Weekly Current Affairs (08.07.21 to 14.07.21)

1. WORLD’S 1ST SOLO MOTORCYCLE EXPEDITION

  • Mountain biker Kanchan Ugursandi completed the 1st World Solo Motorcycle Expedition by crossing 18 mountain passes in the Himalaya over 3187 kilometers from New Delhi-Manali-Leh-Umlingla-Delhi in 25 days. She also became the first female biker to cover the 18 passes.
  • Her expedition was signaled by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to promote COVID-19 security awareness across the border.

 

2. NEW LIST OF CABINET MINISTERS IN PM MODI’S GOVERNMENT

On 7 July 2021, the reshuffle and extension of the Council of Ministers of the Union took place.

As many as 43 ministers (15 Cabinet Ministers, 28 Ministers of State) were sworn in, bringing the strength of the Cabinet to 77 (78 including the Prime Minister). Out of 43, 36 new Ministers and 7 Ministers were promoted to Cabinet Minister status.

Pursuant to Rule 75 (4) The Ministers received the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind during a ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

  • Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey: Minister of Heavy Industries
  • Shri Anurag Singh Thakur: Minister of Information and Broadcasting; and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
  • Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw: Minister of Railways; Minister of Communications; and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology
  • Shri Bhupender Yadav: Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Minister of Labour and Employment
  • Shri G. Kishan Reddy: Minister of Culture; Minister of Tourism; and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region
  • Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: Minister of Jal Shakti
  • Shri Hardeep Singh Puri: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia: Minister of Civil Aviation
  • Shri Kiren Rijiju: Minister of Law and Justice
  • Shri Mansukh Mandaviya: Minister of Health and Family Welfare; and Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers
  • Shri Parshottam Rupala: Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
  • Shri Pashu Pati Kumar Paras: Minister of Food Processing Industries
  • Shri Raj Kumar Singh: Minister of Power; and Minister of New and Renewable Energy
  • Shri Ramchandra Prasad Singh: Minister of Steel

 

3. MITHALI RAJ: HIGHEST SCORER IN ONE DAY CRICKET

MITHALI RAJ: HIGHEST SCORER IN ONE DAY CRICKET

  • Indian women’s Cricket ODI Captain Mithali Raj (38) became the best scorer in International Women’s Cricket in all three formats. She beat former British batsman Charlotte Edward with 10,273 runs in the third and final One-Day Internationals (ODI) between England and India held in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
  • She is the only Indian cricket player and the 2nd International player to score more than 10,000 runs. Mithali Raj has scored more than 10277 runs in International Women’s Cricket.

 

4. ‘GREEN HYDROGEN’ 2021

  • India is hosting the International Climate Summit (ICS) on September 3, 2021 in New Delhi, with a key focus on “GREEN HYDROGEN” and making India a global hub for Hydrogen production. The event was organized in partnership with the Government of Norway, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak to delegates.
About UN – Conference of Parties:
Host – United Kingdom & Italy
President of COP– Alok Sharma

 

5. INDIAN ARMY APPOINTED:  ‘VIDYA BALAN FIRING RANGE’

VIDYA BALAN FIRING RANGE

  • The Indian army appointed a military shooting range in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir as “Vidya Balan Firing Range”.
  • This is a decision to honor the veteran actress of Bollywood Vidya Balan, for her varied achievements in the field of cinema and as a woman.
  • She was the only actor to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the leading authority behind the Oscars.

 

6. GIFT CITY’S 1ST AIRCRAFT AGREEMENT WITH AIRBUS

GIFT CITY’S 1ST AIRCRAFT AGREEMENT WITH AIRBUS

  • Vman Aviation Services became the first GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec) City, an aircraft leasing company based in Gandhinagar, to sign an aircraft procurement agreement.
  • After ordering a French-based Airbus H125 helicopter with Airbus Helicopters SAS.
  • The agreement was signed on the basis of the government’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan Initiative.

 

7. SBI LAUNCHED HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN – ‘AROGYA SUPREME’

  • SBI General Insurance has launched a complete health insurance plan called “Arogya Supreme” with multiple benefits and coverage.
  • Under the policy, insured people will receive a wide range of insurance options up to Rs 5 crore for their medically necessary hospitalization because of an illness or accident that occurred during the term of the contract.
About SBI:
H.Q – Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO – Prakash Chandra Kandpal
Tagline – Suraksha Aur Bharosa Dono

 

8. NEW BOOK:  “THE FOURTH LION: ESSAYS FOR GOPALKRISHNA GANDHI

NEW BOOK: “THE FOURTH LION: ESSAYS FOR GOPALKRISHNA GANDHI

A new book titled “The Fourth Lion: Essays for Gopalkrishna Gandhi”, published by Venu Madhav Govindu and Srinath Raghavan. The Fourth Lion is a festschrift (a compilation of writings in honor of a scholar) issued in honor of Gopalkrishna Gandhi. This new book “The Fourth Lion: Essays For Gopal Krishna Gandhi is published by Aleph Book Company.

 

9. A NEW BOOK TITLE: LADY DOCTORS: “THE UNTOLD STORIES OF INDIA’S FIRST WOMEN IN MEDICINE”

Lady Doctors: The Untold Stories of India's First Women in Medicine

A new book entitled, “Lady Doctors: The Untold Stories of India’s First Women in Medicine”, written by Kavitha Rao, should be published. This book is published by Amazon-backed Westland Books.

