Current Affairs 29th July 2021| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

International Tiger Day – Observed on July 29

• Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July.
• The theme for the 2021 International Tiger Day is “Their survival is in our hands”.
• It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia.
• The population of the national animal of India has been affected by several factors like illegal wildlife trade, human wildlife conflict, habitat loss, and fragmentation.
• As top predators, wild tigers play an important role in maintaining the harmony of the planet’s ecosystems.
• By preying on herbivores, tigers help to keep the balance between the prey animals and the forest vegetation which they feed upon.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) Launches New Earth System Science Data Portal

• Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh launched the MoES-ESSDP (Earth System Science Data Portal) during the 15th foundation day.

About ESSDP :

• The MoES-ESSDP (Earth System Science Data Portal), an integrated digital web portal of MoES institutes.
• It will make available data on various themes of earth system science for public use.
• The portal has been developed using the latest information technology tools and is available at https://incois.gov.in/essdp.
• The portal is aligned with the Digital India initiative of the Government of India to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
• It would facilitate search and retrieval of earth system science data (of atmosphere, ocean, poles, geoscience and seismology) for societal benefit.
• Also, Dr Singh released a book entitled Hydrocarbon fluid inclusions in petroliferous basins.

About the Book :

• The book discusses new tools for oil exploration and is a valuable reference for researchers studying fluid inclusion and oil prospecting.
• The book is authored by Dr V Nandakumar (Scientist G/Group Head and Former Director of National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), Thiruvananthapuram) and Dr Jayanthi JL, Project Scientist at NCESS.
• In addition to that, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) introduced a new mobile app named ‘Pune Weather Live’.

About ‘Pune Weather Live’ :

• It would provide real-time and location-specific weather updates for Pune city.
• The app captures live data from more than 80 weather stations, including information on rainfall.
• Indira Murthy (Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences), announced the national awards in various categories for the scientists of the multiple agencies of the MoES.

About Ministry of Earth Science :

• Minister of State :  Y. S. Chowdary
• Founded: 29 January 2006
• Headquarters : New Delhi

About India Meteorological Department :

• Founded: 1875
• Headquarters : New Delhi

King Chilli ‘Raja Mircha’ from Nagaland exported to London for the first time

• In a major boost to exports of Geographical Indications (GI) products from the north-eastern region, a consignment of ‘Raja Mircha’ also referred as king chilli from Nagaland was exported to London via Guwahati by air for the first time.
• The consignment of King Chilli also considered as world’s hottest based on the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). 
• The consignment was sourced from Tening, part of Peren district, Nagaland and was packed at APEDA assisted packhouse at Guwahati.
• The chilli from Nagaland is also referred to as Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper. 
• It got GI certification in 2008.
• APEDA in collaboration with the Nagaland State Agricultural Marketing Board (NSAMB) coordinated the first export consignment of fresh King Chilli. 
• APEDA had coordinated with NSAMB in sending samples for laboratory testing in June and July 2021 and the results were encouraging as it is grown organically.
• Exporting fresh King Chilli posed a challenge because of its highly perishable nature.
• Nagaland King Chilli belongs to the genus Capsicum of the family Solanaceae.
• Naga king chilli has been considered as the world’s hottest chilli and is constantly on the top five in the list of the world’s hottest chilies based on the SHUs.
• In 2021, APEDA facilitated exports of Jackfruits from Tripura to London and Germany, Assam Lemon to London, Red rice of Assam to the United States and Leteku ‘Burmese Grape’ to Dubai.

Government plans to set up a National Farmers Database by Using Digitized Land Records

• The Government has announced its plans to set up a National Farmers Database.

Aim of the Database :

• Increase farmers’ income
• Reducing input costs
• Ensure ease of farming
• Better price for their produce
• Higher efficiency

About the Database :

• The Database will consist of digitised land records and will facilitate online single sign-on facilities for universal access.
• It provides services like direct benefit transfer, weather advisories, insurance facilities and information on neighbouring logistic facilities.
• The database will provide personalised services to farmers such as direct benefit transfer, soil and plant health advisories, weather advisories, irrigation facilities, seamless credit and insurance facilities, seeds, fertilisers, pesticide related information nearby logistic facilities, market access information and peer to peer lending of farm equipment.

Note :

• Agriculture Minister of India : Narendra Singh Tomar

Geological Survey of India taken by Seven Projects for Lithium Exploration                

• The Geological Survey of India (GSI), part of the Ministry of Mines, has taken up seven projects for lithium exploration across different states in India.
• It is done across different states in India namely
• Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan during the Field Season Programme (FSP) 2021-22.
• The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Analysis (AMDER) below Division Atomic Vitality (DAE) has undertaken lithium exploration in Karnataka and Rajasthan.
• The Centre announced a PLI scheme worth Rs 18,100 crore to make lithium-ion cells to promote e-mobility in India.

About Lithium :

• Lithium is a key element for new technologies, it is used in Lithium ion batteries, lubricating grease, high energy additive to rocket propellants, optical modulators for mobile phones
• But India lacks lithium reserves for the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries and other usages.
• Most lithium batteries are imported into the country.

