5th August, 2022

1. Anna University in Tamil Nadu will establish an iTNT hub focusing on emerging technology to strengthen research and development in the information technology sector.
2. Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur has released three books published by Directorate of Publications Division.
3. National Action Plan for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme has been formulated for cleaning of sewers and septic tank.
4. Ministry of Women and Child Development has released operational guidelines for Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0.
5. India has added 10 more wetlands into the list of “Wetlands of International Importance” of Ramsar Convention.
6. Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has launched the State University Research Excellence (SERB-SURE) scheme.
7. Lok Sabha has passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill 2022 for establishing central universities in various states by amending the Central Universities Act of 2009.
8. Assam government has launched Mission Bhumiputra initiative and portal for issuing caste certificates to students digitally.
9. West Bengal has created seven new districts, taking the total number of districts in the state to 30.
10. Aurangabad (Maharashtra) has become the first city to publish the “Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) data” from Google.
11. Haryana government has launched the Cheerag Scheme to provide free education to Economically Weaker section (EWS) students (belonging to Government schools) in private school.
12. PM Narendra Modi is set to lay foundation stone to several projects of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission, Dharampur in Gujarat.
13. PM inaugurated the largest online herbarium database, the ‘Indian Virtual Herbarium’ web portal to provide complete information on herbarium specimens about the floral diversity of India and other countries stored in the cabinet of the herbarium building through online access.
14. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of Rs 305 per quintal sugarcane for sugar season 2022-23 (October – September).
15. India and France Navy have conducted a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) in the North Atlantic Ocean.
16. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence, worth around Rs 250 crores for the supply of nine Integrated ASW Complex (IAC) MOD ‘C’ Systems.
17. Indian Oil has signed an MoU with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for transcontinental relocation of cheetah in its historical range in India at an event held in New Delhi.
18. Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infosys, has been inducted into International Financial Services Centres Authority’s (IFSCA) Regulatory Sandbox framework to pilot its blockchain-based trade finance solution.
19. RBI has allowed Punjab National Bank to invest ₹500 crore in the upcoming ₹2,500 crore rights issue of PNB Housing Finance.
20. Union Bank of India has launched Industry-first, dedicated, men-focused Committee ‘EmpowerHim’ as part of its flagship HR initiative ‘Prerna’.
21. SVC Co-operative Bank Ltd and SIDBI have partnered for empowering the MSMEs in India.
22. Tata Group is planning to spend Rs 3,000 crore on R&D by FY26 and set to roll out the ‘First in India’ seating system for Vande Bharat Express trains from September 2022.
23. Bank of Baroda has divested up to 12.5% stake in the insurance arm IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company through an offer for sale in the initial public offer (IPO) of the insurer or any other mode.
24. IndusInd Bank has partnered with Rupyy (a digital lending platform) to offer paperless loans for used cars.
25. Insurance start-up InsuranceDekho has partnered with Future Generali India Insurance Company to offer dog health cover.
26. SEBI has restructured its Advisory Committee On Market Data, chaired by MS Sahoo (Professor at National Law University, Delhi).
27. The goods and services tax (GST) e-invoicing will be mandatory for firms with a turnover of over Rs 10 crores from October 1, down from the current threshold of Rs 20 crore to ensure better compliance.
28. India is now home to over 75,000 DPIIT-recognized start-ups.
29. Kerala-based Federal Bank has become India’s first bank to list its Payment Gateway platform on the TIN 2.0 platform of the Income Tax Department.
30. Paytm’s parent One97 Communications has appointed Nakul Jain as the CEO of Paytm Payments Services Ltd (PPSL).
31. Vodafone Idea Limited – also known as Vi – has appointed Akshay Moondra as its new CEO.
32. Auguste Tano Kouamé (a national of Côte d’Ivoire) has been appointed as the country director for India by the World Bank.
33. Suresh N. Patel has been appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner.
34. July 27 – CRPF Raising Day (84th edition)
35. August 1 – World Lung Cancer Day
36. UNESCO has added a 106-year-old astronomical observatory at Langat Singh College in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur on its list of important endangered heritage observatories of the world.
37. Norway’s Casper Ruud has won the Swiss Open Tennis Tournament 2022 held in Gstaad, Switzerland.
38. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the fourth ONGC Para Games in Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi.
39. “The Dolphin and the Shark: Lessons in Entrepreneurship” book has been authored by Namita Thapar.
40. “Do Different: The Untold Dhoni” book has been released by Joy Bhattacharya and Amit Sinha.

