Vanik’s MONTHLY ISSUE JULY 2021 73th Current Affairs EDITION Banking | Railway | Insurance | SSC | UPSC | OPSC | PSU Contents

Topics of the Month ------1 Economy ------16 RBI in News ------16 SBI in News ------17 Other Banks in News ------17 Financial News ------19 Rating and Survey ------21 MOU and Agreement ------22 Fund Allocation ------23 Committee and Its Head ------24 State News ------25 International ------32 National ------37 International and National Summits ------46 Bilateral & MOU ------48 Award ------50 Person in News/Newly Appointed ------54 Sports ------57 Science and Technology ------60 New Lunch ------62 Defence ------63 Index and Ranking ------65 Book and Author ------68 Day and Days ------69 Obituary ------71 Miscellaneous ------72 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

MAJOR ISSUES of the Month

Page | 1 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 Cabinet Reshuffle 2021 In the first ever reshuffle since the beginning of the 2nd term PM Modi added many new faces to his Council of Minister which upgrading some to Cabinet status and dropping some from the list declared on 7th July 2021.

Shri Prime Minister and also in-charge of: Narendra Ministry of Personnel, Public Modi Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space; All important policy issues; and All other portfolios not allocated to any Minister

Full list of Ministers in Narendra Modi’s Government : CABINET MINISTERS 1 Shri Raj Nath Singh Minister of Defence 2 Shri Amit Shah Minister of Home Affairs; and Minister of Cooperation 3 Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari Minister of Road Transport and Highways 4 Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate Affairs 5 Shri Narendra SinghTomar Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare 6 Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Minister of External Affairs 7 Shri Arjun Munda Minister of Tribal Affairs 8 Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani Minister of Women and Child Development 9 Shri Piyush Goyal Minister of Commerce and Industry; Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of Textiles 10 Shri Pradhan Minister of Education; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 11 Shri Pralhad Joshi Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of Coal; and Minister of Mines 12 Shri Narayan Tatu Rane Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 13 Shri Sarbananda Sonowal Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; and Minister of AYUSH 14 Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Minister of Minority Affairs 15 Dr. Virendra Kumar Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment 16 Shri Giriraj Singh Minister of Rural Development; and Minister of Panchayati Raj 17 Shri Jyotiraditya M.Scindia Minister of Civil Aviation 18 Shri Ramchandra Prasad Singh Minister of Steel 19 Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Minister of Railways; Minister of Communications; and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology 20 Shri Pashu Pati Kumar Paras Minister of Food Processing Industries 21 Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Minister of Jal Shakti 22 Shri Kiren Rijiju Minister of Law and Justice 23 Shri Raj Kumar Singh Minister of Power; and Minister of New and Renewable Energy 24 Shri Hardeep Singh Puri Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs 25 Shri Mansukh Mandaviya Minister of Health and Family Welfare; and Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers

2 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

26 Shri Bhupender Yadav Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Minister of Labour and Employment 27 Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey Minister of Heavy Industries 28 Shri Parshottam Rupala Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying 29 Shri G. Kishan Reddy Minister of Culture; Minister of Tourism; and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region 30 Shri Anurag Singh Thakur Minister of Information and Broadcasting; and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) 1 Rao Inderjit Singh Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs 2 Dr. Jitendra Singh Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences; Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and Minister of State in the Department of Space MINISTERS OF STATE 1 Shri Shripad Yesso Naik Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism 2 Shri Faggansingh Kulaste Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development 3 Shri Prahalad Singh Patel Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries 4 Shri Ashwini KumarChoubey Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change 5 Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture 6 General (Retd.) V. K.Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation 7 Shri Krishan Pal Minister of State in the Ministry of Power; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries 8 Shri Danve RaosahebDadarao Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways; Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines 9 Shri Ramdas Athawale Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment 10 Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development 11 Dr. Balyan Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying 12 Shri Nityanand Rai Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs 13 Shri Pankaj Chaowdhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance 14 Smt. Anupriya Singh Patel Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry 15 Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice 16 Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology 17 Sushri Shobha Karandlaje Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare 18 Shri Bhanu Pratap Singherma Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 19 Smt. Darshana VikramJardosh Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles; and Minister of State in the

Page | 3 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Ministry of Railways 20 Shri V. Muraleedharan Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs 21 Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture 22 Shri Som Parkash Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry 23 Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs 24 Shri Rameswar Teli Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employment 25 Shri Kailash Choudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare 26 Smt. Annpurna Devi Minister of State in the Ministry of Education 27 Shri A. Narayanaswamy Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment 28 Shri Kaushal Kishore Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs 29 Shri Ajay Bhatt Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism 30 Shri B. L. Verma Minister of State in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Cooperation 31 Shri Ajay Kumar Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs 32 Shri Devusinh Chauhan Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications 33 Shri Bhagwanth Khuba Minister of State in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers 34 Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj 35 Sushri Pratima Bhoumik Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment 36 Dr. Subhas Sarkar Minister of State in the Ministry of Education 37 Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance 38 Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Education 39 Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 40 Shri Bishweswar Tudu Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti 41 Shri Shantanu Thakur Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways 42 Dr. Munjapara Mahendrabhai Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of AYUSH 43 Shri John Barla Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs 44 Dr. L. Murugan Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting 45 Shri Nisith Pramanik Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Meanwhile, ahead of the much-anticipated reshuffle, twelve ministers resigned. Among the big names to resign are IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar. Other ministers who are out of the Cabinet are Babul Supriyo, Sadananda Gowda, Debasree Chaudhuri, Rattan Lal Kataria, Sanjay Dhotre, Thawarchand Gehlot, Pratap Chandra Sarangi (MoS) and Ashwini Chaubey (MoS).

4 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 MILKHA SINGH : THE 1 FLYING SIKH Milkha Singh, byname the Flying Sikh, (born October 17, 1935, Lyallpur [now Faisalabad], Pakistan—died June 18, 2021, Chandigarh, India), Indian track-and-field athlete who became the first Indian male to reach the final of an Olympic athletics event when he placed fourth in the 400-metre race at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Orphaned during the partition of India, Singh moved to India from Pakistan in 1947. He eked out a living by working in a roadside restaurant before joining the Indian army. It was in the army that Singh realized his abilities as a sprinter. After winning the national trials in the 200-metre and 400-metre sprints, he was eliminated du ring the preliminary heats for those events at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. At the 1958 Asian Games, Singh won both the 200-metre and 400-metre races. Later that year he captured the 400-metre gold at the Commonwealth Games, which was India’s first athletics gold in the history of the Games. He narrowly lost the bronze medal in the 400 metres at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, missing out on third place in a photo finish. Singh retained his 400- metre gold at the 1962 Asian Games and also took another gold as part of India’s 4 × 400-metre relay team. He made a final Olympic appearance at the 1964 Tokyo Games as part of the national 4 × 400 team that failed to advance past preliminary heats. Singh was awarded the Padma Shri (one of India’s highest civilian honours) in 1959. After his retirement he served as the director of sports in Punjab. Singh’s autobiography, The Race of My Life (cowritten with his daughter Sonia Sanwalka), was published in 2013. INDIA LAUNCHES GLOBAL 2 INITIATIVE FOR CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION India launched the Mission Innovation CleanTech Exchange, a global initiative, that will create a network of incubators across member countries to accelerate clean energy innovation.

The network, launched virtually at the Innovating to Net Zero Summit hosted by Chile, will provide access to the expertise and market insights needed to support new technologies to access new markets globally. India among 23 governments collectively launched bol d new plans to catalyze action and spearheaded a decade of innovation to drive global investment in clean energy research, development and demonstrations. The goal is to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all this decade, to accelerate action towards the Paris Agreement and net zero pathways. Mission Innovation 2.0 is the second phase of the global Mission Innovation initiative, launched alongside the Paris Agreement at the 2015 UN climate conference. Its members -- collectively responsible for over 90 per cent of global public investment in clean energy innovation -- are committed to increase investment and collaboration to deliver the technologies needed to overcome the world's most difficult climate challenges. Achieving the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to well below two degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels, requires huge leaps in energy innovation this decade. Half of the global emissions reductions required to achieve national and global climate targets by 2050 depend on technologies that exist today, but are only at demonstration or prototype phase. These technologies are not

Page | 5 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 yet sufficiently effective or affordable to be deployed at scale, such as clean hydrogen, advanced battery storage or zero emission fuels. Mission Innovation 2.0 will catalyze public-private action and investment through sector-specific missions that accelerate the development of clean energy solutions in critical areas, to reach tipping points this decade in their affordability. The goal is to make them attractive and accessible to all countries and give governments worldwide the confidence to set ambitious clean energy pathways. As many governments and businesses around the world continue to commit to ambitious climate goals and to reach net zero emissions, the need for innovation has never been greater or more urgent.To achieve the Paris Agreement goals, all sectors of the economy need access to cost competitive clean energy solutions this decade. The ministers committed to step up their collective ambition and cooperation; mobilize and connect global research, development and demonstration efforts to maximize the impact of these investments; build confidence in clean energy solutions; and develop pathways to deployment. They also committed to develop National Innovation Pathways that describe how they will enhance ambition to pioneer clean energy technologies and/or sectors to meet their climate and energy goals up to 2030. Mission Innovation 2.0 was officially launched at the Innovating to Net Zero Summit, hosted by Chile. John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, said The launch of Mission Innovation 2.0 is an important step forward to reach our collective climate goals. Reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 will require urgent action by 2030, both to deploy the clean energy technologies we already have as well as to develop, demonstrate, and scale the innovations we'll need to fully decarbonize the global economy. The United States is reinvigorating its leadership in this exciting new phase, in which the Mission Innovation community will advance the technologies we need for slashing emissions across challenging applications, including zero-carbon hydrogen, clean long-distance transportation, and carbon dioxide removal. The launch of Mission Innovation 2.0 is a key milestone in the build-up to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, UK, in November. Accelerating the transition to clean energy will be essential if we are to keep the 1.5 degree goal within reach. To achieve this, international collaboration on innovation in sectors like power, transport and industry will be crucial. Speaking on M ission Innovation, Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan said Mission Innovation (MI) has played an exemplary role in mobilizing greater public and private investments and partnerships to move the innovation needle, thereby accelerating clean energy innovation. MI 2.0 highlights the importance of collaborative scientific efforts to realize the vision of an affordable and reliable clean energy system and shall help countries reiterate their pledge to pursue a sustainable future through research-led innovations. Since 2015, Mission Innovation member governments have increased clean energy innovation investments by a cumulative total of $18bn. Investment is now $5.8bn per year higher than in 2015. Canada, Chile, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea and the UK have doubled their levels of investment and Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the European Commission have increased investment by 75 per cent or more against their 2015 baselines.

6 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 SURAKSHIT HUM 3 SURAKSHIT TUM ABHIYAAN LAUNCHED IN 112 ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS NITI Aayog and Piramal Foundation on June 8, launched the ‘Surakshit Hum Surakshit Tum Abhiyaan’ in 112 aspirational districts to assist the district administrations in providing home- care support to Covid-19 patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. The campaign is under a special initiative – Aspirational Districts Collaborative – in which local leaders, civil societies and volunteers will work with the district administrations to address emerging issues across key focus areas of the Aspirational Districts Programme.It is aimed to reach every affected person in these 112 districts. It will be led by district magistrates in with over 1000 local NGOs, which will enlist and train over 1 lakh volunteers to connect with patients through inbound/outbound calls. Aspirational Districts Programme About: It was launched in January 2018, the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ Programme (TADP). Aspirational Districts are those districts in India that are affected by poor socio-economic indicators. These are aspirational in the context, that improvement in these districts can lead to the overall improvement in human development in India. Ministry: At the Government of India level, the programme is anchored by NITI Aayog. In addition, individual Ministries have assumed responsibility to drive the progress of districts. Objective: To monitor the real-time progress of aspirational districts. Focus Areas: ADP is based on 49 indicators from the 5 identified thematic areas, which focuses closely on improving people’s Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure. With States as the main drivers, ADP seeks to focus on the strength of each district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts. Broad Contours of the Programme (Triple-C): Convergence (of Central & State Schemes) which brings together the horizontal and vertical tiers of the government. Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors) which enables impactful partnerships between government, market and civil society. Competition among districts driven by a spirit of the mass movement fosters accountability on district governments.

Page | 7 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

RUSSIA PULLS OUT OF 4 OPEN SKIES TREATY President Putin has signed legislation, which signaled Russia’s formal exit from the 1992 Open Skies arms control treaty. US had formally withdrawn from Open Skies treaty on 22 November 2020. Open Skies treaty had become effective on January 1, 2002. It allows unarmed surveillance flights over member countries. 34 other countries had signed the treaty. It was proposed by George H. W. Bush's administration in 1992. Recently, the US and Russia have extended the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) for the next five years. It is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between US and Russia. Terms Of Open Skies Treaty: Open surveillance: Under the treaty, a member State can undertake surveillance on any part of the host nation, with the latter’s consent. Only approved imaging equipment is permitted on the surveillance flights. Officials from the host state can also stay on board throughout the planned journey. Sharing strategic information: The information gathered, such as on troop movements, military exercises and missile deployments, has to be shared with all member States. Both US and Russia were signatories of the treaty. India is not a member of this treaty. Key Points Reasons for USA Withdrawal: Russia’s continuous non compliance: The USA had for over a decade accused Russia of non-compliance with OST protocols, blaming Moscow of obstructing surveillance flights on its territory, while misusing its own missions for gathering key tactical data. OST misused to claim Ukrainian region: The USA also accused Russia of designating an airfield in the annexed Crimean Peninsula as an Open Skies refueling base as an illegal attempt by Russia to cement its claim to the Ukrainian region. Risk to critical infrastructures: Russia misused its flights over the USA and Europe to identify critical infrastructure for potential attack in a time of war. Reasons for Russia Withdrawal: USA limiting OST: Russia defends its non compliance with the OST to allow flights over Kaliningrad (Russian exclave in Eastern Europe that lies between NATO allies Lithuania and Poland) citing the example of the US imposing similar limits on flights over Alaska. No assurance from NATO members: After USA withdrawal from OST, Russia did not get the sought assurance from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies who continued to remain on the treaty that they would not transfer data collected by their flights over Russia to Washington (USA). Significance: For European NATO members: Russia’s departure could adversely impact Washington’s European allies, which rely on OST data to track Russian troop movements in the Baltic region.

8 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Departure from Arms control treaties: The failure of the Open Skies Treaty follows the demise of another significant arms control accord, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, after both the US and Russia left it in 2019. This treaty aimed at eliminating their stocks of intermediate-range and shorter-range (or “medium-range”) land-based missiles which could carry nuclear warheads. Withdrawal of the USA and Russia from OST has further deepened doubts on extension of the New START treaty, which expires in February, 2021. For India: Growing mistrust between global powers could make it difficult for India to maintain good mutual relationships with both the countries if the hostility escalates in future. PAN-AADHAAR LINKING 5 DEADLINE EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 30 BY GOVERNMENT The PAN-Aadhaar linking deadline has yet again been extended by the government. As per announcement made by Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur via his Twitter handle, the deadline to link PAN with Aadhaar has been extended by three months to September 30, 2021 from the current deadline of June 30, 2021.

The PAN-Aadhaar linking deadline has been exten ded due to the second wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The government has already extended the deadline thrice due to Covid-19 - first from March 31, 2020, to June 30, 2020, then to March 31, 2021, and then again to June 30, 2021. This extension will come as a relief for those who still have not linked their PAN with Aadhaar due to mismatch in details. Do keep in mind that if your PAN is not linked with Aadhaar by the new deadline, then not only will your PAN become inoperative, but you will also be liable to pay a penalty of up to Rs 1,000 if the linking is done after the expiry of the deadline. Penalty will be levied as per the newly inserted section 234H into the Income-tax Act, 1961. The insertion of the new law was done by the government at the time of passing of the Finance Bill, 2021. Though the law says that the maximum penalty amount will not exceed Rs 1000, however, the government is yet to prescribe the exact amount. Further, once the PAN becomes inoperative, then an individual will not be able to conduct financial transactions wherever quoting of PAN is mandatory. If PAN is linked with Aadhaar after it has become inoperative then your PAN will become operative once again from the date of linking. There are many financial transactions wherever quoting of PAN is mandatory. This includes at the time of filing income tax return, opening of a bank account, fixed deposit account etc. Earlier, the law stated that if the PAN is not linked with Aadhaar, then PAN would become 'invalid', as if an individual never held the PAN. However, the rule regarding the consequences of not linking PAN with Aadhaar

Page | 9 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 was revised in July 2019 Budget. The amendment in the law was done to protect the financial transactions undertaken prior to linking of the same. How to link PAN with Aadhaar There are three ways to link PAN with Aadhaar. These include: either by sending an SMS to 567678 or 56161, through the e-filing website, or manually by filling a specified form at a designated PAN service centre. If you are already filing ITR (income tax return), it is likely that your PAN is linked to Aadhaar. 2021 PULITZER PRIZE 6 WINNERS The Pulitzer Prize is the top US journalism award presented annually for excellence in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition.

Pulitzer prizes are awarded in twenty-one categories. Each winner receives a certificate and a USD 15,000 cash award in 20 categories, while in one of the category namely, public service category, the winner gets a gold medal. Winners of Pulitzer Prizes for the year 2021 : Journalism Public Service:The Ne w York Times Breaking News Reporting:Staff of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn. Investigative Reporting:Matt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen and Brendan McCarthy of The Boston Globe Explanatory Reporting:Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell and Jackie Botts of Reuters and Ed Yong of The Atlantic Local Reporting:Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi of the Tampa Bay Times National Reporting:Staffs of The Marshall Project; AL.com, Birmingham; IndyStar, Indianapolis; and the Invisible Institute, Chicago International Reporting:Megha Rajagopalan, Alison Killing and Christo Buschek of BuzzFeed News Feature Writing:Mitchell S. Jackson, freelance contributor, Runner’s World and Nadja Drost, freelance contributor, The California Sunday Magazine Commentary:Michael Paul Williams of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch Criticism:Wesley Morris of Editorial Writing:Robert Greene of the Los Angeles Times Editorial Cartooning:No award Breaking News Photography:Photography Staff of Associated Press Feature Photography:Emilio Morenatti of Associated Press Audio Reporting:Lisa Hagen, Chris Haxel, Graham Smith and Robert Little of National Public Radio Books, Drama, and Music Fiction: The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich (Harper) Drama :The Hot Wing King, by Katori Hall History Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, by Marcia Chatelain (Liveright/Norton) Biography:The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X, by the late Les Payne and Tamara Payne (Liveright/Norton) Poetry : Postcolonial Love Poem, by Natalie Diaz (Graywolf Press) General Nonfiction:Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy, by David Zucchino (Atlantic Monthly Press) Music:Stride, by Tania León (Peermusic Classical) Special Citations:Darnella Frazier

10 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 6TH EDITION OF 7 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2021 : INDIA'S RANK 120TH The Covid-19 pandemic is such a big global health emergency that it has snowballed into a sustainable development crisis for most countries. For the first time since adoption in 2015 for a better world, the worldwide progress on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) has shown reversal due to increased poverty and unemployment caused by Covid-19. The decline in the SDG progress worldwide may be even underestimated due to lack of the latest data, according to a new report.

The ‘Sustainable Development Report 2021’ (SDR 2021) was written by lead author Prof Jeffrey Sachs and his team at the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a UN initiative for mobilising scientific and technical expertise for achievement of the goals. India has dropped three spots from 117 to rank at 120 out of 165 countries, according to the report. In 2020, too, India had slid to rank 117 down from 115 in 2019. For India, there is a silver lining, too. The country is on track to achieve the SDG 6 on Clean Water & Sanitation despite major challenges related to sanitation services and anthropogenic wastewater treatment, and SDG 13 on Climate Action. NITI Aayog’s recent SDG India Index 2020–21, too, had recorded the country’s steady progress on Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6) and Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7). Amidst continued challenges in India, SDR 2021 has recorded declining trends on Quality Education (SDG 4) due to lower secondary completion rate, and Life on Land (SDG 15) due to risk of extinction of species. Due to major challenges in India, the progress is stagnant on Zero Hunger (SDG 2); Gender Equality (SDG 5); Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11); Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16); and Partnerships for Goals (SDG 17). The report also points out goal-wise targets showing downward trends in progress. For example, there are worsening trends on the targets related to the ratio of female-to-male labour force participation rate under the goal of Gender Equality; the proportion of urban population living in slums, annual mean concentration of particulate matter and access to improved water source under the goal of Sustainable Cities and Communities; and unsentenced detainees, people feeling safe walking alone at night, and Press Freedom Index under the goal on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Most other countries are faring better than India, but they too have to recover some lost ground. For example, Finland, Sweden and Denmark occupy the top three ranks, but they too are challenged to achieve all the SDGs by 2030. Having said that, the report says, the rich countries can cover lost ground faster than poor countries due to their fiscal space. Overall the progress on the SDGs can pick up on the back of sound policies and strong global cooperation to build forward better, says the report. Taking note of the short-term impacts of Covid-19 on the SDGs, the report underlines how the SDGs can help stage the recovery. “To restore SDG progress, developing countries need a significant increase in fiscal space, through global tax reform and expanded financing by the multilateral development banks,” says Prof Sachs in his communication. He adds that fiscal outlays should support six key

Page | 11 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

SDG transformations: quality education for all, universal health coverage, clean energy and industry, sustainable agriculture and land use, sustainable urban infrastructure, and universal access to digital technologies. What is the SDG Index? The SDG Index is an assessment of each country’s overall performance on the 17 SDGs, giving equal weight to each Goal. The score signifies a country’s position between the worst possible outcome (0) and the best, o r target outcome (100) As per SDG Index 2021, Finland’s overall index was the highest with a score of 85.90 Three Nordic countries top the 2021 SDG Index: Finland, Sweden, and Denmark India ranked 120th with a score of 60.07 All countries in the top 20 apart from Croatia are OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Yet even OECD countries face significant challenges in achieving several SDGs What is the SDG Dashboard? The SDG dashboards highlight each country’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to the 17 goals, presenting performance in terms of levels and trends. Overall, OECD member states are closer to achieving the targets than other country groups, yet none of them are on track to achieve all 17 SDGs East and South Asia has progressed more towards achieving the SDGs than any other region since the adoption of the goals in 2015. Overall, the region is performing best on SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 4 (Quality Education) Of the 17 goals, countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are on average closest to achieving SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 4 (Quality Education). Compared with other regions, SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) remains problematic Latin American and Caribbean countries perform best on SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), but they face major challenges on several other SDGs Countries in the Middle East and North Africa show great disparity in their performance on the SDGs and progress being made. Ongoing conflicts in some countries have led to poor and worsening performance on most SDGs for several years, particularly on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well Being), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) Impact of COVID-19 on key SDG indicators: SDG 1 (No Poverty) – Covid has pushed an estimated 120 million people into extreme poverty over the past year SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) – It has also impacted access to food and increased food insecurity SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) – As of late April 2021, the global COVID-19 death toll had surpassed 3 million deaths globally SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) have also been severely affected Temporary gains were observed on SDGs 12–15 over the past year related to sustainable production and consumption, climate action and biodiversity protection have been rapidly offset once restrictions were lifted COVID-19 has highlighted the limited capacity of LIDCs (Low-Income Developing Countries) to tap market financing. While the governments of high-income countries have borrowed heavily in response to the pandemic, LIDCs have been unable to do so because of their lower market creditworthiness. INDIA RECEIVES $64 BN 8 FDI IN 2020, FIFTH LARGEST RECIPIENT OF INFLOWS : UN India received $64 billion in Foreign Direct Investment in 2020, the fifth largest recipient of inflows in the world, according to a UN report which said the COVID-19 second wave in the country weighs heavily on the country's overall economic activities but its strong fundamentals provide optimism for the medium term.

