21st July, 2022 Current Affairs

21st July, 2022 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
PM NarendraModi unveils ‘SPRINT Challenges’ to boost usage of Indigenous Technology

• Prime Minister NarendraModi unveiled ‘SPRINT Challenges’, aimed at giving a boost to the usage of indigenous technology in the Indian Navy, during the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar ‘Swavlamban’ in New Delhi.
•  This collaborative project is named SPRINT {Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), NIIO and Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC)}.

Terrorist attacks in J&K substantially decline to 229 in 2021 as compared to 417 in 2018: Govt informs RS

• The security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir with the continuous decline in terrorist attacks in recent years.
•  The number of terrorist attacks has substantially declined to 229 in 2021 as compared to 417 in 2018 in J&K. Similarly, the attacks on civilians have also decreased from 33 in 2018 to 12 in 2021.
• On the attacks on Kashmiri Pandits in recent months, the government has taken several measures for the safety of minorities in the valley. These include a robust security and intelligence grid, day and night area domination, patrolling and proactive operations against the terrorists, and round-the-clock checking at nakas.

Lt Gen (Retd) Raj Shukla appointed as member of UPSC

• Retired Army officer Raj Shukla has been appointed as a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The UPSC recommends candidates to the government for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Central Services — Group A and Group B.
• Lt. Gen. Shukla, a recipient of the ParamVishishtSeva Medal in 2021, has a career spanning over four decades in the Indian Army. He commanded an Infantry Brigade in counter-insurgency operations, the Baramulla Division along the Line of Control in the Kashmir Valley, and a Pivot Corps along the western borders.

Former SC judge Vineet Saran appointed as new BCCI ethics officer

• Former Supreme Court judge, Vineet Saran has taken over as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ethics officer and ombudsman. He has succeeded Justice (Retd) D. K. Jain, whose term ended in June last year. Saran, 65, is a former Chief Justice of Odisha High Court, and also served as a judge in Karnataka and Allahabad High Court.
• Justice Vineet Saran graduated from Allahabad University in 1976. Subsequently, he obtained an LL.B degree. He practised in the Allahabad High Court from 1980 till 2002 on the constitutional, civil and criminal sides. He also served as the Additional Advocate General for the State of U.P. in the year 1995.

Incidents of Left Wing Extremism declined by 77% in last decade: MoSNityanandRai in RS

• The country has witnessed a significant decline in the incidents of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in the last decade. The incidents of LWE violence have reduced by 77 percent, to 505 in 2021 from an all-time high of two thousand 258 in 2009. Similarly, the resultant deaths including civilians and security forces have also reduced by 85 percent to 147 in 2021 from an all-time high of 1005 in 2010.
• The geographical spread of the violence has also decreased as only 46 districts reported LWE-related violence in 2021 as compared to 96 districts in 2010. The government has made continuous efforts for security up-gradation and strengthening of Special Forces to deal with the LWE menace in an effective manner.
• The government has taken several steps for the development of LWE-affected States. A special thrust has been given on expansion of road network, improving Telecommunication connectivity, skill development, and financial inclusion.

Weekly Current Affairs (National) Bitbank: Which state is the top sugar producer of India in 2021-22?

INTERNATIONAL
Union Cabinet approves signing of MoU in field of Judicial Cooperation between India and Maldives

• The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Judicial Cooperation between India and Judicial Service Commission of Maldives.
• This is the eighth MoU signed between India and other countries in the field of Judicial Cooperation. This MoU will provide a platform to tap the benefits of Information Technology for court digitization and can be a potential growth area for the IT companies and start-ups in both countries. In recent years, the close relationship between India and Maldives has intensified multi-dimensionally.
• With the signing of this agreement on cooperation in the field of law and justice, the good relations between the two countries will receive further impetus. 

69 % of Afghan people chose India as Afghanistan's Best Friend

• 69% of Afghan people chose India as Afghanistan's 'best friend' country, according to a recent survey. A Brussels-based news website EU Reporter said that in order to gain insight into the people of Afghanistan, a survey was conducted which gathered an understanding of the common people's assessment of their past, current scenario, and their future aspirations. According to the survey, the data showed that more than 67 per cent of Afghan people believe that the mis-timed and mismanaged exit by the United States gave Pakistan and China the opportunity to encourage the Taliban to take over Kabul.

