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Friends, here are the Major Current Affairs Highlights of June 2016. These one-liners cover all important International, National, MOUs, Indexes, Banking, Technology, Books & Authors, Sports affairs of June month (from 1st to 30th June 2016). We will try to provide the pdf version soon, but we advise you to write these on your own so that you wont forget them again. All the Best and Happy Reading :)
June 2016 Current Affairs Highlights
"The Unseen Indira Gandhi", A new book on the only female Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi was recently released. This book was authored by Dr KP Mathur.
A collection of around 81 unpublished short poems by Rabindranath Tagore is being published for the first time in the form of a book titled 'Knockings at My Heart'.
A US panel has approved the first ever human trials of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique, proposed by University of Pennsylvania researchers.
According to a Global Renewables Report 2015 India being ranked among the top five nations in new investments, and in the top four as regards creating jobs in the green energy sector.
According to a joint study by Assocham and cKinetics, e-waste generated by India is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30%.
According to a report by software security group Kaspersky, India ranks 4th in the list of hacked servers available for sale on xDedic, an underground marketplace for compromised servers.
According to a report on global nutrition, the percentage of Indian children (38.7%) suffering from stunted growth due to malnutrition is higher than that of the world average (23.8%).
According to NASA data, May 2016 was the hottest May ever on record.
According to recently released BP Statistical Review of World Energy India has surpassed Japan to become the world’s third-largest oil consumer.
According to the Ministry of Power, 8,095 villages have been electrified from April 2015 to June 2016 under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana.
Aida Gemanque (106), known as Grandma Iaià, became the oldest Olympic torchbearer, when she lit the cauldron in the Brazilian city, Macapa.
Aiming to cultivate a spirit of innovation in youth, the NITI Aayog has decided to set up 500 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) in schools across the country.
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus recently unveiled 'Thor', which it claims is the world's first 3D-printed aircraft, at the 2016 edition of the Berlin Air Show.
Almost 77% Swiss voters have rejected a proposal to introduce a guaranteed basic monthly income for its citizens, regardless of their employment status.
ALPHA, an AI developed by American graduate Nick Ernest, has defeated a retired US Air Force Colonel Gene Lee in an aerial combat simulator.
American tennis player Serena Williams displaced Russia's Maria Sharapova to top Forbes' list of world's highest-paid female athletes in the past year.
An Egypt court has sentenced ousted President Mohamed Morsi to life imprisonment for spying for Qatar.
Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to go paperless from August 15, in its endeavour to implement e-governance in the state.
As many as 60 nations, including India, have agreed on a general framework for the first time to use satellites and coordinate methods of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions.
As per data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the Indian economy has crossed the $2 trillion mark to hit its highest-ever value.
As per the recently released 2016 World Investment Report, India ranked 10th in FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) inflows. US topped the list.
Asia’s largest annual security forum Shangri-La Dialogue was inaugurated in Singapore to talk about security issues in the Asia-Pacific region.
Assam's Majuli, a 400-square-kilometre island in the Brahmaputra river, became India’s first island district.
Australia has won the 2016 Champions Trophy title of Hockey by defeating India.
Axis Bank has launched India’s first internationally-listed certified green bond to finance climate change solutions around the world at London Stock Exchange (LSE).
Batsman Rohit Sharma has been featured as a superhero in the comic series ‘Hyper Tygers’.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched the Bihar Public Grievance Redressal Act empowering people to get their grievances redressed within a specific time frame in the state.
Boxer Vijender Singh is set to fight the WBO Asia title bout against Australian Kerry Hope on July 16 in Delhi, which will be his first as pro in India.
Britain voted to end its 43-year old association with the European Union in a landmark referendum.
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation after Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum.
California is now the 6th largest economy in the world with its gross state product at $2.46 trillion, leapfrogging France, which dropped to seventh, with a GDP of $2.42 trillion.
Canada is going to make the plain packaging of cigarettes compulsory in an effort to reduce smoking. Britain and Australia had earlier made plain packaging of cigarettes compulsory.
