Weekly Current Affairs 1st July - 8th July 2021

FINANCE AND BANKING

• RBI tweaks norms for interest on unclaimed amount after deposit matures
  • RBI recently tweaked the norms for interest on the amount left unclaimed with the bank after a term deposit matures.
  • Currently, if a term deposit matures and the proceeds are unpaid, the amount left unclaimed with the bank attracts the rate of interest as applicable to savings deposits.

• RBI launches latest round of quarterly survey on manufacturing sector
  • RBI recently has launched the latest round of its quarterly Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation Survey (OBICUS) of the manufacturing sector, results of which are used in monetary policy formulation.

• RBI announces change in Government securities auction methodology
  • RBI recently announced a change in Government securities auction methodology for benchmark securities.
  • It has decided that benchmark securities of tenor 2-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year, 14-year tenor and Floating Rate Bonds (FRBs) will be, henceforth, issued using the uniform price auction method.

ECONOMY

• Govt brings Dept of Public Enterprises under Finance Ministry
  • The Central Government has brought Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) under the Finance Ministry in a bid facilitate its ambitious disinvestment programme.

• World Bank approves USD 500 million loan to support India's informal working class amid pandemic
  • World Bank recently approved a USD 500 million (about Rs 3,717.28 crore) loan programme to support India's informal working class to overcome the current pandemic distress.
  • The loan will create greater flexibility for states to cope with the ongoing pandemic, future climate and disaster shocks.

• World Bank expands coronavirus vaccine funding to $20 billion
  • The World Bank has added $8 billion more for Covid-19 vaccines, totalling $20 billion, for developing countries.
  • Earlier it had announced $12 billion. The funding will be available through 2022.

NATIONAL

• India’s oldest running newspaper, Mumbai Samachar, turns 200
  • On July 1, India’s oldest running newspaper, Mumbai Samachar, will enter its 200th year.
  • The Gujarati newspaper, with its office located in an red building at Horniman Circle in Mumbai’s Fort area, was first published in 1822. It was founded by a Parsi scholar Fardoonji Murazban.

• Eight states get new governors
  • President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed new governors in eight states.
  • The appointments will take effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.

• ISRO gives nod to parliamentary panel to implement satellite TV classrooms
  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) gave its nod to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education to provide technical assistance for satellite TV classrooms in the country to bridge the learning gap due to COVID-induced lockdown.

INTERNATIONAL

• Indian American Sirisha Bandla to fly into space
  • Indian American Sirisha Bandla is all set to fly off into space on July 11 as a mission specialist on Virgin Galactic’s next test flight of its SpaceShipTwo Unity with Company’s founder, Sir Richard Branson.

• China declared malaria-free by WHO
  • China was officially certified ‘malaria-free’ by the World Health Organization (WHO), becoming the second country in the Asia Pacific region to get the tag, after Sri Lanka in 2016.

• Haitian President Jovenel Moïse assassinated
  • A group of gunmen wielding assault weapons assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. First lady Martine Moïse was wounded in the attack.
  • Moïse, 53, dissolved parliament in January 2020 and ruled by decree.

STATES

• Pushkar Singh Dhami takes oath as Uttarakhand CM
  • Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pushkar Singh Dhami took oath as the eleventh chief minister of Uttarakhand.

• KN Bhattacharjee appointed 3rd Lokayukta of Tripura
  • The Tripura government appointed veteran lawyer KN Bhattacharjee as the new Lokayukta of the state to deal with the complaints of corruption against public servants and administrative functionaries under the Tripura Lokayukta Act, 2008.

• Delhi: DMRC launches India's first UPI-based cashless parking
  • The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) launched India's first FASTag or Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based parking facility to reduce the time for entry and payment. The facility was launched at Kashmere Gate metro station.

REPORTS AND INDEXES

• Global Cybersecurity Index 2020
  • Global Cybersecurity Index 2020 (GCI) is released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations (UN) agency for information and communication technologies (ICT)
  • GCI assessment is done on the basis of performance on five parameters of cybersecurity.

• Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2021
  • Startup Blink has published Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2021.
  • India has jumped three spots up in the global start-up ranking this year.

• INDO-UK FTA can help achieve Aatmanirbhar Bharat: UKIBC Report
  • The UK India Business Council has launched its report ‘Road to a UK-India Free Trade Agreement: Enhancing the Partnership and achieving Self-Reliance’.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Two new spider species found in Maharashtra
  • Two new species of jumping spiders have been discovered from the Thane-Kalyan region of Maharashtra.
  • The scientists honoured the sacrifice of one of the hero cops of the 26/11 terror attacks, Tukaram Omble, and named one of the spider species after him. The species is called ‘Icius Tukarami.’

