weekly current affairs 01 07 july 2021

Weekly Current Affairs – 01st – 07th July 2021

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Cabinet Approvals

• Cabinet approves MoU between India and Nepal in the field of Health Research & signed between I ndian Council of

Medical Research (ICMR), India and the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), Nepal

• Cabinet approves MoU between India and Myanmar in the field of health research signed between Indian Council of

Medical Research (ICMR), India and the Department of Medical Research (DMR), Ministry of Health and Sports of

Myanmar

• Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Department of Administrative Reforms and Public

Grievances, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India and the Public Service

Commission, Office of the President, Republic of The Gambia on Refurbishing Personnel Administration and

Governance Reforms.

• Cabinet approves the extension of the terminal date for registration of beneficiaries for avail ing the benefit under

Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) for another nine months i.e. from 30th June, 2021 to 31st March, 2022. This

scheme is being implemented through Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) to reduce financial burden of the

employers of various sectors/industries and to encourage them to hire more workers.

• Under ABRY, establishments registered with EPFO and their new employees drawing monthly wage of less than Rs.

15,000/- are being benefited if the establishment recruits new employees or those who lost their job between 01.03.2020

to 30.09.2020.

• Under ABRY, Government of India is crediting for a period of two years both the employees' and employers share' (24%

of wages) or only the employees' share (12% of wages), depending on the strength of EPFO registered establishments.

Detailed scheme guidelines can be seen on the website of Ministry of Labour & Employment and EPFO.

• Cabinet approves BharatNet implementation through Public Private Partnership Model in 16 States with optical fibre

connectivity to all inhabited villages, BharatNet will now extend upto all inhabited villages beyond Gram Panchayats

(GPs)

• The estimated maximum viability gap funding approved for the above PPP model is Rs. 19,041 crores.






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• The States covered under the Cabinet approval today are Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab,

Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and

Arunachal Pradesh. An estimated 3.61 lakh villages including GPs will be covered.

• Cabinet has approved Loan Guarantee Scheme for Covid Affected Sectors (LGSCAS) enabling funding to the tune of

Rs. 50,000 crore to provide financial guarantee cover for brownfield expansion and greenfield projects related to health/

medical infrastructure.

• Cabinet has also approved additional funding up to Rs. 1,50,000 crore under Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme

(ECLGS).

Targets:

• LGSCAS: The Scheme would be applicable to all eligible loans sanctioned up to 31.03.2022, or till an amount of Rs.

50,000 crore is sanctioned, whichever is earlier. The proposed LGSCAS is aimed at upscaling the medical infrastructure

in the country, specifically targeting underserved areas. LGSCAS would provide a guarantee of 50 percent for brownfield

projects and 75 per cent to greenfield projects for loans sanctioned up to Rs.100 crore, set up at urban or rural locations

other than 8 Metropolitan Tier 1 cities (Class X cities). For aspirational districts, the guarantee cover for both brownfield

expansion and greenfield projects shall be 75%.

• ECLGS: It is a continuing scheme. The Scheme would be applicable to all eligible loans sanctioned under Guaranteed

Emergency Credit Line (GECL)till 30.09.2021, or till an amount of rupees four lakh fifty thousand crore is sanctioned

under the GECL, whichever is earlier.

Delimitation Commission to visit Jammu & Kashmir

• Delimitation Commission under the Chairpersonship of Justice (Retd.) Mrs. Ranjana Prakash Desai, in the presence of

Shri Sushil Chandra, Chief Election Commissioner has decided to visit the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir from

6th July, 2021 (Tuesday) to 9th July, 2021 (Friday).

• During this period, the Commission will interact with political parties, public representatives and Union Territory

administration officials including District Election Officers/ Deputy Commissioners of 20 districts of the Union Territory to

gather first hand information and input concerning the on-going process of delimitation as mandated under the Jammu &

Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.






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• The Delimitation Commission was constituted in March 2020 and its term was extended by another year in March 2021

in view of the on-going pandemic. Third Member of the Commission is the State Election Commissioner of Union

Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. The Commission also has five Associate Members nominated by the Speaker, Lok

Sabha.

India’s 1st Fenton Catalytic Reactor Wastewater Treatment Plant

• Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani virtually inaugurated the country's first Fenton Catalytic Reactor, an advanced

industrial wastewater treatment plant, at Vatva industrial area of the city.

• With 30 MLD (million litres per day) capacity, Fenton Catalytic Reactor has been set by the Green Environment Services

Co-operative Society Limited (GESCSL) in its premises in Vatva GIDC at a cost of Rs 70 crore

About Gujarat:

• Chief Minister – Vijay Rupani

• Governor – Acharya Devvrat

• Capital – Gandhinagar

Srinagar to host two-day Regional Conference on Good Governance Practices

• A two day Regional Conference on the theme “Replication of Good Governance Practices” will be held in Srinagar on

July 01 and 02, 2021.

• The Conference is being organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) under

the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir Administration.

• Delegates from 10 States/Union Territories will participate in the Conference.

• The e-Magazine titled ‘MINIMUM GOVERNMENT, MAXIMUM GOVERNANCE’ (MGMG) , compris ing of write-ups on

select Administrative Innovations will be released during the Conference.






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• The SushasanSankalp:Kashmir Ghoshana/Behtar Nizam E Hakumat- Kashmir Aelamia/Good Governance: Kashmir

Resolution will be adopted in the Valedictory Session.

• The main objective of the Conference is to bring national and state level organizations on the same platform to share

experiences in Administrative Innovations, Welfare Programs, Digital Governance, Citizen Centric Governance and

Capacity Building and Personnel Administration etc

NTPC to spend $3 billion setting up 7-8 GW RE capacity annually

• NTPC Ltd will invest around $3 billion in setting up 7-8 GW of renewable energy capacity every year to meet its 2031

target

• NTPC has set a target to install 60 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2032. Aiming 10 per cent

reduction in net energy intensity by 2032.

• NTPC has become India's first energy company to declare its energy compact goals as part of the UN Hi gh-level

Dialogue on Energy (HLDE)

• NTPC has declared that it will form at least 2 international alliances to facilitate clean energy research and promote

sustainability in energy value chain by 2025.

• CMD – Gurdeep Singh

• Headquarters – New Delhi

GAME Partners With SIDBI To Help MSMEs Revive

• The Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

have signed a pact to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) address their challenges that were

accentuated during the pandemic.

• The broad themes covered under the partnership include expanding credit access, increasing formalisation, building

competitive clusters, and improving the legal framework for ease of doing business






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• The two organisations have committed that at least 25 per cent of the beneficiaries from the partnership would be

women entrepreneurs.

• Focus areas of the partnership will include scaling up Udyam Registration as a unique ID for a MSME to access

schemes across the entire MSME universe; leveraging SIDBI's financial schemes as a pull to further formalisation of

enterprises and enhancing credit access to micro-enterprises.

About Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

• Chairman & Managing Director - Sivasubramanian Ramann

• Headquarter– Lucknow

About Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME):

• Founders– Ravi Venkatesan, Madan Padaki and Mekin Maheshwari

• Headquarter– Bengaluru, Karnataka

Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules 2021

• In exercise of the powers conferred by section 133 read with section 469 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013), the

Central Government, after consultation with the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) introduced Companies

(Accounting Standards) Rules, 2021 w.e.f. April 1, 2021. The not ification for the same was issued by Ministry of

Corporate Affairs (MCA).

• This introduction is a supersession of Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules, 2006.

• These rules also revised the definition of small and medium companies (SMCs) raising its threshol d turnover and

borrowing limits

• The turnover limit has been increased from Rs 50 crore to not exceeding Rs 250 crore.

• The borrowing limit has been increased from Rs 10 crore to not exceeding Rs 50 crore.

• It should be noted that revised limits under the SMC definition apply to SMCs other than banks, financial institutions or

insurance companies.

• Companies which have a turnover of less than Rs 500 crore and net worth of less than Rs 250 crore, the general

purpose accounting standards of ICAI apply. Rest of the companies will follow the Indian accounting standards (IndAS).






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About National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA):

• Chairperson– Rangachari Sridharan

• Headquarter– New Delhi

Small and Medium Sized Company” (SMC) means, a company -

I. whose equity or debt securities are not listed or are not in the process of listing on any stock exchange, whether in India

or outside India;

II. which is not a bank, financial institution or an insurance company;

III. whose turnover (excluding other income) does not exceed two hundred and fifty crore rupees in the immediately

preceding accounting year;

IV. which does not have borrowings (including public deposits) in excess of fifty crore rupees at any time during the

immediately preceding accounting year; and

V. which is not a holding or subsidiary company of a company which is not a small and medium-sized company.

An interactive virtual museum to showcase the tales of valour of the country’s Gallantry award winners

• Ministry of Defence has initiated a project to create an interactive virtual museum of the country’s Gallantry award

winners to honour the heroic deeds of the bravehearts of India. MoD will implement the project, with no financial

implications, in partnership with Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and Confederation of Indian Industries

(CII).

• The virtual museum will be hosted by the Gallantry awards portal

• It will provide a 3D walk-through experience through a Gallery Building, Wall of Fame, an Awardee Gallery with their

photos &profiles, a tour of War Memorials and an auditorium ‘The War Room’ hosting the tales of bravery.

• The museum will include a range of animation videos that would bring to life the gallant stories of war heroes. In addition,

there will be facility for the visitors to pay their respects by posting a tribute message.






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Union Agriculture Minister Sh. Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates National Horticulture Board Centre at

Gwalior

• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India opened centre in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Sh.

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare inaugurated the new Centre of National

Horticulture Board (NHB) at Gwalior.

• NHB, which is mandated for integrated development of hi-tech commercial horticulture and post-harvest

management/cold chain infrastructure in the country, is having centers/offices at various locations of the country and

atleast one centre is there almost in each state for implementation, monitoring and coordination of its various Schemes

and activities.

Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar flags off Crop Insurance Week

• Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar today launched the Crop Insurance

Awareness Campaign for Fasal Bima Yojana during the Crop Insurance Week as a part of Government’s India@75

campaign ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, commemorating 75 years of India’s Independence.

• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana achieves milestone of Rs 95,000 crores claims paid to farmers.

• PM Fasal Bima Yojana aims to provide security cover to each farmer.

• From 1 July – 7 July 2021, multiple engagement activities will be conducted with farmers of these areas/districts through

PMFBY vans, radio, regional newspapers, wall paintings, including digital media.

• PMFBY was launched in 2016 under the leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi and his vision to provide financial security

to the farmers of India from vagaries of nature and secure their hard work. Till date, the scheme has insured over 29.16

crore farmer applications (5.5 crore farmer applications on year-on-year basis). Over the period of 5 years, more than 8.3

crore farmer applications have benefited from the scheme. Moreover, Rs.95,000 crores claims have been paid as

against Rs. 20,000 crore farmers share.






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CMPDI and CCL ink MoA for development o f Solar Power Projects

• MoA was signed between Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI) and Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL), Ranchi

today for development of Solar Power Projects. This MoA will open a new path for CIL in becoming a Net Zero Energy

company.

• The MoA was signed by Sri A. K. Singh, General Manager (E&M), CMPDI and Sri V.K. Singh, General Manager (E&M),

CCL.

7th INDIAN OCEAN NAVAL SYMPOSIUM (IONS)

• The 7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), a biennial event, was hosted by the French Navy at La

Réunion from 28 June to 01 July 2021

• IONS, conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008, seeks to enhance maritime cooperation among Navies of the littoral states

of the IOR by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regional ly relevant maritime issues that would lead

to common understanding on the way ahead.

• he chairmanship of IONS has been held by India (2008-10), UAE (2010-12), South Africa (2012-14), Australia (2014-16),

Bangladesh (2016-18) and Islamic Republic of Iran (2018-21). France has assumed the Chairmanship on 29 Jun 21 for a

two-year tenure.

• IONS Conclave of Chiefs (CoC) is the decision-making body at the level of Chiefs of Navies, which meets biennially.

6th IONS and CoC was conducted by Iran Navy in April 2018 at Tehran. Owing to the pandemic, the CoC 2021, will be

hosted by French Navy later this year.






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INS Tabar Deployed to Participate in Joint Exercises with Friendly Navies in Africa and Europe

• Indian Navy Ship (INS) Tabar has been deployed to participate in Russian Navy Day celebrations and joint exercises

with friendly navies in Africa and Europe. INS Tabar started its journey on June 13, 2021 and will visit a number of places

till September, 2021.

• During the deployment, INS Tabar will transit across the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, North

Sea and Baltic Sea while making port calls at Djibouti, Egypt, Italy, France, UK, Russia, Netherlands, Morocco, and

Arctic Council countries like Sweden and Norway.

• In addition to PASSEX with host navies of countries being visited, the ship is also scheduled to participate in bilateral

exercises like Ex Konkan with Royal Navy, Ex Varuna with French Navy and Ex Indra with Russian Federation Navy.

• INS Tabar is a Talwar-class stealth Frigate and is commanded by Captain M Mahesh. It is part of Indian Navy’s Western

Fleet, which is based at Mumbai.

Refurbished Janpath building for IGNCA Inaugurated

• Refurbished Janpath building for Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts was inaugurated by Minister of State(I/C) for

Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahalad Singh Patel and Minister of State (I/C) for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep

Singh Puri, in New Delhi .

• Till the time the permanent building of IGNCA is constructed, the center has been temporarily shifted to the Janpath

Hotel building. 3 lakh books, 30 lakh manuscripts preserved in micro films, 1 lakh 8 thousand pictures of various aspects

of Indian culture in digital medium, 16 thousand shooting tapes, including hundreds of oil paintings, sculptures, masks

and other materials have been shifted in a systematic and professional manner to the temporary building at IGNCA. The

temporary campus is a 5-storey state-of-the-art office has been built at Hotel Janpath, in which adequate space and

facilities for the members of the institute, along with modern equipment, auditorium, studio and amphi- theater have also

been established. The work has been done effectively by the Central Public Works Department.

• The permanent campus of IGNCA will come up at Jamnagar House on C-Hexagon or the India Gate circle in New Delhi.






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• Indira Gandhi National Center (IGNCA) for the Arts is home to invaluable collections of artifacts, manuscripts, books,

paintings, sculptures, and all that reflect the heritage of Indian culture. The IGNCA was conceived as a center

encompassing the study and experience of all arts.

PLI Scheme for IT Hardware manufacturing herald a new era in Laptops, Tablets, All-in-One P ersonal

Computers (PCs) and Servers electronics manufacturing

• Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology (MeitY) has approved 14 eligible applicants under the Production

Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for IT Hardware. PLI Scheme for IT Hardware notified on 3rd March 2021, extends an

incentive of 4% to 2%/1% on net incremental sales (over base year of FY 2019-20) of goods under target segments that

are manufactured in India to eligible companies, for a period of four years (FY2021-22 to FY 2024-25). The target

segments under the PLI Scheme for IT Hardware include Laptops, Tablets, All -in-One Personal Computers (PCs) and

Servers.

• Four companies have been selected under the category IT Hardware Companies which include Dell, ICT (Wistron),

Flextronics and Rising Stars Hi-Tech (Foxconn).

• Under the category of Domestic Companies, 10 companies namely Lava International Limited, Dixon Technologies

(India) Limited, Infopower Technologies (JV of Sahasra and MiTAC), Bhagwati (Micromax) Neolync, Optiemus, Netweb,

Smile Electronics, VVDN and Panache Digilife have been approved.

• Over the next 4 years, the approved companies under the PLI Scheme for IT Hardware are expected to lead to a total

production of more than INR 1.61 lakh crore. Out of the total production, the approved companies under IT Hardware

companies category have proposed a production of INR 84,746 crore. The approved companies under Domestic

Companies category have proposed a production of INR 76,007 crore. The scheme will bring additional investment in IT

Hardware manufacturing to the tune of INR 2,517 crore.






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Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM) partners with Microsoft to build an A I

and Emerging Technologies Centre of Excellence

• The Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM) and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) for a strategic partnership to build an AI and emerging technologies Centre of Excellence at

AJNIFM. The collaboration seeks to explore the role of cloud, AI and emerging technologies for transforming and

shaping the future of public finance management in India.

About AJNIFM:

• The Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM) is a Centre of Excellence specialising in capacity

building of professionals in the fields of Public Policy, Financial Management and other governance issues for promoting

highest standards of professional competence and practice. AJNIFM was set up in 1993 as a registered society under

Ministry of Finance, Government of India. AJNIFM plays a pivotal role in governance and administrative reforms by

providing a platform for interaction and exchange of ideas and experiences among officers from different organized

services, different state governments and between personnel of civil and defense establishments

About Microsoft India

• Microsoft enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to

empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft set up its India operations in

1990. Today,

Commerce Ministry’s Logistics Division unveils plans for ‘Freight Smart Cities’

• Hardeep Singh Puri launched the website on ‘Freight Smart Cities’ and also released a handbook outlining 14 measures

that can be taken to improve urban freight.






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• Under the Freight Smart Cities initiative, city-level logistics committees would be formed. These committees would have

related government departments and agencies at the local level, state and from the reacted central ministries and

agencies. These would also include private sector from the logistics services and also users of logistics services. These

committees would co-create City Logistics Plans to implement performance improvement measures locally.

• On the Freight smart city initiatives, the Logistics Division is working closely with GIZ (Germany) under Indo-German

Development Cooperation, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) India.

• From the ten cities to be identified on immediate basis, it is planned to expand the list to 75 cities in the next phase

before scaling up throughout the country including all state capitals and cities that have more than one million population.

Shri Prahlad Singh Patel chairs 6th meeting of BRICS Culture Ministers

• The Minister of State (I//C) for Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel hosted 6th BRICS Culture Ministers’

Meeting through video conference.

• The delegates from Culture Ministries of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India,

the People's Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa participated in the meeting.

• Shri Patel also mentioned the aptness of India’s theme for BRICS Chairship “BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS cooperation for

continuity, consolidation and consciousness in context of promotion of BRICS cultural cooperation.

Youth from 25 countries to participate in Republic Day 2022 celebrations as pa rt o f ‘ Azadi ka A mrit

Mahotsav’

• The National Cadets Corps (NCC) will be inviting youth delegations of 25 countries from across all six inhabited

continents to participate in the Republic Day 2022 celebrations.

• Out of these, youth delegations would be invited for the first time from 15 countries - USA, Canada, UK, France, Japan,

Oman, UAE, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria and Seychelles. They will be in

India from January 15-29, 2022, as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, commemorating 75 years of India’s

Independence.






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• These 15 countries will be in addition to the existing 10 foreign countries - Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia,

Kazakhstan, Singapore, Kyrgyz Republic, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Vietnam - with whom NCC already has an ongoing

Youth Exchange Program. All together, approximately 300 cadets of National Cadet Corps/equivalent/youth

organisations from these 25 countries would be invited to participate in the celebrations.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses 17th World Congress for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy

• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addressed at the inaugural session of the 17th World

Congress for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy.

• The event organised by Indian Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology was inaugurated by Vice President Shri

Venkaiah Naidu.

• The prestigious World Congress happened for the first time to Asia. The theme of the World congress “Eliminating

Cervical Cancer: Call for Action” is aligned to the WHO call for Elimination of Cervical Cancer by 2030.