Canada's parliament has passed a contentious bill to allow medically-assisted death for terminally ill people.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau will feature on the cover of Marvel's fifth issue of 'Civil War II: Choosing Sides', which will be out on August 31.
Chile beat Argentina in Copa America shootout for second successive year
China has overtaken the US for the first time to become the world leader in supercomputing, with a total of 167 supercomputers in the top 500 fastest supercomputers list.
China has successfully launched a 23rd BeiDou Navigation Satellite to support its global navigation and positioning network.
China has successfully launched its 2nd Shijian-16 series satellite for space research and experiments. The first Shijian-16 satellite was launched in October 2013.
Chinese supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight, built at a cost of around $270 million (approximately ₹1,820 crore), has topped the list of the world's fastest computers.
Corinthians boss Tite was named as the new coach of Brazil, succeeding Dunga, who was sacked after the team’s humiliating exit from the Copa America.
CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) launched an anti diabetic ayurvedic drug BGR -34.
Delhi government has announced to rename the Barapullah flyover in Delhi after Sikh icon Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.
E-commerce giant Flipkart has launched Flipkart Gaming Online Championship (FGOC), an online eSports tournament being held between June 3 and July 11.
Facebook recently launched a new feature that allows its users to upload photos with 360º views.
Five new sports – baseball, skateboarding, surfing, sports climbing and karate – are set to feature at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the International Olympic Committee recommended their inclusion.
For the fifth consecutive year, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has been named the most powerful woman in technology on the Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women list.
Foreign nationals are not allowed to carry Indian rupee outside the country, and need to necessarily convert it into a foreign currency before leaving India.
Former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi, who recently quit Congress, named his new political party as 'Chhattisgarh Janta Congress'.
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly will write a book titled 'A Century is Not Enough' based on his life and cricketing career.
Former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid was the only Indian to feature in former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara's all-time Dream XI.
Former World Bank economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has won the Presidential elections in Peru with a vote share of 50.1%.
French firm Cooltech Applications has launched what it claims as the world's first commercially available magnetic refrigeration system.
Guðni Jóhannesson, a history professor, has won Iceland’s presidential election.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel announced the state's first ever 'IT and Electronics Start-up Policy', having special focus on encouraging new ventures by providing them various incentives and subsidies.
Gunit Chadha, CEO of Asia-Pacific of financial services firm Deutsche Bank, will step down from his post with effect from July 17.
Guwahati became the first Indian city to have an official city animal after the Gangetic River Dolphin was declared the city's mascot.
Haryana Government has launched Asia’s first ‘Gyps Vulture Reintroduction Programme’ at the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre at Pinjore.
Himachal Pradesh became the first state in the country to have a State Data Centre (SDC), designed using green data centre concept, to offer 101 people-oriented service online through an integrated data base.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has ordered the complete sealing of Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam by June 2017 to check illegal immigration. The total length of the Indo-Bangladesh border is 4,096 km, of which 284 km falls in Assam.
Iceland has topped this year's annual list of world's safest vacation spots released by the Global Peace Index.
ICICI Bank has recently cut its Marginal Cost of funds-based Lending Rate (MCLR) by 0.05%, taking it at par with the rates offered by HDFC Bank and SBI.
In a bid to curb air pollution, the Chhattisgarh government has decided to ban trucks and buses older than 10 and 12 years, respectively.
In a first, India will give tourist and e-tourist visa to foreigners willing to undertake a short-term course in Yoga. Presently, tourist visa is granted only for visiting India for recreation and sight-seeing among other things.
In Global Retail Development Index, a ranking of developing countries in terms of ease of doing business, India has moved up 13 places to second position behind China.
In Himachal Pradesh, the Shimla Municipal Corporation has set up a Garment Bank in the state run Kamla Nehru Hospital Shimla for new born babies.
In the latest World Bank ranking of the global logistics performance, India is now ranked 35th as against the 54th spot it occupied in the previous 2014 report. Germany topped the rankings, and was followed by Luxembourg and Sweden. Syria ranked lowest in the list.
