Top Current Affairs of the Week ( 01- 07 August 2021)

Intel launches ‘AI For All’ initiative in partnership with CBSE

• Intel has launches its new free initiative ‘AI for All’ in collaboration with CBSE and Ministry of Education to teach individuals the basics of artificial intelligence in India
• It is a 4 hours self-paced program that anyone can attend for free.
• With this, Intel plans to educate more than 1 million individuals in 1 year.
• Free course is divided into two sections that would talk about artificial intelligence awareness and its applications.

Meenakashi Lekhi addresses at G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting

• Minister of State for Culture, Meenakashi Lekhi has participated in G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting, highlighting various measures taken by India to develop culture and creative sectors as drivers of growth
• The meet was hosted by Italy during their ongoing Presidency of G20 in 2021
• During the meet, discussion was held on Protection of Cultural Heritage.
• Ministers of Culture of G20 adopted the Ministerial Declaration for submission to the G20 Leaders’ 2021 Summit

Home Minister Amit Shah launches several development projects in UP

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched several development projects in Uttar Pradesh.
• The projects are as follows:
• Vindhyachal Corridor Project
• Ropeway in Mirzapur
• Foundation stone of Uttar Pradesh Institute of Forensic Sciences (UPIFS) in Piparsand area at Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow to maintain law and order situation and controling crime not only in state but across the country.
• CM of UP: Yogi Adityanath.

PM launches Academic Bank of Credit, other initiatives for education sector

• PM Modi has announced launching of several initiatives undertaken under National Education Policy 2020 including Academic Bank of Credit and Artificial Intelligence programme to make the youth future-oriented and open the way for an AI-driven economy
• Academic Bank of Credit:
• Digital bank that holds the credit earned by a student in any course
• It is a major instrument for facilitating multidisciplinary, holistic education, multiple entry and exit in higher education

Shuttler P V Sindhu bags bronze medal in Tokyo Olympics

• Indian shuttler P V Sindhu has won the bronze medal in the women’s singles match in Tokyo Olympics.
• She becomes the first Indian woman and second Indian to win two medals in Olympics. 
• She defeated He Bing Jiao of China by 21-13 and 21-15 in the bronze medal match. 
• She has also won silver at Rio 2016.
• Wrestler Sushil Kumar is the first and only other Indian to win two Olympic medals.

Myanmar army chief appoints himself Prime Minister

• The State Administration Council of Myanmar has been reformed as the ‘Caretaker government of Myanmar’ headed by the Chief of the Myanmar military Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as the Prime Minister.
• Hlaing also pledged to hold elections by 2023.
• General Hlaing took over power in Myanmar in February after removing the government headed by the State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. 
• Myanmar has witnessed regular protests since February against the military govt.

First time Indian women’s hockey team qualify for Olympic Games semifinals

• The Indian women’s hockey team scripted history by qualifying for the Olympic Games semifinals for the 1st time.
• India stunned three-time champions Australia. 
• A day after the Indian men’s team entered the Olympic semifinals following a 49-year gap, the world no. 9 women’s side also entered the history books with a phenomenally gritty performance.
• India’s best performance in the Olympics came way back in the 1980 Moscow Games where they finished fourth out of six teams.

Lamont Jacobs wins 100m gold in 9.80 seconds in Tokyo Olympics

• Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs won the gold medal in men’s 100m in 9.80s.
• American Fred Kerley clocked 9.84sec to take silver.
• Canada’s Andre de Grasse, a bronze medallist at the 2016 Rio Games, won a bronze medal this year too.
• In the women’s section, Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah won the gold medal in women’s 100 metres in 10.61 seconds.
• She defeated Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 2008 and 2012 champion

Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas creates world record in women’s indoor triple jum

• Venezuela's two-time world champion Yulimar Rojas set a new world record as she won Olympic gold in the women's triple jump
• Rojas jumped 15.67 meters on her sixth and final jump in Tokyo, smashing the previous best of 15.50m set by Ukraine's Inessa Kravets in 1995.
• It was the first world record of the Tokyo Olympics athletics program.
• Portugal's Patricia Mamona won silver with a national best of 15.01m.

Bvlgari appoints Priyanka Chopra as its global brand ambassador

• Italian luxury brand Bvlgari has appointed actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas as global brand ambassador.
• Bvlgari is known for its gemstone jewelry, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods.
• In 2020, the company partnered with perfume and taste company Firmenich on a sustainable flower farming project called “Flower Gems of India."
• She is also a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and recipient of the prestigious Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award. 

