Current Affairs - July 2019

Month July 2019 Type All

439 Current Affairs were found in Month - July 2019 for Type - All

Appointments

1. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha) appointed as Chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

PAC has 15 members from Lok Sabha and seven from Rajya Sabha. Term of office of members of PAC committee does not exceed 1

year at a time. Notably, Girish Bapat was appointed as chairman of estimates committee.

2. Ajay Kumar Bhalla appointed as new Union Home Secretary, succeeding Rajiv Gauba. Other Misc. ACC Appointments -

Secretaries (Ministeries) -

Subhash Chandra Garg - Secretary in Ministry of Power.

R. S. Shukla - Secretary in Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

Ravi Capoor - Secretary in Ministry of Textiles.

Secretaries (Departments) -

Atanu Chakraborty - Secretary in Department of Economic Affairs (Ministry of Finance).

Anuradha Mitra - Secretary in Department of Official Language (Ministry of Home Affairs).

Anshu Prakash - Secretary in Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Communications).

Anil Kumar Khachi - Secretary in Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (Ministry of Finance).

Guruprasad Mohapatra - Secretary in Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (Ministry of

Commerce & Industry).

Atul Chaturvedi - Secretary in Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry

& Dairying).

P.O. Vaghela - Secretary in Department of Pharmaceuticals (Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers).

Chairperson -

S.P. Singh Parihar - Chairman in Central Pollution Control Board (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate

Change).

3. BJP's BS Yeddyurappa has been appointed as chief minister of Karnataka for his 4th term. Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri elected as

Speaker of Karnataka Assembly.

BJP staked claim for government formation after HD Kumaraswamy's government failed to prove majority.

HD Kumaraswamy resigned as Karnataka CM after Congress-JD(S) coalition government lost trust vote in Karnataka floor

test. Floor test took place after 15 rebel legislators submitted their resignation to speaker of house and two independents

withdrew their support to Congress-JD(S) coalition.

4. Boris Johnson took charge as new Prime Minister of United Kingdom (UK). He replaced outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May,

who was forced to step aside after failing to deliver a Brexit deal. Newly appointed UK Cabinet has 3 Indian-origin ministers -

Priti Patel - UK home secretary

Alok Sharma - International development secretary

Rishi Sunak - Chief secretary to the Treasury.

5. Cricket Administrator Body BCCI appointed Rahul Dravid as Head of National Cricket Academy (NCA), Located in

Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru).

6. Eastern Army Commander Manoj Mukund Naravane has been appointed as next vice-chief of Indian Army. He will succeed D

Anbu.

7. Former International Monetary Funf (IMF) Chief Christine Lagarde will now be new head of European Central bank (ECB),

replacing Mario Draghi. Christine Lagarde will become first woman to lead ECB. She will step down 2 years before end of her

second five-year term as IMF Chief.

8. Former Supreme Court judge A K Sikri has been appointed as an International Judge of Singapore International Commercial

Court (SICC).

9. Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen appointed as President-designate of the European Commission, replacing Jean-Claude Juncker.

10. Govt Appointed M Nageswar Rao (Former Additional Director of CBI) as Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and

Home Guard.

11. Govt. Appointed Amita Prasad as Chairperson in Inland Waterways Authority of India. Also, Arun Kumar Jha has been

appointed as Director General in National Productivity Council.

Amita Prasad was earlier posted as Chairperson in National Productivity Council.

12. Govt. Appointed Arun Kumar as new Director General (DG) in Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

13. Govt. Appointed Rajiv Kumar as new Finance Secretary of India, to replace Subhash Chandra Garg, who has been sent to Power

Ministry.

14. Govt. Appointed Vivek Kumar as Private Secretary to Prime Minister. He was earlier working as Director in Prime Minister’s

Office.

15. Govt. appointed Vikas Swarup as Secretary, (consular, passport, visa and Overseas Indian affairs) in External Affairs Ministry.

16. Govt. reappointed NS Vishwanathan as Deputy Governor of RBI for one year.

Other RBI Deputy Governors are - M. K. Jain, B.P. Kanungo.

Another Deputy Governor Viral Acharya Resigned recently.

17. ITBP Director General S S Deswal has been given additional charge of counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG).

18. International Monetary Fund (IMF) appointed American economist David Lipton as its interim leader, replacing Christine

Lagarde.

Christine Lagarde will now be new head of European Central bank (ECB), replacing Mario Draghi. Christine Lagarde will

become first woman to lead ECB. She will step down 2 years before end of her second five-year term as IMF Chief.

19. Kyriakos Mitsotakis Appointed as the prime minister of Greece (Southeastern Europe).

20. Manoj Kumar Nambiar (MD of Arohan Financial Services) elected as chairman of Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN).

21. Misc. Appointments (July 2019) -

Karnam Sekar is appointed as MD & CEO of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB).

Haryana Government appointed Keshni Anand Arora as state’s new chief secretary.

Govt gave additional charge of Secretary in Ministry of Textiles to Rabindra Panwar (Secretary in Ministry of Women and

Child Development).

Govt. appointed MTNL CMD P.K. Purwar as Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, as an

additional charge for 3 months.

RBI appointed AK Misra as an additional director at Jammu and Kashmir Bank.

B Harideesh Kumar has been appointed as director of Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, the Prime Recruitment

Agency of Govt.

American employment-oriented service LinkedIn appointed Ashutosh Gupta as its new Head for India Operations.

Dinesh Bhatia has been appointed as New Indian Ambassador to Oriental Republic of Uruguay (South America).

US Based IT Firm Accenture Appointed Julie Sweet as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and David Rowland as Executive

Chairman.

Former Indian Cricketer Kiran More appointed as interim coach of USA cricket team.

Chandrakant Kavlekar appointed as new Deputy Chief Minister of Goa replacing Vijai Sardesai. Pramod Sawant is chief

minister of Goa.

Purnendu S. Mishra appointed as new Member Traffic in Railway Board.

Upender Singh Rawat appointed as New Indian Ambassador to Panama (Central America).

Sanjeev Kumar Singla appointed as New Indian Ambassador to Israel.

Ajay Bhadoo has been appointed as Joint Secretary to the President.

India’s Kishen Mangaldas Narsi appointed as Chairman of Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) competitions commission.

India’s Vivek Kohli and M P Singh elected as chairman and secretary-general respectively of Commonwealth Table Tennis

Federation (CTTF).

U.S. Senate confirmed Mark Esper as US Secretary of Defence.

Govt. extended term of Sanjay Kothari as Secretary to the President.

Bandhan Bank appointed Sanjeev Naryani as its head of business.

Sunil Kumar has been appointed asb chairman and managing director of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).

Government re-appointed Badri Narayan Sharma as chairman of the National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) for another

2 years.

Dinesh Bhatia has been appointed as New Indian ambassador to Paraguay (South America).

India’s first and only Sports Gaming self-regulatory industry body, Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) named

former Supreme Court judge A. K. Sikri, as its ombudsman and Ethics Officer.

22. Nalin Shinghal appointed as chairman and managing director of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

23. New Governors Appointed -

Kalraj Mishra - Himachal Pradesh

Acharya Devvrat - Gujarat (transferred from Himachal Pradesh)

Anusuiya Uikey - Chhattisgarh.

Biswa Bhushan Harichandan - Andhra Pradesh.

24. New Governors Appointed -

Uttar Pradesh - Anandiben Patel (Earlier Madhya Pradesh)

Nagaland - R. N. Ravi

Madhya Pradesh - Lalji Tandon (Earlier Bihar)

Bihar - Phagu Chauhan

Himachal Pradesh - Kalraj Mishra

Gujarat - Acharya Dev Vrat

West Bengal - Jagdeep Dhankhar

Andhra Pradesh - Biswabhusan Harichandan

Tripura - Ramesh Bais

Chhattisgarh - Anusuiya Uikey

25. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani has been appointed as head of the ICC’s influential Finance and Commercial

Affairs committee.

26. Paramjit Singh has been appointed as New Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Indian Army, replacing Anil

Chauhan.

27. RBI assigned deputy governor B.P. Kanungo to run the monetary policy portfolio and forecasting department, After exit of Viral

Acharya. Now, all 3 deputy governors N S Vishwanathan, B P Kanungo and M K Jain have been made responsible for 12

departments each.

28. SBI MD Anshula Kant has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of World Bank. She will be

the 1st woman CFO of World Bank. Since September 2018, she has been a Managing Director and member of World Bank Board.

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Awards

1. AIFF (All India Football Federation) awards 2018-19 -

Women’s Footballer of the Year - Ashalata Devi.

Men’s Footballer of the Year - Sunil Chhetri.

Emerging Women’s Footballer - Dangmei Grace (Manipur).

Emerging Men’s Footballer - Abdul Sahal (Kerala).

Best Grassroots Development Programme - Jammu & Kashmir Football Association.

Best Referee - R. Venkatesh (Tamil Nadu).

2. Ameican actress Meryl Streep honoured will be honored with Tribute Actor award at 2019 Toronto International Film Festival

(TIFF). She will be 1st-ever recipient of TIFF Tribute Actor Award. She is most nominated actor in Academy Award history and has

won Oscar three times.

3. American actress Hilary Swank will be conferred with the Leopard Club Award at the 2019 Locarno International Film Festival in

August 2019. It will be the 72nd edition of the film festival in Locarno, Switzerland. Hillary is a a 2 time Oscar winner.

4. Incredible India "Find the Incredible You" campaign released globally by Ministry of Tourism during 2018-19 is declared winner

of PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Gold Award 2019 in “Marketing - Primary Government Destination” category.

PATA Gold Awards are given to tourism industry organizations and individuals making outstanding contribution towards

the successful promotion of the travel industry throughout the Asia Pacific Region.

As part of 2.0 Campaign, 5 new television commercials were produced based on Yoga , Wellness, Luxury, Cuisine and

Wildlife.

5. India's Isha Kanth is one of two persons Globally to have bagged an internship programme at the International Court of Justice.

She earlier worked in rural Bihar spreading awareness on right to education and women empowerment among children belonging

to marginalised sections.

6. India's Vidisha Baliyan won Miss Deaf World Title 2019, as first Indian to win the title, held in Mbombela (South Africa).

7. Indian movie Gully Boy (directed by Zoya Akhtar) honoured with NETPAC (The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema)

Award for Best Asian Film at 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in South Korea.

BIFAN was founded in 1997 with particular attention to Asian cinema from East Asia and Southeast Asia.

8. Industrial Awards (July 2019) -

Hyderabad Based Quantela Inc has been awarded World Economic Forum’s (WEF) with ‘Technology Pioneers’ award 2019.

It provides a platform named “Atlantis”, that helps cities to proactively solve social and environmental problems.

Gurgaon based Genesis Foundation awarded as CSR Implementation Partner in leadership category for its association with

WPP India CSR Foundation for ‘Project Little Hearts’, at 3rd edition of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Health Impact

Awards in New Delhi.

Noted Indian breast surgeon and Padma Shri awardee P.Raghu Ram conferred Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of

Surgeons (FRCS) of Thailand.

Indian Actor Shah Rukh Khan will be felicitated with an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) from

Melbourne-based La Trobe University at 10th edition of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) at Bundoora, Australia.

Repco Bank Promoted NBFC Repco Micro Finance awarded for outstanding performance in terms of Self-Help Group (SHG)

linkage in Tamil Nadu for 2018-19 from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

3rd Edition of CSR Journal Excellence Awards honoured 6 firms for best practices in Corporate Social Responsibility, with

theme ‘India First’.

Tata Power - "Education & Skill Training".

ReNew Power - "Women Empowerment & Child Welfare".

YES Bank - "Health & Sanitation".

Mahindra & Mahindra - "Environment".

Hindustan Zinc - "Agriculture & Rural Development".

Aditya Birla Capital - "Sports".

New terminal of Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) International Airport shortlisted for Leading European Architecture Forum

(LEAF) awards 2019 in category of a best future building under construction project.

Bollywood’s Advocate Dinesh Tiwari conferred with ‘The Society Global Indian Icon Award 2019′, for his excellence in the

field of law at an event hosted in London by the Society Magazine.

9. Kaushik Ganguly Directed Bengali Film Nagarkirtan won 4 Awards at 2019’s SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional

Cooperation) film festival in Sri Lanka. Awards Included Best Feature Film. Nagarkirtan is a love story of a transwoman and

flautist.

10. Mohun Bagan club awards 2019 -

Mohun Bagan Ratan: Keshav Dutt (Hockey). He is first sportsperson from outside the football fraternity to be bestowed with

the Ratna.

Mohun Bagan Ratan: Prasun Banerjee (Football).

Best Cricketer - Rajkumar Paul.

Best Athlete - Tapas Dey.

Lifetime Achievement award - Ashok Chatterjee (Football).

Best Football Player for season 2018-19 - Arijit Bagui (Football).

Outstanding Achievement Cricket – Md. Shami.

Best Youth Footballer – U 19 Zee Bangla Football League Team

On July 29 Mohun Bagan Club celebrates 'Mohun Bagan Day'.

11. Noted Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik won People’s Choice Award at 2019 Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting

Festival in Boston (US). He wowed American public with his sculpture that highlighted message of combating plastic pollution in

oceans.

12. Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2018 Announced -

Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellow (Akademi Ratna) Award -

4 Artists Chosen - Zakir Hussain (Tabla), Sonal Mansingh (Dance), Jatin Goswami (Dancer & Choreographer) and

K.Kalyanasundaram Pillai (Bharatanatyam).

Fellowship of Akademi is most prestigious and rare honor, which is restricted to 40 numbers at any given time. By

election of Given 4 fellows there are presently 40 (Max) Fellows of Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Sangeet Natak Akademi also selected 44 artists for Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for 2018 (including

3 joint awards)

Music (11)

Mani Prasad - Hindustani Vocal

Madhup Mudgal - Hindustani Vocal

Tarun Bhattacharya - Hindustani Instrumental - Santoor

Tejendra Narayan Majumdar - Hindustani Instrumental - Sarod

Alamelu Mani - Carnatic Vocal

Malladi Suribabu – Carnatic Vocal

S.Kasim & S.Babu (Joint Award) - Carnatic Instrumental – Nagaswaram

Ganesh & Kumaresh (Joint Award) - Carnatic Instrumental –Violin

Suresh Wadkar- Other Major Traditions of Music - Sugam Sangeet

Shanti Hiranand - Other Major Traditions of Music - Sugam Sangeet

H.Ashangbi Devi - Other Major Traditions of Music – Nata Sankirtana Manipur

Dance (9)

Radha Sridhar for Bharatanatyam

Ishira & Maulik Shah (Joint Award) for Kathak

Akham Lakshmi Devi for Manipuri

Pasumurthy Ramalinga Sastry for Kuchipudi

Surupa Sen for Odissi

Tankeswar Hazarika Borbayan for Sattriya

Gopika Varma for Mohiniattam

Tapan Kumar Pattanayak for Chhau

Deepak Mazumdar for Contemporary Dance.

Theatre (9) -

Rajiv Naik for Playwriting

Laltluangliana Khiangte for Playwriting

Sanjay Upadhyay for Direction

S.Raghunandana for Direction

Suhas Joshi for Acting

Teekam Joshi for Acting

Swapan Nandy for Mime

Bhagawat A.S.Nanjappa – Other Major Traditions of Theatre - Yakshagana

A.M.Parameswaran Kuttan Chakkiyar – Other Major Traditions of Theatre – Kutiyattam.

Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre and Puppetry (10) -

Malini Awasthi (Uttar Pradesh)

Gazi Khan Barna (Rajasthan)

Narendar Singh Negi (Uttrakhand)

Mohd. Sadiq Bhagat (J&K)

Kota Sachidanand Shastry (Andhra Pradesh)

Arjun Singh Dhruve (Madhya Pradesh)

Somnath Battu (Himachal Pradesh)

Anupama Hoskere (Karnataka)

Hem Chandra Goswami (Assam)

Diwan Singh Bajeli and Puru Dadhich selected in the field Overall Contribution/Scholarship in Performing Arts.

Honour of Akademi Award has been conferred since 1952. Fellowship carries money of INR 3 lakh and Akademi Award

carries INR 1 lakh.

13. Sangeet Natak Akademi selected 32 artists for Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2018, to hono young talents in performing

arts (under 40 years age).

Music (8) -

Sameehan Kashalkar and Ruchira Kedar for Hindustani Vocal Music

Dhruv Bedi for Hindustani Instrumental Music–Sitar

Shubh Maharaj for Hindustani Instrumental - Tabla

Sandeep Narayan for Carnatic Vocal Music

J.B.Sruthi Sagar for Carnatic Instrumental Music–Flute

R.Sridhar for Carnatic Instrumental Music–Violin

M.D.Pallavi for Other Major Traditions of Music – Bhava Sangeet.

Dance (8)

Vijna Rani Vasudevan & Rajith Babu (Joint Award) for Bharatanatyam

Durgesh Gangani for Kathak

Kalamandalam Vaisakh for Kathakali

Manju Elangbam for Manipuri

Madhulita Mohapatra for Odissi

Anjali Borbora Borthakur for Sattriya

Rakesh Sai Babu for Chhau and Vikram Mohan for Contemporary Dance.

Theatre (7) -

Chavan Pramod R for Direction

Namrata Sharma for Acting

Sunil Palwal for Acting

Preeti Jha Tiwari for Acting

Kuldeep Patgiri for Mime

Subhadeep Guha for Allied Theatre Arts - Music for Theatre

Kalamandalam Sajith Vijayan for Other Major Traditions of Theatre – Kutiyattam.

Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre and Puppetry (8)

Chandan Tiwari (Bihar)

Dinesh Kumar Jangde (Chattisgarh)

Manoj Kumar Das (Assam)

Chandani Mansing Zala (Gujarat)

A.Aneshori Devi (Manipur)

P.Rajkumar (Tamilnadu)

Madhushree Haital (West Bengal)

Ashok Kumar (Uttar Pradesh)

Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a purse money of Rs 25000.

14. Social entrepreneur Priya Priyadarshini Jain conferred with “Indian Women of Influence” award at House of Lords (UK).

15. Vocalist S. Sowmya has been chosen for Sangeetha Kalanidhi Award, awarded yearly to a Carnatic Musician by Madras Music

Academy.

16. Wipro Chairman Azim Premji and Mastercard CEO Ajaypal Singh Banga honored with 2019 Global Excellence Award of the US-

India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) for their contribution to strengthening economic ties between US and India.

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Books

1. Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minsiter Narendra Singh Tomar Launched The Coffee Table Book – 50 years of Partnership

for Change, to commemorate 50 years of partnership between Ministry and United Nation World Food Programme (UNWFP)

towards addressing food and nutritional security in India.

2. Book Indo-Pak Relations: Beyond Pulwama and Balakot authored by U V Singh has been released.

3. Book Whispers of Time, written by Krishna Saxena has been released, by Textiles and Women and Child Development Minister

Smriti Zubin Irani.

4. Book based on former PM Chandra Shekhar, Chandra Shekhar - The Last Icon of Ideological Politics", written by Shri

Harivansh and Ravi Dutt Bajpai has been released. The book on

5. Book titled ‘New-Age Technology and Industrial Revolution 4.0’, authored by Rajya Sabha Member Narendra Jadhav has been

released by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.

6. Book titled “War over Words: Censorship in India, 1930-1960” authored by Devika Sethi (IIT Mandi) has been released.

7. Book titled ”Fire and Fury Corps -Saga of Valour, Fortitude and Sacrifice” showcasing the history and achievements of the ‘Fire &

Fury Corps’ which guards Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, has

been released.

8. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled ‘Vivekadeepini’, a concise book of aphorisms (a memorable expression

of a general truth or principle) initially written by Adi Shankaracharya, one of India’s greatest spiritual and literary geniuses.

It is a compilation of select 36 verses drawn from 67 verses of Prashnottara Ratnamalika which are written in Question-

Answer format.

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Committees

1. Government formed a high-level committee under chairmanship of Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju to strategise preparation for

2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics. Committee will aim to provide all possible support to potential athletes for 2020

Tokyo Olympic Games.

2. Government reconstituted Group of Ministers (GoM) called the Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) on Air India

disinvestment. It is now is headed by Home minister Amit Shah and comprises of 3 other ministers Nirmala Sitharaman (finance),

Piyush Goyal (commerce and railway) and Hardeep Singh Puri (civil aviation).

3. Govt. Appointed VK Johri as new Director General (DG) of Border Security Force (BSF).

4. Govt. reconstituted Group of Ministers (GoM) looking after issues of how to prevent sexual harassment at workplace and

strengthen legal frameworks. GoM will be lead by Home Minister Amit Shah.

5. Nagaland government formed a four-member committee headed by Chief Secretary Temjen Toy (IAS) to compile customary

practices and usages of all tribes of Nagaland.

6. PM Narendra Modi constituted a High-powered Committee of Chief Ministers (CMs) for ‘Transformation of Indian Agriculture’,

headed by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. It will suggest policy measures, attract investments and raise growth in food

processing and raise farmer’s income.

7. RBI constituted a working group to review regulatory guidelines and supervisory framework for Core Investment Companies

(CIC), chaired by Tapan Ray.

There is a need to strengthen corporate governance framework of CICs, as India’s Corporate Group structures have become

more complex, with multiple layering and leveraging.

8. Supreme Court constituted a committee to urgently frame and implement an emergency response plan for protection of two

Indian birds- Great Indian Bustard and the Lesser Florican. The panel constitutes Deepak Apte, Asad R Rahmani and Dhananjai

Mohan.

9. University Grants Commission (UGC) launched STRIDE (Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India’s Developing

Economy) scheme to boost research culture and innovation in colleges and universities. Components Inlcude -

Identifying young talents with research and innovation aptitude in colleges and universities. This component is open to all

disciplines (subjects) for grant up to Rs.1 crore.

Encouraging collaborations between universities, government, industries and voluntary organizations. This component is

open to all disciplines for grant upto Rs.50 lakh to 1 crore.

Funding high impact research projects in humanities and Social Sciences via national network of eminent scientists from

leading institutions of country. Grant available for this component is up to Rs.1 crore for one High Educational Institute

(HEI) and up to Rs.5 crores for multi institutional network.

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Days

1. Jul 11 - World Population Day. It was established by Governing Council of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in

1989. It was inspired by public interest in Five Billion Day on 11 July 1987, approximate date on which world’s population reached

5 billion.

2. Jul 17 - World Day for International Justice. It marks adoption of Rome Statute in 1998. With help of this treaty International

Criminal Court (ICC) was established.

3. July 1 is Observed as GST (Goods & Services Tax) Day.

GST regime came into Force on July 1 2017, unifying indirect taxes in Indian into One.

Several GST Reforms proposed–

Introduction of New return system - Sahaj & Sugam returns for small taxpayers.

Rationalisation of Cash Ledger System - Govt. will rationalise ledger in a manner that earlier 20 heads are merged into

5 major heads.

Single Refund-Disbursing Mechanism will come into play wherein government which sanctions refund disburses all

four major heads of refunds namely CGST, SGST or IGST and Cess.

Introduction of Composition Scheme - Threshold limit of Rs.40 lakh is offered of suppliers of goods as per choice of

states. Finance ministry propose introducing composition scheme for small service providers up to an annual turnover

of 50 lakh with a tax rate of 6%.

4. July 1 is observed as Doctors Day in India. 2019 Theme is Zero tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishment.

This day honours legendary physician and second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy.

July 1 is also observed as Chartered Accountants Day In India.

5. July 14 is observed as National Day of France, also known as Bastille Day. It is commemorated the anniversary of Storming of the

Bastille during French Revolution on 14 July 1789. July 14 is also observed as Shark Awareness Day Globally.

6. July 15 - World Youth Skills Day. 2019 theme is Learning to learn for life and work. On 18 December 2014, UN General

Assembly (UNGA) declared 15th July as World Youth Skills Day. Sri Lanka initiated this resolution.

July 15, 2019 marks 4th Anniversary of Skill India Mission, in which over 1 crore youth join skilling ecosystem every year.

7. July 18 - UN Nelson Mandela International Day, proclaimed by United Nations in 2009, and first UN Mandela Day held in July

2010.

8. July 2 is observed as World Sports Journalists Day. On this occasion, Sports Journalists Federation of India 2019 Awards

announced -

SJFI Medal (Highest Honour) - Prakash Padukone (Badminton).

Sportsperson of the Year - Pankaj Advani (Billiards and Snooker)

Bajrang Punia (Wrestling).

Emerging Talent - Saurabh Choudhary (Shooting).

Team of the Year Award - Vidarbha Cricket Team.

9. July 2 observed as World UFO (Unidentified Flying Objects) day, observed since 2001. On some places, it is observed on June 24,

the date on which 9 unusual objects were saw flying over Washington (USA) in 1947.

10. July 20 - International Chess Day, marks founding of International Chess Federation in 1924.

11. July 20, 2019 marks 50th Anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 Mission, which was spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin formed American crew that landed Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969.

They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar

material to bring back to Earth.

12. July 23 is observed as National broadcasting Day in India. On this day in 1927, 1st ever radio broadcast in country went on the air

from Bombay Station under a private company called Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC).

July 23 is also birth anniversary of Legendary Indian Freedom Fighters Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

13. July 24 is Observed by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) as Income Tax Day (Aayakar Diwas). On this day in 1860, Income

Tax was introduced for first time in India by James Wilson.

14. July 26 marks Kargil Vijay Diwas. On this date in 1999, India took command of high outposts which were captured by Pakistanis.

On this occasion, book Kargil: Untold stories from the War authored by Rachna Bisht Rawat has been released.

Theme of 20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas is Remember, Rejoice and Renew.

