Latest Current Affairs

Latest Current Affairs - July 2023

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Month	Type

Govt notified Notable changes in Tax Collected at Source (TCS) under Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) -
1. For first Rs 7 Lakh remittance under LRS, there shall be no TCS. Beyond this threshold, TCS shall be -
  1. 0.5% (if remittance for education is financed by education loan)
  2. 5% (in case of remittance for education/medical treatment)
  3. 20% for others.
  4. Increased TCS rates to apply from 1st October 2023.
2. Credit card transactions will be brought under LRS, thus attracting applicable TCS.
3. About -
  1. Under Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), all resident individuals are allowed to freely remit up to USD 2,50,000 per financial year.
Jul 1 is observed by UN as International Day of Cooperatives.
1. On this occasion, 17th Indian Cooperative Congress held at Pragati Maidan (New Delhi), with theme Amrit Kaal : Prosperity through Cooperation for a Vibrant India.
2. Other Observations on July 1 -
  1. July 1 is Observed as GST (Goods & Services Tax) Day. GST regime came into Force on July 1 2017, unifying indirect taxes in India into One.
  2. July 1 is observed as Doctors Day in India. This day honours legendary physician and second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy.
  3. July 1 is observed as Chartered Accountants Day In India.
  4. July 1 is Observed as National Postal Worker Day in India.
  5. July 1 is observed as Foundation Day of SBI, India's Largest Bank. On 1 July 1955, Imperial Bank of India became State Bank of India.
    1. On this occasion, SBI inaugurated 34 Transaction Banking Hubs across country.
PM Narendra Modi Launched National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission at Shahdol (Madhya Pradesh), as announced in Union Budget 2023-24.
1. It aims to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047.
2. Mission will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 high focus states.
Merger of HDFC Bank and its Parent Entity Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) came into effect from July 01, 2023.
1. Merged entity has become world's fourth largest bank by market capitalisation (approx $170 Billion), behind JPMorgan Chase & Co, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Bank of America. It is also 2nd most valued firm on Indian stock exchanges, after RIL.
2. Notably, Boards of IDFC First Bank Ltd and IDFC Limited also approved their merger with each other.
Misc. Economy / Financial News (Jul 2023) -
1. RBI Canceled banking license of several regional co-operative banks -
  1. Buldhana (Maharashtra) based Malkapur Urban Co-operative Bank.
  2. Satara (Maharashtra) based Harihareshwar Sahakari Bank.
  3. Tumkur (Karnataka) based Sri Sharada Mahila Co-operative Bank.
  4. Bengaluru (Karnataka) based Shushruti Souharda Sahakara Bank.
  5. Nagina (Uttar Pradesh) based United India Co-operative Bank.
2. GST revenue collected in June 2023 stood at 1,61,497 crores (CGST 31,013 crores, SGST 38,292 crores, IGST 80,292 crores & cess 11,900 crores.
3. Housing Finance Firm Piramal Finance (Earlier Known as Dewan Housing Finance) opened its first all-women branch named Maitreyi in Kochi (Kerala).
4. PNB launched UPI 123PAY, as an IVR-based UPI solution, to boost cashless payments.
  1. UPI 123Pay framework was earlier launched by RBI in March 2022, which allows cashless transactions without smartphones or internet connections using feature phones.
5. Used car platform CarTrade acquired online marketplace OLX’s auto sales business for 537 crores.
6. Miniratna PSU Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has been upgraded to Schedule A from Schedule B, by Petroleum Ministry.
7. Max Life Insurance signed bancassurance partnership with DCB Bank, to offer variety of life insurance products to insurer’s customers.
8. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) become first Indian PSU to get certified for Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS) by international accredited certification body InterCert USA.
9. PFRDA announced to allow pension funds to invest in Sovereign Green Bonds.
  1. Eartlier, govt had raised 16000 crores from maiden issuance of Sovereign Green Bonds for funding public sector projects seeking to reduce carbon emissions.
10. Reliance Industries renamed its demerged entity Reliance Strategic Investments to Jio Financial Services
11. RBI clarified that Star (*) symbol is inserted in number panel of a banknote that is used as replacement for defectively printed banknotes, and are legal tender like other banknotes.
12. Govt approved increasing interest rate of deposits in EPFO's Provident Fund (PF) to 8.15% for current Financial year (from 8.10 % earlier).
13. IT Firm HCL joined XR Startup Program initiative of Meta and Indian government, to promote extended reality (XR) technology companies.
14. Indian Payments Firm Razorpay launched India's first international Payment Gateway in Malaysia, after acquiring Malaysian fintech start-up Curlec for $20 million.
15. Russia's Sberbank received RBI Approval to establish a large scale IT unit in Bangalore, as its in-house data processing center.
16. Indian GDP Growth Forecasts -
  1. International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised India’s GDP growth forecast for FY 24 (2023-24), to 6.1% (from previous prediction of 5.9%).
    1. Other Notable info from IMF's World Economic Outlook July 2023 Update -
      1. Global growth is projected to fall from 3.5 percent in 2022 to 3.0 % in both 2023 and 2024.
        
