RK Singh launched India’s 1st public EV Charging Plaza in New Delhi

NATIONAL NEWS

HRD Minister launches MANODARPAN initiative to provide psychosocial support to students

• Union Minister of Human Resource and development Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has launched the MANODARPAN initiative to provide psychological support to students in New Delhi on 21^st July 2020.
• The aim of the initiative to effectively deal with the students mental health and their wellbeing.
• Added to this a National toll-free helpline and a handbook called ‘Enriching Life skills & Wellbeing of Students’ of the MANODARPAN portal was also released.
• Key significance of this initiative are - Advisory Guidelines, Web page on the MHRD website, National level database and directory of counsellors, National Toll-free Helpline, Handbook on Psychosocial Support, Interactive Online Chat Platform, Webinars, audio-visual resources.

Fact: Union Minister of HRD – Ramesh Pokhriyal.

Two Mega Watt Solar Power Plant Inaugurated at Naval Station Karanja, Uran

• Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar, e-inaugurated the first Two Mega Watt Capacity Solar Power Plant of the Western Naval Command on 20 Jul 2020.
• The Plant has been installed at Naval Station Karanja and is one of the largest solar plants in the region.
• The Solar Plant comprises of 100% indigenously developed solar panels, tracking tables and inverters.
• The project is more important in the progression of Indian Navy in gearing up solar energy and in use of renewable source of energy for meeting the power supply requirement of Naval Station.

RK Singh launched India’s 1st public EV Charging Plaza in New Delhi

• Minister of State (MoS) for Power, and New & Renewable Energy, Raj Kumar Singh has inaugurated the India’s first public EV (Electric Vehicle) charging plaza at Chelmsford club in New Delhi.
• This is to promote an easy, effective and convenient e-mobility system.
• Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture PSUs under the Ministry of Power in collaboration with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has developed the plaza.
• The Minister also launched a national Programme – ‘Retrofit of Air-conditioning to improve Indoor Air Quality for Safety and Efficiency’ (RAISE).
• This programme is to develop a healthy and comfortable surrounding by reducing the bad air quality in the workplaces, and to monitor the employee’s occupational health in this COVID-19 outbreak.

Fact: Headquarters of EESL - New Delhi

          Chairman - Rajeev Sharma

HIL (India) has supplied 20.60 MT of DDT to South Africa

• HIL (India) Limited, a PSU under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has supplied 20.60 Metric tonne of (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) DDT 75 % WP to South Africa for their Malaria control program.
• HIL (India) is the sole manufacturer of DDT globally.
• The Department of Health, South Africa shall be utilising DDT in three province interconnecting Mozambique which is highly affected with malaria in recent years.

Fact: Hindustan Insecticides Limited (HIL) headquarters - Kochi, Rasayani, and Bathinda.

         Union Minister of chemicals and fertilizers - D. V. Sadananda Gowda

Yogi Adityanath launched “Navin Rojgar Chhatri Yojana” for Scheduled Castes

• Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath has launched a scheme for the development of the scheduled castes people and to support them with financial assistance.
• The scheme was called ‘Navin Rojgar Chhatri Yojana’.
• The scheme targets to benefit around 7.5 lakh families in 2020-2021.

Fact: Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh – Yogi Adityanath

          Governor - Anandiben Mafatbhai Patel

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

South Korea launched its 1st Military communications Satellite

• South Korea has launched its first military communications satellite, called Army/Navy/Air Force Satellite Information System 2(ANASIS-II).
• ANASIS-II by Falcon 9 Rocket is US Space firm SpaceX’s 1st geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) mission of 2020.
• The satellite was launched off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the US state of Florida.

Fact: Capital of South Korea – Seoul

          Prime Minister - Chung Sye-kyun

India, Maldives sign agreement for establishment of ‘Emergency Medical Services’

• Maldives have signed an agreement with India for the establishment of ‘Emergency Medical Services’ in its Capital Male.
• This project is financed by India under a grant assistance of around 20 million US dollars for the neighbouring country.
• This is to enhance the collaboration between the countries in healthcare facilities and disaster response agencies.

Fact: President of Maldives - Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

         Maldives currency - Maldivian rufiyaa

Researchers from Singapore Discovered a New Species, ‘Bathynomus raksasa’ in Indian Ocean

• A Researchers team from Singapore has discovered a new species called “Bathynomus Raksasa” and reported in the biodiversity research journal ‘ZooKeys’.
• The researchers found the new species in 2018 during a deep-sea survey in the coast of Banten, Western Java, Indonesia (Indian Ocean).
• ‘Bathynomus Raksasa’ is the second-largest isopod species known to the researches, the first largest isopod is the ‘Bathynomus Giganteus’ commonly found in the deep waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
• The giant isopods are related to crabs, lobsters, and shrimps (which belong to the order of decapods), and are found in the cold depths of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

ECONOMIC NEWS

CBDT, CBIC sign MoU for data exchange

• Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed MoU with Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) for the transfer of data between the two organisations.
• This MoU overrides the MoU signed between them in 2015.
• This MoU facilitates a continuous and an automatic exchange of any data available in their respective databases, which may have significance in the other organization

Fact: Union Minister of Finance - Nirmala Sitharaman

         Chairperson of CBDT - Pramod Chandra Mody

         Chairman of CBIC - M. Ajit Kumar

APPOINTMENTS

SBI Cards and payment services appointed Ashwini Kumar Tewari as its MD & CEO

• State Bank of India (SBI) cards and payment services appointed, Mr. Ashwini Kumar Tewari as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive officer (CEO).
• He will hold the position for a period of 2 years.
• Tewari replaces Mr. Hardayal Prasad, the MD and CEO who will quit the directorship of the company on July 31, 2020.
• SBI Cards and payment services are the country’s second-largest credit card issuer.

Fact: Headquarter of SBI cards – Gurgaon, Haryana.

         Headquarters of SBI – Mumbai, Maharashtra.

         Chairman of SBI – Rajnish Kumar (25^th chairman of SBI)

Ramesh Babu Boddu Appointed as MD and CEO of Karur Vysya Bank

• Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) has appointed Ramesh Babu Boddu as the Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for three years tenure.
• He also included in the Board of Directors of KVB.
• He replaces P R Seshadri, who resigned in January 2020.
• Ramesh Babu Boddu was serving as a Deputy Managing Director (DMD) in State Bank of India (SBI) and was retired from the post in April 2020.

Fact: Headquarters of KVB – Karur, Tamil Nadu