Daily Current Affairs and GK | 1 and 2 August 2021

Topic: Appointments

1. Deepak Das appointed new Controller General of Accounts.

• Deepak Das has been appointed as the new Controller General of Accounts with effect from 1 August 2021.  
• He is the 25^th officer who took charge as CGA.
• He is a 1986 batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer.
• Prior to this, he served as the Principal Chief Controller of Accounts in the Central Board of Direct Taxes.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Appointments

2. Vice Admiral SN Ghormade took charge as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.

• Vice Admiral SN Ghormade has taken charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff.
• He replaced Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar who retired on 31 July 2021.
• He was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 1 Jan 1984.
• He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 Jan 2017 and Nausena Medal in 2007 by the President of India.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Sports

3. PV Sindhu wins bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics.

• PV Sindhu has won a bronze medal by defeating China's He Bing Jiao at Tokyo Olympics.
• She had won a silver medal in Rio Olympics in 2016 after losing to Spain’s Carolina Marin in the final.
• She has become the first Indian woman ever to win two consecutive individual Olympic medals.
• Wrestler Sushil Kumar is the only other Indian athlete, who had won two individual medals at the Olympic Games.
• She has also become the fourth woman in the world to win a singles medal in consecutive Olympic Games. Major honours won by PV Sindhu are listed below.

• Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (PV Sindhu):
  • She is an Indian professional badminton player. She is the first Indian to win the Badminton World Championship.
  • She is also the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal in Badminton.
  • She was awarded Padma Bhushan in January 2020. She is also a recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and Padma Shri.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. PM Modi launched digital payment solution e-RUPI on 2^nd August.

• PM Modi has launched e-RUPI, a person and purpose specific digital payment solution on 2^nd August 2021 via video conferencing.
• E-RUPI is a cashless and contactless tool for digital payment. It is a QR code or SMS string-based e-Voucher.
• It is delivered to the mobile of the beneficiaries. The users will be able to redeem the voucher without a card, digital payments app or internet banking access, at the service provider.
• National Payments Corporation of India has developed e-RUPI on its UPI platform, in collaboration with the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and National Health Authority.
• E-RUPI can also be used for delivering services under schemes meant for providing drugs and nutritional support under Mother and Child welfare schemes.
• Private sector can leverage these digital vouchers as part of their employee welfare and corporate social responsibility programmes.

Topic: Important Days

5. Muslim Women Rights Day: 1 August

• Muslim Women Rights Day was observed by different organizations across the country on 1 August.
• It was celebrated to mark the second anniversary of the enactment of the law against triple talaq. The law announced the ‘triple talaq’ a criminal offence.
• In 2017, a five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court had ruled that the practice of triple talaq is illegal.
• After this verdict, the Government had brought a law against Triple Talaq for protecting the right of Muslim women. Parliament passed the Muslim Women Act (Protection of Rights on Marriage) on July 30, 2019.
• The government has started several initiatives for the strengthening self-reliance, self-respect, and self-confidence of Muslim women.
• On this occasion, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said that the Government is committed to encouraging entrepreneurship among Muslim women.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

6. 36^th edition of CORPAT between India and Indonesia concluded.

• The 36^th edition of CORPAT between India and Indonesia was organized from July 30 to 31.
• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu and Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Bung Tomo participated in this exercise.
• It has been organized to enhance mutual trust, confidence, synergy, and cooperation between both countries.
• It will help in building understanding and interoperability between both navies and prevent drug trafficking and maritime terrorism in the region.
• India and Indonesia conduct Coordinated Patrols along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) twice a year since 2002.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. Anand Radhakrishnan won the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award.

• A visual artist and illustrator Anand Radhakrishnan has won the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award.
• He has won this award for his work in UK-based author Ram V’s graphic novel called ‘Blue In Green‘.
• Radhakrishnan had done the first cover for his self-published book called ‘Black Mumbai’.

Topic: International News

8. Guido Bellido named new Prime Minister of Peru.

• Peruvian President Pedro Castillo named Guido Bellido as the new Prime Minister of Peru.
• Guido Bellido is a member of the Free Peru party. He is appointed at a ceremony in the Andean region of Ayacucho.
• Peru has had four presidents and two congresses in the last five years of political turmoil.
• In July, Pedro Castillo was announced as the winner of Peru’s Presidential election. He defeated Keiko Fujimori by 44,000 votes.
• Peru is the world’s second-largest copper producer. Its economy is affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Topic: National News

9. Government to set up National Farmers Database.

• The government is planning to set up a National Farmers Database by using digitized land records. It will offer proactive and personalized services to farmers.
• Narendra Singh Tomar informed that the agriculture ministry has already commenced the work of creating 'Agristack'- a digital ecosystem of agriculture.
• The government has signed several MoUs with selected companies to develop proof of concepts (PoCs) based on small portions of data.
• The agriculture ministry is in touch with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for bringing out a data policy for the agriculture sector.
• The proposed database will help in reducing input cost, improving quality and getting better prices to farmers for their produce.
• The database may be used for choosing beneficiaries of the government schemes. It will also help in increasing the income of farmers and improve the efficiency of agriculture.

Topic: National News

10. Bhubaneswar becomes first city to achieve 100% vaccination against Covid.

• Bhubaneswar has become the first city in the country to immunize 100 per cent of its population against Covid-19.
• Around 18,35,000 doses of the Covid vaccine have been given till July 30. 55 vaccination centers were set up across Bhubaneswar to accelerate the vaccination drive.
• Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation also set up 10 drive-through vaccination facilities in the city.
• Additionally, about one lakh vaccine doses have been given to migrant workers.

Topic: Defence

11. Indian and Russian Navy conducted Exercise Indra in Baltic Sea.

• Indian and Russian Navies conducted the biennial Exercise Indra Navy in the Baltic Sea from 28 to 29 July 2021. It was the 12th edition of this exercise.
• The main aim of this’s year exercise was to strengthen inter-operability between both Navies and to enhance understanding and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations.
• This exercise was undertaken as part of the 325th Navy Day celebrations of the Russian Navy.
• Indian Navy was represented by INS Tabar while the Russian Federation Navy was represented by Corvettes RFS Zelyony Dol and RFS Odintsovo of the Baltic Fleet.
• The exercise is another milestone in strengthening cooperation between the two navies.
• The Army version of this exercise will be organized in Volgograd from August 1 to 13.
• INDRA NAVY is a joint biennial military exercise which is being conducted between India and Russia since 2003.

Topic: International News

12. India will hold the Presidency of the UN Security Council for August 2021.

• The presidency of the United Nations Security Council will be taken over by India for the month of August.
• During the 2021-22 tenure, it is the first presidency for India as a non-permanent member of the UNSC. India has taken over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council from France.
• Under the presidency, the principles of transparency, credibility, accountability, and effectiveness will guide India.
• During the Presidency, India will focus on maritime security, peacekeeping, and counter-terrorism issues.
• India remains dedicated to multilateralism, the rule of law, and a fair and equitable international system as a founding member of the United Nations, according to the ministry statement.
• T. S. Tirumurti is currently the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations.

(Source: News on AIR)