Current Affairs of 4th July 2019

Current Affairs of 4th July 2019

• Dipankar Banerjee, a solar physicist from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics has been selected by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for its PUNCH mission. Prof. Banerjee is also the co-Chair of India's Science Working Group, as India is planning to send up its own satellite Aditya-L1, a mission to study the Sun's corona. Dipankar Banerjee will study the acceleration of the solar wind. He will focus on the polar regions of the Sun. The team will also observe the Sun using joint observations from PUNCH and Indian mission Aditya.

• The Supreme Court has directed the Meghalaya government to deposit the 100 crore rupees fine imposed on it by National Green Tribunal. The NGT had imposed the fine in January 2019 for failing to curb illegal coal mining.

• European Union (EU) leaders have put forward their nominations for the bloc's top jobs, with a woman proposed as European Commission Chief for the first time. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has been nominated for the post to replace Jean-Claude Juncker. The nomination came after the main front-runners were rejected.

• Veteran British journalist Sir Mark Tully was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognization of his contributions to the UK-India relationship. The annual UK-India Awards honors special talents and organizations who use their worldwide influence to strengthen UK-India ties. The 2019 UK-India Awards marked the conclusion of the annual UK-India Week in London. This was the 3rd edition of the UK-India Award organized by India Inc.

• NRWA is currently under a difficult financial crisis. This has caused concern and has put to the agency's core services to Palestine refugees risk the Agency's core services, like especially in fields of health, education, and assistance to the most vulnerable refugees, to Palestine refugees at risk. A total of 23 donors has announced their contributions to UNRWA's 2019 budget. Most of the UNRWA's resources are from voluntary contributions, with a limited donor base of traditional donors.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed a high powered 9 member committee of chief ministers headed by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for transforming Indian agriculture and raising farmers' income. It will suggest policy measures, attract investments and raise growth in food processing. The panel will be serviced by NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog. H.D. Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister, Karnataka; Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister, Haryana; Pema Khandu, Chief Minister, Arunachal Pradesh; Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister, Gujarat; Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh; Kamal Nath, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh,; Union Agriculture, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand. Time-Limit: It will submit its report in two months. The panel will suggest measures on the modalities for adoption and time-bound implementation of reforms such as Agriculture Produce and Livestock, Contract Farming and Services (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2018, Agriculture Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2017, changes in the Essential Commodity Act, 1955, mechanism to link market reforms with e-NAM (National Agriculture Market ), GRAM (Gramin Agriculture Market ) and other relevant Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

• ICICI Bank has tied up with NBFC IndoStar Capital for vehicle financing for small and medium fleet owners to buy new as well as old commercial vehicles. Under this partnership, IndoStar will originate and service the customers through the entire loan life cycle including sourcing, documentation, collection and loan servicing

• The 6th edition of Exercise Garuda-VI has started between Indian and French Air Force from the 1st of July 2019 at French Air Force Base - Mont-de-Marsan. The exercise will see the most potent fighter aircraft of the two countries going head-to-head to validate the latest defense strategies and fine-tune their waging capabilities and is expected to showcase fighter jets like Rafale, Mirage 2000, Sukhoi 30 from the two sides. Participation in the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the exercise will also promote professional interaction, exchange experiences and operational knowledge besides strengthening bilateral relations with the French Air Force. It will also provide a good opportunity for air warriors to operate in an international environment.

• Indian pro boxer Vaibhav Yadav became the WBC Asia silver welterweight champion. They defeat Thailand's Fahpetch Singmanassak in the title bout held in Pattaya, Thailand. Yadav, a cousin of Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Vikas Krishan clinched a third-round knockout over Singmanassak. The fight, which took place was conducted by the Asian Boxing Council. It is approved by the World Boxing Council (WBC).

• Manoj Kumar Nambiar, Managing Director of Arohan Financial Services, is appointed as the Chairman of Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN). He was elected at the 6th annual general meeting of MFIN. Nambiar is also a director on boards of IntelleCash Microfinance Network Company. He will replace Ujjivan Financial Services CEO and MD Samit Ghosh.

• According to the Government of India, the Indian Railways has set a target to install CCTV cameras in more than 7,000 coaches of mainline passenger trains by March 2021. Also, CCTV cameras have already been installed in coaches of premium, mail, express and suburban trains.

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has operationalized the first Aadhaar Seva Kendra (ASK) in Delhi and Vijayawada. UIDAI has planned to set up 114 such centers by the end of 2019. This has been implemented under an ambitious plan of UIDAI to cover 53 cities across India at an estimated project cost of Rs.300-400 crore.

• World Sports Journalists Day was observed on July 2, 2019. It is celebrated to mark the services of sports journalists for the promotion of sports. It was established by the International Sports and Press Association (AIPS- Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive) in 1994 to mark the 70th anniversary of its foundation which was founded on July 2, 1924, during the Summer Olympics in Paris. Sports journalists from all over the world are united by the AIPS. In India, the sports federation is named Sports Journalists' Federation of India (SJFI), which was set up on February 27, 1976.

• The government of India is assisting 150 Palestinian professionals under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program every year. India has increased its annual financial contribution fourfold to the UNRWA core budget from $1.25 Million in 2016 to $5 million in 2018 in solidarity with Palestine refugees.

• The United States has declared the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a global terrorist organization, a move decried as unjustified by the separatist group fighting Pakistani rule in the resource-rich Balochistan province. Pakistan banned the outfit in 2006 and has been urging the US to do the same.

• Reserve Bank of India fined 4 Public Sector Banks for violating KYC norms. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a penalty of Rs 1.75 crore on four public sector banks. The banks which include PNB and UCO Bank for non-compliance with KYC requirement and norms.

• Minister of Textiles and Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani launched the new book 'Whispers of Time' written by Dr. Krishna Saksena (9A) at India International Centre in New Delhi. The book was published by Prabhat Prakashan. It is the ninth book of Saksena, and it talks about her experiences and observations in her long life of ninety years.

• The 34th edition of the National level sailing championship, 'Hyderabad Sailing Week' was inaugurated by Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan on July 2. The championship held every year in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad is going to be held at the Hussain Sagar Lake.

• Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), a public sector bank based in Chennai has appointed Karnam Sekar as its new Managing Director (MD)and Chief Executive Officer(CEO). He replaces R Subramaniakumar. He had also served State Bank of India as Deputy Managing Director and Chief Credit Officer

• Dr. Narinder Batra, President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), has been elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland. Batra now has a rare distinction of becoming a member of the IOC, while heading a National Olympic Committee (NOC) as well as an international federation. He is the first Indian to have this distinction. He has already become the first Indian to head an international federation of an Olympic sport -- that of International Hockey Federation (FIH). With the election of Batra, the number of Indians who are currently active members of the IOC will rise to two. Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Ambani was elected as an individual member of the IOC in 2016. She is the first Indian woman to be elected to the prestigious seat.