Current Affairs 01st July 2020| Current Affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Day of Parliamentarism

• The United Nations General Assembly designated June 30 as the day to celebrate International Day of Parliamentarism in
• The date also marks the day in 1889 when the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the global organization of parliaments, was established.
• The day also celebrates the way parliamentary systems of government improve the day-to-day lives of people the world over.

National Doctors’ Day

• India celebrates the national doctor’s day every year to pay tribute to the contributions of doctors across the country.
• It is celebrated on July 1 to mark the birth as well as death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, former chief minister of West Bengal and one of the most popular doctors of the nation.
• This year’s theme for the occasion is ‘Lessen the mortality of Covid-19’ and includes spreading awareness about hypoxia and aggressive therapy.

National Postal Worker Day 

• On July 1, National Postal Worker Day is marked in recognition of postal workers across the world.
• National Postal Worker Day is a unique opportunity to say ‘thank you’ not only to postmen but also to all delivery personnel, as online shopping has become a lifeline for many of us.

Chartered Accountants Day

• Chartered Accountants Day or CA Day is celebrated onJuly 1 every year to commemorate the finding of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) by the parliament of India in 1949.
• A chartered accountant is a profession that gives direction to the financial condition of any country.
• ICAI is the second largest accounting body in the world after American Institute of Public Accountants.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

PM Modi extends Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till November

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana for a further five months till November-end for distributing free foodgrains to the poor.
• The government will keep providing free foodgrains to the poor section of the society due to the increased need during the festivals. And it will incur an additional expenditure of Rs 90,000 crore to provide 5 kg rice or wheat and 1 kg gram every month to the poor.
• The Modi government had announced an additional allocation in the world’s largest food security scheme – PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana – earlier this year, which aimed to ensure sufficient foods with the poor and needy amid the coronavirus crisis.
• The foodgrains were to be distributed to all the beneficiaries under the targeted public distribution system (TPDS) for Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority household (PHH) ration cardholders.
• The eligible individuals were to receive 5kg of foodgrains and 1 kg Gram per month for a period of three months between April and June, 2020, which has now been extended for five more months.
• In the last three months, 20 crore poor households have received direct benefit transfers worth Rs 31,000 crore under the government’s Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, which was announced immediately after the coronavirus-induced lockdown. During this period, Rs 18,000 crore has been deposited in the bank accounts of more than nine crore farmers.
• Simultaneously, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan was also launched to provide employment to shramiksin rural areas.

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment  launches Nasha Mukt Bharat

• “Nasha Mukt Bharat: Annual Action Plan (2020-21) for 272 Most Affected Districts’ was e-launched by Shri Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment on the occasion of “International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking”
• The Action Plan has the following components:Awareness generation programmes; Focus on Higher Educational institutions, University Campuses and Schools; Community outreach and identification of dependent population; Focus on Treatment facilities in Hospital settings; and Capacity Building Programmes for Service Provider.
• The funds for this programme in the year 2017-18 was Rs 49 crores and now in the year 2019-20 it was Rs 110 crores and in the year 2020-21, the fund has been increased to Rs 260 crores, i.e. more than 5 times.
• Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment could not conduct the presentation of the National Awards for outstanding Services in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse

About MoSE

• Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment: Thaawar Chand Gehlot
• Constituency: Madhya Pradesh

HRD Minister launches World’s first ever online B.Sc. degree in Programming & Data Science

• Human Resources and Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank virtually launched World’s first ever online Sc. degree in Programming and Data Science.
• The programme has been prepared and offered by the Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Madras.
• Data Science is one of the fastest growing sectors that is predicted to create 11.5 million jobs by 2026.
• Online education is a trend being rapidly embraced for high quality education on a large scale.
• This programme is open to anyone who has passed Class 12th, with English and Maths at the Class 10th level, and enrolled in any on-campus UG course.
• Mr Pokhriyal informed that the current batch of students who are completing their Class 12th in 2020 are eligible to apply. He stated, Graduates and working professionals can also take up this programme.
• Mr Pokhriyal added that this unique offering removes all barriers of age, discipline or geographic location and provides access to a world-class curriculum in data science which is in huge demand for skilled professionals.
• The Minister stated, the students who are currently enrolled in a different on-campus program anywhere in the country can pursue this degree program without needing to switch careers or courses.

