Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 July 2021

Topic: Important Days

1. International Justice Day: July 17

• International Justice Day is also known as World Day for International Justice. It is observed every year on 17 July around the world.
• It is observed to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute treaty on 17 July 1998.
• The International Criminal Court was established in 2002 under the Rome Statute treaty.
• It is also celebrated to promote international criminal justice for the victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
• In June 2010, at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute, July 17 was adopted as the Day of International Justice Day.
• International Criminal Court (ICC):
  • It was established in 2002.
  • It is an international tribunal to investigate and proceed criminal cases started due to war, genocide, etc.
  • It is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.

Topic: State News/ Andhra Pradesh

2. Andhra Pradesh government announces 10% reservation for EWS.

• The Andhra Pradesh government has announced a 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) for appointments in the initial posts and services in the State government. The reservation has been given under the 103^rd Amendment Act.
• A person with a gross family income below Rs 8 lakh per annum and is not covered under the existing scheme of reservations, will get the benefit of this reservation.
• It will mainly benefit the Kapus community who didn’t get the reservation under the existing scheme of reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and socially and educationally backward classes.
• One-third of posts of the initial appointments of the EWS category will be reserved for Women. A person seeking the benefit of reservation under the EWS category has to obtain the EWS certificates from concerned Tahsildars.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. Digital platform Kisan Sarathi launched by Government.

• Digital platform Kisan Sarathi has been launched by Government.
• Kisan Sarathi has been launched to facilitate farmers to get right information at right time in their desired language.
• Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw jointly launched the platform through video conferencing on the occasion of 93^rd foundation day of ICAR.
• IT Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that farmers can get personalised advisories on agriculture and allied areas directly from scientists through this digital platform.
• He also said that the Kisan Sarathi initiative will empower farmers with technological interventions and reach farmers in remote areas.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/Maharashtra

4. Maharashtra government launches new Electric Vehicle Policy-2021.

• Maharashtra government has launched a new Electric Vehicle Policy-2021.
• The new policy is a revision of the 2018 policy. It has been launched with an aim to make Maharashtra the “topmost producer of battery-powered electric vehicles in India.”
• Maharashtra government aims to make 10% of newly registered vehicles in its major cities to be electric ones by 2025.
• The policy will be valid up to 31^st March 2025. For the implementation of the policy, state government is instituting a Mechanism Steering Committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary & other concerned principal secretaries.
• The Chief Secretary & other secretaries will evaluate policy effectiveness to amend it, according to the EV ecosystem and environment.
• A Climate Change Department (CCD) will drive the ‘EV Monitoring Cell.’ Maharashtra government also aims to develop EV charging infrastructure at around 2,500 charging stations.
• This infrastructure will be developed in 7 major urban clusters (Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nashik, Amravati & Solapur) and 4 major highways (Mumbai -Pune, Mumbai – Nashik, Mumbai – Nagpur and Pune – Nashik).
• Under the new EV policy, incentives will be given to buyers of electric vehicles as given below.
  • Buyers of two-wheelers: incentive of Rs. 10,000
  • Buyers of three-wheelers: incentive of Rs. 30,000
  • Buyers of four-wheelers: incentive of Rs. 1,50,000
  • Buyers of e-buses: incentive of Rs. 20 lakh
• The policy also aims to establish a ‘State EV Fund’. This fund will be used to promote EV adoption including providing incentives for EV infrastructure.
• In 2019, the second phase of FAME (Faster Adoption & Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme was launched to incentivize the purchase of E-vehicles in the country.
• Recently, the Union government extended the second phase of FAME scheme by two years, until March 31, 2024.

Topic: Sports

5. Babar Azam becomes the fastest batsman to score 14 ODI centuries.

• Pakistan captain Babar Azam became the fastest batsman to score 14 ODI centuries. He has scored 14 ODI centuries in just 81 innings.
• He broke the record of former South Africa batsman Amla who held the record of 14 ODI centuries in 84 innings. Virat Kholi achieved this milestone in 103 innings.
• Babar Azam achieved this feat against England during the third ODI at Edgbaston.
• In this match, he also scored his career-best individual score in ODIs. Babar Azam is on the top of ICC ODI Batting Ranking.