In the light of the recent class XII Bihar board results scandal, the Bihar Education Department has launched ‘Operation Clean Up’, under which all the 228 B.Ed colleges of the state will be probed.
India and Morocco have launched the India-Morocco Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IMCCI) in Moroccan capital city Rabat.
India and Qatar recently signed 7 agreements, including on investment and tourism promotion, following delegation level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatar Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.
India and Switzerland signed an agreement to establish formal cooperation in the fields of skills development and vocational and professional education and training.
India and Thailand have signed two agreements in culture and educational sectors to boost bilateral ties.
India and the US have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will provide speedy security clearances for pre-approved, low-risk Indian travellers on arrival in the US, at selected airports.
India and the US will sign a framework for a bilateral cyber relationship in the next two months.
India and Tunisia have signed two Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for co-operation in Information Technology (IT) and promotion of traditional handicrafts.
India became the only country outside US’ formal treaty allies to gain access to almost 99% of America’s defence technologies. Under this, India will receive licence-free access to a wide range of dual-use defence technologies.
India has become the co-chair of Working Group on Maritime Situational Awareness (WG-MSA) under Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS).
India has been ranked 105th out of 130 countries on the World Economic Forum's Human Capital Index.
India has been ranked 141 on the 2016 Global Peace Index, falling behind countries like Burundi, and Serbia on the 163-country list. Meanwhile, Iceland was named the world's most peaceful country.
India has joined the Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC) against Ballistic Missile Proliferation by notifying the HCoC Central Contact in Vienna through diplomatic channels.
India has performed the worst in the recent Global Slavery Index, compiled by an Australia-based human rights group.
India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States to enhance cooperation in energy security, clean energy and climate change.
India has signed up to a scheme launched by Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain to clamp down on tax evasion and corruption.
India is going to open a new consulate in Seattle to cater to the Indian-American population living in the northwestern part of the US.
India is going to setup a joint panel of parliamentarians with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a bid to boost bilateral strategic ties. This panel will aim to facilitate parliamentary visits between both the nations.
India joins Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). With this, India has became the 35th member of MTCR.
India, the US and Japan have recently started the MALABAR-16 naval exercise off the Western Pacific coast, close to the disputed South China sea. Japan was included in the exercise as a permanent member in 2015, making the erstwhile Indo-US exercise a trilateral one.
India’s indigenous basic trainer aircraft, Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40), made its inaugural flight in Bengaluru.
Indian Badminton player Saina Nehwal defeated Chinese shuttler Sun Yu to win the Australian Open Super Series.
Indian city Nagpur and the Chinese city of Jinan have became 'Sister Cities' after signing a pact which allows for the exchange of ideas and technology in the field of education, urban planning, youth affairs, and sports.
Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, which was established in 1847 as Thomason College of Civil Engineering, is the oldest engineering college in the country.
Indian Railways has decided to install bio-toilets in all coaches to ensure the entire rail network is a zero discharge zone by 2019, ahead of the earlier decided 2021.
Indian Railways recently launched 'Janani Sewa', a service under which baby food, hot milk and hot water will be provided at stations.
Indian teen golfer Shubham Jaglan recently clinched his maiden European Junior Championship held at the Craigielaw Golf Club in Longniddry, Scotland.
Indian Vice-president Hamid Ansari and Moroccan PM Abdelilah Benkirane recently launched the India-Morocco Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IMCCI).
Indian women’s team all-rounder and vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur has become the first Indian female cricketer to sign for an overseas T20 league, after the BCCI allowed their participation in international leagues earlier this month.
India's Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation for the month of May climbed to 5.76% from the 5.47% recorded in April, marking a 17-month high.
India's Leander Paes will become the only tennis player in the world and the first Indian to make a 7th appearance at the Olympics.
Israel and Turkey announced a deal to end a six-year-long diplomatic standoff, which began when nine Turkish activists were shot dead by the Israeli Navy in 2010.
Israel was recently elected to Chair the United Nations Legal Committee. This is the first time that Israel will preside over a permanent UN committee since joining the world body in 1949.
