1 Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) wins Gulbenkian Award 2024
The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme, run by the Andhra Pradesh government , has been awarded the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity 2024. The announcement was made by jury chair and former Federal Chancellor of Germany, G. Ramón-Gulbenkian, during a ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on July 11. The announcement was made by Dr. Angela Merkel on July 11. The event was attended by experts from around the world, including the President of Portugal and other government officials. APCNF shared the EUR 1 million prize with Dr. Rattan Lal, a renowned US-based soil scientist, and SEKEM, an Egyptian network promoting biodynamic farming. The jury and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation recognized their collaborative efforts in promoting sustainable agriculture through scientific research and practical applications. The prize money will support their initiatives to scale up and encourage further sustainable agriculture projects globally.
2 K.P. Sharma Oli will be the new Prime Minister of Nepal
In Nepal , President Ramchandra Paudel has appointed KP Sharma Oli, President of the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist, as the next Prime Minister. He will replace Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda . Mr. Prachanda lost the trust vote in the House of Representatives on Friday, due to which a new government is being formed. Mr. Oli has said that the new government will be formed soon . Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba. He submitted a letter of support containing signatures of 165 members of the House of Representatives to form the government.
3 Nirma University Institute of Technology team won the robot competition DD- Robocon India 2024
Nirma University Institute of Technology team has won the robot competition DD- Robocon India 2024. This two-day event started at Thyagaraj Stadium in New , organized by Prasar Bharati and IIT Delhi . The winning team will represent India at the International Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Robocon 2024 in Quang Ninh, Vietnam. The first runner up award in this competition was given to Pimpri-Chinchwad College of Engineering, Pune, while MIT World Peace University Pune became the second runner up. More than seven hundred and fifty students from more than 45 colleges, institutes and universities participated in this program. The objective of DD- Robocon India is to promote technical skill development and innovation among engineering students in the field of robotics.
4 NITI Aayog launches GearShift Challenge to accelerate adoption of zero-emission trucks in India
NITI Aayog in collaboration with IIM Bangalore , Smart Freight Centre India , Calstart/Drive-to-Zero and WRI India announced the launch of the NITI Gearshift Challenge as part of the E-Fast India initiative . This pioneering hackathon aims to promote innovative business models for the adoption of zero-emission trucks (ZET) in India that address the country’s critical economic and environmental challenges. The NITI Gearshift Challenge invites students, transport service providers, academics and researchers to develop innovative business models that address financial, technical and operational challenges in the adoption of electric trucks. The event will see participation from E-Fast India knowledge partners, financial institutions and industry forums.
5 CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurated Uttar Pradesh Mango Festival
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Uttar Pradesh will export 40 tonnes of mangoes to Japan and Malaysia this year. This is the first time in the 160-year history that Lucknow’s Dussehri is being exported to the US. He was inaugurating the Uttar Pradesh Mango Festival 2024 at Avadh Shilp Gram . The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister claimed that the state’s orchardists produced 58 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes on 3,15,000 hectares of land, which is about 30 per cent of the country’s mango production. He said that with the support of the Government of India, the Uttar Pradesh government has set up four pack houses in Saharanpur, Amroha, Lucknow and Varanasi to support the farmers.
6 JNU to start centres for Hindu, Buddhist and Jain studies
A centre for Hindu, Buddhist and Jain studies has been established in Jawaharlal Nehru University . A notification has been issued by the JNU administration for this. All three study centres will be established under the Institute of Sanskrit and Oriental Studies . Postgraduate courses will be conducted in these centres. Students will also be able to pursue PhD. Admissions will be done through CET conducted by NTA. Admissions will begin from next year. Dainik Jagran published the news prominently in its April 11 issue.
7 Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s social media account – X has 10 crore followers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘s followers on his social media account X have crossed the 10 crore mark. This remarkable growth includes an increase of nearly 3 crore in the last three years. Mr Modi is now the most followed leader in the world on X. on X. He is way ahead of US President Joe Biden with 3 crore 81 lakh followers and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with 6.5 million followers. In a social media post after this achievement, Prime Minister Modi has expressed happiness at being active on the platform. He has expressed gratitude for the discussions, deliberations, insights, blessings of the people, constructive criticism, etc.
8 Retired professor K. Chokalingam from Tamil Nadu awarded the prestigious Hans von Hentig Prize
Retired Professor K. Chokalingam of Tamil Nadu has been selected for the prestigious Hans von Hentig Prize. The honour highlights the global impact of Indian scholarship in the study of crime victims and their experiences within the criminal justice system . Professor K. Chokalingam, a distinguished academician from Tamil Nadu, has devoted his career to the study and advancement of victims. His work has contributed significantly to the understanding of victims’ rights, support systems and the broader implications of victimisation in society.
9 Now the first Divyang University of Eastern India will open in Jharkhand
A special university for the disabled will be established in Jharkhand ‘s capital, Ranchi . This will be the first such university in Eastern India , where the disabled will get the opportunity for higher education. Former Chief Minister and Minister of Higher and Technical Education Department Champai Soren directed to bring a proposal in the cabinet soon regarding this. The minister was reviewing the progress of the department’s plans on Thursday. Divyang University will be such an educational institution in which there will be special arrangement of education for disabled students according to their needs. There will be arrangement of special courses and educational equipment for them. Apart from this, the department proposed Navothan Scholarship Scheme.
10 Bhawana Kanth creates history by participating in Pitch Black military exercise with Air Force contingent
A contingent of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has landed at the Darwin airport of the Royal Australian Air Force to participate in the biennial Pitch Black military exercise. For the first time, Bhawana Kanth , who is the first woman pilot of the IAF to fly the Su-30MKI fighter aircraft , is participating in the Pitch Black exercise. The Pitch Black military exercise is a multinational air exercise conducted by the Royal Australian Air Force. Initially, this exercise used to take place at night in the vast uninhabited area of Northern Australia, hence the term Pitch Black was used but it would be wrong to say that this military exercise is conducted only on the night of the new moon. It started in 1981 and the 43rd edition of the exercise is being held in 2024.
11 Prime Minister greeted the people of the country, especially the people of Tripura, on the occasion of Kharchi Puja
Kharchi Puja is one of the famous festivals celebrated in . This festival is celebrated for seven days mainly in a temple complex in Agartala , which has idols of fourteen deities. Earlier, people of the local tribal community used to celebrate this festival but now all the people of Tripura have started performing this puja.
12 India’s Sabira Harris won bronze medal in women’s trap event at Junior Shooting World Cup
India’s Sabira Harris has won the bronze medal in the women’s trap event in the Junior Shooting World Cup . In the final yesterday, Sabira shot 39 out of 40 targets accurately. America’s Carrie Garrison won the gold medal and Italy’s Sofia Gori won the silver medal. In the same event, India’s Bhavya Tripathi finished 26th and Rajkumar Ingle finished 33rd.
13 James Anderson retires from Test cricket
One of the all-time greats of modern cricket, James Anderson retired from international cricket on 12 July 2024 after playing his last Test match. His last Test match was against West Indies which was played at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London , England and which England won by an innings and 114 runs. England have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-Test match series. Incidentally, James Anderson played his first Test match against Zimbabwe in 2003 at the same cricket ground. James Anderson, nicknamed Jimmy Anderson, was a right-arm fast bowler. He played his first international match against Australia in the 2002-03 series, which was played in the city of Adelaide, Australia.