July 2020 Monthly Current Affairs Online Test

Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has recently launched an initiative named ‘YUKTI 2.0’. YUKTI stands for ‘Young India combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation’. Earlier, the Minister launched the YUKTI portal on April 11, 2020. The 2.0 portal will serve as an online depository for innovative ideas and help students, teachers and researchers in higher educational institutions.

According to the new study published in the Astronomical Journal, the researchers have detected the exoplanet HIP 67522 b. The exoplanet appears to be the youngest hot Jupiter ever found. It also orbits around a well–studied star that is about 17 million years old. This means that the hot Jupiter is only a few million years younger probably. As most known hot Jupiters are more than a billion years old, this is likely the youngest hot Jupiter.

World Olympic Day or the International Olympic Day is celebrated across the world on June 23. It was introduced in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on 23 June 1894. The objective of celebrating the Olympic Day was to promote participation in sports and games across the globe, regardless of age, gender, or other abilities. This year, the world’s largest 24 hour digital–first Olympic workout is organised, to celebrate the day virtually. The campaign is named ‘Stay Healthy, Stay Strong and Stay Active with the #Olympicday Workout On 23 June’.

 As per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, India is the first country in the world which is controlling Desert Locust through Drones. Under Make in India initiative, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW), Agriculture Ministry has indigenously developed a vehicle mounted Ultra–low volume (ULV) sprayer for locust control.  After Ministry of Civil Aviation approved conditional exemption for Drone operations for locust control, trials were conducted in Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh).

 The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval to declare Kushinagar airport as an international airport. The airport is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Kushinagar is a Buddhist cultural site and its declaration as international airport will improve connectivity to several other Buddhist sites including Sravasti, Kapilvastu and Lumbini. As the place is near the international border, it’d improve tourism & economic development of the region.

 Every year ‘Passport Seva Divas (PSD)’ is celebrated on 24 June in India, to commemorate the enactment of the Passports Act on 24 June, 1967. This year, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) celebrated Passport Seva Divas (PSD) on 24 June, 2020, by organising a special virtual event. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar noted that more than 1.22 crore passports were issued during 2019 in India and abroad. Passport Seva Puraskars were announced for the best performing Passport Offices and their personnel.

 Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh has recently inaugurated two important Bridges Devika and Puneja in Jammu and Kashmir, virtually. The 10–meter–long Devika Bridge inaugurated in Udhampur district, was constructed in about one–year time span by the Border Roads Organisation. The cost of construction of the bridge is Rs 75 lakhs. Another bridge named Puneja has also been inaugurated at a cost of Rs 4 Crore in Doda District.

 Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been named the nodal agency of the new 10000–bed Covid Care Centre at Chattarpur, New Delhi. The Home Ministry had nominated ITBP as nodal agency to provide a team of doctors and other medical professionals to this centre. 2000 bed facility is to be made operationalised this week. It will be further expanded to over 10000 beds. This would be the largest single Covid Care Centre in the country.

 The Japanese supercomputer, Fugaku has been recently named the fastest super computer in the Top500 list, which ranks the most powerful benchmarked supercomputers in the world. It is powered by chipsets from Advanced RISC Machines (ARM). This marks the first time an ARM based supercomputer to ever top the list. It also marks the first time Japan has taken the top place since 2011. It is followed by IBM’s Summit supercomputer and IBM’s Sierra supercomputer.

 Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who is also the Chairman of Indian Red Cross Society, launched the ‘eBloodServices’ mobile application through a video conference. The application of Indian Red Cross Society has been developed by the E–Raktkosh team launched under the Digital India scheme. Through this app, up to four units of blood can be requested. The E–Raktkosh dashboard is used to display the requisite units and it also ensures assured delivery within the specified time.

 Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan released the Annual Tuberculosis (TB) Report 2020, through video conferencing. Gujarat was ranked the top performing state in eradicating Tuberculosis, in the category of large states with more than 50 lakh populations. It is followed by Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. In the category of small states, Nagaland and Tripura have been awarded the best performing states.

