July 1st Week 2021 Current Affairs Online Test English

Explanation

• India is signatory to the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD). It intends to achieve land degradation neutral status by 2030.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed a high–level virtual conference on desertification, land degradation and drought. PM Modi was President of 14th session of Conference of the Parties to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification at New Delhi in 2019.

Explanation

• The Union Ministry of Commerce has stated that India has exported a total of 1.91 lakh tonne worth Rs 619 crore, during the financial year 2020–21. In the previous FY 2019–20, the banana exports stood at a higher quantum of 1.95 lakh metric tonne banana valued at Rs 660 crore. India is the largest producer of Banana, with a share of 25% of world output.

Explanation

• The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has launched a customized crash course programme for COVID–19 frontline workers, which would make available trained health workers across the country to assist the battle against COVID.
• The course has been launched with a financial outlay of Rs.276 crore under the Central Component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0.

Explanation

• India, Italy and Japan have launched a trilateral, through a virtual meeting in which India was represented by the Union Ministry of External Affairs. This trilateral aims to create stability and a rules–based international order in the Indo–Pacific region, which is based on “consent of all” and not “power of the few”.

Explanation

• Russia and China recently unveiled a roadmap for a joint International Lunar Research Station. The International Lunar Research Station is a comprehensive scientific experiment base with the capability of long–term autonomous operation.
• The ILRS will become operational from 2036 onwards, providing a range of scientific facilities and equipments.

Explanation

• Stygarctus keralensis was discovered in Kerala by a research team which consisted of Vishnudattan, Jayachandran, and Bijoy Nandan, professor, Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, Cochin University of Science and Technology, J G Hansen, University of Copenhagen. It is the eighth species named under the genus Stygarctus.

Explanation

The new grass species, “Lophopogon prasannae” has recently been discovered in the Nigidi forest of Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. This grass species has been named after Dr PV Prasanna. This species has been marked as ‘critically endangered’ on the basis of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s ‘red list’ criteria.

Explanation

• June 17 is celebrated as World Crocodile Day to highlight the plight of endangered crocodiles and alligators around the world.
• Three crocodilian species are found in India viz. mugger or marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris); Estuarine or saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and gharial (Gavialis gangeticus). Of these, Gharial is endangered.

Explanation

• The Minority Affairs Ministry is set to launch an awareness campaign ‘Jaan Hai to Jahaan Hai’ in rural and remote areas to curb rumours against the COVID vaccination drive in the country. The campaign is to be launched by the Ministry of Minority Affairs along with various Socio–Educational Organisations, NGOs and Women Self Help Groups (SHGs).

Explanation

• The International Yoga Day has been celebrated every year on June 21 since 2015. PM Modi proposed to observe an International Yoga Day, in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly. This year, the theme of the International Day of Yoga is ‘Yoga for Wellness’. The focus will be on practicing yoga for physical and mental well–being.

Explanation

• The World Sustainable Gastronomy Day is observed every year on 18th of June to focus the world’s attention on the role that sustainable gastronomy can play. It also reaffirms that all cultures and civilizations are contributors of sustainable development.

Explanation

• The World Sickle Cell Day is observed every year on 19th of June to raise public awareness about the sickle cell disease and its treatment methods. Sickle cell disease is an inherited form of anaemia in which red blood cells are not able to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body. The 2021 theme is “Shine the Light on Sickle Cell”.

Explanation

• The International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is observed every year on June 19 to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict related sexual violence, to honor the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives to and lost their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes.

Explanation

• The Indian Navy, for the first time is participating in a joint exercise with the European Union Naval Force, which is set to take place in the Gulf of Aden, also known as the Gulf of Barbera. This exercise would involve some of the most advanced air defence, anti–submarine exercises, cross deck helicopter operations, tactical manoeuvres etc.

Explanation

• Milkha Singh, who is also called as the “Flying Sikh”, passed away recently due to COVID. He was 91 years old.
• Milkha Singh won India’s first individual gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, in 1958 in Wales. Milkha Singh was a soldier and a track and field sprinter, who represented India in various international events and brought laurels to the country.

Explanation

• The Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Nitin Gadkari recently said that the Government’s target is to reduce road accident deaths by 50% by year 2024. The World Bank and ADB have sanctioned a scheme by which the Government is allocating Rs.14,000 crores for states and NHAI to remove accident black spots.

