NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Odisha partners with UN WFP to empower, support women through self-help groups:
The
Odisha government and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have joined
hands to improve household food and nutritional security by strengthening
livelihood initiatives and reaching out to thousands of state-supported Women’s
Self-Help Groups (WSHGs). This is a significant partnership for achieving
nutritional security in Odisha focused on empowerment, livelihood and incomes
of women. The partnership, effective till December 2023, will also be focusing
on improving the linkage of women’s groups with government procurement systems,
increasing awareness on entitlements, building capacity of women’s groups, and
developing monitoring tools and undertaking evaluations to improve functioning
of the groups.
2.
Maharashtra govt increases honorarium of ASHA workers by Rs 1000 and gives
additional Rs 500 as COVID allowance: The Maharashtra government has decided to
increase the honorarium of ASHA workers by Rs one thousand and give an
additional Rs 500 as COVID allowance. The pay hike will be implemented from 1st
July. Further, as an additional incentive, the state government will provide
each of the over 68,000 ASHA workers with a smartphone. Following this
announcement, ASHA workers have called off their week-long strike and will
resume work tomorrow onwards.
3.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurates and lays foundation stones of several
road projects worth over Rs 6000 crore in Himachal Pradesh: GrabUnion Minister
for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari performed inaugurations and laid
foundation stones of several road projects worth Rs 6155 crore through video
conferencing from Manali in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. On this
occasion, MrGadkari said within the next two years the travelling distance
between Delhi to Kullu would be reduced to seven hours. This would give a big
boost to tourism. MrGadkari said, road projects worth Rs 15,000 crore would be
awarded to Himachal Pradesh this year.
4.
Cabinet Approves Extension of PMGKAY for 5 Months Till Nov: The Cabinet
approved a proposal to extend the Pradhan MantriGaribKalyan Anna Yojana
(PMGKAY) to provide free ration to over 80 crore people, mostly poor, by five
more months till November-end. The PMGKAY was reintroduced for two months till
June this year in order to minimise the economic hardships being faced by the
poor PDS (public distribution system) beneficiaries during the second wave of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
5.
IFSCA constitutes committee to examine global best practices in ship financing
& leasing: International
Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has constituted a committee to
examine global best practices in ship financing and leasing. This Committee
will also identify opportunities and devise a roadmap to enable such
activities. The committee will be chaired by former Senior Economic Advisor,
Vandana Aggarwal.
6.
National Postal Worker Day: 1st July: The National Postal Worker Day is marked
every year on July 1 globally in recognition of the contribution made by postal
workers in our society. The day is a unique opportunity to say ‘thank you not
only to postmen but also to all delivery personnel, as online shopping has
become a lifeline for many of us. The day was initiated by a popular postal
service provider from Seattle, the United States of America in 1997 to
felicitate and honour the co-postal workers for their dedication.
7.
National Chartered Accountants Day: 1st July: National Chartered
Accountants Day or CA Day is celebrated on July 1 every year. This day is
celebrated to commemorate the finding of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
of India (ICAI) by the parliament of India in 1949. Every year on the day of
the establishment of the ICAI, CA Day is celebrated to honour the Chartered
Accountant.
Note: Institute of Chartered Accountants of
India Headquarters: New Delhi; President of ICAI: CA Nihar N Jambusaria.
8.
National Doctors’ Day: 1st July: The National Doctors’ Day is organized on
01 July annually in India by the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The day is
celebrated to honour the great physicians and help us understand the importance
of doctors in our lives and value them, to offer them our respects by
commemorating one of their greatest representatives.
History of the day: The day
commemorates the birth anniversary of the second Chief Minister of West Bengal,
DrBidhan Chandra Roy who was born on July 1, 1882, and died on the same date in
1962.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
NSA AjitDoval attends SCO meeting in Dushanbe: National Security
Advisor AjitDoval attended a meeting of the top security officials from the
member nations of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) in Tajikistan
capital Dushanbe. Tajikistan, the current president of the SCO, is hosting the
meeting of the top national security officials of the eight-nation grouping.
The NSA level meeting was preceded by a Senior Officials Meeting (SOM). In addition
to other security concerns to be discussed, the security officials will set the
course for the annual “Regional Anti-Terror Structure” (RATS) mechanism joint
exercises by SCO member troops, to be held in Pakistan this year, where Indian
troops are due to attend.
2.
FATF adds Malta, Haiti, the Philippines and South Sudan to gray list: A watchdog on the
lookout for money laundering and terror financing said it has placed the tiny
Mediterranean island nation of Malta on a list for increased monitoring. The
Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, added the European Union
member to its so-called gray list, along with Haiti, the Philippines and South
Sudan. It is exceptional for an EU
country to be put on this list, which also includes Pakistan, Zimbabwe and
Syria. The move raised concerns in Malta about the potentially damaging impact
on the nation’s economy.
3.
IFFCO to set up Nano Urea Fertiliser Plant in Argentina, Brazil: World’s biggest
fertilizer cooperative Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) informed
that it will set up a Nano Urea Liquid manufacturing plant in Argentina in
partnership with the Cooperative Confederation of Argentina (Cooperar) and
Instituto Nacional de Asociativismo y Economia Social (INAES). They will
together analyze the feasibility of setting up a Nano Urea Fertiliser
Manufacturing Plant in Argentina with mutual collaboration. They will also
explore the possibility of cooperation in trade and investment in both the
countries, in areas of mutual interest, including agrochemicals and
agricultural inputs to achieve sustainable development.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
JSCA, SAIL-BSL inks MoU for International Cricket Stadium in Bokaro: The Jharkhand State
Cricket Association (JSCA) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
SAIL Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), for the construction of an International Cricket
Stadium in Bokaro city. Once the stadium is ready, Bokaro will become the third
city in Jharkhand to have an International Cricket Stadium after Jamshedpur and
Ranchi.