New hotline set up in Sikkim between Indian Army, PLA

• A hotline has been set up between the Indian and Chinese armies in the Sikkim sector to further boost confidence along the LAC. 
• The hotline is between the Indian Army in Kangra La and China's PLA at Khamba Dzong in Tibet. 
• The inauguration of the hotline was attended by ground commanders of the two sides. 
• The setting up of the hotline came amid a continued standoff between the two armies in a number of friction points in eastern Ladakh.

Bharat BillPay appoints PayU’s Noopur Chaturvedi as new CEO

• Bharat Bill Payment System has appointed Noopur Chaturvedi as its new chief executive officer.
• She is former PayU and Airtel Payments Bank, executive
• BBPS is NPCI’s flagship bill payments platform that was hived off into a separate subsidiary in April 2021.
• She has worked with Airtel Payments Bank, Samsung, ING Vysya Bank and Citibank in various senior roles
• She is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, of the 99-01 batch.

Govt defers sale of two PSU banks to next year

• India’s plan to sell two state-controlled lenders may get deferred to the next financial year, as the government is yet to seek parliament’s nod for changes in laws required to start the transaction.
• The government will seek buyers for two state-run banks by March 2022.
• India’s plan to sell a majority stake in the country’s second-biggest state refiner has also slowed down, and the transaction may only take place early next year rather than in 2021. 

India takes over UNSC presidency for August 2021

• India has assumed the Presidency of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for August 2021
• India will decide the agenda for August and coordinate important meetings and other related issues.
• India will focus on three priority areas during its presidency: maritime security, peacekeeping, and counter-terrorism.
• India joined UNSC in January 2021 for 2 year term as one of the 10 rotating non-permanent members.
• UNSC HQs: New York.

Esteban Ocon wins Hungarian Grand Prix 2021

• Alpine-Renault team’s Esteban Ocon (France) has won Hungarian Grand Prix 2021, which was held on August 1, 2021 at Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary.
• This is the maiden F1 race victory for Esteban Ocon.
• Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin-Mercedes/Germany) came second, followed by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain)
• With this, he took the Formula One championship lead from Max Verstappen.
• Hungarian Grand Prix was the eleventh round of 2021 F-1 Championship.

Bhubaneswar becomes first city in India to achieve 100% COVID vaccination

• Odisha capital’s Bhubaneswar has become first city in India to achieve 100% vaccination of its people against COVID-19
• Additionally, about 1 lakh migrant workers have also been administered first dose of COVID vaccine
• Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had set benchmarks for different categories of people to complete the vaccination process within the specific timelines by the 31st July 2021.
• Those vaccinated include about 9 lakh people of 18 years of age and above.

Centenarian Sprinter Man Kaur passes away

• Multiple World Masters Athletics Championship gold medalist, Man Kaur (105 years) passed away due to heart attack.
• She was diagnosed with cancer some months back.
• She was referred to as ‘Miracle from Chandigarh’.
• She belongs to Patiala, Punjab and started as an athlete at the age of 93.
• She won her first medal at the Chandigarh Master’s in 2010 and bagged the gold in 60m dash race, 200m sprint, shot put and javelin throw.

Sri Lankan all-rounder Isuru Udana retires from international cricket

• Sri Lanka left-arm fast bowling all-rounder, Isuru Udana (3 years) has announced his retirement from international cricket with effect from July 31, 2021, bringing an end to his over decade long career.
• He played 21 ODIs and 35 T20Is for Sri Lanka, taking 45 wickets across international career with sporadic appearances over 12 years
• He made his T20I debut in 2009 against Australia at T20 World Cup in which Sri Lanka lost the final to Pakistan.

Union Minister releases Biotech-PRIDE guidelines

• Union Minister of Science & Technology has released ‘Biotech-PRIDE’ (Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data Exchange) Guidelines
• It has been developed by Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• Initially, they will be implemented through Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) or Bio-Grid at Regional Centre for Biotechnology
• It will enable exchange of information to promote research and innovation in different research groups across the country.

