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Current Affairs Weekly PDF – July 2021 1st Week (1-7)
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
States, UTs to Implement ‘One Nation One
Ration Card’ by July 31, 2021
Supreme Court(SC) directed States and Union
Territories (UT) to extend the implementation of the
‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme (ONORC) by
July 31, 2021, to ensure food security, cash transfers
and other welfare measures for migrant workers
under COVID-19.
 ONORC was started in June 2019 to enable
migrant workers and their family members to buy
subsidised ration from any fair price shop
anywhere in the country under the National Food
Security Act(NFSA), 2013.
Glacial Lake Atlas of Ganga River Basin &
NHP –Bhuvan portal of NRSC Launched
Glacial Lake Atlas of Ganga River Basin was virtually
released by Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Department of
Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Dr. Kailasavadivoo Sivan, Secretary, Department of
Space and Chairman ISRO launched the NHP– Bhuvan
portal of NRSC which can be accessed at
https://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/nhp/.
 The portal will act as information repository on
the initiatives undertaken by NRSC under NHP
with a facility to download the reports.
VK Paul released NITI Aayog’s Study on ‘Not-
for-Profit’ Hospital Model
As India’s policies and programmes are aimed at
achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030, NITI
(National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog
released the Study on Not-For-Profit Hospital Model
in India-Web providing insight into their operation
model. As of June 2018, these hospitals account for
only 1.1% of treated ailments.The report was released
by Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member (Health), NITI
Aayog.
SERB-DST, Intel India launch ‘FIRE’, 1st of its
Initiative to Advance Deep Tech Research in
India
Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a
statutory body under Department of Science &
Technology (DST) in partnership with Intel India has
launched the 1st of its kind research initiative called
‘Fund for Industrial Research Engagement (FIRE)’ to
advance deep tech-based research in India.
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 ‘FIRE’ is a joint government and industry initiative
with a co-funding mechanism.
PMFME Scheme Launched under Atma
Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan Completes 1 Year
Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food
processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme under the
Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan was completed one year
of its launch on 29th June, 2021.It introduced to
enhance the competitiveness of existing individual
micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the
food processing industry, promote formalization of the
sector, and support Farmer Producer Organizations
(FPOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Producers
Cooperatives along their entire value chain.
INS Kiltan Conducted Military Exercise with
South Korean ship in East China Sea
Indian Navy’s indigenous ASW (Anti-submarine
warfare) Corvette INS (Indian Naval Ship) Kiltan
conducted a Navy Partnership Exercise in East China
Sea with Republic of Korea Navy Ship (ROKS)
Gyeongnam, a Daegu-class frigate. This military
exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability and
exchange of best practices in the maritime domain.
PM Modi Inaugurated Zen Garden, Kaizen
Academy at AMA, Ahmedabad
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually
inaugurated a Zen Garden and Kaizen Academy at
Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat to display the bond between
India and Japan. The Zen Garden and the Kaizen
Academy is a symbol of spontaneity and modernity of
relation between Indian and Japan.
Cabinet Approvals on June 30, 2021
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi accorded approval for several initiatives. They
are
 Extension of last date of registration till 31st
March, 2022 for Atma Nirbhar Bharat Rojgar
Yojana (ABRY)
 Revised Implementation Strategy Of BharatNet
through PPP Model
 Loan Guarantee Scheme for Covid Affected
Sectors (LGSCAS) and to enhance the Target
Credit Line for Emergency Credit Line Guarantee
Scheme (ECLGS)
 Approval for ‘Revamped Distribution Sector
Scheme’
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 3

 MoU between India & Myanmar in the field of
health research
 MoU between India & Nepal in the field of health
research
 MoU between India & Gambia for overhauling
Personnel Administration and Governance
Reforms…Click here for full article..
India, Russia begin Construction other units
of Kudankulam Nuclear Plant in Tamil Nadu
Rosatom, a Russian state-run Nuclear Energy
Corporation & Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd
(NPCIL), a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) have started the
construction work on Units 5 & 6 of the Kudankulam
Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu.
Kudankulam is India’s largest nuclear power station.
 Rosatom & NPCIL have been building 6 power
reactors of 1,000 MW each at Kudankulam. Units
1 and 2 have already been commissioned, while
work on unit 3 & 4 is in advanced stage and is
expected to be completed by 2026-27.
Indian Navy inked MoU with BEL Ltd to
develop Emerging Technologies
MoU b/w - Indian Navy and Bharat Electronics Limited
(BEL) under Ministry of Defence (Navy), New Delhi
They made an agreement to create a joint Technology
Incubation Forum (TIF).The reason behind this MoU is
to foster development of Emerging Technologies.
Government Retained the Interest Rate of
Small Savings Schemes for Q2 of FY22
Ministry of Finance, Government of India (GoI) had
retained the Interest Rate of Small Savings Scheme for
the 2nd quarter(Q2) for the Financial Year 2021-22
(FY22) same as Q1 FY22 due to COVID-19. It is the 5th
consecutive quarter that GoI had unchanged the
Interest Rates of the small saving schemes (unchanged
since April 1, 2020).
MoD initiates project to create 1st of its kind
Cyber Museum on War Heroes
As part of the 75th Anniversary of India’s
Independence, the Ministry of Defence has initiated a
project to create the 1st of its kind cyber museum
which will honour the war heroes of India. The project
will be implemented in partnership with Society of
Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
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Ramesh Pokhriyal releases Report on UDISE+
2019-20 for School Education
Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal
‘Nishank’ released the report on ‘United District
Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2019-
20’ for School Education in India. It is the official
statistics system of the Ministry of Education (MoE).
Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has improved at all levels
of school education in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19.
Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) has also increased at all
levels of school education.
 Enrolment of girls from primary to higher
secondary is more than 12.08 crore, an increase
of 14.08 lakh compared to 2018-19.
FIEO signs MoU with Aramex India to
Support MSME Exporters in India
In order to support Indian Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprise (MSME) exporters with access to cost-
efficient, seamless and reliable logistics solutions, the
Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO)
signed a MoU with Aramex India.
 As part of the MoU, Aramex will provide
preferential pricing and online services for cross-
border express shipments to FIEO members.
CMPDI and CCL inked MoA for Development
of Solar Power Projects
MOA b/w - Central Mine Planning & Design Institute
(CMPDI), subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL) and
Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL).
 The agreement made for the development of
Solar Power Projects.This MoA aims to make CIL a
Net Zero Energy company, as mandated by the
Ministry of Coal.
AJNIFM Partners with Microsoft to build
Centre of Excellence with AI, Emerging Tech
Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial
Management (AJNIFM) made a strategic partnership
and signed a MoU with Microsoft to build a Centre of
Excellence at AJNIFM, enabled with AI (Artificial
Intelligence) and emerging technologies.
 The partnership mainly intends to transform the
public finance management, expenditure
management in India and prevent revenue
leakages and money laundering by exploring the
role of cloud, AI, and emerging technologies.
Prakash Javadekar e-inaugurated Asia’s
longest & World’s 5th largest HST in
MadhyaPradesh
Union Minister Prakash Kehav Javadekar, Ministry of
Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises (MoHI&PE)
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 4