Samir Rawat, a military psychologist who was also in ‘operation Vijay’ conducted by Indian army in Kargil, has been invited

as keynote speaker at 32nd International Congress of Psychology(ICP) in Prague (Czech Republic).

15. July 28 is observed by World Health Organization as World Hepatitis Day. 2019 theme is Invest in eliminating hepatitis. Host

country for World Hepatitis Day 2019 is Pakistan. July 28 is also observed as World Nature Conservation Day.

DD News (Doordarshan) has been awarded “Champions of Empathy Award” for spreading awareness about hepatitis.

16. July 29 is observed as World Tiger Day. It was proclaimed in 2010 at Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia where signatories

declared an agreement that the governments of tiger populated counties would double the tiger population by 2022, termed as

TX2. On this occcasion, results of 4th cycle of All India Tiger Estimation 2018 were announced. Key points -

Count of tigers in India rose to 2967 in 2018. India achieved its 2022 target of doubling tiger population four years before

deadline. Count grew from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,226 in 2014 and to 2,967 in 2018.

In 2014, there were 692 protected areas, which increased to more than 860 in 2019. Community Reserves also grew from 43,

in 2014, to more than 100.

Top 5 States - Madhya Pradesh saw highest number at 526, followed by Karnataka (524), Uttarakhand (442), Maharashtra

(312) and Tamil Nadu (264).

States that saw Decline in Tiger Population - Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.

Pench sanctuary (MP) and Periyar sanctuary of Kerala emerged as best managed tiger reserves in country.

Dampa Reserve (Mizoram) and Rajaji reserve (Uttarakhand) with score of 42.97% and 44.53% respectively were left at

bottom of ladder.

17. July 30 is observed as UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. 2019 theme is Human Trafficking: Call Your Government

To Action. This day was proclaimed by UN General Assembly in 2013.

July 30 is also birth anniversary of Muthulakshmi Reddi, India's first female legislator and also known as a woman of many

firsts. Tamil Nadu Government declared that every year hospitals will celebrate her birth anniversary as ‘Hospital Day.'

Google honored by creating a doodle on her 133rd birth anniversary in 2019.

18. July 31 is observed as World Ranger Day. It is also birth aniversary of Noted Indian Writer Munsi Premchand.

19. July 6, 2019 observed as International Day of Cooperatives. It is Observed by United Nations on first Saturday of July every year.

Theme for 2019 is COOPS 4 DECENT WORK.

July 6 is also observed as World Zoonoses Day. It commemorates July 6, 1885, when Louis Pasteur successfully administered

first vaccine against Rabies virus, a zoonotic disease.

Top

Defence

1. US approved foreign military sales worth $670 million to support India’s C-17 military transport aircraft in order to enhance

operational readiness and ability to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) assistance in Indo-Pacific

region.

2. 11th biennial edition of DefExpo India 2020 will be held in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), with theme India: The Emerging Defence

Manufacturing Hub’ and focus will be on ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’.

3. 1st batch of Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian Attack helicopters arrived at Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) Hindon airbase in

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), consisting 4 out of 22 choppers ordered by India from US.

AH-64E Apache is world’s most advanced Multi-Role Combat Helicopter. Boeing has delivered over 2,200 Apaches to

customers around the world so far. India is 14th nation to select Apache.

4. Annual Joint Indo-China Military Exercise ‘Hand-in-Hand’ will be held at Umroi (Meghalaya) in December 2019.

5. Border Security Force (BSF) launched massive exercise code named Sudarshan, to fortify Anti-Infiltration Grid along Pakistan

border in Punjab and Jammu.

6. CRPF unveiled India’s first prototype of a body protector for women personnel, developed jointly by CRPF and Defence Institute

of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), weighing approx 6 kg.

7. First Joint security exercise International Security Alliance (ISALEX19) held in Abu Dhabi (UAE Capital). The Alliance was

formed in 2017 and has 9 members - Bahrain, Morocco, France, Italy, Spain, Senegal, Singapore, Slovak Republic and United Arab

Emirates.

8. India held its first ever space war exercise, named IndSpaceEx, to evaluate essential space and counter-space abilities.

IndSpaceEx has been held a few months after Mission Shakti, that made India fourth country after Russia, USA and China to

have ASAT power. ASAT (Anti Satellite Weapon) has capacity to destroy or disable space assets.

9. India signed INR 1500 crores deal to acquire R-27 air-to-air missiles from Russia for equipping Su-30MKI combat aircraft fleet

of the Indian Air Force and for boosting its capabilities in beyond visual range warfare, under 10-I projects which mandate all the 3

services (Army, Navy and Air Force) to maintain critical weapon systems and spares for a specified minimum period called as War

Wastage Reserve (WWR).

After Pulwama attacks in Feb 19, government had given emergency powers to 3 services to buy whatever equipment is

required by them for safeguarding borders with Pakistan. Under this, security can buy equipment of their choice within 3

months at cost of up to 300 crores per case.

10. India signed INR 200 crore deal with Russia for acquiring Strum Ataka anti-tank missile for its fleet of Mi-35 attack choppers of

Indian Air Force (IAF). The deal has been signed under emergency clauses through which missiles would be supplied within 3

months of contract signing.

After February 2019 Pulwama attacks, emergency powers were given to Indian Defence forces. Under emergency powers,

Forces can procure equipment within 3 months at a cost of about INR 300 crores per case.

11. India successfully test-fired a vertical deep dive version of the indigenous BrahMos supersonic missile. Tank Buster Nag Missiles

were also test fired, with range upto 10 KMs. Upgraded version of the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile with an enhanced

range of up to 500 km is also ready and will be tested soon.

12. Indian Air Force (IAF) launched 3D air-borne combat based mobile video game called ‘Indian Air Force: A cut above’, as second

such video game launched by IAF, after Guardians of the Skies’ in 2014 .

Indian Air Force: A cut above is aimed at making youth aware about IAF and encourage them to join armed forces.

13. Indian Army placed an order for procuring Israeli Anti-Tank Spike missiles from Israel, under emergency purchases to meet

operational preparedness of army. Spike missile is known for their precision targeting with ability to pierce even bunkers, with

Range under 4 kilometers.

After Pulwama attacks in Feb 2019, armed forces were given powers to make emergency purchases. Under these emergency

provision forces can make procurement up to Rs 300 crores.

14. Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 313, the fifth Dornier aircraft squadron has been commissioned into Indian Navy. The

Squadron will be operating from Chennai International Airport. Tamil Nadu now has three naval air bases, with other 2 being INS

Rajali at Arakkonam and INS Parundu at Ramnad.

15. Indian Navy's Oceanographic research vessel INS Sagardhwani bega 2 month long SAGAR MAITRI, aimed at promoting closer

co-operation in socio-economic aspects as well as greater scientific interaction especially in ocean research among Indian Ocean

Rim (IOR) countries. MAITRI Stands for Marine & Allied Interdisciplinary Training and Research Initiative”.

16. Indigenously produced lightweight bullet proof jacket Bhabha Kavach was launched at International Police Expo 2019 held at

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Bhabha Kavach is India’s Lightest Bullet Proof Jacket, Developed by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)

and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI).

It can withstand 7.62mm hard steel core or bullets fired from an AK-47 rifle, 5.56mm INSAS (INdian Small Arms System)

bullet and even recently decommissioned 7.65mm bullet of self-loading rifle (SLR). It only weighs 9.2kg.

17. Israel Aerospace signed $50 million follow-up deal on Surface-to-Air Missiles with Indian navy, to provide complementary

missile systems to Indian navy and India's MDL Shipyard.

18. Joint India and France Air Force Exercise Garuda VI began at Mont de Marsan in France. It will conclude on July 12, 2019.

19. Joint venture of Kalyani group and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Systems secured a $100 million contract for manufacturing 1,000

Barak-8 MRSAM missile kits, to be used by Indian Army and Air Force.

20. Sixth ship of Class of Eight Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mark-IV vessels - IN LCU L-56, commissioned Into Indian Navy. It is

100th warship of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) Kolkata.

21. To boost ‘Make in India’ initiative in Defence and Aerospace sector, Defence Ministry approved allowing Private Sector industry

compete with Ordnance Factories and Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs) for prestigious Raksha Mantri’s Awards for

Excellence.

Top

Economy

1. PNB Subsidiary PNB Housing Finance Ltd has raised $100 million from World Bank Group Member International Finance

Corporation. This is 1st ECB (external commercial borrowings) outlay made under RBI automatic route for current financial year

(FY2019-20) (out of upto $750 million ECB allowed by RBI).

RBI also relaxed norms of funds raised through External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) for second time this year, to raise

cheaper Offshore funds by Corporates and Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFC). Over last 10 months many corporates

and NBFCs have faced liquidity shortage due to the collapse of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) in

September 2018.

2. 36th GST Council Meeting held in New Delhi, under chairmanship of Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Key Highlights

GST rate on all electric vehicles be reduced from 12% to 5%.

GST rate on charger or charging stations for Electric vehicles be reduced from 18% to 5%.

Hiring of electric buses (of carrying capacity of more than 12 passengers) by local authorities be exempted from GST.

3. 7th Economic Census (EC), conducted by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) commenced from

Tripura. It is held after a gap of 5 years. As per previous Economic Census conducted in 2013, there were 58.5 million

establishments employing around 131 million workers.

Implementing Agency is Common Services Centers (CSC) e-Governance Services India Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle

(SPV) under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY).

Fieldwork will be completed by December and results at national level will be available by March 2020.

4. Atal Pension Yojana ((APY), launched in May 2015, has reached 1.68 crore subscribers so far. It aims at creating a universal

social security system for all Indians, especially the poor, the under-privileged and the workers in the unorganised sector.

5. A Committee constituted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) submitted its Report to the RBI, recommending limit for collateral free

lending to be increased to Rs.20 lakh for MSMEs and Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Committee has also recommended revision of

loan limit sanctioned under MUDRA to Rs.20 lakh from Rs.10 lakh.

6. According to Credit Rating Agency (ICRA), India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD) will remain steady at a range of 16-17 billion

dollars or 2.3 % of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in first quarter, despite recent slowdown in Merchandise exports and imports.

CAD is expected to widen from 63 to 68 billion dollars in FY2020, from 57.2 billion dollars in FY2019, remaining steady at

2.1 % of GDP.

Merchandise trade deficit is expected to widen about 193 billion to 198 billion dollars in FY20 from 180 billion dollars in

FY18.

7. According to Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow

increased during last 6 years from $36.05 billion in 2013-14 to $64.37 billion in 2018-19, registering a growth of 79%.

8. According to IDFC Institute’s Report on Reforming Urban India, Indian Cities contribute between 59% and 70% of India’s Gross

Domestic Product (GDP). They need urgent reforms in order to unlock their economic potential and transform the quality of life.

9. According to RBI, Maharashtra registered highest number of ATM frauds in FY 2018-19, followed by Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and

Karnataka (Amounting over 1 lakh).

10. According to TransUnion CIBIL - SIDBI MSME Pulse Report -

Gujarat is ranked first in terms of performance and credit growth potential for MSME Corporate Lending in India,

maintained since past 4 years. Gujarat was followed by Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka and Delhi.

Andhra Pradesh was ranked highest in market growth in FY19.

MSME corporate entities are borrowers with aggregate credit exposure of up to Rs 50 crore. Market size of this category is Rs

17.6 lakh crore as of March 2019.

11. Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank (ABIPBL) will shut down its operations within 18 months of launch due to unanticipated

developments in the business landscape that have made the economic model unviable.

ABIPBL is a joint venture by Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (51% stake) and Idea Cellular (49%).

It is first payments bank to close down after Payment banks were approved by RBI in 2015.Payment banks are struggling due

to operational restrictions put by RBI related to operations.

12. After recent closure of Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank, now Vodafone’s mobile phone-based banking service M-Pesa has been

shut down in India. It has been done due to regulatory curbs and stress in phone-banking sector. M-Pesa services were launched in

India in 2013.

13. Airtel Payments Bank partnered with Bharti AXA Life Insurance to offer Bharti AXA Life POS (Point of Sale) Saral Jeevan Bima

Yojana, a pure life term insurance plan up to Rs 5 lakh which is aimed at the under-insured and uninsured segments in India.

14. An Internal Working Group of RBI on Comprehensive Review of Market Timings suggested calibrated extension of Currency

Market (Foreign Exchange Market) hours, from 9 am to 9 pm for both Over Counter (OTC) and Exchange Traded, from current

closure time of 5 pm. Recommendations -

Call Market's timings could be extended till 6 pm. As Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system is operational till such

time.

Bond Market - On account of lack of demand from participants group recommended that the government bond market

timing can be retained and the market be closed at 5 pm.

G-Sec Trading - Currently there have been no requests from any market participants seeking extension of market hours for

G-sec trading.

15. As per 2nd edition of payments solution company Razorpay digital transactions quarterly report - ‘The Era of Rising Fintech’ -

Bengaluru is at top in list of “most digitised cities”, accounting for highest card payments. It is followed by Hyderabad,

Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi.

Top five digitised states - Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and New Delhi.

16. As per Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry Data, average monthly income per agricultural household from all sources is

INR 6426, based on Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households conducted by National Sample Survey Office

(NSSO).

17. As per External Sector Report of International Monetary Fund (IMF), India’s current account (CA) balance deficit rose to $68

billion in 2018-19 from $49 billion in 2017-18.

India's Net International Investment Position improved with deficit coming down from $438 billion in 2017-18 to $431

billion in 2018-19. India's overall international reserves, stood at $411.9 billion at end of March 2019, down from March last

year by $12.5 billion.

18. As per Indian IT Body NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies), demand for digitally skilled talent

projected to grow significantly at 35% Compounded Annual Growth Rate(CAGR) till 2023.

19. As per report Status of Unaccounted Income/Wealth Both Inside and Outside the Country – A Critical Analysis of Standing

Committee on Finance headed by M Veerappa Moily -

3 separate studies which were conducted by 3 premier institutes- The National Institute of Public Policy and

Finance (NIPFP), National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and the National Institute of Financial

Management (NIFM) showed that the unaccounted wealth held by Indians was estimated in the range of $216.48 billion to

$490 billion between 1980 and 2010.

NCAER study reported that unaccounted wealth accumulated outside India was estimated between $384 billion and $490

billion during the 1980-2010 period.

NIFM reported illicit outflow at current value (including opportunity cost) from India in reform period (1990-2008) was

$216.48 billion and illicit outflows from country was estimated on an average at 10% of estimated unaccounted income.

NIPFP reported that during 1997-2009, illicit financial outflows were in the range of 0.2% to 7.4% of the Gross Domestic

Product (GDP).

20. Asian Development Bank sanctioned INR 1925 crore rupees project for upgradation of power generation and distribution in

Tripura. It Includes upgrading capacity of 63 MW Rokhia Project to 120 MW and modernising Gumti Hydro Electric Project.

21. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will provide $100-million loan to L&T (Larsen & Toubro) Infrastructure Finance

Company(LTIF) for wind and solar infrastructure projectsl, as first AIIB Loan to a non-banking finance company(NBFC).

This will help reduce carbon intensity by 30-35 % of 2005 levels by 2030, which is India’s commitment under Paris

agreement.

22. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) signed agreement with Haryana government to encourage state's micro, small and medium

enterprises (SMEs) to raise capital. It will facilitate SMEs in raise funds through BSE's dedicated platform for SMEs "BSE SME"

where small companies can raise productive capital and gain visibility.

23. Brand ‘Tata’ has been ranked as India’s most valuable brand in 2019, according to a report by London-based consultancy Brand

Finance. Tata’s brand value rose to $19.6billion (up 37% from last year), with LIC ($7.3 billion) and Infosys ($6.5 billion) at next 2

Places.

24. CARS24, online marketplace for buying and selling used cars received a license of a Non-banking Finance Company (NBFC) from

RBI. It will now venture into consumer lending business as a separate entity within Cars24 group. Cars24 Financial Services will

facilitate vehicle loans to customers as well as finance channel partners to help them expand their businesses.

25. Cabinet approved several amendments to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016, to speed up bankruptcy resolution process.

Amendments -

Resolution process must be completed within 330 days, up from 270 days currently.

Cabinet clarified rights of financial as well as operational creditors who have not spoken in favour of a resolution.

Amendment proposes that they will get a share of proceeds from the sale of the debtor company or its liquidation as per the

hierarchy specified in IBC.

Committee of Creditors (CoC) will have power to take commercial decisions on distribution of funds to various classes of

creditors.

Bankruptcy resolution or liquidation decided under bankruptcy framework is binding on central, state and local

governments, to whom insolvent company owes dues. This will prevent state authorities including income tax officials from

questioning a rescue plan adopted in a court-monitored process.

Amendment will ensure that a majority vote from creditors such as homebuyers will be counted as a 100% vote from that

class of creditors in favour of or against a resolution plan.

26. Digital Communications Commission (DCC) approved cumulative penalty of INR 3050 crores that regulator TRAI had imposed

on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for not providing points of interconnection to Reliance Jio when it entered the market. DCC

will send the recommendation to Department of Telecom for their decision.

27. Government eMarketplace and Steel Authority of India signed MoU to set up GeM Organizational Transformation Team - Project

Management Unit (GOTT-PMic. With this, SAIL became first PSU to establish GOTT PMU for transforming their procurement

landscape and increasing their footprint on GeM.

28. Government extended facility of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers to help them meet their

working capital needs. It will help fisheries and animal husbandry farmers to meet their short term credit requirements of rearing

of animals, poultry birds and other aquatic organisms and capture of fish.

Under KCC, credit limit is 3 lakh rupees is given to eligible beneficiaries, with interest subvention is at rate of 2 % per annum

at disbursal and additional interest subvention of 3 % per annum in case of prompt repayment.

29. Government fixed price at Rs.3443 per gram for the new series of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) opening July 8.

Government, in consultation with RBI, has formulated scheme for issuing Sovereign Gold Bonds every month from June -

September 2019 as per Given calendar. Bonds will be sold through Scheduled Commercial banks, Stock Holding Corporation

of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices, and recognised stock exchanges - NSE and BSE.

S.No. Tranche Date of Subscription Date of Issuance

1 2019-20 Series I June 03-07, 2019 June 11, 2019 (Issue price to be INR 3196 per gram)

2 2019-20 Series II July 08–12, 2019 July 16, 2019 (Issue price to be INR 3443 per gram)

3 2019-20 Series III August 05-09, 2019 August 14, 2019

4 2019-20 Series IV September 09-13, 2019 September 17, 2019

Features -

Sl. No. Item Details

Eligibility The Bonds will be restricted for sale to resident individuals, HUFs, Trusts, Universities andCharitable Institutions.

Denomination The Bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1 gram.

Tenor The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with exit option after 5th year to be exercisedon the interest payment dates.

Minimum size Minimum permissible investment will be 1 gram of gold.

Maximumlimit

The maximum limit of subscribed shall be 4 KG for individual, 4 Kg for HUF and 20 Kg fortrusts.

Joint holder In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 4 KG will be applied to the first applicant only.

Issue pricePrice of Bond will be fixed in Indian Rupees on the basis of simple average of closing price ofgold of 999 purity. Issue price will be 50 per gram less for those who subscribe and Pay online.Cash Payment of Max INR 20000 will be accepted.

Interest rate The investors will be compensated at a fixed rate of 2.50 per cent per annum payable semi-annually on the nominal value.

Commission Commission for distribution of the bond shall be paid at the rate of 1% of the total subscriptionreceived. Receiving offices shall share at least 50% of commission with agents.

30. Government infused INR Rs 3.15 lakh crore into public sector banks(PSB) in the last 11 years up till 2018-19. Also, Govt. Banks

have loans of worth INR 1.50 trillion as wilful defaults in 2018-19, with SBI at top with INR 461.58 billion.

31. Government reduced interest rate for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes for Q2 of FY 2019-20 (July -

Sep).

GPF is provident fund account where only government employees are entitled to be a member, Unlike PPF (Public Provident

Fund) which is open to all.

GPF rules are applicable to those central government employees who are appointed on or before December 31, 2003.

32. Government waived off Basic Customs Duty (BCD) for the products which are imported for nuclear power plants, to reduce

dependency on carbon-based fuel for electricity generation. India's Installed nuclear capacity is 6780 MW at present, aimed to

reach 13480 MW by 2025.

33. Govt. Approved Merger of 3 PSU General Insurance Companies - National Insurance Company Limited, United India Assurance

Company Limited and Oriental India Insurance Company Limited. It would be done by amending General Insurance Business

(Nationalisation) Act 1972, to enable merger of non-life insurance companies.

34. Gujarat Finance Minister Nitin Patel presented State Budget 2019-20, sizing INR 204815 crores, largest ever for Gujarat.

State government allotted INR 4500 crore for providing Tap water to every household by 2022.

State plans to increase installed power generetaion capacity to 30,000 megawatts (Mw) by 2022, from 8885 MW at present.

Sardar Sarovar Narmada Yojana To bring water to canal network to field the state, has been allotted 6595 crores.

Vhali Dikri Yojana new scheme introduced to improve girl childbirth rate of state, to provide Financial assistance between

4000 - 1 Lakh to a girl child.

35. HDFC Bank and Common Services Centres launched a co-branded ‘Small Business Money Back Credit Card’ for small traders

and village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs). It will give users easy access to credit for their business expenses.

36. ICICI Bank acquired 9.9 % stake in BSE subsidiary INX - located at GIFT City Gujarat - for nearly Rs 31 crores.

37. ICICI Bank launched a new digital platform called ‘InstaBIZ’, targeted at MSMEs and self-employed customers, enabling them to

undertake their business banking transactions digitally . It offers over 115 products and services online through mobile phone or

internet banking platform.

It is first digital platform allows instant payment of GST using challan number. MSMEs can instantly apply for a Point-of-

Sale(Pos) machine and marine insurance policy.

38. ICICI Bank tied up with NBFC IndoStar Capital for vehicle financing for small and medium fleet owners to buy new and old

commercial vehicles.

39. India will be the first recipient of local currency financing by Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB), aimed at

providing more options to borrowers. India is second-largest shareholder of AIIB with a 7.5% stake, and has received $2-billion

funding for various projects so far. China holds 20.06% and Russia holds 5.92%.

40. India's HDFC Bank terminated and de-listed its 22 outstanding global depository receipts (GDRs) from Luxembourg Stock

Exchange, due to low trading volume of GDRs.

41. Indian GDP Growth Forecasts (Jul 2019) -

International Monetary Fund lowered its annual growth forecast for India from 7.3% to 7% in financial year 2019-20.

Asian Development Bank lowered India's GDP growth rate from 7.2% to 7% for current fiscal (FY 2019-20).

Singaporea Based DBS Bank estimated Indian GDP to grow at 6.8% in FY 2020. Reasons for slow growth include poor

monsoon and rural income & consumption will be pressured by persistent negative terms of trade in the agricultural sector.

42. Inter-Ministerial Committee on legality of cryptocurrencies and blockchain submitted its report to Finance Ministry.

Committee recommends All private cryptocurrencies, except any cryptocurrency issued by Govt. to be banned in India.

It also drafted a law, ‘Banning of Cryptocurrency & Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2019’, which mandates fine

upto 25 Crores and imprisonment of up to 10 years for offences.

Committee was set up under Chairmanship of Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg in 2017.

43. Japanese Investment Firm SoftBank invested around $250 million in India's Ola Electric Mobility, Making it a unicorn (1 Billion

USD Valuation).

44. Karnataka Bank launched web tool named ‘Vasool So-Ft’ (Vasool So-Fast) for digitizing the Non-Performing Asset (NPA)

recovery process.

45. Life Insurance Corporation of India has offered INR 1.25 trillion Line of Credit by 2024, to fund highway projects (25000 crore

in a year). Borrowings will be in the form of bonds to be issued by National Highways Authority of India.

46. Madhya Pradesh government presented budget 2019-20 with expenditure INR 214085 crores, after Congress Party Government

led by Kamal Nath was sworn in -

INR 132 crores were allocated for welfare of bovines and hiked grant to state Waqf Board and Haj committee. 3 fold hike in

honorarium for priests working in registered temples is also proposed.

Budgetary allocation of Rs 8,000 crore made to waive remaining loans of farmers.

47. Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman Presented Union Budget 2019-20 in Parliament. It is First full

Budget of newly elected NDA Government forming 17th Lok Sabha, led by PM Narendra Modi. Key Highlights can be seen here.

48. Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman tabled Economic Survey 2018-19 in Parliament. It is

prepared under guidance of Chief Economic Adviser (Krishnamurthy Subramanian). Key Highlights -

State of Economy in 2018-19 -India still fastest growing major economy in 2018-19.Growth of GDP moderated to 6.8 % in 2018-19 from 7.2 % in 2017-18.Inflation contained at 3.4 % in 2018-19.Non-Performing Assets as percentage of Gross Advances reduced to 10.1 % at end December 2018 from 11.5 % at endMarch 2018.Growth in fixed investment picked up from 8.3 % in 2016-17 to 9.3 % next year and further to 10.0 % in 2018-19.Current account deficit manageable at 2.1 % of GDP.Fiscal deficit of Central Government declined from 3.5 % of GDP in 2017-18 to 3.4 % in 2018-19.Provisional Debt to GDP ratio is 44.5 %.Survey estimates GDP growth of 7% for FY 2019-20.The revised fiscal glide path envisages achieving fiscal deficit of 3 % of GDP by FY 2020-21 and Central Governmentdebt to 40 % of GDP by 2024-25.

Theme is about enabling a “shifting of gears" to sustained economic growth for objective of $5 trillion by 2024-25. GDP

Growth has to stay above 8 % to become a $5 trillion by 2025. Private investment is key driver for demand, capacity, labor

productivity, new technology, creative destruction and job creation.