Six technology innovation platforms launched for development of technologies for globally compet itive

manufacturing in India

• Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Prakash Javadekar today inaugurated (through virtual mode) six

Technology Innovation Platforms which will focus on development of technologies for the globally competit ive

manufacturing in India.

• The Six Technology Platforms have been developed by IIT Madras,Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI),

International Centre for Automotive Technology(iCAT), Automotive Research Association of India(ARAI),BHEL and HMT






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in association with IIScBanglore. These platforms will focus on development of technologies for the globally competitive

manufacturing in India.

• These platforms will facilitate industry (including OEMs, Tier 1 Tier 2 & Tier 3 companies & Raw Material Manuf acturers),

start-ups, domain experts/professionals, R&D institutions and academia (colleges & universities), to provide technology

solutions, suggestions, expert opinions etc. on issues involving manufacturing technologies.

• Following are the links to register on the six Technology Platforms:

• https://aspire.icat.in

• https://sanrachna.bhel.in/

• https://technovuus.araiindia.com/

• https://techport.hmtmachinetools.com

• https://kite.iitm.ac.in/

• https://drishti.cmti.res.in/

Ministry of Rural Development’s DAY-NRLM and IWWAGE host Gender Samvaad

• The Second Gender Samvaad was organised by the Ministry of Rural Development’s Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-

National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) and the Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the

Economy (IWWAGE) at LEAD. This edition of the Gender Samvaad, held virtually, focused on the best practices of

various states and from women’s collectives under DAY-NRLM in responding to the COVID-19 crisis

• Gender Samvaad is an attempt to create a common platform for generating greater awareness on NRLM’s interventions,

and the impact of its gender operational strategy, across the country. The Samvaad focuses on highlighting best

practices and the lessons learnt in implementing gender responsive interventions, with a focus on hearing voices from

the states and the field.

• Two compendiums were released on this occasion. This included a compendium on the DAY -NRLM’s efforts towards

strengthening Food, Nutrition, Health and WASH through State Missions and community institutions. It highlighted the

work being done on key themes under the POSHAN Maah such as breastfeeding, complementary feeding, importance

of early identification of severe-acute malnutrition and promotion of nutrition gardens for diet diversity. The second

compendium captures stories of resilience from rural India during the COVID related pandemic in 2021, and how SHGs

responded to the needs of women during and after the second wave.






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DRDO’s Short Span Bridging System-10 m inducted into Indian Army

• The first production lot of 12 Short Span Bridging System (SSBS)-10 m, designed and developed by Defence Research

and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been inducted into Indian Army.

• Research & Development Establishment (Engrs) Pune, a premier engineering laboratory of DRDO, has designed and

developed the system in association with M/s L&T Ltd.

• Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy

Minister of Ayush Shri Kiren Rijiju launches five Important Portals on Ayush sector

• Minister launched CTRI portal pertinent to Ayurveda Dataset along with AMAR, RMIS, SAHI and e-Medha portals. He

also released four publications related to the Traditional Indian Medicine System of India with the collaborative efforts of

ICMR and Archaeological Survey of India for these initiatives.

• Ayurveda Dataset on Clinical Trial Registry of India- CTRI is a primary Register of Clinical Trials under the world health

Organization’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Creation of Ayurveda Data Set in CTRI facilitates the usage

of Ayurveda Terminologies to record clinical study based on Ayurveda interventions. This is a great step towards a

worldwide visibility for Ayurveda based Clinical Trials.

• CCRAS (Central Council for Research in A yurvedic Sc iences) -Resea rch M anagem ent I nformat ion S ystem- A

collaborative effort of ICMR and CCRAS, this portal will be a one stop solution for Research and Development in

Ayurveda based studies. Free of cost research guidance by experienced Scientists, Clinicians of Ayurveda can be

availed through this portal. Research tools, reference material are also in place in this portal.

• E-Medha (electronic Medical Heritage Accession) Portal- Online public access catalog for more than 12000 Indian

medical heritage books through NIC’s e-granthalaya platform.






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• AMAR (Ayush Manuscripts Advanced Repository) Portal- This Portal is of immense value and it has digitized informat ion

on rare and hard to find Manuscripts and catalogues of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa in libraries or in

individual collections across India or in other parts of the world.

• SHAI (Showcase of Ayurveda His torical Imprints) Portals - This portal showcases inscriptions, Archeo-botanical

Information, Sculptures, Philological sources and advanced Archeo Genetic studies. This portal will be of tremendous

use in understanding of Indian Knowledge system with a focus on indigenous health care practices.

Apart from these five Portals, four publications were also released by the Ministry of Ayush:

1. Proceedings of International workshop on” Preservation and Promotion of SOWA-RIGPA in Asia

2. Compendium of Important Cereals mentioned in Ayurveda-Series-1, volume-1

3. Ayurveda Sangraha: An important classical textbook of Ayurveda which is mentioned in the Schedule 1 of Drugs and

Cosmetics Act 1940. Up till now this book was available in Bengali language. Now it has been transliterated to

Devanagari Script.

4. PathapathyaVinishcaya- An important book of Ayurveda and has details of diet and lifestyle.

Setting up of Advisory Council for Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)

• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry has initiated a

project on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

• The task has been assigned to Quality Council of India (QCI). ONDC aims at promoting open networks developed on

open sourced methodology, using open specifications and open network protocols independent of any specific platform.

• An adv isory council has been constituted to advise the Government on measures needed to design and accel erate

adoption of ONDC. The members of the Advisory council will be:

1. Shri R.S. Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority

2. Shri Nandan M. Nilekani, non-executive Chairman of Infosys

3. Shri Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman, QCI and Capacity Building Commission

4. Ms Anjali Bansal, Founder & Chairperson, Avaana Capital

5. Shri Arvind Gupta, Co-founder & Head, Digital India Foundation






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6. Shri Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO, NPCI

7. Shri Suresh Sethi, MD & CEO, NSDL

8. Shri Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary-General, CAIT

9. Shri Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, RAI

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates the Co-WIN Global Conclave

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today addressed the CoWin Global Conclave as India presented the indigenously

developed CoWIN platform to the world at the virtual global meet of representatives from 142 countries. Dr Harsh

Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare chaired the inaugural session organized to share India’s learnings

and experiences with regards to planning, strategizing and executing the world’s largest vaccination drive through Co-

WIN.

• Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Hon'ble Minister of State for ICT, Bangladesh, Lyonpo Dechen Wangmo, Health Minister, Bhutan,

Dr. Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh, Minister of Health, Djibouti, Dr. Frank C. Anthony, Minister of Health, Guyana, Dr Shah

Mahir, Minister of State for Health, Maldives, Dr. Wahid Majrooh, Minister for Public Health, Afghanistan also participated

virtually.

• The Global Conclave was jointly organized by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Ministry of External Affai rs

(MEA) and National Health Authority (NHA) with an objective to extend the Co-WIN platform as a digital public good to

the world.

52nd IFFI to be held from 20th -28th November 2021 in Goa

• Minister of Information and Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar today released the regulations and poster for the 52nd

edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The festival will be held in Goa from 20th -28th November 2021.






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• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is reckoned as one of Asia's oldest and India's biggest international film

festivals. The 52nd edition of IFFI will be held in a hybrid format considering the success of the 51st edition in January

2021. The Festival is being organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), Minis try of Information and

Broadcasting, Government of India in collaboration with the State Government of Goa and the Indian Film Industry.

• On the occasion of the birth centenary of the maestro of Indian cinema Shri Satyajit Ray, this time the Directorate of

Films Festivals, Ministry of I&B, will pay a tribute through a Special Retrospective at the IFFI. Also, in recognition of the

auteur’s legacy, the “Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema” has been instituted from this

year to be given at the IFFI every year starting from this year.

Ministry of Tourism signs MOU with YATRA.COM

• Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to strengthen the Hospitality & Tourism Industry signed Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) with Yatra on 02nd July 2021. The event was organized under the arrangement between Ministry

of Tourism and Quality Council of India (QCI) for implementing measures for strengthening the Indian Hospitality &

Tourism Industry.

• The primary objective of this MoU is to provide extensive visibility to accommodation units, which have self -certified

themselves on SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness & Training for the Hospitality Industry) on the OTA

platform. The MoU also outlines both parties to encourage Units to register on NIDHI and thereby on SAATHI and

encourage local tourism Industry with appropriate safeguards for curbing spread of COVID-19

‘One Nation One Ration Card’ by July 31, 2021






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• The Supreme Court of India directed all states and Union territories (UT) to implement the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’

scheme for the benefit of migrant workers by July 31, 2021.

• Recognising that workers in the unorganised sector were hit hard during the pandemic, the two-judge bench of Justice

Ashok Bhushan and Justice MR Shah asked the Centre to develop a portal in consultation with National Informatics

Centre (NIC) for registration of the unorganised labourers / migrant workers under the National Database for

Unorganised Workers.

• It also directed that the process of registration of the unorganised labourers / migrant workers be completed at the

earliest, but not later than December 31, 2021.

• ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ (ONORC) scheme was started in June 2019 to enable migrant workers and their family

members to buy subsidised ration from any fair price shop anywhere in the country under the National Food Security

Act(NFSA), 2013.

• As of March 2021, 17 states have implemented the scheme, the 4 States/UT (Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi & West

Bengal) were not yet covered under the scheme

Glacial Lake Atlas of Ganga River Basin Released

• The Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Sh.

Pankaj Kumar today released theGlacial Lake Atlas of Ganga Basin in a virtual event, in the presence of Secretary,

Department of Space & Chairman, ISRO,Dr. K. Sivan and other senior officers of DoWR, RD & GR, Department of

Space, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and State Government Authorities.

• The present glacial lake atlas is based on the inventoried glacial lakes in part of Ganga River basin from its origin to

foothills of Himalayas covering a catchment area of 2,47,109 sq. km. The study portion of Ganga River basin covers part

of India and transboundary region. The Atlas is available on Bhuvan portal of NRSC, ISRO

(https://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/nhp/), India WRIS Portal (www.indiawris.gov.in) and NHP web site of DoWR, RD & GR

(www.nhp.mowr.gov.in).