ISRO presented SATNAV Policy 2021 for public consultation

• ISRO has presented Indian Satellite Navigation Policy 2021 (SATNAV Policy 2021) draft on its official website for public consultation
• Aim: To address the growing demands of space-based navigation and timing applications, with the view of self-sustenance in areas of commercial, strategic, and societal applications to maximize the socio-economic benefits.
• Navigation signals are offered free-to-air for a variety of applications like tracking, telematics, automotive, etc

Ebrahim Raisi takes over as President of Iran

• Ultra-conservative cleric and judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi has taken over as eighth President of Iran with effect from August 3, 2021.
• He replaced moderate President Hassan Rouhani who was not allowed run for a third consecutive term.
• He won Iranian presidential elections in June with 61.95% of the vote.
• Ebrahim Raisi has also become 1st Iranian president to be sanctioned by US even before assuming office as he was designated in 2019.
• Capital of Iran: Tehran.

DBS named as World’s most innovative digital bank

• DBS Bank has been awarded as the global winner for Most Innovative in Digital Banking by Financial Times publication, The Banker in its 2021 Innovation in Digital Banking Awards.
• He was also recognised as Asia-Pacific winner and won in the Cyber Security category for its Secure Access and Remote Working Solution.
• Banker’s Innovation in Digital Banking Awards: It recognise the most innovative banks across the world for their digital banking initiatives transformation.

RBI authorises IndusInd Bank to act as an ‘Agency Bank’

• IndusInd Bank has been empanelled to act as an ‘Agency Bank’ by RBI
• After being an agency bank, IndusInd becomes eligible to carry out transactions related to all kinds of government led businesses
• The Bank can carry out general banking business on behalf of the central and state government, apart from its normal banking business.
• It can handle transactions pertaining to revenue receipts under CBDT, CCBIC and GST on behalf of the state/central government.

Sports Minister launches Paralympic Theme Song ‘Kar De Kamaal Tu’

• Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur has launched the theme song for the Indian Paralympic contingent in New Delhi.
• The song is titled as "Kar De Kamaal Tu".
• The singer and composer of the song is Sanjeev Singh (Divyang cricket player from Lucknow).
• Paralympic Games in Tokyo will begin from August 24, 2021 and 54 para-sportspersons across 9 sports disciplines will participate in the same from India.

USA beats Mexico to clinch 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup in Football

• U.S. Men’s National Team has defeated Mexico by 1-0 in extra time, to be crowned champion of the 2021 CONCACAF Football Gold Cup in Las Vegas
• This is the seventh Football Gold Cup title for the USA, their first since 2017.
• CONCACAF Gold Cup: It is the biennial international men’s football championship organized by CONCACAF, the football ruling body in North America, Central American, and Caribbean.

Marcell Jacobs and Elaine Thompson-Herah wins 100m title at Tokyo Olympics

• Italy’s Marcell Jacobs (26 years) has claimed Men’s 100 metres gold title at Tokyo Olympics.
• He achieved the feat in 9.80 seconds, becoming the first Italian to take the most coveted title in athletics
• Fred Kerley (US) won the silver in 9.84 seconds while Andre de Grasse (Canada) took the bronze in 9.89 seconds.
• Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica won Women’s 100 metres title in 10.61 seconds, followed by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson of Jamaica 

IMF approves US$650 Billion allocation of Special Drawing Rights

• International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved allocation of $650 billion in IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDR) to boost global liquidity
• Aim: To support member countries, especially emerging and developing nations, battling the coronavirus pandemic and the economic downturn it has caused.
• The allocation will become effective from August 23, 2021.
• The newly created SDRs will be credited to member countries in proportion to their existing quotas shareholding in the Fund.

Seven Indian companies feature in Fortune Global 500 list for 2021

• Seven Indian companies have been placed in 2021 Fortune’s Global 500 list, which is an annual ranking of the top 500 enterprises globally, as measured by business revenues.
• Indian Companies in the list: Reliance Industries (155^th rank), SBI (205), Indian Oil (212), ONGC (243), Rajesh Exports (348), Tata Motors (357), Bharat Petroleum (394)
• Top Global Companies: Walmart (US), State Grid (China), Amazon (US), China National Petroleum (China), Sinopec (China), Apple (US).

Defence Secretary launches website for 75th Independence Day celebrations

• Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar has launched website for 75th Independence Day Celebrations 2021 (IDC 2021), https://indianidc2021.mod.gov.in as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The website is a platform to connect Indians from world over to celebrate the National Festival.
• The mobile app of IDC 2021 platform will be launched in the coming days.
• It will provide all information regarding activities of the celebrations ranging from live streaming of Red Fort to blogs.

