Daily Current Affairs and GK | 23 July 2021

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

1. Uttar Pradesh to set up Panchayat Secretariat in all panchayats of state.

• Uttar Pradesh government will set up panchayat secretariat in all panchayats of the state.
• This step has been taken to strengthen the Panchayat Raj System in the state and to provide employment to the rural youth.
• There are 58,189 gram panchayats in Uttar Pradesh. For the first time, the Panchayat secretariat will be established in all gram panchayats.
• The state government has also announced to provide free healthcare to all antyodaya cardholders who are not covered under any healthcare scheme.
• The Panchayat is headed by the President of the village, also known as sarpanch. The Secretary of the Panchayat is appointed by the state government to look after the Panchyat activities.
• 73^rd Constitutional Amendment Act provided the constitutional status to Panchayats. The Panchayat Raj system was first adopted by the state of Rajasthan in the Nagaur district.

Topic: Books and Authors

2. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra will come with his autobiography ‘The Stranger In The Mirror’.

• Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra announced his autobiography titled ‘The Stranger In The Mirror’. The book’s cover has been unveiled by Sonam Kapoor on 20 July.
• The book will be released on 27 July across India and it has been published by Rupa Publication.
• Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has authored this book with author Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta.
• In this book, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has written about life journey.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. Cabinet approved Rs 6,322 crore PLI scheme for speciality steel.

• Union Cabinet has approved a Rs 6,322 crore Production-linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Specialty Steel. The incentive will be provided over a period of five years.
• It will attract an investment of about Rs 40,000 crore and add a capacity of 25 million tonnes in the segment.
• It will give employment to around 5.25 lakh people and boost the production of high-grade specialty steel in the country.
• The scheme will boost the export of steel and reduce the import of high-quality steel.
• Under this scheme, the incentive will be given between a range of 4 percent to 12 percent on incremental production.
• Speciality steel can be used for various strategic applications like defense, space, power, automobile sector, specialized capital goods, etc.
• India is the world’s second-largest steel producer in the world. It is a net exporter of finished steel.
• Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme was launched to enhance India’s Manufacturing Capabilities and Exports in 10 key sectors.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment formulated a “SMILE - Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise” scheme.

• A scheme “SMILE - Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise” has been formulated by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the person engaged in begging.
• The main objective of the scheme is rehabilitation, providing medical facilities, counseling, education, and skill development of beggars.
• It includes a subscheme - ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in Begging’.
• It will be implemented by State/UT Governments/Local Urban Bodies, Voluntary Organizations, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and others.
• Under this scheme, existing shelter homes in states/ UT will be used for the rehabilitation of beggars. New dedicated shelter homes will be also set up for the rehabilitation of beggars.
• Ministry of Social Justice has also started a pilot project on Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons engaged in begging in ten cities.
• As per the Government data, there are around 4 lakh beggars in India. West Bengal has the highest number of beggars in India.

Topic: Important Days

5. National Broadcasting Day: 23 July.

• National Broadcasting Day is observed annually on 23 July.
• On 23 July 1927, the first-ever radio broadcast in India went on air from the Bombay station under a private company, the Indian Broadcasting Company.
• On 1 April 1930, broadcasting was taken over by government and renamed as Indian State Broadcasting Service.
• On 8 June 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service became All India Radio.
• Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, invented the radio in the 1890s.
• All India Radio:
  • It was established in 1936. It is a division of Prasar Bharati.
  • Its motto is ‘Bahujan Hitaya: Bahujan Sukhaya’. It is officially known as Akashvani.

Topic: Art and Culture

6. UNESCO’s ‘Historic Urban Landscape project’ for Gwalior and Orchha cities launched.

• UNESCO’s ‘Historic Urban Landscape project’ for Gwalior and Orchha cities of Madhya Pradesh has been launched through video conferencing.
• Gwalior and Orchha cities of Madhya Pradesh have been selected by UNESCO under ‘Historic Urban Landscape Project’.

• Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that six cities of South Asia, including Ajmer and Varanasi in India, are already involved in this project.
• Orchha and Gwalior have been included as the 7^th and 8^th cities. UNESCO will prepare the development and management plan of these cities.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Telangana

7. Telangana government to launch Dalita Bandhu scheme.

• Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will launch Telangana Dalita Bandhu — formerly known as the Dalit empowerment scheme from the Huzurabad Assembly constituency on a pilot basis.
• Under this scheme, an eligible Dalit family will get financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh. A safety fund will be also set up for an emergency.
• The main aim of the Dalita Bandhu scheme is to uplift Dalit families' living standards.
• Telangana Chief Minister has sanctioned another Rs 2,000 crore for implementation of the scheme in the Huzurabad constituency. Earlier, Rs 1,200 crore was announced for the implementation of the scheme in the state.
• The sanctioned amounts will be deposited in the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries.
• A workshop will be also organized for district collectors and officers for the implementation of the scheme.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

8. Vice President of India addressed the World Universities Summit.

• On 21 July 2021, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu addressed the World Universities Summit organized by O.P. Jindal Global University.
• "Universities of the Future: Building Institutional Resilience, Social Responsibility and Community Impact" was the theme of this Summit.
• Vice President said universities to find solutions to global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and pollution.
• Government is committed to bring the Universities of India at par with global standards and to encourage research and innovation in Universities.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

9. Airtel and Intel collaborated to accelerate 5G network development in India.

• Bharti Airtel has collaborated with Intel for 5G network development by using virtualized radio access network (vRAN) and open radio access network (RAN) technology.
• The collaboration is part of Airtel’s 5G roadmap for India. Both companies will work to develop a range of “Make in India” 5G solutions and create world-class telecom infrastructure in India through local partners.
• Airtel is the first telecom company to demonstrate the 5G network in India.
• Airtel and Intel are members of the O-RAN Alliance. In the coming years, Open radio access network (O-RAN) technology will be the new area for innovation and creativity.

Topic: Defence

10. Russia hands over commercial offer to deliver 21 MiG-29 fighters to India.

• Russia will supply 21 MiG-29 fighters to India. Russia hands over the commercial offer to deliver 21 MiG-29 fighters.
• In 2020, India's council for defense purchases had approved the acquisition of 21 Russia's MiG-29 fighters.
• The 21 MiG 29s will meet the IAF requirement of new fighters. At present, the Indian Air Force has three squadrons of the MiG-29s.
• The international aerospace show is being organized in the Moscow Region from July 20-25.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

11. Pfizer & BioNTech ink an agreement with Biovac Institute to produce COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa.

• Pfizer and BioNTech inked an agreement with South Africa’s Biovac Institute to produce the COVID-19 vaccine for African Union.
• Biovac Institute will be added to the global vaccine supply chain of Pfizer and BioNTech by the end of 2021.
• It will produce 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in a year, which will be given to 55 member states of the African Union.
• African countries have the lowest vaccination rates in the world, and they are dependent on the global vaccine sharing initiative ‘COVAX’.
• The partnership between Biovac and Pfizer is an effort to overcome global vaccine inequity. Pfizer-BioNTech will become the first company to produce an mRNA-based vaccine within the African continent.
• To date, Pfizer and BioNTech have provided more than 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to more than 100 countries.