Current Affairs JULY 2019 (Set 05)

NATIONAL NEWS

1. First batch of Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters reaches India 

The first batch of Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian Attack helicopters arrived at the Indian Air Force's Hindon airbase.  These are the first four of the 22 choppers ordered by India from the US.

Four more Apaches will arrive in the coming week. Thereafter, eight will be moved to Pathankot Air Force Station for their formal induction in the IAF in September.

The AH-64E Apache is the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopter and is also used by the US Army.

Boeing has so far delivered more than 2,200 Apaches to customers around the world since the aircraft entered production.

On July 8, Boeing had announced the arrival of two more CH-47F (I) Chinooks for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Mundra port in Gujarat.

 

2. PM releases results of 4th cycle of All India Tiger Estimation – 2018

On the occasion of International Tiger Day (29 July), Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the results of the fourth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation - 2018, at Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi. The count of tigers in India has risen to 2967, in 2018, according to this census.

In 2014, there were 692 protected areas, which increased to more than 860 in 2019. The “Community Reserves” have also grown from 43, in 2014, to more than 100 now.

The 33% rise in tiger numbers is the highest ever recorded between cycles which stood at 21% between 2006 to 2010 and 30% between 2010 and 2014. The rise in tiger numbers was in conformity with the average annual growth rate of tigers since, 2006. Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka at 524 with Uttarakhand at number 3 with 442 tigers. India achieved its commitment to the St.Petersburg Declaration, of doubling Tiger population, much in advance to the 2022 deadline.

Chhatisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in their tiger numbers while tiger’s numbers in Odisha remained constant. All other States witnessed a positive trend. Viewed at the landscape level, all 5 landscapes showed an increase with the Central Indian landscape recording the highest increment.

India has been estimating its tigers using a double sampling approach involving a mark-recapture framework to ascertain tiger numbers, which is being improved over time keeping in view advancements made in science.

During the 4th cycle, in sync with Government of India’s “Digital India” initiative, data was collected using an Android based application- M-STrIPES ( Monitoring system for Tigers’ Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) and analyzed on the applications’ desktop module. The, application greatly eased out analysis of a large quantum of data that was collected over nearly 15 months involving survey of 381,400 sq.km. of forested habitats, 522,996 km of walk by State Forest officials, laying of 317,958 habitat plots, totaling a human investment of 5, 93,882 man days. Besides cameras were placed in 26760 locations which gave a total of 35 million images of wildlife including 76523 images of tigers. Segregation of these images was possible in a short time because of use of artificial intelligence software.

The Prime Minister also released report of the 4th cycle of the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves (MEETR) with Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh scoring the highest and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu showing the highest increment in management since the last cycle for which the latter was awarded. 42% of the tiger reserves fell in the Very Good management category, 34% in the Good category, 24% in the Fair category while no tiger reserve was rated Poor.

 

3. Govt sets 100% digitization target of all Waqf properties in its first 100 days 

The government has set a target to achieve 100 per cent digitization of waqf properties across the country in its first 100 days.  Geographic Information System mapping is being used on a war footing to achieve the target. This move is aimed at improving the infrastructural and financial conditions of waqf boards so that waqf properties can be used for the welfare of the Muslim community, and encroachment of such properties be prevented. The government is providing 100 per cent funding to waqf boards for various educational and developmental programmes.

 

4. Parliament passes the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019 

Parliament has passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 criminalising triple talaq. After President Kovind signs the bill, it will become the law and will replace the 1986 Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act.

The Supreme Court’s judgment in the Shayara Bano case held that the practice of talaq-e-biddat (or triple talaq) unconstitutional. After the judgement, government passed Muslim protection Bill also known as, Triple Talaq Bill in Lok Sabha but there have been criticism about the legal and procedural aspects of the bill. The proposed Bill will protect the rights of married Muslim women and prevent divorce by the practice of instantaneous and irrevocable ‘talaq-e-biddat’ by their husbands. It provides the rights of subsistence allowance, custody of minor children to victims of triple talaq i.e. talaq-e-biddat. Talaq-e-biddat refers to the practice under Muslim personal laws where pronouncement of the word ‘talaq’ thrice in one sitting by a Muslim man to his wife results in an instant and irrevocable divorce.

The Bill makes declaration of talaq a cognizable offence, attracting up to three years’ imprisonment with a fine.  A cognizable offence is one for which a police officer may arrest an accused person without warrant.

The offence will be cognizable only if information relating to the offence is given by:(i) the married woman (against whom talaq has been declared), or (ii) any person related to her by blood or marriage.

The Bill provides that the Magistrate may grant bail to the accused. The bail may be granted only after hearing the woman (against whom talaq has been pronounced), and if the Magistrate is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for granting bail.

The offence may be compounded by the Magistrate upon the request of the woman (against whom talaq has been declared). Compounding refers to the procedure where the two sides agree to stop legal proceedings, and settle the dispute.  The terms and conditions of the compounding of the offence will be determined by the Magistrate.

A Muslim woman against whom talaq has been declared, is entitled to seek subsistence allowance from her husband for herself and for her dependent children. The amount of the allowance will be determined by the Magistrate.

A Muslim woman against whom such talaq has been declared, is entitled to seek custody of her minor children. The manner of custody will be determined by the Magistrate.

 The bill introduced in Parliament proposes a three-year jail term for a man divorcing his wife through triple talaq.

 

5. Parliament passes POCSO Bill providing death penalty for child abuse 

A bill seeking to provide death penalty for aggravated sexual assault on children and greater punishments for other crimes against minors was approved by Parliament, after it was passed by the Lok Sabha.

Piloting the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said it aims at making offences against children gender neutral.

The Bill would provide added legal protection to 39 per cent of population or 43 crore children, irrespective of whether they are a girl or boy.

Besides other things, the Bill defines child pornography so that sexual predators indulging in such heinous crimes could be punished.

Under witness protection scheme, all measures such as doing threat assessment of the victim and witness and if required even changing their identity and others, were taken to ensure their safety.

 

6. PM Modi chairs 30th interaction through 'PRAGATI' platform 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired his thirtieth interaction through PRAGATI - the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.

The Prime Minister reviewed the progress in the resolution of grievances under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and directed all the officers to work diligently to achieve the government's objective of providing 'Housing for All by 2022'.

After scrutinising the progress made under Ayushmann Bharat scheme, Prime Minister Modi called for dialogue with state governments to evolve best practices and further improvements in the scheme. He suggested undertaking a study on the positive impacts of the scheme in aspirational districts.

In the first PRAGATI interaction of the new government, the Prime Minister called upon state governments to put in maximum efforts towards water conservation, especially under the current monsoon season.

Developing a mechanism to collect feedback from Divyangjan (persons with disability) on accessibility issues faced by them in public premises was suggested by Modi while inspecting the progress made by the government under Saugamya Bharat Abhiyan.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the progress of eight important infrastructure projects in the railway and road sectors spread over several states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

 

7. Cabinet approves increasing strength of Supreme Court judges to 34 from 31

Against the backdrop of rising cases in the Supreme Court, the Union Cabinet approved increasing the number of judges in the top court from the present 30 to 33, excluding the Chief Justice of India. At present, the sanctioned strength of the apex court is 30, excluding the CJI.

Once the bill to increase the number of judges gets parliamentary nod, the number of judges would go up to 33, excluding the CJI. The strength will be 34, including the CJI.

At present, the Supreme Court is working with its full sanctioned strength of 31, including the CJI. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, was last amended in 2009 to increase the judges’ strength from 25 to 30 (excluding the CJI).

The decision of the Cabinet came days after the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to increase the number of judges in the top court.

According to a written reply by the Law Ministry to a Rajya Sabha question on July 11, 59,331 cases are pending in the top court.

Due to paucity of judges, the required number of constitution benches to decide important cases involving questions of law were not being formed, the CJI said.

The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 originally provided for a maximum of 10 judges (excluding the CJI). This number was increased to 13 by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1960, and to 17 in 1977.

The working strength of the Supreme Court was, however, restricted to 15 judges by the Cabinet (excluding the Chief Justice of India) till the end of 1979. But the restriction was withdrawn at the request of the Chief Justice of India.

