07th-08th July, 2024

1. The government makes the ISI mark mandatory for stainless steel, aluminium utensils
2. Karnataka govt inks Rs 1,040 crores MoUs with DN Solutions and EMNI in South Korea
3. Rs 100 coin released on Jawaharlal Darda’s 101st birth anniversary by Maharashtra state
4. Thazhakara panchayat in Kerala recently published their updated PBR
5. Chhattisgarh to introduce primary education in 18 local dialects for tribal areas
6. LIC raises stake in IDFC First Bank to 2.68%
7. Paytm launches Affordable Healthcare and Income Protection for its Merchants
8. Commerce Ministry targets $100 billion electronics, textile exports by FY30
9. First secretary-level meeting between defence ministries of India & Congo
10. Launching of Bhartiya Antariksh Hackathon-2024
11. PRESIDENT OF INDIA PRESENTS GALLANTRY AWARDS
12. Hardik Pandya becomes first Indian to be ranked No. 1 T20I allrounder
13. TCS signs title partnership with Sydney marathon
14. July 6: World Zoonoses Day
15. July 6: The United Nations (UN) International Day of Cooperatives
16. Ratan Kumar Kesh appointed as Bandhan Bank interim MD & CEO
17. Masoud Pezeshkian will be Iran’s 9th President

National News

1. The government makes the ISI mark mandatory for stainless steel, aluminium utensils
• What: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Government of India has mandated the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) mark mandatory for stainless steel and aluminium kitchen utensils through a Quality Control Order.
• Why: This has been to conform to the national quality standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• Tell me more:
• The ISI mark is now compulsory for these utensils, with non-compliance being punishable.
• The order prohibits the manufacture, import, sale, distribution, storage, or exhibition of stainless steel or aluminium utensils without the BIS standard mark.

Source: Economic Times

State News

1. Karnataka govt inks Rs 1,040 crores MoUs with DN Solutions and EMNI in South Korea
• What: The Karnataka government signed two significant MoUs in Seoul, South Korea.
• Tell me more:
• DN Solutions: The company committed an investment of Rs 1,000 crore to establish machine manufacturing facilities in Karnataka.
• EMNI Co. Ltd: EMNI Co. Ltd committed a Rs 40 crore investment in Karnataka for battery technology advancements.

Source: Money Control

2. Rs 100 coin released on Jawaharlal Darda’s 101st birth anniversary by Maharashtra state
• What: On the 101st birth anniversary of the late Jawaharlal Darda, a commemorative coin of ₹100 was released by the Maharashtra government.
• About Jawaharlal Darda was a freedom fighter and the Founder-Editor of the Lokmat Media Group.

Source: ANI

3. Thazhakara panchayat in Kerala recently published their updated PBR
• What: Thazhakara grama panchayat in Alappuzha, Kerala, has recently published the second volume of its People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR).
• The PBR includes valuable insights into various aspects of biodiversity, such as medicinal plants, agricultural practices, and traditional knowledge.
• Kerala was the first state in the country to publish the initial volume of the PBR across all local bodies.

Source: The Hindu

4. Chhattisgarh to introduce primary education in 18 local dialects for tribal areas
• What: The state government of Chhattisgarh is introducing primary education in 18 local local language and dialects in remote tribal regions
• The decision has been taken as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• It recommends that mother tongue or the local language be the medium of instruction at least up to the fifth standard.
• Why: This initiative aims to enhance educational access and quality for tribal communities, allowing children to learn in their mother tongue and maintain cultural connections.
• Tell me more:
• In the first phase, courses to be prepared are in Chhattisgarhi, Sargujiha, Halbi, Sadari, Gondi and Kudukh dialects, it was announced while inaugurating the state level ‘Shala Praveshotsav (entering school)’ in Bagiya village in Jashpur district in the state.

Source: India Today

Banking and Economy

1. LIC raises stake in IDFC First Bank to 2.68%
• What: The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has increased its stake in IDFC First Bank Limited from 0.20% to 2.68% via Private Placement offer.
• In terms of number of shares, the holding has increased from a little more than 1.42 crore to over 20.02 crore.
• The overall acquisition cost is Rs 1,500 Crore.

Source: Live Mint

2. Paytm launches Affordable Healthcare and Income Protection for its Merchants
• What: Paytm has launched ‘Paytm Health Saathi’, a health and income protection plan for merchant partners.
• Why: It aims to safeguard the well-being of Paytm’s merchant partners by providing affordable, comprehensive healthcare benefits, ensuring their health and business continuity.

