Current Affairs 31st July 2021| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Friendship – Observed on July 30

• An International Friendship Day was first proposed on July 30, 1958 by the World Friendship Crusade, an international civil organization that campaigns to foster peaceful culture through friendship.
• Finally on April 27, 2011, United Nations’ General Assembly declared July 30 as official International Friendship Day.
• “Sharing the human spirit through friendship” is the theme of World Friendship Day for the current year.
• The day was first organized by the founder of Hallmark Cards, Joyce Hall in 1930.
• Later on, people realized it was a trick to sell cards.
• International Friendship Day is important in the sense that it celebrates the strong bond of friendship between two or more people regardless of their caste, creed or colour.

World Ranger Day – Observed on July 31

• World Ranger Day is celebrated on July 31 of every year.
• World Ranger Day pays tribute to the Rangers who are injured and killed in the line of duty and celebrates their colleagues who still boldly undertake their role in the field to protect the world’s natural and cultural treasures.
• The Thin Green Line to raise awareness of the vital work performed by Rangers of the world’s parks which range from environmental campaigning to education.
• World Ranger Day is a time to pause, reflect and show our gratitude for the dedication and sacrifice of some of nature’s most devoted custodians.
• Rangers play a central and multifaceted role in the conservation of some of the most vulnerable ecosystems on our planet.
• Rangers everywhere are part of a much-needed solution to restore our relationship with nature.
• By shielding wildlife and their habitats from harm, they help us preserve ecosystems and the livelihoods they sustain.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Govt declared 27% reservation for OBCs, 10% quota for EWS in medical seats

• The government announced a 27-per cent quota for OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in the All-India Quota (AIQ) scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses from the current academic year, 2021-22.
• “This will immensely help thousands of our youth every year get better opportunities and create a new paradigm of social justice in our country.”
• “This decision would benefit nearly 1,500 OBC students in MBBS and 2,500 OBC students in post graduation and also around 550 EWS students in MBBS and around 1,000 EWS students in post graduation”.
• The AIQ scheme was introduced in 1986 under the Supreme Court’s directions to provide for domicile-free merit-based opportunities to students from any state aspiring to study in a good medical college in another state.

Prakash Javadekar unveiled India’s longest high-speed track

• Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Prakash Javadekar inaugurated NATRAX- the High Speed Track(HST) in Indore which is the longest such track in Asia.
• NATRAX, developed in an area of 1000 acres of land, is a one stop solution for all sorts of high speed performance tests for widest categories of vehicles from 2 wheelers to heavy tractor trailers.

About the Track:

• The NATRAX centre has multiple test capabilities like measurements of maximum speed, acceleration, constant speed fuel consumption, emission tests through real road driving simulation, high speed handling and stability evaluation during manoeuvres such as lane change, high speed durability testing, etc. and is a Centre of excellence for Vehicle Dynamics.

JP Nadda initiates National Health Volunteers Campaign

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Jagat Prakash Nadda launched Rashtriya Swasthya Swayamsevak Abhiyan (a health volunteers programme) from the party headquarters in Delhi.
• BJP aims to reach two lakh villages in the country by imparting training to four lakh volunteers.

About the campaign:

• The Swasthya Swayamsevak Abhiyan is an initiative taken by the BJP to prepare health volunteers ahead of the likely third wave of Covid-19.
• Under this campaign they have to reach 2 lakh villages.
• He stated that this campaign will become the world’s largest health program.
• Mr Nadda added that the training of the workers should not only be structural but the volunteer should also have a feeling of service.

AICTE Creating Database to Promote Higher Education in Regional Languages:

• The All India Council of Technical Education is creating a database of resources to allow colleges to offer more programmes in regional languages and developed a tool to translate engineering content into 11 languages.
• Teaching in regional languages will offer access to higher education for students from rural, low-income families who are capable of learning, but not fluent in English.

About AICTE:

• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) was set up in November 1945 as a national-level Apex Advisory Body to conduct a survey on the facilities available for technical education and to promote development in the country in a coordinated and integrated manner.