 Haritha Haram is a tree–planting program implemented by Telangana to increase the amount of tree cover in the state. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has recently launched the sixth phase of Haritha Haram programme. He also inaugurated the Narsapur Urban Forest Park and examined the Forest revival programme being implemented in Narsapur forest area.

 The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched a first of its kind initiative to explore sandalwood and bamboo tree plantation. The statutory body that functions under the MSME Ministry has begun a drive with plantation of 500 saplings each of sandalwood and bamboo at its Nashik training centre. The plantation process aims at monetization of the property. KVIC has procured sandalwood saplings from Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC), Uttar Pradesh and Bamboo saplings from Assam.

 United States’ Space agency NASA has recently announced that its headquarters located in Washington DC would be renamed after Mary W. Jackson. She is the agency’s first African American female engineer. As per the website of NASA, Mary W. Jackson might have been the only black female aeronautical engineer in the agency. She served NASA for more than two decades and authored or co–authored 12 technical papers before she retired in 1985.

 The United Nations has launched the “Alliance for Poverty Eradication”. India has recently become a founding member of the Alliance. The President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad–Bande announced the alliance in an informal meeting. He will formally launch the ‘Alliance for Poverty Eradication’ on June 30, which aims to provide a platform for member states to boost global economy after the effects of COVID–19 pandemic.

 Every year, 25 June is celebrated as the “Day of the Seafarer”, to recognise the contribution of seafarers in international trade and the global economy. The Day of the Seafarer was first celebrated in 2011 after it was designated by a resolution in the Conference of Parties to the International Convention (STCW), held in Philippines, in 2010. The theme of the Day of the Seafarer is ‘Seafarers are Key Workers’.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has virtually launched Atma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan, a campaign to provide employment to 1.25 crore workers in Uttar Pradesh. The campaign aims to cover migrant workers who returned and other employees in the state, who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. It will be undertaken as part of the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan that was launched for 116 districts in six states across the country.

 The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed every year on 26th June to raise awareness about the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. The 2020 theme of the day is, “Better Knowledge for Better Care”.

 National Productivity Council is a national level autonomous organization under the administrative control of the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, to promote productivity culture in India. Recently, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal chaired the 49th Governing Council Meeting of National Productivity Council. It is noteworthy that this meeting was held after 15 years.

 A team of engineers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) had developed an intensive care unit (ICU) grade ventilator under the name of ‘Project Praana’. Recently, the team has successfully completed the prototyping of the ventilator, which is now in the process of being commercialised. The affordable ventilator uses only components made in India or components which are easily available in the domestic markets. The team developed the ventilator in a record 35 days.

 Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has launched a consolidated notification in the form of guidelines for classification and registration of MSMEs. As per the new guidelines, an MSME will be known as Udyam, as this word is closer to the meaning of ‘Enterprise’. Accordingly, the registration process will henceforth be known as Udyam Registration. The Udyam Registration can be filed online based on self–declaration, only on the basis of Aadhaar number, via a paperless process.

Union Defence Ministry (MoD) has launched a new portal to issue No Objection Certificate (NOC) for power projects and Research Survey Exploration Exploitation (RSEE) activities in the Indian Territorial Waters and Exclusive Economic Zone. The newly developed MoD web portal will facilitate the applicants in submitting their proposals online for seeking MoD Security Clearance for undertaking Power Projects/RSEE activities. The Online System will establish an effective, speedy and transparent mechanism to process these proposals. The Ministry has earlier launched a similar portal for grant of NOC for aerial survey

Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has laid the foundation stone for “Sanskritik Sadbhav Mandap” at Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. The centre is being constructed with the cost of Rs 92 crore by Union Minority Affairs Ministry under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK). This community centre will be utilized for various socio–economic–cultural activities, skill development training and relief activities.

