• Prime Minister has launched the ‘Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement’, a global initiative, and asserted that its vision is to live a lifestyle that is in tune with our planet and does not harm it.
• The launch initiated ‘LiFE Global Call for Papers’ inviting ideas and suggestions from academics, universities and research institutions etc to influence and persuade individuals, communities and organisations across the world to adopt an environment-conscious lifestyle.

Key points:

• The idea of LiFE was introduced by the Prime Minister during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties COP-26 in Glasgow last year.
• The idea promotes an environment conscious lifestyle that focuses on mindful and deliberate utilisation instead of mindless and destructive consumption.
• Mission LiFE borrows from the past, operates in the present and focuses on the future

• India-Bangladesh bilateral defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise Ex SAMPRITI-X is being conducted at Jashore Military Station in Bangladesh from 05 June to 16 June 2022.
• The aim of the exercise is to strengthen interoperability between the two armies and to understand each other’s tactical drills and operational techniques.

About the Ex SAMPRITI-X:

• The Indian contingent of company strength is being represented by a Battalion of the DOGRA Regiment and the contingent departed by road for the exercise location on 4 Jun 2022.
• During the joint military exercise Ex Sampriti-X, armies of both the Nations will share expertise in multiple simulated scenarios of Counter Terrorism, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief and UN Peacekeeping Force under UN mandate.
• Exercise Sampriti is an important bilateral defence cooperation endeavour conducted alternately by both countries which aims to strengthen and widen the aspects of interoperability and cooperation between both the armies.

• The Digital payment markets in India are expected to increase triple from the current three trillion dollars to ten trillion dollars in the coming four years, which is by 2026.
• This was confirmed by the report titled (‘Digital Payments in India: A $10 trillion opportunity’) issued by PhonePe after the collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
• The report highlights the growth of India’s digital payments in the last five years.
• The growth in five years has resulted in aiming those digital payments will aim to constituting two out of three payment transactions by 2026.

Key points of the report:

• The report highlights the in-depth scenario of the growth of digital payments in India and focuses on factors and enablers to understand and unleash the potential of digital payments and its massive growth in the Country.
• UPI saw about a nine times transaction volume increase in the past three years, increasing from five billion transactions in FY19 to about 46 billion transactions in FY22: accounting for more than 60% of non-cash transaction volumes in FY22. This indicates that digital payment has gained acceptance across the country.
• The report says that multiple platforms offer digital payments now, which has disrupted the digital payments ecosystem. 

• Indian Railways have been awarded by the UIC International Sustainable Railway Awards (ISRA) in the category of “Best use of Zero-Carbon Technology” for feeding Solar Energy directly to 25 KV AC Traction System on 1st June 2022, in Berlin, Germany.
• Indian Railways is observing World Environment Day on 5th June, 2022 in an appropriate and befitting manner keeping in line with the theme of this year’s World Environment Day.

• At Raxaul in Bihar, the union minister for health and family welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Mr. Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the National Food Laboratory of FSSAI. 
• Under the bilateral agreement between Indo-Nepal, this laboratory was established to reduce the time of testing of food samples imported from Nepal to Raxaul.
• The testing of food was a time taking because the food samples with legal sanity were sent to the National Food Laboratory of Kolkata. 

Key points:

• It will increase the scope of Nepal to import more food products to India and connect both the countries with each other by trading more efficiently.
• The food laboratory will be accredited by July-August of this year by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). The laboratory will start testing samples of cereals, fats and oils, spices, fruits, vegetables, and packaged drinking water very soon.
• India will provide assistance to get National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation to the Kathmandu Food Lab if needed.
• The inauguration of the Food Laboratory in Raxaul was a constant request of the exporters from Nepal.
• The inauguration of the National Food Laboratory has fulfilled the wishes of the neighbouring country and it shows the commitment of India to improving the relationship between the two countries, making it a strong bond economically and improving the connection between both the countries.

• Mandi District Magistrate Arindam Chaudhary said single-use plastic items would be completely banned in Mandi district from July 1.
• No shopkeeper, wholesaler, retailer, hawker and street vendor would be allowed to sell or use any type of single-use plastic goods in the district.
• Mandi District Magistrate issued these directions, in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (1) of Section 3-A of the Non-Bio-degradable Waste (Control) Act, 1995, and it shall be fully applicable from July 1.
• The state government provides a minimum support price of Rs 25 per kg to a person for collection and deposit of plastic waste in collection centres of urban local bodies from rag pickers and households.
• The violation of orders, appropriate action would be taken against the violators under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, which includes confiscation of goods, recovery of environmental compensation and closure of operations of industries/commercial establishments.

• Palampur Agriculture University has started an initiative to save and register traditional crops or land race plant varieties being grown in remote areas of the state.
• The university has moved to get geographical indicators (GI) tag for Ginger variety grown in Badhana Kalatha panchayat of Sirmaur and Basmati rice grown in Biyala village in Sundernagar area of Mandi district.
• The university is in the process of registering the basmati rice and the ginger under the Plant Variety and Farmers Right Act.

• Men: Rafael Nadal won a 14th French Open.
• He defeated Casper Ruud to become the oldest male champion at Roland­ Garros   history, going past Andres Gimeno who won the 1972 edition.
• Women: Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff to win second career Grand Slam title.

• According to a census done by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with the Fishing Cat Project (TFCP),the ChilikaLake ( Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon) has 176 fishing cats,
• This is the world’s first population estimation of the fishing cat done outside the protected area network.
• According to the CDA, phase 1 of the estimation was conducted in 2021 in the 115 sq.km marshland in the north and north­eastern section of Chilika and its surrounding areas.
• Phase 2 was conducted in 2022 in the Parikud side along the coastal islands of Chilika.  A total of 150 camera traps were deployed in two phases with each fixed in the field for 30 days.
• According the CDA, spatially explicit capture recapture method was used to analyse the data.

• The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Hyderabad­ based Biological E. Limited (BE)’s COVID­19 vaccine Corbevax as a COVID­19 booster dose.
• The vaccine be administered to adults six months after the administration of second dose of Covaxin or Covishield for restricted use in emergency situations.
• According to the company, Corbevax is India’s first approved heterologous COVID booster (when the third dose is different from earlier doses). Be hasn’t received who’s emergency use listing for the jab.
• WHO’s EUL procedure assesses the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID­19 vaccines and is a prerequisite for COVAX vaccine supply.