MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS July 2021

National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX) Inaugurated

• High-Speed Track in in Pithampur, Indore (Madhya Pradesh).
• High Speed Track is used for measuring the maximum speed capability of high-end cars like BMW, Mercedes etc. which cannot be measured on any of the Indian test tracks.
• it is a world class 11.3 km High Speed Track. The track is the longest in Asia and the fifth largest in the world.

Age-old Darbar Tradition Ends in J&K

• J&K has two capitals i.e., Srinagar (summer capital) for the state and Jammu (Winter Capital).
• Started by Jahangir, this tradition had been continuing by British and Dogra Rulers.
• Both the Jammu and Srinagar secretariats can now function work from either Jammu or Kashmir throughout the year. This will save the government Rs 200 crore per year, which will be used for the welfare of the deprived sections.

Global Cybersecurity Index: ITU

• India has ranked tenth (10th) in Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020 by ITU (International Telecommunication Union) by moving up 37 places.
• The affirmation came just ahead of the sixth anniversary of Digital India on 1st July.
• India scored a total of 97.5 points from a possible maximum of 100 points, to make it to the tenth position worldwide in the GCI 2020.

Freight Smart Cities Plans for India

• Commerce Ministry’s Logistics Division unveils plans for ‘Freight Smart Cities’.
• This is more relevant as the demand for urban freight is expected to grow by 140 per cent over the next 10 years.
•  Facilities such as night-time deliveries, developing truck routes, using Intelligent Transportation Systems & modern technologies, Promoting electrification of urban freight, Parcel delivery terminals etc.

First Movable Freshwater Tunnel Aquarium

• Bengaluru City Railway Station has become the first railway station in India with a movable freshwater tunnel aquarium.
• This has been built at a cost of Rs 1.2 crore with the aim of enhancing the passenger experience at the station. It is also aimed at improving revenue earning for IR.

USA Celebrates 245th Independence Day on 4^th July

• Throughout the 1760s and early 1770s, the American colonies found themselves at odds with British imperial policies regarding taxation and frontier policy.
• Finally, the United States was founded on an ideal of democracy on the 4th of July 1776 by adopting the Declaration of Independence from the 13 colonies.

“NIPUN Bharat” Launched

• National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Initiative Launched.
• To Create an enabling environment to ensure universal acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy, so that every child achieves the desired learning competencies in reading, writing and numeracy by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27.

Project BOLD launched by KVIC

• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched a project named Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought (BOLD) from the village NichlaMandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
• Under the project 5000 saplings of special bamboo species from Assam – have been planted over 16 acres of vacant arid Gram Panchayat land of village.

“Harit Dhara” Developed by ICAR

• ICAR developed an anti-methanogenic feed supplement ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD), which can cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and can also result in higher milk production.
• Belching cattle, buffaloes, sheep, and goats in India emit an estimated 9.25 million tones (mt) to 14.2 mt of methane annually, out of a global total of 90 mt-plus from livestock.

Pakistan Added to Child Soldier Recruiter List

• US has added Pakistan and 14 other countries to a Child Soldier Recruiter List.
• Child Soldier refers to any person below 18 years (15 years under CRC) of age who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity.
• Recruiting Child Soldiers is also considered a war crime under the Rome Statute of the ICC and prohibited by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Ministry of Co-operation For ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’

• To give a new push to the cooperative movement across country a separate ‘Ministry of Co-operation’ has been created by the Central Government for realizing the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation).
• The 97th Amendment Act, 2011 added a new Part IXB, the word “Cooperatives” was added after “unions and associations” in Article 19(1)(c) under Part III, A new Article 43B was added in the DPSP (Part IV) regarding the “promotion of cooperative societies”.

China Declared as “Malaria-Free”

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared China as “malaria-free”.
• WHO grants the certification when a country has demonstrated with rigorous, credible evidence that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for at least the past three consecutive years.
• India represents 3% of the global malaria burden and has a vision of a malaria free country by 2027 and elimination by 2030.