virtually inaugurated Asia’s longest and world’s 5th
largest 11.3 km NATRAX (National Automotive Test
Tracks) High-Speed Track (HST) in India’s Pithampur
district of Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
 The project NATRAX was built under NATRiP
(National Automotive Testing and R&D
Infrastructure Project) of MoHI&PE. NATRiP is a
100% Government funded project worth Rs.
3727.30 crore.
Government’s Flagship Programme ‘Digital
India’ completes 6 years
Indian Government’s Flagship Programme ‘Digital
India’ completed 6 years on July 1, 2021. To
commemorate this, the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology organised a programme in
which Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with
the beneficiaries.
 The programme is centered on 3 key vision areas
– Digital Infrastructure as a Core Utility to Every
Citizen, Governance & Services on Demand, and
Digital Empowerment of Citizens.
Govt Revised MSMEs Guidelines; Included
Retail and Wholesale Trades
Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprise (MSME) and Road Transport and Highways
Nitin Gadkari has announced the Central
Government’s revision of MSMEs guidelines and the
inclusion of Retail and Wholesale trades as MSMEs.
 Earlier in the definition of MSME has only the
manufacturing and service enterprises and it has
not mentioned the retail and wholesale trade
(Now added).
Narendra Singh Tomar Released
Compendium on Best Practices to Address
Gender Issues
Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and
Farmers’ Welfare, Panchayati Raj and Food Processing
Industries Narendra Singh Tomar released a
compendium relating to how Deendayal Antyodaya
Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-
NRLM) is addressing gender issues through Social
Action Committees of Self Help Groups (SHGs)
federations.
DoS releases ‘Draft National Space
Transportation Policy – 2020’
Department of Space (DoS) has placed the ‘Draft
National Space Transportation Policy – 2020 – Norms,
Guidelines & Procedures (NGP)’ for implementation in
public domain for comments & suggestions. Draft
National Space Transportation Policy-2020 covers all
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aspects of rocket launching, launchpads, reentry of a
space object and others.
 It aims to unlock the potential of the space
sector in the country with respect to space
transportation systems.
MoCI’s Logistics Division unveiled Plan for
‘Freight Smart Cities’
During the consultative meeting on freight smart cities
chaired by Minister of State (MoS) Hardeep Singh (HS)
Puri, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) , the
Logistics Division, MoCI unveiled a plan for ‘Freight
Smart Cities’ to improve the efficiency of urban freight
and to reduce the logistics costs.
 MoS also launched the website on ‘Freight Smart
Cities’ along with the release of a handbook
outlining 14 measures.
6th BRICS Culture Ministers Meeting 2021
held virtually
India virtually hosted the 6th BRICS (Brazil, Russia,
India, China, and South Africa) Culture Ministers
meeting 2021 under the chairship of Prahlad Singh
Patel, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism.
 The meeting saw the participation of the Minister
of Culture from the BRICS member countries
(Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).
The meeting was conducted under the theme –
“Bonding and Harmonizing Cultural Synergy”.
Role of Women in Leading Scientific Research
increases by 4%: DST Report
According to the ‘Directory of Extramural Research &
Development Projects 2018-19’ released by the
Centre for Human and Organisational Resource
Development (CHORD), a division of the Department
of Science & Technology (DST) – Women Principal
Investigators (PIs) participation in research that
received Extramural Research (EMR) support (support
received through peer-reviewed competitive grant
mechanism) stood at 28% during 2018-19, compared
to 24% during 2016-17.
19th Meeting of the Governing Council &
20th Meeting of Governing Body of ICWA
Vice President (VP) Venkaiah Naidu virtually addressed
the 19th Meeting of the Governing Council & chaired
the 20th Meeting of the Governing Body of Indian
Council of World Affairs (ICWA). He is the Ex-Officio
President of the ICWA.
 VP launched a book titled ‘Sapru House: A Story of
Institutions Building in World Affairs’ authored by
Dr TCA Raghavan, Director General of ICWA and
Dr. Vivek Mishra, Research Fellow at ICWA.
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 5

Atal Innovation Mission concluded 1st
fintech Cohort of ‘AIM-iLEAP’
A first fintech cohort of AIM-iLEAP (Innovative
leadership for entrepreneurial agility and
profitability) was concluded recently which was
organized by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI
(National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog in
collaboration with Startup Réseau and Visa through a
series of thematic virtual demo.
CBSE introduces Financial Literacy Textbook
developed by NPCI
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in
collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE) has launched the “Financial Literacy
Textbook for Class 6” students, to make children
aware of basic financial concepts. The Book was
developed by NPCI and edited by CBSE as per the
needs of students.
PM Modi Addresses CoWIN Global Conclave
2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the
event CoWIN Global Conclave 2021 which was
inaugurated by Union Minister for Health & Family
Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan.
Event Organizers - Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
(MoHFW), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and
National Health Authority (NHA).
 India is set to offer CoWIN (COVID-19 Vaccine
Intelligence Work) as a digital public good to the
world to combat COVID-19. For this purpose, an
open-source version of the vaccine registration
platform will be shared by India for free.
India’s 2nd Largest Cricket Stadium to come
up at Jaipur, Rajasthan
India’s 2nd Largest Cricket Stadium & World’s 3rd
Largest Cricket Stadium is set to be constructed in
Jaipur (also known as Pink City), Rajasthan. The
construction of the stadium will cost an estimated INR
290 crore.
 Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has
given a financial grant of INR 100 crore to the
Rajasthan Cricket Association for the
construction of the Stadium which will have a
capacity of 75,000.
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Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ Launches NIPUN
Bharat Programme
Union Minister for Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal
‘Nishank’ virtually launched ‘National Initiative for
Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and
Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat)’ Mission & its Guidelines. It
aims to ensure that every child in India attains
foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of
Grade 3, by 2026-27.
 The mission has been launched under the aegis of
the centrally sponsored scheme of ‘Samagra
Shiksha’ and will be implemented by the
Department of School Education and Literacy.
Goa to host 52nd IFFI from 20th – 28th
November 2021
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&B),
Prakash Javadekar announced the dates for 52nd
edition of the International Film Festival of India
(IFFI), which will be held in Goa from 20th to 28th
November, 2021. He also released the regulation
booklet and the poster of 52nd IFFI.
 2021 is the 100th Birth anniversary of India’s
legendary filmmaker “Satyajit Ray”, to mark this a
Special Retrospective was arranged by the
Directorate of Films Festivals at 52nd IFFI.
 A new award – “Satyajit Ray Lifetime
Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema”
will be instituted annually starting from 2021.
MoEFCC Approves Ramgarh Vishdhari
Sanctuary as 4th Tiger Reserve of Rajasthan
Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary in Bundi, Rajasthan has
been sanctioned as the 4th Tiger Reserve of Rajasthan
and 52nd Tiger Reserve of India by the Ministry of
Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC). The
Technical Committee of National Tiger Conservation
Authority (NTCA) approved the proposal for Ramgarh
Vishdhari Sanctuary into Tiger Reserve.
MoEFCC & MoTA sign Joint Communication
to Provide More Power to Tribal
Communities
Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
signed an ‘Joint Communication’ in New Delhi to give
more powers to the Tribal communities in managing
the forest resources.
 Joint Communication is related to the effective
implementation of the Schedule Tribes and Other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest
Rights) Act, 2006 (commonly known as Forest
Rights Act).
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 6

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Indo-UK FTA can help in Achieving Atma
Nirbhar Bharat: UKIBC Report
Report Title - ‘Road to a UK-India Free Trade
Agreement: Enhancing the Partnership and achieving
Self-Reliance’ Released by - UK India Business Council
(UKIBC) .
The agreement made a Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
between India & United Kingdom (UK) will help in
achieving India’s vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Both
countries have agreed for an Enhanced Trade
Partnership. They have agreed to start FTA
negotiations by the end of 2021 with the goal of
doubling trade by 2030.
Mumbai Ranked 78th: Mercer Survey 2021:
Index name - Mercer’s 2021 Cost of Living City
Rankings, the rankings are based on Mercer’s 27th
annual Cost of Living Survey.
 Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan has become
the world’s most expensive city for foreign
workers (Expatriates) followed by Hong Kong,
Hong Kong (SAR) & Beirut, Lebanon.
 Mumbai, Maharashtra was ranked at 78, making it
India’s most expensive city for expatriates (a fall of
18 places compared to 60th rank in 2020 Mercer
Survey).
India ranked 20th in Global Startup Ecosystem
Index 2021
Index name - Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2021
 Country-Wise ranking - India was ranked 20th out
of 100 countries.United States (US) topped the
index followed by the United Kingdom (UK) &
Israel.
 City-wise ranking – San Francisco Bay, USA
topped the ranking followed by New York, USA &
Beijing, China.Bengaluru, Karnataka was the
highest ranked Indian City at 10 (up from 14 in
2020). Overall, 43 Indian cities featured in the list,
out of which 9 were new.
Bengaluru ranked 6th & Beijing topped:
Colliers Report
Report name - ‘Growth engines of innovation: How
Asia Pacific’s technology hubs are reshaping regional
real estate’
Released by – Colliers, Canada-based diversified
professional services and investment management
company.
 The report stated that Outer Ring Road of
Bengaluru (Karnataka) has been ranked 6th in the
top 10 established technology submarkets in
APAC (Asia Pacific) for companies to set up
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operations. The list has been topped by Beijing
(China).
 HITEC (Hyderabad Information Technology and
Engineering Consultancy) City of Hyderabad
(Telangana) ranked grabbed the 10th.
World Health, IP, Trade Bodies Launch
Platform to Tackle COVID-19 Pandemic
World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO) and World Trade
Organization (WTO) have launched a joint platform to
tackle COVID-19 Pandemic. This platform will help
countries plug the gaps in accessing Covid-19 vaccines,
treatments and technologies.
India ranked 10th in Global Cybersecurity
Index 2020, US Tops: ITU Report
Report name - Global Cybersecurity Index 2020 (GCI
2020) – 4th Edition
Released by - International Telecommunication Union
(ITU), the UN agency for Information &
Communication Technologies (ICT)
 India with a score of 97.5 has been ranked 10th
(India was placed at the 47th spot in the last
edition of GCI in 2018) in the Index. The US topped
the Index, UK & Saudi Arabia shared the 2nd spot
while Estonia took the 3rd rank.
FAO & CIAT released Report on Insights and
Threats to Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems
Report name - ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Food System,
Insights of sustainability and resilience from the front
line of climate change’
Released by - Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
in collaboration with Alliance of Bioversity
International and the International Center for Tropical
Agriculture (CIAT).
 The study identified diverse plant and animal
species that are a part of Indigenous Peoples’
food systems. Globally, these people depend on
these species and also look after them to
generate food sustainably and enhance
biodiversity.
 Indigenous people are the practitioners of unique
cultures and ways of connecting people and the
environment. They have a population of 500
million people in more than 90 countries.
Overview of EAM Jaishankar’s Visit to Greece
& Italy
India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar
paid an official visit to two countries Greece from June
25-27, 2021 & Italy from June 28-29, 2021.
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 7

