Current Affairs July 17th & 18th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Day for International Justice 2022: July 17

• Every year on July 17, the day of many names, also known as International Justice Day, World Day for International Justice, or Day of International Criminal Justice, is celebrated to acknowledge the system of international justice.

Theme

• This year’s theme for the Day of International Criminal Justice is “Achieving Social Justice through Formal Employment”, a timely topic for a modern age where criminals are increasingly relying on advanced internet-based means instead of traditional criminal tactics.

History

• Between 1945–1949, The victorious Allied governments established an International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, to bring justice to perpetrators of World War II — major Nazi war criminals are indicted.
• On April 29, 1946, The Tokyo Trials took place and An International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) is created in Tokyo, Japan, to punish major war criminals in the Far East.
• On July 17, 1998,120 states adopted the treaty known as the Rome Statute, thus informally establishing the International Criminal Court.
• On July 1, 2002, 60 countries ratified the Rome Statute, making the International Criminal Court official.
• On June 1, 2010, The Assembly of State Parties decided to celebrate the day the Rome Statute was adopted as the World Day for International Justice.
• On July 10, 2012, Congolese criminal warlord, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, was the first person to be convicted and sentenced by the ICC and he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Nelson Mandela International Day: July 18

• Nelson Mandela International Day, also known as Mandela Day, is observed every year on July 18 to mark the birth anniversary of the former South African president.
• This day is an opportunity for everyone to renew their commitment to the values that inspired Mandela.

History of Nelson Mandela International Day

• This day was first celebrated on July 18, 2010, after the United Nations in November 2009 officially declared Nelson Mandela International Day.
• Originally, this day was Mandela’s idea to celebrate his birthday as Mandela Day.
• On his 90th birthday, Mandela said, “It is time for new hands to lift the burdens. It is in your hands now.”
• However, some groups started celebrating this day on July 18, 2009.
• In 2014, the UN General Assembly introduced the Nelson Mandela Prize, an award recognizing the achievements of those who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

AIIMS to host Film Festival to commemorate 12th National Plastic Surgery Day:

• The Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI) will celebrate the 12th National Plastic Surgery Day (July 15) and the Burn and Plastic Surgery Department of AIIMS, Delhi will host the APSI Sushruta Film Festival (ASFF 2022).
• The topic of this film festival, according to Professor Maneesh Singhal, Department Head of Burn and Plastic Surgery, is “Changing Lives through Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.”
• He emphasized that the festival aims to present the best work created by plastic surgeons around the country.
• According to Professor Singhal, the festival will play the best films on cosmetic surgery subjects.
• He asserts that the occasion will help change how the general public perceives plastic surgery and its many subspecialties.

First E-Waste Eco Park in India to be built in Delhi:

• Gopal Rai, the environment minister for Delhi, called a joint review meeting with members of the environment department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to explore the creation of an e-waste eco-park.
• According to Rai, the first e-waste eco-park in India would be built on about 21 acres in the Delhi neighborhood of Holambi Kalan.

Key Points:

• The project’s implementing agency, the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), was established as a member of an 11-member steering committee.
• Over 2 lakh tonnes of the nation’s annual production of electronic trash is produced in Delhi, where just 5% of it is properly recycled.

UIDAI launched the ‘AadhaarFaceRd’ mobile app to perform Aadhaar face authentication:

• A new smartphone app named “AadhaarFaceRd” from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) contains a facial authentication function.
• Aadhaar card users are no longer required to physically attend an enrollment center to get their iris and fingerprints scanned for authentication.
• The UIDAI has begun employing facial authentication to verify an Aadhaar holder’s identity.
• Your identification is confirmed when your face authentication is successful.
• Downloading the UIDAI RDApp, which can be used for different Aadhaar Authentication Apps including Jeevan Praman, PDS, Scholarship programs, COWIN, and Farmer Welfare schemes, allows residents to access the Aadhaar Face Authentication function.
• Technology for Aadhaar Face Authentication was created internally by UIDAI.

About UIDAI:

• CEO: Saurabh Garg
• Founded: 28 January 2009
• Headquarters: New Delhi.

