Daily updates 5 July 2020

International News

1. Jean Castex appointed as Prime Minister of France

Jean Castex has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of France. The appointment of Jean Castex as the new french PM was made by the french President Emmanuel Macron. He has replaced the former french Prime Minister Edouard Philippe who resigned from the post ahead of a government reshuffle.

States News

2. UP Government launches "Mission Vriksharopan-2020" drive

A campaign "Mission Vriksharopan-2020" has been launched by the Uttar Pradesh government. Under this campaign, more than 25 crore saplings were planted on 5th July in Uttar Pradesh. The tree plantation drive was launched on the occasion of Guru Poornima and hence several people were seen planting saplings to pay respect to their mentors.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Aditya Nath; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

Agreements & MoUs

3. Coal India tie-up with NLC to develop solar and thermal power assets

Government-owned mining majors NLC India Ltd and Coal India Ltd have formed a joint venture. The joint venture company will develop solar and thermal power assets. Both the central public sector undertakings will hold equal 50:50 equity in the joint venture company. Coal India is the single largest coal producer worldwide and operates through 83 mining areas spread over eight states in India. NLC India Limited is a 'Navratna' government of India company in the fossil fuel mining sector in India and thermal power generation.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Headquarter of Coal India: Kolkata, West Bengal.
• Pramod Agrawal is the chairman and managing director of Coal India Ltd.

Important Days

4. IBC celebrated "Dharma Chakra Day" on 4th July

Dharma Chakra Day was celebrated by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), under the aegis of Ministry of Culture on 4th July. This day commemorates Buddha's First Sermon to his first five ascetic disciples at the Deer Park, Rsipatana in the present day Sarnath near Varanasi, UP. The day is also observed as Guru Poornima by both Buddhists as well as Hindus as a day to mark reverence to their Gurus.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Ministers of State (I/C) of Culture: Prahalad Singh Patel.

Miscellaneous News

5. Delhi Government launches e-learning portal "LEAD"

Delhi Government has launched an e-learning portal name as "Learning through E-Resources Made Accessible for Delhi (LEAD)". The portal has been developed by the Delhi government and comprises of 10,000 instructional materials and course content for students of Classes I to XII. The Delhi government will also share its teaching-learning material on the digital platform "DIKSHA" through its e-learning portal "LEAD". The portal will offer students access to textbooks, study material and course content as per the syllabus of the CBSE, NCERT and Delhi government’s curriculum online.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal; Governor of Delhi: Anil Baijal.

Daily news 4 July 2020

National News

1. Union HRD Minister launches "Drug Discovery Hackathon 2020"

"Drug Discovery Hackathon" has been launched by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan. The hackathon is a joint initiative of MHRD, AICTE and CSIR, and supported by partners such as CDAC, MyGov, Schrodinger and ChemAxon. Drug Discovery Hackathon is a first of its kind national initiative which has been launched to support drug discovery process.

2. SAP launches Global Bharat program for Indian MSMEs

The Global Bharat program has been launched by the German technology firm SAP India. The programme has been designed to equip Indian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with digital technologies in order to make them globally competitive. SAP India will also provide MSMEs access to their enterprise resource planning (ERP) software under the Global Bharat program. It will compliment the Indian government’s vision to empower the MSME sector by offering them access to global marketplace, digital skilling for the workforce and transforming business processes.

International News

3. ADB becomes "Observer" for Network for Greening the Financial System

The Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) has been joined by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as an observer. ADB has joined the network to fulfil its corporate strategy "the Strategy 2030" goals such as building climate and disaster resilience, enhancing environmental sustainability, fostering regional cooperation and integration, tackling climate change, and strengthening governance and institutional capacity. Network for Greening the Financial System is a group of central banks and supervisors who are inclined to share best practices and contribute to the development of environment and climate risk management in the financial sector.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of Asian Development Bank: Masatsugu Asakawa.

4. Russian President Vladimir Putin records victory in Presidential polls

President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has recorded a victory in the recently held Presidential polls. With a victory, he is set to stay in power until the middle of the next decade i.e. until 2036. Russians citizens went to the polls to cast ballots in a nationwide referendum on Constitutional Amendments. A preliminary tally of results was released by the Central Election Commission of Russia after processing 50% of ballot, and stated that 76.24% of the citizens voted in support of the amendments.

Economy News

5. Care Ratings forecasts Indian Economy to contract by 6.4%

Care Ratings has forecasted Indian economy to contract by 6.4% for the financial year 2020-21. The rating agency has slashed the GDP growth rate of Indian economy citing continued restrictions in the economic activities due to the lockdown on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also expects that the positive growth will come from only agriculture and the government sector.

Appointments

6. GoI extends tenure of Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as NHAI Chairman

The extension of Sukhbir Singh Sandhu's tenure as the chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been approved by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). His tenure has been extended for a period of six months beyond 21st of July 2020 to 21st of January 2021.

Sports News

7. Two-time Olympic badminton champion Lin Dan retires

Former world number one badminton player and the two-times Olympic badminton champion from China, Lin Dan has announced his retirement from the sport. During his 20-year glorious national team career, he won the Olympics singles titles in Beijing in 2008 and the 2012 London Games.