Exports of GI certified Products from India

• GI certified Bhalia variety of wheat was exported today to Kenya and Sri Lanka from Gujarat.
• GI certified Madurai Malli Exported to Dubai & USA.
• The GI tagged chilli from Nagaland ‘Raja Mircha’ (king chilli) also referred as Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper was exported to London.
• A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

Cabinet Expansion 2021

• Out of 77 cabinet ministers, 11 are women ministers in union cabinet. Of 43 new inductions, 15 Ministers were inducted into the Union Cabinet and 28 Ministers inducted as Ministers of State.
• Article 74 – Council of Ministers to aid The President.
• Article 75(1) – PM shall be appointed by the President and the other Ministers on the advice of PM.
• Article 75 (1A) – Council of Ministers Shall not cross 15% of total number of members of the House of the People. (91st CAA 2003) 

“Matsya Setu” App for Fish Farmers

• Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has launched the Online Course Mobile App “Matsya Setu” for fish farmers.
• The app was developed by the ICAR- Research-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) and National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB).
• It aims to disseminate the latest freshwater aquaculture technologies to the aqua farmers of the country, thus increasing the productivity and income.

Assassination of President Jovenel Moïse

• A 28-member hit squad made up of Americans and Colombians assassinated President Jovenel Moise.
• He took office on February 7th of 2017 but has presided over a deteriorating political and security situation with gangs running rampant and constant political tensions.

Country’s First Private LNG Plant in Nagpur

• Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the country’s First Private LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) plant set up by Baidyanath Ayurvedic Group in Nagpur.
• LNG is a clean and cost-effective fuel which can decrease the logistics cost and has also potential of creating ample job opportunities.

KVIC Secures Khadi Trademark Registrations Abroad

• In a major achievement towards protecting the identity of Brand “Khadi” globally – KVIC recently secured trademark registrations in – Bhutan, UAE, and Mexico.
• KVIC’s trademark applications are pending in 40 countries across the world which include the USA, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Japan, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brazil, among others.

CPWD to Celebrates 167^th Year Of its Establishment

• Central Public Works Department (CPWD) under Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), will celebrate 167th year of its glorious service to the nation on July 12, 2021.
• CPWD came into existence in July 1854 as a central agency for execution of public works.

National Fish Farmers Day Celebrated

• The National Fisheries Development Board celebrated the National Fish Farmers Day on 10^th July.
• To commemorate the First successful induced breeding of major carps on 10th July,1957 in Odisha for the first time in the country.
• The day was also celebrated as NFDB Foundation Day i.e., on 10th July 2006.

Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Unity-22 to Edge of Space

• Virgin Galactic – the business Richard Branson started in 2004 – aims to fly private citizens to the edge of space.
• An Indian Aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla joined British billionaire Richard Branson and four others on to make a journey to the edge of space from the US state of New Mexico.
• They reached an altitude of about 88 kilometers over the New Mexico desert – enough to see the curvature of the Earth.

NTPC Commissions Various Solar Power Project

• National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) Simhadri Super Thermal Power Plant, Visakhapatnam has commissioned a 10 MW floating solar plant, which is part of the 25 MW plant.
• Another 100MW floating solar project till date is being developed in Telangana’s Ramagundam and is likely to be commissioned this year.
• NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd aims to set up 4750 MW renewable energy park at Rann of Kutch in Khavada, Gujarat. (To be India’s largest solar park)
• NTPC strides towards building 60 GW Renewable Energy capacity by 2032.

India’s First Cryptogamic Garden Inaugurated

• India’s first cryptogamic garden was inaugurated in the Chakrata town of Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
• The garden will be housing nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns, and fungi (collectively known as Cryptogamae).

Rudraksh: Varanasi Conventional Centre Inaugurated

• Rudraksh Convention Center – is a symbol of friendship between Japan and India.
• The Convention Centre is a well-equipped, comprising of the main hall with a full flying tower, a seating capacity of 1,200, a gallery, meeting rooms, and parking for 120 cars.
• Rudraksh will exhibit a glimpse of the wonderful and ancient city of Kashi. In fact, the roof of this convention is shaped like Shiva Linga. The convention center has been installed with 108 Rudraksh and the entire building will glow with LED lights at night.

Long Duration Hot Test of Vikas Engine Conducted

• Gaganyaan is an Indian Human Spaceflight Programme by ISRO. The spacecraft is being designed to carry three people in 2023.
• ISRO has successfully conducted the third long duration hot test of the liquid propellant Vikas Engine for the core L110 liquid stage of the human rated GSLV MkIII vehicle, as part of the engine qualification requirements for the Gaganyaan Programme.
• The engine was fired for a duration of 240 seconds the performance of the engine met the test objectives.

