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©helloscholar – July 5th week current affairs Page 1 of 28

National ................................................... 1

International ......................................... 6

Appointments ..................................... 11

Awards ................................................... 13

Books ...................................................... 14

COVID19 ................................................ 14

Days and Dates ................................... 17

Economy ............................................... 18

Military .................................................. 22

Obituaries ............................................. 24

Sports ..................................................... 24

Technology ........................................... 24

National

Guwahati inaugurated its first-ever

manhole cleaning robot

'BANDICOOT'

Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC)

inaugurated its first-ever manhole

cleaning robot ‘BANDICOOT’. It has

been given to the GMC by Indian Oil

Corporation for the easy removal of

sludge from underground drains. This

will help stop manual scavenging.

Guwahati is now the third city in India to

procure this innovative technology after

Coimbatore and Gurugram.

DRDO launched Dare to Dream 2.0

contest

DRDO Innovation Contest ‘Dare to Dream 2.0’ has been launched on the 5th Death Anniversary of Dr APJ Abdul

Kalam, who had a vision of self-reliance.

The scheme is being launched for

emerging technologies to promote the

individuals & start ups for innovation in

defence and aerospace technologies in

the country after the call of Atma Nirbhar

Bharat given by Hon’ble Prime Minister.

Dare to Dream 2.0 is an open challenge

to promote the country’s innovators and start ups. The winners will be decided

after due evaluation by the expert

committee. A cash award of up to 10 lakh

for Start ups and 5 lakh for individuals

will be given to winners.

Images of Lord Ram to be displayed

in Times Square

Images of Lord Ram and 3D

portraits of the grand Ram Temple

in Ayodhya will be displayed across the

giant billboards in the iconic Times

Square on August 5 to celebrate the

bhoomi Punjab of the temple. Prime

Minister Narendra Modi will lay

the foundation stone for the

construction of the Ram temple in

Ayodha.

President of the American India Public

Affairs Committee Jagdish Sewhani on

Wednesday confirmed that

arrangements are being made to

celebrate the historic moment in New

York on August 5.



Times Square is a major commercial

intersection, tourist destination,

entertainment center in New York.

Times Square is one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions. Approximately

50 million people visit Times Sqaure

annually. Approximately 330,000 people

pass through Times Square daily. Many

of them are tourists. Over 460,000

pedestrians walk through Times Square

on its busiest days.

It is referred to as “the Crossroads of the World”, “the Center of the

Universe”, “the heart of the Great White Way”,and “the heart of the world”.

Cabinet approved MoU signed

between India & Zimbabwe on

Traditional Systems of Medicine

The Union Cabinet gave ex-post facto

approval to Memorandum of

Understanding signed between India

and Zimbabwe on Cooperation in the

field of Traditional Systems of Medicine

and Homeopathy.

The MoU was signed on 3rd

November, 2018. It will provide a

frame work for the cooperation between

the two countries for the promotion of

traditional systems of medicine and

homeopathy and will mutually benefit

the two countries in the field of

Traditional Medicine

National Education Policy

The Cabinet approved National

Education Policy 2020. The Cabinet

also approved changing the name of the

Human Resources Development

Ministry to Education Ministry.

The policy aims to increase the

Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher

education including vocational education

from 26.3 per cent in 2018 to 50 per cent

by 2035. At least 3.5 crore new seats will

be added to higher education

institutions.

The policy envisages broad based, multi-

disciplinary, holistic Under Graduate

education with flexible curricula, creative

combinations of subjects, integration of



vocational education and multiple entry

and exit points with appropriate

certification.

Under Graduate education can be

of 3 or 4 years with multiple exit

options and appropriate certification

within this period. Affiliation of colleges

is to be phased out in 15 years and a

stage-wise mechanism is to be

established for granting graded

autonomy to colleges. Over a period of

time, every college would develop into

either an autonomous degree-granting

college, or a constituent college of a

university.

There will be a single regulator for

all higher education institutions

except for legal and medical

colleges. Common entrance exam for

admissions to universities and colleges

will be conducted by the National Testing

Agency.

Board exams will be low stake and the

focus will be on testing concepts and

knowledge application. Home language,

mother tongue or regional language to be

medium of instruction up to class 5.

School curriculum will be reduced to core

concepts and there will be integration of

vocational education from class 6.

Background

In May 2016, a ‘Committee for

Evolution of the New Education

Policy’ under the chairmanship of TSR Subramanian, former cabinet

secretary, submitted its report. Based on

this, the Ministry prepared a document

called ‘Some Inputs for the Draft National Education Policy, 2016′. Then,

a panel led by former Indian Space

Research Organisation (ISRO)

chief K Kasturirangan had

submitted the draft of the new

National Education Policy to Union

Human Resource Development Minister

Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. The draft was then put in the public domain to seek

feedback from various stakeholders and

over two lakh suggestions were received

by the HRD Ministry about the same.

PFC signed agreement with IIT

Kanpur in Smart Grid Technology

https://www.helloscholar.in/online-test-series/



MHRD sets up panel to form

guidelines for more students

studying in India

The HRD Ministry has set up a

committee to form guidelines and

suggest measures to ensure that more

students study in India and there is a

smooth transition for students returning

from abroad due to COVID-19 situation.

The committee is headed by chairman of

the University Grants Commission

(UGC) – D.P. Singh. According to

officials, mechanisms will be explored for

starting multi-disciplinary and

innovative programs, twinning and joint

degree programs, cross-country

designing of centres, facilitating online

lectures by eminent faculty abroad,

linkage between academia and industry,

facilitate joint degree ventures and

lateral entry to Indian higher education

institutions. The committee will present

its report within 15 days.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation,

many students who wanted to pursue

studies abroad have decided to stay back

and pursue the studies in India.

Around 7.5 lakh students travelled

abroad to pursue their studies and

because of this valuable foreign exchange

moved out of India as well as many bright

students moved abroad. Government has

decided to increase seat capacity by 50

per cent in all premier institutions by

year 2024 and also Institutes of

Eminence should be increased to 50 by

2024.

