• India and Vietnam explored new opportunities for partnership to support each other’s economic development and national security amid the geopolitical turmoil triggered by the crisis in Ukraine and disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The two sides held extensive deliberations on ways to further ramp up cooperation at the 12th round of political consultations and the ninth round of strategic dialogue in Hanoi.
• India described Vietnam, as a key partner for New Delhi’s Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific vision.

• Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over 32.7 square kilometres, and is at the end of important wildlife corridor that starts from Sariska National Park in Alwar, Rajasthan and passes through Mewat, Faridabad and Gurugram districts of Haryana.
• The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will assess the impact of nearby human habitations on the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, which is witnessing an increase in wildlife population.
• The assessment will be part of a study to ascertain the possible effects of the dumping of inert civic waste in the abandoned Bhatti Mines.
• The WII recently submitted a proposal to conduct a multidisciplinary study in the Asola Sanctuary to “collect baseline information on soil and groundwater, and flora, fauna and herpetofauna (lizards, snakes, turtles and tortoises) in the mined-out pits.
• The study will “identify and evaluate the cultural impact of nearby villages on the wildlife sanctuary”.
• According to the institute, Activities such as poaching, cattle grazing, fuelwood collection and lopping result in high forest degradation.

• The government intends to launch Jan Samarth, a unified platform for the delivery of multiple initiatives administered by several ministries and departments, in order to make life easier for the average man. The new portal will initially enrol 15 credit-linked government initiatives, as part of the government’s objective of minimum government maximal governance.

 KEY POINTS:

• They noted that because some of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes include various agencies, the services will be gradually increased based on compatibility.
• Different ministries, for example, run initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and the Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS).
• The proposed portal aims to put various schemes together on a single platform so that beneficiaries can access them easily. State Bank of India and other lenders are doing pilot testing and tying up loose ends before the official launch, according to the statement.
• Because of the portal’s open architecture, state governments and other organisations will be able to add their plans to the platform in the future.
• To make it easier for borrowers, the government developed a platform in 2018 that offered a variety of credit products, including MSME, home, auto, and personal loans.
• Various state-owned banks can now approve loans for MSMEs and other borrowers in principle in 59 minutes, compared to the previous turnaround time of 20-25 days.

• The Industrial Biotech Park at Kathua will transform the economy and enable scientists to tackle the challenges of climate change. The enabling infrastructure will fuel a new wave of innovation and impact various sectors, from health and agriculture to cosmetics and materials.

About the Industrial Biotech Park:

• With new biotech capabilities and innovation, J&K, bestowed with more than 3500 medicinal plant species, will be able to harness market advantages in the most effective way and help the farmers to generate more income, asserted the Lt Governor.
• The new Industrial Development Scheme has enabled J&K to fetch investment of more than Rs 38,800 crore as of date, which also includes proposals of 338 industrial units associated with the biotech sector in some way or the other.
• The Biotech Park would act as the hub for the incubation of new ideas and will act as a robust platform to support the agri-entrepreneurs, startups, progressive farmers, scientists, scholars and students not only from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh but also from nearby states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is a regulatory agency that is responsible for regulating and licencing the insurance and reinsurance businesses in India.  It was established by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999, which was passed by the Indian Parliament. The agency’s headquarters have been in Hyderabad, Telangana, since 2001, when it relocated from Delhi.
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)has formed various committees through the General Insurance Council (GIC) to suggest reforms in several areas of general, reinsurance, and life insurance, including regulation, product, and distribution, among others, in order to overhaul the industry.
• These panels include leaders of private and public sector insurance companies, members of IRDAI, and representatives from the
• IRDAI established GIC to serve as a liaison between the insurance regulator and the non-life insurance business.

• INS Gomati derives her name from the vibrant river Gomti and was commissioned on16 April 1988 by then Defence Minister, KC Pant, at Mazgaon Dock Ltd, Bombay.
• The third ship of the Godavari class guided-missile frigates, INS Gomati was also the oldest warrior of the western fleet when decommissioned.

During her service:

• INS Gomati participated in numerous operations including Cactus, Parakram and Rainbow, and several bilateral and multinational naval exercises.
• IMS Gomati was twice awarded the coveted Unit Citation, in 2007-08 and again in 2019-20, for remarkable spirit and stellar contribution to national maritime security.

• A survey by the Geological Survey of India has stated that a gold reserve of around 222.88 million tonnes including 27.6 tonnes of mineral-rich ore are present in the Jamui District of Bihar.

Key points:

• The State Mines and Geology Department is in consultation with agencies engaged in the exploration, including GSI and the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), for the exploration of gold reserves in Jamui.
• The consultation process had started after analysing the survey findings which indicated the presence of gold in areas such as Karmatia, Jhajha and Sono in the Jamui district.
• The Bihar government is likely to sign a memorandum of understanding with a central agency or agencies for G3 (preliminary) stage exploration within a month’s time, adding that in certain areas G2 (general) exploration can also be carried out.

• In a bid to promote new unexplored tourist destinations, the Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA) will organise the MTB Himachal Janjehli edition under the Naye Rahein Naye Manzilein scheme from June 10 to 13.
• Around 60 cyclists from around the country are expected to participate in the event. There are six categories in MTB Himachal Janjehli 2022.
• These are Grandmasters (above 50 years), Masters (under 50 years), Elite (under 35 years), U-23 (under 23 years), Junior (Under 19 years) and Youth (Under 16 years).
• The race is aimed at promoting the virgin and unexplored destinations across the state, which have tremendous potential for tourism and adventure sports.

• Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar opens the National Faunal Repository of Himalaya- cum-Museum in Solan.
• This repository and museum reflects an illustration of Indian cultural Identity.
• Dhriti Banergee, Director, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), said Himalayan Faunal Repository-cum-Museum tells the story of our faunal wealth.
• It also encourages visitors to learn more about the Himachal Pradesh nature, biodiversity and much more.

• Rameshbabu Praggnanandha wins Reykjavik Open 2022 held in Iceland at the age of 16.
• At the age of 16, he became the youngest player ever to defeat the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, on 22nd February 2022 at Airthings Masters Rapid Chess Tournament.
• He again defeated Carlsen, at the Chessable Masters Online rapid chess tournament on 20th May 2022.
• It was his second win again the world champion Magnus Carlsen within 3 months.