NATIONAL NEWS

PM Modi Launches Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam'

On the occasion of the World Environment Day, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke' campaign on 5 June 2024 in New Delhi.

The Ek Ped Maa Ke campaign signifies the protection of the Earth's environment by afforestation to stop land degradation, soil erosion, and falling water tables.

Prime Minister Modi planted a peepal tree at Buddha Jayanti Park in New Delhi on World Environment Day. The Prime Minister called upon the countrymen to make the planet better by increasing the forest cover that will further sustainable development.

Sustainable development refers to using resources in such a way that not only the needs of the present generation are met, but substantial resources are left to meet the needs of future generations.

3rd Indian Analytical Congress being Held at CSIR-IIP Dehradun

The three-day 3rd Indian Analytical Congress is being held in Uttarkhand’s capital, Dehradun, from 5 -7 June 2024.

The Congress was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor of Ladakh University, Prof. S.K. Mehta, on 5 June 2024.

The conference aims to provide a platform for analytical scientists, technologists, academics, and students to exchange ideas and discuss the latest developments in this field.

Analytical science refers to the art of measurement and its interpretation. It involves improving the means of measuring the chemical composition, structure, and morphology of natural and man-made substances or entities and interpreting the data obtained.

The Indian Analytical Congress is an international conference organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) and the Indian Society of Analytical Scientists (ISAS-Delhi Chapter).

The theme of the 3rd Indian Analytical Congress 2024 is “Role of Science and Technology in Green Transitions.

Nakshatra Sabha, India’s First Astro Tourism Campaign in Dehradun

In order to boost tourism in the state, the Uttarakhand government organised a first-of-its-kind Astro-tourism named ‘Nakshatra Sabha’ in Mussoorie.

The first astro-tourism event was held at Mussoorie City, also famous as the Queen of the Hills, on 1 and 2 June 2024.

The event was held at the George Everest Peak, which is popular amongst tourists as it offers spectacular views of the Doon Valley and the snow-clad Himalayan Mountains.

The state tourism ministry plans to organise a series of Nakshatra Sabhas at popular tourist destinations in the hilly state.

The Uttarakhand government wants to promote Uttarakhand as a multidimensional tourist spot in the country.

At present the state is known for its spiritual tourism. The state is host to the popular Hindu pilgrimage sites like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri etc which attracts lakh of pilgrims from the country annually.

 

BANKING

Punjab National Bank Collaborates with IIFCL

Punjab National Bank (PNB), a public sector bank, and India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL), a state-owned entity, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide long-term financial support for viable infrastructure projects.

Under this agreement, both institutions will collaborate to fund infrastructure projects, participating together under consortium or multiple lending arrangements.

They will provide financial support to prospective borrowers following due diligence on a case-by-case basis.

The MoU represents a milestone in creating new lending opportunities for infrastructure projects in India.

The MoU was exchanged between Atul Kumar Goel, MD and CEO of PNB, and Padmanabhan Raja Jaishankar, Managing Director of IIFCL.

Adani One and ICICI Bank Launched 2 Co-Branded Credit Card Variants

Adani One, the digital platform of the Adani Group, and ICICI Bank have collaborated to introduce two new co-branded credit cards in association with Visa.

This partnership signifies the Adani Group's entry into the retail financial sector.

The newly launched credit cards come in two variants: Adani One ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card and Adani One ICICI Bank Platinum Credit Card.

The Adani One ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card has an annual fee of Rs 5,000 and offers joining benefits worth Rs 9,000.

The Adani One ICICI Bank Platinum Credit Card has an annual fee of Rs 750 with joining benefits worth Rs 5,000.

Cardholders can earn up to 7% Adani reward points on purchases made within the Adani Group ecosystem.

This includes services such as the Adani One app, which can be used for booking flights, hotels, trains, buses, and cabs, along with spends across Adani-managed airports, Adani CNG pumps, Adani Electricity bills, and train bookings.

Other benefits of the co-branded credit card include premium lounge access, free air tickets, Pranaam Meet & Greet Service, porter, valet, and premium car parking.

