Daily Current Affairs 28 June 2024, MPSC Exam Current Affairs

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International

NATO appoints outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as its next secretary-general

• With the conflict raging in Ukraine, Mark Rutte, the outgoing prime minister of the Netherlands, was named secretary-general of NATO on Wednesday, a pivotal moment for European security.
• NATO ambassadors sealed Rutte's appointment during a meeting at the headquarters of the 32-nation alliance in Brussels. At a conference in Washington on July 9–11, US President Joe Biden and his counterparts will formally welcome him to their table.
• On October 1, the departing Dutch premier will succeed Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of Norway. At the head for over ten years was Stoltenberg. His mandate was continuously extended, partly as a means of maintaining stability following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

• The official announcement of Klaus Iohannis' resignation from the race for NATO Secretary General was made on June 19.
• As a result, all 32 of the member nations now endorse Rutte. With just a few weeks remaining in his 14-year tenure as prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte (57) will become the fourth Dutchman to lead the 75-year alliance.
• NATO's founding member is the Netherlands.
• Along with the chair of the NATO Military Committee and the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, the Secretary General of NATO is one of the organization's most significant leaders and is in charge of organizing the alliance.

• NATO Founded: 4 April 1949, Washington, D.C., United States;
• NATO Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

National

Kochi to host first IDF regional dairy conference focussing on Asia-Pacific

• Kochi will host the inaugural IDF Regional Dairy Conference Asia Pacific-2024 from June 26 to June 28, 2024.
• Experts from all around the world will be together to discuss issues and novel concepts in the dairy sector.

• A few of the most significant parties participating include the International Dairy Federation (IDF), the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the Union Ministry of Fisheries, and Animal Husbandry and Dairy.
• The Grand Hyatt, Bolgatty is the venue for the conference. It is anticipated that over 1,000 attendees from over 20 countries will be present, including well-known executives and professionals from the dairy sector.
• Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh is among the notable guests; he will give a virtual speech at the function. J. Chinchurani, the Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development for Kerala; Ashish Kumar Bhutani, the Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation; Alka Upadhyaya, the Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying; and Meenesh Shah, the Chairman of the NDDB, are additional noteworthy participants.
• The purpose of the conference, "Farmer-centric Innovations in Dairying," is to discuss significant problems facing the dairy industry, particularly in the Asia-Pacific area and globally.
• The primary objectives are to boost output, ensure transparent and honest milk collecting, and promote eco-friendly procedures in light of climate change.

Economic

Debt to GDP ratio declines as India's external debt increases to $663.8 billion: RBI

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) published official data on June 25, 2024, stating that as of the end of March 2024, India's external debt stood at USD 663.8 billion, a rise of USD 39.7 billion over that of the end of March 2023.
• Between March 2023 and March 2024, the ratio of external debt to GDP (which comprised both government and non-government debt) dropped from 19.0% to 18.7%.
• The RBI emphasized that the external debt would have increased by USD 48.4 billion by the end of March 2024 compared to the end of March 2023 if the valuation effect of the US dollar and other major currencies, such as the Yen, the Euro, and Special Drawing Rights (SDR), which amounted to USD 8.7 billion, had been omitted.

• The external debt of the government and the non-government sector, respectively, accounted for 4.2% and 14.5% of India's GDP, according to RBI figures.
• According to RBI data, as of the end of March 2024, US dollar-denominated debt accounted for 53.8% of India's total external debt. The Indian Rupee (INR) came in second with 31.5%, followed by the Yen (5.8%), SDR (5.4%), and the Euro (2.8%).
• By the end of March 2024, loans accounted for the largest portion of India's external debt, with a share of 33.4%. These were followed by cash and deposits, at 23.3%, trade credit and advances, at 17.9%, and debt securities, at 17.3%.
• It revealed that the total government debt rose by 11.5% Year-over-Year (Y-o-Y) as of March 2024.
• According to RBI data, the largest portion of India's total external debt (37.4%) is made up of outstanding debt from non-financial businesses, with a share that is followed by the general government (22.4%) and other financial firms (7.3%).
• According to RBI data, long-term debt (defined as debt having an initial maturity of more than a year) reached USD 541.2 billion at the end of March 2024, up USD 45.6 billion from the previous year.
• The percentage of short-term debt (with an initial maturity of up to one year) in total external debt dropped from 20.6% (at the end of March 2023) to 18.5% (at the end of March 2024), per RBI statistics.