In 1986, the strength of the top court was increased to 25, excluding the CJI. Subsequently, the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2009 further augmented the strength of the court from 25 to 30.

 

8. One Nation-one Ration Card scheme implemented on pilot basis in four States 

In a major boost to national food security government, today launched the One Nation-One Ration Card scheme on a pilot basis in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Families who have food security cards can buy subsidized rice and wheat from any ration shop in these states. Their ration cards should be linked with Aadhar Number to avail this service.  The white Ration Card holders in Telangana have been getting the portability facility, enabling them to buy their subsidized rice and other food grains from any Fair Price Shop in the state. 

The same facility can be utilized anywhere in Andhra Pradesh now through PoS machines under the One Nation One Ration Card scheme which has come into force in the two states.  The Centre is intended to extend the programme to all states by August next year so that the portability of the food security card implemented.   The Telangana Civil Supplies Corporation conducted a trial run of the project last week with consumers from Andhra Pradesh drawing their commodities from the fair price shop in Hyderabad. 
According to officials, 2.82 crore consumers had benefited with the ration portability introduced in the Telangana last year. 
More than 56 lakh beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act in the state will be benefited from the facility. The same will be the case with consumers in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat which are identified for implementation of the pilot project.

 

9. Maharashtra became the first state to adopt a digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to aid police investigations. 

Maharashtra became the first state to adopt a digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to aid police investigations. The Automated Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (or AMBIS) adopted by the Maharashtra Police will soon be replicated across the country, with the state government working with the National Crime Records Bureau in New Delhi to create standards to be used by other state police forces.

An AMBIS unit comprises a computer terminal, a camera, and iris, fingerprint, and palm scanners. It also includes a portable system to dust off and capture fingerprints from crime scenes. With the integration of the system with facial recognition from CCTV cameras, AMBIS enables the police to cross-reference and put faces to criminals whose fingerprints have been captured on paper over the decades, apart from solving fresh crimes.

AMBIS replaces the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which has been used by Indian law enforcement agencies to search finger and palm prints. However, AFIS has limited utility, providing only one-to-one fingerprint matches as compared multimodal matches possible with AMBIS. With facial recognition technology, the new system is also an upgrade on AFIS.

The Maharashtra Cyber Department studied models used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security in the United States, and the Interpol, before formulating its own requirements.. The system matches the requirements set by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Before formal launch, the system was introduced at select police stations in Mumbai that have upgraded tech infrastructure such as the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS).

 

10. India to conduct 1st National Time Release Study to enable faster movement of cargo across borders to benefit traders  

The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, as part of its strategic commitment to improve global trade, is conducting India’s first national Time Release Study (TRS) between 1^st – 7^th August. The exercise will be institutionalized on an annual basis, during the same period every year hereafter. The TRS is an internationally recognized tool advocated by World Customs Organization to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of international trade flows.

This initiative for accountable governance, will measure rule based and procedural bottlenecks (including physical touchpoints) in the clearance of goods, from the time of arrival until the physical release of cargo. The aim is to identify and address bottlenecks in the trade flow process and take the corresponding policy and operational measures required to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of border procedures, without compromising efficient trade control. Expected beneficiaries of this initiative will be export oriented industries and MSMEs, who will enjoy greater standardization of Indian processes with comparable international standards.

This initiative will help India maintain the upward trajectory on Ease of Doing Business, particularly on the Trading Across Borders indicator which measures the efficiency of the cross border trade ecosystem. Last year India’s ranking on the indicator improved from 146 to 80.

Previously individual customs formations had been independently conducting TRS studies at the port level.  The national TRS has taken this a step further and evolved a uniform, multi-dimensional methodology which measures the regulatory and logistics aspects of the cargo clearance process and establishes the average release time for goods.

The exercise will be conducted at the same time across 15 ports including sea, air, land and dry ports which cumulatively account for 81% of total Bills of Entries for import and 67% of Shipping Bills for export filed within India. The national TRS will establish baseline performance measurement and have standardized operations and procedures across all ports.

Based on the results of the TRS, government agencies associated with cross border trade will be able to diagnose existing and potential bottlenecks which act as barriers to the free flow of trade, and take remedial actions for reducing the cargo release time. The initiative is on ground lead by the Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs.

 

11. Cabinet approves signing of the UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements resulting from mediation by India  

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements (UNISA) resulting from mediation by the Republic of India scheduled to be held at Singapore on 7th August, 2019, or at United Nations Headquarters.

Signing of the Convention will boost the confidence of the investors and shall provide a positive signal to foreign investors about India's commitment to adhere to international practice on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

In order to encourage international commercial arbitration in India, to evolve a comprehensive ecosystem of arbitration the Government is establishing the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC) as a statutory body. The Commercial Courts Act, 2015, has been further amended and legislative exercise to further amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, is currently underway. These initiatives are being taken with a view to encourage the settlement of commercial disputes, domestic and international, in India through ADR Mechanism of Arbitration, Conciliation and Mediation. A new Chapter (IIIA) has been inserted in the Commercial Courts Act, 2015, for mandatory pre-institution mediation and settlement in certain category of cases. Therefore, the provisions of the 'Convention' are in line with the domestic laws and the efforts made to strengthen Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation ("the Convention") on 20th December 2018. The General Assembly authorized that the Convention will open for signature at a signing ceremony to be held on 7^thAugust 2019 in Singapore and will be known as the "Singapore Convention on Mediation" (the Convention).

The Convention provides a uniform and efficient framework for the enforcement of international settlement agreements resulting from mediation and for allowing parties to invoke such agreements, akin to the framework that the Convention onthe Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York, 1958) (the "New York Convention") provides for arbitral awards. The Convention defines two additional grounds upon which a court may, on its own motion, refuse to grant relief. Those grounds relate to the fact that a dispute would not be capable of settlement by mediation or would be contrary to public policy.

 

12. India to conduct its biggest tuberculosis preventive trial with two new vaccines 

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched India’s first large-scale trial for two new TB vaccines. This is the first time a large preventive TB vaccine trial involving more than 12,000 healthy household contacts of newly diagnosed TB patients from across six states of India are set to be enrolled.

For these trials, the six states including Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Karnataka, with two thousand participants from each state are to be enrolled over the next seven to eight months. Further, seven main centres will have six sub-sites, where these trials will be conducted.

In this first of its kind roll out, the candidates in this trial will be at high risk of contracting the disease. Therefore, they will be vaccinated with either of the two new vaccines, and compared with placebo to assess its efficacy.

Many questions related to tuberculosis vaccine history may already be racing through your mind.

Data shows us that TB incidence in the country is pegged at almost 2.8 million every year coupled with drug-resistant TB incidence at 1,47,000 annually. The source of this data is from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s Central TB division.

A more disturbing statistic in the report pertains to the fact that India contributes to around 27 per cent of the world’s TB burden, marking the highest share at a global level. However, in 2017, the Centre committed itself to eliminate TB by the year 2025.

Treating TB involves multi-drug course that usually spans six months, sometimes this can be further stretched in case of treatment for drug-resistant TB. A perusal of ICMR’s website highlights the critical need for new TB vaccines other than BCG – or Bacille Calmette-Guerin, as a vaccine that is now more than a hundred years old.

Also, the BCG vaccine is known to be immunoprotective against TB and TB meningitis in children, but its protection provided for pulmonary TB in adults is variable, as per ICMR. Therefore, with the persistent threat of TB incidence globally, new vaccines are the need of the hour.

The ICMR also points out that the pipeline of TB vaccines includes whole-cell derived vaccines, recombinant BCGs, and several other proteins and adjuvant combinations along with mycobacterial extracts. Note that sixteen different TB vaccine candidates are in clinical trials globally and many more are in pre-clinical development.

The two new TB vaccines: Immuvac manufactured by Cadila Pharmaceuticals and VPM 1002 manufactured by Institute of India, Pune.

 

13. Lok Sabha passes Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill 

Lok Sabha passed a bill which seeks to remove the Congress president as a permanent member of a trust that runs the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial amid a walkout by the Congress.

The Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill states that it seeks to 'delete' the mention of 'President of the Indian National Congress' as a trustee.

 

14. Army Launches E Car to Combat Pollution  

The Indian Army in step with government policies on environmental protection has launched an ecological initiative with employing E Cars for use of its officials in New Delhi in partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a joint Venture of Central PSUs under Ministry of Power. The introduction of E-Car in Army at Delhi was visualised on World Environment Day and launched on 01 Aug 2019 with flagging off the first lot of E-Cars for Indian Army. Army plans to operate the first batch of 10 E-Cars as a pilot project and develop further on this initiative and increase the number of E Cars in Delhi to ensure economy, efficiency and minimal emissions.

It is pertinent to mention that Army has always been at the forefront of environmental initiatives. Indian Army has a large number of Territorial Army Battalions (ECO) which have done a yeoman service in environmental protection initiatives such as forestation.

Air pollution has been a major challenge in Delhi. Governments across the World are investing a lot of resources in fighting this menace. Electric vehicle technology has proved to be a viable alternative by reducing the carbon emission footprint. Indian companies like Tata Motors and Mahindra have taken a lead in R&D and manufacturing of Electric Cars. EESL has been the main facilitator in providing these vehicles to various Government agencies. Army’s initiative in encouraging these electric vehicles will go a long way in further development of this technology and its adoption for the general public in near future.

 

15. Shri Prakash Javadekar launches several e-projects of Publications Division

Union Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar launched several e-projects of Publications Division including its redesigned dynamic website, mobile app “Digital DPD”, e-version of Rozgaar Samachar and  e-book “Satyagrah Geeta”.

The newly revamped dynamic website (www.publicationsdivision.nic.in) with integrated payment gateway is capable of providing real time purchase facilities as well as updated information about Publications Division’s books and  journals. The website will facilitate ease of purchase. All books are available on the website for sale via payment gateway of Bharatkosh.

Mobile App “Digital DPD”:  It is available for free download on Google Play Store and will facilitate tapping into the growing mobile commerce potential. The Mobile App is synced with the Digital Rights Management System to keep a check on a piracy and integrated with the Bharatkosh payment gateway for the ease of payments. Rozgar Samachar,  a corresponding version of Employment News (English), is a prominent job journal in Hindi  providing  information about job opportunities in Central Government including  Public Sector Enterprises.  It also provides information and guidance about admission and career opportunities in various streams through career-oriented articles by experts. 

e- book “Satyagraha Geeta”: The heritage value book written by eminent poet Dr Kshama Rao in 1930s in Sanskrit verses presents the life and activities of Gandhiji. As part of Gandhi@150 commemoration, DPD procured a PDF version of the book and prepared the e-version of the book. English translation has also been added to ensure wider reach.  Divided in eighteen chapters (like Adhyays of Bhagwat Geeta), Satyagraha Geeta presents Gandhi's ideas, philosophy of life and his methods of action in Sanskrit verse form, capturing Gandhian ethos and tenets.

 

16. Rajya Sabha passes Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2019 

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed by Rajya Sabha. The much needed amendments will improve road safety, facilitate citizens in their dealings with transport departments, strengthen rural transport, public transport and last mile connectivity through automation, computerization and online services.  

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is based on the recommendations of the Group of Transport Ministers (GoM) of States constituted by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways to address the issue of road safety and to improve the facilitation of the citizens while dealing with transport departments.  The GoM was headed by Shri. Yoonus Khan, the then Transport Minister of Rajasthan, and had 18 State Transport Ministers from different political parties as members. The amendments in the Bill mainly focus on issues relating to improving road safety, citizens’ facilitation while dealing with the transport department, strengthening rural transport, last mile connectivity and public transport, automation and computerization and enabling online services.

Penalty regarding motor vehicles is to be increased by 10% every year.

The Bill mandates automated fitness testing for vehicles.  This would reduce corruption in the transport department while improving the road worthiness of the vehicle.  Penalty has been provided  for deliberate violation of safety/environmental regulations as well as body builders and spare part suppliers. The process for testing and certification for automobiles is proposed to be regulated more effectively.  The testing agencies issuing automobile approvals have been brought under the ambit of the Act and standards will be set for motor vehicle testing institutes. The Bill also provides for compulsory recall of defective vehicles and power to examine irregularities of vehicle companies.  

The Bill provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the central government through a notification. The Board will advise the central and state governments on all aspects of road safety and traffic management including standards of motor vehicles,  registration and licensing of vehicles,  standards for road safety, and  promotion of new vehicle technology.

The Bill requires the central government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India. It will be utilised for:  treatment of persons injured in road accidents as per the golden hour scheme,  compensation to representatives of a person who died in a hit and run accident,  compensation to a person grievously hurt in a hit and run accident, and  compensation to any other persons as prescribed by the central government. This Fund will be credited through: payment of a nature notified by the central government,  a grant or loan made by the central government,  balance of the Solatium Fund (existing fund under the Act to provide compensation for hit and run accidents),or any other source as prescribed the central government.

The Bill defines aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places which can be used by passengers to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services). The Bill provides guidelines for Aggregators. At present there are no rules in many states for regulating aggregators, taxis etc.

 

17. Parliament passes Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill that seeks to amend the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, was passed by the Rajya Sabha with 147 votes in favour and 42 against.

It seeks to empower Central Government to designate an individual “terrorist” if they are found committing, preparing for, promoting, or involved in an act of terror. Earlier, Central Government was having powers only to designate organisation as terrorist organisation as terrorist organisation. The Bill additionally empowers officers of National Investigation Agency (NIA), of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases. Earlier, officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above were empowered to conduct investigation of cases under the attack.

 

18. Cabinet approves setting up of ISRO's technical liaison unit in Moscow 

The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of ISRO Technical Liaison Unit in Moscow to enable effective technical coordination for timely interventions on diversified matters with Russia and other neighbouring countries.

The step comes amid the India Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) cooperation with Russia on the Gaganyaan project--India's human space mission programme. An average annual expenditure of about Rs 1.5 crore per annum is anticipated to be incurred at ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) towards salary, office expenses, rent and taxes. The ISRO Technical Liaison Unit at Moscow will enable effective technical coordination for timely interventions on diversified matters with Russia and neighbouring countries for realisation of the programmatic targets of ISRO.

The ITLU Moscow office will be managed by an ISRO scientist or engineer designated as Counsellor (Space) on deputation and supported by the staff sourced locally. The process is planned to be completed within six months from the date of approval.

The office is also expected to support the ongoing bilateral programmes of cooperation in space technology and act on behalf of ISRO on the matters referred.

The Department of Space has instituted technical liaison units like ITLU at Washington and Paris with the prime objective to liaise with various government and space agencies in the USA and Europe, respectively.

Space cooperation has been one of the major links between India and Russia almost from the beginning of the space era and currently, both sides are actively pursuing interactions in diversified areas of the space programme.

The cabinet also approved two pacts between the ISRO and space agencies of Bolivia and Bahrain.

 

19. 'Didi Ke Bolo': Mamata launches new campaign to reach out to people 

Around 1,000 Trinamool Congress leaders will be heading towards Bengal villages over the next 100 days as part of the party's first major programme ahead of the assembly elections in 2021. The idea is to strengthen the party's connect at the grassroot level, what was once its stronghold.

The party leaders would visit the villages and lend their ears to booth workers, influential people in the area, anyone who wishes to voice grievances or raise concerns.

There are other means of reaching out as well. A party helpline number and a website www.didikebolo.com have been launched for people to reach out to Banerjee directly.

The initiative is also the first such announced by the Trinamool Congress after roping in poll strategist Prashant Kishor. Kishore has just had a major success in Andhra Pradesh with Jagan Mohan Reddy routing out Chandrababu Naidu while the Trinamool suffered a major jolt in West Bengal.

 

20. Ten monuments including Humayun's Tomb to be open till 9 pm

The Culture Ministry has decided to keep 10 heritage sites open for public from sunrise to 9 pm, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel said.