        Notably, Global growth projection in 2023 has been raised from 2.8 % to 3.0 %, in July update.
      2. Global headline inflation is expected to fall from 8.7 % in 2022 to 6.8 % in 2023 and 5.2 % in 2024.
Govt raised interest rates on select savings schemes for July-September quarter (Q2 FY 24 (2023-24)) -
1. 5 year recurring deposit (RD) - 6.5 % (Hike of .30 %).
2. 1 year term deposits - 6.9 % (Hike of 0.1 %)
3. 2 year term deposits - 7 % (Hike of 01. %)
4. Interest rates for term deposits with tenors of 3 & 5 years remain unchanged at 7 % and 7.5 %, respectively.
5. Inrerest Rates on other small savings schemes (Kept unchanged) -
  1. Public Provident Fund (PPF) - 7.1 %
  2. Savings deposits - 4 %
  3. National Savings Certificate (NSC) - 7.7 %
  4. Girl child savings scheme Sukanya Samriddhi - 8 %
  5. Senior citizen savings scheme - 8.2 %
  6. Kisan Vikas Patra - 7.5 %
Misc. MOUs (July 2023) -
1. Between Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy & Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd, for construction of gallery named Evolution of Indian Navy & Indian Coast Guard at National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC), being constructed as World’s biggest maritime museum complex, at Lothal (Gujarat), with cost 4500 Crores.
2. International Financial Services Centers Authority (IFSCA) signed MOUs with IIM Lucknow & BITS Pilani, to support and facilitate FinTech and TechFin entities.
3. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) signed MOU with Climate Policy Initiative - India (CPI), for cooperation to increase mobilisation of global sustainable capital flows into India.
4. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) signed MoU with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for cooperation in Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Innovative Air Mobility.
5. India's National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) signed MoU with South Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organization (SARADO), to increase anti-doping Regional Cooperation in sports.
6. MoU signed between Ministry of Education (India) and Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (Zanzibar- Tanzania) for setting up of campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar (Tanzania), as first IIT campus to be set up outside India.
7. India & Singapore extended current MoU on Cooperation in field of Personnel Management and Public Administration, till 2028.
8. Between Ministry of Culture and Indian Navy, to revive and preserve 2000-year-old technique of shipbuilding known as stitched shipbuilding (Tankai).
9. Between Ministry of Culture and Canara Bank, for disbursal of financial assistance to selected beneficiaries under Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists (earlier known as Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artists).
10. Between India AI (an IBD under Digital India Corporation) and Meta India, to foster collaboration in field of AI and Emerging Technologies, to make Meta’s open-source AI models available for use by Indian AI ecosystem.
11. Between Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)'s TRAI Centre of Studies and Research and Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), to establish a mechanism of technical / institutional cooperation in field of telecommunications.
12. Between United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Absolute Foods (Indian bioscience firm specializing in agri-tech), to strengthen govt's flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), and enhance resilience of the farmers.
Misc. Appointments (Jul 2023) -
1. RBI named P. Vasudevan as an Executive Director (ED). RBI currently has 16 EDs.
2. Govt extended tenure of Brajendra Navnit as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to World Trade Organisation (WTO), for 9 months (till 31 March 2024).
3. SBI named Kameshwar Rao Kodavanti as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
4. Govt named M U Nair as new National Cybersecurity Coordinator.
5. Aadhav Arjuna has been named president of Basketball Federation of India.
6. Krishan Mishra has been named CEO of Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB India).
  1. FPSB India is a Public–Private Enterprise and a Professional Standards Setting body for Financial Planners in India.
7. FMCG Major ITC re-appointed Sanjiv Puri as its CMD.
8. Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been re-elected for the post, in Presidential elections that were observed by Anup Chandra Pandey (Election Commissioner of India).
9. International Myeloma Foundation named famed Indian researcher S. Vincent Rajkumar as its Chairman.
10. Rajay Kumar Sinha has been named as MD & CEO of SBI Subsidiary SBI Capital Markets (SBICAPS).
Obituaries (Jul 2023) -
1. Oommen Chandy - Former Chief Minister of Kerala.
2. Namboothiri - Noted Indian Artist (painter and sculptor).
3. Nikki McCray-Penson - Noted American basketball player and twice olympic gold medalist.
4. Ravindra Mahajani - Noted Marathi actor.
5. Luis Suárez - Noted Spanish footballer.
  1. Notably, different from Uruguayan footballer Luis Suárez.
6. Tony Bennett - Noted American Pop & Jazz singer.
7. Brian Taber - Former Australian Cricketer.
8. Mangala Narlikar - Noted mathematician.
9. Shirish Kanekar - Noted Marathi writer and Journalist.
Misc. Sports News / Events (Jul 2023) -
1. India topped medals tally at 34th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) 2023 held in Al Ain (UAE), with all 4 Indian participating students winning Gold medals.
2. India's Dipika Pallikal & Sandhu Harinder won Gold and Anahat Singh & Abhay Singh won Bronze medals at first Asian mixed doubles squash championships 2023 at Huangzhou (China).
3. Gaming platform Dream11 replaced Byju’s as main jersey sponsor for Indian cricket team, until March 2026.
4. Indian Female cricketer Shreyanka Patil became first Indian cricketer to be signed for Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL). She is also first Indian player to be offered a contract in an overseas league before making her international debut.
5. Sri Lankan cricketer Lahiru Thirimanne announced his retirement from International Cricket.
6. Australia’s Victoria state withdrew itself as host of 2026 Commonwealth Games, because of massive increase in projected cost of staging the multi-sports event.
7. Indian Chess Player R Praggnanandhaa won V Geza Hetenyi Memorial Super GM chess tournament 2023 (Hungary).
8. Indian cricketer Virat Kohli became 10th cricketer globally to make 500 international appearances, during a Test match against West Indies.
  1. Other Indians in list are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni.
9. England Cricketer Stuart Broad announced retirement from all forms of International Cricket.
  1. Notably, he is 2nd pace bowler to take 600 wickets in Test cricket, 2nd only to compatriot James anderson.
Misc. Defence News / Events (Jul 2023) -
1. Ministry of Defence signed contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for procurement of 2 Dornier Aircraft for Indian Coast Guard (ICG), for 459 crores. Aircrafts will be indigenously manufactured at HAL Transport Aircraft Division (Kanpur).
2. Indian Navy held Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with French Navy, in Bay of Bengal.
3. Home Minister Amit shah foundation stone of Shri Motibhai R. Chaudhary Sagar Sainik School in Boriyavi village of Mehsana (Gujarat ), as first Sainik School in India to be operated by a cooperative organization.
4. Italy govt unveiled V.C Yeshwant Ghadge Sundial Memorial at Montone (Perugia, Italy), as a tribute to Indian troops who fought during Italian Campaign during Second World War.
  1. Yeshwant Ghadge is known for his bravery on heights of Upper Tiber Valley. He was honored with Victoria Cross, the highest gallantry award to be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
5. Australia hosted its largest bilateral military exercise named Talisman Sabre, with US Army.
6. Indian Navy launched 2nd edition of its G20 THINQ Quiz, conceptualized for class 9 to 12 students from across nation.
  1. It will also include an International Round, featuring invitees from G20 nations in Finals at India Gate.
7. Navies from China, Iran and Russia held joint drills in Gulf of Oman, named Security Bond 2023.
Misc. Science News (July 2023) -
1. Geological Survey of India Researchers discovered India’s biggest natural arch dating back to 184 - 160 million years (lower to middle Jurassic age), During coal exploration in Kenduadihi block in Odisha’s Sundargarh district.
2. Bengaluru based Elena Geo Systems launched India’s first hand-held NavIC (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) based navigation device, capable of providing precise directions in tasks related to several infrastructure projects, priced at Rs 6000.
3. Odisha TV unveiled India's first regional AI (Artificial intelligence) news anchor named Lisa.
4. IT Firm Dell Technologies and chip maker Intel partnered to launch artificial intelligence (AI) lab in India, by assisting Lords Institute of Engineering & Technology (Telangana) in demystifying AI for the next-gen by integrating Intel’s AI for Youth programme.
5. Microsoft researchers claimed discovery of an elusive particle that could boost quantum computing.
  1. Quantum computers process information using quantum bits, or qubits, but current iterations can be prone to error.
  2. Newly discovered quasiparticles, called Majorana zero modes, are collective vibrations that act as their own antiparticle and have a charge and energy that equate to zero. It makes them resilient to disturbances, so they could make unprecedentedly reliable qubits.
6. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) organized a joint expedition of ocean scientists from India, Bangladesh and Mauritius onboard India’s research vessel Sagar Nidhi, under regional framework of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), to build capacity in ocean observation and help manage changes in regional environment of Indian Ocean.
Misc. / Industrial Awards (Jul 2023) -
1. President Draupadi Murmu presented Visitor’s Awards 2021, during Visitor’s Conference 2023 held at Rashtrapati Bhavan -
  1. Innovation - Venktesh Singh (Central University of South Bihar)
  2. Research in Physical Sciences - Surajit Dhara (University of Hyderabad)
  3. Research in Biological Sciences - Mohammed Latif Khan (Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya Sagar)
  4. Technology Development - KC James Raju (University of Hyderabad).
  5. Notably, President of India is the Visitor of 162 Central Institutions of Higher Learning.
2. President Droupadi Murmu conferred National Geoscience Awards 2022 to 22 Geoscientists, notably including -
  1. Life Time Achievement - Om Narain Bhargava, for his work in the Himalayas.
  2. National Young Geoscientist Award - Amiya Kumar Samal (BHU)
Triveni Continental Kings won 1st edition of Global Chess League, world's first franchise-based chess league, held at Dubai (UAE).
1. It has been jointly organized by FIDE (International Chess Federation) and Indian IT firm Tech Mahindra.
2. League has 6 teams, with 6 players each.
Jul 2 is observed as -
1. World Sports Journalists Day.
2. World UFO (Unidentified Flying Objects) day, observed since 2001. On some places, it is observed on June 24, the date on which 9 unusual objects were saw flying over Washington (USA) in 1947.
India won Asian Kabaddi Championship 2023 (8th title), defeating Iran in final (hosted in Busan, South Korea).
British children’s writer Michael Rosen has been awarded PEN Pinter Prize 2023.
1. The Prize is conferred by English PEN in honour of late Nobel Literature Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter.
2. It is given to a writer from UK, Ireland and the Commonwealth whose work is committed to a fearless exposition of truth about contemporary life.
Olympic champion Indian Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra won his 2nd Diamond League title of the year, with a throw of 87.66 meters at Lausanne (Switzerland) edition.
1. Earlier, he had won in Doha Diamond league 2023, with a throw of 88.67 meters.
2. Notably -
  1. This is India's 3rd diamond league medal of the year. India’s Murali Sreeshankar had also recently Won Bronze in men’s long jump event at Paris Diamond League 2023, with 8.09 meters jump.
American Payments Firm Visa acquired Brazilian payments infrastructure firm Pismo for $1 billion.

Red Bull's Dutch-Belgian F1 Racer Max Verstappen won Austrian Grand Prix 2023.

F1 Season 2023 -

Grand Prix	Winner	Race date
Bahrain Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	5 March
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez (Mexico)	19 March
Australian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 April
Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez (Mexico)	30 April
Miami Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	7 May
Monaco Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	28 May
Spanish Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	4 June
Canadian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	18 June
Austrian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 July
British Grand Prix		9 July
Hungarian Grand Prix		23 July
Belgian Grand Prix		30 July
Dutch Grand Prix		27 August
Italian Grand Prix		3 September
Singapore Grand Prix		17 September
Japanese Grand Prix		24 September
Qatar Grand Prix		8 October
United States Grand Prix		22 October
Mexico City Grand Prix		29 October
São Paulo Grand Prix		5 November
Las Vegas Grand Prix		18 November
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix		26 November

