NATIONAL:
1. Brand Finance Report
Why in news: Tata Group retains No 1 position in Brand Finance India Report 2024
Key points:
• Tata Group retained its position as India's most valuable brand while Infosys and HDFC Group were ranked second and third respectively.
• Tata Group, saw its brand value shoot up 9 percent on sponsorships in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
INTERNATIONAL:
1. International Solar Alliance
Why in news: Paraguay Joins International Solar Alliance as 100th Member.
Key points:
• Paraguay has become the 100th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a full member.
• The ISA, co-founded by India and France during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, aims to promote solar energy deployment worldwide.
• It serves as a collaborative platform for member countries to increase energy access, ensure energy security, and drive the transition towards sustainable energy sources.
• The alliance has gained significant traction since its inception, with 119 countries now signatories to the ISA Framework Agreement.
• Of these, 100 have completed the ratification process to become full members, with Spain joining as the 99th member in May this year.
ECONOMY:
1. India's External Debt
Why in news: India's External Debt Rises USD 39.7 Billion Y-o- Y to USD 663.8 Billion.
Key points:
• According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) official data released on 25th June 2024, India's external debt at end-March 2024 was at USD 663.8 billion, saw an increase of USD 39.7 billion over its level at end-March 2023.
• The external debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio (which included both government and non-government debt) decreased from 19.0% (at end-March 2023) to 18.7% (at end- March 2024).
AWARDS & HONOURS:
1. Pen Pinter Prize 2024
Why in news: Arundhati Roy Honored with Prestigious Pen Pinter Prize 2024.
Key points:
• Pen Pinter Prize is the Symbol of Literary Courage, established in 2009 by the charity English PEN.
• Arundhati Roy won the Booker prize in 1997 for The God of Small Things.
2. Commonwealth Short Story Award
Why in news: Sanjana Thakur's short story Aishwarya Rai gets Commonwealth Award.
Key points:
• 26-year-old Mumbai-based writer Sanjana Thakur has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2024 by defeating 7,359 contestants from across the world.
• Sanjana was honored with this award amounting to 5000 pounds in London.
• The title of Sanjana's story is after Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai.
2. Goodwill Ambassador For Youth
Why in news: K-Pop Group SEVENTEEN Appointed UNESCO's First-Ever Goodwill Ambassador for Youth.
Key points:
• UNESCO appointed SEVENTEEN, the South Korean (K- Pop) boy band with 13 members, as UNESCO's first-ever Goodwill Ambassador for Youth, during a ceremony held in Paris, France.
• UNESCO and K-pop group SEVENTEEN launched a joint program called "Going Together - For Youth Creativity and Well- Being", an ambitious joint grant programme for youth projects around the world.
• SEVENTEEN will contribute USD 1 million to finance this initiative.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. Micro Small Medium Enterprise Day
Why in news: Micro Small Medium Enterprise (MSME) Day is observed every year on 27 June.
Key points:
• Objective: To highlights the contribution of the MSME sector to a country’s economic development and employment generation.
• Theme: MSMEs and the SDG
BIHAR:
1. Larsen & Toubro
Why in news: L&T win deals for 185 MW solar plant at Kajra in Lakhisarai district of Bihar.
Key points:
• Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has secured a major order for setting up a grid-connected 185 megawatt solar PV plant along with a 254 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Kajra in Lakhisarai district of Bihar.
• The project cost is estimated to be in the range of ₹2,500-5,000 crore.
• The BESS, with a capacity of 254 MWh will enable storing solar energy during low-demand periods and discharging when the demand peaks.
2. Mobile Fraud Cases
Why in news: Bihar ranks fifth in mobile fraud cases, UP tops the list.
Key points:
• Bihar ranks fifth in the country in cases of fraud through mobile calls or messages whereas maximum number of complaints have come in UP.
• Consumers have registered cases of fraud through payment, gas connection, electricity bill, KYC and free mobile recharge on the Chakshu portal of the Department of Telecommunications.
• Top five states & UTs in the list are UP, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
3. Samrat Chaudhary
Why in news: Deputy CM of Bihar Samrat Chaudhary Appointed as Convenor of Reconstituted GST Rate Rationalisation Panel.
Key points:
• The Goods and Services Tax council has announced the appointment of Samrat Chaudhary as new convener of the Group of Minister (GoM) of the reconstituted GST rate rationalisation panel.
• He will succeed Suresh Khanna, Finance Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) who has been serving as the convener of GST rate rationalization since October 2023.
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