16th July 2020 Current Affairs - Today Current Affairs - Daily Current Affairs
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| 16th July 2020 Current Affairs |
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Govt. to allow Invalid Pension to Armed Forces Personnel with less than 10 years of qualifying service
Government has decided to allow Invalid Pension to Armed Forces Personnel with less than ten years of qualifying service.
This pension is granted to the Armed Forces Personnel who is invalided out of service on account of disability which is accepted as Neither Attributable to Nor aggravated (NANA) by Military Service. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal in this regard.
It will be available to those Armed Forces Personnel who were in service on or after 4th January 2019.
Earlier, the minimum period of qualifying service actually rendered and required for invalid pension was ten years or more. By this decision, Armed Forces Personnel whose service is less than ten years and became or become invalided out of service on account of any bodily or mental infirmity which is NANA by Military service and which permanently incapacitated or incapacitates them from military service as well as civil re-employment, will be benefited.
This pension is granted to the Armed Forces Personnel who is invalided out of service on account of disability which is accepted as Neither Attributable to Nor aggravated (NANA) by Military Service. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal in this regard.
It will be available to those Armed Forces Personnel who were in service on or after 4th January 2019.
Earlier, the minimum period of qualifying service actually rendered and required for invalid pension was ten years or more. By this decision, Armed Forces Personnel whose service is less than ten years and became or become invalided out of service on account of any bodily or mental infirmity which is NANA by Military service and which permanently incapacitated or incapacitates them from military service as well as civil re-employment, will be benefited.
Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ released PRAGYATA Guidelines on Digital Education prepared by MoHRD
i.On 14th July 2020, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister of Human Resource Development (MoHRD) released
the PRAGYATA Guidelines on Digital Education to improve the quality of
education, over a virtual platform from Delhi in the presence of Sanjay
Dhotre, Minister of State HRD.
ii.The guidelines were prepared by the Department of School Education & Literacy of the Ministry of HRD.
About Ministry of Human Resource Development(MoHRD):
Union Minister– Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
Minister of State– Sanjay Dhotre
ii.The guidelines were prepared by the Department of School Education & Literacy of the Ministry of HRD.
About Ministry of Human Resource Development(MoHRD):
Union Minister– Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
Minister of State– Sanjay Dhotre
CoalMin to link mining plan portal with PARIVESH website
i.The ministry of coal is planning to link the mining plan portal with PARIVESH
website, a single-window hub for online submission, monitoring, and
management of proposals submitted to the Environment Ministry by project
proponents to seek various types of environment clearances (EC).
ii.This announcement was made by Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain during a stakeholder consultation on auction of coal mines for commercial mining organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
About Ministry of Coal:
Union Minister of coal– Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi (Constituency: Dharwad, Karnataka)
About FICCI:
President– Sangita Reddy
Secretary General– Dilip Chenoy
Headquarter– New Delhi
ii.This announcement was made by Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain during a stakeholder consultation on auction of coal mines for commercial mining organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
About Ministry of Coal:
Union Minister of coal– Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi (Constituency: Dharwad, Karnataka)
About FICCI:
President– Sangita Reddy
Secretary General– Dilip Chenoy
Headquarter– New Delhi
Anji Khad bridge: Indian Railways’ 1st cable-stayed rail bridge, to connect Katra and Reasi in J&K
i.The Minister of Railways,
Piyush Vedprakash Goyal, has announced that the India’s first
cable-stayed Indian Railways bridge namely “Anji Khad Bridge” being
developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), a Government of India undertaking, is all set to connect Katra and Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
ii.The cable-stayed railway bridge is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, which passes through the Young Himalayas.
iii.Notably, the USBRL project also involves the Chenab river bridge. The Chenab Bridge once completed, will become the world’s highest rail bridge.
About Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL):
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)– Sanjay Gupta
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
ii.The cable-stayed railway bridge is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, which passes through the Young Himalayas.
iii.Notably, the USBRL project also involves the Chenab river bridge. The Chenab Bridge once completed, will become the world’s highest rail bridge.
About Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL):
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)– Sanjay Gupta
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Poba Reserve Forest in Assam”s Dhemaji to be upgraded to wildlife sanctuary
The chief minister (CM) of Assam has announced the upgradation of Poba Reserve Forest, a vital biodiversity hotspot in Dhemaji district of Assam, as a wildlife sanctuary. The announcement was made during a meeting with senior officials of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Majuli districts at Jonai.