 Visit to Greece -It is the 1st visit by an Indian
foreign minister to Greece since 2003. He
conveyed India’s felicitations towards the 200th
anniversary of Greek Independence. Greek
Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias signed and handed
over the Agreement on the International Solar
Alliance (ISA) to the Indian side.
 Visit to Italy - To participate in the G20 Foreign
Affairs Ministers’ Meeting 2021 followed by a
joint session of Foreign Affairs and Development
Ministers.The meetings took place from June 28-
29, 2021 at Matera, Basilicata, Italy from June 28-
29, 2021 and was hosted by Italy, which hosts the
2021 Presidency of G20. During the 1st joint
meeting of Foreign Affairs and Development
Ministers adopted the ‘Matera Declaration’.
COVID-19 Impact on Tourism; Global
Economy can Lose $4 trillion: UNWTO,
UNCTAD
Report Name - ‘COVID-19 and Tourism: An Update’
Released by - UN (United Nations) Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN World
Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
 The report has estimated a loss of $4 trillion in
terms of global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) for
2020 and 2021 and India has experienced a 54
percent drop in tourist arrivals in 2020 due to
COVID-19.
World’s 1st report on Artificial Intelligence in
healthcare released by WHO
Report Name - “Ethics and governance of artificial
intelligence for health”
Released by - World Health Organisation (WHO)
 It is the World’s 1st report on the use of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector.WHO
proposed 6 principles to maximize the utility of
AI on Public Interest. WHO with inputs from
various international experts prepared the
report that can be used by countries to minimize
the risk & maximize the benefits of AI.
India joins G20-OECD Tax Framework Deal for
Global Minimum Corporate Tax
Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) stated that 130 countries
including G20 members, India & China have joined the
G20-OECD Tax Framework Deal for Global Minimum
Corporate Tax. Global Minimum Corporate Tax is set to
come into force from 2023 mandates 15% Tax on
globally operating companies (such as Google,
Facebook).
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 It is applicable for Global companies with global
annual revenue of at least 20 billion Euros (USD
24 billion) and a profit margin of over 10%.
Harsh Vardhan addresses 17th World
Congress for Cervical Pathology and
Colposcopy
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh
Vardhan addressed the 17th World Congress of
International Federation of Cervical Pathology and
Colposcopy 2021 (IFCPC 2021) held virtually from July
1-5, 2021. It is being organized in Asia for the 1st time
and is also the 1st virtual IFCPC World Congress.
 It was inaugurated by Vice President Venkaiah
Naidu.
 Theme – ‘Eliminating Cervical Cancer: Call for
Action’, the theme is aligned to the World Health
Organisation (WHO) call for Elimination of
Cervical Cancer by 2030.
WHO awarded China a Malaria-Free
Certificate
World Health Organization (WHO) awarded China a
malaria-free certification. This certification recognized
China’s 70-year effort to eradicate this disease.It
reported zero cases for last the 4 years. China is the
first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to be
awarded a malaria-free certification in more than 3
decades.
 Other countries in the region that have achieved
this status include Australia (1981), Singapore
(1982) and Brunei Darussalam (1987).
7th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium held at La
Reunion Concludes
7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS),
took place from 28 June to July 1, 2021 at La Reunion,
an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar,
which is an overseas department of France. It was
hosted by the French Navy, France had assumed the
Chairmanship of IONS on 29 June 2021, for a 2-year
tenure.
 IONS is a series of biennial meetings between
the Littoral States of the Indian Ocean Region
(IOR).
India to add 26 GW Hydro Projects by 2030:
IEA Report
Report Name - ‘Hydropower Special Market Report –
Analysis and forecast to 2030’
Released by - International Energy Agency (IEA)
 India is expected to add 26 GW (or 26,000
MW) of Hydropower projects by 2030.At
present, the installed capacity of the 207
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 8

hydropower projects running in India is 46,209
MW. More than 9,000 MW of large hydro
projects are under construction at present.
 Hydropower’s share in the overall energy
matrix of India has decreased from 40% in
1980 to 12% at present.
International Migrant Labour rises to 169
million – ILO report
Report Name - “ILO Global Estimates on International
Migrant Workers: Results and Methodology”
Released by - United Nations International Labour
Organisation (ILO).
 International Migrant Workforce increases to
169 million in 2019, a rise of 5-million increase
in total count or 3% rise compared to the
figures of 2017. This is also a 12.7 % increase
from the 2013 estimate of 150 million migrant
workers.
2nd India-Ghana Foreign Office Consultations
2021 held at Accra, Ghana
2nd India-Ghana Foreign Office Consultations (FOC)
2021 were held at Accra, Capital of Ghana. Rahul
Chhabra, Secretary (Economic Relations) from Indian
side and Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs from the Ghanaian side co-chaired
the Meeting.
 India’s Global Centre for Nuclear Energy
Partnership (GCNEP) and Ghana Atomic Energy
Commission (GAEC) signed a MoU to facilitate
human resource development and capacity
building for development and strengthening the
technical capabilities of GAEC.
BANKING & FINANCE
Axis Bank made Agreement with AWS for
Digital Transformation
Tie up b/w - Axis Bank Ltd & Amazon Web Services
(AWS)
 The agreement made to build a portfolio of new
digital financial services with technology changes,
and new payment modes for better banking
experiences to customers. Axis Bank has selected
AWS as a cloud provider to meet the digital
banking service demand of its over 200 million
customers.
Ujjivan SFB Partners with LoanTap
Tie up b/w - Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) &
LoanTap Financial Technologies Pvt. Ltd
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MoC signed between IETO and Libyan
African Business Council in Tunisia
A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed
between Indian Economic Trade Organization (IETO)
and Libyan African Business Council during the
Financial Investment Trade Africa (FITA 2021) held in
Tunis, Tunisia on June 25, 2021.The MoC was signed
between IETO’s President Dr. Asif Iqbal and Libyan
African Business Council Vice-President Muhamad
Eawn.
Objective - To enhance business structures of both
countries and to team up in the domains of IT
(Information Technology) development, Healthcare,
MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) support in
the aerospace sector, and support the academic
institutions by collaborating with the Indian skill
sector.
Agriculture prices to ease, Global Targets on
Climate, Hunger unlikely to be met in 2021-
30
Report Name - ‘OECD‑FAO Agricultural Outlook
2021‑2030’
Released by - Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development(OECD) & Food & Agriculture
Organization (UN’s FAO)
 Report states that the prices of Food
commodities are set to become cheaper in 2021-
30 and the global targets on reducing hunger and
CO2 emissions are unlikely to be met under
current policies.
 This partnership of Ujjivan SFB is a part of its API
(Application programming interface) banking
initiative, through which it has over150 APIs for
offering fast and secure tie-ups for digital lending,
digital liabilities, and payments to fintech.It aims
to extend the bank’s services to its customers via
LoanTap’s fast and convenient platform.
Industrial Credit Growth in FY21 Remained
Negative: RBI
Publication of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI),
‘Quarterly Basic Statistical Returns (BSR)-1:
Outstanding Credit of Scheduled Commercial Banks
(SCBs), March 2021’, reported a ‘negative credit (loan)
growth in industrial sector’ in FY21 due to COVID-19.
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 9