12 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

The World Investment Report 2021 by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), released Monday, said global FDI flows have been severely hit by the pandemic and they plunged by 35 per cent in 2020 to $1 trillion from $1.5 trillion the previous year. Lockdowns caused by COVID-19 around the world slowed down existing investment projects, and prospects of a recession led multinational enterprises (MNEs) to reassess new projects. The report said in India, FDI increased 27 per cent to $64 billion in 2020 from $51 billion in 2019, pushed up by acquisitions in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, making the country the fifth largest FDI recipient in the world. The pandemic boosted demand for digital infrastructure and services globally. This led to higher values of greenfield FDI project annou ncements targeting the ICT industry, rising by more than 22 per cent to $81 billion. Major project announcements in the ICT industry included a $2.8 billion investment by online retail giant Amazon in ICT infrastructure in India. The report noted that the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in India weighs heavily on the country's overall economic activities. Announced greenfield projects in India contracted by 19 per cent to $24 billion, and the second wave in April 2021 is affecting economic activities, which could lead to a larger contraction in 2021, it said, adding that the outbreak in India severely hit main investment destinations such as , which is home to one of the biggest automotive manufacturing clusters (MumbaiPuneNasikAurangabad) and (home to the Bengaluru tech hub), which face another lockdown as of April 2021, exposing the country to production disruption and investment delays. Yet India's strong fundamentals provide optimism for the medium term. FDI to India has been on a long-term growth trend and its market size will continue to attract market-seeking investments. In addition, investment into the ICT industry is expected to keep growing, the report said. The country's export-related manufacturing, a priority investment sector, will take longer to recover, but government facilitation can help. India's Production Linkage Incentive scheme, designed to attract manufacturing and export-oriented investments in priority industries including automotive and electronics can drive a rebound of investment in manufacturing. The report said FDI in South Asia rose by 20 per cent to $71 billion, driven mainly by strong M&As in India. Amid India's struggle to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, robust investment through acquisitions in ICT (software and hardware) and construction bolstered FDI, it said adding that cross-border M&As surged 83 per cent to $27 billion, with major deals involving ICT, health, infrastructure and energy. Large transactions included the acquisition of Jio Platforms by Jaadhu, a subsidiary of Facebook for $5.7 billion, the acquisition of Tower Infrastructure Trust by Canada's Brookfield Infrastructure and GIC (Singapore) for $3.7 billion and the sale of the electrical and automation division of Larsen & Toubro India for $2.1 billion. Another megadeal Unilever India's merger with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare India, a subsidiary of GSK United Kingdom) for $4.6 billion also contributed. FDI outflows from South Asia fell 12 per cent to $12 billion, driven by a drop in investment from India. India ranked 18 out of the world's top 20 economies for FDI outflows, with 12 billion dollars of outflows recorded from the country in 2020 as compared to 13 billion dollars in 2019. Investments from India are expected to stabilise in 2021, supported by the country's resumption of free trade agreement (FTA) talks with the European Union (EU) and its strong investment in Africa. The report cautioned that while the Asian region has managed the health crisis relatively well, the recent second wave of COVID-19 in India shows that significant uncertainties remain. This has major impacts on prospects for South Asia. A wider resurgence of the virus in Asia could significantly lower global FDI in 2021, given that region's significant contribution to the total. FDI inflows to developing Asia grew by 4 per cent to $535 billion in 2020, making it the only region to record growth and increasing Asia's share of global inflows to 54 per cent. In China, FDI increased by 6 per cent to $149 billion. While some of the largest economies in developing Asia such as China and India recorded FDI growth in 2020, the rest recorded a contraction. The report added that FDI inflows in Asia are expected to increase in 2021, outperforming other developing regions with a projected growth of 510 per cent. Signs of trade and industrial production recovering in the second half of 2020 provide a strong foundation for FDI growth in 2021. Yet, substantial downside risks remain for the many economies in the region that struggle to contain successive waves of COVID-19 cases and where fiscal capacity for recovery spending is limited. Economies in East and South-East Asia, and India, will continue to attract foreign investment in high-tech industries, given their market size and their advanced digital and technology ecosystem

Page | 13 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

14 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Page | 15 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 ECONOMY RBI IN NEWS RBI Monetary Policy: Repo rate unchanged at 4%  The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent while maintaining an ‘accommodative stance’ as long as necessary to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Reverse repo rate too was kept unchanged at 3.35 per cent. The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and bank rate also remained unchanged at 4.25 percent.  Reverse repo rate too was kept unchanged at 3.35 per cent. The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and bank rate also remained unchanged at 4.25 percent.  Government Securities Acquisition Program 1.0 (G-SAP 1.0) for Rs 40,000 crore purchase will be conducted by the RBI. Also, G-SAP 2.0 worth Rs 1.2 lakh crore will be taken in the second quarter (Q2) of FY22 to support the market.  Central bank will open a Rs 15,000 crore on-tap liquidity at repo rate for contact intensive sectors till March 2022. This will give lending to the hospitality, car and bus rental operators, restaurants, salons, and other high-contact services.  RBI’s foreign exchange reserve is in touching distance of the $600 billion mark. This gives the RBI great confidence to deal with challenges arising out of global spillovers. RBI: ATM Cash Withdrawal Rule Changed The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced changes in the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) rules with regard to cash withdrawal. These changes include an increase in charges for transactions beyond the free monthly permissible limit, a new free ATM transaction limit and an increase in the interchange fee per transaction. Here are the changes announced by the RBI in ATM cash withdrawal rules: Exceeding monthly limit of free transactions: Customers will have to pay Rs.21 per transaction, instead of Rs. 20 if they exceed their monthly limit of free transactions. This increase will be effective from January 1, 2022. New free ATM transaction limit: Customers will continue to remain eligible for five free transactions, including financial and non-financial, per month from their own bank ATMs. They will also be eligible for three free transactions from the ATMs of other banks in metro centres and five transactions in non-metro centres. Increase in interchange fee: From August 1 this year, banks are allowed to increase the interchange fee per transaction from Rs.15 to Rs.17 for financial transactions and from Rs.5 to Rs.6 for non-financial transactions in all centres. Public Sector Banks To Offer Unsecured Loans Up To Rs. 5 Lakh For Covid Treatment  Public sector banks will be offering unsecured personal loans between Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 5 lakh to salaried, non-salaried and pensioners for meeting Covid treatment.  As part of the newly created Covid loan book under the guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India, the banks will also offer healthcare business loans for setting up oxygen plants under Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECGLS).  These include unsecured personal loans to individuals from Rs.25,000 to Rs.5 lakh to meet medical treatment costs for COVID-19, and business loans to healthcare facilities upto Rs.100 crore.  Loan up to Rs. 2 crore capped at 7.5 per cent will be provided to hospitals, nursing homes for setting up oxygen plant.  Earlier this month, Reserve Bank of India said that it will provide a term-liquidity facility of Rs. 50,000 crore to ease access of funds for emergency medical service. RBI announces FPI investment limits in G-secs and SDLs  The Reserve Bank of India said the limits for foreign portfolio investors (FPI) investment during the current fiscal in government securities (G-secs) and State Development Loans (SDLs) will remain unchanged at 6 per cent and 2 per cent respectively, of outstanding stocks of securities for 2021-22.  In a circular, the RBI said the allocation of incremental changes in the G-sec limit (in absolute terms) over the two sub-categories – 'General' and 'Long-term' – will be retained at 50:50 for FY 2021-22.  As of March 31, 2021, the FPI limit stood at Rs. 9,54,280 crore (US$ 131.61 billion) in G-Sec General, G- Sec Long Term, SDL General, SDL Long Term, and Corporate Bonds.

16 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 For April 2021-September 2021, the revised limit (in absolute terms) stands at Rs. 10,14,957 crore (US$ 139.97 billion). This includes limit for G-sec General at Rs. 2,43,914 crore (US$ 33.64 billion) and Corporate Bonds at Rs. 5,74,263 crore (US$ 79.20 billion). For October 2021 – March 2022, the FPI investment limit in the debt instruments stands at Rs. 10,75,637 crore (US$ 148.34 billion).

SBI IN NEWS SBI sanctions Rs.3725 crore for Noida International Airport Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has sanctioned a loan of Rs.3725 crore for the development of Noida International Airport (NIA) which is being developed by Yamuna International Airport (YIAPL) and will be the second airport in National Capital Region (NCR).The entire loan of Rs.3725 crore has been underwritten by SBI on a door-to-door loan tenor of 20 years. SBI Launches Kavach Personal Loan For Covid-19 Patients  The State Bank of India (SBI) launched the ‘kavach personal loan’ scheme for COVID-19 patients.  As per the scheme, the state- lender is offering collateral free personal loans up to Rs 5 lakh at annual interest rate of 8.5 percent.  The collateral free personal loans are aimed at enabling customers to meet medical expenses of self and family members for COVID-19 treatment. SBI launched Aarogyam healthcare business loan for healthcare sector amid the pandemic  The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched the Aarogyam healthcare business loan to provide enhanced support to the healthcare sector amid the pandemic. Under this new product, the entire healthcare ecosystem such as hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic centres, pathology labs, manufacturers, suppliers, importers, logistic firms engaged in critical healthcare supply can avail of loans up to Rs 100 crore (as per the geographic location) repayable in 10 years, the country’s largest state-owned bank.  In metro centres loans under Aarogyam can be availed up to Rs 100 crore, Tier I & Urban centres up to Rs 20 crore and in Tier II to Tier VI centres up to Rs 10 crore. SBI Card partners with Fabindia SBI Card, the country’s second-largest credit card issuer and Fabindia, a retail platform for a wide range of handcrafted products by the artisans of the country, have joined hands to launch an exclusive co-branded contactless credit card named “Fabindia SBI Card”. The card is designed with curated benefits and privileges to offer a rewarding shopping experience to its premium customers and comes in two variants — Fabindia SBI Card SELECT and Fabindia SBI Card.

OTHER BANKS IN NEWS RBI imposed Rs 10 crore penalty on HDFC Bank for deficiency in its regulatory compliance The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a fine of Rs 10 crore on HDFC Bank for deficiencies in regulatory compliance found in the auto loan portfolio of the bank. As per the RBI, HDFC Bank has violated the provisions of section 6(2) and section 8 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. RBI cancelled the licence of Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari Bank The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Pune -based Shivajirao Bhosale Sahakari Bank. The bank ceases to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business on May 31. The bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. As such, it does not comply with the provision of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Bharti AXA Life in bancassurance pact with Shivalik Small Finance Bank Private life insurer Bharti AXA Life Insurance has entered into a bancassurance partnership with Shivalik Small Finance Bank for the distribution of its life insurance products through the bank’s pan-India network of branches. This alliance is a part of the bank’s various measures towards financial inclusion and acceleration of wealth creation for its customers. ICICI Bank to offer instant facility for cross-border inward remittances  ICICI Bank has tied up with SWIFT to offer instant facility for cross-border inward remittances as per the press release on 2nd June 2021.  This facility aids in helping the overseas partner banks to instantly send remittances on behalf of their customers to the Indian beneficiaries.  This facility makes ICICI Bank the first Bank in Asia-Pacific and second globally to provide the service called ‘SWIFT gpi Instant’  Amount over Rs. 2 lakh can be sent to help the overseas partner banks and make a reliable and instant cross  border remittances

Page | 17 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

RBI imposed penalty on BoI & PNB of Rs 6 crore The RBI has imposed a penalty aggregating to Rs 6 crores on Bank of India and Punjab National Bank for contravention of norms, including one related to “Frauds – Classification and Reporting”. A penalty of Rs 4 crores has been imposed on the Bank of India and Rs 2 crores on Punjab National Bank. NITI Aayog recommends privatisation of Central Bank, Indian Overseas Bank  NITI Aayog has recommended divesting government stake in Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) as part of the privatisation initiative announced in the Union Budget.  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, had announced privatising two public sector banks (PSBs) and one general insurance company in 2021-22. As per the new PSE (Public Sector Enterprise) policy for 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', NITI Aayog is entrusted with the task to suggest names of PSUs in strategic sectors to be merged, privatised, or made subsidiaries of other PSUs. Federal Bank launched an exclusive NR savings account scheme for the Seafarer segment  This scheme is specially curated and crafted for the mariners and its services are clubbed with state-of-the- art digital banking platforms that help the mariners enjoy seamless banking transactions, irrespective of the geo-coordinates and time zone differences.  The scheme offers facilities like preferential exchange rate for monthly inward remittances, premium debit card with domestic airport lounge access, linked zero balance NRO account, and bespoke financial planning and customised wealth management products and services. IDFC FIRST Bank launches Customer COVID relief Ghar Ghar Ration Program  IDFC FIRST Bank has announced the launch of ‘Ghar Ghar Ration’ Program, an employee-funded program for its low-income customers whose livelihoods are affected by COVID-19.  “Ghar Ghar Ration” is a unique program where employees have contributed from their personal income to set up a Customer COVID Care Fund to provide relief to 50,000 COVID affected low-income IDFC FIRST Bank customers.  Employees of the Bank contributed one day to one month’s salary for the purpose. Federal Bank partners with Infosys Federal Bank, to improve its marketing, sales and offer a better customer experience, has partnered with Infosys for Oracle CX adoption, a cloud-based tool to manage the relationship with customers. DBS tops Worlds Best Banks list in India for second year in a row  DBS has been named by Forbes in their list of World’s Best Banks 2021. DBS was ranked #1 out of 30 domestic and international banks in India for the second consecutive year.  This is the third edition of the ‘World’s Best Banks’ list by Forbes, conducted in partnership with market research firm Statista. KIADB inks MoU with HDFC Bank to Offer Banking Solutions to Investors  Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HDFC Bank to provide a wide range of financial products and services to its customers.  As part of the MoU, HDFC Bank will provide a wide range of financial products and services to its customers through an extensive network of branches across the country. Central Bank of India inks co-lending pacts with Indiabulls Housing, IIFL Home Finance  State-owned Central Bank of India announced co-lending partnerships with NBFC players Indiabulls Housing Finance and IIFL Home Finance.  Under this arrangement, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) will originate and process retail home loans while Central Bank of India will take into its book 80 per cent of the housing loan under direct assignment transactions, the lender said in separate regulatory filings. Indian Bank partners with Fisdom to offer wealth management solutions Indian Bank, the seventh largest public sector bank, has partnered wealth-tech company Fisdom to offer a comprehensive suite of wealth management products and services to the bank’s 10 crore customers. Bank of Maharashtra tops PSU banks in terms of loan, deposit growth  State-owned Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the top performer among public sector lenders in terms of loan and deposit growth during financial year 2020-21.The lender recorded 13.45 per cent increase in gross advances at Rs.1.07 lakh crore in 2020-21, as per the published data of BoM.  It was followed by Punjab & Sind Bank which posted 8.39 per cent growth in advances with aggregate loans at Rs.67,811 crore at the end of March 2021. HDFC MF launches banking and financial services NFO  HDFC Asset Management Company has launched the New Fund Offer of HDFC Banking and Financial Services Fund, which aims to invest in the banking and financial services sector across segments and market capitalisation.The NFO, which opened on June 11, will close on June 25.  The fund will invest in companies that are leaders and are gaining market shares due to superior execution, scale and better adoption of technology.

18 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

PMC Bank will have a new owner in Centrum and BharatPe  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it has given an ‘in-principle’ nod to Centrum Financial Services to set up a small finance bank (SFB), paving the way for the entity to take over the crisis-ridden Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) bank.  Jaspal Bindra-led Centrum Capital, the holding entity for CFSL, and its partner BharatPe, a payments system company, will infuse Rs 1,800 crore into the small finance bank.  It will get 120 days to commence operations. The amalgamation with PMC Bank is a separate process that would involve a notification of the scheme by the government.  The PMC Bank has been facing regulatory action and investigations over the alleged irregularities in certain loan accounts. The problem began when 73% of PMC Bank’s loans were found to be non-performing in September 2019. These loans, worth Rs.6,500 crore, were issued to a real estate company Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL). RBI to grant in-principle approval to Centrum Financial Services Ltd to set up Small Finance Bank  Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to grant in-principle approval to Centrum Financial Services Limited to set up a Small Finance Bank.  This in-principle approval has been accorded in specific pursuance to the expression of centrum financial services limited’s offer dated February 1, 2021.  The approval has been accorded in response to the notification dated 30 November 2020 published by the Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC) bank. IndusInd Bank Launches A Digital Lending Platform “IndusEasy Credit”  IndusInd Bank announced the launch of ‘IndusEasy Credit’, a comprehensive digital lending platform that enables customers to meet their financial requirements from the comfort of their homes.  With this, both existing as well as non-IndusInd Bank customer can instantly avail personal loans or credit cards on a single platform in a completely paperless and digital manner. ICICI Bank launched ‘ICICI STACK for Corporates’ ICICI Bank has announced the launch of ‘ICICI STACK for Corporates’, a comprehensive set of digital banking solutions for corporates and their entire ecosystem including promoters, group companies, employees, dealers, vendors and all other stakeholders. The wide range of 360-degree solutions enables corporates to seamlessly meet all banking requirements of their ecosystem in an expeditious and frictionless manner. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank collaborates with MoEngage  Ujjivan Small Finance Bank said it has collaborated with customer engagement platform MoEngage to drive digital banking experiences in the unserved and underserved regions of the country.  The engagement aims to build a vast presence of the bank for connecting with customers in these regions through multiple digital touchpoints. Kotak Mahindra Bank launched the new feature ‘Pay Your Contact’ service Kotak Mahindra Bank has announced the launch of ‘Pay Your Contact’ the new feature that enables its customers to send money or make payments to any of their contacts across all payment apps simply by the beneficiary’s mobile number. The ‘Pay Your Contact’ service is available on the lender’s mobile banking app and uses the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform.

FINANCIAL NEWS Govt Announces Amnesty Scheme For GST Taxpayers, Allows Filing Of Returns With Reduced Late Fee Soon after addressing the 43rd meeting of the GST Council, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced amnesty scheme for small GST taxpayers and allowed the filing of income tax returns with reduced late fee. Giving further details, Sitharaman said that the taxpayers can now file their pending returns and avail the benefits of this Amnesty scheme with reduced late fees. SEBI Slaps Rs 5 Cr Fine on Franklin Templeton AMC, Bans Vivek Kudva for 1 Year  SEBI barred Franklin Templeton AMC from launching any new debt scheme for two years and fined it Rs 5 crore for violating regulatory norms in the case of winding up of six debt schemes in 2020.  Also, it has been asked to refund investment management and advisory fees to the tune of Rs 512 crore, including interest, collected with respect to the six debt schemes.  In a separate order, the regulator has barred Vivek Kudva, former head of Asia Pacific (APAC) for Franklin Templeton, and his wife Roopa from the securities market for one year for redeeming units of Franklin Templeton MF schemes while in possession of non-public information. Centre releases Revenue Deficit Grant of Rs 9871 crore to 17 States  Centre has released the 3rd monthly installment of Post Devolution Revenue Deficit (PDRD) Grant of Rs. 9,871 crore for the current financial year to 17 States.  With the release of 3rd installment, a total amount of Rs. 29,613 crore have been released in the first three months of the current financial year as Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant to the states.

Page | 19 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 The States recommended for Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant are: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. India ties with Russia as 4th largest forex reserves holder  As per Reserve Bank of India’s data, the foreign exchange reserves of India has crossed $600 billion marks for the first time. The Forex reserve of India increased by USD 6.842 billion to $605.008 billion in the week ended June 04, 2021.  This is the lifetime high of India’s foreign asset. With this, India has tied with Russia as the fourth largest reserve holder in the world. The forex reserve of Russia is calculated to be $605.2 billion. Policybazaar gets insurance broking licence  Leading web aggregator Policybazaar said it has got approval from regulator IRDAI to undertake insurance broking, a development that will help the company augment business and expand bouquet of services.  With this development, the company will surrender its web aggregator licence to Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and undertake business including insurance aggregation under the broking umbrella. LIC CSL launched prepaid gift card in collaboration with IDBI Bank on RuPay platform LIC Cards Services (LIC CSL) has launched a contactless prepaid gift card, ‘Shagun’, in collaboration with IDBI Bank on the RuPay platform. The purpose of this card is to expand the gift card market with an intent to promote cashless ways of gifting and present a wide range of end-use choices and in a future foray into the market of e-gift cards. NPCI partnered with LIC CSL & IDBI Bank for the launch of the Shagun Gift Card on RuPay network. LIC launched IT Platform ‘e-PGS’ Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has launched a centralized web-based workflow-based IT platform called “e- PGS”. The new technology platform, e-PGS, has been designed to provide a centralized collection and payment accounting with a high level of bank integration. It has been designed to provide very innovative features of seamless and integrated banking with automatic reconciliations. RBI allows prepaid mobile recharges through Bharat Bill Payment System According to RBI, The scope of the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) will be expanded by August 31 this year by adding ‘mobile prepaid recharges as a biller category. BBPS is an interoperable platform for recurring bill payments operated by the National Payments Corporation of India. GST Council slashes tax on medical supplies needed for covid treatment  Ministry of Finance has notified the reduction or waiver in GST rates to be levied on items used for preventing or treating Covid. The GST Council, in it meeting, had slashed tax rates on critical medication and paraphernalia related to Covid-19 infection.  The reduced rates will remain in effect till September 30, 2021, the Gazette notification read. The rationalisation in GST rates will also apply to existing stocks of Covid relief items.  Remdesivir, which has become immensely popular over the past few months for treating Covid patients, will now be taxed at 5 per cent instead of the earlier 12 per cent.  The GST Council had decided that any other drug recommended by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) for Covid treatment will be taxed at 5 per cent. NCLT gives approval to Piramal’s resolution plan for DHFL  The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the overall resolution plan of Piramal Group for Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL). The NCLT pronounced the order on the resolution plan submitted by Piramal Capital & Housing for the stressed DHFL.  Piramal Capital has already received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and Reserve Bank of India for its Rs.34,250 crore bid to take over DHFL. World Investment Report 2021: India was fifth largest recipient of FDI in 2020  As per the World Investment Report 2021 by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India was the fifth-largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in the world in 2020. The country received USD 64 billion FDI in 2020, which is an increase of 27 per cent, over USD 51 billion inflows in 2019.  The United States remained the largest recipient of FDI, although, the FDI inflow to the country decreased by 40 per cent, to $156 billion, in 2020. China was the second-largest recipient with USD 149 billion FDI. The global FDI flows decreased by 35 per cent in 2020 to USD 1 trillion from USD 1.5 trillion in 2019. Finance Ministry allowed HFCs above Rs 100 crore to use to SARFAESI law  Ministry of Finance has allowed housing finance companies (HFCs) with asset size of over Rs. 100 crore to recover the dues using SARFAESI law. This move is expected to be a shot in the arm for thousands of small HFCs, as it will facilitate quick recovery of dues and encourage these companies to lend more.

20 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 Earlier HFCs with assets over Rs. 500 crore (and notified by Finance Ministry) were allowed to use SARFAESI law to recover dues. Currently, there are nearly 100 HFCs that are registered with NHB. The top-10 HFCs account for 70-80 per cent of the assets of the housing finance industry. SARFAESI Act 2002 allows banks and other financial institutions to auction residential or commercial properties (of Defaulter) to recover loans. FM announces a new credit guarantee scheme in which loans will be provided to 25 lakh persons via microfinancing institutions (MFIs)  Finance Minister has announced a new credit guarantee scheme in which loans will be provided to 25 lakh persons via microfinancing institutions (MFIs).  Under the scheme, Rs 1.25 lakh will be provided as loan for three years at interest rate at least 2% below the maximum rate fixed by RBI.  Under the scheme, a guarantee will be provided to scheduled commercial banks for loans to new or existing non-banking financial corporations (NBFC)-MFIs or MFIs to lend a maximum of Rs 1.25 lakh to around 25 lakh small borrowers.  The guarantee will be valid till March 31, 2022 or till guarantees for an amount of Rs 7,500 crore are issued, whichever is earlier.  The guarantee will cover 75% of default amount for up to three years through National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC).  Finance Minister said that all borrowers, including defaulters up to 89 days, will be eligible for the scheme. The scheme will cover all stressed borrowers except NPAs.

RATTING AND SURVEY SBI lowers India’s FY22 economic growth forecast to 7.9% The latest SBI Ecowrap report has projected India’s FY22 economic growth forecast at 7.9% and this is lower than the previous growth projection. Previously, it has projected economic growth of 10.4%. OECD Cuts India Growth Forecast To 9.9% For FY22 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cut its growth projection for India for FY22 to 9.9 per cent from 12.6 per cent estimated in March, as the second wave of coronavirus infections has paused economic recovery in Asia’s third largest economy. Economic Outlook published by OECD. India’s economy to grow at 9.3% in FY22: Moody’s India’s economy will rebound in the current financial year to mark a growth of 9.3 per cent but the second Covid-19 wave has increased risks to the country’s outlook with potential longer-term credit implications, Moody’s Investors Service said. India’s GDP grows 1.6% in fourth quarter, contracts 7.3% in FY21  Amid coronavirus pandemic, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew at 1.6 per cent in the January - March quarter of fiscal year 2020-21, but witnessed a contraction of 7.3 per cent for the entire fiscal year, showed government data.  This is the first full-year contraction in the Indian economy in the last four decades since 1979-80, when GDP had shrunk by 5.2 per cent. This is also the second straight quarter of expansion since India exited a rare recession. Global economy likely to expand 5.6% in 2021: World Bank  The global economy is expected to expand 5.6 percent in 2021.According to the latest edition of Global Economic Prospects World Bank slashed its 2021-22 GDP growth forecast for the Indian economy to 8.3% from  10.1%. It projected a 7.5% economic growth for 2022-23 fiscal year.  In 2021, China economic growth will be 8.5 percent and US growth will be 6.8 percent for this year.  World Bank:President: David Malpass,Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States,Founded: July 1944, Bretton Woods Confederation of Indian Industry forecasted India’s GDP growth of 9.5% for FY 22 The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) forecasted India’s GDP growth of 9.5% for the financial year 2021- 22. Ind-Ra revises India’s GDP growth rate for FY22 at 9.6%  India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has projected the GDP growth rate of India for fiscal year FY22 (2021-22) at 9.6 per cent.  Earlier this was estimated at 10.1 per cent by the rating agency. This rate is, however, contingent upon India vaccinating its entire adult population by December 31, 2021.

CORPORATE, e-COMMERCE AND BUSINESS NEWS Wipro touched Rs 3 trillion in market capitalisation for the first time

Page | 21 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 Wipro has touched Rs 3 trillion in market capitalisation for the first time, becoming the third Indian IT firm to achieve the milestone after Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys. The company won its largest deal ever from German retailer Metro and has seen deal wins of $7.1 billion. India has a total of 13 listed firms that have crossed the Rs 3 trillion m-cap. Wipro now ranks 14th.  Reliance Industries is India’s most valued company with a market capitalisation of Rs.14.05 trillion, followed by Tata Consultancy Services Ltd and HDFC Bank with an m-cap of Rs.11.58 trillion and Rs.8.33 trillion, respectively. TCS opens its first European innovation centre in Amsterdam Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will bring universities, businesses, startups and government together at its latest innovation hub in Amsterdam to help use digital technology to solve sustainability challenges.It will focus on sustainability challenges faced by organisations and becomes the first in a network of hubs, known as TCS Pace Ports, in Europe. Adani launches green tarif initiative  Adani Electricity Limited (AEML) has decided to offer a Green Tariff Initiative for its consumers in Mumbai suburban area.  As per the company's official release, all consumers right from corporates, industrial, commercial, hotels, restaurants, and residential consumers can now switch to green energy. NTPC Joins UN’s CEO Water Mandate for Water Conservation India’s largest power utility, NTPC Ltd, under the Ministry of Power, has become a signatory to the prestigious UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, that focus on efficient water management. The initiative also provides a platform for companies to partner with like-minded businesses, UN agencies, public authorities, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders.

MOU AND AGREEMENT Byju’s, Google Team up to Offer ‘Learning Solution’ for Schools Education technology firm Byju’s announced a partnership with tech giant Google to offer a learning solution’ for schools.With this, the simplicity, flexibility and security of Google Workspace for Education and Byju’s content pedagogy come together on the ‘Vidyartha’ platform to aid effective learning at school. Mahindra Rural Housing Finance, IPPB tie up for cash management solution  Mahindra Rural Housing Finance and India Post Payments Bank announced a strategic partnership for cash management solution.  As part of the tie-up, IPPB will be offering cash management and collection services to MRHFL through its access points and postal service providers. NMPB and CSIR-NBRI signed MoU for Cultivation and Production of Medicinal Plants  The National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPS) and the National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR -NBRI) have signed an MoU to boost the cultivation and production of medicinal plants and herbs in India.  The MoU will help in establishing nurseries and seed bank for medicinal plants and herbs. It will also help in the development of Quality Planting Material (QPM) for medicinal plants and herbs. NHPC limited formed a joint venture Company with JKSPDC  NHPC Limited has formed a joint venture Company with Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Ltd (JKSPDC).  Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited has been formed for the implementation of 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Project.  Ratle Hydroelectric Project (850 MW) is a Run of River Scheme located on River Chenab, Kishtwar district, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. CBSE collaborated with to add Coding and Data Science to curriculum  Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has collaborated with Microsoft to add Coding and Data Science to the curriculum.  Coding will be added to the curriculum of Classes 6 to 8 and the Data Science will be added to the curriculum of Class 8 to 12.  Under the New Education Policy 2020, these courses will help in imparting next-generation skills to students. BharatPe acquires loyalty platform PAYBACK India Merchant payments and financial services provider, BharatPe has acquired a multi-brand loyalty platform, PAYBACK India, to help its 6 million offline merchants roll out rewards and loyalty programmes for customers. CII- IGBC inks MoU with Indian Institute of Architects to strengthen green building movement

22 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

The CII-Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) signed an MoU to give a fillip to the Green Building Movement & Sustainable Development in the field of Architectural Design and planning. PayNearby & IndiaFirst Life launch affordable insurance solutions for retailers  PayNearby has launched a insurance solution ‘Poorna Suraksha’ for its retail community. This exclusive and holistic insurance solution will ensure the safety and security of PayNearby’s 15+ lakh retail partners across 17,500+ PIN codes.  This cost-effective, three-in-one solution was created in collaboration with IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited (IndiaFirst Life) to protect PayNearby’s retailers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, ensuring they have access to a safety net whenever and wherever they need it.  This cost-effective coverage, which ensures “full protection,” is available to retailers at a premium of Rs.3 er day, and an enrollment fee of Rs.111. Available exclusively for PayNearby retailers, Poorna Suraksha offers a life cover of Rs.2 lakhs, disability cover of Rs.1 lakh and hospital cash of Rs.15,000. Amazon acquired an American instant messaging app ‘Wickr’ Amazon has acquired an American instant messaging app ‘Wickr’ to offer secure communications for businesses, government agencies, and individuals, who are moving to hybrid work environments, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It must be noted that Wickr offers the most secure, end-to-end encrypted, communication technology, with advanced security features, that are not available with traditional communications services across messaging, voice and video calling, file sharing, and collaboration. Paisabazaar, SBM bank announced to launch Step Up credit card Paisabazaar.com, India’s largest lending marketplace & Credit Score platform and SBM Bank India, the youngest universal Bank announced the launch of “Step Up Credit Card” – a credit-builder product designed for consumers with limited access to formal credit, due to ineligible credit score. It is the first product to be launched under Paisabazaar’s neo-lending strategy. Merger of Central Railside Warehouse Company Limited (CRWC) with Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) approved by cabinet  Cabinet approved the merger of Railside Warehouse Company Limited (CRWC) with Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC).  Similar functions of both the companies such as warehousing, handling, and transportation will be unified as a result of the merger.  As a result of the merger, management expenditure of Railside Warehouse Complexes (RWCs) will reduce by Rs 5 crore because of savings in the corporate office rent, salary of employees, and other administrative costs.

