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PM Modi to visit Varanasi on 15 July
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Varanasi on 15 July 2021.
- During the visit, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than ₹1500 crores.
- The projects include a 100-bed MCH wing in BHU, multi-level parking at Godauliya, Ro-Ro Vessels for tourism development on River Ganga, and a 3-lane flyover bridge on the Varanasi Ghazipur Highway.
Haryana defers Khelo India Youth Games to 2022
- The Haryana government has deferred from its earlier decision to hold Khelo India Youth Games-2021 in November-December.
- It has now decided to organize the sports show in February 2022.
- The government had also announced that BRICS Games-2021 will be organized during Khelo India.
- The BRICS countries include Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
NTPC to build India’s largest solar park
- NTPC Ltd will set up India’s largest solar park of 4.75 gigawatts (GW) at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
- There it will also generate green hydrogen on a commercial scale.
- NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd has received approval from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) under the ultra-mega renewable energy power parks (UMREPP) scheme.
Deepak Kabra: 1st Indian gymnastics judge
- Deepak Kabra has become the first Indian to be selected for judging the gymnastics competition of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
- Kabra will be seen officiating the men’s artistic gymnastics at the Tokyo Games.
- The 2010 Commonwealth Games in India was his first international assignment and he went on to become the first Indian judge to officiate in the 2014 Asian Games and Youth Olympics.
BKS Literary Award goes to N N Pillai
- Journalist and playwright Omchery N N Pillai has been selected for the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS)’s Literary Award for 2021.
- The jury was headed by the novelist M Mukundan.
- The award constitutes a cash prize of 50,000 and a citation acknowledging the achievement.
- As a playwright, he contributed many works, including Thevarude Aana and Pralayam, to modern Malayalam theatre.
Book on Kamala Harris to come up
- A group of influential Indian-Americans, scholars, diplomats, and entrepreneurs have come together to write an anthology to document the historic election of Kamala Harris as the Vice President of the United States.
- The book is titled ‘Kamala Harris and the Rise of Indian Americans’.
- Compiled and edited by Indian editor Tarun Basu, the anthology explores the story through 16 essays.
Sher Bahadur becomes Nepal’s PM for 5th time
- Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has become the country’s Prime Minister for the fifth time.
- President Bidya Devi Bhandari appointed him in accordance with Article 76(5) of the Constitution.
- Previously, Deuba served as Nepal’s Prime Minister four times from June 2017–February 2018, June 2004–February 2005, July 2001–October 2002, and September 1995–March 1997.
Ceat ties up with Tata Power
- Ceat has tied up with Tata Power to establish a 10MW captive solar plant at Tata Power’s Solapur site for powering its tyre manufacturing facility in Bhandup (Mumbai).
- Tata Power has created a special purpose vehicle (SPV)- TP Akkalkot Renewable Ltd for the work.
- While Ceat will hold 26 per cent stake in the SPV, Tata power will own 74 per cent, as per the captive generation rules.
NARCL registered in Mumbai
- The National Asset Reconstruction Co. Ltd (NARCL), or the so-called bad bank, has been registered in Mumbai with a paid-up capital of ₹74.6 crores.
- The bad bank will be headed by Padmakumar Madhavan Nair, a stressed assets expert from the State Bank of India (SBI), as the MD.
- The other directors are Sunil Mehta, Salee Sukumaran Nair, and Ajit Krishnan Nair.
Google fined 500 million euros
- France’s competition regulator has fined Google 500 million euros ($592 million) over a dispute with French publishers who want the company to pay for the use of their news.
- The dispute is part of a larger effort by the European Union to force Google and other tech companies to compensate publishers for content.
Kerala to launch ‘Mathru Kavacham’ campaign
- The Kerala govt is all set to launch a campaign called ‘Mathru Kavacham’.
- As part of the campaign, all pregnant women will be registered for vaccination at the ward level by ASHA workers.
- Those without facilities like smartphones will be registered with the help of ASHA workers.
- The health workers will ensure that all pregnant women in each sub-center area are registered and vaccinated.
Karnataka CM approves ‘Action Plan 2021-22’
- Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has approved Basava Kalyana Development Board’s ‘Action Plan for 2021-22’.
- Out of the 134 works taken up by the board, 76 works have been completed whereas 58 are pending.
- The state government has also earmarked Rs 500 crore for the Anubhava Mantapa Project for 2021-22 and has also allotted Rs 200 crore for the project during FY 2021-22.
Andhra P. govt signs MoUs with 14 companies
- The Andhra Pradesh government has exchanged MoUs with 14 companies.