‘Krishikarna’ Project of Kerala

• The mini polyhouse [polyhouse is a type of greenhouse] is coming under ‘Krishikarna’ project launched in Kerala, a joint initiative of State Agri Horticultural Society (SAHS), Sustainable Foundation and Qore3 Innovations.
• State Agri Horticultural Society (SAHS), the government-accredited cooperative society, is involved in promoting agri-horticultural practices.
• Sustainable Foundation, a Thiruvananthapuram-based NGO, promotes sustainable development.
• Qore3 Innovations is a start-up that claims to provide ‘end-to-end support for farms’.
• The plan is to cultivate long beans, tomato, salad cucumber, capsicum, chillies and leafy vegetables at the mini polyhouses.
• Krishikarna covers greenhouses, fish and vegetables and mushroom farming.
• Under Krishikarna, a small polyhouse will be built on a 2.5 cent land.
• The total estimated cost of each plastic house is Rs 2, 35, 000.

Kerala Announces Rs 5000 cr to assist Small-scale Traders, Farmers

• Kerala Government announced a financial package of ₹ 5,650 crore in the state Assembly, to assist small-scale traders and farmers of the state.
• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises have been given a building tax exemption from July to December 31
• The state government has decided to issue subsidized loans and announced new loan programs for Kerala State Financial Enterprises (KSFE) and Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC) and
• For loans up to Rs 2,00,000 rupees, the state government will pay 4% of the interest on the loan over a 6 months period.
• The state government of Kerala has also decided to provide loans of up to Rs 1 crore at 5% interest rate for a total of 500 business enterprises a year.

780 New Air Traffic Routes Approved under UDAN

• The Centre announced 780 new air traffic routes have been approved under the regional air connectivity scheme
• It is informed that 359 routes have become functional in the country after the inception of the scheme.
• Under the UDAN scheme 59 new airports have been established.
• Along with increase in civil aviation activities cargo handling services have also been leap frogged.
• During the Covid pandemic period cargo handling through air routes was also increased to 19 percent from 2 percent.
• The number of cargo operators has been increased to 28 in the country.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Global Tobacco Epidemic 2021 report prepared by WHO

• More than four times as many people are now covered by at least one WHO-recommended tobacco control measure as compared with 2007.
• The six MPOWER measures are monitoring tobacco use and preventive measures; protecting people from tobacco smoke; offering help to quit; warning about the dangers of tobacco; enforcing bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and raising taxes on tobacco.
• Some 5.3 billion people are now covered by at least one of these measures – more than four times the 1 billion who were covered in 2007.

About the current year situation:

• For the first time, the 2021 report presents new data on electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as ‘e-cigarettes’.
• These products are often marketed to children and adolescents by the tobacco and related industries that manufacture them, using thousands of appealing flavours and misleading claims about the products.

For the first time, Agri Exporters from the remote Districts of India connected to the international buyers from USA, the UAE, and Japan

• The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Department of Commerce in partnership with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Invest India conducted a 2 Day Virtual Outreach Event connecting exporters from the Districts to the buyers outside India.
• This virtual trade fair was held where 197 exhibitors from the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
• It provided a platform to small sellers from areas earlier not known for exports, apart from large exporters from India.
• 28 stalls from Jammu and Kashmir and 5 from Ladakh were highlighted in the exhibition.
• It got over 300 visitors and importers from domestic and international buyers inclusive of the USA, the UAE, and Japan.
• Products under five categories namely spices and tea, food grains and agro-products, fruits and vegetables, dry fruits, and processed food, three buyer-seller interactive sessions were held with the support of Indian Embassies from the USA, the UAE, and Japan.

National Gallery of Australia to return 14 Art Works to India including Chola idols

• In the process of Returning stolen Idols, the National Gallery of Australia announced it would return 14 works of art from its Asian art collection to Indian Government.
• These works of art include 13 objects connected to art dealer Subhash Kapoor through his ‘Art of the Past’ gallery, who was arrested for smuggling racket.
• One, a bronze (child-saint Sambandar) from a Tamil Nadu temple acquired from late William Wolff, New York-based art dealer.
• The artworks which will be returned to India include six bronze or stone sculptures, a painted scroll, six photographs and a brass processional standard.
• Some of the artworks date back to the Chola Dynasty.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Intel introduced ‘AI For All’ initiative in collaboration with CBSE

• Intel in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Ministry of Education announced the launch of the AI For All initiative with the purpose of creating a basic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) for everyone in India.
• Based on Intel’s AI For Citizens program, AI For All is a 4-hour, self-paced learning program that demystifies AI in an inclusive manner.
• It is as applicable to a student, a stay-at-home parent as it is to a professional in any field or even a senior citizen.
• The program aims to introduce AI to 1 million citizens in its first year.