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojna - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) launched eSARAS mobile App & fulfillment centre, to strengthen marketing support for products made by women of Self-help Groups (SHGs).
1. eSARAS fulfillment centre will be managed by Foundation for Development of Rural Value Chains (FDRVC - a Not for Profit Company constituted jointly by Ministry of Rural Development and Tata Trust), and will be used for processing customers purchase through eSARAS Portal/App.
IT & Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced Formation of Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA), as a collaborative platform to drive innovation and collaboration in Next-Generation wireless technology.
1. B6GA aims to bring together Indian firms and manufacturing ecosystem to establish consortia that can drive design, development and deployment of 6G technologies in India.
2. B6GA will also forge coalitions with other 6G Global Alliances, fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Govt re-appointed Tushar Mehta as Solicitor General of India, for 3 year term.
1. Solicitor General of India (SGI) is second-highest law officer of the country, and assists the Attorney General (highest law officer of the country).
Indonesia has been named as host nation for 24 nation 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, to be held in Nov-Dec 2023.
1. It was earlier to be hosted by Peru, withdrawn later due to infrastructure issues.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar has been named Deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.
Jul 3 is observed globally as Plastic bag free day.
1. On this occasion, New Zealand became first country to implement a complete ban on commonly used thin plastic bags.
India hosted 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO) summit 2023 in virtual format, under its 2023 SCO Presidency. Theme of summit is Towards a SECURE SCO.
1. Other notable meets hosted by India under its 2023 SCO presidency -
  1. SCO Defence Ministers’ meet - New Delhi.
  2. SCO Tourism Ministers’ Meet - Kashi (Varanasi). Kashi is also noted as first tourism & cultural capital of SCO.
  3. First international conference of SCO on Shared Buddhist Heritage - New Delhi.
2. Notably -
  1. Iran joined as new full member of SCO.
    1. SCO Members - China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan & Iran.
    2. Observers - Afghanistan, Belarus, Mongolia.
  2. Kazakhstan took over SCO chairmanship fr0m India, to last until 2024 SCO Summit to be held in Astana.
July 4 marks US Independence Day, commemorating Declaration of Independence of United States on July 4, 1776.
As per Trade in services for development report by World Trade Organization (WTO) -
1. India doubled its share of global commercial services exports from 2005 to 2022, from 2.0 % to 4.4 %.
2. China also nearly doubled its share of global commercial services exports during same period, from 3.0 % to 5.4 %.
BCCI named former cricketer Ajit Agarkar as chairman of Senior Men’s Cricket Selection Committee.
British Monarch King Charles III and Queen Camilla presented Elephant Family environmental awards to Indian conservationists.
1. Kartiki Gonsalves, the debut director of Oscar winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers, received Tara Award.
  1. Notably, The Elephant Whisperers had earlier won Best Documentary Short title at Oscars 2023.
2. The Real Elephant Collective (Group of 70 Adivasi artists) was honored with Mark Shand Award, named after late founder of Elephant Family.
3. Also, King Charles III was presented with Scottish Crown Jewels, as symbols of his authority in Scotland.
British Indian Army Veteran Rajindar Singh Dhatt has been honored with Points of Light award by UK govt, for his efforts to bring together British Indian war veterans.
1. Also, 7 year-old Indian-origin British girl Moksha Roy has also been awarded British PM’s Points of Light award, for volunteering for a United Nations' sustainability initiative against microplastic pollution.
AIFF Player of the year awards 2023 -
1. Men's Footballer of the year - Lallianzuala Chhangte
2. Women's Footballer of the year - Manisha Kalyan
3. Emerging Player of the Year -
  1. Men - Akash Mishra
  2. Women - Shilji Shaji
2023 SAFF Football Championship (Hosted in Bangalore, India) -
1. India won the title (9th), defeating Kuwait in final.
2. India's Sunil Chhetri remained Top scorer & was named Best player.
China's Qu Dongyu has been re-elected as Director General of UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
India’s first indigenously developed 700 MW nuclear power reactor (Kakrapar 3) at Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (Gujarat) started commercial operations.
1. Unit is part of Kakrapar Atomic Power Project, whose Phase I began commercial operations in 1993, with two 220 MW units.
2. Kakrapar 4 (Unit 4) of project is expected to begin commercial operations around March 2024.
Indian Air Force will host exercise Tarang Shakti later in 2023, with participation of air forces from 12 nations.
1. 6 air forces will take part in the exercise, while rest will attend as observers.
Home Affairs Ministry launched Scheme for Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the States, from allocation of Preparedness and Capacity Building Funding Window under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), for strengthening fire services in States, with outlay of 5000 crores.
1. Amount of 500 crores (out of total outlay) has been kept for incentivizing States on the basis of their legal and infrastructure-based reforms.
Committee formed by govt to promote inter-mandi & inter-State trade through conceptualization and implementation of Market Yard of National Importance (MNI), has submitted its report. It was headed by Manoj Rajan.
Jul 6 - Birth Anniversary of Syama Prasad Mukherjee, founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
1. Jul 6 is also observed as World Zoonoses Day.
7th edition of Joint Indian Navy - US Navy Salvage and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) exercise SALVEX conducted at Kochi (Kerala).
As per Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation 2023 by UNESCAP -
1. India's score on global trade facilitation improved to 93.55% in 2023, Best in South Asia.
2. India scored perfect 100% score in four areas - Transparency, Formalities, Institutional Arrangement and Cooperation, and Paperless Trade. India also witnessed noticeable improvement in score for Women in Trade Facilitation component, from 66.7% in 2021 to 77.8% in 2023.
As per UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2023 -
1. Globally, Foreign direct investment (FDI) fell 12% in 2022, to $1.3 trillion.
2. India received $49.35 Billion FDI in 2022, compared to $44.7 Billion received in 2021.
Netherlands won 2022–23 Men's FIH Pro League Hockey Title (their 2nd), with Great Britain as runner up and Belgium at 3rd place.
1. India's Harmanpreet Singh was Top scorer of tournament, with 18 goals.
2. Notably, Netherlands also won 2022–23 Women's FIH Pro League title, with Argentina as Runner-up & Australia at 3rd place.
International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH 2023) organized at Vigyan Bhawan (New Delhi), to bring together global scientific community to discuss emerging technologies in green hydrogen value chain.
July 7 is observed by UNESCO as World Kiswahili Day, proclaimed in 2021. Kiswahili is among most widely spoken languages in Africa and most widely spoken in sub-Saharan Africa.
NTPC commissioned 660 MW capacity Unit-2 of Stage-I (3 x 660 MW) of Barh Super Thermal Power Project (Bihar), taking NTPC group's installed to 73024 MW.
Department of School Education & Literacy (Ministry of Education) released Performance Grading Index (PGI) for 2021-22 (called PGI 2.0), which assesses performance of school education system at State/UT level. PGI is being released since 2017-18.
1. PGI 2.0 classifies States/UTs into 10 grades, with highest achievable Grade being Daksh (score over 940), and lowest being Akanshi-3 (score up to 460). Their are no states in any of Top 5 grades (Daksh, Utkarsh, Atti Uttam, Uttam, Prachesta I).
2. Best ranked states/UTs are Chandigarh & Punjab (Prachesta-II). Lowest ranked states (Akanshi-III) are Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram.
Book Maya, Modi, Azad: Dalit Politics in the Time of Hindutva, authored by Sudha Pai and Sajjan Kumar has been released.
8th July is Observed as Rythu Dinotsavam meaning Farmer’s Day in Andhra Pradesh. It marks birth anniversary of 14th CM of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy, being celebrated since 2019.
Notable Points from PM Narendra Modi's visit to Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Rajasthan -
1. Uttar Pradesh -
  1. Gorakhpur -
    1. Attended centenary celebrations of historic Gita Press in Gorakhpur.
    2. Laid foundation stone of Gorakhpur Railway Station redevelopment, at approx 500 crores cost.
  2. Varanasi -
    1. Launched Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Junction - Son Nagar line of Dedicated Freight Corridor, Built at cost 6760 crores, to facilitate faster movement of goods.
2. Telangana -
  1. Laid foundation of Railway Manufacturing Unit (Kazipet) which will have enhanced Rolling Stock manufacturing capacity, and advanced tech facilities.
3. Rajasthan -
  1. Launched greenfield expressway section of Amritsar - Jamnagar Economic Corridor, Spanning over 500 km in Rajasthan, built at cost 11125 crores.
  2. Launched phase-I of Inter-State Transmission Line for Green Energy Corridor, worth 10950 Crores, which will integrate 6 GW of renewable power and strengthen transmission capacity between Northern and Western Region.
  3. Laid foundation for redevelopment of Bikaner Railway station, at cost 450 Crores.
Book Colours of devotion : The Legendary Paintings and Textiles of the Vallabha Sampradaya 1500-1900, authored by Anita Bharat Shah has been released.
Gujarat govt announced doubling insurance cover under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) for its citizens, from 5 lakh to 10 lakh.
Taiwan announced setting up a new representative office in Mumbai, as 3rd such office in India.
1. India and Taiwan do not maintain formal diplomatic ties, but the two sides opened representative offices in 1995, as Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC) in New Delhi and India Taipei Association in Taipei. 2nd office was set up by Taiwan in Chennai in 2012.
2023 Canada Open Badminton -
1. Men's singles - Lakshya Sen (India). He defeated Li Shifeng (China) in final.
2. Women's singles - Akane Yamaguchi (Japan)
3. Men's doubles - Denmark's Kim Astrup & Anders Skaarup Rasmussen
4. Women's doubles - Japan's Nami Matsuyama & Chiharu Shida
5. Mixed doubles - Japan's Hiroki Midorikawa & Natsu Saito

Red Bull's Dutch-Belgian F1 Racer Max Verstappen won British Grand Prix 2023.

F1 Season 2023 -

Grand Prix	Winner	Race date
Bahrain Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	5 March
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez (Mexico)	19 March
Australian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 April
Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez (Mexico)	30 April
Miami Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	7 May
Monaco Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	28 May
Spanish Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	4 June
Canadian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	18 June
Austrian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 July
British Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	9 July
Hungarian Grand Prix		23 July
Belgian Grand Prix		30 July
Dutch Grand Prix		27 August
Italian Grand Prix		3 September
Singapore Grand Prix		17 September
Japanese Grand Prix		24 September
Qatar Grand Prix		8 October
United States Grand Prix		22 October
Mexico City Grand Prix		29 October
São Paulo Grand Prix		5 November
Las Vegas Grand Prix		18 November
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix		26 November

2023 World Archery Youth Championships (Limerick, Ireland) -

Medal Table -

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	South Korea	6	4	1	11
2	India	6	1	4	11
3	USA	3	3	4	10
4	France	1	1	1	3
4	Mexico	1	1	1	3

India ranked 2nd, with 11 medals. Noticeable Indian Gold medalists -
1. Men's individual (Recurve) - Parth Suhant Salunkhe
2. Men's individual (Compound) - Priyansh
3. Women's individual (Compound) - Aditi Gopichand

Punjab National Bank (PNB) launched its virtual branch named PNB Metaverse, which will enable customers to access bank's services virtually.
1. Notably, Union Bank of India was first to launch a banking metaverse in India, named Uni-verse.
India International Bank of Malaysia (IIBM) operationalised mechanism to settle India-Malaysia trade in Indian rupees, by opening a special Rupee Vostro account through its corresponding bank in India, which is Union Bank of India. Vostro accounts are used to make payments in domestic currency.
1. This is under RBI's guidelins issued in July 2022, to allow settlement of international trade in Indian currency.
July 10 is observed as National Fish Farmers Day, proclaimed by Government in 2001.
1. It is celebrated in remembrance of scientists Dr. K. H. Alikunhi and Dr. H.L. Chaudhury who successfully demonstrated technology of induced breeding (Hypophysation) in Indian Major Carps on 10th July, 1957 at erstwhile ‘Pond Culture Division’ of CIFRI at Cuttack.
Bilateral Japan-India Maritime Exercise 2023 (JIMEX 23) hosted by Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam coast.
General News / Events (Jul 1-10, 2023) -
1. PM Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated Sai Hira Global Convention Centre in Puttaparthi (Andhra Pradesh).
2. Greater Chennai City Police launched India's first Police Drone Unit, for aerial surveillance over vast areas and quick detection of criminal activities.
3. Home Minister Amit Shah launched Made in India Akshar River Cruise on Sabarmati Riverfront (Gujarat), to boost tourism.
4. Ports & Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid foundation of Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) terminal to be developed at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh (Assam), by bank of River Brahmaputra.
  1. Also launched campaign to transform iconic 75 Lighthouses across India into Tourism Spots.
5. Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched 2nd edition of Social Trailblazer Program, organized jointly by LIC HFL & IRMA Ahmedabad, aimed at boosting social entrepreneurship ecosystem.
6. Purvodaya Conclave held at Guwahati (Assam), showcasing work done by govt in Northeast during last 9 years.
7. Guinness World Record has been set for largest display of Lambani items (total 1755) during 3rd G20 Culture Working Group Meet in Hampi (Karnataka).
8. Annual Shravani Mela began at Baba Baidyanathdham temple in Deoghar (Jharkhand), held in holy Shravan month.
9. World Hindu Foundation will hold 3rd World Hindu Congress (WHC) in Bangkok (Thailand) in Nov 2023.
Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned from his post, amid inability to handle migration issues.
1. He will continue to serve as caretaker PM till a regular appointment is done.
Govt named K Rajaraman (telecom secretary) as new chairperson of GIFT City (Gujarat) based International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).
India joined Champions Group of the Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG), which was set up by UN in March 2022, to address critical global issues pertaining to interlinked crises in food security, energy, and finance and to coordinate a global response.
Jul 11 is observed by UN as World Population Day, with 2023 theme Unleashing the power of gender equality. It marks 11 July 1987, approximate date on which world’s population reached 5 billion.
1. As per UN data, World’s population is anticipated to reach 8.5 billion people in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.4 billion in 2100.