FUND ALLOCATION and EU pledge $1 billion boost for green technology The European Union and an energy investment programme founded by Bill Gates plan to raise up to $1 billion to roll out the low-carbon technologies Europe is betting on to meet its climate change goals. The aim is to together provide up to 820 million euros, or $1 billion, from 2022 to 2026. Support will target hydrogen produced from renewable energy, sustainable aviation fuels, technology to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere, and long-duration energy storage. ADB and India signed an agreement for road upgradation project in Sikkim  The Asian Development Bank and the Government of India signed an agreement for financing road upgradation project in Sikkim.  ADB will give a $2.5 million project readiness financing (PRF) loan to support projects related to upgradation of major district roads in Sikkim.  Asian Development Bank (ADB)  It is a regional development bank established in 1966.  Members: 68 countries (49 members are from Asia pacific region)  It is headquartered in Mandaluyong, Philippines.  Masatsugu Asakawa is the current president of ADB. NABARD sanctions Rs 254 crore for drinking water projects in Odisha  NABARD has sanctioned Rs 254 crore to Odisha under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for setting up of two mega piped drinking water supply projects.  The two mega projects will come up in Jajpur district (covering Badachana and Dharmasala blocks) and Puri district (covering Brahmagiri and Krushnaprasad block). World Bank approves USD 500 million program to help boost India’s MSME sector The World Bank has approved a USD 500 million program to help boost India’s MSME sector.The programme targets improvements in the performance of five lakh 50 thousand MSMEs.

Page | 23 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

India and ADB signed a $484 million loan agreement for improving road network in Tamil Nadu  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $484 million loan agreement for improving the road network and facilitating industrial development in Tamil Nadu.  The –Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) will be developed with the partnership of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). India and World Bank signs an loan agreement for Mizoram The Government of India, along with the Government of Mizoram has signed a $32 million loan agreement with World Bank for Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project. The project aims to improve the management capacity and quality of health services in Mizoram, with a focus on the benefit of under-served areas and vulnerable groups. World Bank Approved 125 million financial support for Kerala The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a $125 million support for the ‘Resilient Kerala Program’ to help the state in preparedness against natural disasters, climate change impacts, disease outbreaks, and pandemics. COMMITTEE AND ITS HEAD Expert group on fixation of minimum wages and national floor wages set up by government  Director of Institute of Economic Growth Professor Ajit Mishra will chair the Expert Group.  Prof Tarika Chakraborty, Dr Anushree Sinha, Ms Vibha Bhalla and Dr H. Srinivas are members of the Expert Group.  Expert group will have a term of three years. It will provide technical inputs and recommendations. Govt reconstitutes 6 empowered groups into 10 to manage Covid-19 issues  The Centre reconstituted the six empowered groups set up for Covid-19 management to make 10 panels, expanding their ambit to look into issues like availability of oxygen, vaccination, emergency response and economic welfare measures.The Centre has also formed a panel for vaccination and to monitor medical oxygen requirements.  Niti Aayog (health) member Dr VK Paul will lead the panel.  Giridhar Aramane, Union secretary, ministry of road transport and highways has been appointed convener of the empowered group to see the nation’s requirements related to medical oxygen. United Nations (U.N.) bodies set up “One Health” expert-panel to advise on animal disease risks  The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that WHO along with three other international bodies has put together a team of experts to launch a new One Health High-Level Expert Panel to formulate a global plan for the prevention of the spread of diseases from animals to humans.  The One Health High-Level Expert Panel is a team of experts put together by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Expert Committee on Variable Capital Company submits its report to the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA)  Dr. K.P. Krishnan headed expert committee on Variable Capital Company has submitted its report on the feasibility of Variable Capital Companies in the International Financial Services Centres to the Chairperson of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), Shri. Injeti Srinivas.  The IFSCA set up this Committee to explore the potential for allowing another legal structure – popularly known as a variable capital company (VCC) – as an additional option through which asset managers could pool the investors’ funds. SEBI reconstitutes Four-member Takeover Panel Markets regulator Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reconstituted its four -member Takeover Panel. The Takeover Panel looks into the applications that seek exemption from the mandatory open offer that an acquirer needs to make to minority shareholders. Four- Members Panel are:  Chairman: Justice N. K. Sodhi (Former Chief Justice of High Courts of Karnataka & Kerala and Former Presiding Officer of the Securities Appellate Tribunal).  Member: Darius Khambata (Former Advocate General, Maharashtra).  Member: Thomas Mathew T (Former chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India).  Member: N Venkatram (MD and CEO, Deloitte India).

24 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 STATE NEWS ’s Vishwamitri river project gets NGT nod The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently directed the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), Gujarat and other authorities to implement the Vishwamitri River Action Plan, including preparation for demarcation, plantation and maintaining the integrity of the river. The crocodiles, turtles & highly protected species have been breeding in the stretches of the river. Bihar to provide 33% reservation for Girls Female students in Bihar will get 33% reservation in seats of all engineering and medical colleges in the state.The reservation will be for the girls who are domicile of Bihar. The state government is already providing 35% reservation for females in all state government jobs. Telangana celebrates its foundation day every year on 2 June  Telangana is celebrating its 8th Formation Day on 2 June 2021.  Telangana was formed as the 29th state of India in 2014. In 2013, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) passed a resolution for the formation of Telangana.  Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act (APRA), 2014 bill was passed by Parliament in February 2014. Telangana was formed by carving out ten districts of Andhra Pradesh.  Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao is the first Chief Minister of Telangana. Goa constituted “Goa Institution for Future Transformation (GIFT)” Think Tank  The Goa state government constituted a think tank on the lines of NITI Ayog. It has been named “Goa Institution for Future Transformation (GIFT)”.  It will assist and guide the government in policymaking. It will also help in the monitoring of projects related to sustainable development goals.Chief Minister of Goa shall be the Chairman of “Goa Institution for Future Transformation (GIFT)”. It has got autonomy under Article 309 of the Constitution.  After disbanding of Planning Commission at the national level, the Goa government has disbanded the State Planning Board in 2017. Kerala government announces second Covid package of Rs 20,000 crore  As part of the budget, Kerala government has announced second Covid package of Rs 20,000 crore and kept aside Rs 1,000 crore to provide free vaccination for all aged above 18 years.  Out of Rs 20,000 crore, Rs 2,800 crore will be spent to tackle health emergency situations.  In the Kerala budget, allocation of ‘knowledge economy fund’ had been increased from Rs 200 crore to Rs 300 crore. Knowledge economy fund is meant for strengthening of higher education. Ladakh Lt Governor R K Mathur launches YounTab scheme  R K Mathur, Lt Governor of Ladakh, has launched a scheme- YounTab- for students to encourage digital learning.  The scheme is an initiative of the Department of School Education with technical support from the IT Department.  During the first phase of the scheme, tablets were given to students of 9th to 12th classes. These tablets contain pre-loaded online and offline content- textbooks, video lectures, etc. Indus Best Mega Food Park at Raipur, Chhattisgarh virtually inaugurated by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar  Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Shri Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated the Indus Best Mega Food Park at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.  The park will provide direct and indirect employment to about 5,000 persons and benefit about 25,000 farmers.  Ministry of Food Processing Industries has approved Mega Food Park at Raipur district in Chhattisgarh. This is being implemented by Indus Best Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd. Mega Food Park Scheme  It was launched in 2008-09 to give a major boost to the food processing sector by adding value and reducing food wastage at each stage of the supply chain with a particular focus on perishables.  The central government provides financial assistance upto Rs. 50 Crore per Mega Food Park (MFP) project.  The MFP project is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which is a Body Corporate registered under the Companies Act, 2013.

Page | 25 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Karnataka: Health Dept launches ‘doctors ride towards village side’ programme In Karnataka, the Health Department has launched Doctors ride towards village side programme.Under this scheme, the Government provides necessary logistic support for the teams led by medical students to visit villages and provide better healthcare during the pandemic. Centre allocates Rs 3411 Cr grant to Gujarat under Jal Jeevan Mission Centre has allocated three thousand 411 Crore rupees grant to Gujarat under Jal Jeevan Mission to provide safe and potable piped drinking water to all the rural household in the state.Jal Jeevan Mission, is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India. Union Health Ministry approves annual plan worth Rs. 1163.40 cr for J&K under National Health Mission  In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare has approved annual plan worth Rs. 1163.40 crore for the UT for financial year 2021-22 under National Health Mission in a way ahead towards strengthening healthcare system with special emphasis on Covid mitigation in Jammu and Kashmir.  Union Health Ministry approves annual plan worth Rs. 1163.40 cr for J&K under National Health Mission  In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare has approved annual plan worth Rs. 1163.40 crore for the UT for financial year 2021-22 under National Health Mission in a way ahead towards strengthening healthcare system with special emphasis on Covid mitigation in Jammu and Kashmir. Punjab to provide free sanitary pads to needy under new ‘Udaan’ scheme The Punjab government on the occasion of International Menstrual Hygiene Day launched a scheme to provide free sanitary napkins to needy girls and women across the state.An amount of Rs 40.55 crore per annum will be incurred on the scheme called ‘Udaan’. Under this scheme, maximum of nine pads would be given to each beneficiary per month. Kerala launches new Smart Kitchen Scheme, to be ready by July  Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced the formation of a secretary-level committee to develop guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of the “Smart Kitchen Scheme” in the state in order to meet LDF commitments.The Smart  Kitchen Scheme will be launched on July 10, 2021.As part of the scheme, women of state will be given a loan to renovate their kitchens. Goa Government Launches Solar-Based Electrification Drive For Rural Households  In a big move towards solar energy’s adoption in the State of Goa, Chief Minister (CM) Pramod Sawant has launched a solar-based rural electrification drive for rural households. The programme has been launched to take electricity to the areas in Goa where grid connectivity is not feasible.  The project will be carried out by Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) and Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL). Shiv Rajyabhishek Din being celebrated in Maharashtra In Maharashtra, Shiv Rajyabhishek Din is being celebrated to mark the coronation day of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.The 348th Coronation Ceremony was celebrated at Raigad Fort. At Raigad Fort, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was crowned as the Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom on June 6, 1674. Kerala government launches Knowledge Economy Mission  Kerala government has launched Knowledge Economy Mission to bring its efforts to help knowledge workers under single programme.  During the Kerala budget, it was also announced that government would set up a high-power commission to examine the education system and suggest steps to rebuild education sector.  Government has also increased allocation for knowledge economy fund from Rs 200 to Rs 300 crore. Haryana CM announces “Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme” and Oxy Van (Oxygen Forests)  Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar has announced “Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme (PVDPS)” and Oxy Van (Oxygen Forests) on the occasion of World Environment Day.  Under the scheme, all those trees which are of the age of 75 years and above will be identified throughout the state. These trees will be looked after with the participation of local people.  Under PVDPS, a pension amount of Rs 2,500 will be given every year for the maintenance of trees older than 75 years. The pension will increase every year on the line of Old Age Samman Pension Scheme in Haryana.  Oxy Van (Oxygen Forests) will be planted on land from 5 acres to 100 acres in the cities of Haryana. Oxy Van (Oxygen Forests) are pieces of land on which around 3 crore trees would be planted.

26 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Raimona reserve forest in Kokrajhar district named as sixth national park of Assam  Raimona reserve forest in Kokrajhar district has been named as sixth national park of Assam.  It is famous for Golden Langur. Asian elephant, tiger, clouded leopard, Indian gaur, wild buffalo, spotted deer, hornbill are other species found in Raimona reserve.  Assam has six national parks now. Kaziranga, Manas, Nameri, Orang and Dibru-Saikhowa are the other five national parks of Assam. CESL signed an MoU with Administration to make Ladakh green and clean  Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) and the Administration of Ladakh signed an MoU to make it clean and green.  CESL will start its work from the Zanskar Valley area. It will work on solar mini and microgrid solutions, energy-efficient lighting, energy storage-based solutions, efficient cooking stoves, and electric mobility solutions. Bengaluru airport achieve net energy neutral status in FY 2020-21  Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) has achieved net energy neutral status in the Financial Year 2020-21.  BIAL has saved around 22 lakh units of energy in the FY 2020-21. It has saved 17 lakh units of energy from the implementation of chiller plant optimization in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC).BIAL has also signed a deal to purchase additional 20 Million units of Wind Power.  In 2020-21, Bengaluru airport has met 98% of its energy requirement from renewable energy.  BIAL has taken several measures to make Bengaluru airport environmentally efficient and sustainable. Two species of monals were found in Arunachal Pradesh  Himalayan monal and Sclater monal have been sighted in the Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Both are rare species of Monal.  Himalayan monal is generally found in the region from Afghanistan to northeast India.  The Sclater monal is mainly found in southern China and northern Myanmar. It lives at an altitude of more than 1500m above sea level.  Sclater monal is listed as vulnerable in IUCN Red List and is protected under the Scheduled I species of Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Gujarat government launched a mobile App and portal for unorganized sector workers  Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched the ''e-Nirman'' portal and its mobile App.  It will provide an online service for the registration of workers from the unorganized sector.  Around 9.20 lakh unorganized sector workers are already registered. The government has given them U-WIN cards.  U-WIN cards will help unorganized sector workers in getting the benefits of different government schemes like the “Ma Amrutam'' scheme, Shramik Annapurna Yojna, etc. Tamil Nadu CM forms panel to study NEET  Chief Minister MK Stalin constituted a high-level committee headed by retired judge of Madras High Court AK Rajan, to study and submit a report on the impact of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on admissions to medical courses in State.  The State government has been fighting a legal battle to ensure that the admission to medical courses is granted on the basis of class 12 marks, and for scrapping NEET. The committee headed by AK Rajan would study whether the NEET has affected socially backward students during the past few years and if so, the panel would suggest alternative admission procedures to set right the ill-effects. Rajasthan launches free coaching scheme  Rajasthan has launched Chief Minister Anuprati Coaching Scheme to help underprivileged students prepare for entrance examinations to civil services and professional courses, with an aim to give them equal opportunity.  Students belonging to scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, other backward classes (OBC), extremely backward castes, minority and economically weaker sections with annual family income less than Rs.8 lakhs per annum will be able to avail the scheme run by the tribal area development, minority affairs, and social justice and empowerment departments.  Coaching will also be provided for engineering and medical entrance examinations apart from Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). Uttarakhand police to plant 1 lakh saplings The Uttarakhand Police on the occasion of World Environment Day, started a tree plantation campaign under which one lakh saplings will be planted in police premises across the state. Himachal Pradesh CM inaugurates Makeshift COVID-19 Hospital in Una district  Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated a Makeshift COVID-19 Hospital at Pandoga in Haroli Vidhan Sabha area of Una district virtually from Shimla.

Page | 27 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 The 140-bedded makeshift hospital has been built in a record time of one month and able to provide uninterrupted oxygen supply to the COVID patients nearer to their homes. Maharashtra govt to implement MAPS to provide employment and training to youth of state  The Maharashtra government has decided to implement the Maharashtra Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (MAPS) with the objective of providing employment and training to the youth of the state.  Under this Scheme, in the current year, apprenticeship opportunities will be provided to 1 lakh youth in various industries and establishments in the state.  New Maharashtra Apprentice Promotion Scheme is being implemented to provide employment and self-employment opportunities and experience to the youth who have passed at least 10th standard in the state. The aim of the scheme is to provide employment and training to 5 lakh well-educated unemployed youth in the next five years. Indian Oil Corporation Limited signs MoU with Gujarat govt to set up 6 petrochemical projects  Indian Oil Corporation Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gujarat government to set up six petrochemical projects.These projects will be set up around Vadodara with the investment of Rs. 24,000 crore.  The projects will include LuPech project for petrochemicals, Acrylics-Oxo Alcohol project at Dumad near Vadodara, infrastructure for KAhSPL at JR & Dumad, shifting of LAB TTL facility in Dumad and New Flare at JR and hydrogen dispensing facility. Weyan: 1st Village to Vaccinate 100% Adult Population  A remote hamlet in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir has become the first village in India to vaccinate all its adult population against the novel coronavirus.  Weyan, a village in district Bandipora (J&K) has become the first village in the country, where the entire population above 18 years has been vaccinated. Chief minister of Assam Sarma launched Sishu Seva Achoni for C-19 Orphans  Assam chief minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has dedicated Chief Minister Sishu Seva Scheme to the service of the beneficiaries and handed over the cheques of financial assistance to few beneficiaries who lost both their parents due to C-19.  It may be noted that under the scheme an amount to the tune of Rs. 7,81,200 would be parked in the bank as fixed deposit in the name of each beneficiary.  Monthly financial assistance of Rs. 3500 which will be realised from the fixed deposit will be given to the beneficiaries till they attain 24 years of age.  On completion of 24 years of age, the principal amount parked as a fixed deposit against each beneficiary would be credited to their bank accounts. Jammu kashmir to set up mythological theme park  The Jammu and Kashmir administration is planning to set up a theme park to showcase Indian mythology, particularly the Ramayana and Mahabharata, near the famous Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district and has sought investors for the project.  The Katra Theme Park will combine education and entertainment and of course, mythology will headline Jammu and Kashmir's economic development, which aims to take a different route A new plant species of coffee has been found in Kerala  A new plant species of coffee has been found in the Wagamon hills of Kerala. It has been named Argostemma quarantena.  It was discovered by a research team consisting of Anoop P. Balan, N. Sasidharan, and A.J. Robi. Their findings were published in the latest edition of Webbia journal of plant taxonomy and geography. Madhya Pradesh government to launch 'Yuva Shakti Corona Mukti Abhiyan’ to spread awareness about Covid pandemic  The state government of Madhya Pradesh will launch 'Yuva Shakti Corona Mukti Abhiyan’ to aware people about the COVID pandemic.  Under the Yuva Shakti Corona Mukti Abhiyan, college teachers and around 16 lakh students will be made aware of the Covid appropriate behavior and vaccination.  This campaign will be run by the Higher Education and Technical Education Department in collaboration with the Public Health and Family Welfare Department. Punjab becomes first State to use NFC-based eIDs  Punjab government became the first state in India start using Electronic Identity Card (EID) equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology for government officials and employees through Punjab Mandi Board.  These NFC-based EIDs will be used as the primary authentication device and will operate at 13.66 MHz and transfer data up to 424 kbit/s.

28 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 An employee will be authenticated by his/her Human Resource Management System (HRMS) data where the details of each officer and employee are stored in the form of a service book. Assam To Institute Own Versions Of Bharat Ratna And Padma Awards  The Assam government will present its own versions of the Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards from next year.  The cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma decided to institute the Asom Ratna Award to be presented every year to one person who has made significant contribution to the society. Telangana government has launched the Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM) Telangana government has launched the Telangana AI Mission (T-AIM) powered by Nasscom and as part of the T-AIM, an accelerator programme called “Revv Up” has been launched to enable and empower AI startups. The accelerator programme, exclusively designed for growth-stage AI startups, will cover various sectors. Madhya Pradesh’s para shooter wins gold at Peru event; creates world record Madhya Pradesh shooter Rubina Francis has set a world record and won herself the gold in the 10-metre air pistol para women event at World shooting Para Sport Cup in Peru.Rubina, 21, scored 238.1 points and beat the world record of Aysegul Pehlivanlar of Turkey, also securing the Paralympic quota for India at the Tokyo games this year. MP Govt launched ‘Yuva Shakti C-19 Mukti Abhiyan’ The Government of Madhya Pradesh has launched ‘Yuva Shakti C-19 Mukti Abhiyan’ to make the people of the state aware of the ongoing C-19 pandemic. It translates to free from C-19 with the help of the youth power campaign. Students in colleges in small groups will be given information and details about the significance of C-19-friendly behaviour and vaccination. Rajasthan govt will set Vedic Education and Sanskar Board for Sanskrit scriptures and Vedas The Rajasthan government will soon set up a Vedic Education and Sanskar Board to revive the knowledge of Sanskrit scriptures and Vedas. The board is likely to be formed in the next four to five months. CM Arvind Kejriwal launched ‘Jahan Vote, Wahan Vaccination’ Campaign Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the ‘Jahan Vote, Wahan Vaccination’ campaign, with the aim to vaccinate all people above 45 years against C-19 in Delhi. A special scheme to provide financial support to the orphans announced by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik  A special scheme to provide financial support to the orphans has been announced by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.  The scheme is named "Aashirbad". It will offer financial support to the orphan children who have lost both their parents, or either of the earning parents or the single parent.  Under the scheme, different slabs of financial support have been kept. The maximum slab is Rs 2500 per month for children in distress who has been orphaned on or after the 1 April 2020. Shipping Ministry and Ministry of Culture signed MoU for development of National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal  Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) and Ministry of Culture (MoC) have signed an MoU for Cooperation in Development of National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat.  National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) will be dedicated to the maritime heritage of India. It will help in uplifting the image of India’s Maritime Heritage at the international level. UP Cabinet Approves Proposal for World-class Bus Station in Ayodhya The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet cleared a proposal for the construction of a bus station on par with international standards in Ayodhya at a cost of Rs 400 crore.Buses will be run between Ayodhya and all major cities of the state from this station. The Cabinet also approved a proposal to build a four-lane flyover on the Ayodhya- Sultanpur road. The 1.5-km-long flyover will be built at a cost of over Rs 20 crore. Guj CM Inaugurates Command Centre for Real-time Monitoring of Govt Schools Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated a command-and-control centre in Gandhinagar to monitor the activities of over 54,000 government-run schools in the state. Gujarat has become the first state in the country to come up with a real-time monitoring system for schools. Navi Mumbai Airport to Be Named After Bal Thackeray The Navi Mumbai International Airport will be named after Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray.Bal Thackeray, the father of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, had floated Shiv Sena in 1966 and served as its chief until his death in 2012. Centre Allocates Whopping Rs 10,870.5 Crore to UP Under Jal Jeevan Mission  The Centre has allocated a whopping Rs 10,870 crore to Uttar Pradesh under the Jal Jeevan Mission for 2021-22, the highest allocation so far to any state, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said.