ISRO is going to test indigenously developed Scramjet Engine Technology based on air-breathing propulsion in July 2016.
Japanese footballer Kazuyoshi Miura (49) has broken his own record to become the oldest goalscorer in Japan’s football league.
Kerala government has decided to make the state's 590 km-long coastline "plastic and garbage free" by the end of this month.
Kolkata’s Eden Gardens will host India’s first day-night test match, when New Zealand tour the country later this year.
Kolkata's Eden Gardens has hosted India's first-ever pink ball cricket match in the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Super League final.
Maharashtra government has decided to use plastic waste along with tar in the building of roads.
Mahasthangarh, the 3rd century BC archaeological site in Bogra, Bangladesh, has been declared as the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SARRC) cultural capital for the year 2016-17.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) has won the Canada Grand Prix title of Formula One for the year 2016 .
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg (Germany) has won the 2016 European Grand Prix of Formula One.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is writing his first book titled 'Hit Refresh' that describes his life, the company, and how technology will shape the future.
Microsoft recently launched 'Planner', a new project management and team collaboration tool for Office 365 users.
Mizoram will become the first hill state to launch a two-wheeler taxi service, which will start operating from July.
Nagaland Governor PB Acharya has launched the women helpline number '181' in Dimapur and inaugurated 'Sakhi - One Stop Centre', an institute that supports women affected by violence.
Navy officer Ashutosh Pednekar has become the first Indian to win an International Racketlon Tournament.
Non-banking lending firm SKS Microfinance has changed its name to Bharat Financial Inclusion.
Norway has become the first country in the world to prohibit deforestation.
Novak Djokovic has became the first player in tennis history to earn over $100 million in prize money.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘Kalinga Siksha Sathi Yojana’, a scheme to provide education loan at 1% interest to students pursuing higher studies.
Odisha government has approved a proposal of the Panchayati Raj Department to add 500 new gram panchayats in the state. Presently, Odisha has 6,211 gram panchayats.
Odisha government recently approved investment worth over ₹1,000 crore in two projects which are likely to generate employment for about 1,000 people. The proposals include a Steel processing unit and a Logistics park.
Odisha held a 4 day festival named 'Raja' to celebrate menstruation, the monthly biological cycle of women.
Oil-to-telecom conglomerate Sistema has announced that it will acquire the Russian government's 17.14% share in Sistema Shyam Tele-Services (SSTL).
Opening batsman KL Rahul became the first Indian to score a century on his ODI debut, after registering 100*(115) against Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the series. The previous best by an Indian on ODI debut was Robin Uthappa's 86 against England in 2006.
Pakistan has in its annual budget announced that it will raise its defence budget by 11% to 860 billion Pakistani rupees, from 776 billion Pakistani rupees allocated last year.
Pakistan tightened its security on the border it shares with Afghanistan, as restrictions on the Torkham border crossing came into effect from 1st June 2016.
PM Narendra Modi recently released the first-ever National Disaster Management Plan which aims to make India disaster resilient and reduce the loss of lives and property. The plan focuses on improving disaster risk governance, better preparedness and re-building post-disaster.
Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the most famous athlete in the world in the list of 100 most famous athletes released by ESPN.
President Pranab Mukherjee was on a Six-day visit to Three African nations (Ghana, Ivory Coast and Namibia). This is the maiden visit of any Indian President to Ghana and Ivory Coast whereas to Namibia, such a visit comes after two decades.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the joint session of the US Congress. With this Modi became the fifth Indian Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of Congress, and the first since 2005.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena jointly inaugurated the Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna through video-conferencing from Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently visited Afghanistan. There he inaugurated Afghan-India Friendship Dam (earlier known as Salma Dam).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2 day ‘Rajasva Gyan Sangam’, the first joint annual conference of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited more nations and covered more air miles than US President Barack Obama in the first two years of their tenures.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day visit to Uzbekistan, to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Public sector aerospace and defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has unveiled indigenous Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) HTT-40 in Bengaluru.
Puducherry’s Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi has banned the use of sirens in the cars of VIPs in the union territory.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has announced that the government will connect all major cities and towns of the state with 4-6 lane roads by 2017.
