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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Cabinet Approvals on July 25, 2019
i. Approval to the sale of 481.79 acres of land held by FACT to the Government of Kerala and utilization of the sale proceeds by FACT
ii. Approval to the merger/amalgamation of NIMH with ICMR-NIOH
iii. Approval to the creation of buffer stock of 40 LMT of sugar for a period of one year from August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020
iv. Approval to the determination of ‘Fair and Remunerative Price’ of sugarcane payable by sugar mills for 2019-20 sugar season …………………………..Click here to Read more
POCSO (Amendment) Bill, 2019 with provision of death penalty passed by Rajya Sabha
i. On July 24, 2019, Rajya Sabha passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which provides for death penalty to the culprits in the cases of sexual assault and stringent punishments for other crimes against children.
ii. It provides for the levy of fines and imprisonment up to 5 years to curb child pornography. In the event of a second or subsequent conviction, the punishment would be up to seven years and fine…………………………….Click here to Read more
Piyush Goyal reviews preparations of India’s Participation in Dubai World Expo 2020
i. On July 25,2019, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal reviewed the preparations for the construction of the India Pavilion at the Dubai World Expo 2020.
ii. The expo will take place for 6 months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021 with the theme of the Expo is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” with three sub themes include Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.
iii. India Pavilion to be a Permanent Showcase for the Country in Dubai & is being constructed in the ‘Opportunity’ segment. It showcase entertainment industry, the hospitality and tourism sector, cultural diversity of India, etc.,and will have stalls displaying Indian handlooms. It will also showcases 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi being celebrated in 2019…………………………………..Click here to Read more
MoHUA proposes light urban rail ‘Metrolite’ for smaller cities
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has proposed light urban rail transit system – ‘Metrolite’ in small cities and towns which have a lower projection of ridership. Each train will have 3 coaches with the capacity of carrying 300 passengers and it will have a restricted speed of 25 kmph. It will act as a feeder system to high capacity Metro and will be developed on surface and elevated stretches.
Key Points:
i. MoHUA has issued standard specifications of the ‘Metrolite’ system.
ii. Financial assistance will be provided to the states by the Centre to implement the project.
iii. It will have a dedicated path separating the road traffic with it.
iv. The maximum operational speed of the Metrolite is 60 kmph.
About MoHUA:
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi
♦ Founded: 1952
♦ Minister In-charge: Hardeep Singh Puri (MOS independent charge)
Inter-State River Water disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019 introduced in LS seeks to amend the Inter State River Water Disputes Act, 1956
On July 25, 2019, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat introduced the Inter State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill 2019 that seeks to amend the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 to resolve water disputes in a time-bound manner.
Key points:
Key features of the bill:
i. It proposes the Central Government to set up Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC), for resolving any inter-state water dispute.
ii. It also proposes to set up single, permanent Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal to adjudicate on inter-state river water disputes to streamline existing dispute redressal mechanism. This tribunal can have multiple benches.
ii. Structure: It will comprises Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and not more than six nominated members (judges of Supreme Court or of a High Court), nominated by Chief Justice of India (CJI).A retired Supreme Court judge will head the tribunal.
iii. Time frame: The proposed tribunal has to give its decision on dispute within a period of 2 years.
iv. Currently there are nine Tribunals including those on Cauvery, Mahadayi, Ravi and Beas, Vansadhara and Krishna rivers.
Amit Shah to chair panel on sexual harassment at workplace
On July 24, 2019, The Union Government has reconstituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to examine frameworks for dealing with matters of sexual harassment of women at the workplace with Home Minister Amit Shah, replacing his predecessor Rajnath Singh, as its head.
Key points:
i. The other members of the new panel include Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Human Resource Development Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
ii. The previous panel, which made no public recommendations, had been set up in 2018 after the #MeToo online campaign to out alleged sexual harassers had the members include then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and then Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, then Home minister Rajnath Singh.
iii. The new panel will hold consultations with all stakeholders and thoroughly examine existing legislation.
iv. In 2018, Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD) has launched an Electronic Complaints Box ‘SHe-Box’ that enables women, irrespective of their work status, to raise their voice against sexual harassment at workplace.
British Council of India and The Universities UK International (UUKi) launched UKIERI mobility program
The British Council of India and Universities UK International have joined hands together for the launch of UKIERI Mobility Programme: Study in India. It is a study in India bilateral pilot program in which UK universities will send the UK students to India, collaborating with Indian partners of this program, for the students’ study and research work.