TRIFED enters into partnership

with IIT, Delhi for Unnat Bharat

Abhiyan

Tribal Cooperative Marketing

Development Federation of India,

TRIFED, under Tribal Affairs Ministry,

has entered into a partnership with IIT,

Delhi for the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

(UBA) which is a flagship national

programme of the Ministry of Human

Resource Development.

Tribal entrepreneurs under TRIFED’s Van Dhan Programme will now be able to

get access to the expertise of the entire

network of over 2,600 academic and

research institutions under Unnat Bharat

Abhiyan.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is inspired by the

vision of transformational change in

rural development processes by

leveraging knowledge institutions to help

build the architecture of an Inclusive

India.

GI registration for Saffron grown

in Kashmir Valley

The Union Government has issued a

certificate of GI registration for Saffron

grown in the Kashmir Valley. With the GI

tag, Kashmir Saffron will acquire more

prominence in the export market and

would help the farmers get a better

remunerative price.



Geographical indication (GI)

A geographical indication (GI) is a

name or sign used on certain

products which corresponds to a

specific geographical location or

origin.

India, as a member of the World

Trade Organization (WTO),

enacted the Geographical

Indications of Goods

(Registration and Protection) Act,

1999 which came into force with

effect from 15 September 2003.

GIs have been defined under

Article 22 (1) of the WTO

Agreement on Trade-Related

Aspects of Intellectual Property

Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.

The GI tag ensures that none other

than those registered as

authorised users are allowed to

use the popular product name.

Darjeeling tea became the first GI

tagged product in India, in 2004–2005.

Lab technician Sanjeet Yadav killed

by his kidnappers in Kanpur

Context – A 28-year-old-Sanjeet Yadav,

lab technician from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur was kidnapped on June 22 and

his abductors demanded a ransom of Rs

30 lakh for his release. An FIR was

registered at Barra police station. Sanjeet

Yadav’s family alleged that they managed to arrange Rs 30 lakh on UP Police’s

insistence. The family said they threw the

money on a railway track on July 13.

Sanjeet Yadav’s captors took the money but they did not release him. All this

while, the police did not do anything. He

was murdered by his friends and his body

was thrown into the Pandu river.

UP crimes

Recently, 8 policemen died in an

encounter with criminal Vikas Dubey in

Kanpur.

Kanpur

Kanpur, is a metropolis in the state of

Uttar Pradesh in India. The greater

metropolis is divided into two districts:

the urban district of Kanpur Nagar and

the rural district of Kanpur Dehat. The

city is famous for its leather and textile

industries.

According to the latest available National

Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, in

2018, the state topped the country in

crimes against women (59,445 crimes) —

an 7 per cent increase from 2017. It also

recorded the highest number of gang

rapes and second highest number of

rapes (4,323 cases) in the country. Dowry

deaths, crimes against children, crimes

against senior citizens, all recorded an

increase from 2017. 131 elderly people

were murdered in 2018, compared to 129

killed in 2017. The state ranked highest in

reported murders, 4,324 cases in 2017.



60% rural private school students

in class 5 cannot solve a simple

division problem

More than 12 crore students in India are

studying in private schools, which

accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the

total school-going population of India.

Report by the Central Square

Foundation

About 60 per cent of rural private school

students in class 5 cannot solve a simple

division problem. 35 per cent of rural

private school students in class 5 cannot

read a class 2 level graph. The situation,

however, is not bad in rural parts of India

alone. Among students from the richest

20 per cent households attending private

schools, only 56 per cent between eight

and 11 years can read a class 2 level basic

paragraph.

In the National Assessment Survey, the

average score for grade 10 students in

private schools was below 50 per cent in

four out of five subjects.

It was found that in private schools,

parents are not aware of the study

outcomes of their children. About 60 per

cent of all private schools do not extend

to a board exam grade (class 10) at all,

making it particularly hard for parents to

judge the quality of these schools. This

information gap also means that schools

are less likely to invest in learning-

focused invisible improvements like

teacher training and quality, and more

likely to spend on things that are

observable by parents but may not lead to

much improvement in learning – like

computer labs, or marketing that

proclaims English-medium instruction.”

Even as the Right to Education (RTE) Act

mandates a 25 per cent reservation in

private schools for socio-economically

disadvantaged students with the state

reimbursing costs to schools, however,

the implementation of this act has been

erratic. The private school access is more

available to boys than girls across India.




International

New Zealand has suspended its

extradition treaty with Hong Kong

New Zealand has suspended its

extradition treaty with Hong Kong

and made a number of other changes

following China’s decision to pass a national security law for the territory.

New Zealand said that it can no longer

trust that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from

China. New Zealand also said – “If China in future shows adherence to the ‘one country, two systems’ framework then we could reconsider this decision.”

Australia, Canada and Britain all

suspended extradition treaties with

Hong Kong earlier this month. U.S.

President Donald Trump has ended

preferential economic treatment for

Hong Kong.

New Zealand will treat military and dual-

use goods and technology exports to

Hong Kong in the same way as it treats

such exports to China as part of a review

of its overall relationship with Hong

Kong.

China called the decision a violation of

international law and gross interference

in China’s internal affairs. China is New

Zealand’s largest trading partner, with annual two-way trade recently exceeding

$21 billion.

Breast cancer cases among women

increasing

In a study conducted in 41 countries,

researchers have revealed that breast

cancer rates among women are on the

rise globally. The research, published in

the journal The Lancet Global Health,

found that in higher-income nations

rates of breast cancer in premenopausal

women are increasing. Postmenopausal

breast cancer cases are increasing more

rapidly in lower-income countries.

