VISION

 Why in news?

The Education Ministry recently released the latest edition of the Performance Grading Index (PGI).

What is the Index for?

• The Education Ministry released the first PGI in 2019 for the reference year 2017-18, to measure the performance of states in school education.
• The objective is to help the states prioritise areas for intervention in school education.
• States are only graded and not ranked.
• This is to avoid discouraging the practice of one improving only at the cost of others and casting a stigma of underperformance on some.

How does it work?

 Why in news?

Indian Prime Minster recently announced the shift to centralised procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.

How was it earlier?

• From January 16 to April 30, 2021, the Centre had procured and allocated vaccine doses to the states.
• This was available for free vaccination of three priority groups.
• These were healthcare workers, frontline workers, and persons above the age of 45.
• From May 2021, States were allowed to procure 25% of the vaccines manufactured and the Centre, 50%.
• [States had to procure 25% of the doses from the open market to vaccinate the 18-44 year age group.]

What is the new policy?

1)  Assam gets its seventh national park with Dehing Patkai

•The Assam Government has decided in its recent cabinet meeting to declare Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary as the 7th National Park of the state. The newest national park, popularly known as Dehing Patkai Rain Forest, has unique floral and faunal diversity, which was recognized by the state government in 2004 when 111.19 square kilometres of the area was notified as Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary.

•The area is home to hoolock gibbon, elephant, slow loris, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, golden cat, fishing cat, marble cat, sambar, hog deer, sloth bear, and several bird species including the endangered state bird, the white-winged wood duck. The state now has the second-highest number of national parks in the country. Madhya Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have nine national parks each.

2)  Indo-Thai CORPAT Begins in Andaman Sea

•The 31st edition of the India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) kicked off on June 09, 2021, in the Andaman Sea. The three-day coordinated patrol between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy is being conducted from 09 to 11 June 2021. From the Indian side, an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, is participating and from Thailand Navy, HTMS Krabi is participating in CORPAT, along with Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies.

3)  Centre extends LIC Chairman M R Kumar’s term till March 2022

•The appointments committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of the tenure of MR Kumar as the Chairman of state-owned insurance company Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). Now under the extended term, Mr Kumar will serve on the post till March 13, 2022. Earlier his term as LIC chairman was supposed to end on June 30, 2021.

4)  Facebook names Spoorthi Priya as grievance officer for India

•Facebook has named Spoorthi Priya as its grievance officer for India, the company said on its website. This move comes close on the heels of the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, coming into force last month. According to the new government guidelines, social media companies with over 50 lakh users have to appoint a grievance officer, nodal officer and a chief compliance officer.

•All three personnel will have to be residents of India. Facebook owned messaging platform WhatsApp appointed Paresh B Lal as the grievance officer a few days ago. WhatsApp, Facebook, and Google had shared information on their compliance officer, resident grievance officer and nodal contact person with the government on May 29. Two days after the new IT rules kicked into action.

5)  El Salvador becomes first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender

•El Salvador has become the first country in the world to grant legal tender status to bitcoin. The use of bitcoin as legal tender will become law in 90 days. El Salvador’s economy heavily relies on remittances and so those who are working abroad can send money back home in bitcoins. The use of bitcoin will be totally optional. It will bring financial inclusion, investment, tourism, innovation and economic development to the country.

6)  RBI approves re-appointment of GC Chaturvedi as part-time Chairman of ICICI Bank

•Private lender, ICICI Bank, has received RBI’s approval for the re-appointment of Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as the part-time Chairman of the Bank. He will be the part-time chairman of ICICI Bank for a 3-years tenure starting July 01, 2021, on extant terms and conditions. Last year, the bank’s shareholders approved the re-appointment of Chaturvedi as non-executive (part-time) Chairman of the Bank effective from July 1, 2021.

7)  Mahesh Kumar Jain gets two-year extension as RBI Deputy Governor

•The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the re-appointment of Mahesh Kumar Jain as the Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for two more years with effect from June 22, 2021. The three-year term of MK Jain as RBI Deputy Governor was to end on June 21, 2021. Currently, Michael Patra, M Rajeshwar Rao and Rabi Sankar are the other three serving RBI Deputy Governors.