2023 Southeast Asian Games (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) (held in May 2023) -

Medal Table -

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Vietnam	136	105	118	359
2	Thailand	108	96	108	312
3	Indonesia	87	80	109	276
4	Cambodia	81	74	127	282
5	Philippines	58	85	117	260

Book Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right 1924-77, authored by Abhishek Choudhary has been released. It focuses on former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's early years.
Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as new President of Kuwait-based Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
As per Goldman Sachs, India will become world’s second-largest economy by 2075, surpassing Japan, Germany and US.
1. Currently, India is fifth-largest economy, behind Germany, Japan, China and US.
Forbes America’s 100 most successful women 2023 features 4 Indian-origin women - Jayshree Ullal (Arista Networs), Indira Nooyi (Pepsi CO), Neha Narkhede (Confluent), and Neerja Sethi (Syntel).
Jul 12 is observed by UN as Malala Day, to highlight work for education of children by Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai.
1. Also, UN observed 12 July, 2023 as first ever International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, to be observed annually.
Nivruti Rai has been named as MD & CEO of Invest India, the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of India.
Ports & Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated indigenous Differential Global Navigation Satellite System (DGNSS) SAGAR SAMPARK, as a boost to digital initiatives in maritime sector.
1. DGNSS is a terrestrial based enhancement system which corrects errors and minimizes inaccuracies in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), allowing for more accurate positioning information.
2. Launched at 6 locations under DGLL, DGNSS will enhance capabilities of DGLL in field of Radio Aids to Marine Navigation.
Odisha state cabinet approved proposal to recommend inclusion of Kui language (with approx 1 million speakers across state) in 8th schedule of Constitution of India.
1. 8th Schedule to the Constitution of India lists official languages of India, currently consisting of 22 languages.
Highlights from 50th GST Council meeting held in New Delhi, under chairpersonship of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman -
1. Reduced rate on uncooked/unfried snack pellets, fish soluble paste, LD Slag, imitation zari thread/yarn, to 5 %.
2. Casino, Horse Racing and Online gaming to be taxed at uniform rate of 28%.
3. GST exemption on satellite launch services supplied by ISRO and its subsidiaries will be extended to such services supplied by organisations in private sector also, to encourage start ups.
Indian Navy's INS Sunayna attended Op Southern Readiness 2023 conducted by Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) at Seychelles.
1. CMF is a multinational maritime partnership of 38 Nations.
As per FDI Data for FY 23 (2022-23) by DPIIT -
1. FDI into India declined by 22 % to $46 billion in FY23 (2022-23), down from FDI inflows of $58.77 billion during FY22 (2021-22).
2. Total FDI inflows (which include equity inflows, re-invested earnings and other capital), declined to $70.97 billion FY 23 (2022-23), compared to US$83.57 billion in FY 22 (2021-22).
3. Top 5 Source nations for FDI in India (During FY 23) - Singapore, Mauritius, USA, UAE, Netherlands.
India and US Agencies conducted Operation Broader Sword, targeting illicit pharmaceuticals, devices or precursor chemicals shipped using international mail system.
NITI Aayog released 3rd edition of Export Preparedness Index (EPI) for States/UTs for year 2022 -
1. EPI assess Exports performance of States / UTs across four pillars - Policy, Business Ecosystem, Export Ecosystem, and Export Performance.
2. Overall Ranking -
  1. Top 3 -
    1. Tamil Nadu
    2. Maharashtra
    3. Karnataka
  2. Bottom 3 -
    1. Dadra Nagar and Haveli & Daman and Diu (34)
    2. Mizoram (35)
    3. Lakshadweep (36)
3. Category Wise -
  1. Coastal -
    1. Tamil Nadu
    2. Maharashtra
    3. Karnataka
  2. Himalayan -
    1. Uttarakhand
    2. Himachal Pradesh
    3. Manipur
  3. Landlocked -
    1. Haryana
    2. Telangana
    3. Uttar Pradesh
  4. UT/Small States -
    1. Goa
    2. Jammu and Kashmir
    3. Delhi
Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal Launched development work on Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park in Amravati (Maharashtra).
1. MoU was signed between Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Maharashtra govt and Ministry of Textiles (Central Govt), for establishment of PM MITRA Park on 1020 acres land.
2. Background -
  1. Govt announced sites for setting up of 7 PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks in 7 states - Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
    1. About PM Mitra Parks -
      1. Inspired by 5F vision (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign), PM MITRA Parks will assist in making India a global hub for textile manufacturing and exports.
      2. Ministry of Textiles will oversee execution of these projects, through an SPV to be set up for each park. Development Capital Support upto 500 crore & Competitive Incentive Support upto 300 crore will be alloted to every park. Each park will be built on at least 1000 acres of land.
      3. Collectively, 7 Parks will attract 70000 crores investment and 20 lakhs employment generation is expected.
    2. Sites notified for PM Mitra parks in 7 states -
      1. Tamil Nadu - Virudhunagar District.
      2. Telangana - Warangal District.
      3. Gujarat - Navsari District.
      4. Karnataka - Kalaburagi District.
      5. MP - Dhar District.
      6. UP - Lucknow.
      7. Maharashtra - Amravati District.
ISRO Launched India's 3rd Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-3, onboard LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3) Launcher (earlier known as GSLV Mk III), from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh).
1. The mission has a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan similar to Chandrayaan-2, but does not have an orbiter. The lander and rover are expected to land near lunar south pole region on 23 August 2023.
2. Chandrayaan-3 mission, which costs approx 615 Crores, is a Follow-up of Chandrayaan-2, where a last-minute glitch in landing guidance software led to lander crashing after entering lunar orbit, in Sep 2019.
Assam govt launched Gajah Kotha campaign, to mitigate escalating human-elephant conflict by involving participation of over 1200 individuals and promoting coexistence.
1. It emphasizes importance of conservation efforts to ensure well-being of both humans and elephants, Spearheaded by wildlife NGO Aaranyak.
Book Prism: The Ancestral Abode of Rainbow, authored by noted short filmmaker Vinod Mankara has been released. It focuses on India's Chandrayaan 3 lunar mission.
European Investment Bank (EIB) proposed investing €1 billion in India’s renewable energy sector.
1. Notably, European Investment Bank (EIB) earlier had joined India Hydrogen Alliance (IH2A) and proposed to support large-scale green hydrogen hubs and projects in India.
  1. IH2A is an industry coalition of firms committed to creation of a hydrogen value-chain and economy in India.
UAE beacme first Arab country to be granted observer status at Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), a FATF Like regional body committed to implementing standards against money laundering & terror financing. It has 42 member nations and 8 observer nations.
July 15 is observed by UN as World Youth Skills Day, with 2023 theme Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future.
1. On this occasion, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched AI for India 2.0, as a free online training programme on Artificial Intelligence, as joint initiative of Skill India and GUVI.
2. Also, Jul 15 is observed as Educational Development Day in Tamil Nadu, to mark birth Anniversary of Former CM K Kamaraj.
3. Also, India's National Plastic Surgery Day, which is observed on July 15, has now been Adopted as World Plastic Surgery Day.
Notable Points from PM Narendra Modi's visit to France & UAE -
1. France -
  1. Attended Bastille Day Parade (French National Day) on 14 July 2023, where a tri-services Indian armed forces contingent also participated.
    1. 2023 also marks 25th anniversary of India - France Strategic Partnership.
  2. France honored Indian PM Narendra Modi with France's highest honour, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.
    1. Notably, PM Narendra Modi is first Indian PM to receive France’s highest award.
  3. Notable Agreements / Announcements during visit -
    1. MOUs were signed for co-operation in Digital Technologies, Civil Aviation Security, Investments, Ocean Exploration.
    2. Letter of Intent signed on New National Museum and Cooperation on Museology, Broadcasting, Health and Medicine.
    3. Implementing Arrangements signed for India-France joint Earth Observation mission TRISHNA & Maritime Domain Awareness short-term programme.
      1. Thermal InfraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment (TRISHNA) is a joint development by French Space Agency (CNES) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), to be launched during dec 2024.
    4. Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) signed Agreement with Total Energies Gas and Power Ltd (France) to establish a long-term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA), for import of 0.8 million tonnes a year of LNG for 10 years starting in 2026.
    5. Agreement between Proparco (subsidiary of French Development Agency) and India's Satya Microfinance for $20 million to support Satya in growing its microcredit/MSME portfolio and foster financial inclusion.
    6. India's NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and France’s Lyra Collect signed an agreement to implement India's Unified Payment Interface (UPI) payments system in France.
    7. India announced opening of its second consulate in France, which will be located in Marseille.
    8. India and France will jointly set up Indo-Pacific Triangular Cooperation (IPTDC) Fund aimed at supporting climate and SDG focused innovations and Start-ups from third countries of Indo-Pacific, to scale up green technologies in the region,
  4. Notably, during 8th Edition of Raisina Dialogue 2023 held in New Delhi, Sustainable Finance in the Indo-Pacific (SUFIP) Network was launched as a collaboration between France's Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Mumbai Based think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
2. UAE -
  1. Notable Agreements / Announcements during visit -
    1. MoU between RBI and UAE Central Bank for establishment of a framework to promote the use of local currencies (INR - AED) for cross-border transactions.
    2. MoU between RBI and UAE Central Bank for the bilateral cooperation on interlinking their payment and messaging systems.
    3. MoU to enable setting up Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) campus in Abu Dhabi (UAE).
    4. Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) signed Agreement with ADNOC (UAE) to establish a long-term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA), for import of 1.2 million tonnes a year of LNG for 14 years starting in 2026.
  2. Notably,
    1. India-UAE trade rose to USD 85 billion in 2022, making UAE India’s third-largest trading partner for 2022-23 and India's second-largest export destination. In February 2022, India became first country with which UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

2023 Badminton Asia Junior Championships (Indonesia) -

Medal Table -

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	3	2	4	9
2	Japan	2	1	1	4
3	Indonesia	1	1	2	4