Although breast cancer is thought to be a

disease of the developed world, almost 50

per cent of breast cancer cases and 58 per

cent of deaths occur in less developed

countries, according to the World Health

Organization (WHO). Although the study

provides evidence of an increase in breast

cancer rates in women of all ages, the

increase in premenopausal breast cancer

in higher-income countries is

particularly concerning.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer that forms in the

cells of the breasts. Breast cancer can

occur in both men and women, but it’s far more common in women. Breast cancer

occurs when some breast cells begin to

grow abnormally. These cells divide more

rapidly than healthy cells do and

continue to accumulate, forming a lump

or mass.

Signs and symptoms of breast

cancer may include:



A breast lump or thickening that

feels different from the

surrounding tissue

Change in the size, shape or

appearance of a breast

Changes to the skin over the

breast, such as dimpling

A newly inverted nipple

Peeling, scaling, crusting or

flaking of the pigmented area of

skin surrounding the nipple

(areola) or breast skin

Redness or pitting of the skin over

your breast, like the skin of an

orange

300 year old Kali temple has been

reconstructed in Bangladesh with

Indian support

300 year old Kali temple has been

reconstructed in Bangladesh with

Indian support. The Sree Sree Joykali

Matar temple has been inaugurated at

Natore, Bangladesh. The MoU for the

reconstruction of the temple at Lalbazar,

Natore was signed in 2016. The

Government of India provided a grant

assistance of Taka 97 lakh for the

reconstruction of the historic temple

under its High Impact Community

Development Project (HICDP).

The Sree Sree JoyKali Matar temple is

among the oldest temples in Bangladesh.

It was built approximately 300 years

back in the early 18th century by Shri

Dayaram Roy. He was an influential

Dewan of Queen Bhahani of Natore and

the founder of Dighapatia Royal Family.

The Government of India provides

developmental assistance to

Bangladesh for the direct benefit of

local communities under its High

Impact Community Development

Projects (HICDPs) scheme.

India has helped in a lot of projects in the

Rajshahi division such as –

construction of Ramakrishna

Temple

a two storied Adibasi Shagshoil

School and Niamatpur Girls’ Hostel

Small Developments Projects at

Rajshahi City Corporation

restoration of Sree Sree

Anandomoyee Kali Mata Mandir

construction of ground floor and

first floor of Mahiganj Girls’ High School and college etc.

PM Modi to inaugurate new

Supreme Court Building of

Mauritius on July

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his

Mauritius counterpart will jointly

inaugurate the new Supreme Court

Building of Mauritius on July 30.

The inauguration is scheduled to take

place through video-conference in

presence of senior members of Judiciary

from Mauritius and other dignitaries



from both countries. The building has

been constructed with Indian grant

assistance and will be the first

India assisted infrastructure

project within the capital city of

Port Louis.

The new Supreme Court building

project is one of the five projects

being implemented under the

‘Special Economic Package’ of 353 million dollars extended by India

to Mauritius in 2016. The project has

been completed within schedule and

below expected costs.

In October last year, Prime Minister

Modi and the Mauritius Prime Minister

had jointly inaugurated the Phase -I of

the Metro Express Project and the new

ENT Hospital project in Mauritius. These

projects were also completed under the

special economic package.

Ministry of Earth Sciences

launched mobile App "Mausam” for IMD

Ministry of Earth Sciences launched the

mobile App “Mausam” for India Meteorological Department.

Users can access observed weather,

forecasts, radar images and be

proactively warned of impending

weather events.

Pakistan attacked Afghanistan

Afghanistan has written to the United

Nations Security Council over continued

violations of its territory by Pakistani

military forces and asked UNSC to take

necessary measures and actions against

Pakistan. On July 15, Pakistan military

forces began artillery attacks against

Afghan border posts and civilian

residential areas in the Sarakano and

Asad Abad districts of Kunar Province.

The capital of Afghanistan is Kabul and

currency is Afghan Afghani. The

president of Afghanistan is Ashraf Ghani.

US says Pakistan remains

safe haven for terror groups

https://news.helloscholar.in/us-says-pakistan-remains-safe-haven-for-terror-groups/

https://news.helloscholar.in/us-says-pakistan-remains-safe-haven-for-terror-groups/




Tropical Storm Hanna hit Texas,

USA

Tropical Storm Hanna hit Texas, USA.

Hurricane Douglas at a speed of 90mph

is expected to hit Hawaii in the Pacific.

what are cyclones

Maldives celebrates 55th

Independence Day

Maldives celebrated its 55th

Independence day today (26

July). Indian government has also

provided 6.2 tonnes of essential

medicines under operation Sanjeevani

and 600 tons of essential food items to

Maldives amidst the COVID-19

pandemic.

The Maldives is a small island nation in

South Asia. It is situated in the Arabian

Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest

of Sri Lanka and India, about 700

kilometres from the Asian continent’s mainland. Its capital is Male and

currency is Maldivian rufiyaa.

21st anniversary of Kargil Vijay

Diwas is being observed on July

India is observing the 21st anniversary of

Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26 to

remember its brave martyrs who

sacrificed their lives to uphold and

safeguard the integrity of the nation. This

day commemorates the success of

”Operation Vijay” which was launched by the Indian Army to recapture the Indian

territories captured by the Pakistani

army in the Kargil-Drass sector in 1999.

Kargil War

The Kargil War between India and

Pakistan took place between May and

July 1999 in the Kargil district of

Kashmir. In India it is also referred to as

Operation Vijay. In history, the Kargil

War will be remembered as the fiercest

and the most valiant operations

conducted by the Indian Army. 527

Indian soldiers gave their lives in the

Kargil War.

US denies entry to foreign students

enrolled for online-only classes

Newly-enrolled international students,

many of them from India, would not be

allowed to enter the United States (US) if

their courses were to be taught online in

the upcoming fall semester, the US

agency that runs the student and

exchange visitors visa programme said.

The fall semester starts in September.

It directed authorised universities to not

issue Form 1-20s to newly-enrolled

students if their classes were to be online

only. These documents are required by

international students to apply for

student visa.

https://www.helloscholar.in/what-are-cyclones/



March 9, the cut-off date, is when ICE

issued guidelines allowing non-

immigrant foreign students to continue

to stay in the country and pursue their

classes online, wholly, as required by the

universities, making an exception in view

of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) from a

rule under which foreigners are not

issued student visas for online-only

classes.

