Today in History (June 1st, 1984)
June 1: In 1984, Indian Army began Operation Blue Star to remove Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Let’s revise
A) Which are the main branches of south west monsoon in India?
- Arabian Sea branch and Mediterranean sea branch
- Arabian sea branch and yellow sea branch
- Arabian sea branch and Bay of Bengal branch
- Rajasthan branch and Odisha branch
Ans. (3)
B) Recently cyclone Remal hit the Indian subcontinent on the cost of ___
- Kerala
- Gujarat
- Tamil Nadu
- Bangladesh
Ans. (4)
C) The two branches of monsoon in India meet in ___
- South India
- North India
- Central India
- North Western India
Ans. (3)
D) Which one the following has been awarded the U.N. Gender Military Advocate of the year 2023?
- Radhika Sen
- P. Rajeshwari
- Marry com
- M. Jagraj
Ans. (1)
E) Who is the current president of Egypt?
- Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
- Shaikh Mohammed
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- None of the above
Ans. (1)
F) Rafah in news, is located on the ________part of Gaza.
- Southern
- Northern
- Eastern
- North Eastern
Ans. (1)
Summary of Today’s News
Trump becomes first former-U.S. President to be convicted of felony
• Donald Trump became the first former U.S. President convicted of felony crimes, found guilty on all 34 charges related to a scheme to influence the 2016 election via a hush money payment. Sentencing is set for July 11, just before the Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to be nominated again.
• Although the charges carry up to four years in prison, it’s uncertain if prosecutors will seek imprisonment or if the judge will impose it. Trump plans to appeal and has denounced the trial as unfair. Despite this conviction and facing other indictments, Trump’s White House bid remains unaffected.
Manufacturing sector’s growth lifts GDP to 8.2%
• India’s real GDP for FY24 grew by 8.2%, up from 7% in FY23.
• This growth surpassed the NSO’s initial projection of 7.3% for FY24.
• Nominal GDP growth for FY24 was 9.6%, down from 14.2% in FY23.
• Real Gross Value Added (GVA) rose by 7.2% in FY24, compared to 6.7% in FY23.
• The manufacturing sector saw significant growth of 9.9% in FY24, recovering from a 2.2% contraction in FY23.
• Mining and quarrying grew by 7.1% in FY24, up from 1.9% in FY23.
• Q4 real GVA and GDP growth were 6.3% and 7.8%, respectively.
• The sharp increase in GDP growth for FY24 was unexpected but positive.
• Q4 GVA growth aligned with expectations, with agriculture showing muted growth due to weather disruptions.
• Manufacturing GVA growth in Q4 was strong, supported by lower input costs.
• Services sector continued to show robustness.
• Q4 nominal GVA and GDP growth were estimated at 8.0% and 9.9%, respectively.
• Government capital expenditure was a major driver of GDP growth.
• GDP growth for FY25 is expected to be around 7%.
Railways to construct canopy bridges for gibbon
• The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has allocated funds to build canopy bridges for Hoolock gibbons in the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam.
• A 1.65-km railway track, set for doubling and electrification, divides the sanctuary, disrupting the gibbons’ movement.
• The canopy bridges will help the gibbons cross the track safely, preserving their arboreal lifestyle.
• The project is in collaboration with the Assam State Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and other stakeholders.
• The bridges will be designed to look natural, with safety nets underneath.
• Previous efforts with artificial bridges were unsuccessful, but natural canopy bridges were used by the gibbons.
Fiscal deficit in FY24 decreased to 5.6% due to better tax mop-up
The Central government’s fiscal deficit for 2023-24 was 5.6% of GDP, lower than the earlier estimate of 5.8%, due to higher revenue and lower expenditure. The actual fiscal deficit was Rs. 16.53 lakh crore, with revenue collection at 101.2% of revised estimates and expenditure at 98.9% of revised estimates. Net tax collection was Rs. 23.26 lakh crore, and total expenditure was Rs. 44.42 lakh crore.