Key points
The aim of the program is to generate up to 200 opportunities to the UK universities’ undergraduate students by March 2021
i. According to the UUKi’s campaign, “Go International: Stand Out”, it is expected that outward student mobility from the UK would increase to 13% by 2020 in India.
ii. This program will give priority to students from underprivileged groups.
iii. This program is funded by the UK and Indian government as part of phaseIII of UK-India Education Research initiative.
British Council
♦ It is the UK’s international organization for cultural relationships and educational opportunities.
♦ Headquarters- London, UK
♦ CEO- Ciarán Decane
♦ Headquarters in India- New Delhi.
New Vande Bharat express completes Delhi-Katra trial run
On July 23, 2019, The trial run of India’s fastest second Vande Bharat Express (also known as Train 18) on New Delhi to Katra( Jammu and Kashmir) route was successfully conducted by Indian Railways’ Northern Railway zone.
Key points:
i. Vande Bharat: The train designed and manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, run at a speed of 160 km per hour & it reduces travel time between Delhi-Katra from 12 hours to 8 hours.
ii. Modern features: Unlike the first Vande Bharat Express (flagged off by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 February 2019 from New Delhi to Varanasi) was criticized for lack of sufficient pantry space, the new upgraded train has been provided with more space to store meals for passengers.
iii. It has also been equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard hotspot Wi-Fi, bio-vacuum toilets and other technical improvements based on passenger feedback.
iv. The Delhi-Katra express will have three stops include Ambala, Ludhiana, and Jammu.
v. The 2nd high-speed train will also help devotees who visit Vaishno Devi temple Shrine.
Gujarat tops in solar rooftop installations in India
On July 23, 2019, Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy and Power R K Singh informed that Gujarat was ranked first in the installation of rooftop solar projects in India with an installed capacity of 261.97 megawatts (MW), out of which 183.51 MW were subsidised installations and 78.45 MW was non-subsidised. It was followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu with 198.52 MW and 151.62 MW respectively.
Key Points:
i. At present, the total rooftop solar installation in India is 1,700.54 MW.
ii. Under the Grid Connected Rooftop Solar programme, government provided total financial assistance and incentives of Rs 678.01 crore in 2016-17, Rs 169.73 crore in 2017-18 and Rs 446.77 crore in 2018-19.
iii. The government has set the target to install 40,000 MW of rooftop solar projects by 2022, including installation of RTS on the rooftop of houses.
Budget Allocation:
For 2019-20, the union government has allocated Rs 3,004.90 crore for solar power sector, including both grid-interactive and off-grid projects.
BANKING & FINANCE
Deputy CM of Tripura, Jishnu Dev Varma announces projects worth Rs.1925 crore by ADB
Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura, Jishnu Dev Varma announced that Rs.1,925 crore worth of amount is sanctioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for power generation up-gradation and distribution projects in the state. Dev Varma, who is also the power minister of the state said that the amount was sanctioned to the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL).
Key points
The up-gradation projects are:
- Upgrading capacity of 63 MW Rokhia Project located at West Tripura district, to 120 MW at a cost of Rs. 699.80 crore
- Modernising Gumti Hydro ElectricProject located at Gumti district, a cost of Rs1225.88 crores.
- The North East Council sanctioned Rs 7 crore for repair work and maintenance of the 49.15 km-long Ambassa-Gandacherra power transmission line.
ADB
♦ Abbreviation- Asian Development Bank
♦ Headquarters- Mandaluyong,Philippines
♦ Founded- 19 December 1966
♦ President- Takehiko nakao
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Indians’ unaccounted wealth abroad is estimated at $216.48 billion- $490 billion between 1980 and 2010: Studies
i. As per the report titled ‘Status of Unaccounted Income/Wealth Both Inside and Outside the Country – A Critical Analysis’ of the Standing Committee on Finance headed by M Veerappa Moily, 3 separate studies which were conducted by 3 premier institutes- The National Institute of Public Policy and Finance (NIPFP), National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and the National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM) showed that the held by Indians was estimated in the range of $216.48 billion to $490 billion over various periods between 1980 and 2010.
ii. The unaccounted income was highest in the sectors like real estate, mining, pharmaceuticals, pan masala, gutkha, tobacco, bullion, commodity, film, and education. But there was no reliable estimates of black money generation or accumulation. The estimates were based on the underlying assumptions and the sophistication of adjustments incorporated…………………………Click here to Read more
GDP growth to be at 6.8% in FY20: DBS
Singaporean lender DBS estimated that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India will be 6.8% in FY 2020. It stated that the Indian economy will be unable to achieve the 7% growth.
