VISION

 Shankar IAS July 2021 Current Affairs PDF

1)  PM Modi announces palm oil initiative

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a Rs 11,000 crore National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to make India self-sufficient in cooking oils, including palm oil. The government will ensure that farmers get all the facilities, from quality seeds to technology under the mission.

•While India has become self-sufficient in rice, wheat and sugar, it was not enough as the country is hugely dependent on imported edible oils. The Centre has already been running a National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm to boost oilseeds and palm oil production in India for the last few years with an aim to lower imports.

2)  Nagaland wins 7 National Awards under Van Dhan Yojana Scheme

•Nagaland has been conferred with seven national awards on the first Van Dhan Annual Awards 2020-21, during the celebration of the 34th foundation day of the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED). The awards were presented by Union tribal minister, Arjun Munda through a Zoom webinar.

3)  Finance Ministry: over 5.82 crore Jan Dhan accounts inoperative

•The Finance Ministry has informed Rajya Sabha that over 5.82 crore Jan Dhan (PMJDY) accounts are inoperative. This is 14 per cent of the total number of accounts. It means at least one out of 10 Jan Dhan accounts is inoperative. According to guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India, “savings, as well as current account, should be treated as inoperative/dormant if there are no transactions in the account for over a period of two years. According to the website of PMJDY, the total number of Jan Dhan accounts is 42.83 crore with a balance of nearly ₹1.43 lakh crore.

•For the purpose of classifying an account as ‘inoperative’ both types of transactions i.e. debit as well as credit, induced at the instance of customers as well as a third party, should be considered. This is key as these accounts are also used for payment under welfare schemes, food grain procurement mechanisms or even rural employment guarantee programmes.

4)  IT Ministry to host the first Internet Governance Forum in the country

•India will host the first Internet Governance Forum in the country, starting from October 20, this year. The theme of this year’s meeting is Inclusive Internet for Digital India. With this announcement, the Indian chapter of the United Nations-based forum namely the Internet Governance Forum has begun. It’s an Internet Governance policy discussion platform to bring representatives together from various groups, considering all at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet.

•National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology(MeitY) and the Chairman of the Coordination Committee, India Internet Governance Forum 2021 (IGF), announced the launch of India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF) -2021.

5)  Maharashtra government announces Rajiv Gandhi award for IT sector

•Maharashtra government has announced a new award named after the former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for outstanding performance in the Information and Technology (IT) sector. The Rajiv Gandhi Award in Maharashtra will be given to institutes doing remarkable work in the field of information technology.

•The decision to start an award in the state after former PM Rajiv Gandhi was taken in a meeting chaired by Maharashtra Minister of State for Information Technology and Home Satej Patil. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award will be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.

6)  Mohammad Mokhber named as first Vice President of Iran

•Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi named the chairman of a powerful state-owned foundation sanctioned by the United States as his first vice-president. Mohammad Mokhber has for years headed the foundation known as Setad or the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s order.

•Mokhber was appointed to the position by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2007. The Setad was originally founded in the late 1980s to manage confiscated properties following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

7)  South Africa grants patent to an artificial intelligence system

•South Africa grants a patent relating to a “food container based on fractal geometry” to an artificial intelligence (AI) system called DABUS. DABUS (which stands for “device for the autonomous bootstrapping of unified sentience”) is an AI system created by Stephen Thaler, a pioneer in the field of AI and programming. The system simulates human brainstorming and creates new inventions.

8)  RBI appoints Neeraj Chopra for banking fraud awareness campaign

•The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has started a public awareness campaign to warn people against digital banking frauds. For the new campaign, RBI has roped in Olympic Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra. The central bank has asked people to be a little cautious as doing so can protect them from a lot of troubles. A little caution takes care of a lot of trouble.

•The campaign sees Chopra urging users to not divulge details like OTP, CVV number and ATM PIN in front of anyone. The users should keep changing their online banking passwords and PIN numbers frequently and immediately block ATM card, credit card, debit card and/or prepaid card if one loses it. Block your card if stolen, lost or compromised.

9)  India ranks 122nd on “New Global Youth Development Index”

•India is ranked 122nd on a new Global Youth Development Index 2020 measuring the condition of young people across 181 countries, released by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. Singapore ranked topmost followed by Slovenia, Norway, Malta and Denmark. Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Niger came last respectively.

