1 Railway’s name entered in Limca Book of Records
The name of the railway has been recorded in the Limca Book of Records . The railway has received this honor for the large number of people participating in public service programs at many places . On February 26 this year, more than 40 lakh 19 thousand people participated in a program of the Ministry of Railways at more than two thousand places. This program was organized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate road bridges on railways and lay the foundation stone of railway stations.
2 Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected as President of South Africa
On 14 June, Cyril Ramaphosa was re -elected as the President of South Africa . This was possible after an agreement between the African National Congress (ANC) and the opposition parties. This is the first time that a coalition government has been formed in South Africa. In the National Assembly of the 7th Parliament, Ramaphosa defeated Julius Malema of the opposition party by 245 votes. Cyril Ramaphosa of the Africa National Congress (ANC) party got 283 votes. Julius Malema of the Economic Freedom Fighters Party got just 44 votes. Cyril Ramaphosa became the President of South Africa for the first time on 15 February 2018. Ramaphosa has been the Vice President of the country from 2014 to 2018. Ramaphosa received the Olof Palme Prize in Stockholm in October 1987.
3 Switzerland: International conference to be held at Bürgenstock Resort on Lake Lucerne to prepare the basis for peace process in Ukraine war
An international conference will be held at the Bergenstock Resort on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland to prepare the basis for a peace process in the Ukraine war. The conference is likely to be attended by Prime Ministers and other representatives of about 100 countries as well as international organizations . This meeting is being held on the initiative of Ukraine. The main objective of the two-day conference is to mobilize international support for Ukraine. Russia has not been invited to the conference. India is the only South Asian country to participate in this conference. India will be represented by Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs Pawan Kapoor. The conference will be attended by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US Vice President Kamala Harris, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
4 This year’s prestigious V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award goes to noted wildlife filmmaker Subbaiah Nallamuthu
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said at the Mumbai International Film Festival-MIFF-2024 that the prestigious V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award for this year will be given to noted wildlife filmmaker Subbaiah Nallamuthu . Mr. Subbaiah Nallamuthu is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. He gained recognition with his work on Living on the Edge , India’s longest-running Panda award-winning environmental series. His expertise extends to his stint as a high-speed cameraman with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) . His passion for the Royal Bengal Tiger has landed him international documentary films on the tiger for the National Geographic Channel and the BBC . His prolific filmography includes Tiger Dynasty (2012-2013), Tiger Queen (2010) and The World’s Most Famous Tiger (2017). He has made numerous documentary films such as Earth File (2000) for BBC World and The World Gone Wild (2001) for Animal Planet, focusing on the environment as well as the synergy between humans and ecosystems. Shri Subbaiah Nallamuthu has won several national and international awards including five National Film Awards. He is a regular jury member of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and has also served as the Jury Chairman of the Indian Panorama Film Festival (2021).
5 Sahitya Akademi announces Yuva Puraskar 2024 and Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2024
Sahitya Akademi announced Yuva Puraskar 2024 and Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2024. Under the chairmanship of Sahitya Akademi President Madhav Kaushik, 23 writers were selected for Yuva Puraskar and 24 for Bal Sahitya Puraskar by the Executive Board of the Akademi. Sahitya Akademi has informed that all the selected writers will be awarded with a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a copper plaque. Yuva Puraskar for Hindi has been given to Gaurav Pandey’s poem collection ‘Smritiyon Ke Beech Ghiri Hai Prithvi’. At the same time, K. Vaishali’s book ‘Homeless Growing Up Lesbian and Dyslexic in India’ for English, Randhir’s poetry collection ‘Khat Jo Likhno Rah Gaye’ for Punjabi and Javed Ambar Misbahi’s story collection ‘Stepney’ for Urdu have been awarded the Yuva Sahitya Puraskar. Devendra Kumar’s book ‘Ikyaavan Bal Kahaniyaan’ for children’s literature in Hindi, Nandini Sengupta’s book ‘The Blue Horse and Other Amazing Animals Stories from Indian History’ in English, Kuldeep Singh Deep’s play ‘Main Jallianwala Bagh Bolda Haan’ for Punjabi and Shamsul Islam Farooqui’s story collection ‘Barf Ka Desh Antarctica’ for Urdu have been awarded.
6 Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum in Bhuj, Gujarat included in the global selection for UNESCO Pre Versailles Museum-2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over the inclusion of Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum in Bhuj , Gujarat in the global selection for UNESCO Prix Versailles Museum-2024 . In a social media post, Mr Modi said that Smritivan Museum is a tribute to those who died in the 2001 earthquake. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has expressed happiness over the museum being included in the list of seven most beautiful museums in the world under the prestigious Prix Versailles award. This museum showcases local culture and nature conservation. The UNESCO Prix Versailles award is given annually for exceptional architecture and craftsmanship.