 It reported continuous growth in personal
loans which recorded 13.5 percent growth (Y-
o-Y) in March 2021.
SEBI Board Approved List of Amendments,
Initiatives
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
approved the amendments and frameworks that are
made relating to independent directors (IDs), mutual
fund (MF) regulations, and others at its board meeting.
 SEBI amended the SEBI (Mutual Funds (MF))
Regulations, 1996, and allowed to invest a
minimum amount as ‘skin in the game’ in the MF
schemes by Asset Management Companies
(AMCs) based on the risk associated with the
scheme, instead of the current requirement of the
investment of 1 percent of the amount raised in
New Fund Offer (NFO) or an amount of Rs 50 lakh,
whichever is less.
Innoviti & PhonePe Partner to Provide Dual-
Display UPI at Shoppers Stop
Tie up b/w - Innoviti Payment Solutions, India’s
payment solutions to Enterprise merchants, &
PhonePe, India’s largest digital payments platform.
 They have partnered to provide Dual-Display-UPI
(Unified Payment Interface) facility at Shoppers
Stop’s outlets. Through this feature customers can
pay safely and fastly through UPI while shopping
at Shoppers Stop’s outlets all over India.
World Bank Approved USD 500 Million Loan
to Support India’s Informal Working Class
World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a
USD 500 million (Rs 3,726.30 crore) loan programme,
‘Creating a Coordinated and Responsive Indian Social
Protection System’ (CCRISP)’ to support India’s
informal working class to overcome the COVID-19
distress and to support the states to manage the
current pandemic, future climate and disaster shock.
 Out of the USD 500 million loan, USD 112.50
million will be financed by the International
Development Association (IDA) and the remaining
USD 387.50 million from International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
 Maturity: The loan has a maturity period of 18.5
years with a grace period of 5 years.
Increase in Forex Reserves for FY21; Current
Account Surplus at 0.9% of GDP in FY21 – RBI
data
On June 30, 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
released the ‘Sources of Variation in Foreign
Exchange(Forex) Reserves in India during 2020-21’
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and reported an increase in the forex reserves in
nominal terms, including the valuation effects, by USD
99.2 billion in FY21, compared to USD 64.9 billion of
FY20.
 RBI released the preliminary data on India’s
balance of payments (BoP) for the fourth quarter
(Q4) of FY21 (January-March, 2021) and reported a
Current account surplus of 0.9 percent of GDP in
FY21, as against a deficit of 0.9 percent in FY20.
ICICI Bank Launched Banking Solution for
Doctors – ‘Salute Doctors’
ICICI Bank launched ‘Salute Doctors’, a digital and
instant banking solution that is designed exclusively for
medical doctors during the National Doctor’s Day, on
July 01, 2021. The solution is powered by ICICI STACK,
a digital banking platform with nearly 500 services
 It offers customized banking and value-added
services to every doctor such as medical students,
senior medical consultants, and even the owner of
a hospital or a clinic.
NPST receives TPAP Registration from NPCI
Network People Services Technology (NPST), a Thane-
based banking technology provider has received a
Third-Party Application Provider (TPAP) registration
from the National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI) for its TimePay solution.
 TPAP is the entity that provides the UPI compliant
app to the end-user customers to facilitate UPI
(Unified Payments Interface) based payment
transactions. The TPAP registration will enable the
company to offer digital services to its partner
bank’s current account customers and also acquire
merchants directly.
RBI’s 23rd FSR 2021: Banks GNPA may Rise to
9.8% by March 2022
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the 23rd issue of
its bi-annual Financial Stability Report (FSR) 2021. It
estimated the Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs)
Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPAs) to rise by 9.8
percent in March 2022 (as per the baseline scenario),
from 7.48 percent in March 2021.
 GNPAs in March 2022 is estimated to be 11.22
percent as per the severe stress scenario. The
report stated economic recovery in May and early
June 2021.
RBI Extended Interest Subsidy Scheme for
Exporters till September 2021
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reported the Government
of India’s (GoI) approval for the extension of the
‘Interest Equalization Scheme for Pre and Post
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 10
 Weekly PDF

Shipment Rupee Export Credit’ for 3 months, i.e., up Re-appointment(in the After a minimum gap of 3
to September 30, 2021. The extant operational same bank) years (In that 3 years they
instructions that are issued by RBI under the Scheme should not be appointed
were also extended to remain in force up to or associated with a bank
September 30, 2021. (directly/indirectly))

LIC Launched ‘Saral Pension Plan’ Maximum Tenure to 15 years

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India launched a hold the post in the
non-linked, non-participating, single premium, same bank
individual ‘immediate annuity plan’ named ‘Saral
pension plan’ as per the guidelines of the Insurance World Bank increased COVID-19 Vaccine
Regulatory and Development Authority of India
Funding by $8bn to $20 bn
(IRDAI).
World Bank (WB) enhanced its available funding by $8
 The plan allows policyholders to pay a lump sum
billion for COVID-19 vaccine purchases and
amount as the purchasing price of the plan and to
deployment to $20 billion over next 18 months i.e.
receive a fixed amount of money at regular
through 2022 from a previous target of $12 billion.
intervals.
 This decision has been taken to overcome the
disproportionate vaccination rates between the
Enroute Technologies Launched OmniCard – advanced economies and developing countries.
a Prepaid Card for Youngsters
After receiving the authorization from the Reserve Govt Extended Retirement Age of LIC
Bank of India (RBI) to issue and operate Prepaid
Chairman from 60 to 62 Years
Payment Instrument (PPI), Eroute Technologies, a
Government (govt) has amended the Life Insurance
fintech company, has launched ‘OmniCard – a prepaid
Corporation (LIC) of India (Staff) Regulations, 1960 to
card for youngsters’ aged between 15-24 years.
extend the superannuation (retirement) age of Initial
 This is the 1st PPI launched by a non-bank
Public Offer (IPO)-bound LIC Chairman to 62 years
payment system operator in India after the RBI
from 60 years.
allowed them to include more features into
 The changes made in the rules will be called the
prepaid cards, bringing them on a par with
Life Insurance Corporation of India (Staff)
payment banks.
Amendment Rules, 2021.

NABARD Sanctioned Rs.388 crore for RBI Imposed Rs 25 lakh Penalty on Punjab
Drinking Water, Road Projects in Odisha and Sind Bank
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary
(NABARD) has sanctioned financial assistance of Rs
penalty of Rs 25 lakh on the state-owned Punjab and
388 crore under the Rural Infrastructure
Sind Bank for non-compliance with certain provisions
Development Fund (RIDF) for Odisha to set up 4 mega
related to the directions on ‘Cyber Security Framework
piped drinking water supply projects and 20 rural road
in Banks’.
projects across 15 districts of the state.
 RBI has also imposed a Rs.1 lakh penalty on the
 Headquarters of NABARD is
Nagar Sahkari Bank Limited, Etawah, Uttar
Mumbai,Maharastra and established in 1982.
Pradesh for contravention of certain regulations
such as ‘Income Recognition, Asset Classification,
RBI Issued Directions for Appointment of Provisioning and Other Related Matters – UCBs
MD/WTD in UCBs (Urban Cooperative Banks)’.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued directions
relating to ‘Appointment of Managing Director (MD) / SIDBI Added Development Measures for
Whole-Time Director (WTD)’ in all Primary (Urban) Co-
MSMEs
operative Banks (UCBs).
On World Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Tenure of MD/ WTD:
(MSME) Day (June 27, 2021), the Small Industries
Minimum period to 3 years
Development Bank of India (SIDBI), has rolled out
hold the post after 1st
multiple measures to support COVID-19 hit MSMEs.
appointment
 SIDBI has reduced the interest rate of the ‘Timely
Maximum period to 5 years Working Capital Assistance to Revitalise
hold the post at a time Industries in Times of Corona Crisis’ (TWARIT)

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scheme under ECLGS (Emergency Credit Line
Guarantee Scheme) from 8.25 percent to 6
percent for its existing customers.
 SIDBI plans to launch a Swavalamban Challenge
Fund and a Swavalamban Facilitation Center
under its PRAYAAS scheme for mentoring and
providing credit to MSMEs in villages and small
towns through microfinance institutions.
Paytm Launched Instant Small Loan Service –
‘Postpaid Mini’
Paytm, digital payments platform, in partnership with
Aditya Birla Finance Ltd., launched a small-ticket
instant loans service named ‘Postpaid Mini’. It was as
an extension of its ‘Buy Now-Pay Later’ service, to
support new-to-credit customers.
 Under Postpaid Mini, the users could get access to
loans ranging from Rs 250 – Rs 1,000 along with
Paytm Postpaid’s instant credit of up to Rs 60,000.
SEBI Fined IL&FS, AFSPL for Fraudulent MF
Transactions
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) imposed
a monetary penalty of Rs.26 crore on IL&FS Securities
Services Ltd and Rs 3 crore on Allied Financial Services
Pvt Ltd (AFSPL) over-involvement in fraudulent
transfer of Mutual Fund (MF) units from the client’s
accounts.
Aeldra Proposed US Bank Account for Indian
Students
Aeldra Financial Inc., a ‘digital neo bank’ proposed a
United States (US) bank account with a Mastercard
Global Debit Card for the Indian students who are
preparing to get admission in the US.
 Objective: To enable the Indian students,
professionals, and investors to get their US bank
account before they leave for the U.S.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
RIL Signed Strategic Partnership with ADNOC
to Build Mega Chemical Projects in UAE
Tie up b/w - Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) & Abu Dhabi
National Oil Company (ADNOC)
 They made partnership to establish a mega
chemical project in Al Ruwais city, United Arab
Emirates (UAE). This project, a joint venture of
ADNOC and ADQ (formerly known as Abu Dhabi
Development Holding (ADDH) Co), will be
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HDFC Launched ‘salaam dil sey’ initiative to
acknowledge Service of Doctors
HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation)
Bank launched ‘Salaam Dil Sey’ initiative. In this
regard, a web portal has been created by bank
www.salaamdilsey.com where the general public can
log in and share their thank you message for doctors.
 The bank also virtually felicitated Padma Bhushan
Dr Naresh Trehan, a renowned Cardiovascular
and Cardiothoracic surgeon as a thank you
gesture from the bank to all doctors across the
country.
 On National Doctors’ Day i.e. on July 1, 2021, the
bank unveiled ‘Wall of Dedication’ at its
Corporate Office in Worli, Mumbai (Maharashtra).
Flexiloans Partners with GooglePay to
Provide Digital Loans to SMEs
FlexiLoans.com, a Micro Small & Medium Enterprises
(MSME) focused digital lending platform, collaborated
with Google Pay, Google’s payment app, to offer digital
and feasible loans to Small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs).
 FlexiLoans is the 1st lender to go live on the
Google Pay platform.The collaboration is intended
to provide loans to small merchants and
entrepreneurs in India, those who are unable to
access formal credit.
HDFC Bank Joins with Creditas Solutions to
Offer Digital Self-Service Credit Portal
HDFC Bank has partnered with Creditas Solutions to
offer a guided and customized digital debt
management solution with a self-service credit portal
for its loan and credit card customers under COVID-
19.Under the partnership, Creditas provides a fully
integrated ready-to-deploy credit help platform to
address the challenges faced by users while managing
their credit card and loan payments.
 Headquarters of HDFC Bank is Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
constructed at the TA’ZIZ Industrial Chemical Zone
in Ruwais Abu Dhabi, UAE.
GIFT City collaborated with BRTSIF to
enhance Fintech Innovation
Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) has
collaborated with BIL Ryerson Technology Startups
Incubator Foundation (BRTSIF) to enhance fintech
innovation. In this regard, Zone Startups India, a part
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 12

