Current Affairs 21st June 2018

International Yoga Day Events

1. International Yoga Day: 21 June

i. The 4th International Yoga Day is being celebrated across the globe on 21st of June. In India Prime Minister Narendra Modi led thousands of people in performing yoga asanas, in the main event organised at Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The theme for Yoga Day 2018 is "Yoga for Peace".
ii. In 2015, United Nations General Assembly unanimously announced 21st June as the International day for yoga to raise awareness about the benefits of practising yoga. The resolution was co-sponsored in the General Assembly by 177 nations, the highest ever number of co-sponsors for any UNGA resolution of such nature. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-

·                     The event at Rajpath in 2015 established two Guinness world records - one for the largest yoga class, featuring 35,985 people, and second for the largest number of participating nationalities (84 nations).

2. Vishwas Mandalik and Yoga Institute in Mumbai Recipients of PM Award

i. Vishwas Mandalik from Nasik and the Yoga Institute in Mumbai have been selected as recipients of the Prime Minister’s award for outstanding contribution for promotion and development of yoga for the year 2018. The selection was done from among 186 nominations received under different categories.
ii. Vishwas Mandalik acquired knowledge of Patanjali and Hatha Yoga, Bhagwad Gita and Upanishad by study and research of ancient scriptures. In 1978, he set up the first branch of Yoga Vidya Dham.
iii. The Yoga Institute, established in 1918 by Yogendraji, completed its 100 years serving the society. The winners would be felicitated with a trophy, certificate and a cash award of 25 lakh rupees each.

3. President 3-Nation Visit: Observed Yoga Day in Suriname, Signed Agreements

i. President Ram Nath Kovind reached Suriname capital Paramaribo on the second leg of his three-nation tour to Greece, Suriname and Cuba. He was received at the Paramaribo airport by Suriname President Desire Delano Bouterse. Mr Kovind was given a Guard of Honour.
ii. President Ram Nath Kovind observed the Yoga day in Suriname along with his counterpart Desire Delano Bouterse. This will be the first time that heads of two countries will together participate in the International Yoga day. 

iii. An MoU was signed in this regard, along with four others in the field of elections, diplomatic academies partnership, employment for the spouse of diplomats of the two countries and archives. The President also addressed the National Assembly of Suriname, thereby becoming the first foreign Head of State to address the Assembly.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-

·                     Suriname Capital- Paramaribo, Currency- Surinamese dollar, President- Desire Delano Bouterse.

National News

4. 4 MoUs Signed Under ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme

i. Four MoUs have been signed under ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme and six more are at an advanced stage, according to Mr Raghvendra Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Culture. 

ii. The four MoUs include:

1. Mount Stok Kangri Trek Route, Ladakh: The MoU for adoption was signed between Ministry of Tourism, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and the state government of Jammu & Kashmir.

2. Gangotri Temple Area & Trail to Gaumukh, Uttarakhand: The MoU was signed between Ministry of Tourism, ATOAI and Uttarakhand Government.

3. Red Fort, Delhi: The MoU was signed between Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, ASI and Dalmia Bharat Limited.

4. Gandikota Fort, Andhra Pradesh:  The MoU was signed between Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, ASI and Dalmia Bharat Limited.

5. World’s 1st International Centre for Humanitarian Forensics Launched in Gujarat

i. The world's first of its kind and state-of-the-art International Centre for ‘Humanitarian Forensics’ (ICHF) was launched at the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
ii.  The main aim of the Centre would be to provide service to the nation and to the entire world when the need arises.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-

·                     Gujarat CM- Vijaybhai R. Rupani, Governor- Om Prakash Kohli.

