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 AFFAIRSCLOUD TODAY
Current Affairs 22 June 2023 : Headlines

1. India, UNWTO ink pact to Enhance Cooperation in Tourism

2. Highlights of Defence Minister of Vietnam General Phan Van Giang visit to India
3. GoI withdraws draft Live-stock and Live-stock Products [Importation and Exportation] Bill,
2023
4. UNDP partnered with DAY-NULM to empower women entrepreneurs
5. Indian Army conducted Exercise Agneyastra 1 in eastern Ladakh
6. NHAI launches knowledge-sharing platform for highways development
7. Global Gender Gap Index 2023: India Ranks 127th and Iceland Tops
8. Extreme weather events led to 12mn Children Displacements in 2022: UNICEF estimates
9. IRDAI Introduced Modifications to “Use and File” Procedure for Life Insurance Products
10. IndiGo places 500 aircraft A320 order with Airbus
11. Star Alliance wins World’s Best Airline Alliance at the Skytrax 2023 World Airline Awards
12. Hasmukh Adhia appointed as Chairman of GIFT City; Airavat Capital launches global technology
fund at GIFT City
13. Marcel Ciolacu Appointed as New Prime Minister of Romania; Nicolae Ciucă Resigned
14. Alibaba CEO Zhang Resigns to focus on cloud unit
15. CCI approves acquisition of stake by HDFC in 2 Insurers
16. HDFC sells 90% of its stakes in HDFC Credila for Rs 9,060 crore
17. International Yoga Day 2023 – 21st June
18. World Hydrographic Day 2023 – June 21
19. International Day of the celebration of Solstice
20. World Music Day 2023 – June 21
21. UP Government Launches ‘Polytechnic Chalo Abhiyan‘ to Motivate Technical Education Among
Youth

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 NATIONAL AFFAIRS
India, UNWTO ink pact to Enhance Cooperation in Tourism
On 20th June 2023, The Ministry of Tourism, the Government of India and the United Nations World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation and identify
areas of mutual interest.

• It was signed during the 4th and final G20 (Group of Twenty) Tourism Working
Group Meeting and G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting being held from June 19-22, 2023 in Goa.
Signatories:
The MoU was signed by V Vidyavathi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, India; and Zurab Pololikashvili,
Secretary General, UNWTO.
What is in the MoU?
This MoU envisages the collaboration of both parties on key programmatic areas related to tourism market
intelligence, tourism, and rural development, tourism investment, education, and innovation.
Highlights:
i.The 4th Tourism Working Group of G20 has two side events viz. ‘Making Cruise Tourism a Model for
Sustainable and Responsible Travel’ and the 2nd was ‘Towards a circular economy of Plastics in Tourism -The
global Tourism Plastic initiative’.
ii.During the second side event an MoU was also signed between the Central Nodal Agency, Sustainable
Tourism, Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI) and Punjab Tourism Board to collectively unite
and address plastic pollution in the tourism sector.
iii.The two key deliverables of the Tourism Working Group were Goa Roadmap for tourism as a vehicle for
achieving sustainable development goals and G20 Tourism Ministers’ Declaration.
Key Points:
i.Side events on crucial initiatives of Cruise Tourism, Global Tourism Plastic Initiative and Public Private Sector
are also being organized by Ministry of Tourism, India on the side lines of the main Tourism Working Group
meeting.
ii.During these events, 15 bilateral meetings are being held between India and various G20 member countries
and international organisations.
iii.Under India’s G20 Tourism Track, the Tourism Working Group is working on five inter-connected priority
areas, which are Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skills, Tourism MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises), and Destination Management for accelerating the transition of the tourism sector and achieving
the targets for 2030 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).
Participants:
Union Minister Gangapuram Kishan Reddy, Ministry of Tourism; Minister of State (MoS) Shripad Yesso Naik,
Ministry of Tourism; G20 member countries, central government Ministries, various State Governments and
International Organizations.

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About United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO):
Secretary-General– Zurab Pololikashvili
Headquarters– Madrid, Spain

Highlights of Defence Minister of Vietnam General Phan Van Giang visit to India
Minister of National Defence of Vietnam, General Phan Van Giang was on a 2 day visit to India from 18th to
19th June 2023.

• During his visit, he held bilateral talks with Union Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh in New Delhi,
Delhi.
• He also made a cultural visit to Agra, Uttar Pradesh(UP).
• He inspected the Tri-Service Guard of Honour, and laid a wreath and paid homage to the soldiers at
the National War Memorial, New Delhi, Delhi.
Bilateral meeting with India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
A bilateral meeting was held between Union Minister Rajanath Singh, India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), and
General Phan Van Giang to enhance India-Vietnam cooperation in defence industries, maritime
security and multinational cooperation. Both sides will also exchange views on regional and global issues of
mutual interest including the situation in the South China Sea.
• Chief of Defence Staff General (CDS) Anil Chauhan and other top officials from the Ministry of
Defence also attended the meeting.
India gifts indigenously-built missile corvette ‘INS Kirpan‘ to Vietnam
During the meeting, the Indian side gifted an indigenously-built in-service missile corvette INS (Indian Naval
Ship) Kirpan to Vietnam to enhance the capabilities of the Vietnam People’s Navy.
India will train Vietnamese personnel in submarine and fighter jet operations, cyber-security and electronic
warfare, among other fields.
About INS Kirpan:
i.The Navy commissioned INS Kirpan, a 1,350-tonne Khukri class missile corvette, on January 12, 1991.
ii.It has a length of 91 meters, a beam of 11 meters, and can reach speeds exceeding 25 knots.
iii.It is equipped with a medium-range gun, 30 mm close-range guns, chaff launchers, and surface-to-surface
missiles, the ship is versatile and capable of various roles such as coastal and offshore patrol, coastal security,
surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
Key Points:
i.General Phan Van Giang and his delegation to India also paid a courtesy visit to Indian President Droupadi
Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 19th June 2023.
ii.He also visited Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) headquarters in New Delhi(Delhi)

