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Why in news?

The recently released UNDP report on world population trends says that India will overtake China to become the world’s most populous country in a year’s time.

What does the report say about India?

Kurukshetra Magazine July 2022 ( English ) PDF

Vision IAS Polity Mains 365 English 2022 PDF

📰 Iran, Belarus to be newest SCO members

1)  World Youth Skills Day 2022 celebrates globally

•World Youth Skills Day 2022 is observed annually on July 15. It focuses on the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. This day is to equip young people around the world with essential skills for employment, work, and entrepreneurship. This day is meant to commemorate, acknowledge and celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

World Youth Skills Day 2022: Theme

•Every year, World Youth Skills Day is marked with a certain theme set by the United Nations. The theme for 2022 is ‘Transforming youth skills for the future’.

2)  Maharashtra Gov presents Mother Teresa Memorial Award to Dia Mirza & Afroz Shah

•The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) National Goodwill Ambassador Ms Dia Mirza, and Environmental Activist Mr Afroz Shah were felicitated with the prestigious Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice 2021. The award is given by the Governor of Maharashtra Hon. Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai. Both were awarded for their commendable and notable achievements in Environmental Sustainability.

3)  India’s first Monkeypox case reported in Kerala

•The first case of monkeypox was confirmed in India after a person who had returned to Kerala from UAE developed symptoms of the disease. His samples were sent to National Virology Institute in Pune which confirmed the disease. It was first found in monkeys in 1958.

•According to the WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe. It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting two to four weeks.

4)  Center extends State and Central Tax and Levies Rebate Program

•The government has approved the continuation of the Scheme for Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) with the same rates as announced by the Ministry of Textiles for exports of apparel/garments and made-ups until March 31, 2024 in an effort to increase exports and create jobs in the textile industry. RoSCTL is a growth-oriented, forward-looking programme that has helped increase exports and jobs by establishing a stable and predictable policy environment.

•The programme enhanced cost effectiveness and export competitiveness on the global market. Additionally, it has aided in the development of startups and entrepreneurs in the industry and encouraged a significant number of MSMEs to enter the garment export market. The RoSL (Rebate of State Levies) scheme was superseded by the new RoSCTL (Rebate of State and Central Taxes Levies) plan in March 2019 following the implementation of GST in 2017.

5)  SpaceX: Cargo Dragon supply mission to the ISS launched

•A hydrazine leak on a SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft caused the launch of the spacecraft to be delayed by more than a month. The spacecraft is now on its way to the International Space Station. Seven and a half minutes after takeoff, the Falcon 9 first stage landed on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. The stage successfully launched the Turksat 5B communications satellite, as well as NASA’s Crew-3, Crew-4, and CRS-22 missions. This was the stage’s fifth flight overall. SpaceX has conducted 30 launches so far this year compared to 31 over the entirety of 2021.

6)  Google Parent Alphabet appoints Goldman Sachs Veteran, Marty Chavez to Board

•Wall Street veteran Marty Chavez is joining the board of Google parent Alphabet Inc., adding significant finance muscle to the technology giant. His appointment marks the first change to the Alphabet board since 2020 when former Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt departed.

•Chavez, a vice chairman and partner with Sixth Street Partners, has worked as an investor and software executive but is best known for his 20-year tenure at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Chavez, 58, originally joined Goldman Sachs in the J. Aron trading unit. He then held various other roles at the firm, including chief financial officer, chief information officer, and head of its trading division, the bank’s largest unit.

7)  To encourage agricultural trade, Narendra Tomar Launches e-NAM Platform

•On the eve of the State Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers’ Conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, unveiled the Platform of Platforms (POP) under the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM). A total of 1,018 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) received equity grants totaling more than Rs 37 crore, which will help 3.5 lakh farmers.

8)  British Parliament felicitated BCCI President Sourav Ganguly

•Former India captain and current BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly was felicitated by the British Parliament. The Indian cricket legend was felicitated on the same date July 13 when he led India to Natwest final win in 2002 and exactly 20 years later on the same day he was honoured in the same city. He was elected as the President of BCCI in 2019.

1)  7th anniversary of Skill India Mission is being observed on 15th July

•The 7th anniversary of the Skill India Mission is being observed on 15th July. National Skill Development Mission also known as Skill India Mission was launched on this day in 2015. Skill India is an initiative of the central government to empower the youth with skill sets, making them more employable.

2)  PM Narendra Modi attends first virtual I2U2 summit

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the first virtual I2U2 Summit. The I2U2 is a four-nation grouping, where “I” stands for India and Israel, and “U” for the US and the UAE. PM Modi was joined by United States President Joe Biden, Israeli PM Yair Lapid and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

3)  Cabinet approved Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road new rail line

•The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the construction of the Taranga Hill-Ambaji- Abu Road new rail line to be constructed by the Ministry of Railways at an estimated cost of Rs 2798.16 crore. The total length of the new rail line will be 116.65 km and is expected to be completed in 2026-27. The project would generate direct employment during construction for about 40 lakh man-days.

