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IDSP starts an epidemiological investigation
- The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) State Surveillance Unit of Haryana has initiated an epidemiological investigation into the first documented human case of bird flu.
- An 11-year-old child has been reported as the first human case of H5Nx from Gurugram, Haryana.
- He developed symptoms of fever, cough, coryza, and breathing difficulty.
UP government to set up panchayat secretariat
- The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has decided to set up a panchayat secretariat in all panchayats of the state.
- The move is aimed at strengthening rural democracy and providing employment to rural youth.
- Panchayat secretariat will be established in all gram panchayats for the first time in the state.
- There are currently 58,189-gram panchayats in UP.
Pfizer, BioNTech sign agreement with Biovac
- Pfizer and BioNTech have signed an agreement with South Africa’s Biovac Institute to produce the COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa for the African Union.
- Both companies expect that Biovac’s Cape Town facility will be incorporated in their global vaccine supply chain by the end of 2021, while technical processes and on-site equipment activities will start immediately.
Indian, Pakistan Armies hold flag meeting
- On the occasion of Eid-ul-Zuha and as a gesture for promoting peace, harmony and compassion, India and Pakistan Armies held a flag meeting on 21 July 2021.
- They exchanged sweets at Kaman Aman Setu, Uri, and Tithwal Crossing on Kishanganga River in the Tangdhar area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
- Both the Armies have been strictly following the ceasefire agreement on the LoC.
Maldives Foreign Affairs arrives in India
- Maldives Foreign Affairs Minister and President-Elect of 76th General Assembly of United Nations, Abdulla Shahid arrived in New Delhi on 21 July 2021.
- During his visit, he will meet PM Narendra Modi and hold talks with the External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar.
- An agreement for high-impact community development projects to be implemented with Indian grant assistance will also be signed.
Tableau partners with AICTE
- Tableau announced its partnership with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to equip students and educators from AICTE’s over 10,500 higher learning institutes with modern data analytics skills.
- Tableau will provide AICTE with Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep licenses, and sample curriculum material for educators to get started teaching analytics in classrooms.
MRSAM: Medium range surface-to-air missile
- The first missile of the first firing unit of MRSAM for delivery to the Indian Air Force was flagged off on 21 July 2021.
- MRSAM is a high-response, quick reaction, vertically launched supersonic missile, designed to neutralize enemy aerial threats – missiles, aircraft, guided bombs, helicopters.
- The missile has a range of up to 70 km and is used by army, navy, and airforce in many variants.
India’s 1st ever Mattress recycling campaign
- India’s 1st ever Mattress recycling campaign, an initiative of the Indian Polyurethane Association IPUA, Indian Sleep Product Federation ISPF The Kabadiwala, was inaugurated.
- Under the campaign, the old mattress would be picked up from the consumer’s doorstep as per their request on the Kabadiwala app/website or call.
- It will promote the Indian mattress industry as a green industry.
TN saw the rise in ‘unknown Religion’ Community
- Decadal growth of population in Tamil Nadu between 2001 and 2011 witnessed an increase of 217.78 percent of a community whose religion is “not stated”.
- The community whose religion is not stated increased to 1,88,586 in 2011 from 59,344 in the 2001 Census.
- The Sikh community also registered 52.97 percent growth in Tamil Nadu from 9,545 in 2001 to 14,601 in 2011.
Russia launches lab module to ISS
- Russia on 20 July 2021 successfully launched a lab module for the International Space Station that is intended to provide more room for scientific experiments and space for the crew.
- A Proton-M booster rocket carrying the Nauka (Multipurpose Laboratory Module), module lifted off from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
DRDO successfully test flights “MPATGM”
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on 20 JULY 2021 successfully flight tested indigenously developed low weight, fire and forget Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM).
- The missile is incorporated with a state-of-the-art Miniaturised Infrared Imaging Seeker along with advanced avionics and is a major boost to the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign.
Liverpool out from UNESCO world heritage list
- The English port city of Liverpool has been removed from UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites, making it only the third site to be removed from the prestigious list.
- The only other sites stripped previously of the World Heritage Site title are a wildlife sanctuary in Oman in 2007 after habitat loss and the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany in 2009 when a bridge was built over the river.
DRDO successfully test-fires “Akash-NG”
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation has successfully flight-tested the latest Akash surface-to-air missile system.
- The test was conducted from a test range off the Odisha coast on 21 July 2021.
- The new version can strike targets at a distance of around 60 km and fly at a speed of up to Mach 2.5.
- The new system will prove to be a force multiplier for the Indian Air Force.