Using insights from behavioral economics to create an aspirational agenda for social change -From ‘Beti Baco Beti Padhao’ to ‘BADLAV’ (Beti Aapki Dhan Lakshmi Aur Vijay Lakshmi).From ‘Swachh Bharat’ to ‘Sundar Bharat’.From ‘Give it up” for the LPG subsidy to ‘Think about the Subsidy’.From ‘Tax evasion’ to ‘Tax compliance’.

Unshackling MSMEs and enabling them to grow by -Sunset clause of under 10 years, with necessary grand-fathering, for all size-based incentives.Deregulating labor law restrictions to create significantly more jobs.Re-calibrating Priority Sector Lending (PSL) guidelines for direct credit flow to young firms in high employment elasticsectors.

Ending Matsyanyaya - Ramping up Capacity in Lower Judiciary -

Delays in contract enforcement and disposal resolution are biggest hurdle to ease of doing business and higher GDP

growth. Around 87.5 % of pending cases are in the District and Subordinate courts.

100 % clearance rate can be achieved by filling out 2279 vacancies in lower courts and 93 in High Courts.

Survey proposes reduction in economic policy uncertainty by -Consistency of actual policy with forward guidance.Quality assurance certification of processes in Government departments.

India's Demography at 2040 -Sharp slowdown in population growth expected in next 2 decades.Working age population to grow by 9.7mn per year during 2021-31 and 4.2mn per year during 2031-41.Significant decline to be witnessed in elementary school-going children (5-14 age group) over next two decades.

Analysis of the Swachh Bharat MissionTraceable health benefits brought about by Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).93.1% of the households have access to toilets.

Enabling Inclusive Growth through Affordable, Reliable and Sustainable Energy -2.5 times increase in per capita energy consumption needed for India to increase its real per capita GDP by $5000 at2010 prices, and enter upper-middle income group.4 times increase in per capita energy consumption needed for India to achieve 0.8 Human Development Index score.India is 4th in wind power, 5th in solar power and 5th in renewable power installed capacity.Share of renewable (excluding hydro above 25 MW) in total electricity generation increased from 6% in 2014-15 to 10%in 2018-19. Thermal power still dominant with 60% share.

Market share of electric cars only 0.06% in India while it is 2% in China and 39% in Norway.Survey proposes a well-designed minimum wage system for Inclusive Growth -

Present minimum wage system in India has 1,915 minimum wages for various scheduled job categories across states.‘National Floor Minimum Wage’ should be notified by the Central Government, varying across five geographicalregions. Minimum wages by states should be fixed at levels not lower than ‘floor wage’.‘National level dashboard’ under Ministry of Labour & Employment for regular notifications on minimum wages,proposed by Survey.

Money Management and Financial Intermediation -Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code led to recovery of significant amount of distressed assets and improved businessculture.

Till March 31, 2019, CIRP yielded resolution of 94 cases involving claims worth INR 1,73359 crores.As on 28 Feb 2019, 6079 cases involving INR 2.84 lakh crores have been withdrawn.INR 50000 crore received by banks from previously non-performing accounts. Additional INR 50,000 crore"upgraded" from non-standard to standard assets.

Financial flows remained constrained because of decline in equity finance raised from capital markets and stress inNBFC sector -

Capital mobilized through public equity issuance declined by 81 % in 2018-19.Credit growth rate y-o-y of NBFCs declined from 30 % in March 2018 to 9 % in March 2019.

Prices and Inflation -Headline inflation based on CPI-C continued declining for 5 year, remaining under 4 % in last 2 years.Food inflation based on Consumer Food Price Index declined for 5th year and remained below 2.0 % for last 2 years.

Sustainable Development and Climate Change -India’s SDG Index Score ranges between 42 and 69 for States and between 57 and 68 for UTs:

Kerala and Himachal Pradesh are at top with score of 69 amongst states.Chandigarh and Puducherry are at top in , Ts with a score of 68 and 65 respectively.

A comprehensive NCAP (National Clean Air Programme) launched in 2019 for - Prevention, control and abatement ofair pollution.

External Sector -As per WTO, World trade growth slowed down to 3 % in 2018 from 4.6 % in 2017.India’s External Debt was US$ 521.1 billion at end-December 2018, 1.6 % lower than its level at end-March 2018.Total liabilities-to-GDP ratio, inclusive of both debt and non-debt components, declined from 43 % in 2015 to 38 % atend of 2018.Exchange rate in 2018-19 has been more volatile than in previous year, mainly due to volatility in crude prices, but notmuch due to net portfolio flows.India’s exports and import basket in 2018-19 -

Exports (including re-exports) INR 2307663 CroresImports: INR 3594373 Crores

Top export items were Petroleum products, precious stones, drug formulations, gold and other precious metals.Top import items are Crude petroleum, pearl, precious, semi-precious stones and gold.India’s main trading partners continue to be the US, China, Hong Kong, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.India signed 28 bilateral / multilateral trade agreements with various country/group of countries.

Agriculture and Food ManagementGross Value Added (GVA) in agriculture improved from a negative 0.2 % in 2014-15 to 6.3 % in 2016-17 but deceleratedto 2.9 % in 2018-19.Women’s participation in agriculture increased to 13.9 % in 2015-16 from 11.7 % in 2005-06 and their concentration ishighest (28 %) among small and marginal farmers.89% of groundwater extracted is used for irrigation. Hence, focus should shift from land productivity to ‘irrigationwater productivity’.Policies should focus on -

Dairying as India is the largest producer of milk.Livestock rearing particularly of small ruminants.Fisheries sector, as India is the second largest producer.

Industry and Infrastructure -Overall Index of Eight Core Industries registered a growth rate of 4.3 % in 2018-19.India’s ranking improved by 23 to 77th position in 2018 among 190 countries assessed by World Bank Doing Business(DB) Report 2019.Road construction grew @ 30 km per day in 2018-19 compared to 12 km per day in 2014-15.Rail freight and passenger traffic grew by 5.33 % and 0.64 % respectively in 2018-19 as compared to 2017-18.The installed capacity of electricity has increased to 3, 56,100 MW in 2019 from 3, 44,002 MW in 2018.

Services SectorServices sector (excluding construction) has share of 54.3 % in India’s GVA and contributed over half of GVA growth in2018-19.IT-BPM industry grew by 8.4 % in 2017-18 to US$ 167 billion and will become US$ 181 billion in 2018-19.The services sector growth declined marginally to 7.5 % in 2018-19 from 8.1 % in 2017-18.

Accelerated sub-sectors: Financial services, real estate and professional services.Decelerated sub-sectors: Hotels, transport, communication and broadcasting services.

Services share in employment is 34 % in 2017.10.6 million foreign tourists received in 2018-19 compared to 10.4 million in 2017-18. Forex earnings from tourismstood at US$ 27.7 billion in 2018-19.

Social Infrastructure, Employment and Human Development -Government expenditure (Centre plus States) as a percentage of GDP on -

Health - increased to 1.5 % in 2018-19 from 1.2 % in 2014-15. Government aims to raise health servicesexpenditure to 2.5% of country’s GDP by 2025.Education - increased from 2.8 % to 3 % during this period.

Net employment generation in formal sector was higher at 8.15 lakh in March 2019 as against 4.87 lakh in February2018, as per EPFO.About 1.54 crore houses completed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) as against a target of 1 crore puccahouses with basic amenities by 31st March, 2019.

49. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and JCB International launched RuPay JCB Global Cards which can be used at

all POS terminals which accept RuPay cards and terminals outside India which accept JCB.

50. Newly Elected YSR Congress Government of Andhra Pradesh presented its maiden Budget, with outlay of INR 227975 crores -

Emphasis is on “Nava ratnalu”,9 promises made by YSR Congress Party in its election manifesto.

Setting up of agriculture price stabilisation fund with INR 3,000 crore, natural calamity fund with 2000 crores, 8750 crore

for YSR Rythu Bharosa (12,500 financial assistance for each farmer per annum), 100 crore for interest-free loans to farmers

under YSR Sunna Vaddi scheme, 1,163 crore for YSR crop insurance scheme and 250 crore for the proposed Kadapa steel

plant.

For Amma Vodi scheme (giving grant of 15,000 per annum to each mother who sends her child to the school up to

Intermediate level), 6,455 crores are set.

For YSR Arogyasri medical insurance scheme, INR 1,740 crore was allocated in Budget.

51. No charges on RTGS / NEFT money transfers became effective from July 01, 2019. It was mentioned in Second Bi-monthly

Monetary Policy Statement for 2019-20.

Real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system is meant for large-value instantaneous fund transfers, while national electronic

funds transfer (NEFT) is used for fund transfers of up to Rs 2 lakh.

Recently, Committee led by Infosys Founder Nandan Nilekani also suggested making NEFT/RTGS free, for promoting

digital payments.

52. OYO Hotels & Homes acquired co-working venture Innov8., valued at aprox 200 crores.

53. PSU Bank Andhra Bank launched its AI (Artificial Intelligence) interactive assistant called ABHi, powered by AI startup

Floatbot.ai.

54. Parliament adopted a statutory resolution for levying 200% duty on all goods exported from or originating in Pakistan. India had

levied basic custom duty to 200% on all goods exported from Pakistan with effect from 16 February 2019, after Pulwama Terror

Attacks.

Besides, statutory resolution related to increasing basic custom duty on lentils, boric acid and diagnostic and laboratory

reagents. On lentils, duty increased from 40 to 50 %, on boric acid it is increased from 17.5 to 27.5 % and on diagnostic items

from 20 to 30 %.

55. Private Bank YES Bank acquired a 9.47 % stake in dry cell battery maker, Eveready Industries India by invoking shares pledged

by McLeod Russel. This came after Indian tea company, McLeod Russel defaulted on repayment of credit extended by Yes bank,

amounting 1800 - 2000 crores.

56. Private sector general insurance company HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company signed corporate agency partnership with

Kerala based Muthoottu Mini Financiers Limited, a non-deposit taking systemically important NBFC to provide general insurance

for customers of the NBFC.

57. Punjab & Sind Bank has set up a centralised hub Cen-MARG (Centralised MSME & Retail Group), envisioned to ensure

qualitative improvement in credit appraisal, improved turnaround time, uniform documentation, and efficient monitoring.

58. RBI board finalised Three Year Roadmap to improve supervision and regulation, named Utkarsh 2022. Its a road map for

medium term objective to be achieved for improving regulation, supervision of RBI.

59. RBI has put penalty of INR 7 crores on State Bank of India (SBI), for non-compliance on Income Recognition and Asset

Classification norms, code of conduct for opening and operating current accounts and reporting of data on Central Repository of

Information on Large Credits, and fraud risk management and classification and reporting of frauds.

RBI also imposed Rs 10 lakh fine on Union Bank of India for non compliance with directions on cyber security framework in

banks.

60. RBI imposed penalties on four PSU Banks for violating Know Your Customer norms and anti-money laundering standards.

Punjab National Bank, Allahabad Bank, and UCO Bank were fined Rs 50 lakh each while Corporation Bank was fined Rs 25 lakh.

61. Rajasthan Govt. Presented budget for 2019-20 -

Opening of Janata Clinics near the residential areas across the state and provide free medicines to the patients. CT

(Computed Tomography) scan has been made free in all state-run medical centers.

Free pilgrimage to Pashupati Nath temple in Nepal.

Separate feeder at a cost of 5200 crore will be established to provide uninterrupted electricity supply to farmers.

Scheme for promotion of small industries- ‘Rajasthan M-sand policy-2019’ for promotion of use of manufactured sand.

Increase in honorarium of Anganwadi workers from 6000 to 7500, from 4500 to 5750 for mini Anganwadi workers and from

3500 to 4250 for Anganwadi sahayika.

62. Reliance Jio became largest telecom company of India with 331.3 million subscribers overtaking Vodafone Idea whose customer

base stood at 320 million in quarter ended June 30, 2019. Airtel moved to the third position and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

(BSNL) 4th.

63. SBI signed MOU with National Investment and Infrastructure Fund to boost availability of capital for infrastructure projects.

Scope includes equity investments, project funding, bond financing, renewable energy support and take-out finance for operating

assets.

64. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) introduced a web-based application for contribution from Fund of Funds

for Startups (FFS), to improve turnaround time and increase transparency. SIDBI is implementing agency for FFS with a corpus of

10000 crores.

65. South Korea based conglomerate Samsung partnered with financial products marketplace Paisabazaar.com, to provide Samsung

Pay users a one-stop solution to their financial requirements.

66. UK- based Standard Chartered will be first foreign bank to launch operations at Gujarat International Finance Tec-city (GIFT

city), after receiving in-principle regulatory approval for the same.

67. US Based Ebix acquired Indian travel portal Yatra Online for $337.8 million. Yatra will continue to serve customers under its

brand, alongside EbixCash two other travel brands 'Via' and 'Mercury'.

68. Walmart Labs acqui-hired Indian Startups FloCare (health tech) and B2B wholesale trading platform BigTrade, to strengthen

customer service. Acqui-hires are made for skills of the team, rather than for the products / services.

Also, Online grocery delivery platform Milkbasket acquired Bengaluru-based e-grocery distributor PSR Supply Chain.

Top

International

1. Airports Authority of India(AAI) signed MoU with a global aircraft tracking body Aireon (USA), for implementation of Space-

Based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data (ADS-B) services for oceanic regions of the Indian flight information

regions (FIRs).

2. Indian Haj mission in Saudi Arabia adopted digital technology to reach out to a large number of pilgrims as part of Digital India

initiative of India. Key Initiatives Include -

Indian Haj Information System (Haj App), developed to receive feedback from Hajis (Haj pilgrims), to facilitate hassle-free

Haj Pilgrim.

e-MASIHA (Medical Assistance System for Indian Hajis Abroad) - An online platform where Health status and medical

history of visiting pilgrims is stored.

Pilgrims are being provided Saudi Arabian mobile SIM card in India itself.

Air India also allowed pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia after Haj to carry holy water from Zamzam within permissible

baggage allowance. Well of Zamzam is located in Masjid al-Haram, Mecca (holiest place in Islam) in Kingdom Saudi Arabia

and many Haj pilgrims bring holy water from well for family and friends.

3. 2019 global Multidimensional Poverty Index by UN Development Programme (UNDP) -

India registered fastest reduction of poverty rate from 55.1% to 27.9% and lifted 27.1 Crore (from 64 to 36.9 Crore) people

out of poverty. India’s MPI value reduced from 0.283 in 2005-06 to 0.123 in 2015-16.

Among states, Jharkhand had greatest improvement, with Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland slightly

behind. However, Bihar is still poorest state in 2015- 16, with over half of its population in poverty.

Among Districts, poorest is Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh, where 76.5% of people are poor – the same as Sierra Leone in

Sub-Saharan Africa.

As per report, 1.3 billion people Globally are 'multi-dimensionally poor', mans poor not only on the basis of income, but on

other indicators, including poor health, poor quality of work and the threat of violence.

4. A new India-UK bilateral pilot scheme, UKIERI Mobility Programme: Study in India has been launched by Universities UK

International (UUKi) and British Council India. It aims to generate up to 200 opportunities for undergraduate students at UK

universities to visit India by March 2021. It will be funded by UK and Indian governments as part of Phase 3 of the UK-India

Education Research Initiative (UKIERI).

5. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2019, French businessman & CEO of LVMH (Merger of Louis Vuitton and Moet

Hennessy) Bernard Arnault overtook Bill Gates as world’s 2nd richest person.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has net worth of $107 billion, while that of Arnault is $108 billion.

Amazon Chief Jeff Bezos is richest person in world with a net worth of $124 billion.

6. According to European climate agency Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), June 2019 was recorded as hottest June ever

globally, with temperatures soaring up to nearly 10 degree Celsius above average temperature recorded this time of year. This gives

rise to serious Climate Change concerns.

7. According to property consultant CBRE, New Delhi's Connaught Place (CP) is the 9th most expensive office location in world.

Hong Kong's Central district retained the top spot as the world's most expensive market for prime office rents. Mumbai's Bandra

Kurla Complex and Nariman Point CBD ranked at 27th and 40th position.

8. According to study Moving Price Index 2019 by relocation experts from Movinga (German online platform-based moving

company), -

Delhi is among world’s cheapest cities to move to,ranked 85th in terms of individual relocation & 84th rank in family

relocation.

San Francisco (US) is most expensive city in world to relocate to as an individual and as a Family.

9. Alan Turing, code-breaker during World War II has been chosen by Bank of England to feature on Britain’s new £50 note. The

new £50 note will be last of Bank of England collection to switch from paper to polymer and is due to enter circulation by end of

2021.

Alan Turing is known for his code-cracking work that proved vital to Allies in World War II, also referred as Father of

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

His career was cut short by his conviction in 1952 for gross indecency with a 19-year-old man. He was chemically castrated

and died aged 41 due to cyanide poisoning in an apparent suicide in 1954.

In 2013, he received a posthumous royal pardon from Queen Elizabeth II.

10. Annual Report by Swiss National Bank (SNB) -

India is ranked 74th in terms of money parked by its citizens with Swiss banks (Down from 73rd in previous list). India's

holding fell by 6% in 2018 to 955 million Swiss francs (INR 6,757 crores).

Top 3 - UK (CHF 372 billion), US (CHF 144 billion), West Indies, France, and Hong Kong.

Total money held in Swiss banks fell to CHF 1.4 trillion (INR 99 lakh crores) in 2018.

Neighbors - Pakistan (82nd), Bangladesh (89th), Nepal (109th), Sri Lanka (141st), Bhutan (193rd).

11. Apple acquied chip-maker Intel''s smartphone modem business for $1 billion.

12. Approx 1,000-year-old Shawala Teja Singh Temple located in Sialkot city of Pakistan, which was sealed for last 72 years, has been

re-opened for devotees for the 1st time since partition.

Shawala Teja Singh temple is an ancient Hindu temple which was built by Sardar Teja Singh. It is dedicated to Hindu deity

Shiva, in Sialkot in Punjab province of Pakistan.

Re-opening of Shawala Teja Singh temple is a major decision in favour of Hindu pilgrims who form biggest minority

community in Pakistan.

13. As First Instance of Indian inland waterways being used for connecting two countries, vessel with Bhutan cargo to Bangladesh

was flagged off. It will traverse via River Brahmaputra ( NW 2) and Indo Bangla Protocol Route. It contained 1000 Metric Ton of

crushed stone aggregates.

14. As Per London-based global information provider IHS Markit, India will overtake UK to become world’s fifth biggest economy in

2019, and is poised to surpass Japan to be third largest in 2025.

15. As per International Labour Organisation (ILO) report Working on a Warmer Planet: The Impact of Heat Stress on Labour

Productivity and Decent Work -

Considering 1.5 degree Celsius Rise in Global Temparatures, India will lose 5.8% of working hours in 2030 equivalent to 3.4

Crore full-time jobs due to global warming. It will mainly impact agriculture and construction sectors.

Globally, in 2030, 2.2% of total working hours will be lost to high temperatures. Global financial loss due to heat stress will

be $2400, a productivity loss equivalent to 8 crore full-time jobs.

16. As per Report State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019 Jointy Prepared by UN Food and Agriculture

Organisation, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, World Food Programme and World Health

Organisation (WHO) -

In 2018, over 82 crore people suffered from hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition worldwide, rising for 3rd straight.

Report is part of tracking progress towards Sustainable Development Goal to Zero Hunger, which aims to end hunger,

promote food security and end all forms of malnutrition by 2030.

Number of hungry people Glovbally - Asia (513.9 million), Africa (256.1million), Latin America and Caribbean (42.5 million).

Malnutrition is widespread in Africa where 20% of the population is affected. In Asia, over 12% people experienced it and in

Latin America & the Caribbean, 7% of people were affected.

17. Australia and India finalized a new veterinary health protocol for export of Australian breeder sheep to India. This will support

India’s efforts to develop its fine wool sector and the textiles industry using Australian production expertise and genetic stock.

18. Beijing based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) withdrawn $200 million commitment for Amaravati Capital City

project in Andhra Pradesh, after World Bank had withdrawn its $300 million commitment for the same.

It was decided after Environmental activists and farmers opposed this project for building the city on Krishna river

floodplains.

19. Benjamin Netanyahu became longest serving Prime Minister of Israel by staying at the post for 4876 days, getting past David

Ben-Gurion (Israel’s founding father and first leader).

20. China gifted warship 'P625' to Sri Lanka, to be mainly used for offshore patroling, environment monitoring and anti-piracy

combats.

21. China's Autonomous Region Hong Kong's government approved over $9 million aid rehabilitation work in Fani cyclone-hit

Odisha.

22. China’s experimental space lab “Tiangong-2” reportedly destroyed upon its controlled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere over

Pacific Ocean. It was retired from service after it had completed its experiments in space.

23. Chinese startup Interstellar Glory Space Technology (known as iSpace) launched china’s first commercial rocket named

Hyperbola-1, which reached an altitude of 300 kilometres (186 miles).

Cash-strapped Pakistan also announced to send its first astronaut to space in 2022, using China's satellite launching

facilities.

24. Commerce & Industry and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal launched Global Innovation Index (GII) in New Delhi, with presence

of Francis Gurry (Director General of World Intellectual Property Organization).

It is 12th edition of GII with 129 countries under observation. GII measures how innovation friendly the environments of

global economies are based on 80 detailed metrics.

GII is published annually by Cornell University, INSEAD (Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires) and United

Nations World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and GII Knowledge Partners.

This year’s theme is “Evaluating the Medical Innovation Scenario of the Next Decade”.

India’s R&D Expenditure Ecosystem report was also released.

India is ranked 52nd in 2019, compared to 57th position in 2018. India was was ranked 81st in 2015, 66th in 2016 and

60th in 2017.

Top 5 - Switzerland, Sweden, USA, Netherlands, United Kingdom

Bottom 5 - Yemen (129), Togo (128), Niger (127), Burundi (126), Benin (125)

25. Ebola outbreak in DR Congo declared as a global health emergency by World Health Organization (WHO), after it has killed over

1700 people in Congo. deadly Ebola virus now threatens to affect neighbouring nations and infect millions of people

26. European Union fined US based chipmaker Qualcomm $271 million, accusing it of predatory pricing, which is aimed at driving a

competitor out of market.

Qualcomm is accused of selling Baseband chipsets (key components of mobile devices which enables it to connect to

internet), at a price below cost to key customers with intention of eliminating a competitor.

27. First model village built with Indian assistance under Model Villages Program has been inaugurated at Ranidugama in Gampaha

in Sri Lanka.

India partnered with Sri Lanka to build 100 model villages which will consist of a total of 2400 houses all across Sri Lanka, in

addition to 60000 accommodations built under Indian Housing Project meant for war affected people in north and east Sri

Lanka and estate workers.

Indian grant for project would be INR 120 Crores ($17.5 million).

India also handed over 250 pre-fabricated houses for use of displaced Muslim minorities, currently residing in Myanmar’s

Rakhine State, under India’s ‘Rakhine State Development Programme’ (RSDP) for $25 Million for a period of 5 years.

28. Forbes' Celebrity 100 list -

American Singer Taylor Swift topped the list with 2019 earnings of over USD 185 million, replacing Kylie Jenner.

With $65 million income, Akshay Kumar is only Indian to enter Forbes magazine’s Highest-Paid Entertainers List 2019. He

is ranked 33rd.

29. Foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak University (BGNU) laid at Nankana Sahib, in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Nankana Sahib is birth place of founder of Sikhism Baba Guru Nanak Dev. BGNU is spread over 10 acres and would be

completed with amount of INR 258 crores.

30. French government will impose up to €18 Green Tax on plane tickets for all outgoing flights from France, to fund less-polluting

transportation projects. It will see a tax of €1.5 imposed on economy-class tickets on internal flights and those within Europe.

Highest tariff of €18 per ticket will be applied to business-class travellers flying outside EU.

31. French parliament approved a law dubbed as Gafa Tax (an acronym for Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon), to impose a 3%

levy on sales generated in France by non-tax paying online giants. France will become 1st major economy to impose a tax on

internet giants. The tax would be applied only to companies with global revenues in excess of €500 million and revenue of at least

€25 million from UK activities.

32. G7 Nations agreed a plan for taxing digital giants that will set a minimum level of taxation for them, while allowing companies to

do business in countries where they have no physical presence. It will decided during G7 finance ministers meeting in France.

33. Govt. raised its foreign aid to Nepal from Rs.750 crore to Rs.1,050 crore in the 2019-20 budget.

34. Henley Passport Index 2019, ranking 199 passports and 227 travel destinations -

India stands at 86th position, sharing the position with Mauritiana and Sao Tome and Principe.

Top 5 -

Japan, Singapore

Finland, Germany, South Korea

Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg

France, Spain, Sweden

Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland

35. Hollywood actor and Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio will launch a new alliance named Earth Alliance to tackle climate change,

in collaboration with Steve Jobs' Wife Laurene Powell Jobs and Billionaire investor Brian Sheth.

36. IMF approved a USD 6 billion loan over a period of 3 years for cash strapped Pakistan, including immediate disbursement of

USD 1 billion to help Pakistan address its balance of payment crisis.

37. ISRO tied up with Russian Firm Glavkosmos for selection support, medical examination and space training of Indian astronauts

for ‘Gaganyaan’ mission. Gaganyaan, The 9023 crores project, aims for December 2021 launch, including a woman astronaut.

38. India Based Networking Firm Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL) signed pact with Vietnam to develop digital villages, by advancing

rural connectivity.