93rd Foundation Day of ICAR Celebrated

• Est on 16^th July 1929, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous body responsible for coordinating agricultural education and research in India.
• To facilitate farmers to get ‘right information at right time’ in their desired language, a digital platform namely ‘KisanSarathi’ was launched.
• The farmers can interact and avail personalized advisories on agriculture and allied areas directly from the respective scientists of KrishiVigyan Kendra (KVKs).

World Day for International Justice Observed

• 17^th July every year is celebrated, to mark an emerging modern system of justice against international criminal acts.
• It reminds states as well as civil society of the need for their commitment to the international justice system.
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) was formally established on July 17, following the adoption of the Rome Statute.

Spyware Pegasus Used to Snoop on High Profile People

• The reason this highly advanced ‘Pegasus’ is a spyware is malicious is that it gathers data without the consent of the person.
• However, NSO Group had claimed that their motive was to ‘develop best-in-class technology to help government agencies detect and prevent terrorism and crime’.

Jeff Bezos launches to space aboard New Shepard rocket ship

• Billionaire Jeff Bezos blasted into space, in the first crewed flight of his rocket ship, New Shepard. He was accompanied by Mark Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pioneer of the space race, and an 18-year-old student.
• They travelled in a capsule with the biggest windows flown in space, offering stunning views of the Earth. New Shepard, built by Bezos’ company Blue Origin, is designed to serve the market for space tourism.

NASA’s New Spacecraft: NEA Scout

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that its new spacecraft, named Near-Earth Asteroid Scout or NEA Scout, has completed all required tests and has been safely tucked inside the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
• Also known as a CubeSat, its main mission is to fly by and collect data from a near-Earth asteroid.
• It will take about two years to cruise to the asteroid and will be about 93 million miles away from Earth during the asteroid encounter.

“SMILE – Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”.

• Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated this scheme which includes a sub scheme – ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in Begging’.
• The focus of the scheme is extensively on rehabilitation, medical facilities, counselling, education, skill development etc. It is estimated that an approximate 60,000 poorest persons would be benefited under this scheme for leading a life of dignity.

Liverpool Stripped of World Heritage status

• Liverpool has been stripped of its World Heritage status after a UN committee found developments threatened the value of the city’s waterfront.
• UNESCO had previously warned that the developments, including the new Everton FC stadium, had resulted in a “serious deterioration” of the historic site.

Mirabai Chanu Bags Silver Medal at Tokyo Olympics

• Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the women’s 49 Kg weightlifting event today, winning India’s first medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
• She had total lifts of 202kg, including 87kg in Snatch and 115kg in Clean & Jerk.
• The 26-year-old from Manipur, nurtured carefully after a back injury in 2018, became the toast of the nation.

India gets its 39^th World Heritage Site: Ramappa Temple

• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Said that the lockdown restrictions during Covid-19 have accelerated drug trafficking using the Internet.

World Drug Report 2021, Released

• Rudreswara Temple (Ramappa Temple) at Palampet, Warangal, Telangana inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
• The decision was taken at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO today.
• The Rudreswara temple was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire (1163-1323 AD) by Recharla Rudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva.

Dholavira Declared a World Heritage site (40^th Site)

• Dholavira, a Harappan-era metropolis, in Gujarat has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• It is one of the largest excavated Harappan site in India. Dholavira is unique because it records continuous settlement at one given place for over 1700 years from Pre‐Harappan to Late Harappan period.

Chandrayaan-3 to be Launched by End of 2022

• In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that Chandrayaan-3 is likely to be launched during third quarter of 2022 assuming normal workflow henceforth.
• Chandrayaan-1 (2008-09), Chandrayaan- (2019), Chandrayaan-3 (2022) are Indian lunar probe missions under the Chandrayaan program by ISRO.
• Chandrayaan-3 would be sent through GSLV Mark III, which would land on ‘Lunar south pole’, the estimated cost is approx. ₹ 615 Crores.