Punjab has become the first state in India to provide free treatment to confirmed cases of Hepatitis C.
Raghuram Rajan recently announced that he will not continue as the RBI Governor and will return to academia after his term ends on September 4.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off India's first time-tabled freight train, named ‘Cargo Express’, from Delhi to Bengaluru.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has became the first footballer ever to top Forbes' list of highest-earning athletes of the year.
Retail giant Walmart has topped the Fortune 500 list for the fourth consecutive year.
Russia has launched the new Project 22220 nuclear powered icebreaker named ‘Arktika’. It is the world’s largest and most powerful vessel of its kind.
Russia recently unveiled the world's biggest nuclear-powered icebreaker 'Arktika'. The giant vessel is a part of Russia's $1.9 billion 'Project 22220'.
s claimed a record 7th Champions Trophy title with a 2-1 win over reigning World and Olympic champions, The Netherlands..
Search giant Google India and Tata Trusts jointly launched Internet Saathi program in West Bengal to focus on training women and larger communities in the state to learn and explore various uses and benefits of the Internet.
Shigemi Hirata, a 96-year-old Japanese man, has been recognised by the Guinness World Records as the world's oldest university graduate.
Shiyal Bet, an island in Gujarat's Amreli District has recently got electricity supply for the first time, nearly seven decades after independence.
Shooter Jitu Rai clinched the silver medal in 10-metre air pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.
South Korea has retained the top spot in internet speed globally with an average speed of 29 Mbps in the first quarter of 2016, according to an Akamai report.
Spain's Garbiñe Muguruza won her maiden Grand Slam title after defeating the defending champion Serena Williams in the French Open finals.
Supersonic cruise missile system BrahMos was successfully integrated with the Sukhoi-30MKI frontline strike fighter of the Indian Air Force for an air-launched flight test programme.
Swedish national football team captain Zlatan Ibrahimović has announced that he will retire from international football after the Euro 2016.
Switzerland recently inaugurated the 57.3-kilometer long Gotthard Base Tunnel. This is the longest & deepest rail tunnel in the world.
Tamil Nadu teenager and International Master NR Visakh created history by becoming the first Indian to clinch the Mumbai Mayor's International Open Chess Tournament and lead a top-three sweep in Mumbai.
Telangana government has signed an MoU with California (US) for cooperation in fields of business innovation, alternative energy, and education.
Thailand is set to hold a referendum on 7 August this year on a draft constitution, in the first such vote since the National Council for Peace and Order assumed power in May 2014.
Thailand Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-Cha arrives in New Delhi on a three day visit to India. Trade and attracting investments from Thailand were high on the agenda.
The 2016 Rio games will be the first Olympics after 112 years to host a Golf event.
The 2nd BRICS Youth Summit will be held in Guwahati from 1st to 3rd July 2016. Theme of the Summit 2016 : ‘Youth as bridge for Intra-BRICS Exchanges’.
The 4 Month disclosure window for domestic taxpayers to declare undisclosed income or assets opened on 1st June 2016. The deadline to pay the due amount is November 30.
The 8th India-China financial dialogue at the level of Secretaries which is scheduled for June 27 was postponed to July.
The Ambubachi Mela, an annual festival that celebrates fertility, held at the Kamakhya Temple in Assam's Guwahati.
The Andhra Pradesh government on 29th June 2016 officially started functioning from the state's new capital Amaravati.
The annual 11-day-long 'Summerfest' music festival was recently held in Milwaukee, the United States.
The Anti Corruption Branch of Delhi has registered a case against former Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with Rs 400 crore water tanker scam.
The Argentina women’s Hockey team h
The Assam Government has launched a unique initiative ‘Maitree Ek Gyan Yatra’ to link primary schools to high schools to colleges. The purpose of the programme is to change the mindset of the teachers, as in some places in states teachers of a school considered it below their dignity to teach the lower level students.
The Bank of Japan has decided to keep the interest rates on the current accounts held by financial institutions unchanged at (-)0.1% and kept the annual target for expanding the monetary base at 80 trillion yen ($764 billion).