Adani Group commissioned India’s first transnational project at Godda (Jharkhand), to supply power to Bangladesh.
1. Godda Thermal Power Station has capacity of 1600 megawatts, being constructed under an agreement between India and Bangladesh.
Monthly Trade and Inflation Data (June 2023) -
1. Inflation and Trade Data for June 2023 -
  1. Wholesale price Index Based (WPI) -
    1. WPI based inflation fell to (-) 4.12 % (Negative) in June 2023, which is lowest in 8 years.
    2. WPI Inflation in last 12 months -
      1. May 2023 - (-) 3.48 % (Negative)
      2. April 2023 - (-) 0.92 % (Negative)
      3. March 2023 - 1.34 %
      4. February 2023 - 3.85 %
      5. January 2023 - 4.73 %
      6. December 2022 - 4.95 %
      7. November 2022 - 5.85 %
      8. October 2022 - 8.39 %
      9. September 2022 - 10.07 %
      10. August 2022 - 12.41 %
      11. July 2022 - 13.93 %
      12. June 2022 - 15.18 %
  2. Consumer Price Index (CPI) Based (retail inflation) -
    1. CPI-based inflation rate for June 2023 rose to 4.81 %.
    2. CPI Inflation in Last 12 Months -
      1. May 2023 - 4.25 % (25 Month Low)
      2. April 2023 - 4.7 %
      3. March 2023 - 5.66 %
      4. February 2023 - 6.44 %
      5. January 2023 - 6.52 %
      6. December 2022 - 5.72 %
      7. November 2022 - 5.88 %
      8. October 2022 - 6.77 %
      9. September 2022 - 7.41 %
      10. August 2022 - 7.01 %
      11. July 2022 - 6.71 %
      12. June 2022 - 7.01 %
  3. Trade -
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh approved notable Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) proposals -
1. Procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for Indian Navy from France, based on Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA).
2. Procurement of 3 additional Scorpene submarines under Buy (Indian) category, to be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL).
As per UN's A World of Debt Report -
1. In 2022, global public debt (comprising general government domestic and external debt) reached record USD 92 trillion, with Developing countries owing approx 30% of it.
2. Number of countries facing high levels of debt increased from 22 countries in 2011 to 59 countries in 2022.
3. India ranks 7th in terms of Public debt, with $2.8 Trillion Debt. List is topped by US ($31 Trillion), China ($14 Trillion), Japan ($11 Trillion).
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced to transfer its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) technology to private sector, which can carry payloads upto 500 kg to a 500 km orbit.
1. This will help meet growing demand of launch services for nanosatellites (under 10 kg) and micro-satellites (under 100 kg).
Book Smoke and Ashes: A Writer’s Journey Through Opium’s Hidden Histories, authored by Amitav Ghosh has been released.
Bangladesh and India launched settlement of trade transactions in Indian rupees, aimed at reducing dependence on US dollar and strengthening regional currency and trade.
1. This is first time Bangladesh has done bilateral trade with a foreign country in addition to US dollar.
2. Trade would be transacted in Indian rupee and then gradually in Bangladeshi currency Taka upon trade gap decreasing. Exports from Bangladesh to India currently are approx 2 Billion USD, while imports are Approx 14 Billion USD.
As per 2023 Military Strength Ranking by Global Firepower -
1. Top 5 most powerful military forces are US, Russia, China, India & UK.
2. Pakistan ranks 7th in List.
European Space Agency (ESA)'s Euclid Spacecraft has been launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket.
1. Euclid spacecraft carries a wide-angle space telescope with a 600-megapixel camera to record visible light and a near-infrared spectrometer and photometer to determine redshift of detected galaxies. It aims to shed light on mysterious cosmic unseen forces known as dark energy and dark matter.
2. It is named after Euclid, an ancient Greek mathematician Considered as father of geometry.
Jul 17 - Day of International Criminal Justice. It marks adoption of Rome Statute in 1998. With help of this treaty International Criminal Court (ICC) was established.
As per Global Peace Index 2023 by Institute for Economics & Peace -
1. Top 3 - Iceland (1), Denmark (2), Ireland (3)
2. Bottom 3 - Afghanistan (163), Yemen (162), Syria (161)
3. India ranked 126th
4. Neighbors - China (80), Pakistan (146), Bangladesh (88), Sri Lanka (107)
As per Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023 by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) -
1. Globally, over 18% people are estimated to live in acute multidimensional poverty.
2. 25 countries halved their global Multidimensional Poverty Index value during last 15 years, with India being one of them. India managed to pull 41.5 crore people out of poverty during 2005 - 2021.
3. Notably, as per NITI Aayog’s Report National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023 (2nd edition) -
  1. 13.5 crore Indians escaped Multidimensional Poverty in 5 years, with number of multidimensionally poor down to 14.96% in 2019-20, compared to 24.85% in 2015-16.
  2. Rural areas saw fastest decline in poverty from 32.59% to 19.28%.
  3. India is on track to achieve SDG Target 1.2 much ahead of 2030 deadline.
  4. Uttar Pradesh registered highest decline in number of poor with 3.43 crore, followed by Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh govt approved construction of 2 thermal power projects in Obra (Sonbhadra district), with capacity of 800MW each, to address rising power demand and provide cheaper electricity to people.
1. The plants will be executed in collaboration with NTPC, using ultra-supercritical technology, which offers high efficiency and reduced coal consumption. It will have investment of approx 18000 crores.

2023 Asian Athletics Championships (Bangkok, Thailand) -

Medal Table -

Rank	teams	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Japan	16	11	10	37
2	China	8	8	6	22
3	India	6	12	9	27
4	Sri Lanka	3	2	3	8
5	Qatar	2	1	1	4

India ranked 3rd, with 27 medals (including 6 Gold). Indian Gold Medalists -
1. Ajay Kumar Saroj - Men's 1500 metres
2. Abdulla Aboobacker - Men's Triple jump
3. Tajinderpal Singh Toor - Men's Shot put
4. Jyothi Yarraji India - Women's 100 metres hurdles
5. Parul Chaudhary - Women's 3000 metres steeplechase
6. 4×400 metres relay Team - Rajesh Ramesh, Aishwarya Kailash Mishra, Amoj Jacob, Subha Venkatesan

Book India Rising Memoir of a Scientist, authored by R. Chidambaram (Noted Physicist) and Suresh Gangotra has been released.
July 18 is observed by UN as Nelson Mandela International Day.
1. Notably, United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize was established by UN in 2014, awarded every 5 years. It was last awarded in 2020, to Guinean doctor Morissana Kouyate and Marianna Vardinoyannis of Greece.
Saudi Arabia become 51st country to accede to Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), during 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) in Jakarta (Indonesia).
1. TAC is a peace treaty among Southeast Asian countries established by founding members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

2023 ISSF World Cup (Lonato, Italy) (Stage 11) -

Notably, Calendar for 2023 ISSF World Cup include 12 stages, with final to be held in Doha (Qatar) in Nov 2023.

Overall medal table so far -

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	9	2	2	13
2	United States	8	5	3	16
3	Kazakhstan	5	6	4	15
4	Hungary	5	4	0	9
5	India	5	2	10	17

Notable Indian Gold medalists in ISSF World cup so far -
1. Rudrankksh Patil - Men's 10m Air Rifle (Cairo)
2. Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar - Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions (Cairo)
3. Sarabjot Singh - Men's 10m Air Pistol (Bhopal)