• The Secretary, Department of Space & Chairman, ISRO, Dr. K. Sivan also launchedthe NHP –Bhuvan portal of

NRSC.The National Hydrology Project or NHP-BhuvanPortal is a repository of information on the initiatives undertaken

by NRSC under NHP with a facility to download the reports and knowledge products being developed by NRSC.





https://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/nhp/

http://www.indiawris.gov.in/

http://www.nhp.mowr.gov.in/


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• National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hyderabad as one of the

Implementing Agency under the National Hydrology Project (NHP), is carrying out hydrological studies using satellite

data and geospatial techniques.

The expected utility of the atlas is:

• The atlas provides a comprehensive and systematic glacial lake database for Ganga River basin with size > 0.25 ha

• In the context of climate change impact analysis, the atlas can be used as reference data for carrying out change

analysis, both with respect to historical and future time periods

• The atlas also provides authentic database for regular or periodic monitoring changes in spatial extent

(expansion/shrinkage), and formation of new lakes

• The atlas can also be used in conjunction with glacier information for their retreat and climate impact studies.

• The information on glacial lakes like their type, hydrological, topographical, and associated glaciers are useful in

identifying the potential critical glacial lakes and consequent GLOF risk.

• Central and State Disaster Management Authorities can make use of the atlas for disaster mitigation planning and

related program.

SERB-DST Partners with Intel India to Advance Deep Tech-based Research

• Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) launched the Fund for Industrial Research Engagement (FIRE).

• SERB has launched it in collaboration with Intel India.

• Through this facility the Indian research community will soon be able to pursue industry -relevant research opportunities.

• Now the research community pursues industry-relevant research in the areas of deep technologies that are novel,

transformative, and can have a ground-breaking impact on a national scale.

• It should be known that the SERB is a statutory body of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of

India.

• SERB-FIRE is a novel initiative to bring together industry and academia on a common platform to exchange ground-

breaking ideas and co-promote innovative research.






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• The FIRE program is a joint government and industry initiative with a co-funding mechanism to promote innovative

technology solutions.

• This program has the capacity to strengthen academic research through collaboration with key research and

development (R&D) organizations in India.

• Having been conceived in collaboration with Intel India, it is also being extended to other industry members, which would

increase its impact and reach.

Sc ience and Engineering Research Board (SERB):

• Secretary – Professor Sandeep Verma

• Headquarters – New Delhi

About Intel

• CEO – Pat Gelsinger

• Headquarters – California

INS Kiltan Conducted Military Exercise with South Korean ship

• Indian Navy’s indigenous ASW (Anti-submarine warfare) Corvette INS (Indian Naval Ship) Kiltan conducted a Navy

Partnership Exercise in East China Sea with Republic of Korea Navy Ship (ROKS) Gyeongnam, a Daegu-class frigate.






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New Governor’s Appointment

• Shri P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of Mizoram is transferred and appointed as Governor of Goa.

• Shri Satyadev Narayan Arya, Governor of Haryana is transferred and appointed as Governor of Tripura.

• Shri Ramesh Bais, Governor of Tripura is transferred and appointed as Governor of Jharkhand.

• Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot as Governor of Karnataka.

• Shri Bandaru Dattatraya, Governor of Himachal Pradesh is transferred and appointed as Governor of Haryana.

• Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati as Governor of Mizoram.

• Shri Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel as Governor of Madhya Pradesh.

• Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar as Governor of Himachal Pradesh.






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New Ministry of Co-operation

Joint Communication for more effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act signed by Environment

and Tribal Affairs Ministries

• A “Joint Communication” was signed by Shri R.P. Gupta, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change

(MoEFCC), and Shri Anil Kumar Jha, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), in the presence of Minister of

Environment, , Shri Prakash Javadekar and Minister of Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda in New Delhi.

• The Joint Communication, addressed to all Chief Secretaries of States/UTs, pertains to more effective implementation of

the Forest Rights Act(FRA), 2006 and for harnessing the potential for livelihood improvement of the Forest Dwelling

Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs).






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Mobile App “Matsya Setu” for Fish Farmers

• Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh, launched the Online Course Mobile App

“Matsya Setu”. The app was developed by the ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA),

Bhubaneswar, with the funding support of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad. The online

course app aims to disseminate the latest freshwater aquaculture technologies to the aqua farmers of the country.

• Matsya Setu app has species-wise/ subject-wise self-learning online course modules, where renowned aquaculture

experts explain the basic concepts and practical demonstrations on breeding, seed production and grow-out culture of

commercially important fishes like carp, catfish, scampi, murrel, ornamental fish, pearl farming etc.

Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘PK’ now in NFAI Collection

• National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has announced a significant addition of the original camera negative of Rajkumar

Hirani’s film PK (2014) in its collection

• Apart from the original camera negative, about 300 cans consisting of rushes of PK and outtakes of 3 Idiots film were

also handed over for preservation.

• The original Negatives of Rajkumar Hirani‘s earlier films like Munnabhai MBBS (2003), Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006)

and 3 Idiots (2009) are already being preserved at NFAI.

• Written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, PK is a wonderful political satire on Indian society. Co-produced by

Hirani along with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, PK, also happens to be one of the last few films to be shot on celluloid in India.






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MSME Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari Becomes “Brand Ambassador” of Khad i Prakritk Paint

• Minister for Road Transport and Highways & MSME Shri Nitin Gadkari declared himself the “Brand Ambassador '' of

Khadi Prakritk Paint and said he would promote it across the country so as to encourage young entrepreneurs to take up

the manufacturing of cow dung paint.Virtually inaugurating the new automated manufacturing unit of Khadi Prakritik

Paint, India's first and only paint made from cow dung, in Jaipur

• The new plant has been set up on the campus of Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), Jaipur, which

is a unit of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)

• Khadi Prakritik Paint was launched by Shri Gadkari on 12th January 2021. The Paint has been launched with the twin

objectives of increasing farmers' income and creating self-employment across the country. To enable maximum people

to benefit from this innovation, KVIC has included this project under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Program

(PMEGP), a flagship scheme of the Central government for employment generation. Available in two variants- Distemper

and Emulsion, Khadi Prakritik Paint contains “AshtaLaabh”; i.e. the eight benefits like anti -bacterial, anti-fungal and

natural thermal insulation properties

First aircraft purchase agreement signed between GIFT city-based Vman Aviation & Airbus Helicopters

under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

• First aircraft purchase order by a GIFT city (Gujarat International Finance Tec) based leasing company under the

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan of the Government of India.

• Shri Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) presided over the signing of the purchase

agreement between Vman Aviation, GIFT City, Gandhinagar and Airbus Helicopters SAS (Marignane, France) in an

event held.






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CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Pushkar Singh Dhami takes oath as Uttarakhand CM

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pushkar Singh Dhami took oath as the eleventh chief minister of Uttarakhand.

• At 45, Dhami, the lawmaker from the Khatima assembly constituency, is the younges t chief minister of Uttarakhand

• Dhami, who had never held any ministerial position before being elevated as the chief minister, succeeds Garhwal MP

Tirath Singh Rawat, who resigned on Friday. Rawat himself succeeded Trivendra Singh Rawat, and was in office for only

around four months.

KVIC’s Unique Project BOLD to Boost Tribals’ Income and Bamboo-based Economy in Rajasthan

• A unique scientific exercise serving the combined national objectives of reducing desertification and providing livelihood

and multi-disciplinary rural industry support has been initiated by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

• The project named “Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought” (BOLD) is the first of its kind exercise in India which was

launched from the village Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

• 5000 saplings of special bamboo species – Bambusa Tulda and Bambusa Polymorpha specially brought from Assam –

have been planted.

• KVIC has thus created a world record of planting the highest number of bamboo saplings on a single day at one location.

• Project BOLD, which seeks to create bamboo-based green patches in arid and semi-arid land zones.






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• The initiative has been launched as part of KVIC’s “Khadi Bamboo Festival” to celebrate 75 years of independence

“Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. KVIC is set to replicate the Project at Village Dholera in Ahmedabad district in Gujarat and

Leh-Ladakh region by August this year. Total 15,000 bamboo saplings will be planted before August 21.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Pakistan remains in FATF’s ‘Grey List’

• Pakistan has been retained on the ‘Grey List’ or list of countries under ‘increased monitoring’ by the Financial Action

Task Force (FATF)

• The decision was announced at the conclusion of the multilateral watchdog’s five-day virtual plenary meeting under the

German presidency of Marcus Pleyer.

• FATF also placed Malta on the ‘Grey List’ along with countries like Haiti, Philippines and South Sudan.

• Ghana had been removed from the FATF List of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring (Grey list).

• Countries that are considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey

list.

India - EU Cooperation in Agriculture

• A Virtual meeting between Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Mr. Janusz

Wojciechowski, Member of the European Commission, Agriculture was held

• Both dignitaries discussed EU Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and the recent India market reforms; EU Farm to Fork

Strategy and UN Food System Summit and bilateral cooperation; G20 Agriculture Minister process and fixation of the

Maximum Residue Limit of Tricyclazole in Indian Basmati Rice by the EU.






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World's first solo motorcycle expedition in Northern Himalayan passes culminates

• The world's first solo motorcycle expedition undertaken by Miss Kanchan Ugusandi, covering 18 treacherous passes in

Northern Himalayan ranges culminated at Seema Sadak Bhawan in New Delhi.

• The expedition was flagged off by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh

• The month-long expedition witnessed many firsts by a solo woman rider. Miss Ugusandi has become the first solo

woman biker to scale the Umlingla Pass, the first woman to cover the 18 passes and also the first woman to traverse a

distance of 3,187 kilometre from New Delhi-Manali-Leh -Umlingla-Delhi in one go.

