Daily GK Updates - 2nd August, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. SAATHI Initiative Launched : Ministry of textiles and Ministry of Power launched SAATHI (Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help Small Industries) initiative in the power loom sector.Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) will replace old electric motors with new IE3 motors.The use of these efficient equipments will result in energy savings and cost savings to the unit owners.

2. Government extended the CFS : The government extended the Concessional Financing Scheme (CFS) till 2023 to support Indian entities bidding for important infrastructure projects abroad.Under the scheme, the government provides the counter-guarantee and interest equalisation to EXIM bank.Also, the scheme will now cover all Indian entities, compared to the earlier stipulation of minimum 75% Indian shareholding.

3. Cabinet clears changes to GST laws : The Cabinet approved amendments to the GST laws, including the hike in turnover threshold for businesses to avail the composition scheme to Rs 1.5 crore.The amendments will allow employers to claim input tax credit on facilities like food, transport and insurance provided to employees.Besides, businesses with turnover of up to Rs 1.5 crore would be eligible for availing composition scheme.

4. First-ever dragonfly festival in Delhi : The dragonfly festival is being organised from Aug 3 to Sept 1 at World Wide Fund (WWF) auditorium, New Delhi.The aim is to spread awareness about the role of Dragonflies in maintaining a healthy  ecosystem. Festival includes special events like Be a scientist for a day, Date Date with a dragonfly etc. by WWF India and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

5. Javed Akhtar awarded Hindi Sahitya Samman : Eminent personalities from different fields, including Bollywood song writer Javed Akhtar, were presented the Delhi government’s “Hindi Sahitya Academy Samman”.Akhtar was awarded the ‘Shalaka Samman’ for his contribution to the world of films and poetry.Veteran theatre director M K Raina received the ‘Shikar Samman’.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 2 day Indo-US Military Cooperation : A 2-day Indo-US Military Cooperation Meeting began in New Delhi as a prelude to 2 plus 2 Dialogue between the 2 countries.The meeting was co-chaired by Lt Gen Satish Dua, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the chairman and Lt Gen Bryan Fenton, Deputy Commander, Indo-Pacific Command.India and the US were also working to have a joint drill of all the three armed forces

2. India and Germany signed agreement : India and Germany signed agreements on financial and technical cooperation worth Rs 5,250 crore within the framework of the Indo-German development cooperation.As part of the cooperation, areas such as infrastructure development, urban mobility and climate relsilience are being promoted.Environmental and resource protection is also one of the funded areas of the cooperation.

3. Akshay Venkatesh gets Fields Medal : Akshay Venkatesh, a renowned Indian-Australian mathematician, is one of four winners of mathematics’ prestigious Fields medal, known as the Nobel prize for math.The Fields medals are awarded every four years to the most promising mathematicians under the age of 40.The prize was inaugurated in 1932 at the request of Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields.

4. UAE launches amnesty scheme for overstayers : The UAE launched a landmark three-month visa amnesty programme that will benefit hundreds of illegal foreign workers, including Indians, who are overstaying their permits.The programme allows the workers to leave the country without paying penalty and also gives them six months to find a job.Also, residents can also rectify their status by getting a new sponsored, valid visa.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. RBI raises rates again by 25 bps : The RBI on 1st August 2018 raised interest rates by 25 basis points, setting its benchmark repo rate at 6.5%.The increase will push up the cost of loans for all borrowers, from consumers looking to finance theirpurchases of homes and cars to businesses looking to meet their capital needs.The RBI retained its forecast for economic growth in the current fiscal year at 7.4%.

DEFENCE:

1. Advanced Air defence interceptor test fired : The advanced Air defence interceptor missile has been successfully test fired from Abdul Kalam Island on 2nd August 2018.The missile has been built with indigenous technology.The missile is being developed as part the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, which can intercept medium-range ballistic missiles travelling at speeds of Mach 3 to 8.

Daily GK Updates - 1st August, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Startup India Yatra begins in Chhattisgarh : The Startup India Yatra was launched on July 30 2018 in Raipur.To promote job creation in tier 2 and tier 3 towns and cities, Startup India organizes the Startup India Yatra in one state every month.The Startup India initiative envisages to build a robust startup ecosystem in the country for nurturing innovation and providing opportunities to budding entrepreneurs.

2. Largest pan-India rural sanitation survey : The largest pan-India rural sanitation survey will commenced on 1st August 2018 under the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.It will also rank districts based on their sanitation level.The criteria set for ranking includes construction and use of toilets under the Swach Bharat Mission- Gramin, direct observation of sanitation at public places and feedback from citizens.

