Current Affairs 3 July 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 3 July 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Ramesh Pokhriyal releases Report on UDISE+ 2019-20 for School EducationUnion Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ released the report on ‘United District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2019-20’ for School Education in India. It is the official statistics system of the Ministry of Education (MoE).
Key Points from the Report

• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has improved at all levels of school education in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19. Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) has also increased at all levels of school education.
• Enrolment of girls from primary to higher secondary is more than 12.08 crore, an increase of 14.08 lakh compared to 2018-19.
• The Gender Parity Index (GPI) at both Secondary and Higher Secondary levels have improved.
• Total Students in school education from pre-primary to higher secondary has crossed 26.45 crore in 2019-20, which is an increase of 42.3 lakh compared to 2018-19.
• Only 39% of schools in India had computers, while only 22% had an internet connection in 2019-20.

UDISE+ 2019-20
UDISE+ is a system of online data collection from schools which was developed in the year 2018-19. The real-time data is collected by the Department of School Education & Literacy, MoE.

• It is one of the largest Management Information Systems on School Education covering more than 1.5 million schools, more than 9.6 million teachers and more than 264 million children.
• The 2019-20 relates to UDISE+ data for the reference year 2019-20.

About Ministry of Education (MoE)
Union Minister – Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’  (Haridwar, Uttarakhand)
Minister of State – Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre (Akola, Maharashtra)
>>Read Full News

FIEO signs MoU with Aramex India to Support MSME Exporters in IndiaIn order to support Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) exporters with access to cost-efficient, seamless and reliable logistics solutions, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aramex India.

• As part of the MoU, Aramex will provide preferential pricing and online services for cross-border express shipments to FIEO members.
• On the other hand, this MoU will aid FIEO to reach cottage industries, artisans, house-wives, youths, MSMEs and clusters and raise awareness about adapting the export scenario.

Key Points:
i.FIEO members can access the Aramex services viz. creating pickup requests, preparing shipments, and making online payments through a dedicated Aramex banner on the FIEO website.
ii.Aramex will also provide helpdesk and paperwork support for shipping to first-time exporters and MSMEs on customs regulations in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
iii.FIEO members will get a flat 30% discount on routing service tariffs for express cross-border shipments with Aramex.
Point to be noted:
Indian e-commerce market is expected to grow to US $200 billion by 2026.
About Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO):
Director General & CEO– Dr Ajay Sahai
President– Sharad Kumar Saraf
Headquarter- New Delhi
About Aramex:
It is a multinational logistics, courier and package delivery company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Othman Aljeda
Headquarter– Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

CMPDI and CCL inked MoA for Development of Solar Power ProjectsOn July 1, 2021, a Memorandum of Association (MOA) was inked between the subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL) i.e. Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI) and Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) for the development of Solar Power Projects.

• This MoA aims to make CIL a Net Zero Energy company, as mandated by the Ministry of Coal.
• CIL currently has 8 subsidiaries.

Signatories:
It was signed by Ajoy Kumar Singh, General Manager (Electrical & Mechanical-E&M), CMPDI  and VK Singh, General Manager (E&M), CCL in the presence of Satendra Kumar Gomasta, Director (Technical/Coal Resource Development)), CMPDI and Manoj Kumar, Regional Director, RI-III, CMPDI.
Point to be noted:
CIL is all set for the formation of 14 rooftop and ground-mounted solar power projects of 3,000 megawatt (MW) capacity by 2024 at an estimated investment of Rs 13,500 crore.
About Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI):
It is a Mini Ratna Company initiated in 1973.
Chairman-cum-Managing Director– Manoj Kumar
Headquarter– Ranchi, Jharkhand
About Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL):
It is a Mini Ratna Company initiated in 1975 as NCDC Limited.
Chairman-cum-Managing Director– PM Prasad
Headquarter– Ranchi, Jharkhand

AJNIFM Partners with Microsoft to build Centre of Excellence with AI, Emerging TechOn July 01, 2021, Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM) made a strategic partnership and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to build a Centre of Excellence at AJNIFM, enabled with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and emerging technologies.