Page | 29 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 The amount is more than four times what was allocated to the poll-bound state last year. Uttar Pradesh has assured to achieve the goal of providing water to every rural household by 2024. 3 Centres of Excellence inaugurated in Karnataka under Indo-Israel Agricultural Project  Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Yediyurappa jointly inaugurated three Centers of Excellence established in Karnataka under the Indo-Israel Agricultural Project.  Under Government to Government cooperation 29 Centers of Excellence are to be set up in 12 states in India. Out of these, three Centers were launched virtually in Karnataka. The Centres of Excellence in Kolar, Bagalkote and Dharwad in Karnataka will implement advanced Israeli Agro-Technology tailored to local conditions. Delhi Skill University to Setup Centres to Skill Kids in Slum Clusters  The Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) along with a Pune-based organisation, Lighthouse Communities Foundation will set up centres near slum clusters to help youngsters develop skills for better employability.  The first four centres, being called ‘lighthouses’, will be set up at Kalkaji, Malkaganj, Matia Mahal and Patparganj. TN Sets Up Commission to Study Enrollment Ratio of Govt School Students in Professional Courses  The Tamil Nadu government ordered setting up a commission led by retired Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, D Murugesan, to look into the enrollment ratio of government school students in professional courses like engineering.  If the number of students -who get admitted to courses like engineering, agriculture, veterinary sciences, fisheries and law- from state run schools is less, the panel would recommend appropriate remedial measures. Ladakh declared Open Defecation Free UT in India The Union Territory of Ladakh has been declared Open Defecation Free UT in India under the First Phase of Swachh Bharat Mission. Odisha government launches e-learning methods for students  After launching YouTube classes for students of Class IX and X, the Odisa government launched e- Pathsala and e-Mulyankan facilities keeping in mind disruption of classes during the ongoing pandemic. These online platforms will benefit students, teachers and district education officers (DEOs).  The e-Pathsala is an online learning platform that has repositories of e-contents in the form of documents, audios and videos. The e-contents will support different areas of online learning like self- learning, online classes, assignments, assessments and evaluation of the learners’ progress.  The e-Mulyankan platform is designed to act as a digital bank of practice tests and model question so that the students can practice for examinations. The teachers can conduct tests, mock examinations and final examinations through the e-Mulyankan platform. Punjab Sports and Youth Services Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi launches a special Mobile App “Khedo Punjab Punjab Sports and Youth Services Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi launched a special Mobile App “Khedo Punjab” for putting the Sports Department and all the Sports persons of State of Punjab on Digital platform. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar launched ‘Mukhya Mantri Udyaymi Yojana’  Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched two ambitious schemes christened as the ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Udyaymi Yojna’ and the ‘Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyami Yojana. Both the schemes launched to promote entrepreneurship among youth and women of all sections under the state’s ‘Mukhaya Mantri Udyami Yojana scheme. The schemes were promised by the chief minister during the 2020 Bihar elections.  Youth and Women-irrespective of caste and creed, wishing to start entrepreneurship, will get a loan of Rs 10 lakh, in which Rs 5 lakh would be a grant from the state government and the rest Rs 5 lakh will come as a loan, refundable in 84 instalments. He also launched a portal on which youth and women from all sections can register themselves for availing of the loan from the government. Arunachal Pradesh’s woman, Tadang Minu becomes first to be appointed in AIBA  Arunachal Pradesh woman, Dr Tadang Minu, becomes the first in the state and the second Indian woman in the country to be appointed as a member of the Coaches Committee of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). She has been appointed by AIBA for her enormous knowledge and experience in the field of boxing.  Dr Tadang is currently the HOD of Physical Education at Rajiv Gandhi University(RGU) and is the chairman of the Boxing Federation of India’s Women’s Commission for two years. Vijay Rupani CM of Gujarat launched Agricultural Diversification Scheme

30 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has virtually launched the ‘Agricultural Diversification Scheme- 2021’, with the aim of making agriculture sustainable and profitable in the tribal areas of the state. The scheme will benefit more than 1.26 lakh vanbandhu- farmers from 14 tribal districts in Gujarat.  The state government would distribute fertilizer-seed assistance worth around Rs. 31 crores to tribal farmers, which will also include 45 kg of urea, 50 kg of NPK and 50 kg of ammonium sulphate.  Gujarat government has already provided assistance of Rs. 250 crore to 10 lakh tribal farmers under this scheme in the last ten years. Tamil Nadu CM announces Rs. 3 crore for gold medal winners  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday announced that his government will reward sportspersons who bag medals in the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.  CM MK Stalin said that sportsperson who win a gold medal will be given Rs 3 crore as prize money, while those winning silver medals will be given Rs 2 crore and Rs 1 crore will be given to bronze medal winners.  Gagan Narang, a Chennai native who represented India in shooting and won a bronze in the 2012 London Olympics in the Men's 10m Air Rifle event, is still the only individual medallist from the state. Delhi Govt launched Mukhyamantri C-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana  Delhi government has launched “Mukhyamantri C-19 Pariwar Aarthik Sahayata Yojana” to provide financial assistance to the families who lost a member due to the C-19 pandemic. According to notification by Social Welfare Department, Rs 50,000 ex-gratia will be provided to every family that has lost a member amid a pandemic. A pension of Rs 2,500 per month would also be given to those families that lost the sole breadwinner to the C-19 pandemic.  Children who lost their both parents or single parent to C-19 will also be provided Rs.2,500 per month till they achieve 25 years of age. The Delhi government will also provide free education to them. Uttar Pradesh will soon have maximum number of international airports  Uttar Pradesh will soon have maximum number of international airports in a state. The government has sanctioned Rs 200 crore for the Kushinagar airport.  At present, Chaudhary Charan Singh airport at Lucknow and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Varanasi are the two international airports in Uttar Pradesh.  Kushinagar airport becomes the third international airport of Uttar Pradesh. Recently, Kushinagar airport has got approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA’s).  The Jewar international airport in the NCR region will be ready by 2023. The international airport construction work in Ayodhya is on full swing.  Currently, Kerala has the largest number of international airports (4 international airports). PM inaugurates Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy at AMA, Ahmedabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy at AMA, Ahmedabad. Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy is a symbol of strong ties of the India-Japan relationship. Odisha: Only state to have all three species of Crocodile  All three species of crocodiles were found in Odisha. these three species are Mugger Crocodile,Gharials and saltwater crocodiles.  It is the only state to have this achievement in India.  Crocodiles are an indispensable part of the ecosystem and it is popularly known as the guardians of the marine ecosystem.  Gharials were introduced in the rivers of Odisha in 1975. Gharials are found in Satakosiya in Mahanadi and the muggers & saltwater crocodiles are found at Vitarkanika National Park in Odisha. Goa becames first state to go rabies free Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant announced that Goa has become the first state in the country to be Rabies free. CM informed that not a single case of rabies had been found in the state since the last three years. The team of mission rabies had been very effectively doing its job and had been also conducting vaccination for dogs. Andhra Pradesh started a Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) Programme Andhra Pradesh has started a Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) programme to transform foundational learning in government schools for which the World Bank has approved a loan of 250 million dollars. The main objectives of the programme are strengthening foundation schools and providing training and skill development to teachers. Andhra Pradesh’s public school education system has more than 40 lakh children and nearly 2 lakh teachers. Andhra Pradesh tops new job creation under IBPS scheme  Andhra Pradesh has generated the highest number of jobs under the India Business Process Outsourcing Promotion Scheme (IBPS).  Tamil Nadu is on the second position to generate jobs under this scheme.  Andhra Pradesh has generated 12,234 new jobs while Tamil Nadu has generated 9,401 new jobs.

Page | 31 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 The India Business Process Outsourcing Promotion Scheme (IBPS) was launched for the expansion of several IT and BPO companies in tier-II and III cities. It was launched in 2014.  It is implemented by Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.  Under the scheme, financial assistance of up to 50% of capital expenditure is provided by the government. World’s first genetically modified rubber planted on outskirts of Guwahati, Assam World’s first genetically modified rubber was planted on the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam. Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India ( RRII) has developed it. It is the first of its kind developed exclusively for the northeast. Uttar Pradesh got first rank among states in Smart Cities Award 2020  Uttar Pradesh has been ranked as the top-performing state under the Smart Cities Mission’s India Smart Cities Award Contest 2020.  Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu got second and third rank respectively in the India Smart Cities Awards Contest (ISAC) 2020.  Indore and Surat have been jointly named as best cities for their work under the Smart Cities Mission. Chandigarh has been ranked first among Union territories.  India Smart Cities Award was announced on the sixth anniversary of the Smart Cities Mission. The awards were given on different themes like Social Aspects, Governance, Culture, Urban Environment, Sanitation, Economy, Built Environment, etc.  Smart Cities Mission was launched in 2015 to develop smart cities which are sustainable and citizen- friendly. Maharashtra signs MoU with UK government to make start-ups ecosystem strong  Maharashtra has signed MoU with the UK government to make the start-ups ecosystem strong.  The MoU has been signed under their ACT4Green programme, which aims to enable start-ups from India and UK to expand internationally.  The MoU was signed during a virtual ceremony organized by Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSInS). INTERNATIONAL NEWS World’s first CO2 neutral cement plant in Sweden  HeidelbergCement, the world’s second-largest cement maker, plans to turn its Swedish factory in Slite into the world’s first CO2-neutral cement plant by 2030 via carbon capture technology.  Following the planned retrofit, which will cost at least 100 million euros ($122 million), the plant will be able to capture up to 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. India elected as a member to UN Economic and Social Council  India has been elected a member of the UN Economic and Social Council for the term 2022-24. Economic and Social Council is one of the six main organs of the United Nations.  India is elected in the Asia-Pacific States category along with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Oman.  In the African states, Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Mauritius, Tunisia, and the United Republic of Tanzania were elected.  Croatia and the Czech Republic are elected from European countries while Belize, Chile, and Peru were elected from Latin American countries.  ECOSOC's members are elected for a term of three years. Seats of the council are allotted based on geographical representation.  Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC):consists of 54 Members,established in in 1945,Headquarters: New York,President: Oh Joon China allowed couples to have three children  China allowed all married couples to have three children. It has ended the two-child policy.  China had relaxed the one-child policy in 2016 and allowed people to have a second child. The two-child policy failed to boost birth rates.  The lower birthrate will lead to a bigger elderly population and it will affect the economic growth of China. It will also increase spending on pensions and health care. First human case of infection with H10N3 bird flu reported from China’s eastern province of Jiangsu  First human case of infection with H10N3 bird flu reported from China’s eastern province of Jiangsu.

32 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 H10N3 is a rare strain of bird flu. H10N3 cannot spread easily in humans. No case of human infection with H10N3 was reported globally yet.  H10N3 is low pathogenic. This means that its infection leads to less severe disease in poultry. It may not lead to large scale outbreak. China developed a combined air defense system along LAC  China created a combined air defense system along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).  The combined air defense system has been developed with the elements of the air force and army of western theatre command.  For the first time, an integrated army air defence system has been developed by china along the western borders.  Line of Actual Control is a line that separates India controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.  India-China LAC is divided into three parts i.e. Arunachal and Sikkim Border,Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh BorderLadakh Border. China successfully launches Fengyun-4B (FY-4B) satellite  China successfully launched Fengyun-4B (FY-4B), which is the first new generation meteorological satellite.  Fengyun-4B (FY-4B) was launched by a Long March-3B rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province.  It will be used for weather analysis and forecasting, and environmental and disaster monitoring. International Astronomical Union approves Chinese names to identify areas on Moon The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved eight Chinese names for features around the area on the Moon where China’s spacecraft Chang’e-5 probe landed last year to collect samples from the lunar surface and return to Earth.The Chang’e-5 space mission is China’s maiden attempt to retrieve materials from an extra- terrestrial body. It was launched on November 24 last year. 24th BIMSTEC Day celebrated on 6 June  All member countries of BIMSTEC celebrated the 24th anniversary of its formation on 6 June. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organization of seven nations of South Asia and Southeast Asia.  Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are members of BIMSTEC.It was formed on 6 June 1997 and it is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Sri Lanka is the current Chair of BIMSTEC. FATF's regional body retained Pakistan on 'enhanced follow-up' list  Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) regional body Asia Pacific Group (APG) has retained Pakistan on the "enhanced follow-up" list.  Pakistan has moved from the enhanced to enhanced follow-up list. Pakistan’s rating has improved on 21 technical recommendations of the FATF.  In June 2018, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had included Pakistan in its grey list. Russia formally exits from Open Skies Pact after Putin’s approval  President Putin has signed legislation, which signaled Russia’s formal exit from the 1992 Open Skies arms control treaty.  US had formally withdrawn from Open Skies treaty on 22 November 2020.  Open Skies treaty had become effective on January 1, 2002. It allows unarmed surveillance flights over member countries.  34 other countries had signed the treaty. It was proposed by George H. W. Bush's administration in 1992. A new global database to identify missing persons through family DNA launched by Interpol  The global database is named as I-Familia. It will help police solve cold cases in member countries by identifying missing persons through family DNA.  As per Interpol, the database used the DNA of relatives to identify missing persons or unidentified human remains around the world. Interpol:  International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) is commonly known as Interpol.  It is headquartered in Lyon, France. It was formed in 1923. Kim Jong Yang is president of Interpol. El Salvador becomes first country to declare bitcoin as legal tender  El Salvador became the first country to adopt bitcoin as a legal tender.El Salvador’s President, Bukele believed that bitcoin will create jobs and promote financial inclusion in the country.  Bitcoin is already used by the people of El Salvador for transactions. Cryptocurrency:

Page | 33 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 It is a special type currency,which decentralized and protected by cryptographic encryption techniques. It works on blockchain technique.  Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency.  Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple are some examples of cryptocurrencies. Pakistan To Produce Chinese C-19 Vaccine As 'PakVac  Pakistan has launched a C-19 vaccine named 'PakVac' which will be manufactured in Pakistan. The vaccine is made with the assistance of the all-weather ally China to an extent that it is said to be a localised version of China's CanSinoBio vaccine.  Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan expressed happiness over the launch and said Pakistan will soon be able to start the production of the vaccine.  The vaccine is categorically said to be a localised version of the CanSinoBio vaccine of China, which means the vaccine has been designed and developed in China. UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration officially launched  The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has been officially launched, which will run from 2021 to 2030. United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will be co-led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). It was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in a 2019 resolution.  A Multi-Partner Trust Fund has also been launched for the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Germany is the first country to provide funding of Euro 14 million towards this fund. China’s Advanced ‘Artificial Sun’ Fusion Reactor Just Broke a New World Record  China’s nuclear fusion reactor that’s also known as the ‘artificial sun’ has now set a new world record after it successfully ran at the temperature of 216 million degrees Fahrenheit or 120 million degrees Celsius for 100 seconds.  The reactor which was first fired in December last year has surpassed its previous world record of maintaining plasma temperature of 180 million degrees Fahrenheit or 100 million degrees Celsius for 100 seconds.  The reactor named Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is regarded as China’s largest and most technically advanced nuclear fusion research device to date. It harnesses a really strong magnetic field to combine extremely hot plasma. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches SiriusXM radio broadcasting satellite SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, this one boosting the SiriusXM-8 radio satellite into orbit to relay entertainment programming to receivers in cars, boats, homes and offices.The satellite, known as SXM-8, was built by Maxar Technologies in California and will deliver high-powered broadcast service to SiriusXM listeners. G7 nations agree to set minimum global corporate tax rate at 15% The Group of seven (G-7) advanced economies secured a landmark deal on taxing multinational companies as per which the minimum global tax rate would be at least 15 per cent.Besides, they agreed to put in place measures to ensure taxes are paid in the countries where businesses operate, a move aimed at plugging loopholes in cross-border taxation. US traders have benefited the most in Bitcoin Investment Gain in 2020 The US traders have benefited the most in Bitcoin Investment Gain in 2020, with a profit of $4.1 billion, according to the latest report by Chainalysis, a blockchain analysis company based in Manhattan, New York. Chinese traders stood second, with a profit of $1.1 billion. India has been ranked at 18th spot with a profit of $241 million, among the top 25 countries, in Bitcoin investment gains 2020. European Space Agency to Launch ‘EnVision’ Mission to Venus in 2030  European Space Agency (ESA), is now developing its own probe to study Venus, for holistic view of planet from its inner core to upper atmosphere. The mission dubbed as “EnVision” will probably be launched to the planet in early 2030.  ESA will undertake this mission with contributions from NASA. Israel became the World’s First Mask-Free Country from June 15  Israel became the world’s first mask-free country in the Corona period. Here the rule of applying masks in closed places ended from June 15.  However, most restrictions related to foreign travel have not yet been lifted. For example, travel to nine countries is still banned. There is a rule of quarantine for travellers coming from these countries. His corona test is also being done. Chinese Parliament passed Anti-foreign Sanctions Law  Recently, the Parliament of China has passed the Anti-foreign Sanctions Law. It provides legal cover to Chinese officials and entities against foreign sanctions.

34 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 The US and EU countries have banned several Chinese entities and officials due to human rights violations against Muslim Uyghurs and the imposition of China's national security law in Hong Kong.  In response to these sanctions, China has also announced counter measures against individuals and entities of certain countries. Child labour rises to 160 million – first increase in two decades  The number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide – an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years – with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF.  Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward – released ahead of World Day Against Child Labour on 12 th June – warns that progress to end child labour has stalled for the first time in 20 years, reversing the previous downward trend that saw child labour fall by 94 million between 2000 and 2016.  The report points to a significant rise in the number of children aged 5 to 11 years in child labour, who now account for just over half of the total global figure.  The number of children aged 5 to 17 years in hazardous work – defined as work that is likely to harm their health, safety or morals – has risen by 6.5 million to 79 million since 2016. UNGA Adopt Political Declaration Pledging Urgent, Transformative Action to Stop Global AIDS Epidemic by 2030  World leaders in the General Assembly committed to “urgent and transformative action” to end the gender inequalities, restrictive laws and multiple forms of discrimination that perpetuate the global AIDS epidemic, adopting a lengthy Political Declaration that spells out measures to stop the disease in its tracks by 2030.  The text — titled “Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030” passed by a recorded vote of 165 in favour to 4 against (Belarus, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Syria), with no abstentions, following charged attempts by the Russian Federation to excise contentious provisions through three proposed amendments, all of which failed by recorded vote under intense scrutiny. NATO leaders declared China a global security challenge  NATO leaders declared that China poses a constant security challenge and is working to undermine global order. This is a message in sync with US President ’s efforts to get allies to speak out with a more unified voice against China’s trade, military and human rights practices.  The NATO leaders said that China’s goals and ‘assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security. The warning to China comes as Biden has stepped up his effort to rally allies to put up a unified voice about China’s human rights record. Biden has also criticised China’s trade practices and its military’s increasingly assertive behaviour that has unnerved US allies in the Pacific. SIPRI has released the SIPRI Yearbook 2021  Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI) has released the SIPRI Yearbook 2021. The report assesses the current state of armaments, disarmament and international security. China is in the middle of significant modernisation and expansion of its nuclear weapon inventory, and India and Pakistan also appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals.  According to the yearbook, India possessed an estimated 156 nuclear warheads at the start of 2021 compared to 150 at the start of last year, while Pakistan had 165 warheads, up from 160 in 2020.  China’s nuclear arsenal consisted of 350 warheads up from 320 at the start of 2020.  The nine nuclear-armed states – the U.S., Russia, the U.K., France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea – together possessed an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons at the start of 2021. ESA will launch world’s first wooden satellite from New Zealand The European Space Agency (ESA) has planned to launch the world’s first wooden satellite. It is going to be launched from New Zealand. It will be launched from a Rocket Lab Electron rocket by the end of 2021. The satellite is the brainchild of Jari Makinen. A new trade agreement between UK and Australia A new free trade agreement with the United Kingdom will deliver more Australian jobs and business opportunities for exporters, bringing both countries closer together in a changing strategic environment. Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson have agreed on the broad outlines of an Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). UNHCR Global Report 2020 released  The Global Report 2020 has been released by UNHCR(United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). It is a compilation of the achievements and efforts of UNHCR and its partners.  It shows that the number of people fleeing wars, violence, persecution, and human rights violations in 2020 rose to nearly 82.4 million people.

Page | 35 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 According to this report, by the end of 2020, there are 20.7 million refugees. Around 48 million people were internally displaced (IDPs) in their own countries. Between 2018 to 2020 around one million children were born as refugees.  For the seventh consecutive year, Turkey has the largest refugee population worldwide.  UNHRC headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Japan to provide vaccine passports from next month for Japanese travelers  Japan will provide vaccine passports from next month for Japanese travelers.  Japan is preparing to issue a certificate of vaccination for those who want to visit foreign countries.  European Union (EU) is working on a digital vaccine passport, which will have information on whether a person has been vaccinated.  Last month, US has said that it was also considering special documentation for vaccinated Americans who want to travel abroad. Bangladesh to establish an international vaccine institute  Bangladesh will establish an international institute for vaccine production. It will produce vaccines for many diseases including Covid-19.  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced this in Parliament and said that the government will sign an agreement with South Korea to establish a vaccine institute in Bangladesh.  She further said that Bangladesh has till now received 1.08 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from foreign sources out of which 1.02 crore doses came from India. China sent first three astronauts to build Tiangong Space Station  China sent three astronauts as its first crew to its new Tiangong Space Station.  The astronauts will be traveling in the Shenzhou-12 spaceship launched by a Long March-2F Y12 rocket from Gansu province.  The mission is led by Nie Haisheng and the crew will stay for three months at the core module of the new Tiangong space station.  The space station, Tiangong, will be in a T shape with the core module at the centre and a lab capsule on each side. It will be used for 15 years.  The space station, Tiangong, would be China’s first self-developed space station. International Space Station (ISS) is the only other station in service. SIPRI claimed China, Pakistan and India appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals  According to a study by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China, Pakistan, and India appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals.  At present, China, Pakistan, and India have 350, 165, and 156 nuclear warheads respectively. 90 percent of the total global nuclear warheads are possessed by the United States and Russia.  The US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea are the only nine countries that have nuclear weapons. Philippines included in FATF grey list  Philippines has been included in grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF).  Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has released its grey list of jurisdictions that will be subjected to increased monitoring.  In addition to Philippines, Haiti, Malta, and South Sudan have also been added to grey list.  Now, these jurisdictions will be required to submit progress reports to the FATF thrice a year. European Space Agency to hire first disabled astronaut  The European Space Agency will hire and launch the world’s first physically disabled astronaut. It received 22000 applicants for this recruitment call.  ESA is developing technologies for para-astronaut. It will give a message to the world that ‘Space is for everyone’.  European Space Agency is facing tough competition from private players and other space agencies for launching commercial satellites.  Amazon founder Bezos will become the first man to go into space on his own rocket in July 2021. International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposed setting of international carbon price floor  In order to limit global warming and to achieve low carbon growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has proposed to set up an international carbon price floor.  The price rise on carbon encourages innovation and transition to renewable energy and low carbon technologies.  According to IMF, limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees will require the emission cut by a quarter to a half by 2030 and it is not possible without equal measures of a global carbon price of about $75 a tonne by the end of this decade.

36 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 So, IMF has proposed an international carbon price floor to achieve the goal of low carbon growth over this decade. First ever Asia-Pacific cybersecurity council launched by Microsoft The first Asia Pacific Public Sector Cyber Security Executive Council has been launched by Microsoft. It consists of policymakers and influencers from Brunei, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The council aims to accelerate public-private partnerships in cybersecurity and share threat intelligence. NATIONAL NEWS Government launched YUVA PM Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors  The Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education has launched a new initiative called ‘YUVA- Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors’. YUVA stands for Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors. It is an Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors, below 30 years of age to promote reading, writing and book culture in the country, and project India and Indian writings globally.  The National Book Trust, India under the Ministry of Education will be the Implementing Agency for the scheme.  A total of 75 authors will be selected through an All India Contest, that will be conducted through https://www.mygov.in/ from 1 June – 31 July 2021.  The young winning authors will be trained by eminent authors/mentors.  A consolidated scholarship of Rs.50,000 per month for a period of six months per author will be paid under the Mentorship Scheme. CBSE Invites Youths To Join 'Young Warrior Movement' To Combat COVID-19 The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has invited participants from the age group between 18 and 30 years to join a movement and safeguard themselves against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, their families, communities, and the country at large. Named Young Warrior Movement, the movement seeks to engage youths in a series of easy and real-life tasks including promoting access to verified health and essential services, vaccine registration, COVID-19 appropriate behaviours and myth busting. WHO named C-19 variants first found in India as ‘Kappa’ and ‘Delta’  The UN health agency, World Health Organisation (WHO), has given easy-to-say labels to two variants of the C-19, first found in India. The two variants are B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2. The B.1.617.1 variant of the C- 19 has been named as ‘Kappa’ while the B1.617.2 variant is named as ‘Delta.’  The naming of these variants do not aim at replacing the existing scientific names of these #SARSCoV2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) & Interest (VOIs), but is aimed at helping the public discussion about VOI/VOC. Narendra Singh Tomar launches Horticulture Cluster Development Programme  To ensure holistic growth of horticulture, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar virtually launched the Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP).In a pilot phase, the programme will be implemented in 12 horticulture clusters out of the total 53 clusters selected for the programme.  Horticulture Cluster Development Programme is a central sector programme. It will be implemented by the National Horticulture Board (NHB) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare  It aims at growing and developing identified horticulture clusters to make them globally competitive.  Horticulture CDP will benefit about 10 lakh farmers. It will attract an investment of Rs 10,000 crore when implemented in all the 53 clusters. National Horticulture Board (NHB):  It was set up by the government in 1984.  It is headquartered at Gurugram.  It was set up on the basis of recommendations of "Group on Perishable Agricultural Commodities", headed by Dr. M. S. Swaminathan. IEFPA’s 6 modules of short films titled “Hisab Ki Kitaab” launched Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur launched the six modules of short films of Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) titled “Hisaab Ki Kitaab”. These short films developed by Common Services Centers(CSC) eGov as a part of their training tool.

Page | 37 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

RDSO becomes first standards body to join 'One Nation, One Standard' scheme  The Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) has become the first standard body to join the 'One Nation, One Standard' scheme.  RDSO has been recognized as a 'Standard Developing Organisation' (SDO) by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The recognition will be valid for three years. 'One Nation, One Standard' scheme:  It was launched by the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on 1 June 2021.  The main aim of this scheme is to synergize standards adopted by various Standard Development Organisations in the country.  It will improve the quality and services produced in India.  It will be reviewed once every five years. Union Health Minister launched digitized versions of health schemes on NHA’s IT platform  Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched digitized versions of major Health Schemes on the IT platform of the National Health Authority.  The digitalized version has been launched to provide cashless and paperless healthcare services to beneficiaries.  The Union Health Minister launched digitalized version of the Central Government Health Scheme, Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi, and Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant.  Central Government Health Scheme was started in 1954.It provides comprehensive health care facilities to the Central Government employees and pensioners and their dependents.  Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi provides financial assistance up to Rs 2 lakh.It was launched to provide financial assistance to patients living below the poverty line and suffering from major life-threatening diseases. CSIR-NCL lab developed a new technique for disinfecting water by using natural oils  The CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune has developed a hybrid technology called "SWASTIK” for disinfecting water.  CSIR-NCL has used natural oils having antimicrobial properties for disinfecting water.  This is a cost-effective method for removing harmful bacteria from water. Government launched SAGE (Senior care Ageing Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal for elderly people  Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the SAGE (Senior care Ageing Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal for the elderly population.  Under the senior care Ageing Growth Engine project, credible startups will provide products and services for the elderly population. Startups can apply for SAGE projects through SAGE portal.  The startups will be selected on the basis of their innovative products and services. These startups will provide products and services in the health, housing, care centers sectors.  The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment will act as a facilitator for accessing products. Agriculture Ministry launched a dedicated window on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal for Bamboo products  Union Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala has launched a Bamboo Market Page on Govt e- Marketplace (GeM) portal. It has been launched for the marketing of bamboo products.  The dedicated window has been named “The Green Gold Collection”. It was launched on 3rd June 2021.  The “Green Gold Collection” dedicated window is created by the efforts of the National Bamboo Mission and Government e-Marketplace (GeM). Telecom Department announces guidelines for PLI scheme for telecom, networking equipment  The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced operational guidelines for the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for telecom and networking equipment.  The scheme envisages creation of global champions out of India who have the potential to grow in size and scale using cutting edge technology and penetrate the global value chains. Telecom products play an important role in the larger vision of "Digital India".  The PLI Scheme will be implemented within the overall financial limits of Rs 12,195 crores over five years. For MSME category, allocation will be Rs 1000 crores.  Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has been appointed as the Project Management Agency (PMA) for the PLI scheme.  Investment made by successful applicants in India from April 1, 2021 onwards and up to 2024-2025 shall be eligible under the scheme.  The support under the scheme shall be provided for a period of five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.  The applicants will have to satisfy the minimum revenue criteria to be eligible under the scheme.

