Daily Current Affairs and GK | 24 July 2021
Main Headlines:
- 1. A player-oriented web-based platform has been launched by Hockey India.
- 2. According to UN Survey, India improved its ranking in ease of cross-border trade.
- 3. Income Tax Day (Aaykar Diwas): 24 July
- 4. G20 Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Naples ended with approval of joint communique.
- 5. Union Cabinet approves setting up of Central University in Ladakh.
- 6. Indian Navy and UK’s Royal Navy participated in a two-day bilateral Passage Exercise (PASSEX).
- 7. World's first 3D printed steel bridge opens for public in Amsterdam.
- 8. Government launched portal for registration of Children orphaned by COVID-19.
- 9. Supreme Court struck down some provisions of 97th Amendment dealing with co-operative societies.
- 10. IPC and WHO sign MoU for promotion of diversity and equity.
- 11. Kerala's oldest learner Bhageerathi Amma dies at the age of 107 years.
- 12. Sweden ratifies framework agreement for the International Solar Alliance.
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Topic: Sports
1. A player-oriented web-based platform has been launched by Hockey India.
- 'Heroes Connect', a player-oriented engagement platform, launched by Hockey India.
- The platform has been launched to prepare a detailed database of the players who represent the country in both men's and women's games.
- The former and current Indian hockey players can do constructive discussions about the sport through this platform.
Hockey India:
All the activities for both men's and women's hockey are directed and conducted by Hockey India.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognizes it as the sole body responsible for promoting Hockey in India.
Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
It was established on 20 May 2009.
Topic: Reports and Indices
2. According to UN Survey, India improved its ranking in ease of cross-border trade.
- As per the latest United Nations Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation, India has received impressive progress in ease of cross-border trade.
- The survey was conducted on 143 economies on key trade facilitation parameters over a two-year period.
- The rank of India increased from 78.49 percent in 2019 to 90.32 percent in 2021.
- It is a bi-annual survey that deals with trade facilitation measures taken by various economies.
- India’s score is higher than many OECD and average of EU countries.
- As per the survey, India is one of the best performers in the South and South-West Asia region and the Asia-Pacific region.
- Top Countries in UN Global Survey on Digital & Sustainable Trade Facilitation
- Developed countries like Australia, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Belgium scored over 93 percent.
- Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have scored 64.5 percent and 60.2 percent respectively.
- According to the 2021 survey report, the score of India in different categories are:
- 100% in transparency
- 95.83% in formalities
- 88.89% in institutional arrangement and cooperation
- 96.30% in paperless trade
(Source: News on AIR)
Topic: Important Days
3. Income Tax Day (Aaykar Diwas): 24 July
- Income Tax Day (Income Tax Day) is celebrated on 24 July and this year's Income Tax Day is the 161st Income Tax Day.
- On 24 July 1860, Sir James Wilson introduced income tax in India to compensate the British government for the losses incurred at the time of First War of Independence in 1857.
- In 2010, Income Tax Department decided to mark 24 July as Income Tax Day. Income Tax Day (Aaykar Diwas) is being celebrated since 2010.
- Income Tax Department works under Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance. It is headed by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Income tax is a direct tax.
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT):
It is a statutory body under the Central Revenue Act, 1963.
It deals with matters related to levy and collection of direct taxes like personal income tax, corporate tax, etc.
CBDT is headed by Chairman and comprises six members. Its headquarters are in New Delhi.
Current Chairperson: Jagannath Bidyadhar Mohapatra
Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings
4. G20 Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Naples ended with approval of joint communique.
- G20 Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Naples, Italy ended with approval of joint communique.
- Joint communique is the outcome of weeks of negotiation. It is based on three macro areas given below.
- Biodiversity
- Efficient use of resources and circular economy
- Sustainable finance
- As per Italy's Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani, G20 nations failed to agree on the wording of key climate change commitments in their final communique.
- G20 Environment Ministers’ Meeting was seen as a decisive step ahead of COP 26 in Glasgow in November.
- G20 Environment Ministers' Meeting 2021 is one of the ministerial meetings. It was organized as part of the G20 Leaders Summit 2021.
- G20 Leaders Summit 2021 will be hosted by Italy in October 2021. It will focus on three broad, interconnected pillars of action: People, Planet, Prosperity.
G20:
It was formed in 1999. Mario Draghi is its Chairman. It consists of 19 countries and the European Union.
The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, and the US.
Topic: State News/ Ladakh
5. Union Cabinet approves setting up of Central University in Ladakh.
- The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of a central university in Ladakh. It will be established at a cost of Rs 750 crore.
- It will help in reducing regional imbalances and improve the quality of higher education in the Union Territory. The University will have jurisdiction over Leh and Kargil regions.
- The Cabinet also approved the introduction of a bill namely, 'The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2021' in Parliament.
- The University will strengthen democratic values and promote the overall growth and development of Ladakh.
- Cabinet also approved the establishment of an Integrated Multi-purpose infrastructure Development Corporation for the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Ladakh:
It is one of the Union territories of India.