• The partnership mainly intends to transform the public finance management, expenditure management in India and prevent revenue leakages and money laundering by exploring the role of cloud, AI, and emerging technologies.
• Centre of Excellence: To develop a Centre of Excellence at AJNIFM to incorporate the ideas of AI in finance management across key associated ministries of AJNIFM. It will serve as a central body for research(AI-based) and tech-led innovation.
• They will organize strategic knowledge-sharing workshops and develop research papers along with industry experts to analyse the role of cloud, data and AI to reform public finance management.

About Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM):
Establishment – 1993, as a registered society under Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
Headquarters – Faridabad, Haryana
President of AJNIFM Society – Union Finance Minister (Current – Nirmala Sitharaman)
>>Read Full News

Prakash Javadekar e-inaugurated Asia’s longest & World’s 5^th largest HST in Pithampur, Indore (MP)On the lines of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Initiative, Union Minister Prakash Kehav Javadekar, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises (MoHI&PE) virtually inaugurated Asia’s longest and world’s 5^th largest 11.3 km NATRAX (National Automotive Test Tracks) High-Speed Track (HST) in India’s Pithampur district of Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

• The project NATRAX was built under NATRiP (National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project) of MoHI&PE. NATRiP is a 100% Government funded project worth Rs. 3727.30 crore.
• HST will be used for measuring the maximum speed capabilities of high-performance two-wheelers, premium luxury cars and heaviest tractor trailers and other categories of vehicles.

Features of NATRAX-HST:
i.It is an oval-shaped test track with four independent lanes each measuring 16 metres wide.
ii.It has been developed across 1,000 acres and its proving ground covers 2,900 acres.
iii.It is designed for neutral speeds of 250 kmph (kilometre per hour) and maximum speeds of up to 375 kmph on curbs. There is no limit to maximum speed on the straight patch.
iv.It has multiple test capabilities like measurements of maximum speed, acceleration, constant speed fuel consumption, emission tests through real road driving simulation, high-speed handling and stability evaluation during manoeuvre, among others.
Key Points:
i.With this HST now there is no need to send domestic vehicles and foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) like Volkswagen, FCA, Peugeot, Renault, Lamborghini etc. abroad for testing.
ii.The track is also open for vehicles from overseas for the testing process.

Government’s Flagship Programme ‘Digital India’ completes 6 yearsIndian Government’s Flagship Programme ‘Digital India’ completed 6 years on July 1, 2021. To commemorate this, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology organised a programme in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the beneficiaries.
Digital India (DI)
The programme was launched on July 1, 2015 with a funding of INR 1,13,000 crore.
i.The main objective of DI is to ensure that Government’s services are made available to citizens electronically by improved online infrastructure and making India digitally empowered in the field of technology. It also aims to connect rural areas with high-speed internet networks.
iii.The programme is centered on 3 key vision areas  – Digital Infrastructure as a Core Utility to Every Citizen, Governance & Services on Demand, and Digital Empowerment of Citizens.
iv.Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) is the primary custodian of the Digital India project.
v.Digilocker,SVAMITVA scheme,e-Sanjeevani scheme, apps & portals such as DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing), eNAM, DigiBunai & Arogya Setu App are the notable initiatives under Digital India Programme.
About Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY)
Union Minister – Ravi Shankar Prasad (Patna Sahib, Bihar)
Minister of State – Sanjay Dhotre (Akola, Maharashtra)
>>Read Full News

Govt Revised MSMEs Guidelines; Included Retail and Wholesale Trades On July 1, 2021, the Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) and Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has announced the Central Government’s revision of MSMEs guidelines and the inclusion of Retail and Wholesale trades as MSMEs.

• Earlier in the definition of MSME has only the manufacturing and service enterprises and it has not mentioned the retail and wholesale trade (Now added).

Benefits due to Inclusion:
i.The inclusion of retail and wholesale trade under MSME will enable the traders to get benefit from priority sector lending under RBI guidelines and they will also be allowed to register on Udyam Registration Portal.
ii.This initiative will benefit around 2.5 Crores of Retail and Wholesale Traders of the country.
iii.ECLGS: In June 2021, the Government has increased the Target Credit Line under Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) by Rs 1.5 Lakh crore. By which, the Target Credit Line under the ECLGS scheme has increased from INR 3 Lakh crore to INR 4.5 Lakh crore.