•The triennial rankings of youth development found India among the top five risers on the index between 2010 and 2018, alongside Afghanistan and Russia, advancing their score on average by 15.74 per cent across areas such as education and employment.

10)  UNICEF India, Facebook collaborate to make a safer online world for children

•UNICEF India and Facebook have launched a one-year joint initiative on ending violence against children with a special focus on online safety. The partnership seeks to create a safe environment for children online and offline. It aims to improve children’s resilience and capacity to access the digital world safely, increase awareness on violence against children and its impact on children, families, and communities, and increase the skills of communities and frontline workers to better prevent and respond to violence.

📰 Home Ministry flags illegal migration

1)  World Lion Day observed on 10th August

•World Lion Day is observed globally on August 10 every year. World Lion Day is marked to raise awareness about the king of beasts and the efforts undertaken for their conservation. Owing to their courage, intelligence, strength, and magnificence, lions often feature on national flags, and royal symbols and emblems to represent command, power or authority across cultures. World Lion Day was launched in 2013.

2)  World Biofuel Day celebrated on 10th August

•World Biofuel Day is observed on August 10 every year. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and highlight the various efforts made by Government in the biofuel sector. The development of biofuels is in sync with schemes such as Swach Bharat Abhiyan and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. World Biofuel Day was first observed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Gas in August 2015.

3)  Gujarat CM launches eNagar mobile application and portal

•Gujarat Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani has launched eNagar mobile application and portal. The eNagar covers 10 modules with 52 services including property tax, professional tax, water & drainage, Complaints and grievance redressal, building permission, fire and emergency services.

•Gujarat Urban Development Mission has been appointed as a nodal agency for eNagar project. Total 170 locations including 162 municipalities and 8 Municipal Corporations are covered under the eNagar project.

4)  Indian Army contingent to participate in International Army Games 2021 in Russia

•The 7th edition of the International Army Games, 2021, will be held from 22 August to 04 September 2021 in Russia. The competition will be hosted in eleven countries in the 2021 Games. Over 280 teams from 42 countries will compete in the game to show their combat skills, professionalism and determination to win. The International Army Games also referred to as ‘War Olympics’, is an international military sports event, which aims to strengthen military-to-military cooperation between countries and trust between the participating nations.

•From India, 101 members of the Indian Army will participate in the International Army Games, which is organised each year by the Russian Ministry of Defence, since 2015. The Indian contingent will participate in Army Scout Masters Competition (ASMC), Elbrus Ring, Polar Star, Sniper Frontier and Safe Route games. In 2019, India had also co-hosted the games for the first time in Jaisalmer and had stood first in Army Scouts Master Competition.

5)  GoI Approves 3-year extension for Rekha Sharma as Chairperson of NCW

•The Government of India has given a three-year extension to Rekha Sharma as Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW). She will serve for another three years term with effect from August 07, 2021, or till the age of 65 years or until further orders whichever is the earliest. The 57-year-old Sharma first assumed the charge as Chairperson of NCW on August 7, 2018.

•Rekha Sharma has been associated with the Commission as a member since August 2015 and held the additional charge as the chairperson from September 29, 2017, before becoming its regular chief. She has been a vocal advocate of gender sensitisation of police personnel since they are the first point of contact for victims.

6)  PM Modi becomes first Indian PM to Chair a UNSC Debate

•Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has chaired the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate, via video conferencing. With this, PM Modi has become the first Prime Minister of India to chair a UNSC open debate. It must be remembered that India has assumed the Presidency of the UNSC for August 2021, taking over from France.

•The theme of the high-level open debate was ‘Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation’. India will organize two more meetings during its presidency, on peacekeeping and counterterrorism.

During the debate, PM Modi also underlined five principles that need to be followed in terms of maritime trade and security, which included:

•free maritime trade sans barriers,

•peaceful settlement of maritime disputes,

•combating maritime threats,

•encouraging responsible maritime connectivity and

•preserving maritime environment and resources

7)  Kiren Rijiju attends 8th SCO Meeting of Ministers of Justice

•The Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has virtually attended the eighth meeting of Ministers of Justice of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The Minister of State for Law & Justice, Prof SP Singh Baghel also attended the meeting. During the virtual event, Rijiju highlighted the initiatives taken by the Government of India for providing affordable and easy access to justice for all.

