NATIONAL NEWS

Indian Oil signs MoU with NTCA

• Indian Oil signed an MoU with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for transcontinental relocation of ‘Cheetah’ in its historical range in India.

• This is in continuation with the MoU signed on 20th July 2022 between Government of India and Government of the Republic of Namibia on wildlife conservation and sustainable biodiversity utilization, for establishing the cheetah into the historical range in India.

• Indian Oil will be contributing Rs.50.22 crore in 4 years for the project components through Cheetah Introduction, its Habitat Management & Protection, Eco Development and Staff Training and Veterinary Healthcare.

• Indian Oil is the first corporate which has come forward to support the “Project Cheetah” under Corporate Social Responsibility.
• Under this project, a source population of 8-10 Cheetahs will be flown in from Namibia and South Africa and will be introduced at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
• It is a national project involving National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of India and the State Government of Madhya Pradesh.

Airbus Partners with GMR Group

• Airbus has signed a contract with the GMR Group, a leading Indian aviation infrastructure developer, to provide aircraft maintenance training to young aviation engineers in India.
• GMR will provide the fully integrated Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) licensing program at the GMR School of Aviation in Hyderabad.
• The four-year course will include two years of classroom training and a two-year training in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) at GMR Aero Technic in Hyderabad followed by Aircraft Type Training.
• Airbus will provide the necessary software and courseware in the form of trainee handbooks, examination database, online access of Airbus customised basic training modules and Airbus Competence Training (ACT).

5ire Signs Pact with Goa Police

• Goa Police has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with blockchain network, 5ire to take its processes digital.

• The MoU will create a public-private partnership between 5ire and Goa Police for implementing a smart policing solution to improve transparency and efficiency in policing.

• The blockchain-based smart policing solutions by 5ire can record all official activities accurately, allowing police to help the citizens with traceability to their records and evidence.

• With this Goa will become the first police station in India to go completely paperless.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting

• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar reached Cambodia for the India-ASEAN Ministerial meeting.
• He visited Siem Reap where Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) experts are doing conservation work.
• The year 2022 is being celebrated as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year as announced by ASEAN and Indian leaders at the 18th ASEAN-India Summit in October 2021.

India to Participate in 17-Nation 'Pitch Black' Exercise

• India will be one of 17 nations that are going to participate in the ‘Pitch Black’ air combat exercises organised by Australia.

• The exercise is scheduled to take place from 19 August to 06 September, 2022.

• The air combat exercises are conducted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and will see 2,500 personnel from 17 countries that will be engaging in Offensive Counter Air (OCA) and Defensive Counter Air (DCA) combat exercises.
• Exercise Pitch Black 2022 is a war game or warfare exercise that first started in Australia’s Northern Territories in the 1980s between different RAAF units.

BANKING

Monetary Policy Committee Meeting

• The three-day Monetary Policy Committee Meeting began today in Mumbai in the presence of RBI Governor Shaktikant Das and other MPC members.

• The MPC will announce its bi-monthly monetary policy on 05 July 2022.

• The MPC will discuss the policy for financial year 2022-23.

• After keeping the policy rates unchanged for almost two years the apex bank has continued the rate hike cycle this year.

• Experts are expecting a rate hike of 25 to 50 basis points from the apex bank in this upcoming policy.

SEBI Postpones Implementation of MF Holder Nomination Rules

• Capital market regulator Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has postponed the implementation of new rules on the nomination for mutual fund investors till 01 October 2022.

• The new rules of providing an option for mutual fund investors to submit details of nomination were to come into force on 01 August 2022.

• Tt has been decided that investors subscribing to mutual fund units after 01 October 2022, will have a choice to submit the nomination form or the declaration form for opting out of the nomination physical or online as per the choice of the unitholders.

• In the case of the physical option, the forms will carry the wet signature of all the unitholders.

• In the case of the online option, instead of wet signatures of all the unitholders AMCs shall validate the forms using the e-Sign facility or through two-factor authentication.

SEBI Lays Rules for Automated Deactivation of Trading and Demat Accounts

• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) released a framework for automated deactivation of trading and demat accounts of investors in case of inadequate Know Your Client (KYC) details.
• The framework will come into effect on 31 August 2022.
• The objective is to ensure that the client furnishes accurate or updated details of address and ensure that KYC details are correct.
• Under the rules, market infrastructure institutions (MIIs) stock exchanges, except commodity derivatives exchanges and depositories will have to physically serve Show Cause Notice (SCN) or order issued by the regulator to the concerned entity.
• The MIIs will have to forward the signed acknowledgment of its receipt by the concerned addressee or its authorized representative to the regulator within 30 days from the date of receipt of such instructions from the SEBI.

SPORTS

4th ONGC Para Games

• Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the fourth ONGC Para Games in Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi.

• The fourth ONGC Para Games is being organized by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on 04 July 2022.

• Nearly 275 Persons with Disabilities (PwD) are participating in the Games. These all are employees of eight central oil and gas public enterprises.

• The first edition of the ONGC Para Games was held in 2017.
• The ONGC Para Games is a platform to bring in inclusiveness and equity in the human resource of the public enterprises under the Ministry.

Men’s Table Tennis Team Clinches Gold at CWG 2022

• India men's table tennis team defeated Singapore 3-1 in the Commonwealth Games final to clinch the gold medal in Birmingham.

• This is India’s third gold medal at the CWG in the men’s team event having earlier won in 2010 and 2018.

• On 02 August 2022, the Indian Women’s lawn bowls team also won its first-ever gold at the Commonwealth Games 2022.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Central Vigilance Commissioner of India

• Vigilance Commissioner, Suresh N Patel has been appointed as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) of India in the Central Vigilance Commission.

• He will succeed Sanjay Kothari, who completed his term on June 2021.

• The Central Vigilance Commission is headed by the CVC and can have a maximum of two vigilance commissioners.

• Patel has been working as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner since June 2022.

Director in PMO

• Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Shweta Singh was appointed as a director in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Singh’s appointment for a period of three years from the date of her joining
• Singh is a 2008-batch IFS officer.