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to enhance defence industrial capabilities through cooperation in defence research and joint production.
ii.India and Vietnam share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Note: in June 2022, During Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Vietnam, the two nations signed a ‘Joint
Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’ and a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) on ‘Mutual Logistics Support’.

GoI withdraws draft Live-stock and Live-stock Products [Importation and Exportation] Bill,
2023
On 20th June 2023, the Government of India(GoI) withdrew the draft of the Live-stock and Live-stock Products
[Importation and Exportation] Bill, 2023, based on the objections from the section of the people including
animal activists and religious groups.

• This Bill was “re-enactment” of the present Live-stock importation Act (1898), and Live-stock
Importation (Amendment) Act of 2001.
Background:
i.On 7th June 2023, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAH&D) released the draft
bill and invited suggestions and objections up to 17th June 2023.
ii.Animal activists opposed the move to include canines and felines in the list of livestock.
iii.The section of the public also concerned that the implementation of the bill will result in reduction of the
livestock population in India.
About the Bill:
i.The bill was aimed at framing measures for the regulation of the importation of livestock and livestock
products as well as promotion and development of exports of livestock and livestock products.
ii. According to the bill, definition of live-stock includes all equines (donkeys, horses, mules, assess, hinnies),
bovines (cattle, buffaloes, bullocks), caprines, ovines, swines, canines, felines, avian, laboratory animals, aquatic
animals and except those prohibited in any other act.
• This draft bill also includes any other animal which may be specified by the Central Government
later.
UNDP partnered with DAY-NULM to empower women entrepreneurs
On 20th June, 2023, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partnered with the
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) to empower women to make
well-informed career choices in the field of entrepreneurship.
• The partnership will provide support for women looking to start and expand their own enterprises
in sectors such as care economy, digital economy, electric mobility, waste management, food
packaging and more.
• Under the partnership, the 3-year project which is extendable beyond 2025 will cover 8 cities in the
initial phase focused on promoting entrepreneurship development and accelerating enterprise
growth.

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Key People:
Rahul Kapoor, Joint Secretary and Mission Director, DAY-NULM & PM SVANidhi (PM Street Vendor’s
AtmaNirbhar Nidhi), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and Shoko Noda,
Resident Representative, UNDP India took part in signing the partnership.

Key Points:
i. UNDP and DAY-NULM will collaborate on piloting innovative solutions, particularly in the care economy
domain by drawing on their extensive sectoral expertise.
ii. UNDP and DAY-NULM will jointly engage in on-ground mobilisation activities that involve identifying
pockets of urban poverty and potential entrepreneurs, as well as facilitating access to Business Development
Services.
• Handholding support will be provided to the unit to formalise their businesses, establish bank
linkages, secure access to finance and markets.
iii. As currently women account for only 15% of the total entrepreneurs in India, UNDP will offer national-level
capacity building support to DAY-NULM by leveraging its experience in linking over 2,00,000 women to better
employment opportunities.
• This support will focus on knowledge generation and management, such as compiling collections of
best practices related to urban poverty, to enhance the implementation of national-level schemes.
iv. UNDP will also contribute to the initiative by developing community business mentors called Biz-Sakhis in
selected project locations.

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 • These mentors, who possess valuable business knowledge, can support new and existing
enterprises, and serve as a resource for DAY-NULM at a later stage.
v. The DAY-NULM has an aim to uplift the urban poor by enhancing sustainable livelihood opportunities
through skill development. The scheme extends its coverage to all the 4,041 statutory cities and towns, thereby
covering most of India’s urban population.
vi. DAY-NULM has mobilised more than 8.4 million urban poor women across India through its outreach
efforts, forming over 8,31,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in over 4,000 towns.
vii. Their impressive grassroots initiatives facilitate economic empowerment and amplifies the voices of
marginalised sections of the urban population, including Scheduled Castes (SCs)/Scheduled Tribes (STs),
minorities, female-headed households, street vendors, and rag pickers.
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Establishment – 1965
Administrator- Achim Steiner
Headquarters- New York, the United States of America

Indian Army conducted Exercise Agneyastra 1 in eastern Ladakh

Indian Army’s Northern Command conducted “Exercise Agneyastra 1” on 19th June 2023, in eastern Ladakh
to showcase India’s fire power supremacy.

Note: Agneyastra means firearms in Hindi.

