TODAY’S CURRENT AFFAIRS & DAILY NEWS

Canara Bank becomes 1st PSB in India to introduce the facility of UPI payments to merchants through RuPay Credit CardOn June 26, 2023, the Public Sector Bank (PSB), Canara Bank became the first Public Sector Bank (PSB) in India to introduce the facility of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payments to merchants through RuPay Credit Card, in association with NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India).

• This facility is made available at ‘Canara ai1’ Banking Super App of the Bank.

Key Points:
i.Notably, currently only Merchant Payments are allowed using this facility, and Person-to-Person, Card-to-Card, or Cash-Out Transactions will not be permitted for UPI payments from RuPay Credit Cards.
ii.This facility enables the bank customers to make UPI payments to merchants from their RuPay Credit Cards.
iii.They can also link their Canara Bank RuPay Credit Cards to their UPI IDs.
iv.The transaction limits applicable for UPI transactions shall continue for UPI payments using RuPay Credit Card.
About Canara Bank:
MD and CEO– K Satyanarayana Raju
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
Tagline– Together We Can

World Bank Approves USD 391 Million in Financing for Assam and TripuraOn 26th, June, 2023, World Bank approved USD 391 million in financing to improve healthcare services and economic opportunities in India’s northeastern states of Assam and Tripura. The funding aims to enhance access to high-quality healthcare services and economic development in these regions of northeast India.
i. The World Bank’s support for these projects underscores its commitment to the development efforts of the Government of India in the northeast region.
ii. By improving healthcare access and promoting economic development, these initiatives will contribute to a better quality of life and increased productivity in Assam and Tripura.
World Bank Grants USD 300M Loan to Improve Education in Chhattisgarh
On 27th june, 2023, The World Bank has approved a USD 300 million loan, with maturity of 18.5 years along with a grace period of 5 years, to enhance the quality of education in government-run schools in Chhattisgarh, India under the project CHALK (Chhattisgarh Accelerated Learning for a Knowledge Economy Operation) which aims to benefit 4 million students, particularly those from poor and vulnerable communities.
About Assam:
Chief Minister – Himanta Biswa Sarma
Governor – Gulab Chand Kataria
National Park – Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park

• As per it, the real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) forecast for India in 2023 is 6% (FY2023-24) , for 2024 (FY2024-25) and 2025 (FY2025-26) will be 6.9% and for 2026 (FY 2026-27) it will be 7.1%.
• India, Vietnam, and the Philippines continue to lead, with average growth of 6.7%, 6.6%, and 6.1% in 2023-2026.

Inflation:
i.Retail inflation is likely to soften to 5% in 2023 (FY2023-24) from 6.7% in 2022 (FY2022-23) citing normal monsoon and softer crude prices as primary reasons.
ii.It will be 4.5% in 2024 (FY 2024-25) and 2025 (FY2025-26), and 4.8% in 2026 (FY 2026-27).
iii.The update expected India’s policy rate for 2023 at 6.25%, and 5.25% in 2024, 5% in 2025 and 2026.
Key Points:
i.India’s retail inflation eased to a 2-year low of 4.25% in May 2023 on an annual basis as against 4.70% in April 2022.
ii.In India, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Thailand, external deficit trends have improved this year as oil prices have declined.
iii.The Asian emerging market economies remain among the fastest growing ones in our global growth outlook through 2026.
Regional Scenario: Asia
A GDP growth of 3.8% is projected in Asia in 2023 for Asia-Pacific excluding China, after 4.7% in 2022. Inflation and external deficits are receding; pressure on central banks to raise rates has diminished.
About S&P Global:
President and Chief Executive Officer– Douglas L. Peterson
Headquarters– New York, United States

DBS Bank India Appoints Rajat Verma as Managing Director of Institutional Banking GroupOn 26th June 2023, Development Bank of Singapore Ltd (DBS) Bank appointed Rajat Verma as Managing Director(MD) and head of DBS Institutional Banking Group, India.