Explanation

• The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has released the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction–Special Report on Drought 2021. As per the assessment, Drought has directly affected 1.5 billion people so far this century, more than any other disaster. This increased number is due to climate change, environmental degradation and demographic shifts.

Explanation

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has proposed to set up an International Carbon price floor to help limit global warming. It aims to achieve the transition toward low carbon growth over this decade. As per the IMF chief, limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees will require emissions to be cut by a quarter to a half by 2030.

Explanation

• ICAR–Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) has found cassava (tapioca) as a promising raw material for bioethanol production. As a biofuel crop, cassava has several advantages compared to sugarcane. Cassava has high starch content and ability to grow under low management conditions. This will help meet India’s Ethanol Blending Petrol (EBP) programme target of 2025.

Explanation

• India Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of M–Yoga app, which will host training videos to be available worldwide in different languages.
• The app is a collaborative work between the World Health Organisation and Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ministry of AYUSH), Government of India.

Explanation

• 43–year–old Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand has been selected as the first transgender athlete to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. 
• Hubbard will be the first Trans Olympian when she takes part in the super–heavyweight women’s competition. She will compete in the super–heavyweight 87–kg category after testosterone levels required by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are met.

Explanation

• The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has recently released the World Investment Report 2021. The report noted that global FDI has fallen by 35% due to COVID pandemic.
• UNCTAD has stated that India is the fifth largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in the world for 2020 and its value stood at USD 64 billion.

Explanation

• The state Government of Tamil Nadu has proposed to set up an Economic advisory council, which would comprise of eminent economists like Nobel laureate Esther Duflo, former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan, Former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, development economist Jean Dreze and former Union Finance secretary S Narayan.

Explanation

• Great Barrier Reef spans for 2300 km off Australia’s north–east coast. It gained World Heritage ranking in 1981 due to its scientific and intrinsic importance. Recently, UNESCO recently said the Great Barrier Reef should be put on a list of World Heritage Sites.

Explanation

• The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) won the Airport Council International’s (ACI) Director General’s Roll of Excellence honour for Airport Service Quality.
• Those airports which have consistently delivered excellent services in the Airport Service Quality Survey, in the opinion of the passengers, are provided with the Roll of Excellence recognition by ACI.

Explanation

• India has launched the world’s first exclusive green rating system for High–Speed Rail. CII–Indian Green Building Council has launched the IGBC Green High–Speed Rail Rating System. IGBC has collaborated with the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL).
• This rating system will enable new High–Speed Rail (HSR) stations to apply energy efficient concepts during operations.

Explanation

• The cabinet has recently approved further allocation of additional foodgrain to National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (Phase IV) till November.
• Under the scheme, the government will provide 5 kg foodgrains per person per month free of cost to maximum 81.35 crore beneficiaries covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA), including those covered under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Explanation

• As per a recent study published by the Natural History Museum, Colombia is home to the world’s largest variety of butterflies. The South American country has approximately 20% of all known species.
• An international team of scientists prepared a document titled “Checklist of Colombian Butterflies.” Over 200 butterfly species are found only in Colombia

Explanation

• Ingenuity, the NASA’s small robotic helicopter operating on the Mars, as a part of the Mars 2020 Mission of the American Space Agency. The helicopter completed its eighth flight to land on another new location. In its latest flight, Ingenuity flew 160 meters south to a new location, previously not surveyed by the helicopter or the Perseverance rover.

Explanation

• India’s state–owned power sector major NTPC Ltd is anchoring a two–day summit on Green Hydrogen initiatives. The event would involve participation from BRICS nations.
• This summit creates a platform to share Green Hydrogen initiatives by the nations across the globe and present detailed road maps to take green energy to the next levels. The event is proposed to be held in a virtual format.

Explanation

• As per the UN chief Antonio Guterres’ annual report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict, more than 8,500 children were used as soldiers last year in various conflicts across the world. The most violations in 2020 were committed in Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen.

Explanation

• Every year, the 21st of June is celebrated as World Music Day. This day was first celebrated in the year 1982 in France. The day coincides with the summer solstice and is aimed to bring people out on the streets and enjoy themselves listening to the music.

Explanation

• The Delimitation commission was set up six months after the abrogation of Article 370 and withdrawal of J&K’s special status in August 2019. The commission is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai.
• Recently, the Commission held a meeting with deputy commissioners (DCs) of all 20 districts in J&K. This is ahead of the all–party meeting called by the Prime Minister, with the leaders from J&K.