There were nearly 270,000 new foreign

students enrolled in graduate, under-

graduate and non-degree courses for the

academic session starting 2019 fall,

according to Open Doors, a standard

resource on international students. India

is the second-largest source of foreign

students in the US, with around

200,000, of an estimated 1 million in all.

This is a preventative measure adopted

due to Covid-19-enforced break. To stay

in the US, these foreign students would

have had to ensure a majority of their

courses were conducted in-person and if

that was not offered by their institution,

transfer to one that did. The universities

are being extra vigilant, as the US is

reporting a second surge in Covid-19

cases and fatalities. Harvard University,

for instance, has declared its fall classes

will be all online. It is not even allowing

all its students to return to their on-

campus accommodations.

Appointments

Hardik Satishchandra Shah

appointed private secretary to

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Hardik Satishchandra Shah, a 2010

batch IAS officer has been appointed

private secretary to Prime Minister

Narendra Modi. Shah’s appointment was cleared by the Appointments Committee

of the Cabinet.

Hardik Satishchandra Shah will take

over from Rajeev Topno who

was appointed as senior advisor to the

World Bank Executive Director in June.

Hichem Mechichi has been

appointed as the new Prime

Minister of Tunisia

Hichem Mechichi has been appointed as

the new Prime Minister of Tunisia.

Tunisia is a country in the Maghreb

region of North Africa. Its capital is Tunis

and currency is Tunisian dinar.

Archana Soreng selected in UN

Youth Advisory Group on climate

change

Archana Soreng, a climate activist from

India, has been named by UN Secretary-

General Antonio Guterres to his new

advisory group comprising young

leaders. These young leaders will provide



perspectives and solutions to tackle the

worsening climate crisis.

Sahil Seth has been appointed as an

honorary adviser to BRICS

Chamber of Commerce and

Industry (CCI) young leaders

steering committee for 2020-2023.

Sahil Seth has been appointed as an

honorary adviser to BRICS Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (CCI) young

leaders steering committee for 2020-

2023.

BRICS is the acronym coined for an

association of five major emerging

national economies: Brazil, Russia,

India, China and South Africa. Originally

the first four were grouped as “BRIC”, before the induction of South Africa in

2010.

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) said

Partha Pratim Sengupta has been

appointed as its new MD

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) said Partha

Pratim Sengupta has been appointed as

its new managing director and chief

executive.

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) is a

major public sector bank based in

Chennai, India, with about 3,400

domestic branches, about 6 foreign

branches and representative office and

was founded in February 1937 by Shri. M.

Ct. Chidambaram Chettiar.

Rajesh Bhushan appointed as new

Health Secretary

Rajesh Bhushan, IAS officer of 1987

Batch, Bihar Cadre has been appointed as

the new Health Secretary in the Union

Health Ministry. He was earlier holding

the post of OSD in the Health Ministry

and will succeed Preeti Sudan upon

completion of her tenure on 31st of this

month.

Ajay Tirkey has been appointed as

Secretary, Department of Land

Resources in the Ministry of Rural

Development. Ram Mohan Mishra will




take over as Secretary in the Ministry of

Women and Child Development.

Awards

Sunil ydv SS has been honoured

with Karamveer Chakra Award

Sunil ydv SS has been honoured with

“Karamveer Chakra Award” by Global Fellowship Award instituted by United

Nations and International Confederation

of NGO (iCONGO) at the ReX ConcLIVE

hosted in IIT Delhi.

He received the award for his relentless

contribution to society through his

Telegram channel “SS Motivation.

MoES conferred National Awards

for excellence in Earth System

Science

This year the Life Time Excellence

Award is being awarded to Professor

Ashok Sahni for his significant

contribution in the field of Geology,

Vertebrate Paleontology and

Biostratigraphy.

The National Award for Ocean

Science & technology is being

awarded to Dr. V. V. S. S. Sarma, Senior

Principal Scientist, CSIR-National

Institute of Oceanography,

Vishakapatnam and Dr. M.

Ravichandran, Director, National Centre

for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa.

The National Award for

Atmospheric Science & technology

will be presented to Dr. S. Suresh Babu,

Scientist-SF, VSSC,

Thiruvananthapuram.

The National award for Geoscience

& technology will be presented to N. V.

Chalapathi Rao Department of Geology,

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.

The National Award for Ocean

Technology will be presented to Dr. M.

A. Atmanand, Director, National

Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai.

Dr. Lidita D. S. Khandeparker, Senior

Scientist, CSIR-National Institute of

Oceanography, Goa will receive the

Anna Mani award for woman

scientist.

The Young Researcher Awards will

be presented to Dr. Indra Sekhar Sen,

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

and Dr. Arvind Singh Physical Research

Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad for their

outstanding work in Earth System

Science.

India’s first solar-powered ferry

Aditya wins global honour

Aditya, India’s first solar-powered ferry

has won the prestigious Gustave Trouve

Award for Excellence in Electric Boats

and Boating. It commenced operations in



2017 in Kerala’s Vembanad. The ferry was adjudged the world’s best electric boat in the category of ferries designed

for paid passenger service.

Books

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, released the e-

book titled “Standard Treatment Guidelines for the Management of

Substance Use Disorders and

Behavioural Addictions

Union Minister of Health and Family

Welfare – Dr. Harsh Vardhan, released

the e-book titled “Standard Treatment Guidelines for the Management of

Substance Use Disorders and

Behavioural Addictions”. This book aims to tackle substance abuse and behavioral

addiction in the country.

External Affairs Minister S

Jaishankar wrote a new book - The

India Way: Strategies for an

Uncertain World

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

announced publication of his book ‘The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain

World’.