About Geological Survey of India :

• Founder: Thomas Oldham
• Founded: 4 March 1851
• Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
• Director General :  R.S. Garkhal

About Ministry of Mines :

• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Minister of Mines : Pralhad Joshi

ECI holds a review meeting with CEOs of five states

• The Election Commission of India held a review meeting on advance planning for forthcoming elections with the Chief Electoral Officers of the five states namely Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, at Nirvachan Sadan.
• The preliminary meeting held was focussed on various thematic issues including Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) at the polling stations, ease of registration arrangements for voter facilitation, electoral roll, timely resolution of grievances, arrangements of EVMs/VVPATs, postal ballot facility for senior citizens (80+) and PwDs,COVID Mitigation plan, training of polling staff and extensive voter outreach amongst others.

About Election Commission of India:

• The Election Commission of India is a permanent and independent body established by the Constitution of India directly to ensure free and fair elections in the country.
• Formed: 25 January 1950
• Objectives: Constitutional Autonomous Body conducts the elections to the offices of the President and Vice-President of India,Parliament,State Legislative assemblies and Legislative councils
• Jurisdiction: Government of India
• Headquarters: New Delhi

NMCG launched Capacity Building Initiative on Making Water Sensitive Cities In Ganga Basin

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) launched a capacity-building initiative on ‘making water sensitive cities in Ganga basin’, aimed at improving river health and flows.
• The key focus areas of the programme will be water sensitive urban design and planning, urban water efficiency and conservation, decentralized wastewater treatment and local reuse, urban groundwater management and urban water bodies and lake management.
• Launching the initiative, NMCG Director General Rajiv Ranjan Mishra emphasized the need for respecting traditions and suggested focusing on the basics of water cycle in urban areas.

About NMCG:

• The NMCG is a body under the Jal Shakti Ministry that has been working on the rejuvenation of the Ganga and its tributaries.
• The aim of the programme is capacity building and action research for promoting sustainable urban water management for improved river health in Ganga basin cities.

NSO reported Unemployment rate for women has come down from 5.1% in 2018-19 to 4.2% in 2019-20

• Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO) stated that Unemployment rate for women fell to 4.2 per cent in 2019-20 from 5.1 per cent in 2018-19.
• The NSO is a wing of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• A labour ministry stated that, “Unemployment rate for women has come down from 5.1 per cent in 2018-19 to 4.2 per cent in 2019-20”.
• As per the PLFS for 2019-20, of the total employment generated (in person days) in the 2020-21 under MGNREGS, women’s share has increased to around 207 crore person days.
• Government has taken various steps for generating employment in the country like encouraging various projects involving substantial investment and increasing public expenditure on schemes like Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), DeenDayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) and Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
• Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojna (ABRY) Scheme has been launched with effect from 1st October 2020 to incentivize creation of new employment along with social security benefits and restoration of loss of employment.
• This scheme reduces the financial burden of the employers and encourages them to hire more workers.

Parliament moves landmark ‘Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021’ to repeal and replace the Lighthouse Act 1927

• The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021 has been passed by the Parliament, which aims to replace the over 90-year-old Lighthouse Act of 1927. 
• The bill was moved in Rajya Sabha by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on 19 July 2021 and it was passed on 27 July 2021.
• According to the ministry, the bill will now go to the President for his assent.
• Sonowal mentioned this initiative is part of the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways’ proactive approach by repealing colonial laws as well as replacing them with legislations catering to the maritime industry’s modern and contemporary requirements.
• The Union Minister also stated that the Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021 aims to adopt marine navigation’s state-of-the-art technologies which were not covered under the statutory provisions of the old Lighthouse Act.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Tajikistan: Rajnath Singh to attend SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting 

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe that extensively deliberated on regional security challenges as well as the situation in
• The defence minister reached the capital city of Tajikistan on a three-day visit to attend the conclave of the defence ministers of the member states of the SCO, an eight-nation influential grouping.
• Ahead of the conclave Singh held bilateral talks with his Belarusian counterpart Lt Gen Viktor Khrenin and had a brief conversation with Russian Defence Minister Gen Sergey Shoygu.
• India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

About Tajikistan:

• Capital: Dushanbe
• Currency: Tajikistani somoni
• President: Emomali Rahmon

Brazil landscape garden Sitio Burle Marx bags UNESCO World Heritage status

• Globally renowned for its natural beauty, Rio de Janeiro received a new international distinction as UNESCO added landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx’s former home to its list of World Heritage sites.
• The Sitio Burle Marx in western Rio features more than 3,500 species of plants native to Rio and is considered a laboratory for botanical and landscape experimentation.
• The recognition was granted during a meeting of UNESCO’s Heritage Committee in China.
• The site was designated a Cultural Landscape, a category that celebrates places allowing interaction between the environment and people.
• “The garden is characterized by sinuous forms, exuberant mass planting, architectural plant arrangements, dramatic colour contrasts, use of tropical plants, and the incorporation of elements of traditional folk culture.”

