11th July, 2023

1. India has joined the Champions Group of the Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG).
2. India and the US have launched the ‘Operation Broader Sword’, a special bilateral multi-agency enforcement operation targeting illicit pharmaceuticals, devices, or precursor chemicals shipped using the international mail system.
3. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched an NCC Integrated Software.
4. The Bureau of Water Use Efficiency, National Water Mission, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) have signed an MOU for a Water Positive India.
5. Election Commission of India and Electoral Tribunal of Panama signed an MOU in Panama City to establish the institutional framework for their ongoing cooperation in the field of election management and administration.
6. UN has organized the ‘AI for Good Global Summit’ in Geneva, Switzerland to advance health, climate, gender, inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, and other global development priorities.
7. SpaceX has been granted approval by the Mongolian government for launching the high-speed connectivity services through Starlink.
8. Ministry of Education has released the Performance Grading Index 2021-22 (2nd edition).
9. Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman has been appointed as the next Chairperson of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) for three years, or till attaining the age of 65 years, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.
10. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved a 2-year extension of Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) CEO Rajkumar Upadhyay.
11. July 10 – National Fish Farmer’s Day (commemorate the contribution of Professor Dr. Hiralal Chaudhury and his colleague Dr. K. H. Alikunhi in the Indian fisheries sector)
12. Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at The World’s Digital Insurance Awards.
13. Coal India Limited won the Rising Star Award through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal in FY 2022–23.
14. GM Magnus Carlsen (Norwegian) won the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz (third tournament and midway point of the Grand Chess Tour) in Zagreb, Croatia.
15. Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian motorsports) has won British Grand Prix (F1 race).
16. Lakshya Sen won the Canada Open Super 500 at Calgary after defeating Chinese Li Shifeng.
17. KM Vasudevan Namboothiri, a renowned artist known for his literary illustrations and sculptures in Kerala, has passed away.

National News

1. India has joined the Champions Group of the Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG).
   • The Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG) was set up by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, in March 2022.
   • The GCRG aims to address urgent and critical global issues pertaining to interlinked crises in food security, energy, and finance and to coordinate a global response.
   • The GCRG is overseen by the Champions Group comprising of the Heads of the States/Governments of Bangladesh, Barbados, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal.
   • Shri Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs has been designated as Sherpa to the GCRG process.
     Source: Ministry of External Affairs

2. India and the US have launched the ‘Operation Broader Sword’, a special bilateral multi-agency enforcement operation targeting illicit pharmaceuticals, devices, or precursor chemicals shipped using the international mail system.
   • Participants – US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) in collaboration with Indian Government’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
     Source: ANI

3. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched an NCC Integrated Software.
   • The NCC Integrated Software, developed in partnership with Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo Informatics (BISAG), is a single window interactive software for Cadets, designed on the ‘Entry to Exit Model’.
   • The software will digitalize the entire process from the stage of enrolment as a cadet in NCC till exit registration as alumni.
   • The NCC and State Bank of India (SBI) have signed an MoU to open zero balance accounts of all NCC Cadets with debit card, chequebook & passbook facility under SBI’s “Pahli Udaan” scheme. About 5 lakh cadets will be benefitted by this MoU every year.
     Source: PIB

Memorandum of Understanding

1. The Bureau of Water Use Efficiency, National Water Mission, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) have signed an MOU for a Water Positive India.
   • The MOU aims at awareness creation and promotion of rainwater harvesting structures, low flow fixtures and sanitary ware, treatment of grey & black water, water audit of built environment.
   • Goal-4 of the National Water Mission envisages increasing the water use efficiency by 20%.
     Source: PIB
2. Election Commission of India and Electoral Tribunal of Panama signed an MOU in Panama City to establish the institutional framework for their ongoing cooperation in the field of election management and administration.
   • Having signed MoUs with Mexico, Brazil and Chile in the past years, this is the fourth MoU signed by ECI with an EMB in the Latin Americas region, with an overall 31 MoUs with EMBs and international organisations across the world.
     Source: PIB

International News

1. UN has organized the ‘AI for Good Global Summit’ in Geneva, Switzerland to advance health, climate, gender, inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, and other global development priorities.
   • Organizer – International Telecommunication Union, co-convened with the government of Switzerland
   • More than 50 robots attended the summit. Some of the important ones are –
   • Grace (developed by Hanson Robotics and SingularityNET) – It is the world’s foremost nursing assistant robot
   • Sophia (developed by Hanson Robotics) – It is the first robot Innovation Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme
   • Ameca (developed by Engineered Arts) – It is an ideal platform to explore how machines can live with, collaborate, and enrich humanity in tomorrow’s sustainable communities
   • Nadine (created by the University of Geneva) – It is one of the world’s most realistic humanoid social robots
   • Geminoid (developed by Hiroshi Ishiguro from Japan) – an ultra-realistic humanoid robot
   • Ai-Da (developed by Aidan Meller) – It is the first ultra-realistic robot artist
   • Desdemona – the “rockstar” robot of the Jam Galaxy Band
     Source: ITU and UN
2. SpaceX has been granted approval by the Mongolian government for launching the high-speed connectivity services through Starlink.
   • The official collaboration between the Mongolian government and SpaceX was formally initiated in February during the 2023 Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain.
     Source: LiveMint

Reports and Indices

1. Ministry of Education has released the Performance Grading Index 2021-22 (2nd edition).
   • Parameters –

• Score-wise categories –

• Number of States in different categories –

• Rankings of States in different categories –

• Rankings of States domain-wise –
  • Domain 1 – Learning Outcomes and Quality

• Domain 2 – Access

• Domain 3 – Infrastructure and Facility

• Domain 4 – Equity

• Domain 5 – Governance Processes

• Domain 6 – Teacher Education & Training

Source: Official report

Appointments

1. Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman has been appointed as the next Chairperson of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) for three years, or till attaining the age of 65 years, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.

2. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved a 2-year extension of Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) CEO Rajkumar Upadhyay.
   Source: ET

Important Days

1. July 10 – National Fish Farmer’s Day (commemorate the contribution of Professor Dr. Hiralal Chaudhury and his colleague Dr. K. H. Alikunhi in the Indian fisheries sector)
   • They had guided the induced breeding and reproduction in Indian Major Carps by Hypo-physation technique, on this day 1957, which eventually lead to a revolution in Inland Aquaculture.
   • Department of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying is organizing the ‘Summer Meet 2023’ and the ‘Start-up Conclave’ in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, on 10th – 11th July.

Source: PIB

Awards

1. Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at The World’s Digital Insurance Awards.
   • Reason – Bajaj Allianz Life’s ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform for empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly.
   • The award is hosted by The Digital Insurer (TDI). It was the 8th edition of The World’s Digital Insurance Awards.
     Source: ANI
2. Coal India Limited won the Rising Star Award through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal in FY 2022–23.
   Source: PSU Connect

Sports

1. GM Magnus Carlsen (Norwegian) won the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz (third tournament and midway point of the Grand Chess Tour) in Zagreb, Croatia.
   Source: FIDE and Chess Tour
2. Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian motorsports) has won British Grand Prix (F1 race).
   Source: The Guardian
3. Lakshya Sen won the Canada Open Super 500 at Calgary after defeating Chinese Li Shifeng.
   • It is Sen’s second Super 500 title of his career after the India Open.
     Source: IE

Miscellaneous

1. KM Vasudevan Namboothiri, a renowned artist known for his literary illustrations and sculptures in Kerala, has passed away.
   Source: HT

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