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Current Affairs Pocket PDF
Current Affairs Pocket PDF – July 2019
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Cabinet Approvals
Cabinet Approvals On July 10, 2019
• Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the following proposals:
 Approval to The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019
 Approval to Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Bill, 2019
 Approval to The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019
 Approval to Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019
 Approval to Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-lll
 Approval to Amendment in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act
2012
 Approval to Grant of Organized Group ‘A’ Status to Indian Railway Protection Force (RPF)
Service. Click here to read detailed article abt Cabinet Approval
Cabinet approved 7 amendments to IBC
• The Union Cabinet approved 7 amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016
(IBC). It will help to speed up the bankruptcy resolution process and correct deviations that
have crept into its functioning. It clarifies the uncertainty arisen after the ruling by the National
Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in the Essar Steel resolution case.Click here to
read more.
Cabinet Approvals on July 17, 2019
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
has approved the following proposals on July 17, 2019:
 Approval to the expenditure on 2880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Project in Arunachal
Pradesh at Rs. 1600 crore
 Approval to the extension of the term of the Fifteenth Finance Commission up to
November 30, 2019
 Approval to the Amendment in the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Fifteenth Finance
Commission
 Approval to the Implementation of the Cabinet’s decision dated 28.12.2016 regarding
pharmaceutical companies
 Approval to Double New Bongaigaon-Agthori via Rangiya railway line
 Approval to boost Railway Connectivity between Allahabad and Mughalsarai
 Approval to boost to Rail Connectivity in Uttar Pradesh
 Approval to set up National Medical Commission
 Approval to Repealing and Amendment Bill, 2019 to scrap 58 Redundant Laws
 Approval to NID Amendment Bill .Click here to read more.
Cabinet Approvals On July 25, 2019
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the following proposals
on July 25, 2019:
 Approval to the sale of 481.79 acres of land held by FACT to the Government of Kerala
and utilization of the sale proceeds by FACT
 Approval to the merger/amalgamation of National Institute of Miners’ Health (NIMH)
with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Occupational
Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad
 Approval to the creation of buffer stock of 40 LMT of sugar for a period of one year from
August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020
 Approval to the determination of ‘Fair and Remunerative Price’ of sugarcane payable by
sugar mills for 2019-20 sugar season. Click here to read more.
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Cabinet Approval On July 31,2019

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the following
proposals on July 31, 2019:
 Approval to the extension of term of the commission constituted under Article 340 of
the constitution to examine the issue of Sub-categorization within Other Backward
Classes in the Central List
 Approval to the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K)
fertilizers for the year 2019-20
 Approval to the J&K Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill 2019
 Approval to increase the strength of SC judges from 31 to 34. Click here to read more.
Cabinet Approval with Foreign Countries on July 31,2019
 Cabinet approves the signing of UN Convention on International settlement agreements
 Cabinet approves setting up ISRO Technical Liaison Unit at Moscow.Click here to read
more.
STATE WISE NATIONAL NEWS

Andhra Pradesh
India’s longest electrified railway tunnel commissioned
• South Central Railways (SCR) of Indian Railways commissioned the longest electrified tunnel in
India. It is situated between Cherlopalli and Rapuru stations in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh
which is a part of 113 km railway line between Obulavaripalli – Venkatachalam -
Krishnapatnam Port. It is constructed in the shape of a Horse Shoe. It was built in 43 months at
the cost of Rs 460 crore. The length of the tunnel is 6.6 kilometers.
The maiden Budget of Jaganmohan Reddy’s Government in AP focused on Housing, Agriculture
• YSR (Yuvajana Sramika Rythu) Congress Government of AndraPradesh presented the maiden
Budget under the Chief Minister Y.SJaganmohan Reddy. State Finance Minister B. Rajendranath
Reddy presentedthe Budget 2019-20 with an outlay of Rs 227,975 crore, with its emphasis
on“Nava ratnalu” – the nine promises made by the YSR Congress Party in its election manifesto.
Andhra Pradesh became the first state in India to reserve 75% private jobs for locals
• Andhra Pradesh Assembly under the Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy passed the Andhra
Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in Industries/Factories Act, 2019, which reserves
75% private job to locals across factories, industrial units, joint ventures and private projects
taken under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. With this, it became the first state in
India to reserve jobs for the locals in the private & industrial concerns.
Former Andra Pradesh minister Mukesh Goud passes away
• Senior Andhra Pradesh Congress leader and former state minister Mukesh Goud passed away
in Hyderabad, Telangana after suffering from throat cancer for the last 2 years. He was 60. He
was born in Hyderabad, Telangana.
AP Assembly passes Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission Bill 2019 to regulate
school fees
• Andhra Pradesh (AP) Assembly has passed Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission
Bill 2019 which provides setting up of commission which will be supervised by a retired high
court judge to maintain standards of school education, competences of teachers, information
disclosure, effective inspection, monitoring of schools, implementation of the provisions of RTE
(Rights To Education) Act, 2009.
Arunachal Pradesh
Five important bills passed by Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly
• Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed five important bills on the second day of the
three day budget session. The bills are Arunachal Pradesh Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2019,
Arunachal Pradesh Goods and Service Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Arunachal Pradesh
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Municipal Corporation Bill, 2019, Arunachal Pradesh State Higher Education Council Bill, 2019
and Arunachal Pradesh Protection of Medical Service Personnel and Medical Service
Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss of Property) Bill, 2019.
Nationwide tree plantation programme launched by Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu
• The campaign Clean-Green Arunachal Campaign 2019 was launched in Itanagar, Arunachal
Pradesh by CM Pema Khandu to plant 1 lakh tree saplings within the next 24 hour. The
campaign was held as part of VanMahotsav celebration which plans to plant 1crore trees
within the next 5 years.
Assam
82-member rhino protection force deployed in Kaziranga National Park, Assam
• 82 members “Special Rhino Protection Force” (SRPF) was deployed in Kaziranga National Park
(KNP), Assam with an objective to protect the one-horned rhinoceros. KNP, home for one-
horned rhino, was declared as the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization) World Heritage Site in 1985.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh CM inaugurated 'Jan Choupal' program to hold public meetings
• The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel has inaugurated the 'Jan Choupal' program
in Raipur, Chhattisgarh for holding public meetings once every week to discuss the issues of
the people. In order to resolve the issues of people, the concept of this program has been taken
from the practices of ancestors in the village. So that people can come and discuss their issues
in the meeting.
Ambikapur of Surguja district, Chhattisgarh gets India’s first ‘Garbage Cafe’ for Ragpickers
• The municipal officials of Chhattisgarh have launched a unique garbage cafe scheme in
Ambikapur of Surguja district which has become India’s first ‘Garbage Cafe’ for Ragpickers. The
ragpickers and the homeless will collect plastic waste, and in return, the municipal corporation
will offer them food. The fund allocated for this scheme is Rs. 5.5 lakh.
Goa
Goa Govt clears amendment to allow women to work at night
• The State Government of Goa cleared amendments to Factories Act,1948 allowing women to
work legally during night hours (between 7 pm to 6 am) in factories of the state. Section 66 of
the Factories Act, 1948 prohibit women to work during night hours.
Former Goa Minister and leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) passed away
• Former Goa Minister and senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Dr. Wilfred Mesquita
passed away in Mumbai, after a brief illness. He was 70. He was born on April 14, 1949, at
Divar in North Goa district graduated from the Goa Medical College in the 1970s and then
specialized in medicine (Obs. & Gyn).
Chandrakant Kavlekar sworn in as the new Deputy CM of Goa
• The Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant of BJP inducted 4 new ministers in the Goa Cabinet.
He appointed Chandrakant Kavlekar as the new Deputy Chief Minister of Goa. He was the
leader of the opposition party. Michael Lobo, Jennifer Monserratte, and Philip Neri Rodrigues
were also sworn in as the Ministers.
IFFI to celebrate its special golden jubilee edition 2019 in Goa
• Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar stated that IFFI (International
Film Festival of India) will mark its Golden Jubilee Edition 2019 (50th edition) in Panaji, Goa
scheduled from 20th to 28th November 2019. The event is being jointly organized by the
Directorate of Film Festivals and the state-run Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG). Russia will
be the international partner for IFFI 2019 edition.
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Goa govt. to launch water taxi replacing old ferry boats in inland waterways
• Chief Minister(CM) of Goa, Pramod Sawant announced the plan of launching India's first-ever
‘Water Taxis’, between Panaji and Old Goa which will allow people to travel in inland
waterways. The old ferries will soon be revamped into solar-powered boats and North Goa will
be focused more on water transportation.
Gujarat
'Fashionova', India's first Design Development Centre launched in Surat, Gujarat
• 'Fashionova', India's first Design Development Center was launched in the Textile city Surat,
Gujarat to promote the city in the field of the fashion design sector. Anupam Goyal was the
founder of Fashionova Design Development.
Gujarat FM presents the state's highest budget pegged at over Rs 2 lakh crore
• Finance Minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel presented the Budget size of Rs 2,04,815 crore for the
year 2019-20 for the state. The budget indicates the overall surplus of Rs 572 crore &
additional tax income of Rs 287 crore. This is the first time the State’s budget has crossed Rs.2
lakh crore. The budget estimates revenue receipts Rs 1,54,732 crore, and revenue expenditure
of Rs 1,51,858 crore for the year 2019-20.
Powerful farmer leader & Senior BJP MP Vithalbhai Radadiya passes away
• Former Member of Parliament (MP) from Porbandar in Gujarat Vithalbhai Radadiya passed
away after a brief illness in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He was 61. He born on 8 November 1958,
Rajkot, Gujarat considered as a famous farmers' leader of Saurashtra, the 6 time MLA (Member
of the Legislative Assembly) also served as a Minister in the Gujarat government.
Gujarat's former MP and farmer leader Vitthal Radadiya dead
• Former Member of Parliament (MP) from Porbandar, Gujarat, Vitthalbhai Hansrajbhai
Radadiya, Died at his residence in Ahmedabad, after a prolonged illness at the age of 60 years.
He was born in Rajkot, Bombay Presidency (present-day Indian state of Maharashtra) in 1958.
Haryana
Keshni Anand to be the new Haryana chief secretary
• The State Government of Haryana appointed Keshni Anand Arora as the state’s new chief
secretary. She replaces Mr. DS Dhesi, who has retired on June 30, 2019. She will be the 33rd
cabinet secretary of Haryana since 1966. Her sister Meenakshi Anand Chaudhary became the
State’s first woman chief secretary in 2006 and her other sister Urvashi Gulati occupied the
same post in 2009.
‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora' portal for farmers launched by Haryana Government
• The Chief Minister of Haryana Government Manohar Lal Khattar has launched online portal
named “Meri Fasal Mera Byora” (https://www.fasalhry.in/ )for farmers to directly avail crop
related benefits of state government schemes after self -reporting their land and crop-related
details. Each farmer, who registered on the portal get a financial incentive of Rs 10 per acre or
part thereof subject to a minimum of Rs 20 to maximum Rs 50.
Haryana Govt & BSE ink pact to facilitate MSMEs raise capital
• The state Government of Haryana and India’s leading Bombay stock exchange (BSE) have
signed a pact to encourage and support state's micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)
to raise capital. The tie-up will enable SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises) to raise
funds through the platform “BSE SME”, where small companies can list and raise productive
capital, gain visibility and credibility. The partnership will create MSMEs as major employment
providing sectors in the Haryana state.
Haryana cabinet permitted to set up Sports University at Rai
• The Cabinet of Haryana under the chairmanship of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar
approved the setting up of Haryana Sports University at Rai which will be the third sports
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university established by a state government in India after Swarnim Gujarat Sports University
(Gandhinagar) and Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University (Chennai).
Nepal invited as Gita Jayanti Mahotsav 2019 partner
• Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana has invited Nepal to be the partner country for
2019 International Gita Jayanti Mahotsav scheduled to be held at Kurukshetra, Haryana from
December 3 to 8,2019. Khattar made this offer to Nilamber Acharya, Ambassador of Nepal to
India. For the last 3years, Haryana had been celebrating Gita Jayanti Mahotsav and every year a
country is invited to become a partner country for this Mahotsav.
Himachal Pradesh
Monkeys declared as 'vermin' in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
• The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) of Himachal Pradesh issued notification under
Section 62 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 to declare monkeys (Rhesus Macaque) as
'vermin' in the areas of Shimla Municipal Corporation, mainly the urban town, for 1 year to
relieve farmers from the serious problems caused by monkeys, destroying their crops.
Jammu and Kashmir

J&K: Annual Chamliyal Mela celebrated without traditional exchange of sweets between Indo-
Pak
• Thousand of devotees gathered at the Chamliyal border shrine along the International Border
(IB) in Jammu and Kashmir for an annual fair at the shrine of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas, a saint
popularly known as Baba Chamliyal, in Samba district. But there was no traditional exchange of
'shakkar (soil) and sharbat (water)' with Pakistan for the second successive year.
Operation Khumaar launched in J&K to make 312 panchayats free from tobacco
• In a major step aimed towards making 'drugs-free panchayats', district administration Rajouri
in Jammu and Kashmir (J&k) launched an anti Drug Campaign called “Operation Khumaar” in
all 312 Panchayats of the district. As a part of it, Tobacco products cannot be sold to a person
below the age of 18 years and in a place within 100 yards radius from the outer boundary of
the Schools.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates Ujh and Basantarbridges in Jammu and Kashmir
• The Ujh and Basantar bridges were inaugurated by the defence minister in Kathua and Samba
districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The Ujh bridge in Kathua is built at a cost of Rs 50 crore and
the basantar bridge in Samba district is built at a cost of Rs.41.7 crore.
J&K District Administration Udhampur launched helpline “Jeene Do”
• Under the Centrally sponsored Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
District Administration Udhampur launched a helpline, “Jeene Do” with an objective to improve
sex ratio and deal with defaulters of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques
(PCPNDT) Act 1994.
Jharkhand
Former Lok Sabha MP and founder of Marxist Coordination Committee A.K. Roy passed away
• Arun Kumar [A.K.] Roy, former Lok Sabha MP and founder of Marxist Coordination Committee
(MCC) passed away due to multi-organ failure. He was 90.He was born in erstwhile East Bengal
(now Bangladesh) was a three-time MP from Dhanbad, Jharkhand.
Karnataka
Veteran poet and lyricist M. K. Seetharam Kulal passed away
• A renowned playwright, writer and former president of the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy,
M. K. Seetharam Kulal passed away after a brief illness in Bejai, Karnataka. He was 77. Born in
1940, he was known for his work in the field of Tulu-Kannada dramas and also in the Tulu film
world.
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Karnataka assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar stepped down from his post
• KR Ramesh Kumar, who was a speaker for the second time in Karnataka assembly announced
his resignation after the House adopted confidence motion moved by Chief Minister BS
Yediyurappa. He faced criticism over the recent fall of H.D Kumaraswamy's govt.
Kerala
Malayalam film director Babu Narayanan passes away
• Director Babu Narayanan, a notable director in Malayalam film industry passed away at
Thrissur, Kerala due to cancer. He was born in Kozhikode(also known as Calicut), Kerala. His
last individual film was the 2013 Malayalam film ‘To Noora with Love’.
India’s first elephant rehabilitation centre will be set up at Kerala’s Kottoor
• India’s first elephant rehabilitation centre will be set up by the Kerala State Government in its
ecotourism village of Kottoor. Rs.105 crore has been allotted to this project which was
launched by Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan. The centre has set up with 65 hectares
of natural forests area will have elephant safari and other activities to attract tourists.
India's first space tech park to come up in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
• The Kerala government will set up India’s first space tech park at Thiruvananthapuram's
Knowledge City with the entire investment made by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)
which is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It
will make the city a manufacturing hub for space-related technology which will have a startup
incubator, accelerators including Airbus Bizlab, skill training systems and production units.
Kerala Tourism organized 5-day annual Nishagandhi Monsoon Ragas Music Fest 2019 in
Kanakakkunnu, Thiruvananthapuram
• Kerala Tourism organized a 5-day annual Nishagandhi Monsoon Ragas Music Fest 2019 in
Kanakakkunnu, Thiruvananthapuram. It was held from July 20-24, 2019. It was inaugurated by
the Governor of Kerala, P Sathasivam at Nishagandhi Auditorium in Kanakakkunnu.
International shark meet to be held in Kochi, Kerala at CMFRI
• Representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as well as researchers on
shark trade, are attending the 4-day International Shark Meet at the Central Marine Fisheries
Research Institute (CFRMI). The meet is jointly organised by FAO and CFRMI.
Non-Resident Keralites Investment Company to be set up by the Kerala Government
• At a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan, the state Government
decided to form a Non-Resident Keralites (NRK) Investment and Holding Company Ltd in order
to bring investments from overseas Keralites for major infrastructure development in the
state. It was one of the major recommendations submitted by the standing committees of the
Loka Kerala Sabha (World Kerala Assembly).
Madhya Pradesh
India’s first cow sanctuary Kamdhenu Gau Abhyaranya in Madhya Pradesh to be privatised
• India’s first cow sanctuary Kamdhenu Gau Abhyaranya in Agar Malwa, Madya Pradesh (MP),
set up in September 2017, will be privatised due to financial crises. Non Government
Organisation (NGO) Akshaypatra has showed interest to look into the issues of poor
management & regular deaths of cow in the sanctuary and manage it at no profit no loss basis.
Madhya Pradesh will soon be able to produce its own seeds
• The Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Seed Federation will produce its own seeds in addition
with distribution and marketing of certified and high-quality seeds to farmers. The brand name
of seeds to be ‘Sah-Beej’ produced from next Rabi season.
Madhya Pradesh got its First International Flight with Air India’s Service from Indore-Dubai
• Madhya Pradesh got its First International Flight with the launch of a flight service to Dubai
from the Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar International Airport, Indore with a national carrier Air India
(Flight AI903) with 150 passengers.
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Madhya Pradesh Assembly passes a bill raising OBC quota to 27% from 14%
• The Madhya Pradesh Assembly passed Madhya Pradesh Public Service (Reservation for
Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Amendment Bill 2019 for
increasing reservation in government jobs and education for Other Backward Classes (OBC) to
27% from the present 14%. The bill will now go to the governor and president for assent.
Maharastra
National Film Heritage Mission Project reviewed by Prakash Javadekar
• The Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Forest and Climate Change, Prakash
Javadekar reviewed the National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) during a visit to the National
Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune, Maharashtra. The Government launched the prestigious
mission of NFHM in 2017 with the budget of 600 crore rupees, for preservation and restoration
of rich cinematic heritage of the country.
Damanganga-Pinjal project to meet water needs of Mumbai till 2060
• The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis announced that Damanganga-Pinjal
project will meet the water needs of Mumbai till 2060. It will solve the crisis of drought facing a
large section of the state. Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority will provide Rs
403 crore for the Kalu dam. It will fulfill the water needs of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region
(MMR).
Maharashtra Govt approves Rs 3500 cr for a multi-modal integration project
• The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis has approved Rs 3500 crore for multi-
modal integration project at the 148th board meeting of the MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan
Region Development Authority ) in Mumbai. It will help commuters enjoy the smooth
commuting experience.
India's First Smart School Campus in Pune to be launched by Singapore's GIIS
• The Singapore based Global Indian International School (GIIS) will launch the concept of
SMART Campus at Hadapsar and Balewadi campuses in Pune, Maharashtra. It will be India's
first Smart campus which is a part of Singapore’s Rs 420 crore investments in education in
India over the coming years. It is aimed to provide students with NextGen learning to sharpen
21st-century skills.
Maharashtra government raises financial aid for martyrs’ kin to Rs 1crore
• State Government of Maharashtra increased the financial aid to families of Jawans Martyred in
war or war like situations and to disabled soldiers hailing from the state from Rs 25 lakhs to Rs
1 crore. The government will provide Rs 60 lakh instead of the current Rs 15 lakh to soldiers if
their disability is severe, as 51% to 100%. Those with a disability up to 50% will be given
assistance of Rs 34 lakh from Rs 8.5 lakh.
Western Railways first printing press heritage gallery opened at Mahalaxmi, Mumbai
• Western Railways (WR) opened its first printing press heritage gallery named Western
Railway Mahalaxmi General Stores Depot (GSD) at Mahalaxmi in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was
inaugurated by V P Pathak, Member (Materials Management) of the Railway Board. It became
the first press in Indian Railways to portray a heritage gallery of the printing and allied
machines used in the Western Railway Printing Press since 1948.
Meghalaya
SC Directs Meghalaya to deposit 100 Crore as Fine imposed by NGT for Illegal Coal Mining
• The Supreme Court (SC) benches of justices Ashok Bhushan and K M Joseph directed the
Meghalaya government to pay Rs 100 crore as fine which is imposed by the NGT (National
Green Tribunal )on January 4,2019 for failing to curb illegal coal mining with the Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
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Meghalaya is the first state in India to ensure water conservation

• Meghalaya became the first state in India to ensure water conservation with its State Water
Policy. The draft water policy was approved by the State Cabinet in a meeting chaired by
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma. It will be implemented through active
participation of the community by constituting a Water Sanitation Village Council at the village
level.
Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Donkupar Roy passed away in Gurgaon, Haryana
• Meghalaya Speaker Donkupar Roy, aged 64, passed away at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon,
Haryana after multi-organ failure. He was the former chief minister of Meghalaya from 2008 to
2009 and head of the United Democratic Party (UDP).
Nagaland
Centre declared Nagaland as ‘Disturbed Area’ under AFSPA for 6 more months
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has declared the entire state of Nagaland as "disturbed
area" for six more months, with effect from June 30, 2019, till December 31, 2019 under the
powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 -No. 28 of 1958
(AFSPA). The decision to continue the declaration of Nagaland as "disturbed area" has been
taken as killings, loot and extortion have been going on in various parts of Nagaland.
Nagaland government formed a committee to compile tribal customary
• The Nagaland government formed a four-member committee headed by Chief Secretary
Temjen Toy (IAS) to compile the customary practices and usages of all the tribes of Nagaland.
The other members of the committee are Home commissioner, secretary of Justice and Law
departments and the commissioner of Art and Culture department who will be the member
secretary.
New Delhi
Jal Shakti Abhiyan launched by the Government to create awareness on benefits of water
conservation
• Union Jal Shakti Minister, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan
(JSA)- a campaign for water conservation and water security in New Delhi. It will focus on 256
water stressed districts and 1,592 water stressed blocks. The 5 key intervention areas under
the campaign include water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional
and other water bodies, reuse, bore well recharge structures, watershed development and
intensive afforestation.
First Ever IICTF to be held in New Delhi from October 11-13, 2019
• The first ever India International Cooperatives Trade Fair (IICTF) will be held at Pragati
Maidan, New Delhi from October 11-13, 2019. It is a unique initiative for taking farmers,
artisans and other members of cooperatives directly to the international trade arena.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, launched
commemoration of four years of Digital India initiative
• Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a
commemoration of 4 years of Digital India initiative in an event at New Delhi. The Digital India
initiative was launched on July 1, 2015.
Delhi Police signs pact with SECI to implement Rooftop Solar Energy Systems
• The Delhi police signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy (MNRE), to set up rooftop solar energy systems in over 200 of its buildings
in Delhi. SECI will support the implementation of grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic
systems on the establishment of the Delhi police.
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Under 'Operation Milap’, the Delhi Police Crime Branch has rescued 333 children in 7 months
• The Delhi Police Crime Branch has rescued 333 children, who had reported missing since
January 2019 from various parts of the country. It was launched in December 2014 with the
aim to rescue children. Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) has formed under the ‘Milap’
develops information, rescues the trafficked or kidnapped children and arrests the kidnappers.
The 2nd edition of India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue 2019 held in New Delhi
• The 2nd India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue (IRSED) 2019 was held in New Delhi. It aims
at bilateral cooperation between two countries in various fields. It was chaired by Rajiv Kumar,
Vice-Chairman of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, and Russia's
Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Timur Maksimov.
High-level talks to boost space cooperation were held between India & Russia in New Delhi
• High-level talks between India and Russia were held in New Delhi to boost the bilateral
cooperation to the next level in the field of space, including assistance in India's maiden human
space flight mission 'Gaganyaan'. The Indian delegation was led by National Security Advisor
Ajit Doval and Russian delegation was led by Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of Russia's
space agency Roscosmos (Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities).
Special Public awareness campaign on vector-borne diseases launched in Delhi
• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched a 3-day public
awareness campaign named “Jagrukta Abhiyaan” in New Delhi to sensitize and mobilize the
people on measures about prevention and control of Vector-Borne Diseases (VBDs) like
Malaria, Dengue, and Chikungunya. Totally 286 ward-wise teams (in all 272 municipal wards
and 14 locations of NDMC) have been constituted having 20-25 as their members including
officers of the municipal corporations along with officers from central government and
government of Delhi.
Architectural illumination of historic Safdarjung Tomb in Delhi inaugurated by Culture
Minister
• Culture Minister, Prahlad Singh Patel has inaugurated the architectural illumination of the
historic Safdarjung Tomb in New Delhi. To highlight the architecture of the 17th Century
monument, arches and minarets & a total of 213 technologically advanced LED lights have
been used. The consumption of LED (light-emitting diode) lights 62% less electricity as
compared to conventional light fixtures.
5th International Police Expo for the year 2019 held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
• 5th Edition of International Police Expo for the year 2019 was held at Pragati Maidan, New
Delhi on July 19-20, 2019 with the theme “Challenges to Strengthen Peace and Security”. It was
organized by Nexgen Exhibitions.
10th Edition of Jagran Film Festival inaugurated in New Delhi
• 10th Edition of Jagran Film Festival (JFF) was inaugurated by Union Information and
Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi. JFF is aimed
towards creating a culture of cinema appreciation and create a platform that connects great
content with audiences across the country.
Delhi Govt celebrates 15-day “Happiness Utsav” in all its schools
• To celebrate the completion of a year of introduction of its happiness curriculum, Delhi
Government launched a 15-day "Happiness Utsav" across all its 1,031 schools. During the
event, the first 50 minutes of each school day, all students schools will take part in various
activities like 'nataks' (dramas), poetry recitation and exhibitions. The festival will conclude on
July 31, 2019.
ICMR in partnership with Population Council launches National Data Quality Forum in New
Delhi
• The Oldest medical research body, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s National
Institute for Medical Statistics (ICMR-NIMS), in partnership with Population Council (an
international non-profit NGO that conducts research in biomedicine and social science)
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launched the National Data Quality Forum (NDQF) in New Delhi to improve quality of health
and demographic data in India.
Ministry of Mines organizes workshop called 'Waste To Wealth' on effective utilization of 'Red
Mud' in New Delhi
• The Ministry of Mines in association with the Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research
Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC) Nagpur, has organized a workshop called ‘Waste
To Wealth’ on productive utilization of ‘Red Mud’in New Delhi. he workshop, which was
presided over by Dr. K. Rajeswara Rao, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Mines.
India, Saudi Arabia held discussions on bilateral hydrocarbon cooperation
• Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel held a meeting with
Mr Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia and
Chairman of Saudi Aramco in New Delhi. They discussed on improving India-Saudi Arabia
hydrocarbon cooperation in order to strengthen the existing overall strategic partnership
between the two countries.
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan launched Atal Community
Innovation Centre in New Delhi
• Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched Atal
Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) in New Delhi. The objective of ACIC is to encourage the
spirit of innovation through solution-driven design thinking to serve society. It is a new
initiative of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
5th India-EU High Level Dialogue on Migration and Mobility held in New Delhi
• The 5th India-EU High Level Dialogue on Migration and Mobility (HLDMM) was held in New
Delhi between India and the European Union (EU). It was co-chaired by Mr. Sanjiv Arora,
Secretary (Consular, Passport & Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) and Ms. Paraskevi Michou,
Director General [Migration and Home Affairs], European Commission. It was also attended by
Heads of Mission and other representatives of the Diplomatic Missions of EU Member States
who were invited as Observers for the first time.
Odisha
Glorious Jagannath Rath Yatra 2019 begins in Puri, Odisha
• On July 4, 2019, The world famous Jagannath Rath Yatra 2019(also known as Chariot Festival)
began at Puri in Odisha. The religious procession commemorates a journey by Hindu god
Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, in specially made chariots as they
travel to Gundicha temple, their birthplace.
Odisha state Govt implemented the Centre's Witness Protection Scheme, 2018
• The Odisha state Government has implemented the Centre's Witness Protection Scheme, 2018
to protect witnesses and their family members from threats against their lives and reputation.
The objective of this Scheme is to ensure that the investigation, prosecution, and trial of
criminal offenses is not prejudiced because witnesses are intimidated or frightened to give
evidence without protection from violent or other criminal recrimination.
Odisha Government anticipates new Industrial Policy to attract new investments
• The Odisha government is planning to recast its Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) which was
last revised in 2015 keeping competition from peer states to attract new investments with an
aim to make Odisha, one among the top 3 states in ‘Ease of Doing Business’. The new policy
statement will be unveiled in 2020. In the revised IPR, Odisha Government plans to offer
investors sops like SGST (State Goods & Services Tax) holiday & electricity duty exemption for
5 years, among others.
Odisha Secretariat Renamed As ‘Lok Seva Bhawan': Odisha CM
• Odisha Chief Minister(CM) Naveen Patnaik stated that the state Government’s Secretariat or
'Sachivalaya' in Bhubaneswar has been renamed as Lok Seva Bhawan. He also stated that his
government has enunciated 5T mantra (Technology, Teamwork, Transparency and Time
leading to Transformation) to take the delivery of services and governance to the next level.
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Puducherry
Puducherry will soon to operationalize Bicycle-Sharing Scheme
• In an innovative eco-friendly initiative of bicycle-sharing in the city, a Bicycle-Sharing Scheme,
conceived and prioritized under Puducherry Smart City Development Plan, is to be introduced
in Puducherry.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan government to establish board for vedic education, culture
• Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot at the 25th 'Bhamashah Sammelan' held at Birla
Auditorium, Jaipur announced the establishment of a Vedic education and culture board in
Rajasthan. The board will assist future generations to take inspiration from Vedic culture,
tradition, and values. The board will assist future generations to take inspiration from Vedic
culture, tradition, and values.
Rajasthan CM announced Rajasthan budget for 2019-20 with a total expenditure of Rs
2,32,944.01 crore
• Rajasthan budget for 2019-20 was presented by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who is also the
Finance Minister of the state. the budget has proposed opening of Janata Clinics near the
residential areas across the state and provide free medicines to the patients. Also, a Target of
Rs 16,000 crore crop loans from cooperative banks and 'Nandi Shala' will be built in each gram
panchayat.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu declared ‘Tamil Yeoman’ or ‘Tamil Maravan’ as its state butterfly
• ‘Tamil Yeoman’, a kind of butterfly found in the Western Ghats declared as Tamilnadu state
butterfly. It is also called as ‘Tamil Maravan’. Tamil Nadu has become the fifth state in the
country to announce its state butterfly. Its scientific name was Cirrochroa thais. Maharashtra
was the first to declare Blue Mormon as its state butterfly followed by Uttarakhand, Karnataka
and Kerala.
Government to build India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) at Pottipuram in Theni District,
Tamil Nadu
• Union Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region
(DoNER), MoS Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic
Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)
will be set up at Pottipuram in Theni District, Tamil Nadu. The aim of the project is to set up a
51000 ton Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector to observe naturally occurring atmospheric
neutrinos in a cavern at the end of an approximately 2 km long tunnel in a mountain. It would
be the first neutrino detector in India.
Tamil Nadu Govt announces the creation of two new Districts
• The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu(T.N), Edappadi K. Palaniswami stated that two new districts
Tenkasi and Chengalpattu will be created for administrative convenience by bifurcating
Tirunelveli and Kancheepuram districts respectively. With this, the total number of districts in
the state will go up to 35. Sivagiri, Ambasamudram, Kadayanallur, and Sengottai regions are
likely to fall under Tenkasi district, which had a population of 70,545 as per 2011 census.
Chengalpattu is located about 55 km away from the Chennai, state capital.
P Rajagopal, Saravana Bhavan founder passed away in Chennai
• Founder of popular South Indian food chain Saravana Bhavan, P Rajagopal, who convicted in a
murder case passed away due to a Heart attack in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was 72. He was
born in Punnaiyadi, Tuticorin District of Tamil Nadu. He had surrendered before a local court
to serve a life sentence in a murder case and had been shifted to Vijaya Hospital after the
Madras High Court passed an interim order.
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TN celebrates 'Hospital Day' on July 30, 2019

