21st July, 2023

1. Department of Telecommunications in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority will conduct Cell Broadcast Alert System testing to enhance emergency communication during disasters.
2. NITI Aayog has released India Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) 2047 (IESS 2047 V3.0) for managing Climate Change and exploring Net Zero Pathways.
3. 4th G-20 Employment Working Group and the Labour and Ministers’ Meeting is held at Indore, Madhya Pradesh with focus on finalising the ministerial declaration and outcome documents.
4. First ever “Credit Guarantee Scheme” for Livestock Sector has been launched by Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying
5. Union cabinet has approved to upgrade National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) in Mumbai as 21st Indian Institute of Management (IIM) of India.
6. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) celebrated its 42nd Foundation Day.
7. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to France
8. Govt. of Gujarat and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) have jointly launched ‘One District One Product’ Wall at Garvi Gujarat Bhawan in New Delhi.
9. Gujarat government has signed a memorandum of understanding with London-based company OneWeb and the Department of Science and and Technology, Government of India to set up two ‘Satellite Network Portal Sites’.
10. Karnataka government has launched the Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
11. Chhattisgarh government has launched Gramin Awas Nyay (Rural Housing Nyay Scheme).
12. Ministry of Culture has signed a memorandum of understanding with Canara Bank for disbursal of financial assistance to the selected beneficiaries under the “Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists”.
13. Twitter has launched its revenue sharing programme for select content creators.
14. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has completed its first year of service on 12th July.
15. New report from UNAIDS titled, ‘The Path that Ends AIDS’, advocates that AIDS can be ended by 2030.
16. Henley Passport Index 2023
17. RBI has cancelled licence of United India Co-operative Bank in Uttar Pradesh on account of inadequate capital and earning prospects.
18. Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched ‘Project PNB Palaash’, for environmental sustainability.
19. HDFC Bank becomes world’s 7th largest bank as it crosses $100 billion
20. Stock exchanges (BSE, NSE), in consultation with markets regulator SEBI to allow micro-cap stocks under Enhanced Surveillance Measures (ESM) to trade on all days.
21. Moksha Roy, a 7 yr old girl Indian-origin girl has been awarded the British Prime Minister’s Points of Light award.
22. Indian men’s football team has achieved a sub-100 FIFA ranking for the first time after 2018.
23. Harsh Chouhan has resigned as the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), a constitutional body.

National News

1. Department of Telecommunications in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority will conduct Cell Broadcast Alert System testing to enhance emergency communication during disasters.
   • The Cell Broadcast Alert System is a state-of-the-art technology that allows to send critical and time-sensitive messages for disaster management to all mobile devices within a designated geographical area.
     Source: PIB
2. NITI Aayog has released India Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) 2047 (IESS 2047 V3.0) for managing Climate Change and exploring Net Zero Pathways.
   • It is an open-source tool which incorporates several policies related to alternative energy resources like Green Hydrogen, Energy Storage, PM-KUSUM, Electric Vehicle policy, etc.
   • It is designed with the help of IIT Bombay and will be updated on yearly basis.
   • The baseline has been standardised at 2020 and calibrated up to
     Source: PIB
3. 4th G-20 Employment Working Group and the Labour and Ministers’ Meeting is held at Indore, Madhya Pradesh with focus on finalising the ministerial declaration and outcome documents.
   Source: G20
4. First ever “Credit Guarantee Scheme” for Livestock Sector has been launched by Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying

Key Features

• Objective
  • Facilitate smooth flow of credit toMicro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in the Livestock sector and increase access to finance for un-served and under-served livestock sector.
• Credit Guarantee Fund Trust:
  • A trust of 750 crores have been established to provide credit guarantee coverage up to 25% of the credit facilities extended to eligible MSMEs by lending institutions.
• Interest Subvention:
  • An interest subvention of 3% on loans obtained from Scheduled Banks or National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
  • Borrowers can avail up to 90% of the total project cost as a loan.

5. Union cabinet has approved to upgrade National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) in Mumbai as 21st Indian Institute of Management (IIM) of India.
   • Maharashtra will become the 1st state to have two IIMs. IIM Nagpur was among the six new-generation IIMs established by the Government of India in 2015.
   • The NITIE was formerly known as the National Institute for Training in Industrial Engineering.
     • It was established by the government of India in 1963 with the assistance of the United National Development Programme (UNDP) through the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to create skilled professionals.
       Source: IE
6. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) celebrated its 42nd Foundation Day.
   • NABARD came into existence on July 12, 1982 with an aim of giving integral focus on debt-related issues pertaining to agricultural and rural development.
     Source: ToI
   
   
7. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to France

Key highlights

• Launched a 25-year vision roadmap
  • The joint statement – “25th Anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between France and India: towards a Century of Indo-French Relations” – sets the course for the France-India bilateral relationship in all areas till 2047.
  • Year 2047 will mark:
    • 100 years of India’s Independence
    • 100 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries, and
    • 50th year of the Indo-French strategic partnership.
  • Launch of India-France Indo-Pacific Roadmap
    • A roadmap for joint actions in the Indo-Pacific was adopted.
    • In 2018, India and France agreed on a ‘Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region’.
    • Under this roadmap, the two sides decided to work on finalising an Indo-French development fundfor third countries.
      • This will enable joint financing of sustainable development projects in the Indo-Pacific region.
    • India and France will work to set up the Indo-French Health Campus for the Indo-Pacific.
  • Joint Commitment to Eliminate Single Use Plastic Products Pollution
    • Joint commitment by France and India aims to eliminate single use plastic products pollution, including ban on single use plastic products which have low utility and high littering potential.
      Source: IE, ET, MEA