At present, gates of most monuments are closed for visitors by 6 pm.

Apart from the Humayun's Tomb and Safdarjung Tomb in Delhi, the extended timings will apply to Rajarani Temple in Bhubaneswar, Dulhadev Temple in Khajuraho, Shekh Chilli Tomb in Kurukshetra, Group of Monuments at Pattadakal in Karnataka, Gol Gumbaj in Karnataka, Group of Temples in Maharashtra (Markanda), Man Mahal in Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi) and Rani ki Baav in Paatan Gujarat.

The change in timings will be effective for a period of three years.

At present, no popular monument is kept open beyond sunset - Taj Mahal timings is from sunrise (6 am) to sunset (6.30 pm) - but it has not found a place on this list.

The mausoleum was the most revenue-generating historical monument in the year 2017-18 according to the ASI.

The proposal to keep some tourist sites open till 9 pm was first proposed by then Culture and Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam who had said that tourists should be given the maximum opportunity to visit heritage sites.

 

PEOPLE IN NEWS

1. IPS officer VK Johri appointed as next BSF DG 

Senior IPS officer VK Johri has been appointed the next Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF). He will succeed Rajni Kant Misra who retires on August 31.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal of the Union Home Ministry for the appointment of Johri as the chief of the paramilitary force.

Johri, a 1984-batch IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, who is currently serving as Special Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty in the Home Ministry with "immediate effect".

The officer will superannuate on September 30, 2020, an ACC order said.

 

2. IAF's Tarun Chaudhri becomes first pilot to accomplish wingsuit skydive jump 

 Wing commander Tarun Chaudhri became the first pilot of Indian Armed Forces (IAF ) to do a wing suit jump. The jump was accomplished by Chaudhri from a Mi-17 helicopter from an altitude of 8500 feet.

This is the First IAF Wing Suit Skydive Jump by a pilot who has flown and captained the same type of helicopter. The feat is the deepest imprint of ethos and professionalism of IAF, be it adventures or operations. This is the first flying wingsuit jump demonstration at an organised gathering.

The jump was undertaken during the Kargil Diwas celebrations at Air Force Station Jodhpur on 21-22 July 2019.

 

3. ITBP DG given NSG charge in additional capacity

ITBP Director General (DG) S S Deswal has been given the additional charge of the counter-terror force NSG as the incumbent chief serving NSG DG Sudeep Lakhtakia. The commando force, also known as the 'black cats', was raised in 1984 as the federal contingency force to counter terrorists and hijack-like incidents.

 

4. Rakesh Asthana Takes Charge As Narcotics Control Bureau Chief 

IPS officer Rakesh Asthana took charge as the chief of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The 1984-batch Gujarat cadre officer has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of the NCB in an "additional" capacity. He is already serving as the DG of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per an order issued by the Union home ministry Wednesday, had approved for ‘entrustment of the additional charge of the post of Director General Narcotics Control Bureau’ to Rakesh Asthana for next six months or till a new incumbent is appointed.

 

5. Girraj Prasad Gupta takes over as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA)

Mr. Girraj Prasad Gupta took over as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and is a 1983-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) Officer.

Mr. Gupta has vast and rich experience in the government at the Centre. He worked at higher positions in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Ministry of Rural development, and Ministry of Finance.

Mr. Gupta also worked as the Director of National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), Faridabad. As Additional Controller General of Accounts, he is highly credited for his work in development and implementation of Public Financial Management System (PFMS), a backbone IT infrastructure for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and other financial management modules in Government of India. Mr. Gupta also worked as Director (Finance) on the joint venture mega hydel power project in Bhutan.

 

6. Indian-American appointed to key counterterrorism position in White House 

Prominent Indian-American lawyer Kashyap Pramod Patel, an ardent supporter of US President Donald Trump, has been appointed to a key counterterrorism position in the White House.

Patel, 38, who previously served as Senior Counsel for Counterterrorism at the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence till early this year, has now been appointed as Senior Director of Counterterrorism Directorate of the National Security Council (NSC) in the White House.

 

ECONOMY NEWS

1. Average monthly income per agricultural household is less than Rs 6,500 

The average monthly income per agricultural household from all sources is less than Rs. 6,500. The latest available estimates of average income per agricultural household in the country are based on the Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households conducted by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) during its 70th round (January 2013-December 2013). As per the survey results, the average monthly income per agricultural household from all sources is estimated to be Rs. 6,426.

The NSSO, which is a nodal agency or conducting surveys and collecting data, has not conducted any survey on income per agricultural household since 2013.

While replying to a question that if no survey is done, how does the government claim that the income of the farmers has increased or is increasing, Tomar said the government had constituted an inter-ministerial Committee in April 2016 to examine the issues relating to doubling of farmers' income and recommend strategies to achieve the same. The Committee has submitted its Report to the Government in September 2018. As per the available reports, the Committee has considered the estimates of agricultural households income obtained from NSSO 70th round unit-level data as the base level income. The Committee has kept 2015-16 as the base year and derived income for the base year at both current and constant prices for major states and major size-classes

 

2. Amphibious ship LCU L-56 commissioned into Navy

Indian Navy Ship LCU L-56, the sixth of the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) MK IV class ships, was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Vice-Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.

Commissioning the ship, the Vice-Admiral congratulated the GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers) for being the first shipyard in the country to have built the 100th warship.

LCU 56 is an amphibious ship with its primary role being transportation and deployment of main battle tanks, armoured vehicles, troops and equipment from ship to shore.

The ship would be administered and based in Port Blair under the NAVCC in ANC.

With a displacement of 900 tonnes, the ship measures 62 metres in length and is fitted with two MTU diesel engines, which provide a sustainable speed of over 15 knots. The ship is equipped with the state-of-art equipment and is armed with two 30 mm CRN-91 guns manufactured by Ordnance Factory, Medak.

The ship is manned by a team comprising four officers and 56 sailors and is also capable of carrying 150 troops.

 

3. 'Odisha Rasagola' finally gets GI tag

The rasagola, a popular dessert of Odisha, has received the geographical indication tag from the Registrar of Geographical Indication after years of controversy around the sweet.

The registration was conferred to ‘Odisha Rasagola’ under Section 16(I) or of authorized Section 17(3)(c) of Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999. The GI number 612 has been registered in favour of the Odisha Small Industries Corporation Limited (OSIC Limited), a government of Odisha undertaking and Utkal Mistanna Byabasayee Samiti, a traders’ organisation, in the foodstuff category.

According to the application submitted to the Registrar of GI, ‘Odisha Rasagola’ is a sweet from the state of Odisha made of chhena (cottage cheese) cooked in sugar syrup, which is very soft to feel, is juicy and non- chewy in consistency and can be swallowed without teeth pressure.

Colour development of the ‘Odisha Rasagola’ is very specific, where without addition of external colour, various intensely-coloured rasagolas are prepared using the principle of caramelisation of sugar with specific methods of preparation, the application said.

The application further says Odisha Rasagolas are white in colour with round shape (non? spherical) but off white rasagolas in various shades are plentily prepared by cooking the rasagola at 110 degree Celsius for about 40 minutes in which caramalisation of sugar takes place giving the off white colour. The area of production of Odisha Rasagola has been shown all 30 districts.

Both Odisha and West Bengal have been contesting the origin of the rasagola. Historical records submitted say the ‘Odisha Rasagola’ is associated with world famous Puri Jagannath Temple.

The reference of rasagola is found in the late 15th-century Odia Ramayana written by Balaram Das. Balaram Das’s Ramayana is known as Dandi Ramayana or Jagamohana Ramayana as it was composed and sung at the Jagamohana of the Puri Temple.

In its 'Ajodhya Kanda', another religious script, one comes across elaborate descriptions of chhena and chhena?based products including Rasagola.

Famous Odia writer Fakir Mohan Senapati, famous writer of Odisha, in his writing Utkal Bhramanam published by Utkal Deepika on August 27, 1892 mentioned about the plentiful use of rasagola in Odisha during those days.