The Cabinet has approved raising the retirement age of Central Health Services staff from 62 to 65 years.
The Cabinet recently approved the merger of State Bank of India with Five of its associate banks and the Bharatiya Mahila Bank, as part of the government's plan for consolidating public sector banks.
The Centre has ordered all the states to link Aadhaar card of school students to their caste and domicile certificate.
The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved first set of loans totalling US 509 million dollars to finance projects in four countries viz. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia and Tajikistan.
The cleanest village in Asia, Mawlynnong, is situated in India's north-eastern state of Meghalaya.
The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) is collaborating with the Jadavpur University to start a ₹100-crore research centre aimed at developing technologies related to cyber security and robotics for the defence forces.
The Delhi government has set up a high-level committee to look into restoring the city’s 1,000-odd water bodies including ponds, marshes, lakes and step wells. Head of the Committee : Satyendar Jain (PWD minister)
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Madhya Pradesh's Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL). Under the agreement, RUMSL will provide 150-200 MW solar power daily from 2017 to operate DMRC's trains.
The Eurozone has approved €7.5 billion (about $8.46 billion) in bailout funds for Greece, in what will be the first payment since 2015.
The first Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was held in Beijing. Theme of the meeting : "the Partnership for Infrastructure Development".
The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of Potassium bromate as a food additive following reports that it could cause cancer.
The four-day long 'India Couture Week' 2016 (ICW), hosted by FDCI (Fashion Design Council of India), the country's apex fashion body, will begin on July 20.
The 'Good Country' 2015 index has named Sweden the best country in the world in terms of serving its citizens' interests and contributing to the 'common good of humanity'. India has been placed at 70th position, three places after China.
The government has announced that it will set up a new Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) to sell its shares in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and other private companies, as part of its ₹56,500 crore disinvestment target for the 2016-17 fiscal.
The government has constituted a committee to make recommendations on pay scale revision of executives in PSUs. The committee will be headed by : Justice Satish Chandra (Retd.)
The government has extended the ban on the import of milk and milk products from China for another year till June 2017.
The government has extended the timeline for states to join the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) by a year to March 2017. The UDAY scheme aims at the revival of debt-laden power distribution companies (discom).
The Government recently launched a campaign 'Swachh Yug' aimed at bringing about a behavioural change in people to make the villages along river Ganga open defecation-free.
The Great Barrier Reef situated off the coast of Queensland, Australia, has been named the world’s best place to visit in 2016 by the US News & World Report.
The Gujarat Government recently announced the theme for Gujarat Global Investors' Summit 2017 which is going to be held on January next year. The theme will be : 'Gujarat Connecting India to the World'.
The Highest Temperature to be ever recorded in the World stands at 56.7°C, as per the World Meteorological Organisation. It was measured on July 10, 1913 at Greenland Ranch, Death Valley in California, USA. India recorded its highest ever temperature of 51°C on May 19 this year in Rajasthan's Phalodi city.
The Himachal Pradesh government has launched a ₹640 crore project for Skill Dvelopment under which multipurpose training centres will be set up in rural areas.
The Income Tax (I-T) Department has announced that it will block the PAN of wilful tax defaulters in a bid to check their activities.
The Indian Army, under its welfare and development initiative Operation Sadbhavna, has tied up with Tata Motors for the training of youth from Kashmir as automobile service technicians.
The Indian government and multilateral lending agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $120 million loan agreement to improve irrigation and water management infrastructure in Odisha.
The Indian government signed an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the latter to loan $200 million to upgrade 176 km of state roads in Jharkhand.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 22nd June 2016 launched a record 20 satellites in a single mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has ruled that Russian athletes will remain banned from international competitions. Russia was banned in November 2015, after the World Anti-Doping Agency accused it of state-sponsored doping.
The International Astronomical Union has named a 9.8-kilometre wide crater on Mars after Nepal's earthquake-hit village of Langtang.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has banned former Russian World No. 1 tennis player Maria Sharapova for two years over doping charges.
