18th July, 2023

1. India’s first transnational project to Bangladesh electricity grid by Adani group has been commissioned.
2. Union Food Minister has launched the sale of ‘subsidised’ chana dal under the brand name ‘Bharat Dal’.
3. 105 trafficked antiquities to be returned to India by the United States.
4. Ashok Leyland has won orders worth Rs 800 crore from the Indian Army to supply defence vehicles.
5. Global Food Regulators Summit 2023 is being organized as a G20 event by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in New Delhi.
6. Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has introduced new measures under the advance authorisation scheme.
7. Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Secretary Swapnil Naik has launched ‘Yuva Tourism Club’ in Itanagar.
8. Madhya Pradesh government to set up 9,000 ‘CM Rise’ schools to provide quality education.
9. Export Preparedness Index 2022 report has been released by NITI Aayog.
10. “National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023” report has been released by NITI Aayog.
11. B R Sharma has been appointed as the new J&K State Election Commissioner.
12. 17th July- International Day of Justice
13. 64th International Math Olympiad being held in Chiba, Japan has concluded.
14. 25th Asian Athletics Championship 2023 has been concluded.
15. Australia’s Victoria state has announced to not host the Commonwealth games 2026 due to rising expenditures.
16. 136th edition of Wimbeldon 2023 has been concluded.
17. Prithviraj Tondaiman has won the bronze medal in the men’s trap event at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup Lonato 2023 in Italy.
18. A pictorial book titled ‘Biodiversity and Importance of Mangrove Ecosystem’has been released by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
19. Andhra Pradesh Government has released Gambusia fish in state’s water bodies to combat mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue.
20. Chachin Grazing Festival is celebrated by the local graziers of Tawang region near Bumla Pass, Arunachal Pradesh.

National News

1. India’s first transnational project to Bangladesh electricity grid by Adani group has been commissioned.
   • This 1600 MW Ultra Super-Critical Thermal Power Plant (USCTPP) is situated at Godda in Jharkhand.
   • The Godda power plant is the 1st in India to have started operations with 100 % flue gas desulphurisation (FGD), selective catalytic reconverter (SCR) and zero water discharge.
   • The 100% power generated from Godda USCTPP is supplied to Bangladesh.
     Source: Livemint
2. Union Food Minister has launched the sale of ‘subsidised’ chana dal under the brand name ‘Bharat Dal’.
   • The chana dal is priced at Rs 60 per kg for one kg pack and Rs 55 per kg for 30 kg pack.
   • Why Bharat Dal?
     • To make pulses available to consumers at affordable prices by converting chana stock of the government into chana dal, when the prices of other dals are on rise.
   • The milling and packaging of chana dal is undertaken by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) for distribution through its retail outlets.
     Source: IE
3. 105 trafficked antiquities to be returned to India by the United States.
   • Once the objects reach India, the Archaeological Survey of India (under Ministry of Culture) decides if the object is to be returned to its original place (handed over to the respective state government), or whether to display them at a museum dedicated to repatriated antiquities at Delhi’s Purana Qila.
   • The Ministry of Culture will also sign a Cultural Property Agreement with the US for “smooth repatriation” of all such antiquities smuggled out of the country.
     Source: IE
4. Ashok Leyland has won orders worth Rs 800 crore from the Indian Army to supply defence vehicles.
   • The contracts awarded will include the procurement of the Field Artillery Tractor (FAT 4×4) and the Gun Towing Vehicle (GTV 6×6).
     • The FAT 4×4 and GTV 6×6 are specialised vehicles employed by the artillery for towing light and medium guns, respectively.
     • The vehicles will be delivered over the next 12 months.
     • These platforms are indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by Ashok Leyland.
       Source: IE
5. Global Food Regulators Summit 2023 is being organized as a G20 event by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in New Delhi.
   • This is the first time the summit is being held outside Rome, Italy.
   • Various initiatives will be launched in the summit-
     • Food-o-Copoeia, a comprehensive collection of food category-wise monographs, serving as a single-point reference for all applicable standards for specific product categories.
     • Common regulators platform ‘SaNGRAH‘ (Safe food for Nations: Global food Regulatory Authorities Handbook). It is a comprehensive database of Food Regulatory Authorities from 76 countries worldwide.
       • SaNGRAH will be available not only in Hindi and English but also in six Indian languages—Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam.
     • Common Digital Dashboard—a unified IT portal providing comprehensive information on standards, regulations, guidelines, contamination limits, and the latest developments by Food Regulators in India.
       Source: PIB
6. Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has introduced new measures under the advance authorisation scheme.
   • Advance Authorisation Scheme under the Foreign Trade Policy, allows duty-free import of inputs for export purposes.
     • The eligibility of inputs is determined by Sector-specific Norms Committees based on input-output norms.
   • To make the norms fixation process more efficient, a user-friendly and searchable database of ad-hoc norms fixed in the previous years has been created.
   • These norms can be used by any exporter without approaching the norms committee. The database is hosted on the DGFT website.
     Source: PIB

