CURRENT AFFAIRS 6TH 7 AND 7TH JULY 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

 

06 AND 07th July 2022

 

National News

Stalin congratulates PT Usha, Ilaiyaraaja on Rajya Sabha nomination

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has extended greetings to athlete PT Usha and music icon Ilaiyaraaja on their Rajya Sabha nomination. "Congratulations to PT Usha on being nominated to the Council of States," Stalin tweeted. Stalin also congratulated the music maestro for his upcoming stint in the Rajya Sabha. Ilaiyaraaja thanked Stalin for the wishes.

 

 

 

Odisha tops state ranking for implementation of National Food Security Act 2022 

Odisha has topped in the state ranking for implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) through ration shops, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.  Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal released the 'State Ranking Index for NFSA' 2022 during a conference of state food ministers on food and nutrition security in India.  The current version of the Index measures the effectiveness of NFSA implementation majorly through operations and initiatives under TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System).  Among the special category states (the North Eastern states, Himalayan states, and the Island states), Tripura has obtained the first rank. Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim are at the second and third positions.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Digital India Week
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Digital India Week 2022 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The theme of this Digital India Week is ‘Catalyzing New India’s Techade’ to transform the nation into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.  Digital India Week 2022 will also have a three-day long orientation program ‘India Stack Knowledge Exchange- Showcasing India Stack and India’s Digital Products and Service’ from 7th July.

CBSE launches Pariksha Sangam portal to streamline board examination results 

The CBSE Board has launched a portal called 'Pariksha Sangam' to streamline board examination results, sample papers, and other details in one single window.  According to cbsedigitaleducation.com, the newly launched Pariksha Sangam portal "will integrate various examination-related processes to be conducted by the school’s regional offices and the Headquarters of the CBSE Board".  Pariksha Sangam is another portal where students will be able to check Class 10th and Class 12th board results easily. The Pariksha Sangam has been divided into three main sections: Schools (Ganga), Regional offices (Yamuna), and Head office (Saraswati).

PM Modi unveils 30-ft statue of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 30-feet bronze statue of Alluri Sitarama Raju at Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district on the 125th birth anniversary of the freedom fighter.  The 125th birth anniversary of Alluri Sitarama Raju, along with 100 years of ‘Rampa Kranti’ will be celebrated throughout the year marking 75 years of Independence.

Rajnath Singh to brief parliamentary panel on Agnipath scheme on July 11

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will brief the members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Defence on various aspects of the Agnipath scheme on July 11. The committee comprises MPs from ruling as well as opposition parties. The Defence Secretary, three Service Chiefs and other senior officials of the Defence Ministry are likely to be present in the meeting.

 

Smriti Irani, Jyotiraditya Scindia get additional charges of Minority Affairs, Ministry of Steel 

Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Jyotiraditya Scindia have been assigned additional charges of Minority Affairs and Ministry of Steel respectively after two Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Ram Chandra Prasad Singh resigned from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect.  Post their resignations, the President of India Ram Nath Kovind, as advised by PM Modi, accepted the resignations of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Ram Chandra Prasad Singh from Union Council of Ministers. This is the first time two sitting ministers are out of both Houses of Parliament.

 

India elected to UNESCO panel on Intangible Cultural Heritage

India has been elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for the 2022-2026 cycle, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy announced on Thursday. As the nation celebrates Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, India will be a part of two prominent Committees of UNESCO - ICH and World Heritage, he said.

 

INTERNATIONAL

Meta builds new AI model which can translate 200 languages

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced that it has built a new AI model which can translate 200 different languages. The model, built under Meta's 'No Language Left Behind' project, aims to enable over 25 billion translations across the company's apps daily. This comes after Meta was accused of failing to moderate harmful content in some languages.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns

UK PM Boris Johnson has resigned after over 50 Members of Parliament resigned in protest at his leadership. This comes after UK's new Finance Minister asked Johnson to "go now", saying that the situation was "not sustainable and will only get worse". Johnson's supporters - including Priti Patel and Grant Shapps - had also urged him to step down

96% of Portugal is experiencing drought

Portugal is experiencing one of its worst drought spells, with 96% of the country declared to be under "extreme" or "severe" drought conditions. The temperatures in some parts of the country are expected to touch 43°C over this weekend. Government bodies have readied emergency teams as a third of the country is at risk of forest fires, officials said.

Ukrainian Prez expresses 'sadness' at Boris Johnson's resignation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday called Boris Johnson to express his "sadness" over the British leader's resignation as the PM of the UK. "Not only me, but...the entire Ukrainian society...is very sympathetic to you," he said. "We have no doubt that Great Britain's support will be preserved, but your personal leadership and charisma made it special," he added.

 

 

Appointments News

Lt. General Mohan Subramanian appointed as Force Commander of UN Mission in South Sudan 

India’s ​Lieutenant General, Mohan Subramanian has been appointed the Force Commander in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). He succeeds Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar of India.  United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment on July 5. Almost 20,000 peacekeepers serve with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan to protect civilians and build durable peace in the conflict-affected country.