3. ONGC won top honours at Swachhta Pakwada : Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) bagged top honours at the Swachhta Pakwada Awards.Swachhta Pakwada Awards is an oil ministry initiative to honour companies and individuals doing exemplary work in cleanliness.Indian Oil Corp (IOC) bagged the runner-up’s award.The Ministry celebrated Swachhta Pakhwada from July 1, 2018, to July 15, 2018, with the theme ‘Innovation and Sustainability’.

4. Vijay Thakur made MEA Secretary : Indian ambassador to Ireland Vijay Thakur Singh was named as the Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).Singh will take over as the Secretary (East), MEA with effect from October 1, after incumbent Secretary (East) in the MEA Preeti Saran.Vijay Thakur Singh is currently serving as an Ambassador in Dublin, is a 1985 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service.

5. Rajasthan first to implement biofuel policy : Rajasthan has become the first State in the country to implement the national policy on biofuels unveiled by the Centre in May 2018.The state will lay emphasis on increasing production of oilseeds.It will establish a Centre for Excellence in Udaipur to promote research in the fields of alternative fuels and energy resources.

6. Rajiv Sadbhavana Award for Gopal Gandhi : Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi has been chosen for Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award 2018 for promoting communal harmony and peace.The award carries a citation and a cash award of Rs. 10 lakh.Former recipients of the award include Mother Teresa, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Mohammed Yunus, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt, Dilip Kumar, Kapila Vatsyayan, Teesta Setalvad.

7. Lok Sabha passes IBC amendment bill : The Lok Sabha has passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill 2018.The Bill amends the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 to clarify that allottees under a real estate project should be treated as financial creditors.Financial creditors will be able to decide the future of defaulting builders alongside their lenders.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mauritius’s SBM gets RBI approval : Mauritius-based SBM Group has received Reserve Bank of India’s approval to operate in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary route.It is the first foreign lender to receive such a licence after local incorporation was introduced in 2013.SBM, which has been in India since 1994, currently operates through four branches, in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ramachandrapuram.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.India’s Q1 fiscal deficit at 68.7% : The government of India reported a fiscal deficit of ₹ 4.29 trillion ($62.57 billion) for April-June, or 68.7% of the budgeted target for the current fiscal year 2018-19 compared with 80.8% a year ago.The fiscal deficit target for the current financial year is Rs 6.24 lakh crore.Rs 2.37 lakh crore was the net tax revenue during the April-June quarter.

2. IWAI launches Dedicated Portal for cargo : The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) launched a dedicated portal to connect cargo owners and shippers with real time data on availability of vessels.Named as the ‘Forum of Cargo-Owners and Logistics-Operators’, the link of the portal is available on the homepage of IWAI.

It has been designed and developed by the in-house IT Department and the Traffic Wing of IWAI

3. Digital payments to touch one trillion dollar : According to the NITI Aayog’s “Digital Payment: Trends, Issues and Opportunities” report, digital payments market in India is set to become a trillion-dollar industry in the next five years.It will be led by growth in mobile payments which are slated to rise to $190 billion by 2023 from $10 billion in 2017-18.This would present huge business opportunities for players in the digital space.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Deepak re-appointed as director on HDFC board : Deepak Parekh was re-appointed as a Non-Executive Director on the board of the country’s largest mortgage lender HDFC.HDFC Chairman Parekh secured approval of 77.36% shareholders at the annual general meeting (AGM) of the company.Parekh has been at the helm of HDFC for close to 30 years.

Daily GK Updates - 31st July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Neelakurinji flowers bloom after 12 years : The neelakurinji will bloom in the Anamalai hills near Munnar, a phenomenon that occurs once in 12 years.Spread over 3,000 hectares of rolling hills, Munnar is home to this rarely occurring neelakurinji flower plants.These plants take another 12 years for the seeds to sprout again and grow up to 30 to 60 centimetres high.

2. Chattisgarh CM to launch ‘Mobile Tihar’ : Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh launched the ‘Mobile Tihar’ (Mobile Festival) under the Sanchar Kranti Yojna (SKY).The scheme is for distribution of smart-phone to women and students in the station covering 45 lakh women and 5 lakh students.Under the programme, 460,000 students of Chhattisgarh’s colleges and 4 million women staying in rural areas will be given smartphones.