Alexander Zverev wins Tennis Men’s Singles Gold at Tokyo Olympics

• Alexander Zverev of Germany (24 years) has defeated Russian Karen Khachanov by 6-3 6-1, to win gold in men’s single tennis at Tokyo Olympics
• With this victory, he has become the first German man to win a singles Olympic gold.
• He is yet to win a Grand Slam title of his career
• He is also the only second German player to win Olympic singles gold, after Steffi Graff won at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Lovlina Borgohain bags bronze medal in Tokyo Olympics

• India boxer Lovlina Borgohain (23 years) has won bronze medal after losing by 0-5 , to top seed Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey, in the Women’s Welter (64-69kg) semi-final bout
• She is the only third Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics after Vijender Singh (2008) and MC Mary Kom (2012).
• She won bronze medal at 2018 and 2019 World Championships
• Other than her, PV Sindhu won Bronze Medal in Badminton, Mira Bai Chanu won Silver Medal in weightlifting in Tokyo Olympics

Indian Hockey Team wins bronze medal in Tokyo Olympic medal

• Indian men's hockey team has defeated Germany to win the bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics
• This is India's first Olympic medal in hockey since they won gold medal in 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
• This is India's fourth medal in Tokyo so far.
• This is India's fourth bronze medal at the Olympics and last won a bronze in the 1972 Munich Olympics.
• Indian Hockey team is the most successful team at Olympics with 8 gold medals (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964 and 1980)

Indo-Russia Joint Training Exercise INDRA 2021 commenced in Russia

• Indo-Russia joint training Exercise titled ‘INDRA 2021’ commenced at Prudboy Ranges, Volgograd in Russia
• It started an impressive opening ceremony that saw unfurling of the National Flags of both nation.
• The exercise will enhance interoperability between the Indian and Russian Armies.
• Aim: to facilitate joint training between Indian and Russian Armies to jointly plan and conduct counter-terror operations under UN mandate.
• INDRA was conducted for the first time in 2003.

Germany becomes 5th country to sign ISA Framework Agreement

• Germany became 5th country to sign International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement after amendments to it entered into force on 8th January 2021, opening its Membership to all UN Member States.
• Membership to the ISA was earlier limited to 121 countries, which were partially or entirely located within the tropics.
• This didn’t allow major solar energy economies to join the alliance
• ISA initiative was launched in 2015.
• ISA Headquarters: Gurugram

Uttarakhand unveils India’s first earthquake early warning mobile app

• Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has launched earthquake early warning mobile application, titled as ‘Uttarakhand Bhookamp Alert’.
• It is India’s first earthquake early warning’ app for notifying people about earthquake alerts
• It has been developed by IIT Roorkee, in association with Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA)
• It can detect the onset of the earthquake and issue warnings and the expected time of arrival and intensity to prevent loss of life.

CBIC launches Indian Customs Compliance Information Portal (CIP)

• CBIC has launched Indian Customs Compliance Information Portal (CIP) at www.cip.icegate.gov.in/CIP for providing free access to information on all Customs procedures and regulatory compliance for nearly 12,000 Customs Tariff Items.
• It will provide complete knowledge of all import and export related requirements for all items covered under the Customs Tariff thereby improving the ease of doing cross border trade at the click of a button.

World Bank approves project to make India’s existing dams safe

• World Bank has approved USD 250 million project in India titled as Second Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP-2) agreement for long-term dam safety program and performance of existing dams of India.
• The agreement was inked between World Bank, Govt of India, Central Water Commission (CWC), and government representatives from 10 participating states.
• Implementing agency: CWC
• At state level, approximately 120 dams will be undertaken across the states.

Shehroze Kashif becomes youngest mountaineer in the world to scale Mt. K2

• Pakistani climber named Shehroz Kashif (19 years) has become the youngest mountaineer in the world to reach the summit of K2 (second-highest peak in the world).
• He achieved the feat of scaling the 8,611-metre high peak with the aid of bottled oxygen, on July 27, 2021.
• Prior to him, Sajid Sadpara, the son of the legendary climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara, was the youngest person to have climbed K2 at the age of 20.