Aviva India appoints Asit Rath as new CEO and MD 

Aviva India has appointed Asit Rath as chief executive officer and managing director. Rath will succeed Amit Malik who is leaving the business after 10 years. The appointment will come into effect on July 11.  Currently the CEO of Prudential Myanmar Life Insurance, Rath comes with 22 years of banking and insurance experience in India and Myanmar and has strong distribution experience with ICICI Bank and ICICI Prudential Life in India.

BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Map industrial activities for Gati Shakti scheme: FM to NITI Aayog

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday asked the NITI Aayog to prepare a report mapping all industrial activities, including defence corridors and pharma hubs, so that they can be incorporated under the PM Gati Shakti scheme. "I find many of them still lying loose and unconnected," she stated, while adding, "Mapping it up will probably give a better idea."

Federal Bank appoints MVS Murthy as its 1st Chief Marketing Officer

Federal Bank has appointed MVS Murthy as its first Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Prior to being appointed at Federal Bank, Murthy was heading marketing, digital and corporate communication at TATA AMC. "We're happy to welcome MVS to the Federal family...I'm certain his vast experience will strengthen our brand positioning," said Federal Bank Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ajith Kumar KK.

RBI forex measures to impact flow positively: Economic Affairs Secy

Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth on Thursday said the measures announced by the RBI on Wednesday to enhance foreign exchange inflows will have a "positive" impact on flows. "In the overseas NDF (non-deliverable forwards) market, the rupee has appreciated," he stated. This comes after the rupee hit an all-time low of 79.37 against the US dollar on Tuesday.

3 pvt banks allowed to provide services for defence procurement

The Centre has allowed three private-sector banks, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, to provide financial services for overseas procurement by the Defence Ministry. Until now, only public-sector banks were allowed to offer these services. The banks may be allocated with LC business of ₹2,000 crore for one year, each on the capital and revenue side, the ministry said.

 

 

Tata Power and Tamil Nadu inks a pact to establish a solar manufacturing facility

Tata Power revealed that it has reached a deal with the Tamil Nadu government to invest Rs. 3000 crore in the construction of a new solar cell and module manufacturing facility in the state's Tirunelveli district.  According to the agreement, both parties will endeavour to promote the switch to renewable energy and the creation of jobs in the state. The investment in the facility must take place over a period of more than 16 months and must result in the creation of jobs, the majority of which will be for women.

 

To establish semiconductor park, IGSS Ventures and Tamil Nadu Govt signs MoU 

In the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Tamil Nadu and the Singapore-based M/s. IGSS Ventures Pte Ltd to build a 300-acre semiconductor high-tech park in the State with an investment and grants of 25,600 crore.  At the function held at the Secretariat were Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu, Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu, and other top officials. In the next five years, the project is expected to directly employ more than 5,000 individuals, according to an official press release.

Rashtriya Raksha University, DroneAcharya tie up to set Remote Pilot Training Centre 

Rashtriya Raksha University at Gandhinagar has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DroneAcharya Aerial Innovations Private Limited for setting up a Remote Pilot Training Centre for imparting drone flying skills.  This training will be imparted to the Police and security force personnel and citizens at RRU Campus near Gandhinagar.  According to official sources, this initiative is in accordance with the mission of the University to identify, prepare and sustain statecraft of national strategic and security culture among the security, police and civilian society.

RBI imposes monetary penalty on IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1.05 crore and Rs 1 crore on Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank, respectively, for deficiencies in regulatory compliance.  RBI’s these penalties are based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and are not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.

 

 

 

SBI updates agreement with Air Force for defence compensation package 

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between State Bank of India (SBI) and the Indian Air Force for the Defence Salary Package (DSP) plan has been extended, according to SBI.  All active-duty and former members of the Air Force, as well as their families, will be eligible for a number of advantages and features under this programme from the nation's largest lender.  The bank claimed that in the event of an Air Force member's passing, the family of the dead would be given additional coverage for the female child's wedding and education.

South Indian Bank tie up with Kerala Forest & Wildlife Dept for digital payment collection 

The South Indian Bank has signed an agreement with Kerala’s Forest and Wildlife Department to enable digital collection of payments at eco-tourism centres, Vanasree shops, mobile Vanasree units and eco-shops across the State.  The Forest Department has set up Vanasree shops and units with the objective of marketing forest products, conserving and managing biodiversity, protecting the rich and sensitive ecosystem and uplifting the living standards of the tribals working in the area.

Irdai and NHA to develop National Health Claims Exchange to settle claims 

Irdai and National Health Authority (NHA) will develop a National Health Claims Exchange as a digital platform to settle health claims. The National Health Claims Exchange will be developed as a digital platform, for settling the health claims.  Chairman of IRDAI, Debasish Panda, has also proposed for creation of a working group with representation from industry. The working group will decide on how to attract more people to buy health insurance, by making the largest segment of general insurance in India.

 

SPORTS

India win 18th int'l match in a row under Rohit's captaincy, beat England in 1st T20I

short by Anmol Sharma / 02:07 am on 08 Jul 2022,Friday

India defeated England by 50 runs in the first T20I in Southampton. It's India's 18th victory in a row in international cricket under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. All-rounder Hardik Pandya slammed his first-ever T20I fifty to help India put up a total of 198/8. He also took four wickets as England were bowled out for 148 in 19.3 overs.

