Current Affairs: July 01-02, 2019
July 01-02, 2019
Jal Shakti Abhiyan for Water Conservation Launched
cUnion Jal Shakti Minister, Shri Gajendra
Singh Shekhawat, announced the
commencement of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan - a
campaign for water conservation and water
security. The campaign will run through
citizen participation during the monsoon season, from 1st July, 2019 to 15th September, 2019.
An additional Phase 2 will be run from 1st October, 2019 to 30th November, 2019 for States
receiving the North East retreating monsoons. The focus of the campaign will be on water
stressed districts and blocks.
Govt moves statutory resolution to extend Prez rule in J&K for 6 months
The Rajya Sabha approved a statutory resolution to
extend President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir for
another six months beginning July 3, 2019.. The
Upper House also cleared the Jammu and Kashmir
Reservation (amendment) Bill, two days after it
was passed by the Lok Sabha. The reservation bill
and the statutory resolution now await President
Ram Nath Kovind’s assent. Rajya Sabha chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said the reservation bill
had been passed unanimously.
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Current Affairs: July 01-02, 2019
‘One nation one ration card’ scheme from July 1, 2020
‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme, which
will allow portability of food security benefits,
will be available across the country from July 1,
2020. This means poor migrant workers will be
able to buy subsidised rice and wheat from any
ration shop in the country, so long as their ration
cards are linked to Aadhaar.
All the States have been given one more year to use point of sale (PoS) machines in the ration
shops and implement the scheme, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told journalists on
Saturday. Already, 77% % of the ration shops across the country have PoS machines and more
than 85% of people covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) have their cards
linked to Aadhaar, he said.
2nd anniversary of Goods & Services Tax celebrated on 1st July 2019
1st July 2019 is being celebrated as GST
(Goods & Services Tax) Day. This year marks
the 2nd anniversary of implementation of
historic tax reform of of Goods & Services
Tax. GST was launched on the 1st July, 2017
in a majestic ceremony held in the Central
Hall of Parliament on the midnight of 30th June, 2017. The Finance Ministry, Government of
India introduced the new return system on a trial basis on this day, which will come into force
from 1st of October,2019. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: July 01-02, 2019
National Doctor’s Day: 1 July 2019
National Doctor’s Day is celebrated on the 1st of
July in India every year. This day honours doctors
across the country for their relentless service
throughout the year. Doctor’s Day is a tribute to
all medical professionals who have ethically
treated patients and served the society
irrespective of all odds. In India, Doctor’s Day is celebrated to honour the legendary Dr. Bidhan
Chandra Roy, who was also the second Chief Minister of West Bengal. Keeping in mind the
safety and security of doctors during their working hours, the Indian Medical Association has
announced ‘Zero tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishment’ as theme for
the year 2019.
India signs Rs 200 crore anti-tank missile deal with Russia
India has signed a deal to acquire 'Strum Ataka' anti-
tank missile from Russia for its fleet of Mi-35 attack
choppers. The deal for acquiring 'Strum Ataka' anti-
tank missiles was signed with Russia under the
emergency clauses through which the missiles would
be supplied within three months of contract signing.
The deal for the missiles is worth around Rs 200 crore and would give an added capability to
the Mi-35 attack choppers to take out enemy tanks and other armoured elements. The Mi-35s
are the existing attack choppers of the Indian Air Force and are set to be replaced with the
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Current Affairs: July 01-02, 2019
Apache gunships being acquired from the US and slated to be delivered from next month
onwards.
NALCO to get President’s award for excellent CSR in recognition of NALCO Ki Ladli Scheme
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO),
the Navratna CPSE under Ministry of Mines, Govt.
of India, has been selected for the prestigious
President’s Award for Excellent CSR. It may be
mentioned that the Corporate Affairs Department,
Govt of India, has selected NALCO for this award
at the national level for introducing and implementing schemes like Nalco ki Ladli. The Scheme,
provides adoption of poor girl students to enable them to study and settle in life. At present,
NALCO has adopted 416 poor girl students from 66 villages Angul and Damanjodi sectors in 45
schools. The scheme promotes Hon’ble Prime Minister’s call for Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.
ITBP DIG Aparna Kumar becomes first civil servant to summit Mount Denali in North America
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Deputy
Inspector General of Police (DIG) Aparna Kumar
has become the first civil servant to scale Mount
Denali, the highest peak in North America. This
was her 7th summit in her '7 Summits' challenge.
She also became the first woman IPS DIG and
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Current Affairs: July 01-02, 2019
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officer to successfully complete the South Pole expedition.
"We congratulate Aparna Kumar, DIG Northern Frontier ITBP on summitting Mount Denali,
the highest peak of North America (20,310 feet) and completing her seventh Summit in her
mission 'Seven Summits' Challenge. She is the first civil servant and IPS officer to achieve this
rare feat," ITBP tweeted from their official account.
India International Cooperatives Trade Fair to be held from Oct 11
Aimed at promoting cooperative trade within India
and abroad, the first ever India International
Cooperatives Trade Fair (IICTF) is going to be held
from October 11 to October 13, 2019 at Pragati
Maidan in New Delhi. Steered by NCDC (National
Cooperative Development Corporation), the fair is
being conducted with the support of one
international organization (NEDAC), three Ministries, four State Governments and several apex
level Indian cooperative organizations.
FSSAI plans colour-coded label for packaged food with high fat, sugar, salt
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) has issued draft regulations aiming to
mandate packaged food companies to label high fat,
sugar and salt contents in front of the package itself
in red colour. Alarmed by rising rates of obesity and
diabetes, India has been planning rules from as early
as two years ago, requiring food manufacturers to display fat, sugar and salt content on their https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 01-02, 2019
labels and was also considering a nationwide "fat tax" on so-called "junk food". The food labels
will also declare, per serve percentage contribution to RDA (recommended dietary allowance)
on the front of the pack, the FSSAI said in a statement dated June 25.
RBI relaxes leverage ratio for banks to boost their lending capacity
The Reserve Bank relaxed the leverage ratio (LR)
for banks to help them boost their lending
activities. The leverage ratio stands reduced to 4
percent for Domestic Systemically Important Banks
(DSIBs) and 3.5 percent for other banks effective
from the quarter commencing October 1, 2019, the
central bank said in a notification. The leverage ratio, as defined under Basel-III norms, is Tier-I
capital as a percentage of the bank's exposures. The framework is designed to capture leverage
associated with both on- and off-balance sheet exposures.
World Bank, Centre and Kerala sign $250-m loan pact
The Government of India, Government of Kerala
and World Bank on Friday signed a loan agreement
of $250 million (Rs 1,725 crore) for the First Resilient
Kerala Programme to enhance the state’s resilience
against the impact of natural disasters and climate
change. The programme, which represents the first
‘State Partnership’ of the World Bank in India, is the first of two Development Policy
Operations aiming to mainstream disaster and climate resilience into critical infrastructure and
services. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 01-02, 2019
Karnam Sekar takes over as IOB MD and CEO from R Subramaniakumar
Former Dena Bank MD Karnam Sekar has taken
over as the new Managing Director and CEO of
Indian Overseas Bank from today. He replaces R
Subramaniakumar, who was instrumental in taking
measures to turn around the bank, which has been
reporting loses due to high NPA. Sekar was on
Special Duty and has been a whole-time director of
the Bank since April 2019. His appointment will come into effect on July 1, 2019.
Max Verstappen Wins Austrian Grand Prix 2019
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the 2019
Austrian Grand Prix for the second consecutive
year. He is the first non-Mercedes driver to win
a race in 2019. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished
second and Valtteri Bottas finished third for
Mercedes
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Current Affairs: July 01-02, 2019
Amazon becomes world’s most valuable brand, beating Google and Apple
With a brand value of $315.5 billion, Amazon is
now more valuable than Apple and Google,
according to BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global
Brand ranking 2019. Apple comes second at $309.5
billion, and Google is third at $309 billion. BrandZ
bases its annual report on companies' financial
performance, using data from Kantar Worldpanel, and interviews with millions of consumers.
Money parked in Swiss banks: India slips one place to 74th, UK remains on top
India has moved down one place to 74th rank
in terms of money parked by its citizens and
enterprises with Swiss banks, while the UK has
retained its top position, as per data released
by the central banking authority of the Alpine
nation. India was ranked 73rd last year. In
comparison, the top-ranked UK accounted for more than 26 per cent of the total foreign funds
parked with Swiss banks at the end of 2018.
Among the top-ranked jurisdictions, the UK is followed by the US, West Indies, France and
Hong Kong in the top five. The top-five countries alone account for more than 50 percent of the
aggregate foreign funds parked with the Swiss banks, while the top-10 account for nearly two-
thirds.
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Current Affairs: July 01-02, 2019
ISALEX19 Exercise Kicks-off in Abu Dhabi
The International Security Alliance’s First Joint
Exercise (ISALEX19) hosted by the UAE
Ministry of Interior (MoI) kicked-off on 30th
June. The exercise witnessed the participation
of 50 representatives from law enforcement
agencies from the International Security
Alliance (ISA) countries including members of tactical teams; swift intervention units; and
media, communications, civil defense and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams.
Described as a realistic experience that is one of its kind in the world, the ISLAEX19 is based on
unexpected scenarios where the teams of the ISA countries will operate according to different
security theories and strategies in order to test the readiness of the international teams in facing
security threats.
Former India leg-spinner Rakesh Shukla passes away
Rakesh Shukla, former India leg-spinner, passed
away in Delhi on 29th June. He was 71. He had
represented Delhi and Bihar in First-Class cricket
and earned his Test cap against Sri Lanka in 1982.
Shukla played 121 first class matches, claimed 295
wickets and aggregated 3798 runs.
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Current Affairs: Juy 03, 2019
July 03, 2019
Govt sets up high-powered committee of CMs to 'transform Indian agriculture'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi constituted a
high-powered committee of chief ministers for
the transformation of agriculture and rising
farmers' income. The nine-member committee,
headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis, will suggest policy
measures, attract investments and raise growth in food processing.
Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Union Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh
Tomar and NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand will be the members of the committee.
Goa Govt Approves Law Amendment to Allow Women in Night Shifts
An amendment proposed in the Factories Act, 1948
will facilitate women to work in night shifts from 7
pm and 6 am. Cabinet approved the amendment
Bill and introduction of the same in Goa legislative
assembly. The amendment proposes to allow
women to work in night shift but it is further stated
in the amendment Bill that conditions for ensuring the safety of women who work in any
factory or manufacturing process between 7 pm and 6 am be specified.
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Current Affairs: Juy 03, 2019
AYUSH, MeitY ministries to collaborate for digitisation of AYUSH sector
The ministries of Ayush and Electronics and
Information Technology on 1st June signed a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) for
collaboration in the digitization of the AYUSH
sector. The Electronics and Information Technology
Ministry (MeitY) agreed to advise and give technical
support to the Ayush Ministry (MOA) for planning and development of AYUSH GRID Project.
In pursuance to the National Health Policy 2017 and e-governance initiative, the Ministry of
AYUSH aims to digitise the entire AYUSH leading to transformation in the field of health care
delivery at all levels, in addition to greater research, education, delivery of various healthcare
programmes and better drug regulations.
Delhi Airport becomes first airport to operationalise Transshipment Hub Centre
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a
subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure, announced
that it is the first Airport in India to
operationalize a dedicated Transshipment
Excellence Centre (TEC) that will simplify and
expedite the procedure for transfer of
Transshipment cargo.
This initiative has been taken by DIAL as per the guidelines of Ministry of Civil Aviation
(MoCA) under National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 to develop Air Cargo Transshipment Hubs
at major airports of India. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: Juy 03, 2019
Morgan Stanley cuts 2019 global growth estimate to six-year low
Analysts at Morgan Stanley led by Chetan Ahya,
their chief economist and global head of economics,
have cut the global growth forecast for 2019 and
2020. They now project global growth to slow further
to hit a six-year low of 2.9 percent by 2019-end from
3.2 per ent in the first quarter of 2019 (1Q19) and the
recent peak of 4 percent in the second quarter of 2018 (2Q18). However, they expect growth in
the emerging markets (EMs) to be better than that in the developed markets (DMs). As regards
India, they peg the economic growth at 6.2 percent in 2019 (7.4 per cent in 2018) and at 7.1
percent in 2020.
SBI inks MoU with NIIF to boost capital availability for infrastructure projects
State Bank of India (SBI) and National Investment
and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) inked a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost the
availability of capital for infrastructure projects.
The scope of the MoU includes equity investments,
project funding, bond financing, renewable energy
support and take-out finance for operating assets, according to the joint statement issued by SBI
and NIIF.
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Current Affairs: Juy 03, 2019
NS Vishwanathan gets one year extension as RBI Deputy Governor
NS Vishwanathan has been re-appointed as
deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) for one more year. The Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet has approved re-
appointment of Vishwanathan as the deputy
governor for a period of one more year with effect
from July 4 this year, the order issued by the Personnel Ministry said. His existing tenure was to
end Wednesday, July 3. Vishwanathan is one of the three deputy governors, besides B P
Kanungo and M K Jain, working at the central bank.
V K Tyagi takes over as chief vigilance officer of PNB
V K Tyagi has assumed charge as chief
vigilance officer of Punjab National Bank
(PNB). Prior to joining PNB, he was director
in the Department of Economic Affairs
(DEA) under the finance ministry. He also
holds 35 years of work experience in State
Bank of India.
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Current Affairs: Juy 03, 2019
MTNL chairman Purwar to assume additional charge as BSNL CMD
The government has appointed MTNL Chairman
and Managing Director (CMD) P.K. Purwar as the
CMD of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for a
period of three months starting July 1, subject to
the approval of the Appointments Committee of
the Cabinet (ACC), for ensuring continuity at the
struggling PSU.
Consequent to the retirement upon superannuation of Anupam Shrivastava, CMD, BSNL, on
30.06.2019, in order to ensure continuity as an interim measure and subject to approval of the
ACC, the additional charge of CMD, BSNL, is entrusted to P.K. Purwar, CMD of MTNL, for a
period of three months w.e.f 1.07.2019 or till the appointment of a regular incumbent to the post.
Odisha to host 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis C'ship
Odisha Government is set to host the 21st
Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship at
the Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium in Cuttack,
scheduled for July 17 to 22. Through its
Department of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS),
the government of Odisha signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and Odisha State Table
Tennis Association (OSTTA) to host the event.
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Current Affairs: Juy 03, 2019
India-assisted IT-biotech park inaugurated in Cote d'Ivoire
The Mahatma Gandhi IT and Biotechnology
Park in Cote d'Ivoire, a dedicated free trade
zone built with India's assistance to build
development capacities, has been inaugurated.
The Mahatma Gandhi IT and Biotechnology
Park (MGIT-BP) was jointly inaugurated by
Ambassador of India and Cote d'Ivoire Vice President Daniel Kablan Duccan at a ceremony in
Grand-Bassam, Cote d'Ivoire, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. MGIT-BP is a
dedicated Free Trade Zone (FTZ) for IT and Biotechnology, it said.
India pledges to contribute USD 5 million in 2019 to UN Palestine refugee agency
India has pledged to contribute USD 5 million in
2019 to the UN Palestine refugee agency, even as
it voiced concern over the agency's difficult
financial situation due to voluntary contributions
from a limited donor base and called for ensuring
sustained fiscal support for its work.
India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the
UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu said the Government of India has increased its annual
financial contribution fourfold to the UNRWA core budget, from USD 1.25 million in 2016 to
USD 5 million in 2018.
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Current Affairs: Juy 03, 2019
Malayalam film director Babu Narayanan passed away
Director Babu Narayanan, who was part of the
Anil-Babu duo that made several box office hits,
died at the age of 59 at Thrissur on Saturday. He
had been ailing for a while. A popular director
during the 1990s, Babu Narayanan has directed
more than 25 Malayalam movies.
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Current Affairs: July 04, 2019
July 04, 2019
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel inaugurates 'Jan Choupal' programme in Raipur
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on July
04th inaugurated 'Jan Choupal' programme in
Raipur. Under this programme, public meetings will
be held once every week to discuss the issues of the
people. The concept of 'Jan Choupal' has been taken
from the practices of our ancestors in the village, who
used to gather and solve the issues faced by them. The people can come and discuss their issues
and we will do the needful to resolve them
Union Cabinet gives nod to grant OGAS status to paramilitary forces
The Union Cabinet approved the proposal for
giving Organized Group 'A' Service (OGAS) to
Group 'A' Executive Cadre Officers of Central
Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). It also approved
an extension of benefit of Non-Functional
Financial Upgradation (NFFU) and Non-
Functional Selection Grade (NFSG). Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar
said that the decision will benefit CAPF personnel from CRPF, ITBP, BSF, CISF and SSB.
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Current Affairs: July 04, 2019
I&B Minister reviews National Film Heritage Mission Project
Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Prakash Javadekar reviewed National Film
Heritage Mission Project in a meeting held at
National Film Archives in Pune. Talking to
reporters after the review meeting, he said,
the assessment part of the project is now over,
conservation part will start soon and after that Digitization work will start. He said that after
the restoration work is over, this treasure of Indian Films can be made available to Film Lovers
all over the world with the help of Information Technology. To preserving film heritage is a
project taken by the Modi Government and they have allotted budget of 600 crore rupees for
this project.
Jio Digital Udaan Literacy Programme Launched in Partnership with Facebook
Reliance Jio has launched a new digital literacy
programme named Jio Digital Udaan, aimed at
first time internet users who are using the
connected internet ecosystem and apps for the very
first time. The programme, which will primarily
focus on people using JioPhone and make use of
Facebook and its ecosystem to demonstrate the advantages of connectivity and information
availability. The Jio Digital Udaan programme is being launched across 200 locations in 13
states, with over 7,000 locations in India earmarked for future release. As part of the initiative,
Facebook will handle the content end and its relevance to the target audience, and also provide https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: July 04, 2019
training programmes with videos and information brochures to those who will handle the
literacy initiative on behalf of Reliance Jio.
Karnataka Bank launches web tool for NPA recovery process
Karnataka Bank Ltd has launched the web tool
– ‘Vasool So-Ft’ (Vasool So-Fast) – for
digitalizing the NPA (non-performing asset)
recovery process of the bank. Launching the
tool in Mangaluru, Mahabaleshwara MS,
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
of the bank, said the digital tool for the recovery of stressed assets will provide an end-to-end
digital solution. It will enable easy and faster processing, real time information and immediate
decision making in the recovery area.
Punjab & Sind Bank centralises MSME, retail loan approvals
Punjab & Sind Bank has set up the
Centralised MSME & Retail Group (Cen-
MARG) for credit facilities at its head office in
the national capital. Now, all MSME and retail
credit approvals will be performed at this
centralized set up. This will help branches
focus better on lead generation for retail and MSME lending and enhanced customer service.
The Cen-MARG would be linked with pan-India branches in a phased manner. S. Harisankar,
MD & CEO of the bank, accompanied by Executive Directors Fareed Ahmed and Govind N
Dongre, inaugurated Cen-MARG on 1st July. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 04, 2019
Christine Lagarde nominated as president of European Central Bank
International Monetary Fund Managing Director
Christine Lagarde was nominated as the president
of the European Central Bank, following which she
announced to temporarily relinquish her
responsibilities as head of IMF. Lagarde would
succeed Mario Draghi, whose term ends on
October 31. Lagarde will step down two years before the end of her second five-year term at the
helm of the IMF. Economist David Lipton has been appointed as the interim MD (Acting
Managing Director) of IMF in place of Lagarde.
Manoj Kumar Nambiar appointed chairperson of MFIN, Vineet Chattree to be vice chairperson
Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN) has elected Manoj Kumar Nambiar, managing
director of Arohan Financial Services, as its
chairman. Vineet Chattree of Svatantra Microfin
will be the vice-chairman, the industry association
and self-regulatory organization (SRO) for the
microfinance industry in India.
MFIN is an industry association comprising 56
NBFC-MFIs (Non Banking Financial Company-Micro Finance Institutions) and 40 associates
including Banks, SFBs (Small Finance Banks ) and NBFCs. It is also the Self-Regulatory
Organization (SRO) for the regulated NBFC-MFI.
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Current Affairs: July 04, 2019
Ambati Rayudu announces retirement from all forms of cricket
India middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu has
announced his retirement from all forms of cricket,
including the IPL, according to BCCI sources. The
move comes after Rayudu was snubbed by the Indian
team management, which preferred Mayank Agarwal
as replacement for an injured Vijay Shankar in the
World Cup squad.
Rayudu played 55 ODIs for India, scoring 1694 runs at an average of 47.05 in six years career. In
the six T20 Internationals, Rayudu could only muster 42 runs. He made his ODI debut back in
2013 against Zimbabwe before playing his last 50-over game against Australia in Ranchi earlier
this year. In 147 IPL games, Rayudu scored 3300 runs at an average of 28.69 with one hundred
and 18 fifties at a strike-rate of 125.95.
Indian pro boxer Vaibhav Yadav wins WBC Asia title
Indian pro boxer Vaibhav Yadav became the
WBC Asia silver welterweight champion after
defeating Thailand's Fahpetch Singmanassak in
the title bout held in Pattaya, Thailand. Yadav, a
cousin of Commonwealth Games gold-medallist
Vikas Krishan who has also turned pro now,
clinched a third-round knockout over Singmanassak. The fight, which took place on Sunday
night, was conducted by the Asian Boxing Council and approved by the World Boxing Council
(WBC). https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 04, 2019
International Plastic Bag Free Day: July 03
Created by Bag Free World, a “global
initiative that aims to eliminate the use of
single-use plastic bags,” International Bag
Free Day is an unofficial holiday that
promotes environmental conservation by
encouraging people to reject plastic bags
celebrated every year on July 03. The holiday also raises awareness of the harm that plastic bags
do to nature and to animals and marine life.
New Zealand's single-use plastic shopping bags ban kicks in
New Zealand officially banned single-use plastic
shopping bags Monday (Jul 1), introducing hefty
fines for businesses that continue to provide
them. Plastic pollution has become a growing
global concern, with a million birds and more
than 100,000 marine mammals injured or killed
every year by becoming entangled in packaging or ingesting it through the food chain.
Companies that break New Zealand's ban will face heavy penalties, including fines of up to
NZ$100,000 (US$67,000).
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Current Affairs: July 04, 2019
Veteran industrialist BK Birla passes away in Mumbai
Birla Group patriarch and a doyen of the
Indian industry Basant Kumar Birla passed
away in Mumbai on Wednesday (July 03) at the
age of 98. Birla had been suffering from age-
related ailments. Birla was the chairman of
Century Textiles and Industries and was
active in business since the age of 15.
He was instrumental in a slew of business initiatives, starting with his stint as the chairman of
Kesoram Industries. He was also a patron of nearly 25 educational institutions across the
country.
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Current Affairs: July 05, 2019
July 05, 2019
Highlights of Economic Survey 2018-19
Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2018-19
in both Houses of Parliament. It was prepared by
the Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy
Subramanian. It had a cover page in skyblue
colour as it adopts an unfettered approach in
thinking about the appropriate economic model
for India.
The survey projects GDP to grow at 7 per cent in 2019-20. The Indian economy is expected
to grow at 6.8 percent in 2018-19 while maintaining macro-economic stability.
The survey also lays down the strategic blueprint for fructifying Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s vision of India becoming a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2025.
To achieve the vision, India needs to shift its gears to accelerate and sustain a real GDP
growth rate of 8 percent.
Banking system improved as NPA ratios declined and credit growth accelerated.
It has put forex reserves at 412.9 billion dollars for fiscal 2018-19.
FY 2018-19 ended with fiscal deficit at 3.4 percent of GDP and debt to GDP ratio of 44.5
percent (Provisional).
India’s SDG Index Score ranges between 42 and 69 for States and between 57 and 68 for
UTs:
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Current Affairs: July 05, 2019
UIDAI opens its first 'Aadhaar Seva Kendra' in Delhi and Vijayawada
Making it easier for citizens to apply for a new
Aadhaar card or update existing ones, the
Unique Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI) has opened its first 'Aadhaar Seva
Kendra' in Delhi and Vijayawada. The new
Aadhaar centres, which will soon be rolled out
across 53 cities of India, are similar to Passport Seva Kendras run by the Ministry of External
Affairs. UIDAI tweeted that the first Aadhaar Seva Kendra has been opened at Akshardham
Metro station in New Delhi. The centre has the capacity to handle upto 1,000 Aadhaar-related
requests daily. The Aadhaar enrolment and updation centre is open from 9.30 am to 6 pm on all
days except Tuesdays.
Cabinet approves hike in MSP for all kharif crops of 2019-20 season
In a major boost to the farmers’ income, the
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved the increase in the Minimum Support
Prices, MSP for all Kharif crops for 2019-20
Season. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh
Tomar said, the move will lead to increased
investment and production through assured remunerative prices to the farmers.
MSP of Paddy increased by Rs 65 per Quintal, Jowar by Rs 120 per Quintal and Ragi by Rs 253
per Quintal and tur dal by Rs 125 per quintal and Urad pulses by Rs 100 per quintal. The MSPs
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Current Affairs: July 05, 2019
of soyabean increased by 311 rupees, sunflower by 262 rupees and sesamum by 236 rupees per
quintal which is a major step towards increasing the income of farmers.
India's first Design Development Centre 'Fashionova' launched in Surat, Gujarat
India's first Design Development Center 'Fashionova'
was launched in the Textile city Surat recently to
promote the city in the field of fashion design sector.
The main objective of this studio is to provide a
strong platform to all those who have a flair of the
apparel business. It fulfills, on a large scale, all
business needs from co-working space, technicians, expert advises to cognitive workshops and
exposure to the industry. Surat is renowned for its textile and the city had to be dependent on
Mumbai or Delhi for unique and latest design trends. This design development center will
bridge this gap.
Maharashtra ranks first in NITI Aayog's ease of doing farm business
Maharashtra achieved first rank in NITI Aayog
launched “Agricultural Marketing and Farmer
Friendly Reforms Index (AMFFRI), which
ranks states based on the degree of reforms
they have undertaken in agricultural
marketing. Maharashtra scored 81.7 on the
index partly due to its decision to exclude fruits and vegetables from the APMC Act.
Gujarat(71.50, Rajasthan(70), Madhya Pradesh(69.5) and Haryana (63.3) are in the next three
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Current Affairs: July 05, 2019
positions in the ‘Agricultural Marketing and Farm-Friendly Reforms Index’ launched by the
Aayog.
Centre Joins Hands With IBM To Use AI & Weather Prediction To Help Farmers
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare this
week signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) for
undertaking a pilot study with IBM India, where
the company would generate solution in the field
of agriculture through artificial intelligence and
weather technology at the farm level to provide
weather forecast and soil moisture information on a pro bono basis. This information will be
used by the farmers to take decisions regarding water and crop management for better
production and productivity. This project would be launched in the three districts of Bhopal,
Rajkot and Nanded in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra respectively.
India to host 3rd global sunflower seed meet on July 19
After China and Ukraine, India will host 3rd
International Sunflower Seed and Oil
Conference (ISSOC) 2019 on July 19 and 20 in
Mumbai. The conference, hosted by Solvent
Extractors' Association of India (SEA), will see
participation from global industry leaders,
experts, researchers, and government representatives. Over 300 delegates from across the world
with interests in sunflower seed, oil and meal are expected to attend this conference in Mumbai.
