09th-11th July, 2022

1. Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has added 540 species to its faunal database in 2021 taking the total number of animal species to 1,03,258.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 1,774 crore in Varanasi.
3. Ministry of Women and Child Development has issued guidelines for Mission Vatsalya Scheme, which was earlier known as the Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme, since 2009-10.
4. Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri has launched ‘SVANidhi Mahotsav’, a cultural festival, from July 9-31, for celebrating the success of PM SVANidhi Scheme.
5. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has approved the construction of Greenfield connectivity project to Jewar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
6. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has commissioned India’s largest floating solar PV plant of 100 MW at NTPC Ramagundam, Telangana.
7. West Bengal govt and Sikkim have signed a new reciprocal transport agreement for entry and movement of vehicles from Bengal to Sikkim and vice versa.
8. Delhi govt has launched the ‘Mission Kushal Karmi’ to upgrade the skills of construction workers.
9. India’s first floating terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) at Jaigarh in Maharashtra is expected to be operational in the second half of 2022.
10. First India Animal Health Summit 2022 was organized by Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) and the Agriculture Today Group at NASC Complex, New Delhi.
11. Ministry of Defence has allowed three private sector banks – HDFC Bank Ltd, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank – to provide financial services like issuing of letter of credit to it for overseas procurement of military hardware.
12. Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) and NTPC Renewable Energy Limited (NTPC-REL) have signed an MOU to collaborate on sourcing renewable power.
13. Deutsche Bahn (railway company of Germany) has become the world’s first Intermodal Partner of Star Alliance (world’s largest global airline alliance headquartered in Germany).
14. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi held talks on the side lines of the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
15. 10th World Peace Forum (WPF) was held in Beijing on the theme of “Preserving International Stability: Commonality, Comprehensiveness and Cooperation.”
16. 9th session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES9) was held in Bonn, Germany.
17. World Bank has released the Global Findex Database 2021.
18. UNICEF, FAO, World Food Program, WHO, International Fund for Agriculture Development has released the ‘2022 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’
19. Ajay Piramal-owned Piramal Enterprises has received shareholders’ approval to demerge its pharmaceuticals business and simplify the corporate structure.
20. Cognizant Technology Solutions has been selected as a technology provider by National Insurance Company Ltd (NICL) to accelerate and help manage its digital transformation.
21. Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has launched its QR Code-enabled services for customers.
22. State Bank of India (SBI) has renewed its MOU with the Indian Air Force for the Defence Salary Package (DSP) scheme.
23. SBI has entered into a co-lending agreement with the Samunnati (open agri-network) to expand its outreach to Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
24. US-based Salesforce has announced a grant of USD 2 million (about Rs 15.85 crore) to over 22 non-profit organizations across India, as part of commitment to education and workforce development in the country.
25. Bengaluru-based neobank Fi Money has launched ‘The Ally Annexure’ to help LGBTQ customers gain better access to financial services.
26. According to FICCI’s “Rebuilding Tourism for the Future” report, India’s tourism sector can grow to $125 billion by 2026-27.
27. Central govt has allocated ₹80,000 crore as interest-free loans for States undertaking capital works in the 2022-23.
28. GE Healthcare, a global medical technology, diagnostics and digital solutions innovator, has established its first 5G Innovation Lab in India at Bengaluru.
29. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has took charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
30. India has been elected a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 cycle.
31. R Dinesh (Executive Vice-Chairman of TVS Supply Chain Solutions) has been elected as the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2022-23.
32. Murali Iyer has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer of IKEA India.
33. Paritosh Tripathi has been appointed as new MD of SBI General Insurance.
34. Amitabh Kant has been appointed as the Sherpa for G-20, replacing the Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal.
35. Iconic composer Ilaiyaraaja, celebrated athlete PT Usha, Indian philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad Garu have been nominated to Rajya Sabha.
36. India and England have tied in the test series of 5 matches for Pataudi Trophy at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.
37. OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo (Nigerian Politician) has passed away.
38. The fossil of world’s oldest reptile Eoscansor cobrensis (aged 305 million years ago) has been found in Mexico.
39. More than a hundred students of an engineering college in Sikkim have recently suffered severe skin infections after coming in contact with ‘Nairobi flies’.
40. James Caan, the U.S. actor best known for playing Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, has died.