3. LS passes bill to revamp homoeopathy council : A bill seeking to replace the Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) with a board of governors and aimed at bringing accountability and quality in homoeopathy education system was passed by the Lok Sabha.The government will reconstitute the CCH within a year.As per the bill, the members of the board of governor will replace the existing functionaries of the CCH.

4. 3. Munshi Premchand’s 138th birth anniversary : On the occasion of the 138th birth anniversary of Munshi Premchand, President Ram Nath Kovind paid tribute to the writer and novelist.Born on July 31, 1880, as Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava near Varanasi, Premchand used his pen name for his dramas, novels and stories.

Among his works, ‘Godaan’ is deemed as one of the finest Hindi novels.

5. IT ministry launches “e-Aksharayan” : The IT ministry launched a desktop software “e-Aksharayan” to enable editing of text printed on scanned documents.The software can be downloaded for free from its website.The software supports editing in seven Indian languages – Hindi, Bangla, Malayalam, Gurmukhi, Tamil, Kannada & Assamese.

6. Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill passed in LS : The Lok Sabha has passed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2018 which replaces the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated on April 21 2018.The bill stipulates punishment for perpetrators of rape, particularly of girls below 12 years and death sentence has been provided for rapists of girls under 12 years.The investigation of all cases of rape has to be completed within 2 months.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s first UN Certified Football Club : The Forest Green Rovers Football Club was recognised by the United Nations as the World’s first certified carbon neutral football club.The UN campaign, launched in 2015, encourages companies, organisations, governments and citizens to reduce their climate footprints.The aim is to achieve a climate neutral world by the middle of this century.

2. Mars closest to earth in 15 years : At 57.6 million kilometres apart, Mars will be closest to Earth in over 15 years.With Mars and Sun on each side, the rare event will witness all three celestial bodies falling in a straight line.This will also be the closest the red planet comes to Earth until October 2020.Back in 2003, Earth and Mars were “only” 56 million kilometres apart- the closest it came in over 60,000 years.

3. U.S. eases export controls on India : The US has eased export controls for high-technology product sales to India by designating it as a Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA-1) country.The granting of STA-1 status to India comes after the US recognised India as a Major Defence Partner in 2016.Currently there are 36 countries on STA-1 list. India is the only South Asian country to be on the list.

4.Indo-Nepal forum to be set up for tourism : A forum will be set up between India and Nepal for mutual consultation and promotion of tourism by the countries.In a meeting held on July 6, 2018 of the joint working group of the two countries it was decided that an Indo-Nepal Tourism Forum should be set up.The forum will have representation from the government and private sectors of both the nations.

5. 3rd BRICS Film Festival concluded : The 3rd BRICS Film Festival took place in Durban, South Africa, along with the International Durban Film Festival  from 22-27th July, 2018.“Newton” won the Best Film and “Village Rockstars” won two awards at the third edition of the BRICS Film Festival.The Best Actress award went to Bhanita Das.The film festival is aimed at celebrating world-class film productions from the BRICS nations.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. RIL reclaims its top slot : Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) regained its status as the country’s most valued firm by market capitalisation (m-cap) on 31st July 2018.It replaced Tata Group’s Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) from the top slot.Reliance Industries had crossed the $100-billion market capitalisation mark.The m-cap figure of companies changes daily with stock price movement.

SPORTS:

1. Smriti equals fastest T20 half-century : India’s batswoman Smriti Mandhana equalled the record for the fastest half-century in women’s T20 cricket during a Kia Super League.Mandhana equalled New Zealand’s Sophie Devine’s record of a half-century off 18 balls, set against India during a T20 International in 2015.Mandhana also smashed the tournament record for the fastest fifty.

Daily GK Updates - 30th July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt to launch 2nd oil, gas field auction : The government plans to launch the auction of 60 oil and gas fields being offered in the second round of bidding for Discovered Small Field on August 9, 2018.The fields are being offered in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kutch & Cambay shallow waters, Mumbai offshore, Assam and Tripura, Mahanadi shallow water, Andhra Pradesh and KG offshore.The fields hold an estimated 1.4 billion barrels of oil.

2. Final draft of NRC released in Assam : The second and final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published on July 30, 2018 with over 2.89 crore names out of the total 3.29 crore applicants in Assam.Assam is the first Indian state where the NRC is being updated after 1951, with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date, to include names of genuine Indian citizens.The groundwork for this exercise began in December 2013.

3. Doctors identify rare bloodgroup ‘P null’ : A team of doctors from the Blood Bank of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), has identified a rare blood group called “pp” or “P null” phenotype.A blood type is considered rare if fewer than one in 1,000 people have it.A person is said to have rare blood group when he lacks the high frequency antigen or multiple common antigens.

