Current Affairs 13th July 2021| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : NATIONAL NEWS

India Aims to Target over 100 Billion “Blue Economy”

• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh stated that in the years to come, India aims to target over 100 billion “Blue Economy” through its Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) and ocean resources.
• The Minister reiterated the importance of exploring the ocean to give further fillip to the growth of country’s economy.
• This could be a new avenue to supplement the country’s economy to the tune of an estimated 110 billion
• The “Deep Ocean Mission” will also have far-reaching benefits for the common man.
• For example, it could help in providing clean drinking water and explore the avenues of desalination of water as well as extracting minerals from the ocean belt.

India’s first national dolphin research centre to come up in Patna

• India’s and Asia’s first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will come up on the bank of the Ganges in the premises of Patna University
• Around 1,455 dolphins have been sighted during a survey conducted in 2018-19 in the river Ganga by the teams of experts.
• The Gangetic dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal but frequently falls prey to illegal poaching.
• The presence of dolphins in the Ganga gives a sign of a healthy ecosystem because dolphins live at least in 5 ft to 8 ft deep water.
• The Gangetic dolphin has been declared  an endangered aquatic animaland is one of the four freshwater dolphins species in the world as another three species are said to be found in the Yangtze River, the Indus River in Pakistan and the Amazon River globally.
• The proposed NDRC in Patna would play a major role in facilitating deep and wide researches on the life cycle of dolphins and their behavioural significances in context with climate change.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

China drafts cyber-security industry plan.

• China has issued a 3-year action plan on development of the cyber security sector.
• It expects the size of the cyber security sector to exceed 250 billion yuan by 2023.
• The Cyberspace Administration of China proposed draft rules calling for all data-rich tech companies with over 1 million users to undergo security reviews before listing overseas.
• This draft plan came in the backdrop of a regulatory probe of Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing for violating data privacy laws.

About China:

• Capital: Beijing
• Currency: Renminbi
• Prime Minister: Xi Jinping

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOU & AGREEMENTS

APEDA inks MoU with NAFED

• For harnessing exports potential of agricultural and processed food products of cooperatives as well Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED).
• According to the MoU, the key areas of cooperation include facilitating APEDA registered exporters getting assistance under all the Govt. of India schemes implemented through NAFED.
• The MoU also envisages ensuring sustainability and growth of exports by Cooperatives by addressing issues such as technology, skill, quality products and market access.
• Both the organisations would organize awareness programs Skill Development Programmes and Workshops at Regional, State and National levels.

Addl.Info:

• APEDA has been engaged with State Governments for the implementation of AEP.
• The States of Maharashtra, U.P., Kerala, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Manipur, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, M.P., Mizoram and Meghalaya have finalized the State specific Action Plan for exports while the action plans of other States are at different stages of finalization.
• At present, NAFED is creating a network of honey FPOs across Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• Around 65 FPOs will be part of honey corridor linking north-west to north-eastern regions.
• NAFED is aiming at bringing all the FPOs associated with honey production for creating requisite infrastructure under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission, NAFED’s subsidiary Federation of Indian FPOs and Aggregators (FIFA) is currently partnering with FPOs and private sector.

About APEDA:

• Founded: 13 February 1986
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairman: Dr. M. Angamuthu (IAS)
• Parent organization: Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
• Purpose: Export promotion of agricultural and processed food products.

About NAFED:

• Founded: 2 October 1958
• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• Key people: Dr. Bijender Singh, Ex-MLA (Chairman)

India and Nepal sign MoU on 679 MW Arun Hydro Electric Project to SJVN

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed for execution of 679 MW Lower Arun Hydro Electric Project in Nepal between Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Central Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry of Power, Government of India & Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) in Kathmandu Nepal.
• The Lower Arun Hydro Electric Project is located in Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur Districts of Nepal. The project will not have any reservoir or dam and will be a tail race development of 900 MW Arun3 HEP.
• The project will have four francis type turbines.
• On completion the Project will generate 2970 million units of electricity per annum.
• It is scheduled to be completed in four years after commencement of construction activities and has been allocated to SJVN for 25 years on Build Own Operate Transfer basis.

About Nepal:

• Capital: Kathmandu
• Currency: Nepalese Rupee
• President: Bidhya Devi Bhandhari
• Prime Minister: Sher Bahadur Deuba

About Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam:

• SJVN Limited, a Mini Ratna, Category-I and Schedule –‘A’ CPSE under administrative control of Ministry of Power, Govt. of India, was incorporated on May 24, 1988 as a joint venture of the Government of India (GOI) and the Government of Himachal Pradesh (GOHP)

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

FAA Introduces New tool limits disruptions caused by Space operations

• The Federal Aviation Administration of the US introduced a new tool, Space Data Integrator, which will help track rocket launches and Space vehicles returning to Earth in a better way.
• The new technology was first used on June 30 for the launch of SpaceX’s Transporter 2.
• The new tool automates the near-instantaneous delivery of data about a Space vehicle’s flight path to the nation’s air traffic control system.
• It will be able to safely reopen the airspace more quickly and reduce the number of aircraft and other airspace users affected by a launch or reentry.