•This line is projected to facilitate faster movement of agricultural and local products and also provide improved mobility of the people in the region within the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan and also to other parts of the country. This project will also provide an alternative route for the existing Ahmedabad-Abu Road railway line.

4)  National Rail and Transportation Institute upgraded as Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya

•National Rail and Transportation Institute upgraded as Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, the deemed to be university will be upgraded to a central university. The university has been renamed as Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya. The Union Cabinet gave its approval to introduce a Bill in Parliament, namely, the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009 for setting up of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV).

•The amendment would help in converting the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), a Deemed-to-be university into Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, a Central University. The NRTI offers BSc in transportation technology, BBA in transportation management courses, and MSc in railway system engineering and integration.

5)  Dr S Jaishankar launches ‘Connecting through Culture’ at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in Delhi

•External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar launched ‘Connecting through Culture’, an anthology of essays on various aspects of India’s soft power strengths, at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan in New Delhi, India. The Minister described the book as the “good cop” in diplomacy and said that it can be used to encourage others to work with India because “it creates a comfort about India.

•It takes different aspects of India and to some degree, it brings out the familiarity with different facets of India.” The anthology in many ways is a very notable contribution to understanding India, appreciating India, and in many ways valuing India.

6)  Indian researchers developed novel method to render SARS-CoV-2 inactive

•New synthetic peptides that can both prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering cells and clump the virus particles together to lessen their capacity to infect living cells have been created by Indian scientists.With the help of this innovative technique, viruses like SARS-CoV-2 can be rendered dormant, opening the door for a new family of peptide antivirals.

7)  Agnikul Cosmos opened India’s first rocket engine factory in Chennai

•Space tech startup, Agnikul Cosmos has inaugurated India’s first-ever factory to manufacture 3D-printed rocket engines in Chennai. The facility will use additive manufacturing technology to build 3D printed rocket engines and will be used to produce engines for its own in-house rockets. It was unveiled by Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran and ISRO chairman S Somanath in the presence of Pawan Goenka, the chairman of IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre).

•The company facility will use additive manufacturing technology to build 3D printed rocket engines and will be used to produce engines for its own in-house rockets. This will allow the factory to produce eight engines every month and build the number of engines required to launch Agnibaan – its two-stage launch vehicle, expected to launch by the end of the year.

8)  Mustafizur Rahman named as Bangladesh High Commissioner to India

•The Bangladesh Government has appointed Mustafizur Rahman as the next High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India. He is currently serving as Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Offices in Geneva and the Ambassador to Switzerland. He will succeed Muhammad Imran as the new High Commissioner.

9)  First E-Waste Eco Park in India to be built in Delhi

•For discussion of development of an e-waste eco park, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai convened a joint review meeting with representatives from the Environment Department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. Approximately 21 acres would be used to create India’s first e-waste eco park in Holambi Kalan, a neighbourhood of Delhi, according to Rai.

10)  UIDAI launched ‘AadhaarFaceRd’ mobile app to perform Aadhaar face authentication

•The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched a face authentication feature through a new mobile app called “AadhaarFaceRd”. For authentication, Aadhaar card holders no longer need to physically visit an enrollment centre for iris and fingerprint scans. The UIDAI has started using face authentication as a method of confirming an Aadhaar holder’s identity. Once your facial authentication is successful, it verifies your identity.

•Residents are now using the Aadhaar Face Authentication feature by downloading the UIDAI RDApp, which can be used for various Aadhaar Authentication Apps like Jeevan Praman, PDS, Scholarship schemes, COWIN, and Farmer Welfare schemes. Aadhaar Face Authentication technology has been developed in-house by UIDAI.

11)  Jute Mark India (JMI) Logo Launched by Government

•The government of India introduced the certification of authenticity for jute products manufactured in India. The Union Textile Secretary unveiled the logo “Jute Mark India”. This project is an initiative to protect and promote Indian jute products.

12)  BIMSTEC expert group meeting Begin in New Delhi on cooperation in cyber security

•A two-day meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Cyber Security Cooperation is being organised in New Delhi by the National Security Council Secretariat of the Indian Government. The BIMSTEC Expert Group will create an Action plan to address cyber security concerns in the BIMSTEC Region, as agreed upon during the conference of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs held in Bangkok in March 2019.

13)  Wholesale inflation declines marginally to 15.18% for June

•The annual rate of inflation based on the all-India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) is 15.18 per cent for the month of June, in a marginal drop from May when the figure stood at 15.88 per cent. The latest figure has bucked the three-month rising trend but remained in double-digit for the 15th straight month. Figures have been in double digits since April last year.

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