Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (July 15th to 21st July 2021)

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of 15th to 21st July 2021. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2021 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• On 15 July, World Youth Skills Day is celebrated to recognize the fact that if youth acquire skills, it will enhance their ability to make informed choices regarding employment with the theme of pays tribute to the resilience and creativity of youth through the crisis.
• World Snake Day is observed on July 16 every year to increase awareness about the different species of snakes all around the world.
• World Day for International Justice, also referred to as Day of International Criminal Justice or International Justice Day, is an international day celebrated throughout the world on July 17 as part of an effort to recognize the emerging system of international criminal justice with the theme of “social justice in the digital economy“
• World Emoji Day is an annual unofficial holiday occurring on 17 July, intended to celebrate emoji; in the years since the earliest observance, it has become a popular date to make product or other announcements and releases relating to emoji.
• Nelson Mandela International Day is an annual international day in honour of Nelson Mandela, celebrated each year on 18 July, Mandela’s birthday with the theme of “One Hand Can Feed Another”
• The International Chess Day is celebrated annually on July 20, the day the International Chess Federation was founded, in 1924.
• Science Exploration Day Observed on July 20, Main Objective is to “tune them in to science”, so they will continue their studies in science and become part of the future in the mathematics, science, engineering, and medical fields.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• The IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation (IITM-PTF) is collaborating with Sony India Software Centre Pvt. Ltd. to conduct a National hackathon called ‘SAMVEDAN 2021 – Sensing Solutions for Bharat’ to inspire citizens to solve India-specific problems of societal interest using IoT sensor board.
• Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Research and Analysis of Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances at National Forensic Science University at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
• In order to launch Insurance Policy for Himalayan Yaks, the National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY) at Dirang in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh has tied up with the National Insurance Company Ltd. (NICL).
• National Thermal Power Corporation, NTPC will set up India’s single largest solar park at Rann of Kutch in Khavada, Gujarat. 
• Jagannath Rath Yatra begins and has a lot of importance in Hinduism. This Rath Yatra is organized from the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa. The festival is celebrated by worshipping Lord Jagannath (ruler of the world), his elder brother Balbhadra (Balaram) and sister Subhadra. 
• The special occasion of Ashadhi Bij, the Kutchi New Year Celebrated, & the festival is associated with the beginning of rains in the Kutch region of Gujarat.
• External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar had a telephonic conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides on recent developments in Cyprus.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih “took stock” of bilateral cooperation in a telephone conversation.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Denmark in the field of health and Medicine.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for changing the nomenclature & mandate of North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine (NEIFM) as North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Folk Medicine Research (NEIAFMR).
• Cabinet approves continuation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary for further five years till March 2026
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme
• The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of the National AYUSH Mission as a Centrally-sponsored Scheme from 1st April 2021 to 31st March 2026 with financial implication of nearly four thousand 607 crore rupees.
• The Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a hike in dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) for central government employees and pensioners & the Dearness allowance and dearness relief rates have been hiked from the existing 17 per cent to 28 per cent.
• Addressing the conference of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on “Atma Nirbhar Bharat – Self Reliance for Renewable Energy Manufacturing”, the Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri RK Singh stated that India had emerged as world leader in the Energy Transition.
• The Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, the parent ministry of DPE, will now be called the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
• Cabinet approves scheme to promote India-owned ships with subsidy support
• Department of Biotechnology SIGNS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) With Ministry of Earth Sciences To Set up DBT MOES Polar Research Centre.
• The Union Cabinet approved the extension of the Rebate of State and central taxes and levies(RoSCTL) for garments.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the youth of the nation on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day and 6th anniversary of Skill India Mission.
• Government launched the digital platform Kisan Sarathi to facilitate farmers to get the right information at the right time in their desired language, it was jointly launched by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw through video conference on the occasion of 93rd ICAR Foundation Day.
• As per the report, Since 2019, Bihar has reported most deaths because of lightning.
• External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar concluded the one-hour-long bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe, where he conveyed that that unilateral change of status quo of the border area is not acceptable to India.
• The Centre asked the states to direct their police not to register cases under the repealed Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 related to posting online comments.
• Shri Arjun Munda, Minister of Tribal Affairs, virtually launched the nationwide campaign “COVID Teeka Sang Surakshit Van, Dhan aur Uddyam” to accelerate the pace of COVID vaccination among tribals, in India.
• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda launched “School Innovation Ambassador Training Program” for 50,000 school teachers.
• Government to set up a world-class ‘Indian Institute of Heritage’ at Noida to focus on conservation and research in India’s rich tangible heritage.
• 104startups from different sectors such as Food-Tech, Green energy, Defence, Ed-Tech, Health-Tech, etc are currently on board on the platform.
• With a view to turn the spotlight on the logistics sector, the Government announced the launch of National Logistics Excellence Awards.
• The 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has announced a call for entries for Indian Panorama, 2021.
• Chief Labour Commissioner of India Shri DPS Negi reviewed the status of sensitization and implementation of labour laws in labour codes in various developmental projects in Srinagar. 
• According to Nature Communications Study Lower stunting among children with mothers who had access to midday meal scheme
• On July 18, 2021, a successful trial of movement of trains was undertaken between Jaynagar in India and Kurtha in Nepal, and the length of the rail section is 34.50 and this is the first section of the rail line links between the two countries which connects Kurtha in the Mahottari district of Nepal to Jaynagar in the Madhubani district of Bihar
• The Government of India has extended the duration of ‘Stand Up India Scheme’ up to the year 2025, MoS for Social Justice and Empowerment Sushri Pratima Bhoumik.
• The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) launched an affordable rapid antigen test kit to detect Covid-19 priced at Rs.50, which was developed entirely by its Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CBME) led by professor Harpal Singh.
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti through Gazette Notification dated 15.07.2021 has notified the jurisdiction of Godavari River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board, which provide the required authority and power to the two Boards in terms of administration, regulation, operation and maintenance of listed projects in Godavari and Krishna rivers in the two States.
• Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana launched a new scheme called ‘FASTER’ or ‘Fast and Secure Transmission of Electronic Records’. 
• No specific expert / inter-ministerial committee / research study / policy / plan / strategy for studying, evaluating and preparing a “Day Zero” roadmap/policy for water scarce regions of the country has been conducted.
• Tertiary value addition centres being set up in tribal areas of Jagdalpur and Raigad under TRIFOOD