Note : 

• SpaceX was the first company to share flight telemetry data with the FAA.

About FAA :

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• Administrator: Stephen Dickson
• Founder: United States Congress
• Founded: 23 August 1958

Tech Mahindra to launch Block chain based system to track vaccine supply

• Vaccine manufacturers can use the system to track inventory, vendor payments through Internet-of-Things (IoT) integration and smart contracts.
• The company has partnered with startup StaTwig to implement ‘VaccineLedger’ globally.
• “The partnership aims to roll out blockchain-based traceability solution for global vaccine supply chain transparency, predict and prevent failures in supply chains, including problems related to expired vaccines, stock out and counterfeiting.
• The blockchain-based application will build peer-to-peer bridges on current systems that support real-time data sharing, authentication and validation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS 

PM Modi Receives First Copy Of ‘The Ramayana Of Shri Guru Gobind Singh authored by Late Baljit Kaur Tulsi

• On July 09, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi got the first copy of the book The Ramayan of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji written by Late Baljit Kaur Tulsi.
• The book has been published by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi.
• The author is the mother of Rajya Sabha MP and noted lawyer Shri KTS Tulsi Ji.
• PM Modi also shared the audio of the Gurbani Shabad sung by KTS Tulsi. 

About Guru Gobind Singh :

• Guru Gobind Singh born in Patna in 1666.
• He was the tenth & last Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher.
• He was enthroned at the Guru Gaddi

About Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts :

• Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi is a premier government-funded arts organization in India. 
• It is an autonomous institute under the Union Ministry of Culture.
• Founded: 19 November 1985
• President: Ram Bahadur Rai

Kareena Kapoor launches her new book titled Pregnancy Bible

• On July 09, 2021, Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has finally launched her book, titled ‘Pregnancy Bible’.
• The book is Co authored by Aditi Shah Bhimjyani & Published by Juggernaut Books.
• The Book is approved by the FOGSI, India’s official body of gynecologists and obstetricians along with the help of several expert voices like @rujuta.diwekar, Dr. Sonali Gupta, and Dr. Prabha Chandra of National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).

About the Book :

• The Book deals with Various needs of the women during pregnency.

About Kareena Kapoor :

• She has started her own line of clothing and cosmetics for women, and has worked with UNICEF since 2014 to advocate for the education of girls and an increase in quality based education in India.
• Kapoor is the recipient of several awards, including six Filmfare Awards.
• She is one of Bollywood’s most popular and highest-paid actresses

About FOGSI :

• The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) is a professional organization representing practitioners of obstetrics and gynecology in India.
• FOGSI is probably one of the largest membership based organizations of specialized professionals.
• Founded: 6 January 1950
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

2022 Khelo India Youth Games to Organized by Haryana 

• The Haryana government will organise the Khelo India Youth Games 2021 in February 2022.
• In 2022 Khelo India Youth Games 8,500 players will participate of which 5,072 will be athletes, including 2,400 females and 2,672 males.
• Previously, it was scheduled to be held from November 21 to December 5, 2021, but has been shifted due to the possible third wave of Covid-19 pandemic.
• Various sports activities in the under-18 category will be held in the Games.
• In addition, the government also announced that BRICS Games-2021 will be organised during Khelo India.

Note :

• The BRICS countries include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs : Sandeep Singh
• Director, Sports and Youth Affairs Department : Pankaj Nain

About Khelo India :

• Khelo India aims at improving India’s sports culture at the grass-root level through organized talent identification, structured sporting competitions and infrastructure development.
• It is a Government of India programme launched in 2016–17 under the tenure Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister’s Vijay Goel and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

About Haryana :

• Chief Minister : Manohar Lal Khattar
• Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya
• Capital: Chandigarh

Sophie Ecclestone, Devon Conway win ICC Player of the Month Award for June                                       

• England left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone & New Zealand opening batsman Devon Conway have been named as the ICC Players of the Month in June.

About Sophie Ecclestone :

• In December 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named her the Emerging Player of the Year.
• She became the youngest woman to take 50 wickets in WT20I cricket, which she achieved in 34 matches.
• In February 2019, she was awarded a full central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for 2019.
• She became the world’s number one bowler in Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) cricket At the end of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in March 2020.
• Sophie Ecclestone is the second English female to win the title after Tammy Beaumont, who was awarded the title in February 2021.