About AI:

• “AI has the power to drive faster economic growth, address population-scale challenges and benefit the lives and livelihoods of people.
• The AI For All initiative based on Intel’s AI For Citizens program aims to make India AI-ready by building awareness and appreciation of AI among everyone.
• The program further strengthens Intel’s commitment to collaborating with the Government of India to reach the full potential of AI and further the vision of a digitally-empowered India.”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

RBI cancelled the Madgaum Urban Co-op Bank licence 

• The Reserve Bank of India cancelled the licence of Madgaum Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Margao, Goa, as the bank with its current financial position would be unable to pay its present depositors in full.
• About 99 per cent of the depositors will receive full amounts of their deposits from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).

About the cancellation:

• The bank ceases to carry on banking business with effect from the close of business on July 29, 2021.
• The Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Goa, has also been requested to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator for the bank.
• On liquidation, every depositor would be entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to a monetary ceiling of Rs five lakh from the DICGC subject to the provisions of the DICGC Act, 1961.

HDFC Bank, ICICI and Axis pick up stake in blockchain start-up

• Three of India’s biggest private lenders – ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank – have taken stakes in the blockchain financial technology firm IBBIC.
• HDFC Bank and Axis Bank each acquired 50,000 shares, a stake of about 5.55%, for 500,000 rupees ($6,700), citing stock-exchange filings.
• ICICI Bank has 49,000 shares, or 5.44% of the company.
• The company paid 490,000 rupees ($6,600).
• Launched in May, the IBBIC platform offers distributed ledger technology for the Indian financial services sector.

About blockchain start-up:

• A blockchain startup is a startup or a company in the early stages of development that uses blockchain ideals in their business model.
• Many Blockchain networks have their own token ofcryptocurrency, and inside the network, they settle transactions and payments.
• The parent business raises the value of tokens and sells sales.
• These are some of the forms in which businesses centered on Blockchain earn cash.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Bharat BillPay appoints PayU’s Noopur Chaturvedi as new CEO

• Bharat Bill Payment System, NPCI’s flagship bill payments platform that was hived off into a separate subsidiary in April, has appointed former PayU and Airtel Payments Bank executive Noopur Chaturvedi as its new chief executive officer.
• Chaturvedi, prior to this appointment, was the country head for small and medium business at PayU.
• In a career spanning nearly two decades, she has worked with Airtel Payments Bank, Samsung, ING Vysya Bank and Citibank in various senior roles, according to her profile on professional networking platform LinkedIn.

About Bharat Bill Pay:

• Bharat BillPay is an interoperable and integrated bill payment system for online as well as agent-based settlement of recurring bills.
• On April 1 this year, NPCI transferred all its BBPS mandates to a newly setup subsidiary called the NPCI Bharat BillPay Limited (NBBL), effectively hiving off its automation.

Colliers appointed Ramesh Nair as CEO for India

• Property consultant Colliers stated it has appointed Ramesh Nair as the chief executive officer (CEO) for India and managing director, market development, for Asia.
• Nair joined Colliers from JLL India, where he held the position of CEO & country head, leading over 12,000 people. Based in Mumbai, Ramesh will partner with Sankey Prasad, chairman & managing director of Colliers in India, to lead the business.

About Colliers:

• Colliers is a Canada-based diversified professional services and investment Management Company with approximately 15,000 employees in more than 400 offices in 68 countries.
• Work collaboratively to provide expert advice to real estate occupiers, owners and investors.
• CEO: Jay S. Hennick
• Headquarters: Toronto, Canada

Venkataramana appointed as new TN cricket team coach

• Former India off-spinner M. Venkataramana has been appointed the Tamil Nadu senior team coach for the coming season.
• He replaced D. Vasu, who held the job for two years.
• While Tamil Nadu performed well in white-ball cricket in both the seasons — the side triumphed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament last season — it came up short in the Ranji Trophy which was last held in 2019-20.
• Regaining the Ranji Trophy, which Tamil Nadu last won in 1988, has been a major goal for the State side.

