Current Affairs July 20th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Mr. Anurag Thakur launches revised schemes of Cash Awards, National Welfare, and Pension to sportspersons:

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur launched revised schemes of Cash Awards, National Welfare and Pension to sportspersons, Web Portal for Schemes of Department of Sports, and National Sports Development Fund website in New Delhi.
• The Ministry has brought out several important amendments to the Scheme of Cash Award to Medal Winners in International Sports Events and their Coaches, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare for Sportspersons and Pension to Meritorious Sportsperson Scheme of Department of Sports with a vision to make these schemes more user-friendly, easy to access and transparent.
• The Minister hailed this development as another step towards Digital India by empowering citizens and reducing the gap between Government and citizens, system and facilities, problems and solutions.
• The procedures have been relaxed for the athletes so that they can get the benefits of welfare schemes without any delay.
• PSUs, corporate houses, and other institutions to make their contribution to the National Sports Development Fund for creating sports infrastructure and facilities for the sportspersons.

MHA sets up panel for delimitation of municipal wards in Delhi:

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has set up a three-member commission for carrying out a fresh delimitation exercise of the municipal wards in Delhi, according to a statement issued by the MCD.
• The exercise will pave the way for the civic polls in Delhi, which would be the first since the recent reunification of the city’s three corporations.
• The panel will have three members — Vijay Dev, State Election Commissioner, Delhi, who will be its chairman, Pankaj Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and Randhir Sahay, Additional Commissioner, MCD.
• The commission will present its report within four months of its formation,
• The reunified MCD formally came into existence on May 22 with IAS officers Ashwani Kumar and Gyanesh Bharti assuming charge as its special officer and commissioner respectively.

The unemployment rate in India rises to 7.8% in June; the rural unemployment rate climbs to 8.03%:

• The month of June witnessed a rise in the unemployment rate in India to 7.8 percent of the total workforce from 7.12 percent in May.
• The increase in the unemployment rate was mainly due to a rise in rural unemployment, as per data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).
• However, India’s June employment is at the lowest in the last year, according to the CMIE estimates.
• The rural unemployment rate rose on the back of uneven monsoon rains which have led to a delay in the deployment of agricultural labor in rural areas.

Key Points:

• The unemployment rate in the rural areas climbed to 8.03 percent from 6.62 percent in May.
• The urban unemployment rate, on the other hand, reduced to 7.30 percent during the same period from 8.21 percent a month ago.
• In terms of the overall employment in the country in June, it dropped by 13 million to 390 million, against a gain of 8 million jobs in April and May.
• According to CMIE’s managing director Mahesh Vyas, the count of the unemployed increased by only 3 million despite nearly 13 million lost jobs during the month as the rest quit the labor market.
• In June, around 8 million were lost in the agriculture sector, mostly connected to plantations.
• However, crop cultivation added 4 million jobs, which was lower than the same period in 2020 and 2021.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Rajasthan gets India’s first AI-powered digital Lok Adalat

• The National Legal Services Authority Chairman Mr. Uday Umesh Lalit introduced the Country’s first AI-powered virtual Lok Adalat all through the 18th All India Meet of State Legal Services Authorities (SLSA) meet held in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• The digital Lok Adalat by Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority (RSLSA) has been designed and developed by Jupitice Justice Technologies.
• The two-day event was inaugurated by Mr. N V Ramana, the Chief Justice of India, in the presence of Union Minister of Law & Justice Mr. Kiren Rijiju and Rajasthan Chief Minister Shri Ashok Gehlot.

About Digital Lok Adalat :

• The platform will be used to dispose of pending disputes or disputes that are at the pre-litigation stage. 
• It will provide end-to-end dispute resolution with various facilities-
• Drafting and filing of applications,
• Generation of e-notices through one-click
• Smart templates to draft settlement agreements
• Digital hearings through video conferencing tools
• It will also offer an AI-powered voice-based interactive chatbot and advanced data analytics tools. 
• It will help in getting better insights into the functioning of Lok Adalat through custom reports and BI Dashboards for data-driven decision-making.
• Recently, a district court in Bihar gave a verdict in a land dispute case after 108 years, making it one of the oldest pending cases in India.
• A NITI Aayog report also suggested it would take approximately 324 years to dispose of all cases pending in India.
• As per the report, 75-97 percent of legal problems never reach the courts, which means about 5 to 40 million legal tangles arising in a month never reach the Court.