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has announced the names proposed for the new elements, whose discovery helped complete the seventh row of the Periodic Table in December last year. The names proposed for the elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118 were Nihonium (Nh), Moscovium (Mc), Tennessine (Ts) and Oganesson (Og) respectively.
The Jammu and Kashmir government ruled out a ban on the sale and trade of liquor.
The Karnataka government banned Electronic cigarettes in the state. The decision was taken on the recommendation of a committee on cancer prevention.
The Lucknow city of Uttar Pradesh is going to host the 2016 Junior Men’s hockey World Cup.
The Madhya Pradesh government signed an MoU with Chinese heavy machinery manufacturing firm Sany Group for working on investment proposals worth $1 billion.
The Madras High Court ruled that banks can recover money from a person's savings bank account if the debtor fails to settle the loan dues despite reminders.
The markets regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) has put in place a stricter KYC (Know Your Customer) norms and disclosure regime for Participatory Notes (P-Notes).
The Mizoram government has constituted a 'District Re-organisation Committee'. This committee will be headed by : Chief Secretary Pu Lalmalsawma
The New Development Bank (NDB) of the BRICS countries is set to issue its first yuan-denominated bonds to finance sustainable development projects.
The New Development Bank (NDB), established by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries is planning its first bond as a Yuan-denominated issue in China. The bank will also issue bonds in other member countries in their local currencies to mitigate foreign currency risk of funded infrastructure projects.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) recently in Poland began its largest war games, Anaconda-2016, in eastern Europe since the end of the cold war. The 10-day-long exercise involves 31,000 troops from 24 countries and numerous vehicles and has been welcomed by the region's NATO allies.
The North Korean Parliament appointed Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un as the 'Chairman of the State Affairs Commission', adding to his list of titles.
The organisers of the Rio Olympics revealed the official slogan for the first Olympic games in South America - "A new world".
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has notified the increase in the limits of foreign portfolio investors in YES Bank from 60% to 74% under the portfolio investment scheme.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept the Repo rate unchanged at a five-year low of 6.5% in its bi-monthly monetary policy review.
The scientists have developed d a microchip, named KiloCore that has 1000 independent programmable processors. This is world’s first 1,000-processor chip and has the highest clock-rate processor ever designed at the university level.
The Sikkim government has identified and listed 21 trees across the state to be tagged as ‘Heritage Trees’ due to their historical and cultural importance. A tree is recognised as a 'Heritage Tree' if it has a historical significance to the human settlement in the area.
The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a ₹200-crore 'IT Innovation Start-up Fund’ to invest in startups operating in the financial technology space.
The state of Telangana has celebrated the 2nd anniversary of its foundation. The state government announced the creation of 15 new districts across the state.
The two day annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 2016 was recently held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Union Cabinet gave its approval to India Post to set up Payments Bank. The government will set up 650 branches of the postal bank across the country by September 2017.
The Union Cabinet has approved a ₹6,000 crore special package for Textiles and Apparel sector to create one crore new jobs in three years, attract investments of $11 billion and generate $30 billion in exports.
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and United States (US) to enhance cooperation in the field of wildlife conservation and combating wildlife trafficking.
The Union Cabinet recently cleared the new Civil Aviation Policy, under which air flyers will now have to pay a maximum amount of ₹2,500 for an hour-long flight.
The Union Cabinet approved the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which had proposed an average 23.55% increment in the salaries, allowances and pension of central government employees.
The Union Finance Ministry has announced that Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) can now open National Pension Savings (NPS) accounts online i.e. through eNPS if they have Aadhaar Card or Permanent Account Number (PAN) card. NPS are being regulated by the PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority), a regulator established by the Finance Ministry.
The Union Government and World Bank have signed a US 9.2 million dollar grant agreement for the Efficient and Sustainable City Bus Service Project. This grant agreement was signed under World Bank's Global Environment Facility (GEF) Programme.
