02 July 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

02 July 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. ‘Tamil yeoman’ declared Tamil Nadu’s state butterfly

• Tamil Nadu Government has declared Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) as the state butterfly, based on the recommendation of state forest department.
• With this, Tamil Nadu became the fifth state in the country to announce its state butterfly.
• Maharashtra was the first to declare Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) as its state butterfly, followed by Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern bird wings) and Kerala (Malabar banded peacock).
• These butterflies are also known as Tamil Maravan, which means warrior.

Source: The Times of India

2. UGC approves a scheme “STRIDE” to boost research culture in India

• The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved a ‘Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy’ (STRIDE)to boost research culture in India.
• The scheme will strengthen research culture and innovation in colleges & Universities.
• It will provide support to research projects that are socially relevant, locally need-based, nationally important and globally significant.
• An Advisory Committee has been set up by the UGC under the chairmanship of Prof Bhushan Patwardhan to oversee the entire scheme.

STRIDE Objectives:

• To identify young talent, strengthen research culture, build capacity, promote innovation and support trans-disciplinary research for India’s developing economy and national development.
• To fund multi-institutional network high-impact research projects in humanities and human sciences.

Note:

• STRIDE will support research capacity building as well as basic, applied and transformational action research that can contribute to national priorities with a focus on inclusive human development.
• It will also support creation, development and integration of new ideas, concepts and practices for the public good and strengthening civil society.

Source: PTI

3. Haryana CM announces annual health assistance to ‘loktantra senanis’

• Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal ‘Khattar’ has announced an annual financial assistance of Rs 5 lakhs to “loktantra senanis” or their spouse for treatment at private or government hospitals
• Now, the term “emergency victim” on their identity cards would be replaced with “loktantra senani”.
• During the Emergency, Democracy fighters who have been jailed in Satyagraha movement for a pension of 10 thousand rupees per month, and a helper to the freedom fighter and one of his assistants in Haryana Transport buses Bus travel facility is being provided.
• Loktantra Senanis, who went to jail during the ‘Satyagraha’ Movement in emergency, are already provided a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 by the state government and free travel in the Haryana Roadways buses.

Note:

• “Loktantra senanis” are those people who were imprisoned during the 25^th June 1975 to 21^st March 1977 Emergency under preventive detention laws.

Source: Business Standard

4. Indian Railways releases new All India Railway Timetable

• Ministry of Railways has released its new All India Railway Timetable known as 'Trains At A Glance'.
• In addition to this, all the 17 Zonal Railways have also released their Zonal Railway Timetables.
• The new Trains at a Glance is available on Indian Railways’ official website - www.indianrailways.gov.in.
• The Northern Railway zone has introduced two new Tejas Express trains on the New Delhi-Chandigarh-New Delhi and the New Delhi-Lucknow-New Delhi routes.

Source: AIR News

5. Parliament approves the resolution to extend President rule in J&K

• The Parliament has given its nod to the resolution seeking an extension of President rule in Jammu and Kashmir for a further period of six months with effect from 3rd July 2019.
• Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was also passed by Parliament with Rajya Sabha approving it today.
• A total of 3.50 lakh population of 435 villages will be benefitted through this amendment.
• The reservation bill proposes to give three per cent reservation in educational institutions and government jobs to people living within 10 kilometres of the International Border in Jammu.

Note:

• In India, the president's rule is the suspension of state government and imposition of direct central government rule in a state.
• Under Article 356 of the Constitution of India: A state government is unable to function according to constitutional provisions the Central government can take direct control of the state machinery.

Source: DD News

6. Centre constitutes High Powered Panel of CMs for 'Transformation of Indian Agriculture'

• The Union Government has constituted a high-powered committee of chief ministers of several states for transforming Indian agriculture and raising farmers’ income.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister ‘Devendra Fadnavis’ will be the convenor of the committee.
• While the chief ministers of Karnataka, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have been included as members.
• Union Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister will also be a member of the committee.
• Besides, NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand has been named the Member Secretary.
• It will suggest the modalities for adoption and time-bound implementation of agriculture sector reforms.

Note:

• The panel will suggest a mechanism for linking of market reforms with e-NAM, GRAM and other relevant Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
• It will also suggest policy measures to boost agricultural export, raise growth in food processing and attract investments in modern market infrastructure, value chains and logistics, besides making other key suggestions.

Source: DD News

7. Around 80,000 Indians expected to travel to UK for Cricket World Cup 2019

• According to British Deputy High Commissioner to India ‘Jan Thompson’, around 80,000 Indians are expected to travel to the U.K. during the Cricket World Cup.
• Around six lakhs visas (majority of them being tourist visas) have been issued to Indians over the past 12 months.
• The Cricket World Cup began on 30th May and concludes on 14th of July 2019.
• Most games featuring India have been a sell-out with British population of Indian origin flocking to the stadiums across the UK.