About Devon Conway :

• In March 2019, he was named as the Men’s Domestic Player of the Year at the annual New Zealand Cricket awards.
• In April 2020, Conway was named as the men’s domestic player of the year by New Zealand Cricket at their annual award ceremony.
• Conway also became the first player from New Zealand to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award

About ICC :

• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Founded: 15 June 1909
• Chairman : Greg Barclay
• Deputy Chairman : Imran Khwaja
• CEO : Geoff Allardice

Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah announces retirement from Test Cricket

• During the third day of a one-off test match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Senior Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah has announced his retirement from Test cricket.
• To leave the Test game mid way, has been criticized by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan

About Mahmudullah :

• Mahmudullah, is a Bangladeshi cricketer and the current T20I captain & he was the best Bangladesh batsman in the 2015 World Cup.
• He has played 49 Tests with 2764 runs at an average of 31 plus and four half-centuries.
• He made his Test debut in 2009 during Bangladesh’s tour of the West Indies.

Achievements :

• Mahmudullah became the first Bangladeshi batsman to score a century in the Cricket World Cup.
• He is the first Bangladeshi batsman to score two consecutive century in the World Cup
• He is the only second cricketer after New Zealand’s John Richard Reid, who has achieved the triple of scoring a century.

About Bangladesh Cricket Board :

• Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Founded : 1972
• President : Nazmul Hassan Papon
• Vice President : Abu Jafar Mohammad Nasir Uddin
• CEO : Nizam Uddin Chowdhury

Indian-American Samir Banerjee wins junior Wimbledon boys single title 

• On July 11, 2021, Indo-American tennis player Samir Banerjee won the Wimbledon boys’ singles title 2021 against compatriot Victor Lilov at the All England Club.
• The 17-year-old Banerjee won 7-5, 6-3 on No. 1 Court in the all-American final that lasted in one hour 22 minutes.
• He broke his rival thrice and dropped serve only once in a facile win.

About Samir Banerjee :

• Banerjee is from New Jersey & he is the first American junior champion at Wimbledon since Reilly Opelka in 2015, and 12th overall.
• At the junior French Open, Banerjee, ranked 19 in the world, had crashed out in the first round.

Note :

• Ramanathan Krishnan was the first Indian to win a junior major when he won the 1954 Junior Wimbledon championship.

Italy crowned in UEFA Euro 2020 Final                                  

• Italy won the European Championship trophy defeating England 3-2 in penalty shoot-out in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium in London.
• Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy goalkeeper, saved two England penalties en route to a 3-2 shootout
• In that tournament Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Golden boot & Best player was Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
• It was the first final to be decided on penalties since Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in 1976.

About UEFA Euro 2020 Final :

• The UEFA Euro 2020 Final was a football match that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 11 July 2021 to determine the winners of UEFA Euro 2020.
• It was the 16th final of the UEFA European Championship.

Pankaj Singh, Former India pacer retires from all forms of cricket     

• On July 10, 2021, Former India and Rajasthan pacer Pankaj Singh Pankaj Singh announced retirement from all forms of cricket.

About Pankaj Singh :

• The 36-year-old played for India in two Tests and one ODI in his career.
• He made his Test debut against England in 2014 while his first game in international cricket had come in 2010.
• He played 117 first-class games and picked 472 wickets.
• Pankaj played an important role in Rajasthan’s two consecutive Ranji Trophy wins in 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.
• He was also a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• In December 2018, he became the first seam bowler to take 400 wickets in the Ranji Trophy.

Daily CA On July 11 & 12 :

