Current Affairs in English – June 17 2022

National Events:

Mrs. Sargam Koushal:

India World 2022-2023 , was held on June 15 , 2022 in Mumbai . Mrs. Sargam Koushal was crowned the winner and will represent India at Mrs. World 2022 .
Sargam Koushal was adjudicated as the winner competing against 51 other contestants from all parts of India .

Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai:

Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai , a former judge of the Supreme Court , has been selected as the next chairperson of the Press Council of India ( PCI ) . Justice Desai had recently headed the Delimitation Commission on Jammu and Kashmir .
The post was lying vacant since Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad ( retd ) completed his term as the PCI chairperson in November 2021 .

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn will invest USD 5,00,000 ( Rs 3.88 cr ) in partnership with UN Women to advance women’s economic empowerment . The project will launch a pilot in Maharashtra to cultivate the digital soft and employability skills of 2,000 women .
The three – year regional collaboration will digitally upskill women , providing them greater access to jobs and equipping them to fully participate in economy .

Prasar Bharati Procurement Policy:

At Prasar Bharati , for the first time , a procurement policy was released by the Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra in June 2022 .
The Prasar Bharati Procurement Policy is a directive to all procurement entities in all Prasar Bharati verticals to procure materials , services and work of the specified quality at the most competitive prices in a fair , just and transparent manner .

Agnipath recruitment:

The Central government has extended the upper age limit for the Agnipath recruitment scheme from 21 years to 23 years . The age waiver will be given only one time for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022 .
The scheme provides an opportunity for Indian youth to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for a period of four years .

Mitticool refrigerator:

Bureau of Indian Standards ( BIS ) , the National Standards Body of India , has developed an Indian Standard for ‘ non – electric cooling cabinet made of clay’. It is named as ‘ Mitticool refrigerator “.
Mansukh Bhai Prajapati from Gujarat is the innovator behind the refrigerator .This standard helps BIS in fulfilling 6 out of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals .

‘ Industrial Decarbonization Summit 2022 ‘:

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated ‘ Industrial Decarbonization Summit 2022 ‘ in New Delhi on 16 June 2022 .
The Summit will focus on a variety of research topics related to decarbonization , Climate Change including their management , Policy issues and Sustainability etc.

’Unmesh’:

Three – day international literary festival ‘ Unmesh ‘ began at the historic Gaiety Theater in Shimla on 16 June 2022 . It was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Culture Arjun Ram Meghawal .
It is being organised by the Union Ministry of Culture and the Sahitya Akademi . It is the biggest international literary festival in the country so far and is being organized for the first time .

Squash Courts:

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on 15 June 2022 inaugurated the Squash Courts at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi . These are the first – ever Squash courts opened by the Sports Authority of India ( SAI ) in any centre across the country .
The foundation stone of the project was laid by former Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju in December 2020 .

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India:

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India has amended the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India ( Grievance and Complaint Handling Procedure ) Regulations , 2017 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India ( Inspection and Investigation ) Regulations , 2017 .
The Amendment Regulations are effective from 14th June 2022 .

Tamil Nadu Events:

Ennum Ezhuthum scheme:

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin · launched the Ennum Ezhuthum scheme in June 2022 . The scheme aims to ensure foundational literacy and numeracy by 2025 .
Under the programme , the education department will distribute workbooks to students from Classes 1 to 3 to assess and bridge the learning gap .

International Events:

WTO:

The 164 member countries of the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) finally sealed a package of trade agreements on 17 June 2022 in Geneva , with India leading the course .
The series of trade deals include pledges on food security , balanced outcome on fisheries subsidies , etc. The last time the WTO took a major trade decision was back in 2013 , when it agreed to India’s demand for a ‘ peace clause’.

SAIFMM:

India on 16 June 2022 hosted ASEAN Foreign Ministers and Secretary General for a Special ASEAN – India Foreign Ministers Meeting ( SAIFMM ) .
It was organised to commemorate 30 years of ASEAN – India Dialogue Relations .

India & Japan:

India and Japan held the first India – Japan Finance Dialogue in New Delhi on 16 June 2022 . It was organised to exchange the views of both the countries on the macro – economic situation , financial system and financial digitalization .
Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Ajay Seth & his counterpart from Japan Masato Kanda led the dialogue . The next round of the Dialogue will be held in Tokyo .

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought : 17 June:

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year on June 17 . Its purpose is to raise awareness of the presence of desertification and drought , highlighting methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought .
This day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on January 30 , 1995 . The theme for 2022 is ‘ Rising up from drought together’.

GSER 2022:

Kerala has been ranked first in Asia in Affordable Talent in Global Startup Ecosystem Report ( GSER ) 2022 . It has been ranked fourth in global ranking the GSER 2022 .
In the first GSER published in 2020 , Kerala was ranked 5th in Asia and 20th in the world .

International Day of Family Remittances : 16 June:

International Day of Family Remittances ( IDFR ) is observed every year on June 16 .The day observes the efforts of the migrant workers who help to improve the living standards of their families by sending money back home .
The theme for 2022 is ‘ Recovery and resilience through digital and financial inclusion’. The day was first observed in 2015 .

NPCI & Lyra Network:

National Payments Corporation Of India ( NPCI ) International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) with Lyra Network for acceptance of UPI and RuPay Cards in France .
It will allow Indians to pay using UPI and Rupay cards at terminals and machines of Lyra Networks in France .It will be the first time that UPI will be accepted in any European country .

Aarti Prabhakar:

United States President Joe Biden will nominate Indian – origin physicist Aarti Prabhakar as his scientific advisor . She will be named the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology ( OSTP ) .
She will replace Eric Lander . She will need Senate approval to become White House Office of Science and Technology Director .

Sports Events:

Commonwealth Games:

Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will lead a 37 – member Indian athletics team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2022 . The team was announced on 16 June 2022 by The Athletics Federation of India ( AFI ) .
Out of the 37 members , 18 are women and 19 are men . Commonwealth Games 2022 are scheduled to be held in Birmingham , England from 28 July to 8 August 2022 .