About National Legal Services Authority :

• Established: 9 November 1995
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Patron-in-Chief: N. V. Ramana (Chief Justice of India)
• Executive-Chairman : Justice U. U. Lalit
• Motto: Access to Justice for All
• National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA) was formed under the authority of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987.

Purpose :

• To provide free legal services to eligible candidates, and to organize Lok Adalats for the speedy resolution of cases.

About Rajasthan :

• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• CM: Ashok Gehlot
• Capital: Jaipur

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

Karnataka Bank signs MoU with JCB India

• The Karnataka Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with JCB India Limited, a manufacturer of earthmoving and construction equipment in India.

About the agreement :

• Under the agreement, JCB will be nominating Karnataka Bank as its ‘preferred financier’ wherein individuals, contractors, companies, and partnership firms can avail of loans from the bank at competitive interest rates for purchasing a wide range of equipment from the product line of JCB India Limited.
• The tie-up arrangement is expected to boost the lending avenues under the bank’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) portfolio.
• The bank provides various finance schemes for the purchase of machinery and equipment to customers with attractive rates of interest and speedy sanction of loans through digital platforms.

About Karnataka Bank :

• Founded: 18 February 1924
• Headquarters: Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
• MD & CEO: Mahabaleshwara M. S
• It is an ‘A’ Class Scheduled Commercial Bank.

About JCB India :

• Headquarters: Ballabgarh, Haryana
• It is India’s largest manufacturer of construction equipment and is a fully owned subsidiary of JC Bamford Excavators Limited, UK.

Go Digit Insurance launches ‘pay as you drive’ add-on cover for motor insurance

• Go Digit General Insurance has launched ‘Pay as you Drive’ (PAYD) an add-on feature for motor insurance Own Damage (OD) policies.
• This makes Digit Insurance one of India’s first insurers to introduce the add-on for its customers.
• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) granted initial approval to add-on concepts such as ‘Pay-as-you-drive’, ‘Pay-how-you-drive’, and single floater policy for a retail policyholder’s multiple two-wheelers or cars.
• Digit’s new add-on offers discounts to its customers driving less than 10,000 kilometers per year on average.
• The company will use odometer reading, telematics data, and annual kilometers to offer this discount, which can go up to 25 percent.
• It is especially beneficial to people who do not drive their car regularly but still pay the same premium as a driver with heavy usage.

About Go Digit General Insurance :

• Founded: 2016
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
• Chairman: Kamesh Goyal

DBS named ‘World’s Best SME Bank’ by Euromoney for the second time

• DBS has been recognized as the ‘World’s Best SME Bank’ by the UK-based financial publication Euromoney for the second time since
• It entrenches the bank’s position as a global industry leader in partnering with Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to grow and expand their businesses across borders and digitally.
• The DBS bank also won three first-time awards at Euromoney’s Awards for

1. World’s Best ‘Financial Innovation of the year’ 2022
2. ‘Asia’s Best Bank for Wealth Management 2022’
3. ‘Asia’s Best Bank for SME award 2022’.

Other Awards :

• The World’s Best Bank for 2022: Bank of America
• The World’s best investment bank 2022: Goldman Sachs
• The World’s Best ‘Financial Innovation of the year’ to DBS’ Fixed Income Execution (FIX) Marketplace, Asia’s first automated digital bond issuance platform where issuers can directly connect with investors on the platform at their sole discretion.
• DBS has developed algorithmic models powered by artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics that alert the bank to potential signs of trouble faced by SMEs.

About FIX Marketplace :

• FIX Marketplace Launched in 2021.

Aim :

• To propel efforts to create a more efficient and accessible capital market through digitalization, thereby creating more inclusive and accessible markets for issuers.