Similarly, on December 14, 1893, a poem titled, ‘Bali Jatra’ was published in the weekly “Indradhanu” written by poet Damodar Pattanayak. The poem was an eye?witness of Cuttack’s famous, historic fair, Bali Jatra (Journey to Bali Island of Indonesia) and mentioned that sweets shops were looking attractive in presence of Rasagola and other sweets.

 

4. 5,645 electric buses sanctioned for 65 cities: Amitabh Kant

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said an inter-ministerial panel has sanctioned 5,645 electric buses for operations in 65 cities, a move seen towards environment-friendly mobility. This will give huge impetus to automobile sector, clean up our cities & drive Make in India.

The GST Council headed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman decided to cut the tax rates on e-vehicles from 12 per cent to 5 per cent with effect from August 1.

The Centre has been taking initiatives to popularise environment-friendly electric vehicles. In the Union Budget 2019-20, the government proposed additional income tax deduction of Rs 1.5 lakh on the interest paid on loans taken to purchase electric vehicles. Besides, certain parts of EVs have been exempted from customs duty to further incentivise e-mobility in the country.

The Centre has also approved Rs 10,000 crore under the FAME II scheme, which aims to encourage faster adoption of such vehicles by right incentives and charging infrastructure. Niti Aayog has proposed that two-wheelers below the capacity of 150cc sold in the country after March 31, 2025, should be electric ones only. It also proposed that three-wheelers sold in the country after March 31, 2023 should be electric ones.

 

5. Indian Air Force signs Rs 1500 crore deal with Russia for R-27 air-to-air missiles 

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has signed a deal with Russia for buying R-27 air-to-air missiles worth over Rs 1500 crore. The missiles will be fitted on the Su-30MKI fighter planes. The missiles will further strengthen the air-to-air combat capability of the air force. The R-27 missile is designed to destroy air targets in adverse weather conditions at any time of day.

The missile has a length of 4m, a body diameter of 0.23m and wingspan of 0.77m. The weight of the missile is 253kg. The R-27 can be launched from an altitude of 25km, up to a range of 60km. The guidance system of the missile includes semi-active radar seeker with command updates.

The missiles have been acquired under 10-I projects which mandate the three services to maintain critical weapon systems and spares for a specified minimum period, which is known as War Wastage Reserve (WWR).

In the last 50 days, the IAF has signed deals worth over Rs 7,600 crore for acquiring equipment under emergency requirements approved by the Defence Ministry.

The IAF has spent around Rs 7,600 crore in procuring missiles such as the Spice-2000, Strum Ataka ATGMs and a large number of spares under the emergency procurement route.

After the Pulwama attack, the Central government had given emergency powers to the three services to buy whatever equipment is required by them for safeguarding the borders with Pakistan.

Under the powers given, the security forces can buy the equipment of their choice within three months at the cost of up to Rs 300 crore per case.

The emergency powers were given to the forces within a few weeks after the Pulwama attack in which 44 CRPF personnel were killed and India started increasing vigil at the borders with Pakistan.

 

6. India Cancels $500 Million Deal For Israeli Anti-Tank Missiles

 India has cancelled a $ 500 million deal to buy 1,600 Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel, the state-owned defence contractor Rafael Advanced Defence Systems announced.

Spike is a man-portable "fire and forget' missile that can hit moving targets such as a tank, allowing the soldier who fires the missile to quickly move for cover. India had opted for the Israel's Spike over the Javelin missiles offered by Washington in 2014.

Negotiations with Israel's Rafael for the Spike missile had been completed and the Israeli firm had already constructed a missile-manufacturing facility near Hyderabad in joint venture with the Kalyani group.

But the Defence Ministry later decided to back the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which has promised to deliver a world-class missile within four years.

 

7. Govt plans to combat vehicle theft with microdot patches 

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a draft notification to amend the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, allowing motor vehicles and their parts, components, assemblies and sub-assemblies to be affixed with permanent and nearly invisible microdots that can be read physically with a microscope and identified with an ultra violet light source.

Microdot technology involves spraying the body and parts of a vehicle – or any other machine – with microscopic dots. This gives the object or vehicle a unique identification. Use of this technology is expected to help check vehicle theft and the use of fake spare parts.

The microdots and adhesive would be permanent fixtures that cannot be removed without damaging the asset – the vehicle itself.

The notification says that the microdots, if affixed, will have to comply with AIS (Automotive Industry Standards) 155 requirements.

The Ministry has sought comments and objections to the draft notification within 30 days.

 

8. Infosys opens cyber defence centre in Romania 

Infosys will launch of its state-of-the-art Cyber Defence Center in Bucharest, Romania.

The Defence Center is an expansion of services delivered through Infosys Digital Innovation Center which opened in Bucharest earlier this year.

It will provide end-to-end, real-time, 24/7 cyber security monitoring and protection services to support European and global businesses on their digital transformation journey. These services, including security monitoring, management and remediation, threat hunting, security analytics, incident discovery, and response will be delivered by certified and highly skilled cyber security professionals. The services offered comply with country-specific regulatory requirements.            

 

9. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas &Steel Dharmendra Pradhan Launches Atal Community Innovation Centre 

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas &Steel Dharmendra Pradhan launched Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) in New Delhi, to encourage the spirit of innovation at the community level. This initiative aims to encourage the spirit of innovation through solution-driven design thinking to serve society.

The NITI Aayog’s Atal Community Innovation Centre’s (ACIC) will provide a platform in many of the rural, tribal areas and Tier-II and -III cities and unserved regions to have access to latest technologies for innovation and to ideate and create prototypes for innovation. These centres can then become incubatees for other innovators.

The ACIC will focus on collaborative public-private partnerships to co-invest and operationalise the ACIC. There will be advanced tinkering facilities for capacity and skill building and innovative prototype development in local community of schools and colleges including surrounding ITIs, technical diploma and colleges.

There will be focus on addressing local community challenges. This will be a design-led innovative thinking project, the presentation added.

 

10. IAF launches ‘Indian Air Force: A cut above’ mobile game for Android and iOS

The Indian Air Force (IAF) launched its new air-borne combat video game for smartphones called ‘Indian Air Force: A cut above’. The mobile game was launched by Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa in New Delhi.

The mobile game has been developed by the Indian Air Force and will be available in Android and iOS platforms. The IAF had launched a teaser of the game earlier this month, where it had said that the game will be launched as a single-player version and it will provide gamers with a virtual experience of the air-borne combats.

The teaser which was launched earlier this month shows a character who is sporting a gunslinger mustache which is quite similar to that of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The game’s teaser also shows the different locations – mountainous terrains, deserts and seas, which is similar to areas where IAF operates in reality.

 

11. Cabinet approves Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers for the year 2019-20

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for fixation of Nutrient Based Subsidy Rates for P&K Fertilizers for the year 2019-20.  The per kg. subsidy rates prior to notification will remain same as that of year 2018-19. The expected expenditure for release of subsidy on P&K Fertilizers during 2019-20 will be Rs. 22875.50crore.

This will enable the manufacturers and importers to formalize supply contracts for fertilizers and fertilizer inputs and make fertilizers available to the farmers in the year 2019-20.

Government is making available fertilizers, Urea and 21 grades of P&K fertilizers to farmers at subsidized prices through fertilizer manufacturers/importers. The subsidy on P&K fertilizers is being governed by NBS Scheme w.e.f 01.04.2010. In accordance to its farmer friendly approach, the Govt is committed to ensure the availability of P&K fertilizers to the farmers on affordable price.

 

12. Flipkart launches ‘Samarth’ to empower Indian artisans, weavers and craftsmen

Flipkart, India’s leading e-commerce marketplace launched ‘Flipkart Samarth’ – a breakthrough initiative aimed at bringing India’s artisans, weavers, and handicrafts producers onto e-commerce.

It has been designed to support the e-commerce journey for artisans from on-boarding until they reach familiarity with the process of selling online. The host of initiatives and benefits under Flipkart Samarth include dedicated support for onboarding, cataloguing, account management, business insights, dedicated seller support, reduced commission where eligible, and warehousing support.