The state government of Maharashtra has launched the world’s largest convalescent plasma therapy project named PLATINA, for treating COVID–19. This is expected to save at least 500 lives of critically–ill COVID–19 patients in the state. The trial will be carried out in government medical colleges and BMC medical colleges. All critical patients will receive two doses of 200 ml of convalescent plasma under the project, free of cost.

 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a national level committee for reform in criminal law. The committee is to be headed by Ranbir Singh, who is the Vice Chancellor, National Law University of Delhi. The committee has many veteran legal academicians and it has invited opinions online on the possible reforms in the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Indian Evidence Act.

 The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is set to launch a cashless scheme for road accident victims. The Ministry is to establish a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund under its aegis, for implementing the scheme. It will have an insurance coverage cap of Rs 2.5 lakh per case and enables all road accident victims of Indian or foreign nationality, to be eligible.

 An Artificial Intelligence enabled digital platform of the Indian Government named MyGov Corona Helpdesk bagged two awards at the Global Leadership Summit, CogX 2020.  The helpdesk bagged two awards under categories namely “Best Innovation for Covid–19 – Society” and “People’s Choice Covid–19 Overall Winner”. CogX 2020 is a prestigious Global Festival of AI & Emerging Technology held annually in London.

 The Union Territory of Delhi has announced that a plantation drive called ‘Paudhe Lagao, Paryavaran Bachao’ (Plant Saplings, Save Environment). As per the Environment Ministry, Delhi is to launch a 17 day long plantation drive of 31 lakh saplings, to increase the green cover to 350 sq km by 2021. The aim of the drive is to create awareness about increasing green cover to reduce pollution in the UT. The period of the drive will be observed as “Vrikshaaropan Pakhavaada”.

 The Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has recently inaugurated an urban forest, in the Union Territory of New Delhi. The urban forest is created with as many as 12,000 seedlings of 59 indigenous species.  It is developed at the Office premises of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. This is expected to form into a full–fledged forest by 2021 and will improve the Air Quality Index of the UT.

 Pulitzer Prize–winning Indian–American author and oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee has been named as the ‘2020 Great Immigrants’ honourees by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Another Indian American Professor of Economics at Harvard University Raj Chetty also jointly received the honour. They have been honoured for their contribution towards the efforts in containing the COVID–19 crisis.

 Lepidopterists, those who specialises in studying moths and butterflies, have recently discovered two new species of butterflies namely Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince in Arunachal Pradesh. The Striped Hairstreak was first recorded in Japan and the Elusive Prince was discovered in Vietnam. As per the Society for Education and Environmental Development (SEED), the discovery of two new species have increased the number of butterfly species of the country to 1327.

 The World Bank has recently announced that it has enhanced its support for India’s flagship program to rejuvenate Ganga River. World Bank would provide a USD 400 million assistance to the program, which will help reduce pollution and strengthen river basin management. The Second National Ganga River Basin Project (SNGRBP) will support the government’s Namami Gange program. The loan has a maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of 5 years.

 The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) is set to replace the 25–year–old NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). The renegotiated deal comes into effect from July 1.  USMCA is a trilateral agreement between three countries namely the United States, Mexico and Canada. The deal was originally signed in 2018. It seeks to support the technology sector and include USD 600 million to address environmental problems.

 Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan have jointly launched the online competition to identify drugs against coronavirus. The competition is named “Drug Discovery Hackathon” 2020. Students, researchers and experts from across the country and the world can participate in the event, to submit their discoveries on potential drugs. While HRD Innovation cell and AICTE will identify potential drug, CSIR will conduct synthesis and laboratory testing.

 Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister has launched toolkit for the sixth edition of the annual cleanliness survey, Swachh Survekshan 2021. MoHUA organises the annual survey for urban India. As part of Swachh Survekshan–2021, the Minister launched a new category of awards titled ‘Prerak Dauur Samman’. The award has a total of five sub–categories which awards top three cities, on the basis of six indicator–wise performance criteria.