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Georgia at a prominent park.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has inaugurated its embassy in Israel, less than a year after the two countries announced they would establish formal diplomatic relations & the embassy is situated in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building
• Chief minister BS Yediyurappa unveiled the Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi scheme-2021 in Bengaluru for the Purpose of generate employment, bring down pollution and reduce dependence on private vehicles,
• China National Nuclear Corporation has announced that it has started building a multi-purpose small modular reactor demonstration project at Changjiang nuclear plant in South China’s Hainan Province & this project is the world’s first commercial onshore small modular reactor (SMR) to start construction.
• Britain unveiled plans to decarbonize its transport systems, phasing out the sale of all polluting road vehicles by 2040 and committing the aviation sector to a 2050 net zero emissions target.
• UN-FAO present State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021 Report, it will also focus on complementary food system solutions that address the key drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition, i.e. conflict, climate variability and extremes, economic slowdowns and downturns, and COVID-19, and that ensure access to affordable healthy diets for all.
• Singapore unveiled one of the world’s biggest floating solar power farms, covering an area the size of 45 football pitches, as part of the city-state’s push to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
• Ethiopia’s governing Prosperity Party has won the most seats in the country’s parliamentary election, PM Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party wins 410 out of the 436 contested seats in Ethiopia’s federal parliament.
• American President Joe Biden extended the “Child Tax Credit Programme” because this programme has potential to reduce child poverty in America.
• The United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan, have agreed in principle to establish a new quadrilateral diplomatic platform focused on enhancing regional connectivity.
• Leaders of the Asia-Pacific trade group APEC, including US President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have pledged to work to expand sharing and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines to fight the global pandemic.
• Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri stepped down over what he called “key differences” with the president, deepening a political crisis that has left the Lebanese without a government for nine months even as they endure an unprecedented economic meltdown.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• Assam CM Declared the state govt adopted zero tolerance policy against drugs menace
• The Haryana government has set up India’s first ‘Grain ATM’ as a pilot project in Gurugram.
• The Manduadih railway station has been finally renamed as Banaras by the North eastern railways (NER).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modiinaugurated the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention centre in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi.
• India’s first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will come upon the bank of the Ganges in the premises of Patna University.
• An MoU was signed between Jamnagar based Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) under Ministry of Ayush and the Government of Gujarat in the presence of the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Nitinbhai Patel and Secretary, Ministry of AyushVaidya Rajesh Kotecha on 15th July 2021.
• Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has decided to waive loans worth Rs 590 crore under the farm debt relief scheme for farm labourers and the landless farming community.
• The new EV policy introduced in Maharashtra is a revision of the 2018 policy and it is introduced with an aim to make Maharashtra the “topmost producer of battery-powered electric vehicles in India.”
• Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa unveiled the event to mark World Youth Skills Day
• The Uttar Pradesh government is all set to bring in ‘pod taxis’ that will connect commuters from Greater Noida to the Noida International Airport in Jewar using the driverless mode of transport, popular in many western countries.
• Farmers in Rajasthan will get a monthly grant of Rs 1,000 under the ‘Kisan Mitra Urja Yojna’ which was launched by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
• Ministry of Law and Justice informing that the ‘long-winding and cumbersome’ nomenclature ‘Common High Court of UT of Jammu and Kashmir and UT of Ladakh’ have been changed to ‘High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh’. 
• Bonalu, the traditional folk festival of Telangana, began at the Jagadambika Temple at the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad.
• The Andhra Pradesh government has issued fresh orders for the implementation of 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) in education and employment, in accordance with the Constitution 103 Amendment Act.
• Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala stated To encourage and promote small industries in the rural areas, the Haryana government will soon introduce the ‘One Block, One Product’ scheme.
• Meghalaya cabinet approved the Meghalaya Youth Policy 2021, a framework that envisages towards achieving the government’s vision to create pathways for Meghalaya’s youth in achieving their fullest potential and becoming engaged, skilled, creative, responsible and empowered members of the local and global community.
• The Assam Government has decided to provide jobs to National Games medalists.
• India’s largest oil firm IOC will build the nation’s first ‘green hydrogen’ plant at its Mathura refinery, as it aims to prepare for a future catering to the growing demand for both oil and cleaner forms of energy.
• Maharashtra will be the first state in the country to issue educational documents using blockchain technology.
• The Supreme Court lifted a blanket ban imposed on disc jockeys by the Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh two years in the past.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated projects worth over Rs 1,100 crore in Gujarat, these projects include three new attractions in a state-of-the-art science city, a five-star hotel atop a railway station and several railway projects.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