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Current Affairs: July 05, 2019
A large group of members of CIARA, Argentina headed by H.E. Dr. Luis Miguel Etchevehere,
Agriculture Secretary (Minister), Government of Argentina, will also participate.
Airtel Payments Bank ties up with Bharti AXA Life Insurance to offer term insurance
Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with
Bharti AXA Life Insurance to offer the Bharti
AXA Life POS Saral Jeevan Bima Yojana
through banking points across India. The
Bharti AXA Life POS Saral Jeevan Bima Yojana
provides a pure term insurance cover of up to
Rs 5 lakh. It is targeted at the underinsured and uninsured sectors in India. The insurance
scheme will leverage Airtel's distribution network by being available at more than 60,000
banking points. The life cover option is between 3-5 lakh. It will soon be extended to up to Rs 25
lakh.
Bharti Airtel completes merger of Tata Tele's consumer mobile businesses
Bharti Airtel and Bharti Hexacom announced the
merger of the consumer mobile businesses
(CMB) of Tata Teleservices (TTSL) and Tata
Teleservices (Maharashtra) (TTML) with the two
Bharti Group companies. This move spells better
synergies and increased customer base for the
country’s third-largest mobile service provider.
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Current Affairs: July 05, 2019
RBI appoints A K Misra as additional director on J&K Bank board
The Reserve Bank of India has appointed its former
executive director A K Misra as additional director
on the board of Jammu and Kashmir Bank (J&K
Bank). Misra shall hold the office for a period of
two years up to July 2, 2021 or till further orders.
Mastercard's Banga, Wipro's Premji to receive excellence awards from USISPF
The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum
(USISPF) said that Mastercard CEO and
President Ajay Banga and Wipro Chairman
Azim Premji will receive the 2019 Global
Excellence Awards at its Second Annual
Leadership Summit in Washington on July 11.
Jared Kushner, senior adviser to the President
of the United States, will present awards during the summit, a statement said.
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Current Affairs: July 05, 2019
Poznan Athletics Grand Prix: Hima Das wins 200m gold in Poland
Star Indian sprinter Hima Das won the women's
200m gold, while national record holder shot putter
Tajinder Pal Singh Toor bagged a bronze at the
Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland. Hime, the
world junior champion and national record holder in
400m who has been struggling with a back problem
for the past few months, clocked 23.65s on her way to the 200m gold. This was Hima's first
competitive 200m race of the year. She has a personal best of 23.10s, which she clocked last year.
IMF approves USD 6 billion loan for cash-strapped Pakistan
The IMF approved a USD 6 billion loan over a
period of three years for cash-strapped Pakistan,
aimed at returning sustainable growth to the
country's fragile economy and improve the
standards of living. Pakistan's finance ministry
approached the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) in August 2018 for a bailout package when the Imran Khan government took over. The
USD 6 billion financial aid includes an immediate disbursement of USD 1 billion to help
Pakistan address its balance of payment crisis.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Key Highlights of Union Budget 2019-20
July 06, 2019
Union Budget 2019-20
The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman made her
maiden Budget Speech today and presented the Union Budget 2019-20 before the Parliament.
The key highlights of Union Budget 2019 are as follows:
10-point Vision for the decade
Building Team India with Jan Bhagidari: Minimum Government Maximum Governance.
Achieving green Mother Earth and Blue Skies through a pollution-free India.
Making Digital India reach every sector of the economy.
Launching Gaganyan, Chandrayan, other Space and Satellite programmes.
Building physical and social infrastructure.
Water, water management, clean rivers.
Blue Economy.
Self-sufficiency and export of food-grains, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables.
Achieving a healthy society via Ayushman Bharat, well-nourished women & children,
safety of citizens.
Emphasis on MSMEs, Start-ups, defence manufacturing, automobiles, electronics, fabs and
batteries, and medical devices under Make in India.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Towards a 5 Trillion Dollar Economy
“People‟s hearts filled with Aasha (Hope), Vishwas (Trust), Aakansha (Aspirations)”, says
FM.
Indian economy to become a 3 trillion dollar economy in the current year.
Government aspires to make India a 5 trillion dollar economy.
“India Inc. are India‟s job-creators and nation‟s wealth-creators”, says FM.
Need for investment in:
Infrastructure.
Digital economy.
Job creation in small and medium firms.
Initiatives to be proposed for kick-starting the virtuous cycle of investments.
Common man‟s life changed through MUDRA loans for ease of doing business.
Measures related to MSMEs:
Pradhan Mantri Karam Yogi Maandhan Scheme
Pension benefits to about three crore retail traders & small shopkeepers with annual
turnover less than Rs. 1.5 crore.
Enrolment to be kept simple, requiring only Aadhaar, bank account and a
selfdeclaration.
Rs. 350 crore allocated for FY 2019-20 for 2% interest subvention (on fresh or incremental
loans) to all GST-registered MSMEs, under the Interest Subvention Scheme for
MSMEs.
Payment platform for MSMEs to be created to enable filing of bills and payment
thereof, to eliminate delays in government payments.
India’s first indigenously developed payment ecosystem for transport, based on
National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) standards, launched in March 2019. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Inter-operable transport card runs on RuPay card and would allow the holders to pay
for bus travel, toll taxes, parking charges, retail shopping.
Massive push given to all forms of physical connectivity through:
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
Industrial Corridors, Dedicated Freight Corridors.
Bhartamala and Sagarmala projects, Jal Marg Vikas and UDAN Schemes.
State road networks to be developed in second phase of Bharatmala project.
Navigational capacity of Ganga to be enhanced via multi modal terminals at Sahibganj
and Haldia and a navigational lock at Farakka by 2019-20, under Jal Marg Vikas
Project.
Four times increase in next four years estimated in the cargo volume on Ganga, leading
to cheaper freight and passenger movement and reducing the import bill.
Rs. 50 lakh crore investment needed in Railway Infrastructure during 2018-2030.
Public-Private-Partnership proposed for development and completion of tracks, rolling
stock manufacturing and delivery of passenger freight services.
657 kilometers of Metro Rail network has become operational across the country.
Policy interventions to be made for the development of Maintenance, Repair and
Overhaul (MRO), to achieve self- reliance in aviation segment.
Regulatory roadmap for making India a hub for aircraft financing and leasing activities
from Indian shores, to be laid by the Government.
Outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore for 3 years approved for Phase-II of FAME Scheme.
Upfront incentive proposed on purchase and charging infrastructure, to encourage
faster adoption of Electric Vehicles.
Only advanced-battery-operated and registered e-vehicles to be incentivized under
FAME Scheme.
National Highway Programme to be restructured to ensure a National Highway Grid,
using a financeable model.
Power at affordable rates to states ensured under “One Nation, One Grid”. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Blueprints to be made available for gas grids, water grids, i-ways, and regional airports.
High Level Empowered Committee (HLEC) recommendations to be implemented:
Retirement of old & inefficient plants.
Addressing low utilization of gas plant capacity due to paucity of Natural Gas.
Cross subsidy surcharges, undesirable duties on open access sales or captive generation
for industrial and other bulk power consumers to be removed under Ujjwal DISCOM
Assurance Yojana (UDAY).
Package of power sector tariff and structural reforms to be announced soon.
Reform measures to be taken up to promote rental housing.
Model Tenancy Law to be finalized and circulated to the states.
Joint development and concession mechanisms to be used for public infrastructure and
affordable housing on land parcels held by the Central Government and CPSEs.
Measures to enhance the sources of capital for infrastructure financing:
Credit Guarantee Enhancement Corporation to be set up in 2019-2020.
Action plan to be put in place to deepen the market for long term bonds with focus on
infrastructure.
Proposed transfer/sale of investments by FIIs/FPIs (in debt securities issued by IDFNBFCs)
to any domestic investor within the specified lock-in period.
Measures to deepen bond markets:
Stock exchanges to be enabled to allow AA rated bonds as collaterals.
User-friendliness of trading platforms for corporate bonds to be reviewed.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Social stock exchange:
Electronic fund raising platform under the regulatory ambit of SEBI.
Listing social enterprises and voluntary organizations.
To raise capital as equity, debt or as units like a mutual fund.
SEBI to consider raising the threshold for minimum public shareholding in the listed
companies from 25% to 35%.
Know Your Customer (KYC) norms for Foreign Portfolio Investors to be made more
investor friendly.
Government to supplement efforts by RBI to get retail investors to invest in government
treasury bills and securities, with further institutional development using stock exchanges.
Measures to make India a more attractive FDI destination:
FDI in sectors like aviation, media (animation, AVGC) and insurance sectors can be
opened further after multi-stakeholder examination.
Insurance Intermediaries to get 100% FDI.
Local sourcing norms to be eased for FDI in Single Brand Retail sector.
Government to organize an annual Global Investors Meet in India, using National
Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF) as an anchor to get all three sets of global players
(pension, insurance and sovereign wealth funds).
Statutory limit for FPI investment in a company is proposed to be increased from 24% to
sectoral foreign investment limit. Option to be given to the concerned corporate to limit it to
a lower threshold.
FPIs to be permitted to subscribe to listed debt securities issued by ReITs and InvITs.
NRI-Portfolio Investment Scheme Route is proposed to be merged with the Foreign
Portfolio Investment Route.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Cumulative resources garnered through new financial instruments like Infrastructure
Investment Trusts (InvITs), Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) as well as models like
Toll-Operate-Transfer (ToT) exceed Rs. 24,000 crore.
New Space India Limited (NSIL), a PSE, incorporated as a new commercial arm of
Department of Space.
To tap the benefits of the Research & Development carried out by ISRO like
commercialization of products like launch vehicles, transfer to technologies and marketing
of space products.
Direct Taxes
Tax rate reduced to 25% for companies with annual turnover up to Rs. 400 crore
Surcharge increased on individuals having taxable income from Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 5 crore
and Rs. 5 crore and above.
India’s Ease of Doing Business ranking under the category of „paying taxes‟ jumped from
172 in 2017 to 121 in the 2019.
Direct tax revenue increased by over 78% in past 5 years to Rs. 11.37 lakh crore.
Tax Simplification and Ease of living - making compliance easier by leveraging technology:
Interchangeability of PAN and Aadhaar
Those who don’t have PAN can file tax returns using Aadhaar.
Aadhaar can be used wherever PAN is required.
Pre-filling of Income-tax Returns for faster, more accurate tax returns
Pre-filled tax returns with details of several incomes and deductions to be made
available.
Information to be collected from Banks, Stock exchanges, mutual funds etc.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Faceless e-assessment
Faceless e-assessment with no human interface to be launched.
To be carried out initially in cases requiring verification of certain specified transactions
or discrepancies.
Affordable housing
Additional deduction up to Rs. 1.5 lakhs for interest paid on loans borrowed up to 31st
March, 2020 for purchase of house valued up to Rs. 45 lakh.
Overall benefit of around Rs. 7 lakh over loan period of 15 years.
Boost to Electric Vehicles
Additional income tax deduction of Rs. 1.5 lakh on interest paid on electric vehicle loans.
Customs duty exempted on certain parts of electric vehicles.
Other Direct Tax measures
Simplification of tax laws to reduce genuine hardships of taxpayers:
Higher tax threshold for launching prosecution for non-filing of returns
Appropriate class of persons exempted from the anti-abuse provisions of Section 50CA
and Section 56 of the Income Tax Act.
Relief for Start-ups
Capital gains exemptions from sale of residential house for investment in start-ups extended
till FY21.
‘Angel tax’ issue resolved- start-ups and investors filing requisite declarations and
providing information in their returns not to be subjected to any kind of scrutiny in respect
of valuations of share premiums. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 7
Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Funds raised by start-ups to not require scrutiny from Income Tax Department
E-verification mechanism for establishing identity of the investor and source of funds.
Special administrative arrangements for pending assessments and grievance redressal
No inquiry in such cases by the Assessing Officer without obtaining approval of the
supervisory officer.
No scrutiny of valuation of shares issued to Category-II Alternative Investment Funds.
Relaxation of conditions for carry forward and set off of losses.
NBFCs
Interest on certain bad or doubtful debts by deposit taking as well as systemically important
non-deposit taking NBFCs to be taxed in the year in which interest is actually received.
International Financial Services Centre (IFSC)
Direct tax incentives proposed for an IFSC:
100 % profit-linked deduction in any ten-year block within a fifteen-year period.
Exemption from dividend distribution tax from current and accumulated income to
companies and mutual funds.
Exemptions on capital gain to Category-III Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs).
Exemption to interest payment on loan taken from non-residents.
Securities Transaction Tax (STT)
STT restricted only to the difference between settlement and strike price in case of exercise
of options.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Indirect Taxes
Make In India Basic Customs Duty increased on cashew kernels, PVC, tiles, auto parts, marble slabs,
optical fibre cable, CCTV camera etc.
Exemptions from Custom Duty on certain electronic items now manufactured in India
withdrawn.
End use based exemptions on palm stearin, fatty oils withdrawn.
Exemptions to various kinds of papers withdrawn.
5% Basic Custom Duty imposed on imported books.
Customs duty reduced on certain raw materials such as:
Inputs for artificial kidney and disposable sterilised dialyser and fuels for nuclear power
plants etc.
Capital goods required for manufacture of specified electronic goods.
Defence
Defence equipment not manufactured in India exempted from basic customs duty
Other Indirect Tax provisions
Export duty rationalised on raw and semi-finished leather
Increase in Special Additional Excise Duty and Road and Infrastructure Cess each by Rs. 1
per litre on petrol and diesel
Custom duty on gold and other precious metals increased
Legacy Dispute Resolution Scheme for quick closure of pending litigations in Central Excise
and Service tax from pre-GST regime
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Grameen Bharat / Rural India
Ujjwala Yojana and Saubhagya Yojana have transformed the lives of every rural family,
dramatically improving ease of their living.
Electricity and clean cooking facility to all willing rural families by 2022.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) aims to achieve "Housing for All" by
2022:
Eligible beneficiaries to be provided 1.95 crore houses with amenities like toilets,
electricity and LPG connections during its second phase (2019-20 to 2021-22).
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)
A robust fisheries management framework through PMMSY to be established by the
Department of Fisheries.
To address critical gaps in the value chain including infrastructure, modernization,
traceability, production, productivity, post-harvest management, and quality control.
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
Target of connecting the eligible and feasible habitations advanced from 2022 to 2019
with 97% of such habitations already being provided with all weather connectivity.
30,000 kilometers of PMGSY roads have been built using Green Technology, Waste
Plastic and Cold Mix Technology, thereby reducing carbon footprint.
1,25,000 kilometers of road length to be upgraded over the next five years under PMGSY
III with an estimated cost of Rs. 80,250 crore.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Scheme of Fund for Upgradation and Regeneration of Traditional Industries(SFURTI)
Common Facility Centres (CFCs) to be setup to facilitate cluster based development for
making traditional industries more productive, profitable and capable for generating
sustained employment opportunities.
100 new clusters to be setup during 2019-20 with special focus on Bamboo, Honey and
Khadi, enabling 50,000 artisans to join the economic value chain.
Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship(ASPIRE)
consolidated.
80 Livelihood Business Incubators (LBIs) and 20 Technology Business Incubators (TBIs)
to be setup in 2019-20.
75,000 entrepreneurs to be skilled in agro-rural industry sectors.
Private entrepreneurships to be supported in driving value-addition to farmers produce
from the field and for those from allied activities.
Dairying through cooperatives to be encouraged by creating infrastructure for cattle feed
manufacturing, milk procurement, processing & marketing.
10,000 new Farmer Producer Organizations to be formed, to ensure economies of scale for
farmers.
Government to work with State Governments to allow farmers to benefit from e-NAM.
Zero Budget Farming in which few states‟ farmers are already being trained to be
replicated in other states.
India’s water security
New Jal Shakti Mantralaya to look at the management of our water resources and water
supply in an integrated and holistic manner
Jal Jeevan Mission to achieve Har Ghar Jal (piped water supply) to all rural households
by 2024
To focus on integrated demand and supply side management of water at the local level.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Convergence with other Central and State Government Schemes to achieve its
objectives.
1592 critical and over exploited Blocks spread across 256 District being identified for the
Jal Shakti Abhiyan.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)
fund can be used for this purpose.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
9.6 crore toilets constructed since Oct 2, 2014.
More than 5.6 lakh villages have become Open Defecation Free (ODF).
Swachh Bharat Mission to be expanded to undertake sustainable solid waste
management in every village.
Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan,
Over two crore rural Indians made digitally literate.
Internet connectivity in local bodies in every Panchayat under Bharat-Net to bridge
rural-urban divide.
Universal Obligation Fund under a PPP arrangement to be utilized for speeding up
Bharat-Net.
Shahree Bharat/Urban India
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-Urban)-
Over 81 lakh houses with an investment of about Rs. 4.83 lakh crore sanctioned of which
construction started in about 47 lakh houses.
Over 26 lakh houses completed of which nearly 24 lakh houses delivered to the
beneficiaries.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Over 13 lakh houses so far constructed using new technologies.
More than 95% of cities also declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).
Almost 1 crore citizens have downloaded Swachhata App.
Target of achieving Gandhiji‟ s resolve of Swachh Bharat to make India ODF by 2nd October
2019.
To mark this occasion, the Rashtriya Swachhta Kendra to be inaugurated at Gandhi
Darshan, Rajghat on 2nd October, 2019.
Gandhipedia being developed by National Council for Science Museums to sensitize
youth and society about positive Gandhian values.
Railways to be encouraged to invest more in suburban railways through SPV structures like
Rapid Regional Transport System (RRTS) proposed on the Delhi-Meerut route.
Proposal to enhance the metro-railway initiatives by:
Encouraging more PPP initiatives.
Ensuring completion of sanctioned works.
Supporting transit oriented development (TOD) to ensure commercial activity around
transit hubs.
Youth
New National Education Policy to be brought which proposes
Major changes in both school and higher education
Better Governance systems
Greater focus on research and innovation.
National Research Foundation (NRF) proposed
To fund, coordinate and promote research in the country.
To assimilate independent research grants given by various Ministries.
To strengthen overall research eco-system in the country
This would be adequately supplemented with additional funds.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Rs. 400 crore provided for “World Class Institutions”, for FY 2019-20, more than three
times the revised estimates for the previous year.
“Study in India” proposed to bring foreign students to study in Indian higher educational
institutions.
Regulatory systems of higher education to be reformed comprehensively:
To promote greater autonomy.
To focus on better academic outcomes.
Draft legislation to set up Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), to be presented.
Khelo India Scheme to be expanded with all necessary financial support.
National Sports Education Board for development of sportspersons to be set up under
Khelo India, to popularize sports at all levels
To prepare youth for overseas jobs, focus to be increased on globally valued skill-sets
including language training, AI, IoT, Big Data, 3D Printing, Virtual Reality and Robotics.
Set of four labour codes proposed, to streamline multiple labour laws to standardize and
streamline registration and filing of returns.
A television program proposed exclusively for and by start-ups, within the DD bouquet of
channels.
Stand-Up India Scheme to be continued for the period of 2020-25. The Banks to provide
financial assistance for demand based businesses.
Ease of Living
About 30 lakh workers joined the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Scheme that
provides Rs. 3,000 per month as pension on attaining the age of 60 to workers in
unorganized and informal sectors.
Approximately 35 crore LED bulbs distributed under UJALA Yojana leading to cost saving
of Rs. 18,341 crore annually.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Solar stoves and battery chargers to be promoted using the approach of LED bulbs mission.
A massive program of railway station modernization to be launched.
Naari Tu Narayani/Women
Approach shift from women-centric-policy making to women-led initiatives and
movements.
A Committee proposed with Government and private stakeholders for moving forward on
Gender budgeting.
SHG:
Women SHG interest subvention program proposed to be expanded to all districts.
Overdraft of Rs. 5,000 to be allowed for every verified women SHG member having a
Jan Dhan Bank Account.
One woman per SHG to be eligible for a loan up to Rs. 1 lakh under MUDRA Scheme.
India’s Soft Power
Proposal to consider issuing Aadhaar Card for NRIs with Indian Passports on their arrival
without waiting for 180 days.
Mission to integrate traditional artisans with global markets proposed, with necessary
patents and geographical indicators.
18 new Indian diplomatic Missions in Africa approved in March, 2018, out of which 5
already opened. Another 4 new Embassies intended in 2019-20.
Revamp of Indian Development Assistance Scheme (IDEAS) proposed.
17 iconic Tourism Sites being developed into model world class tourist destinations.
Present digital repository aimed at preserving rich tribal cultural heritage, to be
strengthened. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 15
Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Banking and Financial Sector
NPAs of commercial banks reduced by over Rs. 1 lakh crore over the last year.
Record recovery of over Rs. 4 lakh crore effected over the last four years.
Provision coverage ratio at its highest in seven years.
Domestic credit growth increased to 13.8%.
Measures related to PSBs:
Rs. 70,000 crore proposed to be provided to PSBs to boost credit.
PSBs to leverage technology, offering online personal loans and doorstep banking, and
enabling customers of one PSBs to access services across all PSBs.
Steps to be initiated to empower accountholders to have control over deposit of cash by
others in their accounts.
Reforms to be undertaken to strengthen governance in PSBs.
Measures related to NBFCs:
Proposals for strengthening the regulatory authority of RBI over NBFCs to be placed in
the Finance Bill.
Requirement of creating a Debenture Redemption Reserve will be done away with to
allow NBFCs to raise funds in public issues.
Steps to allow all NBFCs to directly participate on the TReDS platform.
Return of regulatory authority from NHB to RBI proposed, over the housing finance sector.
Rs. 100 lakh crore investment in infrastructure intended over the next five years.
Committee proposed to recommend the structure and required flow of funds through
development finance institutions.
Steps to be taken to separate the NPS Trust from PFRDA.
Reduction in Net Owned Fund requirement from Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs. 1,000 crore proposed:
To facilitate on-shoring of international insurance transactions.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
To enable opening of branches by foreign reinsurers in the International Financial
Services Centre.
Measures related to CPSEs:
Target of Rs. 1, 05,000 crore of disinvestment receipts set for the FY 2019-20.
Government to reinitiate the process of strategic disinvestment of Air India, and to offer
more CPSEs for strategic participation by the private sector.
Government to undertake strategic sale of PSUs and continue to consolidate PSUs in the
non-financial space.
Government to consider going to an appropriate level below 51% in PSUs where the
government control is still to be retained, on case to case basis.
Present policy of retaining 51% Government stake to be modified to retaining 51% stake
inclusive of the stake of Government controlled institutions.
Retail participation in CPSEs to be encouraged.
To provide additional investment space:
Government to realign its holding in CPSEs
Banks to permit greater availability of its shares and to improve depth of its market.
Government to offer an investment option in ETFs on the lines of Equity Linked Savings
Scheme (ELSS).
Government to meet public shareholding norms of 25% for all listed PSUs and raise the
foreign shareholding limits to maximum permissible sector limits for all PSU companies
which are part of Emerging Market Index.
Government to raise a part of its gross borrowing program in external markets in external
currencies. This will also have beneficial impact on demand situation for the government
securities in domestic market.
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Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
New series of coins of One Rupee, Two Rupees, Five Rupees, Ten Rupees and Twenty
Rupees, easily identifiable to the visually impaired to be made available for public use
shortly.
Digital Payments
TDS of 2% on cash withdrawal exceeding Rs. 1 crore in a year from a bank account
Business establishments with annual turnover more than Rs. 50 crore shall offer low cost
digital modes of payment to their customers and no charges or Merchant Discount Rate
shall be imposed on customers as well as merchants.
Mega Investment in Sunrise and Advanced Technology Areas
Scheme to invite global companies to set up mega-manufacturing plants in areas such as
Semi-conductor Fabrication (FAB), Solar Photo Voltaic cells, Lithium storage batteries,
Computer Servers, Laptops, etc
Investment linked income tax exemptions to be provided along with indirect tax
benefits.
Achievements during 2014-19
1 trillion dollar added to Indian economy over last 5 years (compared to over 55 years taken
to reach the first trillion dollar).
India is now the 6th largest economy in the world, compared to 11th largest five years ago.
Indian economy is globally the 3rd largest in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms.
Strident commitment to fiscal discipline and a rejuvenated Centre-State dynamic provided
during 2014-19.
Structural reforms in indirect taxation, bankruptcy and real estate carried out.
Average amount spent on food security per year almost doubled during 2014-19 compared
to 2009-14. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 18
Union Budget 2019-2020: July 06, 2019
Patents issued more than trebled in 2017-18 as against the number in 2014.
Ball set rolling for a New India, planned and assisted by the NITI Aayog.
Roadmap for future
Simplification of procedures.
Incentivizing performance.
Red-tape reduction.
Making the best use of technology.
Accelerating mega programmes and services initiated and delivered so far.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 19
Current Affairs: July 06, 2019
July 06, 2019
Union Budget 2019-2020
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented
the maiden budget of Narendra Modi 2.0
government in the Lok Sabha on Friday. “Gaon,
Garib and Kisan [village, poor, and farmer] is at
the centre of all policies of this government.
Between 2014 and 2019, we provided rejuvenated
dynamic Centre-State cooperative federalism, and the GST Council, said Ms. Sitharaman.
Here are the highlights of the Union Budget:
PAN and Aadhaar will become interchangeable. You can use your Aadhaar number to
file your I-T Returns soon.
Rs. 5 lakh minimum limit announced for taxpayers. In view of rising income levels,
those in the Rs. 2-5 crore and Rs. 5 crore-and-above brackets will see increase in effective
tax rate by 3% and 7%, respectively.
GST rate on electric vehicles proposed to be lowered to 5%. Additional income tax
deduction of Rs. 1.5 lakh on interest on loans taken to purchase electric vehicles.
Additional deduction of Rs. 1.5 lakh on loans up to March 31 2020 for buying affordable
houses, giving Rs. 7 lakh benefit to home buyers.
Proposal to provide Aadhaar cards for NRIs with Indian passports, after their arrival in
India, with no waiting period.
Rs. 20 coin coming up.
Excise duty on fuel hiked by Rs. 1.
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Current Affairs: July 06, 2019
To resolve the angel tax issue, startups will not be subject to any scrutiny in respect to
valuation. Funds raised by startups will not require any scrutiny by the I-T department.
TDS of 2% on cash withdrawals exceeding Rs. 1 crore in a year from bank accounts, to
discourage business payments in cash.
Period of exemption for capital gains arising from sale of house for investment in
startups to be extended to March 31, 2021.
Rs. 70,000 crore in recapitalisation for public sector banks.
Rs. 1.05 lakh crore disinvestment target for the year.
TV channel to be launched for promoting startups and to help matchmaking for funds.
New national educational policy hopes to transform Indian education into one of the
best in the world, with focus on bringing in foreign students.
Rs. 50 lakh crores proposed for Railway infrastructure.
By 2022, the 75th year of Independence, every single rural family, except those who are
unwilling to take the connection, will have electricity and clean cooking facility.
Stress on zero-budget farming, which is a form of gardening as a self-sustainable
practice, with minimum external intervention.
The pension benefit will be extended to 3 crore retail traders under PM Karam Yogi
Maan Dhan Scheme. It requires only Aadhaar numbers and bank accounts.
Rs. 1 crore worth of loans proposed to MSMEs.
Investment by FIIs and FDIs in debt securities in infrastructure debt funds to be allowed.
Minimum public shareholding in listed companies can be increased from 25% to 35%.
Global Investors Meet to happen in India.