About Exercise Agneyastra 1:
i.Artillery platforms of the Indian army such as the newly-inducted Korean K-9 Vajra-T 155mm/52 calibre self-
propelled howitzer (SPH), FH-77 Bofors 155mm/39 calibre towed howitzer and mortars were a part of the
Exercise Agneyastra-1.
ii.Anti-tank missiles and Carl Gustav rocket launchers (RLs) also participated in the exercise Agneyastra 1.
iii. Ideaforge’s Switch UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), a fixed wing and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)
Hybrid UAV, was used to provide the real time imagery of the exercise area.
iv.Switch UAV also offers real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) imagery of the target
area, functioning day and night, even in harsh conditions at high altitudes.
About Indian Army:
Chief of the Army Staff- General Manoj Pande
Founded – 1895
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi

NHAI launches knowledge-sharing platform for highways development

On 20th June 2023, The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launched a ‘Knowledge Sharing
Platform’ hosted on the NHAI website to promote inclusive development of national highways.
• The portal is launched to encourage experts and citizens to share Knowledge and innovative
practices regarding road design, construction, road safety, environmental sustainability, and other
related fields.

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Information in the form of video clips, PowerPoint Presentations (PPT), and Portable Document Format (PDF)
files can be uploaded on the NHAI web portal https://ksp.nhai.org/kb/ which will be reviewed and evaluated
by NHAI officials for implementation.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Global Gender Gap Index 2023: India Ranks 127th and Iceland Tops
According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual Global Gender Gap Report 2023, released on June 20
2023, India has closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap and ranked 127th out of 146 countries in terms of
gender parity at the Global Gender Gap Index 2023 whereas Iceland Topped the index followed by Norway
and Finland at 2nd and 3rd rank.

•Thus India has improved by 1.4% points and 8 positions in 2023 compared with the 2022 edition.
(India was ranked 135th in the 2022 Index).
The Global Gender Gap Index 2023 rankings:
Rank Country Score 0-1
127 India 0.643
1 Iceland 0.912
2 Norway 0.879
3 Finland 0.863
4 New Zealand 0.856
5 Sweden 0.815
Subindex Analysis for India:
i.India has attained parity in enrolment across all levels of education. However, it has reached only 36.7%
parity on Economic Participation and Opportunity.
ii.There was an increase in parity in wages and income but the shares of women in senior positions and
technical roles have dropped slightly since the 2022 edition.
iii.India has registered 25.3% parity on Political Empowerment, with women representing 15.1% of
parliamentarians, the highest for India since the inaugural 2006 edition.
iv.In the case of the Health and Survival index with 95% parity, the sex ratio at birth improved by 1.9% points
to 92.7%.
India’s Subindex Ranks at Global Gender Gap Index 2023:
Sub Index Rank Score 0-1
Economic Participation and Opportunity 142 0.367
Educational Attainment 26 1
Health and Survival 142 0.95

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 Political Empowerment 59 0.253
Global Gender Gap Performance – Region-wise:
• The Global Gender Gap Report 2023 categorizes countries into eight regions: Eurasia and Central
Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North
Africa, North America, Southern Asia, and SubSaharan Africa.
• Gender parity in Europe (76.3%) surpasses the parity level in North America (75%) this year to
rank first among regions.
South Asia:
Southern Asia which ranked fifth out of eight regions achieved 63.4% gender parity, the second-lowest score of
the eight regions.
Rank
Country Regional Global Score 0-1
Bangladesh 1 59 0.722
Bhutan 2 103 0.682
Sri Lanka 3 115 0.663
Nepal 4 116 0.659
Maldives 5 124 0.649
India 6 127 0.643
Pakistan 7 142 0.575
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 8 143 0.575
Afghanistan 9 146 0.405
Global Analysis:
i.The global gender gap score in 2023 (for all 146 countries) increased by 0.3% points from 68.1% in 2022
to 68.4%.
ii.According to the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index, no country has yet achieved full gender parity, and the top
nine countries (Iceland, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Nicaragua, Namibia and Lithuania)
have closed at least 80% of their gap.
iii.With 91.2%, Iceland takes the top position and it also continues to be the only country to have closed more
than 90% of its gender gap
iv.Out of the 117 countries with available data since 2017, 18 countries, India (44.4%) including Bolivia
(50.4%), and France (42.3%), have achieved representation of women of over 40% in local governance.
v.The overall progress in 2023 is partly due to the improvement in closing the educational attainment gap.
• Thus 117 out of the 146 indexed countries now have closed at least 95% of the gap under
educational attainment.
Way forward: In accordance with the report, 131 years will be required for closing the overall gender gap and
at the current rate of progress, it will take 169 years for economic parity and 162 years for political parity.
About Global Gender Gap Index:
i.The Global Gender Gap Index was first introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006 to annually
benchmark progress towards gender parity and compare countries’ gender gaps across four key dimensions of
Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political
Empowerment.
ii.The Global Gender Gap Index measures scores on a 0 to 100 scale for each indicator and it is calculated as the
ratio of the value of each indicator for women to the value for men.
• A parity score of 1 indicates full parity. The gender gap is the distance from full parity.

