Current Affairs 2nd June 2017

Current Affairs 2nd June 2017 - Important Points

• Loan Agreement for HP Public Financial Management Capacity Building signed by - India and World Bank
• Who has been resigned as BCCI Administrator?- Ramachandra Guha 
• Global Day of Parents observed on - 1st June globally
•  Champions Trophy 2017 with an interactive game celebrated by - Google
• Solar Probe Mission to honor pioneering physicist Eugene Parker renamed by - NASA
• Fastest growing economy tag slowdown after sharp growth for - India
• Kannada film producer Parvathamma Rajkumar passed away on - 31st May 2017
• World's top 100 athletes include - Kohli, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Raina
• Deep Ocean Mission will be launched by - Ministry of Earth Sciences
• India and Spain signed seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on - 31st May 2017

Current Affairs 2nd June 2017 - Details

Loan Agreement for HP Public Financial Management Capacity Building signed by - India and World Bank

India signed a loan agreement of USD 36 million with the World Bank for Himachal Pradesh Public Financial Management Capacity Building Program on 31st May 2017. The project is aiming to improve the public expenditure management and tax administration efficiency in Himachal Pradesh. Joint Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs Raj Kumar and the Bank's Country Director Junaid Kamal Ahmad signed the agreement. The Additional Treasuries, Accounts, Director and Lotteries on behalf of Government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) and the Country Director (India) on behalf of the World Bank signed this Entity Agreement Implementation.

More about the Program

• The Program is expected to help to increase productivity of key departments, improving budget credibility, strengthening systems and procedures to improve fiscal discipline, improving revenue administration to increase fiscal space, and targeted organizational reforms including human.
• The Program focuses on the priority areas identified by the GoHP, which were articulated in various stakeholder workshops during the preparation of Program .
• The program size is 45 million US dollars. Bank will finance 36 million USD out of that, remaining will be funded by the state budget.
• The program duration is 5 years.

Who has been resigned as BCCI Administrator?- Ramachandra Guha 

On June 1st 2017, Ramachandra Guha resigned from the four-member Committee of Administrators of the Board of Control of Cricket in India. Guha gave personal reasons for his resignation. After his resignation, the Supreme Court asked Guha to file plea in registry which will be taken up in the court in July 2017. Guha’s resign came at a time when the Champions Trophy 2017 is about to kick start.

Global Day of Parents observed on - 1st June globally

The Global Day of Parents was observed on 1st June 2017. This gives an opportunity to appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship. UN General Assembly  proclaimed The Global Day of Parents in 2012 via its resolution A/RES/66/292 to honor parents throughout the world.

Interesting Highlights

• The Global Day of Parents recognizes that the family has the primary responsibility to protect and nurture their children,  therefore parents play a critical role in rearing their children. 
• Parents are also responsible for the harmonious personality development of their children.
• They provide them with an environment of happiness, love and understanding.
• The General Assembly has adopted a number of resolutions and proclaimed the International Year of the Family and the International Day of Families.
•  In short, since the 1980s, the important role of the family has been pulling the attention of the international community.
• Family or Parent’s role in 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• In addition, the family, which is made via parents, also shares an important role in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The agenda that aims on ending poverty,social development,promoting shared economic prosperity, and people’s well-being while protecting the environment was adopted by the world leaders in 2015.
• Families remain at the center of social life ensuring the well-being of their members, educating,socializing children,youth and caring for young and old.

 Champions Trophy 2017 with an interactive game celebrated by - Google

Google marked the beginning of the eight-nation ICC Champions Trophy 2017 with an addictive doodle game on 1st June 2017. Google’s highly engaging game and interactive involves cricket (insects) on the batting side and snails in the bowling team. The users can also play the game versus the snails. Featuring eight best one-day international teams in the world, ICC Champions Trophy 2017 would begin at the Oval in London at 3 pm Indian Standard Time.

Important Highlights

• The opening match would be played between the hosts Bangladesh and England.
• India’s first match in the tournament would be with arch-rival Pakistan at Edgbaston on 4th June.
• The eight teams playing in the tournament have been divided into two groups A and B.
• While group A consists of Bangladesh, Australia, England and New Zealand, group B comprises Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and South Africa.
• Champions Trophy final will be played on the 18th of June.

Solar Probe Mission to honor pioneering physicist Eugene Parker renamed by - NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) renamed the Solar Probe Plus Spacecraft  on 31st May 2017, NASA's first mission to a star which will be launched in 2018, as the Parker Solar Probe in honor of astrophysicist Eugene Parker. The announcement was made at a ceremony at the Chicago University, where Eugene Parker serves as the S Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Eugene Parker was the first to foretell the existence of the solar wind back in 1958. He made a theory that the sun constantly sends out a flow of particles and energy called the solar wind. This is for the first time NASA where has named a spacecraft for a living individual.