About M. Venkataramana :

• A right arm off break bowler, Venkatramana’s only Test was against West Indies in 1989 when he picked up the wicket of Desmond Haynes shortly before West Indies won the match.
• Besides the West Indies, he also toured New Zealand in 1990.
• He gained national recognition following some brilliant performances around the domestic circuit.
• He was prominent in Tamil Nadu winning the Ranji Trophy in 1987-88, finishing with 35 wickets and also played a leading part in South Zone winning the Duleep Trophy in 1989-90. 
• He took over 200 wickets in the Ranji Trophy.
• Venkatramana also played for a few years in English league cricket.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Satpura Tiger Reserve bags NatWest Group Earth Heroes Award

• Madhya Pradesh has made another achievement in the field of nature conservation.
• The Satpura Tiger Reserve of the State has received the Natwest Group Earth Heroes Award in the Earth Guardian category for best management.
• Forest Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah has admired the staff associated with the management of Satpura Tiger Reserve.
• It is noteworthy that the Satpura Tiger Reserve has also been included in the potential list of World Heritage.
• Satpura Tiger Reserve in Hoshangabad district is spread over an area of 2130 square kilometer.
• It is part of the Deccan Bio-Geographic Region.
• It is the oldest forest wealth of the country, full of unmatched natural beauty, which has been carefully preserved.

About NatWest Group Earth Heroes Award:

• The NatWest Group Earth Heroes Awards strive to recognize and honour individuals and institutionswho work exceptionally hard to protect and conserve these wildlife and wild habitats in India.
• The RBS Services India Private Ltd (A NatWest Group Company) is pleased to announce the nomination process for the NatWest Group Earth Heroes Awards 2021.

AIFF Awards 2020-2021 : Ngangom Bala Devi, Manisha Kalyan named winners of annual AIFF awards     

• 31-year-old Ngangom Bala Devi has been named as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Women’s Footballer of the Year 2020-21.
• This is the third time that Bala Devi has been named the AIFF Women’s Footballer of the year.
• Meanwhile, 19-year-old Manisha Kalyan won the Women’s Emerging Player of the year awards.
• Both the winners were chosen by the national team head coach Maymol Rocky in consultation with AIFF Interim Technical Director Savio Medeira.
• The AIFF Award for the Best Referee 2020-21 went to Tejas Nagvencar while Sumanta Dutta was adjudged for the Best Assistant Referee award.

About Ngangom Bala Devi :

• Ngangom Bala Devi is the first Indian woman footballer to sign a professional contract with an overseas club in Europe.
• Devi plays for India Women’s National football team and is currently playing for Rangers Women’s FC in Scotland
• She was a part of the Manipur U19 team that took part in the Under-19 Women’s Championship in Assam in 2002 & in that she was declared the best player in 2002 & 2003.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

Uzbekistan hosts ‘Central-South Asia conference 2021

• On July 15 & 16, 2021, Uzbekistan hosted a two day high-level International Conference titled “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” at Tashkent.
• The conference was an initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Key People :

• The Conference was attended by President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, Ministers from Central Asian, West Asian and South Asian countries, including Minister of External Affairs of India S. Jaishankar. 
• The conference Delegates from over 40 countries and about 30 international organizations, and heads of think tanks participated.

About Conference :

Aim :

• The forum is aimed at strengthening historically close and friendly ties, trust and good-neighborliness between Central and South Asia in the interests of all peoples and countries of both regions.
• It will discuss the possibilities of promoting initiatives aimed at developing trade, economic, transport, communication, cultural and humanitarian cooperation in the context of further deepening regional connectivity.
• The agenda includes a comprehensive exchange of views and joint development of proposals for enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, transport, energy and innovation, green technologies, implementation of specific projects and cooperation programs, enhancing interaction in tourism, education, healthcare, science and culture , ensuring the stability and security of the two regions.

About Uzbekistan :

• Capital: Tashkent
• Currency: Uzbekistani soʻm
• President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev

G20 Environment Ministerial Meeting 2021 held Italy

• A two day G20 Environment Ministerial Meeting 2021 was organised at Naples, in Italy in virtual mode.
• From India Side, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav participated along with Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Choubey and senior officials of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• The meeting was held as part of the 16th G20 Leaders Summit, scheduled to be held in October 2021, under the Presidency of Italy,
• The theme of the meeting is “People, Planet’ and Prosperity”.
• During the meeting discussed and made interventions on ‘Natural Capital to Protect and Manage’ and ‘Joint Efforts for Sustainable and Circular Resource Use’.

About G20 :

• Founded: 26 September 1999
• Chairman: Mario Draghi
• Formation: 26 September 1999
• The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union.
• The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, and the US.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

36TH EDITION OF INDIA – INDONESIA COORDINATED PATROL

• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel is undertaking coordinated patrol (CORPAT) with Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Bung Tomo from 30 to 31 July 2021.
• It will also have the participation of Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both nations.
• The 36th edition of INDIA-INDO CORPAT seeks to bolster the maritime cooperation between the two navies and forge strong bonds of friendship across the Indo Pacific.