of BRTSIF, will pursue ways to set up and promote a
fintech hub in GIFT-SEZ (Special Economic Zone).
 This partnership will also support the Government
of India’s vision for entrepreneurship
development and innovation at GIFT.
Overview of Ministry of Commerce and
Industry’s Achievements in Q1 of 2021-22
Union Minister for Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal
stated the achievements of the Ministry of Commerce
and Industry in Q1 (April – June) of 2021-22.
Merchandise exports of USD 95 billion was achieved in
Q1 of 2021-22, which is the highest in the history of
India. India received the highest ever FDI inflow in
2020-21 of USD 81.72 billion.
 Target – India has set a target of USD 400 billion
Merchandise exports for 2021-22.
NTPC, ONGC to Boost Development of
Offshore Wind Energy
NTPC (formerly known as National Thermal Power
Corporation Limited) and Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation Limited (ONGC), have planned to boost
the development of offshore wind energy in India.
 Currently, NTPC and ONGC are into improving the
offshore wind energy capacity in India as they are
more efficient than the onshore wind turbines. As
per the MoU, ONGC aims to add 10GW of
renewable power by 2040 and NTPC intends to
reach 32 GW by 2032.
Flipkart Partners with PhonePe to Digitise its
Cash-on-delivery Payments Using QR Codes
PhonePe, the digital payments platform has
partnered with Flipkart, the e-commerce major, and
launched a contactless ‘Scan and Pay’ feature to
digitise Flipkart’s pay-on-delivery (cash-on-delivery)
orders payment.
 The partnership will enable the Flipkart
customers who have earlier opted for cash on
delivery to pay ‘digitally’ at the time of delivery
by scanning the PhonePe’s dynamic QR code
using any Unified Payments Interface (UPI) app.
PayU Partners with WooCommerce to
Accelerate Digitalization of SMBs
PayU, an online payment solutions provider, partnered
with WooCommerce, an open-source, customizable e-
commerce platform, to enable the WooCommerce
merchants with the digital payment infrastructure, and
end-to-end digitized business process.
 This partnership made to accelerate the
digitization of Small and Medium-sized Business
(SMBs) business processes.
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IOC buys Crude Oil from Guyana; signs pact
to buy 3 million tonnes of US crude
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) became India’s 1st Public
sector refinery to procure crude oil from Guyana,
which will be refined in IOC’s Paradip refinery at
Odisha. IOC also entered into a contract to procure 3
million tonnes of US crude.
 India’ is World’s 3rd largest consumer & importer
of Crude oil with almost 85% from imports.
Historically, India procures oil from Middle
eastern countries, and this procurement from Liza
oil field in Guyana is a part of India’s
diversification strategy.
NCDEX Launched 2 New Agri Commodity
Indices – GUAREX, SOYDEX
National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange
(NCDEX), India’s agricultural-commodity exchange,
launched India’s 1st sectoral indices in agricultural-
commodities space such as GUAREX and SOYDEX.
GUAREX and SOYDEX were also India’s first return
based agricultural futures index in agricultural-
commodities.
 GUAREX – It is the return-based index, it tracks
the change in the price of the futures contracts of
Guar Seed and Guar Gum Refined Splits on a real-
time basis.
 SOYDEX – It will also trace the price changes in
futures contracts of Soybean and Refined Soy Oil.
ASCI, FSSAI sign Agreement to curb
Misleading Claims in Food & Beverage Ads
Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) & Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have
signed an agreement to protect consumers from
misleading claims in Food & Beverage (F&B)
advertisements. As per the deal, ASCI will identify
advertisements that violate provisions of Food Safety
and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations,
2018 and FSSAI will investigate the cases.
 ASCI will set up a three-member expert panel to
evaluate foods and beverages advertising
identified by the ASCI monitoring team.
Government set up Advisory Council for
ONDC Project
As per the order of the Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry has set up a 9-member
Advisory Council to advise the government on
measures needed to design and fast adoption of ‘Open
Network for Digital Commerce’ (ONDC).
 ONDC is a project initiated by DPIIT, Ministry of
Commerce and Industry, and assigned to the
Quality Council of India (QCI).
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 13

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
3 Delhi Students Won Diana Award 2021 for
Their Contribution During COVID-19
Three Delhi students – Kaif Ali, student of Jamia Millia
Islamia; Sana Mittar, from the University of Warwick;
and Devanshi Ranjan, from Lady Shri Ram College has
won the 2021 Diana Award Roll of Honour for their
contribution to society during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Diana Award is established in memory of Diana,
Princess of Wales and is given out by the charity
named – Diana Award, it is supported by her sons,
William, the Duke of Cambridge, and Harry, the
Duke of Sussex.
Gita Gopinath, Kamlesh Lulla among 34
Immigrants to be Honoured by US
Foundation
International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Chief Economist
Gita Gopinath & National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) Scientist Kamlesh Lulla have
been named among the ‘2021 Great Immigrants’
honourees named by the Carnegie Corporation of
Network, a US-based non-profit organisation. A total
of 34 immigrants representing 30 countries of origin
have been named in the Class of 2021.
Invest India awarded as World’s Most
Innovative Investment Promotion Agency of
2021
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush
Goyal and Union Minister of Information and
Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar congratulated ‘Invest
India’ for winning the World’s Most Innovative
Investment Promotion Agency for 2021 by the OCO
Global.
 Invest India has been continuously identifying
innovative areas of investment and bringing in
sustainable investors to India, despite the
disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic.
RK Sabharwal awarded “The Order of Polar
Star” – Highest Civilian Award of Mongolia
Chairman & Managing Director of Engineers India Ltd.
(EIL), RK Sabharwal, was awarded the highest civilian
award of Mongolia “The Order of Polar Star”. He was
honoured with the prestigious award for his
contribution towards the construction of Mongolia’s
1st ever Oil Refinery.
 Oil Refinery is constructed by the Mongolian
government with the USD 1 billion Line of Credit
provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during
his visit to Mongolia in 2019.
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CIET-NCERT Announced the National ICT
Awards for School Teachers 2018 & 2019
Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), a
constituent unit of the National Council of Educational
Research and Training (NCERT) has announced the
recipients of the National ICT Awards for School
Teachers 2018 & 2019. The award is annually
instituted by the Ministry of Education (MoE),
Government of India.
 Umesh Raghunath Khose, a primary teacher, from
Osmanabad, Maharashtra is to receive the
National ICT Awards for School Teachers 2018 for
using ICT through gadgets like television, tab,
mobile and projectors.
Complete list of National ICT Award 2018 & 2019
awardees
Odia Poet Rajendra Kishore Panda named for
Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar 2020
A poet and novelist from Odisha, Dr. Rajendra Kishore
Panda (77), has been named for the Kuvempu
Rashtriya Puraskar for 2020. His name was finalized by
a three-member committee comprising Kannada poet
Dr. H.S. Shivaprakash, Agrahara Krishnamurthy, former
secretary of Central Sahitya Academy, and Bengali
author Shyamal Bhattacharya.
 The committee met under the chairmanship of
Prof. Hampa Nagarajaiah.
Korean Air selected as ‘2021 Airline of the
Year’ by ATW
Korean Air (of South Korea) has been selected as the
‘2021 Airline of the Year’ by Air Transport World
(ATW), it is also called the ‘Oscar in the Aviation
Industry’. It was awarded the Oscar for managing the
situation under COVID-19 effectively.
 The awards ceremony is set to be held on
October 5, 2021 at Boston, USA. Started in 1974,
the year 2021 is the 47th edition of ATW’s ‘Airline
of the Year’ awards.
KIAB Airport Inducted into ACI DG’s Roll of
Excellence 2020
Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB
Airport), Karnataka owned by the Bangalore
International Airport Limited (BIAL), has been inducted
into the Airports Council International (ACI) Director
General (DG)’s Roll of Excellence for the year 2020.
 ACI DG’s Roll of Excellence recognizes the
airports that delivered excellence in customer
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 14

