Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui passes away
Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist, Danish Siddiqui, has passed away, after he was killed in a clash while reporting a fight between Afghan troops and the Taliban in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province in Afghanistan on July 13, 2021. He was employed with the international news agency Reuters. He was a recipient of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize with six others working as a photographer with Reuters news agency in 2018.
Former Pakistan president Mamnoon Hussain passes away
Former president of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain passed away. Mamnoon Hussain, who was born in Agra in 1940 and migrated with his parents to Pakistan in 1947, served as the 12th President of Pakistan between September 2013 and September 2018. He was governor of Sindh from June to October 1999 when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government was overthrown by the then Pakistan Army chief, Gen Pervez Musharraf.
‘Bonalu’ festivities to begin in Telangana
‘Bonalu’ is a traditional folk festival celebrated every year in the Telugu month of Ashadham (falling in June/July), in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, and some other parts of Telangana state. The Bonalu festival was declared a ‘state festival’ by the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led government after the state’s formation back in 2014.
About the festival:
The Bonalu festival involves scores of devotees offering the traditional ‘bonam’ (derived from Bhojanam, meaning meals) to the goddess Mahankali at 25 temples across the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Telangana Capital: Hyderabad;
- Telangana Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan;
- Telangana Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao.
India’s first pod taxi to operate between Noida Airport and Film City
Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Ltd (IPRCL) has prepared a Detailed Project Report or DPR for the pod taxi service between Noida Airport at Jewar and Film City. There are plans to run a driverless taxi between the two destinations. This will cost about Rs 862 crore, according to the detailed project report (DPR) submitted to the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida). This is a 14 km stretch. This will be India’s first pod taxi service.
Pod taxis can accommodate four to six passengers per car. This important project will provide smooth connectivity to residential and industrial areas falling between film city and the Noida International Airport. As per the DPR, the corridor will pass through various sectors such as 21, 28, 29, 30 and 32, among others, falling under the Yeida region.
Andhra govt announces 10% reservation for EWS
The Andhra Pradesh government announced a 10% reservation for the Kapu community and other Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) for appointments in the initial posts and services in State government in accordance with the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019. The 10% reservation in employment will benefit Kapus who are neither benefited under BC quota nor under EWS quota and other Open Competition (OC) sections who are deprived of the benefits of reservation thus far due to non-implementation of the EWS quota.
The following are the operational guidelines for implementation of the 10% reservation:
- Persons who are not covered under the existing scheme of reservations for SCs, STs and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and whose gross annual family income is below Rs 8 lakh are to be identified as EWS for the benefit of reservation.
- The income includes income from all sources i.e. salary, agriculture, business, profession etc. for the financial year prior to the year of application.
- The term family for this purpose will include the person who seeks the benefit of reservation, his or her parents and siblings below the age of 18 years as also his or her spouse and children below the age of 18 years.
- The persons seeking the benefit of reservation under the EWS category have to obtain the necessary EWS certificates from the Tahsildars concerned.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy; Governor: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.
India, Sri Lanka and Maldives hold virtual trilateral exercise TTX-2021
Top defence officials from India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives participated in a virtual trilateral tabletop exercise “TTX-2021”. The exercise focused on maritime crimes like curbing narcotics and assistance in maritime search and rescue in the region. The two-day exercise, TTX-2021 aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and exchange of best practices procedures for countering common transnational crime was coordinated by the Maritime Warfare Centre, Mumbai.
About the exercise:
- TTX-2021 exemplifies the deep trilateral engagement between India-Maldives-Sri Lanka which has strengthened immensely in the maritime domain over the past years.
- Interaction between the three neighbouring countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has also grown significantly in recent years, in consonance with India”s policy of ‘Neighbourhood First” and vision of ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR).
Digital Platform “Kisan Sarathi” launched to facilitate farmers
In order to facilitate farmers to get ‘right information at right time’ in their desired language, a digital platform namely ‘KisanSarathi’ was launched jointly by Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. This initiative of KisanSarathi empowers farmers with technological interventions to reach farmers in remote areas.
The ICAR Scientists to take-up research on new technological interventions in the area of transportation of farmer’s crop from their farm gate to warehouses, markets and the places where they want to sell with minimum damage. Union IT Minister assured that Ministry of Electronics and IT and Ministry of Communications will always be ready to provide all necessary support to Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying for Empowerment of Farmers. He also mentioned that the Ministry of Railways is making a plan to minimise the time taken for the transportation of crops.
Covid vaccination campaign for pregnant women in Kerala, “Mathrukavacham”
The Kerala government’s campaign ‘Mathrukavacham’ to vaccinate all the pregnant women in the state against COVID-19 infection was inaugurated at the district level recently. Spot registrations for vaccination of pregnant women would be carried out at various government hospitals. Pregnant women can receive the COVID vaccine at any time during their pregnancy. The special vaccination drive comes as a strong defence to protect pregnant women.
About the campaign:
- Vaccination will be made available in all district hospitals as part of the model program. In the beginning, the covid vaccine will be given to 100 pregnant women through spot registration.
- The State Health Ministry assured that in the coming days, covid vaccination for more pregnant women will be made accessible in all hospitals, depending on the availability of the vaccine.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan;
- Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.
Maharashtra govt launches new EV Policy 2021
The Maharashtra state government has launched the new Electric Vehicle Policy-2021. The policy announced by the State Environment Minister, Aaditya Thackeray aims to accelerate the adoption of Battery Electric Vehicles in the country. The new EV policy introduced in Maharashtra is a revision of the 2018 policy. It is introduced with an aim to make Maharashtra the “topmost producer of battery-powered electric vehicles in India.”
The policy also aims for electric vehicles (EVs) to make up 10 per cent of all new vehicle registrations, by 2025. For this ambitious mission, the state government has rolled out an Rs. 930 crore policy, valid up to 31st March 2025. To make this successful, EVs will be exempted from road tax and registration charges.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
- Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai.
- Maharashtra CM: Uddhav Thackeray.