PM Narendra Modi inaugurated new integrated terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar Islands).
1. It has been constructed in area over 40800 Sqm at cost 710 Crores, with capacity to handle 50 lakh passengers annually.
Chinese firm LandSpace launched world’s first methane-liquid oxygen space rocket into orbit, named Zhuque-2.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah launched registrations for Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which will provide 2000 monthly assistance to female head of every family across state, to benefit 1.28 crore families.
1. Notably, Siddaramaiah-led Newly elected Karnataka govt has recently launched several initiatives, as part of poll promises made by Congress party under Karnataka assembly elections 2023 -
  1. Shakti scheme - It will facilitate Free bus travel for women in Karnataka.
  2. Gruha Jyoti scheme - It will provide free electricity upto 200 units, to every household in Karnataka.
  3. Anna Bhagya - 10 kilograms of rice free to every member of below poverty line (BPL) households.
    1. Under it, state govt has arranged to transfer Rs 170 per month to each beneficiary, instead of distributing rice.
  4. Yuva Nidhi - Assistantce of 3000 every month to graduates and 1500 to diploma holders for 2 years if they remain unemployed for six months after graduation.
2. These schemes will cost over 50000 crores annually to state govt, adding to the debt burden of state.
Govt named Rakesh Pal as new (25th) Director General of Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja launched new campaign for banks under Agri Infra Fund, titled BHARAT (Banks Heralding Accelerated Rural & Agriculture Transformation), to last till 15th August 2023, with a target of Rs 7200 crores.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar reconstituted panel of vice-chairpersons of Rajya Sabha (Parliament's upper house).
1. New members are P T Usha, S Phangnon Konyak, Fauzia Khan, Sulata Deo, V Vijaysai Reddy, Ghanshyam Tiwari, L Hanumanthaiah and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray.
  1. Notably, S Phangnon Konyak became first woman from Nagaland to preside over Rajya Sabha.
Book Through The Broken Glass: An Autobiography, authored by TN Seshan (former Chief Election Commissioner of India) has been released.
QS Best Student Cities 2024 List -
1. Top 3 - London (UK), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea)
2. Indian Cities in List -
  1. Mumbai (118)
  2. Delhi (132)
  3. Bangalore (147)
  4. Chennai (151-160)
Govt named Manoj Yadava as new Director General of Railway Protection Force (RPF).
July 20 is observed by UN as International Moon Day, observed since 2022. It commemorates First Human landing on Moon on 20 July 1969 by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, under Apollo 11 Mission. It is also observed as Space Exploration Day.
1. July 20 is also observed by UN as World Chess Day, marking date of establishment of International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Paris in 1924.
General News / Events (Jul 11-20, 2023) -
1. India's first Cannabis Medicine Project launched at CSIR-IIIM Jammu (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine), to epxlore medicinal properties of Cannabis, to aid in cure of several widespread diseases.
2. Home Minister Amit Shah laid foundation stone of 108 feet tall statue of Lord Ram, at Mantralayam (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh), to be built at cost 500 crores.
  1. Notably, tallest Statue of Lord Rama will be built in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), which will be 181 meters (594 ft) tall and 251 m (823 ft) tall including plinth and umbrella. Its cost will be 2500 crores.
3. National Martyr's Memorial and National Museum for Railway Security inaugurated at Jagjivan RPF Academy Lucknow, with names of over 1000 martyred RPF personnel.
4. Annual Ker Puja festival observed in state of Tripura.
5. India hosted Conference on Traditional Medicines for ASEAN Countries, in New Delhi.
6. 1st Global Food Regulators Summit 2023 held in New Delhi.
7. India and Indonesia announced launch of India - Indonesia Economic and Financial Dialogue, during G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meet in New Delhi, held under India's 2023 G20 Presidency.
8. Geographical Indication (GI) certificate has been granted to Authoor betel leaves from Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu.
9. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved EKVI Air Training Organization as first flying training organisation (FTO) in Tamil Nadu, and India's 36th.
10. National Law University (NLU) Delhi launched Eklavya Research Affiliate programme, for those who do not have a traditional law degree.
  1. It is open for any individual with at least 3 years experience working on issues that have significant interface with the law.
11. Telangana HC struck down Telangana Eunuchs Act, 1329 Fasli, terming it unconstitutional, as it violated the rights of transgender people.
India contributed USD 1 million as part of a voluntary contribution to UN to promote use of Hindi language in UN, and to foster inclusive dialogue and understanding.
T Pradeep (IIT Madras) has been named among winners of Eni Award, considered among top global honours for scientific research in energy and environment.
1. ENI Awards 2023 Winners -
  1. Energy Frontiers Award - Matthew Rosseinsky (University of Liverpool (UK)).
  2. Advanced Environmental Solutions Award - Thalappil Pradeep (IIT Madras).
  3. Energy Transition Award - Yu Huang & Jeffrey R. Long (Both from University of California (USA))
2. Eni Award is conferred by Italian oil and gas firm Eni, to encourage better use of energy sources and increased environmental research.
J&K UT Govt launched Mobile Dost App, aimed at providing single point of interface to citizens for accessing all Government Services, in sync with vision of Apka-Mobile-Hamara-Daftar.
NITI Aayog released India Climate Energy Dashboard (ICED) 3.0, as one-stop platform for near real-time data on energy sector, climate, and related economic datasets.
1. ICED 3.0 enables users to freely access and analyse datasets using an analytical engine, while identifying the key challenges.
As per Henley Passport Index (Q3 2023 Global Ranking) -
1. Singapore is top as World's most powerful passport, followed by Germany, Italy & Spain Jointly at 2nd place. Japan is at 3rd place (jointly with 6 other nations).
2. Indian passport is at 81st place, jointly with Senegal & Togo.
Monsoon session of Parliament 2023 began, to last till Aug 11, 2023.
1. Detailed info about proceedings of the session shall be available on Aug 11, including Bills passed / introduced and notable info disseminated during the session.
NITI Aayog released Techno-Commercial Readiness and Market Maturity Matrix (TCRM Matrix) Framework, as a pioneering assessment tool designed to boost technology evolution and entrepreneurship across India.
MoU signed Between Gujarat government & OneWeb India Communications, for setting up India's first satellite network portal site, at Mehsana.
1. It will provide continuous and secure satellite internet access at affordable rates, to villages, district panchayats, local administrative bodies and others.
2. Under this project, 2 Satellite Network Portals (SMPs) will be set up in India, with other coming up in Tamil Nadu.
NITI Aayog released Revamped India Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) 2047 (3.0) to assess integrated impact of various green energy policies of Govt.
1. IESS incorporates several policies related to alternative energy resources, asessing demand and supply of energy. It helps in analysing emissions, cost, land, and water requirements till 2047.
2. Designed with help of IIT Bombay, revamped IESS 2047 will be updated on yearly basis. Baseline has been standardised at 2020 and calibrated up to 2022.
Agriculture Ministry launched several new technological initiatives under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, including YES-Tech Manual, WINDS portal and door to door enrollment app AIDE/Sahayak, to increasing farmers enrolment.
1. YES-TECH Manual facilitates implementation of YES-TECH, a technology-driven yield estimation system, offering methodologies and insights for accurate yield assessments at Gram Panchayat level.
2. WINDS Portal processes hyper-local weather data collected by Automatic Weather Stations and Rain Gauges at Taluk/Block and Gram Panchayat levels.
Govt named Sat Pal Bhanoo as a Managing Director (MD) in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).
Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched Sashakt Mahila Rin Yojna, as a collateral-free loan scheme for women.
1. This initiative of Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank (HPSCB) will provide loans to women for pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams, engage in livelihood activities and uplift families.
National Flag Day is observed in India on July 22, marking adoption of tricolour as National flag on this day in 1947.
1. July 22 is also observed by World Federation of Neurology as World Brain Day.
India hosted 14th Clean Energy Ministerial and 8th Mission Innovation meeting (CEM14/MI-8) in Goa, with theme Advancing Clean Energy Together. G20 Energy Transition Ministerial Meet was also held along.
1. During event, India pushed its proposal of forming Global Biofuel Alliance, which seeks to accelerate sustainable biofuels deployment in support of global energy transition.
2. India's biofuels push -
  1. In FY 21 (2020-21), India produced 4.08 billion litres of ethanol (resulting in blending rate of 10.02 %), This lead to reduction of 2.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and saved 41500 crores in foreign exchange. India aims to reach 20 % ethanol blending by 2025, by enhancing production capacity for ethanol to 17 billion litres.
  2. India has also been promoting compressed bio-gas (CBG) as a clean fuel derived from waste. Under Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) programme, 46 CBG plants have been established as of March 2023, against target of installing 5000 CBG plants by 2024.
  3. India recently conducted its first commercial passenger flight using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend produced domestically to address decarbonisation in aviation sector. India aims for 1 % SAF blend in jet fuel by 2025 would require around 140 million litres of SAF per year.
  4. Also, International Energy Agency (IEA) states that global sustainable biofuels production would need to triple by 2030 to put world’s energy system on track towards net zero emissions by 2050.
3. About -
  1. Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) was established in 2009 to promote policies that advance clean energy technology. It has 29 members, the European Commission and 28 Nations.
  2. Mission Innovation (MI) is a forum of 23 Countries and European Commission (on behalf of European Union) to accelerate Clean Energy revolution and progress towards Paris Agreement goals and pathways to Net Zero.
2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup Cricket (Hosted by Sri Lanka) -
1. Pakistan A won the title (their 2nd), defeating India A in final.
India completed handling over Indian Navy's missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam, after 32 years of service in Indian Navy.
1. It is 1st occasion that India gifted a fully-operational Corvette to a Friendly Nation.
2. INS Kirpan is 3rd indigenously built Khukri class missile corvette. Other corvettes in class are Khukri, Kuthar & Khanjar.
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel launched rural housing scheme Gramin Awas Nyay Yojana, aimed at providing homes to homeless rural people in state, by easing process of receiving grants for eligible beneficiaries.
South Zone won 2023 Duleep Trophy Domestic Cricket Title, Defeating West Zone in final.
July 23 is observed as National broadcasting Day in India. On this day in 1927, 1st ever radio broadcast in country went on the air from Bombay Station under a private company called Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC).

Red Bull's Dutch-Belgian F1 Racer Max Verstappen won Hungarian Grand Prix 2023.

F1 Season 2023 -

Grand Prix	Winner	Race date
Bahrain Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	5 March
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez (Mexico)	19 March
Australian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 April
Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez (Mexico)	30 April
Miami Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	7 May
Monaco Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	28 May
Spanish Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	4 June
Canadian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	18 June
Austrian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 July
British Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	9 July
Hungarian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	23 July
Belgian Grand Prix		30 July
Dutch Grand Prix		27 August
Italian Grand Prix		3 September
Singapore Grand Prix		17 September
Japanese Grand Prix		24 September
Qatar Grand Prix		8 October
United States Grand Prix		22 October
Mexico City Grand Prix		29 October
São Paulo Grand Prix		5 November
Las Vegas Grand Prix		18 November
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix		26 November

Algeria (North Africa) applied to join BRICS group and submitted request to become a shareholder member of BRICS Nations' New Development Bank, with an amount of $1.5 billion.
1. BRICS Nations are Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa.
2. BRICS New Develpment Bank Members include Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa, UAE, Uruguay, Bangladesh, Egypt.
Uttar Pradesh Govt approved implementation of Mukhya Mantri Khet Suraksha Yojana in state, which involves installation of a solar fence around fields with a low 12-volt current, to deter wild animals without causing harm to them.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik became second longest serving chief minister of a state in India, surpassing tenure of former West Bengal CM Jyoti Basu (23 years, 138 days).
1. Patnaik has been holding Odisha CM posts since March 5, 2000.
2. Notably, Pawan Kumar Chamling holds record for longest serving CM of a state in India. He remained Sikkim CM for 24 years, 166 days.
July 24 is Observed by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) as Income Tax Day (Aayakar Diwas). On this day in 1860, Income Tax was introduced for first time in India by James Wilson.
Odisha govt approved Mission Shakti Scooter Yojana, under which interest subvention on bank loans up to 1 lakh will be provided to beneficiaries to purchase a scooter.
US President Joe Biden nominated new Chiefs for US Navy & Air Force -
1. Lisa Franchetti - US Navy (to become first female to hold the post).
2. David Allvin - US Air Force.
To ensure adequate availability of Non Basmati White Rice in Indian market and check rise in prices, govt Prohibited Export of Non Basmati White Rice by amending its Export Policy from Free with export duty of 20% to Prohibited. Notably -
1. There is no change in Export policy of Non Basmati Rice (Par Boiled Rice) and Basmati Rice, which forms the Bulk of Rice exports.
2. India is world's biggest rice exporter, accounting for over 40 % of global rice exports.
OPPO India in collaboration with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) as its knowledge partner has established India's first Atal Tinkering Lab to be set up on PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model, at St Paul’s CEHSS in Thrissur (Kerala).
1. ATLs aim to nurture an innovative mindset amongst high school students across India.
Rajasthan govt passed Right to Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill 2023, to boost social security for citizens.
1. The Bill promises 125 days of work a year for all families in state. It also guarantees minimum pension of 1000 per month to elderly, specially abled, widows and single women, which will increased by 15% every year.
Social Media Firm Twitter announced rebranding as X, doing away with its bird logo which has been its identification since its inception.
1. Twitter was recently acquired by Tesla Owner Elon Musk, and was brought under Musk-owned X Holdings Corp.
2. Musk also launched artificial intelligence startup xAI, to complete with OpenAI's chatGPT and Google Bard.

