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CONTENTS NATIONAL ............................................................................................................................................................. 2

STATES .................................................................................................................................................................. 8

INTERNATIONAL ................................................................................................................................................ 11

REPORTS & SCHEMES ........................................................................................................................................ 14

ECONOMY & BUSINESS ..................................................................................................................................... 17

FINANCE AND BANKING ................................................................................................................................... 18

AWARDS & RECOGNITION ................................................................................................................................ 22

PERSON IN NEWS .............................................................................................................................................. 22

OBITUARIES ........................................................................................................................................................ 23

IMPORTANT DAYS .............................................................................................................................................. 24

SPORTS ............................................................................................................................................................... 26

NATIONAL 1. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has given approval for for the Phase-I and Phase-II

clinical trials of the vaccine on humans to Ahmedabad based Cadila Healthcare Limited (Zydus

Healthcare).

2. Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) of Department of Science and Technology’s

(DST) has launched ‘Accelerate Vigyan’ scheme on 1st July 2020. The scheme was launched to

provide a single platform for high-end scientific research. The web portal of the Accelerate Vigyan

Scheme was also launched on 1st July 2020 (www.acceleratevigyan.gov.in)

3. Drug Discovery Hackathon 2020 was launched on 2nd July 2020 to support the drug discovery

process. The initiative was launched by Ramesh Pokhriyal (Union Human Resource Development

Minister) and Dr. Harsh Vardhan (Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Science and

Technology).

4. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in partnership with Hyderabad based Bharat

Biotech has selected 12 institutes for the Phase-I and Phase-II clinical trials of the first

indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine BBV152 (commonly known as COVAXIN).

5. The toolkit for the 6th edition of the Swachh Survekshan survey was launched by Hardeep

Singh Puri (Union Minister of State (I/C) of Housing & Urban Affairs) on 3rd July 2020.

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6. 10,000 bed Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital (SPCCCH) was recently inaugurated in

New Delhi. SPCCCH is the World’s largest COVID-19 Treatment and Care facility. It was

inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal.

7. Sanskrit Vidhyalaya built in Eastern Nepal’s by India was inaugurated recently through video

conferencing.

8. An App Innovation Challenge was launched recently by the Prime Minister of India to build an

Aatmanirbhar Bharat using Digital Technologies. In partnership with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation

Mission, the App Innovation Challenge is an initiative by the Ministry of Electronics and

Information Technology.

9. M. Venkaiah Naidu (Vice President of India) and Spiritual Leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Founder of

the Art of Living), has launched an social media mobile application called ‘Elyments’.

10. The Mangalyaan Mission of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has recently

captured the image of Phobos (the largest Moon or Natural Satellite of Mars).

11. CBSE and Facebook has entered into a partnership to introduce Augmented Reality and launch

Curriculum on Digital Safety and Online Well Being.

12. All India Radio (AIR) FM news channel has started broadcasting its first-ever news programme

in Sanksrit language named ‘Sanskrit Saptahiki’.

13. ‘ATL App Development Modules’ has been launched for school children across the country in

line with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative for transforming school students from users of the

smartphone-based applications to innovative developers of the smartphone-based applications.

14. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch ‘Amazonia-1’ -- an earth observation

satellite of Brazil.

15. The National Intelligence Grid is expected to go live by the end of the year 2020. The National

Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) will provide a link between the data of 14,000 police stations from

across the country.

16. A White Papers prepared by the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council

(TIFAC) was launched by Dr. Harsh Vardhan (Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare) for

recommendations on immediate technology and policy impetus to make India ATMANIRBHAR.

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17. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 750 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar

Plant. 750 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project is the largest single-site solar power

project in Central India.

18. ‘Aatamanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASSEM)’ is launched to bridge the

demand-supply gap in the market across all the sectors in the country for the skilled workforce

an Artificial Intelligence (AI) based digital portal was launched that will address the same by

improving the information flow. The portal is launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and

Entrepreneurship. The portal can be accessed at- ‘https://smis.nsdcindia.org/’.

19. The Fourth Cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 has made it to the Guinness Book of

World Records for being the World’s Largest Camera Trapping Wildlife Survey. Every four year

since 2006, All India Tiger Estimation has been conducted in India. The 2018 Estimation was the

fourth cycle in overall.

20. Recently, the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated

the Digital Indo-Italian Business mission on Food Processing.

21. Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the first indigenously developed

Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine. The vaccine was developed by Serum

Institute of India.

22. Union Human Resource and Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ released

PRAGYATA guidelines on digital education. The guidelines include eight steps of online learning.

They are Plan, Review, Guide, Arrange, Talk, Assign, Track and Appreciate.

23. As per the data from the Indian Meteorological Department, June 2020 was the wettest June in

Indian in the last 12 years. As per the LPA- Long Period Average, the country has excessive overall

rainfall in June 2020 with 118 percent. Above 110 percent is considered as excess in LPA. This has

resulted in 2.5 Times Increase in the Sowing Area of Kharif Crops across the country.

24. Union Minister of Human Resource and Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishnak launched

world’s most affordable COVID-19 kit named COROSURE. The kit was developed by IIT Delhi.

25. Indian Manufacturing Company- Loyal Textile Mills has launched reusable PPE (Personal

Protective Equipment) Kits.

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26. The IIT Kanpur has developed an Ultra Violet Sanitizing product called “Shudh”. The device is

capable to disinfect 10 ×10 square feet room in just 15 minutes.

27. Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog coordinated and concluded the series of COVID-19 “Demo

Days” initiative. The initiative will identify promising startups that have the potential of COVID-19

innovations. The “Demo Days” initiative was launched by Atal Innovative Mission in partnership

with government bodies such as Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC),

Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), AGNI, Startup India.

