This is the current affairs of 27 June 2024. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. Who has been elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha?
a. Om Birla
b. K Suresh
c. Smriti Irani
d. Narendra Singh Tomar
Answer: a. Om Birla
– Om Birla, a BJP leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker, was re-elected as Speaker for the second consecutive time on June 26, 2024.
– The election process followed a unanimous decision. K. Suresh was the candidate from the opposition.
– Prime Minister Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi escorted Om Birla to his seat.
– If Om Birla completes his second term, he will be the second leader to do so after Balram Jakhar.
Several leaders have become Lok Sabha Speakers for a second time, but couldn’t complete their full 5-year terms.
– Only Balram Jakhar completed both his terms from 1980 to 1985 and from 1985 to 1989.
– Om Birla is the first MP from Rajasthan to become Lok Sabha Speaker.
How is the Lok Sabha Speaker elected?
– According to Article 93 of the Constitution, the Lok Sabha Speaker is elected. MPs choose two MPs as President and Vice President from among themselves. (During the previous Lok Sabha, the position of Vice President remained vacant. Before that, it was a tradition to give the position of Vice President to the opposition.)
– Candidates must submit a notice of support one day before this Lok Sabha Speaker election.
– On the day of the election, the Lok Sabha Speaker is elected by a simple majority. This means the candidate who receives votes from more than half of the MPs present in the Lok Sabha on that day becomes the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Third time in parliamentary history for Speaker election
– In India’s parliamentary history, the Lok Sabha Speaker’s election has occurred for the third time.
– Previously, elections for Lok Sabha Speaker were held in 1952 and 1976.
– After the first general election, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru proposed the election of G.V. Mavalankar as Lok Sabha Speaker, but it did not receive consensus.
– Then elections were held and G.V. Mavalankar was elected as Lok Sabha Speaker with 394 votes.
– In June 1975, after the imposition of emergency, the term of the Fifth Lok Sabha was extended for one year.
– After this, in 1976, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi proposed the name of Congress MP B.R. Bhagat for Lok Sabha Speaker.
– Bhagat was elected as Lok Sabha Speaker with 344 votes, while 58 votes were against him.
Role of the Speaker
– The Lok Sabha Speaker is responsible for smoothly conducting the House.
– The Lok Sabha Speaker also sets the agenda for parliamentary meetings. Proposals such as motions of adjournment and no-confidence motions are brought to the Lok Sabha Speaker’s permission.
– It is also the responsibility of the Lok Sabha Speaker to maintain discipline in the House.
– If a member misbehaves in the House, the Lok Sabha Speaker can suspend them.
– In cases of party switching, the Lok Sabha Speaker can declare members ineligible.
– If there is any dispute regarding the rules of the House, the Lok Sabha Speaker interprets and applies the rules.
– In this regard, the decision of the Speaker cannot be challenged. Both the ruling and opposition parties have members in the House.
– Therefore, the Lok Sabha Speaker is expected to remain impartial and manage the House.
Can the Lok Sabha Speaker be removed from office?
– Article 94 of the Constitution gives the House the right to remove the Lok Sabha Speaker from office.
– The Lok Sabha Speaker can be removed from office by a proposal passed by an effective majority of more than 50% with a notice of 14 days.
– Effective majority means that more than 50% of the members who are MPs are present in the Lok Sabha on that day.
– In addition, under Sections 7 and 8 of the Representation of the People Act, the Lok Sabha Speaker can also be removed.
– If the Speaker wishes to resign from office, he submits his resignation to the Deputy Speaker.
Om Birla’s political journey
– In the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, Om Birla was elected as the MP from Kota’s parliamentary seat. – He also resides in Kota.
– He became active in student politics as early as 1979.
– He was elected as the President of the Senior Secondary School Student Union in Gumanpura, Kota.
– In 1987, Om Birla became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and soon became the District President.
– He remained President of the Indian National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation Limited, New Delhi, and then the Rajasthan State Cooperative Consumers’ Federation Limited, Jaipur (from June 1992 to June 1995).
