Current Affairs in English – July 2 2022

July 2 , 2022

National Events:

India’s gross domestic product ( GDP ):

• Rating agency Crisil has lowered India’s real gross domestic product ( GDP ) growth forecast to 7.3 % from 7.8 % for FY23 .According to the agency , inflation is pegged to average at 6.8 % FY23 as against 5.5 % in FY22 .
• It also estimated the current account deficit to widen to 3 % of GDP in FY23 from 1.2 % in FY22 . The agency expects global crude to average between USD 105-110 per barrel in FY23 .

” Earthquake Warning System “:

• CSIR – CSIO , Chandigarh and Engineers India Limited ( EIL ) , New Delhi have inked an agreement .
• Under this agreement , CSIR – CSIO and EIL will jointly commercialize the technology of ” Earthquake Warning System ” ( EqWS ) .
• CSIR – CSIO developed EqWS is in operation for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation since August 2015 . It is a network of five seismic sensing nodes .

” Grand Hackathon “:

• A three – day ” Grand Hackathon ” organized by the Open Network for Digital Commerce ( ONDC ) in collaboration with NABARD , was launched by Union Minister Piyush Goyal on 1 July 2022 .
• The ” Grand Hackathon ” is subdivided into two categories ; Agri Grant Challenge and Agri Innovation Hackathon that will showcase the innovations to aid the adoption of e – commerce in the agricultural sector .

ITI & BSNL:

• Department of Telecommunications has signed an agreement with Indian Telephone Industries ( ITI ) Ltd and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited ( BSNL ) .
• It will fund the pilot projects of E – band , LTE indigenous technologies including integration of 4G / 5G prototypes with C – DoT core . Astrome technologies , Lekha Wireless Solutions , Resonous Technologies , Signaltron would be executing these projects .

AAI:

• Airports Authority of India ( AAI ) has signed an Operation and Management agreement for operationalization of five airports owned by Uttarpradesh government for a period of 30 years .
• These five airports are Aligarh , Azamgarh , Chitrakoot , Muirpur and Shravasti . Communication Navigation Surveillance services will also be provided by AAI , for which state government will enter into a separate agreement .

NITI Aayog:

• NITI Aayog released a compendium of various Ayush – based initiatives in July 2022 .The compendium was released by Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Suman Bery and Minister of State for Ayush Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai .
• The compendium provides information about practices adopted by States and UTS for strengthening country’s fight against COVID – 19 , using Ayush’s resources and interventions .

GAIL ( India ) Ltd:

• Sandeep Kumar Gupta , Director for Finance at Indian Oil Corporation , has been picked to head India’s largest gas utility GAIL ( India ) Ltd. He will replace Manoj Jain , who is scheduled to retire on August 31 , 2022 .
• Mr Gupta has been Director ( Finance ) of IOC since August 3 , 2019 . GAIL is India’s largest gas transmission and gas marketing company . GAIL Headquarters – New Delhi.

Australian Army and Indian Army:

• The 9th Army to Army Staff Talks ( AAST ) between the Australian Army and Indian Army were conducted in Dehradun on 29 June 2022 .
• Talks were held at Indian Military Academy ( IMA ) , Dehradun and both sides reviewed road map for activities promoting defence cooperation .

IIE,Guwahati & IIM,Shillong:

• The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship ( IIE ) , Guwahati & the Indian Institute of Management ( IIM ) , Shillong signed an agreement on 1 July 2022 .
• The objective of this partnership is to encourage entrepreneurship , incubation and startups in the North Eastern Region .
• As part of the agreement , Both institutes will share infrastructure facilities like laboratories & libraries .

‘ PM Ayushman Bharat scheme ‘:

• The World Bank on 1 July 2022 approved loans totalling $ 1.75 billion to fund India’s ‘ PM Ayushman Bharat scheme ‘ and private investment to boost economic growth .
• Of the total loan , $ 1 billion will go towards the health sector , while the rest $ 750 million will be for the private sector investment in the economy .
• World Bank Headquarters – Washington , D.C. World Bank President – David Malpass.