Flipkart Samarth will work closely with reputed NGOs and government bodies and livelihood missions to reach a large number of rural entrepreneurs, with a special focus on women-led enterprises, differently-abled entrepreneurs, artisans, and weavers, who often face obstacles such as lack of access to working capital, poor infrastructure, and inadequate training.

 

13. RBI liberalises ECB norms by relaxing end-use restrictions

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) further liberalised the norms related to External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) by relaxing the end-use restrictions with regard to working capital, general corporate purpose and repayment of rupee loans. The changes have been made after receiving feedback from stakeholders.

Accordingly, eligible borrowers will now be allowed to raise following ECBs from recognised lenders, except foreign branches and overseas subsidiaries of Indian banks, with a minimum average maturity period of 10 years for working capital purposes and general corporate purposes.

Borrowing for on-lending by NBFCs for the above maturity and end-uses is also permitted. Borrowers will be also allowed to raise ECBs with a minimum average maturity period of 7 years for repayment of rupee loans availed domestically for capital expenditure. The borrowings for on-lending by NBFCs for the repayment of rupee loans would also be permitted.

For repayment of Rupee loans availed domestically for purposes other than capital expenditure and for on-lending by NBFCs for the same, the minimum average maturity period of the ECB would have to be 10 years.

RBI further decided to permit eligible corporate borrowers to avail ECB for repayment of rupee loans availed domestically for capital expenditure in manufacturing and infrastructure sector and classified as SMA - 2 (special mention account) or NPA, under any one-time settlement arrangement with lenders.

The lender banks are also permitted to sell, through assignment, such loans to eligible ECB lenders, except foreign branches/ overseas subsidiaries of Indian banks, provided, the resultant ECB complies norms.

 

14. KABIL Set up to Ensure Supply of Critical Minerals  

A joint venture company namely Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) is to be set up with the participation of three Central Public Sector Enterprises namely, National Aluminium Company Ltd.(NALCO), Hindustan Copper Ltd.(HCL) and Mineral Exploration Company Ltd. (MECL). The objective of constituting KABIL is to ensure a consistent supply of critical and strategic minerals to Indian domestic market. While KABIL would ensure mineral security of the Nation, it would also help in realizing the overall objective of import substitution.

The sustained source of mineral and metal commodities is imperative for the transportation and manufacturing segment. Further segments like Aviation, Defence and Space Research also require minerals with lower weight and high mechanical strength. Among such twelve minerals identified as strategic minerals, which have meagre resource base, Lithium Cobalt are significant.

The KABIL would carry out identification, acquisition, exploration, development, mining and processing of strategic minerals overseas for commercial use and meeting country’s requirement of these minerals. The sourcing of these minerals or metals is to done by creating trading opportunities, G2G collaborations with the producing countries or strategic acquisitions or investments in the exploration and mining assets of these minerals in the source countries. The new company will help in building partnerships with other mineral rich countries like Australia and those in Africa and South America, where Indian expertise in exploration and mineral processing will be mutually beneficial bringing about new economic opportunities. The equity participation between NALCO, HCL and MECL is in the ratio of 40:30:30

 

15. RBI allows Bank of China to offer regular banking services in India

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed Bank of China to offer regular banking services in the country. All commercial banks, like SBI, HDFC Bank, Punjab National Bank and ICICI Bank, are in the Second Schedule. Banks falling under this schedule have to adhere to the norms of the RBI.

'Jana Small Finance Bank Limited' too has been included in the Second Schedule. Further, the name of 'The Royal Bank of Scotland plc' has been changed to 'NatWest Markets Plc' in the Second Schedule.

Meanwhile, 'National Australia Bank' has ceased to be a banking company within the meaning of the Banking Regulation Act, the RBI said and added that it has been excluded from the Second Schedule.

 

16. Maharashtra to get world’s first ultra-fast Hyperloop project

Maharashtra has granted infrastructure project status for a $10 billion plan to establish the world’s first ultra-fast hyperloop project. The projects aims to link Mumbai with the neighboring city of Pune. Hyperloops use magnets to levitate pods inside an airless tube, creating conditions in which the pods can shuttle people and freight at speeds of up to 1,200 km per hour.

The status could help fast-track land acquisition for the project over a 117.5 km stretch that will shuttle people between the cities in about 35 minutes. This project would mark the beginning of a new era in the country’s transport sector.

The first phase of the plan includes an 11.8 km long track to be built in 2 years in Pune with an investment of Rs 50 billion.

The project is expected to cost around Rs 700 billion and it is still unclear how the project will be funded. The route from Mumbai to Pune is one of India’s busiest, with roughly 75 million passenger journeys each year.

 

17. Postal dept decides to convert India Post Payments Bank to a SFB

The postal department said it has decided to convert the India Post Payments Bank into a small finance bank, enabling it to offer small loans to customers.

Besides, the department looks to open one crore accounts for IPPB in 100 days.

India Post will partner with Common Service Centre to provide a suite of citizen centric services such as banking, remittance, insurance, DBT, bill and tax payments etc at post offices.

The postal department has decided to develop infrastructure to extend the reach of the e-commerce industry to tier 2 and 3 town as well as to rural areas by investing in 190 parcel hubs, 80 Nodal Delivery Centers and a Pan India Road Transport Network.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1. DR Congo plans surveillance, vaccination training to tackle Ebola 

A team of health experts coordinating the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to train Congolese citizens to conduct surveillance and vaccinations in order to build trust among locals.

The fight against Ebola has been scaled up in the country after the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded an alarm over the outbreak. The global health body declared the disease an international health emergency after a case was confirmed in Goma, a densely populated eastern city that borders Rwanda.

The WHO once decided against declaring the outbreak a global emergency on three previous occasions, because it regarded risk of the disease spreading globally to be low.

The International Community and the DRC government have come up with a program aimed at strengthening the response to the Ebola outbreak over the next six months. But they are calling on the world to contribute more money to help contain the deadly disease that has killed more than 1,700 people since August last year.

 

2. Dengue hits record high of 18 years in Bangladesh 

Number of dengue patients in Bangladesh has reached its highest level since it was first detected in 2000. According to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) 10528 patients have been infected with dengue..

 

3. Pakistan opens historic Hindu temple in Sialkot for worship after 72 years 

Pakistan has opened a 1,000-year-old Hindu temple in eastern city Sialkot for “worship” for the first time since partition on the demand of the local Hindu community. The Shawala Teja Singh temple, located in city’s congested Dhaarowal locality, some 100-km from Lahore, is more than 1,000 years old, according to the book ‘History of Sialkot’ by the late Rashid Niaz. The Evacuee Trust Property Board looks after the holy places of minorities in Pakistan. Since there was no Hindu population earlier residing in the city the temple was closed for worship. The temple was partially damaged during attacks on temples here in reaction to Babri Mosque in 1992.  The temple has been opened for worship for the first time since partition. Some 2,000 Hindus are residing in this locality and they are so happy to visit their centuries old worship place. Now a good number of local Hindus are visiting it. Hindus from other parts of the country are also expected to visit this temple. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, according to the community, over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country. Majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with their Muslim fellows.

 

4. Indian tourists exempted from visa fees by Sri Lankan govt 

India is among 48 countries whose citizens have been exempted from visa fees for tourism purposes by Sri Lankan government with effect from tomorrow.

The visa fees, which ranged from 20 to 40 US dollars, will not be charged for grant of one month visa for tourism. The tourists can apply for electronic travel authorisations online or apply for visa on arrival.  The measure will be implemented for six months initially and a decision will be taken later for extension depending upon its impact on revenue.
Indian tourist constitute the maximum number with around one fourth of total tourist arrivals. Tourism is Sri Lanka’s third largest and fastest growing source of foreign currency last year, accounting for almost 5 percent of gross domestic product in 2018.

 

5. India, UK launch clean air initiative in Bengaluru

The Innovating for Clean Air (IfCA), a two-year UK-India joint initiative providing Indian and UK stakeholders opportunities to test interventions related to air quality and EV integration, was launched in Bengaluru.