About Brazil:

• Presidente:Jair Bolsonaro
• Capital: Brasilia
• Currency: Brazilian real

Former PM Najib Mikati appointed as Lebanon’s prime minister-designate

• Lebanon’s president is expected to appoint a billionaire businessman and former prime minister as the next premier-designate, after Saad Hariri earlier this month gave up attempts to form a Cabinet amid an unprecedented financial meltdown roiling the country.
• Najib Mikati’s appointment is likely to come later in the day, following binding consultations between President Michel Aoun and Lebanese lawmakers.
• One of the richest men in Lebanon, Mikati became a favorite for the post after he was endorsed by most of Lebanon’s political parties and also the powerful, Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group.

About Lebanon:

• Capital: Beirut
• Currency: Lebanese pound
• President: Michel Aoun

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

International Clean Air Catalyst Programme: Indore becomes only Indian city selected from India 

• Indore has become the only city to be selected from India for the International Clean Air Catalyst Programme.
• The project will be operated for five years to purify the city’s air.
• It is a new flagship programme launched by the US Agency for International Development and a global consortium of organizations to accelerate clean air solutions in low and middle-income countries.
• The only Indian city to be selected in this international project is Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, which is also known as the cleanest city in the country.
• With the cooperation of Indore Municipal Corporation and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the project will be in operation for five years to purify the air of the city.

MP state government initiate ‘Devaranya’ scheme to promote Ayurveda

• In order to promote AYUSH in Madhya Pradesh and to link it with employment, the government has made a ‘Devaranya’ scheme.
• CM Shivraj launched the scheme.
• The CM stated that more and more people should get health benefits through Ayurveda and ‘Devaranya’ scheme has been made to provide employment to the people living in the tribal areas of the state.
• The CM mentioned that where there is a treasure trove of medicines in our forests, the tribal brothers and sisters understand their importance and use.
• A complete value chain for the production of AYUSH medicines will be developed in the state through Devarnya Yojana.
• Self-help groups will also play an important role in this work.

About Madhya Pradesh:

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief minister:Shivraj Singh Chouhan
• Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel
• National Parks: Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhav National Park, Sanjay National Park, Van Vihar National Park, Panna National Park, Satpura National Park, Pench National Park, Mandla Plant Fossils National Park.

Odisha’s Puri: India’s first city to provide quality drinking tap water

• Odisha’s Puri has become the first city in the state to have a drink-from-tap facility.
• This means that the city now has safe drinking water that can be used directly from tap for cooking and drinking, without requiring further filtration.
• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the ‘Sujal’ or drink-from-tap mission.
• The drink-from-tap mission of the Odisha government has made Puri the first in the country to have city-wide 24-hour quality drinking water from the tap.
• “Puri has now joined the elite group of international cities like London, New York and Singapore in supplying quality potable water from municipal taps throughout the day.”

About the scheme:

• “This is the best model of the ‘5T’ initiative.
• Good drinking water has a strong link with health, living standards and the economy.
• Therefore, I urge people not to waste or pollute the water.
• The budget for drinking water has been doubled in five years.
• The previous water budget of Rs 200 crore has reached Rs 4,000 crore.

About Odisha:

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Chief minister:Naveen Patnaik
• National Parks: Similipal National Park, Bhitarkanika National Park.

UP state govt. and Sapio Analytics join hands to revive MSMEs, distributes automation software

• Department of MSME, Government of Uttar Pradesh, signed an MoU with government advisory firm Sapio Analytics, to provide licenses of automation software Accloud, worth Rs. 72 crores, to 20,000 MSMEs of the state.
• The software licenses shall be provided free of cost to the MSMEs who can apply for the same (https://sapioanalytics.com/accloud/)through a portal.
• In an event marking the launch of this initiative by the government, Navneet Sehgal, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of MSME and Export Promotion, Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Pravin Singh, Managing Director, UP Industrial Consultants Ltd., spoke about the need to revive MSMEs with automation and financing.
• The Government of UP has announced various schemes for the benefits of the micro, small and medium enterprises of the state, with a focus on their growth, as well as initiation of unregistered businesses into the mainstream.

About Uttar Pradesh:

• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• Capital: Lucknow
• Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath
• National Parks: Dudhwa National Park.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

IMF releases World Economic Outlook report – global economy growth forecast of 6% for 2021

• Economic prospects have diverged further across countries since the April 2021 World Economic Outlook (WEO)
• The global economy is projected to grow 6.0 percent in 2021 and 4.9 percent in 2022.
• The 2021 global forecast is unchanged from the April 2021 WEO, but with offsetting revisions.
• Prospects for emerging markets and developing economies have been marked down for 2021, especially for Emerging Asia.
• By contrast, the forecast for advanced economies is revised up.
• These revisions reflect pandemic developments and changes in policy support.
• The 0.5 percentage-point upgrade for 2022 derives largely from the forecast upgrade for advanced economies, particularly the United States, reflecting the anticipated legislation of additional fiscal support in the second half of 2021 and improved health metrics more broadly across the group.