Important Days

8. International Day of Cooperatives celebrated on 04th July

The United Nations celebrates the International Day of Cooperatives every year on the first Saturday of July to increase awareness of cooperatives. In the year 2020, the International Day of Cooperatives will be celebrated on 4th July with a focus on the contribution of cooperatives to combating climate change. UN has also appealed to spread the word: "#Coops4ClimateAction" to celebrate the International Day of Cooperatives 2020.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Secretary-General of United Nations: Antonio

Daily news 2 July 2020

National News

1. Giriraj Singh launches the 1st Edition of “Matsya Sampada”

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Giriraj Singh has launched the 1st Edition newsletter “Matsya Sampada” fisheries and aquaculture published by the Department of Fisheries and the operational guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). This newsletter will be published on a quarterly basis.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Minister of State in the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries: Sanjeev Kumar Balyan.

International News

2. Pak Army appoints Nigar Johar as 1st female Lt. General

Pakistan Army has appointed Major General Nigar Johar as 1st female lieutenant general. She is the 1st female officer to be promoted as Lieutenant General. The officer has been appointed as 1st female Surgeon General of Pak Army.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Prime Minister of Pakistan: Imran Khan.
• President of Pakistan: Arif Alvi.
• Capital of Pakistan: Islamabad.

State News

3. Kerala announces 'Dream Kerala Project' aimed at aiding returning expats

The Kerala government has announced "Dream Kerala Project" to tap the potential and experience of those returning from abroad and other states after losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project aims at the rehabilitation of returning expatriates and the state's overall development.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan.
• Governor of Kerala: Arif Mohammad Khan.
• Capital of Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram.

Appointments News

4. Sanjay Dwivedi appointed as Director General of IIMC

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Professor Sanjay Dwivedi as the Director General of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). He is presently serving as the Registrar of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal.

5. Shrikant Madhav Vaidya becomes new chairman of IOC

Shrikant Madhav Vaidya took charge as the new chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). Prior to this, he was the Director (Refineries) on the IOC Board, since October 2019. He will replace Sanjiv Singh, who retired on June 30.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Indian Oil Corporation Headquarters: New Delhi.
• Indian Oil Corporation established: 1959.

6. Ravinder Bhakar becomes new CEO of CBFC

Ravinder Bhakar took charge as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Central Board of Films Certification (CBFC). He is a 1999 batch officer of Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS). He will replace Anurag Srivastava.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Headquarters of Central Board of Films Certification: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Chairperson of Central Board of Films Certification: Prasoon Josh.

7. Shashank Manohar quits as ICC Chairman

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman, Shashank Manohar has stepped down as the head of the cricket body after two-year tenures. ICC Board has decided that Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja will take the charge until Manohar’s successor is elected. The process for the Chairperson election is likely to be approved by the ICC Board within the next week.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Executive Officer of ICC: Manu Sahney.
• Headquarters of ICC: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

8. India appoints Indra Mani Pandey as new envoy to UN bodies

Government of India has appointed, Indra Mani Pandey as the next Indian envoy to United Nations bodies and other international organisations in Geneva. He will represent India in more than 25 important organisation of the UN in Geneva including World Health Organisation (WHO) and therefore the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). India was appointed as the chair of the executive committed of the WHO in 2020 at the World health assembly. The previous envoy to these UN bodies in Geneva was Rajiv K Chander who has completed his three-year-team.

Banking News

9. HDFC Bank launches 'e-Kisaan Dhan’ app for farmers

HDFC Bank has launched the ‘e-Kisaan Dhan' app for farmers all over India. Through their mobile phones, the farmers will be able to access the services, both banking and agriculture.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Headquarters of HDFC Bank: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Managing Director of HDFC Bank: Aditya Puri.

Economy News

10. Fitch cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 8% from 9.5% for FY22

Fitch cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 8% from 9.5% for FY22, in its June update of Global Economic Outlook report. Fitch retained its projection of Indian economy contracting by 5 per cent in the current fiscal. Meanwhile, Fitch projected the Indian economy to grow 5.5 per cent in 2022-23.

Summits and Conferences

11. New Zealand cancels the APEC Summit 2021

New Zealand has cancelled the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This summit to be held in Auckland, New Zealand. The 2019 leaders’ meeting was cancelled by Chile due to violent anti-government protests and the virtual APEC meeting of 2020 is being hosted by Malaysia.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Executive Director of APEC: Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria.
• Headquarters of APEC: Singapore.
• Established of APEC: 1989.

Science and Technology

12. IIT Gandhinagar develops AI based tool to detect Covid-19

Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based deep learning tool for detection of Covid-19 from Chest X-ray images. This online tool indicates the probability if a person is infected with Covid-19, which can be used for quick preliminary diagnosis before the medical test.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• IIT-Gandhinagar Director: Sudhir Jain.

Sports

13. Ravindra Jadeja named India’s ‘most valuable player’ by Wisden

India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was named as the country’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) of the 21st century by Wisden. He made his debut in 2009 and represented India in 49 test matches, 165 ODIs and 49 T20Is as of 2020.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of BCCI: Sourav Ganguly.
• Headquarters of BCCI: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Miscellaneous

14. Continuous Galvanized Rebar Production Facility inaugurated in Punjab

The "Continuous Galvanized Rebar" Production Facility has been inaugurated by the Union Steel & Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan at Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab. The newly launched facility will support the much awaited need of supplying galvanized rebar to the construction industry. The facility has been considered as a step in the direction towards making of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.