1. Operation Sudarshan launched by BSF to fortify the anti-infiltration grid along Pakistan border
A huge assortment of heavy machinery, communication interceptors and mobile bulletproof bunkers have been mobilised, backed by thousands of BSF personnel as part of the exercise. A mega exercise to fortify the 'anti-infiltration grid' along the Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu has been launched by the BSF, which has mobilised its entire senior field brass, thousands of troops and machinery deployed in these forward areas. The operation, code named 'Sudarshan', was launched on July 1 and will cover the entire over 1,000-kms length of the India-Pakistan International Border.
2. India will train 1800 Bangladeshi Civil Servants at NCGG in Mussoorie
Eighteen hundred Bangladeshi mid-career civil servants will be trained at the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) in Mussoorie between 2019-2025. The first batch of 30 civil servants leaving for a two-week long training programme in Mussoorie paid a visit to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka yesterday. The Bangladeshi civil servants are being trained at the National Centre for Good Governance based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed in February this year in the Fifth meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC).
3. Uttarakhand was named among best performing states in ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme
The state will be felicitated, along with the other selected states, in recognition of its consistent performance in respect of sex ratio at birth, according to a letter from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. Uttarakhand has been adjudged as one of the country's five best performing states in 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao', a central scheme aimed at addressing declining child sex ratio and issues of women empowerment. Consistent performance in respect of SRB indicates that the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme is gaining ground, the letter added.
4. Sri Lanka inaugurated its first model village built with Indian assistance at Ranidugama in Gampaha
A model village built with the Indian assistance as part of a housing project meant for war-affected people and estate workers inaugurated in Sri Lanka. India partnered with the Ministry of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs to build 100 model villages. It consists of a total of 2,400 houses all across Sri Lanka. The Indian grant of Rs 1,200 million (USD 17.5 million). Minister of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs Sajith Premadasa, former President Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga and Acting High Commissioner of India Shilpak Ambule inaugurated the first model village at Ranidu Gama in Gampaha.
5. Price for SGBs fixed at Rs 3,443 per gram.
The government has fixed the price at Rs 3,443 per gram for the new series of sovereign gold bonds (SGBs) opening Monday. The Centre in consultation with the RBI has decided to allow a discount of Rs 50 per gram from the issue price to those investors who apply online and the payment is made through digital mode, the finance ministry said in a statement. "For such investors, the issue price of gold bond will be Rs 3,393 per gram of gold," it said. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 30 announced calendar for issuance of SGB for the first half of the current financial year.
6. Genesis foundation awarded as CSR Implementation Partner at the 3rd edition of CSR Health Impacts Awards
The CSR Health Impact Award recognises and applauds organizations which have implemented health-focused CSR ventures to impact lives. Under Project 'Little Hearts' with WPP India CSR Foundation, Genesis Foundation has facilitated treatment for 355 children suffering from Congenital Heart Disorder. Genesis Foundation, a Gurgaon based Non-Profit Organization working towards the treatment of underprivileged children suffering from congenital heart disorders, has won the CSR Implementation Partner award in the leadership category at the third edition of CSR Health Impact Awards.
7. M Nageswar Rao appointed director general of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard
The Central government on Friday appointed M Nageswar Rao, Additional Director of CBI as the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard. As per the government order, he will continue to hold the post till superannuation in July 2020. Earlier, former CBI Chief Alok Verma was also given the same post. However, Verma declined to accept the role. Earlier this year, Supreme Court had held Rao guilty of Contempt of Court for transferring the investigating officer heading the probe in Muzaffarpur shelter home case in violation of the orders of Apex Court.
8. Indian Army plans to buy American howitzer ammo for long-range accurate strikes
"The Indian Army is planning to acquire the Excalibur artillery ammunition from the Americans under the emergency procurement procedures," government sources said here. Seeking to acquire the capability to hit enemy positions close to populated areas without causing collateral damage, the Indian Army is in the process of acquiring Excalibur guided long- range artillery ammunition which can strike targets more than 50 km away. "The Indian Army is planning to acquire the Excalibur artillery ammunition from the Americans under the emergency procurement procedures," government sources said here.