 

Summits and Conferences News

Parshottam Rupala inaugurates India’s first ever Animal Health Summit 

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala inaugurating First India Animal Health Summit 2022, he called for greater use of Ayurveda for ensuring better animal health.  First India Animal Health Summit 2022 was held at NASC Complex, New Delhi understanding the significance of animal health towards the broader objective of the country's food and nutrition security, rural incomes and prosperity and overall economic development.

“HariyaliMahotsav” to be organized by Ministry of Environment 

Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change will be organizing “Hariyali Mahotsav” on 8th July, 2022 at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi in the spirit of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”.  The mahotsav is being organized by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with the State Governments, Police Institutions and Schools of Delhi for undertaking plantation drives on the occasion.  Hariyali Mahotsav, the “Tree Festival” is being organized to create awareness about the importance of trees in sustaining not only the life of the present generations but also to secure the future of forthcoming generations. Trees play extremely important role in mitigating adverse effects of climate change.

PM to start three-day symposium on implementing the NEP 

During his visit to Varanasi, his Lok Sabha district, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anticipated to launch development projects worth more than Rs. 1,774 crore. He has been to the city twice in the last four months.  Nine topics designated for higher education in the National Education Policy 2020 will be the subject of panel discussions. Modi will also inaugurate the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam, which is being organised by the Union Education Ministry at the international cooperation and convention centre Rudraksh.

 

Ranks and Reports News

Indian-American Billionaire on Forbes' List of America’s Richest Self-Made Women 

Indian-American Jayshree Ullal, CEO of Arista Networks, an American computer networking company, and a member of the board of directors of Snowflake, was ranked near the top of 8th annual Forbes’ America’s Richest Self-Made Women, with a net worth of $1.7 billion as of May 2022.  The list, released in June 2022, ranks her at #15, below Alice Schwartz, co-founder of Bio-Rad Laboratories, and above reality TV star Kim Kardashian.  Other Indian American women who made it to the Forbes list are Neerja Sethi, co-founder of Syntel; Neha Narkhede, co-founder and former CTO of Confluent; former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, and Reshma Shetty, co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks. Diane Hendricks, co-founder and chairman of ABC Supply, topped the list for the fifth year.

Science and Technology News

NSUT: Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence inaugurated 

At Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology (NSUT), an artificial intelligence centre was inaugurated. In his remarks at the Center's opening, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said universities must abandon conventional thinking and adopt an innovative approach if they are to advance the nation.  According to Manish Sisodia, universities today take pride in having a Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence. It exhibits the lofty thinking of the young people leading the university and acting pro-actively.  Graphical processing units, workstations, data storage, and communication systems are available at the Centre of Excellence.  According to the government, the centre now has a cutting-edge supercomputing system that includes a DGX A100 with 324 GB RAM and 8 GPUs, 100TB of storage, a smart rack, and high-speed switches, among other cutting-edge tools.

India’s first autonomous navigation facility "TiHAN" launched at IIT Hyderabad 

India’s first Autonomous Navigation facility, TiHAN inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh at the IIT Hyderabad campus.  Developed at a budget of Rs. 130 crores by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology, TiHAN (Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation) is a multidisciplinary initiative that will make India a global player in the futuristic and next generation ‘smart mobility’ technology.  India’s mobility sector is one of the world’s largest markets and the TiHAN - IITH will be the source of futuristic technology generation for autonomous vehicles.

Important Days

World Chocolate Day 2022: 7th July 

World Chocolate Day is celebrated on July 7 every year to commemorate the invention of chocolate. This special day allows people around the world to indulge in their favourite treat without any guilt.  The day also celebrates all kinds of goodies made from chocolate, including chocolate milk, hot chocolate, chocolate candy bar, chocolate cake, brownies, or anything covered in chocolate. World Chocolate Day was first celebrated in the year 2009.  However, some even believe that people started marking July 7 as International Chocolate Day because it was the day when chocolate was first introduced to Europe in 1550.

Obituaires News

OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo passes away 

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary-General, Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, passed away. He was born in April 1959 in northeast Nigeria’s Adamawa state, Barkindo assumed the office of the OPEC Secretary-General in 2016. His tenure was scheduled to expire in July.  OPEC is a permanent, intergovernmental organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. It aims to manage the supply of oil in an effort to set the price of oil in the world market, in order to avoid fluctuations that might affect the economies of both producing and purchasing countries. 

Veteran Bengali filmmaker Tarun Majumdar passes away 

Veteran Bengali film director, Tarun Majumdar has passed away at the age of 92.  Tarun Majumdar was known for helming popular Bengali films such as Smriti Tuku Thak, Shriman Prithviraj, Kuheli, Balika Badhu, Dadar Kirti, Chander Bari, among others in his lifetime. He created a significant impact in uplifting the Bengali film industry during the 60s, 70s and 80s.  Tarun Majumdar was the recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 1990. 

 

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