NATIONAL NEWS

Global INDIAai Summit 2024

The two-day ‘Global IndiaAI Summit, organised by the government of India, concluded at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

The ‘Global IndiaAI Summit, held on 3 and 4th July 2024, was attended by over 2,000 global artificial intelligence (AI) experts, Policy makers, Artificial Intelligence (AI) practitioners, Industry/Startups, and Academia.

Along with the Global IndiaAI Summit, India also organised the 6th Global Partnership in Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Ministerial Council meeting on 3 July 2024 in a hybrid mode.

The Global INDIAai Summit 2024 was organised by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The 6th GPAI Ministerial Council Meeting was also organised by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

India is the lead elected Chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) for 2024 while Serbia is the chairman of the 2025 GPAI.

The GPAI aims to promote international cooperation on artificial technology by providing a platform for stakeholders, including government, experts, industry, academia, and other international bodies.

NITI Aayog to Launch ‘Sampoornata Abhiyan’Campaign

NITI Aayog is set to launch the ‘Sampoornata Abhiyan’ campaign on 4th July 2024, running until 30th September 2024.

This campaign aims to achieve complete coverage (saturation) of 6 key performance indicators (KPIs) in 112 Aspirational Districts and 500 Aspirational Blocks

The campaign operates under the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) and the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP).

NITI Aayog will issue a list of activities for districts and blocks to implement as part of the campaign.

In collaboration with relevant Central Ministries, State Governments, and Union Territories, NITI Aayog will focus on improved planning, capacity building, and establishing systems to enhance and sustain service delivery.

BANKING

Government of India and Asian Development Bank Sign $170 Million Loan Deal

The Government of India (GoI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $170 million policy-based loan to consolidate and strengthen India's health system preparedness and response capacity to future pandemics.

This loan is a part of the 'Strengthened and Measurable Actions for Resilient and Transformative Health Systems Programme (Subprogramme 1)'

The proposed program will help India consolidate and develop its pandemic preparedness and response (PPR) capability through a multifaceted and cross-sectoral strategy involving both central and subnational governments.

The related policy actions will increase institutional capacity and systems for infrastructure planning and management in the health sector, hence increasing India's ability to avoid and mitigate the effects of future public health emergencies and complex systemic hazards.

The programme aligns with key national initiatives including the National Health Policy 2017, Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), and the National One Health Mission.

ADB will support policy reforms to ensure an adequate supply of competent health professionals.

Bank of India Plans to Raise Up to Rs 5,000 Crore through Infrastructure Bonds

Bank of India (BOI) plans to raise up to Rs 5,000 crore through infrastructure bonds.

The capital raising committee is scheduled to meet soon to finalize the details of the fundraising plan.

The proposed infrastructure bond offering by BOI has been assigned an "AA+" rating by India Ratings.

The actual amount raised and timing will be contingent upon market conditions.

BOI's infrastructure loan book was reported at Rs 58,860 crore as of March 2024, highlighting its significant exposure in this sector.

According to CRISIL Ratings, Investments in key infrastructure sectors like renewable energy, roads, and real estate are expected to grow by 38% in FY 2025 and FY 2026, reaching Rs 15 trillion.

Hitachi Payment Services Granted Reserve Bank of India’s Authorization for Online Payment Aggregator License

Hitachi Payment Services has announced that it has received the final authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an Online Payment Aggregator, under the Payments and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

This authorization allows Hitachi Payment Services to expand its digital solutions and services stack to include a comprehensive suite of payment options such as UPI, netbanking, cards, wallets, EMI, Paylater, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), Link Based payments, and loyalty solutions for merchants.

Hitachi Payment Services provides UPI Solutions, SoftPOS, Value Added Services, artificial intelligence (AI) & Machine learning (ML) -based solutions, next-gen mobile-based merchant platforms, and UPI ATM on Android platform.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

CM of Jharkhand for The Third Time

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren was sworn in as the chief minister of Jharkhand on 4 July 2024 for the third time.

He was administered the oath of office and secrecy as the 13th chief minister of Jharkhand by Governor C.P.Radhakrishnan at a ceremony in the Rajbhavan in Ranchi, Jharkhand

This is the third time Hemant Soren has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

The ruling alliance legislators elected Hemant Soren as its new leader, and then the governor invited Hemant Soren to form the government.

Hemant Soren heads a Mahagathbandhan alliance in the state, which includes his party JMM, Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and left parties.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Sir Keir Starmer has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Monarch King Charles III on 5 July 2024 at Buckingham Palace in London.

Sir Keir Starmer is the 58th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Buckingham Palace is the official residence and office of the United Kingdom monarch.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won a landslide victory in the recently held parliamentary election. He replaced the Conservative Party leader, Rishi Sunak

Sir Keir Starmer has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Monarch King Charles III on 5 July 2024 at Buckingham Palace in London. Sir Keir Starmer is the 58th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Buckingham Palace is the official residence and office of the United Kingdom monarch.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won a landslide victory in the recently held parliamentary election. He replaced the Conservative Party leader, Rishi Sunak

Chairperson of the National Medical Commission

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed various individuals to posts of the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Autonomous Boards.

The appointments are for a period of 4 years, until the appointee attains the age of 70 years, or until further orders, whichever is earliest.

Dr. B.N. Gangadhar was appointed as Chairperson of the National Medical Commission (NMC).

Dr. Sanjay Behari was appointed as President of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board.

Dr. Anil D’Cruz was appointed as Whole-time member of the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board

Dr. Rajendra Achyut Badwe was appointed as Part-time member of the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board

SPORTS

Paris Olympics

Jyothi Yarraji is set to be the first Indian 100m hurdler to compete in the Olympics while shot putter Abha Khatua made a surprise cut through world rankings for the upcoming Paris Games.

Ramesh, an athletics coach with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), experienced a significant moment when his trainee, 24-year-old Jyothi Yarraji, became the first Indian woman to qualify for the 100m hurdles at the Paris Olympics.

Yarraji achieved this feat by clocking 12.78 seconds in a Finland event in May, narrowly missing the automatic qualification time of 12.77 seconds by one-hundredth of a second.

Her achievement places her 34th in the world ranking quota list, with 40 athletes set to compete in the event in Paris.

World Athletics released a list detailing athletes who qualified directly by meeting entry standards and through world ranking quotas.