National News

1. Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has added 540 species to its faunal database in 2021 taking the total number of animal species to 1,03,258.
   • 315 species of flora have also been added during 2021, taking the number of floral taxa in the country to 55,048.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 1,774 crore in Varanasi.
   • PM Narendra Modi has also inaugurated the Akshaya Patra midday meal kitchen in Varanasi.
3. Ministry of Women and Child Development has issued guidelines for Mission Vatsalya Scheme, which was earlier known as the Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme, since 2009-10.
   • Purpose of Mission Vatsalya – to secure a healthy and happy childhood for each and every child in the country.
   • Mission Vatsalya promotes family-based non-institutional care of children in difficult circumstances based on the principle of institutionalization of children as a measure of last resort.
   • State Child Protection Society (SCPS) as established under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, shall ensure the implementation including mapping, and planning of Mission Vatsalya scheme.
   • The Mission Vatsalya portal will provide a unified Digital Platform for various MIS related to children in difficult circumstances which include missing, orphaned, abandoned, and surrendered children.
4. Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri has launched ‘SVANidhi Mahotsav’, a cultural festival, from July 9-31, for celebrating the success of PM SVANidhi Scheme.
   • It is being held in 75 cities across 33 States and Union Territories.
   • The Mahotsav will showcase a series of activities like Cultural activities, digital transaction training for distinguished street vendors.
5. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has approved the construction of Greenfield connectivity project to Jewar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
   • The budget for the project is aggregated to ₹2,414.67 crore.
   • The project will connect Jewar International Airport (connecting Delhi Mumbai Expressway) from DND Faridabad – Ballabhag Bypass KMP link in Gautam Budh Nagar district under Bharatmala project.
6. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has commissioned India’s largest floating solar PV plant of 100 MW at NTPC Ramagundam, Telangana.
   • BHEL has supplied the solar PV modules, electricals, and floaters to the plant.
   • With this, BHEL has commissioned 3 floating solar power projects – 25 MW of NTPC Simhadri, 22 MW of NTPC Kayamkulam, and 100 MW of NTPC Ramagundam.

State News

1. West Bengal govt and Sikkim have signed a new reciprocal transport agreement for entry and movement of vehicles from Bengal to Sikkim and vice versa.
2. Delhi govt has launched the ‘Mission Kushal Karmi’ to upgrade the skills of construction workers.
3. India’s first floating terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) at Jaigarh in Maharashtra is expected to be operational in the second half of 2022.
   • Besides, another floating terminal at Jafrabad in Gujarat is also likely to begin operations this calendar year.
   • H-Energy Gateway owns the above-mentioned floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) at Jaigarh and the Swan Energy owns the terminal of at Jafrabad.
   • Both of these terminals are cumulatively expected to add 11 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of regasification capacity.
   • At present, there are six operational LNG regasification terminals in India, which are located at Dahej, Hazira, Mundra (at Gujarat), Dabhoi (at Maharashtra), Kochi

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. First India Animal Health Summit 2022 was organized by Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) and the Agriculture Today Group at NASC Complex, New Delhi.
   • Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has called for greater use of Ayurveda for ensuring better animal health.

Defence News

1. Ministry of Defence has allowed three private sector banks – HDFC Bank Ltd, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank – to provide financial services like issuing of letter of credit to it for overseas procurement of military hardware.
   • Till now, only authorised public sector banks were allowed to provide services like issuance of letters of credit and direct bank transfers to the ministry for overseas procurement.
   • The limit for LoC would be Rs 2,000 crores for the selected banks, wherein each bank will have to contribute Rs 666 crores.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) and NTPC Renewable Energy Limited (NTPC-REL) have signed an MOU to collaborate on sourcing renewable power.
   • Both companies will explore the possibilities of having optimum mix of solar, wind and other clean energy including energy storage solutions to the extent of about 100 MW.
   • NTPC REL has signed an MOU with GACL to set up India’s first commercial-scale Green Ammonia and Green Methanol projects.
   • The projects will be used for the production of various chemicals by GACL at its Vadodara and Dahej complex in Gujarat.

International News

1. Deutsche Bahn (railway company of Germany) has become the world’s first Intermodal Partner of Star Alliance (world’s largest global airline alliance headquartered in Germany).
   • Now, customers and passengers of Star Alliance member airlines will be able to start or end their journey comfortably on the environment-friendly train of DB.
2. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi held talks on the side lines of the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
3. 10th World Peace Forum (WPF) was held in Beijing on the theme of “Preserving International Stability: Commonality, Comprehensiveness and Cooperation.”
   • Tsinghua University President Wang Xiqin is also Chairman of the forum.
4. 9th session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES9) was held in Bonn, Germany.
   • Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report was released which mentions that millions of plants and animals species are facing extinction.
   • Assessment on the Sustainable Use of Wild Species report was released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
   • Bonn Global Biodiversity Conclave 2022 was also held.

Reports and Indices

1. World Bank has released the Global Findex Database 2021.
   • 76% of the global population has a financial account.
   • 71% of people in developing countries have a financial account. Also, the gender gap in account ownership across developing economies has fallen to 6% from 9%.
   • In developing countries, 18% of adults paid their utility bills directly from an account.
   • In China, 80% of adults made a digital merchant payment, whereas in other developing economies 20% of adults did so.
   • In India, 77.53% people (aged 15+) have a financial account.