Such collaborative initiatives are an example of how the UK and India can work as a joint force for good on innovative solutions, and can bring the best of our research communities, academia and businesses together to address shared challenges, such as clean air. The initiative provides a unique measurement system for air quality by integrating satellite and sensor data, and helping to support Indias transition to electric vehicles.

The programme is led by Innovate UK -- part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) -- and is funded by the Newton Fund with matched resources from various partners in Karnataka and India.

The key partners for the programme are the Indian Institute of Science, Enzen, Project Lithium, Confederation of Indian Industry, C40 Cities and Clean Air Platform. Other partners include Citizens for Sustainability, World Resources Institute, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore, Shakti Foundation, Shell Technology Centre, Global Business Inroads and India Smart Grid Forum.

 

6. First time after partition, 'Nagar Kirtan' carrying Guru Granth Sahib arrives from Pak to India 

For the first time after Independence, the 'Nagar Kirtan', which was taken out from Nankana Sahib district of Pakistan's Punjab province, arrived in India to mark the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of the Sikhism founder, Guru Nanak Dev.

The 'Nagar Kirtan' (religious procession), carrying the holy Guru Granth Sahib, crossed over to India from Pakistan in the afternoon. Around 500 Sikh devotees, who were part of the procession, reached here through the land transit route of the Attari border.

Gurdwara Nankana Sahib is the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, which falls in Pakistan. The Pakistani authorities had provided a special permission to the Sikh community to take out 'Nagar Kirtan', which will culminate at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district of Punjab after passing through various cities and towns.

 

7. Singapore's GIIS to launch India's first smart school campus in Pune 

The Singapore-headquartered Global Indian International School (GIIS) will launch India's first SMART campus in Pune as part of its Rs 420 crore investments in education in India over the coming years.

GIIS said the concept of an international award-winning SMART Campus, launched in Singapore in 2018, will be implemented at Hadapsar and Balewadi campuses with the aim of providing students with NextGen learning to hone 21st century skills.

GIIS plans to introduce the same pedagogy and initiatives at all its existing campuses in India and will invest over Rs 420 crore over the coming years towards this.

The SMART Campus has features to enhance learning outcomes for the students with the use of SMART Campus pedagogy and to prepare the students for the future.

The SMART Campus offers Digital and Virtual Classrooms for global student exchange, facial recognition for student attendance and campus security, innovation, artificial intelligence, robotics and entrepreneurship studios for imbibing new skills in students among various other features for their overall development.

Also, for the first time in India, GIIS will introduce Sports Analytics at the school level, to monitor and improve on-field performances of students through data and statistical information a technique used by international sports teams in basketball and soccer.

The GIIS has more than 15,000 students across 21 campuses in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, UAE, Vietnam and India.

Founded in 2002, GIIS offers a comprehensive range of International and Indian curricula for Kindergarten to Year 12 students.

 

8. NASA discovers TOI 270: new planetary system about 73 light years away from Earth

TOI 270 is the name of the dwarf star and the planetary system recently discovered by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). It is about 73 light years away from Earth, and is located in the constellation Pictor.

Its members include the dwarf star, which is 40 per cent smaller than the Sun in size and mass, and the three planets or exoplanets (planets outside the solar system) that have been named TOI 270 b, TOI 270 c, and TOI 270 d. These three planets orbit the star every 3.4 days, 5.7 days, and 11.4 days respectively.

In this system, TOI 270 b is the innermost planet. Researchers expect it to be a rocky world about 25 per cent bigger than Earth. It is not habitable since it is located too close to the star — about 13 times closer than our Solar System’s Mercury is from the Sun.

On the other hand, TOI 270 c and TOI 270 d are Neptune-like planets because their compositions are dominated by gases rather than rock. Planet d, which is suspected to have a rocky core covered by a thick atmosphere, offers a surface unfavourably warm for the existence of liquid water, thereby rendering the planet potentially uninhabitable.

With further study and observations, researchers expect to find the composition of these planets, the presence of atmosphere in them and the kinds of gases they contain, etc.

 

SPORTS NEWS

1. Khelo India Youth Games to be held in Guwahati in 2020 

The third edition of Khelo India Youth Games will be held in Guwahati next year from January 18-30, 2020. The Games will see a participation of more than 10,000 athletes and officials. It will be conducted in partnership with IOA, SGFI & Assam as host State The inaugural edition was held in New Delhi while Pune hosted the second one this year.

 

2. High level committee formed to strategise preparations for 2020, 2024 Olympics 

A high level 10-member committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju to coordinate and strategise the preparation for the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.

The objective of the committee is to ensure that the performance of the Indian athletes are optimised in the Olympics and other multidisciplinary events.

The committee comprises prominent sportspersons like Olympic medallists — tennis ace Leander Paes and shooter Gagan Narang.

Other prominent names in the committee include Secretary of Department of Sports Radhey Shyam Julaniya, IOA President Narinder Batra, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta, President of Indian Athletics Federation Adille Sumariwalla and Boxing Federation of India chief Ajay Singh among others

The aim of the committee for the Tokyo Games would be to provide all possible support to potential and qualified athletes, facilitating smooth logistical arrangements for participation of the Indian athletes, ensuring seamless acclimatisation and hospitable environment for the contingent.

For the 2024 Paris Games, the committee would chart out a road-map for the preparation and then will continuously review and suggest course correction whenever required. It will also prepare a strategy for bidding of multidisciplinary sporting events in future.

 

3. ICC launches World Test Championship 

The World Test Championship will witness the top nine Test teams in the world compete in 71 Test matches across 27 series. The World Test Championship final to be held in the United Kingdom in 2021. ICC is expecting that top teams will go head to head in matches.  

Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies are the nine teams that will battle it out for the top honours in the World Test Championship.

The first Ashes Test between England and Australia at Edgbaston will mark as the inaugural game of the event.

 

AWARDS

1. NDTV journalist Ravish Kumar wins 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award 

NDTV journalist Ravish Kumar has been honoured with the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award — the highest honour given to Asian individuals and organisations and often referred to as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize.

Besides Ravish Kumar, Myanmar-based journalist Ko Swe Win, Angkhana Neelapaijit from Thailand, Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab from Philippines and Kim Jong Ki from South Korea were also honoured with the prestigious prize.

In electing Ravish Kumar to receive the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees recognizes his unfaltering commitment to a professional, ethical journalism of the highest standards; his moral courage in standing up for truth, integrity and independence; and his principled belief that it is in giving full and respectful voice to the voiceless, in speaking truth bravely yet soberly to power, that journalism fulfills its noblest aims to advance democracy.

Ko Swe Win is a human rights defender and the chief editor of Myanmar Now news agency. He has written extensively on human rights cases that involve physical injury or death, unlawful detention or miscarriage of justice in Myanmar. In September 2016, he received the President’s Certificate of Honour from the Myanmar Ministry of Information for an investigative report he wrote exposing the abuse of two teenage maids by their employers in a Yangon tailor shop.

Wife of disappeared human rights lawyer, Amnesty International described Angkhana Neelapaijit as “a leading human rights defender in Southern Thailand”. She is currently the chairwoman of the Working Group for Justice and Peace, and continues to investigate allegations of police abuse in Southern Thailand.

Musical leader Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab’s contributions as a composer, arranger, music director, conductor, performer, and educator have been huge in Phillippines. He has served in the music faculty of the University of the Philippines, runs a music studio with his wife, and has conducted free workshops for thousands of students all across the country.

Kim Jong Ki is a South Korean agrarian movement leader, Christian and philosopher who pioneered wasteland cultivation, and strove to demonstrate through his work that life as a farmer can be fulfilling and productive. “In electing KIM YONG-KI to receive the 1966 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, the Board of Trustees recognizes his example of Christian principles practically applied to improve agriculture and imbue rural life with new joy and dignity,” a citation by the institute read.

The Magsaysay Award winners will each receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the image of the late Filipino leader Ramon Magsaysay, and a cash prize. They will be conferred with the Magsaysay Award during a formal presentation ceremony at a later date.

 

2. Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik wins People’s Choice Award in U.S. 