Jute Mark India (JMI) Logo Launched by GoI:

• The certification of authenticity for jute items made in India was introduced by the Indian government.
• The “Jute Mark India” logo was launched by the Union Textile Secretary.
• The goal of this project is to maintain and promote Indian jute goods.

Key points:

• The jute products made in India will be identified by the Jute Mark India (JMI) logo.
• The local market and international sales of jute goods created in India are anticipated to grow as a result of this certification.
• Customers may learn more about the product by scanning the exclusive QR code found on Jute Mark India.
• The National Jute Board, which reports to the Union Textile Ministry, is in charge of promoting jute and jute products in India.
• Between FY22 and FY26, Jute Mark India (JMI) was established as part of an ongoing program for the growth and marketing of jute.
• The national government contributed a total of Rs. 485.58 crores to this project.
• Jute’s exports in 2020–2021 were Rs. 2740 crore, and its variety of goods brought in Rs. 1261 crore. This accounted for 46% of the entire export value of jute goods.
• The estimated value of Jute Goods exported in 2021–2022 was Rs. 3785.68 crores.

About National Jute Board:

• The National Jute Board Act 2008, drafted by the Government of India’s Minister of Textile and adopted by the Parliament on February 12, 2009, governs the National Jute Board.
• To study and expand the use of jute in both organized and decentralized sectors, the board aims to conduct research and engage human resource development initiatives.

To encourage agricultural trade, Narendra Tomar launched the e-NAM Platform:

• The Platform of Platforms (POP) under the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) was introduced by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, on the eve of the State Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers’ Conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka
• More than Rs 37 crore in equity grants were given to 1,018 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), which would benefit 3.5 lakh farmers.

Key Points:

• Along with Shri Tomar, other dignitaries present included Shri BC Patil, the Agriculture Minister of Karnataka, Shri Basavaraj Bommai, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Ms. Shobha Karandlaje, and Shri Kailash Choudhary, the Union Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, respectively.
• POP has made it simpler for farmers to access markets outside of their states.
• This will provide farmers’ digital access to a larger range of markets, buyers, and service providers as well as give transparency to business transactions, improving the price search mechanism and quality commensurate with price realization.
• POP includes 41 service providers across several platforms who offer a variety of value chain services, including trade, quality assurance, warehousing, finance, market information, transportation, etc.
• The POP will build a digital ecosystem that will benefit from the expertise of several platforms in all facets of the agricultural value chain.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

10th World Peace Forum Organized in Beijing

• The 10th World Peace Forum 2022 is being organized by Tsinghua University, in Beijing.

Theme :

• Preserving International Stability: Commonality, Comprehensiveness, and Cooperation
• India’s Ambassador to China, Pradeep Kumar Rawat attended the panel discussion.

About 10th World Peace Forum :

• The forum includes topics such as the preservation of world peace, European security order, and the United Nations and world order.
• More than 300 former senior officials, diplomatic envoys, and scholars participated online or offline.
• The forum was initiated in 2012 by Tsinghua University and the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Kerala becomes the first state to have its internet service

• Kerala has become the first and only state in India to have its internet service.
• The announcement followed the Department of Telecommunications’ granting of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) license to the IT infrastructure project of the Kerala Fiber Optic Network (KFON) Ltd, which aims to provide for everyone in Kerala.
• The Kerala State Electricity Board Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, and KSITI are the stakeholders in this initiative.

About KFON :

• K-Fon is a state government initiative that aims to eliminate the digital gap.
• The KFON scheme is set to provide free internet to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and 30,000 government offices
• KFON will be able to connect to the nearly 8,000+ mobile towers in Kerala and significantly enhance the mobile call quality and also accelerate the 4G/5G transitions.
• Presently 80% of the towers are not fiberized and use radio, an issue for the 4G/5G rollout, which will also be solved by KFON.

