Weekly Dose of Current Affairs : First Week of July 2021

National Current Affairs

• The Union Cabinet approved a viability gap funding support of up to Rs. 19,041 crore for the implementation of the BharatNet project through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in 16 States.
  • The project will be extended to all inhabited villages beyond the gram panchayats in 16 States — Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Extension of BharatNet to all inhabited villages will enable better access to e-services offered by various governments, enable online education, telemedicine, skill development, e-commerce and other applications of broadband, it would help bridge the digital divide.
• India and majority members of OECD and G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion & Profit Shifting adopted a high-level statement that outlines a consensus solution in a bid to address tax challenges that are arising from digitalisation of economy.
  • This proposed solution comprises of two components:
    • First pillar is about reallocation of additional profit share to market jurisdictions and
    • Second pillar comprises of minimum tax and subject to tax rules.
  • However, some significant issues like share of profit allocation and scope of subject to tax rules are open and need to be addressed.
  • Technical details of proposal will be worked out soon and a consensus agreement will come by October 2021.
  • A total of 130 countries agreed to an overhaul of global tax norms to ensure multinationals pay taxes wherever they operate and at a minimum 15% rate.
• Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech India Ltd (BBIL) has published the results of the Phase-3 trial of Covaxin :
  • The vaccine had an overall efficacy of 77.8% against symptomatic COVID-19.
  • This is higher than the overall 70.4% efficacy reported from the Phase-3 trial results of the AstraZeneca (Covishield) vaccine published in Lancet.
• The Jammu and Kashmir administration has banned the sale, use and possession of unmanned aerial vehicles in Srinagar.
  • UAVs are banned after two Indian Air Force personnel were injured in a drone attack on the Air Force Station in Jammu.
• Literacy, numeracy mission (NIPUN Bharat Mission) deadline pushed to 2027.
  • Although the National Education Policy had included a 2025 deadline to achieve the goal, the Centre has pushed back the target date to 2026-27, given that COVID-19 has already disrupted two academic years.
  • The vision of NIPUN Bharat Mission is to create an enabling environment to ensure universal acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy, so that every child achieves the desired learning competencies in reading, writing and numeracy by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27.
  • Money is being allocated from the flagship Samagra Shiksha scheme.
• Shri Nitin Gadkari Becomes “Brand Ambassador” of Khadi Prakritk Paint.
  • India’s first and only paint made from cow dung.
  • Khadi Prakritik Paint was launched by Shri Gadkari on 12th January 2021.
  • The Paint has been launched with the twin objectives of increasing farmers’ income and creating self-employment across the country.
  • To enable maximum people to benefit from this innovation, KVIC has included this project under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), a flagship scheme of the Central government for employment generation.
  • Available in two variants- Distemper and Emulsion, Khadi Prakritik Paint contains “AshtaLaabh”; i.e. the eight benefits like anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and natural thermal insulation properties.
  • This paint is eco-friendly, non-toxic, odorless and cost-effective.
• In a historic move, a separate ‘Ministry of Co-operation’ has been created by the Modi Government for realizing the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’.
  • This ministry will provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country.
  • It will help deepen Co-operatives as a true people based movement reaching upto the grassroots.
  • In our country, a Co-operative based economic development model is very relevant where each member works with a spirit of responsibility. 
  • The Ministry will work to streamline processes for ‘Ease of doing business’ for co-operatives and enable development of Multi-State Co-operatives (MSCS). 
  • Creation of a separate Ministry for Co-operation also fulfils the budget announcement made by the Finance Minister.