39. India and Italy will establish fast-track system for companies and investors of both countries, to identify and solve problems

faced in operations in both countries. DPIIT will facilitate participation of other relevant Ministries and authorities on a case by

case basis. Invest India will be responsible for pursuing and monitoring individual cases. The Fast-track system will be reviewed

twice a year.

40. India and United Kingdom launched two-year joint initiative- Innovating for Clean Air (IfCA) in Bengaluru (Karnataka), aimed at

providing unique air quality measurement system by integrating satellite and sensor data and support India’s transition to Electric

Vehicles (EVs).

41. India pledged to contribute USD 5 million in 2019 to UN Palestine refugee agency. Indian Contribution increased from 1.25

million USD in 2016 to 5 million USD in 2018.

42. India will participate in Dubai World Expo 2020 to take place for six months between October 2020 - April 2021. Theme of the

Expo is Connecting Minds, Creating the Future with three sub themes – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability – to generate

sustainable solutions to global problems, demand and collaboration areas across cultures, countries and regions.

India Pavilion will be a permanent structure being constructed in the ‘Opportunity’ segment, with NBCC getting INR 400

crores project for the same.

43. India will provide 10,000 scholarships for heirs of liberation war fighters of Bangladesh called 'Muktijodhas' over the next five

years under the Nutan India-Bangladesh Maitree Muktijodha Sontan Scholarship Scheme.

44. India's Exim Bank had signed agreements with Papua New Guinea and Senegal governments for providing USD 124 million to

finance infrastructure and health care projects, effective from June 26, 2019.

45. Indian IT Firm Infosys launched its state-of-the-art Cyber Defence Center in Bucharest (Romania, as an expansion of services

delivered via Infosys Digital Innovation Center which opened in Bucharest in early 2019. It will provide Real-Time Cyber Security

monitoring and protection services to support European and global businesses on their digital transformation journey.

46. Indian cab aggregator Ola received approval from London’s transport regulator to start private hire vehicles (PHV) in capital city

of UK.

47. International Arbitration Court imposed over $5 billion penalty on cash-strapped Pakistan for unlawful denial of a mining lease

to a company called Tethyan Copper Company for Reko Diq project in 2011.

In 2012, Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) had filed claims for international arbitration before World Bank’s International

Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) after Balochistan government rejected a leasing request from company

in 2011.

TTC a joint venture between Chilean mining company Antofagasta and Canada’s Barrick Gold Corporation. It had claimed

11.43 billion dollars in damages.

TCC stated that During August 2010 , TCC undertook a feasibility study that established basis for mine development at Reko

Diq and submitted a mining lease application in February 2011, along with an environmental and social impact assessment

(SIA) report. It was rejected by Balochistan government in November 2011.

Reko Diq is a small town in Chagai district in Balochistan that lies close to the border with Iran and Afghanistan. Reko Diq

mine is famous for its vast gold and copper (Cu) reserves. It is believed to have the world’s 5th largest gold deposit.

48. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added over 7000 species to its endangered Red List, which now has over

28000 listed as facing extinction. Human behaviour which includes overfishing and deforestation, is biggest driver of declining

populations of species.

More than 500 deep-sea bony fish and molluscs have been added to list for 1st time. This poses something of a conservation

conundrum as space these species inhabit is 1,000 metres beneath surface that is often beyond national boundaries.

49. Iran tested Medium-Range Ballistic Missile Shahab-3, with range approx 1100 km.

Missile launches are not forbidden under 2015 Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). However a UN

Security Council resolution says that- Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to

be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

50. Israel and US conducted tests of advanced anti-ballistic missile system Arrow-3, which is jointly manufactured by US's Boeing

and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and is intended to serve as Israel’s highest-altitude missile interception system.

51. Japan resumed commercial whaling, after a ban of 31 years. It will stay within country’s exclusive economic waters. This came

after Japan’s 6 month notice to withdraw from International Whaling Commission (IWC) taking effect on 30 June 2019.

52. Jordan unveiled its 1st Underwater Military Museum under Red Sea off the coast of Aqaba, featuring 19 decommissioned pieces

of military hardware, submerged at depths up to 28 meters (92 feet).

Red Sea is a narrow strip of water inlet of Indian Ocean. It extends southeastward from Suez in Egypt, to Bab el-Mandeb

Strait (it connects Red Sea to Gulf of Aden).

53. L&T Technology Services is selected as a strategic partner by United Technologies Corporation for Collins Aerospace, a

subsidiary of UTC. Collins Aerospace is one of leading providers of intelligent solutions for global aerospace and defense

industries.

54. Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline has been completed and ready for commercial operation, aimed at strengthening India Nepal

relations. This is first transnational petroleum pipeline form India and first South Asian oil pipeline corridor. It is also the first oil

pipeline in Nepal. This 69 km long pipeline has been constructed by India in 15 months, half of its 30 months deadline.

55. New Zealand officially banned single-use plastic shopping bags from July 2019, introducing hefty fines for violating the ban.

56. North Korea revised its constitution to Propmote Kim Jong Un as official head of state. Earlier Kim ruled as a chairman of state

Affairs Commission.

57. Oceanic nation Palau became 76th memberof India led International Solar Alliance (ISA).

ISA is a group of 121 solar resource-rich nations. It was jointly launched by India and France on November 2015 on side lines

of COP21 UN Climate Change Conference held at Paris.

It is headquartered at campus of National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in Gurugram, India.

58. Pakistan agreed to allow year-long visa-free access for Indian pilgrims to holy Gurdwara of Kartarpur Sahib, at 2nd bilateral

formal meeting held at Wagah for finalising modalities for Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

Throughout year, 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara per day.

Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located at Kartarpur in Pakistan’s Narowal district, on bank of River Ravi. It is the final resting

place of First Sikh Guru Baba Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism. He lived here for 18 years until his death in 1539.

Kartarpur Sahib Corridor links India’s Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district with Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in

Pakistan’s Punjab province, to be completed by 31 October 2019.

Pakistan also approved 42 acres of land for Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, up from 3 Acres earlier.

59. QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2019 compiled by global education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) -

London (UK) named as world’s best city for students for the second consecutive year. Tokyo (Japan)

and Melbourne (Australia) were ranked second and third positions respectively.

Indian Cities - Bangalore was ranked 81st and Mumbai stood at 85th position, Delhi was ranked 113th and Chennai stood at

115 out of a total of 120 cities ranked in the list.

Top 5 -

London, UK

Tokyo, Japan

Melbourne, Australia

Munich, Germany

Berlin, Germany

60. Reliance Industries became top-ranked Indian company featured in latest “Fortune Global 500 list 2019”, ranked 106th (gaining

42 places).

Reliance overtook Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to gain this recognition. IOC is now ranked 117.

RIL’s revenue increased to $82.3 billion in 2019 from $62.3 billion in 2018 (32.1% increment).

Walmart (US) is at top of list,followed by Sinopec Group of China and Royal Dutch Shell (British – Dutch)

Other Indian companies in list - Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC-160), State Bank of India (SBI- 236), Tata Motors (265),

Bharat Petroleum Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL- 275) and Rajesh Exports (495).

61. Russia launched Proton-M rocket carrying Spektr-RG(Spectrum Roentgen Gamma) space telescope from Baikonur Cosmodrome

in Kazakhstan. Spektr-RG is a joint project by Russian space agency Roscosmos and German space agency DLR, aimed at creating

a 3D X-ray map of universe and expected to detect 100,000 galaxy clusters, 3 million black holes, tens of thousands neutron stars,

and magnetic fields.

62. Russia launched Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with a hydrometeorological satellite and 32 small satellites. The satellite will provide

images of clouds, surface of Earth, ice and snow covers in visible, infrared and microwave ranges.

63. Scientists from Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation have developed a method to convert Jute fibre into low-cost Bio-Degradable

cellulose sheets dubbed as Sonali (means ‘golden’ in bengali). Physical qualities of invented jute fibre and plastic are quite similar.

They are not harmful for human health.

64. Singapore-based investor CapitaLand completed purchase of Temasek Holdings-owned Ascendas-Singbridge Pte. Ltd, creating

one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups with over S$123 billion of assets under management (AUM).

65. Sri Lanka Government and India's IRCON (Indian Railway Construction Company) International signed $91.26 million

agreement for up-gradation of 130 km rail track between Colombo and Jaffna in Tamil -majority northern province of Sri Lanka.

66. Sri Lanka became 5th country in World Health Organisation (WHO) Southeast Asia region to eliminate measles, after Bhutan,

Maldives, DPR Korea and Timor-Leste.

67. Sri Lankan Government exempted Indian tourists from Visa Fees for tourism purposes, making India among 48 countries whose

citizens have been exempted from visa fees by Sri Lankan government. Visa fees ($20 to $40) will not be charged for grant of 1

month visa for tourism.

68. The Hague (Netherlands) based International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed Kulbhushan Jadhav’s execution, as a major win for

India. ICJ directed Pakistan to reconsider death sentence awarded to Jadhav by Pakistani military court on espionage and

terrorism charges. ICJ also directed Pakistan to provide Jadhav a fair trial and consular access, which he should have been

provided as per Vienna Convention.

ICJ bench headed by President of Court Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf delivered the judgement, in India's favour by 15 to 1 votes.

India was represented by Renowned Advocate Harish Salve, who charged only INR 1 for taking up this case at ICJ.

69. The Walled City of Jaipur Included into UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World

Heritage Sites list, at 43rd session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku (Azerbaijan).

Pink City Jaipur was nominated for its value of being an exemplary development in architecture and town planning that

demonstrates an amalgamation and important exchange of ideas in late medieval period.

Chinese city of Fuzhou will host 44th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2020.

Jaipur City along with 28 Other sites Globally were Included in UNESCO WHS List, at the concerned session. They are -

Asian Sites -

Japan's Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan

South Korea's Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies

Lao People’s Democratic Republic's Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang — Plain of Jars

Myanmar's Bagan

India's Jaipur City

Indonesia's Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto

China's Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City

Migratory Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China, Phase I

Rest of World

Australia's Budj Bim Cultural Landscape

Azerbaijan's Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace

Bahrain's Dilmun Burial Mounds

Brazil's Paraty and Ilha Grande — Culture and Biodiversity

Burkina Faso's Ancient ferrous metallurgy sites

Canada's Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi

Czech Republic's Landscape for Breeding and Training of Ceremonial Carriage Horses at Kladruby nad Labem

Czech Republic/Germany - Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region

France's Austral Lands and Seas

Germany's Management System of Augsburg

Iceland's Vatnajökull National Park

Iran's Hyrcanian Forests

Iraq's Babylon

Italy's Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano a Valdobbiadene

Poland's Krzemionki Prehistoric Striped Flint Mining Region

Portugal's Royal Building of Mafra — Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park, Tapada

Portugal's Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga

Russian Federation's Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture

Spain's Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria Cultural Landscape

United Kingdom's Jodrell Bank Observatory

USA's The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright

India now has 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with 1121 Sites Globally.

70. Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2019 -

Top 5 -

Harvard University (US)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)

Stanford University (US)

University of Cambridge (UK)

University of Oxford (UK)

No Indian University in Top 100 universties in List. IISC Bengaluru, IIT Madras and Manipal Academy of Higher Education

are top 3 Ranked Indian Universities in Top 500 universties in List.

71. U.S.'s Federal Trade Commission approved $5 billion penalty on Facebook, to settle a probe into Facebook’s privacy and data

protection lapses. It would be the largest penalty ever imposed by the FTC for privacy violations.

72. UAE' Sharjah issued its first Golden Card to Indian expat businessman Lalu Samuel, as part of permanent residency system

tailored for investors. Golden Card is a 10-year long-term visa eligible for investors / entrepreneurs to engage them in renaissance

and development of UAE.

73. UK consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie stated that renewable energy cost of India is the lowest in the Asia Pacific region, due to

the fact that Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) using solar photovoltaic of India has Fallen to $38 per Megawatt hour in 2019.

India is second-largest country in terms of power market in the Asia Pacific having a Power capacity of 421 Gigawatts(GW)

and also the Solar capacity its expected to reach 38 GW in 2019.

India aims to have 175 GW capacity of renewable power installed in the country by 2022.

74. UN atomic watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran has breached 300 kilogramme limit on

amount of enriched uranium in its stockpile set out in 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran threatened to increase its enrichment of uranium closer to weapons-grade levels and suspend its other commitments

under JCPOA deal unless European powers took steps to implement their new mechanism called INSTEX for facilitating

trade.

INSTEX stands for Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges. It is a special-purpose vehicle established in January 2019 by

E3 (France, Germany and United Kingdom) to facilitate non-dollar trade with Iran amid US unilateral withdrawal from

JCPOA. This trading system is designed to circumvent sanctions on Iran.

EU earlier stated that INSTEX has been made operational, but according to Iran, it did not meet its needs.

75. UNESCO Released State of Education Report for India 2019 : Children with Disabilitie, as first of its kind published by

UNESCO for India in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

It highlights accomplishments and challenges with regards to Right to Education (RTE) of children with disabilities (CWDs).

Report suggests 10 key suggestions to policy makers.

India is home to over 78 lakh children aged under 19 living with disabilities. At present three-fourths of 5-year old children

and one-fourths of kids aged between 5 and 19 with disabilities in India are out of school.

Challenges Include Inadequate allocations, delays in releasing funds and under-utilisation of allocation remain key

challenges in financing education for CWDs.

Report Recommends

Amending Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 to make it align with Right of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016.

There is a need to strengthen data on children with disabilities which can help in effective planning, implementation

and monitoring of their education.

76. US Based IT Firm IBM acquired software company Red Hat Inc in $34 billion, to boost its cloud computing business. This is

IBM's biggest acquisition ever.

77. US House of Representatives passed a Bill titled Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 (HR 1044), to remove 7%

country-cap on green card applicants. This could end wait of skilled professionals from countries like India who have sought

permanent residency in USA.

The HR 1044 Bill, when signed into law (After Senate and Prez Trump Approval), would increase per-country cap on Family-

Based Immigrant Visas from 7% of total number of such visas available that year to 15%, and will also eliminate 75 cap for

Employment-Based Immigrant Visas.

78. US President Donald Trump became 1st incumbent US president to enter Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea),

to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between North Korea and South Korea.

79. USA Senate (Upper Chamber of US Congress) passed a legislative provision called National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA),

that brings India at par with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies and countries like South Korea, Australia, Japan

and Israel for increasing defence cooperation.

80. USA designated Balochistan Liberation Army and Hizballah operative Husain Ali Hazzima as Specially Designated Global

Terrorists.

81. USA has put sanctions against Myanmar’s Military Chief Min Aung Hlaing for gross human rights violations, including killing of

Rohingya Muslims. US become 1st government to publicly take action against senior leadership of Burmese military.

82. USA would not sell F-35 fighter jets to its NATO alley Turkey, after Turkey purchased S-400 missile defence system from US'

Arch Defence Rival Russia. US had warned Turkey against the purchase. As per CAATSA, any country purchasing major defence

equipment from Russia (against whom US has put sanctions) could be subjected to American sanctions.

83. Ukraine inaugurated world's largest movable metal dome encasing destroyed reactor at infamous Chernobyl plant. It is a 108-

meter high dome which weighs 36,000 tonnes.

Branded as world’s largest movable metal structure, the so-called New Safe Confinement seals remains of fourth reactor at

the nuclear plant that was the site of the massive Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at No. 4 nuclear reactor in Chernobyl Nuclear

Power Plant, near Pripyat in Ukrainia. It is one of only two nuclear energy disasters rated at seven (maximum severity), on

International Nuclear Event Scale. Other is 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan.

84. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report titled Global Study on Homicide 2019 -

It stated that overall Homicide Rate declined by 10% in India over period 2009- 2015, from 3.8 to 3.4 per 100000

population.

85. World Bank has withdrawn $300 million of fund for Amaravati Capital City project in Andhra Pradesh, after central government

dropped support for the same. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) had also committed $200 million for the same.

It was decided after Environmental activists and farmers opposed this project for building the city on Krishna river

floodplains.

86. World Health Organization introduced first guideline on self-care interventions for health named “WHO Consolidated Guideline

on Self-Care Interventions for Health”. Its first volume has focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Key Highlights -

By 2030, there will be shortage of 18 million health workers. Currently, 130 million people are deprived of humanitarian

assistance.

About 400 million people lack access to most essential health services.

87. World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) launched its Nepal Chapter , in Nepal’s Capital Kathmandu. WHEF brings together

financially successful elements within Hindu society, so that each group can share their business knowledge, expertise and

resources with their fellow brethren to trigger creation of surplus wealth and make society prosperous.

India-Nepal Logistics Summit was also organised in Kathmandu.

88. World's largest burn and plastic surgery institute Inaugurated in Dhaka (Bangladesh), Named Sheikh Hasina National Burn and

Plastic Surgery Institute. This 500 beds advanced treatment unit has been built at cost of over 500 crores Taka.

Top

Meetings

1. 19th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting (CFAMM) for 2019 held at Commonwealth’s headquarters in London

(UK). It was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on India's behalf.

2. 5th International Dharma-Dhamma conference held at Rajgir International Convention Centre in Rajgir (Bihar). It aims to

address people about terror, violence and global warming prevalent in world. Dharma-Dhamma conference acts as a platform for

Hindu and Buddhist thinkers to express their views.

3. First Ever India International Cooperatives Trade Fair (IICTF) will be be held at Pragati Maidan (New Delhi) in October 2019,

aimed at promoting cooperative to cooperative trade within India and abroad leading to enhanced rural and farm prosperity.

4. First Global Conference for Media Freedom co-hosted by UK and Canada in London. It was attended by Prasar Bharati Chairman

A.Surya Prakash on India's Behalf.

5. Foreign Ministers Meet of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Group held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). India was

represented by VK Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways.

6. India hosted 3rd edition of International Sunflower Seed and Oil Conference (ISSOC) 2019 in Mumbai (Maharashtra), to

encourage better communications among sunflower oil producers, industry groups, academic researchers and local governments.

India is largest importer of sunflower oil with imports of about 2.8 million tones and globally the import is about 9.6 million

tonnes.

7. Ministerial meeting of Coordinating Bureau of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in Caracas (Venezuela), with Theme

Promotion and Consolidation of Peace through Respect for International Law India was represented by Indian envoy to United

Nations Syed Akbaruddin.

Top

National

1. Telangana Government and World Economic Forum's Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution Network will launch an

innovative project to deliver emergency medical supplies such as blood and vaccines via drones, called Medicine from the Sky.

2. JATAN: Virtual Museum software has been developed by Human Centres Design and Computing Group C-DAC Pune. It is used

for creating digital collections in various museums and digital archival tools that are used in background for managing National

Portal and Digital Repository for Indian Museums.

Currently there are 48 Archaeological Site Museums under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Out of these, 2 Site

Museums, namely Velha Goa and Nagarjunakonda, have been digitised during 1st phase. Rest are being digitized in phased

manner.

3. One Nation One Ration Card scheme will be available across country from July 2020, which will allow portability of food

security benefits. Poor migrant workers will be able to buy subsidised rice and wheat from any ration shop in the country, so long

as their ration cards are linked to Aadhaar.

Aadhaar linkage is not necessary to access NFSA benefits in a beneficiary’s local registered ration shop, however it will be

necessary to access portability scheme.

NFSA provides rice at Rs. 3/kg and wheat at Rs. 2/kg to the beneficiaries.

4. According to first comprehensive census of orchids of India titled Orchids of India: A Pictorial Guide -

India is home to 1,256 species of orchid, ot of which, 388 species of orchids are endemic to India.

Orchids can be broadly categorised into 3 life forms -

Epiphytic - Plants growing on another plants including those growing on rock boulders and often termed lithophyte.

Terrestrial - Plants growing on land and climbers.

Mycoheterotrophic - Plants which derive nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi that are attached to the roots of a vascular

plant).

5. Aditya Birla World Academy (Mumbai) is only Indian school to be featured in The Commonwealth at 70: From Westminster to

the World book published by the popular London publishers St James's House and the History of Parliament Trust.

6. An 82-member Special Rhino Protection Force has been deployed in Kaziranga National Park (KNP) Assam, trained to combat

poachers and understand animal behaviour. This Special Force has been raised by initiative of both central as well as state

governments so as to control rhino poaching in tiger reserve.

7. Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission Bill 2019 which aims to regulate school

fees & that in turn reduce the burden on parents.

It provides setting up of commission which will be supervised by a retired high court judge to maintain standards of school

education, competencies of teachers, information disclosure, effective inspection, monitoring of schools, implementation of

provisions of RTE (Rights To Education) Act 2009.

As per RTE act, every private school should provide 25 % seats at free of cost and government should pay those fees. But in

AP, RTE Act was not executed in even one school for past 5 years.

8. Andhra Pradesh became first Indian state to reserve jobs for locals, with state assembly passing Andhra Pradesh Employment of

Local Candidates in Industries/Factories Act 2019. It reserves 75% private jobs across all categories in industrial units, factories,

joint ventures as well as the project that are in public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

9. As Per Ministry Of Women And Child Development Data, Sex Ratio at Birth increased to 931 from 923 between 2015-16 to 2018-

19.

10. As a boost to Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti, MOU signed between Intellectual Property Facilitation Cell (IPFC) (Ministry of

Defence) and National Research Development Corporation (Ministry of Science and Technology). It will boost efforts of MoD

towards promoting a culture of Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Indian Defence industry.

11. Asia’s 1st Six Sigma Institute of Mountain Medicines and High Altitude Rescue will be established at Rudraprayag district in

Uttarakhand, as a high altitude institute of mountain medicine, training and research center.

This would be dealing with health issues related with high altitudes and would be first of its kind in Asia. It will offer courses

in mountains medicines and high altitude rescue and will also train local people, schools and colleges in high altitude rescue

and disaster.

Budget proposed is INR 750 crores.

12. Assam Gas Company Limited (AGCL), Oil India Limited (OIL) and GAIL Gas Limited (GGL) signed agreement for setting up of a

new company for implementation of City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in five districts namely Kamrup, Kamrup, Cachar,

Hailakandi and Karimganj of Assam. Over 4 lakh households will be connected with Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and 72

CNG(Compressed natural gas) stations will be set up.

13. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), flagship initiative of NITI Aayog, launched Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) program

in NITI Aayog, New Delhi. It aims at spurring community Innovation in underserved and unserved areas of country.

ACIC are expected to focus and channelize the creative energies of researchers and innovators to find solutions that benefit

the larger civil society.

ACIC will make available cutting-edge innovation platforms across all corners of our country, with a focus on aspirational

districts, tier 2 and 3 cities and to North-east and J&K which will give a fillip to the skill development and employment

opportunities in these areas.

14. Ayushman Bharat implementing agency National Health Authority signed MoU with Healthcare Federation of India

(NATHEALTH) to streamline delivery of services under Ayushman Bharat. It aims to enable an ecosystem for industry partners

within NATHEALTH network to participate in testing, piloting, adopting, funding and scaling innovations.

15. Believe Foundation (India) and Dr. Raman Bhai Patel Foundation (South Africa) hosted first edition of Gandhi-Mandela Peace

Initiative, with events in New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The event conferred Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative Awards to

Global Leaders.

Annual Gandhi Mandela Peace Medal 2019 has been awarded to global spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh.

Gandhi Mandela Award 2019 for Social Impact conferred on Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and Kalinga Institute of

Social Sciences (KISS).

16. Bharat Chamber of Commerce (BCC) signed MoU with BRICS of Commerce and Industry for promoting trade and investments

between BRICS countries and India (Particularly Eastern India). Key BCC was established in 1900 as “Marwari Chamber of

Commerce” at Calcutta. After Indian Independence, it was re-christened as Bharat Chamber Commerce.

17. Bills Passed / Presented in Budget Session of Parliament 2019 -

Concerned sessioon is First of newly-constituted 17th Lok Sabha. It was to be held between June 17 - July 26, 2019. The same

has been extended till Aug 07, with govt looking to finalize on several pending legislations.

Bills passed by Both Houses (Lok sabha and Rajya Sabha)

Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It allows trusts to establish units in Special Economic Zone (SEZs). It replaces Special Economic Zone

(Amendment) Ordinance 2019 promulgated March 2019 and amends SEZ Act 2005.

It amends definition of “person” under Section 2(v) of SEZ Act 2005 to include ‘trusts’. Apart from trusts, it also

includes any entity that central government may notify from time to time in definition of ‘person’. As per act,

proposal for establishment of SEZ be made by any “person”.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill 2019, aimed at providing relief to persons in Jammu and

Kashmir living in areas adjoining international border.

It will replace The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 by amendments in Jammu

and Kashmir Reservation Act 2004 and bringing persons residing in the areas adjoining International Border

within the ambit of reservation at par with persons living in areas adjoining Actual Line of Control (ALoC).

Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It amends Homoeopathy Central Council Act 1973 and replaces the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment)

Ordinance 2019 that was promulgated in March 2019. It sets up Central Council of Homoeopathy which

regulates homoeopathic education and practice.

Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Bill 2019 -

It provide for reservation of posts in appointments by direct recruitment of persons belonging to SC/ST and

Educationally Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections to teachers’ cadre in Central Educational

Institutions. It aims at implementing 200-point reservation system instead of 13-point roster system for

concerned recruitment.

Central Universities (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It amends Central Universities Act 2009, which establishes universities for teaching and research in various

states. Bill provides for establishment of two central universities in Andhra Pradesh to be known as the Central

University of Andhra Pradesh and the Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh.

Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second Bill 2019 -

It amends Indian Medical Council Act 1956 and replaces Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second

Ordinance 2019 which was promulgated in February 2019.

It sets up Medical Council of India (MCI) which regulates medical education and practice.