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Current Affairs: July 06, 2019
Haryana launches 'Meri Fasal Mera Byora' portal for farmers
The Haryana government Thursday
announced the launch of 'Meri Fasal Mera
Byora' portal whereby farmers can avail
benefits of several government schemes
directly after uploading their crop-related
details. Chief Minister Manohar Lal
Khattar launched the portal on July 04.
This simple system will enable farmers to self-report their land and crop details and help them
receive benefits of several government schemes directly. The portal -- www.fasalhry.in -- has
brought the departments of agriculture and farmers welfare, revenue, food civil supplies and
consumer affairs and science and technology on a single platform for the betterment of the
farmers.
Yogi Adityanath launches 24x7, toll free CM helpline 1076 in Uttar Pradesh
In a bid to establish a direct contact between
people and Chief Minister's office, the Yogi
Adityanath government launched the Chief
Minister's toll-free helpline to enable people
from across the state to register their
complaints. The helpline number 1076, which
will work 24x7, is likely to cast a shadow on bureaucrats who fail to respond to people`s
complaints. Notably, the 500-seater call centre for the helpline has the capacity to handle 80,000
inbound and 55,000 outbound calls on a daily basis. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 06, 2019
Govt extends Kisan Credit Card facility to fisheries, animal husbandry sector
Government has extended the facility of Kisan
Credit Card (KCC) to fisheries and animal
husbandry farmers to help them meet their
working capital needs. Minister of State for
Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Pratap
Chandra Sarangi said, the KCC facility will help
fisheries and animal husbandry farmers to meet
their short term credit requirements of rearing of animals, poultry birds and other aquatic
organisms and capture of fish.
Longest electrified railway tunnel in India commissioned
The South Central Railway (SCR) has added yet
another feather in its cap by commissioning the
longest electrified tunnel of 6.6 km built at a total
cost of Rs. 460 crore between Cherlopalli and
Rapuru stations. The tunnel is part of the recently
completed Obulavaripalli-Venkatachalam new
railway line.
Construction of the longest tunnel between Cherlopalli and Rapuru in a record time of 43
months was the major challenge for commissioning of this important and vital railway link as it
has reduced distance between Krishnapatnam Port and hinterland areas by 60 km, said General
Manager Gajanan Mallya.
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Current Affairs: July 06, 2019
Tata Steel Kalinganagar joins WEF's Global Lighthouse Network
Tata Steel Kalinganagar (TSK) has been included
in World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global
Lighthouse Network, a community of
manufacturers showing leadership in applying
Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to
drive financial and operational impact. TSK in
Odisha's Jajpur district is the first and the only Indian manufacturing plant to be included in the
WEF's Lighthouse Network.
ISRO, Russia’s Glavkosmos sign contract to train astronauts for Gaganyaan Mission
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)
has signed a pact with the Russian firm
Glavkosmos to select and train astronauts for the
country’s Gaganyaan project. As part of the
mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation
has decided to send three astronauts on a life-
supporting GSLV-MkIII rocket into low-Earth
orbit. If all goes to plan, the astronauts will spend a total of seven days in orbit performing a
range of experiments before returning home.
Gaganyaan is a crewed orbital spacecraft expected to carry three people into space for seven
days. Isro’s Geo-Synchronous Launch Vehicle Mk III, a three-stage rocket, will be used for the
mission that is estimated to cost around Rs9,000 crore ($1.31 billion). https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 06, 2019
Nalin Shinghal appointed CMD of BHEL
State-owned engineering firm BHEL said that
Nalin Shinghal has been appointed its
chairman and managing director for five years.
Prior to this he worked as the Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of Central
Electronics Limited(CEL).
Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik retires from ODI cricket
Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik confirmed his
retirement from one-day cricket without making
a farewell appearance in his side’s victory over
Bangladesh on Friday (July 05). The 37-year-old
will continue to play the Twenty20 format, but he
admitted it was an emotional moment to call
time on his ODI career. Malik appeared in 287 one-day internationals and scored 7,534 runs
with nine hundreds. As an off-spinner he finished with 158 wickets, while he also captained
Pakistan in 41 ODIs.
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Current Affairs: July 06, 2019
Netherlands Great Arjen Robben Announces Retirement from Football
Dutch winger Arjen Robben has announced he is
ending his playing career at the age of 35 after a
10-year spell with German giants Bayern Munich.
"It is without a doubt the most difficult decision I
have had to make in my career, my heart says yes,
my body says no," Robben told the Telegraaf.
Robben played 96 international matches for the Netherlands, scoring 37 goals, starring in the
team which reached the 2010 World Cup final and finished third four years later. He won two
Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea in 2005 and 2006, before claiming a La
Liga winner's medal with Real Madrid.
World’s most powerful passports 2019: India ranks 86th and Japan and Singapore toped
The latest Henley Passport Index 2019 ranks the
Indian passport on the 86th position with a
mobility score of 58. The score points out that
Indian passport holders can access 58 countries
around the world without a prior visa. The index
includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations
— including micro-states and territories.
Asian countries dominate the rankings with Japan and Singapore holding onto the top spot
with a score of 189, after they unseated Germany from its first position at the beginning of 2018.
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Current Affairs: July 06, 2019
South Korea sits in second place on the index along with Finland and Germany, with citizens of
all three countries having access to 187 destinations around the world without a prior visa.
Singapore loses top spot to Switzerland as best place for expatriates
Switzerland has been ranked the best place in the
world to live and work, stealing the crown from
Singapore which was at the top for five consecutive
years. Switzerland jumped from No. 8 last year as
it garnered top marks for its earning potential and
stability. The top ten of HSBC’s “Best places to live
and work” was rounded out in order by Canada, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey,
Germany, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
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Current Affairs: July 07-08, 2019
July 07-08, 2019
Jaipur gets UNESCO World Heritage tag
The walled city of Jaipur, known for its iconic
architectural legacy and vibrant culture, made its
entry into the UNESCO World Heritage Site list on
July 06, becoming the second city of the country
after Ahmedabad to get the recognition. The
decision was taken at the 43rd Session of the
UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) in the
historic city of Baku, Azerbaijan, from June 30-July 10.
The committee examined the nomination of Jaipur that was supported by a majority of the
countries for its inclusion on the list. "Just inscribed as @UNESCO #WorldHeritage Site: Jaipur
City in Rajasthan, #India. Bravo"," UNESCO tweeted.
YSR 'Rythu Bharosa' scheme to be extended to tenant farmers
The newly-constituted Andhra Pradesh
Agriculture Mission decided to extend 'YSR
Rythu Bharosa', an input assistance scheme,
to tenant farmers as well. Under Rythu
Bharosa, each farmer would be given an
annual grant of Rs 12,500 to meet input costs. The proposed amendments to the Act would not
affect the land owners. The state government would organize Farmers' Day on July 8 to mark
the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 07-08, 2019
India's first highway corridors for e-vehicles expected by March 2020
India's first highway corridors with charging
stations for electric vehicles are expected to
come up along the Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Agra
highways by 2020. The combined stretch of the
corridors on the Yamuna Expressway between
Delhi and Agra) and the National Highway 48
(between Delhi and Jaipur) will be 500 km, and 18 charging stations will be setup near toll
plazas on the two routes.
Hong Kong Approves over $9 Million for Rehabilitation Work in Cyclone-hit Odisha
The Hong Kong government has approved over
USD 900,000 for relief and rehabilitation work in
cyclone-hit Odisha that could benefit around 45,100
victims. 'Very severe cyclonic storm' Fani battered
Odisha in May and killed 64 people and damaged
more than five lakh dwelling units in the state's
coastal districts.
Three grants totaling 7.032 million Hong Kong dollars (about USD 902,278) from Hong Kong's
Disaster Relief Fund to three agencies has been approved for the cyclone victims in Odisha. The
grants will benefit around 45,100 cyclone victims and will be used to provide hygiene kits,
kitchen kits, water, education, household items and shelter kits.
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Current Affairs: July 07-08, 2019
SEBI’s 75 percent cash surplus to go to government
The Securities and Exchange Board of India will
now have to transfer 75 percent of its surplus
from the general fund every year to the
Consolidated Fund of India that is managed by
the Central Government. An announcement to
this effect was made in the Budget via a proposed
amendment to SEBI Act 1992.
SEBI has a surplus of Rs. 3,170 crore as per its 2017 balance sheet, which is the latest available in
public domain. The surplus could go up by several hundred crore rupees once its 2018 balance
sheet is out. The Budget has proposed that SEBI should constitute a reserve fund and 25 percent
of the annual surplus of the general fund should be credited to this reserve fund.
RBI gets the power to regulate housing finance companies instead of NHB
The government has taken away the powers of the
National Housing Bank (NHB) to regulate housing
finance companies (HFCs) and handed them to the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) Act will be amended to give the RBI
powers to regulate the HFC sector. NHB was part of
the RBI till April this year when the government
decided to take it over.
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Current Affairs: July 07-08, 2019
EU leaders pick Germany's Ursula von der Leyen to lead European Commission
The European Council proposed German Defense
Minister Ursula von der Leyen to become
European Commission president, European
Council President Donald Tusk said. She will be
replacing Jean-Claude Juncker. Von der Leyen, a
member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's
conservatives (CDU/CSU), would be the first female Commission president if confirmed by the
European Parliament. Her nomination needs an absolute majority of the chamber's 751
members to be ratified.
Rajni Saraf appointed Chief Financial Officer J&K Bank
Jammu and Kashmir Bank (J&K) on July 06th
appointed Rajni Saraf as its chief financial
officer as part of its succession planning.
Pursuant to Regulation 30 of Sebi (Listing
Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)
Regulations, 2015, the Board of Directors of the
Bank has appointed Mrs. Rajni Saraf as chief financial officer of the bank.
She currently heads the Supervision and Control Division of the bank and will now oversee its
financial operations that include investments, capital structure, income and expenses of the
bank.
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Current Affairs: July 07-08, 2019
FIFA Women's World Cup: United States defeat Netherlands, lift title
United States trounced the Netherlands by 2-0
in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup to
lift the title at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on
Sunday (July 07). This is the fourth time when
the United States clinched the World Cup.
Before the 2019 triumph, United States won the
title in 1991, 1999 and 2015.
The game witnessed a goal-less first half as both restricted each other from scoring. However,
the United States came out all guns blazing in the second half as they scored two goals in the
second half.
Elavenil Clinches India’s First Medal At World University Games 2019
India’s 10m rifle shooting prodigy Elavenil
Valarivan bagged a silver — the first medal for
India — at the 10m Air Rifle Women’s event of
the Napoli World University Games, 2019. The
19-year-old junior shooter shot a score of 249.0,
behind Czech Republic’s Lucie Brazdova who
clinched gold, shooting 250.3, while Chinese Taipei’s LIN Ying-Shin brought home bronze with
225.2.
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Current Affairs: July 07-08, 2019
Vinesh Phogat, Divya Kakran win gold, Pooja clinches silver at Grand Prix of Spain
Putting up a dominating show, India’s top wrestler
Vinesh Phogat won her first gold medal after
shifting to the 53kg category while Divya Kakran
claimed the top honors in the 68kg category in
Madrid at the Grand Prix of Spain. Vinesh, one of
India’s medal hopefuls at the 2020 Tokyo Games,
was competing only in her third tournament in the
new category.
International Day of Cooperatives: 06 July
The International Day of Cooperatives is an
annual celebration of the cooperative movement
that takes place on the first Saturday of July since
1923. Since 1995, the United Nations and the
International Cooperative Alliance have been
setting the theme for the celebration of
#CoopsDay through the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives
(COPAC), a multi-stakeholder partnership of global public and private institutions that
champions and supports people-centred and self-sustaining cooperative enterprises as leaders
in sustainable development. The International Cooperative Alliance is a founding member.
2019 theme: Coops 4 decent work.
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Current Affairs: July 07-08, 2019
World's first floating farm in operation in Rotterdam
The world's first ever floating farm has been
built in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The aim
of the initiative, said designer Peter Van
Wingerden, was to shorten the distance between
the production and consumption of food. With
the majority of the world's population now
living in urban areas, the demand for fresh food in cities is on the rise.
This, combined with the farm's vast array of solar panels, makes the floating project an eco-
friendly alternative to current farming methods. The farm has also been designed to desalinate
seawater. The buoyant structure is starting small, currently hosting just 32 dairy cows.
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Current Affairs: July 09, 2019
July 09, 2019
'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme: U'khand among best performing states
Uttarakhand has been adjudged as one of the
country's five best performing states in 'Beti
Bachao, Beti Padhao', a central scheme aimed
at addressing declining child sex ratio and
issues of women empowerment. The state will
be felicitated, along with the other selected
states, in recognition of its consistent performance in respect of sex ratio at birth, according to a
letter from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. Consistent performance in
respect of SRB indicates that the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme is gaining ground, the letter
added.
Bonalu festival kicks off at Golconda Fort
The annual Bonalu festival kicked off on Thursday in
the Hyderabad at the historic Golconda Fort. The
festival was kicked off after Forest minister P
Indrakaran Reddy, Telangana Animal Husbandry
Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Hyderabad
Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar offered a saree
to Goddess Jagadambika in the temple at the fort. Bonalu is celebrated every year in a grand
manner in the state during the first month of the monsoon season.
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Current Affairs: July 09, 2019
BSF launches operation ‘Sudarshan’ to fortify Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu
The Border Security Force (BSF) has launched a
massive exercise, code named ‘Sudarshan’, to fortify
the ‘anti-infiltration grid’ along the Pakistan border
in Punjab and Jammu. The exercise will see the entire
BSF’s senior field brass, thousands of troops and
machinery being deployed in these forward areas.
The operation was launched on July 1 and will cover the entire over the 1,000-km length of the
India-Pakistan International Border. While Jammu shares about 485-km of the border with
Pakistan, about 553-km of the front is in Punjab. It further runs down towards Rajasthan and
Gujarat on India’s western flank.
The BSF is the primary force guarding this frontier as the ‘first line of defence’.
DRDO carries out three successful Nag missile tests in one day in Pokhran
Moving closer toward the induction of the Nag
anti-tank guided missiles into the Army,
Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) on Sunday (July 07)
carried out three successful test firings of the
missiles in the Pokhran firing ranges.
The Defence Acquisition Council has last year approved the procurement of DRDO’s designed
and developed NAG Missile System (NAMIS) at the cost of Rs 524 crore. The system includes a
third generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile, the NAG, along with the Missile Carrier Vehicle https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: July 09, 2019
(NAMICA). The NAG missile is a third generation anti-tank guided missile, which has top
attack capabilities that can effectively engage and destroy all known enemy tanks during day
and night.
Vice President releases book titled ‘Vivekadeepini’ in ten languages
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah
Naidu has released a book titled
“Vivekadeepini”. It has been released in 10
languages. It is a book that contains facts and
principles of spiritual leaders like Adi
Shankaracharya and Swami Vivekananda.
The original book is written by Sri Adi Shankaracharya in Prashnottara Ratnamalika
(Questions and Answers). The conversion in different 10 languages has been done by Vedanta
Bharati.
Indian Army to buy American Howitzer ammo for long-range accurate strikes
Seeking to acquire the capability to hit enemy
positions close to populated areas without causing
collateral damage, the Indian Army is in the
process of acquiring Excalibur guided long-range
artillery ammunition which can strike targets
more than 50 km away. The acquisition case is
being processed under the emergency powers for
procurement of weapon systems and ammunition to be war-ready in post-Pulwama attack-like
situations . https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 09, 2019
The ammunition is being acquired for units deployed along the Line of Control where artillery
shelling by Pakistan is a common feature. The Excalibur ammunition was developed in the US
for improving the accuracy of the artillery shells in the war in Afghanistan which the Americans
have been fighting for almost two decades now.
Govt fixes price for sovereign gold bonds at Rs 3,443 per gram
The government has fixed the price at Rs 3,443
per gram for the new series of sovereign gold
bonds (SGBs) opening Monday. The Centre in
consultation with the RBI has decided to allow
a discount of Rs 50 per gram from the issue
price to those investors who apply online and
the payment is made through digital mode, the finance ministry said in a statement.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 30 announced calendar for issuance of SGB for the
first half of the current financial year. The bonds will be issued every month from June 2019 to
September 2019, the RBI said in the statement.
Sovereign Gold Bond
The sovereign gold bond scheme was launched
in November 2015 with an objective to reduce
the demand for physical gold and shift a part of
the domestic savings, used for purchase of gold,
into financial savings.
Under the scheme, the bonds are denominated
in units of one gram of gold and multiples thereof. Minimum investment in the bonds is one
gram with a maximum limit of subscription of 500 gram per person per fiscal year (April- https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 09, 2019
March).
The maximum limit of subscription is 4 kg for individual and Hindu Undivided Family (HUF)
and 20 kg for trusts and similar entities per fiscal (April-March).
The annual ceiling includes bonds subscribed under different tranches during initial issuance
by the government and those purchased from the secondary market.
LinkedIn appoints Ashutosh Gupta as country manager for India
Professional social networking platform
LinkedIn July 8 said it has appointed Ashutosh
Gupta as country manager for India, effective
September 2, 2019. He replaces Mahesh
Narayanan, who was country manager for
India from January 2019 to June 2019. Gupta
had joined the company in 2013 to lead LinkedIn's Marketing Solutions (LMS) business in India,
and then moved to Singapore in 2016 to build LMS' Online Sales Organization (OSO) for Asia
Pacific and China, it said in a statement.
M Nageswar Rao appointed director general of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard
The Central government on Friday appointed M
Nageswar Rao, Additional Director of CBI as the
Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and
Home Guard. As per the government order, he will
continue to hold the post till superannuation in July
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Current Affairs: July 09, 2019
2020. Earlier, former CBI Chief Alok Verma was also given the same post. However, Verma
declined to accept the role.
Imran Tahir, JP Duminy Retire From ODI Cricket
Imran Tahir and JP Duminy ended their One-day
International careers with South Africa's 10-run
win over Australia, a consolation in the World
Cup 2019, at Old Trafford on Saturday. In their last
ODI appearance, Imran Tahir took a much crucial
scalp of Australia captain Aaron Finch, while all-
rounder JP Duminy contributed with 14 runs in South Africa's famous win in Manchester.
Imran Tahir, the 40-year-old leg-spinner, concluded his ODI career with 173 wickets in 107
matches with best figures of 7/45. JP Duminy, on the other hand, scored 5117 runs in 199 ODI
matches at a strike-rate of 84.58. The off-spinner also claimed 69 ODI wickets with a career-best
spell of 4/16.
Li Shi Feng defeats Parupalli Kashyap to won the Canada Open
Former Commonwealth Games champion
Parupalli Kashyap's impressive run at the Canada
Open Super 100 tournament came to an end after
he lost a three-game thriller to China's Li Shi Feng
in the men's singles summit clash in Calgary. Sixth
seed Kashyap, who has produced some gritty
performances this week, fell short against Feng, going down 22-20, 14-21, 17-21 in the finals that
clocked an hour and 16 minutes. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 09, 2019
An Se-young from South Korea defeated Wang Zhiyi from China to clinch Women’s Singles in
Canada Open 2019.
Copa America 2019: Brazil beat Peru 3-1 to clinch the title
Brazil defeated Peru 3-1 to win their first Copa
America title since 2007. Everton led the team
to victory on Sunday, scoring a goal and
setting up another to give Brazil their ninth
Copa América trophy, and fifth at home.
Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison also scored a
goal each for Brazil, who has won the title every time they hosted the tournament. Everton was
named player of the final and also finished as one of the tournament's top scorers with three
goals. Brazil's veteran right-back Dani Alves was player of the tournament.
Poznan Athletics Grand Prix: Muhammed Anas won the gold in the men's 200m race
National record holder Muhammed Anas won the gold in men's 200m race with a time of 21.18
seconds.
Star Indian sprinter Hima Das won her second
international gold in women's 200m with a top
finish at the Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland on
July 07 and VK Vismaya won the silver medal.
M P Jabir won the gold in the men's 400m hurdles
in 50.21 seconds while Jithin Paul was third in
52.26 secs and won the bronze medal. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 7
Current Affairs: July 09, 2019
Indians swept the women's 400m race through P Saritaben (52.77 secs), Sonia Baishya (53.73
secs) and R Vithya (53.73 secs).
In shot put Tajinderpal Singh Toor bags Bronze Medal.
IOC lifts Kuwait suspension, clearing nation to compete in 2020 Olympics
Kuwait has been cleared to compete in the 2020
Olympics after the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) announced on Friday it was
lifting the suspension it imposed on the Kuwait
Olympic Committee (KOC) four years ago. In a
statement, the IOC said the KOC had
successfully implemented "a roadmap agreed between all parties". The announcement comes
less than a week after Sheikh Fahad Nasser Sabah Ahmad Al Sabah was elected President of
the KOC.
India to train 1800 Bangladeshi Civil Servants at Mussoorie
Eighteen hundred Bangladeshi mid-career
civil servants will be trained at the
National Centre for Good Governance
(NCGG) in Mussoorie between 2019-2025.
The first batch of 30 civil servants leaving
for a two-week long training programme
in Mussoorie paid a visit to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
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Current Affairs: July 09, 2019
World's largest burn and plastic surgery institute starts journey
The world's largest burn and plastic surgery
institute in Dhaka started functioning from
July 04. Inaugurating the OPD of the institute
yesterday Health and Family Welfare Minister
of Bangladesh Zahid Maleque said about 6 lakh
people suffer burn injuries in Bangladesh every
year who will benefit from the institute. Named Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic
Surgery Institute, the 500-bed hospital with 50 ICU and 12 operation theatres will provide
advanced treatment to burn patients in Bangladesh. The institute has been built at a cost of
over 500 crore Taka.
Sri Lanka inaugurates first model village built with Indian assistance
A model village built with Indian assistance as part
of a housing project meant for war affected people
and estate workers was inaugurated in Sri Lanka.
India has partnered with the ministry of housing and
construction and cultural affairs to build 100 model
villages consisting of a total of 2,400 houses all across
Sri Lanka with Indian grant of Rs 1,200 million (USD 17.5 million). The first model village built
with Indian assistance under the Model Villages Program was jointly inaugurated by Minister
of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs Sajith Premadasa, former President
Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga and Acting High Commissioner of India Shilpak
Ambule at Ranidugama in Gampaha in Sri Lanka. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 9
Current Affairs: July 10, 2019
July 10, 2019
Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express set to be first train to be run by private operators
The Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express is set to be
the first train to be operated by private players,
indicating the railways is going ahead with its
100-day agenda of handing over operations of
two of its trains to the private sector, despite
protests from unions. The Railway Board is
deliberating on a second such route, which also would be within the 500-km distance range. The
train, one of the most-awaited trains on the route, is currently parked at the Annandnagar
railway station in Uttar Pradesh and will be handed over to private players after an open
bidding process for operationalisation.
N S Tomar launches Coffee Table Book commemorating 50 years of partnership with UNWFP
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’
Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched a
Coffee Table Book, along with Dr. Hameed Nuru,
Representative and Country Director, UN World
Food Programme in India, to commemorate five
decades of partnership between the Ministry and
the agency towards addressing food and nutritional security in India. The Coffee Table Book –
50 years of Partnership for Change’ showcases key milestones achieved by the Government of https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 10, 2019
India in its efforts to make the nation free from hunger and malnutrition and UNWFP’s role in
this attempt.
INS Tarkash reaches Morocco for overseas development programme
To establish India's credentials as a net security
provider in the Indo-Pacific region, Indian Naval
Ship Tarkash reached Tangier in Morocco on
Monday (July 08) for a three-day visit. It is part of
an ongoing overseas deployment by the Indian
Navy to the Mediterranean Sea, Africa and
Europe. It will now strengthen the friendship between India and Morocco. The ship would also
take part in numerous professional, social and sporting interactions planned with the Royal
Moroccan Navy.
Odisha Announces Rs 10k Monthly Allowance For Padma Shri Awardees
Odisha government has decided to give
monthly allowance of Rs 10,000 to Padma award
winners of the state facing financial problems.
The decision has been taken on the basis of the
Culture Department’s report on the economic
conditions of the Padma award winners of the
state. The news of Odisha’s mountain man and Padma Shri Daitari Nayak struggling to eke out
a living had shaken everybody in the State. After reports of Naik’s struggle and his wish to
return the Padma Shri, Odisha government has now geared up to lend a helping hand.
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Current Affairs: July 10, 2019
U'khand to get establish Six Sigma Institute of Mountain Medicines & High Altitude Rescue
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat
on Saturday agreed to a proposal to establish Asia's
first Six Sigma Institute of Mountain Medicines
and High Altitude Rescue at Rudraprayag. This
mountain institute will create 1,200 employment,
Specialised healthcare, advance education and
Rescue Training in the Uttarakhand.
RBI board finalises ‘Utkarsh 2022’
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board, which met
in New Delhi, finalised a three- year roadmap to
improve regulation and supervision, among other
functions of the central bank. This medium term
strategy — named Utkarsh 2022 — is in line with
the global central banks’ plan to strengthen the
regulatory and supervisory mechanism. It is a three-year road map for medium term objective
to be achieved for improving regulation, supervision of the central bank. An internal committee
was formed, which was anchored by outgoing Deputy Governor Viral Acharya, to identify
issues that needed to be addressed over the next three years.
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Current Affairs: July 10, 2019
BCCI Appoints Rahul Dravid as Head of Cricket at NCA
Former India captain Rahul Dravid was on
Monday (July 8) appointed as Head of Cricket at
the National Cricket Academy (NCA), the BCCI
announced. Dravid was supposed to take over as
NCA head from July 1. "Mr. Dravid will oversee all
cricket related activities at NCA and will be
involved in mentoring, coaching, training and
motivating players, coaches and support staff at the NCA," the BCCI release stated. He will also
work closely with the National Men’s and Women’s Head Coaches and Cricket Coaches for
India Developmental teams – including India A, India Under 19, India Under 23 teams, in the
identification of key training and development objectives.
Lieutenant General Shailesh Takes Charge as Force Commander of UN mission in South Sudan
Newly appointed Force Commander of the UN
mission in South Sudan, Lieutenant General
Shailesh Sadashiv Tinaikar assumed charge in Juba.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had
announced the appointment of Tinaikar in May. In a
tweet, the UN mission said Tinaikar was officially
welcomed by a guard of honour. He has been
awarded the Sena Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal for Distinguished Service
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Current Affairs: July 10, 2019
'Gully Boy' wins NETPAC Award at BIFAN in South Korea
After impressing the Indian audience, Ranveer
Singh and Alia Bhatt starrer 'Gully Boy' has now
been recognized at the Bucheon International
Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in South Korea.
The film directed by Zoya Akhtar was honoured
with NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film.
Thanking BIFAN and cast and crew of the film, a
happy Zoya posted a status on her Instagram account. The film revolves around the
underground rap movement in India also stars Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Vijay
Raaz in pivotal roles.
Sunil Chhetri and Ashalata Devi bag top honours at AIFF Awards
Indian men's football team captain Sunil
Chhetri and women's footballer Ashalata Devi
bagged the top honours at the All India
Football Federation's AIFF Awards on
Tuesday (July 09). Chhetri was named the
men’s footballer of the year, while the title in
the women’s category was won by Devi.