service by winning multiple ASQ awards over a
period of 5 years.
Decoding Shankar wins Biographical Film
Award at the Toronto International Women
Film Festival 2021
A documentary on singer Shankar Mahadevan titled
‘Decoding Shankar’ has won Best Biographical Film
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant Gets 1 Year
Extension, till June 2022
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved
the extension in tenure of Amitabh Kant as Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of Niti Aayog for a period of
one year up to 30.06. 2022. Initially he was appointed
as the CEO of Niti Aayog on February 17, 2016 for a
period of 2 year and was later extended several times.
Amitabh Kant is a 1980 batch IAS officer of Kerala
cadre.
Shambhu Nath Srivastava Appointed as
IFUNA Chairman
Shambhu Nath Srivastava, the former Allahabad High
Court Judge and former chief Lokayukta of
Chhattisgarh, has been appointed as the Chairman of
the Indian Federation of United Nations Associations
(IFUNA). He succeeded Mukul Sangma, a former chief
minister of Meghalaya.
Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat Resigned
Uttarakhand Chief Minister (CM) Tirath Singh Rawat of
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has submitted his
resignation to Baby Rani Maurya, Governor of
Uttarakhand. He resigned 4 months after taking
charge as the Chief Minister.
The BJP Legislature party has scheduled a meeting at
the BJP Headquarters in Uttarakhand to select a new
Chief Minister.
Pushkar Singh Dhami Sworn in as
Uttarakhand CM
Pushkar Singh Dhami, 45, sworn in as
the 11th Chief Minister (CM) of
Uttarakhand along with 11-member
cabinet ministers, by replacing Tirath Singh Rawat. He
is the youngest CM of the state, and before getting
elevated to the post,he served as MLA for 2 terms
from Khatima, Uttarakhand (never held any ministerial
position).
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Award at the Toronto International Women Film
Festival, 2021.The documentary was directed by Kochi-
based filmmaker Deepti Pillay Sivan. This documentary
also won a Special Jury Award at the Indo French
International Film Festival.
President Ram Nath Kovind Appoints New
Governors for 8 States
President Ram Nath Kovind appointed new Governors
for 8 States.Article 155 of the Indian Constitution
states that the Governor of a State shall be appointed
by the President by warrant under his hand and
seal.They are
 Thaawar Chand Gehlot appointed as the 19th
Governor of Karnataka.
 Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati appointed as the
22nd Governor of Mizoram.
 Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel appointed as the
19th Governor of Madhya Pradesh.
 Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar appointed as the
21st Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
 P.S. Sreedharan Pillai appointed as the 19th
Governor of Goa.
 Satyadeo Narain Arya appointed as the 19th
Governor of Tripura succeeding Ramesh Bais.
 Ramesh Bais who is currently serving as
Governor of Tripura, appointed as the 9th
Governor of Jharkhand.
 Bandaru Dattatraya appointed as the 17th
Governor of Haryana succeeding Satyadeo Narain
Arya.
MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari Became ‘Brand
Ambassador’ of Khadi Prakritk Paint
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and
Highways & MSME (Micro Small & Medium
Enterprises) announced himself as the Brand
Ambassador of ‘Khadi Prakritk Paint’ (cow dung
paint), India’s 1st and only paint made from cow
dung to promote the paint across the country and
encourage the young entrepreneurs to manufacture it.
IBM president and former Red Hat CEO Jim
Whitehurst quits
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has
announced that Jim Whitehurst has decided to step
down as President of the company, Whitehurst former
CEO of Red Hat has played a pivotal role in the $34
billion IBM and Red Hat integration deal in 2018 and
He will continue to work as senior advisor to Arvind
Krishna, Chairman and CEO of IBM.
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 15

BOOKS & AUTHORS
India Presented 10 Translated Books of
Modern Indian Literature to SCO
Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri presented
10 Translated Books of Modern Indian Literature to
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) Secretary
General Vladimir Norov at the SCO secretariat in
Beijing,China.
It includes English, Russian and Chinese translations of
10 classic works of modern literature written by
prominent Indian authors in different languages.
Book Name - “Fiercely Female: The Dutee
Chand Story”
Author - Journalist Sundeep Mishra
Subject - The book insights on the
Gender-identity controversy of
popular Indian sprinter Dutee Chand,
1st Indian Women to win Gold Medal in a 100-meter
global racing event.
She is India’s first openly homosexual(gay)
athelete.The book details the controversy, when Dutee
Chand was dropped from the 2014 Commonwealth
Games on false gender identity claims, which was later
turned to her favour by the Court of Arbitration for
Sport.
Book Name - “Janaksuta Sut Shaurya ”
Author - Dr Gauri Shankar Sharma
‘Gaurish’
Subject - The book discusses the subject
related to the Uttar Ramayana in simple
and easy poetic forms.
 Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief
Minister(CM) of Madhya Pradesh(MP) released a
book.
Book Name - “The Struggle Within – A
Memoir of the Emergency”
Author - Ashok Chakravarti, an economist
and senior Economic Advisor to the
Government of Zimbabwe.
Publisher - HarperCollins India
Subject -The book features the struggles
during the Emergency period, one of
independent India’s darkest hours.
During the emergency period, more than 150,000
people were imprisoned without trial while around 11
million forcibly sterilized and many were killed in
police firings or otherwise eliminated.
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Book Name - “Nathuram Godse: The True
Story of Gandhi’s Assassin”
Author - Dhaval Kulkarni
Subject - The book features the unknown
aspects of Godse’s life, his ideologies and
other factors that led to the assassination
of Gandhi.
 Teesta Guha Sarkar, editorial head at
Pan Macmillan India acquired the book from
Anish Chandy, founder of Labyrinth literary
agency in an auction.
Book Name - ‘India To The Rescue’
Authors - Sushant Singh, a journalist and
children’s book writer Shruthi Rao
 The illustrations of the book were
done by Shangnik Chakraborty.
 The book features the rescue
operation “Operation Cactus” which
averted the Maldives crisis on 3rd November
1988.
Book Name – EekS
The series comprises 4 books authored by
Arthy Muthanna Singh and Mamta Nainy.
 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
and Penguin Random House India (PRHI)
have launched ‘EekS’.
 Subject -This is a new series of books
to introduce children to the world of insects
which includes a range of insects like bees,
mosquitoes, ants and cockroaches.
Book Name - “Operation Khukri: The true
story behind the Indian Army’s most
successful mission as a part of the United
Nations”
Authors - Rajpal Punia and his daughter
Damini Punia
Publisher- Penguin Random House India
(PRHI)
Subject - The book is dedicated to Havildar
Krishan Kumar, Sena Medal (posthumous),
the only Indian soldier who died in Operation Khukri.
The book is the first-hand account of Major General
Rajpal Punia, the Commanding Officer (CO) of the 58th
Gorkha Rifles, who orchestrated “Operation Khukri”.
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 16

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Office of Principal Scientific Adviser Launches
‘Atmanirbhar Krishi App’
Office of Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the
Government of India launched the Atmanirbhar Krishi
app under the KisanMitr initiative. The app aims to
equip farmers with actionable agricultural insights and
provide early weather alerts.
 It has been designed and built by the Tech
Mahindra Makers Lab team, the Research &
Development arm of Tech Mahindra.
Microsoft Officially Launched ‘Windows 11’
Microsoft officially launched its new Windows
operating system ‘Windows 11’ on June 24, 2021. It is
being called the “next generation” of Windows.The
release comes nearly six years after the current latest
Windows Operating System ‘Windows 10’ was
launched in July 2015.
3-new Asteroids discovered by Indian
Teacher-Student duo in IASC Citizen Science
Programme
3-new asteroids were discovered by Bala Bharathi,
Principal of Bharathi Matriculation Higher Secondary
School, and G. Aazhimukilan, B.Sc. Physics student
from St. Joseph’s College from Trichy, Tamil Nadu. The
3 asteroids were temporarily named as BBM2101,
BBM2102, and BBM2103.
 The discovery was a part of the International
Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) Citizen
Science Programme, organised by National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
OneWeb Launches 36 Satellites into Orbit
36 Broadband Satellites of OneWeb (a venture backed
by Bharti Airtel) were launched into orbit by a Soyuz
rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Siberia, Russia.
The launch of the satellites will enable it to provide
commercial internet services in areas of the Northern
Hemisphere (areas north of 50th Degree Latitude) by
the end of 2021. This mission was the OneWeb 8, the
eighth OneWeb launch since the first satellites
launched in 2019.
Indrajaal: Grene Robotics developed India’s
1st Indigenous Drone Defence Dome
India’s first indigenous Autonomous Drone Defence
Dome (AD3) namely ‘Indrajaal’ has been developed by
Grene Robotics, a Hyderabad (Telangana) based
company into building autonomous technologies. This
Anti-Drone Dome provides a 24*7 protection to a large
area / city of 1,000-2,000 sq km against threats such as
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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), incoming weapons
(missiles), loitering munitions and Low-Radar Cross
Section (RCS) targets autonomously.
Virgin Orbit Launches 7 Satellites from 747
Plane
Richard Charles Nicholas Branson’s rocket company,
Virgin Orbit delivered 7 satellites from 3 countries viz,
United States(US), Netherlands, and Poland into space
using its modified Boeing 747 aircraft, making it the
company’s 1st commercial launch.
 LauncherOne, the 70-foot-long (21-meter) two-
stage rocket was carried by the aircraft and
dropped from its left wing. It is the company’s
2nd successful rocket launch from a plane.
China launches ‘FY-3E’ Meteorological
Satellite into Space
China National Space Administration (CNSA) launched
a new meteorological satellite ‘Fengyun-3E (FY-3E)’
aboard a Long March-4C carrier rocket from Jiuquan
Satellite Launch Center in China. Called the ‘dawn
satellite’, FY-3E is the world’s 1st meteorological
satellite for civil service in a dawn-dusk orbit.
 The satellite is equipped with 11 advanced
remote sensing payloads and has a lifespan of 8
years.
6 Technology Innovation Platforms launched
by Ministry of Heavy Industries
Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
launched 6-Technology Innovation platforms for
exchange of knowledge for research & development of
technologies that are manufactured in India with
globally competitive standards and other technical
researches.
 The aim is to one platform for all Indian Industries
& field experts, allowing them to identify
problems faced by various industries and resolve
it through crowd sourcing solutions.
Israel unveiled 5th Gen Maritime & Land-
based Long-Range Attack Weapon System
Israeli defence major Rafael Advanced Defense
Systems (RADS) Ltd. unveiled an all-weather missile
Sea Breaker, a 5th generation long range,
autonomous, precision-guided missile system to
address an operational gap in maritime and artillery
strike systems through a single platform. Sea Breaker
can be fired both from sea and surface with stand-off
ranges of up to 300 km.
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 17