Objectives of K-Fon :

• To create a core network infrastructure (information highway) with non-discriminatory access to all service providers so that they can augment their connectivity gap.
• To provide a reliable, secure, and scalable intranet connecting all government offices, educational institutions, hospitals, etc
• To Partner with Multiple System Operators, Telecommunication Service Providers, and Internet Service Providers for providing free internet to economically backward households.

Note :

• In 2019 the Kerala Govt had declared internet connection as a basic right and launched the Rs 1,548-crore KFON project.

About Kerala :

• Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
• Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
• Capital : Thiruvananthapuram

UNDP & Telangana Govt announces DiCRA 

• The Telangana government in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA), the latest addition to the Digital Public Goods Registry.

Aim :

• To enhance food security and food systems in Telangana.

About DiCRA :

• The DiCRA is powered by Artificial Intelligence.
• Using remote sensing and pattern detection algorithms, DiCRA can identify farms that are resilient to climate change and those that are highly vulnerable.
• It will facilitate analysis and insight sharing on climate resilience, based on empirical inputs crowd-sourced from hundreds of data scientists and citizen scientists on best-performing farms.
• These technologies will be used to mitigate climate change, which is bound to impact the crop yield along with nutritional quality and livestock productivity.
• This is first-of-its-kind digital commons to drive climate action.

About UNDP :

• Established: 1966
• Headquarters: New York City, United States of America (USA)
• Administrator : Achim Steiner
• The UNDP is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development.
• The UNDP operates in 170 countries.

About Telangana :

• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Chief Minister : K. Chandrashekar Rao
• Capital: Hyderabad

Kharchi festival 2022 begins in Tripura 

• A week-long traditional Kharchi festival, offering prayer to 14 deities, began with thousands of devotees at Khayerpur on the eastern outskirts of Tripura.
• Tripura Assembly Speaker Ratan Chakraborty started the festival.

About Kharchi Puja :

• Khar means sin and chi mean cleaning & it is known as the cleaning of sins
• Out of 14 idols, 11 idols are kept inside Andarmahal once the festivity gets over & only 3 idols are worshiped throughout the year
• Kharchi Puja is predominantly a tribal festival but it owes its origins to the Hindu religion.
• The 14 gods which are prayed to during the festivity are Saraswati, Durga, Lakshmi, Shiva, Durga, Kartikeya, Brahma, Ganesh, Ganga, Agni, Himadri, Prithvi, Samudra, and
• According to Tripura royal family’s “Rajmala”, Queen Hiravati once went to take a bath in the river Maharani and noticed a wild buffalo chasing the 14 gods.
• With the help of the queen’s cloth, the gods managed to kill the beast.

About Tripura :

• Governor : Satyadev Narayan Arya
• Chief Minister : Manik Saha
• Capital : Agartala

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

Quantum Mutual Fund launches India’s first Nifty 50 ETF Fund of Fund

• Quantum Mutual Fund launches Quantum Nifty 50 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF Fund), an open-ended Fund of Fund (FoF) scheme that invests in the units of Quantum Nifty 50 ETF.
• Quantum Nifty 50 ETF FOF is India’s first-of-its-kind Nifty 50 ETF Fund of Fund.
• The new fund offer opens on July 18, 2022, and closes on August 1, 2022.
• The scheme will re-open for subscription and redemption on an ongoing basis from August 10, 2022.
• Hitendra Parekh has been the fund manager since its inception on July 10th, 2008.

Aim :

• To provide capital appreciation by investing in units of Quantum Nifty 50 ETF – Replicating / Tracking Nifty 50 Index.

Salient features of Quantum Nifty 50 ETF Fund of Fund :

• No Demat account required
• Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) option available
• According to the Asset Allocation Strategy, investors dedicate money worth 12 months of their expenses to a liquid fund and 20% of their investable money to gold, the rest 80% can be allocated to equity.
• This fund will invest in the units of Quantum Nifty 50 ETF, a passive scheme in the array of Quantum Solutions with a track record of 14 years and counting.
• Quantum Nifty 50 ETF FoF will have an expense ratio of about 15 basis points for a direct plan and about 27 basis points for a regular plan.
• Investors can allocate 85% of their equity investments to Quantum Nifty 50 ETF Fund of Fund, while the remaining 15% can be allocated to Quantum India ESG Equity Fund.”