National News

1. Anna University in Tamil Nadu will establish an iTNT hub focusing on emerging technology to strengthen research and development in the information technology sector.
   • It is India’s first emerging DeepTech Innovation Network.
2. Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur has released three books published by Directorate of Publications Division.
   • Three books –
     • Moods, Moments and Memories – Former Presidents of India (1950-2017) A Visual History
     • First Citizen – Pictorial Record of President Ram Nath Kovind’s Term
     • Interpreting Geometries – Flooring of Rashtrapati Bhavan (book prepared by Chandigarh College of Architecture)
3. National Action Plan for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme has been formulated for cleaning of sewers and septic tank.
   • The scheme is a joint venture of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
   • Purpose – to achieve outcomes like zero fatalities in sanitation work in India, no sanitation workers come in direct contact with human faecal matter and all Sewer and Septic tank sanitation workers have access to alternative livelihoods
   • Skill Development and trainings of Safai Mitras is being taken up with the support of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through the National Safai Karamchari Finance Development Corporation.
4. Ministry of Women and Child Development has released operational guidelines for Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0.
   • The Empowered Programme Committee (EPC) is the highest technical body for planning, supervising and monitoring the effective implementation of Anganwadi Services Scheme.
   • The chairperson of the EPC is Secretary, Ministry of WCD (incumbent: Indevar Pandey)
5. India has added 10 more wetlands into the list of “Wetlands of International Importance” of Ramsar Convention.
   • New sites – 6 sites in Tamil Nadu and 1 each in Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha
   • Total sites – 64

6. Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has launched the State University Research Excellence (SERB-SURE) scheme.
   • Purpose – to augment the research capabilities in a structured way to create a robust R&D ecosystem in state and private universities and colleges, including self-financed institutions working within these universities.
   • SERB-SURE scheme provides research support to active researchers belonging to state and private universities and colleges, including self-financed institutions working within these universities, across India, to undertake research and development in frontier areas of science, engineering, and quantitative social science.
7. Lok Sabha has passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill 2022 for establishing central universities in various states by amending the Central Universities Act of 2009.
   • The Bill, introduced by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Lower House, seeks to convert the Vadodara-based National Rail and Transportation Institute, a deemed university to Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya which will be a central university.

State News

1. Assam government has launched Mission Bhumiputra initiative and portal for issuing caste certificates to students digitally.
2. West Bengal has created seven new districts, taking the total number of districts in the state to 30.
3. Aurangabad (Maharashtra) has become the first city to publish the “Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) data” from
   • Recently, the EIE dashboard for Aurangabad was launched by Google at a programme.
   • Google has a feature called EIE, which helps cities measure the carbon emission sources, conduct analysis and identify strategies to reduce emissions that help counter air pollution.
4. Haryana government has launched the Cheerag Scheme to provide free education to Economically Weaker section (EWS) students (belonging to Government schools) in private school.
   • Cheerag Scheme stands for “Chief Minister Equal Education Relief, Assistance and Grant”.
   • The annual verified income of parents shall be less than Rs 1.8 lakh.
5. PM Narendra Modi is set to lay foundation stone to several projects of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission, Dharampur in Gujarat.
   • Shrimad Rajchandra Center of Excellence for Women would provide employment to over 700 tribal women and provide a livelihood to thousands of others involved with the project.
   • Shrimad Rajchandra was a Jain poet, mystic, philosopher, scholar and reformer.

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. PM inaugurated the largest online herbarium database, the ‘Indian Virtual Herbarium’ web portal to provide complete information on herbarium specimens about the floral diversity of India and other countries stored in the cabinet of the herbarium building through online access.
   • The portal (https://ivh.bsi.gov.in) has been developed by the Botanical Survey of India under the framework of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Digital India’.
   • At present, the digital herbarium of the Botanical Survey of India has four categories – Cryptogam type specimens, Cryptogams general specimens, Phanerogam type specimens, and Phanerogams general specimens.
2. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of Rs 305 per quintal sugarcane for sugar season 2022-23 (October – September).
   • It is the highest ever FRP for sugarcane farmers.

Defence News

1. India and France Navy have conducted a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) in the North Atlantic Ocean.
   • Indian Navy’s guided-missile frigate INS Tarkash and French Fleet Tanker FNS Somme participated in it.
2. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence, worth around Rs 250 crores for the supply of nine Integrated ASW Complex (IAC) MOD ‘C’ Systems.
   • IAC MOD ‘C’ is an Integrated Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) system for all surface ships of the Indian Navy.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Indian Oil has signed an MoU with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for transcontinental relocation of cheetah in its historical range in India at an event held in New Delhi.
   • This is a continuation of the MoU signed in July between the Indian government and Republic of Namibia on wildlife conservation and sustainable biodiversity utilization on the cheetah project.