Former RBI Governor Viral

Acharya wrote a book - Quest for

Restoring Financial Stability in

India

Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

Deputy Governor Viral Acharya has

alleged in his new book ‘Quest for Restoring Financial Stability in India’ that former Governor Urjit Patel quit

prematurely because of attempts to

weaken the central bank’s autonomy.




COVID19

India reported 48,661 coronavirus

cases in the last 24 hours

India reported 48,661 coronavirus cases

in the last 24 hours. Total number of

cases increased to 13,85,522. The

number of death have risen to 32,063,

with 705 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Bubonic plague case in China

IIT Kharagpur develops unique

portable device for coronavirus

COVID-19 rapid tests at Rs

Researchers at IIT Kharagpur in West

Bengal have developed a novel portable

rapid diagnostic device for quick testing

of coronavirus that will reportedly cost

around Rs 400 per test and would take

less than 60 minutes. The entire rapid

test can be conducted in an ultra-low-

cost portable device with the test results

being available on a customized

smartphone application.

The device is capable of conducting the

detection of the viral genomic RNA in an

ultra-low-cost portable enclosure as an

alternative to highly expensive RT-PCR

machine. The technology essentially

deploys a disposable simple paper-strip

for chemical analysis and visualization of

results.

IIT Kanpur develops UV

sanitizing device ‘SHUDDH’ to make your room COVID

free

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh

Chouhan tested positive for

coronavirus

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj

Singh Chouhan, has tested positive for

the novel coronavirus, it was confirmed

Saturday afternoon. He has been

admitted to the Chirayu Hospital in

Bhopal.

Madhya Pradesh has recorded over

26,000 COVID-19 cases so far, including

791 deaths linked to the virus. The

number of active cases in the state is

more than 7,500. Across India the

number of coronavirus cases has crossed

13.36 lakh, with more than 4.56 lakh

active cases and 31,358 deaths linked to

the virus.

In news

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel

has been given charge of Madhya

Pradesh due to the demise of Lal Ji

Tandon, Governor of Madhya Pradesh.

How coronavirus spreads?

The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly

transmitted through droplets generated

when an infected person coughs, sneezes,

or exhales. These droplets are too heavy

https://news.helloscholar.in/bubonic-plague-case-in-china/

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to hang in the air, and quickly fall on

floors or surfaces.

You can be infected by breathing in the

virus if you are within close proximity of

someone who has COVID-19, or by

touching a contaminated surface and

then your eyes, nose or mouth.

symptoms

Most common symptoms:

fever

dry cough

tiredness

Less common symptoms:

aches and pains

sore throat

diarrhoea

conjunctivitis

headache

loss of taste or smell

a rash on skin, or discolouration of

fingers or toes

The Spanish flu 1918 – 2

crore Indians died

Lab technician Sanjeet Yadav

killed by his kidnappers in

Kanpur

India conducted more than four

lakh COVID-19 tests in single day

India conducted more than four lakh

COVID-19 tests in single day. For the first

time, a record number of more than

4,20,000 COVID tests have been

conducted in a single day. The tests per

million has further increased to 11,485

and till today one crore 60 lakh tests have

been done.

A strong factor contributing to this

achievement is the persistent increase in

the number of labs from merely one in

January, 2020 to 1,301 today. This

includes 902 government labs and 399 in

the private sector.

India and Israel have jointly

developed an ultra rapid testing kit

for COVID-

India and Israel have jointly developed

an ultra rapid testing kit for COVID-19.

Principal Scientific Adviser to

Government of India, Professor K

VijayRaghavan informed that Indian

DRDO scientists along with Defence

Research Wing of Israel have been

conjointly working on the COVID testing

kit.

The rapid testing kit can generate

preliminary COVID results within 30

seconds. The kit has been developed by

integration of many novel technologies

which includes artificial intelligence

based online voice test, breathalyser test,

isothermal testing and testing using

polyamino acids.

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India and Israel are also the members of

the world consortium of scientists

working on COVID Vaccine.

Cipla all set to launch anti-viral

drug Favipiravir for treatment of

COVID-19 patients

Pharma Company Cipla is all set to

launch the anti-viral drug Favipiravir for

the treatment of COVID-19

patients. CSIR-Indian Institute of

Chemical Technology developed a cost

effective process and transferred the

technology to the Cipla Company.

Anti-viral drug Favipiravir has shown

promising results in clinical trials for

treatment of Covid-19 patients especially

in the mild and moderate patients. Drug

Controller General of India has given

restricted emergency use for Favipiravir

in the country.

Favipiravir, sold under the brand name

Avigan among others, is an antiviral

medication used to treat influenza in

Japan. It is also being studied to treat a

number of other viral infections.

Days and

Dates

International Tiger Day is

celebrated on 29th July

International Tiger Day is celebrated on

29th of July every year across the globe

to create awareness about tiger

conservation. India has 2,967 tigers as

per the latest Tiger Census. There was an

increase of 741 tigers in the last 4 years.

Project Tiger was launched in 1973 with

just 9 tiger reserves and today the

country has 50 tiger reserves.

World Nature Conservation Day is

celebrated on 28 July

World Nature Conservation Day is

celebrated on 28 July to create and

increase awareness about the importance

of natural resources.

World Hepatitis Day is observed on

28 July

World Hepatitis Day is commemorated

each year on 28 July to enhance

awareness of viral hepatitis, an

inflammation of the liver that causes a

range of health problems, including liver

cancer. This year’s theme is “Hepatitis-

free future.

There are five main strains of the

hepatitis virus – A, B, C, D and E.

Together, Hepatitis B and C are the most

common cause of deaths, with 1.4 million

lives lost each year.

What is Hepatitis?



Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory

condition of the liver. It’s commonly caused by a viral infection, but there are

other possible causes of hepatitis. These

include autoimmune hepatitis and

hepatitis that occurs as a secondary

result of medications, drugs, toxins, and

alcohol.

Economy

India Post will be turned into a full

fledged bank

The Central Government has 50% stake

in RRBs whereas public sector banks and

the state governments have 35% and 15%

stakes in RRBs respectively.

