International€¦ · European colonial powers, with the Maldives becoming a British protectorate...
Transcript of International€¦ · European colonial powers, with the Maldives becoming a British protectorate...
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India-Russia:
Recently, a Joint Technology Assessment &
Accelerated Commercialization Programme was
launched by the Department of Science and
Technology (DST) in partnership with the
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI). This programme was launched by
both the entities in collaboration with the
Foundation of Assistance to Small Innovation Enterprises (FASIE) of the
Russian Federation.
The programme aims to develop and connect Indian and Russian Science and
Technology in order to uplift the SMEs and start-ups. Both the countries will
jointly work in the field of R&D for technology upliftment and to enhance the
bilateral scientific cooperation between them.
They seek to focus on the areas like AI, Pharma, renewable energy,
environment, and robotics drones etc. The programme will be conducted in two
annual cycles with 5 projects to fund during each cycle.
FICCI: It refers to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry. FCCI is an association of business organisations in India. It was
established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by GD Birla and
Purshottamdas Thakurdas. It is the largest, oldest and the apex business
organization in India. It provides a platform for networking and consensus
building within and across sectors and is the first port of call for Indian industry,
policy makers and the international business community. It is Headquartered in
New Delhi. The current President of FCCI is Sangita Reddy.
DST: It refers to the Department of Science & Technology. DST is a
department within the Ministry of Science and Technology in India. It was
founded on 3 May 1971. It's responsibility is to promote new areas of science
and technology and to play the role of a nodal department for organising,
coordinating and promoting Scientific and Technological activities in the
country. It gives funds to various approved scientific projects in India. It also
supports various researchers in India to attend conferences abroad and to go for
International
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experimental works. Minister of State Dr. Harsh Vardhan is the current head of
the department, while Ashutosh Sharma is its present secretary.
Maldives:
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a
small island nation in South Asia. It is situated in the
Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri
Lanka and India.The Capital of Maldives is Male. The
Currency of the Maldives is Maldivian Rufiyaa. The
current President of the Maldives is Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Recently, Maldives celebrated its 55th Independence Day. President Ramnath
Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended their greetings to the
neighboring country on the occasion.
From the mid-16th-century the region came under the increasing influence of
European colonial powers, with the Maldives becoming a British protectorate in
1887. Independence from the United Kingdom came in 1965, and a presidential
republic was established in 1968 with an elected People's Majlis. Finally, on 26
July 1965, the Maldives gained total independence from the British (despite the
fact that the British still maintained an air base on Gan island until 1976). The
freedom to govern themselves came with a number of challenges, such as how
to address the need for modernisation and economic development. Despite a
brief period in the 50s where the Maldives was a republic, once the Maldives
separated from the British, a sultanate still existed.
Ivory Coast:
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country located on the
south coast of West Africa. The political capital of
Ivory Coast is Yamoussoukro in the centre of the
country, while its economic capital and largest city is the port city of Abidjan. It
borders Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest,
Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea
(Atlantic Ocean) to the south. The currency used here is West African CFA
franc. The current President of Ivory Coast is Alassane Ouattara.
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Recently, the Defence Minister of Ivory Coast Hamed Bakayoko has been
named as the Prime Minister of the country. He was presently serving as the as
interim PM of the country since the sudden death of former Prime Minister
Amadou Gon Coulibaly.
Hamed Bakayoko: He was a founding member of the Rally of the Republicans
(RDR) party. He was also in charge of the party’s daily newspaper, Le Patriote.
He not only served as the minister of new information and communication
technology from 2003 to 2011 in the national unity government but he has also
been a mayor of Abobo, one of most populous districts of the country, since
2018.
Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist
Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South
Asia. It is located in the Indian Ocean to the
southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast
of the Arabian Sea. The capitals of Srilanka are
Colombo and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Colombo is the judicial capital of Sri
Lanka while Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, a Colombo suburb, is the legislative
capital. The currency used here is Sri Lankan rupee. The current President and
Prime Minister of Srilanka are Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa
respectively.
Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed an agreement for extending a
$400-million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka. It was signed to boost the
foreign reserves and ensure financial stability of the country, which is badly hit
by the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement between Sri Lanka and RBI has
been signed under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) framework. The currency swap arrangement will remain available till
November 2022.
RBI also offers similar swap lines to central banks in the SAARC region within
a total corpus of $2 billion. This facility originally came into operation in 2012.
India already has a $75 billion bilateral currency swap line with Japan, which
has the second highest dollar reserves after China.
Currency Swap: It means that in a swap arrangement, a country provides dollars
to a foreign central bank, which, at the same time, provides the equivalent funds
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in its currency to the former, based on the market exchange rate at the time of
the transaction. The parties agree to swap back these quantities of their two
currencies at a specified date in the future, which could be the next day or even
two years later, using the same exchange rate as in the first transaction. In Sri
Lanka’s case, it’s more than two years.
Currency Swap is beneficial as these swap operations carry no exchange rate or
other market risks, as transaction terms are set in advance. The absence of an
exchange rate risk is the major benefit of such a facility. This facility provides
the country, which is getting the dollars, with the flexibility to use these
reserves at any time in order to maintain an appropriate level of balance of
payments or short-term liquidity.
Tunisia:
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country
in the Maghreb region of North Africa. Tunisia is
bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to
the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north
and east. Tunisia's name is derived from its capital city,
Tunis (Berber native name: Tunest), which is located on its northeast coast. The
capital of Tunisia is Tunis. The currency used here is Tunisian dinar. The
current President of Tunisia is Kais Saied.
Recently, Hichem Mechichi the Interior Minister of Tunisia, has been appointed
as the new Prime Minister of the country. He succeeded Elyes Fakhfakh, who
resigned over allegations of a conflict of interest. He has a month to form a
government. As well as being the interior minister in the outgoing government,
Mechichi has been a counselor to President Saied, handling legal matters. He
has previously been chief of staff at the Ministry of Transport. He also served in
the Ministry of Social Affairs.