APEDA inks MoU with University of Agricultural Science, Bangalore

• APEDA has signed MoU with University of Agricultural Science (UAS) Bangalore to give boost agricultural and processed food products exports especially from Karnataka
• Key areas of cooperation of MoU include developing technologies for advance alertness, efficient & precision farming for enhancing quality exports
• It will also help in strengthening forward and backward linkages, participations in international exhibitions and fairs, etc

Padma Shri awardee Dogri writer Padma Sachdev passes away

• Noted author and Padma Shri awardee Padma Sachdev (81 years) passed away in Mumbai.
• He is the first modern woman poet of Dogri language.
• She authored many books in Dogri and Hindi, and her poetry collections, including 'Meri Kavita Mere Geet', won her the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1971.
• She was honoured with Padma Shri in 2001 and Kabir Samman for poetry for 2007-08 by Madhya Pradesh government.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya wins silver medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020

• Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya bagged silver medal in 57kg category freestyle final, after losing 4-7, to Russian two-time defending world champion Zavur Uguev, at Tokyo Olympics 2020
• He is the only second Indian wrestler to win an Olympic silver after Sushil Kumar, who won silver in 2012 London Olympics.
• This is the fifth medal overall at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and India’s second silver medal.

Jagdish Bhagwati C Rangarajan conferred with CR Rao Centenary Gold Medal

• Two Indian economist, Jagdish Bhagwati (Columbia University) and C Rangarajan (Former governor of RBI) have been conferred with inaugural Prof CR Rao Centenary Gold Medal (CGM) by Indian Econometric Society (TIES) Trust.
• Award has been constituted to commemorate the contribution of Prof Rao, who is the founder president of the TIES and is given once in two years
• Prof CR Rao Centenary Gold Medal (CGM) consists of a gold medal and citation.

BRO builds World’s highest motorable road in Ladakh at 19,300 ft

• Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed World’s highest motorable road at Umlingla Pass in eastern Ladakh.
• It is a 52-km-long tarmac road at Umlingla Pass and has been constructed at an altitude of 19,300 feet.
• Prior to this, highest motorable road was in Bolivia at 18,953 ft, connecting to its volcano Uturuncu.
• The black top road at Umlingla Pass will now help to enhance socio-economic condition and promote tourism in Ladakh.

Hiroshima Day (Anti-Nuclear Day/ Nagasaki Day): 6 August

• Hiroshima Day is being observed every year on August 6 to commemorate the day in 1945 when an atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima by United States, followed by another drop on the city of Nagasaki on August 9.
• It effectively ended World War II but the two cities were terribly destroyed and casualties were estimated at around 200,000, mostly civilians.
• This was the first time in the history of warfare when a nuclear bomb was used against a nation.

TRIFED to set up Atmanirbhar Corner in Indian missions and embassies

• TRIFED in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs is going to set up an Atmanirbhar Bharat corner in 100 Indian Missions/ Embassies across the world.
• The corner will be an exclusive platform to promote GI tagged, natural and organic tribal products abroad
• Catalogues and brochures that showcase the richness and variety of tribal products have also been shared with the Missions and embassies for display at the corner.

• These grants are intended for smaller Non-Million Plus cities including cantonment Boards with 50% as basic untied grant and remaining as tied grant.

Ladakh launches month long ‘Pani Maah’ Campaign

• Union Territory of Ladakh has launched month-long campaign titled as ‘Pani Maah’ (Water Month) to increase the pace of implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in UT and to inform and engage village communities on the importance of clean water.
• The campaign will run at the Block and Panchayat level in two phases.
• First phase will run from 1st to 14th August, while the second phase will run from 16th to 30th August, 2021.
• The campaign will adopt a 3-pronged approach.

India’s nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22,480 MW by 2031

• India’s nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22,480 MW from the current 6,780 MW by 2031
• Share of nuclear power in the total electricity generation in the country is about 3.1% in 2020-21.
• Govt has embarked on a large nuclear power capacity addition program to increase the share of nuclear power in electricity generation.
• There are presently 22 reactors with a total capacity of six thousand 780 MW in operation
• Ten nuclear power reactors are under construction.