• To increase retail participation in government securities, ‘the RBI Retail Direct’ facility was announced in the Statement of Developmental and Regulatory Policies dated February 05, 2021for improving ease of access by retail investors through online access to the government securities market – both primary and secondary – along with the facility to open their gilt securities account (‘Retail Direct’) with the RBI.
• The Kerala State Cooperative Bank (Kerala Bank) has announced Covid-19 relief schemes like Kerala Bank Special Liquidity Facility, KB Covid Helping Hand, KB Micro- Finance Scheme to aid various sections of society.
• The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) issued a framework for setting up and operating the International Trade Finance Services platform (ITFS). 
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed restrictions on Mastercard Asia Pacific Pte Ltd from onboarding new domestic customers (debit, credit or prepaid) onto its card network from July 22, citing non-compliance of storage of data in India.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) mentioned it has cancelled the licence of Dr Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd, Nilanga, Latur, as it does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the timeline for implementation of cassette swap in all ATMs till March 31, 2022.
• Given nod to set up small finance bank to take over scam-hit PMC (Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative) Bank: RBI to HC
• The Reserve Bank of India has announced the ‘RBI Retail Direct’ scheme that will give investors the facility of investing in government securities in one place.
• India’s wholesale price inflation eased in June to 12.07% from a record 12.94% a month ago as food and fuel prices fell while those of manufactured items accelerated.
• The Next-generation digital banking solutions that are now available allow banks to seamlessly integrate their services across multiple channels.
• The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India stated it has tied up with Bank of Maharashtra for offering inventory financing to its dealer partners.
• Jewellers will have to pay GST only on the profit earned on resale of second-hand gold jewellery, Karnataka AAR has ruled.
• APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) with Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF) organizes an awareness creation programme for the basmati rice growers.
• The Government has launched a Bad Bank with all the regulatory approvals in place.
• Nearly 72% of financial transactions of PSBs done through digital channels
• India emerges as 5th largest forex reserves holder in the world with $608.99 billion as on June 25, 2021
• Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) offers financial support to entrepreneurs, private companies, MSME and Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