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Tripartite MoU:
A tripartite MoU (Memorandum of
Understanding) was recently signed by the
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research
(CSIR), Unnat Bharat Abhiyan-Indian Institute
of Technology, Delhi (UBA-IITD), and Vijnana
Bharati (VIBHA) in New Delhi.
The MoU was signed to offer access to CSIR rural technologies for UBA. It
will not only lay the foundation for cooperation as well as joint action in the
area of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) for rural development of India but will
also enable access to the structural networks to achieve the collaboration of
district administration, local Panchayat Raj Institutes (PRIs), voluntary
organizations and the institutions that participate with UBA.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is the flagship national program of the Ministry
of Human Resource Development (MHRD). It aims to bring the
transformational change in rural development processes by enabling knowledge
institutions to help build the architecture of an inclusive India.
The MoU will pave the way for effective coordination between CSIR, IIT
Delhi, and Vijnana Bharati (Vibha) towards meeting the objectives of the Unnat
Bharat Abhiyan.
National
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NEP 2020:
It refers to the National Education Policy 2020. The new
NEP 2020 has recently been approved by the Union
Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi for the 21st century. It will be replacing the 34 year
old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986. The National Education Policy
(NEP) draft has been developed by a committee chaired by K. Kasturirangan.
It is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is based on
the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and
Accountability.
It has a target of 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio by 2035 and provision for
multiple entry and exits. It aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge
society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college
education more holistic, flexible & multidisciplinary, as per the requirements of
21st century.
The new National Education Policy 2020 emphasizes on mother-tongue and
multi-lingualism.
MoTA:
It refers to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. MoTA is
a branch of Government of India (GoI). It was set
up on October 1999 after the bifurcation of
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (India) to have a more focused
approach on the integrated socio-economic development of the Scheduled
Tribes (STs), the most underprivileged of the Indian Society.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the Nodal Ministry for overall policy planning
and coordination of programmes for development of STs. To this end, the
Ministry has undertaken activities that follow under the subjects allocated in the
Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 and amendment(s)
thereafter. Before the formation of the ministry the tribal Affairs was being
handled by different ministries which were:
1. As a Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs known as Tribal Division
since after independence up to September 1985.
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2. Ministry of Welfare: From September 1985 to May 1998.
3. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment from May 1998 to September
1999.
The current Union Minister of MoTA is Arjun Munda and Minister of State of
MoTA is Renuka Singh Saruta.
Recently, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) ws awarded the SKOCH Gold
Award for its “Empowerment of Tribals through IT enabled Scholarship
Schemes” project. This project was launched to show GoI's commitment to
realize the dreams of Digital India and bringing transparency as well as ease in
the delivery of services. MoTA integrated the 5 Scholarship Schemes with DBT
Portal under the guidance of DBT Mission in order to align with the larger
vision of ‘Digital India’.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) participated in the DIGITAL INDIA &
E-GOVERNANCE-2020 Competition. The 66th SKOCH 2020 Competition
was held with name “INDIA RESPONDS TO COVID THROUGH DIGITAL
GOVERNANCE”.
Digital Education June 2020:
Union Minister for HRD Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal
‘Nishank’ recently launched “India Report on Digital
Education, 2020”. The minister, during the virtual
launch, stated that report highlights the innovative
methods adopted by Ministry of HRD, Education Departments of States and
Union Territories to ensure accessible as well as inclusive education to children
at home and reducing learning gaps.
India Report on Digital Education, 2020 comprises of various initiatives taken
to provide remote learning and education for all by taking schools to the
students. Some of the initiatives are as follows: Swayam Prabha TV Channel,
DIKSHA platform, Online MOOC courses, On Air – Shiksha Vani, DAISY by
NIOS for differently-abled, e-PathShala, etc.
Indian policy News
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FDI:
It refers to the Foreign Direct Investment. FDI is
an investment from a party in one country into a
business or corporation in another country with
the intention of establishing a lasting interest.
Lasting interest differentiates FDI from foreign
portfolio investments, where investors passively
hold securities from a foreign country. Foreign direct investment can be made
by expanding one’s business into a foreign country or by becoming the owner
of a company in another country. It is an important non-debt monetary source
for India’s economic development. Economic liberalization started in India in
the wake of the 1991 crisis and since then, FDI has steadily increased in the
country. There are 2 types of FDI route. the first one is the Automatic route,
under which The non-resident or Indian company does not require the prior nod
of the RBI or government of India for FDI and the Government Route, under
which the government’s approval is mandatory.
Recently, the Government of India (GoI) notified changes in Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) norms on civil aviation, which is also called as the Foreign
Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) (Third Amendment) Rules,
2020. The main aim of the government is to augment the Make in India
initiative which is turn will attract global companies in India looking to
establish alternative manufacturing hubs
As per the amendments:
It will permit non-resident Indian nationals to own 100 % stake of Air India.
The exceptions which permitted Overseas Citizens of India 100% FDI in air
transport, but not Air India is removed.
This category of citizens has been replaced with NRIs, now allowed to commit
100% FDI in air transport, including Air India, through automatic route.
Substantial ownership and effective control of Air India Limited shall continue
o be vested in Indian National as stipulated in Aircraft Rules.
Last month, the government for the third time extended the deadline to bid for
Air India. The deadline was extended by two months till August 31st. The
divestment process for the national carrier was initiated on January 27th.
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Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers:
The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers in India is the
federal ministry with administrative purview over three
departments. The three departments are Department of
Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Department of Fertilizers
and Department of Pharmaceuticals. The Department of
Chemicals and Petrochemicals was under the Ministry of
Industry until December 1989, when it was brought under
the Ministry of Petroleum and Chemicals. On June 5, 1991, the Department of
Chemicals and Petrochemicals was transferred to the Ministry of Chemicals and
Fertilizers. The current Union Minister and Minister of State of Chemicals and
fertilizers are D. V. Sadananda Gowda and Mansukh Mandaviya respectively.
