NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Ministry
of Education launches NIPUN Bharat Programme: Union Minister for
Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has launched NIPUN Bharat programme. The
aim of the NIPUN programme is that every child in India gets foundational
literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27. NIPUN stands for
National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and
Numeracy.This Mission, which has been launched under the aegis of the centrally
sponsored scheme of SamagraShiksha, will focus on providing access and
retaining children in foundational years of schooling; teacher capacity
building; development of high quality and diversified Student and Teacher
Resources/Learning Materials; and tracking the progress of each child in
achieving learning outcomes.
2. KVIC
project ‘BOLD’ to boost tribal income: KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries
Commission) has launched Project BOLD (Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Draught), a
first-of-its-kind exercise, to create bamboo-based green patches in arid and
semi-arid land zones. It is the first of its kind exercise in India which was
launched from the tribal village NichlaMandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Under the project,
5000 saplings of special bamboo species i.e. BambusaTulda and BambusaPolymorpha
have been planted over 16 acres approx. of vacant arid Gram Panchayat land.
Why to choose bamboo: Bamboo grows very
fast and can be harvested within 3 years.They are famous for conserving water
and reducing water evaporation from the land, making it perfect to grow in arid
regions.
Note: KVIC Founded: 1956;KVIC Headquarters:
Mumbai;KVIC Chairperson: Vinai Kumar Saxena.
3. Union
Cabinet approves stimulus package of Rs 6 lakh 28 thousand crore as part of
AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package: The Union Cabinet gave approval to the
stimulus package of 6 lakh 28 thousand crore rupees announced by the Union
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as part of the AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package.
The government has also given approval to the announcement made regarding
extension of Pradhan MantriGaribKalyan Anna Yojana from May to November this
year. The financial implication this year over the scheme will be over 93
thousand crore rupees.Union Cabinet, has also given its approval for availing
the benefit under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) for another nine
months from 30th June, 2021 to 31st March, 2022.
4. Environment
and Forest Minister says India has taken target of creating additional 2.5
billion tonnes carbon sequestration by 2030: Environment and Forest Minister
Prakash Javadekar said, India has taken a target of creating additional 2.5
billion tonnes carbon sequestration by 2030. He said in last seven years, the
tree cover within and outside the forest has grown by 15,000 square
kilometres.The Minister kicked off plantation drive by planting a Parijat tree
at his residence. MrJavadekar appealed people to plant a tree and ensure its
growth.
5. Govt
Partners with Intel India to Launch First-Of-Its-Kind Initiative to Advance
Deep-Tech Based Research in Country: In a big boost to the Indian research
community, the government has partnered with Intel India to launch a
‘first-of-its-kind’ initiative to advance deep tech based research in the
country.The opportunities will be offered by the first-of-its-kind research
initiative called ‘Fund for Industrial Research Engagement (FIRE)’ launched by
the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of Govt’s
Department of Science and Technology (DST), in collaboration with Intel
India.The FIRE initiative will increase research opportunities in the space of
Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), platform systems, circuits
& architecture, Internet of Things (IoT), materials & devices,
security, and so on from edge to cloud.The initiative will enable Indian
researchers to pursue industry-relevant research opportunities in the areas of
deep technologies that are novel, transformative, and can have a ground-breaking
impact on a national scale.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1. COVID
tourism impact could top 4 trillion Dollar: UN report: The economic impact
from the plunge in tourism since the pandemic emerged last year could top 4
trillion Dollar, a UN report said.The joint report by the UN’s World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO) and Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) found
that the lack of widespread vaccination in developing countries was leading to
mounting economic losses.Pandemic punched a $2.4 trillion hole in the tourism
and related sectors last year, and the report warns a similar loss may occur
this year depending on the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.
2. World
Bank approves USD 500 mn loan to support India’s informal working class amid
pandemic: The
World Bank announced the approval of a USD 500 million (about Rs 3,717.28
crore) financing package to assist India’s informal working class in overcoming
the present epidemic distress.The loan will give states more flexibility to
deal with the ongoing pandemic as well as potential climate and disaster
shocks, according to a statement from the World Bank.The USD 500 million
commitment will be funded in part by its concessionary lending arm, the
International Development Association, and in part by a loan from the International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
3. India
joins OECD, G20 Inclusive Framework tax deal: India has joined
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and G20 Inclusive
Framework tax deal.Majority of the members of OECD and G20 countries adopted a
high-level statement containing an outline of a consensus solution to address
the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy.The proposed
solution consists of two components- reallocation of additional share of profit
to the market jurisdictions and minimum tax subject to tax rules.
