NATIONAL NEWS

Delhi to Shut Down All Single-Use Plastic

• The Delhi Environment Department is to shut down all units dealing in single-use plastic items from 01 July 2022.

• Manufacturing, importing, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastic, will be banned effectively from July 1, 2022.

• The department plans regular inspections to ascertain compliance by manufacturers, brand owners, suppliers and stockists registered with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
• The DPCC has also asked the Sriram Institute of Industrial Research to conduct a survey to identify littering hotspots and quantify plastic waste generation in the national capital to find out of 19 SUP items.
• The survey will cover all 11 districts in Delhi and will have to be completed within four months.

1st Indian Mountaineer to Mount Annapurna Peak

• Skalzang Rigzin, the first Indian Mountaineer to climb Mount Annapurna peak and Lhotse, in Nepal without supplemental Oxygen.
• Mt Annapurna is one of the most difficult among the 8000 meters height peaks in the world and is also known as the Killer Mountain due to its fatality to summit rate.
• Skalzang Rigzin said, a fellow Mountaineer and Founder of Boots and Crampons Bharath Thammineni supported the expedition of Mt Annapurna, while Nepal-based Peak Promotion Company helped in climbing the Mt. Lhotse, which is close to Mt Everest.

First State to Launch Balika Panchayat

• Gujarat is the first state in the country to launch Balika Panchayat.

• "Balika Panchayat" was started in several villages of Gujarat’s Kutch district, aims to promote the social and political development of the girls and ensure their active participation of girls in politics.

• This is a unique initiative of the Women and Child Development Welfare department of the Gujarat Government under the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign.
• In Balika panchayat, the member is nominated just like Gram panchayat.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Oracle Launches OCI Dedicated Region for Indian Market

• US-based technology major Oracle’s cloud services platform, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) has launched ‘OCI dedicated region’ for the India market to offer public cloud services to customers on their premises.

• The new offering will help customers meet data residency and data sovereignty requirements that are key to many IT modernisation efforts.

• It will also allow Oracle to offer customers nearly 100 services within their premises, which were earlier available only to public cloud consumers.
• The new OCI Dedicated Region requires 60%-75% less data centre space and power on average, with a significantly lower entry price of around $1 million a year for a typical customer.

UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves

• Khuvsgul Lake National Park of Mongolia has been added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO.

• The decision of adding Khuvsgal Lake National Park to the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves was made during the 34th session of the International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and Biosphere Programme held in Paris, France.

• The primary aim of the Man and Biosphere Programme is to establish a scientific relationship between the people and their environments.
• A total of nine sites from Mongolia have so far registered in the network.

Sri Lanka Revises Minimum Age Limit

• Sri Lanka has decided to amend the Minimum Age for Migrant Domestic Workers to 21 years (for women leaving for Foreign Employment as domestic aides).

• A document from the Department of Government Information announced that the Cabinet of Ministers granted permission to revise the said age limit, after considering the recommendations of the Cabinet-appointed Sub-Committee.

• The statement added that Sri Lankan women going overseas for employment as Domestic Aides have age limitations.
• For Saudi Arabia the minimum age is 25 years and for other Middle Eastern Countries is 23 years and for all other countries is it 21 years.

BANKING

Max Life Partners with Policybazaar

• Max Life Insurance Company Ltd partnered with Policybazaar to launch the ‘Max Life Smart Fixed-return Digital Plan’, a non-linked, non-participating, individual life insurance savings plan.

• The offer helps customers meet short-term financial goals with a minimum policy tenure of five years.
• The plan offers guaranteed tax-free returns up to 6.14% along with life cover protection at monthly premiums as low as ₹3000.
• It is also available to purchase on both Max Life’s website and Policybazaar.com.
• Features are
• Simplified on-boarding process along with instant confirmation of issuance after journey completion.
• Fully guaranteed returns payable as a lump sum at maturity.
• Flexibility to pay premiums monthly or annually for just five years.

ECONOMY

India Expects 7.5 % Economic Growth Rate in 2022

• Prime Minister announced the government is expecting the Indian economy to grow by 7.5 per cent in 2022 at the BRICS Business Forum meeting held virtually.

• The value of the Indian digital economy will reach one trillion dollar by 2025.
• The Prime Minister added that India’s success is based on, technology-laid growth with innovation and startups.
• He also announced that the Government emphasised on Ease of Living, building infrastructure with PM GatiShakti and digital transformation and digital economy.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Mobility Report by Ericsson

• The Mobility Report by Ericsson predicts a rapid increase in 5G subscriptions in the coming years.

• India’s 5G services are likely to be rolled out in the second half of 2022 and the subscriptions are expected to reach 50 million by the end of 2023 and about 500 million or 39% of all subscribers by 2027.

• The report notes an almost four-fold increase in mobile data traffic in the Indian region between 2021 and 2027. The report attributes this growth to the increasing availability and affordability of 5G smartphones, along with the rapid adoption of smartphones in urban and rural areas.
• The report notes that the low average revenue per user and high prices of spectrum poses financial challenges to the telecom companies and inhibits their ability to invest in infrastructure.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

South Korea Launches First Satellite

• South Korea conducted its first successful satellite launch using a domestically developed rocket named Nuri-Korea Satellite Launch Vehicle (KSLV).
• It was launched from Naro Space Centre at a launch site in Goheung, South Korea.
• The launch made South Korea the world’s 10th nation to place a satellite into space with its own technology.
• Nuri is a 3-stage rocket developed to put a 1.5-ton satellite into the low orbit of 600-800 kilometers above the Earth.
• During the launch it carried a 1.3 -ton dummy satellite into space.

India's Communication satellite GSAT-24

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched communication satellite GSAT-24 from Kourou in French Guiana.

• GSAT-24, built by ISRO for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), was launched by French company Arianespace. GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite weighing 4180 kg with pan-India coverage for meeting DTH application needs.

• It was the first demand driven communication satellite mission undertaken by NSIL post space sector reforms.
• NSIL, a Government of India company under the Department of Space, has leased the entire satellite capacity to Tata Play.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A New Book by R N Bhaskar

• Renowned authored R N Bhaskar authored a book titled ‘Gautam Adani: The man who changed India’.

• It is the biography of Gautham Adani, Adani Group Chairman and founder.

• It was announced by Penguin Random House.
• Bhaskar is also the author of ‘Game India: Seven strategies that could steer India to Wealth’ in 2019.