• Institutional banking refers to the services provided by banks to large organizations such as corporations, government entities, and non-profit organizations. These services typically include business loans, commercial mortgages, and lines of credit.

i.Rajat, who has 26 years of banking experience will be succeeding Niraj Mittal.
ii.Niraj Mittal will be taking up a new role as country head of DBS Bank in Australia as part of the bank’s continued talent and leadership development program by focusing on DBS franchise linkages with South-East Asia and South Asia.
NOTE-Rajat Verma formerly served as MD and country head of commercial banking at Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd (HSBC) India.
About DBS Bank India Ltd:
DBS Bank India Limited, a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of DBS Bank Limited, Singapore.
Managing Director and Chief executive officer(CEO)– Surojit Shome
Headquarters – Mumbai,Maharashtra
Established – 1994

Jhulan Goswami, Heather Knight and Eoin Morgan Joins MCC World Cricket CommitteeJhulan Goswami, former Indian woman cricketer, Heather Knight, captain of the England women’s cricket team and Eoin Morgan, former England Men’s cricketer have joined the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) World Cricket Committee (WCC).

• The trio has joined the committee ahead of its upcoming meeting at Lord’s cricket ground in London, the United Kingdom (UK), known as the Home of Cricket, which is owned by the MCC.

About Jhulan Goswami: 
i. The seamer enjoyed a career spanning two decades include 12 Tests, 204 ODIs and 68 Twenty-Twenty (T20) Internationals from 2002 to 2022, picking over 355 wickets across formats, the most by any bowler in women’s international cricket.
ii. JhulanGoswami, a Padma Shri (2012 – for her services to sports), and Arjuna Awardee (2010 for the Sport – Cricket), is often regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in women’s Cricket and retired from international cricket in 2022.
iii. She was made an Honorary Life Member of MCC in April 2023.
Note: The final appearance of Jhulan Goswami was at Lord’s in the One Day International (ODI) against England in 2022.
About Heather Knight:
The England women’s team won the ODI world cup led by Heather Knight in 2017.
About Eoin Morgan: 
The England Men’s team won the ODI world cup led by Eoin Morgan in 2019.
Note: Both Eoin Morgan and Heather Knight led their teams to the ODI World Cup at the Lord’s Cricket ground.
MCC World Cricket committee:
i. It is an independent body of current and former international cricketers, umpires, and officials from across the world.
ii. The committee, funded entirely by the MCC, conducts research, particularly into technological advances and the biomechanical elements of the game.
iii. The committee signifies the growth of the female representation on the committee with the growth that women’s cricket has enjoyed in recent years.
iv. JhulanGoswami and Heather Knight join Clare Connor (Former English Cricketer) and Suzie Bates (New Zealand Cricketer), who can all offer direct insight into women’s Cricket.
v. WCC will meet on Monday and Tuesday at Lord’s ahead of the second Men’s Ashes Test between England and Australia.
Note: 3 new members were added to the WCC in February 2023, when Clare Connor, Justin Langer and Graeme Smith joined ahead of the meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Committee Members:
The 14 member committee, chaired by Mike Gatting, Former English Cricketer, includes,
Mike Gatting (Former English Cricketer) (Chair), Jamie Cox (Australian Cricketer), Suzie Bates, Clare Connor, Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lankan Cricket Umpire), Sourav Ganguly (Former Indian Cricketer), Justin Langer (Australian Cricket Coach), Ramiz Raja (Former Pakistani Cricketer), Kumar Sangakkara (Former Sri Lankan Cricketer), Graeme Smith (Former South African Cricketer), Ricky Skerritt (West Indian Cricket Board President)

Aarti Holla-Maini of UK appointed as Director of UN Office for Outer Space AffairsOn 26th June 2023, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Aarti Holla-Maini, an Indian-origin satellite industry expert from the United Kingdom (UK), as the Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).

• Aarti Holla-Maini will succeed Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy, who served as the Director of UNOOSA from 2014 to 2022.
• Niklas Hedman of Sweden, who has been serving as the Acting Director of UNOOSA since March 2022, will continue on the post until Aarti Holla-Maini assumes the position.

About Aarti Holla-Maini:
i.She served as the Secretary-General of the Global Satellite Operators Association for 18 years.
ii.Aarti Holla-Maini served as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space.
iii.She was also a key architect of the Crisis Connectivity Charter, which was formed in 2015 for emergency satellite communications with the UN World Food Program’s Emergency Telecommunications Cluster.
Haoliang Xu of China appointed as new Under-Secretary-General & Associate Administrator for UNDP
On 26th June 2023, UN Secretary General António Guterres appointed Haoliang Xu of China as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

• Haoliang Xu will succeed Usha Rao-Monari of India who was appointed as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on 17th February 2021.