1956 Act provides for supersession of MCI and its reconstitution within a period of three years from the date of its

supersession. In interim period, Act requires government to constitute a Board of Governors, to exercise powers

of MCI. The Bill amends the Act to reduce time period for supersession of the MCI from 3 years to 2 years.

Act provides for Board of Governors to consist of up to seven members including persons of eminence in medical

education, appointed by government. Bill amends this provision to increase strength of Board from 7 to 12

members.

Dentists (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It amends Dentists Act 1948, which regulates profession of dentistry and constitutes Dental Council of India,

State Dental Councils and Joint State Dental Councils.

Register of dentists is maintained under Act in Part A and Part B. Persons with recognised dental qualifications

are registered in Part A and persons not possessing such qualifications are in Part B. Part B persons are those

who have practicing as dentists for at least 5 years.

Under the Act, composition of mentioned Councils includes representation from dentists registered in Part B.

The Bill seeks to remove mandatory requirement of representation of dentists registered in Part B in these

Councils.

Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

Bill amends Protection of Human Rights Act 1993, which provides for a National Human Rights Commission

(NHRC), State Human Rights Commissions (SHRC), as well as Human Rights Courts.

Under the Act, chairperson of NHRC is a person who has been a Chief Justice of Supreme Court. Bill amends this

to provide that a person who has been a Judge of Supreme Court.

Act provides for two persons having knowledge of human rights to be appointed as members of the NHRC. Bill

amends this to allow three members to be appointed, of which at least one will be a woman.

the Act, the chairperson of a SHRC is a person who has been a Chief Justice of a High Court. The Bill amends this

to provide that a person who has been a Judge of a High Court will be chairperson of a SHRC.

Act states that chairperson and members of the NHRC and SHRC will hold office for five years or till the age of

seventy years, whichever is earlier. Bill reduces the term of office to three years or till the age of seventy years,

whichever is earlier.

Bill provides that government may confer on a SHRC human rights functions being discharged by Union

Territories. Functions relating to human rights in case of Delhi will be dealt with by NHRC.

Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

Bill additionally allows ‘offline verification’ of an individual’s identity, without authentication, through modes

specified by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) by regulations. During offline verification, agency

must obtain consent of individual, inform them of alternatives to sharing information, and not collect Aadhaar

number / biometric information.

It allows voluntary linking of the 12-digit identification number as part of know your customer (KYC) guidelines

to open bank accounts or get a mobile connection.

Entities using Aadhaar - Under the Act, usage of Aadhaar number for establishing identity of an individual, is

permitted. Bill removes this provision and makes the permission subject to several UIDAI regulations.

Aadhaar number of children - Bill specifies that at the time of enrolling a child to obtain an Aadhaar number,

enrolling agency shall seek consent of his parent or guardian. After attaining 18 years age, child may apply for

cancellation of its Aadhaar.

Disclosure of information in certain cases - Under the Act, restrictions on confidentiality of Aadhaar information

do not apply in case disclosure is pursuant to an order of a District Court (or above). Bill amends this to allow

such disclosure only for orders by High Courts (or above). Bill amends rule to allow such disclosure on directions

of officers not below the rank of a Secretary (Joint Secretary earlier).

UIDAI Fund - Under the Act, fees and revenue collected by UIDAI will be credited to the Consolidated Fund of

India. Bill removes this provision, and creates Unique Identification Authority of India Fund.

Complaints - Under the Act, courts can take cognizance of an offence only if UIDAI registers a complaint.

Bill amends this to allow individual to register complaints in certain cases, including impersonation or disclosure

of their identity.

Bill defines Aadhaar ecosystem to include enrolling agencies, requesting agencies, and offline verification-seeking

entities.

Penalties - Under the Bill, UIDAI may initiate a complaint against an entity in Aadhaar ecosystem for failure to

comply with Act or UIDAI directions, and furnish information required by UIDAI. Adjudicating Officers

appointed by UIDAI may impose penalties up to 1 crore rupees on such entities.

Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It amends Right to Information Act 2005.

Under the Act, Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs) are appointed for

term of five years. Bill states that central government will notify term of office for the CIC and ICs.

Bill seeks to amend provisions related to salaries, allowances, and other terms and conditions of service of the

central and state CIC and ICs, stating thet these will be determined by the central government.

Act states that at the time of the appointment of the CIC and ICs (at the central and state level), if they are

receiving pension or any other retirement benefits for previous government service, their salaries will be reduced

by an amount equal to the pension. Bill removes these provisions.

New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill2019 -

Bill seeks to provide for establishment of a 7 Member NDIAC to conduct arbitration, mediation, and conciliation

proceedings. It declares NDIAC as an institution of national importance.

International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR) is a registered society to promote resolution of

disputes through alternative dispute resolution methods (such as arbitration and mediation). Bill seeks to

transfer existing ICADR to central government

Members of NDIAC will hold office for three years and will be eligible for re-appointment. retirement age for

Chairperson is 70 years and other members is 67 years.

NDIAC will establish a Chamber of Arbitration which will maintain a permanent panel of arbitrators. NDIAC

may also establish an Arbitration Academy for training arbitrators and conducting research in area of alternative

dispute resolution.

National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It amends National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act 2008 and provides for a national-level agency to investigate

and prosecute offences listed in a schedule (scheduled offences).

Scheduled offences are are to be investigated and prosecuted by NIA. These offences under Acts such as Atomic

Energy Act 1962 and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967.

Bill seeks to allow NIA to investigate the following offences, in addition - human trafficking, offences related to

counterfeit currency or bank notes, manufacture or sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism, and offences under

Explosive Substances Act 1908.

Bill states that in addition, officers of NIA will have the power to investigate scheduled offences committed

outside India, subject to international treaties and domestic laws of other countries

Act allows the central government to constitute Special Courts for the trial of scheduled offences. Bill amends

this to state that central government may designate Sessions Courts as Special Courts for trial of scheduled

offences.

Companies (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It amends Companies Act, 2013.

Act contains 81 compoundable offences punishable with fine or fine or imprisonment, or both. Bill re-

categorizes 16 of these offences as civil defaults, where adjudicating officers may now levy penalties instead.

Under the Act, if companies which have to provide for Corporate Social Responsibility, do not fully spent

funds, they must disclose reasons for non-spending. Under the Bill, any unspent annual CSR funds must be

transferred to one of funds under Schedule 7 of Act (e.g., PM Relief Fund) within six months of financial year.

However, if CSR funds are committed to certain ongoing projects, then unspent funds will have to be

transferred to an Unspent CSR Account within 30 days of end of the financial year, and spent within three

years.

Any violation may attract fine between Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,00,000 and every defaulting officer may be

punished with imprisonment of up to three years and / or fine 50,000 and 25,00,000.

Under the Act, the National Financial Reporting Authority can debar a member / firm from practising as a

Chartered Accountant for a period between six months to 10 years, for misconduct.

Bill amends punishment to provide for debarment from appointment as an auditor / internal auditor of a

company, or performing a company’s valuation, for period between six months to 10 years.

Bill states that a company may not commence business, unless it files a declaration within 180 days of

incorporation, confirming that every subscriber to Memorandum of the company has paid for shares taken by

him, and files a verification of its registered address with RoC within 30 days of incorporation.

Act requires companies to register charges on their property within 30 days of creation of charge, extendable

upto 300 days with permission of RoC. Bill changes deadline to 60 days (extendable by 60 days).

Under the Act, change in period of financial year for a company associated with a foreign company, has to be

approved by National Company Law Tribunal. Bill transfers these powers to central government.

Under the Act, a regional director can settle offences with a penalty of up to five lakh rupees. Bill increases this

ceiling to Rs 25 lakh.

Under the Act, central government or certain shareholders can apply to NCLT for relief against mismanagement

of the affairs of company.

Bill states that in such a complaint, government may also make a case against an officer on ground that he

is not fit to hold office, for reasons such as fraud / negligence. If NCLT passes an order against officer, he

will not be eligible to hold office in any company for five years.

If a person holds beneficial interest of at least 25% shares in a company or exercises significant influence or

control over the company, he is required to make a declaration of his interest.

Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill 2019 -

It provides for a mechanism to ban unregulated deposit schemes and protect interests of depositors. It also seeks

to amend three laws - Reserve Bank of India Act 1934, Securities and Exchange Board of India Act 1992 and

Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act 2002.

Bill bans unregulated deposit schemes. A deposit-taking scheme is defined as unregulated if it is taken for a

business purpose and is not registered with the regulators listed in the Bill.

Bill provides for the appointment of one or more government officers, not below rank of Secretary to state /

central government, as Competent Authority. Police officers receiving information about offences under Bill will

report to Competent Authority.

Police officers (not below rank of an officer-in-charge of a police station) may seize any property believed to be

connected with an offence under Bill, with or without a warrant. Competent Authority will have powers similar

to those vested in a civil court.

Bill provides for the constitution of one or more Designated Courts in specified areas.

After provisional attachment of deposit taker’s assets, Competent Authority will approach Designated within 30

days (extendable to 60 days). to make provisional attachment absolute and ask for permission to sell assets.

Designated Court shall will seek to complete process within 180 days of being approached by Competent

Authority.

Bill provides for central government to designate an authority to create an online central database for

information on deposit takers.

Bill defines three types of offences, and penalties related to them -

Running (advertising, promoting, operating or accepting money for) unregulated deposit schemes.

Fraudulently defaulting on regulated deposit schemes

Wrongfully inducing depositors to invest in unregulated deposit schemes by willingly falsifying facts.

Penalties -

Accepting unregulated deposits will be punishable with imprisonment between 2 - 7 years, along with

fine ranging from 3 - 10 lakh rupees.

Defaulting in repayment of unregulated deposits will be punishable with imprisonment between 3 - 10

years, and a fine ranging from 5 lakh rupees to twice the amount collected from depositors.

Repeated offenders will be punishable with imprisonment between 5 - 10, along with a fine ranging

from Rs 10 lakh to five crore rupees.

Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019 (Informally called as Teen-Talak Bill) -

It replaces an Ordinance promulgated on February 21, 2019.

Bill makes all declaration of talaq, including in written or electronic form, to be void and illegal. It defines talaq

as talaq-e-biddat or any other similar form of talaq pronounced by a Muslim man resulting in instant and

irrevocable divorce.

Talaq-e-biddat refers to practice under Muslim personal laws where pronouncement of word ‘talaq’ thrice

in one sitting by a Muslim man to his wife results in an instant and irrevocable divorce.

Bill makes declaration of talaq a cognizable offence, attracting up to three years’ imprisonment with a fine.

Cognizable offence is one for which a police officer may arrest an accused person without warrant.

Bill provides that the Magistrate may grant bail to accused. Bail may be granted only after hearing woman, and if

Magistrate is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for granting bail.

Offence may be compounded by Magistrate upon request of woman.

Compounding refers to the procedure where the two sides agree to stop legal proceedings, and settle

dispute.

Affected woman is entitled to seek subsistence allowance from her husband for herself and for her dependent

children, with amount to be determined by Magistrate.

Affected Muslim woman is entitled to seek custody of her minor children. Manner of custody will be determined

by Magistrate.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It amends Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016., which provides a time-bound process for resolving insolvency

in companies and among individuals.

Under the Code, a creditor may file an application before National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for

initiating insolvency resolution process. NCLT must find existence of default within 14 days. A Committee

of Creditors (CoC) consisting of financial creditors will then be constituted for taking decisions regarding

insolvency resolution. CoC may either decide to restructure debtor’s debt by preparing a resolution plan or

liquidate debtor’s assets.

CoC must complete a resolution process within 180 days, extendable by 90 days if the extension is approved

by NCLT.

If resolution plan is rejected by CoC, debtor will go into liquidation. Code places financial creditors ahead of

operational creditors. In a 2018 Amendment, home-buyers who paid advances to a developer were to be

considered as financial creditors.

Bill addresses three issues -

Strengthens provisions related to time-limits.

Specifies minimum payouts to operational creditors in any resolution plan.

Specifies manner in which representative of a group of financial creditors (such as home-buyers) should

vote.

Resolution plan -

Code provides that resolution plan must ensure that operational creditors receive an amount which should

not be lesser than amount they would receive in case of liquidation. Bill amends this to provide that

amounts to be paid to operational creditor should be higher of -

Amounts receivable under liquidation, and

Amount receivable under a resolution plan, if such amounts were distributed under same order of

priority (as for liquidation).

E.g, if default were for Rs 1,000 crore and resolution recovered 800 crores, operational creditor

must at least get an amount which they would have received if Rs 800 crore have been obtained

through liquidation proceeds.

Bill states that this provision would also apply to insolvency processes.

As per Code, NCLT must determine b existence of default within 14 days of receiving a resolution application.

Bill states that in case NCLT does not find existence of default and has not passed an order within 14 days, it

must record reasons in writing.

Code states that insolvency resolution process must be completed within 180 days, extendable by a period of up

to 90 days. Bill adds that resolution process must be completed within 330 days, including extension and time

taken in legal proceedings. On the enactment of Bill, if any case is pending for over 330 days, Bill states it must

be resolved within 90 days.

Code specifies that, in cases when debt is owed to a class of creditors beyond a specified number, financial

creditors will be represented on committee of creditors by an authorised representative, who will vote on behalf

of creditors.

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2019

It amends Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012, which seeks to protect children from offences

such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography.

The Bill enhances jail term / fine for variosu types of sexual crimes against children.

Act penalises storage of pornographic material for commercial purposes with a punishment of up to three years,

or a fine, or both. Bill amends this to provide that the punishment can be imprisonment between three to five

years, or a fine, or both.

National Medical Commission Bill 2019

It seeks to repeal Indian Medical Council Act 1956 and provide for a reformed medical education system.

Bill sets up National Medical Commission (NMC). Within three years of the passage of the Bill, state

governments will establish State Medical Councils at state level. NMC will consist of 25 members, appointed by

central government.

NMC will look after Functions related to medical education and profession across nation.

Central government will constitute a Medical Advisory Council, as primary platform through which states/UTs

can put forth their views and concerns before NMC.

Bill sets up autonomous boards under the supervision of NMC.

Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) and the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board

(PGMEB).

Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) - Will have the power to levy monetary penalties on medical

institutions which fail to maintain the minimum standards as laid down by the UGMEB and PGMEB.

Ethics and Medical Registration Board - Will maintain a National Register of all licensed medical

practitioners, and regulate professional conduct.

NMC may grant a limited license to certain mid-level practitioners connected with the modern medical profession

to practice medicine. These practitioners may prescribe specified medicines in primary and preventive

healthcare.

There will be a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for admission to under-graduate and post-

graduate super-speciality medical education in all medical institutions regulated under the Bill.

Bill proposes a common final year undergraduate examination called the National Exit Test for the students

graduating from medical institutions to obtain the license for practice.

Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It seeks to amend Motor Vehicles Act 1988, to provide for road safety.

Government will develop a scheme for cashless treatment of road accident victims during golden hour. Bill

defines golden hour as time period of up to one hour following a traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of

preventing death through prompt medical care is highest. Bill increases minimum compensation for hit and run

cases.

Bill requires government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to

all road users in India, to be utilised for related causes.

Bill defines a good samaritan as a person who renders emergency medical or non-medical assistance to a victim

at the scene of an accident. Such a person will not be liable for any civil or criminal action for any injury to or

death of an accident victim.

Bill allows government to order for recall of motor vehicles if a defect in vehicle may cause damage to

environment / driver / other road users.

Government may develop a National Transportation Policy, in consultation with state governments.

Bill provides for a National Road Safety Board to be created by central government. It will advise central and state

governments on all aspects of road safety and traffic management.

Bill increases penalties for several offences under the Act.

Maximum penalty for driving under influence of alcohol or drugs has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs

10,000. If a vehicle manufacturer fails to comply with motor vehicle standards, penalty will be a fine of up

to Rs 100 crore, or imprisonment of up to one year. government may increase fines mentioned under Act

every year by up to 10%.

Bills Passed by Lok Sabha (Pending in Rajya Sabha) -

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill 2019 -

It amends Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.

Bill additionally empowers government to designate individuals as terrorists on the same grounds such as

terrortist organizations.

Bill adds Provisions related to that if investigation is conducted by an officer of National Investigation Agency

(NIA), approval of Director General of NIA would be required for seizure of such property.

Act defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within scope of any of the treaties listed in a schedule to the

Act. The Schedule lists nine treaties. Bill adds another treaty to the list - International Convention for

Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005).

Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It amends Inter-State River Water Disputes Act 1956, which provides for adjudication of disputes relating to

waters of inter-state rivers and river valleys.

Under the Bill, when a state puts in a request regarding any water dispute, central government will set up a

Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC), to resolve the dispute. DRC will comprise of a Chairperson, and experts

with at least 15 years of experience in relevant sectors.

DRC will seek to resolve dispute through negotiations, within one year (extendable by six months). If

dispute cannot be settled by DRC, central government will refer it to Inter-State River Water Disputes

Tribunal, within 3 months from receipt of report from DRC.

Central government will set up an Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal, for adjudication of water

disputes. All existing Tribunals will be dissolved, and pending disputes will be transferred to new Tribunal.

Tribunal will consist of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, three judicial members, and three expert

members.

Under the Act, Tribunal must give its decision within three years, which may be extended by two years. Under

the Bill, the proposed Tribunal must give its decision on the dispute within two years, which may be extended by

another year.

Under the Act, decision of Tribunal must be published by central government in official gazette, with same force

as that of an order of Supreme Court. Bill removes requirement of such publication.

Bill adds that decision of Tribunal will be final and binding on parties involved in dispute. Bill makes it

mandatory for central government to make a scheme to give effect to decision of Tribunal.

Under the Act, central government maintains a data bank and information system at national level for each river

basin. Bill provides that central government will authorise an agency to maintain such data bank.

Code on Wages Bill 2019 -

It subsumes relevant provisions of Minimum Wages Act, 1948, The Payment of Wages Act, 1936, The Payment of

Bonus Act, 1965 and The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976. After enactment of Code on Wages, all these four Acts

will get repealed.

The Code on Wage universalizes provisions of minimum wages and timely payment of wages to all employees

irrespective of the sector and wage ceiling.

At present, the provisions of both Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act apply on workers below a

particular wage ceiling working in Scheduled Employments only. This would ensure "Right to Sustenance" for

every worker and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage from existing about 40% to

100% workforce.

At present, many of the states have multiple minimum wages. Through Code on Wages, the methodology to fix

the minimum wages has been simplified and rationalised by doing away with type of employment as one of the

criteria for fixation of minimum wage.

Repealing and Amending Bill 2019

Bill repeals 68 laws that have been listed in the First Schedule of the Bill. These include Beedi Workers Welfare

Fund Act 1976 and Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2001.

Bill makes minor amendments to two Acts which relate to substitution of certain words. The two Acts are Income

Tax Act 1961, and India Institutes of Management Act 2017.

Consumer Protection Bill 2019

It replaces Consumer Protection Act 1986.

Six consumer rights have been defined in the Bill -

To be protected against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property

To be informed of the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services

To be assured of access to a variety of goods or services at competitive prices

To seek redressal against unfair or restrictive trade practices.

Government will set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to protect and enforce rights of

consumers. CCPA will regulate matters related to violation of consumer rights, unfair trade practices, and

misleading advertisements.

CCPA may impose a penalty on a manufacturer or an endorser of up to Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment for up to

two years for amisleading advertisement. In subsequent offence, fine may extend to Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment

of up to five years.

Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions (CDRCs) will be set up at the district, state, and national levels.

District CDRC will entertain complaints where value of goods and services does not exceed Rs one crore. State

CDRC will entertain complaints when the value is more than Rs one crore but does not exceed Rs 10 crore.

Complaints with value of goods and services over Rs 10 crore will be entertained by the National CDRC.

Bills Passed by Rajya Sabha (Pending in Lok Sabha) -

Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2019

It amends Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act 2008, which established Airports Economic

Regulatory Authority of India (AERA). AERA regulates tariffs and other charges for aeronautical services

provided at civilian airports with annual traffic above 15 lakh passengers.

Act defines a major airport as one with annual passenger traffic over 15 lakh, or any other airports as notified by

the central government. Bill increases the threshold of annual passenger traffic for major airports to over 35

lakh.

Bill adds several clauses related to determining tariff, tariff structures, or development fees.

Bills Introduced in Lok Sabha -

National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill 2019 -

It seeks to amend National Institute of Design Act 2014, which declares National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

as an institution of national importance.

Bill seeks to declare four National Institutes of Design in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Haryana

as institutions of national importance. Currently, these are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration

Act 1860 and do not have the power to grant degrees or diplomas.

The Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill 2019

It amends Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act 1951, which provides for erection of a National Memorial in

memory of those killed / wounded on April 13, 1919, in Jallianwala Bagh. It also creates a Trust to manage the

Memorial.

Under Act, Trustees of Memorial include PM as Chairperson, President of Indian National Congress, Minister in-

charge of Culture, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Governor of Punjab, Chief Minister of Punjab, and 3

eminent persons nominated by government. Bill removes President of Indian National Congress as a Trustee.

Act provides that three trustees nominated by government will be trustees for a period of five years and will be

eligible for renomination. Bill allows government to terminate term of a nominated trustee before expiry of

period of his term without assigning any reason.

Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2019 -

Bill defines surrogacy as a practice where a woman gives birth to a child for an intending couple with intention to

hand over the child after birth to intending couple.

Bill prohibits commercial surrogacy, but allows altruistic surrogacy. Altruistic surrogacy involves no monetary

compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical expenses and insurance coverage during

pregnancy.

Intending couple should have a ‘certificate of essentiality’ and a ‘certificate of eligibility’ issued by the appropriate

authority.

Certificate of essentiality will be issued upon fulfilment of given conditions related to proven infertility and other

terms.

To obtain a certificate of eligibility from appropriate authority, surrogate mother has to be - a close relative of the

intending couple, a married woman having a child of her own, 25 to 35 years old, a surrogate only once in her

lifetime and possess a certificate of medical and psychological fitness for surrogacy.

Central and state governments shall appoint one or more appropriate authorities within 90 days of the Bill

becoming an Act.

To act as Surrogacy clinics, Clinics must apply for registration within a period of 60 days from the date of

appointment of the appropriate authority.

Central and the state governments shall constitute National Surrogacy Board (NSB) and State Surrogacy Boards

(SSB), respectively.

Offences under Bill include undertaking or advertising commercial surrogacy, exploiting surrogate mother,

abandoning a surrogate child, selling or importing human embryo or gametes for surrogacy. Penalty is

imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine up to 10 lakh rupees.

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019 -

Bill prohibits discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment.

Every transgender person shall have a right to reside and be included in his household.

No government or private entity can discriminate against a transgender person in employment matters, including

recruitment, and promotion.

Educational institutions shall provide inclusive education, sports and recreational facilities for transgender

persons, without discrimination.

A transgender person may make an application to the District Magistrate for a certificate of identity, indicating

the gender as ‘transgender’.

Government will take measures to ensure full inclusion of transgender persons in society.

Bill recognizes several offences against transgender persons. Penalties for these offences vary between six months

and two years, and a fine.

National Council for Transgender persons (NCT) will be formed with Union Minister for Social Justice as

(Chairperson) and other designated members.

Dam Safety Bill 2019 -

It provides for surveillance, inspection, operation, and maintenance of specified dams across country.

Bill applies to all specified dams in the country. These are dams with height over 15 metres, height between 10

metres to 15 metres and subject to certain additional design and structural conditions.

National Committee on Dam Safety will be constituted and will be chaired by the Chairperson, Central Water

Commission. All other members will be nominated by central government.

Functions of Committee include formulating policies and regulations regarding dam safety standards and

prevention of dam failures, and analysing causes of major dam failures and suggesting changes in dam

safety practices.

National Dam Safety Authority will be headed by an officer not below rank of an Additional Secretary. Functions

include

Implementing the policies formulated by the National Committee on Dam Safety.

Resolving issues between State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs), or between a SDSO and any dam owner

in that state

Specifying regulations for inspection and investigation of dams

Providing accreditation to agencies working on construction, design, and alteration of dams.

State governments will establish State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs). All specified dams situated in a state

will fall under the jurisdiction of that state’s SDSO. In certain cases National Dam Safety Authority will act as the

SDSO. These include cases where a dam extends over multiple states or is owned by a central public sector

undertaking. SDSOs will

Keep perpetual surveillance, inspect, and monitor operation and maintenance of dams

Keep a database of all dams and recommend safety measures to owners of dams.

Bill provides for constitution of State Committees on Dam Safety by state governments. Functions of Committee

include -

Reviewing work of SDSO

Ordering dam safety investigations

Recommend dam safety measures and reviewing progress on such measures

Assess potential impact on upstream and downstream states.

Owners of specified dams are required to provide a dam safety unit in each dam.

Bill provides for two types of offences -

Obstructing a person in discharge of his functions under the Bill and

Refusing to comply with directions issued under the Bill.

Offenders will be punishable with imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine, or both.

18. Butterfly species Tamil yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) officially declared as state butterfly of Tamil Nadu. Tamilnadu is 5th Indian

state to mark a species as state butterfly.

Maharashtra was 1st to declare Blue Mormon as its state butterfly, followed by Common peacock in Uttarakhand, Southern

bird wings in Karnataka and Malabar banded peacock in Kerala.

19. Cabinet Approvals (Jul 17, 2019) -

General Approvals -

Approved extension of term of 15th Finance Commission up to 30thNovember, 2019 (By a Month). It is headed by N K

Singh. 15th FC was constituted on 27tn November 2017, and had to submit its Report by 30th October 2019, covering a

period of five years commencing from 1st April, 2020.

Cabinet approved amendment to enable 15th Finance Commission to address serious concerns regarding allocation of

adequate, secure and non-lapsable funds for defence and internal security of India.