• This current initiative will support the retail and wholesale trades as they are named under MSMEs.

About Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME):
Union Minister– Nitin Jairam Gadkari
Minister of State – Pratap Chandra Sarangi

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

7th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium held at La Reunion ConcludesThe 7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), took place from 28 June to July 1, 2021 at La Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, which is an overseas department of France. It was hosted by the French Navy, France had assumed the Chairmanship of IONS on 29 June 2021, for a 2-year tenure.

• From the Indian side – Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy virtually participated in the event.
• IONS is a series of biennial meetings between the Littoral States of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It provides a forum to increase maritime security cooperation,discuss regional maritime issues, and promote friendly relationships among the member states.

IONS
IONS was initiated by the Indian Navy in 2008 to enhance maritime cooperation among Navies of Littoral states of the IOR. The inaugural IONS Seminar was held by the Indian Navy in 2008.

• Members – It consists of 24 Members & 8 Observers

About Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)
2021 Chair – France
Members – 24 & 8 Observers
Established – 2008
>>Read Full News

India to add 26 GW Hydro Projects by 2030: IEA ReportAccording to the ‘Hydropower Special Market Report – Analysis and forecast to 2030’ released by International Energy Agency (IEA) – India is expected to add 26 GW (or 26,000 MW) of Hydropower projects by 2030.

• At present, the installed capacity of the 207 hydropower projects running in India is 46,209 MW. More than 9,000 MW of large hydro projects are under construction at present.
• The Global hydropower capacity is set to increase by 17%, or 230 GW, between 2021 and 2030. China will remain the single largest hydropower market through 2030, accounting for 40% of the global capacity growth in the Hydropower sector.
• This is the 1st ever IEA market report dedicated exclusively to hydropower.

India & Hydro Energy sector
i.Hydropower’s share in the overall energy matrix of India has decreased from 40% in 1980 to 12% at present.

• In 2003, India launched a scheme for preparation of a preliminary feasibility report of 162 new hydro projects with a capacity of 47,930 MW.
• Out of this, only 2,377 MW are under construction and 96 MW are operating. Projects accounting for 17,350 MW were shelved due to environmental issues and local agitations.

Fact – The world’s largest hydroelectric facility is the Three Gorges Dam in China.
About  International Energy Agency (IEA)
Executive Director – Dr Fatih Birol
Headquarters – Paris, France
>>Read Full News

International Migrant Labour rises to 169 million – ILO reportInternational Migrant Workforce increases to 169 million in 2019, a rise of 5-million increase in total count or 3% rise compared to the figures of 2017, as per the “ILO Global Estimates on International Migrant Workers: Results and Methodology” report released by the United Nations International Labour Organisation (ILO).
i.This is also a 12.7 % increase from the 2013 estimate of 150 million migrant workers.
ii.Increase in the international migration will contribute to the migrant’s country of origin through remittance and other economic perspectives
Report Findings:
Asia-Pacific & Arab countries each host about 24 million migrant workers, while Africa has 13.7 million
Women constitute 41.5% and Men 58.5% of migrant workers.
Young Migrant labours participation saw a total of 10% in 2019 indicating high unemployment rates in developing countries
About International Labour Organization (ILO): 
Director-General – Guy Ryder
Founded – 1919
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI’s 23rd FSR 2021: Banks GNPA may Rise to 9.8% by March 2022On July 01, 2021, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the 23rd issue of its bi-annual Financial Stability Report (FSR) 2021. It estimated the Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPAs) to rise by 9.8 percent in March 2022 (as per the baseline scenario), from 7.48 percent in March 2021.

• GNPAs in March 2022 is estimated to be 11.22 percent as per the severe stress scenario. The report stated economic recovery in May and early June 2021.
• FSR: It is the bi-annual collective assessment of the ‘Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council’ (FSDC-SC) on risks to financial stability.
• The current report was based on RBI’s macro stress tests covering the Second Half-yearly(H2) (October – March) FY21.