India Post reported a loss of Rs.18,255

crore in FY20. RRBs posted a loss of Rs

548 crore in FY19. India Post’s 4.2-lakh

workforce and 1.56 lakh post office

network will provide a tremendous

platform for rural banking. Postmen will

be converted into banking

correspondents and post offices will work

as bank branches.

NITI Aayog recommended

privatisation of Punjab & Sind

Bank, UCO Bank and Bank of

Maharashtra

NITI Aayog has recommended the

government to privatise Punjab & Sind

Bank, UCO Bank and Bank of

Maharashtra. Privatisation of Punjab &

Sind Bank, UCO Bank and Bank of

Maharashtra will require an amendment

to Banking Companies (Acquisition and

Transfer) Act of 1970.

One more recommendation has been

made related to India Post. The

government should merge India Post

with the regional rural banks (RRBs) to

form a full-fledged public sector bank.

India Post reported a loss of Rs.15,000

crore in FY19.

RBI recommended that the

government should reduce its

stake in government banks to

26 per cent

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RBI recommended that the

government should reduce its

stake in government banks to 26

per cent

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

recommended that the government

should reduce its stake in government

banks to 26 per cent. RBI also

recommended that the tenure of MDs of

these banks should also be increased.

This will help in managing these banks in

a more professional manner. The RBI

suggested these measures to Prime

Minister Narendra Modi. At present, the

government’s stake in public sector banks is more than 50 per cent.

On 29th April, PM Modi held a meeting

with the MDs of Public Sector Banks and

these recommendations were made in

this meeting.

Government shareholding in

Public Sector Banks (as on 1st

April, 2019)

Bank

Share of

Government

(in %)

Bank of Baroda 63.74

Bank of India 87.0535

Bank of Maharashtra 87.01

Canara Bank 72.55

Central Bank of India 88.02

Indian Bank 81.73

Indian Overseas Bank 91

Punjab and Sind Bank 79.62

Punjab National Bank 70.22

Bank

Share of

Government

(in %)

State Bank of India 61

UCO Bank 93.29

Union Bank of India 67.43

NITI Aayog recommended

privatisation of Punjab &

Sind Bank, UCO Bank and

Bank of Maharashtra

ADB signed Dollar 200 million

financing deal with Reliance for

power plant in Bangladesh

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has

signed a $200 million deal with the

Reliance Bangladesh LNG and Power

Limited (RBLPL) to build and operate a

718 megawatt combined-cycle gas-fired

power plant in Bangladesh.

The deal has two components of $100

million each. ADB will provide dollar 100

million. The other $100 million will be

funded by Leading Asia’s Private Infrastructure Fund (LEAP). LEAP was

set up in 2016 with a $1.5 billion capital

commitment for the Japan International

Cooperation Agency (JICA).

ADB has approved a three million

US dollar grant to India

The Asian Development Bank

(ADB) has approved a three million

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US dollar grant to India from its Asia

Pacific Disaster Response Fund

(APDRF). This grant will further support

the government’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This support

will enhance disease surveillance and

help in early detection, contact tracing,

and treatment.

On 28th of April, ADB approved a 1.5

billion US dollar COVID-19 Active

Response and Expenditure Support

(CARES) Programme to support India in

its immediate pandemic response efforts.

Non-resident Indian nationals can

own 100 per cent stake of Air India

now

The government has notified changes in

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms

on civil aviation, which will permit non-

resident Indian nationals to own 100 per

cent stake of Air India. Foreign

investments in M/s Air India Limited,

including that of foreign airlines shall not

exceed 49 per cent either directly or

indirectly except in case of those NRIs,

who are Indian Nationals, where foreign

investments is permitted up to 100 per

cent under automatic route.

Last month, the government extended

the deadline to bid for Air India for the

third time. The deadline was extended by

two months till August 31. The

divestment process was initiated on

January 27.

Govt will divestment in 23 PSUs

The government is working on

completing the stake sale process of

about 23 public sector companies whose

divestment has already been cleared by

the Cabinet, Finance Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman said on Monday.

The government wants to sell stake in

public sector companies at a time when it

fetches the right price. There are nearly

22-23 such PSUs which have been

cleared by the Cabinet for disinvestment.

For the 2020-21 fiscal, the government

has set a disinvestment target of Rs 2.10

lakh crore. Of this, Rs 1.20 lakh crore will

come from disinvestment of public sector

undertakings and another Rs 90,000

crore will come from stake sale in

financial institutions.

The government as part of the

Aatmanirbhar Bharat package had

announced opening up of all sectors for

private participation. In strategic sectors,

the private companies will be allowed to

come in but the public sectors will be

limited to a maximum of four.

India announces 400 million dollar

currency swap for Sri Lanka

India announces 400 million dollar

currency swap for Sri Lanka. Reserve

Bank of India has signed necessary

documents for extending a 400 million

dollar currency swap facility with the

Central Bank of Sri Lanka. This currency



swap arrangement will remain available

till November 2022.

Sri Lanka has around one billion dollar

loan commitment from India and has

requested to reschedule the payment due

to ongoing financial crisis and COVID

situation.

RBI board member Satish Marathe

said Public sector banks should not

be privatised

RBI board member Satish Marathe

said Public sector banks should not be

privatised. Instead the government can

reduce its shareholding to 26 percent. He

said that still 50 crore people in the

country are not involved in financial

system despite efforts by RBI since 2004.

What can be done?

The government is thinking that

privatisation is the solution of all

problems whereas the covid19 crisis has

shown that our nation strongly needs

government companies. The private

banks are focussed only on profit making

whereas government banks work for the

welfare of general public.

Instead of privatisation, government

should focus on merger of these banks.

The government should closely monitor

the working of these banks and should

try to correct the loopholes within the

management.

Why Bank nationalisation was

done?

In 1969, the Indian government

nationalised 14 major private banks. In

1980, 6 more private banks were

nationalised. The single reason of

nationalisation was that the banking

industry was dominated by private

banks. These private banks were not

working as per the directions of the

government and were focussed only on

profit making. Thus, government

decided to establish public sector banks

so that general public could be provided

banking services. Banking is a very

important sector and is critical for the

growth of any nation.

