Parliament Passes Constitutions' 127th Amendment Bill to Restore t the States' Power to Make Their Own OBC Lists
Parliament unanimously passed the Constitution(127th Amendment) Bill with the Rajya Sabha approving it on August 11, 2021. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill with the majority of the strength of the House and not less than two-thirds majority of members present in the House during voting. 187 members voted in favor of the bill while none were against it. The House also negated the amendments moved by some opposition members. The Lok Sabha passed the bill a day earlier i.e., on August 10, 2021, with 385 members voting in favour of the bill and none voting against it
Gajendra Singh & Anjani Kumar Appointed as Members of Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB)
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed, early in August 2021, Gajendra Singh, former director of GAIL (India) Ltd., and Anjani Kumar Tiwari, Director (Finance) of GAIL (India) Limited as the members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board(PNGRB), a regulator of downstream activities in the petroleum and natural gas sector.The appointed members of the PNGRB will serve aperiod of 5 years from the date of assumption of charge ortill the age of 65.Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board(PNGRB) is a statutory body constituted under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006.It consists of a chairman and 4 members includingone member (Legal). It is headquartered in Delhi.
Shri Patanjali assumes charge as Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax
Senior Indian Revenue Service officer Shri. Patanjali has assumed charge as Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Mumbai. Prior to this, he was holding the post of Director General of Income Tax (Investigation Wing), Bengaluru for the state of Karnataka & Goa.
Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected as President of Belarus
Alexander Lukashenko was reelected as President of Belarus for a sixth term in office. President Lukashenko is described by the West as leading an authoritarian dictatorship following consolidation of power after each election since the first one in 1994.
Shri Girish Chandra Murmu assumed office as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India
Shri Girish Chandra Murmu assumed office as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. He belongs to Indian Administrative Service of Gujrat cadre (1985 batch). Shri Murmu succeeds Shri Rajiv Mehrishi, who demitted office on 8th August 2020. Prior to this, Shri Murmu was the first Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
Dr. Dhriti Banerjee : Zoological Survey of India Gets 1st Female Director in 100 Years
The Indian government approved the appointment of Dr. Dhriti Banerjee as the director of the Zoological Survey of India. She is a prolific scientist, conducting research in zoogeography, taxonomy, morphology, and molecular systematics. On the occasion of its centenary celebrations in 2016, Banerjee had coauthored the "The Glorious 100 Women's ScientificContribution in ZSI" which chronicled the contributions of women scientists in the domain of animal-related groups.
Prof. (Dr.) Pradeep Kumar Joshi takes oath as Chairman, UPSC
Prof. (Dr.) Pradeep Kumar Joshi, presently Member, Union Public Service Commission, took the oath of office and secrecy as Chairman, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The oath was administered by Shri Arvind Saxena, outgoing Chairman of the Commission.
Defence Institute of Advanced Technology wins first prize in Smart India Hackathon-2020
Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) Pune, an autonomous organization under the Department of Defence Research & Development, DRDO, won 1st prize in Smart India Hackathon (SIH)-2020. The SIH-2020, the 36-hour non-stop digital product building competition was a national level competition for software edition organized jointly by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) held during 1-3 August 2020 at Noida Institute of Engineering & Technology (NIET), Uttar Pradesh. The DIAT student team “Age of Ultron” which comprised of six members under the guidance of Dr. Sunita Dhavale, won the 1st Prize of Rupees 1 Lakh for solving problem statement MS331 in the category of software posed by the Madhya Pradesh Government. The team provided the solution titled “DRISHTI” for the face, expression and gesture recognition using Artificial Intelligence.
Mini Ipe Appointed as the Managing Director of LIC
The Govt. of India appointed Mini Ipe as the new Managing Director of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India. She has been serving as the Executive Director, Legal Department, Lic of India. She took the charge as MD of LIC of India succeeding Vipin Anand, who retired in July 2021.
Dr. Irfan M.. Ali sworn in as Guyana's new President
Dr. Irfan M Ali was sworn in as Guyana's ninth executive president on August 3rd, 2020 shortly after declaration that the People's Progressive Party(PPP) had won the March 2 General and Regional Election.