 The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has released its report on the Annual Marine Fish Landings in India for 2019. As per the report, the marine fish production of India recorded a marginal rise of 2.1% in 2019, with 3.56 million tonnes in total landings. It also ranked Tamil Nadu in the first position with 7.75 lakh tonnes. It is followed by Gujarat and Kerala. Gujarat was at the top spot in the recent years.

 Every year, July 2 is celebrated as World Sports Journalists Day or International Sports Journalists Day. The day also recognises the importance of sports journalists around the world. It marks the anniversary of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) that was established in 1924 during the Paris Olympics. AIPS is the peak professional body representing the international sports media.

 International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July every year. This year, it is observed on July 4, 2020. The theme of the International Day of Cooperatives 2020 is Cooperatives for Climate Action. The objective of the day is to create awareness about cooperatives and highlight the contributions of the cooperative movement to the development of the world.

 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has partnered with Bharat Biotech for development of potential COVID–19 vaccine called Covaxin. The Drugs Controller General of India has granted permission to conduct phase–1 and 2 human clinical trials. Recently, ICMR has announced that it is acting in accordance with the globally accepted standards to develop the vaccine.

 Indian Railways has set up a solar power plant, for the first time in the world, which directly provides power to the Railway Overhead Line, in collaboration with Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL). Such a solar power plant has been established at Bina Traction Sub Station, Madhya Pradesh. The 1.7 Megawatt solar power plant can produce around 25 lakh units of energy in a year and save about Rs 1.37 crore per year.

 The state government of Odisha is set to launch a new financial assistance scheme called ‘Balaram Yojana’. It is a sequel to the ‘KALIA’ scheme, which was launched with an aim to provide assistance to small and marginal farmers. Under the new scheme, the state will provide crop loans to 7 lakh landless sharecroppers in the state, through joint liability groups (JLGs) in the next two years.

 The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Asia’s largest solar plant in the state. The 750 MW Rewa Ultra–Mega Solar plant would be inaugurated through video conferencing.

 A MoU has recently been signed between the Indian Coast Guard and Indonesia Coast Guard, to boost maritime relations. This agreement will enhance the partnership between the two countries in the fields of maritime law enforcement, search and rescue and pollution response. The Coast guards of the two countries would be engaged in exchange of information for reducing maritime crimes.

 The state of Andhra Pradesh celebrates Farmer’s Day on the birth anniversary of its former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. The Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had announced that every year July 8 will be observed as ‘YSR Rythu Dinotsavam’ or Farmers Day. The former Andhra Pradesh CM and the father of Jagan Mohan Reddy, was known for his farmer–friendly schemes.

 The Union Ministry of Culture has launched a project of reprinting 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM). The National Mission for Manuscripts was launched in 2003 by the Union Government, under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.  Recently, the first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur was presented to the President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of Guru Purnima. Mongolian Kanjur is the most important religious text in Mongolia.

 The Indian Space Research and Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch Brazil’s Amazonia –1 satellite onboard PSLV. This satellite has been designed, assembled and tested in Brazil and it will be the first Earth Observation satellite. The launch of the PSLV is scheduled to be held next month while the date is to be released by ISRO soon.

 The IIT Alumni Council is setting up the world’s largest molecular diagnostic lab in Mumbai, Maharashtra named ‘MegaLab Mumbai’. Recently, the council has partnered with a CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR–IGIB), to conduct research on spread of COVID–19 and patient data analysis. The IIT Alumni Council is the largest association of alumni, students and teachers from all the 23 IITs and partnering technical institutes.

 Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched ‘Aatamanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM)’ portal. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) based portal will provide a digital platform to the employers to evaluate the availability of skilled workforce, in their hiring process. The portal also helps the workforce to attain industry–relevant skills and search for job opportunities.