Indira Gandhi told the Lok Sabha on 29

July 1969 that the “purpose of nationalization is to promote rapid

growth in agriculture, small industries

and export, to encourage new

entrepreneurs and to develop all

backward areas”. This was part of a political strategy to destroy big business

houses that backed her opponents, as

well as build a new political base.

Airtel Payments Bank partners

NSDC to train rural youth for

financial services jobs

Airtel Payments Bank Ltd has

collaborated with National Skill

Development Corporation (NSDC) to

train and skill young people in rural areas

on financial services, enabling them to



find jobs and become entrepreneurs in

the sector.

The partnership aims at designing and

conducting targeted skill development

programs for rural youth that will focus

on adoption of tools to boost online

banking and digital financial services at a

time when the smartphone market is

growing and usage of 4G has increased

due to stay-at-home restrictions.

Rs 190.76 crore fraud in Bank of

Baroda

Download news app

The Central Bureau of Investigation

(CBI) has registered a case against two

NCR-based steel and metal companies –

Shri Sidhdata Ispat Pvt. Ltd., Govardhan

Industries Pvt. Ltd., Shri Sidhdata Steel

Tubes, Sudershan Tubes on a loan fraud

complaint by Bank of Baroda and has

conducted searches at three locations in

Noida and Delhi.

It was alleged in the complaint that the

accused cheated Bank of Baroda to the

tune of Rs 190.76 crore (excluding

interest) by way of availing various credit

facilities, on the basis of submitting fake

documents to the bank. They diverted the

funds fraudulently for the purpose other

than they were sanctioned for.

Bank of Baroda

Bank of Baroda is an Indian

Multinational, public sector Banking and

financial services company. It is the third

largest public sector bank in India, with

131 million customers, a total business of

US$ 218 billion, and a global presence of

100 overseas offices. It is headquartered

at Vadodara, Gujarat and founded by

Sayajirao Gaekwad III on 20 July 1908.

Yes Bank fraud: PMLA court

rejects Rana Kapoor’s bail plea

HDFC Bank forced customers

to purchase a vehicle tracking

device

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Military

Intelligence agencies warn of

terror attack in Ayodhya

There is a possibility of terror

attacks at the ceremony of the Ram

Temple in Ayodhya on August 5 and

the Independence Day programme.

On August 5, the Prime Minister

Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the

foundation stone of Ram Janmabhoomi

in Ayodhya. The special status of Jammu

and Kashmir under Article 370 of the

Constitution was also scapped on August

5.

Following a report from Intelligence

agencies, there have been instructions to

deploy special security teams in

Ayodhya, Jammu and Kashmir and

Delhi.

As per the sources – Pakistan’s Inter-

Services Intelligence has prepared a

complete plan for a terrorist attack. ISI

has infiltrated terrorists from Lashkar-e

Taiba and Jaish-e Mohammad into India

with this aim. These terrorists were sent

to India in groups. Each group contains

three to five terrorists. All these terrorists

have received training in Afghanistan.

Indian intelligence agency revealed that

Pakistan wants the terrorist group to

carry out separate attacks and in such a

way that it appears as an internal attack

within India.

Background

In July 2005, terrorists tried to attack the

makeshift temple at the disputed Ram

Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in

Ayodhya. The terrorists had posed as

pilgrims and hired a jeep on the outskirts

of Ayodhya, which exploded near the

boundary of the disputed area. The

terrorists also used a rocket launcher to

target the makeshift temple.

Sources –

NDTV

Zee News

IB and RAW

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) is India’s domestic intelligence, internal security

and counter-intelligence agency. It is

reputed to be the oldest such

organization in the world. IB was

founded in 1887. The Research and

Analysis Wing (RAW), was founded in

1968. Until 1968, the Intelligence Bureau

(IB), which is responsible for India’s internal intelligence, also handled

external intelligence. But after India’s miserable performance in a 1962 border

war with China, the need for a separate

external intelligence agency was clear.

Russian Navy would be armed with

hypersonic nuclear strike weapons

and underwater nuclear drones

Russian President Vladimir Putin said

that the Russian Navy would be armed

with hypersonic nuclear strike weapons

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/intel-agencies-warn-of-possible-terror-attack-in-ayodhya-on-august-5-2270360

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and underwater nuclear drones. The

defence ministry said the weapons were

in their final phase of testing. Hypersonic

missiles are capable of travelling at more

than five times the speed of sound. The

speed of sound in air is about 343 metres

per second.

The weapons include the Poseidon

underwater nuclear drone which can be

carried by submarines and the Tsirkon

(Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile, which

can be deployed on surface ships.

The combination of speed,

manoeuvrability and altitude of

hypersonic missiles makes them difficult

to track and intercept.

Russia last year threatened to deploy

hypersonic missiles on ships and

submarines if the United States deployed

nuclear weapons in Europe. United

States has not deployed such missiles in

Europe, but Ruissia is worried that USA

might deploy missiles.

Obituaries Eminent dancer Amala Shankar passes away

Eminent dancer and choreographer Amala Shankar passed away in Kolkata. Shankar is the wife of legendary dancer-choreographer Uday Shankar and sister-in-law of sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.

Sports

Haryana to host 4th Khelo India

Youth Games

Haryana will host the 4th Khelo India

Youth Games. Sports Minister Kiren

Rijiju and Haryana Chief Minister

Manohar Lal Khattar announced this

through video conferencing.

The Games will be held at Panchkula in

Haryana after Tokyo Olympics next year.

Usually the Khelo India Youth Games

take place in January every year.

Khelo India Youth Games

Khelo India Youth Games his held

annually in January or February. It is

held for two categories – under-17 years

school students and under-21 college

students. Every year best 1000 kids are

given an annual scholarship of ₹5 lakh for 8 years to prepare them for the

international sporting events. The first

event was held in Delhi in 2018.