Singapore & Asian Development Bank sign agreement to promote investment in the Asia Pacific

• Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote greater investment in the Asia and Pacific region and to recognize the importance of private sector finance as well as catalyzing public sector resources for sustainable and inclusive development.
• Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mr. Lawrence Wong and ADB President Mr. Masatsugu Asakawa signed the agreement on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

Aim :

• To build on these areas of collaboration by focusing on mobilizing investment, financing, management skills, and technologies for private sector development projects in ADB Developing Member Countries (DMCs).

About the MoU :

• Through this MOU, ADB and Singapore would cooperate to support private sector development projects that contribute to the region’s infrastructure, financial, and social needs, and help countries achieve their Sustainable Development Goal commitments.
• The MOU replaces a 2012 MOU between ADB and Singapore to enhance knowledge sharing and cooperation in governance and public policy, private sector development, and climate change.
• ADB and Singapore will also cooperate in promoting the use of new technologies and innovative processes in areas such as developing livable cities, addressing the challenges of climate change, and utilizing financial technology to improve financial market efficiency.
• Also, ADB and Singapore will further strengthen collaboration on digital innovation.

Additional Info :

• Singapore was a founding member of ADB when the bank was established in 1966.
• It borrowed from ADB until 1980 and graduated formally from borrowing in 1998.
• Since 2001, Singapore has contributed to ADB’s concessional fund, the Asian Development Fund, as well as the Technical Assistance Special Fund. 

Note :

• Singapore is also an active participant in the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund supported by ADB.

About Singapore :

• President : Halimah Yacob
• Prime Minister : Lee Hsien Loong
• Currency: Singapore dollar

About ADB :

• Founded: 19 December 1966
• Headquarters: Manila, Philippines
• President : Masatsugu Asakawa
• Membership: 68 countries

Yes Bank signs a term sheet With JC Flowers ARC for the sale of stressed loans

• The Board of directors of Yes Bank has signed a binding term sheet with JCF ARC LLC and JC Flowers Asset Reconstruction Private Limited (JC Flowers ARC) for a proposed sale of an identified stressed loan portfolio of the bank aggregating to up to Rs 48,000 crore.
• In the guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), YES bank proposes to run a transparent bidding process on a Swiss Challenge basis for the sale of such portfolios using the JC Flowers ARC’s bid as the base bid.

About Yes Bank :

• Founded: 2004
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO: Prashant Kumar
• Tagline: Experience Our Expertise

Kotak Mahindra Bank becomes the first private bank to integrate with a new income tax portal

• Kotak Mahindra Bank has completed technical integration with the new e-filing portal of the Income Tax department.
• With this Kotak Mahindra Bank has become the first private bank to fully integrate with the new e-filing portal.
• The customers can pay their direct taxes through the e-pay tax tab on the portal using Kotak net banking or by visiting a branch.
• This will make the tax payment process simple, instant, and convenient for customers.

Note :

• In October 2021, Kotak Mahindra Bank became the first scheduled private sector bank to receive approval as a collections partner for taxes, after the announcement to permit all banks to participate in government business.

About Kotak Mahindra Bank :

• Founded: February 2003
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman, MD & CEO : Uday Kotak
• Tagline: Let’s Make Money Simple

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Ola introduces India’s first indigenously made lithium-ion cell:

• The first locally created lithium-ion cell has been revealed by Ola Electric.
• By 2023, the Bengaluru-based two-wheeler manufacturer would start mass producing the NMC 2170 cell at its Gigafactory in Chennai.
• The cell can store more energy in a given area because of the employment of particular chemicals and materials, which also extends the cell’s lifespan.

About the Ola Electric:

• Ola is constructing the most cutting-edge cell research facility in the world, which will allow us to scale and develop more quickly and produce the most cutting-edge and reasonably priced EV goods possible.
• To build advanced cells in India, the government has granted the firm 20GWh of capacity under the ACC PLI plan.
• In August 2021, Ola Electric debuted its first electric car.
• It has since built the largest two-wheeler production plant in the world in India.