• Established: 1 April 1935
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das

Appointment

The Vice President of the India Bullion Jewellers Association is Aksha Mohit Kamboj

• With effect from June 22, 2024, Mrs. Aksha Mohit Kamboj has been named Vice President of the India Bullion Jewellers Association (IBJA).
• She is the first woman to hold this prominent position in the gold and jewelry industry thanks to this historic appointment. Mrs. Kamboj has a wealth of expertise and a dedication to industry excellence.
• She is well-known for her leadership as the Executive Chairperson of Aspect Global Ventures Pvt Ltd and as a co-owner of the Tiigers of Kolkata cricket team.

• Under Mrs. Kamboj's direction, IBJA's strategic initiatives will be advanced together with ethics, transparency, and industry best practices.
• During her term, which ends in 2029, she wants to support small companies, make sure that prices are fair, promote talent development, and make it easier for people to do business in the jewelry and bullion industries.
• Established in 1919, with its main office located in Zaveri Bazar, Mumbai, IBJA is a key player in the formulation of policies about the country's gold sector.
• The Reserve Bank of India and the Ministry of Finance use the association's daily announcements of gold prices.
• IBJA is presently establishing its own Domestic Gold Spot exchange in Navi Mumbai, demonstrating its dedication to the development of industry standards and laws.

Sport

Great cricketer Kapil Dev takes over as India's new golf chief

• The Professional Golf Tour of India has named Kapil Dev, the cricket captain of India who won the World Cup, as its president.

• One of the finest all-rounders in history, Dev, 65, helped India win their first World Cup in 1983.
• He concluded his illustrious career in 1994 with 434 Test wickets and 5,248 runs.
• India had a cricket revolution after their unexpected triumph against the West Indies in the World Cup final at Lord's.
• Afterward, he turned his attention to golf and expressed his gratitude for the position, saying it would allow him to "spend more time with my golfing friends and play a little more".

Science & Technology

NASA uses SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket to launch GOES-U, the fourth and last weather satellite operated by NOAA

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully launched the GOES- U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite), the 4th and final satellite in the GOES-R series of advanced weather satellites for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).
• NOAA GOES-U was launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the United States of America (USA).

• GOES-U will become GOES-19 once it reaches a geostationary orbit, which is approximately 22,200 miles above Earth.
• The satellite's solar panels were successfully installed, and it is now running entirely on its energy.
• In the middle of 2025, the new satellite will replace GOES-16 and move to the GOES-East location.
• Data from GOES-U are essential for safeguarding people's safety in the Western Hemisphere.
• This will track the weather across the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Atlantic Ocean to the west coast of Africa, and North America (including the contiguous USA and Mexico).
• Carrying the first-ever operational satellite solar coronagraph, known as the Compact Coronograph-1 (CCOR-1), GOES-U is creating history.

• Headquarters- Washington, DC, the USA

Defence

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders is granted the status of "Navratna"

• The Ministry of Finance (MoF)'s Department of Public Enterprises has bestowed the 'Navratna' designation upon Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), a Central Public sector undertaking (CPSU) under the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• A PSU under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Central Electronics Limited (CEL) has been awarded the "Small Ratna (Class-1)" The Department of Public Enterprises' status.
• The Mini Ratna designation for CEL was announced by Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (MoS) Independent Charge (IC), MOST, at the organization's Golden Jubilee (50 years) celebration at its Ghaziabad campus in Uttar Pradesh (UP).