About IMF:

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 190 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.
• IMF funds come from two major sources: quotas and loans. Quotas, which are pooled funds of member nations, generate most IMF funds.
• Managing Director: Kristalina Georgieva
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., U.S
• Chief Economist: Gita Gopinath

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

Fin Min reported Rs 24,356 crore of unclaimed deposit lying with Scheduled Commercial Banks

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) informed that the total amount of unclaimed deposits of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) was Rs. 24,356 crore, as on 31.12.2020.
• The bank-wise details are at Annex.
• This was stated by Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad in Rajya Sabha.
• Giving more details for FY 2020, the Minister stated that RBI has informed that unclaimed deposits have increased by Rs. 5,977 crore in the year 2020, as compared to the year 2019, on account of depositors not having claimed their deposits from banks.
• RBI has advised banks to play a more proactive role in finding the whereabouts of the account holders of unclaimed deposits/ inoperative accounts vide circulars dated 07.02.2012, 08.02.2012, 21.11.2014 and 02.02.2015.

HDFC Bank introduces up to Rs 10 lakh overdraft facility for shopkeepers, merchants to ease cash crunch

• India’s largest private lender HDFC Bank launched an overdraft facility for small retailers in partnership with the government’s e-governance services delivery arm CSC SPV that enables government schemes and services through common service centres (CSCs).
• The ‘Dukandar Overdraft Scheme’ by HDFC Bank is aimed at helping shopkeepers and merchants ease their cash crunch.
• Retailers operating for a minimum of three years are eligible for the scheme by providing a six months bank statement from any bank.
• HDFC Bank will approve an overdraft limit from a minimum of Rs 50,000 to a maximum of Rs 10 lakhs.
• Importantly, HDFC Bank won’t seek collateral security, business financials, and income tax returns from retailers who apply for the scheme.

About the scheme:

• “The new scheme has been created keeping in mind the current situation of small traders.
• The upper limit for shops operational for less than 6 years is Rs 7.5 lakhs and Rs 10 lakh for establishments which have been in business for more than 6 years”.
• The scheme offers a commission of 0.40 per cent to 0.80 per cent for loan amounts of Rs 5 Lakhs and above for village level entrepreneurs (VLE) along with over 600 branches and virtual relationship management support.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ECONOMY

With an aim to further improve ease of doing business, Centre launches the “Secured Logistics Document Exchange”

• With an aim to further improve ease of doing business, Centre launches the “Secured Logistics Document Exchange” along with a Calculator for GreenHouse Gas Emissions
• The Digital initiative is now set to improve logistics efficiency, reduce logistics cost, and promote multi-modality and sustainability in a big way.
• The Launch Event was attended by more than 75 participants from the Central Ministries, Banks, IT companies, international organizations, logistics sector stakeholders and industry bodies.
• The Logistics Division with the mandate of “Integrated Development of the Logistics Sector” has planned specific digital initiatives with a focus on integrating the various digital systems across ministries/ departments and filling gaps so identified
• Key digital initiatives including SLDE platform for digital exchange of logistics-related documents and a Calculator for GHG emissions for choosing sustainable and right mode of transport for freight movement have been developed.
• The SLDE platform is a solution to replace the present manual process of generation, exchange and compliance of logistics documents with a digitized, secure and seamless document exchange system.
• Along with the SLDE, Centre also launched a GreenHouse Gas Emission calculator as well.
• The GHG Calculator is an efficient, user-friendly tool and provides for calculating and comparing GHG emissions across different modes. 
• It allows for commodity-wise comparison of GHG emissions and total cost of transportation, including their environmental cost, between movement by road and rail.
• The tool is intended to facilitate appropriate modal choice for all concerned.

52,391 entities recognized as start ups

• Indian startup ecosystem is widely recognized as the 3rd largest start up ecosystem.
• As of 14th, July 2021 total 52,391 entities are recognized as start-ups by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), more than 5.7 lakh jobs have been reported by more than 50,000 start-ups.
• As per Industry estimates, there are 53 unicorns currently in India, with a tentative valuation of Rs. 1.4 lakh crore.
• Valuation of a company is a market driven exercise and the data of individual companies is not maintained by DPIIT.
• The Start-up India initiative is a flagship initiative of Government of India which aims to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and Start-ups in the country.
• A 19-point Start up India Action Plan was launched in January 2016 which paved the way for the introduction of a number of policy initiatives to build a strong, conducive, growth-oriented environment for Indian start-ups.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Uber appointed Ameya Velankar as head of marketing for India, South Asia

• Uber has announced that it has named Ameya Velankar as head of marketing for India, South Asia.
• Prior to Uber, he was responsible for leading SC Johnson’s category marketing and was Marico’s group product head.

About Ameya Velankar :

• Ameya has had a fantastic track record with Uber since 2019, and I am confident that he will help us build a stronger, diverse and more engaged marketing team.
• At Uber, they continue to build and strengthen a team of industry experts who appreciate the impact of ridesharing and drive innovation for a better tomorrow”.

Maldives’ Abdulla Shahid won the Presidency of the 76th UNGA

• Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid won the Presidency of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 7 June 2021.
• This is for the first time in the history of the United Nations (UN), Maldives will hold the office of President at the UNGA.
• Abdulla Shahid’s victory at the UNGA Presidential election is a “proud accomplishment” and “a step forward in elevating the country’s stature on the global stage”.