Recently, the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri DV Sadananda
Gowda launched 4 schemes for the promotion of domestic manufacturing of
bulk drugs and medical devices parks in the country. Four schemes were
formulated by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, two each for Bulk Drugs and
Medical Devices parks. These schemes will work towards the development of
Indian pharmaceutical capacities and reduce India’s dependence on imports,
making it self reliant.
As per these 4 schemes, the scheme will remain open for applications for a
period of 120 days from the date of issuance of guidelines and the approval will
be received by the applicants within 90 days from the closure of application
window. The applications will be received only through an online portal and the
total financial outlay of the scheme is Rs 6,940 crore. The main aim of the
Scheme for promotion of Bulk Drug Parks is to establish three bulk drug parks
in the country. Maximum grant-in-aid for one bulk drug park is limited to
Rs.1000 crore.
Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for promoting domestic
manufacturing of Medical Devices aims to boost domestic manufacturing of
medical devices in four target segments. This will be achieved by offering
financial incentives on sales to a maximum number of 28 selected applicants for
a period of 5 years.
PLI schemes aims to boost domestic manufacturing of 53 bulk drugs, on which
India is critically dependent on imports.
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Ford:
Ford Motor Company, commonly known as Ford,
is an American multinational automaker that has its
main headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb
of Detroit. It was founded by Henry Ford and
incorporated on June 16, 1903. The Company's
business includes designing, manufacturing,
marketing, and servicing a full line of Ford cars,
trucks, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles.
Recently, two Boston Dynamics robot dogs named Fluffy and Spot is being
used by Ford plant in Michigan to help scan the Blue Oval's Van Dyke
transmission plant as it gears up for a retooling. The robodogs will roam the
Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Dearborn, MI on four legs, much like a dog
would. Ford is leasing the Boston Dynamics Spot robots and deploying them in
early August.
Boston Dynamics' robot dog runs, walks, and prances, rhythmically tapping its
four feet before it sinks down on its haunches and crouches. It runs, walks, and
prances, rhythmically tapping its four feet before it sinks down on its haunches
and crouches.
India and European Union (EU):
India and European Union (EU) recently renewed its
Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation
for the next five years (2020-2025) at the 15th India-EU
Summit, a virtual one which was led by Prime Minister
Sri Narendra Modi from India’s side.
The European Union delegation was headed by European Council President
Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der
Leyen.
The renewal of the agreement will expand the cooperation in scientific and
technological research for economic and social benefit. The Agreement was
initially signed in 2001 and renewed two times in 2007 and 2015. The
Science and Technology
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cooperation has been focused on water, green transport, e-mobility, clean
energy, bio-economy, health, and ICT.
In the last 5 years, the level of co-investment on India-EU Research Technology
Development Projects for addressing societal challenges such as affordable
healthcare, water, energy, food & nutrition has been stepped up.
KMF:
It refers to the Kutch Mainland Fault. KMF is the major
east-west trending fault. The fault line extends for over
150 km from Lakhpat to Bhachau. The crust of Kutch is
very fragile and it holds 4 major faults which frequently
liberate energy in the form of earthquakes.
Recently, the Kutch Mainland Fault (KMF), which has been dormant for the last
1,000-odd years, has been accumulating stress within and could trigger an
earthquake. This was suggested by a recent study. The study also gives evidence
that there were 4 major earthquakes on KMF between 5600 and 1000 BP
(before present), a time scale used by geologists to define events that happened
before the origin of radiocarbon dating technology in the 1950s.
The devastating earthquake had occurred on 26 January 2001 from the South
Wagad fault system.
MoES:
It refers to the Ministry of Earth Sciences. MoES was formed in
the year 2006 from a merger of the India Meteorological
Department, the National Centre for Medium Range Weather
Forecasting, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune,
and Earth Risk Evaluation Centre, and the Ministry of Ocean Development. The
Ministry mandate is to look after Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean Science &
Technology and Seismology in an integrated manner. Currently, the ministry is
headed by Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
Recently, MoES announced the winners of “MoES National Awards for
excellence in Earth System Science“.
The winners for different categories are:
1. Professor Ashok Sahni was awarded the Life Time Excellence Award
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2. Dr. S. Suresh Babu for National Award for Atmospheric Science &
technology
3. N. V. Chalapathi Rao for National award for Geoscience & technology
4. Dr. M. A. Atmanand for National Award for Ocean Technology
5. Dr. Lidita D. S. Khandeparker for Anna Mani award for woman scientist
6. Dr. Indra Sekhar Sen for Young Researcher Awards
7. Dr. V. V. S. S. Sarma fpr National Award for Ocean Science & technology
This award by MoES aims to recognize the major scientific contributions made
by eminent scientists and engineers in various fields of Earth System Science. It
also seeks to encourage women and young researchers for coming into the
mainstream of Earth System Science.
Legends of Chess:
Legends of Chess is a unique online chess event. The
tournament is part of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour.
Recently, Viswanathan Anand finally won in Legends
of Chess tourney making his debut on the Magnus
Carlsen Tour. Indian ace, Viswanathan Anand finally snapped the string of
defeats at the Legends of Chess online tournament. He beat Boris Gelfand of
Israel 2.5-0.5 in the seventh round.
Playing against long-time rival after six straight losses, he won his first game of
the tournament despite conceding early advantage on Monday night. Anand
won in 45 moves with black pieces and continued the good work by claiming
the second game in 49 moves.
The victory moved him to the eighth spot with 6 points ahead of Hungarian
Peter Leko (5 points) and Chinese world number three Ding Liren (3). Anand,
ranked 15th in the world, faces Liren in the eighth round later.
Sports News
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Carlsen, Liren, Nepomniachtchi and Anish Giri, semifinalists at the Chessable
Masters (part of the Magnus Carlsen Tour), received an automatic invite and are
up against six legends aged 40-52, who have been at the top of world chess at
various points in their career.
Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) beat Peter Leko (Hungary) 3-2; Magnus Carlsen
(Norway) beat Peter Svidler (Russia) 2.5-1.5: Anish Giri (the Netherlands) beat
Ding Liren (China) 2.5-1.5; Vasyl Ivanchuk (Ukraine) beat Vladmir Kramnik
(Russia) 3-1.
The winner of the event will qualify for the USD 300,000 Grand Final
scheduled from August 9 to 20.
NBA G League:
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is
the National Basketball Association's official
minor league basketball organization. The
league was known as the National Basketball
Development League from 2001 to 2005, and
the NBA Development League from 2005 until
2017. It was founded in 2001. As of the 2019–20 seasons, the league consists of
28 teams, all of which are either single-affiliated or owned by an NBA team.
The current president of the league is Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Recently, Indian forward Princepal Singh has signed to play in the NBA G
League next season. the announcement was made by the League President
Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
He will train and compete alongside the new G League team featuring elite
youth prospects. He is the first NBA Academy graduate to sign with the NBA G
League and first NBA Academy India graduate to sign a professional contract.
Princepal Singh: He started playing basketball at the Ludhiana Basketball
Academy. He joined The NBA Academy India in 2017 as part of the academy's
inaugural class of student-athletes identified through the ACG-NBA Jump
Program. NBA Academy India is an elite basketball training center in Delhi
National Capital Region (NCR) for the top prospects from throughout India. He,
on November 2018, transitioned to The NBA Global Academy which is the
league's hub for top male and female prospects from outside the U.S.
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The Biel International Chess Festival:
It is an annual chess tournament that takes place in
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland since 1968. It consists of two
events, the Grandmaster Tournament, held with the
round-robin system, and the Master Open Tournament
(MTO), held with the Swiss system.
Recently, Indian Grandmaster, P Harikrishna finished second in the rapid
section of the 53rd Biel International Chess Festival in Switzerland. The Biel
Chess Festival, the first major event to be played over the board amid the
COVID-19 pandemic, is being organized by adhering to all health protocols
without any spectators.
The World No. 26 scored 10 points, two less than Radoslaw Wojtaszek of
Poland, who finished on top. Earlier, P Harikrishna had finished on top in the
ACCENTUS Chess960 tournament, with 5.5 points.
Sports Ministry:
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is a branch of the
Government of India (GoI). It administers Department of
youth affairs and Department of Sports in India. The
Ministry was set up as the Department of Sports at the time
of organization of 1982 Asian Games New Delhi. Its name was changed to the
Department of Youth Affairs & Sports during celebration of the International
Youth Year, 1985. It became a separate Ministry on 27 May 2000.
Subsequently, In 2008, the Ministry was bifurcated into Department of Youth
Affairs and Department of Sports under two separate Secretaries. The ministry
gives the annual National Sports awards in various categories, including the
Arjuna Award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards. The current Minister of
Youth Affairs and Sports is Kiren Rijiju (MOS independent charge).
Recently, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has constituted a Selection
Committee for selecting awardees for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna,
Dronacharya Awards, Arjuna Awards, Dhyan Chand Awards, Rashtriya Khel
Protsahan Puruskar Award and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy
for the year 2020.
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The Chairman of the committee is retired Justice of Supreme Court Justice
Mukundakam Sharma. The other eminent personality from sports included in
the committee are Virender Sehwag (Cricket), Sardar Singh (Hockey), Monalisa
Baruah Mehta (Table Tennis), Deepa Malik (Para-athletics), Venkatesan
Devarajan (Boxing) as well as well-known media persons including Sports
Commentator Manish Batavia and Sports Journalists Alok Sinha and Neeru
Bhatia.
The selection committee will also include officials from the Sports Ministry,
Director General, SAI, Shri Sandip Pradhan, LS Singh, Joint Secretary (Sports
Development) and Commander Rajesh Rajagopalan, CEO Target Olympic
Podium Scheme.
Other than this, two additional Members who have been Dronacharya Awardees
may be invited by the Chairperson while considering the nomination for
Dronacharya Award.
Apple Inc.:
It is an American multinational
technology company headquartered in
Cupertino, California, that designs,
develops, and sells consumer electronics,
computer software, and online services. It
is considered one of the Big Tech
technology companies, alongside
Amazon, Google, Microsoft and
Facebook. It was founded on 1 April 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak,
Ronald Wayne. It is headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States.
Recently, Apple has become the world’s most valuable company. This
technology giant dethroned oil giant Saudi Aramco to become the most
valuable publicly listed company in the world after it reported a gain of 10 per
cent in its shares.
Economic News
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Flipkart:
Flipkart is an Indian e-commerce company based in
Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It was founded on
October 2007 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal.
The company initially focused on book sales,
before expanding into other product categories such
as consumer electronics, fashion, home essentials & groceries, and lifestyle
products. Flipkart also owns PhonePe, a mobile payments service based on the
Unified Payments Interface (UPI). In August 2018, U.S.-based retail chain
Walmart acquired a 81% controlling stake in Flipkart for US$16 billion, valuing
it at $20 billion.
Recently, Walmart-owned Flipkart announced that 6 lakh artisans across the
country will be added this year to their Samarth programme.
Samarth Programme is an initiative started by Flipkart in 2019. The e-
commerce company had collaborated with 5 non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) to help local artisans use the online e-commerce platform to sell their
products. The Programme supports 6 Lakh artisans (weavers, craftsmen etc.)
across India earn their bread and butter by selling their handmade art &
craftwork to sell their products online to a customer base of nearly 200 million.
At present, with the help of government partnerships, this initiative has been
able to bring artisans online from the remotest parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha,
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab and Karnataka.
Other Initiatives: Over the course of the year, Flipkart has partnered with
several government entities including UP Khadi and Village Industries Board,
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-
NULM), and Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts Development
Corporation.
It also supports MSMEs through a special initiative called Walmart Vriddhi. It
is a make in India Initiative which empowers nearly 50,000 MSMEs to
manufacture ‘Make in India’ product for local and global markets. The
company also provides necessary training and support along with access to a
huge e-commerce ecosystem of its peers and mentors group.
