1. Govt sets a target to raise health services expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2025
2. Union Cabinet gives nod to grant OGAS status to paramilitary forces
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal for giving Organized Group 'A' Service (OGAS) to Group 'A' Executive Cadre Officers of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). It also approved an extension of the benefit of Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) and Non-Functional Selection Grade (NFSG). Talking to reporters here, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the decision will benefit CAPF personnel from CRPF, ITBP, BSF, CISF and SSB. "It will fulfill a long pending demand (of CAPFs)," he said.
3. National Film Heritage Mission Project reviewed by Prakash Javadekar
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar today reviewed National Film Heritage Mission Project in a meeting held at National Film Archives in Pune. Talking to reporters after the review meeting, he said, the assessment part of the project is now over, conservation part will start soon and after that Digitisation, work will start. He said that after the restoration work is over, this treasure of Indian Films can be made available to Film Lovers all over the world with the help of Information Technology. Mr. Javadekar further said that preserving film heritage is a project taken by the Modi Government and they have an allotted budget of 600 crore rupees for this project.
4. Cooperative Sector Exports Promotion Forum for double the farm exports by 2022: Piyush Goyal
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal Tuesday announced the formation of a Cooperative Sector Exports Promotion Forum (CSEPF) to achieve the target of doubling farm exports to USD 60 billion by 2022. He also said the first-ever 'International Cooperative Trade Fair' will be organized between October 11 and 13 at Pragati Maidan in the national capital to promote exports by cooperatives. There are more than 8 lakh cooperative institutions in India and 94 percent of the country's 15 crore farmers are members of at least one cooperative body. "Cooperative Sector Exports Promotion Forum (CSEPF) has been set up in National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) which will work with 20 states and union territories in the area of export," Goyal said at a press conference here.
5. Comprehensive legislation on data privacy under formulation
The Central government is considering bringing a Data Protection Bill to strengthen the protection of personal data, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. In a written reply, Minister of Electronics and Information and Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said that comprehensive legislation on data privacy is under formulation. "The government had constituted a committee of experts on data protection, chaired by Justice (Retd) BN Srikrishna to study various issues relating to data protection and come out with the Data Protection Bill," said Prasad.
6. Visit of Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State of the United States of America to India
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday and discussed various aspects of the bilateral relationship to strengthen the India-US strategic partnership. Pompeo, who arrived here last night, will hold detailed discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the afternoon and have a working lunch with him. Mike Pompeo, who arrived in India on Tuesday evening, is also scheduled to hold a separate meeting with external affairs minister S Jaishankar. The US secretary of state is on a visit to India from June 25-27. This is the first high-level visit from any country following the Lok Sabha elections.
7. Indian Air Force and Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) participating in a bilateral air exercise Garuda VI at Mont de Marsan in France
The air forces of India and France will take part in a joint exercise at Mont de Marsan in France from July 1 to 12, which will see the participation of fighter jets like Rafale, Mirage 2000, Sukhoi 30 from the two sides. The Indian Air Force contingent comprises of 120 air-warriors and four Sukhoi 30 MKI along with an IL-78 flight refueling aircraft, according to the IAF. The exercise will see the deployment of a great majority of French Air Force units like Rafale, Alpha Jet, Mirage 2000, C135, E3F, C130, Casa, a statement by the French embassy here said.
8. J&K: Annual Chamliyal Mela celebrated without the traditional exchange of sweets between Indo-Pak
Thousands of devotees on Thursday thronged the Chamliyal border shrine along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir for an annual fair but there was no traditional exchange of 'shakkar and sharbat' with Pakistan for the second successive year. The famous fair at the shrine of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas, a saint popularly known as Baba Chamliyal, in Samba district was last year canceled following the killing of four BSF personnel in unprovoked firing by Pakistani rangers. Since there was no formal communication between Pakistan Rangers and Indian border guarding force, no delegation came from Pakistan and there was no exchange of sweets, 'chadar' or 'shakkar' (sacred clay) and 'sharbat' (water), a BSF official told PTI. Baba Chamliyal, after whom the village on the zero lines in Samba district's Ramgarh sector is named, lived over 300 years ago and is revered by the people of all faiths.
9. First Ever IICTF to be held in New Delhi from October 11-13, 2019
Aligning with the Agriculture Export Policy 2018 which aims at doubling the agriculture export and integrating Indian farmers and agriculture products with global value chains, The First Ever India International Cooperatives Trade Fair (IICTF) is going to be held at PragatiMaidan, New Delhi from 11th till 13th October 2019. Steered by NCDC, the Fair is being conducted with the support of one international organization (NEDAC), three Ministries, four State Governments and several apex levels Indian cooperative organizations.
10. 82-member rhino protection force deployed in Kaziranga National Park, Assam
An 82-member special protection force trained to combat poachers and understand animal behavior was deployed in the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) on Sunday. Among the 82 personnel of the Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) are eight women. “The SRPF is basically a tiger protection force named after the rhino since the threat of poaching is more for the one-horned herbivore. Their job profile includes protecting the striped cat since Kaziranga is also a tiger reserve,” KNP Director P. Sivakumar said. The Assam government would be paying the salaries of the SRPF members and the amount would be reimbursed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, which recommended setting up of the special force.
11. WHO launches its first guidelines on self-care interventions for health
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched its first guidelines on self-care interventions for health in response to an estimate that by 2035 the world will face a shortage of nearly 13 million healthcare workers and the fact that currently, at least 400 million people worldwide lack access to the most essential health services. In its first volume, the guidelines focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Some of the interventions include self-sampling for human papillomavirus (HPV) and sexually transmitted infections, self-injectable contraceptives, home-based ovulation predictor kits, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) self-testing and self-management of medical abortion.
12. Ending the use of Single-use plastic shopping bags by New Zealand government kicks in
The ban on single-use plastic shopping bags, which takes effect on 1 July, is a step towards healthier oceans and giving nature a hand, says Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage. “New Zealanders are proud of our country’s clean, green reputation and want to help ensure we live up to it. Ending the use of single-use plastic shopping bags helps do that” says Eugenie Sage. “From tomorrow, 1 July, the ban will cover all retailers. People who take their own re-useable bags help local businesses and markets. New regulations mean such businesses can no longer provide their customers with a single-use plastic shopping bag to carry their purchases.”
13. Trump becomes 1st sitting US president takes Steps Into North Korea
US President Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea on Sunday when he met its leader, Kim Jong Un, in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas and agreed to resume stalled nuclear talks. The two men shook hands warmly and expressed hopes for peace when they met for the third time in just over a year on the old Cold War frontier that for decades has symbolized the hostility between their countries, which are technically still at war. Trump, escorted by Kim, briefly crossed a military demarcation line into the North.
14. India pledged to contribute $5 million to the UN Palestine refugee agency in 2019
India has pledged to contribute 5 million US Dollars in 2019 to the UN Palestine refugee agency. It also voiced concern over the agency's financial situation and called for ensuring sustained financial support for its work. India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu said the Government has increased its annual financial contribution fourfold to the UNRWA core budget, from 1.25 million dollars in 2016 to 5 million in 2018. He was speaking at a meeting of the General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee for Voluntary Contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
15. As per ILO, India could lose 34 million jobs in 2030 due to global warming
A UN reports say India is projected to lose 5.8 percent of working hours in 2030 due to global warming, particularly impacting agriculture and construction sectors. The International Labour Organization said in its report named 'Working on a Warmer Planet - The Impact of Heat Stress on Labour Productivity and Decent Work'. It stated that working hours will be lost because it is too hot to work or because workers work at a slower pace.