 As per the recent data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Tamil Nadu has topped market borrowings among states in the country during 2020–21. Tamil Nadu has raised Rs 30500 crores so far, which is approximately 17% of the borrowings made through issuing bonds. Maharashtra has raised Rs 25000 crores, which is 14% of the borrowings. The state of Tamil Nadu is expected to sustain a revenue shortfall of Rs 12,000– Rs 13,000 crore in a month, due to the effect of lock–down.

 The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has recently launched a report on “Cancer preparedness in Asia–Pacific: Progress towards universal cancer control”. As per the report, India has been ranked eighth for cancer preparedness among 10 Asia–Pacific countries including Australia, China, Japan among others. Australia tops the Asia–Pacific region, followed by South Korea and Malaysia.

 The United Nations declared July 12 as ‘Malala Day’ every year, to honour the 16 year old Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, who was advocating the promotion of education of girls. On the same day in 2013, she delivered an inspiring speech at the United Nations (UN) headquarters on the need for gender equality in education. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate has recently completed her degree at the Oxford University.

 The United Arab Emirates has recently announced its plans to send its first Mars mission and it has become the first Arab country to do so. Until now, only the United States, India, USSR and the European Space Agency have successfully sent their Mars orbiter missions. China is in the process of launching its first Mars rover. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) is heading the Mars project of the UAE.

 The Union Shipping Ministry has issued a draft ‘Aids to Navigation Bill, 2020’ and sought suggestions from stakeholders and general public. This draft bill seeks to replace the colonial Lighthouse Act, 1927, which is over nine decades old. The bill seeks to empower the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) with additional power. It also proposes to include global best practices.

 The ‘World Population Day’ is observed across the world, on July 11 every year. The day was first celebrated in the year 1990. Inspired by the awareness created by ‘Five Billion Day’ on the same day in 1987 when the world’s population reached 5 billion, UNDP recommended the observance of Population Day on July 11. “Putting the brakes on COVID–19: how to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now” is the theme of the campaign for 2020.

 A place called Swabhiman Anchal located in Malkangiri district of Odisha was seen in news recently, as the first bus service was inaugurated there, after independence. The place also known as the cut–off area, was originally covered by water from three sides. The Gurupriya Bridge connects this remote region with the rest of the State. Until this passenger bus service, motor launches and boats were the only modes of communication.

 The head of Reliance Industries Ltd, Mukesh Ambani has moved up to become the fifth richest man in the world, as per the Hurun Research. Last month, the billionaire was at eighth position in the list. Now, he surpassed Warren Buffet and shares 5th rank with Tesla founder Elon Musk and Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. His net–worth rose to USD 78 billion. Earlier, Jio platforms had raised Rs 117,588 crore from global investors.

 Andhra Pradesh state government officials along with Non–Governmental Organizations (NGOs) launched ‘Operation Muskaan’ in the state. This week–long drive aims to trace the missing children, prevent child labour and bonded labour, and rescue children engaged in domestic works. Hundreds of children are being rescued in the drive and are united with parents or provided with shelters.

 The Union Government has appointed Vikram Doraiswami as the new high commissioner to Bangladesh. Prior to this appointment, he was the Additional Secretary in charge of International Organisations and Summits at the Foreign Ministry. Another Foreign Service Officer Rudrendra Tandon was named as the new envoy to Afghanistan. He is currently the Indian envoy to ASEAN at Jakarta.

 The CEO of Google Sundar Pichai has recently announced the launch USD 10 billion ‘India Digitization Fund’. This was announced at the ‘Google for India’ virtual live–stream event, which focused on accelerating India’s digital economy. Through this initiative, Google will invest about Rs 75000 Crores in India over the next 5 to 7 years. The fund will focus on enabling affordable access and information to every Indian.

 The Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan announced during the meeting with the 15th Finance Commission, that the Government is to gradually increase the public health expenditure to 2.5 percent of the country’s GDP by 2025. This is the government’s target of the National Health Policy 2017. He also confirmed that the primary health expenditure will be made about two–third of the total public health expenditure in the country.

