Current affairs 26 June 2023

Priya A.S. received Sahitya Akademi Award 2023 for children’s literature.

• Indian writer, Priya A S has been named the prestigious (Kendra) Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2023.
• She was awarded for children’s literature in Malayalam for her 2018 novel Perumazhayathe Kunjithalukal.
• She won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children’s Literature for the same novel in 2020.
• The book was featured in the Sammanapothi series by Poorna Books.
• Bal Sahitya Puraskar consists of a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and an engraved copper plaque.

HM Amit Shah lays foundation stone of "Balidan Stambh" in Srinagar.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah has laid the foundation stone of Balidaan Stambh' (martyr's memorial) at Pratap Park, near the Lal Chowk city centre the commercial hub of Srinagar city.
• Home Minister has laid the foundation stone in the presence of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
• The memorial, a project under the Srinagar Smart City, is a tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

Google to invest 10 billion dollars in India's digitisation fund.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy, and Boeing CEO David Calhoun in Washington DC.
• After the meeting, it was informed that Google is investing 10 billion dollars in India's digitization fund and will open Google's global fintech operation centre in GIFT City, Gujarat.
• While Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy has already invested 11 billion dollars and with an intention to invest another 15 billion dollars.

IFFCO starts exporting world’s 1st Nano urea invented in India.

• IFFCO has started exporting the world’s 1st Nano urea invented and manufactured indigenously in India to the US.
• An agreement to export Nano urea was signed between IFFCO and Kapoor Enterprises Inc of California.
• The nano urea is a revolution in the agriculture sector as it has the potential to reduce storage space and money.
• A 500 ml bottle of IFFCO Nano Urea Liquid has the capacity to replace at least one bag of conventional Urea.

IIT Kanpur successfully conducts test flight for cloud seeding.

• IIT Kanpur has successfully conducted a test flight for cloud seeding.
• The project was initiated at IIT Kanpur a few years ago and is headed by Prof. Manindra Agrawal from the Computer Science and Engineering Department.
• The experiment was conducted with due approval from the DGCA.
• Cloud seeding involves the utilization of various chemical agents such as silver iodide, dry ice, common salt, and other elements with the aim of enhancing the probability of precipitation.