The full list of awards are as follows:
Best Grassroots Development Programme: Jammu & Kashmir Football Association
AIFF Award for the Best Referee: R Venkatesh from Tamil Nadu
AIFF Award for the Best Assistant Referee: Joseph Tony from Karnataka https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 10, 2019
AIFF Emerging Women’s Footballer of the Year 2018-19 Dangmei Grace from Manipur
AIFF Emerging Men’s Footballer of the Year: Abdul Sahal from Kerala
AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year: Ashalata Devi
AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year: Sunil Chhetri
Rohit Sharma sets world record of maximum hundreds in single World Cup
Indian batsman Rohit Sharma on Saturday (july
06) became the first batsman in the world to score
five hundreds in a single World Cup, after his
magnificent 103 against Sri Lanka at Headingley,
eclipsing former Sri Lankan captain Kumar
Sangakkara’s(4 centuries in 2015) earlier record
of most centuries in a single edition. The stylish Indian opener also equalled Indian cricket icon
Sachin Tendulkar in the total number of World Cup hundreds. Both the Indians have six
hundreds to their names. He also became the 4th batsman and the 2nd Indian to score over 600
runs in a single edition of the World Cup.
Carlsen Wins Croatia Grand Chess Tour 2019
Magnus Carlsen defeated Maxime Vachier-
Lagrave on Sunday to reach 8/11 and win the
Croatia Grand Chess Tour. Even his direct rivals
were full of praise. The world champion won his
eighth straight tournament and earned $90,000 as
well as 20 GCT points. He scored a 2943
performance and returned to his highest rating of 2882. Carlsen finished a point ahead of https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 10, 2019
Wesley So, whose 7/11 was good for a 2881 performance rating, $60,000 and 15 GCT points.
Viswanathan Anand has eight draws and two defeats in 10 rounds of the competition. He is in
11th place with four points in the 12-player tournament.
Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting Championships: India won 13 medals
The Indian contingent won 13 medals that included
eight gold, three silver and two bronze medals in
senior, junior and youth categories. Former world
champion Mirabai Chanu led the Indian medal rush
by notching up gold on the opening day of the
Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship.
Mirabai lifted a total of 191kg in the senior women’s 49 kg event to win the gold medal in the
Olympic qualifying event, the points from which will come in handy for the final rankings of
the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Jhilli Dalabehra also clinched the first place on the podium with a lift of 154kg (70kg+94kg)
in the senior women’s 45 kg event which is not an Olympic weight category.
In the senior women’s 55kg, Soroikhaibam Bindyarani Devi and Matsa Santoshi won the
gold and silver medals respectively.
Santoshi stood first in snatch with a lift of 80kg but could only manage 102kg in clean and
jerk taking her total to 182kg.
In the senior men’s 55kg category, Rishikanta Singh grabbed the gold with a total lift of
235kg (105kg+130kg).
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Current Affairs: July 10, 2019
Mexico won CONCACAF Gold Cup title 2019 by beating USA
Mexico's men's soccer team have won 15th
edition of the CONCACAF (Confederation of
North, Central American and Caribbean
Association Football) Gold Cup and their
record eighth Gold Cup by defeating the
United States in the final. The loss for the US
men came hours after the women's team lifted its second consecutive World Cup title. A lone
goal from Jonathan Dos Santos was all Mexico needed as they defeated the United States 1-0 at
Chicago's Soldier Field on Sunday (July 06), to lift a record-extending eighth CONCACAF Gold
Cup.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis sworn in as Greece's new prime minister
Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been sworn in as
Greece's new prime minister, a day after his
centre-right New Democracy party won a
landslide over leftist Syriza, which had been in
power since 2015. Official results showed New
Democracy gaining 39.85 percent of the vote in
Sunday's snap election, compared with 31.53 for Syriza, led by outgoing Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras.
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Current Affairs: July 10, 2019
Sharjah issues its first golden visa to Indian businessman Lalu Samuel
Sharjah's first Golden Card visa was issued to an
Indian expat businessman, as part of the permanent
residency system tailored for investors. The visa
was issued to Lalu Samuel, Chairman and
Managing Director of Kingston Holdings and
Chairman of Sharjah Industry Business Group,
which functions under the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Golden Card is a
10-year long-term visa eligible for investors and entrepreneurs and aims to attract capital,
investments.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Laurene Powell Jobs team up for new Earth Alliance to battle climate change
Hollywood and 'Titanic' fame actor Leonardo
DiCaprio along with his environment charity are
teaming up with Steve Jobs' widow Laurene Powell
Jobs and billionaire investor Brian Sheth to launch a
new alliance to tackle climate change. The Oscar-
winning actor who is also the founding co-chair will
convert The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation into
Earth Alliance as he combines with Powell and Sheth, who is a co-founder and president of the
private equity fund Vista Equity Partners and also board chair of the Global Wildlife
Conservation. Sheth also founded the Sheth Sangreal Foundation, which will completely look
after the finance of the administrative costs of Earth Alliance. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 9
Current Affairs: July 11, 2019
July 11, 2019
Deposits in Jan Dhan accounts cross Rs 1 lakh crore
Deposits in bank accounts opened under Jan
Dhan scheme, launched about five years ago
by the Modi-government, have crossed the Rs 1
lakh crore mark. As per the latest finance
ministry data, the total balance in over 36.06
crore Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
(PMJDY) accounts was at Rs 1,00,495.94 crore as on July 3. The PMJDY was launched on August
28, 2014, with an aim to provide universal access to banking facilities to the people in the
country.
The National Museum of Indian Cinema's news bulletin launched
A fortnightly bulletin of the National Museum of
Indian Cinema, brought out by the Films Division,
was launched in Mumbai, with veteran film maker
Jahnu Barua hoping that it will become a platform for
movie buffs and other stakeholders. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had in January inaugurated the
museum, whose portions occupy a 19th century heritage bungalow and a modern building in
south Mumbai.
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Current Affairs: July 11, 2019
India’s first elephant rehabilitation centre in the works at Kerala’s Kottoor
The Kerala government is working to set up
the country’s first elephant rehabilitation
centre in Kottoor, an ecotourism village near
the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The first
phase of the Rs 105 crore-project was launched
last month by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The centre, expected to have an elephant museum, mahout training centre, super-specialty
hospital, a retirement home and crematorium for the animals, will house orphaned, injured and
older elephants. It is being planned on the lines of the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri
Lanka.
India’s first cow sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh to be privatized
India’s first cow sanctuary Kamdhenu Gau
Abhyaranya in Agar Malwa, Madya Pradesh
(MP), set up in September 2017, will be
privatised due to financial crises. Non
Government Organisation (NGO) Akshaypatra
has showed interest to look into the issues of
poor management & regular deaths of cow in the sanctuary and manage it at no profit no loss
basis. It was developed by the MP Gau Samvardhan Board by spending about Rs 32 crore.
Around 4,000 cows are living in the sanctuary spread across 472 hectares and in 2018, more than
600 cows had died due to extreme weather conditions.
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Current Affairs: July 11, 2019
Centre launches fertiliser DBT 2.0 initiatives
The Centre launched three new technology
initiatives to transfer over Rs 70,000-crore
fertiliser subsidy directly to farmers' bank
accounts. These initiatives are -- a dashboard
with details of fertiliser supply, availability and
requirement at national, state and district level;
advanced version of point of sale (PoS) software and a desktop PoS version.
These are part of the government's effort to transfer the fertiliser subsidy directly to farmers'
bank accounts in the second phase of direct benefit transfer (DBT). In October 2017, the first
phase of fertiliser DBT was rolled out, under which subsidy is being transferred to companies
after checking retail sales data captured through the PoS machines.
Nabard to raise Rs 60,000 crore via non-convertible debentures this year
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (Nabard) will raise long-term
funds of Rs 60,000 crore through nonconvertible
debentures in the current financial year. Its own
requirements have been assessed at Rs 30,000
crore and the balance would be for the Centre to
cover the shortfall in various schemes in rural development and sanitation in FY20. The bank
has already raised Rs 11,000 crore in the first quarter ended June 30, 2019. Nabard chairman
Harsh Bhanwala said it borrowed Rs 56,069 crore from the NCD market in 2018-19.
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Current Affairs: July 11, 2019
Govt to launch 6th tranche of CPSE ETF on July 18; to raise up to Rs 10,000 crore The government is planning to raise up to Rs
10,000 crore from the sixth tranche of CPSE
ETF which would be launched on July 18. The
CPSE Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) tracks
shares of 11 Central Public Sector Enterprises
(CPSEs) -- ONGC, NTPC, Coal India, IOC,
Rural Electrification Corp, Power Finance Corp, Bharat Electronics, Oil India, NBCC India, NLC
India and SJVN. The follow-on fund offer (FFO) 5 will have a base issue size of Rs 8,000 crore
with an option to retain over subscription of another Rs 2,000 crore.
Through the earlier five tranches of the CPSE ETF, the government has already raised Rs 38,500
crore -- Rs 3,000 crore from the first tranche in March 2014, Rs 6,000 crore in January 2017, Rs
2,500 crore from the third in March 2017, Rs 17,000 crore in November 2018 and Rs 10,000 crore
in March 2019. The government aims to raise a record Rs 1.05 lakh crore through disinvestment
in 2019-20, up from Rs 85,000 crore raised last fiscal.
RIL races past TCS to become most valued firm by m-cap
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) July 9 went past
Tata Consultancy Services to become the most-
valued firm in terms of market valuation. RIL's
market capitalisation (m-cap) was at Rs
8,11,048.27 crore at the close of trade, which was
Rs 11,246.23 crore more than that of Tata
Consultancy Services' (TCS) Rs 7,99,802.04 crore valuation on the BSE.
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Current Affairs: July 11, 2019
NHAI inks deal with NIIF for funding of highway projects
National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) on Monday inked a deal with quasi-
sovereign wealth fund National Investment
Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to fund large
greenfield road projects, which will be
executed by the highway authority in the
future. In 2015, Centre had set up NIIF to fund
commercially viable Greenfield, Brownfield and stalled projects, thereby giving a boost to the
country’s infrastructure sector.
NFR’s ‘Plan Bee’ wins best innovation award
The system developed by North East Frontier
Railway (NFR) to keep wild elephants away
from crossing the railway track by playing the
amplified sound of buzzing of honey bees has
won the best innovation award in Indian
Railways for the year 2018-19. The 1st prize
comprises of a citation along with a cash award of Rs 3 lakh. With a large portion of its track
passing through vast areas of forest land which are home to various wild animals including
elephants, NFR has been facing a serious problem of elephant dashing, posing a threat both to
the trains and to the elephant population in the vicinity of tracks.
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Current Affairs: July 11, 2019
Arun Kumar appointed as DGCA chief
Arun Kumar, additional secretary in the
Ministry of Civil Aviation, will now be
holding the full-time charge of the head of
aviation regulator DGCA. The Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet has approved the
appointment of Arun Kumar, Additional
Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation as Director General in the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
Before Kumar, B S Bhullar was holding the full-time charge of DGCA chief.
Dutee Chand First Indian Woman To Win 100m Gold In World Universiade
National record holder Dutee Chand became
the first Indian woman track and field athlete
to clinch a gold medal in the World
Universiade after she won the 100m dash event
in Napoli. The 23-year-old Dutee clocked 11.32
seconds to win the gold as she led the race from
start to finish. The Odisha runner, whose national record stands at 11.24 seconds, thus became
the first Indian to win a 100m gold in a global event.
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Current Affairs: July 11, 2019
Connaught Place 9th most expensive office location; Hong Kong tops chart
New Delhi's Connaught Place (CP) is the
ninth most expensive office location in the
world with an annual rent of nearly $144 per
sq ft, according to property consultant CBRE.
CP, located in the heart of the national capital,
was at the ninth position even last year.
For the second year, Hong Kong's Central district retained the top spot as the world's most
expensive market for prime office rents, with the prime occupancy costs valued at $322 per
sq.ft. Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex and Nariman Point CBD slipped to 27th and 40th
positions, respectively. London's (West End) is ranked 2nd, followed by Hong Kong (Kowloon)
and New York (Midtown Manhattan).
India to host 14th Conference of Parties
India will host the 14th session of the Conference of
Parties to United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) this year to address the
issue of land degradation and desertification. A
source close to the Ministry of Environment, Forests
and Climate Change said on Friday the conference of
the UNCCD, which has participation from over 100
countries, is likely to be held in October.
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Current Affairs: July 11, 2019
France to impose green tax on plane tickets from 2020
The French government is to impose a tax of
up to €18 on plane tickets for all flights from
airports in France to fund less-polluting
transportation projects. The move, which will
take effect from 2020, will see a tax of €1.5
imposed on economy-class tickets on internal
flights and those within Europe, with the highest tariff applied to business-class travelers flying
outside the bloc, Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne said. A similar tax was introduced in
Sweden in April 2018, which imposed an added charge of up to €40 on every ticket in a bid to
lessen the impact of air travel on the climate.
Russia Launches Soyuz Carrier Rocket with 33 Satellites from Vostochny Spaceport
Russia successfully launched its Soyuz-2.1a carrier
rocket with a hydro meteorological satellite and 32
small satellites, the Russian state space corporation
Roscosmos said. Russia's Meteor-M No.2-2
hydrometeorological satellite was successfully put
into a target orbit with a height of about 832 km,
Roscosmos said in a live broadcast.
The satellite will be able to provide images of clouds, the surface of the Earth, ice and snow
covers in the visible, infrared and microwave ranges. It can also obtain data on the temperature
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Current Affairs: July 11, 2019
of the sea surface, the state of the ozone layer as well as determine the level of humidity, which
will help improve the accuracy of meteorological forecasts, Xinhua news agency reported.
Saudi Arabia adopts Digital India, equality of women in this year's Haj
With Saudi Arabia adopting equality of
women as one of its motto in hosting the
pilgrims, this year’s Haj has become very
special for women. Not only this, but the Haj
authority is also encouraging Digital India by
introducing the Haj app, that will provide all
sorts of help to the Haj pilgrims. This was announced by Indian Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed
at a press conference along with Consul General Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh to give a brief about
ongoing Indian Haj operation in Saudi Arabia.
Former India goalkeeper AU Celestine dies aged 73
Former Indian football team goalkeeper AU
Celestine passed away, aged 73, after a brief illness
in Chennai on Monday. Celestine, who represented
India in 1969 Merdeka Cup in Malaysia, had played
for Tamil Nadu men's team in the senior nationals as
a goalkeeper. He also coached the Tamil Nadu state
junior, sub-junior and women teams.
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Current Affairs: July 12, 2019
July 12, 2019
Indian Railways launched 'Operation Thirst' to crack down on selling of unauthorized packaged drinking water
During peak summer season there is a heavy
demand of drinking water as number of
travelers increases due to closure of schools
and festive/marriage season, and this provides
an opportunity for selling of unauthorized
packaged drinking water on Railway premises.
Taking cognizance of it and to curb the menace, an all India two-day drive, "Operation Thirst",
was launched on July 8, 9, 2019, on the direction of DG/RPF, Railway Board, New Delhi.
During the drive, 1371 persons were arrested for selling of packaged drinking water of
unauthorized brands, seizing as many as 69294 bottles. Total fine amount of Rs 6,80,855 have
been realized from these offenders.
Govt task force to draw up $110-bn mobile export business blueprint
To figure out how to create a $110-billion mobile
phone export business from India, the government
has decided to set up a secretary-level task force at
the Centre to be steered by NITI Aayog Chief
Executive Officer Amitabh Kant. The push to set up
the task force has come from the Prime Minister’s
Office (PMO). Principal Secretary in the PMO, Nripendra Misra, has written to Kant to include https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 12, 2019
the finance, commerce and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology secretaries in a
team to form a policy that could overcome India’s disability vis-à-vis other Asian countries as a
mobile manufacturing hub.
Centre approved Bharatmala Projects along Indo-Nepal Border areas
Government of India has approved Phase-I of
Bharatmala Pariyojana with financial outlay of
Rs 5,35,000 crore to develop 24,800 km Highways
along with 10,000 km residual NHDP stretches
over a period of five years. In Bharatmala
Pariyojana Phase-I, development of Border &
International Connectivity roads for a length of 2000 km has also been envisaged with outlay of
Rs 25,000 crore. Along Indo-Nepal Border, the project i.e. balance work of Piprakothi-Motihari-
Raxaul on NH-28A of about 69 km length and civil cost of approximately Rs 334 crore has been
awarded in December, 2018 and commenced in February, 2019 with scheduled completion
period of 12 months. This information was given by the Union Minister for Road Transport and
Highways Shri Nitin J Gadkari in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
UBS forecasts India GDP growth down to 6.7%, rules out revival this year
Swiss brokerage UBS has lowered the country's
real GDP growth forecast to 6.7 percent from
6.9 percent earlier in FY20 citing the continuing
slowdown in consumption demand and warned
that a revival is unlikely before FY21. The
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Current Affairs: July 12, 2019
brokerage expects the Reserve Bank to ease the policy rate by another 75 basis points as against
its previous forecast 25 basis points in FY20.
PAN not linked to Aadhaar card will become invalid from September
The government will invalidate all PAN cards
that are not linked to Aadhaar by September 1.
At the moment 180 out of the existing 400
million PAN cards are not linked to Aadhaar.
To validate and continue using the existing
PAN cards, citizens will have to link them to
Aadhaar. Or else, they will be permitted to use Aadhaar instead for filing returns and while
making other high-value transactions, specified under the Income Tax Act. Those who cite an
Aadhaar number, which is not already linked to a PAN number, for tax returns and other
specified transactions after September 1, will get a fresh one from the Income Tax Department.
RBI panel suggests extension of forex market trading hours
RBI working group has suggested calibrated
extension of forex market trading hours from 9
am to 9 pm as it would help in gauging demand
and potential benefits. The Foreign Exchange
Dealers’ Association of India has stipulated
market timings for inter-bank USD/INR forex
transactions from 9 am to 5 pm. The Reserve
Bank of India (RBI), in August 2018, had decided to set up an internal group to
comprehensively review the timings of various markets it regulates and the associated payment https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 12, 2019
and settlement infrastructure. The RBI regulates money markets, Government Securities (G-Sec)
market, foreign exchange (Forex) market and the markets for derivatives on interest rate,
currency and credit derivatives.
Delhi girl Isha selected for an internship at the International Court of Justice
Delhi girl Isha Kanth has made India proud
after being selected for a prestigious
internship with the International Court of
Justice. The 20-year-old, who did her higher
secondary in humanities from Sanskriti
School, Delhi, is pursuing her graduation in
law at Queen Mary University, London. The ICJ internship is offered to just two candidates
from across the world.
Exim Bank inks USD 124 mn loan pact for infra, health projects in Papua New Guinea, Senegal
Exim Bank has signed agreements with Papua
New Guinea and Senegal governments for
providing USD 124 million (over Rs 850 crore)
loans to finance infrastructure and health care
projects in these countries. The Export-Import
Bank of India (Exim Bank) has entered into an
agreement with Papua New Guinea for Government of India supported line of credit of USD
100 million for financing infrastructure projects in the country.
Of the total soft loan for the Papua New Guinea, USD 60 million is to go for Bayer-Madang https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 12, 2019
road project and USD 40 million for Hoskins-Kimbe road project.
Besides, an agreement was signed with Senegal for USD 24.5 million line of credit for financing
up gradation and rehabilitation of health care system in the country.
Taylor Swift tops again on Forbes’ Highest Paid Celebrities list, Akshay Kumar ranked 33rd
Singer Taylor Swift has topped the Forbes'
Celebrity 100 list and emerged as the highest-paid
celebrity with her 2019 estimated earnings to be
over USD 185 million. Kylie Jenner leading the
list at No. 2 with estimated earnings of USD 170
million and Kanye West who stood at No.3 with
earning over USD 150 million. Actor Akshay
Kumar is the only face from India to make it to Forbes’ annual Highest-Paid Celebrities list.
Akshay landed on the 33rd spot with the earnings of $65 million in the last year.
World Population Day: July 11
World Population Day is observed on July 11
every year. The day is aimed to shift the focus
towards the urgency and the significance of
issues related to population. It may be noted that
World Population Day was established by the
United Nations Development Programme in
1989. World Population Day, which is being celebrated for over three decades, is meant to raise
awareness about solutions related to the issues of growing population. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 12, 2019
World’s Largest Movable Metal Dome Unveiled in Ukraine
The world's largest movable metal structure
has been unveiled as the covering for the
destroyed reactor at Ukraine's Chernobyl
nuclear power plant. Big enough to cover
Notre Dame Cathedral, the New Safe
Confinement is worth $1.7 billion, is 354 feet
high, weighs 39,600 tons and is able to withstand a tornado. The project was partly funded by
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with plans starting back in
1998 and the contract for the structure being put in place in 2007.
The 2nd edition of India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue 2019 held in New Delhi
India and Russia discussed ways to deepen
economic cooperation in areas such as
agriculture and agro-processing, the small &
medium industry, the digital economy and trade,
banking & finance at the second India-Russia
Strategic Economic Dialogue in New Delhi on
June 10.
Chaired by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar and Russian Deputy Minister of Economic
Development Timur Maksimov, the two sides examined the possibility of enhanced
partnerships in six areas which also included tourism & connectivity and development of
transport infrastructure. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 12, 2019
Mandla Maseko, first black African in space passed away
A South African man who won the chance to be
the first black African in space has died in a
motorbike crash before turning his dream into
reality. Mandla Maseko, a part-time DJ and
candidate officer with the South African air force,
was nicknamed “Afronaut” after landing a coveted
seat to fly 103km (64 miles) into space in 2013 in a
competition organized by a US-based space academy.
Brazilian bossa nova pioneer Joao Gilberto passes away
Joao Gilberto, a Brazilian singer, guitarist and
songwriter considered one of the fathers of the
bossa nova genre that gained global popularity in
the 1960s and became an iconic sound of the South
American nation, died on Saturday, his son said.
He was 88. A fusion of samba and jazz, bossa nova
emerged in the late 1950s and gained a worldwide following in the 1960s, pioneered by Gilberto
and Antonio Carlos Jobim, who composed the iconic "The Girl From Ipanema" that was
performed by Gilberto and others. His wife Astrud Gilberto made her vocal debut in the song
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Current Affairs: July 13, 2019
July 13, 2019
India Lifted 271 Million People Out Of Poverty Says UN's Multidimensional Poverty Index Report
India has reduced its poverty rate drastically
from 55% to 28% in ten years. 271 million people
moved out of poverty between 2005/6 and
2015/16, according to the UN's latest
Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report.
While progress has been remarkable, the country
still has the largest number of people i.e., 364 million living in multidimensional poverty in the
world. If one considers the 364 million people who are MPI poor in 2015/16, 156 million (34.5%)
are children. In fact, of all the poor people in India, just over one in four-27.1%-has not yet
celebrated their tenth birthday. However, the multidimensional poverty among children under
10 has dropped the fastest.
AGCL, OIL, GGL sign agreement for setting up of new CGD
Assam Gas Company Limited (AGCL), Oil India
Limited (OIL) and GAIL Gas Limited (GGL)
signed an agreement on Thursday for
incorporating a new company for
implementation of the City Gas Distribution
(CGD) network in five districts of Assam.
The agreement was signed by AGCL's managing director A K Sharma, OIL's executive director https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 13, 2019
(Business Development) S K Singh and GAIL CEO A K Jana in the presence of Assam Industries
and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary. The venture is the outcome of the
extension of the National Gas Grid Pipeline (Urja Ganga Project) to Assam.
Meghalaya becomes first state to have water policy
Amid the water crisis in the country, the
Meghalaya cabinet became the first state to
approve a draft water policy to address water
issues, conservation, and protection of water
sources in the state. The draft was passed on
12th July following detailed discussions and
deliberation with the ministers of the cabinet chaired by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K.
Sangma.
SWADHAR Greh a Scheme for Women in Difficult Circumstances
The Ministry of Women and Child
Development(WCD), Government of India is
implementing the Swadhar Greh Scheme for
the rehabilitation of women in difficult
circumstances so that they could lead their life
with dignity. It envisages providing shelter,
food, clothing, and health as well as economic and social security for the women who are
deserted and without any social and economic support, victims of domestic violence, family
tension, and natural disaster.
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Current Affairs: July 13, 2019
Chandigarh best performing in the field of education
Chandigarh has been ranked best among states
and Union territories in the field of education and
is followed by Kerala and Gujarat, according to
HRD Ministry officials. As per the Performance
Grading Index 2017-18, Arunachal Pradesh is the
least performing state and has been ranked 36 on
the index. Delhi was ranked ninth, behind Rajasthan (8), Punjab (7), Tamil Nadu (5) and
Haryana (4), according to it. Arunachal Pradesh (36), Nagaland (35) and Meghalaya (34) held
the lowest ranks, as per the index.
ICSI launches UDIN to improve corporate governance
The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI)
has rolled out an initiative in the form of a Unique
Document Identification Number (UDIN) in an
attempt to pursue heightened sense of self-
governance and strengthen the practising side of
company secretaries.
UDIN will provide ease of maintaining register of
attestation and certification services. It will prevent counterfeiting of various attestations and
certifications besides ensuring compliance with regard to ceilings on the number of
certifications and attestations.
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Current Affairs: July 13, 2019
Flipkart partners with Axis Bank to launch co-brand credit card
E-commerce site Flipkart has partnered with Axis
Bank and Mastercard to launch its first co-branded
'Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card'. "Presenting the
Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card powered by
@mastercardindia, with Unlimited Cashback. The
Card was jointly launched by Amitabh Chaudhry,
MD & CEO, Axis Bank; Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart.
The card will be offered to select users in July, which will be extended to more users in the
coming weeks. The users who want to activate their Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card need to pay
a joining fee of Rs. 500. After that, users will be charged yearly fee of Rs. 500.
L&T Finance arm becomes first NBFC to get $100 million loan from AIIB
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a
multilateral development bank headquartered in
Beijing, has provided a $100-million loan to L&T
Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (LTIF), a
subsidiary of L&T Finance Holdings Ltd and and a
leading non-bank financier of renewable energy in
India. The overseas bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia, said
on Friday that this deal with L&T Finance Holdings embarks as AIIB's first loan first loan to a
non-banking finance company (NBFC).
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Current Affairs: July 13, 2019
SBI Managing Director Anshula Kant appointed MD and CFO of World Bank
Anshula Kant, managing director of the State Bank
Of India, has been appointed as managing director
and chief financial officer of the World Bank, its
president David Malpass announced 12th July. As
Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer,
Kant will be responsible for financial and risk
management of the World Bank Group, reporting to the President.
Kant joined SBI in 1983 as a probationary officer and also served as the Deputy MD of
Operations for National Banking Group. She has been a Managing Director and member of the
Board since September 2018. Kant has more than 35 years of expertise in finance, banking will
be responsible for financial and risk management of the World Bank Group. She will also have
to work closely with the World Bank CEO on the mobilization of the International Development
Association (IDA) of WB and other financial resources.
Vikas Swarup appointed Secretary of Overseas Indian Affairs
Senior diplomat Vikas Swarup has been
appointed as Secretary, Overseas Indian Affairs,
according to an order issued by the Personnel
Ministry on July 12. Swarup, a 1986-batch officer
of the Indian Foreign Service, is at present India's
High Commissioner in Ottawa. He has been
appointed as the Secretary, (consular, passport,
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Current Affairs: July 13, 2019
visa and Overseas Indian affairs) in the External Affairs Ministry with effect from August 1,
2019.