9. New gene linked to schizophrenia discovered by Indian and Australian scientists
Collaborative effort between Indian and Australian team aims to shed more light on the mental illness. After 18 years of research, Indian and Australian scientists have identified a new gene directly linked to schizophrenia. Scientists from the University of Queensland in Australia and a team of Indian researchers searched the genomes of over 3,000 individuals and found those with schizophrenia were more likely to have a particular genetic variation.
10. Vinesh Phogat & Divya Kakran won gold; Pooja Dhanda won silver at the Wrestling Grand Prix 2019 of Spain
India finished second with 130 points in team championship behind Russia who scored 165. Putting up a dominating show, India’s top wrestler Vinesh Phogat won her first gold medal after shifting to 53kg category, while Divya Kakran claimed the top honours in the 68kg category at the Grand Prix of Spain here. Vinesh, one of India’s medal hopefuls at the 2020 Tokyo Games, was competing only in her third tournament in the new category.
11. Hima Das and Muhammed Anas won gold medal at 2019 Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland
Indian sprinter Hima Das won her second international gold in women’s 200m with a top finish at the Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland on Sunday. Hima, who has been struggling with a back problem for the past few months, clocked 23.97 seconds to clinch the gold while VK Vismaya bagged the silver in 24.06. This was Hima’s second competitive 200m race of the year. In her first competitive 200m race of the year, the Assam runner - who has a personal best of 23.10s - had clocked 23.65s on her way to gold in the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix, also in Poland, on Tuesday. Vismaya had finished third in that meet with a personal best time of 23.75.
12. Brazil beats Peru in the final to lift the Copa America 2019 title
Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus scored one goal and assisted another before being sent off to help Brazil clinch their first Copa America title in 12 years. Brazil didn't need Neymar to win another Copa América title at home. With its injured star watching from the stands at a packed Maracanã Stadium on Sunday, Brazil beat Peru 3-1 to win its first South American title since 2007. It was Neymar's replacement, Everton, who led the team to victory, scoring a goal and setting up another to give Brazil its ninth Copa América trophy, and fifth at home.
A huge assortment of heavy machinery, communication interceptors and mobile bulletproof bunkers have been mobilised, backed by thousands of BSF personnel as part of the exercise. A mega exercise to fortify the 'anti-infiltration grid' along the Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu has been launched by the BSF, which has mobilised its entire senior field brass, thousands of troops and machinery deployed in these forward areas. The operation, code named 'Sudarshan', was launched on July 1 and will cover the entire over 1,000-kms length of the India-Pakistan International Border.
2. India will train 1800 Bangladeshi Civil Servants at NCGG in Mussoorie
Eighteen hundred Bangladeshi mid-career civil servants will be trained at the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) in Mussoorie between 2019-2025. The first batch of 30 civil servants leaving for a two-week long training programme in Mussoorie paid a visit to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka yesterday. The Bangladeshi civil servants are being trained at the National Centre for Good Governance based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed in February this year in the Fifth meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC).
3. Uttarakhand was named among best performing states in ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme
The state will be felicitated, along with the other selected states, in recognition of its consistent performance in respect of sex ratio at birth, according to a letter from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. Uttarakhand has been adjudged as one of the country's five best performing states in 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao', a central scheme aimed at addressing declining child sex ratio and issues of women empowerment. Consistent performance in respect of SRB indicates that the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme is gaining ground, the letter added.
4. Sri Lanka inaugurated its first model village built with Indian assistance at Ranidugama in Gampaha
A model village built with the Indian assistance as part of a housing project meant for war-affected people and estate workers inaugurated in Sri Lanka. India partnered with the Ministry of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs to build 100 model villages. It consists of a total of 2,400 houses all across Sri Lanka. The Indian grant of Rs 1,200 million (USD 17.5 million). Minister of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs Sajith Premadasa, former President Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga and Acting High Commissioner of India Shilpak Ambule inaugurated the first model village at Ranidu Gama in Gampaha.