About CORPAT:

• India and Indonesia have been carrying out Coordinated Patrols along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) twice a year since 2002, with an aim of keeping this vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping, international trade and conduct of legitimate maritime activities. 
• CORPATs (Co-Ordinated PATROL) help build understanding and interoperability between navies, and measures to prevent and suppress Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.
• As part of Government of India’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the Indian Ocean Region to enhance maritime security in the region.

12th Edition of Exercise INDRA NAVY

• The 12th edition of exercise INDRA NAVY, a biennial (Every Two Years) bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy was held in the Baltic Sea from 28 to 29 July 2021.
• This exercise was undertaken as part of the visit of INS Tabar to St Petersburg, Russia to participate in the 325th Navy Day celebrations of the Russian Navy.
• The Exercise between the two countries was initiated in 2003.
• The Indian Navy was represented by the stealth Frigate INS Tabar whereas the Russian Federation Navy was represented by Corvettes RFS Zelyony Dol and RFS Odintsovo of the Baltic Fleet.
• The exercise progressed over two days and included various facets of fleet operations such as anti-air firings, underway renewal drills, helicopter ops, boarding drills and seamanship evolutions.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Intel, Education Ministry, CBSE launch ‘AI for All’ drive

• Intel in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Ministry of Education announced the launch of the AI for All initiative with the purpose of creating a basic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) for everyone in India.

About AI for All:

• AI for All is a 4-hour, self-paced learning program which will make citizens understand AI clearly.
• It is as applicable to a student, a stay-at-home parent as it is to a professional in any field or even a senior citizen.
• The program aims to introduce AI to 1 million citizens in its first year.
• AI has the power to drive faster economic growth, address population-scale challenges and benefit the lives and livelihoods of people.
• The AI for All initiative based on Intel’s AI For Citizens program aims to make India AI-ready by building awareness and appreciation of AI among everyone.
• The segment on AI Awareness provides an elementary understanding of AI, misconceptions about AI and the potential of application of AI.
• The AI Appreciation segment will help the learners understand the domains of AI as well as the impact it has across the various industries.
• The program is available in 11 vernacular languages for anyone with digital access.
• The content is also compatible with various talkback applications to make it accessible for visually impaired people too.

Malaysia Registers World’s First Affordable New Drug for Hepatitis c 

• Malaysia has registered the world’s first affordable & effective new drug for hepatitis C.
• This offers hope for accessible treatment to the many people around the world who are affected by Hepatitis c.
• The drug has been named ravidasvir & it has been approved to be used along with an existing drug named sofosbuvir.
• This approval came five years after the Malaysian government had partnered with Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) to develop the drug.

Note :

• World Hepatitis Day is observed on Jul 28 every year and this year’s theme is “Hepatitis Can’t Wait”.

About Hepatitis c :

• Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus.
• Globally, an estimated 58 million people have chronic hepatitis C virus infection, with about 1.5 million new infections occurring per year.
• In Future the WHO plans to eliminate the disease by reducing new infections by 90% and deaths by 65 % by the year 2030.

About Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative :

• Founder: Ministry of Health of Malaysia
• Founded: 2003
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

About Malaysia :

• Prime minister: Muhyiddin Yassin
• Capital: Kuala Lumpur
• Currency: Malaysian ringgit

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Japan’s Yuto Horigome wins Olympics’ First Gold for Skateboarding

• 22-year-old Yuto Horigome of Japan won the gold medal in skateboarding with a score of 37.18 points at the Olympic Games held at Ariake Urban Sports Center, in Tokyo.
• He is the first person to win a Gold Medal in skateboarding at the Olympics, during the 2020 Summer Games.
• Kelvin Hoefler of Brazil won silver while Jagger Eaton of the United States clinched the bronze.

Awards & Honours :

• Horigome was named “Skater of the Year” at the Japan Action Sports Awards in 2017 and 2018.

Chinese Shooter Yang Qian Wins Gold Medal of Tokyo Olympics                                      

• On July 24, 2021, 21-year-old Chinese Shooter Yang Qian won the first gold medal of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in women’s 10m air rifle with a score of 251.8.
• Russia’s Anastasiia Galashina stood second with 251.1 and Switzerland’s Nina Christencame third with a score of 230.6.