Technology

SNBNCBS develops a No-touch &

Painless device for non-invasive

screening of bilirubin level in new-

born babies



Professor Samir K. Pal & his group at S.N.

Bose National Centre For Basic Sciences

(SNBNCBS), Kolkata, have developed a

device named ‘AJO-Neo’. This device can detect bilirubin level in new-born babies.

Importance

Careful screening of bilirubin level in

new-borns is mandatory as per American

Academy of Paediatrics (2004). It helps

in reducing incidents of a type of brain

damage called kernicterus that can result

from high levels of bilirubin in a baby’s blood. The operation of the device is

based on non-contact and non-invasive

spectrometry-based techniques for

measurement of neonatal bilirubin level.

This is a significant achievement

compared to the conventional “blood test” method, which may take more than 4 hours to generate the report.

Bilirubin

Bilirubin is a yellowish substance in your

blood. It forms after red blood cells break

down, and it travels through your liver,

gallbladder, and digestive tract before

being excreted. Typically, bilirubin levels

fall somewhere between 0.3 and 1.2

milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), has launched AIM

iCREST

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), has launched AIM iCREST to

promote high performing Startups. This

is a first of its kind initiative for

advancing innovation at scale in India.

AIM has joined hands with Bill &

Melinda Gates Foundation and

Wadhwani Foundation. These

partnerships will provide global

expertise and showcase proven best

practices to the AIM’s incubator network.

NITI Aayog (National

Institution for Transforming

India)

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa laid

foundation stone for Bengaluru

Life sciences Park

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa laid

foundation stone for Bengaluru Life

sciences Park at Electronics City. The

proposed park is spread over nine million

square feet on 52.27 acres and will be

built at a cost of 5000 crore rupees. It is

set up on a public private partnership

model and the first phase of the project is

slated to be completed by December

2022.

It is to be equipped with the world’s best biotechnology infrastructure and will

have more than 150 companies with a

potential to generate 50,000

employment. The park will have

dedicated incubation space for start ups,

shared instrumentation lab and

customised fully fitted lab and office

suites. Bengaluru is home to around 40

https://www.helloscholar.in/niti-aayog-national-institution-for-transforming-india/





percent of major biotechnology firms in

the country with 380 companies and 200

start-ups.

Karnataka has nine percent market share

in Asia’s biotechnology space while India has a total of around 35 percent.

IRCTC, SBI Card launch new Co-

branded Contactless Credit Card

on RuPay Platform

IRCTC and SBI Card together launched

their new Co-branded Contactless Credit

Card on RuPay Platform. The new RuPay

credit card is equipped with Near Field

Communication, NFC, technology with

which, users can expedite their

transactions at the POS machines by just

tapping the card on the machines.

Delhi launched a website named as

'Rozgar Bazar' to help people find

jobs

Delhi launched a website named as

‘Rozgar Bazar’ to help people find jobs. COVID19 has led to unemployment and

people are now searching for jobs.

Preliminary design review of

Roman Space Telescope has been

completed

The Roman Space Telescope is a NASA

observatory designed to unravel the

secrets of dark energy, exoplanets, and

infrared astrophysics. The telescope has

a primary mirror that is 2.4 meters in

diameter (7.9 feet), and is the same size

as the Hubble Space Telescope’s primary mirror. The Roman Space Telescope will

have two instruments, the Wide Field

Instrument, and the Coronagraph

Instrument.

The Wide Field Instrument will have a

field of view that is 100 times greater

than the Hubble infrared instrument,

capturing more of the sky with less

observing time. As the primary

instrument, the Wide Field Instrument

will measure light from a billion galaxies

over the course of the mission lifetime. It

will perform a microlensing survey of the

inner Milky Way to find ~2,600

exoplanets. The Coronagraph

Instrument will perform high contrast

imaging and spectroscopy of individual

nearby exoplanets.



The Roman Space Telescope will have a

primary mission lifetime of 5 years, with

a potential 5 year extended mission.

Roman was recommended in 2010 by

United States National Research Council

Decadal Survey committee as the top

priority for the next decade of astronomy.

On 17 February 2016, Roman was

approved for development and launch.

Apple starts manufacturing iPhone

in India

Apple has begun producing its flagship

iPhone 11 model at its Chennai plant.

This could be the beginning of a new era

for Apple, which is preparing to begin

manufacturing its newly launched

iPhone SE (2nd Generation) of handsets

in India. This could lead to low price

iphones as earlier Apple had to pay 20

percent tax for importing the handset

from its global manufacturing facilities.

The government announced the

production-linked incentive scheme as

Apple is now planning to shift 20 per cent

smartphone production from China to

India.

Apple has Foxconn, Wistron, and

Pegatron as the suppliers for its iPhone

models. Earlier this month, Foxconn,

which is a leading supplier for iPhone

and other Apple devices, reportedly

planned to invest up to $1 billion

(roughly Rs. 7,491 crores) to expand its

India factory where it assembles iPhone

models. Pegatron – the second-largest

iPhone assembler after Foxconn was also

reported to make some investment in the

country and set up a local subsidiary in

the coming future.

Apple

Apple Inc. is an American multinational

technology company headquartered in

Cupertino, California, that designs,

develops, and sells consumer electronics,

computer software, and online services.

It is considered one of the Big Tech

technology companies, alongside

Amazon, Google, Microsoft and

Facebook.

Actor Sonu Sood launched an app -

Pravasi Rojgar to offer support to

workers in finding right job

opportunities in various sectors

across the country

Actor Sonu Sood launched an app –

Pravasi Rojgar to offer support to

workers in finding right job

opportunities in various sectors across

the country.

The initiative will be supported by

community outreach in the villages to



find the right employment opportunities

for migrant workers in different parts of

the country.

The app has over 500 reputed companies

related to construction, apparel,

healthcare, engineering, BPOs, security,

automobile, e-commerce and logistics

sectors, offering job opportunities.


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