It is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Pakistan.
It is the largest and the second least populous union territory of India.
Radha Krishna Mathur is the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
Topic: Defence
6. Indian Navy and UK’s Royal Navy participated in a two-day bilateral Passage Exercise (PASSEX).
- The Indian Navy and the Carrier Strike Group HMS Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy participated in a two-day Passage Exercise in the Bay of Bengal from July 21 to 22.
- It was the first joint exercise between the Indian Navy and Royal Navy’s latest aircraft carrier.
- INS Ships Satpura, Ranvir, Jyoti, Kavaratti, Kulish, and a submarine participated in this Naval Exercise on behalf of India.
- Both countries participated in Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Air, and Anti-Surface warfare maritime operations during the Naval Exercise.
- Later, both countries will participate in a separate exercise in the Atlantic Ocean.
Topic: Miscellaneous
7. World's first 3D printed steel bridge opens for public in Amsterdam.
- The world’s first 3D printed steel bridge has been opened for the public in Amsterdam.
- It is printed by robotic arms and equipped with an innovative sensor network. The sensor will provide information about the bridge’s structure and how it is being used.
- The sensor in the bridge will gather data on the strain, displacement, vibration, air quality, and temperature.
- The collected data from the sensor will be used by engineers to understand that how 3D printed steel might be used for larger scale and more complex building projects.
- It is built by Dutch company MX3D with the help of four industrial robots.
Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives
8. Government launched portal for registration of Children orphaned by COVID-19.
- The government launched a portal for the registration of Children orphaned by COVID-19. It has been launched under the PM-Cares scheme.
- In May, Government has launched a scheme under the PM CARES fund for children who have lost either parents or a legal guardian due to COVID-19.
- Under this scheme, financial assistance of ₹10 lakh will be provided to each orphaned child. The beneficiary will get a monthly stipend for higher Education. He or She will get the entire corpus amount at the age of 23.
- The government will provide them health insurance cover of ₹5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
- According to the Health Minister, a total of 645 children were orphaned due to COVID-19 between April-May 2021.
Topic: Indian Polity
9. Supreme Court struck down some provisions of 97th Amendment dealing with co-operative societies.
- A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court has quashed part of the 97th Amendment Act and Part IX B of the Constitution which deals with the “Cooperative Societies” in the country.
- The bench held that the Part IXB of the 97th Constitutional Amendment required ratification by at least one-half of the state legislatures as per Article 368(2) of the Constitution.
- The Part IXB of the Constitution deals with incorporation, terms of members of the board and its office bearers, and effective management of cooperative societies.
- The 97th Constitutional Amendment was passed by Parliament in December 2011 and had come into effect from February 15, 2012.
- This amendment was passed without the ratification of one-half of the state legislatures as mandated by Article 368(2) of the Constitution.
According to Article 368, ratification of one-half of state legislatures is required for an amendment that makes changes in the state list subjects.
- Recently, Government has created a separate “Ministry of Cooperation” for the Co-operatives societies.
A co-operative society is a voluntary association of individuals having common needs who join hands for the common economic interests.
Topic: MoUs/Agreements
10. IPC and WHO sign MoU for promotion of diversity and equity.
- International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have signed MoU for the promotion of diversity and equity.
- The two partners will collaborate to improve global access to quality rehabilitation and assistive technology as part of universal coverage.
- Andrew Parsons, IPC President and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General signed the MoU in Tokyo.
- The Paralympic Games will start on August 24 and end on September 5, 2021.
- As per WHO estimates, about 15% of the world’s population is affected by disability.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC):
It is an international non-profit organization and global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. It organizes the Paralympic Games.
It was founded in 1989. It is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
Topic: Personality in News
11. Kerala's oldest learner Bhageerathi Amma dies at the age of 107 years.
- Kerala's oldest learner Bhageerathi Amma has died at the age of 107 years.
- She passed the literacy examination two years ago. She is living in the Kollam district of Kerala.
- She was a recipient of the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar by the Central government for her exceptional contribution towards women's empowerment.
- She cleared the fourth standard equivalency examination conducted by the state-run Kerala State Literacy Mission in 2019.
Nari Shakti Puraskar is given annually by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and presented by President of India on International Women's Day (8 March). It was started in 1999.
Topic: Environment and Ecology
12. Sweden ratifies framework agreement for the International Solar Alliance.
- Sweden has ratified the framework agreement for the International Solar Alliance.
- Swedish Ambassador to India, Klas Molin, said Sweden is happy to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
- Director-General of ISA, Ajay Mathur, said he was delighted to welcome Sweden into ISA.
- Sweden has ratified the framework agreement for ISA over four months after PM Modi and Swedish premier Stefan Lofven held a virtual summit focusing on boosting cooperation in areas of innovation, technology and climate change.
International Solar Alliance (ISA):
It was jointly launched by Prime Minister Modi and the President of France during the COP-21 in Paris in 2015.
The alliance aims to contribute to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement through rapid and large-scale use of solar energy.
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