NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Cabinet Clears ₹7,000
Crore Investment Exemption for NLCIL to Boost Renewable Energy Expansion: The Union Cabinet has approved
an exemption for NLC India Ltd.
(NLCIL) from investment restrictions applicable to Navratna CPSEs,
allowing it to invest ₹7,000 crore
in its subsidiary NLC India Renewables Limited (NIRL) without prior approval.NLCIL
and NIRL are exempted from the 30% net worth cap on investments in joint ventures
and subsidiaries, enabling greater financial and operational flexibility.The
decision supports NLCIL’s renewable energy goals of achieving 10.11 GW capacity
by 2030 and 32 GW by 2047, contributing to India’s clean energy transition.The
move aligns with India’s climate commitments under COP26, including the goal of
building 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030 and reaching Net
Zero by 2070.
2. National Conference on
Good Governance Practices to Be Held in Bhubaneswar: The Department of Administrative
Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), in collaboration with the Government of Odisha,
is organising a two-day National Conference on “Good Governance Practices” in Bhubaneswar.The conference will
feature 5 plenary sessions, including discussions on Prime Minister’s Awarded
Initiatives 2023 & 2024, focusing on Holistic Development of Districts,
Aspirational Block Program, and Innovation, chaired by senior DARPG officials
like Shri Puneet Yadav and Smt. Sarita Chauhan.District Magistrates/Deputy Commissioners
from various states will participate and present successful state-level good
governance practices for wider sharing and potential replication across the
country.
3. Centre Forms High-Level
Panel to Resolve Telangana–Andhra Water Disputes and Polavaram Link Project
Issues: The
Central Government has decided to form a high-level technical committee to address concerns related to the
Polavaram Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP) and other pending
inter-state water disputes between
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.The decision was taken during a high-level
meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil with Andhra Pradesh CM
N. Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy in New Delhi.Both states
agreed to install telemetry devices for real-time water flow monitoring in the
Krishna Basin, carry out urgent maintenance at Srisailam Dam, and shift the
Krishna River Management Board office to Vijayawada/Amravati.
4. Sanjay Kaul Appointed as
MD & CEO of GIFT City for Three-Year Term: Senior IAS officer Sanjay Kaul has
been appointed as the Managing
Director and CEO of GIFT City, Gandhinagar, as per a notification from
the Gujarat Government’s General Administration Department (GAD).He will serve
on deputation for three years or until further orders, succeeding Tapan Ray,
who previously held the post.GIFT City is India’s first operational smart city
and international financial services centre, playing a crucial role in shaping
the nation’s financial and economic future.
5. Neetu Chandra Appointed as
Icon Face of Bihar Election Commission to Boost Voter Awareness: Bollywood actress Neetu
Chandra has been officially appointed as the Icon Face of the Election Commission of Bihar,
chosen to help raise voter awareness and promote electoral participation across
the state.In this role, Neetu Chandra will be involved in multiple awareness
campaigns, including public service messages, outreach events, and social-media
engagements aimed at encouraging increased voter turnout.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Ukraine Appoints Yuliia
Svyrydenko as First New Prime Minister Since Russian Invasion: Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko has been appointed as the country’s new Prime Minister, becoming the first new head of
government since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy reshuffled the Cabinet, including the replacement of former
PM Denys Shmyhal, as part of efforts to revitalise the government, strengthen
domestic weapons production, and energise a war-weary nation.
2. 18 July – International
Nelson Mandela Day: International
Nelson Mandela Day is observed every year on 18th July, the birth anniversary of Nelson
Mandela, former President of South Africa and an iconic leader in the global
fight against apartheid, injustice, and inequality.The day was officially
declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009, to honor Mandela’s
legacy in promoting peace, democracy, and social justice.He became South
Africa’s first democratically elected president from 1994 to 1999. Mandela’s
courageous 27-year jail struggle and journey of upholding human rights,
standing up for social justice and equality continue to inspire the world.