State News

1. Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Secretary Swapnil Naik has launched ‘Yuva Tourism Club’ in Itanagar.
   • The Yuva Tourism Club is an initiative by the Ministry of Tourism.
     • Purpose- To nurture and develop young ambassadors of tourism who will act as a catalyst for attracting more tourism to India.
   • In Arunachal Pradesh, 135 Yuva Tourism Clubs with over 5000 members have been formed.
     Source: Newsonair 

2. Madhya Pradesh government to set up 9,000 ‘CM Rise’ schools to provide quality education.
   • Features of School:
     • The schools will provide quality education and will have ‘smart classes’ through which teachers from Delhi and Mumbai can teach students.
     • Atal Tinkering Lab will also be set up in these schools for promoting innovations and creativity. The schools will have modern labs, sports grounds etc,”
     • A ‘School Chale Hum’ campaign has also been launched.
       Source: ET

Reports and Indices

1. Export Preparedness Index 2022 report has been released by NITI Aayog.
   • About the report (3rd edition)
     • It presents a comprehensive analysis of India’s export performance, along with its sector-specific and district-level merchandise export trends.
     • Pillars– 4

   
   

• Indicators- 56

• Findings of the report
  • Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka are top performing states (All three belong to coastal states).
    • In Himalayan States, Uttarakhand tops the list.
    • In landlocked states, Haryana tops the list.
    • In UT/Small states, Goa tops the list.
  • Among export districts, Jamnagar (Gujarat), Surat (Gujarat) and Mumbai Urban (Maharashtra)are top performing.
  • Gujarat has 8 districts, the highest number of districts in the top 25 export districts in the country.

2. “National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023” report has been released by NITI Aayog.
   • About the report (2nd edition)
     • Like the global MPI, India’s national MPI has 3 equally weighted dimensions – Health, Education, and Standard of living – which are represented by 12 indicators.
       • Global MPI has 10 indicators (doesn’t include maternal health and Bank account).

• Findings of the report
  • Reduction in Multidimensional Poverty:
    • Between 2015-16 and 2019-21, around 5 crore people have moved out of multidimensional poverty.
  • Decline in Poverty Percentage:
    • India’s population living in multidimensional poverty has decreased from 24.85% in 2015-16 to 14.96% in 2019-21, reflecting a decline of 9.89 % points.
  • Rural-Urban Divide:
    • The rural areas of India have experienced the fastest decline in poverty, with the poverty rate dropping from 32.59% to 19.28% between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
    • In urban areas, the poverty rate reduced from 8.65% to 5.27% during the same period.
  • State-Level Progress:
    • In terms of number of MPI poor, Uttar Pradesh saw thelargest decline in the number of poor individuals, with 3.43 crore (34.3 million) people escaping multidimensional poverty.
    • The states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthanalso witnessed significant progress in reducing multidimensional poverty.
    • Bihar saw the fastest reduction in MPI value in absolute termswith the proportion of multidimensional poor reducing from 51.89% to 33.76% in 2019-21 followed by Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