38 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 The company may decide to invest in single or multiple eligible products. The scheme stipulates a minimum investment threshold of Rs 10 crore for MSME and Rs 100 crore for non MSME applicants. Land and building cost will not be counted as investment.  Eligibility shall be further subject to incremental sales of manufactured goods (covered under scheme target segments) over the base year (FY2019-20).  The Department of Telecommunications shall grant approvals to 10 eligible applications each in MSME and non-MSME categories. Govt Asks Private TV News Channels to Display Four New Helpline Numbers  The Centre asked private TV news channels to display four new national helpline numbers for the benefit of citizens as a part of the COVID-19 awareness initiative.  The channels have been asked to display the National helpline number of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare -1075, child helpline number of the Ministry of Women and Child Development-1098, senior citizens helpline of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment- 14567(in Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand) and helpline number of National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) for psychological support – 08046110007. One-stop centres to provide legal, medical support for Indian women to be set up across 9 countries  The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), Government of India announced, that WCD in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will set up 10 ‘One -Stop Centres’ across nine countries to support Indian women affected by violence in public or private spaces.  9 countries to have ‘One-Stop Centres’ are: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.  Each country, except Saudi Arabia, will have one center. Two centres will be set up in Saudi Arabia.  One-Stop Centre is a scheme under the National Mission for Empowerment of Women that offers an integrated support system to women affected by violence, both in public and private spaces. NCPCR Launches Online Tracking Portal ‘Bal Swaraj (COVID-Care Link)  The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched Online Tracking Portal ‘Bal Swaraj (COVID-Care Link) for child in need of care and protection.This portal of the Commission has been created with a purpose for online tracking and digital real time monitoring mechanism of children who are in need of care and protection.Jayanti, a new spider discovered from Chhattisgarh  Recently, a new species of Cricket named ‘Indimimus jayanti’ was found in the Kurra caves of Chhattisgarh. The new species was named after Professor Jayant Biswas, one of the leading cave explorers in the country. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches Seed Minikit Programme  Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched Seed Minikit Programme by distributing Seed Minikits, higher yielding varieties of seeds to farmers.  The mini kits are being provided by the Central Agencies, National Seeds Corporation, NSC, NAFED and Gujarat State Seeds Corporation and it is fully funded by the Government of India through the National Food Security Mission. Railways achieves highest freight loading of 1233 million tonnes in 2020-21  Railway Board Chairman Suneet Sharma has said that despite COVID-19 challenges, Railway had achieved nine consecutive months of record freight loading from September last year to May this year.  The highest ever loading of 1233 million tonnes was achieved in 2020-21.  The chairman said, 738 Kisan Rail services have been operated on 59 routes so far carrying around 2.33 lakh tonnes of agriculture products. AYUSH ministry operationalises its Covid-19 counselling helpline  A dedicated community support helpline has been operationalised by the Ministry of Ayush to provide Ayush-based approaches and solutions for the challenges posed by COVID-19.  The toll-free number is 14443. The helpline is operational pan-India from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight – all seven days of a week. Report of the Expert Committee on Road Map for ethanol blending in India 2020-2025 released by PM Modi during World Environment Day event  The report was prepared by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.  Dr. Rakesh Sarwal was chairman of the Expert Committee on Road Map for ethanol blending in India 2020-2025. The Committee had five members.  PM Modi also launched a Pilot Project of E 100 dispensing stations at three locations in Pune on 5th June 2021 via video conferencing. E 100 means pure Ethanol.  PM Modi addressed the World Environment Day event on 5th June 2021 via video conferencing.

Page | 39 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.  ‘Promotion of biofuels for better environment’ was the theme for this year’s event.  To commemorate World Environment Day, Government has released E-20 Notification and directed Oil Companies to sell ethanol blended petrol with percentage of ethanol up to 20% from 1st April 2023. Ministry of Panchayati Raj releases a Model Citizens Charter for panchayat  A Model Panchayat Citizens Charter/ framework has been released by Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Panchayati Raj.  It is prepared by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) in collaboration with the National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR).  The charter will ensure the transparent and effective of public services in 29 sectors.  The main objective of this Citizen charter is to provide services to the people in a time-bound manner, redressing their grievances and improving their lives. 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1993 provides constitutional status to Panchayats. NITI Aayog launched ‘Surakshit Hum Surakshit Tum Abhiyaan’ in collaboration with Piramal Foundation  NITI Aayog and Piramal Foundation have launched ‘Surakshit Hum Surakshit Tum Abhiyaan’ in 112 Aspirational Districts.  It has been launched to assist the district administrations of aspirational districts in the care of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.  It will be led by district magistrates in collaboration with local NGOs. Piramal Foundation will train volunteers of NGOs. Government issued guidelines for development of e-content for children with disabilities  Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has released guidelines for developing e-content for Children with disabilities.  The new guidelines were recommended by a committee of experts from the Department of School Education and Literacy.  The guidelines will help in creating high-quality content for the digital education of disabled children.  The Committee has suggested that the textbooks should be adapted into Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) in a phased manner. The content should be provided in text, audio, video, and sign language format.  In May 2020, the government had launched the ‘PM e-VIDYA’ initiative to promote digital education in the country. CHATT association has been formed to promote domestic tourism in India  Travel and tourism technology companies have formed the Confederation of Hospitality, Technology and Tourism Industry (CHATT) association to promote domestic tourism.  Union Tourism Minister, Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated the CHATT association.  CHATT will represent micro and small companies in the tourism sector. It will be consulted by the government for the development of tourism in the country. PM Modi Launched Three E-100 Ethanol Dispensing Stations in Pune  Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the World Environment Day event, which was jointly organised by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. During the event, PM Modi also released the “Report of the Expert Committee on Road Map for ethanol blending in India 2020-2025”. The theme of the report is ‘promotion of biofuels for a better environment’.  PM Modi also launched a Pilot Project of E 100 ethanol dispensing stations at three locations in Pune, for the production and distribution of ethanol across the country, because ethanol has a better impact on the environment as well as on the lives of farmers. Centre assures safe potable tap water by 2022 in every household of North Western States  The Centre has assured safe potable tap water by next year in every household of North Western States and Union Territories of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.  Ministry of Jal Shakti has said that the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission will be expedited in these States and UTs and every rural household will be provided with tap water connections by the end of 2022. Govt extends Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till Deepawali  Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, a food security welfare scheme introduced last year to provide free ration for over 80 crore poor people will be extended till Diwali 2021.  The Prime Minister made this announcement after he said that the Union government will provide free coronavirus vaccine to states

40 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

for inoculation of all above the age of 18 from June 21, and asserted that vaccine supply would be increased significantly in the country in coming days. Dharmendra Pradhan dedicates to nation 201 CNG plants, commencement of PNG supply in Jhansi  Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan dedicated to the nation GAIL group’s 201 CNG stations across the country.  Pradhan also inaugurated the commencement of PNG supply in Jhansi and Mobile Refueling Units (MRUs)for refuelling vehicles at Raigad.  Pradhan also interacted with MRU operators in Raigad and Delhi and witnessed the filling of CNG in vehicle through MRU. The MRUs inaugurated belong to Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) and Mahanagar Gas Limited. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh releases E-booklet on 20 MoD reforms in 2020  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released an E-booklet titled ’20 Reforms in 2020’, highlighting the major reforms undertaken by Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2020, in New Delhi.  The E-booklet is a compendium of 20 reforms undertaken by the ministry in the past 12 months that includes steps to make India a military industrial power and also mentioned that the defence exports expanded to more than 84 countries. Jal Shakti Ministry allocates Rs 40,700 crore under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) phase -2 towards solid and liquid waste management  Jal Shakti Ministry said that Rs 40,700 crore have been allocated under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) phase -2 towards solid and liquid waste management to support over two lakh villages in the current financial year.  The Ministry said, the Central share will be around Rs 14 thousand crore and the States will spend over Rs 8300 crore. The funds to the tune of Rs 12,730 crore will be made available through the 15th Finance Commission.  The implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase 2 in 2021-2022 will see construction of over 50 lakh individual household toilets, one lakh community toilets, plastic waste management units in over 2400 blocks, apart from the targeted support for over two lakh villages in implementation of solid and liquid waste management interventions. India Taking All Steps to Ensure it Becomes Free of Single-use Plastic by 2022  India is taking all steps to ensure that the country becomes free of single-use plastic by 2022 as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said while launching ‘Plastic Hackathon 2021’ campaign.  The “India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021” is a unique competition calling upon start-ups /entrepreneurs and students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to develop innovative solutions to mitigate plastic pollution and develop alternatives to single use plastics. Govt approves to allotment of 5 MHz spectrum in 700 MHz frequency band to Railways for enhanced safety and security of train operations  The Union Cabinet has approved an allotment of 5 Megahertz Spectrum in 700 MHz frequency band to Indian Railways for public safety and security services at stations and in trains.  With this spectrum, Railways has envisaged to provide Long Term Evolution, LTE-based Mobile Train Radio Communication on its route. The estimated investment in the project is more than Rs 25,000 crore and it will be completed in the next five years.  The purpose of the LTE for Railways is to provide secure and reliable voice, video and data communication services for operational, safety and security applications. AISHE 2019-20 report released by Union Education Minister  All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20 report has been released by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. As per AISHE in the last five years (2015-16 to 2019-20), student enrolment has grown by 11.4%.  Female enrolment in Higher Education has increased by 18.2% from 2015-16 to 2019-20.  Total Enrolment in Higher Education: It stands at 3.85 crores in 2019-20.  Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): It is denied as the percentage of students belonging to the eligible age group enrolled in Higher Education. It is 27.1% in 2019-20.  Gender Parity Index (GPI) in Higher Education: It stands at 1.01 in 2019-20. It shows improvement in the relative access to higher education for females of eligible age group compared to males. Ministry of Ayush Launches ‘Namaste Yoga’ App  The Ministry of Ayush organised event for the 7th International Day of Yoga in association with Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY).  The event underlined the importance of the central theme of IDY 2021 “Be With Yoga, Be At Home”. As a part of the event, a mobile application devoted to Yoga named “Namaste Yoga”, was also launched. The

Page | 41 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Namaste Yoga” app has been designed as an information platform for the public, with the aim to raise awareness about yoga and make it accessible for the larger community. Union Cabinet approved hike in MSP for Kharif crops for 2021-22  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the hike in the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for Kharif crops for 2021-22.  The MSP of paddy has been increased from Rs 1,868 per quintal to Rs 1,940 per quintal in 2021-22.  The MSP of Bajra has been increased to Rs 2,250 per quintal for 2021-22 from Rs 2,150 per quintal.  The MSP of groundnut and nigerseed has been increased by Rs 275 per quintal and Rs 235 per quintal respectively.  The highest increase in MSP has been approved for sesamum (Rs 452 per quintal).  Among all crops, the lowest increase in MSP has been approved for maize. India’s export of agricultural and allied products increased by 17.34% in 2020-21  India's agriculture and allied products exports have increased by 17.34% to USD 41.25 billion in 2020-21. The export is likely to be also increased in FY 2021-22.  In 2020-21, the US, China, Bangladesh, UAE, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran, and Malaysia were the main market for India’s agricultural products. India Can Save Logistics Fuel worth Rs.311 Lakh Crore between 2020 and 2050  According to the report of NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute, India has the potential to reduce logistics costs by 4% of GDP by 2030.  According to the report titled “Fast Tracking Freight in India: A Roadmap for Clean and Cost-Effective Goods Transport”, India can save Rs.3.11 trillion worth of fuel till 2050 by using clean energy for transportation.  According to the report, India has the potential to reduce 10 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.  India’s freight activity will grow by five-fold times by 2050. India is working towards its electric vehicles (EV) programme for developing an efficient transport system. India’s export of organic products rose by 51%  India's organic food product exports rose by 51% to USD 1bn in 2020-21.  The main products which record the growth in export include cake meal, oilseeds, fruit pulps and purees, cereals, millets, spices, tea, dry fruits, etc.  National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) is responsible for the development of organic agriculture and products. Government launched Injury Management System for athletes  Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has launched the Central Athlete Injury Management System (CAIMS) for athletes training for Olympics 2024 and beyond.  It is a unique initiative of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for streamlining the sports medicine and rehabilitation support offered to the athletes.  CAIMS will standardize the injury treatment protocol for athletes in India. It will also support athletes who are a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) development group. UN body lauds success of Centre’s Aspirational Districts Programme  The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has lauded the Centre’s Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), saying that it should serve as a “best practice” for other countries where regional disparities in development status persist for many reasons.  The report, Aspirational Districts Programme: An Appraisal, was presented by UNDP India Resident Representative Shoko Noda to NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar and CEO Amitabh Kant ICCR was appointed as the personnel certification body of the Yoga Certification Board of India  Yoga Certification Board of India has appointed Indian Council for Cultural Relations as the personnel certification body.  ICCR, along with the Ministry of Ayush, will now start Yoga Certification courses for the professionals across the world.  Apart from holding Yoga courses, ICCR will now ensure Indian embassies become the centres for Yoga Certification. Government of India launched “Project O2 for India” initiative  The government of India has launched ‘Project O2 for India’ to step up production of medical oxygen to meet the potential increase in demand due to further waves of the pandemic. ‘Project O2 for India’, an initiative of the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India (GoI), aims to help stakeholders working to augment the country’s ability to meet the rise in demand for medical oxygen.  Under the project, a ‘National Consortium of Oxygen’ is enabling the supply of critical raw materials such as zeolites, setting up of small oxygen plants, manufacturing compressors, final products such as oxygen

42 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

plants, concentrators, and ventilators. Besides, the consortium is also working to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem for long-term preparedness. PM Narendra Modi launched crash course to train one lakh ‘C-19 warriors’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a crash course to train more than one lakh “C-19 warriors” as he called on the country to be prepared for challenges the coronavirus pandemic may pose in the future. The programme will be to be carried out from 111 training centres spread across 26 states. Ministry of Tribal Affairs and NCERT collaborated for capacity building of EMRS Teachers and Principals  Ministry of Tribal Affairs and NCERT have collaborated for improving the quality of education in Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs).  Around 120 EMRS teachers and principals completed a 40 days’ NISHTHA-National initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement Program. It is a capacity-building program for improving the competencies of teachers and school principals.  The main objective of this collaboration is to conduct such programs across 350 functional EMRS schools in the country. Ministry of Tourism organized a webinar titled “Yoga for Immunity and Respiratory Health”  Ministry of Tourism organized a webinar titled “Yoga for Immunity and Respiratory Health”.It has been organized as part of the celebration of International Yoga Day in association with the Isha Foundation.  The Ministry of Tourism organized one more webinar titled “Yoga: The way of life” on 21st June.  Ministry of Ayush is also organizing series of five webinars under the broad theme of “Be with Yoga, Be at Home”.  International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on 21 June to spread awareness about the benefits of Yoga. Quality Council of India (QCI) launched Indian Certification of Medical Devices (ICMED) Plus Scheme  The Quality Council of India (QCI) has launched the Indian Certification of Medical Devices (ICMED) 13485 Plus Scheme.  It has been launched to integrate the Quality Management System components and product- related quality validation processes through testing of products.  It will be the only scheme for an end-to-end quality assurance scheme for the medical devices sector in India. It provides an institutional mechanism for assuring product quality and safety. Government released the latest edition of Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India  On the occasion of Desertification and Drought day (june 17), the Government released the latest edition of Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India.  Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India has been published by Space Application Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad.  India has set up a target for restoring 26 Million ha of degraded land by 2030.  Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. Government aims to reduce 50% road accident deaths by 2024  The Government has set a target to reduce road accident deaths by 50% by the year 2024.  During a virtual session on 'Role of Corporates in Arresting Road Fatalities' organized by FICCI, said that the government is proactively identifying the ‘black spot' in every state, district, and city.  With the support of the World Bank and ADB, Government has allocated Rs 14,000 crores for removing the black spots.  The government is committed to restructuring and strengthening four ‘E’ of road safety i.e Engineering, Economy, Enforcement, and Education. CCEA approved the "Deep Ocean Mission"  Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on the "Deep Ocean Mission".  The main objective of the mission is to explore deep ocean resources and to develop deep sea technologies for the sustainable use of ocean resources.  The mission’s estimated cost will be Rs 4077 crore for 5 years to be implemented in phase-wise manner. Rs 2823.4 crore is the estimated cost for the first phase for three years (2021-2024).  Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry implementing this mission.  United Nations (UN) has declared the decade 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Tribal Affairs Minister launched 'Adi Prashikshan Portal' and training programme for ST PRI Members  Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda launched the ADI PRASHIKSHAN portal and inaugurated a three-day training programme for ST PRI Members.

Page | 43 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 ADI PRASHIKSHAN portal has been developed by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It will act as a Central Repository for all training programs.  Adi Prashikshan will revolutionize the various ongoing training initiatives of the Ministry and it will improve the process of conducting training.  The training programme will improve the education, health, nutrition, social security, livelihood, and skills of the tribal youth.  It has been jointly organized by the National Tribal Research Institute and Tribal Research & Development Institute, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) has launched fortified Rice Bran Oil  Government of India's NAFED has launched fortified Rice Bran Oil to Boost Healthy Living.The fortified Rice Bran oil will contain additional nutrients and Vitamins.  NAFED Fortified Rice Bran Oil will be available at all Nafed Stores and also on various online platforms.  National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) was set up in 1958. It is headquartered in New Delhi. Dr. Bijender Singh is its chairman. Over $1 trillion needed by 2030 to put world on track to reach net-zero by 2050  The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) has said that emerging and developing countries need as much as $1 trillion of clean energy financing by 2030 if they are to hit 2050 net-zero emissions targets.  In its latest report Financing Clean Energy Transitions in Emerging and Developing Economies, the IEA said that clean energy investment in emerging and developing economies declined by 8 percent in 2020 to less than $150 billion and is only expected to rebound slightly in 2021.  This means that these economies, which include almost every country in the Middle East and North Africa, need to ramp up investment sevenfold to put the world on course for net-zero emissions targets by 2050. Ambuja Cement Foundation and NABARD to skill rural youth across the nation  Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Ambuj a Cements Ltd, which is working towards empowerment of rural communities joins hands with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for the implementation of its ‘Employability through Skill Initiative Project (ESIP) Phase II.  ACF received grant assistance from NABARD under the Gramya Vikas Nidhi, a fund created for the development of off-farm sector activities.  ESIP will provide skill training across 19 ACF locations for a period of two years in 12 trades and has already reached over 4000 youth despite the pandemic. Arjun Munda launches Sankalp Se Siddhi- Mission Van Dhan  Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda has started off Sankalp Se Siddhi – Mission Van Dhan. it aims to promote local products manufactured by tribal artisans. in addition, it will also make ensure the sustainable livelihood of the tribal population in the country.  Arjun Munda also has begun TRIFED’s new office premises at NSIC Complex at Okhla Industrial Area. the TRIFED’s new office is built in around 30,000 sqft area and has state-of-the-art infrastructure. Centre allocates Rs 1,804 crore grant to Kerala, Rs 3,691 Crore grants to Tamil Nadu and Rs 3180 crore to Andhra Pradesh under Jal Jeevan Mission for tap water supply to every home  Union Government has allocated Rs 1,804 crore grant to Kerala under Jal Jeevan Mission to make provision of tap water supply to every home. With a four-fold increase in allocation, the Central Government has pushed for speedy provision of “Har Ghar Jal” in Kerala by 2023.  The Centre has allocated Rs 3,691 Crore grants to Tamil Nadu under Jal Jeevan Mission to make provision of tap water supply to every home  The Centre has also allocated over Rs 3180 crore to Andhra Pradesh under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the current year. Govt extends validity of documents related to Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 till Sept  The government extended the validity of motor vehicle documents like driving licence (DL), registration certificate (RC) and permits till September 30, 2021, in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  This covers all documents whose validity has expired since Feb 1, 2020, or would expire by September 30, 2021. This will help out citizens in availing transport related services, while maintaining social distancing. Home Ministry operationalises National Helpline for preventing financial loss due to cyber fraud Home Ministry has operationalised the national Helpline 155260 and Reporting Platform for preventing financial loss due to cyber fraud.The Helpline was soft launched on first of April this year. The Helpline and its Reporting Platform has been made operational by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, I4C under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with active support and cooperation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), all major banks, Payment Banks, Wallets and Online Merchants.

44 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Govt extends validity of Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum from 31st March to 31st Dec Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has extended the validity of Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum from 31st March to 31st December this year.This would facilitate the holders of Entrepreneurs Memorandum Part-II and Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum to avail benefits of the provisions under various existing schemes and incentives including Priority Sector Lending benefits of MSME. PAN to be declared ‘INOPERATIVE’ if not linked before september 30, 2021  The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had recently extended the deadline to link Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar number to september 30, 2021, due to the difficulties posed by the ongoing C-19 pandemic. So now as the deadline is fast approaching, here are some guidelines which must be kept in mind.  As per the new Section 234H of the Income-tax Act 1961, which has been recently introduced during Budget 2021, the PAN cards which are not linked to Aadhaar after september 30, 2021, would be declared “inoperative”, as well as a penalty of Rs 1,000 may also be imposed. On the other hand, the person will be considered as an individual without a PAN card. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched “JaanHaiToJahaanHai” awareness campaign  The Minority Affairs Minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched a nationwide “JaanHaiToJahaanHai” awareness campaign on C-19 vaccination for rural and remote areas.  The aim of this campaign is to aware people of the C-19 vaccination and to crush rumours and apprehensions related to C-19 vaccination. Rajnath singh to inaugurate 63 bridge  From Kungyam village in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today virtually inaugurated 63 bridges. From Kunjan bridge on Leh-Loma road, Minister inaugurated the bridges built by Boarder Roads Organization (BRO) in Eight States across the country.  The bridges include, 11 in Ladakh, four in Jammu and Kashmir, three in Himachal Pradesh, six in Uttarakhand, eight in Sikkim, 29 in Arunachal Pradesh and one each in Nagaland and Manipur. BRO used the latest technologies in building of these bridges. These are Class-70 bridges and can bear the load of movement of Tanks and other heavy vehicles. These bridges will facilitate strategic and quicker access not just to Armed forces but to people living in the border villages also. Government extends Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana deadline till March 2022  Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that Government extended the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY) by nine months till March 31, 2022.  The Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana was set to expire on June 30, 2021. Around 21.4 lakh benefited from this scheme since its launch. Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY):  It was launched on 1 October 2020 with an outlay of Rs 22,810 crore.  The scheme is being implemented through the EPFO and reduces the financial burden on companies.  Under this scheme, the government bears provident fund contribution for employer and employee for two years.  This will be for new employees in organizations having up to 1000 employees for two years. India gets Asia’s longest and world’s fifth longest High Speed Track for automobiles  Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Prakash Javadekar inaugurated NATRAX- the High Speed Track (HST) in Indore.  It is Asia’s longest and world’s fifth-longest High-Speed Track for automobiles. It is 11. 3km long High- Speed Track.  NATRAX will emerge as a high-speed performance test center for 2 wheelers vehicles to heavy tractor. It has multiple test capabilities like measurements of maximum speed, acceleration, constant speed fuel consumption, etc.  HST is used for measuring the maximum speed capability of high-end cars. On this track, vehicle can achieve maximum speed of 375 Kmph.  It will help India in becoming an automobile manufacturing hub. Law & Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched ‘itat e-dwar’ Union Minister for Law & Justice, Communications and Electronics & IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad has formally launched the e-filing portal of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), ‘itat e-dwar’, in New Delhi. The newly developed e-Filing Portal would enable the parties to file their Appeals, Miscellaneous Applications, documents, paper books, etc., electronically. The portal will enable the online filing of appeals, applications and documents by various parties. State-of-the-Art Canopy Severance System for fighter aircraft developed  State-of-the-Art Canopy Severance System (CSS) for fighter aircraft developed at Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune.

Page | 45 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 The CSS has been developed in association with High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune for indigenously developed LCA Tejas and Trainer Aircraft, HJT-36 Aircraft and HTT-40 Aircraft.  It provides safe passage by pre-weakening/severing the canopy to facilitate the smooth escape of the pilot in the shortest possible time. It operates on the principle of controlled propagation of detonation using explosive mechanical energy. NITI Aayog organizes National Convention on Prevention of Maternal, Adolescent and Childhood Obesity  NITI Aayog organized the National Convention on Prevention of Maternal, Adolescent and Childhood Obesity.  In this convention, NITI Aayog described obesity as a “silent epidemic”. Global experts, representatives from UN bodies, and national research institutions presented statistics related to obesity and best practices for obesity reduction. NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT Asia’s first International Memory Studies Workshop hosted by IIT Madras  Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ Centre for Memory Studies recently hosted virtually Asia’s first International Memory Studies Workshop. Indian Network for Memory Studies (INMS), the first national network in the field in Asia under the aegis of the International Memory Studies Association, Amsterdam.  This international workshop on Memory Studies, the first of its kind in Asia, precedes the official launch of the Indian Network for Memory Studies (INMS). UN Sustainable Transport Conference will be held in China  The second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference will be held from 14-16 October 2021 in Beijing, China. It will provide an opportunity to focus attention on the opportunities, challenges and solutions towards achieving sustainable transport worldwide.  The conference will follow up on the first Global Sustainable Transport Conference, held in 2016 in Ashgabat, Turkmenista. BRICS Foreign Minister meeting concluded virtually  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chaired the meeting of BRICS foreign ministers through video conferencing. Foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa participated in this meeting.  In this meeting, Ministers agreed to cooperate on the pillars of political and security, economic and finance, and People to people and cultural exchanges. Climate Breakthroughs Summit concluded  The Climate Breakthroughs Summit was organized by a collaboration of the World Economic Forum, Mission Possible Partnership, the United Nations Climate Champions, and the United Kingdom.  The leaders discussed the progress in different sectors of the global economy, including steel, shipping, green hydrogen.  The main objective of this summit is to move the world towards a zero-carbon economy.  ‘Race to Zero’ is one of its key campaigns for a sustainable future. It encourages companies for cutting emission by 2030.  Around 40 health care institutions have committed to reduce their emission by half by 2030 and these institutions will reach at net-zero level by 2050. HPC and ICT discussed at BRICS Working Group Meeting hosted by South Africa  The fifth BRICS working group meeting discussed High-Performance Computing(HPC) and Information Communication Technology(ICT).  Under the Science, Technology, and Innovation track, the Fifth BRICS Working Group meeting on High Performance Computing (HPC) and Information Communication Technologies (ICT) was hosted and organized in online mode by South Africa.  All five countries Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa participated. Germany hosts the 8th Global Nitrogen Conference  The 8th International Nitrogen Initiative Conference (INI2020) was held in Berlin, Germany.

46 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were the main focus of the eighth triennial conference of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI).Assessing and managing nitrogen compounds sustainably were considered as crucial to achieve the 17 UN SDGs targeted for 2030. PM Modi to participate in the Outreach Sessions of the G7 Summit  PM Modi will participate in the Outreach Sessions of the G7 Summit on 12 and 13 June in virtual format.  UK has invited India, Australia, Republic of Korea and South Africa, as Guest Countries for the G7 Summit.  The theme for G7 summit is ‘Build Back Better’. UK currently holds the Presidency of the G7.  G-7 Group:  It is an intergovernmental organization that was founded in 1975.  Its members include France, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, USA and UK. First Arab-India Energy Forum held during 8-9 June 2021  First edition of Arab-India Energy Forum held in the virtual format during June 8- June 9, 2021, under co- chairship of India and Morocco.  The event ended after the discussion on increasing two-way energy cooperation and intra-regional power trading.  The event was an implementation of the Executive Programme of Arab-India Cooperation Forum (AICF).  The panelists for the event were from different institutions from India and League of Arab States (LAS) and from key regional organizations such as Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA).  The participants at First Arab-India Energy Forum (AIEF) agreed to convene the second edition of AIEF in India during the year 2023. Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC):  It is headquartered in Kuwait.  League of Arab States (LAS):  It is also known as Arab League. It was founded in 1945.  It is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. It has 22 member states. NATO Summit 2021 held in Belgium  31st formal meeting of heads of government of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) and also being dubbed as Brussels summit of NATO was held in Brussels, Belgium.  NATO Leaders discussed key issues, took decisions about future of NATO and agreed on concrete measures to adapt NATO in accordance with NATO 2030 agenda. Narendra Modi virtually addressed the 5th edition of VivaTech  Prime Minister, Narendra Modi virtually addressed the 5th edition of VivaTech. VivaTech is one of the largest digital and startup events of Europe, held in Paris every year since 2016. PM Modi was invited as a Guest of Honour to deliver the keynote address at VivaTech 2021, which has been organised from 16-19 June 2021 in Paris.  Other prominent speakers of the event include the Mr. Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of Spain Mr. Pedro Sanchez, and Ministers/MPs from various European countries.  VivaTech is jointly organized by Publicis Groupe, a prominent advertising and marketing conglomerate, and Les Echos, a leading French media group. IIT Bombay Hosts Conference of BRICS Network Universities 2021  The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) is hosting a three day virtual “Conference of BRICS Network Universities”. This conference is being held as a part of India’s Chairmanship of the 13th BRICS Summit in 2021.  The theme of the Conference of BRICS Network Universities is “Electric Mobility”. Dr. Harsh Vardhan addressed the Global Yoga Conference 2021 Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare addressed the inaugural ceremony of Global Yoga Conference 2021. The event was organised by ‘Mokshayatan Yog Sansthan’ along with the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India &Indian Council for Cultural Relations to mark the occasion of the 7th International Day of Yoga fall on 21st June 2021. Two day summit on Green Hydrogen Initiatives involving BRICS nations hosted by India  Two day summit on Green Hydrogen Initiatives involving BRICS nations hosted by India.The started on 22nd June. It will conclude on 23rd June. India’s largest power producer, NTPC Ltd, will anchor the event.  The summit provides a platform to share Green Hydrogen initiatives.  Green Hydrogen is the Hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy. It has no carbon footprint.