8)  QS World University Rankings 2022 released

•The London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has released the QS World University Rankings 2022 which compares and ranks Universities from across the globe on various parameters. Eight Indian universities have found a place among the best 400 global universities in the QS World University Rankings 2022, released on June 09, 2021. However, only three Universities namely the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, IIT-Delhi, and IISc Bangalore feature among the top 200.

9)  BharatPe becomes ICC’s official partner till 2023

•Lending and digital payments startup, BharatPe has announced that it has inked a three-year-long 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.

•The key tournaments include the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (Southampton, UK 2021), Men’s T20 World Cup (India, 2021), Men’s T20 World Cup (Australia, 2022), Women’s World Cup (New Zealand, 2022), U19 Cricket World Cup (West Indies, 2022), Women’s T20 World Cup (South Africa, 2022), Men’s Cricket World Cup (India, 2023) and World Test Championship (2023).

10)  Chris Broad to be match referee for World Test Championship final

•ICC Elite Panel match referee, Chris Broad will oversee the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand, scheduled to commence at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton from June 18. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the officials for the match. ICC Elite Panel’s Richard Illingworth and Michael Gough will be the on-field umpires.

📰 Green economy and mobility key aspects of draft 2041 master plan

GS SCORE Current Affairs June 2021 Week 2 PDF

1)  World Accreditation Day 2021 celebrated on 9th June

•World Accreditation Day (WAD) is celebrated every year on 9 June to promote the role of accreditation in trade & the economy. The theme for WAD 2021 is “Accreditation: Supporting the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. It provides the opportunity for ILAC and IAF members to share examples with stakeholders, regulators and consumers of how accreditation may be applied to meet objectives such as increasing trade, addressing environment and health and safety concerns, and improving the general overall quality of output in an economy.

•WAD is a global initiative, jointly established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation.

2)  G7 deal on Minimum Global Corporate Tax

•Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies signed a landmark deal on taxing multinational companies. As per the deal, the minimum global tax rate would be at least 15 per cent. The agreement was signed by finance ministers of the 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.

•The old system of global taxation was being criticized over the years as it allowed big companies to save billions of dollars in tax bills by shifting their jurisdictions. Major digital companies were making money in multiple countries and paying taxes only in their home country. Thus, this proposal was made which would impose an additional tax on several multinational companies and 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. The deal seeks to modernize the century-old international tax code.

3)  Haryana CM announces creating ‘Oxi-van’ in Karnal

Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, announced to create of 80 acres of ‘Oxi-van’ (a forest) in the Karnal district. It was announced on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, 2021. Oxi-van will consist of 10 types of forests. On the occasion, highlighting the importance of trees and encouraging promotion, protection, planting of trees Haryana Government launched four important schemes:

•Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme:

Under this scheme, a pension amount of Rs 2500 will be provided in name of Pran Vayu Devta to maintain trees above 75 years. This pension would increase each year on the line of old age Samman pension.

•Panchavati Plantation in Haryana:

Under this initiative, the plantation will be done in name of Panchvati across the villages in Haryana. It will promote the process of getting natural oxygen from trees. Agroforestry will also be promoted on vacant land under the initiative. Thus, it will increase the income of Panchayats in rural areas.

•Oxy-Van in Karnal:

Oxy Forest was launched on Forest Department land in Mughal Canal, Karnal. Panchavati, trees of Bel, Amla, Ashoka, Banyan and Peepal were planted. It will be built on 80 acres area.

•Oxy-Van in Panchkula:

It will be established in Bir Ghaggar on the area of one hundred acres in a bid to create Mother Nature’s green lungs, for residents of Panchkula, to get in fresh oxygen. Rs One crore has been sanctioned for this initiative.

4)  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), one of the six main organs of the United Nations, 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.

•ECOSOC serves as the central platform for discussing international economic, social and environmental issues and formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and the United Nations system.

5)  India’s first International Maritime Cluster to come up at GIFT City

•Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) will set up the country’s first international maritime services cluster at GIFT City. The maritime cluster will be developed as a dedicated ecosystem comprising ports, shipping, logistics services providers and government regulators, all present in the same geographic vicinity — GIFT City. GIFT City is India’s first operational smart city and international financial services.

