1. The Second Edition of “The Healthy States, Progressive India” Report released by NITI Aayog
The report said Haryana, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand are the top three ranking states in terms of annual incremental performance. Among smaller states, Mizoram ranks first followed by Manipur on overall performance. Kerala took the top spot among larger states for overall performance on health indicators in a NITI Aayog report, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, while Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha languish at the bottom. The Kerala government takes health concerns very seriously, according to the second edition of the Healthy States, Progressive India report released by NITI Aayog on Tuesday.
2. Central Government move to set up Krishi Vigyan Kendras to double farmers’ income by 2022
In a bid to double farmers' income by the year 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is set to use digital technology to modernize and organize agricultural activities in rural India. "Digital Technology, like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain Technology, Internet of Things, etc can play a transformational role in modernizing and organizing how rural India performs its agricultural activities," Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar told the Rajya Sabha in a written statement. The Government has constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee to examine issues relating to doubling of farmers' income and recommend a strategy to achieve that goal by the year 2022.
3. Japan gifts Imphal Peace Museum to Manipur, built on WWII memories
Japan on Saturday gifted Manipur a museum of peace built on the memories of one of the fiercest battles of the Second World War. The inauguration of the Imphal Peace Museum at Red Hill, about 20 km southwest of Manipur’s capital Imphal, marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imphal. Some 70,000 Japanese soldiers, alongside those of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, died in battles with the British-led Allied forces in areas around Imphal and Kohima from March to June 1944. The last of these battles was fought at Red Hill, where the Japanese War Memorial was built in 1944 to mark the 50th anniversary of the battle.
4. Government schools to introduce Self Defence Training for girls under Samagra Shiksha
Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched Integrated Scheme for School Education i.e. Samagra Shiksha effective from 2018-19. Self Defence training for girls is an activity under Samagra Shiksha. Keeping in view, the rising number of crimes against girls and women in the country and to ensure safety and security of girls, Self Defence training is imparted to girls of class VI to XII belonging to Government Schools. Funds for this purpose are provided for three months @ Rs. 3000/- per school per month for inculcating self-defense skills including life skill for self-protection and self-development among the girls. Self-Defence training is also being given in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) which are residential schools meant for girls of class VI to XII and belonging to disadvantaged groups.
5. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu to have its own disaster response force by September 2020
The Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, a religious pilgrimage atop a hilltop that attracts lakhs of devotees from across the world every year, will get a dedicated in-house disaster response force by September next year, a senior official said Sunday. Simrandeep Singh, the Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), said training of the board staff who will be the first respondents in case of any eventuality has already begun at the headquarters of 7th battalion of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Punjab. Nearly 86 lakh pilgrims visited the shrine, atop the Trikuta hills in Reasi district of Jammu region, last year, highest in the last five years.
6. RBI launches new complaints portal for filing online complaints against banks, NBFCs
The CMS is now your single window for lodging complaints against any RBI regulated entity. All complaints lodged on the CMS would be directed to the appropriate office of the ombudsman/regional office of the RBI. Making it easier to lodge complaints against banks and NBFCs, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a new “Complaint Management System (CMS)" website where anyone can complain against any of the entities regulated by RBI.
7. Government of Jharkhand to get $147 Million Loan from World Bank
The Government of India, the Government of Jharkhand and the World Bank, signed here today a $147 Million Loan Agreement to provide basic urban services to the people of Jharkhand and help improve the management capacity of the urban local bodies (ULBs) in the State. The Jharkhand Municipal Development Project will focus on improving the municipal sector’s capacity to provide basic urban services. It will invest in urban services such as water supply, sewerage, drainage, and urban roads; and strengthen the capacity of the Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company (JUIDCO) as well as that of the ULBs to carry out reforms in the areas of urban finance and governance.
8. NTPC and PGCIL sign MoU to form a joint venture to enter Power Distribution Business
Heralding a major change in the power distribution sector of the country, two leading public sector utilities — NTPC and Power Grid Corporation of India — have formed a joint venture to set up National Electricity Distribution Company. This paves way for NTPC, a leading power generator, and Power Grid, which owns India’s largest power transmission network, to get into consumer electricity supply business. The move could also hint at another round of power distribution reforms. A statement by the spokesperson of the ministry of power said, "An agreement has been entered between Power Grid and NTPC on June 21 for the formation of a JV company on 50:50 equity basis for setting up National Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (NEDCL). The main objective of the venture is to undertake the business for distribution of electricity in distribution circles in various states and Union Territories and other related activities."
9. Rachna Khaira of The Tribune won RedInk Award for ‘Journalist of the Year 2019’ for Aadhaar expose
Rachna Khaira, who wrote for The Tribune, has bagged the prestigious RedInk Award for ‘Journalist of the Year’ for her far-reaching expose during Calendar 2018 on the functioning of the Unique Identification Authority of Indian (UIDAI) and its Aadhar data cache. Her investigation confirmed that personal data of millions of citizens were at risk of being hacked or traded for a price. By running a series of stings with The Huffington Post, the journalist was able to raise serious doubts about the claims by the government that Aadhar data stored in UIDAI servers were safe and secure.
10. Pankaj Razdan, CEO of Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance quits
India's only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra was on Thursday appointed as an independent person by the World Archery to sort out the ongoing mess in the national federation (AAI). The development comes a day after the world body de-listed the Archery Association of India for violating the constitution by unanimously electing two parallel bodies in Chandigarh and New Delhi. The celebrated Indian shooter will be part of the selection panel, also consisting of IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta and a representative of sports ministry to pick the national teams till a new AAI body takes charge.
11. World Archery appointed Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra to sort AAI trouble
12. SpaceX launched a hefty rocket with 24 research satellites
SpaceX launched its heftiest rocket with 24 research satellites Tuesday, middle-of-the-night rideshare featuring a deep space atomic clock, solar sail, a clean and green rocket fuel testbed, and even human ashes. It was the third flight of a Falcon Heavy rocket, but the first ordered by the military. The Defense Department mission is expected to provide data to certify the Falcon Heavy — and reused boosters — for future national security launches. It marked the military's first ride on a recycled rocket.