Page | 47 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Union Minister for Railways, Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal attend the UN Trade Forum 2021  Union Minister Piyush Goyal attended UN Trade Forum 2021 and put forward India’s renewed thrust to achieve climate goals in the post-COVID-19 world.  At the forum, Goyal stated that India’s per capita CO2 emission is the lowest among the big economies of the world, and the country’s ambitious target of 450 Gigawatts by 2030 is the representation of commitment towards the United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals.  India extends $108.28 million soft loan to Eswatini  Government has extended a soft loan of USD 108.28 million to Eswatini (Swaziland) for construction of their new Parliament building, Exim Bank said.  With the signing of this line of credit agreement, Exim Bank has now in place 272 Lines of Credit (LoC), covering 62 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the CIS, with credit commitments of around USD 26.84 billion, available for financing exports from India. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in the 8th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM- Plus) via video conferencing.  During the virtual address at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), Singh asserted that maritime security challenges are another area of concern to India and it hopes that the Code of Conduct negotiations regarding the South China Sea will lead to outcomes that are in keeping with international law.  The ADMM-Plus is a platform comprising 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and its eight dialogue partners -India, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States – to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability and development in the region. Denmark signs framework agreement on International Solar Alliance with India  Denmark signed the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement (ISA FA) and Instrument of Ratification with India.  Denmark became the first country to ratify International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement (ISA FA) after amendments came into force.  Recently, Italy has signed the amended Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) with India. 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable to be hosted by India in 2022  International Energy Forum (IEF) announced that India has agreed to host the 9th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable (AMER9). The 9th Asian Ministerial Ene rgy Roundtable will be held in 2022. Dates of this conference will be announced later and it will take forward the understandings reached in the previous meeting in Abu Dhabi during 2018.  The decision of India to be the host of this Energy Roundtable came after a virtual meeting between IEF Secretary-General Joseph McMonigle and Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Ajit Doval participated in the 16th Meeting of Security Council Secretaries of SCO  National Security Advisor Ajit Doval participated in the 16th Meeting of Security Council Secretaries of Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe.  Tajikistan, the current president of the SCO, hosted the Meeting of Security Council Secretaries on 23rd June.  The meeting was addressed by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon.  Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO):  It was formed in 2001.  India, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are members of Shanghai Cooperation Organization.  It is headquartered in Beijing, China. BILATERAL AND MOU India-Australia agreed for cooperation in the field of Agriculture  During a virtual meeting, India and Australia agreed for cooperation and collaboration in the field of Agriculture.  Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and his counterpart Mr. David Littleproud participated in the meeting based on the theme of Agriculture, Drought & Emergency Management.

48 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

MoU between India and Maldives on cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development approved by Union Cabinet  The MoU was signed between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Government of Maldives in February 2021.  Now, a Joint Working Group (JWG) will be formed to implement programmes on cooperation under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Union Cabinet approves memorandum of cooperation between India-Japan on urban development  The Union Cabinet has approved a memorandum of cooperation between India-Japan in the field of sustainable urban development.  A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Sustainable Urban Development has been signed between the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Government of Japan. New work stream launched by India and UK Government to promote industrial energy efficiency at 12th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)  India along with Govt. of United Kingdom launched a new workstream.The workstream has been launched under Clean Energy  Ministerial’s (CEM) – Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative (IDDI), co-ordinated by UNIDO.  12th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) was held from May 31st till 6th June 2021. It is being organized by Chile in virtual mode.  India will host CEM in 2023.  United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) headquarters: Vienna, Austria. Director General:Li Yong.Founded:1966 India and Kuwait signed an MoU for cooperation on recruitment of domestic workers  India and Kuwait have signed an MoU for cooperation on recruiting domestic workers.  The MoU will bring Indian domestic workers under the ambit of the legal framework of Kuwait and provide them protection under the law.  The MoU has been signed by Indian Ambassador Sibi George and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kuwait Majdi Ahmad Al-Dhafiri. Foreign Secretary releases postage stamps on 70th anniversary of India-Germany ties Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla released new postage stamps to commemorate the 70th anniversary of India-Germany diplomatic relations as he highlighted the multifaceted nature of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership. Indian Mango Promotion Programme begins in Bahrain A week-long Indian mango promotion programme began in Bahrain where 16 varieties of the fruit including three Geographical Indications (GI) certified Khirsapati&Lakshmanbhog (West Bengal), Zardalu (Bihar) are being displayed. US-India hydrogen taskforce launched under aegis of Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP)  US-India hydrogen taskforce has been launched under the aegis of Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP).  United States Department of Energy (DOE), the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, along with the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has launched the taskforce.  Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) was launched by India and US in April 2018.  India is the world’s third-largest oil importer. It imports 85% of its oil demand and 53% of its gas demand. Hiranandani Energy signed MoU with Petrobangla for supplying LNG to Bangladesh  Hiranandani Energy (H-Energy) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Petrobangla for supplying re-gasified LNG to Bangladesh.  Hiranandani Energy (H-Energy) will lay down the natural gas pipeline from its LNG terminal in West Bengal to the Bangladesh border.  H-Energy is the only company to get the authorization from Petroleum and Natural gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) for laying down the pipeline.  Kanai Chatta-Shrirampur natural gas pipeline will provide environmentally friendly, safe, and economical energy to West Bengal and Western Bangladesh. India and Bhutan sign MOU for cooperation in Environment India and Bhutan signed an MoU for cooperation in the area of the environment.The MoU will enhance the India and Bhutan partnership and exchange best practices in areas of prevention of Air Pollution, Waste Management, Chemical Management, Climate Change, etc.

Page | 49 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Twenty-two metric tonnes of GI certified Jalgaon banana exported to Dubai  The banana was sourced from farmers of Tandalwadi village, part of Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, a banana cluster under the Agri Export Policy.Jalgaon banana is rich in fibre and mineral. The fibre obtained from Jalgaon Banana has the high spinning ability and tensile strength.  India’s banana exports have grown both in terms of volume as well as value. The volume of India’s banana exports has grown from 1.34 lakh metric tonne in 2018-19 to 1.95 lakh metric tonne in 2019-20.  India is the world's leading producer of bananas. Its share in total production is around 25%.  Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are major contributors to the production of bananas. They contribute more than 70% of country’s banana production. External Affairs Minister inaugurated renovated Library in Nairobi  External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar inaugurated renovated Mahatma Gandhi Library at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. In 1956, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi was also unveiled at this University.  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar did a three-day visit to strengthen India’s relations with the major East African country.  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and discussed people-to- people and economic issues. India Extends USD 100 Million Line of Credit to Sri Lanka for Solar Energy Projects India has extended a USD 100 million Line of Credit to Sri Lanka to help the island nation finance various projects in the solar energy sector and ensure that the country’s 70 per cent power requirements are fulfilled by renewable energy sources by 2030. India and Fiji inks MoU for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors  A virtual meeting was held between the Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GoI, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar with Dr. Mahendra Reddy, Minister of Agriculture, Waterways & Environment, Government of Fiji.  During the meeting, both the ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of Agriculture and allied sectors. This MoU will further strengthen the multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries. India and Bhutan jointly launched TIWB  India and Bhutan have jointly launched the “Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB)”. It has been launched for strengthening the tax administration of Bhutan. It will focus on International Taxation and Transfer Pricing.  Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) initiative was launched in 2015.  Its main aim is to strengthen developing countries’ auditing capacity. Cabinet approved an agreement between India and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for exchange of information related to taxes  The Union Cabinet has approved the agreement between India and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for the exchange of information and assistance related to the collection of taxes.  According to the agreement representatives of the other country can examine individuals or records for tax purposes. AWARD Nitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind win International Business Book of the Year Award 2021 Nitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind won the International Business Book of the Year Award 2021. The authors made history this week by winning the prestigious International Business Book of the Year Award for 2021 for their recently launched book “Transformation in Times of Crisis”, published by Notion Press. First French novelist David Diop wins International Booker 2021 David Diop has become the first French novelist to win the International Booker prize for translated fiction with At Night All Blood Is Black, his first novel translated into English. The International Booker Prize, formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize, has been awarded since 2005 when it was won by Albanian writer Ismail Kadare. It is a sister prize to the Booker Prize, awarded to a novel written in English. Dr. Harsh Vardhan has been honoured by WHO for efforts in tobacco control  On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day(MAY 31,2021), Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has been honoured with Director-General Special award.  The World Health Organization (WHO) has given this award for its efforts to control tobacco consumption in India.

50 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli wins the 2021 Dublin Literary Award Mexican author Valeria Luiselli has won the 2021 DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, for her novel Lost Children Archive (published by 4th Estate (Harper Collins) in the UK and Vintage Books (Alfred A. Knopf) in the USA. Indian-Origin Teenager Among Winners of Apple WWDC21 Swift Student Challenge Abinaya Dinesh, a 15-year-old Indian-origin girl, is among three winners of the annual WWDC21 Swift Student Challenge, a platform for the young brains willing to demonstrate their coding and problem-solving skills. BAFTA TV Awards 2021 winners announced British Academy Television Awards are presented annually to recognize the outstanding work in British Television. It is being given annually since 1955. It is mainly given to British programs. Winners of BAFTA TV Awards 2021 are: Category Winners Best Comedy Series Inside No. 9 Best Drama Save Me Too Best Actor Paul Mescal Best Actress Michaela Coel Best Comedy Performance Charlie Cooper and Aimee Lou Wood Most awards I May Destroy You Thomas Vijayan Wins Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021 Kerala-based Thomas Vijayan, who is now settled in Canada, has won the 2021 Nature TTL Photography Awards for his photo of an Orangutan clinging to a tree. The photograph is titled ‘The World is Going Upside Down’. Arunachal Pradesh’s Water Burial bags best film National Award  Water Burial, a film based on Monpa dialect of Arunachal Pradesh, has won the Best Film National Award in environment conservation category at the 67th National Films Awards 2021.  The film, which is directed by independent filmmaker Shantanu Sen in Monpa dialect, has garnered positive reviews for its uniqueness in portraying the rituals of the tribals of the Northeast and bringing the attention of the mainstream media towards it. Indian-American Student Wins Prestigious Award for Developing Eco-friendly Foam Alternative  An Indian-American student has won a prestigious award for developing an eco-friendly foam alternative, which was motivated by the impact of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.  Sohi Sanjay Patel, a sophomore at a high school, was declared the winner of the Patrick H Hurd Sustainability Award at the 2021 virtual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).  The award is given by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Her project proposes to provide a plant-derived, flame retardant polyurethane foam that could be used for housing insulation and other applications. Pulitzer Prize 2021 for fiction went to Louise Erdrich for The Night Watchman.  Pulitzer Prize is given for achievements in the field of newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition.  It was started on the name of Joseph Pulitzer in 1917.  It is given in twenty-one categories and each winner receives a certificate and a US$15,000 cash award.  Important Winners list: Books Fiction The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (Harper) Drama The Hot Wing King by Katori Hall Music Stride by Tania León Journalism Breaking News Star Tribune Reporting Matt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen and Brendan Investigative Reporting McCarthy Ed Yong of The Atlantic Explanatory Reporting Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell and Jackie Botts of Reuters

Page | 51 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Public Service The New York Times International Reporting Megha Rajagopalan, Alison Killing and Christo Buschek UK Asian Film Festival 2021: India’s Tillotama Shome wins Best Actor award Indian actress Tillotama Shome has made the country proud by winning the Best Actor award at the 2021 UK Asian Film Festival (UKAFF). Tillotama won the award for her role in the film Raahgir: The Wayfarers. The film has been directed by Goutam Ghose. The UK Asian Film Festival (UKAFF) 2021 was the 23rd edition of the annual event. Apart from Tillotama, filmmaker Goutam Ghose has also won the Best Director award at the UKAFF. Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga wins PEN Pinter prize 2021 Tsitsi Dangarembga, the Booker-shortlisted Zimbabwean writer who was arrested last year in Harare while protesting against corruption, has been awarded the PEN Pinter prize, praised for her “ability to capture and communicate vital truths even amidst times of upheaval”. Dangarembga was also shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize for her work, This Mournable Body. RS Sodhi conferred with Asia Pacific Productivity Champion award The Managing Director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul), R.S. Sodhi, was conferred with the regional award as Asia Pacific Productivity Champion from Asian Productivity Organization (APO), Tokyo, Japan in recognition of enhanced productivity and efficient milk supply chain. IIT Roorkee prof bags NSG award for ‘blast-resistant’ helmet Shailesh Govind Ganpule, an assistant professor at the mechanical and industrial engineering department (MIED), was conferred the award with the ‘NSG Counter-IED and Counter-Terrorism Innovator Award 2021′ for developing a “blast-resistant” helmet. Delhi, Hyderabad airports receive ACI Asia–Pacific Green Airports recognition  GMR Airports-run Delhi and Hyderabad airports have been felicitated by the Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific Green Airports Recognition 2021 for their environment sustainable initiatives.  The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR Group led consortium, has been awarded the Platinum Recognition in the over 25 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category, while the GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) received the Gold Recognition by the ACI in the below 25 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category. LTI Awarded Snowflake Global Innovation Partner of the Year Larsen & Toubro Infotech, a global technology consulting and digital solutions company has been recognized as the Global Innovation Partner of the Year by Snowflake, the Data Cloud Company. LTI received this prestigious recognition during Snowflake Virtual Partner Summit. Indian climate activist Shyam Sundar Jyani won UN Land Conservation Award 2021  Familial Forestry, an environmental conservation project by Rajasthan's Shyam Sunder Jyani, won United Nations' Land for Life Award 2021.  He relates a tree with a family, making it a green family member. He was campaigning for Familial Forestry in Rajasthan for over 15 years.  The ‘Familial Forestry’ conservation concept revolves around community participation in protecting and conserving the trees. FTCCI CEO Khyati Naravane was awarded ‘Certificate of Commitment’ by The World Book of Records  Industry body Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) CEO Khyati Naravane has been awarded by The World Book of Records, London for commitment towards trade and industry during the Covid times.  The World Book of Records (WBR) has taken an initiative to motivate and inspire people to be committed to safety. Chemist Sumita Mitra honoured with prestigious European Inventor Award 2021  Indian-American chemist Sumita Mitra has been honoured with the European Inventor Award 2021 in the ‘Non-European Patent Office countries’ category. She was the first to have successfully integrated nanotechnology into dental materials to produce stronger and more aesthetically pleasing fillings.  The award, one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes, is presented annually by the European Patent Office (EPO) to recognise outstanding inventors from Europe and beyond. NTPC won recognition as India’s Best Employers among Nation-Builders 2021  For the first time, NTPC won recognition as India’s Best Employers among Nation-Builders 2021. It has been recognized as the ‘Great Place to Work’ for the 15th straight year by the Great Places to Work Institute. It has been ranked at 38th. It was ranked 47 last year.  It also won its first-ever recognition of India’s Best Employers among Nation-Builders 2021.

52 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Cochin International Airport won honour in airport service quality award Cochin International Airport (CIAL) won Airport Council International (ACI) Director General’s Roll of Excellence honour in Airport Service Quality. This recognition is awarded to those airports which, in the opinion of passengers, consistently delivered excellent services. Centre releases list of Smart Cities Awards 2020 winners  The Central government has declared Smart City awards 2020 in which Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Surat (Gujarat) won the award jointly for their overall development. Whereas Uttar Pradesh emerged on the top among all states, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu under the Smart City award, 2020. The Smart City awards were given across the themes of Social Aspects, Governance, Culture, Urban Environment, Sanitation, Economy, Built Environment, Water, Urban Mobility.  According to the Centre, of the total, proposed projects under the Smart Cities Mission, 5,924 projects (115% by number) worth Rs.1,78,500 crore have been tendered so far. Whereas work orders have been issued for 5,236 projects (101% by number) worth Rs.1,46,125 crore. List of winning Smart Cities under the different categories: 1. Social Aspects  Tirupati: Health Benchmark for Municipal Schools  Bhubaneshwar: Socially Smart Bhubaneswar  Tumakuru: Digital Library Solution 2. Governance  Vadodara: GIS  Thane: Digi Thane  Bhubaneswar: ME app 3. Culture  Indore: Conservation of Heritage  Chandigarh: Capitol Complex, Heritage Project  Gwalior: Digital Museum 4. Urban Environment  Bhopal: Clean energy  Chennai: Restoration of water bodies  Tirupati: Renewable Energy Generation 5. Sanitation  Tirupati: Bioremediation & Bio-Mining  Indore: Municipal Waste Management System  Surat: Conservation through Treated Wastewater 6. Economy  Indore: Carbon Credit Financing Mechanism  Tirupati: Boost Local Identity & Economy through Design Studio  Agra: Micro Skill Development Centre 7. Built Environment  Indore: Chappan Dukan  Surat: Canal Corridor 8. Water  Dehradun: Smart Water Metering Water ATM  Varanasi: Eco-Restoration of Assi River  Surat: Integrated and Sustainable Water Supply System 9. Urban Mobility  Aurangabad: Majhi Smart Buses  Surat: Dynamic Scheduling Buses  Ahmedabad: Man-less parking system and automatic ticket dispensing machines AMDA Park 10. Innovative Idea Award  Indore: Carbon Credit Financing Mechanism  Chandigarh: For Union Territories 11. Covid Innovation Award  Kalyan-Dombivali and Varanasi Other Awards in different categories: Surat, Indore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Vijayawada, Rajkot, Visakhapatnam, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Vadodara were awarded 4-star rating under Climate-Smart Cities Assessment Framework.

Page | 53 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

According to the ministry, Ahmedabad bagged the ‘Smart Cities Leadership Award’, followed by Varanasi and Ranchi in the second and third spots respectively. French non-fiction author Emmanuel Carrere wins top Spanish award French author Emmanuel Carrere, popular for his non-fiction books in a high literary vein, has been granted this year’s Spanish Princess of Asturias Literature Award. Delhi Metro bags ‘Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award’ award for 'high-quality' Delhi Metro received the ‘Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award’ for the year 2020. It has been given by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) for the “High-Quality” infrastructure development projects of Delhi Metro. RK Sabharwal honoured with the highest civilian award of Mongolia ‘The Order of Polar Star by his excellency Engineers India Limited (EIL) Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), RK Sabharwal has been honoured with the highest civilian award of Mongolia ‘The Order of Polar Star by his excellency. The President of Mongolia recognises the outstanding contribution made by him towards the establishment of the first-ever oil refinery in Mongolia. Journalist P. Sainath wins Japan’s Fukuoka Grand Prize 2021  Journalist Palagummi Sainath has been awarded the Fukuoka Grand Prize for 2021. He is a committed journalist who has continued to investigate impoverished farming villages in India and captured the reality of the lifestyle of the residents in such areas. The award, established by Japan’s Fukuoka city and the Fukuoka City International Foundation, is given to individuals and organisations for their work in preserving Asian culture.  Besides the Grand Prize, there are two more award categories, academics and culture. The Academics Prize was given to Professor Kishimoto Mio, a historian from Japan.  Thailand-based writer and filmmaker Prabda Yoon received the Arts and Culture Award. PERSON IN NEWS WORLD Montek Ahluwalia Former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia was named a member of a high-level Advisory Group formed by the World Bank and IMF. Karim Khan British lawyer Karim Khan was sworn as the new chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court. Upasana Kamineni WWF India has inducted Upasana Kamineni, Director, Apollo Hospitals, as “Ambassador of Forest Frontline Heroes” with the aim to appreciate the efforts of frontline workers in hospitals and in the wildlife protection space. Nikol Pashinyan Nikol Pashinyan elected as the new Prime Minister of Armenia Stefan Lofven Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Lofven resigned after losing no-confidence vote. He is the leader of the Social Democrat party. Isaac Herzog Veteran Israeli politician, Isaac Herzog, has been elected as the President of the country on June 01, 2021.60-year-old Herzog will be the 11th President of Israel. Dr Patrick Amoth Dr Patrick Amoth, the acting Director-General for Health, Ministry of Health of Kenya has been appointed as the Chairman of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board, for a period of one year. The announcement was made during the 149th session of the WHO Executive Board, on June 02, 2021, by the outgoing Chair Dr Harsh Vardhan. Nagraj Adiga India’s Nagraj Adiga has been elected as the Asia-Oceania Representative at the recently concluded 2021 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Congress at which the IAU council elections were held. Ranjitsinh Disale Ranjitsinh Disale, the first Indian teacher to receive the Global Teacher Award has been appointed by the World Bank as an Advisor to the World Bank. Abdulla Shahid The Maldives’ Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has been elected as the new President of the UN General Assembly.Every year President of the UN General Assembly is elected among various regional groupings on the rotational basis. Hitendra Dave Hitendra Dave will be appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HSBC(The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) India on receipt of regulatory approval.

54 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Rajesh Nambiar Cognizant's India chairman Rajesh Nambiar appointed head of digital biz. Antonio Guterres The UN Security Council has recommended Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a second five-year term as chief of the world organisation beginning January 1, 2022. Husain Al-Musallam Husain Al-Musallam from Kuwait has been elected President of the International Swimming Federation (FINA). He will replace Julio Maglione. Ukhnaa Khurelsukh Former Mongolian Prime Minister, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh became the country’s sixth democratically elected president. Benedetto Vigna Ferrari has named Benedetto Vigna as its new company CEO, taking over from interim chief John Elkann. Rebeca Grynspan The U.N. General Assembly has approved the appointment of Costa Rican economist Rebecca Grynspan, as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Naftali Bennett Naftali Bennett, the former Defence Minister of Israel, and leader of the Yamina party took oath as the Prime Minister of the country. The 49-year-old former tech entrepreneur replaces Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been forced out of office after 12 years (2009 to 2021). (Netanyahu is the longest-serving PM of Israel). Henri Marie Dondra Henri Marie Dondra has been named prime minister of the Central African Republic (CAR) Satya Nadella Microsoft Corp, named Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella as its new chairman. Ebrahim Raisi Ebrahim Raisi won the presidential election of Iran. He will take the place of Hassan Rouhani, who was elected as President in 2013.

