NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
World Bank Approves USD125 million financial support for Kerala: The World Bank
Board of Executive Directors has approved a $125 million support for the
‘Resilient Kerala Program’ to help the state in preparedness against natural
disasters, climate change impacts, disease outbreaks, and pandemics. The $125
million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) has a final maturity of 14 years including a grace period of six years.
The heavy monsoons of 2018 were the worst Kerala had seen in nearly a century,
triggering devastating floods and landslides. It impacted more than 5 million
people, mainly in the Pamba River Basin.
The Resilient Kerala Program will focus on
two key areas: First, it will incorporate disaster risk planning in the master
plans of urban and local self-governments to ease financial constraints on the
state government when faced with unexpected shocks; Second, it will help make
the health, water resources management, agriculture, and road sectors more
resilient to calamities.
Note: Kerala CM: PinarayiVijayan; Kerala
Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.
World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C.,
United States; World Bank Formation: July 1944; World Bank President: David
Malpass.
2.
Goa becomes first state to go rabies free: Chief Minister Dr. PramodSawant
announced that Goa has become the first state in the country to be Rabies free.
CM informed that not a single case of rabies had been found in the state since
the last three years. The team of mission rabies had been very effectively
doing its job and had been also conducting vaccination for dogs. As per
information, no rabies cases were reported in the state in 2018. The progress
came on the heels of Mission Rabies, a statewide drive in place since 2014
which saw almost one lakh dogs given the anti-rabies vaccine yearly, and an awareness
campaign that educated 5.2 lakh school children and 23,000 teachers about the
virus. This included 50,316 vaccinations administered and 78,437 students
reached until August 31st this year alone.
Note: Goa Capital: Panaji; Governor of Goa:
Bhagat Singh Koshyari; Chief Minister of Goa: PramodSawant.
3.
Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N Patel appointed as acting CVC: The incumbent
Vigilance Commissioner, Suresh N Patel has been appointed as the acting Central
Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) of India in the Central Vigilance Commission with
effect. He has been appointed in place of Sanjay Kothari, who completed his
term on June 23, 2021. He will remain on the post until the appointment of the
new Central Vigilance Commissioner. The Central Vigilance Commission is headed
by the CVC and can have a maximum of two vigilance commissioners. Currently, Mr
Patel is the only VC in the commission. The Personnel Ministry has invited
applications for the posts of CVC and a vigilance commissioner.
Note: Central Vigilance Commission Formed:
February 1964; Central Vigilance Commission Headquarters: New Delhi.
4. A
book titled “Fiercely Female: The Dutee Chand Story” by Sundeep Mishra: Journalist Sundeep
Mishra’s book titled ‘Fiercely Female: The Dutee Chand Story’ chronicles Chand’s
journey with a detailed narrative of the gender-identity controversy that made
her an iconic figure in Indian sport. The book was published by Westland Books.
About the Dutee Chand:Dutee Chand, the
first openly homosexual athlete from India, scripted history in 2019 when she
became the first Indian to win gold in a 100-metre event at the World
Universiade in Naples. Coming from a small village in Odisha, Dutee Chand went
on to hold the national record in the women’s 100 metres and is only the fifth Indian
to participate in the women’s 100 metres at the Olympics when she qualified for
the 2016 Rio Games.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
Denmark signs framework agreement on International Solar Alliance with India: Denmark signed the
framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement
(ISA FA) and Instrument of Ratification with India, informed Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson ArindamBagchi. Meanwhile, Denmark becomes
first country to ratify International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement (ISA
FA) after amendments to it entered into force on January 8. Kingdom of Denmark
becomes 1st country to ratify International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement
(ISA FA) after amendments to it entered into force on 8 January this year,
opening its Membership to all Member States of the United Nations.
2.
Ashgabat world’s most expensive city for foreign workers: Ashgabat, the
capital of Turkmenistan in Central Asia, has been named the world’s most
expensive city for foreign workers. The city topped the list in a 2021
cost-of-living survey by consultancy firm Mercer. Hong Kong was on the second
position, followed by Beirut in Lebanon and Tokyo in Japan. The annual report
ranks 209 cities based on the cost of expenses like housing, food and
transport. Most of the cities in the top 10 are those where economic growth has
contributed to an increase in the cost of living. Three are Swiss cities, of
which Zurich dropped to fifth, followed by Shanghai and Singapore. London was
placed 18th.
About the Ashgabat: Ashgabat is known
for its magnificent marble buildings and monuments. It is also home to one of
Central Asia’s most colourful bazaars called Tolkuchka Bazaar. Other tourist
attractions include the National Museum, White Marble, Turkmenbashi Cableway,
Museum of Fine Arts, Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center, and Turkmen Carpet
Museum.
Indian cities: Mumbai remains
India’s most expensive city at 78th rank but has dropped 18 places in this
year’s ranking “due to a relatively weak Indian rupee in comparison with other
cities in the ranking.” Other Indian cities on the list are New Delhi (117),
Chennai (158), Bengaluru (170), and Kolkata (181).
3.
International Day of Parliamentarism: 30th June: International Day
of Parliamentarism is observed globally on 30 June every year. The
International Day of Parliamentarism is a time to review the progress that
parliaments have made in achieving some key goals to be more representative and
move with the times, including carrying out self-assessments, working to
include more women and young MPs, and adapting to new technologies.