28. Union Environment Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar informed that the Zonal Master Plan of

Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone has been approved.

29. Defence Ministry signed a contract with the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) to procure

1,512 mine plough devices at a cost of Rs 557 crores.

30. India successfully conducted the flight trial of Dhruvastra anti-guided missile at the Interim Test

Range of Odisha. The trials of the helicopter launched Nag Missile (HELINA) were successful. The

missile has now been renamed as “Dhruvastra”.

31. Union Environment and Information Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar hailed “KURMA”

application to track and report Indian turtles.

32. Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has suggested to freeze changes in

Defence Procurement Policy for 4 to 5 years. The Defence Procurement Policy has gone through

six revisions between 2015 and 2017. This underlines lack of long-term stability in regulations.

33. PM SVANidhi app was launched by the Minister of Urban Affairs. The application aims to

provide user-friendly digital interface for lending institutions and their functionaries to source

and process loan applications of street vendors.

34. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports have partnered with UNICEF to strengthen the youth

volunteers in the country to achieve Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. That is, India is to become

self-reliant through such measures. The GoI has signed a statement with YuWaah of UNICEF. It is

a multi-stake holder platform formed by UNICEF.

35. India and US held a strategic virtual energy partnership meet to review the progress of major

accomplishments and also to prioritize new areas of cooperation. The main outcome of the

ministerial meet is the participation of India in the multilateral platform ACT.

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36. PM Modi congratulated Kakrapur Atomic Plant of Gujarat to reach its criticality. Criticality is

reaching normal operating condition. The Kakrapar Atomic Plant produces power from

indigenously built reactors and is a major step of GoI in promoting Make in India campaign. The

reactor generates 700 MW of power.

37. A Space start up called the Digantara has developed India’s first in-orbit space debris

monitoring and tracking system. The system works on LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)

technology.

38. IIT-Madras supported startup Modulus Housing has developed portable hospital unit. The

unit can be dragged anywhere and can be installed within 2 hours. The portable hospital has

been named “MediCAB”. The portable hospital is being launched in Wayanad district of Kerala

where the units are being deployed to treat COVID-19 patients.

39. CSIR-CMERI unveiled COVID-19 protection System (COPS) for workplaces. The COPS include

contactless solar based intelligent mask automated dispensing unit cum thermal scanner

(IntelliMAST), 360-degree car flusher and touchless faucet.

40. Jitendra Singh, (Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space)

has launched the restructured scheme for PM’s Awards for Excellence in Public

Administration 2020 and the web portal (www.pmawards.gov.in) through video conference.

41. According to the “Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2016-18”, released by the Office

of the Registrar General’s Sample Registration System (SRS), the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)

in India has declined to 113 in 2016-18 from 122 in 2015-17 and 130 in 2014-2016.

42. Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman informed that so far Rs

8767 crore has been approved for 81 projects under Special Window for Affordable and Mid

Income Housing (SWAMIH) Investment Fund I. The approved projects will enable the completion

of almost 60,000 homes across India.

43. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) becomes the 1st Indian port and 7th Port

globally to sign up for the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Now, APSEZ is committed to set

science-based emissions reduction targets that keep global warming to 1.5°C above pre-

industrial levels. SBTi is a collaboration between CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project),

the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for

Nature (WWF).

44. The IIT Banaras and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to develop a biotechnology based water

treatment system for the purification of sewage water flowing into the rivers Ganga and Godavari

through the SPRING Project. The project is funded by the Ministry of science & technology,

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Department of biotechnology, India with the European Union.

45. India builds 1km long World’s first electrified rail tunnel that fits double stack containers.

It cuts through Aravalli mountain on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) near Sohna,

Haryana. The project is implemented by the DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of

India Limited).

46. The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) under the Ministry

of

Tribal Affairs (MoTA) have signed a tripartite MoU with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Delhi

and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), a Swadeshi Science Movement under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

(UBA), a flagship programme under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

47. Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, has announced that

the Central Government in collaboration with the World Bank has decided to convert the area of

ravines in the region of Gwalior-Chambal belt of Madhya Pradesh into cultivable land.

48. Under the aegis of International Solar Alliance (ISA), NTPC Ltd, Largest power generation utility

of India plans to establish solar power plants in Sri Lanka.

49. According to the delta rankings for aspirational districts by NITI Aayog, Bijapur district in

Chhattisgarh has topped the list of aspirational districts in Overall Delta Ranking for the Feb-June

2020. The delta rankings for aspirational districts considers an incremental progress in five

developmental areas viz. Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources,

Financial Inclusion & Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure.

50. Green-Agriculture (Green-Ag), a project funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF) was

launched in Mizoram, India.Mizoram is first among the 5 states where the project is to be

implemented. The other states are Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

51. Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved National Education

Policy (NEP) 2020 which has replaced 34 years old NPE, 1986. With this, the Ministry of Human

Resource Development will officially be renamed the Ministry of Education (MoE).

52. The first 5 of 36 Rafale fighter jets, from France were landed in Ambala in Haryana after

covering a distance of nearly 8500 km to join the Indian Air Force (IAF). These fighter jets are

manufactured with 13 India Specific Enhancements (ISE), by Dassault Aviation, a French company.

53. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) provides the drone named “Bharat”

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indigenously developed by the Chandigarh based laboratory of DRDO, “Terminal Ballistics

Research Laboratory (TBRL)” to the Indian Army to monitor the high altitude areas and

mountain terrains along the line of actual control in the Easter Ladakh (China Border). The Bharat

series drones are listed among World’s most agile and lightest surveillance drones.