4. Meghalaya launches milk mission, bull fair : The Meghalaya government launched ‘Meghalaya Milk Mission’ and First Meghalaya Bull Fair on 28th July, 2018.The Mission aims to plug the demand and supply gap in the availability of per capita milk, to generate alternate livelihoods for the rural people through the dairy sector and to create and revive dairy co-operatives.The Mission will benefit 2,000 farmers in the next 4 years.

5. Govt. plans ‘ISRO-like’ ocean mission : The Centre has drawn up a 5-year, Rs. 8,000 crore plan to explore the deep recesses of the ocean.The Union Earth Sciences Ministry unveiled a blueprint of the ‘Deep Ocean Mission’.India has been allotted a site of 1,50,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploitation of polymetallic nodules.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Day against Trafficking in Persons : World Day against Trafficking in Persons is observed on July 30 every year.The aim is to “raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.”For 2018, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has chosen “responding to the trafficking of children and young people” as the focus of the World Day.

2. NASA begins new planet hunting probe : NASA’s latest planet hunting probe – the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) – has started its search for new worlds around nearby stars.TESS is expected to transmit its first series of science data back to Earth in August 2018.TESS is NASA’s latest satellite to search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets.

3. Neeraj Chopra won gold in Javelin : Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a gold in the Savo Games in Finland, beating his Chinese Taipei rival Chao-Tsun Cheng.Neeraj threw 85.69m in the event held at Lapinlahti, Finland, where he is undergoing training as part of preparations for the Asian Games.Cheng managed 82.52m to take the second place.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. MG Motor partners IIT-Delhi for child safety : MG Motor India announced a partnership with IIT-Delhi for developing technologies and applications to boost in-car child safety.Under the partnership, a team IIT-D is working on a project to develop an application for geofencing for child safety through ECU control.MG Motor India is slated to launch its first vehicle in the country in the second quarter of 2019.

BANKING/FIANANCE:

1. HDFC awarded best performing bank : HDFC has been awarded the best performing primary lending institution in credit linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) for the EWS (Economically Weaker Section) and LIG (Low Income Group) category.The award was given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.CLSS was introduced in June 2015 under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for home loans to customers from the EWS as well as LIG and MIG (Middle income group).

2. HSBC appoints Surendra Rosha as India CEO : The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation announced the appointment of Surendra Rosha as Chief Executive Officer for HSBC India.Rosha is currently HSBC’s Head of Financial Institutions Group (FIG) for Asia-Pacific.Rosha joined HSBC’s Indian operations in 1991.He has worked in multiple roles in forex trading, corporate treasury sales, treasury and capital markets.

  

DEFENCE:

1. India plans to buy missile shield from U.S. : India is in talks with the U.S. to procure an advanced air defence system to defend the National Capital Region (NCR) from aerial attacks.The process for procuring the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II), estimated at $1 billion, has been initiated.The NASAMS was developed by Raytheon in partnership with KONGSBERG Defence and Aerospace of Norway.

2. International Army Games 2018 declared open : The International Army Games 2018 at Patriot Park in Moscow region has been declared open by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.The games are being held at 24 training grounds in 7 countries namely Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, China and Russia. Indian teams are taking part in two major competitions – Tank Biathlon event and Elbrus Ring competition.

SPORTS:

1. Bajrang Punia, Pinki win gold in wrestling : In Wrestling, Bajrang Punia has won his second consecutive international gold while Sandeep Tomar won silver medal at the Yasar Dogu International in Istanbul, Turkey.Indian wrestlers returned with 10 medals, including seven by women, from the ranking event.In the women’s competition, Pinki was the lone gold medallist in the 55kg category.

Daily GK Updates - 29th July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Modi launches 81 investment projects : PM Modi launched 81 investment projects worth over ₹60,000 crore for Uttar Pradesh at a ground-breaking event.The projects are expected to give a big boost to industrialisation in the state and have the potentials of creating over 2 lakh jobs.Around 80 leading industrialists, including Gautam Adani participated in the event, which comes close on the heels of ‘Investors Summit’.

2. India’s agricultural land is shrinking : According to the government data, in 2017, nearly 40 lakh hectares of agricultural land was impacted because of water woes.It has resulted in a drop in the area under cultivation for crops like rice, pulses & oilseeds.With 1/3^rd of agriculture activities in India still depending on groundwater for irrigation, the country’s cultivated land is shrinking due to depleting ground water levels.