 

10. WING WEB PORTAL OF ELECTRICAL INSPECTION AT (J&K)

Jammu Electric Inspection Wing Web Portal

  • Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), launched the Jammu Electric Inspection Wing Web Portal to make the electrical inspection process more convenient for the general public.
  • Make Power Development services easily accessible to people in Jammu and Kashmir. Remediate issues identified by the Electricity Inspection Agency within a specified timeframe.
About Jammu & Kashmir (J&K):
National Park– Dachigam, Kishtwar National Park
Bird sanctuary– Hokersar bird sanctuary

 

11. BDL TO SUPPLY SURFACE-TO-AIR AKASH MISSILE

SURFACE-TO-AIR AKASH MISSILE

  • Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) has signed an INR 499 crore contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the production and supply of Akash missiles (SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE SYSTEM) to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
  • Akash MISSILE is developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and can engage air threats up to 25 kms in range and up to a distance of 20 km. Its speed ranges from 1.8 to 2.5 Mach.
  • India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) and was inducted into IAF in 2014 and the Indian Army in 2015.
  • Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) is the main production agency for projects under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). It manufactures Akash missiles for the Indian Armed Forces and the Indian Air Force.
About Bharat Dynamics Ltd
CMD – (Retd) Commodore Siddharth Mishra
H.Q – Hyderabad, Telangana

 

12. WORLD’S HIGHEST SANDCASTLE BUILD

WORLD’S HIGHEST SANDCASTLE

  • The sandcastle created by the Dutch design team headed by Wilfred Stijger, which stands around 69 feet high (more than 21 meters) becomes the highest sandcastle in the world. The sandcastle, composed of approximately 5,000 tonnes of sand, was created as part of the sandcastle festival in Blokhus, Denmark.
  • The sandcastle of Blokhus, with a replica of the coronavirus at the top, represents the strength of the coronavirus in the world.

 

13. SYED OSMAN AZHAR MAQSUSI WINS COMMONWEALTH POINTS OF LIGHT AWARD

SYED OSMAN AZHAR MAQSUSI

  • A Hyderabad hunger activist, Syed Osman Azhar Maqsusi won the prestigious Commonwealth Points of Light Award from the Government of the United Kingdom (UK).
  • He STARTED the #HungerHasNoReligion initiative through his NGO Sani Welfare Foundation, which provided food for more than 1,500 people a day.

 

14. INDIAN CHESS MASTER NIHAL SARIN WINS SERBIA OPEN

NIHAL SARIN

  • The great Indian chess master Nihal Sarin won the Serbian Open Chess Championship in Belgrade, Serbia on 8 July 2021. It is the second consecutive victory for the 16-year-old from Kerala, after winning the Silver Lake Open chess tournament in June 2021.
  • In the Serbian Open, he achieved a leading position with 7.5 points out of 9, 0.5 points ahead of his closest competition.
  • He won the Tournament with only one defeat and a draw in the final, which led him to enter the World Top 100 (88th position).

 

15. 4TH LARGEST CRUDE OIL SUPPLIER

4TH LARGEST CRUDE OIL SUPPLIER

  • According to the 70th edition of BP’s “Statistical Review of World Energy 2021”, the United States has become the 4th largest supplier of crude oil and natural gas to India in 2020.
  • Although the United States began exporting oil to India in 2017, its supply accounted for about 5% of India’s total imports from 204 million tonnes in 2020.
About BP:
H.Q –  London, United Kingdom
CEO – Bernard Looney

 

16. FIRST INDIAN JUROR (NRAI) AT TOKYO OLYMPICS: PAWAN SINGH

Pawan Singh, Joint Secretary General of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), became the first Indian juror

  • Pawan Singh, Joint Secretary-General of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), became the first Indian juror to be selected to preside at the Olympic Games.
  • The International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) has selected Pawan Singh to preside over the next Tokyo Olympic Games in the field of sport shooting.

 

17. THE BOOK TITLED “THE RAMAYANA OF SHRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI” RECEIVED BY THE PRIME MINISTER

THE RAMAYANA OF SHRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI

  • On 9th July 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented with the first copy of the book “The Ramayana of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji” written by Late Baljit Kaur Tulsi, of KTS Tulsi, Member of Parliament for Rajya Sabha – Chhattisgarh and son of Baljit Kaur Tulsi. Prime Minister Modi also shared audio for KTS Tulsi’s Gurbani Shabad recital.
  • The book “The Ramayana of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji” was published by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

 

18. DARBAR MOVE, A 149-YEAR-OLD TRADITION ENDED BY GOVERNOR MANOJ SINHA

  • The governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, has put an end to the 149-year-old Darbar Move tradition of shuttling between the two capitals every six months.
  • The administration of the Union territory has been completely moved to an electronic office.
  • The tradition involves the transition of Raj Bhavan, Civil Secretariat, J & K government headquarters and other administrative offices with the seasonal change.
  • It costs about 210 rupees of crore to move around 8000-9000 employees with files.
  • Now, the money saved will be used for the welfare of the poor sections.
  • This will facilitate the execution of administrative work by eliminating the physical movement of records and people.

 

19. WEBINAR ON ‘EK BHARAT SHRESTHA BHARAT – AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV’

  • On July 8, 2021, A webinar on “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat – Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” was organized by the Regional Outreach Bureau (ROB) on July 8, 2021, & the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Chandigarh, under the Ministry of India’s Department of Information and Broadcasting.
  • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Indian government to celebrate and commemorate the 75th birthday of progressive India.
  • This Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India that not only helped to bring India, so far in its evolutionary journey,  but also possess in them the power and potential to allow the vision of Prime Minister Modi to activate India 2.0, powered by the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

 

 

In case of any discrepancies or errors, plz notify to:
ABHISHEK SRIVASTAVA 

B.TECH (MECHANICAL ENGG.)

  • 4+ Years of Industrial Experience
  • 2+ Years of Teaching

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