H2 FY21 Projection of SCBs’ GNPA and NNPA Ratio:

About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
Establishment– 1st April 1935
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors –  Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
>>Read Full News

RBI Extended Interest Subsidy Scheme for Exporters till September 2021On July 1, 2021, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reported the Government of India’s(GoI) approval for the extension of the ‘Interest Equalization Scheme for Pre and Post Shipment Rupee Export Credit’ for 3 months, i.e., up to September 30, 2021.

• The extant operational instructions that are issued by RBI under the Scheme were also extended to remain in force up to September 30, 2021.
• The scheme was started on April 1, 2015, to provide subsidies to exporters on interest provided on pre-and post-shipment export credit.
• Under the scheme, in November 2018, GoI increased the Interest Equalisation rate from 3 percent to 5 percent in respect of exports by the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector manufacturers and extended the benefit of the scheme to all eligible MSME Exporters.

About Reserve Bank of India(RBI):
i.Key Appointments in RBI – Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister appoints the governor and deputy governors of RBI.
ii.Section 7 in The RBI Act, 1934, empowers the government to issue directions to the RBI governor.
iii.Shaktikanta Das – The 25th governor of RBI from 11 December 2018
>>Read Full News

LIC Launched ‘Saral Pension Plan’On July 1, 2021, the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India launched a non-linked, non-participating, single premium, individual ‘immediate annuity plan’ named ‘Saral pension plan’ as per the guidelines of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

• The plan allows policyholders to pay a lump sum amount as the purchasing price of the plan and to receive a fixed amount of money at regular intervals.

Key Points:
i.The 2 Annuity options of the Plan:
The Policyholders are provided with 2 options to choose the type of annuity on payment of a lump sum amount.

• Option I: Life Annuity with Return of 100 percent of Purchase Price.
• Option II: Joint Life Last Survivor Annuity with Return of 100 percent of Purchase Price on death of the last survivor.

ii.Eligibility:

• Minimum and Maximum Age at Entry: 40 years (completed)
• Maximum Age at Entry: 80 years (completed)
• Minimum Annuity: The policyholder could avail minimum annuity of Rs 12,000 per annum, Rs 6,000 per half-year, Rs 1,000 per month, and Rs 3,000 per quarter.
• Minimum Purchase price: Depend upon the mode of annuity
• Maximum Purchase Price: No Limit

iii.The plan also offers a loan facility after six months of the commencement of the policy.
About Life Insurance Corporation (LIC):
Establishment -1956
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman -M R Kumar

Enroute Technologies Launched OmniCard – a Prepaid Card for YoungstersAfter receiving the authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to issue and operate Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI), Eroute Technologies, a fintech company, has launched ‘OmniCard – a prepaid card for youngsters’ aged between 15-24 years.

• This is the 1st PPI launched by a non-bank payment system operator in India after the RBI allowed them to include more features into prepaid cards, bringing them on a par with payment banks.
• The OmniCard is powered by RuPay and it offers secure payment integrated with both online and offline payment options. The company is targeting to reach 230 million youth.

Background:
i.In April 2021, RBI mandated all PPIs such as mobile wallets and prepaid cards to become members of RBI-operated centralised payment systems—RTGS (real-time gross settlement) and NEFT (national electronic funds transfer).
ii.This will enable the users to use mobile wallets at ATMs and at point-of-sale terminals to withdraw cash. Click here to know more
iii.Bajaj Finance is the only other company that has received the PPI authorisation from RBI after April 2021.
About Eroute Technologies:
Headquarters – Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Co-founder, MD & CEO – Sanjeev Pandey

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

GIFT City collaborated with BRTSIF to enhance Fintech Innovation Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) has collaborated with BIL Ryerson Technology Startups Incubator Foundation (BRTSIF) to enhance fintech innovation. In this regard, Zone Startups India, a part of BRTSIF, will pursue ways to set up and promote a fintech hub in GIFT-SEZ (Special Economic Zone).

• This partnership will also support the Government of India’s vision for entrepreneurship development and innovation at GIFT.