International Day of Parliamentarism
History: The Day was established in 2018 through a United Nations General
Assembly Resolution. This day also acknowledges the formation of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union, the global organization of parliaments that was
established in 1889.
Note: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland; Inter-Parliamentary Union President:
Gabriela Cuevas Barron; Inter-Parliamentary Union Founded: 1889;
Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretary-General: Martin Chungong.
4.
International Asteroid Day: 30th June: International Asteroid Day is observed
globally on 30th June every year. International Asteroid Day aims to raise
public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard and to inform the public
about the crisis communication actions to be taken at the global level in case
of a credible near-Earth object threat.
International Asteroid Day History: In December 2016
the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/71/90, declaring
30 June International Asteroid Day in order to “observe each year at the
international level the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia,
Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908, and to boost public awareness about the
asteroid impact hazard.”
Note: United Nations Office for Outer Space
Affairs (UNOOSA) Director: Simonetta Di Pippo.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Cristiano Ronaldo becomes joint top-scorer in men’s international football: Cristiano Ronaldo
has become the joint-top scoring men’s international player of all time. He is
currently tied with Iran legend Ali Daei, who scored 109 times in 149 matches
between 1993 and 2006. Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties to tie the
overall men’s scoring record with 109 goals in 176 matches and Portugal
advanced to the round of 16 at the European Championship after a 2-2 draw with
France.
2.
Max Verstappen Wins 2021 Styrian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen (Netherlands-Red
Bull) has won the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix. This is the fourth win of Verstappen
in the 2021 Formula One season. Also, with this win, Verstappen leads the 2021
driver’s championship standings with 156 points followed by Hamilton (138).
Lewis Hamilton (Britain-Mercedes) stood second. ValtteriBottas (Finland-
Mercedes) came third.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
LIC introduces Technology Platform ‘e-PGS’: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)
has launched a centralized web-based workflow-based IT platform called “e-PGS”.
The new technology platform, e-PGS, has been designed to provide a centralized
collection and payment accounting with a high level of bank integration. It has
been designed to provide very innovative features of seamless and integrated
banking with automatic reconciliations. This system is capable of providing
comprehensive self-servicing capabilities through the customer portal. On this
portal, corporate customers will be able to view their data, initiate
actionable processes and lodge & track claims.
Note: Chairman of LIC: MR Kumar; LIC
Headquarters: Mumbai; LIC Founded: 1 September 1956.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
India’s bank credit-to-GDP ratio grows 56% in 2020: Notwithstanding
incremental credit growth plunging to a 59-year low at 5.56 per cent in FY21,
the bank credit-to-GDP ratio rose to a five-year high of a little over 56 per
cent in 2020, according to the latest data from the Bank for International
Settlements (BIS). At a 56.075 per cent credit-to-GDP ratio, total outstanding
bank credit stood at USD 1.52 trillion in the country in 2020, according to the
BIS data for the year, but this is still the second-lowest among all its Asian
peers. And when it comes to the emerging market peers, it is 135.5 per cent and
at 88.7 per cent in advanced economies. Bank credit growth is a key indicator
of economic growth & credit-GDP ratio of 100% ideal.
2.
Microsoft Officially Launches ‘Windows 11’: Microsoft officially launched its
new Windows operating system ‘Windows 11’. It is being called as the “next
generation” of Windows. The release comes nearly six year after the current
latest Windows Operating System ‘Windows 10’ was launched in July 2015. Windows
11 is special because it focuses on a new user interface, a new Windows Store,
and improvements to performance, including a centre-aligned Taskbar and Start
button.
Key features of Windows 11:
(1) One of the unique features of Windows
11 is that it will support Android apps via Amazon’s app store. It will work
better in touch mode as well.
(2) Windows 11 operating system (OS) will
be available as a free upgrade for Windows 10 users in late 2021, as long as
the user has a compatible PC that meets the requirements of Microsoft’s new
operating system.
(3) Windows 11 OS will work on PCs having a
processor that has two or more cores and a clock speed of 1GHz or higher.
(4) PCs having Intel’s sixth and
seventh-generation processors will not be eligible to use Windows 11.
Note: Microsoft CEO and Chairman: Satya Nadella;
Microsoft Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States.
DEFENCE
1.
India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier to be commissioned in 2022: The Union Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh has informed that India’s first Indigenous Aircraft
Carrier (IAC-I), is planned to be commissioned by 2022. Once commissioned, the
carrier will be rechristened as INS Vikrant, in memory of India’s first
aircraft carrier.
About the IAC-I: The IAC-1 carrier
is being built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi, Kerala, under a
public-private partnership. It comprises nearly 75 per cent of indigenous
content from design, to steel used in construction, to key weapons and sensors.
The IAC-1 will undergo a series of sea trials before it gets inducted into the
Navy. Vikrant is 262 metres (860 ft) long and 62 metres (203 ft) wide, and
displaces about 40,000 metric tons (39,000 long tons).
OBITUARIES
1. Ex-Philippines President Benigno Aquino dies: Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III died at the age of 61 due to health problems. Aquino, who served as president from 2010 to 2016, was the heir of a family that has been regarded as a bulwark against authoritarianism in the Philippines. His administration brought an unprecedented arbitration case challenging Beijing’s claim to historic and economic rights in the South China Sea.
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