• Tamil Nadu (TN) celebrated its first 'Hospital Day' on the commemoration of the birth
anniversary Muthulakshmi Reddy. She was one of India’s prominent successful woman doctors
in the early 20th century and TN’s first woman legislator.
Tamil Nadu to be the first state to manufacture electric cars: Minister
• M C Sampath, minister for industries stated that South Korean multinational automotive
manufacturer Hyundai plans to launch its electric car for India and the global market from
Chennai facility will help make Tamil Nadu the first state in India to manufacture electric cars.
Uttarkhand
Uttarakhand launches One-time settlement scheme for recovering NPAs of cooperative banks
• The State Government of Uttarakhand implemented a one-time settlement’ scheme for debt
trapped state cooperative banks which had the NPA (Non Performing Assets) of Rs 391.50
crore which have piled up over the last 25 years. The 100-day scheme is effective from July 1,
2019, and continues till 7th October 2019.
Uttarakhand was named among best performing states in 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme
• Uttarakhand has been adjudged as one of the country's five best performing states under the
National Programme Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme aimed at addressing declining
child sex ratio and issues of women empowerment.
India will train 1800 Bangladeshi Civil Servants at NCGG in Mussoorie
• 1800 Bangladeshi civil servants will be trained at the National Centre for Good Governance
(NCGG) in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand between 2019-2025 based on the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) signed in February 2019 between NCGG and Ministry of Public
Administration, Government of Bangladesh in the 5th meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint
Consultative Commission (JCC).
First-ever Himalayan States Conclave to be hosted by Uttarakhand on July 28, 2019
• The first-ever Himalayan States Conclave will be hosted by Uttarakhand on July 28, 2019, with
the main focus on sustainable development of the Indian Himalayan Region. It will be held at
Mussoorie. The event will discuss the common issues pertaining to states located in the
Himalayan Region like environmental protection, Himalayan culture, and economic
development.
Uttar Pradesh
Dastak Campaign launched by UP to eradicate AES & JE
• The Government of Uttar Pradesh launched “Dastak Campaign” to eradicate deadly Acute
Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) disease. It is part of a
comprehensive Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) strategy embraced by the
UP government. Under this, campaign teams will go door to door in every village of the 75
districts of the state to create awareness about communicable diseases as well as JE and AES.
UP govt launches toll-free ‘CM helpline 1076’ for complaint registration
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath launched 24X7 toll-free ‘CM Helpline 1076’
for people to lodge complaints from anywhere in the state. It will facilitate a direct medium
between the people and the CM's Office.
UP has highest number of senior citizens with more than one crore 54 lakh
• Rattan Lal Kataria, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment stated that Uttar
Pradesh (UP) has the highest number of senior citizens with more than one crore 54 lakh
followed by Maharashtra with one crore 11 lakh. Totally the country has over 10.38 crore
senior citizens.
UP Govt sets target of $1 trillion economy in next three years
• The Uttar Pradesh State Government has set the state a target of becoming a $1-trillion
economy in the next three years. It was announced by the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi set an ambitious target of $5 trillion economy for the country to
be achieved in the next 5 years.
Lucknow to host Asia's biggest arm show 'DefExpo’ in February 2020
• The defence ministry will hold its 11th biennial arms exhibition 'DefExpo 2020’ in Lucknow ,
next year from February 5-8 in line with Modi government's big push to develop Uttar Pradesh
as one of the two major defence manufacturing hubs.
Uttar Pradesh becomes No.1 in implementation of Pradhanamntri Suraksha Beema Yojna in
the country
• The State Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has become number one in implementation of
ambitious central government scheme Pradhanamntri Suraksha Beema Yojna. Totally 1.95
crores people have been given insurance cover under the scheme till 31 march 2019 in the
state. The state implemented this scheme starting from January 2018.
UP Government to install 251-metre-tall statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya; Set to become the
world's tallest statue
• The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has decided to install a 251-metre-tall statue of Lord Ram
at Ayodhya which will become the world's tallest statue surpassing the record held by Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel's Statue of Unity in Gujarat (182-metre). Lord Ram's statue would be
installed on the 100 hectares of land near River Sarayu in Ayodhya.
WestBengal
‘Save Water Day’ observed by West Bengal government on July 12, 2019
• West Bengal government celebrated it first ‘Save Water Day’ on July 12, 2019 to spread the
message of water conservation. Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and other
eminent persons from various fields participated in the Padayatra from Jorashanko Thakurbari
to the base of Gandhi Statue, Kolkata.
West Bengal government set to bring legislation for ensuring Journalists' job security
• Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee in the inaugural ceremony of the 75th year
celebrations of the Kolkata Press Club, informed that the state government will bring
legislation in the Assembly to ensure the job security of Journalists in the State. It will deal with
the issues of retrenchment of Journalists and closure of TV channels and Newspapers
publication houses.
Other Important National Affairs

‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme will be available across the country from July 1, 2020
• The central government’s ambitious project of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’, under which
beneficiaries can buy subsidized foodgrains from any ration shop in the country will begin on 1
July 2020. The Centre has given states and Union Territories time till June 30, 2020, to use
point of sale (PoS) machines in the ration shops and roll out the scheme.
Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed by the Parliament
• The Parliament passed The Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which became the
first legislation to be passed by the newly constituted 17th Lok Sabha. It will replace the Special
Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, which was promulgated in March 2019 and
amends Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Act 2005. The new bill amends the definition of
“person” under Section 2(v) of the SEZ Act 2005 to include ‘trusts’.
UGC approved a new initiative named “STRIDE” to boost research culture in India
• In order to boost research culture in India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) approved
a new initiative – Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy
(STRIDE). The important initiatives under the scheme are Research Project, Research Capacity
Building and Innovation. Click here to read more.
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Comprehensive legislation on data privacy under formulation

• Minister of Electronics and Information and Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad in a written reply
in Lok Sabha stated that comprehensive legislation on data privacy named Data Protection Bill
is under formulation to strengthen the protection of personal data. The government has
formed a committee of experts on data protection headed by Justice (Retd) BN Srikrishna of
Supreme Court to study the issues on data protection and frame Data Protection Bill.
Cooperative Sector Exports Promotion Forum for double the farm exports by 2022: Piyush
Goyal
• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated that cooperative sector export-
promotion forum (CSEPF) will be created under the National Cooperative Development
Corporation (NCDC) after consultations with 20 states and Union territories. This will help to
boost the farmer’s income and to double the farm exports target set by the government.
Union Cabinet gives nod to grant OGAS status to paramilitary forces
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal for grant
of Organised Group ''A'' Service (OGAS) status to Group ''A'' executive cadre officers of Central
Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) & extended the benefit of Non-Functional Financial Upgradation
(NFFU) and Non-Functional Selection Grade (NFSG) at an enhanced rate of 30%.
UIDAI started its first Aadhaar Seva Kendra in Delhi and Vijayawada
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has operationalized its first "Aadhaar Seva
Kendra" (ASKs) in Delhi and Vijayawada on a pilot basis. UIDAI has a plan to set up 114 such
centres by the end of 2019 covering 53 Indian cities. The estimated cost of the project is
between Rs 300-400 crore. These centers are similar to the concept of Passport Seva Kendras.
Railways aim to install CCTV cameras in over 7,020 train coaches by March 2021
• Railway Minister Piyush Goyal informed that Railways will install Closed Circuit Television
(CCTV) cameras in over 7,020 coaches of mainline passenger trains during Phase-I which is
targeted to complete by March 2021.
Parliament passed Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Indian Medical
Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019. It will replace the Indian Medical Council (Amendment)
Second Ordinance, 2019. The bill will safeguard transparency, accountability, and quality in the
governance of medical education in the country. The Bill supersedes the Medical Council of
India (MCI) for a period of 2 years with effect from September 26, 2018.
As per Greenpeace India, Six Indian metros are hotspots of air pollutant nitrogen oxide
• As per the analysis by environmental Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Greenpeace
India, transport and industrial clusters were giving rise to the country's worst Nitrogen
Oxide (NOx) hotspots like Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad. They
have a high vehicular population and diesel consumption. The data was collected between
February 2018 and May 2019.
The Indian Army releases special tribute video to commemorate 20 years of 'Operation Vijay'
• To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas(26th July 2019), the Indian army
has released a special Kargil Tribute Song’ to honor, salute and pay homage to the Kargil
martyrs and the war veterans who sacrificed and fought for the country. The song titled 'Tujhe
Bhulega Na Tera Hindustan' has been written by renowned Bollywood lyricist Sameer
featuring Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Olympic bronze medallist boxer Mary Kom,
actors Salman Khan, Vicky Kaushal, Anupam Kher, Kangana Ranaut, and Suniel Shetty.
India to get the first e-Vehicle Charging Highway by March 2020
• The highways of Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Agra are India’s first highway corridors to get charging
stations for electric vehicles by March 2020. About two crore rupees would be spent in the
development of a single charging station and the electricity tariff. The government expects 25
% of the total vehicles on roads will be e-vehicles by 2030.
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The sanitation coverage in the rural areas jumped to 99% from 38% in 2014: Jal Shakti
ministry
• Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria stated that under the Government’s ambitious
scheme, “Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin)” 9 crores 62 lakh individual household toilets have
been constructed since 2014. In the rural areas of the country, the sanitation coverage has
increased to more than 99%, which was over 38% on 2nd October 2014. 632 Districts, 30
States, over 2.50 lakh Gram Panchayats and five lakh 67 thousand 498 villages have been
declared open defecation Free(ODF).
Unmanned Level Crossings in all Broad-Gauge Network removed
• Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal informed that all Unmanned Level Crossings (ULCs) in
all Broad-Gauge (BG) Network were removed on January 31, 2019 and there isn’t a single ULC
in the broad-gauge network in India.
Total female enrollment ratio in secondary education increased to 80.29% in 2016-17: Smriti
Irani
• The Union Minister of Women and Child Development (WCD), Smriti Irani stated that the Gross
Enrolment Ratio (GER) of girls in secondary education level has registered an increase of
80.29% in 2016-17 compared to 80.10 % in 2015-16.
Around 35 crore LED bulbs distributed under UJALA scheme saved Rs 18,341 crore annually
• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Budget 2019 informed that under the Unnat
Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) Scheme, around 35 crore LED (Light Emitting Diode)
bulbs were distributed which saved Rs 18,341 crore annually.
Government increased the budget for drug de-addiction measures to Rs 135 crore
• Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot informed that the budget for
drug de-addiction measures was increased to Rs 135 crore from Rs 33 crore in 2014. It is
provided to the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) for the year 2019-20.
Government extends KCC facility to fisheries, animal husbandry sector
• The Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Pratap Chandra Sarangi in
a written reply in Lok Sabha informed that the facility of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) has been
extended to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers in order to assist them to meet their
working capital needs.
Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express to be first train operated by private players
• Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express, one of the most-awaited trains on the route announced in 2016,
is set to be the first train to be operated by private players. At present, it is parked at the
Anandnagar Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh. It will be handed over to private players after an
open bidding process for operationalization.
MoFCC launches Immunocontraception Project
• Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched a project for
undertaking ‘immunocontraceptive measures’ for population management of 4 species of wild
animals namely Elephant, Wild boar, Monkeys and Blue Bull (Nilgai). The Pilot project will
begin in Uttarakhand and then implemented in rest of the country.
Parliament passed Aadhaar Amendment Bill which allows voluntary use of Aadhaar as proof of
identity
• Parliament passed Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which allows voluntary
use of Aadhaar as proof of identity for users to open bank accounts and get a mobile phone
connection. he Bill provides the use of Aadhaar number for KYC (Know Your Customer)
authentication on voluntary basis under the Telegraph Act, 1885, and the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act, 2002.
FAC under MoEFCC recommended ‘in-principle’ approval for Uranium exploration
• The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change (MoEFCC) recommended for "in-principle" permission for exploration of Uranium in
Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana. Now Ministry of Forest carry out survey and drilling of
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boreholes around Amrabad-Udimalla (Mahaboobnagar district)-Narayanpur (Nalgonda

district).
Powers of SEBI & RBI in Finance Bill 2019
• The Finance Bill 2019, one of the documents of the Union Budget 2019-20, gave certain powers
to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Read
full details here: Powers of SEBI & RBI in Finance Bill 2019.
Rare footage of 1948 film Vande Mataram is now part of the National Film Archive of India
(NFAI) collection
• Pune based National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has acquired rare footage of the 1948
Marathi film ‘Vande Mataram’, in which legendary writer and playwright P.L. Deshpande
played the major role along with his wife Sunita Deshpande. The film was directed by noted
filmmaker Ram Gabale.
India has adequate number of healthcare professionals: Indian Institute of Public Health
Survey
• According to the research conducted by the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Gurugram,
on “Size, composition and distribution of human resource for health in India: new estimates
using National Sample Survey (NSSO) and Registry data”, India has an adequate number of
healthcare professionals, though they are unevenly distributed between rural and urban India
and across different states.
Government banned Pro-Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice for alleged anti-national activities
• The Union Cabinet banned the US-based Pro-Khalistani group The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) under
the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967. SFJ openly supported the cause of Khalistan, a
Sikh separatist movement. It challenged the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India. It is a
campaign to liberate Punjab, currently occupied by India.
Government approved Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana along Indo-Nepal Border areas with
financial outlay of Rs 5,35,000 crore
• The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin J Gadkari in a written reply in
Rajya Sabha mentioned that the Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana received the approval with
the financial outlay of Rs 5,35,000 crore to develop 24,800 km Highways along with 10,000 km
residual National Highways Development Project (NHDP) stretches over a period of 5 years.
AIIMS along with Ministry of Health will lead largest pan-India Oral Health Survey 2019
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Centre for Dental Education and Research
(CDER) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health will undertake the largest nationwide Oral
Health Survey 2019. It will collect data which will act as a baseline for planning preventive and
treatment strategies. The last national-level survey was conducted in 2002.
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched ‘LaQshya’(Labour room Quality
Improvement Initiative)
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India launched ‘LaQshya’
(Labour room Quality improvement Initiative) Initiative to improve quality of care in labor
room and maternity operation theatres in public health facilities. It aims to reduce preventable
maternal and newborn mortality, morbidity, and stillbirths associated with the care around
delivery in the Labour room. Read full details here: Union Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare launched ‘LaQshya’(Labour room Quality Improvement Initiative).
Centre to establish first National Police University
• Minister of State for Home Affairs, G. Kishan Reddy stated that the Government has proposed
to set up the first National Police University in the country which will impart education in
policing and internal security. The dedicated universities have been already set up in Gujarat,
Rajasthan and Jharkhand for conducting courses in police services and internal security.
Sex ratio at birth shows improvement at the national level: WCD
• Ministry Of Women And Child Development(WCD) stated that at National level, Sex Ratio at
Birth (SRB) has increased to 931 from 923 for the time period between FY(financial year)
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2015-16 and 2018-19. As per the census 2011, Child Sex Ratio (CSR) has also declined in 21
States/UTs (Union Territory) in comparison of census 2001.
Around 30 lakh workers enrolled under PM Shram Yogi Maandhan Scheme
• Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment stated that
under the mega pension scheme, “Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan”, 30,85,205 Persons
have enrolled till July 10, 2019. This scheme assures the minimum monthly pension of 3000
rupees to the beneficiaries after attaining the age of 60 years.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Satya Pal Singh & Jayant Sinha elected as members of Public
Accounts Committee
• Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Former Minister of State for Human Resource
Development (HRD) Satya Pal Singh & Former Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha
have been unanimously elected as members of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) from Lok
Sabha. Totally 15 members were unanimously elected by the Lok Sabha. The remaining 7
members of the panel will be elected from the Rajya Sabha members. Click here to read
more.
4,200 AYUSH wellness centres to be set up in India in FY 2019-20
• Union AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) Minister
Shripad Yesso Naik informed that there are plans to set up 4,200 Ayush wellness centres in the
country in FY 2019-20 across several states. Within the first 4 months of the Modi 2.0
government, 2,500 new centres are planned to be opened.
Under Bharat Net, more than 1.28 Lakh Gram Panchayats linked with optical fibre
• Union Panchayat Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed that under Bharat Net
programme, more than 1.28 Lakh Gram Panchayats were linked with optical fibre. The
programme has uploaded the photographic evidence of the works taken up by them and
assistance given to beneficiaries. States which do not conduct local body elections will not be
funded under the Finance Commission. This is done in order to empower the Panchayats.
Lok Sabha passes the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019 seeks to amend
NIA act, 2008
• Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament passed National Investigation Agency
(Amendment) Bill, 2019 that seeks to amends the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act,
2008 to take action against new schedule offences including human trafficking, terrorism etc
by empowering investigating agency for speedy trials and convictions. Click here to read
more.
Govt Launches “Kaushal Yuva Samwaad” To Interact With Youth And Get Their Perspective On
Skill Development
• To commemorate World Youth Skills Day (July 15) and celebrate the 4th Anniversary of the
Skill India Mission, the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE)
launched ‘Kaushal Yuva Samwaad’ (A Youth Dialogue) in New Delhi. The ministry also
launched a 15-day campaign from July 16, named "Kaushal Pakhwada" under which sessions
and workshops will be conducted across the country to aspire young trainees under the Skill
India Mission.
12 beaches in India selected for Blue Flag certification
• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has selected 12
beaches in India to compete for the ‘Blue Flag’ certification. It includes Bhogave (Maharashtra),
Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Miramar (Goa), Kappad (Kerala), Eden (Puducherry),
Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Mamallapuram (Tamil Nadu), Golden (Odisha),
Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh) and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands). Blue Flag
certification is international recognition for beaches and marinas that meet certain criteria of
cleanliness and environmental propriety.
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'Internet Saathi' programme of Google India & Tata Trusts to be extended to Punjab and
Odisha
• Internet Saathi initiative, a collaborative programme of Google India and Tata Trusts, will be
expanded to villages in Punjab and Odisha. Launched in July 2015, the initiative aims to
facilitate digital literacy among women in rural India. The programme has contributed towards
bridging the digital gender divide in rural India. Initially, in 2015, female to male ratio was 1 in
10 and in 2018, it was increased to 4 in 10. It has trained 70,000 'Internet Saathis’.
Demand for digitally skilled manpower will increase at 35% CAGR: NASSCOM
• As per the Indian Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing industry,
NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies), the demand for digitally
skilled talent projected to grow significantly at 35% Compounded Annual Growth Rate(CAGR)
till 2023. In 2023, the demand for digitally skilled professionals will rise to 2.3-2.7 million. 54%
of all employees will require significant reskilling by 2022. Due to the Lack of talent
availability, NASSCOM planned to tie-up with around 30 universities to reskill the talent base
in 2019.
Rajya Sabha passes Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2019
seeks to amend Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008
• Rajya Sabha passed Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2019
seeks to amend the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008. It aims to bid
out any new airport from pre-determined tariff structure. The bill amends the definition of
“major airport” as one which has annual passenger traffic of over3.5 million( 35 lakh).
Currently, major airports with an annual capacity to handle 1.5 million (15 lakh) passengers
come under the purview of AERA.
India to be free of Tuberculosis by 2025
• India has fixed a deadline of 2025 for eradicating tuberculosis (TB) against the global deadline
of 2030. The aim of the mission is "TB Harega Aur Desh Jeetega". Union Health Ministry signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministries of Defence, Railways and
Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) to eliminate TB
from India by 2025 in the presence of Minister of State for Health Ashwini K Choubey and
Minister of AYUSH Shripad Nayak.
Under PMRPY, 1.18 crore Employees benefited
• Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar informed that
the total number of employees benefited under Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana
(PMRPY) from 01.04.2016 to 31.03.2019 were 1,18,05,003 and the amount paid during the
same period was Rs. 4370.60 crore.
R K Singh reviews first-ever Draft Plan for Power Distribution Sector prepared by CEA
• R K Singh, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy has reviewed the
first-ever Draft Distribution Perspective Plan for the power sector in India. The plan has been
prepared by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) under the guidance of the Ministry of
Power. The plan is aimed at sustaining the goal of 24X7 uninterrupted power for all with the
increasing demand of electricity by consumers.
Deeksharambh, a UGC Guide to Student Induction Programme released by HRD
• Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) has
released a UGC(University Grants Commission) Guide to Student Induction Programme called
“Deeksharambh” in New Delhi. It helps new students adjust and feel comfortable in the new
environment at higher education institutions & inculcate in them the ethos and culture of the
institution.
MHA launched ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)’ for 2018-2020
• Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri G. Kishan Reddy informed that Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) has launched a scheme ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)’ for the period
2018-2020. It is aimed to combat cyber crime in India in a coordinated and effective manner.
Also, Cybercrime Reporting Portal: It was launched to enable the citizens to report online
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content pertaining to Child Pornography (CP)/ Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) or sexually
explicit content such as Rape/Gang Rape (CP/RGR).
National award-winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Indu Sarkar' is now a part of
National Film Archives
• National Award-winning Indian filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar’s political thriller film ‘Indu
Sarkar’ has been included into NFAI(National Film Archives of India). Bhandarkar’s previous
films Chandni Bar, Page 3, Corporate', Traffic Signal, Jail, and Fashion were already preserved
in NFAI.
IEA praised PMUY for providing free cooking gas connection to poor
• The International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Biro praised Pradhan Mantri
Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for providing free cooking gas connection to poor. He said that it is a
major achievement in improving the environment and health of women. Nearly 7.4 crore such
connections were given and the aim is to give 8 crore connections by 2020.
E-postal ballot registered 60.14% turnout in 2019 Lok Sabha elections
• Using the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS), out of the 18,02,646
service electors, 10,84,266 e-postal ballots were received indicating 60.14% turnout in Lok
Sabha elections 2019. Only 4% was registered in 2014.
Parliament passes Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019 seeks to amend the Central
Universities Act, 2009
• The Parliament of India passed Central Universities (Amendment) Bill 2019, for the
establishment of two Central Universities in Andhra Pradesh namely Central University and
Tribal University. The bill seeks to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009. These two
universities will be set up with the cost of Rs.1700 crore in four years in Andhra Pradesh.
Australia-India finalize a new veterinary health protocol
• Australia and India recently finalized a new veterinary health protocol for the export of
Australian breeder sheep to India. The protocol, agreed between the Indian Department of
Animal Husbandry and Dairying and the Australian Department of Agriculture, will support
India’s efforts to develop its fine wool sector and the textiles industry using Australian
production expertise and genetic stock.
HRD Ministry launches new UGC Scheme “Paramarsh” For Higher Education
• Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD)
launched a Scheme called “Paramarsh” of University Grants Commission (UGC) in New Delhi.
This scheme aims at mentoring National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC)
accreditation aspirant institutions to develop quality assurance in Higher Education.
Central Govt approves Rs 206.8 crore for Implementation of Agriculture Export Policy Scheme
• The central government has approved a sum of Rs 206.8 crore for a Central Sector Scheme
called ‘Implementation of Agriculture Export Policy’, which aims at double farmers’ income by
the year 2022. Of the total amount, Rs 134.50 crore has been allotted to setup clusters for
mangoes, pomegranate, and marine products, etc along with pre & post-harvest management
of the production, upgrading the supply chain to achieve high exports.
G7 finance ministers agree on a plan for taxing Gigantic digital companies
• In the event of G7 finance ministers meeting in France, all fully supported two-pillar taxation
for large tech companies to be adopted by 2020. They agreed on a plan for taxing digital
companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon in the countries in which they make money,
even without any physical presence in the country.
All toll lanes on National Highways to be ‘FASTag lanes’ from December 1, 2019
• To encourage digital payments at toll plazas and decongest national highways, the Ministry of
Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has decided to declare all lanes at toll fee plaza on
National Highways as 'FASTag lanes' from 1st December 2019. It is an electronic toll
connection device attached to the windscreen of the vehicle to enable drivers to pass through
toll plazas without having to stop for a cash transaction.
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CRPF unveils country’s first body protector jointly developed by DRDO for women personnel in
combat
• India's largest Central Armed Police Force, CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) unveiled the
country's first prototype of a body protector for women personnel. It has been jointly
developed after over two years of research by CRPF and Defence Institute of Physiology and
Allied Sciences (DIPAS), which functions under the DRDO (Defence Research and Development
Organisation).
Government bans Colistin- antibiotic used in poultry industry
• The Union Health Ministry has banned colistin, which is an antibiotic used in the poultry
industry for producing animals, aqua farming, etc. It was banned as it has high risk of life threat
to human beings. The ban has been imposed under section 26 of the of drugs and cosmetics act
1940.
UDAN scheme adds 8 routes under its Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)
• The Civil Aviation ministry added 8 more routes under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN,
thus making the total operational routes to 194. Mysore-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Mysore, Goa-
Mysore, Mysore-Goa, Cochin-Mysore , Mysore-Cochin , Kolkata-Shillong and Shillong-Kolkata.
The flights connecting Kolkata and Shillong will be operated By Indigo whereas the other
connectivity will be provided by Alliance air.
Under PMKSNY, more than 7 crore 32 lakh farmer families received first two instalments of Rs
2000 each
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PMKSNY), more than 7 crore 32 lakh
farmer families across India received the first and second installments of Rs 2000 each
amounting to 14 thousand 646 crore rupees. The list was topped by Uttar Pradesh with over
two crores twenty lakh farmer families followed by Andhra Pradesh with 72 lakh and
Maharastra 50 lakh farmers.
Lok Sabha passed protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019
• According to the bill, besides a Chief justice of India, a former Supreme Court judge can also be
made the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The bill amends the
protection of Human Rights Act 1993. The bill also proposes to enable any person to be the
chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) who has been a judge of a high
court.
State-wise target to install solar rooftop Systems by 2022
• The central government has urged all the states for rooftop solar systems installation by 2022
in order to achieve its 40,000 MW (40GW) target. In-charge for this grid-connected solar
program will be The Solar Energy Corporation of India(SECI), The state distribution companies
(discom) and the state nodal agencies.
New Vande Bharat express completes Delhi-Katra trial run
• The trial run of India's fastest second Vande Bharat Express (also known as Train 18) on New
Delhi to Katra( Jammu and Kashmir) route was successfully conducted by Indian Railways'
Northern Railway zone. The train designed and manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF),
Chennai, run at a speed of 160 km per hour & it reduces travel time between Delhi-Katra from
12 hours to 8 hours.
British Council of India and The Universities UK International (UUKi) launched UKIERI
mobility program
• The British Council of India and Universities UK International have joined hands together for
the launch of UKIERI Mobility Programme: Study in India. It is a study in India bilateral pilot
program in which UK universities will send the UK students to India, collaborating with Indian
partners of this program, for the students’ study and research work. This program is funded by
the UK and Indian government as part of phaseIII of UK-India Education Research initiative.
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Inter-State River Water disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019 introduced in LS seeks to amend the
Inter State River Water Disputes Act, 1956
• Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat introduced the Inter State River Water Disputes
(Amendment) Bill 2019 that seeks to amend the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 to
resolve water disputes in a time-bound manner. It proposes the Central Government to set up
Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC), for resolving any inter-state water dispute.
MoHUA proposes light urban rail 'Metrolite' for smaller cities
• The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has proposed light urban rail
transit system - 'Metrolite' in small cities and towns which have a lower projection of ridership.
Each train will have 3 coaches with the capacity of carrying 300 passengers and it will have a
restricted speed of 25 kmph. It will act as a feeder system to high capacity Metro and will be
developed on surface and elevated stretches.
Piyush Goyal reviews preparations of India’s Participation in Dubai World Expo 2020
• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal reviewed the preparations
for the construction of the India Pavilion at the Dubai World Expo 2020. The expo will take
place for 6 months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021 with the theme of the Expo is
“Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” with three sub themes include Opportunity, Mobility
and Sustainability.Click here to read more.
POCSO (Amendment) Bill, 2019 with provision of death penalty passed by Rajya Sabha
• Rajya Sabha passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) (Amendment)
Bill, 2019 which provides for death penalty to the culprits in the cases of sexual assault and
stringent punishments for other crimes against children. It provides for the levy of fines and
imprisonment up to 5 years to curb child pornography. In the event of a second or subsequent
conviction, the punishment would be up to seven years and fine. Union government has
sanctioned 1023 fast track courts for speedy dispensation of pending cases under POCSO and
sexual assault.Click here to read more.
Rural Development Ministry implements Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana
• Union Minister for Rural Development, Narendra Singh Tomar stated that the ministry is
implementing Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)
across the country with the aim of organizing the rural poor women into Self Help Groups
(SHGs), and continuously supporting them to take economic activities till they come out of
poverty and reach an good-level of increase in income to improve their quality of life.
PM-LVMY Yojana launched by Labour ministry
• Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-LVMY) was launched by the Union
labour and Employment ministry for retailers and small traders. This scheme provides a
minimum monthly pension of Rs 3000/month to small shopkeepers, retail traders, and the
self-employed people after they attain 60years of age. It is an extension of Pradhan Mantri
Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM).
Amendment to RTI act,2005 approved by the parliament
• The amendment in RTI Act, which gives power to the government to decide the salary and
service terms of statutory body head and its members, is approved by the government after
Rajya Sabha passed the RTI Amendment Bill, 2019 by a voice vote. It was negated by 117
members voting against the motion and 75 members voting in favour. It will amend Right to
Information Act (RTI), 2005.
Amendments to Aadhar bill approved by the cabinet
• Official amendments to TheAadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill 2019 was approved by
the Union Cabinet. It will enable the states to use the Unique Identity Number in the
distribution of subsidies. Through this amendment, it is expected that the states will be able to
disburse subsidies to the needy and also curb fraud to the 128 crore people who have been
issued Aadhaar card. It will amend Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill.
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upGrad with Liverpool John Moores University offers India’s 1st online Master’s degree
program in Machine Learning and AI
• An online higher education platform, upGrad with Liverpool John Moores University(LJMU),
North England, UK offers India’s first online Master’s degree program in Machine
Learning(ML)and AI(Artificial Intelligence). In 18-month program- 1st 11 months delivered by
IIIT-B (International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore) and next 7 months by
LJMU will provide the learners with PGD (postgraduate diploma) in ML&AI from IIIT-B and a
Master’s degree(M.Sc) from LJMU.
Dr Jitendra Singh Reviewed The Status Of Implementation Of Various Projects Under MDoNER
• Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) Dr
Jitendra Singh chaired a review meeting with senior officers of Ministry of DoNER, North
Eastern Council (NEC) and other organizations of MDoNER in New Delhi. The Minister briefed
about the progress report of 100 Days Action Plan for Ministry of DoNER.Click here to read
more.
23 self-styled and unrecognized universities announced by the University Grants Commission
• The University Grants Commission(UGC) which coordinates, determines and maintains
standards of higher education, has released a list of 23 universities which are declared “self-
styled” and “unrecognized". These universities contradict the UGC Act 1956. Uttar Pradesh has
the highest number of unrecognized universities - 8
Approval given to national permit scheme for inter-state travel for bus operators
• In India International Bus and Car show, Prawaas 2019 which was held in Mumbai,
Maharashtra, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari informed that approval was given to the
national permit scheme for inter-state travel for bus operators. It will increase the state
revenue by 3-4% as the money will be directly credited to the states in a proportionate
manner.
Approval of 1,40,134 houses under the Pratan Mantri Awas Yojana(Urban) given during 45th
sanctioning committee meeting
• Approval was given by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in the 45th
meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee to construct 1,40,134 more
affordable houses to benefit the urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)
(PMAY-(U)). This makes the number of houses sanctioned under PMAY(U) now to be
85,11,574.
“Pink coaches” introduced for women by the Northeast Frontier Railway zone
• As a new initiative that would enhance the security of women, the Northeast Frontier Railway
(NRF) zone has introduced pink-colored SLRcoach (second Class -cum- Luggage-cum Guard's
Coach) for women. NRF Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) PranavJyoti announced that
these pink coaches will help women passengers to identify their coach during rush hours.
Average Monthly Income per Agricultural Household has estimated Rs. 6426: Agriculture
ministry
• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar stated that the
average monthly income per agricultural household from all sources is Rs. 6,426 in the country
based on the Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households conducted
by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) during its 70th round (January 2013-December
2013).
Parliament passes Finance Bill 2019 and Appropriation Bill 2019
• Parliament has passed the Finance Bill 2019 and Appropriation Bill 2019.
o Finance Bill 2019: It gives effect to the financial proposals of the Central Government for
the financial year 2019-20.
o Appropriation Bill 2019: It seeks to authorize payment and appropriation of certain
sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial
year 2019-20.
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DOM led by MoES to commence by October 31, 2019