Amendment provides that 15th FC shall also examine whether a separate mechanism for funding of defence and

internal security ought to be set up and if so how such a mechanism could be operationalized.

MOUs -

Inter-Institutional Agreement with USA for cooperation in field of medicine.

CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affair) Approvals -

Approved constructing a new railway line in Uttar Pradesh, between Sahjanwa and Dohrighat (81.17 Km) with

estimated cost of 1320 crores, to be completed by 2023-24 and will be executed by North Eastern Railway.

Approved expenditure on pre-investment activities and various clearances for Dibang Multipurpose Project (MPP) in

Arunachal Pradesh for an amount of Rs. 1600 crore. Estimated total cost of Project is INR 28080 crores, to be

comleted in 9 years.

The project shall generate 2880MW (12x240MW) power to produce 11223MU of energy in a 90% dependable

year. This is largest ever Hydro Electric Projects to be constructed in India. The dam is 278 metres high and will

be highest dam in India once completed.

Project is located on river Dibang, in Lower Dibang Valley District of Arunachal Pradesh. Government of

Arunachal Pradesh will get 12% free power from project. 1% free power will be given in Local Area Development

Fund (LADF).

Approved constructing New Bongaigaon and Agthori via Rangiya doubling (142.97 km) of Northeast Frontier Railway

in Assam with cost of 2042 crores,to be completed by 2022-23, under Northeast Frontier Railway.

Approved constructing a 3rd railway line between Allahabad - Mughalsarai (now Pt. DeenDayal Upadhyaya Jn.)

(Length 150 km) with estimated cost of 2649 crores, by 2023-24 and under North Central railway.

20. Cabinet Approvals (July 10, 2019) -

General Approvals -

Approved banning Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill 2019, to replace banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes

Ordinance 2019, which will otherwise cease to operate after six weeks after reassembly of Parliament. It will help

tackle the menace of illicit deposit taking activities in country.

Approved introduction of the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Bill 2019 in Parliament,

aimed at enhancing coverage of safety, health and working conditions provisions manifold as compared to the present

scenario. New Code has been drafted after amalgamation, simplification and rationalisation of 13 Central Labour Acts -The Factories Act, 1948;The Mines Act, 1952; The Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986;The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996;The Plantations Labour Act, 1951;The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970;The Inter-State Migrant workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979;The Working Journalist and other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service and Misc. Provision) Act, 1955;The Working Journalist (Fixation of rates of wages) Act, 1958;The Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961;Sales Promotion Employees (Condition of Service) Act, 1976;The Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966; andThe Cine Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers Act, 1981. After the enactment of the Code, all these Acts beingsubsumed in the Code will be repealed.

Approved Inter-State River Water disputes(Amendment) Bill 2019 for adjudication of disputes relating to waters of

inter-State rivers and river valley thereof. It seeks to amend the Inter State River Water Disputes Act 1956, to

streamline adjudication of inter-state river water disputes and make the present institutional architecture robust.

Approved introducing Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019 in Parliament. It provides a mechanism for

their social, economic and educational empowerment.

To protect children from Sexual offences, Cabinet approved Amendments in Protection of Children from Sexual

Offences (POCSO) Act 2012. It will make punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children

including death penalty, and provides for levy of fines and imprisonment to curb child pornography.

Approved Grant of Organised Group 'A' status to Indian Railway Protection Force (RPF) and consequential benefits of

Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) with effect from 01-01-2006 and Non-Functional Selection Grade

(NFSG) @ 30% of Senior Duty Post (SDP) with effect from 06.06.2000.

It will end stagnation, improve career progression of officers and keep up their motivational level.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Approvals -

To boost rural road connectivity, ,launch of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-lll (PMGSY-III) was approved. Under

PMGSY-III Scheme, it is proposed to consolidate 1,25,000 Km road length in States.

This would facilitate easy and faster movement to and from Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), Higher

Secondary Schools and Hospitals.

It will entail anestimated cost of INR 80250 crores, to be shared in ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State for all

States except for 8 North Eastern and 3 Himalayan States, for which it is 90:10.

Project period is 2019-20 to 2024-25.

Under PMGSY, 599090 Km road length has been constructed since its inception in Dec 2000.

21. Cabinet Approvals (July 24, 2019) -

General -

Approved to dissolve National Institute of Miners' Health (NIMH) and merge it with ICMR-National Institute of

Occupational Health (NIOH) Ahmedabad. It will prove beneficial to both Institutes in term of enhanced expertise in

field of occupational health besides efficient management of public money.

Approved Sale of 481.79 acres of land held by Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd. (FACT) to Govt. of Kerala. It

will help FACT to reduce bank borrowings and implement projects for enhancing fertilizer production capacity.

CCEA -

Approved Creation of buffer stock of 40 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of sugar for one year and to incur estimated

maximum expenditure of 1674 crores. Reimbursement under the scheme would be met on quarterly basis to sugar

mills which would be credited into farmers’ account on behalf of mills against cane price dues. Subsequent balance

would be credited to mill’s account.

Approved Determination of ‘Fair and Remunerative Price’ of sugarcane payable by sugar mills for 2019-20 sugar

season, based on the recommendation of Commission of Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) as per its report of August

2018. CACP has recommended same price for the 2019-20 sugar season as it was for the sugar season 2018-19.

CCEA also approved to provide a premium of Rs. 2.75 per qtl for every 0.1% increase above 10% in the recovery.

22. Cabinet Approvals (July 3, 2019) -

General Approvals -

Approved Grant of Organized Group ‘A’ Service (OGAS) to Group ‘A’ Executive Cadre Officers of Central Armed Police

Forces (CAPFs) and extension of benefit of Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) and Non-Functional

Selection Grade (NFSG).

Approved leasing out three airports (Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangaluru) of Airports Authority of India (AAI)

through Public Private Partnership (PPP) to Adani Enterprises, who quoted highest bid for operation, management

and development under PPP for a lease period of 50 years.

MOUs -

Maldives - cooperation in field of Health, Shipping.

Morocco - Cooperation between judiciaries.

CCEA Approvals -

To Boost Farmers’ income, CCEA approved increase in Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all kharif crops for 2019-

20 Season. Hikes are (INR Per Quintal) -

Soyabean - 311

Sunflower - 262

Sesamum - 236

Tur dal - 125

Urad dal - 100

Jowar - 120

Ragi - 253

Cotton (medium staple) and cotton (long staple) - 105 and 100 respectively

23. Cabinet Approvals (July 31, 2019)

MOUs -

Bolivia, Baharain - Cooperation in Exploration and Uses of Outer Space for peaceful purposes.

General Approvals -

Approved extension of term of commission constituted under Article 340 of the constitution to examine the issue of

Sub-categorization within other Backward Classes in the Central List by six months beyond 31st July, 2019 and upto

31st January, 2020.

Approved setting up ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow (Russia), with average annual expenditure of

about Rs. 1.50 crores. ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow will enable coordination for timely interventions

on diversified matters with Russia and neighbouring countries for realization of programmatic targets of ISRO.

Keeping in view 15th August 2022 timeline for realization of Gaganyaan human space programme, it is prudent

to avail technical cooperation from International space agencies, with demonstrated technical capabilities in

specific areas.

Earlier, ISRO Technical Liaison Units are established at at Washington(USA) and Paris (France), to liaise with

various Government and space agencies in USA and Europe, respectively.

Approved signing of UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements (UNISA) resulting from mediation by

India scheduled to be held in August 2019.

It will boost confidence of investors and shall provide a positive signal to foreign investors about India's

commitment to adhere to international practice on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

To encourage international commercial arbitration in India and to evolve a comprehensive ecosystem of

arbitration, Government is establishing New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC) as a statutory body.

Commercial Courts Act 2015, has been further amended and legislative exercise to further amend Arbitration and

Conciliation Act 1996, is underway. These will encourage settlement of commercial disputes, domestic and

international, in India through ADR Mechanism of Arbitration, Conciliation and Mediation.

UN General Assembly adopted UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from

Mediation ("the Convention") in December 2018. It was authorized that Convention will open for signature at a

signing ceremony to be held on 7th August 2019 in Singapore and will be known as the "Singapore Convention on

Mediation" (the Convention).

Convention provides a uniform and efficient framework for the enforcement of international settlement

agreements.

CCEA -

Approved proposal of Department of Fertilizers for fixation of Nutrient Based Subsidy Rates for P&K Fertilizers for

2019-20. Expenditure for release of subsidy on P&K Fertilizers during 2019-20 will be Rs. 22875.50 crores. Approved

rates for NBS (

Per Kg Subsidy rates (in Rs) -

N (Nitrogen)

P(Phosphorus)

K(Potash)

S(Sulphur)

18.901

15.216

11.124

3.562

24. Cabinet approved bill to form National Medical Commission (NMC), to replace Medical Council of India (MCI).

NMC Bill 2019 aims to repeal and replace Medical Council Act of 1956, which stated responsibilities and the functions of

Medical Council of India (MCI). NMC will be responsible for conducting entrance exams, such as National Eligibility cum

Entrance Test (NEET). It will also be implementing the National Exit Test (NEXT) for medical students upon completion of

their education.

NMC will also be responsible for allowing new courses and fees to be introduced as well as for increasing the number of seats

in colleges.

There will be four autonomous boards which fall under NMC - A board to oversee Undergraduate Medical Education,

another to take care of Postgraduate Medical Education, Medical Assessment and Rating Board, and Ethics and Medical

Registration Board.

25. Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda launched Phase-II of the Direct Benefit Transfer of Fertilizer Subsidy

(DBT 2.0).

Department of Fertilizers implemented Phase-I of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system in fertilizer subsidy pan-India in

Fertilizers, from

March 2018, which envisaged release of 100% subsidy on various fertilizer grades to fertilizer companies on the basis of

actual sales made by retailer to beneficiaries.

Initiatives of DBT 2.0 Include DBT Dashboards (To facilitate accurate information gathering and decision-making), PoS 3.0

Software and Desktop PoS Version.

Phase-II of DBT will explore the feasibility of direct cash transfer of over INR 70000 Crores subsidy to farmer’s accounts. An

expert committee under NITI Aayog was constituted in Sep 2017 to suggest a model for implementation of phase-2.

A dedicated Help Desk is set up to provide quick response to queries as a preparatory to DBT implementatio, on toll free

number 1800115501.

26. Chhattisgarh Govt. launched a unique garbage cafe scheme in Ambikapur of Surguja district which has become India’s first

‘Garbage Cafe’ for Rag Pickers. Rag pickers and homeless will collect plastic waste, and in return, municipal corporation will offer

them food.

27. Delhi Police signed MoU with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to set up Rooftop Solar Energy Systems in more than

200 of its buildings across city. Rooftop Solar Systems of total capacity of about 3-4 MW will be implemented across various Delhi

Police buildings.

28. Delhi government announced to shut down Rajghat thermal power plant and turn it into a 5000 KW solar park.

29. Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Agra will be India’s first highway corridors to get charging stations for electric vehicles by March 2020.

18 charging stations will set up in under 500 KMs on the route. Government aims to have 25 % of total vehicles on roads as e-

vehicles, by 2030.

30. Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express (announced in 2016), will be first train to be operated by private players.

31. Department of Telecom (DoT) and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) signed MoU to

develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) for Indian States and Union Territories (UTs). First estimate will be made in 2019.

Subsequently, it will be made every year until 2022.

This index will appraise condition of underlying digital infrastructure and related factors at the State/UT level, providing

useful insights into strategic choices made by States for investment allocations in ICT programmes.

32. District Administration Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir) launched a helpline, “Jeene Do”. to improve sex ratio and deal with

defaulters of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques PCPNDT Act under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. Mobile

Number 9469793363 has been dedicated to the public to register complaints regarding sex determination during prenatal

checkups.

33. E-Commerce Major Amazon launched an Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) preparation app

called JEE Ready, as Amazon’s first product in the edtech sector in India.

34. Environment Ministry selected 12 beaches in India to vie for a ‘Blue Flag’ certification, an international recognition conferred on

beaches that meet certain criteria of cleanliness and environmental propriety. Blue Flag Programme for beaches and marinas is

run by international NGO FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education).

35. General Conferences (July 1 - 10, 2019) -

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has set up its first “Aadhaar Seva Kendra”, in Delhi and Vijayawada

(Andhra Pradesh). UIDAI aims to set up 114 such centers by end of 2019.

Devotees observed annual fair at shrine of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas, a saint popularly known as Baba Chamliyal, in Samba

district of Jammu and Kashmir. But there was no traditional exchange of ‘shakkar (soil) and sharbat (water)’ with Pakistan

for 2nd successive year.

Railways released its new All India Railway Time Table known as “TRAINS AT A GLANCE (TAG)”

To make ‘drugs-free panchayats’, district administration Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir (J&k) launched an anti Drug

Campaign called “Operation Khumaar” in all 312 Panchayats.

Delhi Police had launched Operation Milap in Dec 2014, to rescue missing children and hand them over to their families. It

has been huge success and resulted in safe rescue of over 330 Children so far.

India – ASEAN Troika Trade Ministers’ meeting held in New Delhi, for informal consultation on ongoing Regional

Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

To curb menace of unauthorized Packaged Drinking Water in Railways, an all India drive named “Operation Thirst” was

launched by RPF.

Annual Bonalu festival kicked off at the Jagadamba temple in historic Golconda Fort, Telangana.

Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed five important bills - Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill 2019, Goods and Service

Tax (Amendment) Bill 2019, Municipal Corporation Bill 2019, State Higher Education Council Bill 2019 and Protection of

Medical Service Personnel and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss of Property) Bill

2019.

A fortnightly bulletin (15 Days) of National Museum of Indian Cinema as “NMIC Bulletin“ has been launched in Mumbai.

Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Seed Federation announced to produce seeds under brand name ‘Sah-Beej’.

PM Narendra Modi unveiled statue of former PM Late Sh. Lal Bahadur Shastri at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport

in Varanasi.

36. General Conferences (July 21 - 31, 2019) -

Haryana Govt. invited Nepal to be Partner Country for International Gita Jayanti Mahotsav to be held at Kurukshetra in

December 2019.

International Bus and Car show Prawaas 2019 held in Mumbai (Maharashtra).

FICCI international Seminar on ‘Nation Building Through Shipbuilding’, held at New Delhi.

13th edition of the annual Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) organized by American Association of Physicians of Indian

Origin (AAPI) in Hyderabad.

INS Tarkash visited Russia to take part in the Russian Navy Day celebrations.

U.S. Embassy in Nepal organized a South Asia Air Quality Tech Camp in Kathmandu.

Online payment solutions provider PayPal Holdings opened a 3rd Global Technology Centre at Western Aqua at Kondapur in

Hyderabad, Telangana after Bengaluru and Chennai.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising the third edition of Global Ayurveda Summit 2019 at Kochi.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a Dashboard of Department Defence Production (DDP), to help in effective

monitoring of various initiatives and schemes of the department. Dashboard is available for general public at

www.ddpdashboard.gov.in.

1st ever Himalayan States Conclave hosted in Mussoorie (Uttarakhand),by government of Uttarakhand with Integrated

Mountain Initiative (IMI) as its knowledge partner. Chief guest was Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

22nd National Conference on e-Governance 2019 will be held in Shillong (Meghalaya) in Aug 2019, as first time this mega

knowledge sharing event is being organized in north-eastern region. ‘Digital India: Success to Excellence’ is the theme of

event.

PSU EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Limited) signed MoU with New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida) to

encourage Electric Vehicles (EV) in Noida, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and to install approximately 100 public charging station

across city.

Western Railway General Stores Depot (GSD) became first in Indian Railways to opened a heritage gallery of the printing

and allied machines used in the Western Railway Printing Press since (1948) at Mahalaxmi in Mumbai.

Delhi Government launched 15-day “Happiness Utsav” in over 1000 schools, To celebrate completion of a year of

introduction of its happiness curriculum.

University Grants Commission(UGC) released a list of 23 universities which are declared “self-styled” and “unrecognized“.

Uttar Pradesh has most 8 fake universities, followed by Delhi (7).

Ministry of Mines organized an interactive workshop called ‘Waste to Wealth’ in New Delhi for discussing productive

utilisation of bauxite residue, commonly known as Red Mud.

First International Solar Alliance (ISA) Standing Committee Meeting held in New Delhi.

Utar Pradesh (UP) government will install a 251-metre-tall statue of Lord Ram at Ayodhya which will become the world’s

tallest statue surpassing the record held by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Statue of Unity in Gujarat (182-metre).

37. General Conferences / Events (July 11 - 20, 2019) -

8th meeting of India-Uzbekistan Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism held in New Delhi.

11th Mekong Ganga Cooperation Senior Officials’ Meeting (MGC SOM) 2019 held in New Delhi. 6 MGC member states -

ndia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Kerala government's Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) hosted ‘Women Startup Summit 2019’ in Kochi.

International Police Expo 2019 Held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, focused on everything related to police forces.

Culture Minister Prahalad Singh Patel inaugurated architectural illumination of 17th Century Monument Safdarjung Tomb

in New Delhi.

India will host 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat

Desertification (UNCCD) in September 2019 at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh).

Govt. Inaugurated an Agri Business Incubation Centre in Chhattisgarh, in Indira Gandhi Agriculture University of Raipur. It

has been set up under the National Agriculture Development Scheme- RAFTAAR.

4th Director General level talks between Narcotics Control Bureau (India) and Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control

(Myanmar) held in New Delhi.

National Seminar Cum Workshop on “Statistics and Sustainable Development Goals held at University of Lucknow (UP).

India held six-week-long Artificial Limb Fitment Camp in Tanzania which benefited over 500 differently abled Tanzanians.

Annual festival of worship of 14 Gods, known as Kharchi Puja celebrated in Tripura.

US India Strategic and Partnership Forum 2nd annual leadership summit held in Washington. "US India Bilateral Trade

Report" was released on the occasion. It says that India-US trade may reach USD 238 billion by 2025.

Uttar Pradesh Govt. has set target of $1 trillion economy for state, over next 5 Years.

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology and Earth Sciences inaugurated Next

Generation Sequencing (NSG) facility at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad (Telangana). It

would include technology for high genome sequencing and also diagnostic sequencing of clinical samples. It is 4th such

facility in the country.

Golden Jubilee Edition of International Film Festival of India, will be held in November 2019 in Panaji, Goa. Russia will be

IFFI partner in this edition.

19th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting held in London (UK), attended by External Affairs Minister S

Jaishankar on India's Behalf.

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting's Film Divisions launched documentary film club “KSHITIJ” in Mumbai.

Indian Navy's INS Tarkash reached Karlskrona (Sweden), as first visit of an Indian Naval Ship to Swedish shores after a gap

of more than 15 years.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched special campaign called Jan Jagrukta Abhiyaan in New Delhi, aimed

towards sensitizing and mobilising community for prevention and control of vector borne diseases (VBDs).

Pune based National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has acquired rare footage of 1948 Marathi film ‘Vande Mataram’, in which

legendary writer and playwright P.L. Deshpande played major role.

Korean automobile Major Hyundai will begin making electric cars in Chennai facility, making Tamil Nadu first state in India

to manufacture electric cars.

8 more routes (including 2 DoNER Routes) became functional Under Regional Connectivity Scheme /Ude Desh Ka Aam

Nagrik (UDAN) scheme of Ministry of Civil Aviation. With this, UDAN routes Operational so far increased to 194 routes.

Assam Tourism Development Corporation will spent 150 crore rupees to develop the 316 locations under Axom Darshan.

India and European Union (EU) held 5th high-level dialogue on migration and mobility (HLDMM) in New Delhi.

38. Goa CM Pramod Sawant announced upcoming launch of India’s first-ever ‘Water Taxis’, between Panaji and Old Goa which will

allow people to travel in inland waterways.

39. Google India and Tata Trusts will expand their ‘Internet Saathi’ digital literacy programme for rural women to villages in Punjab

and Odisha. It has so far reached 2.6 lakh villages across 18 states. Internet Saathi is joint initiative of Google India and Tata

Trusts, to facilitate digital literacy among women in rural India.

40. Government announced to set-up two Skill Centre of Excellence (CoEs) in Uttar Pradesh – one in Greater Noida for Plumbing

and one in Varanasi for Services Sector. Both centres will be having international state-of-the-art infrastructure, to be created

under joint collaboration between State and Centre Government.

41. Government has set a target for the installation of Rooftop Solar projects of 40,000 MegaWatt by 2022 in India. The projects

include installation of solar panels on the rooftop of houses.

42. Govt. aims to increase production of coal in country to one billion tone by 2022-23, to bridge gap between demand and supply of

coal. India raw coal production has increased from 462 Metric tonnes in 2013-14 to 730 metric tonnes in 2018-19.

43. Govt. declared State of Nagaland a ‘disturbed area’ for a period of 6 more months under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act

(AFSPA).

44. Govt. proposed light urban rail transit system - 'Metrolite' - in small cities and towns having lower projection of ridership, with

each train having three coaches (300 passengers capacity) and a restricted speed of 25 kmph.

For segregation with road traffic, fencing can be provided on either side of network.

Metrolite platforms will not have AFC gates, platform screen doors, X-ray and baggage scanner.

Maximum operational speed of the Metrolite is 60 KMPH.

45. Gujarat topped in area of solar rooftop installations, with total 261.97 megawatts (MW) of installed rooftop solar capacity. Total

rooftop solar installations in India is 1700.54 MW as of now.

46. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched a Scheme called “Paramarsh” of University Grants Commission (UGC),

which aims at mentoring National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) accreditation aspirant institutions to develop

quality assurance in Higher Education.

Scheme will be implemented through a “Hub & Spoke” model where mentor institution -called ‘Hub’ has the responsibility of

guiding mentee institution (through secondary branches ‘Spoke’) for self-improvement.

47. Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar launched online portal named “Meri Fasal Mera Byora” (https://www.fasalhry.in), for farmers

to directly avail crop related benefits of state government schemes after self -reporting their land and crop-related details.

48. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan released National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) report -

It aims to create a National Digital Health Eco-system that will support Universal Health Coverage in an inclusive, easily

accessible, affordable, efficient, timely and safe manner.

There is a need to ensure convergence across these IT systems to monitor and provide health services in an efficient manner,

creating need of an integrated e-Health system under National Digital Health Blueprint.

49. ICMR’s National Institute for Medical Statistics have launched National Data Quality Forum (NDQF) to improve quality of

health and demographic data in India.

It seeks to generate meaningful dialogue around improvement of data quality, for health and medical research in particular.

It will integrate learnings from scientific and evidence-based initiatives and guide actions by periodic workshops and

conferences.

50. IIT Kharagpur partnered with Tata Medical Center for setting up an image data bank for cancer patients & in particular, radio

oncology (controlled use of radiation to treat cancer), called Comprehensive Digital Archive of Cancer Imaging (CHAVI).

51. IIT Kharagpur researchers developed an application called CARE4U that connect caregiver to elderly person, which can detect

whether elderly has fallen down. If there is a fall, app calls caregiver and emergency services along with providing exact location of

elderly person.

52. IT Firm Larsen & Toubro Infotech acquired Bengaluru based AI firm Lymbyc for INR 38 crores.

53. India's first Design Development Center 'Fashionova' launched in Gujarat's Surat (Also called Textile city). It will promote city in

fashion design sector.

54. Indian IT Body NASSCOM partnered with National Skill Development Corporation to organise ‘World Skills India’s

International Cloud Computing Challenge 2019’, with participation of 10 countries. “WorldSkills India” initiative was launched in

2011 by NSDC.

55. Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta signed Seperate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Carleton University

(Canada) and Montpellier Business School (France) to promote advancement in teaching, research, cultural understanding.

56. India’s first cow sanctuary Kamdhenu Gau Abhyaran in Agar Malwa (MP), will be privatised due to financial crises. It was set up

in September 2017. NGO Akshaya Patra is keen on managing it at no profit no loss basis.

Also, India’s first elephant rehabilitation centre will be set up by Kerala State Government in its ecotourism village of

Kottoor, at cost of INR 105 crores.

57. Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani introduced a new platform “Sahamati” based on a new class of non-banking financial

institutions called the account aggregator (NBFC-AA) model. This will work as consent brokers, which will take users permission

to access their financial accounts, aggregate and organize all their financial information in one place.

58. Institute of Company Secretaries of India launched an initiative, a Unique Document Identification Number to pursue

heightened sense of self-governance and strengthen practising side of company secretaries. . UDIN will provide ease of

maintaining register of attestation and certification services.

59. Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan campaign for water conservation in 1592 stressed

blocks in 256 districts.

Campaign is centred on 5 aspects -

Water conservation and rainwater harvesting

Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks

Reuse of water and recharging of structures such as borewell

Watershed development

Intensive afforestation

Campaign will run through citizen participation during Monsoon season- from 1st July to 15th September, 2019. Additional

Phase 2- from 1st October to 30th November 2019 for States receiving North East retreating monsoons.

60. Jammu and Kashmir government approved Aadhaar-linked payment mode for disbursal of pension to beneficiaries under

various central and state-sponsored schemes in order to ensure transparency and avoid delays.

61. Kerala Government will form a Non-Resident Keralites (NRK) Investment and Holding Company Ltd in order to bring

investments from overseas Keralites for major infrastructure development in state. 74% stake of company will be held by expats

and 26% will be held by Kerala Government.

62. Kerala government will set up country’s first space tech park at Thiruvananthapuram Knowledge City, aimed at making the city a

manufacturing hub for space-related technology.

63. MOU signed between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB)

and Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) to improve understanding and to enable better ways diagnosis and

treatment of human genetic disorders. Objective is to provide quality DNA-based diagnostic services to public at lower costs.