2023 World Para Athletics Championships (Paris, France) -

Medal Table -

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	16	16	13	45
2	Brazil	14	13	20	47
3	United States	10	14	15	39
4	Great Britain	10	8	11	29
5	Ukraine	10	6	6	22

India ranked 19th, with 10 Medals (3 Gold, 4 Silver & 3 Bronze). This is India's best ever medal tally at World Para Athletics Championships.
1. Indian Gold Medalists -
  1. Sumit Antil (Jevelin Throw, (F-64))
    1. He broke his own world record in javelin throw event, with a throw of 70.83 meters.
  2. Ajeeth Singh (Jevelin Throw, (F-46))
  3. Sachin Khilari Men’s Shot Put (F-46)

Jul 25 is observed by WHO as World Drowning Prevention Day.
American Chipmaker & Semiconductor Firm AMD announced to invest $400 million in India over 5 years, to expand research, development and engineering Operations.
1. AMD also announced to open new campus in Bangalore, with its largest R&D facility globally.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia launched UDAN 5.2 mission, to further enhance connectivity to remote and regional areas and achieving last-mile connectivity through small aircraft such as 1A (<9 seats) and Category 1(<20 seats).
1. It was launched during Heli Summit 2023 in Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh).
2. HeliSewa-App was also launched on the occasion, which aims to create a common platform to create an ecosystem between helicopter operators and district authorities.
UAE Minister for Foreign Trade Thani Al Zeyoudi has been elected as chair of World Trade Organisation (WTO)’s 13th Ministerial Conference, to be held in Abu Dhabi in February 2024.
Autobiography of Rayala Corporation MD Ranjit Pratap, titled As the wheel turns, has been released by Former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.
July 26 is Observed by UNESCO as International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.
July 26 marks Kargil Vijay Diwas. On this date in 1999, India took command of high outposts which were captured by Intruding Pakistanis.
HDFC Bank became first to launch UPI QR code interoperable with Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), to allow HDFC Bank merchants, who have been onboarded on the bank’s CBDC platform, to accept payments from their customers in form of RBI's Digital Rupee currency.
Hydro Power PSU SJVN announced to build 5 hydroelectric projects in Arunachal Pradesh on tributaries of Dibang River, with collective generation capacity of 5097 MW.
1. Projects are 3097 MW Etalin, 680 MW Attunli, 500 MW Emini, 420 MW Amulin, and 400 MW Mihumdon.
RBI Published composite Digital Payments Index March 2023 (RBI-DPI), to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across country.
1. Index for March 2023 stands at 395.57, against 377.46 for September 2022.
2. It has been published since 1 Jan 2021, with March 2018 as base.
Home Minister Amit Shah launched Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar initiative as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, as a pan-India initiative of Ministry of Culture under National Mission on Cultural Mapping, in coordination with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).
1. It aims at culturally mapping India's 6.5 lakh villages, on a comprehensive virtual platform (https://mgmd.gov.in).
2. Through MGMD, people may experience diverse and vibrant cultural heritage of India and its villages.
July 27 is Raising Day of CRPF, which was Formed on July 27, 1939.
As per RBI Data -
1. India must maintain a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.6% in real GDP during 2023-24 to 2047-48, to be known as a developed country by 2047.
2. Currently estimated at $2500, India’s per capita income needs to surpass $21664 by 2047, as per World Bank standards, to be classified as a high-income country.
3. Notably, India’s historical best over 25-year period was a CAGR of 8.1% during 1993-94 to 2017-18.
12th Mekong Ganga Cooperation meet held in Bangkok (Thailand), attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on India's behalf.
1. During the meet -
  1. India re-affirmed its commitment to implement India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMT Highway).
    1. IMT Highway is a 1360 km long 4-lane highway under construction under India's Look East policy, that will connect Moreh (India) with Mae Sot (Thailand) via Myanmar.
  2. It was decided to establish a Mekong Ganga Cooperation Business Council, to boost cooperation in economy, agriculture, technology and water resources management.
2. About -
  1. Mekong-Ganga Cooperation was established in November 2000, and comprises of 6 member countries - India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
RBI included South Korea based agricultural bank NongHyup Bank in Second Schedule of RBI Act 1934, enabling it to enhance presence across Indian market.
Home Minister Amit Shah released book Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam: Memories Never Die, on the occasion of death anniversry of Noted Scientist & Former President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
1. The book is English Translation of Ninaivugalukku Maranamillai. It has been Written by 2 close people to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam - his niece Nazema Maraikayar and Noted ISRO scientist YS Rajan.
Rajasthan Assembly passed Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill, aimed at extending social security to gig workers by giving them certain rights.
1. It is first such bill in India, aimed at rights of Gig Workers. Its notable proposals include setting up of Platform Based Gig Workers Welfare Board and setting up a social security and welfare fund for gig workers.
July 28 is observed by World Health Organization as World Hepatitis Day. 2023 theme is We’re not waiting.
1. July 28 is also observed as World Nature Conservation Day.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated redeveloped ITPO complex International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) named Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi.
1. It has been developed at cost 2700 crores, as India’s largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination.
2. With shape of Shankha and spread over 123 acres, it incorporates several architectural elements of India's traditional art and culture.
3. Notably, This redeveloped ITPO complex will be venue for G-20 leaders’ meeting in September 2023.
Book Karma Sutras - Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times, by Debashis Chatterjee (Director IIM-Kozhikode) has been released.
1. Also, Malayalam translation of Krishna – the 7th Sense by Debashis Chatterjee was also released.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $295 million loan for India, to upgrade around 265 kilometer state highways with climate and disaster resilient design, and road safety elements in Bihar.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $200 million loan as additional financing for ongoing Rajasthan Secondary Towns Development Sector Project, to expand water supply and sanitation systems and enhance urban resilience and heritage living in selected towns.
July 29 is observed as World Tiger Day. It was proclaimed in 2010 at Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia where signatories declared an agreement that the governments of tiger populated counties would double tiger population by 2022, termed as TX2.
1. As per latest data, number of tigers globally has increased from 3200 in 2015 to 4500 in 2022.
2. In 2018, Nepal became first country to double tiger population. India also doubled tiger population in 2018.
3. As per 5th All India Tiger Estimation 2022 -
  1. India has 3682 tigers, making up 75 % of world’s tiger population.
  2. Number of Tiger reserves in India has reached 53 (latest being Ranipur Tiger Reserve in Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh). Earlier 4 Tiger estimation reports were released in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018.
    1. Tiger reserves were set up in India under Project Tiger, which was launched in 1973, aimed at safeguarding nation's tiger population and preserving biodiversity.
  3. Tiger Count in India grew from 1411 in 2006 to 2226 in 2014, 2967 in 2018 & now 3682 in 2022.
  4. Top States - Madhya Pradesh (785), Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560) & Maharashtra (444).
  5. Tiger abundance within Tiger Reserve is highest in Corbett (260), followed by Bandipur (150) & Nagarhole (141).
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced several important measures to strengthen Corporate Debt Market in India -
1. Inaugurated Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF), aimed at installing confidence amongst participants in corporate bond market.
  1. Creation of a permanent institutional framework to enhance secondary market liquidity in Corporate Bond market was announced in Speech of Union Budget 2021-22. It has now manifested in form of Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF).
2. Notified establishment of Guarantee Scheme for Corporate Debt (GSCD) for providing guarantee cover against debt to be raised by Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF), which will act as a backstop in corporate debt market, in times of market dislocation.
  1. GSCD will be managed by Guarantee Fund for Corporate Debt (GFCD), a Trust Fund formed by DEA with corpus of 310 crores.
  2. GFCD will be managed by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd. (NCGTC) under Ministry of Finance. The Trust would provide guarantee cover for loans under 30000 crores, to be raised by CDMDF during times of market dislocation. NCGTC will give guarantee as a standing facility, initially for 15 years.
3. As another initiative to deepen corporate bond markets, Limited Purpose Clearing Corporation (LPCC) named as AMC Repo Clearing Corporation Limited (ARCL) started functioning.
  1. LPCC aims at clearing and settlement of corporate bond repo transactions and to develop an active repo market, which will improve liquidity in underlying corporate bond market.
4. Govt also announced to enable direct listing of listed/unlisted companies on IFSC exchanges, which will enable start- ups and companies of like nature to access global market through GIFT IFSC. This will also facilitate access to global capital and result in better valuation for Indian companies.
Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav Launched Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC), during G20 Environment and Climate Ministers meeting in Chennai (Tamil Nadu), as an industry-driven initiative aimed at promoting resource efficiency and circular economy practices globally.
1. 39 companies headquartered in 11 different countries have joined the coalition as its founding members.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam at newly inaugurated redeveloped ITPO complex International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) named Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan (New Delhi).
1. It coincides with 3rd anniversary of National Education Policy 2020 (enacted on 29 July 2020).
2. Released first instalment of funds under PM SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) Scheme.
  1. Scheme aims to set up over 14500 PM SHRI Schools by strengthening existing schools. These schools will showcase implementation of National Education Policy 2020 and offer leadership to other schools in neighborhood. Cost of project will be 27360 crores over 5 years, which includes central share of 18128 crores.
  2. PM also released education and skill curriculum books translated into 12 Indian languages.
3. During the event, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched logo, slogan (Jan Jan Sakshar) and mobile application of ULLAS: Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram.
  1. ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society) initiative aims to bridge gaps in basic literacy and critical lifeskills by fostering a learning ecosystem that reaches every individual.
  2. It imparts basic education, digital and financial literacy and critical life skills to citizens over 15 years age who lost on the opportunity to go to school. It is being implemented through volunteerism.
Notable Points from PM Narendra Modi's visit to Gujarat & Rajasthan -
1. Rajasthan -
  1. Sikar -
    1. Dedicated 1.25 lakh PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras (PMKSKs) to the nation, to provide a one-stop solution for all farmers’ needs.
    2. Launched Urea Gold as a new variety of Urea coated with Sulphur, aimed at addressing sulphur deficiencies in soil and enhance crop efficiency, quality.
    3. Launched onboarding of 1500 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), which will enable FPOs to access digital tools, Business-to-business (B2B) and Business-to-consumer transactions, and encourages local value addition.
    4. 5 new medical colleges inaugurated and laid foundation for 7 medical colleges in Rajasthan, under Centrally Sponsored Scheme Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/ referral hospitals.
  2. Rajkot -
    1. Launched a new Greenfield International Airport in Rajkot, developed in area over 2500 acres and cost 1400 crores.
      1. Terminal building is GRIHA -4 compliant (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) and equipped with various sustainability features. It also showcases local architectural heritage of Gujarat.
2. Gujarat -
  1. Gandhinagar -
    1. Inaugurated SemiconIndia 2023 at Mahatma Mandir, as 2nd edition of the event, organised by India Semiconductor Mission with theme Catalysing India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem.
July 30 is observed by UN as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, with 2023 theme Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind.
1. July 30 is also birth anniversary of Muthulakshmi Reddi, India's first female legislator and also known as a woman of many firsts. Tamil Nadu Government declared that every year hospitals will celebrate her birth anniversary as ‘Hospital Day.'

