NATIONAL NEWS

E-NAM Platform to Promote Agricultural Trade

• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare organized a two-day National Conference of State Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers in Bengaluru.

• This conference will focus on farmers' accessibility digitally to multiple numbers of markets, buyers and service providers and to bring transparency in trade transactions.
• The technical session will cover nine thematic areas includes Digital Agriculture, Pradhanmantri Fasal Bhima Yojan, Natural Farming, FPO, e-NAM, Pradhanmantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, National Food Security Mission, Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and New Technology by ICAR.
• With the introduction of Platform of Platforms farmers will be facilitated to sell the produce outside their state borders.

India’s NSCS Hosts Meeting of BIMSTEC

• The National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India organized a two- day Meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Cyber Security Cooperation on 14 July and 15 July 2022, in New Delhi.

• The Meeting is based on the agreement made during the meeting of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs held at Bangkok in March 2019.

• During the meeting, the BIMSTEC Expert Group will formulate an Action plan to deal with Cyber Security challenges in the BIMSTEC Region.
• It is being chaired by the National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt General Rajesh Pant.

Uttarakhand Becomes the First State to Implement NEP

• Uttarakhand became the first state in India to initiate the process of implementing the Center’s New Education Policy at the pre-primary level.

• The Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the ‘Bal Vatikas’ at Anganwadi Kendra to strengthen the pre-primary education system across Uttarakhand.

• The implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) marks the beginning of culture-based education in the country focusing on the overall personality development of students.

• It offers children an opportunity to pursue choice-based education.
• By 2030, the New Education Policy will be fully implemented in Uttarakhand.

India’s First Monkeypox Reported in Kerala

• India reported its first monkeypox case in Kerala after a traveller from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tested positive for the virus.

• His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune which confirmed the disease by 14 July.

• Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox.

RIL Partners With AFI

• The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced a long-term partnership with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

• The partnership aims to discover, nurture and develop Indian athletes from across the country and provide them with world-class facilities, coaching and sports science and medicine support by leveraging the Reliance Foundation ecosystem.

• The Reliance Foundation ecosystem includes the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Center and Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital.
• This partnership will have a special focus on girl athletes and aim to bridge the gender divide and enable them to achieve their dreams.

APSI Sushruta Film Festival

• Burn and Plastic Surgery Department of AIIMS, Delhi in collaboration with Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI) will organize 'APSI Sushruta Film Festival' (ASFF 2022) to observe 12th National Plastic Surgery Day on 15 July.
• The film festival is organized on the theme of Changing lives with Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
• The festival will help in changing the public perception of plastic surgery and its various domains and to promote the best works done by plastic surgeons across the country.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

UAE to Invest $2 Billion in India

• The United Arab Emirates announced an investment of USD 2 billion to develop a series of integrated food parks across India.

• It is a part of efforts by the four-nation grouping I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA) to help tackle food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East.
• This decision was announced during the first virtual summit of the I2U2 (India, Israel, US and UAE) group.
• The group also focused on food security crisis and clean energy during their meeting and discussed innovative ways to ensure longer-term, more diversified food production and food delivery systems that can manage global food shocks.

India Sign MoU Madagascar

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Madagascar government and Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL).
• It was signed for the participation in the e-VBAB (e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati) network project.
• The technological upgradation and extension of the Pan African e-Network Project is known as e-VidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti Network Project.
• During India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-III) held in New Delhi in October 2015, Government of India announced technological upgradation and extension of Pan-Africa e-Network Project (PAeNP) under which tele-education and tele-medicine services were successfully implemented in 48 countries in Africa including the Republic of Madagascar
• Under this agreement various online degree or diploma courses will be offered to the citizens of Madagascar at free of cost through e-VBAB project.

BANKING

RBI Allows Trade Transactions with Sri Lanka

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that all eligible current account transactions including trade transactions with Sri Lanka may be settled in any permitted currency outside the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) mechanism until further notice.
• Under the ACU, member central banks settle payments for intra-regional transactions on a net basis.
• This reduces the use of foreign exchange reserves and transfer costs.

Star Health partners with MeitY

• Star Health and Allied Insurance Co. Ltd., one of the leading standalone health insurance companies in the country, and Common Services Centers (CSC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have partnered to provide health insurance to rural India.

• It will provide over 5 lakh CSCs access to a select range of Star Health insurance products.
• These products have been designed to meet the needs of rural customers across tier-II, tier-III cities, and rural markets across India.
• Through its network, CSC will offer a series of beneficial products for the rural markets like Family Health Optima Insurance Plan, Accidental Care Individual Policy, Star Micro Rural and Farmers Care and other such products to meet the health insurance needs in these regions.

SPORTS

ISSF Shooting World Cup Medal Tally

• In the ISSF Shooting World Cup, India topped the medal tally at Changwon in South Korea.
• India finished the tournament with eight medals including three golds, four silvers and one bronze.
• The troika of Arjun Babuta, Shahu Tushar Mane and Paarth Makhija won the country’s third gold medal beating Korea 17-15 in the 10-metre air rifle team event.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Global Gender Gap Index 2022

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Global Gender Gap Index 2022 in Geneva.

• India has been ranked 135 of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2022.

• In the “health and survival” sub-index it is placed at 146, it has the lowest results globally.

• India is ranked 48th in political empowerment, 107th in educational attainment, 146th in health and survival and 143rd in economic involvement and opportunity.
• Iceland retained its place as the world’s most gender-equal country, followed by Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden as per the annual Gender Gap Report 2022.
• Afghanistan, Pakistan, Congo, Iran and Chad occupied the last five places.
• The Global Gender Gap Index tracks the world's progress toward gender parity in four key aspects: political empowerment, health and survival, educational attainment and economic participation and opportunity.
• The index was first published in 2006 by WEF.

AWARDS & PRIZES

The British Parliament Facilitates BCCI President

• The British Parliament facilitated BCCI President and former Indian cricketer, Sourav Ganguly in London, United Kingdom.
• He was fecilitated on the same date July 13 when he led India to Natwest final win in 2002 and exactly 20 years later he was honoured in the same city.
• He was elected as the president of BCCI in 2019.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

India’s Next Ambassador to Bhutan

• Sudhakar Dalela, currently serving as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Washington has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan.
• He is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) of the 1993 batch.
• He will succeed Ruchira Kamboj who has been appointed as India’s next Permanent Representative to the UN.

High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India

• The Government of Bangladesh has decided to appoint Mustafizur Rahman, as the next High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India.

• He will succeed Muhammad Imran.
• Mustafizur Rahman is currently serving as the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Offices in Geneva and the Ambassador to Switzerland.
• He has also served as the Bangladesh High Commissioner to Singapore.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

The McMahon Line: A Century of discord

• The book titled ‘The McMahon Line: A Century of discord’ was released on July 2022.
• It has been authored by former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh and former Chief of Army Staff General JJ Singh.
• The book is based on the former Army chief’s experience and research on the India-China border dispute.
• A short film related to the McMahon line was also screened.