July 2nd Week 2021 Current Affairs Online Test English

Explanation

• Ms K K Shailaja – commonly known as “Shailaja Teacher”, the former Health Minister of Kerala has been awarded with the Central European University (CEU) Open Society Prize, for her selfless commitment to the public health services. This price is awarded to personalities of exceptional distinction who have served the ideals of an open society.

Explanation

• Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment implements the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA).
• Union Social Justice Minister recently launched the website for the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA). Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is the nodal ministry for Drug Demand Reduction in India.

Explanation

• Every year, the United Nations Public Service Day is observed on 23rd of June. This day recognizes the role of public service, stresses the importance of the same and recognizes the work of public servants across the globe.
• The theme for this year is “Innovating the Future Public Service: New Government Models for a New Era to Reach the SDGs”.

Explanation

• Italy holds the G20 Presidency in 2021. It has recently hosted the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting in hybrid mode. India’s Union Minister for Labour and Employment Santosh Gangwar delivers Ministerial Address on Declaration and EWG Priorities. G20 Education Ministers’ Meeting was also hosted by Italy in blended mode.

Explanation

• CEOS COAST, a multinational project, stands for Committee on Earth Observation Satellites–Coastal Observations, Applications, Services, and Tools. The project is co–led by ISRO and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from the US.
• It aims to improve the accuracy of coastal data based on satellite and land–based observations. The project has been recently endorsed by International Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

Explanation

• Indian Navy’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) is proposed to be commissioned into service in the year 2022, and it would be named as INS Vikrant upon being commissioned.
• The vessel is being constructed at the Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi. Union Defence Minister has stated that the carrier would be an example of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Explanation

• In December 2020, Kerala launched the pilot project of ‘Kaval Plus programme’, to support children in need of care and survivors of sexual abuse in the state.
• After the success of the pilot project, the Department of Women and Child Development in Kerala is set to expand Kaval Plus to five more districts. It covers the children at homes, child care institutes, and those in the community outside the ambit of child welfare committees.

Explanation

• Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana was launched to incentivize employers for creation of new employment along with social security benefits during COVID–19 pandemic. It is implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
• In the recent package, the finance minister announced that Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana be extended till 31st March 2022.

Explanation

• India’s premier think tank the NITI Aayog had convened a National Convention on Prevention of Maternal, Adolescent and Childhood Obesity. NITI Aayog described obesity as a silent epidemic. It also called for a multi–sectoral approach to target the adolescents for promoting activity and healthy lifestyle. Global experts and representatives from UN bodies including UNICEF, WHO and WFP participated.

Explanation

• The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY–U) was launched on 25th June, 2015, with an aim to achieve Housing for all by the year 2022. 6 years completed after the launch of three schemes of MoHUA– Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Urban (PMAY–U).

Explanation

• The International Solar Alliance is an intergovernmental coalition of over 120 countries, initiated by India and is headquartered at Gurugram. Recently, Denmark ratified the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement and by doing so, it became the first country to do so.

Explanation

• Indian scientists identified the Delta Variant in October 2020 and submitted to Global Database. Delta variant, also known as SARS–CoV–2 B.1.617, has about 15–17 mutations.
• This Delta variant (B.1.617) has three subtypes B1.617.1, B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.3, among which the B.1.617.2 (Delta Plus) has been classified as a Variant of Concern. The Delta Plus variant has an additional mutation named ‘K417N mutation’.

Explanation

• The United Nations Human rights chief released a report on Racial Justice and Inequality and submitted to the UN Human Rights Council. 
• As per the report, racism against people of African descent still remains systemic in many parts of the world. The report highlighted 190 deaths of Africans and people of African descent globally at the hands of law enforcement officials.

Explanation

• Paris–based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the Global Watchdog dog for money laundering and terror financing.
• When the FATF places a country in grey list, it means the country is subject to increased monitoring. Recently, it added Malta, Haiti, the Philippines and South Sudan to its grey list of countries and kept Pakistan on the list. It removed Ghana from the list after the country showed progress.

Explanation

• Abhishek Verma created history by becoming the first man to win two World Cup gold medals in individual compound archery. He recently won the gold in the men’s individual compound event at the Archery World Cup Stage 3, being held in Paris. He had previously won gold at the individual event in Wroclaw in 2015.

Explanation

• The world’s biggest mobile event of the year Mobile World Congress (MWC), began in hybrid form on June 28 in Barcelona, a city in Spain. 
• Last year, the event got cancelled due to high number of cases of COVID–19. Top Brands like Google, Nokia, Xiaomi, Facebook and Sony are not attending this year’s in–person event. MWC Barcelona, is an annual event focused on innovations in telecom industry, hosted by GSMA.