Kiren Rijiju Launched 5 Portals on AYUSH
sector along with 4 Publications
Minister of State (Independent Charge)-Additional
Charge Kiren Rijiju, Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda,
Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and
Homoeopathy) launched five important portals of
importance along with four publications during a
virtual event. He launched CTRI portal along with
AMAR, RMIS, SAHI and e-Medha portals.
 The five portals are CTRI, SHAHI, e- Medha,
AMAR and CCRAS-Research Management
Information System.
SPORTS
Indian American Abhimanyu Mishra Became
the Youngest Chess Grandmaster
Indian American chess player Abhimanyu Mishra (12
years 4 months, 25 days old) became the youngest
ever Chess Grandmaster after he scored his third
Grandmaster (GM) norm in Budapest, Hungary. He
won the title against 15-year-old Indian chess player
Leon Luke Mendonca.
 Abhimanyu Mishra broke the record of
Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin who held the
position for 19 years. He became the youngest
grandmaster at the age of 12 years and seven
months.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 Shifted to
UAE – Oman
International Cricket Council (ICC) has shifted the
venue of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Tournament from
India to United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman, due
to India’s prevailing pandemic situation. The
tournament will be hosted by the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) at 4 venues from 17 October to
14 November 2021.
Indian Men and Women Hockey teams
remain at 4th & 10th in FIH rankings
In the recent rankings released by the International
Hockey Federation (FIH), the positions of Indian Men’s
and Women’s Hockey teams remain unaltered at 4th
and 10th position respectively.Australian Men’s team
moved up to the top position, while Netherlands
Women Team remains at the Top position in the
World Hockey Rankings.
Sports Ministry recognizes WAKO India
Kickboxing Federation
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports recognized WAKO
India Kickboxing Federation as National Sports
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Tech Mahindra & StaTwig partners to
implement Global Vaccine Tracker –
‘VaccineLedger’
Indian IT major Tech Mahindra partnered with StaTwig
– a digital supply chain provider to implement
“VaccineLedger”, a global vaccine tracker platform.
 VaccineLedger is set to collaborate with countries
across the world to facilitate transparency in the
Vaccine supply chain and predict failure of cold
storage facilities, thereby eliminating wastage of
life saving drugs.
Federation (NSF) of India. In June 2021, International
Olympics Committee (IOC) recognized “World
Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO)”, the
international federation for Kickboxing, as a full-time
member of Olympic games. Kickboxing is set to be a
permanent member from 2021’s Tokyo Olympics.
Max Verstappen wins Austrian Grand Prix
2021
Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (Belgium) won
the Austrian Grand Prix 2021, making his 3rd
consecutive win and 5th win in 2021. He was quickly
followed by Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and
McLaren’s Lando Norris in 2nd & 3rd positions
respectively. Fédération Internationale de
l’Automobile (FIA) organized Austrian Grand Prix
2021.
India bags 4 Medals at ISSF Shooting World
Cup 2021
ISSF World Cup 2021 Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun held at
Osijek, Croatia.
India bagged 4 Medals (1 Gold, 1 Silver & 2 Bronze)
and finished 10th at the above event. The Medals table
was topped by Russia with 18 Medals followed by Italy
& Germany with 10 Medals each. The 2021 ISSF World
Cup is the annual edition of the ISSF World Cup in the
Olympic shooting events, governed by ISSF.
Nihal Sarin wins Silver Lake Open Chess
tournament in Serbia
In July 2021, Nihal Sarin (16-year-old) from Kerala won
the Silver Lake Open Chess tournament in Serbia. He
won 8 points from 9 rounds and defeated Serbia’s
Branko Damljanovic in the finals. India’s Raunak
Sadhwani and Abhimanyu Puranik with 7 points each
have secured the 2nd & 3rd places in the tournament
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 18

OBITUARY
Padma Shri K V Sampath Kumar, Editor of
Sudharma India’s only Sanskrit Daily Passed
Away
Padma Shri K V Sampath Kumar (64 years old), who
has been serving as the editor of Sudharma, India’s
only Sanskrit Daily, for the past 31 years passed away
at Mysore, Karnataka.
Birth place - Kalale village, Nanjangud town, Mysore,
Karnataka.
 K V Sampath Kumar, along with his wife Vidshi
K.S Jayalakshmi was honoured with the Padma
Shri for literature and Education in 2020.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Asteroid Day 2021 – June 30
United Nations ’s International Asteroid Day or
Asteroid Day is annually celebrated across the globe
on 30th June.
 Aim- The day aims to create awareness and
engage and educate the general public about the
asteroid’s opportunities and risks.
 The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
adopted the resolution A/RES/71/90 on 6th
December 2016 and declared the 30th June as the
International Asteroid Day.
International Day of Parliamentarism 2021 –
June 30
United Nations ’s International Day of Parliamentarism
is annually observed across the globe on 30th June.
 Aim - The day aims to recognize the
importance of parliaments in national plans
and strategies. The day also highlights the
importance of parliaments in ensuring
transparency and accountability at national
and global levels.
National Chartered Accountants’ Day 2021 –
July 1
National Chartered Accountants'(CA) Day is annually
observed across India on July 1st.
Aim – The day aims to commemorate the
establishment of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India(ICAI) by the Parliament under the
Chartered Accountants Act, 1949.
 The day highlights the importance of Chartered
Accountants in bringing transparency to the
economy. The year 2021 marks the celebration of
the 73rd National Chartered Accountants’ Day.
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Richard Donner – Director of “Superman”
passes away
Richard Donald Schwartzberg, the famous Blockbuster
movie director of Hollywood, popularly known as
Richard Donner passed away at the age of 91, he
belongs to the United States of America. The creator of
multiple blockbuster movies from various genres
including Thriller, Comedy & Adventure movie was
also the creator of the 1st ‘Superman’ movie.
National Doctors Day 2021 – July 1
National Doctors Day is annually observed across India
on 1st July.
Aim – The day aims to recognize the efforts and
contributions of the doctor’s community to society and
the commitment of the doctors towards their
profession.
 The day also marks the birth and death
anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, who
served as the Chief Minister(CM) of West
Bengal(WB) from 1948 to 1962.
 The headquarters of IMA has declared “Save the
Saviours” as the theme of National Doctors Day
2021.
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Day 2021 – July
1
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Day is annually
observed across India on 1st July.
 The day marks the commemoration of the
unprecedented reform of Indian taxation – Goods
and Services Tax (GST). The day is observed by the
Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs(CBIC)
across India.The year 2021 marks the observance
of the 4th GST Day.
66th Foundation Day of SBI – July 1 2021
On July 1 2021, the State Bank of India (SBI), the
largest lender and the oldest commercial bank in India,
has celebrated its 66th Foundation Day.On the same
day in 1955, the Government of India took control of
the Imperial Bank of India, with the Reserve Bank of
India taking a 60 percent stake, renamed it as the State
Bank of India.
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 19