6)  Indian Navy inducted three ALH MK III advanced light helicopters

•The Indian Navy inducted three indigenously-built advanced light helicopters ALH MK-III in their fleet. These helicopters are built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at the Indian Naval Station (INS) Dega in Visakhapatnam will be used for maritime reconnaissance and coastal security.

•These helicopters are equipped with modern surveillance radar and electro-optical equipment. It enables them in doing search and rescue operations even at the night. It is also fitted with a removable medical intensive care unit (ICU) to airlift critically ill patients. It can also undertake constabulary missions.

7)  Crisil Projects India’s GDP Growth for FY22 to 9.5%

•The domestic credit rating agency Crisil has revised the GDP growth estimate for India in FY22 (2021-22) to 9.5 percent, from the earlier estimate of 11 percent. As per CRISIL, the economy had contracted by 7.3 percent in FY21. The downward revision is basically due to the hit to private consumption and investments following the second wave of COVID-19.

8)  Anup Chandra Pandey appointed as election commissioner

•The Union government has appointed Anup Chandra Pandey, a retired IAS officer of the 1984 batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre, as Election Commissioner. In the Election Commission, Pandey will have a little under three years in office and will retire in February 2024.

•Pandey has been appointed to the position left vacant by former Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora’s retirement on April 12. Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar are the other two members of the panel. This restores the three-member commission to its full strength, which will now oversee the next set of crucial assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand next year.

9)  Rhea Chakraborty topped ‘The Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2020’

•The Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2020 list has been unveiled, and it features women under 40 across various fields. Rhea Chakraborty has bagged the number 1 spot on Times Most Desirable Women 2020 list. She was in the news for most of last year due to the sudden demise of Sushant Singh Rajput and the controversy around his death.

•Miss Universe 2020, 3rd runner-up Adline Castelino bagged the second spot in the list. Actress Disha Patani, Kiara Advani and Deepika Padukone were on the third, fourth and fifth spot respectively.

10)  Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar assumes Charge as DG Naval Operations

•Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, AVSM, VSM has assumed charge as Director General Naval Operations. The Flag Officer is a specialist in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and has served on frontline warships of the Navy as ASW Officer and later as the Executive Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Destroyer INS Mysore. He has commanded the missile corvette INS Kora, the missile frigate INS Shivalik and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.

11)  Himachal jumps to third spot in Anemia Mukt Bharat Index

•Himachal Pradesh has climbed to the third spot in the Anemia Mukt Bharat Index 2020-21 national ranking with a score of 57.1. Himachal Pradesh was at rank 18 in the year 2018-19, but with consistent efforts of the government and the field functionaries, the state was able to achieve the third spot. Madhya Pradesh is in the first position with a score of 64.1 followed by Odisha with a score of 59.3. The prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths had decreased from 29% to 0.3% in a short span of three years.

1)  Punjab tops performance grading index in school education

•Punjab, which has improved its showing from the 13th position it attained in 2018-19, topped the charts this time among all the states and union territories with a score of 929 out of 1,000, followed by Chandigarh (912) and Tamil Nadu (906).

•The performance grading index ranks the states on a set of 70 parameters relating to learning outcomes and quality, access, infrastructure and facilities, equity and governance processes to catalyse transformational change in the field of school education.

2)  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 Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, had announced privatising two public sector banks (PSBs) and one general insurance company in 2021-22. As per the new PSE (Public Sector Enterprise) policy for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, NITI Aayog is entrusted with the task to suggest names of PSUs in strategic sectors to be merged, privatised, or made subsidiaries of other PSUs.

•The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and Department of Financial Services (DFS) will examine the proposal and discuss legislative changes needed for the privatisation of banks. The finalisation of privatisation and disinvestment of public sector enterprises is a multi-layered process. After a Core Group of Secretaries, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, clears the suggested names, the proposal will go to Alternative Mechanism (AM) for its approval and eventually to the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister for a final nod.

3)  World Bank approves $500 mn program to help boost India’s MSME sector

•The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors 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 MSME sector is the backbone of India’s economy, contributing 30% of India’s GDP and 4% of exports.

