Daily Current Affairs July 05 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

To create Amrit Vatika, NMCG plants 75 saplings:

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) erected Namami Gange Amrit Vatika at Kalindi Kunj Ghat on the River Yamuna in New Delhi with the planting of 75 trees as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The overarching organization for the planting endeavor was the project Yamuna Ghat par Vriksharopan.
• With a financial commitment of 20,000 crore, the Union Government of India authorized the Namami Gange Program, an integrated conservation program, as a “Flagship Program” in June 2014.
• One of the Namami Gange Program’s primary areas of focus, according to NMCG Director General G. Asok Kumar, is cleaning up Ganga tributaries, notably the Yamuna.
• He motivated the audience to support the Clean Yamuna campaign.
• Every month on the fourth Saturday, the National Mission for Clean Ganga organizes a cleanup campaign along the River Yamuna in Delhi.

Indians can now receive up to Rs 10 lakh without telling the authorities according to a Center amendment to the FCRA:

• Union Home Ministry has amended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) giving certain relaxations such as allowing relatives to send more money to India freely.
• The amended rule now allows relatives to send 10 lakh rupees without informing the government.
• If the amount exceeds, the individuals will now have three months to inform the government against 30-days earlier.
• The amended rule also gives more time to the organizations to inform the government about the opening of bank accounts for the utilization of funds received under the ‘registration’ or ‘prior permission’ category.
• A provision where an organization/individual receiving foreign funds had to declare such contributions every quarter on its official website has also been done away with.

Grand Hackathon: Shri Piyush Goyal launches three-day event:

• A three-day Grand Hackathon that the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is organizing in collaboration with NABARD has essentially begun according to Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal.
• The physical element of this event was held at the Bombay Stock Exchange’s Fort, Mumbai, site.
• The Agri Grant Challenge and the Agri Innovation Hackathon are the two divisions of the Grand Hackathon, and both will spotlight ideas that can aid in the adoption of eCommerce by the agriculture sector.

Key Points:

• The newly established ONDC-NABARD Grand Hackathon, according to Shri Goyal, will provide start-ups with a forum to work with ONDC and develop innovative solutions for some of the most pressing issues in the agri-sector.
• Even while it may appear to be a little step right now, in the long term, this will give farmers more sway across the country.
• Early indications indicate that this will probably have an impact on how e-commerce is conducted worldwide, not only in India.
• The Minister asserts that this Government has given protecting farmers’ welfare and doubling their income a top priority.
• According to Piyush Goyal, we may anticipate faster economic growth the more we use technology and innovation to support our farmers’ access to agriculture inputs and market connections.
• To democratize the country’s present e-commerce ecosystem by establishing an open network for customers and sellers, ONDC is notably a Government of India initiative.
• Shri Goyal asserts that it is crucial for the agricultural industry’s digital transformation as well as for democratizing the agri-value chain.
• With the active assistance of NABARD, ONDC will onboard the whole agricultural value chain, including FPOs, mandis, processors, exporters, MSMEs, and small retailers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

12th meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors to be held virtually

• The 12th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security was held virtually.
• Yang Jiechi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, chaired the meeting in Beijing, China.
• National security advisers and high representatives of the national security of South Africa, Brazil, Russia, and India attended the event.
• In 2022, China is the chair of the BRICS grouping & India was represented by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
• The meeting of BRICS NSAs is an important platform for BRICS countries to enhance political and security cooperation.
• NSAs of the five BRICS countries will have an in-depth exchange of views, coordinate positions, and build consensus on a range of issues including multilateralism and global governance, new threats and challenges in national security, and governance in new domains.
• The meeting reviewed the work of the working group on counter-terrorism and cyber security, agreed to jointly promote plans and roadmaps for international counter-terrorism and cyber security cooperation, and uphold the central coordinating role of the United Nations in the global counter-terrorism cause.