Topic: Defense News

6. India, Sri Lanka and Maldives participated in Trilateral Table Top Exercise on Maritime Security.

• India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives participated in a virtual trilateral table top exercise from July 14 to July 15.
• The two-day exercise, TTX-2021, aims to enhance the mutual understanding and exchange of best practices procedures.
• It was coordinated by the Maritime Warfare Centre, Mumbai. The main focus of this exercise is to curb narcotics and to assist in maritime search and rescue operations.
• TTX-2021 helped in enhancing the trilateral engagement between India-Maldives-Sri Lanka. It is part of India's Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR) policy.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) and Government of Gujarat signed an MoU.

• An MoU has been signed between Jamnagar-based Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) and the Government of Gujarat.
• The MoU has been signed to bring all the institutions functioning in the Ayurveda campus in Jamnagar under the ITRA.
• The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) is the only institution under the Ministry of Ayush to get the status of Institute of National Importance (INI).
• It promotes new teaching, medical and research methods in the field of Ayurveda. It will strengthen the education system in all branches of Ayurveda.
• The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill was passed by Lok Sabha in 2020. It aims to set up an Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: National News

8. Tribal Affairs Minister launched nationwide campaign ‘COVID Teeka Sang Surakshit Van, Dhan aur Uddyam’.

• Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda launched the nationwide campaign “COVID Teeka Sang Surakshit Van, Dhan aur Uddyam”.
• It has been launched to accelerate the COVID vaccination among tribals. The campaign will use the services of 45,000 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVK) of the TRIFED.
• It will be implemented in tribal areas with the help of village headsmen, SHGs, and ground-level workers in villages.
• The campaign will be based on three Js: Jeevan (Life), Jeevika (Livelihood), and Jaagrookta (Awareness).
• It will use non-traditional partnerships and community reach for mobilization and collective action. Its goal is to connect 50 lakh tribal people with the Covid vaccination drive.
• Union Tribal Minister also launched Digital Directory under TRIFED’s Digital Connect Programme.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Personality in News

9. Veteran actress Surekha Sikri passed away.

• National Award-winning actor Surekha Sikri died at the age of 75 years due to cardiac arrest. She was suffering from complications of brain stroke.
• She received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Tamas (1988), Mammo (1995) and Badhaai Ho (2018).
• She is known for her performances in "Tamas", "Mammo", "Zubeidaa", "Badhaai Ho", and "Balika Vadhu".
• She also won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1989. She was last seen in the anthology 'Ghost Stories' (2020).

Topic: Books and Authors

10. Kanti Bajpai’s new book, “India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends”, was released.

• Kanti Bajpai has authored a new book “India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends”.
• The book examines the four key reasons behind the conflict between India and China.
• According to this book, differences over perimeters, negative elite perceptions of each other, lack of trust and communication between civilian and military leaderships and growing asymmetry on economic, military are the main reasons for the conflict.
• Kanti Bajpai is Director at the Centre on Asia and Globalisation, and Professor of Asian Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) School of Public Policy.
• He also wrote that how India and China don’t have a good relationship despite their attempts of cooperation.

Topic: State News/ Jammu and Kashmir

11. First real-time air-monitoring station of Jammu Kashmir established at Srinagar.

• Jammu Kashmir’s first real-time air-monitoring station has been established at Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) headquarter in Srinagar.
• It was inaugurated by Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee, Suresh Chugh. It is one of the important milestones for the J&K Pollution Control Committee.
• The Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) will provide real-time air quality data of a particular area. Two similar stations will be also established in Jammu province.
• The data generated by CAAQMS has been linked with the CPCB portal and the Air Quality Index (AQI).
• Air Quality Index:
  • It is a tool to showcase the air quality status.
  • It has six categories of air quality. These are Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.