- The objective is to ensure women empowerment and livelihood to six lakh women on a permanent basis through the YSR Cheyutha scheme.
- The firms that have exchanged MoU’s include Ajio Business, Grameena Vikas Kendram Society for Rural Development, Mahindra Top Greenhouses Pvt Ltd and Kheyti Tech Pvt Ltd, Tanager, etc.
India to host BWF World Championships in 2026
- The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has confirmed that India has been awarded the hosting rights of the BWF World Championships in 2026.
- Suzhou, China, will stage the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2023.
- Suzhou was due to host the championships in 2021, but with BWF unable to stage any tournaments in China for 2021, the event was switched to Vantaa in Finland.
Rs 6 crore for Olympics gold medallists: UP
- The Uttar Pradesh govt has announced to give Rs 10 lakh each to all those participating in Tokyo Olympics 2021.
- A total of 10 players from UP will go to Tokyo to participate in various events.
- The state government will give Rs 6 crore to the sportspersons who win gold medals, Rs 4 crores to the silver medalists, and Rs 2 crores to the players who bring bronze medals in the Olympic Games.
Indian Navy receives aircraft from Boeing
- The Indian Navy has received the 10th anti-submarine warfare aircraft P-8I from the US-based aerospace company Boeing.
- The Defence Ministry had first signed a contract for eight P-8I aircraft in 2009.
- Later, in 2016, it signed a contract for four additional P-8I aircraft.
- The Indian Navy had received the ninth P-8I aircraft in November 2020.
CESL to supply 25,000 two-wheeler EVs
- Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL) will supply 25,000 electric two-wheelers to New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) for the state government employees.
- They will be provided on a monthly lease.
- CESL and NREDCAP will work to aggregate demand, deploy electric vehicles, and build charging infrastructure, as per the agreement signed between them.
ASK Property launches real estate fund
- ASK Property Investment Advisors (ASK PIA), the real estate private equity arm of ASK Group has launched its new real estate fund, ASK Real Estate Special Opportunities Fund – IV.
- The fund is targeting a corpus of ₹1,000 crores along with an additional ₹1,500 crore via the greenshoe option.
- ASK PIA plans to raise the capital via a mix of offshore and domestic investors.
TiE launches edtech special interest group
- The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Bangalore has launched a Special Interest Group (SIG) for Edtechs to promote, mentor, and create new opportunities for entrepreneurs in the Edtech space.
- Towards this, TiE Bangalore is collaborating with AWS EdStart, the startup accelerator from Amazon Web Services (AWS).
- The SIG will be launched on July 17, 2021, with a chat with the Founder and CEO of BYJU’S.
App developed to detect potato disease
- Scientists from IIT Mandi have developed a smartphone app for automated disease detection in potato crops using photographs of its leaves.
- The research was led by Dr. Srikant Srinivasan in collaboration with the Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla.
- The app uses AI techniques to highlight the diseased portions of the leaves of potatoes infected by Phytophthora infestans.
BHIM UPI to be implemented in Bhutan
- NPCI International Payments Ltd and the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan have entered a partnership for enabling and implementing BHIM UPI QR-based payments in Bhutan.
- It will enable acceptance of the BHIM app in Bhutan.
- Bhutan will become the first country to adopt UPI standards for its QR deployment.
- It will also become the only country to both issue and accept RuPay cards and BHIM UPI.
Hyderabad Airport commissions 5 MW solar plant
- GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) has crossed another green milestone with the commissioning of its second phase 5 MW solar power plant.
- With this, GHIAL’s total solar power capacity has now increased to 10 MW.
- In 2015, GHIAL has commissioned a 5 MW Solar Power Plant for its captive consumption.
- More than 30 thousand solar panels have been installed to produce 10 MW of power.
PUMA inks deal with 18 Indian athletes
- Sports brand Puma has inked sponsorship deals with 18 Indian athletes ahead of the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.
- It has added a group of athletes such as boxer Pooja Rani, track and field athlete Tejinder Singh, shooter Manu Bhaker and swimmer Srihari Nataraj to its plan.
- Sports stars Mary Kom and Dutee Chand are already brand ambassadors of Puma India.
Indian Navy to take part in a project
- The Indian Navy has decided to come on board for India’s most ambitious indigenous helicopter development plan.
- The project intends to save a Rs 2 lakh crore import bill for military platforms in the coming years.
- The Air Force and Army have already committed to the project and with the Navy now agreeing as well, India could make hundreds of the indigenous medium-lift choppers.
NTPC REL signs MoU with Ladakh
- NTPC’s green energy arm NTPC REL has signed an MoU with Ladakh to set up the country’s first green Hydrogen Mobility project in the region.
