30th-31st July, 2022

1. 7th Anniversary of the Skill India Mission, or the National Skill Development Mission, is being observed on July 15, 2022.
2. Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya has chaired a seminar on “Safe Use of Chemicals at Workplace” in New Delhi.
3. India and Bangladesh have successfully completed the first “Cross-border logistics of Containerised cargo” through inland waterways of “Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route for Coca-Cola Bangladesh Beverages”.
4. Ministry of Tourism has recognised Adventure Tourism as a Niche Tourism Product to attract tourist with specific interest.
5. India has an installed capacity of electricity generation of over 403 Giga Watt as on June 30, 2022, according to the Power Minister R K Singh’s written reply in the Lok Sabha.
6. Gujarat has become the first state to launch the Semiconductor Policy.
7. Kerala govt has announced to launch “Kerala Savari”, its own e-taxi service.
8. PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects worth more than Rs 1,000 crores at Sabar Dairy at Gadhoda Chowki, Sabarkantha, Gujarat.
9. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has announced that the fieldwork for the 11th edition of the Agricultural Census (2021-22) will start from August 2022.
10. Cochin Shipyard Ltd has handed over the indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant to the Navy.
11. 3 MH-60r ‘Romeo’ multi-mission helicopters are expected to arrive soon for the Indian Navy.
12. India and Egypt have signed an MoU to set up a green hydrogen plant with investments of $8 billion and a capacity of 220,000 tonnes annually in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
13. Union Cabinet was apprised of an MOU signed between the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) and the University of Reading, UK for collaboration in the field of agriculture and rural development in developing countries.
14. China has successfully launched six new satellites into space with its new solid-propellant rocket named as ZK 1A, a new model of the carrier rocket.
15. UN has adopted a resolution declaring access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right.
16. US-Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by 75 basis points for the second straight month to reduce retail inflation, which reached 9.1% in June.
17. Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Company Ltd has launched automating vehicle inspections for vehicle insurance renewals with Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technology.
18. SEBI has extended the deadline for commencing the validation of all KYC records by KYC Registration Agencies.
19. SEBI has released new guidelines on settlement of running accounts of clients’ funds lying with stock brokers, to be applicable from October 1.
20. RBI has released the Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) for March 2022, with March 2018 as base year.
21. Bharat Forge’s subsidiary BF Infrastructure has partnered with Talgo for manufacturing high speed trains in India.
22. Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has released the ‘Internet In India’ 2022 report.
23. Ola Electric has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Heavy Industries for local manufacturing of advanced battery cells under the government’s production linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
24. Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), has discovered prices for setting up 810 electric vehicle charging stations along 16 expressways and National Highways covering 10,275 km across India.
25. Google will now phase out third-party cookies in Chrome browser in the second half of 2024.
26. RBI has announced that from October 1, no entity in the card transaction/payment chain, other than card issuers and/or card networks, can store CoF (card on file) data.
27. World Nature Conservation Day
28. July 29 – International Tiger Day; Theme – “India launches Project Tiger to revive the tiger population”.
29. Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have partnered to set up the first-ever India House at Paris Olympics 2024.
30. India has defeated West Indies by 119 runs in 3rd ODI at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.
31. Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel (from Germany) has announced to retire at the end of the season.
32. Sahitya Akademi Award-winning Assamese litterateur Atulananda Goswami, known for his novels and short stories, has passed away.

National News

1. 7th Anniversary of the Skill India Mission, or the National Skill Development Mission, is being observed on July 15, 2022.
   • The mission was launched on this day in 2015. Skill India is an initiative of the Central Government to empower the youth with skill sets, making them more employable.
2. Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya has chaired a seminar on “Safe Use of Chemicals at Workplace” in New Delhi.
   • Organizers – Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC) and International Labour Organisation (ILO)
   • An MOU between DCPC and ILO has been signed for adopting the International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs).