About Ministry of Human Resource Development:

• Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’: Cabinet Minister
• Constituency: Haridwar
• Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Minister of State

Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Continuous Galvanized Rebar Production Facility in Punjab

• Union Minister of Steel Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated Continuous Galvanized Rebar Production Facility at  Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab.
• Mr Pradhan stated, steel in general, and galvanized steel in particular, is a material of strength which is environment-friendly and cost-effective.
• He stated, with our focus on large-scale expansion in infrastructure sectors and driving steel intensity, the demand for galvanized steel is set to rise.
• The Continuous Galvanized Rebar production facility will support the much awaited need of supplying galvanized rebar to the construction industry.
• The facility inaugurated is a step in the right direction towards making of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• Mr Pradhan also talked about several steps being taken by the Ministry including setting up of steel clusters, steel scrap policy and steps taken to ensure raw material security to make the sector more vibrant and self-reliant.

About Ministry of Steel:

• Dharmendra Pradhan, Cabinet Minister
• Constituency: Madhya Pradesh
• Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State

46 million girls went missing in India, says UNFPA report

• One in three girls missing globally due to sex selection, both pre- and post-natal, is from India — 46 million out of the total 142 million, according to the UNFPA’s State of the World Population 2020 report
• The figure shows that the number of missing women has more than doubled over the past 50 years, who were at 61 million in 1970.
• The report examines the issue of missing women by studying sex ratio imbalances at birth as a result of gender-biased sex selection as well as excess female mortality due to deliberate neglect of girls because of a culture of son preference. Excess female mortality is the difference between observed and expected mortality of the girl child or avoidable death of girls during childhood.
• The report cites a 2014 study to state that India has the highest rate of excess female deaths at 13.5 per 1,000 female births or one in nine deaths of females below the age of 5 due to postnatal sex selection. The same study shows that in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan excess female mortality of girls below 5 years of age was under 3 per cent.
• However, the advent of technology and increased access to ultrasound imaging ensured that parents didn’t have to wait for the birth of their girl child to kill her but could terminate a foetus upon knowing its gender. This resulted in the number of girls missing due to female foeticide exceeding those that were missing because of postnatal sex selection.
• According to estimates averaged over a five year period (2013-17), annually, there were 1.2 million missing female births, at a global level. India had about 4,60,000 girls ‘missing’ at birth each year.

About United Nations Population Fund:

• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Head: Natalia Kanem

Union Minister, Shri Giriraj Singh launches the first edition of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Newsletter “Matsya Sampada”

• Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh launched the first edition of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Newsletter “MATSYA SAMPADA” published by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India and the Operational Guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Rajeev Ranjan, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Government of India and senior officers of the Department of Fisheries were present.
• The Newsletter “MATSYA SAMPADA” is an outcome of the endeavours of the Department of Fisheries to reach out to the stakeholders especially fishers and fish farmers through various means of communication, and to inform and educate them about the latest developments in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. It would be published on a quarterly basis starting from the first quarter of the year 2020-21.
• The Government of India in May, 2020 launched a new Flagship Scheme i.e. the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector at an investment of 20050 crore. The PMMSY with an array of 100 diverse activities is by far the largest ever investment in fisheries sector.
• Achieving the ambitious targets under PMMSY of an additional 70 lakh tons fish production, rupees one lakh crores fisheries exports, generation of 55 lakh employment over next five years, etc. require multipronged strategies along with collaborative and concerted efforts between the government and the stakeholders.
• The Newsletter “MATSYA SAMPADA” is likely to serve as an effective tool and platform in disseminating the intent and initiatives of PMMSY for crystalizing public opinion in the collective effort towards reaching the envisaged goals. It would also enable to showcase the best practices in fisheries and aquaculture undertaken by the fishers, fish farmers and entrepreneurs including the latest developments and success stories.

About Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries

• Giriraj Singh, Cabinet Minister
• Constituency: Begusarai
• Pratap Chandra Sarangi: Minister of state

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

India-Bangladesh form 50:50 Joint Venture Company for LPG business in Bangladesh

• India and Bangladesh signed an agreement for the formation of a 50:50 Joint Venture Company (JVC) for LPG business in Bangladesh.
• The agreement was signed between the  IOC Middle East FZE, Dubai, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and RR Holdings Ltd., Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, the holding company of Beximco LPG of Bangladesh.
• The new Joint venture company set up takes further the ‘neighbourhood first’ policy of the government of India.
• The energy cooperation between India and Bangladesh has made big strides in the recent times.
• The new Joint venture is another step in the same direction. The Joint Venture Company will help reduce the cost of import of LPG and make it more affordable for the consumers in Bangladesh.
• The LPG market in Bangladesh is fast expanding and the new project will draw upon the strengths of the Indian oil and Beximco in their respective areas.
• The company plans to diversify into LPG export to the north eastern states of India from Bangladesh which will prove to be a win win situation for both the countries.

About Bangladesh:

• Prime Minister :Sheikh Hasina
• Capital: Dhaka
• Currency: Bangladeshi taka

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

HDFC Bank launches ”e-Kisaan Dhan” app for farmers

• HDFC Bank launched ”e-Kisaan Dhan” app for farmers across India to access a bouquet of agricultural and banking services on their mobile.
• The app, which serves as a repository of knowledge and information for any individual engaged in farming, helps meet needs of the rural ecosystem.
• The app will also provide value-added services, like mandi prices, latest farming news, weather forecast, information on seed varieties, SMS advisory, e-pashuhaat and Kisan TV.
• Users can also avail multiple banking services, like procuring loans, opening bank accounts, insurance facilities, online calculation of KCC loan eligibility, and for acquiring government social security schemes.
• The app will help with traditional banking services and keep users informed about new government schemes and ways to access them.
• It’s part of the bank’s ”Har Gaon Hamara” initiative to reach out to customers in the rural and under-served areas.

About HDFC Bank

• CEO: Aditya Puri
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Tagline: We Understand Your World

RBI launches inflation expectations survey; to gather responses over telephone amid pandemic

• The Reserve Bank of India has launched the inflation expectations survey of households and responses of the participants will be gathered over telephone in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The RBI has been regularly conducting the survey to elicit subjective views of the households on price movement across various cities of the country. The results of the survey are used as inputs for monetary policy.
• The July 2020 round of the Inflation Expectations Survey of Households has been launched. As per RBI release, Hansa Research Group, Mumbai has been engaged to conduct the survey of this round on behalf of the RBI over telephone instead of the regular personal interview mode in view of the pandemic.
• The survey aims at capturing subjective assessments on price movements and inflation, of approximately 6,000 households, based on their individual consumption baskets, across 18 cities.
• The cities that would be covered are Mumbai, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi and Thiruvananthapuram. The survey would seek qualitative as well as quantitative responses from households on price changes, general prices as well as prices of specific product groups, for the three months ahead as well as in the one year ahead period.

About Reserve Bank of India:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Char Dham Yatra 2020 begins in Uttarakhand

• Char Dham Yatra 2020 began in The four sacred Char Dham sites – Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri – shall open for the devotees.
• Only residents of Uttarakhand will get the E-passes that will be valid only for the darshan at the temple during the visit to the shrine. Therefore, before heading to the temple for the darshan, devotees must visit https://badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/ to obtain the E-pass.
• The Char Dham Yatra is an annual pilgrimage made by devotees, and it is believed that those who complete the Yatra attain Moksha from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath launches piped water project ”Har Ghar Jal” for Bundelkhand region

• Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath launched the ambitious piped water project  ”Har Ghar Jal” that means water to every house for Bundelkhand region.
• The 12  projects for which the foundation stone was laid by the Chief Minister in Jhansi are part of the ”Jal Jeevan Mission” Har Ghar Jal, started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Under the first phase of project which costs 2185 crores the 3 districts of Bundelkhand region will be covered.
• Surface water and underground water will be used to provide drinking water through taps in every household of the region.

