June 22

National
International
Banking and Economy
Reports and Indices
Science and Technology
Sports
Important Days
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
Appointments
Miscellaneous

National
1. DGCA extends the licence of Maharishi Valmiki International Airport of Ayodhya

What: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has extended the licence of Maharishi
Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh (UP).

The licesne has been extended for a period of 5 years.

In December 2023, DGCA had granted an six months licence to the Valmiki International
Airport.

Tell me more:

The Airport was developed by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) at cost of Rs 350 crore.

In January 2024, Ayodhya Airport was recognized as an "International Airport" and was named
"Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham".

Source: ANI

Knowledge Nuggets (About Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

It is the regulatory body the Civil aviation industry
DGCA is an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA).
Director General (DG) - Vikram Dev Dutt
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi

2. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 come into force

What: The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 has been enacted by the
Indian government.

The bill was passed from the Indian parliament in February 2024

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 However, the act has come into effect on June 21, 2024

Why: It was enacted by the government to bring greater transparency, fairness and credibility to
the public examination systems (likely to counter the problem of paper leak)

Tell me more:

The act is applicable on the exams conducted by central government and it’s affiliated
agencies (UPSC, SSC, NTA, Banking exams, Railways etc.).

It lists 15 actions that amount to using unfair means in public examinations.

Stricter Punishments: The Act prescribes a minimum three-year jail term, extendable to five
years, for individuals caught leaking exam papers or tampering with answer sheets. Offenders
will also face fines of up to Rs 10 lakh.

Non-Bailable Offences: All offences under the Act are classified as cognisable and non-
bailable, meaning authorities can arrest individuals without a warrant and they cannot seek bail
as a right.

Accountability for Service Providers: Examination service providers who possess knowledge
of a potential offence but fail to report it can be fined a hefty Rs 1 crore.

Targeting Organised Crime: Senior officials within service providers who knowingly participate
in or facilitate such activities face a minimum three-year sentence, potentially extending to 10
years, along with a Rs 1 crore fine.

Examination authorities or service providers involved in organised exam malpractice can be

imprisoned for a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10, with the same Rs 1 crore fine.

Protections for the Innocent: The Act offers some protection to individuals who can
demonstrably prove that the offence was committed without their knowledge and that they
tried their best to prevent it.

Source: Hindustan Times

3. Ministry of Education forms Committee to Recommend Examination Reforms By NTA

What: The Ministry of Education has established a high-level committee to enhance transparency
and fairness in the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) examination processes.

Tell me more:

Committee Chair: Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief Dr. K
Radhakrishnan will lead the seven-member panel.

Mandate: The committee will recommend reforms to the examination process, enhance data
security protocols, and improve NTA’s structure and functioning.

The committee aims to submit its report within two months.

Source: Law Beat

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 Knowledge Nuggets (About NTA)
Established by Ministry of Education (MoE) as a premier, specialist, autonomous and self-
sustained testing organization.
Purpose: To conduct entrance examinations for admission/fellowship in higher educational
institutions.
It is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
Director General: Pradeep Singh Kharola
Chairperson: Pradeep Kumar Joshi

International
1. Chad joins other countries in eliminating sleeping sickness

What: Chad has become the first country in 2024 and 51st globally to eliminate a type of Neglected
Tropical Disease (NTD) i.e. gambiense form of Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).

(NTDs) are a diverse group of conditions mainly prevalent in tropical areas, where they
disproportionately affect people living in impoverished communities.

To date, WHO has validated the elimination of the gambiense form of HAT in seven
countries: Togo (2020), Benin (2021), Ivory Coast (2021), Uganda (2022), Equatorial
Guinea (2022), Ghana (2023) and Chad (2024).

India has eliminated NTDs like guinea worm, trachoma, and yaws.

Global Initiatives to eliminated NTDs: London Declaration, and Kigali Declaration on NTDs; World
NTD Day (30 January)

Source: Africa News

2. 67th Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council approves $736.4 million funding

What: The 67th meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council recently concluded with
a significant decision. It has approved $736.4 million in funding for 34 projects related to
environmental conservation.

Tell me more (About the major projetcs):

Great Green Wall: This landmark initiative aims to enhance climate resilience and improve land
health across Africa’s Sahel region.

Sustainable Cities Integrated Program: A new program to promote sustainable urban

development spanning 20 countries to catalyze urban system transformation.

Launch of Coral bonds: The money will be raised via the coral bonds to conserve the corals.