Click here for the complete winners of Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence 2022

About DBS Bank :

• Founded: 16 July 1968
• Headquarters: Singapore
• Chairman: Peter Seah
• CEO: Piyush Gupta
• The bank was previously known as The Development Bank of Singapore Limited

About Euromoney :

• Euromoney is an English-language monthly magazine focused on business and finance.
• First published in 1969 by Sir Patrick Sergeant.
• Headquarters: London, UK

Federal Bank associates with the Central Board of Direct Taxes to launch the new online tax payment service

• The Federal Bank partners with the Central Board of direct taxes to launch the new online tax payment service.
• With this partnership, Federal Bank became one of the pioneers to be registered under the Tin 2.0 platform of the Income Tax Department.
• The new online tax payment service will provide support to taxpayers in making their payments via the e-pay tax facility in the e-filing portal of the income tax.
• Anyone can now pay their taxes instantly via any of their payment modes such as Debit/Credit Card, UPI, Net banking, cash, NEFT/RTGS,
• NRIs and Domestic Customers of the bank, as well as any tax-paying citizen in India, can generate a tax challan and make the payment through the Bank’s branches.
• There is no requirement for PAN/TAN registration/verification for taxpayers and it takes away any delay in payment of tax.

About Federal Bank :

• Founded: 23 April 1931
• Headquarters: Aluva, Kochi, Kerala, India

• MD & CEO: Shyam Srinivasan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Cognizant bags multi-year contract from National Insurance Company:

• Nasdaq-listed IT services firm Cognizant has been selected as a strategic technology provider by National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) to accelerate and help manage its digital transformation.
• NICL awarded the multi-year mandate to Cognizant to elevate its technology roadmap, help manage its centralized web-based core insurance solution consisting of multiple applications, underlying technology infrastructure, and security, and provide consulting services, among others.
• The IT services company will also support NICL’s technology roadmap by leveraging digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, and microservices-based architecture.
• Cognizant’s plan is designed to help NICL improve customer experience, including applications, claims processing, and underwriting, while continuing to improve ease of doing business, provide greater operational agility and efficiency, application security, financial and regulatory compliance and drive business growth.

Tata Power earmarks Rs 75,000-crore Capex for renewables in next 5 years:

• Tata Power has earmarked a capital expenditure of more than Rs 75,000 crore over the next five years, of which Rs 10,000 crore would be invested in this financial year.
• The company is planning to increase its green energy share to 60% over the next five years.
• 707 MW capacity across renewables in FY22, has a Rs 13,000-crore order book in its solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) business.
• It would invest Rs 14,000 crore across segments in this fiscal.

Key Points:

• Tata Power is looking to scale its generation capacity to over 30 GW by FY27 from the current 13.5 GW with an increased clean energy portfolio from current levels of 34% to 60% by 2027 and 80% by 2030.
• In Transmission & Distribution (T&D) business, the company will further optimize the Odisha discom operations, stabilize the new acquisition in the transmission business and deliver phenomenal customer service, enabled by digitalization
• The firm is also setting up a 4 GW solar cell and module manufacturing capacity in Tamil Nadu with an investment of Rs 3,000 crore.
• In addition, Tata Power is focused on growing consumer-centric and new-age energy solutions such as rooftop solar, electric vehicle chargers, solar pumps, smart metering, and energy management solutions among others.
• In FY22, Tata Power’s generation revenue rose by 28% and the return on capital employed rose 7.8% from 7.2% a year ago.
• The company also declared a dividend of Rs 1.75 per share in FY22.
• The higher commercial and industrial activities boosted the power demand by about 8% in FY22, with peak power demand breaching the 200 GW mark for the first time, in July 2021
• They have set on the path to three key goals of becoming carbon net-zero by 2045, 100% water neutral by 2030, and zero waste to the landfill before 2030.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

NTPC REL joins hands with GACL to set up India’s first commercial-scale green ammonia project:

• NTPC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals NSE 1.57 % Limited (GACL) to collaborate in setting up India’s first commercial-scale Green Ammonia and Green Methanol projects.
• The MoU envisages collaborating in the field of Renewable Energy, Green Methanol & Green Ammonia and mutually exploring the opportunities for the supply of 100 MW RE-RTC (Round The Clock) power and synthesizing 75 TPD Green Methanol and 35 TPD Green Ammonia for captive use for the production of various chemicals by GACL at its Vadodara and Dahej complex in Gujarat

About NTPC:

• NTPC is India’s largest Power Utility and its core business is power generation with a total installed capacity of 69 GW (including JVs and subsidiaries).
• As part of increasing its renewable energy portfolio, a fully owned subsidiary has been formed on 7th October 2020 known as “NTPC Renewable Energy Limited” (NTPC REL) which shall take up Renewable Energy Parks and Projects including business in the area of Green Hydrogen, Energy Storage Technologies and Round the Clock RE Power.