• Union minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as the leader of the house in Rajya Sabha.
• Bandhan Bank announced the appointment of Kamal Batraas Executive President and Head – Assets.
• Mahindra Electric Mobility Ltd. (MEML) has just announced the appointment of Suman Mishra as its new Chief Executive as a Whole-time Director.
• Unibic Foods named Naveen Pandey as its chief executive officer.
• Vietnam has appointed Honorary Consul General of Vietnam in Bangalore to promote trade, economics, investment, tourism, educational and cultural cooperation between Vietnam and the State of Karnataka.
• Coal India(CIL) has engaged Accenture Solutions as a consultant for digitalization of mine process in seven select opencast mines of the company for accelerated performance enhancement.
• New York-based multibillion-dollar TCG group has appointed B Anand as the head of business for developing and implementing large scale polymer projects with sustainability focus
• Pidilite Industries has announced that Sudhanshu Vatswill join the company as deputy managing director, effective September 1, 2021.
• Isobar, the digital agency from the house of Dentsu India, has named Pragati Rana as its Senior Vice President (SVP)- Strategy.
• Dentsu Grouphas announced that its board of directors has appointed Jean Lin, global chief executive officer of creative services line of dentsu International, as a new executive officer of the company, effective on August 1.
• Online business discovery and rewards platform Magicpin stated Zomato co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Deepinder Goyal has joined its board as an independent director.
• Shiv Nadar, the founder of HCL Technologies Ltd, and its chief strategy officer, has tendered his resignation as managing director , as well as a director, with effect from 19 July, on completing 76 years of age.
• Union minister of minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was appointed as the deputy leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha.
• Odisha FC announced that it has appointed Kiko Ramírez as the head coach ahead of the upcoming eighth season of the Indian Super League.
• In view of increasing cases of dowry harassment in the state, the Kerala government has amended its dowry Prohibition rules, according to the new amended norms, dowry prohibition officers will be appointed in all 14 districts in the state. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• Telangana State Cooperative Apex Bank (TSCAB) has been chosen the best state cooperative bank (SCB) in the country by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).
• The 2021 CannesFilm Festival officially came to an end with the awards ceremony in which this year’s competition jury named the best films and performances of the festival.
• The research to develop nutraceutical products from seaweeds for the treatment of lifestyle diseases including diabetes has brought national recognition to Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) principal scientist Kajal Chakraborthy.
• United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) mentioned Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company Limited and Snehakunja Trust are among the 10 awardees of the prestigious Equator Prize for their work in the field of conservation and biodiversity. 
• Director Payal Kapadia’s A Night of Knowing Nothing won the Oeil d’or (Golden Eye) award for best documentary at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.
• Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus will follow in the footsteps of legendary Kenyan Olympic champion Kip Keino when he receives the Olympic Laurel at the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony here.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Finance Minister of Bhutan Lyonpo Namgay Tshering jointly launched BHIM–UPI in Bhutan.
• State-owned NTPC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UT of Ladakh and LAHDC to set up the country’s first Green Hydrogen Mobility project, strengthening PM Narendra Modi’s vision to ensure a carbon-free economy based on renewable sources and green hydrogen.
• The Ladakh administration has signed a MoU with Sikkim State Organic Certification Agency (SOCCA) to turn the Union Territory into an organic entity.
• The Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE), under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MORTH), has signed an Agreement with University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia for setting up a Centre for Advanced Transportation Technology and Systems (CATTS) at IAHE, Noida.
• The University of Rashtryaraksha (RRU) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat has an agreement with the Cambodian Police Academy (PAC) to support police training and capacity building.
• The Union Cabinet approved a pact between India and Russia regarding cooperation on coking coal, a key steel making raw material, for which domestic players remain dependent on imports from a select group of countries.
• The Indian Government will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh to export 10 lakh bales of cotton every year.
• The Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) has signed a MoU to train and place students in Japan. 
• Andhra Pradesh government signs MoUs with 14 more companies with an objective to ensure women empowerment and livelihood to six lakh women on a permanent basis through the YSR Cheyutha scheme.
• Financial institution of Maharashtra (BoM) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nationwide Financial institution for Agriculture & Rural Improvement (NABARD) to spice up ongoing developmental initiatives linked to precedence sector lending in Maharashtra.
• Web Werks plans to build a 750 crore ($100m) data center in Bengaluru, India.
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has taken various initiatives in the recent past to ease the lives of citizens by facilitating online delivery of Government services it is for enhance the initiatives of Digital India Programme, the Ministry has enabled map services in UMANG App ‘through Memorandum of Understanding with MapmyIndia.
• The National Commission for Women has signed an MoU with the Bureau of Police Research and Development for gender sensitization of police personnel across the country.
• Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, signed between Prasar Bharati, India’s Public Service Broadcaster and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), a Center of Excellence for Media and Broadcasting Technologies will be established at IIT Kanpur.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Cambridge University chemists Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman were declared the winners of the 2020 Millennium Technology Prize, a prestigious global science and technology prize awarded for their development of revolutionary sequencing techniques which means DNA
• Virgin Galactic space tourism company founder Richard Branson conducts space flight along with four other crewmates including Indian-origin woman Sirisha Bandla
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released two new companion reports, providing first global recommendations that will help in establishing human genome editing as a tool for public health.
• On July 14, 2021, The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the third long-duration hot test on the liquid propellant Vikas engine that would launch the ambitious Gaganyaan programme.
• Malaria and dengue predicted to affect billions more people if global warming continues uncurbed
• A heat-tolerant COVID-19 vaccine formulation developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru has proven effective against all current SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, according to a study in animals.
• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras have developed a mathematical model called ‘NBDriver’ to identify cancer-causing alterations in cells.
• The Russian defense ministry Successfully test fired the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile.
• On July 18, 2021, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) launched a new campaign called ‘KALA VISHWA’, from its Mumbai Centre.
• On July 20, 2021, Russia successfully test-fired its new S-500 air defence missile systems, from a southern training range, Kapustin Yar & hit a high-speed ballistic target as planned.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ENVIRONMENT 