• Union government has approved the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) of the Union Ministry of Earth
Sciences (MoES) which will begin by October 31, 2019. It is a 5 year mission with the estimated
cost of Rs 8000 crore which will explore the deepest recesses of the ocean. The mission will
explore for the metals and minerals and for this project.
Centre aims to achieve 100% digitization of waqf properties in 100 days
• Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated that the Centre government
has set a target to achieve “100% Digitization of Waqf properties across country in its 1st 100
days” at the National Conference of State and Union Territories Waqf Boards organized by the
Central Waqf Council, held in New Delhi.
An inter-ministerial panel sanctioned 5,645 electric buses in 65 cities
• National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Amitabh Kant announced that an inter-ministerial panel for Electric Vehicles (EVs) sanctioned
5645 electric buses for operations in 65 cities and for inter-city operations to 8 state transport
undertakings.
Chhattisgarh & Telangana top in the processing of solid waste
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest And Climate Change (MoEFCC) informed that
Chhattisgarh and Telangana processed the largest percentage of solid waste until November
2018. Chhattisgarh generated a total 601,885 MTPA (metric tonne per annum) of waste & 84%
was processed while Telangana generated a total 2,690,415 MTPA & 73% was processed.
DDUGJY flagship scheme’s targets achieved
• Minister of State (MoS) for Power, New and Renewable energy R.K.Singh announced that the
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) scheme which completed four years from
its launch, has achieved all its target which was set and is near its conclusion. The
announcement was made by him in an interview to the All India Radio (AIR). 26 million houses
have been electrified in India which is the only country having synchronous grid.
National traders welfare board announced by the government for small traders
• In order to improve the availability of funds for traders and to reduce compliance burden, the
“National Traders Welfare Board” is to be set up by the commerce and industry ministry as told
by the Prime Minister while addressing the traders during his election campaign in April 2019.
The board will consist of 15 members headed by senior official from Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
Govt sanctioned project for the development of Tirthankar Circuit covering sites associated
with Jainism under Swadesh Darshan scheme
• Government has sanctioned Rs.52.39 crores for the project development of Vaishali, Arrah,
Masad, Patna, Rajgir, Pawapuri, Champapuri in Bihar under the Tirthankar Circuit theme of
Swadesh Darshan Scheme in the year 2016-17. It was informed by Union Tourism Minister of
State for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel in reply to question in Lok Sabha. The
project is under implementation and the Ministry has released Rs.26.19 crores for the project.
Centre plans to review the List of 17 Iconic Tourist Sites
• Union Culture & Tourism Minister Prahalad Singh Patel ordered the setting up a panel to
review the list of 17 Iconic Tourist Sites. The Union Government has plans to develop the Iconic
Tourist Sites. The Union Government has plans to develop the Iconic Tourist Sites. In Budget
2019-20, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned that the Government would be
developing the sites into world-class tourist destinations to serve as a model to other tourism
sites.
Parliament passed Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019
• Parliament passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019. It was
passed with 99 votes in favour and 84 opposed against it. The bill criminalizes instant triple
talaq among Muslims and attracts a jail term of three years for the husband.
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Parliament passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019 seeks to amends the Companies
Act, 2013
• The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which seeks to amends the Companies Act, 2013 has
been passed by the Parliament with the approval of Rajya Sabha. The bill was already passed
by the Lok Sabha. The aim of the bill is to improve the ease of doing business and also reduce
the compliance burden on the companies, especially the smaller ones.
WCD implements a Scheme for Women in Difficult Circumstances called “Swadhar Greh”
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development(WCD), Government of India is implementing
the Swadhar Greh Scheme for the rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances so that
they could lead their life with dignity.
DBT 2.0 of Fertilizer Subsidy launched by D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Union Minister for Chemicals
• Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda launched the Phase-II
of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of Fertilizer Subsidy in New Delhi. 3 new technology
initiatives DBT Dashboards, PoS (Point-of-Sale) 3.0 Software and Desktop PoS Version will help
to transfer over Rs 70,000-crore fertiliser subsidy directly to farmers’ bank accounts.
RPF launches “Operation Thirst” to curb the menace of unauthorized Packaged Drinking Water
• The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has launched an all India drive ‘Operation Thirst’ (on 8-9
July 2019) in New Delhi to crackdown the selling of unauthorized Packaged Drinking Water
(PDW) in the premises of railway stations. The special operation covered almost all major
stations over Indian Railway and a total fine amount of Rs. 6,80,855 has been realized by
offenders.
Article 370 a temporary provision with respect to J&K in Part XXI of the Constitution:
Government
• Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy stated that Article 370, which
provides special status to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is contained as a temporary provision in
Part XXI (Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions) of the Constitution. It was also
brought to notice that foreign government or organisation don’t have any locus standi in
repealing Article 370 in J&K as matters related to Constitution of India are internal and it is to
be dealt by Indian Parliament only.
ICSI rolled out UDIN to improve corporate governance
• The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) launched an initiative in the form of a
Unique Document Identification Number (UDIN) to improve corporate governance and
strengthen the practising side of company secretaries.ICSI functions under the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs and sets standards for company secretary members.
Port Integrity Campaign launched in India by Maritime Anti-Corruption Network
• In order to tackle corruption in the maritime industry, Maritime Anti-Corruption Network
(MACN), a global business network of over 110 companies has launched ‘Port Integrity
Campaign’ with the support of the Government of India, international organizations and local
industry stakeholders.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
MGIT-BP, India-assisted IT- Biotechnology Park inaugurated in Cote d’Ivoire

• The Mahatma Gandhi IT and Biotechnology Park (MGIT-BP), built with the assistance from
India was inaugurated at Grand-Bassam in Cote d'Ivoire, a West African country. It was jointly
inaugurated by Ambassador of India to Cote d'Ivoire, Sailas Thangal and Cote d'Ivoire's Vice
President, Daniel Kablan Duccan. It was built through EXIM ( Export-Import) Bank’s Lines of
Credit (LoC) of $20 million.
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India signs worth Rs.200 cr deal with Russia

• The Government of India signed a deal with Russia for acquiring the ‘Strum Ataka’ anti-tank
missiles. The deal is worth around Rs 200 Crore. It will give an added capability to the Mi-35
attack choppers to take out enemy tanks and other armored elements.
India Refrains from UNGA voting on Capital Punishment
• India has abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution to
find the possibility to end the trade in goods used for capital punishment and torture. The
UNGA (193 members) adopted the resolution ‘Towards torture-free trade: examining the
feasibility, scope, and parameters for possible common international standards’. 81 voted in
favor, 20 voted against and 44 abstained from the resolution.
Japan officially resumes commercial whaling after more than 30 years
• Japan officially resumed commercial whaling for the first time in more than three decades after
Tokyo’s controversial decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
With this, Japan joined Iceland and Norway as the only nations to allow commercial whaling
despite the IWC moratorium.
India pledged to contribute $5 million to UN Palestine refugee agency in 2019
• India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Ambassador K Nagaraj
Naidu stated that the Government of India has pledged to contribute $5 million in 2019 to UN
Palestine refugee agency. India increased the annual financial contribution to The United
Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) core
budget, from $1.25 million in 2016 to $5 million in 2018
Trump becomes 1st sitting US president takes Steps Into North Korea
• US (United States) President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to enter North
Korea after briefly crossed the border in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between South and
North Korea. He met North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un and agreed to resume stalled nuclear
talks. This was their third meeting in just over a year. They met for the first time in Singapore
in June 2018 and second time in Hanoi, Vietnam in February 2019.
Ending the use of Single-use plastic shopping bags by New Zealand government kicks in
• In order to tackle plastic pollution, the Government of New Zealand has officially banned
single-use plastic shopping bags with effect from 1 July 2019. It also introduced the hefty fines
of up to 100,000 New Zealand dollar (USD 67,000) for businesses that continue to provide
them. Waste Minimization (Plastic Shopping Bags) Regulations 2018, which was announced in
August 2018 came into force on July 1, 2019, in New Zealand.
WHO launches its first guidelines on self-care interventions for health
• The World Health Organization has introduced its first guideline on self-care interventions for
health named "WHO Consolidated Guideline on Self-Care Interventions for Health". Its first
volume has focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights. It has also state that by y
2030, there will be shortage of 18 million health workers. Read full details here
U.S. Senate passes a legislative provision to grant India a NATO ally-like status
• The US Senate (United States) has passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the
fiscal year 2020 to promote defense cooperation, which would make India's status equal to the
US-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) partners and countries like Israel and South
Korea. This will result in increased defense & maritime cooperation between India and the US.
IAEA confirms Iran breached enriched Uranium Stockpile limit set by 2015 nuclear deal
• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran had exceeded a limit on its
enriched uranium reserves set by a 2015 nuclear deal/Iran deal by 300 kilograms. As per the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran Nuclear deal, Iran could stockpile not more
than 300kg of low-enriched uranium and was permitted to produce low-enriched uranium,
which had a 3.67% concentration of U-235, an isotope of uranium, and could fuel a power plant
only until 2031.
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US lists Balochistan Liberation Army and Husain Ali Hazzima as SDGTs

• The United States listed the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Hezbollah operative
Husain Ali Hazzima as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order
(E.O.) 13224.
Kuwait supports India in countering terror
• An Arab country on the Persian (Arabian) Gulf, Kuwait that completes its two-year term as the
non-permanent member in the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) has played a major role
in declaring JeM chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist and in UNSC condemnation of Pulwama
terror strike. It also assured that to support India’s global ambitions including investments.
Sri Lanka inaugurated its first model village built with Indian assistance at Ranidugama in
Gampaha
• The first model village built with Indian assistance under the Model Villages Program was
jointly inaugurated by Minister of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs Sajith
Premadasa, former President Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga and Acting High
Commissioner of India Shilpak Ambule at Ranidugama in Gampaha in Sri Lanka. Grant from
India to Sri Lanka for the project was Rs 1,200 million ($17.5 million).
World’s largest burn and plastic surgery institute inaugurated in Dhaka, Bangladesh
• The world's largest burn and plastic surgery institute named Sheikh Hasina National Burn and
Plastic Surgery Institute started its functioning in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is a 500-bed hospital
with 50 Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and 12 operation theatres. It will provide advanced
treatment to burn patients in Bangladesh. It was built at a cost of over 500 crores Taka.
Sharjah issues its first Golden card visa to an Indian Lalu Samuel, Chairman of Kingston
Holdings
• The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs of Sharjah has granted the first
golden card visa to an Indian expat businessman, Lalu Samuel, Chairman and Managing
Director of Kingston Holdings and Chairman of Sharjah Industry Business Group. The 10-
year visa is a part of the long-term permanent residency system tailored aims to attract capital
and investments for the renaissance and development of the UAE.
Saudi Arabia adopts Digital India &‘equality of women’ motto for Haj 2019
• Indian Haj mission in Saudi Arabia adopts Digital India and ‘equality of women’ motto for the
empowerment of Muslim women pilgrims & to reach out to a large number of pilgrims as part
of the Government of India’s initiative of Digital India. An App called “Indian Haj Information
System” has been introduced to receive grievances and feedback from Hajis to improve the
service.
Sri Lanka declared ‘measles-free’ nation by WHO
• The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that measles disease has been eradicated in
Sri Lanka. The last case of measles caused by an indigenous virus was reported in May 2016.
With this, it became the 4th country after Bhutan, Maldives, and Timor-Leste to eliminate
measles and control rubella in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
From 2020, France will impose green tax on plane tickets
• With an aim to fund less-polluting transportation projects, French government announced to
impose green tax up to €18 ($20) on plane tickets for all outgoing flights from airports in
France with effect from 2020.
GoI hands over 250 houses to Myanmar's Rakhine State
• The Government of India (GoI) handed over the 250 pre-fabricated houses for use of Refugees
returned from Bangladesh to Myanmar's Rakhine State. India is supporting under Rakhine
State Development Programme’ (RSDP) for 5 consecutive years with an aid of $25 million. The
project was undertaken by two Indian companies include M/s Hindustan Prefab Limited as
Project Management Consultant and M/s Enertech Limited.
The city of Fuzhou (China) will host the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2020
• In the event of 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee meeting 2019 in Baku,
Azerbaijan( June 30 to July 10,2019), the UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and
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Cultural Organization) announced that the Chinese city of Fuzhou will host the 44th session of
the World Heritage Committee in 2020. The pink city or Walled City of Jaipur of Rajasthan also
featured in the prestigious list, which now features 1,121 sites in 167 countries.
The US House passed a Bill to remove 7% cap on issuing Green Card
• The United States (US) House of Representatives passed a Bill ‘Fairness for High-Skilled
Immigrants Act, 2019 or HR 1044’ which removes the present 7% country-cap on issuing
Green Cards. A Green Card allows a person to live and work permanently in the US. State Bank
of India has got the approval for raising equity capital of up to Rs 20,000 crore from the market
by way of qualified institutional placement(QIP) or other modes till March 2020.
US imposed sanctions against Myanmar’s military chief & 3 others for killing of Rohingya
Muslims
• The United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed that the US has imposed
sanctions against Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, Deputy Commander-in-
Chief Soe Win, Brigadier-General Than Oo and Brigadier General Aung Aung for gross human
rights violations, including killing of Rohingya Muslims. The officers along with their family
members are banned from entering the United States.
World Bank Arbitration Court imposed $5.8 billion penalty on Pakistan
• World Bank Arbitration Court imposed a penalty of $5.8 billion on Pakistan for unlawful denial
of a mining lease to Tethyan Copper Company for the Reko Diq project in 2011. Tethyan
Copper Company is a joint venture between Chilean mining company Antofagasta and Canada’s
Barrick Gold Corporation. It had claimed $11.43 billion in damages.
Foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak International Varsity laid in Pak
• The foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak International University (BGNIU) has been laid in
Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak Dev, founder of Sikhism, in the Punjab
province of Pakistan. The University's foundation stone was laid by Pakistan's Punjab Chief
Minister Usman Bujdar. Its outlay is more than Rs. 258 crores.
Pakistan to allow 5,000 Sikh pilgrims per day to visit Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib
• After the second meeting of officials of India and Pakistan, the Foreign Office (FO) informed
that Pakistan would allow 5,000 Sikh pilgrims per day throughout the year to visit Gurudwara
Kartarpur Sahib situated in Kartarpur, Narowal District, Pakistan. It was established in 1522 by
Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev. The decision was taken in line with Prime Minister Imran
Khan's commitment to operationalize the corridor for the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak
Dev.
Palau became the 76th country to sign the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework
Agreement
• The Republic of Palau, an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean has signed
International Solar Alliance Framework agreement to become a 76th country that joined the
International Solar Alliance(ISA). It was signed by Palau President Tommy Remengesau during
a special ceremony at Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations (UN). ISA Framework
Agreement has been ratified by a total of 54 of the 76 countries till now.
WHO declares Congo Ebola outbreak a Health emergency of International Concern
• The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)” in the emergency
committee meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland. This is for the 5th time WHO has invoked an
emergency provision.
Sri Lanka & IRCON International Ltd signed $91.26 mn agreement to upgrade rail track located
between Colombo and Jaffna
• Government of Sri Lanka and IRCON (Indian Railway Construction Company) International
Limited, under the Ministry of Railways, signed $91.26 million agreement for the up-gradation
of 130 km rail track located between Colombo and Jaffna in Tamil -majority northern province
of Sri Lanka. It will be upgraded under Indian concessional financing between Maho to
Omanthai, Sri Lanka which is going to happen for the first time in 100 years.
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SAARC Film Festival 2019 held at the National Film Corporation Cinema Hall, Colombo, Sri
Lanka
• The 9th Edition of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Film Festival for
the year 2019 was held at the National Film Corporation Cinema Hall, Colombo, Sri Lanka from
July 2-7, 2019. It was conducted by the SAARC Cultural Centre. It screened 34 films which
consisted of 15 feature films, 13 short films and 6 master films from the SAARC Member states
of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Combat veteran, Dr Samir Rawat first officer invited to Congress of Psychology in Prague in
2020
• Lt.Col. Dr. Samir Rawat, a military psychologist who was also in ‘operation Vijay’ conducted by
the Indian army in Kargil, has been invited as the keynote speaker to give a speech on
psychology at the 32nd International Congress of Psychology(ICP) in Prague, Czech Republic,
in which over 8000 delegates are participating in the biggest international event.
Jordan opens its first underwater military museum
• Jordan, an Arab country in Western Asia, opened its first Underwater Military Museum Dive
Site, off its Red Sea coast, Aqaba. The objective of the museum is to offer a new type of museum
experience combining sports, environment and exhibits for divers, snorkelers and visitors on
glass-bottomed boats.
INS Tarkash reached Saint Petersburg, Russia to take part in the Russian Navy Day parade
• INS Tarkash which was constructed for the Indian Navy by Russia reached SaintPetersburg,
Russia to take part in the Russian Navy Day parade celebrated on 28 July. The Indian
delegation is led by Vice Admiral Ajith Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western
Naval Command and INS Tarkash.
Bangladesh records highest level of Dengue cases in 18 years
• According to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of Bangladesh, 10528 patients
were infected with dengue and nearly 700 more people were reported with dengue infection
across Bangladesh. It is the highest in 18 years. Dengue cases in Bangladesh were first detected
in the year 2000.
Democratic Republic of Congo to launch surveillance, vaccination training to tackle Ebola
• The World Health Organisation(WHO) and the government of Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) have come together with a program to control the Ebola outbreak over the next six
months by launching surveillance and vaccination training to the citizens of DRC. WHO’s
emergency Operations Director Peter Graaf declared emergency in GOMA, which is a densely
populated Eastern City bordering Rwanda following the confirmation of an Ebola case there.
India's renewable energy cost is lowest in Asia Pacific region -Wood Mackenzie
• UK consultancy from Wood Mackenzie stated that renewable energy cost of India is the lowest
in the Asia Pacific region, due to the fact that Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) using solar
photovoltaic of India has Fallen to $38 per Megawatt hour in 2019. This fall in LCOE is cheaper
than the coal-fired power generation of 14% which is traditionally the cheapest source of
power generation.
Pakistan opens historic 1,000-year-old Hindu temple in Punjab for worship after 72 years
• On the demand of the local Hindu community, Pakistan opened Shawala Teja Singh Temple in
eastern city Sialkot for worship for the first time since partition. According to the book 'History
of Sialkot' by the late Rashid Niaz, the temple is 1,000-years-old.
WHEF launches its Nepal Chapter in Kathmandu
• World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) unveiled its Nepal Chapter in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was
inaugurated by the Minister of State for Health and Population of Nepal Dr. Surendra Kumar
Yadav. The aim of Nepal chapter is to increase economic cooperation between India and Nepal
and to connect the Himalayan nation with a global network for its economic prosperity.
Infosys launched its new Cyber Defence Center in Romania
• Indian multinational corporation based in Bengaluru, Infosys has opened its new state-of-the-
art Cyber Defence Center in Bucharest, Romania. The centre is an expansion of services
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delivered by Infosys Digital Innovation Centre, which opened in Bucharest earlier. The Centre
will offer an end-to-end, real-time, 24 * 7 cybersecurity monitoring and protection services to
support European and global businesses on their digital transformation drive.
Ukraine inaugurates gigantic dome worth $1.7 billion over destroyed Chernobyl reactor
• Ukraine and its European partners have inaugurated the world’s largest new metal dome
encasing the destroyed reactor at the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power station. The New Safe
Confinement seals the remains of the fourth reactor worth 1.5 billion euro( $1.7 billion, partly
funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and sponsored by
45 countries).
VISITs
Indian Visit
Visit of Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State of the United States of America to India
• The United States (US) Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo visited India on 25-27 June 2019.
He held talks with the External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and it paved the way to further
strengthen the India-U.S. Strategic Partnership, and continue the high-level engagement on
matters of mutual interest including bilateral, regional, and global issues.
Overview of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Varanasi, UP
• On July 6, 2019, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (UP).
 PM unveiled the statue of former Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri at the Lal
Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, UP.
 PM launched a tree plantation drive at Harahua primary school in Anand Kanan forest on
the Panch Kosi Marg by planting a sapling.
 He also visited the Virtual Experiential Museum at Man Mahal, situated on the banks of the
Ganges near the iconic Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi.
Foreign Visit
Overview Of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Visit To Japan To Attend The G20 Summit 2019,
Osaka, Japan
• G20 (Group of 20) Summit 2019 was held at the International Exhibition Center, Osaka, Japan
on June 28-29, 2019. It was the 14th meeting of the G20.
 The 2018 G20 Summit was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the 2020 G20 Summit will
be held in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
 Prime Minister’s sherpa for the G20 summit Suresh Prabhu attended G20 Sherpa meeting at
Osaka in Japan to prepare for Prime Minister’s Summit with G-20 leaders.
 Authorities from the Japanese city of Kobe exchanged a Letter of Intent (LoI) with their
counterparts in Ahmedabad, Gujarat for a sister city partnership. It will help to enhance
economic relationships between the two vibrant cities as well as the two countries.
 Modi, Trump, Abe held 2nd Japan-America-India (JAI) trilateral talks in Osaka, Japan. PM
discussed on the Indo-Pacific region to improve connectivity and infrastructure
development with US President Donald Trump and Japanese premier Shinzo Abe.
 PM met with BRICS Nations.
 At the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral on the sidelines of the G20 summit, President of
China, Xi Jinping urged the 3 countries in the presence of PM and President of Russia,
Vladimir putin to expand cooperation in 5G network, high technology, connectivity, energy
and other areas.
 India, South Africa, and Indonesia boycotted the “Osaka Track” on the “digital economy” as
it overtly undermined “multilateral” principles of consensus-based decisions in global trade
negotiations, and denied “policy space” for digital-industrialisation in developing countries.
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 G20 countries were invited to join global coalition on disaster resilience named
‘International Coalition on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’.
 PM Modi outlined 5 I vision in G-20 meet at Osaka to maximize digital technology for social
benefit. The 5 ‘I’s (5I Vision) are — Inclusiveness, Indigenisation, Innovation, Investment in
infrastructure & International cooperation.
 India and Indonesia set an ambitious $50 billion target for bilateral trade by 2025 as PM
and President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo discussed ways to deepen cooperation in a
number of key areas including economy, defence and maritime security.Click here to read
more.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s Visit To Mozambique
• Hon’ble Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh visited Mozambique from july 28-30 2019.This
is the first official visit of Rajnath Singh as a Defence Minister to the African country as well as
it is the first time ever a defence minister of India has visited Mozambique.
 A Ceremony was held at the Mozambican naval headquarters to hand over Two India made
Fast Interceptor Boats (FIBs) to the Mozambican navy where four members from Indian
Coast Guard System (ICGS) team will be assisting with training and maintenance and
operating the two boats.
 In order to strengthen the Indo-Mozambican Defence cooperation, the Indian Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh signed Two Memorandum of understanding (MOU) with
Mozambique, which are Agreement on sharing white shipping information and Cooperation
in the field of hydrography.Click here to read more.
BANKING & FINANCE
RBI in News
RBI gets the power to regulate housing finance companies instead of NHB
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that India's central bank, Reserve Bank of
India(RBI) will now be given power to takes over as the regulator of Housing Finance
Firms(HFFs) instead of NHB(National Housing Bank). The government will also provide a one-
time six-month partial guarantee to state-run banks for the acquisition of up to 1 trillion
rupees ($14.6 billion) of highly-rated assets from NBFCs (Non-Banking Financial Company).
RBI board has finalized a three- year roadmap ‘Utkarsh 2022’ to improve regulation &
supervision
• India's central bank, Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has finalized a three-year road map for
medium-term objective named “Utkarsh 2022” for strengthening regulation, supervision of the
central bank in a meeting in New Delhi. n internal committee of RBI was formed under former
Deputy Governor Viral Acharya, to identify issues that needed to be addressed over the next
three years.
RBI panel suggests to review timings of different financial markets
• An internal committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) suggested to review the timings of
different financial markets. It recommended the timing of the functioning of the foreign
exchange market from 9 am to 9 pm instead of 9 am to 5 pm.
RBI slaps a penalty on SBI &Union Bank for violating various norms
• The central Banking institution, RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has penalized Public Sector Banks
in India, State Bank of India (SBI) with Rs. 7 crore and Union Bank of India (UBI) with Rs.10-
lakh for violating certain regulatory guidelines. SBI violated RBI's direction on Income
Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms while Union Bank of India for lapses in
cybersecurity framework in 2016.
RBI launches a medium-term strategy framework “Utkarsh 2022”
• India's central banking institution, Reserve Bank of India(RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das
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launched “Utkarsh 2022”, central bank’s medium-term strategy framework (2019-22), in line
with evolving macroeconomic environment. It has launched the framework to achieve
excellence in the performance of statutory and other functions, strengthening the trust of
citizens and other institutions.
RBI panel recommends an increase in collateral-free lending, MUDRA loan limit to Rs 20 lakh:
Nitin Gadkari
• The Union Minister for MSMEs(Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), Nitin Gadkari stated
that a panel of RBI(Reserve Bank of India) has recommended an increase in the collateral-free
lending limit to Rs 20 lakh for MSMEs and self-help groups(SHG). The panel also recommended
revision of loan limit sanctioned under MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance
Agency) to Rs 20 lakh from Rs 10 lakh.
Cars24 gets RBI NBFC license to offer loans against used cars
• CARS24, an online marketplace for buying and selling used cars has received a license of a Non-
banking Finance Company (NBFC) from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and will be venturing
into the consumer lending business as a separate entity within the Cars24 group. With Cars24
Financial Services, it will facilitate vehicle loans to customers as well as finance channel
partners to help them expand their businesses.
RBI relaxes norms of NBFC and corporates raised through ECB
• As a beneficial way to raise cheaper Offshore funds by the Corporates and theNon Banking
Financial Companies (NBFC) , the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed the norms of funds
raised through External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) for the second time this year.Click
here to read more.
Loans issued by banks/others
Loan issued by Received by Amount Points to be noted
Asian Infrastructure L&T(Larsen & $100- For wind and solar infrastructure projects.
Investment Bank Toubro) million loan This is the first time AIIB is extending loan
(AIIB) Infrastructure to a non-banking finance company (NBFC).
Finance LTIF, a subsidiary of L&T Finance Holdings
Company(LTIF) collaborated with AIIB to explore the
international market for green finance.
Asian Development Tripura Rs.1,925 For power generation up-gradation and
Bank (ADB) crore distribution projects in the state. Dev
Varma, who is also the power minister of
the state said that the amount was
sanctioned to the Tripura State Electricity
Corporation Limited (TSECL).
Export-Import Bank Papua New $124 To finance infrastructure and health care
of India (Exim Bank) Guinea and million projects. Exim Bank has also extended Line
Senegalgovernm (over Rs of Credit of $24.50 million to the
ents 850 crore) Government of the Republic of Senegal for
the purpose of financing up-gradation and
rehabilitation of Health Care System.
Agreements/MoU’s Signed
Bank Signed with Points to be noted
State Bank of India (SBI) India’s sovereign wealth To provide financing solutions to the
fund, National Investment infrastructure sector. The tie-up will
and Infrastructure Fund help in equity investments, project
(NIIF) funding, bond financing, renewable
energy support and take-out finance
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for operating assets.