Key Points:
i. It estimated that the growth will “soften” in the first half of the fiscal and rise in the second half on base effect.
ii. The focus on fiscal consolidation and low inflation will help the monetary policy to be more growth-oriented.
iii. Reasons for slow growth include poor monsoon and rural income & consumption will be pressured by the persistent negative terms of trade in the agricultural sector.
About DBS Bank:
♦ It was known as The Development Bank of Singapore Limited.
♦ Headquarters: Singapore
♦ CEO: Piyush Gupta
PayPal opens third Global Technology Centre in Hyderabad
On July 23, 2019, An online payment solutions provider PayPal Holdings, Inc has opened a 3rd Global Technology Centre at Western Aqua at Kondapur in Hyderabad, Telangana after Bengaluru and Chennai.
Key points:
i. The Nasdaq-listed firm launched the Centre as a part of an expansion of its India footprint. The expansion follows the acquisition of fraud prevention platform Simility in 2018.
ii. The new center which accommodates about 100 engineers & will focus on data science, risk management, machine learning, and operations to provide digital payments solutions to its customers around the world.
iii. It was working with its partners on data localization as mandated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
iv. It will also play a major role in advancing the digitization goals set by the Government by enabling new-age businesses to adopt digital payments in a safe and secure manner.
About Paypal:
♦ Founded: December 1998
♦ Headquarters: California U.S.
♦ Chairman: John Donahoe
♦ President and CEO: Dan Schulman
About Telangana:
♦ Founded: 2 June 2014
♦ Capital: Hyderabad
♦ Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao
♦ Governor: Shri E.S Lakshmi Narasimhan
DCC imposes penalty of Rs.3050 crore on Airtel, Vodafone Idea on recommendations by TRAI
The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) , on recommendations by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), approved the penalty of Rs.3050 crore to be imposed on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for not providing points of interconnection to Reliance as TRAI recommended imposing a total penalty to those network operators for allegedly denying interconnectivity to Reliance Jio in October 2016.
Key points
i. The DCC, which is an apex decision-making body of the Department of Telecom (DoT), last month approved imposing a penalty.
ii. But citing the ‘present financial health of the sector’, the Commission decided to seek TRAI’s views on revising the Rs.3,050-crore suggested penalty before imposing the fine.
iii. Telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan told that the same recommendation will be sent to the competing authority by DCC for their decision.
TRAI
♦ Headquarters- New Delhi
♦ Chairman- Ram Sewak Sharma
♦ Formed- 20 February 1997
DCC
♦ The Telecom Commision was rechristened as Digital Communications Commision in the year 2018.
NTPC & BHEL ink pact to set up 800 MW TDP in Sipat, Chhattisgarh
On July 24, 2019, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) signed a pact, forming a joint venture (JV) company, to set up an 800 MW Technology Demonstration Plant (TDP) at NTPC’s existing power plant in Sipat, Chhattisgarh. It will be the world’s most efficient and environment-friendly coal-fired power plant.
Key Points:
i. It will be based on the Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) technology which marks a significant improvement in operational parameters over contemporary super-critical technology.
ii. It will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20% as compared to conventional sub-critical technology.
iii. It will support the fulfillment of the NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) committed by India as part of the Paris Climate Agreement.
About NTPC:
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi
♦ Founded: 7 November 1975
♦ CMD: Gurdeep Singh
About BHEL:
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi
♦ Founded: 1964
♦ CMD: Nalin Shinghal
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Reliance Industries become India’s highest-ranking company in the “Fortune Global 500 list 2019”
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) has become the top-ranked Indian company to feature in the latest “Fortune Global 500 list 2019” with a jump of 42 places. It ranked 106th in the list.