8)  ITBP inducts its first women officers in combat

•For the first time, India-China LAC guarding the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force has commissioned its first two women officers in combat. The two women officers, Prakriti and Diksha will be posted as company commanders in ITBP battalions. Heretofore, women officers in the ITBP were serving in the medical branch or were on deputation from the Indian Police Service at top echelons.

•Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Deswal put the ranks of Assistant Commandant, the entry-level officer rank in the paramilitary, on the shoulders of Prakriti and Diksha after the passing out parade and attestation ceremony where they took an oath to serve the country. The ITBP started recruiting women combat officers in its cadre in 2016 through an all-India examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

9)  India to launch advanced geo imaging satellite “Gisat-1”

•India will finally launch its most advanced geo-imaging satellite (GiSAT-1), which will allow better monitoring of the subcontinent, including its borders with Pakistan and China, by imaging the country 4-5 times a day. The satellite will be launched on August 12 from Sriharikota. Isro’s GSLV-F10 rocket will finally put the 2,268-kg Gisat-1, codenamed EOS-3, into the geo-orbit. This will be India’s first launch of a primary satellite this year.

•Once placed 36,000 km above the earth in the geostationary orbit after space manoeuvres, the advanced ‘eye in the sky’ can constantly monitor areas of interest (the satellite will move in sync with the rotation of the Earth and hence would look stationary) and will give real-time information about a large area unlike other remote sensing satellites placed in lower orbits that come to a spot only at regular intervals. EOS-3 will also enable quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic and short-term events.

10)  7th August to be named “Javelin Throw Day” to honour Neeraj Chopra

•The Athletics Federation of India has decided that javelin throw day will be on 7th August every year in honour of Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra. The 23-year-old Neeraj is India’s second individual Olympic gold medallist after Abhinav Bindra. Neeraj bagged the gold medal in men’s javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on 7th August 2021.

•Neeraj has scripted the history at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo when he threw the javelin to a distance of 87.58m to end India’s medal drought in athletics at the Olympics. This is India’s first-ever gold medal in athletics in the history of the Olympics.  AFI’s bid to name August 7 as Javelin Throw Day is an attempt to attract more youth towards the sport.

11)  A book title “The Earthspinner” authored by Anuradha Roy

•A book titled “The Earthspinner” authored by award-winning novelist Anuradha Roy. In the book, Roy delves into the “life and mind of Elango the potter, who must navigate complicated and impossible love, the dedication of a beloved pet, his own passion for creativity and a world turned upside down by the petty violence that characterises the present day”.

•This novel is about two people struggling to free themselves of such shackles to create a happier world. Roy’s earlier works include “An Atlas of Impossible Longing” and “The Folded Earth”.

12)  A book title “How the Earth Got Its Beauty” authored by Sudha Murty

•A book titled “How the Earth Got Its Beauty” authored by Sudha Murty. The book was published by Penguin Random House imprint Puffin, has illustrations by Priyanka Pachpande. Sudha Murty is a prolific writer in English and Kannada, she has written novels, technical books, travelogues, collections of short stories and non-fictional pieces, and four books for children. Her books have been translated into all the major Indian languages.

•Sudha Murty was the recipient of the R.K. Narayan Award for Literature and the Padma Shri in 2006, and the Attimabbe Award from the government of Karnataka for excellence in Kannada literature in 2011.

📰 ₹11,000 crore for new edible oil mission, says PM Modi

Insights IAS Prelims Exclusive 2021 Economy-2 PDF 

Insights IAS Prelims Exclusive 2021 Geography-2 PDF

1)  Nation observes 79th anniversary of Quit India movement

•The 79th anniversary of the August Kranti Din or Quit India Movement, which is considered as one of the important milestones in the history of the freedom struggle of our country, is being observed on 8 August 2021. On 8 Aug 1942, Mahatma Gandhi gave a clarion call to end British rule and launched the Quit India Movement at the session of the All-India Congress Committee in Mumbai.

•After the failure of Cripps Mission, Gandhiji gave the call to “Do or Die” in his Quit India speech delivered at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai. The grateful country is paying homage to the freedom fighters and remembering the supreme sacrifices of the martyrs during the freedom struggle.