- The company has also inaugurated the first solar installations in Leh in the form of solar trees and a solar carport.
- The MoU will help Ladakh develop a carbon-free economy based on renewable sources and green hydrogen.
Largest EV charging station to be set up
- EV solutions provider Magenta will set up the country’s largest public EV charging station in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra as part of its plans to provide 4,000 charging facilities by March 2022.
- The charging station will be functional 24X7 with 21 AC/DC chargers for 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and 4-wheelers.
- Depending on the chargers, one can charge a vehicle in 45 mins.
ISGF and NGS promote India CGD Forum
- India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) and Natural Gas Society (NGS) have jointly promoted India City Gas Distribution Forum.
- This has been done to create a collaboration platform between the CGD companies and electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs),
- The India CGD Forum was launched on 4 March 2021 during India Smart Utility Week (ISUW 2021).
WPI inflation eases to 12.07% in June
- India’s wholesale price inflation eased in June 2021 to 12.07% from a record 12.94% in May 2021 amid a decline in food and fuel inflation.
- Data released by the industry department showed food inflation in June decelerated to 3.1% from 4.3% a month ago, while fuel inflation eased to 32.8% from 37.6% a month ago despite the recent increase in prices of petrol, diesel, and cooking gas items.
A scientist develops affordable sensors
- With an aim to boost crops production in India, an ex-NASA scientist, Parag Narvekar has developed an affordable sensor in Nashik.
- The sensor, which used to cost Rs 1.5 lakh each, can now be availed at Rs 10,000 by the farmers in the country.
- The newly-developed sensors could also be used in weather forecasting through satellite data sets.
New post-covid complication found
- Sporadic cases of cytomegalovirus (CMV) are being reported from Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru making it the latest post-covid complication.
- Cytomegalovirus infection is a common herpes virus infection that may or may not have symptoms.
- It is a double-stranded DNA virus that remains latent in the body.
- Patients may not have any symptoms, so it is difficult to detect the infection.
Basteille Day: 14 July
- The National Day of France, more commonly known as Bastille Day, is celebrated on July 14 every year.
- It marks the fall of Bastille, a military fortress and prison, on July 14, 1789, when an angry mob stormed into it, signaling the beginning of the French Revolution.
- The Bastille was initially built as a fortress guarding the eastern entrance of the city of Paris during the 1300s.
Obituaries
- Charlie Robinson, a veteran actor best known for playing court clerk Mac Robinson on the NBC sitcom “Night Court”, passed away in July 2021. Over a career that spanned five decades, Robinson appeared in more than 125 films and TV shows.
- Actor and mimicry artist Madhav Moghe, best known for featuring in films like Partner and Meenakshi Seshadri’s Damini, passed away in July 2021.
BRICS Tourism Ministers’ meeting held
- Minister for Tourism G. Kishan Reddy chaired the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ meeting on 13 July 2021, as part of India’s BRICS chairship.
- The ministers of all the member countries participated in the meeting.
- The significant aspect of the meeting was the adoption of the Ministers’ Communique, an outcome document on cooperation and promotion of tourism between the BRICS countries.
Income Tax Dept conducts surveys in Bengaluru
- Income Tax Department carried out a survey operation in July 2021 on two business premises in Bengaluru on one of India’s leading manpower services providers.
- Evidence of tax evasion was gathered regarding wrongful claims of deduction u/s 80JJAA of Income-tax Act, 1961.
- Overall, the survey resulted in the detection of concealment of income to the tune of Rs. 880 crore.
Paul Orndorff passes away
- WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff who fought in Wrestlemania passed away in July 2021.
- He was also popularly known as Mr. Wonderful by his fans.
- In 1983, Orndorff joined the World Wrestling Federation, known today as World Wrestling Entertainment, and he made his debut in 1984.
- Orndorff was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
Atul Gawande nominated for USAID Position
- US President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American surgeon and best-selling author Atul Gawande for a top leadership position at the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
- He has been nominated for the position of Assistant Administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Global Health.
- He is the author of New York Times best-selling books: Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, etc.
Roger Federer withdraws from Tokyo Olympics
- Swiss Tennis player Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics because of a knee injury.
- The eight-time Wimbledon champion had missed the 2016 Rio Olympics also due to a knee injury.
- The 20-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals by Hubert Hurkacz in July 2021.
Train with cotton yarn reaches Bangladesh
- A parcel train containing 468 tonnes of cotton yarn arrived at Benapole in Bangladesh on 13 July 2021.