NATIONAL Amitabh Kant NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant’s term has been extended till June 2022. This is the third time Amitabh Kant's tenure has been extended as CEO of NITI Aayog. K K Venugopal The government has extended the tenure of Attorney General K K Venugopal by one more year. Now, his tenure will end on June 30, 2022. Dr Pratima Murthy Dr Pratima Murthy, head of Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru has been appointed as Director of the Institute for a period of five years. She will retire in March 2026. She was awarded the WHO Regional Director’s Special Recognition Award on ‘World No Tobacco Day 2021’. Suresh N Patel The incumbent Vigilance Commissioner, Suresh N Patel has been appointed as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) of India. Praveen Sinha The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Praveen Sinha as the Special Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Jeremy Kessel Twitter appoints California-based Jeremy Kessel as India Grievance Officer Paresh B Lal WhatsApp has named Paresh B Lal as its grievance officer for India.WhatsApp was released in January 2009. It was acquired by Facebook in February 2014. It was originally programmed by Brian Acton and Jan Koum. Spoorthi Priya Social media giant Facebook has named Spoorthi Priya as its grievance officer for India on its website. S. N. Srivastava Justice (Retd.) Shambhu Nath Srivastava, a former judge of Allahabad High Court and former chief Lokayukta of Chhattisgarh, has been appointed the chairman of the Indian Federation of United Nations Associations (IFUNA). Mawya Sudan Mawya Sudan has become the first woman from J&K to become the Indian Air Force’s fighter pilot.She belongs to Lamberi village on the Line of Control in the Rajouri district. She is India’s 12th woman fighter pilot. Anup Chandra Pandey President has appointed Anup Chandra Pandey as an Election Commissioner.The seat was vacant after Sushil Chandra was promoted as Chief Election Commissioner. Sushil Chandra is the current Chief Election Commissioner and Rajiv Kumar is the other Election Commissioner. The Election Commission consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. Articles 324 to 329 of the Constitution is associated with powers, functions, tenure,

Page | 55 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

eligibility, etc. of the Election Commission and its members. Their tenure is of six years or till the age of 65, whichever is earlier. Kuldiep Singh Director-General of Central Reserve Police Force, Kuldiep Singh has been given additional charge of Director General of National Investigation Agency, NIA. Adar Poonawalla Magma Fincorp has appointed Adar Poonawalla as its chairman A.K. Mishra Former Supreme Court judge Arun Kumar Mishra will be the new chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Vikramjit Sen The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) announced the appointment of former Supreme Court judge Justice Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman of its newly formed self-regulatory body Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC). T.V. Narendran Tata Steel Ltd chief executive officer and managing director, T.V. Narendran has taken over as president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2021-22. Vivek Ram Chaudhari Vivek Ram Chaudhari appointed as IAF(Indian Air Force) Vice Chief RS Sodhi Amul’s RS Sodhi elected to board of International Dairy Federation Ravneet Singh Vice-Admiral Ravneet Singh assumed charge as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Dr Vinay K Nandicoori Dr Vinay K Nandicoori appointed as Director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology J B Mohapatra J B Mohapatra has been given additional charge of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman. Dr Vinay K Nandicoori Well-known molecular biologist, Dr Vinay K Nandicoori has been appointed as new director of CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, Telangana. Air Marshal Vivek Ram Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari (VR Chaudhari) has been appointed the next Chaudhari Vice Chief of Air Staff at the Air headquarters. Vishwavir Ahuja The Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of Vishwavir Ahuja as the Managing Director and CEO of RBL Bank for a one-year period with effect from June 30, 2021. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh The Reserve Bank of India has granted approval for the re-appointment of Chandra Shekhar Ghosh as MD and CEO of Bandhan Bank, for a period of three years. Mahesh Kumar Jain The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the re-appointment of Mahesh Kumar Jain as the Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for two more years with effect from June 22, 2021.Currently, Michael Patra, M Rajeshwar Rao and Rabi Sankar are the other three serving RBI Deputy Governors. M R Kumar The appointments committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of the tenure of MR Kumar as the Chairman of state-owned insurance company Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). K. N. Naidu IFS officer K Nagaraj Naidu named to lead UN bureaucracy for a year superstar, Akshay Kumar has been appointed as the new brand ambassador of biotechnology company Mylab Discovery Solutions. Girish Chandra The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-appointment of Girish Chandra Chaturvedi Chaturvedi as the part-time Chairman of ICICI Bank for a period of three years starting July 1, 2021. Ajai Puri Ajai Puri, Chief Operating Officer of Bharti Airtel, has been re-elected as Chairman of the industry association for 2021-22. Mukesh Sharma Mukesh Sharma, a faculty at IIT Kanpur, has been appointed as an honorary member of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Air Pollution and Health – Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG). Aashish Chandorkar The government of India has appointed a private person Aashish Chandorkar as Counsellor in India’s Permanent Mission in the World Trade Organisation for three years. Sumant Sinha The United Nations Global Compact has announced that it has recognized Mr. Sumant Sinha, Chairman & MD of ReNew Power as one of ten 2021 SDG Pioneers for his work to advance access to clean and affordable energy. Mukund Gosavi Maharashtra govt appoints Mukund Gosavi as brand ambassador of Corona vaccination program due to his selfless service. Mr. Mukund Gosavi has 80 per cent disability. However, this did not stop him from helping needy people during the pandemic situation. Anand Mohan Bajaj The Centre has appointed Anand Mohan Bajaj, Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) as Member of the Board of Securities and

56 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which is markets as well as commodity derivatives market regulator.In the SEBI Board, he is replacing Tarun Bajaj, who is now the Revenue Secretary. Karnam Malleswari The Delhi government appointed former Olympic medalist weightlifter Karnam Malleswari as the first Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Sports University.She is the first Indian woman weightlifter to bring home an Olympic medal. She created history at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 by lifting 110 kilograms and 130 kilograms in the ‘snatch’ and ‘clean and jerk’ categories. Jasprit Bumrah Jasprit Bumrah appointed as the brand ambassador of OnePlus

Yuvraj Singh Global sports brand Puma India has extended partnership with former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who has been associated with the brand for over a decade. The captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli, has for long been the brand ambassador for Audi in India. Sanjay Dutt received UAE’s Golden Visa  The UAE government awarded Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt with its Golden Visa. The Golden Visa system essentially offers long-term residency to people with outstanding talents. In 2019, UAE implemented a new system for long-term residence visas enabling foreigners to live, work & study there without the need of a national sponsor & with 100% ownership of their business. Justice (Retd.) Arjan Kumar Sikri The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has appointed former Supreme Court Justice (Retd.) Arjan Kumar Sikri to chair the grievance redressal board (GRB), formed as a part of the digital publisher content grievances council (DPCGC). Montek Singh Ahluwalia named as member of high-level Advisory Group formed by World Bank and IMF  Former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia was named as member of high-level Advisory Group formed by World Bank and IMF.  The group will be jointly led by Mari Pangestu, Ceyla Pazarbasioglu and Lord Nicholas Stern.  Mari Pangestu is Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships, World Bank.  Ceyla Pazarbasioglu is Director, Strategy, Policy and Review Department, International Monetary Fund.  The group was formed by World Bank and IMF in the face of dual crisis posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. SPORTS New Zealand won first ICC World Test Championship  New Zealand defeated India to win the first ICC World Test Championship. New Zealand chased down the target of 139 to win the first-ever World Test Championship final with eight in hand.  The last day of the match was played on June 23, 2021. The match saw 6 days play in place of the regular 5 days due to the rain factor. Kyle Jamieson (NZ) has been adjudged as the “Player of the match”, while Kane Williamson (NZ) is the “Player of the series”. Rani Rampal, Manpreet Singh named captains of Indian hockey teams  Midfielder Manpreet Singh was named captain of the 16-member Olympic-bound Indian men’s hockey team, while experienced defenders, Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh, were named vice-captains.  Rani Rampal was named the captain of the 16-member Olympic-bound Indian Women’s Hockey Team, announced Hockey India. Patiala hosted Indian Grand Prix 4 The Athletics Federation of India (AFI), announced that the Indian Grand Prix 4 held on June 21 at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala. The decision to host the domestic events was made to give Indian athletes the maximum chance to qualify for Tokyo. Novak Djokovic wins French Open Tennis Title 2021  Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to lift the French Open title for the second time in his career. Djokovic, with his 19th Grand Slam title, has closed in on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the all-time Grand Slam titles list.Both the players have won 20 Grand Slams each.  In the women’s singles final, Barbora Krejcikova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to win her maiden grand slam.

Page | 57 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova won the women's doubles title. Barbora Krejcikova has become the first woman to win singles and doubles titles at the same French Open.  Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut won the men's doubles title. Vinoo Mankad and 9 others inducted into ICC Hall of Fame The ICC has inducted 10 icons of the game, including India’s Vinoo Mankad, into its illustrious Hall of Fame with two players each from five eras, dating back to cricket’s early days, making it to the list. The announcement has been coincided with the inaugural World Test Championship final, to be played between India and New Zealand from June 18 in Southampton. Wrestler Vinesh Phogat wins gold in women’s 53 kg freestyle at Poland Ranking Series Tokyo Olympic Games bound wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the women’s 53kg freestyle gold with an 8-0 win over Khrystyna Bereza of Ukraine at the Poland Ranking Series in Warsaw. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu qualifies for Tokyo Olympics in women’s 49-kg category India’s Mirabai Chanu, the 2017 world champion in weightlifting, has qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games in women’s 49 kg category, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced. Gukesh Wins Gelfand Challenge Chess Title Exceeding all expectations, D. Gukesh sensationally won the $15,000 Gelfand Challenge chess title and with it, a ‘wild card’ for the elite Meltwaters Champions Chess Tour. Portugal legend Ronaldo breaks Euros goal record and becomes first player to feature at five finals tournaments  Cristiano Ronaldo now stands alone as the all-time record goalscorer at European Championships, after also becoming the first player to feature at five finals tournaments in Portugal's 3-0 win over Hungary in Budapest.  The Juventus forward has represented his country at every Euros since Portugal hosted the tournament in 2004, and he remains the talisman of the reigning champions 17 years later. Neeraj Chopra throws 83.18m to clinch gold in Lisbon Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra produced a stunning return to the international circuit by striking gold at the Meeting Cidade de Lisboa in Lisbon. Utah Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson wins 2021 Sixth Man of the Year Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson has won the 2020-21 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award for his contributions in a reserve role. Clarkson becomes the first player in Jazz franchise history to win the award and was presented the trophy by his teammate and fellow Sixth Man of the Year Finalist Joe Ingles. Djokovic Wins Belgrade open World No. 1 Novak Djokovic capture the 83rd title of his career with victory on home soil at the Belgrade Open. Indian men’s hockey team remains at 4th position in latest FIH world rankings.  In the latest International Hockey Federation world rankings, the Indian men’s team remained at the fourth position.Men’s FIH ranking is topped by Belgium.  Indian women’s hockey team has maintained the ninth position in the FIH world rankings. Women’s FIH ranking is topped by the Netherlands. Brazil to host Copa America for 2nd consecutive time In football, Brazil will host Copa America for the second consecutive time.South American soccer body CONMEBOL announced the decision hours after it ruled out Argentina amid an increase in COVID-19 cases in the country. Shafali Verma continues to top ICC women’s T20I rankings  Teenage India batswoman Shafali Verma continues to top the ICC women’s T20I batting rankings.  The Indian Broadcasting Foundation appoints Former Justice Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman  The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), which is soon going to be renamed as Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF), the apex body of broadcasters and OTT operators, has announced the appointment of Justice (Retd.) Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman, along with six other eminent industry members for the newly formed Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC). Sunil Chhetri surpasses Argentina’s Lionel Messi.  Sunil Chhetri surpasses Argentina’s Lionel Messi and he has become the second-highest active international goal-scorer with 74 strikes.  He made this record in a joint preliminary qualifying round match for 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup.  He is currently behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (103) in the active international goal-scorer list.  Sunil Chhetri is an Indian professional footballer. He is popularly known as Captain Fantastic.

58 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Oman will host inaugural FIH Hockey5s World Cup.  The Executive Board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced that Oman will host inaugural Hockey5s World Cups (Men and Women) in 2024. Matches will take place in Oman’s capital city, Muscat.  India and Pakistan have also bidden to host this event. Singapore F1 Grand Prix Cancelled Due To C-19 Pandemic Formula One’s Singapore Grand Prix has been called off this year due to C-19 restrictions, local organiser Singapore GP Pte Ltd have confirmed. BharatPe becomes ICC’s official partner till 2023 Lending and digital payments startup BharatPe announced that it has inked a three-year long deal to become an official partner with International Cricket Council (ICC).As per the agreement, BharatPe will promote the association across broadcast and digital platforms, as well as execute in-venue brand activations at all the ICC events until 2023. New Zealand’s Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will be first trans-athlete to compete at Olympics  The New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is poised to make history and headlines, as well as significant controversy, after being confirmed as the first transgender athlete to compete at an Olympic Games. The 43-year-old, who will be the fourth oldest weightlifter at an Olympics, is regarded as a genuine medal contender in the women’s super heavyweight 87kg-plus category in Tokyo.  But while her inclusion has been welcomed by trans groups, it has also been questioned by those who believe she has unfair advantages in strength and power, having gone through male puberty before transitioning in 2012. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce becomes second fastest woman of all-time ahead  Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the second-fastest woman of all-time behind 100 metres world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner when she clocked 10.63 seconds at a meet in Kingston.  American Griffith-Joyner still holds the women’s 100m world record of 10.49 seconds, set in Indianapolis in 1988, as well as the three fastest times ever, with 10.61 and 10.62, also in 1988. India’s official Olympic theme song ‘Lakshya Tera Samne Hai’ released Ahead of the Tokyo Games, the official Olympic theme song for the Indian contingent was launched. Mohit Chauhan has composed and sung the song titled “Lakshya Tera Samne Hai”. The Games will open on July 23 and over 100 Indian athletes have qualified for the event so far. Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown breaks 100-meter backstroke world record with a time of 57.45 seconds  Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown breaks the 100-meter backstroke world record at the South Australian Aquatic Centre with a time of 57.45 seconds from the previous mark of 57.57 seconds set by American Regan Smith in 2019.  Emily Seebohm finished second in 58.59 to qualify for her fourth Olympics. Cristiano Ronaldo becomes joint top-scorer in men’s international football  Cristiano Ronaldo has become the joint-top scoring men’s international player of all time. He is currently tied with Iran legend Ali Daei, who scored 109 times in 149 matches between 1993 and 2006.  Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties to tie the overall men’s scoring record with 109 goals in 176 matches and Portugal advanced to the round of 16 at the European Championship after a 2-2 draw with France. Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a bronze medal at Kuortane Games. In Kuortane Games held in Finland, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won the bronze medal. The World no. 1, Johannes Vetter of Germany won a gold medal to throw his javelin at a distance of 93.59 meters. Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari win gold medal in the mixed recurve team event at the Archery World Cup Stage III in Paris.  Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari have won the gold medal in the mixed recurve team event at the Archery World Cup Stage III in Paris.  They scored 5-3 win over the Netherlands to win India’s second gold medal of the day. The Netherlands won a silver medal.  India also won a gold medal in the recurve women’s team event. The team comprised of Deepika Kumari, Komalika Bari and Ankita Bhakat.  India’s Abhishek Verma earlier won a gold medal in the men’s compound event by defeating Kris Schaff of the USA. Madhya Pradesh’s all-rounder cricketer Anshula Rao first woman to get dope ban Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Anshula Rao became the first women cricketer to be handed a four-year ban after failing the dope test. She was handed the ban by the panel of the National Anti-Doping Agency for faking a dope test which dates back to July 2020.

Page | 59 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 now shifted to UAE & Oman  ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, originally slated to be held in India, will now be shifted to the UAE. The Board of Control for (BCCI), which holds the hosting rights of this year’s event, will inform the International Cricket Council (ICC) in this regard. The T20 World Cup was postponed last year due to the pandemic.  The BCCI will remain the hosts of the event, which will now be held in Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground, from 17 October to 14 November 2021. Shafali Verma becomes youngest Indian to make debut in all formats.  Opener Shafali Verma has become youngest Indian cricketer to make debut in all formats.  She took 17 years and 150 days to make her debut in all formats.  She has become fifth youngest cricketer overall in the list of all format debuts. The list is topped by Afghanistan's Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Debbie Hewitt England’s Football Association named corporate executive and former RAC chief, Debbie Hewitt as its first woman chair. Kevin O’Brien Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brien has announced his retirement from one-day internationals. Sanjeet Kumar India’s Sanjeet Kumar wins gold medal in the 91 kg weight category at the ASBC Asian Boxing Championships held in Dubai. Sergio Perez Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has won Azerbaijan formula one Grand Prix. Sami Khedira Germany’s FIFA World Cup-winner, Sami Khedira has announced retirement. Saurabh Chaudhary Saurabh Chaudhary won the bronze medal in the men’s 10m air pistol event at the ISSF(International Shooting Sport Federation) World Cup.ISSF World Cup 2021 is being held in Osijek, Croatia. Rahi Sarnobat India’s Rahi Sarnobat clinched gold medal in the women’s 25m pistol event at the ISSF shooting World Cup.ISSF World Cup 2021 is being held in Osijek, Croatia. French Grand Prix Red Bull's Max Verstappen won French Grand Prix 2021. Styrian Grand Prix Max Verstappen (Netherlands-Red Bull) has won the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IIT Ropar developed India’s first indigenous temperature data logger for cold chain management.  IIT Ropar has developed “AmbiTAG”, India’s first indigenous temperature data logger for the cold chain management.  It will record the real-time temperature of the surrounding during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines, and body organs.  It has been developed under Technology Innovation Hub – AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) and its Startup ScratchNest. Scientists have developed an Artificial Synaptic Network for mimicking human brain. Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research have developed Artificial Synaptic Network that can mimic human brain cognitive actions. It is more efficient than conventional techniques in working like Artificial Intelligence.Scientists have discovered a material system mimicking neuronal bodies and axonal network connectivity much like the biological system. IIT Hyderabad developed nano-fibre technology based Amphotericin B oral tablets.  IIT Hyderabad has developed nano-fibre based oral tablets of Amphotericin B, also called AmB.  Amphotericin B is used to treat fungal infections post COVID-19 treatment. IIT Guwahati researchers design “smart windows” to cut carbon emissions IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a “Smart Window” material that can effectively control the amount of heat and light passing through it in response to an applied voltage. Bharti-backed OneWeb launches 36 new LEO satellites  Bharti Airtel owned satellite communications company OneWeb, confirmed the launch of 36 new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. The launch is part of OneWeb’s ‘five to 50’ programme, which is meant to bring satellite-based broadband Internet to countries like the UK, Alaska, US, Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic seas, and Canada. The company has said that its services will start from 2022.  The launch was carried out by European satellite launch company, Arianespace, from the Russian spaceport, Vostochny Cosmodrome.

60 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

DBT-NII receives Trademark for India's first indigenous tumour antigen SPAG9.  The SPAG9 antigen developed by the National Institute of Immunology (NII) has received the ASPAGNIITM trademark.  The SPAG9 tumour antigen was discovered by Dr. Anil Suri in 1998. It is India’s first indigenous tumour antigen.  At present, ASPAGNIITM is used in the treatment of cervical and ovarian cancer but now it will be also used in breast cancer. Department of Biotechnology supported First CAR-T cell therapy.  Tata Memorial Hospital, IIT Bombay team and cancer care in India performed the first CAR-T cell therapy.  The Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is used in the treatment of Cancer. At present, this therapy is not available in India.  BIRAC and DBT have taken several initiatives for the development of CAR-T cell technology against cancer in last two years.  The TMC-IIT Bombay team are being supported through the National Biopharma Mission for conducting Phase I/II trial of their CAR-T product.  The CAR-T cell technology will be used for diseases like acute lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, glioblastoma, etc. UK, Indian Scientists Develop Low-cost Sensor to Detect Covid-19 in Wastewater  UK and Indian scientists have jointly developed a low-cost sensor that can detect fragments of the virus responsible for COVID-19 within wastewater.  The technique, developed by researchers from the University of Strathclyde and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, could be used to enable widespread monitoring of COVID -19 prevalence in low- and middle-income countries which struggle to conduct mass human testing.  The sensor was tested with wastewater collected from a sewage treatment plant in Mumbai spiked with SARS-Cov-2 Ribonucleic Acid (RNA). UK Scientists Develop Gadget That Sniffs Out Covid-19  Electronic devices may soon be used to identify the presence of infection in a crowded space using body odour profiles after scientists in the UK have tested a so-called “COVID alarm”.  Early studies by scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Durham University show that COVID-19 infection has a distinct smell, resulting from changes in the volatile organic compounds (VOC) which make up the body odour – generating an odour “fingerprint” that the sensors can detect.  Led by researchers from the LSHTM and biotech company RoboScientific Ltd with Durham University, the study tested devices with organic semi-conducting (OSC) sensors, which could potentially be used as a COVID-19 screening tool. Bharti Airtel and Tata Group partner for 5G network solutions  Bharti Airtel and Tata Group have announced a strategic partnership for implementing 5G network solutions for India, which will be available for commercial development from January 2022. Tata Group has developed an O-RAN (open-radio access network)-based radio and non-standalone architecture/stand- alone architecture (NSA/SA) core and has integrated a totally indigenous telecom stack, leveraging the capabilities of the group and its partners.  The NSA/SA are radio technology that controls the signalling of 5G radio. While NSA can control signalling of 5G to the 4G core, the SA can connect the 5G radio directly to the 5G core network and control signalling does not depend on the 4G network.  Airtel will pilot and deploy this indigenous solution as part of its 5G rollout plans in India and start the pilot in January 2022, as per the guidelines formulated by the government. Jio and Google Cloud to Collaborate on 5G Technology  Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited and Google Cloud are embarking on a comprehensive, long-term strategic relationship with a goal of powering 5G in enterprise and consumer segments nationwide. In addition, Reliance will also take advantage of Google Cloud’s scalable infrastructure thereby enabling its retail business to achieve better operational efficiency, modernize and scale for growth, and deliver better performance and experiences to customers.  As part of the partnership, Reliance will also augment its compute workload for retail business taking advantage of Google’s AI/ML, e-commerce, and demand forecasting offerings. This will help Reliance to rapidly grow its new commerce business to leverage Google Cloud with increased reliability and performance, as well as scale up as needed to respond to customer demand.

Page | 61 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 NEWLY LUNCHED XraySetu Launched to Detect C-19 in Rural Population via WhatsApp  A new AI-driven platform called ‘XraySetu’ has been developed to help in the early detection of C-19, with the help of Chest X-ray. The solution will be beneficial for early detection especially in rural areas, where RT-PCR tests and CT-Scans are not easily available. XraySetu will operate through WhatsApp.  The solution has been developed by ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park), a not-for-profit foundation established by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, with support from the Department of Science & Technology (DST), GOI, in collaboration with based HealthTech startup Niramai and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). CoviSelf, country’s first self-use kit for testing at home  The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved the country’s first Covid-19 self-testing kit for home use. That essentially means anyone can collect their own nasal sample and test it for SARS-CoV-2.  Called CoviSelf, it has been developed by MyLab Discovery Solutions, a Pune-based molecular company. It uses a rapid antigen test, in which a nasal swab sample is tested for the virus and gives results within 15 minutes. This testing kit cost Rs 250. Dept of atomic energy to build India’s 1st reactor on PPP model  The department of atomic energy (DAE) announced that it will be constructing the country’s first research reactor on public-private partnership (PPP) model. DAE is shortlisting the private enterprises for a partnership in the project.  The research reactor, which will be designed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), will produce radioisotopes, and is expected to bring down the costs of nuclear medicine that is used in cancer treatment in India.  DAE will provide the upfront capital and build the plant through its subsidiary – Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd First International Maritime Cluster of India to come up at GIFT City Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) will set up the country's first international maritime ser vices cluster at GIFT City. The maritime cluster will be developed as a dedicated ecosystem comprising ports, shipping, logistics services providers and government regulators, all present in the same geographic vicinity — GIFT City. GIFT City is India's first operational smart city and international financial services. Indian Cricketer Sehwag launched cricket coaching website 'Cricuru'  Indian star cricketer has launched an experiential learning portal for Cricket coaching named CRICURU. CRICURU is India’s first AI-enabled coaching website, to offer a personalised learning experience for the younger players.  Young players will be able to learn to play cricket through master classes by 30 player-coaches from across the globe like AB de Villiers, Brett Lee, , Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Jonty Rhodes, who will share their experience and learning with users. Facebook India Launches Tech Scholars Programme for Law Students  Facebook India said it has launched a new initiative to provide students from leading law schools in the country a platform for research and mentorship on topics related to technology law and policy.  The Facebook India Tech Scholars (FITS) programme has Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co as a knowledge partner.  The programme aims to provide students from select leading law schools in the country a platform for research and mentorship on topics related to technology law and policy. Bombay launches new centre for digital Health The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has set up the 'Koita Centre for Digital Health' (KCDH) under the aegis of the Koita Foundation. KCDH will be focused on driving academic programmes, research and industry collaboration in Digital Health. IIT Ropar develops India’s first power-free CPAP device ‘Jivan Vayu’  The Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Ropar has developed a device dubbed ‘Jivan Vayu’ which can be used as a substitute for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. Jivan Vayu can deliver high flow oxygen up to 60 Litres Per Minute (LPM).  This machine is India’s first such device that functions even without electricity and can work on both kinds of oxygen generation units like O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals. Google to build the longest undersea cable  Google said it is building an open subsea cable that will connect the East Coast of the US and Las Toninas, Argentina with additional landings in Brazil and Uruguay.

62 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 With the new cable, the tech giant aims to bolster internet connectivity to users in South America and enhance its existing cable investments in the region.  The Firmina cable, named after Brazilian abolitionist and author Maria Firmina dos Reis, will be the longest cable in the world. PGCIL commissions India”s first VSC-based HVDC power transmission system  State-run Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd has fully commissioned India’s first Voltage Source Convertor (VSC) based HVDC (high voltage direct current) electricity transmission system, the power ministry said.  The PGCIL commissioned Monopole-I of the ± 320 kV, 2000 MW, Pugalur (Tamil Nadu) – Thrissur (Kerala) Voltage Source Convertor (VSC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) System. The Pugalur-Thrissur HVDC system, costing Rs 5070 crore, is a part of the Raigarh-Pugalur-Thrissur 6000 MW HVDC system and enables transfer of 2000 MW to Kerala through the VSC HVDC station at Thrissur.  The state-of-the-art VSC Technology has been brought to India for the first time by PGCIL through this Project. Facebook launched ‘Report it, Don’t share it!’ initiative to tackle child abuse content.  Facebook has launched a new initiative called 'Report it, don't share it' to encourage reporting of child abuse content.  It has been launched in collaboration with civil society organizations like Aarambh India Initiative, Cyber Peace Foundation, and Arpan. NSDC And WhatsApp Launch “Digital Skill Champions Program”  The National Skill Development Corporation and WhatsApp announced an alliance to launch the Digital Skill Champions Program that aims to train India’s youth on digital skills, in order to make them employment ready. The partnership identifies two broad areas of collaboration viz., WhatsApp Digital Skills Academy and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) and WhatsApp Business App Training sessions.  Through this program, school and university students would be coached to imbibe digital and online skills that would culminate with WhatsApp and NSDC awarding ‘Digital Skill Champions’ certification. Microsoft Launched new Windows operating system ‘Windows 11’  Microsoft officially launched its new Windows operating system ‘Windows 11’. It is being called as the “next generation” of Windows. The release comes nearly six year after the current latest Windows Operating System ‘Windows 10’ was launched in July 2015. Windows 11 is special because it focuses on a new user interface, a new Windows Store, and improvements to performance, including a centre-aligned Taskbar and Start button.  One of the unique features of Windows 11 is that it will support Android apps via Amazon’s app store. It will work better in touch mode as well.  Windows 11 operating system (OS) will be available as a free upgrade for Windows 10 users in late 2021, as long as the user has a compatible PC that meets the requirements of Microsoft’s new operating system. JSCA, SAIL-BSL inks MoU for International Cricket Stadium in Bokaro The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SAIL Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), for the construction of an International Cricket Stadium in Bokaro city. Once the stadium is ready, Bokaro will become the third city in Jharkhand to have an International Cricket Stadium after Jamshedpur and Ranchi. DEFENCE NSA Doval commissioned Indian Coast Guard’s ship Sajag National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval has commissioned the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sajag, which has been constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited. INS Sandhayak decommissioned  First of its class indigenously designed and built Hydrographic Survey Ship, INS Sandhayak has been decommissioned.  The decommissioning ceremony of INS Sandhayak took place at the Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam.  It was constructed at GRSE Kolkata in 1978 and commissioned to the Indian Navy on 26 Feb 1981. Defence Ministry Signs Contract with Mahindra Telephonics for 11 Airport Surveillance Radars The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Mahindra Telephonics to procure 11 airport surveillance radars for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

Page | 63 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

India Clears ‘Landmark’ Rs 43,000 Crore Project to Build 6 High-tech Submarines  The Defence Ministry cleared a mega project to domestically build six conventional submarines for the Indian Navy at a cost of around Rs 43,000 crore, in a major decision aimed at significantly boosting India’s naval prowess in the face of China rapidly expanding its maritime capabilities.  The decisions to approve the naval submarine project named ‘P-75 India’ and the procurement of the military weapons and equipment were taken at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Indian Navy inducted three ALH MK III advanced light helicopters  The Indian Navy inducted three indigenously-built advanced light helicopters ALH MK-III in their fleet. It will be used for maritime reconnaissance and coastal security.  These helicopters are built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at the Indian Naval Station (INS) Dega in Visakhapatnam. Indian Navy will receive three MH-60 'Romeo' Multi-Role Helicopters.  Indian Navy will receive three MH-60 Romeo helicopters from the United States.  In 2020, India and the United States had signed a deal of 16,000 crores to buy 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters.  MH-60 Romeo helicopters are equipped with multi-mode radars and night-vision devices. These helicopters can operate from frigates, destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers. 31st edition of Indo-Thai CORPAT is being conducted between Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy.  31st edition of the India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) conducted between Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy.  Under Indian Government’s SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) vision, Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with the countries in the Indian Ocean Region to enhance regional maritime security. Defence Minister approves budgetary support of 499 crores for innovations in defence sector.  Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has approved the budgetary support of Rs 498.8 crore to Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) - Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) for the next five years.  The fund will be used to provide financial support to around 300 start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and individual innovators.  The budgetary support will help in achieving the self-reliance in defence & aerospace sector. It will support the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’. National Security Guard (NSG) signed a MoU with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) for cooperation.  The National Security Guard (NSG) signed an MoU with the Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) to strengthen its core competencies.  The main objective of this MoU is to provide assistance to Indian startups engaged in developing technology for security.  The MoU will help in sharing the expertise of NSG & RRU in the field of security through the ‘Security and Scientific-Technical Research Association’ (SASTRA) and the RISE platform. Russian Navy Building First Fully Stealth Warship  Russia is building the first naval ship that will be fully equipped with stealth technology to make it hard to detect.  The hull of the Mercury naval corvette dubbed project 20386 has already been built and the vessel is expected to be delivered to the navy next year. Indian Navy and European Naval Force conducting joint exercise in the Gulf of Aden  The Indian Navy is participating in a joint exercise with the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) in the Gulf of Aden.  Indian Naval Ship Trikand, currently deployed for anti-piracy operations, is participating in this naval exercise.  The other countries participating in the exercise are: Italy, Spain, and France. Rajnath Singh inaugurates BRO’s two Centres for Excellence Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh dedicated to the nation two Centres of Excellence established by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at Seema Sad ak Bhawan in New Delhi. These Centres have been established to achieve excellence in road safety as well as foster growth in the construction of roads, bridges, airfields and tunnels. INS Trikand, mission deployed for Anti-Piracy Operations participating in maiden IN – EUNAVFOR Joint Naval Exercise in Gulf of Aden  Indian Naval Ship Trikand, a mission deployed for Anti-Piracy Operations, is participating in the maiden IN – EUNAVFOR Joint Naval Exercise in the Gulf of Aden.