About GACL:

• Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL), incorporated in Mar 1973, is a state-owned chemical manufacturing unit.
• GACL is one of the largest producers of Caustic Soda in India, with a production capacity of over 1400 TPD at their two complexes in Dahej and Vadodara.
• GACL has its subsidiary company viz. GACL-NALCO Alkalies and Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. (GNAL) putting up an 800 TPD Caustic Soda Plant together with a 130 MW Thermal Power Plant (coal-based) at Dahej.

REC Partners with CEEW to Improve the Performance of DISCOMS:

• Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with REC Limited, a public infrastructure finance company to collaborate on activities to improve the operational and financial sustainability of discoms through the holistic deployment of smart meters, strengthening of power distribution networks, and improved quality of service for electricity consumers.
• The MoU was signed in the presence of R. Lakshmanan, Executive Director, RECL, and Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
• Under this partnership, in addition to providing research and evaluation support, CEEW will collaborate with REC Ltd to conduct primary and secondary research to help discoms in their efforts to deploy smart meters.

Key Points:

• CEEW’s research will also help to leverage smart metering infrastructure for improved service delivery and ensure a positive consumer experience.
• This partnership provides us with a framework for future collaborative projects that can help improve the performance of discoms while bringing down their financial losses.
• It aims to engage CEEW as a knowledge partner with REC for the implementation of the RDS scheme and build capacities within REC and discoms to undertake evidence-based research.
• The MoU will enable the parties to study the best practices and regulations concerning the operation, management, and use of smart metering infrastructure.
• The parties will also work together to implement and evaluate innovative strategies to improve operational efficiencies and the financial sustainability of DISCOMs.

Union Health Ministry and Panchayati Raj Ministry Sign MoU to eliminate TB in India:

• Union Health Ministry and Panchayati Raj Ministry have signed an MoU to eliminate TB in India.
• The MoU was signed by Dr. Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser on behalf of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and Dr. P Ashok Babu, Joint Secretary on behalf of the Ministry of Health.
• The MoU will forge inter-Ministerial collaboration and strategic partnerships to achieve the Prime Minister’s ambitious target of eliminating TB in India by 2025.
• the MoU is expected to pave way for coordinated efforts at the grassroots level to create mass awareness in rural areas to end the stigma and discrimination associated with Tuberculosis.
• It will help utilize the huge potential of a nationwide network of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Rural Local Bodies for the elimination of TB in India.
• This MoU will serve as a milestone to achieve the objective and target of the TB Free India Campaign.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORT

Expat Insider Rankings for 2022- India ranks 36^th:

• India is placed 36th out of 52 nations in the Expat Insider Rankings for 2022, which were just published by
• Mexico is ranked first and has a high affordability score.
• The ranking’s worst country for ex-pats is Kuwait.

Ranking Orders:

Top 10:

Mexico, Indonesia, Taiwan, Portugal, Spain, UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, and Singapore.

11 to 20:

Estonia, Oman, Kenya, USA, Bahrain, Brazil, Russia, Malaysia, Switzerland, and Czechia.

21 to 30:

Philippines, Netherlands, Canada, Austria, Hungary, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Belgium, and Denmark.

31 to 40:

France, Finland, China, Norway, Egypt, India, UK, Ireland, Sweden, and South Korea.

41 to 52:

Greece, Germany, Malta, Italy, Turkey, South Africa, Japan, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Kuwait.

 About the Expat Insider Rankings:

• Every year, InterNations, a network for expatriates, conducts the Expat Insider poll.
• The poll looks at some of the finest potential ex-pat locations worldwide, which provide the highest quality of life for those who relocate overseas to do so.
• 11,970 people were polled as part of the Expat Insider 2022 survey report to get their opinions on life abroad.
• These responders came from 177 different nations and 181 different territories.
• On the list, a total of 52 nations have been ranked.