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Co-branded Contactless Credit Card:
It is a new RuPay credit card. It is empowered
with Near Field Communication (NFC)
technology which will enable users to expedite
their transactions at the POS machines by just
tapping the card on the machines instead of
swiping. The card will reward frequent railway travelers by offering them
maximum savings proposition on their travel together with exclusive benefits.
Recently, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and SBI
Card launched a new Co-branded Contactless Credit Card on RuPay Platform.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal dedicated this new card to the Nation. Launch
of this card is one of the many “Make In India” activities undertaken by the
Railways.
The newly launched card aims to ensure a safe, convenient and improved travel
experience for the rail passengers.
Kashmir:
Indian-administered Kashmir is known for its high-quality
saffron, a spice derived from the crocus flower. The
Kashmir variety of saffron is considered the best in the
world and it is the most expensive. It is largely grown in
the small town of Pampore, where thousands of hectares
of land is used for saffron cultivation. It is just about half
an hour's drive from Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar.
Pampore is often called Kashmir's saffron town. The current Lieutenant
Governor of J&K is GC Murmu.
Recently, the Union Government has issued a certificate of Geographical
Indication (GI) registration for Saffron grown in the Kashmir Valley.
Kashmir Saffron, with the GI tag, seeks to acquire more prominence in the
export market and would help the farmers get a better remunerative price. It
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would also stop the prevalent adulteration of Kashmir Saffron which will help
the authenticated Saffronfetch much better prices.
GI Tag: It refers to a geographical indication tag. GI is a sign used on products
that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that
are due to that origin and in order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a
product as originating in a given place. The Gi certification enables those who
have the right to use sign in order to prevent third parties using the sign.
Kerala:
It is a state on the southwestern Malabar Coast of India. It was
formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the
States Reorganization Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking
regions of the erstwhile states of Travancore-Cochin and Madras. It is bordered
by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and
the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. Its capital is Thiruvananthapuram. The
current Governor and Chief Minister of Kerala are Arif Mohammad Khan and
Pinarayi Vijayan respectively.
Recently, the Aditya ferry, built by Navalt Solar and Electric Boats, which
belongs to the Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD) has won the
prestigious Gustave Trouve Award for Excellence in Electric Boats and
Boating. The low cost passenger ferry operating in Vemabanad backwaters won
the award after competing against five other finalists from Europe in the public
transport category.
Aditya: It is India’s first solar-powered ferry. It was launched in November
2016 and started its services in 2017. It is a sun-powered commuter ferry that is
one of the great stories of the future of electric marine propulsion. It is operated
by the Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD) and built by Navalt
Solar and Electric Boats, Kochi. It has been designed by Designed by the
Department of Ship Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology.
It has been plying on the Vaikkom-Thavanakkadavu route in Alappuzha district
since January 2017. It has an eco-sounder, GPS, hydraulic steering, and an
automatic pump to remove water from the haul.
Gustave Trouve Award: Gustave Trouvé Award is the world’s only
international awards exclusively for electric boats. It was instituted by
Plugboats this year in honour of Frenchman Gustave Trouve who created the
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world’s first outboard motor, connecting an electric motor to a rechargeable
battery on a boat and sailed in down the Seine river in 1881. He invented the
world’s first outboard motor, connecting it to a rechargeable battery to sail a
boat down the Seine River in silence.
This award recognizes and honours the innovations and achievements of
individuals and organizations that design and develop electric boats, motors and
related systems.
The plugboats announced the inaugural Gustave Trouvé International Awards
on 26th May 2020 marking the 139th anniversary of the invention of the electric
board. The awards, handed out for the first time.
Guwahati:
Guwahati is the largest city in the Indian state of Assam and
also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. It lies
along the Brahmaputra River in the northeast Indian state of
Assam. It is called the 'Gateway to North East India'. The
current Governor and the Chief Minister of Assam are Professor Jagdish Mukhi
and Sarbananda Sonowal respectively.
Recently, Minister of Guwahati Development Department Siddhartha
Bhattacharya inaugurated Guwahati’s first manhole cleaning robot named
“BANDICOOT”. It is an automatic sewer cleaning device. Guwahati has
become the first city in the Northeast region to get a manhole cleaning robot and
the third city in the entire country to procure this innovative technology to clean
manholes after Gurugram and Coimbatore.
BANDICOOT: BANDICOOT has been developed by Genrobotics, an Indian
startup company under the Make in India initiative. The funding for this robot
development was provided by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) under
the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. The robot supports easy
removal of sludge from the underground drain which in turn will help the
elimination of manual scavenging.
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Sunil ydv SS:
He is the founder SS Motivation. He has been recently
honoured with “Karamveer Chakra Award” by Global
Fellowship Award instituted by United Nations and
International Confederation of NGO (iCONGO) at the
ReX ConcLIVE hosted in IIT Delhi.
He received the award for his relentless contribution to
society through his Telegram channel “SS Motivation.” He addresses social
issues and motivates people every day through his channel. He has been
honoured with awards like Rastra Prerna, Iconic Personality of India, Incredible
Indian Icon and Humanitarian Excellence.
Karamveer Chakra: The Karamveer Chakra is a global award given annually to
people who contribute to society by showing courage, initiating change, and
walking through the less-travelled life paths. The award is tribute to its
ambassador Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India.
Verghese Kurien known as father of the white revolution of India, is the first
recipient of Karmaveer lifetime achievement award. Some of the recipients are
Joyanto Mukherjee, Jason Fernandes, Hariharan Iyer, Deepika Narayan
Bhardwaj, Devika Vaid, Harish Iyer, Dr. Shruti Kapoor, Manju Latha
Kalanidhi, Anurag Chauhan, Jyoti Dhawale, Kajol, Geeta Sankar, Sudha
Menon, Dr. Renu Agrawal and Binayak Dewan.
Hardik Satishchandra Shah:
He is a 2010-batch IAS officer. He has recently been
appointed as the Private Secretary (PS) to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on co-terminus basis. He is is currently
serving as a Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office
(PMO). Before moving to the PMO last year, he worked as
the PS to Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar.