About Maldives:

• Capital: Malé
• Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
• President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

About United Nations General Assembly :

• President: Abdulla Shahid
• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Founded : 1945

Social Entrepreneur Sanjay Rai Sherpuria honoured as National Brand Ambassador for SDG Choupal

• SDG Choupal, a collective community member of UN habitat, WHO, NITI Ayog and MSME ministry honored Shri Sanjay Rai Sherpuria by appointing him the National Brand Ambassador for his commendable contributions.
• Ex- Chief Justice of India and current Chairman, Press Council of India, Shri Chandramouli Kumar Prasad, was the chief guest at this felicitation function.

About Sanjay:

• During the global pandemic Corona crisis, when humanity was groaning all over the country, people’s participation responded intrepidly to the cause of public welfare.
• Well-known social worker and entrepreneur Sanjay Rai Sherpuria was publicly felicitated at the Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra in the capital Delhi for his remarkable contributions in the wake of COVID.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

Union Cabinet approves multilateral MoU of international finance services agencies

• The Cabinet approved a multilateral MoU signed between the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS).
• It is one of the biggest multilateral forums with several regulators and has 124 signatories.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated ‘India joining this will enable all kinds of exchange of information and ease of doing business for those registering themselves in the GIFT City’.
• GIFT City at Gandhinagar is India’s first operational smart city and International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
• IFSCA is a unified regulator to develop and regulate financial products, financial services and financial institutions in the international financial services centres in India.

For ‘Transfer of Technology’ of a revolutionary Nano Urea Liquid fertiliser, NFL and RCF sign MOUs with IFFCO

• National Fertilisers Limited (NFL) and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd (RCF) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) for ‘transfer of technology’ of a revolutionary and game changer fertiliser Nano Urea Liquid.
• To enhance the adaptability of Nano Urea by farmers, technology transfer from IFFCO to public sector fertiliser companies will be achieved through these MOUs.
• This technology transfer will ramp up the production leading towards consistent supply resulting in faster adoption and would also result in more savings to farmers and government subsidies.
• Under these agreements, IFFCO will transfer the technology of Liquid Nano Urea to NFL and RCF.
• India has become the first country globally to start commercial production of Nano Urea
• MoUs would result in more savings to farmers and Government subsidies.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

INDUCTION CEREMONY OF RAFALE AIRCRAFT INTO 101 SQN

• The Indian Air Force formally inducted Rafale aircraft into 101 Squadron at Air Force Station Hasimara in Eastern Air Command (EAC)
• 101 Squadron is the second IAF Squadron to be equipped with Rafale aircraft.
• The Squadron was formed on 01 May 1949 at Palam and has operated Harvard, Spitfire, Vampire, Su-7 and MiG-21M aircraft in the past. 
• The glorious history of this Squadron includes active participation in 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Union Agriculture Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar addresses the Pre-Summit of United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021

• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar virtually delivered the Ministerial Statement in the Pre-Summit of United Nations Food System Summit 2021 
• UN Secretary-General Shri António Guterres, Prime Minister of Italy Shri Mario Draghi along with representatives of various countries, also addressed the three-day summit.
• The Minister emphasized the importance of Agriculture in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 as 12 out of 17 SDGs are directly dependent on agriculture.
• He said that agriculture plays an important role in the socio-economic transformation of developing countries.
• The Minister listed the creation of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore, formation of 10000 Farmer Producer Organizations, the PM KISAN Scheme through which an amount of 1.37 lakh crore has been credited to the bank accounts of 11 crore farmers.
• He also highlighted the “Per Drop More Crop” scheme for irrigation; Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ for organic farming as well as the ‘Soil Health Card’ Scheme to conserve water and soil resources.
• The Minister also stated that the Government of India has launched the Pradhan Mantri FasalBima Yojana (PMFBY) to provide insurance protection for covering the risk of farmers.

National Geo-research Scholars Meet: Importance of earth sciences in finding sustainable development solutions emphasised  

• The 5th National Geo-research Scholars Meet (NGRSM), based on the theme “Earth Sciences for Sustainable development”, was organized through a webinar recently at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, an autonomous institute of the DST.
• Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Professor Ashutosh Sharma emphasised the necessity of earth sciences in the study of groundwater, glaciers, other water resources, climate change and its solution, science and technology, and mitigation of natural hazards at the National Geo-research Scholars Meet (NGRSM).
• The webinar covered presentations of researchers in areas like; Natural Resources, Water Management, Earthquake, Monsoon, Climate change, Natural disasters, River systems, and so on.
• The two-day webinar, which was attended by 350 participants from different Universities/Institutes/Organizations of India, included several invited talks by distinguished speakers and research scholars from all over the nation.
• The interactive session witnessed numerous queries from budding researchers.

About NGRSM:

• The NGRSM started in 2016 as a regular annual event of WIHG with a view to encourage young researchers and students for improving their research interests, providing them a platform to share their research work, receive feedback from the peers and refine their ideas.
• The event also provides them an opportunity for interaction with the eminent geoscientists and understanding the latest trends in Geo-scientific research.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Government developed indigenous climate model 

• The Government has developed an indigenous climate model that will predict the impact of climate change on monsoon in the country, informed Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences.
• The model, Earth System Model or IITM-ESM has been developed at the Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Earth System Model is developed by the scientists at IITM, Pune in collaboration with the international research community.
• It is the first climate model from South Asia that has contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sixth assessment report (AR6) and participated in the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project –Phase 6 (CMIP6) experiments.