Source: Paytm

3. Commerce Ministry targets $100 billion electronics, textile exports by FY30
• What: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has set ambitious export targets for key sectors by 2029-30 (FY30).
• Tell me more (Here are the highlights)

Source: IBEF

Defence News

1. First secretary-level meeting between defence ministries of India & Congo
• What: The inaugural Secretary-level meeting between the Defence Ministries of India and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) took place in New Delhi.
• The Indian delegation, led by Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane, and the DRC’s side was led by Major General Lukuikila Metikwiza Marcel.
• The meeting aimed to identify areas for collaboration to fulfill the potential of defence cooperation between the two countries.
• Kindly note: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of the Congo are two separate countries located in Central Africa.

Source: PIB

Science and Technology

1. Launching of Bhartiya Antariksh Hackathon-2024
• What: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the ‘Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon’ – (Indian Space Hackathon) as part of the first National Space Day (NSPD 2024) celebrations.
• The first National Space Day will be celebrated on 23rd August 2024.
• Why organized: The hackathon is organized to create application-driven ecosystems and bring innovation in space-based applications benefiting both society and the nation.
• Background:
• On 23rd August 2023, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander was successfully landed on the lunar south polar region.
• To commemorate the feat, the Government of India declared the 23rd August of every as National Space Day.
• About ‘Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon:
• It was organized as part of National Space Day 2024
• Problem areas: Twelve problem statements in the areas of Geospatial Domain, Space Science, Image Processing, and AI/ML areas are identified for the hackathon and declared open for undergraduate/ postgraduate/PhD students across the country.
• A team of 3 to 4 students can participate and address the challenges with innovative solutions.
• Initially, 100 teams will be selected based on their ideation and approach to problem-solving and later 30 teams will be shortlisted for Grand Finale at NRSC, Hyderabad in August, 2024.

Source: ISRO

Awards

1. PRESIDENT OF INDIA PRESENTS GALLANTRY AWARDS
• What: The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, presented Gallantry Awards at the Defence Investiture Ceremony-2024 (Phase-I) held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• These awards were given to the personnel for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty.
• The awards are presented to the personnel of the Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State or Union Territory (UT) Police.
• Tell me more:
• A total of 10 people were awarded the Kirti Chakra
• A total of 26 people were awarded the Shaurya Chakra

Source: PIB

Sports

1. Hardik Pandya becomes first Indian to be ranked No. 1 T20I allrounder
• What: Hardik Pandya has become the first Indian to become the No. 1 spot for T20 International allrounders list, as per the latest ICC rankings

Source: ESPN

2. TCS signs title partnership with Sydney marathon
• What: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has recently announced its title partnership with the Sydney Marathon, Australia’s largest marathon.
• Duration: Five-years

Source: TCS

Important Days

1. July 6: World Zoonoses Day
• What: World Zoonoses Day is annually observed across the globe on 6 July
• Why: To raise awareness about Zoonosis, an infectious disease that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans.

Source: Hindustan Times

2. July 6: The United Nations (UN) International Day of Cooperatives
• What: The United Nations (UN) International Day of Cooperatives is annually observed across the globe on the 1st Saturday of July.
• This year it falls on 6 July 2024.
• Why: To increase awareness of cooperatives
• International Day of Cooperatives 2024 falls on 6 July 2024.
• Theme: “Cooperatives Building a Better Future for All.”
• The 1st ever Cooperators Day was observed on 7 July 1923.

Source: News18

Appointments

1. Ratan Kumar Kesh appointed as Bandhan Bank interim MD & CEO
• What: Ratan Kumar Kesh has been appointed as the interim Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bandhan Bank, effective from July 10.

Source: Indian Express

2. Masoud Pezeshkian will be Iran’s 9th President
• What: Masoud Pezeshkian, has been elected Iran’s 9th president after the recently held elections after the tragic death of former President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
• He defeated his hardline conservative rival, Saeed Jalili.

Source: Washington Post

Miscellaneous

1. Priority sector tag needed for women-led rural enterprises: World Bank
• What: Recently the Fostering Female Growth Entrepreneurship in Rural India (a study paper) was released by the World Bank.
• The paper highlights that India needs to assign a specific priority sector tag for women-led rural enterprises to facilitate easier access to credit.
• Currently, micro-enterprise financing falls under the priority sector, but loans are primarily provided to enterprises closer to the ₹5 crore turnover mark.
• Loans to women’s enterprises are not prioritized separately.
• To encourage commercial banks, there is a need to sub-segment the micro-enterprise category, focusing on women-owned growth-oriented enterprises

Source: World Bank

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