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iii.2023, the 17th edition of the Global Gender Gap Index, 146 countries in which 102 countries have been
covered in all editions since the inaugural one in 2006. Croatia rejoins the 2023 index, whereas Guyana drops
out.
About World Economic Forum(WEF)
Headquarters – Cologny/Geneva, Switzerland
Establishment – 1971
Founder & Executive Chairman – Professor Klaus Schwab
President – Børge Brende

Extreme weather events led to 12mn Children Displacements in 2022: UNICEF estimates
According to the estimates released by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) on June 13, 2023, extreme
weather events around the world, including unprecedented floods in Pakistan and the drought in the Horn of
Africa, led to 12 million children displacements in 2022.

• By the end of 2022, a record 43.3 million children lived in forced displacement, and almost 60%
(25.8 million) were internally displaced by conflict and violence.
• Internally displaced and refugee children, who are among the most vulnerable, often face barriers to
education, healthcare, routine immunization, and social protection.
Highlights:
i.The number of children forcibly displaced from their homes doubled in the last decade.
• The war in Ukraine has forced more than 2 million Ukrainian children to move from the country and
displaced more than 1 million children inside Ukraine.
ii.The number of refugee and asylum-seeking children also hit a new record of 17.5 million, a number that does
not even include those newly displaced in 2023 (by the conflict in Sudan).
• More than 940,000 children have been displaced because of the conflict to date.
iii.According to The Global Report on Internal Displacement 2023 released in May 2023, the number of people
displaced by disasters rose by 40% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Click here to know more
iv.In 2022, an estimated 2.8 million people were displaced by drought from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and
Somalia.
UNICEF Urges Governments to leave no child behind by:
i.Recognizing refugee, migrant and displaced children as children first and foremost with rights to protection,
inclusion, and participation.
ii.Providing safe and legal pathways for children to move, seek asylum and reunite with family.
iii.Strengthening national education, health, child protection and social protection systems to include displaced
children without discrimination.
iv.Investing in national child protection systems.

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 BANKING & FINANCE
IRDAI Introduced Modifications to “Use and File” Procedure for Life Insurance Products
On 20 June 2023, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) introduced some
modifications to the existing “Use and File” Procedure for Life Insurance Products.

• Objective: To expand the scope of the Use and File procedure to facilitate the insurance industry in
promoting penetration and improving the accessibility of life insurance products.
• The modifications are issued by IRDAI in the exercise of its powers under the Insurance Regulatory
and Development Authority Act, 1999.
Key Modifications:
i.IRDAI has included individual and group unit-linked life and health insurance products and allowed
insurers to use and file the products under the modified procedure.
ii.IRDAI has also introduced ‘Combi products’, which allow the filing of Combi products where the life insurer
is the lead insurer.
• This will allow customers to access comprehensive insurance coverage under a single policy.
• The combi products also needed to comply with the existing norms set by IRDAI.
iii.The current Standardized File Identification Number (SFIN) clearance process by IRDAI is dispensed.
• Even though the insurance companies are still instructed to comply with all prudential and exposure
norms as per Regulation 9 of IRDAI (Investment) Regulations, 2016, as amended from time to time,
for each segregated fund and the Assets Under Management (AUMs) of Unit-Linked Insurance Plans
(ULIPs)
• This can lead to quicker availability of new life insurance products in the market.
iv.IRDAI allows the addition of new unit-linked funds to existing unit-linked products.
• Thus after addition, the new unit-linked funds will be treated as existing funds for subsequent unit-
linked products.
About Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)
Chairperson – Debasish Panda
Headquarters – Hyderabad, Telangana
Establishment – 1999, Incorporated in 2000

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

IndiGo places 500 aircraft A320 order with Airbus
On 19th June 2023, at the Paris Air Show 2023, India’s airline InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (IndiGo) ordered 500
A320 aircraft, from French manufacturer Airbus scheduled to be delivered within the years 2030-2035.

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 • The purchase agreement was signed in the presence of V. Sumantran, Chairman of the Board of
IndiGo, Pieter Elbers, Chief executive officer(CEO) of IndiGo, Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, and
Christian Scherer, Airbus’ Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International.
i.The aircraft’s ordered comprises A320NEO (New Engine Option), A321NEO and A321XLRs (Extra Long
Range) aircraft.
ii.The engines of the aircraft will be decided by Airbus between Pratt & Whitney and CFM with a mix of A320
and A321 aircraft.
iii.This deal stands 2nd to Air India which made a deal of 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing Company in
February 2023.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Star Alliance wins World’s Best Airline Alliance at the Skytrax 2023 World Airline Awards
On June 20 2023, at the Skytrax 2023 World Airline Awards in Paris Air Show 2023, Paris, France, Star
Alliance is named the World’s Best Airline Alliance Award for Singapore Airlines for the 5th year, and the Star
Alliance Lounge at Los Angeles(LA) International Airport wins the top award as the Best Alliance Lounge for
the 7th year.