4. US
Appoints Indian-American AtulKeshap as Interim Envoy to India: The US has
appointed Indian-American career diplomat AtulKeshap, an old India-hand at the
state department, as the country’s Charge’d Affairs in Delhi.He will replace
Daniel Smith.Ambassador Keshap’s appointment will reinforce the close US
partnership with the Government and people of India, demonstrated by our
collaboration to overcome global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, the US
State Department said.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Mary
Kom, Manpreet Singh to be India’s flag-bearers at Tokyo Olympics: MC Mary Kom, the
six-time world boxing champion, and Manpreet Singh, the men’s hockey team
skipper, will be India’s flag-bearers at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo
Olympics, announced Indian Olympic Association (IOA). BajrangPunia, a silver
medallist at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships, will be the flag-bearer at
the closing ceremony on August 8.In a first, India is having two flag-bearers —
one male and one female — at the upcoming Tokyo Games to ensure “gender
parity”. The IOA has communicated the decision in this regard to the Organising
Committee of the Games.
2. James
Anderson claims 1000th first-class wicket: Veteran England fast bowler James
Anderson has added another feather to his cap as he completed 1000 wickets in
first-class cricket. Anderson achieved the rare feat during Lancashire’s County
Championship clash against Kent in Manchester. Anderson is the leading
wicket-taker among pacers in Test cricket. In 162 Tests, the England great has
claimed 617 wickets at an average of 26.67 with 30 five-fors and three
10-wicket match hauls.Anderson is only the 14th player to claim 1,000
first-class wickets this century and only the fifth among pacers. Andy Caddick,
Martin Bicknell, Devon Malcolm and WasimAkram were the other pace bowlers to
cross the 1000-wicket landmark before Anderson.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. RBI
announces change in Government securities auction methodology: The Reserve Bank
of India has announced a change in Government securities auction methodology
for benchmark securities. They noted in the latest update that on a review of
market conditions and market borrowing program of the government, it has been
decided that benchmark securities of tenor 2-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year,
14-year tenor and Floating Rate Bonds (FRBs) will be, henceforth, issued using
the uniform price auction method.For other benchmark securities i.e. 30-year
and 40-year, the auction will continue to be multiple price-based auctions, as
hitherto. The above arrangement will continue till further review, note the
bank.
About the Uniform Price auction:In a Uniform Price
auction, all the successful bidders are required to pay for the allotted
quantity of securities at the same rate, i.e., at the auction cut-off rate,
irrespective of the rate quoted by them.
About the Multiple Price auction:In a Multiple
Price auction, the successful bidders are required to pay for the allotted
quantity of securities at the respective price/yield at which they have bid.
Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das;
Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. Flipkart
partners with PhonePe to digitise cash-on-delivery payment: Digital payments
platform PhonePe has partnered with Flipkart to launch a contactless ‘Scan and
Pay’ feature for Flipkart’s pay-on-delivery orders. Using PhonePe’s QR code
solution, the Flipkart customers who earlier opted for cash on delivery can pay
digitally through any UPI app at the time of delivery.While on one hand, the
new feature will help in reducing personal contact as well as ensure safety, on
the other hand, it will drive contactless payments for customers who are
traditionally more comfortable with cash on delivery.
Note: Flipkart headquarters: Bengaluru,
Karnataka; Flipkart CEO: Kalyan Krishnamurthy; CEO of Phonepe: Sameer Nigam; Headquarters
location of Phonepe: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
DEFENCE
1. Army
inducts 10m bridging system developed by DRDO: The Army inducted
the first production lot of 12 Short Span Bridging System (SSBS)-10m, designed
and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in
association with Larsen & Toubro Limited, the production agency. The
SSBS-10m plays a crucial role of bridging the gaps up to 9.5m as a single span
providing a 4m wide, fully decked roadway, ensuring faster movement of the
troops.
About the SSBS-10m:The project
involved the development of two prototypes of 5m SSBS on Tatra 6×6 chassis and
another two prototypes of 10m SSBS on Tatra 8×8 re-engineered chassis.This
bridging system is compatible with the Sarvatra bridging system (75 m), where
the last span required covering gaps less than 9.5 m.The DRDO has developed a
range of bridges for the Army that have already been inducted.
Note: Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy; DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi; DRDO Established: 1958.
No comments:
Post a Comment