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2. Who became the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha after the post remained vacant for 10 years?
a. Kishori Lal
b. Rahul Gandhi
c. Sonia Gandhi
d. Akhilesh Yadav
Answer: b. Rahul Gandhi
– Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been made the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
– The Congress party announced this after a meeting of leaders of the India Alliance at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on June 25, 2024.
– Following this, Congress Parliamentary Board President Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Protem Speaker Bhartrihari Mahtab in this regard.
– Rahul Gandhi is assuming a constitutional position for the first time in his 20-year political career.
– He is the third member of the Gandhi family to hold this position, following his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from 1989-90 and his mother Sonia from 1999 to 2004.
Vacant Leader of Opposition position for 10 years
– The Leader of the Opposition position has been vacant in the Lok Sabha for ten years.
– In 2014 and 2019, no opposition party had the necessary minimum of 10% members to claim this position.
– Any party needs to surpass a figure of 55 members out of a total of 543 to claim the Leader of the Opposition position.
– In the 2024 elections, Congress became the largest opposition party with 99 seats.
– Compared to BJP’s 240 and NDA’s 293 seats, the India Alliance got 232 seats.
– Previously, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress only won 52 seats.
– In the 2014 elections, the party could only secure victory on 44 seats.
Rights of the Leader of Opposition
– An official booklet of 2012 states that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha “is considered a shadow PM… ready to take over… if the Government resigns or is defeated.”
– As Leader of the Opposition, Rahul will gain several powers and rights.
– He will be part of the chief panel appointing two other members of the Election Commission, including the Chief Election Commissioner.
– The Leader of the Opposition will also be a member of committees that select Lokpal, ED-CBI Directors, Central Vigilance Commissioner, Central Information Commissioner, and NHRC Chief. The Prime Minister chairs these committees.
– This will be the first time that decisions on appointments to these positions will also require hearing Rahul Gandhi’s views.
Facilities for the Leader of Opposition
– Under the Opposition Leader Act of 1977, the Leader of the Opposition position is equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister.
– The Leader of the Opposition receives the same salary, allowances, and other facilities as a Cabinet Minister.
– After becoming Leader of the Opposition, Rahul will get an office in a government bungalow and – secretariat, similar to a Cabinet Minister.
– He will receive a monthly salary and other allowances totaling ₹3,30,000.
– As an MP, Rahul receives a monthly salary of ₹1,00,000 and an allowance of ₹45,000.
– Rahul will receive high-level security similar to that of a Cabinet Minister. Additionally, he will get free air travel, rail travel, government cars, and other facilities.
Rahul was also offered a Cabinet position in the UPA government
– According to media reports, during the UPA government led by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh between 2004 and 2014, Rahul was also asked to take a Cabinet position. However, he declined at that time.
– Rahul Gandhi became the President of Congress in 2017 and resigned taking moral responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
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3. Who has been appointed the new Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
a. Klaus Lohnis
b. Viola Amherd
c. Mark Root
d. Albert Russel
Answer: c. Mark Root
– Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was appointed as the Secretary-General of NATO on June 26, 2024.
– He competed for the Secretary-General position against Romania’s PM Klaus Iohannis.
– However, Klaus withdrew his name.
Mark Rutte’s term as Prime Minister is soon coming to an end.
– He is set to become NATO’s Secretary-General at a time when the organization faces a major challenge like the Russia-Ukraine war.
– Mark Rutte’s term will begin on October 1, 2024, succeeding the current Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
– Stoltenberg’s 10-year term is ending in September.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, his term was repeatedly extended.
Netherlands – Capital – Amsterdam
– The Secretary-General is an international civil servant. He chairs all important committees of NATO.
– Additionally, he plays a crucial role in the organization’s major decisions.
– He is also responsible for the spokesperson of the organization and the head of international staff.
Wants to join Ukraine in NATO
– A NATO summit is scheduled in Lithuania in July 2024, where important decisions could be made regarding the Ukraine war and NATO’s unity.
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly reiterated his demand to join NATO.
– Russia has consistently opposed this, leading to the Russia-Ukraine war.
– In fact, Germany, France, and the United States are not ready to include Ukraine in the NATO organization during the war. These countries are concerned about angering Russia and escalating tensions.
About NATO
– NATO is a military and political alliance of European and North American countries.
Founded on April 4, 1949.
– Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
– At its founding, NATO had 12 member countries including the United States.
– Now it has 31 member countries, including 29 European and two North American countries.
– NATO’s primary responsibility is the defense of its member countries and populations.
– According to NATO’s Article 5, an attack on any member country is considered an attack on all NATO countries.
– Turkey, which joined NATO in 1952, is its only Muslim-majority member country.
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4. Which is the fourth Indian city to receive the status of ‘World Craft City’ from the World Crafts Council (WCC)?
a. Udaipur
b. Jaipur
c. Srinagar
d. Hyderabad
Answer: c. Srinagar
– The summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, a Union Territory of India, Srinagar, has been officially designated as a ‘World Craft City’ by the World Craft Council.
Fourth Indian City
– Srinagar is the fourth Indian city to receive this status. Previously, Jaipur, Malappuram, and Mysore were other Indian cities that had been recognized as World Craft Cities.
– The designation of Srinagar as a ‘World Craft City’ will promote the handloom and handicraft sectors.
– The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, shared this information on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
– The Jammu and Kashmir administration applied in 2021 for the recognition of Srinagar as a World Craft City as well as for inclusion in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Capital: Jammu (Winter)
Language: Kashmiri (Koshur)
Population: 12.5 million (2011)
Neighboring States: Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab
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5. Which state assembly passed a resolution demanding the central government to conduct caste-based census in June 2024?
a. Odisha
b. Telangana
c. Andhra Pradesh
d. Tamil Nadu
Answer: d. Tamil Nadu
– Chief Minister MK Stalin has said that the central government should start the caste-based census work soon, which has been pending since 2021.
– The state government passed a resolution on June 26, 2024, urging the central government to conduct a caste census.
– MK Stalin is the president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party.
– After the release of the caste survey report from Bihar in 2023, similar demands arose in Tamil Nadu. The ruling DMK ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), NDA ally Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) demanded a caste survey last October.
Capital: Chennai
Governor: RN Ravi
Language: Tamil
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6. David Warner has retired from international cricket, he is a player of which country’s team?
a. New Zealand
b. Australia
c. England
d. South Africa
Answer: b. Australia
– Cricket Australia (CA) shared the information about Australian opener David Warner’s retirement on June 26, 2024, through a social media post.
Career
– He has been part of the Australian team that won the World Cup three times, including the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups and the 2021 T20 World Cup.
– Warner was also the Player of the Tournament in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
– He is the highest run-scorer among Australian players in T20 Internationals.
– He has scored 3,277 runs in 110 T20 International matches.
– He began his Test career in 2011 against New Zealand in Brisbane.
– In 112 Test matches, he has scored 8,786 runs at an average of 44.59.
– This includes 26 centuries and 37 half-centuries.
– He started his ODI career against South Africa in Hobart in 2009.
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7. Who became the first female cricketer to score the most runs in an ODI series by scoring two consecutive centuries?
a. Smriti Mandhana
b. Harmanpreet
c. Priya Poonia
d. Shefali Verma
Answer: a. Smriti Mandhana
– Smriti Mandhana set this record on June 19, 2024, in the second ODI match against South Africa at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
– In the first match, she scored 117 runs off 127 balls.
– Then, in the second ODI, she played an innings of 136 runs off 120 balls.
– After scoring 90 runs in the third match, she secured this record to her name.
Cricket Career
– Left-handed batter Smriti Mandhana plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
– In domestic cricket, she represents the Maharashtra cricket team.
– In June 2018, the BCCI honored her with the ‘Best Women’s International Cricketer’ award.
– In December 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) honored her with the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint Award for the Best Female Cricketer of the Year.
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8. When is National Statistics Day celebrated?
a. 27 June
b. 28 June
c. 29 June
d. 30 June
Answer: c. 29 June
Theme for 2024:
– Use of Data for Decision Making
– This day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
– He was a genius in the field of statistics.
– He was born on June 29, 1893.
– Mahalanobis founded the Indian Statistical Institute in 1931, which conducts censuses and other surveys in the country.
– In 2007, the central government announced the celebration of Statistics Day on June 29.
– This day is observed to raise public awareness about the importance of statistics in the formulation of socio-economic policies.
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