Explanation

• As per the Finance Ministry’s recent notification, tax on expenses incurred on Covid treatment of an employee, borne by employers or any another person, is exempted.
• This exemption is applicable to any amount paid by the employer, and limited to Rs 10 lakh if received from any other person. This covers treatment of Covid–19 during FY20 and subsequent years.

Explanation

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired an extended range version of indigenously developed “Pinaka” rocket.
• 25 Enhanced Pinaka Rockets were test fired at Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. The 122 mm Caliber rockets were launched from a Multi–Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL).

Explanation

• Scientifically referred to as Hylocereusundatus, the dragon fruit is called as ‘Kamalam’ in India, due to its resemblance to a lotus flower. Recently, India exported its first consignment of the Dragon Fruit sourced from the farmers of Sangli district, Maharashtra to Dubai, as per the announcement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Explanation

• China has been officially certified as ‘Malaria–free’ by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is only the second country in the Asia Pacific region to get the tag, after Sri Lanka in 2016. In the 1940s, it had an estimated 30 million cases and 300,000 deaths per year.

Explanation

• India approved its fourth Covid–19 vaccine, and its first mRNA vaccine, Moderna’s mRNA–1273. It is sold under the brand name ‘Spikevax’ in the US. Now the vaccines can be imported to India without bridging clinical studies. Moderna vaccine which has 94.1 percent efficacy will be available in India through the Indian pharma company Cipla.

Explanation

• 2–deoxy–D–glucose (2–DG) was developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s company.
• Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) has commercially launched 2–DG drug, an oral drug used to treat moderate to severe Covid patients.

Explanation

• A shipment of fresh Burmese grapes referred as ‘Leteku’ in Assamese language has been recently exported to Dubai from Guwahati by air route.
• APEDA facilitated the export of the fruits rich in vitamin C and Iron. Recently, APEDA assisted in exports of the first consignment of ‘red rice’ to the USA and GI–certified KajiNemu (Assam lemon) to London.

Explanation

• Veteran journalist P. Sainath has been selected as one of the three recipients of the Japan’s Fukuoka Prize for 2021.
• Sainath will receive the Grand Prize of the Fukuoka Prize, for spreading knowledge through writings and commentaries on rural India and for promoting civil cooperation. Eleven Indians have received the Fukuoka Prize so far.

Explanation

• The Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) was first proposed in 1983. The state government announced that the project is set to commence soon. It will connect Bengaluru to its satellite townships, suburbs, and surrounding rural areas, by a rail–based rapid–transit system.
• Rail Infrastructure Development Company, Karnataka, (K–RIDE) is in charge of the project. It is expected to be completed by 2026 at an estimated cost of Rs 15,767 crore.

Explanation

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), along with the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) released a new report, titled Indigenous Peoples’ Food System, Insights of sustainability and resilience from the front line of climate change.
• It identified hundreds of diverse plant and animal species that Indigenous people around the world depend on, to generate food sustainably and enhance biodiversity. The report also warned of increasing threats to these sophisticated food systems.

Explanation

• Charted Accountants Day is celebrated on July 1 every year to commemorate the finding of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) was established by the parliament of India in 1949 under an Act.

Explanation

• Union minister of education, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank released Unified District Information System for Education Plus report (UDISE+) for 2019–2020.
• UDISE+ report highlighted some interesting facts, both positive and negative about Indian school education system.

Explanation

• The Government of Jammu & Kashmir recently ended 149–year–old practice of ‘darbar move’. Darbar Move is the name given to the bi–annual shift of the secretariat and all other government offices of Jammu and Kashmir from one capital city to another.

Explanation

• Leaders of China and Russia officially announced to extend the China–Russia Treaty of Good–Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation. It is a 20–year–old bilateral agreement on friendship and cooperation signed between the two countries in 2001.
• The US and the EU have been pushing against both the countries over human rights and a set of other issues.

Explanation

• Rahi Sarnobat clinched the 25m pistol gold medal at the shooting World Cup, being held in Osijek, Croatia. It is India’s first gold at the tournament. Rahi Sarnobat also won the Arjuna Award for Shooting.

Explanation

• Scientists from NASA and some universities are undertaking a $15 million, five–year study on adjacent areas of Louisiana. The team aims to create computer models that can be used with satellite data. This will let countries around the world know which parts of their deltas can be shored up.

Explanation

• The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has recently released the updated atlas of glacial lakes that are part of the Ganga River basin. As per the atlas, 4,707 glacial lakes have been mapped in the Ganga basin which have a spread area greater than 0.25 ha. Resourcesat–2 (RS–2) has been used for this purpose.

Explanation

• The International Day of Cooperatives was celebrated on July 3, 2021 under the theme of ‘Rebuild better together’. The day is celebrated every year on first Saturday of July.

Explanation

• Pushkar Singh Dhami (born 1975) has recently become the 11th and youngest Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. He is a member of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly from the Khatima constituency in Udham Singh Nagar district.