Projects in India: India secured funding for two significant projects:

Enhancing biodiversity conservation to meet global targets, focusing on expanding

protected areas and community-led conservation practices with a funding of $6.7 million.

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 Conservation and sustainable management of wetlands, forests, and grasslands along the
Central Asian Flyway, to secure the population of migratory species along the Central Asian
Flyway in India. It received $10.7 million as funding.

The projects is implemented by the UNDP along with Indian Ministry of Environment,
Forest, and Climate Change acting as the executive agency.

Source: GEF

Knowledge Nuggets (About GEF)

Genesis: Established in 1992 during the eve of Rio Earth Summit.
About: Partnership of 18 agencies to address world’s most challenging environmental issues.
Governance: GEF Council is the main governing body.
Functions: Serves as financial mechanism to five conventions (refer to infographics)
GEF Trustee: World Bank.
Member countries: 186 countries (including India).
Secretariat: Washington, D.C (US).

Banking and Economy

1. NSE launches The India Tourism Index

What: The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has introduced a new thematic index called the Nifty
India Tourism Index.

Why: This index has been launched to track the performance of stocks within the travel and
tourism industry.

The index will aim to capture the performance of travel and tourism-related stocks within the
Nifty 500 Index.

NIFTY 500 is India's stock market index. It contains the top 500 listed companies on the
NSE.

Tell me more:

Base Date: April 1, 2005

Base Value: 1,000

Constituents: The index currently comprises 17 stocks, including companies like InterGlobe
Aviation (Indigo), Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Easy Trip etc.

The index can comprise a maximum of 30 stocks.

Also, no single stock can weigh more than 20%.

The weight of each stock in the index is based on free-float market capitalization.

It is a method to calculate the market cap of an underlying index by multiplying the price by
the number of outstanding shares, excluding shares held by promoters, or government

The index will be reconstituted semi-annually (twice a year) (companies in the index can
change) and rebalanced quarterly (the weightage of each company can adjust).

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 Note: As per NSE, the travel and tourism industry contribute $199.6 billion to the Indian GDP.

Source: Hindu Business Line

Knowledge Nuggets (About NSE Indices Limited)

NSE Indices Limited, India's largest Index provider, was formerly known as India Index
Services & Products Ltd. (IISL).
Managing Director (MD)- Mukesh Agarwal
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founded- 1998

2. WestBridge Capital sells 1.7% stake in AU Small Finance Bank

What: Private equity firm WestBridge Capital has divested a 1.7% stake in the AU Small Finance
Bank for ₹845 crore through an open market transaction.

After the stake sale, the shareholding of WestBridge Capital has declined to 2.07% from 3.82%.

Source: CNBC TV18

3. SEBI bans JM Financial from managing debt public issues

What: Markets regulator SEBI has issued an order restraining JM Financial Ltd from acting as a
lead manager for public issues of debt securities until March 31, 2025, in a case of alleged
irregularities in a public issue of non-convertible debentures (NCDs).

A lead manager for public issues of debt securities plays a crucial role in managing the
issuance process. Specifically, they coordinate and oversee the issuance of debt securities
(such as bonds or debentures) on behalf of the issuing company.

The SEBI clarified that the restriction only applies to public issues of debt securities and does not
affect JM Financial Ltd’s (JMFL) other activities, including equity issues.

Source: News18

Knowledge Nuggets
Non-convertible debentures (NCDs) are fixed-income instruments issued by companies or
government entities to raise capital. Here are the key points:

Debentures: NCDs are a type of debenture. A debenture represents a loan taken by the issuer
(company or government) from investors. In return, the issuer promises to pay interest (coupon)
periodically and repay the principal amount at maturity.
Non-Convertible: Unlike convertible debentures, NCDs cannot be converted into equity shares
of the issuing company. They remain as debt throughout their tenure.
Interest Payment: NCDs offer fixed interest rates, which are typically higher than bank fixed
deposits. Interest is paid periodically (monthly, quarterly, or annually).
Maturity: NCDs have a specific maturity period (e.g., 3 years, 5 years, etc.). At maturity, the
issuer repays the principal amount to investors.
Listing: NCDs can be listed on stock exchanges, allowing investors to trade them. Unlisted
NCDs are held until maturity.

June 22 5
 Reports and Indices
1. Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report has been released by the World Bank

What: The 2024 Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report has been released by the World Bank.

Report is compiled with the help of World Bank's Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR)
Partnership.

