Uddhav Thackeray resigns as Maharashtra CM
Uddhav Thackeray has resigned as the Chief minister of Maharashtra. This comes immediately after the Supreme Court refused to stay Maharashtra Governor’s direction to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test in the Assembly. Late in the evening, Mr. Thackeray submitted his resignation to Mr. Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. The Governor accepted the resignation of Mr. Thackeray and asked him to officiate as the Chief Minister until alternate arrangements are made.
Uddhav Thackeray said:
I had come (to power) in an unexpected manner and I am going out in a similar fashion. I am not going away forever, I will be here, and I will once again sit in Shiv Sena Bhawan. I will gather all my people. I am also quitting as member of Legislative Council.
Three-party experiment:
With Mr. Thackeray’s resignation, the unique three-party experiment of the MVA, in which the Shiv Sena tied up with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has come to an end. The BJP, which is the single-largest party in the Assembly with 106 MLAs, is likely to stake claim to form the government.
Why this happen?
Mr. Eknath Shinde had revolted against the Sena chief with 39 MLAs and had been stationed in Guwahati since June 22. He had demanded that Mr. Thackeray should snap ties with the Congress and the NCP for the sake of Hindutva. With Mr. Thackeray resigning, Mr. Shinde will have little option but to approach him.
International Asteroid Day 2022: 30 June
World Asteroid Day (also known as International Asteroid Day) is an annual UN-sanctioned global awareness campaign event observed on June 30, which is the anniversary of the Siberian Tunguska event of 1908. To provide knowledge to the general public about the importance of asteroids in history, and the role they play in our solar system today. The theme of Asteroid Day 2022 is “small is beautiful.”
International Asteroid Day: Significance
The destructive effects that an asteroid’s collision with the Earth can have are brought to light on World Asteroid Day or International Asteroid Day. The part asteroids played in the creation of our cosmos, potential uses for their resources, how asteroids pave the way for more research, and how we might shield the earth from asteroids’ effects.
International Asteroid Day 2022: History
In December 2016, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in order to “observe each year at the international level the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908, and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard.” Tunguska event is the most harmful known asteroid-related event on Earth in recent history.
‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’: New programme started by US and Allies
The US and its allies, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the United Kingdom, have launched a new initiative called Partners in the Blue Pacific for effective and efficient cooperation with the region’s small island nations in response to China’s aggressive push to expand its sphere of influence in the Pacific. After China pushed for a broad, common cooperation pact with 10 Pacific states, it became obvious the planned extent of its expanding influence and the geostrategic competition in the region increased.
About Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP):
A five-nation informal framework, the PBP aims to support Pacific islands and strengthen regional political and economic ties.
It calls for further cooperation to improve “prosperity, resilience, and security” in the Pacific. It simply means that these nations will contribute more resources through the PBP, both collectively and individually, to block China’s aggressive outreach.
Members of the initiative have also promised to strengthen ties with the Pacific Islands Forum and promote regionalism in the Pacific.
The five member countries said in a joint statement announcing the project that the forum “remains open to engaging with additional partners,” adding that “at every point, the Pacific Islands will be led and guided by us.”
On the choice of the PBP’s lines of effort and its flagship projects, we shall look to the Pacific for advice.
The climate issue, connectivity and transportation, marine security and protection, health, prosperity, and education are among the sectors where PBP seeks to improve cooperation.
China’s Impact on the Pacific:
In April, China and the Solomon Islands inked a security agreement that raised major questions about the possibility of the Chinese military establishing a base in the southern Pacific, near to the US island territory of Guam and Australia and New Zealand.
The agreement alarmed the US and its allies and reinforced Beijing’s efforts to control important maritime lanes that cross the region.
Additionally, it sparked hasty actions to oppose China’s expanding Pacific ambitions in the midst of a power vacuum fueled by the US’s ostensible inattention.
In addition to holding virtual talks with the Cook Islands, Niue, and the Federated States of Micronesia during the diplomatic blitz, Wang Yi visited the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.
US and Allies: Measures to Stop China
The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), a trade-boosting initiative in the region with 13 countries as partners — Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Fiji — was started by the US and its allies before the PBP was unveiled this month.
Away from the Pacific, the G7, unveiled a strategy called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), which aims to compete with China’s Belt and Road Initiative by pledging to raise $600 billion to finance development initiatives in low- and middle-income nations.
UK announces 75 scholarships for Indian students on 75th year of Independence
The United Kingdom government has announced a partnership with leading businesses in India to offer 75 fully funded scholarships for Indian students to study in the UK from September, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence. Additionally, the British Council in India is offering around 18 scholarships for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) covering over 12,000 courses across more than 150 UK universities.