Renowned Indian sand artist and Padma Awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik has won the People’s Choice Award at a prestigious sand sculpting festival in the U.S., wowing the American public with his sculpture that highlighted the message of combating plastic pollution in oceans.

Mr. Pattnaik was among the 15 top sand artists selected from across the world to participate in the 2019 Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival in Boston, Massachusetts. He won the People’s Choice Award for his sand sculpture ‘Stop Plastic Pollution, Save Our Ocean’

The award-winning sculpture showed a turtle caught in a plastic bag and a fish with plastic trash such as slippers, bottles and glass inside its body. The tail of the fish is in the mouth of a human, signifying how plastic pollution in the oceans is adversely impacting human beings also when they consume sea food.

Hosted by non-profit organisation Revere Beach Partnership, the festival, now in its 16th year, ran from July 26-28 and was attended by close to a million people.

One of the largest sand sculpting festivals in the world, it sees participation from leading sand sculptors from around the world. Pattnaik was the sole representative from India and Asia. Artists from Belgium and Canada also won at the prestigious championship.

 

EVENTS & DAYS

1. Nepal invited to become partner country for Gita Jayanti Mahotsav 2019 

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has invited Nepal to be the partner country for this year's 'Gita Jayanti Mahotsav', scheduled to be held at Kurukshetra from December 3 to 8. He extended the invitation when Nepal's Ambassador to India Nilamber Acharya.

Haryana has been celebrating Gita Jayanti Mahotsav for the last three years and every year a country is invited to become the partner country for the mega event.

 

2. Ministry of mines organises a workshop on Effective utilization of Red Mud 

In a step towards productive utilisation of bauxite residue, commonly known as the ‘Red Mud’, an interactive workshopcalled ‘Waste To Wealth’ was organized by Ministry of Mines in New Delhi. The present status regarding the generation of Red Mud and its safe disposal and utilization were discussed.

Red Mud is a solid waste generated during the aluminium production process. This is an environmental concern due to presence of impurities such as caustic soda and others minerals. Global generation of red mud is more than 150 million tons and there exists a global inventory of more than 3 billion tons. Red mud generation in India is around 9 million tons per year.

The meet was widely attended by representatives from organisations like Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, CPCB, Odisha state Pollution Control Board, BARC, Indian Bureau of Mines, Ministry of Road Transport, NHAI and BIS, Engineer-in-Chief of Army, top executives from all three primary aluminium producing companies viz- NALCO, VEDANTA & HINDALCO as well as from user industries like cement and ceramic industry.

The day long deliberations were held to focus all efforts for effective bulk utilization of red mud with necessary government support, which will be a win-win situation for all the stakeholders. Based on the deliberations, a roadmap will be prepared for the productive utilization of red mud.

 

3. Uttarakhand holds first Himalayan conclave

In Uttarakhand, a Himalayan Conclave was held in Mussoorie.

Various issues related to the development of Himalayan States were discussed in the conclave.

Representatives of 11 hill states participated in it. Uttrakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the main agenda for the conclave is water conservation, with focus on conserving rivers, glaciers, lakes and water bodies besides reviving water resources which have dried up over the years.

 

4. India Nepal Logistics Summit 2019 was held in Kathmandu, Nepal 

 India-Nepal Logistics Summit 2019 was held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The summit was inaugurated by Nepal Prime minister KP.Sharma Oli. The theme of the Logistics Summit 2019 was 'Transforming Logistics Landscape'. 

In this summit all trade community and government representatives from both Nepal and India represented the whole summit function.  The summit focused on discussing the transport delays of import cargo from Kolkata Port to Kathmandu, delays in rail transport and additional costs in handling cargo.
They also discussed on need for reducing transit time between Nepal and Indian ports and the need  to develop better warehousing facilities in Nepal. It also included issues related to tariffs charged by logistics service providers and the need  for automation of customs and border clearance.

The smart logistics  makes the trade and transit arrangements easy, hassle-free and cost effective. India and Nepal have taken many initiatives on crucial components of road, rail, inland waterways and air connectivity. Both the countries have an investment, tourism and people to-people movement, a significant volume of trade,for which smooth and quality logistics. In the summit India committed to provide all necessary support to Nepal. 

 

5. Hindu Economic Forum launches its Nepal Chapter

Hindu Economic Forum (HEF) has launched its Nepal Chapter. On this occasion Founder of World Hindu Economic Forum Swami Vigyananand said economic empowerment is very necessary to get due respect and recognition in the modern world.

 

6. 22^ndNational Conference on e-Governance 2019 to be held at Shillong on 8-9, 2019 
   

The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), in association with Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India and the State Government of Meghalaya will organize the 22^ndNational Conference on e-Governance 2019 on 8-9^th August, 2019 at Shillong, Meghalaya. This is the first time the event is being organized in North-Eastern region of the country. This Conference provides a platform to disseminate knowledge on effective methods of designing and implementing sustainable e-Governance initiatives to provide end-to-end Digital Services, exchange experiences in solving problems, mitigating risks, resolving issues and planning for success. The 22^ndNational e-Governance Conference at Shillong is part of the DARPG’s 100 days initiatives in the new Government.

The theme of this Conference is “Digital India: Success to Excellence”. Discussions will be held on 5 sub-themes in Plenary session during the Conference: India Enterprise Architecture (INDEA), Digital Infrastructure, One Nation – One Platform, Emerging Technology for Practitioners, Secretariat Reforms, National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA). 4 Breakout Sessions will be held on sub-themes-Inclusion and Capacity Building, Engaging with Innovators and Industry, End- to- End Digital Services: IT initiatives of State Governments.

 

7. International Tiger Day 2019: 29 July 

Every year 29 July is celebrated across the world as Global Tiger Day to create awareness about tiger conservation and protection of natural habitat of tigers. It 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 Governments of tiger populated countries had vowed to double tiger population by 2020.

 

8. World Day Against Trafficking in Persons: 30 July 

World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2019 is held on July 30th 2019, and is an annual event. People trafficking and modern day slavery is a massive worldwide problem with very few countries immune to human trafficking, and the event by the United Nations is to raise awareness and increase prevention of that. The theme for this year was ‘Human Trafficking: Call Your Government To Action’.

This day was proclaimed by UN General Assembly (UNGA) in 2013 by adopting resolution A/RES/68/192 in 2013. This resolution had declared that the main objective of observance of this day is to raise awareness of situation of victims of human trafficking and for promotion and protection of their rights.

 

9. World Breast feeding week

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

This year, WHO is working with UNICEF and partners to promote the importance of family-friendly policies to enable breastfeeding and help parents nurture and bond with their children in early life, when it matters most.

2019 Theme- Empower Parents. Enable Breastfeeding

 

RANKINGS & INDICES

1. India slips to 7th spot in global GDP ranking 

India now stands seventh in 2018 global GDP (gross domestic product) rankings, as per a World Bank report.  In the preceding year, India stood at number five.

The United States, China and Japan secured the first three positions, with a GDP of $20.5 trillion, $13.6 trillion and nearly $5 trillion, respectively.

Germany ($4 trillion), the UK ($2.8 trillion) and France ($2.77 trillion) took the fourth, the fifth and the sixth spots, respectively.

India’s, which had a GDP of $2.73 trillion in 2018, was enjoying a GDP of $2.65 trillion in 2017.

 

2. London named the world’s best city for students

London has been named the world’s best city for students for the second consecutive year, beating Tokyo and Melbourne that came second and third, respectively, on a new worldwide rankings released.

The QS Best Student Cities Ranking compiled by global education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds highlights each city’s performance across different categories.

The number of Indians moving to London for higher studies rose by 20% in 2017-18, marking an increase from 4,545 in 2016-17 to 5,455 in 2017-18.

However, the numbers are still below the mark than could be achieved, considering India’s vast student base. Europe dominates the list in the latest ranking, with Munich coming fourth and Berlin coming fifth, followed by Paris at the seventh place and Zurich at eighth place.

According to the rankings, India’s best student city is Bengaluru (81st), followed by Mumbai (85th), Delhi at 113 and Chennai at 115, out of a total of 120 cities in the list.