Instrument Landing System at Odisha launched
- A new Instrument Landing System (ILS) has been commissioned at Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Odisha by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
- It will help in the precise landing at the Veer Surendra Sai Airport.
- It will also impact positively on the regularity of flight services during bad weather and low visibility conditions.
- The project’s overall cost was approximately Rs 15 crore.
“SMILE” scheme for beggars formulated
- The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated a scheme “SMILE – Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”.
- This scheme covers several comprehensive measures including welfare measures for beggars.
- The focus of the scheme is extensively on rehabilitation, skill development, provision of medical facilities, education, economic linkages, and so on.
Punjab starts AABR system
- The Punjab government has launched Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) system under Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme.
- Punjab is the first state in the country to introduce SOHUM AABR system.
- This first-of-its-kind initiative will effectively screen hearing loss in newborns and young children.
ICICI Bank launches new co-branded HPCL card
- ICICI Bank has announced the launch of a co-branded credit card with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL).
- The ICICI Bank-HPCL Super Saver Credit Card will offer rewards and benefits to customers on their spend on fuel as well as other categories while paying electricity and mobile bills, and in departmental stores like Big Bazaar and D-Mart, and e-commerce portals.
MECL signs MoU with DMG Goa
- Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL) has signed MoU with the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG), Government of Goa.
- It will offer integrated mineral exploration and consultancy services.
- MECL will assess mineral resources by conducting an array of geoscientific exploration and will finalize the mineral blocks to be auctioned and establish the state’s mineral inventory.
Bimal Jalan comes up with his new book
- Former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan has come up with his new book ‘The India Story’.
- It focuses on India’s economic history and aims to provide lessons for the future of India’s political economy.
- Published by Rupa, the book was released on 21 July 2021 on ‘SoftCover’, ThePrint’s online venue to launch select non-fiction books.
India’s first green hydrogen plant to be built
- Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will build the nation’s first “green hydrogen” plant at its Mathura refinery.
- It aims to prepare for a future catering to the growing demand for both oil and cleaner forms of energy.
- It will not set captive power plants at all its future refinery and petrochemical expansion projects and instead use the 250 MW of electricity it produces from renewable sources.
UN and IOC launch stamps
- The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) have launched a series of stamps to honor the role of sport for peace.
- The six stamp sheets feature the Olympic sports of sailing, baseball, judo, diving, equestrian, and golf.
- The designs of both the stamps and the souvenir sheets were illustrated by Japanese artist Satoshi Hashimoto.
IBM signs 10-year partnership with BIAL
- IBM Corp. and Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) have signed a 10-year partnership deal.
- Under the deal, IBM and Kyndryl will provide IT solutions to create a new “Airport in a Box” platform to transform the travel experience for passengers.
- The platform also will generate artificial intelligence (AI)-powered insights to optimise inventory management and total cost of ownership.
Airtel and Intel announce the collaboration
- Bharti Airtel and Intel have announced a collaboration.
- Both will develop a 5G network by leveraging virtualized radio access network (vRAN) and open radio access network (O-RAN) technologies.
- Airtel will deploy Intel’s latest 3rd gen Xeon® Scalable processors, FPGAs and eASICs, and Ethernet 800 series across its network to build a solid foundation for rolling out wide-scale 5G.
Russia to deliver 21 MiG-29 fighters to India
- Russia has handed over to India a commercial offer to deliver 21 MiG-29 fighters.
- The Indian Air Force staff received a tender request for the supply of 21 aircraft in 2021.
- The Air Force has three squadrons of the MiG-29s, a twin-engine single-seat air superiority fighter aircraft, which have been undergoing upgrades for extended life and are considered reliable in the air defence roles.
Free bus travel facility to Sanskrit scholars
- Haryana government has decided to provide a free bus travel facility of state roadways to various award-winning scholars of the Sanskrit language.
- Apart from establishing Government Sanskrit Colleges and Sanskrit Board, Sanskrit University has also been set up in the state.
- So far 29 Acharyas and Gurukul managers have been awarded Acharya Sammans in Haryana.
Raghu Ram: First to receive ASGBI honour
- Raghu Ram, founder-Director of KIMS – Ushalakhsmi Centre for Breast Diseases has attained the rare distinction of being the first Indian to be conferred with the honorary fellowship of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI).
- ASGBI represents the surgical fraternity in the UK and Ireland.
- Ram has also received Padma Shri, BC Roy and OBE recognitions among others.
Brisbane declared host of 2032 Olympics
- Brisbane has been formally awarded hosting rights for the 2032 Olympic Games.
- The Olympic Games will be held in Australia for a third time, before this Melbourne held the Games in 1956 and Sydney hosted them in 2000.
- Paris will host the event in 2024 and Los Angeles will host the tournament in 2028.
