Top Current Affairs of the day: Instantly obtain Latest Current Affairs with all essential info, Be the first to know all the Today Current affairs 2nd August 2021 top news, Major Issues, Current News, Important events in National Current News as well as International level with clear explanation. For all competitive exams and Interviews, equip yourself with the Latest Current Affairs on 2nd August 2021 granted here.
Top Current Affairs
DXC Technology, Nasscom Foundation partner
- DXC Technology and Nasscom Foundation have jointly launched the Employability Skills Programme.
- They will train 7,500 underserved students in new-age technologies.
- The programme will train students from over 35 tier-2 and tier-3 technical and non-technical colleges in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, on artificial intelligence, data science, etc.
IIT Roorkee launches 7 new academic programmes
- IIT Roorkee has launched seven new academic programmes in select areas of engineering, architecture, economics, and management along with specialization in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
- It will cater to the rising demand for new-age technologies.
- The programmes include six postgraduate degree programs and one five-year integrated program.
Project NISAR proposed to be launched in 2023
- NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite is proposed to be launched in early 2023.
- It is aimed at making global measurements of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.
- NISAR is a joint Earth-Observation mission between ISRO and US space agency NASA for global observations over all land masses including the Polar cryosphere and the Indian Ocean Region.
Leh, Kargil join hands
- Kargil and Leh’s districts have joined hands to seek full-fledged statehood along with constitutional safeguards for the region — eight months after their historic meeting in 2020.
- The Leh-based Apex Body of People’s Movement for 6th Schedule and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leaders have also reached the consensus to seek one more Lok Sabha seat and two Rajya Sabha seats from the region.
P&G appoints Shailesh Jejurikar as global COO
- Procter & Gamble (P&G) has announced the appointment of Shailesh Jejurikar as the global Chief Operating Officer (COO), making him the first Indian to do so.
- This is in line with the change at the Chief Executive Officer level with Jon Moeller taking over from David Taylor.
- Currently, Shailesh is the Chief Executive Officer of its largest business sector, Fabric, and Home Care.
Diageo India announces equal parental leave
- Diageo India has announced a ‘family leave policy, as part of its commitment to build a diverse and inclusive workplace culture.
- This policy takes into consideration surrogacy, adoption, and biological conception.
- It offers all eligible employees a 26-week parental leave, comprising all benefits and bonuses, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation.
Glenmark inks deal with SaNOtize
- Drug firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has signed an agreement with Canadia’s biotech firm SaNOtize Research and Development Corp.
- It will commercialize its Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray for COVID-19 treatment in India and other Asian markets.
- SaNOtize developed and patented a Nitric Oxide Releasing Solution platform technology (NORSTM) to treat and prevent microbial infections in 2017.
India’s lightest metro trainset flagged off
- Titagarh Wagons Ltd’s plant in Italy has rolled out the first train for Pune Metro coach, out of the 34 trains.
- Each train will comprise three coaches.
- These metro coaches are lighter (15.5T axle load) than the lightest coaches at present, which are at Nagpur-Metro (16T axle load).
- The coaches are to be manufactured with Aluminium for the first time in India.
IRCTC to run ‘Bharat Darshan’ special train
- Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will operate a “Bharat Darshan Special Tourist Train”, from 29 August 2021.
- It will cover places like Hyderabad – Ahmedabad – Nishkalank Mahadev Sea Temple – Amritsar – Jaipur – and Statue of Unity.
- The cost of the total tour package will start from ₹ 11340.
- The tour will start on 29 August and end on 10 September 2021.
Bvlgari appoints Priyanka Chopra as ambassador
- Italian luxury brand Bvlgari has appointed Priyanka Chopra Jonas as global brand ambassador.
- In her new role, she will support the Roman high jewellery house in amplifying the brand around the world, with a particular focus on themes of women empowerment, diversity, and inclusion.
- Bvlgari is known for its gemstone jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods.
World Breastfeeding Week: 1-7 August
- World Breastfeeding Week is observed from 1-7 August every year.
- It aims to highlight the huge benefits that breastfeeding can bring to both the health and welfare of babies.
- The event is organized every year by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA).
- The theme for the year 2021 is ‘Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility.’
Cyrus Poonawalla to get Lokmanya Tilak Award
- Businessman Cyrus Poonawalla has been named as a recipient of the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2021
- He is the founder-chairperson of the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII),
- The award was first given in 1983.
- Its recipients include former PMs Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Dr. Manmohan Singh, former President Pranab Mukherjee, etc.
Lamont Jacobs wins 100m gold in 9.80 seconds
- Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs became the world’s fastest man alive, winning men’s 100m gold with a time of 9.80s.
- American Fred Kerley clocked 9.84sec to take silver.
- In the women’s section, Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah won gold in 100 meters, becoming the fastest woman alive.
- China’s Gong Lijiao won gold in Women’s shotput at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium.
Myanmar army chief appoints himself PM
- Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hlaing has taken on the role of Prime Minister in a newly formed caretaker government.
- It comes six months after the army seized power from a civilian government.
- He has pledged to hold elections by 2023.
- General Hlaing took over power in Myanmar in Febr 2021 after removing State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Deepak Das: Controller General of Accounts
- Deepak Das took charge as the new Controller General of Accounts on 1 August 2021.
- He is the 25th officer to hold the position of Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
- He is a 1986-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer.
