Current Affairs 01 July to 31 July 2017 NATIONAL Topic Page No. BSF and NSDC sign MoU on Skill Development 8 – 8 Supreme Court allows two broke firms to settle dispute 8 – 9 Gaming: a question of skill 9 - 10 Privacy is a fundamental but wholly qualified right: Centre 10 - 10 Cabinet clears minimum wage code bill 10 - 11 Transfer unclaimed accruals to fund: IRDA 11 – 11 The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016 12 - 12 The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2017 introduced in Lok Sabha 12 – 13 Rajnath Singh chairs meeting of Island Development Agency 13 – 13 Supreme Court to rethink on a few Lodha ‘reforms’ 13 – 14 Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2017 introduced in Lok Sabha 14 – 15 Govt considering new agency to keep check on chartered accountants 15 – 15 MPC members to get Rs. 1.5 lakh per meet, must disclose assets 16– 17 Government plans ‘I stand by my country’ campaign 17 – 17 Government mulls insurance cover for digital transaction frauds 17 – 18 Ram Nath Kovind elected as the 14th President of India 18 – 19 BharatNet deadline pushed to March 2019 19 – 19 Cabinet nod for IWAI bond issue 19 – 20 Private members’ Bill on mob violence 20 – 20 Ministry, NITI Aayog moot privatisation of select services in district hospitals 20 – 21 Supreme Court allows Centre to replace MCI oversight committee 21 – 21 Cabinet approves revision of Indian Community Welfare Fund guidelines 21 – 22 Centre seeks debate in SC on J&K special status 22 – 23 Govt. clears three export infra plans 23 – 24 Panel to study benefits of cow derivatives 24 – 24 MSDE celebrates Second Anniversary of Skill India Mission 24 – 25 Directorate set up under CBEC for data analytics and nabbing evaders 25 – 26 Centre to grant NIIF 20,000 cr. 26 – 26 1 Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020, Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in A-1, Chandra House, Top Floor, Opp. ICICI Bank, Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 Mahadayi Water Dispute- Goa open to out-of-tribunal settlement 26 – 27 Ministry of Railways launched various initiatives 27 – 28 CPWD reminded of challenges ahead as it turns 163 28 – 28 IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) in Varanasi 28 – 29 5 States, a UT sign pact with Centre on e-Marketplace 29 – 30 SC stays cattle sale rules across nation 30 – 30 IROAF wins Golden Peacock Award for Eco Innovation for the year 2017 30 – 31 Ministries of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation 31 – 31 Merged First Edition of WINGS 2017 31 – 32 SC stays Uttarakhand HC order on Ganga, Yamuna living entity status 32 – 32 RBI considering setting up a Public Credit Registry 32 – 33 INTERNATIONAL Topic Page No. BRICS nations sign Taxation Cooperation Memorandum 33 – 33 BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meet in China 33 – 34 NABARD takes first step to access Green Climate Fund 34 – 35 India’s Alternate Governor on the Board of Governors of the Asian 35 – 35 Development Bank (ADB) Sri Lanka clears revised deal for Hambantota port 36 – 36 India rejects OIC move on vigilantism 36 – 36 5th Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 36 – 37 India, Japan civil nuclear deal comes into force 37 – 37 IRDAI’s admission as a signatory to International Association of Insurance 37 – 38 Supervisors (IAIS) E-commerce to get bigger focus at RCEP talks 38 – 39 DGCA braces for ICAO safety audit 39 – 39 Cabinet approves MOC in respect of tax matters between India and BRICS 40 – 40 countries EU, India set up fund for investments 40 – 41 US House passes Bill for strengthening defence ties with India 41 – 41 India ranks 116 out of 157 nations on SDG index 42 – 42 DIPP to set up India’s first TISC in Punjab 42 – 43 2 Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020, Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in A-1, Chandra House, Top Floor, Opp. ICICI Bank, Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 India Give Additional $1 Million To United Nations Partnership Fund 43 – 44 Cabinet approves SASEC Road Connectivity Investment Program 44 – 44 Union Cabinet approves JIN pact between India and Bangladesh 44 – 45 U.S. may tighten rules for foreign students 45 – 45 India to join new global foreign exchange committee 46 – 46 Sri Lanka bans bottom-trawling 46 – 46 New sites get UNESCO heritage tag 47 – 47 122 countries adopt global treaty banning nuclear weapons 47 – 48 G-20 leaders adopt Hamburg Action Plan 48 – 48 Modi presents 10 point action agenda to counter terrorism at G20 summit 48 – 49 Vietnam renews Indian Oil Deal 49 – 50 UNESCO puts Hebron on endangered heritage list, outraging Israel 50 – 50 Why Bhutan is special to India 50 – 51 STATES Topic Page No. Mekedatu: Karnataka replies to CWC 51 – 51 Bengaluru Declaration calls for SC/ST quota in judiciary 52 – 52 200th anniversary celebrations of the Paika Rebellion 52 – 53 Committee formed to study legalities for separate State flag 53 – 53 In Telangana, a unique irrigation project 53 – 54 SOCIAL Topic Page No. Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2 54 – 54 Ministry of WCD seeks suggestions issues related to civil aspects of 54 – 55 “International Child removal” Guidelines for Planning and Implementation of Family Participatory Care 56 – 56 SC for panels to examine dowry cases 56 – 57 Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles Installed in Bengaluru under FAME 57 – 58 India scheme Cabinet approves revision of guidelines of Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme 58 – 58 3 Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020, Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in A-1, Chandra House, Top Floor, Opp. ICICI Bank, Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 A policy on the Prevention and Control of haemoglobinopathies in India 58 – 59 Amendments to Legal Metrology 59 – 60 GoM approves draft National Medical Commission bill 60 – 61 Evaluation of efficacy of Nai Roshni Scheme 61 – 61 FSSAI bans stapler pins in tea bags from January 2018 61 – 62 Sexual Harassment electronic-Box (SHe-Box) 62 – 62 Lok Sabha passes The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education 62 – 63 (Amendment) Bill, 2017 India performs miserably in war on inequality 63 – 64 Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana 64 – 64 Draft Guidelines for implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana 64 – 65 Yojana Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana 65 - 65 Release of GM mustard faces another hurdle 66 – 66 Govt to push e-education with 4 digital initiatives 66 – 67 New drugs needed against hard-to-treat gonorrhoea: UN 67 – 67 SOCIAL ECONOMY Topic Page No. NPCI receives final nod from RBI to function as Bharat Bill Payment Central 68 – 68 Unit Niti Aayog clears six proposals for high-tech public transport 68 – 69 Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting in Geneva adopts three Codex 69 – 70 standards for spices 223 anti-dumping probes initiated by India since January 2012 70 – 70 Finance Minister releases National Trade Facilitation Action Plan 70 – 71 IBBI notifies rules for bankruptcy probe 71 – 72 Bitcoin trade may come under SEBI 72 – 73 First Maize Based Mega Food Park in Kapurthala, Punjab 73 – 73 SEBI to move against non-compliant firms 73 – 74 Centre eases pre-merger filing norms 74 – 74 Integration of oil & gas majors is best avoided 74 – 75 4 Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020, Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in A-1, Chandra House, Top Floor, Opp. ICICI Bank, Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 DEFENCE Topic Page No. India’s first unmanned tank Muntra 75 – 75 First Two patrol vessels for Navy launched by private shipyard 75 – 76 Government empowers Army to procure weaponry for short intense wars 76 – 76 2017 Malabar Exercise 76 – 77 NSG organises first International Aviation Security seminar 77 – 77 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Topic Page No. Breakthrough Initiatives – The World’s Smallest Satellite Is Launched 77 – 78 Flexible bio-glue for wound healing developed 78 – 78 Scientists develop ‘Gelator’ to easily recover marine oil spills 78 – 79 India among top nations with potential for digital payments’: Digital 79 – 79 Evolution Index China produces gas from ‘flammable ice’ under South China Sea 79 – 80 New AI system can create 3D models from photos 80 – 81 Scientists to chase solar eclipse using NASA’s research jets 81 – 81 Human antibodies produced in lab for first time 82 – 82 Castor oil can reduce soil pollution 82 – 82 ASTROSAT, Chandra and Hubble jointly detect massive cosmic explosion on 83 – 83 Proxima Centauri IISER Kolkata develops fire-retardant, rust-resistant material 84 – 84 Govt launches low-cost indigenously developed hearing screening device for 84 – 85 newborns A smart glove that can translate sign language 85 – 85 Super-flexible and strong artificial silk developed 85 – 86 Scientists encode movie clip in the DNA of living cells 86 – 86 Indian Scientists Discover ‘Saraswati’ — a Supercluster of Galaxies 87 – 87 Electrified Droplets Create Mini Saturn Planets 87 – 87 Scheme for IPR Awareness – Creative India; Innovative India 87 – 88 Sharpest laser can help test Einstein’s theory 88 – 88 5 Call: 8899999931/34, 7065202020, Email: [email protected], Visit: www.eliteias.in A-1, Chandra House, Top Floor, Opp. ICICI Bank, Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 ENVIRONMENT Topic Page No. Government launches ‘India Quake’ & ‘Sagar Vani’ 89 – 89 Delhi Metro first to become 100% ‘green’ 90 – 90 NGT directs Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh to submit guidelines on forest 90 – 91 fire Environment Ministry Approves Projects for Climate Change Adaptation in 91 – 91 Three States Underwater ‘ghost nets’ posing threat to marine ecosystem off Kerala 92 – 92 World’s northernmost coral reef bleached 92 – 92 Geologists strike seabed ‘treasure’ in Indian waters 93 – 93 Eco-bridges for the movement of tigers 93 – 94 Safe haven for endangered Egyptian vultures 94 – 94 Green tribunal declares area near Ganga as ‘No-Development Zone’ 94 – 95 Massive iceberg breaks off from Antarctica ice shelf 95 - 96 NGT imposes complete ban on nylon and synthetic manja 96 – 96 Sensor network to map and predict pollution, effluents in Godavari 97 – 97 Earth facing sixth mass extinction: study 97 – 98 Sunderbans steadily losing its famed mangroves 98 – 99 Nine more bird, biodiversity areas in Kerala 99 – 100 ART & CULTURE Topic Page No.