3. CP Violation in Baryon Decays: Recent experiments at
the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) have revealed
the first clear evidence of CP violation in baryons. This discovery marks step
in understanding why the universe is dominated by matter rather than antimatter. The LHCb collaboration observed this
phenomenon in the decay of the Λb⁰ baryon, a particle made of three quarks,
confirming a long-sought prediction of particle physics. The universe contains
mostly matter, though the Big Bang should have produced equal amounts of matter
and antimatter. The puzzle of why antimatter vanished remains unresolved. CP
violation, which means a difference in physical laws for matter and antimatter,
is a key ingredient. It breaks the expected symmetry when particles are
replaced by antiparticles and spatial coordinates are flipped.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Indian Army Successfully
Tests DRDO’s Akash Prime Air Defence System at 15,000 ft in Ladakh: The Indian Army’s Air Defence unit successfully
conducted a user trial of the
DRDO-developed Akash Prime air defence system at a high-altitude
location in Ladakh at 15,000 feet, demonstrating its effectiveness in extreme
conditions.Akash Prime is one of the four variants of the Akash air defence
system developed by DRDO, the other variants being Akash Mark-1, Akash-1S, and
Akash NG (New Generation).The Akash air defence system, a surface-to-air
missile, is currently in use by both the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force,
and is capable of targeting helicopters, aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and
other aerial threats.The Akash system, manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited
(BDL), Hyderabad, also played a key role in Operation Sindoor, where it helped
neutralise a Pakistani drone attack on India.
SPORTS
1. Andre Russell Announces
Retirement from International Cricket: Andre Russell will retire from international cricket after
the T20I series against Australia, with his final matches scheduled for July 20
and 22, 2025, at Sabina Park, Jamaica.He had a successful limited-overs career,
playing 84 T20Is (1,078 runs, 61 wickets), 56 ODIs (70 wickets), and was part
of West Indies’ T20 World Cup wins in 2012 and 2016.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. EU’s General-Purpose AI Code of Practice: The General-Purpose AI
(GPAI) Code of Practice was published on 10 July 2025. It aims to help AI
industry players comply with the European Union’s AI Act. This voluntary
framework addresses safety, transparency, and copyright obligations for
providers of general-purpose AI models. Member States and the European
Commission are currently reviewing the Code’s adequacy. Following endorsement,
AI providers who adopt the Code can demonstrate legal compliance more easily
and reduce administrative burdens. The Code assists providers of
general-purpose AI models to meet legal duties under the AI Act. It is designed
through a multi-stakeholder process involving independent experts. The Code is
voluntary but offers legal certainty and easier compliance proof. It focuses on
three main areas – transparency, copyright, and safety and security. The latter
applies specifically to providers of highly advanced AI models with systemic
risks.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. NPCI International adds 13
more banks to India-Singapore UPI-PayNow platform: NPCI
International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the international arm of NPCI, has
enhanced the UPI–PayNow real-time payment system between India and
Singapore by adding 13 more Indian banks, raising the total number of
participating Indian banks to 19.
2. The 19 Indian banks now part of the network are: Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India,
Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, IDFC FIRST Bank, IndusInd Bank, Karur Vysya Bank,
Kotak Mahindra Bank, Punjab National Bank, South Indian Bank, UCO Bank, Axis
Bank, DBS Bank India, ICICI Bank, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, and State
Bank of India.Indian users can receive remittances from Singapore into their
accounts with these 19 banks using UPI-enabled apps like BHIM, Google Pay,
PhonePe, and respective bank apps, while outward remittances to Singapore are
supported by seven banks including Canara Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, SBI,
etc.In Singapore, the service can be accessed via DBS Bank Singapore and Liquid
Group, allowing real-time fund transfers between individuals using UPI ID,
mobile number, or Virtual Payment Address (VPA) for seamless cross-border
transactions.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. President Murmu Confers Kalinga Ratna on Dharmendra Pradhan and Sarala Samman on Bijaya Nayak
No comments:
Post a Comment