Current Affairs in English – July 7 2022

National Events:

G-20 2022:

Amitabh Kant , the former CEO of Niti Aayog , will be becoming the new Sherpa for G – 20 . Kant will replace Union Minister Piyush Goyal . India is set to assume the G – 20 presidency later in 2022 .
Goyal has been G – 20 Sherpa for the country from September 7 , 2021 . The G20 Foreign Ministers ‘ Meeting ( FMM ) began in Bali on 7 July 2022 and will continue till July 8 .

Rajya Sabha:

Olympic Sprinter P.T. Usha , music composer llaiyaraaja , philanthropist Veerendra Heggade , and screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad were nominated to the Rajya Sabha on 6 July 2022 .
All four nominees are from the four southern states of Kerala , Tamil Nadu , Karnataka , & Andhra Pradesh , respectively . They have been nominated in the category of eminent persons nominated by the President of India .

‘ PARIKSHA SANGAM’:

The Central Board of Secondary Education ( CBSE ) in July 2022 launched its biggest digital initiative for exams – ‘ PARIKSHA SANGAM’.
It i a portal that will integrate all the different exam – related processes done by the school , regional offices and CBSE headquarters .
Apart from this , board exam results can also be viewed through links on this website . CBSE Chairperson – Nidhi Chibber.

SBI & Indian Air Force:

State Bank of India has renewed MoU with the Indian Air Force for the Defence Salary Package ( DSP ) scheme . Under this , the country’s largest lender will offer various benefits and features to all serving and retired Air Force personnel and their families .
Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda have also announced similar pacts offering various products to serving and retired IAF personnel.

’SWITCH’:

Edelweiss General Insurance on 4 July 2022 launched ‘ SWITCH ‘ – India’s first on – demand comprehensive motor insurance product .It has been launched under the insurance regulator IRDAI’s Sandbox initiative .
SWITCH is a fully digital , mobile telematics – based motor policy that detects motion and automatically activates insurance when the vehicle is driven , making it convenient for customers .

IIT Kharagpur:

IIT Kharagpur researchers have developed Sodium – ion ( Na – ion ) based batteries and super capacitors using nano – materials which can be rapidly charged and integrated into e – cycles.
These sodium materials are cheaper than Lithium ( Li ) -based materials and can be scaled up to industrial – level production .
This research was funded by the Department of Science and Technology , Government of India .

Ministry of Minority Affairs & Ministry of Steel:

Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has been assigned the charge of Ministry of Minority Affairs , in addition to her existing portfolio .
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Steel .
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Steel Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh have resigned from their positions .

‘ Startup School India ‘:

Google on 6 July 2022 announced the launch of ‘ Startup School India ‘ as part of the Google for Startups initiative . It aims to organise accumulated knowledge into a structured curriculum to enable startups in small cities to overcome various challenges .
It will be a nine – week virtual programme and will involve chats between Google leaders and collaborators from across the startup ecosystem .

Kerala’s Forest and Wildlife Department & SIB:

The South Indian Bank has signed an agreement with Kerala’s Forest and Wildlife Department . It has been signed to enable digital collection of payments at eco – tourism centres , Vanasree shops , mobile Vanasree units and eco – shops across the State .
The digital collection system of South Indian Bank will now be available at all 124 tourist spots that fall under the Forest Department .

RRU & DroneAcharya Ltd:

Rashtriya Raksha University ( RRU ) has signed an MoU with DroneAcharya Ltd. for setting up a Remote Pilot Training Centre in Gandhinagar , Gujarat .
This centre will be set up for imparting drone flying skills to the Police & security force personnel and citizens at RRU Campus in Gandhinagar .It will be set up under the Public – Private Partnership model.

Samunnati & SBI:

Open agri network Samunnati has entered into a co – lending partnership with State Bank of India ( SBI ) to expand its outreach to Farmer Producer Organisations ( FPOS ) .
Initially , under this partnership , the lending amount would be Rs 100 crore . SBI and Samunnati have also entered into a non – financial Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) to develop the FPO sector .

PNB & IAF:

Punjab National Bank ( PNB ) has signed an MoU with the Indian Air Force . It will provide specially designed products to the defence personnel under the bank’s flagship scheme of ‘ PNB Rakshak Plus ‘.
This scheme includes , inter alia , personal accidental insurance , and air accidental insurance to serving , retired and trainees of the defence forces , central armed police forces , etc.

NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd & GACL:

NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd ( REL ) on 6 July 2022 signed an MoU with Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd. ( GACL ) to collaborate in setting up India’s 1st commercial – scale Green Ammonia & Green Methanol projects .
This MoU envisages collaborating in the field of Renewable Energy ( RE ) , Green Methanol & Green Ammonia . NTPC REL was incorporated in October ’20 to take care of the RE business of NTPC .

Tamil Nadu Events:

’PIVOT’:

A research team at IIT Chennai has developed an artificial intelligence-based tool called ‘Pivot’ for cancer diagnosis.
It can predict cancer-causing genes in an individual. This tool will also help in formulating cancer treatment strategies.

International Events:

Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian:

India’s Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian has been appointed as the Force Commander in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan ( UNMISS ) . UN Secretary – General António Guterres announced the appointment on 5 July 2022 .
Subramanian succeeds Lt General Shailesh Tinaikar of India .UNMISS works to facilitate humanitarian aid reaching millions of people in need across South Sudan .

World Kiswahili Language Day : 7 July:

World Kiswahili Day is celebrated on the 7th of July every year following a declaration by UNESCO member states in this regard .
Kiswahili is one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa and the most widely spoken in sub – Saharan Africa .Kiswahili is also the only African language that is an official language of the African Union .

‘ Sheikh Kamal IT Business Incubator ‘:

Bangladesh’s first campus based IT business incubator was opened at the Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology on 6 July 2022 . It has been named ‘ Sheikh Kamal IT Business Incubator ‘ & was inaugurated by PM Sheikh Hasina .
It has been built over an area of 4.7 acres with a cost of Taka 113 crore . It will provide a complete and innovative ecosystem for startups in Bangladesh .