• SDG Target:
  • The MPI value for India hasnearly halved from 0.117 to 0.066 between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
  • The intensity of poverty has reduced from 47% to 44%, indicating that India is on track to achieveSDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Target 1.2 (reducing multidimensional poverty by at least half) ahead of the stipulated timeline of 2030.
• Improvement in Indicators:
  • All 12 indicators used to measure multidimensional poverty showed marked improvements.
    Source: Official Report

Appointments

1. B R Sharma has been appointed as the new J&K State Election Commissioner.
   • Appointed by- Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
   • In Office- Till the age of 65 years.
     Source: Greater Kashmir

Important Days

1. 17th July- International Day of Justice
   • Declared by- International Criminal Court (ICC)
   • History- The day marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute on 17 July 1998, the founding treaty of the ICC.
   • Purpose- To unites all those who wish to support justice, promote victims’ rights, and help prevent crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world.
     Source- ICC

Awards

1. 64th International Math Olympiad being held in Chiba, Japan has concluded.
   • India’s rank- 9th (2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze)
     • This is the 4th time that the Indian team has secured a position in the top 10.
     • India had finished 7th in 1998 and in 2001, and 9th in 2002.
   • Total Countries– 112
   • Top rank- China (5th consecutive time)
   • Winners from India
     • Gold- Atul Shatavart Nadig and Arjun Gupta
     • Silver- Ananda Bhaduri and Siddharth Choppara
     • Bronze- Adhitya Mangudy, and Archit Manas
   • The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is the World Championship Mathematics Competition for High School students and is held annually in a different country.
     Source: ANI, imo2023

Sports

1. 25th Asian Athletics Championship 2023 has been concluded.
   • India’s medal tally- 27 medals (6 gold, 12 silver and 9 bronze).
   • In the overall medals table, India finished 3rd, behind Japan (37 medals,16 Gold) and China (22 medals, 8 Gold).

• Mascot- Hanuman
• Venue- Supachalasai National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
• It is Asia’s biggest track and field meet.
• This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Asian Athletics Association, the governing body for the sport of athletics in Asia.
  Source: Olympics.com, HT

2. Australia’s Victoria state has announced to not host the Commonwealth games 2026 due to rising expenditures.
   Source: NewsonAir
3. 136th edition of Wimbeldon 2023 has been concluded.
   • Carlos Alcaraz has defeated seven-time champion Novak Djokovic to claim his first Wimbledon title in men’s singles.
     • Highlights
       • Carlos has won his second grand slam after US Open title in 2022.
       • He became Wimbledon’s 3rd youngest men’s champion.
     • Other winners in different formats are-

Source: TH , mykhel.com

4. Prithviraj Tondaiman has won the bronze medal in the men’s trap event at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup Lonato 2023 in Italy.
   • India has ranked ninth in the medals tally at Lonato, topped by the USA with two golds and one silver.
   • The ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Italy is a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
     Source: NewsonAir

Miscellaneous

1. A pictorial book titled ‘Biodiversity and Importance of Mangrove Ecosystem’has been released by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
   • The book is authored by S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF).
   • The book contains descriptions of mangrove species across India, medicinal uses of mangroves, and several wildlife creatures that thrive in the ecosystem.
     Source: The Hindu
2. Andhra Pradesh Government has released Gambusia fish in state’s water bodies to combat mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue.
   • The fish is also known as mosquitofish and is used as a biological agent for controlling mosquito larvae.
     Source: Down to Earth
3. Chachin Grazing Festival is celebrated by the local graziers of Tawang region near Bumla Pass, Arunachal Pradesh.
   Source: ET

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