Current Affairs

Roopa Pai's book 'The Yoga Sutra for Children'

After her award-winning bestselling book 'The Gita for Children', author Roopa Pai's upcoming children's book will unravel the secrets of Patanjali's 2,000-year-old text on Yoga. 'The Yoga Sutras for Children', published by Hachette India, aims to connect and relate the practice of Yoga to children's everyday lives and helps them use their mind power to bring out the best in themselves. It will hit the stands on June 27. Peppered with 'Think' and 'Do' sections for a wholesome and interactive experience, the book shares Maharishi Patanjali's techniques to "nurture energies and attitudes, enabling them to do small and big things in a focused and balanced way".



IIT Bombay breaks into top 150 in QS world ranking

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai has achieved its highest rank ever, breaking into the world’s top 150 universities in the latest edition of the QS World University Ranking released late Tuesday night. This marks the first time in eight years that an Indian higher education institution has made it to the top 150 list, with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore previously achieving this feat in 2016 with a ranking of 147.

IIT Bombay has made a remarkable leap, climbing 23 positions to secure the 149th rank globally in this year’s edition of the rankings. However, the list has also seen significant fluctuations, with IISc falling 70 positions from 155th rank to 225. It now stands as the third-highest ranked Indian institution, compared to being the best Indian institution last year. Similarly, IIT Delhi fell from 174 to 197, IIT Kanpur from 264 to 278 and IIT Madras from 250 to 285, among others.



G20: India to commence two-day Startup20 Shikhar summit from 3 July in Gurugram

India to commence two-day Startup20 Shikhar summit from 3 July in Gurugram. The summit serves as a landmark event for the official release of the final Policy Communiqué.  In a statement NITI Aayog said that the Policy Communiqué will lay the foundation for a transformative and inclusive startup ecosystem, fostering economic growth, innovation, and cross-border collaboration. This comprehensive document represents the collective wisdom and tireless efforts of the Startup20 Engagement Group, comprising distinguished delegates from G20 nations and other invitee countries.
 
During the summit, the delegates will have the privilege to connect with industry experts, policymakers, and thought leaders, forging strategic alliances and shaping the trajectory of startups on a global scale.



CCI approves acquisition of TCNS Clothing by Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of TCNS Clothing Co. Limited by Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL). According to a release by the CCI, the proposed combination involves acquisition of 51 per cent of the expanded share capital of the target by the acquirer TCNS Clothing Co. Limited (target) by the Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (acquirer).

ABFRL is a listed company and is part of Aditya Birla group of companies and is engaged in retailing of branded products in segments including apparel, footwear and accessories, through its retail stores, online retail platforms and e-commerce marketplaces. 



SEBI unveils ASBA-like facility for trading in secondary market

Capital market regulator SEBI has introduced a ASBA (Application supported by Blocked Amount)-like process for trading in secondary market based on blocked funds in investor’s bank account, instead of transferring them upfront to the trading member, thereby providing enhanced protection of cash collateral.

The facility will be provided by integrating Reserve Bank of India approved Unified Payments Interface (UPI) mandate service of single-block-and-multiple-debits with the secondary market trading and settlement process and ‘UPI block facility’.

The new facility will come into effect from January 2024.



Canara Bank Offers UPI Payments Through RuPay Credit Cards

Bangalore-based Canara Bank has become the first public sector bank in India to introduce UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payments for merchants through its RuPay Credit Card. This exciting feature is now accessible within the bank’s ‘Canara ai1’ Banking Super App, thanks to a partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

This development means that Canara Bank customers can now make UPI payments to merchants directly from their RuPay Credit Cards. Customers will have to link their Canara Bank RuPay Credit Cards to their UPI IDs, to conduct credit card transactions using this secure and seamless digital payment method.



Jhulan Goswami, Heather Knight, Eoin Morgan join MCC’s World Cricket Committee

Jhulan Goswami, Heather Knight, and Eoin Morgan have all joined the WCC, which is an independent body comprised of current and former international cricketers, umpires, and officials from across the world.

Goswami retired from the international cricket last year, and fittingly, her final game came at Lord’s in the One-Day International against England, where she was given a guard of honour when walking out to bat.

In an international career spanning over two decades—the second longest in women’s international cricket — Jhulan, who made her debut in 2002, represented India in 12 Tests, 204 ODIs, and 68 T20Is, picking up 355 wickets across formats



Ministry of Agriculture signs MOU Pixxel Space India

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare signed a MOU with Pixxel Space India Pvt. Limited today in the presence of the Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, DA&FW, Pramod Kumar Meherda, Additional Secretary, DA&FW and other senior officers of the Ministry at New Delhi.

C. S. Murthy, Director, MNCFC signed the MOU on behalf of Government of India, where as Abhishek Krishnan, Chief of Staff represented M/s Pixxel Space India Pvt. Limited.It aims to develop various geospatial solutions on pro bono basis for the Indian Agriculture Ecosystem using Pixxel’s hyperspectral dataset.



State along with QCI organises Odisha Gunvatta Sankalp

The state government along with Quality Council of India (QCI) organised a Odisha Gunvatta Sankalp (quality mission) on Monday with an aim to bring critical quality interventions in sectors like education, healthcare, skill development and tourism.

Experts from various fields took part in the daylong programme and gave their inputs to turn Odisha into a ‘growth engine’.

Addressing the programme virtually, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, “The primary emphasis of Odisha Gunvatta Sankalp is bringing excellence in government operations. Quality in everything we do is essential for the progress of the nation.”



Govt launches Nandi portal for granting NOC for veterinary drugs, vaccines

The regulation of the import, manufacturing and marketing of veterinary drugs and vaccines comes under the purview of the Central Drug Standard Control Organization under the Ministry of Health

Union Minister Parshottam Rupala on Monday launched a Nandi portal to timely process applications and grant non-objection certification (NOC) for veterinary drugs and vaccines.

The regulation of the import, manufacturing and marketing of veterinary drugs and vaccines comes under the purview of the Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) under the Ministry of Health.