India’s International Economic Resilience Improves To 2nd Position in 2022 From 3rd Position in 2021: Ph.D. Chamber

Top 10 Leading Economies	IER Rank (2019)	IER  Rank (2020)	IER  Rank (2021)	IER  Rank (2022)
U S A	7	8	10	6
China	2	1	1	3
Japan	8	5	8	5
Germany	1	2	2	1
India	6	4	3	2
U K	3	9	9	5
France	4	7	5	6
Canada	2	6	7	1
Italy	5	6	4	4
Brazil	9	3	6	7

• In the International Economic Resilience, the Indian Economy improved from 6th position in 2019 to 4th position in 2020, 3rd in 2021, and 2nd in 2022 among the top ten leading economies, according to the industry body PHDCCI.
• Despite the massive disruptions in both demand and supply side factors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and further geopolitical distress, India, through its effective dynamic policy environment, is the only economy among the top ten leading economies which has shown consistent improvement in its macroeconomic performance during the last four years despite global economic crisis of COVID-19 and recent geopolitical developments.

Ranking of International Economic Resilience (IER) of the Top 10 Countries in each of the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022:

Key Points:

• The report released by PHDCCI, titled ‘Pre and Post COVID Economic Dynamics of Leading Economies’, (attached) is based on the comparative analysis of the leading economies’ resilience conducted based on the five leading economic parameters viz., Real GDP Growth Rate parameter, Merchandise Export Volume Growth rate, Current Account Balance (% of GDP), General government net lending/borrowing (% of GDP), and Gross Debt to GDP ratio
• As per the IMF estimates of April 2022 WEO, India’s real GDP growth rate and merchandise export growth rate for 2022 are projected to be the strongest at 8.2% and 7.0% respectively

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Manipur governor Shri La Ganesan gets additional charge as West Bengal governor

• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind appointed Shri La Ganesan to take oath as the new governor (additional charge ) of West Bengal, following the resignation of Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has been nominated by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as its vice-presidential candidate.
• In addition to performing the duties of Manipur, Shri Ganesan will handle the responsibilities of Bengal for the time being.
• He was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Mr. Prakash Shrivastava in the presence of Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee, other state ministers, and Speaker Mr. Biman Banerjee.
• Ganesan is also the governor of Manipur.

Note :

Article 153 Governors of States – Constitution Of India

• Article 153 of the Constitution Of India gives there shall be a Governor for each State.
• Also, it provided that nothing in this article shall prevent the appointment of the same person as Governor for two or more States

About Shri La. Ganesan :

• Shri La. Ganesan was born on 16 February 1945, Thanjavur, Madras State, India (present-day Tamil Nadu)
• He is serving as the Governor of Manipur since 27 August 2021.
• Before being governor, he was a senior leader of the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party

About West Bengal :

• Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee
• Capital: Kolkata

SEBI Approves Appointment Of Mr. Ashish Chauhan as MD & CEO Of NSE

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved the appointment of Ashish Kumar Chauhan as the new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the country’s largest stock exchange for a five-year term.
• Chauhan’s appointment is subject to acceptance of the offer made to him and fulfillment of the terms and conditions, including approval from the NSE shareholders.
• He will succeed Vikram Limaye.
• In the meantime, until he joins an internal executive committee is expected to run the affairs at NSE.
• The committee comprises the following: Group CFO and head of corporate affairs Yatrik Vin; chief regulatory officer Priya Subbaraman; chief enterprise risk and information security officer Somasundaram KS and chief technology and operations officer Shiv Kumar Bhasin. The committee will be dissolved after the new MD & CEO assumes office.

About Mr. Ashish Kumar Chauhan :

• Ashish Kumar Chauhan mechanical engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta.
• He is an Indian business executive, administrator, and current Chancellor of the University of Allahabad. 
• He was recruited from the campus as an officer by the Industrial Development Bank of India (now IDBI Bank) in 1991.
• He also serves as a member of Governing council of one of the premier B schools in India – IIM Raipur.
• He joined BSE as Deputy CEO in 2009 and then he was appointed as CEO in 2012 and served until November 2022.
• He is best known as the father of modern financial derivatives in India due to his work at NSE.

About NSE :

• Founded: 1992
• Headquarters:  Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairperson: Girish Chandra Chaturvedi
• MD & CEO: Vikram Limaye

REC Ltd appoints Shri Vijay Kumar Singh as Director (Technical)

• Shri Vijay Kumar Singh has taken charge as Director (Technical) of REC Limited.
• Before this, he was serving as Executive Director in the Company and was responsible for all aspects of project financing including project appraisal, entity appraisal, sanction, disbursement, and monitoring of projects in renewable energy, generation, and transmission.