• World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The themefor World Population Day 2021 is “Rights and Choices are the Answer: Whether baby boom or bust, the solution to shifting fertility rates lies in prioritising all people’s reproductive health and rights.”
• On July 12, National Simplicity Day is observed to commemorate Henry David Thoreau, an author, poet, and philosopher.
• World Malala Day Observed on July 12. At age 17, Malalawas the youngest recipient ever of the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has recently secured trademark registrations in three countries – Bhutan, UAE and Mexico – a big stride towards protecting the identity of brand “Khadi”
• On the occasion of World Population Day Uttar Pradesh government released the new population policy for 2021-2030.
• India’s first cryptogamic garden with nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns, and fungi has been opened in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district. The garden was inaugurated by social activist Anoop Nautiyal, and it is situated in the district’s Chakrata town and at a height of 9,000 feet.
• All BRICS countries have agreed to the STI-led BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan (2021-24) proposed by India during the 12th meeting of the BRICS S & T Steering Committee.
• Afghanistan witnessed a series of terror attacks in the last few weeks as the US looked to complete the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan by August-end, ending a nearly two-decade of its military presence in the war-ravaged country.
• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a global Mobility Aids Action Group to examine and improve the transport journey of mobility aids, including wheelchairs
• The 21st session of the India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation was held virtually.
• Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the country’s First Private LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) plant in Nagpur.
• Chief Minister N Biren Singh hailed the moment to be “historic” and stated that the people of Manipur are “immensely grateful” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• In a bid to boost tourism in the state, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s is going to develop 46 Kempegowda heritage sites located in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chikballapura, and Tumakuru districts.
• Assam government to set up “department of indigenous faith and culture” & the aim of this program is to protect demography and indigenous culture. The New Department of indigenous faith and culture will mainly focus on areas dominated by illegal immigrants.
• Qatar Airways and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Qatar Airways will become the first airline in the Middle East to join the IATA Turbulence Aware platform.
• Axis Bank will pick up a 9 per cent stake in Fettle Tone LLP, a promoter of Max Bupa Health Insurance Company, for Rs 90.8 crore to strengthen is insurance business.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty on 14 banks, including State Bank of India (SBI), Bandhan Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bank of Baroda (BoB), Central Bank for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by them.
• The ICC board has decided to relieve Manu Sawhney as the CEO with immediate effect, ending a long-running saga at the very top of the organization’s management. The decision was taken by the ICC board at an emergency meeting, chaired by Greg Barclay, the ICC chairman.
• Twitter has finally appointed an India-based grievance officer, which is mandatory for all social media companies under the new Information Technology (IT) Rules of the country.
• In honour of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the country’s Liberation War as well as India’s diplomatic ties with Dhaka.
• Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, reinforced its commitment to the Defence sector by signing an MOU with the Indian Army, to offer a defence service salary package with best-in-class benefits and features under its ‘Power Salute’ initiative.
• A New Book titled ‘The Art of Conjuring Alternate Realities: How Information Warfare Shapes Your World’, Authored by Shivam Shankar Singh and Anand Venkatanarayanan. The Book is Published by HarperCollins.
• On June 11, 2021, Novak Djokovic ( Serbian )  beat seventh seed Matteo Berrettini 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to win his sixth title at Wimbledon and a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title.
• On July 10, 2021, Ashleigh Barty lifted her second Grand Slam crown after defeating eighth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in the women’s singles final of this year’s Wimbledon Championships at the Centre Court, London.
• Pawan Singh, has been selected as the first ever Indian juror for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.
• On July 10, 2021, Lionel Messi-led Argentina beat Neymar’s Brazil 1-0 to win the Copa America final match, held at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
• On July 10, 2021, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) formed a seven-member working group for domestic cricket.
• On July 10, 2021, doyen of ayurveda medicine and managing trustee of Vaidyaratnam P S Varier’s Arya Vaidya Sala, Dr Panayambally Krishnakutty Warrier, Passed away.

• Supreme Head of the Indian Orthodox church Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Paulos II passed away.

Daily CA On July 13 :

• India aims to target over 100 billion “Blue Economy” through its Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) and ocean resources.
• India’s and Asia’s first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will come up on the bank of the Ganges in the premises of Patna University
• China has issued a 3-year action plan on development of the cyber security sector & it expects the size of the cyber security sector to exceed 250 billion yuan by 2023.
• For harnessing exports potential of agricultural and processed food products of cooperatives as well Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED).
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed for execution of 679 MW Lower Arun Hydro Electric Project in Nepal between Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Central Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry of Power, Government of India & Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) in Kathmandu Nepal.
• The Federal Aviation Administration of the US introduced a new tool, Space Data Integrator, which will help track rocket launches and Space vehicles returning to Earth in a better way.
• Tech Mahindra to launch Block chain based system to track vaccine supply & it has partnered with startup StaTwig to implement ‘VaccineLedger’ globally.
• On July 09, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi got the first copy of the book The Ramayan of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji written by Late Baljit Kaur Tulsi. The book has been published by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi.
• On July 09, 2021, Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has finally launched her book, titled ‘Pregnancy Bible’. The book is Co authored by Aditi Shah Bhimjyani & Published by Juggernaut Books
• The Haryana government will organise the Khelo India Youth Games 2021 in February 2022.
• England left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone & New Zealand opening batsman Devon Conway have been named as the ICC Players of the Month in June.
• During the third day of a one-off test match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Senior Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah has announced his retirement from Test cricket.
• On July 11, 2021, Indo-American tennis player Samir Banerjee won the Wimbledon boys’ singles title 2021 against compatriot Victor Lilov at the All England Club.
• Italy won the European Championship trophy defeating England 3-2 in penalty shoot-out in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium in London.
• On July 10, 2021, Former India and Rajasthan pacer Pankaj Singh Pankaj Singh announced retirement from all forms of cricket.