• The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) system has rated the Miniratna Category I and Schedule 'A' CPSEs as 'excellent' or ' very good' in three of the last five years.
• These CPSEs have a composite score of 60 or higher in the six chosen performance parameters, which include net profit to net worth (25)., the ratio of labor costs to overall production and service costs (15)
• Profit to capital employed before depreciation, interest, and taxes (PBDIT) (15)
• earnings per share (10)
• profit before interest and taxes to turnover (15)
• Performance across sectors (20)

• Because Navaratna firms are financially independent, they can make large investments without needing permission from the government.
• As long as the investments don't surpass Rs. 1,000 crore, they can invest up to 15% of their net wealth, or Rs. 1,000 crore, in a single project and up to 30% of their net worth in a single year.
• They can create subsidiaries, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships on a national and worldwide level.
• They are not restricted in terms of how much money they can spend on replacing or buying new products.

• Founded-1934
• Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)- Sanjeev Singhal

Award

Activist and writer Arundhati Roy will receive the 2024 PEN Pinter Prize

• The renowned Pen Pinter Prize for 2024 has been given to Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy as a noteworthy acknowledgment of her literary accomplishments.
• This honor underscores the significance of Roy's work and the continuous fight for freedom of expression at a time when she may face legal obstacles.

• On October 10, 2024, there will be a ceremony where he will receive the prize.
• Only a few weeks have passed since the highest-ranking Delhi government official authorized her prosecution under the harsh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for a speech she gave fourteen years prior.

• The English PEN, a nonprofit that promotes free speech and honors literature, established the PEN Pinter Prize and the Pinter International Writer of Courage Awards in honor of playwright Harold Pinter, winner of the Nobel Literature Prize.
• As stated in Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize in Literature speech, the winner is someone who has a "fierce intellectual determination... to define the real truth of our lives and our societies" and "casts an unflinching, unswerving" gaze onto the world.

• The nonprofit organization English PEN founded the Pen Pinter Prize in 2009, and it serves as a lighthouse for:
• Protecting the right to free speech
• Honoring influential writing
• Paying tribute to the late Nobel Prize-winning dramatist Harold Pinter

• Ruth Borthwick, English PEN's Chair
• Khalid Abdalla is an activist and actor.
• Roger Robinson is a musician and writer.

Miscellaneous

First Leopard Safari in South India Opened at BBP in Karnataka

• At the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on June 26, 2024, Eshwar Khandre, the Cabinet Minister for Forest, Ecology, and Environment, Government of Karnataka, introduced the first and largest leopard safari in South India.

• The 20-hectare safari site complies with the stringent regulations set forth by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). In the open forest region, eight leopards have been unleashed so far for the safari.
• The area is made up of undulating terrain with naturally occurring rocky outcrops and semi-deciduous woodland, and it was developed for Rs 4.5 crore.
• The pups will be grown and sent to the leopard safari to enable visitors to learn about these huge cats and to safeguard the animals to prevent the growing human-animal conflict.
• A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held at the park to start building a skywalk and five new animal enclosures.

• Capital:- Bangalore
• Governor:- Thawar Chand Gehlot
• Chief minister:- Siddaramaiah (INC)

Important Day

World Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises  (MSME) Day  - 27 June

• Every year on June 27, the world observes World Micro-, Small-, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day to highlight the vital role that MSMEs play in accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN.
• Around the world, MSMEs comprise 50% of GDP, 90% of enterprises, and over 70% of employment.

• The UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed resolution A/RES/71/279 on April 6, 2017, designating June 27 of each year as Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day.
• June 27, 2017, was designated as the first-ever World MSMEs Day.

• This Day also honors MSMEs' contributions to economic transformation, employment creation, and fair economic growth when given the necessary backing.
• Promoting the 2030 Agenda, ending poverty, and guaranteeing decent work for all are among the focus topics of MSME Day 2024, which welcomes important stakeholders to share ideas on assisting MSMEs.

National Insurance Awareness Day – 28 June

• Every year on June 28, National Insurance Awareness Day is observed.
• This day is set aside to emphasize the value of insurance and make sure that everyone is aware of the advantages of carrying enough coverage.
• The day also acts as a reminder to periodically check insurance plans to ensure they are current and suit the ever-changing demands of the policyholder.

• The first fire insurance firm was founded in 1666 CE by English economist, physician, and financial speculator Nicholas Barbon.
• After a massive fire in London destroyed the city, he had this notion. Following that, Barbon was successful in founding The Insurance Office, the first real insurance company, which was housed in a tiny structure behind London's Royal Exchange.