UAE becomes first Arab nation to produce Nuclear energy
The UAE is the first Arab country to produce nuclear energy, after it was announced on August 1, 2020 that Unit 1 of the Abu Dhabi baed Barakah nuclear power plant is now operational. Commercial operations of the reactor are expected to begin later this year and will help power business and homes across the nation using clean energy.
Kezang D Thongdok gets Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2020
Arunachal Pradesh filmmaker Kezang D Thongdok was honoured with the Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2020 for Chi Lupo, a short documentary on honey hunting largely practise in the Shertukpen community in the state.
World's largest floating Solar Farm to be built in Indonesia
Singapore's Sunseap Group and Batam Indonesia free zone authority signed, in July 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build the world's largest floating solar farm and energy storage system Indonesian city Batam at the cost of $ 2 billion, to double its renewable power generation capacity. The floating photovoltaic system will have a capacity of 2.2 GigaWatt-peak (GWp) and will be located on the Duriang Kang Reservoir in Batam Island spanning around 1,600 hectares. The project would begin in 2022 and would be completed by 2024.
IPS Officer Rakesh Asthana Appointed Delhi Police Commissioner
IPS Officer Rakesh Asthana was appointed as Commissioner of Delhi Police. Rakesh Asthana was due to retire as Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) on 31st July. The Appoint-ments Committee of The Cabinet (ACC) has extended his service for a one year period beyond the date.
Najib Mikati has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Lebanon
Billionaire businessman Najib Mikati was appointed as Lebanon's new Prime Minister on July 26, 2021, after he won 72 votes, with his rival and former ambassador Nawaf Salam receiving just one vote in Lebanon's Parliament. Forty-two MPs voted blank, and three MPs did not vote at all. If Mikati successfully forms a government, this would be his third stint as Lebanon's prime minister. He was briefly caretaker prime minister for several months in April 2005, and then headed a full-fledged government in 2011 for three years.
Kandla Becomes First Green SEZ
Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ) was awarded IGBC Platinum Rating on July 26, 2021. KASEZ is the First Green SEZ to achieve the IGBC Green Cities Platinum Rating for Existing Cities. The efforts of KASEZ team were applauded especially noting the fact that this was accomplished in Bhuj region where water conservation and afforestation are critical interventions. This was major achievement and is part of activities envisaged under the commitment of the Government to the Green SEZs Mission
Bharat Dynamic Ltd. (BDL) flag off its MRSAM Missile for Delivery to IAF
Bharat Dynamic Ltd (BDL) officially started the delivery of the 1st Missile of the 1st Firing unit of Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) for delivery to the Indian Air Force (IAF). It was flagged off by MSR Prasad, Director General (Missiles & Strategic Systems) of BDL. MRSAM is a high-response, quick reaction vertically launched supersonic missile. It has been jointly developed by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (LAI). MRSAM has a range of 70 km and a speed of Mach 2. It is capable of neutralizing aerial targets like missiles, aircraft, guided bombs, helicopters.
India-European Union Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation renewed for next five years (2020-2025)
India and European Union have renewed its Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation for the next five years (2020-2025). This has been done by exchange of Note Verbale between two sides. The Agreement was initially signed in on 23 November 2001 and renewed two times in past in 2007 and 2015. This will expand the cooperation in scientific and technological research strengthen the conduct of cooperative activities in areas of common interest and application of the results of such cooperation to their economic and social benefit. Cooperative activities may take the forms of reciprocal participation of Indian research and European research entities in research, technological development, and demonstration projects under each other programme. India & the European Union agreed to renew the Agreement on Scientific cooperation for the next five years, 2020-2025, at the 15th India-EU Summit, a virtual one which was led by Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi from India’s side. The European Union delegation was headed by European Council President Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
R. K. Sabharwal Awarded "The Order of Polar Star" - Highest Civilian Award of Mongolia
Chairman and Managing Director of Engineers India Ltd. (EIL), R. K. Sabharwal was awarded the highest civilian award of Mongolia "The Order of Polar Star". He was honored with the prestigious award for his contribution towards the construction of Mongolia's 1st ever Oil Refinery. The Oil Refinery is constructed by the Mongolian government with the USD 1 billion Line of Credit provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Mongolia in 2019.