• Theo Panagiotoulias, CEO of Star Alliance received the awards at Paris Air Show 2023.
Other Awardees:
i.Tata-owned Vistara bagged the 16th position at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2023 and shines as only
Indian airline to feature in top 20 best airline list, while Indigo ranks 43rd, it retained the lead position as the
best low-cost airline in India as well as South Asia.
ii.Top 5 winners of Skytrax 2023 World Airline Awards include Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, ANA All
Nippon Airways, Emirates, and Japan Airlines.
iii.AirAsia (at 31st position) again won the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline award, a title it has won each year
since 2010. IndiGo was in the 43rd position.
iv.A new award was introduced in 2023, for the World’s Most Family Friendly Airline, this being won by Air
Canada. Click here to know more
About Star Alliance:
i.The Star Alliance network which was established in 1997, is a global group of 26 airlines, including Air India,
Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and South African Airlines.
ii.The 13 Star Alliance member airlines received 35 additional awards including World’s Cleanest Airline and
World’s Best Premium Economy Class to several best regional airline awards.
iii.Since its introduction in the award categories in 2005, Star Alliance has won the World’s Best Airline
Alliance award multiple times.
About The Skytrax World Airline Awards:
i.The World Airline Awards began in 1999, when Skytrax launched its first global, annual airline customer
satisfaction survey.

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ii.The award which is also known as “the Oscars of the aviation industry”, is decided through international
customer voting.
iii.The 2023’s survey represented passengers over 100 nationalities in 6 major international languages.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Hasmukh Adhia appointed as Chairman of GIFT City; Airavat Capital launches global
technology fund at GIFT City
Hasmukh Adhia, former union finance & revenue secretary, has been appointed Chairman of GIFT
City Ltd (Gujarat International Finance Tec-city co. ltd.), in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, replacing Sudhir
Mankad, who has been serving as the Chairman of GIFT City since 2007.

• Hasmukh Adhia was also appointed as the non-executive Chairman of the Vadodara(Gujarat) based
Gujarat Alkalies & Chemicals Ltd (GACL) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat) based Gujarat Mineral
Development Corporation Ltd (GMDC).
Note:
GACL, is a chemical substance manufacturing company owned by the Government of Gujarat and GMDC is a
minerals and lignite mining company owned by the Gujarat government.
About Hasmukh Adhia:
i.Hasmukh Adhia, retired Gujarat cadre IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer of the 1981 batch, is
currently serving as the advisor to the Gujarat Chief Minister (CM) Bhupendra Patel.
ii.He was part of the panel appointed by the Gujarat government to recommend measures for the post-COVID-
19 economic revival of the State.
iii.He is currently serving as the non-executive Chairman of Bank of Baroda(BoB), and also the Chancellor of
Central University of Gujarat. He serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of
Management Bangalore(IIMB), Bengaluru, Karnataka.
iv.He also serves as Vice-President of Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI) and Pandit
Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar.
Note – GIFT City Ltd is an entity responsible for developing India’s first smart city Gujarat International
Finance-Tec City in Gandhinagar.
–Airavat Capital launches global technology fund at GIFT City
On 20th June 2023, Airavat Capital, a public equities investment firm, launched a global technology
fund, Airavat Global Technology Fund R (AGTF R), based in Gift City to invest in top listed technology
companies around the globe.
• AGTF R is a category III alternative investment fund. At present, the open-ended fund has received
interest worth USD 40 million from a range of investors.
• The fund will offer Indian HNIs (High Net-worth Individuals) and institutional investors the
opportunity to leverage Indian technology ecosystem insight to capitalise on the growth potential of
top-listed technology companies worldwide.

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 • Airavat Capital is also launching GTF NR (a sister fund of AGTF R) aimed at raising capital from
investors in South-East Asia (SEA) and the Middle East (ME).
• Airavat also recently redomiciled a Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) vehicle to India with the
launch of Airavat Capital India Fund (ACIF) in GIFT city.
About Gujarat International Finance Tec-city co. ltd. (GIFT-City Ltd):
Headquarters – Gandhinagar, Gujarat
MD & Group CEO – Tapan Ray

Marcel Ciolacu Appointed as New Prime Minister of Romania; Nicolae Ciucă Resigned
On 15th June 2023, Ion-Marcel Ciolacu(55 years old), leader of Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD-
Partidul Social Democrat) sworn in as the new Prime Minister(PM) of Romania at the Cotroceni Palace in
Bucharest, Romania.
Romania PM Nicolae Ciucă Resigned:
Nicolae Ciucă, leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), who has been serving as the PM of Romania since
2021 resigned from the post on 12th June 2023.
• On 13th June 2023, Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania, appointed incumbent Justice Minister
Catalin Predoiu as interim PM of Romania.
Background:
i.Under an agreement reached by the members of the ruling coalition that was sworn-in in November 2021,
Romania will rotate its PM every 18 months before the next parliamentary elections, which are expected to be
held in December 2024.
ii.The rotation should have taken place on 25th May 2023 but was delayed due to the teachers’ strike in
Romania.
iii.As per the agreement, Nicolae Ciucă handed over the post to Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of PSD.
Vote of investiture:
On 15th June 2023, The new government led by Marcel Ciolacu won the vote of investiture in the Parliament.
i.The cabinet received 290 votes in favour and 95 against during the joint plenary session of the 465-seat
bicameral legislature.
ii.Marcel Ciolacu will lead the cabinet composed of 2 deputy PMs and 17 other ministers.
About Ion-Marcel Ciolacu :
i.Ion-Marcel Ciolacu has been a member of the Social Democrat Party(PSD) since 1990 and became the PSD’s
interim President in December 2019. In August 2020 he was elected as the full president of PSD.
ii.He entered national politics in 2012 and won a mandate as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the
Parliament of Romania and he was re-elected as member of Parliament in 2016.
iii.He served as a member of the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies from 2014 to 2016.
iv.He served as the Deputy PM of Romania from June 2017 to January 2018 and served as the Speaker of the
Chamber of Deputies from 2019 to 2020.
v.He served as the President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania from 2021 to June 2023.
About Romania:
Prime Minister– Marcel Ciolacu
President– Klaus Iohannis
Capital– Bucharest
Currency– The Romanian Leu