About UP

• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• Capital: Lucknow
• Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath

Capgemini partners with Maharashtra govt, BMC to support their fight against Covid-19

• Capgemini, a French multinational corporation, announced that as part of its global Social Response Unit activities, it would extend its support to the Government of Maharashtra and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC)
• The collaboration aims to overcome the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic and provide critical care to those affected.
• Capgemini signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), to provide 65 fully equipped Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds to the following hospitals: (KEM) King Edward Memorial Hospital Mumbai (25 ICU Beds), (LTMGH) Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (20 ICU Beds), and B. Y. L. Nair Charitable Hospital (20 ICU Beds) in Mumbai.
• These ICU beds will be fully equipped with ventilators, (ECG) Electrocardiography monitors, and other critical ICU patient monitoring devices used to treat critical Covid-19 patients, as per the official announcement.

About Capgemini:

• CEO: Paul Hermelin
• Headquarters: Paris, France

Goa govt allots land to 49 MSME units to set up India’s first maritime cluster

• The Goa government has allotted land to a consortium of 49 Goan MSME units for setting up a maritime cluster aimed at creating world class facilities for ship building.
• Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant handed over 14,380 square metres of land for the project to set up its Common Facility Centre.
• The project, which is first maritime cluster of India, has been supported by the Union shipping ministry, Directorate General of Shipping, and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• The cluster aims at creating world class facilities for ship designers, ship and boat builders, ship repairers and marine equipment manufacturers.
• He also stated that Goa has been building ships from time immemorial, and its strategiclocation on West coast of India, proximity to major shipping routes, major resources, and its positive-minded inhabitants have made a natural progression in coastal shipping.
• Ships built in Goa serve the entire coastline of India, and are evenexported to European and Asia- Pacific regions.
• Goa holds one of the largest and most competent force in terms of skill, manpower and experience in maritime field, in the form of150 strong enterprises spread over two generations, Dialani stated.
• The allotment of land for the common facility center is a major step towards commissioning of the cluster.

About Goa:

• Capital: Panaji
• Chief minister: Pramod Sawant
• Governor: Satya Pal Malik

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs launches PM SVANidhi Portal

• Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Housing & Urban Affairs, launched the Beta version of PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi “PM SVANidhi” Portal in presence of officials from States/UTs, Banks, Payment aggregators and other stakeholders.
• Leveraging on the digital technology solutions, the portal provides for an integrated end to end IT interface to users for availing benefits under the scheme.
• An integrated IT platform (pmsvanidhi.mohua.gov.in) to provide an end-to-end solution for scheme administration is being developed by SIDBI, which is the scheme implementation partner for PM SVANidhi.
• The portal will facilitate multiple scheme functions viz. loan application flow, Mobile App, e-KYC of applicants, integration with UIDAI, Udyamimitra, NPCI, PAiSA, lenders, States, ULBs and other stakeholders, calculation of digital incentives and payment of interest subsidy etc.
• The PM SVANidhi Portal shall start accepting loan applications from Street Vendors from July 2nd, who can apply directly or with the help of CSCs/ ULBs/ SHGs.
• The Mobile App facilitated with e-KYC module and loan application flow, to be used by lenders and their agents for application origination, shall be released.

 About Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

• Minister of State of Housing & Urban Affairs (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation Minister: Hardeep Singh Puri
• Constituency: Uttar Pradesh

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launches NADA app to help athletes stay updated on banned substances

• Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju unveiled National Anti-Doping Agency’s first mobile app to provide information about prohibited substances and their inadvertent use, calling the initiative an important step towards dope-free sports.
• The app aims to create a bridge between athletes and the NADA by providing easily accessible information on various aspects of sport, and most importantly about prohibited substances and their inadvertent use which may affect the career of athletes.
• With this app, athletes can check for themselves the list of prohibited substances and don’t have to depend on anyone else for assistance.
• The app also has exhaustive information about whether a specific commonly-prescribed medicine contains any substance that is prohibited by NADA, therefore helping athletes and coaches to decide which medicines athletes can consume in case they are unwell.