54. A Space start up named Digantara Research and Technology (DRT) which has developed India’s

first in orbit space debris monitoring and tracking system that works on LIDAR (Light Detection

and Ranging) technology has been selected by SID (Society for Innovation and Development)

incubation program at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

55. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Earth Sciences launched the mobile app “Mausam” designed

and developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)’s

Digital Agriculture & Youth (DAY) team, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and

India Meteorological Department (IMD).

56. Kerala government announced a new scheme namely “Chief Minister’s Entrepreneurship

Development Programme” to address the issues of shortage of working capital and availability of

credit faced by startups and small entrepreneurs amid COVID-19 pandemic. The programme will

be implemented through the Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC).

STATES 57. The Kerala State Government has decided to roll out a project for the rehabilitation of Non-

Resident Indian’s (NRI’s) returning to the state following the loss of employment due to the

COVID-19 outbreak. The project has been named as ‘Dream Kerala’ Project’.

58. Madhya Pradesh has prepared a digital campaign named ‘Hamara Ghar Hamara Vidyalaya’

meaning My Home My School for providing a school-like environment to the students of classes 1

to 8 in the state during the corona crisis.

59. For ensuring corruption-free job placements, Andhra Pradesh) has formally launched state-

owned placement agency-Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS).

60. Himachal Pradesh Government is planning to provide 100 percent coverage of Functional

Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to all rural households in the state by August 2022.

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61. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has started a social media campaign. named ‘Intzaar Aap Ka’

meaning ‘Waiting for You’ to establish the confidence back in the tourism sector by offering tour

packages to the tourists.

62. The State Government of Odisha has launched a scheme named ‘Balaram Yojana’ for the

landless farmers to provide financial support to them.

63. Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country to provide 100% LPG Gas

connection to all households in the state.

64. Karnataka has launched a scheme named ‘Nekar Samman Yojana’ for the weaver’s community

in the state.

65. Maharashtra has launched a portal named Maha Jobs Portal to bridge the gap between the

Industrial Units/Employers and the Workers (Domiciled: Skilled, Semi-Skilled and Unskilled).

66. Haryana Cabinet has approved a proposal under which 75 percent of the jobs with a salary of

less than Rs 50,000 per month will be reserved for the residents of Haryana.

67. A Plasma Bank for the treatment of COVID-19 positive patients has been established at the

oldest medical college of India-- Kolkata Medical College and Hospital.

68. A mega tree plantation drive has been announced by the Delhi Government. The name of the

campaign is ‘Paudhe Lagao, Paryavaran Bachao’ meaning ‘Plant Trees, Save Environment’.

69. Assam State Government has decided for the up-gradation of the status of the Dehing Patkai

Wildlife Sanctuary to National Park.

70. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has inaugurated a mega plantation programme named ‘Mission

Vriksharopan-2020’ to plant 25 crore saplings across the state.

71. State Government of Madhya Pradesh will be launching a campaign named ‘Roko-Toko’ in the

upcoming days. The campaign will focus on those who are not wearing masks in the state of

Madhya Pradesh.

72. ‘BLUIS’- Bhubaneswar Land Use Intelligence System was launched by Naveen Patnaik.

73. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development launched projects worth of Rs 44 lakhs in

Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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74. For making the State more conducive for Startups, the State Cabinet of the Uttar Pradesh

Government has given its approval to an independent and comprehensive ‘Startup Policy 2020’

on 8th July 2020.

75. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched “Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana”. The

scheme is to help the eligible beneficiaries get ration delivered at home.

76. Minister of food Processing Industry Harsimrat Kaur Badal e-inaugurated the first Mega Food

Park in Mizoram. The Zoram Food Park (non-governmental) inaugurated in Mizoram.

77. Odisha Government announced that transgenders are to be included under Madhu Babu

Pension Yojana. Madhu Babu Pension Yojana is a social security scheme that was launched in

the state of Odisha.

78. Karnataka has announced the formation of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission. The Mission is

being launched under the provision of Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013.

79. Andhra Pradesh recently announced the Renewable Energy Export Policy, 2020. The policy

permits sale of power to other states of India. The policy is to be implemented by NREDCAP (New

and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of AP Limited).

80. According to the State Government of Kerala, community transmission has occurred in two

coastal hamlets near capital Thiruvananthapuram.

81. Tamil Nadu State Government signed eight new Memorandum of Understanding of Rs 10,399

crores. The MoUs will bring investments in the areas of solar cells, agrotech, iron foundry and

module manufacturing.

82. The Delhi Cabinet has approved ‘Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana’ to deliver ration

directly to the homes of beneficiaries. This scheme and Centre’s ‘One Nation One Ration Card

‘scheme will be implemented on the same day in Delhi.

83. Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal launched a free website http://jobs.delhi.gov.in named

‘Rozgaar Bazaar 2020’ via video conference. The portal connects the job seekers and the

recruiters on one platform.

84. Haryana Chief Minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar launched e-Sachivalaya portal

(https://esachivalaya.edisha.gov.in/), a digital platform to enable people to take online

appointments for virtual meetings with the chief minister, deputy CM, ministers and other heads

of various departments.

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85. The Punjab government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian

Institute of Technology (IIT) – Ropar, for Skill Development in Chandigarh

INTERNATIONAL 86. Israel has successfully launched its intelligence satellite ‘Ofek-16’ into the Low Earth Orbit

(LEO).

87. A new free trade agreement (NAFTA 2.0) between the United States, Mexico, and Canada comes

into effect from 1st July 2020 onwards. It replaced the earlier 26 years old free trade agreement

between the three countries- North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA 2.0 is a

renegotiated version of the earlier NAFTA agreement.