State Current Affairs

• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched the students credit card scheme where an education loan up to Rs. 10 lakh will be made available for higher studies in India and abroad.
  • It is a unique scheme where loans up to Rs. 10 lakh can be disbursed.
  • The State government will be the guarantor.
  • All course fee, tuition and hostel fee, expenses for books and laptops will be covered.
  • The period of repayment will be 15 years and persons till the age of 40 years can avail themselves of the benefits of the scheme.
  • All government and private cooperatives will give this loan.
  • The parents no longer have to worry about their children’s education.
  • Other prevailing schemes of West Bengal governments are : Kanyashree, Shikhashree, mid-day meal, free uniforms and books.
• Indian Railways’ first movable freshwater tunnel aquarium opened at Bengaluru Railway Station.
  • The aquarium is a one-of-its-kind aquatic park based on the Amazon River concept
  • Two-time MLA from Khatima in Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of the State.
  • As many as 194 crocodiles have been relocated from a lake near the Statue of Unity in Narmada district, Gujarat.
  • The Panchmuli lake, situated near the 182-metre tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Kevadia, a major tourist attraction, had a large number of crocodiles that posed a threat to visitors.
• The ministry of environment, forest and climate change approved the conversion of the Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary in Rajasthan’s Bundi district into the fourth tiger reserve in the state.
  • The other three tiger reserves are : Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur, Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar, and Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota — in the state.
  • With the addition of Ramgarh Vishdhari, India now has 52 tiger reserves.
• The Delimitation Commission chaired by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (retd) decided to visit Jammu and Kashmir from July 6 to 9.
  • To gather first-hand information and input concerning the ongoing process of delimitation of Assembly seats.
  • The Commission which, includes the Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and J&K Election Commissioner K.K. Sharma, decided to visit the Union Territory and interact with political parties, public representatives and administration officials.

International

• The Pakistan Army has formally inducted the first batch of the China-made VT-4 battle tanks into its armoury.
  • Pakistan is the third country to have bought these tanks from China after Thailand and Nigeria.
• After nearly 20 years, the U.S. military left Bagram Airfield, the epicentre of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaeda perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) declaring that China was “malaria-free” followed a seven decade-long, multi-pronged health strategy that was able to entirely eliminate indigenous cases for four straight years.
  • The WHO said China is the first country in the Western Pacific region to be declared malaria-free in more than 30 years, following Australia in 1981, Singapore in 1982 and Brunei in 1987.
• Chinese astronauts successfully performed the country’s first tandem spacewalk on the outside of the new Tiangong station in orbit around the Earth.
  • Tiangong’s construction is a major step in China’s ambitious space programme, which has seen the nation land a rover on Mars and send probes to the Moon.

Business

• PMI survey shows manufacturing shrank in June
  • India’s manufacturing industry slid back to a decline in June, as per the IHS Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which fell to 48.1 in June from 50.8 in May, marking the first time since July 2020 that the index fell below the no-change mark of 50.
  • Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) above 50 shows expansion and below 50 shows contraction of the economy.
• Goods exports touch record $95 bn in Q1 of 2021-22.
• Forex reserves surge by $5 bn to $609 billion:
  • India’s foreign exchange reserves surged by $5.06 billion to touch a record high of $608.99 billion in the week ended June 25, 2021, RBI data showed.
  • Foreign currency assets (FCA) rose by $4.7 billion to $566.24 billion. Gold reserves rose by $365 million to $36.296 billion. The special drawing rights with the IMF remained unchanged at $1.49 billion.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday announced the inclusion of retail and wholesale trade under MSMEs as per which they will also now get the benefit of priority sector lending under RBI guidelines.
• India’s services sector shrank the most last month since July 2020, with the survey-based IHS Markit Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for services at 41.2, reflecting a second successive monthly contraction in new business and increased job shedding by firms.
  • The sharp contraction in the June Services PMI, followed May’s 46.4.
  • A reading above 50 denotes expansion and one below it signifies a contraction in business activity.
  • June’s manufacturing PMI had earlier slid to 48.4, and with services activity also retreating, the Composite PMI Output Index declined from 48.1 in May to 43.1 in June, again registering the sharpest contraction since July 2020.
• The Reserve Bank on Monday said that the first purchase of government securities for an aggregate amount of Rs. 20,000 crore under the G-sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP 2.0) for current fiscal.
  • On June 4, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had announced that the central bank will conduct open market purchase of government securities of Rs. 1.2 lakh crore under the G-SAP 2.0 in Q2 of FY22 to support the market.