About National Anti-Doping Agency

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• CEO: Navin Agarwal

Ezetap launches app to help government bodies collect spot fines  

• Payment solutions company Ezetap announced the launch of an app which it stated would enable government bodies and municipal corporations to accept payments of spot fines
• With an aim to give boost to contactless payments in the post-COVID-19 period, the Spotfine app allows government organisations and corporations to accept payments from citizens for offences like not wearing masks and spitting in a hassle-free manner, a company release stated.
• While hygiene and safety are the responsibility of every citizen, there have been instances when ignorant individuals avoid wearing masks, and spit and urinate at public places , it noted.
• A one-stop solution for this is digitisation of the system. The app is designed to match the operational needs of government organisations across the country.
• The Ezetap Spotfine appis available for free and mainly focuses on organisations collecting spot fines, the company stated. Government bodies can add up to 10 offences for which the municipal bodies can customise and generate invoices.
• The omnichannel payments platform has end-to-end capabilities to handle digital payment processing through integrated software solutions. Through a SaaS payments system, the startup has changed the payment processes of brick-and-mortar retailers, e-commerce players, enterprises, government bodies and financial inclusion organisations. Built-in services include reconciliation, EMI, loyalty, brand offers, cashbacks, and dynamic currency conversion.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

MoU signed between Indianoil, NTPC Ltd, and SDMC for Waste to Energy plant in Delhi

• A MoU was signed on Waste to Energy plant at Okhla, Delhi, between Indian Oil, NTPC Ltd and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). The ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Shri RK Singh, Minister of State (I/c) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, and Shri Anil Baijal, Lt. Governor of Delhi.
• Under the MoU, IndianOil, SDMC and NTPC shall come together to develop a demonstration Waste-to-energy Plant at Okhla landfill site in Delhi, using Gasification technology.
• This Plant shall process 17500 tons per annum of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) produced from combustible components of Municipal Waste to generate syngas which shall in turn be used to generate electricity.
• This Energy plant is expected to bring solutions to the management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Delhi.
• The gas generation from waste will also help in cutting imports of petroleum products and saving foreign exchange.
• The technology that is used in the Delhi plant will result in less emission and also provide usable residues.

About NTPC:

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairman & MD: Gurdeep Singh

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Gudni Johannesson Re-elected as President of Iceland

• Incumbent president of Iceland, Gudni Th. Jóhannesson, won his second four-year term in  presidential election.
• Jóhannesson was re-elected with 92 percent of the popular vote, the second-largest win in Icelandic presidential elections. Vigdis Finnbogadóttir won 94,6 percent of the votes in 1988.
• The other candidate on the ballot this year, Gudmundur Franklín Jónsson, received 6.5% of the votes.
• Guðni Jóhannesson was first elected President of Iceland in 2016 .

About Iceland

• Capital: Reykjavik
• Currency: Icelandic Krona

Lakshmi Vilas Bank appoints CFO Hariharan K 

• Lakshmi Vilas Bank appointed Hariharan K as Chief Financial Officer.
• The appointment is effective from June 30.
• Hariharan has been with the lender since January 2017 and was previously the Vice President at the accounts department.

About LVB

• Headquarters: Chennai
• MD and CEO: Subramanian sundar

Shrikant Madhav Vaidya takes over as Indian Oil Chairman

• Shrikant Madhav Vaidya has taken over as the Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. He will also be the Chairman of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, a stand-alone refining subsidiary of IndianOil and Indian Oiltanking Ltd, another joint venture providing ‘terminalling’ services.
• In addition, Vaidya will be on the board of Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd, a joint venture that is setting up three world-scale fertiliser plants. Vaidya, who is on the board of Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd, will be taking over as its Chairman. He will also be a Director on the Board of Petronet LNG Limited.
• Vaidy was the Director (Refineries) on the Indian Oil Board since October 2019. He succeeds Sanjiv Singh, who superannuated from the services of the Corporation.
• Vaidya is a chemical engineer from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. He has over 34 years of experience in refining and petrochemicals operations. He has had a decade-long association with India’s largest cracker plant ― the Panipat naphtha cracker complex — a major driver of IndianOil’s petrochemicals business, right from the drawing board stage, a company statement stated.

About Indian oil:

• Chairperson:Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
• Headquarters: New Delhi

Government extends Union Bank of India CEO Rajkiran Rai’s term by another two years

• The government has extended the term of Rajkiran Rai G as Managing Director and of Union Bank of India by two years till May-end 2022.
• As per Finance Ministry’s notification, Rai’s term has been extended beyond his currently notified (three-year) term, which expires on June 30, till the date of his superannuation — May 31, 2022, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
• Rai had taken charge of UBI on July 1, 2017 from Oriental Bank of Commerce, where he was Executive Director.