• Rare black-bellied coral snake found in Uttarakhand for first time in history
  • Black-bellied Coral snake has been discovered in forests of Uttarakhand for the first time in history, by a group of researchers. The snake belongs to the Elapidae family of Sinomicrurus genus, namely, S. nigriventer.

• SERB-DST Partners with Intel India to Advance Deep Tech-based Research
  • The Indian research community will soon be able to pursue industry-relevant research opportunities in the areas of deep technologies that are novel, transformative, and can have a ground-breaking impact on a national scale.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

• Govt launches mobile app 'Matsya Setu' for aqua farmers
  • Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Ministry launched a mobile app 'Matsya Setu' to disseminate the latest freshwater aquaculture technologies to the country's aqua farmers.

• KVIC’s Unique Project BOLD to Boost Tribals’ Income and Bamboo-based Economy in Rajasthan
  • A unique scientific exercise serving the combined national objectives of reducing desertification and providing livelihood and multi-disciplinary rural industry support has been initiated by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

• AI-powered Surabhi electronic tags to help identify livestock
  • Dvara E-Dairy Solutions Pvt Ltd, which is part of Dvara Holdings, has developed a digital AT-powered tag that can help identify cattle on the basis of their muzzle identity.
  • The company has partnered with IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Company Limited to use the solution called Surabhi e-Tag to identify livestock.

DEFENCE

• Grene Robotics develops India’s 1st indigenous drone defence dome – ‘Indrajaal’
  • Hyderabad-based technology R&D firm Grene Robotics has designed and developed India’s first indigenous drone defence dome called “Indrajaal”.

• Indian navy warship conducts military exercise with South Korean vessel in East China Sea
  • In Indian Navy warship ASW Corvette INS Kiltan carried out a Navy Partnership Exercise with a Republic of Korea Navy Ship ROKS Gyeongnam in the East China Sea.
  • The Navy partnership exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability and facilitating exchange of best practices with partner navies in the maritime domain.

• DRDO’s Short Span Bridging System-10 m inducted into Indian Army
  • The first production lot of 12 Short Span Bridging System (SSBS)-10 m, has been inducted into Indian Army by Chief of the Army Staff General MM Naravane during a ceremony held at Cariappa Parade Ground, Delhi Cantt.

EVENTS

• 7th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)
  • The 7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), a biennial event, was hosted by the French Navy at La Réunion.
  • Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, participated virtually in the inaugural session of the event.

• 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in November 2021 in Goa
  • The 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be held from 20th -28th November 2021 in Goa.
  • The IFFI is reckoned as one of Asia's oldest and India's biggest international film festivals.

AWARDS AND REWARDS

• Documentary on singer Shankar Mahadevan wins international recognition
  • ‘Decoding Shankar’ directed by Deepti Pillai Sivan won the award for Best Biographical Film at the Ranto Women’s Film Festival.

• Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar 2020
  • The Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar, the national award instituted in memory of late poet laureate Kuvempu, has been awarded to renowned Odia poet Dr Rajendra Kishore Panda for the year 2020.
  • The prestigious award carries a cash award of Rs 5 lakh, a silver medal, and a citation.

• Invest India won most innovative Investment Promotion Agency 2021 award
  • Invest India has been awarded the World’s most innovative Investment Promotion Agency 2021 by OCO Global.
  • Invest India is the advisor, guide, and facilitator to every investor looking to make a home in India.

SPORTS

• Indian-origin American Abhimanyu Mishra becomes youngest ever chess Grandmaster
  • Indian-origin American Abhimanyu Mishra has become the youngest-ever chess Grandmaster in the world.
  • At 12 years, four months and 25 days, he obliterated the long-standing record held by Sergey Karjakin, who was 12 years and seven months old when he attained the title.

• Mary Kom & Manpreet to be India's flag-bearers at Olympics opening ceremony
  • Indian Olympic Association have announced that 6-time world champion boxer M C Mary Kom and men's hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh will be India's flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

• Mariyappan Thangavelu named flag-bearer for Tokyo Paralympics
  • Top para high-jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu named the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent in the Tokyo Paralympics, which begins on August 24.
  • The 25-year-old Thangavelu, who was conferred with the Khel Ratna, the country’s highest sporting award, last year is one of the 24 para-athletes picked by the selection committee for the Tokyo Paralympics.