3. Venkaiah Naidu to be Chancellor : Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu has been appointed as the Chancellor of the Pondicherry Central University.The appointment was notified by the President, Ram Nath Kovind, in his capacity as Visitor of the university.The tenure of the Chancellor will be five years.

4. Fee drugs, diagnostics for hepatitis B & C : Considering the disease burden of viral hepatitis, government will now offer free drugs and diagnosis for Hepatitis B and C.The arrangement has been made under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program launched.The aim of the initiative is to reduce morbidity and mortality due to viral hepatitis.The government aims to eliminate viral Hepatitis by 2030.

5. States agree to supply milk under Mid-Day Meal : Most states, including Rajasthan, have agreed to supply milk for 2 days a week through Mid-Day Meal & Anganwadi schemes.This has been done in order to absorb surplus stock & ensure better prices to farmers, Animal Husbandry & Dairy.Farmers are in distress in key milk-producing states because of fall in procurement rate amid surplus milk production & piling up of skimmed milk powder.

6. Rajasthan signs MoU for first cow sanctuary : Rajasthan will soon have its first ‘cow sanctuary’, a shelter for 10,000 bovines spread over an area of more than 220 hectares in Bikaner district.The state government has signed a memorandum of understanding with a private trust in this regard.The state already has a ministry dedicated to welfare of cows and last year it had announced a 10% surcharge on stamp duty towards cow protection.

7. Assam to implement Pranam Scheme : Assam government has decided to implement PRANAM (Parent Responsibility & Norms for Accountability and Monitoring) Scheme that aims to ensure that government staff take care of their parents & physically challenged siblings.It mandates deduction of 10-15% of the gross salary of employees who do not take care of their parents & disabled siblings.

It will come into force from October 2, 2018.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Blockchain Congress : Hyderabad will host a 3 day International Blockchain Congress beginning August 3.Jointly hosted by NITI Aayog, Telangana & Goa governments, IBC will bring together 3,000+ blockchain enthusiasts, innovators, businesses & regulators.Global Blockchain Protocol Consortium, a body of various countries to further progress the evolution of blockchain technology, will be launched at the congress.

2. 4-lane highway along Indo-Bhutan border : Centre has agreed in principle to construct a four-lane highway of 264 KM along Indo-Bhutan border encompassing four districts of the state.The new connectivity would bring in revolutionary changes not only in connectivity but also in trade and commerce of the areas.The Bhutan–India border is 699 km long, and adjoins the Indian states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Sikkim.

3. First non-Muslim to win National Assembly seat : Mahesh Malani of Pakistan Peoples Party’s has become the first Hindu candidate to win a National Assembly seat.Malani contested & won the National Assembly (NA-222) Tharparkar-II seat in southern Sindh province, after defeating 14 candidates.Non-Muslims got the right to vote & contest on general seats in 2002 after the then president Gen Pervez Musharraf made amendments in the Constitution.

4. International Tiger Day : International Tiger Day is is celebrated every year on 29 July to raise awareness about tiger conservation.It was started in 2010 at the Saint Petersberg Tiger Summit in Russia in view of the alarming fall in the number of wild tigers.Many factors have caused their numbers to fall, including habitat loss, climate change, hunting and poaching.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. OYO inks pact with SBI, Bank of Baroda : OYO has inked an MoU with SBI and Bank of Baroda for extending support to budget hotels and create jobs across levels.The MoU will enable financial support for OYO’s existing & potential hotel partners for fuelling transformation and standardisation at their properties.These loans will help individuals hailing from Tier II and III cities to be self-employed and run their own budget assets.

SPORTS:

1. Baker breaks 100m backstroke world record : Kathleen Baker has set a world record in winning the 100-metres backstroke at the US national swimming championships.Baker, silver medalist in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, improved on the world record of 58.10 set by Canadian Kylie Masse.Baker’s performance was more remarkable because she has long had to deal with Crohn’s disease.

2. Sourabh lifts Russian Open Badminton trophy : Ace Indian shuttler Sourabh Verma lifted the Russian Open Badminton trophy at Vladivostok.In the title clash, Sourabh came back from a game behind to beat Japan’s Koki Watanabe, 18-21, 21-12, 21-17, and win his first title of the season.He had clinched the Chinese Taipei Grand Pri Gold and finished runners-up at the Bitburger Open in 2016.

Daily GK Updates - 28th July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Odisha to implement its own food security act : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced that the state government would implement its own food security act from October 2 this year.Odisha’s own food security act would cover nearly 34.44 lakh people who have been left out from the National Food Security Act (NFSA).Earlier, Odisha had launched a scheme to provide rice to poor at Rs 2 per kg in 2008.