• Recently Two new underground spider species named Gravelyia boro and Dexippus kleini have been discovered in the Jharbari range of western Assam’s Chirang Reserve Forest, Assam.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

• A New Book Titled “The Great Big Lion” drawn & written by child prodigy Chryseis Knight & the book was Published by Penguin Random House India’s Puffin’ imprint.
• Vice President Venkaih Naidu received a book entitled ‘Urdu Poets and Writers – Gems of Deccan’ authored by senior journalist, J.S. Ifthekhar & the Book is Published by Woven Words Publishers OPC Private Limited.
• A New Book Titled India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends Authored by Kanti Bajpa & the Book was Published by the Juggernaut publishers.
• The Haryana  Chief Minister unveiled a Coffee Table Book titled ‘UNTOLD stories’ of Haryana Police in Panchkula, Haryana.
• A new book titled The India Story Written by Former RBI governor Bimal Jalan.
• Former cabinet minister Khem Lata Wakhlu Authored a book titled ‘A Kashmiri Century – Portrait Of A Society In Flux.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• MSME Minister Narayan Rane launched two new Khadi Products- Khadi Babywear and Unique Handmade Paper Use and Throw Slippers in New Delhi.
• Adani Group has taken over the management control over Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).
• With this new region, Google Cloud customers operating in India will benefit from low latency and high performance of their cloud-based workloads and data & it announced expanding its footprint in India with its second ‘Cloud Region’ in the country.
• The government may hike foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the pension sector to 74 per cent and a Bill in this regard is expected to come in the next Parliament session, according to sources.
• With India’s forex reserves at $608.99 billion as on June 25, 2021 stood, India has emerged as the fifth largest foreign exchange reserves holder in the world after China, Japan, Switzerland and Russia.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has downgraded India’s economic growth forecast for the current financial year to 10 per cent, from 11 percent predicted earlier this year, mainly on account of the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