Health

• Drugmaker Laurus Labs has received licence from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to manufacture and market 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2DG), an oral drug indicated as an adjunct therapy for hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
• Black carbon linked to premature mortality
  • The Indo-Gangetic plain has a high burden of black carbon with serious implications for regional climate and human health. Several cities in this belt routinely find themselves at the top of the list of the most polluted cities in India as well as the world.
  • Black carbon results from incomplete burning of fossil fuel and studies have previously linked it to global warming.
  • It’s a relatively short-lived pollutant in the atmosphere but influences cloud formation and atmospheric heat absorption processes.
  • Importantly, the health effects in terms of mortality due to BC aerosol exposure have never been evaluated in India. This is the first time we get to know the health effects due to BC.
  • A 10-point increase in air pollution from black carbon led to an average 5% increase in mortality whereas a similar rise in PM 2.5 led to an average 1% increase in mortality. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) where both associated with a 2.3% and 1.3% increase in mortality
• Zydus Cadila, the Ahmedabad-headquartered pharmaceutical company, has approached India’s top drug regulator for restricted emergency approval for ZyCov-D, its three-dose Covid-19 vaccine.
  • If approved for use, this would be the world’s first DNA vaccine against Covid-19.

Person in NEWS

• Abhimanyu Mishra, the US player of Indian origin has become the youngest GM in history, at 12 years, four months and 25 days.
  • He beat the record of Sergey Karjakin, who had completed his GM title in 2002 at 12 years and seven months.
• Dutee Chand has qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in both 100m and 200m through the World Rankings quota on Wednesday.
  • Dutee’s overall position of world No. 44 in 100m and world No. 51 in 200m .
• Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff.
• Sanjeev Kumar Sharma assumed office as Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Strategy).
• Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American Shalina D. Kumar as federal judge.
• T. Mariyappan, who will defend the men’s high jump (T-42) gold at the Tokyo Paralympic Games will be the flagbearer of the Indian team.
• Maana Patel has become the first female and only the third swimmer from India to qualify Tokyo Olympics 2021 ticket.
• India captain Mithali Raj became the highest run-getter in women’s cricket across formats, surpassing former England skipper Charlotte Edwards.
• Boxer M.C. Mary Kom and men’s hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh will be flagbearers for India at the opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to get underway on July 23 .
  • Wrestler Bajrang Punia will be the flagbearer at the closing ceremony on August 8.
• The government has appointed National Health Authority CEO Ram Sewak Sharma and Infosys non-executive chairman Nandan Nilekani as members of an advisory council for creating an Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
  • The ONDC would promote open networks developed on open-sourced methodology and using protocols independent of any specific platform in order to digitise the entire value chain, derive logistics efficiencies and enhance value for consumers.
• Sirisha Bandla : Second India-born woman to go into space after Kalpana Chawla and the fourth Indian to fly into space.
• President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed New Governors for eight states :
  • Thawarchand Gehlot has been appointed as the new Governor of Karnataka.
  • Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel has been appointed as the new Governor of Madhya Pradesh.
  • Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati has been appointed as the new Governor of Mizoram.
  • Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been appointed as the new Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
  • Mizoram Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai has been appointed as the new Governor of Goa.
  • Haryana Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya will now be the  Governor of Tripura.
  • Tripura Governor Ramesh Bais is the new Governor of Jharkhand in place of Draupadi Murmu.
  • Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya has been appointed as new Governor of Haryana.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi oversaw the swearing-in of 43 Ministers (new faces and seven promotions to Cabinet rank) and dropped 12 Ministers (seven Cabinet and five Ministers of State).
  • Jyotiraditya Scindia getting the Civil Aviation portfolio.
  • Former Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan getting the Education Ministry.
  • Former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will handle Ports and Shipping while the first Cabinet
  • Minister from Arunachal Pradesh, Kiren Rijiju, will handle Law and Justice after the resignation of Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad.
  • Janata Dal (United)’s R.C.P. Singh will be the new Steel Minister, and Pashupati Paras will occupy his brother, late Ram Vilas Paswan’s old portfolio of Food and Consumer Affairs.
  • BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav will be the new Environment and Labour Minister, replacing Mr. Gangwar.
  • Ministry of External Affairs will have three Ministers of State — V. Muraleedharan and new inductees Meenakshi Lekhi and Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
  • 12 Ministers belonging to the Scheduled Castes.
  •  27 belonging to the Other Backward Classes.
  • 8 Ministers belonging to the Scheduled Tribes and
  • 5 Ministers belonging to the minority communities, including one Muslim, one Christian, one Sikh and two Buddhists.
  • Women Ministers number 11 in the Modi government, with two Cabinet Ministers and others being Ministers of State.

Some of the important portfolios which is important for exams are given below :

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