•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, approved in July 2020 to address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of millions of viable MSMEs severely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

4)  Maldivian minister Abdullah Shahid elected President of 76th UNGA

•Maldivian foreign minister, Abdullah Shahid was elected President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (PGA) with an overwhelming majority. He garnered 143 votes in favour with 48 against – that gave him victory by a three-fourths majority. The post of the UN General Assembly President rotated annually among regional groupings. The 76th session (2021-22) is the turn of the Asia-Pacific group and this is the first time Maldives will be occupying the office of the PGA.

•The PGA’s office is the highest office in the UN System and reflects the collective goodwill of the 193 Member States of the UN. Both Maldives and Afghanistan have friendly ties with India. India’s vote however went to the Maldives since New Delhi had committed support to Shahid prior to Rassoul entering the fray.

5)  US to hand over three MH-60 ‘Romeo’ multi-role choppers to India

•The Indian Navy is set to receive its first set of multi-role helicopters as America is set to hand over three MH-60 Romeo helicopters to the force in the United States in July. The first batch of Indian pilots has also reached the US for training on the helicopters which would be arriving in India next year in July. India and the US had signed over-Rs 16,000 crore deal to buy 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from Lockheed Martin in 2020 under fast track procedures on a government-to-government deal to hasten the process.

6)  Arunachal Pradesh’s Water Burial bags best film National Award

•Arunachal Pradesh’s Water Burial has bagged the best film National Award on environment conservation at 67th National Films Awards 2021. The film, which is directed by independent filmmaker Shantanu Sen.Water Burial is produced by AM Television.

•Inspired by the popular Assamese novel Saba Kota Manuh, which is written by Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi, Water Burial is in Monpa dialect and has an intriguing storyline around a dark ritual of a local tribe in Arunachal Pradesh.

7)  Sanjeev Sahai to be new chairman of oil regulator PNGRB

•Senior administrator and former power secretary, Sanjeev Nandan Sahai is set to take over as next chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB). A search committee headed by V K Saraswat, Member (S&T), NITI Aayog, cleared the name of Sahai. Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board is a statutory body in India.

8)  Hitendra Dave appointed as HSBC India CEO

•The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. (HSBC) announced the appointment of Hitendra Dave as Chief Executive Officer of HSBC India subject to receipt of regulatory approval. He has been appointed as interim Chief Executive Officer effective June 7, 2021. Dave succeeds Surendra Rosha who will be moving to Hong Kong as the co-chief executive of HSBC Asia-Pacific.

•Dave, who is formerly the head of global banking & markets of HSBC India, has almost 30 years of work experience in the Indian Financial Markets, of which the last 20 have been with HSBC. He joined HSBC India in 2001 in the Global Markets business and has risen through the ranks to his current role as head of global banking & markets business, the dominant contributor to HSBC India’s PBT over the years.

9)  Assam govt names Raimona reserve forest sixth national park

•Raimona in Kokrajhar district has become Assam’s sixth national park. The 422 sq ft wildlife habitat in Kokrajhar district adjoins the western-most buffer to Manas Tiger Reserve. The five national parks that existed prior to the 422 sq. km Raimona are Kaziranga, Manas, Nameri, Orang and Dibru-Saikhowa.

•The Pekua river defines Raimona’s southern boundary. Raimona is an integral part of the 2,837 sq. km Manas Biosphere Reserve and the Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve. Such secured transboundary ecological landscape will ensure the long-term conservation of endemic species like the golden langur, the mascot of Bodoland Territorial Council and endangered species such as the Asian elephant, the Bengal tiger and varied other flora and faunal species it support

10)  Oman to host inaugural FIH Hockey5s World Cup in 2024

•Oman has been named as the host of the inaugural International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey5s World Cup. The FIH said the men’s and women’s events will take place in Oman’s capital city Muscat in January 2024. The governing body said its Executive Board named Oman as host, after a recommendation from the organisation’s Events Bidding Task Force.

•The FIH Executive Board announced the launch of the Hockey5s World Cup in 2019. The launch comes as Hockey 5s becomes an increasingly popular format of the sport, played on a smaller pitch and which has featured at the last two Summer Youth Olympic Games.

📰 Supreme Court orders tough action against illegal calls for adoption of COVID-19-orphaned children