Key Highlights:
i. Reliance Industries (RIL) overtakes state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), which had been the top-ranked Indian company on the list and was first on the Fortune India 500 list which was started in 2010. Now IOC ranked 117 in the list with registering a jump of 20 spots.
ii. RIL’s revenue increased to $82.3 billion in 2019 from $62.3 billion in 2018 (32.1% increment).While IOC registered $77.6 billion from $65.9 billion, a 17.7 percent growth in revenue.
iii. In 2018, RIL was ranked 148th and IOC was at 137th place.
iv. Walmart (US) topped Fortune’s list followed by Sinopec Group of China.
Other Indian companies in Fortune Global 500 list:
Other Indian companies in the list are Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC-160), State Bank of India (SBI- 236), Tata Motors (265), Bharat Petroleum Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL- 275) and Rajesh Exports (495).
Fortune Global 500 list– Top 10:
| Rank | Company | Country |
| 1 | Walmart | United States |
| 2 | Sinopec Group | China |
| 3 | Royal Dutch Shell | British – Dutch |
| 4 | China National Petroleum | China |
| 5 | State Grid | China |
| 6 | Saudi Aramco | Saudi Arabia |
| 7 | BP plc | London, UK |
| 8 | Exxon Mobil | US |
| 9 | Volkswagen | Germany |
| 10 | Toyota Motor | Japan |
About RIL:
♦ Founded: 8 May 1973
♦ Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani
♦ Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Fortune Global 500:
It is an annual ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue and the list is compiled and published by Fortune magazine.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Ajay Kumar Bhalla, an IAS Officer, appointed as OSD in MHA
i. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed Ajay Kumar Bhalla as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) with immediate effect.
ii. He succeeds Rajiv Gauba who retires on August 31, 2019. A 1984-batch Assam- Meghalaya cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer will serve in the office for 2 years till August 2021………………………….Click here to Read more
Ehsan Mani to chair financial committee of ICC
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Ehsan Mani has been appointed second time as chairman of the ICCs Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee. He was previously appointed as the first-ever chairman of ICC’s (International Cricket Council) F&CA committee between 1996 and 2002.
i. He was recommended by ICC chairman Shashank Manohar in the ICC annual conference that was held in London recently.
ii. The main work in the F&CA committee is to negotiate broadcast media rights deal.
iii. On his previous appointment as F&CA chair, he negotiated the first-ever broadcast deal worth $550million.
iv. He is also included in the ICC Audit Committee, chaired by India’s Yuvraj Narayan.
Other members of F&CA committee
i. Indra Nooyi (independent director), Amitabh Choudhury (BCCI acting secretary), Chris Nenzani (CSA President), Imran Khawaja (ICC vice-chairman), Earl Eddings (CA chairman) and Colin Graves (ECB chairman).
ii. ICC chairman -Shashank Manohar and ICC chief executive officer Manu Sawhney will act as the F&CA ex-officio members.
ICC
♦ Headquarters- Dubai, UAE.
♦ Motto- cricket for good
♦ Abbreviation- international cricket council.
President’s secretary Sanjay Kothari gets a 3-year extension in post
On July 24, 2019, The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the tenure extension of Sanjay Kothari (a 1978-batch IAS officer Haryana) as President’s secretary. His extension of service will be effective parallel to the President’s tenure or till further orders.
Key points:
i. Kothari, who retired in the year 2016, was appointed by the President as his secretary. He will now remain his secretary until the end of President Kovind’s tenure (25 July 2022).
ii. After retiring from the post of Secretary of Personnel and Training, Kothari was appointed Chairman of Public Enterprises Selection Board.
IFS Sanjeev Kumar Singla appointed as PS to PM
On July 23, 2019, The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, notified that Sanjeev Kumar Singla, a 1997 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer, was appointed as the Private Secretary (PS) to the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in Level-14 with effect from June 14, 2019. He was the PS to PM since 2014. But was recently appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the State of Israel.
Other Appointments:
i. A 1996 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Gujarat cadre, Rajeev Topno, was also appointed as the Private Secretary to PM Modi “on a co-terminus basis or until further orders.”
ii. Hiren Joshi and Pratik Doshi were appointed as Officers on Special Duty (OSD) to PM. Hiren Joshi was appointed as OSD in the Communications and Information Technology Department and Pratik Doshi was appointed in the Research and Strategy Department.
Priti Patel became UK’s First Indian-Origin Home Secretary
Member of Parliament (MP) Priti Patel became the United Kingdom’s (UK) first Indian-origin home secretary. She was appointed by new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
i. Patel of Conservative Party succeeds Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid.
ii. Besides Patel, Indian origin Rishi Sunak was appointed as the chief secretary to the treasury and Alok Sharma was appointed as the secretary of state for international development.