INS Khanjar to call at heritage coastal port of Gopalpur in Odisha

• Indian Naval Ship Khanjar has become first Indian Navy ship to call at the heritage coastal port of Gopalpur in Odisha.
• INS Khanjar visited Gopalpur port as part of two-days Aazadi ka Amrit Mahotsav as well as Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations organised to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Independence and 50th anniversary of the 1971 War.
• It will enhance ties and spreading awareness with the local population on aspects of coastal security and maritime operations

Governors can pardon prisoners, including death row ones: SC

• Supreme Court has decided that the Governor of a State can pardon prisoners, including death sentence, even before they have served a minimum 14 years of prison sentence.
• Section 433A CrPC mandates that a prisoner’s sentence can be remitted only after 14 years of jail
• Section 433-A of the Code cannot and does not in any way affect the constitutional power conferred on the President/Governor to grant pardon under Articles 72 or 161 of the Constitution.

Khel Ratna Award renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the renaming of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (the country’s highest sporting honour) after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand.
• Major Dhyan Chand ((1905–79) was known for his extraordinary goal-scoring feats, in addition to earning three Olympic gold medals, in 1928, 1932 and 1936, during an era where India dominated the field hockey.
• The prestigious award carries prize money of Rs. 25 lakh.
• Sports Minister: Anurag Thakur

Neeraj Chopra wins Gold in Javelin Throw at Tokyo Olympics

• India's Javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra (23-years) created history by winning the first-ever Gold Medal in the Olympic track and field event.
• Chopra won the country’s seventh medal and first gold in this Olympics and joined shooter Abhinav Bindra (2008 Beijing Games) as India’s individual gold winner in the showpiece.
• Neeraj Chopra is from Khandra village, Panipat district, Haryana.
• He was educated at DAV College, Chandigarh..

7th National Handloom Day being celebrated today

• National Handloom Day is being organised on August 7 by the Ministry of Textiles through the virtual medium.
• It was first observed in 2015 to generate awareness about the importance of the handloom industry
• Three Handloom Craft Villages at Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) Mohpara Village, District Golaghat (Assam) and Kanihama, Budgam (Srinagar) are being set up by the Ministry in collaboration with the State governments.
• Textile Minister: Piyush Goyal

SoJE Minister Dr Virendra Kumar launches PM-DAKSH Portal

• Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr Virendra Kumar launched PM-DAKSH Portal and PM-DAKSH Mobile App to make the skill development schemes accessible to the target groups.
• It has been developed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in collaboration with the National eGovernance Division(NeGD).
• Through this portal and app, the youth of the target groups will now be able to avail the benefits of skill development training programmes more easily.

Manoj Sinha flags off Cyclothon event ‘Pedal for Dal’ from shores of Dal La

• J&K LG Manoj Sinha flagged off Cyclothon event ‘Pedal for Dal’ from the shores of the Dal Lake in the run-up to the Independence Day celebrations.
• The cyclothon witnessed the enthusiastic participation of more than 200 boys and girls from different age groups along with professional cyclists.
• Mr. Sinha said that activities like ‘Pedal for Dal’ mark the celebrations of ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ and also give hope to the entire humanity of a prosperous future.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia bags Bronze Medal in 65 kg category

• India's Wrestler Bajrang Punia beat Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov 8-0 to win the bronze medal in the men's 65kg freestyle event.
• He becomes the sixth Indian wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics.
• Young Indian golfer Aditi Ashok narrowly missed the chance to win the bronze medal.

J&J’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use in India

• According to Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine has been given approval for emergency use in the country.
• This will further boost the country’s collective fight against COVID-19.
• Now, India has five Emergency Use Authorization vaccines.
• Covishield
• Covaxin
• Sputnik V
• Moderna vaccine
• Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose 

Dhriti Banerjee appointed first woman director of ZSI

• Dhriti Banerjee has been appointed as the first woman Director of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
• This is for the first time in the 105 years history of ZSI that a women director has been appointed
• Prior to this, she served as a scientist at ZSI, conducting research in taxonomy, zoogeography, morphology and molecular systematics
• ZSI was started in July 1916, under Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• Headquarters: Kolkata.

Balakot Air Strike: How India Avenged Pulwama book released

• Manan Bhatt has come up with a new book titled as ‘Balakot Air Strike: How India Avenged Pulwama’
• The book is published by Garuda Prakashan.
• It has captured the real-life events surrounding February 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing attack, and India’s strong hit-back in the form of Balakot airstrikes twelve days later
• Manan Bhatt is a Retired non-commissioned officer of the Indian Navy who participated in Kargil War and Operation Parakram.

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