Benefits of IITM-ESM:

• The development of the IITM-ESM model is advantageous to scientists and researchers studying the impact of climate change on the environment.
• It is an important tool in the understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms that govern the rate of change of elements of Earth’s system.
• Furthermore, this development will help in enhancing the fundamentals of the climate system, its multi-scale variability, global and regional climatic phenomena, and making projections of future climate change.

Scientists developed Ultra-sensitive, easy to use sensor can detect arsenic in food & water in 15 minutes

• Department of Science and Technology stated, A scientist with the Mohali-based National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute has developed an ultra-sensitive and easy-to-use sensor for detecting arsenic contamination in water and food within 15 minutes.
• The sensor is highly sensitive, selective and is applicable for various water and food samples.
• It can be easily operated and one can know about contamination by matching the colour change on the sensor’s surface with reference labels.
• ‘The sensor developed by Dr Vanish Kumar, a recipient of the INSPIRE Faculty fellowship of the Department of Science and Technology, and currently positioned at the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, can be tested with three modes- spectroscopic measurements, colour intensity measurement with the help of colorimeter or mobile application, and with naked eyes’.

About the kit:

• Identification of arsenic before consumption of water and food is imperative to protect people from possible health issues associated with arsenic.
• However, none of the existing methods of detection can be easily used.
• The developed testing kit is 500 times more sensitive in comparison to the improved version of the molybdenum-blue test, which is one of the most common and traditional tests used for detecting arsenic ions.

Group of Indian astronomers’ spotting first short duration gamma-ray burst from a stellar collapse

• The Ministry of Science & Technology stated A group of astronomers, including from India, has detected a very short, powerful burst of high-energy radiation that lasted for about a second and had been racing towards the earth for nearly half the present age of the universe.
• The burst detected by NASA”s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope on August 26, 2020 turned out to be one for the record books — the shortest gamma-ray burst (GRB) caused by the death of a massive star.

About the Ray:

• GRBs are the most powerful events in the universe, detectable across billions of light-years.
• Astronomers classify them as long or short based on whether the event lasts for more or less than two seconds.
• They observe long bursts in association with the demise of massive stars, while short bursts have been linked to a different scenario.
• The identification of this short event GRB which involved several scientists across the world, including Shashi Bhushan Pandey from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), as well as scientists from other Indian institutions, showed for the first time that a dying star can produce short bursts too.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Vantika Agarwal bags national women online chess title

• Delhi’s Vantika Agarwal stunned a strong field to win the National women online chess title.
• In a field headed by R. Vaishali and featuring past National champions like Tania Sachdev, Bhakti Kulkarni, Padmini Rout and seasoned names like Mary Ann Gomes, Soumya Swaminathan and Esha Karavade, ninth seed Vantika scored 9.5 round from 11 rounds.
• Her victims included Bhakti and P. V. Nandhidhaa, seeded three and five. Her lone loss came against former National champion Swati Ghate.
• Arpita Mukherjee, seeded 18, took the second spot with nine points.
• Sreeja Seshadri topped a three-way tie at 8.5 points to take the third spot.

Priya Malik Clinches Gold at World Cadet Wrestling Championship                  

• On July 25, 2021, 16-year-old Indian Wrestler Priya Malik clinched gold at the 2021 World Cadet Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
• She defeated Kseniya Patapovich 5-0 in the summit clash of women’s 73kg weight category to win the yellow medal.
• The Indian team bagged as many as 13 medals, including 5 Golds at the Championship.

About Priya Malik :

• Priya Malik hails from Jind in Haryana.
• Priya Malik has also become the first athlete to win a gold medal for India in the World Wrestling Championship.
• In 2019, she won gold at the Khelo India Games in Pune and in the New Delhi National School Games.
• Priya also won two more gold medals in 2020.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES 

Former England bowler Mike Hendrick dies at 72

• Former England and Derbyshire bowler Mike Hendrick has passed away at the age of 72.
• Hendrick played a major role in two of England’s Ashes-series victories and took 87 wickets in 30 Tests for his country between 1974 and 1981.
• He claimed 770 wickets in his first-class career

About Mike Hendrick :

• Hendrick, who had been battling bowel cancer in recent years, took 87 wickets in 30 Tests at an average of 25.83 for England between 1974 and 1981 and was a prominent member of Ashes-winning sides at home in 1977 and in Australia in 1978-79.
• The paceman also claimed 35 wickets in 22 ODIs and was in England’s side for the 1979 Cricket World Cup final against West Indies at Lord’s.

Former Indian & Arjuna Award-winning badminton player Nandu Natekar passes away 

• On July 28, 2021, Legendary badminton player Nandu Natekar, Passed  away.
• He was 88.

