DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 21 JUNE 2021

India Set to Organize Two Day Summit on Green Hydrogen Initiatives Involving BRICS Nations

• India is all set to host a two-day summit on Green Hydrogen initiatives on 22nd June 2021 involving the BRICS nations. The prestigious event offers a platform to share their respective Green Hydrogen initiatives and views on how to take it to the next level in their own countries. The online event will be held via a video conference and will conclude on 23rd June.

• The event will be anchored by India’s largest power producer and one of the global energy majors, NTPC Ltd, a Maharatna CPSU under Ministry of Power.
• The virtual summit will bring the best brains, policy makers and major stakeholders from the BRICS nations deliberating and discussing at length the future of Hydrogen in the energy mix.
• As the world rapidly moves to decarbonize the entire energy system, hydrogen is poised to play a vital role and build on the rapid scale-up of renewable resources across the world.

Committee Set Up to Discuss Involvement of External Agencies In Military Theatre Commands

• A committee has been formed to address the issues related to the involvement of external agencies for the creation of new military theatre commands.
• “The committee has been formed after the Defence Ministry pointed out the issues that may emerge due to the placement of some paramilitary forces under military theatre commands”.
• Sources said that the proposed theatre commands suggested bringing some of the paramilitary forces of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under the theatre commands along with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The defense functionaries in the meeting felt and suggested that since organisations from outside the Ministry of Defence were involved, there was a need for setting up inter-ministerial committees to discuss the matter with them.

50 Kwp Solar Roof Top Under Govt’s IPDS Scheme Inaugurated in Solan

• As part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, a 50 kilowatts peak (kWp) Solar roof top was inaugurated in Solan, Himachal Pradesh under the Integrated power development scheme of the Ministry of Power under Government of India.
• A total of 152 PV Panels are installed which will produce approximately 165 Kwh of electricity daily.
• HPSEBL has successfully installed 1107 kWp capacity rooftop solar plant in Himachal Pradesh under IPDS. Under the ongoing ‘Go Green’ Initiative in form of Rooftop Solar, solar panels are also installed in Uttar Pradesh (10 MWp), Karnataka (8 MWp), Kerala (5 MWp), West Bengal (4 MWp), Uttarakhand (3 MWp) and Himachal Pradesh (1 MWp).
• The project further reinforces the ‘Go Green’ Initiative of the government envisaged in the Urban Distribution scheme of the government of India.

All 15 Kashmir Valley Railway Stations Now Integrated with Wi-Fi Network

• All 15 Kashmir Valley Railway Stations, including Srinagar, have now got integrated with 6021 Station Wi-Fi Network of Indian Railways, the Ministry of Railways informed on Sunday.
• Public Wi-Fi, provided under the brand name of RailWire, is available at 15 stations (Baramula, Hamre, Pattan, Mazhom, Budgam, Srinagar, Pampore, Kakapora, Avantipura, Panzgam, Bijbehara, Anantnag, Sadura, Qazigund, Banihal) of UT of Kashmir which are spread out in four District HQs – Srinagar, Budgaon, Banihal and Qazigund.
• Indian Railways is working towards transforming railway stations into a digital hub by providing public Wi-Fi at railway stations across the country and 6021 stations are live with RailTel’s RailWire Wi-Fi, informed the Railways ministry.

Antonio Guterres: 2nd Term UN Secretary General.

• The United Nations General Assembly appointed Antonio Guterres as the ninth UN Secretary General (UNSG) for a second term beginning 1st January 2022 and ending on 31st 2026.
• Guterres took oath of office on 1st January 2017 and his first term ends on 31st December 2021.
• India had expressed its support for the re-election of Guterres as UN Chief.

The Flying Sikh Is No More

• Legendary Indian sprinter, Milkha Singh has passed away due to Covid-19, at the age of 91 on 18^th June.
•  A former army man, Milkha Singh won several awards for the country in track and field events across the globe.
• He is the only athlete to win gold at 400 meters at the Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games.
• He also won gold medals in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games.

India Set to Celebrate 7^Th International Yoga Day

• Greeting the people on the eve of International Day of Yoga, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called yoga a gift of India’s rich cultural and civilizational heritage.
• Theme for International Day of Yoga, 2021, is ‘Yoga for Wellness’.
• In view of the restrictions on congregational activities, the lead event of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2021 will be a televised programme.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. The _________committee (in 2015) had recommended the creation of 3 integrated theatre commands  northern for the China border, western for the Pakistan border, and southern for the maritime role.
2. P S Mohanty Committee
3. Shekatkar Committee
4. Manoj Pande committee
5. Raj Shukla committee

ANSWER: B

• Antonio Guterres the current UN Secretary General served as prime minister of ______from 1995 to 2002.
• Switzerland
• Norway
• Finland
• Portugal

ANSWER: D

• __________hosted the most recent 12th BRICS summit on 17 November 2020 virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Russia
• India
• China
• Brazil

ANSWER: A