- Declared in 1924 as Poba Reserve Forest, it has an area of 10,522 hectares and is home to a large number of flora and fauna.
- CM also visited the Outer Jonai and Bera Sapori areas in the district and took stock of the devastation caused by the flood.
About Assam
Capital– Dispur
Governor- Professor Jagdish Mukhi
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India joins Chile and FAO Co-Hosted
the 2020 High-Level Political Forum Side Event – official launch of
2021 International Year of Fruits and Vegetables
On 13th July 2020, India and Chile joins the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) of the United Nations(UN) and co-hosted the official launch of 2021 International Year of Fruits and Vegetables,
the side event of 2020 High-level Political forum – “On the road to the
International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021: Highlighting health
and nutritional benefits through sustainable production and consumption
of fruits and vegetables”.
About Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO):
Director-General– QU Dongyu
Headquarters– Rome, Italy
About Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO):
Director-General– QU Dongyu
Headquarters– Rome, Italy
BANKING & FINANCE
NABARD disbursed Rs 2.51 cr grant assistance to SHGs & Rs 221.89 cr to support 298 watershed project in Karnataka
i.National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development (Nabard) has disbursed Rs 2.51 crore of grant
assistance to Self Help Groups (SHGs) for promotion, skill development
and digitisation of records in Karnataka. This funding is a part of EShakti or Digitisation of SHGs an initiative of Micro Credit and Innovations Department (mCID) of NABARD.
ii.In Karnataka, NABARD has extended a grant assistance of Rs 221.89 crore to support 298 watershed projects in over three lakh hectares benefitting 66,500 families. The State has about 75% of rainfed area.
About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):
Chairman– G R Chintala
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
ii.In Karnataka, NABARD has extended a grant assistance of Rs 221.89 crore to support 298 watershed projects in over three lakh hectares benefitting 66,500 families. The State has about 75% of rainfed area.
About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):
Chairman– G R Chintala
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
CBDT launched tool for banks, co-operative societies & post offices to ascertain TDS applicability rates on cash withdrawals
i.A new functionality of Income Tax Department namely “Verification of applicability u/s 194N” which is available on www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in
since July 1, 2020 has now made accessible for banks, co-operative
societies, and post offices through web-services by Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT).
ii.This feature will enable banks and post offices to ascertain the TDS (Tax deduction at source) applicability rates on cash withdrawals of above Rs 20 lakh in case of a non-filer of the income-tax return (ITR) and that of above Rs 1 crore in case of a filer of the ITR.
iii.In order to discourage cash transactions and move towards a cashless economy, the Finance (No.2) Act, 2019 has inserted section 194N in the Income Tax Act w.e.f. 1 September, 2019.
About Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT):
CBDT, a part of Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance works as the policy making body for the Income Tax department.
Chairperson– Pramod Chandra Mody
Headquarter– New Delhi
ii.This feature will enable banks and post offices to ascertain the TDS (Tax deduction at source) applicability rates on cash withdrawals of above Rs 20 lakh in case of a non-filer of the income-tax return (ITR) and that of above Rs 1 crore in case of a filer of the ITR.
iii.In order to discourage cash transactions and move towards a cashless economy, the Finance (No.2) Act, 2019 has inserted section 194N in the Income Tax Act w.e.f. 1 September, 2019.
About Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT):
CBDT, a part of Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance works as the policy making body for the Income Tax department.
Chairperson– Pramod Chandra Mody
Headquarter– New Delhi
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
AAI Signs MoU with BEL for Co-operation in Civil Aviation industry
i.Airports Authority of India(AAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) through video conferencing.
ii.To collaborate and support the emerging global opportunities in the airport business, including those in the Asia Pacific region. The MoU is likely to boost the civil aviation industry.
iii.As AAI will act as the development partner, it will assist BEL in its domain of expertise to enable execution of the MEA projects outside India by BEL.
About AAI:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman– Arvind Singh
About BEL:
It is a Defence Public Sector Undertaking(PSU)
Registered Office– Bangalore, Karnataka
Chairman & Managing Director– M V Gowtama
ii.To collaborate and support the emerging global opportunities in the airport business, including those in the Asia Pacific region. The MoU is likely to boost the civil aviation industry.
iii.As AAI will act as the development partner, it will assist BEL in its domain of expertise to enable execution of the MEA projects outside India by BEL.