About Ola Electric:

• Founder: Bhavish Aggarwal
• Founded: 2017

Trade Deficit widens to a record $26.1 Billion in June:

• After the Commerce Ministry updated both the exports and imports data for the month upward, India’s goods trade imbalance increased to a record $26.18 billion in June, above the government’s original estimate of $25.63 billion.
• The previous record-setting month for the merchandise trade imbalance was May, at $24.3 billion.
• The $9.6 billion loss reported in June 2021 was virtually tripled in size by the trade imbalance that occurred last month.

Key Points:

• Even though June’s goods exports exceeded $40.1 billion (the first estimate was $38 billion), up 23.5 percent year over year, imports outperformed exports, rising by 57.5 percent to $66.3 billion as a result of increased purchases of coal, gold, and petroleum products.
• Although there were considerable higher adjustments for each, the increase in imports was mostly caused by coal, gold, and petroleum products, as previously projected.
• Imports of gold exceeded $2.7 billion while imports of coal increased nearly fourfold to $6.76 billion.
• The value of petroleum imports increased by 5% to $21.3 billion.
• With petroleum and diamonds and jewelry excluded, imports increased by 38.3 percent in June to reach $38.53 billion.
• When the same product categories were excluded from the export statistics, other product shipments increased by a single digit of 8.65 percent to nearly $28 billion.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Maharashtra Gov presents Mother Teresa Memorial Award to Dia Mirza & Afroz Shah:

• Dia Mirza, the country’s goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Program (UNEP), and Mr. Afroz Shah, an environmental activist, were honored with the renowned Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice 2021.
• The Maharashtra Governor, Hon. Bhagat Singh Koshyari presents the prize at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.
• For their admirable and noteworthy contributions to environmental sustainability, both received awards.
• As the Goodwill Ambassador of UNEP, India, Ms. Dia Mirza was recognized for her amazing and noteworthy contributions to steering important environmental initiatives throughout India.
• Afroz Shah received recognition for his outstanding and pioneering efforts to steer one of the biggest beach clean-up projects in the world in India, which served as an inspiration to people all around the world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

NIRF Rankings 2022: the list of all Top Colleges, Universities

• Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the union education minister, published the 7th edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings.
• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore is India’s top two higher education institutions overall, according to the most recent NIRF rankings published by the Education Ministry.

National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings Categories:

• Overall Category
• Pharmacy Colleges
• Top Medical Colleges
• Top Management Colleges
• Engineering Colleges

NIRF India Ranks 2022: Overall Category

1. Indian Institute of Technology Madras
2. Indian Institute of Science
3. Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
4. Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
5. Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
6. Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
7. Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
8. Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
9. All India Institute of Medical Sciences
10. Jawaharlal Nehru University

Top Pharmacy Colleges

1. Jamia Hamdard
2. National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Hyderabad
3. Panjab University
4. National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali
5. Birla Institute of Technology and Science – Pilani
6. JSS College of Pharmacy
7. Institute of Chemical Technology
8. JSS College of Pharmacy
9. Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal
10. National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Ahmedabad

Top Medical Colleges

1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi
2. Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
3. Christian Medical College
4. National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences, Bangalore
5. Banaras Hindu University
6. Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research
7. Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences
8. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
9. Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram
10. Kasturba Medical College, Manipal

Top Management Colleges

1. Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
2. Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
3. Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
4. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
5. Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
6. Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
7. Indian Institute of Management Indore
8. Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI)
9. National Institute of Industrial Engineering
10. Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Top Engineering Colleges

1. IIT Madras
2. IIT Delhi
3. IIT Bombay
4. IIT Kanpur
5. IIT Kharagpur
6. IIT Roorkee
7. IIT Guwahati
8. NIT Tiruchirapalli
9. IIT Hyderabad
10. NIT Surathkal

2.3 billion people severely or moderately hungry in 2021: U.N.