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Kala Narayanasamy:
She is an Indian-origin nurse, who is the Deputy Director of
Nursing at Woodlands Health Campus.
She was recently conferred with the President’s Award for
Nurses in singapore. She was awarded this prestigious award for serving on the
frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. She utilized the infection control
practices that she had learned during the 2003 severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS) outbreak, in the current pandemic. The other awardees were
Tay Yee Kian, Patricia Yong Yueh Li, Alice Chua Foong Sin and Chin Soh
Mun.
President’s Award for Nurses: The President’s Award for Nurses is the highest
accolade in the nursing profession. The President’s Award for Nurses in
Singapore recognizes the efforts of nurses who have shown sustained
outstanding performance and contributions to patient care delivery, education,
research and administration. Seventy-seven nurses have received the award
since its inception in 2000.
Eid-Al Adha:
Eid Al-Adha is the last of the two Islamic
holidays celebrated worldwide each year, and
considered the holier of the two. The day falls
on the tenth day in the final (twelfth) month of
the Islamic Lunar Calendar; Dhu-al-Hijjah. The
day that celebrations fall on depends on a
legitimate sighting of the moon, following the completion of the annual Holy
Pilgrimage of Hajj - which is an obligation for all Muslim’s who fit specific
criteria, one of the important Five Pillars of Islam.
It is celebrated to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice
his only son in obedience of God's command. It is observed by the sacrifice of a
sheep, cow, goat, buffalo or camel. This is also known as Udhiya. The days of
animal sacrifice total three days, from the 10th to the 12th of Dhu-al-Hijjah. It
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is also called the Festival of Sacrifice, Sacrifice Feast, Festival of Sacrifice;
Sacrifice Feast; Greater Eid or Bakraeed.
At Eid al-Adha, many Muslims make a special effort to pray and listen to a
sermon at a mosque. They also wear new clothes, visit family members and
friends and may symbolically sacrifice an animal in an act known as qurbani.
This represents the animal that Ibrahim sacrificed in the place of his son.
Recently, Eid-Al Adha was celebrated worldwide by the muslims amid the
Pandemic crisis. In India, Eid-ul-Azha or Baqraeed is being celebrated with
religious fervour and due reverence across the country today. Most of the
worshippers offered Eid Namaz or prayers in local mosques adhering to
physical distance while in some states, where lockdown is imposed, people
offered prayers in their homes.
Shravan:
As per Hindu Vedas and Puranas the holy month of
Sawan or Shravan is dedicated to worshipping
Lord Shiva to gain success, a good marriage and
prosperity. It falls on the fifth month of the Hindu
calendar and July or September month of the
Gregorian calendar. This year the month starts
from July 6, 2020 and goes on till August 3, 2020 which is when it comes to an
end on the day of Raksha Bandhan.
Shravana is considered to be a holy month in the Hindu calendar due to the
numerous festivals that are celebrated during this time. Also special worship of
Lord Shiva and fasting is observed on Mondays. The month of Shravana is very
important for the entire sub-continent of India as it is connected to the arrival of
the South-West monsoons.
The holy month is marked by complete devotion to Lord Shiva. One of the
reasons the month is related to Lord Shiva is that the cosmos is filled with Shiva
Tattva, thus worshipping Lord Shiva during this month is believed to easily
appease Him and attract His divine grace. Another reason, as per the Hindu
Vedas and Puranas, the Gods and Demons decided to Samudra Mantha or churn
the ocean to decide who among them was the strongest to get Amrit from it.
However, the 'halahala' or poison also came out along with it which had the
potential to destroy the world. Lord Shiva then drank that poison and saved the
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world. Therefore, Lord Shiva is worshipped as a gesture of gratitude in the
whole month of Shravan.
Shiva: Shiva is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate. The triumvirate consists
of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the
world. The other two gods are Brahma and Vishnu. Brahma is the creator of the
universe while Vishnu is the preserver of it.
During this month there are many other Hindu festivals such as:
Krishna Janmashtami: Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Sri Krishna
comes on the eight day after the full moon and is celebrated with great pomp
across the world, especially in the Vaishnava traditions.
Raksha Bandhan: Raksha Bandhan also called Rakhi Purnima or simply Rakhi
in many parts of India and Nepal, is a Hindu religious festival which signifies
and celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on
Shraavana Poornima (Full Moon). In simple words, Raksha bandhan means
"Bond of Protection"
Naryal Poornima: Shraavana Poornima (full moon) day is celebrated as Narali
Purnima in western India and parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa,. On this
day, an offering of a coconut is made to the sea, as a mark of respect to Lord
Varuna, the God of the Sea. In the coastal regions of Maharashtra i.e. Konkan, a
coconut is offered to the sea for calming it down after the monsoon season.
Narali Purnima is the beginning of the fishing season and the fishermen, who
depend on the sea for a living, make an offering to Lord Varuna so that they can
reap bountiful fish from the sea. Fishermen start fishing in the sea after this
ceremony.
Nag Panchami: Nag Panchami is also celebrated in many parts of India on the
fifth day after Amavasya of Shraavana month. The snake god Nāga is
worshiped. The last day of the Shraavana is celebrated as Pola, where the bull is
worshiped by farmers from Maharashtra.
Avani Avittam: In southern and central parts of India including Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Odisha, Shraavana Poornima day is when
the Brahmin community performs the rituals of Avani Avittam or Upakarma.
Basava Panchami: In Karnataka Basava Panchami is celebrated on 5th day after
amavasya. In 1196 AD this day Lingayat dharma guru Basava merged with god.
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Shri Baladeva Janamotsuv: Shraavana Poornima day is also celebrated as Shri
Baladeva birth Ceremony. Lord Krishna's elder Brother Prabhu Balarama was
born on this Poornima.