About the Chevening scholarships programme:
The programmes on offer include Chevening scholarships for a one-year Master’s programme, with the opportunity to study any subject at a UK university.
HSBC, Pearson India, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Sons and Duolingo are among the companies supporting this initiative to celebrate India’s 75th year of independence. HSBC India will sponsor 15 scholarships, Pearson India will sponsor two, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Sons and Duolingo will sponsor one each as part of the 75 scholarships.
The Chevening scheme is the UK government’s international awards scheme offered in 150 countries, aimed at developing global leaders since 1983. India’s Chevening programme is the largest in the world with over 3,500 alumni.
The fully funded scholarships include tuition, living expenses and travel cost for a one-year-postgraduate programme. A minimum of two years’ work experience is required for candidates to be eligible for the award and details will be made available through the Chevening website.
Eoin Morgan: World Cup-winning captain, leaves international cricket
Eoin Morgan has announced his immediate retirement from international cricket, according to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Morgan was the captain of England’s men’s white-ball team. The 35-year-old captained England Men to their first-ever ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup victory at Lord’s in 2019 throughout his 13-year international career with England. He also competed for England in the 2010 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, which was held in the Caribbean.
KEY POINTS:
In all ODI and T20I games, Morgan has scored the most runs for England Men overall and has received the most caps.
He led England to the top of the ICC world rankings throughout his seven years as the Men’s ODI captain, winning noteworthy series against all the major countries.
He earned a record-breaking 225 ODI caps and amassed 6,957 runs—including 1300 at an average of 39.75—during that time. The highest win record by any England Men’s ODI Captain in the history of the game was 76 victories in 126 games Morgan managed, with a win rate of 60%.
He shared the record for most Men’s T20 International team captains with MS Dhoni of India with 72 appearances. He played 115 times for England, making 2,458 runs in all. He received 16 Test cricket caps over a three-year span, earning two centuries.
With 17 sixes against Afghanistan at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, he also holds the record for the most sixes in an ODI innings ever.
International Day of Parliamentarism 2022: 30 June
June 30 is observed as the International Day of Parliamentarism every year to commemorate the date on which the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was founded. The IPU, founded in Paris in 1889, is an international organisation of national parliaments to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members.
The International Day of Parliamentarism is a time to review the progress that parliaments have made in achieving some key goals to be more representative and move with the times, including carrying out self-assessments, working to include more women and young MPs, and adapting to new technologies.
International Day of Parliamentarism: Theme
In 2022, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and its Member Parliaments will mark the International Day of Parliamentarism under the theme of public engagement. This follows the recent launch of the Global Parliamentary Report on Public engagement in the work of parliament.
International Day of Parliamentarism: History
The International Day of Parliamentarism is celebrated every year on 30 June, the date in 1889 on which the IPU was founded. The Day was established in 2018 through a United Nations General Assembly Resolution.
Dak Karmayogi E-Learning Platform Launched By The Government
The Dak Karmayogi, which is an e-Learning portal of the department of posts was launched by Shri Ashwini Vaishnav minister of communication, railways, electronics, and IT, and Shri Devusinh Chauhan minister of state for communications. The function was held at Stein auditorium Indian habitat Centre on 28 June 2022. This portal has been developed under the vision of mission Karmayogi which was initiated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi with a view of bringing efficiency in the actions of all the employees of the Government of India and transforming the efficiency of bureaucracy with minimum Government and maximum governance.
Dak Karmayogi: Objectives
Dak Karmayogi portal aims to enhance the competencies of about 4 lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks and department employees by enabling the trainees to access the uniform standardized training content online and in blending campus mode to enable them to effectively deliver several G2C services for enhanced customer satisfaction.
When the trainee completes the final summative assessment successfully, a system-generated course completion certificate will be sent to the trainee’s registered email ID automatically.
The portal allows the train to give their feedback, ratings, and suggestions for every video and other learning content for future enhancement.
The department of posts has been important training to its employees through various postal training centers, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai National postal Academy (RAKNPA), and the Central training institute. The launch of the dark Karmayogi portal enables the department in employees and Gramin Dak Sevak to be able to avail training anytime and anywhere and upgrade their attitude, skills, and knowledge (ASK). To acknowledge the good performance of employees and to motivate them to improve their good work the department of posts gave the Meghdoot awards in eight different categories by Sri Ashwini Yadav Minister of railways, communications, and electronics, and information technology, and Shri Devusinh Chauhan, minister of state for communications.