RIMPAC 2022 Begins in Hawaii With 21 Partner Nation Ships

• A total of 21 United States partner nation ships, including one submarine, from 14 countries are docked at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) for the Rim of the Pacific 2022 (RIMPAC 2022) exercise that kicks off in Hawaii.
• The theme of Rim of the Pacific’s (RIMPAC) 2022 is Capable Adaptive Partners
• 26 nations, 38 surface ships, 4 submarines, 9 national land forces, more than 30 unmanned systems, approximately 170 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel will take part at RIMPAC 2022 & it will be conducted in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.
• The largest contingent is from the Republic of Korea (ROK), which sent 3 ships and 1 submarine, followed by the Royal Australian Navy, with three ships.
• Canada, Japan, and Mexico sent two ships each, while Chile, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, and Singapore each sent a single ship.
• Several of the ships included embarked helicopters for the biennial drills.

About JBPHH :

• Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (JBPHH) is a United States military base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
• It is an amalgamation of the United States Air Force’s Hickam Air Force Base and the United States Navy’s Naval Station Pearl Harbor, which were merged in 2010.

About Hawaii :

• Capital: Honolulu
• Currency: US Dollar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

NTPC commissions India’s largest floating solar power project in Telangana

• NTPC Ltd has declared the Commercial Operations Date (COD) of the last part capacity of 20 MW out of 100 MW Ramagundam Floating Solar PV Project in Telangana.
• Ramagundam Floating Solar PV Project is India’s largest Floating Solar Plant commissioned by NTPC.
• In March 2022, the NTPC had made commercially operational an additional 42.5 MW of power generation capacity at Ramagundam floating solar project in Telangana.

About Ramagundam Floating Solar PV Project :

• The project spreads over 500 acres of NTPC-Ramagundam reservoir and was built at Rs 423 crore through M/s BHEL as EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contract.
• The Project is divided into 40 blocks, each having 2.5 MW & each block consists of one floating platform and an array of 11,200 solar modules.
• The floating platform consists of one Inverter, Transformer, and HT breaker.
• The solar modules are placed on floaters manufactured with HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) material.
• The project is unique in the sense that all the electrical equipment including the inverter, transformer, HT panel, and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) are also on floating Ferro cement platforms.
• The entire floating system is anchored through a special HMPE (High Modulus Polyethylene) rope.
• With the operationalization of the 100-MW Solar PV Project at Ramagundam, the total commercial operation of Floating Solar Capacity in the Southern Region rose to 217 MW.
• NTPC’s total installed capacity of the company is 69,134.20 MW having 23 coal-based, seven gas-based, one Hydro, and 19 renewable energy projects.
• Under Joint Venture (JV), NTPC has nine coal-based, four gas-based, eight hydro, and five renewable energy projects.

Additional Info :

• Earlier, NTPC declared Commercial operation of 92 MW Floating Solar at Kayamkulam (Kerala) and 25 MW Floating Solar at Simhadri (Andhra Pradesh)

About NTPC :

• Founded: 7 November 1975
• Chairman & MD: Gurdeep Singh
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• It is a statutory corporation incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 and is under the ownership of the Ministry of Power, GoI.

About Telangana :

• Chief Minister : K. Chandrashekar Rao
• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Capital: Hyderabad

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI) joins hands with Avanse Financial for student travel insurance

• Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI) has Partnered with education sector-focussed NBFC Avanse Financial Services to provide travel insurance to Indian students going abroad for higher education.
• EGI plans to offer complete coverage against medical, stay, travel inconvenience-related covers, emergencies, and losses. Students will also have the choice to customize their plan with optional covers as per their needs and requirements from universities.
• Industry reports suggest the number of Indian students going abroad for higher studies is expected to touch 18 lakh by 2024, leading to increased spending

About EGI :

• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Executive Director & CEO: Shanai Ghosh

About Avanse Financial Services :

• MD & CEO: Amit Gainda

SBI Card partners with Aditya Birla Finance to launch ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’