 The Chairman of Tata Group N Chandrasekaran is selected for the US–India Business Council, USIBC Global Leadership Award this year. Along with him, the CEO of Lockheed Martin, Jim Taiclet will also receive the award. The USIBC Global Leadership Awards are conferred on executives to recognise their leadership and their contribution in promoting trade and business between India and the United States.

 Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has recently released a set of guidelines on Digital Education through online medium. It is named ‘PRAGYATA’, which includes eight steps of digital learning namely Plan – Review – Arrange – Guide – Yak (talk) – Assign – Track – Appreciate. It aimed at addressing teachers, parents, and students on coping with stress during digital learning and recommended screen time for children.

 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has postponed the 2022 Dakar Youth Olympics for four years, to 2026. This decision has been taken due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Youth Summer Games, to be held in Senegal’s capital, will be the first Olympics to be organised in Africa. The Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to be held in July 2021 and Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022.

 Union Shipping Minister has recently flagged off first trial container ship from Kolkata Port to Agartala through the Chattogram port of Bangladesh.  This trial run has been done under the Agreement on using Chattogram and Mongla Ports for movement of India’s transit cargo through Bangladesh. It will provide a shorter route to connect the North East Region of India through Bangladesh.

 As per the statement released by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), the Government has amended the import policy of Power tillers and its components from ‘free’ to ‘restricted’. The importer is required to seek a license from the DGFT for importing the product categorised as ’restricted’. This move is expected to curb the inward shipment of the equipment that comes mainly from China.

 The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy renamed the flagship Aarogyasri scheme into YSR AarogyaSri scheme in 2019. Recently, the services of the healthcare scheme have been extended to another six districts of the state, to provide affordable health services to all. The new services include cancer and dicoclera implant and other such procedures. In April, the scheme has been extended to COVID–19 treatment.

 Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda has been appointed as the first woman Prime Minister of the Central African country, Gabon. The President of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba has appointed the 56–year–old, who replaces Julien Nkoghe Bekale, who was appointed the Prime Minister in 2019. Prior to this appointment, she had served as the Budget Minister in 2012 and then in Defence Ministry.________________________________________

 According to a survey by Projects Today, an online database of projects, Tamil Nadu is the top investment destination in India in first quarter of 2019–20. The investment flow in the state amounts to Rs 18,236 crore, which is around 18.63 percent of the total fresh investment. The state has signed as many as 17 agreements in May 2020. It is followed by Maharashtra with investment flow of Rs 11,229 crore.

 India has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States, to store strategic reserves of Petroleum in the US. The countries are also planning to store oil in America’s strategic reserve to increase India’s oil reserves. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan co–chaired a virtual US–India Strategic Energy Partnership Ministerial with his American counterpart Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette.

 The Horticultural Department of Haryana is organising a five–day Sub–Tropical Fruit Expo 2020 till July 22. The expo is being organised at the Centre for Sub–Tropical Fruit at Ladwa that is an Indo–Israel project. The cultivation techniques of sub–tropical fruit are explained and streamed live on social media, so that the farmers can learn the technologies under the ‘Mera Pani – Meri Virasat’ crop diversification scheme.

 Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) is located in the state of Assam. Assam is witnessing heavy floods, which has affected around 40 lakh people. The Tiger reserve, which is also a UNESO World Heritage site, remains submerged in water, due to the heavy floods. As many as 86 animals have died, including rhinoceros, deer and wild boar. This year’s flood is said to be the sixth worst flood since 1988.

 Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has flagged off a ‘Plasma Donation Campaign’ at AIIMS, New Delhi. The campaign programme was co–organized by Delhi Police. As many as 26 police personnel who had recovered from COVID–19 volunteered to donate blood plasma. New Delhi has recently inaugurated the first Plasma bank of the country.