The MoU is a lease agreement under which
Bokaro Steel Plant will transfer 20.17 acres of its land to JSCA for 33 years,
for the construction of an international cricket stadium in the Balidih area of
Bokaro. The proposed stadium will also be the first stadium to be constructed
in SAIL Township.
Note: Chief Minister of Jharkhand: Hemant
Soren; Governor: ShrimatiDroupadiMurmu.
2.
Tokyo 2020: IOA ropes in MPL, Amul and JSW Group as sponsors: The Indian Olympic
Association (IOA) roped in mobile gaming platform MPL Sports Foundation as the
principal sponsor of the country’s contingent for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics
and next year’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games. The association is set to last
till December 31, 2022. The IOA also said that diary giant Amul has agreed to
be a sponsor for the Tokyo Games to be held from July 23 to August 8. The
Indian Olympic Association also roped in the JSW Group as another sponsor for
the country’s Tokyo Olympics contingent.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
RBI launches FY21 round of survey on ITES exports: The Reserve Bank
said it has launched the 2020-21 round of its annual survey on computer
software and information technology enabled services (ITES) exports, results of
which are used for compilation of balance of payments statistics. The RBI has
been conducting this annual survey since 2002-03. It collects data on various
aspects of computer services exports as well as exports of ITES and business
process outsourcing (BPO). The RBI said it has also launched the 2020-21 round
of the annual survey on ‘Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Mutual Funds and
Asset Management Companies’.The survey collects information from mutual fund
companies and asset management companies on their external financial
liabilities and assets as at end-March of the latest financial year.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Jio and Google Cloud to collaborate on 5G Technology: Reliance
JioInfocomm Limited and Google Cloud are embarking on a comprehensive,
long-term strategic relationship with a goal of powering 5G in enterprise and
consumer segments nationwide. In addition, Reliance will also take advantage of
Google Cloud’s scalable infrastructure thereby enabling its retail business to
achieve better operational efficiency, modernize and scale for growth, and
deliver better performance and experiences to customers.
As part of the partnership, Reliance will
also augment its compute workload for retail business taking advantage of
Google’s AI/ML, e-commerce, and demand forecasting offerings. This will help
Reliance to rapidly grow its new commerce business to leverage Google Cloud
with increased reliability and performance, as well as scale up as needed to
respond to customer demand. Jio will also adopt Google Cloud’s scalable,
serverless data analytics platform to advance its data-led innovation strategy.
Note: Reliance Jio President Infocomm:
Mathew Oommen; Reliance Jio Founder: MukeshAmbani; Reliance Jio Founded: 2007;
Reliance Jio Headquarters: Mumbai.
Google CEO: SundarPichai; Google Founded: 4
September 1998, California, United States; Google Founders: Larry Page, Sergey
Brin.
2.
Adani Power to acquire 1,200 MW Essar Power’s Mahan project: Adani Power
Limited is set to acquire the 1200 megawatt (MW) Essar Power’s Mahan Project
situated at Singrauli district in Madhya Pradesh and is likely to spend around
Rs 3000 crore for this project. The plant routes power through the Mahan-Sipat
transmission line and is linked with a railway sliding situated 18 kilometers
away for the purpose of coal supply and other raw materials.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
French non-fiction author Emmanuel Carrere wins top Spanish award: French author
Emmanuel Carrere, popular for his non-fiction books in a high literary vein,
has been granted this year’s Spanish Princess of Asturias Literature Award. The
50000-euro award is one of the 8 prestigious prizes by the foundation named
after the heir to the Spanish throne, Princess Leonor. The 8 prizes cover
different disciplines-arts, social sciences, sports etc.
2. RK
Sabharwal gets highest civilian award of Mongolia: Engineers India
Limited (EIL) Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), RK Sabharwal has been
honoured with the highest civilian award of Mongolia ‘The Order of Polar Star
by his excellency. The President of Mongolia recognises the outstanding
contribution made by him towards the establishment of the first-ever oil
refinery in Mongolia. On behalf of the government of Mongolia, this award was
presented by His Excellency, the Ambassador of Mongolia to India,
GonchingGanbold, at a ceremony organised at the Embassy of Mongolia.
About the award: The ‘Order of
Polar Star’ is the most desirable and prestigious state award bestowed by the
President of Mongolia which is highly valuable and distinguished and recognises
individuals who have made an invaluable contribution with their outstanding
hard work, intelligence and sincerity to the prosperity of Mongolia and its
friendship with other nations, as well for outstanding contributions in the
fields of arts, culture, science and humanity.
Note: Mongolia Capital: Ulaanbaatar;
Mongolia Currency: Mongolian Togrog; Mongolia President: UkhnaaKhurelsukh.
DEFENCE
1. DRDO Successfully Test Fires Enhanced Pinaka Rocket off Odisha Coast: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired an extended-range version of the indigenously developed Pinaka rocket. The rockets were launched from a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. The enhanced range version of the Pinaka Rocket System can destroy targets at distances up to 45 km. 25 Enhanced Pinaka Rockets were launched in quick succession against different range targets. The Pinaka Rocket system has been developed jointly by Pune based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) with manufacturing support from M/s Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur.
No comments:
Post a Comment