB)
 Best Catch of the Season: Rashid Khan (GT)
 Fair Play Award: Delhi Capitals
 Gamechanger of the Season: Shubman Gill (GT)
 Longest six of the season: Faf du Plessis (RCB) – 115 metres
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Neeraj Chopra becomes world No. 1 athlete in World Athletics men‟s javelin throw rankings.
 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra has become the world number one player in the latest rankings of men‟s
javelin throw released by World Athletics on 22 May 2023.
 Neeraj Chopra topped the table with 1455 points, 22 points ahead of Anderson Peters of Granada. The Indian javelin
legend had achieved world no. 2 ranking on August 30, 2022 but has been trailing world champion Peters since then.
 In September 2022, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian athlete to lift the prestigious Diamond League trophy by
winning the Diamond League 2022 final in Zurich.
 Neeraj Chopra, who holds the Indian national record in men‟s javelin throw, returned from the season-opening Doha
Diamond League on 5 May 2023 and finished first with a throw of 88.67m. Anderson Peters had finished third in the
Doha meet with a throw of 85.88m.
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