• SBI Cards and Payment Services has entered into a strategic partnership with Aditya Birla Finance (ABFL), the lending subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital for the launch of ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’.
• The card has been designed to give customers significant reward points on their spending around telecom, fashion, travel, dining, entertainment, and hotels, among others.
• The card comes in two variants

1. Aditya Birla SBI Card SELECT
2. Aditya Birla SBI card, both available on the Visa platform.

• The joining/annual renewal fee for ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’ and ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card SELECT’ is Rs 499 and Rs 1499
• The Aditya Birla SBI Card SELECT will award 20 reward points on every 100 spent in any Aditya Birla store.
• Additionally, 10 points will be rewarded for each 100 spent on dining, hotels, or entertainment.
• Meanwhile, Aditya Birla SBI Card will award 10 reward points on every Rs.100 spent in any Aditya Birla store and 5 points for the same amount spent on dining, hotels, or entertainment.
• Both cards will also offer a welcome gift to their customers 6,000 points for SELECT, and 2,000 points for the Visa card.

About SBI Cards and Payment Services :

• Founded: October 1998
• Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana, India
• MD & CEO : Rama Mohan Rao Amara
• SBI Cards and Payment Services is a non-banking financial company that offers an extensive credit card portfolio to individual cardholders and corporate clients.

About Aditya Birla Finance :

• MD & CEO: Rakesh Singh
• Aditya Birla Finance (ABFL), a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital is among the leading well-diversified non-banking financial services companies in India.
• ABFL offers customized solutions in the areas of personal finance, mortgage finance, SME finance, corporate finance, wealth management, debt capital markets, and loan syndication.

India reports CAD of 1.2% of GDP in FY22 on widening trade deficit: RBI

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that India witnessed a current account deficit of 1.2 percent of GDP in 2021-22 against a surplus of 0.9 percent in FY 2020-21 due to a wider trade deficit.
• For the January-March 2022 quarter, the CAD narrowed on a sequential basis to USD 13.4 billion or 1.5 percent of GDP against USD 22.2 billion or 2.6 percent of GDP in the December 2021 quarter.
• In FY22, the trade deficit widened to USD 189.5 billion, up from USD 102.2 billion in FY21.
• The Balance of Payments data suggested that goods imports stood at USD 618.6 billion in FY22 as against USD 398.5 billion in FY21, leading to the widening of the trade deficit.
• The net benefit under the software services head alone stood at USD 109 billion.
• Net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows at USD 38.6 billion in FY22 were lower than USD 44 billion in FY 21, adding that there was an outflow of USD 16.8 billion by foreign portfolio investors (FPI) during the fiscal year, as against an inflow of USD 36.1 billion in FY21.
• External commercial borrowings (ECBs) recorded an inflow of USD 7.4 billion in FY22 compared to USD 0.2 billion in FY21.
• There was an accretion of USD 47.5 billion to the foreign exchange reserves on a balance of payment basis in the fiscal year.
• Private transfer receipts, mainly representing remittances by Indians employed overseas, increased to USD 23.7 billion, up 13.4 percent from Q4 2020-21.
• The net foreign direct investment (FDI) at USD 13.8 billion as against USD 2.7 billion in Q4FY21 but the net foreign portfolio investment (FPI) recorded an outflow of USD 15.2 billion driven mainly by equity market pullouts.
• There was a drawdown of USD 16 billion in the foreign exchange reserves on a BoP basis in the March quarter, as against an accretion of USD 3.4 billion in Q4FY21.

About RBI :

• Founded: 1 April 1935
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governor: Mahesh Kumar Jain, Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra, and T. Rabi Shankar

Adverse global events may lead to $100-bn portfolio outflows: RBI

• The paper, titled “Capital Flows at Risk: India’s Experience” was written by RBI Deputy Governor Michael Patra, Harendra Behera, and Silu Muduli and released in the RBI’s Bulletin.
• In that paper, there is (only) a five percent chance of portfolio outflows from India of the order of 3.2 percent of GDP or $100.6 billion in a year, in response to a Covid-type contraction in GDP growth.
• In an extreme risk scenario or a black swan event in which there is a combination of all these shocks, there is a 5 percent chance of outflows under portfolio investments of 7.7 percent of GDP and short-term trade credit retrenchment of 3.9 percent of GDP.
• The views are personal and do not represent those of the RBI.