Banking and Economy

1. Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infosys, has been inducted into International Financial Services Centres Authority’s (IFSCA) Regulatory Sandbox framework to pilot its blockchain-based trade finance solution.
   • In the first phase, six leading banks – Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, HSBC, ICICI Bank, RBL Bank and State Bank of India- are collaborating with Infosys Finacle in the regulatory sandbox.
2. RBI has allowed Punjab National Bank to invest ₹500 crore in the upcoming ₹2,500 crore rights issue of PNB Housing Finance.
3. Union Bank of India has launched Industry-first, dedicated, men-focused Committee ‘EmpowerHim’ as part of its flagship HR initiative ‘Prerna’.
   • The program aims to promote the employees’ career trajectory and improve diversity in the Bank by picking out and resolving individual as well as common existing challenges.
   • Prerna is the HR Transformation initiative aimed at improving productivity through digitalization of processes, employee centric interventions and learning revolution within the Banking space.
4. SVC Co-operative Bank Ltd and SIDBI have partnered for empowering the MSMEs in India.
5. Tata Group is planning to spend Rs 3,000 crore on R&D by FY26 and set to roll out the ‘First in India’ seating system for Vande Bharat Express trains from September 2022.
6. Bank of Baroda has divested up to 12.5% stake in the insurance arm IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company through an offer for sale in the initial public offer (IPO) of the insurer or any other mode.
   • However, the bank’s shareholding in the life insurance subsidiary will not fall below 51%.
7. IndusInd Bank has partnered with Rupyy (a digital lending platform) to offer paperless loans for used cars.
8. Insurance start-up InsuranceDekho has partnered with Future Generali India Insurance Company to offer dog health cover.
   • The pet insurance policy as of now has a starting premium of about ₹324 annually.
9. SEBI has restructured its Advisory Committee On Market Data, chaired by MS Sahoo (Professor at National Law University, Delhi).
   • Total members – 20
   • New member – NSE’s new chairperson Ashishkumar Chauhan (replacing the former chair)
10. The goods and services tax (GST) e-invoicing will be mandatory for firms with a turnover of over Rs 10 crores from October 1, down from the current threshold of Rs 20 crore to ensure better compliance.
11. India is now home to over 75,000 DPIIT-recognized start-ups.
    • Of the total recognized start-ups, 12% belongs to IT services, 9% to Healthcare & Life Sciences, 5% to professional & commercial services, 7% to education, and 5% to agriculture.
12. Kerala-based Federal Bank has become India’s first bank to list its Payment Gateway platform on the TIN 2.0 platform of the Income Tax Department.
    • This year, the TIN 2.0 platform went live on 1 July, and ‘Payment Gateway’ has been enabled.
    • TIN – Tax Information Network

Appointments

1. Paytm’s parent One97 Communications has appointed Nakul Jain as the CEO of Paytm Payments Services Ltd (PPSL).
2. Vodafone Idea Limited – also known as Vi – has appointed Akshay Moondra as its new CEO.
   • Ravinder Takkar, former MD and CEO of Vi, will take over as the new chairman of Vi.
3. Auguste Tano Kouamé (a national of Côte d’Ivoire) has been appointed as the country director for India by the World Bank.
4. Suresh N. Patel has been appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner.

Important Days

1. July 27 – CRPF Raising Day (84th edition)
   • CRPF’s Motto – Nation First – Follow Me
2. August 1 – World Lung Cancer Day

Awards

1. UNESCO has added a 106-year-old astronomical observatory at Langat Singh College in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur on its list of important endangered heritage observatories of the world.

Sports

1. Norway’s Casper Ruud has won the Swiss Open Tennis Tournament 2022 held in Gstaad, Switzerland.
2. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the fourth ONGC Para Games in Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi.
   • 275 Persons with Disabilities (PwD) – employees of eight central oil and gas public enterprises – are participating in the games.
   • The games started in 2017 with the help of the Paralympic Committee of India for ONGC PwD employees.

Miscellaneous

1. “The Dolphin and the Shark: Lessons in Entrepreneurship” book has been authored by Namita Thapar.
2. “Do Different: The Untold Dhoni” book has been released by Joy Bhattacharya and Amit Sinha.

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