Arvind Saxena appointed as acting Chairman of UPSC

  • The Government has appointed Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) member Arvind Saxena as the acting Chairman of the commission.
  • Saxena will take over from Vinay Mittal on June 20th. Mittal will complete his term at the UPSC on June 19th.
  • Saxena will be acting chairman of the UPSC from June 20th until further orders or the completion of his tenure on August 7th, 2020.

S Ramesh appointed Chairman of CBIC

  • The government has appointed S Ramesh as the new chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
  • Ramesh will take over from current chairman Vanaja N. Sarna who retires this month (June 2018).

India, China sign 2 agreements on Brahmaputra water data sharing & non-basmati rice export

  • India and China signed two bilateral agreements following the meeting between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO summit.
  • The agreements include continuing to share Brahmaputra water data during flood season and exporting non-Basmati rice to China.
  • The two countries have set a trade target of 100 billion dollars by 2020.

Met dept to use flash flood guidance system for first time to forecast floods

  • The India Meteorological Department (IMD) will use a flash flood guidance system for the first time in the country to forecast floods.
  • At present, the Central Water Commission issues flood warnings.
  • The IMD will launch its new flood warning system from next month.

Anupam Kher to receive Outstanding Achievement Award at IIFA 2018

  • Veteran actor Anupam Kher will be given the prestigious Outstanding Achievement honour at the upcoming International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards ceremony in Bangkok.
  • Kher will be honoured for his contribution to Indian cinema.
  • He will be presented with the award on June 24 at the 19th edition of IIFA.

CSIR lab to contribute to India’s first indigenous Lithium-Ion Battery project

  • India will develop an indigenous lithium-ion battery, with technology for the project coming from the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).
  • Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu under the CSIR and RAASI Solar Power Pvt Ltd have signed a Memorandum of Agreement for transfer of technology for the project.
  • Currently, Indian manufacturers source lithium-ion batteries from China, Japan and South Korea, among other suppliers.
  • India is one of the largest importers of lithium-ion batteries.

SCO summit adopts declaration calling for 3-year plan to combat terrorism

  • The Qingdao declaration was adopted at the The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
  • The declaration calls for a three-year plan to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism.
  • It also calls for implementation of a treaty on long-term good neighbourliness, friendship and co-operation.