ICICI Bank IndoStar Capital For vehicle financing for small and
medium fleet owners to buy new
and old commercial vehicles.
IndoStar will originate customers in
tier-II, III, IV cities where it has a
branch network of 322 branches and
will provide the service to the
customers through the entire loan
life-cycle including sourcing,
documentation, collection and loan
servicing. ICICI Bank will provide
funds to the customers.
Airtel Payments Bank Bharti AXA Life Insurance To offer Bharti AXA Life POS (Point
of Sale) Saral Jeevan Bima Yojana, a
pure life term insurance plan up to
Rs 5 lakh which is aimed at the
under-insured and uninsured
segments in India. The customers
are offered the option of life cover
between 3-5 lakh and it will soon be
extended up to Rs 25 lakh.
Reliance Jio Facebook To launch a digital literacy initiative
named “Digital Udaan” to empower
first-time internet users with digital
literacy and understanding of the
Internet in real time. It has audio-
visual training in 10 regional
languages.
National Investment and National Highways To fund large scale projects,
Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Authority of India (NHAI) including highways in a bid to
achieve Prime Minister’s vision to
make India a $5-trillion economy in
the next five years. The MoU will
provide innovative financial models
including for the 24,000 km Rs.7.5
lakh crore Bharatmala Pariyojana.
Paisabazaar.com Samsung To offer financial products.
Paisabazaar.com will now support
Samsung Pay users by providing a
one-stop solution to their financial
requirements.
HDFC ERGO General Insurance Muthoottu Mini Financiers To provide comprehensive general
Company Limited insurance for the customers of the
NBFC through its network branches.
Other Important Banking & Finance News
FinMin to launch 11th tranche of Electoral Bonds sale to start from July 1
• The Finance Ministry of India has launched the 11th tranche of Electoral Bonds sale from July
1-10. In this regard, India's largest Public Sector Bank (PSB), State Bank of India (SBI) has been
authorised to issue and encash electoral bonds in the XI phase of sale through its 29 branches.
This is the first issuance of electoral bonds after the formation of the new government.
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Hong Kong Govt donates over $9 million to cyclone” Fani”-hit Odisha

• The Government of Hong Kong approved to grant about $9,02,278 (7.032 million Hong Kong
dollars) from Hong Kong’s Disaster Relief Fund for cyclone Fani victims in Odisha. This will
benefit around 45,100 cyclone victims who were affected by cyclone storm,’Fani’ in May 2019.
The grants will be used to provide hygiene kits, kitchen kits, water kits, and education kits as
well as household and shelter kits to the victims.
Punjab & Sind Bank sets up centralised hub ‘Cen-MARG’ to process retail and MSME loans
• Punjab & Sind Bank has set up a centralized hub named “Centralised MSME & Retail Group”
(Cen-MARG) for processing retail and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) loans for
better efficiency of branches in business acquisition. It is headquartered in New Delhi.
Wilful defaults exceed $21 billion in India for the year 2018-19, SBI holds the highest
• The state-owned banks in India stated that Rs.1.50 trillion ($21.76 billion) worth of loans as
wilful defaults in 2018-19. the State Bank of India(SBI) holds the highest number of wilful
defaults, worth around INR 461.58 billion, while Punjab National Bank(PNB) ranked second at
Rs.250.9 billion and Bank of India at Rs.98.9 billion.
SBI waives off charges for NEFT, RTGS to boost e-transactions
• In a bid to move the country towards a less-cash economy, country’s largest bank, the State
Bank of India(SBI) waived Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and National Electronic Fund
Transfer (NEFT) charges for its app YONO(You Only Need One), internet and mobile banking
customers effective from 1 July 2019. It also waived off the charges for Immediate Payment
Service (IMPS) from 1 August 2019.
Price for SGBs fixed at Rs 3,443 per gram
• The government fixed the price of the new series of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) at Rs 3,443
per gram opening July 8, 2019. In consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Centre
decided to allow a discount of Rs 50 per gram from the issue price (Rs 3,393 per gram) to those
investors who apply online and if the payment is made through digital mode. SGBs will be
issued every month from June 2019 to September 2019.
Total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts cross Rs.1 lakh crore
• According to the Finance ministry, total deposits in over 36.06 crore bank accounts opened
under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was at Rs 1,00,495.94 crore. The number
of zero balance accounts under PMJDY decreased as 5.07 crore (14.37 % of the total accounts)
in March 2019 compared to 5.10 crore (16.22% of the total accounts) in March 2018.
Govt infused over Rs.3.15 lakh crore into PSBs in 11 Years between FY09 and FY19
• Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of State for Finance stated that the government has infused over
Rs 3.15 lakh crore into public sector banks(PSB) in the last 11 years up till 2018-19. As on
March 31, 2019, all 18 PSBs meet the minimum CRAR (capital to risk-weighted assets ratio) of
9 % requirement.
The UK’s new £50 pound note features codebreaker Alan Turing
• According to the Bank of England, Alan Turing, a crack code-breaker and visionary
mathematician who set the foundations for artificial intelligence (AI) will feature on Britain’s
new £50 banknote. The new note is expected to enter circulation by the end of 2021. The Bank
of England is putting new faces on Britain’s banknotes as it switches from paper to polymer, a
thin, flexible plastic film that is seen as more durable and secure.
HDFC Bank GDRs Terminated, Delisted From Luxembourg Stock Exchange
• India's leading private sector bank, HDFC Bank (Housing Development Finance Corporation)
has terminated and de-listed its 22 outstanding global depository receipts (GDRs) from the
Luxembourg Stock Exchange citing low trading volume of GDRs. The listing and admission to
trading of the HDFC Bank GDRs on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange have been canceled after
July 15, 2019.
GPF rates reduced by 10 bps to 7.9% from 8%
• Ministry of Finance informed that the rates of the General Provident Fund (GPF) were reduced
by 10 basis points (bps) to 7.9% from 8% with effect from July 1, 2019, to September 30, 2019.
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All government employees who joined service on or before December 31, 2003, contribute to
GPF. An officer/employee contributes 6% of his/her basic salary with an equal contribution
from the Government.
SIDBI introduced web-based application system for contribution from FFS
• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) introduced a web-based application
system for contribution from the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS). The objective of the new
web-based application system is to improve the turnaround time and increase transparency.
SIDBI on behalf of the Union Government is the implementing agency for FFS with a corpus of
Rs 10,000 crore.
ICICI Bank unveils digital platform InstaBIZ for MSMEs
• India's largest private sector bank, ICICI(Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of
India) launched a new digital platform called 'InstaBIZ'. It targeted at micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs) and self-employed customers, enable them to undertake their business
banking transactions digitally and instantly. It is the first digital platform allows instant
payment of GST (Goods and Service Tax) using the challan number in a single click payment.
Andra Bank rolls-out Al chatbot “ABHi” in Telangana
• A medium-sized public sector bank in India, Andra Bank launched its AI (Artificial Intelligence)
interactive assistant called “ABHi” at a function in Hyderabad, Telangana. It uses new-age
technologies include to understand the customer query and fetch the relevant information
from the possible knowledge base in a matter of milliseconds. ABHi is powered by AI startup
Floatbot.ai (Bangalore) in partnership with IT(Information Technology) company Netxcell
Limited(Hyderabad).
ABIPBL to shut down within 18 months of launch
• Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank (ABIPBL) which had started its operation on February 22,
2018, will shut down its operations within 18 months of launch due to “unanticipated
developments in the business landscape that have made the economic model unviable''.
ABIPBL is a joint venture by Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (51% stake) and Idea Cellular (49%).
World Bank decides not to fund for Andhra's ambitious Amaravati capital city project
• After the central government dropped support, The World Bank had withdrawn $300 million
of fund for Amaravati Capital City project in Andhra Pradesh, the ambitious project of former
chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. The move was taken after the Environmental activists,
farmers, and civil society organizations opposed this project for building the city on Krishna
river floodplains.
NPCI & JCB launched RuPay JCB Global Cards
• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Japan Credit Bureau (JCB)
International along with domestic banks, launched RuPay JCB Global Cards. The domestic
banks include State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Axis Bank, Union Bank of India,
Central Bank of India, Andhra Bank, City Union Bank and Thane Janata Sahakari Bank (TJSB).
LIC offers Rs 1.25 trillion by 2024 to fund highway projects: Nitin Gadkari
• Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways stated that Mumbai headquartered
Indian state-owned insurance group, LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) has agreed to offer Rs
1.25 trillion (Rs 1.25 lakh crore) line of credit by 2024, to fund highway projects for timely
execution of the Rs 8.41 trillion ambitious Bharatmala project.
Standard Chartered is all set to be the first foreign bank to initiate operations at GIFT IFSC
• UK- based Standard Chartered will be the first foreign bank to launch operations at
International Financial Service Centre (IFSC). The bank has received in-principle regulatory
approvals to set up its IFSC Banking Unit (IBU) in Gujarat International Finance Tec-city (GIFT
city). GIFT city has been set up by the Gujarat government in joint partnership with
Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS).
World Bank to continue the support to Andhra Pradesh with over $1 Billion programme
• The World Bank (WB) reaffirmed the support to the state of Andhra Pradesh with over $1
billion programs. It covers the health, agriculture, energy and disaster management sectors. A
34 | P a g e
new $328 million support to the health sector was signed by the World Bank with the
Government of Andhra Pradesh.
India will be the first recipient of AIIB local currency funding
• India will be the first recipient of local currency financing by the Asian Infrastructure and
Investment Bank (AIIB). The objective of local currency financing is to provide more options to
borrowers. India is the second-largest shareholder of AIIB with a 7.5% stake after China.
Bankruptcy board tightens norms governing resolution professionals
• Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), the regulator for overseeing insolvency
proceedings has tightened norms governing resolution professionals wherein restrictions will
also be in place for their relatives from taking up employment after completion of a resolution
process. They would also be barred from having employment when they are in possession of
authorization to take up work under the insolvency law.
An Account Aggregator platform “Sahamati” introduced to Solve Fintech’s Data Problem
• Infosys co-founder and its former chairman Nandan Nilekani has introduced a new platform
“Sahamati” based on a new class of non-banking financial institutions called the account
aggregator (NBFC-AA) model. This will work as consent brokers, which will take users
permission to access their financial accounts, aggregate and organize all their financial
information in one place.
PNB Housing Finance raises $100 million (nearly Rs.690 crore) from World Bank Group
member IFC
• Indian public limited housing finance company PNB(Punjab National Bank) Housing Finance
Ltd has raised $100 million (around Rs 690 crore) from International Finance Corporation
(IFC, member of the World Bank Group) for the purpose of lending to buyers in housing
projects. This is the 1st ECB( external commercial borrowings) outlay was made under the RBI
(Reserve Bank of India) automatic route for the current financial year (FY2019-20).
BUSINESS & ECONOMY NEWS

GROWTH RATE:
Organization Year Rate
Asian Development 2019 7%, 7.2% in 2020 (FY21). It
Bank’s (ADB) revised downwards its outlook
for FY20 due to unexpected
weak FY2018 outturn.
International Monetary Fund 2019 7% and 7.2% in 2020 (FY21). It
(IMF) scales down its outlook for both
the years due to a broad-based
slowdown in consumption and
investment demand in India.
DBS 2020 6.8%. It stated that the Indian
economy will be unable to
achieve the 7% growth.Reasons
for slow growth include poor
monsoon and rural income &
consumption will be pressured
by the persistent negative terms
of trade in the agricultural
sector.
35 | P a g e
Highlights of Union Budget 2019-20

• Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman made her maiden Budget
Speech and presented the Union Budget 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha. She broke away from the
tradition when she replaced the conventional leather briefcase with a bright red cloth bag to
carry the Budget papers to the Parliament House. “Gaon, Garib and Kisan” (Village, Poor, and
Farmer) was the centre of all policies of the Modi 2.0 Government.Click here to read more.
GOI Ratifies International convention to curb company profit sharing
• The Government recently ratified the multilateral tax convention designed by OECD
(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) to implement Tax treaty to
combat Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). This has been done to shrink opportunities for
tax avoidance by multinational enterprises. The convention measures to prevent BEPS
(Multilateral instruments (MLI)) which was signed by India in 2017 in Paris. The convention
(MIL) is one of the outcomes of OECD/G20 Project to tackle Base Erosion and Profit Shifting
(BEPS Project) and it shall come into force from 1st October 2019 for India.
Overview Of Economic Survey 2018-19
• The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the
Economic Survey 2018-19. It was prepared by the Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy
Subramanian. It had a cover page in skyblue colour as it adopts an unfettered approach in
thinking about the appropriate economic model for India. Click here to read the detailed
article.
NASSCOM & NSDC launches “World Skills India”-International Cloud Computing Challenge 2019
• Information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITeS) NASSCOM ( National Association of
Software and Services Companies) and Not-for-profit public limited company, NSDC (National
Skill Development Corporation) has organized “World Skills India”- International Cloud
Computing Challenge 2019 from July (1st – 6th ) 2019 at NASSCOM Campus,New Delhi.
Tata Steel Kalinganagar included in WEF’s Global Lighthouse Network
• Tata Steel Kalinganagar becomes the first and the only Indian manufacturing plant that has
been included in prestigious Lighthouse Network of the World Economic Forum, a community
of manufacturers that are frontrunners in applying 4th Industrial Revolution technologies to
draw a competitive advantage from either innovating their production system or by innovating
their entire value chains and offering new products and services.
According to the World Bank data for 2018, India’s turnover ratio fell by 60% in 10 years
• As per the data of the World Bank for the year 2018, the turnover ratio of Indian stock market
fell significantly by 60% in the past 10 years. Indian market volume compared to the size of the
market was the lowest amongst major global economies. A turnover ratio of Indian stock
market fell from 143 in 2008 to 58 in 2018. It was the highest among the most leading markets
of the world, except the United States (US) and European Union (EU).
Six Sigma Healthcare proposed to setup Rs 750 crore project in Rudraprayag district,
Uttarakhand
• The proposal for setting up the High Altitude Institute of mountain medicine, training and
research center, given by the medical director of Six Sigma Healthcare, Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj
was accepted by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat. Six Sigma
healthcare, a company which operates hospitals in Kedarnath, Tungnath and Madmaheshwar,
will set up Rs 750 crore project in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.
Parliament adopts statutory resolution for levying 200% duty on all Pakistani goods
• The two statutory resolutions were moved by Anurag Thakur, Minister of State (M/S) for
Finance on behalf of Union Minister of Finance Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman. It was decided to levy
200% duty on all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan. In this regard, Lok Sabha and
Rajya Sabha approved the amendment in the 1st Schedule of Customs Tariff Act (CTA), 1975.
Indian ship sails for Narayanganj in Bangladesh carrying cargo from Bhutan
• The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) ship, MV AAI flagged-off by Mansukh
Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Chemical and Fertilisers,
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from Dhubri river port (Assam )to Narayanganj(Bangladesh), carrying 1000 MT of Bhutanese
stone over river Brahmaputra, using Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route.
Agri-Business Incubation Centre started at Raipur, Chhattisgarh
• An Agri Business Incubation Centre has been set up by the Union Agriculture Ministry in Indira
Gandhi Agriculture University of Raipur, Chhattisgarh under the National Agriculture
Development Scheme Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied sector
Rejuvenation (RAFTAAR). It will help to grow agri-preneurship in the state and foster a start-
up culture.
In 2025, India will overtake Japan to become the World’s 3rd Largest Economy: IHS Markit
• IHS Markit, a global information provider, in its report mentioned that India will surpass Japan
to be the world’s third largest economy in 2025 and it will overtake the United Kingdom (UK)
to become the fifth biggest economy in 2019. Indian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is
predicted to reach $5.9 trillion in 2025 surpassing Japanese GDP.
Govt waived off basic customs duty (BCD) on products imported for nuclear plants
• In order to reduce the dependency on carbon-based fuel for electricity generation, the
Government of India (GoI) has waived off Basic Customs Duty (BCD) for the products which are
imported for nuclear power plants. This comes after the budgetary support towards nuclear
fuel inventory increasing 37% year-on-year(y-o-y) to Rs 3,122 crore & allocation on atomic
research and development have been increased by 10% to Rs 6,264 crore.
KRAS gets $100 mn order for Barak-8 missile kits for Indian Army and Air Force
• Hyderabad-based Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd (KRAS), a 49:51 venture between
Rafael Advanced Systems and Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd, secured a $100-million order
from Rafeal of Israel to supply 1,000 Barak-8 Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM)
kits for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
TVS Motor launches India’s first Ethanol based motorcycle ‘TVS Apache RTR 200 Fi E100’
• Multinational motorcycle company headquartered at Chennai, TVS Motor company launched
India’s first ethanol-based motorcycle TVS Apache RTR 200 Fi E100 to help reduce crude
imports and reduce air pollution. It is available in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka
at a price of Rs 1.20 lakh& It was first showcased in Auto Expo 2018 in Delhi.
India & Italy to establish fast-track mechanism to facilitate investment
• In a meeting which was held in New Delhi, it was decided by India and Italy to establish a fast-
track mechanism for companies and investors of both countries to help the Italian companies
and investors in India and Indian companies and investors in Italy. In this regard, the
documents were exchanged by the Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade (DPIIT) Ramesh Abhishek and Ambassador of Italy to India, Lorenzo Angeloni.
Israel Aerospace Industries signed $50 million follow-up deal with Indian Navy & India's MDL
Shipyard
• Israel Aerospace Industries, a state-owned defense contractor, signed $50 million follow-up
deal with Indian Navy & Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). The follow-up agreement
consists of a range of maintenance and other services for sub-systems of Israel Aerospace's
naval medium-range surface-to-air missile.
Centre to increase coal production to one billion tone by 2022-23
• Union Minister of Coal Prahlad Joshi informed that due to insufficient domestic availability of
coking coal, the gap between demand and supply of coal cannot be bridged completely. But
there are plans to increase the total production of coal in India to one billion tones by 2022-23.
All India raw coal increased its production from over 462 Metric tonnes in 2013-14 to around
730 metric tonnes in 2018-19.
US not to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey after it bought S-400 missile defense system from
Russia
• The President of the United States (US) Donald Trump informed that the US would not sell the
F-35 fighter jets to Turkey after Ankara, capital of Turkey, purchased the S-400 missile defense
system from Russia. As per current US laws, any country purchasing a major defence
37 | P a g e
equipment from Russia could be subject to American sanctions. F-35 is a stealth, fifth-
generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions.
Bangladesh-India bilateral trade in FY 2017-18 was $9.5 billion
• The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) President Sheikh
Fazle Fahim stated that the bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh accounted to $9.5
billion for 2017-18. Exports to India accounted at $0.87 billion and imports were $8.6 billion.
This was announced on the sidelines of a two-day B2B (Business to Business) trade summit
held in Kolkata, West Bengal.
India's current account balance deficit shoots up to $68 billion in 2018-19: IMF
• According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India's current account (CA) balance
deficit rose to $68 billion in 2018-19 from $49 billion in 2017-18. The External Sector Report
of the IMF stated that India's Net International Investment Position has marginally improved
with the deficit comes down from $438 billion in 2017-18 to $431 billion in 2018-19.
Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline to start commercial operation from August 2019
• The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) and the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) successfully
concluded the 'testing transfer' of Rs 325 crore Motihari in Bihar to Amelkhgunj in Nepal
pipeline project and it is set to start commercial operation from August 2019. The 69-km long
petroleum pipeline was constructed by India which was first proposed in 1996.
Project compliance lab launched by Wipro in Hyderabad
• The 10,000 square feet project compliance lab was launched by Wipro in Hyderabad. This lab
will serve customers in defence, consumer electronics, Aerospace, Telecom, medical energy,
and the manufacturing industries. The project compliance lab will be part of the Tarang labs,
which is an independent product qualification lab of Wipro.
DCC imposes penalty of Rs.3050 crore on Airtel, Vodafone Idea on recommendations by TRAI
• The Digital Communications Commission (DCC), on recommendations by the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), approved the penalty of Rs.3050 crore to be imposed on
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for not providing points of interconnection to Reliance as TRAI
recommended imposing a total penalty to those network operators for allegedly denying
interconnectivity to Reliance Jio in October 2016.
PayPal opens third Global Technology Centre in Hyderabad
• An online payment solutions provider PayPal Holdings, Inc has opened a 3rd Global
Technology Centre at Western Aqua at Kondapur in Hyderabad, Telangana after Bengaluru and
Chennai. The Nasdaq-listed firm launched the Centre as a part of an expansion of its India
footprint. The expansion follows the acquisition of fraud prevention platform Simility in 2018.
Promoters get 90 days to retake company after insolvency proceedings begin: IBBI
• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has notified that the promoters and other
stakeholders will be given 90 days after the commencement of insolvency proceedings to re-
take control of the company through agreements with creditors. It was proposed under Section
230 of the Companies Act 1956.
India’s Current Account Deficit to remain steady at 16-17 billion dollars in the first quarter
• According to Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency (ICRA), despite recent
slowdown in Merchandise exports and imports, India's Current Account Deficit (CAD) is
expected to remain steady at a range of 16-17 billion dollars or 2.3 % of GDP (Gross Domestic
Product) in the first quarter. The CAD is expected to widen from 63 billion to 68 billion dollars
FY2020 (fiscal year/financial year 2020) and from 57.2 billion dollars in FY2019 while
remaining steady at 2.1 % GDP.
7th Economic Census began from Tripura
• 7th Economic Census (EC) for the year 2019 which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics
and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) commenced from Tripura on July 29, 2019. It is held
after a gap of 5 years. This is done to get a complete count of all economic units in India. After
Tripura, it will be launched in Puducherry, and in other states and union territories in August
and September, 2019.
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FDI inflow registered a growth of 79% during the last 6 years amounting to $64.37 billion in
2018-19
• According to the Annual Report 2018-19 of the Department for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade (DPIIT) which is under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) inflow increased during the last 6 years from $36.05 billion in 2013-14 to
$64.37 billion in 2018-19, registering a growth of 79%.
Reliance Jio is India's largest telecom company
• Reliance Jio becomes the largest telecom company of India with 331.3 million subscribers
overtaking Vodafone Idea whose customer base stood at 320 million in the quarter ended June
30, 2019.
France became the first country to pass GAFA tax on digital giants
• France became the first country to pass GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) Tax on
digital giants in defiance of a probe ordered by the United States (US) President Donald Trump.
It will levy a 3% tax on total annual revenues of the largest tech firms providing services to
French consumers.
MOUs/AGREEMENTS COUNTRIES & STATES

MoUs between Countries
No. MoU between Field
1 India and USA In the field of medicine. The agreement opens door to all qualified
scientists and technologists for joint research projects, training
programs, conferences, seminars, etc that will be supported on the
basis of scientific merit and excellence.Click here to read more
2 India and Myanmar Defence co-operation
3 India and Bahrain Cooperation in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space
MoUs with States

S.No State MoU with Field/Purpose
1 West Bengal British Council To improve the English speaking skills
(WB) of the students studying in Polytechnic
Colleges in the state. It aims at making
the student's job-ready soon after they
completed their courses and are able
to meet the demands of the industry by
improving their speaking as well as
writing skills.
Other MoUs
S.No Organization MoU with Field/Purpose
1 International Union Agriculture To provide Farmers with the weather
Business Ministry forecast and soil moisture information.
Machines(IBM) Under the project, a pilot study will be
undertaken for the Kharif crop season
2019 in three districts of Bhopal
(Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot(Gujarat)and
Nanded (Maharashtra ).
39 | P a g e
2 Centre for Cellular Centre for DNA To enable newer diagnostic methods to
and Molecular Fingerprinting and treat genetic disorders. The MoU was
Biology (CCMB) Diagnostics (CDFD) signed with the aim to provide high
quality DNA-based diagnostic services
to the public at a lower rate and to
engage in scientific research to
improve understanding of human
genetic disorders.
3 Ministry of AYUSH Ministry of Electronics For the digitization of the AYUSH
and Information sector. As a part of partnership, the
Technology MeitY will provide technical support to
the AYUSH Ministry for planning and
development of AYUSH GRID Project.
4 Bureau of Police Morarji Desai National For organizing Yoga education and
Research & Institute Yoga (MDNIY) training courses/programmes for
Development Police Personnel and CAPFs (Central
(BPR&D) Armed Police Forces)and their family
members across the country.
5 National eGovernance Indian Army To develop a revamped application. It
Division (NeGD), a will maintain the centralised database
part of the Ministry of for personnel, equipment and major
Electronics and stores to provide management-related
Information information to Integrated
Technology (MeitY) Headquarters of Ministry of Defence
(Army) and other agencies.
6 Bharat Chamber of BRICS Chamber of It will allow BCC to work with BRICS
Commerce, (BCC) Commerce and Industry Chamber to promote trade,
(BRICS CCI) technological and industrial
cooperation between West Bengal and
BRICS countries.
7 Prasar Bharati IIT, Kanpur For research collaboration in newly
emerging technologies and
broadcasting-related areas in New
Delhi. This will help in boosting
research activities in the broadcasting
field.
8 Assam Gas Company GAIL Gas Limited (GGL) For setting up of a new company for
Limited (AGCL), Oil implementation of the City Gas
India Limited (OIL) Distribution (CGD) network in five
districts namely Kamrup, Kamrup,
Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj of
Assam. The joint venture is the result
of the extension of the National Gas
Grid Pipeline (Urja Ganga Project).
9 Department of Indian Council for to develop a Broadband Readiness
Telecom (DoT) Research on International Index (BRI) for Indian States and
Economic Relations Union Territories (UTs). The first
(ICRIER) estimate will be made in 2019.
Subsequently, it will be made every
year until 2022.Click here to read
more.
40 | P a g e
10 World Economic Telangana government Signed a pact for a pilot project called
Forum's (WEF) ‘Medicine from the Sky’ to deliver
Centre for the Fourth emergency medical supplies such as
Industrial Revolution blood and vaccines via drones. It will
Network run in partnership with the Telangana
government and HealthNet Global
Limited.
11 Government SAIL With this MoU, SAIL became the first
eMarketplace (GeM) public sector undertaking to establish
Gem Organizational Transformation
Team-Project Management Unit
(GOTT-PMU).
12 Indian Institute of Carleton University, To promote advancement in teaching,
Management (IIM) Canada and Montpellier research, cultural understanding. The
Calcutta Business School, France MoU with both institutions valid for 5
years signed under IIM’s “Student
exchange program (STEP)”.
13 ISRO Bolivian Space Agency Cooperation in the Exploration and
Uses of Outer Space
14 IIT Kharagpur(Indian Tata Medical Center For the project of setting up an image
Institute of data bank for cancer patients & in
Technology) particular, radio oncology (a medical
specialty that involves the controlled
use of radiation to treat cancer) in the
country ,called Comprehensive Digital
Archive of Cancer Imaging (CHAVI).
14 National Thermal Bharat Heavy Electricals To set up an 800 MW Technology
Power Corporation Limited (BHEL) Demonstration Plant (TDP) at NTPC's
(NTPC) existing power plant in Sipat,
Chhattisgarh.
15 NITI Aayog WhatsApp To support the growth of the
ecosystem to promote women
entrepreneurs in India under the aegis
of Women Entrepreneurship Platform
(WEP). A coffee table book was
launched by WhatsApp in New Delhi
named “Gateway To A Billion
Opportunities” which is a collection of
impactful stories from across India.
16 Ministry of Civil Aireon, USA For implementation of Space-Based
Aviation, Airports Automatic Dependent Surveillance-
Authority of Broadcast data (ADS-B) services for
India(AAI) the oceanic regions of the Indian flight
information regions (FIRs).
17 National Health Healthcare Federation of To improve the efficiency of Service
Authority (NHA) India (NATHEALTH) Delivery under Ayushman Bharat
scheme which is also called as Pradhan
Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
Under the vision of “Health for All”, this
collaboration will provide and enable
the interface for testing healthcare
innovation ecosystem, adopting,
41 | P a g e
funding, and providing mentorship in

creating channels for scaling these
innovations.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
National
Name Appointed As Entity/Place Points To Be Noted
AK Misra Additional director on Jammu and Kashmir He was the former
Board of Directors Bank executive director of RBI.
(BOD) His appointment shall be
for a period of two years.
Sanjeev Kumar Ambassador of India State of Israel He is a 1997 Indian
Singla Foreign Service (IFS)
Officer. He is serving as the
Private Secretary (PS) to
Prime Minister (PM)
Narendra Modi since 2014.
He succeeds Pavan Kapoor.
Upender Singh Ambassador of India Republic of Panama He is a 1998 Indian
Rawat Foreign Service (IFS)
Officer. He succeeds Ravi
Thapar.
Shri Dinesh Bhatia Ambassador of India Oriental Republic of
Uruguay
Katrina Kaif Brand Ambassador Reebok This will enhance Reebok’s
commitment to be the best
fitness brand in India.
Prithvi Shaw Brand Ambassador FanMojo He was ranked among one

of the five breakout stars
in men’s cricket in 2018 by
the International Cricket
Council (ICC).
Prosenjit Chatterjee Brand Ambassador RummyCircle It is India's largest online
rummy platform which is
an initiative of Play Games
24x7 Pvt. Ltd. The brand
also launched its new
marketing campaign
#BhorpurManoranjan,
which gives a completely
new fan experience to its
players.
Varun Dhawan Brand Ambassador Reebok Earlier, Katrina Kaif was
appointed as the new face
of Reebok. Reebok also
launched its biggest
campaign on Sole Fury, a
dynamic new silhouette
42 | P a g e
that is equal parts sport

and style.
Bookanakere Chief Minister(19th) Karnataka He succeeded H. D.
Siddalingapp (BS) Kumaraswamy of Janata
Yediyurappa of BJP Dal (Secular) party.
Manoj Kumar Chairman Microfinance He succeeds Udaya Kumar
Nambiar Institutions Network Hebbar. Vineet Chattreem,
(MFIN) director of Svatantra
Microfin, was selected as
the vice chairman
succeeding Dibyajyoti
Pattanaik.
Adhir Ranjan Chairman Public Accounts
Chowdhury Committee (PAC)
Girish Chairman Estimates committee It is one of the 3 financial
Bhalchandra Bapat standing committees of the
parliament apart from the
public accounts committee
& committee on public
undertakings.
Dr.Nalin Shinghal Chairman and Bharat Heavy Electricals He succeeded D.
Managing Director Limited (BHEL) Bandyopadhyay who was
(CMD) given Additional Charge of
Chairman & Managing
Director after the
retirement of Atul Sobti.
P.K. Purwar Chairman and Bharat Sanchar Nigam He succeeds Anupam
Managing Director Ltd (BSNL) Shrivastava who has
(CMD) resigned on 30.06.2019.
Sunil Kumar Chairman and Mahanagar Telephone He succeeds P K Purwar
Managing Director Nigam Limited(MTNL) who was recently
(CMD) appointed the chairman
and managing Director of
BSNL(Bharat Sanchar
Nigam Limited).
Amita Prasad Chairperson Inland Waterways She replaces Shri Jalaj
Authority of India(IWAI) Shrivastava. Arun Kumar
Jha (AK Jha), 1985 batch
Indian Economic Service
(IES) officer, has been
appointed as National
Productivity Council
(NPC), Department for
Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade, as its
Director-General. He
replaces Amita Prasad.
Badri Narain Chairperson National Anti- Currently, NAA has three
Sharma profiteering Authority members including J C
(NAA) Chauhan (Chairman, Tax
tribunal, Himachal
43 | P a g e
Pradesh) and Indian