 On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first humans to land on the surface of the Moon. To commemorate the historic achievement, it is celebrated as the Space Exploration Day, which is also called as the Moon Day. US President John F. Kennedy had set a goal of ‘landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth within a decade.’ After Armstrong’s feat, the US launched six Apollo missions to the moon from 1969 and 1972.________________________________________

 The Jammu and Kashmir administration has approved insurance cover of ₹25 lakh to all panchayat members in the Union Territory. All elected BDC chairperson, sarpanches, panches and elected members of municipal bodies are covered in the event of death due to militancy.  Last month, a sarpanch was shot dead by militants in south Kashmir. The UT also made an amendment to grant short–term permits to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) on land up to 1 hectare, till September 30, 2021.

 US–India Business Council is set to play host to the ‘India Ideas Summit’ 2020 on July 22. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will deliver the keynote addresses. Discussions on the future of the U.S.–India Partnership, trade and investment, and the future of work in the COVID–era etc are to be undertaken in the summit. Various business and government leaders are to address the summit, including the External Affairs minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.

 As per the research study of the scientists, released in ‘Nature Climate Change’ scientific journal, Polar bears are pushed to extinction due to climate change. The study estimates that the carnivorous animal could nearly disappear within the span of a human lifetime. In 12 out of the 13 subpopulations analysed, Polar bears are estimated to be destroyed within 80 years.

 The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath has recently launched ‘Navin Rojgar Chhatri Yojana’. The scheme aims to promote the overall development of the people belonging to scheduled castes in the state. The Chief Minister also provided an assistance of around Rs 17.42 crore to more than 3000 people under the ‘Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Swarojgar Yojana’.

 Sumit Deb has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), the iron ore mining company of the country. Sumit Deb is serving as the Director (Personnel) in the NMDC. He succeeds N Baijendra Kumar who is set to superannuate this month–end. After the appointment, Sumit Deb will have tenure till 2023.

 UNICEF launched ‘YuWaah’ Generation Unlimited in India in the year 2019. It is a multi–stakeholder alliance that aims to impart skill development in adolescent boys and girls. Recently, Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs signed a Statement of Intent for partnership with UNICEF India, YuWaah India and United Nations in India. It aims to empower youngsters by providing them access to all socio–economic opportunities.

 Kala Narayanasamy, a 59–year–old Indian–origin nurse in Singapore has been conferred with the President’s Award for Nurses. She has been awarded for serving on the frontline during the COVID–19 pandemic, particularly for using infection control practices learnt during SARS outbreak in 2003. The 10,000 SGD –award is given to 5 nurses for their services.

 Grand Renaissance Dam is a Hydroelectric power plant being constructed in Ethiopia since 2011. The dam formerly known as the Millennium Dam, is in the Benishangul–Gumuz Region, on the Blue Nile river of Ethiopia. The construction has been in conflict as Sudan and Egypt fear that the hydroelectric dam could lead to water shortage in their countries.But Ethiopia insists that the it needs the USD 4 billion dam to generate electricity for its people. Recently, the three countries have accepted to resume talks on the dam.

 Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has flagged off a ‘Plasma Donation Campaign’ at AIIMS, New Delhi. The campaign programme was co–organized by Delhi Police. As many as 26 police personnel who had recovered from COVID–19 volunteered to donate blood plasma. New Delhi has recently inaugurated the first Plasma bank of the country.

 Gurugram–based Indian air carrier SpiceJet has been designated as Indian scheduled carrier to operate between India and the United States. SpiceJet is the first air–carrier to operate to the US after Air India. This approval has been given in terms of the Air Services Agreement between the Government of India and the Government of the United States of America. It has also been selected to operate to the United Kingdom.________________________________________

 The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved acquisition of Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. Along with the equity shareholding, the management control of the total share capital of Krishnapatnam Port company will be acquired, as per the statement of CCI.

 National Broadcasting Day is celebrated in India on July 23 every year. On the same day in the year 1927, the first ever radio broadcast in the country was carried out from the Bombay Station. The first broadcast was done by a private organisation called the Indian Broadcasting Company. At present, Prasar Bharati is the National public service broadcasting agency. It comprises of Doordarshan Television Network and All India Radio.