88. 77.95% Russians has voted in favour of Constitutional Amendment which allows Vladimir Putin

to lead Russia until 2036.

89. 5 Memorandum of Understandings ( 5 MoUs) were signed between India and Afghanistan

which consisted of Tripartite Agreements that were signed between the Government of India,

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Economy and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education.

90. World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that Sri Lanka and the Maldives have

eliminated Rubella Virus.

91. 15th India-European Union Summit was held through video conferencing. The summit aims to

strengthen ties between India and European Union. PM Modi addressed the summit.

92. Manila based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has renewed its 3-year Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) signed in 2017 with the Paris based International Energy Agency (IEA).

93. China Great Wall Industry Corporation had successfully launched the communication satellite

‘APSTAR-6D’.

94. South Korea recently launched its first ever military satellite to defend itself against nuclear

armed North Korea. The satellite has been named “ANASIS II”

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95. The 75th United Nations General Assembly is to be conducted virtually in 2020 for the first time

in its history. The 2020 session is to begin on September 15.

96. India began its trial trans-shipment of goods from India to the North East through the

Chittagong port of Bangladesh.

97. India and Maldives signed agreement to establish “Emergency Medical Services” in Male.

98. The Japanese Government recently approved Dexamethasone as a second treatment of COVID-

19.

99. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman participated in third G20 Finance Ministers and Central

Bank Governors meet. The meet was presided by Saudi Arabia.

100. India and Russia held a virtual meeting on “India-Russia Relations in the context of post-

pandemic global order”. The meet was organized by Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and

Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).

101. India and Israel signed agreements to expand their collaboration in dealing with cyber threats.

The agreement was signed between Director General of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (INCD)

and India’s Ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla. The agreement also involved Indian Computer

Emergency Response Team (CERT) that operates under Ministry of Electronics and Information

Technology and INCD.

102. India and Bhutan opened a new trade route between Jaigon in West Bengal and Pasakha in

Bhutan.

103. Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that India is to resume operation

of international commercial flights with France and US.

104. Tunisian PM Elyes Fakhfakh resigned. He presented his resignation to the President of

Tunisia.

105. China launched its first successful Mars probe from the Wenchchang spacecraft launch site.

The Mars probe has been named Tianwen 1.

106. United Arab Emirates launched the first ever mission to Mars. The spacecraft Hope is to arrive

Mars in February 2021.

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107. China sent a new high-resolution mapping satellite named “Ziyuan III 03”, developed by the

China Academy of Space Technology, into space by Long March-4B carrier rocket.

108. Russia for the first time has conducted a successful flight test of the MGTD-20 gas turbine

engine made by 3Dprinting.

109. Turkmenistan became the 25th country who was granted observer status in the World Trade

Organization (WTO) enabling the nation to establish permanent residence at WTO headquarter in

Geneva, Switzerland and monitor its proceedings. Turkmenistan also became the last former

Sovietmrepublic to establish formal ties with the trade body.

110. The Republic of Nicaragua became the 87th country to sign the International Solar Alliance

(ISA)

Framework Agreement, an initiative to promote sustainable energy, led by India. Out of the 87

signed countries 67 countries have also ratified the ISA Framework agreement. The headquarters

of ISA located at Gurugram, Haryana.

111. The World Health Organization (WHO) along with other key bodies had launched COVID-19

Law Lab (www.COVIDLawLab.org). It is a database of laws that countries had implemented in

response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will help countries to establish and implement strong

legal frameworks to manage the pandemic across the world. The lab is a joint project of the

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), WHO, the Joint United Nations Programme on

HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown

University.

112. The 5th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

(AIIB) was held virtually from Beijing, China, was originally planned to be held in-person there, on

the theme “Connecting for Tomorrow”. Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala

Sitharaman represented India in the event. Jin Liqun Re-elected President of AIIB. AIIB to Hold its

First Annual Meeting in the Middle East in the UAE in 202.

113. The reconstruction of a 300-year-old temple, Sree Sree Joy Kali Matar temple began in Natore,

Bangladesh with Indian assistance.

114. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth jointly

inaugurated the new Supreme Court building of Mauritius in Port Louis through video

conference. The Supreme Court building has been constructed with Indian grant assistance of

US$ 30 million and is the first India-assisted infrastructure project within the Mauritius’ capital

city - Port Louis.

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REPORTS & SCHEMES

115. During the first quarter (April 2020 to June 2020) of the FY 2020-21, 19 lakh households in the

rural areas across the country were provided with tap water connection under the Jal Jeevan

Mission. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the Central Government has set a target to provide every

rural household in the country with the facility of Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) of

water by 2024.

116. As per the 2020-21 World Bank’s Country Classification based on Income level, Nepal’s

economy has moved to a higher category to become a Lower-middle Income economy while Sri

Lanka’s economy has moved to a lower category to become a Lower-middle Income economy.

117. A new pan India Central Sector Scheme was given approval by the Union Cabinet under the

chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The new Central Sector Scheme is called

‘Agriculture Infrastructure Fund’. The scheme ‘Agriculture Infrastructure Fund’ was announced

by Union Finance Minister as a part of the Rs 20 Lakh crore AtmaNirbhar Bharat package. Under

the scheme, financial support of up to Rs 1 lakh crore will be provided as loans through the banks

and financial institutions in the country to the Agricultural Sector such as Farmer Producer

Organizations (FPOs), Startups, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, Agri- entrepreneurs, etc.