7 President Draupadi Murmu participated in the Raja Parv ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan
President Draupadi Murmu participated in the Raj Parv celebrations held at Rashtrapati Bhavan . On this occasion , Raja Geet and Mayurbhanj Chhau dance, Sambalpuri dance and Karma dance were performed. This was the first time that Raj Parv was organized at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This festival gave a unique glimpse of Odia culture and lifestyle. Raj Parv is one of the major festivals of Odisha . This three-day agricultural festival is considered to be the beginning of monsoon.
8 Mumbai International Film Festival inaugurated with grand ceremony
The 18th Mumbai International Film Festival was inaugurated with a grand ceremony in Mumbai. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan , Maharashtra ‘s Cultural Minister Sudhir, actors Randeep Hooda, Abhishek Banerjee, Divya Dutta, Madhur Bhandarkar and Adil Hussain were also present on the occasion. Mr. Murugan also attended the opening film of MIFF National Geographic ‘s documentary, ‘ Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story ‘. The opening ceremony also saw the screening of a short film ” Sunflowers Where the First Ones to Know ” by trainees of the Film and Television Institute of India. The film won the La Cygne Award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. At the ceremony, wildlife filmmaker Subbaiah Nallamuthu was presented with the V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award.
9 Central Government reduced windfall tax
On June 15, the central government has reduced the Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) , i.e. windfall tax, on the export of domestically produced crude oil . The government reviews the windfall tax every 15 days. The windfall tax was reduced from Rs 5,200 per metric ton to Rs 3,250 per metric ton . Earlier, the government had reduced the windfall tax on May 16 and May 1. On May 16, the government reduced the windfall tax from Rs 8,400 per metric ton to Rs 5,700 per metric ton. On May 1, the windfall tax was reduced from Rs 9,600 per metric ton to Rs 8,400 per metric ton. The government started imposing windfall tax for the first time on the export of domestically produced crude oil from July 1, 2022. The exemption being given to domestic refineries on the export of diesel, petrol and ATF is going to continue in future as well.
10. Mendok Argyaspa Traditional Festival in Ladakh
In Ladakh, Purig Cultural and Literary Society- PCLS Kargil in association with villagers of Pashkum organised a cultural and literary seminar at Zagang Pashkum to celebrate the traditional festival Mendok Argyaspa . Acting Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) Kargil Kacho Mohammad Feroz was present as the chief guest along with prominent litterateurs and community leaders. Kacho Mohammad Feroz also stressed the importance of inclusion of Purigi language in the 8th Schedule of Indian Constitution to protect the cultural heritage.
11 Ladakh: The Popular Hemis Tse Chu Festival
In Ladakh, the popular Hemis Tse Chu Festival is starting. This festival is held on the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava . On this occasion, prayers are offered, mask dances are performed and mural Thanka is displayed. A large number of people from India and abroad reach Ladakh to see this festival.
12 Nihal Sarin won the Grand Prix 2024 tournament
Nihal Sarin won the Cluj Grand Prix 2024 tournament in Cluj , Romania on June 14. Nihal won the title by defeating Imre Balogh of Hungary in a tie-breaker. The Grand Prix Chess tournament consisted of two classical and three rapid events. Nihal Sarin received prize money of 1,75,000 euros. Nihal scored 9.5/11, with 8 wins and three draws. Nihal has 2698 points in classic chess.
13 Jacob won gold in the 1500m race for a record 6th time
On June 13, Norway ‘s Jacob Ingebrigtsen won gold in the 1500 meters race for a record 6th time at the European Athletics Championships in Rome . Jacob became Europe’s most successful male athlete. Azzedine Habbaz of France finished second with 3 minutes 31.95 seconds. Belgium’s Jochem Vermeulen finished third with 3 minutes 33.30 seconds. 23-year-old Jacob has made a double of 1500 meters and 5000 meters for the third time. Earlier, Jacob won the double in Berlin in 2018 and Munich in 2022. 23-year-old Jacob won gold in 1500 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
14 Chandrayaan-1 mission director Srinivas Hegde passed away
On June 14, former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) scientist Srinivas Hegde died in Bengaluru. He was undergoing treatment for kidney disease. Srinivas Hegde worked in ISRO from 1978 to 2014. He was the director of Chandrayaan-1 mission on 22 October 2008. India discovered water on the moon under Chandrayaan-1 mission . Srinivas was also a member of UR Rao Satellite Center (URSC) . After retirement, Srinivas was associated with Startup Indus in Bengaluru . URSC was formerly known as ISRO Satellite Center (ISAC) .