Grant of Permanent Commission to Women Officers in Indian Army
Ministry of Defence has issued the formal Government Sanction Letter for grant of Permanent Commission (PC) to Women Officers in the Indian Army, paving the way for empowering Women Officers to shoulder larger roles in the organisation. The order specifies grant of PC to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) Women Officers in all ten streams of the Indian Army i.e Army Air Defence (AAD), Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), and Intelligence Corps in addition to the existing streams of Judge and Advocate General (JAG) and Army Educational Corps (AEC). In anticipation, the Army Headquarters had set in motion a series of preparatory actions for conduct of the Permanent Commission Selection Board for affected Women Officers. The Selection Board will be scheduled as soon as all affected SSC Women Officers exercise their option and complete requisite documentation. The Indian Army is committed to provide equal opportunities to all personnel including Women Officers to serve the Nation.
P. C. Kandpal appointed as MD & CEO, SBI General Insurance
Prakash Chandra Kandpal has been appointed as the Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SBI General Insurance.
Turkmenistan Becomes 25th Country with observer status in World Trade Organization (WTO)
Turkmenistan became the 25th country which was granted observer status in the World Trade Organization(WTO) enabling the nation to establish permanent residence at WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and monitor its proceedings.
Stefan Lofven Re-elected as Prime Minister by Swedish Parliament
Stefan Lofven of the Swedish Social Democratic Party was re-elected as Prime Minister by the Swedish Parliament in July 2021. This comes a month after the June 11, 2021, No-Confidence vote in the Parliament, which led to his resignation after he failed to prove the majority in the 349-member legislature.Stefan Lofven won the majority in the recent voting by only 2 votes, which requires a minimum of 175 votes to prove majority. The narrow win puts him in a critical position in passing the country's budget.
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg wins first Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity
Young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg was awarded the first Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity. The award carries a €1,000,000 prize and the entire amount would be donated by Thunberg to project and organisations "fighting for a sustainable world". The Gulbenkian Prize "aims to recognize people, groups of people and/or organizations from all over the world whose contributions to mitigation and adaptation to climate change stand out for its novelty, innovation, and impact".
Consumer Protection Act, 2019 comes into force
The Consumer Protection Act,2019 comes in to force from 20th July 2020. The Act includes establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019 comes into force
The Consumer Protection Act,2019 comes in to force from 20th July 2020. The Act includes establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.
Indo-Nepal trial movement of 1st Train between Jaynagar (Bihar) - Kurtha Railway link successful
The first rail section between India and Nepal i.e. Jaynagar - Kurtha Railway link saw the successful trial movement of high speed train between India's Jaynagar Madhubani district of Bihar, and Nepal's Kurtha in Mahottari district.
China Unveils New Maglev Train - World's Fastest Ground Vehicle
China has unveiled a new Maglev transportation system, which is capable of achieving a maximum speed of 600 kph or 372 mph, in Qingdao, the coastal city in Shandong province of China. The Maglev train developed by China and manufactured in Qingdao is reported to be the World's fastest ground vehicle. This is China's latest scientific and technological achievement in the field of rail transit.
Ossouka Raponda Appointed as Gabon’s First Woman Prime Minister
The President of African country Gabon, Ali Bong Ondimba, on July 16, 2020, appointed Rose Christian Ossouka Raponda as the country’s first woman Prime Minister. Ossouka Raponda, 56, was promoted from the defence ministry and takes over from Julien Nkoghe Bekale, who was appointed Prime Minister in January 2019. She is an economist by training who graduated from the Gabonese Institute of Economy and Finance, specialising in public finance.
India gets its First Indigenous Pneumonia Vaccine
India on July 15, 2020 got its first indigenous pneumonia vaccine along with an apex drug regulator granting market approval for Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine developed by Serum Institute of India. Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) looked at the evidence from human trials to allow the first fully indigenously developed Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine for marking in India. Serum Institute first obtained the approval of DCGI to conduct Phase I, Phase II and Phase III clinical trials of the vaccine.
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