About AAI:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman– Arvind Singh
About BEL:
It is a Defence Public Sector Undertaking(PSU)
Registered Office– Bangalore, Karnataka
Chairman & Managing Director– M V Gowtama
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Tata’s N Chandrasekaran and Lockheed Martin’s Jim Taiclet Receives USIBC Global Leadership Award 2020
i.Tata group chairman, Natarajan(N) Chandrasekaran and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and president of Lockheed Martin Jim Taiclet to receive the US-India Business Council(USIBC) Global Leadership Award 2020.
ii.They also serve as a co-chair of the US-India CEO Forum.
About USIBC Global Leadership Award
The USIBC Global Leadership Award has been presented annually since 2007.
About USIBC:
Headquarters- Washington, D.C., United States
President– Nisha Biswal
Managing Director for India– Ambika Sharma
ii.They also serve as a co-chair of the US-India CEO Forum.
About USIBC Global Leadership Award
The USIBC Global Leadership Award has been presented annually since 2007.
About USIBC:
Headquarters- Washington, D.C., United States
President– Nisha Biswal
Managing Director for India– Ambika Sharma
Mukesh Ambani now is the fifth richest man in the world: Hurun
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) chairman & CEO Mukesh Ambani (63) is now the fifth richest man in the world worth 78 billion USD. He sustains as the wealthiest Indian and he is the only Asian Tycoon in the world’s top 10 richest people as of June 2020.
i.Ambani’s wealth was down by 1% compared to pre-COVID levels.
ii.Warren Buffett’s 76 billion was surpassed by Ambani.
iii.The position is shared by Tesla (Founder of Elon Musk) and Steve Ballmer (Former Microsoft CEO).
iv.Vaccine King Cyrus Poonawalla is another Indian in the global rich list at 57th position.
i.Ambani’s wealth was down by 1% compared to pre-COVID levels.
ii.Warren Buffett’s 76 billion was surpassed by Ambani.
iii.The position is shared by Tesla (Founder of Elon Musk) and Steve Ballmer (Former Microsoft CEO).
iv.Vaccine King Cyrus Poonawalla is another Indian in the global rich list at 57th position.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Google to Buy 7.73% Stake in Jio Platforms for Rs 33,737 Crores
i.Alphabet Inc’s Google to buy 7.73% stake in Reliance Industries Limited(RIL)’s Jio Platforms for Rs 33,737 crores.
ii.For this purpose they have signed a binding partnership and an investment agreement.
iii.This investment values Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.36 lakh crore
iv.With this deal, RIL holds 67.03% stake in Jio Platforms, while other investors hold 32.97% stake.
About RIL:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman & Managing Director– Mukesh D. Ambani
About Google:
Headquarters– California, United States
CEO– Sundar Pichai
ii.For this purpose they have signed a binding partnership and an investment agreement.
iii.This investment values Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.36 lakh crore
iv.With this deal, RIL holds 67.03% stake in Jio Platforms, while other investors hold 32.97% stake.
About RIL:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman & Managing Director– Mukesh D. Ambani
About Google:
Headquarters– California, United States
CEO– Sundar Pichai
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Hyderabad International Airport Introduces India’s First Fully Contactless Car Parking
On 10th July 2020, The GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL), introduced India’s first ever fully contactless airport car parking with
contact less toll transaction for their passengers and visitors to
provide a safe airport amid COVID-19. The NETC FASTag Car Park is a part
of the “One Nation One Tag” – NETC FASTag programme of Indian Government.
NETC FASTag Car Park:
i.The GMR airport introduced the first ever National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) FASTag Car Park in India in November 2019.
ii.GHIAL updates the existing NETC FASTag Car Parking in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India(NPCI), integrating with 10 NETC FASTag issuing banks.
iii.The parking payment is done using the Reloadable Electronic Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag linked to a prepaid account which enables the automatic deduction of the parking charges.
Other initiatives:
The NPCI plans to expand the contact
less parking solution to the malls, airports and other parking spaces in
the metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru.
About National Payments Corporation of India(NPCI):
Managing Director(MD) & CEO– Dilip Asbe
Head Office– Mumbai, Maharashtra
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