National
Four New Members of Rajya Sabha
⇒ On 08 June 2021, four new members of Rajya Sabha took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha in the presence of Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, in New Delhi.
The four new members of Rajya Sabha are BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta and eminent lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani, CPI (M) leader John Brittas and V Sivadasan. The two members John Brittas and V Sivadasan, both were elected from Kerala.
India's Economy As Per World Bank Report
⇒ The Washington-based global lender, World Bank in its latest issue of Global Economic Prospects released on 08 June 2021, projected India’s economy to grow at 8.3 per cent in 2021 and 7.5 per cent in 2022.
For India, GDP in fiscal year 2021-22 starting from April 2021 is expected to expand 8.3 percent, the World Bank said in its report.
Trademark for India’s First Indigenous Tumour Antigen SPAG9
⇒ The Department of Biotechnology-National Institute of Immunology has received the Trademark ASPAGNIITM for India’s First Indigenous Tumour Antigen SPAG9.
Currently, ASPAGNIITM is being used in dendritic cell (DC) based immunotherapy in cervical, ovarian cancer and will also be used in breast cancer. ASPAGNIITM may revolutionise cancer treatment.
India’s first indigenous tumour antigen SPAG9 was discovered by Dr Anil Suri in 1998 who is heading the Cancer Research Program at NII, New Delhi.
NTPC Joins UN’s CEO Water Mandate
⇒ NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power utility Under Ministry of Power has become a signatory to the prestigious UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate. NTPC has thus joined the coveted league of companies focusing on efficient water management.
After signing the CEO Water Mandate, NTPC will further imbibe the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) for water conservation and management while carrying out its core business activity of power generation.
About CEO Water Mandate:
The CEO Water Mandate is a UN Global Compact initiative to demonstrate commitment and efforts of companies to better their water and sanitation agendas as part of long term Sustainable Development Goals.
The CEO Water Mandate is designed to assist companies in the development, implementation, and disclosure of comprehensive water strategies and policies.
International
India elected to the UN Economic and Social Council
⇒ Permanent Mission of India to the United Nation on 08 June 2021 announced that India has been elected to the UN Economic and Social Council for the term starting from 2022 till 2024.
Along with India, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Canada, Croatia, Israel, New Zealand, Greece, Czech Republic, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritius, Oman, Tunisia, Peru, Chile among others have been elected to the ECOSOC. India has been chosen in the Asia-Pacific States category.
Earlier in April 2021, India has been elected to three key bodies of the UN Economic and Social Council, which includes Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Executive Board of UN Women, and the Executive Board of the World Food Programme.
About ECOSOC:
ECOSOC was established by UN Charter in 1945 as one of the six key organs of the United Nations. UN Economic and Social Council have 54-member. The ECOSOC is at the centre of the United Nations development system and brings together people and issues to promote collective action for a sustainable world. The Economic and Social Council advances the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social, and environmental.
Facebook Named its Grievance Officer for India
⇒ Social media platform Facebook named Spoorthi Priya as its grievance officer for India.
This move comes in the backdrop of the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, coming into force last month.
According to the new government guidelines, social media companies with over 50 lakh users have to appoint a grievance officer, nodal officer and a chief compliance officer. All three personnel will have to be residents of India.
Recently, WhatsApp had named Paresh B Lal as its grievance officer for India.