Adani Group launched the Adani One app in December 2022, marking a significant step in the company's digital journey.

 

ECONOMY

PNB Board Approves Selling 10% Stake in Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company

Punjab National Bank’s (PNB) Board approved the initiation of process for divesting 10% shareholding in its associate company Canara HSBC Life Insurance through an initial public offering (IPO) route.

Currently, PNB holds a 23% stake in Canara HSBC Life Insurance.

The proposed move will be subject to regulatory approvals and the modalities of the issue and other formalities will be decided in due course.

This latest PNB move comes on the heels of the Board of Canara Bank giving its approval for initiating the process of diluting 14.50 per cent stake in its subsidiary Canara HSBC Life Insurance.

Currently, Canara Bank has a 51 per cent stake in the life insurer, while HSBC has a 26 per cent stake in the joint venture.

For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, Canara HSBC Life reported a surplus of ₹182 crore, marking a notable 15% increase from the previous fiscal's surplus of ₹158 crore.

Earlier, IRDAI norm required PNB to bring down holding in one of its life insurance companies to 10%.

 

SPORTS

French Open

Jannik Sinner became the first ever Italian player to be crowned the ATP World No. 1 in men's singles competition.

Sinner achieved the feat after he beat Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-final of the competition.

Sinner was aided by the withdrawal of defending champion Novak Djokovic from the French Open, ahead of his quarter-final match against Casper Ruus.

Djokovic was forced to withdraw from the competition due to a knee injury sustained in his marathon fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo, organisers stated.

Sinner defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(3) to advance to the French Open semi-finals and bolster his quest for a second Grand Slam title.

Minutes after his victory, it was confirmed that Sinner would claim the world number one ranking next week, a first for the 22-year-old.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

UN’s WSIS 2024 “Champion” Award

The government of India’s premier Telecom Research and Development Centre, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), has won the United Nations World Summit of Information Society (WISS) 2024 award.

The award to C-DOT was announced at the WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event 2024, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 27 to 31 May 2024.

C-DOT was set up on 24 August 1984 by the government of India to bring telecom revolution in India by developing telecom technologies and products suitable to Indian conditions.

The C-DOT project “Mobile-Enabled Disaster Resilience through Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting” received the ‘Champion’ award under the AI, C-7, E-environment, in the category of "Benefits in all aspects of life—E-environment.”

The UN award recognises the C-DOTs project for its outstanding contribution towards strengthening the implementation of the WSIS outcomes and underscores C-DOT’s commitment to leveraging technology for societal impact.

C-DOT has developed an end-to-end mobile-enabled Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting Platform to deliver real-time messages in an emergency.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Brand Ambassador for Greenday's Better Nutrition, a Biofortified Staples Brand

PV Sindhu, two-time Olympic medallist and world champion shuttler, has invested in and become the brand ambassador for Greenday's 'Better Nutrition' brand.

The collaboration aims to address micronutrient deficiencies in India through biofortified foods, benefiting both consumer health and farmer livelihoods.

The partnership between Sindhu and Greenday aims to improve consumer health and enhance farmer prosperity by promoting the nutritional value of staple crops.

Greenday, founded by Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad alumni Rastogi and Aishwarya Bhatnagar, works with farmers to cultivate nutrient-dense crop varieties.

Nar Singh, Rohini Lokhande Win Dilip Bose Lifetime Achievement Award

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has announced the Dilip Bose award for lifetime achievement to coach Nar Singh.

The award along with a cash prize of 50,000 will be presented during the 11th National coaches workshop to be held at the PYC Hindu Gymkhana in Pune on June 7 and 8.

The secretary general of AITA, Anil Dhupar, announced a new lifetime achievement award for women coaches.

The first award would be presented to the 69-year-old Rohini Lokhande who was a member of the national team along with Kiran Bedi, Nirupama Mankad, Susan Das and Udaya Kumar, before she took to coaching at a young age.

Rohini was the first woman tennis coach to qualify from the National Institute of Sports.

The 65-year-old Nar Singh, who has served as a coach and educator for several years, will be the 11th recipient of the Dilip Bose award.

 

 

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