• The expedition was jointly flagged in by Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhryand Chairman

of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Shri SM Vaidya.Miss Ugusanditraversed the distance in 25 days and crossed 18 pass es

to include the world's highest motorable Umlingla pass at 19,300 feet made by Border Roads Organisation (BRO). On

successful completion of the expedition, DGBR complemented Miss Ugusandifor her determination and perseverance in

undertaking the expedition through extremely harsh terrain and also to honour the dauntless courage and supreme

sacrifice of BRO Karmyogis for the development of road infrastructure in border areas.

WHO awarded China a Malaria-Free Certificate

• World Health Organization (WHO) awarded China a malaria-free certification.

• It reported zero cases for last the 4 years.

• China is the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to be awarded a malaria-free certification in more than 3

decades. Other countries in the region that have achieved this status include Australia (1981), Singapore (1982) and

Brunei Darussalam (1987).






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CURRENT AFFAIRS:BANKING NEWS

Kotak Mahindra Bank launched ‘Pay Your Contact’ service

• Kotak Mahindra Bank has announced launch of a new feature that enables its customers to send money or make

payments to any of their contacts across all payment apps simply by the beneficiary’s mobile number.

• There is no requirement of account number or IFSC (Indian Financial System Code) or Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

IDs for transactions.

• Pay Your Contact service uses the UPI platform.

RBl imposes monetary penalty on the Nagar Sahkari Bank Limited, Etawah

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBl) has imposed, by an order dated July 02, 2021, a monetary penalty of ₹1.00 lakh

(Rupees One Lakh only) on the Nagar Sahkari Bank Limited, Etawah (the bank) for contravention of section 35A read

with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and regulations on 'Income Recognition, Asset Classification,

Provisioning and Other Related Matters – UCBs’ .This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI

under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) and Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act,

1949.

RBI imposes monetary penalty on Punjab and Sind Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed, by an order dated July 02, 2021, a monetary penalty of ₹25.00 lakh

(Rupees twenty five lakh only) on Punjab and Sind Bank (the bank) for non-compliance with certain provisions of

directions issued by RBI on ‘Cyber Security Framework in Banks’ dated June 2, 2016.






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• This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of section 47 A (1) (c) read with

sections 46 (4) (i) and 51 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Review of Instructions on Interest on overdue domestic deposits

Amendments to Master Directions

Sl. No. Ex isting Section Amended Section

A. Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Interest Rate on Deposits) Directions, 2016 dated March 03, 2016 (Updated as

on February 22, 2019)

Section 9 (b) Interest on overdue domestic deposits

If a Term Deposit matures and proceeds

are unpaid, the amount left unclaimed with

the bank shall attract rate of interest as

applicable to savings deposits.

Interest on overdue domestic deposits

If a Term Deposit (TD) matures and proceeds are unpaid, the

amount left unclaimed with the bank shall attract rate of interest

as applicable to savings account or the contracted rate of

interest on the matured TD, whichever is lower.

B. Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Co-operative Banks - Interest Rate on Deposits) Directions, 2016 dated May

12, 2016

Section 9 (b) Interest on overdue domestic deposits

If a term deposit matures and proceeds are

unpaid, the amount left unclaimed with the

co-operative bank shall attract rate of

interest as applicable to savings deposits

Interest on overdue domestic deposits

If a Term Deposit (TD) matures and proceeds are unpaid, the

amount left unclaimed with the co-operative bank shall attract

rate of interest as applicable to savings account or the

contracted rate of interest on the matured TD, whichever is

lower.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Mastercard buys stake in Instamojo

• Mastercard has picked up an equity stake in Instamojo, a digital platform catering to small businesses and self -employed

workers, for an undisclosed amount.






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• Instamojo provides small and micro merchants a ready-made virtual platform through which they can set up an e-

commerce business and accept digital payments.

• Mastercard committed Rs 250 crores in 2020 to support small businesses in India.

About Mastercard:

• Headquarters – New York

• CEO – Michael Miebach

About Instamojo:

• Headquarters – Bangalore

• CEO – Sampad Swain

CCI approves merger of Tech Data Corporation with SYNNEX Corporation

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves merger of Tech Data Corporation (Tech Data) with SYNNEX

Corporation (SYNNEX) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002

• The Proposed Combination is a merger within the meaning of Section 5(c) of the Competition Act, 2002. It will be

effected through the following steps:

➢ Merger of Sub I with and into Tiger Parent, with Tiger Parent being the surviving entity;

➢ Merger of Tiger Parent with and into Sub II, with Sub II being the surviving entity and remaining as a direct

wholly owned subsidiary of SYNNEX; and

➢ Upon steps (i) and (ii) of the transaction coming into effect, and in consideration of the shares of common stock

of Tiger Parent held by Tiger Holdings, SYNNEX will issue approximately 45% shares of its common stock

(carrying proportionate voting rights) to Tiger Holdings.

• SYNNEX, founded in 1980, is a corporation formed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, U.S.A. It is

headquartered in Fremont, California and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. SYNNEX provides technology

products and solutions for information technology (IT) systems to resellers and retail customers.

• Apollo Management L.P is a limited partnership formed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, U.S.A. As

described in the Notice, investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Management, L.P. (collectively referred to as

Apollo) invest in companies and debt issued by companies involved in various businesses throughout the world.

• Tiger Parent is a corporation formed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, U.S.A. Tiger Parent is

currently the holding company of Tech Data. Tiger Holdings is the sole member and holder of all issued and outstanding

shares of common stock of Tiger. Tiger Parent and Tiger Holdings are controlled by investment funds managed by

affiliates of Apollo.






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CCI approves acquisition of SB Energy Holding Limited by Adani Green Energy Limited

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition by Adani Green Energy Limited (“Acquirer”) of SB

Energy Holding Limited (“Target”) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002

• The Proposed Combination envisages the acquisition of the entire (i.e., 100%) shareholding of the Target by the

Acquirer from the Target’s existing shareholders.

• The Acquirer is engaged in the business of power generation through renewable energy. The Acquirer is part of the

Adani group, which is an Indian multinational conglomerate comprising of six publicly traded companies. In India, the

Acquirer and its subsidiaries are engaged in the business of power generation inter alia through (i) solar energy, (ii) wind

energy and (iii) hybrid energy.

Highest ever merchandise exports in a quarter in the history of India

• Highest ever merchandise exports of USD 95 billion in Q1 of 2021-22 has been achieved in the history of India. This is

85% higher than exports of Q1 of 2020-21 and 18% higher than the exports of Q1 of 2019-20. It is also 16% more than

the previous highest Q1 exports of 2018-19 (USD 82 billion) and is higher than the earlier peak of exports in Q4 of 2020-

21 (USD 90 billion).

• India received the highest ever FDI inflow in 2020-21 of USD 81.72 billion. This is higher by 10% compared to USD

74.39 billion achieved in 2019-20. The positive momentum continues with FDI inflow of USD 6.24 billion during April

2021, which is 38% higher than April 2020.

Investment Clearance Cell

• The National Single Window System is a one-stop digital platform to obtain clearances & approvals. In the phase-1 of

integration, 43 Depts/Ministries & 14 States Single Window Systems are being on-boarded.






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Government announces inclusion of Retail and Wholesale trades as MSMEs

• Minister of MSME and Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari announced revised guidelines for MSMEs with

inclusion of Retail and Wholesale trades as MSMEs.

• Retail and wholesale trade were left out of the ambit of MSME, now under the revised guidelines, retail and wholesale

trade will also get benefit of priority sector lending under RBI guidelines.

• With the revised guidelines the Retail and wholesale trades will be now be allowed to register on Udyam Registration

Portal.

Ujjivan SFB Partners with LoanTap

• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) partnered with LoanTap Financial Technologies Pvt. Ltd. to provide personal loans to

salaried professionals.

• Ujjivan SFB offers personal loans on the LoanTap platform ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh with a maximum tenure

of 48 months.

LoanTap Financial Technologies Pvt. Ltd.:

• CEO and Co-Founder – Satyam Kumar

• Headquarters – Pune, Maharashtra

About Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB):

• MD & CEO– Nitin Chugh

• Headquarters – Bengaluru






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Innoviti & PhonePe Partner to Provide Dual-Display UPI at Shoppers Stop

• Innoviti Payment Solutions and PhonePe have partnered to provide Dual-Display-UPI facility at Shoppers Stop’s outlets.

• Through this feature customers can pay safely and fastly through UPI while shopping at Shoppers Stop’s outlets all over

India.

Innoviti Payment Solutions:

• Chief Executive office:Rajeev Agrawal

• Headquarters:Bengaluru

PhonePe:

• Founder & Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Sameer Nigam

• Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS IN NEWS

Delhi Metro Won Japan Society of Civil Engineers Award

• The Delhi Metro has bagged an award from the Japan Society of Civil Engineers for its "high-quality" infrastructure

development projects under phases I-III.

• The 'Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award' is for the year 2020.

• This award is given to highly selective showcasing projects in the development of civil engineering technology across the

world.






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• Earlier, Delhi Metro's implementation of Phase – I was rated 'Excellent' in a post evaluation study conducted by the

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The study rated Delhi Metro's project execution capability at '3', which is

the highest possible grade indicating that the performance of DMRC was excellent.

ACI’s Roll of Excellence Honour in ASQ

• The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) won Airport Council International’s (ACI) Director General’s Roll of

Excellence honour in airport service quality (ASQ).

• The ACI, a global body of airport operators, instituted the Roll of Excellence honour to recognise those airports that have

consistently delivered excellence in customer service by winning multiple ASQ awards over a five-year period during the

past 10 years.

• The decision is made based on the opinion of passengers collected through an AQS survey held by ACI.