Daily CA On July 30 :

• United Nations observes 30 July every year as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons & the 2021 theme for World Day against Trafficking in Persons is Victims “Voices Lead the Way”.
• The Union Cabinet has cleared the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Bill, 2021, which will allow depositors to withdraw up to Rs 5 lakh in 90 days.
• The Lok Sabha passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which was introduced in the Lower House on July 26.
• Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt stated that, The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will get two per cent royalty from Dr Reddy’s Laboratory (DRL) on the sale of anti-Covid drug 2-DG.
• Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot e-launched a ‘National Portal for Transgender Persons’ and e-inaugurated a ‘Garima Greh: A Shelter Home for Transgender Persons’ in Vadodara, Gujarat.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a new framework SAFAL (structured assessment for analyzing learning levels) to assess students of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
• Government is taking various steps to undertake the large-scale production of COVID BEEP stated by the Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, It is a India’s first indigenous, cost effective, wireless physiological parameters monitoring system for COVID-19 patients, developed by ESIC Medical College Hyderabad in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad and Department Of Atomic Energy.
• The Rajya Sabha on July 28, 2021, passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill 2021, thereby amending the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children), Act, 2015.
• Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri noted that the “king of chillies” from Nagaland, also known as the Bhoot Jolokia (ghost pepper), has been exported to the United Kingdom via Guwahati by air for the first time.
• On July 27, 2021, A 19-year-old Pakistani Shehroze Kashif became the youngest person to reach the summit of K2 with Supplemental oxygen.
• US will provide $25 million to support Covid-19 India’s vaccination programme
• The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Global Education Summit will take place on July 28 and 29, 2021 in London.
• Karnataka became the first state in India to reserve jobs in public employment in favour of transgender persons.
• Rajasthan government’s Industries Department and the apex industrial development body, the Rajasthan Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO), have launched a campaign “Mission Niryatak Bano” to help local traders in expanding their businesses to foreign countries.
• The Odisha government has implemented the one nation one ration card scheme, & the scheme allows the beneficiaries to lift his or her quota of food grains from any of the fair price shops of his or her choice, both within and outside the state.
• On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day 2021, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh launched Model Hepatitis B Treatment Centres at two hospitals in Manipur.
• The Kerala Police has launched a new initiative called the “Pink Protection” project for the protection of women in public, private and digital spaces.
• Three Indian businesses are among the winners of a United Nations-sponsored global competition for the “Best Small Businesses” that provide creative, varied, and impactful solutions for increasing access to healthy and sustainable food.
• The country’s leading car maker Maruti Suzuki India stated it has partnered with Savitribai Phule Pune University, Maharashtra, to train the youth in automobile retail.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 5 crore on Axis Bank for contravention of certain provisions of directions issued by the RBI, encompassing those on cyber security framework.
• Digital payments have recorded a growth of 30.19 per cent during the year ended March 2021, reflecting adoption and deepening of cashless transactions in the country, RBI data showed.
• Paytm Payments Bank informed it has become the first bank in the country to achieve the milestone of issuing 1 crore FASTags.
• The finance ministry invited entries from citizens for name, tagline and logo for the new Development Financial Institution (DFI)
• Indian-origin British author Sunjeev Sahota is among the 13 authors long listed for the prestigious 2021 Booker Prizefor fiction for his novel ‘China Room’, alongside Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro and Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Powers.
• The Maharashtra Bhushan Selection Committee chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray unanimously selected legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle for the prestigious award.
• Vaidehi Dongre, a 25-year-old girl from Michigan, has been crowned Miss India USA 2021 at the beauty pageant held over the weekend.
• Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), has signed a ten-year partnership with the company IBM to set up the ‘Airport in a Box’ platform.
• The Department of Defence Production which comes under the Ministry of Defence has given its approval for a central sector scheme named ‘Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)’ and gave a budgetary support  of Rs. 498.80 crore for the next 5 years starting from 2021-22 to the year 2025-26.
• The 14 Tiger Reserves in India which received the accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards (CA|TS).
• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata collaborated with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, to develop piezoelectric molecular crystals called bipyrazole organic crystals.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch a Geo-imaging Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-03) in the coming months as the agency reassesses work following the Covid-19 induced lockdown.
• According to the Study India can potentially save Rs 8,940 crore ($1.2 billion) a year by shutting down some old coal-burning power plants and allowing newer ones to run for longer hours & the study was conducted by New Delhi-based Council on Energy, Environment and Water.
• Weightlifter Polina Guryeva won a silver medal for lifting a total 217 kilograms in the 59-kilogram category, the Central Asian nation in the Tokyo Olympics.