118. The second Voluntary National Review (VNR) of India was presented on the High-Level

Political Forum (HLPF) of the United Nations by NITI Aayog. The VNR report provides a

comprehensive detailed account of the schemes and initiatives taken by India for the successful

implementation and adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda of the United

Nations. The 2nd VNR report of India has also highlighted the features and responses of India

under the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Campaign that will help in accelerating progress on the 2030

Sustainable Development Goals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

119. World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Fund

(UNICEF) released data on alarming decline in number of children receiving vaccines. Around 14

million children missed out measles and DTP3 (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Petrussis) vaccine. Most

of them live in Africa. Two-thirds of them live in Brazil, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo,

Ethiopia, Indonesia, India, Nigeria, Mexico, Pakistan and Philippines. he report says that in India,

most of the states had halted immunization activities. In Uttar Pradesh, at least 1.5 million

children missed their vaccination doses.

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120. The United Nations recently released the “State of Food Security and Nutrition” report. The

report was prepared by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for

Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Health Organization (WHO), World Food Programme

(WFP) and UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund). The report says that around 8.9% of the

world population, that is 690 million went hungry in 2019. This is 10 million more as compared to

2018. According to the report, this may increase to 83 to 132 million due to COVID-19 in 2020.

121. Home Minister Amit Shah has launched “Vriksharopan Abhiyan”. The scheme will focus on

creating green spaces by planting tree saplings in mined out areas.

122. Ministry of Human Resources and Development will launch “Manodarpan” initiative under

Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. The initiative is being launched to provide psychosocial support to

the students for their mental wellbeing.

123. The Indian Council of Medical Research is to conduct study to evaluate effectiveness of BCG

vaccine to prevent morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 elderly individuals. The study is to be

conducted on people aged between 60 and 95 years in 19 hotspots in the country.

124. Government of India announced that five portals are being developed by different

organizations to promote innovation in India. This will help boost Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

The portals being developed are for specific sectors and are as follows

a. BHEL for power sector

b. CMFTI for manufacturing sector

c. HMT for machine tools

d. ICAT and ARAI for automotive sector

125. The United Nations Environment Programme and the International Energy Agency released a

report on “Cooling Emissions and Policy Synthesis”. The report cited benefits of cooling

efficiency and Kigali Amendment report. The report says that by 2050, the world will need at least

14 billion cooling appliances. Currently, there are 3.6 billion appliances in use globally. This will

significantly contribute to increase in temperature.

126. International Trade Union Confederation released it ranking of 144 countries on degree of

respect for workers’ rights. India was among the least performing 10 countries in the list. The

ITUC report says that around 85% of the countries violated the right to strike and 80% violated

right to collectively bargain. The ranking of the countries has been made based on the value of

Global Rights Index. The index is prepared based on 97 metrics. This includes workers’ rights,

right to strike, freedom from violent conditions.

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127. The United Nations recently released the Multidimensional Poverty Index, 2020. According to

the index, India recorded the largest reduction in number of people living in poverty between the

period 2015-19. The data were obtained from United Nations Department of Economic and Social

Affairs (UNDESA). Around 273 million people have moved out of multidimensional poverty over

10 years. The report was released by the United Nations Development Programme and the

Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). According to the report, both India

and Nicargua have halved their MPI value among children of age 10 and 10.5 years respectively.

128. In accordance with the latest Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2020 brought out by

the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), India has ranked 3rd

among the top 10 countries that have gained in forest areas during 2010-2020 only behind

China and Australia. India reported 0.38% annual gain in forest, or 266,000 ha of forest increase

every year at an average. The report also states that; India provides maximum employment in

forestry sector.

129. As per the new analysis by Comparitech on the World’s Most Surveilled Cities 2020, in 150

major cities across the globe, Hyderabad has positioned in 16th rank among the list of top 20

cities with the maximum number of Closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance cameras. It has

most CCTV surveillance in India. The List was topped by Taiyuan, China. The research also

highlighted the 20 most populated cities in the world. Delhi ranked 2nd & the list was topped by

Tokyo, Japan. The 3rd rank was secured by Shanghai, China.

130. The New York based United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Pure Earth, an international

non-profit organization, have authored and published the first of kind report on the health crisis

titled “The Toxic Truth: Children’s Exposure to Lead Pollution Undermines a Generation of

Future Potential”. The report states that around 1 in every 3 that is around 800 million children

across the world has the blood lead level above or at 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL).

131. According to the new research titled “Childcare in a global crisis: The impact of COVID-19 on

work and family life” by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 22 million children from

South Asian countries (at least 40 million globally), including India, have missed out on early

childhood education in their pre-school year due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic closure. In

the South Asia region, UNICEF covered Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,

Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

132. According to the 7th edition of “International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights

Index 2020-The World’s Worst Countries for Workers”, India became the new entrant in the 10

worst countries for working people in the world, with a rating of 5 that states “No guarantee of

rights”. The index ranked 144 countries on the basis of respect for workers’ rights. The ITUC

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Global Rights Index depicts world’s worst countries for workers by rating countries on a scale

from 1 to 5+ with 1 being the best rating and 5+ the worst rating. India currently in scale 5.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 133. As per the data for the month of June 2020 released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian

Economy (CMIE), the unemployment rate in June 2020 was 10.9 percent in India (Urban-12.02 %

and Rural- 10.52%).

134. The United States-based global investment firm- Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) & Co. Inc. will

buy the majority of 54 percent stake in JB Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals. 54 percent stake of

Mumbai based JB Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals is worth Rs 3,109 crore.

135. As per the data from the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the United States remains

as the top trading partner of India during the Financial Year 2019-20.