Red Bull's Dutch-Belgian F1 Racer Max Verstappen won Belgian Grand Prix 2023.

F1 Season 2023 -

Grand Prix	Winner	Race date
Bahrain Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	5 March
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez (Mexico)	19 March
Australian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 April
Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez (Mexico)	30 April
Miami Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	7 May
Monaco Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	28 May
Spanish Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	4 June
Canadian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	18 June
Austrian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	2 July
British Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	9 July
Hungarian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	23 July
Belgian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen (Dutch-Belgian)	30 July
Dutch Grand Prix		27 August
Italian Grand Prix		3 September
Singapore Grand Prix		17 September
Japanese Grand Prix		24 September
Qatar Grand Prix		8 October
United States Grand Prix		22 October
Mexico City Grand Prix		29 October
São Paulo Grand Prix		5 November
Las Vegas Grand Prix		18 November
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix		26 November

ISRO Launched its PSLV-C56 Rocket as a commercial launch, from SDSC-SHAR Sriharikota.
1. It carried DS-SAR satellite into its orbit, along with 6 co-passenger satellites (all from Singapore).
2. DS-SAR satellite will be used to support satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within Government of Singapore.

2023 World Aquatics Championships (Fukuoka, Japan) -

MedaL Table -

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	20	8	12	40
2	Australia	15	9	6	30
3	United States	7	22	15	44
4	Japan	4	1	5	10
5	France	4	0	4	8

India did not win any medal at the Event.
Next (2024) World Aquatics Championships shall be hosted by Doha (Qatar).

New Chief Justices named in Various high courts (July 2023) -
1. Bombay HC - Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya
2. Andhra Pradesh HC - Dhiraj Singh Thakur
3. Gujarat HC - Sunita Agarwal
4. Telangana HC - Alok Aradhe
5. Kerala HC - Ashish Jitendra Desai
6. Notably, This came after Ujjal Bhuyan (Former Telangana HC Chief Justice) and Sarasa Venkatanarayana Bhatti (Kerala HC Chief Justice) were named as Judges in Supreme Court of India.
  1. There are currently 32 judges (including Chief Justice) sitting in Supreme Court, against maximum possible strength of 34.
Visits to India (July 2023) -
1. Le Thanh Long, Minister of Justice of Vietnam visited India.
2. Masahiko Metoki (Director General of Universal Postal Union) visited India, for inauguration of UPU Regional Office in New Delhi.
  1. UPU also agreed to evaluate India's UPI platform for integrating it with cross border money remittance through postal channels.
3. Yasutoshi Nishimura (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan) Visited India.
  1. During the visit -
    1. Japan signed agreement with India for joint development of semiconductor ecosystem and maintain resilience of its global supply chain. Japan is 2nd Quad partner after US to sign such a pact with India.
    2. Maharatna PSU Power Finance Corporation (PFC) became first Indian PSU to be named in Japanese initiative Asia Transition Finance Study Group (ATFSG), to promote sustainable transition finance in Asian countries.
  2. Notably, Yoshihide Suga (Chairman of Japan-India Association (JIA) and former PM of Japan) also visited India.
4. Jorge Enrique Taiana (Defence Minister of Argentina) visited India.
  1. Letter of Intent (LoI) signed with India's HAL, for productive cooperation and acquisition of Light and Medium Utility Helicopters for Argentina's armed forces.
5. Ranil Wickremesinghe (President of Sri Lanka) visited India.
  1. During the visit, India urged Sri Lanka to proceed with 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka Constitution, which flows from Indo-Sri Lanka Accord 1987.
    1. The accord aims at amending the Sri Lankan constitution to transfer some powers such as agriculture, health etc. to country’s nine provinces and find a constitutional solution to the civil war.
6. Timothy Mark Masiu (Minister for ICT of Papua New Guinea) visited India.
  1. During the visit, an MoU was signed Between India & Papua New Guinea, to share INDIA STACK - a collection of open APIs and digital public goods that aim to facilitate identity, data, and payment services on a large scale.
Visits from India (July 2023) -
1. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Visited Malaysia.
  1. Notably, he inaugurated Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)’s Regional Office in Kuala Lumpur, to facilitate close defence industrial collaboration between India & Malaysia.
2. Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar visited Panama, and signed MOU with Panama to establish framework for cooperation in field of electoral administration.
  1. CEC also visited Colombia, to attend 11th meeting of Executive Board of Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) in Cartagena.
3. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited UK, to take further ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between India and UK.
4. Indian Navy Chief R Hari Kumar visited Oman.
5. Notable Points from PM Narendra Modi's visit to France & UAE -
  1. France -
    1. Attended Bastille Day Parade (French National Day) on 14 July 2023, where a tri-services Indian armed forces contingent also participated.
      1. 2023 also marks 25th anniversary of India - France Strategic Partnership.
    2. France honored Indian PM Narendra Modi with France's highest honour, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.
      1. Notably, PM Narendra Modi is first Indian PM to receive France’s highest award.
    3. Notable Agreements / Announcements during visit -
      1. MOUs were signed for co-operation in Digital Technologies, Civil Aviation Security, Investments, Ocean Exploration.
      2. Letter of Intent signed on New National Museum and Cooperation on Museology, Broadcasting, Health and Medicine.
      3. Implementing Arrangements signed for India-France joint Earth Observation mission TRISHNA & Maritime Domain Awareness short-term programme.
        Thermal InfraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment (TRISHNA) is a joint development by French Space Agency (CNES) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), to be launched during dec 2024.
      4. Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) signed Agreement with Total Energies Gas and Power Ltd (France) to establish a long-term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA), for import of 0.8 million tonnes a year of LNG for 10 years starting in 2026.
      5. Agreement between Proparco (subsidiary of French Development Agency) and India's Satya Microfinance for $20 million to support Satya in growing its microcredit/MSME portfolio and foster financial inclusion.
      6. India's NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and France’s Lyra Collect signed an agreement to implement India's Unified Payment Interface (UPI) payments system in France.
      7. India announced opening of its second consulate in France, which will be located in Marseille.
      8. India and France will jointly set up Indo-Pacific Triangular Cooperation (IPTDC) Fund aimed at supporting climate and SDG focused innovations and Start-ups from third countries of Indo-Pacific, to scale up green technologies in the region,
    4. Notably, during 8th Edition of Raisina Dialogue 2023 held in New Delhi, Sustainable Finance in the Indo-Pacific (SUFIP) Network was launched as a collaboration between France's Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Mumbai Based think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
  2. UAE -
    1. Notable Agreements / Announcements during visit -
      1. MoU between RBI and UAE Central Bank for establishment of a framework to promote the use of local currencies (INR - AED) for cross-border transactions.
      2. MoU between RBI and UAE Central Bank for the bilateral cooperation on interlinking their payment and messaging systems.
      3. MoU to enable setting up Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) campus in Abu Dhabi (UAE).
      4. Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) signed Agreement with ADNOC (UAE) to establish a long-term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA), for import of 1.2 million tonnes a year of LNG for 14 years starting in 2026.
    2. Notably,
      1. India-UAE trade rose to USD 85 billion in 2022, making UAE India’s third-largest trading partner for 2022-23 and India's second-largest export destination. In February 2022, India became first country with which UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
General News / Events (Jul 21-31, 2023) -
1. Chachin grazing festival observed by local graziers of Tawang region (Arunachal Pradesh).
2. Newly opened building of Surat Diamond Bourse (Gujarat) surpassed US' Pentagon to be known as world's largest office building, with floor area over 7.1 million square feet.
3. Supreme Court updated guidelines for designating senior advocates in SC. Notable changes include mandating minimum age of 45 years & experience of 10 years.
4. SemiconIndia 2023 exhibition held at Gandhinagar (Gujarat), as 2nd edition of the event, organised by India Semiconductor Mission.
5. Ministry of Ayush established Ayush health care & research facilities at Ribandar (Goa), to provide high-quality and affordable Ayush healthcare to local community and promote research in traditional medicine.
6. Startup20 Engagement Group (under India's 2023 G20 presidency) partnered with Jagriti Foundation to launch Jagriti-Startup20-G20 Yatra 2023, to promote spirit of entrepreneurship across India.
7. DPIIT's One District One Product (ODOP) initiative launched its first collaboration with Gujarat Govt, to promote indigenous crafts and artisans of the State, along with ODOP Wall at Garvi Gujarat Bhawan (Delhi).
8. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new legislation to ban gender change & transgender marriages across nation.
9. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport became first airport in India to have four runways & Eastern Cross Taxiways.
Indian Army participated in Joint Exercise with Mongolian Army, named NOMADIC ELEPHANT-23, be conducted at Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).
July 31 is observed as World Ranger Day, to mark founding day of International Ranger Federation (IRF) on this day in 1992.

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Latest Current Affairs - July 2023

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