1 Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has been awarded the ‘Global Water Tech Award 2024’ for its environmental initiatives
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation- DMRC has been awarded the prestigious ‘ Global Water Tech Award 2024 ‘ in the ‘ Organization Category ‘ for its environmental initiatives . This award has been given to DMRC by the Global Energy and Environment Foundation- GEEF for its tireless efforts in water conservation and proper use of water resources in the city of Delhi.
2 Foreign Minister on Japan tour, will participate in the meeting of Quad countries
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Tokyo today on a two-day visit to Japan . India’s Ambassador to Japan Sibi George welcomed him at the airport. External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar has gone to Japan to participate in the meeting of the Quad Foreign Ministers . In the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of India, Japan, the US and Australia will take forward the discussions of the meeting held in New York in September last year. In this, views will be exchanged on developments in the Indo-Pacific region and the progress of the Quad initiative and working group will be reviewed. After reaching Tokyo, Dr. Jaishankar unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Freedom Plaza in Edogawa. On this occasion, Jaishankar said that in this time of conflict, tension, polarization and bloodshed in the world, Mahatma Gandhi’s message is very important that solutions are not found through war and no era should be of war. The External Affairs Minister said that this message is as useful today as it was 80 years ago.
3 To boost the textile sector, the government is setting up 7 PM Mitra Parks with world-class infrastructure
The Government has approved setting up of 7 (seven) PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks at Greenfield / Brownfield sites ( including one Greenfield project at Virudhnagar, Tamil Nadu ) with world-class infrastructure including plug and play facility for a period of seven years up to 2027-28 at an outlay of Rs. 4,445 crore. It is envisaged that each park on completion will generate 1 lakh direct and 2 lakh indirect employment. To implement the PM MITRA scheme at Virudhnagar, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) i.e. ‘PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Park, Tamil Nadu Limited’ has been incorporated, with Government of Tamil Nadu holding 51% stake in the SPV and the balance 49% stake held by Government of India. The process of obtaining environmental clearance as well as layout approval from Directorate of Town and Country Planning has been completed. The process of providing water and power supply up to the gate of the park is in progress. So far, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth Rs 1,200 crore has been signed for investment in the park.
4 In ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program, PM Modi called for making the country drug free, ‘Manas’ helpline number 1933 released
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, in his monthly radio program ‘ Mann Ki Baat ‘ , mentioned the government’s efforts towards a drug-free India and appealed to share any information related to it on the ‘ Manas ‘ helpline. In the 112th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Modi said that his government has opened a special center ‘Manas’ to make the country drug-free. The government has issued a toll-free number 1933 , where consultations related to de-addiction can be obtained. Apart from this, any information related to drug addiction can be shared on this number. This information will be kept confidential.
5 First prototype indigenous light ‘tank Zorawar’ ready for high altitude areas, Army will test it soon
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has prepared the first prototype of the indigenous light tank Zorawar within two and a half years in collaboration with DRDO . After two years of testing, it will be inducted into the army by 2027. These light tanks can be rapidly deployed in high altitude war zones in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh as well as river areas like Rann of Kutch. In eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army has also deployed Russian origin Bhishma T-90, T-72 Ajay and main battle tank Arjun weighing 40 to 50 tonnes on the LAC. Army personnel have to pass through several passes to reach the high altitude war zones of Ladakh. In such a situation, T-72 and other heavy tanks cannot reach that place if required during the operation. Therefore, the need for light weight tanks was felt for high altitude areas, so that they could be transported to an altitude of 8 to 10 thousand feet. After this, India itself decided to build 354 tanks weighing less than 25 tonnes under ‘Project Zorawar’. In principle, DRDO was given the green signal to build 59 of the requirement of 354 tanks by the end of 2021. After this, DRDO developed light tanks and L&T was given the responsibility of its manufacture. DRDO and L&T have designed the tank, K-9 Vajra Self Propelled Artillery 155 mm. It is based on the chassis of. L&T has manufactured the K-9 Vajra tank at L&T’s plant in Hazira, Gujarat.
6 India UK launches technology security initiative during David Lammy’s visit
India and the United Kingdom have launched a new Technology Security Initiative to deepen defence cooperation and boost economic ties between the two countries . The initiative was launched during the visit of United Kingdom Foreign Minister David Lammy to India. David Lammy was on a two-day (24 and 25 July 2024) official visit to India. David Lammy was the first high-ranking British government official to visit India after the Keir Starmer government came to power in the United Kingdom in July 2024.
