1. Fifth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog held in New Delhi
The fifth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog was held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhawan today. It was attended by the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, 26 Chief Ministers and the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, apart from Union Ministers, who are ex-officio members and special invitees. Vice Chairman, Members, CEO and senior officers of NITI Aayog also attended the meeting.
2. The female labor force fell in India: Report
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has decided to equalize the pensions of retired soldiers under the One Rank One Pension (OROP) formula, stated a report. A committee has been established in this regard to work out the modalities and method of revising the next pension under the OROP formula, the Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
3. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formed a committee to work on modalities of revising pension under OROP.
The One Rank One Pension scheme was implemented by the NDA government during its first term. Notably, Rajnath Singh, the Defence Minister has established a commission for the next revision of soldiers' pension.
4. International Day of Family Remittances observed on 16 June 2019
The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) is a universally-recognized observance adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/72/281) and celebrated every year on 16 June. The day recognizes the contribution of over 200 million migrants to improve the lives of their 800 million family members back home and to create a future of hope for their children. Half of these flows go to rural areas, where poverty and hunger are concentrated, and where remittances count the most.
5. Former S. Korean first lady, feminist activist Lee Hee-ho passes away
Lee Hee-ho, a South Korean feminist activist who fought for democracy against dictatorships alongside her husband and future President Kim Dae-Jung, has died. She was 96. Park Han-Shik, an official from the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center, said on Tuesday the devoutly Christian Lee left a will saying that she would pray for South Korean people and for a peaceful unification with North Korea in heaven. She died Monday of old age.
6. Peter Gilchrist lifted Pacific International Billiards Championship title
Reigning World billiards champion Sourav Kothari lifted the 2019 Pacific International Snooker Championship - The Reventon Classic, in Melbourne on Monday. In a best of nine frames, Kothari got the better of Tyson Crinis of Australia to bag the crown. Kothari won 5-1 games with scores of 70-13; 89-26; 77(43)-46; 44-62; 71(67)-46; 85-1 according to information received here. In the finals, the former national and Asian Billiards champion showed nerves of steel to take 3-0 lead.
7. Padmaja appointed as India’s High Commissioner to Tuvalu
Ms. Padmaja, presently Deputy Director General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Fiji. She is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
8. Suman Rao crowned as Miss India 2019
Suman Rao, Miss India Rajasthan was crowned the winner of Femina Miss India World 2019 during a star-studded grand finale of the beauty pageant, held on June 15, 2019, at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai. Miss India 2019 winner Rao was crowned Miss India World 2019 by her predecessor, Miss India 2018 Anukreethy Vas from Tamil Nadu.
9. Akshay Patra’s school meals program wins BBC award
Akshaya Patra, a non-profit organization running one of the world's largest school meals project in India, has been awarded the BBC World Service Global Champion Award for the program. The Award, presented at the BBC Food and Farming Awards in Bristol this week, recognizes a person or project who is changing the way the world produces, processes, consumes or thinks about food for the better.
10. Venezuela to roll out three new banknotes due to Hyperinflation
On Wednesday, the country’s central bank posted a statement on its website saying it would begin circulating the new 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 bills to make payments “more efficient” and “facilitate business transactions” without providing further details. Six-digit inflation has rendered paper money mostly useless in Venezuela. Consumers generally pay with plastic or electronic transfers despite unreliable banking systems and increasingly rely on US dollars or other hard currency. Still, many services like public transportation and regulated goods like gasoline require paying in cash with bolivars.