About Haoliang Xu: 
i.Prior to the appointment, he has been serving as the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support since 2019.
ii.He also served as the Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific from 2013 to 2019.
iii.He has held various roles in UNDP, working in field and headquarters assignments in Asia-Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, including assignments in Iran, Timor-Leste, Pakistan and Kazakhstan.

Piramal Enterprises to sell entire 8.34% stake in Shriram Finance

According to block deal data available on the National Stock Exchange, on 21st June 2023, Piramal Enterprises divested its entire 8.34% stake in non-banking financial company Shriram Finance for Rs 4,824 crore through an open market transaction.  As of March 2023, Piramal Enterprises held the stake-sale comprising Rs.3.12 crore shares while Shriram Capital held 18%.
This comes after TPG India Investments, the United States of America (USA)-based private equity firm offloaded its entire 2.65% stake, or 99.2 lakh shares, in the Piramal Enterprises via several block deals at Rs.1,401 per share for Rs.1,390 crore.
Note:
The sale by Piramal will be the third large exit since the three-way merger of Shriram City Union Finance and Shriram Capital with Shriram Transport Finance to create Shriram Finance in December 2022.

Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, launched NANDI Portal

On 26th June 2023, Parshottam Rupala , Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying launched a NANDI– NOC (No Objection Certificates) Approval for New Drug and Inoculation System Portal at Krishi Bhavan in New Delhi, Delhi to timely process the applications and grant NOC for veterinary drugs and vaccines.
NANDI Portal:
i. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) developed this portal through the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to enhance the regulatory approval process and ensure transparency in assessing and examining veterinary product proposals.
ii. The integration of the NANDI portal with the e-Governance solution for the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under the Ministry of Health will streamline the approval process further.
iii. The launch of the NANDI portal marks an important step taken by the DAHD in realising the objectives set out in its Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI).
Highlights:
i. Following the animal vaccination coverage initiative and Mobile Veterinary Units (MVUs), the launch of NANDI Portal would not only facilitate regulatory processes but also provide valuable support to researchers and industries from a commercial perspective.
ii. This initiative is a significant step towards advancing Government of India’s Digital India and promoting the well-being of livestock and the livestock industry by creating awareness among livestock rearers and improving logistical facilities.

• The consumption of veterinary drugs is expected to increase.

iii. The crucial role of veterinary vaccines in safeguarding animal health, boosting production, ensuring safe food supplies, and preventing the transmission of infectious diseases from animals to humans has been acknowledged.
iv. The DAHD has consistently worked towards accelerating the regulatory approval process, which is crucial for the availability of veterinary drugs and vaccines in India.
v. In order to achieve this goal, the DAHD has established empowered committees, such as the Empowered Committee for Animal Health (ECAH), chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA), GoI.
Note: ECAH focuses on building resilient, farmer-centric animal health systems in India and proposing changes to enhance the long-term success of the livestock sector. Additionally,
vi. The Regulatory Subcommittee, composed of veterinary experts from the industry and academia, has been set up under the ECAH to comprehensively deliberates, takes efficient actions, and provides recommendations and policy inputs on a veterinary vaccine, biological, and drug submissions.
vii. The portal aligns with the Digital India vision initiated and embodies the principles of Minimum Government and Maximum Governance by leveraging Information Technology (IT) systems.

Hasarius mumbai: New Species of Jumping Spider found in Mumbai, MaharashtraA new species of jumping spider named ‘Hasarius mumbai’ was recently discovered from the rocks lying close to the streams at the Bombay Natural History Society’s (BNHS) conservation education centre (CEC) in Goregaon East, Mumbai (Maharashtra). The species is named after Mumbai, where it was found.