5. Price for SGBs fixed at Rs 3,443 per gram.
The government has fixed the price at Rs 3,443 per gram for the new series of sovereign gold bonds (SGBs) opening Monday. The Centre in consultation with the RBI has decided to allow a discount of Rs 50 per gram from the issue price to those investors who apply online and the payment is made through digital mode, the finance ministry said in a statement. "For such investors, the issue price of gold bond will be Rs 3,393 per gram of gold," it said. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 30 announced calendar for issuance of SGB for the first half of the current financial year.
6. Genesis foundation awarded as CSR Implementation Partner at the 3rd edition of CSR Health Impacts Awards
The CSR Health Impact Award recognises and applauds organizations which have implemented health-focused CSR ventures to impact lives. Under Project 'Little Hearts' with WPP India CSR Foundation, Genesis Foundation has facilitated treatment for 355 children suffering from Congenital Heart Disorder. Genesis Foundation, a Gurgaon based Non-Profit Organization working towards the treatment of underprivileged children suffering from congenital heart disorders, has won the CSR Implementation Partner award in the leadership category at the third edition of CSR Health Impact Awards.
7. M Nageswar Rao appointed director general of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard
The Central government on Friday appointed M Nageswar Rao, Additional Director of CBI as the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard. As per the government order, he will continue to hold the post till superannuation in July 2020. Earlier, former CBI Chief Alok Verma was also given the same post. However, Verma declined to accept the role. Earlier this year, Supreme Court had held Rao guilty of Contempt of Court for transferring the investigating officer heading the probe in Muzaffarpur shelter home case in violation of the orders of Apex Court.
8. Indian Army plans to buy American howitzer ammo for long-range accurate strikes
"The Indian Army is planning to acquire the Excalibur artillery ammunition from the Americans under the emergency procurement procedures," government sources said here. Seeking to acquire the capability to hit enemy positions close to populated areas without causing collateral damage, the Indian Army is in the process of acquiring Excalibur guided long- range artillery ammunition which can strike targets more than 50 km away. "The Indian Army is planning to acquire the Excalibur artillery ammunition from the Americans under the emergency procurement procedures," government sources said here.
9. New gene linked to schizophrenia discovered by Indian and Australian scientists
Collaborative effort between Indian and Australian team aims to shed more light on the mental illness. After 18 years of research, Indian and Australian scientists have identified a new gene directly linked to schizophrenia. Scientists from the University of Queensland in Australia and a team of Indian researchers searched the genomes of over 3,000 individuals and found those with schizophrenia were more likely to have a particular genetic variation.
10. Vinesh Phogat & Divya Kakran won gold; Pooja Dhanda won silver at the Wrestling Grand Prix 2019 of Spain
India finished second with 130 points in team championship behind Russia who scored 165. Putting up a dominating show, India’s top wrestler Vinesh Phogat won her first gold medal after shifting to 53kg category, while Divya Kakran claimed the top honours in the 68kg category at the Grand Prix of Spain here. Vinesh, one of India’s medal hopefuls at the 2020 Tokyo Games, was competing only in her third tournament in the new category.
11. Hima Das and Muhammed Anas won gold medal at 2019 Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland
Indian sprinter Hima Das won her second international gold in women’s 200m with a top finish at the Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland on Sunday. Hima, who has been struggling with a back problem for the past few months, clocked 23.97 seconds to clinch the gold while VK Vismaya bagged the silver in 24.06. This was Hima’s second competitive 200m race of the year. In her first competitive 200m race of the year, the Assam runner - who has a personal best of 23.10s - had clocked 23.65s on her way to gold in the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix, also in Poland, on Tuesday. Vismaya had finished third in that meet with a personal best time of 23.75.
12. Brazil beats Peru in the final to lift the Copa America 2019 title
Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus scored one goal and assisted another before being sent off to help Brazil clinch their first Copa America title in 12 years. Brazil didn't need Neymar to win another Copa América title at home. With its injured star watching from the stands at a packed Maracanã Stadium on Sunday, Brazil beat Peru 3-1 to win its first South American title since 2007. It was Neymar's replacement, Everton, who led the team to victory, scoring a goal and setting up another to give Brazil its ninth Copa América trophy, and fifth at home.