The capital outflows could be a response to

• A Covid-type contraction in real GDP growth or
• A Global Financial Crisis (GFC) type decline in interest rate differentials compared to the US, or
• A GFC-type surge in the VIX (Volatility Index).

RBI bars non-bank PPIs from loading credit lines

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has barred all non-bank prepaid payment instrument (PPI) issuers from loading credit lines.
• RBI guidelines permit PPIs to be loaded by either cash, or debit to a bank account, credit & debit cards, and other payment instruments in rupees.
• Any non-compliance in this regard may attract penal action under provisions contained in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

Why did the RBI issue this notification?

• The RBI’s clarification is being seen as an attempt to stop card-based fintech and firms operating as neo banks that have tied up with banks from offering credit lines
• For example, companies like Paytm, Amazon Pay, LazyPay, Simpl, etc., offer postpaid wallets with small credit lines.
• Others such as Slice, Uni, Fi, OneCard, etc give credit cards in partnership with banks like SBM Bank, RBL Bank, Federal Bank, etc to offer such products.
• In a credit line, the bank makes available funds to the customer, but it turns into a loan only when the borrower draws the money.

Muthoot Finance Launches Updated Version Of ‘Muthoot Online’ Web App

• Muthoot Finance has launched the new upgraded version of ‘Muthoot Online’ (https://online.muthootfinance.com/) web application, offering an extended range of features that promises an Omni channel experience to its customers in Kochi, Kerala.
• With this new upgrade, the consumers can have a hassle-free user experience to avail of these services at the touch of their fingertips from the comfort of their homes.
• Customers can avail and repay the Gold loan, Home loan, Personal loan, and Vehicle Loan, buy Insurance & zero interest products online along with access host of other facilities 24×7 from the comfort of their home.
• The website assures high-tech security features to ensure customers’ data privacy.

About Muthoot Finance :

• Founded: 1939
• Headquarters: Kochi, Kerala, India
• Chairman: M. G. George Muthoot
• Managing Director: George Alexander Muthoot
• Muthoot Finance Ltd. is an Indian financial corporation and the largest gold loan Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) in the country.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Indian origin Mr. T Raja Kumar appointed as president of the Financial Action Task Force

• Indian origin Mr. T Raja Kumar has been appointed as the president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the anti-money laundering watchdog for two years (July 2022 -June 2024).
• He will focus on enhancing the effectiveness of global anti-money laundering & counter-terrorist financing measures, improving asset recovery, and other initiatives.
• He succeeded Dr. Marcus Pleyer (Germany).

About Mr. T Raja Kumar :

• Raja Kumar holds an LLB (Hons) degree from the National University of Singapore and a Master’s degree in Philosophy (Criminology and Law) from the University of Cambridge.
• He had been assisting the Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore, and the Singapore Police Force for over 35 years.
• He attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University in 2006.
• Currently, he serves as the senior advisor (International) in the country’s ministry of home affairs.
• He was deputy secretary (International) at the home affairs ministry from January 2015 to July 2021 and was concurrently the chief executive of the Home Team Academy between 2014 to 2018.
• He is the former deputy commissioner of police (Policy), director of the Police Intelligence Department, and senior deputy director of the Commercial Affairs Department.
• He served as the pioneer chief executive of the Casino Regulatory Authority
• He forged a stronger collaborative relationship with key counterparts in the safety and security arena, including with strategic partners such as INTERPOL and the UN

About FATF :

• Founded: 1989
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Membership: 39 nations
• FATF is a global watchdog tasked with combatting money laundering and terrorist financing.