Alibaba CEO Zhang Resigns to focus on Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group

On 20th June 2023, Daniel Zhang Yong, the 51-year-old Chinese business executive, has announced his
resignation as Alibaba Group Holding chairman and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and to focus on Alibaba
Cloud Intelligence Group.

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 • Zhang joined the retail giant in 2007 and became CEO in 2015 and chairman in 2019, succeeding co-
founder Jack Ma.
• Eddie Yongming Wu, chairman of Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall Group, is set to assume the role of
CEO at Alibaba Group.
• Joseph Tsai, the Executive Vice Chairman, is set to assume the position of Chairman, succeeding the
current chairman.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

CCI approves acquisition of stake by HDFC in HDFC Life Insurance and HDFC ERGO General
Insurance
On June 20, 2023, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) granted its approval to Housing Development
Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC Limited) to acquire a certain stake in HDFC Life Insurance Company and
HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Ltd.

• These approvals will aid in the merger of HDFC Limited into HDFC Bank, which is expected to be
finalized by the third quarter of the Financial year 2023-24 (Q3 FY24).
• In both cases, the merged entity HDFC Bank (after the effective date of the proposed amalgamation)
will hold over 50% of the shareholding of the two insurance companies
Background:
On April 4, 2022, HDFC Bank agreed to take over HDFC in a deal valued at about USD 40 billion which is termed
the biggest transaction in India’s corporate history. In April 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) permitted
HDFC Bank or HDFC to raise their stake in HDFC Life Insurance Company and HDFC ERGO General Insurance
Company to over 50%, effective until the merger date.
• HDFC Limited is a public limited company incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956
The Outcome:
The proposed entity i.e. ‘HDFC Bank’ will have a combined asset base of around Rs 18 lakh crore. Once the deal
is effective, HDFC Bank will be 100% owned by public shareholders, and existing shareholders of HDFC will
own 41% of the bank.
• Every HDFC shareholder will get 42 shares of HDFC Bank for every 25 shares they hold.
Another Development:
i.As per an RBI directive for its merger with HDFC Bank, HDFC Limited was asked to pare its stake in HDFC
Credila to 10% over the next two years, and stop onboarding new customers.
ii.Thus on June 19, 2023, HDFC Limited stated that it would sell a 90% stake in education loan subsidiary HDFC
Credila Financial Services to Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) EQT group and the ChrysCapital group for Rs
9,060.5 crore.

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HDFC sells 90% of its stakes in HDFC Credila for Rs 9,060 crore
Housing Development and Finance Corporation(HDFC) has sold its 90% stakes in HDFC Credila Financial
Services, a education loan subsidiary of the (HDFC) to BPEA EQT and ChrysCapital for Rs 9,060 crore.
i.The Stakes are acquired by Kopvoorn BV, part of the BPEA EQT group, and Moss Investments, Defati
Investments Holding B.V. & Infinity Partners,which are part of the ChrysCapital group
ii.The total revenue of HDFC Credila during the 2022-23 fiscal was Rs 1,352.18 crore and its net worth as on
March 31, 2023, was Rs 2,435.09 crore.
Background for the sale:
The sale comes ahead of the completion of HDFC’ Ltd’s merger with HDFC Bank Ltd.,
as advised by RBI to bring down the shares in HDFC Credila Financial Services to 10% within 2 years.

IMPORTANT DAYS
International Yoga Day 2023 – 21st June
The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Yoga (IDY) is annually observed across the globe on 21st June to
create awareness about the benefits of practising yoga, an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that
originated in India.

• 21st June 2023 marks the observance of the 9th International Yoga Day.
The theme of IDY 2023 is “Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – ‘Yoga for ‘The World is One Family’.
Significance of Yoga
i.The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’. The word
symbolises the union of body and consciousness.
ii.In 2016, Yoga was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/69/131 in December 2014 and
proclaimed the 21st June of every year as the International Day of Yoga.
ii.The first-ever International Day of Yoga was observed on 21st June 2015.
Note:
• The proposal to establish International Yoga Day was 1st introduced by Prime Minister (PM)
Narendra Modi in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the UNGA.
• The draft resolution of the International Day of Yoga, proposed by India, was endorsed by a record
175 member states.
Observance:
The 9th International Day of Yoga is organised by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in collaboration
with the UN Secretariat at the UN Headquarters in New York, The United States of America (USA).
Note: Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (PM) of India, attended the Yoga program at the UN Headquarters.