World Malala Day: July 12
On July 12, 2013, Malala Yousafzai, a sixteen-
year-old Pakistani girl engaged in the
promotion of women’s education, delivered an
impassioned speech at the United Nations
(UN) headquarters on the need for gender
equality in education. The address saw several
rounds of standing ovations for the teenager and the day, July 12, which is also her birthday,
was soon declared by the UN as Malala Day in honour of the young activist.
First Global Conference on Media Freedom Held in London
The first of its kind Global Conference for Media
Freedom 2019 was held on 10 – 11 July 2019 in
London. The Conference was co-hosted by
United Kingdom and Canadian governments to
defend media freedom and improve the safety of
journalists who report across the world. The
Indian delegation attending the Conference included Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash,
Member of Parliament and journalist Swapan Das Gupta and Kanchan Gupta, Member, Press
Council.
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Current Affairs: July 13, 2019
5th India-EU High Level Dialogue on Migration and Mobility held in New Delhi
On July 11, 2019, The 5th India-EU High Level
Dialogue on Migration and Mobility (HLDMM)
was held in New Delhi between India and the
European Union (EU). It was co-chaired by Mr.
Sanjiv Arora, Secretary (Consular, Passport &
Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) and Ms.
Paraskevi Michou, Director General, European Commission. It was also attended by Heads of
Mission and other representatives of the Diplomatic Missions of EU Member States who were
invited as Observers for the first time.
France became the first country to pass GAFA tax on digital giants
France became the first major economy to
impose a tax on digital giants, with its
Parliament passing the legislation in defiance of
a probe ordered by U.S. President Donald
Trump that could trigger reprisal tariffs. The
new law aims at plugging a taxation gap that
has seen some internet heavyweights paying next to nothing in countries where they make
huge profits. The legislation — dubbed the GAFA tax (an acronym for Google, Apple, Facebook
and Amazon) — was passed by a simple show of hands in the Senate Upper House after
previously being passed by the National Assembly Lower Chamber. The law will levy a 3%
percent tax on total annual revenues of the largest tech firms providing services to French
consumers. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 7
Current Affairs: July 14-15, 2019
July 14-15, 2019
Mahatma Gandhi to be ‘health ambassador’ for children in new ICMR initiative
A new initiative that projects Mahatma Gandhi as
‘health ambassador’ to create awareness among
school children for pursuing a lifestyle that
ensures their well being has been launched by the
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). ICMR
scientists and officers are visiting the schools for
active interaction with children to raise awareness
regarding values for good health. The initiative, called ‘Mission SHAKTTI’ (School-based
Health Awareness, Knowledge Test and Training Initiative), was recently launched in
collaboration with the National Gandhi Museum and Directorate of Education, Delhi
government, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Kalyani Rafael secures $100-mn order for Barak-8 missile kits
Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS) has
secured a $100-million order from Israel-based
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to supply 1,000
Barak-8 MRSAM missile kits for the Indian Army
and Air Force, which, in turn, would be supplied
to Bharat Dynamics (BDL) for further integration.
Hyderabad-based KRAS is a 49:51 ratio joint venture between Rafael Advanced Systems and
Kalyani Strategic Systems (KSSL), with the Indian partner holding 51%. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 14-15, 2019
India to overtake Japan to become 3rd largest economy in 2025
India will this year overtake the UK to become the
world's fifth biggest economy, and is poised to
surpass Japan to be the third largest in 2025, IHS
Markit said in a report Friday. "IHS Markit
estimates that India will overtake the UK to
become the world's fifth largest economy in 2019,
and forecasts that Indian GDP will reach $5.9 trillion in 2025, surpassing Japanese GDP to make
India the world's third-largest economy," the report said. Also, the size of the Indian consumer
market is forecast to increase from $1.9 trillion in 2019 to $3.6 trillion by 2025.
Government waives duty on products imported for nuclear plants
With rising focus on reducing dependency on
carbon-based fuel for electricity generation, the
government has waived off basic customs duty
(BCD) for a clutch of products which are
imported for nuclear power plants and
allocated more funds in atomic energy research.
“All goods for use in generation of nuclear power” and “all forms of uranium ores and
concentrates for generation of nuclear power”, which earlier attracted BCD of 7.5% and 2.5%,
respectively, will now have to pay no such duty. The present installed nuclear power capacity
of 6,780 MW is seen to reach 13,480 MW by FY25.
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Current Affairs: July 14-15, 2019
TVS launches India's first ethanol-based motorcycle Apache RTR 200 Fi E100 at Rs 1.2 lakh
With the government mounting serious pressure on
the domestic two-wheeler industry to move away
from fossil fuel vehicles and look at alternate
energy, country's third largest two-wheeler maker
TVS motor company launched an ethanol-based
version of its 200cc sports-bike Apache. At a price
of Rs 1.2 lakh, this version costs about Rs 11,000
more than the comparable petrol variant. It is capable of running completely on ethanol and
does not need to be blended with petrol at all. The bike will initially be available in
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. Ethanol has been successfully used as an
alternative to petrol in markets like Brazil and can be particularly helpful in India, which
imports crude worth $128 billion annually. Around 10 percent of it - about $13 billion - is used
by motorcycles alone.
ICC CWC 2019 final: England script history, claim maiden World Cup title
In the grand finale of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
(CWC 19), England cricket team defeated New
Zealand cricket team in the Super Over thriller to
lift their maiden World Cup title at The Lord’s
cricket stadium in London on Sunday. Batting first
after winning the toss, New Zealand had posted
241/8 in 50 overs in reply to which, England ended https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 14-15, 2019
at the same score leading to the one-over eliminator at the Lord's. In the Super Over, England
batted first and the duo of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler made 15 runs, and New Zealand also
ended at the same score but for the loss of one wicket, paving the way for an English victory on
boundary count.
ICC CWC 2019 Winner: England
ICC CWC 2019 Runner-up: New Zealand
Player of the Match Award: Ben Stokes (England).
Player of the tournament: Kane Williamson (New Zealand).
Highest run scorer of the tournament:Rohit Sharma (India).
Highest wicket taker of the tournament: Mitchell Starc (Australia).
Djokovic beats Federer to win fifth Wimbledon title in longest ever final
Novak Djokovic saved two match points to
clinch a fifth Wimbledon title and 16th major on
14th July, shattering Roger Federer's bid to
become the oldest Grand Slam champion in the
longest final ever played at the tournament.
Despite being outplayed by the 37-year-old
Swiss for large parts of the knife-edge encounter, the world number one triumphed 7-6 (7/5), 1-
6, 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 13-12 (7/3). At 4 hours and 57 minutes, it was the longest Wimbledon final ever
played and settled by a final set tiebreak for the first time.
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Current Affairs: July 14-15, 2019
Simona Halep Beats Serena Williams to Win First Wimbledon Crown
Simona Halep torpedoed Serena Williams's latest
bid to capture a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam
on 13th July when she stormed to a sensational
victory in a 56-minute Wimbledon final. The 27-
year-old Romanian captured her second career
major with a 6-2, 6-2 victory, adding a maiden
Wimbledon to her 2018 Roland Garros triumph.
Hima Das Wins 3rd Gold medal in Less Than Two Weeks; Mohammad Anas won gold
Hima Das won the women’s 200m event for her
third international triumph in less than two weeks
at the Kladno Athletics Meet in Czech Republic. In
the women’s 200m race, Hima clocked a much
improved time of 23.43 seconds to win the gold.
This was her third international gold in 11 days. In
her first competitive 200m race of the year, the
Assam runner had clocked 23.65 sec on her way to gold in the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in
Poland on July 2. After that, she won her second 200m gold at the Kutno Athletics Meet in
Poland on 7th July with a time of 23.97 seconds.
Mohammad Anas bettered his own national record in men's 400m race to bag a gold. The
24-year-old Anas clocked 45.21 as he won an easy race, finishing nearly one second ahead of
silver winner Omelko Rafal (46.19) of Poland. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 14-15, 2019
In men’s shot put event, national record holder Tejinder Pal Singh Toor managed a
creditable best throw of 20.36m to win the bronze. He holds the national record of 20.75m.
In the women’s 400m, V K Vismaya clocked her personal best of 52.54 seconds to win the
race. Saritaben Gayakwad was third with 53.37.
At this Czech Republic city of Kladno, the Indian trio of Vipin Kasana, Abhishek Singh and
Davinder Singh Kang took the top three spots in men’s javelin final with efforts of 82.51m,
77.32m and 76.58m respectively.
The other gold winners are: Archana in 100m (11.74 sec), Harsh Kumar in 400m (46.76 sec),
Lili Das in 1500m (4:19.05), Sahil Silwal in javelin throw (78.50m), women’s 4x100 relay
(45.81 sec).
Rahul (1500m; 3:50.69), Jisna Mathew (400m, 53.76) and Gajanand Mistry (400m, 47.23) won
silver medals while Rohit Yadav bagged a bronze in javelin throw (73.33m).
Lewis Hamilton wins the British Grand Prix
Helmet emblazoned all weekend with a union flag,
Lewis Hamilton made sure he also had one held aloft
as he ascended the top step of the podium after
winning the British Grand Prix. Claiming victory for
the adoring fans, at a Silverstone positively heaving
with excitement, he wanted there to be no doubt that
this one was for them.
Behind Hamilton and the contest with his Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, who was second,
the battle between Red Bull and Ferrari threw up an epic scrap, one that has surely ended even
the faintest hope Sebastian Vettel might have been harbouring of making a fightback in the title
fight.
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Current Affairs: July 14-15, 2019
Vijender Singh beats Mike Snider to clinch 11th consecutive victory
Indian boxing star Vijender Singh remained an
unstoppable force, clinching a Technical
Knockout over the more experienced Mike
Snider on his debut in the US professional
circuit in Newyork. In what was to be a super
middleweight eight-rounder on Saturday
night, the 33-year-old from Haryana prevailed in four rounds for his 11th consecutive victory in
the circuit. The triumph came in the second minute of the fourth round when Vijender cornered
Snider with a flurry of straight punches, prompting the referee to stop the bout in the Indian's
favour. This was Vijender's eighth knockout win in all.
Sathiyan-Amalraj win doubles bronze at Australian Open
The Indian pair of G. Sathiyan and Anthony
Amalraj ended their World Tour Platinum
Australian Open with a bronze medal in the
men’s doubles competition on 12 July. They
went down 12-14, 9-11, 8-11 to the top-seeded
Korean pair of Jeoung Youngsik and Lee
Sangsu in the semifinals. This was the first ever medal for India in the Australian Open. The top
Korean pair could not be pinned down despite being stretched in the first game. But credit must
be given to the Indians who fought really well before going down.
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Current Affairs: July 14-15, 2019
Amir Khan wins WBC international welterweight title
Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan clinched the
WBC international welterweight title after knocking
out Australian Billy Dib in the fourth round of his
bout in the inaugural Super Boxing League. Khan
was undoubtedly the stronger of the two as he
landed a combination of punches right from the
start, leaving his opponent on the floor with a left hook in the second round.
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh to be awarded the First Gandhi Mandela Peace Medal
The 'Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative' is an annual
event event brought together by Dr Annurag Batra of
Believe Foundation (India) and Tarina Patel of Dr
Ramanbhai Patel Foundation (South Africa) to
celebrate victory of Love over Hatred and celebrate
150 years of Gandhi and 100 years of Mandela's
inspirational lives.
In the first year three events will take place in New Delhi,(11th July), Mumbai, (12th July) and
Ahmedabad, (13th July). The events will have a panel discussion on topics of Global Peace for
youth, women, environment, health, gender sensitivity, arts and cinema with powerful
keynotes delivered by great thought leaders of the current times.
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Current Affairs: July 14-15, 2019
Padma Shri awardee Raghu Ram conferred Thailand's Royal College of Surgeons honorary fellowship
Padma Shri awardee breast surgeon P Raghu
Ram was conferred honorary fellowship of the
Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand, the
highest recognition bestowed by the institute.
Raghu Ram is also the president elect of the
Association of Surgeons of India. The honour
was conferred in recognition of Raghu Ram's contribution in promoting the highest standards
of surgical education in India through his association with the Royal College of Surgeons of
Edinburgh and England.
19th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting For The Year 2019 Held In London
The 19th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs
Ministers’ Meeting (CFAMM) for the year
2019 was held at the Commonwealth’s
headquarters in Marlborough House,
London, United Kingdom (UK) on July 10,
2019. It was chaired by UK Foreign Secretary
Jeremy Hunt as part of Britain’s term as the current Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S Jaishankar arrived in the UK to attend the 19th CFAMM.
The meeting discussed the future strategy of the grouping. He was accompanied by other 52
member-countries of the Commonwealth at the meeting. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 9
Current Affairs: July 16, 2019
July 16, 2019
Harsh Vardhan releases National Digital Health Blueprint
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on July 15
released the National Digital Health Blueprint
(NDHB), which aims to create a national digital health
ecosystem, in the public domain and sought inputs
from various stakeholders on its vision. The NDHB
focuses on providing efficient and affordable health
coverage through a wide-range of data and infrastructure services by leveraging open digital
systems that will ensure security and privacy of personal information, Vardhan said.
Kalraj Mishra appointed Himachal Pradesh Governor, Acharya Devvrat shifted to Gujarat
Senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra was on July 15
appointed as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh,
replacing Acharya Devvrat, who has been
transferred and appointed as the Governor of
Gujarat. Mr. Devvrat (60) was appointed as
Governor of Himachal Pradesh in 2015. He will
replace Governor of Gujarat O.P. Kohli, who retires on July 22.
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Current Affairs: July 16, 2019
Justice Sikri appointed as judge in Singapore International Commercial Court
Former Supreme Court judge, Justice AK Sikri,
has been appointed as an international judge of
the Singapore International Commercial Court
(SICC). The President of the Republic of Singapore
has made the appointment of Justice Sikri with
effect from August 1, a press note from Singapore
Prime Minister's office website said. His term will
expire on January 4, 2021. Justice AK Sikri was recently appointed as the Chairperson of the
News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA).
Vinesh Phogat, Seema and Manju Kumari clinches gold in Yasar Dogu tourney
Vinesh Phogat added to India's medal tally in Yasar
Dogu 2019 Ranking Series tournament in Istanbul,
by clinching gold medal in the 53kg category. The
Indian wrestler won all her four bouts
comprehensively (11-1, 7-0, 14-4, 9-5). Last week, she
had bagged gold in grand prix of Spain.
Earlier, Seema and Manju Kumari won a gold medal each in 50kg and 59kg category
respectively. In the 50kg finals, Seema stopped Valeriya Chepsarakova of Russia from winning
her second career Ranking Series title with a 3-2 win. Manju thrashed Katsiaryna Hanchar
Yanushkevich of Belarus 13-2, in the 59kg finals.
In men's wrestling, Rahul Aware won gold in the 61kg freestyle category, while Utkarsh
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Current Affairs: July 16, 2019
clinched the bronze in the same weight division. Aware, an Asian bronze medallist, clinched
his first career Ranking Series title with a tactical 4-1 victory over Munir Aktas of Turkey.
Shah Rukh Khan to be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by Melbourne’s La Trobe University
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is set to be
honoured with an honorary doctorate degree from
Melbourne-based La Trobe University for his
contributions and efforts towards underprivileged
children, women's empowerment through Meer
Foundation and his achievements in the Indian
entertainment industry.
Khan, who will be visiting Australia to attend the 10th edition of Indian Film Festival of
Melbourne (IFFM) next month as its chief guest, said having his humanitarian endeavours
recognised for the first time by the country was a great honour.
World Youth Skills Day: July 15
The World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) is
observed every year on July 15 to encourage
youth to celebrate the value of acquiring skills
to achieve personal success and fulfillment. The
Day is important because rising youth
unemployment is seen as one of the most
significant problems facing economies and societies in today’s world, for developed and
developing countries alike. The United Nations declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day in https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 16, 2019
November 2014.
The theme for 2019 WYSD is “Learning to learn for life and work”
Russia Launches Spektr-RG, a New X-Ray Observatory, into Space
A Russian and European all-sky-survey satellite is
safely in space following a successful launch on a
Proton rocket on Saturday (July 13). The Spektrum-
Röntgen-Gamma mission, also known as Spektr-RG, is
a joint project between the Russian space agency,
Roscosmos, and the German space agency, DLR.
Spektr-RG launched into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The spacecraft is expected to detect 100,000 galaxy clusters, 3 million supermassive black holes,
tens of thousands of star-forming galaxies, the presence of plasma (superheated gas) and many
more types of objects, according to Roscosmos.
Fuzhou (China) to host 2020 session of World Heritage Committee
The city of Fuzhou (China) will host the next session
of the World Heritage Committee in 2020. This
decision concluded the work of the 43rd session of
the World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku
since 30 June. During this year’s session, the World
Heritage Committee inscribed a total of 29 new sites
on the World Heritage List (one in Africa, two in the Arab States, ten in the Asia Pacific region,
15 in Europe and North America and one in Latin America).
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Current Affairs: July 17, 2019
July 17, 2019
IFFI's Golden Jubilee Edition to be held from Nov 20 till 28 in Goa
The Golden Jubilee Edition of International
Film Festival of India, IFFI will be held from 20th
Nov till 28th November 2019 in Panaji, Goa.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting
Prakash Javadekar said that business exhibition
will showcase the latest technology, film
production and distribution and other aspects regarding films. To mark 150th birth anniversary
of Mahatma Gandhi, separate exhibition will be held. President of Oscar Academy John Bailey
and other eminent cinematographers and producers have been invited for the event. Russia will
be IFFI partner in this edition.
Over 30 lakh persons enrolled under PM Shram Yogi Maandhan Scheme till July 10
Union Government said that total 30,85,205
persons have been enrolled under Pradhan
Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Scheme,
PM-SYM, till 10th of this month. In a written
reply in Lok Sabha, Labour and
Employment Minister Santosh Kumar
Gangwar said the government has launched the PM-SYM a voluntary and contributory pension
scheme for the benefit of unorganized workers in February this year in the country. He said the
scheme assures the minimum monthly pension of 3,000 rupees to the beneficiaries after https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 17, 2019
attaining the age of 60 years. The Minister said under this scheme, the subscriber is required to
pay the prescribed contribution amount and the Central Government provides the equal
matching contribution.
HDFC Bank, CSC launch credit card for village entrepreneurs and small traders
HDFC Bank and Common Services Centres
(CSCs) launched a co-branded ‘Small Business
Money Back Credit Card’ for small traders and
village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs). The credit
card is specifically designed for VLEs and VLE-
sourced customers. It would give users easy access
to credit for their day-to-day business expenses. The card was launched by HDFC Bank MD
Aditya Puri and CSC Chief Dinesh Kumar Tyagi.
Kerala To Get $ 250 Million World Bank Loan For Flood Resilient Kerala Program
The Centre, Kerala state government and the
World Bank had last month signed the loan
agreement of US$ 250 million for the
programme, which aims at enhancing the state's
resilience against the impacts of natural
calamities and climate change. The Resilient
Programme focuses on strengthening the state's institutional and financial capacity to protect
the assets and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable groups through an inclusive and participatory
approach.
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Current Affairs: July 17, 2019
Anusuiya Uikey appointed as Governor of Chhattisgarh
President Ram Nath Kovind on July 16 appointed
senior BJP leader Anusuiya Uikey as governor of
Chhattisgarh. The post of Chhattisgarh governor
was under the additional charge of Madhya
Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel. Born in
1957, the new Governor of Chhattisgarh Anusuiya
Uikey is a member of the BJP and has been an MP
in the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. Uikey has previously held the post of Minister for
Women and Child Development in the Madhya Pradesh government. She has worked for
justice to women, especially tribal women and finding solutions to their problems.
BB Harichandan appointed as Andhra Pradesh Governor
President Ram Nath Kovind on July 16 appointed
senior BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan as
Governor Andhra Pradesh. Harichandan, who is a
BJP leader from Odisha, replaces ESL Narasimhan,
who was the governor of Andhra Pradesh for the
last one decade. With the appointment of
Harichandan, two Telugu states have got separate
Governors. Harichandan was elected to the assembly five times; thrice on the BJP ticket and one
each from Janatha and Jana Dal Parties.
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Current Affairs: July 17, 2019
India will host ISSF World Cup 2020
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
approved India's application to host the ISSF
World Cup stages. Secretary-General of ISSF
Alexander Rater wrote a letter to Raninder
Singh, president of the National Rifle Association
of India, which states: "ISSF Executive Committee
approved the dates of the 2020 ISSF World Cup stages." The last edition of ISSF World Cup was
held in Munich, Germany. The ISSF World Cup will be held in New Delhi from March 15 to 26
next year.
Sangeet Natak Akademi awards for 2018 announced
Eminent artists Zakhir Hussain, Sonal Mansingh,
Jatin Goswami and K Kalyanasundaram Pillai
have been chosen in the Akademi Ratna category
by the Sangeet Natak Akademi for the year 2018.
Diwan Singh Bajeli and Puru Dadhich have been
selected for the Akademi Award 2018 in the field
of Overall Contribution/Scholarship in the Performing Arts. The Sangeet Natak Akademi
Awards will be conferred by the President of India at a special investiture ceremony.
The General Council selected 44 artists from the field of Music, Dance, Theatre,
Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre, Puppetry and Overall contribution/scholarship in
the Performing Arts for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for the year 2018 at a meeting here
on June 26. These 44 artists include three joint awards. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 17, 2019
UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting held in London
India and the UK have agreed to set up three new
bilateral working groups to tackle barriers to
trade in specific sectors of food and drink,
healthcare and data services as part of the Joint
Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting
in London on 15th July. The three new business-led
working groups will be run by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) alongside the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI). India – UK Trade and Economic Relations are reviewed annually by the
JETCO at the level of Commerce and Industry Minister. The India – UK JETCO was established
in 2005, to further develop a strategic economic relationship and develop business led vehicles
to enhance bilateral trade and investment.
Palau signs International Solar Alliance Framework agreement
Palau signed the International Solar Alliance
(ISA) Framework Agreement, lauding India for
its efforts in promoting sustainable
development projects through South-South
cooperation. Palau became the 76th country to
sign the ISA Framework Agreement, which till
date has been ratified by a total of 54 of the 76 countries. Palau President Tommy Remengesau
signed the ISA Framework Agreement during a special ceremony at the Permanent Mission of
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Current Affairs: July 17, 2019
India to the United Nations. Remengesau recognized the ISA as a key initiative for promoting
sustainable energy.
Over 820 million people suffering from hunger: UN Report
A UN report has said, more than 821 million
people suffered from hunger worldwide last year.
It is the third year in a row that the number has
raised. The report named, 'The State of Food
Security and Nutrition in the World', produced
by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
and other UN agencies, including the WHO, and was released on 15th July. It was noted that the
number of people without enough to eat had risen from 811 million in 2017 and getting to a
world where no one is suffering from hunger remains an immense challenge. Reversing the
trend is one of the 2030 targets of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals which aim to
improve the planet and its people.
Foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak University laid in Pakistan
The foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak
International University has been laid in
Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the founder
of Sikhism Baba Guru Nanak Dev, in
Pakistan's Punjab province, more than a
decade after its construction proposal first
surfaced. The foundation stone of the university was laid by Punjab Chief Minister Usman
Buzdar and would be completed with an amount of over Rs. 258 crores spread over 10 acres. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 18, 2019
July 18, 2019
Union Cabinet Approvals on 17 July 2019
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on July 17, 2019
approved the following decisions.
Inter-Institutional Agreement
between India and the USA for cooperation
in the field of medicine (regenerative medicine and 3D bioprinting, new technologies,
exchange of scientific ideas/information and technologies, and joint use of scientific
infrastructure).
The Centre approved the doubling of a vital railway line connecting Guwahati with New
Bongaigaon at a cost of Rs. 2,042 crore.
The Centre approved Rs. 1,600 crore for pre-investment activities of the Dibang
Multipurpose Project (MPP) in Arunachal Pradesh.
Amendment in the Terms of Reference of Fifteenth Finance Commission and extension of
the term up to 30th November, 2019. Earlier it was 30th October 2019.
Providing budgetary support as loan to the tune of Rs 330.35 cr. to provide support for VRS
of employees of IDPL, RDPL and HAL.
Constitution of a Committee of Ministers for taking all decisions pertaining to closure of
IDPL and RDPL and strategic sale of HAL and BCPL.
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Current Affairs: July 18, 2019
Interest rate on GPF lowered to 7.9 percent
In line with the cut in the interest rate on small
savings, the government lowered the interest rate
on General Provident Fund (GPF) by 10 basis
points to 7.9% for the period starting July 1 and
ending on September 30. This is at par with the
Public Provident Fund (PPF), the small saving
scheme with the longest maturity. GPF is provident fund account where only government
employees are entitled to be a member. The government employees contribute a part of their
salary and are entitled to the accumulated fund at the time of retirement.
Andhra Bank unveils Al chatbot ABHi
Andhra Bank launched its Artificial Intelligence
interactive assistant — ABHi. Packirisamy, MD
& CEO unveiled the chatbot at Bank's Head
office auditorium. The Bank's AI powered
chatbot-ABHi uses latest Artificial Intelligence
(AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP)
algorithm to understand the customer query and fetch the relevant information from possible
knowledge base in a matter of milliseconds. With ABHi, customers will be able to get the
information instantaneously 24x7, anytime they want.
Customers can connect and know details from ABHi through website www.andhrabank.in over
Mobile/Desktop browser, Facebook Messenger and over voice using Google Assistant.
Customer can ask details on digital banking, loans, banking services, govt. schemes, insurance, https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: July 18, 2019
senior citizen, RuPay Offers, Aadhaar services, payment mode, deposit/EMI Calculator, lodge a
customer complaint, know nearest Branch / ATM on Google map, recharge prepaid mobile etc.,
on chat anytime and on the move.
UK's Go Global programme expansion to boost Indian start-ups
The UK government has expanded its Go
Global initiative to India with the aim of giving
the country's most innovative and cutting-edge
start-ups the skills they need to grow their
business, build links with the UK's digital sector
and pave the way for future economic
partnerships. The programme forms part of the UK-India Tech Partnership announced by
outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in
April last year. It is a successful innovation scheme supporting startups to work with UK
expertise to take their firms to the next level.
RBI slaps Rs 7 crore penalty on SBI for violating various norms
The Reserve Bank of India said it has slapped a
penalty of Rs 7 crore on the country's largest bank
SBI for non-compliance with norms related to NPA
identification and fraud risk management, among
others. The penalty has been imposed on the bank
for non-compliance of income recognition and asset
classification (IRAC) norms, code of conduct for opening and operating current accounts and
reporting of data on Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC), and fraud https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 18, 2019
risk management and classification and reporting of frauds.
The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Union Bank of India for
non-compliancewith the directions on cyber security framework. The RBI examined the cyber
security framework of the bank, following reports of seven fraudulent messages (of $171
million) generated through the SWIFT system of the bank in 2016.
HDFC Bank terminates, de-lists GDRs from Luxembourg Stock Exchange
Private sector lender HDFC Bank has terminated and
de-listed its global depository receipts (GDRs) from
the Luxembourg Stock Exchange due to low trading
volume. “Subsequent to July 15, 2019, the listing and
admission to trading of the GDRs on the Luxembourg
Stock Exchange will be cancelled,” HDFC Bank said.