About Shri Vijay Kumar Singh :

• Shri Vijay Kumar Singh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Roorkee.
• He has a career spanning more than 33 years across power sector PSUs, NTPC, PGCIL, and REC.
• In his 15-year stint with REC, he has delivered key operations of the company involving Policy formulation, Project & Entity Appraisal, Business Planning, Stressed Assets Management, and MoU negotiations besides heading operations at REC’s subsidiary for some time.
• He is also a Director on the Board of REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of REC.

About REC Ltd :

• REC Limited, formerly Rural Electrification Corporation Limited, is a public Infrastructure Finance Company in India’s power sector.
• The company is a Public Sector Undertaking and finances and promotes power projects across India.
• Founded: 25 July 1969
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman & Managing Director: Vivek Kumar Dewangen

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

INS Sindhudhvaj submarine decommissioned after 35 years of service at Visakhapatnam

• The Indian Navy’s submarine INS Sindhudhvaj was decommissioned by the Indian Navy after 35 years of service in
• Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command was the Chief Guest for the ceremony.
• The Decommissioning event was attended by 15 of the former Commanding Officers including Cmde SP Singh (Retd), the Commissioning CO, and 26 Commissioning crew veterans.
• With the decommissioning of the INS Sindhudhvaj, the number of Kilo-class boats in the navy’s fleet is down to 7 from the initial 10 units.

About INS Sindhudhvaj :

• INS Sindhudhvaj means flag-bearer at sea.
• The submarine crest depicts a grey color nurse shark.
• INS Sindhudhvaj also successfully undertook mating and personnel transfer with Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel.

About Sindhughosh-class submarines :

• Sindhughosh-class submarines are diesel-electric submarines from Kilo-class.
• It displaces 3,000 tonnes, can dive to a depth of 300 meters, have a top speed of 18 knots, and can operate solo for 45 days with a crew of 53.
• It was the only submarine to be awarded the CNS Rolling trophy for Innovation by the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
• The Sindhudhvaj submarine had many firsts during its service, including operationalization of the indigenised sonar USHUS, Indigenised Satellite Communication systems Rukmani and MSS, Inertial Navigation System, and Indigenised Torpedo Fire Control System.
• The first submarine from the batch, INS Kalvari, was commissioned in December 2017 while the sixth and final Scorpene-class submarine INS Vagsheer was launched in April 2022.

About Ministry of Defence :

• Defence Minister: Rajnath Singh
• Minister of State: Ajay Bhatt
• Defence Secretary: Dr. Ajay Kumar

About the Indian Navy :

• Established: 26 January 1950
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral R. Hari Kumar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NASA Releases 78 Kg of Garbage Bag From International Space Station 

• For the first time, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tested a new waste disposal technology by releasing about 78 kg (172 lbs) of garbage from the International Space Station (ISS).
• The first-of-its-kind technology to dispose of waste has been developed by Nasa’s Johnson Space Center and a private company Nano rocks.
• The bag was jettisoned from the station’s commercial Bishop Airlock.

Key Highlights :

• The new technology uses a specially designed waste container, which is mounted in the Bishop Airlock.
• The ISS crew can fill the container with up to 600 lbs of trash.
• The waste bag is then released and the Airlock is re-mounted empty.
• Owing to the atmospheric burn, the baggage also reduced the chances of adding to the space debris in the low-Earth orbit.
• Currently, astronauts aboard the ISS store their useless materials and wait for the Cygnus cargo spacecraft to arrive and collect the trash.

About NASA :

• Established: July 29
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C, United States
• Administrator: Bill Nelson
• Motto: For the Benefit of All
• NASA is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.

About Nanoracks :

• Founded: 2009
• Headquarters: Houston, Texas, United States
• CEO: Dr. Amela Wilson

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ENVIRONMENT

Two species of fish were discovered along the Tamil Nadu coast:

• The Indian Council for Agricultural Research – National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) has identified two new species of marine fish in Tamil Nadu.
• One of them, a sardine variety from Pattinapakkam fish landing center in the city, was named ‘Dussumieria modakandai’.
• It is consumed by the local population.
• The discovery was published in the international journal Fish Biology in December 2021.
• Description of a new congrid eel, Ariosoma albimaculata sp. nov. (Anguilliformes: Congridae), from the southwest coast of India, Arabian Sea’— was authored by Paramasivam Kodeeswaran, Deepa Dhas, Thipramalai Thangappan Pillai Ajith Kumar and Kuldeep Kumar Lal.