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Observance in India:
PM Narendra Modi’s address on IDY 2023:
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi virtually addressed the celebration of the IDY 2023 in India led by Jagdeep
Dhankhar, Vice President (VP) of India, at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh(MP).
• VP Jagdeep Dhankhar led the mass demonstration of the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP).
Key People:
Mangubhai Patel, Governor of MP; Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister (CM) of MP; Sarbananda Sonowal,
Union Minister of Ayush; Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State(MoS) for Ayush along with Cabinet
Minister of MP participated in the event.
Yoga from Arctic to Antarctica:
On the occasion of the IDY 2023, as a part of the “Yoga from Arctic to Antarctica”, Yoga demonstration was
organized in countries falling in and around the Prime Meridian line and on the North Pole and South Pole
regions.
• Scientists and Researches at the Indian research bases in the Arctic and Antarctica namely Himadri
and Bharati also participated in the Yoga demonstration.
Ocean Ring of Yoga by Indian Navy:
On the occasion of the IDY 2023, the Indian Navy formed an “Ocean Ring of Yoga”, under which the Indian Naval
Ships deployed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) visit various ports in friendly foreign countries and spread the
message of the IDY 2023 theme “Yoga for Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam”.
• The event was planned by the Ministry of AYUSH in coordination with the Ministry of Defence and
other ministries.
About Ocean Ring of Yoga:
i.Under this, Port calls are planned at Chattogram (Bangladesh), Safaga (Egypt), Jakarta (Indonesia), Mombasa
(Kenya), Toamasina (Madagascar), Muscat (Oman), Colombo(Sri Lanka), Phuket(Thailand) and Dubai (United
Arab Emirates-UAE) by naval ships Kiltan, Chennai, Shivalik, Sunayna, Trishul, Tarkash, Vagir, Sumitra and
Brahmaputra respectively.
ii.As a part of Oceans Ring of Yoga, around 3500 naval personnel onboard the 19 Indian Naval Ships have
travelled around 35000 kilometres as Yoga ambassadors in both national and international waters.
iii.The activities are focused on the “Common Yoga Protocol – CYP”.
iv.The Indian Navy has also conducted Mass camps, workshops, poster-making competitions, quiz contests and
lectures on “Health Benefits of Yoga”.
Additional info:
• Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force along with Indo Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP),
Border Security Force (BSF), and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) made a chain of Yoga
demonstration in unison named “Yoga Bharatmala”.
• The Yoga demonstration along the Indian coastline and islands was termed as “Yoga Sagarmala”.
Yoga Mahotsav 2023:
On 20th June 2023, the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports(MoYAS) organised the
“Yoga Mahotsav” at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi, Delhi in run-up to the IDY-2023.
• The event featured a session on ‘Benefits and Technique of Rajyoga and Meditation’ by Prajapita
Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya and Yoga demonstrations by Yoga Instructors from
Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.
Yoga Mahotsav – 100 days countdown:
On 13th March 2023, the Union minister for Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the three-day event Yoga
Mahotsav 2023 to commemorate the 100 days countdown to IDY 2023.
• The event featured a range of programs and activities which will include talks/discourses by Yoga
gurus, Vice Chancellors Summit to share their experience, States/UTs Ayush Summit, Yoga
Fusion/Demonstration, and Yoga rhythmic performance.

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World Hydrographic Day 2023 – June 21
World Hydrographic Day (WHD) is annually celebrated on 21st June across the world to raise awareness of
the importance of hydrography and its major role in improving the knowledge of the seas and oceans.

• This day also aims to publicise the work of Hydrographers all around the world.
The 2023 theme of World Hydrographic Day is “Hydrography – Underpinning the Digital Twin of the
Ocean”
• The 2023 theme for WHD is designed to highlight the relationship between hydrography and
oceanography.
Background:
Background:
i. World Hydrography Day was approved and implemented as an annual celebration by the International
Hydrographic Organization (IHO) in 2005.
ii. On 29th November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Resolution
A/RES/60/30 “Oceans and the law of the sea”, recognizing the establishment or adoption of World
Hydrography Day to be celebrated on 21st June every year, by the IHO.
iii. The first ever World Hydrography Day was observed on 21st June 2006.
Why June 21?
i. On 21st June 1921, the International Hydrographic Bureau was established as an intergovernmental
organisation that works to ensure all the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted.
ii. In 1970, the International Hydrographic Bureau was renamed as the International Hydrographic
Organization (IHO).
iii. In order to mark the anniversary of the establishment of IHO, June 21 is chosen as the World Hydrology Day.
Hydrography:
i. Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the
physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change
over time.
ii. The important factor of Hydrography is to provide safety of navigation and in support of all other marine
activities, including economic development, security and defence, scientific research, and environmental
protection.
Few important benefits of Hydrology are: Resource exploitation – fishing, minerals; Environmental
protection and management; National marine spatial data infrastructures; Maritime defence and security;
Tsunami flood and inundation modelling; Marine science.
Observace in India:
i. On 21st June 2023, Rajnath Singh, Union Defence Minister attended an event organised by the Indian Navy at
the hydrography ship South Jetty, Indian Naval station Kochi, Kerala on the occasion of World Hydrography
day.
ii. The event hosted senior officers of the Navy, sailors, and hydrographers. The minister toured a Hydro
exhibition held on the occasion and also released nautical charts.