Explanation

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy participated in a passage exercise with the carrier strike group (CSG) of the US Navy. This exercise was carried out south of Thiruvananthapuram on the western seaboard. On Indian front, Sukhoi aircraft, Jaguars, IAF refuelling aircraft and warships and maritime patrol aircrafts participated.

Explanation

• As per Hurun Research and EdelGive Foundation report, India’s industrialist and Tata Group founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata has been declared to be world’s biggest philanthropist of the last century. 
• He has made donations worth $102.4 billion. Bill and Melinda Gates have been ranked the second. Wipro Founder and Chairman Azim Premji has been ranked at 12th position in the list.

Explanation

• The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the merger of Government owned Central Railside Warehouse Company Ltd (CRWC), with its holding company Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC). This decision has been made in line with the ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ policy of the Government, as spelt out in Budget 2021–22.

Explanation

• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have launched a joint initiative named Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) in Bhutan. For this initiative, India has been chosen as a Partner Jurisdiction. This programme aims to aid Bhutan in strengthening its tax administration.

Explanation

• Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju launched the official theme song of the Indian Olympic Team of Tokyo 2020. The song has been composed and sung by popular playback singer Mohit Chauhan. Over 100 athletes are expected to represent India at the Tokyo Games.

Explanation

• Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju launched the official theme song of the Indian Olympic Team of Tokyo 2020. The song has been composed and sung by popular playback singer Mohit Chauhan. Over 100 athletes are expected to represent India at the Tokyo Games.

Explanation

• To empower women and safeguard the rights of widows, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution and declared June 23 as International Widows Day. International Widows Day is aimed at showing solidarity with women who have lost their partners. As per the United Nations, there are an estimated 258 million widows around the world, and nearly one in ten live in extreme poverty.

Explanation

• Indian Army procured Dragunov sniper rifles from Russia in the 1990s. The rifles have fallen behind contemporary snipers used across the world. Recently, Russia agreed to offer the Indian Army, a comprehensive upgrade of the Dragunov sniper rifle.

Explanation

• American space agency NASA has sent a few numbers of squids into space for experimental and research purposes. These Hawaiian bobtail squids were raised at the University of Hawaii – Kewalo Marine Laboratory and have been sent to space in a SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Explanation

• The Government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors with the government of Fiji, in a virtual mode.
• The MoU aims to increase the cooperation of both the countries in Dairy Industry, Rice Industry, Root crop diversification, Water Resources Management, Coconut Industry, etc.

Explanation

• The Rubber Board of India has launched the field trials of the world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber in Rubber Board’s Sarutari research farm – Guwahati, Assam.
• This variant has been developed by the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) in Puthuppally, Kottayam, Kerala. The Government of Kerala had earlier denied the field trials of GM crops in the state.

Explanation

• Odisha has recently witnessed the first natural nesting of gharials. With this, it has become the only state to have all the three species of the reptile: freshwater gharials, muggers, and saltwater crocodiles. 
• Gharials were first introduced in 1975 in Odisha. They are considered as the most critically endangered and genetically weak species, compared to saltwater crocodiles and muggers.

Explanation

• Every year, the 23rd of June is celebrated as the World Olympic Day or International Olympic Day across the globe.
• This day was first introduced in the year 1948, to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on June 23, 1894, at the Sorbonne in Paris. This day aims to promote participation in sport across the globe irrespective of age, gender, or athletic ability.

Explanation

• Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a report titled “Suicide Worldwide 2019”. As per the report 7 lakh people die due to suicide every year. The report reveals that nearly 77% of global suicides occur in low– and middle–income countries and suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15–19–year–olds.

Explanation

• Guillain–Barre Syndrome is a rare neurological disorder, in which the body’s immune system attacks its own protective coatings on nerve fibres. This syndrome was first reported in Europe and the UK among some patients who undertook AstraZeneca–Oxford Covid–19 vaccine, but such a probability is found to be small.
• The syndrome may start with extreme weakness that can eventually paralyse the entire body. The vaccine is traded as Covishield in India, which also reported some cases.

Explanation

• The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs has enlarged and expanded the definition of small and medium companies (SMC). As per the new definition, small and medium companies are unlisted entities which are not banks, financial institutions or insurance firms.
• They should have a turnover of up to Rs 250 crore and borrowings up to Rs 50 crore in the immediately preceding accounting year.

Explanation

• World Drug Report 2021 has been released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report states that 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the year 2020 and that 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders.
• The report further reveals that, in the last 24 years, the cannabis potency has increased by about 4 times.