Why: It provides an authoritative and independent measure of worldwide gas flaring.

Gas flaring refers to burning of the natural gas associated with oil extraction.

Tell me more:

Global Gas Flaring Volumes: Global gas flaring in 2023 has increased by 7% from 2022
leading to a rise of 23 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Gas flaring in 2023 was responsible for releasing approximately 381 million tonnes of
carbon dioxide equivalents

Major Contributor: Russia, Iran, Iraq, USA, etc.

Source: World Bank

2. “India’s DeepTech Dawn: Forging Ahead” report, released by NASSCOM

What: The “India’s DeepTech Dawn: Forging Ahead” report, was released by National Association
of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), sheds light on the Indian DeepTech startup
landscape.

NASSCOM is an Indian non-governmental trade association and advocacy group that primarily
serves the Indian technology industry.

DeepTech startups leverage advanced technologies like AI, Blockchain, and Augmented Reality
(AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) to create novel solutions for complex problems, often combining
multiple technologies to redefine or create new markets.

Ex: Agnikul, GalaxyEye, Sarvam AI

Tell me more:

Global Ranking: Despite having the 3rd largest pool of DeepTech startups, India ranked 6th
among the top 9 DeepTech ecosystems in the world.

India currently has 3600+ DeepTech startups.

Funding Trends: Funding in Indian DeepTech startups declined by approximately 77% in 2023.
Despite this, AI-backed DeepTech startups demonstrated resilience, with 86% of them
securing funding.

Indian DeepTech startups have raised a cumulative $10 Bn in the last 5 years

Source: NASSCOM

June 22 6
 Knowledge Nuggets (Initiatives taken to promote Deep tech)
Draft National Deep Tech Startup Policy (2023)
Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0)
Other: Startup India Seed Fund, India AI Mission, etc

Science and Technology

1. Nasa to train Indian astronaut for ISS

What: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is working with the Indian Space
and Research Organization (ISRO) to train an Indian astronaut for an International Space Station
(ISS) trip.

The two space research organisations will also be working on Critical and Emerging Technology
(iCET), in a bid to boost Indo-US space collaboration.

The two space research organisations are also preparing to launch highly advanced satellite
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) that will map the Earth's surface twice every 12 days
as part of efforts to combat climate change.

Source: Firstpost

Knowledge Nuggets (ISS)

The International Space Station (ISS) is a remarkable orbiting laboratory located about 240
miles above Earth’s surface. It serves as a home for astronauts and cosmonauts, who conduct
scientific research and experiments.

It is developed under the partnership of five space agencies.

The space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000.
An international crew of seven people live and work while traveling at a speed of five miles per
second, orbiting Earth about every 90 minutes.
In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth, traveling through 16 sunrises and
sunsets.
Peggy Whitson set the U.S. record for spending the most total time living and working in space
at 665 days on Sept. 2, 2017.

ISRO is planning to launch it’s own space station by the year 2028

2. India’s share in global space economy to rise 4 times by 2030 in comparison to 2021

What: India’s share in the global space economy is set to rise significantly by 2030.

In 2021, the Indian space industry contributed 2% to the global share. However, this is expected to
increase to 8% by 2030 and further soar to 15% by the year 2047.

This remarkable growth is attributed to a major policy decision that opened up the space sector to
private participation, allowing nearly 200 space startups to emerge in just two years.

Source: PIB

June 22 7
 Sports
1. Highlights of Paavo Nurmi Games 2024

What: Recently the Paavo Nurmi Games 2024 was hosted at Paavo Nurmi Stadium in Turku,
Finland.

Tell me more (Highlights)

Source: Sportstar

Knowledge Nuggets (About Paavo Nurmi Games)

The Paavo Nurmi Games is an annual track and field meet that takes place at Paavo Nurmi
Stadium in Turku, Finland.
It is organized to honor the memory of Paavo Nurmi, a Finnish athlete who were nicknamed
the 'Flying Finns'.
The event was first held in 1957.
The competition is a part of the Continental Tour Gold meet, a top-tier World Athletics event.

2. Highlights of 2024 Stepan Avagyan Chess Tournament

What: Recently the Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2024 Chess Tournament was hosted in in Jermuk,
Armenia.

Tell me more:

Rank 1: Indian Grandmaster (GM) Arjun Erigaisi won the title.

Rank 2: Sevian Samuel from the USA

Rank 3: Tabatabaei M. Amin from Iran

Note: With this victory, India's No. 1 Arjun became the World No.4.