6. Surat To Receive ‘City Award’ Under India Smart Cities Award 2018

i. Under ‘India Smart Cities Award' 2018, Surat has been awarded for showcasing "great momentum" in the implementation of projects under the Smart Cities Mission, according to the Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry. Bhopal and Ahmedabad were selected in the ‘Innovative Idea' category for their "transformative approach towards sustainable integrated development".
ii. Joint winners in ‘Innovative Idea' category were Bhopal for its Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) and Ahmedabad for Safe and Secure Ahmedabad (SASA) Project. 

Other Awards under the different category are-

1. Under ‘Social Aspects' category- NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council) and Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) bagged the award for implementation of ‘smart classrooms' project,

2. Under ‘urban environment' category- Bhopal, Pune and Coimbatore bagged the award for public bike-sharing project.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-

·                     India Smart Cities Award were launched on 25 June 2017 with an objective to reward cities, projects and innovative ideas, promoting sustainable development in cities.

International News

7. World Music Day: 21 June

i. The World Music Day is celebrated across the world on 21 June. The day is also known as 'Fete de la Musique' after a music festival that began in France in 1982. 

ii. This Day was first celebrated on 21st June 1982.

8. India & Tajikistan Agree to Enhance Mutual Cooperation For Sustainable Water Development

i. India and Tajikistan have reaffirmed their commitment to promote bilateral relations and agreed to enhance economic cooperation, particularly in sustainable water development. Nitin Gadkari, the Union   Minister for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Road Transport & Highways and Shipping held wide-ranging talks with Sirodjidin Muhridin, Foreign Minister of Tajikistan in Dushanbe.
ii. Mr Gadkari is in Dushanbe to represent India at the high-level global conference on “International Decade for Action: Water for Sustainable Development”.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-

·                     Tajikistan Capital- Dushanbe, Currencies- Tajikistani somoni, Ruble.

Appointments

9. Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian Resigned

Arvind Subramanian

i. The Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) of India, Arvind Subramanian had resigned from the post and will return to the US because of "pressing family commitments". The announcement was made by Mr Arun Jaitley.

ii. Subramanian was appointed as CEA to the finance ministry in October 2014, for the period of three years. In 2017 his term was extended for a year.

Banking/Business News

10. SEBI Simplifies Buyback Regulations, Changes IPO Price Band Timeline

i. The Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) has approved amendments to buyback and takeover regulations and changed the time for announcing the price band of initial public offering (IPO) from 5 to 2 days, according to the chairman of SEBI, Ajay Tyagi.
ii. SEBI had made a proposal to bring changes based on suggestions made by the regulator’s Primary Market Advisory Committee (PMAC). In a consultation paper, SEBI had proposed that entities would not be required to file draft papers for rights issue worth up to Rs 10 crore.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     SEBI- Securities and Exchange Board of India.

·                     SEBI Chairman- Ajay Tyagi, Headquarters- Mumbai.

11. RBI Revises Housing Loan Limits Under Priority Sector Lending

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revised the upwards housing loan limits under Priority Sector Lending (PSL). Housing loans of up to Rs 35 lakh for residences costing less than Rs 45 lakh will now be treated as Priority Sector Lending (PSL) to give a boost to the low-cost segment. The housing loan limits for eligibility under priority sector lending will be revised to Rs 35 lakh in metropolitan centres and to Rs 25 lakh in other centres.

ii. The existing family income limit of Rs 2 lakh per annum for availing of the loans for housing projects for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low Income Groups (LIG) now stands revised to Rs 3 lakh per annum and Rs 6 lakh per annum, respectively.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-

·                     Urjit Patel- 24th Governor of RBI, Headquarters- Mumbai, Established on- 1st April 1935, in Kolkata.

12. Microsoft Acquires Education Start-up Flipgrid 

i. Microsoft has acquired Flipgrid, an education start-up with an app that lets students record and share videos on specific topics with their classmates.

ii. Microsoft is making Flipgrid free of charge. Schools that already have subscriptions will receive prorated refunds.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     Microsoft Corporation is an America Based technology company.

·                     CEO- Satya Nadella, Headquarters- Washington DC.