About Nandu Natekar :

• Born in Sangli in western Maharashtra.
• Natekar was a director of Natekar Sports and Fitness (NSF).
• Nandu Natekar the first Indian to win an international title in 1956.
• Natekar won over 100 national and international titles in a career spanning over 15 years.
• In 1956, he won the Men’s Singles title in the Selangor International Tournament in Kuala Lumpur to win the first international title by an Indian badminton player.
• He won 12 out of the 16 singles matches and eight out of 16 in doubles as part of the Indian team at the Thomas Cup between 1951 and 1963.
• He also represented India at the 1965 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica.

Awards & Honours :

• Natekar was the first sportsman to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1961.
• In 2001, he was Awarded Life-time Achievement Award by the Petroleum Sports Control Board of India
• He also Awarded Sahyadri Navratna Puraskar in 2002, titled Ratna Saurabh.

Addition Info :

• Natekar’s son, Gaurav Natekar, is a seven-time Indian National Champion in tennis.

Daily CA On July 28 :

• The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem,Observed on July 26, adopted by the General Conference of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2015.
• The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) celebrated its 83rd Raising Day on July 27 all over the country.
• World Natural Conservation Day is celebrated every year on July 28 to raise awareness about the importance of working for a healthy environment.
• World Hepatitis Day is commemorated each year on 28 July to enhance awareness of viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that causes a range of health problems, including liver cancer.
• The Indian Science Technology and Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM), the national web portal for sharing R&D facilities was formally launched in January 2020 by the Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
• Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated the National Commission for Women’s 24/7 helpline number – 7827170170. 
• The Union Government has decided to set up a National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics for creating a world-class talent pool in India to cater to the Indian as well as global industry.
• Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah launched the Green Sohra Afforestation Campaign at Sohra (Cherrapunji) in Meghalaya.
• Parliament has passed the National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2021.
• Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated the 28th Regional Workshop of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)
• In a major boost to agricultural produce exports from Uttarakhand, first consignment of vegetables including curry leaf, okra, pear and bitter gourd sourced from the farmers of Haridwar, was exported to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
• Coal India Ltd. (CIL) has taken an out of box initiative to produce sand from overburden at a much cheaper price.
• Madrid’s tree-lined Paseo del Prado boulevard and the adjoining Retiro park have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list. 
• The Philippines approved commercial cultivation of vitamin A-rich Golden Rice, long touted as a partial remedy for childhood malnutrition.
• Singapore’s Sunseap is planning a $2 billion floating solar project on a reservoir in Indonesia’s Batam Island 
• Leading European nation Swedenstated it has ratified the framework agreement for the International Solar Alliance, an initiative of India aimed at promoting renewable energy and sustainable development.
• BRICS countries are all prepared to take ahead, incorporate and amplify the Traditional Medicine System in the fight against Covid-19.
• The Karnataka BJP legislature party which met on July 27, to elect their new legislature party leader has chosen Basavaraj Bommai as the new Chief Minister.
• Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation of Bamboo Industrial Park at Manderdisa in Dima Hasao & the project will be implemented with 50 crores from DoNER Ministry.
• The Ministry of Science and Technology will set up a first-of-its-kind Centre for Bioresources & Sustainable Development
• The Harappan city of Dholavira in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch has found a place in UNESCO’s World Heritage list, making it the 40th world heritage property in the country.
• Care Ratings stated in a report, The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is likely to be 8 to 9 percent in the current financial year, driven by agriculture and industry sectors.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has sharply scaled down India’s economic growth projection by 300 basis points to 9.5 per cent for the current financial year from 12.5 per cent estimated earlier in April.
• International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank Group, has provided a loan of $250 million ( ₹1,875 crore) to HDFC, to promote affordable green housing finance for low and middle income borrowers.
• The Union Government has fixed norms for implementation of Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in the country to enable state-specific reforms.
• In recent years, the Government has taken a number of measures to bring back the black money stashed abroad ‘The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015’.
• Rao Inderjit Singh informed that Government has identified total 2,38,223 companies as shell companies between 2018-2021
• As per the Provisional Estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the year 2020-21 released by the National Statistical Office, the Gross Value Added (GVA) of agriculture has shown a growth of 3.6 per cent, signalling better prospects of consumption in rural India.
• Nasir Kamal, has been appointed as the Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• The Union government gave additional charge of the Delhi Police to Balaji Srivastava after the retirement of SN Shrivastava on June 30, and there was no indication at the time that the charge was temporary.
• Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced that weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, who won Silver at the Tokyo Olympics, will be appointed as the Additional Superintendent of Police in the state police department.
• The lead internal security force of the country-Central Reserve Police Force has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC)-India’s premier tech R&D to train the manpower of the force in advanced technologies and undertake joint projects.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement to work together to foster diversity and equity through global initiatives promoting health and sport for everybody, everywhere.
• INS Tabar reached St Petersburg, Russia on 22 July 2021 to participate in the 325th Navy Day celebrations of the Russian Navy.
• 12th Edition of Indo-Russia joint military Exercise INDRA 2021 will be held at Volgograd, Russia from 01 to 13 August 2021.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation’s customised space-themed merchandise programme in partnership with industry has taken off with multiple companies on board.
• Google‘s parent company Alphabet’s secretive research unit launches New robotics software company named Intrinsic & it mainly focused on developing software for robots.
• Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare Shri Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting to assess the situation of raw materials in the country for the manufacturing of Fertilisers.
• Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey informed, India generated 10,14,961.2 tonnes of e-waste , which is an increase of 31.6% when compared to the year 2019 to the Rajya Sabha.
• The Tokyo Olympics are introducing four new sports namely skateboarding, surfing, karate and sport climbing.