Revenue Service (IRS)
officers R Bhagyadevi and
Amand Shah.
Ashutosh Gupta Country manager for LinkedIn He will replace Mahesh
India Narayanan, who was the
country manager for India
from January to June 2019.
N S Vishwanathan Deputy governor Reserve Bank of India He is in charge of
(RBI) regulation of banks, non-
banking finance
companies, and
cooperative banks. Besides
N S Vishwanathan, B P
Kanungo and M K Jain
were the two other deputy
governors of RBI.
B Harideesh Kumar Director Institute of Banking He succeeded Anup Sankar
Personnel Selection Bhattacharya, who has
(IBPS) retired from his services.
M Nageswar Rao Director General Fire Services, Civil He will continue this post
Defence and Home till July 2020. He will
Guard by Central succeed S.N Pradhan.
Government
Arun Kumar Director General Directorate General of He will succeed B S Bhullar
Civil Aviation (DGCA) (IAS officer of Uttar
Pradesh cadre).
Paramjit Singh Director General Military Operations He will succeed Lt Gen Anil
(DGMO) of the Indian Chauhan, who has been
Army appointed new General
Officer Commanding-in-
Chief of the Eastern
Command by replacing Lt-
Gen M.M. Naravane.
V K Johri Director General Border Security Force He will succeed Rajni Kanti
(BSF) Mishra.
S.S Deswal Director General National Security Guard He succeeds Sudeep
(NSG) Lakhtakia.
Kalraj Mishra Governor(19th) Himachal Pradesh He will replace Acharya
Devvrat.
Acharya Devvrat Governor(20th) Gujarat He will replace Om
Prakash Kohli.
Anusuiya Uikey Governor(6th) Chhattisgarh Anusuiya Uikey replaced
Anandiben Patel
Biswa Bhusan Governor(23rd) Andhra Pradesh Harichandran (84), has
Harichandan replaced ESL Narasimhan
Lal Ji Tandon Governor(28th) Madhya Pradesh He will replace Anandi Ben
Patel
Anandi Ben Patel Governor(21st) Uttar Pradesh He will replace Ram Naik.
44 | P a g e
Phagu Chauhan Governor(29th) Bihar He will replace Lal Ji

Tandon
Jagdeep Dhankhar Governor(28th) West Bengal He will replace Keshari
Nath Tripathi
Ramesh Bais Governor(18th) Tripura He will replace Kaptan
Singh Solanki
RN Ravi Governor(20th) Nagaland He will replace
Padmanabha Acharya
Dejan Papicas of Head Coach Table Tennis Federation He has signed a one-year
Canada of India (TTFI) contract which was offered
by the Sports Authority of
India (SAI).
Sanjeev Naryani Head of Business Bandhan Bank He will lead the branch
banking, wholesale
banking, agri-business,
retail lending, third-party
products and digital
banking verticals at the
bank.
Rahul Dravid Head of Cricket National Cricket He will look after all
Academy (NCA) cricket related activities at
NCA.
Ajay Bhadoo Joint Secretary President Ram Nath He is a 1999 batch Indian
Kovind Administrative Service
(IAS) officer of Gujarat. He
will succeed Randhir
Kumar Jaiswal.
Karnam Sekar Managing Director Indian Overseas Bank He replaces R
(MD)and Chief (IOB) Subramaniakumar
Executive Officer(CEO)
BP Kanungo Monetary policy He assumed charge after
portfolio the resignation of fellow
Deputy Governor Viral V.
Acharya. Kanungo will
retain his currency
management portfolio
would become the
6th member of the RBI’s
Monetary Policy
Committee, which will next
meet on August 5-7,2019.
Ajay Kumar Bhalla Officer on Special Duty Ministry of Home Affairs He succeeds Rajiv Gauba
(OSD) (MHA) who retires on August 31,
2019. He will serve in the
office for 2 years till
August 2021.Click here to
read more.
A. K. Sikri Ombudsman Indian Federation of This is India's first and
Sports Gaming (IFSG) only Sports Gaming self-
regulatory industry body.
45 | P a g e
Vivek Kumar Private secretary Prime Minister Narendra He replaces Sanjeev Kumar
Modi Singla, who has been
appointed India's
ambassador to Israel.
Rabindra Panwar Secretary Ministry of Textiles He succeeded Raghvendra
Singh.
Subhash Chandra Secretary Ministry of Power He will succeeded by
Garg Atanu Chakraborty as the
new Finance Secretary in
the Department of
Economic Affairs.
Rajiv Kumar Secretary Ministry of Finance He succeeds Subhash
Chandra Garg, who took
charge as Power Secretary.
Sanjay Kothari Secretary President(Ram Nath He gets 3 year extension in
Kovind) post
Vikas Swarup Secretary Consular, Passport, Visa He will succeed Sanjiv
and Overseas Indian Arora.
Affairs Division in the
External Affairs Ministry
B Murli Kumar Special Expenditure 8-Vellore Parliamentary The election in this
Observer Constituency particular constituency
was called off after
detecting a systematic
design to influence voters.
Manoj Mukund Vice chief of the army Indian Army He succeeds Lieutenant
Naravane staff General D. Anbu.
Sarvita Sethi Vice-President (VP) Coca-Cola India She was appointed for
Merger and Acquisitions
(M&A) and new ventures
for Coke’s India and
Southwest Asia region
with effect from August 1,
2019. She will be
responsible for any new
acquisition. Harsh Bhutani
was appointed as the Chief
Financial Officer (CFO)
with effect from August 1,
2019. He will succeed
Sarvita Sethi.
International
Name Appointed as Entity/place Points to be noted
Kishen Mangaldas Chairman Asian Boxing His appointment has been
Narsi Confederation’s (ASBC) made under ASBC
competitions Constitution Article
commission 38.3/F. It was confirmed
by the ASBC President
Anas Naser Al Otaiba.
46 | P a g e
Vivek Kohli Chairman Commonwealth Table M P Singh have been

Tennis Federation elected as secretary-
(CTTF) general respectively of the
Commonwealth Table
Tennis Federation (CTTF).
TTFI chief Dushyant
Chautala is already held
the CTTF president's post.
This is the first time all the
three positions in CTTF
are being held by Indians.
Ehsan Mani Chairman ICCs Finance &
Commercial Affairs
(F&CA) committee
Julie Sweet Chief Executive Accenture Inc He will succeed David
Officer (CEO) Rowland. She is currently
the CEO of Accenture’s
business in North America.
David Rowland was
appointed as Executive
Chairman of Accenture.
Priti Patel Home secretary United Kingdom (UK) She was appointed by new
UK Prime Minister Boris
Johnson. She succeeds
Sajid Javid.
David Lipton Interim leader International Monetary He replaces Christine
Fund(IMF) Lagarde who was
nominated to head the
European Central Bank.
Kiran Shankar More Interim coach United States of He replaces the head
America(USA) Cricket coach Pubudu
Team Dassanayake of Sri Lanka,
whose contract was to end
by March 2019 but was
extended to December
2019 had resigned due to
differences with USA
Cricket Board.
Justice AK Sikri International judge Singapore International His term will expire on
Commercial Court (SICC) January 4, 2021. At
present, SICC has 16
international judges.
Anshula Kant Managing director World Bank(WB) Since September 2018 she
(MD)and chief has been a Managing
financial officer(CFO) Director and member of
the World Bank Board.
Kant is from Jamshedpur,
Jharkhand. In her role as
CFO in SBI, she managed
$38 billion worth revenue
and total assets of $500
billion.
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Sanjeev Kumar Private Secretary Prime Minister (PM) He succeeds Vivek Kumar.
Singla Narendra Modi He was the PS to PM since
2014. But was recently
appointed as the next
Ambassador of India to the
State of Israel.
Ursula von der President European Commission She will be replacing Jean-
Leyen Claude Juncker.
Christine Lagarde President(Nominated) European Central EU (European Union)
Bank(ECB) leaders nominated
France's Christine
Lagarde(first woman )as
president of the ECB in a
meeting in Brussels,
Belgium. She would
succeed current ECB
president Mario Draghi .
Kyriakos Mitsotakis Prime Minister Greece He received 39.85% of the
votes against 31.53% for
Syriza, led by outgoing PM
Alexis Tsipras.
Benjamin Prime Minister Israel He has become Israel‘s
Netanyahu longest-serving prime
minister, surpassing the
record of David Ben-
Gurion, country’s founding
father, and first leader.
Boris de Pfeffel Prime Minister British He has promised to lead
Johnson Britain out of the
European Union (28-
nation bloc) with or
without a deal by the end
of October 2019 won the
contest to be the British
prime minister (PM)
succeeding Theresa May.
Resignations
Name Resigned as Entity/Place
Navjot Singh Sidhu Cabinet Minister Punjab
H D Kumaraswamy Chief Minister (CM) Karnataka
JB Straubel Co-founder and Chief Tesla
Technology Officer (CFO)
Christine Lagarde Managing Director (MD) International Monetary Fund
(IMF)
Rahul Gandhi President Congress(Political Party)
Ramush Haradinaj Prime Minister Kosovo
48 | P a g e
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Name of Awards Award Winner Field Points to be noted
Awards in the Field of Literature & Academics

Lifetime Achievement Sir Mark Tully Journalism For his contributions to the UK-India
Award at UK-India relationship. The 2019 UK-India
Awards 2019 Awards marked the conclusion of the
annual UK-India Week in London.
This was the 3rd edition of the UK-
India Award organised by India Inc., a
media house based in London.
Journal Excellence Tata Power Journal Other Awards:

award instituted by  ReNew Power for “Women
The CSR Journal’s Empowerment & Child Welfare".
Journal Excellence  YES Bank Ltd for "Health &
award instituted by Sanitation".Mahindra &
The CSR Journal Mahindrafor "Environment".
 Hindustan Zinc for "Agriculture &
Rural Development".
 Aditya Birla Capital Ltd for
"Sports".
Awards in the Field of Sports
Sports Journalists Prakash Padukone Sports Other Awardees are:
Federation of India (Badminton)  Sportsperson of the Year 2019-
(SJFI) 2019’s SJFI Pankaj Advani (Billiards and
Medal (SJFI’s Highest Snooker) and Bajrang Punia
Honour) (Wrestling).
 Emerging Talent of the Year 2019
Saurabh Choudhary (shooting)
 Team of the Year 2019 Vidarbha
cricket team
4th World Yoga Toran Yadav Yoga He strikes two silver medals in the
Festival and rhythmic pair and artistic pair and a
Championship 2019 bronze medal in athletic yoga.
held at Bulgaria, Sofia
All India Football Sunil Chhetri Football In women’s category, it was conferred
Federation's (AIFF) to footballer Ashalata Devi.
Awards’s - Men’s Other Awards:
Footballer of the year  AIFF Emerging Men’s Footballer of
2019 the Year - Sahal Abdul Samad
(Kerala)
 AIFF Emerging Women’s Footballer
of the Year - Dangmei Grace
(Manipur)
 Best grassroots development
programme Jammu and Kashmir
Football Association
 AIFF Award for the Best Assistant
Referee Joseph Tony (Karnataka)
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 AIFF Award for the Best Referee R

Venkatesh (Tamil Nadu)
'Mohun Bagan Ratna' Keshav Dutt and Other Awardees:
for the year 2019 Prasun Banerjee  Best Football Player for the season
2018-19,
 Arijit Bagui India’s hat-trick hero of
2019,
 ICC World Cup Mohammed Shami
Lifetime Achievement Award
Ashok Chatterjee (Footballer)
Awards in the Field of Politics,Social Service,Science and Bravery
2019 Global Azim Premji and For their contribution to
Excellence Award of Ajaypal Singh strengthening economic ties between
the US-India Strategic Banga the US and India. The awards will be
Partnership Forum given at the USISPF Second Annual
(USISPF) Leadership Summit in Washington on
July 11, 2019.
Gandhi Mandela Peace Thich Nhat Hanh Buddhist Believe Foundation (India) and Dr.
Medal 2019 teacher and Raman Bhai Patel Foundation (RBF,
peace activist South Africa) hosted the first edition
of Gandhi-Mandela Peace Initiative.
Awards in the Field of Art and Culture,Films

Network for the Gully Boy Film 23rd edition of Bucheon International
Promotion of Asian Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) for
Cinema (NETPAC) the year 2019 held at Bucheon City,
Award for Best Asian South Korea.
Film
Best Feature Film at Nagarkirtan Film Bengali filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly’s
9th edition of the film ‘Nagarkirtan’ has won four
SAARC( South Asian awards (Best Director’, ‘Best Actor’
Association for and ‘Best Original Score’) including
Regional Cooperation) ‘Best Feature Film’ at the festival. ‘Na
festival 2019 held in Bole Wo Haram’ bagged the ‘Best
Colombo, Srilanka Short Film’ award directed by Nitish
Patankar.
Sangita Kalanidhi S. Sowmya Singer She will preside over the 93rd annual
Award 2019 conference of The Music Academy
which is scheduled to be held from
December 15, 2019 to January 1,
2020. Seetha Narayanan, a veteran
vocalist and M S Sheela were selected
for the Sangita Kala Acharya award.
Leopard Club Award Hilary Swank Actress It will be the 72nd edition of the film
at the 2019 Locarno festival in Locarno, Switzerland.
International Film
Festival
Inaugural Tribute Meryl Streep Actress The actress has won the Oscar, three
Actor award in times.
Toronto International
50 | P a g e
Film Festival (TIFF)
Awards for State,Country,Banks and Organization

President’s Award for National Organization For introducing and implementing
Excellent CSR Aluminium star rating schemes like ‘Nalco ki
(Corporate Social Company Limited Ladli’. The flagship scheme provides
Responsibility) (NALCO) learning and education opportunities
for poor girl students belonging from
the marginalized section. It is a
Navaratna Company based on Odisha
World Economic Quantela Inc Organization It was selected by a selection
Forum's(WEF) committee of more than 59
'Technology Pioneers' academics, entrepreneurs, venture
award 2019 capitalists, and corporate executives.
CSR Implementation Genesis Foundation Organization- For its association with WPP India
Partner in the Social Service CSR Foundation for 'Project Little
leadership category Hearts'. It was awarded for its
contribution to the treatment of
underprivileged children suffering
from congenital heart disorders
(CHD).
Best innovation award Northeast Frontier ‘Plan Bee’, a strategy of using an

of Indian Railways for Railway’s (NFR) amplified version of honey bees
the 2018-19 ‘Plan Bee’ sound to keep wild elephants away
from train tracks. It was launched in
2017 under which 46 devices were
installed at several level crossings in
Assam to play the sound of buzzing
honey bees to drive away elephants
from the rail tracks.
Outstanding Repco Micro Bank In terms of Self-Help Group (SHG)
performance from Finance linkage in Tamil Nadu for 2018-19
National Bank for from National Bank for Agriculture
Agriculture and Rural and Rural Development (NABARD). It
Development has provided SHG loans worth Rs
(NABARD) 3,600 crore to over 12 lakh individual
beneficiaries through 60,000 SHGs.
Other important Awards
Honorary Degree, Shah Rukh Khan At the 10th edition of Indian Film
Doctor of Letters Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) at
(honoris causa) from Bundoora, Australia.
Melbourne-based La
Trobe University
Honorary Fellowship P.Raghu Ram Breast surgeon At the 44th annual congress of the
of the Royal College of Royal College in Pattaya themed
Surgeons (FRCS) of “ASEAN collaboration in value-based
Thailand surgery”.
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Pacific Asia Travel Ministry of Campaign The campaign which focuses on

Association (PATA) Tourism’s digital and social media and the
Gold Award 2019 campaign, “Find the promotion of niche tourism products
under the “Marketing Incredible you” of the country won the award among
– Primary 198 entries from 78 organizations
Government and individuals worldwide.Click here
Destination” category to read more.
Mr. South Asia Ravinder Kumar Bodybuilder He achieved this feat at the 12th
Malik South Asia Bodybuilding and Physic
Sports Championships 2019 held in
Kathmandu, Nepal. He won the award
in the 80kg category .
‘Best Farm to Fork Zappfresh Organisation The event held at Taj Lands End,
Fresh Meat Brand' at Mumbai, Maharashtra.
the 6th edition of
'CMO Asia National
Awards for Marketing
Excellence'
People's Choice Prize Sudarshan Pattnaik Sand Artist He sculpted the sand art based on the
at the Boston global issue of plastic pollution with a
International Sand Art message inscribed "Stop plastic
Championship 2019 pollution, Save our Ocean" in
participated in the 2019 Revere Beach
International Sand Sculpting Festival
in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Miss Deaf World 2019 Vidisha Baliyan Beauty She is a former International tennis
Pageant player who represented India in the
Deaflympics.
Indian Women of Priya Priyadarshini She received the award at the House
Influence” award Jain of Lords, The United Kingdom
Parliament, London. She was also one
among the others featured in the
coffee table book on ‘50 most
influential Indian women worldwide’.
Champions of DD News News Channel For spreading awareness about
Empathy Award (Doordarshan) hepatitis. Mayank Agrawal, Director
General of DD News has received the
Award from Lok Sabha Speaker Om
Birla.
'The Society Global Dinesh Tiwari Advocate For his excellence in the field of law at
Indian Icon Award an event hosted in London by the
2019 Society Magazine. He was presented
the award by Gopichand Hinduja in
presence of Shabana Azmi and Javed
Akhtar who were the Chief Guests of
the event.
Internship Isha Kanth She was one of the two persons in the
programme with the world to attend an internship
International Court of programme at the International Court
Justice (ICJ) based in of Justice.
the Hague,
Netherlands
52 | P a g e
At the 21st Mines Environment & Mineral Conservation (MEMC) week held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 2
mines of the Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys (IMFA) received the top honours. Sukinda Mines Chromite
(SMC) was conferred the first prize for Systematic and Scientific Mining and the third prize in the
Publicity and Propaganda category. Mahagiri Mines Chromite (MMC) was given the first prize under
the category of Underground Mining and Overall Performance.
Sites included in World Heritage Sites 2019:
At the 43rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee which is underway from June 30 to July
10, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) added the ‘Pink City’ Jaipur/Walled City of Jaipur of Rajasthan, known for its iconic
architectural legacy, into the list of the World Heritage Sites. The International Council on Monuments
and Sites (ICOMOS) had inspected the city in 2018 after the nomination. The World Heritage
Committee (WHC) acknowledged the “city’s outstanding value as a cultural property”.
About Jaipur
 The historic walled city of Jaipur in Rajasthan was founded in 1727 AD (Anno Domini) under
the patronage of Sawai Jai Singh II. It serves as the capital city of the culturally-rich state of
Rajasthan.
 It is located in hilly terrain and was established on the plain. It was built according to a grid
plan interpreted in the light of Vedic architecture.
 It shows an interchange of ancient Hindu, Mughal and contemporary Western ideas that
resulted in the form of the city
 It is an example of a late medieval trade town in South Asia and it defined new concepts for a
thriving trade and commercial hub.
 The city is associated with living traditions in the form of crafts that have national and
international recognition.
Other Sites in the list:

Australia: Budj Bim Cultural Landscape
Azerbaijan: Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace
Bahrain: Dilmun Burial Mounds
Brazil: Paraty and Ilha Grande — Culture and Biodiversity
Burkina Faso: Ancient ferrous metallurgy sites of Burkina Faso
Canada: Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi
China: Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City
China: Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China, Phase I
Czech Republic: Landscape for Breeding and Training of Ceremonial Carriage Horses at Kladruby nad
Labem
Czech Republic/Germany: Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region
France: French Austral Lands and Seas
Germany: Water Management System of Augsburg
Iceland: Vatnajökull National Park
India: Jaipur City, Rajasthan
Indonesia: Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto
Iran: Hyrcanian Forests
Iraq: Babylon
Italy: Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano a Valdobbiadene
Japan: Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan
Republic of Korea: Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies
Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang — Plain of Jars
Myanmar: Bagan
Poland: Krzemionki Prehistoric Striped Flint Mining Region
Portugal: Royal Building of Mafra — Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park,
Tapada
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Portugal: Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga

Russian Federation: Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture
Spain: Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria Cultural Landscape
United Kingdom: Jodrell Bank Observatory
United States: The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards
(Akademi Puraskar) for the Year 2018 announced
On July 16, 2019, Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet Natak
Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the Year 2018 were announced by the General Council of
the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama headquartered at New
Delhi. The awards will be conferred by the President of India at a special investiture ceremony.
General Council of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
The meeting of the General Council of the Sangeet Natak Akademi was held on June 26, 2019 at
Guwahati, Assam. It selected 44 artists from the field of Music, Dance, Theatre,
Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre, Puppetry and Overall contribution/scholarship in the
Performing Arts for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the year 2018. These
44 artists include three joint awards. The Fellowship of the Akademi is the most prestigious and rare
honor, which is restricted to 40 numbers at any given time.
Prize Money
Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rs 3,00,000 and Akademi Award carries Rs 1,00,000,
besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellow (Akademi Ratna) Awards
The General Council unanimously elected 4 eminent personalities in the field of performing arts for
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellow (Akademi Ratna). They are
Zakir Hussain- Tabla Virtuoso
Sonal Mansingh- Dancer
Jatin Goswami- Dancer & Choreographer
Kalyanasundaram Pillai- Bharatanatyam exponent
Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar)
Music
In the field of Music, 11 eminent artists were awarded.
Mani Prasad Hindustani Vocal
Madhup Mudgal Hindustani Vocal
Tarun Bhattacharya Hindustani Instrumental – (Santoor)
Tejendra Narayan Hindustani Instrumental – (Sarod)
Majumdar
Alamelu Mani Carnatic Vocal
Malladi Suribabu Carnatic Vocal
S.Kasim & S Babu Carnatic Instrumental – Nagaswaram
Ganesh & Kumaresh Carnatic Instrumental – Violin
Suresh Wadkar Other Major Traditions of Music – “Sugam
Sangeet”
Shanti Hiranand Other Major Traditions of Music – “Sugam
Sangeet”
H. Ashangbi Devi Other Major Traditions of Music – “Nata
Sankirtana” Manipur
Dance
In the field of Dance, 9 eminent artists were awarded.
Radha Sridhar Bharatanatyam
Ishira & Maulik Shah Kathak (Joint Award) Kathak
Akham Lakshmi Devi Manipuri
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Surupa Sen Odissi

Tankeswar Hazarika Borbayan Sattriya
Gopika Varma Mohiniattam
Deepak Mazumdar Contemporary Dance
Pasumurthy Ramalinga Sastry Kuchipudi
Tapan Kumar Pattanayak Chhau
Theatre
In the field of Theatre, 9 eminent artists were awarded.
Rajiv Naik Playwriting
Laltluangliana Khiangte Playwriting
Sanjay Upadhyay Direction
S.Raghunandana Direction
Suhas Joshi Acting
Teekam Joshi Acting
Swapan Nandy Mime
Bhagawat A S Nanjappa Other Major Traditions of Theatre-
Yakshagana
A.M. Parameswaran Kuttan Other Major Traditions of Theatre-
Chakkiyar Kutiyattam
Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre and Puppetry
In the field of Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre and Puppetry, 10 artists were awarded.
Malini Awasthi Folk Music, Uttar Pradesh
Gazi Khan Barna Folk Music – Khartal, Rajasthan
Narendar Singh Negi Folk Songs, Uttrakhand
Niranjan Rajyaguru Folk Music, Gujarat
Mohd. Sadiq Bhagat Folk Theatre (Bhand Pather), J&K
Kota Sachidanand Shastry Harikatha, Andhra Pradesh
Arjun Singh Dhruve Folk Dance, Madhya Pradesh
Somnath Battu Folk Music, Himachal Pradesh
Anupama Hoskere Puppetry (String), Karnataka
Hem Chandra Goswami Mask Making, Assam
Overall Contribution / Scholarship in Performing Arts
In the field of Overall Contribution / Scholarship in Performing Arts, 2 artists were awarded.
Diwan Singh Bajeli (Scholar)
Puru Dadhich (Overall Contribution)
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskars for the Year 2018
Sangeet Natak Akademi, in the meeting of its General Council held on 26 June 2019 at Guwahati,
Assam, selected 32 (Including one joint Awards) artists of India who have made a mark as young
talents in their respective fields of the performing arts for Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2018.
It will be presented at a special ceremony by the Shekhar Sen, Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Criteria
It is conferred upon artists below the age of 40 years with the objective to identify and encourage
outstanding young talents in diverse fields of performing arts and giving them national recognition
early in their lives, so that they may work with greater commitment and dedication in their chosen
fields.
Prize Money
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a purse money of Rs 25,000.
Music
In the field of Music, 8 artists were awarded.
Sameehan Kashalkar Hindustani Vocal Music
Ruchira Kedar Hindustani Vocal Music
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Dhruv Bedi Hindustani Instrumental Music–Sitar

Shubh Maharaj Hindustani Instrumental – Tabla
Sandeep Narayan Carnatic Vocal Music
J.B.Sruthi Sagar Carnatic Instrumental Music–Flute
R.Sridhar Carnatic Instrumental Music–Violin
M.D.Pallavi Other Major Traditions of Music – Bhava Sangeet
Dance
In the field of Dance, 8 artists were awarded.
Vijna Rani Vasudevan & Rajith Babu (Joint Bharatanatyam
Award)
Durgesh Gangani Kathak
Kalamandalam Vaisakh Kathakali
Manju Elangbam Manipuri
Madhulita Mohapatra Odissi
Anjali Borbora Borthakur Sattriya
Rakesh Sai Babu Chhau
Vikram Mohan Contemporary
Dance
Theatre
In the field of Theatre, 7 artists were awarded.
Chavan Pramod R Direction
Namrata Sharma Acting
Sunil Palwal Acting
Preeti Jha Tiwari Acting
Kuldeep Patgiri Mime
Subhadeep Guha Allied Theatre Arts – Music for Theatre
Kalamandalam Sajith Other Major Traditions of Theatre –
Vijayan Kutiyattam
Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre and Puppetry
In the field of Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre and Puppetry, 8 artists were awarded.
Chandan Tiwari Folk Music-Bihar
Dinesh Kumar Jangde Panthi Dance – Chhattisgarh
Manoj Kumar Das Traditional Music – Khol, Assam
Chandani Mansing Zala Puppetry, Gujarat
A.Aneshori Devi Traditional & Folk Music, Manipur
P.Rajkumar Folk Dance, Tamilnadu
Madhushree Haital Folk Music (Jhumar) – West Bengal
Ashok Kumar Folk Music-Uttar Pradesh
Recognitions
Name of Persons Recognitions
Aparna Kumar First civil servant & IPS Officer to conquer the ‘Seven Summits’ challenge.She
recently scaled Mount Denali (the highest peak in Northern America stands
at 20,310 feet) in Alaska, USA.
Pullela Gopichand Honorary doctorate from IIT Kanpur (Indian Institutes of
Technology).Infosys Chairperson Sudha Murthy and missile woman Tessy
Thomas were other two to receive this honor.
Aditya Birla World 'The Commonwealth at 70: From Westminster to the World.It is the only
Academy Indian school to be featured in it.
Reliance Industries Most valued firm by market capitalization (m-cap).It outpaces TCS.
Ltd (RIL)
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Odisha Rasagola Geographical Indications(GI) tag

Tarun Chaudhri First pilot to perform a wingsuit skydive jump
Top 3 Highest-paid celebrity on Forbes Celebrity 100 List 2019
1. Taylor Swift, 2.
Kylie Jenner, 3. Kanye
West.
Akshay Kumar was
the only Indian in the
Forbes Highest-Paid
Celebrities 2019. He
stood at the 33rd spot
with earnings of Rs
444 crore ($65
million).
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2019, French businessman & CEO of LVMH (a merger
of renowned brands Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy), Bernard Arnault (70) has overtaken Bill Gates
as the world's 2nd richest person. Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, is now the world's third-richest
person with $107 billion as compared to second-richest person Arnault's $108 billion wealth. Jeff
Bezos, Amazon Inc's founder remains the richest person in the world with a net worth of $124 billion.
CONFERENCES/SUMMITS IN NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
No Name of Place Facts about the summit /conference