Gamha Purnima: Gamha Purnima is celebrated in Odisha. On this date, all the
domesticated Cows and Bullocks are decorated and worshipped. Various kinds
of country-made cakes called Pitha and sweets mitha are made and distributed
within families, relatives and friends. In Oriya Jagannath culture, the lord
Krishna & Radha enjoy the rainy season of Shravana starting from Shukla
Pakhya Ekadashi (usually 4 days before Purnima) and ending on Rakhi Purnima
with a festival called "Jhulan Yatra". Idols of Radha-Krishna are beautifully
decorated on a swing called Jhulan, hence the name "Jhulan Yatra".
Kajari Purnima: In central parts of India such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh
and Jharkhand Shraavana Poornima day is celebrated as Kajari Purnima. It is an
important day for the farmers and women blessed with a son. On the ninth day
after Shravana Amavasya, the preparations of the Kajari festival start. This
ninth day is called Kajari Navami and varied rituals are performed by women
who have sons until Kajri Purnima or the full moon day.
Pavitropana: In parts of Gujarat, Shraavana Poornima day is celebrated as
Pavitropana. On this holiday, people perform the grand pooja or the worship of
Lord Shiva. It is the culmination of the prayers done throughout the year.
Jandhyam Poornima: Jandhyam is Sanskrit for sacred thread, and Poornima
denotes the full moon in Sanskrit. Jandhyala Purnima is observed on the full
moon day (Poornima) in the month of Shraavan in Andhra Pradesh. Brahmins
perform the sacred thread changing ceremony on this day and it is also known
as Yajurveda Nutanasahitha Upakarma.
Pavitra Ekadashi: On Ekadashi Day [11th day], Vaishnavas in Maharashtra,
Gujarat and Rajasthan celebrate it as the birth of Pushtimarga, the path of grace.
On this day, Lord Krishna appeared in front of Shri Vallabhacharya. Shri
Vallabhacharya offered him a thread (soothan), which was pious (pavitra).
Since that day every year, Pavitra Ekadashi is celebrated. Such threads are
offered from Ekadashi till Raksha Bandhan.
Salono: In Haryana and Punjab, in addition to celebrating Raksha Bandhan,
people observe the festival of Salono. Salono is celebrated by priests solemnly
tying amulets on people's wrists for protection against evil. The day is dedicated
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to local saints involving devotees receiving such amulets. In Haryana, the
festival of Salono also involves sisters tying threads on brothers to ward off evil.
Despite the two festivals being similar in its practices, Salono and Raksha
Bandhan are distinct observances with the threads tied for Salono being called
ponchis.
Shravani Mela: Shravani Mela is a major festival time at Deoghar in Jharkhand
with thousands of saffron-clad pilgrims bringing holy water around 100 km on
foot from the Ganges at Sultanganj, Bihar. Shravan is also the time of the
annual Kanwar Yatra, the annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as
Kanwaria make to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and
Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch holy waters of Ganges River.
Pola: Pola is a festival respecting bulls and oxen which is celebrated by farmers
in Maharashtra. Pola is a thanksgiving festival of farmers and their families for
their bulls. It is celebrated in Maharashtra to acknowledge the importance of
bulls and oxen, who are a crucial part of agriculture and farming activities. It
falls on the last day or the new moon day of Shraavana.
Hindu saint Sri Guru Raghavendra Swami, who advocated Sri Madhvacharya's
Dvaita philosophy, achieved Videha Mukti on Sraavana Bahula Dwitiya in
1671 AD.
Supreme Court:
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum
and final court of appeal under the Constitution of India,
the highest constitutional court, with the power of
constitutional review. It consists of the Chief Justice of
India and a maximum of 34 judges, it has extensive powers in the form of
original, appellate and advisory jurisdictions. It is regarded as the most powerful
public institution in India. It was established on 26 January 1950. It is
headquartered in New Delhi. The current CJI of the Supreme Court is Sharad
Arvind Bobde.
Recently, a Constitution Bench judgment of the Supreme Court has held that a
Governor is bound to convene a meeting of the Assembly for a floor test on the
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recommendation of the Cabinet. He can't say no and he has to call the house
whenever the Chief Minister asks him to do so.
The judgement was taken as there has been a deadlock between the Rajasthan's
Governor Kalraj Mishra and the Rajasthan's Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over
summoning of an Assembly session for a floor test.
The Apex court reffered to the five-judge Constitution Bench judgement in
Nabam Rebia (Arunachal Pradesh) case.
NABAM REBIA JUDGMENT: The Constitution Bench judgment of the
Supreme Court in Nabam Rebia versus Deputy Speaker on July 13, 2016, held
that a Governor is bound to convene a meeting of the Assembly for a floor test
on the recommendation of the Cabinet.
The Apex Court in its judgement said that a Governor cannot employ his
“discretion”, and should strictly abide by the “aid and advice” of the Cabinet to
summon the Assembly for a floor test.
The Governor can summon, prorogue and dissolve the House only on the aid
and advice of the Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister as the head.
Article 163 of the Constitution does not give the Governor a “general
discretionary power to act against or without the advice of his Council of
Ministers”.
Article 163(1) of the Constitution said that the Governor was bound by the
advice of his Council of Ministers and he has to convene the Assembly.
Even the Constituent Assembly was wary of extending the Governor’s
discretion. Though the draft Constitution had vested the Governor with the
discretion to summon and dissolve, it was later omitted by the framers of the
Constitution.
Governor’s discretionary powers are limited to specified areas like giving assent
or withholding or referring a Bill to the President or appointment of a Chief
Minister or dismissal of a government which has lost of confidence but refuses
to quit, etc.
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MHRD:
It refers to the Ministry of Human Resources and
Development. The Ministry of Human Resource
Development (MHRD) was formerly known as the
Ministry of Education. It was founded on 26 September
1985. It is headquartered in New Delhi, India.It is responsible for the
development of human resources in India. The current Minister of MHRD is
Ramesh Pokhriyal.