About the Species:

• A species of eel, belonging to the congrid eels group, was discovered from the specimen collected at Colachel fish landing center in Kanniyakumari district.
• It has been named ‘Ariosoma albimaculata’ (white spotted stout conger). Albimaculata is derived from the Latin words: Albus, meaning white, and maculatus, meaning spotted, denoting the white spot on the dorsal-fin origin.
• The eel is 240-487 mm long and has a grey, shiny body with dark marks or spots on the posterior dorsal margin of the eyes.
• It was non-poisonous, living in unusual habitats such as continental slopes and underwater seamount crevices.
• The species is possibly distributed along the southwest coast of India, so far only in the coastal waters of Kanniyakumari.
• It is the eighth species of congrid eels to be documented in Indian waters, all of which were by-catch in trawl landings.
• The bureau, after a taxonomic and molecular analysis, confirmed the novelty of the species and published its findings in the international journal Ichthyological Research.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Mairaj Ahmad Khan becomes first Indian shooter to win a gold medal in men’s skeet event at ISSF World Cup:

• In Shooting, two-time Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan created history by becoming the first Indian shooter to win the gold medal in the men’s skeet event at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, South Korea.
• Mairaj Ahmad Khan recorded 37 hits out of a possible 40 in the final to win gold.
• South Korea’s Minsu Kim struck 36 for silver while Ben Llewellin of Great Britain won bronze with 26 hits.

Key Points:

• In the qualifying round, Mairaj Ahmad Khan shot 119 from 125 over two days of the men’s skeet shooting event. In the ranking round, Mairaj Ahmad Khan was up against Germany’s Sven Korte, Minki Cho of South Korea, and Nicolas Vasilou of Cyprus for another round of 30 targets.
• Mairaj Ahmad Khan topped the round with 27 hits. Sven Korte followed Mairaj Ahmad Khan to the medal round with 25 hits.
• Apart from the gold by Mairaj Ahmad Khan at the ISSF World Cup Changwon 2022, India also won a bronze in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event.
• Anjum Moudgil, who won individual silver, combined with Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey to win the bronze medal.
• The two medals on the day helped India stay on top of the medal standings with five gold, five silver, and three bronze medals with two more days of competitions left.

2025 World Athletics Championships: Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium to host an event

• Tokyo (Japan) will host the 2025 World Athletics Championships, according to the World Athletics Council.
• The 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be hosted in Medulin and Pula in Croatia, while the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Tallahassee, Florida, the World Athletics Council said during their meeting in Oregon, USA.

Key Points:

• The 18th World Athletics Championships will get underway in Oregon, USA, while the 2023 competition will take place in Budapest, Hungary.
• The 2021 edition was initially slated to take place in 2021 but was postponed by one year owing to the COVID-19 epidemic.
• The 2022 iteration is presently being arranged in Oregon, USA.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Renowned Singer Bhupinder Singh Passes Away

• Renowned Indian ghazal singer Bhupinder Singh passed away at the age of 82.

About Bhupinder Singh :

• Bhupinder Singh was born on 6 February 1940 in Amritsar, Punjab.
• He began his career working in the All India Radio, Delhi, as a singer and musician.
• In his five-decade-long career, he had worked with the biggest names in the music industry, including Mohammed Rafi, R.D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Gulzar to Bappi Lahiri, among others.
• He is known for crooning classics like “Naam Gum Jayega” and “Dil Dhoondta Hai,” “Do Diwane Shehar Mein”, “Ek Akela is Shehar Mein”, “Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Aasman”, “Duniya Chhute Yaar Na Chhute” and “Karoge Yaad Toh”, and other popular songs.
• He was also the guitarist on several popular tracks, including “Dum Maaro Dum”, “Chura Liya Hai”, “Chingari Koi Bhadke” and “Mehbooba O Mehbooba”, among others.

Noted artist Achuthan Kudallur passes away

• Noted artist Achuthan Kudallur passed away in Chennai at the age of 77.