Summit/Conference
1 14th Session of the Greater Noida, With the focus on 3 crucial issues-
Conference of the Parties Uttar Pradesh desertification, land degradation and drought.
(COP) of the United
Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification
(UNCCD) on September 2-
13, 2019
2 India-Nepal Logistics Kathmandu, Nepal It was inaugurated by Prime Minister of Nepal
Summit KP Sharma Oli in Kathmandu, Nepal. The
theme of the summit was “Transforming
Logistics Landscape”. Nepal and India have a
significant volume of trade, investment,
tourism and people-to-people movement for
which smooth and quality logistics is essential.
3 Women Startup Summit Kochi, Kerala Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in association
2019 with the Indian Women Network floated by
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) hosted
the summit.The theme of the summit
“Developing an Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Ecosystem”.
4 First Global Conference for London, United It was co-hosted by Chrystia Freeland,
Media Freedom 2019 Kingdom (UK) and Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and
Canada Jeremy Hunt, the UK Foreign Secretary. The
conference was structured around 4 themes:
protection and prosecution, including
impunity, national frameworks and
legislation, building trust in media and
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countering disinformation and media

sustainability.
5 3rd edition Mumbai, With the aim to encourage better
of International Sunflower Maharashtra communications among sunflower oil
Seed and Oil Conference producers, industry groups, academic
(ISSOC) 2019 researchers and local governments. The event
hosted by the Solvent Extractors’ Association
of India (SEA) & Organized by International
Sunflower Oil Association (ISOA).
6 5th International Dharma- Rajgir, Bihar The theme of the conference is “Sat-Chit-
Dhamma conference Ananda & Nirvana in Dharma-Dhamma
Traditions”. Union Minister of State for Youth
Affairs & Sports Kiren Rijiju who was the Chief
Guest inaugurated the conference.
7 United States India Washington DC, It focussed on defence and energy security.
Strategic and Partnership US Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, Deputy US
Forum (USISPF) 2nd Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish, and
annual leadership summit India’s Ambassador to the US, Harsh V
Shringla were among the top speakers of the
summit. On this occasion, US India Bilateral
Trade Report was launched.
COMMITTEE/MEETING IN NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Meetings Held
No. Name of Meeting Place Facts about the Committee/Meeting
1 14th meeting of the Beijing, China India & China reviewed the situation in the
Working Mechanism for border areas and progress made in productive
Consultation and implementation of confidence-building
Coordination (WMCC) on measures to improve the relations between
India-China Border Affairs their troops on the ground ahead of Chinese
President Xi Jinping's visit to India to hold 2nd
informal summit with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
2 Ministerial Meeting of the Caracas, Theme “Promotion and Consolidation of Peace
Coordinating Bureau of Venezuela through Respect for International Law”. India
the Non-Aligned was represented by Syed Akbaruddin, Indian
Movement (Co-BNAM) envoy to the United Nations.
3 19th Commonwealth London, United It was chaired by UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy
Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Kingdom (UK) Hunt as part of Britain’s term as the current
Meeting (CFAMM) for the Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth. External
year 2019 Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S Jaishankar arrived
in the UK to attend the 19th CFAMM. Click
here to read more.
4 India – Association of New Delhi For informal consultation on the ongoing
Southeast Asian Nations Regional Comprehensive Economic
(ASEAN) Troika Trade Partnership (RCEP). Union Minister of
Ministers’ Meeting Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush
Goyal, Acting Minister of Commerce of
Thailand, Ms. Chutima Bunyapraphasara,
Minister of Trade of Indonesia, Enggartiasto
Lukita, Secretary General, ASEAN, Lim Jock Hoi
58 | P a g e
and Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) Chair

of RCEP, Iman Pambagyo attended the
meeting.
5 577th meeting of the New Delhi Union Minister of Finance and Corporate
Central Board of Directors Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, addressed the
of Reserve Bank of Directors of Central Board. The Board finalized
India(RBI) the 3-year Medium-Term Strategy document
which covers the Mission and Vision
Statement of the Reserve Bank.
6 11th Mekong Ganga New Delhi It was attended by senior officials from all six
Cooperation Senior MGC member states(India, Thailand,
Officials’ Meeting (MGC Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) was
SOM) 2019 co-chaired by Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary
East, and Doan Phuong Lan, Deputy Director
General, Department of Economic Affairs in
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam.
7 8th meeting of India- New Delhi It was co-chaired by Mr. Mahaveer Singhvi,
Uzbekistan Joint Working Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism), Ministry
Group on Counter- of External Affairs and Ambassador Farhod
Terrorism Azriev of Uzbekistan. The next meeting of the
Joint Working Group is scheduled to be held in
Uzbekistan.
8 36th Goods & Service Tax New Delhi Under the chairmanship of Union Finance &
(GST) Council Meeting Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala
Sitharaman. It was attended by Union Minister
of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs Shri
Anurag Thakur, Revenue Secretary Shri Ajay
Bhushan Pandey and other senior officials of
the Ministry of Finance.Click here to read
more.
9 Brazil, Russia, India, China Rio de Janeiro, India was represented by Gen. (retd) VK Singh
and South Africa (BRICS) Brazil who is the Union Minister of State for Road
Foreign Ministers Meeting Transport and Highways. Click here to read
more.
Committee’s Formed
No. Name of Head Facts about the Committee
Committee/Organization
which formed the
committee
1 Telecom Minister Ravi Telecom Secretary It will review the issues in the sector and
Shankar Prasad Aruna promote Ease of Doing Business (EDB).
Sundararajan
2 Prime Minister Narendra Maharashtra chief For transforming Indian agriculture and
Modi formed a high minister Devendra raising farmers’ income. It will suggest policy
powered 9 member Fadnavis measures, attract investments and raise
committee of chief growth in food processing. The panel will be
ministers serviced by NITI (National Institution for
Transforming India) Aayog.
3 Infrastructure Leasing & The six-member committee will comprise of 4
Financial Services Ltd. directors namely Vineet Nayyar, CS Rajan,
Bijay Kumar, N Srinivasan, and COO N
Sivaraman. They will discuss and finalize the
59 | P a g e
asset-wise framework of resolution with

lenders.
4 Reserve Bank of India Tapan Ray To review the regulatory and supervisory
(RBI) framework for core investment companies
(CIC).
5 Union Ministry of Health To assess the various aspects of enacting
and Family Welfare Central law against attack on-duty doctors and
constituted a 10-member medical establishments. The Indian Medical
inter-ministerial Association had prepared the draft Protection
committee of Medical Service Persons and Medical
Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence
and Damage or Loss of Property) Act, 2017,
which proposes a 10-year jail term and Rs 5
lakh fine for violence against doctors, was
submitted to Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh
Vardhan.
6 Union ministry of health Has produced their report called 'National
and Family Welfare Digital Health Blueprint' was released by Dr.
Harshavardhan in New Delhi. It proposed to
form a National Digital Health Mission & both
the centre and state Governments will be the
owners and stakeholders in the organization.
7 Supreme Court (SC) To urgently frame and implement an
constituted 3 member emergency response plan for the protection of
committee Great Indian Bustard and the Lesser Florican.3
member panel comprises Deepak Apte, Dr.
Asad R Rahmani, former, and Dr. Dhananjai
Mohan.
8 Govt reconstituted Group Home minister The group comprises of 3 other ministers
of Ministers (GoM) called Amit Shah namely finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman,
Air India Specific commerce, and railway minister Piyush Goyal
Alternative Mechanism and civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
(AISAM) on Air India
disinvestment
9 Inter-Ministerial Subhash Chandra It recommended that private cryptocurrencies
committee set up by the Garg be banned completely in India except for the
Government on virtual one’s issue by the state. It also drafted law, the
currency ‘Banning of Cryptocurrency & Regulation of
Official Digital Currency Bill, 2019’.Click here
to read more.
10 Union Government has Amit Shah To examine frameworks for dealing with
reconstituted a Group of matters of sexual harassment of women at the
Ministers (GoM) workplace. The other members of the new
panel include Women and Child Development
Minister Smriti Irani and Finance
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Human
Resource Development Minister, Ramesh
Pokhriyal 'Nishank'.
11 High-level 10-member Kiren Rijiju To coordinate and strategize the preparation
Committee for the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. The objective
of the high-level committee is ensured that the
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performance of the Indian athletes is to

optimize in the Olympics and other
multidisciplinary events.
Committee to examine FDI issue in e-commerce constituted by the government
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in e-commerce in recent times became a confusing/complex
network to understand. Hence the government set up a separate committee to examine issues
related to FDI in e-commerce. The committee is constituted under additional secretary level
officer of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with members from
Department of Commerce, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Legal Affairs and
ministry of MSME.
INDEX
RANKING
Report Titles Name of the Organizations Key Notes
that Release the
report/Who Released
“Agricultural NITI (National Institution Top 5 States as per AMFFRI:
Marketing and for Transforming India) 1. Maharashtra
Farmer Friendly Aayog 2. Gujarat
Reforms Index” 3. Rajasthan
(AMFFRI) for the 4. Madhya Pradesh
year 2019 5. Haryana
Henley Passport Henley & Partners Top 3 Countries:

Index 2019 1. Japan and Singapore
2. South Korea, Finland and Germany
3. Denmark, Italy, and Luxembourg
India seated 86th position with Mauritiana and
Sao Tome and Principe.
Automated Teller Reserve Bank of India Top 4 States:
Machine (ATM) (RBI)’s data is collected by 1. Maharashtra
frauds in India for Times of India(ToI) 2. Delhi,
the FY 2018-19 3. Tamil Nadu and
4. Karnataka
Amounts of less than Rs 1 lakh were not
considered for the data. Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, and Tripura were the only three states
which did not report a single incident.
World Reputation Times Higher Education Top 3 Institutes:
Rankings 2019 1. Indian Institutes, Indian Institute of Science
(IISc) Bengaluru,
2. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras
and
3. Manipal Academy of Higher Education
(MAHE), Manipal
12th Edition of the Union Minister of Top 5 Countries:
Global Innovation Commerce & Industry and 1. Switzerland with score 67.24
Index (GII) Railways, Piyush Goyal 2. Sweden with score 63.65
3. United States of America with score 61.73
4. Netherlands with score 61.44
5. United Kingdom with score 61.30, India was
ranked 52nd in 2019 with the score 36.58 out of
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100 from 57th position in 2018., The theme of

the 2019 GII is “Creating Healthy Lives – The
Future of Medical Innovation”.
Installation of Union Minister of State for Top 3 Countries:
rooftop solar New and Renewable Energy 1. Gujarat installed 261.97 megawatts (MW)
projects in India and Power R K Singh 2. Maharashtra installed 198.52 MW and
3. Tamil Nadu installed 151.62 MW
Moving Price Index Movinga (German online Top 3 Cities for individual relocation:
2019 platform-based moving 1. San Francisco, United State($13,531)
company) 2. New York, United States($12,041)
3. Geneva, Switzerland($11,694), 85th Delhi,
India($1735)Top 3 Cities for family relocation:
1. San Francisco, United State($24,004)
2. Boston, United State($20,738)
3. Geneva, Switzerland($20,165)
84th Delhi India($4232)
Women Dell Top 3 Cities:
Entrepreneur Cities 1. Bay Area, San Francisco, 2. New York, United
Index 2019 States, 3. London, U.K.IHS Markit, Singapore tops
in Asian city ranked at 21st position, while
Indian cities Bengaluru(Karnataka) and Delhi
were ranked 43rd (7th in Asia) and 50th (10th in
Asia) respectively.Click here to read more.
QS Best Student Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Top 3 Cities
Cities Ranking 2019 1. London, the capital of United Kingdom (UK),
was named as the world's best city for students
for the second consecutive year.
2.Tokyo, Japan
3.Melbourne, Australia.
Bangalore was ranked 81st and Mumbai stood at
85th position, Delhi was ranked 113th and
Chennai stood at 115 out of a total of 120 cities
ranked in the list.
Fortune Global 500 Fortune Top 2 companies:
list 2019 1. Walmart (US)
2. Sinopec Group of China.
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd.
(RIL) has become the top-ranked Indian
company with a jump of 42 places.
Performance Ministry of Human Resource Top 5 States/UT:

Grading Index Development (HRD) 1. Chandigarh
2017-18 in the field 2. Kerala
of education 3. Gujarat
4. Haryana
5. Tamil Nadu
Kerala had the highest literacy rate followed by
Lakshadweep and Mizoram.
Global UN Development India registered a fastest reduction of poverty
Multidimensional Programme (UNDP), the rate from 55.1% to 27.9% and lifted 271 million
Poverty Index Oxford Poverty and Human (from 640 million to around 369 million) out of
(MPI) 2019 Development Initiative poverty.
62 | P a g e
between 2006 and (OPHI) Top 2 poorest regions in the world improving
2016 the fastest
1. Jharkhand in India
2. Rattanak Kiri in Cambodia
REPORT
India: Health of the Indian Council of Medical Total death in the country due to NCDs was
Nation’s States Research (ICMR) 61.8% in 2016, as compared to 37.9% in 1990.
Some examples of common NCDs are diabetes,
hypertension, tuberculosis and cancers (Oral,
Breast and Cervical cancer).Click here to read
more.
State of the United Nations Educational, The Report, which will be an annual publication,
Education Report Scientific and Cultural highlights accomplishments and challenges with
for India 2019: Organization(UNESCO) regards to the right to education of children with
Children with disabilities (CWDs).Click here to read more.
Disabilities
Annual banking Swiss National Bank (SNB) Top 5 Countries:
statistics report 1. U.K.
2. U.S.
3. West Indies
4. France
5. Hong Kong
India ranked 74th Place.
‘Working on a International Labour India is projected to lose 5.8% of working hours
Warmer Planet: The Organisation (ILO) in 2030 equivalent to 34 million full-time jobs
Impact of Heat due to global warming. It will mainly impact the
Stress on Labour agriculture and construction sectors. India will
Productivity and be the most affected country because of its large
Decent Work’ population.
Global Study on United Nations Office on It stated that the overall Homicide Rate declined
Homicide 2019 Drugs and Crime (UNODC) by 10% in India over the period 2009- 2015,
from 3.8 to 3.4 per 100,000 population but it was
increased 'Noticeably' in some Northern States.
Global Prime Office CBRE Top 5 most expensive office location in the
Occupancy Costs world:
survey 1. Hong Kong’s Central district
2. London’s West End
3. Hong Kong’s Kowloon
4. New York’s Midtown Manhattan and
5. Beijing’s Finance Street.
New Delhi’s Connaught Place (CP) ranked at 9th.
Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) ranked
at 27th and
Nariman Point- Central Business District (CBD)
ranked at 40th.
Most digitised cities 2nd edition of payments Top 5 most digitised cities:
solution company Razorpay 1. Bengaluru
Software Pvt Ltd’s digital 2. Hyderabad
transactions 3. Mumbai
4. Pune
5. Delhi
Top 5 most digitised states:
63 | P a g e
1. Karnataka
2. Maharashtra
3. New Delhi
4. Tamil Nadu
5. Andhra Pradesh
State of Food United Nations (UN) Food It stated that in the year 2018, more than 820
Security and and Agriculture million people suffered hunger, food insecurity
Nutrition in the Organisation (FAO), and malnutrition worldwide. It is for the third
World 2019 International Fund for year in a row the number has raised.Click here
Agricultural Development to read more.
(IFAD), UN Children’s Fund
(UNICEF), the World Food
Programme (WFP) and the
World Health Organisation
(WHO)
Small Industries TransUnion Credit Gujarat was ranked first in terms of performance
Development Bank Information Bureau (India) and credit growth potential for MSME Corporate
of India’s (SIDBI)& Limited (CIBIL) Lending in India. It has maintained the top
Micro, Small & position since the past 4 years. MSME corporate
Medium entities are borrowers with aggregate credit
Enterprises exposure of up to Rs 50 crore. The market size of
(MSME) Pulse this category is Rs 17.6 lakh crore as of March 31,
Report 2019.
India’s most London-based consultancy Top 3 Brands:
valuable brand Brand Finance annual 1. Tata($19.6 billion
report 2. Life Insurance Corporation( $7.3 billion)
3. Infosys ($6.5 billion)
'Status of Standing Committee on Showed that the unaccounted wealth held by
Unaccounted Finance headed by M Indians was estimated in the range of $216.48
Income/Wealth Veerappa Moily, 3 separate billion to $490 billion over various periods
Both Inside and studies which were between 1980 and 2010.Click here to read
Outside the Country conducted by 3 premier more.
- A Critical Analysis' institutes- The National
Institute of Public Policy and
Finance (NIPFP), National
Council of Applied Economic
Research (NCAER) and the
National Institute of
Financial Management
(NIFM)
Reforming Urban IDFC Institute Indian Cities contribute between 59% and 70%
India of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The
existing cities suffer from neglect due to
unacknowledged development. Therefore the
focus should be made in recognizing the extent of
urban growth, improve land utilization,
empower urban local bodies and invest in public
transport networks.
64 | P a g e
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Acquisitioner/Merger Netvalue(amount) Points to be Noted
Bharti Airtel Limited and Bharti In May 2019, Airtel had
Hexacom Limited announced the submitted a Rs 644 crore bank
merger of the consumer mobile guarantee with the Telecom
businesses (CMB) of Tata Disputes Settlement and
Teleservices Limited (TTSL) and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for
Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) the Tata Tele merger. ii. Airtel is
Limited (TTML) with the two authorized to hold TTSL’s
Bharti Group companies consumer mobile businesses
operations in 19 telecom circles -
17 under TTSL and 2 under
TTML (Maharashtra).
YES Bank has acquired a 9.47 % Indian tea company, McLeod
stake in dry cell battery maker, Russel defaulted on repayment of
Eveready Industries credit facilities extended by the
Yes bank. McLeod’s debt is about
Rs.1,800 – 2,000 crore.
CapitaLand Limited (Singapore) US$8 billion (singapore$11 With this deal, Temasek, which
acquired Ascendas-Singbridge billion) had a 40.8% stake in CapitaLand
Pte. Ltd owned by Temasek before the deal, now holds about
Holdings. 51% in the company.
Walmart in San Bruno, California, undisclosed amount To strengthen its customer
Acqui-hired 2 Bengaluru-based technology and supply chain. It is
health tech startups FloCare and made for the skills of the team,
BigTrade rather than for the product.
Ebix Inc acquired online travel $337.8 million (Rs 2,325 crore) Yatra will become part of Ebix's
portal Yatra Online Inc. travel portfolio, EbixCash.
Apple and Intel signed an $1 billion 2,200 Intel employees will join
agreement where Apple will Apple, along with intellectual
acquire the majority of Intel’s property, equipment and leases.
smartphone modem business
DEFENCE
EXERCISE’s:
Exercise Name Participating Countries Location
Garuda VI Indian Air Force (IAF) and Armée Mont de Marsan in France
de l'Air (French Air Force)
1st edition of the joint security UAE, France, the Italian Republic, Abu Dhabi, UAE (United Arab
exercise of International Bahrain, Morocco, Spain, Senegal, Emirates)
Security Alliance (ISA), Singapore, and the Slovak
ISALEX19 Republic
8th edition of Hand-in- India & China Umroi near Shillong in
Hand(HiH)Military exercise Meghalaya, India
2019
IndSpaceEx-1st ever simulated Three armed forces of India New Delhi
space warfare exercise (Army, Navy, and Air Force)
Testing:
65 | P a g e
Missile Name Location Features
Submarine-launched ballistic China The JL-3 is expected to have a

missile (SLBM), JL-3 range of around 14,000
kilometers, with a capacity to
carry 10 independent guided
nuclear warheads.
Nag missiles Pokhran, Rajasthan It is in the final stage to be
inducted in the Indian Army. In
2018, the Defence Acquisition
Council had approved the
procurement of DRDO's
designed and developed NAG
Missile System (NAMIS) at the
cost of Rs 524 crore. It is a third
generation Anti-Tank Guided
Missile.
Third-generation anti-tank Pokhran, Rajasthan It is developed by the Defence
guided missile NAG Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO). It was
launched from the NAG Missile
Carrier (NAMICA) and is capable
of carrying up to 6 combat
missiles. It will be inducted in
the Indian Army.
Medium-range ballistic missile - Iran It is derived from a North

Shahab-3 Korean missile called the
Nodong-A and can fly 1,150 to
2,000 kilometers, or up to 1,242
miles, depending on the variant.
Two short-range ballistic North Korea They were fired from mobile
missiles launch vehicles. The first short-
range missile, launched from
Wonsan, a coastal town east of
the capital, Pyongyang, flew 430
kilometers (267 miles), reaching
a height of 50 kilometers (31
miles) before landing in waters
between North Korea and Japan.
Anti-ballistic missile system Israel and the United States (US) The test was carried out with
"Arrow-3" U.S. Missile Defense Agency
(MDA) at Pacific Spaceport
Complex-Alaska (PSCA) in
Kodiak, Alaska, US.
Other News Related to Defence:
Operation Sudarshan launched by BSF to fortify the anti-infiltration grid along Pakistan border
• The operation, code named 'Sudarshan' was launched by the Border Security Force (BSF) to
fortify Anti-Infiltration Grid along the Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu. The Union Home
Ministry will go through the final report of the operation. After the scrutiny, sanctions will be
made to procure gadgets, equipment and infrastructure that is required to plug gaps and
strengthen border management.
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Two new heavy-lift Chinook helicopters for IAF arrived at the Mundra port, Gujarat
• Boeing, American aerospace company, informed the arrival of 2 new heavy-lift CH-47F (I)
Chinooks helicopters for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Mundra port in Gujarat. It will
provide IAF an unmatched strategic airlift capability. In 2015, IAF had ordered 15 Chinooks
along with 22 Apache attack helicopters. The first 4 Chinooks were received in February, 2019.
Indian Army plans to buy American howitzer ammo for long-range accurate strikes
• The Indian Army will buy the Excalibur artillery ammunition from the US (United States) under
the emergency procurement procedures. It can strike targets more than 50 km away with the
use of the GPS (Global Positioning System).
INS Tarkash reached Tangier in Morocco as part of a visit for overseas development
programme
• In an ongoing Overseas Deployment by the Indian Navy to the Mediterranean Sea, Africa and
Europe, INS (Indian Navy Ship) Tarkash, a state-of-the-art stealth frigate of the Indian Navy
equipped with a versatile range of weapons, reached at Tangier in Morocco as part of a visit of
the 3-day visit. It seeks to strengthen the bonds of friendship between India and Morocco.
INS Sagardhwani starts on mission Sagar Maitri
• The Marine Acoustic Research Ship (MARS), INS Sagardhwan started its two-month long
second mission Sagar Maitri from Southern Naval Command in Kochi, Kerala. It was flagged off
by Southern Naval commander Vice Admiral A.K. Chawla and Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) chairman G. Satheesh Reddy. It will be visiting Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia and would be initiating collaborative research programmes
with selected institutes in these countries.
Indian Navy's frontline warship INS Tarkash reaches Sweden
• The Indian Naval Ship(INS) Tarkash reached Sweden on a three-day visit, as a part of Indian
Navy's mission of building "bridges of friendship" and strengthening international cooperation
with friendly countries. This marks the first visit of an Indian Naval Ship which made a port call
at Karlskrona in Sweden shores after a gap of 15 years.
Indian Navy commissions fifth Dornier Aircraft Squadron in Chennai
• Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh commissioned the fifth Dornier squadron of the
Indian Navy- Indian Naval Air Squadron 313 (INAS 313 ) at the Naval Air Enclave in
Meenambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It will operate the indigenous Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited (HAL) built Maritime Surveillance version multi-role Dornier 228 Short Range
Maritime reconnaissance aircraft from Chennai Airport.
Two Defence Industrial Corridors to be set up in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
• In pursuance of the announcement made by the then Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley in the
budget speech 2018-19, the Government has decided to set up 2 Defence Industrial Corridors
in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It will cover the needs of Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSME). Investments worth Rs 4,000 crore have been received and the project is
expected to cost Rs 20,000 crore.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh Launches DDP Dashboard
• Union Minister of Defence Shri Rajnath Singh launched a Dashboard of Department of Defence
Production (DDP) to help in effective monitoring of various initiatives and schemes of the
departments of the Ministry of Defence in the presence of Secretary (Defence Production) Dr
Ajay Kumar, Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Yesso Naik and other senior officials of the
Ministry.Click here to read more.
US finalizes $670 million foreign military sales to support India's C-17 aircraft
• The United States (US) approved foreign military sales worth $670 million to support India's C-
17 military transport aircraft in order to enhance operational readiness and ability to provide
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) assistance in the Indo-Pacific region.
Chetak helicopters by HAL delivered to the Indian Navy ahead of schedule.
• The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) delivered one Chetak helicopter to the Indian Navy
ahead of its scheduled month of august. The HAL entered into a contract with the Indian Navy
67 | P a g e
in the year 2017 to supply 8 Chetak helicopters by August 2020, with the first two by August
2019. The Chetak helicopters are produced by HAL under the license from Eurocopter, France.
Rs.1500 crore deal signed by India and Russia to acquire Russia’s R-27
• India signed a Rs.1500 crore contract with Russia for the acquisition of R-27air-to-air missile
which gives the additional capability to target enemy aircraft at long Ranges. These missiles are
to be equipped on the Su-30MKI combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). It is a medium-
to-long-range air-to-air missile developed by Russia for its MIG and Sukhoi fighter jets.
IAF receives 1st batch of 4 AH-64E Apache Guardian Attack helicopters from the US
• Indian Air Force (IAF) has received 1st batch of 4 of total 22 AH-64E Apache Guardian Attack
helicopters from US (United States)aerospace major Boeing at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad,
Uttar Pradesh(UP). An additional four Apache helicopters will arrive next week, and these 8
helicopters will be then moved to Pathankot Air Force Station, Punjab for their formal
induction by the IAF in September 2019.
Indigenously built LCU MK IV class ship “LCU L56” commissioned into Indian Navy
• Vice Admiral, Atul Kumar Jain, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command,
commissioned the Land Craft Utility (LCU)MK IV class ships LCU L56 at Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh. This sixth of the LCU MK IV class ships, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders
and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), will be used for deployment and recovery of Main Battle Tanks,
armoured vehicles, Troops and equipment from ship to shore and vice versa.
Defence Ministry signs MoU with IPFC and NRDC to implant IP into Defence Industry
• The Defence Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Intellectual
Property Facilitation Cell (IPFC), Department of Defence Production, National Research
Development Corporation (NRDC) and Ministry of Science and Technology to promote a
culture of Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights (IP-R) in the Defence system. The
partnership will provide a major impetus to “Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti”.
Indian Army places an order for procuring Israeli anti-tank Spike missiles
• Indian Army has placed an order for procuring anti-tank Spike missiles from Israel under
emergency purchases powers to meet operational preparedness. The deal was approved by
Army in April 2019 during emergency purchase powers granted to three armed forces after
February 14, 2019, Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed followed by
Balakot airstrike.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Apps/Portals Launched:
Mobile apps/portal Launched by Purpose
‘Vasool So-Ft’ (Vasool So-Fast) Karnataka Bank Ltd For digitizing the Non-
Performing Asset (NPA)
recovery process of the bank in
Mangalore, Karnataka.
JEE Ready Amazon It is Amazon's first product in
the edtech sector in India. It
helps the students to prepare
for entrance tests by allowing
them to take an All India Mock
Test for free.
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Platform for Effective Union Minister of Labour & Through the portal, online
Enforcement for No Child Employment Santosh Kumar complaints regarding child
Labour (PENCIL) Portal Gangwar (MoS) labour can be filed by anybody
and the complaint gets assigned
to the concerned Nodal Officer
automatically by the system for
further necessary action.
'CARE4U' IIT (Indian Institute of To provide better elderly care
Technology ) Kharagpur practices. The app connects the
elderly person to the caregiver.
It will inform the caregiver
when the elderly person falls
down with the exact location by
using a neural network-based
fall detection algorithm.
Other Science and Technology News of National & International
NASA's PUNCH mission has selected Indian Scientist Dipankar Banerjee as its co-investigator
• Dipankar Banerjee, a solar physicist from Indian Institute of Astrophysics has been selected by
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for its PUNCH mission. PUNCH is an
acronym for "Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere", which will image the Sun. he
objective of the mission is to understand the transition of particles from the Sun’s outer corona
to the solar wind that fills interplanetary space.
Astronomers discovered the source of Fast radio burst
• For the first time, an international team of researchers has discovered the source of FRB
180924, a mysterious powerful pulse of cosmic energy known as Fast Radio Burst (FRB),
which lasted for just a fraction of a second. The discovery has been made by using the
Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope in Western Australia.
NASA to send ‘Dragonfly’ drone mission to Titan for looking origins & signs of life
• America's space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) has planned to
send a flying multi rover vehicle, ’Dragonfly’ to Saturn's moon Titan to search for signs of life. It
will be launched in 2026 and set to land on Saturn's largest moon in 2034. The outlay of the
mission was $850 million. Titan is Saturn’s largest moon and the second largest moon in the
solar system after Jupiter's moon Ganymede.
Indian Railways conducting trials of Tri-Netra technology: Piyush Goyal
• Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal stated that In order to reduce accidents, Indian Railways
is conducting extensive trials of modern technology TRI-NETRA (Terrain Imaging for Drivers
Infrared, Enhanced, Optical & Radar Assisted) for detecting obstructions on tracks during fog.
It will assist Loco pilots to identify obstructions on tracks by using Infrared Camera, Optical
Camera and Radar assisted imaging system(Tri-Netra).
NASA successfully tests launch-abort system for moon-mission capsule
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully conducted the test of
a launch-abort system for the Orion capsule designed to take United States (US) astronauts to
the Moon. It took place at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US. It was launched
by a mini-rocket, a repurposed first stage of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
ISRO signed a contract with Russian company Glavkosmos to train Indian astronauts for
‘Gaganyaan’
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed a contract with a Russian company,
Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the state corporation Roscosmos, for selection support, medical
examination and space training of Indian astronauts for ‘Gaganyaan’ mission. Gaganyaan, Rs
9,023-crore project, will be launched in December 2021 including a woman astronaut.
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Arctic mission will trap scientists in ice to study the impact of climate change
• The German icebreaker RV Polarstern, a hulking ship will set out for the Arctic mission. It will
trap scientists for a year in ice in the Arctic Ocean to study the impact of climate change. The
mission will be led by Markus Rex of Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. The outlay of this
expedition is $158 million.
New gene linked to schizophrenia discovered by Indian and Australian scientists
• After 18 years of research, Scientists from the University of Queensland in Australia and a team
of Indian researchers led by R Thara, co-founder and director of the Chennai-based
Schizophrenia Research Foundation have discovered a new gene directly linked to
schizophrenia. They identified a gene called NAPRT1 which encodes an enzyme involved in
vitamin B3 metabolism.
Pune’s IITM has developed an extended range prediction system
• Pune’s Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) researchers have developed an
extended range prediction system aims at the real-time monitoring and prediction of
forthcoming heat waves 2 to 3 weeks in advance. Heatwave day is defined when either the
maximum temperature is above 44° C, or when the region is facing unusually hot temperature/
when the temperature is more than 36 °C /when departure from the normal temperature is
more than 3.5 °C.
A new human atlas initiative named ‘Manav’ launched for holistic understanding of human
biology
• Manav, a new human atlas initiative has been launched by the Department of Biotechnology
(DBT) and Persistent Systems, a biotechnology company towards improving knowledge on
human biology. DBT has invested Rs. 13 crore shared between two institutions in Pune –
National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) and Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research
(IISER), Pune. Besides, Persistent Systems Limited has co-funded the project contributed Rs 7
crore.
Lucrezia Terzi, a researcher provides a new way of predicting monsoon to help farmers
• A researcher at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCKCEN), Lucrezia Terzi provides a new
way of predicting the monsoon two months in advance, by measuring how much Beryllium-
7(Be-7, an isotope of Beryllium) is present in the air. The study has been published in Nature
magazine.
Russia successfully launched its Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with 33 satellites
• The Russian space agency Roscosmos has successfully launched its Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket
with a hydrometeorological satellite and 32 small satellites. It was launched from the
Vostochny spaceport in the Far Eastern Amur Region aimed at solving problems of space
weather research and monitoring the movement of civil aircraft.
First-ever image of quantum entanglement "Bell entanglement" unveiled by the physicists of
Glasgow University
• A team of physicists from the University of Glasgow has taken a photo of a strong form of
quantum entanglement called Bell entanglement. It has captured a visual evidence of an elusive
phenomenon which a baffled Albert Einstein once called “spooky action at a distance”. This
information was published in the paper titled 'Imaging Bell-type nonlocal behavior' in the
journal Science Advances.
India’s ambitious moon mission, Chandrayaan-2 called off due to technical glitch
• India’s ambitious moon mission, Chandrayaan-2 has been called off due to a technical snag in
just 56 minutes and 24 seconds before its scheduled launch. Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) confirmed that the launch had been canceled after a technical snag was
detected in one of the launch systems of the GSLVMkIII-M1 (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle Mark III). ISRO aims to touch down on the South Pole of the Moon where no country
had gone before.
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Russia Successfully Launched Spektr-RG, a powerful X-Ray Observatory, into Space