A report:

• India and Afghanistan have very ancient historic and cultural ties. Despite all the efforts of Pakistan, relations between two countries at the people-to-people level have remained good, surviving Taliban rule in the 1990s and since August last year.
•  India also has strong stakes and strategic interests in Afghanistan. India has been the largest donor in Afghanistan among the countries in the region, doling out about 3 billion dollar. India is the fifth largest donor for Afghanistan in the world.
• India's help to Afghanistan has been diverse, ranging from building infrastructure to sending teams of medical staff and food.

RanilWickremesinghe to be sworn-in as President of Sri Lanka

• RanilWickremesinghe will take oath as the President of Sri Lanka at the parliament complex today after his victory in a parliament vote to choose a new president for the island nation.
• Out of the 225 parliamentarians, 223 voted to elect a new president and there were four invalid votes. RanilWickremesinghe received 134 votes. While parliamentarian of the Sri Lanka PodujanaPeramuna party DullasAlahapperuma secured 82 votes, National People’s Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake got only three votes.

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ECONOMY
RBI imposed penalty of Rs 1.67 cr on Ola Financial Services for non-compliance provisions

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1.67 crore on Ola Financial Services Private Limited for non-compliance with certain provisions related to pre-paid payment instruments and Know Your Customer norms.
• The penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under Section 30 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

SPORTS
NarinderBatra resigned as FIH, IOA president and IOC member

• Veteran sports administrator, NarinderBatra has resigned as President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), as well as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), citing “personal reasons”. 
• Mr Batra ceased to be President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) when the Delhi High Court, on May 25, struck down the post of ‘Life member’ in Hockey India, courtesy of which he had contested the IOA elections and won back in 2017.

Los Angeles to host 2028 Summer Olympic Games

• The 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will be hosted in Los Angeles, United States. The opening ceremony for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will take place on July 14, 2028, and continue till July 30.
• Los Angeles has previously hosted the Olympics in 1984 and 1932. The LA28 Games will feature more than 3,000 hours of live sport across 800 events in more than 40 sports. 15,000 athletes are expected to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, according to LA 28.

AWARDS
NAARM received Sardar Patel Award of ICAR

• The National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) has bagged the Sardar Patel Outstanding ICAR Institute Award 2021 (in the Large Institute Category) for its overall performance. ChSrinivasaRao, Director of NAARM, received the award from the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi. The awards were given away at a function to mark the 94th Foundation Day of the ICAR.
• The National Academy of Agricultural Research Management is a national-level Natural Resource Service training institute for ARS cadre located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was established by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 1976, to address issues related to agricultural research and education management, in India.

ANDHRAPRADESH
Godavari Islands: Andhra Pradesh conducts the first-ever blackbuck survey

• In order to create a conservation strategy to safeguard the endangered species, the Andhra Pradesh State Wildlife Department has begun the first-ever study of blackbucks along a length of islands in the Godavari between Dowleswaram and Yanam. Following reports of large numbers of blackbucks becoming stuck on the islands affected by the Godavari floods, the survey was proposed.
• The Gowthami, Vasista, Vainteya, and VridhaGowthami islands in the Konaseema and East Godavari districts are a significant habitat for blackbucks, who travel throughout the area adjacent to populated areas. Blackbucks have occasionally been stolen downstream of Dowleswaram.
• Bobbarlanka, one of the many islands that are home to the animal, situated downstream of the Dowleswaram barrage and is where you may see blackbucks all year round.
• S.S.R. Vara Prasad, a forest range officer for wildlife in Kakinada, and D. Mahesh Babu, a wildlife researcher for the A.P. Forest Department, began the field study on Monday despite the danger of floodwaters in the Godavari and its branches. By boat, they traversed the islands.
• The safety of the blackbuck has been ensured on the Godavari Islands by local communities’ peaceful coexistence with the animal. The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972′s Schedule-1 penalises the taking of blackbucks.

Published date : 21 Jul 2022 05:46PM