Russia successfully testfires a cruise missile
- Russia successfully test-fired the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile in July 2021.
- The missile was launched from the Navy’s Admiral Gorshkov warship.
- The Zircon missile successfully hit a target directly at a range of over 350 kilometres (217 miles).
- The flight speed reached nearly Mach 7.
- Russia is set to arm warships and submarines with the Zircon missile.
Sandeep Mina joins Dukaan as COO
- Dukaan, which helps local stores sell their products online, has appointed Sandeep Mina as its Chief Operating Officer with effect from 1 July 2021.
- He is the former Vice-President of monetization at food delivery platform Swiggy
- Dukaan, founded in May 2020, enables small and medium businesses (SMBs) and first-time internet entrepreneurs to sell their products and services online.
IBBI amends insolvency regulations
- The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) notified the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2016 on 14th July, 2021.
- The amendment regulations enhance the discipline, transparency, and accountability in corporate insolvency proceedings.
- IBBI was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Delhi.
Honey Mission Programme being implemented
- The Honey Mission Programme is being implemented to promote bee keeping activities and provide self-sustaining employment opportunities among farmers, and unemployed youth in rural India.
- It was launched by Khadi and Village Industries Commission, under the Ministry of MSME, during 2017-18.
- Under this, beneficiaries are provided with bee boxes, live bee colonies, tool kits, and training.
Government standardises PUC certificate
- The government has standardized the PUCC (Pollution Under Control Certificate) form to a common format to be issued across the country under Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.
- After the expiry of a period of one year from the date on which the motor vehicle was first registered, every such vehicle shall carry a valid “Pollution under Control” certificate issued by an authorized agency.
New material for thermoelectric devices
- Researchers have developed a new low-cost electrical contact material for thermoelectric devices that is stable at high temperatures.
- The thermoelectric device can also function as a small heat pump, moving heat from one side of the device to the other.
- Researchers from the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials have designed it using lead telluride.
Urmil Kumar Thapliyal passes away
- Veteran theatre personality and litterateur Urmil Kumar Thapliyal passed away in July 2021.
- Thapliyal, who has donned several roles of a playwright, author, poet, performer, satirist, and theatre personality contributed immensely to the revival of ‘nautanki’ and popularizing theatre.
- Some notable plays written by him are – Harishchanner ki Ladai, Nagri Nautanki, Choon-choon ka Murabba, etc.
Netcore Cloud appoints Nishant Jain as Head
- Netcore Cloud has brought on board Nishant Jain as Group Head for business strategy and corporate development.
- He has held leadership roles at organizations like EY, Exfinity Ventures, and Eka Software Solutions, to name a few.
- Earlier in 2021, the company was rebranded from Netcore Solutions to Netcore Cloud.
India’s smartphone market falls 13 pc: Canalys
- Smartphone shipments in India fell 13 percent to 32.4 million units in the April-June 2021 period over the previous quarter as the second wave of COVID-19 stifled demand.
- The data was given by Canalys in its report.
- Xiaomi continued to remain the top player with 29 per cent market share in the June 2021 quarter, followed by Samsung stayed in second place with 17 per cent share (5.5 million).
Eros Now partners with Live Satellite
- Eros Now, the video streaming service owned by Eros STX Global Corporation, has announced a partnership with Live Satellite Media, part of the ABS group.
- It will ensure the delivery of video services to underserved parts of the country.
- Live Satellite Media will distribute and enable subscriptions of Eros Now through various modes such as unique bundling, prepaid codes, etc.
Clix Capital appoints Rakesh Kaul as CEO
- Clix Capital has announced the appointment of Rakesh Kaul as its new Chief Executive Officer with effect from 16 August 2021.
- He joins Clix Capital from RHB Malaysia, where he led the consumer banking business for the group covering Malaysia and ASEAN markets.
- Earlier, he was associated with Citigroup, holding several leadership roles.
Mirae Asset launches an index
- Mirae Asset Investment Managers (India) Pvt. Ltd has launched India’s first exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking Nifty financial services index.
- It will provide exposure to 20 companies representing various segments of the financial services sector.
- The scheme is an open-ended one replicating or tracking Nifty Financial Services Total Return Index.
Violinist Sikkil R Bhaskaran passes away
- In Tamil Nadu, noted Carnatic classical violinist ‘Kalaimaamani’ Sikkil R Bhaskaran passed away in July 2021.
- During his close to 5 decades of musical career, Bhaskaran has been bestowed with many laurels, awards and honours.
- He was an ‘A” Grade Artist of All India Radio and has served for nearly 2 decades in Chennai radio Station from 1976 to 1994.