About Union Bank Of India:

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• CEO: Rajkiran Rai G
• Tagline :Good People to Bank with

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Mon District Administration conferred SKOCH Awards in Nagaland

• In Nagaland, Mon District Administration has been conferred the SKOCH Awards under three different categories at the 65TH SKOCH Summit.
• The Mon district administration was awarded the SKOCH Crucible award for its  initiative on financial inclusion, District Response to COVID-19 and skill development.
• The SKOCH Crucible Award for ‘Financially Inclusive Mon’ was conferred in recognition of the district’s focus on mission mode implementation of opening bank accounts through the Indian post Payment Bank (IBBP).
• SKOCH Order of Merit for District Response to COVID-19 was also conferred to Mon District Administration for its innovative response to contain and prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic while at the same time, delivering basic services at the doorsteps of the people.
• SKOCH Honorable Mention to Skill Mon Mission.

About Nagaland

• Capital: Kohima
• Chief minister: Neiphiu Rio
• Governor: RN Ravi

India’s AI enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk wins two global awards

• India’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk has bagged two awards at the Global Leadership Summit and Festival of AI and Emerging Technology, CogX 2020.
• AI enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk bagged two awards under categories of Best Innovation for Covid-19 – Society and People’s Choice Covid-19 Overall Winner.
• The recently held CogX 2020 is a prestigious Global Leadership Summit and Festival of AI and Emerging Technology held annually in

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NBRI Lucknow sets up ‘Advanced Virology Lab’ for testing COVID-19

• The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, has established an “Advanced Virology Lab” for testing COVID-19. The facility has been developed based on the guidelines of the Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It is a Bio-Safety Level (BSL) 3 level facility. “Biosafety levels are assigned to a facility depending on the pathogen it deals with. According to ICMR guidelines, BSL2 level facility is recommended for COVID-19 but this is an advanced version, stated Dr Samir Sawant, Senior Principal Scientist, NBRI.
• This advanced version has a “Negative Pressure”, which means it has a suction facility that can suck any aerosol and pass it through filters. It can filter virus or bacteria to make it a safe COVID-19 testing facility. It reduces the possibilities of infections at culturing facilities.
• S K Barik, Director, NBRI, stated that the facility will add to the testing capacity of Uttar Pradesh (UP). At present, UP is testing about 20,000 samples per day.
• Barik also informed that a team of scientists and researchers from the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow, will also join the NBRI team for the testing of COVID samples.

About National Botanical Research Institute:

• The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) is a research institute of CSIR in Lucknow. It is engaged in the field of taxonomy and modern biology

About ICMR:

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Secretary & Director General: Dr. Balram Bhargava

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Lt. Col. Bharat Pannu creates history by securing a podium place at the first edition of Virtual Race Across America

• Col. Bharat Pannu, a serving Indian Army Officer created history by successfully securing a podium place at the first edition of the Virtual Race Across America (VRAAM) 2020 and became the first Indian ever to win a podium place at an international ultracycling race.
• He is an Army officer posted with Army’s Aviation Test Team. The Race Across America (RAAM) is a 5000 km transcontinental race from the West coast to East coast of the United States of America with a cut-off time of 12 days.
• This year, the organizers had to cancel the event due to the ongoing pandemic and came up with a virtual format for the race. The race saw participation of 17 ultra-endurance cyclists from around the world, of which only 9 could successfully complete the grueling race.
• Col. Pannu finished 3rd on the leaderboard with a total distance of 4086 km in 12 days and total cumulative elevation gain of 71,000 meters.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Carl Reiner, longtime comedy legend passes away

• Carl Reiner, the writer, actor, director, producer and comedy legend whose many decades’ worth of credits — including “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The 2000 Year Old Man” passed away.
• He was 98.
• He had a run as a movie director with such films as “Oh, God!” (1977) and “The Jerk” (1979).