Daily CA On July 29 :

• Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July & the theme is “Their survival is in our hands”.
• Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh launched the MoES-ESSDP (Earth System Science Data Portal) during the 15th foundation day.
• In a major boost to exports of Geographical Indications (GI) products from the north-eastern region, a consignment of ‘Raja Mircha’ also referred as king chilli from Nagaland was exported to London via Guwahati by air for the first time.
• The Government has announced its plans to set up a National Farmers Database.
• The Geological Survey of India (GSI), part of the Ministry of Mines, has taken up seven projects for lithium exploration across different states in India.
• The Election Commission of India held a review meeting on advance planning for forthcoming elections with the Chief Electoral Officers of the five states namely Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, at Nirvachan Sadan.
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) launched a capacity-building initiative on ‘making water sensitive cities in Ganga basin’, aimed at improving river health and flows.
• Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO) stated that Unemployment rate for women fell to 4.2 per cent in 2019-20 from 5.1 per cent in 2018-19.
• The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021 has been passed by the Parliament, which aims to replace the over 90-year-old Lighthouse Act of 1927 & the bill was moved in Rajya Sabha by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on 19 July 2021 and it was passed on 27 July 2021.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singhattended a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe that extensively deliberated on regional security challenges as well as the situation in Afghanistan.
• Globally renowned for its natural beauty, Rio de Janeiro received a new international distinction as UNESCO added landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx’s former home to its list of World Heritage sites.
• Lebanon’s president is expected to appoint a billionaire businessman and former prime minister as the next premier-designate
• Indore has become the only city to be selected from India for the International Clean Air Catalyst Programme.
• In order to promote AYUSH in Madhya Pradesh and to link it with employment, the government CM Shivraj launched a ‘Devaranya’ scheme.
• Odisha’s Puri has become the first city in the state to have a drink-from-tap facility & Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the ‘Sujal’ or drink-from-tap mission.
• Department of MSME, Government of Uttar Pradesh, signed an MoU with government advisory firm Sapio Analytics, to provide licenses of automation software Accloud, worth Rs. 72 crores, to 20,000 MSMEs of the state.
• Economic prospects have diverged further across countries since the April 2021 World Economic Outlook (WEO) forecast & the global economy is projected to grow 0 percent in 2021 and 4.9 percent in 2022.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) informed that the total amount of unclaimed deposits of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) was Rs. 24,356 crore, as on 31.12.2020.
• India’s largest private lender HDFC Bank launched an overdraft facility for small retailers in partnership with the government’s e-governance services delivery arm CSC SPV that enables government schemes and services through common service centres (CSCs).
• With an aim to further improve ease of doing business, Centre launches the “Secured Logistics Document Exchange” along with a Calculator for GreenHouse Gas Emissions
• 52,391 entities are recognized as start-ups by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), more than 5.7 lakh jobs have been reported by more than 50,000 start-ups.
• Uber has announced that it has named Ameya Velankar as head of marketing for India, South Asia.
• Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid won the Presidency of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 7 June 2021.
• SDG Choupal, a collective community member of UN habitat, WHO, NITI Ayog and MSME ministry honored Shri Sanjay Rai Sherpuria by appointing him the National Brand Ambassador for his commendable contributions.
• The Cabinet approved a multilateral MoU signed between the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS).
• National Fertilisers Limited (NFL) and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd (RCF) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) for ‘transfer of technology’ of a revolutionary and game changer fertiliser Nano Urea Liquid.
• The Indian Air Force formally inducted Rafale aircraft into 101 Squadron at Air Force Station Hasimara in Eastern Air Command (EAC)
• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar virtually delivered the Ministerial Statement in the Pre-Summit of United Nations Food System Summit 2021 
• The 5th National Geo-research Scholars Meet (NGRSM), based on the theme “Earth Sciences for Sustainable development”, was organized through a webinar recently at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, an autonomous institute of the DST.
• The Government has developed an indigenous climate model that will predict the impact of climate change on monsoon in the country, informed Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences.
• Department of Science and Technology stated, A scientist with the Mohali-based National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute has developed an ultra-sensitive and easy-to-use sensor for detecting arsenic contamination in water and food within 15 minutes.
• The Ministry of Science & Technology stated A group of astronomers, including from India, has detected a very short, powerful burst of high-energy radiation that lasted for about a second and had been racing towards the earth for nearly half the present age of the universe.
• Delhi’s Vantika Agarwal stunned a strong field to win the National women online chess title.
• On July 25, 2021, 16-year-old Indian Wrestler Priya Malik clinched gold at the 2021 World Cadet Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary & she defeated Kseniya Patapovich 5-0 in the summit clash of women’s 73kg weight category to win the yellow medal.
• Former England and Derbyshire bowler Mike Hendrick has passed away at the age of 72.
• On July 28, 2021, Legendary badminton player Nandu Natekar, Passed  away.