64. Madhya Pradesh Assembly passed Madhya Pradesh Public Service (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and

Other Backward Classes) Amendment Bill 2019 for increasing reservation in government jobs and education for Other Backward

Classes (OBC) to 27% from present 14%.

Bill will now go to the governor and president for assent. With this, reservation in state will touch 73% (breach of 50% cap

mandated by Supreme Court) including 10 percent quota for Economically Weaker Section from general category.

65. Madhya Pradesh's First International Flight service launched, to Dubai from Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar International Airport

Indore.

66. Maharashtra became first state to adopt an Automated Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) i.e. digital

fingerprint and iris scanning system to help police investigations. AMBIS is updated version of Automated Fingerprint

Identification System (AFIS), which has been used by Indian law enforcement agencies to search finger and palm prints.

67. Maharashtra government increased financial assistance given to families of martyred and disabled soldiers hailing from state,

from Rs 25 lakh to Rs.1 crores.

68. Meghalaya became 1st state in India to ensure conservation of water and have its own State Water Policy. Objective is to

recognize water resources as a common pool resource (CPR), provide safe and hygienic water for drinking, domestic needs and

sanitation.

69. Microsoft acquired data privacy, governance service firm BlueTalonm which helps enterprises set policies for how their

employees can access their data.

70. Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' released ‘Deeksharambh’, a University Grants

Commission (UGC) Guide to Student Induction Programme. It aims at helping new students adjust and feel comfortable in new

environment and to students build bonds with other students and faculty members

71. Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel announced to include remaining 02 languages from 8th Schedule

of Indian Constitution - Nepali and Santhali in Sub-Field of Field “Literature” in scheme component ‘Award of Senior/Junior

Fellowships to Outstanding Artistes in the Fields of Culture’.

“Literary Arts” is one of Fields under this Scheme where candidates can apply for research in 22 languages as their Sub-Field.

72. Ministry for Labour & Employment had launched PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) Portal

(pencil.gov.in), to resolve Complaints of Child Labour. So far, Over 360 complaints have been resolved. It was launched in

September 2017.

73. Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology signed MOU for collaborating for digitization of

AYUSH Sector. MeitY will give technical support to MOA for planning and development of AYUSH GRID Project.

74. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare signed Statement of Intent (SoI) for undertaking a pilot study in 3 districts of

Bhopal, Rajkot and Nanded in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra respectively, with IBM India.

IBM’s Watson Decision Platform will give solution in agriculture through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and weather technology

at village level level to provide weather forecast and soil moisture information, to help farmers in taking decisions regarding

water and crop management.

75. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched a project for undertaking ‘immunocontraceptive

measures’ for population management of 4 species of wild animals namely Elephant, Wild boar, Monkeys and Blue Bull (Nilgai).

76. Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC) recommended ‘in-principle’ permission for survey and

exploration of Uranium in Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana.

Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) had earlier sought permission from Environment Ministry

to carry out survey and drilling of boreholes around for exploration of uranium in Amrabad and Udimalla (Mahaboobnagar

district) region in adjoining Nagarjunasagar Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh, for use in nuclear power generation.

AMD Proposal indicated that northern part of Cuddapah basin (second largest Proterozoic sedimentary basin in India) is

most promising and potential area in India for locating high grade, large tonnage uranium deposits.

In India, uranium deposit discovered till now was low grade / low tonnage, but amid huge amount of electricity to be

produced by nuclear route, economically feasible high grade deposits are to be found out expeditiously.

77. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signed MoUs with Ministry of AYUSH, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Railways to

strengthen coordination and efforts towards Tuberculosis-free India by 2025.

78. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs drafted a ‘Model Tenancy Act’ 2019, aimed at balancing interests of both owner and

tenant and create an accountable ecosystem for renting premises in efficient manner. It is expected to give a fillip to private

participation in rental housing for addressing huge housing shortage across country.

It has been proposed to cap the security deposit equal to a maximum of two month’s rent in case of residential properties

and, minimum of one month’s rent in case of non-residential property.

After coming into force of this Act, no person shall let or take on rent any premises except by an agreement in writing.

Within two months of executing rental agreement both landowner and tenant are required to intimate to Rent Authority

about agreement and within seven days a unique identification number will be issued by Rent Authority to both parties.

A digital platform will be set up in the local vernacular language of the State for submitting tenancy agreement and other

documents.

Comments from public and other stakeholders are invited by 01-08-2019.

79. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) announced that all lanes in all toll fee plazas on National Highways across

country as dedicated ‘FASTag lanes‘ from 1 December 2019. FASTag aims To ensure seamless traffic and prevent congestion at toll

plazas.

Among all lanes, only one hybrid lane (where FASTag and other modes of payment will be accepted) will be allowed at every

toll plaza.

After 1 December 2019, non-FASTag users will be charged double fees if they pass through FASTag-only lanes.

FASTag is an electronic toll connection device which is installed in vehicle to help drivers to drive through toll plazas without

having to stop. FASTag uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to enable direct toll payments while vehicle is

moving.

80. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) launched India’s first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)

dashboard, to effectively track country’s progress on Agenda 2030 adopted by UN. It was launched on occasion of National

Statistics Day (June 29).

It will be India’s official data repository of National Indicator Framework (NIF) on SDGs, which is India’s largest monitoring

framework with 306 statistical indicators.

81. NITI Aayog partnered with Facebook-owned WhatsApp to support growth of a robust ecosystem to promote women

entrepreneurs in India. WhatsApp will partner with Women Transforming India (WTI) awards 2019 which is a flagship initiative

of NITI Aayog. WTI winners will be provided support amounting to $100000.

82. NITI Aayog's "Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index (AMFFRI)" ranked Maharashtra at top, based on

degree of reforms states have taken in agricultural marketing.

83. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed MoU with National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), to co-

operate in formation of SPVs to execute fund arrangement for large size road projects particularly green field projects to be

executed by NHAI in future. This is expected to bring huge amount of investment at economical rate for highway development in

India and reduce stress of borrowing on NHAI.

84. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) signed agreement to form a joint

venture (JV) company to set up an 800 MW Technology Demonstration Plant (TDP) at NTPC’s existing power plant in Sipat,

Chhattisgarh. Based on Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) technology, It will be an efficient and environment-friendly coal-

fired power plant.

85. National Traders Welfare Board will be set up by commerce and industry ministry, to improve availability of funds for traders

and to reduce compliance burden. The board will consist of 15 member.

86. Nishagandhi Monsoon Ragas Music Festival organised by Kerala Tourism in Thiruvananthapuram. It marks state’s successful

entry into music tourism and seeks to attract more tourists to Kerala. Eminent classical musicians Parassala B Ponnammal and T

V Gopalakrishnan have been selected for inaugural Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram. It carries a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh,

citation and memento.

87. Northeast Frontier Railway zone started a unique initiative to earmark a special portion of the SLR coach with pink colour, to

help women passengers with better safety and security.

88. Odisha Govt. renamed State Assembly Secretariat building as ‘Lok Seva Bhavan’.

89. Odisha government announced to provide INR 10000 per month to Padma award winners of state facing financial problems.

90. Odisha received GI tag for its version of Rasgulla, a year after west Bengal got the GI tag for its version of Rasagola in November

2017. Odisha had been claiming GI tag for the sweet since a few years. GI registry based in Chennai, issued formal certification to

Odisha Small Industries Corporation Limited (OSIC) for “Odisha Rasagola".

Origin of Rasgulla sweet has been a matter of discord between Odisha and West Bengal for a few years.

GI tag is a name used on certain products that relates to a specific geographical location or origin. It ensures that no one

besides the authorised users is allowed to use the product name.

91. On 12 July 2019, West Bengal government observed Save Water Day across state to spread the message of water conservation.

This is the 1st time the day was observed.

Jul 12 is also observed as International Malala Day, observed by United Nations (UN) to highlight work for education of

Pakistani children by Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai.

92. Power Ministry Issued Draft Distribution Perspective Plan for power sector in India, as he first ever plan at Distribution level.

Till now, Government has been preparing Perspectives Plans for Generation and Transmission Sectors under National

Electricity Plan (NEP). Distribution plan keeps needs of consumers at center of its focus.

The plan lays emphasis on 100% metering of all consumers and providing an electricity connection on demand. It also

envisages conversion of all Electricity consumer meters into smart meters in prepaid mode by 2022.

Plan anticipates increase in Distribution substation capacity by 38%, Distribution transformation capacity by 32% and an

increase in different type of feeder lengths by 27-38% till 2022.

93. Prasar Bharati and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur signed MOU for research collaboration in newly emerging

technologies and broadcasting-related areas, to boost research activities in broadcasting field.

94. Pro-Khalistani group ‘The Sikhs for Justice’ (SFJ) banned by Central government for its alleged anti-national activities, under

Section 3 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

95. RBI has imposed a penalty on two online payment solutions providers - Mobikwik Systems and Hip Bar for non compliance of

regulatory guidelines. Mobikwik has been slapped a fine of Rs 15 lakh while Hip Bar Pvt Ltd faced a fine of Rs 10.85 lakh.

96. Rajasthan Govt. will establish a Vedic education and culture board in State, to assist future generations to take inspiration from

Vedic culture, tradition, and values. It was announced during 25th ‘Bhamashah Sammelan’ in Jaipur.

97. Reliance Jio tied up with Facebook for digital literacy initiative called 'Digital Udaan'. It will have audio-visual training in 10

regional languages.

98. Researchers from IIT Kanpur and Lucknow based Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) designed a novel molecular

framework to destroy superbugs (a bacteria that is resistant to drugs and estimated to kill 10 million people worldwide by 2050).

This Framework helps drugs to affect the germs after contact with them, thus preventing them from multiplying.

Scientists used Staphylococcus aureus, bacteria found in nostrils upper respiratory tract and on the skin of nearly 30%

people.

99. Scientists led by Duke University in US and National University of Piura in Peru discovered fossils of world’s smallest monkey in

Amazon forests. Team found 18 million years old fossil teeth, which is related to the small monkey of a new species.

100. South Central Railways commissioned longest electrified tunnel in India, with 6.6 km Length, as part of recently completed

Obulavaripalli – Venkatachalam railway line.

101. Supreme Court directed Meghalaya government to deposit INR 100 crore fine imposed on it by National Green Tribunal (NGT)

for failing to curb illegal coal mining with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Allegations of environmental degradation by illegal coal mining in Meghalaya were proved from report of Meghalaya State

Pollution Control Board.

Earlier, In December 2018, 15 miners were trapped in an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, about

3.7 km deep inside a forest, when water from nearby Lytein river gushed into it.

102. Supreme Court ordered central government to make a special court in each district having more than 100 cases pending under

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. These courts will be funded by centre government and will be

established under a central scheme.

103. Supreme court will begin hearing of decades-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid conflict in Ayodhya from 2 August. SC

ordered mediation panel to submit their report by 31 July.

104. TVS Motor company launched India’s first ethanol-based motorcycle TVS Apache RTR 200 Fi E100 to help reduce crude imports

and reduce air pollution, priced at INR 1.20 lakh.

105. Tamil Nadu Govt.announced creation of 2 new districts - Tenkasi and Chengalpattu, by bifurcating Tirunelveli and

Kancheepuram districts respectively. With this, number of districts in state went up to 35.

106. Tata Steel Kalinganagar (Odisha) became first and only Indian manufacturing plant to be included in World Economic Forum’s

(WEF’s) Global Lighthouse Network, a community of manufacturers that are showing leadership in applying Fourth Industrial

Revolution technologies to drive financial and operational impact.

107. Unique strategy adopted by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) called ‘Plan Bee’ to keep wild elephants away from train tracks has

won the ‘Best Innovation Award’ in Indian Railways for 2018-19 fiscal. The prize comprises of cash award of Rs.3 lakh.

Plan Bee is an amplifying system that imitates the buzz of a swarm of honey bees to keep wild elephants away from railway

tracks.

108. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath launched 24X7 toll-free ‘CM Helpline 1076’ for people to lodge complaints from anywhere in

state.

109. Uttar Pradesh government launched campaign called ‘Dastak’ to eradicate deadly Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) disease. Dastak Campaign will run state-wide throughout July 2019. In 2018, UP government started

‘Dastak’ campaign in association with UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) to control encephalitis and other vector-borne

diseases.

110. Uttarakhand Government implemented a one-time settlement’ 100 day scheme for debt trapped state cooperative banks which

have NPA of Over 391 crores INR. In this, relief will be given to those who have taken loans up to 60 lakhs from cooperative banks.

111. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee launched a unique initiative called ‘Didi Ke Bolo’ (Tell your sister) campaign to reach out to

people of State. It is devised to entertain voters’ regarding various issues for which phone number (9137091370) and website

www.didikaybolo.com are also launched.

112. West Bengal government signed MOU with British Council for improving English Speaking skills of students studying in

Polytechnic Colleges in state.

113. World Bank offered loan of $250 million to the Kerala Government for the Resilient Kerala project, aimed at enhancing the

state’s resilience against the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.

Top

Persons

1. Aparna Kumar became 1st Indian civil servant (IPS) completed ‘Seven Summits’ Challenge. Approx 300 people globally have

completed ‘Seven Summits Challenge’ so far. Seven Summits inlcude -

Carstensz Pyramid– 4884m (Australia – New Guinea)

Kilimanjaro - 5892m (Africa)

Elbrus – 5642m(Russia)

Aconcagua – 6962m (South America)

Denali (or Mt McKinley) - 6194m (North America)

Vinson Massif - 4892m (Antarctica)

Mt. Everest – 8848m (Asia)

2. Obituaries (July 1, 2019) -

Jaya Arunachalam - Noted Indian social worker and founder of Working Women’s Forum (WWF).

Rakesh Shukla - Former Indian Cricketer.

Basant Kumar Birla - Noted Industrialist.

Sudarshan Agarwal - Former Uttarakhand Governor.

A. U. Celestine - Former India footballer (goalkeeper) from Tamil Nadu.

Fernando J. Corbató - Noted American Comuter Scientist who invented computer password.

Soumendranath Kundu - Former Bengal and Railway Cricketer.

Joao Gilberto - Noted Brazilian musician and songwriter, known as Father of Bossa Nova.

Fernando De la Rúa - Former Argentina President. He attracted voters with his image as an honest statesman and later left

the country plunged into its worst economic crisis.

Rip Torn - Noted Emmy winner American Actor.

M J Radhakrishnan - Noted Malayalam cinematographer.

Lt Gen Joginder Singh Goraya - Noted 1971 Indo-Pak war Hero. He was Awarded Maha Vir Chakra in and Kirti Chakra.

Pernell Whitaker - Noted American Boxer. He was Former Olympic boxing gold medallist (1984).

Johnny Clegg - Noted South African singer and songwriter.

Swarup Dutta - Noted Bengali actor.

Raja Dhale -Noted Indian Dalit Rights activist. He co-founded Dalit Panther, a militant organization dedicated to fighting

for Dalit rights.

Sheila Dixit - Former Chief Minister of Delhi. She was longest-serving female chief minister of any Indian state, serving for a

period of 15 years from 1998 to 2013.

Cesar Pelli - Noted argentine architect who designed New York’s World Financial Center and Kuala Lumpur’s(Malaysia)

Petronas Twin Towers.

Yukiya Amano (Japan) - Longest Serving Director-General of International Atomic Energy Agency.

Peter McNamara - Noted Australian tennis Player.

Li Peng - Former Chinese premier. He was also known as the "Butcher of Beijing" for his role in the Tiananmen Square

crackdown.

Rutger Hauer - Noted Dutch film actor.

Beji Caid Essebsi - Tunisia's first democratically elected President.

Attoor Ravi Varma - Noted Malayalam poet and translator.

Donkupar Roy - Former Meghalaya Chief Minister.

Jaipal Reddy - Former Union Minister, Served as Minister of Information and Broadcasting in 1998.

M. K. Seetharam Kulal - Noted Tulu-Kannada playwright and writer.

VG Siddhartha - Founder of Café Coffee Day Chain. He is believed to have committed suicide due to being too debt-ridden

3. Persons Resigned / Retired (July 2019) -

Rahul Gandhi resigned as President of Political Party Indian National Congress (INC).

Indian Cricketer Ambati Rayudu announced his retirement from all forms of Cricket.

Netherlands' (Dutch) Footballer Arjen Robben announced his retirement.

Pakistani Cricketer Shoaib Malik announced his retirement ODI cricket.

England Footballer Peter Crouch announced his retirement.

England Cricketer Jade Dernbach Announced His Retirement From International Cricket.

Nigerian footballer John Obi Mikel announced retirement from international football.

Ramush Haradinaj Resigned as prime minister of Kosovo (a partially recognized state and disputed territory in Southeastern

Europe).

Zimbabwe Cricketer Solomon Farai Mire announced his retirement from cricket across all formats, after suspension of

Zimbabwe Cricket by ICC.

HD Kumaraswamy resigned as Karnataka CM after Congress-JD(S) coalition government lost trust vote in Karnataka floor

test. Floor test took place after 15 rebel legislators submitted their resignation to speaker of house and two independents

withdrew their support to Congress-JD(S) coalition.

Sri Lanka Cricketer Nuwan Kulasekara announced retirement from international cricket.

Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir retired from Test cricket.

Sri Lankan Cricketer Lasith Malinga announced his retirement from ODI cricket.

Patrice Evra - French professional footballer Retired from football.

Indian Cricketer Y. Venugopal Rao announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

4. Tarun Chaudhri became 1st pilot of Indian Armed Forces (IAF) to do a Wing Suit Skydive Jump, accomplished from altitude of

8500 feet from a Mi-17 helicopter.

5. Visits from India (Jul 11 - 20, 2019) -

Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways Piyush Goyal visited UK, to participate in 13th meeting of India-UK Joint

Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) in London. India and UK agreed to set up three new bilateral working groups to

tackle barriers in specific sectors including food and drink, healthcare and data services.

6. Visits from India (Jul 21 - 31, 2019) -

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Mozambique (East Africa) -

Its first-ever visit of Defence Minister of India to Mozambique.

India handed over Two Fast Interceptor Boats (FIBs) to Mozambican navy.

India and Mozambique signed 2 MoUs to strengthen defence cooperation. MoUs include an agreement on sharing

white shipping information and another on co-operation in the field of Hydrography.

President Ram Nath Kovind Visited West African Nations Benin, Gambia and Guinea. This visit is the first-ever visit of Head

of State/Head of Government of India to each of the three countries.

Benin -

India and Benin signed four MoUs on education, health and e-visa facilities. The signing of the agreement on

mutual exemption of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic and official passports and agreement on the fresh

line of credit of 100 million US dollars by India to finance development projects in Benin.

India also extended free tele-education courses to over 15,000 Beninese students and tele-medicine courses to

1,000 doctors and paramedics in Africa.

Gambia -

India offered Gambia a grant of US dollars 500,000 in support of skill development and cottage industry project.

In addition, the two sides also signed and exchanged a MOU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of

Medicine and Homeopathy.

7. Visits to India (Jul 1 - 10, 2019) -

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan Visited India.

2nd India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue (IRSED) held in New Delhi. It was attended by Timur Maksimov, Deputy

Minister of the Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

Maldives' Chief of Defence Force Abdulla Shamaal visited India.

Chairman of Civil Service Council of Mongolia, B. Baatarzorig Visited India.

United States (US) Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo visited India.

8. Visits to India (Jul 11 - 20, 2019) -

Assistant United States Trade Representative(AUSTR) Christopher Wilson visited India.

Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos (Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities)

Visited India.

Fatih Birol, Executive Director of International Energy Agency (IEA) Visited India.

9. Visits to India (Jul 21 - 31, 2019) -

Min Aung Hlaing, Chief of Myanmar Defence Services Visited India.

Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of Saudi Aramco Visited

India.

Christian Feichtinger, Executive Director of International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Visited India.

Top

Science

1. A rare snail species called ‘Scaly-Foot Snail’ (also known as Sea Pangolin) found at only three spots on Indian Ocean floor near

Madagascar has become the 1st species to be officially declared threatened due to deep-sea mining.

IUCN added over 7000 species to its endangered Red List, which now has over 28000 listed as facing extinction. More than

500 deep-sea bony fish and molluscs have been added to list for 1st time.

2. A ‘smart agri copter’ has been developed by Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras to eliminate manual

spraying of pesticides in agricultural fields, allowing spraying pesticides 10 times faster with 100% accuracy than manual spraying.

It can carry 15 liters of pesticide, fitted with advanced multispectral imaging camera that helps to identify crop health by using

imaging camera.

3. ISRO called Off Chandrayaan-2 Launch just 56 minutes before its scheduled time, reportedly due to a technical snag in Launch

System.

Chandrayaan-2 is first of its kind Moon mission that will land near the lunar South Pole to find out water sources.

In cryogenic stage of the rocket ISRO had detected some technical issues. This stage of a rocket provides more thrust and

power for every kilogram of propellant it burns.

Launch vehicle of Chandrayaan-2, GSLV MK-III, will carry an orbiter, lander (Vikram) and a rover (Pragyan), to uncover

lunar secrets.

After successful Launch, India will 4th fourth country to send spacecraft on the Moon surface, after Russia, US and China.

4. Indian Researchers at Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital (Uttarakhand) discovered 28

new variable stars in Milky Way galaxy, using 3.6-meter powerful Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT). This is the first time

variable stars have been found in NGC 4147, in the constellation of Coma Berenices.

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovered new dwarf star and planetary system named as TOI 270,

located about 73 light years away from Earth, and in the constellation Pictor.

5. Indian Space Research Organisation launched Chandrayaan 2 from Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota (Andhra

Pradesh), onboad GSLV MkIII-M1 Vehicle.

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV MkIII-M1 successfully launched 3840 kg Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into

earth orbit. Spacecraft is revolving round earth with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 169.7 km and apogee (farthest point

to Earth) of 45475 km.

Chandrayaan 2 will land at a place near South Pole of Moon, to carry out scientific experiments to explore the unexplored

terriroty on Moon.

Now, several orbit manoeuvres will be carried out using Chandrayaan-2’s onboard propulsion system. This will raise

spacecraft orbit in steps and then place it in Lunar Transfer Trajectory to enable spacecraft to travel to vicinity of Moon.

GSLV Mk III is a three-stage launch vehicle developed by ISRO. The vehicle has two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster

and a cryogenic upper stage. The vehicle is designed to carry 4 ton class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit

(GTO) or about 10 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Chandrayaan-2 is India's second mission to the moon. It comprises a fully indigenous Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover

(Pragyan). The Rover Pragyan is housed inside Vikram lander.

After leaving earth orbit and on entering Moon's sphere of influence, the on-board propulsion system of Chandrayaan-2 will

be fired to slow down spacecraft. This will enable it to be captured into a preliminary orbit around Moon. Later, orbit of

Chandrayaan-2 around moon will be circularised at 100 km height from lunar surface.

Lander will separate from Orbiter and enter into a 100 km X 30 km orbit around Moon. Then, it will perform a series of

complex braking manoeuvers to soft land in South polar region of Moon on September 7, 2019.

Rover will roll out from lander and carry out experiments on lunar surface for a period of 1 lunar day, which is equal to 14

Earth days. The mission life of lander is 1 lunar day. Orbiter will continue its mission for 1 year.

Orbiter ha a lift-off weight of about 2,369 kg, while lander and rover weighed 1,477 kg and 26 kg respectively. Rover can

travel up to 500 m and relies on electric power generated by its solar panel for functioning.

Mission cost is approx 978 Crores INR.

ISRO will next launch its first solar mission Aditya-L1 in first half of 2020, as first dedicated scientific mission to study Sun’s

corona. It aims to put Aditya-L1 satellite (800-kg) into a halo orbit around Lagrangian point L1 of Sun and Earth system. The

L1 point is situated at a distance of about 1.5 million km from earth.

Satellite will carry 7 payloads including the main payload Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC). It will study

dynamic nature of sun’s outer most layers, corona, and chromosphere and collect data about Coronal Mass Ejections

(CME).

6. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s asteroid-exploring unmanned spacecraft Hayabusa2 made second touchdown on

Asteroid Ryugu, 300 mn km (185m miles) from Earth. Its for final sample collection which will could shed light on evolution of

solar system.

Hayabusa2 Mission was launched in December 2014, with project cost around $270 million. It is scheduled to return to

Earth with its samples in 2020.

7. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare banned antibiotic Colistin as well as its formulations for food producing animals, poultry,

aqua farming and animal feed supplements, in a bid to preserve drug’s efficacy in humans.

Colistin is a valuable, last-resort antibiotic that saves lives in critical care units. It is effective against most Gram-negative

bacilli. It is also known as polymyxin E.

In recent years, medical professionals have been alarmed by number of patients who have exhibited resistance to this drug.

Ban has been imposed under provisions of section 26A of Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940.

8. Reseachers from University of Glasgow (Scotland) captured photo of a strong form of quantum entanglement called Bell

entanglement, as visual evidence of an elusive phenomenon which Albert Einstein once called “spooky action at a distance”.

Photo points out two photons interacting and sharing physical states for a brief instant – an event that occurs regardless of

the actual distance between particles.

9. Researchers at Belgian Nuclear Research Centre discovered a new way of predicting the monsoon two months in advance, by

measuring how much Beryllium-7 (Be-7, an isotope of Beryllium) is present in the air. With this, Indian monsoon can be predicted

52 days in advance with a margin of error of three days.

10. Researchers discovered Dracaena cambodiana, a dragon tree species in Dongka Sarpo area of West Karbi Anglong District in

Assam. This is 1st time a dragon tree species has been reported from India, which yields dragon’s blood- a bright red resin. The

plant resin is used since ancient times as medicine, varnish, body oil, incense and dye.