7 Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh honoured with the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award”
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh was honoured with the prestigious “ Lifetime Achievement Award ” at a function organized on the occasion of International Conference of eminent medical personalities, professionals and doctors from India and abroad for his exemplary dedication in the field of diabetology, diabetes care and diabetes research which has brought him fame in India and abroad.
8 Ministry of Steel launches ‘Steel Import Monitoring System’ 2.0 portal
Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy launched the advanced steel import monitoring system SIMS 2.0 . Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries Bhupatiraju Srinivas Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Steel Nagendra Nath Sinha and other senior officials of the Government of India were present on the occasion. SIMS, launched in 2019, has played a vital role in providing detailed steel import data to the domestic industry. Based on the feedback received from the industry, the Ministry has revamped the portal to make SIMS 2.0 more effective, which is a significant step in monitoring steel imports and promoting the growth of the domestic steel industry. Availability of such detailed data not only provides inputs for policy making but also gives indications to the domestic steel industry about areas of production and growth. SIMS 2.0 features API integration with multiple government portals, enhancing quality control and streamlining processes for better efficiency and effectiveness.
9 Rahab Allana Awarded French Arts and Letters Insignia
Curator and author Rahab Allana has been conferred the insignia of Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. This prestigious honour is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to arts, culture and literature or who have influenced the global arts scene. The ceremony was held at the Embassy of France in New Delhi. This honour is given to those who have excelled in their field and contributed to the promotion of French arts and culture internationally.
10 Israeli parliament approves bill to label UNRWA as terrorist organization
The Israeli parliament, the Knesset , has approved a bill to declare the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) a terrorist organisation . The move proposes severing ties with the agency, which Israel has accused of collaborating with Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. UNRWA provides education, health services and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
11 Telangana launches TB-free model: Project Swasthya Nagaram
Taking a significant step towards eliminating tuberculosis (TB) , Telangana launched “ Project Swasthya Nagaram ” , a unique model for TB-free municipalities in Hyderabad on July 24, 2024. The initiative, a collaborative effort by the State Tuberculosis Cell, Peerjadiguda, Boduppal and Pocharam municipal corporations in Medchal Malkajgiri district, along with the Central TB Division, WHO India, USAID and other stakeholders, aims to achieve TB-free municipalities through an innovative approach.
12 Manu Bhaker has become the first female athlete to win a medal for India in shooting
On the second day of Paris Olympics, Indian female shooter Manu Bhaker created history by winning bronze medal in women’s 10 meter air rifle competition. Manu Bhaker has become the first female player to win a medal for India in shooting. She won bronze medal with 221.7 points in 10 meter air pistol competition. India has won a medal in shooting after 12 years. Earlier, Ramita Jindal made it to the final of women’s 10 meter air rifle. Manu Bhaker became the fifth Indian shooter to win a medal in Olympic Games. Before her, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (2004 Athens), Abhinav Bindra (2008 Beijing), Vijay Kumar (2012 London) and Gagan Narang (2012 London) had won medals. In the final, Manu Bhaker faced players from Vietnam, Turkey, Korea, China and Hungary. Oh Ye Jin of Korea won gold in this event. She created an Olympic record by scoring 243.2 points. Kim Yeji of Korea won the silver medal. She scored 241.3 points.
13 Sri Lanka won the first Women’s Asia Cup in 20 years
Sri Lanka has created history by winning the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 title. The team defeated India by 8 wickets in the final . Sri Lankan captain Chamari Atapattu scored 61 and Harshita Samarawickrama scored 69 runs. Both of them also shared a partnership of 87 runs. Sri Lanka became the champion for the first time in the Women’s Asia Cup, which started in 2004 , the team had been runner-up 5 times before this. At the same time, India lost the Women’s Asia Cup final for the second time. The team was defeated by Bangladesh earlier in 2018. India has won the Women’s Asia Cup 7 times out of 9.
14 IOC selects Salt Lake City-Utah as host of 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
Salt Lake City in the United States state of Utah will host the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2034. The decision was taken by IOC members during the 142nd IOC Session in Paris. Salt Lake City first hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002. Out of 89 valid votes, Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 received 83 ‘yes’ votes from IOC members. Six said ‘no’ while six abstained. The Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 delegation was led by Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) President Gene Sykes and Frazer Bullock, Chairman of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games.