2. HRD minister releases AISHE Report 2017-18 : The Ministry of HRD organized a National Conference of Vice Chancellors & Directors of Higher Education Institutions of India in New Delhi on Guru Purnima.The theme of the conference was “Research and innovation in Higher Education”.The Minister released the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) Report 2017-18, Higher Educational Profile 2017-18, and Swachh Campus Manual.

3. National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme : A National Viral Hepatitis control programme was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the World Health Organisation.The programme was launched on World Hepatitis Day with an aim to combat viral hepatitis and reduce mortality and morbidity associated with it.It has been launched in accordance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), 2030.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nepal-India Think Tank Summit : The first ‘Nepal-India Think Tank’ summit will begin in Kathmandu to foster greater knowledge-sharing among the think tanks of the 2 countries.The summit, proposed to become an annual feature for the participating organisations, will be hosted alternatively each year in Nepal & India.The summit aims to support networks & promote mutual understanding through institutional collaboration.

2. BRICS nations adopt Johannesburg Declaration : The heads of state and government of all five BRICS nations convened for the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.The BRICS leaders came together and discussed various international and regional issues of common concern and adopted the ‘Johannesburg Declaration’ by consensus.The declaration comes as the United States and China remain deadlocked in a trade war over tariffs.

3. Shivangi scales Mount Kilimanjaro : Shivangi Pathak has scaled the Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro in 3 days.Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro measures 5,895 meters in height.She is from Haryana and is also the youngest Indian woman to reach the peak of Mount Everest.

4. Longest Lunar eclipse of the century : Skywatchers around the world have witnessed the longest “blood moon” eclipse of the 21st Century.The eclipse lasted for one hour 43 minutes, and was visible in Europe, West Asia, Africa, Australia, most of Asia and South America.A total lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, and covers the Moon with its shadow.

5. World Hepatitis Day 2018 : Every year on 28 July, the world comes together to commemorate World Hepatitis Day.World Hepatitis Day is an initiative of the WHO to spread awareness about this liver disease and minimise the burden of hepatitis globally.Viral hepatitis, be it hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C, are a group of diseases that affect the liver.

5. Invest India and UAE Ministry sign MoU : Invest India & UAE Minister for Artificial Intelligence has signed a MoU for India – UAE Artificial Intelligence Bridge in New Delhi.The MoU will spur development across areas like Blockchain, AI and Analytics as data and processing will be a catalyst for innovation and business growth.It will generate an estimated $20 billion in economic benefits during the next decade for both countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. ONGC presented with INFRA Icon Award : ONGC has been bestowed with INFRA Icon Award in the ‘Global Energy’ category at the mid-day ‘INFRA Icons’.ONGC has received the top corporate level award in recognition of its valuable contribution in upgrading the country as a whole.ONGC is the second largest exploration and production (E&P) company in the world.

2. ICICI Bank reports loss for the first time : ICICI Bank, India’s largest private sector lender by assets, has reported a net loss of ₹120 crore on a stand-alone basis for the June quarter.This is the first time that the bank has reported losses from its India operations.The bank had taken a mark-to-market hit of ₹218 crore on its investments in government securities during the quarter.

  

BANKING/FIANANCE:

1. Paytm Payments Bank CEO Renu Satti resigns : Paytm Payments Bank CEO Renu Satti has resigned from the role and will now head Paytm’s new retail initiative.In the past, she has built businesses ground up that include marketplace, movie ticketing and Paytm Payments Bank.Under the ‘New Retail’ model, consumers will soon be able to discover nearby pharmacies, groceries and other shops to place an order and get instant deliveries.

DEFENCE:

1. Made in India’ engines for the Army : Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has formally handed over two types of indigenously built high-power multi-fuel engines to the Army.The first engine V92S2 engine powers T-90 Bhisma Tank, the second engine V-46-6 engine powers the T-72 Ajeya Tank and its variants.The Engine Factory under the Make in India programme manufactured the two engines with 100 percent local parts.

OBITUARIES:

1. Cherkallam Abdullah passes away : Senior IUML leader and former Kerala Minister, Cherkallam Abdullah, passed away after a prolonged illness.He was 76 and was undergoing treatment for heart ailment.He was a prominent leader of the Opposition Congress-led UDF in north Kerala and is survived by wife, two sons and two daughters.He entered the parliamentary politics in 1987.