About UK:
♦ Capital: London
♦ Currency: Pound sterling
Bandhan Bank appoints Sanjeev Naryani as Head of Business for all divisions
On July 22, 2019, Private sector lender Bandhan Bank has appointed Sanjeev Naryani as its head of the business. He will lead the branch banking, wholesale banking, agri-business, retail lending, third-party products and digital banking verticals at the bank.
Key points:
i. Narayani worked with the State Bank of India(SBI) as a CGM(Chief General Manager). He has 32 years of experience with SBI and handled various leadership positions in liability and lending businesses and treasury.
ii. Bandhan Bank registered a net profit of Rs 701 crore in the June quarter of 2019-20 & it also witnessed a “very good” deposit growth in March quarter of 2019.
About Bandhan Bank
♦ Founded: 23 August 2015
♦ Headquarters Kolkata, West Bengal
♦ Chairman: Dr. Anup Kumar Sinha
♦ MD & CEO: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
♦ Tagline: Aapka Bhala, Sabki Bhilai
Tesla Co-founder and CTO, JB Straubel to resign
The Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CFO) of Tesla, JB Straubel will step down as an executive of the concern after 16 years of service. He will take on an advisory role of the company.
i. The vice president of technology, Drew Baglino will succeed JB Straubel.
ii. He was a part of Tesla since 2003.
About Tesla:
♦ Headquarters: Palo Alto, California, U.S.
♦ CEO: Elon Musk
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
PENCIL Portal: 361 Complaints of Child Labour Resolved
Union Minister of Labour & Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar (MoS) informed that 361 Complaints of Child Labour were resolved out of the 1010 complaints received, through the Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour (PENCIL) Portal. Through the portal, online complaints regarding child labour can be filed by anybody and the complaint gets assigned to the concerned Nodal Officer automatically by the system for further necessary action.
About PENCIL Portal:
It was launched on September 26, 2017 to ensure effective enforcement of the provisions of the Child Labour Act 1986 and smooth implementation of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme. It’s components are Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence.
About NCLP Scheme:
It is a Central Sector Scheme and was implemented for the rehabilitation of child labour. Funds are provided directly to the District Project Societies headed by District Magistrate/Collector/Deputy Commissioner who in turn allocate the funds to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)/Voluntary Agencies, etc. for running of Special Training Centres. Funds allocated for the year 2018-19 is Rs 89.99 crore.
“Dracaena cambodiana”, India’s first dragon blood-oozing tree discovered in Assam
A three-member research team led by Assam forest officer Jatindra Sarma has discovered Dracaena cambodiana, a dragon tree species in Dongka Sarpo area of West Karbi Anglong district in Assam.
This is the first time that a dragon tree species, whose sap turns bright red after coming in contact with air has been reported from India.
Key points:
i. Journal: The discovery has been published in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.
ii. Family: In India, from the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), the genus dracaena is represented by nine species and two varieties in the Himalayan region, the northeast and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands.
iii. Uses: The plant that yields the dragon’s blood, a bright red resin is one of the renowned traditional medicines used in different cultures of the world. It has got several therapeutic uses namely, antifungal and antibacterial, wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, etc
iv. Threat: overexploitation to meet the increasing demand for dragon’s blood has resulted in speedy depletion of the plant.
About Assam:
♦ Capital: Dispur
♦ Governor: Jagdish Mukhi
♦ Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
ENVIRONMENT
Scaly-Foot Snail became the first-ever species endangered due to deep-sea mining
On July 18, 2019, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added Scaly-Foot Snail to its updated Red List of Endangered Species. Scaly-Foot Snail (Sea Pangolin)-Chrysomallon squamiferum became the first-ever species endangered due to deep-sea mining.
i. They are found at only 3 spots of Indian Ocean Floor near Madagascar.
ii. The report was published in Nature Journal.
Odisha renews efforts to revive Gharial- crocodile species
Gharial is critically endangered species of crocodile, native to sandy freshwater river banks in the plains of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Also known as Gavial, the renewed efforts to protect these crocodiles were taken by the Odisha government by releasing five reptiles (3 females and 2 male) into the Satkosia gorge of Mahanadi – the southernmost limit of gharials’ home range.
i. These five gharials, bred in Nandankanan Zoological Park were individually marked and fitted with a transmitter before releasing them.
ii. They will help in gathering information about their migration and factors affecting their survival.