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The Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD):
i. It operates under the Indian Navy as the nodal agency that conducts hydrographic surveys and produces
nautical charts in India.
ii. Till now, INHD has published 650 electronic and paper navigation charts covering national and international
waters for merchant mariners and Navies worldwide.
iii. In 2022, INHD distributed over six lakh Electronic Navigation Charts to seafarers operating in these waters
and has generated more than 7000 lakh rupees revenue, which is estimated to grow significantly in the future.
Assistance of INHD:
i. In line with the Government of India’s (GoI) Security and Growth For All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative, the
survey ships of the Indian Navy have conducted various joint survey operations with friendly foreign nations
covering an area of 89000 sq
ii. INHD has also assisted them with capacity building and knowledge-sharing, which are undertaken by the
seven AatmaNirBhar indigenously built survey ships mapping the vast Indian Ocean Region.
iii. INHD also serves as the NAVAREA 8 coordinator, covering an area of 26 million sq km of the Indian Ocean,
sharing information regarding sea navigation safety through Indian web module Warnings Information and
Navigation Services (WINS).
Note: The National Institute of Hydrography (NIH) at Goa is the centre for imparting training in Hydrography
accredited by the International Hydrographic Organization for National and International Trainees.
About International Hydrographic Organization (IHO):
Established in– 1921
Secretary-General– Dr Mathias Jonas (Germany)
Headquarters– Monaco

International Day of the Celebration of Solstice 2023 – June 21

The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice is annually observed across
the globe on June 21 to highlight the importance of the solstice in the culture of many indigenous peoples and
to encourage cultural exchange.

Background:
United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/73/300 in June 2019 and proclaimed
the 21st June of every year as the International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice to promote awareness
around the astronomical events of Solstice and Equinox.
The Solstice:
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice a year typically around June 20th or
21st and December 21st or 22nd. During a solstice, the tilt of the Earth’s axis is at its maximum, either
pointing towards or away from the Sun.
• Solstice is derived from the Latin words ‘sol‘ (‘Sun’) and ‘sistere’ (‘to hold still’).
i.Summer Solstice which usually falls around June 21(initial solstice) marks the 1st day of summer and
the longest day of the year. This usually occurs in the Northern Hemisphere.
ii.Winter Solstice which usually falls around December 21(2nd solstice) marks the 1st day of Winter and

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the shortest day and longest night of the year. this usually occurs in Southern Hemisphere.
The equinox:
An equinox is derived from the Latin aequinoctium, from aequus (equal) and nox (night).The equinox is when
the Sun is above the Earth’s equator and occurs twice a year and the day and night time are of
approximately equal duration.
i.Spring equinox which occurs on 20th March as it marks the beginning of Spring in most cultures.
ii.The other being the Autumnal equinox which occurs on 23rd September as it marks the beginning of
autumn.

World Music Day 2023 – June 21

World Music Day is annually celebrated across the world on 21st June to encourage and honour the musicians
and singers for the gift of music across the world. This day recognises the power of music in uniting people of
different nationalities, cultures, and races around the world.

• This day also serves as a platform and provides opportunities to the young and amateur musicians
to showcase their talents.
• World Music Day, also known as Fête de la Musique, meaning “Festival of Music” in French.
• 2023 marks the 41st Anniversary of the celebration of Fête de la Musique.
Note: The annual celebration of Fête de la Musique across the world coincides with the day of the Summer
Solstice, a day symbolising the perfect balance of light and darkness.
Background:
i. In 1982 World Music Day was first celebrated as Fête de la Musique in Paris, France conceived by Jack Lang,
an French Minister of Culture along with Maurice Fleuret, Director of Music and Dance of the Ministry of
Culture, France.
ii. Maurice Fleuret, Jack Lang, along with Christian Dupavillon, architect-scenographer came up with a plan to
unite the musicians on the streets of Paris (France) for the celebration of Fête de la Musique.
iii. The Celebration of Fête de la Musique was adopted as a global event on the occasion of the European Year of
Music 1985.
iv. The day, which originated on 21st June 1982 in France, is currently celebrated in around 120 countries
worldwide.
Events in India:
On the occasion of World Music Day 2023 and International Day of Yoga 2023 (21st June 2023),
Sangeet Natak Akademi, has organised an event “Samyog”, at Meghdoot theatre complex, Copernicus Marg,
New Delhi, Delhi.
• The event includes, workshops related to Yoga and Music, and Music performances by various
performers and musicians.

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 STATE NEWS
UP Government Launches ‘Polytechnic Chalo Abhiyan‘ to Motivate Technical Education Among
Youth
On 16th June 2023, the Government of Uttar Pradesh(UP)
launched ‘Polytechnic Chalo Abhiyan 2023’ to motivate youths to pursue technical education and take
admission in polytechnic institutes.
• It aims to enroll lakhs of youth in Government, aided and private polytechnic institutes.
• It is being conducted in various educational institutions for promotion of the entrance examination
in all districts.
• The department of technical education has urged all polytechnic institutions in UP to participate in
the campaign to increase the admissions.

GA Questions Asked in Exams

• Affairscloud’s Self Analysis for General Awareness Section

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