Mr. Yair Lapid becomes 14th Prime Minister of Israel

• The leader of the Yesh Atid Party, Mr. Yair Lapid has officially become the 14th Prime Minister of Israel.
• He succeeds Naftali Bennett.
• Meanwhile, Naama Schultz, a longtime aide to the Yesh Atid leader, will become director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office

About Mr. Yair Lapid :

• Mr. Yair Lapid was an author, TV presenter, and news anchor.
• He serves as the chairman of the centrist Yesh Atid, having previously served as Leader of the Opposition from 2020 to 2021 and as Minister of Finance from 2013 to 2014.
• He served as the alternate prime minister of Israel and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2022.

About Israel :

• Capital: Jerusalem
• Currency: Israeli shekel

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

DRDO conducts successful maiden flight of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out the maiden flight of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator from the Aeronautical Test Range, Chitradurga, Karnataka.
• The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru, a premier research laboratory of DRDO.
• It is a major achievement toward autonomous aircraft and will pave the way for ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ in terms of critical military systems.
• It is powered by a small turbofan engine.
• The airframe, undercarriage, and entire flight control and avionics systems used for the aircraft had been developed indigenously.

About DRDO :

• Founded: 1958
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman: Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy
• DRDO is the premier agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the GoI.

INS Satpura & P8I maritime patrol aircraft arrive at Pearl Harbor In Hawaii To Participate In Rimpac-22

• INS Satpura and one P8I maritime patrol aircraft from the Indian Navy are participating in one of the largest multilateral Naval Exercises, the US Navy-led biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2022.

About INS Satpura :

• INS Satpura is an indigenously designed and built 6000-tonne guided missile stealth frigate equipped to seek and destroy adversaries in air, surface, and underwater.
• It is currently on an extended operational deployment in the 75th year of India’s Independence.

About P8I maritime patrol aircraft :

• P-8I is a long-range, multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft manufactured by Boeing for the Indian Navy.
• It replaced the aging fleet of the Indian Navy’s Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft.
• It is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon multimission maritime aircraft (MMA) operated by the US Navy.
• It was designed to protect the coastline and territorial waters of India.
• It can conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (AsuW), intelligence, maritime patrol, and surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING & INDEX

Global startup ecosystem index 2022: Bengaluru strongest startup ecosystem in India

• According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index (GSEI) by Israel-based StartupBlink, Bengaluru is the “strongest startup ecosystem in India” and ranked 8th globally.
• Globally, New Delhi ranks 13, Mumbai is 17, Pune is 90, Hyderabad is 97, Chennai is 102, Jaipur is 212 and Ahmedabad is 223.

Top 10 cities on the ranking :

1. San Francisco Bay (United States)
2. New York (United States)
3. London (United Kingdom)
4. Los Angeles Area (California)
5. Boston Area (United States)
6. Beijing (China)
7. Shanghai (China)
8. Bangalore (India)
9. Tel Aviv Area (Israel)
10. Paris (France)

Key Highlights :

• In the country-wise rankings for 2022, India is among the top 20 startup ecosystems globally and has been ranked 19th.
• In the Asia Pacific region, India is 4th after Singapore, Australia, and
• At the city-level in the Asia Pacific region, Bengaluru’s startup ecosystem has been ranked the 3rd best, improving its position by two spots in 2022, and is behind Beijing (1) and Shanghai (2).
• The Karnataka capital’s ranking in the global startup ecosystem has been going up since 2020.
• It was ranked 14th in 2020 and 10th in 2021.
• Bengaluru overperforms in Edtech and Transportation with a global rank of 5 in both sector-wise startup rankings.
• The city is ranked 12th in Ecommerce & Retail, ranked 12th in Software & Data Ranking, ranked 14th in Foodtech, ranked 19th in Hardware & IoT, and ranked 20th in Fintech.
• Bengaluru houses 364 education startups, 128 transportation startups, and 126 eCommerce & retail startups

About Global startup ecosystem index 2022:

• The Index has been updated annually since 2017 and is the world’s most comprehensive startup ecosystem ranking 100 countries and 1,000 cities globally.
• The GSEI is built using hundreds of thousands of data points processed by an algorithm that takes into account several dozens of parameters.

