1 The world famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra begins in the holy city of Puri, Odisha
The world famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath , Lord Balabhadra , and Goddess Subhadra takes place in the holy city of Orissa Puri . President Draupadi Murmu joined the annual festival where lakhs of devotees and pilgrims from different parts of the world have gathered to pull the chariots and have a holy darshan of the deity. On this occasion, President Draupadi Murmu circumambulated the chariots and paid obeisance. During this time Lord Jagannath along with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra ride on a chariot and leave for the temple of Gundicha Devi. The journey ends with their return after eight days. This time the divine journey began with the royal ritual of ‘Dhadi Pahandi’ with the beats of musical instruments like Ghanta, Kahli and Telingi. After this ritual, Shankaracharya of Puri Nischalananda Saraswati worshiped the deities riding on the chariots. According to tradition, the chariots will be pulled till sunset and the journey will start again the next day. Traditionally this one day Rath Yatra will last for two days this time.
2 Brijesh Shrivastava Commission will investigate Hathras stampede
The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a three-member judicial commission to probe the stampede in Hathras during a satsang on July 3, 2024 , in which 121 people died. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has issued a notification to this effect. The three-member judicial commission is headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Justice Brijesh Kumar Srivastava . The other members are retired IAS officer Hemant Rao and retired IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh . The commission is headquartered in the state capital Lucknow. . According to the official notification issued by the state governor, the commission will investigate various aspects of the tragedy that led to the death of 121 people, mainly women.
3 NCPCR declares mica mines in Jharkhand ‘child labour free’
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on 5th July 2024 at an event held in Koderma, Jharkhand declared Jharkhand’s mica mines as ‘ child labour-free’ Speaking at the ceremony, NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanungo declared that this is the first successful attempt to eliminate the supply chain of child labour in mica mining in the country. Working children up to the age of 14 years in India are called child labourers. Mica is a lustrous, translucent mineral used in various industries such as cosmetics, electronics, automobiles and construction. It is found in abundance in Koderma and Giridih districts of Jharkhand. Koderma was once called the mica capital of India or Abhrak Nagari.
4 BPCL partners with Indian Olympic Association as principal sponsor
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) , a ‘ Maharatna ‘ and a Fortune Global 500 company , proudly announced its role as the Official Principal Partner of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for four years from the Paris Olympics in 2024 to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. BPCL’s partnership aims to honour and support the relentless spirit of Indian athletes, many of whom are from underprivileged backgrounds across the country. This collaboration underlines BPCL’s commitment to nurture sporting talent and promote national unity through initiatives designed to inspire and uplift the Indian contingent heading to Paris and beyond.
5 Hong Kong, Singapore and Zurich lead global most expensive cities; Mumbai tops in India: Mercer report
According to Mercer ‘s latest ” Cost of Living City Rankings 2024 ” report, Mumbai (Maharashtra) has emerged as the most expensive city in India compared to all the Indian cities featured in the report . Overall, Mumbai has ranked 136th in the report, moving up 11 places compared to 2023. Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region (SAR) (China), Singapore (Singapore) and Zurich (Switzerland) ranked first, second and third respectively, emerging as the top 3 most expensive cities in the world in 2024 for the second consecutive year. According to the report, Abuja, Nigeria (226th), Lagos, Nigeria (225th) and Islamabad, Pakistan (224th) are the top 3 least expensive cities in the world. The report surveyed around 226 cities across the world to provide information about global mobility.
6 LIC launches agency transformation initiative ‘Jeevan Samarth’
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched an agency transformation project ‘ Jeevan Samarth ‘ to future-ready its workforce of 14 lakh (1.4 million) agents to meet the changing needs of customers. LIC has partnered with global strategy consulting firm AT Kearney to undertake the transformation project by reviewing LIC’s existing agency structure . The project involves revamping agency operations at branch, division and regional levels and instilling global best practices amid the changing insurance industry and regulatory landscapes in India. The project aims to align the agency ecosystem with the changing needs of Indian families. It will focus on providing suitable long-term savings, protection, health insurance, Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIP) and pension solutions. The transformation will equip committed LIC agents with more tools and skills to individually operate within a more robust ecosystem, ensuring profitable growth for the Corporation.
7 Vinesh Phogat won gold medal in the final of Spain Grand Prix
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has won the gold medal in the women’s 50 kg weight category at the Spain Grand Prix . In the final, she defeated Maria Tyumerekova of Russia 10-5. After this competition in Spain, Vinesh has to go to France for 20 days of training for the purpose of preparation for the Paris Games.
8 Indian player Abhay Singh won doubles title in Asian Doubles Squash Championship
Indian player Abhay Singh won the doubles title in the Asian Doubles Squash Championship. In the final of men’s doubles, he along with Velavan Senthilkumar defeated the pair of Ong Sai Hung and Syafik Kamal of Malaysia 11-4, 11-5. In mixed doubles, the pair of Abhay and Joshna Chinappa won the title by defeating the second seeded pair of Tong Sze Wing and Tang Ming Hong 11-8, 10-11, 11-5.
9 The Hindi translation of the world famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov’s play The Seagull is being performed in the campus o National School of Drama
The Hindi translation of the world famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov ‘s play The Seagull is being performed in the premises of the National School of Drama . This play, presented by the third year students of the Drama School, will be performed daily at 6:30 pm till 9th July.