• It became one among the 6 airports worldwide that received the recognition of 2021.

• The awards were scheduled to be presented at the ACI Customer Experience Global Summit which will be held on

September 9, 2021, in Montreal, Canada.

• In March 2021, CIAL won the ACI’s World’s Voice of the Customer initiative award for the health and safety practises it

implemented under COVID-19.

• CIAL has consecutively won 5 ASQ awards over the past 5 years.

Cochin International Airport Limited:

• Chairman – Pinarayi Vijayan

• Managing Director – S. Suhas

Airport Council International (ACI):

• Headquarters – Montreal, Canada

• Director General – Luis Felipe de Oliveira






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Team India 2021 wins 9 Grand Awards and 8 Special Awards at Regeneron International S cience and

Engineering Fair (ISEF)

• Team India 2021 won 9 Grand Awards and 8 Special Awards at Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair

(ISEF) for innovations ranging from identification of genes responsible that resist abiotic stress in species to augmented

reality smart stethoscope that allows non-medicals to perform accurate pulmonary screening.

• Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, virtually

interacted with the 26 winners of the Initiative for Research and Innovation in STEM -IRIS National Fair, who participated

as ‘Team India 2021’ in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). These students have

competed with 1833 budding scientists from 64 countries, regions, and territories across the globe and won 17 awards.

• IRIS National Fair was held virtually this year and saw participation from more than 65,000 students and science

enthusiasts, wherein the projects represented a wide range of scientific disciplines and were judged under 21 categories.

Each project went through a stringent judging process to select Team India 2021. The team was subsequently mentored

by the IRIS Scientific Review Committee members to prepare it for participation in ISEF.

• ‘IRIS National Fair’ is a program of EXSTEMPLAR Education Linkers Foundation; funded by Broadcom and supported

by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. School students based in India in the age

group 10 to 17 with innovative projects can participate in it responding to invitations for applications.

• IRIS aligns with 5 national level mega-fairs - National Children Science Congress (NCSC); Science Fair by National

Council of Science Museums (NCSM); Jawaharlal Nehru Science Fair by National Council of Educational Research &

Training (NCERT); Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Science Exhibition; Innovation in Science Pursuit for

Inspired Research (INSPIRE) awards program.

• To ensure that the best quality projects from across the country represent India and compete on an international

platform, the best-performing students from these fairs are encouraged to part icipate in the IRIS fair. Selected National

Award-winning projects from each of these fairs are invited to participate in Mentoring and Evaluation Camps. They are

motivated to develop their projects to meet international standards, after which 5 projects per fair are selected for the

IRIS National fair as lateral entries. A 70: 30 model is followed whereby 70 percent of the students are selected from

open competition and 30 percent from among the best 5 in the other fairs.






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Shivam Rawat

• Grand Award: Second Award Of $2,000 Genome-wide Identification, Phylogeny, And Characterization Of The Nac Gene

Family In Brassica Juncea For Prediction Of Stressassociated Nac Genes - Plant Sciences

Aria Vikram

• Grand Award: Third Award Of $1,000 Special Award: U.S. Agency For International Development: Third Award Global

Health Of $2,000 Stethodoc: Screening For Lung Disorders With An Augmented Reality Guided Smart Stethoscope -

Biomedical Engineering

Chinmayi Ramasubramanian

• Grand Award: Third Award Of $1,000 Special Award: Acoustical Society Of America: Honorable Mention Diagnosing The

Stage Of Covid-19 Using Machine Learning On Breath Sounds- Translational Medical Sciences

Jui Abhijit Keskar

• Grand Award: Third Award Of $1,000 Special Award: Shanghai Youth Science Educat ion Society: Science Seed Award

Jtremor3d: A Wearable Tremor Profiling Device For Patients With Parkinson’s Disease - Biomedical And Health

Sciences

Addea Gupta

• Grand Award: Third Award Of $1,000 Diophantus Equations And Partially Ordered Sets - Mathematics

Vishnu Sampathkumar

• Grand Award: Fourth Award Of $500 Adiag: Graph Neural Network Based Diagnosis Of Alzheimer’s Disease -

Translational Medical Sciences

Utkarsh Bajaj

• Grand Award: Fourth Award Of $500 Visual Appearance Of Extended Objects In Special Relativity - Physics And

Astronomy

Aranyo Ray & Anwesha Das

• Grand Award: Fourth Award Of $500 Special Award: American Psychological Association: First Award Of $1,500 Autest:

Culturally Adapted Risk-assessment Game For Autism Spectrum Disorder - Behavioral And Social Sciences

Sidharth Jain & Aasimm Khan

• Grand Award: Fourth Award Of $500 Creating A Haptic 4d Model Along With Machine Learning Analysis By Developing

A Non-invasive Pressure Mapping Method To Screen Genital Skin Cancer - Biomedical Engineering

Rushank Goyal

• Special Award: Embark China: First Award Of $3000 Special Award: American Statistical Association: Certificate Of

Honorable Mention Respred: Biomarker Discovery And Antibiotic Resistance Prediction Through Machine Learning-

based Genomic Analysis Of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae - Computational Biology And Bioinformatics






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Niranjan Baskaran

• Mu Alpha Theta, National High School And Two-year College Mathematics Honor Society: Second Award Of $1,000

Cracking The Infinite Shuffle: Solving The Kimberling Sequence Problem – Mathematics

Tanv i Palsamudram

• Special Award: American Psychological Association: Third Award Of $500 Using Response Times To Investigate The

Face Recognition Mechanism In Developmental Prosopagnosia - Behavioral And Social Sciences

Nashik’s Community Radio Station that helped students without smart-phones to pursue their s tudies

bags National Award

• Radio Vishwas, a Community Radio Station (CRS) in Nashik, Maharashtra has bagged two awards at the 8th edition of

the National Community Radio Awards instituted by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

• Radio Vishwas 90.8 won the first prize in the “Sustainability Model Awards” category and the Second prize in the

“Thematic Awards” category for its radio program 'Education for All' in the times of COVID-19.

• Radio Vishwas is run by the Vishwas Dhyan Prabodhini & Research Institute, Nashik, Maharashtra and has been

broadcasting since its launch. The station broadcasts 14 hours daily.

• Shikshan Sarvansathi' (Education for All)

• The CRS’ initiative, 'Shikshan Sarvansathi' (Education for all) that won award under the Thematic Category was started

in June 2020 to provide free education for students from 3rd to 10th grade, during the difficult time of COVID-19.

• Audio lectures were aired and made accessible to all the students who study in Zilla Parishad and Nashik Municipal

schools. The programme was broadcast in various languages i.e. Hindi, English, Marathi, Sanskrit.

• The program 'Shahri Parasbaag' (Kitchen Garden) helped increase awareness about environment conservation- The

complete process right from seed availability till planting the sapling is provided to our audience in this program

• 'Mala Aavadlela Pustak' (about favourite books to read)

• ' Jaaniv Samajktechi' ( focused on difficulties faced by senior citizens)

• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had instituted National Community Radio (CR) Awards in the year 2011-12 to

encourage innovation and healthy competition amongst Community Radio Stations. These Community Radio stations






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have played a significant role in communication during Covid-19 pandemic. As on date, there are 327 community radio

stations in operation in India across various states.

World’s Most Innovative Investment Promotion Agency of 2021

• Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash

Javadekar congratulated ‘Invest India’ for winning the World’s Most Innovative Investment Promotion Agency for 2021 by

the OCO Global.

• Invest India has been continuously identifying innovative areas of investment and bringing in sustainable investors to

India, despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic

• In December 2020, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) declared ‘Invest India’ as

winner of the 2020 United Nations Investment Promotion Award

• Managing Director & CEO – Deepak Bagla

OCO Global:

• Headquarters – Belfast, Ireland

• Founder & CEO – Mark O’Connell

Highest Civilian Award of Mongolia

• Chairman & Managing Director of Engineers India Ltd. (EIL), RK Sabharwal, was awarded the highest civilian award of

Mongolia “The Order of Polar Star”.

• He was honoured with the award for his contribution towards the construction of Mongolia’s 1st ever Oil Refinery.

• The Oil Refinery is constructed by the Mongolian government with the USD 1 billion Line of Credit .






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CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY IN NEWS

Robust, mobile OxyJani can cater to acute & chronic oxygen needs at grassroots level

• Indian researchers have designed a robust, mobile group oxygen concentrator that can be used in rural settings and also

be rapidly deployed in emergencies in any location.

• A team from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, an autonomous institute under the Department

of Science & Technology, Government of India, developed a new solution with the name ‘OxyJani’ for addressing these

novel challenges in adsorption science and engineering.

• OxyJani is based on the principles of Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology. The team replaced lithium zeolites

(LiX) which is usually used in oxygen concentrators, with sodium zeolites which does not generate toxic solid waste and

can be manufactured in India

CURRENT AFFAIRS: REPORTS IN NEWS

Report on United District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2 019-20

• As per the UDISE+ report 2019-20, Gross Enrolment Ratio at all levels of school education has improved in 2019-20

compared to 2018-19. Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) has improved at all levels of school education.

• According to the report, in 2019-20, enrolment of girls from primary to higher secondary is more than 12.08 crore. This is

a substantial increase by 14.08 lakh compared to 2018-19. Between 2012-13 and 2019-20, the Gender Parity Index

(GPI) at both Secondary and Higher Secondary levels have improved.

• The UDISE+ report shows a remarkable improvement in the number of schools with functional electricity, with functional

computers, internet facility in 2019-20 over the previous year.






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• Another major improvement is seen in the number of schools with hand wash facility. In year 2019-20, more than 90%

schools in India had hand wash facility as compared to only 36.3% in 2012-13.