• The Russian space agency has successfully launched Proton-M rocket carrying the Spektr-
RG(Spectrum Roentgen Gamma) space telescope from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan. The Spektrum-Röntgen-Gamma mission, also known as Spektr-RG, is a joint
project developed by Russian space agency, Roscosmos, and the German space agency, DLR.
E-Cigarettes Damage Brain Stem Cells: UCR study
• A research team at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) has found that electronic
cigarettes (e-cigarettes-ECs) damage brain cells. The team found that e-cigarettes, often
targeted at youth and pregnant women, produce a stress response in neural stem cells, which
are critical cells in the brain.
Chandrayaan-2 launched successfully from SDSC, Sriharikota, AP
• India’s heaviest rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-III, nicknamed
'Bahubali' carried the Chandrayaan-2 mission successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, off the coast of Andhra Pradesh. It is an Rs 978-crore project. The
Chandrayaan 2 mission is set to explore the south polar region of the Moon, which is also
known as Dark Side of the Moon due to the absence of sunlight.Click here to read more.
Scientists Build Ramanujan Machine in honor of the Indian maths genius.
• Researchers from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology have created an algorithm rather
than a machine called Ramanujan Machine to honor the prominent and path-breaking
mathematician of the 20th century, Srinivasa Ramanujan. The Machine attempts to
automatically generate conjectures in the form of mathematical formulas that we can analyze,
and hopefully, prove to be true mathematically.
Union minister launches Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) facility at CCMB in Hyderabad
• The Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan in Hyderabad launched NGS facility at the Centre
for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), which will be used for genomics study. The Next-
Gen Sequencing facility can sequence up to 30 human genomes(or 384 samples) per day which
will help researchers to individually tag genomes of up to 80000 cells. This process of tagging
genomes could be done in 8 minutes.
Ministry of home affairs approves Bhabha Kavach to be India’s 1st Lightest, Indigenous Bullet
Proof Jacket
• Bhabha Kavach called as “India’s lightest bulletproof jacket” was launched at the International
Police Expo 2019 in New Delhi. The bulletproof jacket is developed by the Ordnance Factories
Board (OFB) and metal alloys manufacturer Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) which
is headquartered at Hyderabad.
Bangladesh develops an alternative for plastic from jute- "Sonali"
• A team of scientists working for Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) has developed a
method to convert Jute fiber into low-cost Biodegradable cellulose sheets. It is named as
"Sonali" - the Bengali word for "golden" bags. It is biodegradable after three months buried in
soil and can also be recycled. Jute is called as the "golden fiber".
ISRO to launch India's 1st solar mission Aditya-L1 in the first half of 2020
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that it will launch its first solar
mission Aditya-L1 in the first half of 2020. It will be the first dedicated scientific mission to
study Sun’s corona. It aims to put Aditya-L1 satellite (800-kg) into a halo orbit around
Lagrangian point L1 of Sun and Earth system. The L1 point is situated at a distance of about 1.5
million km from earth.
“JATAN”, Virtual Museum software for Digitization of Archaeological Museum
• Union Minister of State of Culture and Tourism ,Prahlad Singh Patel stated that digitization of
Archaeological Museum across the country is being done in a phased manner through special
software ‘JATAN’, developed by Human Centres Design and Computing Group, Centre for
Development of Advanced Computing( C-DAC), Pune, Maharashtra.
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China's Tiangong-2 spacecraft destroyed upon its controlled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere
over the Pacific Ocean
• According to the China Space Agency, China's experimental space lab “Tiangong-2” was
destroyed upon its controlled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. The
space state was retired from service after it had completed its experiments in space. During the
re-entry phase, most of Tiangong-2 had burnt up in the atmosphere and its remaining debris
fell near Point Nemo, the most remote location on Earth.
Indian scientists from ARIES discovered 28 new stars in Milky Way
• A team of scientists at Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in
Nainital district of Uttarakhand has discovered 28 new variable stars in Milky Way galaxy. This
is the first time variable stars have been found in NGC 4147, in the constellation of Coma
Berenices. The findings of the research have been published on arXiv, & it will be published in
detail in the August issue of Astronomical Journal.
IIT Madras develops Agricopter to eliminate manual spraying of pesticides
• A ‘smart agricopter’ has been developed by the team of three students of the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Madras to eliminate manual spraying of pesticides in agricultural fields & It
also allows spraying pesticides 10 times faster with 100% accuracy than manual spraying. The
price of agricopter estimated to be around Rs. 5.1 lakh.
Pakistan will send its first man to space in 2022
• Pakistan informed that it will send its first astronaut to space in 2022 using China's satellite
launching facilities. The selection process of the astronaut for the space mission will commence
from February 2020.
WHO recommends the use of innovative anti HIV drug Dolutegravir (DTG)
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of anti-Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) drug Dolutegravir (DTG) as the preferred first-line and second-
line treatment for all populations, including pregnant women and those of childbearing
potential. It will help more countries to improve their HIV policies. DTG is more effective,
easier to take and has fewer side effects than alternative drugs. It has a high genetic barrier to
developing drug resistance.
Scientists from IIT Hyderabad developed an eco-friendly solar cell using kumkum dye- DSSC
• Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad developed low-cost,
environment-friendly solar cells named Dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC) by employing an off-
the-shelf dye used to make kumkum or vermilion. DSSC is based on New Fuchsin (NF) dye with
aqueous electrolyte and platinum-free counter electrodes. The research was published in the
Solar Energy Journal.
Scientists designed novel molecular framework in superbug armour
• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and Lucknow based Central
Drug Research Institute (CDRI) designed a novel molecular framework to destroy superbugs (a
bacteria that is resistant to drugs and estimated to kill 10 million people worldwide by 2050).
Scientists used Staphylococcus aureus, bacteria found in nostrils upper respiratory tract and
on the skin of nearly 30% people.
Govt plans to prevent vehicle theft with microdot patches
• The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has issued a Draft Notification
GSR 521(E) in order to amend Central Motor Vehicle Rules,1989. The amendment will make it
compulsory for motor vehicles and their parts, components, to be affixed with permanent and
nearly invisible microscopic dots that can be identified with an ultraviolet light source.
Gaganyaan National Advisory Council created
• Union Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region
(DoNER), MoS Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic
Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that Gaganyaan National Advisory Council was
created with members from different institutions and industries in order to launch the
Gaganyaan project by the 75th Independence day or earlier.
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Japan spacecraft Hayabusa2 lands on asteroid Ryugu for second time

• The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that its asteroid-exploring
unmanned $270-million spacecraft Hayabusa2, a second touchdown operation, landed on
Asteroid Ryugu, 300 mn km (185m miles) from Earth, for the second time for its final sample
collection which will could shed light on the evolution of the solar system.
Indian Scientists from TIFR develop ‘Black Gold’
• Indian Scientists from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai have developed
a new material called ‘black gold’. They rearranged size and gaps of gold nanoparticles to
develop the new material, It can absorb light and carbon dioxide. It can be used for applications
that range from harvesting solar energy to desalinating seawater. It was published in Chemical
Science, a scientific journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
ENVIRONMENT
Hollywood Actor Leonardo DiCaprio along with Laurene Powell Jobs & Brian Sheth to launch
Earth Alliance to tackle climate change
• Hollywood 'Titanic' fame actor and Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio along with Steve Jobs'
widow Laurene Powell Jobs and billionaire investor Brian Sheth will launch a new alliance
named Earth Alliance to tackle climate change. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation will be
converted into Earth Alliance as DiCaprio combines with Powell and Sheth.
As per the first comprehensive survey of BSI, India is a home to 1256 species of orchid
• The Botanical Survey of India (BSI) in its First Comprehensive Census of Orchids of India stated
that the country has 1256 species of orchid or taxa. They belong to 155 genera and 388 species
which are endemic to India. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
(MoEFCC) had unveiled the details of all species in the publication named “Orchids of India : A
Pictorial Guide”. Arunachal Pradesh with 612 species has the highest number of orchid species,
followed by Sikkim with 560 species and West Bengal.
Extinct bird Elektorornis chenguangi had an extra-long toe: Study
• A study found that in the 2014 fossil of an extinct bird Elektorornis chenguangi, a hyper-
elongated third toe was discovered in amber tree resin in Hukawng valley of Myanmar. The
study was published in the Journal of Current Biology. Bird’s third toe measured 9.8
millimeters.
IUCN adds more than 7000 species to red list; nearly 30,000 species are facing the risk of
extinction
• Scientist working for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has put a
number, that over 28,000 species worldwide are facing the risk of extinction in the wild. They
have also added more than 7000 species from around the planet to the red list. The
researchers, in a new assessment for its “Red List of Threatened Species” have found that more
than a quarter of species examined falls into a category that indicates they are at grave risk of
going extinct.
Odisha renews efforts to revive Gharial- crocodile species
• Gharial is critically endangered species of crocodile, native to sandy freshwater river banks in
the plains of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Also known as Gavial, the renewed
efforts to protect these crocodiles were taken by the Odisha government by releasing five
reptiles (3 females and 2 male) into the Satkosia gorge of Mahanadi – the southernmost limit of
gharials’ home range. They have individually marked and fitted with a transmitter before
releasing them.
Scaly-Foot Snail became the first-ever species endangered due to deep-sea mining
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added Scaly-Foot Snail to its
updated Red List of Endangered Species. Scaly-Foot Snail (Sea Pangolin)-Chrysomallon
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squamiferum became the first-ever species endangered due to deep-sea mining. The report
was published in Nature Journal.
“Dracaena cambodiana”, India’s first dragon blood-oozing tree discovered in Assam
• A three-member research team led by Assam forest officer Jatindra Sarma has discovered
Dracaena cambodiana, a dragon tree species in Dongka Sarpo area of West Karbi Anglong
district in Assam. This is the first time that a dragon tree species, whose sap turns bright red
after coming in contact with air has been reported from India. The discovery has been
published in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.
World temperatures rose faster in the late 20th century than in the last 2,000 years: study
• According to a study published in the journals Nature, and Nature Geoscience, Global
temperatures rose faster in the late 20th century than at any other time in the last 2,000 years.
The research team having 19 members of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) project, had used
data compiled from nearly 700 temperature indicators such as tree rings, sediment cores, coral
reefs, modern thermometer readings, etc.
Proahaetulla antique, 26 million years old species of Vine snake found in the southern Western
Ghats
• Researchers from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru have discovered new vine snake
species named Proahaetulla antique (member of the Ahaetuliinae family), believed to have
evolved around 26 million years ago in the southern Western Ghats. This research report has
been published in the journal PLOS ONE in collaboration with researchers from Chennai Snake
Park, Chennai, and Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai.
22 species of flora and fauna gone extinct in the past few centuries in India
• The wildlife survey organizations’ report was submitted by the Ministry of environment forest
and climate change in lok sabha stating that four species of fauna and 18 species of flora have
gone extinct in India which is home to 11.5% of flora in the world. Among mammals cheetah
(Acinonyx jubatus), Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), pink headed duck
(Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) and Himalayan quail (Ophrysia supercilious) have gone extinct.
World's smallest fossil monkey found in the forests of Amazon
• A team of scientists led by Duke University in the US(United States) and the National University
of Piura in Peru has discovered the fossils of the world's smallest monkey in the Amazon
forests. The team has found 18 million years old fossil teeth, which is related to the small
monkey of a new species. The team dubbed the animal Parvimico materdei, or "tiny monkey
from the Mother of God River."
SPORTS
Sports/Tournament Title Winner Points to be Noted
2019 Austrian Grand Prix Red Bull's Max He defeated Ferrari’s Charles
Verstappen (Belgium) Leclerc. Mercedes Valtteri Bottas
who met continuous wins finishes
with third and Ferrari's Sebastian
Vettel became fourth.
26th Asian junior Individual squash Veer Chotrani He became third Indian after
championship 2019 in the U-19 winning the tournament. It was
category at Macau, China organized by Macau Squash
Association. He beat another
Indian seed Yash Fadte at final.
Ravi Dixit and Vela Senthilkumar
were the earlier Asian junior
Individual squash champions
from India.
Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia South African Christiaan Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar
Masters for 2019 hosted by Sergio Bezuidenhout finished at the 13th spot.
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Garcia Foundation - held at Real

Club Valderrama, Spain
Under 12 age category in the World Arinjeeta Dey (Barasat, She won silver medal.
Youth Cup 2019 which was held in West Bengal)
Umag, Croatia
46th Edition of Copa America or Brazil It defeated Peru with 3-1 scores
Copa America 2019, Brazil to clinch the Copa America Title
2019. Brazil's Dani Alves was
named as the player of the
tournament and Alisson of Brazil
was the best goalkeeper.
Women’s 200 m, 2019 Kutno Hima Das won gold VK Vismaya won silver.
Athletics Meet in Poland Other Awards,
 Muhammed Anas won gold in
Men’s 200m race.
 M P Jabir won gold in Men’s
400m hurdles.
 Jithin Paul won bronze in Men’s
400m hurdles.
53kg category in Grand Prix of Vinesh Phogat won gold Other Awards
Spain Women’s Wrestling for the Divya Kakran won gold in the 68
year 2019 held in Madrid kg category,
Pooja Dhanda in 57kg category
settled with silver,
Silver medals were also won by
Seema (50kg), Manju Kumari
(59kg) and Kiran (76kg).
Croatia Grand Chess Tour 2019 title Magnus Carlsen He defeated Maxime Vachier
in Croatia Lagrav of France. It was his eighth
straight win in the tournament.
He earned $90,000 and 20 Grand
Chess Tour (GCT) points.
British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas attained
Circuit in Silverstone, United Mercedes the second position and Ferrari’s
Kingdom Charles Leclerc attained third
position in the Grand Prix.
Women’s 200m race in Kladno Hima Das Muhammed Anas Yahiya (Kerala)
Memorial Athletics Meet 2019 in also won gold in the men’s 400m.
Czech Republic In men's javelin final, the Indian
trio Vipin Kasana(82.51m),
Abhishek Singh(77.32m ) and
Davinder Singh (76.58m ) claimed
top three spots.
Qasanov Memorial Meet 2019 in Indians won 5 gold, 4 Mohammed Afsal Men’s 800m
Almaty, Kazakhstan silver, and 1 bronze. (gold ), Gagandeep Singh Men’s
discus throw(gold), Navjeet Kaur
Dhillon Women’s Discuss
throw(gold ), Senthil Kumar
Mithravarun Discus
throw(Silver), Jyoti Jakhar Ran
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Women’s hammer throw(Silver),

Anita Women’s hammer
throw(bronze ), MD. Salahuddin
Men’s triple jump event(gold),
Sahil Silwal Men’s javelin throw
event(gold), MD. Zuber Men’s
triple jump(Silver), Rohit Yadav
spear throw(silver)
30th Summer University Games Japan won the top spot Dutee Chand Women’s 100-metre
(XXX Summer Universiade) 2019 with 82 Medals (33 Gold, sprint(Gold), Elavenil Valarivan
held in Naples, Italy 21 Silver, 28 Women’s 10m Air Rifle(Silver),
Bronze).India got 29th Nina Chandel, Elavenil Valarivan
place in the list with the and Aayushi Gupta Women’s team
total medals of 4 (1Gold, Air Rifle(Bronze), Angad Vir Singh
1Silver, 2 Bronze). Bajwa Men’s skeet(Bronze)
Ready Steady Tokyo test event Deepika Kumari won She lost to Korean An San in
silver straight sets 6-0. She was ranked
4th in the qualification round.
Future Champions Golf (FCG) Arjun Bhati He defeated Taiwan's Jeremy

Callaway Junior World Golf Chen. He finished at 17-under-par
Championship 2019 in Palm Desert, for three rounds and made the
California best score among 13-18 age
category.
Women’s 200m in Tabor Athletics Hima Das Muhammed Anas Yahiya (Kerala)
Meet 2019 in the Czech Republic also won gold in the men’s 400m.
Annual Championship held at Rani Banga(Gold medal) In the Rope exercise and also won
Holon, northern city of Israel silver medal in the clubs exercise.
She also recently bagged a gold
medal and a Silver Medal at the
2019 Pirueta cup in Croatia.
Women’s 400m Championship in Hima Das She completed the race in 52.09
Prague, Czech Republic seconds and it was the season’s
best timing. Her personal best
timing is of 50.79 seconds which
she had recorded at the Asian
Games, 2018. In Men’s category,
Muhammad Anas won the gold
medal by completing the 400 m
race in 45.40 seconds.
148th British Open 2019 Shane Lowry of Ireland He defeated England's Tommy
Fleetwood
Kazakhstan President’s Cup Boxing Shiva Thapa India’s first gold medallist at the
Tournament 2019 Kazakhstan President’s Cup
Boxing Tournament 2019 by
defeating Kazakhstan’s Zakir
Safiullin in the finals held in
Astana, Kazakhstan in the 63kg
category.
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18th FINA (Federation Kristof Milak of Hungary Milak won the event with 1
Internationale de notation) World minute,50.73 seconds to surpass
swimming championships 2019 Michael Phelps (23-time Olympic
held in Gwangju, South Korea gold medallist, US)record of 1
minute, 51.51 seconds set at the
world championships in 2009.
106th edition of Tour de France Egan Bernal The 3,480 km long race consisted
2019 of 21 stages, started on 6th July in
Brussels, Belgium, and concluded
on 28th July in Paris, France.
46th National Women Chess Bhakti Kulkarni(Goa) of The event attracted prize money
Championship 2019 held in Air India of Rs. 15, 00,000 attended by 106
Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu participants from all over the
country.
2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix Max Verstappen (Dutch) It was his second win for the year
2019. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel
won the second place and
Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Daniil
Kvyat finished third.
2nd World Deaf Youth Badminton J Jerlin Anika(15)(Tamil She won the two silver medals in
Championships 2019 held in Taipei, Nadu) the doubles and mixed doubles
Taiwan events in the Under-18 category.
2019 USA Track & Field (USATF) Dalilah Muhammad She set World Record in the
Outdoor Championships in Des women’s 400m hurdles after 16
Moines, Lowa, United States. years.
Badminton
• The 38th edition of the Indonesia Open for the year 2019 was held at Istora Gelora Bung Karno
in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was a Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour’s 1000 event.
The prize money of the tournament was $1,250,000.
 Men’s Singles Chou Tien Chen (Taiwan)
 Women’s Singles Akane Yamaguchi (Japan)
 Men’s Doubles Marcus Fernaldi Gideon & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia)
 Women’s Doubles Yuki Fukushima & Sayaka Hirota (Japan)
 Mixed Doubles Zheng Siwei & Huang Yaqiong (China)
Overview of Canada Open 2019 (Badminton Tournament):
Event Winner Runner
Men’s Li Shi feng ( China) Parupalli Kashyap(India)
Singles
Women’s An Se-young (South Korea) Wang Zhiyi (China)
Singles
Men’s Mathias Boe & Mads Conrad- Hiroki Okamura &
Doubles Petersen(Denmark) Masayuki Onodera(Japan)
Women’s Setyana Mapasa & Gronya Chang Ye-na & Kim Hye-
Doubles Somerville(Australia) rin(South Korea)
Mixed Ko Sung-hyun & Eom Hye- Guo Xinwa & Zhang
Doubles won(South Korea) Shuxian(China)
Boxing
World Boxing Council (WBC) Asia Vaibhav Yadav He defeated Fahpetch
silver welterweight championship Singmanassak of Thailand.
2019 that held in Pattaya, Thailand
World Boxing Council (WBC) Amir Khan(Britain) Billy Dib(Australia)

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International Welterweight Title in

the inaugural Super Boxing League
2019 held at King Abdullah Sports
City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
US professional Boxing (United Vijender Singh Mike Snider of US.This was his
States) in Newark, New Jersey Beniwal(Haryana) 11th consecutive win
WBA (World Boxing Association) Manny Pacquiao (40) He defeated Keith Thurman of US.
welterweight championship 2019 at He currently serves as a senator
the MGM Grand Garden Arena, of the Philippines.
United States.
Thailand Open International Boxing Indian boxers finished Gold Medals:

Tournament 2019 was held in their campaign with 8  Ashish Kumar (75 kg) won gold
Bangkok, Thailand. medals- 1 gold, 4 silver, against Korea’s Kim Jinjae.
and 3 bronze Silver Medals:
 Nikhat Zareen (51 kg) lost to
Chang Yuan of China.
 Deepak Bhoria (49 kg) lost to
Mirzakhmedov Nodirjon of
Uzbekistan
 Mohammed Hussamuddin
(56kg) and Brijesh Yadav
(81kg) also settled for Silver
medals.
Bronze Medal:
 Ashish (69kg) lost to Thailand’s
Wuttichai Masuk.
 Manju Rani (48kg) who lost to
Thailand’s Chuthamat Raksa
and Bhagyabati Kachari (75 kg)
won bronze medal.
23rd President's Cup Boxing Indian boxers finished It was organized by the city of
Tournament for the year 2019 was their campaign with 9 Labuan Bajo and the Indonesian
held in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa medals- 7 gold and 2 Boxing Association.
Tenggara, Indonesia silver and bagged 'Best Gold medals:
Team' award MC Mary Kom (51kg)
Simranjit Kaur (60kg)
Jamuna Boro (54kg)
Monika (48kg)
Ankush Dahiya (64kg)
Neeraj Swami (49kg)
Ananta Pralhad Chopade (52kg)
Silver Medals:
Gaurav Bidhuri(56kg)
Dinesh Dagar
Cricket
Indian Cricketer Ambati Rayudu(33), who hails from Andhra Pradesh-announced retirement-from all
forms of cricket.
Former Pakistan captain and all-rounder Shoaib Malik had announced his retirement from One Day
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International Cricket after completed his 2019 World Cup series at the Lord's in London.
Overview of ICC Men’s World Cup 2019:
ICC Men’s World Cup 2019 was the 12th Cricket World Cup held in England and Wales from 30 May
to 14 July 2019.10 teams participated in the cricket tournament with a total of 48 matches played
between the teams.England lifted the first World Cup title beating New Zealand on boundary count
after both the match and the subsequent Super Over finished as ties.Eoin Morgan : World Cup-
winning captain.Kane Williamson : Runners-up captain
Awards
 Kane Stuart Williamson of New Zealand was named as the Player of the Tournamentwith 578
runs who received the award from Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar.Ben Stokes of England was
awarded the Man of the Match.Most wickets-With record-shattering 27 wickets, Australian
left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc topped the table
 Most runs Rohit Sharma scored 648 runs from the nine games at an average of 81 including
67 fours and 14 sixes.Click here to read more.
As per the ODI (One Day International) rankings, 2019 released by the ICC (International Cricket
Council), right-handed top-order batsman, Virat Kohli, and pacer Jasprit Bumrah have retained their
top numbered position following the conclusion of the World Cup. Kohli tops the list with 886 points
followed by Rohit Sharma, who is just five points behind Kohli. Babar Azam (Pakistan) got the 3rd
position with 827 points. Jasprit Bumrah got the 1st position with 809 points followed by Trent
Boult(New Zealand). Kagiso Rabada(South Africa) is on 3rd with 694 points.
Right-arm medium pacer, Jade Dernbach(33) of England announced his retirement from all forms of
international cricket on the day England won 2019 World Cup held at Lord's (also known as Lord's
Cricket Ground), London.
Zimbabwe cricket has been suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with immediate
effect after it breached the ICC Constitution by failing to provide free and democratic elections and
ensuring that there is no government interference in its administration. The decision was taken by
the ICC board during the ICC Annual Conference in London.
Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was inducted into International Cricket Council's (ICC) Hall of
Fame along with South African pace legend Allan Donald and Australian woman cricketer Cathryn
Fitzpatrick. With this, Tendulkar became the 6th Indian cricketer to be inducted into ICC’s Hall of
Fame after Bishen Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Anil Kumble, and Rahul Dravid.
Solomon Farai Mire (29), Zimbabwe's all-rounder has announced his retirement from cricket across
all formats after the suspension of Zimbabwe Cricket by the ICC (International Cricket Council).
In the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Batsmen's Rankings, Indian skipper Virat Kohli
retained his number one position with 922 points. New Zealand's Kane Williamson (913) stood at
the second position and India’s Cheteshwar Pujara (881) held the third position in the rankings.
Sri Lanka pacer, Kulasekara Mudiyanselage Dinesh Nuwan Kulasekara aged 37 announced
retirement from international cricket.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has approved the Indian Cricketers' Association
(ICA), which is formed as per the board's new constitution to look after the interest of former
players. The BCCI board recognizes the ICA, a non-profit company limited by guarantee incorporated
on July 5, 2019, under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. Kapil Dev, Ajit Agarkar, and Shantha
Rangaswamy are the directors at ICA now until elections are held.
Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir(27) announced his retirement from Test cricket with
immediate effect citing his desire to concentrate on white-ball cricket. He is the only player to have
bowled in a five-wicket (1 caught, 2 bowled, 2 run-outs) maiden over in T20 cricket.
Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, aged 35, retired from One Day International (ODI) cricket after the
first game of the three-match series against Bangladesh which began on July 26, 2019, in Colombo,
Sri Lanka. He had retired from test cricket in 2011. He was Sri Lanka’s highest wicket-taker in the ICC
(International Cricket Council) Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 with 13 wickets from 7 innings.
An e-learning platform, Byju’s will be the official Team India sponsor for a period of three years from
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5th September 2019 until 31st March 2022. In March 2017, oppo had won the sponsorship rights for
Rs 1,079 crore for a period of five years (till March 2022). Now it took the decision to quit as it finds
the value at which it acquired the rights in the year 2017 to be extremely high.
After the Chandigarh Cricket Association of Punjab decided to merge with the Union Territory
Cricket Association (UTCA), the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA)
cleared the UTCA to get the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) affiliation after a wait of 40
years to run the sport. Now, Chandigarh has its own team in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic
tournaments organised by the BCCI.
International Cricket Council (ICC) officially launched the inaugural World Test Championship
(WTC). It will begin from August 1, 2019, where Australia and England will face each other in the
Ashes. It will bring relevance and context to bilateral Test cricket over the next 2 years (2021).
Y. Venugopal Rao(37), Former India batsman and Andhra Pradesh skipper has his retirement from
all forms of cricket. He represented India in 16 ODIs(One-day Internationals) and featured in 65
matches for Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier
League(IPL) between 2008 and 2014.
ICC’s (International Cricket Council) ) general manager of cricket Geoff Allardice stated that Anil
Kumble(Former Indian cricketer)-led ICC Cricket Committee will discuss the issues concerning 2019
World Cup final, including the controversial boundary countback rule which decided the winner of
the tournament. The committee will meet during the first quarter of 2020.
The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) led by Kapil Dev, former Indian cricket team captain, will
select the next coach for men’s cricket team of India. Along with Kapil Dev, the panel comprises of
former women's captain Shantha Rangaswamy and former men's coach Anshuman Gaekwad.
All-rounder Ellyse Perry of Australia became the first cricketer of either gender to score 1000 runs
and take 100 wickets in the T20 format. She achieved the feat of scoring 1000 runs in T20 against
England in the second T20 of the Women’s Ashes tour on July 28, 2019. She picked up the 100th
wicket by dismissing England’s Nat Sciver in the World T20 final in November 2018.
Football
15th edition of the CONCACAF Mexico United States
(Confederation of North,
Central American and
Caribbean Association Football)
Gold Cup for the year 2019 by
United States, Costa Rica &
Jamaica
Second edition of Hero North Korea They defeated Tajikistan by a
Intercontinental Cup football solitary goal. The tournament
tournament held at The Arena was held from July 7-19, 2019.
by TransStadia, Ahmedabad, The top scorers of the
Gujarat tournament were Sunil Chhetri
of India and Jong Il-gwan of
North Korea who hit 3 goals
each. India got the 4th spot in
the tournament.
Former Bayern Munich and Netherlands forward Arjen Robben(35), announced retirement from
football. He hails from Bedum, Netherlands.
The 18th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the year 2019 will be hosted by Brazil between 26
October and 17 November 2019. The opening match will be held at the Estádio Bezerrão in Brasília
(Gama). The other venues are Goiânia’s Estádio Olímpico, Estádio da Serrinha and the Estádio Kléber
Andrade in Vitória (Cariacica).
Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspurs striker Peter Crouch, aged 38, announced his
retirement from football.
Nigerian footballer John Obi Mikel, aged 32, announced retirement from international football after
80 | P a g e
the end of Nigeria's campaign in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). He made his debut in 2003 in
under 17 World Cup. He won 89 caps and scored six goals between 2005 and 2019 for the Super
Eagles. He won a winners’ medal at the 2013 Africa Cup in South Africa.
Overview of FIFA Women's World Cup 2019
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 or 8th edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in France in
9 cities.United States (US) won the tournament for the record fourth time and became the second
nation, after Germany, to have successfully retained the title.
Awards:
 Megan Rapinoe of United States won the Best Player of the tournament award (Golden Boot
Award) followed by Silver Boot: Alex Morgan (USA), and Bronze Boot: Ellen White (ENG).
 Megan Rapinoe of the United States won the Top Scorer of the tournament award (Golden Ball
Award) followed by Silver Ball: Lucy Bronze (ENG), and Bronze Ball: Rose Lavelle (USA).
 Giulia Gwinn of Germany won the Best young player of the tournament award.
 Sari van Veenendaal of Netherland won the Best goalkeeper of the tournament award (Golden
Glove).France won the Fair Play award in the tournament.
Federation Internationale de Football Association(FIFA) has released its ranking for the year 2019.
Belgium leads the overall FIFA rankings, followed by Brazil, France, England, and Uruguay. Indian
football team slipped two places to 103rd in the recent FIFA rankings with 1214 ranking points.
French former professional footballer and a captain for both Manchester United and the France
national team Patrice Evra (38) has announced his retirement from football.
Tennis
Men’s doubles in 2019 World Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and It was India’s First Medal at
Tour Platinum Australian Open Amalraj Anthony Arputharaj Australian Open.
that held in Geelong Arena
,Geelong in Australia
44th edition held at the John Isner of America He defeated Alexander Bublik of
International Tennis Hall of Kazakhstan
Fame in Newport, Rhode Island,
United States
Chinese tennis great Li Na, France’s Mary Pierce and Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia were inducted
into Tennis Hall of Fame. They all are two-time Grand Slam singles champions. Li Na reached the
world No. 2 ranking and was a champion at the French Open and the Australian Open. She is the first
Asian to be inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame.
Overview of 2019 Wimbledon Championships:

2019 Wimbledon Championships was the 133rd edition ,a grass court major Championship was the
3rd Grand Slam tournament of the year after the “Australian open” and “French open”.
Winners:
Title Winner Runner up
Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic(Serbia) Roger federer(Switzerland)
Women’s Simona Halep(Romania) Serena Williams(United
Singles States of America)
Men’s Juan Sebastián Cabal Nicolas Mahut (France)
Doubles (Colombia) Édouard Roger-Vasselin
Robert Farah (Colombia) (France)
Women’s Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada)
Doubles Taipei) Xu Yifan (China)
Barbora Strýcová (Czech
Republic )
Mixed Ivan Dodig (Croatia) Robert Lindstedt (Sweden)
Doubles Latisha Chan (Chinese Jeļena Ostapenko (Latvia)
Taipei)
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In the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 2019 and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)
rankings 2019, Ashleigh Barty of Australia got the top position in women's ranking while Novak
Djokovic of Serbia remained at world number one in men's ranking.
Other Sports News
Overview of Poznań Athletics Grand Prix 2019 held in Golęcin Stadium, Poznań, Poland
Indian sprint runner Hima Das, nicknamed 'Dhing Express' won the gold medal in women’s
200m with a timing of 23.65 seconds in Poznań Athletics Grand Prix 2019 held in Golecin
Stadium, Poznań, Poland.
In addition to Hima’s gold, other Indian Athletes won four bronze medal.
• V.K. Vismaya won bronze medal in the women’s 200m
• In men’s 200m, Muhammed Anas won bronze medal
• In men's 400-metre, KS Jeevan won bronze medal
• In men’s Shotput, Asian champion Tajinder Pal Singh Toor won bronze medal.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) has removed a ban on the Kuwait Olympic Committee (KOC)
and permitted to compete in the 2020 Olympics. Kuwait was suspended in October 2015 following
"undue government interference after a sports law that was not compatible with the basic principles
that govern the Olympic Movement was passed in the country.
The 34th edition of the national level sailing championship 2019, ' Hyderabad Sailing Week’ was
concluded at Secunderabad Club, Telangana. It was jointly hosted by the EME Sailing Association, the
Secunderabad Sailing Club and Laser Class Association of India. The Rolling Trophy & Laser Radial
trophy was clinched by Gitesh of AYN(Army Yatching Node.
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) approved India's application to host the ISSF World
Cup stages. ISSF World Cup in rifle/pistol/shotgun events to be held at the Dr. Karni Singh Range,
Tughlakabad, New Delhi from March 15 to 26, 2020. It will be preceded by the Shotgun World Cup in
Nicosia, Cyprus, from March 4 to 13, 2020.
Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship 2019- Overview, India topped the medal tally in
the Championship
From 9th July to 15th July 2019, Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships held in Apia, Samoa.
The championshipwere held across three categories — senior, junior and youth. India topped the
medal tally by winning 35 medals across three categories viz 22 golds, 10 silvers and 3 bronze
medals in all categories. India also broke a total of 22 records in all 3 age groups in World, Asian,
Commonwealth and National level as well as set a new junior record at Commonwealth and National
level. Click here to read more.
Prithu Gupta of Delhi, aged 15 years, became India's 64th Grandmaster (GM). He achieved the rating
stipulation of 2500 points by beating Germany’s Lev Yankelevich in the fifth round of the Portuguese
League 2019. He is a Class X student of Modern School (Vasant Vihar), Delhi.
The Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) became the newest associate member of the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after the Committee of Administrators (CoA) accepted their
proposal. The final decision in favour of the CAP was taken by the Supreme Court-appointed CoA.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju unveiled All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Golden Baby Leagues
Handbook 2019-20 on the sidelines of the Intercontinental Cup in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. At the event,
he also renamed the ‘AIFF Baby Leagues’ to ‘AIFF Golden Baby Leagues’, with the focus laid for ages
under 6 to under 12 both for girls and boys.
The International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jon
Ridgeon informed that India's track and field legend PT Usha, aged 55, has been nominated for the
IAAF's 'Veteran Pin' for her outstanding service to the sport. She is called as the “queen of track and
field”.
British competitive swimmer, Adam George Peaty (24) has broken his own world record in the men’s
100-meter breaststroke at the FINA (International Swimming Federation) World Aquatics
Championships 2019 held in Gwangju, South Korea. He now a five-time world, 12-time European and
three-time Commonwealth champion.
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Federation of International Football Federation has awarded FIFA under 20 Women World Cup 2020
(10th edition) hosting right to Nigeria after 10 years. India and South Korea submitted their bids for
the 2020 U20 Women's World Cup but India named as the 2020 U17 Women's World Cup host.
Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju informed that the third edition of Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG)
will be held in Guwahati, Assam from January 18-30, 2020. It will be conducted in partnership with
Indian Olympic Association (IOA), School Games Federation of India (SGFI) and Assam as host State.
Overview of Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships 2019
• The 21st Edition of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships for the year 2019 was
held from July 17-22, 2019 at the JawaharLal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Cuttack, Odisha. It was
conducted by the Odisha State Table Tennis Association under the directions of Table Tennis
Federation of India and Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation Ltd.
 Men’s Singles Harmeet Desai (India)
 Women’s Singles Ayhika Mukherjee (India)
 Men’s Doubles Anthony Amalraj & Manav Thakkar (India)
 Women’s Doubles Pooja Sahasrabudhe & Krtittwika Sinha Roy (India)
 Mixed Doubles Sathiyan Gnanasekaran & Archana Kamath (India)
Overview of Bengal Open Squash Titles 2019
• The 6th Edition of Bengal Open Squash Tournament for the year 2019 was held at the Calcutta
Racket Club, Kolkata, West Bengal. It was held under the aegis of West Bengal Squash Rackets
Association and Squash Rackets Federation of India.
 In Men’s category, Abhay Singh of Tamil Nadu won the title by defeating Abhishek
Pradhan of Maharashtra by 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 scores.
 In Women’s category, Asian Games medalist Tanvi Khanna of Delhi won the title by
defeating Tamil Nadu's Aparajitha Balamurukan by 11-7, 11-6, 5-11, 13-11 scores.
Selection for Senior Wrestling Championship which is the first phase to earn a spot in the 2020
Olympic Games was held at K.D Jadhav wrestling stadium, New Delhi. 2018 Commonwealth Games
gold medalist Bajrang Punia got selected in the 65kg weight category to participate in the Senior
Wrestling championship at Barys Arena, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The other players selected were
Ravi Kumar (57kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Mausam Katri (96kg) and Sumit (125kg).
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) withdraws Commonwealth Games Federation(CGF) general
assembly meeting to be held in Rwanda in September 2019 to protest against the move of dropping
shooting from the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games(CWG). By removing shooting from 2022
CWG, the medal ranking of India will go down and the total number of medals won will also come
down from 66.
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun 2019 was held
at the Shooting Center, Suhl, Germany from July 12-20, 2019. India tops the medal tally with 10 gold,
9 silver and 5 bronze. Click here to read more.
For the first time in the Olympic Games’ history, Table Tennis Mixed Doubles event added in a
new Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games. Manika Batra to pair with Sharath Kamal for mixed doubles spot
in Tokyo Olympics.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Book Name Author Other Information

'Whispers of Time’ Dr. Krishna Saksena Minister of Textiles and Minister of Women
and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani
launched the book written by Dr. Krishna
Saksena (91) at India International Centre in
New Delhi. The book was published by
Prabhat Prakashan.
Vivekadeepini, a Adi Shankaracharya It is a concise book of aphorisms (a
83 | P a g e
summary of memorable expression of a general truth or

Prashnottara principle) & released by Vice President of
Ratnamalika India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu.
”War over Words: Devika Sethi It explains the state censorship in India in
Censorship in India, the transition period from colonial to
1930-1960” national rule, when historical actors behaved
in unpredictable ways.
Kargil: Untold stories Rachna Bisht Rawat The book has been published by Penguin
from the War Random House. 2019 marks the 20th
anniversary of the Kargil War, that was
initiated in the May of 1999 in an effort to
displace Pakistani soldiers from the peaks
they had occupied on the Indian side of the
Line of Control (LoC). India got the victory in
the war, but lost over 500 soldiers.
Who Stole My Job Sunil Mishra The book was first released in April 2019
and has received a very positive response
from readers across the globe.
Indo-Pak Relations: Dr. U V Singh It deals with the fundamental causes of the
Beyond Pulwama and Indo-Pak conflict. It is published by Pentagon
Balakot Press.
''Fire and Fury Corps - It showcases the history and achievements of
Saga of Valour, the 'Fire & Fury Corps’ which guards the Line
Fortitude and Sacrifice of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control
(LAC) in Ladakh region of Jammu and
Kashmir, was released by Lieutenant General
Ranbir Singh, General Officer Commanding-
in-Chief Northern Command at Leh .
Chandra Shekhar - The Shri Harivansh, Deputy The book was released at the Balayogi
Last Icon of Ideological Chairman, Rajya Sabha, and Auditorium, Parliament Library Building in
Politics Shri Ravi Dutt Bajpai NewDelhi
New-Age Technology Rajya Sabha Member, Dr The book is published by Konark Publishers.
and Industrial Narendra Jadhav The Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah
Revolution 4.0 Naidu released the book.
Coffee Table Book commemorating 5 decades of partnership with UNWFP launched

• Coffee Table Book commemorating 50 years of partnership with UN-WFP (United Nation
World Food Programme) towards food and nutrition security in India has been launched by
Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare along with
Dr. Hameed Nuru, Representative, and Country Director, UNEP. The book showcases key
milestones achieved by the Government of India in its efforts to make the nation free from
hunger and malnutrition in 2030.
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OBITUARY
NATIONAL
Name of the Field/ State Place where Points to be noted
person who born
passed away
Swarup Dutta(78) Bengali actor/ Kolkata Kolkata, West He was well known for his
Bengal performances in Bengali films such
as "Pita Putra" and "Harmonium".
MJ Cinematographer/ Punalur, Kerala He was an awardee of seven
Radhakrishnan(60) Trivandrum international awards including
(Thiruvananthapuram), Indian International film festival
Kerala Queensland, Australia -Best
Cinematographer - Sound of
Silence (2017 film).
Rakesh Shukla(71) Cricketer/ Delhi Kanpur, Uttar He had represented Delhi and
Pradesh Bihar in First-Class cricket and
earned his Test cap against Sri
Lanka in 1982. He played 121 first-
class matches, claimed 295 wickets
and aggregated 3798 runs.
Soumendranath Cricketer/ Kolkata, Kolkata, West He was conferred the Cricket
Kundu(77) West Bengal Bengal Association of Bengal (CAB)
Kartick Bose Lifetime Achievement
award in 2013-14.
Subir Vithal Economist Mumbai, He was Former RBI Deputy
Gokarn(59) Maharashtra. Governor & appointed as Executive
Director on the board of the
International Monetary Fund
(IMF) in 2015 by Narendra Modi
government.
AU Celestine(73) Footballer/Chennai Tamil Nadu He represented India in the
Merdeka Cup in Malaysia in 1969.
Basant Kumar Industrialist/ Mumbai Kolkata, West He was the chairman of the
Birla(98) Bengal Krishnarpan Charity Trust, BK
Birla Institute of Engineering &
Technology (BKBIET) and various
educational trusts and institutes.
Lt Gen JS Lieutenant-General/ Sahiwal, Pakistan He had been commissioned before
Gharaya(93) Chandigarh Independence into the Frontier
Force Regiment in 1946. He
commanded 9 Infantry Division
and subsequently served as the
Chief of Staff, Central Command.
Barun Haldar(85) Newsreader/ Kolkata Kolkata, West He was associated with AIR news
Bengal till 1999.
Attoor Ravi Poet/ Thrissur, Kerala Thrissur district,
Varma(89) Kerala
Santosh Rana(76) Politician/ Kolkata Gopiballavpur, CPI-ML (PCC) (Provisional Central
West Bengal, India Committee) was one of the very
first Naxalite groups to participate
85 | P a g e
in elections.
Sudershan Politician/ New Delhi Ludhiana, Punjab He is the former Uttarakhand
Agarwal(88) Governor.
Sheila Dikshit(81) Politician/ New Delhi Kapurthala, She had served as the president of
Punjab Delhi Congress, chief minister of
Delhi for 15 years from 1998-2013
and the governor of Kerala.
Ramchandra Politician/ New Delhi Khagaria He was the younger brother of
Paswan(57) Union minister and LJP chief Ram
Vilas Paswan.
S. Jaipal Reddy(77) Politician/ Hyderabad Madgul, He was conferred with the best
Telangana parliamentarian award in 1998.
Mr. C. Kapur Secretary of Billiards He served for the cue-sports for
and Snooker more than 40 years.
Federation of India
(BSFI)/ Kolkata, West
Bengal
Dr. Jaya Social worker/Tamil Tamil Nadu She was the recipient of Padma
Arunachalam(87) Nadu Shri in 1987. She was the founder
Working Women's Forum (WWF).
Raja Dhale(78) Writer, artist & Maharashtra He was one of the founding
activist/ Mumbai, members of the Dalit Panther
Maharashtra started in April 1972, alongside
Namdeo Dhasal and Arun
Krushnaji Kamble.
INTERNATIONAL
Name of the person Field/ Country Place where Points to be noted
who passed away he/she demised born
Rutger Hauer Actor/ Beetsterzwaag, Breukelen, He was best known for his role in
Netherlands Netherlands the 1982 film "Blade Runner".
Rip Torn Actor/ Lakeville, Temple, Texas, He was known for his acting and
Connecticut, U.S. United States comedy.
Cesar Pelli(92) Architect/ New Haven, San Miguel de He designed New York's World
Connecticut, United Tucumán, Financial Center and Kuala
States Argentina Lumpur's(Malaysia) Petronas
Twin Towers( a 452m high
structure that was the world's
tallest building when it was
completed in 1998).
Mandla Maseko(30) Aviator/ Pretoria, Soshanguve, He was the first black African in
South Africa North Pretoria, space. He was a part-time DJ and
South Africa candidate officer with the South
African Air Force and was
nicknamed "Afronaut" and
"Spaceboy".
Pernell Whitaker(55) Boxer/ Virginia, United Norfolk, He was a Olympic boxing gold
States Virginia, medallist, and four-weight world
United States champion .He was nicknamed as
‘Sweet Pea’.
Maxim Dadashev(28) Boxer/ Maryland, Saint He died from brain injuries
United States Petersburg, sustained during a junior
86 | P a g e
Russia welterweight IBF World Title

Elimination fight with Subriel
Matias (Puerto Rica) in Maryland,
United States.
Lee Iacocca(94) Businessman/ Pennsylvania, He was the former CEO of Chrysler
California United States and also worked in Ford.In 1984,
he released his autobiography
titled “Iacocca-An Autobiography”.
Fernando J. Computer scientist/ Oakland, He was credited with inventing the
Corbato(93) Newburyport in California, computer password. In 1990, he
Massachusetts, U.S United States received the A. M. Turing Award,
widely considered the computing
field’s equivalent of the Nobel
Prize.
Yukiya Amano(72) Diplomat/ Yugawara, He was the 5th Director-General of
Japan the International Atomic Energy
Agency
Marc Batchelor(49) Footballer/ Johannesburg, He played for South African teams
Johannesburg, South South Africa Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates,
Africa Mamelodi Sundowns, Moroka
Swallows & Supersport United and
retired in 2003.
Hussein Mohammed Military dictator/ Dinhata, The former president who was in
Ershad(91) Bangladesh Bengal office from December 11, 1983 to
Presidency, December 6, 1990 was born on
British India February 1, 1930.
(Now in
Coochbehar,
West Bengal)
Carlin Dunne(36) Motorcyclist/Colorado, Santa Barbara, He passed away during the 97th
USA California Broadmoor Pikes Peak
International Hill Climb.
Momir Bulatovic(62) Politician/ Raći, Belgrade, PR He served as Montenegro's
Montenegro Serbia, FPR President from 1990 until 1998.
Yugoslavia
Fernando de La Politician/ Buenos Córdoba, He served as the former Argentine
Rua(81) Aires, Argentina Argentina President from 1999 to December
2001.
Li Peng(90) Politician/ Beijing, Sichuan He was referred as “Butcher of
China province in Beijing” for his role in the
China’s south- Tiananmen Square crackdown on
west. pro-democracy protesters in 1989.
Beji Caid Essebsi(92) Politician/ Tunis, Sidi Bou Said, He succeeded Moncef Marzouki to
Tunisia Tunisia serve as the Fifth President of
Tunisia from 2014 to 25 July 2019.
Johnny Clegg(66) Singer and Bacup, United He received the Presidential Order
Songwriter/ Kingdom (UK) of Ikhamanga as well as a number
Johannesburg, South of honorary doctorates and
Africa awards.
Joao Gilberto(88) Singer, guitarist, and Juazeiro, State In 2009, The U.S. jazz magazine
songwriter/ State of of Bahia, Brazil DownBeat named him one of the
87 | P a g e
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 75 great guitarists in history and

one of the five top jazz singers.In
1959, he released the record Chega
de Saudade which marked the
beginning of the world-famous
bossa nova music style.
Peter McNamara(64) Tennis star/ Germany Melbourne, He retired in 1987 & started
Australia coaching. He reached a career-high
No 7 in the world in 1983, beat all-
time greats Jimmy Connors and
Ivan Lendl to win two of his five
singles titles.
Russi Taylor(75) Voice Actor/ Glendale, Cambridge, She was voiced Disney's Minnie
California, US Massachusetts Mouse for more than 30 years. She
became the voice of Minnie Mouse
in 1986. She was named a Disney
Legend in 2008.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Observed Day Other information

date/week
June 25, 2019 World Vitiligo Day (WVD) The theme for this year is “The Quality of Life of a
Vitiligo Patient”. Vitiligo is a skin disease where pale
white patches start forming on the skin due to lack of
melanin, a skin pigment.
July 1, 2019 National Doctors Day The theme of National Doctor's day 2019 is "Zero
tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical
establishment". It is meant to raise awareness about
violence happening with doctors across India.
July 1, 2019 2nd anniversary of GST On this occasion, the Finance Ministry, Government of
(Goods and Services Tax) India introduced the new return system on a trial
basis on this day, which will come into force from 1st
of October, 2019. It also proposed Sahaj and Sugam
returns for small taxpayers for the current fiscal.
July 2, 2019 World UFO (Unidentified It is celebrated to increase awareness among people
Flying Objects) day about the existence of UFO. The first World UFO Day
was celebrated in 2001.
July 2, 2019 World Sports Journalists It was established by the International Sports and
Day Press Association (AIPS- Association Internationale de
la Presse Sportive) in 1994.
July 6, 2019 World Zoonoses Day 2019 It is celebrated to create awareness on zoonotic
diseases and to teach people to take the right action on
diseases. ‘ zoonoses’ is derived from the Greek words
zoon (animal) and nosos (ailment). It is celebrated to
commemorate 1885 when Louis Pasteur successfully
administered the first vaccine against Rabies virus.
July 6, 2019 United Nations It’s aim is to create awareness of cooperatives and
International Day of promote international solidarity, economic efficiency,
Cooperatives equality, and world peace. The theme for 2019 is
“Coops 4 decent work”. It is the 25th United Nations
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International Day of Cooperatives and the 96th

International Cooperative day.
July 11, 2019 World Population Day It creates awareness of the growing population issues.
Population issue may be family planning, gender
equality, child marriage, human rights, right to health,
baby's health, etc. It was established by the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989.
July 12, 2019 International Malala Day It is observed by the United Nations (UN) to highlight
the work for the education of Pakistani children by the
Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai.It was
announced by the UN in November 10, 2012, exactly a
month later when she was shot by the Taliban for
campaigning for girls’ education in Pakistan.
July 14, 2019 French government It celebrates the actions of a mob of Frenchmen, tired
celebrated its National of the rule of their king, who stormed a prison to get
Day(Bastille Day) weapons & to free prisoners. The day marks the
anniversary of the French revolution on 14 July 1789.
It is officially known as la Fete Nationale (The national
celebration) or commonly in France as La quatorze
Juillet (the 14th of July).
July 14, 2019 International Shark The objective of the day is to spread awareness about
Awareness Day the dangers of sharks. The theme for the year 2019 is
"The sharks in crisis: a call to action for the
Mediterranean."
July 15, 2019 World Youth Skills Day The theme for the year is “Learning to learn for life
(WYSD) and work”. On the occasion of WYSD, National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC) partnered with
Canada-based BetterU to provide opportunities for
India's youth to gain access to learning at affordable
prices.
July 17, 2019 World Day for The objective of the day is to unite everyone who
International Justice is wants to support justice as well as promote victims
also known as rights & to help prevent serious crimes and those that
International Criminal put the peace, security, and well-being of the world at
Justice Day or risk.
International Justice Day
July 18, 2019 Nelson Mandela It marks the 101th birth anniversary of Nelson
International Day Mandela, who was born on July 18, 1918. The day is
celebrated since 2009 after United Nations (UN)
passed a Resolution A/RES/64/13 declared in
recognition of the former South African President’s
contribution to “the culture of peace and freedom.”
July 23, 2019 National broadcasting day The first-ever radio broadcast in the country went on
air from the Bombay Station under the then private
company, the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) on
23rd July 1927. It became All India Radio on 8th June
1936. Radio broadcasting began in the year 1923
under radio club of Bombay initiative.
July 24, 2019 159th Aaykar Diwas Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and all field
(Income Tax Day) offices celebrated the 159th Aaykar Diwas (Income
Tax Day). The main function was held at New Delhi
which was presided over by Finance Minister Nirmala
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Sitharaman. 'Kardaata e-Sahyog Abhiyaan' to assist

and support taxpayers and other stakeholders to e-file
their returns & discharge other tax-relatedobligations.
July 26, 2019 Kargil Vijay Diwas It was celebrated throughout India to commemorate
India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1999 Kargil War.
This day marks the victory of Indian armed forces in
Operation Vijay in 1999 & honors the martyrs who
sacrificed their lives for India in the Kargil War. The
theme for Kargil Vijay Diwas 2019 was "Remember,
Rejoice and Renew". On July 14, 2019, Raksha Mantri
Shri Rajnath Singh lit the victory flame to mark the
20th anniversary of the successful culmination of
Operation Vijay- Kargil Vijay Diwas -‘Remember,
Rejoice and Renew’. A relay of a Victory Flame is
conducted from the National War Memorial (NMW) in
New Delhi to Kargil War Memorial at Dras, Kargil
District. Jammu and Kashmir.
July 27, 2019 81st CRPF raising day The Minister of State (MoS) for home, Nityananda Rai
attended the 81st CRPF raising day celebration and
paid tributes to Martyrs of the force at the National
Police Memorial at Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. As a way
of providing assistance to the families of Martyrs on a
real-time basis, the President Shri Ram Nath Govind
launched Veer Parivar app in April 2019.
July 28, 2019 World Nature It is celebrated with an objective to increase
Conservation Day awareness about natural resources and protecting
them. The day recognizes that a healthy environment
is a foundation for a stable and productive society and
to ensure the well-being of present and future
generations.
July 28, 2019 World Hepatitis Day It is observed to raise awareness of the global burden
(WHD) of viral hepatitis. The theme of the World Health
Organization (WHO) for WHD 2019 is “Invest in
Eliminating Hepatitis”. July 28 was chosen to celebrate
WHD as it is the birthday of scientist Dr Baruch
Blumberg who discovered the hepatitis B virus (HBV).
July 29, 2019 World Tiger Day The day was built up in 2010 at Saint Petersburg Tiger
Summit in Russia where the signatories declared an
agreement that the governments of tiger populated
counties would double the tiger population by 2022.
This 12-year goal (2010 – 2022) was termed as
TX2.Click here to read more.
July 30, 2019 World Day Against In order to raise awareness of the situation of victims
Trafficking In Persons of human trafficking and promotion and protection of
their rights, the UN General Assembly designated July
30 as the World Day Against Trafficking In Persons.
The theme for 2019 is “Human Trafficking: call your
government to action”
The U.S.(United States) celebrated Apollo 11 human moon landing mission. US space agency
NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration ) celebrated the moment astronauts landed on
the moon for the first time 50 years ago on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong became the first person to
step onto the surface of the moon followed by Aldrin, who joined him 19 minutes later.
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Current Affairs Pocket PDF – July 2019

Cabinet Approval On July 31,2019

STATE WISE NATIONAL NEWS

Jammu and Kashmir

Meghalaya is the first state in India to ensure water conservation

TN celebrates 'Hospital Day' on July 30, 2019

Other Important National Affairs

Comprehensive legislation on data privacy under formulation

boreholes around Amrabad-Udimalla (Mahaboobnagar district)-Narayanpur (Nalgonda

DOM led by MoES to commence by October 31, 2019

MGIT-BP, India-assisted IT- Biotechnology Park inaugurated in Cote d’Ivoire

India signs worth Rs.200 cr deal with Russia

US lists Balochistan Liberation Army and Husain Ali Hazzima as SDGTs

BANKING & FINANCE

for operating assets.

Hong Kong Govt donates over $9 million to cyclone” Fani”-hit Odisha

BUSINESS & ECONOMY NEWS

Highlights of Union Budget 2019-20

MOUs/AGREEMENTS COUNTRIES & STATES

MoUs with States

funding, and providing mentorship in

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Prithvi Shaw Brand Ambassador FanMojo He was ranked among one

that is equal parts sport

Pradesh) and Indian

Phagu Chauhan Governor(29th) Bihar He will replace Lal Ji

Vivek Kohli Chairman Commonwealth Table M P Singh have been

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Name of Awards Award Winner Field Points to be noted

Awards in the Field of Literature & Academics

Journal Excellence Tata Power Journal Other Awards:

 AIFF Award for the Best Referee R

Awards in the Field of Art and Culture,Films

Film Festival (TIFF)

Awards for State,Country,Banks and Organization

Best innovation award Northeast Frontier ‘Plan Bee’, a strategy of using an

Pacific Asia Travel Ministry of Campaign The campaign which focuses on

Other Sites in the list:

Portugal: Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga

Surupa Sen Odissi

Dhruv Bedi Hindustani Instrumental Music–Sitar

Odisha Rasagola Geographical Indications(GI) tag

CONFERENCES/SUMMITS IN NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS

No Name of Place Facts about the summit /conference

countering disinformation and media

COMMITTEE/MEETING IN NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS

and Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) Chair

asset-wise framework of resolution with

performance of the Indian athletes is to

Henley Passport Henley & Partners Top 3 Countries:

100 from 57th position in 2018., The theme of

Performance Ministry of Human Resource Top 5 States/UT:

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Missile Name Location Features

Submarine-launched ballistic China The JL-3 is expected to have a

Medium-range ballistic missile - Iran It is derived from a North