Recently the MHRD has been renamed as Ministry of Education. The changing
of the name was approved by the Union Cabinet. The HRD Ministry is
currently headed by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
The name was changed as it was a key recommendation of the draft New
Education Policy. The HRD ministry name was adopted in 1985, during the
tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, as it was changed from the
Ministry of Education. The changes in the name has been proposed in order to
focus on education and learning.
The new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which has been approved by
the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will
replace the existing National Policy on Education which was first formulated in
1986 and last modified in 1992.
Anandiben Patel:
She has served as the former Chief Minister of Gujarat, she
was the first female chief minister of the state. Earlier on
June 28, Patel was given the additional charge of Madhya
Pradesh during the absence on leave of Governor Lalji
Tandon.
Recently, she is appointed as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh by President of
India Ram Nath Kovind to discharge the functions of the Governor of Madhya
Pradesh. This development comes after the Governor of MP Lalji Tandon
passed away. The power conferred by Articles 155 and 160 of the Constitution
was exercised by the President.
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MoEFCC:
It refers to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change. MoEFCC an Indian government
ministry was formed in 1985. It is headquartered in
New Delhi. The ministry is responsible for planning,
promoting, coordinating, conservation and survey of
forest, flora and fauna of India, prevention and control
of pollution, afforestation, land degradation mitigation and overseeing the
implementation of environmental and forestry programmes in the country. The
current Minister of MoEFCC is Prakash Javedkar.
Recently, the Union Environment Ministry launched the National Transit Pass
System (NTPS), an online system for issuing transit permits for timber, bamboo
and other forest produce. As of now, the pilot project will be functional in
Telangana and Madhya Pradesh only. The system will be will be operational in
all states by Diwali.
This online system will enhance seamless movement of forest produce. It will
bring ease of business and expedite issuance of transit permits for timber,
bamboo and other minor forest produce without physically going to forest
offices. Through mobile application e-pass will be issued for transit of forest
produce.
NTPS will enhance seamless movement of forest produce. Transit of timber,
bamboo and other forest produce is governed by various state specific acts and
rules.
Nag River:
The Nag River is a river flowing through the city of
Nagpur in Maharashtra. Nagpur city derives its name
from the Nag river. It forms a part of the Kanhan-Pench
river system. This River originates in Lava hills near
wadi.
Recently, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court observed that
Industrialisation and urbanisation has reduced Nag River to a cursed lady by
heavily polluting it.
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The river serves as drainage for Nagpur and as a result its ecosystem is heavily
polluted by urban waste from the city. The Nag River Rejuvenation was cleared
by National River Conservation Directorate in November 2019.
International Tigers day:
Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger
Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness
for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July.
International Tiger Day was established in 2010 at
Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia to raise
awareness about the decline of wild tiger numbers, leaving them in the brink of
extinction and to encourage the work of Tiger conservation. In the Summit, a
declaration was made that the Heads of the Governments of Tiger Range
countries had resolved to double tiger numbers across their global range by
2022 by signing the Petersburg declaration on tiger conservation.
Several events every year are organized by animal organizations like IFAW,
WWF, and the Smithsonian Institute.
Recently, International Tigers day was observed on July 29, 2020. The Global
Tiger Day 2020 slogan is ‘Their Survival is in Our Hands’.
There are currently 13 tiger range countries -- India, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia,
Thailand and Vietnam.
On the occasion of International Tigers day, the Union Environment Minister
Prakash Javadekar and Minister of State Babul Supriyo released the All India
Tiger Estimation-2018. The All India Tiger Estimation is undertaken every four
years, the latest in 2018.
The report states that India has 70% of the total tiger population in the world.
Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan is set to releases the Tiger Census report as
well to commemorate Global Tiger Day 2020.
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Kargil Vijay Diwas:
The Day is named after the successful 'Operation
Vijay'. Kargil Vijay Diwas is a day when the
country pays homage to the Kargil War heroes
and celebrates victory over Pakistan in the Kargil
War. On July 26, 1999, India successfully
regained command over all the high outposts.
The Kargil War was fought for more than 60 days. India defeated Pakistan
successfully completed ‘Operation Vijay’, ending the three-month war in the
Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LOC).
Recently, the 21st Anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas was celebrated across the
country. However, celebrations were muted this year in wake of the coronavirus
pandemic. The India Army paid tributes to the martyrs and the soldiers who lost
their lives at the heights of Kargil.
Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi:
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy,
Khadakvasala, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and
the erstwhile College of Naval warfare, Karanja and the
prestigious National Defence College, New Delhi.
Recently, Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, AVSM, NM has
assumed charge as the Commandant, Indian Naval Academy (INA). He has
replaced the Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, AVSM, NM who served as the
Commandant, Indian Naval Academy (INA) from 12 June 2019 to 27 July
2020.
IAF:
It is an acronym for the Indian Air Force of India. IAF
is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. It was
officially established on 8 October 1932 as an
auxiliary air force of the British Empire which
honoured India's aviation service during World War II
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with the prefix Royal. With the government's transition to a Republic in 1950,
the prefix Royal was removed. The present Commander-in-Chief of IAF is Ram
Nath Kovind. The Chief of Air Staff, an air chief marshal, is a four-star officer
and is responsible for the bulk of operational command of the Air Force. The
present Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) is Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh
Bhadauria, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC and the Vice Chief of the Air Staff
(VCAS) is Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora, AVSM, ADC.
Recently, a fleet of 5 French-manufactured Rafale multi-role combat jets
arrived in India. Giving the country's air power a strategic edge over its
adversaries in the neighbourhood, the Jets landed at the Ambala Air Force base
covering a distance of 7,000 km from the Merignac airbase in French port city
of Bordeaux. The Rafales were escorted by two Sukhoi 30 MKIs after they
entered the Indian air space.
The fleet, comprising three single seater and two twin seater aircraft, are being
inducted into the IAF as part of its Ambala-based No 17 Squadron, also known
as the 'Golden Arrows'.
The Rafale jets, known for air-superiority and precision strikes, are India's first
major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 year after the Sukhoi jets were
imported from Russia. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent
weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-
air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will be the
mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.