Earlier in April, the bank had informed that in view of the minimal number of GDRs
outstanding and the low trading volume of the GDRs, its board has approved the proposal for
termination of the GDR program and de-listing of 22 GDRs, which are outstanding and listed
on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
Amazon enters edtech space, launches 'JEE Ready' app
Ecommerce and tech giant Amazon has forayed
into the edtech space with the launch of an IIT
JEE preparation app called JEE Ready. The app,
which is Amazon's first product in the edtech
sector in India has already been installed more
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Current Affairs: July 18, 2019
than a thousand times. The test is designed by experienced faculty members and students can
compare their scores against each other and keep a tab on their strengths and weaknesses. The
app is currently in beta phase and has already been installed more than a thousand times
available on Google Play Store.
Bhavna Tokekar wins 4 golds in powerlifting at Open Asian championships in Russia
Bhavna Tokekar a 47-year-old mother of two
teenagers from Pune, won 4 gold medals at Open
Asian Powerlifting Championships of AWPC/
WPC at Chelyabinsk, Russia. Tokekar weighed in
64.9 kg and took part in the Under 67.5 Masters 2
Category. The competition organised by World
Powerlifting Congress (WPC) was participated by 500 players across the world including 14
India players.
Coca-Cola appoints Sarvita Sethi as Vice President- M&A
Coca-Cola India & South West Asia Chief Financial
Officer (CFO) Sarvita Sethi has been elevated as the
Vice President-Mergers and Acquisitions and New
Ventures, the beverage company announced.
Bhutani, a veteran at Coke’s bottling arm Hindustan
Coca Cola Beverages, will take over from Sethi on
August 1. Bhutani, who has been the CFO of HCCB
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Current Affairs: July 18, 2019
since April 2016, is the new CFO for Coca-Cola India. Before joining HCCB in 1999, he was with
Swiss industrial products and solutions conglomerate — Asea Brown Boveri.
World Day for International Justice: July 17
World Day for International Justice or
International Justice Day, is an international
day celebrated celebrated every year
throughout the world on July 17 as part of an
effort to recognize the emerging system of
international criminal justice. July 17 was
chosen because it is the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, the treaty that created
the International Criminal Court.
Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Jeff Bezos remains on top; Mukesh Ambani ia on 13th spot
Amazon chief Jeff Bezos is the still richest man
in the world, with a total net worth of $125
billion. Bernard Arnault ranked second. LVMH
pushed Arnault's net worth to $108 billion. In
2019 alone, Arnault added $39 billion to his
fortunes, which is the biggest gain by an
individual in all of the 500 people on the list. Bill Gates stands at Number 3 with net worth of
$107 billion.
The richest Indian, Mukesh Ambani is on the 13th spot, with a net worth of $51.8 billion. Azim
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Current Affairs: July 18, 2019
Premji is the second-richest Indian to be on the list at the 48th rank with $20.5 billion, followed
by Shiv Nadar in the 92nd spot and Uday Kotak on the 96th spot.
Israel Aerospace signs $50 million follow-up deal with Indian navy
State-owned defense contractor Israel Aerospace
Industries said on Wednesday it signed a $50
million follow-up contract to provide
complementary missile systems to the Indian navy
and India’s MDL Shipyard. The agreement involves
a range of maintenance and other services for sub-
systems of Israel Aerospace’s naval medium range surface-to-air missile.
India And Italy Set Up Fast Track Mechanism To Facilitate Investors And Companies
In order to facilitate Italian companies and
investors in India and Indian companies and
investors in Italy, it has been decided to establish
fast-track system for companies and investors of
both the countries. The key objectives of the fast -
track system in India will be to pave the way for
and identify and solve problems faced by Italian companies and investors with their operations
in India. The system will also serve as a platform for discussing general suggestions from the
point of view of Italian companies and investors with regard to ease of doing business in India.
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Current Affairs: July 18, 2019
China gifts warship ‘P625’ to Sri Lanka
China has gifted a warship to Sri Lanka, in the
latest sign of its deepening military cooperation
with the strategically located island nation in
the Indian Ocean. Also, China's rolling-stock
manufacturer has announced that it would
shortly deliver nine "new type" of diesel trains
to Sri Lanka.
The Type 053 frigate was commissioned into China's People's Liberation Army Navy in 1994 as
the Tongling. The 2,300-tonne warship was decommissioned by the PLA Navy in 2015. The
warship has now been gifted to the Lankan Navy.
Legendary boxer Pernell Whitaker dies at 55 after being hit by a vehicle in Virginia
A legendary four-division champion and Olympic
gold-medal winning boxer, Pernell Whitaker died
Sunday(July 14) night after being hit by a vehicle in
Virginia Beach, Virginia. Whitaker was 55.
Whitaker, who boxed for 17 years and held titles at
lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight and
light middleweight, made a name for himself by defeating Luis Ortiz to win the gold medal for
the United States at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. "Sweet Pea" famously started boxing at age
9 and had an extensive amateur career prior to compiling a stellar professional record of 40-4-1
with 17 knockouts.
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Current Affairs: July 19, 2019
July 19, 2019
INS Sagardhwani embarks on two-month-long 'Sagar Maitri' mission
Marine Acoustic Research Ship INS
Sagardhwani embarked on a two-month-long
'Sagar Maitri' mission from SNC Kochi. INS
Sagardhwani was flagged off by Southern Naval
commander Vice Admiral A.K. Chawla and
Defence Research and Development
Organisation chairman G. Satheesh Reddy. Indian Navy said that the objective of this mission is
to promote cooperation in areas of ocean research among the Indian Ocean Rim countries.
Sagar Maitri is a unique initiative of the DRDO which aligns with the broad objective of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's policy declaration 'Safety And Growth for All in the Region'
(SAGAR) to promote closer cooperation in socio-economic aspects as well as greater scientific
interaction, especially in ocean research among Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) countries.
Tamil Nadu carves out two new districts taking total to 35
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy (EPS)
announced the creation of two new districts in
Tamil Nadu by bifurcating Tirunelveli and
Kanchipuram. The government will be carving
Tenkasi out of Tirunelveli and Chengalpattu
from Kanchipuram, he said. With the formation
of two new districts, the number of districts in Tamil Nadu rises to 35. The last time a new https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 19, 2019
district was created was in January 2019 when Kallakurichi was carved out of Villupuram
district.
Maharashtra Hikes Aid to Kin of Martyred Jawans From Rs 25 Lakhs to Rs 1 Crore
Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday approved a four-
fold increase in financial aid for the families of
martyred soldiers and a similar increase for
injured soldiers. Currently, families of martyred
jawans get Rs 25 lakh as ex-gratia, but they will
now get Rs 1 crore. Similarly, jawans who suffer
injuries get between Rs 8.5 lakh and Rs 15 lakh depending on the injuries. The amount has been
raised to Rs 20-60 lakh.
`Internet Saathi' programme to be expanded to Punjab, Odisha
Google India and Tata Trusts said their Internet
Saathi initiative, that aims to facilitate digital
literacy among women in rural India, will be
expanded to villages in Punjab and Odisha.
Launched in July 2015, the Internet Saathi
programme has so far trained 70,000 ‘Internet
Saathis’, who have in turn impacted 2.6 crore million women in the country. In Punjab, the
program will cover around 5,000 villages and in Odisha, the program will cover over 16,000
villages.
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Current Affairs: July 19, 2019
12 Indian beaches in the race to crest the ‘Blue Flag’ challenge
The Union Environment Ministry has selected 12
beaches in India to vie for a ‘Blue Flag’ certification,
an international recognition conferred on beaches
that meet certain criteria of cleanliness and
environmental propriety. These beaches are at
Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Bhogave (Maharashtra),
Ghoghla (Diu), Miramar (Goa), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala), Eden
(Puducherry), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha),
and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands). The Blue Flag Programme for beaches and
marinas is run by the international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation FEE (the
Foundation for Environmental Education).
“Kargil: Untold stories from the War” Authored by Rachna Bisht Rawat released
On the 20th anniversary of the Kargil War, a
new book will revisit the freezing battle
grounds of the 1999 conflict through untold
stories of its bravest soldiers. Titled, "Kargil:
Untold stories from the War", the book
published by Penguin Random House, is
authored by Rachna Bisht Rawat. The book that is based on Rawat's interviews with war
survivors and martyrs' families, will take the readers to the treacherous Himalayan mountains
where some of the Indian Army's bloodiest battles were fought. The war, which lasted for
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Current Affairs: July 19, 2019
nearly three months, initiated in the May of 1999 in an effort to displace Pakistani soldiers from
the peaks they had occupied on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC).
ADB trims FY20 growth forecast to 7% from 7.2%
Asian Development Bank on Thursday lowered
India's GDP growth forecast to 7 percent for the
current year on the back of fiscal shortfall
concerns. "India is expected to grow by 7 percent
in 2019 (FY20) and 7.2 percent in 2020 (FY21),
slightly slower than projected in April because the
fiscal 2018 outturn fell short," ADB said in its supplement to the Asian Development Outlook
2019. Earlier in April this year too, the Manila-based multi-lateral funding agency had forecast
India's growth for FY20 as 7.2 percent and for FY21 as 7.3 percent estimated.
ICICI Bank rolls out digital platform InstaBIZ for MSMEs
Betting big on micro, small and medium enterprises
(MSMEs) and self-employed customers, private
sector lender ICICI Bank announced the launch of a
new digital platform named InstaBIZ, that would
allow these segments to undertake their business
banking transactions digitally and instantly. The platform called InstaBIZ offers over 115
products and services online through the mobile and internet banking channel, including
instant overdraft facility of up to Rs. 15 lakh, business loans, easy bulk collection and payment
of funds through multiple digital modes, automatic bank reconciliation and also undertake all
export-import transactions. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 19, 2019
Hima Das Wins Fourth Gold in 15 Days
Hima Das clinched her fourth gold of the fortnight
as she won the 200m race with a creditable time in
Tabor Athletics Meet in the Czech Republic. Hima
won in 23.25 seconds though the race had a
mediocre field and her compatriot VK Vismaya was
second with a season-best 23.43. This was 19-year-
old Hima's fourth gold since July 2 when she ran her first competitive race in Europe.
In her first competitive 200m race of the year, the old Assam runner had clocked 23.65 seconds
on her way to gold at the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland on July 2. After that, she won
her second 200m gold at the Kutno Athletics Meet, also in Poland, on July 7 with a time of 23.97
seconds. On July 13, she won her third 200m gold at the Kladno Athletics Meet in the Czech
Republic with a time of 23.43.
Muhammad Anas Gets Top Spot in men’s 400 m
In men's 400m, Muhammad Anas won in 45.40
seconds in a mediocre field while compatriots
Tom Noah Nirmal came second with a season-
best effort of 46.59. K S Jeevan was third in 46.60
and M P Jabir finished fourth in 47.16 at Tabor
Athletics Meet in the Czech Republic. On July
13 at Kladno, Anas had bettered his own 400m national record to clinch a gold and qualify for
the World Championships by clocking 45.21 seconds.
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Current Affairs: July 19, 2019
ICC Suspends Zimbabwe From International Cricket
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has
suspended Zimbabwe Cricket with immediate
effect due to violation of the body's
constitution which doesn't permit government
intervention. The suspension will see the ICC's
funding to Zimbabwe Cricket frozen and
representative teams from Zimbabwe will not be allowed to participate in any ICC events.
The ICC Board unanimously decided that Zimbabwe Cricket, an ICC Full Member, is in breach
of Article 2.4 (c) and (d) of the ICC Constitution which imposes an obligation on Members to
provide a process for free and democratic elections and to ensure that there is no government
interference in its governance and /or administration for cricket respectively.
Sachin, Donald and Cathryn Fitzpatrick inducted into ICC Hall of Fame
Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar has been
inducted into the International Cricket Council’s
Hall of Fame alongside South African pace legend
Allan Donald. Joining Tendulkar and Donald in
the Hall of Fame was two-time World Cup-
winning Australian woman cricketer Cathryn
Fitzpatrick.
Sachin has 34,357 runs across formats and is the only batsman to have 100 internationals
hundreds under his belt. Sachin became the 6th Indian on the list after Bishan Singh Bedi (2009),
Sunil Gavaskar (2009), Kapil Dev (2009), Anil Kumble (2015), Rahul Dravid (2018) - figures https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 19, 2019
inside brackets indicate the year of induction.
The 52-year-old Donald is one of the finest bowlers to have played the game and had 330 Test
and 272 ODI wickets to his credit before calling it quits in 2003.
Fitzpatrick is the second-highest wicket-taker of all time in women's cricket with 180 ODI scalps
and 60 in Tests. As a coach, she guided the Australian women's team to three World Cup titles.
Former athlete PT Usha nominated for IAAF’s Veteran Pin
India’s track and field legend PT Usha has been
nominated for the International Association of
Athletics Federation’s (IAAF) ‘Veteran Pin’ for her
outstanding service to the sport. Usha is often called
the “queen of track and field”. She won five gold
medals -- 100 metres(m), 200m, 400m, 400 m hurdles
and the 4x400 m relay -- besides a bronze in the Asian Games which were held at Jakarta in
1985. IAAF CEO Jon Ridgeon extended an invitation to the 55-year-old to attend the award
ceremony during the opening of the 52nd IAAF Congress in Qatar in September.
Incredible India 'Find the Incredible You' campaign wins global award for 2019
The Incredible India's "Find the Incredible You"
campaign released globally by the Ministry of
Tourism during 2018-19 has won the Pacific
Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award
2019 in the “Marketing - Primary Government
Destination” category, said a government
statement, adding that this year’s awards attracted 198 entries from 78 organisations and https://examprep.talentsprint.com 7
Current Affairs: July 19, 2019
individuals worldwide. The "Find the Incredible You" campaign focuses on digital and social
media and the promotion of niche tourism products of the country. As part of the 2.0
Campaign, the ministry produced five new television commercials which were aired globally in
the television, digital and social media.
Nelson Mandela International Day: July 18
South Africa’s first black president, Nobel
Prize winner and anti-Apartheid icon Nelson
Mandela was born on July 18, 1918.
Popularly known as Madiba, Mandela
passed away in the year 2013, at the age of
95. Known for his sacrifice to re-write the
history of generations of South Africans and the world, Mandela was a selfless man.
In order to celebrate his birthday, July 18 is celebrated as Nelson Mandela International Day or
Mandela Day every year. The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November
2009, with the first UN Mandela Day held on July 18, 2010. However, other groups began
celebrating Mandela Day on July 18, 2009.
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Current Affairs: July 20, 2019
July 20, 2019
HRD Minister releases UGC guide to student induction programme
Human Resource Development Minister
Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank released the UGC
Guide to Student Induction Programme -
Deeksharambh in New Delhi. The guide will
help new students to build bonds with fellow
students and faculty members in the new
environment, inculcate in them the ethos and culture of the institution, help them build bonds
with other students and faculty members, and expose them to a sense of larger purpose and
self-exploration.
Health Ministry signs MoUs with three Ministries for enhanced cooperation to end TB by 2025
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today
exchanged Memorandum of Understanding
(MoUs) with the Ministry of AYUSH, Ministry of
Defence and Ministry of Railways to strengthen
inter-ministerial coordination and efforts towards
Tuberculosis-free India by 2025.Dr Harsh Vardhan,
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare
presided over theMoU exchange ceremony in presence ofShriShripadYessoNaik, Union
Minister of State for AYUSH (I/C) and Minister of State for Defence andShriAshwini Kumar https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 20, 2019
Choubey, Minister of State (HFW). With four lakh new cases TB reported in the country every
year, the Health Ministry along with the collective efforts of other Central government bodies
plans to make India TB free.
Cabinet approves 2880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,
chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has approved the expenditure on pre-
investment activities and various clearances for
Dibang Multipurpose Project (MPP) in
Arunachal Pradesh for an amount of Rs 1600
crore. The estimated total cost of Project is Rs 28080.35 including IDC & FC of Rs 3974.95 crore
at June 2018 price level. The estimated completion period for the project shall be nine years from
receipt of Government sanction. The project shall generate 2880MW (12x240MW) power to
produce 11223MU of energy in a 90% dependable year. This is the largest ever Hydro Electric
Projects to be constructed in India. The dam is 278 metres high and will be the highest dam in
India once completed.
5th International Police Expo 2019 in New Delhi
The 5th edition of the International Police Expo 2019
has been organised in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
The event will be held from July 19, 2019 to July 20,
2019. International Police Expo 2019 is the only
exhibition which is focused on Police personnel. In
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Current Affairs: July 20, 2019
this police representatives of different nations and policing security equipment and technology
suppliers come together to meet their business opportunities related to internal security,
Training, Protection and Rescue
Tata most valuable Indian brand in 2019; LIC, Infosys and SBI next
The brand "Tata" has become India’s most
valuable brand for the second straight year in
2019, according to the Brand Finance India 100
2019 report. Tata’s brand value rose 37% to
$19.6 billion as compared to $14.2 billion in
2018, surpassing the combined value of the
second and third most valued brands in India. The second most valued brand this year was the
government-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) at $7.3 billion and a close third
was Infosys at $6.5 billion.
StanChart to be first foreign bank to launch ops at GIFT IFSC
The GIFT City said UK-based Standard Chartered
will be the first foreign bank to launch operations
at International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
Standard Chartered has received in-principle
regulatory approvals to set up its IFSC Banking
Unit (IBU) in Gujarat International Finance Tec-
City (GIFT City.
The UK-based lender is expected to start operations at IFSC by the end of this year. The
government had envisaged GIFT IFSC as a hub to bring offshore financial transactions and with https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 20, 2019
the presence of Standard Chartered, the IFSC ecosystem of India will become more formidable
now, said Tapan Ray, MD & Group CEO, GIFT City.
India, Sri Lanka sign US 91.26 mn agreement to upgrade rail
Sri Lankan government today signed an
agreement with IRCON International for
upgrading of a railway track with Indian
concessional financing of around 91.26 million US
dollars. The agreement is for up gradation of over
century old track of 130 km located between
Colombo and Jaffna in Tamil -majority Northern
Province. The contract agreement was signed by Sunil Kumar Choudhury, Chairman &
Managing Director, IRCON International Limited, and L.P.Jayampathy, Secretary, Ministry of
Transport and Civil Aviation of Sri Lanka.
Prithu Gupta becomes India's 64th Grandmaster
Delhi’s Prithu Gupta has become India’s 64th
Grandmaster, crossing the Elo threshold of 2500
points after beating IM Lev Yankelevich in the fifth
round of the Portuguese League 2019. Gupta, who
picked up the sport as a nine-year-old, has achieved
the sensational feat at the age of 15 years, 4 months
and 10 days. His achievement came 31 years after Viswanathan Anand had become India’s first
Grandmaster. D Gukesh is India’s youngest GM at 12 years, 7 months and 17 days. He had
achieved the feat in January this year. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 20, 2019
IFS officer Vivek Kumar appointed private secretary to PM Narendra Modi
Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Vivek Kumar
was appointed as private secretary to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. The Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet, headed by the prime
minister, cleared the new assignment for Kumar,
who is currently working as Director in the Prime
Minister's Office.
Amita Prasad appointed Chairperson of Inland Waterways
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
(ACC) has approved the appointment of Amita
Prasad (IAS) as Chairperson of Inland Waterways
Authority of India. However, the appointment is
of note because Prasad’s name had cropped up in
a Rs 100-crore scam dating back to the time she
was serving as DG of Administrative Training Institute (ATI) in Karnataka.
Prasad is currently serving as Director General, National Productivity Council (NPC),
Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Her
appointment, however, has been done in the rank and pay of Secretary by temporarily
upgrading the post. At NPC, she will be replaced by Arun Kumar Jha, an IES officer of 1985
cadre.
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Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
July 21-22, 2019
Govt approves Rs 206.8 cr for Implementation of Agriculture Export Policy scheme
The government has approved an outlay of Rs
206.8 crore for 2019-20 for a central sector scheme
titled ‘Implementation of Agriculture Export
Policy’ aimed at doubling farmers’ income by
2022. Of this, Rs 134.50 crore are allocated to
setup dedicated clusters for mangoes,
pomegranate, bananas, grapes, tea, coffee,
turmeric, and marine products, among others along with pre and post-harvest management of
the production, upgrading the supply chain to attain much higher levels of export from those
clusters. The approved scheme also entails outlay for post-harvest infrastructure in clusters,
capacity building, grant towards Public Private Partnership for Integrated Agriculture
Development (PPP-IAD) and laboratories.
HRD Ministry launches new UGC Scheme “Paramarsh” For Higher Education
Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister
for Human Resource Development (HRD)
launched a Scheme called “Paramarsh” of
University Grants Commission (UGC) in New
Delhi. This scheme aims at mentoring National
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Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) accreditation aspirant institutions to develop
quality assurance in Higher Education. Under the scheme, the prime Mentoring institutions will
provide regular mentoring to colleges to help achieve high-quality standards. For mentoring
they will get the financial assistance & also the option of appointing an expert, who can be paid
a fellowship amount of Rs 31,000 per month.
Kerala to set up India's first space tech park in Thiruvananthapuram
The Kerala government will set up the country’s
first space tech park at Thiruvananthapuram's
Knowledge City. The move is aimed at making the
city a manufacturing hub for space-related
technology. A space museum named after former
President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam will also
be a part of the infrastructure. The state government has issued orders to allot the land required
for the facility. This will be an added attraction. The entire investment will be made by the
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a major space research centre of the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates two bridges in J&K
Ushering in a new revolution in the connectivity
of roads and bridges in border areas, Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 1000 meter
long Ujh Bridge in Kathua district and 617.40-
meter Basantar Bridge in samba district and
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Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
dedicated them to the nation.
Terming construction of Ujh and Basantar bridges a great achievement by Border Roads
Organisation, Defence Minister said that the roads and bridges are the lifeline of any nation and
play a vital role in the socio-economic development of far-flung regions and population.
CRPF unveils country's first body protector for women personnel in combat
The CRPF unveiled the country's first
prototype of a body protector for women
personnel which it has jointly developed with
the Defence Research and Development
Organisation. The "gender-specific protective
gear" weighs 6 kg and has a different design
and layout from the regular fibre-made black coloured body protector which is worn by both
men and women police and paramilitary personnel during riot-control duties and regulation of
public protests. One such female body protector that would protect an individual from the neck
to the toe with chest, hand, legs, shin and thigh guards, is estimated to cost Rs. 9,000.
Lucknow to host DefExpo India 2020
The Defence Ministry announced that the 11th
edition of the biennial DefExpo will be held in
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, in 2020. It may be
recalled that the show was held in Chennai in
2018 and Uttar Pradesh is going to host the
biennial show for the first time ever. The 11th
edition #DEFEXPO2020 will be held in Lucknow (U.P.) from February 5th to 8th, 2020. The Expo https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
is an excellent opportunity for the Indian defence industry to showcase its capabilities to the
world and leverage its potential to export the defence equipment to different parts of the world.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launches AIFF Golden Baby Leagues handbook
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launched the All
India Football Federation's Golden Baby
Leagues handbook 2019-20 on the sidelines of the
Intercontinental Cup in Ahemadabad. The launch
marked the renaming of the 'AIFF Baby Leagues'
to 'AIFF Golden Baby Leagues', with emphasis
being laid for ages under 6 to under 12 both for girls and boys.
The handbook is a guide to help the stakeholder to organise the Golden Baby League. The
Leagues aim to provide access to football in localities irrespective of gender, religion, economic
background, or ethnic origin.
All toll plaza lanes on national highways to be 'FASTag lanes' from Dec 1
To ensure seamless traffic and prevent
congestion at toll plazas, the government said it
has decided to declare all lanes at toll fee plaza
on national highways as 'FASTag lanes' from
December 1. However, among all lanes, one
'hybrid lane' will be allowed at every toll plaza to
facilitate and monitor over-dimensional or oversized vehicles, where FASTag and other modes
of payment will be accepted. In a statement, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
said this lane will also be converted into FASTag-only lane in a time-bound manner. After https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
December 1, non-FASTag users will be charged double the fee if they pass through FASTag-
only lanes.
Telangana Govt, World Economic Forum sign agreement on drone deliveries
As India makes strides in regulating its low-
altitude air space for unmanned systems, the
World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth
Industrial Revolution Network announced that it
will embark on an innovative drone-delivery
project called Medicine from the Sky. The project
will run in partnership with the State Government of Telangana and HealthNet Global and
will include a comprehensive study of drone-based deliveries for blood, vaccines, medical
samples and organs.
The project will help facilitate better decision-making in healthcare supply chains, focus on
"last-mile" deliveries to augment national healthcare programmes and address issues that affect
the medical distribution system.
Aditya Birla Payments Bank to shut down operations
In less than 18 months after its commencement,
Aditya Birla Payments Bank announced that it will
shut down operations. Started as a joint venture by
Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd and Idea Cellular, the firm
announced that it will discontinue operation due to
unanticipated developments in the business
landscape that have made the economic model unviable. In a message sent to its customers, https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
Aditya Birla Payments Bank said that the bank has made full and complete arrangements for
return of deposits.
New Governors appointed for six states
The Centre on July 20 appointed six new Governors
in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
West Bengal, Bihar, Nagaland and Tripura. Former
interlocutor on Naga talks R N Ravi has been
appointed as Nagaland governor. He is replacing
Padmanabha Acharya. Noted lawyer and former
Janata Dal MP Jagdeep Dhankhar was appointed as the West Bengal governor replacing
Keshari Nath Tripathi. Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has been shifted to Uttar
Pradesh and her place will be filled by Bihar Governor Lal Ji Tandon. Phagu Chauhan will fill
replace Tandon as Bihar governor. Ramesh Bais has been appointed as the governor of Tripura.
Vivek Kohli elected chairman of Commonwealth TT Federation
India’s Vivek Kohli and M.P. Singh have been
elected as chairman and secretary general
respectively of the Commonwealth Table
Tennis Federation (CTTF). The elections were
held in Bhubaneswar, close to the venue of the
Commonwealth Championships taking place in
Cuttack. Stag chief Kohli defeated incumbent Alan Ransome of England, who both secured 22
and six votes respectively. M.P. Singh, who is secretary general at Table Tennis Federation of
India (TTFI), was unanimously elected as secretary general of CTTF. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi beats P.V. Sindhu to win Indonesia Open
P V Sindhu’s hopes of breaking a seven-month title
drought came crashing down as the Indian lost in
straight games to Akane Yamaguchi in the finals of
Indonesia Open BWF Tour Super 1000
tournament. Yamaguchi won the final of the BWF
Tour Super 1000 tournament by 15-21 16-21 over
Sindhu.
Taiwan's Chou wins men's singles title at Indonesia Open
Taiwan shuttler Chou Tien-chen won the men's
singles at the Indonesia Open badminton
tournament Jul 21, his first title in a Super 1000
level event. The world number three became the
first Taiwanese to win the title at the Indonesia
Open, after defeating Denmark's Anders
Antonsen 21-18, 24-26, 21-15 in 91 minutes.
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Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
Hima Das wins gold in 400m race, 5th in a month
Indian sprinter Hima Das won a gold medal in the
400-meter race with a season-best time of 52.09
seconds at Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic. It
was Hima's fifth gold medal since July 2 when she
ran her first competitive race in Europe. The timing
is slower than her personal best of 50.79 seconds,
which she managed at the Jakarta Asian Games and she also narrowly missed out on the World
Championships qualifying mark of 51.80.