Source: AIR News

Honour & Awards

8. NALCO to get President’s award for excellent CSR in social development

• Odisha-based Navaratna Company National Aluminium Company (NALCO) has been selected for President's award for utilisation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund in social development.
• NALCO has started "Aliali Jhia" a new scheme on the line of ‘BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO" (from 2015) to promote the education of Girls of BPL families
• Under this scheme, 416 girls from BPL families of 66 villages of Anugul, Damanjodi and Potangi area in Anugul and Koraput districts have been adopted by Company.
• The Company is bearing all the expenditure for education and promotion of talent from 8th to 10th class.

Obituaries

9. Telugu writer Abburi Chaya Devi passes away

• Telugu story writer Abburi Chaya Devi (86-years) passed away at C.R. Foundation Hospital in Kondapur, Hyderabad
• Some of her popular stories are Bonsai Bathuku, Prayanam Sukhantam, Akhariki Aidu Nakshatralu, and Wood Rose.
• She won the Sahitya Akademi award in 2005 for her book 'Thana Margam.'
• She also won Vasireddi Ranganayakamma award (in 1993) and Telugu University’s best woman writer award (in 1996) for her book, Mrythyunjaya.
• Chayadevi worked as Deputy Librarian at JNU, New Delhi, and took voluntary retirement in 1982.

Source: The Hindu

10. Malayalam director Babu Narayanan passes away

• Malayalam director Babu Narayanan (60-years) passes away at Thrissur in Kerala.
• He directed several Malayalam hits such as ‘Kudumba Vishesham’ and ‘Welcome to Kodaikanal’.
• Babu Narayanan was also part of the Anil-Babu duo that made several box office hits like Sthreedhanam, Pattabhishekam.

Note:

• Babu Narayanan was born to Narayana Pisharody and Devaki Pisharasiar at Calicut.

Source: The Hindu

Banking & Finance

11. GST collection dips below Rs. 1 lakh crores

• According to data released by the government, Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections narrowly missed crossing the Rs. 1 lakh-crore mark in June 2019.
• Total gross GST revenue collected in June 2019 is RS. 99,939 crores.
  • CGST (Collected by the Central Government on an intra-state sale) is Rs. 18,366 crores
  • SGST (Collected by the State Government on an intra-state sale) is RS. 25,343 crores
  • IGST (Collected by the Central Government for inter-state sale) is Rs. 47,772 crores
  • Cess (Cess knew as a tax on tax) is Rs. 8,457 crores
• The total number of GSTR 3B Returns filed for the month of May up to 30^th June is Rs. 38 lakhs.

Note:

• GST is an Indirect Tax which has replaced many Indirect Taxes in India. The Goods and Service Tax Act was passed in the Parliament on 29th March 2017.
• The Act came into effect on 1st July 2017; Goods & Services Tax Law in India is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.

Sports

12. Indian pro boxer Vaibhav Yadav wins WBC Asia title

• Indian pro boxer ‘Vaibhav Yadav’ has become the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asia silver welterweight champion in Pattaya, Thailand.
• He defeated Thailand's Fahpetch Singmanassak.
• The fight was conducted by the Asian Boxing Council and approved by the WBC.

13. Veer wins U-19 Asian Squash title

• India’s Veer Chotrani has won a gold medal in Under-19 Squash title at the Asian Junior Championship in Macau, China.
• Veer Chotrani beat Yash Fadte.
• With this victory, Veer became the third Indian to win the Asian trophy after Ravi Dixit and Vela Senthilkumar.
• In the other two finals, India bagged two silver medals through Neel Joshi in the boys' Under-17 category and Yuvna Gupta in the girls' Under-15 section.
• India finished the tournament with one gold, three silver and as many bronze medals.

Source: AIR news

14. Sports Minister announces an increase in diet budget of all athletes to bring parity

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports ‘Kiren Rijiju’ has announced an increase in diet budget of all athletes to bring parity.
• The move will impact 12,500 athletes training in various centres of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
• The Sports Ministry will release an additional amount of 150 crore rupees annually to fund the new diet budget.
• Earlier, the diet budget for SAI trainees, junior athletes and senior athletes was Rs 250, Rs 480 and Rs 690 respectively
• The sports minister has decided to make the amounts equal

Source: The Times of India

15. Max Verstappen wins Austrian Grand Prix

• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (21-years) has won the Austrian Grand Prix for the second year in a row.
• The win was only confirmed three hours after the race finished following an investigation into whether Verstappen unfairly ran Leclerc off the track.
• The victory of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull Racing RB15 was the first win for a Honda-powered F1 car since Jenson Button in the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.
• He also become the first non-Mercedes driver to win a race in 2019.
• He is the son of former Formula One driver ‘Jos Verstappen’.

Note:

• The 2019 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.

Source: BBC