• The UDISE+ system of online data collection from the schools was developed in the year 2018-19 to overcome the

issues related to manual data filling in paper format and subsequent feeding at the block or district level, which was in

practice in the UDISE data collection system from 2012-13. The present publication relates to UDISE+ data for the

reference year 2019-20.

Highlights of Report on United District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2019-20

• In 2019-20, total students in school education from pre-primary to higher secondary have crossed 26.45 crore. This is

higher by 42.3 lakh compared to 2018-19.

• Gross Enrolment Ratio at all levels of school education has improved in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19.

• Gross Enrolment Ratio increased to 89.7% (from 87.7%) at Upper Primary level, 97.8% (from 96.1%) at Elementary

Level, 77.9% (from 76.9%) at Secondary Level and 51.4% (from 50.1%) at Higher Secondary Level in 2019-20 (from

2018-19).

• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has improved by nearly 10% in secondary between 2012-13 and 2019-20. GER for

secondary has reached nearly 78% in 2019-20, compared to 68.7% in 2012-13.

• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has improved by more than 11% in higher secondary between 2012-13 and 2019-20.

GER for higher secondary has reached 51.4% in 2019-20, compared to 40.1% in 2012-13.

• In 2019-20, 96.87 lakh teachers have been engaged in school education. This is higher by about 2.57 lakh compared to

2018-19.

• The Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) has improved at all levels of school education.

• In 2019-20, the PTR for primary has become 26.5, PTR for upper primary and secondary has become 18.5 and PTR for

higher secondary has become 26.1.

• In 2019-20, the PTR for primary has become 26.5, whereas it was 34.0 in 2012-13. In 2019-20, the PTR for upper

primary has become 18.5, whereas it was 23.1 in 2012-13.

• In 2019-20, the PTR for secondary has become 18.5, whereas it was 29.7 in 2012-13.

• In 2019-20, the PTR for higher secondary has become 26.1, whereas it was 39.2 in 2012-13.

• To ensure universal accessibility of education for persons with disabilities, all -out efforts have been made. Enrolment of

Divyang students has increased by 6.52% over 2018-19.

• In 2019-20, enrolment of girls from primary to higher secondary is more than 12.08 crore. This is an increase by 14.08

lakh compared to 2018-19.

• Gross Enrolment Ratio of girls has increased to 90.5% (from 88.5%) at Upper Primary level , 98.7% (from 96.7%) at

Elementary Level, 77.8% (from 76.9%) at Secondary Level and 52.4% (from 50.8%) at Higher Secondary Level in 2019-

20 (from 2018-19).






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• Gross Enrolment Ratio of girls at higher secondary level has increased by 13% between 2012-13 and 2019-20. It was

39.4% in 2012-13 and has become 52.4% in 2019-20. The increase is more than that of the boys. GER of boys for

higher secondary is 50.5% in 2019-20, it was 40.8% in 2012-13.

• Between 2012-13 and 2019-20, the GER for girls at both secondary and higher secondary level has increased more than

that of the boys.

• GER for girls at secondary level has gone up by 9.6% to reach 77.8% in 2019-20, it was 68.2% in 2012-13.

• Between 2012-13 and 2019-20, the Gender Parity Index (GPI) at both Secondary and Higher Secondary levels have

improved. Improvement of GPI has been most pronounced at the higher secondary level, which has gone up to 1.04 in

2019-20 from 0.97 in 2012-13.

• More than 80% schools in India in 2019-20 had functional electricity. This is an improvement by more than 6% over the

previous year 2018-19.

• Number of schools having functional computers increased to 5.2 lakh in 2019-20 from 4.7 lakh in 2018-19.

• Number of schools having internet facility increased to 3.36 lakh in 2019-20 from 2.9 lakh in 2018-19.

• More than 90% schools in India had handwash facility in 2019-20. This is a major improvement, as this percentage was

only 36.3% in 2012-13.

• More than 83% schools had electricity in 2019-20, an improvement by almost 7% over the previous year, 2018-19. In

2012-13, about 54.6% schools had electricity.

• More than 82% schools conducted medical check-up of students in 2019-20, an increase by more than 4% compared to

previous year 2018-19. In 2012-13, about 61.1% schools conducted medical checkups.

• More than 84% schools in India had a library/reading room/ reading corner in 2019-20, an improvement of nearly 4%

compared to the previous year. In 2012-13, about 69.2% schools had library/ reading room/ reading corner.

Role of women in leading scientific research i ncreasing

• The involvement of women as science leaders seems to be increasing. The percentage of women leading research

projects has increased by 4 percent over two years, said a recent government report.

• Women Principal Investigators (PIs) participation in research that received Extramural Research (EMR) support (support

through peer-reviewed competitive grant mechanism) was 28% during 2018-19, as compared to 24% during 2016-17,

according to the Directory of Extramural Research & Development (R&D) Project 2018-19 report released by the

government.






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• Extramural Research and Development (R&D) projects support is a peer-reviewed competitive grant mechanism of the

Central Government to promote, catalyze and advance R&D and innovation in the country and provides special

encouragement to scientists to pursue a research career. Centre for Human and Organisational Resource Development

(CHORD) division, formerly known as the National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS)

division of DST, has been collating, analyzing, and disseminating information on Extramural Research and Development

projects funded by various scientific agencies.

NITI Aayog Releases Report on Not-for-Profit Hospital Model in India

• NITI Aayog today released a comprehensive study on the not-for-profit hospital model in the country, in a step towards

closing the information gap on such institutions and facilitating robust policymaking in this area.

• The report was released by Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog.

• The report was released by NITI Aayog Member Dr VK Paul, in the presence of CEO Mr Amitabh Kant, Additional

Secretary Dr Rakesh Sarwal, and representatives of hospitals across the country who participated in the study.

• The study provides insights into the operation model of not-for-profit hospitals. It presents research-based findings on

such hospitals—categorized under ownership and premise of service—and makes subsequent comparisons with private

hospitals and health schemes of the Union government.

• The not-for-profit hospital sector provides not only curative but also preventive healthcare. It links healthcare with social

reform, community engagement, and education. It uses government resources and grants to provide cost -effective

healthcare to people without being concerned about profits. However, over the years, this sector has remained

understudied.

• The study discusses in detail the cost-containment strategies implemented by not-for-profit hospitals. It seeks to

understand the challenges that burden the operations of these institutions and hinder their growth.

NITI Aayog:

• Chairperson– Prime Minister of India

• Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant

• Headquarters– New Delhi






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UKIBC LAUNCH REPORT IN SUPPORT OF UK-INDIA ETP AND ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT

• The “Road to a UK-India Free Trade Agreement” report sets out how a comprehensive UK-India FTA should accelerate

self-reliance and why international investors’ perceptions of Atmanirbhar Bharat should be wholly positive.

• 77% of UK companies surveyed by the UKIBC stated that Atmanirbhar Bharat is an opportunity for them to do more

business with India.

• Both countries have agreed for an Enhanced Trade Partnership. They have agreed to start FTA negotiations by the end

of 2021 with the goal of doubling trade by 2030.

• The report includes 5 recommendations to make the Atma Nirbhar campaign a success, which includes sharp focus on

innovation and on digital and data sectors, India should remain open to free and fair trade.

UK India Business Council (UKIBC):

• Chairperson – Richard Heald

• Head Office – London

Mercer Survey 2021

• The rankings are based on Mercer’s 27th annual Cost of Living Survey.

• Around 209 cities across 5 continents have been ranked in the survey. New York City, which was ranked 14th on the list,

was used as the base city for the survey.






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City Global Rank

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 1

Hong Kong 2

Beirut, Lebanon 3

Mumbai 78

• It is a Bi-Annual survey that evaluates more than 200 goods and services including housing, transportation, food,

clothing, household goods, and entertainment.

• It highlights essential factors like currency fluctuations, cost inflation and accommodation price instability

Mercer:

• President & CEO – Martine Ferland

• Headquarters – New York

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS IN NEWS

Suresh N Patel Appointed as Central Vigilance Commissioner

• Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N Patel has been appointed as acting Central Vigilance Commissioner in the Central

Vigilance Commission (CVC) until the appointment of the central vigilance commissioner.

• He succeeded Sanjay Kothari.

• Suresh N Patel is currently serving as the Vigilance commissioner in CVC.

• Prior to this, he served as the Managing Director and CEO of Andhra Bank.

Deputy Chief Of Army Staff (Strategy)

• Lt Gen Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, will assume the appointment of the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) on 01 July

2021.






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• Lt Gen SK Sharma takes over the appointment from Lt Gen Paramjit Singh who superannuated on 30 June 2021

Task force for bureaucratic reforms

• Former Infosys CEO SD Shibu Lal appointed chairperson of a three-member task force formed to help the government in

bringing major bureaucratic reforms through its ambitious "Mission Karmayogi".

• The task force will submit its recommendations in the form of periodic/interim reports within a period of six months.

• Mr Lal who is founder of ShikshaLokam and founder and ex-CEO of Infosys Limited, Govind Iyer, Consultant at global

management consulting group Egon Zehnder, and Pankaj Bansal, Co-founder and Group CEO of HR tech company

PeopleStrong, will be part of the task force.

• Adil Zainulbhai, chairman designate, Capacity Building Commission, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) will

be a special invitee to the discussions of the task force.

• Mission Karmayogi is a Central Government’s National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB). It

aims to upgrade the post-recruitment training mechanism of the civil servants at all levels by transforming rule-based

training to role-based capacity development in order to enhance citizen experience for government services.

• For the effective roll out of this mission, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), namely Karmayogi Bharat, would be set up as

a not-for-profit company under section 8 of Companies Act, 2013 as a 100% government-owned entity.

Central Govt Extended Attorney General KK Venugopal’s Term

• Senior advocate K K Venugopal was reappointed as the Attorney General of India for one year

• He became the 15th AG of India by replacing AG Mukul Rohatgie on July 1, 2017. His actual term was about 3 years

and this was the second time that the centre is extending the tenure of AG as his tenure was extended by 1 year in June

2020.