Daily CA On July 31 :

• An International Friendship Day was first proposed on July 30, 1958 by the World Friendship Crusade, an international civil organization that campaigns to foster peaceful culture through friendship.
• World Ranger Day is celebrated on July 31 of every year & it pays tribute to the Rangers who are injured and killed in the line of duty and celebrates their colleagues who still boldly undertake their role in the field to protect the world’s natural and cultural treasures.
• The government announced a 27-per cent quota for OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in the All-India Quota (AIQ) scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses from the current academic year, 2021-22.
• Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Prakash Javadekar inaugurated NATRAX- the High Speed Track(HST) in Indore which is the longest such track in Asia.
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Jagat Prakash Nadda launched Rashtriya Swasthya Swayamsevak Abhiyan (a health volunteers programme) from the party headquarters in Delhi.
• The All India Council of Technical Education is creating a database of resources to allow colleges to offer more programmes in regional languages and developed a tool to translate engineering content into 11 languages.
• The mini polyhouse [polyhouse is a type of greenhouse] is coming under ‘Krishikarna’ project launched in Kerala, a joint initiative of State Agri Horticultural Society (SAHS), Sustainable Foundation and Qore3 Innovations.
• Kerala Government announced a financial package of ₹ 5,650 crore in the state Assembly, to assist small-scale traders and farmers of the state.
• The Centre announced 780 new air traffic routes have been approved under the regional air connectivity scheme
• Global Tobacco Epidemic 2021 report prepared by WHO, on that More than four times as many people are now covered by at least one WHO-recommended tobacco control measure as compared with 2007.
• The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Department of Commerce in partnership with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Invest India conducted a 2 Day Virtual Outreach Event connecting exporters from the Districts to the buyers outside India.
• In the process of Returning stolen Idols, the National Gallery of Australia announced it would return 14 works of art from its Asian art collection to Indian Government.
• Intel in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Ministry of Education announced the launch of the AI For All initiative with the purpose of creating a basic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) for everyone in India.
• The Reserve Bank of India cancelled the licence of Madgaum Urban Co-operative Bank Limited, Margao, Goa, as the bank with its current financial position would be unable to pay its present depositors in full.
• Three of India’s biggest private lenders – ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank – have taken stakes in the blockchain financial technology firm IBBIC.
• Bharat Bill Payment System, NPCI’s flagship bill payments platform that was hived off into a separate subsidiary in April, has appointed former PayU and Airtel Payments Bank executive Noopur Chaturvedi as its new chief executive officer.
• Property consultant Colliers has appointed Ramesh Nair as the chief executive officer (CEO) for India and managing director, market development, for Asia.
• Former India off-spinner M. Venkataramana has been appointed the Tamil Nadu senior team coach for the coming season.
• Satpura Tiger Reserve of the Madhya Pradesh has received the Natwest Group Earth Heroes Award in the Earth Guardian category for best management
• 31-year-old Ngangom Bala Devi has been named as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Women’s Footballer of the Year 2020-21, Meanwhile, 19-year-old Manisha Kalyan won the Women’s Emerging Player of the year awards.
• On July 15 & 16, 2021, Uzbekistan hosted a two day high-level International Conference titled “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” at Tashkent.
• A two day G20 Environment Ministerial Meeting 2021 was organised at Naples, in Italy in virtual mode.
• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel is undertaking coordinated patrol (CORPAT) with Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Bung Tomo from 30 to 31 July 2021.
• The 12th edition of exercise INDRA NAVY, a biennial (Every Two Years) bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy was held in the Baltic Sea from 28 to 29 July 2021.
• Intel in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Ministry of Education announced the launch of the AI for All initiative with the purpose of creating a basic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) for everyone in India.
• Malaysia has registered the world’s first affordable & effective new drug for hepatitis C.
• 22-year-old Yuto Horigome of Japan won the gold medal in skateboarding with a score of 37.18 points at the Olympic Games held at Ariake Urban Sports Center, in Tokyo.

• On July 24, 2021, 21-year-old Chinese Shooter Yang Qian won the first gold medal of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in women’s 10m air rifle with a score of 251.8.