136. This is the second consecutive Financial Year that the United States has become the top trading

partner of India (in Financial Year 2018-19 United States surpassed the People’s Republic of China

to become the top trading partner of India), indicating the continuously increasing economic ties

between both the countries.

137. The statistics for the number of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects in the Financial Year

2019-20 in the United Kingdom was released by the United Kingdom Government’s Department

for International Trade (DIT). As per the Figures provided by DIT, the second-largest source of FDI

in the United Kingdom is now from India.

138. The Department of Expenditure (under Union Finance Ministry) has released a notice as per

which Rs 6,195.08 crore has been released to 14 states in the country. The amount released is as

per the recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission.

139. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

(MoMSME) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share data.

140. The Financial Intelligence Unit under Income Tax Department is authorized to obtain cash

transaction reports from private and public sector banks. The FIU receives reports every month

to analyse suspicious cases.

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141. Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy Shri R K Singh inaugurated first public Electric

Vehicle charging plaza at Chelmsford club in New Delhi. Along with the charging plaza, the

minister also inaugurated RAISE. RAISE is Retrofit of Air-conditioning to improve Indoor Air

Quality for Safety and Efficiency (RAISE). It is a joint initiative of EESL and USAID.

142. India Business Council is to host India Ideas Summit 2020. PM Modi is to address the summit.

The Summit will convene government leaders and business men for discussion about US-India

partnership and trends in shaping trade and investment, globalization and future works.

This year summit is to focus on the following theme Focus: Building a Better Future.

143. According to The report titled, ’Implications of AI on the Indian Economy’ by National

Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) along with the Indian Council for

Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and Google, a unit increase in Artificial

Intelligence (AI) intensity (measured as the ratio of AI to total sales in firm) can result in a 2.5%

increase in India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the immediate term.

144. Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MoMSME),

launched

www.restartindia.com, a mentoring platform. It was initiated jointly by Muthoot Fincorp and

INKtalks to support the MSME sector to restart the business across the nation.

FINANCE AND BANKING 145. Two new ETF series with maturities April 2025 and April 2031 will be offered under the new

fund offer. The base price will be Rs 3,000 crore with oversubscription up to Rs 11,000 crore in

the second tranche of Bharat Bond ETF.

146. Through Finance Act 2019, amendments were brought to the Indian Stamp Act, 1899. The

amendments made comes into effect from 1st July 2020 onwards. These amendments were made

for building a pan-India securities market and to boost Ease of Doing Business.

147. As of 1st July 2020, Public Sector Banks and Private Banks across the country have sanctioned

loans worth over Rs 1.10 lakh crore under ECLGS. Out of this Rs 1.10 lakh crore sanctioned, more

than Rs 52000 crore of the loan amount has been already disbursed until 1st July.

148. A USD 750 Million loan was approved for the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in

India by the World Bank Group.

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149. United States-based Intel Corporation’s investment arm Intel Capital will invest Rs 1,894.50

crores in Reliance Industries Limited’s (RIL’s) subsidiary company Jio Platform.

150. World Bank Group has approved a loan of USD 400 million for the rejuvenation of the Ganga

River under the NAMAMI Gange Program of the Government of India.

151. For three Public Sector General Insurance Companies, the Union Cabinet under the

chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a capital infusion of Rs 12,450

crore. This capital infusion of Rs 12,450 also includes the capital of Rs 2,500 infused by the

Central Government in the Financial Year 2019-20 in these three Public Sector General Insurance

Companies.

152. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has informed on 12th July 2020 that a new Utility Tool

has been launched that will facilitate the Banks and Post Offices across the country with the

accurate TDS rate (Tax Deduction at Source) applicable on cash withdrawals.

153. The utility tool can be accessed by the Banks and Post Offices by visiting the web portal-

‘incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in’. The Utility Tool is available under the name’ Verification of

Applicability u/s 194N’ on the portal.

154. National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) launched UPI Auto Pay feature for recurring

payments. The feature launched is dedicated to recurring payments. It can be used for multiple

financial purposes such as booking bus pass, utility payment, paying DTH, train ticket among

others. The organizations such as Policy Bazaar, Axis Bank, Timesprime, Razor Pay and Pay U

India are to provide Auto Pay option to customers using recurring payments.

155. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has informed that a new Utility Tool has been

launched that will facilitate the Banks and Post Offices across the country with the accurate TDS

rate (Tax Deduction at Source) applicable on cash withdrawals. The utility tool can be accessed by

the Banks and Post Offices by visiting the web portal- ‘incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in’. The Utility

Tool is available under the name’ Verification of Applicability u/s 194N’ on the portal.

156. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)

signed Memorandum of Understanding to exchange data with each other. The agreement will

help to facilitate exchange of information between the boards on regular basis. The agreement

signed replaces the former agreement signed between Central Board of Excise and Customs

(CBEC) and CBDT.

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157. The Mumbai headquartered Union Bank of India (UBI), after its amalgamation with Corporation

Bank and Andhra Bank, has announced a corporate agency agreement with Life Insurance

Corporation of India (LIC) to distribute latter’s policies.

158. The New Delhi based Airtel Payments Bank Ltd has partnered with National Skill Development

Corporation (NSDC) to train and skill the youth in rural India. This will enable them to find

employment opportunities and become entrepreneurs in the financial services sector.

159. India’s third-largest public sector bank, Bank of Baroda (BoB) launched ‘Insta Click Savings

Account’, a 100% paperless digital self-assisted online savings account. It can be activated in real-

time i.e; the customer can transact using the Baroda M Connect Plus application with the MPIN

received on the mobile number.

160. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) agreed to partner

toward the “Green Recovery”. This is to help hands for the people who are facing the harsh

economic impact due to COVID-19 pandemic.

161. The 1st edition of two days long (July 22-23, 2020) world’s largest Global Fintech Fest (GFF) was

held virtually, which was organized by Payments Council of India (PCI) and Fintech Convergence

Council (FCC) at National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under the theme “Fintech: With

and Beyond COVID”. The aim of the fest was to bring together the global FinTech and Banking,

financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector. During GEF, NPCI launched UPI AutoPAy to ease

online recurring payments, and SBM EnKash RuPay Business Card for small business.

162. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) publicized the “Report of the Committee for Analysis of QR

(Quick Response) Code” under the chairmanship of Prof. Deepak B. Phatak on its website for

comments / suggestions of various industry players currently involved in or associated with the

use of QR codes.

163. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has agreed to a USD 400 million currency swap facility for Sri

Lanka, valid till November 2022. This will help Sri Lanka to meet its short-term international

liquidity requirements and to boost its foreign exchange reserves following the economic crisis

resulting from COVID-19. This Currency swap agreement was made under the South Asian

Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework.

164. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) and Gurugram based SBI

Card

launched a co-branded contactless credit card, IRCTC -SBI Platinum Card on RuPay Platform to

reward the frequent railway travellers. The card is equipped with Near Field Communication

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(NFC) technology by which users can facilitate their transactions at the point of sale (POS)

machines by Tap and Pay Option.

165. Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched its crop insurance campaign,’Bohot Zaroori Hai’

for farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka to encourage them about their yield protection and

financial security.

166. State Bank of India (SBI) provided liquidity support of USD 16.20 million as a COVID-relief for

the

Government of Maldives to overcome liquidity shortage on the occasion of Independence Day of

the Maldives.

167. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved the 3 Million USD grant (about Rs.22 Crore) from

the ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF), financed by Japanese government to

India to support the Government’s emergency response to COVID-19.

168. To enhance the flow of information between taxpayers and tax authorities, the Central Board

of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has launched a revised auto-generated Form 26AS namely “Annual

Information Statement (AIS)” from this assessment year of 2020-2021 w.e.f. June 1. The key

difference between the new and old form is that the former will also reflect the details of

“specified financial transactions (SFT)” i.e. all high-value transactions of individuals, companies,

partnership firms, etc. which are filed with the tax department under Section 285BA of the

Income-tax Act, 1961.

169. As stock market data, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) becomes the 1st Indian company to

reach Market Capitalisation (m-cap) of Rs 13 lakh crore. It becomes the world’s 48th largest

company by m-cap, ahead of Abbott Labs, Oracle, Chevron and Unilever. The United States listed

Reliance Jio among the companies that are becoming “Clean Telcos”

170. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) became the world’s second most valuable energy company,

overtaking American oil giant ExxonMobil after its market capitalisation (m-cap) reached over Rs

14 lakh crore (14.1 trillion or USD 189.3 billion). Aramco tops the list. Note: RIL is the 1st ever

Indian company that crossed the m-cap of Rs 14 trillion.

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AWARDS & RECOGNITION

171. Technical partners of MyGov Corona Helpdesk- JioHaptik Technologies Limited were awarded

two awards for their AI (Artificial Intelligence) enabled technology solution at the virtual Global

Leadership Summit and Festival of AI & Emerging Technology, CogX 2020. The awards won are

under following categories:

a. Best Innovation for COVID-19-Society

b. People’s Choice Covid-19 Overall Winner

172. A WhatsApp chatline named ‘SMARTgirl Chatline’ was implemented by a Research Team from

Cambodian NGO- KHANA Centre for Population Health Research. The ‘Smartgirl Chatline’ offered

24 hours response and support against gender-based violence to female entertainment workers

in Cambodia.

173. The Climate Activist Greta Thunberg was awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity. She

was awarded with prize money of 1 million Euros.

174. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman & CEO Mukesh Ambani has became the world’s fifth-

richest man in the world with an estimated wealth of 75 billion USD, according to the real-time

ranking of billionaires by Forbes. The list will be updated regularly on every trading day.

PERSON IN NEWS 175. Retired Secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Injeti Srinivas has been appointed as the

1st Chairman of the International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA).

176. 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee and Harvard University Economics

Professor Raj Chetty were listed among the 38 immigrants to be honoured as the ‘2020 Great

Immigrants’ by the Carnegie Corporation.

177. Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Indra Mani Pandey was appointed as the next Ambassador

and Permanent Representative of India.

178. The Incumbent President of Poland- Andrzej Duda has secured a victory in the 2020 Presidential

Election of Poland.

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179. Ashok Lavasa was appointed as the vice president of Asian Development Bank. Ashok Lavasa, a

1980 batch retired IAS officer.

180. The Deputy Commissioner of Mumbai Customs Sahil Seth was appointed as the honorary

adviser of steering committee for BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI)

181. Sonu Sood launched “Pravasi Rojgar App”. The application provides all necessary information

to find jobs and offer specific job training programmes.

182. R. Narayanaswamy, Professor of Finance and Accounting in Indian Institute of Management

(IIM) Bangalore was appointed as the Chair of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the

National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), independent accounting and auditing regulator set

up by the Government of India under the Companies Act, 2013.

183. The SBI General Insurance Company Limited announced that it has appointed Prakash

Chandra Kandpal as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

184. Tunisian President Kais Saied appointed Hichem Mechichi as its new Prime minister.

185. The Croatian parliament approved the new government led by Prime Minister Andrej

Plenkovic whose Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party won the most parliamentary seats in

the general election. The capital and currency of Croatia are Zagreb & Croatian Kuna respectively.

186. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres named Indian climate activist

Archana Soreng among 7 members to his new Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. The

members will advise him regularly on accelerating global action and also provide solutions to

tackle the worsening climate crisis

OBITUARIES 187. Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon passed away.

188. Former IAS officer and the first woman election commissioner of Maharashtra Smt Neela

Satyanarayan passed away.

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189. Veteran Bollywood Actor Zaibunnissa popularly known as Kumkum passed away. She was

born on 22nd April 1934 in Sheikhpura district, Bihar.

IMPORTANT DAYS 190. To express gratitude towards the doctors and physicians for their dedicated service, the day

1st July the birth as well as the death anniversary of one of the renowned physicians in India, Dr.

Bidhan Chandra Roy was chosen to be celebrated as National Doctor’s Day in India. The day is

organized by the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The Theme of 2020 National Doctor’s Day:

Lessen the Mortality of COVID 19.

191. United Nations declared 11th July to be observed as World Population Day. The Day is being

observed every year to focus attention and create awareness on the urgency and importance of

rising population issues across the world. As per UNFPA, the 2020 Focus will be on: ‘Peace in the

Home: Safeguarding the Health and Rights of Women and Girls- Even During COVID-19’

192. The Government of India back in 2001 declared 10th July to be celebrated every year as

‘National Fish Farmers Day’. The initiative of celebrating the Day was first taken by Mumbai’s

Central Institute of Fisheries Education.

193. Every year on July 14, the French Government celebrates Bastille Day. It is also called the

French National Day. The day commemorates the storming of Bastille in 1789.

194. World Youth Skills Day is celebrated on July 15. The day is celebrated to recognize the

importance of equipping young people with skills of employment, entrepreneurship and decent

work. Theme: Skills for a resilient youth

195. Every year Nelson Mandela International Day is marked all over the world on July 18. The

day was officially declared by the United Nations in 2009 and the first UN Mandela day was

observed in 2010.

196. Every year, on July 23, National Broadcasting Day is celebrated all over India. The day is

celebrated to commemorate the first ever radio broadcast aired in India.

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197. 26th July 2020 is celebrated as the 21st Kargil Vijay Diwas which marks the 21st anniversary of

India’s victory against Pakistan under Operation Vijay, launched to recapture the Indian

Territories captured by the Intruders of Pakistani army in the Kargil Drass sector in 1999.

198. 24th July 2020 is marked as the 160th Income Tax day or Aaykar Diwas by the Income Tax

Department. The Income Tax Day has been celebrated in India on 24th July since 2010. In 2010,

The Income Tax Department declared July 24th as the annual Income Tax Day to mark the 150th

year of this levy, the income tax was first imposed as a duty and came into force on 24th July

1860. Income tax was introduced in India by Sir James Wilson on 24th July 1860.

199. World Health Organisations (WHOs) World Hepatitis Day is annually observed on 28th July to

encourage the national and international efforts towards hepatitis and to educate the individuals

and general public about the need for global response outlined by WHOs Global hepatitis report

2017. The first World Hepatitis Day was observed on 28th July 2011. The theme of 2020 World

Hepatitis Day is “Hepatitis-free future” focusing on prevention of Hepatitis B among mothers

and new-born.

200. July 28th of every year is celebrated as the World Nature Conservation Day. This day is

celebrated all over the world to create awareness about the conservation of natural resources

and on environmental issues. Aim: To focus our efforts on preserving our natural environment

and keeping our home, Earth, healthy.

201. 29th July is annually celebrated as International Tiger Day or the Global Tiger Day to create

awareness among the general public on the importance of tiger conservation and protection of

their natural habitat and to promote the resolution of the tiger range countries to double the

tiger population by 2022. The first Global Tiger Day was celebrated on 29th July 2011. Prakash

Javadekar, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) released a

report of 4th All India Tiger Estimation- 2018, the Status of Tigers Copredators and Prey in

India.

202. The United Nations (UN) observed the “World day against trafficking in Person” annually on

July 30. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the conditions of the victims of trafficking

and to protect their rights. Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men

for numerous purposes including forced labour and sex. Theme for 2020 of the day as per United

Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is “Committed to the Cause: Working on the

Frontline to End Human Trafficking”.

203. The United Nations (UN) International Day of Friendship is observed annually on July 30 to

cherish the bond of friendship which will ultimately help to develop love and peace among

human beings. The day is also called Friendship Day. The 1st day was proposed for 30 July in

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1958 by the World Friendship Crusade. The UN General Assembly in 2011 proclaimed July 30 as

the official International Day of Friendship

SPORTS 204. In order to groom young athletes in the country for the upcoming Olympics of 2024 (Paris) and

2028 (Los Angeles), the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will launch- Target Olympic

Podium Scheme (TOPS) for the junior athletes.

205. ‘Fit Hai to Hit Hai India’ program was launched on 3rd July 2020 by Ramesh Pokhriyal (Union

Minister of Human Resource Development) and Kiren Rijiju (Union Minister of State I/C for Youth

Affairs and Sports). P.V Sindhu and Sunil Chhetri were also present.

206. Federation Internationale de Football Association announced that the 2022 World Cup is to be

held in Qatar. The governing body also released schedule of matches.

207. The Minister of State (I/C) of Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju and Haryana Chief Minister,

Manohar Lal Khattar announced that Haryana will host the 4th edition of Khelo India Youth

Games (KIYG) in 2021 through video conference. The Games will be held in Panchkula in

Haryana. Star Sports will be the Official Broadcast Partner.