• World hunger rose in 2021, with around 2.3 billion people facing moderate or severe difficulty obtaining enough to eat and that was before the Ukraine war, which has sparked increases in the cost of grain, fertilizer, and energy, according to a U.N. report
• Ukraine and Russia together accounted for almost a third of the world’s wheat and barley exports and half of its sunflower oil, while Russia and its ally Belarus are the world’s No. 2 and 3 producers of potash, a key ingredient of fertilizer.
• According to the report, of the estimated 2.3 billion people who were moderately or severely “food insecure” in 2021, the number facing severe food insecurity rose to about 924 million.
• The prevalence of “undernourishment” where food consumption is insufficient to maintain an active and healthy life is used to measure hunger.
• Undernourishment continued to rise in 2021, and the report estimates that between 702 million and 828 million people faced hunger last year.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

NHPC signs MoU for development of “Pilot Green Hydrogen Technologies”:

• NHPC signed two MoUs for the development of “Pilot Green Hydrogen Technologies” in line with the country’s resolve to reduce the carbon footprint in the Power Sector in Leh and Kargil districts of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
• The MOUs were signed in the august presence of Shri R.K. Mathur, Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, Union Territory of Ladakh.
• As per MOU signed for Leh district, NHPC shall consider the development of a Pilot Green Hydrogen fuel cell-based Microgrid including Hydrogen production to meet the power requirement of the NHPC guest house at Nimmo Bazgo Power Station (Leh) within NHPC premises.

About the MOUs:

• According to the MOU signed for the Kargil district, the hydrogen generated in Kargil will be used in fuel cells for mobility which will be capable to run two buses for up to 8 hrs in the local area of Kargil.
• NHPC shall upscale hydrogen production on a commercial scale to supply the hydrogen need of the Ladakh region in different sectors like mobility, transportation, heating, and Micro-grid & subsequent MoU shall be signed separately.
• These two Pilot projects will create a roadmap for future development of Green Hydrogen & subsequent reduction of carbon emission in the transportation/heating sector and will also attract long-term investment in the Hydrogen economy creating different revenue streams & job opportunities for the youth of UT of Ladakh.

India, Madagascar sign MoU on tele-education:

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Madagascar government and Telecommunications Consultants India Limited [TCIL] for participation in the e-VBAB (e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati) network project.
• The Minister of Higher Education of Madagascar Elia Beatrice Assoumacou signed the MoU at the premises of the Ministry of Higher Education in Antananarivo, Madagascar in presence of the Ambassador of India to Comoros and Madagascar Abhay Kumar.
• The Minister of Higher Education Assoumacou expressed her delight at the signing of the MoU.

About the MOUs:

• This agreement comes under the program and vision of the Ministry of Higher Education to promote online education in Madagascar.
• The tele-education offers lectures ranging from a bachelor’s degree to higher studies.
• It is free of cost.
• However, there are some eligibility criteria for students who want to apply for it and after completion of the study, students will get their degrees and diplomas
• The technological up-gradation and extension of the Pan African e-network Project are known as e-VidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti Network Project.
• The Republic of Madagascar participated in the PAeNP.
• Now with the signing of this MOU, different online degree/diploma courses will be offered to Malagasy citizens, free of cost.

Vedanta collaborates with companies started from IIT Madras:

• Metal and oil and gas giant Vedanta has teamed up with Detect Technologies, a start-up founded at IIT Madras, and installed T-Pulse HSSE Monitoring System across all of its business units to execute safety issue detection.
• This relationship supports the Vedanta Group’s goal of attaining zero damage by implementing AI-enabled safety monitoring of workplaces, which is a top priority in its strategy for digital transformation.

Key Points:

• Vedanta’s infrastructure for relaying, analyzing, and reporting feeds will be utilized by the solution, and it will be recognized as such. The module will be used to identify dangerous surroundings and behaviors.
• T-technical Pulse’s stack is centralized, expandable, and designed for plug-and-play installation.
• T-Pulse has been widely adopted in industries with high levels of caution, including construction, petrochemicals, logistics, electricity, the metals, and mining industries, pharmaceuticals, and fabrication yards.
• It was created to reduce and mitigate risk through useful insights.
• It has been widely deployed at Vedanta locations to increase compliance by offering timely responses in situations ranging from onshore drilling to zinc manufacturing.

