CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
Shri Sanjay Dhotre inaugurates BHARAT AIRFIBER , a last mile telecom connectivity solution based on Radio Network
- Sanjay Dhotre, Union Minister of State for HRD, Electronics, Communication, and IT, Govt Of India, inaugurated “Bharat Air Fibre Services” at Akola in Maharashtra. With inauguration of Bharat Air Fibre services, residents of Akola & Washim district will get Wireless Internet Connections on demand.
- The Bharat Air Fibre services are introduced by BSNL as part of digital India initiates by the Government of India and it aims of providing Wireless Connectivity in the range of 20 KMs from the BSNL Locations and thus customers at remote places also will be benefitted as BSNL comes with cheapest services with support of Telecom Infrastructure Partners (TIPs).
- BSNL is providing the “Bharat Air Fibre Services” through local business partners of BSNL from Akola & Washim District and these services will give fastest internet connectivity in quick time. These services are special and different from other operators as BSNL is providing unlimited free voice calling.
- These Bharat Air Fibre services opens new way of fastest Wireless internet connectivity as well Voice services in reasonable cost. BSNL provides Bharat Air Fibre connectivity upto 100 Mbps speed. BSNL is offering attractive Broadband plans in Wireline & Wireless segments and during lockdown BSNL has come up as most reliable brand for Internet connectivity there by successfully implementing the Work From Home started by Government as well as many private firms.
About BSNL:
- CEO: Pravin Kumar Purwar
- Headquarters: New Delhi
Govt formulates draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020
- Defence Ministry has formulated a draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 (DPEPP-2020).
- The policy aims to provide impetus to self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Scheme.
- The DPEPP-2020 is envisaged as overarching guiding document of Defence Ministry to provide a focused, structured and significant thrust to defence production capabilities of the country for self-reliance and exports.
- Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 has marked out clear goals and objectives to be undertaken by the Defence Ministry.
- First and foremost amongst all is to achieve a turnover of Rs. 1 lakh 75 thousand Crore including an export of Rs. 35 thousand Crore in the Aerospace and Defence goods and services by the year 2025.
- Developing a dynamic, robust and competitive Defence industry, including Aerospace and Naval Shipbuilding industry to cater to the needs of Armed forces with quality products has also been clearly laid out in the new draft policy.
- The ministry has also laid emphasis on reducing dependence on imports and taking forward the Make in India initiatives through domestic designs.
- Efforts will be made to create an environment that encourages Research and Development, rewards innovation, creates Indian IP ownership and promotes a robust and self-reliant defence industry.
- Defence Ministry has solicited comments on the draft DPEPP-2020 policy from all stakeholders latest by 17th of August this year.
About Ministry of defence:
- Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
- Constituency: Lucknow
- Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for Defence
CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL
Global Economy Could Lose $108 Billion In Remittances: ADB
- Global remittances will fall by 6 billion dollars if the Covid-19 economic impact persists throughout the year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) stated.
- This is equivalent to 18.3 per cent decline from what would have been expected without the impact of Covid-19, wrote economists James Villafuerte and Aiko Kikkawa Takenaka in a blogpost.
- Remittance receipts in Asia and the Pacific will fall by 54.3 billion dollars, equivalent to 19.8 per cent of remittances in 2018.
- By sub-region, remittances in South Asia are expected to fall furthest by 28.6 billion dollars (24.7 per cent of 2018 receipts) followed by remittances to Central Asia (3.4 billion dollars, 23.8 per cent), southeast Asia (11.7 billion dollars, 18.6 per cent) and east Asia ex-China and Japan (1.7 billion dollars, 16.2 per cent).
- Remittances to the Pacific will also fall (267 million dollars, 13.2 per cent), stated the ADB economists.
- The majority of the decline in remittance flows to the region is explained by a 22.5 billion dollars fall in remittances from the Middle East which accounts for 41.4 per cent of total remittance loss in Asia. This is followed by a 20.5 billion dollars slump in remittances from the United States (37.9 per cent of total).
- The fall in remittances from the European Union and the United Kingdom accounts for 6.3 per cent of the total or 3.4 billion dollars. The decline from Russian Federation amounts to 2.1 billion dollars of which 2 billion dollars reflects the decline in remittances going to Central Asia.
- By percentage, the Middle East and the Russian Federation experienced the sharpest decline — over a third — primarily reflecting the effects of low demand and oil prices on remittances.
About ADB:
- Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
- President: Masatsugu Asakawa
U.K. to issue coin to honour Gandhiji
- Chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak’s office confirmed that Mahatma Gandhi’s image on a coin is being considered as part of efforts to celebrate achievements of non-white individuals such as Indian-origin British spy Noor Inayat Khan and Jamaican British nurse Mary Seacole.
- Sunak has written to the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC) that recommends themes and designs of coins, supporting a campaign called “We Too Built Britain,” which seeks representation of non-white icons on British currency.
- The proposal to put Gandhi’s image on a British coin was made by former chancellor Sajid Javid in October 2019. If the proposal now becomes reality, it would make the Indian independence hero the first non-White person to feature on a British coin.
- The chancellor’s office confirmed that the RMAC is currently considering a coin to commemorate Gandhi, adding that Sunak is keen that British coins commemorate the work of the previous generations who have served the UK and nations that form the Commonwealth.
- Campaigners previously sought Noor Inayat Khan’s image on a new £50 note, but the Bank of England announced that the new series to enter circulation in 2021 will have the image of computer pioneer and code-breaker Alan Turing.
