National News

Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana

• Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana', a pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens from all religions.
• Aim: To help elderly people who cannot visit pilgrimage sites on their own.

About Maharashtra

Colombo Process

• India presided over its first meeting as Chair of the ‘Colombo Process’ at the Permanent Representative Level Meeting in Geneva at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Headquarters.

Books on the life and journey of former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi released three books on the life and journey of former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu through video conferencing at Anvaya Convention Centre in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.

SCO Summit 2024

• External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit to be held from 3rd to 4th of July at Astana in Kazakhstan.

About SCO

Economy

Employees’ Pension Scheme

• The Government has amended the Employees’ Pension Scheme to ensure that EPS members with less than six months of contributory service also receive withdrawal benefit.

About EPFO

Interest Equalisation Scheme

• The Department of Commerce has extended the Interest Equalisation Scheme for pre- and post-shipment rupee export credit for Micro, Small and Medium-scale (MSME) exporters till August 31.

$1.5 bn loan to India by World Bank

• The World Bank has approved a second round of funding of a $1.5-billion loan to help India accelerate its low-carbon energy development.
• The funds will be used to promote a market for green hydrogen, electrolysers, and increased renewable energy penetration.

Target of India

Hurricane Beryl

• Beryl strengthened into a hurricane, moving towards the southeastern Caribbean, with forecasters warning it was expected to become a dangerous major storm before reaching Barbados.

Names of Cyclones in Different Regions

Science and Tech

inStem

• An anti-insecticide fabric that effectively neutralises organophosphate-based pesticides has been developed by Researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), in Bengaluru.

What are Pesticides?

Defence

INS Shivalik

• Indian Navy’s indigenous stealth frigate INS Shivalik participated in the 29th edition of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, being held in Hawaii.

INS Ranvir

• Indian Navy Destroyer INS Ranvir arrived in Chattogram for a week-long goodwill visit.

About Indian Navy Day

Sports

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

• In a classic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final, India made history with a nail-biting seven-run win over South Africa at Barbados, West Indies.

Awards at ICC T20 World Cup 2024

Highest Test Match Score

• India's women's cricket team made history by achieving the highest team total in an International Test match format, surpassing records set by other nations.

 New logo of AFI

• Union Minister Dr.Mansukh Mandaviya unveiled the Athletics Federation of India (AFI)’s new logo at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurugram, Haryana.

About AFI

Important Appointments

Ravi Agarwal

• Ravi Agarwal has been appointed as the new chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).