The Union Ministry of AYUSH released a Yog Geet (Yoga Song) in connection with the celebration of International Day of Yoga–2016. This 3 minutes and 15 seconds song was written by Deeraj Saraswat in Hindi language and composed by Sumanto Ray.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) released National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016. The policy’s mission is to provide safe, secure, affordable and sustainable air travel for passengers and air transportation of cargo with access to various parts of India and the world.
The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched a Scheme for setting up of 1000 Mega Watt (MW) Wind Power Project connected to transmission network of Central Transmission Utility (CTU). The objective of the scheme is to facilitate supply of wind power to the non-windy states at a price discovered through transparent bidding process.
The Union Railway Ministry has launched two policies related to Parcel Cargo Train Express and Parcel Leasing. They are, Liberalised Comprehensive Parcel Leasing Policy (CPLP) and Liberalised policy on Parcel Cargo Express Trains (PCET).
The Union Railways Ministry signed a MoU with Chandigarh-based PEC University of Technology to set up Kalpana Chawla Chair on geospatial technology for her contribution to aerospace engineering.
The Union Rural Development Ministry and ISRO, Department of Space have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for geo-tagging the assets created under MGNREGA in each gram panchayat.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has elected Ethiopia, Bolivia, Sweden and Kazakhstan as the non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
The United States has recognised India as a major defence partner which will pave way to bring it closest US allies for defence related trade and technology transfer.
The United States will lift the ban on openly transgender persons serving in the military starting next month.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has passed new regulations that enable male students to file complaints against sexual harassment.
The US Federal Reserve has decided to keep the key interest rates steady at 0.25-0.5%.
The US recently returned over 200 cultural artefacts worth an estimated $100 million to India during PM Narendra Modi's visit.
The West Bengal government, in its full-fledged Budget for 2016-17, has proposed a 9.1% increase in tax collection against the 2015-16 figure.
The World Bank has signed an agreement with the India-led International Solar Alliance and committed to lending over $1 billion for Indian solar energy projects.
The World Bank has slashed the Global Growth Forecast to 2.4% from the 2.9% estimated in January due to stubbornly low commodity prices, sluggish demand in advanced economies, weak trade and diminishing capital flows.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently announced that Thailand has become the first country in Asia to eliminate mother-to-baby transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
The world's first passenger drone 'Ehang 184', capable of autonomously carrying a person in the air for 23 minutes has received clearance for testing in Nevada, US.
The world's longest and tallest tunnel slide, Arcelor Mittal Orbit, which has 12 loops was opened to the public in London, UK.
To promote and disseminate Yoga practice, Maharashtra government has decided to celebrate the 21st of every month as 'Yoga Day' across all schools, colleges, and universities across the state.
Top footballer Lionel Messi (Argentina) announced retirement from international football after Chile beat Argentina in the final of COPA America.
Twitter’s official mascot, the bird which features in the company’s logo, is named ‘Larry’.
UK astronaut Tim Peake and his crewmates, America's Tim Kopra and Russia's Yuri Malenchenko, returned to Earth after spending six months on the International Space Station. His mission took him on about 3,000 orbits of Earth, covering around 125 million km.
Union Home Ministry has decided to form new reserve battalion. It will be called Maharana India Reserve Battalion.
United Launch Alliance's 'Delta IV Heavy', the world's largest rocket, was successfully launched carrying a classified payload for the US intelligence agency National Reconnaissance Office.
Universal's Islands of Adventure in Florida, USA has topped the list of world's top 25 amusement parks, released by American travel website TripAdvisor.
US based private space transport service company SpaceX successfully launched two commercial satellites viz. EUTELSAT 117 West B and ABS-2A.
US President Barack Obama named the Stonewall riots site in New York a National Monument, making it the first to honour contributions of gay Americans.
Uttar Pradesh government declares all natural calamities including lightning, storm and heat stroke to be treated as state disaster.
Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavalamban Mission (VNSSM), a Task Force on Farmers, submitted its report to Maharashtra Government. This task-force was headed by : Kishore Tiwari (agriculture expert)
World Number one Novak Djokovic recently completed his career Grand Slam after defeating Andy Murray to win the French Open 2016 title.
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