Indian Men & Women's teams win Commonwealth Table Tennis title
In Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship
held in Cuttack, India made a record by winning
gold in both men’s and women’s category. The
Indian men won the final match defeating
England 3-2. The Indian women team defeated
England 3-0 in final match. The Indian women
team won the gold for the first time in the history
in the commonwealth games.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 8
Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
India's Asian Games silver in mixed relay event to be upgraded to gold
India are in line to get the Asian Games gold
in 4x400 mixed relay as Kemi Adekoya of
Bahrain, who was part of the gold winning
team, has been handed a four-year ban for
failing a dope test. The silver won by India's
mixed relay team of Mohammad Anas, Hima
Das, Arokia Rajiv and M R Poovamma at the Asian Games in Jakarta last year is set to be
upgraded to gold.
Athletics Integrity Unit said that Adekoya's results between August 24, 2018 and November 26,
2018 will be disqualified. This also means that India's Anu Raghavan, who finished fourth in
400m hurdles, is in line for the bronze as Adekoya won the gold in the event.
Indian bodybuilder Ravinder Malik clinches Mr South Asia title
Indian bodybuilder Ravinder Kumar Malik has
clinched Mr. South Asia title. He has crowned
the overall champion at 12th South Asian
Bodybuilding and Physique Sports
Championship in Kathmandu. Malik, the winner
of 80 kg category, was adjudged best bodybuilder
among the winners of nine senior men's weight
categories. Afghanistan won team championship by securing a top position with 535 points.
Host Nepal finished second with 445 points, while India remained third with 380 points.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 9
Current Affairs: July 21-22, 2019
India, China to carry out major military exercise ‘Hand in Hand’
Continuing to expand military to military
engagements, India and China will be carrying
out a major military exercise called ‘Hand-in-
Hand’ in Meghalaya this year. The planning
conference for the exercise will be held next
month. The exercise will take place at Umroi,
Meghalaya in December. It is at the company level, meaning around 100-120 infantry troops
from both sides will be participating. It will be based on counter-terrorism and humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief operations.
Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit passed away at 81
Delhi Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader
Shiela Dikshit passed away at a hospital in the
national capital on Saturday. She was 81 years old.
She was suffering from a heart ailment for a long
time. Dikshit served at the Chief Minister of Delhi for
a period of 15 years from 1998 to 2013. Presently, she
was holding the office of Delhi Congress president.
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Current Affairs: July 23, 2019
July 23, 2019
ISRO launches Chandrayaan-2 from Sriharikota
The powerful booster GSLV-Mark-Three
carrying 3,850-kg Chandrayaan-2 on-board
zoomed into space at 14.43 hours by puffing out
thick smoke and leaving trailblazers amidst
thundering sound from the second launch pad
of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Carrying a
"billion dreams" in a giant leap for the country's ambitious low-cost space programme, the most
complex and prestigious mission ever undertaken by the Indian Space Research
Organisation(ISRO), if successful, will also make India the fourth country after Russia, the US
and China to pull off a soft landing on the moon.
According to the statement, Chandrayaan-2, a three-module spacecraft comprising orbiter,
lander and rover, will be subjected to a series of orbit manoeuvres using its onboard propulsion
system to take it to the vicinity of Moon over the next few weeks with the rover soft landing
planned on September 7.
The total cost of the 3,850-kg Chandrayaan-2 mission is Rs 978 crore.
It will be the first Indian spacecraft to make a soft-landing close to the South Pole of the
moon, which is not explored yet and sampled by any past mission. It is expected to take
place on September 7, 2019.
This mission will offer new knowledge about the Moon.
Once Chandrayaan-2 reaches to south pole region of lunar terrain, India will become the
fourth ever nation to have a soft-landing on the moon.
Other three nations are United States, China and Russia. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 23, 2019
National Broadcasting day: July 23
Every year on 23rd July India celebrates
National Broadcasting day. On this day in
1927, the first ever radio broadcast in the
country went on the air from the Bombay
Station under a private company, the Indian
Broadcasting Company. On 8th of June, 1936,
the Indian State Broadcasting Service became
All India Radio. Since 1927, radio has been an important part in people's life in India.
LIC offering Rs 1.25 trillion by 2024 for highway projects
As part of innovative modes of financing to
meet India's huge infrastructure appetite,
insurance giant LIC has agreed to offer Rs 1.25
trillion line of credit by 2024, to fund highway
projects, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
Keen on timely execution of the Rs 8.41 trillion
ambitious Bharatmala project that aims to lay a grid of highways pan-India, the Road Transport
and Highways Ministry has been looking to harness various sources of finances including
pension and insurance funds. "LIC has offered us Rs 25,000 crore in a year and Rs 1.25 trilion in
five years They have agreed in principle. We will rope in these funds in highways construction,"
Gadkari told.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: July 23, 2019
MNRE issues norms to implement scheme for farmers to boost solar energy
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
(MNRE) issued guidelines for rollout of the Rs
34,422-crore PM-KUSUM scheme, which would
encourage farmers to generate solar power in their
farms and use the clean energy to replace their
diesel water pumps. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan
Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme entails setting up of 25,750-
MW solar capacity by 2022 with the total central financial support of Rs 34,422 crore.
The scheme has three components. The Component-A provides for setting up of 10,000
megawatt of decentralised ground/ stilt-mounted grid-connected solar or other renewable
energy-based power plants. The Component-B of the scheme provides for installation of 17.50
lakh stand-alone solar agriculture pumps, while the Component-C envisages solarisation of 10
lakh grid-connected agriculture pumps.
Singapore's GIIS to launch India's first smart school campus in Pune
The Singapore-headquartered Global Indian
International School (GIIS) said it will launch
India's first SMART campus in Pune as part of
its Rs 420 crore investments in education in
India over the coming years. GIIS said the
concept of an international award-winning
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Current Affairs: July 23, 2019
SMART Campus, launched in Singapore in 2018, will be implemented at Hadapsar and
Balewadi campuses with the aim of providing students with NextGen learning to hone 21st
century skills.
M.M. Naravane to be next Vice-Chief of Army Staff
Lieutenant-General M.M. Naravane, currently
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern
Army Command, has been appointed the next
Vice-Chief of the Army Staff in a series of
changes in the Army’s top brass. He will take
over from Lt. Gen. D. Anbu when he retires on
August 31. Lt.Gen. Naravane, the senior-most officer in the force after the Chief of the Army
Staff, General Bipin Rawat, is in line to succeed him on his retirement on December 30.
Carnatic vocalist S. Sowmya chosen for Sangita Kalanidhi award
Noted vocalist S. Sowmya has been chosen for
the Sangita Kalanidhi award of the Music
Academy and she will preside over 93rd annual
conference of the Academy to be held between
December 12, 2019, and January 1, 2020. S
Sowmya, a noted Carnatic vocalist, has won
the Sangita Kalanidhi award. A PhD-holder from Madras University, Sowmya is known for her
intellectual approach to music.
Sangita Kala Acharya awards will go to vocalists Seetha Narayanan and M.S. Sheela.
Nagaswaram player Vyasarpadi Kothandaraman and vocalist Rajkumar Bharathi will get the https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 23, 2019
TTK awards while Aarti N. Rao will get the Musicologist Award.
All awards will be conferred during the Sadas of the Academy on January 1. The Nritya
Kalanidhi award for Dance will be conferred on Priyadarshini Govind at the inauguration of the
dance festival on January 3, 2020.
Harmeet, Ayhika win as India complete golden sweep in C'wealth TT
Harmeet Desai and Ayhika Mukherjee won the
men's and women's singles titles as hosts India
completed a clean sweep, claiming all the seven
gold medals on offer at the 21st
Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships
in Odisha. Harmeet, 26, beat favourite G
Sathiyan 4-3 (9-11 6-11 11-5 11-8 17-15 7-11 11-9 in a hard-fought final to claim the men's singles
title. In women singles, Ayhika won her maiden gold in the championships, thrashing former
national champion Madurika Patkar 4-0 (11-6 11-4 11-9 19-17).
Shiva Thapa Wins Gold For India At The President's Cup
Four-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa became
India's first gold-medallist at the President's Cup
boxing tournament after getting a walkover in the
finals in Astana. Making his international debut in
the newly-introduced of 63kg, Thapa was to fight
Kazakhstan's Zakir Safiullin in the summit clashl, but
his opponent had to withdraw due to an injury.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 23, 2019
Adam Peaty wins 100m breaststroke gold at world championships
Adam Peaty claimed the 100m breaststroke title
at the world championships for a third time but
was unable to break the record he set 24 hours
earlier. Peaty became the first man to go under
57 seconds when he shattered his own world
mark with a time of 56.88 in the semi-finals on
21st July in Gwangju, South Korea.
Manny Pacquiao wins WBA welterweight title
Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao claimed the WBA
welterweight championship after scoring a split-
decision win against Keith Thurman. He ended the
American Keith Thurman's undefeated run at the
MGM Grand, where two judges had the fight 115-
112 in favour of the 40-year-old Pacquiao.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 23, 2019
Ireland’s Shane Lowry Wins British Open
Ireland's Shane Lowry claimed a first major
championship win with a dominant six-shot
victory on 15 under par amid raucous scenes
at The Open. The 32-year-old became only the
second player from the Republic of Ireland to
win the Claret Jug, after Padraig Harrington.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 7
Current Affairs: July 24, 2019
July 24, 2019
PM releases the book "Chandra Shekhar - The Last Icon of Ideological Politics"
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today
released the book "Chandra Shekhar - The Last
Icon of Ideological Politics." The book has been
written by Shri Harivansh, Deputy Chairman,
Rajya Sabha; and Shri Ravi Dutt Bajpai.
The Prime Minister said that there is a coterie of
people who have sought to create adverse impressions of some great Indian leaders, including
Dr. Ambedkar and Sardar Patel. He asserted that a museum for all former Prime Ministers will
be established in Delhi. He urged the family members of former Prime Ministers to share
aspects of the life and work of these Prime Ministers. He said the country needs a new political
culture, beyond political untouchability.
Railway's first printing press heritage gallery opened
The Western Railway (WR) has thrown open to
public the first printing press heritage gallery of the
Indian Railways at Mahalaxmi in Mumbai. With
this, the Western Railway Mahalaxmi General Stores
Depot (GSD) has become the first in Indian Railways
to portray a heritage gallery of the printing and
allied machines used in the Western Railway Printing Press since 1948, which are still in
working condition. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 24, 2019
Gujarat tops in solar rooftop installations
In the area of solar rooftop installations, Gujarat
has stood first in the country with total 261.97
megawatts (MW) of installed rooftop solar
capacity as on July 23, 2019. As per the Central
government data, a total rooftop solar installation
in India is 1700.54 MW. Responding to a question
raised by MP Parimal Nathwani in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for New and
Renewable Energy and Power R K Singh informed that Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have
solar rooftop installations at 198.52 MW and 151.62 MW respectively. The government has set a
target for the installation of Rooftop Solar projects of forty thousand MegaWatt by 2022 in the
country.
GoM on sexual harassment at workplace reconstituted
The government has reconstituted the Group of
Ministers (GoM) looking after the issues of how
to prevent sexual harassment at workplace and
strengthen legal frameworks with Home Minister
Amit Shah replacing his predecessor Rajnath
Singh. The other members of the reconstituted
GoM are: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’,
and Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani. The GoM was set up to examine and
give recommendations for strengthening the legal and institutional frameworks to deal with
and prevent sexual harassment at workplace in October 2018. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: July 24, 2019
IIT Kharagpur team develops app CARE4U for elderly people
In a move to help geriatric care, students of IIT
Kharagpur have built an app which will inform the
caregiver when the elderly person falls down with
the exact location. ‘CARE4U’ the android-based
app will connect the caregiver to the elderly
person. The app has been built by an
interdisciplinary team of the second year B-Tech
students of the institute, an IIT Kharagpur. The network-based fall detection algorithm in the
app installed on the phone of the elderly can detect whether the elderly has fallen down.
Yes Bank launches “Smart Edge for MSMEs” programme for MSME loans
Yes Bank has launched a program named “Smart
Edge for MSMEs” under which it will offer secured
working capital loan between Rs 1 crore to Rs 3
crore to MSME. The loan will be in the form of
overdraft, letter of credit, and financial bank
guarantees. This is a first-of-its-kind surrogate
lending model for MSME. For this programme, MSMEs would have to furnish their GST
returns and operative bank account statements for the last 12 months along with the KYC
document for assessment. Collateral acceptable to the bank will be taken as security for the loan.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 24, 2019
Ehsan Mani appointed ICC's Financial Committee Chair
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan
Mani has been appointed Chairperson of the
International Cricket Council's (ICC) Financial and
Commercial Affairs Committee. ICC Chairman
Shashank Manohar appointed Mani during the
ICC Annual Conference that took place last week.
The committee also includes Indra Nooyi (independent director), Amitabh Choudhary (BCCI's
acting secretary), Chris Nenzani (CSA President), Imran Khawaja (ICC Vice-Chairman), Earl
Eddings (CA Chair) and Colin Graves (ECB chairman). Meanwhile, Manohar and ICC CEO
Manu Sawhney will be the ex-officio members.
Hungarian teenager Kristof Milak crushes Michael Phelps 200m butterfly world record
19-year-old Hungarian teenager Kristof Milak
broke Michael Phelps‘ 200 metres butterfly world
record to win gold medal at the World swimming
championships in Gwangju, South Korea on
Wednesday. Milak clocked at 1:50.73 to break
Phelps’ 10-year-old record (1:51.51) by 0.78
seconds set at the world championships in Rome.
Milak was followed by b Japan’s Daiya Seto (2nd with 1:53.86 seconds) and South African Chad
le Clos (3rd with 1:54.15seconds).
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Current Affairs: July 24, 2019
Keshav Dutt & Prasun Banerjee Selected for Mohun Bagan Ratna 2019
Former India Football Captain Prasun Banerjee
and two-time Olympic gold medallist Keshav Dutt
has been chosen for the ‘Mohun Bagan Ratna’
2019. They will be given the award on July 29
during the annual day celebrations of the ‘Mohun
Bagan Day’. The Mohun Bagan’s executive
committee has for the first time decided to confer their highest honour to a non-footballer.
Every year on July 29 ‘Mohun Bagan Day’ is observed because on this day in 1911, the Mariners
became the first club to defeat a British club, East Yorkshire Regiment, and lift the IFA Shield.
India Ranked 52nd in Global Innovation Index-2019
India climbed five notches on the Global
Innovation Index (GII) this year to the 52nd
position, from 57th last year, amongst 129
countries ranked on the basis of more than 80
indicators measuring various aspects of
innovation. This is the first time that the GII
has been launched in Asia or in an emerging economy. The event in New Delhi was co-
organised by the Commerce Ministry, WIPO and industry body CII. Switzerland remains
number one is the GII index followed by Sweden, the United States of America, the
Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Germany and Israel.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 24, 2019
Reliance Industries becomes highest-ranked Indian company on Fortune Global 500 list
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL)
has jumped 42 places to become the highest-
ranking Indian firm on the Fortune Global 500
list. “This year, ranked 106, Reliance Industries
(RIL) has replaced IOC (117) as the top-ranked
Indian company on the Global 500 list,” Fortune
said. Besides, RIL and IOC, ONGC has moved up
37 places to 160th rank on the global list, while SBI lost 20 places to 236th rank. Tata Motors
slipped 33 places to 265th position. BPCL rose 39 places to rank 275th spot, while Rajesh Exports
slipped 90 places to rank 495th.
United States (US) giant Walmart continues to top the Fortune 500 list followed by Chinese
state-owned oil and gas company Sinopec Group, which moved one rank up. Dutch company
Royal Dutch Shell was ranked third followed by China National Petroleum and State Grid.
Boris Johnson appointed UK's new prime minister
Boris Johnson has been appointed as the new
prime minister of the United Kingdom after
Theresa May stood down over her failure to
lead Britain out of the European Union.
Johnson, 55, was appointed to the premiership
by Queen Elizabeth II in a formal meeting at
Buckingham Palace. After a six-week leadership race, he won the votes of 92,153 members of https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 24, 2019
the Conservative party, almost twice the 46,656 won by his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy
Hunt.
New India-UK scheme to fund students from UK to visit India
A new India-UK bilateral pilot scheme has
been launched to support Britain's
universities to collaborate with Indian
partners to send UK students to India
during their studies. The “UKEIRI Mobility
Programme: Study in India”, an initiative of
Universities UK International (UUKI) and British Council India, opened.
It aims to generate up to 200 opportunities for undergraduate students at UK universities to
visit India by March 2021. Priority for the programme to visit India during their courses will be
given to students from traditionally underrepresented groups.
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Current Affairs: July 25, 2019
July 25, 2019
Global Ayurveda Summit 2019 to be held at Kochi
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is
organising the third edition of Global
Ayurveda Summit 2019 on October 30 and 31
at Kochi. While the main theme will be
‘Mainstreaming Ayurveda Startups,
Innovation and Branding,’ the event will
feature an international conference, expo, start-up contest, and a focussed B2B meeting
platform. Over 500 industry leaders and experts from India and abroad are expected to
participate.
The aim is to create a global marketplace for Ayurveda, position it as a solution for global health
challenges, brand it as a way of life, and ensure growth through start-ups as a Rs. 50,000-crore
industry by 2025.
ADB sanctions Rs 1,925 cr power project in Tripura
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
sanctioned a Rs 1,925 crore project for
upgradation of power generation and
distribution in Tripura, Deputy Chief Minister
Jishnu Dev Varma said. The project has been
sanctioned for upgrading capacity of 63 MW
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Current Affairs: July 25, 2019
Rokhia Project to 120 MW at an estimated cost of Rs 699.80 crore and modernising Gumti
Hydro Electric Project at an estimated cost of Rs 1225.88 crore.
Cars24 gets NBFC licence from RBI to offer loans against used cars
Used car buying and selling platform Cars24
has announced that it has procured an NBFC
License from RBI and will be venturing into
the consumer lending business. The company
will be launching its services in Delhi, Mumbai
and Bangalore in August 2019 and will scale
up to the other cities gradually. The company will facilitate vehicle loans to customers as well as
finance channel partners to help them expand their businesses. While the customers will be
eligible for credit based on the car value they are buying, channel partners will be eligible to
credit of up to Rs 1 crore depending upon their requirement. For consumers, the average ticket
size of a loan would be Rs 2.5-3 lakh.
IMF lowers India’s growth forecast for 2019-20 to 7% from 7.3%
According to the International Monetary Fund
(IMF)’s latest update on World Economic
Outlook (WEO) report 2019, India’s GDP (gross
domestic product) growth expected to grow by
7% in 2019 (FY-Fiscal Year 2020) and 7.2% in 2020
(FY21). It cuts its forecast for FY20 to 7% from
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Current Affairs: July 25, 2019
7.3%, that had predicted in April 2019 & for FY21 to 7.2% from the previous estimate of 7.5%. It
scales down its outlook for both the years due to a broad-based slowdown in consumption and
investment demand in India.
Byju's replaces Oppo to become new sponsor of Indian cricket team
When the South African team tours India in
September this year, the Indian cricket team
will have a new sponsor - the e-learning
platform, Byjus. The Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday
announced that the education and learning app
would take over from mobile handset brand Oppo as official Team India sponsor from
September 5 until March 31, 2022. As a result, BYJU’S will now be seen on the Indian team
jersey from September when the home series against South Africa begins, while India will
continue to don the Oppo jersey for its West Indies tour that starts next month.
BCCI approves Indian Cricketers Association
The BCCI has approved the Indian Cricketers
Association (ICA), the body formed as per the
board’s new constitution to look after the interest
of former players. The ICA is not affiliated to
Federation of International Cricketers’ Association
(FICA) and is only open to former men and
women cricketers, unlike the players’ associations
in most countries. Former India cricketers Kapil Dev, Ajit Agarkar and Shantha Rangaswamy https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 25, 2019
are the directors at ICA and will hold their positions until elections are held.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) formally recognises the Indian Cricketers’
Association (ICA), a non-profit company limited by guarantee incorporated on July 5, 2019
under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013, as the official association for ex-cricketers in India.
Sunil Kumar given additional charge as MTNL chairman
State-owned MTNL said its director Sunil Kumar
has been given additional charge of chairman
and managing director of the company. Kumar
is currently Director (Human Resources and
Enterprise Business) at MTNL and takes over
from P K Purwar who was recently appointed
chairman and managing Director of BSNL.
Ajay Kumar Bhalla, an IAS Officer, appointed as OSD in MHA
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. 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 https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 25, 2019
Priya Priyadarshini Jain receives 'Indian Woman of Influence Award' at House of Lords
Eminent fashionista, social entrepreneur and
philanthropist Priya Priyadarshini Jain has been
felicitated with the prestigious 'Indian Woman of
Influence' award at the House of Lords, the United
Kingdom Parliament, London. It was one of the most
blissful days in the life of Priya Priyadarshini Jain for
it also marked the grand launch of coffee table book
on '50 most influential Indian women worldwide' featuring her as one of the most prominent
personalities from India.
China launches first private rocket capable of carrying satellites
A Chinese startup successfully launched the
country’s first commercial rocket capable of
carrying satellites into orbit Thursday, as the space
race between China and the US heats up. Beijing-
based Interstellar Glory Space Technology -- also
known as iSpace -- said it launched two satellites
into orbit around 1:00 pm Beijing time (0500 GMT) from Jiuquan, a state launch facility in the
Gobi desert. The three-year-old company is one of dozens of Chinese rivals jostling for a slice of
the global space industry, estimated to be worth about $1 trillion by 2040 according to Morgan
Stanley. The sector is currently dominated by SpaceX and Blue Origin in the US.
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Current Affairs: July 25, 2019
Priti Patel takes charge as home secretary in Boris Johnson cabinet
Priti Patel, an ardent Brexiteer who was among the
most vocal critics of Theresa May’s Brexit strategy,
took charge as Britain’s first Indian-origin home
secretary as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s
top team. She replaces Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid,
who moves to the Treasury department as the first
ethnic minority Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Jordan Opens First Underwater Military Museum
Jordan on July 24th opened its first
underwater military museum off its Red Sea
coast. The kingdom is hoping that 19
decommissioned pieces of military hardware,
submerged at depths up to 28 metres (92
feet), will attract tourists to the already
popular diving resort of Aqaba. The Underwater Military Museum Dive Site includes several
tanks, an ambulance, a military crane, a troop carrier, an anti-aircraft battery, guns and a
combat helicopter. The sunken items have been stationed along the coral reefs, imitating a
tactical battle formation.
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Current Affairs: July 26, 2019
July 26, 2019
Kargil Vijay Diwas: July 26
Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on
July 26 since the year 1999. The day is dedicated
to our Kargil War’s Heroes. This was the 20th
anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas. It is
celebrated in view of Operation Vijay and
Kargil War that ended on July 26, 1999. After
this, India successfully took command of the high outposts which had been lost to Pakistan. The
theme for Kargil Vijay Diwas 2019 was “Remember, Rejoice and Renew”.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh launches DDP Dashboard
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched
here today a Dashboard of Department
Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of
Defence, to help in effective monitoring of
various initiatives and schemes of the
department. Through this initiative, the
Ministry will be able to keep track of the major components of Defence Production, including
defence exports, defence offsets, Intellectual Property Rights (Number of Patents registered)
and MissionRaksha Gyan Shakti. This Dashboard will have capsulated information in a user-
friendly interface that include defence projects under ‘Make in India’, startups in defence sector,
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Current Affairs: July 26, 2019
investments in defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and artificial intelligence
projects in defence.
B S Yediyurappa sworn in as CM of Karnataka
B S Yediyurappa has been sworn in as Chief
Minister of Karnataka. He is the BJP State
President in Karnataka. He has now taken the
oath of office as Chief Minister of Karnataka for
the fourth time. This comes after the ex-Chief
Minister of Karnataka (HD Kumaraswamy) has
submitted his resignation to the Governor of Karnataka as he failed to pass the trust vote of the
assembly.
India’s armed forces conduct India’s first Space warfare exercise “IndSpaceEx”
As India commemorates 20 years of the
Kargil war, it is also preparing for wars of
the future, wars that will be fought as
much in space as on earth. The country's
armed forces, along with Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO)
and other stakeholders, will conduct IndSpaceEx on July 25-26. The exercise will access threats
in space from a military perspective and India's current capability in space. DRDO will be the
accessing agency for the exercise.
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Current Affairs: July 26, 2019
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.
Sebi fixes minimum staggered delivery period for commodity futures at 5 days
Market regulator, the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (Sebi), has expanded the horizon
of all compulsory delivery contracts under
staggered delivery, a move that aims to reduce
price manipulation and improve liquidity on
commodity exchanges. SEBI has fixed the
minimum duration of the staggered delivery period at five working days for all commodity
futures. This has been done to bring uniformity in the timeline across exchanges. Staggered
delivery period is the duration during which sellers or buyers having open position may submit
an intention to give or take the delivery of the contract.
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Current Affairs: July 26, 2019
NTPC, BHEL ink pact to set up JV for eco-friendly power plant
NTPC Limited and Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited (BHEL) have signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) for forming a Joint
Venture company, to set up a 800 MW
Technology Demonstration Plant (TDP) at
NTPC’s existing power plant in Sipat,
Chhattisgarh. The demonstration plant shall be based on the Advanced Ultra Super Critical
(AUSC) technology which marks a significant improvement in operational parameters over
contemporary supercritical technology. The plant shall be the most efficient power plant in the
world, once it becomes operational, resulting in reduction of carbon-di-oxide emission by about
20 percent as compared to the conventional sub-critical technology
ICMR in partnership with Population Council launches National Data Quality Forum
The Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR)’s National Institute for Medical
Statistics (ICMR-NIMS), in partnership with
Population Council, launched the National Data
Quality Forum (NDQF) in New Delhi. NDQF
will integrate learnings from scientific and
evidence-based initiatives and guide actions
through periodic workshops and conferences. Its activities will help establish protocols and
good practices of data collection, storage, use and dissemination that can be applied to health https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 26, 2019
and demographic data, as well as replicated across industries and sectors noted a release issued
by ICMR.
Caeleb Dressel Breaks Michael Phelps's 100m Butterfly World Record
American Caeleb Dressel broke the world record
in the men's 100 metres butterfly, obliterating
Michael Phelps's old mark with a jaw-dropping
semi-final swim. The defending champion turned
over half a second inside world record pace before
driving home to clock 49.50 seconds in Gwangju,
0.32 quicker than American legend Phelps went at the 2009 world championships in Rome.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury appointed chairman of Public Accounts Committee
The leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha,
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was appointed as the
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
In the last term, the post was held by Congress leader
Mallikarjun Kharge, who in the recently concluded
elections lost from Gulbarga constituency in
Karnataka to BJP's Umesh Jadhav. Chowdhury along with former Union Ministers Satyapal
Singh and Jayant Sinha were elected as the members of PAC a few weeks ago.
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Current Affairs: July 27, 2019
July 27, 2019
Ministry of mines organised a workshop called ‘Waste To Wealth’
In a step towards productive utilisation of
bauxite residue, commonly known as the
‘Red Mud’, an interactive workshop called
‘Waste To Wealth’ was organized by
Ministry of Mines in the capital. The present
status regarding the generation of Red Mud
and its safe disposal and utilization were discussed. The workshop, which was presided over by
Dr K. Rajeswara Rao, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Mines,was organised in association with
theJawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC)
Nagpur.
