Current Affairs Daily Digest – June 29 2021
Current Affairs Daily Digest – June 29 2021. Read and Download daily, monthly Current Affairs Daily Digest 2021 for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, IBPS, SBI etc,. Download month wise Current affairs 2020 PDF and Current affairs quiz PDF .
1. Journalist P Sainath wins Japan’s Fukuoka Grand Prize
Journalist Palagummi Sainath has been awarded the Fukuoka Grand Prize for 2021. He is a committed journalist who has continued to investigate impoverished farming villages in India and captured the reality of the lifestyle of the residents in such areas.
The award, established by Japan’s Fukuoka city and the Fukuoka City International Foundation, is given to individuals and organisations for their work in preserving Asian culture.
2. Turkey, Azerbaijan begin joint military drills in Baku
Turkey and Azerbaijan have begun joint military drills “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – 2021” in Baku, deploying tanks, helicopters and drones in an effort to improve the two countries’ combat interoperability. The exercises involve up to 600 personnel in an effort to improve the allies’ combat interoperability.
3. Andhra Pradesh introduces SALT programme
Andhra Pradesh has started a Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) programme to transform foundational learning in government schools for which the World Bank has approved a loan of 250 million dollars.
The main objectives of the programme are strengthening foundation schools and providing training and skill development to teachers. Andhra Pradesh’s public school education system has more than 40 lakh children and nearly 2 lakh teachers.
4. A book titled “Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, DC” by Kaushik Basu
A book titled “Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, DC” authored by Kaushik Basu released soon.
This book charts the course of Kaushik Basu’s career over seven years, as he moved out of the cloisters of academe to the frenetic world of policymaking, first in India as Chief Economic Adviser to the Indian Government and after that as Chief Economist at the World Bank in Washington.
5. National Statistics day celebrated on 29th June
The government of India is celebrated National Statistics day on 29th June on the birth anniversary of Prof. P C Mahalanobis. The Day is celebrated to create awareness among youth about the role of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation.
End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture (Sustainable Development Goal or SDG 2 of the UN) is the theme of this year’s National Statistics Day.
6. International Day of the Tropics: 29 June
The United Nations observe 29 June as International Day of the Tropics. The International Day of the Tropics celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the tropics while highlighting unique challenges and opportunities nations of the Tropics face.
It provides an opportunity to take stock of progress across the tropics, to share tropical stories and expertise, and to acknowledge the diversity and potential of the region.
7. P. Sainath awarded 2021 Fukuoka Prize
Noted journalist, P. Sainath, was selected as one of the three recipients of Fukuoka Prize 2021.
Sainath will receive ‘Grand Prize’ of Fukuoka Prize. Academic Prize will go to Prof. Kishimoto Mio of Japan. Prize for Arts & Culture will be given to filmmaker Prabda Yoon of Thailand.
8. Asia’s longest high-speed track for automobiles inaugurated in India
Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Prakash Javadekar on June 29, 2021 inaugurated NATRAX- the High-Speed Track(HST) for automobiles in Indore. The track is the longest such track in Asia and world’s fifth-longest.
The high-speed track has been developed in an area of 1000 acres of land. It is a one-stop solution for all sorts of high-speed performance tests for the widest categories of vehicles ranging from 2 wheelers to heavy tractor-trailers.
9. Gaganyaan mission: ISRO to launch first uncrewed mission in December 2021
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has announced that it is ‘putting extra work, extra hours’ to achieve the launch target of the first uncrewed mission in December 2021 as a part of the human spaceflights programme ‘Gaganyaan’ due to disruption caused in the hardware delivery schedules during the first and second wave of COVID-19.
10. European Space Agency to launch first disabled astronaut in space
The European Space Agency has announced its plan to hire and launch the world’s first physically disabled astronaut.
Several para-astronauts have applied for the role, ESA said. The space agency recently closed the decennial recruitment call for the 22-member space programme after it received 22,000 applicants. The Agency noted that it will work on gender balance as it received just 24 per cent of women applicants.