2. UNICEF, FAO, World Food Program, WHO, International Fund for Agriculture Development has released the ‘2022 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’
   • Globally, the number of people affected by hunger has been increased to 828 million in 2021.
     • Since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, the number of people affected by hunger has increased by 150 million people.
   • Statistics of India –
     • Total number of undernourished people in 2019-21 – 224.3 million (16.3% of total population)
     • Stunting in U-5 children in 2020 – 36.1 million (30.9% of total population)
     • Wasting in U-5 in 2020 – 20.1 million (17.3% of total population)
     • Overweight in U-5 in 2020 – 2.2 million (1.9% of total population)
     • Anaemia in Women (15-49 years) in 2019 – 3 million (53% of total population)

Banking and Economy

1. Ajay Piramal-owned Piramal Enterprises has received shareholders’ approval to demerge its pharmaceuticals business and simplify the corporate structure.
   • The demerger will divide the company into two focused entities —financial services and pharmaceuticals.
2. Cognizant Technology Solutions has been selected as a technology provider by National Insurance Company Ltd (NICL) to accelerate and help manage its digital transformation.
3. Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has launched its QR Code-enabled services for customers.
4. State Bank of India (SBI) has renewed its MOU with the Indian Air Force for the Defence Salary Package (DSP) scheme.
   • Under Defence Salary Package (DSP) scheme, banking and other facilities are provided to all serving and retired Air Force personnel and their families.
   • Similar MOUs have also been signed by IAF with Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Bank of Baroda (BoB).
     • PNB through its flagship scheme — PNB Rakshak Plus — will offer personal accidental (death) cover of Rs 50 lakh and air accidental insurance of Rs 100 lakh, personal accidental (permanent total disability) cover of Rs 50 lakh to Air Force personnel.
     • BoB will offer Baroda Military Salary Package with benefits like free comprehensive personal accident insurance cover up to Rs 105 lakh for serving personnel and up to Rs 70 lakh for veterans, air accident insurance cover up to Rs 100 lakh for serving personnel.
5. SBI has entered into a co-lending agreement with the Samunnati (open agri-network) to expand its outreach to Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
   • Initially, under this partnership, the lending amount would be Rs 100 crore.
6. US-based Salesforce has announced a grant of USD 2 million (about Rs 15.85 crore) to over 22 non-profit organizations across India, as part of commitment to education and workforce development in the country.
7. HDFC Ltd has partnered with software firm Salesforce to strengthen HDFC’s digital capacities.
8. Bengaluru-based neobank Fi Money has launched ‘The Ally Annexure’ to help LGBTQ customers gain better access to financial services.
   • The initiative aims to educate institutions about being more accessible to queer customers’ financial needs.
   • The initiative was launched in partnership with Pride Circle, a diversity and inclusion firm.
   • It will be supported by Fi Money’s banking partner – Kochi-based Federal Bank.
9. According to FICCI’s “Rebuilding Tourism for the Future” report, India’s tourism sector can grow to $125 billion by 2026-27.
   • Job potential of this sector would increase to 53 million.
   • International Tourist Arrivals are expected to reach to 30.5 billion by 2028.
10. Central govt has allocated ₹80,000 crore as interest-free loans for States undertaking capital works in the 2022-23.
    • In her 2022-23 Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment’ scheme under which total financial assistance of ₹1 lakh crore would be given to States in the form of 50-year, interest-free loans for capital investment projects.
11. GE Healthcare, a global medical technology, diagnostics and digital solutions innovator, has established its first 5G Innovation Lab in India at Bengaluru.

Appointments

1. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has took charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
   • Former Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi resigned from the Cabinet.
   • Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has assumed the additional charge of the Steel Ministry.
2. India has been elected a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 cycle.
3. R Dinesh (Executive Vice-Chairman of TVS Supply Chain Solutions) has been elected as the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2022-23.
4. Murali Iyer has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer of IKEA India.
5. Paritosh Tripathi has been appointed as new MD of SBI General Insurance.
6. Amitabh Kant has been appointed as the Sherpa for G-20, replacing the Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal.

Awards

1. Iconic composer Ilaiyaraaja, celebrated athlete PT Usha, Indian philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad Garu have been nominated to Rajya Sabha.

Sports

1. India and England have tied in the test series of 5 matches for Pataudi Trophy at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.

Miscellaneous

1. OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo (Nigerian Politician) has passed away.
2. The fossil of world’s oldest reptile Eoscansor cobrensis (aged 305 million years ago) has been found in Mexico.
   • The research was published in the journal Annals of the Carnegie Museum.
3. More than a hundred students of an engineering college in Sikkim have recently suffered severe skin infections after coming in contact with ‘Nairobi flies’.
   • Nairobi flies are also known as Kenyan flies.
   • They are small, beetle-like insects, and have very long bodies. They are orange and black in colour and are mostly found in areas with high rainfall. They are attracted by light and moist areas.
4. James Caan, the U.S. actor best known for playing Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, has died.

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