World Economic Outlook: IMF

• The latest edition of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook (published twice a year in the months of April and October) has cut its 2021 growth forecast for India to 9.5% from 12.5% estimated earlier in April 2021.
• Indian economy is expected to grow by 9.5% in 2021 and 8.5% in 2022, which has witnessed an estimated contraction of 8% in 2020.
• Global growth forecast at 6% for the year 2021, and it is expected to grow at 4.9% for the year 2022. In 2020, the global economy contracted by 3.3%

International Tiger Day Celebrated

• India is home to 51 tiger reserves spread across 18 states.
• The last tiger census of 2018 showed a rise in the tiger population. 1411 in 2006 to 2967 in 2019.
• The theme for this year International Tiger Day is- “Their Survival is in our hands”.
• India’s 14 Tiger Reserves get Global CA/TS recognition for good Tiger Conservation. (Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards)

First Anniversary of National Education Policy 2020

• This is the first education policy of the 21st century and replaces the thirty-four-year-old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986.
• PM Modi launched multiple key initiatives in the anniversary event.
• PM Modi launched multiple key initiatives in the anniversary event. National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) and National Education Technology Forum (NETF), which are among the ambitious programs of the NEP 2020, would be launched.
• A website dedicated to Artificial Intelligence was launched in the event.
• Among other initiatives is Academic Bank of Credit that will provide multiple entry and exit options for students in Higher education, 1st Year Engineering Programmes in Regional Languages and Guidelines for Internationalization of Higher Education.
• Vidya Pravesh, a three month play based school preparation module for Grade 1 students will be released along with SAFAL (Structured Assessment for Analysing Learning Levels), a competency-based assessment framework for Grades 3, 5 and 8 in CBSE schools.

Earth Overshoot Day, 2021

• The day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources (fish and forests, for instance) and services each year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year.
• According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), humanity has again used up all biological resources that our planet regenerates during the entire year by 29th July 2021.
• Humanity currently uses 74% more than what the planet’s ecosystems can regenerate – or 1.7 Earths.

10 Crore Families Have Been Covered Under Ayushman Bharat Scheme

• Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya informed the Lok Sabha that now 50 crore people are eligible for free treatment of up to an amount of Five lakh rupees under the scheme.
• The Minister said the Ayushman Bharat scheme is Five times bigger than much hyped Obama Care health cover of the USA.

Australia to Return 14 Artworks to India

• Australia will return 14 artworks to India, including at least six believed to have been stolen or illegally exported, the National Gallery announced.
• The Canberra gallery identified the works, which include sculptures, photographs, and a scroll, as either stolen, looted or of unknown origin.
• The collection is composed largely of religious and cultural artefacts worth a total of about 2.2 million US Dollars, including some dating back to the 12th century.

Loans Worth Rs 2,243 Crore Disbursed Under PM SVANidhi Scheme

• 22.7 lakh loans worth Rs 2,243 crore have been disbursed to street vendors under the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM-SVANidhi) scheme.
•  Launched in June 2020 amid the pandemic, it is a micro-credit facility that provides street vendors with a collateral-free loan of Rs 10,000 at a low-interest rate for a period of one year.
• On prepayment or repayment, vendors are eligible for working capital loans up to Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 in Phase II and III respectively.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

• Aichi Targets sometimes seen in new are associated with?
• GHG Emission Reduction
• Conservation of Biological Diversity
• International Financial standard for Global trade
• Protection for Diplomats

ANSWER: B

• Which of the following goal of SDG deals with quality education?
• SDG 1
• SDG 2
• SDG 4
• SDG 6

ANSWER: C

• Which of the following separates the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands from each other.
• Palk Strait
• Ten Degree Channel
• Nine Degree Channel
• Eight Degree Channel

ANSWER: B

• Budapest Convention sometimes seen in news is associated with which of the following?
• Drug Trade
• Cybersecurity
• Gender Equality
• Biological Diversity

ANSWER: B

• Bengaluru City Railway Station aquarium is a one-of-its-kind aquatic park based on _______ concept.
• Nile River (North Africa)
• Amazon River (South America)
• Ganga River (North India)
• Yangtze River (China)

ANSWER: B

• Boston Tea Party is associated with which of the following?
• American Revolution
• French Revolution
• Russian Revolution
• Chinese Revolution

ANSWER: A

• Which of the following was not among the three ideals on which USA ‘Declaration of Independence’ was laid?
• All men are created equal.
• All men have certain inalienable rights, which include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• People have a civic duty to defend these rights for themselves and for others.
• Shall fight against Slavery and abolish it in all forms.