Key points
i. The government has planned to release 30 gharials in the future (10 per year).
ii. The technical assistance for biotelemetry is provided by the Gharial Telemetry Project and The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust.
iii. The scientific name of gharials is Gavialis gangeticus.
Odisha
Odisha is the only State in India to have all three species – Gharial, mugger and saltwater crocodile. The State forest department began conservation of these crocodile species in 1975.
♦ Cm- Naveen Patnaik
♦ Boundaries- West Bengal to the northeast, Jharkhand to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west and northwest, and Andhra Pradesh to the south.
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SPORTS
Boxing Legend Manny Pacquiao Wins WBA Super Welterweight title 2019
Filipino professional boxer, Manny Pacquiao (40) claimed the WBA (World Boxing Association) welterweight championship 2019 by defeating Keith Thurman of US at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, United States.
Key points:
i. Two judges scored it 115-112 in favour of Pacquiao, while one judge scored it 114-113 to Thurman.
ii. The eight-division world champion Pacquiao has improved to 62-7-2 score with 39 knockouts.
iii. Currently serves as a senator of the Philippines, he has won 12 major world titles as well as being the first boxer to win the lineal championship in five different weight classes.
iv. In 2009, he won the “Best Fighter ESPY Award “ & currently ranks No. 4 in BoxRec’s ranking of the greatest pound for pound boxers of all time.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Book on former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar released by PM Narendra Modi
Book on the former prime minister of India, Chandra Shekhar, named, “Chandra Shekhar – The Last Icon of Ideological Politics” was released by the prime minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The book was released at the Balayogi Auditorium, Parliament Library Building in NewDelhi and is written by Shri Harivansh, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, and Shri Ravi Dutt Bajpai.
Key points
The first copy of the book was presented to the Vice President of India, Shri Venkaiah Naidu by Shri Narendra Modi.
i. This book talks about the legacy of the former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, both about his personal life as well as public administration.
ii. A museum for all Indian prime ministers was announced and invited all their families to the book launch and share their aspects of life.
Chandra Shekar
♦ He was the 8th prime minister of India.
♦ Born- July 1, 1927
♦ Died- July 8, 2007
A Coffee Table Book showcasing the history and achievements of the ‘Fire & Fury Corps’ released in Leh
On July 23,2019, A Coffee Table Book titled ”Fire and Fury Corps -Saga of Valour, Fortitude and Sacrifice” showcasing the history and achievements of the ‘Fire & Fury Corps’ which guards the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, was released by Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command at Leh .
Key points:
i. It was released when the nation is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas.
ii. It documents the courage and bravery of the Fire and Fury Warriors and portrays the rich heritage and ethos of the Indian Army.
iii. It also covers the serenity and mysticism of Ladakh and its people, as a tribute to the symbiotic relationship shared by the Indian Army and the people of Ladakh.
“Indo-Pak Relations: Beyond Pulwama and Balakot” book authored by Dr. U V Singh released
The book titled “Indo-Pak Relations: Beyond Pulwama and Balakot” authored by Dr. U V Singh was released during the “Book Launch & Discussion” event in New Delhi. It deals with the fundamental causes of the Indo-Pak conflict. It is published by Pentagon Press.
STATE NEWS
Former Lok Sabha MP and founder of Marxist Coordination Committee A.K. Roy passed away
Arun Kumar [A.K.] Roy, former Lok Sabha MP and founder of Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC) passed away due to multi-organ failure in Dhanbad. He was 90.
i. He was born in erstwhile East Bengal (now Bangladesh) was a three-time MP from Dhanbad, Jharkhand.
ii. He won the Lok Sabha seat thrice from Dhanbad in 1977, 1980 (as an Independent) and 1989(as a candidate for the MCC) besides representing Sindri seat in Bihar Assembly in 1967, 1969 and 1972.
iii. He actively participated in Bihar Band agitation on August 9, 1966, and sent to jail. As he opposed the Bihar state government, he was dismissed from the job in Projects and Development India Limited (PDIL).
iv. He opposed the increase in perks and pension proposals in 1989 for MPs (member of parliament).
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