 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it has started to work on a new mission named ‘ASTHROS’. It stands for Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution Observations at Sub millimeter–wavelengths (ASTHROS). The mission aims to send a telescope on a football stadium–sized balloon into the stratosphere to observe far–infrared light, that is invisible from the Earth. It is proposed to be launched in 2023 from Antarctica.

 Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar has virtually inaugurated a world–class Honey Testing Laboratory. The state of Art laboratory has been established by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) with support of National Bee Board (NBB), in Anand, Gujarat. Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare has approved the National Bee Keeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) for a period of 2 years.

 Income Tax Day is celebrated on July 24 by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and all field offices. On the same day in the year 1860, Income tax was originally introduced in India by Sir James Wilson, to compensate for the losses incurred during the first war of independence. This is the 160th anniversary of Income Tax Day.

 National Intelligence Grid “NATGRID” is an attached office under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. It aims to allow investigation and law enforcement agencies to access real–time information. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is to partner with the NATGRID to share the financial details of any entity with 10 agencies including the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and the NIA. This information sharing mechanism is done under the NATGRID platform.________________________________________

 Union Minster for micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector Nitin Gadkari launched a mentoring platform named ‘RestartIndia’. The platform has been conceptualised by Muthoot Fincorp and INKtalks. Restart India is a single platform which provides information on various schemes being implemented by the government. It also helps the businesspersons to connect with experts from various sectors.

 As per the recent statement from the Indian Railways, they will hand over as many as 10 broad–gauge diesel locomotives to Bangladesh. Bangladesh had earlier sent a proposal to India in for procurement, as 72% of its present locomotives are at the verge of crossing their economic life. The country will deploy them for both intra–country and inter–country rail transport.

 The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) has entered into a partnership with IIT Delhi under the ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’ (UBA) programme. The scheme aims to connect higher education institutions with villages for economic and social betterment of rural areas. A MoU was signed between TRIFED, IIT Delhi and Vijnana Bharati for the implementation. Under ‘Van Dhan’ programme, tribal entrepreneurs will be provided guidance from academic and research institutions.

 The Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal has unveiled three Special Surveillance Quadcopters and an Anti–degradation Quick Response Vehicle, for surveillance in forest areas. These vehicles will be deployed to strengthen surveillance and reduce man–animal conflict by the Forest Department. The surveillance drone will be used to identify poaching in the national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and other reserve forests.

 India and the United Kingdom has organised the 14th Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting virtually. The meeting was co–chaired by Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Elizabeth Truss. Both the countries confirmed their shared commitment to a Free Trade Agreement.

 India and the European Union are set to renew the Agreement on Scientific cooperation for the next five years, 2020–2025. This was announced at the virtual 15th India–EU Summit, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen led the EU. The mentioned Agreement was initially signed in 2001 and has been renewed two times in 2007 and 2015.

 Haryana will host the fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, in Panchkula. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that unlike the usual schedule of January, the tournament has been postponed due to the Covid–19 pandemic. It will be participated by all states with over 10000 sportspersons.

 The Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently signed an order that bans all imports of wildlife either dead or alive including eggs and larvae. The order also includes tougher penalties for crimes involving the trade in wildlife. Amidst the coronavirus spread, this ban has been imposed in Vietnam, which is a popular destination for endangered wildlife products used in medicine or cuisine.________________________________________

 The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) is to set up its own Cotton warehouse in Vietnam, to boost Exports. A government–to–government Memorandum of Understanding is also being prepared to export 1.52 million bales of cotton to Bangladesh. CCI holds surplus stocks of cotton before the next harvest season and this plan has been made.

 Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh has topped the list of aspirational districts ranked by Niti Aayog for the February–June 2020 period. Ri–Bhoi district in Meghalaya and Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh have been placed at the second and third positions respectively. This delta ranking considers incremental progress made by over 112 aspirational districts across six developmental areas including Health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion, skill development and basic infrastructure.