International Day of Cooperatives: 3 July
The United Nations celebrates the International Day of Cooperatives every year on the first Saturday of July to increase awareness of cooperatives. In the year 2021, the International Day of Cooperatives will be celebrated on 3rd July with a focus on the contribution of cooperatives to combating climate change.
This July 3rd, the International Day of Cooperatives (#CoopsDay) will be celebrated as “Rebuild better together”. Cooperatives around the world will showcase how they are meeting the COVID-19 pandemic crisis with solidarity and resilience and offering communities a people-centred and environmentally just recovery.
History of the day:
United Nations is celebrating the International Day of Cooperatives every year on the first Saturday of July since 1923. Co-operatives have been acknowledged as associations and enterprises through which citizens can effectively make their lives better by contributing to the economic, social, cultural as well as political advancement of their community and nation. Cooperatives employ 280 million people across the globe which is 10% of the world’s employed population.
New jumping spider species named after 26/11 martyr Tukaram Omble
A group of scientists who discovered two new species of jumping spiders from the Thane-Kalyan region named one of them after the brave police constable Tukaram Omble who lost his life in the 26/11 terror attacks. The species is called ‘Icius Tukarami.’
The paper citing the discovery of the new species was published in the Russian science journal Anthropoda Selecta by scientists Dhruv A. Prajapati, John Caleb, Somnath B. Kumbhar and Rajesh Sanap.
President Kovind laid foundation stone for Ambedkar Memorial and Cultural Centre
President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone for Ambedkar Memorial and Cultural Centre in Lucknow. The cultural centre will come up at 5493.52 sq meter nazool land in front of Aishbagh Eidgah in Lucknow and have a 25-ft high statue of Dr Ambedkar.
The centre, to come up at a cost of ₹45.04 crores, will also have an auditorium having a capacity of 750 people, library, research centre, picture gallery, museum and a multi-purpose convention centre.
AJNIFM, Microsoft partner to build AI, emerging technologies
The Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM) and Microsoft announced a strategic partnership to build an AI and emerging technologies centre of excellence at AJNIFM. The collaboration seeks to explore the role of cloud, AI and emerging technologies in transforming and shaping the future of public finance management in India.
The centre of excellence will serve as a central body for research, AI scenario envisioning and tech-led innovation. AJNIFM and Microsoft will jointly explore use cases of emerging technologies in finance and related areas, across central and state ministries and public sector enterprises. Microsoft will partner closely with AJNIFM to define the future of public finance management in India, providing the technology, tools and resources to build a strong ecosystem of partners, upskill government officials and build thought leadership.
As part of the strategic partnership, Microsoft and AJNIFM will focus on:
- Building an innovation centre: Joint development of a centre of excellence at AJNIFM to drive AI envisioning in finance management across key associated ministries of AJNIFM.
- Industry thought leadership: Microsoft and AJNIFM will jointly develop research papers and organize strategic knowledge-sharing workshops with industry experts to discuss the role of cloud, data and AI for re-imagining public finance management in India.
- Reskilling and capacity building: Developers at AJNIFM and senior government officials from associated ministries will be skilled in data engineering, data sciences, AI and machine learning etc.
- Creating a strong ecosystem of partners: Engaging ecosystem partners, academia and MSMEs to drive innovation in financial management based on priority scenarios.
Former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld passes away
Donald Rumsfeld, the two-time defence secretary and the one-time presidential candidate whose reputation as a skilled bureaucrat and visionary of a modern US military was unravelled by the long and costly Iraq war, died recently. Rumsfeld is the only person to serve twice as Pentagon chief. The first time, in 1975-77, he was the youngest ever.
China is certified malaria-free by WHO
Following a 70-year effort, China has been awarded a malaria-free certification from WHO – a notable feat for a country that reported 30 million cases of the disease annually in the 1940s. China is the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to be awarded a malaria-free certification in more than 3 decades. Other countries in the region that have achieved this status include Australia (1981), Singapore (1982) and Brunei Darussalam (1987).
Globally, 40 countries and territories have been granted a malaria-free certification from WHO – including, most recently, El Salvador (2021), Algeria (2019), Argentina (2019), Paraguay (2018) and Uzbekistan (2018).
Keys to success
- China provides a basic public health service package for its residents free of charge. As part of this package, all people in China have access to affordable services for the diagnosis and treatment of malaria, regardless of legal or financial status.
- Effective multi-sector collaboration was also key to success. In 2010, 13 ministries in China – including those representing health, education, finance, research and science, development, public security, the army, police, commerce, industry and information technology, customs, media and tourism – joined forces to end malaria nationwide.
- In recent years, the country further reduced its malaria caseload through strict adherence to the timelines of the “1-3-7” strategy. The “1” signifies the one-day deadline for health facilities to report a malaria diagnosis; by the end of day 3, health authorities are required to confirm a case and determine the risk of spread; and, within 7 days, appropriate measures must be taken to prevent further spread of the disease.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- China Capital: Beijing;
- China Currency: Renminbi;
- China President: Xi Jinping.
Indian Wrestler Sumit Malik gets two-year ban for doping
Indian wrestler Sumit Malik was banned for two years by the sport’s world governing body UWW after his B sample also returned positive for a prohibited stimulant. The 28-year-old has one week to decide if he would accept the sanction or challenge it. He was handed a provisional suspension last month for failing a dope test during the World Olympic Qualifier event in Sofia, where he had qualified for the Tokyo Games in the 125 kg category.
Mariyappan Thangavelu named flag-bearer for Tokyo Paralympics
Top para high-jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu was named the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent in the Tokyo Paralympics, which begins on August 24. Thangavelu, who is defending the T-42 gold he had won in the 2016 Rio Paralympics during the August 24 to September 5 showpiece in Tokyo, was picked for the honour by the executive committee of the national body.
The 25-year-old Thangavelu, who was conferred with the Khel Ratna, the country’s highest sporting award, last year is one of the 24 para-athletes picked by the selection committee for the Tokyo Paralympics. Thangavelu, who hails from Salem district in Tamil Nadu, suffered a permanent disability at the age of five when a bus crushed his right leg below the knee.
Pushkar Singh Dhami to be next chief minister of Uttarakhand
Pushkar Singh Dhami will be the next chief minister of Uttarakhand. He will be the youngest CM of Uttarakhand. 45-year-old Pushkar Singh Dhami, an MLA from the Khatima constituency in Udham Singh Nagar district. He will replace Tirath Singh Rawat, who resigned from the post. He was elected by the state leaders during the legislature party meeting in Dehradun.
Who is Pushkar Singh Dhami?
- Born on September 16, 1975, in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh, Pushkar Singh Dhami is a two-time MLA from the Khatima constituency. He holds a Postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations and LLB in Social Life.
- Pushkar Singh Dhami was also associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and also served as the state president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in Uttarakhand.
- Pushkar Singh Dhami served as the officer on special duty for former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari in 2002.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya.
Pan Macmillan to publish Nathuram Godse’s biography
The book titled “Nathuram Godse: The True Story of Gandhi’s Assassin” by Mumbai-based journalist Dhaval Kulkarni will be published by Pan Macmillan India in 2022. A biography of Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s infamous assassin, situates the man and his most defining act in the larger context of modern Indian history and contemporary society and politics.
The book was acquired at auction by Teesta Guha Sarkar, editorial head at Pan Macmillan India, from Anish Chandy, founder of Labyrinth literary agency. “The book will be a deep-dive account and delve into the cataclysmic chain of events both before and after Gandhi’s murder.
