current affairs 20 June 2022

Google announces startup accelerator program for women founders.

• Google has announced a program for women founders, startup accelerator program, which will help them address challenges such as fundraising and hiring.
• The first batch of the Google for Startups Accelerator India – Women Founders will enroll up to 20 women-founded co-founded startups in the country, and support them through a three-month program.
• The selected Startups will receive support and mentorship around AI/ML, Android, Web, Product Strategy and Growth.

India’s unemployment rate falls to 4.2% in 2020-21.

• As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for 2020-21 (July-June), the unemployment rate of India has declined to 4.2%in 2020-21 (July-June).
• The survey was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme.
• The labour force participation rate has been raised to 41.6%.
• The unemployment rate was 4.8% and the labour force participation rate was 40.1% in 2019-20.
• The PLFS provides quarterly updates for urban areas and an annual report for urban and rural areas.

Tamil Nadu launched Ennum Ezhuthum scheme to bridge learning gap.

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched the Ennum Ezhuthum scheme to bridge the learning gap that was caused due to the COVID pandemic among students aged below eight and was launched at an event in Azhinjivakkam panchayat union middle school, Tiruvallur.
• Ennum Ezhuthum scheme aims to ensure foundational literacy and numeracy by 2025.
• The education department will provide workbooks to students from Classes 1 to 3 to assess and bridge the learning gap under the scheme.
• The children will be provided training in three subjects such as Tamil, English and Mathematics.
• The scheme aims to make the classroom suitable for conducting lessons.
• Lessons have been designed in the format of dance, songs, storytelling and puppetry, among others.Videos also have been shot.
• The Scheme will also help in improving the quality of education in the State.

Trade deficit of India broadens to $24.29 billion in May 2022.

• Trade data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed that India’s May trade deficit widened to $24.29 billion from $6.53 billion a year ago.
• May’s trade deficit was pushed up by a surge in imports, which rose 62.83% year-on-year to $63.22 billion, while exports rose 20.55% to $38.94 billion, revised trade data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed.
• Despite the uncertainty and volatility caused by the war in Europe, the engineering goods exports rose by 12.65 per cent year-on-year to $9.71 billion in May 2022.
• The trade deficit stood at $6.53 billion on May 2021.
• Cumulative exports in April-May 2022-23 rose by about 25% to $78.72 billion.
• Imports in April-May 2022-23 rose 45.42% to $123.41 billion.

8th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians held in Egypt.

• The 8th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians has been started in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to address climate change.
• The two-day conference is being jointly organized by the House of Representatives and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
• Nagaland’s first woman elected as Member of Parliament to Rajya Sabha, S. Phangon Konyak is representing India at the Conference.