Daily Current Affairs and GK | 6 July 2021

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. KVIC launches project BOLD or Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought.

• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched project BOLD or Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought.
• Project BOLD is the first of its kind exercise in India. It was launched on July 4 from tribal village Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
• Under the project, 5000 saplings of Bambusa Tulda and Bambusa Polymorpha from Assam were planted on nearly 16 acres of vacant arid Gram Panchayat land.
• With planting of 5000 saplings, KVIC also created a world record of planting the highest number of bamboo saplings on a single day at one location.
• Aim of project BOLD:
  • To boost the income of the tribal people and solve environmental concerns such as land desertification and land degradation by creating bamboo-based green patches in drylands.
  • To create bamboo-based green patches of land in arid and semi-arid zones.
• Project BOLD has been launched as part of KVIC’s “Khadi Bamboo Festival” to celebrate 75 years of independence “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.
• It will be replicated at village Dholera in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and Leh, Ladakh by August 2021. Under this, 15,000 bamboo saplings will be planted before August 2021.

Topic: Appointments

2. Lawyer KN Bhattacharjee appointed as new Lokayukta by Tripura government.

• Lawyer KN Bhattacharjee has been appointed as new Lokayukta by Tripura government.
• He has been appointed under Tripura Lokayukta Act, 2008. He will be third Lokayukta of the state.
• He will be first ever lawyer to be appointed as Lokayukta of Tripura.
• Justice Pradip Kumar Sarkar was appointed as first Lokayukta of Tripura in 2012.
• Lawyer KN Bhattacharjee’s name was recommended to the Governor recently by the Chief Minister, in consultation with the Speaker and leader of the opposition.
• Lokayukta was first established in Maharashtra in 1971. In Tripura, it was established in 2008. Total 21 states and one UT (Delhi) have established Lokayuktas till 2013. The institution of Lokayukta is not same in all states.

Topic: Geography

3. Tropical storm Elsa makes landfall near Cuba’s Bay of Pigs on its south-central coast.

• Tropical storm Elsa made landfall near Cuba’s Bay of Pigs on its south-central coast on 05 July. It is now on track to Florida.
• Elsa had previously caused damage in parts of Barbados, St. Lucia, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
• As per Cuba’s Meteorology Institute, Elsa was moving northwest and storm surges were affecting southern coast of Cuba. Strong rains and winds are being experienced in parts of the country.
• As per the Institute, it is expected that storm would exit the country in overnight.
• Meteorologists are forecasting an above-normal 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. 2020 season was the most active season on record.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

4. Ministry of Tourism signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yatra.Com.

• Ministry of Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yatra.Com to strengthen the Hospitality and Tourism Industry.
• The aim of MoU is to provide extensive visibility to accommodation units, which have self-certified themselves on System for Assessment, Awareness and Training for the Hospitality Industry (SAATHI) platform.
• Under the MoU, both parties would also encourage accommodation units to register on NIDHI and SAATHI.
• Both parties would also encourage the local tourism industry with appropriate safeguards for curbing the spread of Covid-19.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

5. DPIIT launched project on Open Network for Digital Commerce.

• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched a project on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
• It aims to curb the monopolistic tendencies of e-commerce platforms. It will set a standard for onboarding retailers on online marketplaces.
• It will help in the digitization of the entire value chain, standardize operations, and enhancing value for consumers.
• An advisory council has also been set up by the government to advise on the design and adoption of ONDC. Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani and National Health Authority CEO R.S. Sharma as its members.
• The project has been assigned to the Quality Council of India (QCI).

Topic: Miscellaneous

6. 52^nd IFFI to be held from 20^th -28^th November 2021 in Goa.

• Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that the 52^nd International Film Festival of India will be organized from 20^th-28^th November 2021 in Goa.
• The International Film Festival of India is one of India's biggest international film festivals.
• International Film Festival of India is celebrated every year to recognize the outstanding work in the Film Industry. This year the Directorate of Films Festivals will pay a tribute to Satyajit Ray on his Birth Centenary.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. AYUSH Ministry launched Important Portals for Ayush sector.

• Union Minister of AYUSH Kiran Rijiju launched five portals and four publications related to the Ayush sector.
• AYUSH Ministry is playing a key role in the National Digital Health Mission to provide health security to the Indian people.
• Ayush Minister launched the CTRI portal along with AMAR, RMIS, SAHI, and e-Medha portals. He also released four publications related to the Traditional Indian Medicine System of India.
• The CTRI Portal will strengthen the Ayurvedic Research and clinical trials worldwide. The SAHI portal will help in showcasing the historical veracity of Ayurveda.
• The e- Medha portal will provide online access to more than 12 thousand books. These books are related to Indian Medical Heritage.
• AMAR portal will work as a repository for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Sowa- Rigpa Manuscripts and catalogues.
• CCRAS-Research Management Information System portal will be a one-stop solution for Research and Development in Ayurveda.

Topic: Important Days

8. World Zoonoses Day: 6 July

• World Zoonoses Day is observed every year on 6 July.
• It is observed to raise awareness about those diseases that can spread from animals to humans.
• It highlights the importance of the ongoing work worldwide to prevent, detect, and spread of zoonotic pathogens.
• The theme of World Zoonoses Day 2021 is “Let's Break the Chain of Zoonotic Transmission”.
• On 6^th July 1885, Louis Pasteur invented the first vaccination against a zoonotic disease (rabies).

Topic: Personality in News

9. Indian-Origin women Sirisha Bandla set to travel in Space.

• Sirisha Bandla will be the third Indian-origin woman to go into space. She will be part of Virgin Space Ship Unity.
• She will be the fourth Indian to go into space after Kalpana Chawla, Rakesh Sharma, and Sunita Williams.
• She is one of the six space travelers of the Unity22 mission. She will take off to space on July 11 from New Mexico alongside the founder of Virgin Galactic Richard Branson.
• At present, she is the Vice President of Government Affairs at the British-American spaceflight company.

Topic: Sports

10. Max Verstappen wins Austrian Grand Prix.

• Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix to consolidate his candidature in world championship.
• Mercedes Valtteri Bottas ended the race on the second position and McLaren's Lando Norris ended the race on the third position.
• Lewis Hamilton finished the race on the fourth position.
• Red Bull has won four straight races, in which three are won by Verstappen and one by Sergio Perez.
• Max Verstappen is the youngest driver to win an F1 race.
• Austrian Grand Prix 2021 took place at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria between 3-5 July.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

11. Coal production in India drops marginally by 2% to 716 million tonnes in FY2021.

• India's Coal production register a marginal decline of 2.02 percent to 716.084 million tonnes in FY21. India had produced 730.874 million tonnes (MT) coal in FY-2020.
• Out of 716 million tonnes, 671.297 MT has been produced as non-coking coal and 44.787 MT was produced as coking coal.
• Around 685.951 MT has been produced by the public sector and 30.133 MT was produced from the private sector. Coal India Ltd produced 83% of the Coal in India.
• The highest coal production has been registered in Chhattisgarh, it is followed by Odisha and Jharkhand. Jharkhand is the highest producer of coking coal.