• The Commonwealth of Nations now has 56 member nations after the admission of Togo and Gabon.
• The two historically French-speaking nations were formally admitted to the union at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which was presided over by Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali, the country’s capital.
• According to Patricia Scotland, the organization’s secretary-general, admission is determined by evaluations of a number of standards, including the democratic process, effective leadership, and rule of law.

KEY POINTS:

• The choice was taken following the heads of state and government’s consultation at the meeting.
• Never were the two African nations British colonies.
• According to Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, the goal of the country’s membership in the Commonwealth is to broaden its network of diplomatic, political, and commercial relations.
• According to Michael Moussa Adamo, the foreign minister of Gabon, joining would strengthen economic diversification while retaining ties with France.
• President Ali Bongo of Gabon thinks modernization is a goal of joining the Commonwealth.
• While Togo, a country in West Africa, began the process of legally entering the Commonwealth in 2014, the Central African nation’s formal application procedure began five years earlier.

• The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) chooses Mohammed Jalood as President 2022.
• Mohammed Jalood has been elected as the organization’s president, and 11 additional new members have been added to its Executive Board.

About IWF:

• The international governing organisation for Olympic weightlifting is the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), which has its headquarters in Lausanne.
• The 192 Member Federations of the IWF date back to its founding in 1905.
• Between the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics, the Fédération Haltérophile International (FHI), now known as the IWF, underwent a name change.

• Kerala state government has issued orders regarding the implementation of a medical insurance “MEDISEP” scheme for government employees and pensioners and the deduction of premium from the salary of June 2022 and pension of July 2022.
• MEDISEP scheme is applicable to government employees, pensioners/family pensioners and their eligible family members and employees and pensioners of universities that receive grant in aid from the state government and the local self-government institutions.

About the scheme:

• The scheme provides cashless medical assistance through an insurance company selected through the competitive bidding process. As per the scheme, the premium on behalf of the employees and pensioners towards MEDISEP shall be paid by the government in advance and will be recouped from the salary of employees and pensioners.
• The annual premium of the employees and the pensioners will be Rs 4,800 + 18% GST for the policy period of 2022-24, and the monthly premium of Rs 500 would be deducted from the salary/pension.
• The scheme is applicable to universities and local self-government institutions as well.
• The scheme is also applicable to directly recruited personal staff of the chief minister, ministers, opposition leader, the chief whip, Speaker, deputy speaker and chairman of the financial committees.

• The Indian Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has started authorising Indian private firms, marking the beginning of private space sector launches in India.
• In-SPACe has headquarters in Ahmedabad.
• IN-SPACe is an autonomous, single window nodal agency; formed to promote, authorise, monitor and supervise the space activities of non-governmental private entities (NGPEs) in India.

Key Points:

• Dhruva Space Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad and Digantara research & technologies Pvt. Ltd. Bengaluru, were authorised by IN-SPACe to launch their payloads.
• Dhruva Space is a space technology start-up focused on building full-stack space engineering solutions, involved in building application-agnostic satellite platforms.
• Digantara research and technologies is engaged in development of end-to-end solutions focused on safe and sustainable space operations through its Space Situational Awareness sensor network, platform and data products.

• The Avishkar Foundation, Solapur, Maharashtra, declared the Avishkar Achievers Award-2022 felicitating personalities in different categories across the country.
• The Best Nation-Builders Teacher Award has been given to Flying Officer Dr Chaman Lal Kranti Singh, an assistant Professor cum head, department of journalism and mass communication, Vallabh Government College, Mandi.
• He is a member of the Cable Regulation Act 1995.
• He holds the rank of Flying Officer in the NCC Air Force Squadron of Himachal Pradesh.
• He is actively engaged in teaching, research, community development, programme, adventure sports, and institutional training of NCC Air force cadets.