State News

1. Govt. of Gujarat and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) have jointly launched ‘One District One Product’ Wall at Garvi Gujarat Bhawan in New Delhi.
   • Objective- To promote the indigenous crafts and artisans of the State.
     Source: PIB
2. Gujarat government has signed a memorandum of understanding with London-based company OneWeb and the Department of Science and and Technology, Government of India to set up two ‘Satellite Network Portal Sites’.
   • The satellite network portal site is to be launched in Jotana, Mehsana district, Gujarat and possibly commissioned in 2023 with an investment of over 100 crores.
   • OneWeb is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite company. It uses LEO to provide a broadband network instead of using the traditional method of using geostationary satellites located 36,000 km above the equator.
     Source: ToI
3. Karnataka government has launched the Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
   • Under the scheme, women heads of households across the state would receive ₹2,000 every month.
   • Those possessing APL/BPLand Antyodaya cards can avail this benefit, however, the income tax and GST payers cannot avail this benefit.
     Source: Livemint
4. Chhattisgarh government has launched Gramin Awas Nyay (Rural Housing Nyay Scheme).
   • A sum of Rs. 100 crores have been earmarked for the scheme which will provide free housing for poor in the state.
     Source: NIE

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Ministry of Culture has signed a memorandum of understanding with Canara Bank for disbursal of financial assistance to the selected beneficiaries under the “Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists”.
   • The scheme was earlier known as “Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artists”.
   • Under this scheme an amount of 26.00 crore has been allocated in for the year 2023-24.
   • Eligibility- An artist aged 60 years and above who have contributed in the field of art and culture in their active age and whose annual income is not more than 48,000/-
     Source: PIB

International News

1. Twitter has launched its revenue sharing programme for select content creators.
   • This will allow content creators to earn revenue from advertisements posted in replies to users’ posts.
   • The creators should be verified users with at least 5 million impressions on their posts in each of the last 3 months and have a Stripe payment account.
     Source: ET

2. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has completed its first year of service on 12th July.
   • To celebrate the completion of a successful first year, NASA has released Webb’s image of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.
   • The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory.
   • Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
     Source: nasa.gov

Reports and Indices

1. New report from UNAIDS titled, ‘The Path that Ends AIDS’, advocates that AIDS can be ended by 2030.

Key Findings

• The number of people on antiretroviral treatment worldwide has rose almost fourfold, from 7 million in 2010 to 29.8 million in 2022.
• HIV treatment has averted almost 8 million AIDS-related deaths in the past three decades (1996 to 2022).
• In 2022, an estimated:
  • 0 million people globally were living with HIV
  • 8 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy
  • 3 million people became newly infected with HIV
  • 6,30,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses
    Source: unaids.org
2. Henley Passport Index 2023
   • Indian passport has climbed seven places to secure the 80th rank, up from 87th in 2022, giving its holders visa free access to 57 countries.
   • Global Rankings and Shifts
     • Top Position: Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world.
       • Japan previously held the top spot on the Henley Passport Index for five years.
     • Runners-up: Germany, Italy, and Spain share the second position on the index.
       • Japan, along with Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden,shares the third spot.

   • About the Index
     • Henley Passport Index is the only one of its kind based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).
     • The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.
     • It is updated quarterly.
       Source: Official website

Banking and Economy

1. RBI has cancelled licence of United India Co-operative Bank in Uttar Pradesh on account of inadequate capital and earning prospects.
   • The bank will cease to carry on its banking business with effect from the close of business on July 19.
   • On liquidation, every depositor would be entitled to receive a deposit insurance claim amount of his or her deposits up to a ceiling of Rs 5 lakh, subject to the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Act. 
     Source: BT

   
   
2. Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched ‘Project PNB Palaash’, for environmental sustainability.
   • This is an 8-month period campaign for cost savings and operational efficiencies through energy and resource conservation, paper reduction, waste management and streamlined digital processes.
     Source: PTI
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. HDFC Bank becomes world’s 7th largest bank as it crosses $100 billion
   • The bank’s market capitalisation has crossed $150 billion, making it bigger than Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Bank of China.
   • Largest Banks-
     • JP Morgan is the largest bank, with a market cap of $438 million.
     • Bank of America ($232 billion)
     • China’s ICBC ($224 billion).
   • In terms of market value on Bombay Stock Exchange, HDFC Bank remains the third-largest Indian company behind only Reliance Industries (Rs 18.6 trillion) and TCS (Rs 12.9 trillion).
     Source: BS
4. Stock exchanges (BSE, NSE), in consultation with markets regulator SEBI to allow micro-cap stocks under Enhanced Surveillance Measures (ESM) to trade on all days.
   • Earlier, the stocks under ESM Stage-II were allowed to trade only once a week.
   • BSE and NSE had introduced ESM framework for stocks that have a market cap of less than ₹500 crore from June 5 to curb excess volatility.
   • The parameters for short-listing the securities under the ESM framework include high-low price variation and close-to-close price variation.
     Source: HBL

Awards

1. Moksha Roy, a 7 yr old girl Indian-origin girl has been awarded the British Prime Minister’s Points of Light award.
   • She holds the distinction of being the world’s youngest sustainability advocate.
   • She volunteered for a United Nations’ sustainability initiative against microplastic pollution.
   • Points of Light awards recognise outstanding people whose service is making a difference in their communities and inspire others towards innovative solutions to social challenges.
     Source: HT

Sports

1. Indian men’s football team has achieved a sub-100 FIFA ranking for the first time after 2018.
   • India’s best FIFA ranking was 94th, attained in 1996.
     • The country had also reached 99th spot in 1993 and 96th in 2017 and 2018. It was placed at 100th last month.
   • Overall, world champions Argentina continued to be at the top, followed by France, Brazil, England and Belgium.
     Source: TH

Miscellaneous

1. Harsh Chouhan has resigned as the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), a constitutional body.
   Source: PTI

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