• Attorney General of India must have been a Judge of a High Court or two or more than two such courts for at least 5

years (or) an advocate of some high court for 10 years, or an eminent jurist in the opinion of the President.






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Umesh Sinha Re-Appointed as the Deputy Election Commissioner of India

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved a one-year extension to Umesh Sinha, Deputy Election

Commissioner of India on contract basis.

• The appointment is made for one year upto 30th June, 2022.

• He has earlier served as the Chief Election Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh.

Air Marshal Br Krishna assumes the Command Of Western Air Command

• Air Marshal BR Krishna Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Shaurya Chakra, took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-

in-C) of Western Air Command.

Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari assumes charge as Vice Chief Of The Air Staff

• Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari PVSM AVSM VM took over as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff

• He has succeeded Air Marshal HS Arora.






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Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant Gets 1 Year Extension

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension in tenure of Amitabh Kant as Chief Executive

Officer (CEO) of Niti Aayog for a period of one year up to 30.06. 2022.

• Initially he was appointed as the CEO of Niti Aayog on February 17, 2016 for a period of 2 year and was later extended

several times.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS IN NEWS

‘Anomalies In Law And Justice’

• Chief Justice of India Justice NV Ramana released a book titled “Anomalies in Law and Justice” written by the former

Supreme Court judge RV Raveendran.

• This Book is based on Evolving Legal System.

• It explains various deficiencies in the law which are required to be overcome, so that the common man does not lose

faith in the judiciary and the legal system.

“Growing Up Biden”

• A new book titled “Growing Up Biden”, a memoir to be written by Valerie Biden Owen, who is the sister of Joe Biden, The

President of United States of America(USA) will be released on April,2022.






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• The book will be about the author’s childhood as the only girl among four sib lings, how her equation with her elder

brother evolved over the years and her “trailblazing, decades -long professional relationship” with Joe Biden.

“Nathuram Godse: The True Story of Gandhi’s Assassin”

• Journalist Dhaval Kulkarni has authored a book titled “Nathuram Godse: The True Story of Gandhi’s Assassin”, the

biography of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.

• Other Books: “The Cousins Thackeray: Uddhav, Raj and the Shadow of Their Senas” and “The Bawla Murder Case:

Love, Lust and Crime in Colonial India”.

‘India To The Rescue’ A Children’s Book

• Journalist Sushant Singh and children’s book writer Shruthi Rao have authored a new children’s book titled “India To The

Rescue”.

• The book features the rescue operation “Operation Cactus” which averted the Maldives crisis on 3rd November 1988.






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CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Sajan Prakash becomes first-ever Indian swimmer to make Olympic ‘A’ cut

• A 27- year old Indian Swimmer Sajan Prakash from kerala has become first -ever Indian swimmer to qualify for the Tokyo

Olympic 2020 by breaching the ‘A’ standard time in the men’s 200m butterfly event at the 2021 Sette Colli Trophy in

Rome, Italy.

• The Games ‘A’ standard was set at 1:56.48 seconds, he had completed 1:56:38 seconds that is 0.10 seconds faster at

the FINA-accredited Olympic qualifier.

Shafali Verma becomes youngest Indian Cricketer to make debut in all formats

• Indian opener Shafali Verma becomes youngest Indian to make debut in all formats, Verma who hails from haryana took

17 years and 150 days to make her debut across all three cricket format for India and she became the fifth youngest

cricketer overall in the list, headed by Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

WAKO India Kickboxing Federation gets Government recognition as National Sports Federation

• The Ministry of Youth affairs & Sports has decided to grant recognition to WAKO India Kickboxing Federation as National

Sports Federation (NSF) for promotion and development of the Kickboxing sport in India.

• WAKO India Kickboxing Federation is affiliated to World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO), which is the

International Federation for the sport of Kickboxing. International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board at its

meeting on 10th June 2021 has approved the recommendation for WAKO to become fully recognized member of the

Olympic family of sport.






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• WAKO have been provisionally recognized member of the IOC Since 30 November 2018. The full recognition of WAKO

will be finally decided by the IOC Session in Tokyo in July 2021. To be fully included and accepted in the Olympic

movement is important for the recognition and development of the sport of kickboxing.

New International Cricket Stadium in Jharkhand by SAIL-BSL

• The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding with SAIL Bokaro Steel

Plant (BSL), for the construction of an International Cricket Stadium in Bokaro city,Jharkhand.

• Bokaro will become the third city in Jharkhand to have an International Cricket Stadium after Jamshedpur and Ranchi.

• Bokaro Steel Plant will transfer 20.17 acres of its land to JSCA for 33 years, for the construction of Stadium.

• The proposed stadium will also be the first stadium to be constructed in SAIL township.

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports seeks MEA assistance to complete vaccination o f seven a thletes

based overseas

• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has sought the assistance of the Ministry of External Affairs to complete the Covid -

19 vaccination of seven athletes and 17 support staff now based overseas.

• The sportspersons include javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who is based in Uppasala in Sweden, boxers Manish Kaushik,

Satish Kumar, Pooja Rani and Simranjeet Kaur who are in Assisi, Italy, and wrestlers Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia,

who are in Russia.

• Shooters Rahi Sarnobat, Saurabh Chaudhary and Deepak Kumar will receive their vaccination in Zagreb, Croatia.

Tennis player Ankita Raina will get her second dose in the High Commission of India in London while Judoka Shushila

Devi will complete her vaccination here.






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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

66th Foundation Day of SBI – July 1 2021

• On July 1 2021, the State Bank of India (SBI), the largest lender and the oldest commercial bank in India, has celebrated

its 66th Foundation Day.

• On the same day in 1955, the Government of India took control of the Imperial Bank of India, with the Reserve Bank of

India taking a 60 percent stake, renamed it as the State Bank of India.

National Chartered Accountants’ Day 2021 – July 1

• The National Chartered Accountants'(CA) Day is annually observed across India on July 1st to commemorate the

establishment of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI) by the Parliament under the Chartered

Accountants Act, 1949.

• The year 2021 marks the celebration of the 73rd Nat ional Chartered Accountants’ Day.

• As a part of the celebration of 73rd CA Day, ICAI has organised a virtual event “Remembering the glorious existence and

envisioning the Future”.

• As a part of the 73rd Chartered Accountants’ Day, the ICAI has launched a financial and tax literacy drive to educate the

general public about the financial and tax literacy drive.

• ICAI has also launched a multilingual portal for all the digital e-learning resources and a tool to support the firms to

identify their audit quality maturity level.

• ICAI has launched a mobile app on quality learning services for CA students.






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• ICAI has also waived the fees for the CA Students who have lost both the parents or a single parent due to COVID-19.

This scheme will be effective for the next 2 years.

About Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI):

• President– CA. Nihar N Jambusaria

• Headquarters– New Delhi

National Doctors Day 2021 – July 1

• The National Doctors Day is annually observed across India on 1st July to recognise the efforts and contributions of the

doctor’s community to society and the commitment of the doctors towards their profession.

• The day also marks the birth and death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, who served as the Chief Minister(CM) of

West Bengal(WB) from 1948 to 1962.

• The headquarters of IMA has declared “Save the Saviours” as the theme of National Doctors Day 2021.

• Dr.Bidhan Chandra Roy was an Indian physician who has also served as the 2nd CM of West Bengal.

• The government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna for public affairs in 1961.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) Day 2021 – July 1

• The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Day is annually observed across India on 1st July. The day marks the

commemoration of the unprecedented reform of Indian taxation – Goods and Services Tax (GST).

• The day is observed by the Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs(CBIC) across India. The year 2021 marks the

observance of the 4th GST Day.






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World Sports Journalists Day 2021 – July 2

• World Sports Journalists Day is annually observed across the globe on 2nd July to recognise the efforts and devotion of

the sports journalists across the globe. The day also celebrates the achievements of the sports journalists.

• The day is celebrated across the globe by the International Sports Press Association (Association Internationale de la

Presse Sportive, AIPS).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Editor of Sanskrit newspaper passes away Shri K.V. Sampath Kumar

• K.V. Sampath Kumar, editor of Sudharma, reckoned to be the country’s and the world’s only Sanskrit daily, passed away

in Mysuru

• He, along with his wife Vidushi K.S. Jayalakshmi, were awarded the Padma Shri in 2020 by the government in

recognition of their untiring efforts to keep the publication alive against all odds

• Sampath Kumar had taken over the mantle from his father Pandit K.N. Varadaraja Iyengar who had

launched Sudharma in 1970, and ensured that the publication reached its readers. He worked as a reporter, proof -

reader, editor and publisher.

Former BJP MP Sharad Tripathi dies

• Former BJP MP from Sant Kabir Nagar Sharad Tripathi died due to prolonged illness






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• Tripathi was elected as a member of parliament from the Sant Kabir Nagar Lok Sabha seat in 2014.

• His name came to light before the 2019 Lok Sabha election when he hit Menhdawal BJP MLA Rakesh Singh with shoes

during a meeting.

John McAfee Antivirus Software Pioneer Passed Away

• John McAfee the founder of McAfee antivirus software, was found dead in a prison outside Barcelona, Spain after

Spain’s National Court approved his extradition to the United States over multiple tax fraud charges. He was born in

Cinderford, United Kingdom.

• McAfee Associates, the anti-virus software company was started in 1987.

Pakistan’s Former Caretaker PM Mir Hazar Khoso Passed Away

• Pakistan’s former caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso passed away.

• He served as the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March to 5 June 2013.

• The Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan is the head of government in Pakistan following the dis solution of the National

Assembly. The purpose of this post is to ensure free and fair elections are held.






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