About Startup-Blink :

• Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel
• CEO: Eli David

UN-Habitat World Cities Report 2022: India’s urban population to stand at 675 million in 2035

• The United Nations-Habitat’s World Cities Report 2022, India’s urban population is estimated to stand at 675 million in 2035, the 2nd highest behind China’s 1 billion.
• The report stated that rapid urbanization was only temporarily delayed by the pandemic but the global urban population is back on track to grow by another 2.2 billion people by 2050.
• As per report, India’s urban population is projected to be 675,456,000 in 2035, growing from 483,099,000 in 2020 to 542,743,000 in 2025 and 607,342,000 in 2030.
• By 2035, the percentage of the population in India at mid-year residing in urban areas will be 43.2 percent.
• China’s urban population in 2035 is projected at 1.05 billion while the urban population in Asia will be 2.99 billion in 2035 and that in South Asia 987,592,000.
• As per the report, big economies like China and India had a large share of the world’s population and their development trajectories had greatly influenced global inequality.
• In the last two decades, In Asia, China and India experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization, which led to a massive reduction in the number of people living in poverty.
• The urban population is forecast to grow from 56 percent of the global total in 2021 to 68 percent by 2050.
• The report stated that tackling urban poverty and inequality is one of the key priorities for building inclusive and equitable urban futures

About UN-Habitat :

• Established: 1978
• Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya
• Executive Director : Maimunah Mohd Sharif

NITI Aayog & World Food Program Launches Report- ‘Take Home Ration: Good Practices across the State/UTs

• National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog Vice Chairman Suman K. Bery and the World Food Program released a report titled ‘Take Home Ration (THR)-Good Practices Across States/Union Territories.
• The launch was attended by Indevar Pandey, Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Senior Advisor Rajib Sen, and Eric Kenefick, Deputy Country Director of the United Nations World Food Programme.
• The report presents a set of good and innovative practices used by the states and UTs in the implementation of the Take Home Ration value chain.
• The report will provide opportunities for cross-learning among states and Union territories.

About Take Home Ration :

• The Government of India provides Take Home Ration under the Supplementary Nutrition component of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to fill the gap in nutrition among children as well as pregnant and lactating women (PLW).

Aim :

• To provide supplementary food products to children aged 6 to 36 months and pregnant and lactating women (PLW) for use in their homes.
• Under ICDS, there is a Supplementary Nutrition Programme(SNP) component.
• SNP is delivered through two modalities – Hot-Cooked Meal at Anganwadi Centers and Take-Home Ration(THR).
• The State Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Odisha are currently receiving assistance from the United Nations World Food Programme in India to improve the composition and establish decentralized production of fortified nutritious THR.
• This support was conducted in 2019 following mapping of THR across India

About NITI Aayog :

• Established: 2015
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairperson: Narendra Modi (Prime Minister of India)
• Vice Chairperson : Suman Bery
• CEO: Parameswaran Iyer

About WEP :

• Established: 19 December 1961
• Headquarters: Rome, Italy
• Executive Director: David Beasley
• The WEP is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.
• It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its Executive Committee.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

National Conference on Food and Nutrition Security in India to be held:

• The Department of Food and Public Distribution will organize a National Conference on – Food and Nutrition Security in India in New Delhi.
• The conference is aimed at facilitating cross-learning, disseminating best practices for schemes under Public Distribution System, and strengthening the focus on nutritional security.
• Consumer Affairs Minister Shri Piyush Goyal will address the one-day conference.