About Vedanta Spark:

• Vedanta Spark is a worldwide corporate innovation, accelerator, and ventures program that aims to support start-ups that use innovative and sustainable technology to have a significant impact on society in collaboration with Vedanta group enterprises.

About Detect Technologies:

• Detect Technologies, a startup supported by IIT Madras, was chosen as the Vedanta SPARK 1. O initiative’s winner. It provides SaaS-based solutions targeted at automating and re-engineering industrial processes to achieve 100% safety compliance and 0% asset downtime.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

FIFS appoints Mr. Joy Bhattacharjya as director-general

• India’s first and only self-regulatory industry body for fantasy sports, the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) has appointed Joy Bhattacharjya as its director general. 

Roles & Responsibilities :

• Joy Bhattacharjya will oversee the functioning of the body and work with policymakers and industry stakeholders alike.

About Mr. Joy Bhattacharjya :

• Joy Bhattacharjya is an Indian quizzer, orator, writer, and sports producer. 
• He is the former Team Director of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). 
• In 2017, he served as the director for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which was conducted in India.
• Bhattacharjya is the CEO of the Prime Volleyball League and is a cricket analyst
• He was the first Indian head of production at ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) Star Sports.

About FIFS :

• Founded: 2017
• Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana
• Chairman:  Bimal Julka
• The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), earlier known as the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming IFSG.
• The FIFS was established to protect consumer interest and create standardized best practices in the Fantasy Sports industry.

Aim :

• To set extremely high standards for the self-regulation and operational efficiency of the Fantasy Sports industry.

PM Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe Sworn in as Interim President of Sri Lanka

• Sri Lankan Mr. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as the interim President after Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena accepted the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
• He was administered the oath of office by Sri Lankan Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.
• The new Sri Lankan President will be elected as per the provisions of the Special Provisions Act No. 2 of 1981 and Article 40 of the Constitution. 

About Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe :

• Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe was qualified as an advocate.
• He holds the position of Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka.
• He is a member of parliament from the United National Party (UNP).
• He has been the leader of the UNP since 1994.
• Earlier he served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, 2015 to 2018, and 2018 to 2019.
• He also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2015

About Sri Lanka :

• Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative), Colombo (executive and judicial)
• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee

Alphabet Inc appoints Mr. Marty Chavez to Board

• Google parent Alphabet Inc appointed Wall Street veteran Mr. Ramon Martin Chavez to its Board of Directors.
• His appointment marks the first change to the Alphabet board since 2020 when former Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt departed.

About Mr. R. Martin Chavez :

• Martin Chavez is an American investment banker and entrepreneur.
• He is vice chairman and partner of Sixth Street Partners.
• He served in senior roles at Goldman Sachs, including chief information officer (2014–2017), chief financial officer, and global co-head of the firm’s Securities Division.
• He was also a partner and member of Goldman’s management committee. 
• He was the chief technology officer and co-founder of Quorum Software Systems and CEO and co-founder of Kiodex.
• He is chairman of the board of computational pharmaceutical company Recursion, and Board Observer of early cancer detection and Synthetic Biopsy company Earli.
• He was appointed president of Harvard University’s board of overseers for the 2020–21 academic year.

About Alphabet Inc :

• Founded: October 2, 2015
• Headquarters: California, U.S
• Founders: Larry Page, Sergey Brin
• Director and CEO: Sundar Pichai
• Chairperson: John L. Hennessy

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

British Parliament felicitated BCCI President Sourav Ganguly:

• Sourav Ganguly, a former captain of India and the current president of the BCCI, received recognition from the British Parliament.
• Exactly 20 years after leading India to victory in the Natwest final in 2002, the Indian cricket icon was honored on the same day, in the same place.
• In 2019, he was chosen to lead the BCCI.