 It has allocated Rs 62 crore to PM CARES Fund on
its foundation day to support the fight against
Covid-19.
National Postal Worker Day 2021 – July 1
 National Postal Worker Day is annually
observed on 1st July.
 Aim -It aims to recognize the work of the
postal workers who work hard to deliver the
mail and delivery on time. The day encourages
the general public to appreciate the work of
postal workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
International Fruit Day 2021 – July 1
International Fruit Day is annually observed across the
globe on 1st July to share fruits in sympathy and joy
with family, friends or needy people. The day also
addresses the people who create and preserve positive
living conditions.
 The motto of the International Fruit Day was
“Create Change Together” and the Fruit Of The
Year 2021 is Watermelon.
 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted
the resolution A/RES/74/244 on 19th December
2019 and proclaimed the year 2021 as the
International Year of Fruits and Vegetables.
Crop Insurance week 2021 : 1 – 7 July 2021
Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Ministry for
Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) flags off the
observance of the Crop Insurance week 2021 from 1st
– 7th July 2021 over a virtual platform.He also
launched the Crop Insurance Awareness Campaign
during the event of Crop Insurance Week.
World Sports Journalists Day 2021 – July 2
World Sports Journalists Day is annually observed
across the globe on 2nd July.
Aim – The day aims to recognize the efforts and
devotion of the sports journalists across the globe. The
STATE NEWS
New International Cricket Stadium in
Jharkhand by SAIL-BSL
MoU b/w - Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA)
& SAIL Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL)
The agreement made for the construction of an
International Cricket Stadium in Bokaro
city,Jharkhand.Bokaro will become the third city in
Jharkhand to have an International Cricket Stadium
after Jamshedpur and Ranchi.
J&K launches ‘Hausla’ Scheme to promote
Women Entrepreneurship
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day also celebrates the achievements of the sports
journalists.The day is celebrated across the globe by
the International Sports Press Association.
International Plastic Bag Free Day 2021 – July
3
International Plastic Bag Free Day is annually observed
across the globe on 3rd July.
Aim -The day aims to create awareness about the
issues of plastic pollution and to highlight the effects
of plastic pollution on the natural environment ranging
from land to marine.
 The Plastic Bag Free Day is a global initiative of
Zero Waste Europe that aims to eliminate the
usage of single-use plastic bags in the world.
International Day of Cooperatives observed
on July 3 (1st Saturday of July)
UN International Day of Cooperatives (#CoopsDay) is
observed annually on the first Saturday of July, which
falls on July 3 in 2021.
Aims - It is observed to increase awareness of
cooperatives and highlight the contributions of the
cooperative movement.
 The Theme for International Day of Cooperatives
is ‘Rebuild better together’.
 2021’s celebration will be the 27th International
Day of Cooperative recognized by the UN and the
99th International Cooperative Day (being
observed since 1923).
World Zoonoses Day 2021 – July 6
World Zoonoses Day is annually observed across the
globe on 6th July to create awareness about zoonoses
or zoonotic disease, a disease or infection transmitted
from vertebrate animals to humans. The day also
commemorates the first vaccination administered
against zoonotic disease.
Lt Governor (LG) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Manoj
Sinha launched a Women Entrepreneurship scheme
called “HAUSLA – Inspiring her Growth” in the Union
Territory (UT). Hausla is a comprehensive program on
promoting entrepreneurship among women, which
will be implemented by the Jammu and Kashmir Trade
Promotion Organization (JKTPO).
 JKTPO in collaboration with various industrial
stakeholders will provide training, mentorship to
women entrepreneurs with various marketing
strategies to promote their business.
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 20

Haryana CM launched ‘Jan Sahayak-Aapka
Sahayak’ app, ‘DSM AC Scheme’ also
Launched
Chief Minister (CM) of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar,
launched a mobile app ‘Jan Sahayak-Aapka Sahayak’
from Chandigarh to ensure ‘anywhere-anytime-
anybody ‘delivery of Government to Citizen (G2C) and
Business to Citizen (B2C) services under single digital
platform.
 Haryana power minister Ranjit Singh Chautala
launched first of its kind ‘Demand Side
Management-AC Scheme’ for the domestic
consumers of urban and rural areas to promote
energy conservation.
 CM also launched ‘Mukhyamantri Shehri Nikay
Swamitva Yojana’ portal for giving ownership
rights to property holders.
KVIC’s Project BOLD Launched in Udaipur,
Rajasthan
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
initiated a project “Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought
(BOLD)”, first of its kind exercise in India from the
tribal village Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
 It was launched as a part of KVIC’s “Khadi
Bamboo Festival” to celebrate 75 years of
independence “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. It is a
unique scientific exercise of reducing
desertification and providing livelihood and
multi-disciplinary rural industry.
J&K’s SDRF launched 24*7 Mental Health
Helpline ‘Sukoon’
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Standard Life Sold Rs 6783 Cr Worth Shares
of HDFC life
Standard life Mauritius holdings 2006 Limited, a
subsidiary of the Standard Life Aberdeen PLC, the
promoter of the HDFC life insurance company has sold
its Rs 6783 crore worth shares of HDFC Life.Standard
Life sold its 3.46% stake in HDFC life worth Rs 6,783.59
crore through open market transactions.
CCI Approved Acquisition of SB Energy by
Adani Green; Merger of Tech Data, SYNNEX
Competition Commission of India (CCI) under Section
31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002 has approved the
acquisition of SB Energy Holding Limited by Adani
Green Energy Limited for about $3.5 billion, the largest
acquisition in the renewable energy sector in India.
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In order to curb the suicide cases, the State Disaster
Response Force (SDRF) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)
inaugurated the J&K’s 1st 24×7 counselling helpline
number ‘Sukoon’ & is accessible at toll-free number
1800-1807159. The name of the program, ‘Sukoon’
literally translates to ‘relief’. It has been started to
improve the mental well-being of the people of J&K
amid COVID-19.
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu Appointed as Chief
Secretary of Uttarakhand
Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister (CM) of
Uttarakhand has appointed Sukhbir Singh Sandhu (SS
Sandhu), a 1988 batch IAS officer of Uttarakhand
cadre, as the new Chief Secretary (CS) of Uttarakhand,
replacing Om Prakash. SS Sandhu was on deputation at
the Centre as the Chairman of the National Highway
Authority of India(NHAI).
DMRC Launched India’s 1st UPI-based
Cashless Parking at Kashmere Gate Metro
Station
Dr Mangu Singh, Managing Director (MD) of the Delhi
Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) launched India’s first
FASTag/UPI based cashless parking facility at the
Kashmere Gate Metro Station, the only triple-
interchange station of DMRC.
 DMRC has partnered with the National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch 100% digital
parking plaza with the National Electronic Toll
Collection (NETC) FASTag contactless parking
solution at Kashmere Gate.
 CCI has also approved the merger of Tech Data
Corporation, a subsidiary of Tiger Parent, with
SYNNEX Corporation.
Amazon Web Services acquired Encrypted
Messaging app Wickr
Amazon is all set to have its own messaging
application as its cloud computing division, Amazon
Web Services (AWS), has acquired encrypted
messaging platform Wickr for an undisclosed sum.
 The acquisition is on the lines of the company’s
strategy for government contract work. Notably,
Wickr is a popular app with government agencies
in the United States (US).
Copyright 2014-2021 @ AffairsCloud.Com 21
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ADIA Picked up Minority stake in Mobikwik Edelweiss Gallagher Insurance Brokers

for $20 million
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the United
Arab Emirates’s (UAE) sovereign wealth fund, has
picked up a minority stake in Mobikwik, the IPO (Initial
Public Offering)-bound digital payments firm, for
around $20 million (Rs 150 crore). As per the Registrar
of Companies (RoC) filing by Mobikwik after the
current funding the values at $700 million (Rs 5,193
crore).
Edelweiss Group Sold its Entire Stake in EGIBL
to Gallagher & Co
Edelweiss Group, one of India’s leading diversified
financial services firms, has sold its entire stake in
Limited(EGIBL), an insurance broking joint venture to
Gallagher & Co.Gallagher previously held 30% stakes in
EGIBL and has now acquired the remaining shares.
Govt to Sell up to 4% Stake in NMDC via OFS
Government plans to offload 4 percent stake
(11,72,24,234 equity shares) in National Mineral
Development Corporation (NMDC), India’s largest iron
ore mining company, through an offer for sale
(OFS).The President of India (acting through and
represented by the Ministry of Steel) is the promoter
of NMDC. He holds 68.29 percent stake in the
company.

ENVIRONMENT
2 new Species of Snails discovered in Western The “Snail of Sahyadri” which is compared to tiger due to
Ghats its unique carnivore characters was discovered for the 1st
time in Maharashtra’s Western Ghats region
Two different discoveries conducted by separate groups
 Zoologist Amrut R. Bhosale from Shivaji University,
of researchers have identified 2-endemic species of snails
Kolhapur is the primary author of the research, which
from the West Ghats region. A species of nocturnal semi
was published in the ‘European Journal of Taxonomy’
slug called as “Varadia amboliensis”, which is new to
science world

GA Questions Asked in Exams

• GA Questions asked in RRB PO Mains Exam 2021 – Jan 30
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• SBI Clerk Mains 2020
• IBPS RRB Officer Scale II GBO Exam 2020
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• GA Questions Asked in IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2020 – 90% Questions Covered by AC
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