More about Parker Solar Probe

• Parker Solar Probe will be launched during a 20-day window that opens on 31st July 2018.
• The solar probe is going to be to that a region of space which has never been explored before.
• The spacecraft is loaded with technological breakthroughs that will solve many of the largest mysteries about star, including finding out why the sun’s corona is way too hotter than its surface.
• The mission is part of NASA’s Living With a Star (LWS) program to explore aspects of the sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society.
• Agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt based in Maryland manages the LWS.
• Johns Hopkins APL manages the mission for NASA and is designing, building and will operate the spacecraft.

Fastest growing economy tag slowdown after sharp growth for - India

India lost its fastest-growing major economy tag in the fourth quarter of the financial year (FY) 2016-17( January-March period), with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth coming down to 6.1 percent compared with a provisional 7 percent in the previous quarter. he growth of 6.1 percent was even lower than China’s growth in the same period which was 6.9 percent.

Major reasons behind India's growth slowdown - 

• India's economic growth slowed to its lowest in more than two years and reports suggest that it was dragged down by construction, manufacturing and trade services. Report on contraction in these fields are given below
• Construction activity: It contracted 3.7 percent year-on-year in the March quarter compared with a 3.4 percent growth in the previous quarter.
• Manufacturing: It grew 5.3 percent in the last quarter from an year ago, slower than an annual rise of 8.2 percent in the December quarter.
• Trade, hotels and transport services: The annual growth in these areas slowed to 6.5 percent in the January-March period from 8.3 percent a quarter ago.

Kannada film producer Parvathamma Rajkumar passed away on - 31st May 2017

Parvathamma Rajkumar, Kannada film producer and wife of the late Kannada superstar Rajkumar, passed away on 31st May 2017 due to prolonged illness. She was hospitalised since 14 May. After a major dip in blood pressure, she suffered a massive cardiac arrest on 31st morning.

More about Parvathamma Rajkumar

• Parvathamma Rajkumar was the only woman producer-distributor-exhibitor of Kannada films.
• Vajreshwari Combines and Poornima Enteprises were the companies founded by her and these produced many films starring her husband Rajkumar and sons Shivarajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar and Puneet Rajkumar.
• She has produced over 80 films. Her company’s 87th production was ‘Run Antony’ starring her grandson, Vinay Rajkumar.
• Parvathamma, who got married at the age of 13, had played a major role in managing her husband's image, a major icon of Kannada cinema.
• She donated her eyes.

World's top 100 athletes include - Kohli, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Raina

Indian captain Virat Kohli, former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and batsmen Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina have been named in ESPN’s World Fame 100 list for 2017. While both Kohli and Dhoni feature at the 13th and 15th rank respectively while Yuvraj and Raina have been ranked 90th and 95th respectively.

Important Highlights

• The list is ESPN’s ranking of the 100 most famous active athletes worldwide. The first such list was released in 2016.
• Top rank featured by Portuguese footballer Christiano Ronaldo.
• Second rank goes to NBA legend Lebron James, third to soccer star Lionel Messi , fourth to tennis ace Roger Federer and fifth was given to American golfer Phil Mickelson.
• The magazine is slated to release in the United States of America on 2nd June 2017.

Deep Ocean Mission will be launched by - Ministry of Earth Sciences

To improve India’s position in ocean research field, the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is launching ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ by January 2018.M Rajeevan, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences announced this decision through video conference in the workshop arranged by National Institute of Oceanography,Dona Paula on 30th May 2017.

The workshop titled ‘Three decades of India acquiring Pioneer Investor Status- Achievements and way forward’ was also attended by MS Nagar,Ministry of Earth Science,Member Standing Committee and Dr VSN Murthy, Director of National Institute of Oceanography among other dignitaries.

India and Spain signed seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on - 31st May 2017

India and Spain signed seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on 31st May 2017 including cyber security and technical cooperation in civil aviation. This MoUs were signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Spain.

Key Highlights of the MoUs 

• The two sides signed one MoU on transfer of sentenced persons to respective countries.
• One of the MoUs was for the visa waiver scheme for holders of diplomatic passports.
• Four MoUs were signed between the two countries on cooperation in organ transplantation,civil aviation,cyber security and renewable energy.
• One of the MoU was signed between India's Foreign Service Institute and Diplomatic Academy of Spain.
• The agreements were signed after PM Modi and Spanish President Mariano Rajoy talked over this at the Moncloa Palace in the Spanish capital.
• PM Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Spain after 1988.
• Spain is India's seventh largest trading partner in the European Union. Two-way trade between both the countries is for USD 5.27 billion in the year 2016.