Key Point:
Zone Startups will initiate a programme to attract domestic as well as international fintech and fintech-enabled start-ups in the areas of digital banking, crowdfunding, insure-tech, and prepaid payment instruments, among others.
Point to be noted:
i.GIFT City is India’s first smart city and international financial services centre (IFSC).
ii.BRTSIF is a joint venture between BSE Institute Mumbai and Ryerson University and Simon Fraser University, Canada
iii.The partners of BRTSIF are BSE Institute Ltd, BIL Ryerson Futures Pvt. Ltd, and Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST).
About Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City):
Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Tapan Ray
Headquarter– Gandhinagar, Gujarat
About Zone Startups:
Managing Director (MD)– Hemant Gupta
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Gita Gopinath, Kamlesh Lulla among 34 Immigrants to be Honoured by US FoundationInternational Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Chief Economist Gita Gopinath & National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Scientist Kamlesh Lulla have been named among the ‘2021 Great Immigrants’ honourees named by the Carnegie Corporation of Network, a US-based non-profit organisation.  A total of 34 immigrants representing 30 countries of origin have been named in the Class of 2021.

• The 2021 Class of Immigrants marks the 16th class of Great Immigrants. They will be recognised with a full-page public service announcement in the New York Times on the US Independence Day on July 4 and through a social media campaign.
• Each year, the foundation honours naturalised citizens of the US, who have enriched and strengthened the US society and democracy through their contributions and actions.
• It aims to increase public awareness of immigration’s role in the US.

Key Points
i.Gita Gopinath is an Indian American Economist, she hails from Kannur, India.  She has been holding the position of Chief Economist of IMF since 2019. In 2019, she was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honour that Indian government gives to overseas Indians and persons of Indian Origin.
ii.Kamlesh Lulla is a senior advisor for University Research and Technology Collaboration at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre and the former Chief Scientist for Earth Observations (Space Shuttle). In 2015 he was awarded Pravasi Bharatiya Samman.
Carnegie Corporation of New York

• The Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911. To date, more than 600 outstanding immigrants have been honoured by the Carnegie Corporation.

>>Read Full News 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

3-new Asteroids discovered by Indian Teacher-Student duo in IASC Citizen Science Programme3-new asteroids were discovered by Bala Bharathi, Principal of Bharathi Matriculation Higher Secondary School, and G. Aazhimukilan, B.Sc. Physics student from St. Joseph’s College from Trichy, Tamil Nadu. The discovery was a part of the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) Citizen Science Programme, organised by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
i.The 3 asteroids were temporarily named as BBM2101, BBM2102, and BBM2103.
ii.IASC’s International Asteroid Search Campaign promotes common citizens to develop a knowledge of Astronomical science by letting them identify new asteroids.
Procedure used:
Participants were provided with images from space telescope in Hawaii, to identify the possible moving objects
A special software called “Astronomica” will be used by participants to further track the potential asteroids
About NASA:
Established – 1958
Headquarters – Washington, D.C., United States
Administrator – Bill Nelson

OneWeb Launches 36 Satellites into Orbit36 Broadband Satellites of OneWeb (a venture backed by Bharti Airtel) were launched into orbit by a Soyuz rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Siberia, Russia.  The launch of the satellites will enable it to provide commercial internet services in areas of the Northern Hemisphere (areas north of 50th Degree Latitude) by the end of 2021.

• UK, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, Continental US, the Arctic Seas and Canada are the countries/regions which have been covered.
• This mission was the OneWeb 8, the eighth OneWeb launch since the first satellites launched in 2019, and will bring the total number of satellites in OneWeb’s blooming internet constellation up to 254.
• The launch marks the completion of OneWeb’s ‘Five to 50’ ambition to bring into orbit the satellites required to enable connectivity services to the Northern Hemisphere and above before the end of 2021.
• OneWeb is aiming to launch a total of 648 satellites to provide high-speed internet connectivity to customers around the world (SpaceX’s Starlink internet constellation is expected to have around 12,000 satellites).
• One Web will start full satellite broadband service in India by May 2022.

About OneWeb
CEO – Neil Masterson
Executive Chairman – Sunil Bharti Mittal
Headquarters – London, United Kingdom
>>Read Full News

ENVIRONMENT

2 new Species of Snails discovered in Western GhatsTwo different discoveries conducted by separate groups of researchers have identified 2-endemic species of snails from the West Ghats region.