   About International Chemical Safety Cards –

   • Prepared by WHO, ILO and European Commission, the International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs) are data sheets intended to provide essential safety and health information on chemicals concisely.
   • To date, 1784 Chemicals Safety Cards are available.
   • DCPC will use these cards for disseminating appropriate hazard information on chemicals to industry associations to promote safe use of chemicals in the workplace.
3. India and Bangladesh have successfully completed the first “Cross-border logistics of Containerised cargo” through inland waterways of “Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route for Coca-Cola Bangladesh Beverages”.
   • The existing protocol routes are (i) Kolkata-Pandu-Kolkata, (ii) Kolkata-Karimganj-Kolkata, (iii) Rajshahi- Dhulian- Rajshahi and (iv) Pandu-Karimganj-Pandu.
   • For inter-country trade, four ports of call have been designated in each country namely; Haldia, Kolkata, Pandu and Karimganj in India and Narayanganj, Khulna, Mongla and Sirajganj in Bangladesh.
   • Under the Protocol, 50:50 cargo sharing by Indian and Bangladeshi vessels is permitted both for transit and inter country trade.

4. Ministry of Tourism has recognised Adventure Tourism as a Niche Tourism Product to attract tourist with specific interest.
   • To position India as a preferred destination for adventure tourism globally, Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy for Adventure Tourism.
   • A National Board for Adventure Tourism has been constituted under the Chairpersonship of Secretary of Tourism Ministry (incumbent: Arvind Singh).
   • In addition to the above-mentioned strategy, states/UTs have been receiving funds under the Swadesh Darshan’s Coastal Circuit component for developing the infrastructure of the waterways.
   • Apart from the above, Ministry of Tourism, through National Institute for Water Sports (NIWS), Goa, provides training to water sports operators through various skill developing courses and certify the trainees.
5. India has an installed capacity of electricity generation of over 403 Giga Watt as on June 30, 2022, according to the Power Minister R K Singh’s written reply in the Lok Sabha.
   • The Peak Power Demand of the country was around 215.89 GW which had occurred in the month of April this year.
   • Centre had launched Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) 2015 to bring reforms in the financial and operational conditions of the State-owned Power Distribution Companies.
   • Reducing the gap between the Average Cost of Supply and Average Revenue Realised to zero is also targeted as one of the operational parameters under this scheme.

State News

1. Gujarat has become the first state to launch the Semiconductor Policy.
   • The policy has been launched in line with the Indian Semiconductor Mission.
   • Eligible projects will get a 75% subsidy on purchase of the first 200 acres of land for manufacturing units.
   • Additional land required for FAB projects or upstream/downstream ecosystems, or other projects approved by ISM, shall be available at a 50% subsidy.
2. Kerala govt has announced to launch “Kerala Savari”, its own e-taxi service.
   • The online taxi hiring service will be the first such initiative by any state government in the country.

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects worth more than Rs 1,000 crores at Sabar Dairy at Gadhoda Chowki, Sabarkantha, Gujarat.
   • These projects will empower local farmers and milk producers and increase their income.
   • The dairy is a part of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which makes and markets a whole range of dairy products under the Amul brand.
   • PM cited Gujarat’s Jyotigram Scheme as a milestone for catalysing development.
     • In the Jyotigram Scheme, Gujarat govt ensures 24×7 domestic electricity to all villages at subsidised rates.
     • The scheme provides two separate feeders, one 440-volt feeder for irrigation pumping and a 220-volt electricity for domestic use.
   • Another scheme of Gujarat, Sujlam Suflam makes water available to the rural areas.
2. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has announced that the fieldwork for the 11th edition of the Agricultural Census (2021-22) will start from August 2022.
   • For the first time, the data will be collected through smartphones and tablets.
   • Agriculture Census is conducted every 5 years. The 10th edition of the census was conducted with the reference year 2015-16.
   • The ministry is implementing an agriculture census scheme since 1970-71.
   • The agricultural census provides information on a variety of parameters, such as the number and area of operational holdings, their size, class-wise distribution, land use, tenancy and cropping pattern, etc.

Defence News

1. Cochin Shipyard Ltd has handed over the indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant to the Navy.
   • Vikrant was designed by the Navy’s in-house Directorate of Naval Design and it will likely be commissioned on August 15.
   • It is named after India’s first aircraft carrier, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant, which played a significant role in the 1971 war.
   • The aircraft carrier will be initially with the western naval command.
   • 76% of the aircraft has been developed indigenously.
2. 3 MH-60r ‘Romeo’ multi-mission helicopters are expected to arrive soon for the Indian Navy.
   • Developer – US-based Lockheed Martin’s subsidiary Sikorsky
   • Total order – 24 helicopters to be delivered by 2025
   • India is expected to get Sea Guardian Drones from the US.
   • Right now, the Indian Navy has leased two Sea Guardian from the US-based General Atomics and they are already deployed.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. India and Egypt have signed an MoU to set up a green hydrogen plant with investments of $8 billion and a capacity of 220,000 tonnes annually in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
   • Renew Power will set up a plant to produce green hydrogen with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes annually, which can be raised to 220,000 tonnes annually, by using renewable energy sources at one location in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
2. Union Cabinet was apprised of an MOU signed between the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) and the University of Reading, UK for collaboration in the field of agriculture and rural development in developing countries.

