Current affairs 21 June 2024

Cabinet approved increased MSP for Kharif Crops for 2024-25 season.

• The highest MSP increases are for oilseeds and pulses, with nigerseed seeing a rise of Rs. 983 per quintal, sesamum by Rs. 632 per quintal, and tur/arhar by Rs. 550 per quintal over the previous year.
• Kharif crops: are dependent on the monsoon, and their cropping season runs from July to October.
• Examples include rice, maize, millet, ragi, pulses, soybean, groundnut, etc.

India Post Payments Bank & RMT launched Rural Remittance Service.

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has partnered with Ria Money Transfer to provide secure, efficient international inward money transfer services to rural India.
• This collaboration will make remittance services available at over 25,000 Post Office locations, aiming to reach over 100,000 locations, providing doorstep financial services to 65% of India's rural population.

ADB approves $170 Million Loan to bolster India's Health System.

• Asian Development Bank approved a USD 170 million (Rs 1,418 crore) policy-based loan to improve India's health system preparedness and capacity to respond to future pandemics.
• The loan will support the National Health Policy 2017 by strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory networks, and data systems.
• ADB: Headquarters: Manila
• President: Masatsugu Asakawa

Cabinet approves Rs 2,869 crore for development of Varanasi airport.

• Cabinet approved a Rs 2,869.65 crore proposal for the expansion of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Varanasi.
• It is aimed at enhancing the passenger handling capacity of the airport to 9.9 million passengers per annum from the existing 3.9 MPPA.
• Varanasi is the Lok Sabha constituency of PM Modi.
• Cabinet also approved setting up a major port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharastra.

Dutchman Mark Rutte, longtime Putin critic, set to lead NATO alliance.

• Mark Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister, is a strong supporter of Ukraine and critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, having played a key role in Europe’s military support for Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion.
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American.
• Hq: Brussels, Belgium.