2)  International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: 9 August

•United Nations observes the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 09th August every year. The day is being observed to protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population and recognize the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection. The theme for 2021 is “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract.”

•The day was recognised by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1994. The date to marks the day of the inaugural session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations at the United Nations in 1982.

3)  Nagasaki Day: 9th August

•Japan commemorates the 9th of August every year as Nagasaki day. On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. It was code-named “Fat Man” due to the design of the bomb as it had a wide, round shape. This happened 3 days after dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

•An area of about 5 square miles was completely obliterated and around 65,000 people were killed in the bombing. Nagasaki and Hiroshima continue to feel the impact of the destructive bombing even today.

4)  India-UAE Navy undertakes bilateral exercise ‘Zayed Talwar 2021’

•The Indian Navy and UAE Navy conducted the bilateral naval exercise ‘Zayed Talwar 2021’ on August 07, 2021, off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The main objective of the ‘Zayed Talwar 2021’ naval exercise was to enhance interoperability and synergy between the two navies.

•Indian Navy participated with INS Kochi, with two integral Sea King MK 42B helicopters, deployed in the Persian Gulf. From UAE, UAES AL – Dhafra, a Baynunah class guided missile corvette and one AS – 565B Panther helicopter took part in the exercise.

5)  Karnataka becomes first state to issue order implementing NEP-2020

•Karnataka has become the first state in the country to issue the order with regard to the implementation of the National Education Policy-2020. The state government has issued an order on the implementation of NEP-2020 with effect from the current academic year 2021-2022.

6)  Indian Railways Launches Rail Madad: A Unified Customer Care Solution

•Indian Railways has launched an integrated one-stop solution “Rail Madad” in which the national transporter has merged a number of existing helplines that were used for various purposes into one. The Railway ministry toll-free number 139 can be used for all kinds of enquiries and making complaints and the helpline facility is available round-the-clock in 12 languages.

7)  GoI approves 1-year extension to Rajiv Gauba’s term as Cabinet Secretary

•The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has extended the term of service of Rajiv Gauba, as the Cabinet Secretary of India, for a further period of one year. Gauba, a 1982-batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, was appointed to the top bureaucratic post of the country in August 2019 for two years. His term of service was to end on August 30, 2021. Prior to this, Mr Gauba was Union Home Secretary from August 2017 to August 2019.

8)  Ministry for Social Justice launches ‘PM-DAKSH’ Portal and Mobile App

•The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar has unveiled a portal and mobile application named ‘PM-DAKSH’, which aims to make the skill development schemes accessible to the target groups. The ‘PM-DAKSH’ stands for Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana. The portal can be accessed at: http://pmdaksh.dosje.gov.in.

•The platform has been developed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in collaboration with National E-Governance Division (NeGD), under the Department Of Electronics And Information Technology. The training programs will be implemented through Government Training Institutes, Sector Skill Councils constituted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and other credible institutions.

9)  Haryana govt signs MoU with Walmart Vriddhi to help MSMEs

•The Haryana government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ‘Walmart Vriddhi’ and ‘Haqdarshak’ to create a pathway for Indian MSMEs’ products to move to the international markets. The MoU was signed in the presence of Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, Vikas Gupta, MSME Department Director-General, the Indian government, Nitin Dutt from Walmart Vriddhi, and Aniket Doegar (CEO of Haqdarshak).

•To promote MSMEs apart from large industries, many important concessions have been given to investors in ‘Haryana Enterprises and Employment Policy-2020’. This move will bring a big opportunity for the MSME sector, as their products will be displayed in 24 countries and will be available in 10,500 stores under 48 banners.

10)  A book titled “The Year That Wasn’t – The Diary of a 14-Year-Old” released

•Veteran actor Shabana Azmi has launched the book titled “The Year That Wasn’t – The Diary of a 14-Year-Old”, which is penned by Kolkata girl Brisha Jain. The book was written by a 14-year-old girl, which chronicles the lockdown days seen through her eyes as the Covid-19 pandemic spreading last year.

•The book handholds readers through a journey – the hopeful beginning of a new decade, the confusion triggered by a pandemic, lockdown travails, coping with the whole new world of online schooling, a new digital divide, the vaccine race, the waning of the pandemic’s severity and it’s a resurgence.