About Achuthan Kudallur :

• Achuthan Kudallur was born in 1945 in Kerala.
• He was a well-known artist known for his experimental and fusion of contemporary styles.
• He pursued a degree in Civil Engineering and reveled as an Indian Asian Modern and Contemporary painter.
• His works were exhibited in all the noted galleries in the country.
• He also conducted solo exhibitions in many parts of the world including in the famous Paris Art gallery.

Awards & Honors :

• Kudallur received prestigious awards like the National Academy Award and Tamil Nadu Lalit Kala Akademi Award.

Former Punjab speaker and senior SAD leader Nirmal Singh Kahlon Passes away

• Former Punjab Assembly Speaker and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Nirmal Singh Kahlon passed away at the age of 79 in Amritsar, Punjab.

About Nirmal Singh Kahlon :

• Kahlon was the minister for rural development and panchayat in the Akali government from 1997 to 2002.
• He was elected MLA from Fatehgarh Churian constituency in Gurdaspur district in 1997 and 2007.
• He was also the speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha from 2007 to 2012.
• In 2011, he was acquitted in a case about the recruitment scam registered by the Vigilance Bureau in June 2002.

Daily CA on July 20:

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur launched revised schemes of Cash Awards, National Welfare and Pension to sportspersons, Web Portal for Schemes of Department of Sports, and National Sports Development Fund website in New Delhi.
• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has set up a three-member commission for carrying out a fresh delimitation exercise of the municipal wards in Delhi, according to a statement issued by the MCD.
• The month of June witnessed a rise in the unemployment rate in India to 7.8 percent of the total workforce from 7.12 percent in May.
• Nasdaq-listed IT services firm Cognizant has been selected as a strategic technology provider by National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) to accelerate and help manage its digital transformation.
• Tata Power has earmarked a capital expenditure of more than Rs 75,000 crore over the next five years, of which Rs 10,000 crore would be invested in this financial year.
• NTPC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals NSE 1.57 % Limited (GACL) to collaborate in setting up India’s first commercial-scale Green Ammonia and Green Methanol projects.
• Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with REC Limited, a public infrastructure finance company to collaborate on activities to improve the operational and financial sustainability of discoms
• Union Health Ministry and Panchayati Raj Ministry have signed an MoU to eliminate TB in India.
• India is placed 36th out of 52 nations in the Expat Insider Rankings for 2022, which were just published by
• In the International Economic Resilience, the Indian Economy improved from 6th position in 2019 to 4th position in 2020, 3rd in 2021, and 2nd in 2022 among the top ten leading economies, according to the industry body PHDCCI.
• The Indian Council for Agricultural Research – National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) has identified two new species of marine fish in Tamil Nadu.
• In Shooting, two-time Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan created history by becoming the first Indian shooter to win the gold medal in the men’s skeet event at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, South Korea.
• Tokyo (Japan) will host the 2025 World Athletics Championships, according to the World Athletics Council.
• The National Legal Services Authority Chairman Mr. Uday Umesh Lalit introduced the Country’s first AI-powered virtual Lok Adalat all through the 18th All India Meet of State Legal Services Authorities (SLSA) meet held in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• The Karnataka Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with JCB India Limited, a manufacturer of earthmoving and construction equipment in India.
• Go Digit General Insurance has launched ‘Pay as you Drive’ (PAYD) an add-on feature for motor insurance Own Damage (OD) policies.
• DBS has been recognized as the ‘World’s Best SME Bank’ by the UK-based financial publication Euromoney for the second time since
• The Federal Bank partners with the Central Board of direct taxes to launch the new online tax payment service.
• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind appointed Shri La Ganesan to take oath as the new governor (additional charge ) of West Bengal, following the resignation of Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has been nominated by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as its vice-presidential candidate.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved the appointment of Ashish Kumar Chauhan as the new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the country’s largest stock exchange for a five-year term.
• Shri Vijay Kumar Singh has taken charge as Director (Technical) of REC Limited.
• The Indian Navy’s submarine INS Sindhudhvaj was decommissioned by the Indian Navy after 35 years of service in
• For the first time, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tested a new waste disposal technology by releasing about 78 kg (172 lbs) of garbage from the International Space Station (ISS).
• Renowned Indian ghazal singer Bhupinder Singh passed away at the age of 82.
• Noted artist Achuthan Kudallur passed away in Chennai at the age of 77.
• Former Punjab Assembly Speaker and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Nirmal Singh Kahlon passed away at the age of 79 in Amritsar, Punjab.