• The Award is conferred by Ministry of Power to the CPSUs for their outstanding contribution to the country-wide campaign Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiated by Government of India.
• All the Public Sector Undertakings under Ministry of Power are evaluated on the basis of activities carried out during Swachhta Pakhwada.
• During Swachhta Pakhwada held from 16-31st May 2022, SJVN had formulated Swachhta Pakhwada Action Plan to undertake various activities across all its project locations & offices in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
• This included awareness campaigns, special drive to encourage eco-friendly material instead of plastic, tree plantation drives, installation of dustbins in public places and cleaning up of rivers situated nearby Project’s area, distribution of sanitization/personal hygiene materials in local communities etc.
• In addition to cleanliness drives for promoting segregation of waste, vermicomposting, reuse of waste water for agriculture etc. and to increase public awareness motivational speeches, nukaad nataks, competitions and awareness programs were organized.
• Along with short term impact programs, long term impact programs such as construction of multipurpose Check Dam at Nahan, Bio-diversity Park in Shimla, river cleanliness drives are also being executed by SJVN.
• Nand Lal Sharma is the Chairman & Managing Director of the SJVN.

• Madhya Pradesh wrote history as they won their maiden Ranji Trophy title, beating Mumbai by 6 wickets in the final at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
• Under the leadership of Aditya Shrivastava, the team defeated 41-time champions Mumbai. The team was coached by former India wicketkeeper-batsman Chandrakant Pandit.

History of Ranji Trophy:

• The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. The competition currently consists of 38 teams, with all 28 states in India and four of the nine union territories having at least one representation.
• The competition is named after the first Indian cricketer who played international cricket, Ranjit Singh, who was also known as ‘Ranji’. The first match of the competition was held on 4 November 1934 between Madras and Mysore at the Chepauk ground in Madras in the final.
• Mumbai (Bombay) have won the tournament the maximum number of times with 41 wins including 15 back-to-back wins from 1958–59 to 1972–73.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Nitin Gupta, IRS, Member Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) as chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes.
• He is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the 1986 batch of the Income Tax cadre. He is serving as the Member (investigation) in the Board.
• The post of the CBDT chief was being held in an additional capacity by Board member and 1986- batch IRS officer Sangeeta Singh after J B Mohapatra retired on April 30.
• The CBDT is headed by a chairman and can have six members who are in the rank of special secretary. It is the administrative body for the Income Tax department.

History:

• The Micro-Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day was marked by the United Nations General Assembly in its 74th Plenary on April 6 2017. The move came after the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) 2016 World Conference Declaration on the urgent need to recognise MSME’s role in global development.
• Recognising the potential of the MSME and their role in strengthening economies, June 27 is celebrated as the Micro-Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day.
• The day is aimed at raising public awareness of the contribution of MSMEs to global economic growth and sustainable development.
• MSME or Micro-Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are crucial for the growth of a country as they form the backbone of the economy.
• They are enterprises that usually employ not more than 250 employees but are responsible for creating more than two-thirds of all jobs globally.

Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day 2022: Significance

• According to the United Nations, formal and informal MSMEs account for 70 per cent of the total employment and 50 per cent of the GDP. Moreover, the sector makes up for 90 per cent of all firms.
• With such significant contribution to the economy, MSMEs are essential for innovations, job creation, and productivity growth.
• Despite being a key player in generating jobs, MSMEs face challenges in working conditions, informality, and productivity.
• The MSME day is celebrated to unlock the potential of the enterprise and utilise it for bolstering the global economy.

• The Indian Air Force announced that three Su-30 MKI planes and two C-17 transport aircraft are taking part in a month-long tactical leadership programme in Egypt.
• According to the statement, the exercise offers a singular chance to highlight the IAF’s capabilities and reach against the backdrop of the current geopolitical situation.
• In Egypt (Cairo West Airbase), the Indian Air Force would send three Su-30MKI aircraft, two C-17 aircraft, and 57 IAF personnel to the Egyptian Air Force Weapon School to take part in a tactical leadership programme.
• This particular exercise, which simulates numerous conflict situations using air assets in a big force engagement context, is unique.
• The goal of the exercise is to improve defence cooperation between the two nations and exchange best practises.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) stated that the initiative will also give a chance to display the Su-30 MKI made in India as well as the nation’s proficiency for further indigenization of spare parts and components.