ANSWER: D

• The ‘White Fort’ built by Mughal Emperors is located at?
• Lahore
• Peshawar
• Kandahar
• Karachi

ANSWER: A

• Which DPSP speaks regarding the “promotion of cooperative societies”.
• Article 42B
• Article 43B
• Article 44B
• Article 45B

ANSWER: B

• The Provision for “Cooperatives” was added to Constitution through________.
• 95th Amendment Act, 2011
• 96th Amendment Act, 2011
• 97th Amendment Act, 2011
• 98th Amendment Act, 2011

ANSWER: C

• Under ______ cooperation became a provincial subject, and the provinces were authorized to make their own cooperative laws.
• Morley-Minto Reforms 1909
• Montague-Chelmsford Reforms 1919
• GOI Act 1935
• Charter Act of 1833

ANSWER: B

• Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act was passed in _________.
• 1997
• 1998
• 1999
• 2000

ANSWER: C

• He was the father of induced breeding of the carp in India
• Dr. Chandrakala Hora
• Dr. Hiralal Chaudhuri
• Dr. Alikunhi
• Dr. Swaminathan

ANSWER: D

• ISRO was established on _______.
• 15^th Aug 1958
• 15^th Aug 1959
• 15^th Aug 1968
• 15^th Aug 1969

ANSWER: D

• The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up by ______ to formulate the Indian Space Programme.
• Dr. Vikram Sarabhai
•  Homi J Bhabha
• S Chandrasekaran
• A P J Abdul Kalam

ANSWER: A

• The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was established in ________.
• 1958
• 1959
• 1961
• 1962

ANSWER: D

• NABARD was established on the recommendations of __________.
• B. Sivaramman Committee
• Swaminathan Committee
• Ashok Kumar Committee
• D R Gadgil Committee

ANSWER: A

• Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in _________.
• Brazil
• USA
• South Africa
• Argentina

ANSWER: C

• Which of the following is not part of Collaboration by NPCI for Developing BharatQR Code?
• American Express
• Mastercard
• Visa
• HDFC

ANSWER: D

• Indian Institute of Spices Research is located at?
• Kochi
• Thiruvananthapuram
• Khazikode (Calicut)
• Kollam

ANSWER: C

• The International Court of Justice (World Court) & The International Criminal Court (ICC) is located at?
• Geneva, Switzerland
• The Hauge, Netherlands
• Paris, France
• Brussels, Belgium

ANSWER: B

• As per_______, the Parliament can make laws on items in the State List if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution
• Article 249
• Article 259
• Article 261
• Article 262

ANSWER: A

• On Nov. 3, 1957, first animal (dog) Laika was launched aboard in Space through ________.
• Sputnik 1
• Sputnik 2
• Sputnik 3
• Sputnik 4

ANSWER: B

• Which country’s UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage is “Wayang Puppet Theatre”?
• Malaysia
• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Vietnam

ANSWER: B

• He was the first Indian to win an Olympic medal (bronze) in an individual sport at the Helsinki Olympics 1952 for Wrestling.
• Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav
• Jeet Rama
• Pavan Kumar
• Vijay Chaudhry

ANSWER: A

• The Italian traveler who visited Rani Rudrama’s Court?
• Nicolai Conti
• Marco Polo
• Bartholomew Diaz
• William Fisch

ANSWER: B

• Article _______ Provides for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities appointed by the President of India.
• Article 350-A
• Article 350-B
• Article 351-A
• Article 351-B

ANSWER: B

• IMF was Est primarily by the ideas of _______and John Maynard Keynes.
• Harry Dexter White
• Adam Smith
• John Stuart Mill
• David Ricardo

ANSWER: A

• __________ recommended for 27% reservation to OBC’s.
• Sarkaria Commission
• Rajamanar Commission
• Mandal Commission
• Malimath Commission

ANSWER: C

• The Recommendation of Mandal commission were implemented by _________.
• Morarji Desai
• V P Singh
• P V Narsimha Rao
• H D Deve Gouda

ANSWER: C

ALSO READ: Latest Daily Current Affairs and Defence Updates