11. Researchers from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru discovered Proahaetulla antiqua, a new vine snake species. This is

an ancient species which is endemic to southern Western Ghats is thought to have evolved around 26 million years ago during

mid-Oligocene. Vine Snakes get their names due to their slender bodies and vine-like appearances.

12. Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad developed a Dye-Sensitised Solar Cell (DSSC) which is based

on New Fuchsin (NF) dye with aqueous electrolyte and platinum-free counter electrodes.

Currently, most familiar solar cells today are made up of Silicon (Si) and can be seen in various overhead panels and other

places. However, this technology is limited by huge fabrication costs as Si processing is very expensive and involves very high

temperature methods that leave a large carbon footprint.

To get around limitations of using Si, IIT Hyderabad team started working on solar cells based on organic materials for

photovoltaic technology, which were supposedly inexpensive and easy to fabricate.

New Fuchsin is an inexpensive dye available off-shelf in most supermarkets in India, and in its purest form costs $2 per

gramme.

13. Researchers from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Mumbai have developed a new material called ‘black gold’, by

rearranging size and gaps of gold nanoparticles to develop new material that can absorb light and carbon dioxide. It can be used

for applications that range from harvesting solar energy to desalinating seawater.

14. Researchers from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology have created an algorithm rather than a machine called Ramanujan

Machine to honor prominent Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. Machine attempts to automatically generate

conjectures in the form of mathematical formulas that we can analyze, and hopefully, prove to be true mathematically.

Conjectures are a major step in the process of making new discoveries in any branch of science, particularly mathematics.

Typically, people provide the input and the algorithm finds the solution. The Ramanujan Machine reverses the process. So if

a constant such as π is fed into the machine, it will generate a series whose value would lead towards π (pi).

Shr. Ramanujan was born in 1887 in Chennai. He independently compiled almost 3,900 identities and equations.

15. Scientists from University of Queensland in Australia and a team of Indian researchers led by R Thara discovered a new gene

directly linked to schizophrenia. They identified a gene called NAPRT1 which encodes an enzyme involved in vitamin B3

metabolism. Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.

Top

Sports

1. ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle / Pistol / Shotgun in Suhl (Germany) -

India Topped the Medal Tally with 24 Medals (10 Gold, 9 Silver and 5 Bronze). China was 2nd with 24 Medals and Germany

Third with 10 Medals. Indian Gold Medalists -

Vijayveer Sidhu - Men's 25m Standard Pistol

Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar - Men's 50m Rifle

Gaurav Rana - Men's 50m Pistol

Elavenil Valarivan -Women's 10m Air Rifle

Anish Bhanwala - Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol

Sarabjot Singh - Men’s 10m air pistol

Remaining 4 Gold Medals were in various team Events.

2. 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2019) Football Title (32nd edition)

Algeria won the title (their 2nd AFCON title), beating Senegal in Final. 24 Teams participated in the event.

3. 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Football Title (15th edition), Hosted by US, Costa Rica and Jamaica-

16 Teams Participated in the event.

Mexico won the title (Their 8th CONCACAF Gold Cup Football Title), with USA being Runners-up.

4. 2019 Canada Open Badminton -

Men's Singles - Li Shifeng (China)

Women's Singles - An Se-young (South Korea)

Men's Doubles - Denmark's Mathias Boe AND Mads Conrad-Petersen

Women's Doubles - Australia's Setyana Mapasa ANDF Gronya Somerville

Mixed Doubles - South Korea's Ko Sung-hyun AND Eom Hye-won

5. 2019 Copa América Football Title (46th edition), organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL in Brazil -

12 Teams Particiated, Brazil won the Title (Their 9th Copa America title), with Peru as Runners-up.

6. 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup (8th Edition), Hosted by France -

24 Teams from 6 confederations Participated.

USA won the Title (Their 4th FIFA Women's WC), beating Netherlands in the Final.

Megan Rapinoe (US) won Golden Boot for Top Scorer (6 goals) and also took Golden Ball award for best player of

tournament.

7. 2019 Hall of Fame Open Men's Tennis (Newport, USA) -

Singles - John Isner (United States). Its John's 4th Hall of Fame Title. He defeated Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan)

Doubles - Marcel Granollers (Spain) AND Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine)

8. 2019 Hamburg European Open Men's Tennis Title -

Singles - Nikoloz Basilashvili (Georgia), defeated Andrey Rublev (Russia)

Doubles - Austria's Oliver Marach AND Jürgen Melzer

9. 2019 Wimbledon Tennis Championships (133rd Edition) Held in London (UK) -

Men's Singles - Novak Djokovic (Serbia).

Novak Djokovic Defeated Roger Federer (Switzerland) in Final.It was his 16th Grand Slam and 5th Wimbledon Title.

Women's Singles - Simona Halep (Romania).

Simona Halep Defeated Serena Williams (USA). It was her 2nd Grand Slam Title (1st being 2018 French Open).

Men's Doubles - Colombia's Juan Sebastián Cabal AND Robert Farah

Women's Doubles - Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) AND Barbora Strýcová (Czech Republic)

Mixed Doubles - Ivan Dodig (Croatia) AND Latisha Chan (Chinese Taipei)

Boys' Singles - Shintaro Mochizuki (Japan)

Girls' Singles - Daria Snigur (Ukraine)

10. 21st Edition of Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships held at JawaharLal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack (Odisha). 12

Nations participated in the event. Winners -Event Winner

Men’s Singles Harmeet Desai (India)

Women’s Singles Ayhika Mukherjee (India)

Men’s Doubles Anthony Amalraj & Manav Thakkar (India)

Women’s Doubles Pooja Sahasrabudhe & Krtittwika Sinha Roy (India)

Mixed Doubles Sathiyan Gnanasekaran & Archana Kamath (India)

Medal Tally -Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 India 7 5 3 15

2 England – 2 3 5

3 Singapore – – 6 6

4 Malaysia – – 1 1

5 Nigeria – – 1 1

11. 30th Summer Universiade 2019 (Naples, Italy) -

Approx 6000 Atheletes from 118 Nations participated in 220 events of 18 sports.

Medal Table -

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 Japan 33 21 28 82

2 Russia 22 24 36 82

3 China 22 13 8 43

4 United States 21 17 15 53

5 South Korea 17 17 16 50

6 Italy 15 13 16 44

7 Chinese Taipei 9 13 10 32

8 Mexico 8 7 6 21

9 Iran (IRI) 7 3 7 17

10 South Africa 6 8 4 18

India was Ranked 29th (Jointly with Lithunia and Slovakia). India won 4 Medals (1 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze). Indian

Medalists -Winners Medal

Dutee Chand Women’s 100-metre sprint(Gold)

Elavenil Valarivan Women’s 10m Air Rifle(Silver)

Nina Chandel, Elavenil Valarivan and Aayushi Gupta Women’s team Air Rifle(Bronze)

Angad Vir Singh Bajwa Men’s skeet(Bronze)

2021 Summer Universiade will be held in Chengdu (China).

12. 3rd edition of Khelo India Youth Games will be held in Guwahati (Assam) between 18-30 January 2020.

Khelo India 1st edition was held in New Delhi in 2018, while Pune hosted 2nd edition in 2019.

Khelo India games are National level multidisciplinary grassroots games held for two categories-Under-17 years and Under-

21 students.

Every year best performing 1000 participants are given an annual scholarship of INR 5,00,000 for 8 years to prepare them

for international sporting events.

13. World Aquatics Championships 2019 held in Gwangju (South Korea). Sevral New world records were formed during the event -

British swimmer Adam Peaty broken world record in men’s 100 metre breaststroke at the . He smashed previous record of

57.10 seconds set by himself in 2018.

Kristof Milak (Hungary) brpoe Michael Phelps' long-standing world record in the 200 metres butterfly, with timimg of

1:50.73 (Phelps had time of 1:51.51).

USA's Caeleb Dressel broke Michael Phelps World record in 100 metres butterfly, with 49.50 seconds time.

14. Ashish Kumar won gold medal at Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament 2019. India won 1 gold, four silver and three

bronze at the event.

15. Chinese tennis great Li Na and France’s Mary Pierce and Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia were inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame.

They all are two-time Grand Slam singles champions.

16. Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2019 held in Apia (Samoa) -

India finished on top of medals tally, with Indian contingent at top in both junior and senior age groups.

Weightlifting events were held across 3 categories- Senior, Junior and Youth.

India won 35 medals (22 golds, 10 silvers and 3 bronze medals) across 3 age groups. Notable Facts -

2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Mirabai Chanu Won gold in women’s 49 kg.

India also broke 22 records in all 3 age groups in World, Asian, Commonwealth and National level.

Jeremy Lalrinnunga competing in 67 kg male event broke a youth world record with lift of 136 kg in snatch.

Jhilli Dalabehera won gold in women’s 45kg event. She set 6 records with a clean and jerk lift of 94 kg and total lift of

164 kg at Commonwealth (Senior and Junior) and Junior National level.

Ajay Singh created a new Commonwealth record in clean and jerk category by lifting 190kg.

Indian Gold Medalists -

Women -

Jhilli Dalabehra - 45 kg(Senior)

Mirabai Chanu - 49 kg(Senior)

Soroikhaibam Bindyarani Devi - 55kg(Senior)

Davinder Kaur - 59kg (Senior)

Rakhi Halder - 64kg(Senior)

P Anuradha - 87kg(Senior)

Bornali Borah - 45 kg(Junior)

Sukarna Adak - 59kg(Junior)

Seram Nirupama Devi - 64kg(Junior)

Soumya Sunil Dalvi - 40 kg(Youth)

Sukarna Adak - 59kg(Youth)

Men -

Achinta Sheuli - 73 kg(Senior)

Ajay Singh - 81 Kg(Senior)

Pardeep Singh - 102 kg(Senior)

Rishikanta Singh - 55kg(Senior)

Gulam Navi - 67kg(Junior)

Jacob Vanlaltluanga - 61kg(Junior)

Achinta Sheuli - 73kg(Junior)

Bhaktaram Desti - 49kg(Youth)

Jacob Vanlaltluanga - 61kg(Youth)

L Sadananda Singh - 73kg(Youth)

A.S.R.K. Yadav - 81kg(Youth)

17. Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) became newest associate member of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

18. FIFA awarded FIFA under 20 Women World Cup 2020 (10th edition) hosting rights to Nigeria. It will be first ever FIFA U-20

Women's World Cup in Africa. While, India was earlier named as host of 2020 U17 Women’s World Cup host.

19. Former Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar became 6th Indian to be included in ICC Hall of Fame. Along with Sachin, South

Africa’s Allan Donald and Australia’s Female Cricketer Cathryn Fitzpatrick were also chosen for induction into hall of fame. Other

Indians in ICC Hall of Fame - Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid.

20. Grand Prix of Spain Women’s Wrestling 2019 -

India’s Vinesh Phogat won gold medal after shifting to 53kg category and Divya Kakran won Gold in 68kg category. India

finished 2nd in team championship behind Russia.

Other Indian Winners - Pooja Dhanda in 57kg category, Seema in 50kg category, Manju Kumari in 59kg category and Kiran

in 76kg category Won Silver Medals.

21. Hima Das from Assam won Gold Medal in women’s 200m race with a time of 23.97 seconds at Kutno Athletics Meet (Poland).

This is Hima's second gold in a week. Earlier she had won gold at 200m women's race in Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland.

Indian Medalists at Meet - Category Medal Name

Women’s 200m race

Gold Hima Das

Silver VK Vismaya

Men’s 200m race Gold Muhammed Anas

Men’s 400m hurdles

Gold M P Jabir

Bronze Jithin Paul

22. ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Hosted by UK (12th Edition) -

England won the title, defeating New Zealand in Final at Lord’s cricket stadium in London. England won by Boundary count

rule, as the scores were tied (also in super over). It was first Cricket world cup title for England. 10 Teams participated in the

event.

Player of the tournament - Kane Williamson (New Zealand).

Player of the Match in Final - Ben Stokes (England).

Highest run scorer of tournament - Rohit Sharma (India). Rohit also became 1st batsman to score 5 centuries in a world cup.

Highest wicket taker of tournament - Mitchell Starc (Australia).

ICC named Team of 2019 World Cup, which features two Indians - Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. New Zealand skipper

Kane Williamson is named captain of the team.

Total prize money pool of tournament was US $10 million, with Winner taking 4 Million USD and runner up taking 2 Million

USD.

Australia's Mitchell Starc Became Fastest to reach ODI Wickets and India's Virat Kohli became fastest to 20000

International Runs.

23. ICC announced blueprint of Inaugural ICC World Test Cricket Championships 2019-2021 -

It will begin with Ashes series between Australia and England in August 2019.

India will begin its World Test Championship campaign with its two-match Test series against the West Indies in August

2019. Final will be played in England in June 2021.

9 top-ranked teams in the ICC Test rankings will be competing in the World Test Championship.

Teams will be required to play six bilateral test series each against mutually chosen teams during World Test Championship.

3 of test series will be played at home, remaining 3 away. Teams will be facing just six teams, instead of eight.

24. Indian Players G. Sathiyan and Anthony Amalraj won bronze at World Tour Platinum Australian Open Table Tennis, defeating

South Korean pair of Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu in Geelong near Melbourne. This is India's first ever medal in Australian

Open, which is a Platinum TT event.

25. Indian boxers remained at top with 9 medals (7 gold and 2 silver) at 23rd President’s Cup Boxing Tournament 2019 in Labuan

Bajo (Indonesia). Notably, Noted Indian Boxer MC Mary Kom defeated Australia’s April Franks to win Gold.

26. Indian sprinter Dutee Chand won gold medal in women's 100-metre sprint at 30th Summer University Games in Napoli (Italy)

becoming first Indian to win do so. India's Elavenil Valarivan also won silver medal in 10m Air Rifle Women’s event.

27. Indian sprinter Hima Das (nicknamed ‘Dhing Express’) won gold medal in women’s 200m with a timing of 23.65 seconds in

Poznań Athletics Grand Prix 2019 in Poznań (Poland). Indian Athletes won four bronze medals - V.K. Vismaya, Muhammed Anas,

KS Jeevan and Tajinder Pal Singh Toor.

28. Indian sprinter Hima Das from Assam won her 3rd international gold within two weeks, as women’s 200m at Kladno Memorial

Athletics Meet 2019 in Czech Republic.

Muhammed Anas Yahiya also won gold in men’s 400m.

Hima Das's 1st Gold medal within past 2 weeks was 200m race gold at the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland. Her 2nd

was 200m gold in women’s 200m race at Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland.

29. Indian sprinter Hima Das won Gold in a 200m race in Tabor Athletics Meet in Czech Republic. Its Hima's 4th international gold

within two weeks.

Hima Das's 1st Gold medal within past 2 weeks was 200m race gold at the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland. Her 2nd

was 200m gold in women’s 200m race at Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland.

Her 3rd medal was 200m at Kladno Memorial Athletics Meet 2019 in Czech Republic.

India's Mohammad Anas also claimed top spot In men's 400m at Tabor Athletics Meet in Czech Republic.

30. Indian sprinter Hima Das won her 5th gold within a month, after she won 400m competition in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic).

Other 4 Golds won by Hima over past month are -

200m gold in women’s 200m at Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland.

200m gold in women’s 200m at Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland.

200m gold in women’s 200m at Kladno Memorial Athletics Meet 2019 in Czech Republic.

200m gold in women’s 200m at Tabor Athletics Meet in Czech Republic.

31. Indonesia Open Badminton 2019 -

Men's Singles - Chou Tien-chen (Chinese Taipei)

Women's Singles - Akane Yamaguchi (Japan)

Men's Doubles - Indonesia's Marcus Fernaldi Gideon AND Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo

Women's Doubles - Japan's Yuki Fukushima AND Sayaka Hirota

Mixed Doubles - China's Zheng Siwei AND Huang Yaqiong

32. International Olympic Committee (IOC) Lifted ban put on Kuwait in 2015, clearing Kuwait's Participation in 2020 Tokyo

Olympics. Kuwait was suspended in October 2015 following "undue government interference after a sports law that was not

compatible with basic principles that govern Olympic Movement was passed in country".

33. Mercedes Racer Lewis Hamilton (UK) won British Grand Prix 2019 -

Formula 1 Season 2019 -

Round Grand Prix Winner date

1 Australian Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 17 March

2 Bahrain Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 31 March

3 Chinese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 14 April

4 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 28 April

5 Spanish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 12 May

6 Monaco Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 26 May

7 Canadian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 9 June

8 French Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 23 June

9 Austrian Grand Prix Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) 30 June

10 British Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 14 July

11 German Grand Prix 28 July

12 Hungarian Grand Prix 4 August

13 Belgian Grand Prix 1 September

14 Italian Grand Prix 8 September

15 Singapore Grand Prix 22 September

16 Russian Grand Prix 29 September

17 Japanese Grand Prix 13 October

18 Mexican Grand Prix 27 October

19 United States Grand Prix 3 November

20 Brazilian Grand Prix 17 November

Round Grand Prix Winner date

21 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 1 December

34. Misc. Sports Events (July 2019) -

Indian pro boxer Vaibhav Yadav became World Boxing Council (WBC) Asia silver Welterweight Champion after winning title

bout held in Pattaya (Thailand), defeating Fahpetch Singmanassak of Thailand.

Odisha will host 21st Commonwealth Championship 2019, in Cuttack.

Spain won Under-21 European Championship title, after beating Germany in Italy.

34th Hyderabad Sailing Week National Ranking Multi-Class Championship 2019 held in Hyderabad (Telangana). It is held

every year in cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Indian team (Pankaj Advani and Laxman Rawat) lost to Pakistan in final of IBSF Snooker World Cup in Doha (Qatar).

Odisha will host 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship in Cuttack, Between July 17 - 22, 2019.

Indian field and track athletes won 10 Medals (5 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze) at Qasanov Memorial Meet at Almaty in

Kazakhstan. Gold Medals - Mohammed Afsal (men's 800m), Gagandeep Singh (men's discus throw), Navjeet Kaur Dhillon

(women's discuss throw), MD. Salahuddin (men's triple jump), Sahil Silwal (men's javelin throw).

India's Para-athlete Toran Yadavwon 3 silver medals at 4th World Wealth Yoga Championship in Bulgaria.

India's Arinjita Dey won silver medal in World Youth Karate Cup held in Umag (Croatia).

India’s first Grandmaster and five-time World chess champion Viswanathan Anand became mentor for Indian edition of

chesskid.com, a US-based chess platform.

Indian Professional boxer Vijender Singh Beniwal won his 11th consecutive win in US professional Boxing (United States)

against Mike Snider (US).

Olympic silver medallist British Boxer Amir Khan won WBC international welterweight title, after knocking out Australian

Billy Dib.

International Shooting Sport Federation approved India to host ISSF World Cup stages in New Delhi in March 2020.

Medalists at XXII Tatyana Kolpakova international athletics meet in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) -

M. Sreeshankar - Men’s triple jump (Gold).

Mohammed Salahuddin - Men’s triple jump (Gold).

Sahil Silwal - Men’s javelin throw(Gold).

Table Tennis Player Sharath Kamal voted Sportsperson of the Year in Indian Oil Sports Conclave.

India wrestler Vinesh Phogat won her second consecutive gold in 53 kg, at Yasar Dogu International in Istanbul.

India's Anahat Singh and Neel Joshi won girls’ U13 and boys’ U17 title respectively at Dutch Junior Open squash tournament

in Amsterdam (Netherlands).

India's Arjun Bhati won Future Champions Golf (FCG) Callaway Junior World Golf Championship 2019, defeating Taiwan’s

Jeremy Chen with 199 strokes in California (USA).

Indian archer Deepika Kumari won silver at Ready Steady Tokyo test event for 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo (Japan).

Indian Former athlete P T Usha nominated for International Association of Athletics Federations Veteran Pin for her long

and meritorious service to cause of World Athletics.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Beat Manchester City to Win Premier League Asia Trophy Football Title.

Boxer Shiva Thapa became India's first gold-medallist at Kazakhstan President's Cup boxing tournament,. Making his

international debut in newly-introduced Olympic category of 63kg.Thapa's opponent, Kazakhstan's Zakir Safiullin, had to

pull out due to injury.

India's Ravinder Kumar Malik won Mr. South Asia title, winning 12th South Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports

Championship in Kathmandu (Nepal).

Shane Lowry (Ireland) won British Open 2019 Golf, as his first major Golf title.

North Korea won 2nd edition of Intercontinental Cup football tournament, defeatig Tajikistan in finals in Ahmedabad

(Gujatat). Participamts were North Korea, Tajikistan, India and Syria.

During the event, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju unveiled All India Football Federation (AIFF) Golden Baby Leagues

Handbook 2019-20. He also renamed ‘AIFF Baby Leagues’ to ‘AIFF Golden Baby Leagues’, with focus laid for ages

under 6 to under 12.

India’s silver medal in the mixed relay event at Asian Games 2018 will be upgraded to gold after Bahrain’s Kemi Adekoya was

given a 4-year ban for failing a dope test by Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). India's mixed relay team comprising Hima Das,

Mohammad Anas, Arokia Rajiv and M R Poovamma had won silver at Jakarta Asian Games 2018. Bahrain’s mixed relay

team had won gold.

Prithu Gupta (aged 15 years), became India’s 64th Grandmaster by beating Germany’s Lev Yankelevich during Portuguese

League 2019.

India's Rani Banga won gold medal in Rope exercise and a silver medal in clubs exercise at annual Championship held at

Holon, Israel.

Abhay Singh and Tanvi Khanna won men's and women's titles respectively in 6th Bengal Open squash tournament.

Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao claimed WBA welterweight championship 2019 by defeating Keith Thurman of US.

BCCI approved Indian Cricketers Association (ICA), which is not affiliated to Federation of International Cricketers’

Association (FICA) and is only open to former men and women cricketers.

Egan Bernal became 1st Colombian to win Tour de France Cycling Title in Paris (France). 22 year old Bernal has also become

the youngest rider to win this race in 110 years.

Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) led by Kapil Dev will chose India's new Head Cricket coach, to replace outgoing Ravi

Shastri.

Chandigarh received affiliation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) after nearly four decades. After getting

BCCI affiliation, Chandigarh Cricket Association-Punjab recently decided to merge with Union Territory Cricket Association,

paving way for Union Territory to be recognised as a separate entity.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) pulled out of Commonwealth Games Federation general assembly meeting, to protest

against dropping shooting from 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

For the first time in Olympic Games’ history, Table Tennis Mixed Doubles event added in a new Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Games. India will be represented by Manika Batra and Sharath Kamal.

Bhakti Kulkarni retained her title in 46th National Women Chess Championship 2019 in Karaikudi (Tamil Nadu).

American Athlete Dalilah Muhammad has set new world record in 400m hurdles women’s athletics at U.S. Championships

athletics, clocking 52.20 sec (ahead of previous record of 52.34 sec) by Russia’s Yuliya Pechonkina in 2003.

Tamil Nadu's Jerlin Anika won gold medal in World Deaf Youth Badminton Championships held in Taipei. She won 1 gold, 2

silver and 1 bronze.

Cricketer Prithvi Shaw suspended by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for 8 Months, till November 15, 2019 for

violating anti-doping code. He consumed a prohibited substance included in over-the-counter cough syrup.

International Cricket Council named two new umpires in Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires for 2019-20 seasons - Michael

Gough (England) and Joel Wilson (West Indies).

35. Norway's Magnus Carlsen won 2019 Croatia Grand Chess Tour title. India's Viswanathan Anand finished 11th.

36. RedBull Racer Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) won Austrian Grand Prix 2019 -

Formula 1 Season 2019 -

Round Grand Prix Winner date

1 Australian Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 17 March

2 Bahrain Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 31 March

3 Chinese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 14 April

4 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 28 April

5 Spanish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 12 May

6 Monaco Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 26 May

7 Canadian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 9 June

8 French Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 23 June

9 Austrian Grand Prix Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) 30 June

10 British Grand Prix 14 July

11 German Grand Prix 28 July

12 Hungarian Grand Prix 4 August

13 Belgian Grand Prix 1 September

Round Grand Prix Winner date

14 Italian Grand Prix 8 September

15 Singapore Grand Prix 22 September

16 Russian Grand Prix 29 September

17 Japanese Grand Prix 13 October

18 Mexican Grand Prix 27 October

19 United States Grand Prix 3 November

20 Brazilian Grand Prix 17 November

21 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 1 December

37. RedBull Racer Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) won German Grand Prix 2019 -

Formula 1 Season 2019 -

Round Grand Prix Winner date

1 Australian Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 17 March

2 Bahrain Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 31 March

3 Chinese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 14 April

4 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas (Finland) 28 April

5 Spanish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 12 May

6 Monaco Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 26 May

7 Canadian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 9 June

8 French Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 23 June

9 Austrian Grand Prix Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) 30 June

10 British Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton (UK) 14 July

11 German Grand Prix Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) 28 July

12 Hungarian Grand Prix 4 August

13 Belgian Grand Prix 1 September

14 Italian Grand Prix 8 September

15 Singapore Grand Prix 22 September

16 Russian Grand Prix 29 September

17 Japanese Grand Prix 13 October

18 Mexican Grand Prix 27 October

19 United States Grand Prix 3 November

20 Brazilian Grand Prix 17 November

21 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 1 December

38. Zimbabwe cricket has been suspended by International Cricket Council (ICC) with immediate effect. With this, Zimbabwe will be

out of all ICC tournaments including upcoming T20 World Cup in 2020 in Australia.

Zimbabwe Cricket was suspended after it breached ICC Constitution by failing to provide free and democratic elections and

ensuring that there is no government interference in its cricket administration.

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