• On July 16, 2021, To strengthen India-US defence relationship, the Indian Navy received the first two MH-60R Multi Role Helicopters (MRH) from the United States Navy at Naval Air Station in North Island, San Diego.
• The two-day trilateral tabletop exercise TTX-2021, among the top defence officials from India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives was held from July 14 to July 15.
• INS Tabar, on completion of port visit to Brest, France undertook maritime partnership exercise with FNS Aquitaine, a French naval  Frigate in the Bay of Biscay on 15 and 16 Jul 21.
• Ordnance Factory of Tiruchirappalli (OFT)  handed over the locally assembled 12.7mm stabilised remote control gun (SRCG) system to the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard for enhanced surveillance and warfare.
• Top defence officials from India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives participated in a virtual trilateral tabletop exercise where they discussed best practices and procedures for countering common transnational maritime crime like curbing narcotics and assistance in maritime search and rescue.
• A reference was received from the State Government of Karnataka to the central government for setting up of a Sainik School in Shivamogga district of Karnataka.
• The Government has taken several policy initiatives and brought in reforms to promote indigenisation and self-reliance in defence manufacturing, under AatmaNirbhar Bharat Mission in the defence sector
• In line with Government of India’s initiative of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, it has been decided to earmark an amount of Rs 71,438.36 crore for domestic capital procurement out of the total allocation of Rs 1,11,463.21 crore for  Capital Acquisition.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & SERVICES

• On July 15, 2021, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered grievance management application CPGRAMS ( Centralized Public Grievance Redress & Monitoring System ) in New Delhi developed by the Ministry of Defence with the help of IIT-Kanpur.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• Global Power Synergy Public Co Ltd, a unit of Thailand’s state-owned utility major PTT, has acquired 41.6% stake in Avaada Energy Pvt Ltd, an Indian renewable energy producer.
• Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of 23.5 percent stake in ONGC Tripura Power Company Ltd by Summit India (Tripura).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

• Union Minister for Labour & Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav chaired the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meeting under India’s Presidency.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

• Deepak Kabra became the first Indian to be selected for judging the gymnastics competition of the Olympic Games. 
• On July 14, 2021, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur launched Team India’s official cheer song ‘Hindustani Way‘ for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics & the song has been composed by Grammy Award winner AR Rahman and sung by young singer Ananya Birla. 
• On July 13, 2021, Pakistan captain and star batsman Babar Azam became the fastest batsman to complete 14 ODI centuries
• In AFC Women’s Club Championship 2020-21, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has nominated the women’s team of ‘Gokulam Kerala FC’ to represent India.
• LA Polo Delhi in collaboration with Himalayan sports and cultural development organization and Polo Promotion Committee Kargil are working on a promotional documentary in Ladakh.
• On July 18, 2021, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain), won the British Grand Prix 2021 for a record-extending eighth time at the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom.
• On July 18, 2021, India’s GM Viswanathan Anand defeated Vladimir Kramnik of Russia to win the Sparkassen Trophy in his fourth and final round held in Dortmund, Germany.
• On July 18,2021, The International Cricket Council (ICC) welcomed its newest member countries Mongolia, Tajikistan and Switzerland at the ICC’s 78th Annual General Meeting held.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

• On July 13, 2021, Tennis Hall of Famer & Grand Slam winner Shirley Fry Irvin Passed away.
• On July 14, 2021, Former president of Pakistan & Muslim League-Nawaz’s central leader Mamnoon Hussain passed away.
• On July 16, 2021, Veteran actress Surekha Sikri passed away.
• On July 16, 2021, Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, Passed away.
• On July 16, 2021, National Award-winning writer, cartoonist, animation filmmaker Gautam Benegal passed away.
• On July 15, 2021, Gira Sarabhai, co-founder of the renowned National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad passed away.

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