Nepal invited as Gita Jayanti Mahotsav 2019 partner
Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of
Haryana has invited Nepal to be the partner
country for 2019 International Gita Jayanti
Mahotsav scheduled to be held at
Kurukshetra, Haryana from December 3 to
8,2019. Khattar made this offer to Nilamber
Acharya, Ambassador of Nepal to India. The chief minister said Haryana has been celebrating
Gita Jayanti Mahotsav for the last three years and every year a country is invited to become the
partner country for the mega event. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 27, 2019
Statewide tree plantation programme launched by Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu
The campaign Clean-Green Arunachal Campaign
2019 was launched in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh
by CM Pema Khandu to plant 1 lakh tree saplings
within the next 24 hour. The campaign was held as
part of VanMahotsav celebration which plans to
plant 1crore trees within the next 5 years.
NITI Aayog partners with WhatsApp to promote women entrepreneurs
NITI Aayog and Facebook-owned WhatsApp,
under the aegis of its Women Entrepreneurship
Platform (WEP), have announced a partnership
to support the growth of a robust ecosystem to
promote women entrepreneurs in India.
WhatsApp, in collaboration with NITI Aayog,
will announce an annual calendar of events aimed at capacity building of women entrepreneurs
and develop specific programmes aimed at addressing challenges faced by women
entrepreneurs. The initiative would target the registered users of WEP. WhatsApp will also
partner with the Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards 2019, flagship initiative of NITI
Aayog. WhatsApp has decided to provide support amounting to $100,000 to WTI winners.
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Current Affairs: July 27, 2019
NHA and NATHEALTH signed MoU under Ayushman Bharat scheme
The National Health Authority (NHA) and the
Healthcare Federation of India (NATHEALTH)
signed MoU (Memorandum of understanding),
to improve efficiency of Service Delivery under
Ayushman Bharat scheme which is also called
as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana(PMJAY).
Under the vision of “Health for All”, this collaboration will provide and enable interface for
testing healthcare innovation ecosystem, adopting, funding, and providing mentorship in
creating channels for scaling these innovations.
Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga retires from ODI cricket
Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga retired
from ODI cricket after the Islanders pulled
off an emphatic victory over Bangladesh in
the 1st ODI in Colombo. In his final match,
the bowler recorded figures of 3/38 in 9.3
overs. He finished his career with a wicket in
his final ball. Overall, in his career, Malinga played 30 Tests in which he picked up 101 wickets
at an average of 33.16. He also played 226 ODIs for Sri Lanka, in which he picked up 338
wickets at an average of 28.94. Malinga has also played 73 T20Is in which he recorded 97
wickets at an average of 19.7 and will still be available for selection in the upcoming
T20 World Cup next year.
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Current Affairs: July 27, 2019
Pakistan's bowler Mohammad Amir retires from Test cricket, aged 27
Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir
has retired from Test cricket at the age of 27.
Amir, who took 17 wickets at the recent World
Cup, will continue to play one-day and
Twenty20 international cricket. After making his
Test debut aged 17 against Sri Lanka in 2009.
Amir played 36 Tests, taking 119 wickets at an average of 30.47, with a best of 6-44 against West
Indies in Kingston in 2017.
Bhakti Kulkarni retains National Women's Chess Championship
Defending champion Bhakti Kulkarni of Air
India assured herself of the title with a round
to spare, after posting a win over Tamil
Nadu’s K Priyanka in the 10th and
penultimate round of the 46th National
Women Chess Championship. Playing
consistently throughout the tournament, Bhakti, a Woman Grand Master, again showed her
tactical acumen to garner a full point against her rival in 69 moves arrived out of Ruy Lopez
Opening.
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Current Affairs: July 27, 2019
Lt Gen Paramjit Singh to be new DGMO of Army
Lt Gen Paramjit Singh, who has vast experience
in counter-terror operations, will be the next
Director General of Military Operations
(DGMO) of the Indian Army. Lt Gen Singh,
currently serving as General Officer
Commanding of the Army's Nagrota-based XVI
Corps, will take over as the new DGMO on October 15, succeeding Lt Gen Anil Chauhan. Lt
Gen Chauhan has been appointed new General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern
Command.
India, Saudi Arabia held discussions on bilateral hydrocarbon cooperation
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum &
Natural Gas and Steel held a meeting with Mr. Khalid
Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral
Resources of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of Saudi
Aramco in New Delhi. They discussed on improving
India-Saudi Arabia hydrocarbon cooperation in order
to strengthen the existing overall strategic partnership between the two countries.
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Current Affairs: July 27, 2019
BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting 2019 Held In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
(BRICS) Foreign Ministers Meet was held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil on July 25-26, 2019. India was
represented by Gen. (retd) VK Singh who is the
Union Minister of State for Road Transport and
Highways. The members condemned terrorism in
all its forms & manifestations and recognized
terrorist acts as criminal and unjustifiable.
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Current Affairs: July 28-29, 2019
July 28-29, 2019
“Indo-Pak Relations: Beyond Pulwama and Balakot” authored by U.V. Singh released
A book titled “Indo-Pak Relations: Beyond
Pulwama and Balakot” authored by U.V. Singh
has been released. The book was released by
Former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh.
This book deals with the fundamental causes of
the Indo-Pak conflict—why it is difficult, if not
impossible, to have peace between the two
neighbors.
Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maan-dhan Yojana Pension scheme for retailers, traders
Santosh Kumar Gangwar-led labour ministry
has notified the pension scheme for retailers and
traders benefitting over three crore self-
employed workers in the country. The scheme,
which is an extension of the PM Shram Yogi
Maan-dhan Yojana, will make all beneficiaries
eligible for a monthly pension of Rs 3000 after
the age of 60 at a miniscule monthly contribution. All shopkeepers and self-employed persons,
as well as retail traders with GST turnover below Rs 1.5 crore and aged between 18-40 years, https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 28-29, 2019
can enroll for the scheme. Government has earmarked Rs 750 crore for the scheme in the Union
Budget 2019-20.
Account Aggregator Body ‘Sahamati’ Announced
Sahamati, a collective of the ‘Account Aggregator’
ecosystem was announced at an event in Mumbai
featuring Nandan Nilekani, Arundhati
Bhattacharya and head honchos of leading Indian
banks such as ICICI, Axis and IDFC.
The ‘Account Aggregator’ is a new class of NBFC
approved by the RBI in 2016, whose primary responsibility is to facilitate the transfer of user’s
financial data with their explicit consent. Currently no such mechanism exists, even if the user
wishes to share data. The Account Aggregator framework, in theory, should allow for the
seamless sharing of data between financial bodies of all kinds centered around user consent (i.e
‘Sahamati’). The body hopes to expand this framework to accomodate other domains such as
healthcare and telecom soon.
GST rate on Electric Vehicles cut from 12% to 5%
The high-powered GST Council on Saturday
decided to reduce the tax rate on electric vehicles
(EVs) to 5 percent from the existing 12 percent, a
move aimed at accelerating the adoption of eco-
friendly mobility solutions. The new Goods and
Services Tax (GST) rate on EVs will be effective
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Current Affairs: July 28-29, 2019
from August 1, the finance ministry said in a statement after the 36th meeting of the GST
Council.
IBBI Sets 1 Year Deadline for Completion of Liquidation Process
In a major push for early resolution of stressed assets,
the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)
on Friday said that the liquidation process of a
company under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
(IBC) should be completed within one year of its
commencement. The IBBI on Friday notified the IBBI
(Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate
Persons) (Amendment) Regulations, 2019, and the IBBI (Liquidation Process) (Amendment)
Regulations, 2019. It also specifies a maximum time of 90 days from the order of liquidation for
completion of compromise or arrangement, if any, proposed by the stakeholders under section
230 of the Companies Act, 2013. These will ensure that liquidation process is closed at the
earliest
Apple Acquires Intel's Smartphone Modem Business for $1 Billion
Apple has announced the acquisition of chip-
maker Intel's smartphone modem business for
$1 billion. Approximately 2,200 Intel
employees will join Apple, along with
intellectual property, equipment and leases,
the Cupertino-based iPhone maker said. The
transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019. This agreement enables us to focus https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 28-29, 2019
on developing technology for the 5G network while retaining critical intellectual property and
modem technology that our team has created.
Kapil Dev-led Cricket Advisory Committee to pick Team India’s next coach
A Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) led by World
Cup-winning former captain Kapil Dev was
entrusted with the responsibility of selecting India’s
new coach, the interviews for which are expected to
be conducted in mid-August. The decision was taken
by the Committee of Administrators (COA) running
Indian cricket after a meeting.
Apart from Kapil, the panel, which picked the women’s coach in December last year in the
capacity of an ad-hoc body, comprises former women’s captain Shantha Rangaswamy and
former men’s coach Anshuman Gaekwad.
High-level committee formed to strategise preparations for 2020, 2024 Olympics
A high-level 10-member Committee has been
constituted on Friday under the Chairmanship of
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju to coordinate and
strategize the preparation for the 2020 and 2024
Olympics. The objective of the committee is to
ensure that the performance of the Indian athletes
is optimised in the Olympics and other
multidisciplinary events.
The committee comprises prominent sports persons like Olympic medallists -- tennis ace https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 28-29, 2019
Leander Paes and shooter Gagan Narang. Other prominent names in the committee include
Secretary of Department of Sports Radhey Shyam Julaniya, Indian Olympic Association
President Narinder Batra, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta, President of Indian Athletics
Federation Adille Sumariwalla and Boxing Federation of India chief Ajay Singh among others.
The 3rd edition of Khelo India Youth Games to be held in Guwahati in 2020
Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister
Kiren Rijiju announced the schedule of the
third edition of 'Khelo India'. The Games will
see a participation of more than 10,000
athletes and officials. It will be conducted in
partnership with IOA, SGFI, and Assam as
host State.
The third edition of the Khelo India will take place at Guhawati in Assam from January 18 to 30
next year. Khelo India is national level multidisciplinary grassroots games in India held for two
categories, mainly U-17 years school students and U-21 college students.
Mary Kom, Six Other Indians Clinch Gold Medal In 23rd President's Cup
MC Mary Kom, the six-time world champion,
defeated Australia's April Franks 5-0 in the 23rd
President's Cup to clinch the gold medal in a
one-sided 51kg category final in Labuan Bajo,
Indonesia. The Indian boxers finished their
campaign with nine medals, including seven
gold and two silver, helping the contingent win the 'Best Team' award. The women boxers had https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 28-29, 2019
a flawless record in the finals, winning all the four gold medals on offer, the men had mixed
fortunes and had to settle for two silver along with three gold.
Max Verstappen wins the German Grand Prix 2019
Max Verstappen took full advantage of his rivals'
calamities on Sunday to win an epic, rain-lashed
and wildly-spectacular German Grand Prix for
Red Bull ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. The
21-year-old Dutchman secured his second win of
the season and seventh of his career, finishing
ahead of four-time world champion Vettel, who had started 20th and last on the grid. New dad
Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso was third as he secured only his third Formula One podium.
Sudarsan Pattnaik wins People's Choice Award at Boston International Sand Art Championship
Renowned Indian sand artist and Padma
Awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik has won the
People's Choice Award at a prestigious sand
sculpting festival in the US, wowing the
American public with his sculpture that
highlighted the message of combating plastic
pollution in oceans. Pattnaik was among the 15 top sand artists selected from across the world
to participate in the 2019 Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival in Boston,
Massachusetts. He won the People's Choice Award for his sand sculpture 'Stop Plastic
Pollution, Save Our Ocean'. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: July 28-29, 2019
Meryl Streep to receive inaugural TIFF Tribute acting award
Meryl Streep will be the first recipient of an
acting award bestowed as part of the Toronto
International Film Festival. The festival's
organizers announced that Streep will receive
the inaugural TIFF Tribute Actor Award during
a Sept. 9 charity gala. The glitzy fundraiser will
support the festival's year-around efforts to promote films and the industry's leading creators.
Organizers are also set to honour Participant Media with the TIFF Impact Award as well as
announce other award recipients in the coming weeks. Streep stars in Steven Soderbergh's
upcoming Panama Papers film The Laundromat with Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. The
film will have its North American premiere at TIFF.
Vidisha Baliyan Becomes First Indian To Win Miss Deaf World Pageant
Vidisha Baliyan, 21, a girl from Uttar Pradesh’s
Muzaffarnagar city was just crowned Miss Deaf
World 2019, held in Mbombela, South Africa.
Thus, she became the first Indian to win this
crown. Vidisha, who is a modelling student of
Asian Academy of Film & Television, was
honoured on July 22. She was chosen among the 11 finalists from 16 participating countries in
the final round. She was trained for the pageant in Gurugram and Noida.
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Current Affairs: July 28-29, 2019
Former Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy passes away at 77
Sudini Jaipal Reddy, a former Union Minister and
senior Congress leader passed away during the
early hours on Sunday.He was 77-years-old. A
firebrand student leader at the Osmania
University, during the ‘60s, Jaipal completed his
post graduation in political science and diploma in
Journalism. He was active in the Telangana
movement before becoming a full-fledged politician in the early ‘70s as a Congress MLA. In an
illustrious career spanning over five decades, Jaipal rose to become the Best Parliamentarian,
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Urban Development & Petroleum as well as
Science and Technology at different points in time.
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Current Affairs: July 30, 2019
July 30, 2019
All India Estimation report: MP tops country with 526 tigers
India now has as many as 2,967 tigers in the
wild, with more than half of them in Madhya
Pradesh and Karnataka, according to the latest
tiger estimation report for 2018, released by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
The range for the total tiger population in the
wild is 2,603-3,346. The population has increased by nearly 33% since the last census in 2014
when the total estimate was 2,226.
Madhya Pradesh showed the highest increase of 218 tigers, reaching an estimated 526, followed
by Karnataka with 524. The two states have the highest population of the predator. The
numbers have also increased in Uttarakhand (442), Maharashtra (312) and Tamil Nadu (264).
5th edition of Dharma-Dhamma conference held in Rajgir, Bihar
A two-day 5th International Dharma-Dhamma
conference was held at Rajgir International
Convention Centre (RICC) in Rajgir, Bihar from
27 -28 July 2019 with the theme of “Sat-Chit-
Ananda & Nirvana in Dharma-Dhamma
Traditions”. Union Minister of State for Youth
Affairs & Sports Kiren Rijiju who was the Chief Guest inaugurated the conference. The main
purpose of this conference is to address people about the terror, violence and global warming https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 30, 2019
prevalent in the world. This two-day conference will address the subjects of Sat-Chit-Ananda
and Nirvana which are the pivotal topics of Buddhism. This conference is being hosted by
Rajgir for the second time.
7th Economic Census begins from Tripura
The government will kick off the 7th Economic
Census from Tripura. It will be launched in
other states and union territories in August
and September. The census, conducted by
Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI) will be held this year
after a gap of five years. The data will be collected through door to door survey of each
household and commercial establishment under the provisions of Collection of Statistics Act
2008. The fieldwork is expected to be completed by December and the result at the national
level is expected to be available by March 2020.
Maharashtra Police launches AMBIS for crime detection
A special digitised policing system to identify and
track down criminals was launched in Mumbai on
a pilot basis and is set to be expanded to rest of
Maharashtra. Launching the Automated Multi-
modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) at
the new police administration building in CP
Compound here, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed it as the "google" of Maharashtra
Police which will go a long way in crime detection. Under AMBIS, a digital database of https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: July 30, 2019
criminals consisting of their finger prints, irises, palms and facial features will be prepared,
which will help tracking a criminal having a single crime record.
Indian Federation of Sports Gaming appoints Justice AK Sikri as ombudsman
The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG),
India’s first and only self-regulatory industry
body for the online fantasy sports gaming
sector, on July 29, appointed Justice A K Sikri as
its ombudsman and ethics officer. He will be
responsible for investigating queries and
complaints raised by the users of the online fantasy sports gaming platforms. His role will be to
provide strategic counsel, resolve disputes brought forward regarding binding rules or financial
discrepancies as well as steer hearings and make announcements for smooth operation and ease
of functioning.
Bandhan Bank appoints Siddhartha Sanyal as chief economist
Private lender Bandhan Bank announced the
appointment of Siddhartha Sanyal as chief
economist and head of research who will
spearhead the bank's research and business
strategy. Sanyal joined Bandhan Bank from
Barclays Bank Plc where he was the director and
chief India economist based in Mumbai since 2010. Before Barclays, he was with the Reserve
Bank of India and Edelweiss Capital.
MD and CEO of Bandhan Bank (Kolkata): Chandra Sekhar Ghosh https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: July 30, 2019
VK Johri Appointed as New Director General of BSF
IPS officer VK Johri has been appointed as the
next Director General (DG) of country's largest
border guarding force, BSF. The order has been
issued by the Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet (ACC) that is headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and has Home
Minister Amit Shah as its member. Presently he
is the Special Secretary in the external intelligence agency RAW. He will take over as the DG of
BSF from August 31, 2019 from incumbent Rajni Kanti Mishra as Mishra will retire on that day.
ICC officially launches World Test Championship
The apex cricketing body, International Cricket
Council (ICC) on 29th July officially launched
the inaugural World Test Championship
(WTC). The championships will see the top
nine Test playing nations fight it out with each
other across 71 matches in 27 series, played in
the next two years. The top two teams among the nine nations - Australia, Bangladesh, England,
India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies- will contest in the
ICC World Test Championship Final in June 2021 (to be played in the UK) and the winners will
be crowned ICC World Test Champions.
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Current Affairs: July 30, 2019
Ellyse Perry - the first cricketer to reach 1000 runs, 100 wickets in T20Is
Ellyse Perry's unbeaten 47 in Australia's seven-
wicket win at Hove made her the first player -
male or female - to reach the all-round milestone
of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20
international cricket. Perry had brought up her
100th wicket by dismissing Nat Sciver in the
World T20 final in November, and clipped a four off her pads to bring up the 1000-run mark in
the closing stages of Sunday's chase.
Former Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi (1416 runs and 98 wickets) currently stands closest
to achieving the feat, while Bangladesh’s Shakib al Hasan, with 1471 runs and 88 wickets,
stands next in line to join Perry.
Collin Morikawa wins first US PGA title in Reno
American Collin Morikawa birdied the final
three holes on Sunday to win his first US PGA
title at the Barracuda Championship in only his
sixth start as a tour professional. The 22-year-
old, who graduated from the University of
California in May, finished on 47 points, three
more than US runner-up Troy Merritt in the only US tour event that uses the Modified
Stableford scoring system.
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Current Affairs: July 30, 2019
Tamil Nadu girl wins gold at World Deaf Youth Badminton Championship in Taiwan
15-year-old Jerlin Anika from Tamil Nadu's
Madurai has won the gold medal at the 2nd
World Deaf Youth Badminton Championship in
Taipei, Taiwan. Anika won a total of four medals
including two silvers and a bronze. Anika's
mother Leela said she cried tears of joy when she
saw India's flag being unfurled when her
daughter won the gold. She, however, also urged the government to support Anika.
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons: 30 July
United Nations observes 30 July every year
as World Day Against Trafficking. In 2013,
the General Assembly designated July 30 as
the World Day against Trafficking in Persons
to raise awareness of the situation of victims
of human trafficking and for the promotion
and protection of their rights. On the 2019 World Day UNODC is focusing on highlighting the
importance of Government action with a tagline: Human Trafficking: call your government to
action.
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Current Affairs: July 30, 2019
July 29 celebrated as the International Tiger Day
To protect and promote the natural habitat of
tigers and to increase awareness on tiger
conservation, the International Tiger Day or
Global Tiger Day is celebrated on the 29th of
July every year, framed by a panel of experts
at St. Petersburg Tiger Summit held in
Russiain 2010, to double the tigers’ population by 2022. The slogan for the international Tiger
day is “Their survival is in our hands”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the All India
Tiger Estimation Report (AITE) 2018, and also released a report titled “management
effectiveness and evaluation of Tiger Reserves”.
World Nature Conservation Day: 28 July
World Nature Conservation Day is being
celebrated on July 28 all over the world for
protecting natural resources and increasing
awareness among the people in the society.
Nature Conservation plays vital role for the
improvement and better living conditions and
establishes better society for the development of human beings as well as animals, creatures in
the nature.
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Current Affairs: July 30, 2019
President Kovind becomes first Indian head of state to visit Benin
The seven-day visit is the first high-level tour
of any Head of State from India to the three
West African countries- Benin, The Gambia
and Guinea. Mr Kovind reached the Cardinal
Bernadine de Cotonou International Airport in
Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. India offered
a USD 100 million line of credit to Benin for its development projects on Monday as President
Ram Nath Kovind held wide ranging discussions with his Beninese counterpart Patrice Talon
on issues of trade, defence and security cooperation.
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Current Affairs: July 31, 2019
July 31, 2019
Odisha Secretariat renamed Lok Seva Bhavan
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on
Monday announced in the State Assembly that
the Sachivalaya or Secretariat building in
Bhubaneswar will now be called ‘Lok Seva
Bhavan’. “In a democracy people are masters
and we all exist to serve them,” said Mr.
Patnaik while making the announcement during the budget discussion on the expenditures of
the home and general administration departments. The Odisha secretariat building was
inaugurated on November 12, 1959 by the then Union Home Minister Govind Ballabh Pant.
Landing Craft Utility L56 Commissioned into Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam
Indigenously built Landing Craft Utility L56, the
sixth ship of the LCU MK IV class, was
commissioned into the Indian Navy. It was
commissioned into the Navy by Flag Officer
Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command
Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain at a ceremony held
at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.
LCU 56 is an amphibious ship with its primary role being transportation and deployment of
Main Battle Tanks, Armoured Vehicles, Troops and Equipment from ship to shore and vice
versa, according to a navy release. LCU L56 would be administered and based in Port Blair https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: July 31, 2019
under the NAVCC in ANC. With a displacement of 900 tons, the ship measures 62 metres in
length and is fitted with two MTU diesel engines, which provide a sustainable speed of over 15
knots.
After West Bengal, Odisha gets GI tag for its version of Rasagola
The rasagola, a popular dessert of Odisha, has
received the geographical indication tag from the
Registrar of Geographical Indication after years of
controversy around the sweet. The registration was
conferred to ‘Odisha Rasagola’ under Section 16(I)
or of authorized Section 17(3)(c) of Geographical
Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999 on Monday. The GI number 612 has
been registered in favour of the Odisha Small Industries Corporation Limited (OSIC Limited), a
government of Odisha undertaking and Utkal Mistanna Byabasayee Samiti, a traders’
organisation, in the foodstuff category.
Northeast Frontier Railway introduces Pink coaches for female passengers
Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian
Railways has introduced pink coaches in trains
to particularly facilitate the female passengers.
Only female passenger can travel in the Pink
Coach. This has been done to ensure better
safety and security of women. As per the
Section 58 of the Railways Act, 1989, there has been mention on earmarking of female
passengers’ accommodation it trains and it is as per the law. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: July 31, 2019
RBI eases ECB norms for corporates, NBFCs
The Reserve Bank of India July 30 relaxed the end-
use stipulations under external commercial
borrowings framework for corporates and non-
banking financial companies (NBFCs). Based on the
feedback from stakeholders and with a view to
further liberalise the ECB framework, it has been
decided, in consultation with the Government of India, to relax the end-use restrictions relating
to external commercial borrowings for working capital requirements, general corporate
purposes and repayment of rupee loans.
Govt increases authorized capital of Indian Overseas Bank by Rs 5,000 crore
The government has increased the authorized capital
of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) by Rs 5,000 crore,
enabling it to shore up its capital adequacy by issuing
share capital. The state-owned lender said that the
government, after consulting the Reserve Bank of
India, has increased its authorised capital from Rs
10,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore. The increase in authorised capital will enable the Bank to take
steps to shore up its capital adequacy by way of issue of share capital including in case of
further capital infusion by the Government
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Current Affairs: July 31, 2019
Airtel unveils e-governance platform ‘SWAN’ for Uttar Pradesh
Bharti Airtel has designed and implemented a future-
ready state wide area network (SWAN) for the state
government of Uttar Pradesh as part of the Centre's e-
governance initiative. UPSWAN 2.0, which is one of
the largest of its kind in India, was launched by
Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma. "Under the
leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is undergoing a digital transformation and
empowering its citizens through e-governance," said Alok Sinha, Additional Chief Secretary,
Commercial Tax, IT and Electronics.
Jio becomes India's biggest telecom company
Within three years of starting its commercial
operations, Reliance Jio has become the country's
largest telecom operator with a subscriber base of
331.3 million, surpassing Vodafone Idea which
reported a decline in its user base to 320 million by
June 2019. According to the financial results
reported by Reliance Industries last week, its subsidiary Reliance Jio had a user base of 331.3
million by June 2019.
Mukesh Ambani-led firm Jio had pipped Bharti Airtel in May to become the second largest
mobile operator with 322.9 million users and 27.80 percent market, according to Trai data. Airtel
had 320.38 users or 27.6 percent market share. Vodafone Idea reported a decline in its customer
base to 320 million in the first quarter of 2019-20 from 334.1 million in the March quarter. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: July 31, 2019
India, Russia sign Rs 1,500 crore deal for air-to-air missiles to be used by Su-30
Boosting its capabilities in beyond visual
range warfare, India has signed a deal worth
around Rs 1,500 crore to acquire R-27 air-to-air
missiles from Russia to be equipped on the Su-
30MKI combat aircraft. The Russian missiles
with an extended range would give an added
capability to the Sukhois to take on enemy aircraft at long ranges. The R-27 missile is a medium-
to-long-range air-to-air missile developed by Russia for its MiG and Sukhoi series of fighter jets.
India ranks fourth in terms of business optimism globally: Grant Thornton
Reflecting subdued sentiments, India has been
ranked fourth globally in terms of business
optimism, as only 64 percent of corporates are
optimistic about the country's economic growth
over the next 12 months, says a survey. Earlier,
India stood at sixth position with 78 percent of
the total respondents showing confidence in the economic growth for the April-June 2018
period. According to Grant Thornton's International Business Report (IBR) released, Philippines
topped the chart with 73 percent respondents being optimistic about economic growth,
followed by Vietnam (72 percent) and Indonesia (66 percent).
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: July 31, 2019
India signs MoU with Myanmar on defense co-operation in New Delhi
India and Myanmar signed a defence co-
operation agreement providing for boosting
military engagement between the two
countries. The pact was inked after
Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's Defence
Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing held
extensive talks with Minister of State for Defence Shripad Yesso Naik. Hlaing, accompanied by
a high-level delegation from the Myanmar Defence Services, also met Chief of Air Staff Air
Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat and Chief of Naval Staff
Admiral Karambir Singh.
Pakistan opens historic Hindu temple in Punjab for worship after 72 years
Pakistan has opened a 1,000-year-old Hindu
temple in eastern city Sialkot for “worship” for the
first time since partition on the demand of the local
Hindu community. The Shawala Teja Singh
temple, located in city’s congested Dhaarowal
locality, some 100-km from Lahore, is more than
1,000 years old, according to the book ‘History of
Sialkot’ by the late Rashid Niaz. The Evacuee Trust Property Board, which looks after the holy
places of minorities in Pakistan, has opened Shawala Teja Singh temple after the partition on the
demand of the local Hindu community,
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Current Affairs: July 31, 2019
First Ever India-Nepal Logistics Summit Held in Kathmandu
Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli
inaugurated the India-Nepal Logistics Summit
in Kathmandu on July 28, 2019. The theme of
the summit was “Transforming Logistics
Landscape”. It was the first of its type event
which brought together government
representatives and the trade community of both nations to discuss issues related to cross-
border trade and logistics of both nations.
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