National
New Guinness World Record created by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
⇒ Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari announced New Guinness World Record created by NHAI in laying 75 km of bituminous concrete in a single lane on NH53 in 105 hours and 33 minutes.
The Minister said the bituminous mix of 36,634 MT consisting of 2,070 MT of bitumen was used.
- The total length of the 75 km of single lane continuous bituminous concrete road is equivalent to 37.5 km of two-lane paved shoulder road and the work started on 3rd June 2022 at 7:27 am and completed on 7th June 2022 at 5 pm.
- The project was implemented by 720 workers including a team of independent consultants worked day and night to complete this task.
» The Guinness World Record for the longest continuously laid bituminous was for building 25.275 km that was achieved in Doha, Qatar in February 2019. The task took 10 days to complete.
E-book titled “Aarohan”
⇒ Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (I/C) Science and Technology, MoS (I/C) Earth Sciences, MoS (PMO), MoS (Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions), MoS (Atomic Energy) and MoS (Space), released the e-book titled “Aarohan” on 08 June 2022, at an event organized by the Income Tax Department.
The release of the e-book “Aarohan” was part of the celebrations of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav organized under the aegis of Ministry of Finance during the iconic week from 6th to 12th June, 2022.
About Aarohan:
- “Aarohan”, which translates to ‘Ascent’, shows the steady evolution of the Income Tax Department from its early years till the present date.
- The e-book gives an overview of the major reforms undertaken over the years in the Income Tax Department and showcases the contribution of different batches of the Indian Revenue Service to tax administration since Independence.
- The seven chapters of the book deal with the seven decades, highlighting the important reforms that took place in the Income Tax Department and the leadership provided by the officers of the Indian Revenue Service. This period saw the Department’s growth towards a more responsive, service-oriented organisation.
Meeting of MPC of Reserve Bank of India
⇒ The Monetary Policy Committee of Reserve Bank of India met from 6-8 June 2022.
Key Points:
- The Monetary Policy Committee has unanimously decided to hike the Repo Rate by 50 basis points to 4.90%.
- Consequently, Standing Deposit Facility Rate stands adjusted to 4.65% and Marginal Standing Facility rate and Bank Rate to 5.15%
- Now, credit cards too can be linked with UPI platform, beginning with RuPay cards.
- Upper limit on housing loans by Cooperative banks hiked by more than 100%.
- The MPC also decided to remain focused on withdrawal of accommodation to ensure that inflation remains within the target going forward, while supporting growth.
» Inflation:
- Assuming normal monsoon in 2022 and average crude oil price of $105 per barrel in Indian basket, inflation is projected at 6.7% in 2022-23.
» Growth forecast:
- Real GDP growth for 2022-23 is estimated at 7.2%.
- According to NSO provisional estimates released on May 31, India’s GDP growth in 2021-22 is estimated at 8.7%, higher than pre-pandemic level.
» Enhancement of limit on e-mandate transactions:
- To further augment customer convenience and facilitate recurring payments like subscriptions, insurance premia and education fees of larger value, limit per transaction for e-mandate based recurring payments increased from ₹5,000 to ₹ 15,000.
» The next meeting of the MPC is scheduled during August 2-4, 2022.
International
A four member French delegation called on the Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry
⇒ A four member French delegation led by the Special Representative for Bilateral Economic Relations, Mr. Paul Hermelin called on the Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Shri Som Prakash on 08 June 2022.
Discussion:
They discussed the scope for mutual cooperation across the entire gamut of bilateral and international trade and economic issues.
» Shri Som Prakash gave an overview of major initiatives and reforms of the Modi Government in reducing cost of business and increasing Ease of Doing Business in India.
» Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Hermelin said France is keen to pursue the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between European Union and India. Both sides hoped to conclude the agreement before 2024. The pact will pave the way for India to give a boost to trade with the 27-member nation EU bloc, subject to ratification by both sides including the European Parliament.
Sports
Chateauroux 2022 World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS) World Cup
⇒ The Chateauroux 2022 World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS) World Cup took place in Chateauroux, France from June 4 to 13, 2022.
» In the Para Shooting World Cup, India won a total of 12 medals including 6 Gold, 5 Silver and 1 Bronze medal.
Indian Winners:
Gold:
- Avani Lekhara: R2 – Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1
- Avani Lekhara: R8 – Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1
- Sriharsha Devaraddi Ramakrishna: R4 – Mixed 10m Air Rifle Standing SH2
- Manish Narwal & Rubina Francis: P6 – 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team
- Rahul Jakhar: P5 – Mixed 10m Air Pistol Standard SH1
- Rahul Jakhar, Akash & Deepender Singh: P5 – Mixed Team 10m Air Pistol Standard SH1
Silver:
- Singhraj Adhana, Rahul Jakhar & Nihal Singh: P3 – Mixed Team 25m Pistol SH1
- Manish Narwal, Singhraj Adhana & Akash: P4 – Mixed Team 50m Pistol SH1
- Manish Narwal, Singhraj Adhana & Nihal Singh: P1 – Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 Team
- Rubina Francis: P5 – Mixed 10m Air Pistol Standard SH1
- Rubina Francis, Sumedha Pathak & Nisha Kanwar: P2 – Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 Team
Bronze:
- Rubina Francis: P2 – Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1
