NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Zomato launched new app ‘District’ to capture its ‘going-out’ market: Food aggregator Zomato has launched a new app, District, to expand its services beyond its core food delivery and quick commerce business. The new platform aims to consolidate various ‘going-out’ services such as dining, movies, sports ticketing, live performances, shopping, and staycations, creating a one-stop destination for customers. Zomato and Blinkit are currently serving customers’ needs at home, but there is a large opportunity to expand into the going-out market.
2. 4th Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan 2024 held in Bhopal: The 4th edition of the Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan 2024 was held in the Madhya Pradesh capital, Bhopal. The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr Mohan Yadav, inaugurated the 4th Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan 2024. Theme 2024 – Upgradation of National Scientific Consciousness in Amrit Kaal The conference’s primary aim was to offer a platform for researchers to present and discuss their work in Hindi, fostering the popularisation of science and technology through this language. The conference featured six sessions on diverse topics of Science, Technology, Ayurveda, Engineering, and Science Communication.
3. Inderjit Camotra appoints as MD & CEO of Unity Small Finance Bank: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Inderjit Camotra’s reappointment as MD & CEO of Unity Small Finance Bank Limited (Unity Bank) for two years. Camotra brings over 28 years of experience in leadership roles at major banks including Standard Chartered, ANZ, and Citibank. During his tenure, Unity Bank has expanded significantly, accumulating a deposit base exceeding Rs 8,000 crore, a loan book surpassing Rs 8,500 crore, and establishing around 400 banking outlets across 21 states and union territories in India. Unity Bank is a Scheduled Commercial Bank promoted by Centrum Financial Services Limited (a subsidiary of BSE and NSE-listed Centrum Capital Limited), with Resilient Innovations Private Limited as a co-investor.
4. 3 August – Indian Organ Donation Day: Indian Organ Donation Day is observed every year on 3 August. This year observed 14th Indian Organ Donation Day. The Indian Organ Donation Day is observed to increase awareness about organ donation amongst the people. It also commemorates the contributions made to society by deceased donors and their families. The Indian Organ Donation Day has been observed since 2010 in the country. Earlier, the Indian Organ Donation Day used to be observed every year on 27 November. In 2022, the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization decided to observe the Indian Organ Donation Day on 3 August every year.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India and Vietnam sign 9 agreements to deepen strategic partnership & enhance cooperation: India and Vietnam signed nine agreements to deepen comprehensive strategic partnership and enhance cooperation in the fields of customs, agriculture, legal, radio and television broadcast, culture and tourism. Mazumdar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh in New Delhi. He said both the leaders agreed to further deepen the India-Vietnam relationship by increasing economic, strategic, and cultural ties. They further agreed to further enhance defence cooperation based on mutual interest and priorities of the two countries which will also contribute to greater stability in the wider Indo-Pacific region.
2. Grinson George takes over as new CMFRI Director: Grinson George has been appointed as the Director of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). He was Head of the Marine Biodiversity and Environment Management Division at CMFRI. A seasoned fishery researcher with over two decades of experience, he has held the position of Senior Programme Specialist at the SAARC in Dhaka.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. BSF Director General, Deputy removed ‘with immediate effect: The Centre removed BSF Director General (DG) Nitin Agrawal and his deputy Special DG (West) Y B Khurania, sending them back to their respective state cadres with immediate effect. Agrawal is a 1989-batch Kerala cadre officer, while Khurania belongs to the 1990-batch of the Odisha cadre. Agrawal had taken charge as the Border Security Force chief in June last year. Khurania, as the special DG (West), was heading the formation of the force along the Pakistan border. The about 2.65-lakh personnel strong BSF guards Indian borders with Pakistan on the west and Bangladesh on the east.
SPORTS
1. Lakshya Sen claims historic win to become first Indian male shuttler to enter Olympic semis: Lakshya Sen made history by becoming the first male Indian shuttler to qualify for the semi finals of an Olympics. He achieved this milestone by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-chen with a score of 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Previously, the best performances by Indian male shuttlers in the Olympic men’s singles badminton tournament were by Parupalli Kashyap (London 2012) and Kidambi Srikanth (Rio 2016), both of whom reached the quarter-finals. Sen will compete in the semi-final against either Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen or Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. India selects 2 crew members for Axiom-4 mission to International Space Station: India has shortlisted two astronaut-designates for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Indian astronauts Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair have been shortlisted to go to the U.S. to train for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission to ISS. A National Mission Assignment Board has recommended two Gaganyatris (astronauts) as prime and backup Mission Pilot for this mission. Group Captain Shukla will be the prime mission pilot and Group Captain Nair will be the backup. The Axiom-4 mission is the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. RBL Bank becomes first private sector lender to merge UPI and NCMC in RuPay credit cards: RBL Bank has introduced a new RuPay Credit Card, integrating both Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) features. This innovation makes RBL Bank the first private sector bank in India to offer these combined payment capabilities in a single card. The integration allows cardholders to make payments via UPI and get hassle-free travel with the NCMC feature. The extensive acceptance of the RuPay network ensures these cards are widely usable across various platforms and services.
2. Ind-Ra ups FY25 GDP growth forecast to 7.5% on expectation of high demand: India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra) upped India’s GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.5 percent from 7.1 percent projected earlier on an expectation of improved consumption demand. The ongoing growth momentum led by government capex, deleveraged balance sheets of corporates/banks, and incipient private corporate capex cycle has now found support from Union Budget. Ind-Ra’s growth projection is higher than that of RBI which projected FY25 growth at 7.2 percent and Finance Ministry’s Economic Survey which estimated GDP expansion between 6.5-7 percent. Ind-Ra expects Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) to grow to a 3-year high of 7.4 percent in FY25, from 4 percent in FY24.
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