Source: Sportstar

Important Days
1. June 21: 10th International Yoga Day

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 What: On June 21, the International Yoga Day is celebrated, a global event promoting health and
well-being.

Tell me more:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the main International Yoga Day 2024 celebrations from
Jammu and Kashmir.

Theme: This year’s theme was “Yoga for Self and Society.”

UN Recognition: The United Nations proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga in
2014. The day aims to raise awareness worldwide about the benefits of practicing yoga,
emphasizing physical and mental health.

Yoga’s Origin: Yoga is an ancient practice that originated in India. The word “yoga” comes from
Sanskrit, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.

Background:

In December 2014, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution proclaiming 21
June of every year as the International Day of Yoga.

The 1st ever IDY was observed on 21 June 2015.

Note: The resolution establishing the IDY was proposed by India and endorsed by 175
member states.

Source: Live Mint

Knowledge Nuggets:
On 21st June 2015, the 1st IDY event was organised by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and
Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Government of India in Rajpath, New
Delhi (Delhi).

The inaugural event set 2 Guinness World Records:

The Largest Yoga Lesson involved 35,985 participants; and

The Maximum number of Nationalities (84) participated in a single yoga lesson.

2. June 21: WORLD HYDROGRAPHY DAY 2024

What: On 21 June every year, the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) celebrates World
Hydrography Day to raise awareness about hydrography and how it plays a vital role in improved
knowledge of the seas and oceans.

The theme for 2024 is "Hydrographic Information - Enhancing Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability
in Marine Activities"

Source: PIB

3. June 21: World Music Day

What: World Music Day is celebrated on June 21 every year.

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 The theme for this year’s celebration has not been officially announced yet, but last year’s theme
(2023), ‘Music on the Intersections’, was a resounding success.

Source: Indian Express

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

1. CERT-In and Mastercard India Sign MoU to Enhance Cyber-Resilience in the Financial Sector

What: The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and Mastercard India have
signed a MoU to collaborate on enhancing cyber-resilience in India’s financial sector.

Why: This partnership aims to leverage the shared expertise of both entities in cybersecurity
incident response, capacity building, and advanced malware analysis.

Tell me more (How they will enhance the cybersecurity)

By conducting training Programs and Workshops

The entities will share relevant cyber threat trends, technical information, threat intelligence,
and vulnerability reports to strengthen the information security of India’s financial sector.

Source: Mastercard

Knowledge Nuggets (About CERT-In)

CERT-In, a government organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology, serves as the national agency for incident response under Section 70B of the
Information Technology Act, 2000. It operates a 24×7 incident response help desk and provides
incident prevention, response services, and security quality management.

About Mastercard
CEO- Micheal Miebach
Chairman of Mastercard India: Rajnish Kumar
Established: 1966

Appointments
1. Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh assumes charge as Chairman of the IIPA for third time

What: Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and
Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of
Atomic Energy, Department of Space and MoS Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, has
taken up the position of Chairman at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) for the
third consecutive term.

He has been serving as the Chairman since the year 2020.

Source: PIB

June 22 10
 Knowledge Nuggets (About Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA):
The IIPA was created under the Societies Act of 1860 and was formally inaugurated by the 1st
Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, as the 1st President of the Society, on 29 March 1954 in
New Delhi.
President - Jagdeep Dhankhar (Vice President of India)
Director General- Surendra Nath Tripathi
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi

2. Bihar Dy CM to be convenor of GST rate rejig panel

What: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has been appointed as the convenor of the
Group of Ministers (GoM) on GST rate rationalisation.

He will replace the Finance Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Suresh Khanna.

The seven-member GoM aims to suggest necessary rate rationalization, simplify the rate system,
review GST exemptions, and enhance revenues from Goods and Services Tax (GST).

This marks the second reconstitution of the panel, which was originally set up in September 2021
under then Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Source: Economic Times

Miscellaneous
1. Cyber Mercenaries

UN chief António Guterres has warned about the rise of malicious and illegal cyber activities
through “Cyber Mercenaries”.

About Cyber Mercenaries

Cyber mercenaries are described as a person, group of persons, or private actors that are
hired to carry out cyber offensive or defensive operations to take action on particular cyber
networks and infrastructure.

These enable spying on networks, computers, phones, or devices connected by the internet.

Use of cyber mercenaries is considered as a ‘grey zone’ activity due to absence of agreed
international conventions regulating the domain.

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