• The 33-acre nature reserve, inhabit to the ‘jumping spiders’, is “one of the few pristine mixed moist deciduous forest types in India” and shares its boundaries with the biodiverse landscapes of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and Film City in Aarey Milk Colony (AMC) of Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Note: This is the 3rd species of the genus Hasarius from India. The other 2 are H. adansoni, found across India including in urban areas, and H. kjellerupi, documented from the Union Territory (UT) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Genus and Species:
i. The word “Hasarius” refers to a genus that ranks the species of “jumping spiders” belonging to the Salticidae
ii. The ‘Salticidae’ family of spiders as per existing literature contains over 600 different genera and over 6,000 described species of spider.
iii. These spiders are known for their unique hunting technique (Stalk and hunt the prey by pouncing), different from traditional spiders that rely on webs.
Note: This genus, first discovered in the year 1826, occurs primarily in warm climates.
Researchers involved:
Rishikesh Tripathi (Lead) Christ College, Kerala; and researchers from the School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; and the BNHS, Mumbai (Maharashtra), have published their findings in the latest issue of the International, peer-reviewed journal  Arthropoda Selecta.
Note: This is the first time since September 2021 that a description of a new biological species from Mumbai city has been published.
Features:
i. The colour of the new species is Carapace brown, with white lateral bands of nearly uniform thickness. Eye field black, mid-anteriorly with a streak of white hairs.
ii. A shield-like plate on the front of the head densely covered with intermixed white and rusty coloured hairs forming a continuation with the lateral white stripes of carapace.
iii. Their multiple eyes provide a 360-degree view of their surroundings, helping in their hunting strategy.

Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023: India won 202 medals

The Indian team won 202 medals (including 76 Gold, 75 Silver, 51 Bronze) in Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 held in Berlin, Germany from 17th June 2023 to 25th June 2023.

• The Berlin 2023, the 16th edition Special Olympics World Games Berlin witnessed the participation of 7000 special Olympic Athletes from around 190 countries competing in 26 sports.

Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023:
2023 Mascot: Named as ‘Unity’, it represents the emotions the athletes feel about the World Games: joy, togetherness, pride, and excitement.
2023 Motto: ‘unbeatable together’
i.Indian Athletes won six medals in the track events (including 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 51 Bronze).

•  Aanchal Goyal (400m, Level B Female) and Ravimathi Arumugam (400m, Level C Female) won gold medals for India in track events.

Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day 2023 – June 27The United Nations (UN)’s Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day is annually observed across the world on 27th June to raise awareness about MSME’s contribution in achieving the 2030 Agenda of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
27th June 2023 marks the 6th Anniversary of MSME Day.

• The global celebration of MSME day is led by the International Trade Centre (ITC).

Background:
i. On 6th April 2017, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/71/279 and proclaimed the 27th June of every year as the Micro-, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day.
ii. The first-ever MSME day was observed in collaboration with the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the UN on 27th June 2017.
Udyami Bharat- MSME Day 2023 in India: 
On the eve of United Nations (UN)’s MSME Day (27th June 2023), the Ministry of MSME, Government of India (GoI) is celebrating ‘Udyami Bharat (Enterprising India) -MSME Day’ on 27th June, 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.

• The Ministry of MSME launched various initiatives for growth and development of MSMEs such as CHAMPIONS 2.0 Portal and Mobile App for Geo-tagging of Cluster Projects and Technology Centres at the event.

About International Trade Centre (ITC):
Founded in- 1964
Executive Director- Pamela Coke-Hamilton
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland

World Vitiligo Day – June 25 2023World Vitiligo Day is celebrated annually across the globe on 25th June to raise awareness about vitiligo, a chronic skin condition that causes the loss of pigmentation in patches of the skin.

• The goal of World Vitiligo Day 2023 is to spread knowledge, promote research and to recognize bullying, psychological trauma, social neglect of people affected by vitiligo.

World Vitiligo Day 2023: Theme 
i.The theme for World Vitiligo Day 2023 is “Vitiligo: Looking into the Future” and the campaign headquarters will be hosted by Kazakhstan under the guidance of Dr. Aliya Kassymkhanova.
ii.The city of Tampa, Florida, (United States of America) USA has designated June as Vitiligo Awareness Month.
iii.The day is also known as Vitiligo Awareness Day or Vitiligo Purple Fun Day, as purple is the official color representing the condition.
History: 
i.World Vitiligo Day was first observed on 25th June, 2011, on the initiative of Steven Haragdon, the founder of the Vitiligo Friends Network, and further developed by Ogo Maduewesi, a Nigerian vitiligo patient and the Founder and Executive Director of the Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF).
ii.The date was chosen to commemorate the death of Michael Jackson, the popstar who discussed his struggles with Vitiligo.
iii.Vitiligo Friends Network is taking effort to recognise 25th June as “World Vitiligo Day” by the United Nations to provide various campaign with a wider platform to reach and create awareness throughout the globe.
Causes of Vitiligo:
Vitiligo occurs when the cells responsible for producing melanin stops functioning and caused by involving a combination of genetic, autoimmune, and environmental factors.

West Bengal govt ties up with Dun&Bradstreet for MSMEs