Explanation

• The Project BOLD (Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought) is a project of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) that seeks to create bamboo–based green patches in arid and semi–arid land zones.
• It was launched on July 4, 2021 from tribal village Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan. It is unique and first of its kind scientific exercise serving the combined national objectives of reducing desertification and providing livelihood and multi–disciplinary rural industry support.
• It has been launched as part of KVIC’s “Khadi Bamboo Festival” to celebrate 75 years of independence “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. KVIC is set to replicate the Project at Village Dholera in Ahmedabad district in Gujarat and Leh–Ladakh region by August this year. Total 15,000 bamboo saplings will be planted before August, 2021.

Explanation

• Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020 has been launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN body. India has entered the top–10 list for the first time. It has moved up 37 places to be placed in the 10th best country in the world on key cyber–safety parameters. The US topped the index, followed by the UK and Saudi Arabia at the second position, and Estonia at third in the index.

Explanation

• The Department of Space, Government of India has recently come out with the draft space transportation policy, under which it has encouraged private participation in space technology. The policy also lays special emphasis on Research and Development in green fuel, robotic space exploration and reusable rockets.

Explanation

• July 1st 2021 marks the 4th anniversary of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which was implemented on the same date in 2017. This date has been designated by the Central Government as GST DAY.
• This year, the Union Finance Ministry has proposed to issue certificates of appreciation to 54,000 GST payers for timely filing of returns to mark the GST Day.

Explanation

• China’s Communist Party has marked the 100th year of its inception recently. This was celebrated in a huge way at the country’s Tiananmen Square. To mark this event, a 100–gun salute was made. Speaking at the occasion, the China’s leader Xi Jinping addressed that the party was the only force capable of ensuring the country’s rise.

Explanation

• The United Nation’s trade and development body, UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) has recently released a report ‘COVID–19 and Tourism’.
• As per the report, the world’s tourism sector could lose at least USD 1.2 trillion or 1.5% of the global gross domestic product (GDP). If the break in international tourism lasts for 8 months, the loss could rise to USD 2.2 trillion or 2.8% of the global GDP.

Explanation

• Every year, 1st July is observed as the National Doctor’s Day in India by the Indian Medical Association. This day is celebrated in memory of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, who was the former Chief Minister of Bengal, who has made enormous contribution to mankind by his service as a doctor.

Explanation

• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had instituted National Community Radio (CR) Awards in the year 2011–12 to encourage healthy competition amongst Community Radio Stations (CRSs).
• In this year’s awards, Radio Vishwas (Maharashtra) won first prize in Sustainability Model. Rimjhim Radio 90.4 FM (Bihar) won first prize in Innovative community Engagement. Radio Gunjan (Odisha) won First prize in Promoting Local Culture. Radio Mattoli (Kerala) won first prize in Thematic Category.

Explanation

• Israel’s Defence major Rafael Advanced Defense Systems launched Sea Breaker, a 5th generation long range, autonomous, precision–guided missile system. It is a naval and artillery unit force–multiplier, which can hit high–value maritime and land targets. It has ranges of up to 300 km, can be fired both from land and surface ships.

Explanation

• India announced the ‘Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code’ and it came into force from May 2021. As per the rules, all significant social media intermediaries had to publish monthly reports on the details of complaints, actions taken and monitoring details. 
• Facebook recently launched its first monthly report for the period between May 15 and June 15. As per the report, Facebook took action against about 30 million pieces of content.

Explanation

• The Central Government has brought into effect Stock Limits and Movement Restrictions on Specified Foodstuffs (Amendment) Order 2021. As per the order, stock limits have been imposed on wholesalers, retailers, millers and importers of pulses.
• Stock limits are prescribed for all pulses except Moong Daal until October 31, for all states and UTs. This decision was taken amidst the continuous rise in the prices of pulses.

Explanation

• Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kasauli is the National Control Laboratory for testing of Immunobiologicals (vaccines and antisera) meant for human use.
• Recently, the Union Government has set up two laboratories including one at Autonomous Research Institutes National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, and another at National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) Hyderabad as Central Drug Laboratory (CDL).

Explanation

• Panchmuli lake, situated near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ‘Statue of Unity’ in Kevadia, Gujarat. It was seen in the news because as many as 194 crocodiles have been relocated from the lake in the last two years for the safety of tourists.
• As per the officials, 143 crocodiles were relocated in 2019–20 and 51 crocodiles were shifted to two rescue centres in 2020–21.

Explanation

• Maana Patel made history on July 2, 2021 as she became the first Indian female swimmer to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics through the ‘Universality quota’. Maana Patel, 21, will join Sajan Prakash and Srihari Natarajan in India’s swimming squad for this month’s Summer Olympics.

Explanation

• Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff on July 1, 2021. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Air Force on December 29, 1982, and has a flying experience of more than 3800 hrs on a wide variety of fighter and trainer aircrafts.