JWS:

• Central Government has approved a proposal of the Journalist Welfare Scheme ‘ ( JWS ) Committee to provide financial relief to the families of 35 journalists who have lost their lives .It includes 16 families of journalists who died due to Covid – 19 .
• The families will be provided with assistance up to Rs . 5 lakhs .

Google International LLC and Airtel:

• Competition Commission of India ( CCI ) has approved Google’s proposed acquisition of a minority stake in Bharti Airtel .
• Google International LLC and Airtel have entered into an investment agreement to buy a minority and non – controlling stake of 1.28 per cent of equity share capital in Airtel .
• Both companies through their affiliates have also entered into certain commercial deals .

Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator:

• First flight of the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator was carried out successfully by DRDO from the Aeronautical Test Range , Chitradurga , Karnataka on 1 July 2022 .
• The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment ( ADE ) , Bengaluru , a premier research laboratory of DRDO . It is powered by a small turbofan engine .

Tamil Nadu Events:

Semiconductor Hi-Tech Park:

• An MoU was signed between the Government of Tamil Nadu and Singapore-based IGSS Partnership for setting up a Semiconductor Hi-Tech Park worth Rs 25,600 crore in Tamil Nadu.
• Network designers, product distributors, equipment distributors and semiconductor outsourcing and testing companies will start their operations in this park.

Dam Safety Act:

• According to the Dam Safety Act 2021, the Tamil Nadu government has ordered the creation of a state dam safety system.
• According to Section 11 of the Central Dam Protection Act, State Dam Protection Organization should be created. Accordingly, the State Dam Protection System is established.

International Events:

World Unidentified Flying Objects ( UFO ) Day : 2 July:

• World Unidentified Flying Objects Day is observed every year on July 2 . The day commemorates two important days which are the first widely reported UFO sightings in the world .
• The first sighting was reported on June , 1947 , when an aviator Kenneth Arnold claimed to have seen what looked like a flying saucer . The second incident under the UFO talk was at Roswell , New Mexico , on July 2 .

NRI World Summit 2022:

• Michelle Poonawalla received the Shromani Award at NRI World Summit 2022 , United Kingdom in July 2022 . She has been awarded for her contribution to the field of art .
• In addition to Poonawalla , the Shiromani Award was also awarded to Shri Sadhu Bhramvihari , Lord Rami Ranger , Rita Hinduja Chhabria , Dr. Kamel Hothi OBE and Falguni Shane Peacock .

Yair Lapid:

• Yair Lapid has become the 14th Prime Minister of Israel . He is a veteran journalist who served as an alternate PM in the now dismantled coalition .He also became the first Israeli Premier to appoint a woman to head his office .
• Naama Schultz is poised to become Director – General of the PM’s office . Naftali Bennett will remain in the government as Israel’s alternate Prime Minister .

FATF:

• Indian origin T Raja Kumar has taken over as President of Financial Action Task Force ( FATF ) , the world’s anti – terrorism financing agency .
• FATF is a global watchdog tasked with combatting money laundering and terrorist financing .

First Black woman judge:

• Ketanji Brown Jackson on 30 June 2022 became the first Black woman judge to serve on the United States Supreme Court . Her nomination as a Supreme Court judge was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 8 , 2022 .
• Jackson is also the sixth woman justice in the US Supreme Court . She replaced Justice Stephen Breyer , who has retired .

World Sports Journalists Day : 2 July:

• Every year on July 2nd , World Sports Journalist Day is observed globally to recognize the outstanding efforts of the journalists who bring the world of sports closer to its viewers . The International Sports Press Association ( AIPS ) established this day in 1994 .
• The day also commemorates the formation of the AIPS that took place back on July 2 , 1924 . AIPS headquarters – Switzerland.