About Sourav Ganguly:

• As the 39th and current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, often known as Dada, is an Indian cricket administrator, pundit, and former captain of the national cricket team. He is revered as the Indian cricket Maharaja.
• In 2004, Ganguly received the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors.
• On May 20, 2013, the West Bengali government presented Ganguly with the Banga Bibhushan Award.
• Ganguly is now a member of the Justice Mudgal Committee inquiry panel for the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal, which was established by the Supreme Court of India.

Daily CA on July 17 and 18:

• Every year on July 17, the day of many names, also known as International Justice Day, World Day for International Justice, or Day of International Criminal Justice, is celebrated to acknowledge the system of international justice.
• Nelson Mandela International Day, also known as Mandela Day, is observed every year on July 18 to mark the birth anniversary of the former South African president.
• The Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI) will celebrate the 12th National Plastic Surgery Day (July 15) and the Burn and Plastic Surgery Department of AIIMS, Delhi will host the APSI Sushruta Film Festival (ASFF 2022).
• Gopal Rai, the environment minister for Delhi, called a joint review meeting with members of the environment department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to explore the creation of an e-waste eco-park.
• A new smartphone app named “AadhaarFaceRd” from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) contains a facial authentication function.
• The certification of authenticity for jute items made in India was introduced by the Indian government.
• The Platform of Platforms (POP) under the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) was introduced by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, on the eve of the State Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers’ Conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka
• The first locally created lithium-ion cell has been revealed by Ola Electric.
• After the Commerce Ministry updated both the exports and imports data for the month upward, India’s goods trade imbalance increased to a record $26.18 billion in June, above the government’s original estimate of $25.63 billion.
• Dia Mirza, the country’s goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Program (UNEP), and Mr. Afroz Shah, an environmental activist, were honored with the renowned Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice 2021.
• Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the union education minister, published the 7th edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings.
• World hunger rose in 2021, with around 2.3 billion people facing moderate or severe difficulty obtaining enough to eat and that was before the Ukraine war, which has sparked increases in the cost of grain, fertilizer, and energy, according to a U.N. report
• NHPC signed two MoUs for the development of “Pilot Green Hydrogen Technologies” in line with the country’s resolve to reduce the carbon footprint in the Power Sector in Leh and Kargil districts of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Madagascar government and Telecommunications Consultants India Limited [TCIL] for participation in the e-VBAB (e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati) network project.
• Metal and oil and gas giant Vedanta has teamed up with Detect Technologies, a start-up founded at IIT Madras, and installed T-Pulse HSSE Monitoring System across all of its business units to execute safety issue detection.
• Sourav Ganguly, a former captain of India and the current president of the BCCI, received recognition from the British Parliament.

• The 10th World Peace Forum 2022 is being organized by Tsinghua University, in Beijing with the theme of Preserving International Stability: Commonality, Comprehensiveness, and Cooperation.
• Kerala has become the first and only state in India to have its internet service.
• The Telangana government in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA), the latest addition to the Digital Public Goods Registry.
• A week-long traditional Kharchi festival, offering prayer to 14 deities, began with thousands of devotees at Khayerpur on the eastern outskirts of Tripura.
• Quantum Mutual Fund launches Quantum Nifty 50 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF Fund), an open-ended Fund of Fund (FoF) scheme that invests in the units of Quantum Nifty 50 ETF.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote greater investment in the Asia and Pacific region and to recognize the importance of private sector finance as well as catalyzing public sector resources for sustainable and inclusive development.
• The Board of directors of Yes Bank has signed a binding term sheet with JCF ARC LLC and JC Flowers Asset Reconstruction Private Limited (JC Flowers ARC) for a proposed sale of an identified stressed loan portfolio of the bank aggregating to up to Rs 48,000 crore.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank has completed technical integration with the new e-filing portal of the Income Tax department.
• India’s first and only self-regulatory industry body for fantasy sports, the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) has appointed Mr. Joy Bhattacharjya as its director general. 
• Sri Lankan Mr. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as the interim President after Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena accepted the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
• Google parent Alphabet Inc appointed Wall Street veteran Mr. Ramon Martin Chavez to its Board of Directors.