64 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

 A total of five warships from four navies are participating in the two day exercise. Other warships include Italian Navy Ship ITS Carabiniere, Spanish Navy Ship ESPS Navarra, and two French Navy Ships FS Tonnerre and FS Surcouf.  The two-day exercise will see high tempo-naval operations at sea, including advanced air defence and anti- submarine exercises, cross deck helicopter operations, tactical manoeuvres, boarding operations, underway replenishment, Search and Rescue DRDO Successfully Test Fires Enhanced Pinaka Rocket Off Odisha Coast  The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test -fired an extended-range version of the indigenously developed Pinaka rocket. The rockets were launched from a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. The enhanced range version of the Pinaka Rocket System can destroy targets at distances up to 45 km.  The Pinaka Rocket system has been developed jointly by Pune based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) with manufacturing support from M/s Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur. INS Tabar deployed for naval exercises in Africa, Europe till September.  Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tabar has been deployed for naval exercises in Africa, Europe till September.  The ship will cross the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, and Baltic Sea.  INS Tabar will participate in many bilateral exercises like Ex Konkan with UK Royal Navy, Ex Varuna with French Navy, and Ex Indra with Russian Federation Navy.  It will also participate in Russian Navy Day celebrations from July 22 to 27. DRDO successfully flight-tests ‘Agni P’ Ballistic Missile off Odisha Coast  The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested a New Generation Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile “Agni P (Prime)” from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha, Balasore. As per Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials, Agni-Prime is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.  Agni P (Prime) is a new-generation advanced variant from the Agni class of missiles. It is a canisterised surface-to-surface ballistic missile having a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km. Indian naval ships and US NAVY participating in Passage Exercise.  Indian Navy ships, aircraft of Air Force and US Navy are participating in Passage Exercise in the Indian Ocean region.  The two-day naval exercise is scheduled to be organized from 23-24 June.  Indian Naval Ships Kochi and Teg along with P8I and MiG 29K aircraft are participating in this Naval exercise.  From the US Navy side, US Navy Carrier Strike Group is participating in this exercise. India launched trilateral partnership for Indo-Pacific stability. India launched a trilateral partnership with Italy and Japan for the security, stability, and prosperity of the Indo- Pacific Region. It has been launched in a virtual meeting of representatives of these three countries. It has been launched to establish stability and a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region. Enhanced Range 122mm Caliber Rocket successfully test fired by DRDO.  Enhanced range versions of indigenously developed 122mm Caliber Rocket were successfully test fired by DRDO on June 25, 2021.  Four enhanced range versions of 122mm rockets were successfully test fired at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.  These rockets have been developed for Army applications and can destroy targets up to 40 km. They would replace the existing 122mm Grad rockets.  Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) have developed the rockets with manufacturing support from M/s Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur. INDEX AND RANKING Centre for World University Rankings 2021-22 announced  Harvard University has topped the ranking globally followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, , and Oxford University respectively.  As many as 68 Indian institutes have made it to the list of the top 2000 higher education institutes across the world, as per the Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR) 2021-22. The Indian pack is led by the

Page | 65 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

IIM-Ahmedabad which has bagged 415th rank followed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at 459th rank. Third edition of the SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020–21 released  Recently, the third edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index and Dashboard 2020– 21 was released by NITI Aayog.  The NITI Aayog launched its index in 2018 to monitor the country’s progress on the goals through data- driven assessment, and foster a competitive spirit among the States and Union Territories in achieving them.The SDG India Index 2020–21 is developed in collaboration with the United Nations in India.  These scores range between 0–100, and if a State/UT achieves a score of 100, it signifies it has achieved the 2030 targets.  States and Union Territories are classified in four categories based on their SDG India Index score: Aspirant (0–49), Performer (50–64), Front-Runner (65–99), Achiever (100).  Kerala has retained the top rank in Niti Aayog’s SDG India Index 2020-21 with a score of 75, while Bihar has been adjudged as the worst performer, according to a report released by Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar. The country’s overall SDG score improved by 6 points — from 60 in 2019 to 66 in 2020-21.  Further, Chandigarh maintained its top spot among the union territories (UTs) with a score of 79.  Under the health sector goals, Gujarat and Delhi were the top performers among the states and the UTs, respectively.Under the goal of quality education, Kerala and Chandigarh were the top performers among the states and UTs, respectively.  Under the goal of reduced inequalities, Meghalaya and Chandigarh (Achiever, with Index score of 100) emerged as the best performers among the states and UTs. Under the goal of no poverty, Tamil Nadu and Delhi were the best performers among the states and UTs, respectively. India slips two spots on achieving Sustainable Development Goals  India's rank slipped to 117th on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Last year, India was on the 115th spot.The overall SDG score of India is 61.9 out of 100.  India’s rank dropped due to poor performance in ending hunger and achieving food security, achieving gender equality, and building resilient infrastructure.In South Asian Countries, India’s rank is below than Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.  Among Indian states, Jharkhand and Bihar are least prepared to achieve the goal of SDG by 2030.  According to India's Environment Report 2021, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh have the best overall SDG score.  India got 168th rank in Environmental Performance Index (EPI). It is an indicator how countries are protecting their citizens from environmental health risks. Three Indian Universities achieved positions in top-200 in QS World University Rankings 2022  In June, QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) has released 18th edition of World University Rankings.Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) achieved the first rank for 10th consecutive year in QS World University Rankings. University of Oxford achieved 2nd rank.  Stanford University and the University of Cambridge both achieved third position.  Three Indian Universities have achieved positions in top-200 in QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings 2022. IIT Bombay has secured 177th position and IIT Delhi has secured 185th rank.  IISc Bengaluru has secured 186th position in university rankings. It is ranked number 1 in the world for research.  QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings are released annually by Quacquarelli Symonds. It was earlier known as Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings. Grading index in school Education: Punjab tops performance Punjab, which has improved its showing from the 13th position it attained in 2018-19, topped the charts this time among all the states and union territories with a score of 929 out of 1,000, followed by Chandigarh (912) and Tamil Nadu (906).

Rhea Chakraborty has bagged the number 1 spot in ‘Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2020’ Rhea Chakraborty has bagged the number 1 spot on Times Most Desirable Women 2020 list. She was in the news for most of last year due to the sudden demise of Sushant Singh Rajput and the controversy around his death. Anemia Mukt Bharat Index : Himachal in third spot Himachal Pradesh has climbed to the third spot in the Anemia Mukt Bharat Index 2020-21 national ranking with a score of 57.1.Madhya Pradesh is in the first position with a score of 64.1 followed by Odisha with a score of 59.3.

66 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

THE Asia University Rankings 2021 released  In the latest Times Higher Education Asia university rankings 2021, three Indian universities secured positions in the top 100 list.  IISc Bangalore, IIT Ropar and IIT Indore have secured ranks among the top 100 universities in Asia. Like last year, not a single Indian varsity made it to the elite top 10. IISc Bangalore ranked at 37th position. IIT Ropar is placed at 55th rank and IIT Indore at 78th rank among the top 100 universities.  Tsinghua University, China has gained the first position in the Asia university rankings 2021. The second place is also secured by China’s Peking University. The third and fifth ranks have been secured by Singapore varsities. Whereas, University of Hong Kong is at fourth rank. India got 67th rank in Coursera's Global Skills Report 2021.  India has been ranked at the 67th position in Coursera's Global Skills Report 2021.  In Asia, India is ahead of 16 countries. India is ahead of the Philippines and Thailand but behind Singapore and Japan.  India got 55th rank in business and 66th rank in technology and data science.  Switzerland has topped in Coursera's Global Skills Report 2021, it is followed by Luxemburg and Austria. India has been placed on 14th position in World Giving Index 2021.  According to the World Giving Index 2021 report, India is the 14th most charitable country in the world. Last year, India’s rank was 82nd among 128 countries.  Indonesia has topped the World Giving Index 2021.  According to this report, 61% of Indians helped strangers; 34% volunteered; and 36% donated money. India Slips 12 Spots To 55th Position In Global Home Price Index  India has moved down 12 places in the global home price index in Q1 of 2021 to 55th position from 43rd rank during the same quarter last year, shows the latest report by global property consultancy Knight Frank.  Turkey remains at the top with a 32 per cent rise in prices during January-March 2021 compared to the first quarter of the 2020 calendar year. India Maintains 43rd Rank On IMD’s World Competitiveness Index 2021  India held the 43rd rank on the Institute for Management Development (IMD)’s annual World Competitiveness Index 2021.  Switzerland led the 64-nation list, followed by Sweden (moved up to the second position from sixth in 2020), Denmark, the Netherlands and Singapore. Turkey first & India ranked Second in share of central bank surplus transfers  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was second in terms of reserves transferred to the government as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) for the fiscal year 2020-21. Turkey has been ranked first.  RBI has transferred Rs 99,122-crore surplus to the government for FY21 which is 73% higher than the Rs 57,128 crore paid out in 2019-20. The surplus transferred by RBI constitutes 0.44% of GDP, while that of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey constitutes 0.5% of GDP. 15th edition of Global Peace Index 2021 released  The 15th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) announced by Institute for and Peace (IEP) Sydney.  Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008.  Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Iraq.  South Asia:  India has moved up two notches from its previous year’s ranking to become the 135th most peaceful country in the world and the 5th in the region.  Bhutan and Nepal are named as the first and second most peaceful in this region.  Bangladesh has been ranked 91th out of 163 countries in Global Peace Index for 2021. According to the list, Bangladesh is the 3rd most peaceful in South Asia. Ease of Living Index 2020: Bengaluru ‘most liveable’ city of India  Bengaluru has been named as the most liveable city of India, in the Ease of Living Index 2020, released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The Ease of Living Index 2020 is part of the report titled State of India’s Environment 2021. Bengaluru is followed by Chennai, Shimla, Bhubaneshwar, and Mumbai, as the top five best cities respectively.  The Ease of Living Index 2020 is the second edition of the index after the first one was launched in 2018. Jamsetji Tata tops inaugural Philanthropists of the  Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, Indian pioneer industrialist and founder of the Tata Group, has topped the inaugural, EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century list, which ranks the world’s 50 most generous individuals in the last century. As per the report, the total donations made by Mumbai-based Jamsetji Tata

Page | 67 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

is estimated at US$102.4 billion. He is the only Indian among the top 10 list, compiled by Hurun Research and EdelGive Foundation.  The only other Indian in the list of 50 global philanthropists is Azim , former chairman of Wipro. He is ranked at 12th position. Bill Gates & ranked second with donations worth $74.6 billion. Bengaluru ranked as one of the Top 5 technology centers in Asia Pacific  Bengaluru has emerged as the top five technology centres in the APAC region while Hyderabad is ranked in the Top 10 list, a report by Colliers titled ‘Growth Engines of Innovation: How Asia Pacific Technology Hubs are Reshaping Regional Real Estate’.  Beijing, Shanghai, Bengaluru, Shenzhen and Singapore currently rank as the top five technology centres in APAC. Ashgabat most expensive city for foreign workers in the world  Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan in Central Asia, has been named the world’s most expensive city for foreign workers. The city topped the list in a 2021 cost-of-living survey by consultancy firm Mercer. Hong Kong was on the second position, followed by Beirut in Lebanon and Tokyo in Japan.  Mumbai remains India’s most expensive city at 78th rank. India has been ranked 31st in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021.  India has been ranked 31 out of 46 countries in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021. According to this report, only 38 percent of Indians have trust in news.  Finland has topped the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021. In Finland, 65% of peoples have trust in the news. The United States is on the last position of this Index.  India has been included for the first time in this Digital News Report. Around 73% of Indians use smartphones to access news.  82% of Indians access news online through social media, WhatsApp and other online platforms.  It has been published by the Reuters Institute for Study of Journalism (RISJ). BOOK AND AUTHOR Book Author “Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020” Salman Rushdie ‘Stargazing: The Players in My Life’ Ravi Shahtri “Savarkar: A contested Legacy (1924-1966)” Sampath “All You Need is Josh: Inspiring Stories of Courage and Conviction in Supriya Paul 21st Century India” ‘1232 km: The Long Journey Home’ Vinod Kapri Skill It, Kill It Ronnie Screwvala ‘Home in the World’ Book by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen “Tiananmen Square: The Making of a – A Diplomat Looks Vijay Gokhale Back” ‘Believe – What Life and Cricket Taught Me’ Cricketer Suresh Raina 'The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis Amitav Ghosh ‘Beyond Here and Other Poems’ Bishnupada Sethi ‘The 7 Sins of Being A Mother’ Tahira Kashyap Khurrana ‘Habba Khatoon’ Kajal Suri ‘Will’ autobiography of Actor Will Smith “My Joys and Sorrows – as a Mother of a Special Child” Krishna Saksena It’s a wonderful Life’ "Anomalies in Law and Justice" R V Raveendran “Fiercely Female: The Dutee Chand Story” Sundeep Mishra “Kashmiri Century: Portrait of a Society in Flux” Khemlata Wakhlu “Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, DC” Kaushik Basu Kiren Rijiju releases E-Book on 20 Medicinal Plants for Covid-19 Care.  Minister of State for Ayush, Kiren Rijiju, released the e-book on 20 Medicinal Plants for Covid-19 Care.  The “20 Medicinal Plants for 2021 for Covid-19 care” e-book has been prepared by the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB).

68 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 DAY & DAYS June 1 World Milk Day June 1 Global Day of Parents June 3 World Bicycle Day June 4 International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression June 5 World Environment Day The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is ‘Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.’ as this year marks the beginning of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Pakistan is the global host for the day to highlight the importance of ecosystem restoration this year. June 6 UN Russian Language Day June 6 World Pest Day June 7 World Food Safety Day Theme:- “Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow”. June 8 World Oceans Day  The idea of World Oceans Day was first proposed at the Earth Summit in 1992.  The theme for World Oceans Day 2021 is 'The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods' June 8 World Brain Tumour Day June 9 World Accreditation Day World Accreditation Day (WAD) is celebrated every year on 9 June to promote the role of accreditation in trade & the economy. The theme for WAD 2021 is “Accreditation: Supporting the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. June 10 International Level Crossing International Level Crossing Awareness Day was observed by “South- Awareness Day observed Central Railway (SCR)” June June 12 World Day Against Child Tjeem:- Act now: End child labour!. Labour 2021 June 13 International Albinism Theem:- 'Strength Beyond All Odds' Awareness Day June 14 World Blood Donor Day  The day marks the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner who discovered and classified the ABO blood groups.  This year the theme of this day is – “Give blood and keep world beating”. The theme highlights the importance of blood donation.  Italy is the host for World Blood Donor Day 2021. June 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day June 15 Global Wind Day  Global Wind Day is organized by WindEurope and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).  According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), wind energy is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources in the world.  India will install 20GW of wind capacity over 2021-25. At present, India has a total installed wind power capacity of 38.789 GW. June 15 ASEAN Dengue Day Theme:- ” ASEAN Unite Against Dengue Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic”. June 16 International Day of Family Remittances June 16 International Day of Family Remittances June 17 World Day to Combat Theme:- “Restoration. Land. Recovery. We build back better with Desertification and Drought healthy land” June 17 World Crocodile Day

Page | 69 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

June 18 Sustainable Gastronomy Day June 18 Autistic Pride Day 2021 June 18 Sustainable Gastronomy Day June 19 World Sauntering Day Theme is “The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk” June 19 World Sickle Cell  Sickle Cell Disease is a group of inherited blood cell disorders. It Awareness Day affects a person’s red blood cells. It makes blood cells stiff and sickle-shaped.  The disease is prevalent among tribal communities. The National Health Mission established its first sickle cell institute in Sambalpur district, Odisha. June 19 National Reading Day  The Day is celebrated to honour the father of the ‘Library Movement in Kerala’, the late P.N. Panicker, whose death anniversary falls on June 19.  The week following June 19 will be observed as Reading Week and the entire month till July 18 will be observed as Reading Month. June 19 International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict June 20 World Refugee Day Theme:- 'Together we heal, learn and shine' June 21 International Day of Yoga  International Day of Yoga is celebrated every year on 21st June since 2015.  The theme for this year’s yoga day is “Yoga for Wellbeing”. June 21 International Day of the Solstice is that the point at which the Sun is at its greatest distance Celebration of the Solstice from the world and equinox is when space is that the lowest. June 21 World Music Day June 23 International Olympic Day Theme:- “Stay healthy, stay strong, stay active with the #OlympicDay workout on 23 June.” June 23 United Nations Public Service Day June 25 World Vitiligo Day Vitiligo is a skin disorder leading to loss of colour in the skin creating a variety of patterns on the skin from loss of pigment. June 25 Day of the Seafarer  The International Maritime Organization (IMO) celebrates the annual Day of the Seafarer (DoS) on June 25 each year to pay respect to Seafarers and sailors who help the entire world function by conducting sea transport.  The theme of the 2021 campaign is “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future”. June 26 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2021 June 26 International Day Against Theme:- “Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives”. Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking June 27 Micro-, Small and Medium- Thme:- “MSME 2021: key to an inclusive and sustainable recovery sized Enterprises Day June 29 National Statistics day 2021 The government of India is celebrated National Statistics day on 29th June on the birth anniversary of Prof. P C Mahalanobis. June 29 International Day of the Tropics June 30 International Day of Parliamentarism June 30 International Asteroid Day

70 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 OBITUARY Legendary sprinter Milkha Singh passes away  Indian sprinter legend Milkha Singh passed at the age of 91 years due to COVID-19.  Captain Milkha Singh was the only athlete to win gold in 400 meters race at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.  He also won the gold medal in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games and represented India in 1956, 1960, and 1964 Summer Olympics.  He was conferred with the Padma Shri award for his contribution to the field of sports.  He is also known as Flying Sikh.  He is remembered for his race in the 400 meters final at the 1960 Olympic Games. T.M. Kaliannan T.M. Kalliannan Gounder, the last surviving former member of the Indian Constituent Assembly, died at the age of 101. He served as a Member of the Legislative Council in Tamil Nadu and also as an MLA thrice, between 1952 and 1967. He was reportedly the youngest member in the Constituent Assembly then and also a member of India’s first provisional parliament. Anerood Jugnauth Anerood Jugnauth, former Prime Minister of Mauritius, passed away.He served four consecutive terms as Prime Minister of Mauritius. He is longest-serving Prime Minister of Mauritius. Kalipatnam Ramarao Kalipatnam Ramarao, a Telugu story writer and poet, passed away. GN Rangarajan Tamil filmmaker GN Rangarajan passes away Lakshmi Nandan Bora Noted Assamese litterateur and Padma Shri awardee Lakshmi Nandan Bora passed away at a private hospital in Guwahati.World Brain Tumor Day 2021 Seher Aly Latif Casting director Seher Aly Latif, known for her work on films like The Lunchbox and Durgamati, died due to cardiac arrest. Dingko Singh Former Asian Games gold medalist boxer Ngangom Dingko Singh passed away Buddhadeb Dasgupta The National award-winning eminent Bengali film Director Buddhadeb Dasgupta has passed away. S.S. Mathur Olympian Surat Singh Mathur, the first from independent India to complete a marathon at the Olympics, passed away. Radhamohan Padma Shri winning noted Economist and Environmentalist, Prof Radhamohan Ji has passed away. Sanchari Vijay Veteran Kannada film actor Sanchari Vijay, who won the National award in 2015, has passed away. Nirmal Milkha Kaur The former Indian women volleyball team captain Nirmal Milkha Kaur, who is the wife of sprint legend Milkha Singh (Flying Sikh), has passed away due to COVID- 19 complications. Swami Vice-President of Ramakrishna Math and Mission Swami Shivamayanandaji died at Shivamayanandaji a city hospital night due to COVID-19. Siddalingaiah Karnataka’s noted Kannada Dalit poet and activist Siddalingaiah died due to Covid- related complications at a private hospital in the city. Guruprasad Mohapatra Secretary in the Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra died of Covid-19 related complications at AIIMS Mufti Faiz-ul-Waheed Renowned Jammu-based Islamic scholar Mufti Faiz-ul-Waheed, who first translated Quran into Gojri language, has passed away in a Jammu. Kenneth Kaunda First President of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda passed away Gottfried Bohm German architect Gottfried Böhm, designer of the brutalist Church of the Pilgrimage, has passed away aged 101. J.D. McAfee British-American Software pioneer, John David McAfee, the creator of the McAfee antivirus software, has passed away Sivan Mollywood’s veteran cinematographer and director, Sivan passed away recently.

Page | 71 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021 MISCELLANEOUS Blue-finned Mahseer moved out from endangered species category of IUCN red list.  The Blue-Finned Mahseer has now moved to the least concern category of the IUCN red list.  Earlier, it was on the endangered species category of the IUCN red list.  Tata power has created an artificial lake at Walvan Hatchery in Lonavala for the breeding of Mahseer.  However, the Golden Mahseer is still listed as endangered on IUCN Red List. IUCN Red List It is also known as Red Data Book. It was founded in 1964. US, Hong Kong climbers set new records for scaling Mount Everest  Climbers from the United States and Hong Kong have set new records as they scaled Mount Everest this week.  Arthur Muir, 75, became the oldest American to climb the world’s highest peak at 8,848.86-metres (29,031 feet).Muir beat the record set by Bill Burke, who became the oldest American to climb the mountain at the age of 67 in 2009.  Separately, Hong Kong’s Tsang Yin-Hung, 45, scaled the peak in less than 26 hours, the shortest time taken by any woman after starting from the base camp. She beat the record set by Nepali woman Phunjo Jhangmu Lama in 2017, who climbed Everest in 39 hours and six minutes. Himalayan monal is listed as the Least Concern species in the IUCN Red List.  Economist Intelligence Unit released Global Liveability Ranking 2021.  The Global Liveability Ranking is released by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) annually.  Auckland has topped the Global Liveability Ranking 2021. It has become the most liveable city in the world.  Damascus is the least liveable city in the World. Ten islands of Lakshadweep Islands might submerge in the next 30 years.  Ten islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago might submerge in the next 30 years.  According to a study, the extreme rise of seawater level in the last 15 years could be the main reason for the submersion of islands in the archipelago.  According to a study, there will be 70 percent to 80 percent land loss in eight of the ten islands by 2035. UNESCO: Great Barrier Reef should be listed in “in danger” category.  UNESCO recommended to add the Great Barrier Reef in “in danger” category of world heritage sites. Currently, 53 sites are listed in “in danger” category of world heritage sites.  The committee has downgraded the status of the Great Barrier Reef because of its coral decline. It said that the Australian government is not doing enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef.  Australia gets tourism revenue of four million dollars every year from the Great Barrier Reef.  UNESCO has also recommended to put seven world heritage sites on the list of endangered sites. A team of researchers discovers new species of skittering frog from surroundings of Thattekkad bird sanctuary  A team of researchers has discovered new species of skittering frog from the surroundings of Thattekkad bird sanctuary.  The species has been named ‘Euphlyctis Kerala’ in honour of the astonishing biodiversity of the state.  Thattekkad bird sanctuary was the first bird sanctuary in Kerala.

72 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Page | 73 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

74 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Page | 75 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

76 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Page | 77 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

78 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – 2021

Page | 79 Why Vanik Online VANIK SMART Online & Live Streaming Anytime Anywhere

BEST WAY TO JOIN LIVE/ONLINE LECTURES BY INDIA’S EXAM ORIENTED SYSTEMATIC LIVE ONLINE PREPARE ONLINE CLASSES BEST FACULTIES TEACHING SYLLABUS

@ vaniksmart.com ALL THINGS IN READ & PRACTICE COMPARE & IMPROVE DISCUSS WITH EXPERT LEARN ANYTIME SINGLE PLATFORM HANDOUTS THROUGH TEST FACULTIES For Online Test & Video Discussion visit : vanikonline.com For Bank (PO, Clerk), SSC, Railway (Tech & Non-Tech) IAS, OAS, OPSC & OSSC

Saheed Nagar CRP Acharya Vihar Cuttack Berhampur Sambalpur Balasore Rourkela Kolkata B-61, A & B, Saheed Nagar Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, Near Pani Tanki, Acharya Vihar, Near Yamaha Showroom, OSRTC Depo, Infornt of SBR Women’s Plot-266, Unit-7, Modipada Gadagadia Chowk Near NM +2 Science College Sealdah Big Bazar Complex, 6th Floor, Bhubaneswar CRP Square, Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar Link Road, Cuttack College, Near Khalikot College Sambalpur-768001 Near Sanjay Heights-756001 Koel Nagar-769014 Beliaghata Main Road, Kolkata 7205556677, 9040091102 8093556677, 9040456677 8093083565, 9937436677 8984556677, 9040656677 7992556677, 8018036677 7377556677 8093136677, 8093146677 8093083549, 8093083550 7449556677, 6293556677 NATIONAL HELPLINE : 8338050077

VANIK Publications is a unit of VANIK Group. We publish books for competitive examinations like Bank-PO/Clerk, Railway, SSC (Technical and Non-Technical), A.S.O & Civil Services (UPSC & OPSC) with latest updates which is highly supported by VANIK Team. The books are available at leading book stalls across India.

Corporate Office : 1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRPF Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Price : `60 Contact : 8093083561 | E-mail : [email protected] | Visit us at : www.vanikpublications.com