DAILY CA 30th JUNE

• International Day of the Tropics- 29th june
• World Allergy Week-28th june to 4th july
• World Asteroid Day- 30th june
• India inks pact with Bhutan for 600 MW Kholongchhu Hydroelectric Project
• India plans incentives to double auto exports in next five years
• Govt launches PM FME scheme to help micro food processing enterprises
• Defence Minister launches web portal for issuing NOCs for projects in Indian waters
• Culture Ministry to  celebrate “Sankalp Parva” to plant trees from 28th June to 12 July 2020
• NFL launches five Mobile Soil Testing Labs for testing the soil samples at farmers’ doorstep
• India bans 59 Chinese mobile apps on security threat
• World Bank Enhances Support for Rejuvenating the Ganga
• India, World Bank sign loan agreements for housing sector in Tamil Nadu
• Swiggy ties up with ICICI Bank to launch digital wallet
• Uttarakhand forest department develops India’s first lichen park in Kumaon
• Himachal Pradesh Government to open Varishth Nagrik Suvidha Kendra for senior citizens
• Madhya Pradesh launches ‘Hamara Ghar-Hamara Vidyalaya’ campaign
• Maharashtra set to launch a plasma therapy trial ‘Project Platina’ on COVID-19 patients
• Plasma Bank to be set up in Delhi to treat COVID-19 patients: CM Arvind Kejriwal
• Naveen Patnaik plans to increase green cover under ‘Sabuja Odisha’ over 1.30 Lakh Hectares
• UP Governor Anandiben Patel Gets Additional Madhya Pradesh Charge
• Lazarus Chakwera sworn in as Malawi president after historic win
• K K Venugopal reappointed as Attorney General of India for one year
• Beyonce receives BET Humanitarian Award from Michelle Obama
• IIM Bangalore jumps 25 places to break into top 50 of QS EMBA Rankings
• CSIR-NCL and BEL manufacture Oxygen Enrichment Unit useful in Covid-19 treatment
• Bharat Biotech Announces India’s First COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate ‘COVAXIN’ With DCGI Approval For Human Clinical Trials
• Mario Gomez: Former Germany and Bayern Munich striker announces retirement
• India’s Nitin Menon becomes youngest umpire to enter ICC Elite Panel
• Former Delhi cricketer Sanjay Dobal Passes Away
• Bangladesh Defence Secretary Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury passes away
• Noted Kannada novelist Geetha Nagabhushan passes away

DAILY CA 1st  JULY

• International Day of Parliamentarism- 30th june
• National Doctors’ Day- 1st july
• National Postal Worker Day– 1st july
• Charted Accountants Day- 1st july
• PM Modi extends Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till November
• Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment launches Nasha Mukt Bharat
• HRD Minister launches World’s first ever online B.Sc. degree in Programming & Data Science
• Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Continuous Galvanized Rebar Production Facility in Punjab
• 46 million girls went missing in India, says UNFPA report
• Union Minister, Shri Giriraj Singh launches the first edition of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Newsletter “Matsya Sampada”
• India-Bangladesh form 50:50 Joint Venture Company for LPG business in Bangladesh
• HDFC Bank launches ”e-Kisaan Dhan” app for farmers
• RBI launches inflation expectations survey; to gather responses over telephone amid pandemic
• Char Dham Yatra 2020 begins in Uttarakhand
• UP CM Yogi Adityanath launches piped water project ”Har Ghar Jal” for Bundelkhand region
• Capgemini partners with Maharashtra govt, BMC to support their fight against Covid-19
• Goa govt allots land to 49 MSME units to set up India’s first maritime cluster
• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs launches PM SVANidhi Portal
• Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launches NADA app to help athletes stay updated on banned substances
• Ezetap launches app to help government bodies collect spot fines
• MoU signed between Indianoil, NTPC Ltd, and SDMC for Waste to Energy plant in Delhi
• Gudni Johannesson Re-elected as President of Iceland
• Lakshmi Vilas Bank appoints CFO Hariharan K
• Shrikant Madhav Vaidya takes over as Indian Oil Chairman
• Government extends Union Bank of India CEO Rajkiran Rai’s term by another two years
• Mon District Administration conferred SKOCH Awards in Nagaland
• India’s AI enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk wins two global awards
• NBRI Lucknow sets up ‘Advanced Virology Lab’ for testing COVID-19
• Col. Bharat Pannu creates history by securing a podium place at the first edition of Virtual Race Across America
• Carl Reiner, longtime comedy legend passes away