Highlights:

• The key highlights of the conference will include the discussion on Food Fortification, Diversification of Food baskets, Crop Diversification, and Reforms in the PDS and Storage sector.
• The conference will serve as a platform to reflect upon the challenges and opportunities in the true spirit of cooperative federalism for achieving the transformation of the food and nutrition security ecosystem in the country.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Jasprit Bumrah smashes Broad for 29 runs, shattering Lara’s world record:

• Jasprit Bumrah, the captain of India, surpassed the famous Brian Lara’s record by one run when he battered the helpless Stuart Broad for 29 runs to set a new global record for the most runs scored in a single over in Test cricket.
• Lara held the global record for the longest time (18 years).
• In a Test match in 2003–04, he scored 28 runs against South African left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, including four fours and two sixes from six legal deliveries.
• In the 84th over of the Indian first innings in the fifth rescheduled Test here, Broad, who was previously blasted for six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh in the first World T20 in 2007, conceded 35.
• Six additional runs were made, with five wideouts and one no-ball.
• With four boundaries and two sixes off of 16 balls, the Indian captain was not out at 31.

Daily CA on July 05 :

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) erected Namami Gange Amrit Vatika at Kalindi Kunj Ghat on the River Yamuna in New Delhi with the planting of 75 trees as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Union Home Ministry has amended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) giving certain relaxations such as allowing relatives to send more money to India freely.
• The Department of Food and Public Distribution will organize a National Conference on – Food and Nutrition Security in India in New Delhi.
• A three-day Grand Hackathon that the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is organizing in collaboration with NABARD has essentially begun according to Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal.
• The 12th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security was held virtually.
• A total of 21 United States partner nation ships, including one submarine, from 14 countries are docked at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) for the Rim of the Pacific 2022 (RIMPAC 2022) exercise that kicks off in Hawaii & the theme is Capable Adaptive Partners.
• NTPC Ltd has declared the Commercial Operations Date (COD) of the last part capacity of 20 MW out of 100 MW Ramagundam Floating Solar PV Project in Telangana.
• Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI) has Partnered with education sector-focussed NBFC Avanse Financial Services to provide travel insurance to Indian students going abroad for higher education.
• SBI Cards and Payment Services has entered into a strategic partnership with Aditya Birla Finance (ABFL), the lending subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital for the launch of ‘Aditya Birla SBI Card’.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that India witnessed a current account deficit of 1.2 percent of GDP in 2021-22 against a surplus of 0.9 percent in FY 2020-21 due to a wider trade deficit.
• The paper, titled “Capital Flows at Risk: India’s Experience” was written by RBI Deputy Governor Michael Patra, Harendra Behera, and Silu Muduli and released in the RBI’s Bulletin.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has barred all non-bank prepaid payment instrument (PPI) issuers from loading credit lines.
• Muthoot Finance has launched the new upgraded version of ‘Muthoot Online’ (https://online.muthootfinance.com/) web application, offering an extended range of features that promises an Omni channel experience to its customers in Kochi, Kerala.
• Indian origin Mr. T Raja Kumar has been appointed as the president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the anti-money laundering watchdog for two years (July 2022 -June 2024).
• Leader of Yesh Atid Party, Mr. Yair Lapid has officially become the 14th Prime Minister of Israel & he succeeds Naftali Bennett.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out the maiden flight of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator from the Aeronautical Test Range, Chitradurga, Karnataka.
• INS Satpura and one P8I maritime patrol aircraft from the Indian Navy are participating in one of the largest multilateral Naval Exercises, the US Navy-led biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2022.
• According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index (GSEI) by Israel-based StartupBlink, Bengaluru is the “strongest startup ecosystem in India” and ranked 8th globally.
• The United Nations-Habitat’s World Cities Report 2022, India’s urban population is estimated to stand at 675 million in 2035, the 2nd highest behind China’s 1 billion.
• National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog Vice Chairman Suman K. Bery and the World Food Program released a report titled ‘Take Home Ration (THR)-Good Practices Across States/Union Territories.
• Jasprit Bumrah, the captain of India, surpassed the famous Brian Lara’s record by one run when he battered the helpless Stuart Broad for 29 runs to set a new global record for the most runs scored in a single over in Test cricket.