- Prior to assuming the charge, Mr. Das has served as the Principal Chief Controller of Accounts in the Central Board of Direct Taxes.
NEET-UG to be conducted in Dubai and Kuwait
- The Ministry of Education has announced new centres for the Gulf region in Dubai and Kuwait to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test smoothly.
- Many Indian families reside in Gulf countries, and thousands of students apply for Indian Medical Entrance Examination.
- A special quota is also allotted to these students to get benefits from new decisions.
Maharashtra reports the first case of Zika virus
- Maharashtra has reported the first-ever case of Zika virus after a patient was found affected with the disease in Pune district.
- Zika virus spreads through the bite of the aedes aegypti mosquito and most patients do not have symptoms.
- The typical symptoms include fever, body ache, and conjunctivitis.
Highest ever foodgrains procurement in FY21
- The procurement of foodgrains is the highest ever in 2020-21.
- The country has procured over 869 lakh tonnes of paddy during the current Kharif Marketing Season and over 433 lakh tonnes of wheat during Rabi Marketing Season 2021-22, which is the highest ever procured.
- Punjab, Bihar, Kerala, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh, etc. have recorded the highest ever procurement of Paddy in the same period.
HM Amit Shah launches projects in UP
- The Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched several development projects in UP on 1 Aug’21.
- He laid the foundation stone for Vindhyachal Corridor Project and inaugurated a ropeway in Mirzapur.
- He also laid the foundation stone of Uttar Pradesh Institute of Forensic Sciences, (UPIFS) in Lucknow.
- UPIFS would help provide assistance to maintain the law and order situation in the state.
PV Sindhu secures bronze at Tokyo Olympic
- Indian star shuttler PV Sindhu has secured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, defeating China’s He Bing Jiao in Women’s Singles.
- PV Sindhu also created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win two consecutive individual Olympic medals.
- She had won silver at Rio Olympics in 2016.
- Sushil Kumar is the only other Indian athlete to win two individual medals at the Olympic Games.
India, China set up a new hotline in Sikkim
- A hotline was established between Indian army in North Sikkim and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Tibet on 1 Aug’21.
- The hotline has been established to “further the spirit of trust and cordial relations along the borders.
- This is the sixth hotline to be established between the two countries.
- There are two in the Ladakh sector, two in Arunachal Pradesh, and two in the Sikkim sector.
Raj. to make policy for the protection of forests
- The Rajasthan government has decided to bring a policy for the protection of forests in the state.
- The state government has also launched the ‘Ghar Ghar Aushadhi’ scheme under which various types of medicinal plants will be given to people.
- Under the scheme, eight medicinal plants such as Tulsi, Giloy, etc. will be provided to all 1.26 crore families of the state three times in five years.
ISRO to cooperate with foreign space agencies
- Indian Space Research Organisation is in discussion with European and Israeli space agencies to enhance cooperation and identify potential opportunities to work together.
- ISRO Chairman K Sivan and Director General of ESA Josef Aschbacher agreed to form thematic working groups which will discuss to identify potential opportunities for working together to further enhance ISRO-ESA cooperation.
Polyhouse facility inaugurated in Ludhiana
- The CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute director, Durgapur, inaugurated a ”Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse Facility” in Punjab’s Ludhiana.
- This all-weather structure will have an automatic retractable roof that will be operated based on weather conditions and crop requirements from the conditional database using PLC software.
Tarun Kumar: Director General of Artillery
- Lt Gen Tarun Kumar Chawla assumed the appointment of the Director-General of Artillery on 1 August 2021.
- He takes over the appointment from Lt Gen K Ravi Prasad who superannuated on 31 July 2021 after completing 39 years of distinguished service in the Army.
- He was commissioned into a Field Regiment of Artillery in June 1984 and has served across a wide spectrum of terrain profiles.
Indian Bank signs MoU with IIT Bombay
- Indian Bank has entered into an MoU with the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay.
- It is an initiative for extending exclusive credit facility to startups and small businesses.
- Under the MoU, SINE will identify the start-ups and MSMEs based on their credentials and past experience and will refer the list of such members who require financial assistance to the bank.
Auto Expo 2022 gets postponed
- Indian auto expo officially called Auto Expo – The Motor Show 2022, scheduled to be held in February 2022 has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) organizes the two-day event.
- A new date will be decided later in 2021.
- The car show in India is a platform for domestic carmakers to showcase new models and technologies.
Biotech-PRIDE Guidelines released
- Union Minister of State Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh released “Biotech-PRIDE (Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data Exchange) Guidelines” on 30 July 2021.
- They have been developed by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology.
- The Minister also launched the website of the Indian Biological Data Centre, IBDC.
Avinash Sable betters own national record
- Avinash Sable broke the National Record (NR) in 3000m steeplechase.
- He finished seventh in round 1 in Tokyo.
- Sable clocked 8:18.12 seconds, bettering his own NR of 8:20.20 seconds at the Federation Cup in Patiala in March 2021.
- However, he failed to qualify for the final despite clocking a better time than the top three in another heat race.
Esteban Ocon wins Hungarian GP
- France’s Esteban Ocon won the Hungarian Grand Prix on 1 August 2021 to collect his first-ever win.
- Hamilton was promoted to second place.
- For Ocon, it marked the first win in his 78th Grand Prix.
- Max Verstappen was promoted to ninth while Hamilton took an eight-point lead in the championship.