- The train has 20 parcel vans and it covered a distance of 1700 kilometres.
- It is for the first time that cotton yarn has been sent from India through the rail route to Bangladesh.
- Earlier, the cotton yarn was sent by road in small quantities which was expensive.
SpaceX to partner with local firms
- Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to partner with Indian firms to locally manufacture satellite communications equipment, including antenna systems.
- It is gearing up to launch its high-speed Starlink satellite broadband services in the country in 2022.
- SpaceX has been accepting pre-orders for the beta version of its Starlink satellite internet service in India for a fully refundable deposit of $99.
Mahindra Electric CEO and MD to step down
- Mahindra Electric Mobility has announced that Mahesh Babu, CEO, and MD of Mahindra Electric Mobility (MEML) is stepping down to pursue interests outside the company.
- Suman Mishra, Sr VP, Business transformation, Insight and Analytics, the automotive sector will take over as Chief Executive of MEML and Chief Executive (designate) of Last Mile Mobility business with effect from 14 Aug’21.
India’s first 5-star hotel atop railway track
- Indian Railways will soon get its first 5-star hotel atop a railway track in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar Capital railway station which falls under the Western Railway zone of Indian Railways.
- The luxury hotel will be having 318 rooms and will be operated by a private entity.
- It is spread across 7,400 square meters and has been built at a cost of ₹790 crores.
Vogue Eyewear appoints Taapsee as ambassador
- Vogue Eyewear has appointed actor Taapsee Pannu as its brand ambassador in India.
- The actor will feature in a campaign titled ‘LetsVogue’.
- The campaign will go live on 16 July 2021 and will be promoted across print, social and digital platforms till Diwali.
- The brand is available in India across 4, 000 stores including Sunglass Hut and LensCrafters.
Manipur CM launches various welfare schemes
- Manipur CM N. Biren Singh launched various welfare schemes implemented under NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) on 13 July’21.
- The schemes include the Comprehensive Scheme for the development of MSCB Ltd. and PACS (Primary Agriculture Co-operative Societies).
- They will help in strengthening the infrastructure of 46 primary agriculture cooperative societies.
Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy announced
- The Maharashtra Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy-2021 has been announced.
- Its objective is to accelerate the adoption of EVs such that they contribute 10 percent of new vehicle registration by 2025.
- Those purchasing two-wheelers will be given an incentive of Rs 10,000, for three-wheelers the incentive will be Rs 30,000, for four-wheelers Rs 1,50,000 and for e-buses it will be Rs 20 lakh.
EU approves Military Training Mission
- The European Union has approved a Military Training Mission in Mozambique to support armed forces there to protect the civilian population.
- It aims to train and support the military in restoring security to northern Cabo Delgado, which has been plagued by extreme violence amid Jihadist attacks since 2017.
- Its mandate will initially last for two years.
India to get its second-longest expressway
- India will soon get its second-longest expressway.
- The new Ganga Expressway will run across the breadth of the state of Uttar Pradesh and will connect some major cities in the state.
- It will be approximately 594 kms long.
- Once the expressway is made operational, the travel time between Delhi and Prayagraj is expected to be cut short from the current 10-11 hours to just 6-7 hours.
Ladakh signs MoU with Sikkim
- Ladakh has signed an MoU with Sikkim State Organic Certification Agency (SOCCA) to turn the UT into an organic entity.
- A tripartite MoU has been signed between Ladakh and SSOCA regarding the implementation of Prampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Mission Organic Development Initiative (MODI).
- The main objective is to get the organic certification after a tie-up with the Centre.
DSEU signs MoU to train students in Japan
- The Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) has signed an MoU to train and place students in Japan.
- It has entered into an exclusive partnership with the HI-NO-DE Foundation, jointly with Ichishin Holdings Co. Ltd., to implement the technical intern training program (TITP) to train, skill, and place youth of India, especially those in Delhi.
Adani Group takes control of Mumbai Airport
- Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) has taken over the management control of Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) from the GVK Group.
- MIAL is India’s second busiest airport by both passenger and cargo traffic.
- With eight airports in its management and development portfolio, AAHL is now India’s largest airport infrastructure company, accounting for 25 per cent of airport footfalls.
VP Naidu receives a book
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu received the book ‘Urdu Poets and Writers – Gems of Deccan’ authored by senior journalist, Shri J.S. Ifthekhar, on 13 July 2021.
- ‘Gems of Deccan’ is an anthology of prose and poetry that encapsulates the life and works of 51 outstanding poets and writers of the Deccan region.
- He also received the books ‘Manavottama Rama’ and ‘Nallagonda Kathalu’.