• A species of nocturnal semi slug called as “Varadia amboliensis”, which is new to science world
• The “Snail of Sahyadri” which is compared to tiger due to its unique carnivore characters was discovered for the 1st time in Maharashtra’s Western Ghats region

About Western Ghats:
i.Western Ghats are also known as ‘Sahyadri’ in Maharashtra
ii.The Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats meet at the Nilgiri Hills
iii.Anaimudi is the highest peak in the Western Ghats & South India as a whole
>>Read Full News

SPORTS

Indian Men and Women Hockey teams remain at 4th & 10th in FIH rankings

In the recent rankings released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the positions of Indian Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams remain unaltered at 4th and 10th position respectively.
i.Australian Men’s team moved up to the top position, while Netherlands Women Team remains at the Top position in the World Hockey Rankings.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Released Dr. Gauri Shankar Sharma’s book “Janaksuta Sut Shaurya”Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister(CM) of Madhya Pradesh(MP) released a book titled “Janaksuta Sut Shaurya ” written by Dr Gauri Shankar Sharma ‘Gaurish’ at his residence in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
The book discusses the subject related to the Uttar Ramayana in simple and easy poetic forms.
Key People:
senior litterateurs Mahesh Saxena and Dr P.D. Mishra along with Anil Ajmera and Gokul Soni  were present during the release.
About Uttar Ramayana:

• The Uttar Ramayana is not a part of the Original Valmiki Ramayana which is supposedly written at a later date.
• The part deals with the return of Rama to Aayodhya, Ashwamedha yagna and his twin sons Luv and Kush.

Ashok Chakravarti’s New Book Titled “The Struggle Within: A Memoir of the Emergency”

HarperCollins released a new book titled “The Struggle Within – A Memoir of the Emergency” authored by Ashok Chakravarti, an economist and senior Economic Advisor to the Government of Zimbabwe, based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The book is published by HarperCollins India. 

• The book features the struggles during the Emergency period, one of independent India’s darkest hours.
• During the emergency period, more than 150,000 people were imprisoned without trial while around 11 million forcibly sterilized and many were killed in police firings or otherwise eliminated.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Crop Insurance week 2021 – 1 – 7 July 2021Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Ministry for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) flags off the observance of the Crop Insurance week 2021 from 1st – 7th July 2021 over a virtual platform.
He also launched the Crop Insurance Awareness Campaign during the event of Crop Insurance Week.
Kerala’s Crop Insurance Day 2021 – July 1:
i.July 1st is observed as the Crop Insurance Day 2021 by the State Agriculture Department, Kerala.
ii.The State Agriculture Department is organising a 2-week crop insurance campaign (July 1 to July 15 2021) with an aim to encourage the farmers to enrol for crop insurance coverage.
About Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW):
Union Minister– Narendra Singh Tomar (Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State– Parshottam Rupala (Rajya Sabha- Gujarat), Kailash Choudhary (Lok Sabha- Barmer, Rajasthan)
>>Read Full News

World Sports Journalists Day 2021 – July 2 World Sports Journalists Day is annually observed across the globe on 2nd July to recognise the efforts and devotion of the sports journalists across the globe. The day also celebrates the achievements of the sports journalists.
The day is celebrated across the globe by the International Sports Press Association (Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive, AIPS).
The term ‘Sports journalism’ refers to the reports on sporting topics, one of the essential elements of news media organizations.
Background:
World Sports Journalists Day was established by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) in 1994 to mark the 70th anniversary of the foundation of AIPS.

• AIPS was founded on July 2, 1924 during the Summer Olympics which was held in Paris, France.

About International Sports Press Association (APIS):
President– Gianni Merlo
Headquarters– Lausanne, Switzerland
Founded on– 2nd July 1924
>>Read Full News

66th Foundation Day of SBI – July 1 2021

On July 1 2021, the State Bank of India (SBI), the largest lender and the oldest commercial bank in India, has celebrated its 66th Foundation Day.

• On the same day in 1955, the Government of India took control of the Imperial Bank of India, with the Reserve Bank of India taking a 60 percent stake, renamed it as the State Bank of India.
• It has allocated Rs 62 crore to PM CARES Fund on its foundation day to support the fight against Covid-19.

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