International News

1. China has successfully launched six new satellites into space with its new solid-propellant rocket named as ZK 1A, a new model of the carrier rocket.
   • ZK 1A is claimed to be the largest rocket of China.
2. UN has adopted a resolution declaring access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right.
   • Out of 193 members, the resolution received 161 votes.
3. US-Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by 75 basis points for the second straight month to reduce retail inflation, which reached 9.1% in June.
   • The current Fed Fund Target Range is 2.25% to 2.5%.

Banking and Economy

1. Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Company Ltd has launched automating vehicle inspections for vehicle insurance renewals with Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technology.
2. SEBI has extended the deadline for commencing the validation of all KYC records by KYC Registration Agencies.
3. SEBI has released new guidelines on settlement of running accounts of clients’ funds lying with stock brokers, to be applicable from October 1.
   • Running account settlement, in market parlance, is the process of transferring back the unused funds of the clients to their accounts by stock brokers.
   • Under the guidelines, the settlement of the running account of funds of the client will be done by the trading member after considering the End of the day (EOD) obligation of funds as on the date of settlement across all the exchanges on the first Friday of the quarter for all the clients.
   • The running account of funds will be settled on the first Friday of October 2022, January 2023, April 2023, July 2023, and so on for all the clients.
   • Stock brokers need to reverse the unutilised funds lying in the clients’ trading accounts at least once within a gap of 30 or 90 days between two settlements of running accounts as per the preference of the client.
4. RBI has released the Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) for March 2022, with March 2018 as base year.
   • Parameters – (i) Payment Enablers (weight 25%), (ii) Payment Infrastructure – Demand-side factors (10%), (iii) Payment Infrastructure – Supply-side factors (15%), (iv) Payment Performance (45%) and (v) Consumer Centricity (5%)

5. Bharat Forge’s subsidiary BF Infrastructure has partnered with Talgo for manufacturing high speed trains in India.
   • Talgo is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spain-based high speed passenger train manufacturer Patentes Talgo.
   • Also, the government recently floated a tender for 100 Vande Bharat trains with maximum speed of 200 kmph.
6. Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has released the ‘Internet In India’ 2022 report.
   • As per the report, around 346 million Indians are engaged in online transactions including e-commerce, and digital payments.
   • This number is greater than the total US population engaged in digital transactions which is estimated at 331 million.
   • At present, there are a total of 692 million active internet users in India, including 351 million from rural India and 341 from urban Indian.
   • The report estimates that there will be 900 million internet users in India by 2025.
7. Ola Electric has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Heavy Industries for local manufacturing of advanced battery cells under the government’s production linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
   • In March 2022, four companies—Rajesh Exports, Hyundai Global Motors Company, Ola Electric Mobility and Reliance New Energy—were announced as eligible for receiving benefits under PLI scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) battery storage.
   • Ola Electric will begin mass production for lithium-ion cells by 2023.
8. Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), has discovered prices for setting up 810 electric vehicle charging stations along 16 expressways and National Highways covering 10,275 km across India.
9. Google will now phase out third-party cookies in Chrome browser in the second half of 2024.
10. RBI has announced that from October 1, no entity in the card transaction/payment chain, other than card issuers and/or card networks, can store CoF (card on file) data.
    • Purpose – to implement tokenization better

Important Days

1. July 28 –
   • World Nature Conservation Day
   • World Hepatitis Day; Theme – Bringing hepatitis care closer to you
2. July 29 – International Tiger Day; Theme – “India launches Project Tiger to revive the tiger population”.
   • 2010 Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia decided to double tiger population by 2022 in all of the 13 tiger range countries.

Sports

1. Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have partnered to set up the first-ever India House at Paris Olympics 2024.
2. India has defeated West Indies by 119 runs in 3rd ODI at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.
3. Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel (from Germany) has announced to retire at the end of the season.

Miscellaneous

1. Sahitya Akademi Award-winning Assamese litterateur Atulananda Goswami, known for his novels and short stories, has passed away.

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